Chapter 111 Chapter Twenty

Early in the morning, Empress Dowager Li left the Palace of Compassion and Peace in a sedan chair and arrived at the Hall of Fengxian.The obscene scene in the meandering pavilion last night deeply stimulated her.Since the emperor got married in February and she moved out of the Qianqing Palace, she has been feeling uneasy in the past few months.Although she was happy that the emperor had grown up, she was more worried.The emperor has been under her guardianship from birth to before he got married, and has never left for a day.She knows her son's shortcomings: self-willed, playful.So keep a close eye on it.After his son ascended the throne, he was guided by Feng Bao inside and Zhang Juzheng outside, and the son became a tool, attending the sutra feast regardless of the weather, reviewing memorials and diligently studying political affairs, gradually revealing the appearance of a prosperous Mingjun.Every little progress made by her son brought her great comfort.She sincerely hoped that her son's career in the future would not only be successful in the past, but also serve as an example for future generations; not only would he surpass his grandfather, the old Emperor Jiajing, but he should also achieve more than his father, Emperor Longqing, and enjoy a long life.Therefore, after she moved out of being an upright official, she entrusted Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng with all the power of disciplining her son, and asked them to continue to persuade the emperor to be diligent in state affairs, not to be careless and playful, and give birth to the heart of playing verse .Last night, when Feng Bao hurriedly came to the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and reported to her that the emperor had sneaked into the Quliu Hall to have fun, her heart sank, and she immediately got up and followed Feng Bao to the Imperial Garden.

One can imagine the embarrassment when the mother and son met in the Quliu Pavilion.Empress Dowager Li was trembling with anger, and Zhu Yijun was also extremely frightened.Empress Dowager Li turned her back and asked her son to get dressed.She really wanted to scold her son bloody on the spot, but she ordered two eunuchs to send her son back to Qianqing Palace in consideration of his dignity.His two personal servants, Sun Hai, are used by guests, while his two court ladies, Yue Zhen and Qiao Lian, are left behind.She tortured the four servants severely.She first saw that Qiaolian's hair was all messed up, leaving only short stubble, so she asked her why. Qiaolian answered truthfully.After the four people questioned her one by one, and it was almost time, she ordered Qiaolian to be released, and the other three were put in prison and waited to be dealt with.

Back at the Palace of Compassion and Ning, Empress Dowager Li didn't close her eyes all night.From her point of view, her son Zhu Yijun's move by meng lang this time was the most serious incident since his ascension to the throne.The arrogance and extravagance of King Zhou of Shang, Emperor Chang of Sui Dynasty, and Empress Chen, etc., of those subjugated kings in history swirled in her mind like a revolving lantern... The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and the more she thought about it, the more painful it became.In the past six years since her son became emperor, the happiness accumulated in her heart is like fine wine in Chen Jiao, even if she only takes a sip, it will leave endless joy.Now—in this long night where she couldn't see her five fingers, all her happiness was suddenly emptied.Grief seized her heart, and she could not help sobbing, hot tears dripping onto the pillow.At daybreak, she ordered Zhou You, the steward of the Compassionate Ning Palace, to prepare a sedan chair, and came to Fengxian Hall with a sad face.

The Fengxian Hall in the Forbidden City is dedicated to the gods of the emperors since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and it can also be called the Royal Ancestral Temple.Whenever there are major events in the country, such as victories in conquests, disasters, auspiciousness, etc., or auspicious celebrations such as the new emperor ascending the throne, changing the year name, conferring a son, etc., the emperor must first go to the Fengxian Hall to pray and offer sacrifices, and then he can see the ministers to announce the world.Empress Dowager Li came to Fengxian Hall early in the morning, which inevitably aroused all kinds of suspicions from a group of old eunuchs-because this is not an ordinary behavior, if something big did not happen suddenly, except for the three festivals a year, the emperor and the empress dowager It's not easy to come here.Zhang Gui, who was the director of Qianqing Palace when Emperor Longqing was alive, is now the steward of Fengxian Palace, just got the news.It was too late to make much preparations, and Empress Dowager Li's sedan chair arrived.He quickly brought a few firemen on duty to kneel down to greet them.Empress Dowager Li didn't talk to him after getting off the sedan chair, so she walked into Fengxian Hall.

