My father is Jiajing

"It's getting late. Let me take you back."

Zhu Zaigui felt that it was getting late and was somewhat worried about the health of Emperor Jiajing.

But he didn't know that Emperor Jiajing's biological clock was different from that of ordinary people because of his long-term cultivation.

Although it is midnight now, for Emperor Jiajing, it is also the most energetic time of the day.

Therefore, the auspicious time he calculated for moving this time was not during the day.

Emperor Jiajing said, "Let's walk a little longer. We have finally had a chance to talk. I don't want to go back so early."

When Zhu Zaigui saw the state of Emperor Jiajing, he was slightly stunned, and then he smiled silently.

The state of Emperor Jiajing was too much like that of young people hundreds of years later, whose lives were dominated by a reversal of right and wrong.

Moreover, looking back to the past, before Zhu Zaigui traveled to this era, he was actually like this most of the time.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui had a great understanding of the mental state of Emperor Jiajing.

As for the legends and stories about sudden death from staying up late, Zhu Zaigui didn't believe them at all.

As a person who stays up late at night, Zhu Zaigui knows his daily routine very well and can sleep as soundly during the day as he does at night.

Therefore, as long as you can get enough sleep and maintain a healthy diet, it doesn’t matter if you reverse your day and night schedule.

But if one stays up late and works hard during the day, and has some troubles that he cannot get rid of, and has to deal with a long list of interpersonal relationships that he does not want to deal with, it would be strange if such a person did not die suddenly.

Zhu Zaigui continued to accompany Emperor Jiajing in walking in the palace gardens of Wanshou Palace, and the two of them also walked to the edge of Nanhai Lake.

The Nanhai Lake has also begun to freeze at this time of year, but the ice is not thick enough to bear the weight of people walking on it.

However, as the supreme Emperor Jiajing, he would not walk on Nanhai Lake even if a thick layer of ice formed on it.

Moreover, at this late hour, the scenery and views of Nanhai Lake could not be seen at all. The only thing that could be seen was the dark and deep area in front, like a black hole in the universe.

Emperor Jiajing and Zhu Zaigui stood by the railing, and not far away around them, the imperial guards who accompanied them to protect the emperor were also silently guarding.

These imperial guards who were responsible for protecting the emperor also knew their limits. The distance between them was just enough to allow Emperor Jiajing and Zhu Zaigui to feel free and relaxed.

There was no feeling of being watched.

Therefore, when the father and son were talking, they seemed very relaxed and comfortable, and they did not have to worry about some of their words being heard by these guards.

Of course, even if these guards heard something they shouldn't have heard, they didn't dare to speak nonsense.

Because if the emperor's words were spread randomly, the consequences would be extremely serious.

Even if we can't find out who leaked the information, the person who leaked it will not escape death, and if things go wrong, many innocent people will be buried with him.

"San'er, do you know why I am here instead of in the Forbidden City?"

Emperor Jiajing stood beside Zhu Zaigui, looking at the dark and deep surface of Nanhai Lake in front of him, and asked this question in a deep voice.

After hearing this question from Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Zaigui actually had the answer in his mind.

The reason why Emperor Jiajing was unwilling to live in the Forbidden City was probably because of the shadow of the Renyin Palace Rebellion, which made him feel insecure and distrustful about the Forbidden City.

Of course, this may only be a one-sided guess.

After all, people's minds and states will change over time.

Sometimes what you say and do may be completely opposite to what you said and did before.

Therefore, before traveling through time, Zhu Zaigui couldn't help but smile knowingly when he was browsing some videos of Internet archaeology.

He did not think that this kind of slap in the face situation occurred because of inconsistency between words and deeds. Zhu Zaigui would rather think that this situation occurred, most likely because his previous thoughts and environment had changed from his current thoughts and environment.

That's why there are such face-slapping performances.

It’s a pity that the Internet has memory. Even if the person concerned has forgotten something, the Internet will help him remember it, and then he will be dug up and ridiculed again.

