At the southern foot of Zijin Mountain in Yingtian Prefecture, there is an Dongling Tomb. The former crown prince Zhu Biao died of illness in the 25th year of Hongwu and was buried here. His posthumous name was "Yiwen".
Zhu Biao is an almost perfect figure in all historical records. Historical records indicate that he is "gentle, gentle, kind, benevolent and diligent, and his filial piety and kindness come from his true nature." Not only was he extremely filial to his father, the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, but he also tried his best to help his master Song Lian who committed the crime and his younger brother Qin Wang Zhu Feng and Zhou Wang Zhu Ji. He saved many lives at the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang.
This day was Zhu Biao's birthday. Crown Princess Lu took her son Zhu Yunwen, daughter-in-law Ma Shuyi and three younger sons Yunxi, Yunxian and Yunchou to the Dongling Tomb to offer sacrifices.
Zhu Biao's first wife was Chang, the daughter of Chang Yuchun, the founding hero of Kaiping. Unfortunately, she died early, and her eldest son Zhu Xiongying also died at the age of eight. Lu was the daughter of Lu Ben, minister of Taichang Temple, so she was straightened up and made the crown princess. Therefore, although Zhu Yunwen was born from the Lu family, he has always been regarded as Zhu Biao's eldest son.
The weather was very cold and the wind was biting, which stung my face quite a bit. The sky was overcast, with dark clouds hanging low overhead. Lu went out and couldn't help but sigh when she saw the weather. God knows people's hearts, and when I think of my husband's untimely death, I feel sad again. Lu is only thirty-six years old this year, but she has been a widow for five years. She wears plain clothes and a plain face, but her face always carries a look of sadness unconsciously. There are obvious wrinkles on her forehead and corners of her mouth, and her movements are slow. She is listless in everything and cannot hide her depression.
As soon as the group of carriages and horses arrived at the foothills of Zijin Mountain, they saw Abbot Hongyuan of Linggu Temple leading a group of monks waiting by the roadside. The East Palace did not inform Hongyuan to go to the mountain to offer sacrifices today, but Hongyuan remembered Zhu Biao's birthday. Being here in the cold weather, Mrs. Lu couldn't help but feel moved.
Hong Yuan led the monks to salute from afar: "I've seen the Crown Princess! I've seen the Grand Sun! I've met the Grand Concubine!" The warm greetings added a bit of warmth to the cold winter day. Everyone also returned the greetings and asked questions, and the mountain road became lively for a while.
From the foot of the mountain to the Ming Dong Tomb, it was only a short mountain road, and everyone arrived in front of the mausoleum soon. Mrs. Lu took Ma Shuyi and Zhu Yunwen took her three younger brothers to worship and offer incense and tribute. Mrs. Lu couldn't help but cry bitterly again. While Ma Shuyi comforted her, she couldn't help but shed tears herself. Zhu Biao was still there when Ma Shuyi came in, and she respected and loved this kind father-in-law. After Zhu Biao passed away, Ms. Lu was often sad and shed tears. Ma Shuyi was always by her side. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had the same affection as mother and daughter.
Hongyuan led the monks from Linggu Temple to sit on the ground beside the mausoleum, chanting sutras with lowered eyes, and his deep voice was full of compassion. Mrs. Lu slowly calmed down as she listened. Zhu Yunwen and his three younger brothers also stepped forward to support their mother and comfort her softly.
It was almost noon when it ended. Zhu Yunwen was worried about the official business in the palace, so he went down the mountain with his entourage. Hongyuan invited Lu to serve tea at Linggu Temple. Seeing that it was hard to refuse the invitation, Lu took Ma Shuyi and her three young sons to Linggu Temple. They are both at the foothills of Zijin Mountain, so they are very close to each other.
A few people sat down in the abbot's clean room. Lu didn't care as she had been here several times, but Ma Shuyi was here for the first time and couldn't help but look around.
