Xia Xun and Xiao Qianyue looked at each other, invited Han Mo to sit down together, and then said solemnly: "This time, the matter is very important. It is related to whether our Jin Yiwei can rise again. The people we have to deal with are also not easy to take lightly." Sin.【】Mr. Han, you have to be careful."
Han Mo's habitually bent waist straightened up, and the humble expression that he had been pretending to be a theater owner who bowed to everyone and laughed with him disappeared. There was a hint of coldness in his old eyes, and he said proudly: "We are the emperor's personal army, riding all over the world." , I think back when we were powerful, there was no door for princes, generals or ministers that we couldn’t knock on. If you have any orders from a hundred households, just tell them."
Xia Xun said in a deep voice: "This time, the person we have to deal with is the King of Zhou!"
Han Mo's eyes flashed with surprise, he calmed down and just nodded without saying anything.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Xia Xun couldn't help but secretly admire him. The oldest spies in Jinyiwei were not only loyal, but also courageous and knowledgeable. It can be seen from this that the quality of these spies was indeed extremely high. , during the heyday of Jinyiwei, there were so many talents.
Xia Xun continued: "There is only one thing we have to do, which is to find the reason why King Zhou did evil."
Han Mo frowned slightly and said: "The King of Zhou is a cautious man, and it is not easy to find an excuse for him."
Xiao Qianyue laughed and said, "That's why I ask Mr. Han to think of a solution."
He hinted: "We Jin Yiwei, if we want to find someone's handle, we can pick out the bones from the eggs, right?"
Han Mo naturally understood what he meant. He just said that because he was not sure about the court's attitude. After listening to Xiao Qianyue's words, he knew that no matter whether the evidence was true or false, hearsay or fabricated, In short, King Zhou must be made guilty, so he smiled knowingly.
Xia Xun frowned slightly, but this was what Luo Kedi meant, so he could only suppress his displeasure and said: "Qianyue and I just arrived in Kaifeng, and we don't know much about the situation of this King of Zhou. Please help me." Mr. Han tells us about King Zhou’s situation, and we can discuss where to start.”
Han Mo pondered: "King Zhou is the fifth son of the late emperor. Of course you two know this. In the third year of Hongwu, King Zhou was first named King of Wu and stationed in Fengyang. Because Fengyang is the birthplace of the late emperor. , the capital of the Ming Dynasty was guarded by a vassal prince, which would easily arouse a lot of speculation from others. Therefore, in the eleventh year of Hongwu, the late emperor changed the title of the prince to the king of Zhou. After the king of Zhou arrived in Kaifeng, he built water conservancy projects and reduced rents and taxes. We collected taxes, distributed high-quality seeds, and organized reclamation of wasteland on the Yellow River. We have indeed done some good things that benefit the people of the vassal..."
Xiao Qianyue frowned. These things cannot be punished. Kaifeng is his vassal state. He reclaimed wasteland, built water conservancy projects, and developed the economy. This was the responsibility that Zhu Yuanzhang entrusted to the vassal kings in the vassal state at that time. I want to say that he It is useless to show kindness to the people and win people's hearts.
This time Xiao Qianyue was sent to Xiaoling to guard the grave by Luo Kedi. It was not easy to get Luo Kedi to relent and let him follow Xia Xun to Kaifeng on errands. Seeing that Xia Xun was silent, he wanted to show off, so he Unable to hold back, he prompted: "Besides these, what other hobbies and actions does he have? Mainly... things that a prince would not normally do?"
Han Mo said: "Oh, speaking of this, there is one."
Han Mo said: "This King of Zhou is good at medicine. Over the years, he not only learned medical skills himself, but also hired famous local doctors such as Li Mo and Liu Chun to compile medical books such as "Baosheng Yulu", "Pocket Prescriptions" and "Puji Prescriptions".
It has been published in the world, and it is said that he is now preparing to compile and fabricate a "Materia Medica for Famine Relief"."
Xiao Qianyue frowned and said, "Herbal medicine for rescuing famine, what is that?"
Han Mo explained: "Because Henan is located in the Yellow River flood zone, once the Yellow River overflows, floods will easily occur, and the people will be displaced and lack food and clothing. Therefore, the king of Zhou sent people to visit the people, record various edible plants and trees, and draw pictures
, and also invited many experts to study which plants and trees can be detoxified and then eaten..."
Xia Xun said in a deep voice: "By acting like this, he is clearly a virtuous king who loves his people like a son. How can he be convicted based on this?"
Han Mo smiled: "Only those who don't do things can't be caught. As long as he does something, no matter it's good or bad, there will always be loopholes to find. Aren't we, the Jin Yiwei, doing this for the emperor?
Lord Baihu, don't worry, we have a detailed understanding of King Zhou's preferences, conduct, and work, and we can always find something that can make a big difference."
Xia Xun snorted secretly and stopped talking.
