Ming Dynasty Strategy Notes [Transmigration Book]

made up mind

This matter was done as soon as it was said, saying goodbye to Zhou Ting, Xia Ziling hurried back to draw up a memorial to propose the construction of Huangjue Temple, and finally revised the "Ten Strategies for Governing Shu" according to Zhu Chun's opinion, and did not embrace these two things until Xushi. As a result, he hurried to the mansion of King Shu, but waited and waited for Zhu Chun to come back.

It was near Haishi that Zhu Chun returned to the mansion.As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Xia Ziling sitting on the threshold in front of his room, just like that day... falling asleep again.

Zhu Chun sighed and walked over.It's winter now, and the cold air invades people in the middle of the night. This guy just sits here and falls asleep, it's too ignorant of common sense.

"Xia Ziling." Zhu Chun called out softly, but Xia Ziling didn't move at all, apparently sound asleep.

Zhu Chun reluctantly approached and looked at this unconscious guy.As soon as he got closer, he saw two scrolls scattered on the ground, and Zhu Chun casually picked them up and flipped through them.The moonlight was dim, and the writing on the scroll was not very clear, but he could still see clearly——

"My son said: The central capital has been suffering from years of drought. A few days ago, my thirteenth brother got a dream omen. The Dragon King of the East China Sea came to Zhongdu in person with the water from the East China Sea. The next day, my son and his three younger brothers went to the east wall of the imperial city, and saw the collapsed Under the city wall, water gushes out. This is the fruit of the father's hard work and God's blessing. In order to express his gratitude to God, the son and his three brothers went to the Huangjue Temple in the east of the city to pay their respects. However, the temple was in disrepair for a long time, so Please use the stone from the city wall to the east of the father to repair the Huangjue Temple..."

This is a memorial drafted on behalf of Xia Ziling. It seems that after many days of pondering, he has thought of a solution to the collapse of the city wall.But... what is the meaning of Zhu Gui's dream omen?Zhu Chun thought about it and laughed.Xia Ziling, you are really cunning.Since the dream was made by Zhu Gui, then if the emperor thinks the dream is good and the method is feasible, then there is nothing wrong with it; if the emperor thinks the method is not good, he can't blame Zhu Chun, after all, it was Zhu Gui who dreamed the dream.It's a pity that the thirteenth brother has no grievances with Xia Ziling, but he has to be used as a spearman.

Kicking this scroll into his arms, Zhu Chun picked up another fallen scroll.Spread it out and see that it is the "Ten Strategies for Governing Shu" revised according to what he mentioned last time.This should be... the eighth draft or the ninth draft, right?

This guy fell asleep here, maybe... Tired?Thinking of this, Zhu Chun looked at Xia Ziling with a tenderness that he hadn't noticed.

Zhu Chun squatted down and looked at Xia Ziling at the same level, only to see that the latter's head was tilted on the door frame, almost saliva dripping, there was no sleep at all!However, the skin on the neck exposed from the lapel of the clothes was radiant and fair. Looking at it like this, Zhu Chun suddenly thought of the absurd dream before, and couldn't help but his heart skipped a beat.

Taking a deep breath and calming down his flustered emotions, Zhu Chun raised his hand and brushed Xia Ziling's hair from the side of his neck to the back of his head.When I saw this guy for the first time, his bald-headed appearance was really ugly, but I didn't expect that the black hair has gone down to the shoulders now.Xia Ziling, who tied his hair with a white jade ribbon, looked a little more bookish, but... he could still read it.

Zhu Chun's fingers crossed the hair, and involuntarily rested on the skin around Xia Ziling's neck, wondering what it felt like?His fingertips couldn't help trembling slightly. At this moment, he was not like the usually calm and aloof king of Shu, but more like a child exploring some taboo game.

However, as soon as the fingertips touched the skin lightly, the cold touch made Zhu Chun restrain his thoughts that he shouldn't have.This fool, sleeping outside in the winter night, really wants to get sick?He quickly took off the cloak and put it on Xia Ziling. Zhu Chun was wondering whether to wake him up when Xia Ziling suddenly opened his eyes without warning.

