Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Li Renli and Cao Changyong drank so much that night that they had no idea what had happened when they woke up.

Their last memory was chatting with Xu Kangzong about the Kingdom of Jin and the Kingdom of Liao.

In the next few days, officials from Honglu Temple accompanied him. First go to the nearest Daxiangguo Temple, burn incense, worship the Buddha, and practice Zen. Then we went to Chengxi Youhu Lake to listen to music, then to Fanlou to experience high-end enjoyment, and to the lively Wazi to have fun with the people.

Everyone is happy and reluctant to miss Shu!

Until Ju Ming's side was ready, the two were finally received, and they were still at the court meeting.

Emperor Zhu Guoxiang of the Ming Dynasty was suspected of "negligence" and did not hold court meetings very frequently. Most of the time, he let the cabinet and the General Affairs Council handle state affairs.

On the first day of each month, a large court meeting is held, and all officials from the Beijing court must participate. The emperor briefly summarized the major events of the previous month, and then talked about the important tasks of this month. The ministers could check for any omissions and express their opinions, and then they had a working meal in the imperial city.

On the ninth, nineteenth, and twenty-ninth day of every month (every tenth day is a rest day), a court meeting is held each, and only Beijing court officials of seventh rank and above can participate. Mainly discuss current important work or announce some important appointments.

The rest of the time, the emperor and officials did not have to go to court, as it wasted too much time.

Today is the ninth day of the fifth lunar month. The monarch and his ministers had some conversation. There was no special matter to deal with, because the work could be done normally.

Chen Dong, the imperial censor of Zuodu, suddenly came out, holding up the wat board, and said: "Someone reported to Luoyang Fu Financial Supervisor Zheng Li Xun that they discovered copper coins hidden by officials of the old Song Dynasty in the cellar. The whistleblower said that those copper coins amounted to tens of thousands. , Li Xun did not report the matter, but instead secretly shared the loot with his subordinates. I sent the imperial censor to investigate secretly, and found that the matter had been spread among the Fu Financial Supervisor, but Li Xun and his subordinates refused to admit it. Please join the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple, arrest and interrogate those involved!"

Many officials did not take this seriously, some were unaware of the situation, and some were accustomed to it.

But there were also some officials from the old Song Dynasty who looked at Chen Dong with wide eyes. Because they knew Li Xun’s background. He was an attaché of Emperor Zhu Guoxiang!

Luoyang Fu Financial Supervisor is the department that mints copper coins. It belongs to the second-class supervisor. The official level is equivalent to that of the superior county magistrate, but its actual power is about the same as that of the Zhongxia County magistrate. It is also responsible for managing some nearby people (the first-class supervisor is the lower-ranking supervisor). At the state level, the actual power is approximately equal to that of superior counties).

"Why wasn't this reported?" Zhu Guoxiang frowned.

Zhang Gen spoke on behalf of the cabinet: "The cabinet has not received an official document on this matter."

Liang Yi, who was in charge of the Tongzhengyuan, was sweating on his forehead because he had not received the official documents from the Inspectorate. Most of them had been hidden or destroyed by others. He hurriedly came out and said: "The Tongzhengyuan belongs to the official Zhou Fangshu, who is Li Xun's wife and brother. I am requesting the inspector." The hospital will investigate this person thoroughly!"

Zhu Guoxiang's expression was cold: "You are so brave, you dare to intercept official documents from the Inspectorate!"

Ju Ming suddenly stood up: "Your Majesty, there are still loopholes in the rules. From now on, all yamen must be numbered when sending and receiving official documents. Different affairs are classified into groups A, B, C, D, etc., and then grouped into A1, A2, D1, Chouji. As long as the number is numbered, it will be clear which piece is missing."

"This method is feasible," Zhu Guoxiang nodded and said, "Order the Ministry of Punishment, the Supervisory Office, and the Dali Temple to jointly interrogate Li Xun, Zhou Fangshu and other officials involved in the case!"

The ministers couldn't help but look at Chen Dong, who stood in the hall with his head held high.

Zhu Guoxiang's confidants were all from the Tongzhengyuan, and Zhou Fangshu was no exception. Li Xun of Luoyang Fu Financial Supervisor was even sent out as Zhu Guoxiang's attaché.

This Chen Dong is so bold, he overthrew two of the emperor's confidants in one move!

Some ministers of the old Song Dynasty even looked at Ju Ming. They knew that Chen Dong was Ju Ming's man. Wouldn't this matter imply a fight between the emperor and the prince?

