Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 165 The Emperor is unharmed, but he almost died of anger. [Requesting monthly votes]

"what?"

Zhu Houcong thought he had misheard, and immediately straightened up.

"I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again?"

Lu Bing knew that Zhu Houcong's expression meant he had heard everything clearly, but he just couldn't believe it.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhu Houcong who couldn't believe it.

Even when he suddenly saw the Duke of Yiguo's Mansion, the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, and the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion taking the initiative to escort lawbreakers to the Northern Garrison Command to plead guilty, he repeatedly checked whether the sun had actually risen in the west that day.

Therefore, Lu Bing had no choice but to hold the three account books in his hands even higher and kowtow again to repeat them:
"Your Majesty, the mansions of the Duke of Yi, the Duke of Ying, and the Duke of Cheng suddenly escorted a group of relatives and servants who claimed to have illegally seized the interests of the people to the Northern Garrison Command to surrender themselves and plead guilty. They also submitted accounts and voluntarily returned the ill-gotten gains!"

"..."

It was only at this moment that Huang Jin finally realized that his ear was not broken.

He, who was already prepared to go and “teach Yan Maoqing by hand” as ordered, knelt back down and silently waited for Zhu Houcong to make a decision on the matter.

Even if he couldn't figure out the details for a while, he knew that after such a bizarre incident, there was no longer any need to "teach Yan Maoqing step by step".

"..."

Zhu Houcong took a deep breath, his brows furrowing tightly.

However, beneath his relatively calm exterior, his first reaction was, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

How could he not know the true character of Guo Xun, Zhu Xizhong, and Zhang Rong?

If it were Guo Xun acting under pressure to put on a show in an attempt to temporarily quell public opinion, I could barely understand it.

However, Guo Xun is not in the capital at all, and even if someone were to inform him, it would be impossible for the letter to travel back and forth between the capital and Datong in such a short time.

And he only had those three sons who were even more useless than him.

They lacked both the courage to cut their losses and the ability to take charge, making it impossible for them to accomplish such a large undertaking.

but!

If Yan Maoqing were to become a variable involved, then the situation would likely be different...

However, this speculation did not alleviate Zhu Houcong's doubts at all.

Even if we forcefully use Yan Maoqing as a variable to interpret the abnormal behavior of the Duke of Yiguo's mansion, it still cannot explain what exactly is going on with the Duke of Yingguo's mansion and the Duke of Chengguo's mansion.

This time, no one impeached Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong. Why did these two suddenly jump out to join in the fun?
Is it because the matter of the Duke of Yiguo is not big enough, not enough to give him a headache, so they simply double it?
Or...

Because of Guo Xun's matter, I was unable to resolve it quickly.

This made Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong feel that if the two were to fall, they would be in danger. After discussing it, they were unwilling to continue to stand against the civil service group and decided to protect themselves and retire gracefully, thus abandoning their duties to the emperor in this way.
This possibility is not nonexistent!

It should be noted that after the Tumu Crisis, the three major military camps in the capital were almost completely destroyed. Although during the Jingtai period, Yu Qian selected 100,000 elite soldiers from the three broken camps for concentrated training, and they were called the Tuan Camp from then on.

However, the training regiments have yielded little result, and to this day, the three major battalions in the capital have not only failed to recover their strength, but have become even more dilapidated and riddled with holes.

Why did the Zhengde Emperor of the previous dynasty create the Leopard Chamber Palace and rely so heavily on eunuchs and border generals?

They even went so far as to break the ancestral rule that "the capital troops cannot be transferred to other areas, and the border troops cannot be transferred to other areas" and mobilized the border troops to enter the capital. Wasn't this because the capital's garrison could not even defeat the surrounding refugees and bandits, and they had no choice but to do so?
Against this backdrop, the noble families in the capital were in a very awkward position, which led to their growing weakness in the court and their constant suppression by the civil service.

From the day he ascended the throne, Zhu Houcong had the intention to revitalize the three major military camps and firmly grasp military power in the capital, but he lacked the ability to do so.

Therefore, they began to rely on meritorious officials in order to check the civil service group. Zhu Xizhong was given important positions for this reason, and Guo Xun was able to rise to power under this premise.

Surely no one really thinks they can fool me with just Guo Xun's self-compiled book, "The Legend of the Heroic Warriors of the Ming Dynasty"? No way, no way.

I'd rather believe Yan Maoqing's "Xuanpo Cangqiong" and Wu Cheng'en's "Powo Ji" than his nonsensical "Huang Ming Kaiyun Yingwu Zhuan". Those are more worthy of being called vernacular stories, at least they are easy to read!

Now, Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong have suddenly joined Guo Xun in clearing out ill-gotten gains, and even used illegal relatives and servants to "substitute one for another"...

This really made Zhu Houcong think in this direction.