Seeing Xia Ziling's star-like black and white eyes without warning, Zhu Chun's heart beat like a drum as if he had done something bad, and he felt like he was about to jump out.He stood up abruptly, cleared his throat in embarrassment, and said, "Why are you sleeping here again?"

Xia Ziling stood up after him, and the cloak on his body accidentally slipped off. He picked it up and saw it, and was stunned—this...this is the yellow satin embroidered dragon pattern cloak of the King of Shu!Why did you put it on yourself? !If others saw this, he would not be able to cut off ten heads.

Frightened, Xia Ziling didn't even think about how the cloak could have come from besides being put on by Zhu Chun himself.He hurriedly handed it over tremblingly, and said, "My lord, I'm here to discuss with you the two memorials presented to the emperor."

Xia Ziling groped in his bosom while talking, what about the memorial?Looking down, there is nothing on the ground?

Zhu Chun uncomfortably took out two scrolls from his pocket and said, "Here."

"..." was taken away?The King of Shu had obviously seen it, and he just asked himself why he was here, so it was unnecessary.

"come in."

After entering the house, the King of Shu ordered someone to brew a pot of ginger tea, and the two of them lit up the lamp to discuss the contents of the two memorials again.It was not until Zishi that the final content was finalized.

There was silence outside the house, under the flickering candlelight, Zhu Chun suddenly looked at Xia Ziling and said, "My king has made up his mind."

"Ah?" Did they discuss anything that required Zhu Chun to make up his mind?

"I will do my best to seize the throne and seek the world, but you, Xia Ziling, you must always be loyal to me, and you will be prosperous and all will be damaged." , and for the sake of other people who place their hopes on him, he must go on earnestly.

"Yes, my lord, I will swear allegiance to the death." At this time, Zhu Chun was in full swing of the king, and Xia Ziling suddenly felt that this seventeen-year-old boy possessed a domineering spirit beyond his age, and he was truly a master worthy of his following. .

redo answer day

The "Ten Strategies for Governing Shu" presented by Zhu Chun was greatly praised by Emperor Hongwu. Although he himself had not yet become a feudal vassal, Emperor Hongwu forwarded this memorial to the envoy of Sichuan Chengxuan for his reference first.

And that made Xia Ziling a little uneasy, the petition submitted by the four kings was also approved. Emperor Hongwu immediately ordered the east wall of the central capital to be demolished, the Huangjue Temple was rebuilt, and the newly built temple was named "Dragon Temple". Xing Temple".

Thinking about it, Emperor Hongwu had long wanted to turn Zhongdu into a treasure, but the kings and ministers were hesitant to move forward, and he himself was not easy to slap himself in the face. It was because of the mysterious thing like a fairy entrusting a dream, Emperor Hongwu quickly climbed down the ladder.

Other princes read martial arts step by step in Zhongdu. After reading martial arts, they eat, eat and play, and read some sage books at most. However, the king of Shu has not been here for half a year. The imperial city was so idle that it even assisted the Ministry of Industry, which was composed of retirees, to develop new weapons.

This series of achievements simply made Emperor Hongwu laugh from ear to ear. In the past month, he frequently praised the King of Shu in the court hall as "a scholar of Shu, the best among all the princes."This sentence may seem plain, but it is actually the highest evaluation of Emperor Hongwu for his sons. Therefore, when it is heard by other interested vassal kings, it is inevitable that they will be a little wary, but this is all for later.

At this time, New Year's Day (1) was approaching, and everything in Zhongdu was on the right track, so Xia Ziling asked Zhu Chun for leave, please return to Yingtian.Naturally, Mu Sheng also asked for leave together. Originally, after New Year's Day, there was a rare holiday once a year. Taking a few days off for a few days and increasing the return time before and after, there is nothing wrong with responding to a trip every day.

However, the princes are not as comfortable as the two of them.Father, queen, mother and concubines are all in the palace, it was supposed to be a traditional festival for family reunion, but the emperor did not issue an edict, and the kings were not allowed to return to Yingtian at will during the parade of martial arts.The poor four princes could only guard the huge palace in Zhongdu, spending the New Year's Day in a deserted manner.

On the day Xia Ziling and Mu Sheng left, the King of Shu spared no effort to send ten miles away, until Mu Sheng made fun of——

"My lord, don't you want to return to Beijing together with our carriage?"

