While Chang Yu was leading his troops in a bloody battle against the thieves, the capital city was peaceful, and it could even be said that there was a continuous flow of good news.
Because just yesterday, news came from the palace that in order to welcome the spring and pray for blessings, the prince will set up a stage in the open space between the Daming Gate and the Qianbu Corridor in the south of the palace, inviting the rich and nobles in the city, as well as officials of the sixth rank and above to have fun together.
sky!
As soon as this news came out, the capital city trembled. Let's not say what the purpose was. No one cared whether it was to welcome the spring or pray for blessings. The words "the emperor and his subjects share the joy" have already made a large part of the people ecstatic!
Which group of people?
Beijing officials and some local tycoons!
The so-called monarch and ministers share the joy, which means that the emperor will also participate in the appearance. For some officials who have long been serving in Beijing, this is a good opportunity to meet the emperor.
For those wealthy merchants in Beijing to have the opportunity to meet the current emperor, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even if they spend money to buy tickets, let alone this time there is an invitation.
Of course, there are some people who are worried that we will not be asked to donate money. After all, Emperor Chongzhen did this once before, but no one responded.
But after thinking about it, donating salary is voluntary, the worst thing you can do is not donate!
But no matter what, as soon as the news came out, the capital was shocked.
In the past, it was normal for the emperor to pray for blessings and for the ministers to participate. There were also performances in the palace, and there were also special theaters in the palace, such as Shufangzhai, which was the royal theater of the Qing court.
However, this kind of setting up a stage outside the palace to invite powerful officials in the city to attend, and it is said that even the concubines of the palace will participate is absolutely unprecedented, so as soon as the news came out, curiosity aroused.
At the same time as the news spread, the dignitaries in the city and the famous merchants and wealthy people received the invitations. These were not ordinary invitations, but specially made from the palace. It was fine for the officials, but for those merchants.
To be honest, it should be framed and treasured. It is a major event that will bring glory to the family. At the worst, it can be used as a bragging material.
From nine o'clock in the morning, Daming Gate opens to welcome guests. Although Daming Gate does not belong to the imperial palace, ordinary people can come here at will on weekdays. After all, there are major government offices inside, not to mention a royal road specially prepared for the emperor.
, how can ordinary people be allowed to enter.
It's just that these dignitaries and the city's richest people holding invitations should no longer be counted as ordinary people. According to regulations, each person can bring two servants or family members. When entering the Daming Gate, there will be a eunuch responsible for guiding and serving.
As for the scope of activities, which are neither large nor small, it is impossible to enter the palace. However, you can visit the yamen gates on the left and right of the Thousand-step Corridor. Of course, you are not allowed to enter at will. As for the royal road in the middle, if you are not afraid of death, you can try to walk there.
Three large stages have been set up in the Daming Gate. There are plays, tunes and juggling. It is said that there are also boxing matches to bet on for fun. There are curtains around the stage to prevent wind and warmth. There are soft chairs and a heater under the stage for tea, cakes and cakes.
, it is said that they are all tributes from the palace.
At ten o'clock, the Ming Dynasty was already bustling with people, as lively as Qianmen Street. The powerful and wealthy people who entered greeted each other, some visited the Thousand Steps Corridor together, and some invited small groups to sit under the stage and chat and watch the excitement. In short, this was definitely a great event.
A good social platform, after all, there is no one without official status, nobility or wealth.
On the Chengtian Gate (today's **), two people, one tall and one short, stood. Chongzhen looked solemnly at the bustling crowd in the distance due south, and the faint sound of opera could be heard in his ears.
Prince Zhu Cixi stood behind him, unable to conceal his excitement and biting his lips. He personally presided over this show!
"Have you all been called?" Chongzhen asked expressionlessly as he looked into the distance.
"Going back to my father, I am a sixth-rank official in the capital and above, numerous wealthy merchants, as well as more than 80 noble relatives such as Bohou Gong. I have posted nearly 500 posts in total." Zhu Cixiang said quickly, and then smiled slightly: "
This time, at the worst, I will get 1.8 million taels. It’s hard to say if it’s more.”
When talking about Qian Chongzhen, he rarely smiled: "My son is getting smarter and smarter. It's rare that you can come up with such a way."
Zhu Cixiang was praised and affirmed by Chongzhen, and he was immediately elated: "My child dare not take all the credit. Chang Yu once ordered my child to do this."
Oh, Chongzhen raised his brows and turned around to look at Zhu Cixiang: "I thought your plan was inspired by the dream in which a thief came to Beijing to extort money. Could it be that you and Chang Yu had told this dream?"
Zhu Cihong was startled and quickly shook his head and said: "This dream is not trivial. How can a child talk nonsense? Chang Yu doesn't know."
Chongzhen then retracted his eyes and turned around to look into the distance again: "This Chang Yu is really an extraordinary person. It's really rare for him to be so scheming!"
"Yes, Chang Yu is scheming and loyal to our family. If he uses it well, he will be like Wei Zhongxian, or even worse." Zhu Cixiang said in a low voice.
Hearing Wei Zhongxian's name, Chongzhen couldn't help but be startled. Then he squinted his eyes and let out a long sigh. He was the one who killed Wei Zhongxian, and he killed him impatiently as soon as he took office. But it was also the thing he regretted the most. If he could
If time could go back again, he would definitely not kill Wei Zhongxian.
how so?
