Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

"Your Majesty, take care of yourself." Zhao Ceying sighed, his disappointment evident in his words.

"Your Majesty, I am your wife of many years," Gao said hastily, her heart filled with panic.

Zhao Ceying shook his head, flicked his sleeve, and strode away.

April 7th.

The spring imperial examinations have been completed and the papers have been graded.

Royal study room.

Apart from the eunuchs and palace maids, only the emperor and his minister remained.

Jiang Zhao bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, the list of candidates to be ranked by the Ministry of Rites has been tentatively finalized. The papers of the top thirty candidates have been collected."

Zhao Ceying nodded but did not express his opinion.

Suddenly, he said resolutely:

"Jiang Qing, I want to depose the Empress!"

Chapter 218 The Act of Deposing the Empress, Qi Heng's Questioning!

Royal study room.

"Jiang Qing, I want to depose the Empress!"

One sentence caused a huge uproar.

"The deposed empress?"

Jiang Zhao was startled and looked up.

In the main seat, Zhao Ceying looked resolute, his brows furrowed, and his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

"This..." Jiang Zhao was somewhat surprised and said, "Your Majesty has only recently ascended the throne, and the Empress is your first wife. If you were to depose her, it would seem as if you shared hardship but cannot share happiness!"

In feudal times, the core principle of divorce was the "seven grounds for divorce," namely, childlessness, adultery, neglect of duties, gossip, theft, jealousy, and serious illness.

These seven grounds for divorce allow a husband to divorce his wife with a single letter.

However, in addition to the "seven grounds for divorce," there are also the "three grounds for not being divorced."

Taken but never returned, three years of mourning, poor first, then rich!

"Taking without returning" means that the wife has no maternal relatives and no family members other than her husband. Once divorced, she will have nowhere to go.

The phrase "更三年丧" means that the wife had observed three years of mourning for her parents-in-law, which is equivalent to having made a contribution to her husband's family.

The phrase "first poor, then noble" means that the wife and husband had endured hardship together.

All three of these conditions are considered grounds for "not leaving" and divorce is not permitted; they are collectively known as the "Three No-Drop Rules".

This regulation is essentially a form of humanistic concern and a constraint on social morality.

When an emperor deposes an empress, it is certainly not limited to the "seven grounds for divorce and three grounds for not being divorced"; political factors must also be taken into consideration.

However, this does not mean that the emperor could completely ignore the "seven grounds for divorce and three grounds for not being divorced".

As a universal social value, the "seven grounds for divorce and three grounds for not leaving" have broad binding force and are essentially a form of social pressure.

Zhao Ceying, a member of the imperial family, rose to the throne step by step, a classic example of "from poverty to nobility".

Deposing the empress would inevitably cause controversy.

"I want to depose the Empress!" Zhao Ceying said resolutely.

"Even if someone is poor first and then becomes noble, they still have to depose the empress?" Jiang Zhao asked.

“Useless!” Zhao Ceying said seriously.

Unwavering!

Clearly, this was the result of careful consideration, not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"May I ask why this is so?" Jiang Zhao asked in confusion.

He advised his relatives to enter the border region, which caused a rift between the emperor and empress, and the "New Year's and Full Moon Rites" were not performed for more than a hundred days.

If it were an ordinary imperial concubine, she would definitely be banished to the cold palace after a single mistake.

But the Empress is different; she is his wife of many years, so his tolerance is definitely higher.

As his "wife of many years," she would never be deposed for making a single mistake.

Since the palace was locked up, something else must have happened to make Zhao Ceying determined to depose the empress.

"Ugh!"

Zhao Ceying sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Sit down and let's talk."

Jiang Zhao bowed and walked down to sit.

"Empress Gao interfered in state affairs, was morally flawed, narrow-minded and jealous, and truly lacked the demeanor of an empress."

As he spoke, Zhao Ceying explained each point in detail.

From advising the imperial relatives against entering the border region and privately discussing the setbacks on the frontier, to abandoning the princes and openly suppressing the imperial concubine.

Jiang Zhao listened silently, nodding occasionally.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

"How can such a woman be worthy of being the mother of the nation?"

Zhao Ceying said emphatically, "Jiang Qing, I want to depose her!"

As he spoke, Zhao Ceying stared intently down.

Jiang Zhao was truly a loyal, capable, and virtuous minister in his own right!

If Jiang Qing supports him, then the deposition of the empress is a foregone conclusion.

Conversely, if Jiang Qing doesn't support him, then he

Then he should reflect on whether the plan to depose the empress is feasible!

