However, Zhu Youtang was in a hurry to go to Kunning Palace today not because he was worried about the state affairs of the court. Although there were indeed some worries at the court meeting today. For example, Xiao Zhen, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry of Nanjing, reported that floods are widespread in Nanjing, saying that there have been continuous heavy rains since June.
, the rivers surged, and the water overflowed into the east gate of Nanjing City, reaching a depth of five feet, flooding many houses, and the people were severely affected. The two dams at the mouth of the Xinhe River collapsed, and the boats on the pier were washed into the street.
Yu Jun, the prefect of Qiongzhou, also reported that the leader of the Li tribe, Funan Snake, seduced the local tribesmen to rebel and conquered several counties.
These things are nothing. Natural disasters such as floods and droughts are unavoidable. All we have to do is order people to deal with the aftermath and provide relief. Border tribes and small tribes do not rebel once or twice. The local guard troops can suppress them. After taking the heads of the thieves, they will be executed.
, as a warning to others. Afterwards, it can be solved by appeasing the border people. The only thing that made Hongzhi unhappy was that a member of the Household Department, Wailang Xishu, reported to the court that he was addicted to fasting and praying, which cost the national treasury a huge amount of money. He said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that in the past few years,
He withdrew a lot of silver from the Ministry of Household Affairs, amounting to millions. He also said that the Emperor Siguan had invaded people's fields and wanted to order them to be abolished and returned. This made Hongzhi feel a little annoyed.
I did spend some money on Zhaijiao, but I was frugal and diligent and never spent extravagance on other things. What happened to spending a few money on Zhaijiao? I didn’t hope to pray for the Ming Dynasty and worship the gods through this move.
Isn't it just right to pray for blessings and petitions? As for the imperial family and dignitaries occupying people's fields, it is even more ridiculous. These people are all my relatives. The princes and princes have all made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. How can I treat them poorly?
?What's wrong with giving them some land to make their lives better? Although the Ming Dynasty belongs to the Zhu family, without the help of these people, can the Ming Dynasty be stable? I don't know what is going on in Xi Shu's mind
, do you want me to be mean to the royal family and nobles? Zhu Youtang reprimanded Xi Shu in court. If Xi Shu had not had a good intention, I would have to give him some punishment.
These things are indeed irritating, but what Zhu Youtang is most concerned about at the moment is what happened at Queen Zhang's home. His brother-in-law, Queen Zhang's younger brother Jianchang Hou, fell from the third floor two days ago. It is said that his head was damaged.
It was broken and he was unconscious, which is really heart-wrenching. Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, was the empress's favorite brother. When the empress heard the news, she was worried to death. She frowned and cried for a long time. She looked at her heart
They were all broken. Originally, I wanted to let the queen visit me, but I have been feeling unwell these days. The queen refused to go and had to stay in the palace to take care of herself. Fortunately, good news came at noon yesterday, saying that Zhang Yanling was from
She woke up from her coma and seemed to be fine. The queen felt relieved, and so did she.
But this morning the Ministry of Punishment is hearing the case, and I don’t know if there is any result at this moment. The Queen must be waiting for the result, and I have to accompany her. Although I think this matter is a bit tricky, the Queen’s family affairs are considered offending.
There is nothing I can do to save the nobles. The Queen's happiness is more important than anything else. She is the person he cares about most.
Zhu Youtang came out of the front hall and strode toward the harem. The eunuchs and guards beside him could not keep up with his pace. When passing by his residence in Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang stopped and told the accompanying eunuchs: "
Go and chill the watermelon that was brought to the palace yesterday and bring it to Kunning Palace. The queen likes to eat it. It is a hot day and she is weak and may not be able to withstand the heat."
The eunuch hurriedly responded and went to get the melon. Zhu Youtang continued walking to Kunning Palace without stopping. Entering the courtyard of Kunning Palace, several eunuchs and maids saw the emperor coming and saluted quickly.
"Where is the queen?" Zhu Youtang waved his hand to let them level up and asked.
