King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 701: Use both suppression and appeasement to resolve the dilemma!
After sending away the eunuchs, Zhu Xianming said, "You speak!"

Following behind the emperor, Zhu Jinghong carefully considered his words and slowly said, "Because the court has been engaged in wars for many years, taxes have increased and the people are complaining..."

"It has only been a month since the bandits started their uprising, and hundreds of thousands of people in the two prefectures have been instigated by them. If we allow the bandits to continue to wreak havoc... I don't know how many more people will be affected!"

"So my son still insists that we should dispatch heavy troops to suppress the Hunan rebellion and wipe out the bandits as quickly as possible. Only in this way can we eliminate the adverse effects to the greatest extent!"

The emperor pondered in silence. He only agreed with part of Zhu Jinghong's views and did not think the situation was extremely serious.

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, Zhu Jinghong continued, "I have previously made a petition to the emperor to mobilize the elite troops from Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces to attack the bandits from all directions!"

"The bandit leader changed his name to Liu Zhuming, which shows that he has great ambitions. I also heard that he distributed land widely, gathered refugees and killed officials and gentry. This person is definitely not an ordinary bandit... I hope father will be cautious!"

Zhu Xianming had more complete information, so he knew everything Zhu Jinghong said later and knew more details.

In the past, he only thought that this "thief Liu" was arrogant, but now that he connected all those details together, he realized that this person was indeed unusual.

"That makes some sense!" Zhu Xianming nodded.

"In addition, I think that local officials in Hunan should be severely punished, and the neighboring provinces should also be investigated to punish those who are corrupt and abuse their power to oppress the good people, so as to resolve the people's grievances and stabilize the local area!"

"Otherwise, even if we kill that thief Liu, there is no guarantee that there will be no thieves like Li and Zhao in the future..."

Hearing about the thieves Li and Zhao reminded Zhu Xianming of the Tang and Song dynasties, which happened to be related to the Han Dynasty as Liu Zhuming called it.

Glancing at Zhu Jinghong, Zhu Xianming said slowly, "I have sent Wang Pei'an to be the governor of Hunan. You said this... Do you think he will condone corruption?"

"My son is worried that if he finds out who is behind this, Father, please don't just punish them both with fifty lashes for the sake of the overall situation!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming couldn't help but smile. After talking for so long, the criticism was actually directed at him.

"Boy, what you mean is that I will condone corruption... You are so brave!" Zhu Xianming sneered.

Zhu Jinghong was not afraid, but calmly replied: "The whole world is on my father's shoulders. There are too many things to consider. Sometimes you have to act according to the circumstances and there is nothing you can do about it!"

Zhu Xianming deeply agreed with this statement. Zhu Jinghong's understanding of this made him think highly of him even more.

While the emperor was thinking deeply, Zhu Jinghong concluded: "If we use both suppression and appeasement to deal with the rebels and the people, the dilemma will be solved!"

"Use both suppression and appeasement, and the dilemma will be resolved..." the emperor murmured.

Regardless of whether Zhu Jinghong was right or not, the fact that he could come up with such a complete strategy, and it sounded logically self-consistent, made him much better than the prince.

"Do you think... we really need to mobilize troops from three provinces?"

"Yes, it is very necessary!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

"Okay...I believe you!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhu Jinghong bowed.

The agreement on this matter meant that the military deployment needed to be readjusted, so Zhu Xianming summoned officials from the Ministry of War to revise the military orders that had not yet been issued.

The Ministry of War modified the deployment and then redrafted the proposal. Next, it had to be submitted to the Cabinet for review according to the procedure, and then issued after approval by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Of course, these things had nothing to do with Zhu Jinghong. Just as he was about to leave the palace, he met Zhu Yunsheng who had just entered the palace outside the Fengtian Gate.

"Brother Thirteen..."

Zhu Yunsheng, with tears in her eyes, rushed directly in front of her brother, causing the maidservant following behind her to become extremely panicked.

"Hurry up and help the princess up!" Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice.

Several maids hurried forward and helped Zhu Yunsheng up from in front of Zhu Jinghong, preventing her from behaving too inappropriately.

"Brother Thirteen, Liang Yi was injured. I don't know what his condition is now. I'm so worried..."

Liang Yi was shot in the chest, but fortunately his armor was strong enough, and after the force was dissipated, the sword tip only penetrated half an inch of the flesh.

But even so, Zhu Yunsheng was still very worried. After all, Prince Consort Liang Yi was her husband and could be said to be her life.

"He's not seriously injured. With a good doctor treating him, he won't be in any serious trouble!"

"I heard that he seized the military power by force, but ended up in a great defeat... Even if the arrow wound is not serious, Dad will not let him off easily!"

Zhu Yunsheng was right about this point. Liang Yi's assignment was to go on an inspection tour, which simply meant being the emperor's eyes and ears.

The current situation is that not only did he fail to do his job well, but he also exceeded his authority and caused a big mess. It is only right that he should be severely punished.

There are too many important things to deal with right now, so Liang Yi's little thing was not noticed.

However, there will be accountability for this defeat. Liang Yi exceeded his authority first and was defeated later, so he will definitely be pursued by the censors.

