King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 754 The Crown Prince Dies

Zhu Jinghong hurried to the Qianqing Palace, only to find out that the emperor was meeting with ministers.

During the eunuch's briefing, he learned from the eunuch on duty that what was being discussed was not the affairs of Korea and Japan, but the land survey in Hebei and Shandong.

Could it be that the old man still doesn't know the news? Zhu Jinghong speculated secretly, but he felt that this was unlikely.

After a while, a eunuch came out of the hall and led him into the palace.

As the distance got closer, Zhu Jinghong could vaguely hear the voices of the officials inside.

Arriving outside the warm room, Zhu Jinghong went inside under the gaze of everyone in the hall.

"Your son pays homage to His Majesty!" Zhu Jinghong saluted solemnly.

"Get up!" Zhu Xianming looked calm, and his eyes looked more kind as he looked at Zhu Jinghong.

Although the circumstances of yesterday's drinking were already vague, he still had a general grasp of Zhu Jinghong's performance throughout the entire process.

"Why are you rushing here?"

"Father, I have received news that something has happened in Korea and Japan, so I came to report it!"

After nodding, Zhu Xianming replied: "I said I would send someone to call you, but I didn't expect you to come here on your own!"

Slowly picking up the teacup, Zhu Xianming continued, "This matter is entirely yours to handle. I want to focus more on... clearing the land!"

Zhu Jinghong almost thought he had misheard the emperor's words!

"Dad...what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, these trivial matters... you can handle them on your own, and report to me after you make your decision!"

Looking into the emperor's eyes and seeing that he was not joking, Zhu Jinghong responded, "Son, I will obey your orders and take care of it!"

"This is an important matter. You can call together the military department of the Five Military Command to discuss this matter. Go!"

"Yes!"

Zhu Jinghong left the hall, slowly walked down the steps of the Qianqing Palace, and walked out of the Qianqing Gate along the Imperial Road.

Then he went to the Five Army Governor's Office. When he appeared at the gate of the Right Army Governor's Office, the military leaders who learned the news were even more surprised.

Zhu Jinghong had just walked into the Right Army Governor's Mansion. The person on duty today was the Governor's Associate Qi Yanze.

Qi Yanze and Zhu Jinghong were old acquaintances, or more precisely, he was Zhu Jinghong's old subordinate. In the 16th year of Zhengtong, he resigned from his post as the commander of the Andong Xingdusi and was promoted to the deputy governor of the Right Army Governor's Office.

When Zhu Jinghong pacified Korea in the 13th year of Zhengtong, Qi Yanze served as the commander-in-chief of the front army under him.

Among all the senior generals in the Five Army Commandery, Qi Yanze had the deepest understanding of the situation in the Northeast, so Zhu Jinghong came to the Right Army Commandery.

"Your Highness, how come you have time to come here?" Qi Yanze looked humble and his body was even more respectful.

Walking slowly inside, Zhu Jinghong replied: "Something happened in Korea and Japan. The emperor ordered me to convene a meeting and take full responsibility for handling this incident!"

Qi Yanze had just learned about the changes in Korea and Japan, and had already submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Public Security.

He really didn't expect that Zhu Jinghong would directly convene the meeting. The meaning was obvious.

While Qi Yanze was thinking, Zhu Jinghong ordered again: "Invite all the governors' offices who have served in Anton to come here, and work together to discuss this matter!"

"Yes!"

Zhu Jinghong wanted to invite someone who had experience working in Anton, but the reality was that when they learned that he was convening a meeting, all the officials in the Five Military Commandery came.

This was the first time that Zhu Jinghong convened a meeting in Beijing. Anyone with a little political sense knew that he must attend.

Ten minutes later, looking at the dozen people in front of him, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Could it be that all of you have served in several provinces in Northeast China?"

Everyone laughed, and Zhu Jinghong didn't investigate further. When everyone was present, he started to discuss the matter.

