Emperor Taichang fainted again, which made Ye Xianggao and others feel that something was wrong.
At this time, the palace of Qianqing immediately became chaotic. After the diagnosis and treatment by the imperial doctor, Zhu Changluo finally woke up.
This situation of Zhu Changluo was already expected by Bi Xinchen.
However, he couldn't say much about the red pill. Anyway, the hospital did not recommend that His Majesty take it.
Zhu Changluo seemed to be hollowed out. He knew that he was getting closer and closer to the gate of hell.
He raised his hand with difficulty and pointed to a wooden box beside him.
What was inside was the second red pill presented by Li Kezhuo.
Everyone knows Zhu Changluo's thoughts, but who dares to let him take the second red pill at this time?
Wang An, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, said: "Your Majesty, Li Kezhuo said that this second red pill must be taken after three days. It's only been one day. If you take it now, your Majesty's body may not be able to support it." Stay!"
At this moment, Zhu Changluo was so weak that he could hardly speak, and the ministers also exited the Nuan Pavilion in time.
It was really embarrassing to stay in the Nuan Pavilion at this time. Although His Majesty's eyes were full of desire, these ministers did not dare to let him take the red pill.
When the Chief Assistant Ye Xianggao saw that something happened to His Majesty after taking the red pill, he quickly asked someone to take Li Kezhuo into custody first.
If His Majesty dies, he is the culprit, and he must not be allowed to escape.
Zhu Changluo could only look at the red pill on the side helplessly. He wanted to crawl over but couldn't.
At this moment, Nuan Pavilion was already empty, and everyone was waiting for Long Yu's death outside the pavilion.
I don't know how long it took before the emperor's eldest son Zhu Youxiao appeared in Nuan Pavilion.
Zhu Changluo seemed to see hope again at this moment. He raised his finger hard and pointed to the wooden box beside him.
Zhu Youxiao also handed the box to his father with understanding.
Zhu Changluo picked up the red pill with his trembling hands. Although he no longer expected to be cured, he knew that taking the red pill would at least allow him to recover for a while.
At this point, even if he could only recover for half an hour before dying immediately, he would swallow him without hesitation.
Zhu Youxiao even took the initiative to feed Zhu Changluo a sip of water.
At this time, Li Kezhuo had been brought to the Nuan Pavilion, but when faced with the questioning of the ministers, he still argued: "It takes two red pills to cure His Majesty's disease. Now I have only taken one pill. The recurrence of the disease is normal phenomenon."
Just as the ministers were about to continue to reprimand him, Zhu Changluo's voice suddenly came from the Nuan Pavilion: "Mr. Ye Ge, come in, I have something to say."
No need to guess, His Majesty must have taken the second red pill.
After hearing Zhu Changluo's voice, a smile appeared on Li Kezhuo's face and he said loudly: "Who said there is something wrong with Your Majesty? You are planning to falsely accuse me?"
At this time, everyone entered the Nuan Pavilion, and naturally no one paid attention to Li Kezhuo anymore!
Zhu Changluo knew that his time had come, so while he could still speak, he quickly explained what happened behind him.
Fortunately, he has already designated the heir to the throne. From now on, Prince Zhu Youxiao will have to rely on the help of his ministers.
This year has been really troubled. Drought has continued throughout the Ming Dynasty, and there are already signs of a locust plague.
Small-scale peasant uprisings broke out in Shandong, Fujian and other places.
Next, Emperor Taichang's funeral ceremony and the construction of the mausoleum were a huge expense.
The additional "Liao pay" currently can only be used to pay the border troops, and there is no way to expand armaments or fight against Jianzhou.
Fortunately, Li Xianzhong severely damaged Jianzhou last year. So far, no major war has occurred in Liaodong.
The current total strength of Liaodong Town is about 100,000, which is far lower than the 130,000 garrison at its peak last year.
However, the huge military expenditures still drained the Ming Dynasty's family fortune.
But these are not the most troublesome. Currently, Liaodong is the biggest hidden danger of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Li Xianzhong's imprisonment was very secret, Ye Xianggao still knew about it.
If Emperor Taichang had not repaid the arrears of the first-level silver reward, I am afraid that Liaodong would have been in chaos by now.
Yan Mingtai, the governor of Jiliao, wrote several times to inquire about Li Xianzhong, Ning Yuanbo, and said that Li Xianzhong was extremely important to the stability of Liaodong.
It is clearly stated that Li Xianzhong has made great contributions to the state. If the court disposes of Li Xianzhong without any reason, Liaodong will definitely be in chaos.
