Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 104 I Saw the Sun (Part )
In the golden autumn of October, the Imperial College was peaceful and harmonious.

The autumn wind blew gently, rolling up a few leaves and letting them fall in the bluestone-paved courtyard.

The students came and went in a hurry, but they had no time to appreciate the scenery. Instead, they were discussing an important matter in the court.

The treatment of the foreign vassal state Annan.

As the highest institution of learning in the Song Dynasty, Taixue gave students a certain degree of political voice. At that time, Confucianism emphasized that "scholars should take the world as their responsibility." Taixue students regarded political discussions as the practice of the concept of self-cultivation and peace in the world, and gradually formed a culture of "discussing current affairs."

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang strictly stipulated many regulations for the Imperial College. In the 15th year of Hongwu, there were "Twelve School Prohibitions", one of which was "Do not speak out of turn on military and national affairs." As a result, the freedom of speech of students in the Imperial College was greatly restricted, but not too severely.

To be precise, it depends on the direction of the court. If the major issues discussed are in line with the requirements of the monarch and his ministers, then it is considered as speaking out for justice; if it goes against the wishes of the monarch and his ministers, then sorry, the Taizu Quotations will be brought out, and there are examples of students from the Imperial Academy being arrested and tortured in the imperial prison.

Today's discussions are within the scope permitted by the court.

Jiajing had the final say on etiquette and anyone who dared to oppose him would be in trouble. This was not entirely out of filial piety, but was mainly related to the legitimacy of his succession.

To question this aspect is actually to shake his position as the emperor, and of course it is ruthless.

Historically, Xu Jie was demoted during this period because he submitted a memorial to the emperor that angered Emperor Jiajing. If he had really done that, no one could have saved him.

But now the court has changed from a dispute over etiquette to whether to use military force against Annan.

They were divided into two factions, one advocating war and the other advocating turning a blind eye.

Even the new nobles were not of one mind during the Grand Ceremony Debate. The Prime Minister Zhang Cong advocated sending troops, the Shuntian Prefecture Governor Huo Tao agreed, the Second Prime Minister Gui E disagreed, and the Minister of Personnel Fang Xianfu seconded him.

In this matter, Jiajing was quite tolerant. He allowed the two factions to argue and express their opinions without punishing them.

Of course, the emperor did not express his opinion.

And within the Yixin Society, everyone was divided into two factions.

Xu Jie and Lin Daqin were anti-war, believing that the current situation of the Qing Dynasty was not conducive to using military force against Annan.

Hai Rui and Zhao Shichun were in favor of war, believing that the civil unrest in Annan was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would achieve twice the result with half the effort. If missed, there would probably be no chance to take back Jiaozhi.

Yan Shifan was a fence-sitter, waiting for whichever faction to gain the upper hand and then following that faction.

Haiyue did not express any opinion from beginning to end.

At this time, he returned to the dormitory with a pile of books, took out the two letters that were between them, and opened them.

After entering the capital, in addition to his own academic life, he was most concerned about the situations of two people.

One is Princess Fanglian Li Yuying, and the other is Zhou Xuan, the former Guangdong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

The two letters at this time were sent by two different people.

Not long after becoming famous in the Imperial College, the news that Marquis Wuding had a adopted son caused a sensation in the capital. Li Yuying asked someone to deliver a letter to Haiyue to inform her that she was safe.

And now this is the second letter.

Haiyue unfolded it and read it, then her brows raised.

In this letter, Li Yuying mainly described her visit to the palace and her meeting with the Empress Dowager, with particular emphasis on the description of Empress Dowager Ciren Jiang, her words full of admiration.

Jiang was the daughter of Jiang Xiao, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and the wife of Prince Xing Zhu Youlang. She was 54 years old this year and had two sons and three daughters. Her eldest son died shortly after birth, and her second son was Zhu Houcong.

This Jiang was very capable. She presided over the affairs of the prince's palace in the first half of her life. After Prince Xing passed away, Jiang supported the youngest son Zhu Houcong and managed Prince Xing's palace in an orderly manner.

When Emperor Zhengde passed away, the court chose Zhu Houcong to succeed him, and Jiang's position became increasingly critical.

