It is already quite a bit hot in Peiping during the leap month of May. The night breeze blew gently and was cool and pleasant. Frogs croaked from the pond, and crickets chirped in the grass.
Zhu Di set up a couch and leaned in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air, looking up at the stars.
I couldn't help but recall the dome-like night sky in the desert, which was deep and high, and the stars seemed brighter than in the city of Beiping. And her eyes, as clear as the night sky, but brighter than the stars in the sky
She walked together under the night sky in a desperate situation without horses or water. She followed behind on a pony among the solemn army, with a big helmet dangling on her head. As long as you turn your head and see her eyes, even in the light of swords and arrows, they are so sweet and joyful, and the stars seem to blink in the firelight.
Zhu Di sighed softly, feeling sad in his heart.
News from the palace revealed that Li Cairen was so favored by the emperor that he went to the palace almost every day to accompany the emperor in chanting sutras and meditating. He often had lunch and even dinner with the emperor in the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Di was naturally happy for Lianhua, but he couldn't help but think of her and the emperor's grandson standing side by side. Yes, these two are a match made in heaven.
Zhu Di closed his eyes, feeling crazy with jealousy; along with the jealousy, he also felt crazy about lovesickness.
Suddenly, Ma Sanbao shouted loudly from outside: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" while running over. Ma Sanbao has always been able to keep his composure, so running so fast must be something big. Zhu Di was startled and sat up straight.
Ma Sanbao was in front of him in an instant and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty! News from the palace! Your Majesty, your Majesty has passed away!"
Zhu Di was stunned: "When?"
Ma Sanbao said quickly: "It was the tenth day of the fifth lunar month a few days ago."
After the Qingming Festival, news came that the emperor was ill. They only said it was due to wind and cold. I didn't expect it to be so serious and so fast. Zhu Di couldn't help but shed tears in his eyes and shouted: "Father!" and fell down on the couch.
Ma Sanbao waited quietly, with tears in his eyes.
Zhu Di quickly calmed down: "Is there any posthumous edict?"
Ma Sanbao quickly replied: "The imperial edict from the imperial court has not yet arrived in Peiping. The news in the palace says that there is a posthumous edict to pass on the throne to the emperor's grandson." He looked at Zhu Di and then said: "It is said that the edict also said, 'When the kings come to the country, they will not be killed.'" When you arrive in the capital, you are not allowed to attend funerals."
There was no suspense about Zhu Yunwen's succession, but Zhu Di did not react. But when Ma Sanbao heard what he said, he couldn't help but widen his eyes angrily and shouted: "I don't believe it! If I die, my son is not allowed to go to the funeral?" He stood up and ordered: "Call a hundred soldiers and set off immediately. Capital!" He said and strode back to his room to change clothes.
Ma Sanbao didn't say much and hurried out to prepare.
Zhu Di changed into plain clothes and strode to the gate of the palace. Ma Sanbao and his soldiers were already waiting at the door of the mansion, but they saw Xu Ying rushing out with her sons.
Xu Ying ran to Zhu Di and shouted with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty! Father, he..."
Zhu Di glanced at her, feeling unbearably sad. With tears in his eyes, he said briefly: "My father has passed away. I am going to the capital to attend the funeral. You stay at home."
Xu Ying advised: "The imperial edict said that the kings are not allowed to enter the capital. The prince cannot go. If we go like this, we will not be able to get out of Peiping."
Zhu Gaoxu interjected angrily from the side: "Who dares to stop my father? My father is going to the capital for funeral, why not?"
Xu Ying glared at her second son and said to Zhu Di: "Your Majesty, think twice. You cannot resist the decree."
Zhu Di stared at Xu Ying: "I must go. Unless my father is standing in front of me now and tells me that he doesn't want me to go!"
Xu Ying looked at Zhu Di and knew that he had made up his mind. He hesitated for a moment and said resolutely: "Okay! Go ahead! I am at home, don't worry!"
Zhu Di nodded, saw that the green horse was ready, hurriedly got on the horse, and said briefly: "I'm leaving, you take good care of the house!" He turned the horse's head and left. Ma Sanbao led a team of soldiers to chase him.
Zhu Di's team galloped and arrived at the gate of Peiping in a short time. The city gate was closed. Seeing that it was King Yan, the guards guarding the city hurriedly came to greet him.
Zhu Di did not dismount and simply said: "Open the city gate!"
The guard greeted him with a smile, but did not dare to speak to King Yan. He smiled at Ma Sanbao and said, "May I ask Master Ma, why is the prince out of the city? Can you show me the imperial edict?"
This was the year of Hongwu, and the vassal king had great power. It was stipulated that if the people within the territory dared to violate the vassal king, the prince would deal with it, and local officials and magistrates were not allowed to ask questions. The aforementioned king dared to serve the army and the people well because he had the power of life and death over them. At this time, when the guard saw King Yan's order to open the door, he did not dare to offend King Yan, but he had to ask questions clearly because of his duty.
