Jiajing Chengming

"I admit it!"

"But I also admit that if you are unwilling to work hard and are lazy, you will give up power to others! You will be at the mercy of others!"

"You don't want to work hard, but want to enjoy honor and glory. That's just courting death. You're worse than the common people! You're putting your neck in front of the knife of the powerful!"

Zhu Houcong expressed his opinion at this time.

After hearing this, Liao Daonan burst into tears and screamed.

He was visibly heartbroken.

But at this time, Zhu Houcong discovered that some ministers in the court could not help crying and sobbing.

"Why are you crying?"

Zhu Houcong asked in a deep voice.

"You can't just ask the emperor to work hard to govern when he's lazy and inactive!"

"Since I ascended the throne, I have been practicing what Taifu Yang and Duke Zhenze said in the past: one should be diligent in governing and be diligent in teaching. I have been making reforms and eliminating malpractices. Why are you still crying?"

"Don't you think I shouldn't work hard to govern the country?!"

When Zhu Houcong reached this point, he stood up and started to scold and question.

Zhu Houcong saw that Zhao Huang, the minister standing in front of him, also had tears in his eyes, so he looked at Zhao Huang at this time and said, "Lord Zhao, what do you think? Should I work hard to govern the country?"

"Your Majesty should certainly work hard to govern the country."

Zhao Huang bowed hurriedly and replied.

Zhu Houcong then asked: "Then why do you show your eyes full of tears?"

"Your Majesty, my eyes are filled with tears because I am happy, not because I am sad."

Zhao Huang replied with a wry smile.

Zhu Houcong sneered, then looked at him with lightning eyes and asked: "Then what are you happy about?"

"Of course, it's because your majesty is so wise and intelligent that he can stop treacherous ministers like Xia Liangsheng and Liao Daonan from making excuses with just a few words, and make them realize the extent of their sins, and that's why I'm happy!"

"More importantly, your Majesty's last words to Liao Daonan made me understand how difficult it is for your Majesty!"

"If Your Majesty had not worked hard to govern the country, how could the world be completely renewed, how could the treacherous thieves who pretend to be loyal be nowhere to hide, and how could the loyal ministers who pretend to be treacherous be able to continue to work for the country and the people?"

"To be specific, it is precisely because of the presence of a diligent and diligent emperor like Your Majesty that traitors like Xia Liangsheng and Liao Daonan no longer claim to be upright in the Imperial College and the Hanlin Academy, and thus be remembered by future generations. Instead, they have become traitors and traitors, leaving behind the name of treason for future generations."

"Those like Zhang Gelao and Gui Gelao were slandered, but because of your Majesty's hard work, they became good ministers and good assistants, and left their achievements for future generations!"

"So, when I think about how it was Your Majesty who allowed me to clean up the mess and promote justice in the Ming Dynasty, and how the people in the court were full of righteousness, I am filled with tears of joy."

Zhao Huang answered solemnly at this time.

Zhu Houcong nodded after hearing this.

"You should all have the same awareness as Elder Zhao!"

Zhu Houcong said this again at this time.

All the court officials bowed their heads in agreement.

But at the same time, many court officials glanced at Zhao Huang with ill intentions.

Next, Zhu Houcong asked the court officials to discuss how to sentence Fang Huai and other traitors.

Because Fang Huai and others were guilty of treason and even forced the royal family to death for treason, they were all sentenced to the death penalty of slow slicing and their nine clans were implicated.

Fang Liang was even sentenced to an additional thousand cuts because he directly called the king's name in the hall. Not only were his nine clans implicated, but three of his clans were also exterminated.

Fang Liang burst into tears when he was taken away.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

It is not unfair for these people to end up like this, it is just the inevitable result.

However, for the people of the world, especially those wealthy and powerful families who possessed certain armed forces, they had to completely give up the idea of ​​supporting the vassal kings to resist the imperial court.

In a blink of an eye, it was March of the eighth year of the Jiajing reign.

After the Lantern Festival of that year, Zhu Houcong officially left Beijing with Empress Dowager Zhangsheng and the Queen, preparing to return to his hometown to pay homage to the tomb of Emperor Rui.

This was the first time Zhu Houcong left the capital since he ascended the throne.

He was naturally quite excited about this.

Empress Dowager Zhangsheng and the Queen were also quite excited.

Along the way, there were birds singing, flowers blooming, and good weather. The key point is that Zhu Houcong did not encounter the situation in history where fires occurred frequently when Jiajing left the capital.

This surprised Zhu Houcong quite a bit.

Because he remembered that in history, there were many fires on the way Jiajing left Beijing for Chengtian Prefecture.

