Seiwa

Chapter 222

Shengjia stayed in Kaipingwei for three days, and then set off for Daning.

Where the emperor's guard of honor passed by, the fathers and elders in Lizhong greeted them by the roadside and offered rice, wheat and sorghum.Hearing that there was an octogenarian, Zhu Di summoned him immediately.

The old man was supported by his children and grandchildren, and walked tremblingly in front of the driver. Zhu Di got off his horse to show his respect for the old man.The followers, civil and military, dismounted one after another and saluted the old man.

The old man's beard and hair are white, his eyes are somewhat cloudy, but his speech is still clear.

"I can't do it!" The teeth in the mouth have fallen out, and the hands are old and thin, like dry bark.Being supported by Zhu Di, he didn't know what to do, "Your Majesty, please don't do it!"

"The old man accepts it." Zhu Di smiled, "This is my son, and my grandson. Zhanhe, come here, I have seen the old man."

Zhu Zhanhe, dressed in Panlong uniform, walked steadily to Zhu Di's side and saluted the old man.

"Old man Kangtai."

Zhu Zhanhe's etiquette is excellent, even the etiquette officials can't fault it.With a chubby little face, two dimples appeared on his cheeks when he spoke,

The old man became more and more excited, by the side of the road.The people who saw this scene all knelt down to the ground, their cheeks flushed, and they shouted long live.

"The holy and benevolent king, the holy emperor!"

After today, Emperor Yong Le's reputation among the people will definitely reach a new level.

The rice and sorghum presented by the old man were properly stored, and the abundant ears of wheat showed the joy of a good year.

Since Zhu Di came to the throne, the north and south frontiers have been uneven, and floods, droughts and locust plagues have continued in various provinces, prefectures and counties.In the northern frontier, Xuan Mansion of Daning, which was once known for its desolation, had a bumper harvest year after year, and the official warehouses were full.This year's autumn harvest, the old grain and wheat need to be transported out of the warehouse before they can be fed into the new grain.

"During the harvest season, did the prefectures and counties of Sansi exploit the people under the pretext of miscellaneous taxes?"

Bai Yan led the eunuch back to put down the light wooden chair, Zhu Di helped the old man to sit down, then sat beside the old man, and opened his mouth to ask about taxation.

"Return to Your Majesty, nothing." The old man is old, but his head is not confused.Hearing the emperor's question, there was no hesitation, "Relying on His Majesty's sage and benevolence, the grain tax has been reduced and exempted for many years. The Caomin family has more than ten people, and they have had a surplus for three consecutive years."

"That's good." Zhu Di said comfortingly, "This way, it will not violate Emperor Gao's policy of loving the people."

Hearing this, Meng Qinghe let out a long breath, and his highly tense nerves instantly relaxed.

Daning has set up a chief envoy, who will be in charge of taxes and food for two seasons a year.But he is still guarding in Daning. If someone takes advantage of his absence to attack taxes and grains, or collect exorbitant taxes by clever means, he will not be able to escape responsibility.

Thinking of what Daning's chief political envoy and the procuratorate had done before, Meng Qinghe gritted his teeth secretly.

I have long wanted to deal with them, but I have not been able to find a suitable opportunity, and I have to worry about the emperor's face, so I can only let go first.If he was tired because of hesitation for a while, would he be wronged?

After talking with the old man, Zhu Di was in a good mood, and asked a lot of people's feelings.

When the old man answered, he followed the official historian and wrote quickly, fearing that he would miss a sentence.

Hu Guang, a Hanlin scholar accompanying the driver, had a slight glint in his eyes. When Emperor Yong Le asked the old man how the officials in Daning were like, he saw the opportunity and brought Meng Qinghe out.

"I heard that Uncle Xing Ning has been serving as the guard of Daning since he opened up farmland to promote mutual markets. He has many contacts with grassland herdsmen and has a very good reputation among the people. Dare I ask the elders if there is such a thing?"

Hearing this, Zhu Di lost the smile in his eyes.Meng Qinghe's heart skipped a beat, secretly thinking that something was wrong.At the beginning, this person gave him eye drops in front of Emperor Yong Le, saying that he "wouldn't lose his tail because he was afraid of having a different mind".Now, it is also said that he "has a lot of contacts with grassland herdsmen and has an excellent reputation among the people", which is to spare no effort to put him to death!

