Chapter 171: After the flood there will be a plague
Mr. Lu sees everything currently happening very clearly.
Although she has not seen the resurrected Zhu Xiongying, she could also be said to have watched Zhu Xiongying grow up to the age of eight.
Zhu Yunwen was so young at that time that he had no idea of Zhu Xiongying's status in His Majesty's heart.
But Mr. Lu has always seen it.
As the crown prince's second concubine, Lu's status was at the absolute top in terms of the entire Ming Dynasty.
If you want to become the crown prince's second concubine, you can't do it just by beauty. With a character like Zhu Yuanzhang, he is particularly concerned about his eldest son's concubine.
Background checks, Jinyiwei visits and investigations, and even everything that can be found about Lu's deeds from childhood to adulthood have been checked...
Lu's character itself is also extremely pure, kind, dignified and virtuous.
Otherwise, after Mrs. Chang passed away, she would not be qualified to become Zhu Biao's stepwife.
From a moral point of view, no one can find fault with Lu.
There is no dispute, she became a stepwife not because she tried her best to win over it, but because she got Zhu Yuanzhang's approval.
Although she knew that her son Zhu Yunwen was very keen on her grandson's position, as an outsider, Lu had to see things more clearly.
The only thing that can prevent Zhu Xiongying from becoming the grandson now is the issue of identity.
However, judging from the current situation, Lu does not have much expectations for this.
Of course, she didn't sit back and wait, there were still some probing behaviors.
After having dinner yesterday, Mrs. Lu went to the back garden to watch a play with many concubines.
The women in the harem of the Ming Dynasty had no shortage of glory, wealth and honor. In addition to taking care of their skin and figure and practicing their talents every day, they also engaged in gossip in more aspects.
Lu first found the one who liked gossip the most among the many concubines, and then accidentally mentioned Xiaoling.
The matter of Xiaoling has been spread throughout the harem for a long time. Now that the popularity has somewhat passed, ordinary concubines are not very interested.
Only the big-mouthed concubine, with her blazing heart for gossip, did not let go of any trivial matter, and soon started chatting with Mrs. Lu with interest.
Inadvertently, Mrs. Lu started talking about King Yu.
Of course, the smart Lu would not tell all the things related to Zhu Xiongying to just one concubine. This would expose herself too easily.
As Zhu Yunwen's mother, if it could be traced back to herself, it would easily arouse His Majesty's suspicion.
In this case, Lu made careful arrangements and guidance.
She first used the big-mouthed concubine to bring up the matter of Xiaoling again.
Then we’ll talk about other points that don’t attract much attention and are related to Zhu Xiongying, and bring them up.
For example, let’s talk about His Majesty sleeping in Kunning Palace.
The harem pays close attention to where His Majesty sleeps every night. For them, this is the biggest thing.
Then guide at several other points.
Soon, it started with the big-mouthed concubine, and then was supplemented by several other concubines, and soon a clue was revealed.
Your Majesty did not sleep alone in Kunning Palace last night, there was another person, probably a young man.
Zhu Yuanzhang actually didn't hide much about Zhu Ying's entry into the palace.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the Ming Palace was Zhu Ying's own home. When the eldest grandson returned home, it would be concealed. Wouldn't this hurt the eldest grandson's heart?
What Zhu Yuanzhang has done so far is not to gather everyone together and fully announce the existence of the great grandson.
But in the entire palace, an edict had been issued long ago, allowing Da Sun to pass and go anywhere.
This edict was issued through the Imperial Guards, like the Twelve Guards who guarded the palace. All the patrolling palace guards were clearly aware of Zhu Ying's existence.
Another edict was sent to Liu He and conveyed to the twelve prison guards in the palace, including the four departments and eight bureaus under him, and all were conveyed in place.
It stands to reason that so many people already know the news, and the entire Ming Palace should know it. Especially the concubines in the harem, who like to gossip, should know more clearly.
In fact, all the guards and eunuchs who knew the news, even though no ban was conveyed, everyone subconsciously kept it secret.
Regarding matters such as the death and resurrection of the Ming Emperor's eldest grandson, this must be kept secret. Many eunuchs even felt weak in their legs when they learned the news.
In the palace, there has been a saying that the more you know, the faster you will be buried.
Many royal secrets, even if heard accidentally, may lead to death.
When many eunuchs entered the palace, they were taught by their seniors that if they wanted to live a good life in the palace, the first thing they had to learn was to pretend to be deaf and dumb.
In these aspects, the concepts of palace guards and eunuchs are similar.
So now, a very strange phenomenon has occurred.
When Zhu Ying was walking in the palace, all the guards and eunuchs who saw him treated him with the courtesy of the emperor's grandson.
But when he turned around, it was as if he had never seen His Royal Highness before.
Anyway, everyone has the same idea that if His Majesty doesn’t speak, we won’t speak either, so we will pretend we have never met His Royal Highness.
This also led to the fact that the most gossipy harem did not get any news about Zhu Ying's entry into the palace.
Lu's push added fuel to the flames and quickly raised the interest in the matter in the back garden. When it was linked to the previous incident at Xiaoling, many concubines began to speculate on the reason.
Such a high degree of popularity quickly attracted the attention of Concubine Ning, who was in charge of the harem. After questioning, Concubine Ning immediately learned the whole story.
Before this happened, Concubine Ning went directly to Qianqing Palace in the evening to find His Majesty to find out the real situation.
Such a layout, Lu didn't reveal anything about it, and even discussed it with other concubines.
Especially this afternoon, several concubines who were familiar with Ms. Lu told her in all seriousness that His Royal Highness Prince Yu might still be alive.
Mrs. Lu also showed an appropriate expression of surprise and disbelief, which made the concubine feel satisfied.
Although he used some tricks, Lu's ideological consciousness was really high.