It was just dawn, and everything in Fengxian Hall was still vague and unrecognizable.Fortunately, Queen Mother Li is very familiar with everything here.She started from the tablet of Emperor Hongwu and knelt down to the tablet of Emperor Jiajing.Then she came to the tablet of the last emperor listed here—her dead husband Emperor Longqing. She knelt down on the ground, covered her eyelids, and burst into heart-wrenching tears. When Empress Dowager Li got out of the sedan chair, Zhang Gui felt that something was wrong.Because not only did he see Empress Dowager Li with a sad face, but she also saw that Empress Dowager Li was not wearing the empress dowager's uniform, nor was she wearing a phoenix crown on her head.She was just wearing a long black dress, her hair was almost partly loose, and she didn't have any head jewelry.Zhang Gui stayed in Da Nei for more than 20 years, and he had never seen such an image as Queen Mother Li, so he became anxious, so he sent someone to report to the Rites Supervisor.Hearing the empress dowager's cry at this moment, he didn't know what happened, stood at the door of Fengxian Hall, rubbed his hands in panic, wanted to go in but didn't dare.

At this moment, two sedan chairs, one in front and one in the back, were carried to the gate of Fengxian Hall.Empress Dowager Chen stepped down from the first sedan chair, and Feng Bao sat in the rear sedan chair.However, after what happened in Quliu Hall last night, Feng Bao was worried that something might happen, so he didn't go home, but made do with the whole night in the supervisor's office.Zhang Gui sent Xiaohuo to report to the Lijian. He felt that the matter was serious, so he first went to Ciqing Palace to report to Empress Dowager Chen, and the two came together in a sedan chair.When Empress Dowager Chen got off the sedan chair, Empress Dowager Li was still crying in Fengxian Hall.While Feng Bao went to Ciqing Palace to look for her, he had already reported what happened last night in a few words. At this moment, she didn't care to think about it, looked back at Feng Bao, and signaled him to go into Fengxian Palace together.

Empress Dowager Li was still kneeling in front of Longqing's throne, covering her face with her hands and weeping.Empress Dowager Chen walked gently behind her, and also knelt down on the silk mat.Empress Dowager Li noticed that someone was coming in, and when she turned her head to see that it was Empress Dowager Chen, she felt even more sad, and burst into tears again. Empress Dowager Chen was already flustered, but Empress Dowager Li's mournful voice made her even more nervous and overwhelmed, and tears rolled down like pearls with broken strings.I don't know how long it took before she forced herself to restrain herself, and choked up and shouted:

"Sister!" Empress Dowager Li's shoulders moved slightly, she let go of her tear-wet hair sticking to her face, and said sadly: "Sister, do you know what happened last night?" "Understood, Eunuch Feng told us." Empress Chen replied. "Sister, we raise such an unworthy son, we really don't have the face to meet our ancestors!" After Queen Mother Li finished speaking, she began to cry again. Empress Chen persuaded while wiping her tears: "Sister, the matter is not so serious. In my opinion, it is too much for you to blame yourself so much."

"Sister, what happened to Jun'er, we have a knife in our hearts..." "Jun'er is still a child." "He has been emperor for six years, how can he still be a child?" Empress Dowager Li raised her head and cried loudly to Emperor Longqing's spirit card, "Xiandi, oh Xiandi, why did you leave so early? Bring up your son!" As soon as Zhu Zaili was mentioned, Empress Dowager Chen immediately thought of his various careers of indulging in wine and sex during his lifetime, and felt very uncomfortable.She sighed and said: "Sister, we believe that Jun'er is better than his father. What he has done in the past six years has proved that he is a competent emperor."

"The emperor's success in the past six years does not mean that he will be good in the future," Queen Mother Li replied. "In those six years, we lived in the Qianqing Palace, and we were not far away from each other. Therefore, he can follow the rules and strive for progress. As soon as we leave the Qianqing Palace , he just ran amok, how can this be reassuring." "Jun'er is the first offender. As mothers, we have to forgive the child." "The first offender is so bold, if he is not severely punished, and his wings become stiff later, who can control him!"

