Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi and his biological father, Prince of Yan, are two completely different types of people. Prince of Yan is a man with his own ideas. He moves towards a goal and does not care about his face in order to win. He is eager to make progress, just like his biological father, Emperor Gaozu.
The Prince of Yan always keeps his thoughts deep in his heart, is good at accepting other people's opinions, is always harmonious like Buddha, and has a mind as broad as his body. He is good at tolerance, and does not have the arrogance unique to the royal family. He is polite to everyone. He has a good life too. Not to mention his wolf father and tiger mother, his grandfather is Emperor Gaozu, his maternal grandfather is Xu Da, the first meritorious minister of the founding of the country, and even his concubines are girls of the noble Guo family. When he was a hostage in the capital, Concubine Guo's family secretly gave him a lot of help. It can be said that the Prince of Yan has a destiny that can win without lying down.
It seems that he doesn't need to do anything... just obey, and obedience will keep him safe.
Character determines destiny. The Prince of Yan thus perfectly avoided the counter-espionage trap of Emperor Jianwen and packed the letter together with the court envoy and sent it to the Prince of Yan.
When King Yan read the letter, he felt a chill down his spine. His own brother, King Zhou, was betrayed by his own son who could not resist the temptation of the title. This trick of alienating father and son was too vicious. It harmed his brother, King Zhou, and now it was going to harm him. This showed that this strategy was too effective.
The King of Yan used to think that his eldest son was timid, but now he thinks that timidity is actually a good thing. If his son is bold, likes to take on tasks, and likes to make his own decisions, and opens the letter - even if he just reads it and does not follow it, it will plant the hidden danger of mutual distrust between father and son. In the face of power, the feelings of husband and wife, father and son, and brothers are difficult to withstand the test.
Especially in such a tense situation.
After uncovering the conspiracy of Emperor Jianwen, the Prince of Yan wanted to execute the messenger who was instigated by the court, but Zen Master Daoyan persuaded him, "When two armies are at war, envoys should not be executed. The treacherous minister Fang Xiaoru instigated the emperor to execute the envoys from Yan, and many people were talking about his injustice. How can we make the same mistake? Send the letter and the envoy back, rebuke the treacherous minister for disregarding human relations and instigating fathers and sons to kill each other, let everyone know the true face of this so-called great Confucian and literary leader, and prove that Fang Xiaoru is the emperor's treacherous minister. Then our uprising to 'clear the court of the emperor' and quell the rebellion will have a more legitimate reason."
Zen Master Daoyan to Prince of Yan was like Fang Xiaoru to Emperor Jianwen, both were core figures of the think tank. Starting from the swearing-in ceremony of the Jingnan Campaign, Zen Master Daoyan played a role in turning the situation around at every critical moment. Therefore, Prince of Yan almost obeyed his every word.
So the Prince of Yan immediately calmed down, put the letter away, returned the jade intact to his nephew the emperor, and asked Ji Gang to spread his glorious deeds of being generous and wise, exposing Fang Xiaoru's plan of sowing discord, safely returning the messenger, and "repaying evil with kindness" to the ends of the earth, so that everyone would know the goodness of him, the Prince of Yan, and the treachery of Fang Xiaoru.
How could someone who offered such a vicious plan be a good person? The young emperor has been deceived by treacherous ministers. I have not yet succeeded in eradicating the traitors, and the Yan army still needs to work hard.
Emperor Jianwen not only failed to steal the chicken but also lost the rice. In the process, he also lost Fang Xiaoru's reputation and his integrity was ruined in his later years.
Huang Zicheng, who was recruiting soldiers in the rear area, heard the rumor that "the love between Prince Yan and his sons defeated the treacherous ministers' plan to alienate them". He felt very anxious. It was really empty talk that would harm the country. Fang Xiaoru had no political experience at all. He just took things for granted and did not consider the consequences. He was really incapable of doing anything.
However, Huang Zicheng had no choice as the emperor believed in Fang Xiaoru.
