Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 230 How many southern nobles do I have to kill before I can scare them away?
"You do not know?"

"Then why do you say that they died because of the voyage to the West?"

Zhu Youtang stared at Zhou and asked anxiously, feeling extremely anxious.

Zhou sighed: "I...I am just guessing."

"In the first month of the 22nd year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Taizong ordered the eunuch Zheng He to go to the Xuanwei Office in Jiugang to prepare for his seventh voyage to the West."

"But half a year later, in July of the 22nd year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Taizong suddenly passed away in Yumuchuan. When he died, only Yang Rong and Jin Youzi were by his side."

"Moreover, these two people kept the death a secret until the army returned to the capital, and then everyone knew that Emperor Taizong had passed away."

"After Emperor Taizong died, Yang Shiqi immediately stopped Zheng He's voyages and transferred all the 20,000 members of the fleet that were originally preparing to sail to Nanjing to build the palace."

"In the fifth year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, he ordered Zheng He to sail to the Western Ocean for the seventh time."

"After Zheng He's death, Zheng He's adjutant Wang Jinghong took on all the work of sailing to the West."

"In June of the ninth year of Xuande, Emperor Xuanzong once again ordered eunuch Wang Jinghong to go to the Xuanwei Office in Jiugang to prepare for the eighth voyage to the West."

"Also half a year later, in the first month of the tenth year of Xuande, Emperor Xuanzong suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away."

"Yang Shiqi once again immediately stopped Wang Jinghong's voyage to the West."

"Yang Shiqi not only stopped the voyages to the West, but also stopped the shipbuilding in the Songhua River, and exiled the eunuchs and commanders in charge of shipbuilding to Liaodong to guard the border."

"At the same time, the navy on the southeast coast was withdrawn on a large scale and the Jiugang Xuanwei Office was abandoned."

"After that, the Ming Dynasty never went to the West again."

"It was not until the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign that Emperor Yingzong once again considered sailing to the West... You know what happened next."

"Don't be reckless, Tang'er. In order to stop the emperor from sailing to the West, the southern nobles will do anything."

"For the sake of stability in the South, please don't! Don't! Don't sail to the West!"

After hearing this, Zhu Youtang was shocked again. He had never considered the emperor's death and the voyage to the West together.

If what Zhou said is true, then so far, the three emperors of the Ming Dynasty have all paid a terrible price for opening up the sea to the Western Ocean.

Two emperors died, one emperor lost his throne and was left with a lifetime of infamy.

The methods used by the southern gentry are extremely cruel!
What was even more unacceptable to Zhu Youtang was that Yang Shiqi and his people actually gave up the territory of Jiugang in order to prevent the emperor from going to sea!
The old port Xuanweisi is now Palembang in Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Ming Dynasty's land territory was indeed not as large as that of the Yuan and Qing dynasties, two regimes established by ethnic minorities.

That’s because, during the Yongle period, the Ming Dynasty was already a maritime power!

During Zhu Yuanzhang's Hongwu reign, the Ming Dynasty had the most powerful navy in the world.

During the Yongle period, Zhu Di continued to fight southwards, all the way to the other side of the sea.

At that time, countries in Southeast Asia, such as Jiaozhi, Siam, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of the country, were all territories of the Ming Dynasty.

It is neither an enclave nor a vassal state, but the actual territory of the Ming Dynasty that was conquered.

After possessing these South China Sea territories, the Ming Dynasty also controlled the sea routes and trade. From then on, all nations came to pay tribute, and the country became so prosperous that it was rarely seen in the world!
In order to monopolize the maritime trade to the West, southern gentry such as Yang Shiqi actually found ways to give up these overseas territories of the Ming Dynasty.

From the Xuande Dynasty until the sixth year of Zhengtong when Zhu Qizhen took power, the territory of the Ming Dynasty had been shrinking.

Yang Shiqi even voluntarily gave up all the overseas territories.

At the same time, southern officials such as Yang Shiqi vigorously hindered the development of the Ming navy and disbanded a large number of the Ming southeast navy, as well as the navy at the mouth of the Yangtze River and the mouth of the Pearl River.

This caused the Ming Dynasty's comprehensive national strength to weaken instantly from its heyday during the Yongle period!
The finances were withering and the military was shrinking. The Ming Dynasty, which Emperor Yingzong had taken back from Yang Shiqi, was such a mess.

If Yingzong had not been proficient in both civil and military affairs since childhood, the Ming Dynasty would have been destroyed by southern officials such as Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu.

"I have made up my mind to open the sea to the Western Ocean."

"I want to see how crazy these Jiangnan nobles are."

"I want to count, how many southern nobles do I have to kill before I can scare them, and make them submit and not dare to act rashly!"

After getting a satisfactory answer from Zhou, Zhu Youtang stood up and looked at Zhou.

"Just because you once tried to stop Yu Shen from seizing power and told me so many things, I will restore your title and give you the posthumous title of Empress after a hundred years."

"But now, please go back to Qingning Palace."

After Zhu Youtang finished speaking, he turned around and walked out the door.

Zhou asked quickly: "Then... the matter of being buried together with Emperor Yingzong..."

Zhu Youtang did not answer.

Zhou's face suddenly turned extremely pale.

……

Zhu Youtang walked out of the Cining Palace, and the palace maids and eunuchs waiting around him knelt down again to pay their respects.

Zhu Youtang said calmly: "Send Zhou back to Qingning Palace. She is not allowed to go out or visit."