She is actually very open-minded about the fact that her son can become a grandson and inherit the throne.
This may seem a bit strange, but that is the throne, which many people covet.
But if you look carefully at Lu's growth experience, this idea is no longer strange.
As early as ten years ago, Mrs. Lu was already Zhu Biao's stepwife and a serious princess. This meant that she would be the mother of the Ming Dynasty and the empress in the future.
Zhu Biao did not have many concubines like his father. After Chang's death, he favored Lu even more.
Lu also behaved very well, without any bad habits such as jealousy, and was very good at being a husband and raising children.
At this stage, Lu found that she had nothing to pursue anymore.
In terms of status, she already stands at the highest place among women in the Ming Dynasty.
Cultivating one's moral character has become Lu's daily routine.
Is it really good to be an emperor?
Lu didn't think so in her heart.
Zhu Biao once enjoyed the power of the emperor in terms of authority.
From the time she married Zhu Biao, what Lu saw most was Zhu Biao's figure in the study room late at night, reviewing memorials.
Not everyone has a body as strong as His Majesty's.
The large number of memorial tasks required Zhu Biao to work day and night, which had almost exhausted his body.
Why did a simple wind and cold enter the body and kill the husband? In fact, Zhu Biao's body was completely hollowed out.
Lu had already lost a husband. She did not think that her son would be better than her husband on the field. She knew very well how capable the son she raised was.
Zhu Biao is thirty-seven years old this year, and Lu is already over thirty.
It is said that at thirty you are like a wolf and at forty you are like a tiger. To put it bluntly, Ms. Lu is now a widow. Every night, when she thinks of the days when she and Zhu Biao were together, she can only shed tears on her lonely pillow and look at herself in pity.
In fact, as far as the Lu family is concerned now, she is already in an invincible position. Even if Zhu Xiongying enters the palace and becomes the grandson, even the future emperor will have to recognize her as her mother. She will sit in the position of empress dowager.
It has to be steady.
.......
The next day, Daming Palace, Fengtian Hall.
Morning morning after day begins again.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat high on the dragon chair and looked at the ministers below with eager eyes.
Today's Zhu Yuanzhang has a gloomy face and a fierce look in his eyes, as if he is choosing someone to devour.
Since Zhu Ying appeared, it was the first time in the past month or so that Zhu Yuanzhang looked like this in the morning court.
All the civil and military officials below had already knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.
His Majesty, whom they are familiar with, is back today.
"You good ministers, please tell us why it is only today that there is no memorial for such a huge famine."
"More than 300,000 people, that's more than 300,000 people. Where is your conscience? Do you know that as we speak, how many people are suffering from hunger?"
"Even if we are delayed by one day, how many people will starve to death. Privately, we often talk about me being a butcher. From our point of view, you people are the real ones who kill without showing blood and eat people without spitting out the bones."
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he let out a terrifying roar, as if the entire Fengtian Palace was trembling uncontrollably.
The guards in charge of guarding the surrounding areas had their hands on the handles of their sabers. They were just waiting for His Majesty's order to drag certain ministers directly outside the palace gate to be slaughtered.
According to the situation in the past, many Jinyi guards guarding Fengtian Palace understand that if these few ministers die, it is estimated that His Majesty's anger will not be quelled.
The hearts of the ministers below, especially the leading ministers and ministers, were beating faster than half a beat. The ministers involved in this matter had not only their calves trembling, but their whole bodies began to tremble.
However, after the thunder, Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak again. He looked at the many ministers with cold eyes and did not start.
This makes everyone suffer even more, and the fear of the unknown is even more frightening.
After a long time, when all the officials could no longer bear it, a voice came: "Let's all get up and have a good discussion on how to deal with this famine."
The unexpected ending made even the officials suspect that they were hallucinating.
Is this His Majesty who is always willing to kill people? How could such a big matter be dealt with by killing not just a few but a dozen ministers?
For a moment, some of the ministers who were kneeling on the ground couldn't believe it, and no one even dared to get up.
"Are you deaf because our words were not clear enough? Or do you all feel that there is nothing you can do about this matter and just apologize?"
"We see that there is no need for you to kneel down. All of you will be exiled to Henan to experience the life of victims of famine."
Zhu Yuanzhang scolded.
After hearing this, many ministers quickly stood up, and at the same time, the stone in their hearts finally fell to the ground.
"Rujun, tell us, what is going on? Why is it such a big disaster? We didn't know about it until last month. Or should we say that your military department is just a bunch of people who don't even have to send messages?"
Oh no."
Zhu Yuanzhang named Ru Yu, Minister of the Ministry of War, and asked.
The relay station is generally responsible for communicating disaster situations, and the relay station is subordinate to the Vehicle Frame Department of the Ministry of War and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.
Delaying a disaster is a grave sin.
Ru Jin was no longer her usual calm demeanor. Beads of sweat as big as big were rolling down her forehead, and her back was already soaked through.
He knew in his heart that if the answer was not good or could not satisfy His Majesty, his life would be considered to be the end of his life.
After only a moment's pause, Ru Yu bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, since I learned about the matter last night, I have launched a thorough investigation. After detailed investigation, I also found out the problem of delay in sending messages at the post station."
"In Henan, many disasters broke out at the same time, including floods and locust plagues, and plagues. The extent of the plague can be said to be the worst in recent decades."
"This plague is extremely terrible. There is no cure at all. Not only the common people, but also the officials are infected and die in large numbers. That's how it is."
"The disease is prevalent, and every family has the pain of zombies, and every room has wailing and mourning. Some people will die with their doors closed, or they will be overthrown and mourned."
"Almost all of the postmen of the Henan Chief Secretary's post were lost, so that no one sent a message. In the end, it was only after the nearby post discovered the matter that the message was sent to the capital."