Looking at the astonished Zhu Youjian, Duduo quickly explained: "The Queen has also studied a lot of medical books in order to prevent herself from being harmed by Wei Eunuch over the years. Although your Majesty's life is not in danger for the time being, her condition is not optimistic. There can be no more heirs."
"Your Majesty himself is well aware of this, so he mentioned the matter of succession to the throne!"
His imperial brother is only 22 years old. Although all the princes have died in infancy, he is still young after all. To be honest, Zhu Youjian never thought that he would have the chance to inherit the throne.
He said: "Brother Huang is still young. Although he is currently ill, he can always recover. I don't dare to covet the throne!"
Duduo said: "Actually, His Majesty's health began to have problems a few years ago. In the past few years, except for the birth of a prince by Imperial Concubine Ren, there is no record of any concubine being pregnant!"
"Being frightened by the big explosion and experiencing the pain of losing a child has already aggravated the condition; falling into the water this time has made it even worse!"
"In order to provide His Majesty with a child so that he can hold the young master hostage in the future, Wei Zhongxian did not hesitate to give His Majesty an aphrodisiac, causing His Majesty's health to deteriorate!"
"The Queen asked my servant to tell His Highness King Xin that you are inheriting the throne not for yourself, but for the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty!"
"Currently, Wei Zhongxian is trying every possible means to persuade His Majesty to let His Majesty go out to join the feudal clan. For the safety of His Highness, you must show that you really hope to join the feudal clan in front of Wei Yi, so that he can relax his vigilance. Once there is a chance to see His Majesty, Your Highness will definitely We must find a way to stay in the capital. When the time comes, both the upright ministers in the court and the Queen will find ways to help His Highness."
Zhu Youjian did not express his position. Naturally, his city would not show excitement.
He just replied calmly: "Wei Yi acted recklessly, brought trouble to the court, and betrayed the trust of the emperor. I will not spare him!"
The sixth year of the Apocalypse was definitely an eventful period for the "nine thousand year old" Eunuch Wei.
In addition to Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao's health getting worse and worse, he also encountered internal and external troubles.
The overwhelming public opinion accuses the eunuch party of being in power and disorderly government, and the power of these public opinions is gradually becoming apparent.
In the cabinet, his adopted son and chief minister, Gu Bingqian, and adopted nephew Wei Guangwei successively submitted their resignations. In addition, Feng Quan, whom he had relied on before, had been dismissed. He suddenly felt that there were not enough scholars under him.
The Donglin Party, which is constantly being attacked by him, is like a wild grass growing wildly.
Wild fire, in spring!
Sun Chengzong relied on his status as the emperor's disciple to be highly regarded by His Majesty. Now that the first assistant resigned, his second assistant has actually become the first assistant.
Moreover, he has Zhu Youxiao's token in his hand, which allows him to pass through the palace without hindrance, so he really can't do anything to him.
If you want to be tough, Sun Chengzong, the Minister of War, can also dispatch the Yulin camp.
Enemies are really on a narrow road, and by chance they bump into each other outside Qianqing Palace.
Although the relationship between the two is on the same level, they still have to say hello when they see each other.
Wei Zhongxian said with a smile: "Mr. Sun Ge, you are leaving in such a hurry, but you have important information to report to His Majesty?"
Sun Chengzong also said: "I do have important things to report to Your Majesty, so I won't greet Eunuch Wei for now!"
Wei Zhongxian said: "Presumably Dr. Wang has informed Elder Sun Ge of His Majesty's condition. Is Elder Sun Ge sure that His Majesty's condition will not worsen after listening to your report based on His current condition?"
Sun Chengzong had actually received this news a few months ago, but at that time His Majesty had just fallen into the water and the situation was unstable; in addition, the news was of great importance, and he needed to verify it again to avoid making a joke.
Now that His Majesty has become more stable, he naturally cannot afford to lose his security anymore.
He looked at Wei Zhongxian with some disdain and said: "As a minister, it is natural to tell His Majesty everything he knows. How can you report good things but not bad things?"
Wei Zhongxian was not angry and continued: "Mr. Sun Ge doesn't need to carry a gun or a stick. Our family does report good news and bad news sometimes for the sake of His Majesty's health. Isn't that the case for Mr. Sun Ge?"
"On the eighth day of April this year, the Yanzhou Shipyard was burned down by the remnants of the White Lotus Sect using kerosene. As a result, the shipyard was burned down and all the giant ships under construction were scrapped. Why didn't I see Mr. Sun Ge to report this to Your Majesty?"
