Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

"The Crown Prince has arrived!"

Ju Ming came slowly all the way to give the Gao family time to prepare. Even if they were visiting patients, they couldn't make a surprise attack.

This is basic respect for ministers.

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

More than ten members of the Gao family, along with their servants, opened the door and worshiped to welcome him.

In addition to Gao Jingshan's children and grandchildren, his younger brother Gao Jingyun was also there.

Gao Jingyun was already the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple during the Chonghe period. Because Gao Jingshan used a false name when he was a "thief", his younger brother Gao Jingyun was not implicated, but he was demoted to the local government for offending Wang Fu.

When Ju Ming led his army to besiege Tokyo, Gao Jingyun received a secret letter from his brother and changed his banner with him.

With backing and merit, Gao Jingyun became the Minister of Taichang Temple.

"Without courtesy," Zhu Ming raised his hand and said, "It's cold outside. Don't let anyone get sick again. Please go back to the house and complain."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Ming was surrounded by Gao's family and went in. As he walked, he asked, "How is Gao Xiang's condition?"

Gao Changjie, the eldest son of Gao Jingshan, said with a sad face: "The prince is worried about me. My father keeps coughing, and there are many blood clots in the sputum. The imperial doctor said... I'm afraid that we don't have much time. I had a high fever yesterday, but it improved slightly after taking medicine. But It's hot and cold today..."

The descendants of the Gao family were really sad, not only because their head was critically ill, but they were also worried about the future of the family.

It was not easy to get a deputy prime minister, but he was already in bad health after only one year.

Walking all the way to the bedroom, Gao Jingshan was lying on the hospital bed. He had just been helped up and drank a bowl of soup, and was in a confused state, half asleep and half awake.

"Brother, the prince is here to visit you." Gao Jingyun came closer to remind him.

Gao Jingshan slowly opened his eyes, smiled and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for not being able to salute."

A servant brought a stool and placed it in front of the bed. Ju Ming sat down and held Gao Jingshan's hand: "Old sir, please rest in peace and recuperate. The new dynasty has just begun. There are still many ways to rely on sir."

Gao Jingshan was about to speak when he seemed to have phlegm in his throat. He coughed and spit out blood clots. Zhu Ming was also helping to soothe his back.

After calming down for a while, Gao Jingshan said feebly: "It's an old problem. My chest started to move vaguely a few years ago, and even after taking a lot of medicine, it couldn't be cured. Last year, I started to feel pain everywhere in my internal organs. Only when spring warmed up did I regain my energy. Unexpectedly, the old disease will reappear this winter..."

Ju Ming did not understand medical skills, but listening to his detailed description, he always felt that some kind of cancer had spread.

Gao Jingshan cheered up and said with a smile: "I have been doing nothing all my life, but when I am old, I can make contributions from the dragon. I have no regrets in this life..."

This was the first high-ranking official from the old Song Dynasty to seek refuge with him. When Ju Ming recalled his experiences in the past few years, he suddenly became melancholy and emotional.

Gao Jingshan said something from the bottom of his heart, and suddenly said: "Your Highness, I have an unkind favor."

"Sir, just ask." Zhu Ming thought he was going to ask for an official position for his grandchildren.

Gao Jingshan said: "Can the prince pardon Gao Shize, who was escorted to Beijing a month ago? When the Gao family is divided and moved, can he leave more money for them?"

Ju Ming asked curiously: "Sir, are you from the same clan as the Kaifeng Gao family?"

"Going back six generations, we are one family," Gao Jingshan said.

Apart from the fact that they all have the surname Gao, this is a bunch of people from the same clan who can be said to be out of reach.

Gao Jingshan continued: "The founding general of the old Song Dynasty, Duke Gao Wulie, was the elder brother of the ancestor of the fifth generation of Chen. The Gao family in Kaifeng has been coming to ask for help this year. I originally didn't intend to take care of it, but now that I am about to die, I have changed my mind. Perhaps, I want to You should have some dignity when you meet your ancestors at the foot of the spring."

