The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 408 Women are not inferior to men
Ceylon Island, the temporary residence of Prince Yan.

Yao Guangxiao walked towards Zhu Gaochi's bedroom with steady steps. Officials, guards, and servants along the way saluted him one after another.

He kept walking and just nodded slightly as a courtesy.

We arrived at our destination in a short while.

It is called a sleeping palace, but in fact it is just a large courtyard, its scale is not even as large as that of the landlords in Ming Dynasty.

They don't build large buildings, not because they are thrifty or anything.

Rather, the move is to inspire everyone, whose target is the subcontinent.

This is just a temporary stop.

If you want a comfortable life, wait until you conquer the subcontinent.

This tactic was indeed effective. From the leadership of the palace to the ordinary people, everyone was mentally prepared.

When everyone is mobilized, the work efficiency is terrifying.

The resettlement work was completed in just a year and a half.

The army also freed up its hands and began to do restorative training.

Yao Guangxiao came here today to report the situation to Zhu Gaochi and exchange views on future plans.

With his status, he could have gone in directly, but he still stopped outside the door and waited for the eunuch to report.

It’s not that he cares so much about etiquette.

If it was Zhu Di who was in the house, he wouldn't care so much.

But Zhu Gaochi was different. He was a young ruler and his prestige was not enough to convince others.

If Yao Guangxiao was too casual, people would misunderstand that he did not respect Zhu Gaochi.

This would lead to them developing a contemptuous attitude towards Zhu Gaochi, which was extremely dangerous.

Now that he is so respectful, others naturally dare not overstep the mark.

Soon the eunuch came out to report, and the prince invited him in.

Yao Guangxiao tidied up his appearance before entering respectfully.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw the Crown Prince's Consort Zhang greeting me at the door.

He bowed quickly: "Greetings, Crown Prince's Consort."

Zhang said politely, "Master, you are so polite. Please take a seat."

Looking at the elegant and generous Zhang, Yao Guangxiao sighed in his heart that the prince had married a virtuous wife.

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi's weak voice came:
"Master, you are here, please sit down."

Yao Guangxiao walked a few steps to the bedside, looked at Zhu Gaochi's pale face, and naturally reached out to feel his pulse.

"The prince's pulse has become much stronger. This is a good sign. He will recover after recuperating for a while."

Zhang's face showed joy, but she still did not forget to express her gratitude:

"Thanks to the master's excellent medical skills."

Yao Guangxiao said: "It is also true that the prince is blessed by heaven. As the saying goes, great fortune will come after great disaster."

"This indicates that we will be able to achieve what we wish for this trip."

Zhu Gaochi chuckled and said, "Finally, I heard some good news. If I lie down any longer, I'll get moldy."

"The point is, if my health affects the plans of the palace, it would be a serious sin."

There is an unpredictable situation in the sky, and people will be banished.

Zhu Gaochi's experience over the past six months is the best reflection of this statement.

When he went out to sea, he was full of ambition and ready to make a big splash and start a career.

However, he collapsed soon after boarding the boat.

First, I got seasick.

He had taken a boat on an inland river before and had never gotten seasick, so he thought he wouldn't get seasick.

However, the wind and waves on the sea were far stronger than those on the inland river, and they overturned him in a few seconds.

At first everyone thought it was just common seasickness, so no one took it seriously.

I'll get used to the dizziness.

However, everyone soon realized that something was wrong.

Instead of getting better, his seasickness became even worse, and he was soon diagnosed with acclimatization.

The two diseases combined took half his life.

But that was not the end. After finally arriving in Ceylon, he was infected with malaria due to his weak body.

Everyone was a little nervous after coming to a foreign country from the Ming Dynasty.

Now the backbone has fallen again, and everyone is panicking.

Even Yao Guangxiao was somewhat helpless.

No matter how high his prestige is, he is only an aide to the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and his power comes from the trust of the royal power.

This is similar to Chen Jingke, who was just a companion and his power came from the trust of the royal family.

Now that the master of the palace is ill, he, as a counselor, has no authority to order others.

He had counted on ten thousand kinds of setbacks, but he had not counted on this one.

Ask for help from the Ming Dynasty?
The Crown Prince is almost dead as soon as he arrives in Ceylon. What do you think the court will think?
Moreover, it would take half a year to go to the Ming Dynasty for help, and by then it would be too late.

At this moment of panic, a person no one expected stood up and quickly calmed people's hearts.

That is the Crown Prince’s Consort Zhang.

She first convened a meeting of all the management of the palace, and at the beginning of the meeting she said directly:
"Military and national affairs are not something that a woman like me should be involved in, but the situation is critical and I can't care less."

"But I am just a woman, what can I do? I still rely on you to do things."

