The emperor's grandson's six thousand escort troops passed through Chuzhou, passed through Dingyuan County, and reached the territory of Fengyang, the central capital.
Along the official road, officials at all levels in Zhongdu, as well as civil and military ministers, all came out of the city to kneel down to greet him.
As the car drove slowly through the majestic city gate, Zhu Yunxi returned to the Zhu family's hometown for the first time, Fengyang, the central capital of the Ming Dynasty.
Fengyang, known as Haozhou in the Yuan Dynasty, was not actually a great city in the world, and it was far from being rich. But because of the emergence of Emperor Zhu, this place became the most powerful city in the world.
Because it is the hometown of the old man and the place where he raised his army, and most of the senior civil servants and generals in the Ming army were from around Fengyang. In the early days of the establishment of the empire, this place almost became the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
In the second year of Hongwu, Li Shanchang, the first civil servant of the Ming Dynasty, and Wu Liang, the Marquis of Jiangyin (one of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi, later named Duke), were ordered to build the Huaixi General Administrative Office in the Central Capital and build the Central Capital.
In the carriage, Zhu Yunxi lifted the curtain of the carriage, and as the sonorous footsteps echoed under the city gate, he gazed at this fortified city, which was even more heroic than the capital.
Fengyang is not only a city, but also another military and cultural center of the Ming Dynasty.
When this city was built, it was like the founding of the Ming Dynasty, with every battle victorious. Therefore, the city built was also full of courage.
Zhu Yunxi's predecessors, Prince Zhu Biao, King Yan of Qin and Jin, and others all lived here when they were young. Especially the kings of Sai, this was the place where they first trained and commanded their troops.
Zhongdu City is huge, covering an area of more than 300 hectares. The imperial city built in it is hundreds of thousands square meters larger than the Forbidden City in the capital. All the regulations in the city are exactly the same as those in the capital, or even better. The government barracks, grain storage smelting station, manufacturing department
, temples of emperors of past dynasties, temples of founding heroes, etc.
The construction of this majestic city can also be said to be strict. The magnificent city walls are all made of city bricks. Each brick has its own manufacturing number inscription. The city walls are made of a mixture of lime, tung oil, glutinous rice juice and other materials. The key to the connection.
In some places, molten pig iron was even used instead of mortar for casting.
The moat is more than 70 meters wide, and there are 104 squares in the city, all of which are well-organized in length and length.
Zhongdu is not only the hometown of the Zhu family, but also the most spiritually treasured place for the founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty.
In order to build the city, the old man, who had always disliked imposing corvee labor on the people, conquered hundreds of thousands of people. Because the project was too big and the requirements were too strict, in the eighth year of Hongwu, some craftsmen with resentment wrote down when they were building the city.
Cursing words.
The old man Long Yan was furious, and tens of thousands of craftsmen were killed by the old man until only a thousand were left.
But later, after reflection, the old man felt that it was really not advisable to waste people and money in such a way. He decreed that construction should continue in places that have already started. Construction should not be carried out in places that have not yet started.
The construction of Fengyang Zhongdu, such a magnificent and fortified city, actually reflects the achievements of the emperor, not the blessings of the people.
Building a city requires people and money, and in order to feed Zhongdu's huge army and bureaucracy, and maintain the imperial city and mausoleums, the people are overwhelmed. On the surface, Zhongdu is a majestic place in the world, but secretly, the people are talking about it.
Speaking of Fengyang, go to Fengyang, Fengyang is a good place. Since Emperor Zhu came out, there has been a drought of nine to ten years!
It was not until later that the old man killed all the heroes in Huaixi, took back the property that had been granted to the nobles in various places in Fengyang, and stopped building cities, so the burden on the people became lighter.
Before the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zhongdu remained intact. Later, Li Chuang and Zhang Xianzhong attacked the place and burned the Zhu family's ancestral tombs. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Army burned the city again. Not one of the ten palaces, pavilions and terraces of Zhongdu remained.
Despite this, every time future generations see such majestic ruins, they can't help but feel regretful when they think back to those days.
(Hey, it’s watery again!)
~~
After Zhu Yunxi arrived in Zhongdu, he stayed in the imperial city of Zhongdu.
Different from the Forbidden City in the capital, the Imperial City of Zhongdu has a bit more of a murderous and iron-blooded atmosphere. There are few flowers and plants in the imperial city, but many ancient and simple trees. There are locust trees, elms, pines, and cypresses. They are as dense as shade and look like a forest from a distance.
Zhu Yunxi's residence in the imperial city is exactly where Zhu Biao lived when he was a boy, Chengtian Hall. Standing at the window, you can just see the towering bell tower and drum tower in Zhongdu City.
After having just settled in, freshened up and lost all the fatigue, Wang Ba Shai announced that Gou Ren was left behind in the imperial city of Zhongdu, and Wu Zhong, the general manager of Huaixi, and other officials were asking for an audience outside the palace.
