In the flower hall of the Tenth Prince's Mansion, King Yi's angry voice echoed around, frightening the surrounding waiters to tremble.
However, Zhu Yi was very calm, picked up the tea cup, took a sip and said.
"This matter has also been mentioned by the Ministry of Rites. It is said that it is because His Majesty had a decree before, allowing you and Prince Xiang to assist Prince Min in handling religious affairs and presiding over religious studies, so..." I tm... King Yi suddenly widened his eyes. Eyes, I almost cursed in my heart.
Yes, during this period of time, he was indeed following King Min to help in the Zongren Mansion, but wasn't that because he was free?
When he was summoned to the capital, he had made a mistake and was punished. If it weren't for the insufficient treasury and the construction of the mansion that was originally built was stopped and could not be preserved, he would have ended up under house arrest for a long time.
It happened that the clan came to Beijing, and the clan's mansion was busy with affairs. The emperor's anger was almost gone, so he and Prince Xiang were released from the Tenth Prince's Palace.
In a situation like this, if the emperor asked him to go to the clan mansion to help, would he dare not to go? But what a pity, he has never been exposed to these things. During these days, he only sent messages to each other between King Min and King Xiang. After all, neither of them liked the other, and they almost didn't get along.
As for after the Chinese New Year, he never went to Zongxue at all. What, he was just doing a favor and he got into trouble?
King Yi clenched the armrest angrily. After a moment, he couldn't help but stood up and said.
"No, I want to enter the palace to see His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's already too late if you go now..." He seemed to have anticipated King Yi's reaction. King Yi had just stood up, and before he had taken two steps, Zhu Yi's voice rang out.
Hearing this, King Yi stopped, turned his head and glared at Zhu Yi with frowning eyebrows. So, Zhu Yi continued to speak unhurriedly.
"Calculating the time, the two cabinet ministers have been in the palace for some time. If nothing else happens, the imperial edict should have been issued to the sixth subject by now."
"So what?" King Yi looked at Zhu Yi coldly and said.
"As a vassal king, it is against etiquette for me to stay in the capital for a long time. What's more, I have done nothing wrong during this period. Not to mention that the imperial edict has not been issued. Even if I have arrived at the Tenth Prince's Palace, I still have to enter the palace to ask questions. Ask your Majesty!" After all, the identity of the vassal king is still different from that of ordinary ministers. For ordinary ministers, everything is a foregone conclusion with the imperial edict. If there is any objection, it will never be easy to be labeled as disobeying the imperial edict. .
However, after all, the vassal prince is a relative of the emperor and has a valuable status, so when facing the imperial edict, there is still some room for bargaining.
As King Yi said, not to mention that the imperial edict has not yet been sent to the Tenth Prince's Palace, even if it is sent, it is not impossible for him to go to the palace in person to discuss it with the emperor.
However, looking at the aggrieved King Yi, Zhu Yi shook her head and said.
"The prince has a distinguished status and is His Majesty's elder. He can raise objections to the imperial edict. However, why does the prince think that allowing him to stay in the capital temporarily is a punishment?" What?
King Yi frowned and looked at Zhu Yi as if he were looking at a fool. Is this a problem? He was living at ease in his fiefdom. If the emperor hadn't urged him one after another with imperial edicts, would he have been willing to come to the capital?
Now, he has received the punishment he deserves, the anger he deserves has been vented, and the matter has been settled. If he is not allowed to return to his fiefdom, what is the punishment?
But soon, he realized that he was the fool. Because Zhu Yi smiled slightly and said.
"Although the prince came to the capital this time because he harbored thieves and obstructed the rectification of the military camp, so he was summoned to the capital for training. However, as the prince said, the matter has now been settled. In this regard, the court did not continue to talk about the prince. The reason for staying in the capital."
"However, this time, the Ministry of Rites sent an order to keep the prince in the capital because of his meritorious service in assisting the sect. To put it bluntly, the Ministry of Rites felt that the prince had outstanding abilities and could serve the court, so it asked the prince to continue to stay in the capital to assist the sect. As soon as he finished speaking, King Yi's expression changed slightly.
However, Zhu Yi raised her eyebrows and continued speaking slowly.
"Your Majesty, this is the trust of the imperial court and the emperor's grace. Is this a punishment?" Trouble! King Yi took two steps back and sat down slowly, his expression completely darkening.
