This is a conspiracy, an unsolvable conspiracy!
The calculation of the civil servant group is obvious. It is not clever, but it is very effective.
Zhu Qiyu was promoted. As the Supreme Emperor, why couldn't Zhu Qizhen regain the throne?
Everyone understands this truth.
They believed that Zhu Qiyu also understood.
But... Zhu Qiyu was not too panicked.
Because of Li Qing's promise, and because the factory guards had already investigated and found clues, many of the reported disaster areas were exaggerated or even made up out of nothing.
The civil service group had a hold on his life, and he also held the other party's handle.
The worst they can do is hurt each other, I don't believe it, they can still rebel... Zhu Qiyu thought bitterly, cheering for himself.
The news brought back by the factory guards this time made him completely no longer trust the civil service group. When he first heard about it, he almost couldn't help but run away.
He thought he was doing good deeds and caring for his people, but unexpectedly he was treated as a fool and brutally killed. When he thought of the money, he couldn't help but feel heartache.
In the past, I felt that Zhu Qiyu was spending too much money, but now that I think about it, I wish I could slap myself in the face.
What a waste!
Zhu Qiyu was very angry, as would anyone else.
It's like meeting a poor beggar and giving him money. As a result, the beggar suddenly transforms into a rich man and goes out to live a debauched life.
When he was done, he spat and cursed: "People are stupid and have too much money."
Although he didn't hear it, he knew that the group must have thought so.
After this incident, Zhu Qiyu completely understood the reality. The true character of those ministers who spoke about benevolence, righteousness and morality but kept silent about the people of the world is really open to question.
It was hard for him not to suspect that many people were seeking personal gain for themselves under the guise of benefiting the people.
Zhu Qiyu spent a lot of money, but he didn't gain anything. At least... he learned a lesson.
…
Li Qing was pleased to find that Zhu Qiyu had changed. He was no longer so weak and became much tougher, saying 'no' more and more often.
This is a good sign!
Unlike Zhu Yunwen, who said he believed him while being led by the officials.
Correspondingly, the resistance of the civil service group has become increasingly fierce.
The two parties are like a young couple who just finished their honeymoon. After the sweetness has passed, they both find that the other party has a bad habit.
One feels that he is marrying a scumbag, and the other feels that he is marrying an ancestor.
'Domestic violence' is about to break out!
~
Winter moon.
The civil service group couldn't bear it any longer and took the lead in launching the first punch of 'domestic violence'.
Inciting public opinion, claiming that Zhu Qiyu was selfish, not welcoming the Emperor back, and disregarding the court's face; the eldest brother was like a father, making the Emperor suffer a lot, and was unkind, unjust, unfaithful and unfilial.
Of course, they would not dare to say such words in court.
But the news has spread throughout the capital, and a children's song has even been compiled.
Zhu Qiyu was very distressed. This was really spreading rumors and trying to refute them.
However... it is also true that Zhu Qiyu does not want to take Zhu Qizhen back.
From this aspect, Zhu Qiyu was not unjust.
At least he was better than Zhu Qizhen at the time. The civil servant group even spread rumors that Zhu Qizhen was not the son of Emperor Xuande.
Not long after, Zhu Qiyu held a meeting of the imperial court and made it clear that he would definitely welcome back the Emperor after a proper solution was worked out.
At the same time, he began to strictly deal with those officials who embezzled government funds under the guise of suffering from disasters.
Although they were all local officials, they had close relations with the officials in the capital. Following the clues, they managed to recruit more than ten people in the court, including a minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Zhu Qiyu's counterattack was simple, crisp and direct.
When the civil service group saw this posture, they were furious. This was completely different from what they imagined.
Before, I thought Zhu Qiyu was approachable and courteous, but now that I look at him again, I suddenly feel that I have wronged my beloved.
Dramas similar to family ethics dramas occurred one after another, and the conflicts between the monarch and his ministers became deeper and deeper, and the original harmony was no longer the same.
Because Zhu Qiyu was no different from Zhu Qizhen, and he was still a "half-way monk", this brought the dissatisfaction of the civil servant group to its peak.
You, a prince, are in power, why are you so tough?
They began to woo third parties.
…
Qianqing Palace.
Sun and Zhu Qiyu sat opposite each other.
"I heard that officials recently proposed to welcome back the Emperor, but the Emperor vetoed it?" Sun took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Is there such a thing?"
Zhu Qiyu shook his head slightly: "Some ministers suggested welcoming the Supreme Emperor back, but I did not reject it."
"Then why doesn't Your Majesty send someone to greet you?" Sun said, "It's almost the twelfth lunar month, and it's freezing cold on the grassland. Your Majesty, you can't bear to suffer the bitter cold, right?"
