Chapter 171 The attentive Duke of the country has nothing to do
Among the Jingnan nobles of the Ming Dynasty, the person currently ranked second in the class is naturally Cheng Guogong Zhu Yingzhen. His family is the Cheng Guogong line, the Ming Dynasty Evergreen tree Ding Guogong line, and the British line.
The three families basically monopolize the position of the leader of the Shenjing Dynasty class, which is usually determined according to the order of succession.
Zhu Yingzhen was not very old, but among the three major princes in Shenjing, except for Xu Wenbi, the Duke of Ding, he ascended the title more than a year earlier than the British Duke Zhang Yuangong, so he was ranked first among the military ministers, and his status was undeniable.
(Actually, based on the development of these three major royal families, the most important overall actual status is the British male line, but I will elaborate on this later when necessary.)
However, several of the princes have lost their ancestors' ability to fight. Although they are still nominally the governors of the five prefectures, they are only "commanding the troops" rather than "leading the troops." Especially when Gao pragmatically brought up the imperial guards and the
After the reform that separated the Production and Construction Corps, several princes gratefully handed over military power, retaining only absolute control over the Production and Construction Corps.
Zhu Yingzhen was one of the main talkers in the Production and Construction Corps, and due to the poor health of Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi, Zhu Yingzhen actually became the leading figure in the Production and Construction Corps.
Duke Cheng Guo has a respected status, so he is usually only responsible for giving orders, and there are very few things that require his personal attention. However, there has been one thing that has made Duke Guo very concerned about recently, and that is the renovation of the Yongning Princess Mansion, which was undertaken by the Production and Construction Corps.
project.
To be honest, compared with large-scale projects such as the maintenance of the city defense of the capital, the construction of the Beijing Imperial Guard Camp, the Yongding River defense project, and the maintenance of the imperial tombs of Tianshou Mountain, the renovation of a mere Princess Mansion is really not worth mentioning. Not only is it small in scale, but it also involves
The amount is not large, so it stands to reason that Zhu Yingzhen only needs to explain such a trivial matter once.
However, as one of the three great princes in the capital, a minister of the Holy Emperor and a "blood brother" of Gao Situ, how could Zhu Yingzhen not know some inside information that is not common to outsiders?
Zhu Yingzhen not only took charge of the renovation project of the Princess Mansion this time, he even spent time at the Princess Mansion construction site every day to supervise the construction. His enthusiasm for work was extremely high. Even the civil servants in the outer court couldn't help but be speechless after hearing about it. They thought that Duke Cheng was at least
He is still very concerned about the affairs of the Tian family, and he is worthy of being a pillar of honorable ministers who are hereditary and independent of the country.
Zhu Yingzhen, the mainstay of the honorable ministers, was also at the construction site of the Princess Mansion today, braving the wind and snow to supervise the construction. Speaking of snow, it is really not suitable for construction, especially construction projects, but the emperor's decree came down, let alone snow, even if it is a knife, it should be done.
You have to do it.
Fortunately, the Production and Construction Corps is now becoming more and more professional, and even uses shed construction techniques. Therefore, although the renovation work is definitely not as efficient as Sunny Day, it can still continue.
However, this is also thanks to Jinghua Infrastructure. It is said that people from Jinghua Infrastructure came to the site for an on-site inspection and proposed a new renovation plan. They suggested replacing a large number of wooden materials originally used in the Princess Mansion with stone.
This suggestion is obviously based on the now famous White Jade Tower in the Ming Dynasty. Although the Princess Mansion still needs to adopt the shape of a Chinese-style building, most of the materials can be replaced.
However, just as some criticisms arose after the completion of the White Jade Tower, the Princess Mansion's elimination of a large number of wooden building materials, which goes against the consistent architectural principles of the Han people (referring to the Five Elements Theory that the most livable material is "wood", as explained earlier in this book), also
Let the outside world have some discussion.
