Zhu Di has now completely let go. Except for insisting on going to court, almost all government affairs have been left to his elders.
He really doesn’t have the energy anymore!
If it weren't for the sake of calming down the situation, Zhu Di wouldn't even want to go to the morning court.
However, although Zhu Di was old, he was not confused and strictly urged the people from the south to move north to implement the national policy.
Xia Yuanji from the Ministry of Revenue agreed very much, Jian Yi from the Ministry of Personnel continued to work hard and followed Zhu Di as much as possible, and so did other officials.
No matter what I feel in my heart, I am obedient on the outside.
I was afraid of walking ahead of Zhu Di or being taken away by Zhu Di.
They knew that Zhu Di could not survive for long, so they all chose to compromise temporarily.
…
The days pass by day by day, and before we know it, autumn turns to winter and everything becomes desolate.
Zhu Di wears a black cotton robe all day long. He wears it thickly and warmly without caring about his appearance. He wears this even when he goes to bed in the morning.
He rarely wears dragon robes, but he exudes an even more imperial aura.
This is a reflection of his confidence!
The emperor is the emperor, not by his clothes or his chair.
This day, it snowed.
After the morning meeting, Li Qing was left alone, and Zhu Di invited him to eat hot pot.
~
"Li Qing, I feel that time is really running out. Do you want the feudal king to come by then?" Zhu Di took a sip of wine and asked.
Li Qing put down his wine glass: "There are benefits to coming, and there are benefits to not coming if you don't come."
"It's as if you didn't say anything." Zhu Di rolled his eyes, "Actually, I want them to come. The more generous I am, the more honest the vassal king will be. On the contrary... Alas, the emperor's temptation is too great."
"It's not as big as you think." Li Qing said, "They know how much the price of rebellion is. Although there are constant fighting in the court, the situation is stable, the army has no different intentions, and the vassal king has no guards. They will not
Let’s just live a good life and rebel with our heads raised.”
"That's right, let them do it." Zhu Di was a little worried, "My only concern is Gao Chi. He is... a good hand in assisting the government and running the country, but he is soft-hearted and not sophisticated in his methods.
, not to mention the tyranny of an emperor;
I am really afraid that this road that I have worked so hard to open will be blocked by him."
"I will help him." Li Qing promised, and then comforted with a smile: "Besides, there is also the emperor's grandson. Today, your father and son join forces, and tomorrow, their father and son join forces. Isn't this the inheritance?"
"Inheritance...that's a good idea!" Zhu Di thought deeply and said, "I've been dreaming again these days."
"It's a sweet dream, right?"
"Well, sweet dream." Zhu Di said with a smile, "In the past twenty years, this is the only time I have felt truly relaxed and happy."
Li Qing also laughed: "So Your Majesty, you should take medicine on time and receive treatment. The good days have just begun, why don't you enjoy more?"
"Oh? Haha..." Zhu Di laughed and scolded, "You are going to die anyway, so what does it matter if you live one more day and one less day?
If, in order to survive for a day or two longer, you suffer hardships and become unhappy physically and mentally, isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
He moved his body and changed into a more comfortable position, "I still live according to the previous pace of life. How it was in the past is how it is now.
My destiny is approaching, what can you, a mortal, do?"
Li Qing was silent for a moment and did not try to persuade him again.
Just as Master Zhang Sugao said to Zhu Yunwen before: The legs are growing on you, you choose the road you want to take and how to go. This is your right, no one is qualified to make decisions for you.
Li Qing is not qualified to make decisions for Zhu Di. He just wants to be happy while he is alive, especially at the last moment of his life.
The snow outside is getting heavier and heavier, the stove in the palace is burning brighter and brighter, the food is fragrant, chatting, eating meat, drinking warm wine, how can it be a beautiful word.
The two have known each other for decades. On the surface, they are monarchs and ministers, but in fact they are friends.
Li Qing did not have the behavior of a civil servant, nor did he have any ideas of loyalty to the emperor. He had always been very casual when getting along with Zhu Di.
Zhu Di also likes this kind of Li Qing, the kind of courtier who is only obedient and flatters his heart. Although he doesn't like him, he still likes people like Yao Guangxiao and Li Qing.
"Time flies so fast. The old monk has been gone for six or seven years." Zhu Di sighed with emotion, "But it's okay. I won't be afraid of being lonely when I go down."
Then, he glanced at Li Qing and said, "You're quite capable of living. Looking at you, you won't have any problem living for another ten or twenty years."
Li Qing sneered, he was really afraid that Zhu Laosi would take him away, even though it was unlikely.
"I am a practitioner of medicine and martial arts, but I am not as hard-working as the emperor. I am also a supervisor in the war, and I have never suffered much." Li Qing said modestly, "But ten or twenty years is an exaggeration, at most it is only seven or eight."
Year."
"Really?" Zhu Di teased, "Then do you dare to take off the mask?"
Li Qing pretended to be dissatisfied: "Your Majesty, aren't you just rubbing salt into my wounds?
How should I put it, I, Li Qing, was also a handsome young man from eight villages in ten miles back then. For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, I shed blood and sweat..."
"Stop it." Zhu Di, with a big head, interrupted his eloquence, "I won't let you commend yourself."
Li Qing: "..."
Zhu Di did not continue this topic and turned to other topics. The two talked about maritime trade, the situation outside the customs, and the future of the Ming Dynasty... They had a great time chatting.
