Who is Zhu Di? No one can persuade him to do what he is determined to do, so he directly issues an imperial edict.
In peacetime, this matter would have been settled as it was, but this time it was different. Moving the capital harmed the interests of all officials, so how could they compromise easily.
The Hanlin Academy did not draft it, and the Ministry of Rites did not issue it.
Zhu Di issued another edict, and now the officials had no choice.
The imperial edicts issued by the emperor are all valid after being issued by Zhongshu and Menxiasheng. Lao Zhu abolished the prime minister system, so the imperial edicts of the Ming emperor were normally drafted by the Hanlin Academy and issued by the Ministry of Rites, but the edicts were different.
The edict is issued directly from the inner court without going through any department. Although it does not go through the Ministry of Rites, it is still valid. In this era when imperial power is supreme, the emperor's words are the law.
To put it bluntly, most of the imperial edicts were a helpless move by the emperor who couldn't afford it and used his imperial power to force officials.
Generally speaking, emperors were reluctant to use Zhongzhi if they could.
The Ministry of Rites still had the power to seal the drafted imperial edict, but the central edict issued directly by the emperor had already been finalized and there was nothing they could do.
Unless they resist!
But no one dared to resist the decree, especially when facing an emperor like Zhu Di.
However, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. They dare not openly resist the decree, but they are not helpless.
As a result, the drama of hundreds of officials kneeling at the palace gate was staged, and the palace gate was blocked tightly. In the name of filial piety, they persuaded Zhu Di to think twice and requested that the empress be buried as soon as possible and put into peace.
Zhu Di was furious when he looked at these courtiers who were sweet-talking and full of swords.
"Your Majesty..." Li Qing advised, "The mountains are high and the road is far, and the bumpy road is not good for the empress. Why not go to Shuntian to choose a good place first, and wait until the mausoleum is completed before burying her."
He knew that if the fourth child broke the rules again, something would probably happen, so it was better to give the ministers a buffer time first.
Zhu Di was still angry, but Li Qing's words made sense. He nodded gently: "Tomorrow, you will accompany me on my northern tour."
After that, he shook his sleeves angrily, turned around and left.
Li Qing looked at the ministers kneeling on the ground and couldn't help feeling helpless. The matter of moving the capital was really a tricky matter.
He didn't have a good idea, so he went to see Xiaopang to see if he had any good ideas.
"No." Xiaopang shook his head, very simply, "This matter cannot be solved peacefully, violence is necessary;
But it would be best to wait a few years before moving the capital, and wait until the urge to spread the land between tenants has passed. If the capital is moved in the short term, trouble will inevitably occur. "
After a pause, "I'll try my best to comfort you here, but on my father's side, you have to give me some advice. Don't ruin the good situation by moving the capital."
"I understand." Li Qing was a little worried, "Can you handle it here?"
"I'm not sure, let's give it a try." Xiaopang sighed, "It's not enough for everyone to be happy. As long as it doesn't cause a big mess, I'll be satisfied."
Li Qing was silent for a moment and asked: "Do you agree to move the capital?"
"In the long run, the advantages of moving the capital outweigh the disadvantages." Xiaopang nodded, "If the capital is not moved, in a few years, the imperial power will be eclipsed by the southern aristocratic families and follow the old path of the Northern Song Dynasty;
My father's move was far-sighted. Although Jinling was rich, it was not the best choice for Kyoto. It was... too stingy;
The Ming Dynasty was an orthodox unified dynasty, and the location of Kyoto must have strategic significance. "Little Fatty sighed, "Actually, I would rather move the capital to Luoyang or Xi'an, but... forget it, Shuntian is not bad either. "
Li Qing smiled bitterly and said: "Those two places are indeed suitable for Kyoto, but they are not suitable for the current situation of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor has been operating in Peiping for many years, and it is convenient to rule there. If he goes to Luoyang and Xi'an, where he is unfamiliar,... An, I'm afraid it's...
You have also seen this situation. If we really go to those two places, something might happen. "
"Yes!" Xiaopang rubbed his eyebrows, "There is something that I can't say conveniently. Brother Qing, please tell your father!"
"What?"
"He is taking Zhanji with him on his northern tour this time." Xiaopang said seriously, "The future emperor must be Emperor Wu, otherwise it will be difficult to suppress the officials;
Zhanji cannot learn from me, he can only learn from his father. "
Li Qing nodded: "That's easy to say. Your Majesty is very fond of your grandson, so he won't refuse you. I'll let him know later."
