King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 681 The Era of Setting Up Several Cannons

"By the way, how is the girl from the Lin family doing these days?"

Of course, it was impossible for the emperor to care about a little maid all the time. It was only because of Zhu Jinghong that he remembered Daiyu.

The last time we heard news about her was more than a month ago. At that time, Daiyu used the imperial edict to bully the Lin family and made them obey her. Zhu Xianming even praised her several times.

"Reporting to your majesty, he has taken care of all the affairs of the Lin family, and now everyone in the mansion obeys his orders!"

"Old Thirteen has always wanted to take the girl from the Lin family into his mansion. Do you think... this time... he will bring her back directly?" Zhu Xianming asked, looking up.

"This...I can't say for sure!"

"You can still tell me if you're not sure. I didn't tell you to tell me for sure!"

"For Miss Lin, Master Thirteen has been waiting for a long time. I think this time..."

Seeing Cheng Ying hesitated to speak, Zhu Xianming smiled and said, "So you think that Old Thirteen will bring her back this time!"

"I was just guessing!" Cheng Ying explained quickly.

"The girl from the Jia family was placed in the Taoist temple?"

Zhu Xianming had heard about this matter, but he didn't take it too seriously. After all, he was too busy every day, and he only asked today because he remembered it.

The emperor suddenly changed the subject, and Cheng Ying immediately reacted and replied, "That's right... placed in Qingning Pavilion!"

"Qingning Pavilion...I have never heard of it!" Zhu Xianming frowned.

"It's a newly built Taoist temple, just one street west of Prince Xiang's Mansion!" Cheng Ying replied.

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "How long has it been built?"

"I'm afraid it's been... two or three months!" Cheng Ying answered seriously.

Zhu Xianming laughed and said, "They say a beautiful woman can be hidden in a golden house, but I never thought a Taoist temple could hide one. The Thirteenth Prince is not in Beijing... I guess it was the work of Princess Xiang!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Cheng Ying complimented.

Laughing heartily and feeling relaxed, Zhu Xianming stopped chatting and picked up the next memorial to read. At the same time, he said slowly: "For this great victory in the naval battle, Old Thirteen deserves a reward for his meritorious service. He shall be granted 5,000 mu of imperial land, 30,000 silver coins, and brocade cloth..."

The rewards this time were extremely generous, which showed that Zhu Xianming was very happy about this great victory, so he gave away all the good things.

When the various departments in the inner court were preparing rewards, the news of the great victory in the naval battle gradually spread in the city, causing a sensation in the capital again.

In Prince Xiang's mansion, Baochai finally felt relieved when she learned that Zhu Jinghong had won a great victory in the naval battle.

She has been worried for the past two months, and has become quite haggard, simply because Zhu Jinghong has gone to the front line again this time.

Because of this incident, even though it was almost the end of the year, the atmosphere in the palace was tense and it was rare to see a smiling face.

"Order all the guards, eunuchs, and maids in the palace to be rewarded with ten taels of silver and a piece of brocade cloth. Guards and eunuchs will also be rewarded with a jar of wine!"

In her joy, Baochai issued an order to reward everyone in the palace.

Her move was very generous, benefiting everyone in and outside the palace, and increasing their loyalty to the palace. This great victory also made everyone proud.

In Baochai's room, several women gathered together and were chatting. At this time, a maid came trotting in and reported with a smile: "Madam, someone came from the palace and said that His Majesty wants to reward our prince!"

It's New Year's Eve tonight, and Baochai will go to the palace soon to attend the New Year's Eve family dinner on behalf of Prince Xiang's Mansion.

If the reward came at this time, it would affect her arrival on time, but for now she could only delay it.

"Princess, this is great news. Why are you so sad?" Yinglian asked with a smile.

Baochai then smiled and said, "Happiness came too suddenly, catching me off guard!"

Everyone laughed, and then Baochai ordered everyone to get ready to receive the emperor's reward.

"Keqing, you don't have to go. Just go and rest first!" Baochai instructed again.

