The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 18 Another Rebellious Teenager

Wanli's rebellious temper seemed to come back again.

Not only did he transfer the Beijing troops into the imperial city, he also summoned the Minister of War, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Works into the palace to give them instructions.

Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works were out of the control of the cabinet.

These four government offices simply ignored the cabinet's documents. They only acted according to Wanli's imperial edict!

The court was in chaos now, and Zhang Juzheng's old party was clearly against Zhang Siwei's party.

The Ministry of Revenue distributed food and wages to the Beijing troops without the cabinet's permission.

This old scoundrel Zhang Siwei didn't openly go against Wanli, he just played dirty.

After Xu Jue, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, confessed all the crimes of Feng Bao, Zhang Dashou and others, he asked Empress Dowager Li to issue an imperial decree to arrest Feng Bao, Zhang Dashou and others.

Soon after, Feng Bao, Zhang Dashou and others could no longer bear the torture and confessed everything.

To be honest, the corruption of Feng Baoyi's faction was truly shocking. These guys confessed to millions of taels of silver.

Next, Zhang Siwei asked Wang Zhizhen to submit a memorial along with his confession, requesting an imperial decree to dismiss Feng Bao, Xu Jue, Zhang Dashou and others from their posts, investigate them, confiscate their property and exile them.

He is commanding Wanli's army.

Feng Baoyi's corruption was so shocking that if Wanli still wanted to protect him, he would be a truly incompetent ruler.

He wanted to use this group of guys to make things difficult for Wanli.

If Wanli refused to confiscate the property of Feng Bao and his family and exile them, he would ruin Wanli's reputation, make Wanli a tyrant, and then use Empress Dowager Li to depose Wanli and replace him with Prince Lu.

If Wanli dismissed Feng Bao and his followers, confiscated their property and exiled them, he would use Empress Dowager Li to seize control of the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, making Wanli a bird in a cage again, helpless at his mercy.

Of course, there is a prerequisite for all this, that is, they still have to deal with the Beijing camp.

Zhang Siwei probably thought that the Beijing army was already rotten and it was impossible to transform it in just a few days.

He felt that as long as he controlled the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Beijing Camp would be a piece of cake.

The problem is that Wanli relied on the protection of the Beijing camp and refused to approve Wang Zhizhen's memorial, and was unwilling to dismiss Feng Bao and his followers, confiscate their property and exile them.

Now that they haven't taken control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guards, how can they deal with the Beijing camp?
This matter seems to be at a stalemate.

Once Wanli's rebellious temper came out, he seemed to be indifferent and wanted to protect Feng Bao's faction.

This gave Zhang Siwei another headache.

He could ask Empress Dowager Li for an imperial decree to arrest Feng Bao, Xu Jue and others, because he, the cabinet and Wang Zhizhen all recognized the imperial decree, so he could arrest them.

The problem is that they cannot take over the Jinyiwei and the Imperial Guards with the imperial decree of Empress Dowager Li.

The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards are the personal troops of the current emperor. Most of the officers and soldiers only recognize the imperial edicts and do not recognize the imperial decrees.

In other words, if Wanli did not agree, they would not be able to replace Feng Bao's position and control the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If they don't control the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they will not be able to defeat the Beijing Camp. As long as Wanli is protected by the Beijing Camp, they will not be able to control Wanli.

This is another dead end.

There was no other way, he could only ask people to spread rumors.

To be honest, it is not that easy to depose Wanli, and he still wants to keep Wanli in his hands.

The problem was that Wanli just ignored it and stayed in the Qianqing Palace without showing up. Even when the palace maid under Empress Dowager Li gave birth to the eldest son Zhu Changluo, he did not go to the Cining Palace to take a look.

He was wholeheartedly waiting for his uncle Li Xuancheng to return to Beijing, and he waited for more than ten days.

At about 4 p.m. that afternoon, the sun was setting, and the blood-red setting sun dyed the entire capital city red. This strange sight seemed to foreshadow something.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves like drumbeats was heard on the official road south of the capital.

More than twenty war horses carrying more than ten knights galloped towards Yongding Gate at lightning speed.

There were command flags on the backs of the more than ten knights, such as the Deputy General of the Shenji Front Camp, the Lieutenant General of the Shenji Front Camp, the Guerrilla General of the Shenji Front Camp, the Auxiliary General of the Shenji Front Camp, etc.

