This trust filled Fu Rang with immense excitement and pride, making him even more determined to win this battle. This was the first major battle since the Emperor ascended the throne, and there could be absolutely no mistakes.
The three armies are about to set off, and the battle is imminent. Preparations have been made for this for a long time.
Zhu Yunying was probably unaware of these things at this time; he only needed to wait for the army to set off. The most important thing now was to wait for the news of victory. He only needed to determine some general strategic objectives; he certainly couldn't interfere too much with the specific process.
There's "no one" left in the palace. The Emperor has returned to his hometown, and his wife and children have gone back with him. Now, only Zhu Yunying is "ruling the throne" in the palace. It seems that the Ming Dynasty is now more legitimately under his rule as Emperor.
This is not a bad thing; Zhu Yunying is quite satisfied with many things.
This was not a bad thing. Zhu Yunying, sitting high on the dragon throne, listened to many civil and military officials discussing political affairs and making decisions.
There is indeed still some discussion about the Duke Yansheng, and quite a few people are discussing it. The title of Duke Yansheng, the succession of the Duke Yansheng, and all of these are constantly being debated.
Whether to return the true title of Duke Yansheng to the rightful heir of the Kong family or allow the Kong family to continue the lineage is still a subject of much debate, with both sides having their own arguments. The matter is still under discussion.
The ministers were constantly discussing, but since the arguments weren't particularly heated, Zhu Yunying wouldn't say much. Or, if the arguments seemed to be heading in a direction unfavorable to his expectations, Zhu Yunying would decisively adjust the direction of the discussion.
At this point, many people understood that the current emperor definitely wanted to strip the Duke Yansheng of his power, or at least eliminate the lineage of Kong Ne. The emperor's intention was to return the Duke Yansheng to the true lineage of Confucius.
This seems to have no downsides and aligns with some practices that appear to conform to current universal values.
Minister of Rites Ren Hengtai stepped forward again, his expression serious, and said, “Your Majesty, the Duke Yansheng is a descendant of Confucius. The title of Duke Yansheng should have been given to the eldest son and grandson of Confucius’s direct line. The line of Kong Ne is the line of Kong Sihui. It is unreliable that Sihui should be the legitimate heir to the title.”
This completely ignited a series of discussions in the imperial court, because it seemed that everyone was serious and really wanted to completely depose Kong Ne, the Duke of Yansheng.
Lian Zining then stepped forward, his expression serious, and said, “Your Majesty, Kong Zhu’s abdication was illegitimate. Kong Zhu was forced by the Mongol Yuan dynasty to cede the title to the son of the Qufu clan. Now, tracing back to the source, it is time to set things right.”
Ren Hengtai, who had always wanted to continue serving as Minister of Rites, and Lian Zining, the current emperor's father-in-law, both stepped forward. At this time, they also sent a clear signal to Kong Ne, the Duke of Yansheng.
Zhu Yunying remained calm and composed. There was no need for him to immediately express his opinion at this point. He needed to muddy the waters further and make sure everyone was discussing the matter.
Kong Ne was certainly not the only one feeling uneasy. He had no interest in composing poems or writing couplets, much less in studying seal script or seal carving techniques, because the title of Duke Yansheng was very likely to slip from his hands.
He was now the nominal patriarch of the Kong family, the most powerful man in Qufu, and the head of the civil service in the Ming Dynasty. But all of this was about to be lost, and his lineage might very well become just another ordinary member of the Kong clan.
At this moment, Ru Chang, the Minister of Personnel, also spoke up, "Your Majesty, I have reviewed the evaluations of the magistrates of Qufu County over the years, and most of them have been rated as below average."
This has sparked a lot of discussion. The title of Duke Yansheng is indeed prestigious, but many people understand that it is just a title of nobility and does not really have any real power.
However, the position of magistrate in Qufu has always been held by members of the Kong family. Many of them were either successful candidates in the imperial examinations or held hereditary official positions. Some even became magistrates of Qufu during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty without any official title, simply because they were recommended by members of the Kong family. This is quite interesting.
Yang Jing from the Ministry of Justice continued, "According to the Ministry of Justice's archives over the years, Qufu County has always been stable. The magistrate of Qufu County has always been lenient towards the Kong family."
This isn't a case of everyone kicking someone when they're down; rather, after the initial hype and the emergence of a bunch of minor figures, now many heavyweights are stepping forward, especially these high-ranking officials, each one a confidant of the current emperor.
This is the real decisive moment. At this point, everyone understands that the succession of the title of Duke Yansheng will soon become clear.
Zhu Yunying remained calm, though his expression was quite serious. "Although Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, it is also the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor and the ancient capital of Shennong. The Confucius family of Qufu is prominent, and they should not act in this way."
With an even more serious expression, Zhu Yunying continued, "However, the Kong family are, after all, descendants of Confucius, and cannot be offended. It should be handed over to the three judicial departments for joint trial. If there is any corruption or perversion of justice, it should be dealt with according to the law. Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone descendants of Confucius."
Although Zhu Yunying may seem to be giving Confucius face, everyone knows that the current emperor intends to escalate these matters thoroughly. A joint trial by the three judicial departments of Qufu County clearly indicates that this is not a simple matter.
Ultimately, the Confucius family in Qufu were far from being honest; it was practically their own personal fiefdom. They were not only prominent figures in Qufu, but they could even be said to have some degree of absolute power.
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