This discussion lasted for more than an hour, during which time the North and South Pacification Offices were called in and asked to describe the situation in Liaodong and Korea respectively.

As we learn more about the relevant situation, some problems have been exposed, especially the public grievances in North Korea and Japan today.

North Korea had already shouldered the burden of providing food and salaries for the garrison troops, and it still exploited the lower-level officers and officials, and even engaged in rape and looting.

The situation in Japan is similar, and because of the sea, these people will probably be even more unscrupulous.

During the first day's meeting, three major events were decided: first, troops would be dispatched from the Liaodong Regional Military Commission to the DPRK; second, the Yanshan Regional Military Commission would advance eastward to Dagu and prepare to cross the sea to Japan for reinforcement; and third, the Liaodong Navy would do its utmost to ensure the sea route.

When Zhu Jinghong returned home, the sun had already set, but there was one thing that still made him frown.

The situation in Korea and Japan involves several military governors and naval forces, and the imperial court will send a general to take charge of unified coordination and command.

He has been thinking about it and still hasn't made a decision.

According to convention, a governor should be sent to fight a war of this scale. However, among the ten governors-general in the court, three are sick and recuperating in their homes, two are stationed in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains respectively, and the other two, one is patrolling the nine borders, and the other is stabilizing the situation in the southwest.

In other words, there are still two commanders available, but Zhu Jinghong is not very familiar with these two people, and these two people have not led troops for seven or eight years.

Of course, these two people have risen step by step, and there will be basically no problem for them to go to the Northeast to subdue the people from various dusi.

At the moment, only these two people are suitable, and one of them must be chosen no matter what. Zhu Jinghong is at a loss as to how to arrange them.

Sitting in the Yin'an Palace, he was leaning on the couch, thinking hard, when a maid brought him tea.

This is of course a beauty, and she happens to be from North Korea. She is Park Jin-young who was brought back to the palace by Zhu Jinghong, and now she has been chosen to serve in Yin'an Hall.

Therefore, it is easy for excellent people to shine. Even though Park Jin-young is a Buddhist and does not fight or compete, she still surpassed all her sisters and was able to serve Zhu Jinghong.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!"

"let it go!"

Park Jin-young put down her teacup and was about to leave with the small tray, but was stopped by Zhu Jinghong: "In Joseon, were you the daughter of a noble class? Or an ordinary noble?"

Pu Zhenying was somewhat surprised to hear Zhu Jinghong ask these questions, so she answered honestly: "I am not a yangban, and my family is not a noble family!"

This surprised Zhu Jinghong again. He always thought that Park Jin-young had a good family background, otherwise she would not have been chosen as a dancer, let alone been presented to him.

"Really?" Zhu Jinghong sat up straight.

Seeing Zhu Jinghong being so serious, Park Jin-young felt a little panicked, thinking that she had said something wrong.

But she didn't dare to change her words, so she answered: "I come from an ordinary family. I was separated from my family during the war and wandered around for many years... and finally I was chosen to enter the palace!"

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Jinghong opened the lid, blew a sip of the rising hot air, and then asked: "I think the people of North Korea didn't have a good life back then!"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's words, Park Jin-young nodded, and then replied: "I heard from my sisters' family that their families are having a harder time now!"

"Oh?"

In fact, among the ten people taken away by Zhu Jinghong that year, except Park Jin-young who was of ordinary origin, the rest were all Korean nobles.

Although these people are far away from home, they still receive two or three letters a year, which contain some information about North Korea.

So Zhu Jinghong asked Park Jin-young to talk so that he could look at the issues of North Korea and Japan from a different perspective.

An hour passed during this talk. The news Zhu Jinghong learned from Park Jin-young made him realize that the situation was worse than he had imagined.