Hongyuan's abbot's room was very large. It was originally planned to be divided into three rooms, inside and outside. However, Hongyuan liked to be spacious, so it was simply left open. There is an embroidered Buddha statue at the front door, which is extremely delicate and lifelike. Under the statue there is a satin futon and a wooden fish. When you look closely, the wooden fish is made of sandalwood. There is a row of tall bookshelves along the west wall, filled with scriptures, and there are several rosewood armchairs with green satin cushions on the east side. There are high tables on both sides of the chair. There are various kinds of vases with fresh flowers on them, and the copper tripod is filled with sweet fragrance. Ma Shuyi secretly thought that it might be more exquisite than her own house.
Hongyuan ordered to serve tea, which was the Lu'an tribute tea that was only served this year. The young novice served it in a hand-pressed cup from Ru kiln.
Mrs. Lu didn't realize it, but she was really thirsty after being tired for half a day, so she drank tea. Then he asked casually: "How is everything in the abbot's temple?" Mrs. Lu was just asking politely, not wanting Hongyuan to remain silent for a long time. Mrs. Lu was a little surprised, but when she looked over, she saw Hongyuan lowered his head, with a troubled look on his face.
Lu said quickly: "If the abbot has anything to say, you might as well say it directly."
Hongyuan hesitated for a while, then raised his head and said slowly: "Logically, we shouldn't talk to the Crown Princess about this matter, especially since today is the birthday of the former Crown Prince. It is rare to invite the Crown Princess and the Grand Concubine to the temple. As distinguished guests, We should just have tea and talk."
Lu was embarrassed by his politeness and a little curious, so she hurriedly said: "Why be so polite? The abbot has been the Holy Father's friend since he was a child, and the prince also fell in love with the abbot when he was a child. Being so polite is inconsiderate."
Hongyuan sighed: "Yes, I have been following the Holy Master since Huangjue Temple. It has been more than fifty years. The Holy Master was nostalgic and placed me in Linggu Temple. Firstly, Buddhism will protect me boundlessly and the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous. Secondly, People from my hometown in Zhongdu look at me with dignity."
Mrs. Lu saw that there was something in his words, so she listened patiently. Ma Shuyi also sat still and listened quietly.
Hongyuan continued: "With the grace of the Holy One, there are now more than 1,100 monks in Linggu Temple. This is also a good reward for the promotion of Buddhism in our Ming Dynasty. They chant sutras and perform deeds every day to bless our Ming Dynasty and protect our people. It is true." Infinite merit."
Lu smiled and said: "Linggu Temple has strong incense and is praised by the people. It is really the abbot's credit."
Hongyuan sighed again: "I don't deserve the credit. I just hope that I will make no mistakes, live these few years without disaster, and die with the saint when I can. It's a pity that this little wish can't be achieved." As he said, With a troubled expression on his face, he finally said: "The emperor's grandson felt that there were too many fields in the temple, so he sent a memorial asking me to pay taxes."
Lu said in surprise: "Is there such a thing? Where did the abbot hear about it?" Ma Shuyi also looked at Hongyuan in surprise.
Hongyuan said: "If it's just a small amount of tax, His Highness's idea is to set the tax exemption at five acres per monk. That is, my Linggu Temple only has 5,500 acres that can be exempted from tax, and the remaining 25,000 acres Everyone has to pay taxes according to the system. This is really too harsh and cannot be done!"
Hongyuan casually pointed at a young monk holding a tea tray: "Prince Concubine, do you recognize it? This is the fourth son of Zhu Laoshi's family in the village. He came all the way to seek refuge with the Holy Father and his old monk. He was assigned a job in the temple. We have a few acres of land, working diligently, hoping to earn a living. If His Highness does this, these people will have to go back to their hometowns, so why not farm at home?"
Hongyuan continued: "I am getting old, and I have only a few years to live. This trouble in the world has nothing to do with me, but if Your Highness really does this, I am afraid it will be difficult to see your relatives back home in Zhongdu, and it will be even harder to see the Buddha and Bodhisattvas!" After a pause, he then said: "When the late prince was alive, he treated the people like a son, was merciful and kind, and took good care of me and the monks in the temple. But why did he die? God is jealous of the talented people!"
