Naturally, this trip south cannot be just to go to Shandong, but to go south along the canal to Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
In other words, the entire canal will be his inspection point.
At this time, the cabinet became a quarrel.
The prestige of the chief assistant, Du Yinxi, was not enough to fight against the emperor, not even the entire cabinet combined.
In this way, Yinxi visited Zhao Shu, hoping that the chief assistant would persuade the emperor:
"Your Majesty's body of gold cannot be touched lightly. I really have no choice, so I came to ask for help sir."
Du Yinxi's posture was very low.
"I'm just an old man who studies history."
Zhao Shu was now very old. He was nearly seventy years old and his beard was all white. He was lying leisurely on a bamboo chair.
Facing Du Yinxi's prayer, he looked indifferent: "The chief minister is the head of the cabinet, and you should be the one to advise on this matter."
"I, Xianyun Yehe, am not qualified!"
Du Yinxi was about to speak again, but was persuaded by the latter:
"Although Your Majesty is very playful, when he went to Jiangnan, he did not act like the former Emperor Wuzong. He should have some calculations in his heart. You should think about it well and do your best to handle this matter properly."
"Obstructing and delaying everywhere is not what a minister should do..."
Du Yinxi frowned, felt a chill in his heart, and then walked away.
After his son left, he hurriedly came over and said: "Father, the emperor is acting recklessly and wants to go south for fun. This is not the way of a wise king!"
"Although you have become an official, you should still give some advice for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. Besides, the chief minister is coming in person!"
The son looked helpless and regretful.
When Zhao Shu heard this, he frowned, picked up the crutch next to him and hit him directly:
"You bastard, is your hereditary title enough to last you? Is the best outcome if you have to wait until you are exiled?"
"This? It's not like that!"
"Hmph!" Zhao Shu said coldly: "No? It's too serious."
"It would be fine if it were anyone else, even Zhu Mou, but I just can't do it."
"You are seventy years old. Your Majesty is still jealous?"
"Seventy?" Zhao Shu hummed: "Isn't King Sima Xuan also seventy back then? He still overthrew the country of Cao Wei."
He hates that iron cannot be made into steel: "In the past, Li Shanchang lived in the countryside, but he was still unwilling to be lonely. He knew Hu Weiyong well, and his heart never grows old. How could Taizu give up? How could he give up?"
"After Sima Yi, age is no longer an issue."
Sima Yi during the Three Kingdoms period can be said to have posed a lot of problems to the veterans of the past dynasties, and also sounded the alarm to the emperors.
No matter how old your ministers are, they must always be vigilant.
During the period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, when they were preparing to conquer Korea, Li Jing, who was more than 70 years old, did not want to go, for fear that he would be betrayed on the road. As a result, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty stroked his back and said:
"If Sima Yi hadn't been old and sick, he probably wouldn't have killed Cao Shuang to serve Cao Wei!"
Li Jing is very similar to Sima Yi, and Zhao Shu's influence in the court is equally great.
He can eat to his heart's content any noble or civil servant.
Although he has no great achievements, his prestige is extremely high.
Zhao Shu naturally understood this. He knew deeply that every king would be jealous.
If the old ministers retire, they should all retire and should not be associated with the imperial court.
Especially a minister with outstanding merits like him.
After hearing what his father said, the son was speechless.
But here Du Yinxi returned home, thought about it again and again, and felt that he should obey the emperor.
He has only been the first assistant for a few months and doesn't want to go down so quickly.
The chief minister and the emperor nodded, and the main force in the court was very small.
Secondly, he assisted Yan Yingyuan, and later he assisted Liu Xiangke. Yan Qiheng was gentle and had no choice but to obey.
In this way, the whole court became busy.
The queen supervises the country, the chief assistant Du Yinxi assists the government, and Zhu Jing is in charge of the general patrol department to stabilize the security of the capital.
There are no less than a hundred ministers accompanying him.
If there are urgent military and national affairs, flying reports will be outside. Other matters will be handled by the above members together with the six ministries and nine ministers.
In the harem, there are many concubines who are willing to go south, and they all agree.
As for the dragon boat, it was naturally a big yellow boat, anchored in Tongzhou, waiting for the emperor to go south.
In the 21st year of Shaowu's reign, on the tenth day of April, it was an auspicious day selected by the Qin Tianjian. Twenty percent of the emperor's carriage left the city from the south gate of Beijing for a half-year journey to the south.
The Ming Dynasty Gazette clearly stated that the emperor wanted to understand the people's sentiments and inspect the situation in the south of the Yangtze River.
Therefore, he issued a notice stating that the prefectures and counties along the route were not allowed to disturb the people, nor were they allowed to requisition private supplies on any pretext.
At the same time, people from all over the country can also complain about their grievances.
