Seiwa

Chapter 116 The Emperor's Northern Tour 1

In May of the first year of Yongle, the emperor drove north on a tour.

Before departure, Zhu Di hosted Ning Wang Zhu Quan, Gu Wang Zhu Sui, Zhou Wang Zhu Huan and Liao Wang Zhu Zhi in Huagai Palace for two consecutive days.

After King Zhou and King Gu, the fiefdoms of King Ning and King Liao finally came to an end.King Ning changed his title to Nanchang, Jiangxi, and King Liao settled in Jingzhou.From north to south, across several provinces, Zhu Quan and Zhu Zhi did not dare to complain even if they were not used to it.

What if the emperor gets angry and takes back the fief?

During the banquet, Zhu Di held his wine glass, his eyes were red, and he cried poorly while talking about his brotherhood with King Ning and others.

It's not that the elder brother is unjust, it's that the treasury is empty, and the emperor's family has no food left.

Since last year, there has been a famine in Hebei and Shandong, and locusts have plagued Zhili, Huai'an and Anqing, and there are many people selling their daughters.There is not enough relief food, and it has to be transferred from the nearby guards.Just after taking a breath, the Tartars came to make trouble again, and military expenditure was a big problem.

Things have come to this point, there is really no extra money to build the palace for the brothers.

Therefore, the chief envoys in various places all command the envoys, or according to the inspectors, choose one to live in first.Of course, the imperial court will still pay for the cost of renovation and decoration.

For the sake of the country, for the sake of the community, the brothers can only be wronged for a while, and they should all support the work of the brothers.Brother must remember this friendship.

After the words fell, he raised his wine glass, raised his neck, and drank it all in one gulp.

What else can King Ning and the others do?Speaking of this, objecting and protesting will have no effect, so I can only nod honestly, hold up the wine glass, and sincerely express that the minister must obey His Majesty's order.It doesn't matter if it's the Sansi yamen or the buildings of the former dynasty, in short, it can shelter from the wind and rain, and it doesn't just need to be a high-risk building.Where to live is not to live!

All for the sake of leaving the capital earlier, living under the eyes of the emperor is too depressing.Trapped in the palace all day long, eating and sleeping are difficult.

Zhu Quan and the others were very knowledgeable, and Zhu Di was very satisfied. He generously promised that the decoration cost would never be stingy, and the officials and craftsmen sent by the Ministry of Industry would be dispatched.After the banquet, the four people were rewarded with thousands of treasures.

Anyway, there is no need for reserve money, and banknotes can be printed at will.

The discrepancy between the face value and the actual purchasing power is completely out of Zhu Di's consideration.

No one is perfect.

In terms of fighting wars and handling state affairs, except for the deceased Zhu Yuanzhang, almost no one can surpass Zhu Di.When encountering financial problems, Zhu Di, like his father, is prone to making mistakes, especially when printing money indiscriminately.

Meng Qinghe once wanted to remind Zhu Di that the memorial was written, but he was suppressed by himself.

What position and identity did he use to remind the emperor?

Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, in the early years of Yongle, when the Taizu was trying to restore the law, he questioned the treasure banknote system set by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. Do you want to behead or skin?If you are not sure, you must not do things that will endanger your head.

Except for Meng Qinghe, it is not that no one in the court has noticed the hidden dangers of precious banknotes.

The Yuan Dynasty also issued banknotes, but the banknotes in the Yuan Dynasty had issuance reserves and official credit certificates, which could be exchanged for gold and silver.

Baochao is not the case.After Zhu Yuanzhang established the country, he strictly restricted the circulation of gold and silver among the people, not to mention exchanging gold and silver with precious banknotes, even copper coins could not be exchanged.

It is strange that such banknotes do not depreciate.

Although precious banknotes have various shortcomings, there is one advantage that they can be printed as they are used, and you can print as many as you want.As a reward for the vassal king and the court envoys, the emperor didn't feel sorry for the hair in sacks.

In the eyes of the recipients, waste paper is also rewarded by the emperor, who would dare to dislike it?Even if it's just pretending, I still have to thank Mu Tianen, weep with gratitude, and take this pile of waste paper back and offer it up.

