The Prince of Shu's Mansion is the most magnificent of the vassal palaces in the Ming Dynasty, also known as the Imperial City of Chengdu. It starts from Dongxiyuhe in the north, Hongzhaobi in the south, Donghuamen in the east, and Xihuamen in the west. It has a circumference of more than 2,500 meters and an area of ​​38 hectares.

, its architecture is comparable to that of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The entire building faces north and south, with pavilions and terraces everywhere, and is magnificent.

The solemn main entrance is dotted with royal buildings such as pavilions, table pillars, three bridges, stone lions, etc., which makes people feel chilled. Next is the heart of the Shu palace - Chengyun Hall, which is where the king of Shu manages government. It is decorated with precious southwest materials.

Made of nanmu. In the north is the throne of the king of Shu made of nanmu. Then there is the residence of the king of Shu. The architecture is very exquisite and gorgeous, the gardens are exquisite and beautiful, with small bridges and flowing water, birds singing and the fragrance of flowers, it is simply a fairyland on earth.

The King of Shu has been here for thirteen generations. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, major military and political affairs in Shu were mainly handled by the chief envoys and officials. The King of Shu basically had no involvement and only had to enjoy the majesty, glory and wealth on behalf of the royal family.

After Pingxi received the letter from his master, he immediately went to the Chengyun Hall to ask for an audience with his father. Zhu Zhi was teasing the kingfisher with the eunuch and was in a happy mood. Hearing his son's intention, he burst into laughter.

"Pingxi, I think you are bored, and I don't want you to go to Beijing to seek an official position. Let you become a disciple and learn Taoism, which can be considered as a way of cultivating your moral character. I never thought you would give me some godly excuses. Is it because I am too busy?

"

"Ah, no, father, my master really has the ability to predict the future, not to mention that the words that the world will be in chaos were said by the eminent monk of Emei."

"Okay, whatever they monks and Taoists want to do, as long as it doesn't affect the people's hearts, let them do it themselves. I'm not interested in these gods and Buddhas. If you like it, just go get involved with them, I don't care about you."

"Father, I come to see you not for myself, but for you, for the entire Shu Palace, and even for our Chengdu Palace."

"What do you want to do? Is it possible that you want to play tricks in our Prince Shu's palace? This is taboo!"

"How is that possible? I want to ask your permission to build another royal guard force!"

"It's not necessary. I have a bodyguard. My five strong men can keep me safe."

"Are your five strong men worth an army? If someone attacks Chengdu, can they defend the city?"

"You and I don't need to worry about the city of Chengdu. It has its own defenders. What's more, our Sichuan has been peaceful for hundreds of years, so how can we talk about attacking the city? Even if the world is in chaos, we have big rivers as barriers and high mountains as defenses.

"Ping, in the face of the natural obstacles of mountains and rivers, the Great Wall is like a field ridge, and the dangers of deep valleys and steep chasms are better than all the fortresses in the world. It is true that one man can guard the barrier, and no one can open it!"

"Father, we cannot entrust our lives and property to others. As you said, we have defenders at the most important passes in Sichuan. As long as they are reliable enough, outsiders cannot break in. But are they really reliable? Even from the outside.

If we can’t fight in, what if there is civil unrest?”

"Governor Xu Keqiu is stationed in Chongqing with a large team of troops to guard the gate for me. Chengdu has an impregnable city wall that surrounds and protects the Prince of Shu's Mansion. The troops in the city and the surrounding states are enough to protect the Prince of Shu's Mansion, so don't worry about it!

"

Pingxi was anxious, knelt down, tugged at the corner of King Shu's clothes, and begged: "Father, Chengdu Prefecture currently has less than 500 defenders, and the surrounding prefectures have less than 1,000 in total. All the troops are in Chongqing, Xu Keqiu and various

The border guard is in the hands of the chieftain. If something happens, no one can save us!"

Suddenly there was a loud shout from outside the palace: "Is Pingxi going to put my father and the entire Shu palace into dire straits?"

It turned out to be the prince Ping Hua, "Don't you know that the prince is not allowed to build an army privately?"

"I only build a guard, how can I talk about an army?"

"You want to tell the difference in front of the emperor? Before you can build it, Dongchang has already arrested us! All these years, you just want to be free, how could you know that my father and I are in shock every day, as if we were covered with thin ice? That's right.

It’s because of Sichuan’s special terrain that it’s easy for ambitious people to become king behind closed doors. Our Shu Palace has always been the subject of intense surveillance. We’ll be framed for anything, and you still want to do such a big thing!”

The King of Shu smiled at Pingxi like an old boy: "You have nothing to say. Why don't you get up quickly? I will take you to Shaocheng for tea."

