Xiao Ruxun was shocked by Zhu Yijun's sincerity.
He had never imagined that three years ago, Zhu Yijun had planned such a terrible thing.
"Yes, I hoped to summon you to the capital to bring troops to rescue the Emperor. Unfortunately, I was too angry at that time and didn't plan carefully. A few of my eunuchs were easily bribed. The whereabouts of the people I sent were leaked and they were killed. My letter didn't even leave the palace, so the matter was left unsettled."
Zhu Yijun's face revealed a humiliated expression.
"This … Your Majesty … this matter …"
"You told me the truth, and I will also tell you the truth. The one who bribed my eunuchs was the former Prime Minister Wang Xijue. The one who sent the secret messenger to kill me was the Empress Dowager. Later, the Empress Dowager told me that I was going against all the gentry in the world and wanted to rebel against the entire world.
The Empress Dowager also said that I didn't have the ability to do so and that it was good to be a stable Emperor. For a mediocre Emperor like me, it's rare for me to be muddle-headed. A stable life is the best choice to avoid falling into the water and dying! "
Zhu Yijun clenched his teeth.
"Your Majesty … are you saying?!"
Xiao Ruxun suddenly noticed something.
"I said that if you dared to take the risk to tell me the truth, I would never deceive you. At that time, I realized that I had always been protected by Master Zhang and the Empress Dowager in this palace, but I didn't know that my world was being emptied by those rats.
After the incident in Shanxi, I thought, is it really only Shanxi like this? Daming, isn't it the same in other places? Daming, how can Shanxi be the only rich and populous place?
Daming, the commercial tax is the lowest in all the dynasties, so why is it that I can't increase it? Why is it that when I open a mine and collect a mine tax, I'm competing with the people? Can a commoner have the ability to open a mine?
I understand now. Those bastards are telling me not to compete with them. Those things belong to them, and they won't allow me to compete with them.
I am the Daming Emperor, the ruler of the world. Everything under the heavens belongs to the Emperor, and everyone who commands the land belongs to the Emperor. But now, I can't even open a mine in my own land, and I can't even increase the taxes. Am I still the Emperor? "
Zhu Yijun took a few steps back, his face full of grief and indignation.
"Only the eunuchs and maids in this palace will listen to my words, and only they will obey me. Any civil official would dare to glare at me, and dare to submit memorials to insult my father and grandfather, but I cannot hit him, because if I hit him, his reputation will be even higher, and he will be even more sought after!
I am not just the Emperor! I am also a son! The common people would say that the hatred of the father's death was irreconcilable. If the father of the common people was insulted, the son would be unfilial if he did not take revenge! We are also Imperial Father's son! But we can only watch Imperial Father being insulted without being able to do anything!
The government affairs are sent to me by the cabinet. What I can see is all sent by the cabinet. What I can't see? What if the cabinet doesn't send it to me and I don't know? I will never know!
They want me to go to court to deal with government affairs, which means they are constantly agreeing to what they want to do. This thing can be done, that thing can't be done, and I only need to agree. If I put forward my own ideas and it becomes the imperial edict, no one will care without the Six Ministries of the Cabinet's countersignature!
I want to promote someone to the cabinet, but he doesn't come. The reason is that he hasn't been elected by the court, and his position is not legitimate! This world is the Daming Emperor's world, and the Daming Emperor is me. I am the most legitimate, but he actually said that my position is not legitimate!
If it was just like that, I would be happy to not care about anything and live my own comfortable days. But when there is a flood, the officials say that it is my fault, and the people blame me. When there is a drought, the officials say that I am not virtuous, and the people blame me. When there is a famine, it is also my fault, and the people blame me.
What did I do wrong? No one follows my orders. My words can't be heard outside the palace! What did I do wrong? Why is it that everything is my fault?
The people blame me, but I don't blame them. They don't understand, but the officials blame me. They don't know what they did, and they want me to bear the blame for them?
Whether it is today or in the future, when they think of these natural and man-made disasters, the first thing they think of is to blame me. They say that I am not wise, that I do not use good officials, that I do not work hard, that I do not see the minutest detail, and that the world is like this. They are scolding me, not the officials! "
It was probably because he had been suppressed for too long. Once Zhu Yijun found someone to talk to, he would say everything he wanted to say. He was very emotional, and his tone was very strong.
Xiao Ruxun also understood that Zhu Yijun was at fault. His fault was that he did not have actual power and did not become an emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di. He could not decide the affairs of the world with a word. So, it was not objective to say that Zhu Yijun had to bear the main responsibility.
But from another point of view, Zhu Yijun did have to bear the main responsibility because he was the emperor. The title of the emperor hung on his head. He could not take back the power that belonged to the emperor, and allowed the officials to use his name to do whatever they wanted.
That was his incompetence. It was his fault. Because of his incompetence, the court was full of demons, and it caused the world to fall apart.
Was it not so?
Because of his incompetence, it caused the officials to lose their restraints. Morality was completely broken, and the world collapsed.
This was indeed Zhu Yijun's fault. It was his fault for not taking back the power.
If he had taken back the power, but the world still collapsed, then he would undoubtedly be at fault. The world would prosper, and he would have no reason to be meritorious. The merits and demerits were clear, and there were traces to be found.
But now, not only was he wrong, but he was also wronged. It was very sad.
"So, from that day onwards, I have been thinking and thinking about how to take back what belongs to me."
Zhu Yijun changed the topic and went into the main topic.
"Your Majesty …"
Xiao Ruxun already understood what Zhu Yijun wanted to say.
"The current situation is very similar to three years ago. The difference is that I trust Minister Xiao more, and I am even more certain that Minister Xiao is a loyal official to the Daming, a loyal official to me, and a person who can help me restore order."
Zhu Yijun had revealed his true intentions.
"Your Majesty, you want me to lead the army to control the capital and restore order to the Daming?"
Zhu Yijun nodded.
"That's right. I have told you the most important thing. Then, I want to ask again what I couldn't ask three years ago. I have no more reservations for you. Are you willing to restore order to the world for me, for the Daming? Do you dare, my dear minister? "
Zhu Yijun stared at Xiao Ruxun's eyes.
Xiao Ruxun took a deep breath.
How could he not be willing?
How could he not dare?
Or rather, wasn't it for this matter that he had struggled for so long? To restore everything before the last opportunity to restore everything was lost. Wasn't this his original goal?
What Xiao Ruxun could now confirm was that it was better to give the world to Zhu Yijun than to give it to the scholars. Zhu Yijun would value the world out of his own interests. His goal was to control the world. The stability and power of the Daming was his instinctive desire.
The scholars and the powerful cared more about the things in their hands. They only wanted to make themselves richer, and they didn't care about the interests of the whole Daming.
They didn't have the so-called democratic consciousness, and they would never bring the so-called democracy to the Daming.
The purpose of restricting the imperial power was to make profits for themselves, to enclose more land, to avoid more taxes, to eat better, to dress more beautifully, and to squeeze the farmers, peddlers, and craftsmen of the Daming more conveniently.
They were very similar to the capitalists of the parliament hundreds of years later, in every sense. The only difference was that they chose to eat their own people, while the capitalists chose to eat the whole world.
So Europe rose, and Huaxia fell.
This was the scholars of the Daming.
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