The Imperial Clan of Ming Dynasty: Volume 3

By Gu JunDao

From the end of the Ming Dynasty until the end of the Ming Dynasty, he had become a slave of Jin Shang who starved to death. Where did he get such a good meal from in this apocalyptic era?

Plundering of countries... No, this is trade. It was more comfortable being the emperor himself … This sister-in-law Zhang Yan … He had to take good care of her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Funstory
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649481665

Book preview

MUTATION

CHAPTER 201 - THE PALACE OF WISDOM IS NOT SAFE EITHER

The system of imperial concubines after the Ming Dynasty was very standard, and they were selected and eliminated step by step. The first step was the audition. Whenever the emperor reached the age of marriage, the imperial palace would send eunuchs to all parts of the country to select young girls between the ages of 13 and 16. From there, the imperial family would select 5,000 girls to be paid for by the imperial family, and the parents would send them to the capital for the second round of selection within the prescribed time period.

In the second round of the selection, the eunuchs chose a large field and lined up the girls in a row according to their age. After a round of inspection, the girls who were too tall, short, fat, and thin were eliminated. One out of five would be eliminated in this round. On the second day, the third round of selections would be held. The eunuchs would line up in the same way as the previous day, carefully inspecting each person's five officers, hair, skin, voice, and appearance. As long as one of them did not conform to the rules, they would be eliminated. This round will again eliminate half of the remaining number.

The remaining two thousand or so will be selected for the fourth round. In this round, the eunuchs would not only measure the girl's limbs with a ruler, but also examine her gait and charm. With this step, another 1,000 girls would be eliminated.

The final 1,000 beauties were summoned to the palace to continue their selection. The eunuchs' mission came to an end.

There were only about a thousand women who had passed all the four stages, and they all became maid of honour. However, whether or not they could become the second wife was still to be seen. After entering the palace, the palace led maid of honour to a private room where they probed her breast, sniffed her armpits, examined her texture, and examined her chastity. There must be no scars on her body, and her skin must be smooth and shiny. In this way, they could choose maid of honour as their leader.

The fifth test was for the eunuchs sent by the emperor to observe the three beauties for a month. According to their words, they would judge whether they were gentle and kind, and whether they were wise and virtuous.

Thus, after eliminating two hundred and fifty contestants, the remaining five consorts would automatically be promoted to the imperial concubines. In the second round, Choice 3, the empress dowager or imperial concubine selected three of the five to be chosen by the emperor. In the end, the emperor would decide on a queen.

Usually, the two beauties who accompanied them to the selection would be dubbed as Noble Consort, but there were also those who were given gold and silver coins and returned home. For example, Emperor Taichang of the Light Sect had chosen the Crown Prince's consort when he was Crown Prince. Mrs. Liu and the Guo sisters had entered the final round of the competition. The eldest son of the Guo Family had been chosen as the Crown Prince's consort.

It was said that this Mrs Liu felt that her worth was a hundred times more than normal. After returning to her hometown, she no longer wanted to marry a common man and became an old maid for a lifetime.

Therefore, do not compare maid of honour from the Ming Dynasty with maid of honour from the full Qing Dynasty. The difference was like the difference between the two worlds. It could be said that one of the most beautiful women in the world would be in the palace!

When maid of honour entered the palace, she usually had basic literary skills. Therefore, she would write down palace notes, record events, or express her feelings based on what happened in the palace. Every generation of the Ming Dynasty had palace words, such as the Heavenly Revelation Palace words or Chong Zhen Palace words.

Furthermore, since Emperor Wanli had been able to do it for so long, it was definitely not an easy task. If he was unable to control himself, it would be a big problem if he could live past the age of three by maid of honour's side.

The two of them started to admire each other, and they started to roll around in the Hall of Wisdom Respecting.

Holding the body that was as smooth as jade, Zhu Hongzhao showed off his ability while panting. Zhang Yan put her fingers on his back, frowned and said, You … Having eaten the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard... Slow down...

Slowing down and stroking lightly, Zhu Hongzhao was filled with confidence. His face that was as soft as jade was also flushed red: There are two hundred soldier in armor s outside the hall, and the inner drill grounds is about half a kilometer away. At most, I can just bring my sister out of the capital and back to Shandong Province to be free and unfettered!

The army would always be his backing. The army had already reached the Shanhai Pass, and the Shence Guard was in the main camp outside the capital. To him, secret service of the Ming Dynasty, and the Armoured Cavalry Soldiers Battalion were all but useless things, as they could be dispersed with a single punch.

As long as he could fight his way out of the capital city and join forces with Sun Hee's Shence Guard, and with the support of the Flying Bear Guard Cavalry, he was confident that he could defeat the capital city, let alone escape back to Shandong.

Ever since he moved back into Hall of Wisdom Respecting, Zhu Hongzhao could finally sleep peacefully. If they were still in the Palace of Celestial Purity Palace, even if there were an empty palace, he and Zhang Yan both wouldn't dare to make a move.

Nonsense, how could I escape back to Shandong?

With her slender arm around Zhu Hongzhao's neck, Zhang Yan whispered, You can run, but I can't …

Big sister, Erlang can't bear to part with big sister …

Both of them were risking their lives, and today was truly a rare opportunity.

The Emperor wanted to cancel next year's pay during the court meeting. This was a ridiculous matter, and he couldn't stop at 1: 30. There were countless people standing behind the payment system. Even the payment system was going to cut off the road to wealth for a large number of people. How could these people be willing to give it up?

Moreover, without a yearly payment of 30 thousand silver, how would the Emperor be able to fill this hole in the empty silver? He might even get Prince Qi to step out and make sure that his family would receive a year's worth of pay …

The war at the Chong Zhi Palace gradually subsided. The two of them embraced each other while reminiscing about the aftertaste. Zhang Yan felt a little regretful after eating her fill. It could be said that it was an accident last time, but this time it was clearly a collusion. She was a bit regretful about letting Prince Qi get his way easily, but she really couldn't help it.

For the past two months, the emperor had not gone to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility once, and she was thin-skinned enough to not use any of the palace's entertainment equipment. After all, to the emperor, there were countless beauties in the palace and there was no difference in beauty. The only difference was their status or knowledge.

