Gao Jingshi's move obviously exceeded Zhu Yijun's expectations. He was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "Pragmatically, even you want to do this to me?"
"The reason why Wei Chen has done so little over the years is because of the Emperor's trust. If the Emperor no longer trusts Wei Chen, then even if he remains in his position from now on, it will be nothing more than a mere meal in his place. , all of which are of no benefit.”
Gao Jingshi sighed and said: "I have a good family fortune. Even if I retire from office and return to my hometown, I will still have half my life's peace and happiness. Maybe I can even devote myself to writing and leave a few volumes of manuscripts for future generations. In the end, I will live in this world in vain." Even if it happens, it’s a blessing.”
Zhu Yijun's face turned blue and he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't I trust you enough?"
"The emperor's trust in his ministers is incomparable to the heights of the mountains and the depths of the sea." Gao pragmatically replied.
"Then you still say that I don't trust you!"
"What the emperor just said was based on the ability of the minister and not the righteousness of the minister. He even accused the minister of ignoring the emperor's wishes." Gao pragmatic sighed again and said: "However, the minister's righteousness cannot be proved by himself, and the minister's ability Let's stop here. The emperor has no family affairs, and I can no longer do the best of both worlds in this matter. I am really incompetent, and I am afraid that I am no longer enough to win the emperor's trust, so I ask you to go."
"You..." Zhu Yijun pointed at Gao Pragmatic, but he just opened his mouth, swallowed the words that were on his lips, and said, "Get up, let's talk properly."
Gao pragmatic remained silent and made no move.
Zhu Yijun saw this and said angrily: "I won't allow you to say anything!"
Gao pragmatic sighed and stood up slowly, but he did not put on his crown and hat. He just raised his hand between his chest and abdomen and stood solemnly, as if he was listening to the holy teachings.
Zhu Yijun looked at him seriously, then suddenly stepped forward, snatched the crown and hat from his hand, and put it on his head again. At the same time, he said: "Pragmatically, this is the first time in my life that I have arranged the crown and ribbon for someone."
Gao Pragmatic was startled at first, and then showed a look of struggle on his face. The original perseverance on his face was like the snow under the spring sun, which was melting visibly to the naked eye. He bowed deeply and said: "I...wan die."
"You don't have to die." Zhu Yijun took Gao Pragmatic's right arm and said, "Follow me."
It's okay not to come, because Zhu Yijun used a lot of strength. If Gao Pragmatic doesn't follow his wishes, he's afraid that his sleeves will be torn, and it will become a legend in the world when he goes out. Who knows what it will be arranged by some idle people.
So the emperor pulled Gao Pragmatic, and the two of them entered the east wing one after the other. This is a study room, the furnishings look pragmatic and very familiar. Zhu Yijun often studied here in the first few years after he succeeded to the throne, so even if Gao Pragmatic closed his eyes here, he would not bump into anything.
The emperor pulled him over, pushed him onto the chair behind another desk next to the throne, and said, "Sit down and don't move." Then he turned around, walked back to the royal table, and sat down as well.
At this time, Zhu Yijun said: "Remember? We were sitting like this twenty years ago, and you and I are still sitting like this today. How did you talk to me twenty years ago? I hope you can still talk to me like that today. .”
Gao Pragmatic said solemnly: "My lord, I obey the order."
"Did you talk to me like this twenty years ago?" Zhu Yijun was obviously not satisfied and asked with raised eyebrows.
Gao Pragmatic smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, you were not in charge of the government twenty years ago, and I was not a great scholar. With all due respect, although you were my emperor at that time, you were more of my classmate. But to this day, , you have been the king of the Ming Dynasty and the Zhongxing Dynasty for nearly thirty years, and I... am just one of the hundreds of officials."
"Really?" Zhu Yijun stared at Gao Pragmatic and said: "You were on the gold list in the eighth year of Wanli. Who among the three hundred Jinshi on the list now has a different status from you? Don't you recognize them as your peers? ?"
