gnovel Chapter 8: The Imperial Court Held Late at Night!
Chapter 8: The Imperial Court Held Late at Night!
Midnight, the Forbidden City.
The square outside the hall was packed with people.
Almost all the important figures in the capital were present.
These people were all dragged out of bed in their sleep.
The imperial decree that came from the palace was only four simple and direct words: "His Majesty urgently summons you."
Nobody knows what happened.
Has Altan Khan attacked again from the north? Or have the Japanese pirates from the south breached one of the important towns?
Or perhaps... that emperor who hasn't held court for twenty years has finally decided to take the throne?
The officials stood in the cold wind, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
"Grand Secretary Xu, do you know why His Majesty summoned us here so late at night?" Minister of War Yang Bo leaned close to Grand Secretary Xu Jie and asked in a low voice.
Xu Jie was nearly sixty years old, with a thin face but sharp eyes. He shook his head, his brows furrowed: "I don't know. The palace only says there's something of paramount importance, but they won't reveal a single detail. It's just..."
"Just what?"
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree was deathly pale, as if he had seen a ghost.
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
Yan Song, who had fainted, was carried on a stretcher and taken to the outside of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
He had just been woken up by a bucket of cold water. Now, wrapped in a mink coat, his face was deathly pale, his eyes were unfocused, and he looked like he had lost his soul.
His son, Yan Shifan, the Vice Minister of Works, the arrogant "Little Grand Secretary," was holding the stretcher, sweating profusely with anxiety.
"Father! Father! What happened? Why did you faint in the West Garden?"
Yan Song's lips trembled as he looked at the brightly lit Huangji Hall, his eyes filled with endless fear.
He wanted to say something.
He wanted to tell everyone that the man had returned.
But he dared not.
He was afraid that if he spoke out, he would be immediately regarded as a madman, or... be killed on the spot by that man.
"Don't ask... Go inside... and you'll find out..." Yan Song squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
Just as the officials were filled with anxiety and speculation.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Everyone immediately fell silent, straightened their clothes, turned to face the main hall, and prepared to kneel in worship.
The heavy palace doors slowly opened.
Everyone lowered their heads, and only the sound of footsteps could be heard.
One.
two.
No, it's two sets of footsteps.
One is steady and powerful, the other is light and silent.
The officials dared not raise their heads, and according to etiquette, shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and knelt down.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The sound echoed in the empty square.
However, the familiar "Rise, my lords" did not come from the direction of the dragon throne.
Inside and outside the main hall, there was a deathly silence.
Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and the others kneeling in the front row felt increasingly uneasy.
They secretly lifted their eyelids and glanced at it out of the corner of their eyes.
That glance nearly scared the soul out of them.
The dragon throne was empty.
Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Houcong, who should have been sitting on the dragon throne, was now wearing a clean but obviously hastily changed casual dress. He stood below the steps of the dragon throne, bowing and hanging his head, like a primary school student who had made a mistake and was being scolded.
His face...
Half of his face was swollen high, with clear five-finger marks, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth.
Was he... beaten up?
The emperor was attacked?!
The officials' brains went blank for a moment.
Who is it? Who dares to attack the current emperor?!
Their gazes involuntarily drifted past Jiajing and toward the person standing beside the dragon throne.
An elderly man with white hair.
He simply stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling civil and military officials below.
Everyone who met his gaze felt as if struck by lightning in an instant.
Xu Jie knelt on the ground, his body beginning to tremble slightly.
Gao Gong's eyes widened.
Minister of War Yang Bo, a hardliner who had led troops and seen bloodshed in the Nine Border Regions, felt his hands and feet turn ice cold at this moment.
That face!
Emperor Chengzu Wen!
Yongle Big D!
"Get up, everyone."
The officials looked at each other, none of them daring to make a move.
The emperor didn't tell them to get up, so how dare they get up?
Zhu Di frowned slightly as he glanced at Jiajing, who was still bowing.
Emperor Jiajing shuddered in fright and quickly turned around, shouting, "Your Majesty... cough, by my decree, all of you, rise!"
He almost blurted out "ancestors" again.
The officials, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, trembled as they got up from the ground.
But still, no one dared to look up and look directly at them.
