Xia Xunhou didn't arrive at the palace until the end of the afternoon. His timing was just right, as Zhu Di had just finished his nap.
Zhu Di got up and drank a cup of strong tea. When he felt refreshed, the eunuch from the service room came to report some internal affairs to him.
This old eunuch is called Ye Duoge. He is really old. He is an old eunuch who lived in the palace during the Hongwu, Jianwen and Yongle dynasties. Because he is honest, kind to others and does not like to fight for power, he is very popular in the palace. He has experienced
During the three dynasties, it was not until the beginning of the previous year that he became the chief eunuch of the Jingshi Room.
Eunuch Ye bowed and said: "Your Majesty, no one has entered this palace for several years. The empress is compassionate and has reduced the number of elderly maids in the palace several times. As usual, at the beginning of the year, a group of older maids were laid off in the palace.
The palace maids have been sent home. There is really not enough manpower in this palace. At present, there are only a few concubines who have enough manpower. The other palaces do not even have enough people to sweep and take care of things..."
It turns out that the main sources of eunuchs in this palace are self-castrated, contributions and prisoners of war. During this period of the Ming Dynasty, there were still a small number of eunuchs who had to be castrated to enter the palace to survive. Therefore, the eunuchs who self-castrated and entered the palace were the least. The main sources were two
: One is to select young children from the families of defeated prisoners of war and suppressed rebels and castrate them into the palace as attendants. The other is to ask for them from tributary countries such as North Korea.
The source of palace maidens is different. You can't enter the palace voluntarily. In addition to asking for some beautiful ladies from the vassal country, they are selected by the imperial court. The imperial court has not selected talents since the early years of Jianwen. As soon as Jianwen ascended the throne,
He was busy killing his uncle, and then King Yan rebelled. They fought fiercely for two times, so he couldn't care about these things.
After Zhu Di came to power, he was busy with military campaigns in the north and south. Empress Xu was in charge of the affairs of the harem. Empress Xu was also a frugal person and did not hold a draft. It has spanned more than ten years from the end of Hongwu to the present, and many of the palace people are older.
The old eunuch was sent out of the palace one after another. There was a shortage of manpower in the palace, so the old eunuch came to report to Zhu Di because of his duties.
Zhu Di didn't take it seriously after hearing this, nodded and said: "I know, when the Spring Festival is over, I will just choose a beautiful girl."
Eunuch Ye was so unhappy that he quickly agreed, nodded and bowed and left.
At this time, someone reported that Duke Fu had arrived.
When Zhu Di saw Xia Xun, he smiled and said: "You have such an irresistible temper. I just came back from Wala and I was about to ask you to rest at home for a few days. Why did you come here again? You will never talk about home affairs when you come to see me.
of."
Xia Xun also laughed: "Your Majesty, I do have an urgent matter to report!"
"oh?"
Zhu Di knew that Xia Xun was a man and would never tell lies, so he quickly asked someone to show him a seat. After he sat down, he asked, "Why are you so anxious?"
Xia Xun said: "Does Your Majesty still remember the Shuangyu Islands in the East China Sea?"
Zhu Di said with emotion: "What happened to Shuangyu?"
Xia Xun said with a smile: "Shuangyu is calm and calm, nothing happened. Does the emperor still remember? When Shuangyu was still in the hands of pirates, those righteous thieves rescued the three princes and left. Later, the emperor went to Yuji, and the Shuangyu group of thieves accepted it.
The imperial court is asking for peace, because the people of Shuangyu have always relied on sea trade to make a living, and the emperor is considerate and allows them to continue trading with the Tibetan people?"
Zhu Di nodded and said, "Oh, remember, what?"
Xia Xun said: "I heard that there are generals in the Nine Borders who are secretly trading and dealing with foreign tribes. This is against the rules of the court. The emperor has issued a decree strictly prohibiting civil servants and military generals, and the court officials are good at trading with foreign countries. But
This does not include ordinary people. However, Yu Shiji, the imperial envoy of the Imperial Procuratorate and Qiandu, visited the border affairs. When he arrived at the East China Sea, he banned the trade of the people on the two islets without asking any questions. The people there had no land to farm and only relied on fishing.