"The Yulin Battalion suffered heavy casualties during the encirclement and suppression of the White Lotus Sect. I'm afraid Mr. Sun Ge's report is also incomplete, right?"
After all, Sun Chengzong was a scholar. After Wei Zhongxian exposed his background at once, he was still a bit embarrassed.
He raised his voice and said: "There are always some omissions in the report below. I will investigate it in detail and give an explanation to Your Majesty. But these are just some details. Eunuch Wei is sitting in the East Factory, but he does not know the situation in Liaodong. Reportedly, so much so that the Liaodong tail can’t be lost now, causing today’s troubles!”
This group of Donglin Party members have always implemented double standards, demanding the conduct of saints from others and turning a blind eye to their own faults. Wei Zhongxian has long been used to it!
He said: "Our family is just sitting in the capital, but we have not personally gone deep into Liaodong like Mr. Sun Ge did. As you said, people below often make omissions."
"But if it weren't for Mr. Sun Ge who was eager for success and encouraged His Majesty to create a 'Liaoxi Town', how could it have led to today's situation?"
Wei Zhongxian actually wronged Sun Chengzong. It was not him who was eager for success, but Emperor Tianqi himself.
At first, he just proposed to transfer Shanhaiguan to Jizhou, but Zhu Youxiao directly created a "Liaoxi Town" and forced Li Xianzhong into panic.
But this incident did start with him.
Moreover, Sun Chengzong brought the news back to Li Xianzhong's proposal of "nurturing Liao with Liao".
Seeing that Sun Chengzong didn't speak, Wei Zhongxian continued: "We just kindly remind Mr. Sun Ge that even if you don't consider that your Majesty is currently in poor condition, please don't make things worse like last time!"
Wei Zhongxian had long known about the smuggling tax set that Li Xianzhong had set up in Liaodong earlier.
Although it was against the rules, it was just to make more money. Wei Zhongxian felt that it was not a big deal.
There are many people in the world who are trying different ways to make money, and he is not the only one.
Li Xianzhong neither lived alone nor harmed the people of the Ming Dynasty. He also effectively eliminated the Jianlu and stabilized Liaodong.
These alone are much better than the sanctimonious Donglin Party members.
What he pursues is nothing more than "Eternal Town Liaodong".
There is a precedent of Duke Mu's family guarding Yunnan. This is actually not necessarily a bad thing for the Ming Dynasty.
It was better for the civil servants headed by the Donglin Party members. Every once in a while, no matter what, they would insist on implying that people wanted to rebel.
You want to mess with others, but you don't have the strength, so you have to force them into panic.
He knew that Sun Chengzong had verified the matter in Monan Mongolia, but what would happen if you told His Majesty about this?
It only aggravates His Majesty's condition and has no effect at all.
Before, you expected that Li Xianzhong could not support so many soldiers, but last month Li Xianzhong recruited 30,000 troops in Liaodong. Not only could he support them, but he also raised more and more.
Nowadays, Liaodong is actually a vassal town. At least Li Xianzhong still obeys the Ming Dynasty on the surface and returns 600,000 taels of copper to the court every year.
It's a pity that he couldn't say this directly to Sun Chengzong, otherwise he would be labeled as "treason" again.
Obviously Wei Zhongxian's words still touched Sun Chengzong.
But in the end, Sun Gelao was not allowed to rein in his horse.
From the moment Sun Chengzong entered the Qianqing Palace, Wei Zhongxian sent people directly to Tai Hospital to inform "Wang Shenyi" to prepare in advance.
Although Zhu Youxiao stayed on the bed for many days after falling into the water, he has recovered somewhat after some conditioning.
He was very happy to see Sun Chengzong arriving.
He said: "I have approved Gu Bingqian's resignation as the Chief Assistant, and then Mr. Sun Ge will take over as the Chief Assistant of the Cabinet."
Sun Chengzong was originally hesitant to report the incident in Monan, but His Majesty's trust made him feel ashamed.
Soon he knelt on the ground and said: "The warship built in Yanzhou was burned by bandits a few months ago. Now the White Lotus Sect in Yanzhou has still not been completely wiped out. I owe you the emperor's favor!"
Zhu Youxiao said: "What do I think? Now the White Lotus Sect in the Central Plains has been wiped out. Although Wang Xifan in Yanzhou is still resisting, his main force has been basically wiped out. Now he is just trapped on an isolated island and can no longer do anything. It’s stormy.”
