I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 8: Toppling Yan First
Xu Jie, who was on duty in the cabinet, received two boxes of red-marked memorials from the Imperial Household Department and began to read them one by one.

He needed to classify and organize the opinions previously drafted by the cabinet and approved by the emperor, and send them to the six ministries and local governments, or issue them to the whole country or supervise their implementation.

I turned to Yan Song's petition for mercy and saw the red approval on it.

"Allow Lord Yan to carry the coffin back to his hometown. Order the Ministry of Rites to issue an imperial edict to confer the title of First-Rank Lady on Lady Ouyang, and order officials to pay tribute to her. Order the Ministry of Revenue to allocate three thousand taels of silver and one hundred rolls of white silk as a silk gift. Order the Ministry of War to issue an order to the post stations and local authorities along the way to provide a warm reception.

His son, Yan Shifan, the Minister of Works, was forced to stay in office and continue to supervise the construction of the three main halls and the Wanshou Palace, living up to my wishes. I ordered the inner treasury to allocate 20 pieces of plain silk and 1,000 taels of silver to comfort him for the loss of his mother.

Xu Jie sneered a few times. This was the only favor the emperor had shown to the Yan father and son.

He casually threw it into the pile of memorials waiting to be distributed, and buried his head in processing other documents. However, he was uneasy and always felt that something was wrong.

Xu Jie put down the memorial and the brush, sat upright on the chair, closed his eyes, and began to think quietly.

His eyes suddenly opened, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He stood up and took out the memorial with Yan Song's red approval from the pile of memorials waiting to be distributed, and looked at it over and over again.

The more he looked, the more solemn his expression became.

Xu Jie gently placed the memorial on the table, tapped it with his fingers for dozens of times, and finally stopped. He turned to the door and said, "Go to the Hanlin Academy and call Uncle Zhang.

The people serving outside the door were his trusted followers, and they naturally knew that he was going to invite Zhang Juzheng.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhang Juzheng arrived in a hurry.

"Teacher, what's the matter?"

Xu Jie handed him the memorial.

After reading it, Zhang Juzheng didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"I have heard about the death of Lord Yan's wife and have sent people to his residence to offer condolences. Lord Yan and his first wife, Ouyang, had a deep relationship and never took a concubine. This is known to the world.

The emperor allowed him to carry the coffin back to his hometown and granted him the usual favors, so there is no problem."

Xu Jie pointed out, "Yan Shifan took away the love and stayed in office."

"I think it's normal. The emperor is very concerned about the construction of the three main halls and the Wanshou Palace. Yan Shifan has also been in charge of the construction for the emperor."

"It's normal, it's not normal." Xu Jie sighed and suddenly asked, "You didn't go to Xiyuan for classes these two days?"

"No. Yesterday, Pan Shiliang (Pan Jixun) taught the prince the Book of Han, and today, Li Shilu (Li Chunfang) taught the Book of Songs."

Zhang Juzheng asked in confusion: "What's wrong, teacher? What's the problem with this memorial?"

"There is a problem with the approval."

"What's the point of red? Students can't see it at first."

Xu Jie asked slowly, "You and I both know what kind of person Yan Donglou is. Now that he has been deprived of his love and is staying in Beijing, and Lord Yan has returned to Jiangxi, what do you think will happen?"

Zhang Juzheng thought for a while, and suddenly his face was filled with horror. "Yan Donglou is famous for his greed for wine and lust. He is now allowed to stay in office, but he still has to observe mourning according to the rules.

But a man of his temperament would definitely not be able to keep it. Once he is caught drinking and indulging in sex, the censors can bring him down with a single impeachment."

Having said this, Zhang Juzheng could not help but stand up and walk back and forth excitedly.

"Teacher said that the emperor wanted to overthrow Yan, but I didn't believe it. But the result came so quickly. Now we are just waiting for Yan Shifan to suffer the consequences of his own actions!"

Xu Jie was not as excited as Zhang Juzheng, and was still thinking hard.

"Yan Shifan's biological mother, Ouyang, passed away. If he followed the coffin back to his hometown, firstly, the place is remote and no one would know if he violated the rules; secondly, Lord Yan is by his side and can control him by giving him more restraint.

But she was forced to stay in the capital, in the Yan Mansion where no one is watching over her. Uncle, whose idea is this?"

Zhang Juzheng said disapprovingly, "Who else could it be? The emperor. It's clearly written in his imperial edict that the emperor asked Yan Shifan to take over the position and keep it."

Xu Jie shook his head slowly and said, "Uncle, I know the emperor better than you do. He has a harsh temper and will not give his subjects any face.