"..." Zhu Chun was speechless, but he thought to himself, it's a pity that he, who has excellent self-control, will never do such a childish thing.

Xia Ziling said: "My lord, don't send it off. I left on the third day of the first lunar month, and returned before the tenth day."

"..." Zhu Chun paused, and shouted: "You think I can't bear you?! I miss my father and mother, and I want to go back and have a look!"

"...Yes, I naturally know that the prince is eager to return to the capital, so naturally it has nothing to do with me." Is it necessary to shout so loudly?Children are really immature.

"Let's go!" Zhu Chun got out of the carriage, mounted his bloody horse, and waved impatiently to the two people in the carriage.

"Yes." Xia Ziling put down the curtain, and leaned on the couch in the car safely. Anyway, this farewell is only about 20 days, so there is no need to be so reluctant.

Back at Yingtian's house, the situation was much worse than Xia Ziling imagined.After only half a year, the master was so weak that he couldn't get up.Fortunately, there was a child at home to take care of him. During the days when he was away, Peng Qi would come over to take care of him from time to time. The situation at home was not particularly miserable.

This day, after feeding the master medicine and falling asleep, Xia Ziling couldn't help being a little surprised when Peng Qi came to visit suddenly.

Peng Qi, however, sneaked like a thief, dragged Xia Ziling to hide in the corner of the inner room, and whispered in his ear: "I'm afraid something big is going to happen in the palace."

Xia Ziling's heart trembled when he heard it, the word "big event" is not a nonsense, Peng Qi's serious expression, could it be...

"I'm afraid the prince will die soon."

... Sure enough, he knew that Peng Qi would have to say something shocking.Empress Ma just passed away last year, if the prince also... that would be a very eventful year.

"You can't talk nonsense, how do you know?"

"I'll just tell you," Peng Qi paused, and said, "Didn't I just come back from the palace? People from Tai Hospital have gathered in Ciqing Palace recently, and these two days have been even more extraordinary , monks and priests went to Ciqing Palace to chant scriptures and practice dharma. I didn't see what the prince looked like, but you don't know that Emperor Hongwu never liked the way of ghosts and gods. I'm afraid he is a dead horse now. Let the horse doctor."

"Well, I get it. Since something big may happen recently, you'd better keep quiet and stop running to my place." After all, he was pretending to be the King of Shu, making people like to spy on the reality of the Eastern Palace. The name is not good.

After sending Peng Qi away, Xia Ziling sat in the room in a daze.Zhu Biao was not in good health, and everyone speculated that he was very likely to go away before Emperor Hongwu, but this matter was really going to become a reality, but it made people feel so unbelievable.Emperor Hongwu placed high hopes on Zhu Biao and cultivated him in many ways, but in the end, he was not as good as man.

"Bojia." Xia Ziling was deep in thought when an old voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Master, why did you come out?" Xia Ziling hurried forward to support Wuzhen who walked out tremblingly.

"I can't sleep as a teacher, I want to talk to you."

Wuzhen said so, Xia Ziling could only help him into the room, and sat on the bedside to chat with him.The master was in a good mood today, starting from the meeting between the two, and talking about some interesting things about traveling all over the country together, both the master and the apprentice felt a little emotional.It has been almost 15 years since I came to the Ming Dynasty. How many 15 years can I live in my life?Xia Ziling suddenly felt that life in this world was getting farther and farther away from him, as if it was just a dream.Whether this world is a dream or the present is a dream, it's hard to tell.

"I'm leaving as a teacher, Bo Jia, you have to be careful every step of the way in the future." Wu Zhen suddenly changed the subject, and Xia Ziling knew that the next words were Wu Zhen's focus today.

"Master, don't say that. The Chinese New Year is coming soon. You have to have a New Year's Eve dinner before you leave." Wuzhen is different from other cultivators who practice alchemy to seek immortality. He never shy away from death, so Xia Ziling speaks very well random.

"As a teacher, I am a cultivator who sees through the world of mortals. How can I be so greedy for my mouth like you? It doesn't make any difference to me whether I eat or not."

"Then can't you accompany me to finish the New Year's Eve dinner before leaving? If you just leave like this, I won't live this year."