Keqing has been pregnant for three months and is now almost full term. She may go into labor at any time.

"Thank you, ma'am!"

When Keqing was expressing her gratitude, Baochai thought of Yingchun. The girl was already seven months pregnant, and it was still unknown what would happen after the baby was born.

But according to Baochai's guess, it would be difficult for this Miss Yingchun to have a formal status, at least not in the next two years.

It was not because the emperor and empress obstructed him, but because Zhu Jinghong himself had this in mind. Now that he wanted to cut ties with the Eastern Palace, it was impossible for him to take in the daughter of the Jia family at this time.

Thinking of this, Baochai sighed, she felt sorry for Yingchun.

On this side, Baochai gathered everyone in the mansion to prepare to receive the imperial edict, while on the other side, the East Palace was also preparing to set off to the palace to attend the banquet.

But now Yuanchun looked depressed and not in the mood at all. The official dress representing her status as the Crown Princess was put aside.

Yuanchun was in a bad mood right now, not because she had been wronged, but simply because her mentality had collapsed.

She had just learned the news that Zhu Jinghong had annihilated the Spanish fleet at sea, once again making an unprecedented contribution.

She could foresee that Zhu Jinghong's reputation would surely rise and he would be more relied upon by the emperor. In comparison, the Eastern Palace was too weak.

Seeing no hope of victory, Yuanchun gave up and didn't want to do anything for the moment, not even wanting to attend the family dinner today.

If she went, she would either have to be hypocritically polite to Baochai, or suffer Chen Zhi's secret anger, or be scolded by her mother-in-law... She really didn't feel like going.

At this moment, footsteps came from outside.

"Greetings to Your Highness!"

When Yuanchun heard the maid's voice outside, she knew that the prince had arrived, but she just twisted her body on the couch and made no intention of standing up.

A few breaths later, the prince pushed the door open and saw Yuanchun lying there.

"You are about to enter the palace, why haven't you changed your clothes yet!" the prince asked with dissatisfaction.

Yuanchun propped herself up and sat up, then said, "I am not feeling well today, so it is difficult for me to serve my mother. Your Highness, please help me take leave!"

"Take a leave?" Zhu Jingyuan was extremely surprised.

He was really surprised to hear these words coming from Yuanchun. After all, even if she felt physically uncomfortable due to an accident, she would never ask for "leave".

"Today is New Year's Eve. My father and mother are here. It would not look good for me to go alone. You should go with me!" Zhu Jingyuan advised.

"Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to go, but I just have a severe stomachache. If something happens to me, I'm afraid others will use it to make a fuss about it!"

Zhu Jingyuan could barely accept this explanation, but he was still not happy about it. He turned around and left without saying a word of concern.

Yuanchun was upset, but in fact Zhu Jingyuan was even more upset, even to the point of being terrified.

Half a month ago, Xu Xin'an, one of his right-hand men, was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards on suspicion of colluding with local officials. However, for the sake of his position in the Eastern Palace, the matter ended with Xu Xin'an being dismissed from office.

This incident was a blow to Zhu Jingyuan, but the news of the great victory in the naval battle today was a heavy blow to him.

After the prince left, Yuanchun sighed again, then ordered all the maids in the hall to leave, and she lay down on the couch again.

It was winter and there was a stove in the house, making it relatively warm, but Yuanchun's hands and feet were cold.

In fact, Yuanchun's mentality collapsed not only because her opponent was too strong, but also because the prince was too lazy, making her methods and strategies useless.

The prince's indifference today made her extremely hurt, and in the end she could only cry alone...

I don’t know how much time had passed, but when Yuanchun was about to fall into a deep sleep, there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"My lady, it's me!"

It was Miaoyu's voice. Yuanchun understood and asked, "What's the matter?"

"I learned that Your Majesty was not feeling well, so I came to visit you. Please allow me to do so!"

"No need... I just need to take a rest!"

Standing outside the door, Miaoyu did not give up, but continued: "Your Majesty is in poor health, I have good medicine to cure it. If you are really in trouble, I have medicine to cure it!" This made Yuanchun a little interested, so she responded: "Come in!"

