A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 57 The Duke of Yue died

Zhu Yuanzhang fell into deep thought.

What Yan Ling said does make sense.He himself also knew that emperors who were so diligent in political affairs were rare throughout history.Even Zhu Biao, although he is quite good at government affairs, can't help but work so hard and has been a little weak recently.

There is no guarantee that future generations will not be able to withstand such high-intensity work and will create something similar to the prime minister, and his efforts will be in vain.

From the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang set up an almost rigid system for future generations, it can be seen that he was a person with a strong desire for control. In this case, he could not allow such an unstable factor to exist.

"If the cabinet has exclusive power, wouldn't it mean that we have another prime minister?" he said. This was a problem that could not be overcome.

"Your Majesty, you can only give cabinet officials seven or eight grades of titles. In this way, although the cabinet assists the emperor in managing politics, it is only of low grade. How can it command the world like a prime minister?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers tapped lightly on the armrests of the chair. He thought about it carefully and found that the cabinet system proposed by Yan Ling was indeed beneficial and harmless, so he nodded gently:

"Yes, this is a good idea, so let's do it."

"Besides, my dear, today I am abolishing the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and you no longer have an official position, so you can temporarily act as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs... Li Shanchang has made some achievements in today's affairs, so I will let him come back and become the Imperial Secretary Zhongcheng."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yan Ling smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I will resign."

He turned around and didn't take two steps. His shoulders shook violently, as if he was suppressing something.

Behind him, Emperor Hongwu suddenly said: "Ruixuan, you are getting older and older."

Yan Ling turned around and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am already fifty-one this year. I cannot compare with Your Majesty's energy. I have been feeling more and more tired recently."

"Ahem. Your Majesty, my lungs are not good, and I have had a severe headache recently. Please forgive me for my indecency before you."

"It's okay, let's go back..."
-
On August 15, the [-]th year of Hongwu's reign, all the people and officials in the capital wore filial piety.

Taizu Xiaocigao and Queen Ma passed away last night.

"May your Majesty be as prudent as you are in asking for virtuous people and accepting advice, so that your descendants will all be virtuous and your subjects will be well off." These were her last words.

Year 51.

The emperor mourned and refused to re-establish his throne.

When the news of Queen Ma's death came, Yan Ling also sighed.

This woman also had a close relationship with him when she was still young.She was kind, generous, intelligent and skillful. She helped Zhu Yuanzhang settle down in the rear area, and saved money to help the hungry people.Even after becoming a queen, she never forgot her original intention and set up a loom to sew in the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill Li Wenzhong, but was saved by her.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill Song Lian, but she refused to eat meat or wine to persuade him.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked the serious criminals to build the city wall, and was pardoned under the persuasion of Queen Ma.

She saved many people and was known to the world for her kindness.

Her death made the palace maids, common people and even officials very sad.

Zhu Yuanzhang burst into tears and left the court.

Yan Ling knew that Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp blade had since lost its sheath.It's time to prepare for the funeral.

At this time, a coffin made of fine wood was parked quietly in the backyard of the Yue Kingdom Mansion.
-
Hongwu 19 years.

The Duke of Yue's mansion was all covered with silk and he was crying and howling.

The Duke of Yue, Yan Ling, died at home last night.

All the officials were shocked speechless by the news. This Duke of Yue was an evergreen tree in the political arena. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, many years of ups and downs have passed. Yang Xian was killed, Liu Ji was dismissed from office, Li Shanchang reported illness, and Hu Weiyong was imprisoned. Zhan and Wang Guangyang were given death... only he remained standing.

His death also meant a reshuffling of the court. People such as Yan Ji, Yan Xincheng and others were extremely sad and rushed to the funeral immediately.

When Zhu Yuanzhang learned about this in the palace, he was also surprised. He immediately sent someone to summon Yan Ling's son, Yan Ya, who was 15 years old, into the palace to inquire in person. When he learned that the Duke of Yue had indeed passed away, he even The emperor's face showed a sad look.

"Duke Rui Xuan of the State of Yue, why did he pass away?"

"My father has not been in good health since the tenth year of Hongwu. He suffers from both lung disease and head wind, and his chest is often stuffy and painful. He coughs constantly every day, and often has splitting headaches. He also has to deal with it all the time, and his energy has long been exhausted. ...After going to bed last night... he passed away suddenly." Yan Ya was crying as he spoke.

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was also sad and sighed: "Ruixuan, Ruixuan, why did you abandon me and go first?"

asked again:
"I heard that your father was in Ningbo (at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang changed the name to Ningbo because of Mingzhou's fame and the country's name). Has the tomb been erected?"

"Your Majesty, that's right." Yan Ya wiped the tears on his face and replied in a childish voice: "My father followed Your Majesty in the 15th year of Zhizheng and never went back. He often misses his hometown. My father often It is said that after death, you should return to your hometown and sleep with your ancestors, otherwise it will be difficult to rest in peace."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment:
"No matter, no matter what, I originally wanted to let him be buried under Zhongshan, together with King Kaiping and King Qiyang, but since your father wants to be buried in the ancestral land, let his soul return to his hometown..."

"In February of the 19th year of Hongwu, he died of illness at the age of 57. The emperor resigned from the court and was in mourning. He was posthumously named King Jingping and given the posthumous title of Zhongding. He was given the title of king for three generations and had Shinto inscriptions made. He was entitled to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the portrait of the hero of the temple, and his position. All third.”

——"History of Ming Dynasty·Biography of King Jingping"
-
Yan Ya inherited Yan Ling's title and became the new generation of Duke of Yue.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought of Yan Ling's meritorious service and that he was of the right age, so he decided to marry Princess Yongjia, the 12th daughter, and the marriage would be completed after the three-year filial piety period expired.

Soon, the Duke of Yue, starting from the old lady and the young master, all left the capital and returned to their hometowns.

It was also on this night that Zhu Yuanzhang met with the commander of the Jin Yiwei in his study.

In the 15th year of Hongwu's reign, he felt that the procuratorate was a little weak in supervision, so he set up the Jinyiwei, which not only had the ability of the procuratorate to supervise the world, but also gave them the power to torture and extort confessions and imprison prisoners. Now, it is time for them to be put to use .

"You go and follow the team supporting the spirit of the Duke of Yue, and wait for an opportunity to get close to the remains of King Jingping. Remember, you must go in person and see the body of King Jingping to confirm that he has passed away, and then come back to revive him."

"Remember, this matter must not be known to anyone."

The commander took the order and left. Behind him, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were dark.

At this time, the Guo Heng case was still in full swing. Tens of thousands of officials had been beheaded, and tens of thousands more officials had been imprisoned. The executioner's sword was about to cut a gap, and all the officials in the court were empty. The surviving official deliberately tried to escape from the court, and every day he received numerous reminders to resign.

At this time, Yan Ling "died".This made the increasingly suspicious emperor suspicious.

Ruixuan, are you really dead, or are you... afraid?

(End of this chapter)