Shen Xuan's face darkened, Zhu Gaoxu hugged Zhu Zhanhe, patted his son's back, looked at Hu Guang, as if looking at a dead person.It's not good to offend anyone, but Xing Ningbo, you're courting death.

"Don't dare to hide this from this official, since the imperial court sent Bo Xingning to guard Daning, the life of the grass people is getting better and better." How can there be such a good official guarding the emperor, how can the grassroots live today?"

Hu Guang never expected that an old man from the countryside would say such a thing.

According to the old man, Xing Ningbo is an official appointed by the imperial court, so to be grateful to him is to express gratitude to the imperial court and the emperor?

Was it by mistake, or on purpose?

Regardless of the reason, Meng Qinghe was able to escape successfully.

Hu Guang was unwilling, and wanted to say something, but Xia Yuanji cut him off, he missed the opportunity, and it was difficult to speak.

"The villagers in Chenguan offer good ears of grain, which can be sifted into grain seeds..."

After some countermeasures just now, everyone present saw that the old man was extraordinary.

Hu Guang was very annoyed, and was still too impatient.

I thought I was just a common man, but I never thought that after the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, I lived in the northern border for several generations, five generations lived under the same roof, and I had enough food and clothing. How can I be an ordinary person?

But the matter has come to this point, and it is too late to regret.

Only then did he understand that the emperor was not aroused by his words, but dissatisfied with him.Thinking of the emperor's gaze just now, Hu Guang couldn't help turning pale.

Zhu Gaoxu put away the sneer at the corner of his mouth, and turned to Meng Qinghe, "Scholar Hu is just a leader, and those who hide behind him will not be easily caught. Uncle Xingning needs to be careful."

"Thank you for your reminder, Your Highness."

Zhu Zhanhe patted Zhu Gaoxu's arm, "Father, let me down."

"Not tired?"

"My son is not tired." Zhu Zhanhe said seriously, "My son is getting older, so I shouldn't tire my father."

The New Year picture doll covered in bright red, with a straight expression and a serious look, is happy no matter how you look at it.

Zhu Gaoxu was very moved, his son knew he cared about his father!

Unexpectedly, this emotion only lasted for two seconds before being broken by a punch from the three heads.

"Shao Bao." Zhu Zhanhe walked up to Meng Qinghe, raised his head and said, "I am still young, when I grow up, I will follow the example of my grandfather and punish traitors."

Translated, I am still young, and someone bullies Shaobao, and there is nothing I can do.When I grow up, if someone doesn't open their eyes again, they will definitely vent their anger for Shaobao.Dare to stab, all shot to death!

The moved one was replaced by Meng Qinghe.

Zhu Gaoxu grinds his back molars, who is this bastard's real father? !

Shen Xuan remained silent all this time, looking past Santoshen, and directly "killed" Santoshen to kiss his father.

"His Royal Highness is superb in martial arts and skilled in horseback riding. How about a battle in the school field in the future?"

Zhu Gaoxu was petrified in an instant, looking for a one-on-one challenge with him?Why?

"His Royal Highness Zhao said, His Royal Highness is very lonely without a match for a long time." Shen Xuan laughed, "Your Highness and His Royal Highness Zhao really have a deep brotherhood."

Zhu Gaoxu: "..."

brother?What kind of brother? !Behind the back - knife brother!If Zhu Gaosui was face to face, Zhu Gaoxu was not sure whether he would lose control and draw his sword to slash with his brother.

Meng Qinghe pretended not to hear what Shen Xuan said, knelt down, thanked Zhu Zhanhe with a smile, and continued to be moved.

Zhu Zhanhe's starry eyes flashed, father wants to compete with Ding Guogong?I have been looking forward to this day for a long time!

Zhu Gaoxu looked up at the blue sky and finally burst into tears.

Dear son, dear son...

The holy driver can't stay too long on the way, summon the old man, but it's only time for a cup of tea.

