In the spring of the seventh year of Shaowu, the Ming army captured Kashgar, and Abdullah Khan was forced to flee westward and had to flee to Kyrgyzstan.
At this point, except for the Yinli Basin, which was captured by the Junggar and Heshuote tribes, all the rest of the Yarkand lands were recovered.
Gao Yigong left southern Xinjiang and returned to Gansu, while Li Dingguo, as expected, stayed in southern Xinjiang to form the newly established Tiannan Xingdu Division.
There were nearly 20,000 troops left behind with him.
After leaving Gansu, Gao Yigong galloped quickly and finally arrived in the capital after a month's journey.
Along the way, the wide national highway made him doubt his life.
It was so wide and facing each other, which was completely beyond his expectation.
"Uh-" Gao Yigong reined in the reins and looked at the wide gates of the capital and the endless flow of people, and couldn't help but be filled with emotion.
Going from the yellow sand to the prosperous capital city is quite emotional.
When we were still hundreds of steps away from the city gate, a group of people came forward.
After taking a closer look, he turned out to be the Prince Consort, Zuo Zongzheng Zhouxian of the Zongren Mansion.
"Thank you, Sir, for greeting me. I feel ashamed——"
Gao Yigong has also learned some culture over the years. He is no longer as rough as before and has become a bit more sophisticated.
If it were in the past, he would have called him Prince Consort Captain, but now that he knew the embarrassment of the former Prince Consort, he would mention him as Zongzheng.
"Wherever, Lord Marquis has made great achievements. Thirty thousand troops destroyed a country. This has boosted the morale of our Ming Dynasty and established our prestige. The government and the public are paying attention. Your Majesty specially asked me to come and greet you!"
Although he had been waiting for a long time, Zhou Xian smiled without changing his expression, showing no trace of the arrogance of a royal relative.
Gao Yigong instantly felt good about him and liked him.
The emperor's small gesture made him feel warm in his heart.
Sure enough, after several years of hard work, Your Majesty can still see it.
The privileged class exists everywhere.
The long queue of people moved out of the way, and the doorman bowed cordially, smiling uncontrollably.
"Hey, who is this uncle?"
"The prince-in-law personally welcomes you, which ordinary princes cannot enjoy."
Several people from the door were very clever, and they saw at a glance that the incoming person was dusty and powerful, so they started talking.
"Hey, what's the matter? Not long ago, Duke Chen returned to Beijing, and even the Minister of War came out of the city to welcome him. The gongs and drums were noisy, and firecrackers were blasting. It was a lively scene..."
"Zhou Zongzheng is also a genuine first-class man——"
"In the capital, who cares about your rank and how valuable your power is, then if you are in the seventh rank, even if a few ministers see you, they will have to dodge..."
Ordinary people are accustomed to talking about the horses and the fierce-looking soldiers.
Walking slowly, Zhou Xianxiao asked: "Master Hou, do you want to wash up first?"
"No need." Gao Yi Gong said righteously: "I am in a hurry to see His Majesty, but I won't be able to waste time."
"Then follow me into the palace!"
Soon, the two got off their horses, presented their badges and entered the imperial city. When the eunuch came to lead the way, they had already been waiting for a long time.
They didn't dare to slack off, so Gao Yigong just stuffed a few silver coins into his mouth.
"Father, I come from the Western Region. I wonder if my appetite for the Holy Eucharist is good these days?"
"Long live just finished lunch." The eunuch didn't want to say more.
But just by saying this, Gao Yigong relaxed.
Soon, the two of them met the emperor who was immersed in planting flowers in a garden.
Wearing a green robe, a light yellow jade belt, and a jade pendant around her waist, her hair was tied up with a random jade hairpin, making her look extra carefree.
The two of them did not dare to be careless. They both knew that the emperor always hated red tape and liked to receive his ministers at relaxed times.
Of course, if it was in the main hall, the situation would be unclear.
"Thank you for your hard work, Prince Consort."
After a long time, the emperor turned around, took the handkerchief from the eunuch beside him, and wiped his sweat.
"Master, it's almost done today, it's getting hot." Liu Afu said distressedly.
"I got it." Zhu Yixi waved her hand, then turned around and said to Gao Tuorui: "You must have been waiting for a long time."
"Sit, everyone, sit down."
The two of them sat tremblingly on the stone pier and looked at the emperor carefully.
"Husband-in-law, the weather is getting hotter. I heard that you often spend time in the capital. This is not okay. You can't stand it, but the princess can't."
"Yes, I am ashamed." Zhou Xian stood up and bowed down quickly, with embarrassment written all over his face.
Why didn't he want to own a villa in Yuquan Mountain?