After Zhu Yunxi changed his clothes, he sat on the throne a little weakly and said, "Pass!"
With a creak, the heavy palace door was pushed open, letting in a bit of cold air.
The military commander was headed by Wu Zhong, Duke of Haiguo, the general manager of Huaixi, and the civil servants were led by Zhu Tong, the Prime Minister of Zhongdu and the right minister of the Ministry of Rites. More than a hundred people filed in neatly.
(Wu Zhong is the hereditary title of his father. His uncle is Wu Liang, Duke of Jiang State, and his father is Wu Zhen, Duke of Hai State. Zhu Tong is the youngest son of Zhu Sheng, the founding hero of the country.)
Ministers, please pay homage to His Royal Highness the Imperial Grandson. Your Highness is a thousand years old!
In the long and empty hall, the echo was particularly strong, even a little harsh.
My dear friends, please be safe! Zhu Yunxi said calmly, I am tired from traveling alone, and you are both physically and mentally exhausted waiting to greet me. These false courtesy will be dispensed with. Someone, please give me a seat for my beloved ladies!
The ministers sat down in the palace. The Ming Dynasty was not as clear-cut as the later Qing Dynasty. When the monarch and his ministers met, they all asked the ministers to sit down and talk, instead of kneeling.
However, among these courtiers, there was an old man with a hunchback who was still kneeling.
The eunuch left behind in Zhongdu, Gou Ren!
Old slave, I'd like to meet His Highness the Emperor's Grandson! Gou Ren's beard and hair are all white, and he lacks strength when speaking.
You should get up too! Zhu Yunxi said with a slight smile.
Gou Ren, the left-behind eunuch, is the chief steward of the imperial city of Zhongdu. Although the status of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty is now low, they are still a prominent figure in Zhongdu. However, in the palace at this time, with his status, it is a blessing for him to stand up and speak. The seat is
I dare not even think about it.
When I came to Zhongdu this time, I first wanted to pay homage to the mausoleum of the emperor, and then to the temple of meritorious officials. Zhu Yunxi looked at everyone, have all the preparations been done?
Zhu Tong, the right minister of the Ministry of Etiquette, bowed and replied, Your Highness, the ministers and others have already been ordered to prepare. All kinds of worship utensils, ceremonial guards and other things are not defective. Everything used is only one-of-a-kind!
Well! Zhu Yunxi responded.
No one is perfect. The old man himself is used to simplicity, and he doesn't like others' extravagance. But when it comes to ancestor worship, he is afraid that it is not prosperous and grand enough.
Where are you? Zhu Yunxi asked Gou Ren again.
Return to His Highness, and prepare all kinds of livestock, silk, cloth, incense, candles, gold paper, etc. needed for worship! After saying that, Gou Ren paused, suppressed the cough in his throat, and continued, Qin Tianjian has also seen it
At the end of the day, all the necessary slaves and maids have been arranged!
Okay! Think about it, Zhu Yunxi, after worshiping the emperor’s mausoleum, when worshiping the heroes in the temple, select the heroes who followed the emperor’s ancestors to join the army. If there are disabled veterans in the city, bring them too, don’t neglect them!
Compared with worshiping the ancestral tombs, Zhu Yunxi paid more attention to worshiping the temples of meritorious officials.
The ancestral mausoleum is the home, and the heroes are the world.
I obey the order! Wu Zhong, the general manager of Huaixi, replied, in recent years, the descendants and families of the meritorious soldiers have been raised in Zhongdu. If His Highness is summoned, they will be seen immediately!
Zhu Yunxi nodded again, looked at Zhu Tong, and suddenly changed the topic, how is the people's livelihood in Zhongdu? In previous years, the court would subsidize Zhongdu's money. This year, the emperor's favor exempted Zhongdu from taxes, and the people's life will be better.
Already?
Your Majesty's grace is so great that the people of Zhongdu are living much better this year than in previous years! Zhu Tong replied.
How good is it? Seeing that his words were not pragmatic, Zhu Yunxi felt quite unhappy. Don't just say nice things. I want to stay in Zhongdu for a while and take a good look at what you said, a good life for the people! At this point
At the office, Zhu Yunxi snorted with an unkind expression. Before he came alone, he heard that the expenses in Zhongdu had increased dramatically year after year!
The ministers in the palace immediately lowered their heads and did not dare to express their anger.
In the final analysis, Zhongdu, which has the same furnishings, has too many people to support and too many powerful people. And Fengyang's foundation is too poor and far inferior to Jiangnan.
In addition, not to mention the land owned by the Xungui family, there are too many imperial estates in Fengyang.
The world is actually ruled by one person, which is why Zhu Yunxi felt a little powerless after entering Zhongdu.
Some things have their roots in the old man. Those are his Achilles heel, he is extremely stubborn!