Xie Jin considered himself to be upright and honest. He returned to Beijing to report on his work without meeting Emperor Yongle. He thought that since the emperor was ill and the crown prince was regent, it would be the same for him to report on his work with the crown prince. Moreover, according to the rule of "entering and leaving together", Tang Zong, the deputy minister of the Dali Temple, Yang Shiqi, the editor of the Hanlin Academy and the scholar of the Zuochunfang of the Eastern Palace, and others were also present at the time. There was absolutely no chance of a private audience with the emperor or any ill intentions.
Xie Jin had learned the lesson from his last demotion. Not to mention the basic rule that the two of them could enter and leave together, when he spoke to the prince, there had to be at least four people present before he would show up.
Xie Jin was a capable and practical minister. After reporting on his work, he did not stay in the capital but hurried back. When he passed through Jiangxi, he encountered severe drought on both sides of the Ganjiang River and there was a threat of famine. He wrote a memorial requesting the dredging of the Ganjiang River to divert water for irrigation of the fields.
Emperor Yongle looked at the memorial urgently sent by Xie Jin, who talked eloquently about the management of the Ganjiang River. He did not even ask about his health and completely ignored him.
I'm afraid that in Xie Jin's mind, I am a person who will end up in a coffin sooner or later, and my opinion is not important - not as important as the crown prince's.
The weaker his body became, the more suspicious he became. Emperor Yongle therefore ordered the Jinyiwei to capture Xie Jin on the way and throw him into the imperial prison on the charge of "lack of etiquette as a subject".
Xie Jin was even more wronged than Dou E. He refused to admit that he had no respect for the emperor. In order to prove his innocence, he even reported all the officials who had reported to the prince that day, and these people could testify for him.
Then... Ji Gang arrested all these people and took them to the imperial prison, accompanying Jie Jin.
Seeing a group of officials who were imprisoned and covered in dust, each of them had another identity in addition to their main job - working part-time in the Eastern Palace, serving as a scholar of the Left and Right Spring Offices, and so on. They were regarded as supporters of the prince by outsiders.
Xie Jin understood: if you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. The more they argued, the more suspicious the emperor became. He suspected that these people were on the side of the prince, and the emperor did not believe their words.
So Xie Jin simply shut up and said nothing.
Xie Jin's silence did not extinguish Emperor Yongle's anger. On the contrary, more and more officials from the Eastern Palace were caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. They were almost arrested all at once and were about to spend the New Year in the Imperial Prison.
Throughout the court, some people interceded for this group of ministers, while others took the opportunity to report them. Officials were talking about the fact that the prince was going to lose power again... again.
The cabinet sorted and classified memorials for Emperor Yongle every day. Emperor Yongle quickly read through the memorials and did not release the people - but he did not kill them either.
Some were happy and some were sad, but the King of Han was extremely happy. It was the first time he had won without any effort. He did nothing, and his father started to deal with the prince.
It’s so surprising and exciting!
The King of Han was overjoyed, but he pretended to be sad and went to Emperor Yongle to plead for Xie Jin and others.
"… I'm afraid that the emperor misunderstood the crown prince and Xie Jin. At that time, the emperor was sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious. The crown prince was the regent, and Xie Jin had no choice but to report to the crown prince. Xie Jin cared about the local people, so he went back immediately after reporting, and did not wait for the emperor to wake up and summon him."
Emperor Yongle did not respond and stared at the second son.
The King of Han felt a little guilty, "Father, when you were ill, the Crown Prince was the regent, working diligently and conscientiously. Everyone praised him for being the regent, saying 'the Crown Prince has no idle business'. No matter how big or small the problem was, the Crown Prince solved it and never procrastinated. I, your son, was also convinced by the Crown Prince."
It seemed that the King of Han was making excuses for the prince, but in fact every word he said was adding fuel to the anger of Emperor Yongle: Look, you are so sick that you can't take care of yourself, but the sun still rises, the court still functions as usual, and there is no trouble. This country is the same with or without you.
All we need is a prince.
No wonder Xie Jin only went to report to the Crown Prince and left the capital in a hurry without waiting for you to wake up. Anyway, it doesn't matter whether you wake up or not.
If the prince is incompetent, the emperor will have a headache.
If the prince is too capable, the emperor will have even more headaches.
Emperor Yongle finally responded, saying: "Now that I have recovered from my illness, you can take over the defense of the capital."
Previously, Emperor Yongle had seized the defense power from the King of Han and handed it over to Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu. Now it has been returned to its original owner.
The King of Han was of course very happy. He was good at military affairs and had great prestige in the army. Now, because his father was afraid of the Crown Prince, he entrusted him with the defense of the capital.
The King of Han seized the opportunity and began to train his successor - he kept the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanhe by his side all day, training the army and practicing battle formations, and he was never idle for a single day.
