Summer has not yet entered, but the weather in Yanyun Land is already quite domineering.
The north wind howled, turning the wild sand and white grass, like a general galloping on horseback, with an iron horse behind him. If the spring in the south is like the tenderness of the young family members on the Jiangnan boat, then the spring in the north is like the sleeping ax awakening on the eve of midsummer.
Zhu Gaojie looked at the towering Beiping City in front of him. The city walls were mottled, but he could still see the eternal majesty. He sighed: "I'm home."
…
Zhu Di lived a happy life in Shuntian Mansion.
He left all the government affairs to Zhu Gaojie, and went to Shuntian to enjoy his happiness alone. Without the hassle of paperwork, Lao Zhu felt that he was ten years younger.
When he had nothing to do, he drank tea, walked around, and rode horses to hunt in the mountains outside Peiping City. But when he heard that his prince was coming to Shuntian Mansion with a large number of ministers, the emperor hesitated.
If these plague gods also come to Shuntian Mansion, can I still be as leisurely as I am now?
Zhu Di felt that he had become a "clear sect" and just wanted to lie down and die.
You can put off things this year if you can. If you're lucky, you won't have to do them if you die tomorrow.
As for what the Ming Dynasty would do without its emperor?
It doesn't matter, after all, the prince is still there to support him.
However, when people come, they cannot be turned away. Although he has now entrusted the power of the empire to the crown prince, he is still the emperor of the Ming Empire after all.
…
After Zhu Gaojie saw Zhu Di, he rubbed his eyes and suspected that he had recognized the wrong person.
Why does this old man keep getting younger and younger as he lives?
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows and said, "What do you mean by that look in your eyes?"
Zhu Gaojiu said dryly: "I haven't seen you for a few months, but my father's demeanor remains the same, as if he is full of life."
"Ha ha."
Zhu Di chuckled lightly and sighed, "Thirty fame and fame are dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of clouds and moons. In my life, I have more than thirty fame and eight thousand miles of journey. I think back on how heroic I was when I rode in the Northern Expedition. I went into battle to kill the enemy and fought bloody battles, and I have endless strength in my body. Now, I can't even eat two steamed buns in one meal. I am still old after all."
"My father is still young and powerful, why do you say this?"
"There is no need to comfort me. I know how much time I have left."
Zhu Di waved his hand, "I have at least seven or eight years left. It's just a fleeting moment, and it's gone in a blink of an eye. For a person like me who has been burdened with heinous sins, it's a lucky thing that he can live to this age. He has no longer been greedy for the world. heart."
"The Ming Dynasty is not a one-man empire. I heard about your tax reform. I am very relieved. I am relieved that the Ming Dynasty is entrusted to you. You can do it with confidence. I will support you behind your back. support."
Even with the power Zhu Gaojie currently holds, he would not dare to act rashly in setting up an institution like the Tax Supervisory Yuan, which is comparable to the six ministries. The Ming Dynasty is not his one-word authority, and there is an emperor above him.
If it were not for Zhu Di's acquiescence, the Tax Supervision Institute would not be able to stand up at all. An organization involves the transfer of thousands of officials and tens of thousands of border troops. Such a huge change, if Zhu Di can no longer see it, it can only mean that His Majesty the Emperor is blind.
But from beginning to end, Zhu Di did not oppose Zhu Gaojie's policies.
He chose this time to appoint Zhu Gaojie as the crown prince, and he was already ready to entrust the empire to him, which is enough to show his trust in Zhu Gaojie.
What's more, the old man doesn't have time.
He has no time to cultivate a new heir. In just seven years, is it possible that he will have another prince? If you don't trust Zhu Gaoji, you can only support Zhu Gaochi to rise to power. But if he is abolished and re-established like that, doesn't it mean that Zhu Di made a mistake out of ignorance?
How will future generations evaluate him, Emperor Yongle?
Zhu Di didn't want to lose his reputation in the last few years and have his reputation be ruined.
Zhu Di, who is nearly sixty years old, has no room for error in selecting the first heir to the empire.
And Zhu Gaojie, the new prince, did not disappoint Zhu Di. Although the tax change was very bold, the new prince made every link impeccable, and the turmoil caused was quickly calmed down.
Taking chestnuts from the fire, the Tax Supervisor collected 97 million taels of silver from the southern provinces in just one month.
Ninety-seven million taels!
When Zhu Di saw this number, he almost died on the spot with excitement!
The Ming Dynasty finally got rid of the nickname of "The Poor Dynasty"!
Now Zhu Di can completely believe in himself, and he can also completely trust Zhu Gaojie.
Zhu Gaojie, the founder of the Hengjing Prosperity, had been in power for thirty years and pushed the Ming Empire to an unprecedented height!
