Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2362 Returning to Beijing
After several months of traveling in the south, the imperial carriage was finally returning to the capital.

That day, at dawn, the Nanjing Imperial Palace was already busy. The emperor's trip to the south had ended successfully, and today was the day for him to return north.

The palace maids and eunuchs were busy making final preparations for the emperor's return to Beijing. All kinds of imperial belongings, documents and archives, ceremonial instruments, and tributes from the southern provinces were carefully checked, packed, and loaded one by one. The whole process was orderly.

The emperor was very satisfied with the efficiency of the eunuchs and maids in the Nanjing Palace, and praised Chen Ju for his good dispatch. Chen Ju then praised that all this was the credit of the Nanjing garrison eunuch Tian Yi, and he was the one who benefited from it. Zhu Yijun couldn't help but look at Tian Yi a few more times and praised him a few times.

Later, Gao Guoshi came to report that the officials were waiting outside the palace gate, and then he expressed his gratitude to Tian Yi in public. Zhu Yijun realized that Gao Guoshi was thanking Tian Yi for his attentiveness and thoughtfulness. He knew that the officials were waiting for the emperor early and many of them might not have time to eat breakfast, so he set up several marching tents outside the palace gate and provided various breakfasts for the officials.

Not only that, these breakfasts are all delicacies with Jiangnan characteristics, and the chefs responsible for making breakfast are hired in advance from inside and outside Nanjing to avoid affecting the supply inside the palace. It must be said that this set of practices is really thoughtful and worthy of praise, taking both inside and outside into consideration.

During this period of time, both Chen Ju and Gao Youshi seemed to start from small things and praised Tian Yi in front of the emperor at least eight times, if not ten times. As expected, Zhu Yijun looked up to this Nanjing garrison commander and there seemed to be some thoughtfulness in his eyes.

At the beginning of the morning hour, when the sky was just getting light, Zhu Yijun dressed himself with the help of his attendants. He wore a dragon robe, an imperial crown on his head, a jade belt around his waist, and cloud boots on his feet. Under the guidance of the eunuchs, he slowly walked out of the main gate of the palace and boarded the long-awaited imperial carriage.

The imperial chariot was pulled by sixteen tall and majestic white Ujumchin horses, each of which was covered in gorgeous brocade and had golden bells around its neck. Even their steps were trained to be almost uniform. In front and behind the chariot were the ceremonial guards of the great generals in bright armor. They held spears and swords on their waists, and looked solemn as they protected the safety of the emperor's most important area. On both sides of the chariot were the ceremonial guards holding dragon and phoenix flags, sun and moon flags, and various colored banners. The numerous flags fluttered in the morning breeze, and the colors were colorful.

Just like when he came, Zhu Yijun gave an oral order after getting on the carriage, ordering Gao Guoshi to accompany him. Gao Guoshi had been heading for his own carriage, but upon hearing the order, he had no choice but to turn back and get on the carriage.

Today, he was dressed neatly. His original scarlet silk sitting dragon robe was upgraded with the last reward, and now it became a "scarlet silk sitting dragon robe with embroidered gold cloud pattern". It has been said many times before that the "python" in the dragon robe is actually very similar to a dragon. Now, because of the embroidered gold cloud pattern, if you look at it from a distance, it is almost indistinguishable from the scarlet clothes that the emperor wears every day.

Of course, if you look closely, Gao Youshi's attire is quite different from that of the emperor. For example, Gao Youshi certainly does not wear a crown, but an "eight-beam crown" that is unique to the Duke of the Ming Dynasty. As for the decorations such as the jade belt around the waist, there are also differences in shape.

With Gao Youshi getting on the car, the imperial carriage finally set off, and the entire team moved slowly, moving along the main road of Nanjing city from east to west and then from south to north - obviously, this was heading towards the Yangtze River ferry.

Although it was still early, both sides of the Imperial Street were already filled with people who had come to see him off. They held flowers that the internal garrison commander Tian Yi had prepared in advance, and waved ribbons of the same origin, expressing their respect and blessings to the emperor. As the imperial sedan passed by, the people knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor", with their voices resounding through the sky.

When the team reached the Yangtze River wharf in the north of Nanjing, Zhu Yijun stepped off the imperial sedan chair with the help of Gao Youshi, and the two of them boarded the imperial boat that had been waiting there. The imperial boat was the same one they had taken when they arrived, and its magnificence was beyond description.

As Zhu Yijun boarded the ship, the imperial boat slowly left the dock and entered the center of the warship formation that had been waiting for orders for a long time. As the command ship's flag signal was displayed, the mighty fleet headed towards Zhenjiang on the other side of the Yangtze River. For a moment, hundreds of boats competed on the river.