"You little bastard," Wuzhen scolded with a smile, "the matter of life and death is up to the individual, as a teacher, I can only do my best. However, there is one thing, I'd better explain it to you first."

"What's the matter?" Wuzhen looked cautious, and Xia Ziling hurriedly sat upright, listening to his next words.

"You don't belong here, and I also know that you want to go back. My teacher once told you that if you want to go back, you must assist the king of Shu to ascend the throne, but I can't be sure whether this is true or not," Wu Zhen After a pause, he said with some hesitation, "If you want to find out the truth, then everything..."

When Wu Zhen said this, suddenly something stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say a word anymore. He only had time to raise his hand with difficulty, pointed to the southwest, and then closed his eyes and lowered his hand.

"Master... Master!" Xia Ziling hissed.What does it mean?Is it punishment for leaking secrets?Is there still something uncontrollable?Master was obviously fine just now, why did he suddenly fail?

However, Xia Ziling's screams and grief were powerless, and just now he was discussing that the prince was about to die, but he didn't expect that Wuzhen would leave before him.

accident

The bad news of the East Palace came very quickly. On the eighth night of the Lunar New Year, Prince Zhu Biao passed away. (2) However, Xia Ziling has no spare time to take care of whether the prince is dead or not. Just taking care of the master's funeral has made him a big one.

Although Wu Zhen once said before his death that all Taoists died, it was impossible for him to just throw the master's body into the river and feed the fish.Arranging funeral affairs is actually a way for the living to remember their ancestors.At this moment, he and Emperor Hongwu, although one is a black-haired man sending a white-haired man, and the other is a white-haired man sending a black-haired man, they are both experiencing the grief of losing their loved ones.

Fortunately, the death of the old man has always been a matter of great joy since ancient times. Except for the strange behavior of the master before his death, Xia Ziling was not particularly sad because he was mentally prepared.Besides, Mu Sheng also returned to Beijing together. With the help of him and Peng Qi, the master's funeral was almost ready by the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

It's just that something like this happened, and it was naturally impossible to return to Zhongzhong on the tenth day of the lunar new year as agreed with Zhu Chun.But... the King of Shu probably doesn't care too much.

Fengyang, the central capital, more than 300 kilometers away——

No wonder Zhu Chun didn't care!It was agreed to come back on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, but Xia Ziling was not seen that day, so Zhu Chun didn't take it to heart.After all, the cars and horses are exhausted, and it is very possible that the road will be delayed due to some trivial matter.But on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, when Xia Ziling hadn't been seen yet, Zhu Chun began to feel a little uneasy.

There is nothing that can't be delayed for four days, right?

On the night of the fourteenth day, Zhu Chun had an ominous dream——

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, although Zhongdu is not as prosperous as Nanjing, it is still decorated with lanterns and festoons, welcoming the Lantern Festival with a festive atmosphere.

Zhu Chun and his three younger brothers were watching lanterns in the city.In the dimly lit place, I suddenly saw a figure dressed in green clothes from the back.

Zhu Chun rushed over with a little anger, and asked, "Xia Ziling, why didn't you come to see me when you came back!"

"Young Master Wang, you have misunderstood the person, I am Lan Qing." The person who turned around was Lan Qing who had met once that day.

It was clearly Xia Ziling just now, why did he change as soon as he passed by?Zhu Chun was stunned for a moment.

However, Lan Qing obviously wasn't ready to let Zhu Chun go, and what he said next was even more terrifying, "Isn't Xia Ziling dead?"

"You nonsense! He's fine, how could it be..." Zhu Chun roared in horror, but couldn't blurt out the word "death".

"He was already dead," Lan Qing smiled and pointed behind Zhu Chun, "Look, isn't he behind you?"

Zhu Chun turned around sharply, and sure enough, he saw Xia Ziling standing behind him with his hair disheveled and his face covered in blood.Not to mention, beside him stood the blood-stained father, mother, elder brother Zhu Biao and others.

"Ah!" Zhu Chun yelled, sitting up from the bed dripping with cold sweat.

It was still pitch black outside the window, it should still be midnight, but after such a nightmare, Zhu Chun didn't feel sleepy at all, and sat on the bed until dawn.