"Then, what are you going to do, girl?" "We came early in the morning to pray to our ancestors, asking them to forgive me and support my proposition." "What claim?" "Abolish Emperor Wanli." "what!" Empress Chen was shocked when she heard the words, her body swayed and almost fell down, Feng Bao, who was kneeling behind her, reached out to help her.At this time, only Queen Mother Li continued to say: "Jun'er's younger brother, King Lu, is eight years old this year, let him take over the throne." "Sister, don't be too hasty..." "If you don't stop, you will not be disturbed. Sister, we must listen to the lessons of the ancients!" When Empress Dowager Li said this, she had already stood up from Zhisi's mat.Seeing her icy face, Empress Dowager Chen couldn't help shivering in her heart, and her two legs that had just stood upright also felt tingly. "Sister..." Empress Dowager Chen still wanted to dissuade her. "Sister, let's go back and discuss matters." As Queen Mother Li said, she took out a towel and wiped away her tears.She was as humble as usual, she wanted Empress Dowager Chen to lead the way, while she walked out of Fengxian Hall one by one.At this time, the sky has already brightened, and the Forbidden City under the rays of the sun is shining with gold and purple, starting its new solemn day.The busy servants and the officials who were on duty in Shangya didn't know that an earth-shattering event was happening around them. However, they said that the two empress dowagers had just walked out of the Fengxian Hall, and almost at the same time they found a lonely person kneeling there in the empty square in front of the Fengxian Hall. The cries of liver-cracking gallbladder: "Mother!" It turned out that the one kneeling there was their son, the current Emperor Wanli who ruled all over the world. Last night, Zhu Yijun was sent to rest by two eunuch guardians.With such a catastrophe, how could he still be in the mood to sleep? He didn't take off his clothes all night, let alone go to bed.His wife, Queen Wang, didn't know what happened, and wanted to persuade him but couldn't find words, so she had to sit with him.Zhu Yijun wanted to go to the Palace of Compassion and Peace several times to take the initiative to plead guilty, but he lacked the courage.Sitting so foolishly until dawn, feeling helpless, when he heard that Feng Bao had brought someone to report to his mother and then went to Fengxian Hall, he didn't dare to hesitate any longer, so he came here in a daze and knelt down.Seeing the two queens come out, he yelled wildly. The cry was so stern and desolate that the two empress dowagers were heartbroken when they heard it.Empress Dowager Chen didn't care too much at this time, and ran forward staggeringly, trying to pull Zhu Yijun up with all her strength. Zhu Yijun saw his biological mother standing there motionless, and his eyes were still burning like fire. He didn't dare to get up, but just looked at his majestic mother with begging eyes. The Empress Dowager Chen had no choice but to kneel down and hold Zhu Yijun tightly in her arms, and cried sadly: "Jun'er!" Outsiders were all moved by this scene.Looking at her son's pitiful eyes, Empress Dowager Li was also bleeding from her heart.But she tried her best to restrain her feelings and never let her son see even the slightest bit of love from her.She walked over, shook the weeping Empress Dowager Chen, and said softly: "Sister, please get up." "Sister, you have to promise me." Empress Chen hugged Zhu Yijun even tighter, as if he would fly away if she let go.She begged, with a hint of sullenness in her tone, "If you don't promise me, I won't get up on my knees today." "What do I promise you?" Queen Mother Li opened her eyes wide. "Don't destroy Jun'er." Hearing these words, Zhu Yijun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he hurriedly cried to his mother: "Mother, the child is convicted." "It's too late, Jun'er," Empress Dowager Li said with tears streaming down her face, "I have prayed to the ancestral temple for my mother, we can't establish a new generation of mediocre rulers for the Zhu family, and be reprimanded through the ages!" "Mother—" "Sister!" Seeing Zhu Yijun who was almost fainted in her arms, Empress Chen, who was already frail and sickly, couldn't hold on anymore.Seeing that the two were about to fall together, Feng Bao was about to step forward to help, but saw that Queen Mother Li had already bent down to help.Empress Chen took the opportunity to grab her arm, panted for a while, and begged again: "Sister, we only beg you this time." Empress Dowager Li was silent for a long while before letting go and said: "Sister, after all, this matter is related to Guozuo and the common people in the world. To abandon Jun'er, it doesn't count if you say it, or we say it. Let's listen Mr. Zhang's idea." It was about a quarter before Chen Shi, when Zhang Juzheng's big