Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2455: The Rule of the World (VII) Watching the Sea and Listening to the Waves (End of the Book) New book "Seizing the Tripod: 1638" has been released
A thin layer of frost condensed on the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City. Emperor Taichang Zhu Changhao leaned on the red lacquer railing of the Qianqing Palace and looked at the familiar eight-man sedan chair at the bottom of the steps. The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, revealing half of the sleeves of the Prime Minister Gao Youshi. The gold-woven dragon pattern embroidered on the satin of the red dragon robe swayed with the sedan chair, like a dragon swinging its tail.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's speech has been handed in again." Chen Ju, a veteran minister of four dynasties and the eunuch in his seventies who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department, held the yellow silk memorial in his hand, his voice choking with sobs, "This is the twenty-fourth one."

Zhu Changhao took the memorial and stroked the words "I have followed the late emperor's will and assisted His Majesty for fifteen years. I have served His Majesty faithfully and devoted myself to His Majesty. I wish to retire to the afterlife" with his fingertips. He suddenly recalled the snowy night fifteen years ago when Gao Youshi held him in the dragon chariot and he listened to Gao Youshi, the late emperor's appointed father-in-law, lecturing while pointing to the night sky.

At that time, he was still a young boy and could not even pronounce the four words "military and national affairs" clearly. But now he can review memorials to the emperor on his own. Whether he is looking at the steam loom atlas sent by the Academy of Sciences or the steam locomotive sample drawing in the Kaiping experiment, he has understood it clearly and is no longer ignorant.

"Go and report to the Queen Mother. I'll be there soon." When the young emperor turned around, his eyes were covered with a layer of white mist. His bright yellow dragon robe swept across the gilded incense burner. The scent of agarwood mixed with the scent of ink on the desk, forming a microcosm of fifteen years.

In Ciqing Palace, Queen Mother Wang looked at the plum blossoms outside the window and stroked the portrait of the late emperor Zhu Yijun with her fingertips. The emperor in the portrait was wearing casual clothes, with a model of a flintlock musket presented by Gao Youshi hanging around his waist, which was a testimony to the reform of firearms during the Wanli period.

"Mother, I'm afraid Yuanfu has decided to leave this time." Zhu Changhao knelt in front of the empress dowager, and the pearls on his hair crown trembled with his movements. "He said... if the world knows about Yuanfu but not your majesty, it would be a great fault for me as a minister."

The empress dowager lowered her eyes and her gaze fell on the round fan on the desk that Gao Youshi had presented five years ago. The inscription on the fan, "May Your Majesty take charge of the government soon," was still vivid in her mind. She suddenly remembered that the late emperor held Gao Youshi's hand before his death and said, "Without you, the country cannot be protected." She remembered that in the past fifteen years, Gao Youshi would come in person to explain the "Zhenguan Zhengyao" and other classics to the emperor every new moon and full moon, without a day's interruption, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Go and ask the Ministry of Rites to prepare the ceremonial notes." As the Queen Mother stood up, the pattern of hundreds of descendants on her phoenix robe brushed against the candlesticks. "Remember, when you leave, I will personally escort the Prime Minister out of the city."

The farewell platform outside the south gate of the capital was built with great care, and on the yellow curtain were embroidered four golden characters "Achievements that Cover the World". It was the work of the entire Weaving Bureau who worked overnight.

Gao Fusi stood in the audience, looking at the plaque on the red lacquer archway that read "A Farewell Party for the Retired Zhongji Hall Grand Secretary Nan Wang Gao Gong", and suddenly recalled the scene of discussing politics with the young Zhu Yijun in Zhongcui Palace when he first entered the officialdom. At that time, he never thought that he could really complete this journey of "serving the emperor like Yao and Shun".

"Master!" Ye Xianggao, the former Minister of Personnel and the newly promoted Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace, came with all the civil and military officials. This disciple, who had always been the most stable among his disciples, actually had tears in his eyes, "If you leave, the court..."

