Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 317 is becoming increasingly unscrupulous.

"I'm afraid many people are about to suffer undeserved misfortune!"

Haiyue returned to the Hanlin Academy, sat down, and gently pressed her brow.

Historically, Zhu Houcong implemented the policy of "two dragons not meeting" early on. His first two sons also died early. As a result of the palace coup, he moved out of the Forbidden City and became increasingly devoted to Taoism.

Actually, not much has changed.

Prior to this, Jiajing had already neglected his duties, and even without the Renyin Palace Coup, there would have been no change in the major affairs of the state.

However, the impact of this new Renyin Palace Coup is far-reaching.

Because it involves the imperial heir.

The succession of the emperor is inevitably related to the court officials.

Even before this palace coup occurred, Zhu Houcong was constantly worried that his ministers would seize power from him, fearing the emergence of another Yang Tinghe clique. He even had to keep a close watch on and restrain his trusted confidants like Zhang Cong and Gui E who had offered him help in his time of need.

Now that this has happened, you can easily imagine the turmoil that will follow.

Haiyue was also mentally prepared for this.

Leaving aside the struggle for the throne among the nine princes during the Kangxi Emperor's reign, on the one hand, he repeatedly emphasized the kinship between fathers, sons, and brothers, while on the other hand, he personally facilitated his sons' treacherous power struggle.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, deliberately made things difficult for Crown Prince Li Chengqian...

Even fathers and sons in the ancient imperial palace were not immune to this.

How to keep this dispute within a small scope and not affect the overall political situation is the issue he, as a high-ranking leader, should be concerned about.

In the following days, news of the palace coup still spread.

The courtiers were greatly shocked and discussed the matter extensively.

Panic gripped the capital, and the imperial guards were mobilized.

The Jianghu (江湖) organizations were wiped out by the Imperial Guards.

Whether innocent or not, they were all arrested and imprisoned at this moment, subjected to severe torture, and interrogated about any possible acts of treason.

Just as the turmoil within the inner court was escalating, a piece of news brought joy to many officials.

"Mingwei! Mingwei!"

Accompanied by an aged yet excited voice, another Hanlin scholar, Xue Kan, strode into Haiyue's room.

This man studied under Wang Yangming in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, and later transmitted Yangming's philosophy of mind to Lingnan. He was a legitimate disciple of the philosophy of mind.

There is a historical anecdote about him who advised the Jiajing Emperor, who had been on the throne for more than ten years without an heir, to "examine old precedents and determine the heir apparent."

This was modeled after Emperor Renzong of Song, who selected a member of the imperial family to be groomed as the crown prince in order to secure the foundation of the nation.

Later, Zhang Cong's faction used this opportunity to bring down Xia Yan and force him to confess that Xia Yan had ordered him to do this.

As it turned out, Xue Kan was politically naive but had great backbone. Even after being severely tortured in the imperial prison, he still refused to admit that he was acting on Xia Yan's orders. He was later released but dismissed from his post and reduced to commoner status.

The world doesn't have a conflict between Xia Yan and Zhang Cong over who should be the chief minister. Xue Kan didn't submit any similar memorials either. He rose through the ranks peacefully and is now another Hanlin Academician, qualified to enter the cabinet.

However, he was still politically immature and was a typical scholar, just like Lin Daqin. Therefore, he is still in the Hanlin Academy, writing books and studying.

Coincidentally, both of them were from Chaozhou Prefecture in Guangdong.

Xue Kan was delighted that the Yixin Society was based on the philosophy of mind. The two scholars, one old and one young, usually got along well, but it was rare to see them shouting so excitedly before they had even entered the sect.

"Lord Xue..."

Haiyue straightened his hat and stood up, but before he could even perform the full curtsy, Xue Kan impatiently grabbed his wrist: "Mingwei, do you know that His Majesty intends to establish an heir?"

"Ok?"

Haiyue's heart skipped a beat: "Where did this information come from?"

"The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs just leaked the news!"

Xue Kan released him, clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes crinkling with joy: "Heaven bless the Ming Dynasty! Heaven bless the Ming Dynasty! Now we are in a period of great prosperity, but we lack only an heir. I will now draft a memorial to urge Your Majesty to settle the affairs of state as soon as possible..."

"Lord Xue, wait!"

Haiyue gripped the other's arm and lowered her voice: "This matter is of great importance. It would be better to wait for the imperial edict to be issued before the officials offer their opinions."

"Ok?"

Xue Kan's smile vanished abruptly, his eyes widening: "Mingwei, what do you mean by that?"

what for?

Naturally, the direction of this succession decision is entirely the emperor's doing, a trap!
If Haiyue and Zhu Houcong hadn't exchanged "child-rearing experiences" in the Qianqing Palace, that would have been fine.

But after that exchange, Haiyue was 100% certain that the Emperor would never appoint a Crown Prince at this critical juncture.

The news, coming from the Directorate of Ceremonial, seemed highly credible, but in reality, it was an examination of the officials' attitudes.

No wonder he let him and Xia Yan leave directly back then; it was a tacit understanding between the ruler and his subject.

The time has come to test whether Yixin Hui is truly of one mind.

Such a test is truly malicious.

Undeniably, some officials who proposed establishing an heir did so with the intention of gaining merit by supporting the new emperor. Once the new emperor ascends the throne, he will certainly develop a favorable impression of the officials who proposed the establishment of an heir.

However, many officials acted entirely out of public interest.

After all, without a crown prince, if the current emperor were to suffer any mishap and pass away, even with the old system of establishing the eldest son as heir, there would inevitably be some twists and turns in the succession.

