My father is Jiajing

Chapter 203: Ming Dynasty Joke

After chatting with Zhu Zaigui, Huang Jin felt relaxed.

Every time Zhu Zaigui came up with some good ideas and new thoughts that made him applaud, and these good ideas and new thoughts just happened to scratch the emperor Jiajing's itch.

Therefore, every time Huang Jin came to talk to Zhu Zaigui about some current government issues on the orders of Emperor Jiajing, he could not help but expand his thoughts and listen more to Zhu Zaigui's opinions, so that he could report back to Emperor Jiajing.

At the same time, it will also deepen the friendship between him and Zhu Zaigui.

After all, from the outside, the relationship between the two is that of an unspoken business partner; but from their own perspective, it is a life-and-death friendship where they have carried guns and fought on the battlefield together, which is simply not comparable to any ordinary relationship.

Moreover, both Huang Jin and Zhu Zaigui were self-aware people.

Huang Jin's self-awareness is that he knows clearly who he is a slave of, who he should listen to, and whose authority and interests he should protect.

Zhu Zaigui's self-knowledge is that he is clear about his ability and intelligence level. He would never think about or reach out for power that is beyond his ability.

Just do your own job quietly, take the initiative to explain your "handle", be honest with your suggestions, and reassure Emperor Jiajing. Never engage in those small actions of forming gangs, forming cliques, and conspiring to subvert.

So the relationship between the two seems particularly pure.

If we have to say something else, it is that Huang Jin is more optimistic about Prince Yu's future, and Zhu Zaigui wants to express his loyalty and filial piety to Emperor Jiajing through Huang Jin!

Apart from this, there were no secrets between the two, let alone being in the same party.

After all, the feudal monarchy has developed to this stage today. Both the crown prince and the princes have lost the qualifications they had during the Han and Tang dynasties to recruit staff and ministers, set up their own governments, and have imperial guards that only obey their orders.

Moreover, the ministers now all have a clear idea and know to whom they should be loyal.

Therefore, during the Ming Dynasty, except for the fact that there were too many bugs when the dynasty was first established by Prince Yan Zhu Di, which led to the princes having too many soldiers and power and there was no time to repair the problems, the rebellion of the princes in the remaining two hundred years was a joke.

It's a hilarious existence that can make anyone who opposes it laugh to death.

Therefore, in the period after Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, if the news of a rebellion by a vassal king was received, the civil and military officials who went to suppress the rebellion would be more excited than the emperor. This was a gift package of experience given by God, and it must be seized!
So this also led to a cold joke during the Wude Dynasty - Prince Ning rebelled!

When the news reached the capital, not only was no one afraid, but Emperor Zhengde was extremely excited, thinking that he would finally have some fun.

Finally, he persuaded all the officials in the capital to stage a grand show of the emperor ruling the country himself. However, the army had just traveled halfway and had not yet reached Nanjing when the saintly Wang Yangming solved the problem in a few moves.

This made Emperor Zhengde very angry, and he could not help but order Wang Yangming to release Prince Ning and give him another chance to rebel.

From this incident, we can see what a joke the rebellion of the princes was in the Ming Dynasty.

To the extent that the emperor didn't care about giving the rebellious king another chance to rebel again, and wanted to stage an entertaining drama of leading the army in person.

It can be seen from this that after years of institutional construction, the princes and local vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty had become decorations of the dynasty and had no ability to rebel at all.

Therefore, whether it is Zhu Zaigui himself or the upright people who intend to support Zhu Zaigui as the crown prince, they would not be stupid enough to conspire together to rebel against Emperor Jiajing.

The upright people only need to stand on the moral high ground of righteousness and etiquette, and keep arguing and speaking to show their attitude and loyalty. Why should they do such a business that can get them killed?

Moreover, emperors have always been ruthless and would not care about the merits of following the emperor. They would turn against him at any time. Therefore, those who supported Zhu Zaigui were not supporting Zhu Zaigui himself, but supporting the righteousness that Zhu Zaigui's identity represented.