At this moment, Zhu Hongzhao's mind was clear. He held a ball of pepper in each hand and massaged it lightly. He laid on the pillow on his side and rested his chin on Zhang Yan's shoulder. He only had one way out, and that was to kill the Emperor.

Like Prince Xin, he killed Emperor Tianqi. However, he had to have two sons before he could make a move. If one was not safe, then two were safe.

In the two months he had been in the palace, he had been speculating on Emperor Tianqi's death. It is said that he fell into the water and left behind the root of his illness, and did not last long. He died.

Emperor Wuzong fell into the water in September. It could be said that he died due to the cold weather, but there was no protection around him? Heaven's Awakening didn't seem to be a cold weather that fell in the water. It was in its prime, yet it was still healthy and strong. How could it have died?

In the palace, he tried to think back. He vaguely remembered that in history, Zhang Yan also gave birth to a crown prince in Tianqi 3 years ago. It was said that she was set up by Wei Zhongxian and gave birth to a stillborn child. Therefore, he had reason to believe that the Emperor's disregard for her would cause Zhang Yan to lose her son and lose her ability to reproduce, and would cause Zhang Yan to bear a grudge in her heart.

Therefore, if Zhang Yan and Prince Xin worked together, it was possible for one person to take revenge and the other to protect himself. There was even a possibility for them to be in cahoots with each other. After all, Emperor Tianqi's hobbies were somewhat remote, and he wasn't as considerate as Prince Xin.

Therefore, Emperor Tianqi had to die insidiously. Perhaps, not only did he have such a plan, there would also be a lot of people with such a plan.

However, the Emperor could not die early, otherwise, it would only benefit Prince Xin. Besides, Zhang Yansheng's baby boy was definitely the Crown Prince. Once this child took over the throne, if something went wrong, the throne would end up in Prince Xin's hands.

So it would be better to have double insurance. According to his agreement with the Emperor, he would still be able to stay in the palace for three years. He had to give birth to two sons with Zhang Yan within three years. If time was short, he even planned to make a move on the other imperial concubines.

Don't think that those concubines would resist. As long as it was kept a secret, they too wanted to have a child to ensure their own status. They could even allow their family to be conferred with the title of marquis because they gave birth to a child!

To put it coldly, everyone was just taking what they needed. Zhu Hongzhao wanted his children to be emperors. Those concubines only wanted to protect the wealth of their families. As for their feelings for the Emperor, how much could a group of women who were chosen by the National Selection have feelings for the Emperor?

Just like Zhang Yan, she felt guilt for the Emperor not because she loved him so much, but because she was bound by morality. Morality, on the other hand, would crumble before death and power.

Prince Qi was more capable, more good-looking, and more considerate than Heaven's Enlightenment. When the palace was in chaos, the Heaven's Enlightenment only cared about himself, while Prince Qi stood out. Under this kind of contrast, Zhang Yan naturally had a good impression of Prince Qi.

From a selfish point of view, Zhang Yan didn't care who the child in her womb belonged to, it was her blood and bone anyway. If she could guarantee that her child would become the emperor and Prince Qi could fight, she could protect the child's future very well. Why couldn't she join hands with Prince Qi?

Even Zhang Yan suspected that if it wasn't for her and Prince Qi, Prince Qi would have done something to the royal family sooner or later. Because she knew that Prince Qi had big ambitions, needed a place to show them off, and had a lot of good men. It was no joke to set off another crisis.

After the afterglow had dissipated, the two of them snuggled up to each other and tidied up the battlefield, helping each other to put on their clothes and gather their hair.

Zhu Hongzhao added more ingredients to the incense burner and used the fragrance to disperse the overpowering smell that covered the room.

Then each took a book and absent-mindedly read, and chatted about the Southwest Rebellion.

It was already a foregone conclusion that Prince Qi would go to the Southwest to smooth out the rebellion, and Prince Xin would be accompanied by the inspector in the army. This was the first time in the past 200 years that a direct king had led his troops, so this matter had to be done with extreme caution. At the very least, he couldn't fail.

The Emperor, Prince Qi, and Zhang Yan all knew that in this royal family's next battle, the leader of the royal family had to win cleanly and cleanly. Only with a strong contrast could they suppress the dissatisfaction of the officials. At the same time, because he was the direct leader of the king's army, his opponents might not only be the people led by the Ji and An Clans, but also his own people.

Therefore, they had to be extremely prepared. After the first day of the third month of the Tongzhou was over, the Great general of the conquest of the south would mobilize. The Great general of the Southern March will travel through the canal to the Yangtze River and then head up the river to Chongqing to rest and rest.

Ships and foodstuffs needed by the army are all prepared by the counties and provinces on both sides of the river.

As long as there were no problems with the food, Zhu Hongzhao was confident that he could lead 20,000 men to sweep through the imperial rebels. His Wu Steel Manor's craftsman workshop had already increased its capacity to produce the Heavenly Revelation's 3 year post installed fire rod. When the time came, Shence Guard would be fully equipped. Flying Bear Guard was a cavalry army, which was not very useful in the Southwest Battlefield. They would only send two thousand mounts south to protect the grain supply road.

The Qingzhou guards who had just formed their troops would also rush to Chongqing under Chen Ce's lead. Their role was to stay in Chongqing and listen to Xiong Yanbi's order to supervise the southwest troops.

Inside the Hall of Wisdom Respecting palace, Zhang Yan and Prince Qi were chatting while gradually concentrating. They brought out the two of them from the map booklet and compared it with each other as they calculated how they would replenish the army's food supply if they failed the recruitment.

Moreover, the southwest was moist and warm. The gunpowder needed to be treated with moistureproof. In addition, there were about two thousand or so people participating in the Shenji Camp, the main force was the cannon Ministry of War team, which would have more than one hundred and thirteen light Farangi entering the southwest mountains to fight.

Therefore, gunpowder was only second to fodder. Once there was a damp or shortage, this army would be destroyed.