Emperor Yongle distanced himself from the Eastern Palace and favored the Prince of Han.
As a result, the topic #Is the crown prince going to be deposed# once again became a hot search in official circles, just like pouring a bucket of water into an frying pan, with crackling sounds and a lot of discussion, which was very noisy.
Emperor Yongle turned a deaf ear to this. He was waiting for a response from someone - the crown prince.
Every day someone would go to the crown prince and ask him to intercede for these loyal officials of the Eastern Palace - these people were very tough, they were imprisoned in the imperial prison without any light of day, but no one, including Xie Jin, would frame the crown prince in order to exonerate himself.
Not a single person.
They are willing to give up everything for the Crown Prince, putting their official positions and even their lives aside, in order to protect the Crown Prince. How could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sit idly by and not go to the Emperor to plead for mercy
Every day someone would come to the prince and ask him to save the innocent officials in the imperial prison.
Every time, the prince received them politely, listened to their requests patiently, and then sent them away politely.
However, the crown prince never approached Emperor Yongle to plead for those supporters of the Eastern Palace who were imprisoned in the imperial prison, and never expressed his position.
As a result, rumors spread in the court that the prince was cowardly and heartless, and would refuse to acknowledge his father once he put on the pants. In order to protect himself, he said one thing in public and another in private. On the surface, he sighed for these ministers, but behind their backs he did whatever he wanted and didn't even dare to fart.
I didn't expect you to be such a naturally cold-hearted prince!
As the New Year was approaching, these innocent ministers would have to spend the New Year in the imperial prison, and many families would not be able to reunite. People kept going to the East Palace to ask the prince to plead for mercy.
No matter how these people knelt on the ground and begged, even until their foreheads bled, the prince just sat at the top like a Bodhisattva, motionless, and answered with silence.
Unable to obtain his request, in despair, he changed from begging to cursing: "Your Highness the Crown Prince can't even protect his own people, and can't even open his mouth to beg for mercy. Who will dare to serve the Eastern Palace and be a minister of the Eastern Palace in the future!"
"Back when the Hongwu Emperor's Prince Yiwen was around, his teacher Song Lian was implicated in Hu Weiyong's treason case by his children and grandchildren, and was executed as a member of the group. Prince Yiwen knelt down and begged Emperor Gaozu to pardon Song Lian's crime and pleaded for his teacher, so Song Lian was able to save his life. Now that Xie Jin has been wronged, is the prince really going to sit back and do nothing? Ugh—woooo."
In order to prevent the visitor from uttering obscene words, he was gagged and dragged out.
The prince sighed and said, "Just send him away, don't make it difficult for him."
The attendant asked, "What if he continues to insult me?"
The prince said: "You can stop one person's mouth, but can you stop the mouths of the world? It is better to stop him and let him curse."
Perhaps the more voices outside curse the Eastern Palace, the more likely it is that the Eastern Palace will be able to get out of this crisis.
The prince is now in the form of a clay Buddha, and the clay Buddha cannot save himself when crossing the river.
The Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji came to pay his respects to the Prince. Since he was named the Crown Prince, he moved out of the Eastern Palace. The imperial palace had a special Crown Prince Palace, the Zhanshi Mansion that gave him advice, and ministers, etc. Emperor Yongle cleared out almost all the ministers in the Eastern Palace with one click, but did not touch the officials of the Crown Prince Palace.
On the contrary, Emperor Yongle relied on his eldest grandson more than before, and discussed all military affairs with the Crown Prince - that is, leaving the Crown Prince alone.
Zhu Zhanji looked at the man who was gagged and dragged out, and from the other's angry eyes, he could guess that he was scolding his father.
As a son, Zhu Zhanji had to visit his father and mother every morning and evening no matter how busy he was. No matter who you are, you must not make mistakes in filial piety.
So, even though he knew that anyone who got close to the Eastern Palace would have a bad ending and that the gates of the imperial prison were always open with arms wide waiting for you, Zhu Zhanji still insisted on greeting his parents once in the morning and once in the evening, rain or shine.
"Father, how is your health today?" Zhu Zhanji said almost the same thing every day, as if it was a routine.
The prince, who had lost his temper after being scolded, always answered in the same way: "I'm fine, go see your mother."
The crown prince was helpless. He also wanted to have a good talk with his calm and reliable eldest son to relieve his stress, but his eldest son was now also the crown prince. Every time they spoke, there would be a group of people watching them, and all their words would reach the ears of Emperor Yongle.
Oh, forget it, it’s better to have less trouble than more. Now I am a plague god. Whoever gets close to me will be unlucky. So it will be good for the eldest son to stay away from me, his father.
"Yes, son, I'll take my leave."
Zhu Zhanji also knew the current predicament of the Eastern Palace, and he was anxious and worried about it.
