Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 92: Hurry and Follow the Right
When Zhu Jianshen returned to the Qianqing Palace, he immediately asked the eunuch Tan Chang, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, to summon the cabinet ministers Wan'an and Liu Ji, the Minister of Rites Zhou Hongmo, and two of his favorite Taoist priests, Li Zisheng and Deng Changen, into the palace.

It has been several years since a minister was summoned to the inner court along with his close associates. This made the participants realize that something big might happen, which should be related to the current Taishan earthquake.

After several people arrived, they lined up in two rows in front of the throne.

The leaders were Wan'an and Li Zisheng, and the rest stood behind them.

Although Li Zisheng was only the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he was used as the Minister of Personnel because the emperor basically only listened to Li Zisheng's opinions when employing people in the past two years.

"I believe that all of you have heard about it. There was an earthquake in Mount Tai the day before yesterday, with thunder and lightning and the might of heaven. This disaster may indicate that something big will happen in the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Jianshen said straight to the point.

Several ministers couldn't help but turn their eyes to Li Zisheng.

In this matter, Li Zisheng has attracted much attention, as if everything was caused by Li Zisheng.

As the emperor finished speaking, the Qianqing Palace became unusually quiet, and no one was willing to take the initiative to speak at this critical juncture.

Zhu Jianshen waited for a while, and seemed to be dissatisfied with the attitudes of several ministers. Qin Chang happened to come out at this time and said, "My fellow ministers, if you have any opinions about the disaster, you should speak frankly in front of the emperor, so as to avert the disaster for the country."

Still no answer.

This made Qin Chang very anxious.

Zhu Jianshen glanced at Qin Chang coldly, seeming to be very dissatisfied with Qin Chang's style of doing things.

Among the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department, Huai En is the most respected and insightful one. However, because Huai En firmly opposed the change of crown prince, he was driven out of the capital. Although Qin Chang is now in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he is obviously not comparable to Huai En.

"...After En left, Tan Chang was in charge, and he was even more unable to support the government. Some people tried to persuade the emperor to turn to the assistant ministers Wan An and Liu Wei, but he kept silent."

From this point, it can be seen that Qin Chang was more of a decoration in the Imperial Household Department. He was a transitional figure after Huai En was exiled and took charge of the Imperial Household Department again.

Li Zisheng saw that the time was almost right, so he stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory reported that 'the earthquake at Mount Tai will occur in the east, and it will be resolved only by a happy event.' Now we should use a happy event to dilute the negative impact."

It seems that a solution was given, but in fact it was not his opinion, but the suggestion of the Imperial Observatory.

Zhu Jianshen asked, "Dongchaozhixi, does it mean to choose a concubine for the prince?"

This is to want Li Zisheng to give an accurate answer.

Li Zisheng thought about it and still felt a little scared. Finally, he had to bite the bullet and said in an ambiguous tone: "Maybe so."

Zhu Jianshen nodded helplessly after listening to this, and then looked at the others: "My fellow ministers, don't you have any opinions on this matter?"

Liu Ji came out and said, "Your Majesty, I think this proposal is reasonable. The prince is already old. Choosing a concubine for him can show the court's attention to the prince, respond to the warning from heaven, and calm the people."

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

How could you, Liu Mianhua, say such powerful words?

In the past, you always acted as a troublemaker, but this time, seeing that the emperor and Li Zisheng were both compromising on the issue of changing the crown prince, you seized the opportunity to show that you are a loyal minister?

Zhu Jianshen thought for a moment, then looked at the Minister of Rites Zhou Hongmo and asked, "Mr. Zhou, as the Minister of Rites, do you have any better ideas?"

Zhou Hongmo then turned his gaze to Wan'an.

Although he was the Minister of Rites, he and Wan'an were from the same hometown, and the two were typical fellow villagers. Later, Wan'an was expelled from the court, and Zhou Hongmo was ordered to retire because of his close relationship with Wan'an. In important matters of the court, Zhou Hongmo always followed Wan'an's lead.

"When I ask you a question, just answer it directly."

Zhu Jianshen usually seems to ignore state affairs, but he is not a stupid person.

He was very clear about the relationships between people in the court, but he saw through them without pointing them out, allowing the situation to develop.

Emperors always wanted to come up with some extraordinary skills to control their subordinates. At least during the Chenghua period, this method did not fail. But later, this group of people were basically all nailed to the pillar of shame in the history books compiled by literati.

Zhou Hongmo said: "I second the motion."