For example, Li Bangyan and Qin Hui looked at Ju Ming with confused expressions and thought for a while.

Zhu Guoxiang's face was very ugly. The officials he planned to train for important positions were impeached by the Supervisory Council at the court meeting, and two were impeached at once. Who could be in a better mood?

Not only because of the loss of face, but also because those two officials betrayed his trust!

Zhu Guoxiang asked Chen Dong: "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing." Chen Dong returned to the train.

The other ministers who had just spoken, including Ju Ming, also stepped back and stood up.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The Xixia envoys have been in Beijing for many days and announced that they will come to the palace!"

"Xuan Xixia's envoy comes to the palace!"

"Xuan Xixia's envoy comes to the palace!"

"..."

One after another, Honglu Temple officials led the Xixia envoys, including the chief and deputy envoys, as well as the civilian staff of the envoys.

Li Renli, the head of the envoy, bowed and bowed: "Li Renli, King Shu of the Great Xia Kingdom, was sent to the Ming Dynasty on the order of the Emperor of Great Xia to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. On behalf of the Emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom, I would like to express my greetings to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and The prince is in good health."

Zhu Guoxiang smiled: "Without courtesy, I would also like to say hello to the Lord of Xixia on my behalf."

"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!" Li Renli stood up straight after saying this.

Cao Changyong began to read the gift list: "The Emperor of Great Xia heard that the Ming Emperor founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, and specially presented the Ming Emperor with a precious sword, a good bow, ten volumes of Buddhist scriptures, thirty horses, and fifty pieces of white porcelain..."

Zhu Guoxiang nodded and said: "Instruct the Ministry of Rites to choose the national gift in return."

"According to the order!" Meng Zhao, the Minister of Rites, came out.

Li Renli added: "Xixia and China are both countries of etiquette. His Majesty, the Emperor of our country, hopes to establish permanent relations and friendship with the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

The Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom have been competing for the title of "China".

No matter where Xixia went as envoys, they often called the other party "China".

Some Xixia civil servants even called Xixia "China" when facing envoys from the Western Regions.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "This is also my wish. If the war can be stopped, the people of the two countries will be able to enjoy peace and happiness for a long time. Once the peace negotiation is successful, Ming and Xixia can be brothers."

Li Renli was overjoyed when he heard this. Song and Liao were brothers, and Liao was the father of Xixia.

If Xixia and Ming Dynasty had a brotherly relationship, Xixia would have successfully been promoted. As an envoy, he must have made great achievements when he returned to his country.

"Your Majesty, this must not be done!"

"How can Western Xia barbarians be Chinese brothers?"

"..."

In an instant, thirty or forty ministers stood up to oppose.

This situation made Li Renli feel quite guilty, and even he felt that Xixia was not qualified.

Zhu Ming, who was guiding the Hanlin Academy officials to collect good information, spoke at this moment and asked: "Your Majesty, does your envoy know where the Dangxiang clan originated?"

Li Renli replied: "My family is a descendant of Tuoba Xianbei, derived from the surname Ji, and is a descendant of the Miao of the Yellow Emperor."

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers looked angry.

But Zhu Ming smiled and said: "No, the Tuoba royal family of Xixia originated from the Tuoba tribe of Xianbei. There are more Dangxiang people, but they have nothing to do with Xianbei. In fact, the Dangxiang people are a branch of the Qiang people."

Li Renli didn't know Ju Ming and said in astonishment: "May I ask why this Ming official said this?"

Ju Ming began to recite the poem: "Beside the desert water in Shicheng, Guizhou, on the white river of the red-faced father's tomb, there is a medicine-killer on the other side. The mother's grandma is the origin of the family, with a silver-white belly and golden breasts (to prevent harmony), and the surname Wei is passed down by Jun Yi. The world is incomparable, and the sages and virtuous kings in Baishang Kingdom are unparalleled. Is this poem a Western Xia epic?"

"It is indeed a poem written by the ancestors and kings of Great Xia!" Li Renli actually half understood it. This poem had been circulated for a long time, and it was originally taken from the people. There are many explanations for the chaos in Xixia.

Before Zhu Ming traveled through time, he made videos about Song, Jin, Liao and Xia, and read many Liao and Xia papers.

The Mongols took out the death of Genghis Khan on the Xixia people. Not only did they not compile the history of Xixia, they also destroyed all Xixia classics.