Huang Zicheng wrote to Emperor Jianwen overnight, saying that he had recruited 100,000 soldiers and was rushing to the north overnight. He wanted to win a victory as soon as possible to save face while the north was still frozen.
The negotiations broke down and the two sides fought again. In the autumn and winter of the third year of Jianwen, smoke of war rose in the north. Sheng Yong relied on his military strength and support that were several times greater than that of the enemy, while the Prince of Yan relied on his wisdom and bravery, his many famous generals and his golden medal of immunity from death. Both sides won and lost. In the end, the Yan army won more victories than losses thanks to its familiarity with the terrain and the advantages of fighting in winter. No matter how Sheng Yong led his troops to kill, he could not break through Peking.
In this way, the Ming Dynasty entered the fourth year of Jianwen amid war.
No one was in the mood to celebrate the New Year that year. The Prince of Yan counted the achievements of the three-year Jingnan Campaign. Although he had won many battles and gradually turned the tide in public opinion, winning sympathy and support (mainly because Emperor Jianwen arbitrarily changed the ancestral system, reduced taxes, suppressed northern officials and other self-destructive reforms), his territory was still in the north, and he had been unable to capture the city of Jinan.
Jinan was like a barrier that kept the King of Yan out.
Emperor Jianwen was even less in the mood to celebrate the New Year. He had tried both peace talks and war last year, but to no avail. He had been fighting in the North for two years to quell the rebellion, but the situation became more and more chaotic. Although he had been able to keep the Yan army out with the solid gateway of Jinan, it could not be considered a success. The imperial army was well-founded, with several times more troops than its opponents and all kinds of new weapons from the gun/powder factory, but it had not only failed to quell the rebellion, but also had more defeats than victories.
Jinan was a barrier to the Prince of Yan, and it was also a barrier to Emperor Jianwen. It was like a siege: people outside the city wanted to attack, and people inside the city wanted to attack, but neither of them could do so.
As the mourning period for Empress Dowager Lu and Prince Heng had not yet ended, it was difficult to hold large-scale festivals. Even the most important annual ceremonial ceremony for the Empress, the Silkworm Ceremony, was canceled by Empress Ma on the grounds of saving manpower and money to support the war on the front lines.
Emperor Jianwen also used the 100,000 taels of silver that he had prepared for making dragon robes this year for military expenses, and only wore his old clothes. The dragon robes made of gold and silver thread brocade could not get wet, let alone be washed. Only five were made each year, with an average cost of 20,000 taels. Even the emperor had to take good care of them.
Of course, this amount of silver is a huge sum of money for ordinary people, but for a war, it is just a drop in the bucket and not even a sound can be heard when it is thrown in.
More importantly, as time went on, people inside and outside the court, and even in the palace and harem, gradually lost confidence in Emperor Jianwen, and people's hearts became unstable.
Hu Shanwei convened a meeting of six bureaus and one department to strictly enforce palace rules and regulations and prohibit private discussions on state affairs.
Hu Shanwei's real intention was not to drink, because at this special time, Emperor Jianwen was on the verge of exploding with anger. Once any palace maid ran into trouble, even Hu Shanwei would be unable to save her.
Hu Shanwei wanted to protect the palace people. She was used to seeing the changes in the palace. In fact, there were only a few people who caused trouble, but every time it was bloody and involved a large number of innocent lives.
Under the imperial power, no matter whether it is a concubine or a prince, even a crown prince or the empress dowager, they will all be ruthlessly crushed, let alone these palace servants who are like ants
However, the imperial power does not care about these ants. No matter how many people die, there will be new people entering the palace to serve. Hu Shanwei cares, and she hopes that not so many people will die in the future.
"… The rules have been made clear. If you want to save your life, you must learn to keep your mouth shut. Gossip will cost you your life. No matter who begs for mercy, it will be useless. Who can survive depends on who can keep their mouth shut."
The female officials agreed and went back to instruct the palace servants.
