"The sound of firecrackers eliminates one year old, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches."
The New Year of the first year of Jianwen arrived unknowingly.
Zhu Yunwen has been on the throne for half a year and has done many things. First, they reformed the legal system, lenient sentences and prison terms, and released many people. They also reduced taxes, especially land taxes. In December, an edict was issued to "give half of the land rent in the world next year." Later, the unfair and heavy taxes in Suzhou and Wujiang were also eliminated. It was lifted; it was also stipulated that the only son in the military guard could go home, etc. Compared with the strict rule of Taizu, the new emperor was gentle and generous, and was sincerely loved by the people. The weather was good and there were no natural disasters or wars. For more than half a year, the Ming Empire truly enjoyed peace and prosperity.
After Zhu Yunwen paid homage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and Sheji Temple, and paid homage to the Xiaoling and Dongling Tombs, he felt quite satisfied and sincerely grateful for God's favor and the blessings of his ancestors.
Except the lotus. Although she had enough food and clothing in Tianxi Temple, the Shenggan Pagoda was cold and damp, making the winter even colder.
The lotus couldn't withstand the cold air in the tower, and watched helplessly as it grew thinner day by day.
Lian Hua's body was already weak, but after running thousands of miles for more than a year, she was exhausted and frightened, which further damaged her body. Zhu Yunwen remembered that during the days after she got married, her hands and feet were always cold and she had to stay in her arms for a long time before they warmed up. When I went to court in the morning, I was worried that she would be cold if she slept alone, so I prepared some soup and stuffed it when I left. When she was half asleep, she would often murmur, hanging her arms to act like a baby and not letting her go. . How happy that time was.
Zhu Yunwen was sitting in the dragon chariot, thinking about lotus flowers, which was both sweet and sad.
It's so cold in the Holy Sense Tower, can she survive three years of death? Since the last chanting, the Queen Mother seemed to have a better impression of Lotus. However, Zhu Yunwen hesitated several times and still did not mention taking her back to the palace. After all, it was the palace rules and Taizu's order. But, just let her freeze in there
With his thoughts in turmoil, the dragon chariot has arrived at the Royal Road and is almost at the Meridian Gate.
There were faint shouts and scoldings from the guards in my ears. Zhu Yunwen stared and listened carefully, and was sure that someone was making a noise. Just as he was about to tell Zhang Yuanheng who was beside the carriage to look, he heard a loud bang and the sound of drums shaking the sky, followed by a broken voice shouting at the top of his lungs: "Injustice!"
Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but be shocked. The "Drum of Injustice" outside the Meridian Gate was set up by Taizu so that ordinary people could beat the drum to complain to the emperor (it was so dramatic that Zhu Yuanzhang probably saw it while watching a play). But thirty years since its establishment, this is the first time it has been struck. Firstly, the management of officials during the Hongwu period was indeed strict, with continuous purge campaigns. Secondly, the avenues for people to redress their grievances were open, and it was not difficult to find local officials or patrol censors.
Who and what happened should be reported to the capital and to the emperor
Zhang Yuanheng hurried over without waiting for Zhu Yunwen's instructions. The dragon chariot continued forward and arrived outside the Meridian Gate. Zhu Yunwen ordered to stop and looked through the window to see Zhang Yuanheng questioning a man. Even though he was far away, he could still see that the man was shivering in the cold wind.
When Zhang Yuanheng saw the dragon chariot stopped, he hurriedly ran to the chariot and reported: "Your Majesty, I am here to complain to the emperor. I am from Datong Mansion to complain to the king."
Zhu Yunwen frowned: "Take it to the Provincial Gong Hall. Ask Huang Zicheng, Qitai and Fang Xiaoru to come together." Seeing that Zhang Yuanheng agreed to leave, he also ordered: "Find him a cotton coat first."
****************
In the Provincial Gong Hall, Zhu Yunwen was at the top, while Huang Zicheng, Qitai and Fang Xiaoru sat sideways below, looking at the first person in the history of the Ming Dynasty to sound the "drum of injustice".
He was in ragged clothes, lean and shriveled, with a sad face, and the wrinkles on his forehead were as deep as knife carvings. He couldn't tell how old he was, he must be in his fifties, maybe sixty; he knelt on the ground, holding the hand that Zhang Yuanheng had just given him. He was wearing a cotton coat, and his hands were rough, cracked, with bulging veins and abscesses.
When the four of them met, they felt pity and anger at the same time. I have been boasting about peace and prosperity all day long, but there are such poor people!
