Daming talker

Chapter 782: Forced to Abdicate and Ending
The area within the Meridian Gate is the "palace city", but with the Qianqing Gate as the boundary, there is a distinction between inside and outside.

Ministers can enter the part of the palace outside the Qianqing Gate, and the real inner palace is inside the Qianqing Gate.

The current Crown Prince Zhu Changluo lives in Ciqing Palace, which is located at the easternmost end of the palace city, close to Donghua Gate, and roughly belongs to the same area as Wenhua Hall and Wenyuan Pavilion.

Ciqing Palace is a relatively independent unit, separated from the emperor's harem. After all, the eldest son of the emperor has reached adulthood and it is impossible for him to live with the harem.

After the ministers entered the Meridian Gate, they split up and Lin Tailai hurried towards the Donghua Gate.

Shen Yongmao, who was only 43 years old and still in the prime of life, followed Lin Tailai closely and asked in a low voice, "What should we do when we get to Ciqing Palace?"

Lin Tailai said confidently: "We will act according to the situation and do our best to inflame the East Palace's anger."

There must be a sense of justice when engaging in politics. If Dong Gong doesn’t get angry, where does the “righteousness” come from?
"Although it's a bit risky, it's good that you have a mature idea." Shen Yongmao didn't ask any further questions. This was the absolute trust that had been built up over more than ten years.

Lin Tailai responded calmly: "It doesn't matter, this risk may not be a big deal.

I have the Red Book of Iron in my possession. It is time to test whether its ability to prevent death is effective or not. It should be fine."

Application: "."

Are you telling a joke? But your joke is not funny!

When I entered the front hall of Ciqing Palace, I saw seven or eight eunuchs holding down two big men. Although the two men had been tied up, they were still struggling violently.

The Crown Prince, who was in his twenties, sat under the eaves with his forehead bandaged - it seemed that he had really been beaten, and he looked ahead in a daze.

There had been similar cases of being attacked with sticks in history, but the situation was not as serious as today's incident. In that case, the prince was not directly beaten.

All we can say is that this is the level of palace security after a long period of peace.

Amidst the astonished and doubtful gazes, Lin Tailai held up the imperial edict he had just snatched and shouted:
"Don't worry, Your Highness! I have the imperial edict from yesterday here. No matter what, I will do my best to protect Your Highness!"

Quickly make your position clear in one sentence and reduce communication costs.

A middle-aged eunuch in his forties came forward and saluted Lin Tailai, saying, "I am Wang An, the prince's companion. I beg you to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

This Wang An was also a man of prominent background. He was personally arranged by the eunuch Chen Ju to be by the prince's side. When he saw Lin Tailai at this moment, it was as if he had seen a savior.

Although Zhu Changluo was made the crown prince last year, Emperor Wanli still did not like this crown prince very much and treated him very poorly in all aspects.

The most specific manifestation is that there is no ceremonial guard, and the eunuchs used in Ciqing Palace are mostly old and weak, and their numbers are sparse.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been such a farce that two big men with sticks broke in and attacked the prince at close range.

At this critical moment when even the air in the palace is filled with conspiracy, who knows what will happen next?
The prince's companion Wang An didn't even dare to believe Emperor Wanli, so now all His Royal Highness the Prince can rely on is the "protection" of court officials represented by Lin Tailai.

Lin Tailai pointed at the two men who were still twisting wildly after being tied up and asked, "What's going on? Did you find out anything?"

Wang An angrily replied: "These two murderers who deserve to be cut into pieces are both lunatics. Nothing can be learned from them!"

Lin Tailai asked again: "How did they get in?"

Wang An replied, "I have inquired about it. It seems that a bastard named Li Jinzhong in the palace said that these two people were bricklayers who were repairing the palace walls and were brought into the palace from Donghua Gate!

Then the two men got a stick from somewhere and went into Ciqing Palace. At that time, His Highness was in the front courtyard, preparing to leave the palace to visit the emperor, and was unfortunately injured. "

Anyone who is familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty knows the person called "Li Jinzhong". In history, he changed his name to Wei Zhongxian eighteen years later.

Lin Tailai seemed very confused. "I don't understand much about what's going on in the palace. Who does Li Jinzhong belong to? Who does he serve?"

Wang An gnashed his teeth and said, "This thief used to run errands for Concubine Zheng Yikun Palace!"

After hearing this, Lin Tailai could judge that Wang An was really determined to give it his all, otherwise he would not have directly pointed out "Concubine Zheng".