"I am planning to promote Zuo Liangyu to be the commander-in-chief and Cao Wenzhao to be the deputy commander-in-chief. Now that the Yulin camp has also received experience, I feel relieved that they will lead the Yulin camp."
Sun Chengzong said: "Veteran, I will order Zuo Liangyu to lead the Yulin Battalion back to Beijing. Shandong General Liu Zhaoji will lead the remaining 10,000 officers and soldiers to continue to encircle and suppress Wang Xifan's remnants."
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said with regret: "Originally, the imperial court got rid of the burden of Liaodong and saved 2 million taels of silver through commercial tax and Liao salary transactions with the Dutch."
"I want to recruit another 30,000 Yulin camp and expand its size to 60,000 people."
"Unfortunately, a big explosion occurred in Wang Gong's factory, which not only destroyed all the flintlock and firearms workshops. It also used all the money that the imperial court had finally accumulated to provide disaster relief and rebuild the main hall. This matter can only be done It’s been put off until next year!”
Seeing that Zhu Youxiao was still concerned about state affairs, Sun Chengzong's eyes were already a little moist.
He said: "Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon's body. These things will take a long time. It doesn't matter. After the autumn harvest, this year's 'Liao Pay' will be collected, and then the new army can be recruited."
"The days ahead are long," Zhu Youxiao muttered these four words silently.
There was a trace of sadness in his eyes at this moment, but this expression passed quickly.
He quickly cheered up and asked: "I heard that during this big explosion, the Duke of Liao personally came forward to give medicine and treat the victims. The Duke of Liao was really 'careful'."
"Is there any news recently from Liaodong?"
Originally, Sun Chengzong was still thinking about how to report this matter to His Majesty.
Since His Majesty asked, he just told the whole story.
He said: "According to the report of Cui Jingrong, the governor of Xuanda, there was a big battle on the Mongolian grassland at the beginning of this year. In the end, Lin Dan Khan of the Chahar tribe was defeated in Qinghai, and Tel Khan Zasai of Inner Khalkha died in the battle. His tribe was annexed?"
Zhu Youxiao said: "Haven't Chahar and Inner Khalkha been fighting for control of Monan Mongolia? Now one of them has been defeated and the other has been annexed. Who did it?"
Sun Chengzong said: "According to repeated verifications, Li Xianzhong, the Duke of Liao, personally united with Horqin Mongolia and the cavalry of the "Three Jurchen Guards" to participate in this expedition. Now the Chahar tribe is ostensibly controlled by Lin Dan Khan's eight concubines. In fact, All the tribes in Monnan Mongolia surrendered to the Duke of Liao and respected him as the 'Khan of Destiny'!"
At this time, Zhu Youxiao clenched his fists and the veins on his forehead popped out. He said angrily: "It seems that Li Xianzhong wants to imitate Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and become the Khan of Heaven?"
"These nomads on the grasslands are just talking what they mean. Is Li Xianzhong the khan just in name only?"
In fact, both in the grassland and in Liaodong, there is a widespread rumor that Li Xianzhong obtained the jade seal of the BC Yuan Dynasty, the "treasure of controlling greatness". This is the reason why they respectfully call him the "Khan of Destiny".
However, the Duke of Liao and the governor's office of Liaodong have publicly spread rumors that this is false.
Sun Chengzong thought over and over again and decided not to report the matter. After all, there was no evidence. If he told it himself, it would only put His Majesty in a dilemma.
It would be impossible for him not to express his position, but the imperial court announced to Liaodong that it would cause a great catastrophe, and the imperial army would not be able to defeat the Liaodong Army.
His purpose was to make His Majesty notice Li Xianzhong's actions and become vigilant, rather than directly provoking a war between the imperial court and Liaodong.
Sun Chengzong said: "The Duke of Liao stationed troops in Chahanhot City, Guihua City, and Jiuyuan City respectively, and ordered the construction of Shuofang City in the Hetao Plain. It seems that he wanted to garrison Monan and actually control the Yinshan Mountains Loop area.”
Zhu Youxiao said: "What can Li Xianzhong do that I, Emperor Hongwu and Yongle, have not been able to do?"
"Based on his small land in Liaodong, with only three million people and less than 50,000 hectares of farmland, in addition to feeding the 100,000 troops in Liaodong, does he still have the power to control Monan?"
In fact, not only Zhu Youxiao, but also Sun Chengzong couldn't understand it.