Because he couldn't think of any other more reasonable motive than this!

"Huang Jin, bring me the accounts!"

With this thought in mind, Zhu Houcong suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. He needed to immediately verify his suspicions through these accounts.

"Yes……"

Huang Jin's heart trembled slightly, and he quickly got up to present the accounts.

Once he had the accounts, Zhu Houcong immediately reviewed them word by word. He needed to figure out exactly how much property Guo Xun, Zhu Xizhong, and Zhang Rong had returned, as this was key to understanding their intentions.

"..."

During this process, Huang Jin and Lu Bing knelt silently on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Even now, they are still filled with doubts. The only thing they can tell is that this matter is of great importance and its impact should not be underestimated.

at the same time.

They were also secretly observing Zhu Houcong.

Seeing Zhu Houcong's increasingly furrowed brows, they became even more certain that their judgment was correct.

"This……"

That's certainly true, because as Zhu Houcong flipped through the account books faster and faster, he became increasingly alarmed.

The Duke of Yiguo's mansion returned 192 hectares of farmland and more than 300 shops in the capital, and turned over more than 34,000 taels of silver in ill-gotten gains.
The Duke of Chengguo's mansion returned 2,427 hectares of farmland and more than 700 shops in the capital, and turned over more than 96,000 taels of silver in ill-gotten gains.
The British Duke's Mansion returned 1,361 hectares of farmland and more than 500 shops in the capital, and turned over more than 56,000 taels of silver in ill-gotten gains!
These three companies have really gone all out this time!

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Duke of Yi's mansion had the fewest dismissals; that's because Guo Xun hasn't been a Duke for very long.

Furthermore, it did not experience the period when the previous Zhengde Emperor extensively established imperial estates and shops, which was imitated by princes, nobles, and eunuchs.

Since his ascension to the throne, he has severely punished corruption and bribery in recent years, inspected imperial estates and estates of nobles and relatives, and advocated returning land to the people, so that Guo Xun did not benefit from the policies and the era.

this moment.

Zhu Houcong was absolutely certain that his guess was correct!
The thing he least wanted to see still happened: Guo Xun, Zhu Xizhong, and Zhang Rong had already decided to back down, and they were working together to use this method to pay off their debts and avoid further trouble.

This both demonstrated to him his intention to retire gracefully and to the civil service group his attitude of compromise!

How dare they?!
Zhu Houcong's heart suddenly clenched with pain...

Now that Empress Dowager Zhang has finally passed away, this group of relatives of the empress has lost its backbone, and the civil official group has also lost an important pretext to use etiquette to restrict him.

Furthermore, once the Datong affair was accomplished, he would have a certain degree of control over the northern border troops and could also control part of the finances through the coal tribute with the Tatars.

He had only just mustered his spirits and was preparing to regroup and make a comeback when three of the four dukes in the capital abandoned their posts?!
what does this mean?
Even including Guo Xun, the Ming Dynasty now has only six dukes.

Apart from the Duke of Wei, who was far away in Nanjing, and the Duke of Qian, who was far away in Yunnan, there were only four dukes in the capital.

The only remaining Duke Dingguo, Xu Yande, was a member of a minor branch of the Duke of Wei's clan, making it impossible for him to be of one mind with him.

This means.

Having already lost the support of his maternal relatives during his previous reforms, is he now about to lose the support of the nobility as well?!

No support from maternal relatives!

They have completely lost the support of the nobles!
Even the eunuchs were unable to act freely due to his strict control and the public opinion surrounding the corrupt practices of the former Grand Eunuch Liu Jin, which was constantly stirred up by the civil official group. What else did he have at his disposal?
Wouldn't he become a truly isolated figure, a puppet emperor whose edicts could hardly leave the palace?!

This is something he absolutely cannot accept!

"Summon me!!!"

Zhu Houcong shouted loudly, but immediately felt that he could not catch his breath and swayed, almost slipping off the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty?!"

Huang Jin was shocked and immediately disregarded etiquette, getting up and rushing forward to help him up.

"Jun-father?!"

Seeing Zhu Houcong's deathly pale face and the large beads of sweat streaming down his cheeks, Lu Bing jumped up in panic and hurriedly ran out of the hall, shouting.
"Someone, summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

"Summon...summon..."

Zhu Houcong was already out of breath, but he still forced himself to finish what he was saying.

"Summon Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong to the palace...to see me...Huang Jin, immediately, summon them to the palace. I need to see them right away. Go quickly! Go quickly!"

……

Half an hour later.

"Eunuch Huang, the emperor's father is not seriously ill; he was just temporarily overcome by anger."

Xu Shen, the Imperial Physician, stood beside the dragon bed. He first glanced at Zhu Houcong, who was resting on the bed with a damp towel on his forehead, before bowing to Huang Jin and speaking.

