After walking through the 30-meter-long inclined tomb passage, the first tomb door was also sealed in front of Mu Chun. Mu Chun burned a pile of paper money for each of his parents, knelt in front of the couple's tomb, and whispered:
"Mother, it is said that after a person dies, they drink Meng Po soup on the 79th day of their death and are reincarnated. Calculating the date, mother should be 27 or 28 years old now, and maybe one of my new immigrants from Yunnan. People should look forward. When a person dies, the light goes out. Your body has lived here for 29 years. Anyway, your soul has been reincarnated. You didn't know that you have such a nasty neighbor now. Mother has been posthumously named the Lady of Zhaojing Prince, but it is just an empty title and is of no use to mother in this life. Your son only hopes that mother will be happy and cheerful in this life."
Muchun left with a huge funeral procession, leaving behind paper money burnt to ashes, as well as offerings such as wine and meat. The tomb keeper dragged a broom to clean up the mess, and the ashes were raised, like black butterflies, flying all over Guanyin Mountain.
Late at night, wild cats and dogs came in groups following the scent and started a feast on the grave, fighting for wine and meat. At first, the tomb keepers would wave sticks to drive away the wild dogs and set out the offerings, but not long after, the stray cats and dogs came again. After this happened several times, the tomb keepers became tired and fell asleep in their beds, leaving them alone to have fun.
The next morning, the offerings on the grave had been eaten and drunk, but a few drunk dogs were still lying there. The tomb keeper drove the animals away with curses, cleaned the grave so that no greasy smell remained, placed a few pots of flowers on it, and it was finally quiet.
Through ups and downs and a century of vicissitudes, the Mu family kept their promise and guarded Yunnan from generation to generation. Men and women of the Mu family who died in Yunnan or Beijing were sent thousands of miles away to be buried in the ancestral tomb of Guanyin Mountain in Jiangning County, Nanjing. Even more than three hundred years later, when the Mu family and the Ming Dynasty perished together, there were still tomb keepers protecting this place.
Two hundred years later, China's mountains and rivers were shattered by the powerful ships and guns of the great powers, rites and music collapsed, and the Chinese land became a purgatory on earth. The Mu family tombs were visited by waves of tomb robbers. Tang Yonghai, a local tomb robber in Nanjing and the famous "Jiangning Robber", finally set his sights on Mu Ying's tomb, smashed open Mu Ying's coffin, and took out the most valuable burial object inside - the Yuan Dynasty blue and white plum vase of Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon.
The mayor of Nanjing at that time, Liu Bocheng, ordered the capture of the Jiangning thief and had him shot. The plum vase of "Xiao He Chasing Han Xin Under the Moon" that had accompanied Mu Ying for more than 500 years was sent to the Nanjing Museum and became the treasure of the entire museum.
Today, Guanyin Mountain has changed from a tomb of the Mu family to a tourist attraction and university town, from a forbidden area to a popular tourist destination that can be visited by paying a fee. Some of the well-preserved tombs of the Mu family were even illegally enclosed and destroyed by real estate developers to build a so-called ecological villa area.
As the Ming Dynasty poet Tang Bohu wrote: "Others laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at them for not seeing through me. I don't see the tombs of the heroes of Wuling, I don't have flowers or wine, I just hoe the fields."
No matter how brave and fearless Mu Ying was, no matter how many generations of the Mu family sacrificed themselves to protect the country, the Mu family had produced countless heroes and countless bastards, heroic hymns and bloody scandals, and it had been bustling and noisy for more than three hundred years.
When all the dust settled, even the tomb of the heroes of Wuling, such as the Mu family, would be empty of flowers and wine and only used for farming.
History is always so coincidental. Tang Bohu's poem predicted the future of the Mu family tomb. In the eleventh year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty, Tang Bohu participated in the provincial examination in Yingtian Prefecture. He was so talented that he was selected as the first place by a Guangdong examiner. The first place in the provincial examination was called Jieyuan, so Tang Bohu was called Tang Jieyuan.
This chief examiner from Guangdong was also a top student. He ranked first in the joint examination in the 14th year of Chenghua. After the palace examination, the results were announced and he was ranked first in the second class. He was selected as a Hanlin Academy scholar. After that, he had a successful career and successfully entered the cabinet and even became the chief minister of the Ming cabinet.
