Chapter 10: Hu Zhong Tian Man (End)
After Emperor Xianmiao died, the former crown prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne and ordered that the reign be changed to Chenghua next year, but the most important thing was the funeral ceremony of the late emperor.
Everyone knew that Zhu Jianshen was not the biological heir of the previous emperor, and Zhu Jianshen himself was very clear about his identity, so it was inevitable that some people had some concerns.
It's just that Zhu Yuhuan had trampled too heavily on Zhu Qizhen's status and directly abolished Zhu Qizhen's position as emperor. In addition, in addition to sending people to worship the tomb every year, Zhu Yuhuan would also send people to worship the soldiers who died in the defeat of Tumu during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He was almost reminding everyone to never forget how many people had lost their lives because of Zhu Qizhen's military mistakes.
Besides, Song Cuilian is still the Prime Minister. She once followed the emperor, served as an examiner in the Autumn Examination, and presided over the repair of the Yellow River channel with Xu Yun. She is an absolute loyalist to the late emperor. She has quite a few disciples, not to mention that the current cabinet is composed of people left by the late emperor. Although some people have ideas, they dare not step forward rashly.
The difficulty of overturning the verdict is one thing, but the most important thing is that the emperor did not reveal any of his thoughts.
After all, the genealogy of the Ming Dynasty royal family has been completely changed, and the reputation of the emperor's biological father, whom he has no memory of, is extremely bad. Even if someone wants to take advantage of the situation and instigate trouble, the current emperor is not so desperate.
Moreover, the emperor personally wrote the eulogy, and Prince Hui Zhu Shuyuan even specially requested permission and traveled thousands of miles from Huizhou back to Beijing to participate in the funeral ceremony, which implicitly showed the emperor's attitude that he only recognized Zhu Yuhuan as his mother.
Over the years, Zhu Yuhuan never hid anything from him and often allowed him to get in touch with court affairs and officials, helping him establish his prestige both inside and outside the country.
For Zhu Jianshen, if Zhou Yingying is his biological mother, then Zhu Yuhuan is the mother who gave Zhu Jianshen everything else.
Zhu Jianshen and his sister followed Zhu Yuhuan when they were young and received Zhu Yuhuan's careful teaching. His personality, his vision, his thoughts, his responsibility, his glory... almost all of this came from Zhu Yuhuan.
Although there was indeed pressure from his status, Zhu Jianshen was very clear that this pressure was not brought by his mother, but by the throne.
If it were his father, his situation would probably be even worse than it is now. Even if the old practice of the Tang Dynasty emperor killing his son cannot be repeated, the pressure on the crown prince will be even greater if the emperor is willing.
Whether as a son or as a successor, Zhu Jianshen hoped that his mother would be praised both during her lifetime and after her death.
Therefore, he wrote the eulogy himself and ordered the Hanlin Academy to write one together, which was engraved on the stele and placed in the stele pavilion.
Zhu Youhuan, who was named the crown prince, went to Shaoling in person to supervise so that Xianzong's coffin could be buried smoothly.
Therefore, the undercurrent was only for a period of time, and the court returned to its usual tranquility. The following year, the reign was officially changed to Chenghua.
Zhu Jianshen was busy continuing to implement the policies of the previous emperor before his death, while Wan Zhen'er, who had now become the queen, was in charge of various sacrifices and managing the palace.
She was already in poor spirits, and after such a series of events, she fell ill shortly after the funeral. Now that she had been promoted to Empress Dowager, Zhou Yingying had no choice but to take over the palace affairs again.
Zhu Youhuan knew that his grandmother had many complaints, so he could only urge her husband to help more and visit her often.
After all, the Empress Dowager had been in the harem for a long time, and she was still quite uncomfortable getting along with Zhao Jiazhi, a "foreign man", not to mention handling palace affairs together. Zhu Youhuan could only find time to accompany her.
"Alas, if the late emperor were still alive, I wouldn't have to take care of all this..." Empress Dowager Zhou handed the palace affairs booklet to Zhao Jiazhi and said, "Has your mother not consulted the imperial physician all this time? She doesn't even know how to take care of her own body, so how can she expect an old man like me to take care of it every day?"