The old man was backed to the side of the road with the help of his children and grandchildren, Zhu Di jumped on his horse, Zhu Gaoxu and Shen Xuan returned to their respective posts, Zhu Zhanhe no longer asked to ride a horse, but obediently rode in a chariot.

"Shaobao is with me."

"The prince goes up to the chariot first, and then he gets off the court." Meng Qinghe handed Zhu Zhanhe to the eunuch, and said, "Please trouble Young Supervisor Huang."

When Zhu Zhanhe got on the chariot, Meng Qinghe immediately turned around, called a familiar eunuch, gave a few instructions in a low voice, and handed over a silver ingot, "I'm sorry."

The eunuch flipped his hand, and the silver ingot fell into his sleeve in an instant, and he said with a smile: "Don't worry, uncle, our family will be well managed."

Meng Qinghe nodded, turned around and boarded the chariot.

In the car pavilion, the cushions and tapestry are made of brocade, the sill seat is slightly higher, and the soft seat is covered with a red carpet.The low table is wedged into the car floor, and the teapot and teacups are all made of bamboo. They were tributes from Fanbang in Southwest China in the fifth year of Yongle.

Meng Qinghe was not considered elegant, so he couldn't see the advantages of this set of tea sets, but felt that it was safer to use bamboo than porcelain and glass in the carriage.

The road conditions are bad, the driving is bumpy, and the porcelain is fragile. Even if there is a leather rug, it is not a trivial matter to be splashed by hot tea.

The space in the pavilion is not small, and there are two low cabinets standing against the wall of the cart, red lacquer, the base is carved with auspicious patterns, and each cabinet is decorated with copper flower leaves, which are firmly wedged into the wall of the cart, as if they are integrated with the pavilion.If he hadn't seen the eunuch taking something out of the cabinet, he wouldn't have noticed that there were two cabinets in front of him.

Zhu Zhanhe was sitting upright, with several plates of delicate pastries on the low table.

"Let's eat dim sum together?"

A sentence that seemed familiar brought Meng Qinghe's memory back to a few years ago.

On the way to Nanjing, Zhu Gaochi, who was still Prince Yan's son, was also in the Shizi's car pavilion. He smiled gently and asked the eunuch to bring a plate of dim sum to him.

"Meng Baihu, use some together with Gu?"

Meng Qinghe squeezed his forehead, retracted his drifting thoughts, and said, "When the son is eating snacks, the next official will tell the son two stories on the grassland, okay?"

"it is good!"

Zhu Zhanhe's big eyes are bright, he likes to listen to Shaobao's stories the most.Although Xia Shangshu's knowledge is very good, he still feels that listening to Shaobao's lectures is more interesting.

"My son should know that after the remnant Yuan retreated into the grassland, the tribe split and became today's Tatar, Wala, and Wuliangha."

Zhu Zhanhe nodded, "I know."

"Wuliangha is used by our court. Tatar Wala is nomadic in the grassland, and there are several tribes under it. They have contacts and enmities with each other." Meng Qinghe paused before continuing, "I will tell the prince today. The story of the story comes from the Asut tribe of Tatar..."

The horse chariot moved forward, and the Taichang flag roared violently in the wind.

When autumn is high, the sky is blue.

Falcons and golden eagles streaked across the sky, piercing the gale with their long and sharp chirps.

Hearing the cry, Zhu Di suddenly became interested, fetched a longbow, set up the bow and shot an arrow, and there was another sharp cry, and the guards shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is mighty!"

Just after Meng Qinghe finished telling a story, he was picking up his teacup, when he heard the voice, he immediately leaned against the wall of the car, and pushed open the side door, "What's going on?"

The eunuch who accompanied the car replied: "Back to Uncle, Your Majesty got a pair of golden carvings with three arrows."

Draw the bow and shoot the eagle?

Meng Qing and Rap Tongue, it turned out that Temujin wasn't the only one with this hobby.

"Imperial grandfather shot two golden eagles?" Zhu Zhanhe stood up suddenly, startling Meng Qinghe.

"My son, be careful."

"It's okay, I can stand."

That being said, the wheel was crushed by the stone and still couldn't stabilize. Fortunately, Meng Qinghe took him into his arms.