He finally understood what Zhu Yi meant. Although it is said that thunder, rain and dew are all gifts from heaven, there are some privileges for the vassal king.
Before Zheng was like this, the emperor summoned him to the capital for questioning because he was shielding a murderer, but the king of Yi resisted and refused to go to the capital.
It was not until later that two or three decrees were issued in succession. Seeing that he continued to resist stubbornly, and the next ones came back instead of the angels announcing the decrees, but the officers and soldiers, he finally set off for Beijing slowly.
This kind of thing is not particularly rare among feudal lords. This is because the emperor summoned him to the capital and made it clear that the person who came was not a good person. Therefore, it was normal for him to find various excuses to evade. Moreover, his status as a vassal king allowed him to do so.
If the matter is not serious, it will be over by just messing around like this. Most of the vassal kings who made mistakes actually did this. At most, they can admit their mistakes afterwards and restrain themselves in the future.
But even after entering the capital and meeting the emperor, if he was deliberately made difficult, the vassal king could argue with reason. With so many Zhu family members watching from all over the place, the emperor could not be too harsh.
Therefore, in the face of criticism, King Yi can confidently go to the palace to ask for an explanation. Especially now, when all the kings are still in the capital, if he cannot get an explanation, King Zhou, King Lu and others will automatically do it for him. Come forward.
However, these bastards from the Ministry of Rites actually did the opposite, praising him for his outstanding ability and ability, and using this as an excuse to let him stay in Beijing to assist in the sect. This time, he was riding a tiger.
Because of this, the emperor kept him in the capital out of trust, respect, and entrusted him with important tasks, allowing him to contribute to the Zhu family and the descendants of the clan.
What reason can be given to refuse this? He can't say that he has no interest at all in doing his best for the Ming Dynasty, and just wants to return to his fiefdom and be free, right?
If this was said, the emperor would not need to take action. The old guys, King Zhou and King Lu, would be the first to tie him up and send him to the Ancestral Temple to face the wall.
Or pretend to be sick? It's not possible. There are so many imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital. If you send just one here, you can tell the truth. This is not a fiefdom. He can threaten others at will. In this capital, the emperor is the biggest after all. These imperial doctors must be You don't have the guts to deceive the emperor.
Besides, if someone takes advantage of him and simply leaves him in the capital to 'recuperate', then he will really be stealing the chicken but losing the rice.
"How can I, the king, be worthy of such a great responsibility because I have little talent and virtue? King Min is appointed as the Grand Zongzheng in Zongxue, which is enough to straighten out the affairs of the clan. Yifan has many affairs, and I really can't leave. Your Majesty's kindness is so good that I can only decline it politely. ." After pondering, King Yi slowly spoke.
After much thought, he decided that this was the safest reason. After all, this is the situation. He, King Yi, is not a so-called 'good king' in the first place, but a truly absurd prince. In this regard, King Yi still has enough self-awareness.
No, in the face of these words, the smile on Zhu Yi's face became thicker and she cupped her hands.
"It turns out that Prince Yi is not only outstanding in ability, but his humility is also a role model for all kings, which is really admirable. However, you are the king of the clan after all. You don't need to make concessions like these from the civil servants, right?" His tone was very normal, but King Yi inexplicably heard something strange in it.
However, at this time, he no longer had the mind to think about whether Zhu Yi's words contained any hidden meaning of ridicule.
Because these words reminded him of one thing, that is, it is not easy to refuse on the basis of shallow talent and virtue.
You must know that this kind of reason is really useful when others attack him, but if you say it yourself, it will only be regarded as self-effacing.
Maybe, if this memorial is handed over, the emperor will also order Haosheng to comfort him, and then let him do his work in peace and so on.
Although King Yi does not often visit the court, this kind of thing has almost become a fixed procedure in the court. How could he not know about it.
At this thought, King Yi couldn't help but curse secretly. These hypocritical civil servants should be damned! However... each of his ideas was rejected. While Yi Wang was upset, he gradually calmed down and turned his attention to Zhu Yi again.
"Tell me, what's the matter with you coming to the Tenth Prince's Mansion today to find me?" King Yi asked this question at the beginning. Now when he asked it again, the meaning was naturally different. The original question was just to find out. Zhu Yi's intention was to send him away earlier, but when he asked again now, he already had the intention of compromising.
You know, Zhu Yi went around in such a big circle just to tell King Yi one thing, that is, he can't leave now.
