Chapter 611 I Know My Fate
Xiyuan.

Since the passing of the late emperor, this center of supreme power in the Ming Dynasty, which had existed for more than 20 years, has finally been peaceful for more than a year.

Throughout the West Garden, vegetation became increasingly lush.

The water in Taiye Lake is still as clear as jade.

The weeping willows by the water have grown taller, and there are more and more drooping branches.

however.

Four years ago, the emperor, who gradually became unwilling to be involved in state affairs, moved into the West Garden.

The West Garden, which had only been in existence for over a year, had regained its former bustle, and was even more lively than when the previous emperor was in power.

after all.

The previous emperor moved to the Western Garden and spent the entire day in the Wanshou Palace or the Yuxi Palace practicing Taoism.

But now, Emperor Longqing moved to Xiyuan and instantly turned it into a place for vocal enjoyment that was no less excellent than the Jiaofangsi.

Today's Xiyuan.

The sound of stringed instruments can be heard all day long.

Since getting rid of the constraints of the Forbidden City's harem, nowadays in the Western Garden, one can see beautiful women in their twenties everywhere at all times of the day, wearing either palace costumes or Western exotic costumes that were tributed by Western merchants such as Bai Fugui in recent years.

So much has happened in four years.

But for the Forbidden City and the Western Garden, not much happened.

The new policies of the dynasty were in full swing. The central cabinet was united and made every effort to cope with the new policies and implement them in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

Xiyuan seemed to be floating above the sky.

however.

Everything began to change as the emperor's health deteriorated rapidly after the beginning of the year.

The emperor is really ill.

Although the sounds of stringed instruments in Xiyuan never stopped, and although those women who were truly gathered from all over the world were never dismissed.

But in the end, the emperor dragged his hollowed-out body and lay deep in the Wanshou Palace.

finally.

During the fire in the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City, he vomited blood in fear.

That night.

It's still dark.

As early as three years ago, after sending Lü Fang, Huang Jin and other old people around the late emperor to Changping to guard the imperial mausoleum as he wished, Teng Xiang took the position of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

But tonight.

Teng Xiang only felt a chill coming from deep in his bones.

Looking at the emperor lying on the dragon bed, taking a long breath from his throat and slowly opening his eyes, Teng Xiang rolled and crawled to the dragon bed, holding the edge of the bed tightly with both hands.

"Long live the Lord!"

"master!"

"Are you feeling better?"

While asking questions, Teng Xiang turned his head to look at the eunuchs waiting at the palace gate: "Go, quickly call the imperial doctors guarding the front hall to come in."

However, before the eunuchs could react.

Zhu Zaigui, who was lying on the dragon bed, had already stretched out his hand limply and squeezed out a few words: "Wait."

Teng Xiang's eyes twitched, and he quickly shouted, "His Majesty said, wait, don't move!"

This eunuch, who had risen to the position of the head of the Imperial Household Department by currying favor with the emperor and often presenting various beauties to the emperor, had a face full of worry and uneasiness.

He knew very well how he got his current position and power.

Even Feng Bao, who rose to prominence in Prince Yu's Mansion, had been suppressed by himself in the past few years, and had to stay in the Imperial Stables without being able to move at all.

But once something really happened to the emperor, and he died if he was not careful, he would inevitably be accused of harming the emperor.

At that time, exile to the imperial mausoleum would be the best outcome.

The most likely outcome would be hanging.

On the dragon bed.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Teng Xiang, who had served him for four years. His face was pale and his eyes moved slowly. He wanted to turn his head to look outside, but found that he no longer had enough strength to complete this action.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui had no choice but to look up at the roof of the palace: "What time is it?"

Teng Xiang quickly replied: "Your Majesty, it is almost Yin hour."

He couldn't help but add in his heart that if it were a little later, the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty who were guarding outside the Meridian Gate would have been able to enter the palace.

Zhu Zaigui continued to speak with a detached breath: "The news from the palace..."

Although he had been staying in Xiyuan for the past four years and enjoying a life that ordinary people could hardly imagine, he had never relaxed his attention on the court.

The cabinet and the central government have done a good job in implementing the new policy.

Although dissatisfaction seems to be accumulating locally, it seems to be under control.

Until recently, there was a fire in the Qianqing Palace at midnight.

Zhu Zaigui finally came to his senses.

I'm afraid this fire is not so normal.

At this time, he vomited blood and fell down, not knowing what changes would happen outside.

Teng Xiang quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The civil and military officials are already guarding outside the Meridian Gate. I have also asked the East Factory to monitor all parties outside the palace. We will never allow any chaos to occur outside."

Zhu Zaigui glanced at Teng Xiang and sighed in his heart.

This Teng Xiang might be good at serving people, but he had a very poor vision for the previous dynasty.

There was a fire in his bedroom and he vomited blood and collapsed.

How could there not be trouble outside?

Zhu Zaigui immediately said, "Pass it on."

Teng Xiang didn't know what the emperor was going to do when he woke up at this time, so he could only bow his head and ask for instructions.

