Chapter 39 The Emperor Travels and the Prince Greets

Zhang Zhimu asked people to come to the door separately to invite the king and the king of Zhou to the small reception room for tea.

After tasting a mouthful of the best dragon well, the king said: "It's still good this dragon well!" Zhang Dongjia, I don't give anyone the good tea you gave me, I only keep it for myself. ”

"Of course, this is tea that silver can't buy." King Zhou also said, "If this kind of tea is let go of the family, it will not be enough." ”

"Huh! If this Longjing tea is paired with Hupao water, it is a perfect match in the world," Zhang Zhimu said, "Our Emperor Dashun will be able to leave Lin'an (Hangzhou) this year, how about we arrange time to go to Lin'an (Hangzhou) to taste tea together next year?" ”

"Oops! That's great, we both have time, I'm afraid you don't have time! The Acting King said happily.

"Hey! Actually, it's not me who is the busiest right now, if I want to find time, I can have time. Zhang Zhimu said, "Okay, next year, when the students are on vacation, we will go out for a walk!" ”

"Why do you want students to take a vacation?" King Zhou didn't understand.

"I promised that Xiaoqing and Xiaohu a long time ago that I would take them out to play, I haven't had time, the children are slowly getting older, I should take them out to open their eyes and see things!"

"Oh!"

The two princes knew that Zhang Zhimu treated Xiaoqing and Xiaohu like his own.

"Come on! Zhimu, we all know that you have a lot to do, so you won't just invite us to tea today and talk about something, right? "The acting king has changed the title from Zhang Dongjia to Zhimu.

"Yes! You don't have to be polite if you have something. King Zhou also agreed.

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu smiled and said, "I want to tell you two that this time the opening ceremony of the new channel of the Yellow River, our emperor will also be there in person!" Originally, we informed the emperor that the ceremony would be held at the end of June, but the emperor is now leaving. I see that the emperor will wait on the bank of the Yellow River for a few days. However, we have already sailed a new passenger ship to the other side of Kaifeng to wait there, and that passenger ship will be the emperor's temporary palace! ”

Zhang Zhimu thought that the two princes heard that the emperor was going to participate, and it was inconvenient for him to see the emperor, so he would say that he would not go. Unexpectedly, the two princes blurted out "Okay!" almost at the same time! ”

The king said, "The more people, the better!" The emperor went to be more lively, and let him see what it was like outside the Forbidden City? ”

Zhou Wang also said: "This is also an opportunity for us to show our strength and expand publicity. That station had to be live. ”

After listening to the words of the two princes, Zhang Zhimu laughed, which made the two princes a little confused, "Zhimu, what are you laughing at?" ”

Zhang Zhimu stopped laughing and said, "It seems that we are overthinking. We've been worried that talking to you two about this will make it difficult for you? We thought you wouldn't be willing to meet the emperor on such an occasion. I never dared to tell you. ”

"Huh!" King Zhou smiled and said, "I don't know if the emperor wants to see me, but I really want him to see how free I am now." I wake up every day and feel relaxed, and I don't have to worry about anything. I'm not afraid to see the emperor, and now the emperor doesn't dare to do anything to me, why am I afraid to see him? Now the emperor's life is not as good as ours! ”

"yes!" The acting king also said, "The emperor knows that we are now from Yaogang, and he doesn't dare to touch us, so why are we afraid to see him." How many of our vassal kings have been killed by thieves, can the emperor take care of it? It is the people of Yaogang who give us safety, what are we afraid of the emperor doing? ”

"If the two princes can think like this, I will be relieved. I've been wondering how I'm going to tell you two about this. Zhang Zhimu said.

"Oops! Don't be polite to us in the future, we are friends of life and death, so why do you need to be so polite? King Zhou knew in his heart that Zhang Zhimu didn't want the two of them to be embarrassed, so he thought about it a lot. This reflected Zhang Zhimu's respect for them, and King Zhou was very moved.

The acting king was also very moved, and said, "So be it! Zhimu, since the emperor arrived first, we can't all accompany him to the bank of the Yellow River and wait, King Zhou and I will go to meet him first. ”

"Yes, yes! It is most appropriate for the two of us to do this," King Zhou also said, "I see that the emperor has such a passenger ship as a palace, and it has also opened the emperor's eyes." Otherwise, the emperor still thinks that everything in the Forbidden City is a good thing. ”

This result was unexpected by Zhang Zhimu, and it was best for two princes to go to meet the emperor. Because the group of people in Yaogang really couldn't go to the Yellow River to accompany the emperor in advance.