Because of the humidity and warmth of the southwest, the armor was prone to rust. Therefore, Zhu Hongzhao had already started to process the bamboo that he had brought into the capital and would produce a batch of light bamboo armor.

Outside the hall, Tian Qi's face darkened as he rushed over gloomily. Seeing that the empress's followers were all outside the hall, his expression became even more unsightly, stopping Lao Wei's report. Before he could even ask, Cao Shaoqin had already kneeled on the ground and said, Long live, empress imperial concubine and Prince Qi are discussing important matters.

Something important?

Tian Qi just nodded and let the servant stay outside the hall as he tiptoed into the hall with Lao Wei.

The supply of grain and foodstuffs in Shandong should be exempted. When the great army arrives at the South Zhili with the ten Japanese Army rations, nine people will be fed with the southern foodstuffs. There is little food in the north, and it is difficult to transport the food. Northern food is equivalent to 3 Shi Nan food, the less you eat the better.

The Emperor continued writing and proposed, Nanjing has abundant raw materials for gunpowder. We can transfer 5 barrels of the raw materials from Nanjing's main camp to Chongqing and have them processed from the Qingzhou Guard to the Weiqinzi Medicine.

The Weiqingzi medicine was called granule gunpowder.

Granular gunpowder made after the transport will not be due to jitter layers, ignited between the particles there is enough air, can be fully burning and therefore powerful, easy to store.

Heaven's Initiation came in while laughing. He picked up Zhu Hongzhao's notes on all aspects of the conquest and paid attention to all aspects. He could not help but look gloomy and happy, So well-prepared, the empress has the talent of Zhuge Xiao!

How can he be called 'concubine'? It's just that Prince Qi is worried that he has been negligent and doesn't trust others. Thus, he can only let this concubine take up the missing parts. Zhang Yan's palms were sweating. It seemed like this Hall of Wisdom Respecting wasn't safe either.

Zhu Hongzhao felt that he should build a sentry tower in Hall of Wisdom Respecting …

Looking at the happy and worried expression of the Emperor, one could tell that the matter of the payment had been settled in the imperial court. Otherwise, the imperial court would not have brought the matter to an early conclusion. Then the emperor joined in, adding to the attention of the march.

CHAPTER 202 - MOBILIZATION OF PARTIES

On the 8th of February, Datong Town guarded the minister Mansion.

Liu Shimin opened Cao Shaoqin's letter, then he opened the envelope and dipped it in water. A line of words appeared. The short sentence sent chills down his spine and left him in disbelief. The empress was actually pregnant with Prince Qi's seed!

Don't expect anyone who knows about this to report it. Whoever reports it will die unless they are forced into a corner.

Other than this letter, there was also the dispatch document sent by the imperial government, allowing Da Tong to prepare for battle after the beginning of autumn. It was possible that he would need to dispatch over ten thousand cavalrymen to Liao City to listen to Prince Qi's commands.

Prince Qi also wrote him a letter, which was filled with a sense of pride, at least to Liu Shimin.

With a gloomy face, he immediately sent people to gather the troops of Zhao Lvjiao, deputy general Hee Chong, Commander, Guo Liang, Liu Gaoxu, and the guerrilla hit Qu Jiazhen. There was also a man named Commander and Hu Ying who were promoted from the Minzhou Guards in Gansu Province. This Hu Ying was completely suppressed and could only stay in Datong City. He did not have any real troops.

Furthermore, the Minzhou in Gansu Province was barren, and the servant brought by Tiger Ying were few in number. Only three people could not make it to the top.

Hu Ying, like Qin Liangyu, was a hereditary earth official. His ancestors were similar to the Ma Family in that they were people with lustful eyes at the end of the Primordial Era and believed in the Ancestral Church. What was worth mentioning was that these days, there were no Chinese. All of them were Chinese, including Ma Family.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang forbids the naturalization of Mongolia, the colored people marry each other, force the Chinese, go Hu Feng to change Han style, go Hu surname to change Han surname.

The first word in the name of Huying's ancestors changed to the homonym 'Hu'. Different from Hu Dawei's surname, Hu Dawei's surname was the surname of his father, Bai Hu. Hu Dawei's surname was the son of Ji.

From Old Zhu's point of view, the two words had the same surname, Hu. They were heresy. Gongsun, Sima, Dongfang, Ximen, etc., under the policy of Old Zhu changed into a single surname. As for Murong, Yuwen, Dugu, Yelu, and the other prominent people with the surname Hu, they were all long gone.

In order to give the Datong Town the ability to send troops, when Zhu Hongzhao went to the capital, he ordered the Qi De Lai Chamber of Commerce managed by Zhu Binngnan to purchase Jiangnan grains and transport them to Datong, where he started to transshipment them between the north and south.

He would sell them to the Datong Town as a food reserve and buy furs and horses to make a profit. It was barely able to maintain the cost of this trade route, not because they wanted to earn money, but because they wanted to be able to revive finance, where Datong Town were almost bankrupt.

This behavior of Qi De Chamber of Commerce was a complete violation of the industry's rules. However, the one behind him was Prince Qi, the Chamber of Commerce that did the food business had no choice but to admit defeat. Even the members of the minister were angered by Prince Qi, not to mention them.

Hee Chong received Liu Shimin's official documents and frowned. He also had a guilty conscience and caused a huge ruckus. He was very worried that Liu Shimin or Zhao Lvjiao would directly take care of him if he participated in the meeting.

As his aide, Jian Dianbiao read the official documents. His refined face had a smile: "What are you afraid of? Chief Steward Zhao will also participate in the meeting. You're an old general of Prince Qi.

Just in case …

Sun Tie had a moustache and looked dignified. Old Man Zhao seems to have gotten in touch with Wei Zhongxian recently, and now he is eyeing Governor-general Xuan and Cui Jingrong. With these two supporting him, once Old Man Zhao goes all out, he'll be the first to finish everyone off. Even Zhou Tie won't be able to protect us!"

There was news circulating that Cui Jingrong would be promoted to Minister of War. The future was bright. It was common for Governor-general Xuan to promote themselves to Minister of War, or to directly take over Minister of War's position.