To say that these things done by the King of Zhou were really beneficial to the people. His "Pocket Prescriptions" were reprinted more than ten times once they were published because they were effective and not expensive. Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica"
"" quoted a large number of prescriptions from "Pocket Prescriptions" and "Puji Prescriptions". As for the "Famine Relief Materia Medica" he was compiling, it also had a huge impact on the common people after it was written. Later, this book was spread to Japan and also
It has been praised and studied by many Japanese botanists.
However, now that Zhu Yun took advantage of him first, the publication of his book may be delayed.
At this time, the dance on the stage downstairs was changed to a drama, and "The Injustice of Dou E" was being performed and singing babblingly. Xiao Qianyue thought for a while and asked: "If there are any other situations, please tell me one by one. Where can I tell you?"
It’s easy to make mistakes.”
Han Mo thought for a moment and then said, "There's nothing else."
Xiao Qianyue said: "The King of Zhou himself has nothing, but what about his children?"
Han Mo stroked his beard and said: "Are they the children of King Zhou? Let me think about it..."
He counted with his fingers for a while and said: "The king of Zhou has a main concubine named Feng, who is the daughter of Duke Feng Sheng of the Song Dynasty, and a side concubine named Yang. The king of Zhou now has two legitimate sons, five concubines, and eleven princesses..."
Xia Xun was stunned and said: "So many?"
In fact, this is not much. King Zhou was not only a wise king, but also an idle king. He had nothing to do and only had children to play. In the following years, he was demoted to a commoner by his nephew Zhu Yun and sent to a remote and remote area in Yunnan.
The land was like Mount Tai, and in such a miserable environment, he did not forget to give birth to children. In the next few years, he gave birth to seven more princes one after another, and he was really going strong with age.
Han Mo said with a smile: "Yes, this King of Zhou has many children and grandchildren, but now that Concubine Yang is favored, he only has two legitimate sons. This eldest son is called Zhu Youdun. He doesn't look like a heir at all. He took it upon himself.
His name is Quanyang Taoist. His father is good at medicine and he is good at opera. He is quite like his father. Old Han is very familiar with him because this prince loves opera and drama and often comes to my yard.
Here, I study folk art with those actors and dancers."
"The second son of King Zhou is called Zhu You. His personality is very different from that of his father and elder brother..."
Han Momu showed a slight look of disgust and said: "The second son of King Zhou is simply an anomaly. I really don't know how King Zhou and Crown Prince Zhou could have such a son and brother with such a bad temperament and arrogant personality.
Being entangled with a bunch of dandies and villains, bullying men and dominating women, is simply a harm to the city of Kaifeng."
Xiao Qianyue's eyes brightened: "Mr. Han, our messenger may be able to land on the two legitimate sons of King Zhou."
Xia Xun really didn't want to harm such a wise king, so he said: "According to what Mr. Han said, this Zhou Wang's second son is indeed a bad boy, but as he is the phoenix son and grandson, it may not be enough to convict him on this basis.
, trying to blame his father for raising him without educating him, I’m afraid it’s even more..., that’s the Prince of Ming Dynasty, if it’s not a major crime of treason, how can he be punished?”
Xiao Qianyue chuckled and said sinisterly: "Master Baihu is a scholar after all, so he still doesn't understand the methods of my Jin Yiwei. Who said that I would be guilty of being the second son of the King of Zhou and use this to frame the King of Zhou?
"
Xia Xun was startled and said in astonishment: "Then what do you mean?"
Han Mo rolled his eyes slightly, and a knowing smile gradually appeared on his face. Xiao Qianyue said with a sly smile: "Mr. Han, do you understand?"
Han Mo nodded and said: "I understand, I wonder if you two are going to start with the heir apparent or the second son?"
Xiao Qianyue said: "We both want to meet these two people. Since King Zhou is impeccable, let's get to know more about these two princes."
Han Mo smiled and said: "If that's the case, it would be easy. There is someone right in front of you that you can meet."
He pointed to the stage and pointed at the old man who was pretending to be the honest visiting envoy Dou Tianzhang and said: "This one is Zhu Youdou, the crown prince of the Zhou Dynasty."
At this time, the stage was singing: "The snow in June has caused eternal injustice, and the blood has splashed on the white silk. After three years of drought, when will I borrow the dragon-slaying sword and cut off all the injustices in the world..."
※※※※※※
Beiping, Yingshou Temple, Abbot's Zen Room.
Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Di sat across from each other, with a Kang table between them, a burner of sandalwood on the table, and a cup of tea on both sides. On the snow-white wall, there was only a big word "Zen", and the last stroke of the word "Zen" dragged straight down, almost
It occupies the position of another large character, straight and sharp, like a sharp sword hanging upside down.
Zhu Di was still wearing linen mourning clothes. The originally white mourning clothes were full of dust and almost turned into khaki.
He sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees, his face was gloomy, and he was silent for a long time. Daoyan was not in a hurry. He was wearing a black robe and sat quietly opposite, slowly twisting the Buddhist beads in his hand one by one.
Zhu Di had just returned to Peiping and passed by Qingshou Temple. He remembered that his late father had become a monk when he was young, and the abbot of this temple was Dao Yan, a Confucian scholar selected by his late father for him. He felt sad for a moment and went to the temple to pay a visit. However, when he arrived at the Zen room, Qian Yan
There are so many things going on, but I don’t know where to start.
