The Rise of Ming Dynasty 1646

Chapter 584 Worshiping Xiaoling Tomb

As for the living pressure caused by rising food prices to urban residents, it will not be very serious.

The low-priced grain sold by the Department of Household Parity at the purchase price was even cheaper than the current grain and rice on the market in the early stage.However, due to the influence of the Price Parity Department, the prices of those grain merchants will inevitably not be able to increase. This is actually equivalent to using the profit margins of grain merchants to subsidize the common people.

Through this nationwide food price regulation, it is also a good test of the implementation of the parity department, which is also an exercise for them.In the future, there may be many places where the state needs to intervene in prices.

According to Zhu Linming's plan, it won't take long for Ming's maritime trade to enter a period of rapid growth.A large amount of wealth brought from overseas will mainly flow into the cities. The non-agricultural population will benefit from the prosperity of the cities, and their income levels will increase substantially. People will hardly feel that food is so expensive.In fact, in the stage of rapid urban economic development, food prices usually rise, and now it can be regarded as bringing forward the expectation of future food price increases.

In addition to giving the carrot of "increasing food prices" to the landlord class, Zhu Linmi also prepared a "big stick" in another hand.

He first transferred [-] detainee camps into Nanjing to "maintain order". Of course, he said on the surface that "the emperor is coming to Yingtian Mansion" and he needed to strengthen his guard.

And after these elite troops entered the city, they would carry flintlocks with bayonets on their backs every day, and they would pass in front of the mansions of the high officials in Jingzhong from time to time in a neat line, and they would often follow the officers in a loud voice and shout "one, two, three, Four!" command.

On the other hand, he also ordered the Ministry of War to write a document for garrisons and police forces across the country to start "winter intensive drills."

However, unlike the previous "big training", this training involving almost all the armed forces of the Ming Dynasty took place near towns, and the common people were even allowed to watch from a distance.

The main purpose of doing this is to deter those in the local area who have small thoughts and want to create some "chaos".In addition, it can show ordinary people the new look of the Ming army, change people's bad impression of the Ming army emotionally, and improve the prestige of the soldiers.

……

The four soft rubber-wrapped wheels of the carriage pressed against the gravel road, making a fine rustling sound.

The lower layer of the road surface is rammed earth, and the upper layer is gravel mixed with asphalt. The entire roadbed is three or four inches higher than the surrounding area. The road surface is extremely smooth, and there are drainage ditches built on both sides of the road.

After the technical research of Nanjing Gezhi University, it is now possible to use coal dry distillation to produce coal tar, and then use tar to boil asphalt.However, due to the relationship between technology and raw materials, the cost of producing asphalt is frighteningly high. Only the tens of miles leading to Nanjing are paved with asphalt roads, which can be regarded as the road "demonstration project" of Ming Dynasty.

"No wonder it's much smoother than along the way." The Empress Dowager Zeng nodded slightly when she heard that Pang Tianshou said that the road under her feet was specially made in Nanjing. month, and finally we are going to Nanjing."

She suddenly remembered something, and asked the eunuch, "Which gate should we enter the city from?"

Pang Tianshou bowed and said: "Go back to the Queen Mother and enter through the Zhengyang Gate."

Zhengyangmen is the south gate of Nanjing. The emperor's chariot came from Fujing in the south, and he could enter the city from here.

Empress Dowager Zeng thought for a while, and ordered: "Turn your head and go east."

Pang Tianshou was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Queen Mother, civil and military officials are all [-] miles away from the city to welcome you, if you turn to the east..."

"Let's go to Xiaoling Mausoleum first." The Empress Dowager Zeng sighed, the corners of her eyes seemed to be a little foggy, "Since the Emperor ascended to the throne, the late Emperor has been thinking of recovering the southern capital, paying homage to Xiaoling Mausoleum all day long, until he was devoting himself to thinking about it, and his description gradually faded away.

"Now we are outside the city of Nanjing, Donglu has also been driven to Jiangbei, but the late emperor... ah...

"I will pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum with Yuan'er, it should be the fulfillment of the late emperor's last wish."

Pang Tianshou also had a sore nose, he hurriedly bowed to accept the order, and ordered the guard of honor to turn towards Xiaoling, while at the same time, he ordered people to tell the courtiers who were welcoming him to wait in place.

The Xiaoling Mausoleum has long been taken over by people from the Taichang Temple, and now it is restored to its original appearance during the Chongzhen Dynasty. From time to time, a deer raised in the garden wanders over and stops by the Empress Dowager Zeng's car to watch, not afraid of people at all.

When the priest of Xiaoling heard that Shengjia was coming, he hurriedly led others to welcome him out.The Empress Dowager Zeng didn't pay much attention, stopped at Xiamafang, hugged the little emperor and went straight into the garden, but only walked all the way to the Jinshui Bridge.

Looking at the Wenwu Fangmen and the golden roofs of the palaces in the mausoleum, she sighed again and knelt down on the spot without summoning the incense burner offerings. ...Hui Niang took your son to see the Xiaoling Mausoleum for you, and kowtowed to the ancestor emperor for you..."

She turned around and handed Zhu Linyuan to the nanny, turned around, kowtowed respectfully, and then said softly: "I am Zu Hehe, my merits are sacred, my virtue spreads all over the world, my merits shine everywhere..." It was written by Longwu Zeng himself. written tribute.

"At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the government was corrupt and oppressive, and the bones were left behind on the road. The ancestors mourned the hardships of the people, and they inherited the destiny to..."

She was halfway through her mindfulness, but suddenly she heard the nanny beside her shout in an uncontrollable voice: "My lord! My lord has opened her eyes! My lord has woken up!"

Empress Dowager Zeng was startled, and jumped up from the ground at an unprecedented speed, grabbed Zhu Linyuan, looked at the baby, and saw her son opened his eyes slightly.Although the little emperor's eyes were dull and there was no other movement in her body, she was already dizzy from excitement, and she couldn't cry for a while.

Suddenly she remembered something, put the baby in the nurse's arms again, turned back and knelt down on the ground, knocked her forehead hard on the green bricks, choked up and shouted: "Thank you for the blessing of the ancestors! The ancestors showed their spirits and made my son recover as before. , is to ask me to do anything without delay..."

Pang Tianshou saw that the Empress Dowager's forehead was stained with blood, he hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, and persuaded in a low voice: "Empress Dowager, the Holy Majesty is better now, go back to the palace immediately, and then the imperial physician will prescribe a prescription to recuperate carefully, so as to cure the disease."

"Yes! That's right!" Empress Dowager Zeng's eyes suddenly brightened when she heard the words, and she said anxiously, "Go back to the palace, go back to the palace immediately!" Taking Zhu Linyuan from the nurse again, she quickly walked towards Xiamafang, calling out "Yuan'er, are you feeling better..."

Pang Tianshou followed behind, and ordered the little eunuch to go to the city first to spread the good news of the emperor, and then let the officials who would welcome him go directly to the palace to have an audience.

When Empress Dowager Zeng carried her son into the cloud car, she did not go to Zhengyangmen, but entered the city from Chaoyangmen on the east side, and went straight to the Forbidden City along the middle street.

Driving all the way outside the Meridian Gate, the Empress Dowager Zeng got off the car to change her chariot, and when she looked up, she saw that the outside of the Meridian Gate had been transformed into an endless flat square, paved with large bluestone slabs, and several rows of long and narrow flower beds were lined up in the middle. It is a stone tablet eight feet high, engraved with the words "Monument to the Heroes of the Ming Dynasty".

(End of this chapter)