Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1092: The Eternal Saint
"A gift?"

Hundreds of people, not too many, but not too few either. Hundreds of people blocked the carriage. If there was an assassin hiding among them, and if he acted rashly after disrupting the situation, there would be some danger.

Zhu Su then advised, "Father, why not find a few eunuchs to take over first, and let the people go back to their homes first."

"After I get back to the palace, I'll take it out and have a look at it."

"No need." Old Zhu waved his hand.

Then he turned to Erhu and asked, "What kind of people are ahead?"

"Your Majesty. The leaders are all octogenarians. They are holding some local specialties, such as silk, porcelain cups, or fine wine, and they want to present them to Your Majesty."

Zhu Su saw that Old Zhu was somewhat moved, and advised again: "If the emperor wants to see them, why not go back and summon them to see them first..."

"Why is there so much trouble?" Old Zhu glared at Zhu Su and flatly refused.

"I was once the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the ruler of the world. The people of Xi'an are also my subjects."

"How can an emperor not dare to see his own subjects?"

Song Lian also stroked his beard and said, "The Supreme Emperor is right. The people's will cannot be ignored."

On the other side, Zhu had ordered the imperial carriage to move forward, and he wanted to meet these people in person. Zhu Su had no choice but to follow his orders.

The brothers were originally talking with Old Zhu, Song Lian and others in the spacious imperial carriage. Since they wanted to meet the common people, Zhu Su and his brothers Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di also got off the imperial carriage, rode on horses, and guarded the imperial carriage on both sides.

The wheels of the imperial carriage rolled forward, guarded by four princes in royal robes and a group of Jinwu guards. It was a magnificent scene.

After walking about thirty meters forward, the group finally saw a large crowd of people on the side of the road.

When the people saw the imperial carriage, they made a small commotion, and then knelt on the ground in even greater respect.

Leading the group were a dozen white-haired old men. Perhaps because they took into consideration that a large number of people would be considered an attack on the emperor, except for these dozen old men, everyone else knelt in the wasteland some distance away from the road.

They were dressed simply, but it was obvious that they were all new clothes.

On both sides of the road, two teams of Jinwu Guards were standing in two rows, standing guard against the common people, perhaps afraid that they would suddenly attack and startle the Holy Cross. When Old Zhu saw this, he said to Erhu, "The common people are already like this, why should we be on guard?"

"Retreat, retreat, don't scare anyone."

Erhu nodded and raised one hand, and the Jinwu Guards shrank in formation and no longer stood between the people and the imperial carriage.

At the same time, under the order of Old Zhu, the emperor's grandson Zhu Xiongying lifted the curtain of the imperial carriage, revealing Old Zhu's dragon face.

Seeing Zhu appear, the people became even more excited, and an old man in the lead shouted, "Long live His Majesty!"

Afterwards, hundreds of other people also shouted in unison, and the sound of "Long live the emperor" echoed throughout the road.

Old Zhu's expression changed. He put his hands behind his back and winked at Erhu.

Erhu understood and said in a clear voice: "Convey your majesty's order: I am at peace, and all my subjects are at peace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The people responded in a somewhat chaotic manner, their voices trembling and trembling.

Seeing this, Old Zhu turned to Zhu Su and said, "Old Five, go and ask the village elders to come over and talk."

After that, he added solemnly: "Be polite and don't scare them."

Zhu Su nodded with amusement and dismounted from his horse.

At this time, Zhu Su was wearing a scarlet royal robe and a crown on his head. Although he was not as majestic as the emperor with the crown among the Nine Gifts, he was still very majestic.

He himself has a handsome face and a great appearance. With a friendly smile on his face, he really looks like a handsome young man, harmless to people and animals.

"Please, gentlemen!"

Zhu Su bowed and greeted in a very literary manner.

The group of old men had never seen a nobleman like him before, and they were so panicked that they didn't know where to put their hands.

Fortunately, there were some knowledgeable young people in the crowd who seemed to have read some books and knew what Zhu Su’s clothes represented.

After whispering a few words to the old man in the lead, the old man's face suddenly changed and he was about to kneel down again.

Zhu Su stepped forward and said, "Father, there's no need to be polite."

"All of you are old men. Our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette. Respecting the old and loving the young is the right thing to do."

"Although Su is a prince, if he were to be bowed to by an old man like you, he would probably shorten his life."

Seeing how approachable he was, the old men were so moved that they burst into tears. Their knees went weak and they wanted to kneel down again.