"You are all my elders, people trusted by His Majesty and the King. I hope you can help my wife and I get through this difficult time."

After saying that, he stood up and saluted.

Everyone was surprised by her reaction, not because of how clever her words were.

But the calmness she displayed at such a critical moment was truly rare.

You know, she is only sixteen years old this year.

She had been kept in seclusion before, and had only been married to the prince for more than half a year.

To be honest, no one took her seriously.

When the prince fell ill, no one ever asked for her opinion.

But it was she who stood up at this critical moment.

After Yao Guangxiao and Yang Jing reacted, they immediately realized that the situation had taken a turn for the better.

He immediately stood up and bowed respectfully: "We will not let your majesty and the king down."

After the two of them expressed their stance, the others followed suit and stood up to show their loyalty.

Then, Yao Guangxiao struck while the iron was hot and said, "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The Crown Prince is seriously ill and unable to manage affairs. It is only right that the Crown Prince's wife should temporarily take charge of state affairs."

Yang Jing also expressed his support.

Not to mention Yao Guangxiao's status, Yang Jing is not simple either. He is the military commander of the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

In fact, if Zhu Yuanzhang were here, he would definitely be very shocked.

Why is Yang Jing, Marquis of Yingyang, who died of illness in the 15th year of Hongwu, still alive and why is he in the Prince of Yan's Mansion?

Speaking of which, we have to go back to the Hu Weiyong case.

Hu Weiyong was the prime minister and the figurehead of the Huaixi Group in the court. Who wouldn't want to have a good relationship with him?
Yang Jing was naturally no exception and gave him many gifts.

It was originally just a normal interpersonal relationship, but when Hu Weiyong got into trouble, the situation changed.

Personal connections become evidence of guilt.

Yang Jing had followed Xu Da in many battles and they had a very good relationship, so he came to him for help.

Xu Da naturally knew that he was innocent, so he helped him out of softness of heart.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was so bloodthirsty that normal advice was of no use.

So they thought of a way to fake their own death.

When a person is dead, the debt is settled. Even if Lao Zhu wants to implicate many people, he will not settle accounts with a dead person without solid evidence.

The facts were exactly as they thought. Upon learning of his death, Zhu Yuanzhang did not implicate others and posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Rui on him.

And Yang Jing, under Xu Da's arrangement, served under Yan Wang Zhu Di.

As to why Zhu Di helped his father-in-law deceive his father, there is no record in history and later generations can only guess for themselves.

Anyway, Yang Jing did accept the favor and was loyal to Zhu Di.

He returned to the battlefield during the Jingnan Campaign and was killed in battle at Lingbi. He was posthumously named Duke of Jing for his merits.

According to the calculation of time, his opponent in Lingbi at that time was Xu Yungong.

In other words, he was most likely killed by Xu Yungong. It can only be said that history is always full of drama.

There was no Jingnan Campaign in this life, but the Prince of Yan took the initiative to request to be granted the sub-continent, so he naturally followed.

After arriving here, he finally began to show up in public.

Although he did not officially resume his original identity, he did not change his name either, but continued to present himself as Yang Jing.

However, except for a very few people who know the truth, most people regard it as a person with the same name.

This situation is not uncommon.

It was because Zhu Di helped Yang Jing to fake his death and escape punishment that Yang Jing became extremely loyal to the Prince of Yan's Palace.

When he came to Ceylon, Zhu Di entrusted all military affairs to him.

He did not let down this trust.

At this critical moment, he stepped forward to help Zhang stabilize the situation.

Now, with their support, coupled with Zhang's remarkable performance just now.

Everyone took the opportunity to express their loyalty.

In the following meeting, Zhang showed extraordinary ability.

He handles things in an organized way, and even if he encounters a problem he doesn't understand, he can get the answer by asking someone who knows the subject.

Everyone's attitude towards her changed from indifference to respect.

Even Yao Guangxiao was surprised at her performance and felt very happy at the same time.

The prince has married a virtuous wife, and the future of Yan State is promising.

Then, under Zhang's guidance, everyone determined the overall policy.

She takes care of the prince, while the outside affairs are left to everyone to deal with.

Specifically, internal affairs were handed over to Yao Guangxiao, and military affairs were handed over to Yang Jing.

When something important happens, the two of them discuss it together. If they can't come to a conclusion, they come to her.

The rest of the people performed their duties and acted according to the plan previously discussed.

Such an arrangement immediately calmed the top management.

We are all capable people, what we lack is a backbone.

Now that Zhang took the initiative to step forward and take on the responsibility, everyone calmed down and the rest of the things became simple.

Then, they released the news that the prince's condition had improved and he was conscious and able to handle government affairs.

It's just because of a series of illnesses that my health is too bad and I need to rest, so it's not appropriate for me to handle government affairs in public.

