Even though the eunuch who went to the cabinet to announce the arrival of Lord Wu in the palace was a tight-lipped person, but for such a serious matter as deposing the empress, even a good man like Lord Wu did not dare to easily draft an edict after hearing what the emperor said in front of the emperor. He thought that he could not bear the blame for helping the emperor depose the empress alone, so he sincerely requested the emperor to summon Grand Secretary Kong and Grand Secretary Zhang to solve the matter together.
When the two of them arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Confucius gave the emperor a few words of righteous advice, and Zhang Yu also advised the emperor earnestly, but when the emperor showed an attitude of being determined, the two looked at each other and finally chose to remain silent. This lack of objection was tacit approval by Wu Gelao.
Originally, the person who was most obsessed with the primogeniture system was the former Prime Minister Jiang Ge Lao. As for the other three, Grand Secretary Kong often advocated the restoration of the old system of Taizu, so the appointment of the virtuous was also the old system. Grand Secretary Zhang Yu was promoted by the emperor himself. Who would follow the queen whose mother's family was already in decline and had caused several shameful incidents to go all the way to the end
However, when the imperial edict was actually being drafted, the three of them looked at each other, especially Academician Kong, who was bearing the subtle looks from Zhang Yu and Elder Wu on both sides. Seeing that he might be blamed for the dethronement of the empress, he had to speak up and say, "Your Majesty, although the empress was dethroned for a crime this time, it would still hurt your reputation if it were spread out."
Unsure of how the emperor would react to this suggestion, Kong Daxueshi inevitably hesitated. But after weighing the pros and cons, he still gritted his teeth and continued, "If possible, why not ask the empress dowager for an imperial decree to accuse the empress of being unfilial."
After these words came out, Zhang Yu and Wu Ge Lao could not help but look at each other quickly, and secretly shuddered at the same time. The move of the Grand Secretary Kong was really vicious. If the emperor wanted to depose the empress, it would be like a common man wanting to divorce his wife. It might not be difficult in the case of the decline of the Yue family, but it would probably make him bear the reputation of being unfaithful. However, if the empress dowager came forward, it would be like a common uncle or aunt accusing a son or daughter-in-law of being unfilial. No one could say anything.
The only problem is that the emperor may not have to bear the blame, but the empress dowager may be accused of being harsh to her son and daughter-in-law. After all, the last time the empress's seal and ribbon were taken away and she was banned from Kunning Palace, it was also the empress dowager who did it!
Sure enough, the next moment, the two saw the emperor frowning, his anger evident in his words: "I am no longer a three-year-old child. Can I not take the responsibility of deposing the queen? Is there any need to alarm the queen mother? If there are people in the public who say that I have been unfaithful to my first wife, then let them say it! All three of you remember what I have said today. I will not appoint another queen in the future!"
The emperor had said such serious things. The three of them looked at each other for a while, knowing that the situation was irreversible. Wu Ge Lao laughed and said, "As for the emperor's family affairs, it is natural for the emperor to make the decision himself. We are just following his orders."
Scholar Kong despised the spineless yes-man Wu the most. When he heard Zhang Yu say that he would leave it to the emperor, he was too lazy to say anything more and simply said, "In that case, I will draft the decree."
Anyway, if this matter gets out, you won't be able to shirk responsibility!
Just as the emperor ordered the Qianqing Palace's steward Liu Feng to grind ink and serve, and Wu Ge Lao smiled and personally stretched out the paper, waiting for Kong Daxueshi to splash ink and write a wonderful article to depose the empress, Kong Daxueshi, who was standing silently with his pen in hand, heard hurried footsteps. Then, an extremely cautious voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the queen mother is here."