Yan Chenhao shook his head and said with relief:
"Those rotten scholars just stick to etiquette and refuse to change. They only see the inherited rules without any changes. Some people are just doing it for the so-called reputation. It's not that you did something wrong, but that your choice is in line with their interests. back."
"What's wrong with your majesty? Everyone has the love for their children."
"What's more, King Fu is indeed smart and his learning progress is extremely fast. With him as the crown prince, he will be a great blessing to the world."
"Cao Mengde once said, 'Having a son should be like Sun Zhongmou'. If he saw King Fu like this in his lifetime, he would probably change his tune."
Yan Chenhao even gave a small compliment, which made Emperor Wanli grin involuntarily, and the annoyance in his heart had dissipated a lot unconsciously.
Who doesn’t want his son to become a talented person?
He just said it casually. In fact, he understood why such a situation occurred. He just wanted to find someone with similar ideas to him. Now that he was relieved, he felt much better.
In the final analysis, it was just a struggle between an emperor who was trying to change the throne and the scholar-bureaucrats who resolutely defended ethics, nothing more.
"I still love you deeply in my heart!" He sighed:
"Prince Rong is mediocre and unfit to be an emperor! Those ministers only know how to oppose me, thinking that I just prefer Prince Fu, but they don't understand what I am thinking about for the sake of the country! They are trying every possible means to fight against me."
"Even the scholars of Jinke don't understand my intentions, and I actually did such a thing, which brought great disgrace to the imperial court!"
As soon as he mentioned Juzi, a look of hatred suddenly appeared on his face. The princes jointly signed the petition. This situation was rare throughout the Ming Dynasty. It made him seem like a heinous king. Of course he held a grudge.
"The disciples were just temporarily deceived by others. It was not their intention. If they knew your majesty's good intentions, they would definitely support you."
Yan Chenhao said, then he changed the subject and mentioned another matter:
"Your Majesty, the princes have been punished by Your Majesty, and they may be reflecting on themselves now. You don't need to worry about it... There is another matter that I think I should report to Your Majesty. It has not rained in the capital for more than a month, and now people are also talking about it. , saying that it is precisely because you have not established a prince for a long time that the sky is angry and does not drop any water. I am afraid that if you allow them to spread rumors, something will happen..."
Hearing this, Wanli suddenly became furious:
"It's the rumor spread by some thief again, and so are those stupid people, who listen to the wind and it's rain!"
"This was the case in the original "Wei Wei Hong Yi", and it is like this now! If I catch someone spreading rumors, he will be executed in Lingchi!"
But Yan Chenhao suggested:
"Why doesn't Your Majesty follow King Sejong's example and personally pray for rain? After all, this matter is aroused among the people, and many foolish men and women really believe it. As long as Your Majesty personally prays for rain and asks for rain, the rumors will be self-defeating."
"It just so happens that Your Majesty has not left the palace for a long time, so that all the officials and people can admire his beauty."
This is true. Since the fifteenth year of Wanli, except for the time when the Japanese envoys came, Emperor Wanli has hardly shown his face. Only the top cabinet ministers can see him.
To be honest, this was the most lazy thing in the Ming Dynasty. Even in Jiajing, he would meet with officials from other dynasties from time to time. It was rare for someone like Wanli to stay in the palace completely, so he took this opportunity to show his face. , which is also good, otherwise everyone would not be at ease!
Brother, why haven't you shown up? Are you dead inside?
Wanli nodded, but with a little hesitation:
"But if no rain falls after praying for rain, wouldn't it only embolden the arrogance of those spreading rumors?"
"Your Majesty, as the emperor, prays to the gods for rain. How come there is no rain? If your Majesty is really worried, you can also bring the princes to show your sincerity. In this case, God will definitely be moved, so how can it not rain? "
Yan Chenhao said softly, which seemed to have a different meaning.
Wanli didn't think much about it. He just recalled the incident of praying for rain during the Jiajing period.
That rain was truly like a miracle. It was even recorded in the records and praised by future generations.
The fact that it can be recorded in history books shows the authenticity of this matter. After all, "Records of King Sejong" is not some official unofficial history. Unless the historian is crazy, he must have seen it with his own eyes before writing it into the history books.
Since grandpa can do it, there's no reason why he can't.
And bringing his own heir is considered extremely respectful, and God will definitely not deny this face.
The more Wanli thought about it, the more confident he became, so he nodded and agreed:
"Okay, in that case, let's choose an auspicious day and pray for rain in person! The location should be at King Jingping's temple!"
After all, the last miracle happened in Jingpingwang Temple, which proves that there is really a god blessing there, and the probability of success will be higher if you go there.
Yan Chenhao promised that he would naturally not argue with Wanli about this. Although King Jingping's reputation among the people now does not actually require the emperor's endorsement. "The Legend of the Heroes of the Ming Dynasty" is too widely circulated, but it would be a good thing for Wanli if he is willing.
The matter was settled.
As the Qintian Supervisor determined the auspicious day, the eunuchs began to clear and clean the temple, and the news quickly spread throughout the capital.
The emperor will visit the Jingping Prince Temple to pray for rain!
The news was like a gust of wind, sweeping through the entire capital, and the people who got the news were extremely excited.
That is the emperor, the supreme heavenly family! In the past, they lived in the palace boudoir for a long time, and even high-ranking officials were rarely seen. But now they can catch a glimpse of his appearance. What an honor it is!
Moreover, they soon received news that not only Emperor Wanli, but also his princes, including the two kings, would also appear!
Suddenly, countless people became excited.
Those two kings who have been controversial among the people for a long time have already aroused their curiosity. Will they appear now?
Suddenly, a storm surged in the capital, and all the people were looking forward to that day.
And Gu Boyang naturally got the news.
He gathered all the ministers and planned to participate in praying for rain and get a glimpse of the emperor's face... Of course, he also wanted to see the king's grace by the way.
Gu Boyang is different from Zhang Yicheng. Because of his own prejudices, what his elders told him was not the real facts, but what he had "artistically processed".
How could a minister who had always been opposed to King Fu have a good impression of him? But Gu Boyang believed it.
So he really felt that this was a good time to make a name for King Rong.
(End of chapter)
