Daming talker

Chapter 780 What do you want?
On the morning of February 16, Prime Minister Shen Li, who was working in Wenyuan Pavilion, received an urgent imperial decree to summon cabinet officials to the palace, and he understood what had happened.

In recent days, a large number of memorials have been left in the palace without being sent out, which has long aroused speculation among ministers.

Now the emperor, who had not seen foreign ministers for many years, suddenly summoned the grand secretaries to the palace for an audience. Any minister with a little political experience could guess the meaning of this.

Not only did the cabinet ministers rush into the palace, but the ministers from the outer court also rushed to the Huangji Gate to wait for news.

When the three cabinet ministers Shen Li, Zhu Geng and Li Chun arrived at the main gate of the harem, namely Qianqing Gate, they were temporarily stopped again.

Prime Minister Shen was in a very anxious mood and could not help but angrily scold Wang Yi, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department who was delivering the imperial edict and leading the way:
"Since the emperor urgently summoned the ministers, why did you stop me? Do you have ulterior motives and want to isolate the inside and outside at this critical moment?"

How could Eunuch Wang dare to bear such a fatal "crime" during such a sensitive period, and he quickly explained: "The emperor's decree is that you gentlemen and Daifang Hou must come to the emperor together.

Now that Marquis Daifang has not arrived, please stay at the Qianqing Gate for a while and wait for Marquis Daifang to arrive before entering the palace together."

After hearing this arrangement, even Prime Minister Shen had no temper. It was impossible for him to leave, so he could only wait at the Qianqing Gate.

Li Chun, the third assistant, questioned in dissatisfaction, "Lin Tailai is outside the western suburbs. If we send someone to summon him, and then he enters the city from Xizhimen and then the palace, I don't know how long it will take for him to arrive. Do we have to wait forever?"

Wang Yi replied, "Mr. Chen Yin has already gone to summon Marquis Dai Fang in person. He galloped his horse and gave him special permission to enter the palace directly from Xi'an Gate, Xihua Gate, and Xinei Gate instead of taking the detour through Chengtian Gate and Wumen Gate. It shouldn't be too slow."

The elders: “.”

Lin Tailai was urgently summoned, and the eunuch in charge of the seal was sent personally to convey the order and lead the way; but when summoning their Grand Secretary, only you, the eunuch Wang, were sent over. Who are you looking down on?
The three ministers waited until the afternoon before they saw Chen Ju, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and Lin Tailai, who was wearing a scholar's wide robe with wide sleeves and straight hem, walking quickly towards them.

As time was running out, Eunuch Chen did not greet the ministers. He just nodded and walked towards the Qianqing Gate first.

Prime Minister Shen Li was going to be the first to follow Eunuch Chen, as was the norm according to etiquette, but he was pushed away by Lin Tailai.

Prime Minister Shen was stunned. Lin Tailai, you don't even have the superficial manners? Are you planning to stop pretending?
Eunuch Chen looked back and said helplessly, "It was me who asked Dai Fanghou to follow me closely. Prime Minister, please don't worry."

He saw through it but didn't say it out loud. I guess Lin Tailai thought of him, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, as a hostage, so he followed him closely.

If something really happened, Lin Tailai could catch him with just a stretch of his hand. After all, in the deep palace, the eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Household Department were still very valuable, at least more valuable than the Prime Minister.

Eunuch Chen, who was worried about the stability of the Ming Dynasty, felt that it was a blessing to meet a powerful official like Lin Tailai, who was proficient in both civil and military affairs, suspicious, and who was thinking of taking the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department as a hostage as soon as he entered the palace.

The group passed through the inner palace alley and arrived at the Qixiang Palace where Emperor Wanli slept.

At this time, the extremely weak Emperor Wanli had been forcibly helped up by several eunuchs. He was half sitting and half lying, and his eyes could hardly open.

Since the death of Zhang Juzheng, Empress Dowager Li, the emperor's biological mother, who had disappeared from the court officials' sight for twenty years, also appeared at this time.

She sat beside Emperor Wanli, holding her son's hand tightly, wondering what she was thinking. Perhaps she regretted not persuading her son to stop drinking and staying up late?
Several princes were also present, standing neatly on the other side.

Apart from this, there was no one else in the palace. Neither the Empress nor the most favored Consort Zheng was present.

In the gloomy atmosphere, Emperor Wanli thought for a while and then called out, "Gentlemen, come forward."

Chief Minister Shen Li and Grand Secretaries Zhu Geng and Li Chun bowed and listened to the instructions together.

Then Emperor Wanli said very slowly: "I have enjoyed the throne for a long time and have no regrets. From now on, I will leave my ministers.

The East Palace has a beautiful child, and I am now giving him to you. Help him to grow up, assist him to be a good emperor, and encourage him to study hard and work hard. "

After hesitating for a moment, Emperor Wanli added: "All mining taxes will be abolished, and all officials convicted for making suggestions will be pardoned and returned to their posts."

So far, these are all very "normal" words, and these are basically what the emperor could say before his death.

Even things like boycotting mining taxes and pardoning political prisoners fall into the category of "a dying man's words are good."

Since you are going to die anyway, there is no point in making money or fighting. You might as well be generous before you die in order to gain a good reputation after your death.

The seventy-year-old Prime Minister Shen Li choked up slightly and accepted the imperial edict on behalf of the court officials.

Emperor Wanli no longer had the strength to move, and he only looked at Lin Tailai who was beside Eunuch Chen.

The emperor felt very complicated and didn't know how to evaluate this "capable minister". There was no similar template throughout history.

It's like sweet wine, which makes you drunk but is also very addictive.

Who else can point the arrows to hit the target, win every battle, be very useful, and at the same time be good at making profits, and get so much silver for the national treasury and the inner treasury?
Then Emperor Wanli asked, panting, "Nine Yuan True Immortal, what do you want?"

