The west warm room was covered with thick window paper, and the sunlight could not get in, making it particularly dark, making Wanli's face look gloomy.

The five grand secretaries took advantage of the situation to form a high-intensity joint deception against Wanli.

"I have heard of this treasonous memorial before, but I have never seen it sent to the cabinet. I think Your Majesty has chosen to keep it in your palace." Xu Guo said to Wanli with admiration:

"We all praised him privately in the pavilion, saying that he was tolerant and beyond all ages, even better than Emperor Taizong of Tang!"

"Yes, we all admire you from the bottom of our hearts." Liu Dongxing, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, nodded heavily and said, "I am very lucky to be born under a wise ruler!"

"Oh?" As the saying goes, flattery never gets worn out, and Wanli's expression eased a little.

"So in my humble opinion, Your Majesty should not deal with it and keep it in your palace. At the same time, please allow me to record Your Majesty's generosity and tolerance in history books and pass it down for generations. Let future generations praise Your Majesty as a king like Yao and Shun!" Xu Guo said seriously.

"Is this really a good thing?" Wanli was completely fooled. He looked at Zhao Shouzheng, who never lied, hoping to get an accurate answer.

"Of course not!" The Prime Minister nodded without hesitation and said, "This is a grand event!"

"Hmm..." Wanli gritted his teeth and tried to nod, but his chest heaved a few times, and he felt like he had eaten shit-flavored ice cream. It was disgusting, but it was also a bit refreshing. But it was also really fucking disgusting.

Then he said gloomily: "What you said is all right, but I am so angry with him! How can I deal with him and let me vent my anger?!"

"Your Majesty, this memorial cannot be sent out, and there is no other way to deal with it!" Zhao Shouzheng saw Shen Shixing giving him a look, and he knew that the time had come. He put the memorial back on the table in front of the emperor and said in a tough tone:

"I hope the emperor will show mercy and allow me and others to tell the officials of the Dali Temple to order Luo Yuren to write a letter to apologize, resign and get out! He will surely cry bitterly, be grateful, and live in guilt for the rest of his life!"

Simply softening the situation will not solve the problem. You have to be tough at the critical moment. Only by combining tough and soft tactics can you solve the problem!

Seeing Zhao Shouzheng's resolute attitude, and the other four ministers also urged him, Wanli finally nodded reluctantly, his expression slightly relieved, but he still kept chattering unwillingly:

"You gentlemen are my close ministers, so you know me. If I were really addicted to wine and women and ignored state affairs, I wouldn't have seen that guy and was so angry that I didn't have a good year."

"Yes, the emperor is just working from home." Zhao Shouzheng was afraid that he would change his mind again, so he hurriedly comforted Wanli and said, "The Nine Heavens are profound and the secrets of the palace are not known to us, let alone alienating a small minister. That guy is just a false accusation, so don't worry about it."

"Ministers should know how to behave and observe etiquette when serving their sovereigns!" Wanli said angrily, "Nowadays, people have no sense of hierarchy and speak nonsense. Previously, there was an imperial censor named Dang Jie who criticized me, but I tolerated him. Now Luo Yuren is just like him. It is because I didn't treat him seriously before that he is using me to improve his reputation!"

"Yes, yes, yes. When a minister gives advice, it is of course out of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. But it must be done calmly and tactfully. For example, we usually don't dare to give advice lightly. We only dare to report important matters that we have to discuss." Shen Shixing and his companions also kept giving the emperor psychological massage, telling him that we are in the same group.

"Are you really not here to protect him?" Wanli looked at them suspiciously, looking like the stupid son of a landlord.

"Absolutely not! How dare we not be of the same mind as the emperor? We, the humble officials, have no friendship with him, how dare we protect him?" Xu Guo also said with a loyal face:

"We are all considering His Majesty's interests and putting His Majesty's virtue and integrity first!"

Everyone nodded.

"As prime ministers, you know the hierarchy and do not bother me. But those insignificant officials always speak nonsense and make comments, and they are willing to make false statements and take what is right as wrong. One after another, I am overwhelmed." Wanli pointed at his eyes and said:

"In fact, I also have eye problems. Now that I have turned on the lights, I still can't see the words clearly. How can I read all those books one by one? I hope you gentlemen will pay more attention and ask them to use fewer books."

"We are the ministers who have been highly trusted by the emperor, but we are incompetent and have not been able to suppress the public sentiment, which has led to the confusion of memorials and the disturbance of the emperor's hearing. We are guilty." Zhao Shouzheng hurriedly apologized and secretly stabbed the emperor, saying:

"But we, the ministers, have learned from the mistakes of our predecessors and have reflected on our mistakes. All matters will be subject to the emperor's arbitrary decision and the public opinion of the court. Therefore, we dare not make our own decisions."

It was because we saw what happened to Grand Tutor Zhang that we no longer dared to take on any more responsibilities.

Wanli blushed and said, "No, you are going too far. You must know that I am the heart, and you are the arms and legs. How can the heart move without arms and legs? Since I have appointed you, why should I be afraid? You still have to advocate for me, work hard and without complaint, and don't shirk your responsibilities!"

Please worry less to me, especially don't let me get scolded again.

