The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Houzhao was listlessly listening to the lecture that day. His mind had long been wandering, thinking about going outside to play after class. He thought about how he had not escaped from the palace for a long time and had designed a new route out of the palace... Suddenly there was a feeling in his heart. Excited, and then a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Wang Hao on the podium saw the boy's abnormal expression, and probably knew that the naughty kid was thinking blindly again.

Wang Hao knocked on the desk seriously, preparing to pull Zhu Houzhao's energy back.

However, Zhu Houzhao turned his head away and gave Qiu Ju, who had been waiting beside him, some instructions, and Qiu Ju ran towards the entrance of the palace.

"Prince, what do you want to do?" Wang Hao asked with a straight face.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Oh, it's okay, sir. I just wanted to ask him to do something for me. I just gave him a few instructions. It has nothing to do with study. Sir, just talk."

Wang Hao was angry.

He taught his disciples how to read, but the prince had no shame or mercy, nor did he understand the concept of respecting teachers. When he thought that such a person would rule the world in the future... he felt that his guidance might not be enough, and he had to make the prince into a qualified one. The prince needs the officials in the East Palace to work harder.

Suddenly Wang Hao thought of Zhang Zhou.

I also wonder why Zhang Zhou can convince this kid every time... I want to ask Zhang Zhou for advice, but I know that this is not in line with my identity and style, so I can only continue to teach him with a bit of regret. Go down.

……

……

Class is over.

Zhu Houzhao ran out in a hurry, but Qiu Ju on the opposite side had already brought his men over.

He quickly called people into the inner hall and put on the clothes he was going to wear when leaving the palace. They were the clothes of a young eunuch. Because he had grown taller, his previous clothes were a little unfitting, which made him feel very awkward after putting them on.

"It's a bit cold. Is there anything thicker?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

While helping Zhu Houzhao tidy up his clothes, Qiu Ju said: "Your Highness, these are the clothes you asked someone to make half a year ago. It's normal that they don't fit you now. You are growing up very fast now. How about I give you another one?" Outside?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "If I wear just one piece of clothing, is that okay? If I dress differently from others, wouldn't the doorkeeper recognize me right away?"

Qiu Ju stopped talking.

Gao Feng, who was standing next to him, reminded: "Your Highness, Academician Wang and the others have arrived at the gate of the palace as soon as we spoke. It's too late to pursue them."

"Hmph, it's okay. When they leave the palace, you can tell them that the prince has something to give them. Prepare the empty box and follow him eagerly... Since it's a reward, let's go after it so that I can get away with it. ”

Zhu Houzhao smiled so hard that he narrowed his eyes and felt that he had come up with a perfect plan.

Suddenly he shuddered again and said, "It's quite cold."

Gao Feng said: "Your Highness, you may get sick if you do this."

"It doesn't matter. You can just change your clothes after you leave the palace. You have found the little eunuch, right? Put on my clothes and let him stay in the East Palace. I will say that I am losing my temper and no one will see me." Zhu Houzhao wanted to do this. To make it easier for him to leave the palace, he also found a substitute for himself.

Gao Feng asked: "What if His Majesty and the Queen send someone to invite you over?"

"Will you?" Zhu Houzhao curled his lips and said, "My father and mother didn't bother to talk to me. I finally figured it out. Now that my father doesn't care for me and my mother doesn't love me, I'm not as good as that stinky boy Zhu Houxuan, who has a bigger butt." Dolls are likeable. Maybe the younger sons in the family are more favored. If the father has another son, Zhu Houxuan's good days will come to an end. Sooner or later he will be like me."

Several eunuchs nearby listened and felt a chill in their hearts.

This naughty kid seems to have a pretty good summarizing ability. Thinking about it, the emperor seems not to care much about the prince's studies recently. He used to come here often to take a peek, but now he has not come for several months.

The prince only has four or five days a month to see his parents. Basically, he sends someone to summon him every time, or Zhu Houzhao insists on going.

"Have you brought your money?"

"Bring it with me."

"Be sure to take the wooden box with you. It can be used as a shield when you go out. When you come back, you can put your things in it. When you come back, you will say that you missed the closing time of the palace gate tonight. You will stay outside the palace overnight to give those people some benefits. , they shut up!"

"..."

"It's quite cold today. It's already the ninth cold winter, right? Why do you think autumn is so long this year? Isn't it the twelfth lunar month yet?"

