When the news of Tingzhang spread, the government and the public were shocked.
More than a hundred officials, including several second- and third-grade officials, were all beaten in front of the Meridian Gate, which showed the emperor's anger.
And those officials who resigned from Shangshu were even more regretful. Not only did they receive a beating, but they also lost their official positions. This deal was really a loss.
In order to keep their official positions, some officials went to court overnight, saying that they had been deceived by Wang Jiaping and others before, but now they woke up under the emperor's persuasion (physics) and were willing to continue serving the Ming Dynasty.
Although some people did not openly express their support, they also impeached Wang Jiaping, indirectly expressing their position, hinting to the emperor: We are one of our own!
For a time, his ugly appearance was revealed.
Wanli was naturally very satisfied after receiving these letters. Sure enough, as Yan Chenhao said, these guys looked like gentlemen and loyal ministers on the surface, but in fact, they cared a lot about their official positions, so they were easily manipulated by the emperor. .
And he didn't really want to fire these ministers. After all, they were all central ministers who had been handling government affairs for many years. If they all left, even if they were replaced, it would cause the court to be inoperable and ineffective in government affairs for a long time. , which is not a good thing for a huge empire.
So not long after, when some officials had already packed their bags and were preparing to return home sadly, Shen Shixing and Yan Chenhao entered the palace.
Then, a decree like a fairy voice came from the palace.
"I think you were also deceived by others and didn't pay attention for a while, but in the end, you are still loyal to the court. You don't need to become an official for the time being. You will stay on the job for observation."
This is simply the rain after a severe drought, nourishing the hearts of officials.
Then there was gossip that it was Shen Shixing and Yan Chenhao who argued hard with the emperor and objected to ordering these officials to leave, and finally allowed the emperor to issue such an order. Suddenly, their reputations soared.
Of course, there are smart people who can see that this is a double act, but so what? At least in name, they still have to acknowledge their love.
In a win-win situation, Shen Shixing and Yan Chenhao gained the gratitude of the ministers, and Wanli also successfully survived the resignation of the ministers.
Only Wang Jiaping's injured world was achieved.
Wanli said in his edict that they had been bewitched by someone. Although he did not say who it was, everyone knew it. Wang Jiaping felt that the emperor was simply slapping him in the face.
Wanli did not directly remove his official position. After all, although he was pedantic, he did make contributions to the Ming Dynasty. He was not a traitor. It was just a matter of stance between the two parties.
But he himself had no shame in staying in the court. The mistake of this attack almost caused the ministers to lose their official positions, and his reputation as the second assistant was naturally also greatly lost, so he submitted his resignation again.
After a symbolic attempt to persuade him to stay, Wanli agreed to his request and allowed him to return to his hometown as an official. Zhao Zhigao, the left minister of the Ministry of official affairs, entered the cabinet as a substitute, and Xu Guo took over the position of second minister.
Although he and Wang Xijue also participated in this incident, they were not the leaders after all. In addition, there was a scapegoat who attracted the firepower. Their responsibilities were naturally much lighter, so they were not allowed to serve.
Yan Chenhao, who left a deep impression on the emperor during this incident, was successfully promoted to the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, filling the vacancy left by Zhao Zhigao.
As soon as he was promoted, he was summoned to the palace by the emperor to receive him.
"I want to make the third son of the emperor the crown prince, how can I make it happen?"
After Yan Chenhao saluted, Wanli, who was sitting high on the throne, asked.
After this incident, Yan Chenhao was already connected with the emperor, so he asked directly without beating around the bush.
Yan Chenhao shook his head:
"The battle for the crown prince cannot be successful in a few days or months, Your Majesty. Look at the people in this world, who agrees with abolishing the eldest son and establishing a younger one? Even if there is a proper reason, it is difficult to succeed, let alone the eldest son now has no Blunder."
"Acting like this is like sailing against the current. No matter how strong the boat is, it will eventually be washed away and corroded by the current. It is not advisable."
Although Wanli has the support of Shen Shixing and Yan Chenhao, after all, they are facing the eldest son inheritance system that has been passed down for thousands of years. Now, from the court to Shilin, almost no one agrees and wants to forcefully establish a heir apparent. , that is to risk the world's disapproval, not to mention the huge pressure, it is certain to have a bad reputation, and may even lead to instability in the government.
Moreover, if something goes wrong later on, the third son of the emperor will become an example like Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, who "If you don't establish a heir apparent, your life will not last long." This is of course intolerable for the emperor.
Although Yan Chenhao didn't make it clear, Wanli quickly understood what he meant, and naturally understood that Yan Chenhao was not being alarmist, and his expression suddenly felt a little disappointed.
He originally thought that he could use the remaining power of his victory over the ministers to make the third prince a prince, but he didn't expect it to be impossible.
But at this time, Yan Chenhao smiled slightly and told his plan:
"Your Majesty, why don't you first make the eldest son and the third son king together?"
"Profess the king?" Wanli was a little dissatisfied. He squinted at Yan Chenhao below.
My goal is to make the third son of the emperor a prince. What does it mean to be crowned a king? If the third son of the emperor is crowned king, then I still need to find you?
Yan Chenhao explained calmly:
"Your Majesty, you are still in great prosperity during the Spring and Autumn Period. You can plan on establishing a heir slowly."
"If two kings are granted the title together and go out to study together, then the status of the two kings is at least equal on the surface. If they go out to study together, when the prince is established in the future, there will be less excuses for opposition from the officials."
Although at Zhu Changxun's age, it is a little early for him to leave the cabinet, but extraordinary times require extraordinary measures, and the education of the emperor and the princes are different. If the third son of the emperor also leaves the cabinet to study together, it will be impossible for the ministers to be separated. reason.
Being crowned king at the same time allows everyone to slowly adapt to the equality of status between the two, so that when the time comes for the canonization, there will not be strong opposition and dissatisfaction due to the huge contrast.
Moreover, the arrogance of the ministers had been suppressed by seven to eight points before. If this had been proposed in the past, it would have been due to the strong opposition from both the government and the opposition, who insisted on appointing the emperor's eldest son as heir apparent. But now they have just been "redeemed" by Shen Shixing and Yan Chenhao, and are still in the "probation" stage, unless they are Wanli really wanted to register such a big event as the third son of the emperor, otherwise he would not dare to mess around, for fear that he would really lose his official position.
If the two kings are granted the same title, the probability of success is very high.
Emperor Wanli reviewed the process in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more feasible he felt, so he nodded slightly and said in approval:
"My love, your words are very good, very good! I will follow your plan!"
(End of chapter)