For a time, the entire Forty-Nine City became lively.
The streets in Beijing were abuzz with excitement. People from the Fourth and Nine Cities stood at the main street entrance early, waiting to pay homage to the emperor.
Everyone from the General Patrol Office down to the police station was dispatched to maintain order and suppress the people.
Beijing is the most benevolent district under the emperor's feet. If we talk about it in detail, the people in the city always have some kind of relationship with the court.
This has also resulted in the natural character of Beijing people who are extremely concerned and familiar with government affairs. It can be said that they know half of the things in heaven and everything on earth.
They also understood that the emperor was the anchor of Beijing, and once he left, the capital would no longer be the capital.
The royal road sprinkles water on the pure land, with a sentry every three steps and a post every five steps. The soldiers of the Beijing camp hold their heads high and their chests high, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
The second floor of the restaurant facing the street was already packed with people.
At this time, the waiter blocked a table by the window and blocked it with a screen. Whenever anyone wanted to go, he would scold: "Boy, can you sit in this seat?"
"Bullshit, it doesn't matter if you have money? Is this still a dragon's chair?"
The waiter raised his head and said: "Although it is not a dragon chair, it is still different."
"Let me tell you, this chair was once occupied by His Majesty."
"Nonsense!" the businessman said with disbelief.
"Hey, you have to believe this!"
The waiter put his hands on his hips and said, "Who knows, the man in the imperial city loves to stay incognito and understand the sentiments of the people."
"Some time ago, I met a guest, and at first glance, I saw purple clouds covering the roof, as if someone from heaven descended to earth..."
"When he comes downstairs and I clear the table, guess what?"
"Turn a corner and enter an alley. A carriage is waiting there, guards carrying swords are respectful, and a few sissies are greeting..."
"That's not your Majesty!" the man said in dissatisfaction.
The waiter snorted coldly: "I met my relative's cousin's friend during the Chinese New Year. He was an imperial guard, and he was standing next to the carriage."
"Tell me, who deserves the protection of Ouchi guards?"
At this moment, everyone took a breath of cold air.
"My dear, that is really the emperor!"
As he said this, many people stretched their heads and looked at the table, their faces full of surprise and admiration.
"Dare to love!"
The waiter held his head high and said: "That morning, my left eyelid was twitching. Didn't it mean that the left eye twitched for wealth and the right eye twitched for disaster? I knew that someone noble was coming."
At this time, a guest said: "No wonder the birds I have raised like to come here these days. It turns out there is a dragon spirit here!"
"My cat also likes to come here. It must be a dragon spirit."
"What are you talking about!"
At this time, the shopkeeper ran over, holding an abacus under his arm: "What's wrong, Feng San, what are you talking about again, disturbing the guest's enjoyment."
"Shopkeeper, has the Emperor ever sat in this chair?"
Hearing this, the shopkeeper glared at Feng San, and then smiled and said: "I'm not sure, didn't I hear that His Majesty is going on a tour today? I vaguely remember the guests that day."
"If this is a match, then there is no doubt..."
Everyone was stunned.
That's right, after all, it's just a one-sided statement and cannot be accurate.
This is about the emperor, there can be no mistakes.
It should be confirmed today.
But having said that, everyone feels that this matter is close to home.
After all, no one dares to joke with the emperor.
As the sun got higher, suddenly a guest by the window stretched his neck and looked out, shouting repeatedly: "Here he comes, look, he's here!"
Everyone ignored chatting and lay down by the window at the same time and looked out. They could faintly hear the sound of drums and the loud voice of Danbi. In the distance, a leading team of guards in bright clothes appeared in front of the Imperial Street:
I saw chariots and horses like clouds, spears and halberds blocking the sun, and a large group of people and horses walking on the royal road in a mighty manner. At the front were five chariots of king, gold, elephant, leather, and wood. There was a guide in front of the chariot.
The second team is the palace fan, which includes Luan Feng red square fan, pheasant tail fan, peacock fan, single dragon red group fan, double dragon red group fan, double dragon yellow group fan, and longevity yellow fan. It can be said that hundreds of feathers gathered together.
The third team consists of flags, banners, banners, cloaks and festivals, including dragon head banners, leopard tail banners, descending flags, feather protection banners, neon banners, longevity banners and yellow banners.
The fourth team is the Shi Jing, flag, 纛, Youzhen Wu Jing, Praise for Merit Jing, Teaching Filial Jing, Biaojie Jing, Gate Banner, Ming Banner, Wind and Thunder Banner, Dragon Banner, Forward Ban, Guarding Army Ban and Xiaoqi Ban.
The fifth team is Jinyue, Xingyue and Wuzhang.
The sixth team is the band.
