Good morning Daming

Chapter 1097 Giving You Freedom
In the Ministry of War, Jiang Qingzhi and Wang Yiqi are discussing the expedition against Japan.

"If the army lands all at once, will it encourage those vassal states to unite?" Wang Yiqi asked.

Jiang Qingzhi looked at the map and said disdainfully: "There are many mistakes in your map."

"Then whose is less?" Wang Yiqi was naturally not convinced.

"I'll ask those two Japanese ladies to prepare a copy later. It doesn't need to be too detailed. Just list all the major and minor forces they know about."

"That's a solution." Wang Yiqi coughed dryly, "Chang Wilbur hasn't said anything about what to do after landing."

"You are worried about the alliance between the feudal lords, but I hope so."

Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the small islands and said, "If we fight our way through according to plan, those forces... let's put it this way! Even a village in the Ming Dynasty can call itself a big name."

"How big is the village?"

"Well!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "Instead of clearing them all out, it's better to force them to join forces."

"Yes, those forces may not seem big, but if they are not completely eliminated, they will pose a great threat to the grain supply." Wang Yiqi nodded, "Chang Wei Bo is indeed far-sighted."

"Old Wang, stop flattering me. This expedition to Japan is the first war fought by the Ming Dynasty. We must win, not lose. The navy will be the top priority. The Ministry of War has always looked down on the navy, so we must make up for it this time. We must recruit people and train them. When we go out to sea next year, I want to see a strong maritime force, otherwise you will be the one to blame."

Wang Yiqi changed his relaxed look and said solemnly: "I obey your command!"

Jiang Qingzhi was startled, "Why are you so serious?"

Wang Yiqi said, "Doesn't Lord Wei know that his majesty is frustrating?"

This flatterer... Jiang Qingzhi pointed at him, stood up and left.

After leaving the Ministry of War, Jiang Qingzhi looked at the guards who accompanied him, and finally asked Boll, "Do I look very majestic?"

Bol nodded. "Sometimes, Master just looks at me calmly, and I can't help but feel awe in my heart."

Jiang Qingzhi smiled, thinking that it was the halo of power at work.

"Long Wilbur!"

A eunuch came over in a hurry, "We have been looking for you for a long time, and finally found you."

"What's the matter?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.

"The Queen wants to see you."

Now the person Jiang Qingzhi in the capital least wants to see is Concubine Lu Jingfei.

In an instant, Jiang Qingzhi's scalp went numb.

"Your Majesty's place..."

"The Queen has already reported it." As if knowing what Jiang Qingzhi was thinking, the eunuch smiled and said, "The Queen said that it will be either the first or the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Can Chang Wei Bo never enter the palace for his entire life?"

When walking in the harem, Jiang Qingzhi always felt a sense of disharmony.

This is a woman's world, and the only man is him.

As for Dao Ye, he came to the harem only a few times throughout the year.

When a concubine saw Jiang Qing, the strange light that flashed in her eyes made Jiang Qing feel like a fat pig.

Damn!

Are all the women in the palace so lonely?
Taoist priest, you are committing a sin!
When she saw Concubine Lu, she was looking through the account book and said without looking up, "Sit down."

Jiang Qingzhi sat down, Chen Yan served him tea, and said softly, "Master, it's been a long time since you came."

Why is this tone wrong?
Jiang Qingzhi nodded indifferently and took a sip of tea, which turned out to be something that even the Taoist priest didn't have.

He thought of the Lu family. Uncle Lu Wei's dream was shattered, and he didn't know how to hate himself as the "culprit"

"The palace's expenses are getting less and less." Concubine Lu looked up and rubbed her neck with her backhand. "When the army goes to war, money and food are the most important thing. There's not much the palace can do, so saving some money and food is better than nothing!"

Jiang Qingzhi said: "Your Majesty is very understanding of justice."

Concubine Lu smiled and said, "No matter how righteous I am, I am not as good as Chang Wei Bo who killed his relatives for the sake of justice!"

Jiang Qingzhi laughed, "I don't understand what you are saying, Madam."

"The two princes' coming-of-age ceremonies were delayed from March to September. I didn't know what His Majesty was waiting for. Later, I suddenly realized that he was waiting for the fourth prince."

Zhu Laosi followed Jiang Qingzhi south. If Prince Yu performed the coming-of-age ceremony alone, then Zhu Laosi would have to do it again after returning to Beijing.

This is the situation that Concubine Lu hopes to see. There are many things she can do here, such as building momentum for Zhu Laosi.

But Dao Ye's decision shattered her plans.

Zhu Laosi gained a reputation as a bloodthirsty person in the south, which completely cut off his idea of ​​entering the Eastern Palace. This was a fatal blow to Concubine Lu Jingfei.

"The fourth son has never killed anyone, but he became a murderer when he went to the south. Why do I feel that this is not right?" Lu Jingfei stared at Jiang Qingzhi, "I firmly believe that Chang Wei Bo is not that kind of person, so I asked those who followed the fourth son, and they all said that no one instigated or forced him."

Jiang Qingzhi knew that this woman was full of resentment at the moment. She couldn't vent it on the Taoist priest. Zhu Laosi ran fast, so she couldn't find a chance to vent, so she came to him.

He sighed and said, "Before I had children, I always felt that children should be brought up roughly, otherwise it would be spoiling, and spoiling a child is like killing a child. Later, when I had Dapeng, those thoughts all disappeared. I just wanted to give him the best things in the world. People have the same feelings. But sometimes I also ask myself, do children really like the things that parents impose on them?"