For salaried government officials, receiving the cash is less of a joy.The face value is fixed, but it has to be discounted when it is used, which is equivalent to reducing salary year by year in an aboveboard manner.

Honorable military officers with titles are enough, but civil servants who don't have double smuggling are so worried that they have to worry about their hair. In order to support their families, they have racked their brains for corruption.

It can't be blamed for his lack of ideological awareness. It's really that the salary given by the old Zhu's family is too low, and it is difficult to eat some meat.The most notable example is Hai Rui.Checking the standard of living of this man, I have to shed tears of sympathy for the officials of the Ming Dynasty.

Fortunately, Emperor Yong Le was more generous than his father, and he rewarded the heroes one after another.

Meng Qinghe didn't need to take reckless risks, and he didn't need the filial piety of the people below, so his standard of living was still high.Based on the price level in the early Ming Dynasty, the gold and silver rewards several times before and after were enough for him to lie in his clothes at home, stretch out his hands to eat, open his mouth, and live to an octogenarian age.

But life cannot be so decadent, there must always be some pursuit.

Only by working hard and cheating people by the way can the value of life be reflected.What's more, the emperor's rewards are always limited. When Zheng He took a boat with the wind when he sailed to the West, the money would definitely fly home with wings.

Losing money business is absolutely not allowed, Zheng He didn't turn his head, and Meng Qinghe also vowed to turn his head around.

For this purpose, it is absolutely right to pull Shen Xuan to swipe Emperor Yong Le's favorability.

Emperor Yong Le's good intentions would be apologetic if he didn't work hard.

After receiving the emperor's order to stay in Daning, Meng Qinghe immediately summoned the commanders and envoys to discuss various arrangements for the emperor's stay.

Security work and reception work require dedicated personnel.

With Zhu Gaosui around, the emperor was used to the army, so basically nothing would happen.But things are not afraid of [-], just in case, if something goes wrong, no one can escape.

Meng Qinghe's words were like a slap in the face, making everyone wake up from the excitement of Miansheng.

Headed by Zhu Wang, commander of the capital of Daning, everyone said that uncle Xingning was the leader.Whatever Xing Ningbo said to do, everyone will do whatever they want, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Zhang Gui's slogan was especially loud.It was unreasonable for him to neglect Meng Qinghe outside Daning City.Even if he was whipped by Zhu Gaosui and stabbed in front of the emperor, he still couldn't bear to walk around.

Meng Qinghe plans to increase the favorability of Zhu Di, while Zhang Gui is desperately trying to increase the favorability of Meng Qinghe and Zhu Gaosui.

position?face?

So far, it's all useless to think about it.

How is the princess?So what about the son?In front of the emperor, he is still nothing.

After Xu Cheng's reminder, Zhang Gui wanted to understand and thought through.You can't continue to be a gunman for others, otherwise no one will collect the body when you die.

As the date of the emperor's northern tour approached, Beiping, Daning, Kaiping, Quanning and other places entered the first-level alert one after another.

Check the territory, and at the same time strictly prevent the Tatars in the north from finding fault.

The emperor's envoy had not yet returned from Tatar, and if there hadn't been an accident on the way, it was very likely that Guilichi had detained him.

The news was not yet confirmed, the emperor was furious, but Duoyan Sanwei grinned and sharpened his knife even more vigorously.

The Son of Heaven has come to the north, will the sound of the war horn be far behind?

The battle has started, and the beautiful days of robbing cattle and sheep are just around the corner!

No, before the emperor set off, the capital was born one after another.

After the vassal princes in Beijing were settled, the matter of moving the capital was overshadowed by the affairs of Tatar and Wuliangha, and the voice of opposition from the courtiers gradually weakened.

The queen's health is getting better and better, and Zhu Gaochi gradually settles down.Prince Ning's son made frequent petty moves, sending people to watch should not affect the overall situation.Not everything went smoothly, but it was much better than when he first sat on the dragon chair.

Zhu Di was very happy at first, humming a little song and preparing to go north, but Qin Tianjian suddenly came to report that there was a lunar eclipse, and it was just around the corner!

Just after the lunar eclipse, Princess Jiangdu passed away again.