However, just as the Crown Prince could not open his mouth to plead for the officials of the Eastern Palace, he could not open his mouth to speak for the Eastern Palace.
Zhu Zhanji went to the Crown Princess. Crown Princess Zhang was holding a cloth tiger and encouraging the one-year-old princess to walk. The princess was the only girl in the Eastern Palace. Her birth once brought a brief period of happiness to the Eastern Palace.
The little princess was white and chubby. She toddled and staggered like a penguin, and the way she walked was very much like the lame prince.
Zhu Zhanji thought the little princess looked plump, white and cute, much like A Lei's sister when she was a child. He clapped his hands towards his sister and half-knelt down, "Come here, let your brother hug you."
When the little princess suddenly saw Zhu Zhanji, a "stranger", she grabbed the cloth tiger and threw herself into her mother's arms. She didn't dare to look at her elder brother and started crying in fear.
Zhu Zhanji came every morning and evening, but the little princess basically either slept or played. To her, her elder brother Zhu Zhanji was an even more unfamiliar existence than her father, the prince.
Zhu Zhanji withdrew his hand awkwardly.
The Crown Princess picked up the little princess, patted her back to comfort her, and said to Zhu Zhanji: "Your sister is still young and a little shy. She will be fine when she grows up."
Zhu Zhanji knew that his presence would only make his sister more uneasy, so he wisely left.
The Crown Princess looked at her son's thin and long back like noodles. She wanted to stop him and tell him to eat more food in the winter and take care of himself, but the little princess in her arms was crying and hiccuping, so she could only take care of the little one first.
Zhu Zhanji left the Eastern Palace amid his sister's crying.
From the age of twelve, he spent most of his time accompanying Emperor Yongle on his military campaigns, stationed in Beijing, and had a distant relationship with the Eastern Palace. When they got along, they were not like father and son - they were more like colleagues, on the same side for the common good.
Later, he was named the Crown Prince and had his own Crown Prince Palace, and the relationship between him and the Eastern Palace became even more distant - strictly speaking, the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince were in the same boat, but the Crown Prince Palace and the Eastern Palace were not.
As crown princes, although they are father and son, they are currently in a competitive relationship. There are two crown princes in a country, and the Crown Prince exists as a spare tire, so that in case the East Palace has a tire burst, he can be replaced seamlessly.
If the crown prince is deposed, according to the order of succession, the crown prince will be the first in line of succession, and it will not be the turn of the King of Han.
Now, the Eastern Palace is in trouble, and the Crown Prince has some intentions but dares not say it.
The Eastern Palace also seemed indifferent to the Crown Prince.
Emperor Yongle always praised the Crown Prince and suppressed the Prince, and as a result, rumors gradually spread throughout the court and the country that the emperor wanted to depose the crippled Prince and only wanted the young and promising Crown Prince to be the heir.
Moreover, on the surface, it seems that the Crown Prince has never been close to the Eastern Palace since he was a child and has always been like an outsider. This is a fact.
Hu Shanwei issued a ban, strictly prohibiting the spread of rumors that would alienate the royal family. If anyone defied the ban, they would be immediately sent to the Palace Administration Department for severe punishment.
The people in the harem didn't dare to talk about it. After all, everyone had to make a living in this gorgeous cage of the harem. However, Hu Shanwei could not stop the gossips outside the palace.
Instantly, the trending search for "Abolished Crown Prince, Only Crown Prince Is the Only One Crown Prince" suddenly became the number one.
Hu Shanwei punched in and out every day, so he knew the hot spots outside, so he asked Ji Gang, "With such rumors outside, why don't you Jinyiwei do anything?"
Ji Gang chuckled, "We only listen to the emperor. If the emperor wants us to take care of something, we will immediately arrest a few people and kill them to scare the monkeys. If the emperor doesn't give the order, no matter what is spread outside, it is none of our business."
The author has something to say: The lunch box is being heated up, and the courier Lan Zhou has arrived at the store, ready to pick up the meal.
The core of an emperor's mindset is to strike a balance and check and balance each other.
In addition, have you finished the exam? After the exam, it will be my turn to set questions. My question bank is already thirsty... Thank you to the little angels who cast the tyrant votes or irrigated the nutrient solution for me~
Thanks to the little angels who threw [hand grenades]: Gudong is coming! 3; Qiushui 1;
Thanks to the little angel who cast [mines]: 1 green wind;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Senior Diver 60 bottles; ooo 30 bottles; Men Yimo 20 bottles; Nuanyin 15 bottles; tado, jesling, littlesnow, bb, Yueyueyueyueyue, Zizhu 10 bottles; Qiushui 8 bottles; foxpp, llllna 5 bottles; xuling380 3 bottles; 20487360, I want a little corgi, Dimple 2 bottles; Xingyao Feixiang, koaen wants to be a female King Kong, Natiao Xiaoyu, 29840923, Cut long hair 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!