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "These two things cannot be generalized..."
"I don't see any difference!" Zhu Yijun suddenly stretched out his hand and interrupted arrogantly: "They are on the gold list with you, so they will be your same age in this life. You and I have been classmates for ten years, and naturally we will be classmates in this life. No one can change these experiences!”
Gao pragmatic had to remain silent.
"You have nothing to say?" Zhu Yijun snorted softly and said, "Can you talk properly now?"
Gao Pangshi had a wry smile on his face and said, "Yes, what does the emperor want to say?"
"What do I want to say? I..." Zhu Yijun felt angry for some reason. He slapped the table hard and said, "I just said the wrong thing, okay? Ah? If I say the wrong thing, you have to pay I gave up the choice? Are you deliberately angry with me? Are you wrong? Huh? "
This is really speaking straight from the heart, but fortunately the logic is still clear. Gao pragmatic could only smile bitterly, then cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I am at fault."
He obviously couldn't say that the emperor was wrong, so he could only answer the second half of the sentence.
"You also admit that you were wrong, right? Then this matter has been exposed, and you and I are not allowed to mention it again." Zhu Yijun said immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows: "Huh?"
"Okay, don't mention it anymore, don't mention it anymore."
"Hey, that's right." Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "Actually, you were still wrong just now."
"Oh, what's wrong?"
Zhu Yijun snorted softly and said, "You said you can't have it both ways. That's not right. You can obviously have it both ways."
Gao Pragmatic was silent for a moment, shook his head and said, "I thought we couldn't have both."
"Nonsense." Zhu Yijun said louder: "What you mean by not being able to have both worlds is simply that you feel that as one of the cabinet's bachelors, you cannot ignore the voices of the officials. So since Concubine Zheng is involved in this medicinal diet, then Concubine Zheng must be taught a lesson and she may even stop thinking about competing for the heir apparent, right?"
Gao pragmatic thought for a while and said: "The merits of right and wrong have their own merits. The reason why medicinal dietary eucalyptus must be investigated is because it involves harming the king..."
"I said, we are classmates discussing things today. There is no need to bring out these high-sounding words." Zhu Yijun waved his hands and said: "Just as you said to me that day, you yourself have no control over whether to punish Concubine Zheng. The reason why If you want to investigate the medicinal diet, in the final analysis, you must give an explanation to the officials based on your current status."
Zhu Yijun exhaled and continued: "What do the officials want? It's just to decide on the East Palace early. As long as the East Palace is decided, they won't bother to care about Concubine Zheng! Now that I have decided, I will follow your previous ideas. Let’s do it, let Hao’er be the crown prince, so don’t you have an explanation?”
is that so? Yes, but also no.
Gao pragmatic knew that the emperor knew everything in his heart, but after all, he was influenced by himself for many years and his acting skills were superb. Zhu Yijun's words may have been 90% sincere, but there was also a hint of deliberate stupidity.
What is the key to this problem? According to what Zhu Yijun said, isn't the key to your civil servant group's request for the early establishment of a crown prince? Now I have compromised, and I am compromising on your pragmatic side. You should be satisfied with your pragmatism. Your group in the civil service group must also be satisfied, and even if the rest of the people are dissatisfied, they can't find any other reason. .
But, is this really the truth? Not really!
To clarify this issue, it is better to ask directly: No matter in the past or present, what is the Wanli Dynasty’s struggle over the country’s foundation?
The historical dispute over the Wanli country began when Zhu Changxun was born in the 14th year of Wanli, and ended when Zhu Changxun was forced to vassal Luoyang after the eucalyptus attack in the 42nd year of Wanli. This lasted for nearly thirty years.
The starting point of the current national dispute can basically be regarded as unchanged, and the end... may be just around the corner, or it may be far away.
According to the Ming Dynasty's imperial succession principle, the candidate for the crown prince, known as Guoben, should be said to have been destined from the moment he was born. Therefore, the dispute between Zhu Yijun and the civil service group over the candidate for the crown prince was Guoben. It has lasted for nearly thirty years. This incident itself is very puzzling to people who don't know what's going on.