His name was Liang Chu, and he was the great-nephew of Huang Weide, a colleague of Hu Shanwei.
After Tang Bohu was selected by Liang Chu as the champion of the provincial examination in Yingtian Prefecture, he thought it was the starting point for him to climb to the peak of his life, but in fact it was the peak of his life - in the subsequent imperial examination, Tang Bohu was innocently involved in the examination question leak case, and was never allowed to take the examination again for the rest of his life, ending his official career.
Tang Bohu, who saw through everything, had an epiphany about fame and fortune, and wrote the masterpiece "Others laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at others for not seeing through. I don't see the tombs of the heroes of Wuling, I don't have flowers or wine, I just hoe the fields." However, he predicted the future of the Mu family cemetery. In the dark, all the joys and sorrows in the world are actually just a vicious cycle.
This is the case in the world, and even more so in the royal family, the biggest world of fame and fortune. On his way back to the palace, Hu Shanwei was summoned to the Jinyiwei Yamen by Jinyiwei commander Mao Xiang.
"Is this a gift from the escort agency you hired?" Mao Xiang pushed a brocade box in front of Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei nodded, "To be precise, I ordered Haitang to send it from a escort agency in Yanzhou City."
Mao Xiang: "Then you will turn around and ask Ji Gang to send out secret agents from the Imperial Guard to keep an eye on the ten escorts to see if anyone has swapped or peeked at the contents of this small box along the way."
Hu Shanwei: “Yes.”
The escorts were afraid of accidents, so they traveled day and night in shifts, so the box arrived in Mao Xiang's hands five days ago.
Mao Xiang opened the small box, and inside was a red pill and two pages of letter paper. He shook the letter paper and said, "This letter says that King Lu Huang died of arsenic poisoning from the pill, and it was an accident. King Lu Huang didn't grasp the formula well, and he poisoned himself. This pill is the proof. Take a look at it yourself and see if anyone imitated your notes and swapped the letters."
Hu Shanwei spread out the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end. "Yes, this is what I wrote. There is no deletion, change or addition."
Mao Xiang asked: "What you wrote in the letter is not true, right? Otherwise, why did you ask Ji Gang to send someone to follow you?"
Hu Shanwei said, "I wrote half of the facts in the letter. I covered up the other half, which is that someone put pure arsenic in the alum that King Luhuang must use to make elixirs. This was identified by Ru Siyao. I believe Lord Mao knew her medical skills and moral character very well. Because alum and arsenic look similar, King Luhuang did not discover it. Therefore, the person who poisoned King Luhuang was the one who was interested in the contents of this small box."
Mao Xiang was very calm, his face was calm, he said: "During the escort, someone tried to switch the escort, but was caught by the Jinyiwei. After a few days of interrogation, they confessed that the mastermind was the King of Qin. The King of Qin poisoned King Luhuang and framed the Crown Prince, and instigated conflicts between the Eastern Palace and Concubine Guo, as well as the Eastern Palace and the Guo family, in order to trip up the Eastern Palace and depose the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince stepped down, and the King of Qin, as the second prince, would definitely move into the Eastern Palace."
Upon hearing this result, Hu Shanwei laughed out of anger.
Mao Xiang raised his eyebrows, "What are you laughing at?"
Hu Shanwei restrained his smile and said, "The King of Qin has committed many evil deeds. He is just like a hot pot with strong flavors. He puts all kinds of meat, vegetables, tofu, real or fake, in it. No matter whether it tastes good or not, it can be cooked and eaten. But, Mr. Mao, the strong flavor of the hot pot cannot deceive my taste buds. I cannot 'eat' this result."
Hu Shanwei had considered the ruthless Prince of Qin before. Concubine Guo was about to be crowned Queen, and Prince of Luhuang was the only legitimate son, posing a threat to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, who was the eldest son of a concubine. While the two sides were fighting, the fisherman gained. The Prince of Qin was only one year and two months younger than the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and ranked second.
However, the King of Qin had done many unjust things before and only cared about satisfying his own desires without any sense of the overall situation. Emperor Hongwu had given up on him and only treated him as a vassal king guarding the northwest.
