The Mid-Autumn Festival in the south of the Yangtze River is full of crisp autumn air, the blue sky is deep and far away, and the golden or fiery red leaves are particularly colorful and dazzling against the blue sky. It is the autumn scenery of the south of the Yangtze River where "all the trees are in autumn colors and the mountains are only fading".
The majestic Daming Palace stands in the east of Yingtianfu City in the sun of Zhongshan Mountain. The imperial palace faces north to south, with the palace city in the center, also known as the inner palace, the Forbidden City or the purple wall; the outer periphery is a city wall that protects the palace city, which is built equidistantly around the palace city and is called the imperial city. The palace city and the imperial city are collectively called the imperial palace.
The Forbidden City is majestic, with many palaces and pavilions. Once you enter, the palace is spacious and grand, with curved eaves covering the blue sky, carved beams and painted columns, and magnificent splendor. From south to north, there are three main halls: Meridian Gate, Wulong Bridge on Neiyu River, Fengtian Gate, Fengtian Huagai and Jinshen. This area is commonly known as the "front dynasty", which corresponds to the name of the "back court" to the north of the three main halls where the emperor and concubines lived. The combination of the two is the so-called "court".
Qianqing Palace is the residence of the emperor. There is a small provincial palace at the back, where the emperor handles government affairs on a daily basis.
The Mid-Autumn Festival sunshine is shining warmly, and from time to time a breeze blows, blowing the door curtains and curtains. The palace was silent, as Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing the memorial.
Zhu Yuanzhang was already seventy years old at this time. The handsome young man with "majestic appearance" in the past has become an old man. His beard and hair are all gray. There are a few deep wrinkles on his forehead and corners of his mouth like knife carvings. His face is old and often tired. Since his favorite son, Prince Zhu Biao, passed away five years ago, the pain of losing his son has made him stooped, and the sharp and unruly eyes have become muddy and hollow. Only the occasional flash of sharpness reminds him that this is a member of the Ming Empire. emperor.
Zhu Yuanzhang was the most diligent emperor in Chinese history. In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, the Zhongshu Sheng and the Prime Minister were abolished, and he was directly in charge of the government affairs of the six ministries and hundreds of departments. In fact, the emperor also served as the prime minister.
Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of civil servant promotions, the Ministry of Household Affairs is in charge of national revenue, taxation and finance, the Ministry of Rites is in charge of sacrificial ceremonies and feudal affairs, the Ministry of Industry is in charge of public construction, the Ministry of Punishment is in charge of the review of criminal orders and punishments, and the Ministry of War is responsible for issuing military orders to generals exempt from promotion. Each department has one minister and two ministers.
In addition to the Ministry of War, there are five military governors' offices of the center, left, right, front and rear, which manage the capital and various military posts. Each has a left and right governor, who is in charge of the management and training of the army. The purpose of this arrangement was to check each other between the Governor's Mansion and the Ministry of War, thereby keeping the real military power in the hands of the emperor. The emperor was also directly in charge of the Royal Guards' Beijing Camp and the Twelve Guards. The famous Jinyi Guards was one of the Twelve Guards. It was abolished in the 20th year of Hongwu and restored in the Yongle Year.
In addition to the Ministry of Criminal Justice, there is a supervisory organization called the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which is responsible for supervising impeachments and making recommendations. It has several supervisory censors under it. There are also five temples, namely Dali Temple, which is similar to today's Supreme Court. Taichang Temple is responsible for sacrifices, Taipu Temple is responsible for horses, Guanglu Temple is responsible for birthday banquets, and Honglu Temple is responsible for receiving foreign guests.
The Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Dali Temple are collectively known as the Three Law Divisions. When major cases occur, they are dispatched together, commonly known as the "Three Divisions Joint Trial".
There are also departments that do not belong to the six ministries. For example, the General Administration Department is responsible for delivering official documents and announcements to the general public; the Public Affairs Department is responsible for issuing edicts to local places and sending envoys to foreign countries.
In addition, there are the Grand Master, Taifu and Taibao who tutor the prince, collectively known as Sangong, and the Young Master, Shaofu and Shaobao, also known as the Sangu. These have no fixed positions and are fictitious honorary titles. The institution is Zhan Shifu, as well as the elite group of intellectuals, namely the Hanlin Academy, which is responsible for compiling books, writing history and drafting imperial edicts, and the Taiyuan Hospital.
In addition, there are three outer prisons, namely the Guozijian, an educational institution, the Qintian prison, which is responsible for observing the stars, and the Shanglinyuan prison, which is in charge of the imperial garden livestock farm and vegetable garden.
There are also twelve inner eunuchs, four divisions and eight bureaus in the eunuch yamen, which are collectively called the twenty-four yamen of the eunuchs, plus six bureaus for palace maids.
Here is a brief introduction to the government agencies and official positions of the Ming Dynasty, so that readers can easily identify the characters who appear one after another. For example, Huang Zicheng is the Minister of Taichang Temple, "Oh, the Director of Sacrifice" and so on. I guess you are probably dizzy after reading this long paragraph, right? But with so many people under the control of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, you can imagine the workload! Model worker Zhu Yuanzhang never took a day off in thirty years. According to records, he had to review more than 200 memorials from internal and external departments and handle more than 400 state affairs every day.
