Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 315: Human weakness! A night of spring!
It's a night of flowers and candles in the bridal chamber, and it's time to inscribe names on the gold medal list.

This is undoubtedly the most satisfying thing.

As a monarch, Zhu Yunhuan naturally did not need to expect to be "named on the imperial examination" like a scholar.

But inheriting the throne and ascending the throne to become emperor is also another form of "passing the imperial examination", isn't it?

From now on, I will hold the universe in my hands, rule the world, and overlook the world. How can I not be happy?
Similarly, today is also his wedding night.

After nightfall, the whole city is brightly lit.

It was the Lantern Festival and everyone took to the streets.

Yingtian Prefecture lit up the street lights early, installed many new lanterns, and made a lot of decorations everywhere in the city, making the entire Jinling city "dressed up" brilliantly.

The Imperial City is the highest point in Jinling City.

Standing on the imperial city and looking out, all you can see is the hustle and bustle of life.

"Whoosh!" A sharp scream sounded, and then a bright flame shot straight into the sky, and then turned into fireworks all over the sky.

The colorful fireworks create a stunning and beautiful scene.

People of the Ming Dynasty, have you ever seen such fireworks?
The sight of fireworks filling the sky impacted everyone's vision and shocked everyone deeply.

Today, the Manufacturing Bureau's ability to manufacture various types of gunpowder is no longer the same as it was in the past.

Fireworks are also a type of gunpowder. Zhu Gaochi, who was in charge of the Manufacturing Bureau, was not a naughty child like Zhu Gaoxu, but he was still a teenager after all. He had a playful nature. How could he not pay special attention to such a fun thing?

In this way, the fireworks produced by the gunpowder factory continued to be innovated and became more and more beautiful.

He originally wanted to show off his skills during the Spring Festival and please Old Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan.

However, Old Zhu died unexpectedly, and the fireworks he had painstakingly prepared were almost useless.

Fortunately, today is the Lantern Festival, Zhu Yunhuan ascended the throne and got married, and these fireworks can finally come in handy.

The location for setting off the fireworks was set in the square in front of the palace.

A grand military parade had just been held here during the day, and it was a perfect place to set off beautiful fireworks at night.

This was also Zhu Yunhuan's deliberate arrangement.

In this way, Old Zhu, who lived in seclusion in the harem, could also see the beautiful sight of the fireworks.

Civil and military officials in the capital were given a banquet in the square outside the Fengtian Hall, where they dined and watched the fireworks.

However, Zhu Yunhuan did not dine with the officials and watch the fireworks, but walked into the small courtyard adjacent to the harem alone.

The yard was heavily guarded outside, but extremely quiet inside. Apart from him, there was no one else there.

Zhu Yunhuan walked into a study room with extremely elegant furnishings.

He moved the exquisite glass bottle on the wall cabinet.

There were faint audible sounds of machinery turning, but nothing in the room moved.

There was nothing except the strange noise.

Zhu Yunhuan walked away from the location of the glass bottle and went to the other side of the wall cabinet, where there were several ordinary wooden boxes.

He lifted a wooden board on the wall cabinet next to him, and found a mezzanine inside. There was no difference from the outside. If one had not known about it in advance, one would never have imagined that there was a secret mezzanine.

There is a key in the middle of the mezzanine.

Take out the key and open one of the wooden boxes.

Only now could I see clearly that the wooden box was filled with thick steel plates and was only wrapped in wood on the outside.

In other words, without the key, even a sharp sword cannot cut it.

In the middle of the wooden box, there was a scroll.

In fact, this wooden box is fixed to the wall cabinet and cannot be moved. There is a hole next to the box leading to the inside.

Just now, Zhu Yunhuan turned the glass bottle in order to send the scroll in the hole into the wooden box through the mechanism.

If the glass bottle is not turned first, even if the wooden box with a steel plate lining is forcibly opened, there will be nothing inside.

These mechanisms are closely linked to each other, which shows how strict the confidentiality is.

Zhu Yunhuan took out the scroll and unfolded it.

The familiar handwriting appeared before my eyes.