sedan chair had just been carried to the cabinet compound, Feng Bao had already blocked the sedan door. "Eunuch Feng, why is it you?" Zhang Juzheng asked in surprise. "Mr. Zhang, this is not a place to talk, follow me quickly." As Feng Bao said, he led Zhang Juzheng out of Huiji Gate and came to the Gongmo Room of Wenhua Hall.As soon as the two sat down, Zhang Juzheng asked again: "What the hell happened?" "A major event has happened, a major event!" Feng Bao said hastily, "The Empress Dowager Li wants to abolish the emperor and establish another King Lu!" "What?" Zhang Juzheng turned pale with shock, and stood up straight. He felt unbelievable, and after a long pause, he asked, "Why did Empress Dowager Li suddenly come up with such an idea?" Feng Bao said, "Of course things happen for a reason." Then he narrated what happened in the Quliu Pavilion in the Imperial Garden last night and what happened in front of Fengxian Hall this morning. After Zhang Juzheng heard this, his first feeling was whether Empress Dowager Li's reaction to this matter was too radical.Zhu Yijun was actually seventeen years old, and it was common for him to be promiscuous at this age.But when I think about it, Queen Mother Li has her own reasons for her actions in this way. Trying to steal eggs, regardless of trivial matters, will cause chronic diseases in the future, which will be difficult to cure.I couldn't help admiring the Empress Dowager Li for her profound understanding and righteousness.While he was meditating silently, Feng Bao said again: "Mr. Zhang, whether Zhu Yijun can continue to sit on the emperor's seat is all up to you." "Where did Mr. Feng say this?" Zhang Juzheng immediately retorted out of the official's self-protective instinct, "What Empress Dowager Li said is an angry statement, how can we take it seriously!" "According to the old man, what Empress Dowager Li said was not angry." "How did you see it?" Feng Bao said carefully, "Ever since Empress Dowager Li moved out of the Qianqing Palace, she has been worried about the emperor. Every three days or so, she will ask the old man to ask questions, and tell us to have an extra pair of eyes to keep an eye on the emperor." "Why is Empress Dowager Li worried?" Zhang Juzheng asked. Feng Bao smiled meaningfully, and replied: "The Empress Dowager Li is worried, because there are lessons learned from the past." "A lesson from the past?" "Yes," Feng Bao blinked and continued, "Mr. Zhang, have you forgotten how Emperor Longqing died? Two days before his death, he asked Meng Chong to find him a child prostitute. He died On that day, the Empress Dowager Chen of the Eastern Palace and the Empress Dowager Li of the Western Palace invited both of them to go and talk to him?" The words evoked Zhang Juzheng's memories of the past, he sighed and said: "The Empress Dowager Li is afraid that her son will inherit his father's bad habits." "That's right!" Feng Bao patted the armrest of the chair and said with emphasis, "As the saying goes, like father, like son, that's what Empress Dowager Li is worried about!" "You mean, Empress Dowager Li really wants to abolish the emperor?" "From my point of view, Empress Dowager Li really broke her heart this time. Think about it, if she hadn't made up her mind, would she have been able to go to Fengxian Hall?" From Feng Bao's expression, Zhang Juzheng found that he was somewhat gloating, so he tentatively asked: "Eunuch Feng, did you find out about the emperor's stay in the Quliu Pavilion?" "Yes." Feng Bao said with sullen expression on his face, "The old man has long seen that it is not a good thing for Sun Haike to use two people, but the emperor likes them. No, the emperor finally fell into their hands." Feng Bao, as the head of the palace, would never allow anyone under him to disagree with him, or bypass him and directly seek credit and favor from the emperor.Sun Haike used the two of them to gain the emperor's respect, and he had long been blindsided.I've been secretly trying to get rid of them.The occurrence of the meandering hall incident just gave him an excuse to cut off his dissidents.Zhang Juzheng saw this, and he also admired Feng Bao's "wait for the opportunity to move, and seal the throat when he moves" in his heart.He didn't want to ask about matters within Feng Bao's jurisdiction, so he just responded casually: "Sun Hai and Ke Yong must be severely punished." "These two little grasshoppers are nothing to worry about." Feng Bao said disdainfully.Then he said, "Mr. Zhang, what we two have to decide now is, Emperor Wanli, whether we should protect him or not." As soon as Zhang Juzheng was obedient, he pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Why did Mr. Feng make such a statement?" Feng Bao stared at Zhang Juzheng, suddenly lowered his voice, and said solemnly: "Mr. Zhang, there are no outsiders here, and you and I are old friends for many years. Today, we