Seiwa

In May Yihai, the emperor bestowed civil and military officials with banquets in the Huagai Palace, and the empress bestowed banquets on women of the fifth rank and above in the Kunning Palace.

At that time, King Zhou, King Su, King Liao, King Ning, and King Jin all sent their chief historians to the court, and the leaders of the Tatar Jurchen tribes, and Champa Siam and other countries sent envoys to congratulate them and pay tribute to them. .

King Hu of Annan also sent envoys such as Ruan Jingzhen to congratulate him.

The soft scene and so on are arranged in the Huitong Hall, and the accommodation and meals are the same as those of the Siam Champa envoy.But the position in the banquet is in the corner, not to mention congratulating the great emperor, and patting the dragon's fart by the way, not even a dragon's beard can be seen.

In view of Zhu Di's order to reprimand the Hu family for usurping power and Annan's invasion of the Ming border, Ruan Jingzhen and others dared not speak out, so they could only keep silent.

The envoys from Champa and Siam were very proud of the joke and made fun of it many times during the banquet, but Annan's envoy could only accept it.

Ruan Jingzhen and the others knew that once a dispute arose, Da Tianzi would never stand by them.If you don't want to give people an excuse to make trouble, you can only endure it.

In the final analysis, this is also Annan's own fault.

Ruan Jingzhen drank the wine in his glass, feeling bitter in his heart.

Since the Hu family usurped the Chen throne, Annan's relations with neighboring countries have become increasingly bad, and the relationship with Champa has dropped to freezing point.

The Hu family sent troops to capture several city-states in Zhancheng, but they also sent troops to Zhancheng but couldn't get them back. They could only ask the Son of Heaven for help by paying tribute.

I don’t know whether the reception staff of Honglu Temple was negligent or intentional. The envoys of the two countries live next to each other in the Huitong Pavilion, and they can meet each other when they go out. Every time they see each other, they are full of gunpowder. If there are no Ming Dynasty officials by their side , It is possible to draw a knife and slash each other on the spot.

Seeing that Ruan Jingzhen and others were not welcomed by Daming, the Zhancheng envoy didn't take the opportunity to add insult to injury.

Prince Chen, who went to Daming for political asylum, also lived in the Huitong Hall. When he saw Ruan Jingzhen and others, his nose was not his nose, and his eyes were not his eyes.With the protection of the Son of Heaven, he is not afraid of the Hu family at all. As long as Daming sends envoys and troops, Annan's throne will definitely belong to him.

When Prince Chen had an audience with Zhu Di, he assured him again and again that if Daming helped him return to the country and ascend the throne, he would pay tribute to Daming from generation to generation, and the orders made by the royal family would never be disobeyed by Chen's descendants.

Zhu Di praised Prince Chen, and gave him gold woven clothes and silk coins.

"Thank you, Son of Heaven, Ron."

Prince Chen left Xinuang Pavilion gratefully, Zhu Di's smile faded away, and he asked Zhu Gaochi who was standing beside him, "What do you think of this person?"

Zhu Gaochi thought for a moment, then replied: "A person who knows how to be kind."

Zhu Di shook his head, "Not necessarily."

Zhu Gaochi was puzzled in his heart, which was naturally brought out in his expression.

"The scheming is tough and the thinking is deep. It is good to help him ascend the throne and stick to today's promise. Otherwise, it may not be a good thing for him to control the power of Annan."

Zhu Di stopped talking, Zhu Gaochi didn't say much, he just pondered in his heart, and said for a long time: "My son is stupid, thank you for your teaching."

Later, Zhu Gaochi walked out of Xinuan Pavilion, and Zhu Di summoned Yang Duo, the commander of Jinyiwei, to meet him.

Yang Duo, who was dressed in bright red brocade, brushed past Zhu Gaochi.

Yang Duo saluted sideways, Zhu Gaochi held up one hand, and was very polite.

The second and third younger brothers have already joined the feudal clan, but he stayed in the capital, and there have been a lot of discussions in the court.