"Your Highness, it is July this year, so autumn feels very long, but in fact..."

"Okay, okay, don't worry about the leap months, what do you have to do with me? Find me some clothes to wear when you go out, let's go!"

"Your Highness, where will you go after leaving the palace?"

"Look for a place to play. If there is no place to stay at night, I will go to my uncle's and second uncle's house. They are both in Beijing now, right? Hey, it suddenly occurred to me that they are very honest recently. It is rare that they don't cause trouble."

Several eunuchs were thinking that His Highness the Crown Prince might not know anything else well, but his knowledge of his two uncles was really... sharp.

"Hurry up, hurry up, or it will be too late. Qiu Ju, you come out of the palace with me, and the others will cover me. Have you found the troublemakers? Let them go with me, and I will blend in among them..."

……

……

It's not night yet.

Zhu Youtang was still handling court affairs in Xinuang Pavilion. Li Zhang came in a hurry, with a bit of fear in his expression. After he explained the situation to Chen Kuan, he came to the mat where Zhu Youtang was sitting.

"Is something wrong?" Zhu Youtang glanced at Li Zhang with the corner of his eye without raising his head, "Is there any news from Bingkuan?"

Li Zhang said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the prince has left the palace."

When Zhu Youtang heard this, he frowned slightly, put down the pen in his hand, then raised his head and said, "When did it happen?"

Li Zhang said: "Just now, the prince's excuse was... The prince wanted to send some monks to the East Palace to serve as officials, and asked a few slaves to go out to chase the gentlemen of the East Palace who had just left the palace. He mixed in with a group of people, and just... went out. ”

"Didn't Gong Jin notice?" Zhu Youtang was a little angry.

Thinking about it again, if the imperial eunuch didn't notice it, how could Li Zhang come to report it?

"Why didn't you stop it?" Zhu Youtang added.

Li Zhang said helplessly: "The palace guards did... not realize that His Highness the Crown Prince has grown taller now. Among a group of young slaves... the slaves are not saying that the Crown Prince is a slave, but that... the Crown Prince is among them." It is indeed difficult to notice. It was the people from Dongchang who noticed it and reported it to the slave. The slave also sent people to secretly protect the prince, and by the way... came to report. "

"He's messing around!"

Zhu Youtang got angry, slapped the table and said, "How can he still get away with it? Do those people no longer want their jobs or their heads? Do you still expect them to protect the safety of the palace?"

Chen Kuan quickly came to his aid and said, "Your Majesty, people who leave the palace are always very loosely checked, mainly to prevent others from getting involved. Besides, this is a gift in the name of the prince. Ordinary people... would not dare to leave the palace for this reason."

"Oh?"

Zhu Youtang thought about it, and it was the same.

He faked the prince's instructions and sent things in the prince's name. If this was investigated later, it would definitely be a shame.

The palace guards probably didn't expect that someone would act so boldly, but the prince himself was capable of such nonsense.

Furthermore, this time his son was obviously well prepared when leaving the palace. He had costumes and props, and he also found actors in advance and mingled in among them... Zhu Youtang suddenly realized that besides studying, his son seemed to be good at everything else. Quite outstanding.

"When I was young, I wasn't like him..."

Zhu Youtang originally wanted to say that he was not as foolhardy as him.

But what Chen Kuan and the others heard sounded like they were saying, I was not as smart as this naughty kid back then, and I actually had the ability to sneak out of the palace on my own, not just once or twice.

"But he is only eleven years old! If he can be run out like this, everyone on duty will be held accountable, slapped with a blackboard, and their salary will be deducted! That's it."

Zhu Youtang felt that this trend could not be promoted, and his son was reluctant to take action, so he would vent his anger on the derelict palace guards.

Chen Kuan said: "Your Majesty, the prince has been busy with his studies recently and really shouldn't leave the palace. Should we quickly bring him back now?"

"recover……"

Zhu Youtang thought for a while and sighed, "Bingkuan told me at the beginning that sometimes following the child's wishes does not necessarily mean condoning, and sometimes it can have counterproductive effects. Bring him back, he will He will also go out of his way to get out of the palace. As long as he is within my control every time he goes out, it doesn't matter whether he is in the palace or outside the palace."

Li Zhang hurriedly said: "Back to Your Majesty, I have sent hundreds of people to protect you secretly, and you can mobilize the royal guards to coordinate at any time."

