Chapter 19: Snow on the Lakeside Pavilion (Part 3)
Under the emperor's orders, Zhu Yijing was not only responsible for suppressing the rebellion in Shaanxi, but also used imperial edicts on behalf of the emperor to deal with local pests. Shaanxi, which had been in turmoil due to the peasant uprising, gradually returned to peace.
Some of the leaders of the rebel army were captured alive by Zhu Yijing and executed after their identities were verified. The other part took advantage of the chaos to escape. Zhu Yijing had to focus on the overall situation and had no time to chase them personally, so he could only leave it to his subordinates. It was unknown when there would be a result.
As for the workers who broke into the prefect's residence and caused trouble, the leader admitted after interrogation that he had private contacts with the rebellious bandits. They were all executed, and the rest were exiled.
The emperor specially rewarded Zhu Yijing with 100 taels of platinum, a sword, and 100 pieces of silk, and appointed him to go to Gansu and Xinjiang to investigate the situation. After all, Shaanxi isolated these two places. If someone took this opportunity to rebel on the border, it would not be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty, which was already in turmoil.
At this point, Zhu Yijing, who was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of Rites because the emperor came to power, finally made it and became a person valued by the emperor.
And this small leap took her a full ten years.
Zhu Changtian and Zhu Changzhou, brother and sister, received the emperor's reward on behalf of their mother. When they returned home and closed the door, they had other thoughts.
The brother and sister had been in Beijing for two years and were mostly taken care of by Zhao Yucheng, so they had also come into contact with the children of some high-ranking officials in Beijing. When they heard them talk about how they enjoyed their daily lives, and compared it with what they had seen and heard in Jiangxi and along the way, they understood more clearly why more and more people were in conflict with the court.
Especially the young Zhu Changzhou, when he saw the luxury of the capital, thought of the children of workers they knew when they were in Jiangxi, and the refugees they had seen along the way, he felt even more uncomfortable.
Now that the emperor's rewards had arrived at home, and seeing his brother offering them in the ancestral hall, Zhu Changzhou couldn't help but say, "Actually, those people just wanted to stay alive. Mother knew that very well. Why didn't you treat them leniently..."
Back in Jiangxi, there were also workers rioting, but my mother at that time had clearly made matters smaller, seeking only to appease the conflict between officials and the people. But now, my mother had taken the initiative to kill so many people who were just trying to survive...
Zhu Changtian wiped the incense table and said helplessly, "Once you become an official of the court, you belong to the court. You can no longer act according to your own will. You must work together with Your Majesty. In Your Majesty's view, no matter how hard their lives are, it is not a reason for them to rebel."
Mother Song, standing by, looked worried and said, "Brothers and sisters, this is in our own home, let's talk behind closed doors. We must not let anyone outside know about these thoughts..."
"Don't worry, mom. We know what's going on."
Zhu Changzhou said a little aggrievedly, "Brother, why do I feel that after coming to Beijing, I am not as comfortable as I was in Jiangxi..."
Zhu Changtian put the things in order, then turned around and walked to his sister, comforting her: "This is because you have seen more people and things. You have grown up, Zhouzhou."
Zhu Changzhou lowered his head and said somewhat disappointedly, "So this is what growing up is like. It would be better if I didn't grow up..."
Seeing his sister like this, Zhu Changtian thought for a moment and said, "How about we take a train in a few days? You can take a two-week leave from school, and we can take Mother Song with us to Shunde by train."
Zhu Changzhou exclaimed, "Really?"
Zhu Changtian took out the train ticket and the document for entering and leaving Northern Zhili from his sleeve and waved them in front of his sister. Zhu Changzhou hurriedly snatched the ticket and took a closer look. Sure enough, he saw the red seal of the "Transportation Bureau" on it. It was even raised when touched, so it was indeed the real thing.
"Where did you buy it, brother?"
Zhu Changtian was a little proud and said, "I asked a classmate at the academy to buy it for me. It lasts a long time, and we can enjoy the scenery along the way."
Mother Song hurriedly said, "There are inevitable disturbances everywhere these days. Only the capital is relatively stable. Shunde is still a bit far, not to mention the high cost of the train ticket. It's better not to go..."
