Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 28 Alas, the caged bird knows not the vastness of the world.

The next morning, outside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian sat upright on a magnificent black horse with snow-white hooves.

He was dressed in a golden python robe, covered by exquisite gleaming armor.

The armor is covered with intricate and ornate patterns, with delicate dragon motifs embroidered on the chest and back.

The iron helmet on his head had a snow-white feather stuck on each side, swaying gently in the wind.

A bright red tassel hung down from under his crown, making his red lips and white teeth appear even more striking.

Do you find the above description hard to imagine?
It's actually similar to the flashy, over-the-top gear in pay-to-win online games—it's ridiculously flashy.

Zhu Youjian felt genuinely uneasy.

If this were walking on the street, it would be like a glittering, moving target.

However, the royal family has its own set of etiquette and regulations when traveling and attending to important matters.

Moreover, today's inspection is of the outer camp, which is completely different from yesterday's inspection of the "household guards" in the inner training ground.

This visually striking approach also helped to enhance the emperor's prestige.

……

The cleansing army had already moved forward early and begun their routine street cleanup.

First, a group of eunuchs carrying whips walked slowly along the imperial road.

Every few steps, he would swing the clean whip in his hand, making a crisp "snap" sound.

The crack of the whip signaled that the emperor was about to embark on an inspection tour.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen eunuchs carried large wooden buckets and sprinkled water on the imperial road.

This is "sprinkling water on the streets" to show that wherever the holy procession goes, even the dust must be cleansed.

Behind them were the cleansers holding long sticks, lined up on both sides, and began to clear the area.

"The imperial procession is about to pass by. Clear the streets and return to your posts!"

This is a routine announcement. Upon hearing it, the street vendors will skillfully pack up their stalls.

Most people are already used to this process and move quickly, able to move the goods behind the door or push them into the alley next door in the blink of an eye.

However, there are always some who are a step behind.

An old man selling candied hawthorns was still slowly packing up when a sergeant strode over, snatched the straw target from his hand, and threw it into the corner: "Old man, get out of here!"

The old man was so frightened that he stumbled and scrambled into the alley.

Not far away, a peddler was slow to turn around because his load was too heavy.

An impatient soldier kicked the carrying pole. With a crash, needles, thread, rouge, and face powder scattered all over the ground.

The peddler knelt down and begged for mercy, but the soldiers bypassed him and continued on their way.

Soon, the imperial guards began to march out.

The ceremonial regalia, including the jade carriage, canopy, whisk, spittoon, folding chair, battle axe, star, imperial staff, and cane, was complete, with the jade carriage and golden carriage following behind.

On either side stood burly Han generals wearing golden-winged helmets, with long swords at their waists, their expressions solemn.

The people all prostrated themselves on the ground.

Zhu Youjian rode out of the Beian Gate slowly, surrounded by hundreds of guards.

His gaze was calm as he swept over the kneeling crowds on both sides of the road.

He saw candied hawthorns scattered all over the ground; the red hawthorns coated in sugar looked somewhat dazzling in the morning light.

He also saw not far away, next to the overturned cargo, a mess of needles, thread, and cosmetics.

These details, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created ripples in Zhu Youjian's heart.

This is feudal imperial power; this is the Ming Dynasty he wanted to save.

Any feudal dynasty, whether Han, Tang, Ming, or Qing, regardless of its civil and military achievements or its vast territory, is fundamentally bleak when examined closely.

Ordinary people are often nothing more than a footnote to those heroes, villains, dukes, generals, and ministers who dictate the fate of the nation.

But he didn't utter a word of rebuke, and his expression didn't even change.

Because he understood that this was the rule that had been established over hundreds of years, and part of the order that kept this vast empire running.

Today he might reprimand a peddler or a constable, but tomorrow, and the day after, countless peddlers will be oppressed by countless constables, officials, and powerful servants in countless places he cannot see. Individual compassion cannot change the deep-seated problems of the entire system.

He gazed into the distance, his eyes sweeping across the horizon, but his heart was filled with disappointment.

The streets of this capital city, like the Ming Dynasty, appear prosperous on the surface, but are rotten inside.