Jian Dianbiao was slightly silent. He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, It was Prince Qi's idea to use troops in the Liao Town this year. At that time, everyone will be gathered under Prince Qi's command or be related to each other as brothers. This time, the general led his five personal riders from the east road into the city, said Guo Liang, and asked him to lead his five riders to Datong. I will go and find General Liu Gaoxu, then everyone will lead 5 riders, Old Zhao will be more obedient.

The reason was not complicated. At the end of October last year, Hee Chong stole Shanxi merchants and took a detour to send her away. The first pair of sisters were separately accepted by Hee Chong and Jian Dianbiao.

This, of course, was reported to Zhu Hongzhao.

Because Fann Family was a gift to Lin Danhan, he invited Lin Danhan Li to join the battle to take care of Hee Chong. Hee Chong was really too ruthless, as he completely cut off the way Shanxi merchants walked on Da Tong and Xuan Mansion Town.

Ordinary salt, tea, silk cotton can be passed, but a heavy tax. The most profitable food and weapons, once searched, they would immediately be investigated. Regardless of their identity, the workers of the caravan went to the labor camp to dig coal and iron ore for Prince Qi.

Furthermore, even if Shanxi merchants s were to take a detour from the west to the east, they would still pass by Hee Chong's territory on the outside. Unless they took a detour to the desert and sold food to Jianzhou Jurchens due to the high cost. The risks were also huge, and the gains would not make up for the losses.

As Yang Zhaoji assumed the position of General Officer in Yansui Town, the road to Shanxi merchants was completely sealed. There was still one Taiyuan Town in the middle, but Hee Chong would immediately discover it if one of them escaped.

Shanxi merchants 8 made everyone grind their teeth in hatred, wanting to initiate a relationship with the court to impeach these general s. Unfortunately, Zhu Hongzhao stayed in the palace, and those officials who were used to receiving Shanxi merchants and filial piety would only cause trouble for the Old Clan of Prince Qi if they were tired of living.

His actions were quite effective, causing his life on the Jianzhou Jurchens side to be extremely difficult. Firstly, Zhu Hongzhao entered the capital and unrestrainedly extorted the king to extort information from the Tongzhou. He even allowed the Flying Bear Army to enter the Tongzhou to monitor the passing caravans, especially the ones that sold food to the Liao Town.

Lee Weihan, on the other hand, was still waiting for Jianzhou Jurchens to raise the price of the ten thousand stone rations, but in the end, before they could even sell them, they were all taken away by Flying Bear Army. Even the Zhang family's entrance, which was a safe place to leave, was raided by secret service of the Ming Dynasty using Lee Weihan's matter.

Thus, this year's Jianzhou Jurchens snow had not melted, and once it stopped falling, the price of food would soar to a terrifying high of 8 taels of silver, 1 stone of food would be worth 8 taels of silver!

This was unimaginable. Li Zicheng's uncle, Gao Yingxiang, had rebelled because the price of food had risen to 1 stone, 5 taels of silver and 9 taels of silver. In comparison to 1, it could only mean that the overbearing rule of Jianzhou Jurchens was still quite effective.

Nurhachi was facing a food crisis like in history, the entire eastern and southern parts of Liaoning province was in the region, and the number of people that were taken captive was around 2 million. With such a large food shortage, no matter what, the banner men and clothed slaves couldn't starve to death. But what if there wasn't enough food? Then let's just kill …

The Chinese prisoners who were taken prisoner began to inspect their rations, and those who had less than one basis directly seized the grain. Because they did not have enough money, these people would starve sooner or later. Rather than waiting until they were hungry and causing trouble, it would be better to just deprive them of food and kill them all.

Don't think that's impossible, this kind of thing has been going on for the past few years.

Don't ask why there are so many captives in Jianzhou Jurchens, why don't you go and cultivate them. In the current Liao Town, if the Jianzhou Jurchens did not hit the Ming Army, then there were still quite a few small guerrilla units within the Ming Army, and there were even many of them who took the initiative to attack. Even if Jianzhou Jurchens wanted to cultivate it peacefully, he did not have the ability to guard the vast amount of farmland.

In addition, a few Mongol tribes that were close to the Jianzhou Jurchens, such as Chahan Tribe, were also engaged in the business of taking someone's money to help them get rid of the calamity. Small groups of Mongol Cavalry would also sneak attack the gathering places with scattered Jianzhou Jurchens.

Every year, the imperial government would allocate 30 thousand taels of silver to the Mongol officials. For the sake of money and for the sake of the resources of the Ming Dynasty, these Mongol tribes were very active in dealing with Jianzhou Jurchens.

It was only after the Ming Dynasty had stopped paying salaries that the tribes in the east of Mongolia started to harbor hatred and turn their heads towards the Jianzhou Jurchens. The barriers on the sides of the walls on the east side of the Ming Dynasty had turned into barriers on the other side of the Jianzhou Jurchens …

It had to be said that the late Ming Dynasty lacked discerning decision makers.

There was Mongolian tribes to the west and Mao Wenloong and North Korea to the east in Jianzhou Jurchens to harass him. They were powerless to large-scale farming, and would only attack on a large scale if they could not move any further.

Unfortunately, after the pay had stopped, Mongolia went back to Jianzhou Jurchens.

Chahan Tribe said that no one was familiar with him, and in the future, he would be translated into Chahar … The relationship between Chahan Tribe and Ming Dynasty was also very complicated. They often fought each other, causing quite a commotion during the years of Jia Jing and Wan Li. And Lin Danhan right now was just a big sweat from Chahan Tribe. He was also a young man who liked to drink alcohol.

After Chong Zhen ascended the throne, Yuan Chonghuan took out Shang Fang's sword and chopped off Mao Wenloong, who also possessed the same sword, because Mao Wenloong was disobedient, and even more so because Mao Wenloong was raised and raised by Heaven's Initiation.

First, Xiong Yanbi was killed by the leader of the nine sides, then the banner figure Mao Wenloong was killed by Yuan Chonghuan for absurd reasons. Completely chilled the general's heart, Mao Wenloong was killed is a turning point.

