The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 598 Climbing the Yellow Crane Tower
March 16th, the first year of Guangde in the Great Qi Dynasty.

The retired emperor and his close ministers climbed the Yellow Crane Tower, looked out at the Chu sky, enjoyed the scenery of the Yangtze and Han Rivers, raised a toast from afar, and prayed for the soldiers on the Eastern Expedition.

It was March, the grass was green and the birds were singing, the mountains and rivers were bright, the grass on Parrot Island was lush and green, and a light rain fell in the evening. After the prayers were completed, the emperor and his ministers sat high in the pavilion, laughing and feasting, discussing the past and the present.

After three rounds of drinks, Liu Zhaosun recalled everything that had happened since he traveled through time, the years of battles, the separation of life and death, the changes in people and things, the ups and downs, and the countless sufferings of the people.

Today, hegemony is gradually taking shape, the Southern Ming Dynasty is about to fall, and Zheng Sen is also on the way. Extremism and civilian elite rule are playing against each other, achieving a balance, and everything is on the right track.

The Emperor stood for a long time in the breeze and evening rain, looking out from the heights. He was overwhelmed with emotions and could not help himself. He pointed to the poem on the whitewashed wall and wrote:

"Who wrote these poems?"

Qian Qianyi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the writings on the wall are all poems written by our ancestors, by scholars and poets of the previous dynasties. There are also graffiti by poor scholars around Jiangxia and Wuchang."

The Emperor asked, "Aren't there works by Li Bai and Cui Hao?"

Zhang Pu, a talented scholar from Taicang, laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that the Yellow Crane Tower was built by the Yangtze River and has been struck by lightning many times over the years, burning down every few decades. Take the Ming Dynasty, for example. Since the Hongwu reign, it has suffered numerous fires. During the Jiajing reign alone, it was rebuilt twice. The so-called Tang Dynasty writing is all later additions, a dog's tail, a marten's eye, a fish's eye, a pearl's ear."

Liu Zhaosun laughed and clapped his hands. "Well, since they're all fakes, that's all good! Come on! Bring me some writing brush and ink!"

Dongfang Zhu brought the inkstone and ground the ink carefully.

The retired emperor was inspired to write poetry. He stood on the whitewashed wall and wrote with his brush. With just a few strokes, he covered the inscriptions of his ancestors.

Poetry:

Golden drums, long winds, and the mighty river flow; Turtle Mountain, misty and rainy, has passed through autumn;
The sound of crisscrossing dragon city for thousands of miles, a few lines of snow drift down to the shore;
Jia Sheng shed tears in Chang'an, Lingjun swam in the Xiang River with resentment;
There were so many sad things in the Six Dynasties, the flags shine brightly in the sun and illuminate the stones.

Before the emperor finished writing, Grand Secretary Qian Qianyi rushed to praise him:
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! The pen strokes startle the wind and rain, and the poem is completed and makes the ghosts and gods weep! The poem he composed impromptu is comparable to Li Bai and Du Fu. Our emperor is so talented and quick-witted that even Prince Chen Si and Yuan Hongren cannot match him. This line, 'Turtle Mountain, misty and rainy for several autumns,' fully captures the heroic spirit of the ages. It can be said to be the best line ever written by an emperor!..."

Liu Zhaosun laughed.

Qian Qianyi spoke eloquently for a full quarter of an hour, praising everyone with all sorts of words, never repeating themselves.

Zhang Pu, who was standing next to him, saw this and was extremely anxious. After all, he was a disciple of the emperor and the top scorer in the imperial examination in the first year of Wuding. How could he let Qian Qianyi steal the limelight?

Taking advantage of the moment when Minister Qian took a breath, Zhang Pu quickly spoke:

"Your Majesty is a gifted genius, possessing both literary and military prowess. No one since the Three Dynasties can match you. However, my favorite line is 'Jia Sheng sheds tears in Chang'an, Lingjun resents his journey along the Xiang River.' It may seem to be referring to Qu Yuan and Jia Yi, but it actually expresses our emperor's expectations. At this time when the Great Qi is innovating, Your Majesty should recruit talents regardless of their background. You should not only seek loyal and good ministers, but also capable and competent ministers..."

Liu Zhaosun handed the brush to Dongfang Zhu and patted Zhang Pu on the shoulder:

"I am but a soldier, with a few literati. Compared to you, the well-read Hanlin scholars, the difference is as great as heaven and earth. My poem, in its rhythm, melody, and allusions, has its flaws, but it has expressed what I wanted to say. I am very pleased."

Qian Qianyi, along with a group of Hanlin scholars, knelt down and shouted:
"My emperor is a man of great literary talent!"

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand impatiently and asked them to stand up.

When Qian Qianyi stood up, he glanced secretly and saw Zhang Pu with a smug smile on his face.

This young man from Taicang was originally recommended by him to join the cabinet, but now he is opposing him in every way and trying to gain favor in front of the retired emperor. Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi became even more angry.

Liu Zhaosun realized the change in his subordinates' mood and turned to Qian Qianyi and said:
"Muzhai."

Hearing the emperor address him like that, Qian Qianyi was flattered and hurried forward, saying that he dared not.