How many good things can come from garrison rule... Zhu Jinghong sighed, this is a situation that is difficult to change.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and finally Zhu Jinghong decided on the generals to lead the troops, and the second-rank Zhongwu general, the left commander of the Central Army Commandery, and the first-class son Zhan Yuren was sent to Chaori. All matters related to the appointment and dismissal were completed on March 20, and Zhan Yuren would set off on March 22.

March 21st, Prince Xiang’s Palace, Yin’an Hall.

Looking at Sun Shaozu kneeling in front of him, Zhu Jinghong said slowly: "You are a brave general. It is a waste of talent to keep you in the capital. I have ordered the Ministry of War... to appoint you as the deputy commander of the Andong Xingdusi and promote you to the rank of General Dingyuan!"

Before Sun Shaozu took office in the Wucheng Bingmasi, he served as the deputy commander of the Andong Xingdusi. Both positions were of the fourth rank.

Now letting Sun Shaozu go from the capital to Andong, and to serve as the deputy commander of the capital, has a bit of the meaning of exile, so Zhu Jinghong will promote him to the rank of General Dingyuan.

General Dingyuan was an official of the third rank, one level higher than the deputy commander-in-chief and one level lower than the third rank commander-in-chief.

From a third-rank official, the next level up is to deputy governor, officially entering the ranks of senior military generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Sun Shaozu was excited and grateful at the moment. He kowtowed to Zhu Jinghong several times in a row, expressing his loyalty and determination.

Looking at the werewolf in front of him, Zhu Jinghong felt that letting him out to kill the enemy was the only way for him to atone for his sins.

While Sun Shaozu was fantasizing about working hard in Korea to earn military merit and taking advantage of Zhu Jinghong's influence to make further progress, he did not expect that his master had already sentenced his official career to death.

If Sun Shaozu wins, he will be retained as the Andong Xingdusi for a long time. If he brings about a great defeat, the national law will be ruthless.

As for whether this person's long-term stay in Anton will cause others to lose heart, or whether this person will become too powerful to be removed, there is no need to worry at all.

First of all, Sun Shaozu has a shallow foundation, but his promotion speed in recent years is too fast, faster than Hou Jing and Shi Chong. This has made many people jealous and hate him, and others can't wait to see him make a fool of himself.

Secondly, everything Sun Shaozu had was given by Zhu Jinghong, and any slight change could take it all away, so there was no possibility of him defecting.

"When you go to Anton, you must be careful and cautious. This is a matter of great importance... If you make a mistake, I can't save you!"

The first few words were normal, but the last sentence, "I can't save you either," sounded a bit too harsh. However, Sun Shaozu didn't take it too seriously, and just thought that Zhu Jinghong was warning him to be careful.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will act prudently and fight a few more good battles to bring you honor!"

"Ok!"

The master and servant chatted about some specific matters, and Sun Shaozu left half an hour later.

After Sun Shaozu left, Baochai walked out from behind the screen and said slowly, "This man... I hope he won't make mistakes again in the future!"

Zhu Jinghong didn't say much, but walked to the desk in the side hall, where many reports were piled up, all of which required him to understand the situation and review them.

Baochai followed and stood in front of Zhu Jinghong, stroking her belly and whispering, "Now that there is a war, you finally don't have to go out again. When my baby is born, I will finally have a father present!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong smiled and then continued to work.

In the blink of an eye, more than four months have passed, and a lot of things have happened during this period.

First, the war in Andong progressed very smoothly in the early stages, but the rebels were never completely wiped out. When the suppression was launched, these people broke up into small groups and hid among the people. They came out again when the imperial army withdrew.

Second, the Japanese rebellion was put down, but the Japanese garrison suffered heavy losses, and the commander even died for his country.

Third, the national land survey was not going smoothly. A large-scale civil uprising broke out in Shandong, but it was quickly suppressed by the Shandong Regional Military Commission.

Fourthly, the prince’s health was getting worse and worse, and he was almost at the end of his life.

Fifth, in June, Baochai gave birth to a baby boy, who was named Zhu Muchan (chan) by Zhu Jinghong, and then Xiangyun also became pregnant in June.