However, it is obvious that Zhu Yijun and the civil service group have nothing to do, so he and the civil service group will inevitably have their own considerations in the battle for the country. Judging from the entire process of the national dispute, the national dispute can obviously be divided into three stages, and the different essences are reflected in the three stages of the national dispute.
The events of this dynasty have been described in the previous article, so there is no need to say them again. Let’s look at the historical disputes over the country: at the beginning of the fourteenth year of Wanli, the third son of the emperor Zhu Changxun was born. On the third day of February, Shen Shixing, the chief minister of the cabinet, approached Zhu Yijun and requested that Zhu Changluo, the eldest son of the emperor, who was already five years old, be appointed as the crown prince.
The reason given by Shen Shixing is very high-sounding: "I found out the story of the ancestral dynasty. Xuanzong was established in the third year of Xuande, Yingzong was two years old when he was the crown prince, Xianzong was established in the eleventh year of Chenghua, and Xiaozong was six years old when he was the crown prince. Years old, Xiaozong established Wuzong as the crown prince in the fifth year of Hongzhi, and he was not yet one year old. He was promoted to a reserve at the age of the tomb, so the weight of the earthquake device was obvious; in the same year, Zhe was promoted, so the merits of Duan Meng's support were established. The existence of the constitution can be clearly tested .”
On the surface, Shen Shixing's reason was entirely for the sake of the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty. However, if we look at the specific situation at the time, it is not difficult to find that Shen Shixing's request to establish the crown prince was completely unreasonable.
As mentioned many times before, the Ming Dynasty's appointment of crown princes was based on the system of direct eldest son, which means "there are direct descendants and no direct descendants", and it is not a succession system. Therefore, although Zhu Changluo was the eldest son of Ming Shenzong, he was not the eldest son. Moreover, Ming Shenzong and the queen were only twenty-one or twelve years old at the time. Who can guarantee that the eldest son would not be born? If Zhu Changluo is rashly appointed as the crown prince at this time, wouldn't it be more troublesome to wait until the eldest son is born to change the crown prince?
The above situation has basically not changed in this life, so once the incident occurred, before the emperor could worry, Gao Pragmatic came up with a solution: he said that he would wait for the birth of his eldest son. The emperor complied, so Ansheng lived for several years without mentioning it again.
It was similar in the original history. Although there was no highly pragmatic suggestion, Zhu Yijun dismissed it in the same way. However, although Shen Shixing did not go to work again, other people in the civil service group quit. For example, Jiang Yinglin, who was in charge of the household affairs department, and Sun Rufa, who was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and others successively petitioned to appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince.
It is impossible for anyone in the civil service group to not know what the heir system is and the troubles that may arise from appointing Zhu Changluo as the crown prince. However, no one stood up and explicitly opposed the appointment of Zhu Changluo as the crown prince. From this we can see that Shen Shixing, Jiang Yinglin, Sun Rufa and others actually represent the attitude of the civil servant group.
Therefore, the essence of the initial stage of the national dispute is that the civil servants are making unreasonable troubles - don't be impatient for now, and don't rush to the conclusion that the civil servants are making unreasonable troubles when they are full and have nothing to do. Let's wait and see later.
In the 20th year of Wanli, the civil service group still did not wait for the news of the queen's pregnancy. As a sign of the Li Xianke's appointment in the Etiquette Department and Zhong Yuzheng's appointment in the Official Affairs Department, they requested that Zhu Changluo be allowed to go out to study. Get up again.
The dispute over the foundation of the country has been going on for six years, but the civil service group is still unanimously demanding that Zhu Changluo be appointed as the crown prince. This is extremely abnormal. We must know that during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, even though the Li party had an absolute advantage, they could not unify their opinions at the court. Therefore, Zhu Yijun finally understood that the unanimous consensus of the civil servant group must be coordinated by someone behind the scenes.