Fang Xiaoru was the first one who couldn't help but asked: "Who is your last name? Why are you playing the drum?"
Huang Zicheng saw that the man was shaking a little and comforted him: "Don't be afraid, just say it."
The man's voice trembled: "The younger one's name is Zhou Ada, and he comes from Datong Mansion. The younger one's family are tenants of the king, and they make a living by cultivating the fields of the prince's mansion. The year before last, which was the 30th year of Hongwu, the harvest was not good because of insects in the autumn. I couldn't pay the rent, so Butler Tian from the palace asked me to put a deposit on the IOU."
When Zhou Ada said this, he saw a few people listening quietly, and gradually lost some fear. He licked his chapped mouth and continued: "Who would have thought that in October, the royal family's soldiers would come to arrest me to work in the palace? The old and young in the family, if the young left, no one would do the farm work at home, and there would be no one to take care of the young, so the young refused to go. But the royal soldiers said that the young had already received his wages and must go. ".
Huang Zicheng asked: "Then have you received wages from the palace?"
Zhou A shouted: "I don't have it! I really don't have it! It's just a note on the rent arrears. I can't read. The palace steward said that this IOU is for rent arrears to be paid in the second year."
Fang Xiaoru snorted: "Fish and meat common people! What next?"
Zhou Ada didn't understand what common people meant. Seeing that Fang Xiaoru looked at him with gentle eyes, he continued: "Later, when I was fighting with the royal family's soldiers on the street, I met some kind of prince."
Qi Tai asked: "What prince?"
Zhou Ada recalled: "A very tall and majestic prince. By the way, his name is Prince Yan. His surname is Ma. He came over and stopped the royal soldiers and took me to the Prince Dai's Mansion."
"King Yan?" Qi Tai heard his incoherent words and recalled that last October, it was King Yan who returned to Peiping from Daningwei. Did he go to Datong Mansion in the middle
Zhou Adaodao: "Yes, it's King Yan. This prince is very kind. He took me to the gate of Prince Dai's Mansion, which is where the Nine Dragon Wall is. He said a few words to the princess, and the princess asked her soldiers to take me home and gave me the money. One hundred copper coins".
Qi Tai asked: "Nine Dragon Wall?" Fang Xiaoru asked: "What happened next?"
The two asked questions at the same time, and saw Zhou A Dazheng taking a glass of water from Zhang Yuanheng, drinking it, stuffing a steamed bun in his mouth, and stopped at the same time. Seeing Zhou Ada devouring the food made him feel a little sad.
Zhou Ada stuffed four steamed buns in one breath before stopping, and said in a sullen voice: "The little one hasn't eaten in a few days..." Seeing that there was no blame from the few people, he continued: "I don't think it has only been ten days, the palace The housekeeper and soldiers came again, saying that they were going to work after receiving their wages, so they dragged the young one to the palace to build the nine-dragon wall, which is a high wall with nine dragons on it."
Zhou Ada's face gradually became sad: "I had no choice but to work in the palace. After two months and towards the end of the year, the palace suddenly stopped working and asked everyone to go home. I hurried back At home, the young mother passed away in the past two months. The young daughter-in-law said that there was no food at home and the old mother was sick and refused to waste the food. She left after being hungry for a few days."
Several people looked at each other, with shock and pity in their eyes.
Qitai asked: "How old are you? Who is there in your family?"
Zhou Ada wiped his tears with his palm: "I am thirty-four this year. My wife is not in good health. My daughter is thirteen, and I don't know if she is still alive."
Thirty-four... Huang Zicheng, Qitai and Fang Xiaoru couldn't help but look at each other.
Fang Xiaoru suppressed her anger: "What happened next?"
Zhou Adaodao: "The younger one came home and worked hard, helping out with part-time jobs. Sometimes he dug some wild vegetables, and the family ate bran-thick vegetables, and they could barely make ends meet. Unexpectedly, in April, the housekeeper and soldiers of the palace came again. Come and catch the little one. He went to work in the palace and was worried about his family, so he sneaked out one day. Unexpectedly, when he got home, he found no one at home!"
As the tears flowed down, Zhou Ada wiped away his tears and said, "I went to ask my neighbor Zhao Laoer. The palace said that my family was in debt and wanted to bring my daughter-in-law and daughter into the palace to work, but they refused." , the daughter-in-law was pushed down and broken, and the daughter was brought into the house. The daughter-in-law cried and was anxious, and she died within a few days. It was Zhao Laoer who buried her behind the house."
At this point, Zhou Ada finally burst into tears, his face filled with ravines and tears and snot.
