Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2382: Changes (I)
The matter of the various tribes in the northern border submitting to the Ming Dynasty has finally come to an end, but Gao Youshi was only slightly relieved. After all, the reason why the various tribes are willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty now is largely because they can all foresee the huge white disaster that will inevitably occur this year. At this time, they are of course willing to seek shelter from the wealthy Ming Dynasty and rely on the Ming Dynasty's strength to overcome the difficulties.

But since it is only for the time being, it is hard to say whether there will be a reversal next year. For the Ming Dynasty, the most important thing is to perfectly implement the policies that have been set. After all, if the above policies can be implemented one by one, the various departments will naturally understand the benefits of submission and can also foresee the consequences of rebellion.

Therefore, although Gao Youshi could relax his tense nerves a little, he still had to spend more energy in the specific execution of his work.

Whether it was the establishment of the Longjiang Provincial Administration, the training and garrisoning of the Longjiang First and Second Armies, the site selection and city construction of various prefectures and counties, or even the migration and distribution of the population...all matters had to be designed and decided by him, the prime minister who was actually the "chief minister".

The worst thing was that winter came earlier in the capital than in previous years. An early snow suddenly fell, and Gao Youshi, who was so busy and confused, didn't realize that he had caught a cold - later known as a cold.

Although he didn't know why, Gao Youshi had rarely been sick for many years. This time, the cold came very suddenly and was very severe. Gao Youshi didn't take it seriously that day. He caught a cold in the morning and went to the Five Military Governor's Office in the afternoon to discuss the military registration issues of the two new armies in Longjiang with the nobles and military officials.

As a result, not long before he was about to leave, he felt that his condition had suddenly worsened, so he had to temporarily suspend the meeting and planned to go back to his house to rest. Unexpectedly, when he got on the carriage, he suddenly felt dizzy and stepped on empty air. If the servant beside him had not seen the situation and immediately pulled him back, Gao Yuanfu would have almost bumped into the copper-clad steel door.

By the time he was helped onto the carriage, Gao Youshi was so dizzy that he didn't want to speak. Fortunately, his servants were well-trained. One group of them quickly escorted the carriage to the Duke Jingguo's Mansion, while the other group split into two groups. One group went out of the city to the Medical Department of the Craftsmen's School to ask the professors to come to the Duke Jingguo's Mansion for medical treatment, and the other group went to Jinghua's large pharmacy in the capital and ordered people to prepare in advance all kinds of medicinal materials that might be needed and send them to the Duke Jingguo's Mansion.

By the time the carriage arrived at the Duke Jingguo's Mansion, Gao Youshi had already fallen into a deep sleep - this was what the medical professors later said, and at the time the servants thought their master was in a coma.

With such a big incident, the entire Jingguo Mansion was in a panic, until the professors of the medical department arrived and gave an emergency diagnosis, and then they gradually calmed down. The Jingguo Mansion's huge move also caused tension in the officialdom of the capital - because the Duke's Mansion used to rely on Gao Youshi's arbitrary decisions, and now the situation was unclear, no one dared to explain the situation to the public.

This ruined the matter. Officials in the capital didn't know what had happened to Gao Youshi. There were many rumors that the prime minister had suddenly fallen ill and his life or death was in danger.

About an hour and a half later, the news reached the palace. Queen Wang was horrified when she heard it, and regardless of the usual etiquette, she personally went to the Yikun Palace to ask for an audience with the emperor.

Yikun Palace is the residence of Concubine Zheng. Since the last time the "imperial" character of "imperial concubine" was removed from Concubine Zheng's title, she has been living in seclusion here. Of course, it is only in name because she is being punished, so it is called seclusion. In fact, no one really cares about it. After all, the emperor still spends more time here than any other palace in the six palaces - and it is still the same today. In other words, since the emperor was recuperating from his illness, he has been here most of the time.

When Zhu Yijun heard that the empress wanted to see him, he was very surprised. He was relieved when he learned that the empress was not here to "reason" with Concubine Zheng. But when he heard that the empress came here because Gao Youshi had "suddenly fallen ill" and his "life or death was uncertain", he was shocked again - this shock was even greater than the previous one. The emperor, who was already pale, was stunned and kept his mouth slightly open for a long time, as if he had lost his soul. Chen Ju called out to him several times before he came to his senses.

After coming to his senses, Zhu Yijun suddenly swept all the things on the table away with a wave of his hand, and at the same time cursed at the people around him: "A bunch of killers! If the prime minister is ill, there must be a sign. Why didn't anyone tell me? What use do I have for you!"

This outburst of rage came extremely suddenly, and his tone was extremely violent. Not to mention the others, even Chen Ju, who had served him for nearly thirty years, was so frightened that he subconsciously knelt down on his knees and kowtowed in panic.