Even the local officials in Hunan would push the responsibility onto him.

It was because of seeing these disasters that Zhu Yunsheng hurried into the palace to plead for mercy for Liang Yi.

Her only thought now was to bring Liang Yi back from Hunan and keep him away from trouble.

"It's his fault for being rash!" Zhu Jinghong replied calmly.

Zhu Yunsheng wiped her tears and said, "Thirteenth brother, if he is severely punished, or even put under military law... I will not live anymore!"

Having said that, Zhu Yunsheng herself knew that such a thing would never happen, after all, she was deeply loved by her father.

Zhu Jinghong was unmoved and said calmly: "Alright... call him back and behave yourself from now on!"

At this moment, Zhu Yunsheng felt deeply the change in Zhu Jinghong.

She has realized that the person in front of her is no longer just her brother, and none of her previous tricks of acting like a spoiled child are working anymore.

She understood that in other matters, she might be able to gain some advantage by acting coquettishly, but Zhu Jinghong would never treat military and national affairs lightly.

"I understand, little sister!" Zhu Yunsheng replied sincerely.

Zhu Jinghong nodded, his tone slightly softer, and said: "I understand. You two are honored and respected, just live your life in peace... Why cause trouble for no reason!"

"Yes!" Zhu Yunsheng nodded in response, appearing particularly well-behaved.

"Go!" said Zhu Jinghong.

"Where are we going?" Zhu Yunsheng looked confused.

Because she thought too much, she was unsure of Zhu Jinghong's attitude. Was he asking her to stop making trouble and return to the palace, or to go into the palace to meet the emperor and empress?

Hearing Zhu Yunsheng's words, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but laugh: "Your legs are on your body... It's up to you where you go!"

"Then... little sister will go to see mother?" Zhu Yunsheng asked.

"Ok!"

"Goodbye little sister!"

Watching Zhu Yunsheng leave, Zhu Jinghong also sighed. He also deeply felt that there was a gap between the brother and sister.

When he thought about it carefully, he realized that there were very few people in the world with whom he could confide his heart, which made him feel extremely lonely.

Even before he became emperor, he was already tending to be a lonely man. What would happen if he became emperor?
"The old man has the Queen Mother, but luckily I still have Baochai and Lin girl... I am luckier than the old man!"

Needless to say, Zhu Jinghong was completely open with Baochai about all his plans and calculations, so it was natural that they could talk about anything.

Daiyu is a little different. The two of them also have a deep and interesting conversation, but they focus more on their insights into life and interesting things in life.

Simply put, Baochai is in charge of career and family, while Daiyu is in charge of dreams and pursuits. Of course, the two are not absolutely separated.

Accompanied by eunuchs such as Deng An, Zhu Jinghong walked out of Donghua Gate, and all the guards along the way greeted him.

As soon as he walked out of Donghua Gate, a man knelt down before Zhu Jinghong.

"Your Highness Xu Guangfu, I pay my respects to the Thirteenth Master!"

"Xu's eldest son?" Zhu Jinghong asked after a slight hesitation. This man was the eldest son of the Xu family!

Zhu Jinghong first helped the Xu family to be reborn, and later indirectly promoted Xu Guangfu, which made the latter very grateful to him.

Zhu Jinghong lived in seclusion and rarely saw outsiders, so it was extremely difficult to run into him.

When Xu Guangfu was off duty today, he happened to run into the carriage of Prince Xiang's mansion. After asking, he learned that it was Zhu Jinghong who went to the palace. He had been waiting to see Zhu Jinghong.

"Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, it is me!" Xu Guangfu replied.

"Look at your official uniform. Have you been promoted again?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, I was promoted to deputy captain at the beginning of the year!" Xu Guangfu replied with a smile on his face.

He was promoted to the next level in just two years. This speed was already very fast. After all, the Imperial City Guard was equivalent to the Imperial Guard, and its deputy captain was a real military officer of the sixth rank.

Normally, it is impossible for a down-to-earth person like Xu Guangfu to be promoted so quickly.

The reason why he was able to be promoted was because he had previously run errands for Zhu Jinghong and indirectly integrated into the noble circle of the Dragon Guards. Most of these people's elders were powerful figures in the military, so promoting a sixth-rank official was not a big deal.

"Very good... You must work hard and live up to the court's trust in you!" Zhu Jinghong encouraged.

"Your Majesty's teachings, I will definitely keep them in mind!"

As he walked towards the sedan chair, Zhu Jinghong asked, "What errand are you on now?"

"Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, from the Donghua Gate to the Dong'an Gate, between the Eastern Palace, the Shangbao Palace, the Shangshen Palace, and the Yuyong Palace..."

Xu Guangfu reported, while Zhu Jinghong was making up a picture in his mind. He roughly determined the scope of Xu Guangfu's responsibilities.

Simply put, on the line from Donghuamen to Dong'anmen, the area of ​​four to five hundred meters on each side is the patrol area of ​​Xu Guangfu's troops.

The most important thing is that the East Palace is within their defense area, which forces Zhu Jinghong to think more.

