In the first year of Yongle, near November, three heavy snowfalls have fallen in Beiping.

In the heavy snowfall, the 492,637 stones supervised by Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan and the Zhou Division were all returned to Shuntian and Liaodong.

Zhu Gaoxu, who was in Xuanfu Tuntian, and Zhu Gaosui, who was preparing for the mutual market in Kaiyuan and Guangning, appeared one after another, with only one purpose, to ask his father for food.

It's not that Zhu Gaochu and Zhu Gaosui are crying poor, they are really poor.

The weather is too cold, after the beginning of autumn, Daning and Kaipingwei and other places hurry up to sow buckwheat and other cold-tolerant crops, only Daning has a good yield. After Zuo Shilang of the Beijing Criminal Department inspected Daning, he asked for a good time, took Daning grain and seedlings to plant Shuntian Bafu, and used Daning warehouse grain to help the locust plague in Henan.

Meng learned the news from Shen Xuan and blew up on the spot.

Wool can't always be on a sheep, right? It's not just Daning that has food, why is it so concerning?

The emperor asked for military rations, and the ministers wanted disaster relief, and they all went to Daning.

It's not that he is too hard-hearted and doesn't pity the victims. When it comes to disaster relief alone, there is no problem with providing food and money, the key is that what the household department wants is not a star and a half, but everything in the Daning warehouse!

The people of the locust-plagued land asked for food, and the people of Daning and the border army also had to eat.

The grain is all moved, so that the border army and the people of Daning City can drink the northwest wind? What about the border troops of the Yingzhou Guard?

Hungry without food?

There is no such bullying!

After the autumn harvest, there are also bumper yields in various parts of the north, and some of them can be evenly produced, and there is no need to empty Daning at all.

Do you have to cut off the rafters?

Totally unreasonable!

Meng fried Mao, Shen Xuan's various Shun Mao were useless.

In the end, he figured it out by himself, he was no longer the guard of Daning, and it was not up to him to intervene in what the emperor would decide. Thinking that Daning's efforts were about to be in vain, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"The Son of Heaven will not answer."

Shen Xuan grabbed Meng's wrist, took him into his arms, patted him, and continued to smooth his hair.

With his chin resting on Shen Xuan's shoulder, Meng's voice was a little muffled, "I hope so." ”

Shen Xuan's expectation was good, and the performance of the left servant of the household department was handed over, and the emperor quickly made a reply.

Just two words, no.

What Meng can think of, Zhu Di naturally will not ignore. Killing chickens and taking eggs, at the cost of squeezing Daning dry, to alleviate the locust plague in Henan and other places, Zhu Di will definitely not do it. Sending people to Daning is to learn advanced production experience and select high-quality grain seedlings, not to raid homes.

The left servant of the household department was not convinced, and continued to go up, and Zhu Di simply threw the news found by Jinyiwei directly in front of him.

"You are diligent in government, and I am very relieved. However, it is necessary to know that the people are the foundation of the country! Taking personal grievances and ignoring people's livelihood, if you are talented, I will not use it again! “

After reading the secret report sent to the palace by the brocade guard, the head of the household could no longer maintain the expression on his face, bowed down tremblingly, and did not dare to say more.

He commanded Zhu Wang to have a personal grudge with Daning, and he took all the grain from Daning, which was indeed selfish.

thought that Zhu Wang would be taken down, but unexpectedly, it was himself who fell into it in the end.

"Someone!"

Zhu Di gave an order, and Jin Wuwei, who was on duty outside the palace, walked in, and was ordered to take off the black yarn of the left servant of the household department, remove his official robe, and drag it down and throw him into the prison of the criminal department. After the beginning of spring, he was sent to Zunhua to fry Tietuntian with his cellmates.

In the name of the Son of Heaven's pro-Ding prisoner in Beijing, Tuntian's law of retribution.

Whoever sins in vain shall be exempted from the rod except for forgiveness. Compiled into Lijia and his wife sent Beijing Yongping Fuzhou County to the people, and Tuntian was guilty. Set a fixed number of years, and pay food to resist the crime. Except for those who should not be dismissed from their posts and those who have land and grain in the people's orders, the rest are judged according to the law.

Most of the convicts who are imprisoned in the Beijing Criminal Department will be exempted from being on the border, and they will not have to go to the mountains and dense forests to become Tarzan of the Apes.

This is equivalent to hanging a carrot in front of the prisoner's eyes, wanting to let the children and grandchildren have a good future? You must do what the emperor says.

In response to the locust plague in Henan, Zhu Di ordered the transfer of the Beiping warehouse for disaster relief.