After understanding this, no matter whether Zhu Yijun wanted to appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince or not, he could not appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince at this time, because doing so would play into the plans of the civil service group and the masterminds behind it - that is, one day Not registering Zhu Changluo as the crown prince means that Zhu Yijun will not be able to get rid of the suspicion of deposing the elder and establishing the younger.
Since Zhu Yijun cannot clear himself of suspicion, the civil servant group represented by Wang Xijue, the chief minister of the cabinet, can use their ultimate nirvana: Zhu Yuanzhang's family law of "with direct descendants, without direct descendants", and The rule of Wenjing in the Han Dynasty benefited from the early establishment of crown princes, and the shortest life span of the kings in the late Tang Dynasty was due to the failure to establish crown princes early.
After the civil service group used its ultimate move, Zhu Yijun was indeed put into a very passive situation, forcing him to adopt the last resort of delaying.
However, Zhu Yijun is not a wise and foolish person like his father. He is smart and has inherited some of his grandfather Jiajing's temper as if passed down from generation to generation. He will definitely not sit still and wait for death. Therefore, in order to weaken the power of the civil servant group and the masterminds behind it, Zhu Yijun took two measures: not to replace the missing officials and to send out mining supervisors and tax envoys.
However, the civil service group and the masterminds behind it did not compromise with Zhu Yijun because of this. Since your emperor has no official to fill, the civil service group will make up its own mind when handling government affairs that do not involve military affairs.
Now that your emperor has sent out mine supervisors and tax envoys, the masterminds behind the civil service group have organized massive campaigns against mine supervisors and tax envoys on the pretext of "competing with the people", and even directly incited the people to engage in many " Anti-mining tax” riot.
In the end, Zhu Yijun was helpless and was forced to appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince in the 29th year of Wanli. At this point, the nature of the national dispute at this stage is clear.
On the surface, the various efforts of the civil service group are just to get Zhu Yijun to appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince as soon as possible, but its deeper meaning is actually that the civil service group and its behind-the-scenes masterminds want to use Zhu Yuanzhang's family law and the rise and fall of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The past events can constrain and restrict the imperial power, thereby achieving the purpose of the emperor ruling by doing nothing, while the civil servant group and its behind-the-scenes masterminds take charge.
At the same time, in order to prevent himself from being forced to rule by inaction, Zhu Yijun could not find a more high-sounding reason to resist, so he could only resist by not filling the missing officials and sending out mine supervisors and tax envoys.
After Zhu Changluo was appointed as the crown prince, the struggle over the country did not end. In order to retaliate against the civil servant group and the masterminds behind it, Zhu Yijun did not stop failing to fill the vacancies and recalled the mine supervisors and tax envoys. Moreover, in order to wait for the opportunity, he also broke the convention that the vassal king had to go to the fief to join the vassal after he came of age, and allowed Zhu Changxun, who had been named Prince Fu, to stay in the capital as usual.
Finally, in the forty-second year of Wanli, with the assassination of Crown Prince Zhu Changluo in an inexplicable attack, the war over the country finally came to an end. Since Zhu Yijun did not take any new measures in this last stage, the essence of this stage is Zhu Yijun's final struggle.
After understanding the above principles, you can understand Zhu Yijun's pretending to be dumbfounded at this time.
Essentially, from the perspective of the entire civil service group, they don't really care much about who Zhu Yijun makes as the prince. Who he makes as the prince only affects the interests of individual factions - because the Xin School supports Zhu Changluo and the Practical School supports Zhu Chang. Hao.
As for why the Xin School insisted on supporting Zhu Changluo, it was because of what had happened before, which caused the "sunk costs" of the Xin School to be too high. This has been said before.
In short, although the civil service group has its own ideas about who to establish, the essence of the "national dispute" has never been about who to establish or not to establish, but to let the emperor know one thing: imperial power is limited, and Confucianism cannot be violated !
And now? The emperor wanted to play dumb.
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