But if he doesn't have enough power, how can he win over those nobles who lead troops in war?
Secondly, he doesn't have a lot of money, and the Zhou family is not rich in the first place. Any villa in Yuquan Mountain costs several thousand silver yuan, so he has to go bankrupt.
"This is my fault." Zhu Yixi patted his forehead and said to Liu Afu beside him: "Let the Ministry of Internal Affairs allocate one to the Prince Consort and do it as soon as possible."
"I thank you for your kindness!" Zhou Xian was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude.
This is not only wealth, but also represents the emperor's favor.
"Go down!" Zhu Yixi maintained a smile: "We can go to escape the summer heat this summer, so we should go home and prepare."
Zhou Xian left happily.
Gao Yigong on the side could see clearly that this was another favor shown by the emperor to Princess Changping of the previous dynasty.
In other words, this is about earning fame through rewards.
And why invite the name? The emperor really went too far.
In order to fill the population of Liaodong, he forced some clan members to move to Liaodong in exchange for land.
Originally, the titles were reduced and replaced from generation to generation, and they returned home to farm. Now they have to move to Liaodong. There are many people in the clan who are dissatisfied.
After all, it was just your honor to ask for a land change before!
The emperor was not allowed to wash away the reputation of treating his relatives harshly, so he took the Zhou family and Princess Taiping as examples.
"You did a good job this time."
Zhu Yixi didn't care what Gao Yigong thought, and just praised him: "Yerqiang won it in a few months, and there were not many casualties. It is the best for the court."
"The last general dare not take the credit. This battle is all due to the blessing of our ancestors, Your Majesty's kindness, and the soldiers' lives. I only have a small amount of credit..."
Gao Yigong spoke straight out of his mouth as if he had been told something smoothly. He had obviously been prepared for a long time.
"You boy."
Zhu Yixi laughed and scolded him. Looking at his weathered face, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional:
After all, I worked hard for my son.
"When Chen Yongfu came back, I added two thousand households to his family, and Yin Yizi became a baron."
"If you say so, I will be promoted to the title of Duke of the country. You will be able to live in a town with 5,000 households, which is worthy of your contribution to the destruction of the country."
"The general will thank the emperor for his kindness."
"Don't worry, it's not over yet!"
Zhu Yixi chuckled and said: "Your wife will be granted a first-grade imperial congratulations as Madam, and my sister, Gao Guiying, will also be granted a first-grade Imperial Madam."
"As for your official position, the commander-in-chief has resigned. Then go to the Rear Army Commander's Mansion and serve as the right army commander!"
Kneeling on the ground, listening to the emperor's chatter, Gao Yigong felt excited.
It's great that my sister is finally sealed.
The rest of the land was fertile, rich in rewards, mountains and seas, and Gao Yigong didn't pay much attention to it.
When he followed Li Zicheng into Beijing, he made hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. He had already seen the greatest shock.
After chatting again, the emperor suddenly said: "By the way, please call me Duke Jing!"
"Ah, ministers, don't you dare——" Gao Yigong's face turned pale with fright.
Liu Afu suddenly realized: "Sir, this conflicts with your wording..."
"My name is Zhu Jingming, he is Jing next to the prince, he is different."
Zhu Yixi shook her head in amusement and said: "There is no need to avoid it at all, this word is very good."
That's all for Gao Yigong.
On the way back, he thought deeply for a long time.
Jing is not a simple word. It comes from the word "Emperor" and has profound meaning.
It’s so obvious that his nephew is adopted as his own!
After returning to the mansion, he washed up and hurried to a separate courtyard.
"Uncle——" The eldest nephew is almost six years old, and he is very lively. When he saw Gao Yigong coming, he was very happy.
Gao Guiying was sitting upright, with no rouge or gouache on her face, just wearing a plain skirt, watching her son running around under the shade of a tree.
"Sister, is it time for Yu'er to become enlightened?"
Gao Yigong hugged his nephew and felt that his hard work was worthwhile. Wasn't it just to preserve the blood of the Gao family after eating so much dirt for so long?
"Yeah, it's time to become enlightened." Gao Guiying reacted, and then looked at her brother in surprise: "Why, haven't you hated reading the most since you were a child?"
"That happened in the Year of the Monkey." Gao Yigong shook his head: "I started to read a long time ago."
"Okay." Gao Guiying called her son over: "Go next door to play with some younger brothers and sisters."
The younger brothers and sisters here refer to the son and daughter born to Dou Meiyi.
The young and beautiful Dou Meiyi was more likely to be favored by the emperor.
"I heard that you won a country?" Gao Guiying hurriedly came over and groped him up and down: "Are you okay? Are you not injured?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Gao Yigong felt warm and deliberately waved his arms and said, "I'm in charge of the Chinese army now, so it's not my turn to fight."
