The Imperial Ancestral Temple is the most formal place of worship in the entire country, symbolizing the uprightness of the dynasty. It not only worships the past emperors, but also worships the ancient sages.
Even some ministers who have contributed to the country can receive the honor of being worthy of the Ancestral Temple after their death.
In comparison, the Fengxian Hall, which has similar functions to the Taimiao Temple, is more likely to be a royal family temple that only worships the ancestors of the past dynasties.
At this moment, outside the Fengxian Hall, Huaien was standing beside him, looking quite anxious.
It's already the third day.
In fact, since the news came from Datong and explained the situation when entering the city, Cheng Jing had a vague feeling that the emperor was in a heavy mood.
Later, the emperor secretly summoned Shu Liang into the palace and ordered him to rush to Xuanfu overnight.
Immediately, the elders of the outer dynasty received the edict. The emperor mourned the civil servants, officials and soldiers, and stayed away from the court for three days. From the time of the next dynasty, the emperor fasted, bathed, and entered the Fengtian Hall.
Burn incense as a sacrifice every day, eat vegetarian food and drink water, keep your mind pure and have as few desires as possible, and say nothing.
After three days like this, everyone has become much more haggard, so how can Wynn not be worried.
The sun sets in the west and the clouds rise darkly.
The eunuch Cheng Jing, the eunuch who was responsible for the ceremony, came hurriedly, stopped in front of the Fengxian Hall, and said: "Eunuch Huai, there is news from the Xuanfu, and it must be reported to your majesty immediately."
Wynn hesitated for a moment, then turned around and quietly walked in from the side hall and said.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Cheng is here and says there is news from the Xuan Mansion."
In the Fengxian Hall, sandalwood scented the air, and Zhu Qiyu, wearing a twelve-chapter black dragon robe, sat quietly on a futon.
After hearing this, he slowly opened his eyes.
The sandalwood burned out at this moment, and a ray of setting sun filtered through the window, coating the people in the hall with a light orange-red color.
"Let Cheng Jing come in."
Sitting on the futon without moving, Zhu Qiyu's voice seemed a little dry because he hadn't spoken for several days.
So, Wynn quietly retreated. After a while, he turned around again, and there was Cheng Jing behind him.
It should be said that this was the first time Cheng Jing entered the Fengxian Hall.
Historically, only members of the royal family and the accompanying eunuchs responsible for sweeping could enter the Fengxian Hall. Besides, except for the royal family, no one entering the palace was allowed to look around, lest they be disrespectful to the previous emperors.
Cheng Jing followed Huaien step by step with extreme caution, but a trace of doubt arose in his heart.
Fengxian Hall is a place for ancestor worship. It is fair to say that the emperor wanted to mourn the officers and soldiers who died in Tumu, but he was afraid that the memorial ceremony at the Ancestral Temple would be too loud, so he chose Fengxian Hall.
However, it would be inappropriate to still handle such government affairs in the Fengxian Palace...
Although he had doubts in his heart, he kept walking without stopping. As soon as he saw the emperor's clothes, Cheng Jing bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, Cheng Jing, would like to pay my respects to the emperor."
Without too many greetings and foreshadowing, the emperor's plain voice sounded in Cheng Jing's ears.
"What did Shu Liang say?"
Cheng Jing took out an official document from his sleeve, handed it over, and said.
"Your Majesty, two pieces of news came at the same time. One is from Eunuch Shu, and the other is from Yu Shaobao."
"The contents of the two documents are almost the same. As you expected, after receiving the new ceremonial note from the Ministry of Rites, the Supreme Emperor went to Tumu Fort in person to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers. Moreover, on the spot at Tumu Fort, he also talked with Marquis Yang There were some conflicts, but nothing serious happened, but..."
"But what?"
Zhu Qiyu asked subconsciously, but without Cheng Jing's answer, he had already seen the exact same words on Shu Liang and Yu Qian's documents.
"...I ask the emperor's worthy brother to issue an edict to the world, abolishing my imperial title, and ordering me to return to Fengyang's ancestral mausoleum and never leave for the rest of my life, in order to atone for my sins. From now on, I will be stationed in Xuan Mansion to await the imperial edict. When the emperor's imperial edict arrives, I will set off immediately..."
