King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 602 King Xiang’s Palace
"Is that Prince Xiang's carriage?"

"The three carriages are exactly the same. Who knows which one it is..."

"I heard that His Highness King Xiang is very powerful, with four hands and six legs. He still..." every day.

The people on both sides of the road started talking about everything.

Zhu Jinghong was sitting in the carriage. Although he was heading to Seoul, his heart flew to the capital.

The affairs in Korea were over, and after a few days of delay in Seoul, it was time for him to return to Beijing.

During this period, in addition to receiving normal inquiries from the emperor, Zhu Jinghong also received many letters from the queen, all of which urged him to return to Beijing as soon as possible.

If he could not return to Beijing before the Chinese New Year, he would make his mother very angry and the future life would be very difficult.

Another point is that the hostility towards him from top to bottom in the court was only suppressed by the emperor, and there is no telling how much trouble there will be in the future.

"Life is like a journey against the odds. The more troubles I encounter, it doesn't mean that I am moving forward!" Zhu Jinghong muttered in a low voice.

Around him, except for the nearest sergeant of the Dragon Guard, the rest were senior generals such as Cai Chuansheng and Qi Yanze, as well as generals from various Jurchen tribes, including Ye Heming'en of the Ye He tribe.

Zhu Jinghong can guarantee that he really has no other meaning in asking this question, but everyone present thought of going elsewhere.

What's more embarrassing is that because the palace gate is too narrow, he can only get off the car and choose to take a sedan or walk in.

As for Li Hui, Li Jiong and North Korean officials, they are not allowed to enter at this time.

Yu Hai didn't know about this either, so he could only find someone to ask, and after a while he replied: "Your Majesty, they are shouting "Long live His Majesty the Emperor, Thousand Lives His Royal Highness Prince Xiang!"

Smart people are always good at seizing opportunities, so Li Jiong and Li Hui and his son blended in and started chatting with these generals.

"I just asked casually, what are you talking about!" Zhu Jinghong said dissatisfied.

Two moments later, Zhu Jinghong's carriage arrived outside the Seoul Palace.

Although Li Jiong and Li Hui were shameless, their expressions still turned ugly when they heard Ye Hemingen insulting his countrymen.

Therefore, walking in the palace is safe.

In this war, he not only lost many friends, but also lost his most beloved sister. He has been in endless pain for the past few days since returning home.

Seeing the people around him cheering to welcome the Ming army, he only felt that the life he had fought for before seemed so ridiculous and unworthy.

Although a prince can be called a thousand years old at the first level, this word is generally used to call "prince". It doesn't mean that it can't be called like this, but it always seems a bit inappropriate.

The North Korean civil and military ministers who were restricted outside the palace had already prepared to attend the court meeting, so when the guards allowed them to enter, these people sneaked in very quickly.

It's a pity that conscience cannot be eaten, so after a brief moment of anger, Li Jiong laughed first and agreed: "The general is right, my Korean women are soft and gentle, especially when it comes to serving men... "

So next, he just plans to return to life and not get involved in these so-called big things.

After everyone chatted for a while, the topic shifted to women, and Ye Heming laughed loudly and said: "You Korean women are much more interesting than the women of my tribe, especially..."

Zhu Jinghong sent out a sentence, and these two groups of people carried out it like crazy, just to make Zhu Jinghong satisfied.

Even in Seoul, the capital of the country, its streets are cramped, and most of the streets are thatched huts.

Zhang Baodong had no choice but to retreat in embarrassment, and Zhu Jinghong continued to walk forward, chatting with the generals present while walking.

The commanders of the Jurchen tribes were the most enthusiastic people to talk to. This time they had plundered a lot of good things in North Korea, and each one of them could be said to be extremely rich.

Walking ahead with his hands behind his back, the place Zhu Jinghong passed by was now cleared, with only guards standing everywhere.

At this time, the palace and its interior were completely under martial law by Zhu Jinghong's accompanying guards, while the outer periphery and even the entire city of Seoul were firmly controlled by the Ming army.

Just listen to Zhang Baodong, the commander of the Beijing camp, reply: "Your Majesty, those concubines are detained in the northwest corner of the palace. If Your Majesty wants to summon them, I will sneak in immediately and bring them!"

What kind of thinking did Li Shuo and his son have to think of starting a war with Ming Dynasty?
Do they have a strong army? Or do you have substantial financial resources?
Zhu Jinghong thought about these issues for two months, but was unable to explain them rationally. He admitted that he lost to Li Shuo and his son on this point.

The funniest thing is Li Jiong and Li Hui's uncle and nephew. In order to arrive first and be the first to talk to Zhu Jinghong, these two competed in a race in front of everyone. It was really shameless.

Hearing the constant kowtows in his ears, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but ask: "What are they shouting?"

