The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 273

After Zhang Zhou and Zhu Youtang returned to Qianqing Palace, and then screened Dai Yi and others back, the tone of the discussion was no longer the same.

"Bingkuan, is there anything you can't say in front of the queen?" Zhu Youtang was a discerning person, and he could feel that Zhang Zhou's suggestion that the prince would be alive and well in the next 20 years was to change the subject.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Some things are hard to talk about."

Zhu Youtang sighed: "Actually, have you calculated about my son's heir from the very beginning?"

Zhang Zhou didn't answer directly, he said: "Your Majesty's heirs are weak. In fact, I don't need my ministers to measure them. Your Majesty should be clear. There may be many reasons before, but now where the cause is, don't use my ministers to remind you. You can do what you can. It's been done, it's been done..."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang nodded.

Nothing was said, but everything was said.

Zhu Youtang used to have few heirs, which can be said to be physically weak, but now it is clear that the queen cannot give birth.

It depends on whether you want to change or not.

"The future of the prince..." Although Zhu Youtang didn't want to ask, he still couldn't help asking.

Although Zhang Zhou said that his son will be fine in the next 20 years, is this kind of thing sure?

What about after 20 years?When will his son have heirs?
Zhang Zhoudao: "The prince's future heirs... are not abundant..."

"Huh?" Zhu Youtang looked anxious.

Zhang Zhou sighed and said, "I really don't want to mention some things, but the number of days seems to be the same. I don't want to cover up your Majesty's peace of mind, it's better to tell the truth."

"Hmm." Zhu Youtang fell into deep thought.

Originally, he thought he was not good enough, and he didn't necessarily need to change. Anyway, he has a son... I can't have more children. Your son grew up spoiled, and he grew up to give birth to him?

But after hearing Zhang Zhou's words, Zhu Youtang began to understand that if he didn't work hard now, his son might not be able to count on him, and then the father and son would hand over Jiangshan Sheji to others?

"Bingkuan, when the father ascended the throne at the beginning of the year, there were not many dragon heirs. I think it may be related to the inheritance of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. It takes more than [-] years to have more dragon heirs. Is there any reason for this? "

Although Zhu Youtang has never studied genetics, he can still consider reasons such as inheritance from father to son.

After his father Zhu Jianshen came to the throne, he didn't have many sons, and he gave birth to one and died, but in the end Zhu Jianshen had many heirs, and Zhu Youtang was still waiting for him to be like his father when he was 30 years old. Something broke out.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, I can't answer your question. Everyone's fate is different. As for Your Majesty's future... I can't make assumptions."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang seems to be completely "give up" this time.

"Okay, Bingkuan, let's talk about sending troops. Tomorrow, I'm going to set up a sacrifice outside Desheng Gate, so I won't go to sacrifice to heaven, earth, mountains and rivers. Then you can say a few words in front of people to cheer up the soldiers."

What Zhu Youtang meant was to let Zhang Zhou use the so-called will of God to fool the soldiers who went out before the battle, telling them that this battle would be a complete victory.

This is to use Zhang Zhou's reputation for expressing God's will to boost the morale of the army.

"The minister takes the order." Zhang Zhou bowed his hands and accepted the order.

……

……

Zhu Youtang returned to Kunning Palace.

Empress Zhang is still very happy. She feels that her status as a queen is stable, and her husband should not go out to find other women... Even Long Si is asked to sit in on her, and Zhang Zhou also made it clear that the prince will be healthy After growing up to 20 years, that is, nearly 30 years old... My husband should not be so paranoid about having a child...

But no matter what Queen Zhang said to her husband, Zhu Youtang seemed careless.

His heart was shaken.

It was mainly the "future" vaguely described by Zhang Zhou, which made him feel very uneasy.

I only have one queen, and the queen seems unable to reproduce at present. Although the son will be able to reach adulthood in the future, it seems that the son is not good at this aspect...

This brings up a terrible problem, the throne of the Ming Dynasty is likely to be cut off in his lineage, and at that time, he may have to adopt someone from a side branch to come over.

Seeing that her husband was in a trance, Empress Zhang couldn't help asking: "Your Majesty, what's Bingkuan's opinion on the matter of concubines having children?"

"No." Zhu Youtang said, "Just take good care of your body."

Empress Zhang said with a smile: "I think so too. The prince is lively by nature, and he will definitely inherit your mantle in the future."

Zhu Youtang shook his head: "It's not appropriate to say that here."

