Xia Xun quickly picked up Su Ling's manuscript and unfolded it. It was an imperial edict, copied in neat small characters as rigorous as scientific research. Some sentences in it were also marked with vertical lines, which were obviously repeated. studied.
This is Zhu Yuanzhang's last edict.
"The emperor was entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict said: I have been ordered by the emperor and heaven to carry out the great destiny of the world. I have suppressed the disasters and suppressed the army, brought peace to the people in the city and fields, and I have been caring and controlling in order to carry out the destiny of heaven. It has been thirty-one years now. I have been worried about danger. Work hard every day and be devoted to the benefit of the people. However, I started from a humble age, and no one in ancient times has a great ambition. I like good and evil, but I am not as good as many. I am seventy-one this year, and my strength is weakening. I worry day and night, fearing that it will not end. Now I have learned the natural principles of all things. Is there any reason for ridicule?
The emperor's grandson Renming is a filial friend. The world has returned to his heart. It is appropriate to ascend to the high position and be diligent in civil affairs. Chinese and foreign civil and military officials will work together to benefit our people. All funeral rituals should be as in Chinese. Announce to the world so that my intentions are clearly known. Xiaoling Mountains and Rivers For this reason, there will be no changes.”
This passage describes what Zhu Yuanzhang did in his life, and what follows is the eternal set of words to convey his position. There is nothing interesting about it. The focus is on the following. Obviously, these are words copied by Luo Kedi. He underlined them vertically. The sentences are also based on the following content.
"First, the orders of all the subjects of the world have come and they have been released for three days. There is no prohibition on marrying, drinking or drinking.
2. When people come to the palace to cry, those who come should do so on the twilight of the day, with fifteen sounds each, to express their condolences, and then complete the ceremony. Unless they come on the twilight of the day, no one is allowed to cry.
3. Those who are mourning or crying should not wear their clothes, their girdle should not exceed three inches, and they should not wear chariots or weapons.
Fourth, when kings come to their own country to cry, they do not need to go to the capital. The Chinese and foreign troops guard the officials and are not allowed to leave the place of trust without permission. They are allowed to send people to the capital.
5. The sergeants of the civil and military yamen where the kingdom is located will from now on obey the imperial court's control. The guard officers and soldiers will be punished by the king themselves.
Sixth, those who are not in the order will all act in analogy with this order.
Therefore, this is an edict, and you should be aware of it."
In this passage, in addition to the routine funeral arrangements, there are three places with special vertical lines. The first is "When the orders of all the subjects of the world come, they will be released after three days of absence. There is no prohibition on marriage and drinking." The second is "The kings "Everyone is crying in his own country, and there is no need to go to Beijing." The third is "The civil and military officers of the kingdom's yamen will obey the imperial court's control from now on."
After Xia Xun read this passage, he closed his eyes and thought seriously. If there is a problem with this edict, the problem must lie in these three places. What does the arrangement made by Zhu Yuanzhang before his death mean?
It is easy to understand that funerals are held in three days. Zhu Yuanzhang suffered from the hardships of the people and was afraid of them. What he hated most was corrupt officials. What he feared the most was officials acting as if they were powerful and disturbing the people. This can be seen from his consistent policy. It can be seen that he has always been frugal and frugal. It is unusual for him to make such an explanation. However, Luo Kedi also circled this item. He obviously had another interpretation. The meaning of this is difficult to guess. .
As for the kings and vassals who are mourning and showing mourning, they are not allowed to go to the capital... Does Zhu Yuanzhang need to be so careful? How many people can he bring with him to the capital to mourn? When he comes to the territory of the emperor's grandson, he is afraid that they will rebel. ?Furthermore, once someone said that a certain prince was unruly, he would be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang for alienating the royal family. This emperor, who was born from a peasant, always valued family ties and was extremely stubborn in trusting his son. He would not allow anyone to make irresponsible remarks, even the kings. He refused to go to Beijing to mourn. Is this the character of Zhu Yuanzhang?
Wait!
Xia Xun's heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered that in the time-travel novel he had read in his previous life, after Emperor Zhengde succeeded to the throne, several academicians prepared the late emperor's edict, and only missed Emperor Zhengde's most trusted guard commander Yang Ling, which angered him.
Xiao Zhaozhao made a big fuss in the mourning hall because of Emperor Zhengde's death. Could it be that... this edict was actually the emperor's idea?
Xia Xun slowly opened his eyes and looked at Luo Kedi. He hesitated to speak and never dared to express his opinion.
Luo Kedi smiled happily and said: "Haha, if the late emperor wanted to do anything, except for the funeral arrangements, the rest could be done while he was in power. Why bother to arrange it in the imperial edict? In fact, since ancient times, the so-called imperial edict and the imperial edict of succession have been
All other arrangements outside of this will come from the instructions and supplements of the successor. We can talk behind closed doors, so there is no harm in talking about it."
This was treating Xia Xun as a confidant, and Xia Xun couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart, so he bowed and said, "Yes, I think this is... what I mean today."
Luo Kedi nodded and said with a smile: "When the late emperor passed away, the obituary was announced to the world. The most urgent method was the 800-mile military post. Some princes must have received the news by now, but this 'late emperor's edict' has not yet been announced."
It was sent out in a hurry three days later. It can be seen that the emperor carefully considered every word and put a lot of thought into it. Look, what is the meaning behind these words?"
"What else could be the reason? I want to cut off my feudal clan!"
Xia Xun didn't need to guess Emperor Jianwen's intentions that he couldn't hide in his edict, he knew his true purpose, but he couldn't tell it. Luo Yuandi probably also knew that Xia Xun still didn't dare to speak out, so he said: "The reason behind it is intriguing.
