My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 377 The Emperor's Mute
Gao Gong stepped out from the ranks of the high-ranking officials and shouted loudly:
"Where is the Imperial Censor?"

Several imperial censors hurriedly came out, and Gao Gong immediately said:

"Those who dare to speak ill of the emperor's health intend to undermine the foundation of the nation. Why are the Imperial Censors still not fulfilling their duties?!"

Upon hearing Gao Gong's words, the assembled officials immediately fell silent.

The Imperial Censor in the palace picked up his pen and stared intently at the assembled officials, and no one dared to say another word.

Gao Gong immediately set the tone:

"As you all have seen, the grand court assembly for the New Year has concluded, and the Emperor is in good health!"

Su Ze rolled his eyes inwardly, but Gao Gong wasn't lying about what he said.

Emperor Longqing at least completed the entire process of the New Year's Day Grand Court Assembly. In the end, he asked the eunuchs around him to read the imperial edict on his behalf, which was actually a normal procedure. The late Emperor Jiajing did not like to read the imperial edicts himself.

At least the emperor didn't faint in front of his ministers.

Gao Gong continued:

"You are all pillars of the court. The foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty has long been established, so you should know there is no need to worry!"

That's a really clever statement.

Even if the emperor has problems, the crown prince has already been determined. Gao Gong's subtext is that even if the emperor has problems, the succession of power in the Ming Dynasty is stable.

Sure enough, after these words were spoken, the expressions of the courtiers relaxed.

Finally, Gao Gong said:
"Recently, there have been frequent fires in the capital. I and the cabinet ministers are taking turns to be on duty in the cabinet, and each department and office is also required to send people to be on duty."

This is tantamount to declaring a state of emergency.

Although Gao Gong did not admit that the emperor had health problems, the court officials were not blind, and the news from the palace would eventually come out.

However, the Longqing Emperor's health deteriorated too suddenly.

Gao Gong's actions quickly calmed people's hearts. All the ministers present were top-notch shrewd individuals, and they all understood that the Ming Dynasty's political situation had entered a new phase.

Next, Gao Gong invited Chen Hong, the chief scribe of the Directorate of Ceremonial, to bestow New Year's gifts upon the court officials in the name of the emperor, and then announced the dissolution of the New Year's Day grand court assembly.

Su Ze and other ministers left, but the cabinet ministers remained in the main hall, apparently preparing to go to the palace to check on the emperor's condition.

Su Ze also felt a bit emotional.

The emperor's health deteriorated, the cabinet was vying for power, and undercurrents were also swirling within the Directorate of Ceremonial.

When the three core elements of the highest power in the Ming Dynasty—the emperor, the cabinet, and the directorate of ceremonial affairs—all encountered problems, the stable trend during Li Chunfang's cabinet period immediately changed.

Most of the ministers, including Su Ze, naturally miss that golden age of political stability.

However, many people still prefer such turbulent times, since chaos is the ladder to advancement.

As for where the political situation will go, Su Ze has already changed too much of the history of this world, and even Su Ze himself can't see the road ahead.
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On the third day of the first lunar month, several decrees were issued from the palace.

Li Shizhen served as the Imperial Physician and announced the emperor's health condition on behalf of the Imperial Medical Academy.

Li Shizhen's diagnosis was "Your Majesty's Yin and Yang are out of balance, and you have also caught a cold." The treatment plan was to recuperate and rest, and he prescribed only some simple medications.

This diagnosis reassured the entire court.

Li Shizhen was a renowned physician of his time, so his diagnoses were naturally accurate.

Although this diagnosis certainly concealed much information, including the cause of the emperor's "yin-yang imbalance" and whether the emperor had other illnesses.

But all of this shows that the emperor's illness was not an acute one that could kill him immediately.

If this is the case, the transfer of power will not be too drastic, which would naturally be a good outcome for the government.

Immediately afterwards, the Longqing Emperor issued an imperial edict appointing Crown Prince Zhu Yijun to attend the Lantern Festival in his place. At the same time, under the pretext of training the Crown Prince, the Emperor also entrusted him with presiding over this year's Spring Ploughing Ceremony.

These two events temporarily calmed the hearts of the people in the outer court.

Immediately afterwards, the emperor issued another imperial edict.

This year's imperial examination was presided over by Gao Gong, the Grand Secretary and Chief Minister of the Cabinet.

Zhang Juzheng, the second-in-command of the cabinet and a Grand Secretary, served as the chief executive officer.

Lu Diaoyang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was appointed as the Deputy Chief Officer.

Twenty examiners were also listed, all of whom were officials from the Hanlin Academy.

Besides Su Ze himself, several of his old acquaintances, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing, were also included in the list of examiners.

This list is also rife with political maneuvering.

The Chief Examiner was nominally in charge of coordinating the imperial examinations, but was not the direct examiner and was not responsible for setting or grading questions.

Therefore, although the examiner was nominally the candidate's mentor, in reality, they were not as close as the chief examiner.