After all, Jiang Qing's opposition must have some merit.

"I see!" Jiang Zhao was somewhat surprised.

Empress Gao, how could she be so "dramatic"?

After a few moments of contemplation, Jiang Zhao asked expressionlessly, "Has Your Majesty truly made up your mind?"

The "three prohibitions" have universal social binding force.

However, it wouldn't be impossible if the emperor really ignored it.

Throughout history, there have been quite a few monarchs who disregarded the "three prohibitions".

The "three no-removal" principle in deposing and establishing an empress was more about public pressure and unlikely to affect the overall situation.

What truly affects the overall situation is the influence of maternal relatives.

Empress Gao's maternal family had not yet gained power, so it was impossible for them to influence the overall situation of deposing the empress.

Therefore, if Zhao Ceying were truly determined, he would definitely succeed in deposing the empress.

After all, Zhao Ceying was a monarch with the merit of expanding the territory!

In terms of popular prestige, he was already quite close to that of the elderly Emperor Zhao Zhen.

If you don't care about public opinion pressure, then it's almost the same as not having any public opinion pressure at all.

"I have reached my limit!" Zhao Ceying declared, his eyes filled with disappointment.

With the borders pacified, the Empress surprisingly intended to intervene by sending her relatives to the border to check the commander-in-chief.

In the inner palace, she even uttered the treasonous words of "defeat on the frontier".

With such an empress, how could he become a great emperor throughout history, Emperor Shizong?

Which emperor of all time did not have a virtuous and kind empress?

It must be abolished!

Jiang Zhao looked carefully and breathed a sigh of relief.

Is it really going to be scrapped?

That's wonderful!

“Since Your Majesty has made up your mind, I will obey Your Majesty,” Jiang Zhao said.

In fact, given the current situation, if he were to oppose it, he might be able to dampen Zhao Ceying's desire to divorce his wife.

After all, there's something fishy about this.

As Zhao Ceying was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study, a Consort came to report that the Empress was not in her bedchamber and that a Noble Consort was late in entering the palace.

Everything is too coincidental; someone must have orchestrated this.

To put it bluntly, it's absolutely a palace intrigue!

The Empress was definitely wronged.

As a high-ranking official, once he brings it up, Zhao Ceying's determination to depose the empress will more or less waver.

But there's no need!

Who told the Gao family to be so immoral!

With the border regions pacified, the Gao family dared to advise their relatives to enter the border regions in an attempt to check the commander-in-chief.

Who is the head coach?

It's him, Jiang Zichuan!

If it weren't for concerns about Gao's status as Empress, Jiang Zhao, given her personality, would have already launched a campaign of retribution.

Now that the Empress has acted recklessly, causing the Emperor to consider deposing her, it is only right that we express our support.

This thieving woman is finally going to be crippled!

"Jiang Qing, you truly deserve to be called a pillar of the nation!"

Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly.

As expected, Jiang Qing supports my decision!

"I will soon begin to have someone impeach me."

Jiang Zhao stood up and bowed respectfully: "Now, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are about to be replaced. The older generation will retire, and the new ones who will enter the Cabinet have shallow foundations. We can take advantage of this opportunity to depose the Empress."

Deposed empresses are generally classified into two types: those who committed "serious crimes" and those who "misconduct".

If a serious crime is committed, it often begins with confiscating the property and exterminating the entire clan. Swift and decisive measures are taken to establish the crime, and the empress can be deposed within ten days.

Emperor Wu of Han deposed Empress Chen on charges of "witchcraft and sorcery," and Emperor Xuan of Han deposed Empress Huo on charges of "being implicated in a rebellion." These are typical examples of swiftly deposing empresses.

If one commits a breach of morality, then one must resort to impeachment.

He allowed his ministers to impeach him, and public opinion was mobilized to gradually solidify his reputation for "immorality."

Subsequently, the cabinet, the six ministries, and the nine temples discussed together whether the abolition of the empress was in accordance with ancestral rules, and occasionally even the opinions of the imperial family and relatives of the empress were introduced, forming a "consensus" conclusion.

Finally, an edict was issued to depose the empress.

The entire process takes about 100 days.

Once implemented immediately, it will last from April to July.

Now comes the triennial performance review for government officials.

By the end of May, at least half of the six Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet will have to be replaced.

The old man was about to retire and could not possibly oppose the emperor.

In June and July, when new officials enter the cabinet, it is absolutely impossible for them to refuse the emperor's request.

This is the perfect opportunity to depose the empress!

"Okay." Zhao Ceying nodded in satisfaction.

As expected, it has to be Jiang Qing!