If one day Emperor Jiajing's iron tree blossomed and the Empress Dowager became pregnant and gave birth to a legitimate son.

Then Zhu Zaigui would be thrown aside like a worn-out shoe in an instant, and the legitimate son would be supported as the crown prince. This is the point they have always emphasized and the decency they have always wanted to maintain.

Therefore, during the Ming Dynasty, even during the Chenghua and Wanli dynasties when the disputes over the national foundation were the most intense, there was no incident of officials being killed over the issue of who should be the crown prince.

Because from the beginning to the end these officials supported not the prince himself, but the righteousness and decorum expressed by the prince's identity.

Huang Jin left happily with Zhu Zaigui's new suggestions and ideas.

Zhu Zaigui also escorted him to the front yard. Seeing that it was another December with plum blossoms, Zhu Zaigui thought of the dignified Hai Gangfeng whom he met last winter.

"Do you still remember that Hai Rui?"

Zhu Zaigui asked Meng Chong who was standing behind him.

Meng Chong replied: "Of course I remember that the prince favored him very much and asked Mr. Gao to help him with his writing, which helped him become a second-class Jinshi."

Zhu Zaigui sighed and said, "Yes, I wonder how he's doing this winter. If you have time, go see him and give him some New Year's goods and charcoal to keep him warm. Or follow the old rules and give him the silver he deserves."

Meng Chong replied, "Yes, I will prepare it right away."

Then Zhu Zaigui waited in the front yard for a while and was not in a hurry to go back.

Because there is another "big shot" coming today, Zhu Zaigui also has to show respect.

Yesterday, an imperial edict came from the palace, ordering Zhang Juzheng, the editor of the Imperial Academy, to serve as a lecturer in Prince Yu's palace, lecturing on the teachings of sages and the classics of ancient philosophers.

So today, Zhu Zaigui was waiting in the front hall.

Zhu Zaigui was also very curious about Zhang Juzheng.

However, with the knowledge and experience gained over the past two years, Zhu Zaigui gradually became calmer and no longer had the excitement he had at the beginning when he met historical celebrities.

However, Zhu Zaigui will still give due respect.

After all, when Gao Gong came to Prince Yu's Mansion, Zhu Zaigui personally went to the gate of the mansion to greet him and addressed him as "Sir".

Now that Zhang Juzheng had arrived, although Zhu Zaigui was not excited enough to go to the palace to greet him, he at least gave him the courtesy of waiting in the front hall.

It can also be regarded as Zhu Zaigui's respect and balance towards Zhang Juzheng.

This is to prevent Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong from developing a rift over such a trivial matter one day in the future, which would lead to the breakdown of their subsequent cooperation.

Of course, Zhu Zaigui also knew that these people who accomplished great things would not quarrel over such a small matter. The biggest reason for their disagreement was still due to their different political ideas and the tempting position of Prime Minister.

After all, they were all talented people who could rule the world. At that important political moment when the ruler was young and the country was in doubt at the beginning of Wanli's reign, who would be willing to be inferior to others and serve them as a subordinate?
Who wouldn't want to seize power and realize their ambitions while the young emperor is still unable to exercise imperial power?
Therefore, in history, the later dispute between Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong was also an inevitable political struggle. No one wanted to waste the "golden period" in which they could fully display their ambitions.

Therefore, if Zhu Zaigui wanted to reconcile the future political struggle between these two talented people, he could only try to live longer and give them enough stage to display their respective political ambitions.

Otherwise, according to the original historical process, Zhu Zaigui would have been hastily removed from the throne after serving as Emperor Longqing for six years, and there would have been a life-and-death political struggle between the two!

So if Zhu Zaigui wants to untie this knot, he has to live hard!

As long as he could live long enough, it would be possible for Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong to work together to reform the Ming Dynasty, open up a new situation for the revival, and realize a true "second life" for the Ming Dynasty!
(End of this chapter)