Emperor Xizong's funeral went very smoothly, whether it was Wang Zhizheng, Huang Liji, Li Shunguo in the cabinet, or Zhou Chuncheng, Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren in the Ministry of Rites, and Wang Tiqian in the ceremonial supervisor, all of them were capable ministers and officials, and it was not difficult to manage an emperor's funeral, and it was well organized. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

In addition to coming to the Qianqing Palace twice a day to mourn Xizong, the civil and military officials have begun to work normally to deal with government affairs.

Wang Zhizheng, Huang Liji, and Li Shunguo began to review and approve the chapters and handle government affairs in addition to the funeral.

Wang Zhizheng had already helped Emperor Chongzhen onto the horse, and he wanted to resign quickly and return to his house to enjoy leisure.

So on the fifth day of the funeral, Wang Zhizheng hurried to the Qianqing Palace to meet Emperor Chongzhen.

Chongzhen saw Wang Zhizheng coming, so he said with a smile: "Lord Taifu is here?"

Wang Zhi's regular rules knelt down to ask Chongzhen for peace, Chongzhen saw Wang Zhizheng kneeling down to greet him, he was quite uncomfortable, and quickly helped Wang Zhizheng up: "Don't do this big gift!"

Wang Zhizheng stood up, and then whispered to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, Weichen has some things that he wants to talk to the emperor about alone. ”

Chongzhen smiled, then pointed to the inner room and said, "Okay, let's go into the inner room to talk." ”

After entering the inner room, Chongzhen ordered the personal eunuch Xu Yingyuan to close the door, and then let Xu Yingyuan withdraw.

looked at the inner room and saw that there was no one else, so Chongzhen smiled and patted Wang Zhizheng's shoulder and said, "Cousin......"

As soon as the words fell, Wang Zhizheng hurriedly knelt down and said: "Please don't call the emperor that, the whole world, it is not the king's ministers, there are no cousins and cousins here, only the emperor's subjects." ”

Chongzhen saw that Wang Zhizheng was at such a distance from him, so he said very unhappily: "Cousin, how can you be like this, are you not my cousin when you become the emperor?"

Wang Zhizheng smiled slightly and said: "That's right, you are the emperor, you are the Ninety-Five Supreme, and you must distance yourself from the people." ”

Chongzhen laughed, pointed to his seat and said: "Okay, okay, your father is more serious, how can you be more serious, yesterday my uncle (Chongguo Gong) heard me shout, and he immediately knelt down and said: The boundary between the monarch and the minister is clear." I really feel bad. ”

Wang Zhizheng cautiously sat down and arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, now that you are on the throne, you must not be like before, there is no Wang Party now, there is no Wang Da Commander, and there are no cousins and uncles, now it is the Manchu Dynasty civil and military, and the subjects of the world are all your subjects, you must understand this." ”

Chongzhen nodded and said to Wang Zhizheng: "Taifu, now that I sit on the Ninety-Five Supreme, the first person to thank you is you! If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been harmed by Wei Zhongxian a long time ago!"

Wang Zhizheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, do you think this is not what I should do?"

Chongzhen was stunned: "But I still want to thank you, in addition to the glory and wealth, I plan to crown you as a duke, and be listed as a prince of the country alongside your father, so that you can produce two princes in one door in the Chongguo Mansion!

After hearing this, Wang Zhizheng hurriedly waved his hand: "Your Majesty, the minister has come here for this matter! I plan to resign from all positions in the court and the central government, and go home to be an honest gentleman!"

When Chongzhen heard this, he suddenly laughed: "Taifu, don't be joking, now that I have just ascended the throne, I need you to help me eradicate the eunuchs, balance the court situation, and teach me how to be the emperor!"

Wang Zhizheng said solemnly: "Your Majesty, you don't understand, why do I do so much. I do so much, one is that I can't get used to Wei Zhongxian's rampant government and the opposition, the second is that I want to fulfill the obligations of a cousin for you, and the third is to return the Ming Empire to a peaceful and prosperous era, that's all, in fact, I said the same as five years ago, I was a gentleman, I didn't want to bother, and I hated being an official, I was good at drinking and lustful, I just wanted to go home to be a casual nobleman, drink a flower wine, play a beauty, I don't have any big ambitions at all!,"

After hearing this, Chongzhen smiled, poured tea for Wang Zhizheng, and Wang Zhizheng hurriedly took it with both hands: "Thank you, Emperor." ”

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Today, I'm going to hear what you, who are cousins, have to say." If you don't become the first assistant of the cabinet, aren't you afraid that the Eunuch Party and the Donglin Party will rise again, Wei Zhongxian, and the Hakka family will make a comeback and drag me off the throne again?"

Wang Zhizheng waved his hand: "It's impossible! Wei Zhongxian was placed under house arrest by the Praetorian Guards, and the Hakka family was placed under house arrest in Cining Palace, although Wei Zhongxian's eunuchs are all fine now, but as long as you appease the courtiers, you can wipe out the eunuchs with a single edict! As for the Donglin Party, you don't have to be afraid, the Donglin Party has been greatly injured in the Apocalypse year, and now the leaders of the Donglin Party, Zhang Pu, Qian Qianyi, Wu Jue, Zhou Yanru and Li Shunguo are all within your control, as long as you grasp the degree and don't get too close to the Donglin Party, it is not difficult to balance the court situation. ”

Chongzhen sighed and said: "Then if you resign, Jiang Nai, Cui Shun, Wang Liangfu, Huang Zongxi, I'm afraid they won't agree!"