This is exactly the letter that Lao Zhu wrote to him.

Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has "imprisoned" himself in the harem, it is inconvenient for the two to meet each other to prevent the news from leaking, so they can only convey information in this way.

This place is also the hub for receiving intelligence from the Jinyiwei and the Jianxiu.

Ever since Jiang Lin said that last time, Zhu Yunhuan urged the craftsmen to speed up the progress of the project, and finally completed it on the day of his enthronement.

With this yard and such a secret "passage", it is extremely convenient to communicate secretly with Lao Zhu.

Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, Zhu Yunhuan ascended the throne in front of the coffin. The feeling of power made him more and more fascinated.

Being an emperor is completely different from being a crown prince.

Truly being high above, truly looking down on all living beings!
Today's coronation ceremony has brought this feeling to its peak.

No wonder even a man like Liu Bang would sigh, "Today I know how noble it is to be an emperor."

But because of this, Zhu Yunhuan also felt more like he was being overwhelmed by the desire for power and flattery, and by the mysterious and superior pleasure.

He kept reminding himself in his heart to stay awake.

Power makes people stupid!

Anyone who sits on the throne for too long will gradually become foolish from being shrewd.

This is because everyone around him is praising him.

Over time, gradually, you will really think that you can do anything.

If you overestimate your abilities and capabilities, you will become foolish and incompetent.

Or, the desire for power becomes stronger and stronger, and thus one begins to become a little neurotic and doubt everyone around him.

In history, Emperor Wu of Han was a man of great talent and vision when he was young.

But later, when he was old and had been emperor for too long, he caused the famous "Witchcraft Rebellion".

You know, in his early years, Emperor Wu of Han had great trust in Crown Prince Liu Ju.

Although Liu Ju had not yet ascended the throne, he often served as regent for nearly twenty years.

The fact that Emperor Wu of Han allowed the crown prince to govern the country for twenty years shows how much he trusted his son.

However, such an emperor who trusted his son so much actually believed the rumors that his son was planning a rebellion in his later years, which eventually led to the tragedy of father and son killing each other.

The decline of the Han Dynasty also began from then on.

A similar example is Duke Huan of Qi, who was also extremely wise in his early years. He appointed Guan Zhong to carry out reforms, united the nine states, and brought peace to the world. However, in his later years, he trusted treacherous villains such as Yi Ya, Shu Diao, and Kai Fang, and was eventually starved to death.

There is also Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who was also an example of a man who was wise and hardworking in his early years, but became incompetent in his later years.

Even Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who was known as the greatest emperor of all time, gradually became foolish and indulged in pleasure in his later years.

……

The greatest lesson that history teaches mankind is that mankind cannot learn any lessons from history!
why?

Because all historical lessons are mistakes made driven by human instinct.

It is impossible for human beings to escape their human instincts, and naturally they cannot learn any lessons from history.

Zhu Yunhuan knew this very well.

But although we cannot escape human instincts, we can control them as much as possible.

As an emperor, the cost of making mistakes is too heavy.

Therefore, when everyone was celebrating and he himself was excited about ascending the throne and getting married, he came to this deserted courtyard and read Lao Zhu's letter, forcing himself to remain calm.

After becoming the real emperor, Zhu Yunhuan found that he was not as free and easy as when he was the crown prince.

At that time, he had no scruples and was not afraid of making mistakes.

But now I am beginning to feel "scared".

He had to tread carefully.

Even someone like Zhu Yuanzhang was wanted by Hu Weiyong to be sidelined.

Even Qin Shi Huang, who unified the world and swept across the country, had people like Zhao Gao by his side. He dared to seize power as soon as Qin Shi Huang passed away!
The throne of emperor is not a place where one can rest easy.

Sitting firmly is not as easy as most people imagine.

The only advantages Zhu Yunhuan had were a vision that transcended his time and a small understanding of history.

As for political skills and abilities, although he was confident that he had some skills, he was not necessarily better than the group of cunning and treacherous people in the court.

