Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 108 Punishing Zhang Tianshi

"Have those foreigners arrived?" Zhu Youxiao's tone was as if he was asking whether the monkey in the monkey show had arrived.

"To answer your Highness, the foreigners are staying in the back room." Xu Guangqi replied.

"I heard that they smell like fish, as if they were just fished out of the sea. Is this true?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"At least not today." Xu Guangqi no longer disliked the foreign merchants, but he still had basic courtesy. So when he returned home, he first showed up in the back room to greet the foreign merchants, and then went to the study to read. Although he didn't smell carefully, he knew that these people didn't smell fishy at all.

"Sit down, why are you standing?" Zhu Changluo gestured to Xu Guangqi to sit down.

"All under heaven belongs to the king." Xu Guangqi stood very straight.

"This is your home." Seeing that Xu Guangqi still refused to take a seat, Zhu Changluo could only sigh softly and said helplessly: "Then I will give you a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." After the formalities, Xu Guangqi no longer declined.

"The censors must be giving you a hard time lately, right?" Zhu Changluo picked up the teacup that Xu Jian handed over, put it to his lips and blew on it twice.

"It's not their fault. This is the job of the censors." Xu Guangqi admitted tactfully.

Although the increasingly heated rhetoric of the censors and Hanlin scholars was making his head ache, he couldn't speak directly and could only beat around the bush. "I am merely sharing the emperor's worries."

What they meant was that they were not scolding me, but trying to humiliate the emperor.

"Humph! Since they love attending court so much, let them have as much as they want." Zhu Changluo had already figured out how to deal with this bunch of stubborn people. ".Wang An."

"I'm here." Wang An walked to the front of Zhu Changluo, lowered his head and waited for orders.

"After returning, draft an imperial edict. Instruct me to agree not only to restore the morning court session, but also to restore the three court sessions per day of the Taizu era. Order all officials to attend court sessions at 1:00 AM, 4:00 PM, and 4:00 PM, starting the day after the summons is issued. Each session will last one hour. No one may postpone for any reason." Zhu Changluo looked at Xu Guangqi and continued:
"The Ministry of Rites has reiterated the court etiquette to all ministries and offices in accordance with ancestral regulations. They have ordered the ceremonial officials of the Honglu Temple to strictly enforce court discipline during court sessions. If anyone violates the rules, they will be reported and severely punished!"

"Your Majesty, I obey your order." Xu Guangqi bowed and accepted the order.

"By the way. I remember that the Hanlin Academy also shouted loudly. Let them come together." Zhu Changluo thought for a while and added.

"Hanlin scholars are not qualified to enter the palace to attend court." Xu Guangqi reminded.

"Not qualified? That's great, just let them stand outside the palace gate." Zhu Changluo replied.

"Isn't this a bad idea? What if he gets cold?" Zhu Youxiao suddenly spoke.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"I think we can give them a few braziers," Zhu Youxiao rubbed his hands. "At least they should be dressed warmly. If they get sick from the cold, it would be a disservice to my father's virtue."

"That's a good idea. Then give each of the Hanlin scholars a cotton-padded jacket." Zhu Changluo nodded. "I want to see how long these guys can hold out."

"Your Majesty, I have something else to report." Xu Guangqi saw that the emperor looked unhappy, so he took the opportunity to put Longhu Mountain on the stage.

"You said."

"Zhang Xianyong of Mount Longhu submitted a petition expressing his loyalty and declining to come to the capital." Xu Guangqi paused before continuing, "Zhang Xianyong also requested that the emperor bestow the title of Heavenly Master upon his eldest son, Zhang Yingjing."

"That's quite clever, but I don't like this kind of cleverness. The Zhang family really doesn't want to share the burden with my Zhu family," Zhu Changluo sneered. "What's the name of Zhang Xianyong's eldest daughter, Zhang Zhang?"

"Your Majesty, Zhang Shirui," Wang An reminded. "Is Zhang Shirui still in Beijing?" Zhu Changluo asked Xu Guangqi.