Pingxi stood up reluctantly. Pinghua pulled his sleeves and came to the throne of the king of Shu. He took out a brocade box and forced him to look at it carefully. Pingxi didn't know it. The king of Shu laughed and said: "This is

Human skin, given by Taizu, the skin of a traitor!"

Pingxi took a breath of cold air, and Pinghua shouted: "Why did Taizu put this human skin in the Shu Palace? Also, why was your junior sister Malanlan's father framed and killed? Please clarify it for me.

Don’t mess around with those monks and Taoists all day long, just to get yourself killed, and don’t involve the Prince of Shu’s palace!"

After hearing this, Zhu Zhi, the king of Shu, looked unhappy and said, "Ping Hua, elder brother's teachings should be stopped in moderation. I'm still here, and it's your turn to yell at me!"

Pingxi quickly said: "Brother, you are all doing this for my own good. I know I was wrong."

The father and son then gave up. The King of Shu smiled and took his two sons out of the west gate to visit the Shaocheng.

The palace of the Prince of Shu is in a checkerboard layout, while the Shaocheng is composed of fish-ridge-shaped alleys, where shops and merchants gather. The alleys intersect and are connected, with numerous shops lined up on both sides. Property is piled up like a hill, and exquisite goods are like stars.

Fanmi, flower cloth, palm noodles, Qiong bamboo sticks, konjac sauce, and some other rare treasures in the world are all here.

The men and women on the street are gorgeously dressed and beautifully decorated. The cars are crowded, the crowns are mixed, the wheels are numerous, and the noise is filled from all directions. There are many people in the neighborhood who make a living by crafts, and the sounds of machines echo each other.

One after another. After the woven brocade is washed in the river, the art and science will become more clear. A tube of fine fine cloth is better than a cage of gold.

In his spare time, the King of Shu likes to visit Shaocheng. Many citizens know him, so there is no need to dress up, just be casual. The father and son looked around to see the excitement, and then found a teahouse called "Feimo"

, went up to the second floor.

Here you can overlook the hustle and bustle of the market, but you can still find tranquility in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

One of Wuding's guards was guarding the door, two of them were drinking tea downstairs, and the other two were waiting for orders upstairs. As soon as the King of Shu sat down, merchants came in with rare treasures and asked to see him. Pingxi pestered Pinghua for another

Choose a place to have tea and ask him to tell all the stories that he didn't tell in detail just now.

Ping Hua took a sip of jasmine tea and said slowly: "That human skin is Lan Yu, the founding general of our country. He made great military exploits during the founding of the country, but he has a rough temperament and never knows how to pay attention. He always puts his

His achievements were put on the table to show off. He did things such as insulting concubines and breaking through city gates. He also continued to accept bribes. In the 26th year of Hongwu, he was falsely accused of rebellion and imprisoned. He was sentenced to skinning and severe punishment by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, implicating tens of thousands of people.

And his daughter had married Zhu Chun, the first king of Shu, so Taizu sent Lan Yu's human skin to the prince's palace, saying it was for Zhu Chun and the princess of Shu as a souvenir. In essence, it was to warn the king of Shu. From then on, the king of Shu

From now on, he will follow Taizu's request, regardless of national affairs, and enjoy peace in this magnificent Shu palace. Since Zhu Di became emperor, he has become more wary of Fan Wang, and Sichuan is most likely to become an independent kingdom. The court's precautions

My heart has never been relaxed. From generation to generation, the kings of Shu have become more cautious, and the more inactive they are, the safer they are, so our lineage can be passed down to the thirteenth generation in the palace of the kings of Shu."

"How did Malanlan's father die?"

"Ma Lanlan's father, Ma Qiancheng, is a descendant of Ma Yuan, the general of Fubo of the Han Dynasty. He is the hereditary Shili Xuanwei envoy (that is, the chieftain). In the twenty-seventh year of Wanli, Yang Yinglong rebelled in Bozhou. Ma Qiancheng and Qin Liangyu led 3,000 people.

He was defeated but did not report his military merits. Later, the eunuch Qiu Chengyun falsely accused him, saying that he was ordered by the King of Shu to secretly strengthen his troops. Ma Qiancheng was imprisoned. He would rather die than admit his crime, let alone falsely accuse his father. Finally, he died of illness in

Inside the prison in Yunyang. From then on, all the generals and generals in Shu kept a distance from our Prince of Shu's palace, and it was impossible for my father to mobilize even a single soldier."

"Aren't we just at the mercy of others?"

"As long as the court is strong enough and no one dares to touch our Zhu family, the King of Shu can enjoy peace and wealth forever from generation to generation. So you must be careful with your words and deeds outside and don't bring trouble to the King of Shu's palace."
Chapter completed!