However, these arguments seemed unable to sway Princess Yongning. Princess Yongning sent word from Changchun Palace that she also liked the White Jade Tower and that the renovation of the Princess Mansion would be carried out according to Jinghua Infrastructure's plan.
Outsiders don't know how Princess Yongning knew about Baiyulou, or even "liked it" very much. However, Baiyulou is indeed too famous. Everyone thought that Her Royal Highness probably found out about it after reading some picture album, but it didn't arouse any doubts.
Zhu Yingzhen, who turned into a contractor, divided the project into several parts. The most important core area was the princess's bedroom. In this area, he even refused to use people from the production and construction corps. Instead, he transferred a group of servants who were specially raised by his family to repair the garden.
I came here and was specifically responsible for the renovation of the princess's bedroom.
He himself seemed to think that this dormitory was the most important, and he stayed in this area most of the time. But today he did not come alone, and was accompanied by a burly old man.
Not many people know this old man, but there are definitely many people who have heard of his name. His name is Gao Mo, and his public identity is the butler of Gao Jingshi's house. People who are more familiar with Gao Jingshi know that,
Gao Mo is also the controller of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Beijing and the first person in charge of Black Top.
"I said to the senior manager, this lock shouldn't be the same as the Baiyulou treasure house, right? If it is opened incorrectly after it is installed, will there be poisonous smoke, hidden arrows and other mechanisms coming out?" Zhu Yingzhen looked at Gao Mo and brought
The man couldn't help but ask when he was installing the door lock for the secret passage in the dormitory.
Gao Mo smiled and said: "That's not true. This lock was made by seven skilled craftsmen according to the master's idea. The master called it a 'mechanical code lock'."
He pointed to the cipher disk arranged in a nine-square grid and said: "The characters above are called Arabic numerals. There are nine cipher boxes in total. Each cipher box can be flipped, and there are numbers from 0 to 9 on it."
ten numbers.
Before this lock is activated, the master has set the password in advance. Only by adjusting the passwords of these nine holes to the correct numbers can the lock hole be exposed and opened with the key."
"So that's it, this is a good thing." Zhu Yingzhen seemed a little moved and asked: "This lock... is Jinghua willing to sell it?"
Gao Mo shook his head slightly and said: "This item cannot be mass-produced. Each set must be made by hand, which is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive. It seems that the master has no intention of selling it outside."
Zhu Yingzhen was greatly disappointed: "This is such a pity. I still want to buy a few sets for use."
Gao Mo smiled when he heard this and said: "Although we are not selling it to outsiders, the relationship between the Duke of the country and my master is such that we should not treat him in a normal way. Otherwise, I will talk to my master later when I go back.
Let’s see if we can make a set specially for the Duke.”
"Oh, why are you so embarrassed..." Zhu Yingzhen had a look on his face, but he said very naturally: "How much money does this set cost?"
"Since it's not for sale, how can it have a price?" Gao Mo said with a smile: "I'm afraid even the master can't answer this question."
Zhu Yingzhen understood and said pointedly: "Good lock, good lock. I want to know that the person who has this lock must also have such a good lock on his mouth."
"My lord, you are very insightful." Gao Mo smiled and nodded.
Zhu Yingzhen smiled reservedly, thought for a moment, and then said: "By the way, there is something I have been hesitant about for the past few days. I don't know whether to ask or not..."
"Oh?" Gao Mo's face was calm, but he always maintained a friendly smile: "The Duke of Guo and my father have been good friends for many years, and they are as close as brothers. It's okay to talk about anything you want."
Zhu Yingzhen said: "I heard that the emperor gave the woman donated by Ye Hebu to Qiu Zhen, but Qiu Zhen seems to have not figured out how to arrange it yet."
Gao Mo said with a smile: "My master said that although the emperor's kindness is great, this matter is related to the affairs of Liaodong. Although he is no longer the governor of Liao, he just proposed to support Ye He as my border not long ago. In response to Chaha
Your Liaobei barrier. If we accept him into the mansion immediately at this time, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate."