Eunuchs of status in the palace were very careful with their words and would not easily mention the names of nobles like this, otherwise they would easily die inexplicably.

However, Wang An’s anger is understandable, because according to the political system in the palace, becoming the prince’s companion means being completely bound to the prince.

When the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, the tutor will basically become a member of the Imperial Household Department. Even if he does not join the Imperial Household Department, he will be a powerful eunuch in charge of other government offices.

If something happened to the prince, Wang An would be buried with him. There was no other possibility, so how could Wang An not be angry?
The evil thieves who started the conspiracy wanted to kill him, so why should he endure it? Did he really think that Wang An was made of clay?
After finding out the situation, Lin Tailai immediately cursed indignantly: "Sima Zhao's intentions are known to everyone!"

And he reiterated his position: "Don't worry, Wang Daban! We will definitely protect His Highness and fight the traitor to the end!"

After confirming the look in their eyes, Wang An began to take the initiative to suggest, "Your Highness cannot sit there passively and wait for death. You should go to Qixiang Palace to meet the emperor and put the matter out in the open!

Otherwise, given the Emperor's personality, he would most likely use his serious illness as an excuse to pretend to be ignorant of external affairs and allow the evil people in the palace to murder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
Therefore, the most urgent task is to escort His Highness to the Emperor so that the Emperor cannot avoid the question. This is the only way to be safe!"

Lin Tailai immediately felt relieved. Wang An was indeed a eunuch who had been the seal-holder of the Imperial Household Department in history. He had a sharp mind.

That's why he could so quickly come up with the conspiracy of "Concubine Zheng plotting to murder the prince, and the emperor pretending to be deaf and dumb and ignoring it", without Lin Tailai having to go to any further trouble to continue guiding her.

Except for the people who stayed behind to guard the madman, the other ten or so old and weak eunuchs surrounded the Crown Prince and left the Ciqing Palace, while Lin Tailai personally guarded the Crown Prince closely.

Pass through Huiji Gate, pass by the three main halls of the front palace, and arrive at Qianqing Gate.

There were about twenty ministers of the third rank and above shouting in front of the door, asking to see the emperor, while dozens of imperial guards blocked the door on the opposite side.

When the ministers saw the injured crown prince, they immediately became even more angry, and some impulsive ministers even started pushing the imperial guards.

In Qixiang Palace, Emperor Wanli, who had barely sat up, looked at the crying Concubine Zheng. He felt so angry that he felt dizzy and felt that he was dying again.

"Why did you do such a stupid thing!" Emperor Wanli could not help but scold, "Who gave you the courage to attack the East Palace?"

Concubine Zheng wiped away her tears and cried out, "Your Majesty, please understand! The attack on the Eastern Palace has nothing to do with me!"

Emperor Wanli raised his hand and pointed outside, "Don't tell me what I am doing, just look and see if the officials outside believe you or not."

Concubine Zheng glanced at Empress Dowager Li and Eunuch Chen, who were standing next to the Emperor, and felt extremely aggrieved when she saw that neither of them had any intention of helping her.

This time, I definitely did not instruct my minions to attack the Crown Prince. Why does no one believe that I am innocent?
All I can say is that prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain that you can never move no matter how wronged you are.

Li Jinzhong, who sent people to attack the Eastern Palace, was indeed a eunuch doing odd jobs outside the Yikun Palace, but who knows whether he was possessed by evil spirits or was instructed by someone else?

At this time, Wang Yi, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department who had been guarding the Qianqing Gate for the past two days, came in and reported:
"More than 20 ministers gathered outside the Qianqing Gate with the crown prince, clamoring to go to the Qixiang Palace to meet the emperor, or for the emperor to meet them at the Qianqing Gate."

There are worries both inside and outside! Emperor Wanli said irritably: "How can I meet with ministers in my sick state? Let them leave quickly and let my eldest brother come in alone!

Just say that this is the family affair of the Heavenly Family, and no need for outsiders to worry about it, I will handle it myself!"

Anyway, Emperor Wanli didn't want to meet his ministers. Just think about it and you will know what these ministers are thinking.

They would certainly demand the punishment of Concubine Zheng, and then force the third son, Prince Fu, who was sixteen years old, to leave the capital and go to another place to be a vassal.

However, Wang Yi then reported: "But the ministers also said that for the sake of the country's safety, the injured prince must not be allowed to enter the palace alone to avoid any accidents."

Emperor Wanli almost lost his temper and shouted, "What a bastard! How dare they doubt me! Don't they have even this little trust in me?"