"Your Majesty is sitting in the Changchun Pavilion at the back." The palace maid replied hurriedly.
Zhu Youtang nodded and walked quickly along the corridor to the Changchun Pavilion in the back hall. When he came to the door, he waved to the maid at the door to be quiet, picked up the curtain and walked in.
Empress Zhang was sitting on the wooden chair behind the case, holding her chin and looking at the scenery outside the west window in trance. Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was in a bad mood. Zhu Youtang stood at the door and looked at this woman with love and pity in his heart.
Such a beautiful woman, I cannot make her unhappy.
"Ahem!" Zhu Youtang coughed twice. Queen Zhang turned her head in surprise when she heard the sound. The moment she saw Zhu Youtang, her face suddenly became brighter, and her whole face was like a flower.
Blooming all the same.
"Oh, the emperor is here. Why didn't you say a word? I was so frightened." Empress Zhang walked over quickly, stretched out her hand to hold Zhu Youtang's arm, and said with a smile.
Zhu Youtang chuckled and said: "What is the queen doing? I have been standing there for a long time, and the queen didn't even notice."
Empress Zhang said angrily: "You have just gone to court, you are tired, and you have been feeling unwell for the past few days. How can you stand for a long time? Sit down and have a rest and drink some tea. I will give you a squeeze on your shoulder to relax your blood vessels."
"
Zhu Youtang felt warm in her heart. The queen really felt sorry for her. She had to do some of the things that the palace maids and eunuchs could do. For example, changing clothes, making tea and giving massages, etc. As a queen, she did not need to do these things.
of.
"Queen, don't be too busy. I think it's fine. Come on, sit down too. You haven't told me just now what you were thinking about with your frown?" Zhu Youtang took her hand and asked with a smile.
"Hey, isn't it about Yan Ling? Your Majesty might not know that the case between Yan Ling and Duke Chengguo Zhu Lin will be tried today by the three courts of the Three Laws Division. I don't know what the outcome will be. That's what I was thinking just now.
That's it." Empress Zhang made a cup of tea for Zhu Youtang and said softly.
"Well, I guess that's what happened. The queen really loves Yanling. After Yanling's accident, the queen lost a lot of weight." Zhu Youtang said.
Empress Zhang said softly: "Your Majesty won't blame me for paying too much attention to the family, right? After my parents passed away, I will be regarded as the eldest sister of the Zhang family. As the saying goes, an eldest sister is like a mother, so I naturally have to take more care of them.
He Ling is fine. Yan Ling is just nineteen years old and not yet married. In my mind, he is still a child. How could I not think more about him? Something like this happened again and I almost died, my concubine.
Can you not be anxious?"
Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "What you said is that it should be so. I can understand your mood, so I also take care of your Zhang family, and you should be able to see it. When I gave your father a title,
Everyone outside was against it, saying it was against the rules of etiquette. Didn't I listen to them? I was granted the title of Marquis of Jianchang when I was sixteen years old, so I made an exception."
Empress Zhang stood up and saluted: "I would like to thank you for your kindness to the Zhang family. I understand and remember it in my heart. I am deeply grateful. Your Majesty shows great kindness to my Zhang family. How can I not understand?"
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Thank you for what? They are your family and they are my family. As long as the queen is happy, I will do anything."
Empress Zhang was very grateful and said softly: "The emperor is really kind to me, how can I repay the emperor?"
Zhu Youtang laughed and said: "What is the reward? What kind of reward can we talk about as a family? I just want the queen to be happy every day. Just now I saw the queen's sad face, which made me feel very uncomfortable. Could it be that the queen is worried about the unfair judgment of the Three Justices Division?
Don't worry, Min Gui and the others are mature and prudent ministers, and they will judge the case impartially. This time, they will make the decision for your brother. I also know the general story, and the case is not complicated. The queen does not need to
Worry."
Empress Zhang shook her head and said: "Your Majesty is wrong. What I am worried about is not an unfair trial by the Three Laws Division. What I am worried about is something else."
Zhu Youtang said: "Oh? What are you worried about? Tell me."