It's just that he is the emperor and has a natural advantage.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been an emperor for many years and was experienced in political struggles. It would undoubtedly be beneficial for him to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for more advice.

Only by asking questions without feeling ashamed can one learn real skills. What's more, the person he asked for advice was his own grandfather, so it was not shameful.

When it comes to how to build the Ming Dynasty, guide the Ming Academy of Sciences, develop the Manufacturing Bureau, open a bank, promote modern finance... and so on, Zhu Yunhuan, with his advantage as a time traveler, can easily leave Old Zhu behind by a hundred streets.

But when it comes to how to control the court, understand people's hearts, and balance political forces, Zhu Yuanzhang is undoubtedly much more experienced than him.

He unfolded the scroll and carefully read the letter from Lao Zhu.

Zhu Yunhuan thought seriously for a moment, then wrote back to Zhu Yuanzhang, detailing what had happened in the court in recent days, as well as his upcoming personnel arrangements and reform measures.

After writing, he waited for the ink to dry slightly, then rolled it up to make a scroll and put it in another wooden box.

Then the mechanism was started, and the subtle sound of the mechanism turning could be heard.

Zhu Yunhuan knew that the scroll should have been sent to the harem where Zhu lived.

After stretching, Zhu Yunhuan walked out of the room and out of the yard. He saw a slim figure standing outside waiting quietly.

Seeing him coming out, she quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

The person who came was naturally Gu Panjun.

At this time, she had taken off the queen's phoenix crown and gorgeous clothes, and put on a simple and elegant long dress, which looked even brighter and more beautiful under the moonlight.

Zhu Yunhuan then remembered that today was not only the day he ascended the throne, but also his wedding day.

It doesn't seem a bit inappropriate to leave the bride aside and run into this small courtyard by yourself, right?

"Stand up!" Zhu Yunhuan said, pulling up her soft little hand, "It's freezing cold and windy outside. You should go back to the house and rest."

Gu Panjun smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am not cold."

She tiptoed, tilted her head and looked towards the courtyard behind, blinked her bright eyes, and said, "It's very lively outside. Your Majesty didn't go to watch the fireworks, but ran to this small courtyard. What treasure is there that attracts Your Majesty so much?"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "You are so curious, why didn't you go in just now?"

The girl showed a lively look on her face and said, "The guard at the door said that His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."

"Even if I want to go in, I can't get in or out."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at her deeply, smiled, and said nothing.

If she really wanted to force her way in as the queen, the guards at the door would not be able to stop her in the absence of the emperor.

The emperor and empress are one, and when the emperor is not around, the empress becomes the "king".

There is a difference between the ruler and his subjects!

Unless there is a special imperial edict, the guards at the door can stop all the civil and military officials in the court and the royal princes, but they can never stop the dignified Empress of the Ming Dynasty.

"I just asked casually, Your Majesty, you don't need to tell me." Gu Panjun smiled and said, "Tonight is the Lantern Festival, the moonlight is beautiful, and the fireworks are also beautiful. Your Majesty, shall we go to watch the fireworks together?"

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly, and the two of them walked out hand in hand.

"That courtyard is just for me to handle some private matters." Zhu Yunhuan explained casually, "I don't want outsiders to interfere. Can you understand?"

After all, Gu Panjun was the queen. Marrying her into the palace was hoped that she would take on the burden of managing the harem, so that he would worry less and use more energy to govern the world.

If you want to use her, you can't let her have any doubts or thorns in her heart.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan gave a brief explanation.

Don't think that because the emperor is high above, he can disrespect human nature and only needs to issue cold orders for those below to carry out unconditionally.

If you think this way, your understanding of politics is undoubtedly too naive.

In fact, if this were true, over time, the people below would become alienated from the emperor.

No one is willing to work for a cold and heartless machine. Even if that person is an emperor, it will still be chilling.

Looking through the history books, leaving aside the incompetent rulers, all the wise and capable rulers were people of "the utmost passion and nature".

For example, Liu Bang, Li Shimin, and even Zhu Yunhuan’s own grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, were all like this.

The human heart is the sharpest weapon in the world.