Because he regretted it, Zhu Youxiao had specifically told him before his death that Wei Zhongxian's "obedience and loyalty" would lead to great things. However, Chongzhen, who was young and frivolous, did not understand political skills and had no political experience, could not hear it. He could not see it.
This powerful eunuch who was cursed by both the government and the public was planning a big deal. All he heard was how he brought harm to the country and the people, and how he harmed loyal people. All he wanted to do was kill him!
So he was really killed immediately after he took over.
Then a few years later, he finally understood why Zhu Youxiao was so mediocre, and the country was peaceful and the people were safe. He worked conscientiously and diligently, but the building was about to collapse, the sky was angry, people were complaining, and even the national treasury was completely wiped out!
Only then did I realize the value of Wei Zhongxian. Although this guy was arrogant and domineering, he was loyal to the royal family and would make money for the royal family. The commercial tax alone could bring in tens of millions a year. When Chongzhen came to power, the commercial
There is no such thing as tax. Another example is that the tea tax collected from Jiangsu and Zhejiang alone is several million every year, but since his death, the total has been only twelve taels!
What's more important is that in addition to helping the royal family make money, Wei Zhongxian also has another important role, which is to suppress the civil servant group headed by the Donglin Party.
Everything requires a balance, especially the emperor's control skills. Once one side loses balance, it will be a catastrophe.
After Wei Zhongxian's death, the Donglin Party literati clique, which lost its suppression, broke out and got out of control. Even Chongzhen, the king of the country, was shameless, and the situation was out of control!
But why does Wei Zhongxian have such a bad reputation? In addition to being arrogant and domineering, he also framed Zhongliang for his selfish desires. But don't forget another reason. His opponents were the big landowners, big businessmen and civil servant groups in the late Ming Dynasty, and Dong Dong
Lin Dang and other literati and civil servant groups had long been reduced to being the spokespersons of big landowners and businessmen, and at that time, the right to speak and the direction of public opinion were precisely in the hands of these literati and officials.
This is not to whitewash Wei Zhongxian. For example, when he levied commercial taxes, he only targeted the big landowners and businessmen in his position. They never targeted ordinary people. This is why ordinary people did not scold him but instead built a thousand-year-old shrine for him.
Do you still remember what Wei Zhongxian said before he died, "When I die, the Ming Dynasty will die?"
It’s just that Chongzhen, who was young and had no political experience, didn’t understand the meaning of these words and thought it was a curse. Ten years later, he understood and regretted it! (Historical data records that in the 17th year, it was he who secretly ordered Wei Zhongxian to be reburied in a grand manner. The tomb site
It is still the Xiangshan Biyun Temple that Wei Zhongxian chose during his lifetime)
However, Chongzhen didn't seem to want to discuss this topic with Zhu Cixi at this time, so he asked instead: "Is your grandpa still making trouble?"
"My child, you sent someone to his house to warn him, and it finally stopped, otherwise there wouldn't have been a huge commotion today." Zhu Cixiang had a sneer on his lips.
"I actually can't figure it out. People like Cheng Guogong, Ding Guogong and Xiangcheng Bo Li Guozhen have already had their bones scraped and their flesh cut off. Why do we still post posts to them? Is it possible that we still hope to get money from them? They
How could I be fooled and bet with you again? But they actually accepted the post and came here, it’s really weird!”
Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cixiang with confusion.
Zhu Cixi couldn't help but laugh: "The child was puzzled before, but Chang Yu said that gambling is one of human nature, an innate disease. Those who win want to win more, and those who lose want to make up their losses.
How can these people who have just been cut off and have this opportunity not think about repaying their losses? They will come even without asking them. And even if they don't gamble with the children, they are still valuable."
Trust me!
Chongzhen understood the key in an instant. These newly cut nobles were eager to show their true intentions, and those who came were all rich and powerful people in the capital. They had a lot of fat and a big market. They would definitely work hard to find people to bet on, and they would invisibly make a profit.
Boxing matches and betting fueled the flames and became a living advertisement.
Chang Yu really had a thorough study of people's hearts. Chongzhen looked to the south and was filled with emotion. But he didn't know if he could have calculated how much attack he would provoke from the cabinet ministers by approving this matter.
How much pressure did you have to bear to be able to withstand it? Hey, I miss Wei Zhongxian so much!
Every guest who participated in this royal party was not only provided with food and drinks, but also had special eunuchs and maids to serve them. These people all serve the emperor. What an honor it is. Thinking about it makes you feel a little overwhelmed, even
Some people think that even if this is a charity party asking for donations, they will pay dozens or hundreds of taels of silver just for this super-standard treatment!
At noon, a simple luncheon was held outside Daming Gate. Prince Zhu Cixiang showed his face and briefly said some formal remarks, which was nothing more than to let the guests eat, drink and have fun, and then disappeared.
Then the main show came soon. Wei Dahai, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, personally presided over the boxing match, introduced the rules of the match, and the betting process. After various people came in, the prince's money-making drama was staged. At this time, Chang Yu was
Fighting with thieves in the northwest valley.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
Thank you to the book friends who voted for rewards, thank you to the book friends who have always supported Melancholic Romance, and thank you to the book friends who are useless at home and reward me!