Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 340 Jiajing's Defeat
East Palace.

Crown Prince Zhu Zaiji closed his eyes forever.

This ended his short and unfortunate life.

Outside the Eastern Palace, servants wept, and officials prostrated themselves to bid farewell to the crown prince.

Only Emperor Zhu Houcong, who rushed to the scene, had his lips tightly pressed together and his face turned pale.

Of course, this expression can be interpreted as the emperor's grief over the death of his own son.

But without a doubt, that's not the truth.

Even Zhu Houcong himself couldn't deceive himself; his emotion at this moment was fury, not sadness.

He was furious that the Crown Prince had caught him off guard.

Why did you die at such an inopportune time?
In fact, this shouldn't have been surprising.

The imperial physicians had informed him long ago that the crown prince had a persistent high fever, was unconscious, and was in critical condition.

Even the usually conservative imperial physician said so, so it really means there aren't many days left.

Therefore, Haiyue will seize the time and submit her letter as quickly as possible.

It was precisely to get stuck at this crucial juncture.

And just as Jiajing was about to attend court, the Crown Prince died, which can only be described as the will of Heaven!
The death of the crown prince was not only the loss of a young life, but also the loss of his family.

The second prince was Zhu Zaiyi, the third prince was Zhu Zaiyuan, the fourth prince was Zhu Zaizhen, and the fifth prince was Zhu Zaishang.

Located in the East Palace, the sound of weeping was deafening.

"Ok?"

Zhu Houcong's face suddenly twisted, and a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes: "Who gave you permission to come here?"

The third and fourth princes trembled violently, their foreheads pressed firmly against the cold bricks.

Only the Second Prince, Zhu Zaiyi, steeled his resolve, abruptly raising his head, veins bulging on his neck: "Father! My elder brother... my elder brother is gone. As his younger brother, am I not even worthy to see him off on his final journey?"

"match?"

Zhu Houcong sneered and pointed his finger: "You! Don't you know what you've done?"

Zhu Zaiyi felt a chill run down his spine from the fierce look in his father's eyes, but he knew that retreating now would mean certain doom. He kowtowed heavily, his forehead bleeding from the impact: "Your subject doesn't know which villain instigated you! Your subject absolutely did not do those things! That was a lowly servant slandering you... Third brother! Fourth brother! Say something!"

The two princes who were named suddenly realized what was happening.

The fourth prince suddenly rushed forward and hugged Zhu Houcong's leg, his face covered in tears and snot: "Father, please understand! My elder brother has treated me so well, how could I do something so despicable..."

She burst into tears before she could finish speaking.

The third prince kept banging his head on the ground, the muffled thuds making the surrounding eunuchs turn pale.

Those who hear it are sad and those who hear it cry.

If the second son truly harbored evil intentions, then they were extremely wronged, like people sitting in the palace sitting on the grounds of being framed by an unforeseen force, and the blame falling on them for fratricide.

And it wasn't just the three princes.

Those who accompanied the Crown Prince on his final journey inside the palace included his nominal stepmother, Empress Wang, who also brought along concubines with children.

One of them went into the outer room, lifted the veil covering his face, and revealed a hideous scar.

Zhu Houcong noticed the figure, and his sharp gaze, which had been fixed on his son, shifted to the other person, finally dodging the attack.

That was Consort Li, the birth mother of the Third Prince.

The other person's scars are from the night of the palace coup.

Subsequent investigations, almost digging three feet into the ground, have revealed at least one thing: Consort Li had nothing to do with the thieves, and she did indeed risk her life to protect the emperor that night.

Of course, after realizing this, Zhu Houcong stopped going to Consort Li's Jiangxue Pavilion.

The way a naturally cold-hearted person deals with guilt is not by making amends, but by forgetting.

Consort Li never dared to approach the Emperor on her own initiative. Even during grand banquets in the palace, she would consciously avoid him and stay in a corner.

But at this moment, she stepped forward.

A mother is strong.

She was the birth mother of the third prince and would never allow her son to bear such a stigma that he could never escape, even if he did nothing wrong, and even be demoted to a commoner and executed!

"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"

“My son has always been kind and benevolent; how could he commit such an immoral act? I am willing to stake my life on this, and I implore Your Majesty to summon witnesses to testify in court—if even one word is false, my son and I are willing to suffer the most severe punishment and be condemned to eternal damnation!”

Consort Li's words were like ice blades falling to the ground, causing not only the Third Prince to look up with teary eyes at his mother who had suffered so much injustice, but also moving the other concubines in the harem.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Everyone rebelled!"

Enraged by these stares, Zhu Houcong ignored the so-called on-the-spot cross-examination, waved his sleeve, and roared, "Guards! Take them away! Take them all away!"

"Wait a minute!"

A loud voice rang out.

This time, the courtiers were shocked, watching helplessly as one person stepped forward.

Haiyue approached Zhu Houcong, performed the courtly rites between ruler and subject, and spoke with a frankness rarely seen in the court: "The foundation of the world lies in the state, and the foundation of the state lies in the family. The emperor has no private affairs; family affairs are state affairs. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"

The Confucian ethical code dictates that the ruler should be treated as a father, hence the term "ruler-father."

This is why dynasties throughout history have emphasized governing the country through filial piety, and why even the supreme emperor could not go against the filial piety of the empress dowager.

The foundation of an emperor's rule, besides being shaped by divine mandate, lies in the concept of "filial piety."