Although he favored the third son more and didn't like the eldest son that much, he never thought of abolishing or killing the eldest son! Those ministers outside didn't believe him!

All I can say is that prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain that you can never move no matter how wronged you are.

The eunuch Chen Ju, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, frowned and sighed deeply.

Just take the past twenty years as an example. Regardless of the fate of the country and the political situation, what has the emperor done that can gain the trust of his ministers?
Did she turn against the Zhang family and confiscate their property? Or did she give birth to a prince but refuse to acknowledge him? Or did she break her promises over and over again on the issue of the country's foundation? Or did she insist on not attending court for more than a decade?

You just promised yesterday to boycott the mining tax and pardon those who speak out and are convicted, but today you want to withdraw your promise. How can you expect the ministers to trust you?
"No! No at all!" Emperor Wanli used his old tricks again and started to act out of temper, just lying down and pretending to be upset.

Eunuch Chen had to remind them dutifully, "Such a big thing has happened in the Eastern Palace. The outside court is in doubt and has many speculations about what is happening in the palace. The emperor must calm people down.

At least an explanation should be given to the outside world, even if it is just a pretense to accept and deal with the case, otherwise how can people feel at ease?"

Emperor Wanli pretended not to hear, closed his eyes, and began to pretend to sleep.

Eunuch Chen was tired and reminded again: "The ministers outside still have the imperial edict in their hands. With this as a law, we can do a lot of things."

To put it more extremely, if Lin Tailai broke in and killed you, the emperor, and then reported it to the outside world as a sudden death, and used yesterday's edict to support the crown prince, it would be legally feasible.

Emperor Wanli still couldn't hear. Just like in the past, when he encountered difficulties, he would hide in the deep palace and not go out. Things would naturally pass by.

Eunuch Chen felt really embarrassed seeing Emperor Wanli acting so shameless.

Even if Your Majesty issues an order like a tyrant now to arrest all the ministers who are clamoring outside the Qianqing Gate, others will still recognize that Your Majesty is a man of great stature.

But Your Majesty, what do you mean by lying here and trying to cover your ears and steal the bell? What should the imperial guards and eunuchs guarding the Qianqing Gate do without clear instructions?

Although the sacredness of the position of Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had been damaged several times, it might still exist in the hearts of ministers; but the sacredness of Emperor Wanli personally was completely gone in the hearts of ministers.

Outside the Qianqing Gate, Lin Tailai looked at the tightly closed palace gate and said to Wang An, the prince's companion:

"As the saying goes, wealth and honor come in danger. The situation in the palace is murky right now. Perhaps the emperor has been coerced by evil. It's time for the crown prince to play a role!"

Wang An clenched his teeth and found it difficult to make up his mind.

Lin Tailai continued, "Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pretends to be confused today and is unwilling to investigate further, can you guarantee that he will be safe in the future? Can you guarantee that His Majesty will not abolish the Crown Prince and appoint another heir?

Don't you understand the principle of being a thief for a thousand days and being on guard against thieves for a thousand days?

Now I have the imperial edict in my hand and the support of all the court officials behind me, but I still don’t dare to give it a try. There may not be such an opportunity in the future!"

After thinking it over again and again, Wang An walked up to the crown prince Zhu Changluo and whispered a few words of persuasion. According to the tradition of the Ming Dynasty court, the companion who has the same interests as the crown prince is the person closest to the crown prince and the one he trusts the most, more than any other minister.

Then Zhu Changluo looked up at Lin Tailai, who gave him a firm look and shook the imperial edict in his hand.

So Zhu Changluo decided to muster up all his courage and fight for his own destiny.

He strode forward and shouted to the guards at the Qianqing Gate: "There are many evildoers in the palace, your majesty's situation is unclear, and the people outside the court are in panic!

I am the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. I wish to enter the palace to meet Your Majesty and to rectify the views of the Chinese and foreign people. Who dares to stop me?"

The imperial guards looked at each other in bewilderment but still refused to let him go. This was their duty.

Led by Wang An, the eunuchs around the prince immediately rushed forward and started fighting with the imperial guards guarding the gate.

In the chaos, some of the imperial guards could not help but use their weapons, injuring two or three eunuchs of the Eastern Palace.

Seeing this, Lin Tailai shouted, "How dare you be an accomplice of the tiger and commit murder against the prince!"

Then he rushed forward, snatched a spear, and started stabbing.

The imperial guards at the gate actually did not dare to fight against Lin Tailai, who was in the state of a god descending from heaven. He would die no matter whether he won or lost, not to mention that there were more than 20 bigwigs from the imperial court behind Lin Tailai.