Princess Jiangdu is the eldest daughter of Prince Yiwen Zhu Biao and the niece of Zhu Di.Although he was very rude to Zhu Yunqi's brothers, and they were all demoted to ordinary people when they found the opportunity, and they were sent to the Central Capital to take care of them, but Zhu Di was quite good to his niece.

The title has not been removed, and three hundred stones have been added to the salary. The empress hosted a banquet in Kunning Palace, and even comforted her specially.

A person who was good before, without illness or disaster, why suddenly died?

Yibin Geng Xuan, who claimed to be sick behind closed doors, received a post from Jinyiwei, and was invited to Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town, to drink tea and chat that day.

Knowing that his son was taken away by Jin Yiwei, Geng Bingwen couldn't sit still anymore.Kowtow to have an audience with the Son of Heaven, I don't expect to preserve the position of the eldest son, but only hope to get Geng Xuan out of the imperial prison whole.Even if he was imprisoned in the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Justice, it would be better than falling into the hands of Jin Yiwei.

Geng Bingwen, who has gone through three dynasties, is not lacking in political wisdom. When he asked to see the emperor, he never mentioned the iron coupon given by Zhu Yuanzhang.He knew that if the emperor really wanted to kill someone, it would be useless to put iron coupons on his head.

This point is clear to anyone who has experienced the Hongwu Dynasty.

Holding the iron coupon issued by Zhu Yuanzhang in front of Zhu Di is undoubtedly using Lao Tzu to suppress his son. It is easy for him to think of the unpleasant experiences that happened during the Jingnan period, especially outside Jinan City, and things may get worse.

Geng Bingwen thought very clearly, instead of risking his family being dragged to the execution ground, it would be better to cry in front of Zhu Di at the expense of the old minister.

If it was him himself, he would die, and it might not be possible to exchange for the safety of the whole family.

Changed to Geng Xuan, the old general couldn't bear it.The love of licking the calf is the reluctance of relatives.

Geng Bingwen couldn't afford to pay homage to Hou Chaoguan in Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Di looked at Geng Bingwen, at the old general's gray hair, and finally sighed, "Marquis Changxing please get up."

He spent his whole life as a soldier and climbed to the Ninth Five-Year Plan.

It was rare for Zhu Di to soften his heart once.

Geng Bingwen is a veteran of Hongwu and a hero who founded the country. He was on the wrong team when Jianwen was established, and his qualifications are still there.

With the death of Princess Jiangdu, Jin Yiwei has a lot of room to operate.As long as Zhu Di nods, a purge is inevitable.Anyone who is not pleasing to the emperor will surely die.

Jin Yiwei is only loyal to the emperor, and courtiers can disobey the emperor's orders, but Jin Yiwei can directly arrest people without going through the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.

Whether the bloody storm of the Hongwu Dynasty will be repeated in the Yongle Dynasty is only in Zhu Di's mind.

Princess Jiangdu, Geng Xuan, and Geng Bingwen are just a rehearsal before the storm.

But at this moment, Zhu Di suddenly softened his heart.Such a thing happened to Zhu Di, which can almost be described as a miracle.Anyone who has come into contact with Zhu Di will feel incredible.

Commander Yang Duo of Jin Yiwei received the order to release him, pondered for a while, did not send any more notes to the palace, and personally led people to send Geng Xuan out of the imperial prison.

Outside the prison, Geng Bingwen was waiting anxiously.

The marquis' crown and uniform had been removed, and he was a little stooped.

In just two days, people seem to have aged ten years.

"Father!"

Geng Xuan knelt down and kowtowed, unable to stop crying.

Geng Bingwen clasped his fists at Yang Duo, Yang Duo hurriedly stepped aside, "You don't have to do this, Marquis Changxing, I am acting according to orders."

There was no sparkle in the words, and the bright red brocade clothes, under the reflection of the sunset, seemed to be stained with blood.

With a handsome face and a smile on his lips, it still makes people feel cold.

This kind of coldness is different from Shen Xuan's. It is not deterred by murderous intent, but like being stared at by a poisonous snake, which makes people cold to the bone.

Seeing Yang Duo now, Meng Qinghe would be surprised.Except for his appearance, he has almost become another person.Perhaps it should be said that this is the real Yang Duo, the Commander of the Jin Yiwei appointed by Emperor Yong Le himself.

