Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 4 I said, the day after tomorrow is the day after tomorrow.
That night, not only Wei Zhongxian couldn't sleep, but the Imperial Edicts Office was also brightly lit.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. The four Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet stood silently with their hands at their sides, even their breathing was deliberately quiet.

"September 7th? Absolutely not, it's too late!"

A female voice broke the silence, slightly hoarse but clear and unquestionable.

It was Empress Zhang Yan who spoke.

She was still dressed in plain clothes, and her eyes were swollen and red.

But when her gaze swept over the Ming Dynasty cabinet ministers below the steps, it was enough to make their hearts tighten.

Grand Secretary Huang Lijie replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory has selected two auspicious days: one is tomorrow, the 24th of August, and the other is the 7th of September."

"But tomorrow... is far too rushed. Drafting the reign title, writing the imperial edict, rehearsing the grand ceremony—everything is trivial and complicated. Moreover, the ceremony of three refusals and three concessions to the throne cannot be hastily completed in a single day; it is truly against etiquette."

His words were earnest, every sentence was about "reason," but he never mentioned "difficulty."

Zhang Yan's gaze shifted from his face to the flickering candlelight in the hall, her eyes momentarily unfocused.

“Wei Zhongxian is capable of managing the inner palace well.”

Recalling Tianqi's dying words entrusting his son to her, she felt a warmth in her heart, but the second half of his words ignited her anger.

Wei Zhongxian! Wei Zhongxian! You heartless bastard, is your heart only filled with Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke?!
Looking at this group of treacherous old scoundrels in front of her, who are shirking their responsibilities and have no sense of duty, they were trembling with fear in front of Wei Zhongxian, but now they dare to talk about etiquette and law in front of her!
She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was calm, yet icy cold.

"Prime Minister, the late Emperor has suddenly abandoned the country, and suspicion is running high both inside and outside the palace. At this critical moment, it is even more important to determine the course of the nation as soon as possible to reassure the people."

“A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Every day that is delayed brings more uncertainty. I do not wish to interfere in politics as a woman, but the late Emperor entrusted me with this matter in his will, and he cannot allow the Ming Dynasty to suffer even the slightest mishap.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Lijie, Shi Fenglai, Zhang Ruitu, and Li Guopu exchanged glances, all seeing deep embarrassment and a hint of barely perceptible impatience in each other's eyes.

Zhang Yan entered the palace at the age of fifteen, and seven years have passed since then. She has fought against Wei Zhongxian, against Madam Ke, and against the heartless Zhu Youxiao.

How could one not see the color hidden on the face?

Zhang Yan gritted her teeth and suddenly clenched her fist tightly in her sleeve until it turned white.

She finally lost her last bit of patience with these incompetent cabinet ministers.

Do you think I don't know?

"Who was it that prayed and divined for good or bad fortune in their residence before entering the palace?"

"Who was it that rushed to the imperial gate only to be turned away and then pleaded several times before being allowed to enter?"

"Can't you hear the rumors circulating throughout the capital?"

Zhang Yan gritted her teeth and said, enunciating each word clearly, "The Prince of Xin has entered the palace, his fate unknown! I've heard these rumors, yet you all pretend not to know?"

"At this critical juncture, how can we use rituals and etiquette to evade matters of state!"

“I said I would ascend the throne on the 24th, and that means I will ascend the throne on the 24th. The late emperor’s edict is here, and there is no room for discussion.”

After saying that, she abruptly flicked her sleeve, no longer looking at them, and resolutely turned away.

……

In the blink of an eye, the imperial carriage and its entourage disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a hall full of ministers looking at each other in bewilderment.

In the deathly silence, Li Guopu, the youngest cabinet minister, had a face flushed red. He couldn't help but think, "How can the etiquette of the dynasty be treated so lightly?"

But when the words reached his lips, he met the deep, unwavering gazes of the three seniors, and ultimately swallowed them back down as a muffled groan of resentment.

After a long silence, it was finally broken by Grand Secretary Huang Lijie. He rubbed his temples, his voice filled with exhaustion:

"What else can be done now? The enthronement ceremony has its precedents to follow, so we can simplify it. The enthronement edict can be a revised version of the old one, and the reign title is a minor matter."

"but……"

At this point, Huang Lijie suddenly paused, sighed deeply, and fell silent.

Shi Fenglai stroked his beard leisurely, Zhang Ruitu kept his eyes down, and Li Guopu paced anxiously.

The atmosphere froze awkwardly once again.

Li Guopu finally couldn't hold back any longer and almost blurted out: "What about the ceremony of urging the new emperor to ascend the throne? Three refusals and three concessions are not only a sign of the new emperor's humility, but also a sign of our sincere support as his subjects. How can this be accomplished in a single day?"