The Prince Ping's mansion in the capital city has been built, Zhu Gaochi invited him out of the palace, Zhu Di agreed, but left Zhu Zhanji, the son of Prince Ping, in the palace.This move made North Korean Chinese Wu look sideways.

It's a pity that Xie Jin and others are editing books, and Daoyan is the supervisor, so even if they have thoughts, they can't use them.

Zhu Gaochi's performance was very calm. Not only did he take the initiative to avoid suspicion, he left the palace early, he also reprimanded Princess Ping, and told Zhu Zhanji to be filial to his father in the palace. Don't be credulous, let alone speak out.

"You are favored by the Son of Heaven, remember to keep your duty, don't act recklessly, and don't listen to slander." Zhu Gaochi stroked the eldest son's hair, "You must know that everyone in the world has selfish intentions, and those who speak with certainty may not be sincere for you. Falling for your father After reading it countless times, I finally understood the truth. It is the right way to stick to the heart and not look at the overall situation with self-interest."

"Son, I would like to obey my father's instruction."

Zhu Zhanji is already eight years old, and he is much taller than his peers. He still has a childish face, but he already has the shadow of Zhu Di.

From the appearance alone, he is far less similar to Zhu Gaochi than Zhu Di, but when it comes to seriousness, he is more like Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui.

The son is not like himself, but more like his father and brother. Zhu Gaochi is also heartbroken, and he doesn't know whether to worry or be grateful.But I also somewhat understand why my father prefers the two younger brothers.

Who doesn't love to be like their own child?

If it weren't for Zhu Zhanji who also likes to read, Zhu Gaochi would be even more awkward.

Zhu Zhanji was early-witted and knew a little about the struggle between his father and his two uncles, especially the King of Han. He also heard about the names of Duke Ding and Uncle Xingning.

He admired Duke Ding very much.

He was curious about Xingningbo.

Duke Dingguo is the adopted grandson of Emperor Gao. He joined the army since he was a child and has made numerous military exploits.Uncle Xingning abandoned his literature and joined the army and started as a commoner, which is even more famous for his great filial piety.If he is not as young as the weak crown, he will be named a first-class uncle, control Daning, and guard the frontier.Every time I heard the emperor's grandfather mention this person, I would appreciate it a lot.The professor of the Wangfu who taught him to study had a lot of slander against him, denouncing him as a villain and a courtier.

Zhu Zhanji was even more curious.

As Master Yao's apprentice, is Xing Ningbo a virtuous man who governs the world, or is he flattering a villain and a sycophant?

If there is a chance, he would like to meet this person, maybe it can solve the confusion in his heart.

Zhu Gaochi could guess what his son was thinking, so he shook his head and sighed softly.

Many years ago, the emperor's grandson was still alive, and he went to Beijing to worship with his second and third brothers.At that time, Ding Guogong had not yet been granted the title of Marquis, and Xingning Bo was only a hundred households.

The unevenness of the road, the turbulent undercurrent in Beijing, and the heavy rain when fleeing Nanjing, the three brothers raised their arms in the rain and laughed.

After many years, it seems like a lifetime away.

Now, the second and third younger brothers have gone to the frontier, Dingguo Gong Xing Ningbo is guarding one side, but he is confined to the capital, walking where he is.

whose fault is it?

The only one who can ask is yourself.

"Father?"

Facing the eldest son's puzzled gaze, Zhu Gaochi smiled, "Father is just remembering the things in the early years. Back then, it was Uncle Xingning's idea that father was able to leave Jinling safely. And this multigrain pancake..."

Zhu Gaochi relaxed his expression and fell into memories.

Zhu Zhanji listened very seriously, his eyes lit up, and it was the first time his father told him this.

Outside the Nuan Pavilion, Concubine Ping stopped the eunuch, "Your Highness is talking to your son, don't bother me."

After the words fell, he took the palace servants and left along the way he came.

The prince is not the only son of His Majesty, and the son is only the eldest son of the prince.

Thunder flashed in the air, and the rain fell suddenly.

Concubine Ping stopped under the corridor, the panchi on the wall was hidden in the auspicious clouds, and the cyan glazed tiles on the eaves of the roof made a crisp sound when the rain knocked on them.

