Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1119 Begging for Bones

Sun Chengzong died the day after the victory report arrived. The news was quickly delivered to the capital. Zhu Shenzhui was discussing post-war affairs in Liaodong with cabinet elders in a side hall of the Qianqing Palace. When he received the news, he was stunned and did not speak for a long time.

"Your Majesty, Lord Sun's greatest obsession in his life was the Liaodong War. A while ago, Gaoyang sent news that Lord Sun's health was deteriorating and he might not have much time left. If it weren't for the Liaodong War, Lord Sun would have died long ago. Moreover, Lord Sun was already very old, so his death at such an advanced age was expected."

Seeing the emperor's gloomy expression, the Prime Minister Wen Tiren said so, and then advised: "In my opinion, it is a good thing that Lord Sun died laughing after hearing that Liaodong was pacified, Shenyang was conquered, and the Jiannu were destroyed. Lord Sun's wish has been fulfilled, and he has no regrets. It is reasonable for him to leave."

Everyone nodded in agreement and advised Zhu Shencui not to be too sad. Sun Chengzong got what he wanted, and it was a good thing that he could leave the world in this way without any regrets.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded slightly after listening to everyone's words of comfort. In fact, he knew in his heart that this departure was the best outcome for Sun Chengzong. Sun Chengzong was a late bloomer. He did not officially enter the government until he was nearly fifty years old. After that, he emerged and demonstrated his outstanding political and military talents.

Especially during the Tianqi period, Sun Chengzong was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Ji-Liao in a time of crisis. He stabilized the situation in Liaodong for the Ming Dynasty, built the solid Ningjin Defense Line, and trained the strongest cavalry unit of the Ming Dynasty - the Guanning Iron Cavalry.

Although Sun Chengzong misjudged Yuan Chonghuan when he was in Liaodong, this cannot erase his contribution to the Ming Dynasty. If it were not for Sun Chengzong, the Liaodong war situation would have been out of control as early as the Tianqi period, and the Jiannu entrenched in Liaodong would have long since entered the interior. How could the Ming Dynasty have survived until later?
Unfortunately, Sun Chengzong had bad luck, and the Emperor Tianqi died too early, so he failed to complete the feat of recovering Liaodong. After retiring and returning home, although Sun Chengzong was in Gaoyang, he still cared about state affairs. When the Jiyi Incident occurred, he came out of retirement at the age of over 70 to clean up the mess, thus driving Huang Taiji back to Liaodong.

But later, Emperor Chongzhen was afraid of Sun Chengzong, so he made him retire for the second time. This time, Sun Chengzong was completely discouraged and worried about the future of the Ming Dynasty and the war situation in Liaodong. He knew very well that it was impossible for him to return to Liaodong to continue leading the army at his age, and the Ming Dynasty was in danger in the hands of Emperor Chongzhen.

Later, Zhu Shenzhu entered the capital to control the government and ascended the throne, and the Ming Dynasty underwent a huge change. After that, Sun Chengzong entered the capital again. Although he served as the chief teacher of the teaching hall at Zhu Shenzhu's request, responsible for teaching the crown prince and the princes, after a few years in the capital, Sun Chengzong retired for the third time on the grounds of old age. This time, he also knew that he would not be able to come back after leaving the capital. He didn't have much time left. After living for so long, Sun Chengzong had no other thoughts in his mind. He just felt regretful that the Liaodong war had not been resolved.

When Sun Chengzong was in the capital, Zhu Shenzui often met and talked with him. For Zhu Shenzui, Sun Chengzong was a respectable man. He was not only a famous minister of the Ming Dynasty, but also a loyal minister with the world in his heart. If it were not for the fact that he entered officialdom too late and the death of Emperor Tianqi too early, his ability would have been outstanding in the entire Ming Dynasty for nearly three hundred years.

It was precisely because he understood what Sun Chengzong was thinking and the regrets in his heart that when he learned that Sun Chengzong's health was deteriorating, Zhu Shenzui not only sent an imperial physician, but also sent someone to give Sun Chengzong a message, telling him that the Ming Dynasty was about to launch a major war against Liaodong.

Zhu Shenzui did this in the hope that Sun Chengzong would cheer up and use this news to lift his spirits so that he could witness the day when the Jiannu in Liaodong would be annihilated.

Zhu Shenzhu also knew that Sun Chengzong was very old. At his age, he could die at any time. Zhu Shenzhu just hoped that Sun Chengzong could live longer and leave this world without regrets, but he never expected that Sun Chengzong would die after hearing the news of the great victory in Liaodong. Although he had expected this, Zhu Shenzhu still felt very uncomfortable when he heard the news.

After calming down, Zhu Shenzui immediately suspended the previous agenda and asked the cabinet to discuss Sun Chengzong's posthumous title and posthumous arrangements.

After the cabinet made several suggestions, Zhu Shenzhu finally chose "Wen Zhong" as his posthumous title, and decided to write a memorial for Sun Chengzong in person to express his condolences. At the same time, Zhu Shenzhu conferred Sun Chengzong the title of Grand Master, and buried him with the highest etiquette for civil officials. He also appointed Song Wang Zhu Mincheng to go to Gaoyang to offer sacrifices and preside over Sun Chengzong's funeral on his behalf.

Such a high courtesy can be said to be unprecedented, which is enough to show the importance of Sun Chengzong in the heart of the emperor. Although the elders present did not say anything, they were secretly envious in their hearts. Sun Chengzong was a high-ranking official during his lifetime, and he was honored with such a special honor after his death. What else could a civil official ask for?
After making these arrangements, Zhu Shenzhui no longer had the idea of ​​continuing the discussion, so he ended the meeting and would continue tomorrow. Anyway, the overall situation in Liaodong had been decided, and the next step was to make a series of arrangements for Liaodong, which were not urgent.

