Zhu Cihong reorganized the garrison in Xuanda and formed an alliance with the Tumote tribe. The fleet heading south has also arrived on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
The fleet went down the canal and passed Xuzhou. Officials from the prefectures and counties along the way came to pay their respects, and Zhang Yan also met them one by one on the boat.
It was not until mid-October that we arrived at Jiangpu County on the north coast of Nanjing. Because the fleet reached Tianchang, we switched to the land route.
At this time, the news that Empress Dowager Yi'an and the imperial concubine came to the south of the Yangtze River to worship their ancestors and clean their tombs had already spread throughout southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and even Huguang.
Originally, the officials and gentlemen in Jiangnan were divided into three factions, and they were quarreling over who should be elected emperor.
From April to May, the quarrel continued until August and September, and it was still unclear whether to choose King Fu or King Lu.
Neither side gave in at all.
Originally, according to history, King Fu finally ascended the throne, and the eunuch party headed by Ma Shiying gained the upper hand.
But now there are four towns in Jiangbei missing, and Zuo Liangyu of Huguang supports the Donglin Party members. Therefore, the Donglin officials headed by Qian Qianyi and Gao Hongtu, or former officials, do not agree to Prince Fu's ascension to the throne and want to support him.
King Li Lu ascended the throne.
The last faction, mainly Shi Kefa and a small number of officials and scholars, proposed to send envoys to Beijing first to confirm the specific situation before making a decision.
Therefore, it was inevitable that they were jointly suppressed by the two factions, which led to several waves of scholars and officials sent northward. In the end, an accident occurred before they even left southern Zhili. Either the boat capsized or it encountered water.
bandit.
In the past few months, both sides have been continuously recruiting various forces to join their own camp.
If Ma Shiying hadn't brought Prince Fu to Nanjing in person to win over Wei Guogong and other nobles, he would have been defeated long ago.
Similarly, if King Lu hadn't been reluctant to come to Nanjing and Zuo Liangyu hadn't been willing to lead his troops south, the Donglin Party would have been there long ago.
Just when King Fu and his family were preparing to use force to take the throne by wooing the Duke of Wei and other dignitaries, and having some troops, the news of the Battle of Tongzhou came in time.
Immediately, everyone from both groups was frightened, especially Prince Fu, who had already moved into the Nanjing Palace. It was said that he moved out overnight.
Duke Guo of Wei and other dignitaries also stopped their activities and thanked guests behind closed doors. At the same time, King Lu, who had sneaked halfway, immediately turned around and returned to Pandi.
If the imperial court defeated Li Zicheng and the gentry and literati in Jiangnan still had confidence, then after Jiannu was defeated, almost no one dared to mention the establishment of a new king.
At this time, it is no longer important whether Zhu Cixiang actually killed his king and his father to seize the throne. What is important is that as long as Zhu Cixiang insists that he has not done it, then he definitely has not done it.
So everyone was waiting for Zhu Cihong to send the imperial envoy south to clarify the rumors, pardon everyone, and then everyone would be well. Who would have thought that the imperial envoy would not come, which made everyone panic again.
Especially when it was reported that the imperial concubine Hong Niang was heading south with an army of 20,000 people, everyone was really frightened. Fortunately, there was also the Queen Mother Yi'an, so everyone felt relieved.
So when the red lady and Zhang Yan arrived in Jiangpu, countless officials, scholars and nobles rushed to the north bank to pick them up by boat.
I was afraid that if I arrived late, I would be treated as a traitor.
If you want to say who the person is most afraid of, it must be King Fu.
But even if Prince Fu wanted to make a desperate move, no one would care about him anymore. Even Ma Shiying ruthlessly abandoned him.
Obviously everyone is not stupid and understands that no matter who the emperor pardons, he will not pardon Prince Fu.
At this moment, the wilderness outside the city on the north bank was filled with a sea of people, at least more than 100,000 people.
Except for a few officials and nobles, almost all the others were merchants, common people and gentry who came to see the excitement. Whether by land or on the river, there was still a steady stream of people coming towards Jiangpu.
Almost everyone wanted to see the grace of the imperial concubine who turned the tide and defeated Jian Nu.
I also want to see how beautiful Queen Yi'an is.
"My brother has met the emperor's sister-in-law and the imperial concubine."
"I will pay my respects to the Empress Dowager Yi'an and the Imperial Concubine!"
A group of high-ranking officials and highly prestigious officials, led by Prince Fu, kowtowed to Zhang Yan and the Red Lady on the high platform.
Countless scholars behind him, as well as the common people who came to join in the fun, and even some brothel girls who came on flower boats, also followed and saluted here.
"Get back on your feet!" Zhang Yanxu raised her hand.
"Thank you, Queen Mother, thank you, the noble concubine!"
Everyone hurriedly thanked him and then stood up one after another, keeping their postures very low.
Obviously, Red Lady's 20,000 troops are still very intimidating.
"The Ai family and the noble concubine are sent by His Majesty and the Supreme Emperor to come to Nanjing to worship their ancestors..."
Zhang Yan began to speak slowly. From the beginning to the end, she only talked about ancestor worship and how Zhu Cixi defeated the intruders and established slaves. She did not mention the rumors or the establishment of a new king in Jiangnan.
"Your Majesty is truly a sage from the ages. With such a wise king in our Ming Dynasty, China's revival is not far away!"
Qian Qianyi said first with excitement and emotion on his face.
Qian Qianyi danced the most happily at first, but now he couldn't wait to praise the new king. Although everyone despised him in their hearts, they nodded in agreement and praised him again and again.
Only King Fu bravely asked Zhang Yan: "Sister-in-law, I heard that the Supreme Emperor was unwell at the time, so he passed the throne to Your Majesty in critical situation. I wonder if the Supreme Emperor is still well now?"
Everyone also looked at Zhang Yan.
"It's rare that King Fu still cares about the Supreme Emperor. Please rest assured. The Supreme Emperor is in good health. When he came, he personally gave many instructions to the Ai family. His Majesty and the Supreme Emperor also heard that there were rumors circulating in Jiangnan a while ago, which misled many wise people in Jiangnan. This rumor
It all started because of Chen Yan. Now that Chen Yan has been brought to justice, this matter has been revealed and no one is allowed to mention it again from now on."
Zhang Yan nodded and said.
After everyone heard this, the stone in their hearts finally fell. The emperor would definitely not issue an imperial edict to pardon such a disgraceful thing. Otherwise, how would the history books record it?
Soon, more than 100,000 people around him knew that the Emperor was still alive, and the Queen Mother had confirmed it herself.
All of this was due to Chen Yan's desire to betray his employer for glory and join the gangsters, so he deliberately spread rumors in order to discredit His Majesty.
At this moment, almost all the literati were condemning Chen Yan, and even ordinary people were yelling curses.
Here, the boat of Red Lady and Zhang Yan finally headed to Nanjing Pier surrounded by many ships.
Looking at the broad Yangtze River, Red Lady and Zhang Yan both came to the deck. Looking at the densely packed ships on the river, both of them couldn't help but feel moved.
It was obviously the first time for the two of them to see such a wide river, and it was also the first time to see so many luxurious and luxurious boats.
It’s simply a dazzling array of things to see and be dazzled by.