A heavy rain enveloped the entire city of Nanjing.

"princess?"

"Let's go back." Princess Ping suddenly smiled, smiling relievedly, "It's almost time for the prince's thousand years, and the mansion should be ready."

"Yes."

Heavy rain has been falling for several days, and some prefectures and counties in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have reported flooding. It is feared that rice will not be abundant this year.Please reduce or exempt summer grain from several lands, and open the treasury to allocate rice for disaster relief.

Above the court hall, the Ministry of Household played the food for March, and Zhu Di shook his head.

"Floods are frequent, and autumn grain is not yet available. Only three months of grain will be given, and the people will be hungry and hungry. How can the country benefit the people?"

"Your Majesty, the food in the treasury still needs to be given to the guards, and it will be abundant after autumn."

"The insufficient amount can be obtained from the internal storage."

When Zheng He went to the East, Kaiyuan, Guangning, and Daning handed in taxes, cloth, copper coins, and all kinds of rare treasures piled up like hills in the inner treasury.

Zhu Di is quite confident, I am not short of money!There is not enough money and food in the government treasury, and I will make up for it.

The internal treasury is not under the control of the court, and the emperor himself has the final say.

The emperor said that if the money was paid from the internal treasury, the Ministry of Households could do nothing but surrender, "Your Majesty is wise."

The money is the money. Emperor Yong Le is very clear about the problems of the imperial court and some local officials. The court has made a clear order. In normal times, I will not pursue it. But when it comes to helping the victims, who dares to propose food relief? Whether you want money or not Fate, it's luck if you can't find out, once you find out, pick the skin and behead, and choose the one yourself.There is no chance of exile and exile.

The imperial edict was quickly issued to all states and counties, and officials from all over the place expressed that they must live up to the emperor's order and supervise each other. Whoever dares to stretch out his claws will chop his hands directly without the emperor's order!

The old people in the disaster-stricken areas were invited to the county government to listen to the edict, and when they returned to the village, they all preached the benevolence of the emperor.Elderly people from the county sew hundreds of cloths and wrote about the emperor's holiness, and the local officials sent them to Beijing on fast horses.

Iron and blood like Zhu Di can't help but have red eyes.

The people are like water, and the king is like a boat.

If the ruler loves the people, the people will also love the ruler.

From Jing Nan's raising of troops to sitting on the throne, Zhu Di's identity has changed, and his thinking has also been constantly changing.

From Dezhou to Jinan, to today's Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the people's will is the way to govern the country.

Thinking of the source of all these changes, Zhu Di called the internal official Hou Xian, and said: "I pass on my will to reward Daning with five bolts of gauze silk, one hundred taels of silver, and three hundred ingots of banknotes."

"Yes."

Hou Xian promised, thinking in his heart, such a kindness, Xingningbo is really in the heart of the emperor.At the beginning, our family had a good relationship with Xingning Bo, and we formed a good relationship, and we really did the right thing.

The reward was escorted out of Nanjing by Jin Yiwei and sent all the way to Daning.

Monk Meng Qing didn't know that the emperor was giving him money again, and was thinking about who to arrange for Zheng He to sail to the West.

Zhu Gaoxu said that if he was given three boats, he would never break his promise. With the style of the Zhu family, Emperor Yong Le should have reported it in front of him.

If you want to fill three boats, you can't do it by yourself. You must add Shen Xuan and Daning Dusi. For the remaining vacancies, you can also consider the leader of Wuliangha who performed well and the Jurchen leader who planned to win over.

The emperor sent envoys to the west, which represented the prestige of the upper kingdom. It was a face to be able to take a ride with the wind, go back and forth, and see a little bit, no matter how much you earn.

One day when I sit with other tribal leaders, drink and eat meat, and talk about the mountains, what others can show off is how many military exploits they have won, how many cattle and sheep in the tribe, and how many benefits they have won in the mutual market.If it was me, I felt a slap in the chest, Lao Tzu and the envoys of the emperor traveled to the West together, and I have seen overseas things!What are cattle and sheep? Lao Tzu's tribe has buffalo imported from overseas!

