Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 41 Public Opinion
Zhu Lang, wearing a dragon robe, walked into the hall of the mansion. He took a glance and found that the hall was already full of people.

Qu Shisi, Ding Kuichu, and Lu Daqi are not to be mentioned. Even Li Yongmao, who has been at home since arriving in Zhaoqing, has shown up.
Not only these local officials, but also other officials such as Zhaoqing prefect Zhu Zhijian, the head of the Ministry of Rites Wu Zhenyu who came from Fujian with Lu Daqi and others, the censor Liu Xiangke and other Longwu officials, and Zhang Tongchang, a disciple of Qu Shisi, were all present.

It can be said that all the officials who have a say in Zhaoqing are now gathered in the Prince of Gui's Mansion. If Zhu Lang had ambushed 500 swordsmen and axemen in advance, and at this moment he gave an order to chop down everyone in the field, then the situation in Zhaoqing would immediately fall into Zhu Lang's hands.

Except for Ding Kuichu and other senior officials, most officials in Zhaoqing City had never seen Zhu Lang, the future regent of the Ming Dynasty.
At this time, everyone looked at the young prince who walked into the hall calmly, wearing a dragon robe and a jade belt around his waist. They couldn't help but secretly praise him in their hearts, saying, "What a style and temperament!"

The young prince walked up to the main seat and sat down. He glanced at the people in the room, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

"Didn't the prince say that Lord Su would come to the palace to meet him? Why are all the Lords here together? What's the important matter?"

Everyone looked at the young prince with a surprised look on their faces. Li Chengzhi was standing next to Zhu Lang.
Now, half an hour has passed since the scene outside the city. They don't believe that the King of Gui really doesn't know the situation outside the city just now.
And now the King of Gui is actually turning the tables. You almost broke up the Ming Dynasty just now. You caused this trouble yourself, and now you are asking them what the matter is. You really have no shame.
"Su Guansheng suddenly led his troops into the court just now, causing the four gates of the city to close tightly. Does the King of Gui really not know about this?"

Lu Daqi suppressed his anger and asked with a gloomy face

"Oh, is this happening?"

"Sir Su, since you were escorting the grain to the court, you should have issued orders to deliver it to various places along the way. How could you be so careless and cause a disturbance in the city?"

The young prince's face turned serious, and he looked at the strange middle-aged man below with dissatisfaction.

In addition to Qu Shisi and the other two people in the hall, the next person was Su Guansheng. Although Zhu Lang did not recognize the middle-aged man with graying temples, he immediately identified him as Su Guansheng.

No matter how jealous and dissatisfied the officials in the court were with Su Guansheng, except for Qu Shisi and the other four, Su Guansheng was the highest-ranking official. All the people in the court were experienced officials and would never make mistakes in the seating arrangement.
Strictly speaking, Qu Shisi and Ding Kuichu are ranked below Su Guansheng. Su Guansheng is a real Dongge University Scholar. If we really want to talk about it, only Lu Daqi and Li Yongmao can really surpass Su Guansheng in terms of official qualifications.

"Since I received your Highness's order, I have been displaying the military flags along the way, and everything has been safe and sound. However, when I saw that I was about to arrive in Zhaoqing, I was so eager to obey the order that I forgot to send a message to the city in advance, causing panic in the city. I am guilty, and please punish me, Your Highness."

Su Guansheng looked at the young prince above him, his eyes flashed, and he bowed directly, admitting his guilt.

Inform the city in advance, what a joke, if he, Su Guansheng, really informed the city in advance, then when he arrived at the city of Zhaoqing today, what he saw was not the closed city gates, but tens of thousands of troops besieging.

"Sir Su is also a minister of the imperial court, so he should be more cautious in his actions. Now Zhaoqing will be the center of the country, not an ordinary place. Sir Su must not act so rashly in the future."

When the young prince saw the old minister bowing and admitting his guilt, he gave him another earnest admonition.
"Yes, I will remember your highness's teachings and will improve myself in the future and will never dare to be disrespectful again."

Su Guansheng, wearing a bright red robe, bowed to the vassal king above him.