After a short resistance, the imperial guards in front of the Qianqing Gate were killed and scattered. The imperial guards who came to support from nearby places looked at the situation and stopped to watch.

The gate of Qianqing Gate was opened and the prince and ministers were allowed to pass.

This was the first time that the court officials had encountered such a situation, and most of them had previously thought that they would be summoned to the palace to meet the emperor after making earnest requests.

However, they did not expect that they would have to "force" the crown prince to open the palace gate.

So people began to hesitate again, standing in front of the Qianqing Gate which was already unobstructed and hesitating to move forward, which fully demonstrated the limitations and weaknesses of the times.

At this time, Lin Tailai stood up again and said to the ministers passionately: "The prince is now in a precarious situation and can only rely on our support! So in order to protect the country, we have no way out!

If we give up today, all the efforts we have made in the past decade or so to fight for the country's foundation will be in vain!"

The Minister of Personnel Shen Yikuan asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, even if I were to meet you, what would I say?"

Lin Tailai shook the imperial edict in his hand and said, "Yesterday the emperor issued an edict to appoint the crown prince as regent. We only ask the emperor to carry out the edict!

Only in this way can the Crown Prince be saved from danger, the country be stabilized, and the world be in long-term peace and stability!"

Any political action must have a clear and consistent goal, otherwise there will be no centripetal force. Lin Tailai has now put forward an idea that seems to be feasible.

Lin Tailai took the seized spear, glared at the ministers with his tiger eyes, and continued to shout: "It has come to this, you and I are all in collusion, there is no chance!

Anyone who deserts the battlefield at this moment is an enemy of the court! I, Lin Tailai, invite you all to enter the palace!"

It seems that if anyone dares to retreat, he will be shot and pierced.

The members of Lin's party who were scattered in the crowd also stared at the people on their left and right, and some even grabbed them.

After much effort, the ministers finally escorted the crown prince through the Qianqing Gate and into the inner palace.

After the other ministers had entered, Lin Tailai threw away the spear in his hand and strode into the Qianqing Gate, fully complying with the regulations prohibiting outsiders from carrying weapons in the inner palace.

When Emperor Wanli, who was pretending to be asleep in Qixiang Palace, was awakened and heard that the crown prince and ministers had broken into the inner palace and were standing outside Qixiang Palace, he suddenly felt a little flustered.

"Go outside and deal with it!" Emperor Wanli ordered Eunuch Chen.

Eunuch Chen shook his head secretly. It’s already this time, and Your Majesty is still unwilling to face the ministers in person?
After arriving outside, Eunuch Chen saluted the Crown Prince, then went straight to Lin Tailai, who stood out from the crowd, and asked, "What do you want, Your Majesty?"

Lin Tailai held up the imperial edict from yesterday and replied, "Your Majesty, please make it clear that from now on, the Crown Prince will be the regent."

Eunuch Chen questioned, "Marquis Daifang! The emperor has been very kind to you and has been very gracious to you over the years. Why are you being so aggressive here?"

Lin Tailai replied: "Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, so I will naturally do my best to serve the Ming Dynasty.

Over the past decade, if it weren't for me, Lin Tailai, how much usable silver would be left in the Ming Dynasty treasury?

If it weren't for me, Lin Tailai, how many soldiers would the Ming army have who are familiar with battle formations?

If there were no Lin Tailai, would the Ming Dynasty be able to maintain peace in its border towns and gain respect from all over the world?

If there were no Lin Tailai, would the court officials have developed a trend of advocating practical work and eliminating empty talk?

Although my contribution is small, I, Lin Tailai, have a clear conscience towards the emperor, the court, and the Ming Dynasty!"

Eunuch Chen was almost speechless. From the perspective of achievements, no one could compare with Lin Tailai in the past twenty years.

So Eunuch Chen could only say: "The size of the contribution is not the basis for forcing the emperor to abdicate!"

Lin Tailai explained: "In the past ten years or so, according to the emperor himself, he often suffered from various symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, toothache, chest tightness, shortness of breath, weak legs, and foot pain, and he often had to rest for dozens of days.

Occasionally, there are symptoms such as getting angry, fever, cold, etc., and major and minor illnesses occur from time to time.

Such frequent illnesses of the Holy Body, which continued without rest throughout the year, were extremely detrimental to the conduct of state affairs.

According to the rules of our ancestors, when the emperor is unable to handle state affairs due to going to war or illness, the crown prince can act as regent."