Zhu Su suddenly found it funny and hurriedly stopped them, saying, "My father knows what you want, so he specially asked me to take you to see the emperor."

"The emperor loves his people the most. You fathers don't have to worry about being restrained. Even if you say something wrong, the emperor will never blame you."

Upon hearing this, dozens of old men became excited. They snatched the prepared gifts from the hands of their younger generations, supported each other, and were led by Zhu Su through the guards to the imperial carriage.

Although they had already received the imperial decree, they could not help but kneel down again when they saw Old Zhu on the imperial carriage.

Erhu opened all the doors in front of the imperial carriage and lifted the pearl curtain. In this way, the imperial carriage became a temporary dragon throne.

Old Zhu sat upright on the throne, looking at everyone solemnly, and said in person: "Fellow villagers, please stand up."

Zhu Su and a group of eunuchs helped a dozen old men to stand up.

The old man with white hair and beard in the lead raised a palace lantern in his hand and said in a trembling voice: "I...I feel grateful for the emperor's grace and I have blocked the carriage without authorization. Although...I deserve to die, if I can...present the gift to Your Majesty, then I will...die a worthy death!!"

Looking at the excited old man with tears in his eyes, he said sincerely.

Old Zhu's face was moved, and he said, "What crime has the village elder committed... How can I, ahem, accept such a gift?"

The old man said excitedly: "If your Majesty can't bear it, who else can bear it?"

The old man continued, "I am ninety-three years old this year, and I have been keeping a record since the last Yuan Dynasty."

"Over the years, the world has experienced ups and downs. At the beginning, the Yuan people were the emperors, and they treated us like pigs and dogs!"

"I have eight children in my lifetime, three of whom died of starvation. Two of the remaining five died due to excessive taxes. The remaining two were abducted by a noble in the Yuan court, and one was shot dead in the street..."

"I had no choice but to wander around with my only child, and finally arrived in Xi'an."

"I should have died long ago, but I just don't want to die!"

"The Yuan people praise the Mongolian emperor's kindness all day long, but why can't we ordinary people feel the kindness?"

"Life is just a hardship that can only be endured day by day. I thought I could only endure this way until I die."

"I never expected that, at the last minute, I would actually see a turn for the better and usher in good days!"

"Your Majesty drove out the Yuan people and stabilized the country. In our Ming Dynasty, the excessive taxes and levies were greatly reduced, and the corvée was greatly reduced."

"My family relies on farming and making porcelain for a living. We can only make ends meet after working hard for a year, and we may even suffer from famine and go into deficit."

"But nowadays, firing a kiln of porcelain can earn more than working for a whole year in the past!"

"There are new clothes on my body, rice in the rice warehouse, and meat in the bowl!"

"Every year, cattle and sheep are shipped from the ranch in the north. They are cheap and affordable. Have you ever thought that you can afford to eat meat?"

"The government also included my home in the farm. Every spring, the farm would send oxen to help with the farming."

"When the imperial court learned that I had the skill of making porcelain, they lent me a sum of money and allowed me to open a porcelain workshop... The interest rate was almost unheard of!"

"Now my family is prosperous and I have a grandson. Who would have thought that my family was almost ruined a few years ago..."

"All of this is thanks to your grace, Your Majesty!"

"Although I am a country bumpkin and have always been in the north, I have heard that your Majesty had a very difficult time in the past few years..."

"It was the Mongols, Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng... I finally got the throne as the destiny, but it was a mess. I had to kill corrupt officials and manage state affairs. I was busy all the time and had no rest."

"It is because of your majesty that common people like me can live like human beings and have hope!"

"Fortunately, my life is worthless and I have survived until the days when Your Majesty is in power. If I could live like this for a few more years, I would be willing to die immediately!"

"My only remaining wish in life is to meet the Holy Emperor and present him with a porcelain cup made by me."

"May the Holy Lord live forever!"

At the end of these words, the old man's face was filled with tears and he shouted excitedly.

The other elders also burst into tears with excitement, and raised the gifts in their hands high with trembling arms.

Or fine wine, or porcelain...

Looking at these old fathers, Old Zhu's expression was extremely moved. His usually majestic face was trembling, his eyes were narrowed, and even the corners of his eyes were trembling.

Only the wishes of these simple people are the most sincere!

Zhu Su was quite perceptive. He stepped forward first, took the porcelain cup from the old man's hand, and presented it to Old Zhu.

