In the spring of the seventh year of Shaowu, the Ming army captured Kashgar, and Abdullah Khan was forced to flee westward and fled to Kyrgyzstan.
In this regard, except for the Ili Basin, which was captured by the Junggar and Heshuote tribes, all the rest of the Yarkand lands were recovered.
Gao Yigong left southern Xinjiang and returned to Gansu, while Li Dingguo, as expected, stayed in southern Xinjiang to form the newly established Tiannan Xingdu Division.
There were nearly 20,000 troops left behind with him.
After leaving Gansu, Gao Yigong galloped quickly and finally arrived in the capital after a month's journey.
Along the way, the wide national highway made him doubt his life.
It was so wide and facing each other, which was completely beyond his expectation.
"Uh-" Gao Yigong reined in the reins and looked at the wide gates of the capital and the endless flow of people, and couldn't help but be filled with emotion.
From the yellow sand to the prosperous capital city, it is quite emotional.
When they were still a few hundred steps away from the city gate, a group of people came forward.
After taking a closer look, he turned out to be Zuo Zongzheng Zhouxian, the Prince Consort Duwei and Zongren Mansion.
"Thank you, Sir, for greeting me. I'm ashamed——"
Over the years, Gao Yigong has also learned some culture. He is no longer as rough as before and has become a bit more sophisticated.
In the past, he would have called him the Prince Consort Commander, but now that he knew the embarrassment of the former Prince Consort, he promoted him to the position of Zongzheng.
"Wherever, Lord Marquis has made great achievements. Thirty thousand troops destroyed an entire country. This has boosted the morale of our Ming Dynasty and established our prestige. The government and the public are paying attention. Your Majesty specially asked me to come and greet you!"
Although he had been waiting for a long time, Zhou Xian smiled without changing his expression, showing no trace of the arrogance of a royal relative.
Gao Yigong instantly felt good about him and liked him.
The emperor's small gesture made his heart warm.
Sure enough, after several years of hard work, His Majesty can still see it.
Privileged classes exist everywhere.
The long queue of people moved out of the way, and the doorman bowed cordially, smiling uncontrollably.
"Hey, dear, who is this?"
"The prince-in-law welcomes you personally, which ordinary princes cannot enjoy."
Several people from the door were very clever, and they saw at a glance that the coming person was dusty and powerful, and they started talking.
"Hey, what's the matter? Not long ago, Duke Chen returned to Beijing, and even the Minister of War came out of the city to welcome him. The gongs and drums were noisy, and firecrackers were blasting. It was a lively scene..."
"Zhou Zongzheng is also a genuine first-class man——"
"In the capital, who cares about your rank and how valuable your power is, then if you are in the seventh rank, even if a few ministers see you, they will have to dodge..."
Ordinary people are accustomed to talking about the horses and the fierce-looking soldiers.
Driving slowly, Zhou Xianxiao asked, "Master Hou, do you want to wash up first?"
"No need." Gao Yi Gong said righteously: "I am in a hurry to see His Majesty, but I won't be able to waste time."
"Then follow me into the palace!"
Soon, the two dismounted, presented their waist cards and entered the imperial city. When the eunuch came to lead the way, they had been waiting for a long time.
They didn't dare to slack off, so Gao Yigong just stuffed a few silver coins into his mouth.
"Father, I come from the Western Region. I wonder if my appetite for Holy Communion is good these days?"
"Banzai just finished lunch." The eunuch didn't want to say anything.
But with these words alone, Gao Yigong relaxed.
Soon, the two of them met the emperor who was immersed in planting flowers in a garden.
Wearing a green robe, a light yellow jade belt, and a jade pendant around her waist, her hair was pinned up with a random jade hairpin, making her look particularly carefree.
The two of them did not dare to be careless. They both knew that the emperor always hated red tape and liked to receive his ministers at relaxed times.
Of course, if it is in the main hall, it means the situation is unclear.
"Thank you for your hard work, Prince Consort."
After a long time, the emperor turned around, took the handkerchief from the eunuch beside him, and wiped the sweat.
"Master
, It’s almost done today, it’s hot. Liu Afu said distressedly.
"I know." Zhu Yixi waved her hand, then turned around and said to Gao and Tuesday: "You must have been waiting for a long time."
"Sit down, everyone, sit down."
The two of them sat tremblingly on the stone pier and looked at the emperor carefully.
"Husband-in-law, the weather is getting hotter. I heard that you often spend time in the capital. This is not okay. You can't stand it, but the princess can't."
"Yes, I am ashamed." Zhou Xian stood up and bowed down quickly, his face full of embarrassment.
Why didn't he want to own a villa in Yuquan Mountain?
