In fact, the most difficult thing to deal with in this Nangong Incident is the issue of the Supreme Emperor. Once this major premise is determined, the rest can be easily solved.
Seeing that no one had any objections to Queen Mother Sun's decree, Zhu Qi Yufang, who had been watching with a cold eye, nodded and said.
"Since the Holy Mother has an edict, even though I can't bear it, I have no choice but to comply with it. As for other rebellious parties, Ningyang Marquis Chen Mao is the main culprit. He corrected the edict and mobilized troops to attack the imperial city. He is guilty of an unforgivable crime. He will be deprived of his title and will be beheaded in public on a certain day. , their property was confiscated, and all their clansmen were exiled. Meng Jun, the commander of the Yulin Guards, and Zhang Fu, the commander-in-chief, rebelled. They should also be guilty of the same crime. They were deprived of their official positions, their property was confiscated, and they were beheaded on another day..."
Before anyone could react, the emperor had already finalized many of the controversial points. However, at the end of the words, the emperor's voice paused slightly, as if he was thinking about something, and then the voice continued to sound, saying.
"In order to serve the country well in the British Duke's office, and the British Duke Zhang Mao was not involved in it, he should not be deprived of his titles and official positions in the British Duke's office, and be demoted to a commoner, and his family will not be implicated."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present could not help but be a little surprised. You must know that treason is a serious crime. Although the British government has made contributions to the country, such serious crimes have never been useful for meritorious deeds.
Apart from anything else, none of the ministers involved in the Hu Weiyong case had outstanding achievements, and Emperor Taizu was not seen to have acted lightly.
What's more, Zhang Xi has been in close contact with the emperor overtly and covertly for so many years, and his position has basically been made plain in the end. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to say that the emperor has any good impression of him. No one believes it.
But it was under such circumstances that the emperor actually pardoned the Zhang family. Upon closer inspection, the reason may only be...
"Your Majesty's kindness and generosity are truly a blessing to all people!"
Hearing the emperor's treatment, others had no reaction, but Zhu Yi became excited and immediately knelt down on the ground and thanked him loudly.
If the officials below don't understand this, they are just messing around in the officialdom. The emperor doesn't have a good impression of the British government, but Duke Cheng Guo probably has an unusual status among the emperor.
He tried his best to protect the lives of the British royal family, and the emperor would naturally give him face. After thinking about this clearly, the officials no longer objected and silently accepted the result.
Anyway, after this incident, the situation in the British government was over. Even if he could save his life, it would be difficult to have any impact on the court situation in the future. There was no need to pursue and fight fiercely. It was better to give Zhu Yi a favor.
Of course, what they didn't know was that from Zhu Yi's perspective, he was truly relieved now.
It's good to intercede for the British Duke's government to reminisce about old friendships, but don't forget that Zhu Yi grew up in the big dye vat of the imperial court. As the backbone of the entire Chengguo Duke's palace, the bottom line is that he can't harm Chengguo. The government is harmful.
Therefore, he did have his own considerations in doing so.
Now that the matter in Nangong has been settled, Zhu Yi no longer needs to stay in the court disguised as a member of the Supreme Emperor's party. Then, what he naturally has to consider is how to stand up in the court next.
And this involves a problem, that is, the mismatch between his merits and the treatment he received. After so many years, Zhu Yi was obviously from Nangong, but in fact he has been working for the emperor. It can even be said that if it were not for Zhu Yi, Yi, the emperor cannot always be firmly in control of the situation, so this contribution is not insignificant.
However, great merit comes from great merit, but this merit cannot be made public. Because of this, the emperor cannot give too generous rewards on the surface. In this case, problems will arise. Even if you can't receive rewards even if you have done meritorious service, Zhu Yi had no thoughts in his heart, but would the emperor believe that he had no dissatisfaction in his heart?
This is human nature, not to mention that creatures like the emperor are naturally jealous. Therefore, if you want to stay in the court for a long time, you must find ways to eliminate all hidden dangers.
Therefore, at this time, it is most appropriate to make a request that requires the emperor's strong support.
The British Duke and the Chengguo Duke are related by marriage. Now that Zhang Shi has become the main culprit in the rebellion, the British Duke will naturally be implicated. Interceding for the British Duke at this time actually gives the emperor a chance to show mercy.
Zhu Yi's contribution could not be rewarded openly, so by showing his favor to the British government, it could be regarded as giving the emperor a step down.
