Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 423 Phoenix Conceals the Iron Fist, Yin and Yang Revolve!
outside.

A group of officials from Yingtian Prefecture were waiting respectfully outside the prison gates.

I had received word earlier that the palace would send someone to visit Gu Guojiu in prison.

However, the imperial decree did not specify the identity of the person who arrived.

After the man in black arrived in his carriage, he didn't say much to them and went straight to see Gu Yanxiu.

A group of officials from Yingtian Prefecture were waiting respectfully outside the prison gates.

I had received word earlier that the palace would send someone to visit Gu Guojiu in prison.

However, the imperial decree did not specify the identity of the person who arrived.

After the man in black arrived in his carriage, he didn't say much to them and went straight to see Gu Yanxiu, even scolding the maid who was serving him.

All the officials of the Imperial Palace were filled with unease, wondering what this "envoy" from the palace meant and how he would report this matter to His Majesty.

When the man in black finally emerged, the officials immediately straightened their robes and stepped forward to bow respectfully.

"From now on, no one is allowed to serve him. Let him serve his sentence like an ordinary prisoner. If he offends again, he will be severely punished!"

Gu Panjun's voice returned to its previous "strange hoarseness," making it impossible to discern her identity or background.

The Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was slightly taken aback.

As the prefect in charge of the capital region, he was a figure of considerable importance in the court, yet he was filled with doubts when faced with this mysterious envoy.

He thought to himself, whoever comes, there's no need to be so mysterious.

Even if His Majesty were to travel incognito, he would most likely reveal his identity to me.

As for the person in front of him... Although the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture could not see his face clearly, he had a vague guess in his heart that this person in black was most likely a palace maid sent by the Empress, which was why he was wrapped up so tightly.

After all, if His Majesty were to send a eunuch to ask questions, there would be no need for such "secrecy."

It was with this thought that he began to formulate a plan.

Even knowing that a "noble person" from the palace had come to visit, he still did not dismiss the maidservants who served the Imperial Uncle.

Thinking that this was a good opportunity to curry favor with the Empress.

Although rumors circulated in the palace that the Empress had been punished by His Majesty and was confined to Kunning Palace to reflect on her actions.

In his view, the Emperor's affection for the Empress was merely a passing fancy and did not mean that the Empress had fallen out of favor.

The empress is, after all, the empress, the head of the harem who governs the country. A little flattery is never a bad thing.

It was precisely because they had been instructed beforehand that the maids dared not disobey the orders of the man in black and obediently complied.

But who could have imagined that this mysterious messenger would be so displeased with this and give such a stern warning?

The Prefect of Yingtian was puzzled, but he could only pretend to be calm and quickly agreed.

But he secretly wondered what the hidden story was behind it all.

At this moment, the man in black spoke again in a hoarse voice: "Tomorrow, the Yingtian Prefecture Court will hold a hearing to try Gu Yanxiu and sentence him to three years of labor reform, to be served in a labor reform facility under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture trembled.

The head of the law department standing to the side stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

The officials from Yingtian Prefecture present looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Gu Yanxiu, this is the emperor's brother-in-law!

Even though the criminal law system was reformed after the new emperor ascended the throne and no longer followed the old practice of joint trial by the three judicial departments, such a major case should normally be handled by the Ministry of Justice. How could it be the small Yingtian Prefecture's Ministry of Justice that decided the punishment?
The Prefect of Yingtian composed himself, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "May I ask, is this His Majesty's decree?"

This matter is of great importance, so how could he not carefully verify it?

When he received the imperial decree ordering Yingtian Prefecture to arrest the emperor's brother-in-law, he felt deeply troubled, but had no choice but to obey.

Now, the sudden order to go on trial has undoubtedly placed him in the eye of the storm.

"Yes!" Gu Panjun replied briefly, her voice still hoarse and cold.

After speaking, Gu Panjun turned around and boarded the carriage.

However, the carriage did not set off immediately, but remained quietly in place, as if waiting for something.

The Prefect of Yingtian and the Chief Justice exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, before they nodded knowingly.

Previously, when His Majesty ordered the Yingtian Prefecture to arrest people, they were completely baffled, but now, considering this trial order, how could they not understand?

This is clearly His Majesty's intention to use the Gu Yanxiu case as an opportunity to begin the prelude to new learning and new policies.

Yingtian Prefecture, the capital city, was a gathering place for imperial relatives, meritorious officials, and high-ranking court officials.