"When you were in Jiangnan, did you know someone?" Qian Qianyi was confused. He knew at least a thousand people in Jiangnan, if not eight hundred.

Liu Zhaosun did not keep him in suspense and went straight to the point:

"I have heard that Yuan Linhou (Note 1), the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Ming Dynasty, is a loyal and upright man. Yuan Linhou is an honest official, just like his relative Yuan Chonghuan, decisive and ruthless, and capable of great responsibilities. In the second year of the Tianqi reign, he was framed by his colleagues and imprisoned, narrowly escaping death. Now that the Southern Ming is about to fall, all the generals in Jiangbei have surrendered, but he is the only one who still holds on in Jiujiang. I have said so much, and what I want to say is that I am determined to subjugate this man."

"It would be a pity to kill such a talented person."

Qian Qianyi was silent for a moment and whispered:
"Your Majesty, Yuan Jixian and I were both Jinshi graduates of the same year. When we were in Nanjing in the past, we exchanged poems and essays, and we became quite close."

"Your Majesty, do you want me to go to Jiujiang to persuade Yuan Jixian to surrender?"

Qian Qianyi, a prominent scholar in Jiangnan, hadn't ridden a boat in a long time since he was appointed an official in Liaodong. If he went to Jiujiang to persuade the boatmen, he would be exhausted from the long journey and might even be thrown into the river by Yuan Jixian upon his arrival.

At present, Zuo Liangyu is entrenched in the Yangtze River, and the navigation channel is not safe. If he is discovered by the Ming army on the way, he will fall into the water.

The river water is too cold in late spring.

The Emperor didn't know what Qian Qianyi was thinking, so he shook his head and said:
"Why should the Grand Secretary go in person? The Celestial Empire is ours, and the Southern Ming is but a tiny corner of it. If the Grand Secretary were to go as a lobbyist, wouldn't that be lowering the status of our Great Qi?"

"Sir, just write a letter to Mr. Yuan according to my instructions, and I will send a sentry to deliver it."

Qian Qianyi was about to agree when Zhang Pu suddenly interrupted him:
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate! Great Qi may be great, but since we are trying to persuade Lord Yuan to surrender, we must adhere to proper etiquette! Lord Yuan Lin is a truly exceptional man! How can we treat such a talented person from a prefecture or county lightly? Sending a peddler, a county magistrate, or a minor general now, how can we demonstrate Your Majesty's sincerity? Furthermore, the Grand Secretary is on good terms with Lord Yuan Lin, so we will surely achieve success!"

Liu Zhaosun laughed.

Zhang Pu is simply the reincarnation of Kang Yingqian. In order to fight for power and profit, he will do anything to achieve his goal. He even does not let his mentor go and is determined to force Qian Qianyi into the fire pit.

Well, let Master Zhang gain some experience.

The Emperor looked at Zhang Pu with a smile:

"That makes sense. Sending an unknown person to Jiujiang is indeed impolite. Then let Master Zhang and Qian Muzhai go with the letter to show my eagerness to seek talented people."

Zhang Pu: ······

Liu Zhaosun said sternly, "Didn't you just keep talking about innovation? Then tell Mr. Yuan the truth about the innovation."

What the retired emperor called "bringing forth the old from the old" was not just a slogan, but a further adjustment of the political system by Da Qi in the near future.

Specifically, in the newly occupied central and southern Hubei, the system of the Ming Dynasty was partially restored, the imperial examination system was allowed, private property was allowed to be restored, and wealthy families were allowed to marry concubines...

"Bring along a few surrendered Huguang scholars and have them speak out and tell Marquis Yuan Lin that I never indiscriminately killed innocent people in Huguang. All places follow the regulations of the Ming Dynasty and nothing has changed."

"the most important is,"

Liu Zhaosun emphasized:

"Let Yuan Linhou and other Ming officials know that I and my Great Qi soldiers and civilians are not Tartars, much less beasts."

Note:
Yuan Jixian (1-1593), courtesy name Jitong and pseudonym Linhou, was a native of Yichun. He was a minister during the Ming Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign and was granted the title of envoy. In the third year of the Chongzhen reign, he was promoted to Censor and supervised the imperial examinations. In the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, he was appointed Assistant Director of Education in Shanxi. In the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign, he was appointed Counselor of Huguang, assigned to guard Wuchang. He led troops to suppress the pirates in Xingguo. He also served as Assistant Director of Huguang, patrolling Wuchang and Huangzhou. He defeated seven major tribes, including the Lao Huihui and Ge Guyan, at Huangpi and Huangan, and built the city of Huanggang. In the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, he was appointed Minister of War, stationed in Jiujiang, and oversaw military affairs in Jiangxi, Huguang, Anqing, and Yingtian. When the rebels captured Wuchang, Zuo Liangyu led his troops eastward. Yuan Jixian traveled to Wuhu and persuaded Zuo Liangyu to recapture Wuchang. In the first year of the Hongguang reign, he was lured into house arrest by Zuo Menggeng. Zuo Menggeng surrendered to the Qing and offered Yuan Jixian as a reward for his service. Yuan Jixian refused to surrender and was taken to Beijing and imprisoned. He was executed in June of the third year of Shunzhi's reign.

(End of this chapter)