Gao Fusi waved his hand and glanced at Xiao Liangyou who was standing upright in the crowd. This old friend and successor was wearing a bright red silk dragon robe, with a jade pendant personally given by Gao Fusi hanging around his waist, which was a token of their time when they worked all night in Wenyuan Pavilion to revise the "Da Ming Hui Dian".

"The court has its own rules," Gao Youshi said in a voice as steady as a bell. "Your Majesty is as wise as the last emperor, and Elder Xiao is even more loyal and diligent than me. All my colleagues just need to remember the four words 'serve with sincerity', and that will be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

Suddenly, the bell rang, and thirty-six great generals arrived carrying a gilded imperial sedan chair. Zhu Changhao helped Queen Mother Wang get off the sedan chair. Both the emperor and the queen took off their bright yellow robes and wore plain clothes instead. Only the imperial jade belt and phoenix crown around their waists showed their dignity.

"Mr. Gao," the Queen Mother's voice trembled slightly, "When the late emperor entrusted his son to me, he said that no one but you can help me carry on the past and open up the future, and that I should treat you as a father. Today, I and the Emperor will send you back to your hometown and country with the courtesy of a family member."

Gao Fusi was about to kneel down, but he saw Zhu Changhao kneeling on one knee and bowing his head as a disciple: "I am your student Changhao. I have been taught by you for fifteen years. Today I understand the truth that 'a ruler should be like a balance beam'. I will never forget your kindness in educating and assisting me."

The whole place was silent, with only the north wind blowing the yellow curtains and making a rustling sound. Gao Youshi's throat rolled, but he finally knelt down and touched the ground with his head: "Your Majesty is benevolent and wise. I will have no regrets even if I die. When I see the late emperor someday, I can also say: I have lived up to your Majesty's trust."

When the late emperor was mentioned, the empress dowager could not help shedding tears and said, "The late emperor once said privately, 'I have made ten points of achievements, and nine points are daily gains.' I think you just heard about it today, sir?"

Gao Youshi sighed and said, "Without a ruler there would be no subjects. Your Majesty is too kind to praise me."

The Queen Mother glanced at the Emperor and ordered, "Emperor, why don't you take out the Hanbao?"

Zhu Changhao nodded slightly, but still did not stand up. He just reached back and Chen Ju, who had already handed over a treasure box with tears in his eyes, gently opened it. Three more eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department came forward and took out the emperor's calligraphy one by one and showed it to everyone. It turned out to be a couplet.

The main couplet reads: "This is the model for all ministers for thousands of years, and his unique achievement is brilliant throughout the dynasties." The horizontal banner reads: "A pillar for all ages."

The zhen is the wood used to support the pillars of the imperial palace, and it also means loyalty and harmony. The zhen of eternity is indeed the highest praise for a minister. Gao Youshi was about to say a few humble words as usual, but he did not expect that the emperor had already issued an oral order to show it to the civil and military officials present.

At the banquet, Zhu Changhao suddenly ordered all officials to be quiet, then stood up and took out a golden jade seal, which illuminated the whole room: "Sir, your contributions are unparalleled and you have never abused your power. I have thought about this for a long time. Now I specially grant you the seal of the Southern King, which reads 'Accepting the will of Heaven, as if I were here in person'. I hope that you and your descendants can forever protect the southern land and sea for our Ming Dynasty."

Gao Fusi looked at the seal and recalled the scene when he sailed across the sea from Guangxi and crossed the Red River to capture Thang Long City. At that time, he was just a provincial governor of Guangxi, and the soldiers he led were just his own servants. But now he had to go to the southern border of the country as the "King of the South". The gears of fate had turned around and around, and it turned out to be like this.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." He took the seal with both hands and touched the words "King of the South" on the seal pad. He suddenly remembered the tearful look of his fourth son, Gao Ji, who was also the second son. The child knelt in the Palace of the King of the South and said that he wanted to stay in the capital to "guard the plum blossoms in Sanshen Garden for his father." He knew that in this seemingly honored and retired country today, a hostage would still have to be left by the emperor's side.