When he thought that the Ming Dynasty had a new sword-wielder, Zhu Di sighed in his heart that he could finally put it to death with peace of mind.
"Father, is there anything wrong?"
Zhu Gaojie observed the subtle fluctuations on the old man's face, and he couldn't figure out what the old man was thinking.
Zhu Di's expression did not change: "I am thinking that after the Ming Dynasty, you will be in charge of the overall situation. I can also take care of myself and take care of myself. After fighting for a lifetime, I can finally enjoy comfort."
Damn it, why did I say what was in my heart!
Zhu Gaojie was silent for a while, laughed twice, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
I want to show off too!
But the strength does not allow it!
In order to ease the embarrassment, Zhu Di changed the subject and said: "Go to the third child's place. You two brothers haven't seen each other again for many years. He must miss you very much."
Zhu Gaojiao bowed and said, "I will leave first."
…
Prince Zhao's Mansion.
"Ah ha ha ha, fourth child, I look forward to the stars and the moon, but I hope you are here. It's not easy. We two brothers must have a good drink tonight. We will not come back until we are drunk!"
Prince Zhao went out to greet him warmly, but Zhu Gaojie didn't feel flattered at all. He said in an easy-going manner: "Third brother, it took several years in the blink of an eye. My brother misses you."
"Okay, okay, it's good that you can still remember me, Third Brother."
King Zhao gave a thumbs up and said in admiration, "Although I have never left the gate of Beiping City these years, I have heard of all your heroic deeds. Going out from Liaodong in the east, you destroyed two countries in a row, and cut down two countries. The vassal vassal has introduced new taxes, and you are a generation of heroes in civil, political and martial arts, and even the second child has been destroyed by you."
Having said this, Prince Zhao was a little frightened, "No wonder when we two brothers were drinking, you told me not to follow the second brother, but you still hid this trick?"
The last time Zhu Gaojie came to Shuntian Mansion, he advised King Zhao not to hang out with the King of Han anymore. If he continues to hang out with the King of Han, he will only die.
At that time, King Zhao was still dissatisfied. After all, at that time, the princelings and the King of Han's party were competing against each other, each showing their own abilities. The King of Han was not a soft persimmon who could be manipulated by others. The power of King Zhao's palace was not as powerful as the boss. If he did not join forces with the second brother, Doesn’t that make the road narrow?
Fortunately, in the end, King Zhao's nature broke out after heeding the advice, and he still chose to believe in Lao Si, and he and King Han gradually drifted apart and finally parted ways.
How could he have imagined that within two years, Prince Qi's Mansion would advance rapidly and become the biggest dark horse in the struggle between the country and the country, suddenly taking control of the court and crushing all political opponents.
Prince Zhu Gaochi, regarded as the biggest enemy by King Zhao, was inexplicably deposed as King of Gan and lost his ability to compete. The King of Han was also defeated at the hands of Lao Si and became the puppet of Lao Si and the old man. Now he can only do some dirty work.
If King Zhao had not listened to the advice at that time and persisted in following King Han to the end, I am afraid that he would have become a ghost by the sword now.
After all, King Zhao has already made a mistake once. When he assassinated King Shajia, he touched the old man's bottom line and reached the edge of the red line. If he makes another wrong step here, he will not only be deprived of power or title. , what awaited him was sudden death on the spot.
The old man can forgive him once, but if he still doesn't repent, does he really think Emperor Yongle is some kind-hearted living Bodhisattva?
When he was massacring Jianwen's old ministers, the old man didn't bat an eyelid. Tens of thousands of people were brutally killed at every turn. The Jinling City back then was like a hell, with corpses everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.
Zhu Gaojie smiled: "Third brother, do you know what I admire most about you?"
King Zhao asked curiously: "Which point?"
Zhu Gaojie said with emotion: "Third brother, your greatest advantage is that you listen to advice!"
King Zhao laughed: "Haha, I can't help it. I'm just a soft-eared person. What's more, you are my biological brother who has the best relationship with me. If I don't listen to you, who will I listen to?"
Zhu Gaojie actually had nothing to say.
Prince Zhao's greatest strength is that he listens to advice, but his greatest weakness is that he acknowledges his mistakes but does not correct them.
A person like King Zhao is good at playing tricks and is suspicious by nature. He is very smart and does not speak harshly even after knowing where he made a mistake. He admits his mistake willingly. But precisely because of his suspicion, King Zhao would always doubt this and that, and hesitated at critical moments.
For a person like King Zhao, he can do great things in small business, but when big things happen, King Zhao will fall down.
None of Zhu Disheng's sons is good. If you insist on saying which one is the most useless, it can only be King Zhao.
It's not that Zhu Gaojie looked down on King Zhao, it was the character of his third brother that determined that this could only be a python, not a dragon.