But there will always be a day when the grain will run out, and it is better to teach a man to fish than to teach him to fish. He ordered the household department to send officials to Daning to select good seeds, for the Shuntian Eight Mansions, and also for spring plowing and replanting after the locust plague.

Land is the foundation of the people's livelihood.

After the catastrophe, the relief grain can only be alleviated for a while, it is better to give the people good seeds, ploughing cattle, farm tools, and reward the people for farming, so as to avoid the abandonment of the fields and the large-scale appearance of displaced people.

In order to prevent the locust plague from spreading again, Zhu Di adopted Shen Xuan's suggestion and ordered the official army of the guard to fight the locusts.

"Those who are slack and unfavorable to disaster relief will be judged as guilty."

The imperial decree was issued, and in Henan, the capital commanded the envoys as the mainstay, and the political envoys coordinated, and all the officers and troops of the guard were mobilized.

Smoke and fire, digging three feet into the ground. Whatever you can think of, use it.

The withered yellow seedlings, in the empty field, soon resounded with a crackling explosion.

The father, who had just received the relief food, walked to the edge of the field, his eyes aching from the smoke, but he insisted on not taking a step back. But all who still have strength join the ranks of the locusts to extinguish them.

The elderly, the young, the able-bodied, and even the young children followed in the footsteps of their parents to kill the culprits who ruined the family's livelihood in the black smoke.

At dusk, the smoke cleared, and tears left marks on the farmers' soot-stained faces.

The peasants knelt on the ground hand in hand and bowed again in the direction of the capital.

"The Son of Heaven is benevolent!"

"Long live Your Majesty, long live!"

Some literati in the countryside said that they were tyrannical, abusive, indiscriminate, and murderous people who usurped the throne and seized power and forced their relatives and nephews to death. But for the current people of Henan, Zhu Di is a holy and loving king. Because he gave everyone a way to live, and a hope to continue living on the land of their ancestors without being displaced.

Zhu Di was born in the flames of war, lived in Fengyang when he was young, and knew the suffering of the people. After Emperor Tai-Zugao founded the country, the elder was ordered to guard the north, braved the frost and snow to go out of the fortress, and shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers.

Zhu Di, who was far away in Beijing, could not hear the shouts of long live with his own ears, but he could see the sincere support of the people from the recital of the political envoy and the commander of the capital.

The people are the water, and the king is the boat.

Water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize a boat.

Zhu Yuanzhang taught this sentence to his son, and he also taught it to his grandson. In practice, the son is clearly doing better than the grandson.

Putting down the song, Zhu Di breathed a long sigh of relief, and turned his gaze to Shen Xuan who was standing in the warm pavilion.

"The Henan locust plague was extinguished this time, and Xuan'er made a great contribution." Zhu Di said with a smile, "If there is no reminder from Xuan'er, I will ignore it, and the border army of the guard station can help extinguish the locust plague." ”

The border army had the heavy responsibility of guarding against the Tartars, and could not move without permission, let alone leave the garrison place.

The Introspective Guards are different.

Now that there is no war in the country, the small robbers have servants and inspections that are enough to deal with, and the guards are in the vicinity to extinguish the locust plague, which can be described as a matter of urgency. The records of historians will also be annotated with the benevolence of the Son of Heaven.

There is a precedent for destroying locusts with an army, and it is not contrary to the law of Tai-Zucheng.

Shen Xuan asked the guards to play as soon as they were played, and Zhu Di immediately played it. Now that the effect is in front of him, Emperor Yongle nodded and praised Shen Xuan.

My vision is really good, don't look at the number of my father's sons, compared to real talent and practical ability, my son is not bad!

Thinking of this, I can't help but think of Nanjing's eldest son and a second and youngest son who begged him for food.

Zhu Di's heart is difficult to distinguish.

Zhu Gaochi studied behind closed doors all day long, not leaving the Wenhua Palace. According to the queen's letter, the eldest son seems to be suspected of overkill. If you continue like this, you may well be on the path of a nerd and never look back.

Zhu Gaoxu was in Xuanfu Tuntian, and he got along well with Zhengheng, the Marquis of Wu'an, who was guarding Xuanfu Town, and it was remarkable. Zhu Gaosui has not made much action when he arrives in Kaiyuan, but Zhu Di believes that this son should not disappoint him.

In fact, Zhu Gaochi is not stupid in reading, and it is not accurate to overkill, to describe it in four words, Taoguang is more appropriate.

Zhu Gaochi is not a stupid person, his father is no longer waiting to see him, and his wife is involved in the assassination of the Son of Heaven again.