Zhu Ming said: "Old sir, please don't worry. Gao Shi can grant amnesty. When the Gao family is dismantled and relocated, they will not be punished for frivolous wealth."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Gao Jingshan put his worries aside and became relaxed.

The ancestor of the Gao family in Kaifeng was Gao Qiong, the founding general of the Northern Song Dynasty, who later gave birth to a queen (Gao Taotao).

The ancestor of Gao Jingshan and Gao Jingyun was Gao Qiong's third brother Gao Jiu.

These two Gao families came from the same origin as the Bohai Gao family.

At this moment, there is also a Gaojing Mountain in the Kingdom of Jin, which has been granted the title of Ten Thousand Households by Wu Qi.

Gao Shize, whom Ju Ming promised to pardon, was a cousin of Song Huizong in terms of seniority. At the same time, he was also a trusted minister of Song Huizong, who specially received foreign guests on behalf of Song Huizong. He had followed Song Huizong to Hangzhou and was captured by Li Bao when the city of Hangzhou was destroyed.

This person has not made any big mistakes, and it does not matter whether he is convicted or not.

But the Gao family in Kaifeng is on the list of people to be demolished and relocated next year.

Gao Qiong, the founding general of the Northern Song Dynasty alone, has clearly recorded descendants, including 14 sons, 12 daughters, 36 grandchildren, and 145 great-grandchildren...

Several generations of intermarriage have become entangled in the officialdom of the Northern Song Dynasty. There are also many relatives of the Gao family in the Ming and New Dynasties, and they own a large amount of real estate and land in Kaifeng.

Must be split up and moved to different places!

Gao Jingshan said: "I read Mr. Shi's detailed information. The Gao family in Bohai was moved to Youzhou, where Gao Jingshan was also named Ten Thousand Households of the Jin Kingdom. I can write a letter to him to describe my ancestry and persuade him. Become a member of our Great Ming Dynasty. Regardless of whether it is useful or not, at least it can drive a wedge between you and me."

Ju Ming said with emotion: "The old man is still working hard for the country. I really..."

They chatted about trivial matters again, and Gao Jingshan became increasingly depressed.

Zhu Ming said: "My eldest grandson has learned a lot, and I think he will definitely be a Jinshi next year. I heard that my grandson has a grandson, but he failed to pass the exam. He can directly participate in the rites exam next year. The Ming Dynasty does not implement the system of shadow officials, so I That’s all we can do.”

"Then let him try." Gao Jingshan said with a smile.

Overcorrection must be overcorrected, because there were too many Yin officials in the Song Dynasty, so the Ming Dynasty had to put an end to Yin officials.

The emperor will definitely recover in the future, but by that time, there will no longer be redundant officials.

Two steps forward, one step back, but ultimately one step forward.

Although it was unfair to the world's scholars, it was the fairest approach Ju Ming could come up with to let the descendants of the founding ministers directly serve as candidates for the imperial examination.

It can be regarded as a way of kindness, otherwise it would be too mean to the hero Conglong.

Ju Ming encouraged his family a few more words, then left the Gao family and returned to the East Palace.

There was not much time left to confirm that Gao Jingshan was real. Zhu Guoxiang himself went to visit him again, and then knighted the dying veteran.

The title is not low: Duke of Lu!

The eldest son can ascend to the title of nobility, and the title will be reduced from generation to generation.

The father and son were chatting about the title issue in the palace. Zhu Guoxiang said: "This time it sets the tone. Those who have made great contributions to the founding of the country will definitely be given the position of prince. Only in this way can the people of the court be stabilized."

Ju Ming said: "You will be the good guy, and I will be the bad guy. In the future, when I ascend the throne, I will change the nobility system. The nine-level title will be reduced by one level from generation to generation. The Duke of the country belongs to the third level, and will be reduced to earl when passed down to the great-great-grandchildren. No more, and only the lowest baron will remain for another two generations."

Zhu Guoxiang smiled and said: "Then I will be a benevolent saint king with peace of mind."