The general s who had previously been able to fight to the death with their hot blood and Jianzhou Jurchens also began to deteriorate.

However, the hidden problems on both sides of the Jianzhou Jurchens had disappeared due to the wrong policies of the Ming Dynasty. Thus, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion once more.

Right now, there was still time to save everything.

Shandong Chen Ce is the Commander of Qingzhou Guards and vice general is Liu Hsingxiao. He has already brought 5,600 people to Nanjing to select the members of Qingzhou Guards. After completing a change of equipment in Nanjing, they will head up the river towards Chongqing.

At the same time, Qi Zhenzong's Tengchow Guard and Wu Steel's Laizhou Vanguard will undergo intensive training in spring. As a reserve, once the situation in the Southwest had worsened, the two guards would be on their way to the Southwest.

The other guard, Yang Yufann, was stationed in Cao Zhou and happened to be the bandit, Huang Xiangyun, leading a group of people to plunder. This Huang Xiangyun was extremely arrogant, and he defeated many of the soldiers that tried to exterminate him.

After Yang's arrival, he made a thorough investigation, observation and understanding of his situation, and figured out the rules of Huang's activities, as well as his changing lair.

In the middle of the night on the third day of the second month, Yang Yuechan led two elite servant Knights and attacked the bandit's cave. They wore dual armor and killed more than a hundred of them in the night, while capturing the bandit leader Huang Xiaoyun alive.

Reporting to the imperial government, Ministry of War preparation for promotion to the northern Tongzhou, deputy commander-in-chief, 17 years old, has not changed much in history. This was the treatment of a child of the family of generals. Others couldn't compare to it.

In order to smooth the rebellion from the south, Zhu Hongzhao had called out Yang Yufann from the Ministry of War archives, and hung him up as Commander, the other Commander was Zhou Yuji, who had been raised up from the secret service of the Ming Dynasty by Heaven's Initiation.

It was proposed by Tian Qi that, in order to compensate for Yang Family, Ministry of War should be combined with the achievements of Yang Family in Shandong peaceful rebellion. Yang Yufann's eldest brother, Yang Yufang, should be promoted from Qian Hu to Cao Zhou to be on guard, and his second brother, Yang Yumeng, should be promoted to the general of Datong Town. His two younger brothers were in charge of 1,000 and 100 households respectively.

Yang Zhaoji, who had rushed to the Yansui Town to assume the position of General Officer, carried the title of messenger, giving it to the Western General for printing.

With this General Seal, you can transfer troops on your own without waiting for the documents of Ministry of War, when the time comes for an emergency,

Yang Family 1 door 4 general, plus son-in-law Zhou Shixi also brought up the level of Jining in the year after, Jining 1 time in Shandong without any difference.

At the same time, the seat of the Xuanyuan Prefecture in Shandong Province had always been vacant, so very few officials dared to go to Prince Qi's feudal fiefdom to work as an official. Zhu Hongzhao had no choice but to choose one of the officials in the middle echelons of the capital himself.

Xuan Mo, among all the courtesies, he was the great scholar of the year 47, Wei Zhongxian's hometown. He had chosen a young, legendary official who came from a civilian background and had been assigned to the Zhizhou realm.

At the end of February, Empress Zhang Yan, following Zhu Hongzhao's blueprints, took the good knitting maid of honour to weave a war robe for him.

Inside the battle robe was a white robe, with indigo and azure as its base. With silver threads engraved on the dragon's shoulder, the dragon's head was in front of its chest, a coiling dragon that was about to roar out. At the same time, he also had a shawl, which made him look especially spirited when draped over his shoulders.

This battle robe was full of Zhu Hongzhao's wishes from his previous life. It was similar to the Thunder Armor in Legendary Games. It was mainly blue and white with just the addition of the Dragon Mark.

In his previous life, he loved this set of battle robes the most, and now he had always fulfilled this wish.

This battle robe was named the Wind Lightning Battle Robe.

CHAPTER 203 - GESTAPO AND PREPARATION

March 2nd, Imperial City's West Garden, Supreme Pond Fishing Platform.

Zhu Hongzhao was wearing a Thunder Wind Battle Robe, his chest was straight and his chest was straight. His hair was tied up with a jade crown on his net and his forehead was covered with black jade. A large white jade belt was tied around his waist, and a string of red jade of dragons and phoenixes hung on his right side. A sword hung on his left side.

He was in an exceptionally good mood today. Yesterday in the inner training field, his two hundred Yi Yuan Guards wore bamboo armor and waved their bamboo sabers to beat up the five thousand troops as if they were chasing a duck. At that time, Emperor Tianqi's face had turned green.

Heaven had to admit defeat and had to wear maid of honour's clothes to make a round in the Forbidden City. Of course, he had the Emperor's privileges. The people in the palace had long since been chased away by Lao Wei, so it couldn't be considered as breaking the trust.

He held the fishing rod in his hand while Yan Yingyuan sprinkled the fish in his hands. The red carp had been starved for one winter in the Grand Liquid Pond just wanted to not eat Zhu Hongzhao's bait. On the other hand, Lu Xiangsheng, who was beside him, caught a red carp from time to time, which made Zhu Hongzhao feel embarrassed.

Yan Yingyuan also had a helpless look on his face. He sprinkled all the fish onto Zhu Hongzhao's crook, but there were no fish biting the hook. Neither of them knew how to fish, so they could only look at each other without saying anything.

Lu Xiangsheng smiled as he held the rod. As a southerner, he naturally knew how to fish. It was true that there were a lot of fishes when the fish were scattered, but why would the fishes care about the bait on the hook when the fishes were all eating the fishes?

Not coming. This King's mind is jumping. This King can't play with something that requires a person's mind to be calm. Zhu Hongzhao stuck the fishing rod into the ground, clapped his hands and looked at Lu Xiangsheng's bamboo cage. He raised his eyebrows and said, Chief Lu must have a purpose in fishing with this king today, right?

His Highness Prince Qi Ying Rui, this official thinks that he has some courage. I am willing to follow His Highness Prince Qi and His Highness Prince Xin to help the nation.

Lu Xiangsheng put down his fishing rod and stood behind Zhu Hongzhao while shaking his sleeves.

