Yu Shiyue's hunch was right. The emperor had already had his mind on the matter of the Ministry of War. After summoning several of them, in the past few days, he did not consult with other ministers. Instead, he sent a direct decree to the cabinet and ordered the Ministry of War. The minister Xiang Wenyao was transferred to Nanjing as the minister of household affairs. The minister of war was temporarily in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of War, and the minister Li Shi was in charge.
It should be said that this news is a good thing. The emperor did not transfer the two ministers out, which can be regarded as adopting Yu Shiyue's suggestion.
However, at the same time, this also confirmed Yu Shiyue's guess that the emperor's imprisonment of Yu Qian this time was not purely due to a moment of anger. More importantly, he was afraid that he was using this matter to reduce Yu Qian's authority.
Otherwise, the emperor would not ignore the recent subtle changes in the direction of the wind from top to bottom in the court.
Yu Qian's authority in the Ministry of War is too heavy now, which is indeed not a good thing. From this perspective, Yu Shiyue doesn't think there is anything wrong with the emperor's reduction of power, but the problem is that he is not sure what the emperor intends to do. degree.
This feeling arose from the prelude to the match a few days ago. Obviously, the emperor's test for him was to test whether he could maintain his integrity under authority and not be flattery. This test was not Yu Shiyue should not worry too much. What worried him was the intention behind this test.
He had a vague feeling that the emperor was looking for a weakened version of Yu Qian!
A Yu Qian who could offend Yan Zhijian, but would not offend easily and was stubborn in his own opinions. It was obvious that Yu Shiyue had become the emperor's target.
This is undoubtedly a good opportunity for Yu Shiyue himself. To put it bluntly, half of Yu Qian's position and power in the court comes from the trust of the emperor. This is recognized by the government and the public.
Now, although Yu Shiyue is not one of the Seven Ministers, he has already become one of the important ministers as the Second Assistant to the Cabinet and the Zhan Shi of the East Palace. If he can gain the emperor's trust, then his status in the court will surely increase rapidly. rising.
This is something that has been confirmed by Yu Qian, but on the contrary, if a new 'Yu Qian' needs to appear in the court, does that mean that the original Yu Qian is no longer needed?
This speculation made Yu Shiyue himself feel crazy, but it actually made him feel that it was not impossible.
Before that, although he knew that the emperor had doubts about Qian's character due to this case, he never thought that it might be to this extent.
Because of the emergence of this idea, Yu Shiyue has been very worried these days, until this day, Wynn appeared in the cabinet again...
"Ohondo?"
Looking at Wynn in front of him, Yu Shiyue repeated it in disbelief. However, Wynn still smiled, as if he didn't realize the weight of what he just said.
"Yes, Your Majesty said, it is an ancestral system for princes to receive education in Dabentang. During the Hongwu period, all kings received education at Dabentang. However, because the emperors of Taizong, Renzong, Xuanzong and other generations had few heirs, Therefore, this system is gradually falling into disuse. Now, as the imperial heirs in the palace are becoming more and more prosperous, it is time to re-establish the main hall, with Master Yi, a Hanlin scholar, as the speaker, and all the elders of the pavilion take turns to give lectures."
Ah this...
The three members of the cabinet looked at each other, and they were all silent for a while.
This principle is indeed good. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, there were many emperors. Emperor Taizu set up a main hall in the palace to teach the princes. When they reached adulthood, they were allowed to join the vassal. However, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, when the Jingnan was successful, several princes Now that he has grown up, it doesn't matter whether he is a big main hall or not.
Emperor Renzong had quite a few princes, but his reign was too short. As for Emperor Xuanzong, there were only two single emperors, Taishanghuang and Jinshang. Naturally, there was no need to set up such a large main hall.
Now, in the palace, there are indeed more imperial heirs than in the previous generations. However, this is because there are two emperors. The emperor also issued an order before, ordering the princes and princesses to study together. Therefore, the main hall must be re-established. On the surface, it makes sense.
However, this is only on the surface. You must know that although there are many princes and princesses in the palace today, there are not many of them who are of the right age to study.
On the Emperor's side, apart from His Royal Highness, there is only one Honorable Prince, Zhu Jianqing. On the Emperor's side, there is only King Hui, Zhu Jianji. In addition, there are several princesses, including the current eldest daughter, Princess Gu'an, and the Supreme Emperor. The daughter is Princess Chongqing, the second daughter is Princess Jiashan, the third daughter is Princess Chun'an, and the fourth daughter is Princess Chongde. They are full of numbers, adding up to a total of seven, and most of them are princesses.
