prosperous age

Emperor Wanli wanted to ride a horse, and Wei Guangde was a little embarrassed.

The outside officials may not be aware of this, but Wei Guangde knew the hidden danger of the little emperor's leg disease.

"Your Majesty, riding a horse here is not like riding in the palace. The official road looks smooth but it is actually full of potholes."

Wei Guangde hesitated but still reminded.

"Master Wei, I want to ride a horse."

The little emperor in the sedan chair said firmly.

"Your Majesty, wait a moment. Eunuch Zhang and I will discuss this."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to deal with it perfunctorily and turned around to discuss it with Zhang Cheng next to him.

"Eunuch Zhang, His Majesty wants to ride a horse. Do you think this is appropriate?"

Their conversation was quite loud and Zhang Cheng must have heard it clearly, so Wei Guangde asked directly.

"Lord Wei, it's not a good idea for the emperor to ride a horse on the official road."

Zhang Cheng said in a low voice.

"But you have also seen His Majesty's attitude."

As he spoke, Wei Guangde turned around and glanced at the little emperor who was looking at him with his eyes wide open, pulling at the curtain of the sedan chair.

Wei Guangde doesn't think there is anything wrong with horse riding. After all, it is a sport.

In Wei Guangde's opinion, horse riding can not only improve the body's coordination ability, but most importantly, it can exercise the legs and abdomen.

For the little emperor who suffers from leg disease, riding more horses is actually good for his leg disease.

I remember that in the Dingling excavation materials I read in my early years, there seemed to be a medical analysis of the little emperor's progress. It was believed that Emperor Wanli had leg muscle atrophy, which was related to the fact that he rarely walked around in the palace.

Of course, when he reached middle age, he became less active due to leg disease, and it is said that the middle-aged Emperor Wanli had become overweight.

Leg disease and obesity made Emperor Wanli dislike exercise and prefer to lie down or sit.

Wei Guangde didn't know that Emperor Wanli at that time invented the longevity cream because he was used to lying down.

Zhang Cheng also saw Wei Guangde's actions, and of course he saw the expectant look in his eyes.

No matter what, the little emperor is his master. Although he has not yet taken power, it is only a matter of time.

So deep down, Zhang Cheng didn't want to make the emperor unhappy.

"How about asking Eunuch Feng and the Prime Minister to discuss this together?"

Finally, Zhang Cheng was still unwilling to offend other people because of this matter, so he simply suggested that Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng make the decision.

"If your majesty really wanted to do this, you wouldn't have called me here while you were here."

Wei Guangde said with a wry smile.

"Um"

Zhang Cheng was surprised at first, then he glanced at the little emperor.

If Wei Guangde hadn't reminded him, Zhang Cheng wouldn't have thought about it in this way.

"Whether it's Eunuch Feng or Prime Minister Zhang, their requirements for Your Majesty are so strict that everyone in and outside the palace knows about it.

Your Majesty did not ask the Prime Minister to come because he guessed that the Prime Minister might not agree."

Wei Guangde continued.

"Then what should we do?"

Zhang Cheng said with some distress.

Just now, Wei Guangde had a flash of inspiration, because he was wondering why the little emperor was looking for him instead of Zhang Juzheng.

Thinking about the actions that the young emperor would take in the future after he took power, he more or less understood that the young emperor was somewhat dissatisfied with Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng who strictly controlled him, but he knew he could not win, so he was obedient now.

Thinking about it again, the little emperor was actually testing him and Zhang Cheng by doing this.

Wei Guangde thought of it, and Zhang Cheng also thought of it after being reminded. Now he had no choice but to ask Wei Guangde for advice.

"Eunuch Zhang is in charge of the Imperial Stables, so he should have some docile horses."

The horse for the emperor to ride must be docile and good-looking.

How good is the horse?
not necessarily.

Everything is about safety. As long as the emperor can ascend the throne and dethrone safely, everything is done.

"Ah."

Zhang Cheng nodded immediately after hearing Wei Guangde's words.

The Imperial Stables were in charge of the horses in the palace, and naturally there were imperial horses specifically for the emperor to ride.

Even if the emperor did not ride a horse, the Imperial Stables had to have horses ready just in case.

"Choose a good horse for your majesty to ride, and dispatch the four guards' cavalry to guard you from the front, back, left and right.

I will call up the nobles in the camp to guard Your Majesty, so there shouldn't be any problem.

Ride for a while to make Your Majesty happy, and then, because the wind is strong, ask Your Majesty to return to the imperial sedan to rest."

When Wei Guangde told Zhang Cheng about his idea, he thought it was a prudent idea but still didn't dare to make up his mind.

"Change the people around you. Chen Ju will take over soon. Ask him to come over and replace the sedan bearers. The people around you are from the Imperial Stables. Also call in your trusted aides."

Wei Guangde's words were very direct, and he was hiding it from Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng.