What does this dream portend?The ominous but realistic dream must have happened to someone close to him.Could it be Xia Ziling?No, no, it can't be him, he is young and full of vigor, who can do nothing to win him!

However, thinking of the allegiance words Xia Ziling made in front of me—"Follow me to the death", "Bow to the essence, let me die after death", "I don't hesitate to do anything"... There is not a word that is not related to "death" relation.At this moment, Zhu Chun really hates the words of swearing allegiance to the death invented by the ancients. Why is it necessary to "die" to be loyal to a person?

In any case, after this dream, Zhu Chun was always in a state of anxiety.Early the next morning, he found Zhang Shou and Zhu Gui.

"Pack up your things, I'm going back to Beijing."

"My lord, no!"

"Brother, you are crazy!" Zhang Shou and Zhu Gui said at the same time.

"Zhu Gui, how long has it been since we received a letter from my concubine?"

When Zhu Chun asked, the carefree Zhu Gui recalled it intently, "It seems...it's been a long time."

"It's been almost a month. In the past, every half a month, the mother concubine would send a letter from someone. This time, it coincides with a festival like New Year's Day, and she didn't send a letter. Do you think it's normal?"

His brother's brain has always been very useful. Zhu Gui was a little anxious when Zhu Chun said this, and said, "Did something happen to the concubine mother? Then I will go back with you."

"That's not very likely. Maybe she is inconvenient to write to us because of other things. But I had a dream yesterday that had a very bad omen. I still can't rest assured. It's better to go back and have a look."

If something major happened in the palace, his eyeliner in Nanjing should send news. There is no news now, Xia Ziling has not returned, and he had that dream again, so he was worried that it was Xia Ziling who had the accident.

However, Zhu Chun didn't expect that his people were already on their way. If he had to wait two more days for the news of "the crown prince is dead", it would be able to spread to Zhongdu.It's a pity that he can't wait for a minute now, which corresponds to the saying "care leads to chaos".

"My lord, the emperor didn't issue an edict. I'm afraid it's not right for you to return to Beijing privately." Zhang Shou didn't miss Hui Concubine like Zhu Gui, he was only worried about the King of Shu himself.

"It's a bit inappropriate, but it's not a big problem. You and I go out in casual clothes, go to Beijing to take a look at the situation, and then come back. Zhu Gui will help cover it up in Zhongdu, so we may not be discovered."

Even if you find out, it is not an unforgivable sin to miss your parents and sneak back.King Jin and King Yan had done this kind of thing when they were reviewing martial arts. It was fine for the emperor to say a few words casually, and he didn't even pay a fine.

"Yes, I'm going to prepare luggage and horses now." Since Zhu Chun said so, Zhang Shou had no doubts.

Zhu Chun brought only two personal guards, who rode lightly in casual clothes and traveled day and night. It took only four days, that is, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, to arrive in Nanjing.After entering Beijing, he went straight to Xia Ziling's house without stopping for a moment.

Then, it is the following scene -

Xia Ziling was drying the bedding and other items in the house in the yard when he suddenly saw three tall men rushing in. The leader of the man was Zhu Chun, King of Shu.

"...My lord." Xia Ziling rubbed his eyes repeatedly to confirm that he was not hallucinating because of excessive lovesickness.

"You..." Xia Ziling didn't come back for a long time. Zhu Chun wanted to reprimand him, but swallowed the words he had already thought about. Especially seeing his filial piety, he couldn't say any words of reproach.

"What's the matter?" As long as he was fine, Zhu Chun found that he had let go of a heart that had been hanging over the past few days when he saw Xia Ziling's unscathed appearance.

"My master has passed away." It's not that he didn't want to send a letter to Zhu Chun, but he thought he would go back after a few days of work. It's not a big deal, I just want to wait until I go back and explain to Zhu Chun.

"That... that," Zhu Chun held back for a long time, and said, "My condolences will change."

"...Okay." Master has passed away for more than 20 days, and he should have "sorrowed" and "sorrowed". However, it is not bad that the King of Shu can give such four words of comfort.

"Is someone here?" Mu Sheng's voice came from inside the room, and immediately, Zhu Chun saw Mu Sheng, who was also dressed in filial piety, coming out of the room.

