Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 636: Kindness is not Kind
It was not until the Third Prince, the Crown Prince, stood up and left that the Fourth Prince followed him like a tail. The Qingning Palace, which had been silent just now, finally heard a voice again. It was the Queen Mother who asked, "What do you think of the Third Prince?"
The Queen Mother actually asked this. For a moment, the huge Qingning Palace fell silent again. Concubine He naturally wanted to praise her son a thousand times, but in such an occasion, she always felt that it was not easy to speak casually, so she could only quietly go to see Concubine Yu. Concubine Yu thought that she was not the biological mother, and she didn't know much about the third prince. She was also pregnant, so she didn't want to say anything.
The other concubines wanted to flatter the new prince, but since Concubine He and Concubine Yu did not say anything, they couldn't help feeling that they were already the first to say anything, and that such blatant flattering expressions might be inappropriate, so they looked at each other, but no one dared to be the first to speak.
As for the princesses, Princess Deyang wanted to say something nice, but she was not one to rush to the front, so she could only worry in her heart. Princess Yongping did not want to be accused of trying to flatter the prince, so she remained silent for a while. Then, in the silence, someone was the first to speak without a care.
"Of course His Royal Highness is a good prince. If he wasn't, would His Majesty have appointed him as the crown prince?"
When Zhu Ying saw the Queen Mother looking at her, she was clearly laughing, with an expression that said, "I'm not asking you." But she just pretended not to see it and said with a smile, "Although we can't ask Your Highness the Crown Prince not to be happy with things or sad with ourselves, but he is not arrogant or impatient after suddenly entering the East Palace, and his actions are still as respectful as usual. Isn't it rare for Your Highness the Crown Prince to have such a calm mind?"
Seeing that Zhu Ying was still as outspoken as before, the Queen Mother thought of how the Third Prince had just bowed and thanked his sister and had deliberately glanced at Zhu Ying. She smiled slightly but did not continue to ask other people. Instead, she said slowly, "After the crown prince is appointed, the custom is to grant amnesty to the whole country, except for the most treasonous criminals. Do you think that Dalang and Erlang should be pardoned since they were previously expelled from the capital?"
After these words came out, the concubines and princesses who just wanted to echo Zhu Ying's praise for the Third Prince were all stunned. I don't know how many people suddenly remembered that it was the Empress Dowager who insisted on making the Emperor the Empress Dowager, who is now the Concubine Jing, the Empress Dowager, and the eldest and second princes were the princes who went in and out of Qingning Palace the most. The various rewards given to them by the Empress Dowager were all more generous than those given to any other princes and princesses.
However, when the queen was deposed this time, it was the empress dowager who personally issued an imperial decree, blaming the deposed queen for being unfilial. But now she says this, could it be that the grandmother feels pity for her grandson after all, and wants to take advantage of the amnesty when the crown prince was appointed to bring back the eldest and second princes?
Zhu Ying also didn't expect the Queen Mother to suddenly say such a thing, and her face was filled with shock and anger. But this time, the Queen Mother ignored her emotions and asked Princess Yongping, "Mingyue, what do you think?"
The Queen Mother did not address her by her title, but directly called her by her maiden name, which made Princess Yongping feel a little uneasy. She was very reluctant to answer such a question, which was obviously troublesome whether she supported or opposed it, but since it was the Queen Mother who asked the question, she had no room for evasion. Therefore, she could only think quickly, then made up her mind and gave a clear answer.
"Although the enthronement of the Crown Prince is a happy event that is celebrated by all, my granddaughter believes that my eldest and second brothers have just been expelled from the capital. If they are recalled immediately because of the amnesty, it would be a disgrace to my father's reputation if he were to change his mind every day."
Hearing Princess Yongping's unambiguous answer, the Queen Mother raised her eyebrows and said, "Aren't you afraid that people will say that your father is unkind?"
"Father is the father of the emperor. He is the emperor first and the father second." Princess Yongping was unable to tell the Empress Dowager's mood and could only speak directly, "My elder and second brothers were punished for those crimes, but the most important thing is that they are unfilial sons and unkind brothers. If they are pardoned now, they have not even reflected on their mistakes. Wouldn't it hurt Father's kindness even more?"
As she spoke, she took a step forward, bowed her head and bowed deeply, saying, "My granddaughter has some shallow words, please consider them ."
Although she was used to confronting Princess Yongping, she nodded in agreement this time, regardless of the fact that the Queen Mother did not ask her. Her expression of agreement was seen by others as a sign of her indifference. Therefore, when the Queen Mother asked again, she received the same answer.