So he then asked: "How many people are there in your thousand households? How do they take up their duties?"

"The Qianhu Division has more than 600 guards in total, divided into two shifts, with 300 people on duty each!"

Before Zhu Jinghong could ask, Xu Guangfu continued, "There is one chief captain and two deputy captains among the captains... There are three shifts, each with their own leader!"

"How often do you rotate?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"The guards rotate every three days, and the three of us rotate every two days!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "It's just one circle of the six heavenly wheels, right!"

Xu Guangfu chuckled and replied, "That's right!"

At this time, Deng An had already lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. Zhu Jinghong lowered his head slightly and was about to go in. Suddenly, he turned around and said half-jokingly: "I often enter the palace from Donghua Gate. Since you are guarding this road, you must protect me well in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangfu immediately patted his chest and said, "If anyone wants to touch the Thirteenth Master, they must first go over my dead body!"

Zhu Jinghong smiled even more, and then replied: "Then I can rest assured!"

At this moment, Xu Guangfu could not understand the deep meaning of this sentence, and just said, "Your Highness, just rest assured."

Zhu Jinghong left the palace and returned to his mansion, where the banquet was still going on. But before he could even sit down, someone reported that a guest had arrived.

"Yun girl is here!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong subconsciously asked: "That Yun girl!"

Baochai replied helplessly: "Who else could it be? Of course it's Sister Xiangyun!"

"Oh...it's Miss Yun. Then send someone to invite her!" Zhu Jinghong replied quickly.

There were too many women in the mansion and too many trivial matters to deal with, so Zhu Jinghong actually forgot about Xiangyun.

"Someone has been sent to invite them!"

At this time Daiyu said: "It's been so long since he came, I'll go and see!"

Before Zhu Yunsheng got married, Daiyu and Xiangyun stayed in Kunning Palace, so they had a particularly good relationship.

Having not seen him for nearly two years, Daiyu missed him terribly, so she couldn't wait even a moment longer.

Watching Daiyu leave, Zhu Jinghong laughed and said, "This girl... really can't sit still!"

Baochai glanced at him and then said, "You still like it!"

"Haha...a beautiful lady is a perfect match for a gentleman!"

Holding up the teacup, Baochai said gracefully, "I asked you to read the Book of Poetry, but I didn't ask you to use it like this!"

Looking forward, Zhu Jinghong said seriously: "I read the Spring and Autumn Annals!"

The couple both smiled, and then stopped arguing and watched the performance on the stage in front of them.

A few minutes later, Daiyu appeared with Xiangyun on her arm. As soon as the latter entered the room, she pointed at the scene and said, "Great... There is something fun, and you didn't even call me, but gathered together quietly!"

Baochai waved her hand and said, "Sister Yun, you are too kind!"

Although Xiangyun was innocent, she knew what was important and what was not. When Baochai wanted to call her over, she came over.

As soon as he approached, before Baochai could say anything, Zhu Jinghong smiled and praised: "Yun girl, long time no see... Now you have become a great beauty!"

Xiangyun just snorted, and then said: "Yeah...it's only been over a year since we last met, and someone has completely forgotten about me!"

Hearing this, Keqing and others were surprised at Xiangyun's courage. After all, it was very dangerous to lose temper with Zhu Jinghong.

Zhu Jinghong looked at Daiyu, looked around and said, "It must be that little girl Lin who is talking too much!"

Daiyu did not back down and said bluntly, "Master Thirteen, please do not wrongly accuse me. You forgot about Sister Yun yourself, and you blame others for what they said?"

After saying this, she turned her head away and didn't bother to argue with Zhu Jinghong any further.

Zhu Jinghong had no place to vent his anger, so he could only say: "These two girls are really unruly and are going to make a scene!"

But Baochai said at the right time: "Rules? Whose rules? Your rules... can only govern the people in the mansion!"

"Princess...even you are helping outsiders!" Zhu Jinghong drank a glass of wine in silence.

"Sister Lin, Sister Yun... why are you attacking the prince? This is too outrageous!"

This was Zhen Qin's voice. She loved forming cliques, and the largest "gang" in the palace was Zhu Jinghong. Of course, she had to seize this opportunity today.

Seeing Zhen Qin's eagerness to show off, Zhu Jinghong just thought it was very funny, so he clapped his hands and said, "Sure enough... there are still people in this palace who share the same mind as me!"

This immediately encouraged Zhen Qin, and she said, "I am just telling the truth!"

Zhu Jinghong looked at Daiyu, and then asked, "Lin girl, what do you say?"

"Humph...I won't tell you!"

Zhu Jinghong never expected this answer, so he laughed even more happily.

He thought the most interesting thing was the women's bickering and fighting, so he decided to add fuel to the fire.

"If you don't say it, you're in the wrong. Since you know you're wrong... why don't you apologize to me?"

"You call yourself a gentleman, but you can't be so magnanimous!"

Daiyu turned around, looked at Zhu Jinghong for a few seconds, then bowed slightly as a gesture of greeting.

When everyone wanted to apologize for her, Daiyu said, "My Lord, I am a woman, not a gentleman!"

(End of this chapter)