"Your Highness, Your Majesty, you are familiar with your Majesty, I have never seen her before."
After some pleasantries and reminiscing, Xu Yihua finally got to the point.
After the words fell, Concubine Ning's slightly cloudy eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, and she said to Xu Yihua with a half-smile, "It's the fourth person who asked you to come to the palace. You want to know something about the situation."
After the death of Queen Ma and the death of Concubine Li Shu, it was not so easy for Concubine Ning to become the master of the harem.
Although I have never been involved in politics, I have more or less understanding of political matters.
What's more, regarding His Highness the Grand Sun, when she first entered the palace a few months ago, Concubine Ning asked someone to investigate the situation, including looking through Jin Yiwei's files.
Concubine Ning knew very well what happened between Zhu Di and Zhu Ying.
She knew it, but she didn't talk to Zhu Yuanzhang about it. He believed that His Majesty must also know it.
One is his son and the other is his eldest grandson.
This kind of problem is ultimately a matter of left and right hands, and it is difficult to choose between them.
Now there's nothing going on on the surface, so I just let it go.
When Xu Yihua asked, Concubine Ning thought for a moment and naturally understood.
She had heard a few days ago that an overseas talent recruitment center had been set up outside. Now the feudal prince's fiefdom would be taken back soon. Those who wanted to have a fiefdom had to expand their territory on their own.
Otherwise, he is just a wealthy and idle prince.
With Zhu Di's temperament, it is naturally impossible for him to be an idle prince. With the conquest of the Japanese country, some things are not difficult to guess.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from the empress."
Xu Yihua was not surprised or surprised and said with a smile.
Such a generous response made Concubine Ning laugh, and said: "You, you, are still so direct. But let me make it clear first, your grandson is your majesty's heart, so don't make any crooked ideas. "
"His Majesty's eyes are full of dust. Even if I go and tell you, I have to be careful."
Concubine Ning had proposed to Zhu Yuanzhang the method of blood recognition. Although Zhu Yuanzhang apparently agreed, the topic was not mentioned until the grandson's canonization.
Whether she forgot or was willing, Concubine Ning didn't know, but she knew very well that no matter whether it was intentional or otherwise, it was impossible to remind His Majesty about Taisu's blood acknowledgment.
In addition to the grandson's appearance, it was said that he had nothing to do with the prince, but no one believed it. Later, the Xiaoling Mausoleum was also excavated, and the coffins and corpses all disappeared.
Basically it can be explained clearly.
If I mention this matter again, I am afraid that His Majesty will be angry and offend the grandson, but there will be no benefit.
Concubine Ning had also secretly observed her grandson's character and personality.
His abilities in all aspects are excellent.
In many places, I feel familiar with His Majesty.
With her white bellyband and eyebrows similar to those of Empress Ma, Concubine Ning felt truly relieved.
After hearing Concubine Ning's instructions, Xu Yihua immediately said, "My dear, my grandson is the nephew of King Yan. They have known each other since they were uncle and nephew in Peking, and I was lucky enough to meet him once."
"Before this, there may have been some misunderstanding, but I can't explain it too much. After all, we are all a family, and some things are not so serious."
"His Royal Highness Taisun appointed King Yan as the general to conquer the Japanese. It shows that he still trusts King Yan in his heart."
Listening to Xu Yihua's explanation, Concubine Ning nodded slightly, and then said with a smile: "That's the case, then why did you enter the palace this time?"
Xu Yihua's face seemed to be filled with resentment, and she said, "My Lady, is it possible that Yihua can't come into the palace to see you and Your Majesty?"
Concubine Ning did not accept this trick and said with a smile: "How can I not know about your little thoughts? Tell me what you want to do. If you don't say it now, don't say it later."
Xu Yihua suddenly became a little embarrassed.
With his speaking skills and rhythm control, it turns out that he is still as good as he is old.
He could only bite the bullet and said: "Yihua just wants to invite His Highness Taisun. If you have free time, you can go to Prince Yan's Mansion to reminisce about the past."
Concubine Ning was silent for a long time after hearing this.
Naturally, she would not feel afraid that Zhu Di would be unkind to His Highness Taisun. This was the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and if he did anything inappropriate, if nothing else, King Yan would definitely be demoted to a commoner and expelled from the imperial status.
But Concubine Ning was thinking in her mind whether she should help in this matter, or what would happen if she helped.
He is Concubine Ning and Concubine Guo Ning.
Not only in Lao Zhu’s family, but also in Lao Guo’s family.
His own child Zhu Tan died young, but his grandson is still here.
The eldest brother Guo Xing died early, and his eldest son also died in the war. There are still several legitimate sons who need to be taken care of.