have to talk from the bottom of our hearts." "What do you want to say?" Zhang Juzheng was slightly surprised by Feng Bao's expression. "Do you still remember what we said last time when we kidnapped our nephew Feng Bangning to the cabinet to plead guilty?" "What words?" "Let's say, the emperor has grown up and changed." "When you grow up, you will definitely change." "But the emperor's change is worrying. If he is just playing, it's okay to indulge in drinking and sex. But he has learned to be self-willed. He can make up his own mind in everything, and he no longer regards us as a big companion. Yes. For you, Mr. Zhang, it's just coping." Although Zhang Juzheng felt that Feng Bao's words were exaggerated, some signs that appeared in Zhu Yijun did arouse his concern.The most obvious example is that when he returned to Jiangling to bury his father, Zhu Yijun forced him to transfer 200,000 taels of silver from Taicang to the inner court supply treasury as his private money for rewarding maids in the palace.He has always been worried about this matter, always looking for an appropriate opportunity to talk to Queen Mother Li, but since Queen Mother Li moved out of Qianqing Palace, she has "returned power" to the emperor in name.Therefore, Zhang Juzheng wanted to see her not as easy as it used to be.Now, according to Feng Bao's tone, he seems to be inclined to replace the emperor.But this is a major matter involving the country, and a little carelessness will cause turmoil and political instability.Before ascertaining Feng Bao's true attitude, he didn't want to express his thoughts immediately, so he asked: "Empress Dowager Li means that King Lu will succeed Emperor Wanli?" Emperor Wanli has a younger brother who is only eight years old this year and was named King Lu last year.Now he lives in the Compassionate Palace with Empress Dowager Li. "Yes," Feng Bao replied, "Mr. Zhang, if King Lu becomes the emperor, it might be a good thing for you and me." "Well?" "He is nine years younger than Emperor Wanli, and he sits on the throne at a young age. You can play the role of minister of fate for at least ten years." Feng Bao's words have reached this point, which is already very explicit.Zhang Juzheng once again felt the cruelty of this "smiling tiger".Not only did he hope that his subordinates would be obedient, but he also wished to have the emperor in his hands.For many years, Zhang Juzheng has always been wary of this illustrious inner phase, but Feng Bao never noticed it.Right now, when Feng Bao said these words, he knew that he could not stand up to the contrary, otherwise it would inevitably arouse Feng Bao's suspicion—offending this person would be tantamount to losing the imperial support of the inner court.How to deal with this situation? This is a tricky question.Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng was calm, no matter how complicated and difficult the situation was, he was always able to deal with Yuru.After taking Feng Bao's words, he replied: "Thank you, Mr. Feng. Everything is for Bugu's sake. I will never forget this friendship, but according to Bugu's humble opinion, it seems inappropriate to abolish Emperor Wanli." "What's wrong?" "It's because we haven't figured out what Empress Dowager Li really wants." "what?" Zhang Juzheng then asked: "Eunuch Feng, do you think Empress Dowager Li really wants to abolish Emperor Wanli?" "She didn't mean it sincerely, so why did she run to Fengxian Hall before dawn?" "To put it simply, she did this out of anger. When her anger subsides, she changes her mind. If you think about it further, it might be that Empress Dowager Li is trying to tempt the two of us in a different way." "What is she testing us for?" "Eunuch Feng, don't forget that when Emperor Longqing died six years ago, he ordered Gao Gong, Gao Yi, you and me to be the ministers of Gu Ming of Emperor Wanli. Now, Gao Gong and Gao Yi have passed away successively. You and I are the only ministers left. The first emperor entrusted us with the current emperor, but we join forces to abolish him. How will future generations treat us two?" "This……" "Emperor Wanli was having fun, Empress Dowager Li was heartbroken, and she wanted to teach him a lesson, but it was false to abolish him. She wanted to test our loyalty to the emperor, which may be her real motive." Feng Bao thought about it carefully, and felt that Zhang Juzheng's words were somewhat reasonable, and he couldn't help sighing: "If this is the case, Empress Dowager Li's scheming is too deep." Zhang Juzheng smiled and said: "You have served the Empress Dowager for so many years, don't you know her style of work?" Feng Bao was stunned, and said unwillingly: "You and I will go to the platform to meet Queen Mother Li now, let's not draw any conclusions, everything depends on circumstances." Zhang Juzheng didn't say anything anymore, and followed Feng Bao out of Gongmo's room.