On the east side of the capital, there is a majestic vermilion mansion with extraordinary grandeur, its shape is second only to the palace. Here is the famous Ten Princes' Palace.
During the Yongle Dynasty, various vassal dynasties held court meetings one after another. Therefore, Emperor Taizong built the Ten Prince's Palace in order to accommodate the vassal kings who came to the capital for pilgrimage. It also served as a residence for the adult princes to be ennobled.
It should be said that some princes like Zhu Qiyu, who had already been granted the title of king but were given a mansion in the capital instead of becoming a vassal, were an exception.
This is one of the reasons why many people in Beijing believe that the Tian family has a deep brotherhood.
When the former king of Fanfan came to Beijing, the imperial court reopened the Zongren Mansion, conferring the title of Da Zongzheng on King Min and Zuo Zongzheng on King Xiang.
Therefore, the two of them naturally want to stay in Beijing.
However, the only palace in Beijing that qualified for the status of a prince was Prince Xin's Mansion, and it naturally belonged to Prince Min.
As for King Xiang, he can still only live temporarily in the Ten Princes' Mansion, which lasts for one year.
Originally, there were still many clan children who were summoned to the capital to study in the clan's academy living in the Ten Prince's Mansion.
But then it gradually became less and less.
As for the reason, of course it’s because of Prince Xiang!
The emperor attached great importance to religious studies, so the imperial court naturally did not dare to neglect it. At the beginning of the new year, the Ministry of Rites submitted a charter for the establishment of religious studies.
Generally speaking, the Ministry of Rites is responsible for organizing and hosting, the Hanlin Academy is responsible for teaching, and the Zongren Mansion is responsible for punishment and supervision. The final assessment is jointly approved by the three parties.
The division of labor was thus determined, but a problem arose.
That is, the Zongren Mansion has not had a government for many years, and has no officials. It only has a name. Now that it is reopened for the sake of Zongxue, it is easy to talk about the subordinate officials. They can be directly seconded from the Ministry of Rites.
However, there is no yamen for office use!
The two distinguished princes, Prince Min and Prince Xiang, could not condescend to work in the Ministry of Rites, but it seemed not worthwhile to prepare another Yamen.
What's more, Prince Min has been lingering on the sickbed for more than half a year, basically not taking care of anything. When the time comes, he really opens a huge yamen, and the big cats and kittens are deserted. Wouldn't it be embarrassing?
So, in the end, Mr. Hu Hui from the Ministry of Rites went to discuss it with Prince Xiang himself.
Anyway, the Zongren Mansion is mainly responsible for the disciplinary affairs of the Zongxue, so it simply opened a small yamen within the Zongxue for office use.
Naturally, Zhu Zhanzhen had no objection to this proposal, but it caused a lot of trouble for the disciples of the sect.
When I arrived at Zongxue every day, I saw Zuo Zongzheng with a dark face. When I returned to the Tenth Prince's Mansion, I still couldn't escape his old man's gaze.
After learning from the painful experience, all the members of the clan who had some financial resources submitted petitions one after another to purchase a mansion for themselves, and the reasons they used were very high-sounding.
I want to be closer to Zongxue and make it easier to study.
During that time, the land prices near Zongxue suddenly doubled or tripled, but for these young masters, they still flocked to it.
As a result, the number of people in the huge Ten Princes' Mansion gradually decreased.
Apart from King Xiang and his eldest son, there are only some low-level clan members who cannot afford to buy mansions outside and are still walking on thin ice every day.
Although the clan government was re-established, it was limited to managing clan affairs.
The rule that the clan cannot interfere in politics is still there, so Prince Xiang naturally does not need to attend any court meetings. He only goes to the palace to pay tribute during the New Year and festivals.
Therefore, Prince Xiang has a very regular schedule. He gets up at midnight every day, has breakfast, studies music theory for half an hour, and then goes to the Zongxue for a tour to resolve the fights between the gang of dandies and check their homework. , if nothing happens, he will return to the Tenth Prince's Mansion early to stay.
But today, he broke his long-standing habit.
At nine o'clock, when it was just dawn, Zhu Zhanzhen got up, went to the study and sat down. He read the memorial he had already written several times carefully, and then felt it was inappropriate, so he revised it again and again. After struggling with the conversation for half an hour, I was finally satisfied.
After personally copying the memorial again, he leaned back on his chair, rubbed his eyes, and showed a rare look of fatigue.
The door to the study room was gently pushed open, and a young man with a kind face walked in and said.
"Greetings to my father."
Zhu Zhanzhen showed a trace of kindness on his face, waved his hand, asked the young man to stand up, and said.
"Why are you here? It's time to go to Zongxue soon. Is breakfast available?"
This young man is Zhu Zhanzhen's eldest son, named Zhu Qiyong. Naturally, he is also the crown prince of Prince Xiang who has been officially canonized by the imperial court.