The entire Huangji Hall Square was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Zhu Di's gaze slowly swept across the faces filled with fear, confusion, and blankness.
Finally, his gaze fell on Yan Song, who was lying on a stretcher, his face ashen.
"Yan Song".
He read the name aloud.
Yan Song, on the stretcher, trembled as if he had been called out. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't muster any strength.
"Do you know your crime?" Zhu Di's voice was calm.
Yan Song's lips moved, but no sound came out.
"I ask you, do you know your crime!" Zhu Di's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Yan Song was so frightened that he cried out "Ah!" and rolled off the stretcher, lying on the ground with tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is guilty... Your Majesty deserves to die..."
He couldn't say anything except beg for mercy.
Zhu Di snorted coldly, ignoring him, and turned his gaze to another person.
"Xu Jie".
Xu Jie, who was kneeling in the front row, trembled and immediately stepped forward, kneeling down again.
"Your subject is here."
"I ask you, as the Second Grand Secretary, seeing treacherous officials in power and the country in ruins, why did you remain silent? Why did you not speak out?"
Zhu Di's voice was like a knife, each word piercing Xu Jie's heart.
Xu Jie's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He wanted to say it, he spoke his mind, he argued for it.
Over the years, he has devoted countless efforts to fighting against Yan's faction, and has teetered on the brink of being dismissed from office and beheaded countless times.
But he couldn't utter a single one of these words in front of the "living ancestor".
Because in Zhu Di's view, these were all excuses.
In his time, a subject should remonstrate with the emperor even at the cost of his life if he saw something wrong! He should impeach a treacherous official with all his might!
"Your Majesty...I have failed in my duty, I am guilty," Xu Jie said in a deep voice, burying his head in his arms.
Zhu Di looked at him and remained silent for a moment.
"Raise your head."
Xu Jie slowly raised his head.
He saw that although Zhu Di's eyes were stern, they did not contain any murderous intent. Instead, they carried a hint of scrutiny and... expectation.
"I'll ask you again," Zhu Di's voice softened slightly, "this empire, riddled with problems, what do you think is the root cause of its ills?"
This question was earth-shattering.
Xu Jie's heart began to pound.
He knew that this was the "living ancestor" testing him.
His answer not only concerns his own life and fortune, but may also determine the future direction of the entire Ming Dynasty.
He took a deep breath, his mind racing.
What is the root cause of the problem?
Was it because the emperor hadn't held court for twenty years? Was it because Yan Song had formed cliques for personal gain? Was it because border defenses were neglected? Was it because the national treasury was empty?
Both are true, but neither is fundamental.
He thought for a moment and finally made up his mind.
He raised his head, looked directly into Zhu Di's eyes, and said, word by word, with firm and resounding force:
"Your Majesty (he dared not address them as ancestors, only using the most respectful title), I believe the root of the problem lies in the laxity of laws and regulations, and the people's desire for change!"
"Ancestral rules are corrupt, and public resources are being misused! In the imperial court, right and wrong are ignored, only factionalism matters; in officialdom, merit is not sought, only avoiding mistakes!"
"If this continues, the nation will cease to exist!"
These words were powerful and thought-provoking.
All the officials present stared at Xu Jie in shock.
They never expected that Xu Jie would dare to say such blunt and sharp words at such a time.
This is tantamount to insulting everyone present, including the Jiajing Emperor standing on the steps.
Jiajing's face flushed red and then turned pale, but he dared not utter a single word.
Zhu Di listened quietly until the end.
A hint of approval finally appeared on his face.
"What a perfect example of 'the law is abandoned, and people's hearts yearn for change'."
He nodded.
"It seems that not all of my ministers are useless."
After saying that, he turned around and walked up the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, step by step, until he reached the dragon throne that had been empty for so long.
He did not sit down.
He simply turned around, gripped the armrest of the dragon throne, and faced the dark mass of civil and military officials below the throne.
Everyone held their breath.
They knew that a historic moment was about to arrive.
"I, Zhu Di, have returned."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, resounding deep within everyone's soul.
"From today onwards."
"My eldest grandson, Zhu Zai Rui, will act as regent on my behalf, overseeing all affairs of state!"
"I am now the Retired Emperor!"
"Who's in favor? Who's opposed?"