The early selection of the Crown Prince is a blessing for the nation.

The Yixin Society is full of such upright individuals. Haiyue always selects members with the principle of "better to have none than to have bad ones," valuing both ability and character, and promoting pillars of the nation.

Perhaps it cannot be guaranteed that they will always remain this way; some will inevitably fall into depravity and drift further and further away.

But at least most of them are capable and virtuous officials, a new force that can make the country strong, and they are also the ones who most support the establishment of an heir.

Now Zhu Houcong is almost explicitly telling him to inform his superiors and subordinates at crucial moments and to remain silent on the matter of establishing an heir. Isn't this specifically targeting loyal ministers?
Xue Kan was a prime example.

The old man's face darkened, and he said earnestly, "Mingwei! Do not presume to know the Emperor's will! Flattery and fawning are not the way of a subject! The matter of choosing an heir is something we Hanlin scholars must advise on; you need not try to persuade me any further!"

Having said that, he said no more and turned and left.

"Ugh!"

Haiyue watched the old minister's upright figure gradually disappear into the distance, sighed softly, and then turned to the direction of Qianqing Palace, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

……

"News has been released from the palace that His Majesty intends to establish an heir apparent?"

Inside the Yan residence, the father and son sat peacefully.

Yan Song has gotten a bit older.

At over sixty years old, with the emperor absent and endless government affairs to handle, it's no wonder he's overworked.

After looking at it for a long time, his eyesight became increasingly blurry.

After sitting for a long time, my legs and feet are not as nimble as before.

Of course, no matter how tiring it was to be the chief minister, Yan Song was happy to do it.

It's all for the Ming Dynasty!

However, this palace coup and the emperor's peril also greatly alarmed Yan Song.

As the Grand Secretary, he was second only to the Emperor and naturally did not want anything to happen to the current Emperor.

Even if the other party is difficult to serve, at least you have power that is almost like that of a prime minister.

With a new emperor taking the throne, a new court begins to take over, and this old minister is not far from retiring and returning to his hometown.

Therefore, Yan Song was relieved that Jiajing had not been murdered by the palace servants. He had made considerable efforts to stabilize the court and prevent the turmoil from spreading in the past few days.

Now that the succession has been decided, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Although the emperor was assassinated but escaped unharmed, it is only natural to establish a crown prince to prevent such an incident from happening again!
Even Yan Song didn't sense anything amiss, but Yan Shifan's expression changed drastically: "This is bad! His Majesty's actions... must not be permitted!"

"Ok?"

Yan Song paused, then his expression turned serious: "In Qing'er's opinion, what is the purpose of establishing an heir?"

"Of course, we must establish a massive prison!"

Yan Shifan said decisively, "His Majesty is currently suspecting that some court officials are colluding with traitors, plotting to assassinate the emperor, and supporting a certain prince to ascend the throne! Discussing the selection of an heir at this time is just waiting for treacherous officials to jump out on their own!"

Yan Song was stunned.

Using Li Chu as bait?
This is absolutely outrageous!

The key issue is that he doesn't quite understand how to proceed: "Establishing an heir is the will of the court officials. Even if this news is released, how can we distinguish the treacherous officials and villains involved in the palace coup?"

Yan Shifan coldly snorted: "Is this the first time Father has come to understand His Majesty's suspicious nature? He doesn't need to analyze it carefully; he just needs to take down the target he suspects!"

A major characteristic of an emperor who is lazy and irresponsible is that he becomes increasingly unscrupulous in his actions!
Jiajing could indeed make judgments and would not eliminate all the court officials who supported the establishment of an heir, but as long as he stood up at this time, it would be equivalent to being on the emperor's list of suspects. What difference would that be from gambling with one's life?
It's not just an individual's gamble; it's the shared honor and disgrace of the whole family!

In light of this, Yan Shifan immediately said, "Father, you must quickly inform my fellow Yan faction members that they must not participate in this succession dispute!"

Yan Song pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "If it is really as you expect, then we cannot tell you. You few just need to keep it in mind."

"How could this be?"

Yan Shifan's expression changed.

"You don't need to say anything!"

Yan Song raised his hand.

The current emperor does not object to people forming factions, because the court consists of several palaces and government offices, and people always have to eat separately. It is unrealistic to prohibit factions.

What His Majesty detests is the unscrupulous infighting and the powerful, uncontrollable faction.

Therefore, even though Yan Song had the means to avoid it, Xia Yan still managed to expel many members of Yan Song's faction by using the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

It may seem like they've lost some wings, but in reality, it's a strategic retreat.

After all, to secure the position of Grand Secretary, one must make His Majesty feel that the Yan faction can be strengthened or weakened before he can be at ease.

Now that the controversy over the succession has just begun, Yan Song is well aware that if he only purges other factions while keeping his own faction clean, he will not only anger the emperor, but also make himself the target of public criticism.

The Yan Party serves him, Grand Secretary Yan; how can we put the cart before the horse?

Yan Shifan's eyes darted around, understanding the reasoning behind it, but he still couldn't help but say, "Father! What's the point if we can't even protect our own people? If we let His Majesty manipulate us like this, I'm afraid that in the future—"

"shut up!"

Yan Song glanced coldly at his son and said in a deep voice, "You must remember, in the Ming Dynasty, there is only one person who can command the wind and rain, and that is His Majesty!"

"Ha! I remember! Of course I remember!"

Yan Shifan turned towards the palace, a sinister glint in his eyes. He ground the last part of his sentence into a silent curse: 'I don't believe he can continue to act with such impunity forever. Just wait and see!'

(End of this chapter)