After slowly closing the document, Zhu Qiyu finally stood up from the futon. However, he did not immediately ask for more detailed information. Instead, he took out one of the documents and placed it in front of Cheng Jing and asked suddenly.
"You just said that this document came from Yu Qian?"
"Returning to your Majesty, it's Yu Shaobao."
After all, Cheng Jing was someone who had been in the Supervisor of Ceremonies for a long time. Although he didn't realize it at first, when Zhu Qiyu asked him, he immediately understood. In the middle of the sentence, his tone changed.
"Your Majesty, could it be said that the Supreme Emperor wants to..."
"My good brother, I am not good at fighting externally, but I am good at fighting internally!"
Zhu Qiyu sneered, re-opened the document in his hand, read it again, Fang said.
"You came from outside, what news have you heard?"
Cheng Jing shook his head and said honestly: "After receiving the news, the ministers immediately rushed to deliver it to the emperor. They didn't pay attention to anything else along the way."
So, Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "It's okay, I'm afraid it's coming soon. Huaien, please go out and wait."
The confused Wynn responded respectfully and then withdrew.
Although he didn't know what was going on, in the palace, his curiosity was too strong, which could sometimes kill people. He asked what he should and didn't ask what he shouldn't.
Wynn has always done this very well.
As a result, the Fengxian Hall fell silent again.
Zhu Qiyu held the document in his hand and read it over and over with interest, while Cheng Jing knelt on the ground without saying a word or raising his head.
After drinking tea, Cheng Jing suddenly heard the emperor sigh softly, and then Yuyin asked.
"Cheng Jing, what do you think about this matter?"
Compared to Yuan Bin, who was just an ordinary Jin Yiwei, Cheng Jing had been in trouble for a long time and was naturally more experienced. He did not hesitate at all, but said directly.
"Back to your Majesty, the ministers thought that the Supreme Emperor was blackmailing the court and threatening His Majesty!"
The emperor's tone was very calm: "How can you see it?"
This time, Cheng Jing was silent for a moment and said.
"Ever since the Supreme Emperor set out from the north, he has been very wary of people sent by the imperial court along the way. Eunuch Shu's document also stated that on that day, he held the emperor's order and wanted to arrest Liu Yongcheng. He blamed those arrogant Mongolians and the Supreme Emperor tried his best to protect them."
"Later, when Eunuch Shu conveyed the emperor's words to the Supreme Emperor and asked him to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers, the Supreme Emperor flatly refused. From these things, it can be seen that the Supreme Emperor has always been hostile and defensive towards His Majesty."
"Later, Eunuch Shu ordered officials from the Ministry of Rites to submit the latest ceremonial notes, in order to force the Supreme Emperor to come to pay homage in person. Otherwise, not only would he lose his dignity, but he would not even be able to save his face."
Just as Du Ning and others expected, everything Shu Liang did in the Xuan Mansion was all under Zhu Qiyu's orders.
Of course, Eunuch Shu made his own use of some details, but they were innocuous and the final goal was accomplished very well.
In fact, if Shu Liang had ordered someone to send the ritual note earlier, Zhu Qizhen would have understood that he had no choice at all.
The core reason why he was unwilling to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers was that once he came to pay homage in person, he would have to give an explanation to these officers and soldiers, and he would have to admit the mistakes he had made.
Once you admit it, the next step is to punish yourself.
This is difficult for Zhu Qizhen to accept, not to mention how difficult it is to admit his mistakes in front of the world. If he really makes a sin, then in the days to come, he will be a sure handle. After all, , you yourself admitted it in front of everyone in the world.
Therefore, when Shu Liang mentioned it, even though he knew it was the emperor's intention, he chose to refuse without thinking.
However, the Ministry of Rites' notes revealed a cruel fact for him.
That is, he will issue this edict of sin, and he will issue it even if he doesn't!
The court now has a new emperor. The so-called throne has been determined, no matter how difficult it is, it will be easier. In order to avoid political disputes that would cause the court to fall into turmoil, the Supreme Emperor must take refuge in Nangong.