It just so happened that the people around were all from the Imperial Stables, and some were from the Imperial Household Department. Chen Ju had been the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department for quite some time, so he must have people he trusted. The two of them could replace all the people around the emperor at this moment.

In the past in the palace, the eunuchs and servants in the Qianqing Palace were all arranged by Feng Bao, but this was not the case when they were outside.

Those eunuchs and servants were of too low a rank and were placed at the back.

Now that Feng Bao is not around, the emperor's surroundings are clean.

As long as Zhang Cheng and Chen Ju give these people instructions and Wei Guangde gives a greeting to the nobles, everything will be fine.

As long as the emperor did not get into trouble while riding a horse outside, it would not be a big deal even if Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng found out about it later.

Wei Guangde had a good relationship with Chen Ju, and many people in the palace knew about it, so Wei Guangde was not afraid to talk about this in front of Zhang Cheng.

"Okay, I'll ask someone to invite Eunuch Chen over right away."

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly, then waved his hand and called a eunuch over from the side. Soon the eunuch turned his horse around and went to the back.

At this time, Wei Guangde turned back and said to the little emperor in the sedan chair with a smile: "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, we will make some arrangements.

Eunuch Zhang will dispatch a team of cavalry to escort you, and this is also the duty of the Imperial Horse Supervisor. Your Majesty must not refuse."

"Ok."

The conversation between Wei Guangde and Zhang Cheng just now was very quiet, so the little emperor naturally didn't hear it.

However, the little emperor was still very happy to see that Wei Guangde and Zhang Cheng were willing to provide him with the opportunity to ride a horse according to his wishes.

In fact, he would ride a horse from time to time in the palace, but only very rarely.

Moreover, there was one thing he didn't like about riding a horse in the palace, and that was that there was a groom who held the horse for him, instead of letting the horse go wherever it wanted.

Soon, Chen Ju was called up from behind.

After listening to Wei Guangde's narration and looking at Zhang Cheng's translation, Chen Ju knew that it could not be false.

Chen Ju and Zhang Cheng were both rule-abiding and knew that as eunuchs they should obey the emperor's orders.

As for Feng Bao, he was a bit opportunistic and praised the empress dowager too highly. Little did he know that the emperor would have the final say in the palace, and the empress dowager could not go beyond the rules in many cases. She could use filial piety to suppress the emperor's power, but that was only when it was reasonable.

Once the emperor took power, the empress dowager could have little influence on him.

Chen Ju glanced at the people in the surrounding area and nodded slightly, "I'll arrange to replace them right away."

Although Chen Ju went to the Shangbaojian, he was familiar with the people here in the Sishejian, and naturally many of them were close to him.

If Feng Bao had not intended to transfer him away and prevent him from having much contact with the emperor, he would have been in charge of the Ministry of Design.

It is impossible to say that he has no resentment towards Feng Bao.

However, Feng Bao recommended him and promoted his rank.

Zhang Cheng and Chen Ju began to cooperate, taking advantage of the shift change to replace all the troops around them, while Wei Guangde also went to the back and called over Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi, Marquis Ningyang Chen Yingzhao, Marquis Anyuan Liu Zhen, and Earl Chengshan Wang Yinglong.

These nobles all served in the Beijing Camp, and now they were also heading to Tianjin with the team to command the troops in the surrounding Beijing Camp.

Even Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was on patrol outside, was sent by Wei Guangde to look for him.

Several of them, together with Zhang Cheng and Chen Ju, protected the little emperor and almost surrounded him.

When they came over, Xu Wenbi and Chen Yingzhao were still wondering. When they arrived, they were stunned to see the little emperor riding on a horse, having taken off his armor, wearing a black gauze scarf on his head, and wearing a casual suit with a round collar and narrow sleeves.

Only then did I realize what Wei Guangde meant when he said not to tell anyone and to keep it a secret.

Well, it turns out that the emperor was going on a horse tour.

"Your Majesty, everyone is here, we can set off."

Wei Guangde bowed to Zhu Yijun on his horse.

"Okay, let's go."

The little emperor pulled the reins and urged the horse to run forward.

"Just stay around His Majesty."

Wei Guangde said to Xu Wenbi and others.

For nobles like Xu Wenbi, being able to accompany the emperor was actually a good thing. Only by showing up more often around the emperor could they obtain higher official positions in the court and gain the emperor's trust.

So, without Wei Guangde saying anything, several people immediately urged their horses to surround the little emperor in a semicircle.

Riding on a horse is better than riding in a sedan chair, at least you can stand higher and see farther.

The horses these people ride may not all be good-looking horses, but they are definitely good-looking. They are all tall and strong, and they look majestic.

At this time, the little emperor finally saw what the capital looked like outside.

Especially when passing through some villages, the houses where the people lived were completely different from the "residential houses" seen from the tower of the Forbidden City, and they looked so dilapidated.