In theory, apart from special high-ranking officials explicitly designated by the imperial court who are beyond the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture, anyone else who commits illegal or disorderly conduct should be apprehended and brought to justice by Yingtian Prefecture.

Even those powerful court officials who held great power were only given special protection themselves; if their family members committed any illegal acts, the Yingtian Prefecture had the same right to intervene.

However, there is a world of difference between the theoretical legal provisions and the actual implementation.

In fact, even if the sons of imperial relatives or meritorious officials committed murder in broad daylight in the bustling streets, the constables of Yingtian Prefecture could often only stand by and watch.

They didn't even have the courage to step forward and stop it, let alone arrest it.

All they could do was report the matter to the government office, and then have the officials there submit a memorial.

Or perhaps the matter came to the attention of the Censorate or other officials in the court, who then reported it to the imperial court.

Only when the government or military affairs departments issue clear instructions, or when His Majesty issues an edict, will the Yingtian Prefecture act accordingly.

The capital city, located under the emperor's feet, was filled with the mansions of court officials and a gathering place for powerful and wealthy people.

Undeniably, if someone commits a heinous and unforgivable crime, no matter how noble their status, there will always be upright and righteous officials who will stand up, unafraid of power, and resolutely report to the court.

But most things in the world are not so extreme.

Officials are unlikely to bother with trivial matters that are actually oppressive to the people, let alone write memorials about them.

In this way, if the officials of Yingtian Prefecture choose to stand aside, it is tantamount to admitting that ordinary people with no power or influence can only silently endure oppression without any power to resist.

Take the case of Master Zhao as an example. If it weren't for the coincidence that Zhu Yunwen happened to witness it, Master Zhao would probably have been allowed to continue his evil deeds until his misdeeds accumulated to the point that they aroused the wrath of both gods and men and could no longer be covered up. Only then would an official stand up to impeach him.

Now, His Majesty has ordered officials in Yingtian Prefecture to arrest the Emperor's brother-in-law and even put him on trial.

This decree was undoubtedly a blatant declaration of war against the long-standing "unspoken rule" within Yingtian Prefecture of not interfering in the affairs of imperial relatives, nobles, and high-ranking officials.

This means that the powers that previously existed only on paper, seemingly authoritative but difficult to implement, will soon be truly handed over to the officials of Yingtian Prefecture.

Upon receiving this order, the officials of Yingtian Prefecture were instantly plunged into a vortex of complex emotions.

My heart was filled with a mixture of surprise, joy, worry, and fear.

For officials, power is the foundation of their position. Who doesn't yearn for an expansion of their power, and who doesn't desire to possess greater power?
But the thought of facing those high-ranking, powerful imperial relatives, nobles and officials made the officials' scalps tingle.

But the emperor's decree had been issued, and even though they were filled with fear, there was no way they could back down. They could only grit their teeth and press on. The carriage still hadn't left, so none of the officials dared to leave. They could only wait respectfully to the side.

A while later, a group of guards escorted a man who looked like a farmer over.

The head guard faced the carriage, clasped his hands in a standard cupped-hand salute, and reported loudly, "Your Excellency, this man is named Ma San. Although he is a scholar, he is quite different from ordinary scholars. He has worked in the fields since childhood and is a rare expert in farming."

He paused, then continued, "I have already discussed the matter in detail with him. Ma San has volunteered to go to the labor camp to work alongside the Imperial Brother-in-law for three years."

Before Gu Panjun could even ask, Ma San eagerly interrupted, "Sir, is your promise of ten thousand taels of silver over three years still valid?"

His voice was full of trepidation and anticipation.

“It naturally counts!” Gu Panjun’s hoarse and eerie voice came from inside the carriage.

"You must accompany the emperor's brother-in-law to the prison, do farm work together, and teach him how to conduct himself in society, how to get along with officials in the court, and how to establish himself in the capital."

"If you can handle this matter well, in addition to the ten thousand taels of silver, you will be richly rewarded."

After a brief pause, she continued, "I have read your poems and essays, and I also know a bit about you as a person."

"You only need to impart your ideas to the emperor's brother-in-law without reservation."

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Ma San's face.

He truly hadn't expected that this mysterious nobleman, who lived deep within the palace, would know so much about him.

But then he realized that the person he was about to "accompany" was the current emperor's brother-in-law, the elder brother of the dignified Empress of the Ming Dynasty.

Given such a distinguished status, it's understandable that someone with the intention of investigating would know these things.

He composed himself and said loudly, "Rest assured, sir, once I have the money, I will do my utmost to handle this matter properly."