Six teams of ceremonial guards lined up on both sides. In the middle were the Ouchi guards in bright clothes, 殳(音书), leopard-tailed spears, bows and arrows, and ceremonial swords.
Behind them came the eunuchs holding gold incense burners, gold incense boxes, gold spit ropes, gold basins, gold bottles, gold thrones, and golden papayas.
The last thing that slowly appeared in people's sight was Emperor Shaowu's chariot.
In order to be able to meet the people, the emperor specially ordered people to lift the bead curtain in front of the palace.
Everywhere you look, you kneel down everywhere.
In order to avoid attacks, soldiers were stationed near the windows on the second floor to reduce risk factors as much as possible.
At the south gate, a group of civil servants and military generals were reluctant to say goodbye, some even had tears in their eyes and were filled with reluctance.
Everyone's mood is sad.
Suddenly, even the emperor's iron heart, which had been tempered for many years, was infected by this atmosphere.
"I kneel down to see your majesty. May you have a safe journey. I hope your majesty will return to the court soon."
The queen's face was full of reluctance.
"My trip to the southeast this time will take several months. I have some matters to ask the courtiers."
"Sir, the auspicious time has come, let's ascend the throne!" Liu Afu said in a low voice.
"Well, in half a year, I will meet with you all again!"
Turning around and boarding the jade chariot, the chariot pulled by sixteen horses slowly started to move. Under the watch of the clan and courtiers, it gradually moved away along the official road until it was out of sight. Everyone then got up and returned to the city.
The emperor's jade carriage is very spacious. Although it is only one room, it contains both a bed and a bookcase. You can rest and work without any hindrance in it. The various decoration expenses show the wealth of the heavenly family everywhere, and there is no need to
List one by one in detail.
Liu Afu brought a cup of ginseng tea and placed it in front of the emperor, "Sir, would you like a cup of ginseng tea?"
Before he could pick it up and take a sip, he heard someone's voice coming from behind the bookcase placed in the corner of the carriage. He thought he heard it wrong. After a while, another voice came.
"What's going on? Who else is there?"
Are there still assassins?
Zhu Yixi was terrified.
Suddenly, the sound disappeared immediately. Looking at the panic on Liu Afu's face, he said, "Your Majesty, this slave is confused and doesn't want to do anything with me..."
As he said this, he kowtowed and knelt down.
The emperor stood up, walked to the bookcase, lifted up the curtain, and said, "Ha!" "Are they you?"
"Hee hee hee--"
Under the curtain, there are a pair of five-year-old little guys, wearing small underskirts. Their eyes are as big as grapes and gems, their round little chins are raised, and the smile on their mouths cannot be stopped.
These are twin princesses.
She is a mixed-race princess.
You must know that in the royal family, the probability of twins is extremely small, and they have been considered unlucky throughout the ages.
Therefore, even if there is one, it will be quickly killed and discarded.
But the emperor was different. He liked this pair of little princesses very much.
"You... forgive my daughter, she will never dare to do it again."
Seeing that their father's face was wrong, the two villains knew how to read faces, so they immediately crossed their arms, shook them, and spoke pitifully.
Hearing his daughter's tender begging for mercy, the father's heart softened, but his face didn't show it at all, "You are so courageous! Have you spoken to your mother and concubine when you come out this time?"
"I knew it!" The emperor turned around and ordered, "Afu, go to the back and tell me that the children are here."
Seeing their father's calm expression, the two villains immediately started laughing.
They were not annoyed and sat directly next to their father. They grabbed the cakes on the table and put them into their mouths with their dirty little hands.
"handwashing!"
"Look what happened to those little claws of yours!"
Holding the two pairs of small hands, Zhu Yixi asked someone to bring a basin and helped them wash themselves.
The daughters grew up in deep palaces and had few opportunities to go out. Yuquan Mountain and the Forbidden City were nothing new to them.
The emperor was reviewing the memorial, and the two of them did not dare to disturb him. They lay down by the window in the corner of the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked out.
It is already early summer, and the wildflowers on the roadside are blooming brilliantly, yellow, white and pink, a dazzling and enchanting sight.
The few people in the fields in the distance had probably already been notified by the county. When the imperial driver passed by, they put down their work and knelt down to kowtow. They did not stand up until the carriage passed by.
The team marched neither fast nor slowly, and after half an hour they left the capital and headed for Tongzhou.
On this trip, there were about a thousand guards and ten thousand soldiers in the capital, not to mention the patrol battalions guarding both sides of the canal along the way.
At the same time, there were approximately five hundred concubines, maids, and eunuchs accompanying him.
There were more than 5,000 draft horses and livestock alone.
The huge team stretched for more than ten miles and was extremely huge.
There are more than a hundred ships moored on the Tongzhoufu Canal.
The emperor's dragon boat was ordinary and located in the middle and back position.