Peking became the capital of the Yuan Dynasty from Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, to the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty, and was called the "Dadu". In the first year of Hongwu, it was changed to Beiping Prefecture. The city site roughly stretches from the Tucheng ruins of Yuan Dynasty in the north, to Chang'an Street in the south, and to the Second Ring Road in the east and west. It is much smaller than today's Beijing.
As for the Yuan Palace built in the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty, the layout was centered on the water surface, with palaces built around the water, and commercial markets scattered around the imperial city. The entire imperial palace occupies one-tenth of the metropolitan city, and the government offices are concentrated in Dongcheng District and are relatively widely separated.
When Zhu Di became a vassal at the age of twenty-two, the Yuan Palace naturally became the Palace of Prince Yan. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang also specifically informed other vassal kings that the extremely large palace of King Yan was an exception. He did not intend to exceed the regulations. Instead, he used local materials from the Yuan Palace, which was actually used sparingly. In fact, in the later period, the palaces of various vassal kings were rarely built according to the regulations. Either the kings were extravagant, or they secretly wanted to compete, or they had a large population, so the palaces were getting bigger and bigger. For example, the Daiwang Palace seen in Datong Mansion is actually not much different in size from the Yanwang Palace, but it is even more luxurious and magnificent.
It was the first clear day after the snow. There was a thin layer of snow on the branches on the roof, but it was not accumulated on the streets, but rather a little muddy. The sky is blue, the sun shines down from the sky, and there are often dots of golden light. When Lianhua and Zhien arrived in Peiping for the first time, they looked in front of the carriage curtain and saw that the market was prosperous and crowded, which was very different from Datong Prefecture.
After walking for half a day, I saw two huge stone lions squatting on the north side of the street, a neat row of red walls and gold tiles, and three animal-headed gates. The east and west corner doors were open, but the main door was closed. Three young men in brocade clothes were leading a group of soldiers and servants behind them to stand in front of the door and look around. The golden plaque above the main entrance is the three characters "Prince Yan's Mansion".
At this moment, I heard someone shouting: "It's coming, it's coming, please notify the princess!" There was a sound of running, and soon there were clumsy footsteps. The main door creaked open, and a group of people in gorgeous clothes surrounded a noble lady and walked out of the door. , it was Princess Yan who led her family out to greet her. At this time, King Yan's team happened to arrive in front of the gate.
Princess Yan's surname is Xu Mingying. She is the eldest daughter of Wei Guogong Xu Da, the founding hero. She is thirty-seven years old this year (seven years older than the current Wei Guogong Xu Huizu mentioned above). She has been quiet and good at reading since she was a child, and is known as "the female student". "The general's tiger girl also has extraordinary martial arts skills. She is a rare talent with both literary and military skills. She married King Yan at the age of fifteen, and for more than twenty years the husband and wife treated each other like guests. Just standing at the gate were their three sons: Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, aged 20, 18 and 15 years old respectively. The eldest son Zhu Gaochi was named the Crown Prince of Yan.
King Yan and his entourage stopped and dismounted from their horses. It was a joy and sorrow to see each other again after a long absence.
Zhu Di's expedition lasted for more than half a year. In the previous few years, he also traveled here and there. He spent more time in Daningwei than in Peiping. He, his wife, and his son spent less time together and more time apart. Fortunately, this was a great victory in the Northern Expedition, and the Northern Territory was pacified. Congratulations, greetings, salutes, and narratives were all in chaos. Among them, the acting princess Xu Xiu had the loudest voice. She called her sister and her three nephews, shouting and laughing with joy in the intimacy.
Lianhua stood beside the car with Zhien and Haishou, looking at everyone from a distance with a smile. Suddenly, she thought of her home far away in Seoul, her mother, and her father, brother and younger brother. My own family used to be so lively. When my father and brother went to court, my mother would always greet her and her younger brother at the door, busy asking if they were tired? are you hungry? What to eat? At that time, I never thought that this simple happiness would one day only be recalled from a distance...
At this time, King Yan leaned over and said a few words to Xu Ying. Xu Ying turned her head and looked at the lotus, nodded, and walked over. Lian Hua hurriedly took a few steps forward and bowed down: "Yining pays homage to the princess." Before she could finish her words, Xu Ying held her halfway with her hands: "Quick, don't be too polite." Xu Ying was a martial arts practitioner, and this push was so powerful that Lianhua stood up involuntarily.
