While the snow in the south of the Yangtze River has begun to melt, the sky in the northwest is still gray. Looking around, the snow reflecting the sunlight makes people's eyes hurt.
Taiyuan City Head.
On the top of the city gate, a group of people watched as the military horses rushed out of the south city gate and headed south along the official road.
The king of Jin, Zhu Fan, huddled his hands in his sleeves, and the cloak on his body was tightly wrapped, and the down wrapped his neck tightly.
"There will be a banquet at the palace tonight. Please invite all the civil and military officials who came north from Yingtian with you to come in for a meal."
Zhu Fan's tone was calm. The new layout of Taiyuan City after the rebellion made him feel comfortable all over.
He looked sideways at Zhu Yunxi beside him and said with a smile: "After all, New Year's Eve is always more lively."
What Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Di said recently when they returned to Peking were a bit clearer.
All matters in the general direction of Taiyuan and Shanxi Road have been dealt with, and the rest are all side details and things that require dedicated personnel to do meticulously.
And Gao Yangzhi led the accompanying officials of the Northern Patrol to handle these matters, so there were not many things that really required him to worry about.
On the contrary, Zhu Yunxi rarely lived a comfortable time.
Hearing the words of the third uncle at this moment, Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Gao Chunfeng has already sent people over to say that they have been doing statistics on the closure of the library these days. I think it will be over today."
Zhu Fan sighed a little: "I have been vassal of Taiyuan for more than ten years, and I have never felt as comfortable as I do now."
"Everyone from top to bottom is dedicated to government affairs, with no distractions. They are able to carry out government orders and keep the government clean. There are few local constraints, and the third uncle will naturally feel at ease."
Zhu Yunxi clasped his hands together and looked at the snowy scenery outside the city that he had seen for many days.
In the eyes of others, they are generally the same.
But he is always happy to find some scenery that is different from the previous day.
Zhu Fan turned around and said: "You have also seen the old man's will. Listen to your third uncle and do less things that put yourself in danger in the future."
He was talking about Zhu Yuanzhang's posthumous edict. Now this matter has been disclosed to the world through the imperial court.
Everyone in the world now knows that the next emperor of the Ming Dynasty will definitely be the current Crown Prince, and the next Crown Prince will also be succeeded by the current Crown Prince.
The country's three-generation inheritance of the country has been completely established.
Zhu Yunxi looked calm: "Third uncle, those prosperous dynasties and wise monarchs throughout the past have determined policies that can protect their foundation for ten thousand years. Why has there never been a family from ancient times to the present?"
Zhu Fan closed his mouth silently.
Next to them, Wang Xinling, the governor of the General Affairs Department, Ma Hongqing and others looked curious.
Zhu Yunxi smiled and shook his head: "When the end of a dynasty comes, do people always subconsciously say that the emperor is fatuous, the court is in chaos, traitors are everywhere, and natural and man-made disasters will cause the dynasty to collapse.
Why do all the reasons put the emperor's stupidity in the first place?
Because all power in the world comes from the emperor alone.
If the emperor has lived in the palace for a long time, he will only know the so-called sages' articles and warnings from the world, but they are just words on paper.
Maybe he is better than the palace ladies, or he is dependent on the powerful ministers and traitors. How can such a monarch balance the court, and how can he know the sufferings of the people in the world?
How can an emperor who doesn't know the people, soldiers, or officials distinguish the authenticity of his ministers in the court?"
This is a very real issue.
However, no one can completely solve it.
Zhu Fan shook his head: "You can't let future generations be like you."
There was silence at the city gate for a moment.
At this moment, in Taiyuan City behind everyone, there was only the movement made by the people who had begun to get busy for tonight's reunion dinner.
The sounds are mixed, but people can distinguish them.
There was the sound of wood being chopped and the sound of wood being burned.
There was also the sound of the spatula turning in the iron pot, and the roaring sound of the raging fire rolling in the stove, crowding into the chimney and rising all the way up.
On the street, children with horned hair walked in groups through the streets and alleys, causing the sound of firecrackers in Taiyuan City to subside for a long time.
In the entire Taiyuan City, like all other places in the Ming Dynasty, everyone is busy and waiting for the most relaxing and satisfying meal of the year.
After a long silence, Zhu Yunxi's voice sounded from the top of the city.
"Then it would be nice to prevent them from being stupid."
Then, Zhu Yunxi's figure started to move, walking towards the steps behind the city wall.
Zhu Fan fell behind, frowning, with a puzzled look on his face: "Can't you be stupid?"
When he realized what was going on, a trace of shock flashed across Zhu Fan's face, but when he turned around, Zhu Yunxi was nowhere to be seen.