The eunuch next to the car door was so frightened that his hands and feet became stiff and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhu Zhanhe stood up again, more carefully this time, walked to the gate and looked out.Sure enough, he saw the guard galloping back with two golden eagles in his hands.The wings of the golden eagle and the arrows under the abdomen have not been taken out yet. Looking at the tails of the arrows, one can tell that they are used by the emperor.

Meng Qinghe used to hunt wolves on the grasslands, but he had never hunted birds of prey, because his archery skills were really bad.However, after searching the entire Kaipingwei, it is rare among the frontier army to be able to shoot down two raptors with three arrows.

It can be seen from this that Emperor Yong Le's force value is really extraordinary.No wonder being able to push the neighbors to the ground one by one and beat them up. If you have a bruised nose and a swollen face, you are lucky, but if you are missing an arm or a leg, you can only consider yourself unlucky.

During a break on the way, Bai Yan came back to Zhu Zhanhe's chariot, holding two leather bags in his hand, and said respectfully: "My servant has seen the prince. Your Majesty shot down two golden eagles and asked this servant to bring them to the prince."

After finishing speaking, he handed the skin bag to the two young eunuchs behind him, and said, "These two can raise birds of prey, Your Majesty will let the prince listen to it."

"Thank you for the reward, the emperor's grandfather." Zhu Zhanhe thanked him first, and then said, "Is the emperor's grandfather in front of the car?"

"Hui Shizi, that's right."

"I'm going to see the emperor's grandfather alone." Zhu Zhanhe got up and got off the chariot, "Please Eunuch Bai lead the way."

Bai Yan responded to the promise with an even more respectful expression.

Meng Qinghe got off the chariot before Zhu Zhanhe, and protected him to the ground, but did not go with him to see Emperor Yongle.

Watching the three heads leave, Uncle Meng leaned on the side of the chariot, scratched his chin, and shot birds of prey for his grandson to play with. Emperor Yongle was truly world-class in martial arts, and his domineering aura was unmatched by ordinary people.

Zhu Zhanhe came back to thank En, and the driver continued on the road.

In order to save time, we will not stop passing through states and counties on the way, except when we meet the elderly.

Meng Qing and Souchang scratched their stomachs and told Zhu Zhanhe a story.With the speed at which the three heads can absorb knowledge, the possibility of Xia Yuanji finding Meng Qinghe in a one-on-one challenge once again rises infinitely.

The two golden eagles were taken care of very well, but according to the eunuch who took care of them, one of them might not be able to fly again because of its injured wing.

Can birds of prey that cannot fly survive?

Emperor Yong Le bestowed the two wounded golden eagles on the three-headed body, is there any other meaning?

Meng Qinghe couldn't figure it out, and didn't plan to figure it out thoroughly.In the final analysis, Emperor Yong Le's teaching of his grandson has nothing to do with him.Thinking too clearly may not be a good thing.

At the end of October in the seventh year of Yongle, Sheng drove over Daning.

In early November, Shengjia returned to Beijing.

In the same month, an imperial decree came out from Beijing, conferring the Tatar Taibao Ma Erhaza as the King of Shun'an, the Privy Council Tuhuochi as the King of Loyalty, and leading [-] Tatar cavalry back to the grassland.

"The only thing I'm discussing is the evil one. Since you have surrendered and proclaimed yourself a minister, you are also my own son, and there is no reason for you to be detained any longer."

At the same time as releasing the people, Zhu Di ordered that the two be given gold, silver and cloth, and the tribal herdsmen would be given rations of sheep and horses.Xu and his two ministries trade in the mutual market every spring, summer and autumn.

"I have ordered you to abide by the law and do nothing to disturb the border, and the frontier officers and soldiers will not harm you."

In short, if you graze the sheep honestly, I won't send anyone to beat you up.Otherwise, do so at your own risk.

No matter what Ma'er Haza and Tuohuo Chixin thought, they were all grateful at this moment, crying out of breath, knelt down and kowtowed.

"God Khan, your glory will spread across the grasslands!"

The three words were spoken, and the Wuliangha strong men who were summoned at the same time were upset.

