If you don't try hard, you won't know what despair is.
It was raining in spring when the news of Zhu Zhanji's canonization as the Crown Prince came from Peking.
The cold icy rain hit his face randomly, and the King of Han's heart felt like it was being stabbed by a bayonet.
Am I waiting for a reserve position, or am I waiting to sink into the sea of suffering
The King of Han shed tears in the wind.
When my father appointed the Grandson as the Crown Prince, he was confirming that the Crown Prince's position as the heir apparent would be unshakable.
Regardless of whether the crown prince is good or bad, and whether he has the ability to govern the country or not, the emperor has accepted him.
The King of Han secretly instructed his men to submit a memorial, saying that Your Majesty is still young and in his prime, and that a crown prince has already been appointed, so there is no need to go to the trouble of appointing a crown prince as his grandson.
Emperor Yongle was well prepared and gave a unified reply:
Didn't you say before that the crown prince was in poor health and was a cripple? If he died suddenly, the foundation of the country would be shaken, and the people in the court would be in panic, and you would use this as a reason to depose the crown prince
I now feel that what you said makes sense, so I have appointed the eldest grandson as the Crown Prince as a double insurance. No matter what the Crown Prince's health is like in the future or whether he dies suddenly, the Ming Dynasty has a ready-made national reserve, so the Crown Prince can take over.
Emperor Yongle was good at making bold moves, and this slap in the face was really quick and accurate. Anyway, you were the ones who said the words, so do you accept it
Now the ministers regretted submitting the memorial to depose the crown prince. They were really shooting themselves in the face.
Emperor Yongle left his ministers speechless and they had to accept reality.
The King of Han could not question the decision of Emperor Yongle. It was raining in the sky and his heart was bleeding.
Zhu Zhanhe held an umbrella to protect his father from the wind and rain, "Father, be careful not to catch a cold."
The King of Han's desire for fame and fortune was poured with a basin of cold water, and he suddenly looked several years older. He was disheartened and sighed: "From now on, when we, father and son, see the Crown Prince, we must perform the etiquette of monarch and subject."
Once he is appointed as the crown prince, he is the emperor. In the royal family, state etiquette takes precedence over personal etiquette. When the royal family members meet, they must first perform state etiquette, then personal etiquette.
The King of Han is older than the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, but Zhu Zhanji is the monarch, so the King of Han must pay his respects to Zhu Zhanji first.
The baby felt wronged! It was fine to bow to the eldest brother, the crown prince, because he would be reincarnated. He had been reincarnated into the womb of the queen mother three years ago. But my eldest nephew Zhu Zhanji… was as thin as a bamboo pole, and his height was only up to his chest. How could I bow to a child
The King of Han had never suffered any injustice when he was a hostage in the capital. He would fight back anyone who dared to humiliate him. He never knew what it meant to bow down.
Life is sloppy, but I won’t bend!
The King of Han couldn't swallow this!
Zhu Zhanhe comforted his father, "Father, please think about it. Are you the only elder who pays respect to the Crown Prince? The princesses and aunts, the princes outside, and the third uncle, Prince Zhao, who is stationed in Beiping, also pay respect to the Crown Prince when they see him!"
The leader of the Fathers' Alliance, the King of Han, Zhu Gaoxu, cried inwardly: Woo, this son who betrayed his father, are you comforting me or mocking me? Why do I feel more and more uncomfortable the more I listen
On one side, there was gloom and sadness, while on the other side, there was jubilation. When the East Palace heard the news, he was so happy that he almost exploded. The 300-pound prince's fat was screaming, his fat was trembling, and he repeatedly asked the Crown Princess: "Really? Is this true? The Emperor has named Ji'er the Crown Prince?"
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "It is absolutely true. Your Highness's eyes are not blurry. Your Highness saw every word written on the paper correctly."
Upon hearing the news, Guo Liang Di came over holding her four-month-old son to congratulate the Crown Princess, "Sister, you have given birth to a good son. With the Crown Prince, the position of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace is secure."
