I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 188: Ancestral rules are dead, but people are alive
Zuifenglou is one of the high-end restaurants in Beijing.

At night, it is the busiest time.

The lights are bright and the place is magnificent.

The place was bustling with noise and bustle.

Sedan chairs stopped in front of the building one after another, and out came a wealthy or noble man, accompanied by his servants, looking arrogant.

The waiter who greeted the guests shouted: "Dear guest, come in!"

The largest private room on the third floor was reserved today, and a dozen servants stood outside the door. They all looked handsome and well-trained.

He wore brocade, satin and a small hat, and his clothes were better than those of the average small landlord.

The waiters of the restaurant brought out thirty-six of their best dishes in a steady stream, filling three tables.

A table nearby was filled with Fenjiu from Shanxi, Xinfengjiu from Shaanxi, Baigan from Baoding Prefecture, Huangjiu from eastern Zhejiang, Jiannanchun from Xichuan, Yuhuchun from Huguang, and Gujingdao from Lianghuai.

More than thirty elegant scholars sat around the table, flattering today's protagonist Zhang Siwei like stars surrounding the moon.

Six of them were the center of everyone's attention and compliments, looking very proud and in high spirits.

They were the six lecturers in the Eastern Palace who were selected by Zhang Siwei and approved by Xiyuan.

"Mr. Feng Pan is the most knowledgeable gentleman in the Ming Dynasty. He has a broad and profound knowledge and a dignified and upright character. It is a great honor for us to have him as the top scholar in Tsinghua University!"

"Fortunately, fortunately!" everyone echoed.

"Lord Feng Pan is loyal and has both talent and decision-making. He is truly a pillar of the Ming Dynasty. It is only a matter of time before he can enter the cabinet to assist in government affairs!"

"Yes, yes!" Everyone nodded.

"Mr. Feng Pan's articles are elegant, clear and concise, expressing his own feelings, and he is self-satisfied and excellent."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Everyone present nodded their heads.

"Feng Pan Gong Xue Dong Tian people, moral comparable to saints and philosophers. Weighing people, the selflessness of the world; discipline and articles, brilliant Doushan re-creation!"

Everyone paused for a few moments.

Who is this? He is being praised too much.

Then everyone said in unison: "Mr. Feng Pan deserves it!"

Zhang Siwei listened to the endless flattery and felt half happy and half worried.

What made him happy was that his reputation among the scholars and Tsinghua University had risen a lot. This time, after his operation in the selection of lecturers for the Eastern Palace, he not only made a lot of money to make up for the losses he suffered from being implicated in the last major case in Shanxi, but also won great favors from many famous scholars, high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

Money is easy to talk about, but favors are hard to come by!

What is worrying is that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has no reaction at all.

impossible.

He submitted a memorial to the emperor requesting the preparation of the Eastern Palace, the selection of imperial lecturers, and the establishment of imperial lectures. It was obvious that he wanted to tie the prince down to his studies, tie him down with endless homework, and no longer have time to manage the Imperial Household Department.

The emperor was lazy and unwilling to spend time and energy on handling government affairs. Then he pushed Gao Gong into the cabinet, and then joined forces to push the eunuch he liked into the Silijian, colluding with both inside and outside, and approving all bills and documents in one go, thus seizing power.

This plan is almost an open conspiracy. How could the talented prince not see through it?

How can it be!

Is he just going to sit there and wait for death, to be manipulated by others?

Even more impossible!
The more Zhang Siwei thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He probably understood the prince's temper a little. He would not say anything extreme, but he would definitely do something extreme.

Once you fight back, it's hard to predict what will happen to you.

Tang Yundian, who was sitting next to him, was an old friend of Zhang Siwei. He was the first person Zhang Siwei chose to be the lecturer in the selection of the Eastern Palace's imperial lectures.

Having participated in the discussion of the selection of the imperial lecturer for the Eastern Palace, and knowing some of the causes and consequences, he leaned close to Zhang Siwei's ear and whispered in comfort, "Ziwei! Why worry? The Eastern Palace is fully equipped, the imperial lecturer is selected, and the imperial lecture is held. These are the rules passed down by Emperor Taizu, and are clearly stated in the imperial edicts. All the successors of previous emperors have gone through this process.

Can the crown prince be an exception? Isn’t he the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty? Isn’t he the descendant of Taizu?”

Tang Yundian shook his head and spoke confidently.

"Ziwei, as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, follows the ancestral system and selects talents for the emperor. It is a natural thing and there is no need to be afraid!" Zhang Siwei shook his head. You guys only care about elegance every day and have no idea how powerful the prince is.

"Feng Zao, you don't know that I feel uneasy about this matter. I feel uneasy!"