Zhu Changtian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Mom. The tickets are not expensive. Although this train is now open to ordinary people, it still carries goods, and the carriages are not very clean, so three tickets won't cost much. Besides, this train and railway are government assets, and there are troops guarding the entire route. It's very safe and nothing will happen."
Before Mother Song could say anything else, Zhu Changzhou had already taken her arm and was swinging back and forth, saying coquettishly, "Mom, I want to learn how to draw these railway trains later. Mom, please come with us."
After hearing what Zhu Changzhou said, Mother Song no longer objected and said helplessly, "My wife is still hoping that my brothers and sisters can serve as officials in the court..."
Zhu Changzhou didn't want to talk about it anymore, fearing that he would think about those things again, so he said, "Mom, being an official isn't the only way to have a bright future. I've heard that Pengzhou also has trains and railways. If I learn how to use them, I'll take you to Pengzhou. I heard it's a lot of fun there, and the seasons are the opposite of ours!"
Mother Song couldn't help but sigh, "As long as my brothers and sisters are successful and filial to me, my life will be complete."
On the day of departure, the three of them got on the bus together. Zhu Changzhou found everything new and couldn't help but walk around and look outside, with a curious look on his face.
Although it was Zhu Changtian's first time riding in a car, seeing his sister like this, he felt that as an older brother he should be more calm, so he just said, "Zhou Zhou, the car is about to leave, be careful not to fall."
"Let's go..." Zhu Changzhou sat back in his seat and said, "When we got on the train just now, I saw the front of the train from a distance. They were loading coal onto it!"
Mother Song exclaimed, "This...couldn't there be a fire? I heard from the neighbors that there was an explosion in Wanggongchang a few years ago..."
"Don't be afraid. This is a locomotive head made by the Academy of Sciences. It's more durable than ordinary steel and won't catch fire easily."
There were not many passengers on the train. When these words were spoken, the three of them could not help but look at the person who spoke. She was a young woman, about twenty years old, with pretty features and a thin figure. She was dressed in simple and capable clothes like the Zhu brothers and sisters. She also had a frown on her face, which made her look more elegant. She only added a cloak on the outside.
The brass-colored cloak looked like satin from abroad, with a very novel pattern, and it was obvious at first glance that it was very valuable.
There were a few people sitting next to her, dressed simply and roughly, looking like her servants.
The brother and sister looked at each other, but Zhu Changtian was the first to speak: "Your Excellency is more knowledgeable."
In the past two years, Zhu Changtian has gained a lot of knowledge in the capital. He knows that the fabric this woman is wearing is very rare. Only the Lu family in Gansu and the Wang family in Shanxi can buy this kind of foreign satin from the north, and many of them are presented to the court. This woman's identity is probably either a high-ranking official or a member of the royal family.
The woman just smiled when she heard that.
Zhu Changzhou felt that the other party was somewhat friendly and asked, "We are going to Shunde, is this lady going there too?"
"Zhou Zhou..."
"Exactly. I was going to Shunde to visit my relatives. I heard you can go there by train, so I tried to take it."
This route was built under the supervision of the then Xingde Emperor Zhu Yiming. Considering that this place was once the fief of Emperor Xianmiao, Shunde was chosen as the destination when the first civil railway was built. Unfortunately, this female emperor, who had lost her children many times, died during her fourth childbirth. The construction of the civil railway was delayed until 20 years ago. It was not opened to traffic until Emperor Xianmiao ascended the throne, and it has been open to passengers for only two or three years.
Although it is a civilian train, it is not affordable for ordinary people. In addition, the destination of this train, Shunde, is not very prosperous, and there are not many people coming and going. This train also has to transport coal, iron ore, etc., and the environment is inevitably a bit poor. Therefore, rich people are not willing to ride it, and poor people cannot afford it. Over the years, it has always been mainly used to transport goods.
Seeing Zhu Changtian was a little nervous, the woman said softly, "My last name is Li, and my given name is Renpu. You can just call me Madam Li. I wonder what you are doing in Shunde?"
Zhu Changzhou was a little embarrassed. "Actually, we're here to take the train. I'm young and have never taken a train before, so I wanted to give it a try..."
"I see."
Zhu Changtian's mind turned, and he asked, "Madam Li, do you have any relatives in Shunde?"
