Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 274: Escape from the Forbidden City and become the prince’s fiefdom!
That night.

The cabinet was brightly lit.

The ministers from the six ministries and nine departments gathered together.

Such a big fuss was not because of Li Chengliang, but because the emperor was returning to the Forbidden City. News also came from the inner court that the emperor would stay in Kunning Palace.

Taking this opportunity, the elders and officials have a few things to discuss.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the cabinet ministers and hall officials and said, "The first thing to do is to invite the emperor back to the palace. Such a large palace cannot be without a master. Before the Empress ascended the throne, the Holy Mother temporarily took charge of the sacred artifacts. Now that she is pregnant, it is not appropriate for her to work hard. Let's talk about it. Should we submit a petition to persuade the emperor to relocate?"

Since the Renyin Palace Coup, His Majesty has lived in the Western Garden for a long time, which has become a concern for countless court officials. The Xia Yan Cabinet, the Yan Song Cabinet, and even the current Zhang Juzheng Cabinet have all tried to test His Majesty's intentions and advised Him to return to the Forbidden City, but they were all severely reprimanded by His Majesty.

Over time, the court officials were almost in despair, but this sudden news made everyone see the light of hope.

in fact.

The cabinet elders headed by Zhang Juzheng and some elderly officials from the six ministries all knew that the emperor was unwilling to live in the Forbidden City from the bottom of his heart. It can be said that the emperor was unwilling to live in the Forbidden City since he came to the capital from Anlu, Huguang at the age of fourteen.

The emperor entered the imperial city from his residence in Anlu, Hubei, completely out of an unknown fate. To this center of power, he was still an "outsider".

However, the emperor used extraordinary stubbornness and toughness to engage in a protracted confrontation with ministers such as Yang Tinghe.

The Great Ceremony Debate, which lasted for three years, cost the court officials their lives and ended with the victory of the emperor.

The palace coup in the 20th year of Jiajing's reign was a major personal failure for the emperor, but it was also a good opportunity, a chance to escape from the Forbidden City.

The emperor took the opportunity to move into the Western Garden and no longer set foot in the palace or attended court.

Within the Western Garden, there is the beauty of lush trees and the beauty of vast seas. Compared with the Forbidden City, it is undoubtedly vast and free, and is a good place for hunting, riding and shooting. Emperors of all dynasties, including Xuanzong, Yingzong, Xianzong and Wuzong, liked to go to the Western Garden for riding and shooting.

However, the emperor's interest in the Western Garden is to continuously build palaces.

From the tenth to the twentieth year of Jiajing's reign, palaces such as Yongshou Palace, Wuyi Hall, Qingfu Hall, Qingxu Hall, pavilions such as Binfeng Pavilion, Baoyue Pavilion, Cuifang Pavilion, as well as shrines and altars such as the Sea God Temple, Leitan, and Leigong were successively built in the Western Garden.

Functionally speaking, these buildings cover all the needs of office, life, ancestral worship, sightseeing, etc. The ministers and officials can basically be sure that the emperor has been preparing to escape from the Forbidden City.

The emperor moved into the Yongshou Palace in the Western Garden, and subsequently built palaces and pavilions such as the Dagaoxuan Hall, the Daguangming Hall, the Yuxi Palace, and the Shenyingxuan.

Outside the Forbidden City, the emperor built another city for himself, in which he was relatively free.

The fact that Xiyuan is only one step away from the Forbidden City should not be underestimated. It means changes in the relationship between the cabinet and the emperor, the cabinet and the ministers, and the emperor and the ministers, as well as differences in actual political operations.

For the emperor, first of all, he no longer had to attend court, he could set his own schedule, and he didn't have to meet those courtiers who were arguing endlessly; he could also put aside the daily lectures and lofty sermons.

Most importantly, in this new city where he is the master, he can concentrate on fasting, praying and practicing Taoism. If he were in the Forbidden City, he would not know how many ancestral rules and regulations would be waiting for him, and he might never have peace and quiet.

His Majesty is no longer tired, he has gained freedom, he has gained the power to check and balance the civil and military officials, and to this day, His Majesty is the one who makes the final decision.

Persuading His Majesty to return to the Forbidden City is essentially persuading His Majesty to return to those many rules and regulations. Only in this way can the civil and military officials have the opportunity to put the imperial power back into the "cage".

The Forbidden City and Western Garden are two tangible cities, but they represent two intangible cities of power.

Even if His Majesty cannot do it in this generation of emperors, the ministers will strive to make it happen in the next generation of emperors.

Heavy paperwork, frequent daily lectures and high-sounding sermons, which are boring and tiring, can shorten a person's lifespan and can greatly speed up this process.

This is the most vicious plan a minister can use.

It shortened the emperor's life.

"I think that His Majesty has gotten used to living in Yuxi Palace, so there is no need to trouble His Majesty to move." Hu Zongxian immediately objected.

As the military's representative in the cabinet, the separation of military and politics had just begun, the Ming Dynasty's military strength had just started to improve, and the Ming Dynasty's strategy had just begun. What he hoped was that the emperor would live as long as possible.