She then teased her chubby son in the cradle, "Kai'er, when you grow up you must learn from your big brother. Mother doesn't ask for much, learning half of what he does is enough."
On New Year's Eve after the crown prince's mourning period ended, Guo Liangdi got pregnant after trying to get him three times. After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a son and named him Zhu Zhankai.
The Crown Princess took the swaddling clothes, full of joy, "Look at Kai'er's lively eyes. He will definitely be no worse than his elder brother in the future. Maybe he will even surpass him."
After hearing this, Guo Liang Di laughed and said, "The Crown Prince is a rare genius that only appears once in a century. How can Kai'er be compared with the Crown Prince? I just hope that he will not be a fool in the future and can help the Crown Prince. I will be very happy."
People are in high spirits when they are happy. When the prince saw his youngest son, he rushed over to hold him and play with the child. However, the prince was usually either busy with official duties or busy with rain and dew. Zhu Zhankai seldom saw his father, and he was used to seeing gentle and beautiful women. Suddenly, a big pig head came in front of him. Who could bear it
Even adults can’t stand it.
What’s more, Zhu Zhankai was a little baby. Not only was he scared to tears by the pig’s head, but he also peed his urine all over his father.
Seeing the prince embarrassed, the crown princess hurriedly took the child and handed it to Guo Liangdi to change clothes, saying, "Boy's urine is auspicious and can ward off evil spirits."
Two strong eunuchs helped the prince to change his clothes. At this time, the female doctor came and reported, also with a happy face, that Concubine Zhang was pregnant.
This Concubine Zhang was the beauty presented to the palace by the Crown Princess's family, the Pengcheng Earl's Mansion. She was a slave girl who was carefully trained by the Earl's Mansion and was originally intended to be used to consolidate the Crown Princess's favor in the future.
Because the prince listened to Hu Shanwei's advice, he had to deliberately act to expose his flaws and shortcomings and let himself go. The prince followed his husband's lead and the princess greeted her family and deliberately asked Concubine Zhang to pour wine when the prince was holding a literary meeting at Zhang's villa, creating an absurd scandal that the prince was "blinded by lust" and asked his brother-in-law for a beauty.
The prince really risked his life for the position of crown prince. He was exhausted from official duties every day, and at night he had to work hard to cultivate Concubine Zhang's virgin land and sow the seeds of rain and dew. Now that Concubine Zhang is pregnant and his eldest son has been named the Crown Prince, the prince is completely relieved.
The Crown Princess hurriedly ordered people to prepare gifts for pregnant Concubine Zhang, and asked the Crown Prince, who had just changed into clean clothes, "This is Concubine Zhang's first pregnancy. Would Your Highness like to go see her?"
The prince leaned comfortably on the bed, shook his head repeatedly, and the fat on his cheeks was about to fall out. "No, no! I can't help Zhang Meiren have a baby. These days, I am almost exhausted. I need to rest for a while. Even if a fairy descends to earth, I will not favor her."
I slept with women for the throne. No, it wasn't me who slept with women, it was women who slept with me.
The prince is tired. It's a miracle that a 300-pound fat man can hold on until now.
The Crown Princess said, "Well, Concubine Zhang is of humble origins and is just a servant of my mother's family. Your Highness doesn't need to worry about her. But what about Concubine Guo? She is a noble lady from a noble family. Your Highness must not treat her badly."
"I treated her badly? How dare I treat her badly? When did I ever treat her badly?" The prince asked three questions in a row, feeling a little aggrieved. "I treated Guo Liang Di the same way I treated you. Kai'er, the baby born to Guo Liang Di, is already four months old. How can I treat her?"
The Crown Princess smiled mysteriously and said, "Your Highness also knows that Kai'er is four months old, right? The imperial physician and the female physician both said that after four months of giving birth, a woman can have normal sexual intercourse and prepare for the next pregnancy. I gave birth to three sons, so it would be fair for Your Highness to give Guo Liang Di at least three children."
