My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 34 Shocked, Shocked

At the morning court session that day, all the ministers were waiting outside the palace gate.

The current situation in the Ming Dynasty court can be seen from the positions of the ministers.

There were many people standing around Liu Bowen, and if you looked closely, you could see that they were all officials from the Zhejiang East faction.

But he did not appear to be very happy. He just had a formal smile on his face and said nothing, letting others talk.

Standing next to the Zhejiang East faction were officials from Jiangxi. They were few in number and relatively quiet, so they were not conspicuous.

Corresponding to them is the Huaiyou faction on the other side of the palace gate.

It’s just that in the past, the Huaiyou faction would always gather around Li Shanchang.

But today, there are fewer people around him, and only some officials who are closely tied to him still insist on standing by his side.

Most people kept a certain distance from him.

Of course, there were also those who kept the matter cold, such as Hu Weiyong.

As soon as he arrived, he greeted Li Shanchang in a high-profile manner and asked questions like a student.

This attitude made Li Shanchang very satisfied, and his attitude was extremely kind.

We are all old foxes, so we naturally understand his plan.

This gave many people who had no chance of promotion an opportunity, and they all mustered up the courage to come forward and greet him.

In their opinion, it was just a gamble. If they won, they might be able to make further progress. If they lost, the worst that could happen was that they would be demoted or dismissed from office.

Compared with the benefits, it is worth the gamble.

For a time, Li Shanchang was surrounded by many people.

This made him feel even more proud and more satisfied with Hu Weiyong.

Even if I really want to retire, I will recommend Xiao Hu to take my place.

Thinking of this, he also took a deep look at Wang Guangyang not far away.

I was so blind to recommend you in the first place.

Wang Guangyang naturally noticed his boss's unfriendly gaze. Although his expression remained unchanged, he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

What's the meaning of that look? Do you really think I'm your little brother?

I, Wang Guangyang, can achieve what I have today entirely due to my own efforts, and it has nothing to do with you, Li Shanchang.

When Li Shanchang was finding fault with others, he did not notice that there was a person in the distance who was staring at him with hatred.

Yang Xian touched the memorial in his sleeve and thought to himself, "Old man, I must report you today."

I will no longer be in vain and will openly oppose you from now on to avenge my brother.

In fact, it was not just him. With such a big thing happening, how could the ministers do nothing?

Many people had one or more memorials in their sleeves.

But there are only two main things to impeach.

The first is Li Shanchang's collusion with the Guard Bureau, and the second is the matter of Ma Yu.

In fact, Li Shanchang himself was also very clear about this.

He was mentally prepared for his impeachment, but said he didn't care at all.

How can you villains shake my position?

As for impeaching Ma Yu...even if others don't take action, he will do it.

As soon as he came out of the palace yesterday, he had already sent a message to his confidant.

If no one impeaches Ma Yu today, then they will have to stand up and charge forward.

If someone impeaches them, they will take the opportunity to wave their flags and make noises.

It is not surprising that he has such thoughts. In the original world, the Hu Weiyong case broke out.

His younger brother Li Cunyi was found to have colluded with Hu Weiyong. Zhu Yuanzhang pardoned Li Cunyi's family for his sake, but only exiled them to another place.

Given Zhu Yuanzhang's character, you can imagine how big a back door this was.

Anyone else would have burst into tears of gratitude and would have wanted to pour out their heart.

But Li Shanchang was not grateful. Instead, he felt that Zhu Yuanzhang had gone too far by sending his own brother into exile.

Then without thanking him, he went back to his hometown in a rage.

Prime Minister Li really regarded himself as the emperor's partner and half-master of the country.

Feeling that he had been wronged in this matter, he naturally would not let it go.

You, Zhu Yuanzhang, treat me like this for a little beggar who came from nowhere.

I can't swallow this humiliation, so I have to make things difficult for you.

Just when everyone was preparing to show off their talents in the court, a carriage stopped at the intersection.

The person who got out of the car was Song Lian.

This surprised everyone.

You know, this old man suddenly took sick leave and has hardly ever shown up since.

At that time, everyone thought he was really sick and rushed to visit him.

However, most people were stopped outside the door, and the few who were able to see him found that the old man had a rosy complexion and looked extremely healthy.

This is clearly feigning illness.

He said that he had some insights into academic matters, so he took leave to study in seclusion.

But most people don't believe this.

Everyone would rather believe that something must have happened and he was forced to become sick.

But afterwards, the emperor and the empress did not say anything else, which left everyone confused again.

So, everyone was surprised to see him suddenly come to court.

The key point is that he didn't come out earlier or later, but just at this time.

Do you want to get involved?
Li Shanchang obviously thought of something, and his face became extremely ugly.

The people around him immediately noticed something unusual and couldn't help but think about it.

But no matter what his purpose is, given his identity, no one can pretend not to see it.

They all came forward to say hello.

Especially the officials from eastern Zhejiang, they surrounded them as if they had seen their backbone.

Song Lian was not a pedantic scholar and knew the purpose of these people.

No matter how they hinted, I never responded.