Even if we don't talk about the distinction between the prince and the princess, at the age of these few people, the small hall in the palace is completely enough to cope with it. It is not necessary to reset the main hall, but at least for now, it is not necessary. There's no urgency.
More importantly, these princes and princesses had been living well in the primary school before. Why did they suddenly have to transfer to the main hall?
Several people looked at each other, and Wang Ao stepped forward and asked.
"Eunuch Huai'en, since Your Majesty wants to re-establish the main hall, I wonder where it will be located?"
"It's in the Yuanhui Hall to the west of Qingning Palace. It's not far away. It's just a few steps away. It won't delay the usual errands of several pavilion elders."
Wynn looked like he was sure to answer every question, and he even went the extra mile and said.
"These days, Eunuch Shu has been busy with this matter in the harem. Now, the books, utensils and attendants have been arranged, and the palace is almost repaired. I just need a few pavilion elders to go and talk about it. After reading it, this main hall has been erected."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of several people present changed.
They had long known that Shu Liang's return to the harem did not mean that the great master had lost his power. On the contrary, it was just the emperor protecting Shu Liang and letting him avoid the limelight. However, what they didn't expect was that when Eunuch Shu returned to the harem, he created a large main hall.
From this point of view, the emperor has indeed made up his mind, otherwise, he would not leave it to Shu Liang. However, as they just thought, the princes and princesses in the palace now have no number or age. It got to the point where the main hall had to be reset.
There must be other reasons why the emperor chose to do this at this time.
If nothing else, this reason is closely related to the East Palace!
First of all, in this location, the main hall is on the side of the East Palace, adjacent to each other. So it is very likely that in a few years, the main hall will be moved to the east palace. After all, during the Hongwu period, there was a period of time when the main hall was the prince. Although the prince soon moved out to the place where he studied together with other princes, there was a precedent after all.
There is also the fact that cabinet ministers come to the main hall to give lectures. This is obviously a move of greater political significance than practical significance. Combined with the emperor's previous actions, the reset of the main hall is likely to bring all the princes together, some kind of In a sense, this is blurring the hierarchy among the princes.
Although nothing can be seen now, if it is really established, then in a few years, when the emperor's son reaches the age of studying, he will naturally be able to go to the main hall as well...
There is no doubt that the signal presented by this decree is very unfavorable to the East Palace. Therefore, after Wynn told the location of the main hall, Wang Ao and Zhang Min invariably turned their gazes. It came to Yu Shiyue.
Seeing this situation, Yu Shiyue sighed in his heart. Normally, Huaien would leave after delivering the message, but today he stopped and explained so much, probably because he wanted to see his attitude.
This might as well be another temptation from the Emperor...
Faced with this temptation, Yu Shiyue, who was in charge of the Prince's Mansion, could only bow his hands and said.
"I obey the decree."
So Wynn showed a satisfied smile, cupped his hands with a smile, turned around and left.
When Wynn's figure disappeared, Wang Ao said with a trace of ridicule on his face.
"With the establishment of the main hall, there will be another errand on our shoulders from now on. However, Mr. Jisuke must not care much about it. After all, the lectures and readings in the East Palace have been arranged by Mr. Jisuke. I also took over the errands, but it’s just a matter of convenience, isn’t it?”
In his words, he secretly ridiculed Yu Shiyue for being irresponsible and not daring to fight for the interests of the East Palace.
Faced with such an expression, Yu Shiyue didn't want to say anything more. He glanced at Wang Ao coldly, turned around and returned to his office.
He is not stupid. Now that he knows the emperor's intention, he naturally knows what to do.
The emperor needs a minister who is upright, but he does not need a minister who opposes him everywhere. Things like the main hall, although it is not good for the East Palace in the long run, it will not harm the court in the short term. , If you go against the emperor on such a matter, the emperor will only treat it as making a fuss out of a molehill.
Huai'en came to convey the order in person to see if Yu Shiyue would be like Yu Qian, who opposed the emperor on unnecessary trivial matters because of the so-called principles. If Yu Shiyue really opposed this matter, then Wang Ao would Waiting for someone to laugh.
After all, with Yu Qian's experience, it is not easy to get that kind of kindness again.