"..." Zhu Chun's face darkened instantly when he saw Mu Sheng's outfit.Xia Ziling's master passed away, why did Mu Sheng wear filial piety? ? ?Could it be...the two of them really have some ulterior relationship? ? ?Zhu Chun didn't know that Mu Sheng's filial attire was worn by the crown prince.

Zhu Chun was about to have a fit, Mu Sheng pulled him under the eaves and said in a low voice, "Why did you sneak back to Beijing at this time?"

When Mu Sheng said this, Xia Ziling also recovered from the surprise, uh...shock of seeing Zhu Chun for the first time, and quickly followed up to add: "The prince probably doesn't know yet, His Royal Highness passed away on the eighth day of the lunar new year."

"..." Big brother passed away? !No, he never thought it would be so unfortunate.It seems that the dream foreshadowed this. The day of the dream was the first seven evil days after the death of the elder brother. It seemed that the elder brother came in the dream.

Mu Sheng said solemnly: "After you entered Beijing, have you ever returned to the palace?"

"No, the three of us came here directly."

Mu Sheng nodded, "That's okay, you came here in low clothes, the emperor may not get the news yet, now return to Zhongdu quickly, and don't make any trouble."

"Okay." Since such a major event has happened, it is really not suitable to stay in the capital for a long time, Zhu Chun turned to look at Xia Ziling, "You..."

According to the Ming Dynasty's tradition of keeping filial piety for three years after the death of a close relative, Xia Ziling's master is also a teacher and a father. If he wants to keep filial piety for him, he seems to be unable to stop him.But... three years?

"I'll pack up my things immediately and return to the central capital with the prince." Xia Ziling's straightforwardness solved Zhu Chun's problem easily.

Just as Xia Ziling was about to return to the house, there was a loud noise at the door——

"Jin Yiwei is doing business, let the idlers get out of the way! The king of Shu returned to Beijing privately and hid here. I will be arrested and brought to justice by the emperor's order. Lord, if you hear what you hear, please take the initiative to tie him up, and don't embarrass us. "

Xia Ziling turned around and looked at Zhu Chun in blank dismay. The king of Shu had just stepped into his courtyard within less than a cup of tea when Jin Yiwei came to arrest him.It was clearly premeditated, Zhu Chun must have been followed by someone when he left Zhongdu, right?Perhaps the secret report had been sent to Shengqian yesterday and the day before yesterday.

At such a sensitive time, Zhu Chun said that he didn't come back because of the death of the prince, who would believe it?To be honest, even Xia Ziling himself couldn't understand why the king of Shu suddenly returned to Beijing.

I don't know who set up this big conspiracy, but this time it seems that it is more ominous than good.

Visit Yongchanghou

Zhu Chun was not taken to Dazong Zhengyuan (renamed "Zongren Mansion" in Hongwu 22), but was directly taken into imperial prison by Jin Yiwei, which shows the seriousness of this incident.However, Xia Ziling felt that it was better to be imprisoned in the imperial prison than to go to the clan's mansion. Officials such as Zong Renling, Zuo Zongzheng, and You Zongzheng in the clan's mansion were all concurrently held by the vassal king. But he felt in his heart that it must be a certain vassal king.

Therefore, rather than being framed in the clan mansion, it is better to be locked up in the hands of Jin Yiwei, who is directly ordered by Emperor Hongwu.

But Zhu Chun had been away for seven days, but no news came out.Although the vassal king has a noble status, Jin Yiwei would not dare to torture him if he thought about it, but based on the news obtained by Mu Sheng, Xia Ziling and others, after all these days, Zhu Chun was just locked up, and Emperor Hong Wu did not. met him.

If this continues, it will be very bad.After a long time, even if Emperor Hongwu softened his heart and released Zhu Chun, the father and son would have a rift, and the impression of the King of Shu would be greatly reduced. It would be difficult for the King of Shu to enter the East Palace.

"What should I do?" Xia Ziling was running around in the Mu residence in a hurry. After these few days, he felt that he was about to become overwhelmed with worry, but he still couldn't think of any way to solve it.

"You don't have a solution. I can think of a way to do it. I guess... I have to wait for the emperor to figure it out." Now, including him, the princes and children who have made good friends with the king of Shu dare not write a letter to plead for mercy. You know, with Emperor Hongwu's temperament, the more he pleads for mercy, the more fuel will be added to the fire.

