The atmosphere in the court was extremely tense, and even Yu Qian could feel it.
Officials below the fifth rank are cautious, walking on thin ice, for fear that if they don't get it right, there will be a big purge.
Officials above the fifth rank felt resentful, but [Tang Sai'er] had not passed a few years ago, when almost all the first-level officials in Shandong Province were slaughtered, and no one wanted to stand out.
The court fell into an eerie calm, but this calm did not make people feel at ease. On the contrary, it seemed like a precursor to the coming storm.
Fortunately, the explosive barrel did not explode, and everything was due to Xiaopang's mediation.
However, it was only temporarily stabilized. The contradiction was not eliminated, it was just suppressed.
Li Qing knew that sooner or later it would explode!
…
The days passed day by day, and in a blink of an eye it was the end of the year again.
The winter in Peiping was as cold as ever. All the officials shivered when they went to court and went down to court, all abiding by the rules. Although no one complained, it made people feel a little uneasy for no reason.
It's time to go on annual leave, red envelopes are being given out, and it's Chinese New Year. At this juncture, no one wants to get into trouble.
The ministers continued to be patient.
The twenty-second year of Yongle, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
As usual, Zhu Di sent red envelopes to all the officials, but this time he did not draw any more cakes. After the routine, he went back to rest.
The ministers paid New Year greetings, sent congratulations, received red envelopes, bid farewell to the emperor, and left the palace. Everything was so harmonious, but there was a sense of separation and disharmony.
Everyone is acting, and the acting is very fake.
~
Yongqinghou Mansion.
Li Qing's skills in making snowmen have skyrocketed. Although the three snowmen are not exactly identical, they are still very similar.
Unfortunately, the sun was high and the snowman could not last long.
"Look, look, do they look alike?" Li Qing said proudly.
Wan Ling said with a smile: "There is no image of us."
"You three make one pile, and I make three piles each. Of course, the effect is not as good as yours." Li Qing shook his head in amusement and patted the snow on his hands, "I'll go out and be back before evening."
"It's Chinese New Year, where are you going, sir?" Hongxiu took a big cloak and put it on him, "How can I visit you on New Year's Day?"
"Let's go see Sanbao. He will leave tomorrow." Li Qing stretched his body and said, "I'll probably have some wine. Dinner will be to your liking."
…
Sanbao was half-lying on a chair basking in the sun. He was already in his fifties and had white hair. He had been wandering at sea all year round, making him look much older than his peers.
A person celebrating the Chinese New Year is just quietly basking in the sun, looking lonely and desolate.
"Three Treasures," Li Qing called.
Sanbao opened his eyes from his slumber and saw Li Qing coming. He stood up and said with a smile, "Sir, is he here?"
Li Qing smiled and put the gift on the table beside him, wondering: "Where is the servant?"
"Oh, isn't this the Chinese New Year? I asked them to go back to celebrate the Chinese New Year." Sanbao invited him into the house.
"No, it's nice to just bask in the sun here." Li Qing moved a chair from the table and sat down, "You're leaving tomorrow?"
Sanbao nodded: "Shi Jinqing from Jiugang died of illness. The emperor asked me to go there and let Shi Jisun take over his father's position. We have to catch the monsoon in the second half of the year, and we don't have much time."
"Thank you for your hard work." Li Qing said softly.
Old Port: Indonesia, Palembang, Sumatra Island, this trip is not close.
"It's nothing, I'm used to it." Sanbao's smile was very healing, "Although these years have been a bit tough, they have also been magnificent, and it's worth living in this world."
He is still so open-minded. Decades have passed and his age has changed, but his innocent heart has never changed.
"I'll give it to you." Li Qing said.
"Well, good." Sanbao nodded happily, "The emperor rewarded me with royal wine, would you like some?"
"OK!"
Everyone in the house was sent back to celebrate the New Year, and there was no decent food to go with the wine, but the two of them were very happy with the wine.
As people get older, they like to talk about the past, and Li Qing is no exception.
The young man in the past is now half a century old, which is really sad.
"Sambo, are you going to sea in the second half of the year?" Li Qing asked.
"Yes." Sanbao put down his wine glass, "The trade goods are almost ready and we will probably set off in July."
After a pause, "I'm going to go further this time to see if I can find the sweet potatoes that sir mentioned."
"Any clues?" Li Qing is far less familiar with the current world structure than San Bao. After all, he is not even familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty.
"No," Sanbao shook his head, then smiled and said, "Yongle rice and Yongle beans exist, which proves that what Mr.'s book said is true. Since sweet potatoes exist, I am confident that I can find them."
Li Qing said sincerely: "The Ming Dynasty is so lucky to have you!"