"It's not enough." Zhu Youtang said, "During the protection, the identity cannot be revealed. And if the prince goes to some places with complicated morals, he must be restrained." "Yes."

Li Zhang took the order.

"You go too," Zhu Youtang said, "accompany him. If he really doesn't listen, tell him to go back to the palace if he doesn't obey! You must let him come back tomorrow morning! That's it."

Not only was Li Zhang surprised, but Chen Kuan was also a little surprised.

The emperor seemed to be gradually relaxing his control over the prince.

They all seemed to be aware of a problem.

When the emperor has two sons, he will be more indulgent to the eldest son. It is true that if one dies, the other one will be there... Double insurance is a yes.

……

……

What Zhu Youtang was afraid of was that after his son left the palace, he would go to some place with complicated social status.

The purpose of Zhu Houzhao leaving the palace was to feel the smoke and fire in the world. Naturally, he would go where there were more people. As for danger... it was never the first thing a naughty child would consider when sneaking out to play. It was probably that the disaster would not be over. , he is not worried.

"That place in front is nice. What are the people saying there? Come over and listen." Zhu Houzhao saw a teahouse where a group of people seemed to be chatting, so he ran over to join in the fun.

Qiu Ju who followed out said hurriedly: "Sir, there are many people in that place. It would be bad if there are assassins or something."

Zhu Houzhao lowered his head and looked at the clothes he had just put on, and asked: "I look like this, I don't even look like a noble son, who will come to assassinate me? You mean, among the people who helped me get out of the palace today, some people want to Is it bad for me? I could run out on my own when I was a child, even to Yingtian Mansion. That time I was so far away and I didn’t see any danger. What are you afraid of this time? "

"That……"

Qiu Ju seemed unable to refute.

Two years earlier, Zhang Zhou was transferred to Nanjing, and Zhu Houzhao followed him all the way. At that time, Zhu Houzhao could come back safely, but now he doesn't seem to have to worry about it anymore.

Zhu Houzhao rushed in and found a corner to sit down. Then Dr. Tea came over and said with a smile: "Hey, young master, this is not the place where you came. Do you want to go somewhere else to enjoy the cool weather?"

Zhu Houzhao slapped his big hand on the table, and two pieces of silver fell on the table. He said, "Is it enough to have a cup of tea and fill your stomach?"

This also confused Dr. Tea.

This guy is very generous with his money. It seems that he is a boss who is not short of money. You must know that people who come out these days can get a few copper coins, which is pretty good. Those who can directly take out silver are powerful bosses. What's more, Don't say that you slapped the money on the table directly.

"Just wait, tea will be served to you."

Dr. Cha quickly collected the money and went inside to make arrangements.

……

……

At the same time, Mou Bin, the commander of the Jin Yiwei, had just arrived outside the tea house. Because it was approaching sunset and it was still bright, Mou Bin did not dare to get too close.

"Sir, Mr. Li said, he will come over soon and let you keep an eye on him first." His subordinates came over to inform Mu Bin.

"Ah."

Mou Bin stared at Zhu Houzhao in the teahouse, and felt nervous for no reason. If there was an assassin lurking inside, he would immediately start an assassination. He was beyond his reach.

But I heard a group of people in the teahouse talking loudly.

One of them, an old man who looked like a down-and-out scholar, was bragging about what he had seen: "...that old man Zhang was a man who stood upright in the Ming Dynasty. This time he led the troops to fight the Tatars, and he must be able to capture them with ease. Grab one with his left hand, and another with his right. , just like his ancestors who once defeated the Confederate Army."

"The old capital."

"Isn't that true? The time when the capital was moved was something that happened when my father was young. Later, he often mentioned it in front of us juniors. You young people don't even know about it. There are no good people in the south, they are all a bunch of crooked people. , the talents in our northern capital are called indomitable, and Mr. Zhang is a role model for us northerners."

There is a kind of heroic spirit that no one else in the world would give me.

A young man said: "I haven't heard of the British Duke having any achievements in the past few years. Can he defeat the Tatars? Don't let the Tatars chase him everywhere."

"Isn't that true?" There were also people nearby who couldn't bear to hear this.

In the Ming Dynasty, although everyone under the emperor's feet had their own arrogance, due to the heavy regional migration, the people in the capital in the middle of the Ming Dynasty were also a large gathering place. There were many people coming from the south to the north, and the regional prejudice would be much lighter. .

"The Tatars are brave, but it is useless to just hope that they will stand firm now."

