Di Ming

Chapter 277: Using the officials to command the emperor!
"What are you crying for!" Zhu Changluo shouted as if his bloodline had awakened, his elder brother's imposing manner completely under his control. "Royal descendants, what are you doing behaving like a woman! Go cry in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! Kneel down!"

Seeing his little tyrant brother actually being scared to tears by him, Zhu Changluo couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph.

"Waaaah..." Faced with his suddenly stern elder brother, Zhu Changxun was at a loss, and his previous arrogance was nowhere to be seen.

I want to go home, but everyone's yelling at me! Waaah…

He was only a seven-year-old child, and no one had ever dared to "bully" him like that before. He was both scared and aggrieved.

The courtiers were surprised to find that the usually timid and weak eldest prince had become so assertive, showing a remarkable elder brotherly demeanor in front of the pampered and willful third prince.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Alright, alright, His Highness the Crown Prince has finally shown up! What a pleasant surprise! It's clear that Zhu Zhihu has done a good job of teaching; he's undoubtedly a great teacher.

Of all those present, the only one of higher status and position than the third prince, Zhu Changxun, was the eldest prince, Zhu Changluo. Zhu Changxun ordered Zhu Yin and the others to kneel, and even the Grand Secretaries and other high-ranking officials could not stop him. The only one who could intervene was the eldest prince.

The princes of the Ming Dynasty enjoyed an extremely prestigious status, far surpassing that of the Tang and Song Dynasties. If a Ming prince were to be truly particular, even a duke or a cabinet minister would have to kneel before him.

If the eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Changluo, does not step forward, Zhu Yin and others will have to kneel before the seven-year-old Zhu Changxun, which would not only be a loss of face but also detrimental to the momentum of the ancestral system faction.

The foreign envoys present at the time initially held a certain contempt for the Ming Dynasty after witnessing the Third Prince's antics. However, upon seeing the Eldest Prince reprimanding his younger brother, their contempt for the Ming Dynasty vanished.

Although the third prince's behavior was unbecoming of a prince of the Celestial Empire, the eldest prince ultimately behaved properly. This shows that the Ming Dynasty's fate was still in motion.

Seeing Zhu Changxun crying loudly because he was frightened by Zhu Changluo, Gao Cai could hardly believe his eyes.

Young Master Zhu is doted on by his grandfather and sees him at least twice a day. Zhu Changluo, on the other hand, is disliked by his grandfather and is rarely seen by him, and is not allowed to pay his respects to his grandfather morning and evening.

Zhu Changluo is nominally the eldest son of the emperor, but he lacks the dignity and honor of a prince. Compared to me, he's worlds apart. Yet today, he dares to use his status as the eldest brother to publicly reprimand me!
So bold!
Driven by a burning desire to protect his master, Gao Cai didn't have time to think twice before steeling himself and rebuking him:
"Youhai! How dare you reprimand me?! Youhai should know your place! How dare you be so rude to me! Do you even respect Grandpa and Madam? Apologize to me now!"

He knew very well that, given his status, he could not be so disrespectful to Zhu Changluo in public. No matter how unpopular Zhu Changluo was, he was still nominally the eldest son of the emperor; in the end, he was just a servant.

But Gao Cai knew even better that he had to bite the bullet and shield his young master from Zhu Changluo's righteous indignation of filial piety. Otherwise, he would fall out of favor!
"Shut up!" Zhu Yin immediately seized the opportunity and shouted sternly:

"Gao Cai! How dare you defy your master! Who gave you the audacity to be so disrespectful? You even dare to call the Third Prince 'Young Master'! You are truly depraved!"

"The Emperor is wise and virtuous, and the court is filled with upright officials. Our ancestors have established their own family rules, and we cannot tolerate people like Huang Hao and Tong Guan!"

"Kneel down! Beg forgiveness from His Highness the Crown Prince!"

