In early summer in the south of the Yangtze River, the night breeze blows, stirring the leaves and flowers.
There were bright lights everywhere in the harem, and hurried footsteps came and went. Occasionally someone spoke in a lowered voice and was brief and clear. In all the busyness, I couldn't hide my deep sadness.
In the Qianqing Palace, before the imperial collapse, there were crowds of people, one after another.
The emperor's grandson was at the very back, kneeling in front of the couch with tears in his eyes. Mei Prince Consort, Qi Tai, Wei Guogong Cao Guogong and Chang Xinghou Huang Zicheng were waiting on the second floor, all looking at the emperor nervously. Wang Zhi and the eunuchs, including the imperial doctors and eunuchs, were waiting in the outer circle. Concubine Sun, Crown Princess Lu's Ningguo and other female family members stood behind the beaded curtain beside the collapse.
Everyone looked sad. Concubine Sun and others were crying uncontrollably, but they did not dare to speak out. They held the silk handkerchief and covered their mouths. The silk handkerchief was already soaked.
These people have been gathering around the couch for several days. Zhu Yuanzhang sometimes opened his eyes, but quickly closed them. Wang Zhi brought food, drink and decoction to ask, but the emperor shook his head slightly and continued to sleep.
Zhu Yunwen held the emperor's grandfather's right hand tightly, stared at his gray and thin face, and tried not to let tears fall.
As the eldest grandson, Zhu Yunwen has always been by Zhu Yuanzhang's side since he was a child. After the prince passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang took him with him every day and learned to care for him meticulously in life, personally attending to every detail. From the beginning, the government affairs in the court were handed over hand by hand, and he was slowly let go little by little. Later, Zhu Yunwen basically let him do it. It can be said that Zhu Yunwen was brought up by Zhu Yuanzhang himself.
Zhu Yunwen remembered that his father was like this, losing weight and losing his vitality day by day on the hospital bed. Thinking about the time I spent with my grandfather over the years, sometimes he was harsh, but more often he was kind, caring, and hopeful...
Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly opened his eyes. Zhu Yunwen hurriedly blinked to hold back tears, bent down and called softly: "Grandfather!"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head slightly, saw Zhu Yunwen, slowly showed a smile, and said in a low voice: "Good boy!" Zhu Yunwen couldn't bear it, and a big teardrop fell on the brocade quilt.
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his left hand as if he wanted to caress his head, but finally couldn't lift it up and fell slumped down.
Zhu Yunwen hurriedly took out a hand and gently touched his grandfather's rugged left hand. He called out again: "Grandfather!" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him with a smile and wanted to speak but couldn't.
Huang Taiyi handed the emperor's grandson a bowl of ginseng soup. Zhu Yunwen knew that it was for life, which meant that the emperor's grandfather was really dying. Zhu Yunwen stretched out his hand to take it, his hands shaking, tears dripping into the ginseng soup, making a splash of water.
Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath, held back tears, brought the ginseng soup to Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth, and carefully fed it with a spoon. Zhu Yuanzhang swallowed very slowly, and ginseng soup kept overflowing from his lips. Zhu Yunwen fed him little by little, and then wiped the corners of his mouth with a cotton handkerchief. His gestures were infinitely gentle, full of nostalgia and sadness.
The people behind him looked at him with concern.
Zhu Yuanzhang finished drinking the ginseng soup and closed his eyes again. With tears in his eyes, Zhu Yunwen held his two hands and rubbed them gently, wishing he could put his life into his grandfather's body.
Everyone watched silently. Hundreds of people in Qianqing Palace held their voices and held their breath, but there was no sound at all. Even the normally noisy crickets and frogs outside the temple were silent tonight.
I don't know how long it took, but Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly moved and slowly opened his eyes. Zhu Yunwen hurried forward to greet him, but the emperor did not look at him. He looked at the ministers behind him and his eyes fell on Mei Yin.
Mei Hu immediately took a step forward and shouted: "Father!" His voice was choked with sobs.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said slowly: "You have become loyal and trustworthy, and you can trust your young master." These few words were spoken for a long time, intermittently and in an extremely low voice.
Mei Yin burst into tears: "My child, I will fight to the death!" A gentleman promises to die. Mei Yin devoted the rest of his life to this sentence.
Zhu Yuanzhang slowly looked at the other ministers, moved his eyes one by one, and said in a low voice: "Assist your grandson well."
Qi Tai, Geng Bingwen, Xu Huizu, Li Jinglong, and Huang Zicheng all knelt down and said, "I will try my best!" Geng Bingwen, who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang for decades, was the first to hold back, and he burst into tears at some point.