Seeing Geng Bingwen leave with Geng Xuan, Jin Yiwei Qianhu Ji Gang's eyes flashed unwillingness.

It was he who took the stick and personally led people to arrest Geng Xuan.

The man was caught in prison and was about to be tortured, but was stopped by Yang Duo's order.

If it wasn't for Yang Duo's unreasonable obstruction, Geng Xuan would definitely be able to ask a lot of "useful" things.

It is said that before the death of the princess of Jiangdu, a suspicious person appeared near the princess' mansion, but after the death of the princess, this mysterious person disappeared again.Ji Gang arrested Geng Xuan to find out his identity and whereabouts.Maybe we can find clues about Jianwen's remaining party, as long as it is confirmed, it will definitely be a great achievement.

Whether Emperor Jianwen is dead or not, who is buried in the imperial mausoleum, and why the emperor imprisoned the monk who lectured for Emperor Jianwen, all these superpositions are intertwined.

Before the arrest, Ji Gang had reported to Yang Duo, but Yang Duo still refused to allow him to use torture, which is really annoying.

"Why does Ji Qianhu act like this? Is he dissatisfied with Commander Yang?"

He Ju, the commander of Jin Yiwei, has made great contributions to Jingnan Zhongli, but Ji Gang is not pleasing to the eye.Such a treacherous villain, a scoundrel, how can he be worthy of the position of Jin Yiwei Qianhu!

"Don't dare to be humble!"

Ji Gang quickly lowered his head.

He Ju snorted coldly, he was scruples about the occasion, turned around and left without further words.

Behind him, Ji Gang raised his head and looked at the direction He Ju left with a gloomy expression.

Geng Xuan's arrest caused quite a stir in the court.

The courtiers went up one after another, talking about the disadvantages of Jinyiwei, asking the emperor to accept advice and abolish Jinyiwei.Some courtiers sent posts to the Marquis of Changxing, hoping that Geng Bingwen could come forward and remonstrate with the emperor as the sufferer, asking the emperor to withdraw the brocade clothes and guards, and restore political clarity.

The Marquis of Changxing sent all the posts back.

Geng Bingwen's attitude is very clear, even if he offends Manchao, he will never do it.

Wei Guogong's mansion also received the same post, Xu Zengshou directly blocked the person back without Xu Huizu's presence.In order to prevent Xu Huizu from losing face, he simply moved into Wei Guogong's mansion under the pretext of repairing the Hou's mansion.With this person around, no one would dare to continue sending posts to Xu Huizu.

Cheng Guogong, Qi Guogong and other generals cannot be counted on, and the officials of the six departments and the official censor can only fight alone.

When the emperor is in a bad mood, it is not uncommon to drag him down and beat him with a few sticks.After Renzong, it was an honor to receive the court stick, but in the Yongle Dynasty, being hit with a stick was absolutely fatal.

After coming down several times, the capital was full of uproar, and even the frontier fortress heard the wind.

While Meng Qinghe was busy coordinating various tasks in Daning City, he also paid attention to the movements of the DPRK and China.I was thinking that things would get serious, and the emperor's plan for the northern tour might die prematurely. After all, the court was not stable, and he would not feel at ease when he came out.

But the facts have proved that fierce people are fierce people after all, even though the six heavenly officials took turns to go to the siege, the officials smashed their heads against pillars, lowered their heads and smashed stone bricks, almost smashing several holes in Fengtian Temple, Emperor Yongle still assembled his team and put Out of the guard of honor, go north as scheduled.

When the emperor leaves Beijing, there must be some officials from the court to follow.

The nobles enthusiastically signed up, while the civil servants were waiting to be called.

During the emperor's northern tour, all government affairs were delivered to the emperor.

Having trouble sending?Find a solution.

Lag time along the way?Any department that delays will be punished with the palm seal.If you don't want to lose your position, you have to urge the people below to do their best.

Xie Jin and others wanted to remonstrate the emperor, so that the son could act as an agent of the government.Before the memorial was up, he was stopped by Shizi's people.

Zhu Gaochi is not an idiot, being cold-hearted by his father day by day, resorting to cold violence is enough for him.If Xie Jin and others' memorials are sent, one can imagine how the father's attitude towards him will change.