Everyone in the cabinet stood up and left. When everyone else left one by one, the Prime Minister Wen Tihen did not leave.

"My dear, is there anything wrong?" Seeing him like this, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but ask.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial!" Wen Tiren stood up and took out a memorial from his arms and handed it over respectfully.

Zhu Shenzhui didn't care, thinking that Wen Tiren had some unique ideas about the arrangements for Liaodong, and planned to discuss it with him privately. He took the letter and opened it to read it, but as soon as he took a look, Zhu Shenzhui frowned.

"My dear minister, what are you doing...?" "Your Majesty, I am old and would like to retire..." Wen Tihen bowed towards the emperor tremblingly. Seeing this, Zhu Shenzhui hurriedly asked Lu Jiude to help him up.

"Why are you begging for bones all of a sudden?"

"Your Majesty, I am already seventy-four years old this year. In recent years, I have clearly felt that my energy is running out. I have been loved by Your Majesty and have been the Prime Minister for nearly ten years."

Wen Tiren smiled and told the emperor that his greatest wish in life was to assist the wise ruler and become a famous minister, thus leaving his name in history. Although Wen Tiren knew that his official reputation was not very good, and he had used some tricks to get the position of the Prime Minister. In order to achieve his goal, Wen Tiren used some not-so-bright means to defeat his opponents, and only then did he get this position.

Moreover, when Zhu Shenzhui just came to Beijing, he tried to win over Wen Tihen in order to stabilize the political situation, and Wen Tihen also joined him early in order to keep his official position. From these, it can be seen that Wen Tihen was not without selfish motives, and could be regarded as an opportunist.

But apart from these, Wen Tiren also has advantages that others do not have. First of all, Wen Tiren does not form a party, does not engage in corruption, has a clear mind, strong political ability, superb means of doing things, and is very clear about the pros and cons of the Ming Dynasty. With the full support of Zhu Shenzhu, Wen Tiren has been doing well in the position of Prime Minister in recent years and has made many political achievements.

It can be said that from the first year of Yongming to the present, there is Wen Tiren's support and shadow behind Zhu Shenzhu's series of reforms to the Ming Dynasty. Without Wen Tiren's help, it would be difficult for Zhu Shenzhu to control this huge empire alone. Because of this, even if Wen Tiren has this or that problem, Zhu Shenzhu doesn't care at all. How can a capable person be perfect? ​​What if people have some selfishness? As long as Wen Tiren can do things and be loyal to himself and the Ming Dynasty, other details are nothing.

Logically speaking, Wen Tiren still had more than a year left in his term, and he could have waited until the cabinet was adjusted in more than a year to retire. By then, Wen Tiren would have been 75 years old, so wouldn't it be good for him to retire with honor? Unexpectedly, Wen Tiren suddenly wanted to beg for his bones today, which surprised Zhu Shenzhui, and he tried to keep him.

But Wen Tiren was very determined, saying that he had been in the position of Prime Minister for too long, and that he was old and not as energetic as before. Wen Tiren had thought of begging for his bones more than half a year ago, but because of the preparation and launch of the Liaodong war, in order to avoid instability in the cabinet, Wen Tiren gritted his teeth and persisted until today.

Now that the Ming Dynasty had finally won a great victory in Liaodong and completely solved the Liaodong issue, the Jian Nu in Liaodong would no longer be a problem. Wen Tiren felt that his mission had been completed and he no longer wanted to be the Prime Minister, so he resolutely asked to beg for his bones, hoping that the emperor would approve it.

His eyes fell on Wen Tiren, and when he saw his calm attitude, Zhu Shenzui seemed to understand something and nodded silently.

"Although I am reluctant to let you leave the court, I cannot ignore your thoughts. Since you insist so much, I have no choice but to agree..."

"I thank Your Majesty..." Wen Tiren hurriedly saluted. At this moment, he looked relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

"In your opinion, who can take over as the Prime Minister after you resign?" Zhu Shenzhui asked directly, waving his hand.

"I am not qualified to be the Prime Minister..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhu Shenzhui said, "There is no need to do this in private. I know your ability to judge people. Moreover, although I am the one who decides the position of the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, you also have the right to recommend someone for the current Prime Minister. You can say whatever you want."

"This..." Wen Tiren hesitated, then said, "In my opinion, next year is the deadline for the cabinet adjustment. It is not convenient to choose another prime minister at this time. It is better to stay still than to move. After I leave the cabinet, Your Majesty can choose suitable candidates to supplement the cabinet, but the cabinet ranking can follow the convention, with the second prime minister promoted to the first prime minister to preside over the cabinet. It will not be too late to make further adjustments after the deadline next year."

Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Wen Tiren was really a shrewd man. It seemed that he had thought of this solution long ago. Not to mention, his suggestion was the most suitable for Zhu Shenzhui. Who is the second assistant now? Isn't it Zhang Zhifa? Zhang Zhifa has always been following the orders of the emperor and the first assistant Wen Tiren.

Although Zhang Zhifa's ability is far inferior to Wen Tihen's, his qualifications are not bad. What's more, Zhang Zhifa is a smart man and he is not young anymore. When the cabinet is adjusted next year, Zhang Zhifa will also retire. Therefore, Wen Tihen proposed to follow the cabinet ranking and promotion convention, temporarily promoting the second assistant to the first assistant instead of appointing the first assistant now. This will be of great benefit to the smooth transition of the cabinet and the emperor's control over the cabinet.

(End of this chapter)