These same people also gave their lives for this promise. Except for one.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked back at Zhu Yunwen and said, "I regret it so much." He took a breath and said, "You shouldn't have moved the Buddha's relics. Don't blame your grandfather." Zhu Yunwen raised his sleeves to wipe away the tears on his face, shook his head desperately, and was speechless.
Zhu Yuanzhang gasped and continued: "Yining is a good boy, don't embarrass her", and then continued with difficulty: "Remember, North Korea, good neighborliness." Zhu Yunwen was stunned for a moment, and everyone behind him was also extremely surprised. The emperor still remembered Li Cairen and North Korea at this time!
Zhu Yunwen's eyes were red and he nodded desperately.
Zhu Yuanzhang panted and continued: "Let her go to the pagoda, in front of the relics." After gathering some strength, he continued to say: "Recite sutras for me and repent. She is a disciple who has taken refuge..."
Zhu Yuanzhang said this, not only spared Lianhua's death penalty, but also rewarded her. According to the values at that time, it was honorable to honor one's master by guarding his grave or even being buried in the grave. The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and it is a supreme honor to recite sutras and repent as the emperor's substitute.
Zhu Yunwen burst into tears and just nodded desperately, unable to say anything.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him with a smile: "Good boy! Fourth child, fourth child..." He stopped here and seemed to be thinking. Zhu Yunwen didn't dare to rush and looked at his grandfather with red eyes. Tears flowed down my cheeks and into my neck, and I forgot to wipe them.
For a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't speak, just looked at him with a smile.
Mei Yin felt something was wrong, so she stepped forward and stretched out her hand to see that Zhu Yuanzhang was no longer breathing.
Zhu Yunwen reacted, hugged his grandfather, and shouted sadly: "Grandfather!"
****************
The cell in Zongren Mansion was extremely hot and stuffy. I could hear the wind blowing outside the window, which gradually became louder.
Sitting cross-legged on a lotus flower, he silently recited the sutra: "Subhuti! Is it conceivable that the four dimensions of space above, south, west, north, and below are inconceivable? No, World Honored One. Subhuti! The bodhisattva's merits of giving without abiding appearance are also so immeasurable. Subhuti! The bodhisattva should only answer." Live as taught. Subhuti! How can I see the Tathagata in person?"
I don't know why, but my heart can't calm down. Lianhua could hear the wind, the guards' voices and footsteps outside, and even her own heartbeat.
Lotus was a little uneasy. That year, I was sitting in meditation with my mother, and I was also very frightened. It turned out that it was about the time when the bad news about my father, brother and younger brother came.
Lotus raised her head and looked at the small window. The wind became stronger and stronger, shaking the window lattice.
Suddenly, the bell in the distant palace rang!
Lotus was shocked, jumped up and ran to the window to listen carefully.
one two three four. . . The bell rang, rang, twenty-seven times.
Twenty-seven strikes! This is the highest level bell, the emperor!
That kind and amiable imperial grandfather who loved himself like his own grandfather, who chanted sutras, meditated, and recited poems together, passed away
Lianhua's legs weakened and she fell to the ground, tears pouring out.
As if right before his eyes, he was reciting Yuefu poems, calling his granddaughter-in-law, looking at the Sanjue Fan with a smile, and promising to send an envoy to Japan, with admiration and care in his eyes. . All gone
After the bell, the sound of whips sounded in the distance again, from far to near, and from near to far. The eunuch danced his whip and shouted: "The emperor has passed away! The emperor has passed away!" The voice was clear and loud, with a cry sound. The whirring sound of the whip mixed with the wind seemed to be filled with sadness and grief.
Lotus couldn't bear it any longer, and burst into tears. She finally fell to the ground and cried bitterly.
On the tenth day of the fifth month in the thirty-first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, died of illness at the age of seventy-one. His temple name was Taizu, and he was known as "Ming Taizu" in history. His posthumous title is Emperor Gao. He was buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum on Purple Mountain on the 16th of the same month.
Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was born in a humble family. His family was poor since he was a child. He lacked food and clothing and had to work as a hired labor. He even served as a monk for several years. The Red Scarf Army uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty began to show its prominence. It fought for sixteen years, overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, established the Ming Dynasty, and unified the country.
Taizu's posthumous edict said: "I have been following my destiny for thirty years. I have been worried about dangers and worked hard every day to benefit the people. But I started from a humble background and have no knowledge like the ancients. I like good and evil, and I can't reach far. Now I have it. The natural principles of all things are all traces of mourning. The emperor's grandson Yunwen was benevolent and filial to his friends, and the world returned to his heart, so he should ascend to the great position. The civil and military officials at home and abroad work together to assist the government to reassure our people. No gold or jade should be used in funeral rituals. Xiaoling Mountains and Rivers For this reason, do not change it. All the subjects of the world will weep for three days, and then they will surrender and submit. There is no need to marry. When kings come to the country, they should not go to the capital. Those who are not in the order, please follow this order."