And more importantly, stay upright and stay upright. Some things cannot be solved by simply upholding uprightness...
Back in the public room, Yu Shiyue sat on a chair and sighed deeply. This court situation is becoming more and more unpredictable!
The days passed by, and it was mid-June in the blink of an eye. There was still an undercurrent surging above the court, but on the surface it was as calm as ever.
What is somewhat different from what many people expected is that after the emperor's decree to reopen the main hall was issued, although it caused a wave of waves in the court, only a few imperial ministers thought it was too early and did not imagine it. in the turmoil.
In fact, no one even mentioned the word "East Palace". The entire court seemed to have lost its voice, completely turning a blind eye to the political significance.
It was very peaceful in the court, but many of the ministers in the court were quite uneasy, for no other reason than that today, the Dali Temple, which attracted the attention of the court, was ordered to formally open the court to examine Yu Qian's case. Interrogated.
Of course, it is actually not accurate to say that it is Yu Qian's case, because there is no substantive evidence to prove that Yu Qian is involved. It is more accurate to say that it is Zhu Ji's case.
Moreover, although Yu Qian was imprisoned, his official rank was still there. With Zhu Jian's rank, he did not have the power to interrogate Yu Qian, and even questioning required a separate order.
Therefore, the main subjects of investigation in Dali Temple are the plaintiff Xu Dayou and the defendant Lu Fu. The associate minister of Jinyiwei, Zhu Ji and Yu Mian will also go to the court for questioning. In addition, the emperor specially sent the internal prison to go there. Listen in.
One thing worth noting is that because Prince Xiang submitted the complaint on his behalf, he also made a special trip to attend the hearing on the day the court opened.
Such a mere land invasion case was to be tried by a former cabinet minister with the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment and Minister of Dali Temple. The emperor personally sent an internal prison to observe the case, and even the princes of the clan came in person. This standard was simply extraordinary.
However, Yu Shiyue is obviously not suitable to go. Firstly, his identity is somewhat sensitive, and secondly, as a court official, he has an errand, and it is impossible for him to abandon his errand and run away to get involved in some trial. However, it is natural to send someone to inquire about the news. It is inevitable.
The news was sent back from the lower office. Yu Shiyue was sitting in the study, listening to the reports from his subordinates, when suddenly someone came to report from outside.
"Master, the eldest son of the Yu family has arrived. He said he has something to ask and wants to see the master."
Yu Kang?
Yu Shiyue frowned slightly, but he only hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said.
"Let him come to the study."
Although it is difficult for him to intervene directly in Yu Qian's case, after all, it is a friendship that has lasted for many years. If it is completely hidden behind closed doors, it will cause people to talk about it.
Moreover, Yu Kang is different from Yu Mian. He has a calm temperament, quite like Yu Qian, and will not come to the door for no reason. If nothing unexpected happens, it should still be related to today's court trial...
Not long after, Yu Kang was brought in by his servants and bowed as a junior. Yu Shiyue waved him to sit down without any pretense, and asked the servants to serve him refreshments before asking.
"My good nephew is here this time for the purpose of today's court trial?"
"Yes, it seems that Uncle Yu also got the news."
Yu Kang nodded and said.
"In today's court hearing, Mr. Zhu brought Xu Dayou and Lu Fu to trial, and also called the chief clerk and magistrate of Daxing County to testify. Lu Fu admitted in court that he was obsessed with the idea of invading Xu Dayou's land and colluding with the master to change the case. Regarding the matter of obtaining documents, Luying has already said this before, so it is not surprising. However, when I was outside listening to the trial, I discovered a doubt..."
As Yu Kang said, this court trial mainly interrogated two people, Xu Dayou.
Zhu Jian is quite capable. He has been doing local errands for a long time. Naturally, such a simple land invasion case would not be a problem for him.
Moreover, after so many days of preparation, Zhu Jian's own face would not be at stake if nothing comes of this high-profile interrogation.
Therefore, the basic facts of the case were quickly clarified, just like what Yu Kang said just now, but the facts of the case were roughly what they heard from Yu Junying that day in the mansion.
However, Yu Shiyue was a little surprised by this last sentence and asked.
"What's the suspicion?"
Yu Kang hesitated for a moment and then said.
"During the trial, Lu Fu and the master colluded to invade the fields. Both of them admitted it. However, one thing is strange. They both said that the other party bewitched them and made the big mistake..."
(End of chapter)