With the eldest prince stepping forward, Zhu Yin had the moral high ground of loyalty between the emperor and his subjects, and was finally able to ignore the third prince and continue to unleash his firepower.

As expected of a civil official, his words were like knives. Zhu Yin's words were extremely sinister.

He described Gao Cai as a eunuch like Huang Hao and Tong Guan, which was actually a veiled criticism of the Wanli Emperor.

If the emperor does not protect Gao Cai, he is naturally a wise and virtuous ruler. If he does protect Gao Cai, he is a foolish ruler like Liu Shan or Zhao Ji.

Seeing his teacher standing in front of him like a father, Zhu Changluo felt that the not-so-tall man's body was like a mountain, making him feel incredibly secure and no longer afraid of the world.

Zhu Changluo couldn't help but shed tears.

Sir…

Gao Cai stared at Zhu Yin with venomous eyes, his voice like a sharp bone flute:

"Zhu Yin! You treacherous minister! You helped Youhai bully me, you've committed treason, are you planning a rebellion?! If Grandpa and Empress find out, they will have you beaten to death at the Meridian Gate!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhu Yin raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

With a "smack!", a clear handprint appeared on Gao Cai's plump face.

Gao Cai never expected that Zhu Yin would dare to make a move. This slap completely stunned him.

His face burned, and his ears were ringing.

"If I had my blade in hand, your head would already be on the ground!" Zhu Yin's voice was stern and righteous. "The law of the land is like a furnace; are you not afraid?"

Seeing Zhu Yin take action, the courtiers cheered in unison, feeling extremely pleased.

Excellent! Zhu Zhihu is upright and righteous, and devoted to his country. He truly deserves to be the tutor of the prince who achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, and is highly respected throughout the land! He truly deserves to be called the reincarnated star deity with a shrine in the folk religion!
A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and turbulent times reveal the loyalty of a minister.

Even Zhu Yin's political enemies had to admire him.

Shen Yiguan's lips twitched involuntarily. "Young Tiger, didn't you go a bit too far? Why do I feel you're a bit like Jiang Ling back in the day?"
Yuan Keli, Li Daozhao, Ren Yanni, and a group of others stepped forward again and shouted:
"Gao Cai is an insubordinate and a slave to his master! This is utterly disrespectful!"

"Without Gao Cai's death, there can be no peace for the world!"

Yuan Keli shouted, "The state has nurtured scholars for over two hundred years. How could Zhu Yin be the only loyal and valiant minister? Traitors should be punished by everyone!"

He angrily stepped forward and slapped Gao Cai across the face again.

Li Daozhao also stepped forward, shouting, "To rid the country of traitors! Today is the day! Heaven will punish the national traitors!"

A large group of civil officials rushed forward and surrounded Gao Cai, and a full-blown fight broke out, with fists and feet raining down on Gao Cai.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of civil officials rushed forward! Many more wanted to participate, but there were no more seats available.

Zhu Yin straightened up, took a few steps back, and a cold smile played on his lips. He casually approached the obedient student Zhu Changluo and whispered a few words to him.

Zhu Changluo's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded slightly without making it obvious.

"Ah—!" Gao Cai screamed in pain as he was brutally beaten, his face instantly turning bruised and swollen.

"May the traitors of the state be punished!" many civil officials cried out. "Eliminate the traitors within the family for His Majesty! Restore order to the nation!"

"kill him!"

"It's his mother's fault!"

The crowd was indignant and didn't mind making things worse, which shows that Gao Cai had long been unpopular.

"Stop!" Grand Secretary Wang Xijue shouted sternly, "This is the Wuying Hall! A gentleman uses words, not fists!"

Shen Yiguan stamped his foot and said, "What kind of behavior is this! What kind of behavior is this! Oh dear! I hope no one dies!"

Grand Secretary Shen was always sarcastic and witty, so this statement is quite intriguing.