Madam Li nodded slightly and said, "Yes, there is a distant relative."
"I wonder if there are any fun places in Shunde. Madam Li, please give me some pointers."
Madam Li was quite interested in this. She first mentioned a few place names before saying, "The most famous one is the shrine built for Xianmiao. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory once observed Taibai appearing in the daytime in Zhao, and that location was precisely Shunde. Therefore, after Emperor Xianmiao ascended the throne, taxes in Shunde were reduced. With Yunnan having built a shrine before, Shunde also built one. Someone copied the statue and painted a scroll, which many people bought and worshipped. I don't know if it's efficacious, but it's worth going and paying homage to."
Zhu Changtian felt relieved when he heard that she was quite familiar with the local affairs in Shunde. He only guessed that she might be a relative of a high-ranking official in Beijing.
It took two days to arrive in Shunde. Despite this, the speed was far faster than that of a horse-drawn carriage. In addition, the train also provided meals and accommodation along the way, so it was comfortable and fast.
The few of them had become familiar with each other during the two-day journey. Zhu Changzhou was still reluctant to leave when they parted, and Madam Li only said that if they had the chance to meet again, she would definitely treat them well. Then they left.
"Fortunately, the people on the bus this time are the elderly, the weak, women and children. Otherwise, if my wife were in danger..."
Madam Li glanced at the people around her and said, "If I book all the carriages as you suggest, how can I learn from the common people about their current lives? I've been an 'ignorant and impish child' for twenty-two years. Now that I'm in power, do you still want me to continue to play dumb?"
Upon hearing this, the attendants repeatedly said, "Your Highnesses and I dare not..."
Zhu Cizhao's face was no longer as gentle as when she was chatting with the Zhu brothers and sisters. She stepped forward and said, "Let's go."
Li was the surname of Zhu Cizhao's biological mother. This woman, born into the imperial family, died shortly after giving birth. From then on, Zhu Cizhao grew up under the care of his legal mother, Empress Dowager Zhao. Her two or three younger brothers and sisters died one after another, leaving her alone. When Zhu Cizhao was fifteen, her father passed away. As the eldest daughter, Zhu Cizhao inherited the throne, but Empress Dowager Zhao deprived her of power on the grounds that she was "still young and childless."
It was not until the seventh year of Zhengshou that Zhu Ci Zhao joined forces with the palace ladies to strangle Queen Dowager Zhao to death after dark, and only then did he become a true emperor.
At the moment he strangled his stepmother who raised him, Zhu Ci Zhao felt relieved. The mountain that had been hanging over his head for years had finally gone away, but what followed was complete exhaustion.
She thought that regaining imperial power was the emperor's success, but when she faced the court in person, Zhu Ci Zhao realized that all this was just the beginning.
This country has long been riddled with holes, but where are the people who can truly repair the situation?
Zhu Ci Zhao knew very well that this person would not be herself, but as an emperor, facing the ancestral temple, the country, and the ancestors, all she could do was face the truth.
She tried her best to promote those she thought were talented and used every means she could think of to suppress the unrest, no matter how bloody and brutal the means were, just to maintain the existence of the country.
The maid beside her whispered, "Even if you wanted to understand the people's sentiments, why did you travel all the way to Shunde? It would be better for you to have a son with the prince as soon as possible to appease the people. Otherwise, I'm afraid those censors will use the precedent of the lineage changes in the past to deliberately anger the emperor."
"Does anyone know if there's a paperhanger in the capital who's skilled in the art of varnishing?" Zhu Cizhao sneered, "As for offspring... Emperor Xianmiao didn't have any offspring, but he still became emperor, didn't he?"
Although Xianzong had no biological children, who would dare not acknowledge her as the emperor? Not to mention that most of the royal descendants today call her ancestor, and the censors only dare to bring up Zhu Cizhao's great-grandmother, who had a difficult childbirth.
Moreover, even if she did have children, how long could she protect them and bring them peace and tranquility? It would be better for her to be free from worries like the Emperor Xianmiao.
Maybe it really is destiny.
"saint……"
Zhu Ci Zhao collected his thoughts and said, "Let's go, let's go worship our ancestors first."
"yes."
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