Therefore, the history of Xixia is unclear, and its origins are even more controversial, but some can be inferred based on archaeological and historical data.

Ju Ming asked Hanlin Academy officials to help him look up the information in order to make his arguments more solid: "Baihe, namely Baishui, Bailongjiang, is also known as the upper reaches of the Minjiang River. The Dangxiang clan recorded in China's "Northern History" and "Old Tang Book" came from' The eastern boundary is Songzhou', which coincides with the flow of White Water (the junction zone of Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan). Red face is originally a Tubo custom, and it is also a Dangxiang custom. The ocher face is painted, which is the Buddhist makeup from India.'Red Face Father This sentence "On the Tomb on the Baihe River" means that Dangxiang's ancestors were Buddhist believers who lived in Bailongjiang!"

As soon as these words came out, not only Li Renli was stunned, but other ministers were also stunned.

Isn’t the Minjiang River the source of the Yangtze River?

Why did the source of the Minjiang River go to Tubo and become the mother river of the Dangxiang people?

According to normal geographical discoveries, we had to wait until the great traveler Xu Xiake to clear the source of the Yangtze and Minjiang rivers.

"The sage king of Baishang Kingdom," Ju Ming continued, "this Baishang Kingdom refers to Tubo and Dangxiang Buddhist Shangbai, and it also refers to the country above the Baihe River!"

Li Renli couldn't help but nod.

Zhu Ming asked again: "The person who kills medicine is over there. I don't need to explain this, right? The "Old Book of Tang" does not explain it accurately."

"Yes!" Li Renli continued to nod.

Because the Dangxiang people have other epics, and in those ancient poems, the ancestors of the Dangxiang people call themselves "Mi Yao" people.

The "Old Book of Tang" can also support this, but there is a slight discrepancy. It is said that after the Tuoba family moved inland, Tubo invaded their old land and captured the Dangxiang people who had not migrated as slaves, calling those Dangxiang slaves "Mi Yao".

Li Renli was greatly shocked after quoting scriptures. He was almost certain that it was true.

It turns out that the ancestral land of the Dangxiang people is in Bailongjiang!

Ju Ming said: "Today's Dangxiang people, the royal family originated from Tuoba Xianbei (doubtful), and the clan is the descendant of the 'Fa (pronounced Boeing) Qiang' recorded in the "Book of the Later Han", and is also the "Qing Qiang" in the "Hou Chu Shi Biao". The Tuoba tribe and the Qing Qiang merged together for hundreds of years before they became the current Dangxiang clan. The Han and Qiang people have the same origin, and they are all descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties. The Tuoba tribe is also a descendant of the Miao of the Yellow Emperor, so how can it not be a fraternal country with Ming China?"

This is to promote Xixia and Dangxiang, and Li Renli naturally likes to hear it.

Moreover, bringing these remarks back to Xixia is also a great achievement.

Li Renli couldn't help but bowed and saluted: "You are knowledgeable about the past and the present, and you also know the despicable things of the frontier. You must be a great Chinese scholar. I dare to ask you your name!"

"Ju Ming." Ju Ming smiled.

Li Renli was greatly shocked and quickly saluted again: "It turns out to be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. How rude!"

Until the envoys left the palace, Li Renli was still feeling emotional and said to Cao Changyong: "The Chinese prince is indeed knowledgeable. The Ming Dynasty will surely prosper in the future. I, the Xia Dynasty, must not be an enemy of him!"

Cao Changyong said: "It's just digging out some words from the pile of old papers."

"What do you, a descendant of the Han people, know?" Li Renli scolded, "What the Prince of the Ming Dynasty said is the record in Dangxiang's hymn. No one has been able to understand 'Baihe' and 'Bai Shanggaohe'. Only today do we know that they are Dongxiang." The Bailong River is the boundary of Songzhou. After returning home, I will definitely report to Your Majesty and send people to find where the eastern boundary of Songzhou is. Once the river of ancestors is found, Your Majesty will definitely gain great prestige!"

However, Zhu Ming scanned the ministers in the hall: "You don't know the deep meaning of His Majesty, and you don't understand why we want to be a brotherly state with Xixia. The family and the country are of the same structure, they are all Chinese. From now on, Xixia will also be Chinese, and the people of Dangxiang will also be the descendants of Yan and Huang!"

The ministers were in awe.

Huan Guo was the first to understand the deeper meaning, and immediately shouted: "Your Majesty is wise, the prince is wise!"