It was the second day of February in the first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty.
The spring is cold and the morning light is faint.
In the Forbidden City, where the palace lanterns were not extinguished, her vermilion outline had just emerged.
Zhu Yijun, who was standing in the Qianqing Palace in the city, cast his eyes out the window and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
After experiencing psychological changes of panic, irritability, hesitation and relief for several days, he accepted his identity as Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty.
It's just that the current Zhu Yijun is no longer the Wanli Emperor in history.
The biggest difference is that Zhu Yijun in this life has an extra soul from later generations.
Although this day on the second day of February in the first year of Wanli is not a very noteworthy time in history.
But in the current Ming Dynasty, it is an important day, especially for the powerful and bureaucratic class of the entire Ming Empire.
Many people are nervous and solemn about this day.
Because this day is the day when the new emperor will hold a sutra feast!
On the surface, the political significance of the Jingyan is to allow lecturers to read Confucian classics and history to the emperor. However, in the Ming Dynasty, which ruled by etiquette, its deeper significance was to symbolize the emperor's willingness to follow etiquette to govern the country and to become a wise king. As a result, the world will soon be in great peace.
For the emperor personally, it was naturally a key opportunity to win over the hearts of the world's scholars and make them recognize him as an emperor who could become a good emperor.
Therefore, whether the emperor is willing to hold a sutra feast and whether he can conscientiously complete the sutra feast is related to whether the relationship between the emperor and the bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats is harmonious or antagonistic.
Zhu Yijun, who had not yet taken power and had not gained popularity, naturally did not dare to neglect this scripture feast.
You know, he is now a young man who ascended the throne, and he can be said to be in charge of the country.
As a result, his biological mother Li, the eunuch and governor of Dongchang, Feng Bao, and the chief minister of the cabinet, Zhang Juzhengze, formed a political alliance, known as the Iron Triangle, which restricted his imperial power.
And if he does not conform to the behavior that a saintly king and benevolent lord of this era should have, there is a slight possibility that he will be deposed.
Because historically, his biological mother Li threatened to depose him and let his younger brother King Lu take the throne because of his mistakes.
So Zhu Yijun knew that he couldn't be willful now, he could only wait until he grew up smoothly.
As long as he grows up smoothly, his power will naturally come back, as long as he doesn't make mistakes during this time.
In fact, as long as he doesn't mess around, the iron triangle will not want to cause trouble and replace the emperor at the cost of destroying the orthodox Confucian succession principle.
Even Zhu Yijun knew that he did not need to consider whether he would use any means to suppress the iron triangle in the future, especially Zhang Juzheng.
Because in the future, before he, the emperor, takes action, the bureaucracy will take the initiative to bite Zhang Juzheng in the future. Even if Zhang Juzheng dies, the bureaucrats will not let him go.
Even if he, the emperor, wanted to think about the long-term interests of the Ming Dynasty, he might have to control the extent of the bureaucracy's revenge on the Zhang Juzheng family.
If the fate of Zhang Juzheng's family was too tragic, then no chief minister in the Ming Dynasty would dare to offend the world's bureaucrats for the sake of the common people.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun, who already knew the historical development context, did not mind at all the behavior of some of Zhang Juzheng's powerful officials, nor did he mind that Qi Jiguang, a national hero, acted as Zhang Juzheng's lackey and presented him with two Persian beauties.
Man only flatters the source of his power.
Zhu Yijun cannot give power to Qi Jiguang now. The one who can give power to Qi Jiguang is Zhang Juzheng. Therefore, even if Qi Jiguang really wants to do something practical for the common people of the world, there is no way he will not please Zhang Juzheng.
And if Zhang Juzheng hadn't happened to be a politician who was "interested in serving the country", Qi Jiguang, a military general, might not be qualified to be Zhang Juzheng's lackey.
What Zhu Yijun only cares about is that Qi Jiguang gave Zhang Juzheng two orchids to each of his chief ministers. So in the future, when he personally takes over the power and can give power to Qi Jiguang, will he have to give himself five orchids?
After all, he is the emperor! How can it be less than the first assistant?
