prosperous age

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the square outside the Qianqing Palace was already filled with Jinyiwei generals, and outside it were guards from the Twelve Battalions of Shangjing.

Outside the palace gate, Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde and other cabinet ministers led civil and military officials to wait outside.

After a moment, the palace gate opened wide, and Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun walked out of the palace gate wearing a suit of armor, followed by Feng Bao, Zhang Cheng, Chen Ju and other eunuchs in the palace, who walked down the stairs step by step.

"Long live my emperor."

All the waiting civil and military officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor".

"Everyone is safe."

The little emperor shouted, and then when everyone got up, he asked Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde with a warm face: "Master Zhang, Master Wei, are you ready?"

"Your Majesty, everything is ready. Now is the auspicious time to travel."

Zhang Juzheng took half a step forward, bowed and answered.

"Then let's go."

The little emperor said loudly.

"Yes."

Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde bowed and answered.

Six war horses pulled the dragon carriage over. A eunuch placed a horse stool in front of the carriage. Zhu Yijun raised his right leg and placed it on the saddle. Then he held his right knee with both hands and stepped out with his left leg with difficulty to get on the carriage.

Behind him, Feng Bao and Zhang Cheng came up quickly, one on each side, and helped the little emperor onto the carriage, then stepped aside.

The process was quick, taking only a moment, but Wei Guangde frowned again when he saw this and glanced at Chen Ju inadvertently.

Chen Ju seemed to feel Wei Guangde's gaze, and he turned his head to look at him, then shook his head slightly.

A few days ago, Chen Ju had already found out the situation in the Qianqing Palace and secretly told Wei Guangde.

The little emperor's leg disease did not improve despite treatment at the Imperial Hospital, and Wei Guangde had privately confirmed that there was no hope of recovery.

Now, most of the prescriptions that the Imperial Medical Bureau could prescribe for the little emperor were for analgesia, that is, to relieve pain.

As for drinking, it has become a routine for the little emperor to drink before going to bed every night to help him sleep.

However, the emperor drank in moderation and did not have the alcohol addiction that Wei Guangde was worried about.

Wei Guangde had seen some drunkards in later generations. They would drink two taels of old wine in the morning and could not enjoy life without wine for three meals a day. They would be drunk all day long.

Because of alcohol poisoning, there are many red pimples on the body, which is very different from ordinary people.

The little emperor drank alcohol, actually more to numb himself so that he could fall asleep quickly.

Watching the little emperor grow up and learning these things, Wei Guangde still felt somewhat heartbroken.

But he had no choice. Even Li Shizhen shook his head after learning about the emperor's illness.

Perhaps, in later generations, it could be treated with surgery.

Wei Guangde could only think so. Anyway, he knew that with current medical technology, there was no way to cure the emperor's leg disease.

"Master Prime Minister, Master Deputy Prime Minister, please get into the sedan chair."

At this time Feng Bao brought Zhang Cheng over. His Majesty had already entered the dragon sedan chair and was waiting for them to set off together.

Two days ago, the palace had offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, the state, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple according to the emperor's tour rituals. This morning, the little emperor also went to bid farewell to the two Empress Dowagers.

Although he was only away for half a month, he had already started preparing for the etiquette before that.

Afterwards, all the officials followed the dragon out of Fengtian Gate and Wumen Gate, and stopped outside Chengtian Gate.

All civil and military officials had to return to their respective offices to work. In addition to Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde and Shen Shixing from the cabinet, there were more than a hundred officials from various offices accompanying the emperor on this trip.

There are five military governorships, each with one governor, one official each from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Justice, and two officials each from the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works.

In addition to the important government offices mentioned above, there were 21 officials from the Censorate, the Tongzhengyuan, the Tongzhengsi, the Dali Temple, the Taichang Temple, the Guanglu Temple, the Honglu Temple, etc., as well as more than 100 people including the Censor-in-Chief, the Hanlin Academy, the Cabinet, the lecturers, and the officials of the six ministries.

All these officials added up to nearly 150 people, which can be said to be a huge entourage.

Each feudal dynasty had its own complete set of etiquette and rituals, which were passed down from dynasty to dynasty and also differed from one dynasty to another.

After Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, he quickly began to establish various rituals of the Ming Dynasty, from the emperor's enthronement ceremony, to the court meeting etiquette, to the emperor's coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor's personal expedition ceremony, and then the empress's court ceremony, the imperial edict ceremony, the imperial lecture ceremony, and so on.

Living in a feudal dynasty, there are countless feudal etiquette requirements, and most of these etiquettes are designed to fool the people and serve and rule the feudal emperors.

After Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di ascended the throne, domestic politics and military affairs were basically stable, so he began to redefine the system of imperial inspections, defining it as the emperor leaving the capital to observe the people's sentiments or handle other important matters.

The term "Xunhu Ceremony" should not be understood literally as a ceremony for the emperor to go out hunting.

The emperor rode a tall horse, followed by civil and military officials, and surrounded by countless guards for protection.