Even a direct mutiny is not impossible.
Moreover, Li Xianzhong's wife was Gege of Yehe tribe, and he himself was on good terms with the leaders of various Mongolian tribes.
He also hinted that if the powerful Liaodong cavalry teamed up with the Mongolian Jurchens to invade the border, Liaodong would fall in an instant, and even the northern border of the Ming Dynasty would not have any army that could stop them.
Although the Donglin Party has always gritted its teeth against Li Xianzhong, Ye Xianggao also felt that it was not appropriate to deal with Li Xianzhong at this moment.
There are even rumors that Wanli summoned Li Xianzhong before his death. It was suspected that he was sent to prison by Emperor Taichang because he received the "Belt Order".
But at this time, Ye Xianggao had to ask. He said: "I heard that Ning Yuanbo Li Xianzhong is now in prison. The Liaodong army is currently unstable. May I ask your majesty how to deal with this matter?"
Originally, Zhu Changluo was hesitant about whether to keep Li Xianzhong, wanting to see the situation in Liaodong before making a judgment.
It's a pity that he no longer has time to deal with Liaodong's problem.
At present, the Ming Dynasty Lord Shaochen Sui naturally cannot let Liaodong move to cause further turmoil.
If the Li family in Liaodong is really forced to rebel, it's hard to say whether Zhu Youxiao can secure his position.
Looking at his still slightly immature son, he shook his head helplessly, took Zhu Youxiao's hand and said, "Uncle Ning Yuan is the cornerstone of stability in Liaodong, and he is only in prison to cooperate with the investigation of North Korea. You After ascending the throne, go to prison in person to release him, and he will naturally burst into tears of gratitude to you."
Then he said: "Uncle Ning Yuan promised in front of the late emperor that he would send troops to conquer Jianzhou and eliminate this serious problem for the Ming Dynasty! Ning Yuanbo was a favorite of the late emperor, so he would naturally fulfill this wish for the late emperor. Can you order He mainly used the troops from Kaiyuan, Tieling and Fushun to establish the state!"
At this time, Colonel Zhu You didn't know much about the situation in Liaodong, but other ministers were shocked and broke out in a cold sweat!
Emperor Taichang wanted both Li Xianzhong and Jianzhou to suffer losses in the fight, so that he could take the opportunity to weaken Li Xianzhong!
It seems that although he released Li Xianzhong, he is still worried about the Li family in Liaodong.
But after forcing Li Xianzhong to such an extent, aren't you afraid of forcing him to rebel?
Even the chief assistant Ye Xianggao also had this worry, so he said: "Your Majesty, although the Kaiyuan Third Route Ming Army directly under Ning Yuanbo is elite, it only has 26,000 people. It still has to defend the Kaiyuan Three Passes. Those who can be mobilized The maximum number of soldiers and horses will not exceed 20,000. I’m afraid it will be difficult to achieve full success with this small force in establishing a state?”
Zhu Changluo said with a smile: "This is not my intention to embarrass Uncle Ning Yuan, it is what Ning Yuanbo promised himself in front of the late emperor."
"Uncle Ning Yuan never fights an uncertain battle, and the 'Liaodong Iron Cavalry' under his command are invincible. I believe he will not disappoint the late emperor."
"Of course, the Ming army under his command is only the main attack. Other Ming armies in Liaodong and North Korea can still cooperate with his actions and be responsible for containment."
Then he said to Ye Xianggao: "Now that the national treasury is empty, and the soldiers in Liaodong are fully staffed and paid, don't worry too much. The cabinet only needs to supply it with enough food and appropriate armaments, and there is no need to send any more money to Liaodong." More troops."
Although Li Jinzhong could not enter Dongnuan Pavilion in Qianqing Palace due to Wang An's punishment.
However, he was relatively well informed. Knowing that Zhu Changluo was about to die, he quickly found Li Xuanshi.
At this time, Li Xuanshi was still engaged in a "cold war" with Zhu Changluo because he failed to seal the throne.
Li Jinzhong hurriedly added: "My chosen maid, Your Majesty is almost dying, why are you still here?"
"If you have anything to say to His Majesty, hurry up. In addition, the prince may soon ascend the throne. You must hold him in your hands!"
After Li Jinzhong's reminder, Li Xuanshi quickly realized that this was the last chance to ask Zhu Changluo for the title of queen.
No matter what happens, Zhu Youxiao must be controlled in his own hands.
In this way, even if His Majesty refuses to grant the title of Queen, he will have Zhu Youxiao's bargaining chip to negotiate terms with those civil servants.