If you want to leave, then, in fact, it is still the way just mentioned, saying that your talents are shallow and you are not worthy of the big responsibility.
蘥However, he cannot say this, someone else has to say it. You can't find other clans for this job, because then the person who stands out will be easily caught to replace him, so no one will be willing to stand up.
Then, only the civil and military ministers were left, but because of Yu Qian's incident, King Yi had just offended the civil ministers.
Moreover, even if he was not offended, he had no one among the civil servants who could speak for him.
This memorial is from the Ministry of Rites, so anyone with a little discernment can see that the Ministry of Rites is making things difficult for him. Naturally, don't expect that there will be no discerning first attempts to stop him.
Therefore, if you want to find someone to 'impeach' him, you can only count on these nobles. King Yi had inquired about the Zhu Yi in front of him when he came to Beijing. He was a man of both civil and military backgrounds. If he was willing to help, this matter would not necessarily turn around.
However, if you want others to help you, King Yi must give something first.
Considering the current position of Duke Chengguo, this matter is likely to involve the struggle between the Tian family... At this thought, King Yi couldn't help but feel helpless in his heart. If he had known it, he should have blocked him out at all!
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi was not in a hurry and spoke.
"I am here today, naturally, for the sake of the vassal reform. However, before I talk about my purpose of coming, the prince may wish to think about a question. Why does the Ministry of Rites want to ask the kings to leave the capital at this time?" It seems that Zhu Yi is a little mysterious. Secretly, King Yi was upset for a while and replied subconsciously.
"Of course, this is to let the kings return to their fiefdoms early so that they can speak before His Majesty and update the sect's regulations..." However, at the end of these words, King Yi realized that something was wrong.
So, Zhu Yi followed his words and said.
"So, the problem is this. Since the Ministry of Rites wants to avoid the sharp edges of the princes, then naturally, the more you leave the capital, the sooner the better. It would be best if only Prince Min is left in the capital. He can't do anything alone. branch."
"At that time, it will be easier for the vassal reform to be passed at the court meeting. But in this case, why did they deliberately keep the prince?" King Yi did not speak, but looked at Zhu Yi quietly.
He knew that the other party must have something more to say. Sure enough, seeing King Yi not responding, Zhu Yi stopped talking and continued.
蘥
"Yi Chen ventured to guess that the ministers in the court wanted the prince to speak out against this matter. In this way, the prince became the person at the center of the storm."
"Although the rectification of military camps is a major matter of the imperial court, after all, Yu Shaobao did something wrong, and His Majesty's will is on top. Even if the ministers are dissatisfied, they can't do anything to the prince."
"However, rectifying the affairs of the clan is a matter of court affairs. If the prince comes forward to object, firstly, the courtiers can impeach the prince for interfering in court affairs, and secondly... secondly, they can also make a fuss about the prince's past affairs, so as to make a big fuss about the prince's past affairs. Your Majesty, bow your head."
"In this way, I have regained my face, and the clans no longer have any objections to this matter. Their intentions are not unscrupulous..."
"Humph!" King Yi looked at Zhu Yi and snorted coldly.
"The intention is sinister, indeed."
"However, if I remember correctly, the eldest uncle of the Ministry of Rites is your father-in-law. Duke Cheng, is it inappropriate for you to criticize your elders like this?"
"Or maybe the Supreme Emperor asked you to be this lobbyist?"
"This king is really surprised. We, the vassal kings, have always maintained their fiefdoms and upheld their duties. Fanping Sheji, one or two of them are now making plans for us. Seriously..." At the end of his words, King Yi almost He blurted out the words "Tianjia Boliang", but fortunately, although he was angry, he did not completely lose his mind. He swallowed the words as soon as they reached his mouth, but looked at Zhu Yi with an increasingly unkind look.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi knew that King Yi had misunderstood his meaning. So, he smiled bitterly and explained.
"Your Majesty, it is clear to me that the eldest uncle is indeed my father-in-law, but everyone has his or her own stand on all matters related to government affairs. The eldest uncle has his own difficulties, and I also have my own views."
"As for the Supreme Emperor, he naturally values the relationship between relatives. Otherwise, he would not have allowed me to bring rewards specially to express comfort." These words were sincere, but King Yi was obviously not very good at it. Buy it, with a hint of sarcasm on his face, and said.
"In that case, why don't I, the king, go to Nangong and ask the Supreme Emperor to come forward and reject the memorial from the Ministry of Rites?"