After hearing this, the prince felt a pain in his kidneys and groaned, "You two are really like sisters. You are more anxious about Guo Liangdi's second child than she is. I beg you, can you let me rest for a while? I am really too tired."
When the Crown Princess heard this, she urged the Crown Prince to sleep with Guo Liang Di, and even deliberately misinterpreted the Crown Prince's words and used a trick to provoke him:
"What? It's fine for Your Highness to favor Lady Zhang, but it's not okay for Him to favor Lady Guo? What's wrong with you? Are you dissatisfied with the fact that Lady Guo is not as slim as before after giving birth?"
The prince shook his head in exasperation, "How could it be! I am a fat man myself, how could I dislike Guo Liang Di who gave birth to my youngest son? Besides, Guo Liang Di is not fat, she is plumper and more beautiful than before."
The Crown Princess pointed in the direction of Guo Liang Di's palace and said, "In that case, Your Highness should sleep there tonight. Guo Liang Di has been pregnant for ten months and raised Kai Er for four months. It has been fourteen months since she has received the Crown Prince's favor. How can this be allowed? Even I can't stand it. For dinner, I want the Imperial Food Bureau to prepare some nourishing ingredients to help the Crown Prince."
No matter if they were palace concubines or ordinary noble ladies, the mothers would not breastfeed the children themselves, but would leave it all to the wet nurse. As soon as the children were born, the noble ladies would drink weaning medicine to take care of their bodies. Generally, they would have their menstrual period normally the next month, and after three months of conditioning, they could conceive again.
This is to optimize the fertility rate and allow ladies to give birth more efficiently. Because if a mother feeds her baby by herself, she will rarely have her period during the breastfeeding period, especially in the first six months, so the possibility of pregnancy is extremely small. This is the natural law of human reproduction, which protects the babies who have been born from adequate nutrition and care.
Money and status can break the original natural laws and allow families with the means to have more children by hiring wet nurses.
Therefore, the ancients' pursuit of having many children and grandchildren and having many sons and grandchildren was not just a primitive worship of reproduction, but was mainly a manifestation of family wealth and status.
Four months after giving birth, Guo Liangdi was physically and mentally ready to conceive again. Today, she came to the main hall holding Zhu Zhankai to congratulate Zhu Zhanji on his title as the emperor's eldest grandson. Wasn't this a hint
Guo Liangdi couldn't just tell the prince: I haven't slept with you for fourteen months. Is it because of my poor figure or my poor family background? After four months of recuperation, my uterus has been renovated and is ready to welcome the next embryo. Is it my responsibility to expand the royal family
No matter how tired you are, you have to get up and plow the land and sow seeds for me!
The prince thought that what the princess said made sense. It was time to go to Guo Liangdi's place to work. If he didn't go, people might think that Guo Liangdi had fallen out of favor or that I didn't respect the Guo family. This wouldn't work. The Guo family was a great help to the East Palace.
The prince had no choice but to lie down and recuperate, "Okay, I'll follow your instructions."
The Crown Princess was overjoyed. "I will send someone to inform Guo Liang Di and ask her to make good preparations."
Are you ready? Always be ready!
Guo Liangdi was the daughter of a general and had excellent physical fitness. She had sex with the prince three times that night. At the end of the month, Guo Liangdi's menstrual period did not come as expected and she became pregnant again.
The Crown Princess was naturally happy for Guo Liangdi. The Crown Prince had finally completed his task and could go home and move to the main room to sleep.
Unexpectedly, just after blowing out the lights and the prince thought he could finally have a good sleep, the princess made advances towards him.
The prince's legs trembled instinctively, "Please forgive me, you already have three sons, and you are still not satisfied."
"I want a daughter." The Crown Princess was very determined. "A daughter is a mother's little cotton-padded jacket. I am in my early thirties now. If I don't get pregnant now, it will be even more difficult to get pregnant in the future. Besides, there are a lot of boys in the East Palace now. Doesn't Your Highness want a cute little princess?"
think.