Senior officials such as Zhang Wei and Zhao Zhigao also shouted to stop it, but they only stomped their feet and scolded, without ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take action. Even a fool could see that the two Grand Secretaries were pleased with this matter.

Zhu Changxun was stunned when he saw Gao Daban being beaten and bruised by a group of ministers. His face turned ashen.

In the palace, he had always seen Grand Chamberlain Gao order the punishment of palace servants, often beating them to death. He had never seen Grand Chamberlain Gao beaten so badly.

For the first time, his young heart sensed the danger from outside the palace!

Is it possible that Father Emperor's refusal to attend court is also due to fear?

"Grand Secretary, save me!" Gao Cai clutched his head, protecting his vitals, and lay on the ground screaming for help. "Lord Tian, ​​save me! Lord Chen, save me! Grandfather! Empress!"

At that moment, he was so frightened that he lost control of his bladder.

He suddenly remembered that during his ancestors' reign, many people had been beaten by civil officials. Some had even been beaten to death in court, beyond the emperor's control. For example, his predecessors, Mao Gui and Wang Changsui, both eunuchs, had been beaten to death by civil officials in court.

That talented scholar Yang Shen loved to fight in the imperial court.

If I were beaten to death by these civil officials today, would my grandfather and empress still avenge me?

impossible.

The law does not punish the masses, and it is difficult to defy public anger. Grandpa would not offend so many civil officials for the sake of his servant.

However, although the bigwigs in the cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs reprimanded them sternly, they did not order the Imperial Guards to step forward and pull them apart. It was all bark and no bite; gentlemen used words but not fists.

Even Tian Yi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, did not order the officers and eunuchs to take action.

Gao Cai was a chief eunuch in charge of the emperor's affairs. He came from the Imperial Horse Administration, which was second only to the Directorate of Ceremonial in power, and was not a member of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

If the bigwigs don't give orders to break up the fight, how can those captains and eunuchs dare to step forward and stop the noble and respected civil officials?

Envoys from foreign vassal states such as Korea, Annam, and Siam, as well as envoys from domestic vassal states such as the Mongols and Jurchens, were also broadened in their horizons at this time, realizing for the first time that the gentle and refined civil officials of the Ming Dynasty could be so fierce when they fought in court.

Wang Xijue panicked, fearing Gao Caizhen would be beaten to death. Just as he was about to order the Imperial Guards to act, a clear, childlike voice suddenly called out:
"Do not speak of what is improper! Do not do what is improper! Stop!" "You are all loyal ministers of the Emperor, and the Emperor relies on you greatly. Please, gentlemen, show mercy!"

Seeing his obedient disciple step forward again as instructed, Zhu Yin couldn't help but smile slightly and said loudly:
"Gentlemen! It is His Highness's decree! Stop immediately!"

The ministers who had been besieging Gao Cai finally smiled knowingly, secretly giving a thumbs-up to the master and disciple duo, and together they stopped attacking.

Yuan Keli seized the opportunity to say, "Your Highness is kind and benevolent. Your subject respectfully obeys Your Majesty's decree!"

The civil officials who participated in the action bowed in unison and said in a very cooperative manner:
"Your Highness is benevolent and kind-hearted, truly a blessing to the nation. Now that Your Highness has issued your decree, how dare we disobey? We will humbly obey Your Highness's decree!"

By this time, Gao Cai had been beaten half to death, urinating in the process, and his hat and boots had been knocked off. However, he was still conscious and knew that it was the eldest prince who had ordered his rescue.

Zhu Changluo was very nervous, but when he thought of his teacher's words, he became much more confident and his whole demeanor became more imposing.

He then continued as instructed by his teacher, took a deep breath, and slowly and deliberately clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, bowing repeatedly to the assembled officials, and said in a childish voice:

"Changluo is young and ignorant, lacking in talent and virtue. I am deeply grateful for the kind concern shown by you gentlemen, and I am speechless with gratitude. You are all loyal ministers of the Emperor and pillars of the nation. I, Changluo, respect you as my elders. However, today is an auspicious day for celebration. I ask you elders to put aside your official duties for the time being and just enjoy yourselves and drink."