It should be said that in terms of ability and talent, his son is actually not outstanding, but there is only one thing that is good, that is, filial piety.
Zhu Zhanzhen himself attaches great importance to the distinction between legitimate concubines and concubines, so he is also very partial to this son. Like other sons, it is difficult to get such caring words in front of him.
Zhu Qiyong was obviously used to this kind of scene. He stood up and came to Zhu Zhanzhen's side and said.
"Thank you, Father, for your concern. The child will bring some food to go to the Zong School for use. On weekdays, the Zong School starts early, so the child does not dare to disturb the Father. It is rare for him to be able to calm down in the morning and dusk."
"I finally have the opportunity today, so naturally I have to come to pay my respects to my father."
A trace of satisfaction flashed in Zhu Zhanzhen's eyes, but he still said.
"Okay, my father knows your filial piety, and An has also invited you to go to school quickly. I will instruct the kitchen later and make some snacks for you to send over."
Zhu Qiyong stood up, knelt down and saluted again, bowed respectfully, and was about to retreat, but he seemed to have inadvertently caught a glimpse of the memorial on the desk.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qiyong asked tentatively: "Father, is this memorial a greeting to His Majesty?"
Although he is now in the capital, after all, the clan cannot interfere with government affairs. Therefore, this kind of memorial has to be handed in. In addition to clan affairs, it is also about daily greetings.
Zhu Zhanzhen frowned. He didn't expect his son, who was usually taciturn, to suddenly ask about this. However, he didn't think much about it and just said.
"No, my father has something to report to the court. This matter has nothing to do with you. Don't worry about it. Just go to school."
Zhu Qiyong glanced at the memorial on the desk and wanted to say something.
However, after all, it was his father's usual prestige that took effect. After hesitating for a moment, he said nothing more, only bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Zhu Zhanzhen didn't pay attention to this small episode. After Zhu Qiyong left, he called the chief historian of the palace and asked him to send the memorial.
Then, he called the butler over and ordered him to prepare some snacks and send them to the prince's school.
After arranging these things, he slowly went out to have breakfast and rest for a while.
The snow outside the window has stopped, but the weather is already very cold. However, for some reason, Zhu Zhanyi always feels a little restless today and cannot calm down.
After thinking about it, he decided not to go to Zongxue first, but returned to Linhu Xiaozhu, opened the piano score he just got, and prepared to study the famous music in it that had long been lost.
The sky gradually became brighter, and finally it was no longer foggy, but sunny.
Although the weather is cold, the lake in front of you has not frozen. On the contrary, it is very interesting against the backdrop of the surrounding snow.
Zhu Zhanzhen was sitting in a small house near the lake, surrounded by several warm stoves. He was playing with the guqin and piano music he had just obtained in his hands. The restlessness in his heart was finally relieved a little.
However, before the half-stick incense had passed, the old housekeeper hurriedly walked outside the pavilion, knelt down several steps away, and said.
"Your Majesty, something happened. Liu Changshi was arrested outside the palace!"
With a "Zheng" sound, the guqin in Zhu Zhanzhen's hand made a piercing cry. The birds looking for food around him were startled and flew up in confusion with fluttering wings.
"presumptuous!"
Zhu Zhanzhen put down the music score in his hand, anger surged on his face, and he asked coldly.
"Who dares to be so bold? Dongchang? Or Jinyiwei?"
"You have really rebelled against them, and I, the long history of this king, dare to stop you. Do you really think that you don't take the prince of the clan seriously?"
Although the clan of the Ming Dynasty had no substantial power, it had a very high status.
To them, both Dongchang and Jinyiwei were nothing more than slaves and retainers. Zhu Zhanzhen was naturally angry when he was so offended by a lower-ranking person.
He himself knew what was written in this memorial, so in his opinion, if anyone would stop this memorial, it would naturally be Dongchang or Jinyiwei under Emperor Du.
However, seeing his prince so angry, the old housekeeper lowered his head and looked forward to Ai Ai's words.
"My lord, it's none of them, it's... it's Zhang Qingcheng from the Zongren Mansion!"
"Zhang Lin?"
Zhu Zhanzhen's face looked a little better, but his brows were still furrowed and he said displeasedly.
"What did he do to stop Liu Changshi? Tell him to come over and see me!"
The structure of the Zongren Mansion is extremely simple. Under the Dazongzheng are the Left and Right Zongzhengs, and then the Left and Right Zongzhengs, all of whom are held by royal family members and are responsible for managing clan affairs.
There is an Experience Department under it, with one person who is a fifth-grade experienced person and two subordinate officials, who assist in handling document affairs.
This Zhang Lin was seconded to the Zongren Mansion from the Ministry of Rites. His official position was Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Rites. During this period, he assisted Zhu Zhanzhen in handling Zongxue affairs, and he was quite diligent.