Queen Wang, who had just entered the room and had not yet taken a seat, was also seeing the emperor so angry for the first time. She couldn't help but turn pale. She glanced at Concubine Zheng next to her and found that she was also shocked and pale. Then she realized that it was the first time for everyone to see the emperor like this. She couldn't help but calm down a little, took a deep breath, and advised: "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and there is no point in blaming. You should think about what to do first."

Zhu Yijun's eyes turned red, and he glared at everyone and said, "What should we do? Get ready, I want to go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion!"

"Absolutely not!"

Zhu Yijun turned around and saw Chen Ju kneeling on the ground. He hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop him. The emperor was furious and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Qiuzhen has treated you well, and you want to stop me?"

Zhu Yijun not only yelled at Chen Ju, but also kicked him. However, perhaps because he was still ill, or perhaps because he was so angry, his kick only hit Chen Ju's left shoulder, knocking him sideways. The latter immediately got up and begged, "Your Majesty, you really can't go! Even if you can't restrain yourself because of your long-term friendship with the Prime Minister and ignore your serious illness, but... You are not going to the residence of a sick minister, that is... that is..."

Zhu Yijun hadn't reacted yet, but Queen Wang did, and hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, what Chen Ju said is true. Anyone can go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion at this moment, but Your Majesty must not go, otherwise...are you going to force Yuan Fu to death?"

Queen Wang would definitely not harm Gao Youshi, which Zhu Yijun knew clearly. After all, if Gao Youshi had not insisted on the matter of the national foundation, I'm afraid... So Zhu Yijun finally regained his reason from his anger, and came to his senses, understanding why Chen Ju begged him not to go to the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion.

Although there is no explicit regulation, the emperor's personal visit to the residence of a sick minister has always been a farewell to the minister. In other words, the minister is on his deathbed, and the emperor will personally visit him to see him off in order to show the loyalty between the monarch and his subjects.

If this unwritten rule is reversed, it means that if a minister is sick and the emperor is present in person, it means that the emperor is declaring: My dear, you can die now.

Zhu Yijun was startled and broke out in a sweat. The strength that had come out of nowhere when he was furious just now disappeared instantly. His whole body softened and he sat back on the imperial couch, muttering, "Ah... I lost my composure. I really can't go." Then he glanced at Chen Ju and sighed, "Get up."

Chen Ju breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." After standing up, Chen Ju looked at the emperor cautiously and whispered, "According to the usual rules, I can visit on your behalf and bring two or three imperial doctors with me to show my honor and favor."

Zhu Yijun's mind was a little confused until this moment. He nodded repeatedly upon hearing this and said, "Yes, yes, let's do it. Take a good look around. No matter what Yuan... no matter what Qiuzhen needs, as long as it is in the palace, just send it over immediately. No need to ask me."

Chen Ju was about to agree, but Concubine Zheng, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "This is just a common rule, but it may not be enough to show the deep friendship between the emperor and the prime minister at the moment."

Everyone was a little surprised, especially Queen Wang. She knew that Concubine Zheng was stripped of her title of "Imperial Concubine" mainly because of Gao Youshi's opinion. So when she heard Concubine Zheng say this, her first reaction was that Concubine Zheng was up to something. Although she didn't know what Concubine Zheng was thinking, Queen Wang immediately asked, "Oh? I wonder what the Concubine has to say?" Queen Wang has always been strict with etiquette since entering the palace. She rarely said a few harsh words on weekdays. Although she was obviously wary when she said this, her tone was still gentle, so Zhu Yijun didn't hear anything wrong, so he turned his head and looked at Concubine Zheng.

Concubine Zheng said, "In all the past dynasties, there has never been such a deep friendship between the emperor and the prime minister. Although it is inconvenient for the emperor to go in person, he cannot just send a servant to replace him."

She suddenly bowed to the Emperor and Empress, and said, "I think we should ask the Empress to bring the Crown Prince to visit on behalf of the Emperor. This way, we can show the world that the friendship between the monarch and his subjects will last forever."

Ah? How can the Queen visit the courtiers?

Oh, oh, it’s not mainly about the Queen. The Queen went only because the Crown Prince is young and needs the Queen’s care… After all, the previous dispute over the national foundation was too serious, and the Queen did not dare to leave the Crown Prince to others.

Although Zhu Yijun thought this was a good idea, he was also troubled by the fact that "the Queen visiting important officials" seemed inappropriate and there might be discussions in the outer court, so he hesitated and did not speak immediately.

