Wuchang, Wang Puxingdi.

Zhao Xin went straight into the signing room, saluted Wang Pu with a standard military salute, and said respectfully: "Master Hou." ”

Wang Pusu motioned for Zhao Xin to sit down, and asked in a harmonious voice: "Zhao Xin, the official document of the imperial court has been issued, and you are now the governor of Huguang, and this marquis wants to hear how you plan to run Huguang's defense?" ”

Zhao Xin replied without hesitation: "It depends on how many central armies are in the hands of the lowly officials. ”

Wang Pu said: "How many Central Army do you want?" ”

Zhao Xindao: "If you just need to hold Wuchang, you only need 5,000 Central Army, but if you want to hold Huguang, you need at least 30,000 Central Army, and you also need a musket battalion!" ”

Wang Pudao: "Then I will give you 30,000 Central Army plus a musket battalion, how do you plan to run Huguang Defense?" ”

Zhao Xindao: "The main threat to Huguang comes from four aspects, namely Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan, Li Zicheng in Shaanxi, Red Lady in Henan and Wu Sangui in Shanxi, among which Li Zicheng and Red Lady are the most threatening, and Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan and Wu Sangui in Shanxi are the least threatening!" Therefore, the main targets of Huguang's defense are Li Zicheng and the Red Lady. ”

Wang Pu said: "You don't have to be wary of the red lady in Henan. ”

Zhao Xin was stunned and said, "Master Hou? ”

Wang Pu smiled and said: "Don't ask why, in short, Ben Hou tells you that the Henan army of the red lady is a friend and not an enemy!" ”

Zhao Xin said with relief: "If the Henan army of the red lady becomes a friendly army, then the defense of Huguang will be much easier, and the lowly post only needs to beware of Li Zicheng in Shaanxi and Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are old enemies, and they are currently fighting in Hanzhong, and they are not able to look east in a short period of time. ”

"Hmm." Wang Pu nodded happily and said, "But Ben Hou still has to remind you that although Shanxi and Huguang are separated by Henan, you must not relax your vigilance against Wu Sangui." ”

Zhao Xin said solemnly: "I understand my humble duties. ”

"Also." Wang Pu stood up and said, "The 150,000 rebel prisoners will be imprisoned in a few Huangzhuang to serve hard labor, and the Central Army will be stationed in Huangzhuang with them. ”

"Yes." Zhao Xin replied abruptly, "Humble and orderly." ”

"Alright." Wang Pu stepped forward and patted Zhao Xin on the shoulder and said, "Huguang will be handed over to you." ”

Zhao Xin said proudly: "Please rest assured, Zhao Xin will never be dishonored." ”

■■■

In May of the first year of Emperor Longwu, Wang Pu returned to Beijing, and Emperor Longwu personally led hundreds of civil and military officials out of the Taiping Gate to greet him, and also invited Wang Pu to return to the court by royal chariot, and he was extremely gracious.

That night, Emperor Longwu held a feast in Fengtian Hall to wash the dust for Wang Pu.

The marriage of Wang Pu and Princess Changping was also officially put on the agenda, and under the instruction of Emperor Longwu, the celebrant had even chosen the zodiac auspicious, and the wedding date was set for ten days later!

After the wedding of Wang Pu and Princess Changping, Emperor Longwu immediately held a large-scale draft, which not only selected at least 2,000 palace maids to enrich the palace, but also selected a woman of appropriate age with both ability and political integrity from the family of the official eunuch to enter the East Palace and become the queen of the world.

■■■

The night is quiet, and the prosperity is gone.

The cups and plates on the Fengtian Hall are messy, the candle shadows are swaying, and dozens of clumsy eunuchs are cleaning up, these eunuchs are rebel prisoners who were castrated by Wang Pu and sent to the palace, in addition to these eunuchs, only Emperor Longwu and Zhang Zi'an, the eunuch of the palm print, are relatively speechless in the huge Fengtian Palace.

