The old emperor's birthday is not only a grand banquet, but also a fame and fortune fair. It is also the time when the Eight Immortals cross the sea to show their magical powers.
The wind in October is very cold, and winter in the south often comes suddenly, inadvertently, catching people off guard.
The wind was very cold, but the capital was very lively. Princes from all over the country came to the capital to congratulate the old emperor on his birthday. This was a rare event in a century, and the business of Yingtian Mansion became more and more active.
Shops, restaurants, wine shops in various streets, and even the business of singers on the Qinhuai River are even more prosperous.
Even temple fairs and fairs, which only started in the twelfth lunar month in previous years, started quietly and were packed with people.
The emperor's birthday is Wanshou, and it is a day celebrated by the whole world. Not only the people in the capital city of the Ming Dynasty were as lively as if they were celebrating the New Year, but the surrounding small countries also joined in the fun.
Three months ago, the old emperor announced to the world that the vassal princes were allowed to come to the capital to celebrate his birthday. This news was not only spread to the Ming Dynasty, but also all the vassal states that had submitted their vassals sent envoys to congratulate him.
Annan, Korea, and other countries bordering the Ming Dynasty came to Beijing one after another, and ships from foreign countries thousands of miles away arrived at the dock every day.
The old emperor's birthday is not just a family matter, it has become a state matter.
However, for the people in the capital, these envoys from foreign countries are too lazy to look at them. In their opinion, these envoys from small foreign countries are far less majestic than the Ming Dynasty kings, and the people of big countries do not look down on these small countries and few people from their hearts.
people.
The Chinese are not xenophobic, but they have a history of looking down on other countries.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites were very busy, and the officials of each department were working hard. No mistakes could be made at this time. The vassal princes and envoys from all over the country were watching. If it were to be given to the Ming Dynasty on the birthday of the old emperor,
Adding blockage to the court is truly an irreparable sin.
Compared with the officials in the imperial court, Zhu Yunxi was the most leisurely.
In the past few days, Liu Sanwu and Fang Xiaoru didn't even have to attend classes. They spent every day accompanying the vassal kings from various places.
The sons of the founding emperor are all proud. Among the older princes, the two kings of Qin and Jin are the best friends with Zhu Yunxi. It is no secret that the old prince prefers the king of Wu. The two of them know that there is no hope for their throne. In addition to being close relatives of Zhu Yunxi,
He also deliberately made friends respectfully.
The young vassal princes were neither salty nor indifferent to Zhu Yunxi, and they also thought about it. He was young and the throne could not fall to him, and he was the emperor's biological son and a hereditary prince. As long as he did not rebel, he would be rich and prosperous all his life, and he could do whatever he wanted in the fiefdom.
They couldn't fault Zhu Yunxi, the king of Wu, and of course they wouldn't offend him. Even the most popular young vassal king, Ning Wang Zhu Quan, looked good when facing Zhu Yunxi.
However, sometimes, King Ning would act like an uncle in front of Zhu Yunxi. Moreover, he was young and energetic, and he was the King of Sai in the border area, so his words would be somewhat angular without realizing it.
Zhu Yunxi naturally did not have the same experience as him. In his opinion, Prince Ning was just an immature child whose character was far from mature.
Such a young man only needs a few kind words to deal with him, leaving him feeling high and defenseless. It is said that character determines destiny. With his character, it is no wonder that in history, he was deceived by the King of Yan until he was held hostage, and then his military power was also deceived.
As for King Yan Zhu Di, Zhu Yunxi did not deliberately contact him, and the other party did not take the initiative to show his kindness.
On this rare warm winter day, the weather in Jiangnan suddenly became clear in winter. Although the wind was still a bit cold, it was still a beautiful scenery.
In the martial arts arena beside the Forbidden City, Zhu Yunxi and other feudal lords rode their horses slowly, chatting as they walked, talking about interesting things about the place and the court.
Not far away, King Ning was galloping on his horse on the passage where he practiced riding and shooting, shooting his bow left and right on horseback, and his arrows were all fired.
As a young man, he has the right to be proud. At least his skills in riding and shooting are beyond the reach of Zhu Yunxi.
The Ming Dynasty relied on military force to build the country, and Zhu Yuanzhang taught all the princes to be able to be civilized and martial. These kings of Sai also guarded the borders, so they naturally had good skills.
After only a few days here, King Ning, who is superb in martial arts and extremely heroic, has become the leader among the young vassal kings. He showed off his skills in the martial arts arena, and the vassal kings with guards around him clapped and applauded.
King Qin looked over there, turned back and smiled at Zhu Yunxi and said, Old Seventeen is still a young man, not very stable!
