My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 35 Feng Bao
Emperor Longqing took the memorial.

Compared with his father Emperor Jiajing, Longqing was not a very capable emperor.

Emperor Jiajing was very responsive and although he did not like attending court, he was very capable in handling government affairs.

When appointing prime ministers and important border officials, Jiajing would summon them into the palace for questioning, and all the officials were trembling with fear when they were summoned.

Emperor Longqing himself had much weaker political talent and ability to maneuver, so he had to rely heavily on the cabinet and the Imperial Household Department to help him handle government affairs.

When Emperor Longqing saw the three drafts on Su Ze's memorial, his expression became serious.

However, he still had the basic qualities of a king. He did not read the cabinet's draft first, but read the text of the memorial first.

Su Ze again?

Seeing Su Ze's name, Emperor Longqing wondered how many times this had happened.

Every time Su Ze submitted a memorial, it would cause a storm in the court. This time, he got three more drafts.

Su Ze's memorial was not long. After reading it, Emperor Longqing looked a little strange.

Li Fang, who was standing by, was also secretly watching the emperor's expression.

Happy? No.

Angry? Not really.

Li Fang suddenly had a very disrespectful idea. Doesn't the emperor's expression look like someone who hasn't gone to the toilet for several days?

Li Fang guessed correctly. After reading the memorial, the only feeling Emperor Longqing had was indescribable discomfort.

Deciding the French king by drawing lots?

How can we treat national affairs as a joke?
But he looked again at the draft document pasted in front of the memorial.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong supported it, while Zhao Zhenji opposed it.

Have Master Gao and Master Zhang been bewitched by Su Ze?
Emperor Longqing was confused about the situation. He looked at Li Fang beside him and asked:

"What does the Imperial Household Department think?"

Li Fang was also stunned for a moment.

He also read the memorials and the draft, and in fact, he supported the golden urn drawing in his heart.

But where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there are positions.

Feng Bao, the second-in-command of the Imperial Household Department, is his biggest rival, and now there are signs that he is secretly colluding with Zhang Juzheng.

Since the two of them support it, Li Fang will naturally oppose it.

But there must be reasons for opposition, Li Fang said carefully:
"Your Majesty, please keep the memorial here for now and have the Ministry of Rites and the six departments and thirteen departments discuss it before making any further decisions."

Pushing the matter to the outer court would cause greater controversy. Given Emperor Longqing's fear of trouble, the matter would probably be left unresolved.

Emperor Longqing nodded, and just as he was about to keep the memorial, Concubine Li walked into the hall, followed by Feng Bao, and the third prince Zhu Yijun was clinging tightly to Feng Bao.

Seeing his beloved concubine, Emperor Longqing remembered her love for Buddhism and said jokingly:

"My Lady, I received a strange memorial today, asking me to choose the reincarnated soul boy of the U-Tsang Dharma King by drawing lots."

Hearing the emperor say this, the young Concubine Li quickly said:

"Your Majesty, this is a matter of external court affairs. I cannot listen to it."

Emperor Longqing liked Concubine Li's duty. Just when he was about to keep her, the third prince Zhu Yijun on Feng Bao said:
"Father, I think this method is excellent."

The harem cannot interfere in politics, but Zhu Yijun is about to be appointed as the crown prince, so he can naturally speak.

However, Zhu Yijun was only six years old, so Emperor Longqing jokingly asked:
"Jun'er, what's good about it?"

Zhu Yijun said in a baby voice:

"What kind of Buddha is he, the reincarnation of a Buddha who can't even draw the lottery?"

When Concubine Li heard her son's nonsense, she immediately said:
"Jun'er, shut up! How can you interfere in such a military and national affair!" But Emperor Longqing stopped Concubine Li and said:
"Jun'er has a point."

Thinking of Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng's proposals, Emperor Longqing picked up his red brush and wrote:

"Read the memorial and ask the Ministry of Rites to handle it."

Li Fang took the memorial respectfully, but after he put it away, he looked at Feng Bao who was holding the third prince.