For Zhu Yi, he didn't care what happened to the British government, but he had to pretend to care. In addition to dispelling the emperor's suspicion, he could also earn a good reputation for himself and not let other noble families He felt that he was ruthless and would only protect his own life wisely. After all, when the Duke of Chengguo was in decline, the British Duke still helped him a lot. The more distinguished the family, the more they value this kind of human relationship.
Therefore, what he did was actually a win-win choice. The emperor showed kindness, Zhu Yi was relieved of his burden, and the British government also saved their lives. Everyone benefited, so there was no reason not to do it.
Of course, in the eyes of the outside world, this kind of behavior either thinks that he is eager for justice, or that he does not understand the situation of the court, is too reckless, and only relies on the kindness of the emperor to survive. However, these outside opinions are very important to Zhu Yi. , but there is no need to care.
The main figures regarding the Nangong Incident have all come to an end, and the ministers’ goals today have been basically accomplished. Of course, the matter is not over yet. Nangong has caused such a big mess this time, and the impact must be huge. , there are still a lot of things that need to be dealt with next.
However, the remaining things are nothing more than how to deal with other rebellious people, and how to reward those who have made meritorious services in suppressing the rebellion this time. These matters are relatively easy to deal with, and, Because there are so many involved, it cannot be dealt with in a day or two.
For the ministers at the moment, the most important thing is to go back and think about how they and others should stand in the new court situation that is about to begin after the Nangong Incident...
Therefore, after receiving the decree, the ministers did not stay too long and quickly left.
Seeing the ministers leaving, Zhu Qiyu's expression was a little complicated. After a moment, his eyes fell on Zhu Jianshen beside him. He sighed softly and said.
"Brother Shen, I've suffered so much for you..."
Unlike what these ministers had guessed, Zhu Jianshen was not called here by him.
Regarding Zhu Qizhen's treatment, Zhu Qiyu had already made a plan in his mind. He had painstakingly planned it for so many years in order to completely eradicate this hidden danger. Therefore, it was naturally impossible for him to let Zhu Qizhen have any chance of resurrecting... Feng Yanggaoqiang is the best choice.
Of course, in order to appease the court as much as possible, it is most appropriate for Queen Mother Sun to issue this edict. In fact, at this time, Queen Mother Sun actually has no other choice. If she is willing to issue this edict, then , everything can pass with dignity, and if she is not willing, it is actually impossible to change the final result. After all, if something like this happens, neither Zhu Qiyu nor the officials in the court can let it go again. Zhu Qizhen continued to stay in the capital.
Therefore, in the past few days, Zhu Qiyu was actually waiting for the Queen Mother Sun's reaction. However, what he did not expect was that the decree he had been waiting for came, but it was brought by Zhu Jianshen.
According to the information he has received so far, not only was the move that brought the decree the intention of the Queen Mother Sun, but even the move of Zhu Jianshen reading it out in public was also directed by the Queen Mother Sun. As for the purpose, it was naturally to keep Zhu Jianshen's position as crown prince.
However, in Zhu Qiyu's view, this approach is undoubtedly too cruel for a child.
After all, no matter how big of a mistake Zhu Qizhen made, he was still Zhu Jianshen's biological father. It was a bit too unkind to ask a son to personally send his father to prison, even if there were sufficient reasons.
Looking at Zhu Qiyu's slightly worried expression opposite him, Zhu Jianshen's mood was a little complicated. After a moment, he took a deep breath and cupped his hands.
"Thank you, Uncle Emperor, for your concern. My nephew is in the royal family, so he naturally understands what he should bear..."
As a result, Zhu Qiyu was somewhat silent.
Although it was only a few days, he could feel that the child standing in front of him was suddenly different from before, as if he had become much more mature and restrained.
He sighed silently in his heart, and Zhu Qiyu's mood was a little complicated. He didn't know whether Zhu Jianshen at this moment would regret the choice he had made, or whether, in the situation at that time, no matter what choice he made, he would feel Regret it...
He wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he just said.
"Go back and have a rest. You are tired these days. I will go back and pass the order to Zhan Shifu, temporarily suspending the lectures and readings at the sutra banquet for these three days."
"Thank you, Uncle Emperor."
Zhu Jianshen was neither humble nor arrogant, and he bowed his hands in silence, then left, leaving Zhu Qiyu in the palace with a soft sigh.
Time passed by quickly, one thing after another was sorted out, and the solemn atmosphere in the capital was gradually replaced by the strong flavor of the New Year.