What's the matter, Jurchen hasn't solved it yet, these two old boys are going to beat the snake with the stick again?But no matter how upset he was, he had to be honest in front of Emperor Yong Le.As for the future, we'll see!

Ma'erhaza and Tuohuochi were sent away, and the assembled more than [-] frontier troops were ordered to return to the guards.

Before the officers and soldiers set off, the reward list was finally drawn up.

Wei Guogong ranked first, and Ding Guogong was second.He was followed by Wang Cong, Marquis of Wucheng, Huozhen, Marquis of Tong'an, Zheng Heng, Marquis of Wu'an, and Li Yuan, Marquis of Anping.Meng Qinghe did not squeeze into the first echelon, but only ranked fourth in the second echelon.However, the rewards issued are very generous.

"Give 50 taels of gold, 300 taels of silver, [-] ingots of treasure banknotes, and [-] bolts of silk gauze and silk each."

"I thank Your Majesty Long En."

It was not Bai Yanhui who gave the reward, but Meng Qinghe handed out the red envelope without asking any further questions.After sending the person away, he stared at a dozen boxes of rewards alone in a daze.The money was given a lot, even equal to that of the Marquis.The official title and title did not move.Frowning, he suddenly lost his mind.

When Shen Xuan returned, Meng Qinghe was still immersed in his thoughts.It wasn't until he held the lamp that he came back to his senses.Looking at the tall and handsome Duke, he hesitated, but still expressed his worries.

Is His Majesty beating him?

Shen Xuan raised one eyebrow, slightly different, "Why does Twelve Lang think so?"

Isn't it obvious?

Meng Qinghe handed over the imperial decree to Shen Xuan, awarding generals, at least an honorary title, no matter what happened.Only give money without promotion, is it not beating or what?

Shen Xuan lowered his eyes, pinched Meng Qinghe's earlobe, "Twelve Lang thinks too much."

Meng Qinghe was still skeptical.

"Twelve Langs don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe it, but..." He didn't know what to do.

"Would Twelve Lang bet with me?" Shen Xuan leaned over, put his hands on the armrests of the armchair, warm breath blew into Meng Qinghe's ears, "Xuan once said that he wanted to talk with Twelve Lang at night by candlelight. If this matter is not what Twelve Lang thinks, then..."

The voice faded away until it was barely audible.

Uncle Meng's expression gradually changed, Shu Er's face was flushed, and smoke was coming from the top of his head.

"What do you think of Twelve Langs? Don't say anything, Xuan will only respond as Twelve Langs."

Grandpa Guo smiled too charmingly, and when he sensed that something was wrong, Meng Qinghe was about to open his mouth, and covered his face with a scent of cold fragrance, his voice was completely blocked back.

He doesn't gamble!Uncle Meng stared, determined not to gamble!

Shen Xuan smiled lightly, sucking the corners of her rosy lips, and brushing her lips with the tip of her tongue.

Don't gamble?It's not that Twelve Lang has the right to say.

Meng Qing and a clever man, their heads quickly became a mess, and they couldn't say a word.

On that day, Uncle Meng was carried back to the sedan compartment by Duke Dingguo from the front hall.

Three days later, the imperial edict to make Meng Qingyi the third-class uncle was issued.Upon hearing the news, Meng Qinghe fainted directly.

too excited?

No.

Thinking of the bet with the Duke of the same country, Uncle Meng just wanted to find a piece of tofu to bump into.He was absolutely sure that, according to the contract, his number of absenteeism days would set another record.

In the end, it was news from Nanjing that saved him.

Zheng He's fleet, which was sailing to the west for the second time, returned to the seaport of Fujian a month ago.It is reported that this trip has been very fruitful.

Immediately, Zhu Di couldn't sit still anymore, and ordered to leave for Beijing.Meng Qinghe and Shen Xuan were ordered to return south together.Considering the departure date, the day of the Candle Night Talk has been temporarily postponed.

Uncle Meng breathed a sigh of relief, but it was a pity.

Looking up at the sky, he suddenly felt that facing Ding Guogong, he was becoming more and more "honest".

With a sigh, beauty deceives people, it is really a wise saying.