But when everyone arrived at the Qinzheng Hall, they discovered that Zhu Jinghong had not arrived at all, and only the Ming army and Jurchen generals were chatting in the corridor.

After getting off the carriage, Zhu Jinghong waved back the carriage and walked toward the palace gate.

After a brief visit to the Joseon Palace, Zhu Jinghong entered the Qinzheng Hall, where the Joseon Dynasty went to court.

This important task could no longer be accomplished, so Pu Junda had no choice but to give up. After all, he still had parents and younger brothers to take care of at home, and he could not make unnecessary sacrifices.

Zhu Jinghong would not know that among the cheering crowd, Pu Junda was wearing old washed clothes and looking coldly at the motorcade in the distance.

Li Jiong spoke very clearly. After all, he can definitely be said to be a professional when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun.

The whole process took less than a moment, and the shouts around him changed. Only then did Zhu Jinghong feel satisfied.

After taking a long breath, he slightly opened the car curtains, and what he saw next made him disappointed.

"Yes!"

"Where are the concubines and slaves of the Korean royal family placed now?" Zhu Jinghong asked abruptly.

Putting down the tea cup, Zhu Jinghong ordered: "Pass on my words...just say long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

Not far from Zhu Jinghong's motorcade, there were senior North Korean officials led by Li Hui and Li Jiong. They followed them just to be at their disposal at any time.

As a conqueror, Zhu Jinghong naturally wanted to convene a court meeting, and as a dignified prince, he also had the qualifications to do so.

Originally, he wanted to carry out an assassination today, but the Ming army's protection was so tight that he couldn't even bring any weapons in, so he had no chance to do it.

At this point, Li Hui's shortcomings were exposed, and at the same time, he hated himself even more for being thin-skinned.

In the end, Li Jiong had a good chat with the generals and promised to give each of them several beauties.

However, there were not only Ming generals present, but also a large number of North Korean civil and military officials. Li Jiong's behavior disgusted many people.

Of course, since Li Jiong could walk outside the Qinzheng Hall at this time, he naturally had a group of followers.

These people are speculators, so as long as what Li Jiong does is beneficial, they will support it no matter how high the limit.

At this moment, a eunuch walked out of the Qinzheng Palace and shouted with a serious expression: "Everyone, please come into the palace to discuss matters!"

Everyone did not dare to hesitate. The Ming army generals walked in front, followed by the Jurchens, and then the Korean people.

After entering the hall, everyone lined up on the left and right sides of the hall according to the most basic order of rank.

At this time, the throne was still empty, with only eunuchs and guards standing on the left and right.

In such a formal occasion, not to mention the North Korean civil and military officials, even the most rebellious Jurchen generals were particularly responsible at this moment, and they all stood erect.

This scene deeply touched North Korean officials, because it had been a long time since the Qinzheng Palace had been so quiet.

The quieter it is, the more obvious the sounds are, such as the footsteps coming at this time. A few breaths later, surrounded by eunuchs and maids, Zhu Jinghong changed his robes and climbed the steps to the throne.

"In the thirteenth year of Zhengtong, in the tenth month of Jiayin, King Xiang of the Ming Dynasty, in the Palace of Imperial Qinzheng..."

The historians of North Korea began to record the situation of the court meeting, and the civil and military officials present had already begun to pay homage.

Zhu Jinghong was wearing a robe with a round collar and a black gauze winged crown on his head. He looked at everything in front of him with a peaceful expression.

But in fact, he was peaceful, but his heart was in turmoil because it was the first time for him to be worshiped by so many civil and military officials on a formal occasion.

He enjoyed the pleasure of controlling everything and the detachment of overlooking everything.

"No courtesy!" Zhu Jinghong said slowly.

After everyone stood up, Zhu Jinghong said: "Your Majesty has a will!"

So everyone had to kneel down, and Zhu Jinghong stood up on the throne and took the imperial edict from Yu Hai.

After everyone paid homage, Zhu Jinghong recited loudly: "The emperor is destined to be transported by heaven, and he is said to be..."

"Since Taizu expelled the Tartars and settled the country, all the previous emperors have shown kindness and tolerance to Korea..."

At the beginning of the edict, he talked about how good the Ming Dynasty was to North Korea, then accused North Korea of ​​being unfaithful and unfilial, and finally criticized North Korea in the harshest terms.

At the end of the edict, it was stated that Li Shuo and his son would be escorted to the capital for questioning. The state affairs of North Korea were temporarily handled by Gao Zhiwen, the Minister of War.

That's right, Gao Zhiwen, the Minister of War, was recommended by Zhu Jinghong and was given the title of Korean Observer.

In addition, the imperial edict clearly stated that officials involved in the rebellion would be severely punished. Gao Zhiwen was solely responsible for this matter.

Upon hearing this last item, most of North Korea's civil and military officials became panicked, because they were more or less involved.

