The winter of the 16th year of Yongle was extremely cold. It snowed several times, and the northwest wind blowing from outside the customs never stopped. The entire city of Beijing turned into an ice cave, and countless refugees who froze to death were pulled out every day.
Go to the city.
Although those officials who arrived in Beijing one after another did not freeze to death... In fact, in order to silence them, Zhu Di specifically ordered the emperor's grandson to mobilize enough charcoal, oil, grain, and cotton to various yamen and even the officials' homes.
, this kind of generosity has only been seen since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. But it still cannot stop the officials from complaining and full of bitterness...
But it’s no wonder that officials are accustomed to the warm climate in the south of the Yangtze River. In Jinling, even if it’s only slightly cold in winter, as long as you wear mink fur and hold a heater, you can still enjoy a poetic life comfortably. But in the cold
In Beijing where the wind is howling, even if the stove is heated red, people still have cold hands and feet, and the blood in their whole body seems to have solidified. Those delicate ladies all have frostbite, and they are so sad that they want to hang themselves...
"Hey, it's really extremely cold this year. Even old Beijing can't stand it." Yang Shiqi spent several winters in Beijing with the emperor. The back of his hand was still frostbitten and cracked whenever he wrote, causing excruciating pain. He was careful
He moved his fingers and said to the grandson with a sad face: "Besides, there is nothing we can do. Let their family members get on the kang. How can they not be warmed when the kang is burned?"
"People in the south are not used to sleeping on a heated kang, and their noses bleed." Zhu Zhanji is going crazy. Every day, there are officials who want to resign and go home because they can't stand the cold. There are even some who can't eat pasta and want to resign and go home.
The emperor refused to allow them, and those people just said they were sick and stayed at home. The basic operation of the court became a problem.
"Squeamish." Jin Youzi snorted angrily: "They live in the Dabei House, burning the big stove and they say they can't stand it. How can you say that those Mongolian princes ride horses in the ice and snow and sleep in yurts at night?"
"Can it be compared?" Yang Rong smiled bitterly and said, "Human races are different." He paused and said, "But speaking of which, they should be entering Beijing soon, right?"
Jin Youzi looked at the date, nodded and said, "Just these two days."
"Have the reception and accommodation been arranged?" Zhu Zhanji rubbed his hands by the fire and stamped his feet and asked: "This time the barbarians came to Beijing. In addition to paying tribute, more importantly, they wanted to congratulate me on my move to the imperial court. I wish you all the best."
Your Majesty’s housewarming should be more grand than usual.”
"Don't worry, Your Highness, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Finance, Honglu Temple, have done nothing these days. They are all busy with this one thing." Yang Rong said with a smile: "This time, Tatar, Oara, Duoyan, Korea, Ryukyu, and Zhenla,
Champa, Siam, Java, Malaka, and more than 70 Tibetan tribes paid tribute to Beijing to congratulate the move of the capital. It is truly a prosperous time for the whole country. We have worked hard to make it happen."
"Well, that's very good." Zhu Zhanji said with a smile: "With the care of all the gentlemen, your Majesty and I will have nothing to worry about."
"Your Highness," Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi exchanged glances and said carefully: "This time all nations are coming to court, and the grand ceremony will be held all over the world. I wonder... will His Highness the Crown Prince attend?"
"..." The smile on Zhu Zhan's face was completely wiped out by this sentence. The air in the cabinet duty room was almost stagnant. After a long time, His Highness Taisun said expressionlessly: "I won't attend.
"
"Ah..." One of the three cabinet members couldn't help but scream. Not caring about His Highness the Grand Sun's attitude, Jin Youzi hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Does your Majesty have an explicit decree?"
"No." Zhu Zhanji only felt that his whole body was cold, and no matter how strong the brazier was, he could not feel a trace of warmth. He looked at the three academicians with a sullen face and said: "Have you forgotten the previous decree of Grandpa Huang?
"
"Let His Royal Highness thank the guests behind closed doors, and think about when to go see His Majesty." Yang Rong replied softly.
"Then has my father thought clearly?" Zhu Zhanji said in a cold tone.
"The doors of the East Palace have been closed all day, and I haven't heard a single word from His Highness the Crown Prince." Yang Shiqi said softly.
"Then is it unnecessary for you to ask this question?" Zhu Zhanji glanced at the three of them coldly, and after finishing speaking, he pressed his lips tightly, obviously not wanting to talk about this topic anymore.
Yang Rong and the other three exchanged glances again. Jin Youzi gritted his teeth and said softly: "Your Highness, the Emperor's decree was a month ago. Now hundreds of officials have come to Beijing, thousands of nations have come to court, and the capital is about to be moved. No one can change this. Your Highness, the Crown Prince, must have
I also know..."
Zhu Zhanji nodded patiently and listened to him continue: "The emperor attaches so much importance to this grand ceremony, and he must also hope that it will be perfect... If His Highness the Crown Prince is absent, it really cannot be called perfect."
<> "Yes." Yang Rong nodded and said: "This is a great opportunity to bring about reconciliation between the emperor and the prince and the father and son! As the grandson of the emperor and the son of the prince, your highness should seize this opportunity and become a descendant of the world.
An example!"
"Your Highness," seeing Zhu Zhanji's relaxed expression, Yang Shiqi struck while the iron was hot: "I'm afraid the emperor is waiting for you to make peace..."
