Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

"Teacher, we'll talk about this later!" Li Zhiqing, the salt transfer envoy from the Huaihe River, first bowed his hands and saluted, then pointed to the following members and introduced: "Teacher, this is Zhang Yi from Shanxi, he is a salt trader! "

When Xu Pu saw that his favorite disciple had brought a merchant, he immediately felt a little unhappy in his heart.

Zhang Yi glanced at the two porters accompanying him, and then respectfully raised his hands and said: "Xu Xueshi, this is my kindness, please accept it!"

The two porters first put the boxes on the ground, and then opened the four boxes together. They saw that the boxes were filled with gold and silver jewelry, and the treasures suddenly shone.

The housekeeper of the Xu Mansion opened his mouth slightly in shock when he saw the four boxes of gold and silver.

"Executive member Zhang, no reward for no merit!" Xu Pu was secretly frightened when he saw these four boxes of gold and silver jewelry, but his face looked calm and composed.

Li Zhiqing knew that his teacher had used ice and charcoal to warn him, but now he was so calm in the face of so much gold and silver, and he couldn't help but secretly admire his teacher's determination.

Zhang Yi suddenly fell to his knees on the ground and cried out: "Xu Xueshi, the late emperor rewarded the salt indiscriminately. Shanxi salt merchants have been suffering from the overflow of salt for a long time, and it is difficult to continue their business! I rushed to the capital this time to ask you to save me." Shanxi salt merchants are in trouble, so that the new emperor will not repeat the previous emperor's excessive rewards!"

"Zi Zhi Tong Jian" says: Salt is beneficial... In the era of Han Dynasty, it was used to help the army prosper... Its benefits accounted for half of the world's tax revenue.

Due to historical reasons, salt interests are now owned by Shanxi salt merchants. Only in this dynasty, after Emperor Chenghua realized the value of salt, he used salt to reward his relatives, nobles and royal relatives.

Only the large-scale increase in salt rewards was undoubtedly the Shanxi salt merchants who transported grain or directly exchanged grain for salt every year. The value of the salt in their hands was diluted.

Anyone would feel heartbroken if someone took a bite out of the pie that originally belonged to them.

Although Zhang Yi failed to pass the imperial examination and become an official, he has been paying attention to the Ming Dynasty. After learning that Emperor Chenghua was seriously ill, he used money to get Li Zhiqing, and then knocked on Xu Pu's door through Li Zhiqing.

As long as the prince and emperor's master who responds to everything takes action, the imperial court's excessive salt production will be eradicated, and the entire Ming Dynasty's salt industry will fall into the pockets of these Shanxi salt merchants.

Li Zhiqing noticed that Zhang Yi was looking at him, thinking of his new house in Yangzhou where the golden house hides the beauty, so he helped him speak: "Teacher, this matter is related to the livelihood of Shanxi salt merchants, please give me a helping hand!"

"I know, go back!" Xu Pu made a decision in his heart and said calmly.

Zhang Yi couldn't help but be dumbfounded when he saw Xu Pu's ambiguous statement, but he didn't know if he had beaten the dog this time.

Li Zhiqing tugged on Zhang Yi's clothes and said respectfully: "Disciple, please retire!"

On the day he ascended the throne, he condemned the British Duke Zhang Mao to sue heaven and earth, Qingyun Hou Zhou Shou sued the Ancestral Temple, Xinning Bo Tan You sued Sheji, etc.

From the death of Emperor Chenghua to the ascension of the new emperor, the time was only half a month.

In fact, this is a helpless matter. If the enthronement ceremony is not held on the sixth day of September, the next auspicious day will have to wait until October.

Although the time is relatively tight, with the cooperation of all yamen, we can still make it in time.

The Forbidden City is bathed in the morning sun. In front of the Meridian Gate is a "concave" shape. There is a tower on the gate, and there is a bell tower on the tower, which is in charge of the Bell and Drum Division.

More than 3,000 civil and military officials came here early to wait. As soon as the auspicious time came, they entered from the Yemen on the left and right sides and went to Fengtian Gate to participate in the enthronement ceremony.

The alternation of old and new, between light and dark.

Some officials will face the light, while others will face the dark night, so their expressions vary.

Due to the stalemate between Emperor Chenghua and the civil servant group, the later cabinet only had two ministers, Wan An and Liu Ji, and these two formed the two strongest factions in the dynasty.

But now that Emperor Chenghua has passed away, both Wan'an and Liu Ji have been affected to a certain extent, and Xu Pu, who represents Qingliu, is destined to rise strongly.

Wearing a python robe, Wan An is particularly conspicuous here, but he is seventy years old after all, so his waist is already hunched, but his eyes still look sharp.

He had been fighting secretly with Liu Jiming for many years, but he knew that Liu Ji had been coveting the position of his first assistant for a long time. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the other party will definitely overthrow him.

Wan'an knew that Xu Pu had mastered the new emperor, so he took the initiative to show his kindness to Xu Pu: "Xu Xu, I heard that you know the art of physiognomy, but I don't know that you can take a look at it for me!"