Empress Zhang said: "The courtiers and concubines are not great Confucianists, and they don't know how to talk about great principles. They only know that the family is good and the court is good. Isn't the royal affairs just the court affairs?"

"Ok?"

Zhu Youtang was taken aback.

His wife's words sounded like she was trying to comfort him, don't think about concubines, the harmony of our family of four is better than anything else.

But in Zhu Youtang's ears, it seems to have another meaning.

This is obviously not to say that the emperor has fewer children, which means that the future court situation will be unstable?Is it also very easy to have an unprecedented situation?
"His Majesty……"

Just as he was talking, Dai Yi appeared in Kunning Palace and presented him with a list of plans for the upcoming expedition.

Zhu Youtang took it over, looked at it, and asked, "Have you been informed?"

"Every family has been notified, and no one has been temporarily transferred. They are all from the Yanwu Hall. Now, no one from the Yanwu Hall is still in the capital." Dai Yi smiled.

The imperial court opened a military school, and the first batch of students had not yet graduated, and all of them were transferred to the Northwest to take up important positions. It seemed that this martial arts school represented the highest honor of martial arts in the Ming Dynasty, and also represented the trust of the emperor.

Zhu Youtang said: "By the way, what happened to the children in Li Ge's hometown?"

"Ok?"

Dai Yi was taken aback, why did the emperor give a hammer here and there?What does this have to do with Li Dongyang?

"This... the young master of Li Ge's hometown has been suffering from illness, it's really... not very good..." Dai Yi said embarrassedly.

Because Li Dongyang's only surviving son, that is, Li Dongyang's eldest son Li Zhaoxian, got flowers and willows, or it was caused by Mr. Li Zhao's unruly nature. This disease was also incurable in the Ming Dynasty, and it could only be raised slowly. His condition would get worse, even life-threatening. Historically, Li Zhaoxian died two years later.

Li Dongyang was very worried about his son.

Zhu Youtang asked again: "Master Li Ge's hometown, does he have any heirs?"

"This..." Dai Yi thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "No."

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang nodded, suddenly seemed inspired by something.

Isn’t the future Zhang Zhou described for him and his son Zhu Houzhao a bit like the father and son Li Dongyang and Li Zhaoxian?

Li Dongyang didn't rely on his own efforts, but counted on Li Zhaoxian...and Li Zhaoxian grew up to be a dragon and a tiger. After contracting such a disease, even if he married a wife and took a concubine, he didn't have a son...It's just a negative example.

Queen Zhang asked: "Li Ge seems to be young, why does he have only one son?"

Although Li Dongyang is the Prime Minister, he is actually only 53 years old. Lin Han's son is still born when he is over [-]. In these years, it is not uncommon for a pear tree to crush a crabapple.

Dai Yi said: "Maybe it's... It's hard to say about slaves."

"Then what's wrong with his son? Can't Bingkuan treat him?" Empress Zhang asked intentionally or unintentionally.

Dai Yi looked at Zhu Youtang with a wry smile.

Li Dongyang never told the emperor about this matter, and Zhu Youtang didn't seem to think about it before.

Zhu Youtang said: "I don't need to talk about any illness, but it is also equivalent to an incurable disease. Speaking of it, Mr. Li Ge is different from Mr. Ying. mentioned."

Dai Yi saluted and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, Mr. Li Ge will never hinder others with such things."

"But Bingkuan is going to go to war soon..." Zhu Youtang seemed to be persuaded by his wife, and wanted to help Li Dongyang's only son, Li Zhaoxian, to heal his illness.

Dai Yi said: "Maybe we can wait for Mr. Zhang to come back from the northwest."

"Hmm." Zhu Youtang suddenly thought of something again, "I remember, Elder Li Ge still has a daughter, right?"

Dai Yi smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this is not in the same line as Yan Shenggong... and there is a marriage contract..."

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "It's not the children of Yansheng Gong's family who got engaged, but... the nephew. Speaking of which, Mr. Li Ge has always been worried about this, and he may be getting married in the past two years."

"Your Majesty?" Dai Yi didn't understand the meaning of the emperor's words.

Zhu Youtang said: "Well, you go to Li Ge's old mansion today and ask him if he intends to let Bing Kuan treat his son's illness, and if he doesn't want to, he won't force it. If he really wants to, let him Before leaving Deshengmen at noon tomorrow, Bingkuan will take a walk around the Li residence."

Dai Yi asked: "Your Majesty, is this too hasty?"