"I agree with Ruzhen's words." Wang Chonggu supported.

Both he and Hu Zongxian were civil officials with bad records. Hu Zongxian was bad because of his mentor, the treacherous minister Yan Song, and he was bad because he had taken the initiative to draw a clear line between himself and the civil service group when he was the supreme commander of the military.

In the eyes of some radical civil servants, not being completely loyal is equivalent to being completely disloyal.

Moreover, he had deeply offended the Prime Minister, and the conflict between him and the civil service group was irreconcilable. His only option was to stand firmly on the side of the military.

"I agree with what Lord Hu said," said Hai Rui, the Minister of Rites.

These days, he was busy with the work of "simplifying characters and adding phonetic symbols" and did not get involved much in court affairs. However, regardless of his position, Hai Rui only wanted his emperor and father to live longer.

The Forbidden City is deep and has high walls. Looking up, all you can see is the cold moon and the warm sun, which serve to burn away people's longevity.

It is not suitable for human habitation, let alone for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Xiyuan, very nice.

"I second the motion!" echoed the Minister of Justice Paine.

The case of forged memorials in his name almost cost him his life. If it had not been for the comfort of the emperor, who had asked the director of the Imperial Hospital, the genius doctor Li Shizhen, to visit him frequently, he would most likely have lost his life.

The emperor’s grace is greater than heaven, and must be repaid.

"I second the motion!" Minister of Works Zhu Heng immediately expressed his opinion.

The five-year project of the 25,000-mile straight road has just started. The officials of the Ministry of Works are even more concerned about the health of the emperor than he is.

Next, several officials including Yan Jing, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, "seconded" Hu Zongxian's words.

When a wise king is in power, except that he may be more murderous, overall the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

About half of the cabinet ministers and officials refused to persuade the emperor to relocate. Zhang Juzheng was helpless. This group of "fortunate ministers" had never thought about how the ministers would deal with their power if the imperial power continued to expand.

But these were not things that could be put on the table. With so much opposition, there was no need to even put a ballot in the works. Zhang Juzheng could only put aside the matter of "persuading the emperor to return to the palace" and continued, "The second thing is that the Minister of Rites Hai Rui submitted a petition to establish the emperor's grandson Zhu Yijun as a prince and choose a place to be his fiefdom!"

As soon as these words came out.

It was no less than a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

Is the plan to depose Prince Yu's lineage finally going to have a result?

Although many people expected this day to come, when I think back to the past years when I had campaigned in the court to depose Prince Yu Zhu Zaihou and Prince Jing Zhu Zaizhen and to establish a crown prince, I suddenly feel like I was in another world.

this moment.

The cabinets of Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng, the two generations of cabinets and the civil and military officials of the six ministries, all became clowns on the stage.

Since the death of Crown Prince Zhuangjing, the court had been involved in numerous disputes over Prince Yu and Prince Jing. However, Prince Yu was deposed and Prince Jing was exiled, leaving the old ministers with regrets.

However, some court officials believed that the old events of the Hongwu period might recur and the emperor might appoint his grandson Zhu Yijun as the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

After hearing the news that the Queen was pregnant, some of the ministers felt disheartened. When the proposal of enfeoffment as a king was raised again, they felt even more disheartened.

However, no one expected that this proposal came from Hai Rui.

You should know that the Crown Prince Zhu Yijun lived in the Hai Mansion, and with the emperor's approval, Hai Rui became the Crown Prince's teacher.

If the crown prince can inherit the throne, Hai Rui can become the emperor's teacher.

For a moment, the ministers and officials felt mixed emotions, not knowing what to think or what to say.

Hai Rui stood up and explained, "Sir, although this proposal was made by me, it came from the mouth of Princess Li."

That's right.

The one who personally cut off the Crown Prince's path to becoming emperor was not his master Hai Rui, but his biological mother Princess Li.

During the time she lived in Hai Mansion, Princess Li saw things from Hai's mother and wife that were different from the mothers and wives of high-ranking officials in the court.

That is reality.

Not the gloomy realities of the world.

It is to recognize the truth of life and still work hard to live.

Everyone in the court could see that the chances of the Crown Prince being named heir to the throne, or even ascending the throne to become emperor, were not very high. To be more precise, the chances were almost zero.

Instead of staying in Haifu, he came to the capital city, under the watchful eyes of the emperor, to suffer in mind, toil in muscles and bones, to starve and deprive his body, to suppress his human nature, and behave like a person who is very suitable for being an emperor.

Princess Li felt that it would be better to give the Crown Prince a happy, healthy and normal childhood and adolescence.

The princess thought about it for a long time, and after hearing that the queen was pregnant, she made up her mind and asked Hai Rui to propose to the cabinet on her behalf that the prince be made a king and given a fiefdom.

Hear the words.

The ministers and officials suddenly felt depressed.

In their view, if you are born in an imperial family and have some blood, you must have the desire to fight, fight for yourself and for the world. Even if the outcome is often tragic, you must always have more responsibility and accountability.