Zhu Zaigui said slowly, "Order the Dragon Warrior General Yan Hu to strictly enforce the Western Garden, and the Beijing Camp General Guo Yuchuang to lead the troops to the front of the Huangji Gate. Order the Imperial Horse Supervisor Eunuch Feng Bao to mobilize the four Tengxiang guards to guard the palace and the imperial city. Without my oral order, no gate of the imperial city may be opened without permission."

Teng Xiang was delighted.

I just think that the emperor mobilized the army and blocked the imperial city in order to control it. In this way, the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty would not put the blame on themselves for a while.

He immediately took the order and summoned the eunuch from the Inner Hall to go out and deliver the message.

Teng Xiang did not forget to ask at this time: "Your Majesty, should we call the doctors in the front hall in now?"

The emperor's health is the most important.

Only if the emperor lives longer can his glory continue.

However, Zhu Zaigui still shook his head: "Have you sent anyone to Changping?"

According to his thinking, now that such a big thing has happened in the palace, although three generations of the Yan family have basically stayed away from the court, and only Yan Shifan is still the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, the Yan family is still a force that cannot be ignored in the court.

Teng Xiang was puzzled and shook his head: "Your Majesty, something happened suddenly tonight, and I... I..."

How could he have imagined that he would have to send people to Changping.

How many years has it been?
Four whole years.

It was as if the Yan family had completely disappeared from the court.

Two years ago, the cabinet's second-in-command Yuan Wei had a conflict with the first-in-command Gao Gong, and was eventually squeezed out of the court and returned to his hometown.

Now in the cabinet, Zhao Zhenji was kept by Gao Gong because he needed to take care of the land measurement and population check. As for Hu Zongxian, he was not passive because he had Qi Jiguang and Wang Chonggu from the Nine Frontiers as his support.

Gao Yi was a person who completely obeyed Gao Gong. However, after the beginning of this year, there were rumors in the court that the Prime Minister Gao Gong seemed to want to summon Yang Bo, the Minister of War, to the cabinet.

The purpose was probably to divide the relationship between the Yan faction and the Nine Border Jin Party, and to use Yang Bo to divide the cooperation between Wang Chonggu and the Yan family.

By the way, Zhang Siwei, who was also from the Jin Party, was placed in the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

As for the Yan family?

Although Yan Song was still alive as the Grand Tutor and the position of Minister of Rites was left vacant for Yan Shaoting, there had been really no movement from the Yan family in recent years.

At the beginning, the court was still paying attention to whether Yan Shaoting, who was hiding in Changping Academy, was really promoting his new learning, or whether he was planning something in Changping, a place that was neither close to the capital nor far away.

But after four years.

Everyone noticed that Yan Shaoting was really studying hard in the academy, and the new school of thought was almost becoming a prominent school of thought in the world, with signs of replacing the School of Mind.

But apart from this, the entire Yan family and Yan-related officials, including Yan Shaoting, really had no political opinions in the past four years. They just carried out whatever the cabinet and the central government told them to do conscientiously.

That's why.

When Zhu Zaigui saw Teng Xiang's hesitant answer, he sighed in his heart and knew that this guy must not have sent anyone to Changping.

But I don’t think I can blame him.

Zhu Zaigui had no choice but to speak weakly and tiredly again and ordered: "Quick, send a capable person to Changping as fast as possible, and let the Grand Tutor and the Prince's Guard enter the palace immediately!"

Although Teng Xiang did not understand the emperor's thoughts, seeing that the emperor's tone was serious, he hurriedly stood up and arranged for someone to go to Changping to convey the order himself.

But Zhu Zaigui asked again: "Where is the prince?"

Teng Xiang hurriedly stopped and said, "The prince is in Ciqing Palace."

Zhu Zaigui's worry faded a little, and he hummed, "Let Yan Hu, Guo Yuchuang, and Feng Bao form a team to guard the Ciqing Palace. No one outside the Ciqing Palace is allowed to enter. Anyone who dares to approach will be killed!"

Seeing the emperor speak like this.

Teng Xiang's expression stiffened involuntarily, and he realized that the situation might be more serious than he thought. He bowed deeply, and then walked out with heavy steps to arrange things.

See Teng Xiang leave.

Zhu Zaigui lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling of the hall with a vague look, and a trace of reluctance and regret slowly revealed in his eyes.

A sparkling light gradually appeared in the corners of his eyes.

He rejected Teng Xiang's suggestion twice to call the imperial physician to take his pulse and diagnose him, not because he was frightened by the fire in the bedroom.

But after he spat out that mouthful of blood at midnight, he knew that he would not live long.

I already know my fate.

Why is there no need to summon a doctor?

A long sigh came out of Zhu Zaigui's mouth.

Despite his reluctance, there was a hint of determination in his eyes.

It's time to take advantage of the last bit of time to finalize some things.

And outside the palace.

When the emperor woke up and made a series of arrangements.

Meridian Gate.

Upon learning the news of the fire in the Qianqing Palace, all the civil and military officials had already gathered under the Meridian Gate.

All the civil and military officials, headed by the Cabinet Chief Minister Gao Gong, looked anxious.