But if he doesn't have enough power, how can he win over those nobles who lead troops in war?
Secondly, he didn't have much money, and the Zhou family wasn't rich to begin with. Any villa in Yuquan Mountain cost several thousand silver yuan, so he would have to go bankrupt.
"This is my fault." Zhu Yixi patted his forehead and said to Liu Afu beside him: "Let the Ministry of Internal Affairs allocate one to the Prince Consort and do it as soon as possible."
"I thank you for your kindness!" Zhou Xian was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude.
This is not only wealth, but also represents the emperor's favor.
"Go down!" Zhu Yixi kept smiling: "You can go to escape the summer heat this summer, so go home and prepare."
Zhou Xian left happily.
Gao Yigong on the side could see clearly that this was another favor shown by the emperor to Princess Changping of the previous dynasty.
In other words, it is about earning fame through rewards.
And why invite names? This emperor really went too far.
In order to fill the population of Liaodong, he forced some clan members to move to Liaodong in exchange for land.
Originally, the titles were reduced and replaced from generation to generation, and they returned home to farm. Now they are moving to Liaodong. There are many people in the clan who are dissatisfied.
After all, it was just a noble person who asked for a land change before!
The emperor could not wash away the reputation of treating his relatives harshly, so he used the Zhou family and Princess Taiping as examples.
"You did a good job this time."
Zhu Yixi didn't care what Gao Yigong thought, and just praised him: "Yerqiang took it down in a few months, and there were not many casualties. It's the best thing for the court."
"The last general dare not take the credit. This battle is all due to the blessing of our ancestors. Your Majesty's kindness and the soldiers' lives. I only have a small amount of credit..."
Gao Yigong said it straight out as if being told something in jingle, obviously he had been preparing for a long time.
"You kid."
Zhu Yixi laughed and scolded him. Looking at his weathered face, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional:
After all, I worked hard for my son.
"When Chen Yongfu came back, I added two thousand households to his family, and Yin Yizi became a baron."
"If you say so, I will be promoted to the title of Duke of the country. You will be able to live in a city of 5,000 households, which is worthy of your contribution to the destruction of the country."
"The general will thank you for your kindness."
"Don't worry, it's not over yet!"
Zhu Yixi chuckled and said, "Your wife will be granted a first-grade imperial congratulations to the wife. My sister, Gao Guiying, will also be granted a first-grade imperial concubine."
"As for your official position, the commander-in-chief has resigned. Then go to the Rear Army Commander's Mansion and serve as the right army commander!"
Kneeling on the ground, listening to the emperor's chatter, Gao Yigong felt excited.
It's great that my sister is finally sealed.
The rest of the land was fertile, and the rewards were mountains and seas. Gao Yigong didn't pay much attention to it.
When he followed Li Zicheng into Beijing, he made hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. He had already seen the greatest shock.
After chatting again, the emperor suddenly said: "By the way, please call me Duke Jing!"
"Huh? I don't dare—" Gao Yigong's face turned pale with fright.
Liu Afu suddenly said: "Sir, this conflicts with your wording..."
"My name is Zhu Jingming, he is Jing next to the prince, it's different."
Zhu Yixi shook her head in amusement and said: "There is no need to avoid it at all, this word is very good."
That's all for Gao Yigong.
On the way back, he thought deeply for a long time.
Jing is not a simple word. It comes from the emperor's word, which has far-reaching meaning.
It’s so obvious that his nephew has adopted him as his sect!
After returning to the mansion, he washed up and hurried to a separate courtyard.
"Uncle——" The eldest nephew is almost six years old, and he is very lively. When he saw Gao Yigong coming, he was very happy.
Gao Guiying was sitting upright, with no rouge or gouache on her face, just wearing a plain skirt, watching her son running around in the shade of the tree.
"Sister, is it time for Yu'er to become enlightened?"
Gao Yigong hugged his nephew and felt that his hard work was worthwhile. Wasn't it just to preserve the blood of the Gao family after eating loess for so long?
"Yeah, it's time to become enlightened." Gao Guiying reacted, and then looked at her brother in surprise: "Why, haven't you hated reading the most since you were a child?"
"That happened in the Year of the Monkey." Gao Yigong shook his head: "I started to read a long time ago."
"Okay." Gao Guiying called her son over: "Go next door to play with some younger brothers and sisters."
The younger brothers and sisters here refer to the son and daughter born to Dou Meiyi.
The young and beautiful Dou Meiyi was more susceptible to the emperor's influence.
"I heard that you conquered a country?" Gao Guiying hurriedly came over and groped him up and down: "Are you okay? Are you not injured?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Gao Yigong felt warm and deliberately waved his arms and said, "I am now in charge of the Central Army, and it is not my turn to fight."