Da Nan is not an ordinary vassal state. Today, Da Nan has 30 million households, nearly half of the Ming Dynasty. Among them, there are 18 million Han Chinese households, nearly 30% of the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention, since he was named the King of the South, the Jinghua Two Oceans Fleet immediately transformed into the Da Nan Navy, and the fleet size even far exceeded that of the imperial court.

As for the 400,000-plus land troops, that was not even considered a "reserve force." If the Southern King was disloyal, it would undoubtedly be enough to shake the southern half of the Ming Dynasty in an instant. Such a powerful vassal state was unprecedented in the history of the Ming Dynasty, so leaving a hostage seemed to be a matter of course.

As the fourth of all brothers, Gao Ji is the second legitimate son of Huang Zhiting. He has been quiet since childhood and is known as the one who "resembles his father's literary spirit the most" among all of Gao Youshi's sons. However, due to his father's reign, he has always refused to take the imperial examinations and become an official. Now that Gao Youshi has resigned from the position of prime minister and moved to the Great South of the country, it may not be a bad thing for him.

As for the other adult brothers who were exploring their own territories, he did not envy them. Everyone had their own aspirations. The third brother, Gao Mu, liked to see the vast waves and the sea and sky merge into one, so he went on an expedition to explore Yingzhou; the fifth brother, Gao Chun, admired his father's record of sweeping thousands of troops like a whirlwind, so he opened up the border in Tianzhu and made a name for himself in foreign lands.

As for the second brother Gao Yan, he played a political game in Japan, cultivating pro-Han forces while suppressing traditional Japanese civil and military forces. At the same time, he was also promoting centralization and intending to completely abolish the emperor system... In short, this second brother was very busy, but he did a good job.

According to what he understood, his second brother had expanded the power of the shogunate headed by him to the largest among all the shogunate shoguns. In terms of etiquette, he had obtained privileges similar to those his father had today, such as "wearing a sword and shoes into the palace, not bowing when entering the court, and not naming when praising or bowing." The only thing missing was the Nine Gifts.

In addition, he was also promoting the "Great Ming" or "Great Southern" status of his own identity. From the few words Gao Ji heard when chatting with his family, it seemed that his second brother planned to remove the title of "Japanese Shogun" at the right time and be canonized by the Southern Palace. The name might be "Fusang King" - according to Chinese tradition, the status of a two-character king is lower than that of a one-character king. Gao Yan may have thought that if he called himself "Fusang King" and was canonized by the Southern King, it would probably not cause dissatisfaction among his father or brother.

Gao Ji didn't know whether his brother Gao Yuan, who was born to the same mother as him, would be dissatisfied, but he had been with his father for many years and was sure that his father would not be dissatisfied - if he was dissatisfied, he probably would not have let Gao Yan manage Japan alone for so many years.

As for the other brothers, although most of them are approaching adulthood, but... I believe my father has made arrangements for them.

As dusk deepened, the motorcade finally set off. Gao Youshi lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and watched the crowd of people seeing him off gradually shrink into a dot. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. Looking back, he saw Zhu Changhao riding the Anxi BMW horse that Gao Youshi personally gave him, chasing him to the Ten-Li Pavilion.

"Sir!" The young emperor reined in his horse. Seeing Gao Youshi sternly looking at his followers behind him, he handed over a brocade box as if to save the situation. "This is the "Zhenguan Zhengyao" I copied myself. Sir, you can read it on the way."

The sternness in Gao Fushi's eyes was finally replaced by tenderness. He nodded slightly and opened the brocade box. Inside was neat small regular script. Not only was it copied neatly, but every page was annotated with Zhu Changhao's dense comments. Gao Fushi's fingertips touched the line of words "If the people live and work in peace, the world will be peaceful forever" next to "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it". He suddenly remembered the Forbidden City illuminated by fire in the 30th year of Wanli, and remembered himself in Wenyuan Pavilion reviewing memorials all night.