Empress Zhang looked at Zhu Youtang and said: "Your Majesty, what happened this time was that Yanling had a conflict with Zhu Lin, the young prince of Chengguo Palace. Originally, Yanling was unconscious two days ago and her life was in danger. I was really worried.
Sometime ago, I said those words in front of the emperor that the murderer would be severely punished. But now that Yanling has woken up and seems to be fine, I have to think about how to deal with this matter. Your Majesty, please take care of the murderer from the third floor.
Pushing someone down, this is a serious crime of attempting to commit murder. I think the three judicial divisions who will review the case must think so. However, the sentence given to Zhu Lin will not be too light. The crime of attempting to commit murder is not a small crime.
Ah, I don’t know what kind of punishment this will bring.”
Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "It is indeed not a misdemeanor, let alone your brother. He is an ordinary citizen. Zhu Lin tried to murder other people's lives, and the punishment is not light. According to the law, murder must be punished with a life. But your brother
If he is not dead, then it is a crime of attempted murder causing serious injury. At least it is a crime of being exiled to the army. He injured your brother again, and I will make the decision for your Zhang family, so you don’t have to worry."
Empress Zhang waved her hands and said: "No, the queen misunderstood what I meant. I am thinking that Zhu Lin is the son of Cheng Guo Gong Zhu Fu. A loyal family in Cheng Guo Gong's family is also loyal to the emperor. This matter
The incident itself put the emperor in a dilemma. Previously, I asked the emperor to make the decision because I thought Yanling would not survive, so I asked the emperor to severely punish the murderer. But now the situation is different. Since Yanling has survived, is there any other way to deal with it?
Fa, this way the emperor will not be too embarrassed. This is what I was thinking about just now."
Zhu Youtang looked at Queen Zhang in surprise, and said in a deep voice for a long time: "Queen, I respect you even more. The fact that you can think of these things shows that you are a sensible person. Just hearing these words from you,
I am already very pleased. You can think of me and consider my situation, I am very touched. Hey, if everyone can be as considerate as the queen, I won’t have to be so tired."
Empress Zhang said softly: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. How can I not think about the Emperor? I am the one who knows the Emperor's hard work and hard work best. How can I not be considerate of the Emperor's difficulties?"
Zhu Youtang took Queen Zhang's hand, patted it gently, and said in deep thought: "To be honest with the Queen, after the incident came out, I was indeed in a bit of a dilemma. Logically speaking, if the matter is confirmed this time, Zhu Lin does have the intention to kill, so he should be responsible for it.
It would be better to punish Zhu Lin severely. But the ancestor of Duke Chengguo was a meritorious minister of our Ming Dynasty. His ancestor Zhu Liang, King of Dongping, was the founding hero of the country who followed Taizu in the army. Zhu Lin's great-grandfather Zhu Yong was the second generation of Duke Chengguo. At that time, Yingzong
The emperor died in battle when he personally conquered Tumubao. The Duke of Chengguo's mansion is full of loyal people. Zhu Lin's father, Zhu Fu, is also a loyal minister. I asked him to go to the Governor's Mansion of the Central Army in Nanjing, and he went without saying a word. You think,
Are other relatives willing to leave the capital and go to Nanjing? He is not picky, which is very rare. I was thinking about how to deal with this matter at that time. But of course I can't do it just because of the achievements I made before becoming the Duke of Guo.
I don’t care about the queen’s feelings. Now that I hear the queen say this, I feel really happy.”
Empress Zhang sighed and said: "But the matter can only be handled impartially, right? It's too late to speak out now, isn't it? Minister Min and the others must decide the case on the basis of murder. Hey, how can this be good?"
"
Zhu Youtang was silent and hesitant in his heart. The couple sat in silence, and the room suddenly became quiet.
At this moment, the eunuch's report came from outside.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and Marquis Shouning are here, asking to see Your Majesty, Your Majesty and Your Majesty."
Empress Zhang was stunned and said: "Brother is here, it must be... the trial is over today, I don't know what the outcome will be."
Zhu Youtang said loudly: "Heling, come in and answer."