Zhu Houcong didn't know whether he was more cautious in this life than the historical Jiajing, or because the historical Jiajing was more careless than him, but he did not encounter a fire on his way out of Beijing.

After Zhu Houcong returned to the Prince Xing's Mansion after a long absence, he first went to pay homage to the tomb of his father, Emperor Rui.

Then, Zhu Houcong accompanied Empress Zhangsheng to the ancestral temple of the former Prince Xing's Mansion to fulfill his vow. This ancestral temple had been named Xingguo Temple by Zhu Houcong.

The current abbot of Xingguo Temple is named Jue Neng. He is an old monk who had contacts with Zhu Houcong's father and whom Zhu Houcong also met when he was a child.

Zhu Houcong could hear that an old monk had come to the temple more than half a year ago. His level of Buddhist knowledge was higher than his, but he was currently in seclusion meditating and could not come out, so he asked the emperor to forgive him.

When Zhu Houcong learned about this, he naturally forgave him.

However, what Zhu Houcong did not know was that the old monk who came to Xingguo Temple half a year ago was Yang Tinghe.

Yang Tinghe came to Chengtian Prefecture because he knew that Zhu Houcong was coming back to pay homage to his father's grave.

Yang Tinghe said that he was in seclusion in Xingguo Temple to practice Zen, but here he secretly met the eunuch Wen Xiang who had accompanied Zhu Houcong back.

Just as Yang Yiqing had secretly conspired with Zhang Yong on many things during the Zhengde period and formed a political alliance, Yang Tinghe also had his own allies in the inner court.

And this person is Wen Xiang.

"Eunuch Wen probably doesn't want me to make public what you did back then, right?"

Yang Tinghe said this after meeting Wen Xiang.

After hearing this, Wen Xiang took a deep breath, then asked directly with a cold face: "What do you want me to do?!"

"Let our Majesty go to see the late emperor in advance."

Yang Tinghe looked at Wen Xiang and said in a very calm tone.

Wen Xiang stood up and said through gritted teeth: "You are crazy!"

"Is this difficult for my father-in-law?"

"It's not the first time that my father-in-law has done something like this."

Yang Tinghe said with a smile.

Wen Xiang took another deep breath and put the cup heavily on the table: "You faked your death just to do this?"

"You could say that."

"I am no longer Yang Tinghe, but a wandering monk without a home. Whatever I do, it will not affect my nine clans."

Yang Tinghe replied with a smile.

Wen Xiang then asked: "But even if I came here with my godfather, I may not be able to accomplish this."

"It's not difficult! According to the custom, when the Holy Father comes here, he must fast with the Virgin Mary for a day before leaving."

"And I have prepared a lot of kerosene in the backyard of the Zen room. You just need to have your people load the kerosene on the water cart in the middle of the night in the name of fetching water, transport it to the place where the emperor lives, pour kerosene on it, and then have your people deliberately knock over the remaining wax!"

"When the fire starts, it will spread throughout the temple and burn our Majesty to death!"

Yang Tinghe said.

Wen Xiang asked in a deep voice: "What if he can't be burned to death?"

"That's what God has destined."

"I, Yang, will let myself be buried in the fire to answer God's will."

Yang Tinghe stood up and said with a serious expression as he looked at the leaden sky outside the window.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if the world became in chaos after you really did this?"

Wen Xiang asked Yang Tinghe at this time.

Yang Tinghe smiled faintly: "Isn't there an eldest prince?"

"But the eldest prince is only six years old!"

Wen Xiang said.

Yang Tinghe stroked his beard and said, "This is the best age for me to be guided and trained by you eunuchs!"

"Is not it?"

Yang Tinghe turned around and asked Wen Xiang with a smile.

Wen Xiang was silent for a while before he said, "Wait for my news. I just hope that it's you who will be buried in the fire!"

After Wen Xiang said this, he flicked his sleeves and left the Zen room.

Yang Tinghe just smiled slightly.

At the end of the fourth watch that night, eunuch Zhang Rui yawned and supervised Wen Xiang's men to bring in water cart after water cart. He smiled and said to Wen Xiang, "Thank you, brother. You fetched water for me, so I can sleep an extra hour."

"Why are you and I talking about this?"

Wen Xiang smiled and asked his men to bring the water cart into Zhu Houcong's bedroom, then ordered, "Pour it quickly!"

But as soon as Wen Xiang finished his words, a large group of Jinyiwei rushed out from the darkness.

"Don't move!"

Wen Xiang was so frightened when he saw this that he fainted on the spot. (End of this chapter)