According to their previous estimates, Liaodong simply could not support such a large army and population.
But now Li Xianzhong not only did not impose excessive levies, he was also able to attack Monan and turned over a large amount of copper mines to the court every year.
Sun Chengzong said: "It is said that Lin Dan Khan's Chahanhot City contained many jewels, and the Duke of Liao must have captured a lot. However, Hetao is thousands of miles away from Liaodong, so long-term support will definitely be unsustainable."
"Li Xianzhong's move is consuming Liaodong's limited financial resources and military strength. He has won face but lost honour. It is really not advisable!"
Hearing what Sun Chengzong said, Zhu Youxiao's expression softened a little, and he said: "Having said that, there are various signs that Li Xianzhong has disobedient intentions, and the court still has to guard against it!"
"Since Li Xianzhong can garrison Monan, why can't I organize and train a new army?"
"Inform me of my will, and allocate 2 million taels of silver from internal funds to immediately expand the Yulin camp to 30,000 people and equip it with the best equipment. Order all the towns in Jiubian to pay attention to the movements on the grassland at all times."
After saying all this, Zhu Youxiao could no longer hold on and fainted.
Fortunately, Wang Huazhen was already waiting outside the palace.
To be honest, Divine Doctor Wang was just unlucky. He had warned him many times that His Majesty's dragon body could no longer be stimulated, but Mr. Sun Ge refused to listen!
He showed his loyalty and pushed His Majesty towards the gate of hell!
Of course, His Majesty's stimulation was not the main reason this time.
The main reason is that Eunuch Wei gave His Majesty an aphrodisiac a few months ago.
"Nine Thousand Years Old" knew that His Majesty could no longer get his concubine pregnant, so he decided to take the risk and let Concubine Ren have a false pregnancy.
He has already asked Keshi to look for a dozen pregnant women. When the time comes, he will find a few more pregnant women to prepare in the palace. Whoever gives birth to a baby boy will pretend to be a prince.
But it is not that easy to have a false pregnancy. There are records of when His Majesty favors you. At the very least, you must have a record of being favored by His Majesty.
Emperor Tianqi has not favored a concubine for a long time.
In the end, Wei Zhongxian could only ask someone to give His Majesty an aphrodisiac, and then arranged for Concubine Ren to go to bed.
How can His Majesty with his physical condition be able to withstand such torture?
Are you just a miracle doctor, not a god?
After these two people's struggles, it was originally said that he would have a life span of two years, but now it is hard to say whether he will have two months.
Soon Wang Huazhen said to Wei Zhongxian privately: "Qizhen is nine thousand years old, but your Majesty's condition is very bad now. I'm afraid he only has two or three months left to live?"
After hearing what Divine Doctor Wang said, Wei Zhongxian was also stunned on the spot.
Although he knew that taking aphrodisiacs for His Majesty was very risky, he never expected that it would be so exaggerated.
Last month, it was revealed that Imperial Concubine Ren was pregnant with a "dragon heir". If His Majesty passes away in two months, the prince will not be able to get rid of her no matter how hard he comes.
He said: "Is there any way to extend His Majesty's life? Let's go find the best thousand-year-old ginseng?"
Wang Huazhen shook his head and said: "Your Majesty's body can no longer be replenished, and further medication will not help."
"The most important thing is not to be stimulated anymore, otherwise there is a risk of collapse at any time!"
So he used the excuse that His Majesty was aggravated by Sun Chengzong's stimulation, and prohibited Sun Chengzong from entering the palace privately again unless summoned by His Majesty.
And directly drove Sun Chief Assistant out of the palace.
In addition to Sun Chengzong, Xin Wang Zhu Youxiao is also a big trouble.
So Wei Zhongxian found his ally, Wang Tiqian, the chief official of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
He said: "Is King Xin still honest?"
Wang Tiqian said: "Don't worry, Wang Cheng'en is keeping an eye on King Xin. Since moving to King Xin's Mansion, no ministers have gone to visit King Xin. Only Queen Zhang Yan sent someone to send King Xin's old things in the palace."
"King Xin only reads books in the palace every day, and occasionally goes to the market accompanied by the princess."
Wei Zhongxian said: "Last time I heard Wang Chengen say that the king is not used to living in the palace and wants to be appointed as a foreign vassal. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Wang Tiqian said: "It is indeed true. King Xin has said this more than once."
I had mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, about asking King Xin to become a vassal, but His Majesty always didn't answer.
