Chapter 2, Slapping the Minister of State.

This is a very frightening matter for Zhu Youjiao

Fang Congzhe reflected on the scenes that had just unfolded, feeling an overwhelming shock within. He realized that since the Crown Prince had first summoned him under the pretext of an imperial edict from the late Emperor, the entire initiative of the power transition in the Ming Dynasty had been firmly in the hands of the Crown Prince himself

Fang Congzhe, who had been silent all along, was quite taken aback after hearing this, but he soon understood the situation and immediately replied, "This old minister will obey the order! Please lead the way, Lord Wang!"

In this era, filial piety is regarded with great importance

Wang An had always had conflicts with Li Xuan, but maintained a close relationship with Wang Wenyuan of the Eastern Forest Party in the outer court

Brother!

At this moment, the civil officials standing outside the Qianqing Palace are all waiting for Wang An to appear with Zhu Youjiao

Zhu Youjiao glanced at it, and after confirming its accuracy, instructed Wang An to affix the seal. Then he said to the other party from Zhe and Wang An: "Follow this palace to meet the ministers outside."

Therefore, Wang An, with the support of the officials of the Donglin Party, intentionally sought to bring Zhu Youjiao out of the palace and then receive the endorsement of the civil officials

Zhu Youjiao cast a glance at Yang Lian, and then turned to Wang An

Both the Chief Minister Fang Congzhe and the Grand Secretary Liu Yizhen responded with a remark

Then, Zhu Youjiao went directly to Zhu Changluo's ancestral hall and began to cry out loudly

However, what the officials of the Donglin Party did not expect was that Zhu Changluo passed away just one month after ascending to the throne

In fact, after the Donglin Party took sole control of the court, their actions were indeed to eliminate dissenters, adhering to a mindset of either being with us or against us

The intensification of such party strife will further lead to the decline of the Ming dynasty's fortunes, indirectly fostering the growth of the Jurchen invaders.

However, to the surprise of the officials, Wang An did not appear with Zhu Youjiao after coming out, but instead appeared alone.

Zhu Youjiao therefore issued a direct decree

Yang Lian is an official of the Donglin Party, which has now spread throughout the court and the government. Members of the Donglin Party hold positions in the cabinet as deputy ministers and in the Ministry of Personnel as the Minister. Even the Grand Secretariat is also comprised of members of the Donglin Party.

Wang An gently touched Wei Zi's face and immediately walked out of the warm pavilion to make an announcement

We shall obey the command

Saying this, Zhu Youjiao looked at Wang An and said, "Retrieve the treasure seal!"

Hmph

Fang Congzhe was astonished to discover that this crown prince, who resided deep within the inner palace, possessed considerable means

Thus, Fang Congzhe accompanied Zhu Youjiao outside the palace together with Wang An.

Fang Congzhe naturally did not dare to defy or question, and hurriedly replied: "Yes!"

Unbeknownst to all, the succession of the crown prince to the throne has transformed from being summoned by the ministers from the inner palace to being conferred by the great emperor

Wang An glanced at Yang Lian, disregarding him, and instead said with a serious expression: "Before the great emperor passed away, he left a verbal instruction that the Prime Minister Fang Congzhe should enter to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Please, Yuanfu."

Not long after, Fang Congzhe arrived before Zhu Youjiao under the leadership of Wang An

As soon as Zhu Youjiao arrived outside the hall, Yang Lian hurriedly stepped forward to grasp Zhu Youjiao's hand and then walked out.

At this moment, Li Xuanshi hurriedly followed and shouted, as she wished for Zhu Youjiao to appoint her as Empress Dowager

Yang Lian has shown disrespect towards me; therefore, Yang Lian shall be imprisoned in the imperial prison

Moreover, according to Zhu Youjiao, Yang Lian was the most powerful official from the forty-eighth year of the Wanli era to the year before the Tianqi era. Although he held the position of Right Assistant in the Ministry of War, he was able to manipulate the great power of the court due to his close relationship with Wang An, the eunuch who held the pen in the Grand Secretariat.

Yang Lian then released his hand, instinctively wanting to cover his burning face, but at that moment he realized and could not help but clasp his hands together, saying: "I, Yang Lian, a minister and Right Assistant in the Military Department, have been disrespectful!"