Gu Panjun did not respond again, but simply knocked lightly on the carriage.

The coachman understood, cracked his whip, the horse trotted forward, the carriage slowly started moving, the wheels rolled, and it gradually disappeared into the distance.

Inside the carriage, Gu Panjun's originally upright body slowly went limp, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant.

She slowly closed her eyes, and two lines of tears welled up uncontrollably and rolled down her cheeks.

No matter how strong she appears in front of outsiders, no matter how many strategies and schemes she harbors in her heart, in the end, she is just a young girl.

If this were in a later era, she would probably still be on campus, enjoying her innocent and carefree student days.

Despite his many schemes, his character was not as "hard" as he appeared outwardly.

The fact that she managed to hold on until now before shedding tears shows that her willpower is incredibly strong.

The maidservant whispered to comfort her, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Uncle is only temporarily bewitched. He will surely repent and reform himself soon."

"Your Majesty, please do not be too sad. Take care of your health."

"I understand." Gu Panjun did not dwell on her grief for long, and the glistening tears quickly stopped rolling down her cheeks.

She picked up a silk handkerchief and gently wiped away the remaining tear stains on her cheeks.

In a short while, he regained his former calm and composure.

"Send people to sell off all the properties under the name of the Imperial Uncle's Mansion," Gu Panjun instructed. "The proceeds from the sale, along with the more than 12 million taels of silver that I previously deposited in the Great Ming Bank, should be donated to the court."

Upon hearing this, the maid was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, even if the Imperial Uncle is willing to donate his property to atone for his sins, why should Your Majesty personally shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

"This sum of over twelve million taels of silver represents the hard work and effort Your Majesty has put in by acquiring numerous treasures from the palace."

"Even if you're going to donate, is it necessary to give away so much of your savings?"

"In my humble opinion, donating a few tens of thousands of taels would be enough to express our gratitude."

Upon hearing this, Gu Panjun's expression hardened, and her tone turned icy cold: "You little brat, you're getting more and more unruly. Since when did it become your place to make decisions for me and take charge of the household?"

The maid was so frightened by the rebuke that she quickly lowered her head and said in fear, "I know I was wrong. I will never dare to speak recklessly again."

"Never mind." Gu Panjun changed the subject, her expression instantly becoming gentle and pleasant: "You can talk about it, but I'm a little tired today and in a bad mood. Please don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing this, the maid's eyes instantly welled up with tears, her heart filled with emotion.

The Empress, with her noble status, actually humbled herself to apologize to a lowly maid.

Such a kind and benevolent act was something that the other concubines in the palace would never have dared to even dream of.

Only the Empress, the kindest person in the world, would be so considerate of her servants.

No wonder all the palace maids and eunuchs in Kunning Palace were utterly loyal to the Empress.

Even when the Empress was punished by His Majesty, no one took advantage of her misfortune.

"Your Majesty, I was too talkative. Your reprimand is absolutely right," the maid said softly. "I will go and make the arrangements immediately."

"I was not thinking things through properly just now. I need to set aside tens of thousands of taels of silver to reward the people who handled this matter, as well as the maids and eunuchs of Kunning Palace."

Gu Panjun said, "Everyone has worked hard and deserves some reward."

"The rest of the money will be donated to the imperial court."

She took a breath and explained, "This money was originally intended for the emperor."

"Governing the country is no easy task. There are still many places where the court needs to spend money."

"I deliberately put my own jewelry and other items up for auction in the hope that one day I could help Your Majesty solve your problems."

"With the new education and new policies about to be implemented, it is a critical moment when the court urgently needs money."

“Even without my brother’s affair, I intended to donate this money to the court.”

"What use would I have for so much money if I lived in the palace all year round?"

The maid was stunned, then nodded vigorously, secretly marveling at the Empress's deep affection for His Majesty, but wisely remained silent.

Gu Panjun continued, "From this day forward, I will be confined to my quarters for self-reflection. Kunning Palace will be closed to visitors, and none of you are allowed to go out."

"Apart from His Majesty, anyone else who comes to Kunning Palace shall be refused entry."

"No matter what happens outside the palace, ignore it."

As her voice faded, the carriage continued its rumbling journey, slowly making its way towards the palace.

As the sun sets, the blood-red afterglow paints the sky crimson.

Gradually, the night swept in like a tidal wave.

As the carriage returned to the palace, the cycle of Yin and Yang was in full swing.

The bright moon quietly climbed into the sky, casting its cool, clear light.

……

(End of this chapter)