"You're welcome!" Xu Pu looked at Wan An who came over and said with a slight smile.

Wan An was stunned for a moment, thinking he had beans on his face, and immediately reached out to touch his face. It's just that I couldn't touch the beans at all. I noticed Xu Pu's joking expression, but I didn't know that the other person was making fun of me.

I am already seventy this year, and I have a lot of dark spots on my face, which really look like beans.

Wan An originally wanted to share the power of the government with him, but the clay figures were all very angry. Faced with such humiliation, it was naturally impossible for him to warm up to someone else's cold butt.

Liu Ji couldn't help but secretly applaud Xu Pu's arrogance, then he came over and asked with a smile: "Xu Xu, how do you look like this old man?"

"A public face is like cotton!" Xu Pu turned his head to look at Liu Ji who was approaching him, but said with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

Behind him, Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Service, and other officials couldn't help but laugh. The so-called "cotton" naturally did not refer to Liu Ji's pale face, but that Liu Ji still relied on the position of second minister despite being repeatedly impeached.

Liu Ji's face suddenly darkened, and he stopped paying attention to Xu Pu, silently taking note of this grudge.

Xu Pu actually knew that the officialdom should be the same as the light, but now that his goal is the chief minister, he naturally does not need to compromise with these two people.

After all, the new dynasty belongs to its own era, and he is the leader of all officials. These two old guys should make way for him.

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Although civil and military officials gathered in front of the Meridian Gate early, the auspicious time to ascend the throne was near noon, so Zhu Youtang did not need to get up early.

Zhu Youtang woke up to the sound of cloud boards. Although the Qianqing Palace was very large, the room seemed smaller, but it was more suitable for one person to live in.

Sitting up from the bed, a group of maids waiting outside the door filed in. Each maid had a clear responsibility.

There were dozens of maids and eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace. These maids and eunuchs were responsible for all aspects of Zhu Youtang's clothing, food, housing and transportation, and they implemented a shift system.

Zhu Youtang found that in addition to the good-looking palace maid who kept vigil for him last night, there were also many pretty palace maids here, but he did not understand why an emperor would pursue monogamy.

"Your Majesty, please sit down!" A beautiful palace maid said cautiously when she saw Zhu Youtang rinsing her mouth with tea.

Zhu Youtang was sitting on the edge of the bed. Several maids had a clear division of labor. One maid first pinched a silk towel soaked in water, and the beautiful maid wiped it for Zhu Youtang. She wiped it once and handed the towel to another maid.

The use of towels is very particular. Each silk towel will only be wiped on Zhu Youtang's face once. These towels are disposable until Zhu Youtang's face is washed clean.

"Quickly serve His Majesty and dress!" Liang Fang was still responsible for Zhu Youtang's daily life, and then ordered the maid behind him who was responsible for dressing.

Facing these well-trained palace maids, Zhu Youtang put on a set of filial piety clothes very cooperatively, then walked to the gate of Qianqing Palace and took a dragon chariot to Fengxian Palace.

Fengxian Hall is a family temple where the royal family worships their ancestors. It is located on the east side of the inner court of the Forbidden City. Here are the memorial tablets of late emperors and empresses.

After Zhu Youtang finished worshiping here, he immediately went from Fengxian Hall to Jiyan Hall in the outer court.

Although there are still palace servants here to observe filial piety in Jiyan Hall, it has gradually declined from prosperity. Even the incense on the tables has stopped, but it was grandly re-arranged today.

Zhou Shoumo, the Minister of Rites, took out a sacrificial document that had been prepared. It was mainly to report to Emperor Chenghua about today's enthronement, to express grief and to accept entrustment.

Zhu Youtang left the Jiyan Hall, having completed the ritual of offering sacrifices to his ancestors, and went directly to the Jinshen Hall, which is located at the northernmost of the three main halls.

The morning sun has risen slowly from the east and is setting in this magnificent palace.

Zhu Youtang took off his mourning clothes and put on a set of yellow Yanmian clothes that had just been finished.

Yanmian clothing is the most complicated imperial clothing. The crown worn on the head alone has twenty jade algae. There are also twelve patterns around the Yanmian clothing. In addition to inner and outer clothing, there are also accessories such as knee coverings and sash belts. .

Qin Tianjian indeed chose a good day. Today's clear sky is like a piece of blue paper, with a few thin clouds dotting the sky.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing a Yanmian robe, walked into the Jinshen Hall and looked up at such a blue sky. It was like the moonlight over the lotus pond for the first time. The scenery, which was not polluted by the atmosphere, had an unreal feeling of beauty.

"Your Majesty, the time is coming!" Liang Fang warned cautiously when she saw Zhu Youtang standing still.

Zhu Youtang nodded slightly and sat on the dragon chariot, with a flash of determination in his eyes.

Next, history will not be the "Hongzhi Zhongxing" co-governed by the civil servants and scholar-bureaucrats as envisioned by the civil servants, but will be written by oneself as a history of a great country belonging to China.