Due to extensive prior notice, civilian boats were only allowed to operate along the river and were not allowed to enter the river, so the fleet did not encounter any boats that needed to be expelled. The people on the civilian boats along the river were lucky enough to encounter the imperial fleet, and they were all very excited and knelt down to pay tribute to the emperor.

After the imperial fleet arrived in Zhenjiang, Zhu Yijun once again boarded the dragon boats that had been prepared (even if the canal was widened, it would not be wide enough for seagoing ships to enter) and headed north along the Grand Canal. The dragon boat fleet was also composed of many ships, including the emperor's ship, cargo ships loaded with supplies, escort warships, etc.

Due to the width of the canal, the fleet could not form a battle formation on the river, but because they were connected head to tail and with flags flying, they looked more like a colorful dragon winding across the water.

On both sides of the Grand Canal, there are fertile fields and busy towns. When the people along the way learned that the emperor was returning north, they flocked to the canal, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. When the dragon boat passed by, the people cheered, some set off firecrackers, some flew kites, and some set up incense tables on the shore, praying for the emperor's blessing.

Zhu Yijun called Gao Youshi, stood on the deck of the dragon boat, looked at the people on both sides, and said to him with emotion: "Rixin, look at these people. Their cheers are not only a recognition of my achievements in the past 30 years, but also an expectation of my future governance. I am moved and worried when I see them."

Gao Youshi asked knowingly, "The whole world is at peace under the Emperor's rule. What is there to worry about?"

"There are no outsiders here, so don't say these polite words to me." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "In terms of achievements, you and I have indeed achieved a lot now, but if you say that the world is peaceful... do you believe it yourself? Oh, there is no need to list them in detail, but I know that there are floods, droughts, locusts, and plagues, right?"

Gao Youshi paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "As a country is so large, disasters are inevitable. Even the benevolent policies of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are no exception."

"I know you don't believe in the theory of heaven and man's interaction. I don't believe it either. But the problem is that whether you and I believe it or not, the people probably do. So, with the frequent disasters in recent years, it is inevitable that some people will wonder if these disasters are caused by my lack of virtue as an emperor."

"The way of heaven is constant, and it never slackens. The emperor's orders were not disobeyed, even to Tang and Wu." Gao Youshi felt that the emperor was a little suspicious, so he had to persuade him: "If the emperor really lacked virtue, how could he have achieved so many achievements in these years? Your Majesty, as the saying goes, 'If you have no guilt in your heart, you have nothing to worry about.' Just relax, and future generations will have their own opinions."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "I am not afraid of the public opinion of future generations. I am worried that disasters will increase day by day, and there will be people with ulterior motives who will take advantage of the chaos. Although the Ming Dynasty is now rich and powerful, your military reform has just started. I estimate that there will always be chaos in the army for a period of time... You must be careful and don't let others take advantage of you. If something really happens at that time, although you are capable of calming it down, once it comes to that, it will always hurt the face of the court."

Well, the emperor's idol burden is getting heavier and heavier, and he is only concerned about not losing face - are you worried about losing face for the court? Obviously, you are worried about losing face for you, the Wanli Emperor.

However, what the emperor said is not without some truth. Since ancient times, frequent disasters have easily led to chaos. There are many examples of civil unrest caused by disasters in the history of both ancient and modern China and abroad.

He thought for a moment and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, do you remember the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty? Years of drought and locust plagues left the people with no harvest and starving and cold. It happened to coincide with the endless factional strife in the Eastern Han court, which did nothing to govern the government, which eventually led to a massive civil uprising. Also, the Huang Chao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty was also triggered by frequent famines and the government's failure to provide disaster relief, which led to public resentment. The failed scholar Huang Chao took advantage of the situation and almost overthrew the Tang Dynasty."

Zhu Yijun frowned slightly. He naturally knew these historical allusions, and from his expression he seemed to understand the meaning of Gao Youshi's words.

Gao Youshi continued, "Looking at the Ming Dynasty, the refugees in Jingxiang during the Chenghua period also rebelled because of successive floods and droughts, which left a large number of refugees homeless and eventually led to an uprising. These examples show that after a disaster, if the government cannot provide timely and effective disaster relief and peace of mind for the people, it is easy to cause civil unrest."

Zhu Yijun nodded, indicating his agreement: "That is true. I have always supported your proposal to attach importance to disaster relief, and I have never stopped you from taking any measures. I have always let you do what you want.

I understand what you mean. You want the people to always feel the court's care. Even if the court occasionally fails to do its job as expected due to various practical reasons, as long as the people feel that the court has done its best, they will also try to exercise restraint and not overly criticize the court. "

Gao Youshi bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty is right, but I still want to add a few words."