After all, destiny is somewhat abstract, intangible, and invisible. Even truly insightful people don't really believe in it at heart, but instead use it to illustrate their own views.
On the contrary, filial piety is all too common and deeply ingrained. How one treats one's parents at home is how one should be loyal to the emperor in the court.

But if the emperor himself is a rebellious son, or cruel to his own sons and indifferent to family ties, how should his subjects view this sovereign father?
Therefore, the emperor has no private affairs.

When courtiers intervene in the emperor's family affairs, it is not meddling, but a necessary measure to maintain national stability.

For example, Li Linfu's statement after the three princes were slandered, "This is His Majesty's family matter, and it is not our business to interfere," sealed his position as a treacherous minister.

With this precedent set, if any minister dares to say that the emperor will follow in Li Longji's footsteps and the country will follow in the footsteps of the An Lushan Rebellion, he might be beaten to death in court!

So at this moment, under Haiyue's leadership, the ministers raised their heads, and dozens of gazes shot straight at them like sharp arrows.

"Okay! Okay!"

Zhu Houcong's eyes blazed with fury: "How dare you coerce your sovereign at the very moment of the Crown Prince's death?"

Many officials quickly lowered their gazes again, ultimately not daring to confront him directly, but many gritted their teeth and did not back down again.

Hai Rui had already arrived beside Hai Yue and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, a true ruler has no boundaries and considers the world as his home. He should be impartial in dealing with people and impartial in governing his family!"

Yan Song appeared almost simultaneously. His white hair trembled slightly as he stepped forward with a limp, but with his aged body, he stood in front of the three princes and said firmly, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Seeing this, Xia Yan finally bit his tongue hard, and the moment the taste of blood filled his mouth, he suddenly stepped forward and raised his voice: "Your Majesty, we beg you to reconsider!"

The lingering sound echoed in the hall, startling the crows roosting under the eaves.

Seeing this, more and more officials stepped forward to express their opinions.

Just now, facing the emperor's might, countless people thought of the tragic scene in front of Zuo Shun's gate back then.

The incident of Zuo Shunmen's tearful remonstrance, in the later generations' biased view of civil officials, was portrayed as a powerful suppression of free speech, a court beating that broke the backs of scholars. It was believed that because Jiajing had killed these upright and incorruptible officials, there were no more loyal and virtuous people to speak out afterward.

This is pure conjecture. Not to mention that in the more than one hundred years that followed, loyal ministers and righteous men emerged one after another, and the purpose of Zuo Shunmen's tearful remonstrance was not pure either. It was merely a continuation of the political struggle between Yang Tinghe and Jiajing for imperial power.

Therefore, what Zuoshun Gate truly brought to the officials was only unbearable fear and the stagnation of the relationship between the emperor and his subjects.

Until today!

The "Memorial on Governance" deals with principles of ethics and morality, justice and fairness, and how to fulfill the responsibilities and duties of a monarch!
The emperor liked the outward appearance of Confucianism but inwardly adhered to Legalism, making Confucianism the foundation of his rule, but he was unwilling to be bound by Confucianism to the monarch. Instead, he used Legalist theories to govern his court officials.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang moved Mencius's tablet out of the Confucian Temple and directly opposed the theory that the people are more important than the ruler, he could not suppress the sense of right and wrong in people's hearts, nor the truth of right and wrong in the annals of history!

Therefore, at this moment, without the instigation of others, the sense of responsibility and courage that has surged forth among the ministers is the true embodiment of the nation's 170 years of nurturing scholars, and the spirit of upholding integrity and dying for righteousness, which is being demonstrated today!
"You...you...how dare you...how dare you do this..."

Zhu Houcong's voice broke in his throat, and his body under the dragon robe swayed almost imperceptibly.

The usually docile prince;

The concubines vying for the emperor's favor in the imperial harem;
The courtiers who had submitted to the previous dynasty;
They're actually standing together...

Opposing oneself?

Not long ago, in the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Houcong, who believed he could suppress all dissent with his own power, felt an unprecedented panic.

This dragon throne is not as stable as Mount Tai;
Even the most refined imperial strategies are not enough to truly awe all!
what to do……

"Well!"

Zhu Houcong felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he forced himself not to clutch his chest and turned to leave.

His mind was in turmoil, yet he remained rational.

Especially at such a critical juncture, one must not show any weakness.

From what moment does an emperor lose power?
It wasn't when he was completely dead, but when everyone believed he was about to die.

Therefore, when you are at a disadvantage, you must not show any signs of fatigue.

Ever since.

Without uttering a single word, Zhu Houcong angrily flicked his sleeve and strode out.

"Let's go!!"

It wasn't until the sharp voice of the eunuch outside reached everyone's ears that they realized His Majesty had left.

Is this a defeat?

The three princes were stunned.

The concubines in the harem were stunned.

The assembled officials were also taken aback.

An eerie silence descended.

Then their eyes all brightened up again.

It turns out that even if the emperor of the Ming Dynasty wanted to be a tyrant, they could still rebel!
In complete silence.

Haiyue's voice rang out first: "The national mourning ceremony is a matter of imperial decorum. Please give your instructions, Grand Secretary Yan!"

Yan Song's hand trembled slightly. He first consulted the Empress in the hall, then looked around at the officials in the hall, and finally slowly spoke: "Order the Ministry of Rites to immediately draft the funeral rites for the Crown Prince, suspend court for seven days, and have all officials wear mourning clothes!"

(End of this chapter)