Shi Fenglai sighed and chimed in at just the right moment: "Yes, etiquette cannot be abandoned, time waits for no one, it's difficult, very difficult."

For a moment, sighs and lamentations filled the hall, as if the place had fallen into a desperate situation.

Beside the table in the room stood a low-ranking official in a blue robe, tall and slender. He was none other than Wu Kongjia, the third-ranking scholar in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, and a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Wu Kongjia lowered his eyes, but his mind was perfectly clear.

In the halls of power, discussions are held but no decisions are made, decisions are made but no action is taken, with interests and consequences considered before actions are taken, and integrity and principles weighed afterward.

These are the so-called "people who use their positions to maintain social connections" today, which is utterly laughable.

These high-ranking officials all cherished their reputations and were unwilling to bear the stigma of "disrespecting etiquette and law," but they hoped the matter could be resolved.

Who will solve this? Besides him, is there anyone else present?

Ha, only Wu Kongjia is suitable to be this chamber pot.

He stepped forward and bowed; his voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly:

"I have already drafted the three letters urging me to ascend the throne."

"I believe that we can submit three memorials tomorrow to show our deep support, and His Highness Prince Xin can also decline three times in one day to demonstrate his virtuous character. Such an expedient measure seems to be in accordance with established procedures?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Liji's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in praise: "Brilliant! Yuanhui's plan is brilliant! It is both proper and timely, truly the greatest achievement of the day!"

He looked around at the other senior ministers and laughed loudly, "The affairs of the world still depend on young people like these."

"Prime Minister Huang is too kind; I dare not accept such praise." Wu Kongjia bowed deeply, keeping his head very low.

The other cabinet ministers breathed a sigh of relief and echoed the sentiments. Only Li Guopu's face turned pale and then flushed, eventually settling into a soft sigh as he glanced at Wu Kongjia with a complicated expression.

With the most difficult problem solved, everyone's spirits lifted, and they began to tackle other issues.

First, find the edict issued when Tianqi ascended the throne seven years ago and start discussing it.

"This year, the three kingdoms have spent millions of taels of silver, an enormous waste. The limit on stipends must be reiterated, otherwise the affairs of the state will be unsustainable."

"The White Lotus sect in Shandong has become increasingly corrupt over the past two years. In April of this year, it was even reported that a leader of the White Lotus sect from Datong had infiltrated the capital. We must be on guard and this should also be included in this report."

After numerous deletions and revisions, everyone finally reached the concluding section, where they were once again stumped.

The core idea in the edict of the Tianqi Emperor was "to continue and promote the tradition," that is, to inherit the tradition and carry it forward.

This is certainly understandable—Tianqi's father died after only one month in office, so there was no reason to overthrow him if he didn't inherit the position.

But His Highness Prince Xin has been known for his integrity and uprightness since his time as a prince. Can he accept such an edict?

The group exchanged bewildered glances and fell silent once more.

Wu Kongjia sneered inwardly, but smiled and said, "The current matter is about innovation and reform. How about we add the phrase 'The mandate of heaven is renewed, and good fortune brings a fresh start'? What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed, and the cabinet ministers offered another round of praise before quickly moving on from the matter.

Finally, only the issue of the reign title remained.

As is customary, the crowd put together four auspicious characters for Prince Xin to choose from the next day.

With everything settled, the cabinet ministers breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Wu Kongjia to carefully copy the imperial edict and the letter urging him to ascend the throne, ensuring there were no errors, before they all departed.

The huge amnesty room was suddenly left with only Wu Kongjia.

He didn't even look up, silently copying down each word.

The occasional sound of the night watchman's gong outside the room was particularly clear in the empty, straight room.

When he walked out of the main hall after all the documents had been copied,

Night had fallen, and only a crescent moon in the eastern sky casually cast its light.

He looked up and couldn't help but reach out slightly towards the moon.

A moment later, he gave a self-deprecating laugh, adjusted his official robes, and disappeared into the deep night.

　[This chapter is fictional]

　　The empress's urging for the coronation was a deduction.

　　Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne in just one day, while Emperor Tianqi took about ten days, which was very unusual in the Ming Dynasty. Something must have happened in between.

　　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　The government officials were concerned about the delay caused by the three letters, but the official said, "The three letters are all there; using them in succession as an expedient measure seems to be in accordance with established procedures." The government gladly agreed. —From *Qingyan Wenji*, Volume 10, Biography of the Late Hanlin Academy Compiler, Wu Tianshi

　　
　
(End of this chapter)