Ultimately, many people who were able to express their true personalities and attitudes on the Internet eventually become cautious and boring people who dare not express themselves casually.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui would just chuckle in his heart about those boring people who like to dig up old graves. Sooner or later, these people will be bitten back by the pits they have dug!

Zhu Zaigui collected his thoughts and replied to Emperor Jiajing, "I guess that father should like the quietness here. The Forbidden City is too solemn and may seem a bit depressing."

Emperor Jiajing smiled and said, "That's right, but it's only half right. In addition to the reasons you just mentioned, another reason why I came to live in Xiyuan is that this place feels like home."

"Family?"

Zhu Zaigui was very surprised by Emperor Jiajing's answer. He even racked his brains but could not imagine that Emperor Jiajing would say that Xiyuan was like home.

Emperor Jiajing continued, "For the capital, even though I have been in power for more than 40 years, it still cannot change the fact that I am an outsider."

"I have been trying to integrate into this place all my life, trying to control everything here, but it seems that things always go against my wishes. There are too few people who can agree with me."

"The only people I brought from Anlu were Huang Jin, Lu Bing and a few others. But gradually these people died, so I am alone here. Only Xiyuan can remind me of the carefree days in Anlu Xingwang Mansion."

When Zhu Zaigui heard Emperor Jiajing say this, he was also a little dazed.

It seems to be true. The Jiajing Emperor got the throne because the Zhengde Emperor had no heir, so he got it by sheer luck.

Although he was a close relative of the royal family at the time, because his father, King Xingxian, was granted fiefdom at an early age, Emperor Jiajing, who was born in Anlu, was actually no longer considered a native of Beijing.

So even though he was chosen as the successor to Emperor Zhengde based on the rules of inheritance based on blood relationship, in reality, he was an outsider.

For an outsider who has no roots or connections in the capital and wants to gain a foothold, the difficulty is indeed not comparable to that of an adult prince like Emperor Wen of Han.

Therefore, Emperor Jiajing insisted on the dispute over the Grand Etiquette throughout his early reign. In fact, to put it bluntly, it was because the dispute over the Grand Etiquette was a fundamental battle for whether he could gain a foothold in the capital!

If he had not insisted and followed the script designed for him by Yang Tinghe and others and became the emperor like a puppet, he would most likely have followed in the footsteps of Liu He, the Marquis of Haihun.

Therefore, for his own safety and to ensure that the power in his hands would not be compromised, Emperor Jiajing had no choice but to persist in the dispute over the great rituals and raise his legitimacy to a higher level.

This left Yang Ting and the group of old ministers who tried to control him with no leverage left.

But the consequence of doing so was also obvious, that is, Emperor Jiajing was destined to be alienated from this group of court officials who thought they were "authentic" and could not work together.

Therefore, no matter how hard Emperor Jiajing tried to govern the Ming Dynasty later, these ministers who had disagreed with him on the Grand Etiquette Dispute, even if they surrendered, could not help but carry out their duties with a mixture of hypocrisy and disobedience.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Emperor Jiajing's reform policy was abandoned halfway.

After all, he was too young when he came to the capital to ascend the throne. He did not have enough popularity and helpers to seize the initiative as easily as Emperor Wen of Han did.

Therefore, after the Great Ceremony Controversy, Emperor Jiajing's new policies were never able to achieve a qualitative breakthrough. The ultimate fundamental reason was the lack of a strong team.

If he had more capable officials like Zhang Cong, and more generals like Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang, his historical achievements might have been as high as those of other emperors who were adopted from side branches and achieved great feats!

But unfortunately, history did not give Emperor Jiajing enough helpers, only gave him extraordinary intelligence and an indomitable and resolute personality.

However, this kind of intelligence and strong character can only be effective within a range that one can control.

Once things are beyond his control and he does not have a team that can seriously implement and carry out his will, his shortcomings will immediately be exposed.

Therefore, the failure of the Jiajing Restoration cannot be entirely blamed on Emperor Jiajing's obsession with Taoism. The biggest reason was that he did not have enough helpers and teams to help him.