Inside the Jin Palace.
It turned out that the turmoil that occurred on the night of King Jin's birthday banquet caused the walls of various palaces in the palace to collapse and the palace to be destroyed.
Fortunately, there were a group of Shanxi merchants who had their property confiscated. The Northern Expedition only needed to add a few entries to the accounts, and the cost of repairing the Jin Palace was directly transferred to them.
Although several palaces that were destroyed due to arson by rebels cannot be rebuilt immediately, at least the sections of palace walls that fell down in the Jin Palace have been fully repaired, so that the palace of His Highness Prince Ming will not look like a ruin.
It looks like it has ventilation on all sides.
A corner behind the palace.
After leaving the city wall, Zhu Yunxi, accompanied by Zhu Jiye, arrived at a rather secluded courtyard.
There are only two tall, lush and snow-covered cypress trees in the courtyard.
There are side rooms on the left and right, and the main room in the middle.
When Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Jiye arrived, two palace maids were holding brooms and sweeping away the shallow snow in the courtyard.
A sweet smell wafted from the side room on one side.
The arrival of the emperor's grandson and the second son immediately attracted the attention of the maid who was clearing the snow in the courtyard.
"Your Highness, Second Young Master."
Zhu Jiye nodded and silently looked sideways at Zhu Yunxi beside him.
For this cousin, Zhu Jiye only had admiration in his heart.
If it weren't for the fact that he was not the eldest son of the Jin Palace, he would have hoped to live in the capital permanently so that he could have more contacts with his cousin in the future.
Zhu Jiye said: "Where is Mr. Wen's wife now?"
The maid looked at Zhu Jiye, and from the corner of her eye she quietly looked at the emperor's grandson who was here for the first time.
"Mrs. Wen is making pastries in the east wing."
Zhu Jiye was confused: "What kind of cakes should I make at this time?"
Zhu Yunxi smiled and said softly from the side: "But the cakes that the second sister-in-law wants to make for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner at the palace?"
The maid Fu Shen nodded: "Back to Your Highness, Mrs. Wen said that she wants to make some folk pastries from Fengyang so that Your Highness, the Prince and others can taste the flavor of Zhongdu tonight."
Zhu Yunxi nodded and walked outside the east wing.
Zhu Jiye understood and immediately said to the maid in front: "Mrs. Wen, please come out."
The maid took the order and turned around and entered the east wing.
Not long after, Qiu Niang, who was wearing an apron around her waist and protective sleeves on her arms, but her body and face were covered with colored dust, came out with two maids from the Jin Palace who looked roughly the same.
Looking at Zhu Yunxi standing outside the door.
A flash of surprise flashed in Qiuniang's eyes, and she immediately walked down the steps of the corridor and bowed in front of Zhu Yunxi: "A commoner woman has met His Highness the Emperor Taisun and the Second Young Master."
Zhu Yunxi immediately raised his arm, gave Qiuniang a hint of a lift, and said with a smile: "Second sister-in-law does not need to be so rigid and call herself a civilian woman. Today is New Year's Eve, and tomorrow is the first day of the 29th year of Hongwu.
My second brother is currently serving in the army at the border, leading dozens of troops. Due to the tight security of the border fortress, I will be very worried if I can't come back to celebrate the New Year together."
Qiuniang's face was calm and her tone was calm: "It is a good thing for Erlang to join the army, and it is also a good thing for our family. It is also a blessing for Erlang to do something for the court. The women of the people only wish that Erlang is safe and the world is at peace.
He begged."
The loss of her unborn child was a hurdle that Qiuniang could never overcome.
Although everything in Prince Jin's palace was fine, and the imperial doctors and people in the palace treated her with great courtesy, that was her and Erlang's first child.
These days, away from all the disturbances and living deep in the Jin Palace, Qiuniang gradually relaxed her mind.
Zhu Yunxi's eyes flickered.
But there is no regret medicine in the world, and he can't turn back time and experience the night of turmoil in Taiyuan City.
After thinking about it, a smile appeared on Zhu Yunxi's face: "Tonight is the royal family's New Year celebration. I see that the second sister-in-law is already preparing the cakes for the royal family's New Year. Why don't the second sister-in-law go ahead and join in the fun tonight? I heard that there will be people in the palace tonight.
, and prepared a lot of fun.”
He just finished speaking.
Zhu Jiye, who was standing aside, immediately said, "Yes! The palace has Taiyuan gongs and drums tonight, as well as storytellers, opera singers, and I heard that there is also an opera troupe from Zhongdu, but I don't know what they are singing.
If my second sister-in-law passes by, there will still be fireworks to watch in front of her when she is on guard. It would be nice for our family to get together and have a lively atmosphere."