In fact, the reason why Zhu Xianming added this article to the imperial edict was to "eliminate dissidents" and he wanted to restructure the upper class of North Korea.

It is foreseeable that many wealthy Korean families will be capsized in this storm, and some of them are in the court.

After reciting the imperial edict, Zhu Jinghong felt a little thirsty. After handing the imperial edict to Yu Hai, he sat back down.

After taking a sip of tea, Zhu Jinghong sat back and then said: "Everyone, the imperial edict has made it very clear that guilty people must be severely punished and no one will be tolerated..."

This was just to establish his authority, so Zhu Jinghong said many cruel words, which also made the court look murderous.

After teaching the North Korean civil and military officials a lesson, it was time for the discussion to end.

"That's all I have to say, everyone can take care of themselves..."

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong was about to stand up and leave, but Chen Taimin stood up and paid homage: "Your Highness... I have something to report!"

At this time, North Korean officials had no time to hide. Only Chen Taimin was not afraid of shadows and dared to show off on this occasion.

Although Zhu Jinghong was surprised, he still stopped and asked, "Say it!"

"Today, the chaos has been resolved, but the war is still going on, and the people are in dire straits..."

"I heard that Your Majesty is lenient and loves the people, His Highness is kind and kind, and the people of Korea today..."

One is tolerant and loving to the people, the other is kind and cheerful. Zhu Jinghong feels uncomfortable using these words to describe his father and son.

After laying a lot of groundwork, Chen Taimin finally made his intention clear: "Please Your Highness to restrain the ministries and eliminate war, so that the people everywhere can return to peace. All people in Korea must be grateful to Your Highness for your kindness and the grace of the Holy One!"

Since the beginning of the war, ordinary people have suffered the most. Not only have they been forced to transport food to defend the city, but they have also been robbed and killed by Jurchen tribes.

Nearly half of North Korea's territory has become a mess due to the raging war, and it has even been impossible to establish effective rule.

To repay taxes and reward the Ming army for the expedition, production needed to be resumed as soon as possible.

"Chen Qing... no wonder you are praised by the ancestors and the saints. There are not many good officials like you who care about the people wholeheartedly!"

This is Zhu Jinghong's promotion of Chen Taimin. This kind of official who is close to the Ming Dynasty naturally needs special care.

Regarding the matter of stopping the war, Zhu Jinghong had already considered it and originally planned to convene the generals to discuss it after coming down.

At this time, since Chen Taimin brought it up, he thought of taking this opportunity to make a decision.

Signaling Chen Taimin to return to the train, Zhu Jinghong walked down the steps and came to the center of the hall.

"The imperial army came here to put down the rebellion. Now that the rebellion has been put down, it's time to put an end to the war and enjoy peace!"

At this point, Zhu Jinghong turned to the generals and ordered: "Pass me to order that all the imperial ministries and Jurchen tribes stop attacking, and that subordinates must be restrained to strictly abide by military discipline, and no more prohibited acts such as robbery, adultery, etc. shall be allowed. Violators... shall be severely punished." !”

"I accept your orders!" all the generals replied.

The Jurchen generals headed by Ye Hemingen also made assurances at this time that their harvest from this trip was sufficient.

"If nothing happens...just do your own thing!"

Just as Zhu Jinghong was about to leave, Chen Taimin stood up again, saluted and asked: "Your Highness, the country cannot live without a king for a day, and now the throne is vacant..."

"The throne belongs to the Holy One!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

It is of course the right thing for the emperor to decide this matter, so Chen Taimin has nothing to say.

After he retreats, the court meeting will be over.

Next, Zhu Jinghong had to summon the generals to discuss matters, and then he had to meet with senior North Korean officials. At least the afternoon was full.

Li Hui was also summoned. Because he and Zhu Jinghong had known each other for a long time, he said two more sentences than Li Jiong, which could barely be said to have restored the situation.

After being summoned, Li Hui became busy again. He wanted to arrange the reception banquet tonight.

Regardless of the dishes or performances, he needs to carefully check them in order to achieve perfection to the greatest extent so that Zhu Jinghong can have a great time.

Things are complicated and tiring, but Li Hui enjoys it. After all, this is his home field advantage.

Time passed quickly, and when night gradually fell, in the small square outside Qinzheng Hall, the beauties and musicians at the banquet were all in place.

Li Hui had been collecting these women a few days ago, and many of them were concubines from official families.

In order to avoid being liquidated, giving up a concubine is a very cost-effective deal for an official.

Since the dancers want to dance, they must not wear too much, so under the cold wind, these girls are shivering from the cold.

Even though there was a brazier in the house, they were still so cold that their teeth chattered.

"It's all good. Let's dance well and dance well... If anyone makes a mistake, there will be no good results!"

"Yes!"

While everyone was answering, a little girl in the crowd was looking up at the sky. Her name was Park Jin Young.

(End of this chapter)