Story of Yanxi Palace: Red Seal Spring Star

When the dinner was served, Wu Deya said: "My lord, I'm really worried about you."Hong Zhou said: What are you worried about?Wu Deya looked at him and said: "My lord, you are already above ten thousand people. You think too much, and you are just hurting yourself."Hong Zhou didn't speak.Wu Deya said again: When Er Niang was here, she told me that she couldn't compete with her back then, so she gave up. She knew the pain in your heart, but she couldn't let you lose your life in vain. The holy grandfather liked the emperor, the late emperor It is impossible to disobey his meaning.Nine kings seizing the throne was a nightmare in the hearts of the ancestors and late emperors, none of them wanted to do it again.What the late emperor really liked was the sixth elder brother who had gone, so he wouldn't do anything for you and Er Niang.

Hong Zhou sighed, and said: I haven't thought about that for a long time.I just feel that I am not filial to my mother-in-law.Wu Deya said: I understand, but as long as you are safe, Er Niang's spirit in heaven will be at ease.Hong Zhou nodded with a smile, and said: Deya, thank you, it's my fault these few days that made you worry.Wu Deya smiled and said: "My lord, you are too serious, as long as you are happy."

The fifth elder brother is not going to attend class, but because he spends a lot of time in Yuzhou and meets Fu Heng a lot, he still asks Fu Heng for advice on military affairs. After Fu Heng returned to the emperor, he talked to him for a while every day, Because it is not a formal lecture, it is more casual.

Today, Fu Heng was saying that they got off this canal.The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, the State of Wu dug Hangou in order to attack the State of Qi. The Sui Dynasty greatly expanded it and connected it to the capital Luoyang and connected to Zhuo County.With the hegemony of the Northern Saibei Grassland moving eastward and entering the Central Plains, not only the military defense center of the Huaxia Empire was completely shifted to the land of Youyan, but also the political center moved to the land of Youyan along with the military center of gravity.The Grand Canal that was dredged again by the Yuan Dynasty was due to the coincidence of the political center and the military center of the Chinese Empire, and the decline of Guanzhong and the Central Plains. On the basis of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Grand Canal was "cut and straightened" and no longer passed through Luoyang and Kaifeng. Instead, it goes directly to the capital.

In the Ming Dynasty, the land of Youyan became the gate of the country directly guarded by the Emperor Ming. In the Ming Dynasty, the canal and the Ming Great Wall on the two wings of the capital, one north-south and the other east-west, formed a "bow and arrow" situation together, using the canal to transport food, grass and wealth To support the military administration of the capital and the Youyan Great Wall, and then realize the normal function of the entire Great Wall.The role of the Grand Canal has three points:

Support the capital

In order to take into account the needs of both inside and outside the Great Wall and to control the military and political affairs in the north, it is necessary to establish the capital in the land of Youyan. However, the economy of the northern region is far inferior to that of the south. Du Youyan provided low-cost material guarantee.

Jinglue Guomen

Whether it was sending troops to the south to quell the chaos in order to ensure the stability of the eastern region where the essence of the empire was located, or the Ming Dynasty maintaining the Great Wall defense line in order to resist the invasion of Mongolia and other ethnic groups including Jurchen, they all relied on the Grand Canal for low-cost food and wealth transshipment. Guarantee the logistics supply such as military rations and military salaries in military operations.

Transfer Jiangnan

The Jiangnan area has been the economic center of Chinese society since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and it is the richest area in China.A Grand Canal that cuts the bend and straightens the back helps to maintain the imperial court's control over the empire's financial resources and grain depots, and then maintains its strength advantage over the regional separatist forces at all times, and even the strength advantage of the entire southeastern region outside the empire.

After hearing this, Yong Qi felt shocked. She never thought that this canal, which connects the north and the south by boats, would have such an important military and political position.Fu Heng smiled and said: Politics, military, and economy in the world are actually a trinity. Brother Wu, when you look at something, you should think more and connect more. Many things are not as simple as they seem on the surface. If this The canal is not important, how could the emperors of all dynasties repair and dredge it or even divert it every year.What the slave said today, brother, go back and think about it, and ask the slave again if you have any questions.

Yongqi nodded, and suddenly fully understood what Aunt Yingluo told her about her marriage, and Huang Ama's considerations in it. The E family was an important military minister of the two dynasties with deep roots. The relationship is close, the Hu family is in the household department, which is the financial center of the imperial court, and Huang Ama wants to balance the Manchu and Han and civil and military courtiers.So he told Fu Heng what Yingluo said that day, and then asked: Uncle, Yongqi would like to ask you, do you think marriage is really a bargaining chip?Fu Heng looked at him and said: Yes and no.In terms of your identity, elder brother, you are the prince, and marriage is of course a bargaining chip. Not only elder brother, the emperor's marriage is also a bargaining chip, or it is called a means. Think about it, don't you?Yong Qi suddenly understood that he was talking about Concubine Rong.

