I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 521 Your Majesty, You Absolutely Can’t Do This!

After Zhang Juzheng was sent away by Qi Yan, Feng Bao walked in.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, and several concubines have all arrived and are waiting for Your Majesty."

"Wait for me to change into casual clothes."

He changed into a green robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves, with a red dragon woven on the front, back and left and right shoulders.

He wore a leather belt made of gold, amber and rhinoceros horn, a black gauze scarf with folded corners facing upwards, which is commonly known as the Yishan crown, and a pair of light deerskin boots on his feet.

Zhu Yijun turned around the screen and said to Feng Bao, "Let's go. Don't keep them waiting any longer."

"Your Majesty, would you like to take a sedan chair?"

"No. I sit every day to review memorials. When I have free time, I walk around more often to stretch my muscles. It's good for me."

Feng Bao said from behind: "Your Majesty has known how to keep fit since he was young. He has a strong body like a dragon and a tiger. He will definitely surpass Emperor Taizu and become the longest-lived emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yijun laughed loudly, "Okay, we, the emperor and the minister, will live well. I will strive to become the longest-lived emperor, and you, strive to become the longest-lived eunuch in the Forbidden City."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely fulfill my mission." Feng Baowei bent his waist slightly, lowered his head, and lag half a step behind and said with a smile.

As they walked along the tree-lined path by the lake, Zhu Yijun suddenly asked, "Feng Bao, has Meng Chong been settled?"

"In reply to the emperor, Meng Chong has died of illness. His body was sent to Jingle Hall outside Xizhimen for cremation, and his ashes were placed in the well in the west tower of the hall."

Feng Bao paused and continued, "Han Ru was his real name before he entered the palace. Now he has gone to Fulingyuan at the foot of Tianshou Mountain."

"Tian Shou Mountain Fuling Temple has beautiful scenery and is a good place to spend the rest of your life. Mr. Huang lived very well there. On the fifth day of April, when I went to pay homage to Grandpa Huang, I saw that he looked very healthy."

"In reply to the emperor, my godfather is there chanting sutras and meditating every day. When he has free time, he goes fishing and herding sheep. He lives a carefree life."

"Mr. Huang has been busy and toiling all his life. He deserves some time to relax and enjoy himself."

The willows are green, the lake water is green, and the sunlight shines on the lake, sparkling.

Zhu Yijun walked into the small pavilion by the lake, with his hands in his sleeves. Opposite him, he saw a kingfisher standing on the reed leaves in the reed marsh by the lake, swaying in the wind.

Suddenly it spread its wings and flew across the lake like lightning, picked up a small fish, and flew away without a trace.

"Well, it's better to have some living things. It makes the place more lively and not so deserted."

Before Feng Bao could respond, Zhu Yijun suddenly asked, "Feng Bao, you said Gao Gong was a good person, how could he just disappear like that?"

It was as if a scorched earth exploded in his ears. He knelt down on the ground involuntarily and swallowed hard a few times: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I was petty and made a big mistake. I have caused trouble for Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun looked back at Feng Bao who kept kowtowing and confessing his guilt, "You still can't forget the public humiliation Gao Gong inflicted on you in the Taiji Hall."

"To answer your Majesty's question, I am a flawed person. Apart from my loyalty to you, I am petty towards everyone else. But I just want to piss him off and vent my anger. I definitely don't want to kill him."

"Really?"

Feng Bao quickly explained: "In reply to the emperor, starting from Cangzhou, the post clerks and postmen of each post station were bribed in advance by the slaves.

He deliberately embarrassed Gao Gong and humiliated him in public.

Gao Gong was so angry that he would quarrel with the postmen and clerks every time, until his face turned red. He would then drink two or three pots of wine, getting drunk and falling to the ground. Everyone helped him back to the house to sleep and left early the next morning.

This was the case at every post station, and Gao Gong was used to it. He did not expect that when he arrived at Linqing Post Station, he could not get up the next morning. The postman also called a local famous doctor, who said that his lips were dark purple, there was saliva at the corners of his mouth, his right hand was grabbing his chest, and his eyes were bloodshot, which were symptoms of sudden death from angina pectoris.

Gao Gong had a bad temper and his face was often red, which was a symptom of high blood pressure. He also loved drinking, so he probably had cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

On the way back home, Gao Gong was repeatedly humiliated by petty officials and postmen. The arrogant Gao Gong must have had a soaring blood pressure. In addition, he drank heavily every night, which was simply a mad test of death. It was God's blessing that he could return to Xinzheng alive.

When he arrived at Linqing Post Station, God was negligent and he died suddenly of cardiovascular disease.

Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at the sparkling lake. "You have given me a difficult problem. I promised my father that I would take good care of Mr. Gao.

As a result, I was pissed off to death by you."

Feng Bao kowtowed and said, "I deserve death, Your Majesty, please punish me severely."