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "There's no haste. Bingkuan's trip to the northwest, no matter what his military achievements are, he will be promoted to a bachelor's degree in the Imperial Academy after he returns. It's not a bad idea to establish a relationship with Mr. Li Ge in advance. Could it be that the cabinet department is not interested in what Bingkuan said? Why do you just let it go? You have to get in touch sooner or later, if Bingkuan can alleviate Mr. Li Ge's condition, if nothing else, if you have a child or something... Mr. Li's attitude towards Bingkuan will probably change."

Empress Zhang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, since Bing Kuan is the one who treats the disease, why don't you want to cure it, but only say to leave a grandson for Mr. Li Ge?"

"It's different." Zhu Youtang said, "That kind of disease can't be cured. It's not bad to leave an heir. It just suddenly occurred to me that Mr. Li Ge is also my husband after all. Some things even if he doesn't mention it himself. , I can't just ignore it. I will also count on them to assist the government in the future."

Dai Yi said: "The servant girl will go now."

"Okay." Zhu Youtang said, "You go in person. If you don't make it in time, give Li Ge Lao a day to rest and take a bath tomorrow. It's up to him to decide."

……

……

"Eunuch Dai, let someone go to Li Ge's old mansion for such a matter."

Xiao Jing heard that Dai Yi was going to Li Dongyang's residence, so he took the initiative to invite Ying, because he usually communicated frequently with the outside world.

Dai Yidao: "This is Your Majesty's intention to contact Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li Ge. For such a big matter, His Majesty has already ordered someone to go. Who dares to evade?"

"This..." Xiao Jing nodded first, but said with emotion, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly forget about Li Ge's family affairs?"

Dai Yi sighed and said: "Mr. Zhang entered the palace today and talked with His Majesty. Even if he doesn't know what he said, he probably knows why. Now the dragon's heirs are weak, and Mr. Li Ge's heirs are also weak. There are similarities between the monarch and his ministers." His Majesty will inevitably pay more attention to it. Besides, this is to help Mr. Zhang accumulate contacts in the court, so how could His Majesty not pay attention?"

Xiao Jing shook his head: "If it's cured, it's a connection, if it can't be cured..."

"It's an incurable disease. If it can't be cured, you still have to force it on others? Mr. Li Ge can't be unreasonable, right? Your Majesty also made it clear that if you don't ask for a cure, you should help Mr. Li get a grandson. Do you usually burn high incense?"

Dai Yi's tone was a little unfriendly.

He felt that Xiao Jing was too prominent recently, now that the emperor arranged for him to do something, Xiao Jing wanted to take the initiative to do it.

He didn't think that Xiao Jing was sharing the hard work for him, but he felt that Xiao Jing wanted to replace him.

"Elder Li Ge may not agree, right?" Xiao Jing smiled wryly.

Dai Yi said: "It is still necessary to ask. Your Majesty has a heart, and we can't be ruthless. Mr. Zhang is too embarrassed to mention it by himself. Your Majesty is just going through a needle. As for whether Mr. Li Ge accepts this, it depends on how he treats his family. Do you pay attention to the matter of incense?"

……

……

That night, after dark, Dai Yi came to the door in person.

Li Dongyang has just returned from Wenyuan Pavilion. After a busy day, he will rest when he comes back. He will be on duty the next night, and he may have to stay up for a long time.

"Master, Eunuch Dai is here."

"Please!"

After Li Dongyang arranged his clothes briefly, he greeted him at the door in person.

After exchanging pleasantries with Dai Yi, Li Dongyang could only think that Dai Yi was here to convey the emperor's imperial decree, so he respectfully invited him to his main hall.

Dai Yi said with a smile: "Mr. Li Ge doesn't need to be too polite, our family is just here to convey a message for His Majesty, it's very simple, just leave after speaking."

"Respectfully accept the imperial edict." Li Dongyang was ready to receive the imperial edict.

Dai Yi said: "Can you ask others to avoid it for a while?"

"Ah."

Only then did Li Dongyang dismiss the servant.

Seeing that Dai Yi had already sat down and had no intention of proclaiming an edict, Li Dongyang also became puzzled.

"Your Majesty called Mr. Zhang into the palace today to talk about the issue of the Dragon Heir." Dai Yi made the opening remarks, and then thought of something, "Mr. Li Ge, let's sit down and talk."

"This……"

Choose the imperial decree, and sit down and say it?

But it is impossible for Dai Yi not to understand the rules. Since Dai Yi said so, Li Dongyang sat down with confidence.

"As for what His Majesty said to Mr. Zhang, our family doesn't know, but His Majesty mentioned the illness of Li Ge's old master..."