Fu Heng said again: But elder brother, you are a person with emotions, and your marriage is a major event in your life, so it is not a bargaining chip, and it is the same for the emperor.You think again, right?Yong Qi knew that he was talking about Concubine Rong again, how loving the emperor and Concubine Rong are.He then nodded and said: Yongqi understands.Fu Heng smiled and said, "Fifth brother, each of us is faced with many choices every day. You have to choose and you cannot escape, so you need to know how to choose."All the classes you have taken, all the books you have read, all the things you are experiencing and will experience in the future, in addition to giving you a reserve of knowledge, they are also teaching you how to choose.They are your best teachers.Marriage is just a choice.

Yong Qi nodded, and asked again: But Yong Qi thinks that you and Aunt Yingluo are very good, and only treat one person wholeheartedly. It would be great if Yong Qi could do the same.Fu Heng thought for a while, and realized that he must have known about Yingluo and himself from Haishi, and said, "She and I have experienced many hardships and hardships, but compared with you, Fu Heng has a choice. The emperor's son has no other choice for many things.Yong Qi was sad.

Fu Heng said again: Brother, you have to face your identity as a prince, and the emperor has high hopes for you, so he proposed marriage to you like this, and Yingluo and I also agree.You can try your best to choose according to your heart. Choosing according to your heart is not a mistake, but your heart must be big, and you must tolerate many things that you could not accept before. By then, you will really grow up.Yongqi asked: You mean, I can't have only one principle in my heart?

Fu Hengdao: There is only one standard, which is your standard of being a human being, but you have to be tolerant. Maybe you really like only one of them, but you can treat other people well, and use your standard to treat people and things.Yong Qi said: Thank you, Yong Qi will think about it when she goes back.Fu Heng nodded and said with a smile, "Fifth Brother, you have to take the overall situation into consideration and be careful, for the sake of the responsibilities you will shoulder.

After the imperial boat arrived at Qingkou, the emperor crossed the Yellow River in a small boat and inspected the Tianfei Gate and Gaojiayan.When crossing the Yellow River, the emperor asked Liu Tongxun and the river management officials about the management of the Yellow River over the years. After Gao Bin passed away, the emperor appointed Liu Tongxun to take charge of the river management affairs.Fu Heng, Hong Zhou, and Yong Qi are all accompanying them.Yong Qi looked at the Yellow River, which seemed to be roaring by thousands of troops and horses, in the curling mist.After listening to the emperor and other people talking about the flood of the Yellow River in depth, I realized that the muddy river water was caused by soil erosion, which caused the continuous increase of sediment in the water.River engineering is the top priority of the imperial court, spending millions of taels of silver every year.

In the next few days, the emperor has been listening, discussing, suggesting, and giving instructions.After passing through Huai'an, he saw that the north of the city was full of water and only earth embankments were built, so he ordered to build stone embankments to enhance flood resistance. On the basis of the original three dams in Hongze Lake, two more dams were built to relieve and reduce the flow rate and flow of the lake water, ensure the safety of the downstream river course, and reduce the disasters of downstream residents; The local officials in the district gave relief to the victims, and proposed to let the victims build dams and embankments, and use labor instead of relief, which not only solved the labor force required for the river work, but also solved the food and clothing problems of the victims.

Yong Qi studied and asked questions, and learned a lot.He watched the emperor put all his heart and soul into consideration, and his courtiers gave advice and discussions, and suddenly realized more deeply what Fu Heng said to him that day, his responsibilities as a prince, and his private wishes were insignificant compared to the affairs of the world.

On the morning of February 28, Yu Zhou arrived in Suzhou.The emperor and his party boarded a boat outside the Xu Gate, and entered Suzhou City through the Xu Gate.Suzhou civil and military officials all knelt down to greet them in court clothes.

After the emperor's concubine's fifth elder brother's team passed, Hong Zhou and his wife and servants followed, and then Fu Heng and his wife.Looking at the high city walls and towering gate towers, Yingluo felt the prosperity of Gusu rushing towards her face, and she jumped with joy in her heart.

After Yingluo's seasickness disappeared, she was only prone to drowsiness, but Fu Heng was still worried that she would jump when she was excited, so he held her hand tightly beside her.Seeing the bright brilliance in her big eyes, she became dazed, as if she was still the little maid who met him on the corridor in the palace back then, but she didn't want time to go by, more than ten years had passed, she was his son's forehead Mother, and they are pregnant with another child in their womb.Thinking of this, Fu Heng couldn't help smiling.

After the men got on the horses and the women's family entered the sedan chair, the procession entered Xumen, passed through the bustling market, and headed for the Suzhou Weaving Administration Palace in a mighty way. They all lined up and knelt down.It was the first time for the female relatives to see such a grand public scene, and they were all amazed in their hearts.When it was settled in the palace, it was already the beginning of the hour, and I was busy eating again.After the meal, Fu Heng saw that Yingluo was very sleepy, so he put his arms around her and took a rest on the bed together.When he woke up, Yingluo was still sleeping, so he got up by himself and went to the emperor's courtyard to have a look.Li Yu said that the emperor was still sleeping, so he turned back.