Jiang Qingzhi drank a sip of tea, stood up and said, "I don't know whether the fourth child likes the position of crown prince, but I do know one thing, this child likes the outside world."

Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside the palace and said, "This palace is like a deep well. Everyone has made their own life into a path. And outside is an endless wilderness."

Jiang Qingzhi is gone.

He felt that Concubine Lu was possessed by a demon and could not see the Taoist's true thoughts.

Concubine Lu Jing sat there blankly until the evening.

"Your Majesty!" Chen Yan had been beside Concubine Lu Jing. When she saw the eunuch coming to ask if she wanted to eat, she whispered, "It's time to eat."

Concubine Lu raised her head slowly, "Where's the fourth brother?"

"I don't know. I'll go ask now." Chen Yan went out and called someone over. She whispered, "Go tell His Highness that something is wrong with the Queen. Ask His Highness to come over."

The eunuch hurried to King Jing, who was having a meal.

"Why not?" King Jing was worried that his mother was looking for an excuse to punish him, so he was quite alert.

"Today, the Queen invited Chang Wei Bo to the palace and talked for a while. The Queen has been sitting there in a daze."

King Jing put down his chopsticks, and said, "Let's go!"

When I saw Concubine Lu, she was still in a daze and the food on the table was cold.

"mother!"

Concubine Lu's head moved slightly and she raised her head slowly, "It's the fourth brother!"

King Jing found that the wrinkles at the corners of his mother's eyes seemed to have deepened overnight. He felt upset and said, "Mom, it's my fault."

"Your fault..." Lu Jingfei shook her head, "I just want to ask you one question, do you want to be in that position?"

King Jing said frankly: "I always thought I liked that position. This time when I went south, I asked myself, if I had to choose between freedom and power, what would I choose. When I saw the sea, mother, I knew the answer."

The corners of Concubine Lu's mouth trembled slightly, "What is it?"

"free."

In an instant, Concubine Lu's shoulders collapsed.

The whole person seemed to have aged ten years, "Freedom, am I controlling too much?"

"No." King Jing came over, squatted in front of his mother, looked up and said, "Mom, have you ever seen the sea?"

Concubine Lu shook her head.

"The sea is boundless and may seem calm, but if you are in the water you will find that waves are surging all the time. Big fish jump out of the sea from time to time, and the shadows of sails are looming... There are countless islands in the distance waiting to be discovered and conquered. Mother, the position of the crown prince is noble, but even if it is achieved, what does it matter?"

"That's the emperor!" Concubine Lu's eyes were filled with sternness, "But who is instigating you? Or forcing you?"

At this moment, Concubine Lu Jing was like a tigress protecting her cubs. King Jing couldn't help but laugh, "No one forced me. Mother, do you think that father is happy as an emperor?"

Outside the palace, Emperor Jiajing, who had rushed over after learning that Concubine Lu was abnormal, waved his hand and stopped the eunuch from passing on the message.

He stood outside the hall, listening with his hands behind his back.

The wind blew the Taoist robe, making it rustle slightly. The slightly gray hair and beard seemed to be floating in the autumn wind, looking a little lonely.

Is this emperor happy with his job?

"Why are you uncomfortable?"

"You feel comfortable manipulating your subjects. I dare say that your father is an extremely boring emperor. If he were not in a difficult situation, he would rather wander around, visit the Tao, and ask questions, instead of fighting with those subjects."

"How do you know what your father is thinking?"

"Because we are all men!"

"Men, Yan Song and his son, Lu Bing and others are not men? They still covet power."

"But my last name is Zhu, and my father's blood flows in my veins."

Concubine Lu looked at her son and said, "Being an emperor... allows you to look down upon all living beings."

"That's just ridiculous self-aggrandizement." King Jing laughed. "It's not as good as a madman's happiness. A madman can imagine himself as an emperor, a god, or everything, so he lives in happiness all the time. Is there any difference?"

"You!" Concubine Lu gnashed her teeth and wanted to slap him. King Jing looked up calmly. Concubine Lu slowly put down her hand and choked up, "I am meddling."

"It's not that you are nosy, it's that you have never left the palace. In your world, power is the only balm. Without power, this palace is a prison. So you think power is the sweetest thing.

Parents always want to give their children the best, so you want me to seize power. But after seeing the outside world, I found that power is poison. It will make people lose their emotions and their true preferences. "

"So what do you like?"

Following this voice, Emperor Jiajing walked in.

"Your Majesty!" There was despair in Concubine Lu's eyes.

The Taoist waved his hand and walked in front of King Jing.

King Jing stood up and said, "I..."

"Today there is no emperor or subject, only father and son, husband and wife. Tell me what you want." Emperor Jiajing gave Concubine Lu a comforting look.

King Jing thought for a moment, "I don't know, but the moment I saw the sea, Father, I just wanted to go to the distance and see what this world has."

"If I become an emperor, I can go and see it, too."

"The emperor is responsible for the whole world. From the moment he sits on that position, he gains power but also loses his freedom. My uncle once said that God is the fairest. Whatever he gives you, he will also make you lose. What I want is freedom."

"free."

"Yes."

Emperor Jiajing looked at his favorite youngest son, and a smile suddenly welled up in his eyes. "As a father, I will give you freedom."

King Jing happily took his leave.

Emperor Jiajing turned around and said to Concubine Lu Jing: "The question that the fourth brother asked you before, I am very happy to be the emperor. I will answer it."

Concubine Lu looked at him with tears in her eyes.

This woman!
Finally, his weak side was revealed.

Daoye sighed, "I am extremely unhappy with my job as an emperor. If I could do it again, I would rather be a vassal king in Anlu."

(End of this chapter)