"I have prepared two prescriptions to soothe the liver, relieve depression, clear heat, and calm the mind. I will go to the outer palace to personally prepare them for the Emperor and Father... Remember, you must not make the Emperor and Father impatient or angry again in the coming days."

Historically, Xu Shen was considered the most prominent imperial physician in the Ming Dynasty. After the "Renyin Palace Coup," he saved Zhu Houcong's life with medicine, and Zhu Houcong appointed him as Minister of Rites, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and gave him many rewards.

Unfortunately, he had the money but not the life to enjoy it. He was so frightened by the incident that he fell ill and died a few months later.

However, this time, with the emergence of Yan Maoqing, the "Renyin Palace Coup" has become the "Xinchou Palace Coup".

He was only frightened by the fact that Yan Maoqing's "talk therapy" could cure his tuberculosis. Although he did not get promoted because of it, his life should have been saved from then on.

Of course, he did not come away empty-handed from that "talk therapy". Now he is a famous doctor in the capital, and his eldest son's Fuling Hall is now making a fortune.

“We’ll take care of everything else, but this matter of getting angry…”

Upon hearing this, Huang Jin felt utterly helpless, but could only stop there.

"Thank you, Physician Xu. Please go and prepare the medicine for His Majesty. After you have prepared it, please test it as soon as possible, and then I will serve it to His Majesty."

This is the basic procedure for imperial physicians to administer medicine to the emperor. Whoever prescribes the medicine must personally test it and confirm that it is safe before giving it to the emperor.

But this is not important.

The important thing is...

He had already ordered his men to summon Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong to the palace for an audience, and they should be arriving by now.

The Emperor was already furious just from looking at the accounts; if he were to see these two people again and hear them say things they shouldn't, how could he not become agitated and angry...

at this time.

"Reporting, Eunuch Huang..."

A young eunuch, who was outside the palace, came to the door, leaned forward to look at Huang Jin, and whispered cautiously.

"!"

Huang Jin immediately gave him a wink, signaling him to wait until he was out away from the Emperor before they could talk.

But Zhu Houcong, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, then threw off the quilt and forced himself to sit up in bed, his voice low and menacing as he shouted:
"Xu Shen, prepare my medicine in the back hall."

"Huang Jin, is it Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong who have arrived? Help me to tie my hair and change my clothes. I want to sit on the dragon throne to see them!"

Zhu Houcong knew that the more critical the moment, the less he could afford to show weakness in front of these people.

Otherwise, the situation will only spiral out of control, and the promising outlook will be ruined!
"But, Your Majesty..."

Huang Jin's eyes turned red with anxiety, and he was about to speak to persuade her.

"You dog servant, do you also want to be my master?"

Zhu Houcong's gaze turned cold, instantly silencing Huang Jin's words. Huang Jin, Xu Shen, and the eunuch still outside the door were so frightened that they hurriedly knelt down.

……

After a while.

Zhu Houcong had changed into a leather cape and sat on the dragon throne in a posture resembling a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching.

"Your humble servant Zhu Xizhong (Zhang Rong) kowtows to wish Your Majesty and Father good health."

Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong were still confused about what was going on when they were ordered to enter the hall and kneel down in worship.

"I ask you..."

Zhu Houcong's deep voice rang out.

Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong habitually stood up, but only realized what was happening halfway through.

This time, the Emperor did not order them to "rise and answer" as usual, and they were startled, so they quickly knelt back down.

"Your Majesty, I have been disrespectful. Please forgive me!"

"Humph!"

Zhu Houcong's tone was interrupted for a moment, and he secretly noted down this question, which he could use as a pretext to launch an attack later, and continued to ask in a deep voice,

"I ask you, what are your true thoughts today as you escort your lawless relatives and wicked servants to the Northern Garrison Command to surrender and plead guilty, and voluntarily return a large amount of illegal property?"

"Eh?"

Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong were taken aback for a moment, just about to speak.

"I...want to hear the truth!"

Zhu Houcong's tone immediately turned colder, and his eyes instantly revealed an obvious killing intent, making every inch of air in the hall seem to be under immense pressure.

"This this……"

Zhu Xizhong and Zhang Rong were still young, especially Zhang Rong, who was not a favored minister. He thought Zhu Houcong was criticizing him for not being thorough enough in purging officials, and immediately blurted out in fright:

“In response to Your Majesty, how could I dare to have any thoughts? I only know to be loyal to Your Majesty and receive your salary.”

"Your Majesty's decree is too much for me to disobey. I have thoroughly investigated the illegal gains I have made in recent years and have done my utmost to recover them. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to make a wise judgment!"

"?!"

Zhu Houcong was also taken aback upon hearing this.

What oral instructions?
When did I ever issue such an edict to these two people?

(End of this chapter)