The prince had no choice. No one else could do this for him, so he had to rely on himself.
When the Crown Princess announced that she was pregnant with her fourth child, Emperor Yongle finally returned from his personal expedition in triumph. His eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji also returned to Beijing with him, leaving the third prince, Prince of Zhao Zhu Gaosui, to guard Peking.
At the same time, the imperial mausoleum on Tianshou Mountain in Beiping had been completed, and the coffin of Empress Renxiao could be buried and laid to rest.
This time, the King of Han seemed to come to his senses. He was no longer attached to the power in the capital. He knelt down and begged Emperor Yongle, and volunteered to escort the coffin of his mother, Empress Xiaoci, to Tianshou Mountain in the north for burial.
In fact, Emperor Yongle originally wanted the Crown Prince to personally escort the coffin to the north. This was an invisible political capital and added points to his filial piety.
However, Emperor Yongle was heartbroken when he saw his second son, Prince of Han, crying. The pain of losing a mother is different from the pain of losing a grandmother.
The King of Han cried louder and more sadly than the Crown Prince. His voice was almost hoarse and he finally fainted in front of his mother's coffin. His tears were so sincere and heartbreaking.
Emperor Yongle was a father after all. Seeing his son fainted from crying, he softened his heart and thought that the Prince of Han must have changed his temper and would slowly turn around and no longer slander the Crown Prince.
Emperor Yongle decided to give his second son a chance. As a father, he wanted to treat everyone equally. Since he had named Zhu Zhanji of the Eastern Palace as the Crown Prince, the important task of escorting Empress Renxiao to the north for burial had to be given to the King of Han.
The night before the King of Han set out, Emperor Yongle copied the Heart Sutra in small regular script in the Rouyi Hall:
“Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva… sees that the five aggregates are empty and overcomes all suffering…”
The signature reads "In the eleventh year of Yongle, Fu Di copied a volume of the Heart Sutra for his late wife, Empress Renxiao."
Emperor Yongle made two copies in total.
Tomorrow, Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu will send the coffin of Empress Renxiao, which has been kept here for six years, to Tianshou Mountain in Beiping for burial.
Emperor Yongle Zhu Di copied two volumes of "Heart Sutra" in the palace. Then he took out a comb used by Empress Renxiao from his arms. The fine teeth of the comb had retained a few strands of the empress's hair, and he kept it with him all the time.
Emperor Yongle carefully unwound the hair that was entangled on the teeth of the comb and arranged it into a small bunch. Then he cut off a strand of his own hair and weaved it together with his deceased wife's hair. The hair was divided into two bunches and rolled into two copies of the Heart Sutra respectively.
Afterwards, she tied the letters with gold thread, as if covering the intertwined hair inside with a second layer of quilt, carefully protecting them.
On the desk, there were two gilded bronze statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, shining brightly like twins, made from the same mold and by the same craftsman. Emperor Yongle opened the base, stuffed two copies of books wrapped with gold thread into the hollow of the Buddha statues, and then closed the base.
The coffin of Empress Renxiao was buried in Tianshou Mountain. From then on, only the strand of hair hidden in these two Buddha statues accompanied Emperor Yongle for the rest of his life.
Emperor Yongle sat guarding the coffin of his deceased wife all night long without closing his eyes.
In the morning, the King of Han welcomed the coffin of Empress Renxiao out of the palace. The Crown Prince and the Crown Prince cried all the way to the Longjiangyi Ferry outside the city and watched the coffin being carried onto the boat.
In the Fengtian Hall, the Yongle Emperor, whose hair had turned white overnight, called the Minister of Rites and instructed him, "After a hundred years, I will be buried together with Empress Renxiao in the Tianshou Mountain Imperial Mausoleum. This mausoleum will be named Changling."
Changling means longing for someone.
Longing for you breaks my heart!
The author has something to say: To know the later fate of these two gilded bronze statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, please read my work “The Great Earl Tang”. The physical book of this book will be published soon. When the time comes, please support the physical book o(n_n)o ha!
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