Chapter 884
Obedient
Yu Qian said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, throughout history, emperors who were devout believers in Buddhism and Taoism and used religion to govern the country inevitably brought chaos to their nations..."
"Don't worry, Master Yu. That's what Master Pan told me too. She said that no matter if the other party is a Buddhist, a Taoist, a Confucian, a Legalist, a military strategist, or any other scholar, one should not believe them completely, but one should not disbelieve them completely either."
Yu Qian choked.
Zhu Qiyu: "Everyone has selfish desires. When governing a country, one should not judge people, but rather focus on the matter at hand. My brother... he was too kind and always trusted the people around him, forgetting to consider the right and wrong of the matter itself, which led to this disaster."
Yu Qian: ...
Zhu Qiyu said with a serious expression: "Master Pan said that even if it is something she says, it cannot be completely believed. When I make a decision, I must be objective and not personal. I cannot believe her just because she made the suggestion."
Yu Qian watched him quietly.
However, with that look of belief and respect on your face, in what way have you actually done what she said?
Clearly, Zhu Qiyu heard what Pan Yun said, but it had no effect on Pan Yun; he only used it on people other than Pan Yun.
This is not a good thing; it makes Yu Qian feel like he's seeing a second Wang Zhen.
Wasn't it precisely because the late emperor trusted Wang Zhen so much that the court became increasingly chaotic?
But it's not a terrible thing, because Pan Yun is not Wang Zhen.
This wasn't the first time Yu Qian had met her; they had worked together before, but strictly speaking, this was their second collaboration.
The first was last year's floods and war disasters in Jiangnan.
Whether it was the first time or this time, Yu Qian could feel Pan Yun's compassion for the common people.
Aside from her identity as a Taoist priest, Yu Qian and she could be considered close friends.
If she hadn't become the imperial advisor and interfered in state affairs, the two could have truly become close friends despite their age difference.
Because of the precedent of emperors rebelling, Yu Qian did not dare to be too forceful, for who knows if they would succeed each other as brothers.
What if he feels pressured, feels forced, and rebels?
Speaking of which, their father was a stubborn fellow. The emperor inherited his father's stubbornness but not his intelligence. I wonder which one the Prince of Cheng inherited, or neither...
Yu Qian was filled with unease, constantly reassuring himself that Pan Yun was better than a eunuch, and better than those outside who were of questionable character.
Yu Qian managed to appease himself and reluctantly stopped objecting, but he didn't remind Zhu Qiyu not to tell anyone else about it.
I wish someone could test the true nature of Prince Cheng.
Yu Qian sighed. Everyone says that the Prince of Cheng is gentle and obedient, but in his opinion, the Prince of Cheng has a tenacity in his bones that is even stronger than that of the emperor.
Moreover, a docile person would not dare to personally lead a large army to the border when the emperor is captured and in danger.
Moreover, before setting off, he secretly told him that if he were captured, he would commit suicide immediately and would never become a burden to the country.
Because of this, Yu Qian had a bias towards him and was willing to be more lenient with him.
Yu Qian's plan failed; no one went to test the Prince of Cheng.
The Prince of Cheng behaved too obediently. Yu Qian said that troops should be divided to ensure that all the remnants of the Oirat forces were wiped out and driven away. The generals quickly formulated a cleanup plan, and the Prince of Cheng directly stamped his seal and nodded, agreeing to everything.
The ministers said that the gathering of troops from various regions was costly, and that the troops from Henan, Jiangxi, and Shandong who were preparing for war could leave first. The Prince of Cheng nodded and stamped his seal.
The ministers also said that the emperor's coffin had been transported back to the capital. Prince Cheng, being both the regent and the successor, could not stay away from the capital any longer and had to return on a chosen date. Prince Cheng nodded vigorously and asked the Imperial Observatory to select a good date.
Even when generals like Kuang Ye and Yang Hong requested the emperor to leave them some cannons and muskets, Prince Cheng agreed after consulting with Yu Qian and the Ministry of Works.
The ministers accompanying the emperor were moved to tears; they hadn't seen such an obedient emperor in many years.
Especially after the series of blows during this period, the emperor refused to listen to any of their suggestions, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. Eventually, they couldn't even get an audience with the emperor anymore. With such a compliant next emperor, how could the ministers, who had suffered so much, bear to torment him or test his true nature?
Having served as an obedient prince for so long, Prince Cheng's greatest skill was being cautious in his words and actions; he would never speak unless the ministers brought it up themselves.
With Pan Yun's instructions, apart from letting Yu Qian slip the word, no one knew that Prince Cheng wanted to appoint Pan Yun as the Imperial Preceptor.
And so, they set off smoothly and returned to Beijing without incident.
Xue Xuan perhaps guessed something, and sighed softly. When they were almost in the capital, he summoned his nephew and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"
Xue Shao thought for a moment and said, "The court is in dire need of capable people right now, so I should stay in the capital and await further instructions."
He was dismissed from office by the emperor because he offended Wang Zhen. Now that both of them are dead, his actual crime cannot stand up to scrutiny. He can get an official position as soon as he reports to the Ministry of Personnel.
In particular, many of the accompanying officials were killed in battle, including mid- to low-ranking officials from the Six Ministries.
With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the officialdom in the capital is about to undergo a major transformation!
Xue Xuan stared at him intently.
Xue Shao lowered his eyes, avoiding his uncle's gaze, but stood ramrod straight, clearly not intending to succumb to his intense stare.
Xue Xuan stared at him for a long time, and seeing that he did not change his mind, she looked away: "You are as stubborn as me, so be it."
Xue Shao's lips curled up slightly.
Xue Xuan asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Xue Shao: "But for the sake of the world."
Xue Xuan then nodded slightly and let him go.
Xue Xuan watched him leave with a complicated expression. The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate investigated for a long time, but in the end they decided to use the internal strife of the Oirat Mongols to explain to the world. They attributed the emperor's death to Arazhiyuan's attempt to strike at Esen, so he cooperated with the Mingying Sect to shoot the emperor and frame Esen.
These things would be written in memorials, but whether the Empress Dowager and the court officials would accept them was unknown.
This case may become an unsolved mystery for the rest of the world.
Fortunately, they were upright and their actions did indeed relieve the Ming Dynasty from its predicament; otherwise…
Xue Xuan didn't know what else to do. Without evidence, none of them would admit it, and classifying speculation as the truth went against his principles.
Although Xue Xuan was loyal to the emperor, his loyalty was not enough to make him betray his principles.
Take Yu Qian for example. He was loyal to the emperor, but he loved the people even more.
Therefore, even though he realized that Pan Yun's appearance might be detrimental to the emperor and the Zhu imperial family, Yu Qian still chose to remain silent because of Pan Yun's character and ability.
A capable person who wants to benefit the people is about to rise to a high position, and will inevitably seize the interests of some of the vested interests. In today's world, the biggest vested interests are the royal family and the parasites who depend on power.
Yu Qian had already foreseen that once Pan Yun took the position of Imperial Preceptor, the court would inevitably be embroiled in endless infighting.
The consequences of such struggles were either that the emperor strengthened his power or weakened it.
Through his observations over this period, Yu Qian had already foreseen the outcome. (End of Chapter)