As soon as this remark came out, it would definitely kill the Quartet, earning enough face together.

Rubbing your chin, it would be even better if the news could reach Tatar Wala.

The strong men are still slashing at each other with their knives for a piece of grassland, and the fleet of Da Tianzi has set up flagpoles on the opposite side of the ocean.

Envy?

Jealous?

There is no future for Guilichi and Mahamu, and joining Daming is the best way to lead the tribe to get rich and live a well-off life.

The more I think about it, the more feasible it becomes.

Meng Qinghe drank the soup in the bowl in a few gulps, but he didn't feel bitter at all.Wandering around the wing room twice, counting the time, it is time for Shen Xuan to come back.Immediately opened the door, trot all the way.

Shen Xuan just returned to Bo's Mansion from Miscellaneous Bureau, and ran into Meng Qinghe who ran out from Ertang.Thinking that he came here specially to greet him, his stern brows and eyes were involuntarily tinged with warmth.

As a result, within 5 minutes, the warmth turned into frost again.

The culprit didn't realize it yet, so he dragged Shen Xuan back to the east chamber of the second hall, told the whole plan, and blinked his eyes for praise.

Shen Xuan pinched his forehead, took a deep breath, and told himself that the person in front of him was in poor health and was recuperating, so he couldn't resist being slapped.

Inhale, exhale, inhale again, exhale again.

In the end, he fished the person over and took two bites before finishing.

"My lord?"

Clutching his neck, Meng Twelve Lang was extremely innocent.

Do you think this is a bad idea?Then there is no need to bite, right?

A vein popped up on Shen Xuan's forehead, he grabbed it and continued to bite!

Meng Qinghe burst into flames from being bitten, and opened his mouth to bite back when he was furious.

Ever since, dinner was delayed until breakfast, and the Dusi Yamen received a leave note from Uncle Meng again.

The person in charge of recording was very calm, picked up a pen, opened the booklet, and made another mark under Xing Ningbo's name.Do the math, the fifth time this month.After working so hard, Xingning Bo really devoted himself to the country.

During Meng Qinghe's leave, Shen Xuan wrote his plan into a memorial, affixed the official seal, and presented it to the emperor for preview.

Jin Yiwei, who sent the reward to Daning, took a sip of tea before taking a rest, and immediately set off on his way back.

Along the way, the brothers were involved in lawsuits all over their heads.

Since the founding of the Kingdom, apart from Ding Guogong and Xing Ning Bo, there is no other honorable minister who dares to send Jin Yiwei to run errands without paying travel expenses, right?

Even Wei Guogong and Wuyanghou didn't have this ability.

Ding Guogong and Xing Ning Bo are very human.

The memorial was sent to Nanjing, Zhu Di read it, and immediately ordered that the date of Zheng He's fleet's voyage to the West be postponed for one month.

Yao Guangxiao, who supervised Xie Jin's revision of the book, was invited to Xinuang Pavilion, and the monarch and his ministers had a long talk.

Six Shangshu were also successively announced to the prelude to the king.

Afterwards, the guards and vassal kings of Northern Xinjiang successively received orders from the emperor to recruit strong men from the tribes attached to the grassland and the Jurchen guards to enrich the frontier army.And Xu has been affiliated for a long time, has old qualifications, supports various policies of the Ming Dynasty, and the tribes that perform well send people to sail to the West with the imperial fleet.

The imperial court welcomes all tribes to sign up, but the number of places is limited. Who can have the last laugh and successfully board the ship depends on their own abilities.

Song Sheng, chief military officer of Gansu, and He Fu, chief military officer of Ningxia, acted the fastest. Not only did they send news to the tribal leaders guarding the Qianhusuo, but they also sent news to the newly attached tribes who were temporarily placed in Liangzhou and other places.

Maritime trade was developed in the Yuan Dynasty. Even after several decades, the tribes on the grassland still have the grand scene of Quanzhou's maritime business exchanges.Before the imperial court sent a fleet to the East, the various spices and goods brought back caused quite a stir in the south, and they were also in circulation in the north.