When Zhang Zhimu and Zhang Xianzhong talked about this, Zhang Xianzhong laughed after listening to it, "Haha! This time it's good. When you introduced the guests at the ceremony, there was also an emperor of the Great Western Kingdom, Zhang Xianzhong, and the emperor Chongzhen was still angry and crooked his nose! ”

"Haha!" Zhang Zhimu also laughed and said, "In that case, the ceremony will not be completed, and it will be messed up immediately." ”

"Hey! I haven't had time to talk to you properly," Zhang Xianzhong said, "Such a person is not the emperor, why have you been used to him?" ”

"I said, Eight Kings, don't speak ill of my emperor." Zhang Zhimu deliberately said seriously, "Let's talk about your participation in the ceremony." ”

"For such a big event, I have to go to the ceremony," Zhang Xianzhong said, "but you can arrange it however you want." Anyway, I came to the kiln in secret. ”

"That's good! Your identity is a businessman in Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi. Because your accent is from Shaanxi. Zhang Zhimu said, "You go with us in the same boat." ”

"It's all up to you," Zhang Xianzhong said, "I'm willing to watch the excitement of Lao Zhang, this time it's such a big thing, if you don't let me see it, I won't be able to sleep." ”

"I heard Li Zhi say that Father-in-law Li's people circled around the Yaogang Hotel again, I guess they smelled something again!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Be careful when you go in and out. Of course, we will also pay special attention. ”

"Hey! I don't understand, those eagle dogs, how can you tolerate them being here? Zhang Xianzhong's expression was that he wanted to kill those eunuchs immediately.

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu smiled and said, "This is also the difference between you and me. Eight kings, we will have time to talk about these things in the future. ”

"Oh! Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry, I haven't understood your kiln gang routines yet. Zhang Xianzhong said busily. He knew that the mystery would be solved in the end.

After Emperor Chongzhen received a telegram sent to him by Zhang Zhimu about the opening ceremony of the new channel of the Yellow River at the end of June, he looked forward to this day coming as soon as possible. Of course, Emperor Chongzhen still had to work hard to deal with those civil servants who opposed him going to the danger. However, Emperor Chongzhen didn't pay much attention to their opinions. That's the way it is, these civil servants, the more you take them seriously, the more energetic they become, but they don't care about them, and they don't have any temper. Their strength was given by the emperor, and they felt that the emperor could not do without them. Now the emperor has the backing of the kiln gang people, asking for silver for silver, and asking for soldiers to send troops. These Wenchen themselves also knew that they couldn't do anything, so they lost their temper. As long as the emperor can maintain this situation, they have a lot of money. Seeing that the emperor insisted on attending the opening ceremony of the new channel of the Yellow River, they did not object. In fact, they also know that the so-called worry about the emperor's safety is a complete excuse. If the kiln gang people want to deal with the emperor, they don't have to work so hard. The emperor has already decided to go, and the ministers have begun to compete for companionship again, and they all want to follow the emperor to show their faces, and they also want to see this ceremony from the heart, and also see what the people in the kiln are like.

However, it is not a simple matter for the emperor to travel, he has to repair roads, repair bridges, and prepare temporary resting places on the way to the emperor. The food and lodging of a large number of royal guards and officials must be arranged in advance.

Fortunately, Emperor Chongzhen still has some silver left. All the Imperial Guards were controlled by the Maharaja and were responsible for the Emperor's safety. Although the roads that the emperor walked on were all renovated and paved with loess, they could not be compared with the roads in the capital after all. In fact, if you want to be more comfortable, it is best to take the steel spring carriage in Yaogang, but if the emperor wants to show the royal dignity and luxury, the emperor still has to take the dragon chariot. Generally, the front of the dragon chariot is driven by six horses, and the body is inlaid with gold, silver, jade, gems and pearls, and the body is also carved with dragon and phoenix patterns. However, although the dragon chariot of the wooden wheel is luxurious and magnificent, the shock absorption effect is not good. The princess and the princess thought of a way to remove the spring sofa on the steel spring carriage of the kiln gang and put it inside the dragon chariot, and they couldn't see it from the outside anyway. Emperor Chongzhen was very happy to hear this idea.

Before driving, Queen Zhou, who brought up Princess Kunxing (Princess Changping), was not at ease and had to follow. Since Emperor Chongzhen is in a good mood now, he agreed. At this moment, the three princes of Emperor Chongzhen stomped their feet angrily.