"Young man, don't just talk! Haven't you heard of that cannon? One shot can hit the ground for several miles, and one explosion can blow up for several miles. Where the fire bomb has passed, there will be no grass. No matter how brave the Tatars are, Are you brave enough to fire bombs?”

"Even if it was a fire bomb, it was done by Cai Guogong at that time. What's the matter with the surname Zhang? Zhang's reputation is not very good. Everyone said that he was corrupt and perverted the law. Even his subordinates were mean. Who would obey such a person leading the army? ?”

"That's right, that's right."

A group of people were all talking.

The man from the old capital couldn't stand listening anymore, interrupted the discussion of those present, and said loudly: "You are just short-sighted. The cavalry in our court relies entirely on sudden advances. Which cavalry do you think is the strongest? Of course the Beijing camp. The cavalry is the bravest. After all, it is to defend the capital. Can the emperor put all the good soldiers outside? This time Mr. Zhang brought the most elite cavalry in the capital, and they are as good as three of them in battle."

"Are they that powerful? The cavalry in the capital seems to be nothing more than that."

"Young man, if your words are heard by those soldiers in the capital, you will be punched in two big holes."

"Hahaha……"

……

……

A group of people talked lively.

Zhu Houzhao next to him also listened with great enthusiasm. It seemed that he had not been involved in this kind of atmosphere for a long time. There was a feeling of drinking heavily, eating large pieces of meat, and then bragging loudly.

As a person who likes to join in the fun, Zhu Houzhao is not willing to just listen to this group of people, he wants to participate.

"Young Master, be careful." Qiu Ju quickly dissuaded Zhu Houzhao when he saw him and caught him and wanted to get up and make a eloquent speech.

Zhu Houzhao said: "You know nothing!"

After saying that, he immediately rushed forward a few steps, arrived in front of the man in the old capital, and said loudly: "You think the British can win the war? Do you dare to bet?"

The old Jingcheng was still bragging about how awesome the soldiers in the Jingying camp were, and said that he had seen it with his own eyes. Just as he was getting excited, a young boy suddenly appeared and ran up to him to ask for a bet. He couldn't help but look at him with disdain. He looked around, as if he was looking for whose children were out to cause trouble. They were looking for their parents.

"I was talking to you, didn't you hear me?" Zhu Houzhao said angrily.

Lao Jingcheng asked: "Where did you come from?"

"I can't stand listening anymore. Why are you bragging? You have seen how powerful the Beijing camp is, but you have never seen the power of the frontier army. Have you ever heard of fire blunderbuss? Just hold it in your hand. With just one hook, you can hit hundreds of steps, killing wherever you point? Do you think it’s still the time when we used bows and arrows to fight? How could the cavalry fight so bravely?"

The most frustrating thing about Zhu Houzhao in the palace was that no one was bragging to him.

Even if there is an audience, he is the one who speaks. How dare those eunuchs challenge him?

But it's different outside. Just in terms of status, he is not superior to others. No matter what he discusses, he talks about it from the same level, and there is no use of power to suppress others.

He was even at a disadvantage.

Old Jingcheng said angrily: "Which family? You haven't eaten a few mouthfuls of rice, and the salt hasn't touched your tongue yet, and you dare to come out and act recklessly? Whose family? Whose family?"

"Young Master..." Qiu Ju quickly wanted to go over and pull him over.

Zhu Houzhao threw Qiu Ju's arm away and said angrily: "I want to make a bet with you. You all should be witnesses. If the man named Zhang wins, I will give you anything. If he loses, you can give me anything." The family property has also been lost, do you dare to bet?"

"Hahaha……"

A group of people were there to watch the excitement.

Lao Jingcheng was so embarrassed that he couldn't get off the stage. His face turned red from suppressing his emotions and he said, "Crazy kid!"

Someone laughed and said: "He Laosan, don't you think you can see through the situation in the northwest? Now if someone wants to bet with you, just take it! If you lose, it will be a big deal. You will lose your mother-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, daughter, etc." give him?"

"Why?" He Laosan said angrily.

Zhu Houzhao said: "If you don't dare to bet, why are you bragging? Let's put it this way. At best, the British prince is going to the northwest as a cover. Things on the battlefield have nothing to do with him. He can only watch wherever he goes. Others have made military exploits. If you don’t dare to bet, get out of here. I despise people like you who talk but don’t practice!" (End of Chapter)