But right now, he couldn't retreat even if he wanted to. Thinking of how he had been blinded by greed, Wang Xijue really wanted to cut himself into pieces! If he had retired due to illness, at least he could have had a better ending. Retiring with glory was better than being scolded to death by others, right?
But with this scolding, Wang Xijue finally recognized his actual situation and the shameless faces of certain people. He began to reflect on whether everything he had done before was meaningful. Someone scolded him for helping a tyrant. He was now thinking about who this' tyrant 'was referring to. Was it the Emperor?
It didn't seem like it …
Then who was it?
Wang Xijue didn't know. He only knew that if he didn't do something to make up for it, his situation would become even more difficult. He might even lose his life.
So Wang Xijue could only brace himself and write a letter to the Emperor. He asked the Emperor to temporarily cancel the conferring of the three kings. At the very least, the ceremony for the army's triumphant return had to be completed. Otherwise, the people of the world would laugh at them. Daming, they had won a great battle and solved their financial problems. Now was the time for everyone to relax and rest. If there was another dispute, it would really cause public anger.
It was better not to offend public anger! Zhu Yijun became even angrier. You were the one who suggested this plan. Now that the blame has fallen on me, you want me to bear the blame and swallow the bitter fruit. How will the people of the world view me, the Emperor? I am the Son of Heaven. My words carry enormous weight. There is no reason for me to back down! Immediately order the Ministry of Rites to prepare the ceremony for the conferring of the three kings. Otherwise, the Minister of Rites will get lost!
What Zhu Yijun didn't expect was that the reaction of the court officials was far beyond his expectations.
After the Minister of Rites, Li Changchun, received the imperial edict, he carefully read it and tried to figure out the Emperor's intentions. Then, he put down his official hat and submitted his resignation.
This action was unanimously praised by the court officials. They all praised Li Changchun for his integrity. He was everyone's role model and worthy of being the Crown Minister. Although he could only be the Crown Minister, his integrity was not something that people would forget.
Zhu Yijun was dumbfounded. Then, he became even more furious. In a fit of anger, he ordered Li Changchun to be demoted to a commoner and never be used again.
Even though he had demoted a minister of the Board of Rites, the newly appointed minister of the Board of Rites, Luo Wanhua, had stated that if the Emperor still insisted on the Three Princes title, he would not be able to comply with the imperial edict. He could only submit his resignation and ask the Emperor to make a decision.
After that, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Justice all submitted a petition to the Emperor to retract the order. The Assistant Minister of the Cabinet, Zhang Wei, submitted a petition to the Emperor to retract the order. The Imperial Censors and the other 116 Imperial Censors jointly submitted a petition to the Emperor to retract the order. They would no longer be Daming officials!
The world was vast. Those who complied would prosper, and those who disobeyed would perish. At this moment, Zhu Yijun finally understood what this meant. He finally understood how terrifying the power of the civil officials was. Emperor Taizu abolished the Prime Minister in order to monopolize power. But now, the power of the Prime Minister had been inherited by all the civil officials. The Prime Minister, who could have been the target of all the court officials, was gone. The Emperor had become the only target. Emperor Taizu, who had enough prestige, was still fine, but Zhu Yijun …
Say my ass!
In a fit of rage, Zhu Yijun beat two little servants to death and slapped three palace maids. Just as he was about to continue his anger, someone reported that Wang Xijue wanted to see him. Zhu Yijun thought, heh, I was just worrying about not having someone to vent my anger on. Since you're here, it's just right! This amount was enough!
When Wang Xijue saw Zhu Yijun, Zhu Yijun's face was dark. Wang Xijue was clearly prepared to be scolded. He endured the Emperor's verbal attack for an hour. When the Emperor finally vented his anger, Wang Xijue said his purpose of coming. In order to avoid a complete deadlock with the officials, His Majesty should take a step back and withdraw his order! This time, we misjudged the enemy's strength. This time, they revealed all their strength. We were too aggressive.
"I am the Emperor of the Daming Dynasty! Not them! It's me! They actually want me to back down?! Impossible! Impossible! I am the Emperor! How could the Emperor back down?! "
Zhu Yijun roared angrily.
"Your Majesty! At a time like this, if we don't back down, the matter will not be settled. If we can't settle it, the officials will force His Majesty even further and demand that His Majesty appoint a crown prince. At that time, there will truly be no room for redemption! Right now, we still have the leeway to reverse the situation. Moreover, the officials didn't reveal all their strength this time. They still have more. If His Majesty doesn't back down and the officials continue to press, the army will arrive outside the capital and still not be able to enter. At that time, the entire world will laugh at us! "
Army?
Xiao Ruxun?
That's right!
In the time it took for a spark to fly off a flint, Zhu Yijun suddenly noticed something. Wang Xijue saw Zhu Yijun's expression suddenly change and become extremely dark and vicious. He felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. He suddenly felt that the Emperor seemed to be brewing up something very terrifying.
"Xiao Ruxun's army is about to arrive. It's an elite army of tens of thousands of soldiers. If … if We secretly order Xiao Ruxun to enter the capital and take control of the situation, Minister Wang, what do you think?"
Wang Xijue was completely dumbfounded.
The Emperor was going to personally initiate a military coup?
He swallowed his saliva and looked at the Emperor in disbelief. Among the officials, no one had expected the Emperor to do such a thing. They didn't even think that the Emperor would be able to defeat them. However, they had forgotten that the Emperor was the Emperor. The Emperor had a righteous status. As long as the Emperor branded them as traitors, they would be traitors. No matter how many mouths they spoke, they would not be able to defend themselves. There was one more point!
The Emperor could mobilize the army! He could mobilize the army to do anything without anyone's supervision!
Although the Daming Capital Camp was no longer under the Emperor's control, there was only one army that was! And that was Xiao Ruxun's Eastern Punitive Expedition! In terms of quality and combat ability, how could the old soldiers in the Capital Camp be a match for that iron blooded army? Not to mention the fact that Xiao Ruxun was the Emperor's personal choice for the commanding general. This was not a secret, and all the big shots in the cabinet knew about it.
The Count of Peace, Xiao Ruxun, was the Emperor's trusted aide. He would definitely listen to the Emperor's orders and bring over thirty thousand soldiers into the capital to take control of the situation. Moreover, he would enter the capital openly. As long as the Emperor led the officials out to welcome him, there would be no need for Xiao Ruxun to search for them. With a single order, the officials would be helpless and would be directly captured. Like cutting chives, they would be cut down cleanly.
Under such heavy pressure, would those 'moral' soldiers really be able to maintain their moral integrity? Would they still be able to hold on? Would the Daming Dynasty really not undergo a great change?
Could it be that the Emperor would do such a thing in a fit of rage … really …
When Wang Xijue reacted and wanted to persuade the Emperor, he met the Emperor's gaze and could not help but shiver …
The Emperor looked at him with a very strange expression.
"Minister Wang, you are on our side. So, for the next few days, it is best that you do not leave the Imperial City. Wait until we have dealt with that group of rebellious officials, then you will still be our Cabinet Chief. Men! Escort Minister Wang to the palace to rest! "
Wang Xijue was just about to say something, but in the blink of an eye, he discovered that seven or eight tall eunuchs had already surrounded him.
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