Emperor Hongwu had more than twenty sons, and he could choose one of them to be the crown prince.
What's more, there are four imperial grandchildren in the Eastern Palace. Among them, Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan are already fifteen years old and have reached adulthood. They are also candidates for heirs.
According to Hu Shanwei's understanding of Emperor Hongwu, Emperor Hongwu was used to holding all the power in his hands, and he became more and more suspicious as he got older. Between a son who was strong and in the prime of his life, and a grandson who had just reached adulthood, had no power and influence, and had to rely on himself for everything, who would he choose as the crown prince
Of course he is an obedient grandson! According to the character of Emperor Hongwu, how could he bear to be an emperor emeritus
Therefore, the King of Qin took the risk of poisoning the King of Luhuang, but not only would he not gain any benefit, but he would also make things difficult for others.
Mao Xiang stared at Hu Shanwei steadily, as if he wanted to penetrate her heart. "You agree with the results of the Jinyiwei investigation. Then, who do you think is the real murderer?"
Hu Shanwei said, "I wasn't sure before, I just guessed, but now I hear what Lord Mao said. Even the emperor has to cover up for him, and he didn't hesitate to frame another son in order to deceive Concubine Guo and stabilize the Guo family, which controls the military power and has made great military achievements. So... I don't need to tell you the answer."
It could only be the prince.
Only the crown prince would allow Emperor Hongwu to frame another son.
If Concubine Guo and the Guo brothers knew that King Luhuang died from the poisoning by the crown prince, the consequence would be the loss of the crown prince and turmoil in the country.
If he was just a prince with a bad reputation, Emperor Hongwu would not have killed the Prince of Qin - he would have stripped him of his title, demoted him to a commoner, and confined him to Zhongdu Fengyang.
This is the mind of an emperor.
As expected, I still can't hide it from her. Mao Xiang sighed in his heart, but his face was solemn. "Pass on the emperor's oral order. The Shanggong Bureau Director Yan Hu Shanwei kneels down and listens to the order!"
Hu Shanwei quickly stood up and knelt on the ground: "Your humble servant Hu Shanwei listens to your orders."
Mao Xiang said: "I am very sad about the death of King Luhuang. However, the national reserve is the foundation of the country. A slight change will affect the whole body. I need to make long-term plans. This matter is a state secret. Hu Shanwei must not tell outsiders. Just tell King Luhuang that he made a mistake in refining the elixir and destroyed himself. If you disobey my order-"
Mao Xiang glanced at Hu Shanwei who was kneeling on the ground, "Execute the whole family."
Emperor Hongwu gradually escalated his threats against Hu Shanwei. First, he wanted to dig out her eyes, then he wanted to kill her and bury her with Empress Xiaoci. Now he simply wanted to kill her entire family!
Hu Shanwei's heart skipped a beat. She raised her head abruptly and looked at Mao Xiang. Mao Xiang nodded at her and said, "Sir, I am not kidding. Why don't you accept my order?"
Hu Shanwei's palms were covered with cold sweat, and he knelt down and bowed: "Your Majesty... Hu Shanwei... obeys your order. Long live the emperor."
After receiving the order, Hu Shanwei knelt on the spot and did not get up for a long time.
Until Ji Gang came to help her, "Please ask Hu Siyan to return to the palace. If you delay too long, I am afraid that Concubine Guo will get suspicious."
Shen Qionglian, who was traveling with him, had already returned to the palace, so Hu Shanwei could not stay in the Jinyiwei for too long.
Bang!
Hu Shanwei slapped Ji Gang's hand away and said, "Get lost."
Ji Gang knew the result a long time ago, but he kept it a secret from Hu Shanwei and only reported it to Mao Xiang and Emperor Hongwu.
Hiss! Ji Gang sucked in a breath of cold air, looking at his well-proportioned hands, "Be gentle! There are red marks. After all, I am a member of the Jinyiwei.
How dare I tell you about this life-threatening matter? I have to report it to Lord Mao first, and let the emperor handle it."
