Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 73: To overturn the table, Jiajing struck the bronze bell three times!
The minister who stood up was Gui E, who had recently been appointed as the Right Censor of the Household Department.

The so-called "xingqu" is a system of selecting officials, that is, selecting capable officials from local county magistrates and prosecutors to serve as censors.

Because the Minister of Personnel Shi Yan was not transferred away early by Yang Tinghe as in history, many officials who were not from Yang Tinghe's party and had made political achievements in local prefectures and counties were successfully selected as Kedao officials.

Gui E is one of them.

Gui E then took the manuscript from Zhang Cong.

Zhang Cong bowed to Gui E and performed a salute.

Although he didn't know Gui E yet, he admired this colleague who dared to stand up and support him despite the threat of death.

Gui E had already started reading the manuscript at this time.

"The greatest filial piety is to respect one's parents, and the greatest respect for one's parents is to support them with all the world... Is there a country without parents in the world?"

Gui E couldn't help but read it aloud after seeing it, and then praised loudly after reading it:

"good article!"

“Is there a country without parents in the world? And is there a minister who steals the love of his king and father?”

After Gui E finished speaking, he handed the manuscript back to Zhang Cong with both hands, and bowed to him, saying: "Your article can correct the etiquette of the world! I can't write it!"

Zhang Cong also hurriedly returned the greeting.

Zhu Houcong also laughed.

He knew that Zhang Cong would grasp the key point and first raise the banner of filial piety, which even ordinary people think is extremely correct, so as to win the approval of many people in this era.

As for Wang Zhengyuan, Zhang Chong and other members of the ritual-protecting faction, their faces naturally became even uglier at this time, with their eyes slightly red.

Yang Shen, who had originally had a look of contempt on his face, became solemn after hearing this article and looked at Zhang Cong with a complicated expression.

"How can there be a country without parents in this world?"

"I'll take a look too."

At this time.

Hanlin Shujishi Huang Zuo also stood up, saluted Zhang Cong, and took the manuscript from Zhang Cong.

Huang Zuo couldn't help but recite a passage after reading it: "A successor is different from an heir. It is not necessary for the son to succeed the father after his death. When Emperor Wen of Han succeeded Emperor Hui, his younger brother succeeded him. When Emperor Xuan succeeded Emperor Zhao, his elder brother's grandson succeeded him. It is not necessary to deprive one of the father and son of the other and establish the title of father and son in order to be called the successor of the dynasty."

“This paragraph makes the etiquette very clear!”

Huang Zuo looked at the crowd and said, "It is obvious that in history, Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Xuan of Han rectified the rites, and their countries prospered because of them; while Emperor Ai of Han and Emperor Yingzong of Song did not rectify the rites, and their countries declined because of them."

“That’s right.”

"The proper etiquette should be for Your Majesty to fulfill his filial duty, obey the will, and inherit the throne but not the heir."

Wu Wendi, who had just arrived in Beijing to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, also stood up and said a few words in agreement, then bowed to Zhang Cong and others:
"The young are to be feared. A hundred years from now, the world may not know me, but they will know you!"

Zhang Cong also returned the compliment: "Thank you for your praise!"

Zhu Houcong became more and more satisfied with this.

After all, many people were influenced by Zhang Cong and Gui E and began to dare to stand up.

The civil servants are indeed not a monolith, and there are indeed some strong-willed people who dare to express their opinions regardless of threats.

However, precisely because many civil officials did not fear the threat of "those holding different opinions should be beheaded" and stood up to support Zhang Cong, it became even more difficult for the civil officials who advocated that Zhu Houcong recognize Xiaomiao as his imperial father to accept this.

At this time, the Minister of Justice Zhao Jian stepped out angrily.

"The previous kings established rites based on human nature. The previous emperor Wumiao had no offspring and few brothers, so he supported Your Majesty among the grandchildren of Xianmiao. The Wumiao regarded Your Majesty as a brother of the same clan. The filial piety was examined, and the mother was kind and long-lived. There is no doubt about it, so you can still consider your personal relationship!"

But just as Zhao Jian finished speaking, Wang Zun, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and refuted Zhao Jian:
"However, the will did not allow Your Majesty to inherit the throne. This undoubtedly means that the Martial Temple did not abandon the formal ceremony for personal reasons. This is indeed a wise move!"

"If you really want to consider human feelings, then you should ask why the Grand Tutor and the ministers at the time did not advise the late emperor to appoint a successor before his death?"

Wang Zun asked another question at this time.

Zhao Jian was suddenly speechless, breathing heavily and glancing at Wang Zun.

"Be punished!"

"As the last one to succeed you, you should be a son. Those who want Your Majesty to care about personal relationships and abandon loyalty and righteousness are all treacherous people who are trapping Your Majesty in an unjust situation!"

Zhang Chong, the Imperial Censor, stood up and spoke angrily.