"Just tell me."

"Whether the imperial court has done its best depends not only on concrete actions, but also on extensive publicity. Otherwise, rural peasants like those may not even have been to the county town in their entire lives. How would they know whether the imperial court has really tried its best, and whether this effort can be considered as its best effort?"

Zhu Yijun had never thought about it from this perspective, but he understood it after a little thought, and said, "That's true! But you also know... the so-called imperial power does not extend below the county level. How can we let the old farmers in the countryside know about the efforts of the court? I can't send so many people to explain to the people door to door."

We definitely can’t do that. We have to wait… we have to wait for the Red Dynasty before the Party branch can be established in the village. But we are not completely helpless.

"The court can't do that, but it's not completely helpless." Gao Youshi smiled and asked, "Does the emperor still remember the honorary system?"

"Remember, you used this trick to conjure millions of taels of silver for the court out of thin air. How could I forget it?" Zhu Yijun answered immediately, then paused, stretched out his hand to make a gesture of stopping, and said thoughtfully: "Wait, let me guess... Are you planning to use those good gentry and wise men to let the people know the court's care for them?"

Gao Youshi said: "As long as we add a 'propaganda of government to the people' clause to the selection of honorary titles, these 'good gentry and wise men' will surely flock to it."

"Really?" Zhu Yijun didn't quite understand, or he was a little skeptical about the adjective "flocked to", thinking it might be too exaggerated.

But Gao Youshizhi convinced the emperor with just one sentence: "Of course. Your Majesty, this is like exchanging empty words for real gold and silver. How can Your Majesty doubt that they are not doing their best?"

Zhu Yijun suddenly realized! Yes, they originally wanted to gain an honorary title. Although there are many ways to do so, whether you are building bridges and roads, digging canals and ditches, or supporting schools, etc., etc. In short, no matter which one, you have to spend real money, and it can't be less, and it can't be interrupted. Otherwise, before the selection, it will be discovered that you are rushing to build a persona every time. Not only will this persona not stand up, but it will also collapse in an instant.

However, this "Promulgating the Politics to the People" is much simpler and more economical. As long as one praises the court and the emperor more within the scope of one's influence, and makes the people think that the emperor is a good emperor and the court is a good court, one can easily obtain the honor and title, and maybe not even have to spend a penny. Isn't this a great deal?
Zhu Yijun understood this truth, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Gao Youshi changed: "Rixin, no wonder all the military officials who have fought under you are full of praise for you. With your ability, even if you sell them out in front of them, they will still bow to you and thank you profusely!"

Gao Fusi couldn't help laughing, and explained while laughing: "Hey, your Majesty, you can't say that. It is precisely because I will never sell them out that they are willing to trust me."

"It doesn't matter. It's all the same." Zhu Yijun figured out the truth and felt that his thoughts were clear. He waved his hand and said casually, "In short, you can persuade all kinds of people under you to work seriously. This is your greatest ability."

After a pause, he continued, "Since you understand the principles and have all the methods, I'll trouble you to worry about these things. To be honest, I have been..."

He suddenly glanced around and saw that no one dared to approach him. He sighed and said in a low voice, "I have often felt weak this year, and even my appetite has decreased a lot. The imperial doctors could not find any problem. They always said that I was worried about state affairs and thought too much, which hurt my mind..."

He sighed again and shook his head, saying, "What nonsense! You are the first one to handle all the government affairs of the court. I trust you very much. I usually only read the memorials on major events, and you have lived up to my expectations. Everything in the scholar community and the court is in order. Why should I 'think too much and hurt my mind'? Do you have nothing better to do?"

Gao Youshi's biggest shortcoming appeared - he knew nothing about medicine, and he did not have the ability like his teacher Guo Pu to see that Zhang Juzheng had "excessive sexual intercourse" the night before. Therefore, after Zhu Yijun ruled out the "most reasonable" one, he could not think of the root cause of the disease.

After thinking about it, Gao Youshi murmured: "This... maybe it's because he doesn't exercise enough?" Of course, he was not sure at all, but just made a reasonable guess based on Zhu Yijun's usual range of activities.

Zhu Yijun spread his hands and said, "There is no solution. I have had gout since I was a child, and it is even worse now. I can't stay in Nanjing at all. My legs and feet swell up all the time. How can I exercise? You don't know that I drank two large bowls of medicine before returning to the palace today, for fear that I would not be able to walk properly for a few steps!"

Gao Youshi was a little embarrassed, and after a long while he asked tentatively: "How about... after returning to Beijing, find an opportunity to let the teachers of the medical school in Jinghua Academy show it to the emperor?"

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a moment, coughed lightly, and said, "This... let's see what happens after we return to Beijing."
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