Chapter 689 The Confidence of the Heavenly Kingdom (please vote for me)
Not because of anything else, but because Zhu Hongyu’s evaluation is really fair.
One sentence explains most of Zhang Xianzhong’s life!
Li Dingguo kowtowed again excitedly.
"General, thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Thank you for your kindness!"
Originally, Li Dingguo thought that Zhu Hongyu would use pen and ink to describe Zhang Xianzhong's posthumous reputation as a heinous person out of revenge.
Although Zhang Xianzhong was originally the one, Li Dingguo, as Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, absolutely did not want Zhang Xianzhong to be hacked too much.
But he didn't expect that Zhu Hongyu would actually give Zhang Xianzhong a fair evaluation!
In one sentence, Zhang Xianzhong’s life is summed up!
It is true that Zhang Xianzhong is a rebel, but he is also a Han!
Zhu Hongyu had no choice but to help Li Dingguo up again and spoke.
"Get up!"
"It doesn't matter, I'm not such a stingy person!"
"If I were a stingy person, Yunxuan wouldn't be able to be the prefect of Shanghai in the Ming Dynasty!"
Shanghai is the most important economic development zone in the Ming Dynasty, if not the only one.
Zhu Hongyu wanted to use Shanghai to gather capital and resources from the entire Jiangnan and along the Yangtze River for opening up to the outside world and industrial and commercial development.
Further promote social change in Ming Dynasty!
But the importance of Shanghai!
But in such a city, Zhu Hongyu asked Zhang Yunxuan to serve as the prefect and put her in charge of the construction of the Shanghai Development Zone.
It can be seen that Zhu Hongyu reused it!
You know, Zhang Yunxuan is Zhang Xianzhong's daughter, and even she can be reused. It goes without saying that Zhu Hongyu is generous.
Of course, this has something to do with the fact that Zhang Yunxuan took refuge with Zhu Hongyu very early and followed Zhu Hongyu in Luzon. Regardless of his qualifications, he is also Zhu Hongyu's old man Yuancong.
In addition, another reason is that Zhang Yunxuan is now a representative figure of women in the New Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Hongyu wants to use him to set an example for liberating women.
Now that the population of Ming Dynasty is limited, in order to develop the labor force needed for industry and commerce, liberating women is what must be done.
As long as there is no female boxing, liberating women to a certain extent will be beneficial and harmless to social development.
After all, women are also part of the workforce!
When Li Dingguo heard this, he just spoke.
"I will always admire your majesty's broad-mindedness!"
Now Li Dingguo's heart is full of emotion. Zhu Hongyu can be so broad-minded and courageous. No wonder the Ming Dynasty can be restored!
This man is truly a born emperor!
Zhu Hongyu nodded slightly and said.
"Waiting for this year's New Year's Day, I will send an order to Shanghai to ask Yunxuan to take a holiday and return to Beijing!"
"You brothers and sisters haven't seen each other for many years, so it's a good time to reunite and catch up on old times!"
Li Dingguo nodded and said.
"Everyone listens to His Majesty!"
…
As the new year is approaching, the backlog of government affairs in the past has been almost settled.
Zhu Hongyu also rarely got some free time.
By the Xuanwu Lake, the ice and snow were frozen, and snowflakes were flying in the sky, turning the entire city of Nanjing into a world of ice and snow.
The lake has already frozen, and even horse racing on it is no problem due to the thick ice.
In a small pavilion by the lake, a stove was lit, wine was warmed, and the red-hot charcoal released heat energy, making the surrounding area warm.
Zhu Hongyu placed a small pony on the bank of Xuanwu Lake, ordered someone to drill a hole in the ice, and started fishing with a fishing rod.
The cold wind of late winter was blowing on his face, but Zhu Hongyu kept moving.
Staring at the ice, enjoying the rare leisure.
Next to him, Liao Zhou, the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Korea, stood respectfully, looking at the fish basket for Zhu Hongyu.
While staring at the fishing rod, Zhu Hongyu said.
“This fishing test of patience is the most important!”
"You have to make a nest, place bait, and wait patiently for the fish to bite the hook. Don't be anxious at all."
"Slowly, slowly, and finally, you can catch the fish!"
Zhu Hongyu was talking about fishing on the surface, but he actually meant something behind his words.
Liao Zhou listened to Zhu Hongyu's lecture and nodded thoughtfully.
Zhu Hongyu continued.
"At present, North Korea is still very respectful to me, the Ming Dynasty. This is a very smart and cautious fish."
"If you want this fish to be brought to the table, you have to put a lot of thought into making a nest and baiting it!"
It is obvious that Zhu Hongyu is interested in North Korea.
But the fish in North Korea was very submissive, so submissive that Ming could not find a reason to attack.