So Miaoyu pushed the door open and walked in, quickly arriving at the inner quiet room. She first saw the dress placed on the table, and then she turned her gaze to Crown Princess Yuanchun.

"You said there is a cure for my illness, but you don't know the cause of my illness, how can you cure it?"

Miaoyu walked to the desk and said slowly, "Your Highness is worried, I may not be unaware of it!"

Then, under Yuanchun's gaze, she picked up the pen and wrote two big words on the paper.

Yuanchun immediately stood up, walked to the desk and took a look. She was immediately shocked and then looked up at Miaoyu.

All I saw was the word "crown prince" written on the paper.

"I may be able to cure your Majesty's worry!" Miaoyu said calmly.

Yuanchun sneered, "Reciting scriptures can't cure it!"

Miaoyu smiled and said, "I can do more than just chant sutras!"

At this moment, she was calm and composed, as if she had mastered everything, and she looked like a completely different person from before.

Yuanchun stared at Miaoyu for a while with a deep gaze, then asked, "Who are you?"

Miaoyu regained her solemn demeanor and replied, "As the Queen knows, I am a monk. I see injustice and am willing to help!"

Yuanchun certainly didn't believe it, thinking that she had remembered it by now. She didn't investigate Miaoyu's origins in detail and relied entirely on her own narration.

It is now clear that this woman is hiding something.

"My lady, are you willing to believe me?"

"trust you?"

"If Your Majesty is willing, I can help Your Majesty and the Crown Prince to turn defeat into victory..."

…………

Miaoyu was planning Yuanchun's future, while in Kunning Palace, the imperial concubines, royal consorts, and princesses arrived one after another.

At this moment, Concubine Jia was talking to the Queen, but they were chatting about the affairs of the harem and the ladies of the court. Princess Chen Zhi of Rui was also accompanying them.

Nowadays, the Queen's mental state is getting worse and worse, and the affairs of the harem and the ladies of the outer court are too complicated, so the Queen has handed over most of the tasks to Concubine Jia, and she only needs to listen to the results report.

While the three were chatting, Baochai entered the Kunning Gate, followed by Princess Qingyang and Princess Jinghai. The three of them chatted and laughed all the way into the main hall.

As soon as Baochai arrived, she immediately attracted everyone's attention. Everyone came forward to congratulate her, and Baochai returned the congratulations one by one.

"Knock to the mother!"

"Get up!" The Queen nodded slightly, then called Baochai to her side.

Chen Zhi had a smile on her face, but she was filled with hatred in her heart.

"Old Thirteen refused to obey my order... He insisted on going to the front line, braving the artillery fire to fight the Western Barbarians. Now that he has won this great victory, I'm afraid he will disobey me even more in the future!"

Although the Queen was joking, Baochai still answered modestly and cautiously: "Mother, please calm down. It won't be too late to punish him severely after we return to the capital in a few days!"

"He left the capital alone, just following his own temper. How could he know how worried the queen mother was!"

Hearing this, the queen laughed instead and said, "He should be severely punished. I heard him say before that he didn't care about the title at all. How about demoting him to the rank of a prince?"

There were so many people chatting at the scene, but most of them were paying attention and paying attention to the conversation with the Queen.

When everyone heard that the Queen was going to demote Zhu Jinghong's title of king, they were all surprised and then listened more carefully.

Any other punishment is fine, but since her family really has the title of prince, how could Baochai agree to it?

"Mother, all matters concerning titles and ranks are decided by my father, the emperor, and my mother. I dare not speak without thinking, but..."

"But how?" the queen asked with interest.

Baochai replied, "But the prince has made great contributions to the court. It would be fine if he was not rewarded, but if he was punished instead... I am afraid that it would attract criticism from all over the world and damage the wisdom of my father, the emperor and my mother, the empress!"

This is the most standard way of replying, which has been engraved in Baochai's mind. Now, saying it is as smooth as eating and drinking.