July 20th, the eighteenth year of Zhengtong.

It was an ordinary day. Zhu Jinghong was busy in Shanglinyuan all day, mainly checking the planting conditions of potatoes and sweet potatoes. The growth was much worse than he expected.

But for the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, it had far exceeded their expectations, and everyone said it was a great auspicious sign.

In late July, the spring potatoes were ready to be eaten. Some of the harvest was sent to the palace, and Zhu Jinghong also brought some back to the palace.

That night, after dinner, Zhu Jinghong set up a stove outside the Yin'an Hall and roasted potatoes.

On his left and right are Xiangyun and Baoqin, the latter of whom has now been canonized as a concubine.

"How is it?" Zhu Jinghong asked Xiang Xiangyun and the others.

Although it was sprinkled with various seasonings, perhaps due to Zhu Jinghong's poor cooking skills or poor variety selection, the taste was indeed unsatisfactory.

Xiangyun and Baoqin, who were full of expectations, were greatly disappointed after eating, and began to complain.

However, Zhu Jinghong was very happy. This thing was easy to grow and the yield was good. It could feed more people and support him to do more things in the future.

"Forget it, let's all go back and rest!"

"Prince, where are you going tonight?" It was Baoqin who asked the question. At this time, she no longer called him "brother-in-law".

Patting Baoqin's small buttocks, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Don't play dumb with me when we go to the princess' place tonight. If you can't bear to leave me... then come with me!"

It’s no wonder that Zhu Jinghong was really looking forward to sleeping in the same bed with Baoqin and Baochai, but unfortunately he never got the chance.

Baoqin was even more afraid of such things. She shook her head and refused, then walked away with Xiangyun.

Watching Baoqin and the other two go away, Zhu Jinghong muttered in a low voice: "It's actually more interesting to have Chai and Dai together!"

However, Daiyu is now pregnant, and the baby will probably be born in November this year, so she will have to go to the emperor's bedchamber at least until next year.

Since Baochai had just finished her confinement and it was not convenient for her to sleep with the emperor, Zhu Jinghong did not think much about it for the time being.

When he arrived at Tongxin Hall, he first visited the infant Zhu Muzhen, and then tested and taught Zhu Muzhen, who was already five years old. Another half hour passed.

After washing and changing clothes, Zhu Jinghong went to bed with Baochai. The couple chatted for a while and then fell asleep.

I don’t know how long I slept, but the call of Ying'er outside the curtain woke Baochai, who was sleeping lightly.

"Is Chan'er making trouble again?" Baochai asked.

Ying'er's voice was a little nervous as she answered, "Your Majesty... I just received news that the Crown Prince... has passed away!"

"What?" Baochai was shocked.

Then she lifted the quilt, pushed Zhu Jinghong who was still sleeping twice, and got out of bed.

"Explain clearly, I took the medicine yesterday, how come..."

In fact, Baochai was only surprised for a moment. After all, it was no secret that the prince was on his last legs and could die at any time without help.

"The eunuch who delivered the message said that he went there at midnight tonight. The emperor has already known about it and is now ordering..."

Baochai listened to Ying'er's report and turned around to look at the bed, only to find that Zhu Jinghong did not get up, but turned over and was still sleeping.

Zhu Jinghong has a good sleep quality, which makes Baochai particularly envious, but at this moment she also feels at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

So she could only step forward again and push Zhu Jinghong hard, saying, "Get up quickly, get up quickly... Is something serious going on?"

This finally woke Zhu Jinghong up, so he asked, "What time is it?"

"The beginning of the hour of Ugly Hour!" Ying'er answered in a low voice.

But Zhu Jinghong was still lying on the bed, with his eyes closed, and asked, "What happened?"

Baochai sat down beside the bed, then leaned over and whispered in his ear: "The prince has passed away!"

(End of this chapter)