Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 313 “Natural Disaster” Comes to the Forbidden City

The Ming court's redefinition of the Luzon Kingdom was a major event, but it was only for the Luzon Kingdom. As for this decision, it could only be regarded as a minor episode in this great meeting.

In the face of absolute strength, Luzon has always been an insignificant existence.

Since Luzon was a title given by the Ming court, it is natural to take it back now. What's more, the Luzon envoy's practice of sending hemp rope carpets was indeed not worthy of the title of the vassal state.

"I accept the decree and thank you!" Zi Zi knew that the Ming court's redefinition of status was equivalent to depriving them of their identity as the masters of Luzon Island, but naturally they could only obey orders in the face of the Ming Emperor.

In fact, what the Ming Emperor said is not wrong. In a broad sense, there are six forces in the Luzon Islands, namely: independent kingdoms and tribes such as Malani (Luzon), Mayi, Gumalalang, Huluo and Sulu. .

Even in terms of race, there are two major races in Luzon Island: the Luzon indigenous tribes and the Malay immigrants, and these two races have always been naturally antagonistic.

Until now, the Luzon Islands have never truly been unified.Not only do there exist large and small forces, but even a kingdom belongs to a loose tribal alliance, and there is no real master of the Luzon Islands at all.

In fact, their Luzon only occupies areas such as Malani in the central part of Luzon Island. Naturally, it cannot be regarded as the Kingdom of Luzon in the true sense. Now that it has been downgraded to the Kingdom of Malani, it is more worthy of the name.

Color saw that the Ming Dynasty took back the title of Luzon Kingdom given to them and changed it to the more suitable Marani vassal state. It seemed that there was no substantial change in all this, but he felt a strong uneasiness in his heart.

The Ming emperor in front of him was not only wise, but also very pragmatic. Once he suddenly pointed the finger at their little Malani country, the Malani country would definitely become history.

Zhu Youtang saw the reaction of the color in his eyes, but he had no intention of conquering the insignificant Malani country, but he was a little interested in the Malani carpet in his hand.

Affected by resource differences, before the birth of nylon, Marathon was indeed a rare natural fiber, especially used for weaving sea ropes with stronger corrosion resistance.

No matter how the Malani country reacts, some things are destined to be unstoppable, and no one can stop Ming Dynasty from officially moving towards Nanyang.Different from the earlier attack on the Indochina Peninsula, this time the focus is on the east of Nanyang, and more precisely on controlling the entire Luzon Islands.

In other words, this is the most important strategic goal in the three years of Hongzhi, a key step that contains the code for China's revitalization.

On New Year's Day, the temperature was still very low.

The officials inside and outside the palace all felt a chill. Seeing that their emperor had simply erased the title of Luzon Kingdom, they felt even more in awe of their emperor.

After the Malani envoy faded, envoys from the Japanese Ouchi family, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and Champa presented gifts one after another.

The Ouchi family became the largest arms purchaser in the Ming Dynasty, and now their relationship with the Ming Dynasty is getting closer and closer, and they even intend to recognize the Ming Emperor as their father.

Although North Vietnam, South Vietnam and Champa maintained hostile camps, they all hoped to receive support from the Ming court and sent generous gifts. Even the king of Champa, Gu Lai, personally came to Beijing to congratulate.

With the end of the gift-giving session, the following banquet was held as in previous years.

When the civil and military officials and foreign envoys faced the delicacies presented to them, they knew very well that this was not a place to eat at all, and they followed the etiquette like puppets on strings.

One year spent similar, each year is different.

Zhu Youtang looked at the familiar scene in front of him, but the personnel had changed. For example, Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, was no longer here, and he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The first day of the New Year is filled with a festive atmosphere, and even the sound of firecrackers can be heard occasionally in the palace.

After the court meeting, Zhu Youtang took the dragon chariot back to the Qianqing Palace, but he knew that he had ushered in a long vacation in the true sense.

Although it is impossible to be restrained as an emperor, he still shoulders the mission of revitalizing China, so he handles government affairs seriously on weekdays.

Now it's completely different. Next, you can put aside all the troublesome government affairs openly and enjoy a full six-day imperial vacation in peace and contentment.

The tree wants to be quiet, but the wind doesn't stop.

On just the second day of the holiday, the entire Forbidden City suddenly became tense.

squeak……

It was obviously still noon, but the four gates of the palace were closed tightly, and Chang Feng personally led the people out of the Meridian Gate.

"No one is allowed to come near the Gonghouyuan!"