Zhu Youjiao was well aware that the decline of dynasties in history was closely related to intensified internal party struggles, such as the conflict between the old and new parties in the Northern Song dynasty that led to its downfall

Therefore, Zhu Youjiao, who was about to become the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, decided to make every effort to eliminate internal conflicts and curb the intensification of factional struggles

The ministers present had not yet recovered from the shocking scene of Zhu Youjiao slapping Yang Lian.

The stunned officials of the Jinyiwei Academy, though unaware of why the Crown Prince had suddenly become enraged, naturally did not dare to be negligent upon hearing Zhu Youjiao's reprimand as they hurriedly surrounded him with their swords drawn

Then, both Yang Lian, who stood before Xiong Tingbi and Zhu Youjiao, became victims of this factional struggle

At this moment, outside the hall stood Yang Lian and other Ming dynasty civil officials who had intruded into the Qianqing Palace

Zhu Youjiao stopped crying, turned to glance at the ministers, suddenly became serious, and said: "The cabinet proposes a decree, instructing the Ministry of Rites to determine the date of the ascension to the throne"

Zhu Youjiao was almost pulled down to the ground by this.

Yang Lian, the Right Assistant of the Military Department, was quite agitated upon seeing this and immediately asked, "Lord Wang, what is going on?! Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?!"

When did the Great Emperor issue such an edict?

In order to avoid incurring the resentment of the seemingly cunning Crown Prince, Fang Congzhe approached Zhu Youjiao and knelt down, saying: "Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty, and I beseech Your Majesty to take care of yourself in this time of sorrow"

Therefore, the officials of the Donglin Party had to strive to keep the soon-to-be enthroned new emperor Zhu Youjiao under their control in order to preserve their political interests, ensuring that the merit of supporting him would fall into their hands

Fang Congzhe immediately paid his respects to Zhu Youjiao

Li Xuan's attendant had no choice but to obediently fall silent and step back after hearing Zhu Youjiao's words: "Alright!"

Instead, Zhu Youjiao himself choked up first: "I, the son, accept the decree!"

Thus, when Wang An finished reading the edict, not a single minister reacted.

Zhu Youjiao naturally could not display his joy at inheriting the throne, but rather had to demonstrate his filial piety.

It was only after the emergence of Wei Zhongxian that Yang Lian fell from power

Zhu Changluo naturally reciprocated by promoting officials from the Donglin Party extensively after ascending to the throne

Then, Zhu Youjiao glanced at Yang Lian.

Yang Lian and other officials also approached, kneeling before Zhu Youjiao to pay their respects: "Your servant pays his respects to Your Majesty, and asks Your Majesty to take care in your mourning"

At that moment, Fang Congzhe handed the drafted edict to Zhu Youjiao after completing it.

Yang Lian and other civil officials stood in astonishment at the original spot

At this moment, Wang An was lost in thought upon witnessing Zhu Youjiao slap Yang Lian. As soon as he noticed Zhu Youjiao looking at him, he was so frightened that he hurriedly turned his head away and began to recite the will in a trembling voice

Yang Lian had to come to a stop, yet his hand still tightly grasped Zhu Youjiao without letting go

Zhu Youjiao took this opportunity to slap Yang Lian and shouted sternly: "How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to pull on me! Is the Imperial Guard of the Inner Court dead? How can such an act of kidnapping me be ignored?! Where is the dignity of our Ming Dynasty?!"

Among the ministers present, Zhu Youjiao was most familiar with Yang Lian, as Yang Lian was a renowned admonisher in history, who died for his criticism of Wei Zhongxian

At this moment, Wang An shouted out loudly

Because Zhu Youjiao's father, Zhu Changluo, was able to retain the imperial throne and successfully become emperor, the Donglin Party deserves great credit for this achievement

Zhu Youjiao naturally understood her thoughts, so he turned to glance at Li Xuanshi and said: "If you want to be empress dowager, you must have the demeanor of an empress dowager while honestly staying in the warm pavilion"

Among the Ming dynasty civil officials standing outside the Qianqing Palace, the majority are members of the Donglin Party

This has led to other officials who did not align with the Donglin Party uniting to form the Eunuch Party, exacerbating the factional strife within the Ming Dynasty

Imperial Edict of the Great Emperor

Zhu Youjiao said: "No need for formalities! My father, the Emperor, left a will stating that I am to inherit the throne. However, I have not yet had the opportunity to summon the ministers to draft the edict. I ask the ministers to draft the edict here, so that it can be proclaimed to the officials later."

The content of the will is quite simple, merely praising Zhu Youjiao and urging him to succeed to the throne.

And Wang An honestly brought back the treasured seal