[Ming] Wuzong's Chronicle of Rebirth

The seven years of Hongzhi passed by in such a hurry. At the end of the year, the six departments summarized the work of the year, and the results presented by the household department were the most eye-catching.By the beginning of the eighth year of Hongzhi, the number of households had reached 90 and five households.Such data are nothing special to modern people, but we must know that in the first year of Hongzhi, the population of a country was only 720 households, an increase of 910 in just eight years.This made Zhu Youtang, who had a new son, very happy, and his political achievements, especially such, were the greatest affirmation for Zhu Youtang.

Naturally, there is no need to elaborate on the excitement of the New Year. After offering sacrifices to the stove on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Houzhao changed into a gourd-view python robe, and also wore a festive Daji gourd and Wannian Jiqing duo needle on his hat.

As the new year was approaching, he didn't have to go to class any more. Every day, he watched the palace people place peach charm boards and general charcoal beside the doors, paste door gods on the doors, and hang portraits of the gods of fortune, ghost judges, and Zhong Kui in the house.Eight treasures of gold and silver were also hung on his bed.Nanny Li directed the little eunuch to pile up sesame stalks in front of the door, and was busy burning half-dried cypress branches in the yard.

Zhu Houzhao was too young, and he was a prince, so he naturally couldn't get involved in these matters. He went to tease Zhu Houwei's little bun every day when he had nothing to do.Xiao Baozi was still very young, and only a few days after he opened his eyes, his wrinkled red skin became white and tender about ten days after he was born.The fly in the ointment is that because of the skin growth, Xiao Baozi's face is covered with white dead skin, which looks like a snake slough.

As Zhu Youtang's son, Zhu Houwei's little Baozi has five nurses, all of whom are turbulent.Seeing these nurses, Zhu Houzhao recalled the dark time when he was just born.Let him, a man who is nearly 30 years old, drink milk in order to survive, it is really embarrassing to him.

Zhu Xiaobaozi is still too young, sleepy and cries a lot, Zhu Houzhao doesn't want to disturb him too much, but just brings some brightly colored toys that can make pleasant sounds to amuse him between hours and hours every day.In modern times, I heard my mother say that this is good for the child and helps the development of the child's eye nerves and auditory nerves. He doesn't know if it is true, so he can only be skeptical.

On Zhengdan Day, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the Empress Dowager Zhou and the Empress Dowager Wang received salutes from civil and military ministers and envoys from various countries in Fengtian Hall.This year, a concubine was just passed away in the palace, and the empress had just given birth to a little prince, so the congratulations from all the wives were spared.Zhu Houzhao was not idle either, and accompanied Zhu Youtang to accept the salutes from the officials in Fengtian Hall.

The next few days are busy with offering sacrifices to the imperial mausoleum, comforting the Taimiao, and offering sacrifices to heaven and earth.After all these things have passed, the annual Lantern Festival, known as the Shangyuan Festival in Ming Dynasty, will arrive.For the people of Ming Dynasty, Shangyuan Festival is the most important festival besides Zhengdan Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival.In the Ming Dynasty, when there were few official holidays, only the civil and military officials had a ten-day holiday on the Ghost Festival.

In the folks, from the ninth day of the lunar new year, there will be a lantern market for the common people to watch and buy lanterns.Lantern Festival is eaten during the Shangyuan Festival. The method of making it is to use glutinous rice noodles as the skin, and walnut kernels and white sugar as the filling, sprinkle water on the garden dustpan and roll it into a shape as big as a walnut.

On the fifteenth day, rich merchants with honorable relatives would light up lanterns in Beijing, set up Mount Ao and set off fireworks.Among them, Ao Lantern—a mountain made of stacked lanterns during the Lantern Festival, resembling the legendary giant Ao, is the most spectacular.Moreover, the Shangyuan Festival is the most free day for men and women. Countless romantic love sprouts from here, such as Ouyang Xiu's "the head of the willow on the moon, and the appointment after dusk"; The grand occasion of the Shangyuan Festival.

The court of the Ming Dynasty was particularly fond of lanterns. Although Zhu Youtang practiced frugality, he was still not stingy in spending on the Lantern Festival.From the eighth day of the eighth day, various lanterns began to be hung in the palace, such as square, hexagonal, octagonal, round beads, flower baskets, Fang Sheng, gourds, Pisces, mugwort leaves, etc., with rich shapes.On Danbi in front of the Qianqing Palace, a pair of tall wooden lampposts carved with dragons will be erected before the Zhengdan Festival, and they will be fixed with iron bolts in the white marble pedestal. It will be removed after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The palace not only hangs lanterns to celebrate the Shangyuan Festival, but even the lantern market is mostly outside the Qianqing Palace and Wuchao Gate.Zhu Houzhao had never seen the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival in ancient times, so he pestered Zhu Youtang to let him go out of the palace to watch the Lantern Festival.Zhu You couldn't resist him, so he had no choice but to agree, but he was only allowed to go shopping with him, and he would be back in half an hour.

On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when Zhu Youtang was having fun with the common people at the Meridian Gate, Zhu Houzhao was accompanied by Eunuch Li Guang who was beside Zhu Youtang, and went out of the palace in a small sedan chair in green clothes from the small gate to the Lantern Festival. Accompanied by the four servants dressed as Jin Yiwei, behind them are various disguised masters hidden in the crowd.