"Hey, even if the whole army is wiped out, I can still escape."
In response, Gao Guiying breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
"I just came to the palace for an audience. The emperor made me the Duke of Jing, with an estate of 5,000 households. He also gave my sister a first-grade wife."
"Who cares?" Gao Guiying said nonchalantly: "Since I gave birth to Yu'er, I haven't thought about anything. I only thought about raising him up, getting married and having children——"
"I'm talking about sister, Duke Jing, Jing!" Gao Yigong emphasized, excitedly: "This is a clear statement!"
"Before the imperial edict is promulgated, I will adopt Yu'er as my adopted son. I will say that he is an adopted son from Gansu."
"Adopted?" Gao Guiying was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, and then said anxiously: "You are still young, you can still give birth..."
"Sister, I know myself better than anyone else."
Gao Yigong smiled bitterly and said: "I have eight or nine wives and concubines, and I don't even have a daughter. It seems like I am the same as my brother-in-law..."
"Um, I mean I'm destined to be childless."
Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Gao Yigong quickly made up for it.
"God's will!"
Gao Guiying sighed and said with some relief: "Compared to others, Yu'er is your nephew after all, and he is half of the Gao family."
"That's right, I, the prince who worked hard to get here, can't take advantage of others, and I can't let the wealth go to other people's fields."
Gao Yigong nodded seriously.
"Now that Yu'er has been adopted, I have to leave here too." Gao Guiying said with a hint of joy, "Only by going to your house can I see him all the time——"
The next day, the emperor acquiesced in Gao Guiying's departure.
In a sense, the temperament that most attracted Gao Guiying, who is nearly forty years old, has disappeared.
Her whole body was filled with maternal brilliance, and she had long since fallen out of favor with him.
Later, Gao Yigong adopted a young boy as his adopted son in a low-key manner, invited some close dignitaries, and set up a few banquets.
Later, the Ministry of Rites personally sent a plaque: The palace of Duke Jing was built by imperial decree.
In the bustling mansion, rewards from the imperial court were announced.
Since then, Gao Yigong has come from behind and climbed to the pinnacle of honor.
Different from the previous low-key, this time he held a large-scale banquet with more than thirty tables, nearly two thousand people tasted the delicious food, and it was very lively in the capital.
There is no airtight wall in the world.
It has long been known to everyone in the harem that the emperor kept his wife outside the palace.
But who hasn't
Thinking that he actually adopted his son to someone else and succeeded him as Duke, people who knew the inside story were dumbfounded.
Of course, the reason why the emperor behaved this way was because he had many heirs and could not lack successors.
By the seventh year of Shaowu, there were more than ten official princes in the palace, reaching eleven, and eight princesses.
The healthy growth of his eldest son, King Wu Zhu Cunqu, is a reassurance for both the government and the public.
"Sister, the emperor is getting more and more excessive."
At this time, the damselfly couldn't help but come to Cining Palace and complained: "Even if it is an illegitimate child, it is still the blood of the Tian family. How can it be easily passed on to others?"
"Don't interfere with this matter."
Sun Xueniang sighed, how could she have the power to control the emperor?
Now she devoted her whole heart and soul to the King of Wu. As long as he was not established as the prince, Sun Xueniang would feel uneasy.
In any case, there was no way to threaten King Wu's inheritance. No matter how messy the emperor was, she didn't want to deal with it.
"Don't talk nonsense." Sun Xueniang said solemnly: "You are no longer alone, and you have several children. If you hate the emperor, it will be enough for you."
Sun Damiang muttered, but stopped talking.
After complaining for a long time, she left.
Sun Xueniang didn't know anything about her little thoughts. It was just that the emperor had been away less recently and felt unhappy.
There was calm inside and outside the palace for a few days, and smart people habitually kept their mouths shut, and no one dared to spread rumors.
However, on this day, news came from the Prince of Qin's Mansion that the current King of Qin was seriously ill and might not die soon.
The last king of Qin, Zhu Cunmu Ke, was only twenty-seven years old. Only a few years after he inherited the title, he was already terminally ill and hopeless.
The key thing is that there is no heir to inherit the title, which makes people worried and speechless.
The last few generations of Qin kings, Zhu Cunji, Zhu Cunji, and Zhu Cunmuyao, including the eldest son Zhu Cunshu who had not succeeded to the throne before, these four brothers were all short-lived.
It's very suspicious of Feng Shui issues.
The King of Qin had no heir. Such an important issue immediately aroused discussion in the court.
Logically speaking, the prince's clan should have the biggest say in the clan's mansion, but whoever allowed the civil servants to expand their power also had a say in the succession to the throne.
