Queen Mother Zhou was also a little angry: "What bad intentions do I have? I just want to have a grandson as soon as possible. What's wrong with that?"
"Isn't this already there?"
"Are you sure he is a grandson?" Empress Dowager Zhou snorted, "Even if he is, he is not a legitimate grandson. The emperor has no legitimate son. Who will inherit the throne in the future?"
"I am not a legitimate son, neither is the late emperor, nor is the great emperor." Zhu Jianshen said.
Empress Dowager Zhou was furious: "Can that be the same? The late emperor was ordered to do so when he was in danger. The emperor was not his legitimate son at first, but later he became... What? You still want that old woman to be the queen?" ωＷω.ＧoＮЬ.οrＧ
"That's not true. What I want to say is... there are direct descendants, but there are no direct descendants."
"As long as you are willing, how can you not have a direct descendant?" Queen Mother Zhou said angrily.
Zhu Jian took a deep breath and said calmly: "Mother, let me tell you clearly. It is impossible for the queen to be pregnant because I cannot trust her."
Queen Mother Zhou laughed angrily: "Can you trust that older woman?"
"Well, because she has the cleanest foundation." Zhu Jianshen asked, "How can you guarantee that today's queen will not be like yesterday's queen?"
"Okay, okay!" Queen Mother Zhou was trembling with anger, "Now that you have grown up, you don't even listen to what your mother says..."
"I don't listen to anyone!!" Zhu Jianshen roared, and the resentment he had accumulated for many days suddenly exploded. His face was ferocious, "The ministers use the words of the so-called saints to suppress me, and they use the country and the country to suppress me. As long as I have some ideas of my own, They are anxious, haha...
After all, don't they just want me to do things according to their wishes?
Now, my mother is doing the same, using filial piety to suppress me and make me obedient, haha...obedient...it is clear that she wants to evade the imperial power to satisfy her selfish desires! "
Zhu Jianshen sighed deeply: "I have restrained myself enough, but you don't know how to restrain yourself at all. You stand on the moral high ground and restrain me with high-sounding rules and regulations, but don't forget, who is the Emperor of Ming Dynasty!?"
"you……"
"Queen Mother, please think clearly. It's not because of you, the Queen Mother, that I became the Emperor. It's because I became the Emperor that you became the Queen Mother." Zhu Jianshen said calmly.
After saying that, no matter how the Queen Mother Zhou reacted, she just walked away.
Queen Mother Zhou was stunned...
…
The next day, morning.
After the ceremony of the emperor and his ministers, Yao Kui, the Minister of Household Affairs, was the first to go out. First, he congratulated the emperor on the birth of the dragon son, and then asked the queen to recognize the queen as his mother after the birth of the queen on the grounds that the queen had no children.
This piece of advice was very marketable and immediately gained support from many people.
Zhu Jianshen was furious. He ignored the noise of the officials and just looked at Yao Kui coldly, his eyes... sharp and murderous.
Yao Kui couldn't bear it, so he tried to make amends: "I am also dedicated to the Ming Dynasty. If the Queen gives birth to a legitimate son, I will just change back."
Zhu Jianshen's eyes were still cold.
Yao Kui said bravely: "Of course, if it's not Longzi but a princess, then there's no need...hehehe..."
Lu Yu, the Minister of Justice, agreed, Bai Gui, the Minister of Works, and some ministers, chief ministers, and foreign ministers all agreed.
Zhu Jianshen still didn't speak, just looking at these people, there was a risk that the imperial case would be revealed at any time...
Gradually, the sound of support became smaller and smaller, and finally the entire hall fell silent, and no one said anything.
They knew that this was too much. There was no doubt that the first woman to bear a dragon would be the emperor's favorite. But the more this happened, the more necessary they were to force the emperor to compromise.
If the emperor can compromise on this kind of thing, then the emperor will have even more room for compromise in the future.
The so-called struggle between kings and ministers, to put it bluntly, is a tug-of-war for power. You force me to retreat, you retreat and I stand in the face...
Zhu Jianshen naturally understands, so even if it is not for Wan Zhen'er, he will not compromise, because as long as he compromises, there will be more things to compromise in the future.
But now he really couldn't turn his back. The hand holding the imperial case trembled for a long time, but he didn't do it in the end.
Zhu Jianshen knew that it was useless to say harsh words, so he simply stopped saying it and watched what they said...
Just looking at it...
For more than half an hour, Zhu Jianshen didn't say a word. No matter what the officials reported, he remained silent.
The ministers are not afraid of Zhu Jianshen getting angry, let alone him swearing or anything like that. Even if he is punished, it doesn't matter. They are accustomed to taking advantage of their 'weakness' to win sympathy and create public opinion.
Being sent to prison and beaten with a court staff proved that their outspokenness and daring could not only gain a good reputation, but also put pressure on the emperor, so that they could continue to serve as officials in the end.
Ninety-nine percent of Ming Dynasty officials were not afraid of being beaten. Some even begged to be beaten. It was not because they were weak, but because this trick was really effective.
Except for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di who do not adhere to martial ethics, generally speaking, as long as it is not a principled mistake, they will not be severely punished;
There are even many people who, after being given a beating, immediately became famous and were praised and respected by officials...