Plus a little interest, doesn’t it mean it’s still ten? !
Otherwise, where would I put my face as an emperor?
Of course, Zhu Yijun just thought this way.
Turning back to the topic, because he knew that the real restriction on his imperial power in the future would not be Zhang Juzheng, but the entire bureaucracy, so Zhu Yijun didn't care that Zhang Juzheng took advantage of his power, and only seriously wanted to support his own hopes.
For this reason, he took the initiative to get up early and woke up the chambermaids and maids: "It's time to wake up!"
The chamberlains and maids on night duty nodded their foreheads, and then they were startled.
"Hurry and serve the Emperor to wash up!"
Not long after, Zhu Yijun was served by the palace maids, put on the Yishan crown and the Gun embroidered round collar, and truly looked like an emperor.
Zhu Yijun was still surprised by this.
However, these were just casual clothes. After breakfast, Zhu Yijun changed into a bright red woven gold dragon gauze and a jade hook sash. Then he yawned and got into the chariot, and was carried out of the palace by the eunuchs. Go and say hello to the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces.
There were two queen mothers in the Wanli Dynasty, their biological mother, Empress Dowager Rensheng, Chen, and their biological mother, Empress Dowager Cisheng, Li.
Among the two queen mothers, the most powerful one is naturally Queen Mother Li.
Because the emotional memory of the original owner still existed, Zhu Yijun suddenly panicked at the thought of meeting Queen Mother Li, and suddenly felt a sense of social fear.
Empress Dowager Li lived in the Nuan Pavilion in the side hall of Qianqing Palace.
In order to take good care of her son Zhu Yijun, Empress Dowager Li had been living in the same palace with Zhu Yijun and sleeping on opposite beds. Only in the first year of Wanli did she move to the Nuan Pavilion.
Even though she moved to another palace now, Empress Dowager Li still did not relax her supervision of Zhu Yijun. She was used to being cautious, and she was deeply afraid that her son would be incompatible with the benevolence of the Holy Lord because of her neglect of discipline, and she would also end up in a bad situation. reputation.
"Come here, call your Majesty that it's time to wake up."
Therefore, even though the weather in early spring was still very cold, Empress Dowager Li would still rush to the palace to wake up the emperor before dawn, without considering that Zhu Yijun was only ten years old and was at the age of sleepiness.
Queen Mother Li really didn't want to delay the feast because her emperor's son was bedridden, and the courtiers would think that the current emperor was lazy.
However, the more you fear something, the more likely it will come.
Empress Dowager Li may not know that one of the biggest characteristics of the historical impression given to scholar-bureaucrats by Emperor Wanli was that he was lazy, rather than comatose and violent.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty is here!"
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the Nuan Pavilion, and a chamberlain called out.
Queen Mother Li was stunned for a moment after hearing this.
"Just say that I have a headache, so I got up late, and asked the emperor to wait outside for a while!"
Immediately afterwards, Queen Mother Li gave an instruction.
The Empress Dowager of the Ming Dynasty did not call herself Aijia. For example, Fan Shuzhi's "History of the Late Ming Dynasty" mentioned that the Empress Dowager Cisheng gave Wanli an edict on the eve of Wanli's wedding, saying, "I told the emperor that he knows that your wedding is about to take place, and I should return my original status." Palace..." From this, it can be proved that Queen Mother Li basically calls herself "I".
After Empress Dowager Li gave her instructions, she hurriedly got out of bed and called to the maids: "Don't sleep anymore!"
The maids also rushed over to wash her.
After washing up, Queen Mother Li couldn't help but smile at the corners of her mouth, and smiled at the leading maid beside her: "Madam, my son can actually take the initiative to get up early!"
In the Ming Dynasty, palace ladies with higher status would be called madams.
The lady beside Empress Dowager Li also laughed and said, "Your Majesty is eager to learn, and it's all thanks to your empress' teaching."
Here, Empress Dowager Li ordered her wife: "Go see Feng Bao and let Feng Bao immediately spread the word to the gentlemen outside about the emperor's diligent study!"
"yes!"
