Chapter 889: The King and the Minister (Part 1)

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When things got to this point, Zhang Juzheng had already lost more than hesitated.

This is a heavy blow to confidence and reputation.

He was not selfish at first, at least not all selfish, or excusable. However, at the beginning, he believed that the power of the emperor could overwhelm the public opinion, but forgot that Wanli was less than sixteen years old. Sixteen years old is an age with complete IQ development and basically no emotional intelligence. Young people at this age have more impulsiveness and insufficient calmness. When the wave of opposition bursts, they suddenly panic, deal with the improper handling, and even passively, completely losing the initiative in public opinion.

In the end, Wanli could only use high-pressure means to extinguish public opinion, thus paying the greatest moral price... However, the person who suffered the most heavy losses was not the emperor, but the person who seized love. After all, Wanli had a conflict with the ministers in order to keep him.

Zhang Juzheng knew very well that at this point, the benefits of retaining the position are far from the loss of losing people's hearts. He had long wanted to return home to observe the system and stay away from right and wrong. So after Wu Zhongxing and four others were punished to kneel down on the Wu Gate, he submitted a memorial for the third time to ask the emperor to allow him to go home to observe the system. This time, Zhang Juzheng's attitude was very firm, and even said, if you don't agree, I will leave. However, the stubborn factor in the Zhu family's bloodline was very obvious in Wanli. He replied with a more firm attitude: 'Sir, beg for a hundred times, I will not be allowed!' This sentence has been said, and Zhang Juzheng has no room for maneuver. Although he longed deep in his heart to have this resolute attitude of comforting the emperor, but when it comes to reality, he can't stay anymore.

So Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial for the fourth time and analyzed the harm he left behind very thoroughly. He hoped that the emperor would change his mind after reading it. However, the matter had long changed from the conflict between him and his ministers to the confrontation between Wanli and his ministers. The little emperor is not steaming buns and fighting for breath, so he still cares about what will happen in the future! He asked someone to bring a message to Zhang Juzhengdao, even if the sir was leaving, he had to wait until the matter was calmed down. But he could not leave now, otherwise how could my authority remain?

Zhang Juzheng was completely stunned. The little emperor was playing with fire! The ancients had long said that guarding people's mouths is better than guarding Sichuan. The reason why Wu Zhongxing Aimu and others were willing to take the risk of committing a crime and committing a letter to Yan was because they firmly occupied morality. The state dynasty governed the world with filial piety, and not going home to observe the system is unfilial. How can unfilial people command the world? That is why they have received so much support, unless Confucianism is banned and all those who read sages are killed, how can they block the world's mouths?

When there was no one, Zhang Juzheng also reflected on himself. He and the emperor made mistakes in handling this matter. Yu himself was a little crazy. After the emperor showed his intention to keep it, he was distracted and hoped that the ministers could be obedient. Who knew that the judgment was wrong, and the voice of opposition suddenly became a backfire, and the wisdom became a fight. Emperor Yu was too frivolous and paranoid, and too trusted the power of imperial power. Little did he know that although he sat on the throne his ancestors sat on, he was called Long Live, but the times changed, and the emperor today did not have the authority of Emperor Taizu?

You should know that the reason why Emperor Taizu had supreme authority was regarded as a law that was difficult to change in a lifetime was because as the founding monarch, he founded the civil servant system as an administrative tool, which was also established by him. In Han Feizi's statement, "spellent power" was integrated, and he naturally had supreme authority. If you want to abolish the prime minister, you should abolish the prime minister, and if you want to abolish the province, you should abolish the province, and act without any restrictions.

However, what is Emperor Wanli? He was just reborn in the royal family and was lucky to become the heir to the throne. After inheriting the throne, he could certainly obtain unshakable orthodoxy. This made the emperor be moral in the face of any rebellious act. However, the emperor did not have authority himself. He had to make correct decisions on major issues to establish his own power. Except for the difficulty, his nature was no different from that of ordinary ministers.

Before Wanli established power, he thought about emphasizing his power. What's worse is that this is different from what Shimiao insisted on. The state governs the world with filial piety. In the eyes of the world, Shimiao insisted on inheritance and not inheritance, which was completely tenable, so supporters joined in and helped him defeat the powerful civil servant group. However, what Emperor Wanli insisted on was completely unmoral... To put it bluntly, Emperor Taizu asked everyone in the world to be filial sons and loyal ministers in order to ensure that his descendants could firmly live in the country. Now Wanli's decision is like destroying the Great Wall in the eyes of the ministers, and his authority naturally fell to the bottom.