Emperor Longwu looked forward to the carved beams and paintings on the top of the main hall, and suddenly sadness came from it: "It's been eight months, and it's been eight months since the capital fell in a blink of an eye, and the imperial examination went to the national disaster......"

Zhang Zi'an wiped two tears from his eyes.

Emperor Longwu sighed twice, and muttered: "These eight months are as long as eight years for me......"

The fall of Yanjing and Chongzhen's hanging destroyed Zhu Cihong's leisurely career as a prince and threw him into the rolling torrent of historical evolution.

However, the difficult years brought Zhu Cihong not all bad things, at least he grew up, and he was no longer the carefree prince who only knew how to discuss the way of governing the country with Hanlin Servants, Zhu Cihong completely inherited the virtue of Emperor Chongzhen's diligence and self-discipline, but also continued Emperor Chongzhen's scheming.

The current situation is very similar to when Emperor Chongzhen just ascended the throne, when Emperor Chongzhen just ascended the throne, the eunuch Wei Zhongxian was powerful, and Emperor Chongzhen was just a puppet in the hands of Wei Eunuch, and now, Sun Chuanting and Wang Pu firmly controlled the government, because of his young age, Emperor Longwu did not even exercise the right to Zhu Pi.

Of course, Emperor Longwu can't tolerate the continuation of this situation, the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Dynasty of the Zhu family, how can the government be in the hands of Sun Chuanting, Wang Pu and his son? The little emperor, who was only sixteen years old, had quietly taken the first step to regain imperial power - draft a girl and then get married.

After the wedding, it means that Emperor Longwu has reached adulthood and can exercise Zhu Approval, and the cabinet headed by Sun Chuanting can no longer continue to govern, but will return to the position of auxiliary government.

■■■

Mandarin Palace.

Sun Chuanting leaned on the chair of the cabinet chief, his face was solemn, Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi, who were sitting on both sides, also looked solemn, and they were overwhelmed by several holy decrees of Emperor Longwu at the evening banquet, and it was clear that the little emperor was no longer satisfied with the status quo, and he wanted to take back the power that belonged to the emperor.

Only Wang Pu, who was sitting at the bottom, looked relaxed and said indifferently: "It seems that our little emperor has grown up, hehe." ”

According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, although Wang Pu is the marquis and the governor of the five provinces, he is still not qualified to step into the Wenhua Palace, which is the office of the cabinet, and only the cabinet auxiliary ministers can enter and exit, but the current situation is special, with the great power of Sun Chuanting and Wang Pu, all the regulations are useless in front of them.

"Master Hou." Qian Qianyi said in a condensed voice, "This matter can't be taken lightly. ”

"yes." Lu Daqi also said, "According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, even if you are an adult after the wedding, you will have the right to exercise Zhu Approval, and then all the recitals will be sent to the imperial court to change Zhu after being approved by the cabinet, and only the recitals after changing Zhu Approval can be sent to the six departments." ”

"Da Ming Law?" Wang Pu frowned and said, "What age can you get married according to the Daming Law?" ”

Lu Daqi said: "The man is fifteen years old, and the woman is thirteen years old. ”

"Then revise the law of Da Ming." Wang Pu said in a deep voice, "Change it to 20 years old for men and 18 years old for women to get married!" ”

"Huh?"

"This ......"

Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi looked at each other, modifying the Da Ming Law was something they couldn't think of, Wang Pu's words were like a thunderclap, and they were stupid all of a sudden, you must know that the Da Ming Law is equivalent to the constitution of the Ming Dynasty, to paraphrase the current words, the Da Ming Law is sacred and cannot be blasphemed.