You must know that reviewing memorials is not just about writing "read". Those who submit memorials are all elites and leaders in various industries across the country. Memorials may be related to the national economy and people's livelihood, or the fate of people, or even foreign relations and world peace, and must be carefully considered and decided. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the opinions of various factions and balance conflicts of interests. It is truly a hard work of wits and courage.
Probably because he was too busy even after working overtime, the model worker Zhu Yuanzhang later compromised and asked several Hanlin bachelors to help, calling them "big bachelors". This was the prototype of the later cabinet system.
In recent years, his age has not shown mercy, so Zhu Yuanzhang gradually handed over government affairs to the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen. After Zhu Yunwen drafted notes on the memorial, which were his handling opinions, Wang Zhi, the eunuch who wrote the memorial, handed it over to Zhu Yuanzhang in different categories.
Zhu Yuanzhang learned from the lessons of eunuchs in previous dynasties who had harmed the country, and stipulated that eunuchs were not allowed to be literate, were not allowed to concurrently serve as foreign ministers, and were not allowed to hold positions exceeding the fourth rank. An iron sign was specially erected outside the palace gate, which read, "Ministers shall not interfere in political affairs and may be executed in advance."
Bingbi eunuch Wang Zhi is somewhat exception. He was originally a soldier in Zhu Yuanzhang's rebel team. He followed him around for more than ten years and gained some knowledge of literature. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he voluntarily entered the palace and stayed with the emperor for another thirty years. Now in his fifties, he is short and his face is still as thin. If it weren't for a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, it would be hard to imagine that he has been in the palace for thirty years. Usually he was silent and calm, but Zhu Yuanzhang could not leave him for almost a day.
Wang Zhi saw that the batch in front of the emperor was almost finished, so he bowed and presented another pile, deliberately tilting the top two copies a little. Zhu Yuanzhang did not raise his head, but he knew that Wang Zhi was reminding him that this was an important memorial. He took a sip of tea and took it casually.
This letter is from the fourth son Zhu Di, "After two great victories at Wulianghatu City in Cheche'er Mountain, both the Arutai and Mahamu tribes of Mongolia have surrendered to our government. It is expected that there will be no more troubles in recent years, and northern Xinjiang is temporarily peaceful." . My son is now with the seventeenth younger brother of Daning Guard. I beg my father to tell me what I should do."
Zhu Yuanzhang had already learned about the two great victories at Wulianghatu City in Cheche'er Mountain a few days ago. Today, he was even more happy to see his son personally saying that Northern Xinjiang was temporarily peaceful. He couldn't help laughing twice: "Good! Good King Yan!", his face All the wrinkles on his face are blooming. Glancing at Wang Zhi who was standing beside him, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little puzzled. He opened the second envelope, but it was the text submitted by the commander of Daning Guard Yuan Du to the Ministry of War.
The more Zhu Yuanzhang looked, the angrier he became. After a few glances, he saw Zhu Yunwen's note: "I'm afraid that this will cause trouble in Korea and affect the Tieling Guards."
Zhu Yuanzhang threw the book on the table: "Ridiculous!" and said to Wang Zhi: "Zhuan Taisun! And Huang Zicheng!"
After a while, Zhu Yunwen and Huang Zicheng hurriedly entered the palace, and after paying their respects, they stood at the foot of the steps.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked unkind and said to Zhu Yunwen: "Yunwen, what do you think about Princess Yining of North Korea?"
Zhu Yunwen hesitated and said: "My grandson is not for Donggong's personal gain, but Korea has always been respectful, and the envoys pay tribute every year. Since Princess Yining has come to our Ming Dynasty, our Ming Dynasty has the unshirkable responsibility to protect the princess, otherwise it may be difficult to convince all nations." . However, Daning Wei said that the authenticity of this woman is unknown, and my grandson dare not speak nonsense. I beg the Holy One to make a clear decision."
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and looked at Zhu Yunwen and said: "Where are your two uncles, a pair of fine people, why is it difficult to tell the authenticity? What a joke! If Daning Guards dare to report it like this, they must have understood and confirmed it. They are delaying it like this. What's your idea?" After thinking about it for a moment, he said, "Is it just to embarrass you?"
Zhu Yunwen said: "I don't think the two uncles have any intention of embarrassing my grandson. It should be because they don't know about it."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "Yunwen, I have taught you for more than ten years, and you have been handling state affairs together as the emperor's grandson for five years. You have learned a lot! Did you learn this and use it here?"
Zhu Yunwen hurriedly bowed and said, "My grandson doesn't dare."
"Then tell the truth!"
Zhu Yunwen hesitated to answer. He himself really felt that the two uncles did not have any bad intentions.
"You," Zhu Yuanzhang felt angry when he saw that he didn't speak. He spoke in a hurry, and a mouthful of phlegm got stuck in his throat. Suddenly he coughed violently, making him bend over.