The emperor's gloomy tone made Xu Guangqi's face turn cold. "She's still here. I just saw her this morning."

"Very good." Zhu Changluo nodded and waved to Wei Zhongxian.

"Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian understood.

"After you finish the work here, go and arrest Zhang Shirui immediately." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Your Majesty, judging by her condition, I believe this woman is unaware of Zhang Xianyong's intentions." Xu Guangqi suddenly felt regretful. The young woman didn't seem to know the inside story. If he was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, a place where nine deaths are a possibility, because of this incident, he would have committed a great sin. "Therefore..."

Before Xu Guangqi even began to offer his advice, Wei Zhongxian cut him off.

"It is not too much to deceive the emperor and exterminate his entire clan." Wei Zhongxian cast a cold look at Xu Guangqi.

This eunuch is trying to gain the emperor's favor by using the prison! Xu Guangqi became alert and quickly said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Xianyong's petition claims to be sincere, but he claims to be disobedient due to illness. Moreover, the Tianshi Mansion has a long-standing reputation among both officials and civilians. If he is punished without evidence, public opinion will surge and damage the emperor's reputation."

"I didn't say I was going to capture or kill the Taoist priestess. I just wanted to keep this nun under control." Zhu Changluo looked at the unusually active Wei Zhongxian and said quietly, "The West Factory is temporarily in charge of the East Factory. You should understand your responsibilities clearly and stop thinking about extending your influence."

"I have absolutely no such intention! I have absolutely no such intention." Wei Zhongxian began to kowtow, and as he kowtowed, there was a cry in his voice, as if he had suffered some injustice.

"Haha." Zhu Youxiao, who had been wanting to give Wei Zhongxian a few blows, was very satisfied with this. He was so happy that he even laughed out loud unconsciously. It was not until he saw his father's surprised look that he quickly covered his mouth and turned his head to the side.

"Whether it was intentional or not, you know it in your heart." Zhu Changluo did not blame him. He retracted his gaze and turned to Wang An and said, "Let the Jinyiwei surround Zhang's mansion and put that Taoist nun under house arrest. No one is allowed to set foot outside the mansion!"

"Your Majesty is wise." Xu Guangqi hurriedly praised him.

"As for Zhang Xianyong," Zhu Changluo stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's agree to half of his request."

"Agree half?" Xu Guangqi was puzzled.

"Didn't he submit a petition claiming to be a dutiful official? Then, as he requested, his title will be revoked." Zhu Changluo downed the remaining tea in his cup. "The Ministry of Rites is too busy to attend to other matters."

Xu Guangqi understood that the emperor wanted to keep Zhang Tianshi's hat hanging in the balance.

"Your Majesty, I have another suggestion for this matter," Xu Guangqi added.

"You say." Zhu Changluo handed the teacup to Wei Zhongxian. "Stop pretending and get me another cup."

After Wei Zhongxian left with the teacup, Xu Guangqi spoke: "In June of the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Xianyong submitted a petition for marriage for his son Zhang Yingjing. Zhang Yingjing wanted to marry a princess from the royal family, which required the emperor's approval, but..."

"In other words, it's not too late yet?" Zhu Changluo understood why Xu Guangqi paused.

"Your Majesty, yes." Xu Guangqi nodded.

Zhu Changluo had no fondness for either the Zhang or Kong families, both of which had been ancestral families for millennia. After the Ming dynasty fell, Zhang Xianyong's eldest son, Zhang Yingjing, seamlessly defected to the Qing dynasty, becoming the "Great Immortal of the Successor Sect of the Zhengyi Sect" of the Aisin-Gioro clan and "in charge of Daoist affairs throughout the land." It can be said that he possessed no integrity at all.

"If you haven't done it, then forget it." Zhu Changluo said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Father is already seriously ill, how could he still be thinking about marrying into the royal family?"

"The Ministry of Rites replied, stripping Zhang Xianyong of his title of Heavenly Master and halting his salary. Both the succession and the marriage proposal have been postponed due to busy government affairs," Zhu Changluo concluded. "I hope Zhang Xianyong likes this price."

(End of this chapter)