Therefore, if Zhu Hongyu wants to bring this very clever and cautious fish from North Korea to the dining table, he must make a good nest and bait it.
Liao Zhou came back to the Ming Dynasty just to resume his life. After the New Year's Day, Liao Zhou will return to North Korea again to serve as the Ming Dynasty's ambassador to North Korea.
If Zhu Hongyu is a fisherman, then Ambassador Liao Zhou is the fishhook of the fisherman.
That's why Zhu Hongyu summoned Liao Zhou to see him in his rare free time and gave him some advice.
Liao Zhou nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I understand!"
Zhu Hongyu nodded again and said.
"For the specific plan, staff from the staff department will hand over and communicate with you later!"
"Today, just go fishing with me!"
While he was talking, the fishing rod in Zhu Hongyu's hand moved, the expression on his face changed, and he spoke.
"Hurry up!"
"The fish is on, the fish is on!"
As he spoke, he began to use force to pull the fishing line upwards, with an expression on his face full of anticipation.
Not long after, a silver carp was pulled up.
Liao Zhou on the side quickly took the net bag to fish it out.
With the cooperation of the two, the silver carp was caught.
Zhu Hongyu caught the silver carp with his bare hands and looked at this fat fish with a sincere smile on his face.
Sometimes, men are so easily satisfied.
Especially the fishing guys, as long as they don't have the air force, they will be happy.
"Haha, I'll have this fish for lunch today!"
While talking, Zhu Hongyu handed the silver carp in his hand to the little eunuch waiting at the side.
The little eunuch said "Hey", held the fish in his arms and went to make arrangements.
Zhu Hongyu continued fishing, enjoying the rare tranquility and leisure.
He held a book in his hand and flipped through it casually. Judging from the cover, it was the Yongle Dadian.
Drink a glass of warm rice wine from time to time!
The fine rice wine entered Zhu Hongyu's stomach, making him feel warm.
It seems that the current weather is not a freezing winter, but a warm spring.
Liao Zhou stood aside, as if he suddenly remembered something, he spoke.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Joseon, Li En, and the Princess of Joseon, Li Eun-hye, have come to Beijing together. Do you want to meet them?"
Zhu Hongyu heard this, pondered for a while and then spoke.
"Well, bring him to see me!"
Of course, what Zhu Hongyu wanted to see was the North Korean prince Li Yan, not the eight-year-old North Korean princess.
He's only eight years old, he's really too young!
No matter how cruel a person is, he should not have evil thoughts towards an eight-year-old girl.
After Liao Zhou accepted the order, he turned around and followed Zhu Hongyu's instructions.
…
Honglu Temple!
Joseon Station!
Honglu Temple is the diplomatic institution of the Ming Dynasty.
I just called it Honglu Temple according to the past customs.
It has been several days since Li Zhen, the crown prince of Joseon, arrived in Nanjing, but he has never been received by the Ming Emperor.
Although due to the close relationship between North Korea and Ming Dynasty, Li Yan's food, accommodation and treatment were all top-notch.
Although the prosperity of Nanjing dazzled him, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty kept refusing to meet him, which also made him have no intention to appreciate the beautiful scenery.
Not being able to see the Ming Emperor made Li Yan full of worry and uneasiness.
On this day, Li Yan was practicing calligraphy according to his usual habits.
Someone broke in outside. He looked up and saw that it was Liao Zhou, the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Korea.
After Liao Zhou saw Li Yan, he quickly greeted him.
"His Royal Highness, Your Highness, Your Majesty has summoned you!"
"Please pack up quickly and come with me to see you."
Hearing this, Li Yan stopped what he was doing, raised his head and asked.
"Master Liao, is what you said true?"
"His Majesty really summoned me?"
Liao Zhou nodded hurriedly and said.
"That's natural!"
"Your Majesty is currently waiting for His Majesty the Crown Prince to come to you by the Xuanwu Lake. His Majesty the Crown Prince, come with me as soon as possible. Don't keep Your Majesty waiting too long."
Li Yan said quickly.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
"I will go with Mr. Liao!"
While talking, Li Yan left his desk and strode out of the room with Liao Zhou.
When he was halfway there, Li Yan asked.
"Master Liao, since His Majesty summoned us, should we also bring the favor with us?"
Li Yan proposed to bring his sister with him.
When his sister came to the Ming Dynasty, it was more a gift from his father to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty than a marriage.
When a gift is delivered, it must be met by the owner!
After hearing this, Liao Zhou nodded and said.
"Don't worry, His Royal Highness, he has already sent someone to invite the princess!"
Although the King of Joseon is only a princess, because he enjoys the etiquette of a prince, the princess of Joseon can also be called a princess.
Li Yan nodded, then he said nothing and left Honglu Temple with Liao Zhou, heading all the way to Xuanwu Lake.