"Your Majesty is thoughtful," he closed the brocade box, his voice filled with a final reminder, "Firearms can strengthen the army, and practical learning can enrich the country, but the people's hearts are the foundation of rule. Your Majesty, the governance of the world does not lie in governing the people, but in governing the powerful. If the officials govern cleanly, the world will be clean, and cleanliness will bring stability; if the officials govern corruptly, the world will be corrupt, and corruption will inevitably lead to chaos."

Zhu Changhao nodded heavily and watched Gao Youshi wave goodbye. The convoy turned over the hill. The moonlight gilded a silver edge on the cloak with coiled dragon pattern, and it became a silhouette that would never fade in his memory.

Five years later, in Nanyang, in Huzhou City.

Gao Fusi sat in the bamboo building, listening to the sound of the sea outside the window, flipping through the official newspaper sent by Xiao Liangyou. The newspaper said that 70% of the new Jinshi were from the Practical School, that the per-acre yield of the Western Region Tuntianwei increased by another 30%, and that the Polish-Lithuanian Federation, Austria, the Russian army, and the Ming army attacked the Ottoman Empire, once again forcing the once-powerful Ottoman Empire to sign a peace treaty. According to the contract, the Ottoman Empire needed to cede Transylvania to Austria, the rest of Moldavia to Poland, and the entire northern coast of the Black Sea to Russia, and allow the Ming Dynasty to establish a duty-free store in Galata, Constantinie (Constance) - this place was occupied by Venice in the early years, and now it has a new owner, who continues to covet this ancient city that "controls the sea and land" across the Golden Horn.

"Your Highness, it's not a good thing for you to stay on my little island and neglect your duties..." Nan Wang's second concubine Liu Xin pushed the door open, holding a stack of secret letters in her hand, and glanced at Gao Youshi, "Look, your eldest son came to ask for instructions again, saying that he couldn't persuade Chun'er... Oh, why do I feel that he has a problem with me?"

Gao Fusi smiled and looked at the globe on the desk. The South Asian subcontinent on the globe was almost completely covered with the ochre yellow color that symbolized the Great South. Led by Gao Chun, along with his three younger brothers Gao Wei, Gao Hao (formerly Gao Hao, renamed to avoid the emperor's taboo), and Gao Zhan, after years of maneuvering and fighting, they completely defeated the Mughal Empire, drove its forces out of the south of the Hindu Kush Mountains, and controlled the crucial Khyber Pass - this place is the famous "India's death point", a must-pass place for northern invasions throughout the ages.

After that, the four brothers divided their forces and marched south, defeating or conquering the southern kingdoms. They had no enemies along the way until they entered Vijayanagar. This Tamil kingdom was the strongest country in the southern part of the South Asian subcontinent at that time, and almost unified the distribution area of ​​the Tamils. Its capital, Vijayanagar, had a population of 400,000 and was quite rich and powerful.

Because Vijayanagara persisted in resisting and even contacted several small countries that had not yet been conquered to form an alliance, the four brothers' offensive finally slowed down under the threat of mutual destruction. In fact, because of the hot weather and poor local sanitary conditions in the summer of that year, Gao Chun, the leader, was infected with an epidemic after going out of the camp to explore the terrain. If he had not been born strong and trained in the army for many years, he would have almost died. This scared Liu Xin, who later learned the news, and she almost left Huzhou City (Singapore) that Gao Youshi had promised to give her in her early years to visit her son.

After that, Gao Chun's temperament changed drastically, or more likely his brutality, which had been suppressed by his reason, was aroused, and he actually "killed everyone in every city he passed", clearing out four cities in a row.

Gao Yuan, who was stationed in Dingnan City and ruled the government of the Great Southern Dynasty in the name of "Crown Prince Regent", was shocked when he heard the news. He wrote six letters in succession to persuade his fifth brother not to do so, but there was no response.