Besides, the crown prince had just left, and Emperor Hongwu was so sad that he hadn't recovered from his grief. Zhu Chun's private return to Beijing could be said to have hit the emperor's bad luck.

"I can't wait!" Xia Ziling felt that he had never been so anxious in his life, "Tell me...why did the King of Shu return to Beijing privately?"

He hadn't had time to ask Zhu Chun this question, even if he wanted to ask someone to write a letter to plead, he had to figure out this question first, didn't he?

"This..." Could it be that Xia Ziling hadn't returned for a long time, and Zhu Chun found it because he was worried?Mu Sheng felt that his deduction was too unbelievable, but he had an intuition that perhaps this was the truth.Recently, whenever he stayed with Xia Ziling, it seemed that Zhu Chun's expression was not very good?

However, he didn't want to say this guess.

"It's not important because of anything. The important thing is that we don't have any evidence to show that the King of Shu came to Beijing for a valid reason." Mu Sheng paused, and continued: "Perhaps the King of Shu himself has no good reason, otherwise he should have Looking for an opportunity to explain."

So what Mu Sheng meant...was this a dead end?

Xia Ziling's heart was filled with darkness, he was silent for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Otherwise, shall we ask Concubine Hui to intercede?"

Mu Sheng frowned, "This is not a good way."

"But it's the only way I can think of right now."

Even though the King of Shu and Mu Sheng had some friendly ministers in the court, it was not appropriate to show up when the crown prince died, otherwise he would inevitably be accused of colluding with the vassal king and plotting wrongdoing.As for the other vassal kings, except for Zhu Chun's two younger brothers, the others probably wished that there would be fewer opponents to compete for the position of the East Palace.

Only Concubine Hui, without mentioning anything else, only begged for mercy from the perspective of a mother who loves her son, maybe there is some use.

Mu Sheng sighed, "I'm afraid it's not very useful. To avoid suspicion, Concubine Hui might not be able to persuade her."

"Anyway, Jing Mao, please enter the palace for a try."

Mu Sheng couldn't bear to refuse Xia Ziling's earnest eyes. Although he didn't think Xia Ziling's idea was a good one from the bottom of his heart, he still hesitated and agreed.

Although in Zhu Yuanzhang's words, "this child Mu Sheng belongs to his own family", it does not mean that he can enter and leave the palace at will.It wasn't until three days later that he took the opportunity of entering the palace to report to the emperor about the collapse of the city wall of the central capital, and took a detour to Changyang Palace.

"You shouldn't have come looking for me." Concubine Hui said this when she saw Mu Sheng.

"The king of Shu has been imprisoned for ten days, what method can the empress come up with to break it?"

Concubine Hui smiled, "Is there any way I can solve it. Mu Sheng, you have a good relationship with Chun'er, and you are also in charge of the military parade among the princes. Tell me, why did he return to Beijing privately this time?"

Chun'er has always been the prince she placed high hopes on. He was smart, calm and forbearing since he was a child, and has the potential to be an excellent prince and even a prince. I have never done such a harmless naughty thing as stealing a child.But this time, he was actually a fool!

"This... the lord is still young after all, so it's understandable for him to do some stupid things occasionally." Worrying about Xia Ziling's reasons, Mu Sheng couldn't be sure, let alone tell Concubine Hui to know.

"Hmph," Concubine Hui snorted softly, as if extremely disappointed, "is he still young at 17 years old? Since he is a child at heart, he should suffer a little bit so that he can grow up. That's all right, let's do it, you are here It is not appropriate for me to stay here for a long time, so hurry up and leave the palace."

Concubine Hui issued an order to expel the guests, and Mu Sheng couldn't say anything more, so he had to leave the palace.

Concubine Hui refused to make a move, but the ministers couldn't sit still.In recent days, there have been ministers writing letters to the emperor one after another. The king of Shu has misbehaved. Taking advantage of the death of the prince, he attempted to return to Beijing to seek the position of the East Palace. He was unfilial to the emperor and unrighteous to his elder brother. , should be handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for a joint trial and a heavier punishment.