Originally, according to the etiquette system, Queen Zhou could follow Emperor Chongzhen to ride the dragon chariot, but Empress Zhou knew that it was uncomfortable to take the dragon chariot for such a long distance, so she used the excuse of accompanying Princess Kunxing, so she followed Princess Kunxing to take the steel spring carriage together. Because the steel spring carriages sent to the emperor by the kiln gang people are all specially made, not only comfortable to sit on, but also sofa beds when put down. Usually, Queen Zhou does not have the opportunity to go out in a steel spring carriage, let alone enjoy the treatment of a sofa bed.

The emperor and his entourage went out of Beijing and went all the way to the south. Emperor Chongzhen is in a much better mood, now after the kiln gang has beaten away the Manchu Dynasty, the war is basically far away from Beizhili, and in the fields in the distance, it can be seen that the summer grain has been harvested, and it can also be seen that the summer grain is a bumper harvest. No one was working in the ground, and Emperor Chongzhen knew that they had been driven away by the Imperial Forest Army in front. Although Emperor Chongzhen wanted to see the people who were working, Emperor Chongzhen knew that the princes who had opened the road all the way to the front were more concerned about his safety, so he did not blame them. Out of Beijing City, Emperor Chongzhen felt that his breathing was very even, and he had long forgotten the bumps of the dragon chariot. Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but call the prince over and asked: "You have been to the kiln, is their painted pavement not bumpy at all?" ”

"Back to the emperor! The painted road was pressed with steel rollers, and it was very smooth. Not only do their rubber wheels not feel a single bump, but even our wood wheels don't feel a bump. The prince replied cautiously.

"Go back and talk to Zhang Dongjia, and replace my dragon chariot with a rubber wheel in the future." Emperor Chongzhen was very interested in rubber rollers.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I saw in the kiln gang that they have a kind of four-wheeled tractor wheel that is about the same size as the wheel on your dragon wheel, and I told Zhang Dongjia when I saw him. The prince said flatteringly.

"Really? After I settled down, I sent a telegram to Zhang Dongjia, asking him to bring me a few large rubber wheels. Hehe! "After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, he was happy. Inform Zhang Zhimu by telegram to bring a few wheels, and Emperor Chongzhen himself was a little embarrassed.

To say that among Emperor Chongzhen and his party, Princess Kunxing and Queen Zhou are a little happier. The two of them, like birds flying out of the cage, looked at the scenery outside the window, and when they were happy, they talked and could lie down and sleep for a while when they were tired. In the palace, they have to abide by all kinds of rules and dare not relax at any time. How can there be such a free and easy opportunity.

Emperor Chongzhen also knew that when he came out like this, although Long Yuan couldn't walk much in a day, he still had to go to the bank of the Yellow River in advance, but he really couldn't wait in the palace. The route they walked was to go out of the capital to Baoding Mansion, Hengshui, Guangping, Daimyo's Mansion, Huiwei, and to the north bank of the Yellow River opposite Kaifeng. There is a special wharf where a passenger ship from Yaogang is docked.

After walking for two days, the freshness of Emperor Chongzhen's entourage has passed, and then the boredom continues to move forward. Finally arrived at Weihui Mansion, and below is the Yellow River, the purpose of this expedition. What Emperor Chongzhen didn't expect was that when Emperor Chongzhen was about to enter the gate of Weihui Mansion, King Dai and King Zhou would kneel here to meet him.

Hearing the news from the prince that King Zhou and the acting king were facing him in front, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes almost didn't pop out, and the good mood along the way was all destroyed, "Two shameless traitors even dared to come to meet me." Hurry up and take it! ”

At this time, Liu Jiantai, a bachelor who caught up from behind, persuaded: "The emperor can't!" Please calm the emperor's anger. Your Majesty! The two princes came to greet you on behalf of Zhang Zhimu of the kiln, if you take them down, how can you explain to Zhang Zhimu? ”

"Yes! Your Majesty, Zhang Zhimu of the kiln gang couldn't catch up by himself, and he entrusted the two princes to come to greet you, which was also well-intentioned. Zhang Zhimu knew that the relationship between the emperor and the two princes was not harmonious, did he also have the intention of taking this opportunity to persuade peace? The prince saw that the scholar persuaded him like this, and he also persuaded him.