The ministers in the hall looked at the emperor and his ministers singing the same tune, and their expressions became more and more strange. They were so eager to obey the imperial edict that they were careless. Is this what they are talking about now?

Could it be that the King of Gui thought that he could get over the matter like this? He closed the city in broad daylight, the whole court was in shock, and now he even asked all the officials to break the convention and gather in the palace before the King of Gui took over as regent? How could this matter be over so easily?
Sure enough, just as everyone's thoughts came to an end, an angry voice rang out in the hall.
"Your Highness Prince Gui, is this what we are talking about? Your Highness invited Su Guansheng, the thief, to the court, why didn't you discuss it with us?"

"Your Highness led the army into the court. For such a major event, you made a rash decision on your own, causing shock to the court. Where does Your Highness place us old ministers?"

Ding Kuichu's face was filled with anger, and he roared
"Master Ding, why do you say that? I have always respected you all. How dare I not discuss this important matter with you all?"

"Haven't I already discussed this matter with several adults? At the beginning, all the adults agreed. Why do you say that it was decided by me alone?"

The young prince looked at Ding Kuichu below with a puzzled and surprised look on his face.
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall was in an uproar. According to what the King of Gui said, the matter of transferring Su Guansheng to the court had been discussed with the people in the hall long ago. But if they had already discussed it, why did they make such a big fuss today? Could it be that these people changed their minds halfway?

Zhu Zhijian, Wu Zhenyu and other officials looked at the four people above with surprise on their faces, while Qu Shisi and others above had dark expressions on their faces.

Ding Kuichu was so angry that he laughed when he saw that the King of Gui dared to confuse right and wrong in public.
"Your Highness said that you have discussed this with all of us. I wonder when did Your Highness discuss this with us? Today, all the wise men in the court are here. Your Highness is still saying such deceitful words?"

"Or is it that Your Highness just discussed it with Lord Qu and made it a public discussion in the court, while leaving Lord Lu and our vassal officials aside?"

Ding Kuichu's face was filled with rage, and he glanced coldly at Qu Shisi, who had remained silent. Lu Daqi on the side also had a gloomy expression, staring at Qu Shisi opposite him. Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and their eyes swept over Qu Shisi above them strangely. According to what Lord Ding said, this matter was actually the result of a secret conspiracy between Qu Shisi and King Gui.
Everyone thought about it, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt it made sense. Everyone in the city knew that Qu Shisi had called for the establishment of the King of Gui during the Longwu Dynasty.

The person who initiated this must be the confidant of the King of Gui, so it is not surprising that he could persuade the King of Gui. When everyone thought about the situation in the city, they felt that this incident must have been the work of Qu Shisi.

The officials looked at Qu Shisi, who had no expression on his face, and felt a sense of awe in their hearts. This Qu Shisi was indeed a senior official with many years of experience and was really a very experienced official.
Look at his actions in recent days. First, he encouraged the King of Gui to transfer his trusted confidant Jiao Lian to the court as a member of the imperial guards. Then he secretly wooed Su Guansheng from Guangzhou to the court. Jiao Lian was a soldier, and Su Guansheng was a local power that controlled Guangzhou.

A senior official from Guangxi Province came to Guangdong alone, but in a blink of an eye, he established his own base in Guangdong Province, with soldiers, money and food in hand, and this did not count his old nest in Guangxi Province.

Qu Shisi is a kind-hearted man with a dark heart and ruthless methods. If you encounter this old villain in the future, you must be extremely careful.
The corner of Qu Shisi's mouth twitched, and he was about to speak, but he didn't know what he thought of, and the words on his lips suddenly stopped. He just sat in his seat silently, without saying a word.
When the ministers saw this, they were even more shocked. Qu Shisi said nothing, which clearly meant that he admitted the matter. Could it be that Qu Shisi was the one who did it secretly?

Su Guansheng, who was standing by, also had a strange look on his face when he saw this. He had never met Qu Shisi before. Could it be that this man really instigated the King of Gui to let him enter the court?

Zhu Lang above saw that Qu Shisi didn't say a word, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, but he didn't stop, but continued to speak.