Queen Wang also thought this proposal was bizarre at first, and subconsciously wanted to object, but suddenly she thought: If the "sudden illness" of the Yuanfu really threatens his life, then wouldn't the greatest support for her and her son be gone? At this moment, it is really necessary to meet the Yuanfu in person. After all, with the Yuanfu's ability, even if he really only has one breath left, he must be able to leave her a trick or something to ensure that the prince can have a smooth future...

Thinking of this, she swallowed the excuse that was about to come out of her mouth and remained silent.

As if she had expected such a scene, Concubine Zheng continued, "Your Majesty, I have done something wrong before, and was punished by the Prime Minister. The outside court therefore concluded that I had ill will towards the Prime Minister. I am living in seclusion here, and I don't care about these malicious slanders, but I am afraid that it will ruin your reputation and make people think that the concubines around you are so stubborn and unrepentant... I also ask to go with the Queen to show my repentance and ask for your mercy."

At this moment, everyone had a sense of unreality, "Am I hallucinating?" Zhu Yijun was shocked and asked, "Why is it so?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Concubine Zheng insisted, "I know the meaning of what Your Majesty said during your trip to the south this year. How can I tarnish Your Majesty's reputation? Please help me."

Indeed, when Zhu Yijun went south this year, he deliberately expressed praise for Gao Youshi many times on the way. What was his purpose... On the one hand, it was to express his true feelings and thank Gao Youshi for everything he had done for the court and for him as the emperor over the years; on the other hand, he also hoped to use this to deeply bind himself with Gao Youshi - because only in this way, Gao Youshi's achievements would be seen by others and even future generations as being achieved under the wise leadership of this sage monarch.

In this case, if he could "persuade" Concubine Zheng, who had made mistakes before, it would appear that the ruler was wise and his ministers were virtuous, and that all the concubines in the harem would be kind, virtuous and virtuous.

Zhu Yijun was finally convinced, nodded, and sighed: "You have this idea, it is a great kindness, I agree." Then he turned to the queen and asked: "Are you willing to go through this journey?"

Queen Wang thought for a moment and said, "Prince Fu has made great contributions to the country. It is fine for me and my son to visit him on behalf of the emperor. However, I... and Concubine Zheng are women after all. I wonder if this will be frowned upon by the outer court?"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "When visiting others, the outer court dares to talk about it, but when visiting Rixin... humph, I want to see who dares to talk too much."

Queen Wang usually doesn't pay much attention to government affairs. She was a little puzzled when she heard this and asked, "Is it because the Prime Minister has made outstanding contributions?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Because they dare not." Seeing that the queen seemed even more confused, he simply waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter if the queen doesn't understand these things. Anyway, when you go to visit Rixin, the court officials dare not say anything. You just go... Oh, Chen Ju should go too. He is more familiar with the rules of these things than you."

Queen Wang wanted to ask something else, but Zhu Yijun couldn't hold on any longer. He stretched out his hand and pressed hard on the temple beside his left ear, gritted his teeth and said, "Go, go, I need to use the medicine."

Concubine Zheng reached out and gently pulled Queen Wang's sleeve, whispering, "The emperor's health has not yet recovered, and the imperial physician has told us not to worry too much... Queen, let the emperor take the medicine and rest as soon as possible."

Although Queen Wang was somewhat displeased with her behavior, she considered that her words were spoken out of concern for the Emperor, so she was unwilling to care about it, let alone show her dissatisfaction. She could only nod slightly and said, "Your Highness is right." Then she bowed slightly to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, take good care of him. I will go and take the Crown Prince to visit the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion."

Zhu Yijun was still pressing his left temple, and nodded with his eyes closed as if he was a little sleepy, "Thank you, Queen."

"I will take my leave." Queen Wang said to Chen Ju, "Time is urgent and there is no time to waste. You and Concubine Zheng can go to Xuanwu Gate and wait for a while. I will meet you as soon as possible."

Chen Ju hurriedly said, "This old servant will take care of it. The Imperial Household Department will inform Xuanwu Gate of the Emperor's order. Your Majesty, don't worry."

The reason why he said this is because the harem is in the north of the palace, and Gao Youshi's Jingguo Mansion is also in the north of the palace, so the Xuanwu Gate located in the north of the palace is the nearest gate. But because the harem door is usually not open, it requires the emperor's oral order, and it must be notified by the Silijian for it to be effective, so Chen Ju said this.

Queen Wang nodded, turned and left.
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PS: The reason why I have this chapter today is partly because of the plot planning, and partly because I just happened to have a severe cold these days and couldn't walk steadily, and the world was spinning...

Thanks to the book friends "Crescent Moon Scimitar Murder", "Old Xi from Altay", "First Login", "Idol Needs a Sewing Machine", "doni", and "Gao Yi Mo Pan" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!