Chapter 1700 Sacrificing a small family for everyone
"Your Majesty, it's time to take medicine." Just when Wen Yuan and his mother were talking about what errands he had to do first after going to Lifanwon in the Kunning Palace in the Ming Dynasty, someone in the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, which was not far away,
In a palace, this sentence was heard.
Hearing this, the pale Zhu turned to look at the palace maid holding the medicine bowl in her hand. She did not stand up immediately to drink the medicine, but asked: "Are you from the second class?"
The palace maid has long been accustomed to Zhu's dishonesty in drinking medicine. Although Zhu rarely refuses to drink medicine recently, in the first ten days, almost every day there was a fuss to the point where a strong woman with big muscles and a round waist would force-feed medicine, and the monarch Zhu Fangyuan personally supervised it, so she did not
Not surprised, he just replied: "Your Majesty, I am from the second class."
"Since you are from Yangban, you should know Chinese characters and Chinese." Zhu said in Chinese instead.
"Of course I understand Chinese characters and Chinese language," the palace maid said again. She was joking. Children of two classes of nobles, regardless of gender, would be laughed at if they didn't understand Chinese characters. She was not an evil girl, so of course she had to learn Chinese characters.
Chinese.
"Then have you read a Ming Dynasty novel called "Water Margin"?" Zhu continued.
The palace maid shook her head. She had only read the Four Books and Five Classics, and "The Women's Commandments", but had not read any other books in Chinese characters.
"Even if you haven't read "Water Margin", you should have seen the Yuan Dynasty dramas such as "Wu Song Fights the Tiger with a Broken Duan" and "Wu Song with Narrow Sleeves". In "Water Margin", Wu Song was also written about. In
It is written in "Water Margin" that Wu Song was born in Qinghe County. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his elder brother Wu Dalang. Although the Wu Song brothers were born to the same mother, Wu Song was eight feet tall, handsome in appearance, and had hundreds of hairs all over his body.
Wu Dalang is less than five feet tall, has a ferocious face, is ridiculously short, and is nicknamed "Three Inches of Ding withered Tree Bark."
"Wu Song escaped from his hometown for a while because he injured someone. When he returned to his hometown, his eldest brother Wu Dalang had already married a wife named Pan Jinlian. She was very beautiful. But Pan Jinlian did not follow the rules of women and married a man named Ximen Qingzhi.
After the incident, she poisoned Wu Dalang. When she poisoned Wu Dalang, she said to him, "Da Lang, it's time to take medicine." I now feel that your approach is similar to Pan Jinlian's.
." Zhu said slowly.
Hearing this, the palace maid didn't know what to say. Of course she couldn't refute Zhu. Even if Zhu was deposed as the crown prince, he would be a great king in the future. No matter which prince became the new crown prince and inherited the throne, he would not be treated badly.
He and her family are not very powerful and cannot afford to offend her. But if these words are allowed to spread, it will not be good for her reputation, even if everyone knows that she can't help herself.
She racked her brains to think about how to respond, but she still couldn't think of the right words, and sweat was pouring on her forehead. She was about to call the strong woman outside the house to come in and forcefully give Zhu medicine, and ignored the matter.
After passing by, I heard a voice coming from outside the house: "His Royal Highness is here!"
"My servant has seen His Highness." The palace maid immediately turned around and walked to the palace door, knelt down and said.
"No gift." Zhu Fangyuan walked to the door, glanced at the medicine bowl in her hand, and asked, "The prince still hasn't taken the medicine?"
"The Crown Prince just said a few words to the slave, so the slave has not yet given the medicine to the Crown Prince," the palace maid replied.
"Give the medicine bowl to Gu and leave." Zhu Fangyuan ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness." The palace maid agreed, handed him the medicine bowl, bowed and left.
"Why don't you want to take medicine today?" After she went out, Zhu Fangyuan sat beside the bed and said to Zhu in a very gentle tone.
"I don't know why, but I remembered the novel "Water Margin" that I read in the Ming Dynasty, and the scene in which Pan Jinlian poisoned Wu Dalang," Zhu said.
Zhu Fangyuan has not read the 8 novels, but has seen the drama adaptation. After hearing this, she immediately said: "Do you think your father is going to poison you to death? Although my father wants to deprive you of your position as the heir apparent, his love for you is no less than
How can anyone else poison you to death? Don't worry, after the change of crown prince is completed, my father will give you the title of king so that you can enjoy wealth and honor in your next life; in the future, when Yuan Zheng succeeds to the throne, he will not treat you badly."
"So, are you sure to make Yuan Zheng the crown prince?" Zhu said again.
Zhu Fangyuan frowned slightly. North Korea's requirements for superiority and inferiority are stricter than those of the Ming Dynasty. Since he succeeded to the throne, no one except the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has dared to speak to him in this tone. But he must have felt sad when he thought of Zhu being deposed as the crown prince.
Although he was resentful, he really felt that he owed him, so his intention to rebuke him faded away, and he just said: "Yuan Zheng is intelligent by nature, eager to learn, and can think of things that others cannot think of. He is indeed more suitable to be the heir apparent than you."
"Father, maybe Yuan Zheng is more suitable to be the crown prince than his son and to rule North Korea in the future; but has father considered the attitude of the Ming Emperor? The Ming Emperor inherited the throne as his legitimate grandson and had very strict requirements for the eldest son's inheritance. If the news reaches
Daming, let the Emperor of Daming know, has my father ever thought about how he would treat North Korea?"
"The son naturally understands that his father must be prepared, thinking that the Ming Emperor will not know about it, but there is no airtight wall in the world, and it may not be leaked as his father thought; even if it is not leaked now, it may be leaked in the future.
, if the Ming Emperor punishes him at that time, how will he deal with it? Father, the son is not doing it for the son's position as the heir apparent, but for the sake of North Korea." Zhu said.
As early as when he knew why his father did this, he wanted to say this to his father Zhu Fangyuan. However, Zhu Fangyuan came and left in a hurry several times before, giving him no time to talk at all. So today he deliberately agreed with him.
The palace maid spoke to delay time, but did not resist fiercely to drink the medicine, just to create an opportunity to get along with Zhu Fangyuan. After getting this opportunity, he immediately said these words.
It's not that he doesn't want to be the crown prince. Who doesn't want more power? It's better to be the crown prince than to be the king. But compared to his position as the crown prince, he values the continuation of the Zhu/Li family's North Korean regime more and puts the country
, or it can be said that the family's interests were put first, and they were more worried that the Ming Emperor would be furious and severely punish North Korea after learning the truth about the matter.
"Don't worry, the matter will not be leaked now. As for the future, when Yuan Zheng becomes the king of Korea in a few years, even if the Ming Emperor learns about this, will he force Yuan Zheng to abdicate?" Zhu Fangyuan said.
"In a few years, Yuan Zheng will succeed the king? Father, do you want to..." Zhu said in surprise.
"Yes, my father plans to abdicate in a few years and Yuan Zheng will succeed him. It has been sixteen years since my father succeeded to the throne in the 31st year of Hongwu, and he is already fifty this year. He has done everything he should do.
It's time to wait for one or two years to complete the remaining unfinished things. It's time to abdicate and enjoy peace and happiness." Zhu Fangyuan said. Zhu Fangyuan was not lying. He indeed planned to abdicate in a few years.
.Of course, power will not be completely delegated to Zhu.
"This son understands what his father means." He originally wanted to tell his father that the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty is not a very face-saving person and will not pretend to be confused and admit the matter; but if the person who violates the rules and becomes the heir apparent has become a
The situation is different if you depose a monarch. The impact of deposing a monarch is too great, even the Ming Dynasty must be cautious. If this monarch is deeply loved by the officials and the people, then you have to think about it again and again, and most of them will accept it. And according to him
From observations while in the capital, Emperor Ming did have some affection for his third brother Zhu Ye, and he was more accepting and more likely to recognize him.
"Since you understand what my father means and agree that Yuan Zheng is more suitable to be the crown prince than you, then drink the medicine. My father has sent an envoy to the Ming Dynasty. First, to point out to the Ming Emperor that you have been lingering on the sickbed for a long time.
In the future, I will make preparations for you, Crown Prince Yi; of course, you will also ask the Ming Dynasty to send an imperial doctor to treat you. After the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty learns of this, he will definitely send an imperial doctor to Seoul immediately, so in two days you will receive treatment from the Ming Dynasty imperial doctor.
There is no way to threaten or win over their father so that they dare not tell the truth. They can only ask you to take some medicine in advance to make your pulse resemble that of an illness; and even if your father makes North Korean doctors argue with them, they will not dare to make a diagnosis.
Your condition can confirm the fact that you are sick."
"Don't worry, you will only take these for a few days. When the imperial doctors of the Ming Dynasty dare not diagnose your condition, after returning to the Ming Dynasty, my father ordered you to stop taking the medicine, so that you can move around freely in this palace without taking any more medicine.
"When Yuan Zheng is crowned the crown prince, I will let you leave the palace and go to the mansion. In a few months, you will pretend to be cured and you will be like before." Zhu Fangyuan raised the medicine bowl and said to him again.
"Since the father has already planned the matter, the son will not disobey his father's words." Although he was extremely reluctant, Zhu still agreed and straightened up. Zhu Fangyuan hurriedly stretched out his arm and fed him medicine.
"Father, how did he deal with those people who were chosen as his son's companions? Did he execute them all?" After drinking the medicine, Zhu remembered the matter again and asked immediately. He and most of his companions
They got along very well with each other, and I didn’t want them both to lose their lives in vain.
"The people who can be chosen as your companions are of high status. Most of them are legitimate sons or even eldest sons from the Yangban class. A few are also concubines. If these people are executed, even the father would not dare to give this order.
.And they all think that you are really seriously ill and can't go out. If you don't know the truth, how can your father kill them? Of course, their future will be worse. After all, Yuan Zheng also has a companion, so he will first use his companion.
Read." Zhu Fangyuan said.
"That's good." Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he doesn't get killed. As for the future, North Korea implements the two-class aristocracy, where status is hereditary and has political and economic privileges. Almost all officials are from the two-class aristocracy, even if the imperial examination is implemented
system, even if officials are allowed to be sent to North Korea to help North Korea reform a fairer imperial examination system, this is the case. As long as they don't die, direct members of the two classes of nobles can work as officials, so there is no need to worry.
"Father, aren't the son's companions all legitimate sons? How could there be a bastard?" Zhu asked again. He was raised as a prince. In North Korea, where the distinction between legitimate sons and concubines is very strict, how could there be a bastard among his companions?
?
"You are in the palace and don't know about this." Zhu Fangyuan explained: "At the end of last year, after repeated consideration, my father announced the "Slaves Obey Their Fathers", that is, from now on, children born to a good man and a slave girl will
No longer follow the identity of the mother as a slave, but follow the identity of the father as a good man. In this way, there will be more good men in Korea, and the number of slaves will decrease, which is beneficial to the court."
"But in this way, there are also disadvantages, that is, "the public and the lowly are all good people." So after discussing with Xu Xuan and others, my father decided to implement the "Law for the Imprisonment of Sinful People" and decided that "the descendants of clan members and all kinds of evildoers"
From then on, concubines and evil sons were given limited titles. You also know that from the end of Goryeo, due to the chaos in the court and the inability to restrain the two groups of nobles, there were two or even three wives and
The situation of "taking concubines as wives". After the father promulgated the "Concubine Prohibition Law", polygamy was strictly prohibited. One wife must have multiple concubines, and wives and concubines should be clearly distinguished. People with multiple wives can only keep one wife, and all other wives must be kept.
Demoted to concubine. And one of your companions has a mother who was demoted from wife to concubine and became a concubine. So my father said that your companion has a concubine."
"I see." Zhu said. He still agreed with Zhu Fangyuan's policy. After all, the distinction between concubines and concubines is one of the principles. It is very important and is conducive to maintaining the rule of their family. However, "Father, this "concubine"
The Law on the Imprisonment of Evil will definitely arouse opposition from many people in both the government and the public, and I am afraid that the court will be unstable."