"Although I am only a small prince from a distant vassal state, I also know the importance of state affairs. How could I discuss such an important matter with only one person? When we discussed this matter, Lord Qu, Lord Lu, and Lord Ding all knew about it. Why is Lord Ding denying it now and saying that it was my fault?"

The young prince looked unhappy.
The ministers below looked at the King of Gui above. The young prince's face was full of displeasure, and his expression did not seem to be fake.

A trace of confusion flashed across everyone's faces. According to what the King of Gui said, he had clearly discussed it with Ding Kuichu and the other two, but now these three people were furious again. What was going on?
"Your Highness said that he had discussed this with us. Then may I ask when did Your Highness discuss this with us? Why do I, an old minister, not remember this at all?"

Ding Kuichu looked at the unhappy prince, and his heart was burning with anger. He asked

The King of Gui was still making false excuses. Qu Shisi and Lu Daqi were also slightly surprised when they saw the young prince still talking nonsense. This was simply ridiculous. When did the King of Gui discuss this with the three of them?
"Master Ding is really forgetful. Didn't I send someone to deliver a petition a few days ago, asking the three masters to recruit the remaining talents from the court and the public to join the court? The three masters all agreed at the time."

Lu Daqi was stunned when he heard this, and Qu Shisi didn't know what he was thinking of. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He looked at the vassal king who was speaking confidently above him, and couldn't help but flash a trace of amazement in his eyes.

He originally thought that he had seen through the intentions of the King of Gui that day, but now it seems that what he thought of was all a smokescreen bait thrown by the King of Gui. The King of Gui even deceived him.

The real purpose of the Gui King is not in front of Zhaoqing, but is thousands of miles away. What a good trick to deceive the world. What a good trick.

In the time of crisis, we have such a wise ruler like Your Highness to succeed the throne. He will surely lead the ministers, unite the people, and restore the country. It is truly a blessing from our ancestors to protect our Ming country.
When Qu Shisi thought of this, his expression relaxed.
Qu Shisi's expression slowed down, but Ding Kuichu's expression became more and more furious.
"Your Highness said that day that he would recruit Chen Zizhuang and He Wuzuo, but he did not say that he would recruit Su Guansheng, a traitor, into the court."

"Mr. Ding is wrong. Mr. Chen, Mr. He is a famous minister of the country and should be recruited into the court."

"But Lord Su is also a Grand Secretary appointed by the late emperor, and he is also an important official of the country. The state affairs are difficult at this time. Since we need to recruit talented people, he should naturally be recruited into the court to jointly restore our Ming Dynasty," Zhu Lang said in a clear voice.
As soon as Zhu Lang finished speaking, the ministers were stunned and realized that although they had not seen the memorial submitted by Gui Wang Suo, the matter of recruiting Chen Zizhuang and the other two to the court some time ago was not kept secret. When some of them knew about it, they even shouted that the court was wise.
But now it seems that this move is not only for Chen Zizhuang and He Wuzuo, but also for Su Guansheng.

"Your Highness, your words are just specious, and they may convince the ministers in the court."

Ding Kuichu could no longer bear it, his face was filled with anger, he stood up from his seat and shouted
But the young prince who was originally standing at the top suddenly had a cold look on his face. He waved his sleeves, sat back in his seat expressionlessly, and glanced coldly at the people below.
"I have recruited wise officials to restore the country. Which official in the court would not be convinced?"

The ministers were all shocked when they saw the young man with a stern face, wearing a yellow python robe, sitting on the main seat.

Originally, everyone saw that the prince had been talking and laughing since he entered the palace, and his expression was friendly, so they felt quite relaxed.

But at this moment, the prince's face turned cold, and everyone's heart sank. They suddenly realized that the person in front of them was not only an ordinary prince, but also the future regent, the emperor of Ming Dynasty.
Everyone looked at the stern-looking young man above them, and suddenly they felt as if the python dragon on his robe had come alive, pouncing towards them with its fangs and claws bared.
"I dare not"

No one knew who took the lead, but all the officials suddenly woke up, stood up, and bowed to the young man above.

A young man in a bright yellow python robe sat in the hall. All the ministers bowed down. The hall was silent for a while, with only a gust of cold wind blowing through the hall, making a humming sound.

(End of this chapter)