"Well... there are also the second and third children." Xiaopang said, "One of those two guys is really stupid, and the other is fake and shrewd. Since my father is not in the capital, they will definitely be taken advantage of."
"Okay." Li Qing agreed, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself and take care of yourself."
"Hey~ I'm big-hearted and naive. I still have my father, so I'm not in a hurry."
"You have to keep this mentality." Li Qing said easily, "Okay, I'll go find the emperor right now."
~
"I originally planned to take Zhan Ji with me." Zhu Di said, "But it's better not to let the second brother go back first. With him here, the boss will be able to relax a lot. The imperial struggle can't be too fierce, but it can't be completely eliminated either. "
Li Qing smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, are you not afraid that the King of Han will really cause trouble?"
"Just him?" Zhu Di sneered, "The boss has the ability to cause trouble, but he doesn't."
Li Qing was helpless. Zhu Di was more suspicious than Lao Zhu. At least Lao Zhu didn't doubt his son.
"Okay, let's go back and get ready. We'll leave tomorrow."
"Can I bring my family members?" Li Qing asked.
Zhu Di's face was gloomy, "Don't force me to slap you."
"..."
——
Early the next morning, the emperor visited the north, and all the officials came out of the city to see him off.
Facts have proved that the ministers are still very disciplined. When the emperor takes a step back, they also take a step back, each keeping a line and not getting things done.
These old officials know how to measure things best.
Of course, the main reason is that the ministers understand that they really made this man anxious and that he really dared to kill people.
Zhu Di's work style is just like Zhu Yuanzhang's, and even some things are more ruthless than Zhu Yuanzhang's.
For example: Exploiting officials and gentry!
…
On the dragon chariot, Zhu Di was silent and kept looking at the scenery outside the window. This was not the first time for Li Qing to sit on the dragon chariot. With a calm expression, he leaned against the window on the other side and opened the sedan curtain to enjoy the scenery. Zhu Zhan was sandwiched in the middle. Ji felt very uncomfortable.
At his age, it is the time when he can't sit still. He might as well be riding a horse outside in a sedan chair.
However, he did not dare to say it out loud. Before this trip, he had made up his mind that he must make his grandfather happy and stabilize his status as a prince.
There is no way, the second uncle is eyeing him, and he has the potential to make a comeback, so he must work hard.
Zhu Zhanji had been patiently keeping silent and not disturbing his grandfather's enjoyment of the scenery, but after a while, he couldn't sit still.
He tugged on Li Qing's sleeve, and Li Qing turned his head, "Why grandson?"
"It's nothing." Zhu Zhanji smiled and whispered, "Let's change places."
Li Qing also whispered: "I won't change."
"You..." Zhu Zhanji was helpless and begged in a low voice, "For Xiao Fat's sake, please switch with me. I feel uncomfortable holding it back."
"What are you muttering about?" Zhu Di put down the sedan curtain and turned his gloomy face.
"No, it's nothing." Zhu Zhanji knew that his grandfather was in a bad mood and waved his hands repeatedly.
Li Qing didn't have any scruples, "My grandson thinks it's too stuffy here and wants to go out for some fresh air."
Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Zhanji and said, "Get out!"
"Grandpa, I... my grandson is retiring." Zhu Zhanji nodded worriedly, like a licking dog scolded by a goddess.
~
Zhu Di exhaled a breath and said, "Do you know what I am thinking?"
"I don't know." Li Qing shook his head.
Seeing that the fourth child's face turned darker, he quickly picked up the topic and asked, "What is the emperor thinking about?"
"I was thinking..." Zhu Di sighed, "If the capital is really moved in the future, will it be moved back after my death?"
"probably not!"
Historically, after Zhu Di moved the capital to Peking, it was settled and no further capital moves occurred.
"I think I might be very good at it." Zhu Di said, "In the past, building a new capital and opening a canal cost the court a lot of money. I also felt that I could bear it physically, so I gave up the idea of building a mausoleum. Now it's time to put it on the agenda. "
The construction of imperial mausoleums usually starts when the emperor ascends the throne. It is commendable that Zhu Di has held back the construction until now.
Originally, in the seventh year of Yongle's reign, he planned to build it. At that time, hundreds of officials agreed, on the condition that the new capital and canal projects were slowed down because the treasury expenditure was too heavy.
Zhu Di lost his temper and simply stopped building the project.
The pain of losing his wife this time was a huge blow to the fourth child, and he began to think about his own affairs.
The ancients paid most attention to matters after death, and emperors even more so.
Zhu Di smiled bitterly and said: "Only by being buried in Shuntian can I completely cut off the thoughts of those guys."
…