Soon Li Xuanshi led Li Jinzhong into Dongnuan Pavilion. Although Wang An had previously ordered Li Jinzhong not to enter, after all, Li Xuanshi was now the "quasi-queen" in the palace, so they naturally did not dare to stop him.
Seeing the presence of all the ministers, Li Xuanshi did not dare to mess around.
Instead, he played the emotional card, and saw him throwing himself into Zhu Changluo's arms, crying so hard that he was like a pear blossom in the rain.
After all, she is his favorite concubine. Even though the two of them had an unpleasant quarrel before, he still has great feelings for Li Xuanshi.
Zhu Changluo gently touched Li Xuanshi and said, "I have decreed to make you the imperial concubine. The prince is young, so you must take good care of the prince."
Although Li Xuanshi was very angry at this time, she did not get angry in front of so many ministers this time.
Instead, she shifted her target to the Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao. She pulled Zhu Youxiao over and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of the Crown Prince."
Ye Xianggao and others felt relieved when they saw that Li Xuanshi didn't make a big fuss this time.
At this time, Zhu Youxiao was also tired, and everyone retreated.
Li Xuanshi took the opportunity to bring Zhu Youxiao to his dormitory and handed him over to the care of wet nurse Yinyue.
Li Jinzhong took the opportunity to say: "Last time, the potency of this red pill lasted for about a day. Now that your Majesty has taken it for the second time, it shouldn't last that long."
"The potency of the medicine may not be gone by tomorrow morning. We have to hurry up and control Qianqing Palace."
Li Xuanshi said: "His Majesty has agreed to make me the imperial concubine. Naturally, I am the one who decides on this harem. Who dares not to obey?"
Wang An had already fallen out with Li Jinzhong before, and Li Jinzhong must bring down Wang An first if he wanted to succeed.
He took the opportunity to say: "But the eunuch in charge of the ceremony is Wang An, and the Qianqing Palace is now controlled by his cronies. Wang An always wore the same pants as Ye Xiang, a high-ranking civil servant. Previously, he did not allow slaves to enter His Majesty's Winter Warm Pavilion because he was afraid of slaves. Send a message to the Queen."
Li Xuanshi thought about it. Wang An's control of Qianqing Palace was definitely not as safe as having his confidant Li Jinzhong control it.
She then asked, "Do you have any good ideas to get Wang An away?"
So Li Jinzhong whispered a few words in front of Li Xuanshi.
In the early hours of the morning, the power of the red pill was gone, and soon Zhu Changluo felt short of breath and fainted.
The frightened imperial doctor waiting outside the pavilion rushed to rescue him, and soon the news came out that His Majesty was critically ill.
Li Xuanshi suddenly said to Wang An: "Something happened to Hong Wan. You should go to Li Kezhuo and bring it to me. Maybe he can find other ways to treat His Majesty!"
Although Wang An felt puzzled that he was actually asked to do this kind of errand work, but the matter was urgent and Li Xuan was pressing hard, so he had no choice but to go to the cabinet to pick up people.
As soon as Wang An left, Li Jinzhong and the Wei Dynasty quickly transferred Wang An's cronies from the Qianqing Palace and replaced them with their own people.
When Wang An took Li Kezhuo back to Qianqing Palace, he found that there were cries in Qianqing Palace and Emperor Taichang had passed away.
He soon discovered that many of the servants in the palace had been replaced, but fortunately his confidant Wei Chao was still there.
Feeling that something was wrong, he quickly went to the cabinet to find Ye Xianggao and others.
At this time, the chief minister Ye Xianggao was not on duty in the cabinet. When they heard that His Majesty had passed away, Yang Lian, Liu Yishui and other court officials soon went straight to the Qianqing Palace and asked Emperor Taichang to see the crown prince Zhu Youxiao to discuss his accession to the throne. However, he was blocked by Li Xuanshi.
Wang An soon discovered Li Xuanshi's purpose of kidnapping Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao. At this time, Li Jinzhong was monitoring the ministers in front of Emperor Taichang's spirit.
He took the opportunity to say to Li Xuanshi: "The ministers just want to see the crown prince for peace of mind. After they meet the prince, you can ask them if they have any requests!"
Li Xuanshi was originally a little guilty, but at this moment Li Jinzhong was not with him to make suggestions.
She actually agreed in a daze to let Yang Lian and others meet the prince.
Who would have known that when Yang Lian, Liu Yisui and others saw Zhu Youxiao, they kowtowed to the mountain and shouted long live, and protected Zhu Youxiao from leaving the Qianqing Palace and going to the Wenhua Palace to accept the worship of the officials.