Zhu Gaosui did not make much moves in Kaiyuan and Guangning, and is only in the preparation stage at present, and there is not much difference from Zhu Di's expectations.

The exception is only Zhu Gaoxu.

He not only got along well with Zheng Heng, but also got along quite well with the soldiers. Now, the Xuanfu no longer said that the Han King was arrogant, but admired his move of pulling up his trousers and going down to the field with the soldiers.

Although the Son of Heaven also ploughs the fields every year, it is just a ritual, continuing the weekly ritual, pushing the plough through the field three times to complete the task.

Zhu Gaoxu really farmed with the border army, and when he was tired, he took out a multigrain cake, sandwiched a few pieces of pickles, and swallowed it in his stomach. Occasionally improve the diet, the pickles are replaced with half a salted duck egg or fresh egg, white and tender egg white, oily egg yolk, take a bite, and spray fragrant.

I don't know if it's because of fatigue or because of the good craftsmanship of pickling salted eggs, within a few days, even Zheng Heng came to eat.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zheng Heng are old acquaintances, and Zheng Heng fought side by side with Zhu Gaoxu when he was a deputy general in the Yan Army. Hearing that King Han was going to Xuanfu Tuntian, he couldn't help but have a toothache. This is not a good Lord. I don't want to see him for half a year, Zhu Gaoxu has changed so much.

Who influenced the Han king?

Zheng Heng pondered while biting the cake.

Could it be that the king of Han got the help of some master? Or did the Son of Heaven hire a few good teachers for his son?

Zheng Heng couldn't figure it out, and his mind seemed to be entangled in a ball of thread.

Zhu Gaoxu swallowed the last piece of cake, his cheeks bulged, and he stood up, without the slightest princely etiquette of patting his fart, "When you're full, keep working!" ”

Xuanfu is located in northern Hebei and snows earlier than Beiping.

Before the winter, the grain had been harvested, the temperature plummeted, and there was no time to replant cold-tolerant crops. The land was so frozen that it could not be dug up, so they cut down and dug up the soil to build chimneys, and the remaining timber was not wasted, and all kinds of traps, bows and arrows were formed in the hands of craftsmen. If the food is not enough, he directly uses the extra bows and arrows to hunt wild animals to supplement the needs of the border army.

Occasionally, if you encounter a Tartar ranger, even if you are an ordinary strong man, skilled in using a bow and arrow, you can get out if you can't beat it. Casualties cannot be avoided but can be minimized. In this way, there was a surplus of food, the soldiers improved their food, and the strong men also practiced their courage.

These weapons are different from the standard, they are not on the military register, and the loss does not have to be reported. But after killing the Tartars, the battle exploits are real. Several people have received money for their merits, and two small flags have been raised to the general flag, and more soldiers have been rewarded.

Zheng Heng was even more curious about where King Han had learned this.

Zhu Gaoxu did not hide it, and told Zheng Heng that he had learned from Daning's experience, and Zhu Gaosui explained what he didn't understand. Since Zhu Gaosui went to Kaiyuan, communication was inconvenient, so Zhu Gaochu simply asked Meng.

According to Zhu Gaoxu's words, Xingning Bofu is idle at home, and he is idle when he is idle, so it is better to help his friends.

After receiving Zhu Gaoxu's letter, the corners of Meng's mouth twitched, and he wanted to slap the table and yell, Lao Tzu didn't want to be friends with you!

It's a pity that the beauty of his wishes only lies in fantasy, and in reality, he can only pick up the pen and answer the questions in Zhu Gaoxu's letter one by one.

While writing, you bared your teeth.

After baring your teeth, continue to write.

Many of the measures that he did not have time to implement in Daning were written down by him. One wrote until his wrist was sore, only to suddenly find that the paper on the case was piled up into a small mountain.

Put down the pen, clasped his fingers, moved a little, and pinched the back of his neck, finally loosening a little.

When I opened the letter that I had just written, I was reluctant to tear any page. All sent, even more inappropriate.

After being distressed for a long time, he looked up at the beam, he was really born to work hard, he hadn't worked for so long, he was so idle, right?

With a sigh, I still pulled out most of the paper from a stack of papers, and copied the rest into the envelope.

It's not that he's stingy, it's better to be cautious.

Some ideas are too advanced, and they have to be considered twice for implementation in Daning, not to mention Xuanfu. As a last resort, he really didn't want to stay in the prison of the Criminal Department for a few days.

The letter was not completely sealed, and the same was true of Zhu Gaoxu's letter to him.