"Hey, even if the whole army is wiped out, I can still escape."
In response, Gao Guiying breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
"I just came to the palace for an audience. The emperor made me the Duke of Jing, with an estate of 5,000 households. I also got my sister a first-grade wife."
"Who cares?" Gao Guiying said nonchalantly: "Since I gave birth to Yu'er, I haven't thought about anything. I only thought about raising him up, getting married and having children -"
"I'm talking about sister, Duke Jing, Jing!" Gao Yigong emphasized and said excitedly: "This is a clear statement!"
"Before the imperial edict is promulgated, I will adopt Yu'er as my adopted son. I will say that he is an adopted son from Gansu."
"Adopted?" Gao Guiying was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, and then said anxiously: "You are still young, you can still give birth..."
"Sister, I know myself better than anyone else."
Gao Yigong smiled bitterly and said: "My wife and concubine have adopted a married couple, and they don't even have a daughter. It seems like they are the same as my brother-in-law..."
"Um, I mean I'm destined to be childless."
Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Gao Yigong quickly made up for it.
"God's will!"
Gao Guiying sighed and said with some relief: "Compared to others, Yu'er is your nephew after all, and he is half of the Gao family."
"That's right, I, the prince who worked so hard to get here, can't take advantage of others, and I can't let the money go to other people's fields."
Gao Yigong nodded seriously.
"Now that Yu'er has been adopted, I have to leave here too." Gao Guiying said with some joy: "Only by going to your house can I see him all the time——"
The next day, the emperor acquiesced in Gao Guiying's departure.
In a sense, the temperament that attracted Gao Guiying the most has disappeared when he is nearly forty years old.
Her whole body was filled with maternal brilliance, and she had long since fallen out of favor with him.
Later, Gao Yigong adopted a young boy as his adopted son in a low-key manner, invited some close dignitaries, and set up a few banquets.
Later, the Ministry of Rites personally sent a plaque: The Imperial Palace of Duke Jing was built.
In the bustling mansion, rewards from the imperial court were announced.
Since then, Gao Yigong has come from behind and climbed to the pinnacle of honor.
Different from the previous low-key, this time he held a large-scale banquet with more than thirty tables, nearly two thousand people tasted the delicious food, and it was very lively in the capital.
There is no airtight wall in the world.
It has long been known to everyone in the harem that the emperor kept his wife outside the palace.
But no one expected that he would actually adopt his son to someone else and inherit the title of Duke of the country. Those who knew the inside story were dumbfounded.
Of course, the reason why the emperor behaved this way was because he had many heirs and could not lack successors.
By the seventh year of Shaowu, the number of official princes in the palace exceeded ten, reaching eleven, and the number of princesses was eight.
The healthy growth of his eldest son, King Wu Zhu Cunqu, is a reassurance for both the government and the public.
"Sister, the emperor is getting more and more excessive."
At this time, the damselfly couldn't help but come to Cining Palace and complained: "Even if it is an illegitimate child, it is still the blood of the Tian family. How can it be easily passed on to others?"
"Don't worry about this matter."
Sun Xueniang sighed, how could she have the power to control the emperor?
Now she is fully devoted to the King of Wu. As long as he is not established as the crown prince, Sun Xueniang will feel uneasy.
In any case, there was no way to threaten King Wu's inheritance. No matter how messy the emperor was, she didn't want to care about it.
"Don't talk nonsense." Sun Xueniang said solemnly: "You are no longer alone, and you have several children. If you hate the emperor, you will suffer enough."
Damiang Sun pouted and stopped talking.
After complaining for a long time, she left.
Sun Xueniang didn't know anything about her little thoughts. It was just that the emperor had been away less recently and felt unhappy.
There was calm inside and outside the palace for a few days, and the wise people habitually kept their mouths shut, and no one dared to spread nonsense.
However, on this day, news came from the Prince of Qin's Mansion that the current King of Qin was seriously ill and might not die soon.
The last king of Qin, Zhu Cunmu Ke, was only twenty-seven years old. He had only inherited the title for a few years, but he was already hopelessly ill.
The key thing is that there is no heir to inherit the title, which makes people worried and speechless.
The last few generations of Qin kings, Zhu Cunji, Zhu Cunji, Zhu Cunmuyao, including the prince Zhu Cunshu who had not succeeded to the throne before, these four brothers were all short-lived.
It's very suspicious of Feng Shui issues.
The King of Qin had no heirs. Such an important issue immediately aroused discussion in the court.
Logically speaking, the prince's clan should have the biggest say in the clan's mansion, but whoever allowed the civil servants to expand their influence also had a say in the succession to the throne.