Zhu Yunwen hurriedly stepped forward, straightened his grandfather's body with his left hand, and gently stroked his back with his right hand to help him breathe. It took a while before he stopped coughing. Zhu Yunwen was anxious, and there were thick beads of sweat on his forehead.
After Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down, he looked at Zhu Yunwen. His clear eyes were full of concern. He was looking at him nervously and couldn't help but sigh. He immediately turned to look at Huang Zicheng: "Has Huang Qing read this excerpt? What do you think?"
"From what I can see, King Ning of Yan has always asked the Holy Spirit to judge everything. Although he only wants to protect His Highness, I am afraid that His Highness is young." Huang Zicheng said hurriedly, his long gray beard fluttering in front of his chest: " This time, maybe it is to anger Princess Yining." At this point, Huang Zicheng was a little hesitant: "You princes still have doubts about His Highness's handling of government affairs, and it takes time."
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while and then said to Zhu Yunwen: "I have considered this issue before, so the vassal king does not care about local administration and is only responsible for guarding the border. Now that the northern border of Mongolia has been determined, I will let your fourth uncle return to Peiping. In the palace Stay here for now and temper your temper."
Zhu Yunwen bowed and said: "By the imperial grandfather's decree."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yunwen, who was wearing a long apricot royal brocade robe and standing tall. He was thin and elegant, with delicate and slender features on his face as white as jade, gentle and elegant. He was really an outstanding talent. However, he doesn't look like himself at all, nor does he look like a member of his Zhu family. People from the Zhu family should be like Zhu Di, tall, bronze-colored, rough and strong.
This grandson is more like his father Zhu Biao, from appearance to personality. Although the two of them have been following him in the palace to learn how to handle state affairs, the father and son are equally generous and kind, equally fond of literature and dislike martial arts, and equally indecisive. He opens his mouth to be benevolent, but keeps his mouth closed to love the people. He always thinks that he is too harsh and harsh, and that he is too aggressive.
Huang Zicheng was nearly fifty years old at this time. He had been with Zhu Yuanzhang for twelve years and understood the emperor's thoughts quite well. At this time, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang pondering and thinking: "In the past, Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty scolded Lu Jia and said, 'Nai Gongju immediately learned that Anshi's "Poetry" and "Book"! Huh? And Tang and Wu took over and obeyed and defended them, using both civil and military forces, which is a long-term skill. In the past, King Wu Fuchai, Zhibo died in martial arts. The criminal law of Qin did not change, and the Zhao family was destroyed. The country envoy Qin Yi united the world. , benevolent and righteous, a sage of the Dharma, your majesty can live in peace with it?" Emperor Gao felt ashamed, so he ordered Jia Cheng to write "Xinyu", saying that he was good."
This story tells the story of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, who hated the Confucian scholar Lu Jia, but Lu Jia said: He will conquer the world immediately, but he cannot rule the world immediately. Both Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou were obedient to the people and upheld their professions, and the Qin State's harsh punishments and laws finally perished at the hands of Zhao Gao. If Qin had pursued benevolent government, it would not have been Han Gaozu's turn to conquer the world.
The purpose of Huang Zicheng's saying this was of course to help Zhu Yunwen and praise him for "doing benevolence and righteousness and being a wise man", but also to remind Zhu Yuanzhang. After telling the story, Huang Zicheng looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's face and said cautiously: "Your Highness is a benevolent and filial friend, which is really a blessing to my Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent and continued to look at Zhu Yunwen in deep thought.
Zhu Biao died of illness at such a young age, but Zhu Yunwen persisted in his benevolent government and his ideals just as Zhu Biao carved. Maybe this is God's will. Yes, the world he built needs such a successor, so that the country can be consolidated forever and the descendants can protect it forever, right
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but look gentle and said: "First make a decree and ask King Yan to return to Peiping to rest and wait." After a pause, he said: "Let the Daning Guards send Princess Yining to Beijing immediately."
A gust of breeze blew through the window, and the grandfather and grandson suddenly felt cool. Zhu Yunwen raised his sleeves to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.
Huang Zicheng continued: "In order to ensure the safety of the princess, it is better for your Majesty to order King Yan to go to Peking together first, and then send elite soldiers to escort her to the capital."
Zhu Yunwen asked hesitantly: "Are you asking Uncle Yan to send palace soldiers to escort you?" His clear eyes were full of confusion.
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed: "Silly boy! Only in this way can we be completely safe. Your two uncles will not dare to cause trouble again."
Zhu Yunwen didn't quite understand. He looked at Huang Zicheng and stopped asking.
"Ask the Ministry of Rites to send a message to North Korea, saying that Princess Yining is in Daning Mansion and will be in the capital after the New Year, so that Li Dan can rest assured." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "It's not easy for you to be a daughter-in-law. I really want to meet her. A North Korean princess.”
Zhu Yunwen agreed, thinking in his mind: Yes, what kind of person is this North Korean princess