Then the question is, if the Supreme Emperor has done nothing wrong, why should he not be allowed to interfere in government affairs? You must know that purely in terms of status, the Supreme Emperor is higher than the emperor.
Therefore, the Supreme Emperor must be at fault!
This point, like welcoming back the Supreme Emperor, is the consensus of both the government and the public.
Because of this, when the emperor wanted to greet the emperor with great fanfare, and to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and to the imperial temple, none of the ministers objected too strongly.
Suppressing the authority of the Supreme Emperor was not only needed by the emperor, but also needed by the stability of the court.
In other words, he will issue this edict of sin sooner or later.
So, instead of doing this, it is better to admit it in Tumubao and gain a reputation as a country that appreciates the sacrifice of its soldiers.
This matter can be described as a real conspiracy.
Even if he did not go to pay homage to the dead officers and soldiers, but entered the capital and arrived at the Fengtian Hall, he would still have to issue the edict of sin.
but……
Seeing Cheng Jing hesitate to speak, Zhu Qiyu sighed and said.
"Do you want to ask why I didn't wait for the Supreme Emperor to return to the capital before I gave him the ritual note?"
As mentioned before, the ceremony to welcome the return was extremely complicated, with countless details, and only a small part of the documents required for each place were included.
If Zhu Qiyu wanted to, he could find some minor flaws and send it back to the Ministry of Etiquette to make changes. If he kept dragging it like this, as long as it was not confirmed, it would not be sent to Zhu Qizhen.
When he actually arrives in the capital, knowing this, it will be impossible to do what he wants to do.
But now, using the excuse of Tumu Fort to pay tribute to the dead officers and soldiers, Zhu Qizhen pretended to be guilty and remorseful, and in turn defeated the entire army.
He said these words on the altar in front of all the civil and military ministers, officers and soldiers. Firstly, he wanted to gain a good reputation as a person who had acknowledged his mistakes and repented. Secondly, as Cheng Jing said, he was trying to blackmail the court and threaten the emperor. .
Since ancient times, sages have said that mistakes can be corrected if they are known, and there is no greater good.
Zhu Qizhen showed such an attitude, and then lowered his status. With the most decisive attitude, he wanted to go back to Fengyang Ancestral Tomb and imprison himself, just to make things happen.
In fact, if he said that after returning to the capital, he restrained himself in Nangong and repented.
Then, the court might just agree.
However, he said that he wanted to dethrone the emperor and imprison himself in the ancestral mausoleum, which was obviously too much.
The so-called "too much is not enough", after all, he is the Supreme Emperor, with a noble status, and he has put his attitude of admitting his mistakes so low, and still being aggressive towards him seems too unkind.
Moreover, from a procedural point of view, deposing an emperor can easily involve usurping the throne and treason. For courtiers, they would not touch it if they could.
Therefore, it is impossible for the courtiers to agree to this matter.
Zhu Qizhen said this deliberately in front of everyone, just to let the news spread as soon as possible.
Xuanfu is not far from the capital. It can be reached in less than a day with a fast horse. With so many people listening, it is impossible to block the news.
I'm afraid that at this moment, when Zhu Qiyu received the news, the ministers in the court should also receive the news.
If nothing else, Wynn should have seen the ministers coming from outside the palace at this moment...
There was no one else here, so Cheng Jing hesitated for a moment and then nodded boldly.
Logically speaking, he should not question the emperor's decision.
However, doubts are doubts. For Cheng Jing, whether he doubts or agrees, he will execute it without hesitation, but his doubts will not disappear because of this.
The eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department is not a person who can only execute orders and cannot think at all.
In fact, in Cheng Jing's view, the most important thing is to implement the edict of sinners.
As for the conflict between the Supreme Emperor and the ministers who were waiting for him outside Datong City, whether he wanted to use Mongolian guards was a minor matter.
In fact, the more this kind of thing happens, the more the officials will turn away from the Supreme Emperor, which is actually a good thing for the emperor.
There is absolutely no need to reveal the final ritual notes and edicts now, even if it forces the Supreme Emperor to go to the Tumu Fort to pay tribute.