Looking at the melting of the ice layer, the pool sparkled with a green light. Zhu Hongzhao put his hands behind his back and thought for a moment before asking: Master Lu, how many achievements did you have in Ministry of Revenue? Why are you in such a hurry to follow me? Once your achievements have been achieved, your path as an official would naturally be smooth sailing. Wouldn't that be great?

Amongst the several tens of sixth stage Ministry of Revenue heads, Lu Xiangsheng who was only twenty-four years old was definitely a thousand-li horse. The one who could be compared with him was only thirty-six years old Yang Sichang. And Yang Sichang will do things like people, than Lu Xiangsheng, but not as practical and serious as Lu Xiangsheng.

As Lee Changgeng entered the main Ministry of Revenue, under the support of Tian Qi and Lao Wei, Old Man Li went all out in reforming the Ministry of Revenue, chopping down the incompetent officials, which was very effective. As for Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Sichang, Old Li valued them the most.

If he stayed in the Ministry of Revenue, after this year's Beijing inspection, if everything went well, Lu Xiangsheng would very likely skip the level five hurdle. He would be young and promising, and would have a chance to enter the Pavilion in the future.

"Reporting to His Highness Prince Qi, under the Ministry of Revenue, even if the officials had three heads and six arms, they would still not be able to save much money for the Imperial Court even if they had started their activities for a year. And in the southwest, the consumption of food and money was as high as 530 thousand silver last year.

Muttering lightly, Zhu Hongzhao didn't want to ruin Lu Xiangsheng's future, he said: It's rare for Master Lu to be so considerate, if that old man Lee Changgeng agrees to let you leave Ministry of Revenue, I will appoint Master Lu as my aide and pay for the army's provisions.

If Lu Xiangsheng followed him on the southern expedition, he would definitely be able to reap military rewards. However, the body would inevitably be branded with the Wu steel 1 system, making it difficult to establish oneself in the imperial court in the future.

The political conflict in the imperial court was no longer as fierce as before, but it was still a wrong thing for people to do. They were the ones who had gone out on a rampage. If it was someone from the other party, then it would be all kinds of difficult and harsh criticism.

Lu Xiangsheng was a smart person, he should be able to see this one point. It would be great if he followed Prince Qi's lead, but in the future, if Prince Qi caused any trouble, Lu Xiangsheng's future, or even his life, would be in danger.

Bowing slightly, Lu Xiangsheng smiled uncomfortably, Minister Li's office was cleared up by this official last night. Old Lord also agreed that this official should follow Prince Qi and fight the rebellion south. They say that gathering thunder and lightning in the cloudy skies will cause a great change, allowing me to follow Prince Qi to flatten out the rebellion will also help protect my body."

Zhu Hongzhao looked at the white clouds in the blue sky. A cool breeze brushed against his face. He turned around and asked, Are you the police?

Lu Xiangsheng nodded with a helpless look on his face.

Beijing is a system of the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs examination of the capital officials. Hongwu time set 3 years 1 test, then changed to 10 years 1 test. In the year of Hongzhi, it was stipulated that it would be held once every six years, with the standard of 4 squares and 8 laws as the rising and falling standard.

The four columns were: Defend, Government, Talent, and Year.

Each column is classified as competent, diligent, and 3 in line with its grades. The bearer of the first rank shall have the priority of promotion to a foreign official.

Defend, represent conduct, divide, level, covetous; Government, represent government, divide, level, slack; Talents, divide into length, level, and short; Age, divide into green, medium, and old.

8 is: greed, cool, no action, imprudent, old, disease, impetuous, weak. Retirement of the elderly and the sick, respectively, by disciplinary action called for by question, dismissal or demotion.

After 8, remove greed and cool, and change to 6. After the examination in accordance with the Six Laws, those deemed imprudent or soft shall be dismissed and punished; those deemed impetuous or incompetent shall be demoted; and those deemed old or ill shall be ordered to retire.

The purpose of the Beijing police's master plan examination system is to reward and punish the weak, so that officials at all levels can do their duty and contribute to the imperial government. However, because of the rewards and punishments of officials involved, it is very obvious that they have formed alliances such as favoritism and malpractice, and it is difficult for them to realize their proper role in the later stage of development.

The history book was described as follows: The governor is usually known for his magnanimity, and only a few people are discharged in each session of the capital police. He reacts to the story and has a good appearance, while the impeached person is repressed.

However, as the struggle between the parties became more serious, Gu Xiancheng, from the Donglin Party, was the first to use this sharp sword against the other parties. This allowed the political assessment of the capital police to regain the significance of its existence.

Heaven's Apocalypse happened to happen once every six years. Whether it was Donglin Party or the other parties, they were all willing to risk their lives to fight for this Beijing Police. The imperial examination was handled by the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs Minister, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs Examiner. Naturally, they were competing for these three positions.

The system of officials in the Ming Dynasty was very strict. Every three years, and every six years, the city would be inspected. As the name implied, the city police was the central procurator, and the targets were all officials of the fifth grade or below. According to this scope, all the prefectures and subordinates in the whole country would be investigated. Of course, that included the officials of the capital.

In total, the officials who shouted all day were the subjects of investigation. The thirteen censors in the country were all of the seventh grade, the sixth department was of the seventh grade, the sixth department was of the seventh grade, the third was of the fifth grade, and the main division was of the sixth grade.

The 5th and 6th grade officials were the core strength of the major parties. They were the censors and vanguards of the various parties and the vanguards of the 6th department. Coincidentally, these were all within the scope of the imperial police.

These were the arms of the parties, both of whom were within range of the sword.

Coincidentally, Donglin Party Elder Zhao Nanhsing was the Left Censorate and Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs Minister! And the teacher in charge of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs entrance examination, Cheng Zheng, was very sorry, but he was also a person in charge of Donglin Party …

Coincidently, it was formed step by step. In the previous struggle, the other party members were behind Zhao Nanhsing by just half a step. Now that time was running out, how could they possibly overturn Zhao Nanhsing?