"What exactly happened?"

"Don't ask too many questions! Let His Majesty tell you, everyone should return to their homes!!"

……

As the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, Guo Yong can be said to be the general manager of the palace. At this time, he personally led the personnel to arrange the personnel in the palace, as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

Forbidden City, Dongnuan Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing regular clothes, had a solemn expression and sat behind the bead curtain without saying a word.

The two old imperial doctors were led in by the young eunuch. They knelt down and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the condition has been found out!"

"What disease does that palace maid have?" Zhu Youtang asked calmly as he picked up the tea cup.

The eldest Dr. Cui swallowed his saliva and said cautiously: "Reporting to your majesty, based on the experience of the minister and Dr. Li, this person is suffering from smallpox!"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Jin and other eunuchs were shocked.

Smallpox is not recorded in ancient books, but it was probably introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

According to historical records, General Fubo of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ma Yuan, went south to conquer Jiaozhi and captured a large number of prisoners.It didn't take long for smallpox to spread among the prisoners.

When a person infected with smallpox becomes ill, their whole body will be covered in red rashes, which will then scab, leaving permanent scars on their face, and even lead to death.

Because the disease was brought by prisoners on the battlefield, it was originally called "capture sores."

Once a person is infected with smallpox, there is no cure except relying on one's own immunity and medications to relieve symptoms.Those who survived by chance would also be left with scars due to rashes all over their bodies, hence the name "smallpox".

It is precisely because of the characteristics of smallpox that it is highly contagious and has a high fatality rate. The fatality rate of severe smallpox is about 25.5%. Therefore, people in the world have always been dismayed by the word "smallpox".

But no one expected that such a vicious infectious disease would appear in the palace, and now it might endanger the emperor's life.

"Smallpox? It's fine, how could smallpox suddenly appear in the palace?" Zhu Youtang felt that something was a little weird, so he asked seriously.

Dr. Cui swallowed his saliva, but responded bravely: "I don't know where smallpox came from, but this disease can be transmitted through humans and animals, so it is impossible to prevent it!"

"According to the usual inertia, how should the palace deal with smallpox?" Zhu Youtang knew that the imperial doctor in front of him could not relieve his doubts, so he asked in a gentle tone.

Dr. Cui was naturally aware of this matter, so he answered truthfully: "All personnel are ordered to stay in their residences temporarily to reduce the flow of people. If new cases are found, they will be isolated immediately, and personnel will be arranged for disinfection. The palace must also be disinfected." Set up a temporary treatment room..."

"In this case, let's handle it according to the previous regulations first!" Zhu Youtang knew that the experience of the ancients was worth adopting. He turned his head and looked at Liu Jin: "My instructions are to ventilate frequently in all places, wash hands with soap frequently, and do not wear other people's clothes randomly. !”

Liu Jin knew that the matter was not trivial, so he immediately said respectfully: "I obey the order!"

"Mr. Cui, will I contract smallpox? Or have I already contracted smallpox?" Zhu Youtang took a deep breath and asked the question he was most concerned about.

Even though he is a majestic emperor, he is actually just a weak individual in the face of this incurable disease.In this more than two years of traveling, it can be said that I have faced death for the closest time.Not to mention that my throat is a bit dry, even if there is really no problem, the incubation period of smallpox is 7 to 17 days, but there is no way to guarantee whether I am still safe now.

Once I really contract smallpox, all the efforts I have made over the years will be in vain.

Next to Dr. Cui, Dr. Li replied: "Your Majesty, I have just diagnosed that your Majesty's dragon body is normal and there are no symptoms of fever. It's just that you have had less sex recently. Firstly, your Majesty's energy has been lost, and secondly, to prevent infection. Don’t have any contact with the concubines again!”

"You all go down!" Zhu Youtang knew that he probably wouldn't be able to tell the symptoms before he appeared, so he gently raised his hand and said.

I thought that as long as I stayed in the palace and stopped drinking medicine and falling into the water on a dragon boat, I, the emperor, could live ten more years.

But now it seems that I am still too naive. Danger can be everywhere, and it can even kill the emperor invisible.

Regardless of whether the smallpox was a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, if he contracted this disease, his life would probably end here, and he would still be unable to escape the fate of extinct heirs.

Imperial Physician Cui and Imperial Physician Li did not know what Zhu Youtang was thinking, and they also knew that the current situation was unclear, so they bowed respectfully and said: "I will leave!"