When he arrived in the busy city, Zhu Houzhao got out of the sedan chair and was carried by Li Guang to visit the lantern festival.Standing on the streets of the Ming Dynasty, a strong breath of life rushed over us.Lanterns are hung on both sides of the narrow street, although they are not as exquisite as palace lanterns, they have a special charm.There is a constant flow of people coming and going, there are young children with long hair holding small lamps in the hands of their parents; Scholars passed by with their attendants; there were also those who went to battle with their families, their sons supported their mothers and daughters-in-law and hugged their grandsons;

The more you go to the center, the more gorgeous the lighting and the denser the crowd.Golden lotus lanterns, Jade Tower lanterns, lotus lanterns, hibiscus lanterns, hydrangea lanterns, snowflake lanterns... One after another, they are bright and clean, full of pearls.There are also camel lanterns, blue lion lanterns, ape lanterns, white elephant lanterns and so on.Some oddly shaped crab lamps, catfish lamps with two beards, and green algae lamps are also occasionally seen.Zhu Houzhao couldn't take his eyes off him.

When it comes to the place where the performances are performed, the acrobats, those who sell Daliwan, and the peddlers carrying loads are very lively along the street.

A goods store set up a tall wooden frame covered with lanterns, with lantern riddles hanging under the lanterns, and those who guessed the lantern riddles would be given lanterns.A large group of people gathered around to guess the riddle.Zhu Houzhao wanted to squeeze in, but Eunuch Li hurriedly persuaded him.He is also not good at embarrassing everyone, he wants to leave but he doesn't give up.

Just as he was hesitating, a boy dressed as a Jinyiwei came over from the restaurant opposite the store and whispered something to the accompanying Jinyiwei leader, and the Jinyiwei took the two of them to the private room on the second floor of the restaurant.The windows of this private room are facing the street, and the scenery on the street can be seen at a glance.

Eunuch Li ordered several dishes of snacks and a cup of tea to quench Zhu Houzhao's thirst and hunger.Zhu Houzhao was also a little tired, so he lay on the window frame and looked out.I am very happy to see the streets bustling with people and barbarians enjoying themselves together.

After watching it for a long time, Zhu Houzhao saw something was wrong.There is a small door next to the goods store on the opposite side, the small black door is slightly hidden, two bearded men are selling lanterns at the door, and the lanterns behind them have blocked the small door tightly, leaving only a small gap as wide as a person. .The two bearded men were not like ordinary businessmen hawking, and they looked around with naked eyes.The candied haws sellers and the shopkeepers carrying loads all wandered in front of the small door intentionally or unintentionally.

After a while, a few women in different clothes walked through the small door with their sleeping children in their arms, and they disappeared.Zhu Houzhao's intuition was wrong, one or two would be fine, how could there be so many children in a family, and tonight all the women came home with their sleeping children.

Zhu Houzhao would not be so stupid as to tell the truth in public, he just pointed to the alley and said to Eunuch Li: "The children in these families love to sleep, and they can't wake up if they are so lively."

Li Guang also raised his head to look, and was about to explain to His Royal Highness that children love to sleep, but at a glance, he saw several people acting suspiciously and a woman who was about to enter the door.The child in the woman's arms was white, tender and cute, and was soundly asleep, as expected, he didn't react at all to such a noisy environment.The woman's clothes were shabby and shabby, but the clothes on the child were bright and beautiful.

Li Guang is a fine person, even though he entered the palace at a young age, his eyesight is not bad at all, and he can tell something is wrong with just one glance.One must know that the abduction and trafficking of children in the Ming Dynasty was uncommon, Li Guang would never have cared about this kind of thing normally, but today the crown prince saw it with his own eyes, so it is not easy to ignore it.

Although the prince is still a three-year-old child and doesn't understand anything, he is not afraid of ten thousand, just in case.Li Guang immediately replaced Jin Yiwei who followed, and explained the abnormality carefully.After hearing this, Jin Yiwei also knew that this matter was no small matter, he didn't dare to be negligent, and immediately gathered everyone who was scattered around in ambush, and controlled the few people at the door.

Li Guang knew that it might not be appropriate for the prince to watch this matter, so he hurriedly asked the remaining people who were protecting the prince to protect him and the prince back to the palace.Zhu Houzhao naturally knew the truth and didn't struggle, so he let Li Guang coax him back.

Li Guang sent Zhu Houzhao back to Ciqing Palace, not daring to delay, so he hurriedly reported to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang only felt angry, how could the emperor allow such people to commit such crimes.He didn't care whether it was Shangyuan Festival or not, he immediately summoned Mu Bin, commander of Jinyiwei, and ordered him to investigate strictly.

What you need to know is that these Jinyiwei are the most angry in this matter.Long before the prince left the palace, they had arranged everything. All the gangsters who were usually active here were told that they were not allowed to appear here again today, and they checked again before it was dark today.Now that such a thing happened, the prince saw it with his own eyes and stabbed it in front of the emperor. Isn't this a real slap in the face of Jin Yiwei?Therefore, these Jin Yiwei were holding their breath and wanted to earn back their face, and each of them used [-] points of strength.

Jin Yiwei arrested people overnight and opened the trial, took the confession, and immediately arrested the prisoner.So far, the coal mine trafficking case, which caused a sensation in the court, was officially exposed to the eyes of the world.

The [-]th day of the first lunar month is still in the Lantern Festival holiday, but Jinyiwei is busy. The coal bosses who operate coal mines on the west side of the Lugou River are still waiting for them to catch them. It is believed that the prisoner who absconded last night has not yet been brought to justice. The people involved in the case The big and small officials have not dealt with it yet.But I don't know how many people in this capital can't sleep well, and they feel uncomfortable.

As more and more people were arrested, the incident gradually became clear.It turned out that the coal bosses who opened coal mines on the west side of the Lugou River in the west of the Jingxi Coal Mine colluded with the human traffickers in the capital who were used to this business.Of course, some officials in Beijing also contributed a lot.