If Zhao Nanhsing's ass wasn't clean, they would have toppled him long ago. A clean ass person, even Prince Qi and Zhu Hongzhao had no way to deal with it.

Therefore, if they couldn't defeat Zhao Nanhsing before the Beijing police started, then this time, for the various factions, including Lee Changgeng and Lu Xiangsheng, the Beijing police would have to pay a huge price!

However, they were unable to defeat Zhao Nanhsing, so they had to make arrangements for the future. He only hoped that Donglin Party would not be too harsh on him, and to leave a portion of friendship for the other day to see. But, will Donglin Party hold back?

The officials were not afraid of the emperor, but they were afraid of the imperial police, not to mention the other officials.

Lu Xiangsheng was the newly advanced warrior of the Heaven's Initiation for two years, and was also the head of Ministry of Revenue. Although there was nothing bad going on, both he and Lee Changgeng managed to stand firm under the influence of Prince Qi. They could be considered the backbone of the new Qi Party members, and even the nine non-partisan Profound Truths that had no relationship with Prince Qi, were privately planned for the new Qi Party …

This was the current court. It didn't matter if you had a party or not, you had to be forced to have one no matter what.

When the minister officials formed a alliance, the local intellectual circles was also restless, causing a huge commotion.

The students of intellectual circles, according to their geographical location, or according to their teachers, political ideals and even feelings, mutually embraced each other. Learning Donglin Party was meant for the people to control public opinion and build up their own political power.

There are several Yunjian, Zhejiang, Jiangbei, Jiangxi, Li Ting, Yang, Yunjian, Wumen Yu, Wumeng, Wulin reading, Shan Zuoban, Zhongzhou, Liyang, Zhejiang Chao, Zhejiang, Huangzhou quality and Jiangnan society and more than a dozen famous social parties.

This is a very lively time. The Beijing police are a double-edged sword. Zhu Hongzhao looked down at the red carp on the side of the pool and laughed disdainfully: The Donglin Party is equivalent to that of the imperial police, and the loser is the imperial police!

Yan Yingyuan did not understand all of this. Lu Xiangsheng cupped his fist and bowed slightly: Prince Qi is wise. Li Shangshu also warned me this way.

Slightly nodding, Zhu Hongzhao sighed, Since old man Li is letting him go, then do your job handover. After this king and Royal Elder Brother reported this, Master Lu 9 rushed to the Tongzhou to take over the position. He also sent a message to Old Man Li, telling him that Ministry of Revenue could not be separated from him, telling him to do things without worry. This king will go and greet Zhao Qi, I believe that he will still give this king face.

As long as Zhao Nanhsing didn't lose his head, he wouldn't touch Lee Changgeng. Rather than saying that Lee Changgeng is the new Qi Party, it's more accurate to say that he's the Son of Heaven's man.

The Heaven's Enlightenment was also preparing to let Lee Changgeng into the Cabinet to increase Lee Changgeng's ability to speak on politics, making it easier for Lee Changgeng to manage Ministry of Revenue.

In mid-March, when the ships with Tongzhou had gathered enough power to transport twenty thousand people once, Zhu Hongzhao was going to set off with Prince Xin as the burden. The empress's stomach gradually expanded, making it impossible for him to leave peacefully.

Carrying the three red carp Lu Xiangsheng had caught, Zhu Hongzhao took Yan Yingyuan back to the Palace.

The Chong Zhi Palace was really inconvenient to live in. Tian Qi had already started to personally design a palace on the Qionghua Island, located at the north end of the Supreme Pond. He was going to push down the abandoned Grand Moon Palace to build a four-sided watery summit for Prince Qi.

The most important part of the palace was the labor force. It was estimated that when Prince Qi returned from the Southwest Rebellion, a lone island would be able to be seen standing on the island.

The fish was handed over to Ding Lee, Zhu Hongzhao wanted to leave Yan Yingyuan in the palace after some thought, so he said: I am going to appoint Liheng as the reading partner of the Sun Steel Manor, and I will stay at the Chong Zhi Palace to collect and sort out the agricultural affairs books.

Yan Yingyuan was still thinking about following him to the Southwestern Rebellion when he heard Zhu Hongzhao say in a serious tone, The collection of books on farming can be done by the palace people. This king has an extremely important task for Liehen, it concerns the stability of the imperial court.

With a solemn expression, Yan Yingyuan cupped his fists and bowed, Great King, please instruct me. I will not refuse even if I die.

As of today, the royal palace has rarely given birth to a crown prince, and he has long become the laughingstock of the people. Now that the empress was pregnant, she was worried that some evil villain would try to murder the empress through underhanded means. The instability of the harem was bound to endanger the government. The Emperor treats me as if I were his own brother, and I am as close to the Empress as my own brother. That's why, This King doesn't want to see the empress be deceived!

Lifting his arm and placing it on Yan Yingyuan's tender shoulder, Zhu Hongzhao's tone was especially cautious: Palace of Earthly Tranquility head eunuch, Cao Shaoqin, is considered this king's senior brother, loyal to the Imperial Family. After this king leaves the capital, Li-Hen and Cao Shaoqin have a lot to do with each other. We must pay attention to the Queen's sleeping and eating, and even more so, we must not let strangers, maid of honour and eunuchs, get close to the Queen!

He whispered to his ear, Especially those sent in the name of Lao Wei. Lao Wei is not a problem, the one who has a problem is the Holy Maiden! If we can't stop them, does Liehen have the guts to cut off the men sent by the Holy Maiden?

Although Yan Yingyuan followed Zhu Hongzhao into the palace not long ago, he still knew that the title of the Holy Maiden Ke was a golden signboard in the palace. His expression slightly changed, but he still nodded resolutely in the end.

I will tell the emperor before I leave that you don't have to kill them. As long as you can capture Ke's men, Cao Shaoqin and Lee Moxuan will naturally open their mouths to clear your name. This matter is entrusted to Licheng. If my royal sister-in-law is killed, this king will never be able to rest in peace for the rest of his life. "

Before I go back to Beijing, you might want to be eunuch for a while.

CHAPTER 204 - 3 THINGS

At night, Prince Qi entered the Forbidden City.