The harvest was small, and many merchants were distressed. Because those who were ordered to go to Shuangyu to recruit people were minor ministers, they found the minister's way and expressed their love to the emperor..."
Zhu Di was suddenly enlightened and thought in his mind: "It turns out that you are here for the trade between Shuangyu. How can this be considered an urgent matter?"
Xia Xun changed his words and said: "I think that whether the people live in peace or not is the foundation of the court's stability. Although this matter is limited to a corner of the East China Sea, it is not appropriate to take it lightly. So I left the merchant to inquire carefully. I want to know some of the trade situation in the East China Sea so that I can present my case to the emperor and discuss a proper solution. I don’t want to ask you a few random questions, but I actually asked about a big event from their mouths!”
Only then did Zhu Di realize that what Xia Xun really wanted to say hadn't been revealed yet, so he concentrated his attention and stared at Xia Xun.
Xia Xun carefully explained to Zhu Dizi the two matters of Japan's struggle for the power of the emperor and the struggle for the succession of the generals who conquered the barbarians, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, Japan's Taizheng Minister Ashikaga Yoshimitsu advocates Chinese culture, and his Kitayama Temple It is simply a place where I collect the essence of Chinese culture. However, his adopted son Ashikaga Yoshimichi is very hostile to me, the Ming Dynasty.
The so-called emperor of Japan is just a symbol, and the real power is in the hands of the shogunate. If Ashikaga Yoshimitsu passes away and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu takes power, I am afraid that he will be disrespectful to our Ming Dynasty. Although our Ming Dynasty is not afraid of a mere island country in the East China Sea, but across the ocean After all, sending troops to conquer is a waste of people and money. If we, the Celestial Empire, can help Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and help his own son ascend to the throne, we will save a lot of trouble."
Zhu Di nodded and said: "Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has always been respectful to me and sent envoys to pay tribute year after year. The remnants of the Japanese pirates in the East China Sea occasionally invaded the border. Once an order passed, he was able to suppress the bandits seriously and be careful in his work. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is his biological son. Since there are parents and children, it is natural that the parents and children should succeed, not to mention that Ashikaga Yoshinori is quite hostile to me, the Ming Dynasty, well..., we should help him."
Xia Xun said happily: "Your Majesty, it's clear! I think it won't be long before Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will send an envoy again. He wants to appoint his own son as the general of the conquest of barbarians. Naturally, he wants the Emperor of Japan's nod, but he needs you more, Your Majesty." It will only happen if you agree!"
This compliment made Zhu Di stroke his beard and smile.
Xia Xun added: "There is also the dispute over the Japanese emperor. Although the real power in Japan is in the hands of the shogunate, the emperor has considerable prestige among the people. The Japanese shogunate is still under the control of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and is quite docile to the Ming Dynasty. However, it is better to take the initiative in one's own hands than to rely on the friendship of others. I believe that if we make clever use of the dispute between the northern and southern emperors of Japan, it will be more beneficial to our Ming Dynasty. In this way, when the two emperors confront each other, they will become more dependent on our empire. At the same time, , once the two emperors confront each other, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will be able to do a lot, and he will have a lot of opportunities to let Ashikaga Yoshitsugu succeed to the throne."
Some purposes cannot be stated openly. After Xia Xun made a little effort, Zhu Di understood.
Divide and rule has been an excellent way to control other forces and regions since ancient times. You can either instigate, support, or support both forces at the same time, so that they are controlled by you and willing to turn to you for help. This method has been around since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. During this period, politicians have been playing tricks on them.
Zhu Di perked up and said: "Yes, if you use it well, you can defeat the enemy's army without fighting and hold it firmly. So, what do you mean?"
Xia Xun said: "If Ashikaga Yoshimitsu comes to ask the emperor for help, the emperor will naturally express his support for his own son Ashikaga Yoshimitsu."
Zhu Di nodded.
Xia Xun added: "In this way, the imperial court is on the side of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. At the same time, it will have to deal with the current Japanese Emperor Komatsu."