Jin Wang Zhu Fan was thoughtful and looked back at Zhu Di. The fourth child was also so high-spirited back then that no one took him seriously!
Zhu Di smiled, the third brother first wanted to see if his younger brother was safe? He said, and smiled again, a man can only be safe when he is old!
It's very tiring to talk to these people, they all hide their lies behind their words.
Uncles, you are tired! Zhu Yunxi smiled on the horse and went down to drink some tea! After saying that, he got off the horse and knew that several uncles were good at tea, so he specially asked people to prepare some new tea that could not be drunk in the north!
In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, luxury had not yet developed. Although these vassal kings enjoyed local enjoyment, there was still a limit. It was not like the extravagance that would become commonplace a few hundred years later.
Salt tea is an important national commodity, and there are few people at the border. Every year, merchants are required to transport grain to the border for tea and salt. According to the proportion of grain transported, official quotas for how many kilograms of salt tea can be sold are issued.
If you are too naughty, I will take care of you from now on! King Zhu Fan of Jin dismounted and said with a smile.
King Qin Zhu Xi smiled and said, "It's shameful to ask Xi'er for a few kilograms of tea!" After saying that, he sat down on the chair prepared by the guards and continued to smile, "I am not very proud of tea. If it is a good wine from Jiangnan,
, ten years old daughter Hong, etc., can prepare two jars for me!
The two uncles talked cordially and did not regard Zhu Yunxi as an outsider at all.
From now on, I will take care of the wine and tea for the two uncles! Zhu Yunxi made the tea with his own hands, and the tea soup was rippling in the snow-white porcelain bowl. After giving it to everyone, he continued to smile and said, if there is anything good in the border area, don’t forget your nephew.
!
Speaking of this, Zhu Yunxi smiled at Zhu Di again and said, "Fourth uncle, please drink tea!"
Zhu Di smiled, took a sip of tea, and seemed not very interested.
Is this tea not to your uncle's taste? Zhu Yunxi asked with a smile.
I'm a rough guy, and I can't tell whether I'm good or bad! Tea is just for quenching your thirst. Drink it if you have it, or drink well water if you don't have it. It's the same thing! Zhu Di laughed loudly and said, if you invite me to drink, I can tell you that you are ugly.
Come. Let’s drink here. The wine from the south of the Yangtze River is not the best. The best one is the Shao Daozi from the north. It tastes like a knife in the mouth. One sip in the middle of winter will warm you from your mouth to your stomach!
Zhu Yunxi continued to make tea, calmly. Wine is like tea and should be sipped slowly. The wine in the south of the Yangtze River is not as strong as that in the north, but it is useful for nourishing the body and calming the mind. The wine in the north is enjoyable, but drinking too much will be harmful to the body!
Then, another cup of tea passed by. Fourth uncle, is your nephew right?
Zhu Di laughed loudly, "You have read too many books, and you talk in the same way!"
The two of them had a silent exchange, and King Qin and King Jin looked at each other with intriguing eyes.
The King of Yan did not deliberately make friends with his nephew, the King of Wu. The nephew of the King of Wu seemed to be wary of his uncle, the King of Yan.
Among the princes of Zhu Yuanzhang, the late Crown Prince Zhu Biao and the King of Yan Zhu Di were outstanding in their youth. And among these two people, the King of Yan was the most arrogant. When he was young, many of his brothers would be punished if they did something wrong.
Ask the prince to come forward to avoid being punished by his father.
Only the King of Yan is wrong. He doesn't need anyone to say good things, he just fights. After he came of age, the Qin and Jin vassals took shelter under the wings of the prince. But the King of Yan, Zhu Di, immediately competed with each other and devoted himself to making achievements.
Go ahead and work hard to prove yourself.
It's not that the relationship between King Yan and the prince is not good, but Zhu Di's character is such that he never wants to be looked down upon.
Zhu Di did not dare to do anything while the prince was still alive.
Now that the prince is away, the old man prefers the prince's legitimate son.
After that...
In fact, after saying these words, Zhu Di felt a little regretful.
Be careful not to be hasty but to be patient. When the prince was here, he held back and kept silent. He was respectful and respectful for so many years.
Now that the prince is not here, why can't I keep my temper?
After thinking about it, I looked at Zhu Yunxi's face and understood a little bit.
This guy looks like a smiling tiger, deliberately saying some harsh words to make himself uncomfortable! Zhu Di thought to himself.
And as a border fortress king who was decisive in killing and made many meritorious deeds, he could naturally feel Zhu Yunxi's wariness towards him.
This feeling made him very uncomfortable!
Because before coming to the capital, he had thought about his past friendship with the prince and even the princess, and how much he thought highly of Zhu Yunxi, his nephew.
But they seemed to show no affection towards his uncle.