But I saw that Xu Ying was tall, tall and straight, with broad shoulders and strong arms. Although she was wearing a court dress and a long skirt, she still couldn't hide her heroic appearance. Her black hair was simply tied into a green bun, with a gold hairpin and a phoenix hairpin, and there were no extra jewelry on her body. His face was thin, with a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his eyes were as bright and sharp as the moon shining over a cold river.
If Xu Xiu is the rich peony in bloom, Xu Ying is the proud snow-cold plum standing in the wind.
In Xu Ying's eyes, this foreign princess from North Korea was also quite unexpected. I had seen Princess Yining's name several times in the newspaper, and I imagined she was just a foreign girl. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be as graceful and beautiful as ice and jade, as pure as autumn chrysanthemums covered with frost, as quiet as pines growing in an empty valley, and even more like fresh lotus flowers emerging from the water with a slight fragrance. The most important thing is that his eyes are so clear that people feel trust and even pity.
Xu Ying couldn't help but laugh, took Lianhua's hand and asked, "Is this your first time to the Central Plains, princess? Isn't she tired from such a long distance?"
Lianhua also felt that Princess Yan was naturally approachable, and replied softly with a smile: "This is my first time coming to China. The ride is not tiring. Princess, just call me Yining."
At this time, Zhien and Haishou were still kneeling behind Lianhua, and Xuying also ordered Pingshen and asked his name. Hearing Zhien curling his tongue, "Kwon Zhien" couldn't help but laugh again and took a second look at this cute little girl.
At this time, Princess Xu Xiu was already standing next to her and said loudly: "Oh, we are all one family. She is the future niece-in-law. You two, please don't be so polite! Sister, hurry up and take us in. I'm already hungry!"
Xu Ying smiled and led Lotus into Prince Yan's Mansion.
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Lianhua was arranged to live in Tingsong House in the backyard, which was close to the garden. It was a row of six large houses with white walls and golden roofs. There were half-dwarf green pines in front and back of the house. Although it is winter, it is still green, showing its vitality tenaciously under the thin snow. The north wind blows, and the green pines stand next to each other, making the soft sound of waves.
Lianhua fell in love with this elegant place as soon as she saw it. Xu Ying personally brought it over. She was happy to see that Lianhua liked it. She asked a few words to leave the three women in charge behind and let Lianhua have a good rest before leaving. Zhien and Haishou were busy tidying up. Zhien and Lianhua slept in the two inner rooms on the east side, and Haishou slept in an outer room on the west side.
The three of them took a shower and changed clothes separately after a long journey, and put on clean clothes. Zhien took a comb to comb Lianhua's hair, and Haishou took a brush to brush the boots in the yard.
Lianhua had calculated that all he had to do in Beiping was to see Master Xia Zhikong, which would only take a few days at most. However, on the way to Peiping, he asked Zhu Di once when he would send troops to the capital. Zhu Di looked gloomy and hesitated to answer. Lianhua guessed that King Yan was still worried about him, right? After all, once you leave Peiping, you, the King of Yan, will not be able to take care of yourself. The road ahead is bleak and the fortunes are unpredictable.
The imperial court has been looking for and urging me these few times, and seems to be very concerned about it. Is this entirely for the sake of diplomatic relations with North Korea? Thinking of Zhu Quan's joke about "wanting a wife", I couldn't help but blush. What kind of person was this future husband's grandson? Are you really thinking about yourself? Can he help invite reinforcements from the court, especially the navy
Just as they were thinking wildly, there was the sound of boots outside the window, and Ma Sanbao and Wang Jinghong entered the small hall in the middle. The two of them washed and bathed and put on the uniforms of the royal palace's internal officers and supervisors. They looked refreshed and majestic. Zhien was the first to call out: "Master Wang! You look so beautiful like this!"
Ren Wang Jinghong, an old man who had always been calm and calm, suddenly blushed: "Xiao Zhien, don't make fun of me." He was actually a bit shy.
Zhien pouted: "No, I really think so. Right, princess?"
Lotus smiled and comforted: "Yes, it is beautiful."
Wang Jinghong's face was as red as a persimmon and he opened his mouth not knowing what to say. Ma Sanbao quickly came to the rescue: "Your Majesty asked us to come over and see if we are missing anything? And Brother Hai, do you want to come to our place to rest?"