Sun Chuanting also frowned when he heard this, and scolded: "Nonsense, how can the Da Ming Law be changed if it is said to be changed?" ”

"Why can't the law of Da Ming be changed?" Wang Pu retorted and said, "A fifteen-year-old child, can he afford the duties of a man?" Can he afford to support his family on his young shoulders? Also, a thirteen-year-old girl, she still doesn't know anything, how can she be a wife and a mother? ”

Qian Qianyi lost his voice and said: "Master Hou, do you really want to revise the Da Ming Law? ”

Wang Pu said: "The three elders don't need to be so nervous, it's just to revise the marriage age in the Da Ming Law, and not to completely overturn the Da Ming Law, so let's go back and arrange it, and let a few officials play in the early court tomorrow, and then hand it over to the cabinet for deliberation." ”

said that it was handed over to the Shan Pavilion for deliberation, but in fact, it was not Sun Chuanting who had the final say, and Sun Chuanting had the final say, wasn't it Wang Pu who had the final say?

"And." Wang Pu straightened his face and said solemnly, "Two more should be added to the Da Ming Law, after the emperor becomes an adult, in addition to the queen, he can also accept concubines, as long as he has the ability, he can accept as many concubines as he wants, but he is not allowed to select palace maids from the people!" There are also inner attendants, starting from the first year of Longwu, no more young children are allowed to be selected from the people to enter the palace, and all the inner servants are all served by the prisoners after purification. ”

"Huh?"

"What?"

Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi's farts are about to be scared out, if they really want to write these two articles into the Daming Law, where will they put the emperor's face? Doesn't this mean that the emperor's private life is also strictly restricted by the Great Ming Law? Is the emperor still the supreme ninety-five?

"Nonsense." Sun Chuanting scolded again, "Aren't you blaspheming the monarchy? ”

"Blasphemy?" Wang Pu shook his head and said, "No, this is not a blasphemy of the monarchy, this is a restriction of the monarchy!" ”

"Restricting the power of the monarchy?"

Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi were confused, but Sun Chuanting was thoughtful.

"Three elders, why don't you start with this and try to limit the monarchy's power? The emperor is also a human being, the same flesh and blood, keeping thousands of young women in captivity in the palace, can he be busy alone? Who did those palace maids recruit to provoke whom, and the young ones had to be encircled in the palace to guard the widows? ”

"And those eunuchs who were purified at a young age, what is purification? That's cutting off someone's life! Those poor children provoked whom, they didn't understand anything, why did they cut off their lives? Why can't they be men? Iniquity, this is simply iniquity! ”

Qian Qianyi said sneeringly: "But aren't all dynasties like this? ”

"Nonsense." Wang Pu said, "Before the Han Dynasty, there were no eunuchs in the palace at all!" ”

Lu Daqi said: "But if the inner servants are not purified, what should they do if they mess up the inner court?" ”

Wang Pu retorted: "If there are not so many palace maids in the palace who are in their prime and can't find a man, if the emperor is like the three elders, he only has one old wife and a few beautiful concubines, even if the inner servants are not purified, is it possible for them to defile the inner court?" Could it be that the three family members in the old mansion of the pavilion are all clean? ”

Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi looked embarrassed.

Wang Pu said: "Qian Ge Lao, Lu Ge Lao, Ben Hou's words may be a little ugly, but this is the case, and the reason is also the same thing, the two Pavilion Elders will prepare their own after they go back, and let people put forward these three amendments to the Da Ming Law when they are in the morning tomorrow." ”

Sun Chuanting said: "Recently, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Kedao Yamen have supplemented a large number of Enke Jinshi, these Enke Jinshi are all protégés of Emperor Longwu, and the three amendments you put forward for the Da Ming Law will definitely be criticized by these Enke Jinshi, Shi Kefa, Gao Hongtu, and Ma Shiying They will also be attacked in groups." ”

"Nko?" Wang Pu was stunned and said, "What Enko? ”

Sun Chuanting shook his head and said with a wry smile: "After the new emperor ascends the throne, Enke will generally be held once to show the emperor's grace, and Enke should also be tested after the autumn, but this year's situation is special. ”

Wang Pu said angrily: "Why didn't you tell me in advance about such a big thing?" ”

Sun Chuanting said: "This is the practice of the Ming Dynasty and a good thing, and at that time, you quelled Zuo Liangyu's rebellion in Wuchang, so the old man made his own decisions." ”