"Master Wei, is this the kind of house my people live in?"

What the little emperor was asking was, of course, what he was seeing were the thatched huts where the villagers lived.

Wei Guangde smiled and said, “Your Majesty, you don’t know that there is a difference between the houses inside and outside the city.

The houses in the city are all built with bricks and tiles, while the houses in the countryside have earthen walls and thatched roofs.

Those who have a little money will also use rubble to build walls, and they are considered wealthy families in the countryside. "

"I thought that the people under my rule also lived in houses made of bricks and tiles."

The young emperor frowned when he heard this and asked, "Is it because of the taxes imposed by the imperial court that they are like this? Isn't it said that the taxes in our dynasty are the lowest in history? Why do they still live in thatched huts?"

Wei Guangde didn't know why the young emperor would think of taxes, but he still said: "Your Majesty, bricks and tiles are expensive, and it is true that rural people cannot afford bricks and tiles to build houses.

However, this has something to do with the court's taxes, but it can also be said to have nothing to do with it.

Your Majesty still remembers the album of the prosperous Tang Dynasty painted by the Tang Dynasty painters collected in the palace. There were also such thatched houses in the countryside. This is a rural feature. The people chose the most easily available materials to build houses according to local conditions.

Of course, if they had money, they would definitely be willing to build houses with bricks and tiles.

As for the taxes that Your Majesty mentioned, the taxes set by the imperial court are indeed very light, but..."

Wei Guangde hesitated for a moment, but decided not to continue. He planned to find time to discuss the issue of local taxes with the little emperor in detail later.

Seeing that Wei Guangde did not continue, the little emperor thought that the occasion might not be right, so he pointed at the clothes of the people on the roadside and said, "Master Wei, what kind of fabric are they wearing?"

“Homespun cloth, woven from coarse linen and cotton.

Your Majesty, although it is made of homespun cloth, the process of making it is still very complicated. "

Wei Guangde thought back to his early years in Bengshan Fort, when the military households in the fort often wove cloth and spun yarn by themselves.

After all, the official army would only issue a military uniform every few years, and there was originally cloth in the military pay, but in fact it had been gone long ago.

Fortunately, almost every household knew how to weave and spin, and they all hand-wove clothes and quilts by themselves. This is the so-called "men farming and women weaving", which is also a typical feature of this era.

Apart from the necessary materials, most of the problems are solved according to local conditions.

To be honest, they are really poor. If they don't work hard, every household will not make much money in the end.

Most of the remaining money was spent on buying daily necessities such as salt.

At first, the little emperor found these things very novel and kept asking people around him questions.

But gradually, the little emperor probably realized that there was an obvious gap between what he saw with his own eyes and what was on paper, and his interest quickly dropped.

If Xu Wenbi and other nobles had not occasionally brought up topics to attract the little emperor's attention, he might have been eager to ask the reason.

After riding for half an hour, a gust of wind blew by, and Zhang Cheng immediately said to the little emperor alertly: "Your Majesty, it's windy outside, why don't you get on the imperial sedan chair and take a rest?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we are all rough men, riding horses all day long in the barracks, and we are used to it.

Your Majesty is not used to it, so it is better to stop. In the next few days, Your Majesty can ride for a while every day and gradually get used to it. "

Anyuan Hou Liu Zhen immediately took over Zhang Cheng's words.

"Well, Your Majesty, what Marquis Anyuan said is correct. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

Xu Wenbi was overtaken by someone else and quickly followed suit.

Among all the nobles, he had the most contact with the little emperor. Although the time was not long each time, at least he could see him every month and talk to him.

He usually represented the emperor in royal affairs and was quick to show his loyalty.

The other people were not stupid either, and they all echoed their words.

"Okay, I'm a little tired too."

Zhu Yijun was somewhat uninterested at the moment and agreed immediately.

However, the young emperor chose to get on the dragon sedan chair. After he got on, he turned around and said to Wei Guangde: "Master Wei, you should also come up and talk to me. It's lonely sitting alone in there."

"According to the order."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to dismount, throw the reins to the eunuch beside him, and get on the dragon sedan from the right side.

However, he had no seat in the dragon sedan chair. He could only kneel on the ground and could not touch the imperial items around him.

"Master Wei, you said before that taxes in our dynasty are relatively light, but why are people still living in such hardship?"

Soon, the little emperor began to ask questions.

Wei Guangde had long guessed that the emperor had called him up just to talk about these things, so after a little consideration he started with the Single Whip Law, and gradually told him and Zhang Juzheng about their idea of ​​levying taxes on the court based on the amount of land.

As Wei Guangde explained, the little emperor's expression gradually changed.

Many things are affected by the environment, and it is difficult for people to see the reality through words alone, just like farmers think that the emperor uses a golden hoe to farm. (End of this chapter)