Right now, Heaven's Initiation was very happy. Consort Fannhui, who gave birth to a girl for him two years ago, had successfully gotten pregnant again. The Queen and Consort Fannhui were pregnant at the same time.

Prince Qi entered the Forbidden City, Heaven's Opening was in the Palace of Celestial Purity's side hall, Prince Qi's bedroom hall used to receive Prince Qi.

He was very happy, and his mood was very cheerful every day. However, he saw Prince Qi's serious expression, as if he had something on his mind. He carried his tea and asked: Prince Qi is about to set off, could it be that he met with trouble again?

Prince Qi looked up at Lao Wei, who was with him, then at the court lady for four weeks. He smiled apologetically at Lao Wei.

As he said that, Zhu Hongzhao took off his sword and threw it towards the stunned Lao Wei.

When he saw that the emperor didn't object, he turned around and smiled at Zhu Hongzhao: Then Prince Qi 9 and Hail, this old servant will go to the kitchen and cook some delicious meat dishes.

The inner court disciples retreated. Yan Yingyuan, who had followed Zhu Hongzhao into the Forbidden City, bowed and left as well, keeping an eye on the outside.

Prince Qi has mustered such a large force that even Lao Wei is evading. Could it be that something important is going to be reported to me?

Empyrean Qi's face also became serious. Lao Wei's relationship with Prince Qi was quite harmonious, and now even Lao Wei had to be invited out. One could imagine what Prince Qi wanted to talk about was definitely not small.

He let out a long breath and raised his head to look at Heaven's Opening, then stared at the red dates floating in the teacup, and said: All matters concerning the expedition have been properly arranged, let's wait for the 2nd fleet fleet to return to Tongzhou. To come to Royal Elder Brother tonight, he only wanted to relieve some of his worries. There are three things in total, three things that are unfair. Even though I, my brother, am in the southwest, I am unable to feel at ease with the war.

As long as it's within our capabilities, Prince Qi will accept.

Heaven's Initiation was very generous, he believed that Zhu Hongzhao wouldn't mention any presumptuous thoughts. He was even more anxious about the Southwest Rebel Army. If they delayed the war in the Southwest, their Ministry of Revenue would cost them 640 thousand silver taels. This number was already more than a year ago when he was using Liao Town, so Heaven's Initiation was very anxious.

Zhu Hongzhao nodded his head and said first: Today, Ministry of Revenue Manager Lu Xiangsheng went to fish for his younger brother because he feared that the imperial court would make a big plan and wanted to accompany his younger brother to go to the southwest to end the rebellion. This person is courageous, wise and capable. Chendi means to appoint Lu Xiangsheng to be the aide's follower and supervise the army's foraging process.

Heaven's Initiation immediately frowned. He was a bit uncertain: Lu Xiangsheng has been clean and experienced, and has a clean background; although his political career is short, he has actual achievements. What is he, Lu Xiangsheng, afraid of?"

After repeating Lu Xiangsheng's reason for following the army, Zhu Hongzhao smiled bitterly: The Ministry of Revenue is managed by Old Li, and is now impartial and selfless. How could those officials bear to let Ministry of Revenue this money bag floating outside their control? As for Lu Xiangsheng, he specializes in overseeing Ku Yin, even if there's no problem with him, he can still let people find out the problem.

They dare! Heaven's Initiation was furious. He was like a deflated balloon. As long as he was within the rules, there was nothing that those people wouldn't dare to do.

Zhu Hongzhao spread out his hands and raised his eyebrows: "I will go to Ye Xianggao's place and ask him not to have any ideas about Old Li. As for Lu Xiangsheng, Chendi's intention was for him to become a fourth stage aide, leave the scope of the imperial city, and save some military merits before returning to the Ministry of Revenue as a teacher. Brother Rong said something that you shouldn't have said, but the family of generals should not rely too heavily on each other.

As for the Scholar, he alone led the army, but he did not have to worry about anything else. Moreover, the Scholar was more loyal than the general to read the teachings of a saint. As Royal Elder Brother's student and subject, the general's family of warriors is more reliable than the general's family.

Heaven's Enlightenment frowned and asked doubtfully, How many warriors are there among the warriors that know about this?

Every 3 subjects, there will be 10 soldiers, 9 is enough to suppress the family of generals. Although a Martial Arts Scholar was a Scholar, he had a reputation. Moreover, there were only a few generals and not many handsome people. Since ancient times, how many people have been blind and could not see anything?"

Understood what Zhu Hongzhao meant. 1 was to tell him that Lu Xiangsheng could lead the troops, and 2 was to let him make preparations. As long as the warriors could lead the troops and hold the fort, naturally, Awakening of the Heavens was confident.

He rubbed his chin in thought.

There were some things that Zhu Hongzhao did not say. He only advised the Emperor, not to teach him what to do. For example, Lu Xiangsheng's grandfather was born in a prefecture, and his father was an Elementary Scholar. This was the tradition of a family.

A commoner could endure hardships; otherwise, they would not have been able to become a Grand Scholar. Only such an advanced warrior could put down his status and share the suffering of the soldiers, and could control the army.

After that, Zhu Hongzhao spoke of the second matter. His expression was somewhat restrained: The second matter is a bit ear-piercing. If only Royal Elder Brother could listen, then Chendi 9 would have said it.

Go ahead and say it. I am not an ungrateful monarch who won't listen to his words.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Hongzhao said slowly, Chendi came from the people, and the people lived a miserable life, so he was poor in resources. Every family's heir was born within a ten percent chance of dying, but why was it that the palace had everything they needed?! Every time your servant or brother ponders, 9 the edge of the blade shines behind his back, he doesn't dare to think too deeply about it.

Since then, there have not been many direct descendants of the main palace who have succeeded to this day. People have long since become the laughingstock after the meal …

Tian Qi's face darkened as he said in a muffled voice, This is my family matter!

"Royal Elder Brother, your subject is Royal Elder Brother's subject and your brother. Royal Elder Brother treated his younger brother as if he was his younger brother, and his sister-in-law treated his younger brother as if he were his son. To put it bluntly, Royal Elder Brother's