Gao Yuan wanted to find someone to discuss countermeasures, but almost no one dared to intervene. He wanted to consult his mother, but his mother had gone to Huzhou with his father for a "vacation". He was so anxious that he could not sit still, fearing that Lao Wu would cause a big mess in the west that would be difficult to clean up.

He wanted to issue a strict order directly, but he was worried that his father had not yet spoken and that he would be dissatisfied if he went too far; he was also afraid that the request would be too strict and would violate the principle of "brotherly friendship and respect for younger brothers". After much deliberation, he had no choice but to write a letter to his father and ask him to make the decision.

Gao Fusi listened to Liu Xin finish reading the letter, sighed slightly, and not only did he not answer immediately, but he became absent-minded. He suddenly remembered the snowy night in the 30th year of Wanli, when he wrote in Wenyuan Pavilion, "I am willing to spend ten years of hard work in exchange for a hundred years of peace in the Ming Dynasty." Now, most of it has really gone, and the "foundation for survival" he laid in his early years, he let his sons "develop on their own", until now, there is a vague conflict between the brothers Gao Yuan and Gao Chun.

"Teacher Liu," Gao Youshi did not seem to be in a hurry. Instead, he looked at Liu Xin with a teasing smile, "It seems that your good child is not behaving well. What do you have to say?"

"Tsk... You're almost 60, why are you still so frivolous?" Liu Xin saw that he deliberately changed his address, and followed his tone, "Secretary Gao, I only have one son and one daughter. As a king and a father, you won't be too harsh on Chun'er, right?"

"Letting him come back and get scolded, that's not too cruel, right?" Gao Yousi asked with a laugh.

However, Liu Xin didn't buy it and just asked, "When will it come and when will it be put back?"

"Well, everyone knows that I'm very lazy in government affairs now, so it's understandable that I'm slow in replying to letters... I'll ask him to kneel outside my door and reflect on himself after the south is pacified." Gao Youshi was half lying on the bamboo bed, his tone was so tired that he seemed like he could fall asleep at any time. "After the three little followers clean up their fifth brother's butts, I will divide the Indian peninsula into four parts and let them guard each of them... The fifth brother has killed too many people in the south, so when the time comes, let him go to Delhi and take charge of the upper and middle reaches of the Ganges for his eldest brother."

Liu Xin's face froze, and he said thoughtfully, "Why, do you think there are too many people from the north, and you want him to commit more murders?"

"Although I am lazy in my duties, it does not mean that I will not read official documents," Gao Youshi said calmly with his eyes closed, "The poison is too deep and needs blood transfusion..."

Liu Xin's face darkened and she said unhappily, "Chun'er has to do this unfortunate job? Yuan'er was no less ruthless than him when he went on the Western Expedition..."

"I know I have wronged you and your son, but now that things have come to this, there is no point in saying more..." Gao Youshi closed his eyes and shook his head, "Yuan'er still needs to be known as kind and benevolent. Even if he is pretending, he has to pretend to be kind. As for Chun'er, I don't think he cares about being a sharp blade, so why should you worry? Are you starting to become idealistic now, worrying about killing too much and harming the harmony of nature?"

Liu Xin rolled her eyes. "How can you say that you can use your son as a knife so easily? Where did Secretary Gao learn this?"

"You can't learn it, you can only understand it." Gao Youshi sighed and waved his hand, "I still need Zhiting's cooperation in this matter. Please help me call her over."

Liu Xin snorted at him in annoyance, but still got up to look for Huang Zhiting. Not long after, Huang Zhiting, dressed in white gauze and plain clothes, who looked nothing like the Nan Wang's wife, came in leisurely and said at the door: "Master called me?"

"Zhi Ting, have you read Yuan'er's letter?" Gao Fusi opened his eyes, pointed at the bamboo chair next to him, and motioned his wife to sit down.