The people who sent the letters back and forth were all descendants of the Han Dynasty, and Shen Xuan sent people to follow, so it was impossible to peek. The reason why this is so is just to facilitate Jinyiwei to carry out his work, learn the details, and report to the Son of Heaven.

Jin Yiwei's reputation is not very good, especially Wenchen, who has changed his color when he hears about it.

Meng Ze believes that as long as he does not violate the taboo of the Son of Heaven, there is no need to make a noise. Quan is the national intelligence department, no matter how dedicated the other party is, as long as he treats it with a "normal heart", the chance of being invited to the edict prison for tea should not be great.

Although he was lying on the beam of the room every once in a while, and he had to pretend not to see it when he found out, which was a great test of his acting skills, but some things that were not good to put on the table and say to his boss could be handed to Zhu Di with the help of Jin Yiwei's mouth.

For example, when he corresponded with Zhu Gaoxu, hiding it only increased his suspicions, so it was better to use the brocade guard to hand it directly to the palace.

The suspect's justification and the truth uncovered by the intelligence services, no matter how you look at it, the latter is more credible.

Playing mystery under the nose of Emperor Yongle, hiding?

But any normal person would not do this.

The letter was delivered, and Meng carefully put away the rest of the stationery. Even if it is seen by a certain Jinyi guard who is lying on the beam of the room, it doesn't matter, he has a reason before the emperor, the content on the paper, one does not harm the society, two does not threaten the Son of Heaven, three does not doubt the people, no matter how far ahead of the times, it is just some views related to the economy, I don't want to spread it to the outside world at all, it is completely for self-entertainment, and in the eyes of Emperor Yongle, it should not be a problem.

As for how he found out about the brocade clothes and the guards lying on the beams?

It can only be said that with the presence of Marquis Shen, all masters are paper tigers.

Throughout November, Shen Xuan had been busy, and occasionally he could meet with Meng in person, and he couldn't say a few words, and he had to go back to the yamen to handle official business.

Meng inquired cautiously and learned the reason.

It turned out that the envoys of Tatar and Warat had been hung by Zhu Di, and no news had been sent back. Ghost Li Chi and Mahamu are full of anxiety, coupled with Uliangha's provocation left and right, the smell of gunpowder between Tatar and Warat is becoming more and more important, and a fight may break out at any time.

Once the two sides start fighting, whether the Ming Dynasty army will watch from the sidelines or take a few suffocating sticks depends on the situation.

If you want to fight, you must assemble troops and dispatch military rations as quickly as possible.

Shen Xuan and Yuan Rong were so busy that they hit the back of their heads, and the Beijing Sixth Department also doubled its workload. However, Nanjing sent an urgent letter, mainly to ask when the Son of Heaven would leave for Yingtian.

Approaching the New Year, there are only the queen and the prince in the palace, but the emperor is not there, which is inevitably unorthodox.

The emperor is not there, and on the New Year, the ministers go to Fengtianmen to worship and bow to the empty chairs?

After the belief, March is the palace test, and the emperor doesn't care?

Moreover, there are Shichen tributes from Xingluo, Burma, Champong, Annam, and other countries and regions, and they have been in Nanjing for a long time, so the emperor can't not show up, right?

Originally, the prince could also be pretending, but the prince had no choice but to plunge into the sea of books, no matter who invited him, he resolutely refused to release the volume, and he couldn't get out of the Wenhua Palace.

After presenting the facts, the writer of the recital issued a call with expression.

Your Majesty, the matter in the north will not be solved in a moment and a half, and I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. With the Han King, the Zhao King and the Dingyuan Marquis guarding here, there will not be too many problems. At this moment, Nanjing needs you even more, so you should come back quickly!

Your Majesty, the ministers miss you very much, and look forward to your return!

After reading it, Zhu Di got goosebumps.

Looking at this style of writing, there is no doubt about it.

Rubbing his arms, sour, but a few things mentioned in the song can't be ignored. In particular, the Fengtian Temple and the March Palace Examination cannot be neglected.

It seems that it will not be possible not to return to the south, but the fire on the grassland is obviously not enough. Before leaving, it was necessary to light another fire on the steppe, so that the Tatars and Warats would not have time to trouble the border army.

Who is the most suitable to do this, Zhu Di already has a candidate in mind.

"Zheng He."

"The slave is here."

"Spread my word and summon Xing Ningbo to meet him."

"Yes."

was braving the wind and snow to personally deliver food to Shen Xuan, and by the way, Meng Shishilang, who was relieved of lovesickness, did not know what to do, and the good days of leisure were about to end.