The last time I entered the palace to mourn Lin, it was already evening, and I was sitting in a sedan chair. After the bumpy ride, I had almost no impression of this capital city of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking around now, there are a few buildings standing side by side on both sides of the road, extremely luxurious, but most of them are just low and dilapidated small houses.

The road conditions were appalling.

Although the road has been covered with loess, its original ruggedness is still visible.

The entire wide street, except for the middle section for the imperial carriage, was raised by about half a meter and covered with fresh soil, making it appear cleaner.

On both sides of the road, there was untreated mud, dark and emitting a complex and indescribable smell.

Suddenly, Zhu Youjian frowned.

He smelled a faint odor of feces.

The smell wasn't strong, but it seemed to penetrate everywhere, seeping into his nasal cavity in subtle ways.

He subconsciously looked around, but couldn't find the source of the smell; it seemed to be permeating the background air of the entire city.

Just then, an autumn wind swept through the long street.

"call--"

The yellow sand was swirled up and swept in, covering the sky and the earth.

Zhu Youjian was caught off guard and was immediately covered in dust, so much so that he could barely open his eyes.

He wiped his face awkwardly with his sleeve, feeling utterly absurd.

Even today, China can still laugh at the barbarity of European cities where excrement and urine fly everywhere.

But in just one or two hundred years, it will be the Westerners' turn to stand on the high ground of civilization and laugh at China.

It's no wonder that the terrible plague at the end of Chongzhen's reign destroyed the heart of the empire so quickly.

Such an environment was a breeding ground for plague, even worse than the dirtiest and most chaotic rural markets of later generations.

He looked around again; the shops on both sides of the road had their doors and windows closed, and the kneeling crowd remained silent.

He was like a villain in a play; wherever he went, all was silent.

He knew very well that this was not the real Beijing.

The real Beijing has been hidden away.

All the noise, prosperity, filth, ugliness, poverty, corruption... all the realities were firmly concealed before his arrival.

The same was true of the streets of the capital, and also of the later parade ground review.

All he could see was a facade of peace and prosperity, and the golden road beneath his feet, temporarily paved with yellow earth.

In a sense, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was completely blind and deaf.

Although the Forbidden City is vast, it is also the most impregnable cage, completely isolating him from the real world.

Now, he needs to obtain the first bit of power that will allow him to break free from this cage.

A power that truly belongs to him, enabling him to see the truth, hear the truth, and change the truth!

This picture is a real photo taken during the Qing Dynasty, and it is not much different from that of the Ming Dynasty.

This view is taken from the Andingmen Gate Tower, and the main character's procession is roughly in the upper right corner of the image.

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. Apart from the Thousand-Step Corridor outside Daming Gate and the stone-paved Zhengyangmen Street, all the roads in Ming Dynasty Beijing at this time were dirt roads—similar to rural dirt roads. When it didn't rain, they were all dusty; when it rained, they were all muddy puddles.

　　2. "The streets of Nanjing are the widest and cleanest, while those of Bianliang are the most filthy. After rain, they are filled with latrines, and mud splashes up to one's waist and abdomen... Although the capital is far inferior to Nanjing, it seems to be slightly better than Kaifeng." — *Wanli Yehuo Bian*

　　3. "The market is full of filth, and people from all directions gather here in a noisy and chaotic manner. Flies and gnats are also abundant, making life unbearable for children, especially during the sweltering summer." — *Wuzazu*

　　4. Inside and outside the capital, in the streets and alleys, and in front of and behind the government offices of various ministries, mule and horse manure was everywhere. When it rained or snowed, it would turn into a muddy paste, stinking unbearably, resembling a vast expanse of dung. —Excerpt from "Notes on the Capital"

　　5. Coincidentally, at this same time, the population of distant London was rapidly increasing, quickly growing from 5 in 1500 to 50 in 1650, giving rise to a series of environmental and sanitation problems. Queen Elizabeth I was in power at this time, and she implemented numerous urban sanitation policy reforms in response—as described in "Environmental Problems and Their Governance in 16th-17th Century London."

　　So, do you understand why this book is titled "Please Let the Ming Dynasty Die"? The protagonist is here to save China, not to save a feudal dynasty.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)