A large stack of memorials was placed on the table. Emperor Wanli frowned and read through them one by one. Around him, several cabinet ministers stood quietly.
Resignation, resignation, resignation.
The emperor's brows frowned more and more, showing his inner unrest.
To say that such a large-scale resignation was a coincidence would be hard to believe.
It wasn't until the emperor saw the resignations of the three cabinet ministers that he could no longer hold back the anger in his heart. Such large-scale resignations were clearly an attempt to retreat in order to advance, forcing him to do so!
He threw aside the memorial in his hand and snorted coldly from his nose:
"Today is such an auspicious day that so many courtiers submitted their resignations to me at the same time."
He deliberately emphasized the word "coincidentally" with a slight emphasis.
Wang Jiaping heard the emperor's sarcasm. He stood up from his chair, cupped his hands and said:
"It's not the auspicious day, but the mood of the ministers is difficult to determine."
"Your Majesty has not established a crown prince for a long time, and the throne is vacant, and the country is in turmoil. As your Majesty's ministers, we cannot fulfill our responsibilities as ministers. We feel guilty and uneasy, so naturally we dare not brazenly seize the high position again."
This is a naked threat. If you don't establish a crown prince, we will resign.
Emperor Wanli was furious when he heard this. The emperor is the son of God, the supreme being on the throne, in charge of all life, death, and sacrifice. Only others have always been trembling in front of him, so how can he allow others to be arrogant in front of him? Being threatened by his own ministers, he now wanted to chop off the heads of the ministers in front of him.
He stretched out his hand, firmly grasped the inkstone on the table, and was about to smash it at the ministers in front of him.
But the moment he held the inkstone, he suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness.
After so many years of failure, the court was still able to maintain normal operations, and the cabinet was indispensable. Although he was the one who made the decisions on major matters, in the vast world of Ming Dynasty, he left countless trivial political affairs to the cabinet. And even for those major matters, the cabinet minister would write down his own suggestions. He would often just take a look and send them to the Supervisor of Ceremonies for sealing.
Without the cabinet and these more than a hundred ministers, he would really be exhausted, and the operation of the court would immediately fall into chaos.
A feeling of powerlessness eroded his heart. He raised his head to meet Wang Jiaping's unyielding gaze, and the strength in his hands could not help but leak out.
The inkstone collided with the table, making a "clang" sound, accompanied by the emperor's tired and helpless words:
"You guys go down first... let me think about it."
Wang Jiaping exchanged glances with several of his colleagues. They also knew that they could not push the emperor too far.
After all, if the emperor is desperate and fighting for the stability of the court, then there is really nothing they can do. And just to lose the official position that Han Chuang had worked so hard for ten years for nothing would undoubtedly be a huge loss. After all, they didn't really want to resign.
Judging from the current situation, it is obvious that Wanli has given in. He knows that he cannot lose the cabinet and the support of his ministers. Presumably, he will make the right choice, and Wang Jiaping decides to give up.
"I am waiting for good news."
Wang Jiaping saluted and then led the crowd to retreat.
It wasn't until they walked some distance out of the door that a roar suddenly sounded in the emperor's study room, accompanied by the sound of things overturning.
Wang Jiaping and others heard it, but they had no intention of stopping.
Anger, so what?
Don’t we have to compromise with them in the end?
It seemed that there were only more than a hundred resignations, which did not arouse the opposition of all the ministers, but in fact, the direction of the whole court was one-sided, and these more than a hundred people were basically officials in more important positions in the court.
Although many officials did not submit their resignations, they wrote memorials requesting the establishment of a crown prince, or expressed dissatisfaction with the vacant throne in public.
My respected Majesty, what can you do? We represent Shilin, but also countless civil servants in the world! And you...what is there?
Those incompetent eunuchs? Or is it a noble person who has either become corrupted or is still in his infancy?
Wang Jiaping's eyes were filled with pride.
Almost all the ministers stood behind him, and he had never felt such a powerful force... It was as if he was the ruler of this great world at this time!
…
Emperor Wanli was not stupid. He knew that he could not contend with such a large civil servant group by himself, so he began to look for his allies.
Soon, he discovered a few colors that were out of place in the court.
In this situation where supporting the establishment of the emperor's eldest son as crown prince has become "politically correct" for the Ming Dynasty, some officials have never made a voice.
Shen Shixing, the chief minister of the cabinet, is one.
Yan Chenhao, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is also one.
In addition, not counting those low-level ones, those of fourth rank and above, there are also a few people who remain silent. If you check their resumes, you will find that they all have some connection with the Chen Guogong Mansion, or the Ningbo Mansion. A disciple of Shen Shixing, or a former official of Shen Shixing.
At this time, Wanli was completely isolated and helpless in the court, and he was eager for allies. So he secretly sent eunuchs to their mansion to ask their opinions on this matter, hoping to get some support from them.
Yan Chenhao wrote a secret letter in his mansion and asked the eunuch to forward it to Wanli:
"Your Majesty, the one who is panicking at this time should not be you, but the officials who have resigned."
"They have studied hard for ten years and gone through many hardships before they can reach the position of minister, minister, and cabinet bachelor. They are inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. If you want to say who is the most unwilling to give up, it must be them."
"What I'm saying now is just to retreat in order to make progress, hoping to force His Majesty to compromise. But if His Majesty refuses to compromise and appears to let them go to work, then they will definitely be the ones who are panicked, and the initiator will become The target of public criticism.”
This letter made Wanli suddenly realize. The anger on his face disappeared in an instant, and his face was instantly filled with smiles.
The other ministers either gave their own opinions or said nothing, intending to stand still until they received clear instructions from Chen Guogong's government.
There are only a few words in Shen Shixing's letter:
"The emperor holds the ninety-five statues and controls the world. He must obey the emperor's orders."
"Why are you being held hostage by the ministers now?"
Shen Shixing, who had always been amiable, put away his easy-going attitude and used plain and sarcastic words, piercing the emperor's heart like a sharp sword.
When Wan Li heard this, his face turned red and his teeth clenched. He was deeply stimulated by Shen Shixing's words.
Yes, he, the majestic emperor, was forced to be like this. In this big world, who is in charge?
The emperor's heart was already full of anger because of his frustration. This suddenly added fuel to the fire and completely ignited his anger!
He slapped the table and shouted:
"Where is the commander of the Jin Yiwei?"
(End of chapter)