As workers, Hu Shanwei understood Ji Gang's difficulties, but she could not accept the reality: if she told the truth, her whole family would be executed. If she didn't tell the truth, how could she face Concubine Guo's entrustment
Hu Shanwei pushed Ji Gang away with force. Her hand was aching, but she was so conflicted that she ignored the pain.
Ji Gang advised: "Lord Mao wants you to return to the palace early. Come on, I will take you back." He stretched out his hand again.
Hu Shanwei dodged and said, "I'll go by myself."
Hu Shanwei stood up. She had been kneeling for too long without realizing it. Her legs and feet were numb and her knees went weak. She almost fell down. Ji Gang helped her up and exclaimed, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so heavy."
Hu Shanwei sat on a chair, rubbing his numb and sore legs.
Ji Gang handed her a cup of ginseng tea and advised, "Isn't it just lying? For people like us who work as officials, nine out of ten sentences are false all day long. It's not easy to tell a lie. Listen to me, it's not that the emperor won't touch the prince, but the time has not come yet. If he dares to kill his own brother today, he might dare to kill the emperor tomorrow. But this has nothing to do with us. The Zhu family is fighting for power, and we just watch coldly. Anyway, in the end, someone from the Zhu family will be the emperor, and we all have to beg for a bowl of rice from the emperor, right? It doesn't matter who is the emperor."
"As the saying goes, there are no fathers and sons in a casino. This is even more true in the field of power, especially the imperial power... Ahem, I only dare to say these beheading words to you. You must understand that the lives of your entire family are in the hands of the emperor. Your father went to the Jiaofang Bureau for tea that day, and we, the Jinyiwei, knew it very well. If the emperor wants to take action at that time, I alone cannot stop him."
"I'm tired." Hu Shanwei said tiredly, his eyes a little straight.
Ji Gang thought she was frightened and comforted her, "Don't worry, as long as you don't expose the prince, the emperor will still use you. Do you know what kind of people in the palace have a short life and what kind of people live a long life?"
Hu Shanwei remained silent.
Ji Gang asked himself and answered: "People who know the secrets of the royal family have a short life, but people who know a lot of royal secrets will live a long life. It's just like owing money in a casino. If you owe someone ten taels of silver, then they are the boss. But if you owe someone one hundred thousand taels of silver, then they have to call you the boss. You will be fine - I can guarantee that you will be fine before something happens to me."
Hu Shanwei snorted coldly, "Men's words cannot be trusted. I trusted you so much, but you sold me to Mao Xiang in the blink of an eye."
Ji Gang scratched his head embarrassedly, "You and Master Mao are the same in my heart. You are my friend, and Master Mao is me... Anyway, you are very important to me, so don't make it difficult for me."
Hu Shanwei asked Ji Gang: "You have been a Jinyiwei for so many years and have done so many shameful things. Don't you feel tired?"
"Tired." Ji Gang said, "Sometimes I feel like I really don't want to do this anymore, but I can't do anything else except being a Jinyiwei. I have no other advantages except my good looks. If I go to other government offices, I will be bullied and looked down upon. There won't be another boss who treats me well and appreciates me as sincerely as Lord Mao. Besides, if I leave, Lord Mao will be very lonely."
Hu Shanwei said dejectedly: "No matter what I do, the palace will not change. Life and death, like the ebb and flow of the tide, the blooming and withering of flowers, all follow the laws of nature and cannot be controlled by humans. Then what is the meaning of everything I do?"
Ji Gang teased, "What misunderstanding do you have about the palace? The palace has always been a place of intrigue, bullying, ruthlessness and lack of loyalty. Everything has its rules. You can change the skin, but you can't change the essence."
Hu Shanwei was suddenly speechless. Could it be that all along, I have been wishful thinking and trying to catch fish in a tree
There was a small voice in Hu Shanwei's heart: "It has always been like this, is that right?" But it was only for a moment before it was overwhelmed by the overwhelming fatigue and powerlessness.
Hu Shanwei stood up and said, "Return to the palace."
In the palace, spring is in full bloom. Soft silk threads float over the spring pavilions, and falling catkins flutter on the embroidered curtains. Swallows carry mud and fly into the weeping willows. The catkins want to stop, but the wind won’t stop. The cuckoo’s calls echo through the mountains.