Ma Sanbao smiled slightly and said: "What imperial edict do you want? The emperor has passed away. King Yan has gone to the capital for funeral. Open the city gate quickly!"
Seeing the guard's hesitation, Ma Sanbao said coldly: "The prince traveled all night and wasted time, can you afford it?" His face was cold, and there was a chill.
The vassal king was not allowed to leave the fiefdom without authorization, but he could leave the fiefdom and enter the capital to fulfill imperial edicts, make pilgrimages, and participate in royal ceremonies. You can also follow the authority when there is military situation in wartime. King Yan had been on an expedition to the north for several years and often went in and out of Peiping. He did not particularly take this rule seriously. The most important thing is that the imperial edict from the imperial court has not yet arrived in Peiping. The guards could not figure out the situation. Seeing that King Yan was indeed in plain clothes, they did not dare to say anything and opened the city gate.
King Yan's team rushed out of the city in an instant and rushed straight to Yingtian Mansion.
From Peiping to Yingtianfu, all the way through Hebei and Shandong, and then through Pei County, Xuzhou, Suzhou and Huai'an. King Yan and his entourage stayed awake, only taking a short rest when the green horse could no longer run, but they continued non-stop all the way. Ma Sanbao would intimidate and coax him at every checkpoint. Each checkpoint had not yet received an official edict from the imperial court. He was stunned when he heard that the emperor had passed away. He was actually frightened by Ma Sanbao, pretending to be a tiger, and allowed everyone to pass. King Yan crossed the border all the way and arrived in Chuzhou successfully after eleven days of running.
King Yan led his troops and entered the city directly from the north gate of Chuzhou and passed through Chuzhou City. Prepare to leave the city from the south gate, and you can cross the river not far away.
A group of people rushed to the south city gate, but saw an old general crossing his horse in front of the city gate, blocking everyone's way.
It turned out that Xie Gui was in the Yamen and was shocked when he received a report from Beimen that King Yan had entered Chuzhou. Chuzhou was directly under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Mansion. At this time, Xie Gui had already received a notice from the court that "all kings are visiting the country and not coming to the capital." He knew that the court did not allow the vassal kings to attend funerals. It would be a serious crime for King Yan to leave Peiping without permission. At that moment, they hurried to the south gate and had no time to order the troops. There were about four to five hundred troops stationed in the Yamen, and they all took them with them. The troops blocked the entrance to the south gate of Chuzhou.
When King Yan saw Xie Gui's formation, he reined in his horse and stopped. Ma Sanbao stepped forward and clasped his fists and said: "My King Yan was shocked to hear that His Majesty passed away and was eager to go to Beijing for the funeral. What is the name of this old general? Please give way, so as not to delay King Yan's funeral."
Xie Gui returned the salute with clasped fists: "I am Xie Gui, the general of Guangwei, stationed in Chuzhou. Didn't you see the court report from the Ministry of Rites? The Holy Emperor decreed that "all kings should not come to the capital when they are in the country", and the vassal kings are not allowed to enter the capital. If you still ask, please go back. Let's go." As he said this, he handed over the imperial newspaper in his hand, but he did not pay homage to King Yan, nor did he dismount, nor did he give way.
Ma Sanbao took the court newspaper and turned around to present it to Zhu Di.
Zhu Di snorted, remembering that this Xie Gui was a veteran general before the founding of the People's Republic of China and a daughter of a famous family, whom he had vaguely seen. At that moment, he did not accept the court report. He looked at Xie Gui and said coldly: "Old General, please worry. But this is a family matter of my Zhu family. Is there any reason not to allow my son to attend the funeral? This king is the right Zongzheng of the clan, so he should gather together. Clan, let’s discuss this matter again. I’m just going to attend the funeral. Even if my father is here, I will never refuse and ask the general to make way.”
With Zhu Di's majesty as King Yan, he has reached the limit of his patience by having such a good talk with a third-grade general.
Xie Gui was unmoved, and then he cupped his fists and saluted Zhu Di: "Forgive me, King Yan! The general is stationed in Chuzhou under the orders of the imperial court and does not dare to do anything rashly. The prince leaves Peiping without the order of the imperial court, and the general has no control over it; but from The general's station has passed, but the general has to fulfill his duties faithfully, which offends the prince."
Zhu Di looked livid and asked coldly: "How do you want to give way?"
Xie Gui bowed and clasped his fists: "The final general will only obey the imperial court's orders."
Zhu Di snorted and glanced at Ma Sanbao.
Ma Sanbao swayed, and somehow he had already moved his horse in front of Xie Gui's horse. The light of his sword flashed, and a sharp waist knife was already placed on Xie Gui's neck. Even though Xie Gui was a general and had led troops in hundreds of battles for decades, he was unable to resist.