Now, before the fight even started, Princess Li surrendered on behalf of the Crown Prince.

The ministers always felt uncomfortable, as if they had punched cotton, or stepped on empty air. They were not hurt much, but just felt uncomfortable.

"The Empress is just pregnant, and it is still unknown whether it is a prince son or a princess. Isn't it too early to discuss the issue of making the prince a king and giving him a fiefdom?" Gao Gong continued.

It's not that he disagrees with the crown prince being crowned a king and becoming a fiefdom, but it's too early. The emperor is old after all, and it's not about criticism or anything else. With a grandson in the capital, no matter what happens, everything will be stable.

Zhang Juzheng nodded, then shook his head, looked at the others, and asked, "What about you?"

"It makes sense that the Second Prime Minister is mature and wise in planning for the country." The elders and officials said in unison.

The lesson of the Great Ceremony Debate is still vivid in our minds. If the emperor passes away and the Ming Dynasty has another emperor as stubborn as the current emperor, all civil and military officials will be killed.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment, then said, "It is not urgent for the Crown Prince to be enfeoffed, but it is better to proceed with his enthronement first."

For some reason, Zhang Juzheng had an inexplicable disapproval towards Prince Yu's lineage. Well, he thought that Prince Yu and his bloodline were not very good, and it was good to cut off their path to becoming emperor.

If you don't want to be a vassal, you should be crowned king first.

Gao Gong had no reason to object, and neither did anyone else.

Then the title of the king had to be discussed. Since Prince Yu's title was abolished due to forced abdication and he committed treason, it was not appropriate to use it again. Naturally, the Crown Prince could not inherit his father's title and had to choose another one.

Everyone present was well-read, so it was not difficult to decide on a title for the king. After much deliberation, they decided on "Fu".

The word "Fu" has already appeared in oracle bone inscriptions. On the left side is the word "Shi", which means sacrifice; on the upper right side is "You" (wine), and at the bottom are two hands, symbolizing holding a jar of wine.

It can be seen that "Fu" originally means kneeling beside the altar with a jar of wine in both hands, praying for blessings.

This character seemed to be born for the royal family. It brought blessings to the crown prince and also carried the good wishes of the ministers, wishing him long-lasting blessings and fortune, great virtue, longevity and good fortune, and blessings from heaven... Everyone agreed.

While writing a petition for the crown prince to be conferred the title of prince, Zhang Juzheng said, "The third matter is about the Holy Mother. The Holy Mother played an indispensable role in the birth of a son in His Majesty's old age. This is a great contribution to our Ming Dynasty. The Holy Mother's family was born in poverty. The cabinet discussed and wanted to confer a title on the Holy Mother's father. What do you think?"

According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, if the father of a relative or princess of a county prince does not hold an official position, the prince will be appointed as the commander of the army, and the prince of a county prince will be appointed as the deputy commander, but they will not be in charge of the affairs.

But there is no grace from the Queen's father. The father-in-law is just a figurehead after all. Apart from occasional rewards from the treasury, there is nothing else.

Those military commander and deputy commander positions are too few. If it were according to the grace of the father-in-law of the past emperors, they should be granted the title of commander-in-chief of the Five Military Commandery.

However, this dynasty is different from previous dynasties. The military and politics are already separated. The Five Military Commanderies will soon be restructured and rebuilt. It will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, nor will it be a place for retirement or employment.

Although many of the military generals are illiterate, they are all veterans who have fought in battles of swords and guns and blood. Their combat instincts are so outrageous that they will not tolerate an idle person like the father-in-law of the emperor.

According to the custom, after the empress gave birth to a royal heir, the emperor's father-in-law would confer a title on her. Zhang Juzheng, Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, and Wang Chonggu decided to do it in one go and confer a title directly to support the emperor's father-in-law.

It is worth mentioning that the separation of military and politics does not affect the titles of the Ming Dynasty. Both the court and the military recognize them, and the specific salaries and rewards are still distributed by the court.

The military only takes care of military affairs, but for those who have made great contributions to the country, the court will be responsible for the aftermath.

Hai Rui was the Minister of Rites after all, so he stood up and said, "This seems to be against the rules."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said, "It is against the rules. How about cancelling the reward after the Virgin Mary gives birth to a child?"

The cabinet bet that the Virgin Mary was pregnant with a dragon son. In this way, it would be no different from rewarding the emperor in advance. Once the dragon son was born, they would no longer reward the emperor's father-in-law.

The situation remains the same, and the cabinet handled it flexibly.

Hai Rui was not a pedantic person. After pondering for a moment, he sat down.

Even Gangfeng, the "mountain" in the court, had no objection, and the officials also approved the cabinet's proposal.

However, as for the rank of nobility, the cabinet originally proposed to confer the title of Marquis, but this was unanimously opposed by the officials in the hall, so they had to settle for the next best thing and confer the title of Earl.

Earl's name: Jiading.

(End of this chapter)