Only the Shangyi Bureau's Shangyi Shen Qionglian remained in her seat, staring at Hu Shanwei in silence until everyone around her had left. Then she asked, "It's the Queen Mother, right?"
Hu Shanwei looked normal, "What is Shen Shangyi talking about?"
Shen Qionglian was very smart. "You know what I'm talking about."
Hu Shanwei pretended to be confused, "I don't have time to play dumb with you. I'm very busy. I'm leaving first."
Shen Qionglian said behind her back, "It was the Queen Mother who killed Lady Fan, and Wang Dian was forced to commit suicide. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival when the Queen Mother had an accident, as usual, I, a court poet, should have written a poem to cheer her up. But I was fine during the day, but suddenly had a stomachache and diarrhea at night. What a coincidence! Later I learned that the prince also escaped because of diarrhea. There aren't so many coincidences. Someone must have arranged it secretly, and that person is you."
Hu Shanwei didn't even turn his head and said calmly: "You think too much and say too much. You ignored my words just now. Don't think that you can get away with it just because you are Shang Yi. Don't talk nonsense."
Shen Qionglian was very smart. "You gave yourself away. You originally came back to the palace to find out the truth about Concubine Fan's death. But you spent the first few months looking for clues, but later you just ignored them. You didn't even ask about the progress of the investigation by Minister Bao in the Ministry of Justice, and let the case become an unsolved case. This is not in line with your character."
Hu Shanwei said: "Not all cases can have a result, not all truths will come out, people have to learn to accept reality."
Shen Qionglian simply blocked the door and stopped Hu Shanwei from leaving. "But you are not that kind of person. There is only one reason why you gave up, that is, you have found the real murderer and have a plan for revenge. Now that the Queen Mother is dead, you have fulfilled your long-cherished wish, why don't you leave?"
Hu Shanwei said: "I think you have hysteria and are talking nonsense. You must be crazy. You should leave the palace, otherwise you and your Shen family will suffer."
Shen Qionglian was not afraid of her, staring into her eyes: "You must be worried that you know too much and follow in the footsteps of Lady Fan. All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people are his subjects. You can't escape anywhere. However, our Shen family's ancestor Shen Xiu made his fortune in the shipping business. We have an ancestral sea chart at home. This world is big. Besides the Ming Dynasty, there are more vast lands. I can ask the Shen family to send you overseas, so you will be safe."
Shen Xiu is Shen Wanshan, who first became rich as a salt merchant. Because there was no maritime ban in the Yuan Dynasty, the Shen family turned to maritime trade and became rich, becoming the richest man in the Yuan Dynasty.
Shen Qionglian is simply a treasure girl. If it weren't for her mountains of silver, Hu Shanwei would not have been able to find the body of Lady Fan so quickly.
Now, Shen Qionglian proposed to sail and send Hu Shanwei to seek refuge overseas. Hu Shanwei believed that the Shen family had the strength to do so, and she would not leave the Ming Dynasty, but...
Hu Shanwei recalled the night last year when the autumn wind and rain made people ring the bell in sorrow, and the lonely yet strong figure who looked like Empress Xiaoci, and an idea suddenly came to his mind.
Hu Shanwei said, "There are many things I cannot tell anyone. When can you arrange for that ship to go overseas?"
Shen Qionglian had an "I understand" expression on her face. "Give me three months. People like you can live well overseas. Don't follow the same path as Lady Fan."
Prince Yan promised that after the success, he would not harm Empress Ma and her son, but Hu Shanwei did not dare to believe it completely. She had witnessed too many cases of infighting within the same family and could not bet her future on Prince Yan's promise.
The ship that sailed overseas was prepared by Hu Shanwei for Empress Ma and her son. Hu Shanwei had watched Empress Ma give up the thought of living and pass away. This time, she could not watch another Empress Ma go to destruction.
The author has something to say: I went out to play today, so I won't update much and it's quite late. I will update very early tomorrow. I wish you all a happy holiday. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: Feiyuxingren, Mumu, Xia~Taoyuan, two pieces for one;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
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