Zhu Di heard what he was saying, his eyes flashed slightly, and he said: "The imperial court should support Go Kamesama in fighting for the throne, but Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is also on Go Komatsu's side. He helped Ashikaga Yoshimitsu fight for the position of general, and with
It is beneficial to me, Ming Dynasty, and it is also beneficial to me, Ming Dynasty, to support Houguishan in his fight for the throne of emperor. But these two people are enemies, and we cannot let them feel that I, Ming Dynasty, am helping him and his enemy at the same time."
Xia Xun said: "Exactly! Therefore, the emperor needs some people, some people who are not on the surface but are actually controlled by the court, to stand on the side of Houguishan and provide him with money and food, and help him recruit troops!
"
"Well..."
Zhu Di stood up, walked slowly in the hall for a while, turned around and asked: "It costs a lot of money to finance Houguishan's rebellion against Houxiaosong. Are these businessmen reliable?"
Xia Xun hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the roots of these merchants are in our Ming Dynasty. If you want to use them, their wives, children, and children must be controlled by our Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, they are all businessmen. If they want to do such a thing, they must naturally
Maintain their status as merchants and reach Japan through trade. Funding Houguishan is just a sum of money. They can get the emperor's permission to resume maritime trade, but the benefits are continuous. How can they give up because of temporary gains?
Is this long-term benefit?”
Zhu Di nodded lightly when he heard this. Since ancient times, the people who have been used most for subversion, instigating rebellion, and collecting intelligence are businessmen. This is indeed the most suitable identity, especially since the Ming Dynasty cannot expose its attitude of supporting both sides at the same time, so it is best to use them.
Chosen.
Zhu Di nodded and said: "A hundred thousand troops were raised, and the expedition was thousands of miles away. The people's expenses were ten thousand gold per day. There was turmoil inside and outside, and those who were not allowed to do anything. Hundreds of thousands of families fought for several years to win in one day. Only those who can do it with superior wisdom can do it."
Only when you achieve great success in a short period of time can you be called a wise king and a wise general!
Just do it like this! For specific situations, you can calculate the operating expenses and calculate the figures, which will be allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs. The Donghai Inspection Department is only responsible for anti-theft and public security matters. Whether the people of Donghai are qualified to do business will be determined by
The local Municipal Shipping Department approved it. However, the prohibition that court officials are not allowed to do business is still untouchable!"
"I obey the decree!"
After Xia Xun's words, both important matters were settled, and he immediately gave Chen Ying a big slap in the face, and he immediately left happily with the order.
As soon as Xia Xun left, Ji Gang got into the Jinshen Hall. In fact, he had been here a long time ago, just one step later than Xia Xun. He didn't want to meet Xia Xun, so he waited outside until Xia Xun left, then entered
See you in the palace.
When Ji Gang elaborated on the connection between the mute Timur and the Tatar envoys to the emperor, Yongle suddenly became alert and immediately ordered: "Although the matter of Oala is top secret, everyone who is accompanying the company to Oala is
There are thousands of soldiers in the army, and there are many people with mixed opinions. It is inevitable that some information will be leaked and fall into the ears of interested people. Maybe they will be able to detect something.
Even if the mute Timur was not bribed by the Tatars, if he accidentally heard of these things and unintentionally leaked the secrets to the Tatars, my plan would be ruined! This cannot be done carelessly, you must do it well
Check it out! If there is anything suspicious, it is okay to control him first. In short, there must be no room for delay in matters over there in Wala!"
After Ji Gang received this sentence, he immediately accepted the order with great joy.
Zhu Di didn't notice the change in his expression, and was about to tell him to leave. Suddenly he remembered something, so he stopped him and said: "Oh! By the way, there are not enough people in the palace to serve. I have ordered the ministers to wait until the spring period is over.
Even the draft, let your Jin Yiwei and the internal supervisor handle this matter together!"
Ji Gang got another good job, and he couldn't help being happy. He said hurriedly: "Yes, I obey the order! I will definitely select the best beauties in the country..."
Zhu Di interrupted him and said: "Don't be so aggressive about draft girls. Just select 800 talented girls in Yingtian Mansion to enter the palace!"
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