Zhu Di said coldly: "If you violate this king, I will kill you. Make way!"
Xie Gui had the knife on his neck at this time and knew that what Zhu Di said was true. King Yan was the head of the kings at this time, and the new emperor Zhu Yunwen was also his nephew. Even if King Yan killed him, he would only get a few words of blame at most, so what else could he do
However, Xie Gui had been stationed in Chuzhou for many years and was loyal to his duties, but he refused to surrender at the cost of his life. Immediately he shouted: "All officers and soldiers listen to the order! Guard the city gate! Anyone who attempts to break in will be killed without mercy!"
Hundreds of sergeants behind Xie Gui were panicked when they saw their commander being kidnapped. But when they heard General Xie Gui's order, they all responded in unison: "Obey the order!" They unsheathed their swords and looked angrily at King Yan and his entourage.
Ma Sanbao tightened the knife in his hand, causing Xie Gui's neck to bleed. Ma Sanbao raised his left hand, and the one hundred soldiers of King Yan's team also showed their weapons.
Both hair and brows were facing each other angrily, filled with murderous intent. Although the number of King Yan's personal soldiers was small, they were all skilled in fighting. Ma Sanbao estimated that the Chuzhou garrison numbered several hundred, not to mention.
However, Xie Gui's words were very powerful and he directly denounced "treason". As mentioned earlier, local officials can only arrest the vassal king if he commits this crime. Although Zhu Di was tough, killing the imperial generals and then fighting the imperial garrison was nothing more than "treason", and he couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. The green horse's hooves tapped lightly, seeming to remind King Yan.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves sounded on the official road, and as they got closer and closer, someone immediately shouted: "Stop! Don't use force! The Holy Apostle is here!" A dozen horses ran straight from the official road to the city gate.
It turned out that after the guards of Beiping City opened the door and let King Yan go, they quickly reported to Huan Ren, the commander of the capital of Beiping. Huan Ren was shocked when he heard that King Yan had gone to Beijing for a funeral. At this time, the imperial edict had not arrived and he could not figure out the situation. Huan Ren hurried 800 miles away to report to the court: King Yan had left Peiping, saying that he was going to the capital. Go to funeral. Although the eight hundred miles of urgent documents set off later than King Yan, they changed horses and people along the way and arrived at the capital's military headquarters early this morning. The Minister of War was already Qi Tai. Qi Tai did not dare to delay and hurriedly reported to the new emperor.
On the day of Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the ministers announced the death of the emperor; at the same time, Zhu Yunwen, who was still in tears, went to Fengtian Hall to accept the worship of hundreds of officials. Although the formal enthronement ceremony has not yet been held, "a country cannot live without a king for a day", so Zhu Yunwen naturally became the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty and ruled the world.
On this day, I received an urgent report from the Ministry of War. Because Emperor Daxing's edict clearly stated that "when kings are in the country, they shall not go to the capital." Zhu Yunwen had always obeyed Zhu Yuanzhang and without hesitation issued an imperial edict to let King Yan return to Peiping. Knowing that King Yan went to the funeral out of filial piety, he did not blame him for leaving the fiefdom without permission. Qi Tai was more thoughtful and suggested that Zhu Yunwen send the consort Mei Yin to announce the decree. Zhu Yunwen had just succeeded to the throne and had no time to think about it, so he casually sent Mei Yin.
Mei Yin calculated that King Yan was probably on the way, and planned to go north along the official road and intercept him halfway. As soon as I crossed the river and approached the south gate of Chuzhou, I saw two groups of soldiers confronting each other at the city gate from a distance on the official road. The tall figure standing opposite the defenders was none other than Zhu Di.
"So fast!" Mei Yin took a breath and ran straight ahead. When they arrived at the South City Gate, they saw Ma Sanbao's sword on Xie Gui's neck. The two sides were at war and a battle was imminent. He couldn't help being frightened. He raised the imperial edict in his hand and shouted: "King Yan listens to the edict!"
Zhu Di did not dare to neglect and hurriedly dismounted his horse and fell to the ground to receive the order.
The sergeants from both sides knelt down at the same time. They didn't see Ma Sanbao's movements and were already kneeling behind Zhu Di. Xie Gui knelt on the ground, blood dripping from his neck.
"Emperor Bongtian Chengyun issued an edict saying: Taizu's edict has ordered the kings not to come to the capital, and the kings are not allowed to attend the funeral. King Yan left the fiefdom without permission, and did not comply with the ancestral precepts, so he returned to Peiping immediately. Here!" The edict was brief and explained what it was. Taizu's imperial edict prohibited him from attending the funeral and ordered King Yan to go back, but he was not held accountable for leaving Peiping without permission.