The Queen laughed, and Concubine Jia beside her also laughed. Only Chen Zhi had a fake smile.

The queen looked far away, outside the hall, towards the south, and Zhu Jinghong was thousands of miles away.

"But I don't know what Old Thirteen is doing at this moment!"

A mother worries when her son is away from home, especially when he is going to war, especially in a close-range artillery battle...

The queen was worried, but in fact Zhu Jinghong was living an easy life.

After annihilating the main force of the Spanish fleet, he moved south along the coastline, eliminating Spanish military ports one by one, and then detached fleets to stay behind and occupy them in order to receive supplies contributed by Luzon.

On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Jinghong ordered a ceasefire and allowed almost all soldiers to go ashore to celebrate the New Year, which brought a huge burden to the people of Luzon.

The Ming navy came here to drive out the barbarians, so Luzon will naturally do its best to supply materials, so the people can only suffer a little more.

The army rested for five days in a row. After solving various physiological and psychological problems and receiving ammunition replenishment from supply ships, Zhu Jinghong ordered the army to continue its combat mission.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month in the fifteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, another war broke out, and there was no doubt that the Ming army won again.

The participating squadron captured the harbor, the last port the Spanish had in Luzon, where they had operated for decades.

The main force of the navy led by Zhu Jinghong had turned west three days ago and headed towards the Spanish stronghold in the Far East.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, the Ming army fleet appeared on the sea of ​​Kota Key.

Simmons, the Governor of the Spanish Far East, was standing on the fortress at this moment, looking at the hundreds of warships of the Ming army, and the bitterness in his heart could no longer be concealed.

Standing next to him was Count Andre, the Governor of Portugal's Far East, who was invited by Simmons.

In the Far East, Portugal occupied the southern part of Indochina and the western part of the Malay Archipelago, while the Spanish occupied the eastern part of the Malay Archipelago and also attempted to get their hands on the Luzon Islands.

Their spheres of influence were adjacent to each other and they were on guard against each other. The rise of the Ming navy changed their relationship.

So much so that now, the two people who used to wish each other bad luck can now get together to discuss how to defend against the enemy.

The Ming army was coming with great momentum. The Portuguese also understood the principle of "the lips and the teeth are interdependent" and accepted the invitation to protect their own interests.

"Look, if you don't help us, they'll hit you next!"

"So what are you still hesitating about? Hurry up and move your fleet over here and bombard these Eastern monkeys to death!"

Simmons tried to persuade Andre, but the latter did not express his opinion and just quietly watched the Ming fleet in the distance.

This time he did not lead the fleet here, because mobilizing the army is a big deal, and using the army to go to war is a big deal among big deals. As the governor, Andre must be extremely cautious.

If one mobilizes troops without authorization, even if he is motivated by public interest, he will inevitably be suspected by the king. This principle is universal in both the East and the West.

While the two of them were arguing, several Ming army class C ships were approaching the harbor, and around the harbor was a huge commercial area.

Of course, the busy merchants on weekdays have all left, and apart from the large quantities of stacked goods, there are only a dozen or so docked merchant ships left.

As for the coastal defense troops, Simmons had already withdrawn them back into the city, and the remaining warships were also hidden by him as a backup plan for escape after defeat.

After several Class C ships approached, they were only about a hundred meters away from the coast and only three hundred meters away from the Kota Kinabalu city wall.

After the warships were lined up in a row, the sound of cannons was soon heard, and these warships fired directly at the distant city walls.

Although the accuracy was not very good beyond 300 meters, it was still about 30% hit rate, so even though Simmons and the other man were hiding in the fortress, they retreated together under the city wall at this time.

As the two men fled in a panic, Zhu Jinghong, who was standing at the bow of the flagship, was looking at the situation ahead through a telescope.

Behind him were three naval admirals and several other lieutenant generals.

Looking at the smoke drifting in the wind ahead, Zhu Jinghong said calmly: "The time has come when the Eastern powers... can set up a few cannons on the sea and blow open the enemy's country!"

(End of this chapter)