Logically speaking, Gao Gong should have been the chief executive officer, not given the position to his political rival, Zhang Juzheng.

However, Su Ze quickly understood Gao Gong's intentions.

The chief executive officer, vice president, and examiners are required to "lock down" the examination hall during the examination period.

In other words, from the time the exam papers were set until the final grading of the provincial examination, they had to stay locked inside the examination hall and could not communicate with the outside world.

When Zhang Juzheng took over as chief examiner, he would be locked in the examination hall from February to March.

If anything were to happen to the Longqing Emperor during this period, Zhang Juzheng would be at a loss!

No wonder he's a seasoned politician!

The vice president, Lü Diaoyang, was Gao Gong's vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel when Gao Gong served as the Minister of Personnel.

Lü Diaoyang is a staunch supporter of Gao.

This would also weaken the influence of Zhang Juzheng as his mentor.

This list of examiners is also a list of powerful figures from various factions using to enhance the prestige of their chosen talents.

Being selected as an examiner is practically equivalent to being on the list of potential high-ranking officials. Once you have the qualifications to be the chief examiner and serve as the chief examiner for one term, you're likely to be able to enter the cabinet.

High-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty were promoted so quickly.

For example, Zhang Juzheng, in the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing's reign, was promoted from a seventh-rank Hanlin compiler to a sixth-rank Right Vice Minister of the Right Spring Palace.

Three years later, before the Jiajing Emperor passed away, he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently served as a Hanlin Academy Academician.

After Emperor Longqing ascended the throne, Zhang Juzheng immediately joined the cabinet.

Compared to these "seniors," Su Ze was just a little faster and became famous earlier.
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The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year was smaller in scale than last year.

During the lantern festival, there were also more auspicious symbols for praying for blessings and longevity. People would also buy longevity characters and pray at home to extend the emperor's lifespan.

The people of the capital naturally knew how difficult it was to have an emperor like the Longqing Emperor.

During his reign, Emperor Longqing resolved the northern border troubles and developed industry and commerce in the capital.

What's even more remarkable is that the Longqing Emperor did not cause any trouble during his reign, unlike his father who built palaces and Taoist temples. The people of the capital enjoyed peace and tranquility for a long time.

In fact, most monarchs would have improved the lives of their people if they had simply stayed in the palace instead of causing them trouble.

In addition, Su Ze's series of reforms to develop industry and commerce made the capital the center of industry and commerce in the north, and it became even more prosperous.

Ordinary people can't remember so many policies; they'll put the ruler's name before prosperity and associate the monarch with this golden age of flourishing development.

The story of the Longqing Reign quickly spread among the people.

Of course, the official narrative does not endorse the "Longqing Era of Prosperity" theory.

Before the emperor had even passed away, was talking about the "Longqing Era" a curse on his death?

After the Lantern Festival, Su Ze was summoned to the palace.

The person who summoned Su Ze was not the Longqing Emperor, but Crown Prince Zhu Yijun. Since the beginning of the year, the Crown Prince had moved back to the Imperial Palace from the Eastern Palace, and the Imperial Household Department had also suspended the Imperial Lectures after the New Year.

Su Zen was summoned to the palace because he was an official of the Office of Transmission and possessed credentials to enter and exit the palace.

Starting from the grand court assembly on New Year's Day, ordinary officials were no longer allowed to enter or leave the palace.

Su Ze couldn't help but feel pleased with his foresight.

When the young prince saw Xiao Pangjun, his expression was much worse than before the New Year.

"Master Su!"

Perhaps due to the immense pressure he had been under these past few days, Xiao Pangjun's eyes reddened slightly upon seeing Su Ze, and Su Ze, also showing genuine emotion, quickly said to the Crown Prince:

"Your Highness, it's quite cold outside. Let's go inside and talk."

Little Fatty Jun rubbed his eyes, knowing there were too many people and too much gossip outside, so he pulled Su Ze into the Crown Prince's palace.

After his trusted eunuch Zhang Hongping dismissed everyone around him, Little Fatty Jun began to speak:
“Master Su, the Emperor lost his speech after the New Year’s Day Grand Court Assembly.”

Su Ze was also taken aback.

He had guessed the emperor's condition, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious.

"What did Physician Li say?"

Little Fatty Jun said:
"The imperial physician said that the emperor's illness was caused by a stroke. He administered acupuncture in time, and no other sequelae were left. However, the loss of speech will require a long period of recuperation to recover."

Su Ze now understood that the Longqing Emperor had suffered a stroke during the New Year's Day court assembly.

However, because the rescue was timely, the only aftereffect was aphasia, and there were no other consequences.

Of course, for an emperor, losing one's voice was a very serious matter.

"Can His Majesty still write by hand?"

Little Fatty Jun nodded repeatedly and said:
"Handwritten text is fine."

"That's good."

"Master Su, what should I do?"

Su Ze looked at his disciple, Zhu Yijun, who was now just a teenager.