Zhu Yingzhen nodded repeatedly: "Seeking truth has always been prudent, and I naturally know this. In fact, since it was given by the emperor, these are not problems. Of course, it is not bad for him to be more cautious... I still have a few people in the capital.
I live in a house, and if I don't mind seeking truth, it would be convenient to place that Gege in my house."
Gao Mo didn't know Zhu Yingzhen's purpose for intervening in this matter for a while. Although Gao Pragmatic didn't like other wealthy people who like to buy mansions in the capital, but with the financial resources of Beijing, even if he bought one temporarily, it would be nothing more.
It was a matter of just one sentence. Of course Zhu Yingzhen understood it, so it seemed very strange for him to rush over to see the house off like this.
"I would like to thank the Duke for his kindness on behalf of my father." Gao Mo smiled slightly and said: "But the Duke also knows that such a big matter is not something I can decide. I still have to go back and ask the master for instructions, and wait for the master's punishment...
…I wonder if the Duke of Guo has anything else to convey?”
Zhu Yingzhen smiled and said: "Yes, there is, but it's not as complicated as you think. Qiuzhen was only the number one scholar in the Shangshu Mansion in Jinggongfang, Zhaohui Province. The regulations were low and the area was small. It was not in line with his current situation.
identity."
He paused briefly and continued: "A few days ago, a man from Jiangnan happened to sell me a mansion in Jinggongfang, Zhaohui, at a discount because of business losses. When I asked later, I found out that
The mansion is located to the north of Qiuzhen Shangshu Mansion, with only one other house in between.
I thought about it at that time, sent people to contact me, and finally persuaded the middle family to buy their mansion, so the two mansions north of Shangshu Mansion now became my family's property.
I originally bought these two mansions as gifts to Qiu Zhen, and now the opportunity is just right. After he takes them, he can expand the Shangshu Mansion and merge it into one, so that the dignified Shangshu Mansion will not be so cramped and degrading.
.”
Gao Mo thought to himself: So that's what happened. Judging from the time, Duke Cheng Guo had no other purpose. It was just a coincidence this time.
But having said that, so what if the Shangshu Mansion is small? Why is it so "out of character"? When Wen Zhenggong was the chief minister of the dynasty, the residence he lived in was less than one-third the size of the current Master's Mansion. According to you,
I'm afraid it's not just unseemly, but totally unbecoming?
Wanting to think about it, Gao Mo thanked Zhu Yingzhen again and again for his kindness and said that he would tell the master as soon as possible after returning. Zhu Yingzhen nodded with a smile. The two talked about the renovation of Princess Yongning's dormitory, and Gao Mo stood up to leave.
Zhu Yingzhen made a gesture and wanted to send him off, but Gao Moliandao didn't dare to accept it, so he left after making some humble remarks.
When Gao Mo returned to Shangshu Gaofu, he told Gao Jingshi the matter when he came back. Gao Jingshi was slightly surprised, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Is there anything unusual in the Sea Trade Alliance recently?"
Gao Mo knew that Gao Jingshi's question must be in response to Zhu Yingzhen's gift. After thinking for a while, he said: "Back to the master, I heard that a fierce war is going on in Japan, or it has reached a critical moment. The sea trade alliance is working with Japan's most powerful
The possibly victorious Toyotomi clan contacted them and tried to obtain a series of trade privileges... I wonder if Duke Chengkuni had any ideas about this."
When Gao Mo said this, Gao Jingshi suddenly remembered that this year is the fifteenth year of Wanli, which is 1587 AD, which is the fifteenth year of Tensho in Japan. And in this year, Toyotomi Hideyoshi began the "Kyushu Expedition".
The Kyushu Expedition, also known as the Battle of Kyushu, was a battle in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi led the great names in Japan to conquer the Shimazu clan in Kyushu. If history does not change significantly, it will be the victory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the surrender of Shimazu Yoshihisa.
and ended.