But at the same time, it also made the emperor passive, and even, objectively speaking, saved some reputation for the emperor.
Regarding Cheng Jing's question, Zhu Qiyu said nothing, pointed to his heart and said.
"My heart is uneasy! The people's heart is uneasy!"
During the Tumubao Incident, the most innocent people were the two hundred thousand soldiers who sacrificed their lives in vain.
Of course Zhu Qiyu can calmly weigh the gains and losses of interests, but there are some things that cannot just be based on interests.
Although it is often said that Taoist emperors are ruthless, as Taoists say, the heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as rudderless dogs. The saints are unkind and regard the common people as rudderless dogs.
The emperor's ruthlessness does not mean being indifferent and selfish and only thinking about himself. He should have great love, benefit all people, govern with virtue, educate all things with original benevolence, and uphold all people with original righteousness.
If the two hundred thousand officers and soldiers who died in battle cannot touch the heartstrings of Zhu Qiyu, the emperor, then what is the difference between him and Zhu Qizhen?
Therefore, those two hundred thousand soldiers need this sacrifice!
This is not only what Zhu Qizhen owes them, but also what the Ming Dynasty owes them. When Zhu Qiyu took over the throne and became the king of the Ming Dynasty, he also inherited this cause and effect.
In order to settle this cause and effect, not only did he force Zhu Qizhen to offer sacrifices, but he also wanted to pay tribute himself. Therefore, for these three days, he ate vegetarian food, burned incense, and sat in meditation to comfort the souls of two hundred thousand heroes after they passed away.
All this is done for the sake of peace of mind and body!
During the civil war, even though the national treasury was stretched thin, Zhu Qiyu still insisted on giving generous rewards to all the officers and soldiers who died in the battle. Those who should be promoted to the position should be promoted, and those who have made meritorious services should be promoted. They should receive the rewards and honors they deserve. All given.
All that is left is an apology that Ming Dynasty owes them. This sentence must be said by Zhu Qizhen!
With this sacrifice, the cause and effect are settled, and the civil war is truly complete.
As for the second point...
Again, the emperor should have a broad mind.
Allowing Zhu Qizhen to embarrass himself all the way and try to avoid mistakes in various ways will, of course, further tarnish his image.
But is it just his image that has been corrupted?
No, what is really lost is the people's trust in the Zhu family and the trust in the court.
For all the people, the aloof politics, the noble Emperor, and the dictatorial Majesty are all too far away from them.
What they saw was that the imperial court sent 200,000 troops and the whole army was wiped out, but no one stood up, even admitted their mistake and gave an explanation.
The people are easily satisfied. They look forward to justice, the blue sky, and the Holy Son of Heaven. All they need is an apology.
The civil sacrifice restored not only the image of Zhu Qizhen, but also the image of the Ming Dynasty.
So, even if this makes Zhu Qiyu himself a little passive, what's the harm?
If you accept the country's filth, you are called the master of the country; if you accept the country's misfortune, you are the king of the world!
Although what the emperor said was only eight short words, how could Cheng Jing not understand it?
These eight words weighed more than a thousand words, making Cheng Jing feel a mixture of emotions.
He kowtowed deeply to the ground, Cheng Jing's voice revealed a sense of reverence from the inside out, and said.
"Your majesty is the most holy and virtuous king! Congratulations to the world, my ministers! Congratulations to all the people!"
Zhu Qiyu didn't say anything. He placed the two documents in front of the incense burner with the sandalwood burned out. He bowed three times to the memorial tablets of his ancestors, then turned around and walked out of the Fengxian Hall.
Outside, Wynn had hurried back and kept looking at the door.
"The Emperor, the Six Ministries, the Cabinet, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, as well as Governor Fan, Marquis Ren, Prince Consort Jiao, and many others were all out seeking an audience. In addition, there were also many officials and servants from various families outside the palace. , are all waiting outside, waiting for news..."
Seeing the emperor stepping out, Wynn immediately reported urgently. When he went out, he was actually prepared, but he did not expect that the scene would be so big.
However, the emperor only raised his hand, and the calmness and confidence on his face immediately calmed Wynn's panicked mind.
"Summon!"