The assembled officials returned the greeting, saying, "We dare not accept Your Highness's courtesy!"

"May Your Highness enjoy good health, longevity, and peace!"

Zhu Changluo spread his arms, bowed and said, "Elders, please don't stand on ceremony! I will remember this!"

Many people, seeing Zhu Changluo's demeanor, felt a surge of goodwill towards him. Over 80% of the court officials supported making the eldest son the crown prince, and seeing Zhu Changluo's composed and courteous manner greatly pleased them, further solidifying their support for the eldest son.

The Crown Prince… no, I mean the eldest son of the Emperor, truly possesses the qualities of a wise ruler. If he were to ascend the throne in the future, it would surely be a blessing for the Emperor.

Of course, they also knew that this was due to Zhu Yin's excellent teaching. Their evaluation of Zhu Yin also rose to a higher level.

Zhu Zhihu was only fifteen years old, yet he already possessed the demeanor of a renowned minister and the talent of a capable official. Throughout history, no upright and honest official has surpassed him.

Seeing that his students had followed his instructions and taken this opportunity to gain a lot of goodwill, Zhu Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

My plan to boost the students' reputation has been completed more than expected. Changluo has made great progress in recent years, and their cooperation today was perfect.

First, Changluo successfully made a name for himself in front of the court officials, not only making them all aware of him and giving them a strong sense of presence, but also demonstrating the demeanor and style of the eldest prince.

In this way, most of the ministers who already supported Changluo would become even more determined and supportive of him.

More importantly, this incident will make Chang Luo a figure of great concern to the court and the public. His situation in the palace will be watched by the officials, making it difficult for the emperor and Consort Zheng to take action against him.

Unless the emperor has the courage to defy public opinion, break with his officials, and purge the entire court, he has no way to deal with his eldest son.

Zhu Yin's move was similar to the strategy employed by Empress Lü and Zhang Liang to support Emperor Xiaohui. He invited the highly respected Four Sages of Mount Shang to stand up for Xiaohui and prevent Emperor Gao from deposing the crown prince.

As expected, upon seeing the Four Recluses of Mount Shang supporting the Crown Prince, Emperor Gao could only lament to Consort Qi, "The swan soars high, covering a thousand miles in a single flight... traversing the four seas, what can be done..."

Although Luo'er was not yet the Crown Prince, and Consort Wang was not Empress Lü, Wanli's boldness and skill were far inferior to those of Emperor Gaozu. The public opinion represented by the officials of the Ming Dynasty also far surpassed that of the Four Recluses of Shangshan.

This is Zhu Yin's "using officials to control the emperor"!
Today's events are like putting armor on my students, and their situation will greatly improve.

However, Zhu Changluo's idea was quite different.

Although he knew that his teacher meant well, after being taught by his teacher for several years, he learned many principles, learned about the vast world outside, and became even more disgusted with his cold-hearted father, the emperor.

Therefore, although he has won the favor of the court officials today, he... does not want to be the crown prince!

Really.

He didn't want to be a crown prince, much less become like his father, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

He only wanted to live like an ordinary rich kid, freely and unrestrained in the vast world outside.

That was his growing obsession!

He hated this cage-like palace! He hated those tall palace walls that blocked his view.

However, he couldn't tell his teacher. His teacher had taught him so much and treated him so well; his teacher wanted to mold him into a wise and benevolent ruler.

How could he disappoint his master? If he told his master that he didn't want to be the crown prince, his master would be heartbroken.

Perhaps because he had no desire to vie for the throne, Zhu Changluo appeared even more composed, which earned him a better reputation among the court officials.

His Highness the Crown Prince is so young, yet so composed.

How good!