Everyone was against the eldest and second princes returning. Even Princess Deyang, who had been tight-lipped and cautious in the past, responded to the empress dowager's inquiry with caution, saying that it would be better to wait until the eldest and second princes reflected on their mistakes and reformed before pardoning them.
Faced with such a unanimous opinion, the Queen Mother finally looked at Zhu Ying and said, "Yingying, what do you think?"
Zhu Ying, who had just suppressed her true feelings and endured it, finally got the chance to speak. However, she did not agree with him as she did just now. Instead, she said sternly, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, the enthronement of the Crown Prince should be celebrated by the whole world. We should give amnesty to the whole world, regardless of the first and second princes. If all criminals in the world are pardoned for minor crimes, serious crimes are reduced to minor ones, and death sentences are waived, then where is the law?"
"Your Majesty has said before that thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. However, rain and dew should be for the good, how can they tolerate the evil? So, if I were to say, a general amnesty should be granted to those who are not too bad, except for serious crimes such as murder, robbery, adultery, and unfilial piety. As for miscellaneous capital crimes, we can discuss it based on their age and the severity of the crime."
"In short, a general amnesty is a benevolence, but how can it become a tool for those who persist in doing evil to escape their shackles and go unpunished?"
Zhu Ying is so bold!
This time, even Concubine Yu was a little frightened. Princess Yongping, who had just made up her mind to persuade the emperor not to pardon the eldest and second princes, felt that her words were evasive in comparison to Zhu Ying's blunt accusation. In her opinion, although Zhu Ying was talking about the sinners of the world, she was comparing the eldest and second princes to people who were unrepentant and wicked!
But the empress dowager knew Zhu Ying's temper. She knew that she did not mention the eldest and second princes because she did not want to follow the crowd. As for her views on amnesty, they were exactly the same as the emperor's - because Emperor Taizu had the same opinion back then!
He could not tolerate amnesty that was merely to show his benevolence to the world, but not to demonstrate the rule of law; he could not tolerate excessive torture, and he hated the execution of the entire family. Through word of mouth and various notes within the royal family, Emperor Taizu left a completely different image of a monarch than the folk legends that he was merely wise and powerful.
Her son, who was considered to be a maverick by his ministers and often went out of the palace in the eyes of the people , was trying to pursue the way of ruling the country by Emperor Taizu in his own way, which was different from the wise rulers of previous dynasties. Unfortunately...
Most of the time, it’s just messing around!
Fortunately, because of the turmoil in his early years, the emperor has restrained himself a lot in recent years. Even the actions in the past year or so were just minor repairs with the power of the great victory in the Northern Expedition. Now Jiuzhang Hall and Banshan Hall were moved directly from the Imperial College. No matter whether the academic atmosphere of the Imperial College was corrupt or the academic officials were decadent, at least it was the kind that left the literati speechless.
The only ones who are easily criticized are probably Zhang Shou , and the group of students who serve as tutors in the Eastern Palace.
The Queen Mother thought about it numerous times, and finally smiled without commenting. She then said, "Today, Sanlang will go to the East Palace to receive the congratulations, and tomorrow he will go to the temple to pay homage. In this case, let's have a family dinner here tomorrow evening, which can also be regarded as a celebration for Sanlang."
There was no queen in the palace now, so the queen mother had the final say, so everyone agreed, only Zhu Ying blinked. The queen mother seemed to know what she wanted to say, and said directly: "Yingying, remember to bring your Ah Shou here too."
Although Zhu Ying was always generous, she couldn't help blushing when the Queen Mother called her "A Shou". She then said angrily, "The Queen Mother means well, but it's not appropriate for A Shou to come here on this occasion. He's not as shameless as me. It's not good to turn around and fidget! Anyway, we'll see each other sooner or later. He'll come to the palace often in the future, so there's no shortage of opportunities to see him!"
The Queen Mother asked Zhu Ying to bring Zhang Shou to attend the royal family banquet, which naturally meant something unusual to many concubines and princesses. In addition, Zhu Ying was also present today, and when the Third Prince thanked his sister just now, he obviously brought Zhu Ying with him. When thinking about what the Emperor said in public at the Imperial Lecture, it was clear that Zhu Ying was not a princess but was better than a princess.
Princess Yongping looked calm, but her heart was as if being cut by a knife. If Zhu Ying had not refused so clearly, she was not even sure whether she would lose her usual composure and show resentment that was not in keeping with her status.
The Queen Mother was initially stunned by Zhu Ying's rejection, but immediately returned to her usual indifference: "Since you insist on saying that he is thin-skinned, then forget it."