"I have asked Mr. Tan from the Ministry of War and Mr. Wang from the Ministry of Justice to investigate Gao Gong's sudden death. You should stop interfering!"

Feng Bao's back was covered in sweat. He knew that the Emperor really had spies in the East Depot. He couldn't hide his little thoughts from the Emperor.

The emperor said this to criticize himself.

He wanted to put the blame of Gao Gong's sudden death on Wang Shizhen and other old party members in order to help his ally Zhang Juzheng eliminate the remnants of the enemy. The emperor saw through it very well, so he decided to stop playing such tricks.

Feng Bao kowtowed repeatedly: "In reply to the emperor, I dare not interfere. I will withdraw the people over there immediately."

"Get up and talk."

Feng Bao knew that he had finally passed the test.

The emperor did not have much affection for Gao Gong, and he had wanted to use him as the main force of the new policy reform. However, he failed to live up to his expectations and was irresponsible. In the end, it was revealed that the new policy reform was just a speculation for him.

The emperor abandoned him without hesitation.

If the late emperor had not given instructions before his death, he would have been killed long ago.

Now that I have "accidentally" angered him to death, maybe the emperor will think it's a good thing.

Feng Bao continued to ponder in his mind.

What does the emperor mean by asking the Minister of War Tan Lun to investigate the Gao Gong case?
"The post stations in the Ming Dynasty used to be the main force for local levies and disturbances. Master Zhang is implementing new policies and establishing a new fiscal and taxation system, and the post stations will become a bottomless pit.

To develop industry and commerce, circulation is the first priority. Post stations are an important part of circulation, and the Ming Dynasty cannot do without them. In this case, let's take this opportunity to make a good improvement. "

Zhu Yijun walked out of the pavilion slowly and told Feng Bao his intentions.

So that’s it!
Feng Bao knew that the Ming Dynasty post station system consisted of three types: water horse post, express delivery shop, and delivery office.

The express delivery shop delivered messages and goods, and the water horse post station entertained people with the post token of the Ministry of War. Not only did they provide food and accommodation, but if you had a strong enough background and were a tough guy, you could even extort a sum of "travel money" from the post station.

In the middle period of the National Dynasty, post tokens were distributed in large quantities by the Ministry of War as favors. Post stations across the country were filled with all kinds of people holding post tokens. The expenses incurred were borne by the local people, which was indeed a heavy burden.

The emperor has long wanted to reform the post stations and reduce this burden.

It just so happened that Gao Gong was pissed off by the people at the post station, so wasn’t this an excuse for the cleanup?
The emperor is also good at using boats to cross the river.

But now that the emperor has said that, I have to clean up my mess as well.

Tan Lun and Wang Chonggu are both smart people and they don't have much friendship with me. If they find any clues, it will be a big trouble.

After crossing the Yuhe Bridge and bypassing the Chengguang Hall, we arrived at Qionghua Island from the Taiye Bridge. There was a pier on the north side of Qionghua Island with a pleasure boat moored on it.

The painted buildings and carved beams were magnificent. Empress Dowager Chen sat in the middle of the cabin, Empress Xue sat in the first seat to her right, and Imperial Concubine Song sat in the second seat to her left.

Zeng, Xu, Wang, Dong and Ge sat on both sides.

There is a table in front of each person, with tea, fruits and cakes on it.

Yang Jinshui, wearing a flying fish suit and a three-peaked hat, stood in the middle, talking excitedly, and from time to time made everyone laugh so hard that they fell forward and backward.

Wanfu and Liu Yi were serving on both sides, adding hot tea and fruits to everyone from time to time.

Chen was smiling and wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed that all the girls were glancing to the side. She looked in that direction and saw Zhu Yijun and Feng Bao walking towards her one after the other.

"So it's the Emperor who has arrived. No wonder your hearts are not here. Well, all of you go and welcome him."

"It's the Queen Mother."

Xue was in the lead, followed by Song. The seven girls got off the pleasure boat and greeted Zhu Yijun at the dock.

"I, my concubine, pay my respects to the Emperor."

Zhu Yijun took a look and found that each of the seven women was beautiful in her own way.

Some are as pretty as peaches in March; some are as pure as chrysanthemums in September; some are peerless beauties; some are stunning beauties; some are as beautiful as lotus flowers; some are as beautiful as the moon and frost flowers reflecting on the water; some are so beautiful that they can surpass the present and the past.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Everyone, stand up. Today is a family dinner, so there is no need to be formal."

Yang Jinshui, Liu Yi and Wanfu knelt down at the bow and saluted: "Your servants pay their respects to the emperor."

"Get up. The four great eunuchs are all here today. You are also one of my family members. You can gather together when you have time. Don't be restrained."

Wanfu and others felt warm in their hearts.

They knew that this was just a polite remark from the emperor, but they were already satisfied to hear such a word from the emperor.