Under the evolution of this trend, it is common for the emperor to be scolded, unless the emperor completely enslaves his ministers. If a minister scolds one, the emperor will kill one.
Only by treating all officials and even the officials of the world as domestic slaves can we prevent such incidents!
But in that case, no one would dare to speak out or tell the truth, and everyone would be filled with flattery. This would be an immeasurable disaster for a country.
And there is no such precedent in the past dynasties. Which Han emperor would not be scolded?
We're all used to it.
Those who are scolded are used to it, and those who are scolded are also used to it...
Especially Yan Guan, who would scold the emperor every now and then, always feeling sorry for his own salary.
They were not afraid of the emperor's anger or irritability, because these were signs of cowardice, but Zhu Jianshen said nothing and just stared at them coldly.
This look... is really hair-raising.
Zhu Jianshen was young after all, only eighteen years old. No one could guarantee what crazy things this young and energetic little emperor would do if he really got impatient.
Using rules to suppress or even control the emperor is their specialty. If they really force the emperor to flip the table, let alone whether the emperor is unlucky or not, they will definitely be unlucky first.
…
"Dismiss the dynasty!" Zhu Jianshen stood up and said, "All the ministers have this memorial, please leave it for reading."
"Long live my emperor, long live long live...!" The ministers saluted, their arrogance obviously weakening.
This time, no one clamored for the emperor to stay still, and went on to remonstrate to the end.
Because... you really might die.
~
When Li Qing came back from the Hanlin Academy, he just laughed when he heard what Yu Qian said about the court meeting.
"It doesn't matter, there has to be a process of adaptation." Li Qing said leisurely, "The late emperor was finally kinder to the officials, so this hoop must be tightened.
Confucius said: Only women and villains are difficult to raise. Those who are far away will be resentful, and those who are close will be disrespectful. It is nothing more than this! "
Yu Qian: "..."
"Okay, you should take a rest." Li Qing patted him on the shoulder, "It's not your first day as an official. It's been so many years, how has this kind of thing ever happened to you?"
Yu Qian was startled, smiled bitterly and nodded: "Yes, you should get used to it."
Li Qing was silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Okay, I'm going home."
"Sir, come to my house for lunch. Let's have a drink." Yu Qian invited. He knew that Li Qing was usually too lazy to even eat.
"No." Li Qing waved his hand, "There are also some things at home."
What could be going on at home... Yu Qian scratched his head and was about to try to persuade him to stay, but Li Qing had already turned around and left.
Yu Qian suddenly remembered something, his face turned gloomy, and he finally let out a long sigh, full of bitterness.
…
Small courtyard.
"Hmm~ah~" the donkey brayed and turned its head to the side.
"Okay, let's eat something." Li Qing stroked the donkey's head and said softly, "Stop being angry and eat something."
The best grass was fed to his mouth, but the donkey had no appetite. He only ate a little bit and then stopped eating. He lay on the ground with eyes wide open.
Its condition was very bad. The smooth and smooth fur of the past was now dull and almost bald. It looked weak and haggard.
The donkey is getting older. According to human age, it is now over eighty.
"Brother Donkey, eat a little more, just a little." Li Qing handed over the fodder again.
The donkey also gave him some respect and ate a little more, but his condition was still extremely poor.
Li Qing didn't force it anymore, clapped his hands, sat down in front of it, and started chattering.
The donkey squinted, basked in the sun, listened to the chatter, and enjoyed it quietly...
It seemed to know that it was going to die, its big eyes were full of nostalgia, its head rubbed against the corner of Li Qing's clothes, and it breathed in the scent of his body, as if it wanted to remember this scent forever.
In the spring of March, the sun was warm, and the body was warm and comfortable. The donkey gradually fell asleep, snoring slightly, and its big ears flapped from time to time to drive away annoying mosquitoes and flies.
Li Qing brought a basin of warm water and dewormed the donkey to make it more comfortable.
I recall that back then, it was only more than half a year old and was sold by its original owner in the market. Its big eyes were bright and bright, and it looked at the people passing by with curiosity.
After so many years passed in the blink of an eye, the donkey had reached his twilight years. His big eyes were no longer lively, and his black hair was all in pieces. Li Qing had no choice but to lament that time flew by so fast.
Yes, he has been unable to do anything...
The donkey was getting worse day by day, and perhaps its end had come. In just a few days, it could no longer eat.
It became irritable, as if it didn't want to leave so soon, it wanted to... stay.
However, in the end, he was unable to change... his condition was getting worse and worse.
Li Qing has been comforting it, staying by his side and never leaving.
After another three days, the donkey reached its limit. Its big eyes were narrowed to a slit and could hardly be opened. However, it still struggled to open its eyes every once in a while to see if Li Qing was there.
"Here, I'm always here." Li Qing stroked its head and said softly: "Don't be afraid, I won't leave."
"Yeah~ah~" Donkey felt relieved, his eyelids gradually drooped, and finally he closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.
It's just... this time it fell asleep and never woke up again.
Li Qingku sat in the donkey shed for a long time...
Finally, he cleaned the donkey shed very well, gave the donkey a bath, then dug a deep pit and buried the donkey in it.
In the end, everything returns to its original state...
…