The current Minister of Finance Wang Guoguang saw the cabinet ministers standing at the head of all officials, but they were silent, with an anxious look on their faces: "Prime Minister, all the elders, the emperor's bedroom is on fire, how can we, as ministers, wait here? The prime minister and the elders should jointly sign our names and ask us to come to the palace to see the emperor."

Wang Guoguang was from Zezhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province.

There was an unspoken rule in the court that officials from Nanzhi, Zhejiang and Jiangxi were not allowed to be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Therefore, officials like Wang Guoguang who were from Jin were naturally entrusted with the important task of taking charge of the Ministry of Revenue when Gao Gong wanted to make great use of the Jin Party.

Because of this, he became closer to Gao Gong.

After Wang Guoguang spoke, Hanlin scholar and Left Vice Minister of Rites Lü Diaoyang also spoke up: "Prince, what the Ministry of Revenue said makes sense. The palace is on fire right now, and we are outside the Meridian Gate, so we don't know what's going on in the palace. Recently, we often hear that Your Majesty is in the West Garden and is not feeling well. If we hear that the palace is on fire, we don't know what Your Majesty will do. If we are not careful, we may be cut off from the inside and outside if we are not in His Majesty's presence. Even if we are not in His Majesty's presence now, Yuanfu and others should wait in His Majesty's presence to listen to His Majesty's instructions."

Perhaps because the position of Minister of Rites was deliberately reserved for Yan Shaoting, Lu Diaoyang, who was born in Guilin Prefecture, had to stay in the position of Left Vice Minister of Rites in recent years, handling the affairs of the entire Ministry of Rites.

There have been rumors in recent years that Gao Gong wanted to transfer Lü Tiaoyang into the cabinet.

However, if he is not promoted to the Ministry of Rites and is directly transferred to the Cabinet, it will inevitably appear somewhat unsightly.

The person who spoke after Lu Diaoyang was Lu Shusheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was from Nanzhili and was standing next to him.

"Yes, Yuan Fu, no matter what, it is most important for us to know the emperor's situation. How can we stay here forever?"

When Lu Shusheng finished speaking.

Gao Gong, who was standing in the front row, finally turned around and looked at him sideways.

A cold light flashed in the depths of Gao Gong's eyes.

Nowadays, in the court, since Xu Jie, Yan Ne, Pan En, Li Chunfang and others were successively dismissed or transferred to local positions, among the gentry and upright officials from Jiangnan in recent years, Lu Shusheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, has climbed the highest position, and he seems to be showing signs of becoming the new leader of the old party in the court.

Then.

How did the fire in the Qianqing Palace start this time?

There was a hint of scrutiny in Gao Gong's eyes.

As if he had noticed the Prime Minister's gaze, Lu Shusheng silently lowered his head, his eyes moving around but it was unclear what he was thinking.

At this moment.

Another person spoke.

"A few days ago, the central government sent a letter to Jiangnan to transfer Zhang Juzheng back to Beijing. Now that something like this has happened in the palace, I think there will be some unrest in Beijing for a while. Why not send another letter to Zhang Juzheng, ordering him to continue to stay in Suzhou, and let him return to Beijing to take on other tasks after the court has dealt with all the affairs?"

Everyone followed the sound and looked over.

The person who spoke was not someone else, but Zhang Juzheng's relative-in-law, Wang Zhigao, the current Minister of Justice.

After Wang Zhigao finished speaking, Lu Shusheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had originally lowered his head, suddenly raised his head and looked at the other party, with a flash of hesitation in his eyes.

However, the newly appointed Minister of Works Zhu Heng, who was standing next to them, frowned and said, "At the beginning of spring and summer this year, the Ministry of Works submitted a report and also negotiated with the Imperial Household Department. Because summer came early this year, the palace had already made preparations for fire prevention, and all places had increased water reserves to prepare for unexpected events. How could this fire burn so brightly?"

Professional technicians spoke up.

This immediately gave rise to a different guess in everyone's mind.

However, Zhu Heng, the new Minister of Works who took over the Ministry of Works directly from the former Minister of Works Lei Li, kept silent after he finished speaking.

Gao Gong snorted coldly at the right time.

But no one could guess what his cold snort was directed at.

Just when everyone was about to speak.

At the gate of the Meridian Gate, eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department had already stuck their heads out.

"Your Majesty's oral order, the palace was hit by a fire. I am safe, but the people in the inner court are uneasy and the personnel are in chaos. Wait for the Dragon and Tiger Army, 3,000 soldiers, and the Imperial Horse Administration to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire in the bedroom and suppress the restlessness. Then you can order the palace gates to be opened. All officials are anxious to see the emperor. I have heard that all officials are not allowed to move without permission and wait for orders at the Meridian Gate."

The voice of instruction came from the sky.

The officials who had been waiting in front of the Meridian Gate for a long time were instantly in an uproar.

For a time, there was a huge buzz of people.

Almost everyone started shouting at the city gate, demanding that the palace gate be opened.

However, apart from the imperial guardsmen who were guarding the palace, there was no sign of the eunuch who had delivered the decree.

Downstairs.

Gao Gong and others almost frowned.

A bad smell began to spread among the crowd.

…………

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(End of this chapter)