For the minister, this was simply the most terrifying scene!

It is very scary when an emperor asks you what you really want before he dies. Maybe the emperor already wants to take you with him.

Lin Tailai avoided the question and said, "Your Majesty is in the prime of life, why do you keep saying ominous things?"

Emperor Wanli rebuked: "Don't give me false comfort!" Although he is only forty years old this year, most of his ancestors died in their thirties or forties, such as Xuanzong, Yingzong, Xianzong, Xiaozong, and Wuzong. There is no room for Zhu Yijun to be lucky.

Lin Tailai had no choice but to say: "I am willing to be the Fu Bo of the Ming Dynasty, and I beg you to grant me the right to conquer the countries in the East and Southeast Asia.

From now on, Jiangnan will be used as a base to expand financial resources and obtain more rice for our Ming Dynasty."

Others don’t know what Lin Tailai is thinking, but from the perspective of political strategy, what Lin Tailai said means that he is aiming overseas and will not harm the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Wanli closed his eyes to relieve his fatigue, and replied: "I will confer Lin Tailai the title of Duke of the Protectorate, Grand Secretary of the Dongge, and let him participate in the affairs of the government, and be responsible for the affairs of the southeast, the affairs of suppressing rebellions and suppressing bandits, and the affairs of overseas Korea and Japan."

Eunuch Chen and the cabinet ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. They could understand giving Lin Tailai a higher title and letting him join the cabinet, but the "division of tickets" was unexpected.

It seems that the emperor wants to set up "two giants" in the cabinet, with Lin Tailai specifically responsible for southeastern, overseas, and quelling rebellion affairs, while Prime Minister Shen will be responsible for other matters?

Is this considered mediation between Lin Tailai and Prime Minister Shen?
It may be that the emperor no longer had the time and energy to deal with the problem carefully before his death, so he could only use simple and rough methods to stabilize Lin Tailai to prevent him from causing trouble after his death.

However, Lin Tailai's request seemed to be to establish a government in the southeast to command overseas affairs, but the emperor kept him in the center.

In other words, keeping Lin Tailai in the "center" made the emperor feel more at ease than sending Lin Tailai out to set up his own government.

You have been "promoted" in this way, and the emperor's grace is so great, do you, Lin Tailai, still have the nerve to continue making trouble?

Eunuch Chen breathed a sigh of relief. When he faced Lin Tailai before, he was afraid that Lin Tailai would have a brain seizure and get things out of control.

Now, when facing the emperor, he was afraid that the emperor would have a brain seizure. What if the emperor wanted to drag Lin Tailai to death with him, and Lin Tailai was forced to "bleed three feet of anger"? What should he do?
All that needed to be said had been said, and Prime Minister Shen picked up his pen and began to draft an imperial edict in front of everyone. The content was roughly what the emperor had just dictated.

After Prime Minister Shen finished writing, the emperor confirmed that it was correct and let the eunuchs use the seal. In this way, a legally effective edict was completed.

However, this edict cannot be called a will at present, after all, the emperor has not passed away yet.

Lin Tailai, the Associate Protector of the State, looked at the imperial edict in Prime Minister Shen's hand, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

In the original history, only half a night later, Emperor Wanli's illness suddenly recovered, and he impatiently sent eunuchs to snatch the imperial edict back from the prime minister.

The orders such as boycotting mining taxes and granting amnesty to political prisoners have all been reneged on and are no longer valid!

I wonder how things will evolve in this time and space?

After the emperor finished his "political will", he relaxed physically and mentally and fell into a coma again.

The ministers then asked Empress Dowager Li to take their leave and waited outside for the "final" news.

Before leaving, Lin Tailai reminded Empress Dowager Li: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is the future of the Ming Dynasty. Please stay in the East Palace for a while to avoid being infected by the disease."

Walking outside, Lin Tailai looked at the imperial edict in Prime Minister Shen's hand and asked tentatively, "Who will keep the imperial edict?"

Prime Minister Shen said firmly: "I am the Prime Minister!"

After that, Lin Tailai didn't say anything else and came to the outside of Huangji Gate with the ministers. At this time, all the ministers of the ministry and above the third rank had gathered here.

In order to appease the people, Prime Minister Shen showed the imperial edict in his hand to the court officials, saying that "the funeral affairs have been arranged properly, and there is no need to panic."

Just wait for the emperor to pass away, and then send out this completed edict.

The court officials naturally understood that the emperor's life was in danger at any moment, so they did not disperse, but retreated to the East Court Room outside the Meridian Gate to continue waiting.

As one of the ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, Lin Tailai also followed the trend and stayed in the East Courtyard.

Gradually it was getting dark and the Meridian Gate was locked. Unless something extraordinary happened, the palace gates would not be opened at night.

But the ministers did not leave and were still waiting in the East Court Room outside the Meridian Gate.

Maybe they all want to know the news first, so that they can have the opportunity to go to the East Palace first and show their presence in front of the new emperor?

But after waiting all night, the Meridian Gate was not opened as an exception. Everyone could not help but look at the cabinet ministers and Lin Tailai, who were entrusted with the care of the young emperor, in confusion.

Didn’t you hint before that the emperor was about to die? Why is there still no news until now?

The sky was bright again, and the side gate of the Meridian Gate was opened as required. A eunuch hurried to the East Court Room and announced to the ministers:

"The emperor woke up at midnight last night and rested until this morning. His health seems to be getting better."

The ministers who had stayed up all night said: "."

Are you kidding me? The will has been written, and you, the emperor, are not going to die?
Lin Tailai sighed secretly, as expected, there were still twists and turns.

(If I don’t finish it today, I can only finish it tomorrow)
(End of this chapter)