It seems that now it is only possible for King Xin to submit a letter requesting the vassal status.
Wang Chengen has been in the palace since he was a child, and when Zhu Youjian was five years old, he was assigned by Dongchang to monitor him.
When he was in Xu Qin Palace, Zhu Youjian's most trusted eunuch was Cao Huachun, and Wang Chengen was just a follower of Cao Huachun.
However, Cao Huachun was later implicated by Wang An and was driven to Nanjing.
Wang Chengen was gradually appreciated and promoted by King Xin Zhu Youxiao, and became the eunuch in charge of King Xin's Mansion.
Wang Chengen watched Zhu Youjian grow up since he was a child, and also developed feelings for Prince Xin. From the bottom of his heart, he hoped that Prince Xin Zhu Youjian would inherit the throne.
Although his seniority in the palace is quite high, he can be regarded as one of the confidants of Wang Tiqian, the chief seal officer of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
But even if he helped Wei Zhongxian and others drive King Xin out of the capital and join the feudal clan, he would only receive some rewards, and he would have to follow King Xin to join the feudal clan and continue to monitor him.
But if he helps Zhu Youjian ascend to the throne, his situation will be completely different.
Therefore, whether in public or private matters, he will always stand by Zhu Youjian's side.
The information he sent also tried his best to speak for Zhu Youjian.
However, he knew very well the way Dongchang acted, and he was definitely not the only spy in Prince Xin's mansion.
So he sent Dorgon to pay attention to the eunuchs in the mansion very early.
Although Dorgon was appreciated by King Xin, he offended Eunuch Wei's confidants when he appeared on the scene, and his style of conduct could not have been cultivated by Dongchang.
So Wang Chengen handed over the matter to Dorgon.
After various investigations, they discovered that Wang Wenqing, the food supervisor of the mansion, had a major suspicion.
Soon the two men secretly escorted Wang Wenqing in front of Zhu Youjian.
Faced with the accusations from the two men, Wang Wenqing denied them in every possible way.
In the end, Wang Chengen took off Wang Wenqing's shirt, pointed to the tattoo on his right arm and said, "Not bad, he climbed up very fast. He has already become a junior within a few years of joining the government."
In the end, Wang Wenqing had to confess that he was sent by Dongchang to monitor King Xin.
Zhu Youjian was greatly surprised, and finally spared his life and asked Dorgon to take him to the woodshed for custody.
At this time Wang Chengen said: "This slave is also sent by Dongchang to monitor the prince."
In fact, Zhu Youjian was not surprised. If Wang Chengen was not his accomplice, there would be no way he would have known about the tattoo.
He said: "If you have any instructions from 'Nine Thousand Years Old', please tell me frankly, sir?"
Wang Chengen said: "Now that His Majesty is seriously ill, Wei Eunuch wants the prince to grant him the vassal status, but His Majesty refuses. Wei Eunuch wants the prince to write a letter asking for the vassalship himself."
Zhu Youjian said coldly: "What if I don't obey? Will the princes and princes kill me?"
Wang Chengen said: "This slave has long been attracted to the prince. Otherwise, if you have had so many affairs with the Queen, Wei Eunuch might not have discovered it?"
"My servant guesses that His Majesty must have been controlled by Wei Eunuch. So it is not easy for you or the Queen to see His Majesty. This petition is an opportunity."
"Based on your Majesty's feelings for the prince, regardless of whether he agrees to join the vassal or not, he should summon the prince. Only when he meets your majesty will the prince have a chance!"
The emperor's sister-in-law had also sent a message before, demanding that she must obey Wei Zhongxian and find a way to see the emperor's brother.
In the end, Zhu Youjian followed Wang Chengen's suggestion and wrote a letter to his imperial brother requesting for vassalage.
To show his sincerity, Zhu Youjian wrote three times in a row.
Finally, after some time, Wei Zhongxian's confidant eunuch Li Yongzhen came to convey the decree, and his Majesty confirmed that the king had entered the palace.
Although Wang Chengen served Zhu Youjian all the way, Li Yongzhen was by his side at this time, and Wang Chengen could not give any hint to King Xin at all.
With Wei Wei's cunning, it is absolutely impossible for King Xin to see His Majesty like this. I'm afraid there are still temptations.
If Zhu Youjian fails to pass the test, his life may be hanging by a thread, but at this moment he can no longer help, and everything can only be left to fate!
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(End of chapter)