"Now that we've talked about it, third brother, do you mind if I say a few more unpleasant words?" Zhu Gaojie asked.
"I'm having an affair with your third brother, aren't we? Who of the two of us is following whom? If you have anything to say, feel free to say it boldly." King Zhao said with a smile, "Your third brother and I have been waiting for you to mention something. I have a few words."
"Okay, if that's the case, I'll make it clear."
Zhu Gaojie rubbed his hands and asked, "The third brother's vassal state is in Shuntian, but now that the old man has moved the capital to Shuntian, as a vassal king, it is naturally impossible for you to live in Shuntian for a long time. Have you ever thought about another country?" Choosing a vassal country is all about vassal affairs?"
King Zhao was a little confused, "Even if we re-establish the vassal state, the old man will not push me. No matter what happens, I will wait until the old man returns to the west. What do I want to do now?"
He was the current vassal king. Although he was not the emperor's eldest son, he was still his legitimate son. At first, the old man granted Beiping, the land of Longxing, to King Zhao as a vassal state. Now that the capital has been moved to Beiping, naturally it can no longer be used as a vassal state for King Zhao.
However, for the sake of Empress Xu's son, the old man could not drive him away no matter what. According to the rules, King Zhao should wait until the old man dies and the new emperor ascends the throne to retake the vassal state.
King Zhao was born and raised in Peiping, and he later became a vassal state in Beiping. Naturally, he couldn't bear to part with this land. He wished that he would die on this land. He couldn't bear to re-establish vassal status for a while.
King Zhao said with some displeasure: "Old Fourth, do you think my brother is an eyesore in the city of Beiping, and are you thinking of driving me away?"
"Third brother, what are you talking about? As far as our relationship is concerned, I wish I could be buried in the same coffin board as you. How could I expel you?"
Zhu Gaojie was not an old man, so of course he couldn't just say what was in his heart.
In fact, King Zhao's guess was correct. Zhu Gaojie really didn't want King Zhao to stay in Beiping City anymore.
Although King Zhao no longer poses any threat to him, most of Zhu Gaojie's hidden secrets in Beiping City were taken over from King Zhao. If King Zhao does not choose another fiefdom, he will become a vassal. The hidden objects in his hands were uncomfortable to use.
Only when King Zhao leaves Beiping City can Zhu Gaojie live comfortably.
Beiping City does not allow such awesome people to exist!
But it’s good that you understand these words in your heart, but they don’t sound good when you say them. Zhu Gaojie said seriously: “Third brother, if you continue to stay in Beiping City, it will do more harm than good. Judging from the current situation, the further you are delayed, the more you will be hurt. The more aggrieved you are. How the court treats Zongfan now, you also understand that the Zongfan in the future will not be as unrestrained as in the early years of Yongle, and the belt must be tightened to live. Why don't you take advantage of now and take the initiative? I'd like to apply to the old man for the vassal status, let the old man think of you well, and take the opportunity to ask for some benefits from the old man."
King Zhao smiled disdainfully and said, "Third brother, do you think I am in need of money? I have been entrenched in Beiping City for so many years. Although my wings were broken when I missed the mark, I have plenty of gold and silver."
Zhu Gaojie said in a deep voice: "Is it possible that the third brother's vision is so short-sighted that he can see the gold and silver in front of him?"
King Zhao frowned slightly: "What do you mean by this?"
Zhu Gaojie said calmly: "In the prosperous times, gold is not as good as dung. This is a bit exaggerated, but that's what it means. If you want to make gold and silver and other cash in the prosperous times, there are many ways. What is important is the land. Gold is only a lifetime's wealth. , is like a duckweed without roots, but if it has land, then it can truly be regarded as a descendant of Fuyin!"
King Zhao smiled disdainfully and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to buy land even though I have money. Are you looking down on me too much?"
Who is he?
The dignified Prince Zhao, if you spend some money to encircle some land, wouldn't you be able to capture it?
"Third brother, I'm not trying to scare you. You really can't buy it."
Zhu Gaojie smiled, "As long as I am in power, it doesn't matter who it is, as long as they dare to enclose territory, I will be the first to kill him!"
"How is Zongfan being suppressed now? Third brother, you can see clearly. What you talk about and talk about is just the money? What really poisons the court is the enclosure of land!"
"I might as well tell you that the key targets of the Ming Dynasty's suppression in the future will be people who enclosure the land! I can tolerate them purchasing some land to benefit future generations, but if they want to be greedy and unscrupulous and go crazy to enclosure the land, who dares to do that? If you do, I’ll kill whoever you want!”
"Whether they are relatives of a clan, vassal, or gentry, no one is an exception!"
(End of chapter)