Yang Shiqi's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Zhu Zhanji's heart hard, causing him to finally change his expression. He knew his own family affairs. In the past few days, the emperor's grandpa asked the prince several times, but he always ignored him. Now
Ask Yang Shiqi to understand, how can he still not understand? This is what Grandpa Huang means!
"Okay," Zhu Zhanji's expression suddenly changed, and after a while he nodded and gritted his teeth and said, "I'll give it a try!"
"Your Highness, Holy Ming!" The three academicians were overjoyed and stood up together to salute Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Zhanji forced a smile, nodded, excused himself and left the cabinet.
The three bachelors sent His Highness the Grand Sun out. After turning back, the three shook their heads repeatedly. Yang Rong whispered: "His Highness the Grand Sun has changed..."
"Hey, the emperor shouldn't let him taste the power so early," Yang Shiqi said with a worried face: "He is so evasive this time because he is worried that if the prince comes back, he will lose the power he has."
"Your Highness is too ridiculous," Jin Youzi said with a chuckle: "Is it possible that Your Majesty can still keep His Highness the Crown Prince in prison? Sooner or later, he will be released."
"Yes." Yang Shiqi nodded and said, "If His Highness the Grand Sun can persuade the Emperor to release the Crown Prince this time, there will be a chance to resolve the misunderstanding between the two Crown Princes..."
"I hope His Majesty the Grand Sun can understand our painstaking efforts." Yang Rong sighed softly, and the other two bachelors also agreed...
Zhu Zhanji did not go to see the prince immediately, but returned to his grandson's mansion and thought about it for a whole night... It turned out that Zhu Zhanji did not have his own mansion in the capital. Before the prince came to Beijing, he always lived in
In the prince's palace. As soon as the prince came to Beijing, there was a fierce conflict between father and son. Zhu Zhanji had nowhere to go. When Zhu Di found out, he immediately asked people to give Zhu Zhanji the palace originally prepared for the king of Han as his grandson's palace.
This original Han Palace was on West Chang'an Street, facing the Prince's Palace in the east and west across Chang'an Gate. It was equally divided. The emperor gave it to the grandson, probably with the intention of letting him check and balance the prince. Zhu Zhanji didn't care so much.
I simply let people clean it up and moved in within a few days. From then on, I officially separated from the prince.
At present, the grandson has not yet gotten married, and there are not many eunuchs and maids in the palace. The huge palace seems deserted. Zhu Zhanji is bored by being alone. He originally wanted to call Wang Xian to accompany him, but he thought that when he opened his mouth, he would definitely persuade him.
I reconciled with my father, and felt a sense of boredom in my heart. I was drinking alone in my room when Chen Wu, the eunuch in charge of Taisun's Mansion, came to report that two brothers, Taichang Shaoqing Jian Ying and Zhongshushe's Jian Fang, were visiting.
When Zhu Zhanji heard this, he had a smile on his face, and asked people to quickly serve wine and invite these two people in... These two brothers are the sons of Jian Yi, the Minister of Rites. Although their official positions are not high, they have extensive connections in the court.
, and both of them have some calculations. Since Zhu Zhanji came to power, the two of them have actively moved closer to him. Seeing that they were of great use, His Highness Taisun also enthusiastically accepted them, and now they are fighting fiercely.
After the two met, Zhu Zhanji asked them to sit down at the table and hold the cups in person, smiling and saying: "Drink some shochu to warm yourself up." The two thanked His Highness, and after three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhu Zhanji asked them
What's the reason?
The two brothers looked at each other and smiled, and Jian Ying said: "Your Highness, my brothers and I were chatting at home and suddenly came up with an idea that seemed to help Your Highness gain a reputation with the Emperor."
"Oh, tell me?"
"Auspiciousness." Jian Ying said with a smile: "Now that all nations are coming to court and the capital is about to be moved, how can there be no auspiciousness coming from heaven?"
"Whether God will bring good fortune or not is not something we can control." Zhu Zhanji smiled bitterly and said, "Come on, let's drink." He couldn't help but scornfully say in his heart, making up blind ideas.
"If God doesn't surrender, we can help him surrender," Jian Fang said with a smile.
"You want to fake auspiciousness?!" Zhu Zhanji frowned. He was a grandson, so he naturally believed in destiny. Now that someone asked him to fake destiny, he couldn't help but murmur in his heart.
"What's the difference between real and fake?" Jian Ying said with a smile: "As long as the emperor believes it and the people believe it, who dares to talk nonsense without opening their eyes?"
"This..." Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but nodded slowly. He knew that the emperor would definitely not refuse if he came up with something auspicious at this time. He hoped that God would help prove the correctness of moving the capital, so
To stop everyone from talking... However, it is always unseemly for your great grandson to commit such fraud. If it is exposed, you will be even more embarrassed.
"Don't worry, Your Highness," Jian Fang knew what he was thinking and said with a smile, "We can get this thing done without your participation. You can just report it to God when the time comes."
Zhu Zhanji thought for a long time and made up his mind: "Tell me what you plan to do?"
"Okay." The Jian brothers nodded excitedly, drank wine, and planned to come with His Highness the Grand Sun.
Zhu Zhanji frowned and listened while drinking. Unknowingly, it was late at night. The three of them were a little drunk. The servant helped the two brothers away, while Zhu Zhanji staggered to the bed, dazed.
Fell asleep.
He slept until dawn the next day. As soon as he opened his eyes, Chen Wu told him: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has entered the palace!" Zhu Zhanji sat up immediately, holding his head that was about to explode, and asked in a voice: "What happened?