Zhu Di knelt on the ground, heartbroken. Father is dead! died! Every time I thought about this in the past eleven days, I felt unbelievable. The green horse galloped as fast as possible to alleviate my grief. I kept running for eleven days, just hoping to see my father again and give him a final ride.
Zhu Di raised his head, looked at Mei Yin, and said a few words: "Why?"
When Princess Hongwu of Ning State married Mei Yin in the eleventh year, Zhu Di had not yet left the feudal vassal, and she often saw her brother-in-law in Yingtian Mansion. Knowing that his father liked this son-in-law and praised him as "proficient in classics and history, worthy of being a Confucian", he did not expect that Mei Yin was not only excellent in literary skills, but also good in martial arts. The two often competed with each other on bow and horse, and they had a good relationship.
Mei Yin couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when she saw Zhu Di's eyes filled with tears and his eyes filled with sadness and anger. But what can the holy purpose do to this? Wen Yan advised: "Fourth brother, take the order."
With tears in his eyes, Zhu Di said loudly: "I don't believe that my father will see me! Prince Consort Mei, who is present for my father's edict?" There was doubt in his words.
Mei Yin was stunned. How could he talk nonsense about such a big matter? Su Rong immediately replied: "Mei Yin is not talented, and he is also one of the ministers who care about life. Taizu has been infected with wind and cold since Qingming Festival in Zhongdu. After returning to Yingtian Mansion, he has been in poor health and has been recuperating in Qianqing Palace." Mei Yin stared at it. Looking at Zhu Di, his eyes never blinked: "For more than fifty days, the emperor's grandson and all the ministers who have taken care of life have been waiting in front of the late emperor's bed. The imperial edict was not issued in a hurry. How can King Yan have any doubts?"
Mei Yin's words were soft yet strong, and by the end, her tone was quite stern. Mei Yin, as the consort of the imperial court and a minister of the late emperor Tuogu, naturally tried his best to protect the imperial court. King Yan's words were quite suspicious, and it would be a crime of great disrespect to pursue them strictly.
Here is the fact, Zhu Di lay on the ground, lowered his head and pondered silently.
Mei Yin did not rush him, but waited patiently and quietly with the imperial edict in hand. The soldiers of Prince Yan's Mansion and the garrison troops of Chuzhou also looked at Prince Yan together. There were hundreds of people at the huge south gate of Chuzhou, silent.
I don’t know how long it took, but Zhu Di said in a low voice one word at a time: "I obey the order!"
Mei Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, leaned over to help Zhu Di, and said warmly: "Fourth brother, please go back to Peiping first. Anyway, I will come to the capital again in the future, and then I will go to pay homage to Taizu." After a pause, he said: "Fourth brother Probably because he missed the imperial edict, Taizu ordered the crown prince to go to the capital to observe filial piety, and the other princes depended on their own wishes."
Zhu Di seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the city gate, looking in the direction of Yingtian Mansion in the south, and looking at where his father was.
Father, will I never see you again? Never see you again
Since the thirteenth year of Hongwu's reign, he has been away from the capital, spending less time with his father and more time away from him. Only during the Hajj, when the queen mother and the prince were sick, did they return to their father for a while. However, even if he doesn't meet, his father often comes to care for him. Isn't it because I risked my life to fight in the northern expedition because I imagined that I had won the battle and my father was stroking his beard in approval? That motivates me more than anything else.
But, they are all gone! Never seen again! Even this last journey cannot be sent.
Zhu Di stood blankly, tears pouring from his eyes.
Ma Sanbao stepped up to Zhu Di and called softly: "Your Majesty!"
Zhu Di ignored him and just looked south.
After a long, long time, Zhu Di knelt down in the dust and shouted hoarsely: "Father!" The mournful roar shook the sky, resounded throughout Chuzhou City, and drifted towards the official road to the capital. Ma Sanbao and the soldiers all knelt behind Zhu Di and burst into tears.
After traveling for eleven days, he finally failed to enter the capital. Will you come again in the future
Note: There have always been different opinions on the history of King Yan's funeral. In fact, the entire history involving Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen in the early Ming Dynasty is difficult to restore the truth at that time. Because after Zhu Di, the emperor of Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne, in order to prove the legitimacy of his throne, he destroyed all the archives and documents from the Jianwen period, including all memorials, memorials and daily notes except money, food, soldiers and horses. Private records were also prohibited, and historical accounts of the Hongwu period were significantly revised. Even the reign name of Jianwen was abolished. The records of the past four years or so were recorded using the reign name of Hongwu, which shows the ruthless and thorough tampering. It should be true that King Yan went to mourn, but he didn't make it out of Peiping? Or rushed to Huai'an? Each has its own evidence. However, under the background of extreme centralization in Hongwu years, it is absolutely impossible for some TV dramas to say that King Yan broke through the river and broke into the capital.