The sky was gloomy and the entire Forbidden City was shrouded in white snow.

"I don't want to die!"

"I heard that you may not die if you get smallpox!"

"If your face is full of pockmarks, you might as well be dead!"

……

There is no airtight wall in the world, and the news about smallpox quickly spread throughout the palace. Not to mention the ordinary maids and eunuchs, even the concubines became very uneasy.

Smallpox can not only directly kill people, but also indirectly destroy other people's lives.

Once they get smallpox, most people's faces will become more or less pockmarked, which is undoubtedly fatal to the women in the court.

"Why don't you let me in?"

"Niu Mengmeng, the Za family has a few words to ask you!"

"Eunuch Guo, what are you doing so formally? What do you want to ask?"

……

Niu Mengmeng returned holding a civet cat and humming a tune, but was brutally blocked in front of the Qianqing Gate. Dang even looked at the leader Guo Yong and others in confusion.

"Where did you go?"

"Well, I took Huzi for a walk, and we went to Gonghouyuan and Changle Palace!"

"Do you know the palace maid Uiharu?"

"We know each other! We sometimes walked the cat together recently. What's wrong?"

"Someone is coming and is about to take Niu Mengmeng away!"

After Guo Yong understood the situation clearly, his face immediately sank, and he gave the order with a wave of his hand.

"Eunuch Guo, what are you doing?"

"You are quarantined! But don't worry, you are quarantined alone!"

"Me? Want to be quarantined?"

Faced with the sudden arrest, Niu Mengmeng seemed very puzzled.

Her good luck finally came to an end. Since she had been to Gonghouyuan and was in contact with a close contact, Uiharu, she naturally had to be isolated alone.

In fact, she became the focus of the entire Qianqing Palace, not only because she was one of the few palace maids and eunuchs who had contact with the outside world, but also because she had close contact with the emperor.

Ah chirp!

Zhu Youtang couldn't help but sneeze heavily. Even in the warm spring-like Dongnuang Pavilion, he felt a biting chill at this moment.

Although there is no actual evidence now, he does not believe that things can be such a coincidence. An infectious disease like smallpox suddenly appears in the Forbidden City.

The root cause of this phenomenon must be that he has touched the interests of too many people. From rectifying the salt policy to clearing out the land, from fighting financial crimes to the extravagant tax that will be introduced later this year, all of these are infringing on the interests of the gentry and the powerful. .

"In that case, let me take a good look and see who among us can have the last laugh!" Zhu Youtang stretched out his hand and rubbed his nose, and said to himself very firmly.

It is not his character to back down or compromise. Since these powerful people have not surrendered yet and even want to kill themselves in this way, then he will naturally start another bloody storm.

A feeling of panic is permeating the Forbidden City.

Faced with the unknown and the virus that might appear around us, the entire palace became panicked.

Faced with the sudden epidemic, Qianqing Palace quickly became a small world of its own.

Guo Yong assumed the mission of the palace steward and chose to be on the front line despite smallpox, and even personally guarded the Qianqing Gate. As for the other personnel of the Qianqing Palace, they organized layers of defense lines in an orderly manner.

"Your Majesty, what is a mask?"

"Don't all assassins wear a black cloth? I need a white cloth to wrap my mouth and nose, but the cloth must have good ventilation!"

……

Zhu Youtang knew that in addition to direct contact with smallpox, the most important thing was to prevent the spread of droplets, so he immediately decided to introduce mask protection to the palace.

In the following time, the atmosphere in the entire Forbidden City seemed very depressing.

As the imperial doctors continued to investigate, the epidemic in the palace became more and more serious. The number of people infected with smallpox had reached ten, and the number actually reached double digits.

No one knew when smallpox was introduced into the palace, how long it had been lurking in the palace, and how many people were already carriers of the virus, which caused the entire palace to be frightened.

Fortunately, masks were produced quickly and everyone in the palace wore masks, which effectively suppressed the spread of smallpox.

Zhu Youtang followed the imperial doctor's advice and quit sex recently, but he still felt anxious in his heart.

It happened that at this time, Niu Mengmeng suddenly developed fever symptoms, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which were the early symptoms of smallpox.

If he could comfort himself earlier, after all, as the emperor, he had no contact with the sick maids and eunuchs. However, Niu Mengmeng was one of Zhu Youtang's closest maids, making the emperor a close contact.

Due to years of pampering, Zhu Youtang's physical fitness is worse than that of ordinary people, so the possibility of death is higher than that of other people.

(End of this chapter)