"Although the imperial concubine is a virtuous person, she has three sons after all. The eldest son born to the imperial concubine Gong is the eldest son. Is there any reason to ennoble the imperial concubine first and not the imperial concubine Gong? I ask your majesty to take back the order and canonize the imperial concubine Gong!"
"Four years after the birth of the emperor's eldest son, Concubine Gong was not allowed to be named Concubine Gong. As soon as the third son of the Emperor was born, Concubine Gong became the Concubine. How can the world not doubt it? I ask Your Majesty to designate Concubine Gong!"
"It has been four years since the birth of the emperor's eldest son, and it is time for him to be appointed. I dare to ask your majesty to appoint him as the crown prince..."
On this day, many memorials poured into Wanli's documents.
It’s a steady stream, it’s really a steady stream. Not only the courtiers of Wang Jiaping's faction, but also many officials who were not originally associated with him also spontaneously submitted memorials.
Establishing a direct descendant is a rule that has been passed down for thousands of years in a dynasty.
Now that the queen has nothing to do, the one who should be appointed should be the eldest son Zhu Changluo, who cannot be changed.
After sensing the emperor's intentions, they stood together with the same hatred.
Disciples of Confucianism defend the etiquette that has lasted for thousands of years with unprecedented determination.
Emperor Wanli felt fear. This was the first time he encountered such opposition from his ministers.
When the mountain-like shadow had just moved away from him, the officials were so obedient to him. For four years, he felt that he had truly taken control of the court, but this incident told him that he did not, and he was far from it.
The next step he had planned was forced to stop.
Concubine Zheng was afraid. After all, she was just a prostitute. Opposite the emperor was a huge group of civil servants, with thousands of years of dynasty tradition behind them, but behind her there was nothing.
She knelt in front of Wanli, hugged his thigh and cried:
"Your Majesty, I would rather not take the position of a noble concubine and live in obscurity with the emperor for the rest of my life, rather than be subjected to such questioning and put your Majesty in dire straits!"
Emperor Wanli stared at the crying woman on the ground. Even at this time, she was still thinking about herself.
As an emperor, he could not give the heirs of the one he loved the fame he wanted.
He suddenly felt discouraged.
Talking about being the supreme being in the world, talking about being supreme, it turned out that he was still a plaything in the hands of those ministers, and his every move was tightly restricted by them.
Then why am I so diligent? To give these ministers the "prosperous age" they imagined?
In order to become the "Holy Lord and Mingjun" in the eyes of civil servants?
He felt empty and bored.
Tired.
In October of the 14th year of Wanli, Emperor Wanli, who had always been hard-working, officially resigned from the court. Although he still handled affairs in the harem, he no longer appeared in front of the ministers. Many matters were no longer involved and were handed over to the cabinet.
This stay lasted five years, and it was the eighteenth year of Wanli.
During this period, many ministers came to the court, hoping that the emperor could formally establish the crown prince to calm the world, but they were all ignored by Emperor Wanli.
But by the eighteenth year of Wanli, we really couldn't delay it any longer.
The eldest son of the emperor is eight years old and needs to go out to study. If it were later, when he came to the throne, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty was an illiterate who didn't understand the classics of ritual and music, wouldn't that make people laugh?
Wang Jiaping, together with Xu Guo and Wang Xijue, petitioned to allow the emperor's eldest son to go out to study.
This is a trick. It is the privilege of the prince to study outside the court. Once the eldest son of the emperor leaves the court to study, it is equivalent to acknowledging Zhu Changluo's status as prince in disguise.
However, Shangshu was like a mud cow drowning in the sea, without getting any information. Emperor Wanli seemed not to have seen these Shangshu at all.
However, Wang Jiaping and others did not give up. The court officials handed in memorials one after another, and their words became more and more fierce.
The emperor was finally furious, and he cut off the posts and suspended the salaries of those ministers.
But no one was intimidated by him. The officials rushed forward and continued to disperse. For a while, the government and the opposition were in chaos.
"Brother, will Your Majesty compromise?"
In Chen Guogong's mansion, the two brothers were drinking tea opposite each other. Yan Chenhao took a sip and asked:
"I see that Your Majesty is like a giant tree now. No matter how strong the southeast wind is, he still remains unmoved. This is because he is determined to establish the third son of the emperor! Maybe he can really get his wish."
His brother, the contemporary Chen Guogong Yan Chenxin, sat opposite him. For some reason, he always felt that there seemed to be some expectation in his brother's words, but he still said calmly:
"No. In my opinion, this giant tree is already swaying and may be blown over by the strong wind at any time."
"Your Majesty cannot defeat these ministers."
"The silence now is not the silence before the outbreak, but His Majesty's last persistence, but he can't hold on for long. The ancestral system, etiquette... are all on the side of the ministers, and the emperor alone cannot win this wrestling."
Yan Chenhao was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then asked:
"Then brother, how should we deal with ourselves? Do we also support the eldest son of the emperor?"
Yan Chenxin smiled slightly and was about to answer when he saw a servant approaching and reported:
"Young Master, Second Master, Commander Zheng would like to see you."
Commander Zheng, also known as Zheng Guotai, the brother of Concubine Zheng, was the commander-in-chief of the capital at that time.
He has asked to see him several times. Compared with the unanimous opposition of the civil servants, the nobles have not expressed their stance yet, and Concubine Zheng also has a past with the second master of Chen Guogong's mansion, so the Zheng family pinned their last hope on them.
The previous few times, Yan Chenxin didn't even let the door open, but this time, he ordered:
"Open the door and lead him over."
Not long after, Zheng Guotai met the contemporary Chen Guogong.
He cried and complained about how pitiful he and others were, and promised that the third prince would be generously rewarded after he ascended the throne. At the same time, he would look at Yan Chenhao from time to time.
Over the years, Yan Chenhao also learned about the past events with Concubine Zheng and had some contacts with her. This was the reason why Zheng Guotai dared to ask for an audience.
But Yan Chenhao hesitated, pursed his lips, and finally said nothing.
When Yan Chenxin saw this scene, a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, but Zheng Guotai was a little disappointed.
At this time, Yan Chenxin finally said slowly:
"It's not impossible for the two of us to support the third prince."
"There are just two things that need to be promised."
"First, you guys are not allowed to do unnecessary things. Concubine Zheng, you and yourselves, stay safe; second, since the third son of the emperor is smart, he must show it well. There is no need to say much about reading and writing, filial piety and frugality are also necessary, even for the eldest son of the emperor, Also let him be courteous!"
"In this way, I will see that he has the possibility of taking the throne in the East Palace, and then I will help him."
After hearing this, Zheng Guotai raised his head in shock, and then his eyes filled with ecstasy.
This is simply a twist! He originally thought that there was no hope for him, but he didn't expect such a surprise. He kept promising, and then his knees weakened and he even fell to the ground!
For such a period of time, few courtiers were willing to stand on their side. Even if there were, they were generally low-ranking courtiers who were unwilling to show it openly and were only willing to help secretly.
The two siblings had received so much cold treatment and rebuke that they were almost desperate!
But the appearance of the Yan brothers at this time was like providing help in times of need! Yan Chenxin is the Duke of the country, and Yan Chenhao is also the minister. Their influence in the court cannot be underestimated! Thinking of this hard-won help, Zheng Guotai almost cried!
He said some more words of thanks and left in a hurry. He couldn't wait to tell his sister the good news.
But Yan Chenhao looked at Yan Chenxin with a look of relief and confusion, and asked:
"Brother, are we surrendering to the Third Prince like this? But, didn't you say before that His Majesty might succumb to his ministers?"
(End of chapter)