The premise for the outbreak of this war was that the army of Kyushu Daimyo Otomo Sorin was retreating steadily due to the rise of the Shimazu clan, and he had to ask for help from Kinai overlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At that time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had conquered Shikoku, summoned Kuroda Takataka to ask for countermeasures.
Takataka thought this was a good opportunity to pacify Kyushu, so Hideyoshi ordered preparations for war and wrote back asking Otomo Sorin to continue to hold on and wait for reinforcements.
In addition, after the Battle of Imayama, the power of Ryuzoji Temple was greatly reduced. At this time, only the three cities of Hizen were left. Faced with Shimazu's aggressive power, Nabeshima Naoshige had no choice but to beg for an armistice.
However, Shimazu Yoshihiro refused and still ordered the attack on Ryuzoji Temple. Shimazu Iehisa captured Shimozunoe and Seifukuji Castle. The demise of Ryuzoji Temple was approaching, so Nabeshima Naoshige requested Ryuzoji Temple to become Shimazu's vassal.
, finally surrendered to the Shimazu family and was spared death.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As the saying goes, when the lips are dead, the teeth are cold, so within ten days, Arima Harunobu, who assisted Ryuzuoji Temple, was also killed by the Shimadzu family. Arima Harunobu surrendered to Shimadzu.
As a result, the Shimazu family has only the Otomo family to rival them in Kyushu, and judging from the situation, the demise of the Otomo family is only a matter of time.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi felt that the Shimazu clan was too rampant and had an obvious upward trend. If there were no restrictions, it would inevitably affect the Toyotomi clan's rule, so he sent a letter of negotiation to the Shimazu clan, ordering the two forces in Kyushu to stop the war and obey the leadership of the Toyotomi regime.
.
However, Shimazu Yoshihisa rejected Toyotomi Hideyoshi's proposal and attacked Chikuzen, causing Toyotomi Hideyoshi to send troops to Kyushu in the name of "rescuing allies" (Otomo family).
There is no need to elaborate on the process of this battle, but it is said that after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's victory, rewards were given based on merit, and the Toyotomi family and his subordinates re-divided Kyushu Island.
Otomo Yoshitsune and Ryuzouji Masaikata each held their respective Bungo and Hizen vassals unchanged, and local wealthy families such as the Ma clan, Omura clan, Matsuura clan, and Sagara clan maintained their original territories. The Ito clan restored some of their territories.
In the territory of the Hyuga Domain, Toyotomi Hideyoshi also found Sasana Narimasa who was idle at home and asked him to lead the Higo Domain, and the Sasa clan was revived.
Kuroda Takataka, who played the most important role in the Kyushu expedition, was also granted the title of Bunzen Domain and officially became a daimyo. Kobayakawa Takakage also received the Chikuzen Domain due to his meritorious service in sending troops, and his adopted son Kobayakawa Hidehiro was allocated the Chikugo Kingdom.
But the strange thing is that the Yoshikawa clan, who is also one of the "Two Rivers" of the Mori clan, seems to have gained nothing. In the summer, Yoshikawa Motocho died of illness in Hyuga Country, and his younger brother Yoshikawa Hiroie succeeded him as the family governor.
In addition, there is an even stranger situation: the "chief culprit" of the Kyushu Conquest, the Shimazu clan, did not receive much punishment. Apart from being deprived of part of the territory of the Hyuga Domain, the Shimazu clan basically had no other punishment.
The country still maintains the rule of Satsuma and Osumi.
The most important "foreign trade" business of the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance is Japanese trade. Big changes in Japan will of course have an impact on the Maritime Trade Alliance. Gao Mo suspects that Zhu Yingzhen's idle courtesy is related to the domestic situation in Japan. It is completely understandable.
.
After listening to this, Gao Pragmatic couldn't help thinking, and even some reflection: Although it is indeed difficult for him to allocate the strength and energy to directly intervene in Japan's domestic situation, if he uses the sea trade alliance, can he do something?
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