After a long time, Zhu Di's meditation skills were finally not as good as Dao Yan's. He couldn't hold himself back and asked: "Does Master know everything that has happened recently?"
Monk Dao Yan said: "The obituary of the late emperor's death was heard all over the world. The edict reduced the military power of the kings, and the poor monks already knew it. The prince originally went to Jinling to attend the funeral, but now he is here. Could it be that... the emperor is not allowed to go to Beijing?"
Zhu Di was silent.
Dao Yan sighed softly and asked: "Why is the prince worried? Is it just because he can't go to Beijing for the funeral?"
Zhu Di's face twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "As a son of a human being, I am not allowed to fulfill my filial piety before my death. Is this humiliation and sorrow too small?"
Dao Yan glanced at Zhu Di and said, "Isn't the deep meaning of today's edict to cut down the troops and block the movement more worrying for the prince?"
Zhu Di's body was shaken, and his eyes flashed slightly: "Master is out?"
Dao Yan nodded slightly: "The emperor has ulterior motives!"
Zhu Di became angry and said loudly: "Suppressing the world with kings is the national policy of the late emperor. The world is not yet settled, evil cults are running rampant in the country, and the border is prosperous and the northern Yuan is watching. If we don't guard the border, how can the world be as stable as Mount Tai? This world belongs to me.
In the Zhu family's world, why did the emperor become so hostile to us as soon as he ascended the throne? Aren't we respectful enough to the court?"
Dao Yan clasped his palms together and said: "The late emperor was a man of great wisdom and a wise man. How could he not know the story of the Seven Kings Rebellion? He ordered the vassals to guard the world and each commanded military power. This was certainly the close affection of the late emperor.
, Trust cannot be increased, but it does not necessarily mean that there is no emperor's heart. There are many powerful vassals, but there is always only one who can be the emperor. The forces of the vassals are intertwined, and they must restrain and monitor each other. Unless the imperial court is extremely weak, who can succeed?
When the central government is extremely weak, even if there is no vassal king, won't it be replaced by powerful ministers? From the Three Emperors and Five Emperors to the present, the only people who became the emperor with a commoner are Liu Bang and the late emperor of the Han Dynasty. Among other emperors, which one is not an important minister or minister of the previous dynasty?
A strong and powerful party is wearing a yellow robe? It really has reached such an unbearable step. For the late emperor, it is better to replace the incompetent king with his own descendants than to hand over the country to outsiders. In this way, the Zhu family's power can be preserved for hundreds of years.
As for eternity, haha, the late emperor was a man who believed in himself but not God. He would not believe that being shouted "Long live" a few times would really last for eternity. But today... obviously he doesn't think so. In today's eyes,
The feudal vassals are his greatest threat."
Zhu Di said angrily: "I have been the crown prince for several years now, and my title has been determined long ago. Why is he worried?"
Dao Yan said: "The emperor has a heart problem. He is the eldest grandson of the late emperor, but he is not the eldest grandson. The eldest grandson is Zhu Yun."
Zhu Di said frustratedly: "That's all, the emperor wants military power, we will hand it over. He doesn't want us to defend the country for him, and I am too lazy to worry about it."
Dao Yan twirled the beads and smiled lightly: "Haha, although the prince thinks so, I hope the emperor will just stop."
Zhu Di glared and said, "What do you mean, Master? Not to mention that your name of benevolence and filial piety is heard all over the world. Even if you are now afraid of all the emperor's uncles and we have surrendered our military power, will the emperor still kill them all?"
Dao Yan said: "I also hope that the emperor will stop here. The prince, the king of Qin, and the king of Jin have passed away one after another. The prince is now the leader of the vassals. He has led the army to the fortress several times and has made many meritorious deeds. I am afraid that the emperor
The one I am most afraid of is you, Your Majesty. From now on, Your Majesty, you must be careful when doing things and never let anyone take advantage of you."
Zhu Di broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. Last month, he was still the most important vassal of the country. He was the commander of the Northern Army. On the order of his father, he led the troops in the Northern Expedition against the Huru. In a blink of an eye, his military power was reduced. According to what Monk Daoyan said, it seemed that the Emperor
Still not satisfied?
Thinking about the deep brotherhood between himself and the current emperor's father, the former crown prince Zhu Biao, who was known as a benevolent and filial man, and who had honestly handed over his military power, Zhu Di still refused to believe that Zhu Yun would do anything further.
Then he shook his head and said, "I don't believe that the emperor will kill them all."
Dao Yan smiled slightly and said: "Perhaps what the poor monk said is just the worst plan. Whatever the emperor's intention is, the poor monk does not dare to make any judgments and just wait and see what happens."
Zhu Di stood up and said: "The emperor is not at ease, so I will let him rest at ease. I am happy to be a happy prince and feel at ease. Hey! I wish you could have wished for me."
Dao Yan then stood up and smiled unconsciously after hearing Zhu Di's angry words.