The second brother Guo Ying is now considered a very popular minister. He is the commander-in-chief of the imperial army and has won the trust of His Majesty.
But she knew His Majesty's temperament. The more she was trusted, the more cautious she had to be. Being impeached for the slightest mistake would arouse His Majesty's suspicion.
Once you fall into suspicion, it is basically determined.
In normal times, no matter what it is, never go beyond the slightest step and abide by etiquette.
Seeing that Concubine Ning was deep in thought, Xu Yihua looked a little anxious. Facing the master of the harem, she had nothing to offer, the only thing she had was the emotions she had in the palace.
After many years, Xu Yihua was not sure what would happen now.
He could only wait quietly for Concubine Ning's last words.
Concubine Ning thought about it and looked at Xu Yihua. She felt a little embarrassed, but she really liked the child Xu Yihua. The past memories came to her mind. Concubine Ning sighed softly: "That's it, that's all. I will help you this time."
"Their uncle-nephew relationship is their own business, but I can't decide on this matter. What happens next depends on them."
"If His Highness Taisun insists on not seeing you, there is nothing I can do. You also know His Majesty's temperament clearly."
"In my opinion, there's no need to go to Prince Yan's Mansion. It's almost the New Year's Eve. This is the first year that the grandson has come back. His Majesty will definitely make a big deal. In addition, many princes are coming this year, so naturally he will Have a lively New Year.”
"On that festive day, let's find an opportunity for the uncle and nephew to have a good chat. What do you think?"
After hearing this, Xu Yihua hesitated for a moment and said, "Everything depends on the Queen's orders."
Concubine Ning smiled and said: "You, you, your Majesty, please go and pay your respects, but there is no need to say too much. If you say too much, you will make many mistakes. Now in this palace, the only one who can bias Your Majesty is I have grandsons, including me, so I have to go down the row."
"Although I am old now, I am still innocent in my heart."
This was Concubine Ning's reminder to Xu Yihua, which was almost equivalent to directly telling him that the grandson was with His Majesty, so don't even mention it.
With your Majesty's temperament, if you say a few words, you may be suspected of having some bad intentions.
"Yihua understands."
Xu Yihua replied with flashing eyes.
She had truly seen what was going on with His Majesty, His Majesty the Grand Sun.
This King of Yan is completely incomparable.
Concubine Ning was always wary of everything she said. In my impression, even the prince was not so favored back then, right?
It can be imagined that the current grandson is almost no different from His Majesty.
This made Xu Yihua feel very worried and a little bit aggrieved.
They are all princes and grandsons, how can they be so biased?
After saluting, Xu Yihua sold the harem gate and walked away in the wind and snow.
Concubine Ning stood in front of the door, looked at Xu Yihua's back, and sighed softly.
...
"Is it ready? How long will it take? We can't wait any longer. This fragrance makes us so comfortable."
"Grandpa, it needs to be cooked, right away."
"Hurry up, hurry up, who is it? Liu He, bring us the tongs quickly."
"Grandpa, be careful if you burn it."
"Hey, Dasun, you don't know, with this mouth of ours, how can we be afraid... Ouch, it will burn us to death."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, hurry up, send the doctor to you quickly."
"Nonsense, can this burn us? Back then, we were never afraid of being burned. In this weather, having a hot bite to eat is something I never dreamed of."
"Grandpa, eat slowly, don't choke..."
In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace of the Ming Dynasty, the doors and windows were closed, and many piles of charcoal fires were rising in the room.
In the center of the hall, Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang sat opposite each other on several small stools, with a brazier in the middle.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was taking the freshly roasted sweet potatoes and devouring them.
"It's so good!!! The bones in our body are all warm. It's so comfortable. It's so comfortable. Dasun, you know, eating these sweet potatoes roasted like this really warms my heart in this severe winter."
Zhu Yuanzhang ate most of it before he stopped and said to his eldest grandson with a smile.
Zhu Ying took the tongs, scratched the bottom of the basin, raised the fire, and replied with a smile: "Grandpa, eating it this way is really the best thing about sweet potatoes. When my grandson was in the Western Regions, he would eat it most every winter. This is the roasted sweet potato.”
"It's delicious and sweet, and it can fill your stomach and ward off the cold. My grandson relied on this roasted sweet potato to attract many people in the Western Region, and he must have saved a lot of lives."
"In the years to come, I hope that the people of Ming Dynasty can eat such a roasted sweet potato every winter. Thinking about this day, I feel more and more hopeful."
Listening to Da Sun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang also sighed and said: "When we were begging on the streets, the most difficult thing to endure was winter. If someone gave us such a piece of roasted sweet potato during the cold and snowy season, it would really tear out my heart. "
"However, I have been begging for many years and have not had a single meal. It is common to be hungry for several days. How can I get such charity?"
