Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 316 Protect Xia Yan
"His Majesty--!!"

Haiyue strode into the Qianqing Palace, her robes fluttering and her steps light as the wind.

Upon seeing Zhu Houcong seated at the imperial desk, the trembling voice caught in her throat—

Three parts fear, seven parts relief.

In the end, it all turned into a sigh of relief.

Given his status and position, it's impossible for him to simply slide across on his knees.

That's the movement technique of a eunuch.

For a dignified Hanlin scholar to rush into the hall so quickly was already a breach of etiquette.

But Old Deng is still around.

After the Renyin Palace Incident in history, Jiajing spent some time recuperating before moving directly into the Western Garden and never seeing outsiders again.

The fact that he was able to meet with court officials the very next day shows that the harm he suffered was at least much less severe than being strangled.

But to say it was a false alarm is clearly not the case.

Because the emperor's face was ashen like incense ash, his eyes were bloodshot, and most horrifyingly, there was a scratch on his right cheek, covered with a scab, like a centipede coiled on his imperial majesty.

This was no false alarm.
Clearly, he was still furious after narrowly escaping death!
Haiyue glanced at it and then lowered her head.

"Mingwei!"

Zhu Houcong was very pleased with his outburst after hearing about the palace coup. He spoke in the name of the courtesy name he had personally bestowed upon him, and seemed to be moved as well: "I almost... would never have been able to listen to your sermons again!"

"His Majesty!"

Hai Yue's voice immediately choked with emotion, yet every word was resounding: "Your Majesty has ascended the throne by the mandate of Heaven and is naturally protected by the Purple Palace. However, these petty villains have rebelled and caused chaos; they are truly treacherous ministers and traitors, deserving of death by everyone. I wish to annihilate these evildoers to restore order to the world!"

Zhu Houcong nodded slightly.

To have a scholar of noble character speak of reforming the court—that is loyalty.

He didn't care what his ministers thought deep down, since he didn't trust anyone anyway.

He cares about how his subjects behave.

For example, Zhu Houcong approved of Lu Bing's decision to only inform Grand Secretary Yan Song last night.

Because Yan Song could stabilize the overall situation.

And they act with discretion.

Of course, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet has no further advancement, but he can still follow the example of Yang Tinghe and attempt to seize imperial power, so he still has the motivation.

In comparison, Hai Yue, a Hanlin scholar who has no connection with the prince, is young, and only has the power in the court because of his trust, is actually the one with the least motivation among the court officials.

Therefore, if Lu Bing dared to inform Hai Yue in advance, he would definitely be furious.

This is a time for direct communication between the emperor and his confidants, and no outsiders are allowed to participate.

"Let me tell you about the terrifying experience last night!"

With this description, which was far from objective and based solely on personal opinion, Haiyue roughly understood the situation of the palace coup.

Compared to the palace maids' attacks in history, this one is much more complicated.

While Emperor Jiajing was spending the night at Consort Li's Jiangxue Pavilion, he was assassinated by a palace maid who admired the eldest prince's benevolence. In the end, the mastermind hanged himself in the Jingfu Palace where the second prince resided.

The initial suspicions involved more than one person, including the first three sons.

Don't assume that the fourth and fifth brothers got the better deal. Following the chain of suspicion, whoever benefits becomes a suspect.

Every prince benefits...

But this shouldn't have been said in the first place; if it were, how could the father-son relationship remain?
Secondly, it should not be discussed with ministers. Even family scandals should not be made public, let alone imperial secrets.
If it were any other court official, upon hearing the emperor so suspicious of the princes and concubines, they would probably want to cover their ears.

After all, what will the new emperor think when he learns that his former father had said such things to his ministers?

No matter how much one hates the late emperor, there is nothing one can do about him, but as long as his subjects are still alive, their lives will probably not be easy.

Therefore, Zhu Houcong's seemingly intimate conversation about his anxieties after the assassination attempt was a deliberate act to further isolate him from any possibility of him siding with a certain prince.

Haiyue's expression was extremely focused, as if she had no such association at all. After listening, she could only sigh, "I also have two sons, who are still young. I discipline them strictly every day, for fear that they might break the moral order!"

"You and I... are ultimately different!"

Zhu Houcong was genuinely saddened by these words.

The sons of ministers are accustomed to being filial to their fathers, after all, the titles and honors bestowed upon their wives and children are in the hands of their fathers.

Unlike their own sons, who are all dragon princes and phoenix grandsons, they covet this nine-layered palace.

Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong added, "If your son goes astray, what will Mingwei do?"

Haiyue replied without hesitation, "I will certainly punish him severely, to teach him a lesson he will never forget, so that he will not bring shame to the family in the future..."

Zhu Houcong liked this answer: "That's right! That's exactly how it should be!"

Of course, cases involving the inner palace could not possibly be handled by outside officials, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard found themselves somewhat constrained when investigating them.

Therefore, Zhu Houcong revealed his true purpose: "Especially those thieves who incite young men to make mistakes must be severely punished!"

What this emperor feared most was that palace coups in the inner court were often accompanied by political upheavals in the outer court.

The former threatens his personal life, while the latter truly shakes his rule and is a sharp blade drawn against his political life.

Never allow it!

Just as we were about to make specific arrangements...

"His Majesty!!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang out from outside the hall, followed by the sounds of guards pulling and tugging at him: "This old minister wants to see His Majesty!"

Both people inside the hall recognized whose voice it was.

Although his voice was distorted by excitement, it still carried a unique, resonant quality—among all the officials in the court, only one person possessed such a voice.

"What kind of behavior is this, making a scene outside? Let him in!"