Yao Guangxiao and Yang Jing were responsible for minor matters, and big matters would be dealt with by him.

The lower-level officials and ordinary people had no idea what exactly had happened.

Seeing that the top leaders have spoken with one voice, they naturally won't have any doubts.

Moreover, the top brass did calm down and began to handle their official business as normal.

The official documents delivered to the palace every day are all well reviewed and processed, so no one will have any doubts.

In fact, all these documents were reviewed by Zhang.

While taking care of Zhu Gaochi, she handled various government affairs with the help of Yao Guangxiao and Yang Jing.

In the process, she demonstrated extraordinary talent.

It wasn't long before he was able to handle military and national affairs on his own.

Even Yao Guangxiao couldn't help but marvel at the fact that women like Zhang were just as brave as men.

After more than a month, Zhu Gaochi finally passed the critical period and regained consciousness.

However, the long-term pain and suffering did cause his body to collapse.

I feel groggy most of the time and awake only a few times.

After learning what happened in the palace, he felt mixed emotions.

There is fear, happiness, and relief...

My feelings towards Zhang are even more complicated, with mixed emotions such as guilt and heartache.

The two got engaged very early, but Zhang grew up in Peking and he was educated in Luoyang, so they actually only met a few times.

To say how deep the feelings are would be a lie.

But after learning what happened during this period, he respected and loved her.

Who wouldn't like a girl like this?

Zhang naturally also felt the change in her husband. At this moment, she felt that all her hard work and efforts were worth it.

Afterwards, she wanted to hand over government affairs to Zhu Gaochi.

He refused on the grounds of poor health: "My energy is simply not enough to handle the tedious government affairs."

"And you handled it very well. Everyone is used to your style. There is no need to replace them at this critical juncture."

"Besides, you and I are husband and wife, why should we care about these little things?"

With the support of her husband, Zhang felt more confident.

When he encountered something that disagreed with Yao Guangxiao and others, he dared to stick to his own views.

But in most cases, she still respects other people's opinions.

He would also take the opportunity to tell Zhu Gaochi what he had dealt with every day during the conversation.

Therefore, even though he had been lying in bed, Zhu Gaochi was well aware of the situation in the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

As his health recovered, he gradually took over the government affairs.

The people outside had no idea that someone had changed above their heads.

There is a saying that goes, the disease goes away like a thread being pulled out.

He is still very weak and can only lie in bed most of the time, making him unfit for public appearances.

Only a few high-ranking officials can see him.

Zhang still helped him handle many government affairs.

Yao Guangxiao would come over from time to time to discuss some things and take his pulse and check his health.

Overall, his body has been recovering and his condition is getting better and better.

"In at most half a month, the prince will be able to act like a normal person."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhang were naturally very happy about the news and expressed their gratitude to Yao Guangxiao again.

After chatting for a while, the three of them got down to business.

Yao Guangxiao gave a detailed introduction to the situation of the Prince of Yan's Palace on Ceylon Island:
"…The people have adapted to the climate here, and the army has begun training."

After all, it was not just Zhu Gaochi who was not able to adapt to the local climate and environment, but many other people as well.

After arriving at their destination, a large number of people fell ill.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty already has rich experience in this regard.

This time they brought enough medicinal herbs, so no disaster occurred.

Even so, it seriously delayed the progress of various tasks.

"I used this time to learn more about the situation in Sindhu..."

"The military has also conducted dozens of simulations on the attack on Pandya and has a mature strategic plan."

"But we think it would be better to send troops early next year."

It is said to be the beginning of next year, but in fact there are only more than three months left.

There are three reasons for choosing this time point.

One is that the New Year is coming soon. As the most important festival in China, its meaning is different.

We have just moved here, so it is inevitable that we may feel a little anxious and uncomfortable.

The joy of the New Year can make people forget many negative emotions.

Festivals can also help people develop a sense of belonging to their new environment.

Secondly, the festival can also be used to paralyze those people on the subcontinent and make them mistakenly believe that Yan State has no other ambitions.

The third thing is, of course, to wait for all the resources from the Ming Dynasty to be in place.

The Prince of Yan's Mansion had just arrived and was not able to produce war supplies on its own, so it could only transport them from the Ming Dynasty.

It takes time.

"It's mainly due to the chaos in the South Seas, which has caused the number of ships traveling to and from the West to be reduced by more than half compared to previous years. This has also affected the speed at which we can collect supplies."

"But even at the current rate, we can ensure that we have enough supplies by the beginning of next year."

Zhu Gaochi thought of the chaos in Nanyang, and his expression became more serious. He said:

"I don't know what the situation is like in the Ming Dynasty, and whether the Great Enfeoffment Plan is going smoothly."

(End of this chapter)