Zhu Yijun entered the cabin and saluted the Queen Mother: "Your son pays respect to the Queen Mother."

"Hurry up and help your emperor up. You tell others not to be polite, but you yourself are so polite."

Chen was still sitting at the top seat, Zhu Yijun was sitting at the bottom left seat, opposite Empress Xue on the right, and Imperial Concubine Song was sitting on his left.

Chen spoke up, "Your Majesty is here, I still have to say what I should say, and say it in person. Your Majesty, the national mourning is over, we should live our lives as usual.

As a woman, I don’t understand military and national affairs. I only know that the most important thing for the emperor is to give birth to a son. Only with a prince can the officials, the common people, the army and the people inside and outside the country feel at ease. "

The seven daughters of the Xue family all had shy expressions on their faces.

Zhu Yijun replied: "I understand."

Chen stared at him, "Your Majesty, don't just say you know it. I know you are diligent and devoted to military and national affairs, but giving birth to a child is also a major event for the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "I have already asked them to clean up the Yuxi Palace and Qingfu Palace in the Western Garden and divide them into seven residences. Yaohua Palace is the largest, so let the Queen live there.

The other palace, Guanju Palace, will be for the Imperial Concubine to live in. The rest of the Zuixia Pavilion, Ningxiang Pavilion, Qingyun Pavilion, Shujing Pavilion, and Luqi Pavilion will be arranged by the Queen."

Chen had a smile on her face, looking very satisfied.

She knew Zhu Yijun's temper very well. He was not used to living in the Forbidden City, not even for one night, so she would rather stay in the Western Garden.

Now the Empress and the Royal Concubines have all been summoned to the West Garden so that we can concentrate our efforts on important matters.

Chen deliberately said, "Your Majesty, please call them all to the West Garden. It won't do if I have no one to accompany me."

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "The Queen Mother has also moved to the West Garden, and the Great Gaoxuan Hall is still empty. It's close to the Pear Garden, and if the Queen Mother wants to listen to opera, she can just go there."

Chen waved her hand and said, "Forget it. I will still live in Ciqing Palace. But I will definitely come to the opera house every day. I am addicted to opera and I will feel uncomfortable if I don't listen to it for a day."

Wang Lan'er said, "Just after the national mourning, the Xiyuan stage was reopened. If the news spreads to the outer court, I am worried that the censors will stir up trouble."

Chen nodded, "My dear, you are absolutely right. We must be careful."

Zhu Yijun glanced at Wang Lan'er and said, "Queen Mother, I met with Master Li yesterday and talked about the mourning period. The state mourns for 100 days, but the ministers mourn for three years. What is this called?

How can a monarch do one thing and ask his subjects to do another? Although our dynasty governs the country with filial piety, asking our subjects to observe a three-year mourning period is a bit excessive.

Moreover, only civil officials were required to observe a three-year mourning period, while military officials were only given a hundred-day leave.

Why should they be treated differently? Are civil officials usually unfilial, so they have to make up for it by mourning for three years? "

Chen laughed loudly, "The emperor is still the same, speaking harshly. But what he said makes sense. So what does the emperor want to do?"

"When I asked Master Li to compile the National Law at the Law Courts, it was stipulated that all civil and military officials should observe a period of mourning for 100 days, and they could resume their duties after the mourning period.

However, some officials insisted on adhering to the ancient rituals and had to observe the three-year mourning period, and the court did not object. But when you return after the three-year period, you will not be able to resume your post immediately, and you will have to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to make adjustments."

Chen smiled.

If this is really the case, who would hypocritically observe mourning for three years?
How many officials hated the three-year mourning rule.

It was the rising period of his career, but years of mourning and hardship followed one after another, three years after another, delaying many things.

Why did Wang Zi'e become governor at the age of 36?

In addition to his success at a young age, the key point was that his parents died early, and only his adoptive father was alive, who was also extremely long-lived. Others were delayed for six years, but he was promoted so quickly. Who could catch up with him?
It is better to change it, so as to avoid so many absurd things happening under this hypocritical mourning system.

Chen said: "This is a military and national matter. I am a woman and don't understand. Your Majesty, please do as you see fit."

"Yes."

"Well, don't be so reserved. We have waited so long, and now your emperor is here. If you have anything to say, just talk to him."

Xue pursed her lips, her delicate face flushed slightly, and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I want to form a polo team."

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell on the pleasure boat.

Forming a polo team?
They must be recruiting good riders from among the concubines and palace maids. There is an inner training ground in the Western Garden, which is just right.

However, if this matter were to spread to other courts, it would definitely cause an uproar.

What are you doing?

Such an absurd thing could only be done by Huizong, the great emperor of the Song Dynasty.

Your Majesty, do you want to be the Song Huizong of the Ming Dynasty?

Absolutely not!
(End of this chapter)