I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 74 The Prince's Counterattack

At this time, Zhang Juzheng walked into Xu Jie's duty room.

"Uncle is here." Xu Jie stood up and greeted his favorite student with a smile on his face.

"Well, your face is a little darker, but more resolute. It seems that you have gained a lot from your inspection of the Ji-Liao border town this time."

"In reply to the teacher, I have really benefited a lot from this inspection."

"Have you submitted the report?"

"I have already handed it over to the Censorate and the Ministry of War, and also handed over the badge and the seal. I have nothing else to do, so I came to bother you, teacher."

"Haha, I'm here, uncle, feel free to come anytime." Xu Jie led Zhang Juzheng to sit down, asked the servant to bring him hot tea, and sat down next to him.

"Uncle, it's been a long time since you taught the prince?"

"Teacher, Xi'anmen Academy is only in name. Li Zishi has entered the cabinet, and Pan Shiliang and I have other tasks to do. I heard that the prince's studies are now being taught by Mr. Dazhou and that Xu Wenchang."

"Zhao Dazhou's knowledge is still a little lacking. Xu Wenchang is even more of a self-taught person. He can't even pass a science test. What knowledge can he have?
"Your Highness, you are the one who is trusted by the whole world, and you need the guidance of great talents like Zishi and you who have passed the imperial examinations. I have written a memorial to the Emperor, explaining the interests of this matter, and asking the Emperor to reopen the Xi'an Gate Academy, so that Zishi and you can teach the Prince carefully."

Zhang Juzheng knew that his teacher did this entirely for his own good.

Because reopening the Xi'anmen Academy and serving as a lecturer to the prince would be a great thing for him.

Gao Gong had little experience and a shallow foundation, but once he entered the cabinet, he quickly became the second assistant, competing with his teacher who was the first assistant. This was because Gao Gong had been a lecturer in Prince Yu's palace for nine years, always safeguarding Prince Yu's interests and saving him from danger several times, and he had a deep teacher-student relationship with Prince Yu.

The emperor is old and in poor health, and all his ministers can see it.

The position of Prince Yu as Crown Prince was secure, and no official dared to offend Gao Gong to death, including his teacher Xu Jie.

If he stayed with the prince for a few more years and gained his trust, he would become like Gao Gong in the future.

"Thank you, teacher."

Zhang Juzheng bowed.

"We are teacher and student, so there is no need to be polite." Xu Jie waved his hand. "You just returned to the capital. Have you heard about the Wanshou Palace?"

"Gao presented Chen Yijing's memorial to impeach Lu Tong, the admiral of the Zhejiang Navy?"

"Exactly."

"I have heard of it. It was mentioned in the imperial report that the emperor issued an imperial decree to publicly announce the navy's punishment of criminals and the destruction of civilians, bombardment of the Japanese pirates' lair, and revenge for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the southeast.

Chen Yijing was charged with collusion with the Japanese and was sent to prison."

"Yes. The prince said that hundreds of thousands of people in the southeast were killed by Japanese pirates, but Chen Yijing did nothing about it. When the Japanese pirates' old nest, Hirado Port, was bombarded by our navy, there were heavy casualties, and he felt like he had lost his parents.

He turned black into white and wanted to severely punish the royal army who was punishing the people to avenge the Japanese pirates. If this person is not in cahoots with the Japanese, who in the world is in cahoots with the Japanese? Chen Yijing, you are doomed! "

Zhang Juzheng was shocked. "Chen Yijing, I know him. Isn't he a student from Huzhou? How did he become a pawn of the Jin Party?"

"Chen Yijing has relatives who are connected with maritime merchants. Because of tax evasion, smuggling, and falsifying accounts, Yang Jinshui of the Southeast Office of the Coordination Bureau revoked the license of the family's business and sent it to prison.

Chen Yijing was filled with resentment. When he received a letter from his relatives, he learned about the navy's bombardment of Hirado Port, which was widely reported in the southeast. He became interested and went to Zhang Siwei to collude.

Haha, indeed, the money of the Jin Party is also money, and it can be used regardless of north, south, east or west. Not to mention this idiot. Now the entire Jin Party, including Gao Gong, can hardly escape the law.

They still looked down on the prince. Nothing should hurt the harmony. Of course, party struggles are like this. You sing and I take the stage. In the future, we will always be ministers in the court together. If you offend each other, you will fight to the death, and only the fisherman will benefit.