Yeah. There are only three days of national mourning. Even if the late emperor's orders are there, if the emperor, who has always been known for his benevolence and filial piety, disobeys the orders on this matter, there will be no problem at all. Why did the emperor do this?"
He subconsciously lowered his voice, leaned forward and said: "Also, the national mourning only lasts for three days, so it can be said that we are worried about disturbing the people. But today, I have inherited Confucianism, attached great importance to ancient rituals, and followed ancient rituals. The emperor will be buried in the seventh month.
However, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty only stayed in mourning for seven days before being hurriedly buried. Tomorrow is the time for burial in Xiaoling Mausoleum. The funeral ceremonies of emperors of all dynasties were solemn. Not to mention emperors, even wealthy families were not so hasty. Isn't this right?
Is this the way of human relations?”
Xia Xun's eyes flashed and asked: "What do you mean, sir?"
Luo Kedi slowly straightened up and said, "Your Majesty is anxious for the dust to settle..."
Xia Xun was silent for a long time and said: "The emperor has been the grandson of the emperor for many years, and everyone in the world knows that he is the future master of the Ming Dynasty. There is no need to be so impatient. It is... too unconfident."
Luo Kedi was very satisfied after hearing this. He was so sincere in exchange for Xia Xun's sincere words. Now that Xia Xun dared to criticize the current emperor in front of him, he really considered himself his confidant. Sometimes
, Recruitment and surrender do not require clear words, one action or one word can make each other understand.
Luo Ke, the enemy of Xia Xun, felt relieved and continued to express his opinion: "In the edict, it was also said that the kings should worship each other in their own country and were not allowed to enter the capital. In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, when Queen Xiaoci went on a grand tour, all the kings were
Those who returned to Beijing for the funeral, why were they not allowed to stay in their own country and offer sacrifices at the palace? It is natural and humane for a father to return home after the death of his son. Even if he is a minister, when his parents die, he still needs Ding You to return home and observe mourning for three years, let alone the royal family.
?The late emperor always valued filial piety, how could he say such love-stealing words?"
Xia Xun said: "But what is the purpose of this move now? Are you worried that some of the kings will do something wrong? They returned to the capital for the funeral, and at most they brought some personal guards with them. What kind of trouble did they stir up in the imperial capital? Why should the emperor bother? Worry?"
Luo Kedi smiled and said: "That's wrong. In my opinion, there are two reasons for the emperor's arrangement. One is to give the kings a warning. When the new emperor ascends the throne, the first thing he does is to make them his sons. He is not allowed to come back to wear sackcloth and pay filial piety, and he is not even qualified to go to the capital to worship his late father. How can he still do what he wants? Secondly, these princes gathered in the capital and would definitely not dare to rebel, but there is no guarantee that there will be no secrets between their brothers. If they communicate with each other and make plans, if they are in separate vassal states and are not allowed to meet each other and do not know each other's attitudes, the possibility of communicating with each other to test their attitudes and make plans will be greatly reduced, and the emperor is also taking precautions."
Xia Xun frowned and said: "I think it is not wise to not allow the kings to go to the capital for burial. The kings may have no other intentions, but because of the emperor's move, they inevitably have doubts. As a son of man, They were even deprived of the qualification to pay filial piety to their late father. This was a great humiliation. How could they not feel resentful? Besides, this clearly meant that the emperor was jealous of the kings. How could the kings not feel resentful? The heart of protection?"
Luo Kedi laughed and said: "Wenxuan is overly worried. The kings may have doubts because of this, but they have no time to take action. You see, the emperor's last statement has already revealed his plan!" All the civil and military officials in their respective places obey the imperial court's control, but only the guards and soldiers obey the king. This is to take away the king's power to control the army.
The vassal kings command the armies. This is a rule set by the late emperor. How could it be abolished by the late emperor? If the late emperor felt it was inappropriate, then the late emperor only needed an edict when he was still alive. As princes, who would dare to disobey his father's orders? And there cannot be a trace of resentment. How could the late Emperor, who was so wise in his lifetime, hastily hand over this "evil man" to this person before his death?
Furthermore, last month, the late emperor still had a decree. Due to the instigation of the fortress, Zhuang De and Zhang Wenjie of Xiliang were ordered to take command, Liu Zhen and Song Sheng of Kaiping were commanded, and the Wuding Marquis Guo Ying of Liaodong and other generals gathered their troops. I am here to obey the control of the King of Yan and guard against the invasion of the barbarians on the fortress. This month suddenly became the kingdom's civil and military officials. They all obeyed the control of the imperial court. Only the guards and soldiers obeyed the king?"
Luo Kedi's eyes were bright and he said decisively: "Just watch, Your Majesty, the vassals will be cut off soon!"
Xia Xun looked at Luo Kedi with a slightly strange look in his eyes. Luo Kedi noticed that his eyes were a little strange, and his smile couldn't help but shrink, and he asked: "What?"
Xia Xun hesitated for a moment and then said tentatively: "Do you think it will be possible for the emperor to cut down the vassals?"
Luo Kedi laughed dumbly and said: "Wenxuan, I was just about to praise you for being smart, but I didn't expect you to say such stupid things. The emperor is rich all over the world, and has millions of lions under his command. The kings only have one city and one place to protect them. There are less than 10,000 personal troops. Let me ask, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to now, when the world is unified and the four seas are united, and in the beginning of the founding of the country, there was a dynasty with strong branches and weak branches. Is there any precedent for a vassal king to seize one city and one place and successfully rebel?"
Xia Xun was silent for a moment, bowed and said: "I'm humble enough to be taught!"
Luo Kedi waved his hand with a cheerful face, and said full of longing: "If you want to kill the kings, how can you not have the sharp sword of my Jinyiwei? Wenxuan, my Jinyiwei's comeback is just around the corner!"