There was a hint of hesitation on Qiuniang's face.
Just when she was about to refuse.
Zhu Yunxi's eyes flashed, and he spoke first: "Then it's settled, we will wait for the second sister-in-law to go ahead. Later, we will write a letter and have someone rush it to the second brother. I want to come.
It will be sent out tomorrow, and it will be in the hands of my second brother in five or six days."
After offering the temptation of writing a letter to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen cupped his hands and said goodbye in front of Qiuniang.
Qiuniang wanted to refuse, but looking at the retreating figures of Zhu Yunxi and Zhu Jiye, she could only sigh softly in the end.
The maid of Prince Jin's Palace, who had been serving her for a long time, had joy on her face.
"Mrs. Wen, His Highness has said that you can write to Mr. Wen. And I have also heard that there will be a lot of excitement in front of the palace tonight.
Firstly, it’s to celebrate the New Year, and secondly, because there are so many things happening in Taiyuan City this year, it’s a lively event to appease people’s hearts.”
Qiuniang bit her lip lightly.
Even though she was a village woman, she could still tell that these maids wanted to follow her to the front of the palace to watch the excitement tonight.
Qiuniang smiled: "Then we have to make the cakes as quickly as possible."
"Slaves, just go ahead and do it!"
In the small courtyard, cheers rang out.
…
Click!
Hiss, hiss...
From the top of a border fort far away from Taiyuan City, the sound of golden swords could be heard.
On the fort in the wind and snow, two people were huddled together under the wall, leaning against the wall behind them.
Both of them were wrapped up tightly, with almost only their eyes exposed.
Zhu Yunwen showed off his sword and held a whetstone in his other hand, constantly polishing his sword.
And that sound came from his sword.
The other person beside him was holding the scabbard and huddled tightly.
"General Qi, you said you have that kind of status, why do you want to get together with people like us, and still stay here during the Chinese New Year?"
The chief flag officer of the garrison here died a few days ago.
He died on the way to take people out of the customs in accordance with the regulations to inspect the movements outside the customs.
Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was assigned here to take over the post of general flag officer of the garrison, leading fifty border troops.
Listening to the doubts of the little flag officer next to me.
A smile appeared on Zhu Yunwen's face, but it was blocked by the mask.
He spoke in a hoarse voice: "What's the use of status? Good clothes and good food? But there are always people to guard this place. If I don't come, if you don't come, who will? Are we going to call those wolf thieves again?
Stealing our land and women from the Central Plains?"
"That's impossible! If a wolf bandit comes, I'll kill one! If two come, I'll kill a pair!"
The flag officer clenched the scabbard and banged it heavily on the ground.
Zhu Yunwen shook his head, returned the polished sword to the scabbard, and hung it on his waist. Then he stood up, pressing the handle of the sword with one hand and pressing the other hand on the city wall, looking towards the snowy north.
The little flag officer also stood up, but he still hugged the saber tightly, curled up his back and squinted his eyes.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Chief flag officer, don't worry, at this time, the wolf thieves will only hide in the thick tents and play with the women left behind by their damn father."
The little flag officer's words were full of malice, and in the end he even spat a mouthful of phlegm outside the city wall.
Zhu Yunwen had long been accustomed to the vulgarity of these frontier soldiers, and he could even follow them and spit thick phlegm in the direction of the grassland.
The flag officer stamped his feet: "I heard that there is a new artillery over there in the capital. If one cannon is fired, not even the scum of the wolf bandits will be left. I don't know when they can be mounted on our fortress."
Zhu Yunwen said quietly: "We will not add artillery here, but if there is a chance, you will see our Ming Dynasty's artillery blasting the wolf cubs on the grassland until their buttocks urinate."
"real?"
The little flag officer's eyes were filled with anticipation.
Zhu Yunwen nodded.
At this time, a banging sound came from the fort beneath the two men.
"New Year's Eve dinner is ready! Chief, let's go down and eat!"
Zhu Yunwen responded calmly and walked down the garrison from the door opened by the flag officer.
When the two of them arrived at the fort, they immediately felt warm.
Going down to the lowest level of the fort, the space suddenly becomes clearer. There are several small holes in the wall on the north side, and you can get a glimpse of the movement in the north.
In the room, there were people standing around several large pots lined up, and their eyes began to glow green.
Sun Cheng, the envoy of Fusi Town in Jinyi Weibei Town who accompanied Zhu Yunwen to guard the border, was also holding a big bowl and chopsticks in his hand.
I saw Zhu Yunwen walking down.
Ben immediately raised the hand holding the chopsticks.
"Chief Flag Officer, our New Year's Eve dinner at the garrison is ready!"