If he had a team like Zhu Di, the mature network of contacts like Emperor Wen of Han, and the genuine legitimacy that the world desired like Emperor Xuan of Han.

Emperor Jiajing may be able to create a truly prosperous era!

Zhu Zaigui looked at Emperor Jiajing, who was reminiscing about his childhood, and asked, "What kind of place is Anlu?"

Emperor Jiajing withdrew his gaze from the past and said with a touch of reminiscence: "Anlu is a beautiful place with mountains and rivers. When my father, your grandfather, was in Anlu, he often provided medicine and medical treatment in the local area and was loved by the local people."

"At that time, I was still a child, and I often followed your royal grandfather, learning poetry, books, rituals and music from him, and also learned some Taoist health preservation methods from him. Therefore, my mentality of worshipping Buddhism is different from that of Emperor Wuzong and most of them."

"I worship Taoism not to be different, but to remember your great grandfather's teachings to me and his profound influence on me for a long time."

Zhu Zaigui did not expect that after so many years, Emperor Jiajing was still missing King Xingxian. This shows how great an influence King Xingxian had on Emperor Jiajing during his childhood.

Based on this point alone, putting aside all political considerations, and based on this, when Yang Tinghe and other ministers wanted Emperor Jiajing to change his father, wasn't this humiliating Emperor Jiajing?

It would be strange for a young and energetic boy to be obedient when being humiliated like this by a group of ministers who think they can control the emperor!

Zhu Zaigui said, "Father, although I have never seen my grandfather, today I heard you recalling his memory. I also want to go to Xianling to see him. Can you allow me to do so?"

When Emperor Jiajing heard that Zhu Zaigui was going to Anlu to pay homage to his father, an unconcealable smile of relief suddenly appeared on his face.

Emperor Jiajing smiled and said, "Of course, I want to go back and take a look too."

Zhu Zaigui looked at the happy expression of Emperor Jiajing and said, "After the spring, I will accompany you on your southern tour. According to the Ministry of Works, many hardened roads have been built in northern Zhili, Henan, and Hubei. We can go south from the capital, from the capital to Baoding, and then from Baoding to Kaifeng, and then go through Nanyang, Xiangyang and other places to Anlu."

"If we travel faster, this journey will only take half a month, and if we travel slower, it will only take more than a month. Then, father can also take a look at the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty and the different styles of the prosperous Jiajing era!"

When Emperor Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but be moved.

But soon he sighed and shook his head and said, "No, Li Shizhen told me that I don't have much time, and more than three months have passed since I asked Chen Hong to urge the completion of the Wanshou Palace. So, I am worried that this journey will not be smooth, and if I cause some trouble that you can't handle, it will not be worth it."

Zhu Zaigui was very touched that Emperor Jiajing could say such words.

However, Zhu Zaigui, who knew a little about history, also knew that the Jiajing Emperor died in December of the 45th year of Jiajing.

It is only the end of the 44th year of the Jiajing reign. At most, the Jiajing Emperor still has one year left.

Although this year is not a long time, we can still do a lot of things.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui immediately replied: "Father, please don't have such decadent thoughts. Although I don't understand medicine, I also know some ways to keep in good health. I know that a person's mood has a vital impact on the body. If you can relax your body and mind and keep your mentality calm and healthy, you can also prolong your life and change your fate."

"Besides, the Ming Dynasty today is different from the Ming Dynasty in the past. Although the hardened roads from the capital to various places are not yet fully connected, the main trunk roads are gradually taking shape. Father will not have to endure much pain from the bumpy ride on this journey south."

"Also, I will arrange for Li Shizhen and other highly skilled imperial physicians to accompany you to provide you with the best medical care. So, I beg you to open your heart, relax, and tour your hometown in a relaxed and happy manner. You can go to the tomb of your great grandfather and recount your achievements to comfort his spirit in heaven."

After listening to Zhu Zaigui's words, Emperor Jiajing's mood and attitude instantly changed. He couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Is it really possible?"

Zhu Zaigui affirmed: "Father is an immortal in the world. His understanding of Taoist health preservation techniques must be higher than mine, so this will definitely work!"

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