It was decided to hold the enthronement ceremony on the sixth day of June.
For Zhu Youxiao's safety, the ministers temporarily arranged for him to live in the Tai Palace, and the eunuch Wang An was responsible for protecting him.
Li Xuanshi's purpose of holding Zhu Youxiao hostage failed, and he also proposed that all ministers' memorials should be handed over to her for review first, and then to Zhu Youxiao. The courtiers strongly opposed it.
The courtiers asked Li Xuanshi to move out of Qianqing Palace and move to Erluan Palace, but Li Xuanshi refused.
Later, Li Xuanshi asked for the title of Empress Dowager first, and then ordered Zhu Youxiao to ascend the throne. This was also rejected by the ministers, and the conflict gradually intensified.
The date of Zhu Youxiao's enthronement ceremony in Qianqing Palace is approaching. As of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Xuanshi had no intention of moving to the palace, and it was rumored that he would continue to postpone his move out of the Qianqing Palace.
The cabinet ministers stood outside the gate of Qianqing Palace, urging Li Xuanshi to move out.
At this time, Li Jinzhong saw that Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao was no longer in his hands, and knew that they had lost their biggest bargaining chip, so he chose to defect.
Li Xuanshi was helpless, so he hurriedly left Qianqing Palace and moved to Yiluan Palace in Renshou Palace with his eighth princess in his arms.
On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne of Fengtianmen, becoming the emperor.
It was announced that the reign name would be changed to Tianqi from January next year, and he would be known as Emperor Tianqi in history.
At this point, Li Xuan's attempt to become the empress dowager and control the government finally came to nothing, and the farce of moving the palace ended hastily.
Therefore, 1620 AD is a special year in the history of the Ming Dynasty, because it is the 48th year of Wanli and the first year of Taichang.
As Emperor Tianqi came to power, Li Jinzhong's fate also quietly changed.
The Emperor of Tianqi, Zhu Youxiao, made Ke Yinyue the Holy Lady, and his son Hou Guoxing and his younger brother Ke Guangxian were appointed as Jinyiwei Qianhu.
With the help of Mrs. Feng Sheng, Li Jinzhong successfully made an exception and entered the Si Li Supervisor, became the eunuch of the Si Li Supervisor, and officially became the "factory supervisor" of the East Factory. Li Jinzhong, who felt that his ancestors were glorious, also changed his surname to Wei, and Emperor Tianqi officially gave him the name "Zhongxian".
At this point, the famous Wei Zhongxian finally stepped on his own stage. Of course, at this time, he is still some distance away from the "nine thousand years old" who is leaning towards the opposition.
At this time, there was another guest in Dongchang's prison, Li Kezhuo, who presented the elixir red pill to Zhu Changluo.
However, this Honglu Temple Prime Minister was not treated as well as Li Xianzhong and Cui Wensheng. He was tortured in various ways as soon as he entered the East Factory.
But he has always insisted that he is innocent and there is nothing wrong with the red pill he presented.
It's just that His Majesty didn't take the second pill three days apart as he requested. In the end, his body couldn't bear the power of the medicine and he died. It had nothing to do with him.
Li Kezhuo did himself a big favor by sending Zhu Changluo away.
So Li Xianzhong spent money to bribe the jailer.
Li Kezhuo was locked in a cell with him.
Li Xianzhong said: "You can't deceive me with your red pill tricks. They are just some death-promoting drugs that stimulate people's energy. Of course you are very smart. You know that after taking the first pill, His Majesty can't stand it anymore." God. I'm just curious. Emperor Taichang has no enmity with you, so why do you take such a big risk to give him a ride?"
"Is it possible that you have a grudge against the royal family?"
Li Kezhuo smiled and said: "People say that Uncle Ning Yuan is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs. It is indeed extraordinary to see him today. Things that the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty cannot see through, you are actually able to tell the truth with one word while you are in prison."
"If I were Your Majesty, I wouldn't let you out of this prison!"
Li Xianzhong smiled and said: "So, I still want to thank Li Sicheng for saving my life?"
Li Kezhuo said: "Now that my great revenge has been avenged, I have nothing to worry about. There is no harm in telling Uncle Ning Yuan!"
It turns out that the cause of the incident was the "Demon Book Case" in the 31st year of Wanli.
In the early morning of November 11th, the 31st year of Wanli reign (1603), Zhu Geng, a cabinet scholar, found a post titled "Continuing Worry and Risk Hong Yi" at his doorstep, accusing Concubine Zheng of intending to depose the crown prince and install her own crown prince. The son is the prince.