It is heard that there are still people who follow the footsteps of the king of Zhou, intending to urge the king of Zhou to ask for the crown prince.

Regardless of whether the news was true or not, Zhu Gaochi was covered in cold sweat.This is not helping him, it is harming him!

Send Wang An to find out what is going on behind this.Three checks and two checks, and finally found the head of Prince Ning's son Zhu Panxuan.What made Zhu Gaochi even more furious was that there was even a shadow of the princess among them.

Even if there is no direct evidence, the person who contacted the king of Zhou did have an old relationship with the concubine's father.

After finding this, Zhu Gaochi couldn't sit still anymore.

How can the emperor not know what he can find out?

Thinking about his father's attitude towards him in recent days, and his mother's frequent reminders, the sweat on Zhu Gaochi's head became more and more urgent. He slammed the table and stood up, but his face suddenly turned pale, his vision was blurred, and he fell forward. unconscious.

The news of the prince's fainting alarmed Emperor Yong Le and Empress Xu.No matter how much Zhu Gaochi disappointed them, he was their eldest son.

The judge of the Supreme Hospital and several imperial doctors on duty were invited to Wenhua Hall.The concubine Shizi stood beside Zhu Gaochi, her face turned pale, but she didn't cry, which was in stark contrast to the side concubine beside her.

Even so, Empress Xu was not too close to her.

"How is the son?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, the son was furious for a while, and the phlegm confused his heart, so he will be fine when he wakes up."

Anxious?

The court judged to tell the truth, but Zhu Di's complexion did not improve, but became even uglier. Obviously, he misunderstood the reason for the son's anger.Before Zhu Gaochi woke up, he waved his sleeves and strode away from Wenhua Palace.

After Zhu Gaochi woke up, Empress Xu told the concubine Shizi to take good care of her son, and left soon.

The emperor and queen arrived at the same time but left one after another. The emperor turned around and left before the son woke up. There were rumors in the palace that the son was not favored, so it was true.

There was a terrible silence in the Wenhua Palace.

Zhu Gaochi was lying on the bed with a pale face.

The imperial concubine wanted to wipe his sweat for him, but was dodged.

The imperial doctor personally prepared the decoction and served it, and after the prince took the medicine, he said goodbye and left.

The eunuchs and courtiers in the palace lightened their steps, their breathing was barely audible.

After a long time, Zhu Gaochi said: "Mr. Zhang."

"The concubine is here."

After being married for many years and giving birth to Zhu Gaochi's eldest son, the concubine has always been valued by the son, such a cold tone has never appeared before.

"From now on, you are not allowed to step out of the palace except to greet your mother. In addition, take good care of the people around you."

"concubine……"

"kindness?"

"Yes, my concubine obeys."

Shi Zifei bit her lip, wanting to cry.Zhu Gaochi didn't take a second look, even if he couldn't protect himself, how could he feel sorry for the concubine?What's more, cutting off the connection between the imperial concubine and the outside of the palace is also keeping her in disguise.It is much better to do it yourself than the father and the queen.

"You go down. Zhanji asked, and only said that the orphan was suffering from the cold and was not feeling well. Let him study hard and honor the emperor's grandfather."

"Sir..."

"Lonely and tired."

Zhu Gaochi closed his eyes, the concubine did not dare to say anything, and retreated through the side door with the concubine.

The son was ill, but the emperor did not postpone the departure date.

The relationship between father and son has weakened to this point, even Empress Xu has no other way.

Some courtiers also had new ideas about Lichu and started activities one after another.

The king of Gaoyang County, who was far away in Kaipingwei, heard the news, sneered, and tore the letter sent to him to pieces.

"Wang Quan."

"The servant is here."

"Light a brazier and burn everything."

"Yes."

Wang Quan bowed and left, Zhu Gaoxu was still sneering.

First the son, now it's his turn?

The abacus is pretty good, but you have to see if you can get tricked!

When he was still Zhu Gaoxu from four years ago?

"Come on, didn't that cowardly Timur say he has something important to report? Take him to see Gu."

"Follow the order."

Zhu Gaoxu tightened the sleeves of his regular clothes, his momentum was calm, and he looked more and more like Zhu Di.