Hai Shou hurriedly said before Lian Hua could speak: "I'm fine here and outside, and I won't leave the princess." Then he looked at Lian Hua carefully and said, "Princess, please let me stay here."
When they reunited in Datong Mansion, Hai Shou was extremely attached to Lotus. Also, for the past six months, he has been running around alone. He is anxious, worried, lonely and desperate. It is difficult for him to survive alone.
Lianhua understood in her heart and said warmly: "Hai Shou is here, it's okay." He then added: "In the past in Seoul, he also lived in the outer room of the inner courtyard."
Ma Sanbao smiled and said: "That would be best. How about Brother Hai practice his kung fu in the morning and go to the school field in front? Don't disturb the princess here."
Hai Shou quickly nodded in agreement. Lianhua looked at the two of them with a smile, feeling warm in her heart.
It turns out that Zhu Di and Ma Sanbao had seen Hai Shou dance the whip on the streets of Datongfu, and his kung fu was indeed good. But the place he was going to was the imperial palace in the capital, where there were so many experts and top figures from all factions in the world gathered, so this whipping technique was not enough. Ma Sanbao was the number one expert in Prince Yan's palace, so Zhu Di asked him to give some advice to Hai Shou, and Ma Sanbao readily agreed.
Zhu Di had another meaning that he didn't say clearly. Hai Shou and Zhi En were indeed loyal to Lian Hua, but the two of them were either naive or naive. The master and servant were actually more naive than the other. With three people like this in the East Palace and the Imperial Palace, it would be too easy for someone to trap them and bury them in a trap. Ma Sanbao is such a smart person. He understood it when he looked at Zhu Di's eyes, and immediately decided to teach this North Korean servant Kungfu other than the whipping technique, and the Kungfu to survive in the inner courtyard of the palace.
Ma Sanbao asked with a smile: "Is there anything else missing here?"
Lianhua smiled: "No shortage. The princess is very thoughtful and has everything." Then she smiled and said: "On the contrary, there are many things I don't recognize." She pointed to an amphorae on the table: "The color of this vase is really good. It’s beautiful, what’s your name?”
Ma Sanbao picked it up and said with a smile: "This is blue and white porcelain, made in Jingdezhen. Before the Holy Emperor ascended the throne, he controlled Jingdezhen, fired a large number of porcelain, and the craftsmanship was constantly improved. In the thirty years of Hongwu, the daily utensils used by the imperial palace were basically They are all fired in Jingdezhen and transported to the capital. There are many varieties, including the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty, the privy porcelain, the red glaze and the green glaze. The blue and white porcelain has been greatly modified and tends to be lighter, leaving a lot of blank space, not as thick as the Yuan porcelain. "
While talking, he pointed it out to the lotus. If the lotus looked carefully, it was indeed white, thick and plump in color, elegant in color, soft and pleasing to the eye.
Ma Sanbao continued to explain: "Look at this dragon pattern. It is not as fierce as the dragon in Yuan Dynasty. It is a three-clawed dragon. The legs of the flowing clouds are thick and short, and the three flowing clouds in the center are arranged in a pin character. These are Hongwu improved over the years."
Ma Sanbao also deliberately turned the amphorae upside down. On the base were four straight seal scripts "Hongwu Year System", four characters in double vertical rows, written in blue and white, which were equally soft and round. Lotus couldn't help but marvel.
Ma Sanbao smiled and said: "Handicrafts, including embroidery, bamboo, wood, tooth, lacquer, gold, jade, copper, silver, Jingtai enamel, I have them all in the Ming Dynasty. But the really most exciting thing is porcelain." He took it from the side. A hand cup of the same color on the table said: "Blue and white, underglaze red and blue ground white flowers are all underglaze colors. The Holy Emperor liked it, and the whole court followed suit. It was really popular for a while."
Sure enough, during the Yongle and Xuande years, the development of blue and white porcelain reached its peak and became the mainstream of Chinese porcelain, which has been brilliant to this day.
A few people were chatting lively, and there were noisy footsteps outside. It was Xu Ying who sent someone to pass on the dinner. Today, King Yan returned from the expedition, and there were two distinguished guests, Princess Dai and Princess Yining. Xu Ying specially held a family banquet to welcome everyone. Everyone got up and walked to the hall together