Hearing the Queen Mother say this, a concubine nearby seemed to want to smooth things over and immediately said in a joking manner: "What the Queen Mother said is that Scholar Zhang is the teacher of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince. If the two brothers meet him at the family banquet, won't they be like mice meeting a cat? By then, everyone will be too serious and it will be like a state banquet, not a family banquet."
She started laughing as she spoke, but when she heard no one else agree with her, and there was no other laughter, she stopped hastily.
Just when she was trembling with fear and thought that she would be scolded by the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother laughed in a bored tone: "You are right. The Emperor has never been a strict father. If he had not driven the brothers Dalang and Erlang out of the capital before, they would not be afraid of him. As for Sanlang and Silang, they grew up by his side. Even though they have been scolded and even beaten, they are not afraid of him."
"As a father, he really failed."
As soon as these words came out, not only the concubine who just casually said it to liven up the atmosphere, but also many concubines headed by Yu Fei and He Fei hurriedly stood up. As a mother, the Queen Mother could certainly reprimand her son, but even if the emperor was not present, who among the concubines present could sit still when the Queen Mother said this behind his back?
Although Zhu Ying also stood up, she spoke in the solemn silence of the others, "There are nine kinds of dragons, each different. Moreover, wise rulers and ministers in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad, often leave behind the regret of a tiger father and a dog son. Because wise rulers and ministers often focus on governing the country, it is naturally impossible for them to focus all their attention on their children."
"Everyone says that Meng's mother moved three times, how virtuous she was, but Meng's mother only had one son, Mengzi! She didn't have such a big country to govern!"
If this were to be spread outside, it would certainly cause an uproar. However, at this time, there were only women and eunuchs in Qingning Palace. In addition, the empress dowager's accusation against the emperor just now made the atmosphere heavy. Therefore, Zhu Ying boldly refuted it. Not only did no one jump out to accuse him, even Princess Yongping had to admit that Zhu Ying's rebuttal was indeed well chosen.
Zhu Ying knew how to defend the emperor, so how could she, as a daughter, sit back and watch? She took a deep breath and was about to step out, but unexpectedly, Concubine Yu moved her feet slightly and stepped forward to salute the empress dowager.
"Empress Dowager, the Emperor was not a strict father before, precisely because Concubine Jing, a kind mother, stood in the way. The Emperor, as a father, certainly failed to supervise the crimes and negligence of the First and Second Princes, but kind mothers often spoil their children, so Concubine Jing is more responsible."
"The Empress Dowager only has one son, the Emperor, but she taught by example. That's why Emperor Ruizong has been peaceful and prosperous for more than 30 years. You also governed the country, but you never indulged or tolerated him. In the end, you taught the Emperor well. The situation you faced was many times more dangerous than that of Concubine Jing. You were able to teach your son well, but Concubine Jing couldn't. It's obvious that the Emperor can't be blamed for this."
Seeing how Concubine Yu cleverly shifted the comparison between the emperor and Zhang Shou and then to the comparison between herself and the deposed empress, Concubine Jing, the empress dowager could not help but turn her gaze sharply and stare at the emperor's most beloved concubine.
However, she only saw Concubine Yu bow her head slightly, not in a hurry, as calm and reserved as always, as if she was not worried that the topic just now would offend her. Glancing at the crowd casually, she saw that Princess Yongping seemed to be about to stand up, and she didn't know whether she was going to speak for her mother or change the subject, so she simply coughed lightly and waved her hand.
"Well, I was just casually expressing my feelings, but it's my fault that you all took it so seriously. Today is a great day for Sanlang. Remember, I will reward Concubine Yu and Concubine He with four pieces of Shu brocade, Concubine Jiang and below with four pieces of makeup satin, and all the princesses with two pieces of makeup satin. As for Yingying... you are so bold, let the emperor who claims to be the emperor reward you!"
Seeing everyone hurriedly thanking her, and Zhu Ying also calmly following suit, the Queen Mother said slowly, "Tomorrow the Crown Prince will pay a visit to the temple, and the ladies of state and the inner court will come to congratulate me. Concubine Yu, Concubine He, since you are in charge of palace affairs, you should pay more attention to the rewards. Don't be too extravagant, but don't save money for the Emperor. You know, he is most satisfied with the Crown Prince Sanlang now."
If the emperor knew that the empress dowager scolded him in front of the concubines and then secretly pointed out that he was very satisfied with the third prince, then he would definitely feel that there is a close connection between mother and son and that he cannot hide anything from the empress dowager.
At this moment, after changing his court robes, the emperor was standing at the corner gate behind the main hall of the East Palace, which was the Ciqing Palace. He heard the music playing inside, and the officials and the East Palace lecturers and attendants were paying homage to the East Palace. When he heard the uniform voices of those young people, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. When he was studying, he didn't have such a good time!