Zhu Yuanzhang wandered for three years, from Haozhou to the south to Hefei, then turned west to Henan, arrived at Gushi and Xinyang, then went north to Ruzhou, Chenzhou and other places, passed through Luyi and Bozhou in the east, and finally returned to Huangzhou Jue Temple.
Begging is not a simple matter. Being able to beg for a bite of food also requires skills.
After three years of begging, I traveled to Dayi, the famous capital in Huaixi, and got in touch with the customs and customs of various places. I also saw the world, broadened my horizons, and accumulated experience in social life. The hard wandering life created Zhu Yuanzhang's perseverance and courageous character, but it also made him cruel and jealous.
Struggling to survive at the bottom, in troubled times, is like walking on the edge of purgatory, or even a little bit into the abyss.
Those who are not hard-hearted, ruthless, thin-skinned, and dull-minded will have long since turned into dust and dispersed.
Go out and come back, no matter what.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not a lucky man, and perhaps only he himself knew some of the shocking experiences.
"Speaking of which, we have to thank Tang He. If he hadn't written to us, we wouldn't have been able to defect to the Red Scarf Army, and here we are today."
Holding the hot sweet potato, Zhu Yuanzhang looked out the window and murmured: "In a blink of an eye, nearly fifty years have passed."
After speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said: "Liu He."
"I'm here."
"Give some of these roasted sweet potatoes to Duke Xin and let him warm himself."
"I obey the decree."
Liu He quickly picked up the tongs, carefully pulled out a sweet potato, and glanced at His Majesty from the corner of his eye.
"How can one be enough? At least...two. Just two. There are only a few in total. Dasun and I still have to eat."
"I obey the decree."
Liu Heba pulled out two roasted sweet potatoes, immediately summoned the officials, wrapped them in silk scarves, and packed them in wooden boxes.
The young eunuch took the wooden box, bowed and retreated to the door of the hall, carefully pushed a small gap, quickly stepped out and closed it tightly, for fear that the wind and snow outside would disturb His Majesty's enjoyment.
There was still a bit of cold wind blowing, but Zhu Yuanzhang, who was warm, didn't care.
Smiling and taking the tongs, Zhu Yuanzhang skillfully pulled out a large roasted sweet potato, took it from Liu He who had prepared a silk scarf beside him, and handed it to the eldest grandson in his hand: "Here, eldest grandson eats it."
Zhu Ying took it with a smile: "Okay."
The old one and the young one started eating again in the cold snow.
....
This winter is for all the people living at the bottom of the capital, that is, all kinds of people.
Truly the best winter ever.
"It's all thanks to His Majesty's blessing that we can live such a peaceful life. I never imagined that this street would actually be so clean."
"Those beggars and the gang have all disappeared."
"In this world, there is really more and more hope."
"Yes, it was difficult to buy firewood in previous years. Every year at the end of the year, the price will inevitably rise. Thanks to His Highness, those profiteers can't raise the price. I really can't imagine the price now."
"Have you heard? Over there in Sanyuan Alley, the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is selling charcoal. I heard that it is a good thing. It can burn for several hours when lit. The price is not much more expensive than firewood."
"Is this true? Coal can be bought by ordinary people like us?"
"Why are you lying to me? It has been spread all over the streets and alleys. You are the only one who doesn't know it because you lie at home all day long."
"Lie down more and you can save some food. I won't say more. There are still some for sale. I have to buy some quickly."
"Go together, go together."
Even if there is heavy cold and snow, it still cannot stop the enthusiasm of the people living in the streets.
There are more and more people on the street.
However, the closer you get to Sanyuan Alley, you can actually feel a touch of warmth in this severe cold.
The pace of passers-by is getting faster and faster.
Turning the corner of the alley, it suddenly became lively.
The crowds were stacked in layers, which was not surprising. What was shocking and inexplicable was that in this upper corridor, there was a brazier standing every few meters.
The hot air from the brazier was so warm that it seemed like I could let go of my hands and feet.
"Where are you? Why can't you see the end?"
"In the lobby at the front, wow, the queue is really slow. I don't know how long it will take to get to our side."
"Don't mention it. It's very warm in the lobby up front. It's said that even the outer clothes are a little warm. There are government servants chasing people inside. When we get inside, we just need to buy a few kilograms of charcoal. We don't need to wait any longer."
"If it's our turn, we'll have to wait a little longer, hahaha."
Hearty laughter comes and goes.
For many years, I haven't heard such heartfelt cheers from the people in this capital city.