This porcelain cup was obviously made with great care by the old man. On this palm-sized porcelain cup, there is a complex "Peaches and Cranes" carefully outlined.

In his life, Old Zhu must have seen countless rare treasures painted by famous artists. This painting by an ordinary old man was certainly inferior to those, but Old Zhu was enjoying it very much.

"Good, good!" Old Zhu praised loudly, and then looked at the gifts presented by other fathers-in-law, and said, "I accept your sincere kindness."

"Since I have accepted your gifts, I cannot be stingy."

"Old Fifth, you must remember this for me. All the old men are virtuous men. When we return to the palace, I will give them a dragon crutch made by the emperor. In the future, you can avoid the etiquette of respecting the superior and the inferior, and you don't have to bow when you see an official."

Zhu Su nodded in agreement. Seeing the grace bestowed by the Holy Lord, the elders were even more excited. Seeing this, Zhu Su smiled and said:

"My dear fathers, my dear fathers, don't get excited! Ah, let's not get excited!"

"You are too old to be excited!"

"If something goes wrong, this happy event will turn into a bad one..."

"This is a rare opportunity. Do you still have any grievances in your heart?"

"You can tell my father now. If you have been treated unfairly or feel that the court has not done a good job, just tell my father."

"Father will definitely make the decision for you! Okay?"

This was not because Zhu Su was interfering in other people's affairs, but looking at Zhu Su's expression, one could tell that he was already very interested at this moment, and his urge to be a judge had been aroused.

Old Zhu always liked to try cases personally. Otherwise, he would not have required every household of the people to prepare a copy of the Imperial Edict. If they felt dissatisfied, they could just bring the Imperial Edict to the capital to file a complaint.

These words made the prefect of Xi'an, who had just hurried over after hearing that the people had intercepted the emperor's carriage, break out in a cold sweat.

How can there be no omissions when the government governs the people?

It’s not a big deal on normal days, but if it gets reported to the emperor, it would be a huge event!

In the worst case, the person will be beheaded.

If you really think about it, it wouldn't be unfair to kill any of them...

Fortunately, a group of elderly people who have lived out their wisdom can speak.

The old man in the lead wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve and said with a smile: "There is nothing unfair. We ordinary people are the most content."

"Thanks to your majesty's great blessing, the court has reduced taxes, reduced corvée labor, and found so many good jobs for us..."

"If you are still not satisfied, you will be punished!"

"Everyone has hands and feet. As long as you are willing to work, there is a way to make a living."

"I am content, I am content..."

"The people are simple and honest." Old Zhu nodded and said.

"In that case, pass on my order and make room for a carriage for me. All you old men, follow me back to the city."

"If I have some free time these days, I may visit the homes of all the fathers-in-law in person."

"Haha, I have been in the palace for decades and have not understood the people's sentiments. It is time for me to go to the people's homes and take a closer look."

When they heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to let them ride in the emperor's carriage back to the city, the group of old men were extremely excited and expressed their gratitude profusely.

Zhu Su and others naturally went to make arrangements, and soon, the old men got on an empty car vacated in the convoy. The other young men kneeling on the roadside were unwilling to get on the carriage no matter what, and were only willing to follow the carriage from a distance and walk into the city.

He was afraid that he would disturb the emperor's majesty.

After much persuasion, they had no choice but to follow their lead. Thus, this special team entered the city of Xi'an.

Looking at the people guarding the ceremonial guard from afar, Song Lian sighed: "The people of a region are not bound by borders, a country is not secured by the dangers of mountains and rivers, and the world is not intimidated by the power of weapons."

“Those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few. This is truly the truth of heaven and earth.”

"Your Majesty is wholeheartedly devoted to the people, and the people also give you their wholehearted love. How can such a great Ming Dynasty not prosper?"

In the imperial carriage, Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Chong and Zhu Di all looked thoughtful.

Old Zhu was in high spirits, his face was red. Zhu Su smiled and said, "The people have given you such sincerity, I wonder what the emperor would give to the people?"

"Is it just the dragon cane?"

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Su with a half-smile: "What do you think?"

"In my opinion... how about building a school for the people of Xi'an so that all the descendants of Xi'an people can go to school?"

Everyone laughed when they heard this. Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Su and said with a smile: "You, you just can't forget your plan to enlighten the people."

"There's no rush for this matter. It depends on the court. You want to teach more than just Confucian classics, right?"

"Such a large-scale event still requires your eldest brother to make the final decision. We have already made arrangements for this."

Old Zhu said in a mysterious way.

(End of this chapter)