This made the officials in eastern Zhejiang very uncomfortable.

It’s bad enough that Liu Bowen is a coward, but you, Song Lian, are also a coward.

But unfortunately, there was nothing they could do.

As everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, time passed by minute by minute, and soon it was time to go to court.

All the ministers lined up and filed into the Jinshen Hall.

Li Shanchang naturally stood first on the left to highlight his status.

Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang came to the main hall under the guidance of the eunuchs and accepted the worship of his ministers.

The court meeting officially began.

What no one expected was that Yang Xian was the first to jump out.

Li Shanchang colluded with the imperial guards and plotted to murder the prince. His crime is unforgivable and he should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.

Seeing someone taking the lead, others also jumped out to impeach, among which the Zhejiang East faction was the most active.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt very comfortable in his heart, but he still looked very embarrassed:

"Li Xiang was the founder of the Ming Dynasty and it is impossible for him to betray us."

"He was misled and made a mistake. We have already warned him."

"And the ones who should really be punished for this matter are Shi Jian and others."

"Not only did he fail to persuade Prime Minister Li, but he also took the opportunity to cause trouble."

"We have already executed them all, so let's leave it at that."

Those who didn't understand this thought the emperor was too tolerant, but those who understood it understood.

The emperor was afraid that the hint he had given was not enough, so he emphasized it again in the court today.

I will not punish Li Shanchang, but I can execute all his followers. It is up to you to do what you want.

For a time, many people became more determined to draw a clear line with him.

Li Shanchang looked unhappy, but he could only stand there without saying a word.

Yang Xian and others were naturally unwilling to give up, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not give them any chance and immediately announced another thing.

"In light of this incident, the Guard Bureau is no longer necessary."

"We have decided to disband it and select elite soldiers from the army to form a new personal army. The name will be temporarily called Jinyiwei."

"What do you think, sir?"

As soon as this decision was announced, all the ministers turned their eyes to Li Shanchang.

If it was a hint just now, it is now explicit.

Aren’t you colluding with the Guard Bureau? I will disband and reorganize it directly.

Li Shanchang did not expect Zhu Yuanzhang's methods to be so cruel. He was both shocked and angry.

His face had turned ashen.

Yang Xian and others were naturally overjoyed and praised Your Majesty for his wisdom.

The formation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was thus decided.

However, if the ministers knew the true purpose of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I wonder if they would still be able to laugh.

At this point, they also knew that it was impossible to make a fuss about it anymore.

The emperor was obviously unwilling to break with Li Shanchang completely.

If you continue with the impeachment, you will be the only one who suffers.

However, they were still very happy in their hearts because the emperor no longer trusted Li Shanchang as much as before and continued to take actions to weaken his power.

We will find another opportunity in the future and one day we will overthrow him. Seeing that they had quieted down, another group of people immediately jumped out to impeach Ma Yu.

They demanded that the emperor severely punish Ma Yu and uphold the majesty of national law and the dignity of the royal family.

"Otherwise, if everyone follows suit, the country will cease to exist."

And it is not just one faction that is impeaching this matter, but all factions.

Surprisingly, Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry. He knew very well that most people were truly trying to uphold the national law and the royal family.

Naturally, I won't get angry about this.

But he did not explain, instead he looked at Song Lian and asked:

"Didn't Mr. Song say he wanted to meditate in seclusion? How come he's free to attend court today?"

Song Lian stepped out and said respectfully, "I'm here for Ma Yu."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the court was shocked.

What do you mean? He knows Ma Yu? I've never heard of him.

Only Li Shanchang was not surprised at all.

Liu Bowen, who had remained silent all this time, looked at Li Shanchang, then at Song Lian, and then at the emperor.

I already have the answer in my heart.

It is very likely that Song Lian had met Ma Yu privately and knew his situation.

Then think about the time when the emperor went to the Yingtianfu prison and was very angry when he came out, but he changed the direction of legislation.

There is only one possibility, Ma Yu convinced the emperor.

Li Shanchang must have learned the whole situation from Shi Jian, which led to the subsequent series of operations.

Because of his talent, the royal family made an exception and pardoned his crime, and even wanted to win him over by using his status as a royal relative.

Because Song Lian values ​​his talent, he came out today to protect him.

Although it is very incredible, this is the only possibility that can explain all the problems.

After figuring all this out, Liu Bowen also developed a strong interest in Ma Yu.

What is so special about this young man that makes so many people move for him?

The key is what to do next.

He was unwilling to please Zhu Yuanzhang, nor did he want to offend Li Shanchang.

He didn't want to get involved in this matter.

But... this young man lived in Mr. Ma's mansion.

It is said that he moved in as the head of the family.

This means that there is a high probability that he will be adopted as a nephew by the queen, and it is even possible that he will inherit the clan line of Ma Taigong.

Now that the Queen is involved, that’s another matter.

Thinking of this, he already had an idea in his mind.

However, he did not rush to stand up, but watched the development of the situation silently.

Zhu Yuanzhang pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Oh, Mr. Song knows Ma Yu?"