"Your Majesty is worried. The dog...is fine." Li Dongyang didn't want to bother the emperor with such things.

Besides, he had already come to the imperial physician for consultation, and he had thought about all the possible solutions. At present, Li Zhaoxian's condition is quite mild, not to the point of dying, and he is also working hard to let his son recuperate. At the same time, give him a grandson.

He wasn't too desperate either.

Dai Yi said: "Your Majesty means that if Mr. Li Ge agrees, His Majesty will order Mr. Zhang to come over and ask your son... for a doctor."

"what?"

Li Dongyang frowned.

Where is the emperor going to make trouble?He actually thought of treating his son?

Dai Yi smiled and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Li Ge. Mr. Zhang doesn't know about this matter. Mr. Zhang will only come if you need it. Your Majesty said that the disease can be cured, but it may not be sure. Li Ge always has an heir, so it can be regarded as... God is sorry."

Li Dongyang frowned a little bit.

If it's something else, he can get it back on the spot.

But when it comes to the issue of his heirs... Li Dongyang wants to say how principled he is...he really isn't.

In the matter of principle, Liu Jian is better than him, and even Xie Qian is not better than him.

In history, after the death of Li Zhaoxian in the 14th year of Hongzhi, Li Zhaofan took over his name. He even asked the emperor to give Li Zhaofan the status of the son of the state. Later, when Liu Jian and others joined forces to deal with the Eight Tigers, Li Dongyang was even suspected of leaking the news. Liu Jian and Xie Qian withdrew, and he even stayed in the court to play tricks with Liu Jinxu...

Li Dongyang has never become a famous official of a generation because of his uprightness. Sometimes he also bears a lot, but at the same time he also has the cunning among literati, and he has the so-called flexibility.

"Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Zhang is going to the Xuan Mansion tomorrow. It is not certain when he will come back. If you really want to, His Majesty will let us go to his mansion to inform you. You don't have to come to court tomorrow, and Mr. Zhang will not I will go, let him come to the house for a visit and show him...the news will not be leaked."

Li Dongyang felt that the emperor was fully thinking about his face.

While wanting Zhang Zhou to treat his son's illness, at the same time covering up his contacts with Zhang Zhou to preserve his reputation.

Such caring touches Li Dongyang's heart.

Although Li Dongyang was moved, he still shook his head and refused: "Thank you Your Majesty for your kindness, the dog's condition should be raised slowly."

Dai Yi said helplessly, as if empathizing with himself: "Mr. Ge, our family is somewhat aware of this disease, and we will take care of it, but the condition will worsen day by day. It is not impossible to treat Mr. Zhang when he returns to Beijing, but if you want to As for the heirs... it's better to do it as soon as possible."

"Cough cough."

Li Dongyang coughed straight.

He himself has a disease, hemorrhoids, and it is the kind of disease that has been suffering for many years, and it has tortured himself a lot.

Now Dai Yi clearly told him that your son's death may be a matter of time, but if you still want to hold your grandson, you'd better not be rigid, because you only have one chance.

"It is not impossible for Mr. Zhang to go away tomorrow for at least several months. Who knows what will happen when he comes back? You may be thinking that this Mr. Zhang has no great abilities, and they are all boasted by outsiders." ...But you should have seen what he has done, and if there is only one person in this world who can heal your son, and it is effective, who else is there besides him?"

In order to complete the mission entrusted by the emperor, Dai Yi also worked hard.

Obviously Li Dongyang said that he didn't need it, so he could go back to work, but he was not willing to do so.

Recently, Xiao Jing is almost on top of him, and the emperor doesn't seem to have as much trust in him as before. What's more terrible is... Zhang Zhou usually walks very close to Xiao Jing, which means that Xiao Jing has something now. The emperor and Zhang Zhou are two big backers.

Only by helping Zhang Zhou and Li Dongyang get on the line, can Zhang Zhou and Li Dongyang receive his love at the same time, and can he stabilize his position as the eunuch in charge of the ceremony.

Dai Yi said: "How about this, early tomorrow morning, you prepare a sedan chair and take your son out of the house, our family arranges a place, and then ask Mr. Zhang to come over and ask. I don't know the name, it's just an ordinary consultation, you can also You don't have to show up, okay?"

Zhang Zhou was not allowed to come to the door for treatment, and he was directly taken out for consultation.

Dai Yi is now trying to make up for Li Dongyang by himself.

Up to this point, Li Dongyang seemed to have no possibility of refusing, he nodded and said: "Thank you, Eunuch Dai."

(End of this chapter)