"Hmm!" Emperor Chongzhen suppressed his anger and said, "They have been blessed by our Zhu family for generations, but now they are shamelessly rebelling. Shall I allow them? At this time, Emperor Chongzhen also knew that he couldn't do anything to the two royal relatives, otherwise he wouldn't be able to meet Zhang Zhimu this time.

"Your Majesty, you are angry, I see if you let them come over and see what they say?" Liu Jiantai, a university scholar, suggested.

"Let them come and talk!" Emperor Chongzhen adjusted his mood and said.

The two kneeling princes heard Emperor Chongzhen let them pass. The two hurriedly came to Emperor Chongzhen's dragon and knelt down and kowtowed, and shouted three times long live!

Waiting for them to finish bowing, Emperor Chongzhen said with a cold face: "Do you still have the face to see me?" I'm ashamed of my ancestors for you! ”

King Zhou, who was kneeling on the ground, said: "Your Majesty, you are right! But Your Majesty, we are not for ourselves. How many of our vassal kings were beheaded by the thief and the thief? Our relationship with the Yaogang people is also to preserve the blood and blood of our Zhu family. In particular, when Zhang Dongjia was besieged in Kaifeng and the hungry people in the city were eating people, they risked their lives to send us food and relieve the siege of Kaifeng. In every way, I have to thank Zhang Dongjia. We have more contacts, and some people can't get used to it, so they say that I am rebelling. I also survived. When I had nowhere else to go, it was the kiln people who took me in. Please forgive me, I really can't help it. ”

The Acting King said something similar.

After listening to it, Emperor Chongzhen also knew that what they said was also the truth, and they were all trying to save their lives. Needless to say, it is them, it is Beijing City, if it weren't for the Yaogang people who blocked Li Zicheng's million-strong army in Shanxi, they would have been occupied by Li Zicheng long ago, and I'm afraid that the emperor wouldn't be able to play prestige here. But this is not a reason for their betrayal, "Anyway, you are all the princes of the Zhu family, if you do this, how can you see the ancestors in the future." Also, as a prince, you came to greet me on behalf of the Zhang Dong family, this is a big loss of face for your ancestors, do you know? ”

"Oops! Your Majesty, you have misunderstood, the two of us are definitely not here to greet you for Zhang Dongjia," King Zhou said, "We heard that Your Majesty is driving in Beijing, so we rushed over by speedboat." Because of Zhang's family, their plan is to go to the Yellow River at the end of June. We can't let the emperor wait here alone, and rush over as soon as we discuss it. Your Majesty, don't get me wrong. ”

"Didn't the Zhang family know that you came first?" Emperor Chongzhen asked again.

"We greeted Zhang Dongjia when we came over." The acting king said, "Zhang Dongjia can't come in advance, and let us ask the emperor for guilt!" ”

"You can come early, can't that Zhang Dongjia come a few days in advance?" Emperor Chongzhen was a little angry.

"Oops! Your Majesty, the people of Yaogang are different from us, and they are very planned. That's one of the reasons why they've grown so fast. If Zhang Dongjia came in advance, the plan of many things would have to be changed. The impact is just too great! King Zhou explained.

"Come on! You guys also get up, I see that you are loyal servants of the Zhang Dong family, I haven't said anything, you will quickly excuse the Zhang Dong family. After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, he drank, "Enter the city!" ”

The two princes also hurriedly ran back to their cars and followed the emperor into the city.

At dinner, Emperor Chongzhen's mood had stabilized, and he also invited the two princes over for dinner together. During the banquet, Emperor Chongzhen asked: "Zhang Dongjia arranged a ship for me to be the palace, have you all seen it?" ”

King Zhou said: "We have all seen that this ship has been rebuilt and is very suitable for the palace. The palace personnel at the front station are also training. When the emperor arrives, they will be able to use all the facilities on this ship skillfully. If the emperor doesn't like this ship, my palace has been packed up, and the emperor can live in my palace. ”

"Since Zhang Dongjia can recommend us to live on this ship, I don't think this ship can be wrong." Emperor Chongzhen seems to be full of expectations for this ship.

"Oops! Your Majesty, we just took a look at the boat when we came over. The boat was so good that I listened to the music coming out of the boat, and it was like a sound coming from the sky. Said the king.

Just when everyone was talking about it very hotly, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly asked: "Do you know the situation of the Eight Great Kings Zhang Xianzhong in Yaogang?" ”

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Mt. Fuji erupted, Japan was earthquaked. --Progress of "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty".