Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 917 Staff
The conflict between the emperor and the empress finally ended with the empress making a compromise.

Although the Kunning Palace kept it very secret, it was still spread in the harem.

After all, such a big palace was closed for an hour, the emperor left angrily, and the empress was depressed, as long as you are not a fool, you can guess.

However, this matter is clear to the prince.

As the queen's parent and son, he is unimpeded in Kunning, and he can't win the letter quickly. If there are some secret things, he would be hard to know, but he is clear about the conflict between the emperor and the empress.

"The gate of Kunning Palace was closed at that time, and I could only blurt out a few words about the army, the appearance of the prince, because you were involved, so I quickly sent a message..."

Beside him, a close eunuch poured tea for the prince while explaining softly.

"Army?" The prince frowned, feeling that the tea in his hand was no longer fragrant.

For the crown prince, the army is too sensitive.

Even in Daming, the emperor was as reassuring as ever to the crown prince, and there were very few things to be afraid of, but this was just the crown prince's obedience to the rules.

In other words, the officials in the entire East Palace are basically court officials acting as substitutes, such as Zuo Zhanshi, who first think of loyalty to the emperor.

Moreover, in Confucian society, loyalty to the emperor is paramount, and filial piety is paramount. Like the Tang and Yuan dynasties, it was unthinkable in the Ming Dynasty that the prince would mutiny or even seize power at every turn.

Zhu Cunqu had never thought about wanting an army. At most, he would plant eyeliners in the palace and send some men to run business outside the palace. This is nothing more than normal.

"This is someone who framed me—"

An idea immediately popped up in Zhu Cunqu's mind.

In the 300 years of the Ming Dynasty, there were only princes who died of illness, and no princes were deposed, but this is the new dynasty.

Although the flag of Ming Dynasty was displayed, there were seven or eight changes inside.

Anyone who studies history knows the difference between the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty.

Seeing the prince's pale face and dazed expression, the eunuch beside him was also shocked, and couldn't help saying: "Your Highness, you are the empress's son, you can go and greet the empress—"

"That's right, I'm going to Kunning Palace."

The prince regained his strength and breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, he also thought clearly, if the location of the East Palace was really involved, the Queen should send someone to notify.

There is no news yet, I'm afraid it's just a trivial matter.

Soon, someone suddenly said: "His Royal Highness, there is news from Kunning Palace that the empress has called you over—"

Hearing this, the prince was shocked all over, he turned his head in disbelief, and looked at the eunuch who had just spoken.

The latter was also shocked, his face turned pale and bloodless.

"Go—" The prince tidied up his robes, put on a fur coat, and walked slowly.

It took a full quarter of an hour, and when he was mentally prepared, he finally arrived at Kunning Palace.

All I saw was that Empress Sun Xueniang's eyes were slightly red, her hairpin was shaking a little, and she had no manners at all.

"Mother-"

The prince saluted solemnly.

"Son, come here—"

Sun Xueniang took the prince's hand, cherishing it inexplicably: "You are only 17 years old and married in the twelfth lunar month, your father is really cruel..."

"Son, son—" Zhu Cunqu's lips parted, and an indescribable thirst ran through his whole body.

It feels like all the words are stuck in my throat, and I can't say anything.

Could it be that I am really going to be abolished?
why?
I never interfered with the military.

Is it wrong to make friends with a few nobles?

All of a sudden, the originally prepared mentality was in chaos at this moment.

When the queen saw her son's face turned pale, and he looked like he was about to fall, she immediately felt distressed: "If you don't want to go to the army, your mother and I will have to wear it down even if we fight this old life."

"Son, don't scare me!"

"What, join the army?"

Zhu Cunqu's whole body trembled, these two words were like bombs, and the queen was startled.

"Yes, join the army." Sun Xueniang said in a long-winded manner: "Your father always wants you to go to the army. Where is the hardship, where is the place where the crown prince can stay."

"Besides, Daming has never been a prince in the army for hundreds of years."

"If you want me to say, how about following the example of Emperor Xuanzong and getting you a young army? That's considered joining the army, right?"

Hearing this, Zhu Cunqu didn't understand, all of this was just his imagination.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

But the queen mother was also taken aback, she just went to the army, as for this, it made him confused.

After clearing up his mood, he regained his brilliance, and said crisply: "Mother, she just joined the army. My son has read all the books for so many years. What are you afraid of suffering?"

Hearing this, the queen was also a little loose.

For the emphasis on education, the current emperor is one of the best.

The prince started enlightenment at the age of five, formally went to school at the age of seven, and took his name, and then began to study hard for four hours a day.

Just sitting and reading is enough. There are also horseback riding, archery, musket, swimming and other events on weekdays, which can be said to make these little guys miserable.

Moreover, there is only one vacation every ten days, and it is extremely hard work from morning till night.

Especially in summer, a group of princes were tanned, which made the whole harem feel distressed.

"From this point of view, the hardship of your studies is no less than that of joining the army."

The queen shook her head slightly, and in a blink of an eye she regained her dignity: "It's just that the emperor asked you to hide your name and start from an ordinary team leader. Do you have any ideas?"

"You just obey my orders." The crown prince showed a slight smile: "It's just a good time to make some friends and learn more about the military, so that in the future, the father will not get too serious and don't know what to ask."

"Since you have this thought, then I can rest assured."

The queen spoke softly, and then talked about the Eastern Palace:

"We are going to get married in the twelfth lunar month. For these two months, you should restrain your mind a little bit and use all your energy on the princess."

"Let me tell you, the most important thing in the East Palace right now is the Crown Princess, and the most important thing for you is to give birth to a son."

"Concubine Qin has given birth to a son. Concubine Qi married this summer. She heard the letter two days ago and is pregnant."

"As a prince, you can't fall behind."

Zhu Cunqu naturally responded with all his mouth.

In fact, as a prince, how could he become a monk when he married a concubine?
Among the concubines he took, the queen gave him three or five concubines, all of which were beautiful, but none of them were pregnant.

This was ordered by the Queen herself.

As long as the princess and concubine did not give birth to the emperor's grandson, no concubine's grandson was allowed to be born.

Obviously, this is a plan for the future stability of the court, and this is a plan for a rainy day.

The prince also agreed.

He is still young, in good health, and has no worries about heirs, so he naturally thinks about the safety of the harem.

After leaving Kunning Palace, the prince was shocked, feeling the air became sweeter.

However, the thought of joining the army in a few days gave him a headache.

However, the matter of joining the army has to be postponed until next year.

At present, the most important thing in the whole palace is the princess's passing.

As the future mother of the whole world, it is related to the future of the imperial court and Ming Dynasty, and the attention of the government and the public.

The emperor and empress were naturally concerned.

In order to choose a concubine for the crown prince, he had tossed and tossed for more than a year, and in the end he chose Zeng Ying's daughter, a sixteen-year-old concubine, Zeng Yu, whose nickname was Zhi'er.

In addition to his natural and generous personality, he also inherited Zeng Ying's appearance, and he is also a first-class existence among the honorable group.

Zeng Ying, the hero of Zhongxing Fuguo in the Ming Dynasty, the Marquis of Dongchang, the minister in Mongolia, and the second-rank title.

Now the family has been working hard in the Tuxietuhan tribe for several years, and it is also an incentive to make their daughter a concubine.

For the emperor, the reason for choosing Zeng Ying is simple-politics.

Among the honorable groups, the school with the greatest record is the Shaanxi Group, that is, the Qin Army group, mainly composed of Sun Chuanting's Qin Army.

And obviously, the queen Sun Xueniang is her daughter, and the prince naturally has appeal.

However, in addition to the Qin Army Group, there is also the Sichuan Army Group and the Jiang Army Group, but neither of them is successful, and they can't beat the Qin Army Group together.

After all, who made the emperor a native of Shaanxi?

Even today's Kangguo was built by a group of Shaanxi people.

Among the Chuanjiang Group, Zeng Ying is the most prominent. He is upright, knows how to advance and retreat, and also painstakingly manages Mobei, fighting against the Manchu Qing.

The most important thing is that her daughter is not only the right age, but also has a good personality, and is also very beautiful, so she has become a princess without hesitation.

As for the prince's thoughts, he, the groom, has no right to speak at all.

For this world-renowned wedding, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Finance each contributed 50 yuan, totaling 100 million silver dollars, as the preparatory money for the entire wedding.

This money seems to be a lot, which is equivalent to the one-year war of the Qin State, but in fact it can only be said to be just right.

Because the prince's wedding is not only a simple wedding, but also a major event for the entire ruling and opposition parties, Ming Dynasty, and all four kingdoms.

North Korea, Japan, Kang, U-Tsang (Heshuot Khanate), Siam and other vassal countries must offer gifts. In addition, the envoys of foreign countries, Britain, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, add up to no less than a thousand. people.

In such a happy event, there are a lot of rewards for the Beijing camp, the frontier army, as well as hundreds of officials, generals, and nobles.

Not to mention anything else, there are more than [-] people in the Beijing camp, so there must be some wine and meat to eat and drink.

Everyone's rewards together, at least 50 million.

Lin Lin always made the calculations, and the only thing that can really be used for the wedding is only a mere two hundred thousand yuan.

With so much money, all the civil and military officials felt that it was a little too little, but when they turned their heads, they felt that the consumption of Qin was too much.

The double standard is too serious.

But there is no way, the difference between the concubine and the concubine, the position of the heir, in the eyes of some people, even ten kings of Qin can't compare.

Entering December, that is, the first day of the twelfth lunar month, several carriages quietly entered the capital.

Immediately, the government and the public immediately noticed that the middle gate of the former Duke of Feng's mansion was wide open, and the eldest son and the family members below all went out to welcome him.

Now, everyone understood that the former Chief Assistant Zhao Shu had returned.

When he returned, his legs were healthy and strong. When he returned, he was already trembling with his crutches on.

His beard and hair are all white, age spots are on the rise, if he is not still full of energy, who would know that this is the former chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty, the powerful minister who has controlled the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years?

"Father—" the eldest son supported Zhao Shu, feeling quite sad.

"Why are you crying?" Zhao Shu reprimanded lightly, "Going back to my hometown and being filial, I feel relieved."

The eldest son sighed.

Of course he understood that the reason why his father was like this was because of years of hard work and painstaking efforts, which resulted in a deficit.

Not to mention anything else, when the emperor conquered the north and west, he was in charge of the family, so it can be said that he had to endure the whole night, so could he not be at a loss?

Although the government of the Duke of Feng is not one of the top ten princes, its power has not declined too much. As long as the queen and the crown prince are still there, it will be guaranteed.

After all, everyone knows that Zhao Shu is the matchmaker between the emperor and the empress, and also the No.1 in protecting the crown prince.

As soon as he sat down, Zhao Shu sighed: "Daizhou has been stable in recent years. When I was young, I heard the news of the Tartars' invasion every year. They either killed a few people or robbed some village."

"It's all right now, Monan is safe and sound, and the Tartars can kiss each other again."

"When I returned to my hometown, my fathers and villagers didn't say much about building bridges and paving roads. Instead, they praised the peace of the world and the fact that there are no Tartars invading. I have not worked in vain all my life."

Suddenly, a servant came to report that the prince had arrived.

This time the middle door opened wide again.

Prince Zhu Cunqu had joy on his face: "Mr. Zhao, you may be considered to be back."

"How dare the old minister not attend His Royal Highness's big wedding?"

Zhao Shu showed a smile, which was obviously from the heart and heart-warming:
"Although I have never met the girl from the Zeng family, I know Zeng Ying. She is calm, knowledgeable, and reads a lot. Her daughter must not be too bad."

"The crown prince and concubine selected by father and mother must be the best." The crown prince said lightly.

Immediately, his expression was inexplicable.

The eldest son and servants on the side retreated knowingly.

"Mr. Zhao, my father asked me to join the army. What do you think I should do?"

The prince inquired, with expectation on his face.

At this time, he desperately needs guidance.

"Joining the army, this is to train Your Highness!"

Zhao Shu sighed softly: "Your Majesty always has many wonderful ideas, and you must learn to accept them."

"Your Highness, you can only accept it, and you have to accept it happily. This is only good for you, not bad."

"The Beijing camp has been established for more than [-] years from Shaanxi to Hubei, and now it is in Beijing. There are many evils in it. It is also a good thing for His Highness to investigate."

"The capital is invincible, so how can there be any accumulated disadvantages?"

The prince was puzzled.

"How can there be a long-lasting army in the world? If there is a powerful army from the time of the great grandfather, why is there the loss of Annan? The defeat of Tumubao?"

Zhao Shu shook his head: "Only by going deep into it can you understand it carefully. This is your task, Prince."

Zhu Cunqu didn't know what was going on, but he felt energetic all over his body.

……

At this time, in Mobei, Kulun City.

After defeating Tuxietu Khan, supporting his youngest son to succeed him as Khan, and sending him to a temple for recuperation, Zeng Ying took control of the entire Tuxietu Khan tribe.

The army under his command has exceeded [-], and the herdsmen under his rule have also exceeded [-] accounts, which can be described as strong.

At this time, news from the capital arrived, making Zeng Ying overjoyed:

"My Zeng family, the wealth is unstoppable!"

(End of this chapter)