Zhao Shouzheng hurriedly led the others to stand up and pay their respects, saying, "Your Majesty has treated us with such kindness and respect that even dogs and horses know how to repay their master. Moreover, we have received Your Majesty's great kindness, how dare we not repay it with all our hearts? The four words 'Work hard and never complain' should be written on our desks, and we should be on guard against them day and night!"

After expressing their loyalty, the matter was settled. Zhao Shouzheng then turned the topic back to the emperor, asking him with concern whether he had taken medicine recently and how he felt, so that the emperor could feel their sincere care.

This was what Zhao Shouzheng was good at, and after some warm and caring words, Emperor Wanli was very pleased. Naturally, the topic gradually moved away from Luo Yuren, and the atmosphere became harmonious.

~~

But since we finally got to meet, I couldn't just flatter the emperor. I didn't know when we would meet again, so I still had to fulfill my duties as prime minister.

Several university secretaries also advised Wanli to focus on health care, keep his mind clear, desires few, and avoid anger and calm emotions, and his body will naturally recover.

It was a subtle reminder to Wanli that your illness was caused by yourself. The prescription Luo Yuren gave you was actually correct, you just had the disease of alcohol, sex, money and anger.

But if you put it in such a tactful way, Wanli would naturally not be angry.

"The lesson of this incident is very profound. Just as I said two years ago, if the emperor does not show up for too long, the outside court will inevitably speculate. Speculations will lead to rumors, and those fools will believe them to be true and come to the court to advise you. Your Majesty will not be at peace in the end." Zhao Shouzheng advised like coaxing a child:

"So, Your Majesty, although it is important to take care of your health, you must attend court from time to time, two or three times, or three or four times in the next month. As long as the Emperor shows up from time to time, the rumors will be dispelled, and Your Majesty will naturally have peace of mind."

"If I had recovered, why would I not attend the court? I would personally attend the ancestral temple ceremony. I would also like to thank the Virgin Mary for her great kindness and visit her regularly... But my waist and legs hurt, and I can't walk or stand easily. What can I do?" Wanli first sang high words, then made the difficulties known. In a word, I still have to stay at home.

Zhao Shouzheng and others secretly exclaimed, only then did they realize that the emperor had not paid his respects to the empress dowager for a long time... Otakus are really awesome!

A few people looked at each other and realized that the emperor was a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water. If he could not learn his lesson from this incident, there was no need to expect him to show up again.

Let's worry about the next generation. Then Xu Guo said respectfully:

"It has been a long time since I last saw His Majesty's face. Even if I have some shallow opinions, I cannot express them in person. Today, I am fortunate to be summoned. How dare I not speak my heart out? The enthronement of the Crown Prince is a matter of great importance to the nation. I hope that the Emperor will make a decision soon!"

Wanli felt a headache when he heard this. The reason why he avoided the ministers in the beginning was largely because of this matter.

He and Concubine Zheng had sworn before the gods that they would make the third prince the crown prince, and signed their names, so they could not repent. But the ministers insisted that the eldest son should be the heir, and they argued with reason, which he could not directly refute.

Moreover, these people were ruthless, just like now, not giving him a break. Wanli was like a debtor who was afraid of meeting his creditor. He felt overwhelmed at the thought of meeting them, and then he would use illness as an excuse to avoid meeting them.

As time went by, he got used to staying at home and became more and more afraid of going to court...

But this time Wanli set a trap for himself. Since he said that he was in poor health and didn't know whether he could get better, of course he had to establish the Crown Prince early. And in front of the Grand Secretaries, he couldn't procrastinate too much and had to say something nice.

After a while, Wanli finally managed to come up with a reply:

"I know that since I have no legitimate son, the order of seniority will be determined. In fact, Concubine Zheng has repeatedly requested this, fearing that there will be suspicion from the outside world. But the eldest son is still weak and always sick. I asked for divination for him, and he said that his fate is weak, so let's wait until he grows up a little before holding a grand ceremony."

Wanli's words were first to calm Zhao Shouzheng and others, telling them that he knew that there was order of seniority and that he would not let anyone cut in line. Then he helped Concubine Zheng to clarify that she had no intention of letting her son take the throne, and she was speaking for the eldest prince because she was afraid of outsiders saying that she was playing tricks.

At this point, Zhao Shouzheng and the others' eyes lit up, and they all became more energetic. They thought that maybe the new year brings new things, and the emperor finally figured it out.

However, Wanli changed the subject and repeated the old tune, using Zhu Changluo's age as an excuse. In order to drag the matter out, he even brought up the fortune teller.

Now the Grand Secretaries couldn't force it any further, because the Emperor had already said that the eldest prince was weak and couldn't handle it. If they still forced him to be crowned as the heir, wouldn't that be intentional harm to him?

When faced with such an emperor who is so good at dealing with people, most ministers would be exhausted.

But as the saying goes, the higher the virtue, the higher the evil. In fact, the several university scholars did not expect to establish a crown prince today. Their trick is to ask for a high price and pay it back low. Zhao Shouzheng said:

"It's okay not to appoint a crown prince yet, but the emperor promised me two years ago that the eldest son would go out to school at the age of eight. He is already nine years old now, and because of the emperor's illness, he has been delayed for a year. His upbringing and education are starting now, and there must be no more delays! Please, Your Majesty, order him to go out to school!"

"Your Majesty, please order the eldest prince to go out and study!" All the university scholars seconded the motion.

ps. The next update will be posted in a row.