He began by saying:
"Your Highness, His Majesty is just ill. With proper care, he will recover."

These were obviously meant to comfort him, but after hearing them, Little Fatty Jun was visibly happier.

Su Ze continued:

"Your Highness's task is to serve His Majesty his medicine and keep abreast of His Majesty's condition from the imperial physicians."

"The rest can be arranged by the Empress and the Imperial Concubine."

"Empress Dowager, Mother Consort?"

The Empress was Empress Chen, and the Consort was Consort Li, the birth mother of Xiao Pangjun.

According to the political custom of the Ming Dynasty, once the Longqing Emperor passed away, the Empress and the Consort would automatically be promoted to Empress Dowagers.

During such periods, the Empress Dowager wielded enormous political influence because the emperor's will required her confirmation.

Little Fatty Jun nodded repeatedly and said:
“I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and Consort every day.”

Su Ze nodded. As long as these things were done well, the Crown Prince, Little Fatty Jun, would be safe.

Su Ze then comforted Xiao Pangjun for a few more minutes, assigned him some homework, and promised to bring him some books and newspapers to keep him entertained before leaving the palace.

The emperor's silence is a very serious political event.

If the emperor, as the executor of imperial power, is unable to express his own views, then imperial power may fall into the hands of others.

Just after Su Ze returned to his office in the Ministry of Justice, he heard a cooing sound coming from outside the window.

Su Ze opened the window, and the fat pigeon flew into the house.

The fat pigeon landed on the table, looked at Su Ze, and made a "coo" sound.

This fat pigeon has recently gone mad and has developed a liking for stale rice.

Moreover, there are specific rules: one gurgle indicates one year of aged rice, and two gurgles indicate two years of aged rice.

Fortunately, the fat pigeon basically only cooed once. Su Ze took out a bag of last year's rice, and the fat pigeon stretched out its legs, allowing Su Ze to untie the cage.

This is a letter that flew out of the palace.

The letter was sent by Zhang Cheng, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhang Cheng's letter also described the emperor's health condition, stating that the Longqing Emperor lost his speech after the New Year's Day grand court assembly.

After losing his speech, the Longqing Emperor's temper became increasingly volatile, and even Chen Hong, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was beaten and scolded by the emperor.

Now only Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, can remain by the emperor's side.

Feng Bao endured the emperor's beatings and scoldings, staying by the emperor's side day and night, and thus gained the emperor's trust.

Now Feng Bao is on duty day and night in the emperor's bedroom, and has even handed over most of the affairs of the Directorate of Ceremonial to Chen Hong.

Taking advantage of this, Chen Hong seized power in the Directorate of Ceremonial and began to constantly marginalize Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng sought help from Su Ze, asking him how he should handle the situation.

Su Ze frowned. Feng Bao was indeed a cunning old fox.

The weaker the emperor was, the more he would cling to him, making the Longqing Emperor unable to live without him.

As for the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial, its power was itself an extension of imperial power.

Su Ze picked up his pen and wrote down his suggestions to Zhang Cheng.

His suggestion was simple: since Feng Bao had already monopolized the positions around the emperor, Zhang Cheng could no longer squeeze in.

The patient is very sensitive. If Zhang Cheng tries to force his way in, it will only disgust the emperor and make Feng Bao wary.

Therefore, Su Ze advised Zhang Cheng that if he couldn't get close to the emperor, he should try to get close to Empress Chen and Consort Li, and use this time to cultivate good relationships with the future "two empress dowagers."

For a smart man like Zhang Cheng, these words were enough.

Once the emperor dies and the crown prince is too young, imperial power will be transferred to the two empress dowagers.

As long as Zhang Cheng can gain the trust of both of them, he will always have a place in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs of the new dynasty.

After the fat pigeon flew away, Su Ze looked towards the palace, where a dark cloud covered the corner tower.
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Imperial Palace, Cabinet.

After dark, the cabinet lit its lights.

Since the New Year's Day Grand Court Assembly, there have always been two cabinet ministers on duty in the cabinet. Today, it is Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji on duty.

An old man, surrounded by a group of eunuchs, entered the cabinet.

"Physician Li, how is the Emperor's health?"

Upon seeing the old man, Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji immediately inquired.

This old man was none other than the newly appointed Imperial Physician Li Shizhen. After the grand court assembly on New Year's Day, he decisively administered acupuncture to the emperor, saving his life. He immediately gained the emperor's trust and was promoted to Imperial Physician on the spot.

Li Shizhen carefully considered and said:
"His Majesty has taken his medicine today, and his pulse has stabilized somewhat."

Zhang Juzheng said:
"Please have Physician Li register this in the medical register."

The medical register was the emperor's medical record, which was also intended to be accessible to other cabinet ministers the following day, so that all members of the cabinet could have an understanding of the emperor's health condition.

When Li Shizhen was registering, a young eunuch secretly approached Zhang Juzheng and slipped him a small note.

(End of this chapter)