Chongzhen tested whether Wang Zhizheng was sincere or tempting, Wang Zhizheng heard this, smiled, and Chongzhen finally said what he was worried about.

Wang Zhizheng smiled slightly, took a sip of the teacup, and said: "Your Majesty, how could these people not agree? They are all old Xinwang Party, you must know that the head of Xinwang Party is you!"

Chongzhen shook his head: "Jiang Nai, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, has a good relationship with you, if I can't keep you and let you resign and go into hiding, I guess they really won't answer......"

Wang Zhizheng stood up and bowed down and said: "Your Majesty, you are too worried, if you think they will not agree, you can change them, you can personally serve as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, Taizu and Chengzu, Yingzong have personally led the Praetorian Guard, but they will definitely agree, because I have told them many times before that I have a plan to retreat." ”

Chongzhen also took a sip of tea and said, "But for so long, without you, I don't seem to have the backbone!"

Wang Zhizheng smiled and said: "In fact, the emperor's wisdom is far above me, I am just good at using conspiracy rules and tricks, and for governing the country, what is needed is the emperor's eloquence!"

Emperor Chongzhen, who had a few sycophants, was a little fluttering.

But Emperor Chongzhen, the young son of heaven, was not confused, he was worried about how to reward the king, and even made it one of the alternatives to be crowned a vassal king.

Now Wang Zhizheng is so sincere to ask for retreat, it is too unexpected for him to help him fight down the country, and he wants to retreat if he doesn't want anything, how can such a "fool" have!

Emperor Chongzhen stood up suddenly, and knelt down in front of Wang Zhizheng with a flick of the dragon robe, Wang Zhizheng was so frightened that the tea cup in his hand slammed to the ground, and hurriedly knelt on the ground and prostrate on the ground and said: "Your Majesty, do you really want to break Weichen to death?!"

Emperor Chongzhen said with tears in his eyes: "Please help me! Don't resign! Now that the government and the opposition have not been cleared, I can't do it!"

Wang Zhizheng said stubbornly: "You can do it!"

Chongzhen stared at Wang Zhizheng prostrate on the ground, and felt a little stable in his heart: "Taifu, since you have to resign, can you resign after I have cleaned up the eunuchs?"

Wang Zhizheng raised his head and said, "The emperor agreed?"

Chongzhen smiled bitterly: "What if you don't agree?

Wang Zhizheng was relieved and breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for the emperor's grace!"

Chongzhen stood up and helped him up, Wang Zhizheng said softly: "Taifu, I also promised you, get up quickly." Tell me what to do next!"

Wang Zhizheng stood up and saw Chongzhen sitting down, so he sat next to him and said: "Next, you can't clean up Wei Zhongxian immediately, as the saying goes, a hundred-legged insect is dead but not stiff, Wei Zhongxian has been in business for twenty years, and there are his minions in the court, what Huo Weihua, Cui Yingyuan, Li Fan, Wei Liangqing, Zhou Zhilong...... If you act suddenly, it will inevitably provoke the resistance of these people. Although I pulled out many of his minions, but it was far from completely shaking his foundation, Huang Ge Lao should still be in the position of first assistant for another year and a half, now on the one hand, to appease the Donglin Party, on the other hand, to gradually release the signal of eliminating the eunuch party, let the courtiers come to punish Wei Zhongxian. ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded frequently.

Wang Zhizheng continued: "Now the cabinet can't move, the celebrant can't move, and Wei Zhongxian can't move, so you can decide the Hakka case first!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and asked, "Hak's case, can you preside over the trial?"

Wang Zhizheng nodded: "Yes." I'll preside over the trial, and Mao Yilu, the secretary of Dali Temple, can help. ”

Emperor Chongzhen asked, "How are you going to characterize the case of the Hakka family?"

Wang Zhizheng thought for a while and said: "Hakka's husband Pan Sai'an, son Hou Guoxing, and younger brother Keguangxian are all under house arrest in Yanqing Palace, and none of them can stay. The Ke family is the nurse of Xizong, and it is a bit inappropriate to kill it, I plan to abolish the Hakka family as a commoner, and then let Pan Saian bite Wei Zhongxian and the rest of the party, and by the way, clean up Cui Yingyuan, Huo Weihua, Li Fan, and Tian Ji. ”

Emperor Chongzhen sneered: "I think the Hakka family can't stay! This lady is vicious and ruthless, and she actually plans to use Pan Sai'an's ** palace concubine to give birth to mess with my Ming law!"

Wang Zhizheng didn't want to kill the Ke family, after all, he was an old lover, and Wang Zhizheng was born with a pity for women.

Wang Zhizheng said tentatively: "Although the Hakka family is vicious, after all, she is the nurse of Xizong, I think it is better to abolish it and not kill it." ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "Okay, Taifu will do it." ”

Wang Zhizheng said: "It will take a month to try the Hakka case, and by the end of September, we can take advantage of the Hakka case to purge some of the henchmen, and we can attack Wei Zhongxian in October!"

Emperor Chongzhen said excitedly: "Okay! Then I will give Taifu a month, and in October, Wei Zhongxian will be arrested, and I will definitely approve the resignation of Taifu!"

Wang Zhizheng knelt on the ground and said, "The minister will definitely do his best!"