Zhao Jiazhi agreed repeatedly, but said, "It's all because of my lack of skills that I can't help the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother."
Empress Dowager Zhou rolled her eyes at him and said, "You know you're not very good at what you learn, but why don't you hurry up and learn? I think the late emperor's only fault was being too lenient with youngsters like you. You've been living such an easy life, not striving for progress. You should learn more, and don't let the crown prince have to worry about the affairs of the harem like the emperor does."
Zhao Jiazhi didn't dare to respond, but only promised that he would study hard and tell Zhu Youhuan about this after returning.
Zhu Youhuan knew that his grandmother was not very satisfied with his mother, so she would inevitably say a few more words.
Although she had suffered several hardships in her life, she had never suffered any loss, not to mention that she had followed Zhu Yuhuan in charge of the harem for more than 40 years. Except for Zhu Yuhuan, no one dared to look at her with disdain. Therefore, except for the deceased Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Yuhuan, Empress Dowager Zhou really had no one to fear.
As for Zhu Jianshen, due to filial piety, he could not say much and could only try his best to reconcile the relationship between Empress Dowager Zhou and the Queen.
"Dad is caught in the middle of this and it's hard for him to say anything. Please help me take care of it during this period. When I have some free time later, I will go talk to Grandma."
"yes."
While they were talking, their daughter Zhu Houshuo came in with her homework. She greeted her parents first, then said, "Mom, Dad, I've finished my homework for today."
Zhu Youhuan took the homework from her and said, "Go and have a good rest."
Zhu Houshuo responded and was about to walk out, but turned back and said, "Mom, will I never see my great-grandmother again?"
She was too young and did not attend the entire funeral, so she naturally did not understand that her great-grandmother, who had loved her so much, was no longer alive.
Zhu Youhuan was slightly stunned when he heard this, but he finally said, "As long as you still have your great-grandmother in your heart, she is still here."
Zhu Houshuo nodded somewhat confusedly, then left with the nanny.
Zhu Youhuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart, with a vague sense of foreboding in his heart.
When Zhu Yuhuan was still alive, everything could be suppressed, but now that she is gone, the lice under her robe seem to have jumped out overnight. Although it does not affect the overall situation, it is always a bit annoying.
As if to confirm Zhu Youhuan's thoughts, the queen did not regain her usual spirit after recovering from her illness.
Zhu Jianshen noticed that his wife was in poor spirits, so he often took time to accompany her. He also summoned doctors from the Imperial Hospital to come for consultation. If Xu Wangzhi had not retired to her hometown after the funeral, Zhu Jianshen would probably have invited her back as well.
The imperial physician only diagnosed that the queen was weak and short of breath, so he prescribed some medicine to replenish qi and blood. He also advised the queen not to think too much and to take care of her health.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Jianshen handed over the affairs of the harem to Zhao Jiazhi so that the queen could concentrate on cultivating herself.
After hearing the diagnosis, Zhu Youhuan felt that his mother seemed to have some mental illness, but he was afraid that his guess was wrong, so he took the time to take his sister to visit his mother.
The queen smiled a little more when she saw her two daughters. She said, "Why do you two have time to come and see me when you are not busy with government affairs or studies?"
Zhu Youhang said coquettishly, "What's the big deal about studying? Accompanying mother is the most important thing! My second brother heard that the Huang family recently went to Liaodong for business, so he took his sister-in-law and secretly followed them. He said he wanted to personally bring back some good ginseng for mother to nourish her body."
The Queen shook her head helplessly and said, "They're acting recklessly again. How dare the Huang family take the royal heir out of the capital at will, and go to a place as far away as Liaodong... Why doesn't your father do anything about it..."
Zhu Youhuan patted his mother's hand and said comfortingly, "When grandma was still alive, Kai'er had already started a family and established a career. He is already an adult. Don't worry, mother."
"With his personality, he won't be able to settle down even if he becomes a father in the future."
"It's okay, my sister-in-law is holding him back." Zhu Youhang said with a smile, "Grandmother saw that my second brother was restless, so she asked my sister-in-law to hold him back, to prevent him from turning into a monkey and running away."