Zhu Changxun forgot to cry at this moment, and no longer spoke up for Gao Cai. He just lowered his head in fear, his face pale.

"That's enough," Zhu Changluo said gently. "It's good that you know your mistake, Third Brother. I meant well and had no ill intentions."

Zhu Changxun trembled and gave a pitiful "hmm".

He hadn't expected his elder brother to be so capable, with so many ministers showing him respect.

Only then did Tian Yi reveal his identity as the Grand Chancellor and solemnly say:

"Gao Cai, aren't you going to thank His Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness? Do you really want to be punished, or sent to Nanjing to guard the imperial tombs?"

Gao Cai trembled like a quail in the dead of winter, struggled to his feet, and knelt before Zhu Changluo in a disheveled state, his face contorted with grief, saying:

"This humble servant, Gao Cai, thanks Your Highness for your kindness..."

He certainly wouldn't actually thank Zhu Changluo, but he no longer harbored any contempt for Zhu Changluo.

Zhu Changluo said like a little adult, "You're injured, go back and ask the imperial physician to take a look, and then go and apologize to your father yourself."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Your Highness!" Gao Cai kowtowed and left Wuying Hall as if he had been granted a pardon.

The figure looked a lot like a dog. But it wasn't a black dog.

Wang Xijue's expression softened considerably, and he said, "Officials, please prepare to enter the hall. Your Highnesses, please go first!"

Zhu Changluo followed Zhu Yin's words and said:
"Changluo is not here on behalf of the Emperor. The Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are here on behalf of the Emperor to preside over the banquet. Please, Grand Secretaries and Ministers, go first."

Zhu Changxun didn't know what to say, so he couldn't help but stand behind Zhu Changluo, as if it would make him feel safer.

Wang Xijue laughed and said, "In that case, this old minister has overstepped his bounds."

After saying this, he said to Tian Yi, "Lord Tian is the head of the inner ministers, so please go first."

Tian Yili declined, saying, "Your Excellency is the Grand Secretary, so of course you should go first."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two entered together. The crowd entered the hall in order of their official rank. Those of the third rank and above were in the main hall, while those below the third rank could only enter from the outer corridors or even the plaza.

Deep within the main hall, a gilded screen depicting nine dragons playing with a pearl was placed on a sandalwood Sumeru pedestal. Although the emperor, as usual, did not attend, the officials attending the victory banquet still had to pay their respects.

The victory celebration banquet was not just a simple palace banquet; it was a ceremony to bestow titles and rewards.

But then one could see Tian Yi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Chen Ju, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, each holding an imperial edict or decree of conferment upon them, standing on the east side of the steps.

The musicians of the Imperial Music Bureau set up sixteen drums at the corner of the hall, and the tassels hanging from the bronze chimes swayed slightly in the breeze.

The first thing to do at the victory celebration banquet was, of course, to collectively read out the list of meritorious generals and their rewards on behalf of the emperor.

After everyone had taken their places in an orderly fashion according to their ancestral order, Tian Yi and Chen Ju handed over the imperial edicts and decrees, which had already been approved and stamped, to Luo Wanhua, the Minister of Rites.

Logically, the Ministry of War should announce the bestowal of honors upon military officers.

However, the celebration banquet was a grand occasion, not a regular occasion for bestowing honors, so it was usually the Ministry of Rites that read the announcements.

Luo Wanhua unfurled the imperial edicts bestowing titles upon military officers of the fifth rank and above, and read them aloud:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

After finishing the lengthy formalities, they finally got to the part that the military commanders cared about:
"...Li Rubai was appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Shandong's Defense Against Japanese Pirates!"

"...Xiong Tingbi granted..."

P.S.: That's all for today. To find out what official titles Xiong Manzi, Mao Wenlong, Cao Wenzhao, and others were granted, please stay tuned for the next installment. Please don't hit me, thank you, goodnight.

(End of this chapter)