Huang Zhiting sat down as he was told and replied, "Sister Xin asked me to look at it just now."

"Well, that's good," Gao Youshi said directly without any hesitation, "You write back to Yuan'er, and tell him to sit still for half a year through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After half a year, I will order Chun'er to be dismissed from his post and recalled to Huzhou for questioning. Then he will come to Huzhou in person to plead for Chun'er - remember, he should come in a hurry and plead for his life."

Huang Zhiting was nervous for a moment, but then he came to his senses immediately, "Master wants him to show his favor to Chun'er?"

Gao Fusi glanced at her but said nothing. Huang Zhiting immediately realized something and said, "But such a simple trick can't fool two children?"

"Why should I lie?" Gao Fusi sighed. "Some things can be stopped at the right time. They are all smart people. It's enough for them to know what I mean. But to the outside world... the necessary drama cannot be missed."

"I see. I understand. I will write a letter to Yuan'er later." Huang Zhiting nodded, and suddenly remembered something. She said, "Oh, by the way, the emperor sent a batch of specialties from Anxi and Xiting to you, including amber and the like. There was also an imperial edict with a very humble tone, saying that the student greets the teacher and so on... How should I reply?"

"Write back and tell your Majesty," Gao Fushi said lazily, "I will tell you that I am doing well. When the pearl oysters in the South China Sea are fully grown, I will select a batch to give back to your Majesty. When your Majesty has been in power for ten years, I will send a few of my grandsons to the capital to thank you for your grace."

When talking about her grandson, Huang Zhiting couldn't help but smile, and her face looked particularly gentle.

Outside the bamboo building, the sea waves beat against the rocks, just like the morning and evening bells of the Forbidden City. Gao Fusi looked at his lover in front of him, and suddenly felt that the waves of the southern Xinjiang sea were more profound than the imperial court.

Perhaps the true governance of the world has never been about political intrigues, but about every meal, every frown and smile in the world.

(End of the book)
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Thanks to all the readers for their company for nearly seven years, "The Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty" is finally finished. At this moment, I feel relieved, but also have a sense of nostalgia. In the past seven years, the performance of this book has never been good, but the readers' perseverance has enabled me to persist in finishing it, and I think it has not been a bad ending.

Some friends may think that the plot of the last ten years went by too fast, but I said a long time ago that, judging from the overall situation of online literature, the attention and follow-up rate will drop rapidly after the protagonist gets older - and this is also the case in reality. Therefore, I wrote the plot according to the outline and tried not to miss the important nodes in Gao Youshi's life. I have tried my best to consider the reading experience of all readers, and I really have no regrets.

I can even say "shamelessly" that, given the performance of this book, I could have ended it at any time, or even abandoned it, in the current online literature environment. But I remember my promise, even if the monthly income from writing this book might not even cover the electricity bill, internet fee and cigarette money, I still insisted on finishing it.

At this point, I implore all readers to pay attention to my new book "Seizing the Tripod: 1638" which was released today. If you find the reading experience acceptable, please continue to support it. As for those friends who read the D version, you should know that I not only did not blame you for anything, but I also never asked you to "collect the genuine version at Qidian".

However, today, I still want to say shamelessly that during the publication period of the new book "Seizing the Tripod: 1638", if you have a Qidian or Yuewen related account, please bookmark it. It will be a little encouragement to me. Thank you.

Finally, the only update of "Dou Ding: 1638" today is about 3000 words of the prologue, which is considered as the introduction. Starting tomorrow, it will be a rhythm of about 4000-5000 words per day. According to the editor's backstage suggestion, it should usually be divided into two chapters, "upper" and "lower". At present, I have updated 2 words, but I have set a timed release, with one chapter each at 8 am and 8:2 pm (3 to words per chapter). Friends who have time can refresh and read regularly.

Oh, remember to collect and vote for it, it's really important. Thank you for following along, let's see you again in "Dou Ding"!