Although pastures and cattle and sheep are the foundation of the tribe, compared with Haimao, it is completely a heaven and an underground.If the imperial court wants to make overseas trips again, it is definitely a good opportunity to make a fortune by allowing the goods to be carried with the ship.But anyone with a little brain will not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Wuliangha and the affiliated Tatar tribes moved after hearing the news, and the well-informed Jurchen tribes moved one after another, just to fight for a seat.

When the news spread to the northern grasslands, the tribes of Tatar and Wala were also moved.

The imperial court set up mutual markets in Kaiyuan and other places to drive the economy of northern Xinjiang. Only the border residents and Wuliangha and other affiliated tribes were rich, and there were basically no Tatars and Oalas.

In view of the fact that Guilichi had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, the court would occasionally relax its policy towards Tatars.Replace it with Wala, sorry, border trade is prohibited.

Mahamu and Guilichi could only covet the wealth of the border people and Wu Liangha, and dreamed of snatching it, but they always retreated under the guns and spears of the frontier soldiers.Knowing that the Ming Dynasty was going to send a fleet to the West, and Xu Hui tribe would get involved, the two were even more scratching their heads.Guilichi could go up to fight for it, but Mahamu could only stare blankly.

As more and more grassland tribes moved to the border of the Ming Dynasty, requesting internal attachment, the gap in strength between Tatar Wala and Ming Dynasty would become wider and wider.It's not impossible for the two of them to become "polished commanders" if they don't want to come up with a good solution.

In June of the third year of Yongle, Gansu, Ningxia, Xuanfu, Daning and Beijing successively sent teams to Beijing.The team is carrying all kinds of goods, just waiting to board the ship and transport them to the West to make a fortune.

Daning's team was a bit special, carrying far less cargo than other teams, but sent heavy guards to guard it.Two of the carriages were always covered with tarpaulins, and the frontier soldiers stayed around day and night, so no one could guess what was loaded on the carriages.

At the beginning of July, people and goods with ships from all over the country arrived in the capital one after another. Many of them were businessmen who had their own sea ships and hoped to sail together.

In this regard, the court is quite controversial, and the opponents are in the majority.After receiving the proposal from King Han and King Zhao, Emperor Yong Le chose to turn a blind eye to a certain law of Emperor Gao, and the voice of opposition was quickly suppressed...

Not long after, the imperial court issued an edict that it is allowed to go to sea with the fleet, and [-]% of the profits must be paid to the imperial court.If high-quality grains can be brought back, they can be reduced as appropriate.There are also rewards for discovering Borderlands.

When the edict was issued, the merchants immediately raised their hands in agreement, shouting that the emperor is holy.

To be able to go to sea in an open and aboveboard manner, with a large-scale fleet escort, without worrying about being interrogated by the boat master or harassed by pirates, not to mention [-]%, [-]% to [-]% can be done.

Pay, no problem!

Finding grain seeds is no problem!

Finding the land of no man is no problem!

This kind of thing is done by the imperial fleet, and the impact must be considered, so that the merchants can stand out without any pressure.

Under the trend of interests, there are naturally people who are willing to serve.

The imperial court let go, and Zheng He's first voyage to the West continued to increase in size, with more than 350 official and private ships and more than [-] people.

The purpose of the voyage has also changed from promoting the power of the country to appease the four barbarians, to developing friendship, opening up overseas trade, finding new sea routes, and occupying no-man's land.

Before setting sail, as the envoy of the fleet, Zheng He still had the most critical things to do.

Go to Tai Hospital for medicine.

In order to share the pressure, Wang Jinghong, who also suffered from seasickness, was dragged by Zheng He and stood together in front of the Imperial Hospital.

In the past, the majestic chief eunuch shivered when he saw Zhao Yuanjuan walking squarely with a smile on his face.

Glancing at each other, clenching fists at the same time, in order to complete the mission, to go out alive and come back alive, our family is fighting!

What kind of spirit is this?

Dauntless spirit!

With great ambitions in mind, the navigators of Daming walked into the Tai Hospital resolutely with their heads held high.