Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 105: Enjia Zuojin, the Forbidden Palace is Dangerous

In the Forbidden City, Zhu Changluo relaxed first.

As the emperor, it is still necessary to have a happy family New Year.

After the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Concubine Dowager had all left, Zhu Changluo suddenly said to Tian Yi, "Let everyone know privately that I will not pursue pairing like my father did."

"On behalf of the servants, I would like to thank Your Majesty for his grace."

"For those eunuchs and maids who are to be sent out of the palace, arrange for their money after the New Year. Those who don't want to go back home can go to Lingwei, Huangzhuang or Tianjin. You should spend more time to give them a place to go." Zhu Changluo's eyes were inexplicable, "The loyalty in the palace, you have to be extra careful in the details."

Tian Yi felt awe-inspiring and repeatedly said that he would try his best.

Eunuchs always have to go out of the palace to do work, who can guarantee that every one of them is loyal?
The fact that Enjia was nearby only made him less worried about his daily life, but the danger of the new dynasty was evident.

Just before the beginning of the first year of Taichang, the emperor's last arrangement concerned his life.

What the emperor has to do next is to not be careless in his daily life.

"Go to bed early. Although there will be no meetings tomorrow, you must get up early."

For many years, the eunuchs and maids in the palace did not dare to eat, for fear of being discovered and punished by Zhu Yijun.

The news spread quietly that night, and those who remained in the palace naturally breathed a sigh of relief.

In gratitude for the emperor's grace, many of the direct houses in the huge Forbidden City have begun to look like small families.

The lights in every household in the capital are bright and peaceful, and the curfew exemption from today until the Lantern Festival also makes the capital full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

But this made things difficult for the Jinyiwei, the Wucheng Bingmasi, the Patrol Battalion and the Baohuojia.

With so many days of curfew exemption in a row, the capital will certainly be very lively, but they will have to suffer greatly.

However, the Jinyiwei, the Wucheng Bingmasi and the patrol battalion whose personnel are rotated by the Beijing camp to patrol at night are all facing a purge. Who will leave and who will stay? Who knows if it will depend on who is capable in the next half month?
Shen Yikuan has already started preparing to get sick.

The last time was when he was exempted from curfew for three nights after his coronation ceremony, and then he was terrified at the first court meeting.

This time, the curfew has been exempted for so many days in a row, and the court meeting will not begin until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. What kind of troubles will there be?
At dawn, after Zhu Changluo sat up, he heard the eunuchs and palace maids inside and outside kneel down and say in unison: "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on the new year. Long live your Majesty!"

"Everyone, get up."

As soon as I opened my eyes, it was already the first year of Taichang.

After meeting Cheng Jing, Zhu Changluo asked, "Qin Liangyu should be able to return before the New Year. If a decision has been made, can a fast horse reach the capital before the Lantern Festival?"

The court meeting on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month must be to discuss the details of the training of the Beijing camp and the post-war strategy in Bozhou.

Before dawn on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Changluo had already begun to pay attention to what would happen.

The ministers either stayed up all night to celebrate the New Year, or got up early.

Nurhaci also spent the New Year in the capital, and his son was on the way.

So he, a foreign official who had been appointed an official by the Ming Dynasty, had to attend the New Year's Day court assembly, which was the highest level of government.

Reconstruction of Huangji Gate has already begun, so work has naturally been temporarily suspended for the past few days.

Everyone still went to the Qianqing Palace.

When there are more people attending the grand court meeting, the meeting will be held in the main hall.

Today is just a purely ceremonial occasion, no business will be discussed.

The emperor gave some rewards and the ministers said some auspicious words, and the court meeting would end.

After the court meeting, seeing that Xinjian Earl Wang Chengxun was left behind, many people would of course think more about it.

He has stayed in the capital long enough, and it is time to go back and arrange the transportation of last year's grain.

According to the rules, the grain transported from some places must cross the Huai River in the first month of the year, while that from other places must not be later than March at the latest.

So this can be considered as Wang Chengxun's farewell in person.

"The issue of the grain transport rotation will be resolved in the first month of the year. I will give you this power." Zhu Changluo urged him, "After you go back, do what I and the Grand Marshal said last December. Wang Shouren was famous in the past, and you are his descendant. Now you have my support and the power to arrange who will be assigned to where in the rotation. You can't just act like a coward."

"I am ashamed... I will do my best."

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "You have to know the limits. Before summer, we only need to arrange last year's grain. During this period, we need to find out the true situation of each department. Even if there are disputes, they will start from the collection and exchange of summer and autumn grain."