The general idea of this edict is that I, Zhu Yuanzhang, have worked hard for thirty-one years and worked hard for the people; when I pass the throne to the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen, everyone should help him; my funeral should be simple, and everyone can mourn for three days; each vassal The king guarded his fiefdom and did not come to the capital for funerals.
Everything else is fine. The last wish of not allowing the feudal lord to come to the capital for funerals caused an uproar at the time, and has been questioned by historians in later generations. Whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang's own wish or the ministers' caution is unknown.
The emperors in Chinese history, from the first Qin Shihuang to the last emperor Puyi, lasted 2132 years, and there were a total of two to three hundred emperors. Among these emperors, Ming Taizu said that the vast majority disagreed when it came to the first one; quite a few people agreed when it came to the top three; and no one objected when it came to the top five, right? Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty commented: "I think there is no wiser emperor in history than Hongwu"; Mao Zedong said: "Since ancient times, there is no one to the right of Li Shimin who can be a king, and the second best is Zhu Yuanzhang."
The Ming Empire established by Ming Taizu lasted for 276 years. There are only four unified dynasties in Chinese history that lasted more than 200 years: Han, Tang, Ming and Qing.
Before Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, turmoil began in the late Tang Dynasty. After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty stood side by side, and the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty confronted each other. This was a period of division that lasted for more than 400 years with constant wars. Although the Mongols unified the country and ruled for ninety-eight years, at that time, they were considered to be ruled by foreigners. The people of the Central Plains have always disapproved of it. (Just like the Qing Dynasty, because the Manchus were in power, there were quite a lot of Han resistance from the beginning to the end.)
Taizu of the Ming Dynasty restored China, abolished the racial hierarchy established by the Mongols, and unified the country.
After Ming Taizu ascended the throne, he reigned for thirty-one years and standardized laws and regulations to develop national strength. Various political systems have been improved to make centralization more centralized and strengthened; various measures have been taken to develop the economy, such as rewarding reclamation, equalizing taxes and servitude, building water conservancy projects, and light taxes to facilitate business. The political economy of the early Ming Dynasty began to take shape, laying the foundation for the subsequent Yongle era.
Therefore, Ming Taizu's achievements can be summed up as "expelling the Tartars, restoring China, establishing principles and discipline, and relieving the people." This may look familiar to you. Yes, Sun Yat-sen borrowed the first eight characters to make the slogan of the Revive China Association, and developed these sixteen characters into the national people's livelihood principle among the Three People's Principles. This passage actually comes from "Records of Ming Taizu", and it talks about the greatest contribution of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's life.
However, the reason why the Ming Dynasty declined and finally perished was also because of Ming Taizu. The enfeoffment of vassal kings in the third year of Hongwu laid the foundation for the Ming Empire. why
When Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty enfeoffed the land, there were a total of forty-nine princes and princes. The prince's heir apparent ascends to the title of nobility, and the other sons are all county princes. The other sons of the county king were granted the title of General Zhenguo, the other sons of General Zhenguo were granted the title of General Fuguo, the sons of General Fuguo were granted the title of General Fengguo, and the sons of General Fengguo were granted the title of Lieutenant of Zhenguo. . As it is passed down from generation to generation, it increases geometrically.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, it was close to 30,000. Yes, there are thirty thousand princes, and the total number of grandmasters has reached hundreds of thousands. The only annual requirement was lumi, which later even exceeded the national output. For example, during the Jiajing period, the grain supplied to the capital was 4 million dan, but each royal palace required 8 million dan; not to mention other royal gifts and other expenses. By the time of the last Emperor Chongzhen, the national finances had been unable to make ends meet for many years. The main reason was that they could not afford such princes.
Therefore, the emperors in the early Ming Dynasty were worried about the rebellion of the feudal kings; the emperors after the middle Ming Dynasty were worried about how to feed these people.
This vassal system lasted for 276 years during the Ming Dynasty. Although it was proposed to be reformed several times, such as the "Regulations on Zong and Fan" promulgated during the Jiajing period, because the system was established by Taizu, no one dared to reform it. Move its follower. The Ming Empire watched helplessly as each generation became weaker and weaker, while vassal kings from all over the country rushed to occupy fields and dig corners of the country. Finally, in the late Ming Dynasty, peasant uprisings occurred one after another, leading to the demise of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Taizu knew something secretly, so he probably regretted it a bit, right
When Taizu passed away, the imperial court issued an imperial edict and spread it to the world. It spread throughout Yingtian Mansion and all over the Ming Dynasty.