The only thing to consider now is whether to accompany the emperor to persevere. If you persist, you have to carry the infamous and get out of it. The emperor has to carry the infamous. Out of the enlightenment of a minister, Zhang Juzheng could only grit his teeth and persevere. He could not cheat the emperor, right?

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However, no one told him about his difficulties. Faced with Zhu Heng's questioning, Zhang Juzheng could only crawl on the cushion and replied hissing: "At mourning, I can't control the matter outside, please forgive me. You are highly respected, why don't you submit memorials by yourself? The emperor will probably agree."

"The emperor is in anger, so how could he listen to Lao Fu Luo?" Zhu Heng shook his head while twisting his beard and said, "I have said just now that only Taiyue can come forward to persuade the emperor to take back the will of the court stick."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said evasively: "The emperor is in anger. Wu Zhongxing Aimu and others are not offending me, but the emperor. In this situation, how can I persuade the emperor?"

Zhu Heng knew that Zhang Juzheng hated these people to the core and refused to help, but the current situation was only his words that could change the emperor's mind. In order to save people, he had to beg: "Taiyue, the emperor's anger was caused by the robbery of love, and the robbery of love broke out because of you. The person who tied the bell must be tied. If the four people in Wuzhongxing were saved, you will only come forward."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "You can't come forward!"

"Why is this?" Zhu Heng asked in confusion.

"This is the first time that the emperor personally uses authority. If a minister comes forward to interfere, where will the emperor's face be put?" Zhang Juzheng said with some advice.

"You..." Seeing Zhang Juzheng's sarcastic look, Zhu Heng felt discouraged, but the sense of responsibility to save Shanlei made him persuade again: "Taiyue, there is a saying that I cannot refuse to say, but if you say it, it may make you angry."

"Tell me." Zhang Juzheng said in his heart, can I block my mouth on you?

"Although the one who was given the court this time was Wu Zhongxing and four others, the one who was heartbroken was all the scholars in the world." Zhu Heng twisted his beard and said slowly.

Zhang Juzheng was stunned at first, then sneered, and retorted: "What Mr. Zhu meant is that I, Zhang Juzheng or the emperor, want to be enemies with scholars all over the world?"

"I don't mean this," Zhu Heng quickly defended: "But the matter of robbing love is indeed easy to cause misunderstandings among scholars."

After talking about it, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but feel irritated. He said coldly: "The emperor insists on keeping me, what do you think you should do?"

"You can leave with your crown!" Zhu Heng judged others by himself.

"Don't you want me to be unfaithful?" Zhang Juzheng said in a muffled voice.

"This is to help the king Yao and Shun to avoid conflicts between the emperor and the officials. How could it be disloyal?"

"I can't obey my fate!" The two of them were getting louder and louder, and they were inclined to quarrel.

"Prime Minister, don't you remember that Wu Zhongxing and Zhao Yongxian are your disciples?"

"There is no such thing as the master in their eyes. They always say filial piety, but then I, the teacher, have a surgery!" It doesn't matter if you don't mention this. As soon as you mention it, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but shouted sternly: "You pedantic guardians, you still have double standards!" After that, he reached out and pulled out a paper-cutting knife next to him.

Zhu Heng was immediately scared and looked deserted. Could it be that Zhang Juzheng was angry and was about to take a blow to himself? Just as he was about to make a last word, something even more incredible happened... I saw that Mr. Zhang, who was arrogant by nature and never willing to bow his head, actually knelt down for him.

Before Zhu Heng could understand, Zhang Juzheng put the knife on his neck, his eyes bleeded blood and said, "The emperor wants me to take love, you want me to obey the rules. Isn't your actions going to force me, Zhang Juzheng to a dead end? If you insist on your own opinion, you will have to die before you can be liberated!"

Since the love affair, Zhang Juzheng has remained silent in the face of countless accusations. He hopes that someone can understand his own difficulties and look at the problem from the perspective of the country... Why should corrupt and backward policies be tied to the pace of reform? Why did he resolutely choose to be loyal to the country but was attacked one-sidedly?

From the beginning, the aggravation and injustice accumulated in his chest, and now his patience finally reached its peak. Zhang Juzheng knelt in front of Zhu Heng, put the knife on his neck, and roared with red eyes: "You kill me! You kill me!"