The strategy of luring the enemy into a trap is very similar to his method.

But it is not his style to cut tofu with a smooth surface on both sides, give Yan Ge Lao enough face, and quietly push Yan Shifan into danger, waiting for him to kill himself."

Zhang Juzheng asked curiously: "If it's not the emperor, then who is it?"

Suddenly he remembered that the teacher had just asked him about going to Xiyuan for classes, and he was shocked and said, "Teacher, how is it possible! Teacher, how is it possible? He is only eight years old." Xu Jie said slowly, "Some people, such as the prince, should not be judged by their age."

Zhang Juzheng said excitedly: "But I still can't believe it. How did he do it? Teacher, since Yan Song entered the cabinet, many loyal officials have tried every means to impeach him and bring him down.

Twenty years have passed, and countless people of noble character and lofty ideals have been exiled or died tragically, and have accomplished nothing. However, the father and son of the Yan family are still living at large, abusing their power and bringing disaster to the country.

And now, an 18-year-old kid just pushed him down?"

Xu Jie sighed, "I, the teacher, can't believe it either. It shows how incompetent we are. But it is the truth, and I have to believe it. The prince is by the emperor's side day and night, and he knows the emperor's intentions very well.

Last year, Ouyang Bijin retired, the Wanshou Palace was burned down and moved to the Nan Palace, and there were many other signs. We realized later that the emperor was tired of the emperor. But the prince probably knew about it and had planned it long ago, and now he saw the right time to take action.

Yan Maoqing was in charge of the salt inspection in Lianghuai, and Hu Zongxian was ordered to report on his work. Now that I think about it, I am afraid that they were all set up in advance to overthrow Yan. "

Zhang Juzheng said hesitantly, "Teacher, I believe what you said. Let's wait and see. If it's really as you said, I think it won't be long before these two moves have an effect."

"That's right. Uncle, do you still remember the words of admonition that your master gave you?"

"Teacher, students remember this. 'Be different from others on the inside, blend in with others on the outside, and act according to the situation.'"

Xu Jie said excitedly: "Well, now your chance has come. Teach the prince well. Your future will be much better than Gao Xinzheng (Gao Gong)."

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly in his heart.

As a teacher, I work much harder than Gao Xinzheng.

I am so tired and mentally exhausted. I wish I could resign to the Emperor today!

In the Yan Mansion, Yan Shifan, dressed in mourning clothes, met two good friends in the study.

"Donglou, once the elder returns to his hometown, are you really pure and free from desires?"

"Brother An, don't talk nonsense. Brother Donglou is in mourning." said another good friend.

The friend said angrily, "Haha, there are rules for observing mourning. We should carry the coffin back to our hometown and stay at home to mourn. Now Donglou wants us to take over the job and stay in office. We have to do the job and observe the rules. We have to bear all the hardships. Is this reasonable in the world?"

Yan Shifan swept his cold eyes across the two men's faces a few times, and suddenly smiled.

"I know why you came. Aren't you thinking about the two singing girls in my family? Haha, you two bastards. But you came at the right time. In the past ten days, I have been arranging funeral affairs, attending condolences and receiving guests. I am exhausted. Today my father passed away, and you are here. It's a good time to take a break."

"Take a break?"

"Yes, take a break. Call two singers and have a few drinks."

"Brother Donglou, this is not a good idea. If the censor finds out, he will impeach you." Another friend kindly advised.

"It's all right. The dance is plain, and the wine is plain. The people who serve are all the old people in the mansion. If you don't say it, they don't say it, and I don't say it, who will know?"

The two friends quickly said, "We will definitely not tell."

Yan Shifan clapped his hands and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's dance and drink!"

The banquet at the Yan residence had not even started for an hour when Huang Jin hurried to Renshou Palace to report.

"Your Majesty, Yan Shifan has violated the rules."

Emperor Jiajing, who was sitting in meditation on the altar, suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "Is it against the rules?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Six singing girls were called to dance. There were two guests from outside, two guests from the mansion, and a group of female musicians. There were twelve beautiful girls serving them."

Emperor Jiajing sneered, "His mother gave birth to him in vain. Go and do it."

"Yes, as you say." Huang Jin left in a hurry again.

Emperor Jiajing took a glance and saw Zhu Yijun sitting under the altar with his head drooped and neck tilted, his mouth slightly open, and snoring softly.

Emperor Jiajing held up the hem of his Taoist robe, gently walked down the altar, waved his hand, and gently called Li Fang and Feng Bao aside.

"Four of you come and gently carry the prince to bed to sleep."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)