Huo Tao, the head of the Ministry of War, sneered and said, "The ancestral temple of our Ming Dynasty was founded by Taizu and Taizong. Isn't Your Majesty a descendant of Taizu and Taizong?"

"Could this country and society be created by the Xiao Temple?"

"It is clear that Xiaomiao is the heir to the throne, and Wumiao understands this. Therefore, in the will, he only allowed Your Majesty to inherit the throne, and stated that Your Majesty is the eldest son of King Xingxian, and did not mention letting him inherit the throne!"

"It can be seen that the Wu Temple is wise and upright, but you ignorant people are making trouble here, rambling on, trying to put the Xiao Temple and Wu Temple in an unjust position, and also want to put Your Majesty in an unjust position!"

"As for treacherous ministers, I really don't know who the treacherous minister is!"

Huo Tao said this and then refuted it in a cold voice.

Yang Shen could not help but step out of the line and asked with tears in his eyes: "Don't you think of the kindness of the Emperor Xiaomiao?"

"Deserves to be killed!"

"Everyone deserves to be killed! They are destroying the rites of the ancestral temple and betraying the virtues of the filial temple!"

The censor Yu Ao was extremely angry at this time. After Yang Shen mentioned Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, he spoke with tears in his eyes because he was grateful for the virtue of Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youtang.

The Left Imperial Censor Jin Xianmin also said with a sullen face: "They deserve to be killed. We should ask for an imperial decree to execute these disloyal and flattering officials!"

An Pan, the Imperial Secretary, clenched his fists and glared at Zhang Cong and Gui E:
"There is nothing to say. The rituals of the ancestral temple cannot be disrupted. Otherwise, how can we repay the filial piety of the temple? Anyone who dares to object today will be killed first!"

Zhu Houcong saw that many civil servants who advocated that he, the emperor, recognize Emperor Xiaozong as his father were beginning to overturn the table because they could not argue with the etiquette and wanted to directly put accusations on them and eliminate them physically, just like in history, when many civil servants wanted to kill Zhang Cong directly after his memorial was submitted, so he struck the bronze bell at this time.

Boom!
"Since ancient times, good and evil cannot coexist. The etiquette is clear. There is no need to discuss it further. Just ask for permission to kill the evil villains!"

When the sound of the bronze chimes rang out, the censor Zheng Bengong stood up and said something first.

"That's right, they all deserve to be killed!"

"If we don't kill them, we won't be able to rectify the situation!"

……

The civil servants who advocated that Zhu Houcong recognize Emperor Xiaozong as his imperial father all stood up at this time. Regardless of the sound of the bronze bells, they all glared at Zhang Cong and advocated killing Zhang Cong and others.

Moreover, their number is obviously greater than that of Zhang Cong and others.

These people were called the ritual protectors in history, that is, the group that advocated maintaining the rituals established by the Minister of Rites Mao Cheng.

Zhang Cong and others were called the Ritual Discussion Party in history because they questioned the major rituals set by the Ministry of Rites and wanted to review them.

The cabinet chief Liang Chu, grand secretaries Jiang Mian and Mao Ji, as well as ministers Shi Yan, Yang Tan, Mao Cheng and other cabinet ministers were reluctant to step out and express their opinions at this time because they saw that the situation was getting out of control.

Boom!
Boom!
Zhu Houcong had no choice but to knock twice at this moment, and immediately came out, asking in a stern tone:

"Who are you going to kill?"

"Who is a loyal minister and who is a treacherous minister? Can you decide with just one word?!"

"Am I the Son of Heaven, or are you the Son of Heaven?"

Zhu Houcong then asked with a sullen face.

The eyes are cold!

When Liang Chu and others saw Zhu Houcong coming, they hurriedly knelt down.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The ritual defenders and those who advocated ritual all knelt down at this time.

Many officials of the ritual protection faction could not help but feel regretful. They were too excited just now and forgot that the emperor might be paying close attention to the court discussions.

However, there were also many officials who protected rituals but still did not care. In their opinion, they really did not think there was anything wrong with protecting rituals. If the emperor did not stand on their side, then the emperor was also wrong.

Zhu Houcong sat on the throne at this time and glanced at the ministers with disdain.

then.

Zhu Houcong said solemnly: "The court discussion, as the name suggests, is a place for everyone to come together to discuss and make suggestions for me. It is not a place where those who obey me will prosper and those who disobey me will perish!"

"In this place, if you want people to talk, the sky won't fall!"

The History of Ming Dynasty records a great discussion on rituals: In May of the third year of Jiajing, Zhang Cong and Gui E arrived in the capital and again presented seven issues. The crowd was furious and wanted to kill them.

It can be seen that in history, the ritualists wanted to kill Zhang Cong and others during the great ritual debate. However, in order to finish the great ritual debate as soon as possible and not drag it out for so long, the struggle in this regard was brought forward in the novel, and it was not resolved until the third year of Jiajing as in the original history. After all, in the novel, the chief minister of the cabinet was no longer Yang Tinghe, so it did not take so long.

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(End of this chapter)