A large number of soldiers were driving the prey around for the emperor to hunt, and the emperor bent his bow and shot arrows, and when he hit the prey, there would be loud cheers, or eunuchs would flatter him, saying: "Your Majesty, you have a great archery skill, my respect for you is like a surging river that cannot be cut off."

In order to not forget their roots, the Qing Dynasty seemed to have special hunting ceremonies to showcase the dynasty's so-called archery, horse riding and shooting skills.

Outside Chengtian Gate, the remaining cabinet minister Zhang Siwei led all the officials to see the emperor off. After kneeling, the emperor signaled for his carriage to set out. Then nearly 20,000 guards began to move out, escorting the emperor and his accompanying ministers as they marched eastward.

The large-scale trip of 20,000 people was the result of Wei Guangde's repeated reductions.

According to the system established by Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was accompanied by 50,000 soldiers and horses when he went on tour.

The team of 20,000 people had 3,000 cavalrymen leading the way in front, followed by soldiers from the Five Army Battalion and the Shenji Battalion behind. In front and behind the emperor's dragon sedan were the Four Guards of the Imperial Stables. The closest to the emperor was the Han general who was nominally affiliated with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The four guards of the Imperial Stables were actually the Yulin Guards that were circulated on the Internet in later generations. Before the eighth year of Xuande, the Imperial Stables had 3100 soldiers and horses under its command, and it was named "Yulin Sanqianhusuo". Although the number of people did not reach the standard of 5600 people for a garrison, official positions such as the garrison commander were indeed configured in accordance with the garrison.

However, after the eighth year of Xuande, the Yulin Guard was reorganized into the Tengxiang Left and Right Guards and the Wuxiang Left and Right Guards, and from then on it was officially called the "Four Guards".

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Four Guards and the Warrior Battalion were combined into the "Yongwu Battalion" to participate in the fight against the Qing army and suppress the army of Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng's bandits.

Among them, the Warrior Camp was actually the "Pure Army", an army composed of eunuchs.

The team marched eastward in a mighty manner, heading straight for Tongzhou.

Wei Guangde was sitting in a sedan chair carried by eight people, so it was impossible for him to climb into his own carriage at this time, even though another carriage was following him.

But as a civil servant, he could only ride in a sedan chair and not in a carriage.

Of course, it's okay to ride a horse occasionally.

In fact, Feng Bao was riding a horse and serving beside the dragon sedan, waiting for the emperor's call at any time.

Several senior eunuchs in the palace will take turns waiting for the emperor's orders near the dragon sedan chair in the next few days. Behind the dragon sedan chair pulled by six horses, there is also a sedan chair carried by thirty-two people, which are all prepared for the emperor.

The emperor's carriage is an act of etiquette in our ancient times, and the Ming Dynasty also followed this system.

The two-wheeled carriage pulled by six horses of the imperial level is the famous "Emperor Driving Six", that is, the emperor drives six horses, and the rest of the carriages are driven by four horses.

The Book of History, Book of Xia, Song of the Five Sons says: "It is as if he were driving six horses with a rotten rope." The Yili, Records of the King's Du, says: "The emperor drives six horses, the princes drive five, the ministers drive four, the senior officials drive three, the scholars drive two, and the common people drive one."

As the saying goes, "Punishment does not apply to officials, and courtesy does not apply to common people." In feudal society, there was a strict hierarchy and system, and no one could overstep their authority.

Moreover, the six horses pulling the emperor's carriage had to be solid-colored horses. They could not just pick any six horses. White horses were generally chosen to pull the carriage.

Such a grand journey was rare in the Ming Dynasty in the past hundred years.

In fact, except for Emperor Wuzong who liked to go out, the subsequent Emperors Jiajing and Longqing basically stayed in the palace and did not come out except for necessary sacrificial ceremonies.

Therefore, during this trip, although there were a large number of government troops clearing the way in front, behind, left and right, there were still countless people watching on both sides.

After all, just one look at the emperor's carriage is enough for them to brag to their descendants for the rest of their lives.

Wei Guangde originally thought of traveling light, with just a few hundred people escorting the emperor's carriage. This would not only be fast, but would also allow the emperor to see the real Ming Dynasty.

However, after receiving the news and the fleet passed Songjiang Prefecture, the Ministry of Rites gave Wei Guangde the ceremonial certificate for the emperor's travel, which is the current form.

Not to mention the second assistant, even the first assistant, the Ministry of Rites was not ambiguous at this time, and directly brought up the system that started from the Chengzu period. The etiquette was really formulated in a rigid manner according to the ritual notes collected by the Ministry of Rites.

Wei Guangde was bored, so he lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and took a look. All around were officers dressed in gorgeous clothes. He estimated that even if the emperor looked outside at this moment, he would see nothing except the palace guards.

The emperor could not see outside, but the people outside could still see the emperor's carriage.

Whether it is a dragon sedan or a walking sedan, they are all bright red, which is also the tradition of the Zhu family. It is not the bright yellow color that most people think.

In particular, there are two large bright yellow flags behind the dragon sedan chair, which is the biggest difference from ordinary horse-drawn carriages.

