Volume One, Chapter 44: I Have a Way to Slaughter Every Saint and Sage!
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Faced with Zhu Biao’s deeply troubled expression, Jiang Lin shook his head.
“Of course not. Just listen to what I have to say!”
“The eleventh emperor of the Great Ming, the Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong, lived to the age of sixty!”
At these words, Zhu Biao’s expression improved somewhat.
At last, there was an emperor who had lived a relatively long life.
But…
If what Jiang Lin had said earlier was true—that the fate of the Ming emperors lay in the hands of the civil official faction—then how had they allowed this emperor to live for so long?
Could it be that this ruler of a later age had been able to stand up to the civil officials?
Hahaha…
Surely Heaven had not abandoned the Great Ming!
At long last, a wise ruler had appeared to prop up the tottering edifice of the Ming dynasty!
However…
Before Zhu Biao could remain delighted for long, Jiang Lin’s next words caused his expression to stiffen.
“One thing for which the Jiajing Emperor is widely remembered by later generations is that he stopped attending court for more than twenty years. He also possessed a fatal obsession: an infatuation with Taoism and a fixation on immortality and cultivating the Dao.”
“What?!”
Old Zhu’s face immediately darkened.
He had failed to attend court for more than twenty years, while obsessing over immortality and cultivating the Dao…
That was practically the standard profile of a foolish emperor!
Zhu Di slowly spoke. “So… the reason this fellow was left alone was because he was a foolish ruler?”
“Actually, the Jiajing Emperor was not always like that.”
“It is difficult to call him a wise ruler. Some of the things he did were truly foolish, but at least in the early years after taking the throne, he had ambitions of reforming the Great Ming.”
“At that time, he was full of ambition. He lifted the maritime ban, carried out monetary reforms, and struggled against the civil official faction at court.”
“At first, the civil officials were indeed caught off guard by the Jiajing Emperor. But before long, they launched a fierce reprisal against him!”
“The event that caused the Jiajing Emperor’s conduct to undergo a complete reversal was the Renyin Palace Coup, which took place in the twenty-first year of the Jiajing era.”
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“Under the instigation of Consort Ning Wang and others, more than a dozen palace maids, including Yang Jinying, took advantage of the Jiajing Emperor’s sleep to loop a yellow silk cord around his neck and pull with all their strength, attempting to kill him.”
“Then, because the knot had been tied incorrectly and they could not strangle him, they stabbed at him with hairpins, ornamental pins, and other objects.”
“One timid palace maid, overcome with fear, reported the matter to Empress Fang. In the end, all the palace maids involved were executed by slicing, while Consort Cao Duan and Consort Ning Wang, who had participated in the rebellion, were beheaded as well.”
“From then on, the Jiajing Emperor, who valued his life above all else, went into hiding. His former ambitions vanished, and the reforms he had planned came to nothing!”
At that moment, Old Zhu and his family were utterly speechless.
Erm…
Did they really take them for fools? Palace maids joining forces to assassinate the emperor?
Fine, fine!
So they were not even going to pretend anymore?
Could it possibly be any more obviously fabricated?
Jiang Lin continued, “Afterward, all eight of the Jiajing Emperor’s sons died prematurely in various accidents. Only Prince Yu and one other prince, whose identity was not specifically recorded in the histories, remained.”
“By that point, the Jiajing Emperor had finally lost all heart and hope. He understood that one man could not stand against the entire civil official faction acting in concert, so he became engrossed in cultivating the Dao and ceased to concern himself with state affairs.”
Hiss…
Old Zhu and the other two simultaneously drew in a sharp breath.
With a smile, Jiang Lin continued explaining to the three of them:
“The twelfth emperor of the Great Ming, the Longqing Emperor Zhu Zaiji, lived to the age of thirty-six.”
“The thirteenth emperor, the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun, lived to the age of fifty-eight. Like the Jiajing Emperor, he too stopped attending court for many years.”
“The fourteenth emperor, the Taichang Emperor Zhu Changluo, lived to the age of thirty-nine. The fifteenth emperor, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao, lived to the age of twenty-three.”
Hiss…
A chorus of sharp breaths rang out.
Old Zhu was furious, Zhu Biao was dumbfounded, Zhu Di was stunned, and Zhu Yourong was equally incredulous.
These examples Jiang Lin had given truly raised countless questions in their minds.
Each one had lived a shorter life than the last!
How could there be such a strange pattern?
Surely they could not all have died in accidents!
Who would believe such a thing?
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At that moment, Zhu Di immediately clasped his hands toward Zhu Biao and said without hesitation:
“Big Brother, you must take good care of your health.”
“The future of the Great Ming will belong to you and Yingying. I will be a good Prince of Yan and guard the northern frontier of the Great Ming for generations to come.”
He no longer had the slightest interest in becoming emperor.
Whoever wanted this job could have it!
He certainly did not want it!
The descendants of later generations all died young, with most failing to live past forty. Who could endure that?
He would be far better off living freely as an idle prince in his own fiefdom!
Zhu Biao was speechless. He raised his hand and struck Zhu Di on the head.
“You brat, stop trying to be clever!”
Then Zhu Biao’s expression changed rapidly, and he turned to Zhu Yuanzhang with a solemn look.
“Imperial Father, what Jiang Lin said just now is indeed worth considering. The civil official faction truly is a hidden threat. If they are not kept under control, I fear they may endanger the Great Ming!”
“Biao’er, you are right. The two of us need to think carefully about how to resolve the predicament facing the emperors of later generations.”
Old Zhu nodded. His face was grim, and his sharp eyes contained an aura of authority.
For a time, father and son were both plunged into endless frustration.
How exactly should the Great Ming balance the military faction and the civil official faction?
It was indeed a difficult problem that had troubled countless dynasties.
Leaning too far toward either side would be fatal to the state.
Looking at the two troubled men before him, Jiang Lin spoke:
“I have a way. We can slaughter all the sages.”
“Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, would you like to hear it?”
…
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