On the third day after Zhu Houcong arrived in Beijing, he sent officials to welcome his biological mother to Beijing to take care of her. In fact, he wanted to bring his biological mother to support him. Jiang had already arrived at the outskirts of the capital. When she heard that she would be treated as a princess instead of being brought into the palace as an empress dowager, and that her son would be forced to call her aunt, she immediately left a sentence "How can my son be someone else's son", refused to enter the capital, and demanded to return to the palace immediately. When Zhu Houcong heard this, he burst into tears and expressed his willingness to give up the throne and return to Anlu with his mother.

But at this time, the court had already supported the new emperor, and filial piety was the foundation of rule of all dynasties. How could the emperor be deposed for such a reason?

After several rounds of wrangling, Empress Dowager Zhang had to issue an imperial decree, appointing Prince Xingxian and his wife Jiang as Emperor Xingxian and Empress Xingguo. The court also accepted Zhu Houcong's highest etiquette of entering through the Daming Gate to welcome his mother.

Only after this did Jiang agree to enter the capital.

And this was just the beginning. Empress Dowager Jiang and Empress Dowager Zhang then began to compete over the title.

In the eyes of later generations, the ancient emperors and officials fought to the death over one more or one less character in the title. Were they just bored?

But in fact, what they were fighting for was not the title, but the status of ruler and the power derived from it.

Only the tools and the names cannot be lent to others.

One more word or one less word determines the level of political status.

So, Zhu Houcong of the previous dynasty suppressed the ministers, and Empress Dowager Jiang of the later dynasty dealt with Empress Dowager Zhang, and the mother and son cooperated with each other tacitly.

This was the showdown in the early years of the Jiajing period.

Although Jiajing was a political genius, his successful rise to power was inseparable from his mother. Otherwise, Empress Dowager Zhang would have oppressed him in the name of his biological mother and hindered him in every way, which would have been too uncomfortable. With Empress Dowager Jiang entering the court, he not only had spiritual support, but also political advisers and key helpers.

Now that Jiajing had completely secured his throne after the Great Ceremony Controversy, Empress Dowager Jiang's status in the harem was at its peak.

On the way to the capital, Lu Bing actually hinted at something, and Haiyue's last night with Li Yuying also reminded her to play to her strengths as a female family member.

From the perspective of the Annan Li family, of course it was Princess Li Yuying who wished to die, and it was Prince Li Weining who survived, after all, the latter had a righteous cause.

But being a princess also has its advantages. She can enter the harem, meet the empress dowager, and live the life of a lady of noble birth.

"The Empress Dowager's virtuous character is as bright as the moon and as rising as the sun."

"In the past, you assisted the Empress Dowager and educated her children in the ways of sages, raising Your Majesty to be a ruler like Yao and Shun. Now, you set an example for the six imperial concubines with your motherly virtues. Your benevolence benefits the four seas, and your gentle kindness spreads to all nations..." "Although I live in a distant vassal state, I have heard that the Empress Dowager values ​​frugality and cares for the people, and is diligent and prudent. You are truly a model for the nine heavens and a benevolent emblem for generations to come. Now that I see your kind face in person, I am overwhelmed with fear and tears..."

"I only wish the Empress Dowager good health, a life as long as the heaven, a long and prosperous reign, and glory for China and foreign countries..."

To sum up, Li Yuying saw the sun in the harem.

This flattery is perfect.

A cautious attitude is even more commendable.

Letters from important people may be inspected, so you must be on guard.

Li Yuying praised him like this, perhaps even hoping that the Jinyiwei would check it out and report it to Jiajing.

Haiyue smiled, put the letter away carefully, and then looked at the next one.

This letter comes from Zhou Xuan.

This man was not charged with the primary crime in the Yinwu Village case, and was not even ranked at the top. However, when the case was subsequently settled, Zhou Xuan was the only high-ranking official in Guangdong who was directly dismissed from office and sent to Beijing in prison.

Hai Yue was indignant about this. He could not change anything at that time, but since they were traveling together, he tried his best to take care of the old man to prevent him from falling ill on the road and not having a chance to defend himself after arriving in the capital.

However, on the boat, Zhou Xuan told him some secrets, and even revealed directly that when he arrived at the Ministry of Justice in the capital, he did not need to clarify anything, and the Ministry of Justice would not actually sentence him to a serious crime.

Haiyue was skeptical at the time, but now it seems that this "iron-faced judge" may not have lied.

