"Come here, call the imperial doctor quickly!" Zhu Qizhen said solemnly, "We must rescue Yang Qing."
Then, the conversation changed again, "Let's continue. Do you have any notes?"
The ministers were speechless by the little emperor. At the same time, they also realized that the little emperor was not as easy to fool as they thought.
…
The imperial doctor used acupuncture and pinching the person, and finally saved Old Yangtou.
"Where...is this?" Yang Shiqi was weak.
"Where's the middle hall?" Wang Zhen came up happily, "Master Yang, please hold on, you have to live longer!"
"You...ahem..." Yang Shiqi was furious and cursed secretly: If I had known this, when the Empress Dowager chopped you down, I would never have interceded with you until I died. Damn it, why didn't I let the Empress Dowager chop you down? And you?
On second thought, he wasn't angry anymore.
Even his colleagues were in trouble, let alone an eunuch?
"Where's Yang Ji?"
"I'm locked up." Wang Zhen still remembered some old feelings and helped him sit up. "The emperor said that Yang Ji is Yang Ji and Yang Qing is Yang Qing. After the old man returns home in fine clothes, he will spend his old age in peace."
Yang Shiqi was silent for a long time and asked, "Can Yang Ji go back with me?"
"Our family can't make the decision." Wang Zhen shook his head, "But... we advise you not to mention it."
Yang Shiqi was filled with bitterness and had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, "Can Yang Ji suffer less?"
Wang Zhen thought for a while, "We don't dare to guarantee it, but we will help you bring the news."
"So... thank you very much." Yang Shiqi cupped his hands and felt a little comforted. He couldn't say these words. The little emperor hated him to the core, so begging for mercy would be counterproductive.
The wilted eunuch could still do this, but those colleagues... Yang Shiqi suddenly felt a sense of hatred.
Since ancient times, most of the powerful officials have not ended well. He has reached this point, no one can blame him, and he has no intention of blaming others. He even doesn't hate the little emperor.
If it were him, he wouldn't be able to accommodate himself, a bachelor of the cabinet and minister of the Ministry of War.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford to lose, he was really pissed off by those people's lack of limits.
Yang Shiqi stood up staggeringly, "I want to see the emperor."
"Your Majesty knows that Mr. Yang Ge wants to see him and is waiting for you at Qianqing Palace." Wang Zhen said with a smile, "Come with us."
Yang Shiqi remained silent and followed Wang Zhen to Qianqing Palace.
~
The afternoon has ended.
Zhu Qizhen leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes to rest. A thirteen-year-old child has an old temperament, which seems very inconsistent.
"We can't be arrogant and complacent, let alone take it lightly. The reason why it went so smoothly this time is because the overall interests of the civil servants were not affected. It doesn't mean that we have really cured them. It's still a long way from being cured." Zhu Qizhen said softly to himself, "Mr. Li You are right. When we conquer Burma and Siam, we cannot let them think that I am going to the West again, otherwise it will be very difficult to implement it..."
Seeing Xiao Huangmen hurriedly come in, Zhu Qi straightened his posture and said, "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, Grand Scholar Yang would like to see you."
Zhu Qizhen nodded: "Well, let him come in."
After a while, Yang Shiqi came in with difficult steps, bowed and prostrated:
"Old minister, long live my emperor..."
"Get up quickly." Zhu Qizhen stepped forward to help him up and asked with concern: "Is Mr. Ge okay?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, I'm... okay." Yang Shiqi cupped his hands. Looking at such a little emperor, he couldn't help but sigh: After all, he underestimated the little emperor!
Now that the matter has come to this, any words can be said to be pretentious. Yang Shiqi said directly: "Yang Ji is causing trouble to the village because I don't know how to teach my son. I can't even teach my son well. How can I still be qualified to serve in the court again? I hope the emperor will allow it." An old minister returns to his hometown after serving as official official."
"Huh?" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "Yang Ji is Yang Ji, and Yang Qing is Yang Qing. What Mr. Ge said is serious."
Yang Shiqi smiled bitterly: "I don't care about myself, but I am old and unable to do what I can!"
"The elder is mature and prudent, I can't live without you!"
…
After three concessions and three concessions, Zhu Qizhen reluctantly let go.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say, and I won't be happy if I don't say it." Yang Shiqi said.
As the saying goes, when a person is about to die, his words are also good. Yang Shiqi is about to leave the country, and Zhu Qizhen can no longer be angry with him.
"you say."
"Taizu started his business, and Taizong started his business again, pushing the Ming Dynasty to its peak. Renzong and Xuanzong were both wise rulers, and this is how the Ming Dynasty came into being." Yang Shiqi said, "However, after the death of the late emperor, the Ming Dynasty began to decline. well……!"