Tang Yundian asked nonchalantly, "What's wrong with you?"

"Your Highness, your actions are often bizarre, yet reasonable. This time, you were clearly heading for him, but you remained silent. How is that possible?"

"Ziwei, you are too filtered! A boy of thirteen or fourteen has an immature mind. He may have temporary strategies but not lifelong wisdom.

Besides, we are following the ancestral system and the imperial edict. Now that things have come to this, if His Royal Highness wants to overturn it, wouldn’t he be laughed at by the world?”

Zhang Siwei turned around and said sincerely, "Feng Zao, I'm worried about you guys. Don't let me implicate you."

"Haha, Brother Ziwei, you are worrying too much. The six of us, although we dare not say that we are extremely talented and well-educated, are all outstanding among the thousands of Saint Church disciples in the capital. Our morals and writings are all outstanding.

What are you worried about? We all hold noble positions and are not involved in any dirty things. If you want to accuse me, you have to find a reason. "

At this point, Tang Yundian raised his glass and said loudly to everyone: "Everyone, Brother Ziwei has selected talents for the country, selected outstanding talents for you, and added more glory to our Hanhua scholars. Why don't we toast him a glass?"

"it is good!"

Everyone responded loudly and raised their glasses.

The atmosphere in the private room reached its peak.

I don't know who it was, but suddenly I heard someone cursing outside. I pricked up my ears and listened for a while. It seemed that someone was cursing someone present. I thought I had heard it wrong, so I quickly told my friend next to me and asked him to listen together.

One person told two, two told four, four told eight, and soon the whole private room was quiet, with everyone listening attentively.

As soon as the room became quiet, the shouting and cursing outside could be heard clearly.

"Tang Yundian, you bastard, you have a fortune, but you keep owing money to prostitutes and brothels. Are you still a human being?"

"Tang Yundian, you are a Jinshi and a member of the Imperial Academy, how can you be so shameless! When you slept with our girl, you wagged your head and tail like a dog in heat on the street. Why do you deny it when I mention wearing hakama?"

A man and a woman were swearing outside, using extremely obscene language.

Tang Yundian's face changed, he stood up and walked out, but stopped at the door, turned around, rubbed his hands awkwardly, and even winked at Zhang Siwei to move aside.

"Feng Zao, what's going on?" Zhang Siwei said sternly.

"Brother Ziwei, I got drunk with my colleagues last month and passed by Pijiazi Hutong. I went in without thinking and had sex with her. When I woke up in the morning, I saw that the woman I slept with was so ugly that I felt disgusted. I was so angry that I said I didn't have any money and I would give it to you next time."

You are really a freeloader!
Zhang Siwei asked with bulging eyes: "Were they willing to let you go at that time?"

"I was drunk and barged in, talking nonsense and revealing my identity. When they saw that I was an official, they believed me."

Zhang Siwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "They have no evidence. How dare they humiliate a Hanlin like this? Immediately have someone arrest them, attach your name card, and send them to Shuntian Prefecture. Give them a good beating to put an end to their arrogance."

Tang Yundian wanted to say something but stopped himself as the man and woman outside started shouting and cursing again.

"Tang Yundian, you are a turtle bastard! We believed you and let you write a random note, then we let you go. But you disappeared without a trace for more than a month. You are like a turtle hiding in a pond, refusing to show up no matter what!"

Zhang Siwei's face changed, "What! You even left them a receipt!"

Tang Yundian hesitated and said, "At that time, I thought, I am an official and they are low-class people. If they dare to bring the note to my house, I will ask someone to take the note away and send them to Shuntian Prefecture. After a month, there was no movement from them, so I thought the matter was over and didn't take it to heart."

"Stupid! Do you think the guards of the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard are just there to do nothing? The current situation shows that someone is behind them, and they want to discredit you in public!
I'm afraid the people in the Censorate have already written a memorial and submitted it to the higher authorities."

Officials soliciting prostitutes is strictly prohibited by law! You are violating the law by doing this! Not only did you not tell the prostitutes about it, but you also didn't pay them. This is not only against the law, but also against the moral bottom line!
Scum!

Tang Yundian panicked, grabbed Zhang Siwei's sleeve and asked, "Brother Ziwei, what should we do? Think of a solution quickly!"

What the hell am I going to do!
This was clearly the prince's counterattack.

You, Tang Yundian, are definitely finished, but I'm worried that this is just the beginning.

The prince's move was ruthless.

The preparation of the Eastern Palace, the selection of imperial lecturers and the establishment of imperial lectures were the ancestral systems set down by the imperial edicts and national laws. It was indeed difficult for him to abolish them at the risk of the world's disapproval, but he could just depose the people.

Ancestral rules are dead, but people are alive!

(End of this chapter)