Compared to Li Yuying's eloquence, what Zhou Xuan said in the letter was very simple. He just said that he had been released from prison and was now living in a courtyard in the capital. He asked Haiyue not to worry and not to rashly inquire about his news.

Haiyue chose to accept this.

The reason why some people mean well but do bad things is that, fundamentally, they only care about their own moral character, rather than really caring about others.

Hai Yue really hopes that Zhou Xuan will have an ending that matches his lifelong dedication. It is not worth it for him to bear the blame for those corrupt officials.

Now that he saw that the other party had really landed smoothly, he nodded secretly, and couldn't help but sigh: "This officialdom is really complicated!"

"What is Shisanlang talking about?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shifan walked in with a smug look on his face.

Haiyue lifted the letter and said, "I'm reading it! Have you returned from studying hard in Donglou?"

"Don't make fun of me, but since I've decided to take the imperial examination, I must get a good score. Otherwise, if you all pass the exam and I fail, how can I face you all?"

Yan Shifan laughed heartily and got to the point: "Shisanlang, the Yixin Society has held several activities, and everyone has enjoyed themselves, but isn't the number of people too small?"

Haiyue’s requirement for Yixinhui to recruit people can be summed up in four words: it’s better to have nothing than to have someone of poor quality.

Otherwise, based on Yan Shifan's ability to act, the number of people would probably have exceeded a hundred by now.

It may seem like a large scale, but it is just a loose group and may even attract other people's attention and vigilance, which is absolutely not advisable.

So Hai Yue remained calm and simply said, "Not a few. At this stage, I'll start the Journey to the West and seek out those who truly share the same ideals..."

Yan Shifan rolled his eyes and said, "There is one person who expressed his desire to join the sect to me."

"Who?"

"Zhao Wenhua, a Jinshi in the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, currently serves as Director of the Ministry of Justice. His courtesy name is Yuanzhi, and his pseudonym is Meicun. He is from Cixi, Zhejiang."

Haiyue frowned slightly.

In the TV series, Hu Zongxian can visit Yan's house and call Yan Song teacher, but in real history, Hu Zongxian is not even as good as Yan Song. He depends on Yan Song's godson, Zhao Wenhua, and thus rises to prominence and soon becomes the most important provincial governor of the Ming Dynasty.

But that was not because Zhao Wenhua had good vision, but because Hu Zongxian had strong personal abilities. Among the senior leaders of the Yan Party, Zhao Wenhua was the least talented one, not even as good as Yan Maoqing and Luo Longwen. Haiyue would certainly not allow such a person to join the party.

Seeing Haiyue's calm face and no reaction, Yan Shifan's eyes flickered: "Has Shisanlang also heard that rumor? Did Chief Zhao intentionally misjudge a case?"

Hai Yue said, "Since it's just a rumor, it's still hard to tell whether it's true or not. Does Dong Lou understand this person's character?"

Yan Shifan snorted, "This guy was quite flattering when he was in the Imperial College, and he even wanted to ask Jia Yan to be his adoptive father. I don't like that. Not everyone can be my brother!"

Hai Yue asked, "What is your father's opinion?"

"Of course, my father-in-law wouldn't want someone with such bad intentions!"

Yan Shifan had complete faith in his father's integrity, but then realized that he had just recommended Zhao Wenhua to join the Yi Xin Society. He quickly made amends, "However, after Zhao Wenhua joined the Ministry of Justice, he initially achieved some success, which is why I was attracted to him. However, rumors spread that he was accepting bribes, so I hesitated and came to ask for advice!"

Hai Yue said, "Then let's wait a while! A journey of a thousand miles tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's true character. Loyalty, treachery, good, and evil will eventually be tested by time."

"This is so true!"

Yan Shifan nodded and invited, "Shisanlang, do you know that there are new performers on Tianqiao?"

"Oh?"

Haiyue was not surprised.

Once the Harrier Troupe was destroyed, those jugglers and storytellers were either killed on the spot by the Embroidered Uniform Guards or imprisoned in the imperial prison, where they could not get any help from heaven or earth.

But the needs of the people in the capital will not disappear. Tianqiao is an excellent performance venue. Even if the Harrier Troupe is gone, other companies will soon replace them.

However, Yan Shifan's next introduction surprised him: "Yunyin Society? A magical troupe that performs magic tricks?"

(End of this chapter)