Not only did Zhu Geng receive this leaflet-like thing, but it had been widely distributed in the capital the night before, reaching up to the palace gates and down to the streets.
"Continued Concern and Wei Hongyi" pretends to be "Zheng Fucheng" as a question and answer. The so-called "Zheng Fucheng" means that the son of Concubine Zheng, Prince Fu Zhu Changxun, should be regarded as his.
The book says: The emperor had no choice but to appoint the eldest son as the crown prince. It will be changed in the future. Zhu Geng was chosen as the cabinet minister because "Geng" and "geng" have the same pronunciation, which means more changes.
This book only has about three hundred words, but its content is like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the capital.
People at that time called this book a "demon book" because of its "extremely weird words".
In "Continued Worry and Risk Hongyi", Zhu Geng, the cabinet scholar, and Shen Yiguan, the chief minister, were named and attacked, saying that they were accomplices of Concubine Zheng. The two men were shocked. In addition to immediately going to Shu to defend themselves, in order to avoid suspicion, they had to stay home with the crime.
Shen has always been cunning and scheming. In order to turn his passivity into initiative, he ordered Qian Menggao to report the incident, and framed Guo Zhengyu, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Shen Li, another cabinet scholar, as related to the "demon book case".
The reason why Shen Li was framed was not only because Shen Li and Shen Guanyi had always been at odds, but also because there were only three people in the cabinet at that time: the first assistant Shen Yiguan, the second assistant Zhu Geng, and Shen Li.
Both Shen Yiguan and Zhu Geng were named in the "demon book", but Shen Li was the only one who was not named on the list and presided over the cabinet work alone. Naturally, people will be suspicious of him
Li Kezhuo said with a smile: "Uncle Ning Yuan is extremely intelligent, but do you know who is the real mastermind behind this 'demon book case'?"
Li Xianzhong said: "The dispute over the country was over at that time, and His Majesty made the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo the crown prince."
"This demonic book seems to be slandering Concubine Zheng, but it is actually instigating the relationship between the three cabinet ministers, making them attack each other, and putting the issue of King Lifu on the table again. Whether it is a conflict in the cabinet, or The resumption of the 'national dispute' may only be most beneficial to the then Emperor Wanli. Could it be that His Majesty is the mastermind behind this?"
Li Kezhuo said: "Uncle Ning Yuan is indeed very human, he guessed the mastermind right away!"
Li Xianzhong would not have guessed it originally, but Li Kezhuo had previously admitted that he had a grudge against the royal family. He felt that Zhu Changluo was unlikely to offend anyone, and it was most likely Emperor Wanli.
Li Xianzhong said: "Even if His Majesty Wanli is the initiator of the 'Demon Book Case', how did Emperor Taichang offend you?"
Li Kezhuo said: "Emperor Taichang really did not offend me. These two red pills were actually prepared for Emperor Wanli. Unfortunately, he died too suddenly, so only the father's debt must be paid by the son!"
Li Xianzhong was also confused by this reason. Even if you want your father's debt to be repaid by your son, you should probably go to Zhu Changxun, the King of Fortune.
Li Kezhuo chose Zhu Changluo, who was least favored by Wanli. Do you think he was unjust?
Li Kezhuo said: "In order to divert attention and silence him, Emperor Wanli actually sent people to release the news that the "Demon Book" was written by Zhao Shizhen, the scholar in the Wuying Palace."
"In the end, Zhao Shizhen became ill and died of depression. I will seek justice for Zhao Shizhen no matter what!"
Then Li Kezhuo added: "The reason why Zhao Shizhen was silenced actually had something to do with Ning Yuanbo, because he revealed some inside stories about the murder of Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, in the "Artifact Book". This was the reason why he was silenced. reason."
This time it was Li Xianzhong's turn to be dumbfounded. Li Kezhuo was waiting for him here after a long time?
Indeed, Zhao Shizhen said in "The Book of Artifacts" that Li Rusong was killed because of the betrayal of deputy general Li Pinghu.
However, with the death of Emperor Wanli, I am afraid that this secret will never have a real answer.
Soon after, Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao personally welcomed Li Xianzhong out of the imperial edict and ordered him to fulfill Emperor Wanli's last wish and send troops to conquer Jianzhou within a month!
Li Xianzhong accepted this imperial edict calmly because it was a promise he made to His Majesty.
He finally walked out of Dongchang's prison alive!
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(End of chapter)
