News of the chief assistant's death spread quickly.
The emperor did not want to bear the infamy of killing his master, so the news from the palace was that Yan Chenhao was old and could not withstand the harsh environment of the prison, and finally fell ill and died.
To express his grief and respect, the emperor announced that he would be vegetarian for a month.
He also punished all the jailers who participated in this matter with sticks.
Of course, if they failed to survive a mere fifty sticks, that was their own business.
Not only that, Yan Chenhao's son Yan Qiansheng was also promoted from the doctor of the Ministry of Rites to the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, from the fifth rank to the fourth rank.
It seems to be full of sincerity, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that the master of sacrificial rituals in Taichang Temple does not have much power in itself, and it is even better to stay in the Ministry of Rites.
Almost no one would believe the emperor's words.
Although Yan Chenhao is very old, his body is still quite strong, otherwise he would not be able to handle the affairs of the world and still be able to handle it with ease.
Moreover, he died not long after he was imprisoned. Are you lying?
However, they naturally would not directly say that the emperor's methods were cruel, so most of them chose to remain silent. A few loyal ministers, Shang Shu, angrily accused the emperor and were naturally thrown into prison.
And the emperor's next actions proved this point.
Although Yan Qian was promoted, other members of the Yan clan in the court found excuses to be kicked out, or were demoted and transferred to other places, away from the central government.
The imperial court is undergoing a comprehensive reshuffle.
…
The news spread to the south and reached the ears of Duke Yue and Yan Ling.
"Uncle...he died like this?"
The contemporary Duke of Yue seemed a little unbelievable at the death of his distant uncle.
After all, not long ago, he had the power to dominate the government and denounce Fang Qiu. In terms of power, throughout the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, apart from Yan Ling and Yan Keng, he was the only one. Even if he was the Duke of Yue, his power was not as powerful as this uncle, who was a role model in the family.
Surprisingly, it just went like this.
Yan Ling said calmly:
"In the face of power, even biological brothers will kill each other, let alone teachers and students who are purely connected by morality and emotion?"
"...Actually, death may not be the only way for him. He may fake his own death and abscond, or I can come out with my nobles to rescue him, or even... he can still have a chance to survive. It's better than just waiting to die."
Duke Yue said.
"This is his own choice...let him stick to his loyalty..."
Yan Ling lowered his eyes and said softly.
He thought of his younger brother. As he gets older, he always likes to recall the past. This is one of the few pleasures he has left.
The Duke of Yue was still filled with indignation.
After all, although I may not agree with this loyal uncle, his loyalty is still admirable.
He was still grumbling: "Zu, what should we do next? My uncle can't die in vain."
As the shadow behind him grew larger, his fear of the empire in front of him became smaller and smaller.
At this time, he even had some thoughts of revenge against the emperor.
"You're right."
"Then let's collect some interest first..."
…
"Master Chief Assistant passed away?"
"How is that possible...could it be fake news?"
When the news spread, it caused huge waves both in Shilin and among the people.
Although the Ming Dynasty has been in turmoil over the years, no one would blame the chief minister for this. Most people still admire and be grateful to him.
Among the scholars, he is regarded as a model for implementing the mantra of "cultivate oneself, harmonize one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world."
However, he died quietly in prison.
Many people don't believe it.
However, when Changle Bookstore's commentary came out, they had to believe it even if they didn't believe it.
Suddenly, the people cried and howled loudly, and many scholar-bureaucrats sighed.
At the same time, almost on the same day that Changle Bookstore published this article, there was a rumor among the people:
The first assistant did not die of illness, but was killed by the emperor.
The rumor appeared very suddenly, but it had its own nose and eyes. What was even more bizarre was that this rumor did not spread from one place like the demon book. It spread throughout the Ming Dynasty almost at the same time, and quickly intensified.
"The chief assistant was buried just a few days after being imprisoned. I'm afraid there is something hidden!"
"Who says it's not the case? Those jailers and Dongchang fans all died afterwards...Tsk, tsk, this isn't silence, what is it?"
"I heard that Mr. Yan was sentenced to death by the emperor! Because..."
The rumors spread all over the country in an instant, and with their logic, they conquered all the people and scholars.
His eyes of suspicion and anger were cast towards the supreme throne.
…
"Who is spreading the news? Who is spreading the news!"
Inside the palace, a sound of ringing bells could be heard, and the imperial study room was already in a mess.
While the emperor roared angrily, he slammed the object in his hand on the head of a eunuch. Although his head was bleeding profusely, he knelt there in fear and did not dare to move at all.
"Didn't you say it was foolproof!"
The emperor's hands trembled slightly, which was a sign of nervousness and panic. He looked at Wang Tiqian.
"Slave, I don't know... Those who knew the matter have all been dealt with, and the remaining few are all His Majesty's concubines... I really don't know!"
Wang Tiqian was also panicked. He was afraid that the emperor would withdraw and push the cylinder, so he kowtowed to the ground with a bang, even though there were bright red blood stains on the floor.
"Check! Check for me! Jinyiwei and Dongchang are all dispatched, check for me!"
The emperor said with red eyes. At this time, the anger and panic in his heart could not be contained.
Why did he secretly poison Yan Chenhao at night by poisoning him with wine, instead of directly killing his powerful ministers like other emperors did, such as Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty who killed Yu Wenhu in the Hall of Hanren, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty who killed Er Zhurong in the Hall of Mingguang? In public?
You must know that if this is successful, it will show the emperor's authority even more! However, he chose another path.
Because no matter what he said, Yan Chenhao was still his teacher, so this was ultimately immoral. As the saying goes, the king of heaven and earth is the master, this principle is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Confucian society. Now that he, the emperor, is taking the lead in violating it, what will the scholars below think when they hear this?
The king's father has lost his virtue.
To put it more seriously, this may even shake the country's foundation, especially now that the country is already in some turmoil.
Even Wanli, no matter how much he hated Zhang Juzheng, only acted on his descendants after Zhang Juzheng's natural death. He did not directly kill his master, so it did not cause much repercussions.
Moreover, if all such ministers were killed, who else would be willing to die for the country?
Therefore, after Yan Chenhao's death, he immediately ordered the news to be buried, pretending that he died of illness, so that everything would fall into place and he would be able to securely monopolize power.
However, it is unknown who leaked the news.
As the news spread, he indeed aroused strong dissatisfaction and attack from Shilin.
Even when he took the throne, he was not as popular as he is now.
If it were in the prosperous times, forget it, but now the country is not stable.
He felt that something was rapidly disappearing between his fingers.
He was afraid.
He cannot let this huge political turmoil continue.
When Wang Tiqian heard this, he felt as if he was being pardoned. He quickly got up and ran away.
The emperor finally stopped his crazy destructive behavior.
He moved back and sat down on the throne.
He put his hands in his hair and lamented.
You shouldn't have listened to Wang Ti doing that damn slave.
(End of chapter)