The queen was amused by her words and said, "Your sister-in-law is the only one who doesn't despise him. He should be content."
In recent years, there are more and more female officials and female workers, and marrying into the royal family is no longer as popular as it used to be. Zhu Youkai's princess Pei Huaimiao is the daughter of the Shangguan family who was originally conferred by Zhu Yuhuan. In the past, such an identity would definitely not allow her to become a princess.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuhuan himself did not care. Seeing that Zhu Youkai insisted and Pei Huaimiao was a child he knew well, he decided to arrange the marriage between the two.
Pei Huai Miao followed his parents on business trips when he was a child, and he did not change his ways even after getting married. Therefore, the couple traveled around all day and rarely stayed in Beijing.
Zhu Youhang said with a smile: "Daddy has already allowed me to go to my great aunt to learn painting. When the time comes, I will also bring back some good things from Jinan for Mom. There are many gold-sprinkled fans from the Jiuzhou Dusi!"
The Queen smiled and nodded, saying, "Good. The calligraphy and paintings of Prince Ji's family are all excellent. When they were in the capital, people were competing to collect them. It is a good thing that you can learn from Prince Ji and achieve success."
Zhu Youhuan vaguely saw a trace of regret on his mother's face, so he sent his sister away to get the medicine, and then he said, "Mother is worried."
The Queen stared at her for a long moment before she sighed and said, "It's nothing serious. The late Emperor passed away, and the palace was overwhelmed with affairs. I was so stressed and relieved that I fell ill."
Having said that, there was still a hint of depression on her face.
Thinking about his grandmother's personality and his father's filial piety, Zhu Youhuan understood his mother's dilemma and said, "Huan'er will go and persuade Grandma later..."
The Queen grabbed her wrist, shook her head, and said, "This has nothing to do with the Queen Mother. I'm just overthinking it."
"mother……"
The Queen looked at her for a long time and said, "Mother knows that her body may not be able to hold on for much longer. Your father is still young and can welcome a new Queen. If I am gone in the future, this harem will need someone to take care of it. It will need a new master. You are the eldest sister, so you must take good care of your brothers and sisters, and even more importantly, take good care of yourself."
Zhu Youhuan heard the entrustment in her words, and his fingertips trembled as he said, "Mother, why do you say such unlucky words..."
Only then did she remember what her grandmother said before she died, "When one's spirit is scattered, one will not live long." She was afraid that this was the case with her mother now.
The queen simply held her hand tightly and warned her, "Don't forget what I said. Promise me to take good care of yourself."
Zhu Youhuan had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay."
In the first month of the second year of Chenghua, Empress Wan Zhen'er passed away at the age of 63. She was temporarily posthumously named "Empress Xiaoduan". Emperor Zhu Jianshen handled the funeral of the Empress in a downgraded manner according to the funeral ceremony of Empress Renxiao of Emperor Taizong Wen, and the affairs of the harem were handed over to the Empress Dowager and Zhao Jiazhi.
Although Empress Dowager Zhou was never very satisfied with her daughter-in-law, she couldn't help but feel regretful that Wan Zhen'er died at such a young age, so she decided to give the Wan family a generous reward.
In contrast, Emperor Zhu Jianshen had just ascended the throne when his empress died. She was his wife who had been with him for many years and shared his pressure. Under such a blow, Zhu Jianshen, who was already in poor health, suddenly fell ill. All state affairs had to be handed over to the crown prince Zhu Youhuan.
Zhu Jianshen's health was worse than that of the previous emperor. He had been using black incense to relieve his physical pain early on. Black incense was addictive in itself, and now that he was ill like a mountain, Zhu Jianshen's body could not withstand it. The amount of black incense he used also increased, and his spirit could no longer sustain the long-term handling of state affairs.
Although Zhu Youhuan was only the crown prince, government affairs could only be entrusted to her on his behalf.
Fortunately, Zhu Youhuan was always by the side of the late emperor and was adept at handling these matters. In addition, there were old ministers such as Song Cuilian and Li Dongyang, who were of similar age to Zhu Jianshen. Among the younger generation, Zhu Youhuan's study companions were also capable of shouldering important responsibilities. The country did not encounter any major chaos due to the emperor's physical condition.