Wang Chengxun finally set out to leave the capital, and a new year of a new era began in the capital. While visiting relatives and friends, the court officials began to prepare for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

There are so many big things to nail down.

The arrangements for the Ministry of Rites' joint examination in February, the selection of the governor of Liaodong, the list of replacements for vacancies in the capital, the details of the training of the Beijing camp, the agreement on the post-war plan for Bozhou, the arrangements for this year's gold flower and silver orders and salt taxes... The officials who went to Shen Yikuan's house to pay New Year's greetings found that he was sick. They said that he had been feeling unwell for the past few days, and had not slept all night. He was afraid that he had caught a cold during the court meeting today.

Although he can still meet people, he looks like he is over 70 years old and is getting weaker every year.

This attitude inevitably makes people more worried: Is this guy getting sicker and sicker, so he might as well take a day off and not go on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?

Suddenly, there were a lot more people in Shen Shixing's house.

During this period of time, Shen Shixing had no choice but to deal with the letters coming from Jiangnan and the inquiries from many old and new friends in Beijing.

But many things cannot be delayed forever.

Being pressed into question, he could only hint tactfully: Arrange the matter of the gold, flower and silver first...

Can you directly repeat what the emperor said that day? If you want to be exempted from punishment again, don't ask for gold and silver certificates.

But Shen Shixing could no longer bear it and started writing secret reports to the emperor again.

If we start with the Caohe River, other places will be stabilized. We should find a reason to exempt some of the taxes one by one, so that other places can see hope...

In order to find out what actions the officials in the capital had taken during this period, Zhu Changluo first secretly observed the daily reports from the factory guards of Wang Zhizhen and Chen Ju.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, ten horse-drawn carriages arrived in the capital.

After entering the city from Xizhimen, these carriages drove all the way to a mansion next to Shichahai.

After stopping outside the side door, young girls began to get off the carriage one by one.

Some looked nervous and reserved, some looked around curiously, and some looked tired.

They may be accompanied by an elderly maid or elders in the family.

After entering the big house, they walked through the corridor and through the door to the backyard.

In the main hall in the backyard, they and others stood there after entering.

Wang Xun and Zhang Zhizheng stood up from the armchairs, greeted the people who came from Shanxi, and wished each other a happy new year.

Then, one of the ten girls spoke first: "Greetings to Uncle Wang and Uncle Zhang. Congratulations to both of you on your good health and prosperity in the new year..."

The rest of the people naturally followed suit.

"Which family are you from?"

Wang Xun took a special look at the girl.

They were stationed in the capital, and after exchanging letters, these were the ten people secretly selected by the ten families.

Not all of them are direct descendants of the family. There are also descendants of side branches and descendants of other families with close relationships.

Shanxi has never lacked beautiful women. Even at this time, there is a saying in Datong that "Datong's three treasures are women, hot pot, and furs."

Now, the top ten Shanxi merchants are selecting the best among themselves, so how could they be ordinary people?

That requires "taking on a big responsibility"!
And seeing that the other girls seemed to be led by this girl, Wang Xun of course had to ask first.

This person must be the one who has walked with you all the way and who is most relied upon by others in terms of appearance, talent, knowledge, and temperament.

"I am a member of the Fan family. My father is a teacher at the clan school."

"It is not appropriate to tell my niece your maiden name. Since your father can teach the children in the clan school, he must have a good family background. The lady from a noble family is indeed extraordinary."

Wang Xun smiled warmly and praised her as an elder. If he knew the emperor now, he would probably choose this calm, polite and generous girl from the Fan family as his concubine.

So he changed his respectful posture, earnestly asked them to sit up, and then greeted them with great courtesy: "By the grace of your Majesty, you will all be noble ladies after entering the palace, and one of you will definitely be a concubine. We dare not accept this courtesy. Now, the uncles also wish that the ladies will be favored after entering the palace, turn misfortune into good fortune, and rise step by step!"

The heads of the two families in Shanxi, who were not to be neglected by those in the know and had produced prime ministers and high-ranking officials, knelt down and saluted ten young girls, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

It is as if everyone has flown onto the tree branch and turned into a phoenix, priceless.

Their eyes all turned to the girl from the Fan family. She hurriedly sat up and said, "I haven't even entered the palace yet, why are you guys addressing me like this? I really don't deserve this. It's not right!"

Wang Xun and Zhang Zhizheng smiled at each other and stood up hand in hand.

As long as there is one person who understands the overall situation and knows what is appropriate, that's enough!

Although God's grace is great, the Forbidden City is extremely dangerous!

(End of this chapter)