"Of course I can't bear it." Zhu Qiyu nodded and sighed bitterly: "On one side is the Supreme Emperor, my brother; on the other side is the country of the Ming Dynasty, and the Tatars who are dissatisfied with their desires;
The palms and backs of my hands are all flesh, so it’s really hard for me to choose. "
"The Queen Mother doesn't want me to ignore the Ming Dynasty in order to welcome the Supreme Emperor back, right?" Zhu Qiyu asked.
Sun's face darkened: "I..."
"Queen Mother, if that's true, even if the Supreme Emperor welcomes you back, he will still be stigmatized." Zhu Qiyu said sincerely, "Wouldn't that be an injustice to the Supreme Emperor?"
"I……"
"I think the Emperor would rather suffer than bear such a bad reputation." Zhu Qiyu said, "What does the Queen Mother think?"
Ms. Sun was choked twice in a row and almost hit the table with anger. She snorted coldly:
"Who knows if some people are deliberately making it more difficult to prevent the Supreme Emperor from returning?"
"This should not be possible," Zhu Qiyu said, "Every official wants the Supreme Emperor to come back, and I also want the Supreme Emperor to come back."
"Then you send people. If you haven't sent anyone, how do you know that the Tatars won't let them go?" Sun said angrily.
Zhu Qiyu nodded: "We will definitely send people, but we have to make preparations before talking. If we are not prepared, if the talks collapse, we will still suffer the consequences."
"What a sharp tongue." Sun broke the defense and refused to give any face at all, "What did you say before you ascended the throne? Ah?
Is that what you said to welcome back the Supreme Emperor?
Why are you talking about the righteousness of family and country for me now? Haha, do you think I am a fool? "
Zhu Qiyu's face felt hot, then he returned to normal and said seriously: "I will come up with a proper solution as soon as possible and then bring the Emperor back."
"Are you coming back for this?" Mrs. Sun said scornfully, "I'm afraid that even if we discuss it for another ten years, we still won't be able to come up with a proper solution."
"It definitely won't take that long." Zhu Qiyu assured.
But Sun sneered: "You really think that after becoming the emperor, you can do whatever you want, I tell you, there is no way!
Don’t forget, there is still a prince in the East Palace;
There are some things that can't be done even if the Emperor doesn't come back! "
Zhu Qiyu's heart trembled, and his face instantly turned ugly.
This is the truth. He, the King of Yin, can be the emperor, why can't Zhu Jianshen, the prince?
In terms of legality, the eldest nephew completely destroyed him.
Although the eldest nephew is still a young boy, this has nothing to do with inheriting the throne.
"Hmph...are you scared?" Sun said proudly.
Zhu Qiyu frowned and said: "This kind of thing cannot be decided in a day or two. Let's celebrate the New Year like this!"
"I will try to finalize the plan as soon as possible next spring." Zhu Qiyu said, "I wonder what the Queen Mother thinks?"
Mrs. Sun just got carried away and said something she shouldn't have said. Now she regretted it. She quickly made amends: "I feel sorry for your brother, and I spoke indiscriminately for a while. Please don't blame me."
She regretted it so much that she wanted to slap both of her mouths.
Can you say that? If Zhu Qiyu were cruel, he would definitely cause his eldest grandson to die young without anyone noticing.
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "How dare I blame the Queen Mother? It is human nature for my mother to worry about my son traveling thousands of miles away. In the final analysis, it is my fault."
"No, the emperor also has his own difficulties, and I understand." Mrs. Sun said with a pleasant look, "Then let's make an agreement. After the New Year, we will welcome the Supreme Emperor back."
Zhu Qiyu smiled and nodded.
After Mrs. Sun left, his smile faded and he sat alone on the chair, his eyes blank.
"After all, I'm just an outsider, a...lonely person." Zhu Qiyu laughed at himself with a wry smile, but then he thought of Li Qing and Yu Qian.
There are also... Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel, and Hu Miao, the Minister of Rites. These two old ministers also support him very much.
He felt better, but still felt that he was in an awkward situation.
After all, it was not the succession, so Zhu Qiyu felt very inferior, much more inferior than Zhu Yunwen, who was born as a concubine.
No matter how you say it, Zhu Yunwen is Zhu Yuanzhang's designated successor.
And Zhu Qiyu... was just brought in temporarily to take care of things.
Being the emperor was not pleasant, but Zhu Qiyu was unwilling to give the throne back.
Just like a wet cotton-padded jacket in winter, it’s cold when you put it on, and even colder when you take it off…
From the day he ascended the throne, Zhu Qiyu was destined to never return to being the carefree and happy King Xi.