People’s hearts are also the foundation of power.

Even an emperor, if he completely loses the support of the people, will be sidelined by powerful ministers and his rule will be overthrown.

Gu Panjun heard this and laughed, "Your Majesty, I understand. Everyone has their own little secrets."

She held Zhu Yunxun's hand tightly, leaned her head against him playfully, and said, "If Your Majesty cannot handle it alone, you can also arrange for a few well-behaved and sensible palace maids to go in and help Your Majesty deal with it."

"As long as we never let them leave that yard, we won't have to worry about them leaking secrets."

She said calmly, "Although there are far fewer women in the world who can read and write than men, there are still some."

"It just so happens that most of them are ladies from wealthy families, and they never go out of the house."

"Choose some to enter the palace and let them guard the courtyard. They will get used to living there."

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned and glanced at Gu Panjun again.

It seems that the eccentric girl has probably guessed that this courtyard is a "passage" leading directly to the harem.

She may not know the specific situation, but she must have some doubts in her heart.

However, the clever girl chose to pretend to be unaware and reminded him at the right time.

This courtyard is not only used to communicate with Zhu Yuanzhang, but also to process the intelligence obtained by the Inspectors and the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

In other words, this is also an intelligence center of the Ming Dynasty.

It was a heavy burden for Zhu Yunhuan to handle all the matters alone.

Before this, he had thought about arranging someone to go into the yard to help him.

But to imprison a group of scholars in a small courtyard and not allow them to leave the courtyard for the rest of their lives was a bit too difficult for them.

After all, this is really no different from going to jail, and it's life imprisonment.

Even if they were forced to agree under the oppression of imperial power, they would definitely feel dissatisfied.

Zhu Yunhuan felt that if he really did that, he would not dare to enter the yard alone without guards.

Who knows if, as time goes on, those people will be driven crazy and assassinate themselves just like the palace maids who assassinated Emperor Jiajing during the Renyin Palace Rebellion?

Gu Panjun's suggestion gave him an inspiration.

Not bad!

All we need to do is to arrange for women who have been educated and can read to enter the yard.

Under the long-term constraints of feudal morality, women who can read and write generally come from families with excellent family backgrounds.

The more such a family is, the stricter the discipline of their daughters will be.

Some noble families even stipulated that unmarried girls were not allowed to leave the embroidery tower.

For those young girls, having a large yard to move around freely and having a group of peers to talk and play with is already a very pleasant and happy thing.

It is also a life that makes people very enviable.

Since childhood, they have been accustomed to staying at home and never going out.

Living in the courtyards of the palace, they would not resist too much, but would just calmly accept their fate.

After all, even if they get married normally, most of them will stay in the backyard for the rest of their lives.

As long as Zhu Yunhuan did not abuse the palace maids like Emperor Jiajing did, and showed them a little favor, they would be grateful.

With their help, it is easy to process intelligence.

It is indeed a very good idea.

"Okay, I'll follow your idea." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile: "But, it may not be easy to select the right people."

When Gu Panjun heard that his suggestion was adopted, he immediately smiled and said, "Sister Xu is from a noble family and knows many ladies from wealthy families. If she is in charge of this matter, it should be handled properly."

Zhu Yunhuan asked with a smile: "Don't you want to handle this matter yourself, make a contribution, and relieve me of my worries?"

Gu Panjun's eyes flickered: "Sister Xu is indeed more suitable to do this than me. However, if Your Majesty insists on letting me do it, I am also happy to do it."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed loudly: "Whatever the queen wants to arrange, then arrange it."

As he said that, he hugged Gu Panjun and his hands reached out to touch her.

He had long wanted to possess this stunning beauty.

The desire in my heart just now became stronger and stronger, and I could no longer suppress it.

"Your Majesty, you are still outside." Gu Panjun's face turned red with shame.

The palace maids and eunuchs had turned around and dared not look anymore.

But the girl was still in great distress.

"What are you afraid of? This is also in my palace." Zhu Yunhuan didn't care at all. His hands kept moving and gradually went deeper.

……

(End of this chapter)