Song Lian said: "I have seen it once and it is amazing."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Haha, I understand now. I've also been to the prison to see him once before, and I was also amazed."

"Despite his young age, he is very knowledgeable and has taught us a lesson."

As he spoke, he looked at his ministers and said, "The reason why we changed our minds and adopted the cautious legislation was because of his persuasion."

All the ministers were surprised.

Those who reacted quickly already understood why Li Shanchang did this.

But what shocked them even more was Song Lian's next words:

"I also listened to his lecture and was deeply moved, so I studied behind closed doors."

"Buzz..." The court suddenly became noisy.

Song Lian was the greatest literary figure of his time, yet there were people who could teach him.

Did our ears hear correctly?
If it weren't for Song Lian's strong character, they would even think he was lying.

What's more, Song Lian even put aside the matter of teaching the prince and went into seclusion to study.

It can be seen that the insights that lesson brought him were extraordinary.

And... Song Lian's retreat finally had an explanation. It was not that the emperor suspected him, but that he was really in seclusion studying.

But...it's incredible.

Even Liu Bowen, who had guessed the truth long ago, was extremely shocked.

At the same time, he finally understood why Li Shanchang would resort to such a bad strategy.

In fact, he had always had a doubt before. Even if Ma Yu had some ability, he could persuade the emperor.

But the possibility of coincidence cannot be ruled out.

It's really too much to take such drastic measures for such a small matter.

But now he finally understood why.

Being able to teach Song Lian and influence the emperor's thoughts cannot be regarded as a coincidence.

Li Shanchang's strong reaction was completely understandable.

He also became more certain of his previous speculation that the queen wanted to make a false claim into reality and take Ma Yu as her nephew.

It seems that I have to place a bet this time.

Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated, and stood up directly, saying in a surprised tone:

"I never thought that Ma Yu was so talented. The Ming Dynasty is just beginning and needs pillars of talent to serve us."

"If Your Majesty can pardon his crime, not only will you gain a great talent, but it will also be worth a thousand gold in exchange for horse bones."

"Let talents from all over the world come to join us."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "What Bowen said coincides with my own. I value talent, and I want to take this opportunity to tell the world."

"No matter where you come from, or whether you've offended me before."

"As long as you possess both talent and virtue, and are willing to serve the Ming Dynasty, we will accept you and entrust you with important tasks."

Many officials from the Zhejiang East faction decided to wait and see when they saw Song Lian come forward.

When he learned that Ma Yu also advocated the Confucian idea of ​​cautious punishment, he subconsciously regarded him as on his side.

Regardless of whether they are from eastern Zhejiang or not, as long as they support Confucianism, they are targets that can be won over.

Not only them, but also the Confucian officials in Jiangxi and other regions had similar ideas.

The Yuan Dynasty addressed the issue of sinicization and rejected the Confucianists' request.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has been established, it is the time to fight for ideological dominance. Everyone who can influence the emperor is worth fighting for.

When Liu Bowen stood up to support, everyone finally made up their minds and quietly put the impeachment memorial back into their sleeves.

This is not the end, Zhu Yuanzhang continued:
"The Queen also particularly valued talent and personally spoke with Ma Yu, expressing her fondness for him even more."

"So we decided to adopt him as our nephew and let him inherit our father-in-law's clan lineage."

"In this way, he is not pretending to be a royal relative, but a true royal relative."

What, the Queen really wants to make a false claim true?

Most officials were shocked.

The few who had doubts before were also shocked when they heard the emperor's confirmation.

Think carefully about everything that happened in the morning court today.

I was shocked and shocked. I was so shocked that I was numb.

Upon learning that the Queen was going to adopt a grandson for their father, most of the Huaiyou clique silently put their memorials back into their sleeves.

Other officials who were originally unrelated and just wanted to join in the fun also put the memorials back into their pockets.

Only a few people still refused to give up. This was the first case of impersonating royal relatives since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

If there is no severe punishment, others will follow suit, the country will no longer be a country, and the royal family will lose its reputation.

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "If anyone thinks he has talent and wants to follow this path, he can follow my example."

"As long as they are truly talented, we can forgive their sins."

"If its talent cannot satisfy me, haha..."

Take your nine clans to the underworld to visit your ancestors for team building.

In the end, with the approval of most officials, the matter was passed.

The objections of a minority were simply ignored.

Ma Yu finally publicly obtained the status of a royal relative.

When the news reached his residence, Mr. Ma was also shocked.

First, I didn’t expect Ma Yu to be so talented, and second, I didn’t expect so many people to come forward to protect him.

This also strengthened his determination to cling to the upper hand.

Ma Yu did not find this result strange at all.

What he didn't expect was that old man Song Lian would actually come forward to protect him.

He is indeed a gentleman.

If possible, take better care of him in the future.

And Liu Bowen is really smart.

I'll have to meet him in person if I get a chance to see what he really thinks.

If you can reach a consensus with him on certain things, many things will be much easier to do.

But what really shocked him was the Jinyiwei.

It appeared twelve years earlier than expected.

Has this little butterfly of mine finally begun to influence the course of history?

(End of this chapter)