"It's my fault."
"No, it has nothing to do with the Emperor." Yang Shiqi shook his head, "It's the minister's problem!"
After a pause, he added: "However, even if there is no minister, the situation will not be much better. Your Majesty, just listen to what I have to say."
"Well, you tell me." Zhu Qizhen was quite tolerant.
Yang Shiqi was an important minister of several dynasties, and Zhu Qizhen paid great attention to his parting words.
"Officials in the Ming Dynasty have suffered the most in the past dynasties." Yang Shiqi said: "The emperor may have thought that the official salary was enough to cover living expenses, but in fact... it was enough, but it was by no means rich;
Of course, this has nothing to do with salary. Even if the salary is doubled, officials will still be greedy. "
"What does that have to do with?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Yang Shiqi said seriously: "Power."
"The power of the scholar-bureaucrats in the Han and Tang Dynasties was so high that they could even challenge the emperor!" Yang Shiqi said, "It was not until the Song Dynasty that the imperial power was effectively strengthened, but... it was very limited;
This is also the reason why emperors and scholar-bureaucrats in the past dynasties shared the world. It was not that they did not want to consolidate imperial power, but that they could not do it. "
Zhu Qizhen was raised as an heir since he was born. He was familiar with classics and history and did not refute Yang Shiqi's words.
He just said: "My Ming Dynasty did it, Taizu did it."
"Yes!" Yang Shiqi nodded: "Taizu's talents and strategies were great, but Taizu relied on more than just his talents and strategies."
"what else?"
"Opportunity!"
Zhu Qizhen was puzzled, "Go on."
“Since Qin Shihuang unified the world, whether it was the Han who overthrew the Qin, the Tang who overthrew the Sui, or the Song Taizu who ended the troubled times, they have not done a real shuffle, because their predecessors were all Han Chinese;
Until the Mongols took over the Central Plains, the cruelty of the former Yuan Dynasty really hit the aristocratic families, and the troubled times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty pushed the aristocratic families into the abyss;
This is the reason why the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty surpassed that of previous dynasties! "
"Every word is precious." Zhu Qizhen commented.
Yang Shiqi continued: "As long as the aristocratic family wants to regain its former peak, the battle between kings and ministers will not stop;
Taizu and Taizong were both iron-fisted emperors, and they could only tolerate their grievances. Renzong knew how to be lenient, and Xuanzong knew how to check and balance, so the situation was maintained.
But that doesn't mean they gave up, in fact, the fight never stopped, it was just suppressed by them;
The emperor ascended the throne at a young age and was unable to intimidate the ministers. This was the reason for the decline of the Ming Dynasty. "
Zhu Qizhen nodded.
Yang Shiqi continued: "Perhaps in the eyes of the emperor, I am an out-and-out powerful minister, even a treacherous minister, but what I want to say is that if Yu Qian is in charge of the power, not only will it not be better, but it will only be worse, or maybe He can't even protect himself!
Without him, those people were suppressed terribly by the previous emperors. If they didn't compromise, there would definitely be big trouble! Yang Shiqi said: "For example, when Your Majesty first ascended the throne, rumors spread in the capital that the Empress Dowager would welcome Prince Xiang to the throne;
Its purpose is not just to drive a wedge between you and the Queen Mother, but someone really wants to do that;
It was Chen, Yang Rong and Yang Pu who stabilized the situation! "
"Yes, you have stabilized the situation." Zhu Qizhen sneered and nodded, "But you compromised too much, right?"
Yang Shiqi was silent.
After a long time, he said bitterly: "In the end, I couldn't help myself anymore."
After a pause, he said, "I forgive you for being bold. I have the heartfelt words to give to the Emperor."
"you say."
"In terms of political checks and balances among all previous emperors, no one could compare to the late emperor. Only the late emperor was able to achieve both checks and balances and governance in a true sense." Yang Shiqi said, "I hope the emperor can follow the example of the late emperor and create the peak of the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Qizhen deeply agreed with this: "I will follow the example of the late emperor."
"In this case, I can rest assured." Yang Shiqi bowed his head and said, "I...retired."
Zhu Qizhen stepped forward to help him up and said softly: "Live a good life."
"I...obey your order."
At this moment, the two of them seemed to be monarchs and ministers in the true sense.
~
Yang Shiqi left. On the day before he left, no one except Yang Pu saw him off.
Everyone stared at Yang Shiqi's position, their eyes shining.
A new round of power struggle is about to begin...