They were all generals from the Beijing camp, so naturally no one dared to stop them. They rushed through Yongding Gate and Zhengyang Gate like a whirlwind, entered the imperial city, and went straight to the palace.

Li Xuancheng was extremely anxious. He could let go of everything, but he couldn't let go of his precious nephew.

They grew up together, and he stayed with his precious nephew for fifteen years. Only when Wanli grew up and got married did he escape from the cage of the palace and leave with peace of mind.

Unexpectedly, Wanli actually sent soldiers from the Beijing camp to Wudang Mountain to ask for help.

The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were controlled by treacherous people. Wanli had no choice but to transfer the Beijing Camp into the palace to protect himself. The situation was so precarious, how could he not be anxious?

After receiving the news, he took his best friend who was practicing martial arts with him at Ningxu Temple, changed into the military uniforms of the Beijing camp, and rode his horse all the way to the capital.

As soon as more than ten riders rushed into the Qianqing Palace, he reined in his horse, soared into the sky, and shouted: "Where is Your Majesty? Xuancheng is back."

Upon hearing this, Wanli could not help but rush out from the imperial study, his face full of surprise and said, "Uncle, you are back."

Seeing this, Li Xuancheng stepped directly over the pointed spears of the Beijing soldiers, crossed the white marble fence, and rushed to Wanli. He took his arm and looked him over carefully. "Your Majesty, are you okay?"

Wanli said with joy: "I am fine. Now that my uncle is back, I am relieved."

You're driving me crazy.

Seeing this, Li Xuancheng couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what's going on? Who has taken over the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards?"

Wanli explained, "Zhang Siwei ordered Wang Zhizhen, the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, to do this. They arrested Feng Bao, Xu Jue, Zhang Dashou, and Teng Xiang, the four commanders of the guards, and forced me to issue an order to dismiss all of Feng Bao's followers, confiscate their property, and exile them."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuancheng was furious and said, "Zhang Siwei and Wang Zhizhen are planning a rebellion! I'll help you kill them!"

Uh, I almost forgot.

The nephew looks like his uncle, not only in appearance but also in personality.

This uncle was also a rebellious teenager, and they were often scolded by Empress Dowager Li.

Once the rebellious teenager gets angry, he won't care about anything.

Wanli quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Uncle, Zhang Siwei is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. We can't kill him indiscriminately. If we kill the Prime Minister indiscriminately, the court will be in chaos."

Li Xuancheng was still furious and said, "I don't care if they are the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. If they dare to murder you, I will kill them."

You are being too reckless. I am only being reckless on the surface, but you are really being reckless. Zhang Siwei is a very powerful and wealthy man, so he must be protected by experts.

You may not be able to kill this guy, and killing him may very likely cause a rebellion among the border troops.

The capital is already in chaos enough. If the border troops rebel again, the Ming Dynasty may be finished.

Wanli thought for a moment, then reminded him, "Uncle, it was the Queen Mother's wish that he become the Prime Minister."

what?
Li Xuancheng's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He subconsciously looked around and then whispered, "Why did Your Majesty let him be the Prime Minister?"

You are still so afraid of Empress Dowager Li.

Wanli shook his head slightly and sighed, "My mother has been bewitched by Zhang Siwei. Not only has she made Zhang Siwei the Prime Minister, she also wants to depose me and make Prince Lu the emperor."

This!
Upon hearing this, Li Xuancheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty, you want to replace Prince Lu as the emperor? How can Prince Lu be emperor?"

You still have your heart towards me.

Wanli feigned sadness and said, "My mother has changed. She no longer recognizes me as her son. She wants Zhang Siwei's men to take control of the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and then depose me."

What happened to eldest sister?

Li Xuancheng was a little embarrassed: "Then what should we do?"

Wanli said solemnly: "Uncle, are you helping me or my mother?"

Are you kidding me?
How could I possibly help my elder sister? We are in the same group, right?

Li Xuancheng said with some trepidation, "Of course I will help His Majesty, but the Empress is very fierce."

Why are you afraid of her?

Wanli whispered in her ear like a thief, just as he had done when they were children, "Uncle, go tell Mother that Zhang Juzheng's death was suspicious, Feng Bao's illness was also suspicious, and Zhang Siwei's methods were too cruel. If Prince Lu were to be replaced, he might also die of an inexplicable illness if he disobeyed."

This feels so familiar.