Gao Jingshan, Duke of Lu, deputy prime minister, and Taifu, could not survive the winter after all, and died of illness on the third day after the winter solstice.

He was given the posthumous title Wenzhong, and he was granted the title of Grand Master and Shangzhu Kingdom to give his descendants sufficient standing.

Just after New Year's Day, Zhu Guoxiang suddenly announced the list of examiners. Xiao Chu and several Hanlin bachelors were the examiners.

On the day the list was announced, these people were locked in the Gongyuan to prevent them from leaking the news when they returned home midway. They were not released until the examination was completed - they were responsible for setting the questions and taking the lead in correcting the examination papers.

The Lantern Festival is here in the blink of an eye, and lights and colorful lights are everywhere in and around Tokyo.

At this time last year, food purchases were limited based on household registration. Let alone celebrating the Lantern Festival, it was difficult for everyone to even eat.

This year, it’s going to be lively, and there’s even a sense of revengeful celebration.

Of course, the lantern set is not quite as old as the Song Dynasty because localities are prohibited from bringing lanterns to Beijing.

The most beautiful and magnificent lanterns in the old Song Dynasty did not come from the royal family or the people. They were mostly presented to the emperor by local officials. If they flattered them correctly, they could even be promoted immediately.

Due to the collapse of the small southeast court, the supervision of the old Song Dynasty royal family is now more relaxed, allowing them to enter the city to watch lanterns and celebrate festivals.

In addition, each person will be given some money so that they can buy some snacks and gadgets.

Someone took the opportunity to escape?

Then just run.

Zhao Huan, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, was already an agricultural officer, so it didn't matter if the other princes ran away. If someone can fool the local area into rebellion, Ju Ming will take the opportunity to clean it up. Anyway, he feels that there are many problems in some places.

To be honest, there are really lawless people who support the Zhao family to cause chaos, including the princes in Tokyo.

There are too many clans in Zhao Song Dynasty, you can easily get one or two!

Hu Quan was pulled out by Li Yi to watch the lanterns, and he was also introduced to many scholars. They were having fun when suddenly there was a noise from the south.

I thought there was some exciting show, but when I went over to take a look out of curiosity, I saw that the clan members of the royal family of the old Song Dynasty showed up in a group, and there were soldiers watching closely with weapons next to them.

"Really the royal family of the old Song Dynasty?" Hu Quan was greatly surprised.

Li Yi said in a low voice: "I heard that the last emperor of the old Song Dynasty had become an agricultural officer, but I don't know whether it is true or not."

Hu Quan said: "If this is true, how broad-minded the Ming sage is!"

A large group of relatives of the old Song Dynasty royal family originally came to the city to watch the lanterns, but they themselves became the target of onlookers.

Most people feel uncomfortable, but some people take advantage of the opportunity to make money.

Zhao Kai was completely prepared. There was no special admonishment for going to the city this time. He thought it was a very good opportunity to make extra money.

The guy looked around and suddenly came to a lantern riddle guessing stall: "Do you have any good paper?"

The stall owner was stunned for a moment and subconsciously replied: "Yes."

Zhao Kai spread the paper on the table and wrote a new word to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The content actually praises the Ming Dynasty and the New Dynasty. Although the writing is quite satisfactory, the improvisation is already commendable.

"I am Zhao Kai, King Yun of the old Song Dynasty. This work is a poem praising the emperor of the new dynasty. It also has my own calligraphy and signature." Zhao Kai raised his work and waved it. "If you want to buy it, hurry up. The one with the highest price will get it. I really praise the new dynasty." These words will not disobey the current Holy One!"

The onlookers were dumbfounded, and the stall owner seemed to be petrified.

Zhao Gou covered his face and backed away. He felt so embarrassed. His brother had no bottom line.

"I'll give you five strings!" There are actually people willing to buy it.

"I'll give you ten!" The price doubled instantly.

"Twelve strings!"

"Twenty strings..."

Hu Quan watched the excitement from a distance and muttered: "I heard that there was a fight for the throne in the old Song Dynasty. The man in front of me almost became the emperor."