From the capital to Tongzhou and then to Tianjin, it was certainly impossible for Wei Guangde to sit in the sedan chair all the time.

Halfway through, Wei Guangde finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Stop the sedan chair and bring the master's horse."

Wei Guangde lifted the curtain of the sedan chair again and gave instructions to the attendant outside.

The sedan bearers and attendants were still their own, but they had to report to the palace first. Each of them was given a waist badge to be hung in a conspicuous place.

The sedan chair carried by eight people arrived at the side of the road. Wei Guangde got out of the sedan chair and directly jumped onto the war horse that was led over.

As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you can see. Wei Guangde immediately saw that there were several war horses in front of him, and the generals on them were all wearing court robes.

That should be someone from the Five Military Commandery.

Wei Guangde thought to himself and immediately waved his whip and chased after him.

"Duke Dingguo, Commander Zhu and Commander Liu are here too."

Wei Guangde rode his horse to the front and saw that they were all representatives sent by the Five Military Commandery.

Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi was the governor of the Right Army Governor's Office, Zhu Xixiao was temporarily in charge of the Central Army Governor's Office, and although Liu Shouyou was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he also served as the assistant governor of the Front Army Governor's Office. The rest were also meritorious officials.

The Five Military Governor's Office was originally the Grand Governor's Office. Zhu Yuanzhang first established the Generalissimo's Office, which was later changed to the Privy Council, and then changed to the Grand Governor's Office to control all military affairs at home and abroad.

In the 13th year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, divided the Grand Marshal's Office into five parts on the grounds that "power should not be concentrated in one department and matters should not be left to obstruction." This became a custom from then on until the end of the Ming Dynasty.

From the perspective of its functions, it has gradually become a mere name, from being a powerful institution that originally controlled the military power of the whole country and led the country's military construction.

Judging from the personnel in office, there were many veteran generals with great merit, while officials in charge of the government office were just sitting there doing nothing. Its relationship with the Ministry of War changed from being dominated by the Governor-General's Office to a mutual check and balance between the two, and then to the Ministry of War being above the five government offices to become the highest administrative body of the country's military.

In fact, the Five Military Governor's Office has lost most of its power now, and these people are just holding positions in the Governor's Office.

"Mr. Wei, what are you doing?"

Liu Shouyou saw that Wei Guangde did not take the sedan chair but ran to the front on horseback, so he immediately clasped his fists and wanted to ask the reason.

"It's really stuffy sitting in the sedan chair, I might as well go out and ride a horse to get some fresh air."

Wei Guangde smiled and said casually.

"Shandai is from our military as well, so riding a horse shouldn't be a problem for him."

Xu Wenbi said to the people around him with a smile.

"I forgot that Lord Wei was also from a military family, just like us, haha."

Zhu Xixiao laughed.

"Oh, I remember now. I remember looking in the files. Elder Wei also participated in the suppression of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan in his early years."

Liu Shouyou said in a humorous way.

"Oh, I was young at that time and had just participated in the provincial examination. When I got home, I heard that the garrison had been ordered to go out and suppress the Japanese pirates, so I followed them to see what was going on.

As you all know, the men in the garrisons rarely have the opportunity to go to war.

As for the so-called encirclement and suppression of the Japanese pirates, it is a dead end. The Japanese pirates have been surrounded by our official army and cannot escape. They just rushed and killed with the personal guards. "

Wei Guangde never told anyone about the battle, although the news was not strictly blocked.

However, he did not take the military examination, but the imperial examination, so the credit for the head in that battle went to his eldest brother.

Just because I gave up the credit doesn't mean others won't notice it.

In fact, the Jinyiwei had detailed battle reports, which recorded the performance of several military heroes of the Jiujiangwei on the battlefield at that time.

And Liu Shouyou is the person who can see detailed battle reports.

The reason why he joined Wei Guangde in the first place might not be because he had read the battle report.

Although he hoped to take the imperial examination, he was assigned to the Jinyiwei as a military officer under the influence of his ancestors, so naturally he hoped to join a civil official who would not discriminate against military commanders.

In the original history, Liu Shouyou surrendered to Zhang Juzheng, which might have been related to Zhang Juzheng's military family background.

And now, Liu Shou has another choice, that is Wei Guangde.

"Who is next to your majesty in front?"

Passing through the figures of the Four Guards cavalry patrolling back and forth in the middle, Wei Guangde noticed that there was a horse very close to the dragon sedan chair, so he asked.

"That's Zhang Cheng, he just replaced Eunuch Feng."

Liu Shouyou immediately replied, "I heard that several eunuchs took turns riding horses to serve the emperor, and the others were in the carriage over there."

There were six or seven carriages from the palace on both sides of the dragon sedan, which were prepared for the several eunuchs who were accompanying them.

The emperor did not get married and the empress dowager did not come with him, so naturally there was no one in the harem.

So, the carriages of these eunuchs followed the emperor.

After looking at the marching speed of the brigade, Wei Guangde asked Xu Wenbi: "Can the brigade reach Tongzhou tonight?" (End of this chapter)