"Daily allowances are all provided according to the rank of concubine."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After receiving the order, the palace maids and eunuchs walked into the Cining Palace, preparing to invite Zhou back to the Qingning Palace.

Zhu Youtang then sat on the dragon chariot and ordered, "Go to Nangong."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

So Zhu Youtang and his entourage immediately left the palace and headed towards the Nan Palace.

Zhu Youtang's entourage was several times larger, and most of them were soldiers wearing armor and carrying weapons.

When they arrived at Nangong, the Imperial Household Department announced the emperor's arrival, and all the concubines who had been forcibly moved into Nangong hurried out to pay their respects.

When they saw Zhu Youtang, intact, appearing in front of them, they couldn't help but cry with tears of joy.

"My concubine, I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Zhang Wan'er, Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaowan and Gu, with tears in their eyes, knelt in front of Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang was relieved to see that his concubines were safe and sound, and a rare sense of joy arose in his heart.

He stood up from the dragon chariot, walked in front of the five people, grabbed Zhang Wan'er with one hand and Chen Yuanyuan with the other, and helped them up at the same time.

"Get up quickly."

"You have suffered during my absence." "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Youtang's words immediately made Zhang Wan'er and Chen Yuanyuan burst into tears.

"I am not miserable. I am very lucky to see your majesty return safely."

"I am willing to hand-copy the Buddhist scriptures a hundred times to pray for Your Majesty."

Zhang Wan'er stared at Zhu Youtang closely, and her right hand unconsciously touched her bulging belly.

Chen Yuanyuan wiped her tears and said with a smile: "I told you, your majesty is the true dragon emperor. Good people will be blessed by heaven, and you will definitely return safely!"

Zhu Youtang patted their hands and said, "Okay, stop crying. I'm back now, right?"

"Especially you, Concubine Shu, be careful not to hurt yourself by crying."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Zhang Wan'er nodded and smiled with tears in her eyes.

Zhu Youtang looked at the other three people again: "When you were in Nangong, no one made things difficult for you, right?"

"I see that you have all lost a lot of weight."

Zhu Youtang reached out and pinched the tender flesh on Liu Rushi and Dong Xiaowan's cheeks.

Liu Rushi and Dong Xiaowan blushed and shook their heads: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Except for not being able to leave Nangong, everything is normal."

"It's just that I was always thinking about Your Majesty, and I couldn't sleep or eat well, so I lost some weight. It's nothing serious."

Zhu Youtang patted their shoulders and said, "After we return to the palace, I will ask the Shangshenjian to give you a good rest."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Finally, Zhu Youtang looked at the last person, but his mind was not affected at all.

"You are……"

Gu's face suddenly turned pale. After forcing a smile, he lowered his head again.

"I am Lady Gu, and I entered the palace with you sisters."

"Oh……"

Zhu Youtang nodded, with some impression in his mind.

Zhang Wan'er and others entered the palace last year.

Now that summer is about to begin, he has never summoned Gu to sleep with him and has even forgotten about this person's existence.

It is said that the emperor should treat his concubines equally, but Gu had been in the palace for half a year but had not served him in bed. This was Zhu Youtang's dereliction of duty.

"You have suffered during this period."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has led the army in person and has made great contributions to the country. I am not suffering."

Gu bowed his head and replied politely.

Zhu Youtang nodded and took Zhang Wan'er and Chen Yuanyuan's hands again.

"Let's go back to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The women followed Zhu Youtang and got on the large dragon sedan chair and returned to the palace.

After arriving at the harem, Zhu Youtang ordered the eunuchs of the Jingshifang to send the five concubines back to the palace separately and let them live in their original palaces.

"I just returned to the palace. I am very busy with government affairs and have too many things to deal with."

"When I am done with this, I will personally visit you in your palace."

Zhu Youtang looked at his five concubines and explained calmly.

"Then the concubines will be waiting for your majesty in the palace."

After paying their respects to Zhu Youtang, Zhang Wan'er, Chen Yuanyuan and other girls got on their sedan chairs and returned to the harem.

Zhu Youtang also gave orders again to the young eunuchs around him.

"Go to the Yangxin Palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Hall of Mental Cultivation had been completed long before Zhu Youtang led the expedition in person, and this was the first time that Zhu Youtang walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Although the Hall of Mental Cultivation is not as large as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, it is a complex space for living, governing, meeting guests, banqueting, and sightseeing.

At the same time, there are functional rooms such as warehouses, dining rooms, warm rooms, gardens, etc.

All of Zhu Youtang’s needs could be met in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was like a miniature version of the Forbidden City.

The decoration in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was very much in line with Zhu Youtang's aesthetic taste. Only in the Hall of Mental Cultivation did Zhu Youtang feel relaxed.

Zhu Youtang sat on the couch, closed his eyes and recalled his conversation with Zhou.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already made up his mind.

"Wang Zhi."

"Wei Chen is here."

Wang Zhi, who was guarding outside the palace, quickly came in front of Zhu Youtang.

"There is something I need you to do in person. You and I are the only ones who know about this."

Wang Zhi's expression became solemn and he lowered his head slightly: "Yes."

Zhu Youtang leaned back on the couch, tapping his fingers slowly on the table.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Youtang suddenly said without any context: "Although Prince Xing has committed treasonous acts, he is my brother after all."

"Let's bury him in the West Hill with the ceremony of a prince, next to the tomb of King Qingli."

"As for the posthumous title, I think I should use the word 'Huang'."

"As for Concubine Chen, we will follow the old system and bury her in the Xishan Concubine Mausoleum."

(End of this chapter)