Hu Shanwei was almost sick with depression. He seemed to hear thousands of cuckoos calling in unison: "Go home! Go home!"
After returning to the palace and taking a short rest, Hu Shanwei changed into plain clothes and went to Zhongcui Palace to meet Concubine Guo.
Along the way, Hu Shanwei persuaded himself countless times, even if Concubine Guo knew the truth, so what? She was about to be crowned queen, and she had a huge Guo family behind her, what could she do to the prince
Concubine Guo would be caught in a dilemma between revenge and forbearance. Every time she saw the prince respectfully paying her respects and calling her mother, she would be in great pain and would feel sorry for her own son who was blinded by poison and died in pain.
She cannot avenge her son, and has to play the role of a loving mother and a filial son with the murderer of her son. How cruel is this for a mother
Hiding the cruel truth is actually a good thing for Concubine Guo...
Hu Shanwei tried hard to convince himself, but when he saw Concubine Guo, whom he had not seen for two months, and saw that her hair was completely white and her face was haggard, feelings of guilt, remorse, powerlessness, self-loathing and other emotions flooded over him, and he forgot all the arguments he had prepared before.
It was Concubine Guo who spoke first, "Hu Siyan is back. You must have worked so hard. I see that you are very tired. Go back and have a good rest. There is no need to rush to pay your respects."
Concubine Guo has changed so much in the past nine years. From holding precarious power in the harem to being recognized by the court and the public and about to be crowned queen, she is no longer the Concubine Guo Ning who repeatedly made stupid mistakes and courted death.
Hu Shanwei suddenly came back to his senses and bowed. "I have been riding in a carriage all the way, so I am not tired. I believe that the imperial concubine is anxious to know about the funeral of King Luhuang and the health of her grandson, so I came here to tell her in detail."
Concubine Guo gave her a seat and listened to Hu Shanwei's story of what he saw and heard in the Prince of Lu's mansion in Yanzhou City. Hu Shanwei only omitted four things: Ru Si's medicine was extracted from alum, "Alchemy Notes", Prince Taohualin's coercion and inducement, and Haitang's going to the escort agency to place bait.
No matter what Hu Shanwei said, Concubine Guo did not interrupt her, but occasionally uttered sighs, such as "oh" and "sigh". When she talked about the prince naming his grandson Guo'er, Concubine Guo said, "This nickname is good, it has a warning meaning. However, when he turns one year old and is included in the royal golden book, we must ask the emperor, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court to decide on a grand name as soon as possible."
Hu Shanwei spoke for nearly half an hour before he finished talking about his trip to Yanzhou.
Finally, Concubine Guo shed tears, "My son is so foolish. He poisoned himself. It's all my fault. I didn't protect him well. He was lured into taking elixirs when he was only fourteen or fifteen years old. It's hard to stop his addiction. If I had been more careful, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."
After hearing this, Hu Shanwei felt so guilty that her spine almost collapsed. She felt as if someone had slapped her in the face twice, and it was burning with pain.
Hu Shanwei didn't dare to look directly at Concubine Guo's tears, so he took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Guo'er is in good health. He is the eldest son of a concubine. Whether he can successfully inherit the title of King Lu in the future still needs your help. Your Majesty must take care of yourself."
"Thank you." Concubine Guo's own handkerchief had been soaked by her tears. She took Hu Shanwei's handkerchief, wiped her tears, and said, "You are going to Yanzhou, the journey is long and the responsibility is heavy. In fact, you are a court lady, and it is not your responsibility to attend the prince's funeral. It is just that I am too willful and insisted that you run an errand."
Hearing this, Hu Shanwei wanted to slap himself twice, and hurriedly said, "It is my humble duty to serve the Majesty. Your Majesty is too polite. There are still many days to come. If the Majesty has any orders, just let me know."
Concubine Guo said, "You haven't been to Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage to Empress Xiaoci for a long time. You must be missing the deer and phoenixes there, right? You raised these animals and have feelings for them. Tomorrow the palace will give you a holiday. You can stay at Xiaoling Mausoleum for a few days. It can be regarded as compensation for your long journey."