Mrs. Lu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She couldn't help crying when she heard this. Ma Shuyi quickly stepped forward to comfort her. Mrs. Lu slowly stopped her tears, looked at Hongyuan and said decisively: "Abbott, don't worry. Yunwen is not an ignorant child. Some of the ministers must have instigated this matter. Yunwen probably didn't care. When the Yi family goes back, they will talk to Yunwen Say, abbot, don’t worry.”
Hongyuan stood up quickly, clasped his hands and said respectfully: "I would like to thank the Crown Princess for all the monks in the temple. The Crown Princess is so kind, and the Bodhisattva will definitely bless the Crown Princess with happiness, happiness, longevity and health." Then he looked at Ma Shuyi and said, "Bless the Crown Princess too. Concubine Sun, may you be blessed with good luck and good health and have a precious son."
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Zhu Yunwen and Huang Zicheng were in the Provincial Hall of the Palace, listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions on what changes and announcements should be made in the memorial to be noted. They were busy until dark, and finally finished it.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat up straight, stretched out his arms and sighed: "I'm really old. I'm tired after seeing such little trouble." Zhu Yunwen quickly stepped forward and gave Zhu Yuanzhang a pat on his back. Wang Zhi brought some snacks, and Zhu Yuanzhang took a piece of jujube cake to eat, and motioned to Zhu Yunwen and Huang Zicheng to eat some too.
Zhu Yunwen casually took a plum blossom cake and ate it slowly, while Huang Zicheng next to him kept winking. Zhu Yunwen saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was already drinking tea, and asked softly: "Your Majesty, what do you think of the taxation of the temple's land that your grandson reported the day before yesterday?"
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and sighed for a while: "Yunwen, you want to limit the tax-free land of the temple to no more than five acres per monk. Have you ever thought about how much impact this will have on the temples of our dynasty? I don't think that my great dynasty actually wants to Do you want to compete with the Bodhisattva for profit? Even if I go with your proposal, how many more taxes can I get? This matter is inappropriate and there is no need to mention it again."
It turns out that the ministers in the DPRK and the Central Government were all talking about the vast area of the temples and the fact that they did not pay taxes. Especially the Ministry of Revenue knew the actual tax situation and had been dissatisfied for a long time. So the day before yesterday, Huang Zicheng and several ministers, together with Zhu Yunwen, submitted a memorial, proposing to limit the tax-free land in temples to no more than five acres per monk. Who knew that the emperor would not even discuss it but vetoed it outright.
Huang Zicheng was not afraid of death. He put down the plum blossom cake in his hand and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty! Now the three major monasteries in the capital alone have nearly 100,000 acres of land. It's not just a few taxes! The average monk in Linggu Temple is more than 300,000 acres." Ten acres of land! The people are not convinced!"
The wrinkles on Zhu Yuanzhang's forehead wrinkled together, and the sharp edge in his eyes flashed, and he said solemnly: "Are the people dissatisfied or are you, Master Huang? Linggu Temple prays for blessings and blessings for my Ming Dynasty, and protects my Ming Dynasty. How can a little tax compare? Of? Don’t mention it again!”
Zhu Yuanzhang remembered that he and Hongyuan had been together since they became monks at Huangjue Temple. Their friendship for most of their lives, how could they take action against Linggu Temple
These words were quite serious. Huang Zicheng knelt down and said, "Please think twice, please!" Zhu Yuanzhang was about to get angry when he was extremely angry. Zhu Yunwen, who was gentle by nature, quickly advised: "Let's discuss it next time."
At this time, she heard the door curtain ringing. Princess Ning Guo leaned half of her body and smiled at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, are you done with your work? My daughter has waited until now and is starving to death!"
Zhu Yuanzhang always cherished his daughter the most, and he just didn't want to continue talking about raising taxes on the temple. He smiled and waved: "It's over. Come in, and we, the gentlemen, will eat here."