Or perhaps the country does not have a great need for an emperor nowadays.
Although others were worried, they were not too panicked because Zhu Youhuan was in charge. However, as the emperor's biological mother, Empress Dowager Zhou was more worried about the emperor's health than anyone else. She went to see him in person every day. Seeing that he was quite emaciated, she felt even more distressed.
Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen are only one year apart in age. Zhu Shuyuan is in good health and even went out to sea on ships to do business two years ago. But Zhu Jianshen's health has deteriorated to such a state. How could Zhou Yingying not feel distressed?
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in the third year of Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen forced himself to cheer up and held a banquet with his family in the imperial garden to enjoy the moon.
In previous years, the palace mainly celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival by watching plays. However, after a few performances this year, people were not interested in watching them anymore, so they switched to listening to music.
"The white wind ripples azure, watching the bright moon steadily passing through the sky. The emerald waters of Yinghu are deserted, like an autumn farewell in the world. Jade hands play the jade flute, a moment of the same color, gently pressing the folds of the rainbow dress. On Tianjin Bridge, someone secretly memorizes the new pavilion. Who was the illusion of the silver bridge that day? A Man was playing with it, a smile that turned into infatuation. Do you believe that where the immortals feasted, they moved down to the crystal palace. The sea of clouds is clear of dust, the mountains and rivers are full of shadows, the cold osmanthus blows the fragrant snow. Why bother with the jade axe, the golden bowl will remain intact for eternity..."
This is a lyric composed in the Song Dynasty, mainly used to sing praises to the emperor. It is indeed quite interesting to sing "The Golden Bowl Will Last Forever" on the Mid-Autumn Night.
Zhu Jianshen suddenly chuckled and said, "The defeat at Tumu also happened on the Mid-Autumn Festival..."
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhou scolded, "Why are you saying these things on a day of reunion?" After that, she instructed the palace maids around her to change the lyrics of the song.
"Deep in the cave, admire the delicate red flowers, light jade spreads high as a cloud curtain. The beauty of the country and the fragrance of heaven compete for beauty, the scenery of the jade garden is just like yesterday. Dew washes away the enchanting beauty, the wind spreads the fragrance, the clouds and rain meet at Wushan. Spring is as strong as wine, the five-cloud terraces and pavilions..."
Zhu Jianshen couldn't help but sigh.
Zhu Youhuan glanced sideways at his father, but was startled to see that his eyes were also on him.
The Crown Prince's desk was right next to the Emperor. Zhu Jianshen leaned forward slightly, resting one hand on his daughter's shoulder, and whispered, "Huan'er, you were raised by your grandmother. Your father believes in you. You must safeguard our family's legacy and protect the people of the Ming Dynasty..."
"During the holy era, the Dao is harmonious and the achievements are complete. Not a speck of dust remains unmoved, and there are no drums ringing in the four borders. Years of abundance are frequent, and heaven blesses us. The foundation of the cause is as majestic as the mountains..."
Zhu Jianshen's whispered instructions and the lyrics fell into his ears. Zhu Youhuan came back to his senses and said, "Dad..."
"Two wise rulers, may the ages live long and prosper forever. The Eastern Emperor is auspicious, and not a single flower will fall."
Zhu Jianshen's expression was filled with helplessness, and he said sadly: "Now that Minister Wan has left, I will also leave..."
Zhu Youhuan only saw tears gleaming faintly in his eyes.
On the first day of September in the third year of Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen died of illness at the age of 48. Crown Prince Zhu Youhuan ascended the throne and changed the reign title to "Xizai" the next year.
The Chenghua Emperor Zhu Jianshen was posthumously named "Emperor Ji Tian Ning Dao Cheng Ming Ren Jing Chong Wen Su Wu Hong De Sheng Xiao Chun", and his temple name was Xianzong. The Empress Wan Zhen'er was posthumously named "Empress Xiao Duan Ci Yi Su Hui Zhe Min Fu Tian Ju Sheng Chun". The couple was buried together in Maoling Mausoleum.
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