Zhu Heng was immediately stunned. The old man who had never spoken for the rest of his life had never seen such a scene? He was afraid that he would really force Zhang Juzheng to death. In desperation, he was at a loss, so he had to bow and retreat.

As soon as Zhu Heng left, Zhang Juzheng threw down the knife, turned around and cried loudly in front of his father's tablet, crying loudly, crying loudly, extremely sad, and extremely aggrieved...

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The next day was the day of morning court. Early in the morning, it was covered with lead clouds, which made people breathless. Around the square in front of the Meridian Gate, there were three steps, one whistle and five steps, and the Jinyiwei was full of Jinyiwei's cavalry, and the guard was very tight. On the north side of the square, there was a wooden platform, with a long table on the wooden platform, and two people sat behind the table. One was Zhu Xixiao, the new Jinyiwei governor, who asked a prince to perform the execution today, which shows how much the emperor attached importance to the court stick. The other was Shen Mo, the chief assistant of the cabinet with a gloomy face. The chief assistant was a commander of all officials, and even in front of the Duke and Marquis, he was also a commander. Therefore, Zhu Xixiao sat and did not dare to let Shen Mo stand, and invited him to the stage to be sentenced together.

Under the wooden platform, hundreds of officials were divided into two positions according to their grades, like their chief ministers, each with a serious expression and a gray complexion.

Zhu Xixiao and other hard-core princes have a status in Tsinghua University, but they have no rights. Maintaining their huge family business depends entirely on a little friendship in the officialdom. This time, he naturally had trouble saying that when he saw the time was up, he first nodded apologetically to the silent, and then handed a color to the thousand households in front of him.

The Qianhu took a step forward and shouted in a long voice: "The prisoner!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a team of Jinyiwei cavalry escorted Wu Zhongxing, Zhao Yongxian, Ai Mu, and Chen Sixiao, who were wearing iron wood shackles, and came from the duty room next to Zuoyemen Gate and came to the square.

Four felt cloths had been laid on the brick floor in the center of the square. Once the court stick was finished, the executioner just needed to drag the felt cloth, and the person with the stick was dragged out of the Meridian Square and handed over to his family members who had been waiting there.

Wu Zhongxing and four others were taken to four pieces of felt and stood facing the wooden platform. The wind was sobbing and the lead clouds were low. This was the first time since Emperor Longqing ascended the throne, and the atmosphere in the square was particularly depressing.

Zhu Xixiao looked at the four people in front of him and said in a tone that was as not to stimulate the civil servant: "Removing the shackles."

"Removing the shackles..." Qianhu shouted and passed the message.

Several Jinyiwei stepped forward and skillfully opened the locks and took the shackles. There was a sound of clanging and banging, and the iron wood shackles on the necks of the four people were removed. Before the few people could enjoy the feeling of relief, they heard Zhu Xixiao say in a deep voice: "I have the will."

Wu Zhongxing and the other four knelt down slowly. It was not because they were too arrogant, but because they had been wearing shackles for a long time, their bones were about to break.

Zhu Xixiao picked up a roll of yellow silk from the table, unfolded it and read loudly:

"Wu Zhongxing, Zhao Yongxian, Aimu, and thought about the four people, opposing Zeng Shichu, Chen Sanmo and others' proposals for seizing love, called maintaining the rules and regulations. In fact, they were alienated from the king and his ministers. Even though they were shackled and showed their shackles, they still did not repent. Now they wore the Jinyiwei's sticks Wu Zhongxing, and Zhao Yongxian was 60..."

Zhu Xixiao's voice echoed in the air, and more than a thousand people in the square were silent. Many officials present had heard this sage edict, but they still couldn't believe that such a severe punishment was a decision made by an emperor under sixteen years old.

After reading it, Zhu Xixiao took the order and looked at the four people coldly and said, "There is another oral order. Although you and the four people are extremely guilty, the empress dowager is merciful and has the virtue of being a virtuous person. I also think that you are young and ignorant. As long as you admit your mistake on the spot, you can open your mouth and admire this." He said, "You heard it, how kind the emperor is. Why don't you seize this last chance to survive?"

After saying that, his eyes were closely focused on Wu Zhongxing and the eyes of thousands of people in the audience also fell on the four of them.

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Chapter completed!