…
Just when Li Yin left Honglu Temple with Liao Zhou, he was in a villa next to the villa where Li Yin lived.
The British special envoy Lister and his deputy, Laurent, the first mate of the Witney, were looking at the direction in which Li Yan was leaving with envy.
"Oh, damn it. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty chose to receive the envoy from North Korea, but he continued to leave the envoy of our great Kingdom of Great Britain hanging here!"
Lauren said grumblingly.
His face was full of displeasure at being slighted.
On the other hand, Liszt on the side acted very calmly. Faced with this situation, he just continued to drink tea calmly.
"My dear Lauren, what are you so worried about?"
"The treatment given to us by the Ming Dynasty is very good, isn't it? Look at this high-grade white porcelain tea cup, look at this tea specially provided by the royal family, even a tablecloth is made of fine silk..."
"If it were placed in Europe, even kings and nobles might not be able to enjoy such treatment."
"Just wait patiently!"
"Don't forget, right next door to us, the Ottomans are also waiting to be received!"
The British envoy and the Ottoman envoy arrived in Nanjing at the same time.
After arriving in Nanjing, they were placed in Honglu Temple and waited for Zhu Hongyu to receive them.
After they arrived in Nanjing, it took some time before the North Korean delegation entered Beijing.
But now, it was the North Korean mission that arrived last and was the first to be received by the Ming Emperor.
The British and Ottomans who had arrived in front were still waiting.
Lauren felt it was unfair and very unhappy!
But Liszt, who was more familiar with Eastern culture, understood this.
From the perspective of the British and Ottomans, the Ming Dynasty wave did violate the principle of first come, first served.
However, if you look at it from the Ming side, then the perspective of this matter will be completely opposite.
What is North Korea?
He is the first vassal of the Ming Dynasty who has always been respectful, and he is the biological son of the Ming Dynasty!
When a biological son comes to his father's house, he is naturally treated differently from other people.
And what do Britain and the Ottomans count?
The Ottomans only had a few inseparable tributary relations with the Ming Dynasty.
From the current point of view, Britain is even more of an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.
Whether it was the Battle of Guangzhou Bay during the Chongzhen period or the confrontation between the Ming and Qing fleets a few years ago, the British sided with the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, which illustrates this point.
In the face of the British envoys, the Ming Dynasty did not drive them away, which is because the Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette and cares about face.
With two countries like this, why didn't Ming Dynasty give priority to the envoys of North Korea's own sons instead of meeting them?
As for whether these two countries are stronger than North Korea?
This is actually not important!
To put it in a pretentious way, when making friends in Ming Dynasty, it never depends on the strength of the friend!
Because no matter how strong this friend is, he will not be as strong as Da Ming!
Therefore, Ming Dynasty's reception of envoys was in accordance with Ming Dynasty's diplomatic practices.
The so-called diplomatic practice refers to the distance and distance between China and Ming Dynasty.
As for the strength of the corresponding country, Ming Dynasty doesn’t care!
When you're here, you have to abide by my rules!
This is the confidence from the Kingdom of Heaven!
It would be a naked irony to say that during the late Qing Dynasty China claimed to be a heavenly kingdom.
Now, Ming Dynasty claims to be the Celestial Kingdom, but it is an accurate positioning of itself!
Today's Ming Dynasty ranks first in the world in terms of military, technological, economic, and cultural strength.
The only thing lacking may be the population!
Because the population of the Ming Dynasty suffered a huge loss in the decades-long war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
…
Xuanwu Lakeside!
In a world covered with silver, Zhu Hongyu is still fishing.
He was wrapped in a thick fur cloak to protect him from the cold winter wind.
But the expression on his face is still full of interest, which fully reflects how strong the fisherman's perseverance is in fishing.
Isn't it just cold?
Isn't it just snowing?
No big deal!
As long as the rod and line are still there, you can fish!
As for the environment?
As long as the cold doesn’t kill anyone, we can continue fishing!
Just when Zhu Hongyu was addicted to fishing, Liao Zhou brought the North Korean prince Li En and the North Korean princess Li Enhui to Zhu Hongyu after going through the security check.
"The Crown Prince of Joseon, Lee En, and the Princess of Joseon, Lee Eun-hye, pay homage to His Majesty!"
"Long live your Majesty, may the Ming Dynasty live forever!"
The two of them knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Zhu Hongyu.
The attitude is as respectful as ever!
Zhu Hongyu took his eyes away from the fishing rod and turned to look at Li Yan and Li Enhui.
Li Yan's appearance is not bad. He is dressed in brocade clothes, has a tall figure, delicate facial features, a short beard on his chin, and his temperament is very much like that of a frail scholar.
And Li Eun Hye is a delicate and beautiful little loli.
Zhu Hongyu withdrew his gaze from the two of them and just spoke in a warm voice.