He wanted to wait for Wan'an to give clear instructions, but Wan'an was also a paper craftsman. He chose to continue to be a turtle and remained silent. Liu Ji's attitude seemed to indicate that the cabinet supported the prince's selection of a concubine, so Zhou Hongmo could only speak in accordance with Liu Ji's meaning. Zhu Jianshen made some very bad sounds in his throat, like the low roar of a tiger before it descends from the mountain, and the fierce momentum was enough to kill people.

No one dared to look up and meet Zhu Jianshen's gaze.

Finally, after waiting for a long time, Zhu Jianshen said, "Since we have to rely on 'Jianxi' to resolve the disaster, we must act quickly and decisively."

What do you mean?
The ministers present pondered, does the emperor want to quickly choose a princess for the prince, or designate a princess consort for the prince and go straight to the wedding without even choosing one?
Because people outside the palace were not aware of Concubine Wan's current situation, they also didn't know why the emperor said "act quickly and with discretion".

Zhu Jianshen asked, "Master Li, what do you think we should do?"

Li Zisheng said anxiously that the opportunity had finally come.

He immediately bowed and said, "In my opinion, the Ministry of Rites should be in charge of this matter. As the year is coming to an end, it cannot be delayed too long. The selection of concubines should be carried out in the capital area, preferably in Shuntian Prefecture. The candidates should be gathered before the New Year to make a preliminary selection, and everything should be finalized before the fifth day of the New Year."

Several ministers around were shocked.

The emperor said we should hurry up, but there’s no need to go that fast, right?

Are you trying to race with others?
Even if the emperor dislikes the prince, he is still the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. Choosing a concubine for the prince is related to the reputation of the Ming royal family. Why must everything be completed within a few days?

Just when everyone thought the emperor would express his dissatisfaction with this, Zhu Jianshen nodded repeatedly: "I think it should be so."

Liu Ji, who originally wanted to be a troublemaker, was ready to take a step forward, but upon hearing this, he immediately collected his thoughts and continued to lower his head and pretend to be dumb.

It seems that the person who understands the emperor's thoughts best is Li Zisheng.

Moreover, the Taishan earthquake was predicted by Li Zisheng. If the emperor didn't listen to him, who else should he listen to?
Instead, Qin Chang, who should have supported the emperor the most, raised an objection: "Your Majesty, in such a hurry, won't you be too hasty in doing things, angering the heavens and failing to achieve the purpose of 'bringing good fortune'?"

Before, he only said "get happiness", but now hearing the words "rush happiness" from Qin Chang's mouth, the ministers realized that something might really have happened in the palace.

In folk customs, wedding ceremonies are only performed when someone is about to die.

Correspondingly, if a noble in the palace was about to die, it would be much more reasonable for the emperor to decide to "act quickly and with discretion."

Zhu Jianshen said: "The prince's selection of a concubine is just a formality... If you want to make things bigger, unless I die, then the one I marry will no longer be a concubine, but an empress!"

There was some resentment in these words.

Everyone present could hear the emperor's strong anger.

How reluctant are you to say this?
He's your own son.

Li Zisheng stepped out again and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Ministry of Rites should be responsible for handling this matter, but the Imperial Astronomical Observatory should also assist in selecting the time and place of the candidates... Those whose birth dates and fate do not match should be excluded."

At first, the ministers present did not find anything wrong with these words. They did not quite understand why Li Zisheng wanted to let the Imperial Observatory get involved.

Zhu Jianshen seemed to agree very much and nodded with satisfaction: "Master Li is indeed a pillar of the Ming Dynasty. Although this matter is not your specific responsibility, if there is anything that the Ministry of Rites cannot decide, we must consult your opinion."

"I dare not overstep my authority." Li Zisheng declined.

"Master Li, don't be modest!"

Zhu Jianshen was firm: "Everything will be done according to your wishes. Submit the list of primary candidates before the end of the year. In addition..."

At this point, Zhu Jianshen remembered that when he was choosing a concubine for his son, he should respect his son's wishes.

But then he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Go, tell the East Palace to let the Crown Prince get ready."

What opinions do you have? You are just a tool!

I made you the crown prince because you were the eldest son of the emperor. Now it is because my beloved concubine is bedridden, which is probably a punishment from heaven, so I need you to marry and bring good luck...

Is this to make your position as crown prince more secure?
What a joke!
In the future, deposing you from your position as Crown Prince will only be a matter of a word from me, right?

Why would you need to be comforted when I choose a concubine for you?
Just notify me, it’s up to you to choose or not!
(End of this chapter)