When they came back, they saw that Ying Luo had woken up, so they went out together to walk around the palace. The spring was full of vibes, and the spring breeze was blowing, much warmer than the spring in Beijing.Later, when they passed the emperor's courtyard, they saw Concubine Rong coming out of the door with the emperor on her arm, and the two hurriedly stood down to salute.Yingluo said to the two: Your Majesty, Concubine Rong, Gusu is so beautiful!The emperor smiled and said: Let's walk together.So the emperor and Fu Heng walked in front, and Li Yu followed them.Yingluo and Concubine Rong walked behind, and the guards followed far behind.Yingluo asked in a low voice about Wei Mei's situation, and Concubine Rong told her that during the few days when she had a rash, the emperor was resting at the concubine's place.Yingluo was relieved.

After walking for a while, seeing that the three people in front were far away, Concubine Rong said in a low voice: On the boat, the prince and the prince played chess with the emperor almost every day.Yingluo nodded, and said: Sure enough, he will seize the opportunity.Concubine Rong asked again: I don't know how Master Fu Heng is with him now?Yingluo then told some things that happened in the court before the southern tour, and said: After the Yalhashan incident last year, the Military Aircraft Department was still the same, and they did not communicate with each other in private, but the subordinates have gradually divided.

Concubine Rong nodded and said: I see.Who does the emperor favor?Yingluo said: The emperor is impartial, no one can see what he is thinking.Concubine Rong smiled and said: Okay, I understand.Ma'am, it's more convenient during the southern tour. Please tell me more about the previous affairs. The emperor never talks about court affairs in the harem. Afterwards, Shen Bi will still correspond with you. Don't forget, there is also Li Yu.Yingluo said: Thank you, Madam.

Concubine Rong shook her head and nodded with a smile, and said: Ma'am, you are so enthusiastic about helping Wei Mei. From taking care of me this time, I think she is a person who knows how to repay her kindness.Yingluo said: "She doesn't know that I asked the emperor to give her the order. It's better not to tell her about our affairs, just let nature take its course."She's simple-minded, and I don't want to really get involved with her.Concubine Rong nodded, and said: The emperor didn't want her to know your previous identity, madam, so Shen Bi didn't say anything to her.This time the emperor deliberately asked me to cooperate, just to hide it from her. It seems that she is very important to the emperor.Yingluo said: That's why the Pope gave her the order.Concubine Rong nodded and said: No matter what the situation is, she will always get the Holy Family, so she won't complain.After speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.

The two walked for a while, and Yingluo said: Madam, Fu Heng and I are really grateful for your sacrifice to meet my request.The emperor most taboos the harem to meddle in politics, you must be careful.Concubine Rong said with a smile: Madam, don't worry. □□ said, 'Whoever follows the right way will benefit himself; whoever strays into the wrong way will suffer from it'. You and Mr. Fu Heng are doing things according to the right way, and your kindness to Shen Bi is as great as a mountain , should have repaid the favor by sinking to the wall.In the incident with Shunzhai last year, Shen Bi already knew that the person behind the scenes was Prince He, even if Madam didn't give me the letter or tell me, I wouldn't let him go.Yingluo was surprised and said: You knew that earlier?How did you know?Concubine Rong said: "I will know the next day."Because at that time the lama in disguise once said a word, he said, 'the fifth master does not want her life', madam, think about it, who is this fifth master?Said, looking at Yingluo.

Yingluo suddenly realized.Concubine Rong nodded and said: Huo Jizhan couldn't understand what the lama said. I was about to faint at that time, and they thought I didn't hear it.On the second day, when I saw Prince He on the corridor in the palace, I suddenly remembered this sentence, and understood everything, he aimed at me, of course it was for the empress.At that time, I wanted to tell Mr. Fu Heng, but because of various inconveniences, I changed my mind later and never told you about it. This is my own business, and I can't cause you any more trouble. It's about Tong Shun Zhai , you have taken a lot of responsibilities for me and Huo Jizhan.If it weren't for you that day, Huo Jizhan and I would have both died long ago.Then she smiled and said: Ma'am, you should understand, right?

Yingluo nodded, and said: So the empress has been dealing with that matter for a long time.She finally understood that shortly after Huo Jizhan's death, when the emperor and the empress came back from offering sacrifices to their ancestors, Concubine Rong stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The fact that the emperor can feel at ease with her is another reason, and Concubine Rong herself has to deal with Hong Zhou, these things turned out to be all intertwined.

Concubine Rong, she is indeed not simple, but she is not what I thought at first, suddenly understood why Huo Jizhan was so infatuated with her and why he had such confidence in her, so he sent her alone to the unpredictable emperor, he knew, She will definitely live a good life. As long as he paves the way for her, she and Huo Jizhan are really a good match... Except that Fu Heng saved her life, last year Fu Heng and himself helped She and Huo Jizhan, at that time, she said to herself the words of "great kindness without words"... Thinking of this, she smiled happily: Hong Zhou didn't know that the emperor is already the servant of the empress .The emperor knew about Tongshunzhai, and I believe he would not mind. Both you and Huo Jizhan are in the past. Huo Jizhan saved you that day, and the emperor understands.