When they were little, they often discussed how to fool their eldest sister.

Question: What does this mean?
Li Xuancheng was quite puzzled and asked, "Your Majesty, is Zhang Siwei really so cruel?"

Now we are not trying to deceive Zhang Siwei.

Wanli whispered in her ear again, "Tell our mother that we can't trust outsiders. At the very least, the Imperial Guards can't be handed over to Zhang Siwei's people. You're the supervisor of the Imperial Horses. If you take charge of the Imperial Horses, our family will be safe."

Should I take charge of the Imperial Stables?
I finally escaped from this cage, but now I want to come back?
The question is, if I don’t protect this precious nephew, who will?

If something really happens to him, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life!
Li Xuancheng thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, what if the Empress loses her temper and scolds us?"

Just scold me, will it save you any money?

Wanli whispered in her ear again, "Just go to her and pretend to be as afraid of our mother as before, and pretend to be worried about us. Once you have the Imperial Stables, just say you want to protect me and ignore her."

I'm really afraid of my elder sister, no need to pretend.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuancheng couldn't help but gasp and said, "You mean to ask me to deceive the Empress?"

Wanli shook his head slightly and said, "This is not completely a lie. Our safety really cannot be left to outsiders."

This makes sense.

Li Xuancheng thought about it and then worriedly said, "What if the queen doesn't agree?"

Wanli said without hesitation: "Tell her that if she doesn't agree with you taking charge of the Imperial Horse Bureau, I won't agree with Zhang Hong taking charge of the Imperial Household Department, and Zhang Jing won't even think about taking charge of the Eastern Depot."

This is a combination of soft and hard tactics.

Li Xuancheng looked in the direction of Cining Palace, with a hint of fear still on his face.

He thought about it, then waved to the back and said, "Brother Shan, come and help me."

Upon hearing this, a burly young man from the Beijing camp hurried over, prostrated himself on the ground, and said respectfully, "Your humble servant Shan Sinan pays respects to His Majesty."

Shan Sinan?

I feel like I've seen this name somewhere before.

Wanli quickly raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite, please stand up."

After saying that, he began to recall in a daze.

Upon seeing this, Li Xuancheng quickly explained, "Your Majesty, Brother Shan is the second-generation disciple of the Wudang hero Zhang Songxi, and he is from Ningbo Prefecture.

When the Qi family army was stationed in Ningbo Prefecture, he saw the Qi family army fighting bloody battles against Japanese pirates and defending their homeland. From then on, he was determined to serve his country and went around to learn skills from masters.

He originally wanted to learn martial arts and military tactics to join the Qi family army, and he happened to be with me during this period, so I brought him here."

Oh, I remember now, Shan Sinan. It seems that there is a mention in some epitaph that the Wudang master Shan Sinan once participated in the expedition against Guanbai.

The so-called Kanpaku is Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Kanpaku of Japan. In other words, this Wudang master once participated in the Wanli Korean War in history.

Very good, very good. This master is really determined to serve the country, and he has such a good relationship with my uncle, so he can be entrusted with important tasks.

Wanli thought for a moment, then waved and said, "Yuan Jing."

Qi Jiguang hurried over, bowed and said, "I am here."

Wanli explained in detail, "Hero Shan wants to join the Qi Clan Army and serve the country. It just so happens that I'm still short of a commander of the Tengxiang Four Guards. Have Qianji write a memorial to promote him to the rank of deputy commander of the Shenwu Front Camp. When my uncle takes over the Imperial Horse Administration, I'll promote him to the rank of commander of the Tengxiang Four Guards."

This is just nonsense. How can a commoner without any military merit be promoted to the second rank commander-in-chief?

However, the most important thing for a soldier is loyalty. Qi Jiguang only swore allegiance until death and didn't care about anything else.

He bowed without hesitation and said, "I will obey your order."

In this way, he went from being a commoner to a commander-in-chief of the second rank?

Shan Sinan was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he bowed as if waking from a dream and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Li Xuancheng saw this and patted his shoulder, saying, "That's perfect. I asked you to come along so we can take turns protecting His Majesty. You stay here to protect His Majesty first. I'll go to the Cining Palace and see if I can trick the Imperial Horse Supervisor into giving me his seal."

After saying that, he plucked up his courage and walked towards the Cining Palace.

Would Empress Dowager Li agree to let him take charge of the Imperial Stables?
(End of this chapter)