Eunuch Chen was speechless. In fact, many of the symptoms were fabricated by Emperor Wanli in order to deceive the outside court. How come you, Lin Tailai, used them as "self-proof"?

What is this? A big boomerang? When Emperor Wanli made up the medical records, he could never have imagined that this day would come.

Lin Tailai advised: "Yesterday, the emperor dictated an imperial edict while he was ill, which also included the content of ordering the crown prince to be regent. Why not take advantage of the situation?
The prince is now twenty years old and has truly reached adulthood. After another seven or eight years of instruction, he is now capable of shouldering great responsibilities.

We, the ministers, have come here today to request that the imperial edict be implemented and that the Crown Prince be confirmed as regent.

From now on, the heavy state affairs will be borne by the Crown Prince, while the Emperor can rest and recuperate in the deep palace. Isn't this the best of both worlds? "

Even the eunuch Chen, who represented the emperor, was convinced and felt it made sense.

The system that best suits the current actual situation and is most beneficial to the Ming Dynasty is the one in which the Wanli Emperor, who has given up completely, rests and the Crown Prince serves as regent.

Wang An also came up and said to his old master, Eunuch Chen, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is weak and has been living in fear for many years. He must be the regent to protect himself!"

After thinking for a while, Eunuch Chen said to Lin Tailai, "Come with me and go in to see the Virgin Mary first to ask for her support before we proceed."

A full hour later, Lin Tailai and Eunuch Chen came out of Qixiang Palace again and appeared in front of the ministers.

Then, Eunuch Chen announced several orders to the ministers: "First, yesterday's edict can be issued and will not be withdrawn. From now on, the crown prince will be the regent.

Second, Lin Tailai, the Duke of the State and the Grand Secretary of the Dongge, was given a new appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was allowed to open a government office in Suzhou. The new government office paid 300,000 taels of tribute to the inner treasury every year.

Third, the third son of the emperor, Prince Fu, will temporarily stay in the capital and does not need to go to the vassal state."

When the ministers heard these imperial edicts, they still felt like they were dreaming. They couldn't imagine that they could successfully force the emperor to abdicate today.

The Wanli Emperor, who had been in a state of disarray for more than ten years, finally semi-retired. From that day on, the system of the crown prince regulating the country was implemented. The fourth decade of the Wanli Dynasty unfolded in this way.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the imperial power starts to deny, the ministers have no substantive way to deal with it.

Lin Tailai led them and truly accomplished something unprecedented.

I just don’t know whether this new crown prince who serves as regent and future emperor is reliable?

But it doesn't seem to matter anymore. It seems that as long as Lin Tailai is the ballast, the old ship of the Ming Dynasty will not capsize, and it doesn't matter who the emperor is.

Lin Tailai stood on the steps and said to the other ministers: "The emperor is ill, so he entrusted the affairs of state to the prince.

As for the previous doubts, they are all misunderstandings. We should not believe in rumors or spread them.

I, Lin Tailai, promise His Majesty that I will focus on several things in the next ten years. First, continue to expand our influence in Japan and strive to capture one or two more gold and silver mountains within ten years.

Second, start to move south to attack Luzon, and within ten years, turn Luzon into an overseas territory of the Ming Dynasty and a source of rice imports.

Third, form fleets for the North and South Oceans, absorb new paradigms in shipbuilding, and launch exploration of the Java Islands.

Fourth, within ten years, we will resume the Sino-French policy and reform the border cities.”

To everyone, everything seemed very difficult. But since it was Lin Tailai who was doing it, it seemed that there was a good chance of success.

Over the years, Lin Tailai's various directions of development have always been very unconventional, but when they are successful, they are often very beneficial.

Everyone is getting more and more used to it. Perhaps this is the difference between gods and mortals.

Just as Lin Tailai was discussing his "personal ten-year policy agenda", on a small road in the eastern suburbs of the capital, Lin Tailai's left protector Zhang Wen personally escorted a horse-drawn carriage slowly forward.

Suddenly, someone poked his head out from behind the curtain and asked, "Where are we going? Can you please let my poor nephew go?"

Zhang Wen replied with a cold face: "Li Jinzhong! You can't read a single word and have no future in the palace, but a nobleman appreciated you and gave you the opportunity to show your abilities.

You did a good job this time, but now you are no longer suitable to stay in Ming Dynasty. I will personally send you to Japan. From now on, you will be responsible for serving the Queen Mother of Japan and helping her to grasp power.

As for your nephew, you can rest assured! He has already married and had children in Fukuoka City, Japan. Your Wei family has a successor!"

(The book is finished, see you next time)
(End of this chapter)