On the night of Zhengdan, according to the custom, the emperor was supposed to have a banquet for the clan officials. However, I don’t know if it was because of this year’s incident that the emperor lost interest. Therefore, he made a decree to skip the banquet. After the elders received their rewards, they They each went back to their homes to rest, which was a rare moment of stability in the recent turbulent days.
The night was getting darker, because Mrs. Wu didn't like liveliness, so at her suggestion, this year's family banquet was held in Kunning Palace. After midnight, Mrs. Wu took the lead to return to the palace. Several people who were already sleepy The children, who were in disgrace and sleeping unsteadily, were carried back to their respective palaces by the palace servants.
Kunning Palace, which had been bustling for a long time, became quiet, but Zhu Qiyu only felt that there was a dull breath in his heart, and he didn't know how to spit it out.
Slowly walking out of the palace gate, Zhu Qiyu came to the corridor outside the palace. The moonlight was very good tonight. Yesterday's snow covered the entire palace wall. Under the soft moonlight, the red wall and white snow contrasted with each other. The wintersweet in the courtyard was in full bloom. Sheng, the palace city in the night is quiet and peaceful.
Unconsciously, Zhu Qiyu's eyes looked in the direction of Nangong again.
If nothing else goes wrong, this should be the last official day that Zhu Qizhen spent in the capital. I wonder if at this moment, his brother has ever regretted his reckless sending of troops, and whether he has ever reflected on his actions. Mistakes made over the years...
There was a slight sound of footsteps behind him, and a thick cloak was draped on Zhu Qiyu's shoulders. Wang's figure appeared beside him and said softly.
"Your Majesty, the weather is cold, take care of yourself..."
Zhu Qiyu came back to his senses, turned to look at Mr. Wang, his eyes flashed, and he was unusually silent. Seeing this situation, Mr. Wang didn't say anything, and just stayed with him quietly.
Under the silvery moonlight, time seems to have stopped flowing. Only the occasional sound of birds flapping their wings makes people realize that everything is still moving forward.
After an unknown period of time, Zhu Qiyu said with a flash of melancholy on his face.
"Mother Yun, I don't want brothers to fight..."
There were unspeakable complex emotions in the words, which seemed to be a statement and a refutation. There was also a hint of helplessness in the words.
Wang nodded slightly and said.
"I know, I understand..."
"No, you don't understand..."
Zhu Qiyu shook his head and looked at the moonlight on the horizon again with a complicated tone.
"What I do is for the great Ming Dynasty, so there are some things I have to do, but I also hope that the people I cherish can be safe, happy, and have a peaceful life."
These words were a bit abrupt, making Wang fall silent and did not speak.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu sighed softly and said.
"A few days ago, the emperor's sister-in-law came to see me. She said that she wanted to go to Fengyang with the Supreme Emperor. The emperor's sister-in-law is not in good health. Although she has been taking care of her in the past few years, her vitality was damaged in the past. Fengyang Gao A place like the wall would only make her suffer more, so I originally didn’t want to agree.”
"However, the emperor's sister-in-law said that she will only live alone in this life. Wherever the emperor goes, she will naturally follow him. Otherwise, leaving her alone in this palace will be boring. The sin committed by the emperor, she She can't redeem herself, but at least she can stay with the Supreme Emperor. This is the only thing she can do and the only thing she wants to do."
As he spoke, Zhu Qiyu turned around and looked at Mr. Wang and said.
"So, I agreed."
At this point, Zhu Qiyu's face flashed with a look of self-deprecation, and he said.
"But I know that the emperor's sister-in-law is actually worried that one day a commoner Zhu Qizhen will die suddenly and inexplicably in the high walls of Fengyang, so she must go with her."
Seeing Zhu Qiyu's slightly sentimental expression, Mrs. Wang bit her lower lip and spoke to comfort her.
"Your Majesty will not do that. You are a person who values friendship, and I know that."
"Emphasis on friendship..."
Zhu Qiyu murmured in a low voice, and then spoke.
"Next year's family banquet should be held in Qianqing Palace. The Supreme Emperor and his wife have left, and Nangong has become deserted. During the New Year's Day, call all the royal children together so that no one is left behind."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Wang seemed to understand something, so she took two steps back, bowed her knees upright, and said.
"I obey your orders."
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly, stretched out his hand to help Mr. Wang up, and said.
"Don't worry, I will arrange everything...for sure!"