"Sir, you praise me too much." Sanbao said with a smile, "Sanbao's achievements today are all due to the emperor's wisdom and prowess. Without the emperor's talent and strategy, how could I be so prominent?"
Li Qing laughed heartily: "Your Majesty is certainly wise, but... your contribution cannot be ignored. Thousands of years later, Zheng He's feats of sailing to the West will still be praised by others."
Sanbao's eyes shone brightly, "Really?"
…
The next day, Sanbao set off and Li Qing saw him off.
After returning home, Li Qing continued to lie down, not listening to what was happening outside the window.
The migration of people from the south to the north continues, and smuggling has not been eliminated. Generally speaking, it is not bad.
After the Lantern Festival, Zhu Di began to make plans for the Northern Expedition.
All officials tried to dissuade him, but Zhu Di refused to listen.
In fact, there is no need for the Northern Expedition now. The Tatars and Oara have been severely weakened and do not dare to invade the Ming Dynasty.
Of course Zhu Di understood that, but his Northern Expedition was not for fighting, but for taking advantage of the Northern Expedition to lead the army himself, to consolidate imperial power by controlling the army, and to control the situation in the court.
Emperor Wu's authority was far greater than that of Emperor Wen.
Zhu Di did not want to let go of power. Even if he died tomorrow, he would still hold power firmly in his hands today.
Naturally, the civil service group could see clearly. In the past, they would not have dared to stop him forcefully, but now it is different. Zhu Di is old, and their courage has become stronger.
Therefore, the opposition is unprecedentedly strong.
For a time, memorials to impeach Zhu Di were flying everywhere, such as: I am so happy with my achievements, wasting people and money, and draining the national power of the Ming Dynasty...
Zhu Di didn't care, he just stayed in the middle and didn't make any moves: Even if I want to lead the army, the king of heaven and I can't stop him, I said so.
The balance that Xiaopang had worked so hard to maintain was instantly broken by Zhu Di's move.
When the officials saw that the memorial was ineffective, they simply scolded him in front of his face, and saliva flew everywhere in the court.
Zhu Di was not used to it either. He scolded him as lightly as he was fined, scolded him as harshly as a slap in the face, and scolded him as harshly as Guan Zhao Prison.
The conflict between the two sides broke out completely, and no one gave in to the other.
~
In early March, it was supposed to be the day for the expedition, but Zhu Di did not set out.
——The Jiaozhi is in disarray.
Le Loi, who led the Lam Son Uprising, launched an attack on the Ming army, and Ngee An Prefecture almost fell.
Huang Fu, the chief envoy of Jiaozhi, wrote: "The reason why Jiaozhi resisted so fiercely was because the eunuch Ma Qi was cruel and forced others to rebel;
After causing trouble, Ma Qi committed suicide because she was afraid that the emperor would punish her;
Le Loi has occupied part of Nghe An Province and is currently suppressing the rebellion."
When Zhu Di saw this memorial, he keenly realized that there was something fishy in it.
A eunuch caused chaos in Cochin and forced people to rebel?
Zhu Di doesn't believe this kind of thing. It's not that the eunuch Ma Qi is very good, but that Ma Qi doesn't have that much energy at all. Even if he really does something bad, he will never cause such a big mess.
A terrible fact is before our eyes: the chief envoy of Cochin and the garrison general have joined forces. Not only that, they are also closely connected with some people in the court and unite the front.
Cochin is the lifeline of Western trade and a place for supply of treasure ships. Once Cochin is lost, Western trade will be greatly hindered or even stranded.
Zhu Di was furious. He didn't know why something happened to Jiaozhi. It was all because of Western trade.
While he is still alive, these people dare to be so arrogant. If he dies, what will happen?
Zhu Di made a decisive decision and immediately sent Zhang Fu to lead his army to suppress the rebellion. At the same time, he gave him face-to-face instructions. After the rebellion was put down, he brought back the chief envoy and the garrison general.
It’s impossible not to kill!
…
Li Qing became busy, busy arranging military supplies with Zhang Fu and Xia Yuanji.
Yu Qian was also captured by Li Qing, and he was too busy to touch the ground.
After more than a month of busy work, Zhang Fu set off.
After all this work, Zhu Di's birthday has arrived.
Zhu Di originally wanted to go to war immediately, but Xiaopang wanted to celebrate his father's birthday.
After only a few days of delay, Zhu Di agreed.
As people get older, they start to cherish family ties, and Zhu Di doesn't want to miss the opportunity to get close to his children and grandchildren.
The emperor's birthday is a huge event, and the palace and inside are very busy.
Even Zhao Wang Zhu Gaosui came all the way from the vassal territory.
The King of Han, Zhu Gaoxu, did not come. Ever since he became a vassal for the second time, he seemed to have no intention of recognizing Zhu Di as his father.