Zhu Zhanyi had a good impression of him, but he didn't expect that he would dare to stop his people. I have to say that at this time, Zhu Zhanyi was still very annoyed, and his tone was not very good.
However, what surprised him even more was that after giving the instructions, the old housekeeper still did not move where he was, but continued to lower his head and speak hesitantly.
"Your Majesty, Liu Changshi said at that time that Zhang Qingcheng should come to see you in person if there was anything you wanted to do. As a result, Zhang Qingcheng said...said..."
"say what?"
Zhu Zhanchen's irritability became more and more intense, and he asked impatiently.
The old housekeeper took courage and spoke.
"He said that it was against the rules for you to submit the memorial to the court privately. He also said that he had brought the memorial and Liu Changshi to the training hall and asked you to go and receive them in person."
"presumptuous!"
Zhu Zhanzhen stood up suddenly, his voice stern, and the little good impression he had on Zhang Lin suddenly disappeared.
"A mere fifth-grade official actually asked me to go see him? What a big deal!"
The old housekeeper didn't dare to raise his head. After pausing for a moment, he still had to bite the bullet and ask.
"Then, Your Majesty, your memorial, and Liu Changshi..."
Zhu Zhanzhen's face was solemn, he thought about it, and finally, he snorted coldly and ordered.
"Go to Zongxue!"
As a policy announced in the Zhengdan Edict, the establishment of Zongxue was obviously a major move after the emperor ascended the throne, so the Ministry of Rites naturally did its best.
After it was finally finalized, they immediately joined forces with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs to expand the Imperial College and build an academy that could accommodate hundreds of disciples of the sect to study at the same time.
To the south of this academy, there is a courtyard with three entrances. There is a sign hanging on it with the words "Zongren's Mansion" written on it.
Entering the courtyard, there is a slightly smaller sign hanging on the lintel of the second door with the words 'Discipline Hall' written on it.
This is now the temporary yamen of the clan's mansion. At the same time, it is also the training hall responsible for punishing the clan's children who make mistakes in their studies.
Zhu Zhanyi got off the sedan chair in front of the Zongxue School and strode outside the training hall. He found that the atmosphere today was a little different from the past.
In the past, when he came in, everyone along the way was respectful to him, but today, although they were still respectful, he always felt that there was something wrong with the way they looked at him.
Entering the courtyard, the situation became even more bizarre.
You must know that as the emperor's biological uncle and the late Emperor's conferred King Xiang, his status in the sect was second only to the old King Min.
When he arrived, everyone in the training hall should have come out to greet him.
But, not today.
With doubts, Zhu Zhanyi walked into the hall. The first thing he saw was Liu Changshi kneeling in the hall. At this moment, Liu Changshi had obviously been punished. His clothes were stained with blood and his face was extremely pale. .
In front of him, leaning sideways and expressionless, was Zhang Lin, whom Zhu Zhanzhen originally thought was the 'culprit'.
However, after just one glance, he gave up this idea.
Because, at this moment, a person who he never thought would appear here appeared in the hall.
"My great-nephew Zhu Zhanyi, I would like to pay my respects to my great-uncle King Min."
Yes, the old man in python robe who is sitting upright now with his eyes slightly closed has been on the sickbed for a long time and has never interfered in religious affairs. However, it is true that he is the great Zongzheng of the Zongren Mansion and the current Zhu family. The oldest member of the clan, King Zhu Chu of Min!
Zhu Zhanzhen was a very polite person, so the first time he saw King Lao Min, he bowed deeply and held his hands in front of him as a courtesy.
However, Zhu Chu didn't give him face.
Hearing the voice, Zhu Zhen, who had closed his eyes to rest, opened his eyes. An old voice sounded and only said two words.
"Kneel down!"
Zhu Zhanchen raised his head, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he did not disobey.
After all, the person in front of him is his elder, and moreover, he is his great-uncle.
However, after taking a quick glance at the miserable Liu Changshi, Zhu Zhanzhen felt an ominous premonition in his heart.
Sure enough, after Zhu Zhanyi knelt down obediently, King Lao Min finally took action.
The old man pressed his hands on the armrests of the chair and slowly stood up.
It can be seen that the old Min King's body is indeed a piece of candle in the wind.
It was such a simple action, but it seemed a bit difficult for the old man to do it. Even after standing up, he couldn't help but cough violently.
Zhu Yinqi, who was standing behind Zhu Zhen, looked at this scene with a worried look on his face and called softly.
"grandfather……"
However, he just yelled, with a look on his face, clearly wanting to go up and help Old Min King, but in the end, he stopped abruptly and stood still.
Zhu Ming rarely paid attention to this grandson. He finally stopped coughing. A pair of cloudy old eyes fell on Zhu Zhanzhen. Then, he stretched out his trembling hands to the side and said solemnly.
"Please help me!"