~
The court was very quiet, with the only voice being Zhu Di.
The peaceful days passed quickly, and the Chinese New Year arrived in a blink of an eye.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Fengtian Temple Square.
Zhu Di distributed red envelopes as usual, but this time he didn't draw a big picture, and even skipped the year-end summary. It was just a simple routine.
His health was deteriorating. Years of government affairs and conquests had consumed too much of his energy, and he was aging at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.
Li Qing knew that Zhu Di wouldn't be able to carry him for long.
In fact, as Li Qing expected, Zhu Di's condition worsened in early February, and even going to court in the morning became even more difficult.
But he still insists, as he said, what happened before is what it is now.
Li Qing wanted him to rest for better treatment, but Zhu Di refused.
In his words: Once you lie down, you can never get up again.
Li Qing couldn't resist him, so he had to rely on him and treat him as much as possible.
Zhu Di had been seriously ill several times, and years of fighting had seriously overtaxed his body. Now that they were gathering to 'demand debts,' Li Qing had no choice.
I had no choice but to use acupuncture and secretly nourish my body with true air.
But after all, Zhenqi is not omnipotent and can only delay the deterioration of the disease.
In mid-February, Zhu Di's condition deteriorated again and he could no longer even go to court.
The arrogant Emperor Yongle finally did not escape the erosion of time and was tied to the bed.
Xiaopang came to visit several times every day, and Zhu Zhanji was even more undressed, waiting on his side day and night.
Zhu Di felt the rapid passage of life and knew that his time was running out. He sighed softly: "Look at Ji."
"My grandson is here."
"Go and pass on my message to let the kings of Han and Zhao enter the capital."
At this moment, Zhu Di changed from the role of emperor to that of a father. He wanted to see his two sons whom he never saw again at the last moment of his life.
Zhu Zhanji was a little reluctant, but he didn't want his grandfather to have any regrets: "My grandson obeys the order."
Zhu Di looked at the bed curtain above his head, lost in thought for a long time, and said softly: "Li Qing, help me up."
Li Qing helped him sit up and raised some pillows for him.
At the same time, she pressed his wrist and frowned.
"It's okay." Zhu Di took back his hand, raised it and waved. The small yellow gates waiting around him bowed silently and retreated far away to the entrance of the palace.
Not only can you avoid hearing words you shouldn't hear, but you can also ensure that you are always available when you call.
Zhu Di said: "The king of Han established his vassal in Le'an, which is less than a thousand miles away from the capital. It only takes one day for the 800-mile postage to rush. Le'an is just a small county, not like Jinan or Dezhou. There are no city walls there, so he would never dare to rebel."
, right?”
"right."
"But things are bound to happen. He is angry!" Zhu Di sighed. In the past, he was happy to draw cakes, but now he regrets the crematorium. "I can't help him, Li Qing..."
"I am here."
"If, I mean if," Zhu Di looked at Li Qing steadily, "if one day he really rebels, can you protect him like you did with Jianwen?"
"Okay." Li Qing promised, "One day, I will keep him safe."
Zhu Di smiled: "That's good, that's good..."
"Your Majesty, please rest." Li Qing coaxed as if coaxing a child: "The King of Han and the King of Zhao will not be able to get here in three or two days. Only when you are full of energy can you have the strength to chat, right?"
"Well, okay."
Li Qing helped him lie down and placed the pillow again to make him sleep more comfortably.
Not long after, Zhu Di fell into a drowsy sleep. Li Qing gave him a breath of Qi, sat quietly for a while, called for the waiters from the Xiaohuang Gate, and got up and left the Qianqing Palace.
…
…
Seven days later, Zhu Gaoxu and his son Zhu Zhanqi arrived first.
"My son Zhu Gaoxu (grandson Zhu Zhanqi) greets me, long live the emperor." The father and son saluted.
"Gao Xu is here," Zhu Di forced himself to sit up with a gentle smile on his face, "We are all a family, what are you doing with these false gifts? Come on, come here."
"You are already so old." Zhu Di said with a loving face, "Are you married?"
"Yes." Zhu Zhanqi was a little embarrassed and nodded respectfully.
Zhu Di chatted for a while, and when he saw that his grandson was restrained, he asked him to step back and rest, "Gao Xu, come here."
"Father." Zhu Gaoxu stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Are you feeling well?"
"Well, it's not bad." Zhu Di took his hand and motioned him to sit by the bed, "We haven't seen each other for some years!"
Zhu Gaoxu was silent for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Why, are you still blaming Father?"
"Don't dare."
"Alas..." Zhu Di said bitterly, "Stop losing your temper, okay? Dad will be fine in a few days. What happened back then was my fault. If you want to blame, blame me. But don't keep your grievances in your heart. Dad hopes you will be well."
Yes, I hope you are all well..."
Zhu Gaoxu looked at his old father and saw his cloudy eyes full of tears, and couldn't help but feel pain in his heart.
Suddenly I no longer hate him.
He said hoarsely: "Okay, I promise you."
"Hey, good boy." Zhu Di smiled happily.
At this time, Xiao Huangmen stepped forward with small steps and whispered softly: "Your Majesty, King Zhao wants to see you."
"Gao Sui is also here." Zhu Di smiled and said, "Xuan."
"My slave obeys the order."
"Wait a minute," Zhu Di said again, "go and call the prince and grandson."
————
ps: I have to work a night shift, so I finished another chapter, and I feel so guilty o(╥﹏╥)o