Zhu Houcong's eyes darkened, and he calmly gave the order.

Xia Yan almost stumbled into the hall.

His scarlet robe and jade belt were tangled together, and even his crown was askew.

This Grand Secretary, who was always particular about his demeanor, could no longer straighten his clothes. He looked at the Emperor in front of him with trembling eyes and tears welled up in his eyes.

When someone is truly crying, it's hard for them to look good.

When a person is deeply saddened, where does their composure come from?
The phrase "pear blossoms in the rain" is ultimately just a literary embellishment.

At this moment, Xia Yan was in tears, his usually handsome face was all scrunched up, and even his white beard was covered with tears.

The handsome old man is no longer handsome.

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Houcong's eyes.

I'm not dead yet!
Why are you crying like that!

Haiyue, however, could tell that the Grand Secretary was genuinely expressing his feelings.

Xia Yan felt grateful and loyal to Zhu Houcong.

After all, he was able to rise from a censor in the Six Ministries to a cabinet minister in just a few years, all thanks to His Majesty's patronage.

Upon learning of Jiajing's assassination attempt, he was truly terrified. Overwhelmed with both grief and joy, he wept bitterly, kneeling on the ground and stammering, "Heaven... protect my Holy Emperor... keep him safe... keep him safe..."

Seeing that he had lost his composure, Zhu Houcong also left his seat and stepped forward to personally help the old minister up: "Minister Xia, please rise, don't do this!"

Xia Yan was immediately moved to tears. His Majesty had been assassinated and was in danger, yet he still cared about his subject. Was he not a wise ruler?
Before he could even rejoice, Zhu Houcong's next question came through: "How did Xia Qing know about last night's events?"

Xia Yan's reaction was far superior to that of the women in the inner palace. He instantly realized something was wrong and knelt down again: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this old minister would never dare to inquire about matters of the inner court!"

However, Zhu Houcong persisted: "If you didn't ask, how did you find out? Who's spreading rumors?"

Xia Yan was drenched in cold sweat. His lips moved slightly, but he could only say, "This old minister only heard rumors, I know my crime... I know my crime..."

Undoubtedly, he had spies in the palace. Upon learning of the emperor's assassination attempt, he was genuinely worried about the emperor's safety, but also saw it as a good opportunity to advance his career. That's why he rushed to the Qianqing Palace to express his loyalty.

But this was precisely what Jiajing could not tolerate.

This old man has really gotten cocky.

Or rather, ever since Xia Yan was chosen for the Heaven and Earth Division Sacrifice and began to be promoted, he has always considered himself the emperor's confidant.

As it turns out, he was not as favored as one might imagine, either historically or in the world.

Haiyue knew that she absolutely could not speak up for Xia Yan at this moment, otherwise she would only harm him.

But in his heart, he was thinking about how to protect him.

Two key reasons.

one.

Xia Yan and Zeng Xian's strategy towards Anda Khan was correct.

The Mongol tribes were already fragmented, but it was unrealistic to expect them to easily kill each other.

In other words, Altan Khan's domineering rise blocked the path of many small and medium-sized tribes, and those tribes that were unwilling to be annexed became the targets that could be exploited.

But this is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If Xia Yan falls from power now, Zeng Xian, who is still inspecting Gubeikou, will inevitably be implicated, just like Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng in history.

This could backfire, actually prompting the Ming army on the border to sharpen their swords and take strong measures against the various Mongol tribes.

Second.

A tripartite balance is the most stable structure, and there is no need for fierce confrontation between the three parties; mutual checks and balances are sufficient.

Once Vice Minister Xia Yan leaves, only Yan Song and Hai Yue will remain, and the political situation in the court will change drastically.

Haiyue didn't want to see that kind of change, and she believed Yan Song didn't want it either.

In the blink of an eye, Haiyue made her decision and gave Xia Yan a cold look.

Xia Yan sensed the gaze, turned his head to look over, and met the gaze. Suddenly realizing what was happening, he immediately shouted angrily, "Scholar Hai, how dare you suppress the news of such a momentous event as the palace upheaval? Are you willing to disregard the safety of the nation just to curry favor with the Emperor?"

'Not stupid at all!'

Hai Yue felt a sense of relief, but her face showed shock and anger: "Elder Xia, please be careful with your words, I also..."

"This old minister has long suspected that you intend to isolate yourself from the outside world and seek the Emperor's favor exclusively. Seeing you today, I can confirm it!"

Xia Yan interrupted directly: "The entire court has been kept in the dark, but only your Hanlin Academy is well-informed? If you don't explain yourself clearly today, this old minister requests that you be executed!"

Seeing the two high-ranking officials arguing, Zhu Houcong suppressed his anger and slowly retreated to his throne, saying, "Stop arguing!"

Xia Yan immediately fell silent, and then the emperor said calmly, "Hai Qing only learned of the shocking change just now outside the Wenhua Hall. Why should Xia Qing make such unfounded speculations?"

"This old minister..."

Xia Yan's eyes suddenly reddened, and his voice, which was as firm as metal, became choked with emotion again: "This old minister only regrets that he cannot grow wings and fly into the Forbidden City to see His Majesty's face with his own eyes!"

"That's it!"

Hearing this earnest and pleasant voice, Zhu Houcong was finally moved and waved his hand: "This matter must not be spread. The stability of the court is the most important thing. You may leave!"

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

The two left the hall and walked to the corner of the palace gate. Xia Yan quietly cupped his hands in greeting and quickly left.

The undergarment, soaked with cold sweat, clung to his back, exuding a bone-chilling cold in the autumn wind.

(End of this chapter)