In fact, even without Concubine Guo asking, Hu Shanwei would have found an opportunity to ask for leave and go to Xiaoling Mausoleum to meet Mu Chun. Concubine Guo took the initiative to ask, and Hu Shanwei followed suit, "I will go to Xiaoling Mausoleum tomorrow to burn incense for the Empress Xiaoci."
The next morning, as soon as the palace gates opened, Hu Shanwei's carriage went to the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Before leaving, Concubine Guo handed several volumes of scriptures to Hu Shanwei, "These are scriptures that I copied by hand. Please help me take them to the shrine of Empress Xiaoci and burn them. This is also a token of my appreciation."
Hu Shanwei took it seriously. Concubine Guo watched her background disappear outside the palace gate, thinking for a long time, and then said to Madam Guo beside her: "Tan'er's funeral was arranged by the prince. I heard that Hu Siyan said that the funeral was very beautiful and the feng shui of the tomb was also very good. The prince worked so hard, I can't treat him badly. Write an invitation and send it to the East Palace. I will set up a vegetarian banquet tonight to welcome the prince."
"Yes." Madam Guo agreed.
It was spring, everything was growing, and everything was fragrant. Concubine Guo strolled to the Imperial Garden Pavilion, and the entire huge palace was in sight.
All the roofs of the imperial palace are covered with golden glazed tiles, which sparkle brightly in the spring sun. Only the East Palace uses green glazed tiles, which shimmer like clear water in a pond.
Concubine Guo smiled silently at the unique green color of the East Palace.
The author has something to say: I wrote a lot tonight, so the update is late.
In this long night, let's do some questions!!! There are four questions tonight. If you answer any one of them correctly, or if you are a top student and answer all of them correctly, as long as you are the first to answer them, you will be rewarded with a 100-point red envelope!
The question is about Liang Chu, the great-nephew of Huang Weide, a colleague of Hu Shanwei. Please pay attention to the question!
Read the following classical Chinese text and answer the questions.
Biography of Liang Chu
Liang Chu, courtesy name Shuhou, ranked first in the joint examination in the 14th year of Chenghua and was appointed as an editor. In the 4th year of Hongzhi, he was promoted to the position of imperial lecturer. He was later changed to a groom and served Emperor Wuzong in the Eastern Palace. He conferred the title of Emperor Annan and refused to accept the gifts. After a long time, he was promoted to Hanlin scholar and worked with him to compile the "Collected Statutes". He was appointed as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. At the beginning of Zhengde, he was changed to the left and was in charge of imperial edicts. Liu Jin found a small flaw in the "Collected Statutes" and Chu was demoted to the right assistant minister. After Jin was executed, he was made the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion and participated in the affairs of state. In the 10th year, Yang Tinghe died and Chu became the chief minister. In the spring of the next year, as the foundation of the country was not yet determined, he requested to select a wise man from the royal family to live in the capital to prepare for the selection of the second person to be appointed as the second. However, all requests were rejected.
The emperor liked to travel incognito, and once he left Xi'an Gate and returned overnight. Chu and others advised him against it, but he did not listen, but he was still worried that the outside court would know. At that time, the emperor's moral failure became worse. A group of petty people stole power and disrupted the government, and people were in panic. Chu was afraid that he could not take on the responsibility, so he repeatedly requested to summon Tinghe because he had failed to mourn. When Tinghe returned to the court, Chu stepped down and placed himself under him.
In July of the 13th year, the emperor followed Jiang Bin's advice and planned to travel all over the frontier. He used the excuse that there were many alarms at the border and ordered the general Zhu Shou to lead six divisions to fight, and ordered the cabinet to draft an imperial edict. The cabinet ministers refused to agree, so the emperor summoned all the officials to Zuo Shunmen to make an in-person statement. Chu wept and advised, and the others also wept. The emperor's mind could not be changed. Chu argued alone in the court for many days, but the emperor did not listen.