Li Fang's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Feng Bao was becoming more and more presumptuous. He even dared to use the third prince to influence His Majesty.

The Crown Prince will be enthroned soon. As the Third Prince's throne is secured and the Crown Prince grows older, Feng Bao's power will continue to increase.

But faced with such a situation, Li Fang had no way out.
-
After being stamped by the Imperial Household Department, Su Ze's memorial was sent to the Six Departments Corridor.

The six departments and thirteen ministries had the power to review memorials to the emperor, but the power of the censors in the Ming Dynasty was not as strong as that of the Menxia Province in the previous dynasty, which could seal and reject imperial edicts. Some of them only had the power to impeach.

In other words, memorials drafted by the cabinet, approved by the emperor, and sealed by the Imperial Household Department are already national laws. The six departments and thirteen offices can read them at the first moment. Although they can submit memorials to oppose impeachment, they cannot stop the implementation of the memorials.

Chen Zan, the Censor of the Criminal Department, was the first to see Su Ze's memorial. After reading it, he began to puff his beard and glare.

"Evil words are misleading the country! How can we treat national affairs as such a joke?"

Chen Zan was quite famous in the six departments, and many censors gathered around him.

After reading it, everyone was filled with indignation and said:

"Military and national affairs are treated as a joke! Minister Gao and Minister Zhang, too, actually agree with such nonsense!"

"Gao and Zhang caused chaos in the country and forced Lord Xu to leave. Do you still expect them to be upright gentlemen?"

Soon, public opinion in the Ministry of Education changed from criticizing Su Ze's memorial to criticizing the treacherous party headed by Gao Gong for harming the country.

Chen Zan was about to cause trouble for Su Ze because his good friend Lu Shude was demoted. Seeing that he had stirred up public opinion, he quickly said:

"We are submitting a petition together, asking Your Majesty to withdraw the decree! And then impeach Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Su Ze!"

"it is good!"

"Count me in!"

At this time, Zhang Xianchen, the Minister of Revenue, said in the corner:

"A grand national ceremony is approaching, and it's inappropriate to stir up trouble. This matter still needs to be handled by the Ministry of Rites. It won't be too late for us to submit an impeachment petition after the Ministry of Rites has discussed it with us."

The censors hesitated for a moment, and then Chen Zan stepped forward and said:

"Back then, the old villain Yan Song falsely accused Zhang Zhengyan of dismissal. It was only thanks to Lord Xu's recommendation that you were reinstated. Today, Lord Xu has been expelled by treacherous officials, and instead of repaying your sponsor, you've actually compromised! Shame on you!"

As a censor, Chen Zan was naturally an expert at putting accusations on others. Zhang Xianchen argued:

"Our dynasty does not have a leader, and Zhang is not a one-man private party!"

Chen Zan and others sneered, returned to their seats and began to write memorials.
-
This incident caused such a big stir that by evening, the news of the Golden Urn Lottery had spread throughout the court.

Just before leaving the yamen, Shen Yikuan, Shen Shixing and Luo Wanhua stepped into the National History Museum one after another.

"Brother Zilin!"

Shen Shixing walked into the public housing first. Su Ze was already packing up and getting ready to leave work. Shen Shixing immediately said:

"Brother Zilin, you'd better not go home today. Your house has been surrounded by students from the Imperial Academy again. People outside are saying that you are spreading evil rumors and misleading the country!"

Su Ze said helplessly:
"Why do these Qingliu keep repeating the same thing over and over again? Luckily I have bedding in the museum."

Shen Yiguan also rushed in and said:
"Brother Zilin, every memorial you send is so earth-shattering that everyone in the Ministry of Rites has been scolding you. I heard that the Ministry of Rites has already gone to the Sifang Pavilion to inform the U-Tsang tribute envoys of your plan. What will we do if the tribute envoys make a fuss?"

Su Ze looked at his two friends and said firmly:

"The U-Tsang envoy will definitely accept it."

"what?"

(End of this chapter)