lovenovelstory Chapter 27: Jiajing copied books! Once!
Chapter 27: Jiajing copied books! Once!
After all the important matters in the court were discussed and decided...
Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell on the figure standing in the corner of the hall, who had been like a transparent person from beginning to end.
The Jiajing Emperor, Zhu Houcong.
He was dressed in a clean but obviously ill-fitting casual outfit. The slap mark on his face from Zhu Di had subsided, but still retained a faint bluish-purple tinge.
He kept his head down, his body hunched over, his eyes vacant, and he didn't say a word.
For the past month, he has been living a life worse than death.
He was placed under house arrest in the Qianqing Palace, where he could do nothing but eat and sleep.
There were no elixirs, no incense smoke, and no sycophantic alchemists and Taoist priests surrounding him.
He was like someone forgotten by the world.
He listened to the news coming from outside: the great victory in the northern frontier, the great victory in the southeast, the complete eradication of Yan Xishan's faction, and the ever-growing national treasury.
His feelings were extremely complicated.
There was jealousy, there was resentment, but more than anything, there was endless fear and confusion.
He discovered that the country, the court, seemed to function better without him.
His position as emperor seemed to have truly become dispensable.
Now that the grand court assembly is about to end, how to deal with him, the "former" emperor, has become the last and most sensitive issue facing everyone.
Kill him?
He was Zhu Di's biological grandson and Zhu Zai Rui's nominal "father." This is unreasonable and illogical.
Should we keep him locked up?
He was, after all, still the nominal emperor of the Ming Dynasty. To be imprisoned for life in such an ambiguous manner would be a huge blow to the dignity of the imperial family.
The officials looked at each other, none daring to speak first.
In the end, Xu Jie had to bite the bullet and step forward.
"Your Highness, the Emperor Emeritus... about... about His Majesty..." He spoke cautiously and carefully.
Zhu Di glanced at his grandson, who was huddled in the corner like a quail, snorted, and turned his head away, clearly too lazy to bother with him.
Zhu Zai Rui's gaze fell on Jiajing.
Jiajing felt his gaze, shuddered, and lowered his head even further.
He fears.
He was terrified of this nominal "son".
Although the boy never spoke ill of him, his calm and indifferent eyes were more terrifying than Zhu Di's slaps.
"You, come here," Zhu Zai Rui said.
Emperor Jiajing dared not delay, and quickly ran to the center of the main hall, where he knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I, Zhu Houcong, pay my respects to Your Majesty the Regent." He didn't even dare to refer to himself as "I" anymore.
"Do you know your crime?" Zhu Zai Rui asked.
"I know my crime! I know my crime! This sinful subject knows my crime!" Jiajing kowtowed repeatedly, "This sinful subject has neglected state affairs for twenty years, favored treacherous officials, squandered national funds, causing the people to suffer and the nation to decline. I deserve to die ten thousand times! I beg Your Highness... I beg Your Highness, for the sake of our ancestors, spare this sinful subject's life..."
He cried his heart out, completely losing his dignity as an emperor.
Zhu Zaiyi looked at him quietly.
Killing him was indeed unnecessary.
Keeping him around might actually be useful.
At the very least, it can serve as a living example of what not to do, constantly reminding later emperors.
"The death penalty may be waived, but punishment is inevitable," Zhu Zaiyi said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Jiajing was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life! Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life!"
"From today onwards, you will stay in the Qianqing Palace and copy books for me... for me," Zhu Zairi said.
"Copying books?" Jiajing was taken aback.
"Yes, copy books." Zhu Zaiyi nodded. "Let's copy the Zizhi Tongjian."
"You can come out again when you've copied it a hundred times."
"What?!" Jiajing suddenly looked up, staring at Zhu Zaiyi in disbelief.
The Zizhi Tongjian is a magnificent work of nearly three million words!
Even if you work day and night, it would take several years to copy it once.
Copy it a hundred times?!
Wouldn't you have to keep copying that for your next life?!
"What? You're unwilling?" Zhu Zai Rui's eyes narrowed slightly.
A chilling coldness instantly enveloped Jiajing.
Emperor Jiajing was startled, and all his dissatisfaction and grievances vanished instantly.
He remembered the soaring blue flames in the West Garden, and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was frozen in mid-air, unable to move.
He knew he had no right to bargain.
"I'm willing! I'm willing! This sinner is willing!" He slammed his head heavily against the gold brick, making a dull thud.
"This sinner will copy it carefully! I will copy it diligently! I will not leave the Qianqing Palace until I have copied it a hundred times!"
He figured it out.
Isn't it just copying books?
It's better than being beheaded, better than being locked up in a dark and hopeless prison.
At least in the Qianqing Palace, there were people to serve them, and they had no worries about food and clothing.
Besides, copying books is much healthier than refining elixirs every day and smelling that deadly sulfur and mercury odor, right?
Maybe... I can live a few more years?
Thinking about it this way, Jiajing felt strangely at peace.
Seeing his unworthy descendant so "pragmatic," Zhu Di's face showed a hint of satisfaction.
This is a good solution.
This preserved the royal family's dignity while ensuring he received the punishment he deserved.
It also allows him to reflect on what he has done all these years by copying history books.
"Alright, go back and copy the books." Zhu Di waved his hand impatiently.
"Yes! Yes! Your grandson will get out of here right now! He will get back and copy the documents right now!" Jiajing felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and, supported by two eunuchs, left the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a daze.
Looking at his disheveled figure, the officials were filled with mixed emotions.
An era has come to an end.
A new era is rising.
After dealing with Jiajing, Zhu Zai Rui's gaze swept across the entire room once more.
Those who deserved rewards were rewarded. Those who deserved punishment were punished.
"From today onwards, the Ming Dynasty's court is clean."
"However," he changed the subject, his voice becoming serious.
"This is just the beginning."
"The strength of a nation lies not in the court, but in the fields and in the marketplace."
"What I need to do next is to help this country rise again from the ground up!"
His gaze fell on Xu Jie.
"By imperial decree, three days from now, I will personally preside over a mobilization meeting for the 'nationwide land survey and implementation of the Single Whip Law'!"
"All officials in Beijing, as well as the heads of prefectures and counties surrounding Beijing, must attend!"
"I want everyone to know that this time, the imperial court is serious!"