The King of Qin requested that the idle fields in Guanzhong be used as pasture land. The Emperor agreed against all odds and ordered the cabinet ministers to draft a decree. Tinghe and others cited illness as an excuse, and the Emperor was furious. Chu Du thought that it was impossible to argue, so he submitted a draft decree saying, "Do not gather together traitors and endanger our country. Even if you want to protect your relatives at this time, you cannot do so." The Emperor was shocked and the matter was shelved. The next year, the Emperor was about to tour the south. The censors knelt in front of the palace to make a remonstrance, and Chu and others also spoke up. When many officials in the government made remonstrances, the emperor stopped.
Ning Wang Chen Hao rebelled, the emperor went south to fight, Chu followed. On the way, he heard that the rebels were defeated, and he repeatedly petitioned the emperor to return. The emperor asked how to deal with Chen Hao, who was about to be captured. Chu and others asked to follow the example of Emperor Xuanzong's expedition against Gao Xu, and return the same day after the criminal was captured.
After the emperor died, Yang Tinghe and others decided to welcome the crown prince. According to the tradition, one person from the cabinet and the nobles and relatives should go with the ceremonial officials. Tinghe wanted to keep Jiang Mian to help himself, but worried that Chu was old and might be afraid to go, so he pretended to be sorry for Chu's fatigue and tried to stop him from going. Chu said: "What is more important than this? How dare I refuse because of fatigue!" Then he and Xu Guangzuo, Duke of Dingguo, and others went to Anlu to welcome the crown prince. After he ascended the throne, Zhang Jiuxu and others accused Chu of colluding with powerful traitors and holding on to his position. Chu wrote three petitions to ask to leave, and the emperor ordered to grant an imperial edict to send messengers to escort him, and to provide him with food and servants every year according to the regulations. After his death, he was specially awarded the title of Grand Master and the posthumous title of Wenkang.
(Selected from "History of Ming Dynasty·Biography No. 78", edited and modified)
Note 1: Guoben: the heir to the throne. 2: Chuer: the deputy heir, the crown prince.
1. Which of the following explanations of the underlined words in the sentence below is incorrect
a. Fellow practitioners of the "Meeting Code"
b. Reserve the second option, and do not report it: reply
c. The fear of not being able to do anything: complete
d. The emperor was shocked and the matter was put to rest: stop
2. Which of the following sentences all show that Liang Chu attaches great importance to national affairs
1. Conferring the title on Annan, and rejecting its gifts. 2. Yang Tinghe passed away due to a death, and Chu became the chief minister. 3. Requesting to select a wise man from the royal family to live in the capital, to prepare for the selection of a second chancellor. 4. Tinghe returned to the court, and Chu stepped down and placed himself under him. 5. Many officials in the various departments made suggestions, so he stopped. 6. If there is anything more important than this, I dare to resign because I am exhausted.
a.146
b.235
c.125
d.346
3. Which of the following summaries and analyses of the original text is incorrect
a. Liang Chu had a smooth career. Liang Chu ranked first in the imperial examination in the 14th year of Chenghua and was appointed as an editor. Later, he was appointed as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion. He also entered the cabinet to handle important state affairs and later became the chief minister.
b. Liang Chu dared to speak out. When the emperor stayed outside the palace, Liang Chu and others spoke out. When the emperor was going to travel to the frontier, Liang Chu argued with the emperor alone in the court for several days. During the emperor's southern expedition, Liang Chu repeatedly advised the emperor to return to the capital as soon as possible.
c. Liang Chu was able to judge the situation. When the King of Qin requested to use the idle fields in Guanzhong as grazing land, many people opposed it. The emperor refused to listen, and even Yang Tinghe resigned due to illness. Liang Chu then wrote a letter saying that if he did so, he might not even be able to protect his close relatives.
d. Liang Chu took the responsibility. After the emperor passed away, Yang Tinghe wanted Jiang Mian to stay and help him, and asked Liang Chu to go to welcome Prince Xing. He pretended to persuade Liang Chu not to go. Liang Chu thought it was his duty, so he went to Anlu Palace with Duke Dingguo and others to welcome the prince.
4. Translate the underlined sentences in the text into modern Chinese
(1) On the pretext that there were many alarms at the border, he ordered the general Zhu Shou to lead six divisions to the expedition and ordered the cabinet to draft an imperial edict.
(2) Chu and others requested that the army return home the same day as Emperor Xuanzong’s expedition against Gao Xu, after capturing the criminal.