After Princess Ningguo heard this, Shanshan walked into the palace, and Huang Zicheng had to leave in a hurry. Zhu Yuanzhang took Princess Zhu Yunwen of Ning State with him, and the three of them had dinner in the provincial palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang had many concubines in his harem, otherwise he would not have so many children. However, he was very strict in controlling the harem. He once said: "To rule the world, the right family comes first. The way to run the family begins with the Jin couple. Although the concubine is a mother to the world, she cannot interfere with political affairs. As for the concubines, It's just a matter of preparing for the duties and serving the people. If you are favored too much, you will be arrogant and unruly, and the order will be disordered. In the palaces of the past dynasties, government came from the inside, and it was rare that it did not cause disaster. Only the Lord of Ming can detect it before it happens, so there are many confusions." . This means that the concubine just folds the quilt and puts out the bath water. Everything outside is a man's business and women cannot interfere with it.
In line with this machismo idea, Zhu Yuanzhang also made it clear: "The queen's dignity can only deal with the affairs of the concubines in the palace, that is, outside the palace gate, nothing can happen without warning." Therefore, Empress Ma was helpless when the prince's teacher Song Lian was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case and was about to be beheaded. In the end, he could only pretend to be ill and look for the prince. The heroic appearance of helping Zhu Yuanzhang conquer the world when he was young was gone.
After Empress Ma left fifteen years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang simply stopped establishing a queen. In the harem, Concubine Sun performed the duties of the queen, and Concubine Guo Hui assisted. The dozens of concubines were all honest. On the contrary, Princess Ningguo had been favored and arrogant since she was a child. She had many supporters in the palace. The married princess was the most powerful in the entire Ming Dynasty harem, and she could be regarded as one of the wonders of Hongwu.
The three generations were eating together. Princess Ningguo knew the emperor's taboos and did not ask about court affairs. She only told some anecdotes about her children and grandchildren, which made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh all the time.
Princess Ningguo smiled and asked Zhu Yunwen: "Is the grandson pregnant again?"
Zhu Yunwen blushed, lowered his head and said softly: "Yes, next spring."
Zhu Yuanzhang had known about this for a long time, but he always believed that having more children would bring blessings, so he was still very happy to hear this: "That's right. Wen Kui is too lonely now."
Princess Ningguo smiled and said: "There are too few people in the East Palace. In the past few years, my eldest brother Xiaozhong couldn't do anything. Why don't my father help Yunwen get more concubines now?"
Zhu Yunwen's face turned red again. Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was thoughtful and seemed to be really thinking about it, he quickly said: "Thank you, Auntie Huang, but no, I really don't."
Princess Ning Guo teased him: "How old are you, are you still shy about this? Which prince and grandson doesn't have three wives and four concubines, let alone your grandson. Shuyi will not be unhappy."
Zhu Yun murmured: "I know, but there's no need." His tone was unusually firm.
Princess Ning Guo looked at him carefully: "Oh, I see, you are waiting for that North Korean princess. Aren't you?" She clapped her hands and said with a smile, "It's still a few months away! And she might be rude and arrogant. ?”
Zhu Yunwen blushed so much: "No."
Princess Ning Guo said in surprise: "What can't be done? How do you know?" Zhu Yuanzhang also looked at his grandson with interest.
Zhu Yunwen kept silent and said after a long time: "I don't know, I just think she should be a very, very good person."
Princess Ning Guo wanted to continue making fun of her, but she couldn't help but stop when she saw Zhu Yunwen's serious expression.
Zhu Yunwen raised his head, looked at Princess Ningguo and said, "Anyway, I'm waiting for her. Please stop joking, and there's no need to add anyone to the harem in the East Palace."
At that moment, Princess Ningguo felt for the first time that her nephew had grown up and that the emperor's majesty was extraordinary, so she couldn't help but said: "Yes."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled secretly. After more than ten years of hard work, he finally trained a successor.