When Xia Ziling heard about the content of these memorials, he almost lost his temper. The King of Shu has a good reputation in the court. Not long ago, Emperor Hongwu personally said that the vassal kings should learn from the King of Shu and think more about things that are beneficial to the people. In a few days, it became "misconduct".Moreover, in such a sensitive period, other feudal lords are obediently hiding at home to avoid being criticized, what is he planning to come here in such a hurry?

On that day, Emperor Hongwu drove Changyang Palace, and after sitting for a while, Concubine Hui said: "Your Majesty, Chun'er..."

"If you want to plead for him, you don't need to say it."

"The concubine did not intercede for Chun'er, but the emperor shut him up like this and ignored him. It would not be beneficial to delay it for a long time. It is better to conclude the trial as soon as possible. It is better to kill or cut him, or demote him to be a commoner. "

Concubine Hui's words were cold, and she didn't seem to be joking, which made Emperor Hongwu frown.

"Chun'er is your sweetheart, I don't believe you really think so in your heart."

Concubine Hui smiled, "Anyway, there are more than one concubine from Chun'er, just like your majesty, you have more than twenty sons, even if you once loved Chun'er, losing one of him is not a big deal."

"..." Emperor Hongwu was speechless for a moment when he was choked by Concubine Hui's words.

However, Emperor Hongwu didn't know if he was overly stimulated by the death of the prince. This time he was determined not to let the king of Shu go, and he actually approved the petition of the ministers not long after, and ordered the Ministry of Punishment and Jin Yiwei to jointly try the king of Shu. The case of returning to Beijing privately.

When the matter developed to the point of going through the Ministry of Punishments, it became a little troublesome. It shows that Emperor Hongwu didn't want to be extravagant, so unless there is a strong reason, just a "violation of the imperial decree", according to the law of the Ming Dynasty, can also make the king of Shu abolished as a commoner up.

"What should I do?" Xia Ziling didn't expect that he had done so many things in Zhongzhong before, and when the situation was good, there would be troubles at this stall. Seeing that the king of Shu was about to lose his position as a vassal king, he was helpless.

"It's useless to be anxious. In the final analysis, this is a family matter between the emperor and the king of Shu. It is the father-son relationship between the two of them that is tested. It is useless for us to interfere." Mu Sheng looked at Xia Ziling's thick dark circles, feeling a little bit reluctant.For the past half month, Xia Ziling has been unable to sleep at night, but even if he can make a good decision, this matter Zhu Chun can be regarded as hitting the knife's edge. He wants to be safe and sound, unless the dead prince Zhu Biao comes back to life Pleading for mercy may be of some use.

"Do you think Marquis Yongchang will have a solution?"

Mu Sheng laughed and said, "Why would you want to go to him?"

"Isn't Marquis Yongchang the future father-in-law of the King of Shu? You can't watch the King of Shu suffer like this."

"Most ministers in the court are people who seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Before the king of Shu was favored, Marquis Yongchang wished to marry his daughter into the mansion of the king of Shu earlier. Now that the king of Shu is in trouble, he is probably glad that the king of Shu postponed the marriage contract. If the king of Shu is abolished, the daughter has not married anyway, so it is not impossible to marry someone else."

"……"Is it really?But thinking of Concubine Hui's accident that day and the King of Shu's letter to Lan Yu, although Xia Ziling couldn't figure out the reason, he felt that the relationship between Lan Yu and Zhu Chun would not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.Besides... related to the plot of Lan Yu forcing the palace in the unofficial history, Xia Ziling intuitively felt that Lan Yu should play a very important role in Zhu Chun's life.

Thinking of this, Xia Ziling looked at Mu Sheng firmly, and said, "Jing Mao, I think it's better to go to Marquis Yongchang."

"...Okay." Mu Sheng felt that there was really nothing he could do about Xia Ziling. As soon as he looked at him with such pleading eyes, he had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.

So, after a while, the two sat on the flower hall of Yongchang Hou Mansion.It was almost time for dinner, and the servants were serving dishes one after another. Seeing more than a dozen jade plates with beautifully colored delicacies on the table, Xia Ziling couldn't help but sigh that the history books say that Lan Yu is a person who knows how to enjoy, sincerely Don't bully me either.

Sapphire obviously doesn't care much about having two more mouths to eat