Zhang Yuanheng handed him a handkerchief. Zhou Ada looked at it and did not dare to use it, but wiped his face with his palm: "I have complained to the Yamen, and I want to rescue my daughter. I don't want the palace soldiers to look for Xiao everywhere. Where is the Yamen?" I couldn't get in. I tried several times and was almost caught by them once. Later, a master came out and secretly told me that the prefect had nothing to do and asked me to go to the capital to beat the drum and file a complaint. I was hiding here and there, but I was not caught by the palace soldiers. I finally got the chance to beat the drum today. Please save my daughter, she will die in the palace!" She cried again as she spoke.
Zhu Yunwen slapped the table and stood up, pacing back and forth in front of the table, his chest heaving, obviously extremely angry.
The emperor has always been gentle, but this is the first time he has seen him so angry. Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru recalled the matter of acting as king, and they started discussing it in the autumn of the year before last. By the New Year, Taizu finally issued an order to disperse the migrant workers on behalf of the king. In March, the king met Taizu again. Unexpectedly, he would return to his old ways after returning to his fiefdom and continue to build the Nine Dragon Wall.
Zhu Yunwen's heart was filled with ups and downs, filled with hatred and regret.
Why not be tougher with the imperial grandfather? Why did King Dai return to Datong so painlessly? If King Dai had been punished a little, maybe Zhou Ada's mother and daughter-in-law would not have died!
Zhou Ada is like this, but what about other migrant workers? Where is King Li A and A Da
Thinking of this, Zhu Yunwen no longer hesitated and shouted: "Huang Qing, prepare an edict! Zhu Gui, the acting king, has killed people for wealth and is good at serving the army and the people. The court has repeatedly taught him not to change, so he will cut off the royal title and demote him to a commoner!"
Huang Zicheng asked: "What about Ada this week?"
Zhu Yunwen turned to Zhou Ada and asked warmly: "Zhou Ada, do you want to go back to Datong Mansion? I asked the king to return your daughter to you. Can you go home and wait for your daughter? I will give you some silver. You guys Father and daughter live a good life."
Zhou Adalian kowtowed: "Long live the Lord! That's so daring!"
Huang Zicheng agreed and went to consider the words and write the imperial edict. Zhang Yuanheng led Zhou Ada out with great gratitude.
Fang Xiaoru praised: "Your Majesty is brave and wise, and the Ming Dynasty is lucky!" Zhu Yunwen has always had a gentle personality, and it is the first time that such a big matter as delegating the title of king to the king was decided in an instant today.
Huang Zicheng understood the emperor: "Your Majesty, you have done your best in the past, so there is no need to blame yourself." Zhu Yunwen sighed softly and remained silent.
Fang Xiaoru said: "What happened today was certainly caused by King Dai's bad nature; but the power of the vassal king was too great, and the local officials had no way to deal with the vassal king. It was actually a flaw in the system." Seeing Zhu Yunwen deep in thought, he continued: "I suggest that your Majesty summon the kings and not control the civil and military officials."
Zhu Yunwen looked at the three of them with expectant and encouraging eyes, and thought for a while: "Okay! Then summon the kings!"
Huang Zicheng was overjoyed: "I respect the decree! I will do it immediately!"
Qi Tai bowed and said to Zhu Yunwen: "Your Majesty, just this week Ada mentioned that he met King Yan in Datong Mansion. I guess that King Yan went to Datong when he returned to Peiping from Ningwei. This is leaving the fiefdom without permission. , I have a secret meeting with the feudal king."
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand: "Forget it, there is nothing wrong with King Yan meeting his brother. Even Zhou Ada praised him as a good prince. Zhang Bing's memorial from Xie Guilai said that King Yan's loyalty is absolutely unquestionable, and he sincerely takes the northern frontier as his own responsibility. , it is recommended that the imperial court reward him."
Qi Tai did not dare to say anything more, so Huang Zicheng said: "If your Majesty wants to reward King Yan, won't he come to visit the mausoleum after the New Year? You can just reward him then."
Zhu Yunwen muttered: "Yes, let's wait until King Yan arrives in Beijing. Then I will have a good talk with him."
At some point, it was already dark. It was dinner time, there were sounds of firecrackers everywhere, and fireworks flew up from time to time to light up the night sky. Zhu Yunwen was walking on the way back to the palace, looking up at the gorgeous light in the sky, and couldn't help but feel sad: Lotus, when you come out of the tower, let's watch the fireworks together! And watch the stars and birds. You, hold on, okay