But Gao Gong and his friends forgot that the Crown Prince was the emperor and they were his subjects. The fight between the emperor and his subjects was completely different from a factional fight. That was not a factional fight, it was about controlling his subordinates. Did Gao Gong and his friends forget the emperor's methods of controlling his subordinates?
Gao Gong completely ignored what the prince said in the Wanshou Palace that day. Zhang Juzheng asked terrifiedly, "Teacher, what did the prince say at that time?"

"At that time, the prince stared at Gao Gong and said, 'I am the prince, the king, and you are the subject! You listen to me when I speak, and you speak only when I tell you to!' His tone was calm, but it left no room for doubt. When I heard it in the palace, it was like a heavy hammer hitting my heart.

Gao Gong ignored his advice! This tall bearded man has always been arrogant and proud, and finally he will suffer a loss. Haha, let's see how he escapes this time! "

Zhang Juzheng asked in surprise, "The prince fought back?"

"Of course he fought back. If the Crown Prince doesn't teach the Jin Party and Gao Gong a lesson, how can he still call himself the king? Where is his dignity?"

"Teacher, how should the prince fight back? Should we catch a few Shanxi merchants smuggling and pursue them relentlessly?"

Xu Jie closed his eyes and was silent for a while before he opened them again and said slowly: "The prince has received careful instruction from the emperor, and has learned all the political schemes and tactics. Do you think the prince will only focus on those minor matters when he takes action?
He would only stab me in the heart. From this point of view, the prince is more courageous and ruthless than the emperor?"

what?
Even more cruel than the emperor?
How can it be!

The emperor came to Beijing from Anlu when he was fourteen years old. Facing the world-renowned Prime Minister Yang Tinghe and his cronies, he was brought down to earth by the "Great Ceremony Debate", and it was impossible for him to make a comeback.

The prince is only ten years old, how could he be more cruel than the emperor!

Xu Jie saw Zhang Juzheng's expression and knew that he didn't believe it.

He smiled faintly, "Uncle, just wait and see. When the imperial edict comes down, we will know the result."

In a side hall of the Wanshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing looked at Hu Yingjia's memorial. He became so angry that his face turned blue and his skinny hands kept shaking.

"Bang!" Finally, he put the memorial on the desk.

"Jun'er, did you ask someone to write this memorial?"

"Yes, Grandfather Emperor. When Hu Zongxian was inspecting the three towns in Shanxi, he found a clue. He did not dare to act rashly, so he reported it to his grandson. His grandson did not dare to be careless either, so he specially asked Mr. Wenchang to go there and sort out the relevant clues and evidence and bring them back to the capital.

These thieves were so bold that they not only violated the ban on smuggling, but also dared to cause such a disaster for their own selfish desires. The grandson did not dare to let the emperor grandfather be deceived by the traitors. After thinking it over, he decided to ask Hu Yingjia to report.

This is a public case, involving the life and death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. I dare not be partial, so I dare to ask the censor to follow the national law and court law and submit a petition through normal channels. "

"National laws and court regulations! In their eyes, these things are just like toilet paper for wiping butts!" Emperor Jiajing cursed angrily with a gloomy face.

Emperor Jiajing certainly knew that Zhu Yijun's intention in asking Hu Yingjia to submit the memorial was to get him out of this mess.

Emperor Jiajing was so devastated, embarrassed and extremely angry about that incident that year, but he could only swallow his bitterness.

Now I know that the root cause is here!
Those people who dared to collude with each other, deceive me, and make a fool of me, now even their graves cannot be found.

I didn't expect that among the many talented people in the Ming Dynasty, there would still be such a small group of talents who dared to join forces internally and externally, bully their subordinates and deceive their superiors, and make a fool of me!
If I don't wipe out your entire family, people all over the world will think that I, the Emperor Jiajing, am old and confused and dare not kill anyone!

"Huang Jin!"

"The slave is here!"

"Draft an imperial edict! Ask Duke Chengguo Zhu Xizhong to preside over the case, and the Minister of War, Governor of the Three Towns of Shanxi Hu Zongxian, and the head of the Imperial Guard Zhu Xixiao to assist in the trial. The Imperial Guard should immediately arrest the people and put them in prison. No one should be spared. Duke Chengguo and Duke Yingguo, together with the Censorate, the Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Justice, will try the case.

The case must be closed within one month!"

"According to the order!"

　Second update!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)