Wang Pu said angrily: "How many Beijing officials did Enke make up this time?" Is there any outward release? ”

Qian Qianyi said: "This time, Enke has made up more than 100 Beijing officials, but there are no outsiders. ”

"Good guy, more than a hundred Beijing officials have been added in one go?" Wang Pu's face changed in an instant, and he said angrily, "Now that the national crisis is at hand, the country's finances are so difficult, and it is necessary to add officials on a large scale, doesn't this make the country's finances even worse?" No, tomorrow morning, the court will add another one, streamline the six departments, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Kedao Yamen, and eliminate redundant personnel. ”

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Sun Chuanting said in horror, "You are doing this to roast the Long Live Lord on the fire, do you know how much storm it will set off in Nanjing?" ”

"In troubled times, we don't hesitate to use heavy codes, no matter how big the wind and waves!" Wang Pu said in a deep voice, "We don't have much time, it will be delayed until September at the latest, Jiannu will definitely go south, we must clear the hidden dangers within six months, only in this way will I not have any worries, and I dare to fight with Jiannu with confidence!" ”

Wang Pu has Wang Pu's considerations.

There are three largest forces in Jiangnan, one is the scholars headed by the Donglin Fushe, who controls the guidance of public opinion, one is the powerful force headed by Nanjing Xunqi, and the other is a large number of wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan, these three forces control the economy, public opinion and wealth of Jiangnan, which can be said to be the cornerstone of the rule of the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Now, the Donglin Restoration Society is a tool in the hands of Wang Pu, because Wang Pu himself is a member of the Nanjing Xun Qi, and the cabinet is about to promote the "public auction of government-run workshops", and the alliance between the Sun Wang Group and the Jiangnan Merchant Group is also a matter of time, with the strong support of these three forces, Wang Pu's position in the Southern Ming Dynasty has been unshakable.

In addition, Wang Pu still has a firm grasp of the military power of the Central Army, what is there that Wang Pu does not dare to do or cannot do?

If time permits, and the little emperor is easy to fool, of course Wang Pu can take his time step by step, who is willing to use a knife and a gun if he can evolve peacefully? But the current situation is that it is impossible for Jiannu and the thieves to give Wang Pu too much time, and the little emperor is clear and not easy to fool, so Wang Pu has no choice but to make this decision.

It is foreseeable that after the three amendments to the Da Ming Law and the proposal to streamline the political axe body are proposed, it will inevitably cause an uproar, and in this political turmoil, all forces will inevitably be involved, and many hostile forces hidden behind the scenes will also turn from dark to light, and officially go to the foreground to contend with the Sun Wang group.

Wang Pu's purpose is this, he just wants to force these opposition forces out, and then wipe them out!

In a word, through this [***], all opposition forces inside and outside the court must be eliminated, the imperial power of the little emperor must be hollowed out, and the cabinet must become the real decision-making body of the Ming Dynasty.

Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi knew that this matter had been decided when they saw that Sun Chuanting did not continue to object.

In fact, Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi also knew about the situation of the cabinet, although Sun Chuanting was the nominal head of the cabinet, or Wang Pu had the final say on many things, so the two of them got up and said: "Old Sun Ge, Master Hou, it's not early, and the subordinates should go back to the house to prepare." ”

Sun Chuanting nodded and said, "Then disperse." ”

■■■

When Wang Pu returned to the Jingnan Hou Mansion, it was already late at night, but Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan had not slept yet.

Since the Jin Dynasty enshrined the Marquis of Jingnan, Wang Pu bought a mansion in the east of Nanjing, and took his family from the Yanziji camp to the Jingnanhou Mansion, and now Wang Pu has been promoted to the governor of the five provinces, although he is also the governor of Nanjing, but he is embarrassed to rely on the governor of Yanziji anymore.

Seeing Wang Pu, Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan hurriedly got up to greet them.

Chen Yuanyuan walked up to Wang Pu and said softly, "Xianggong must be tired, right?" The hot water is ready, so go take a bath to relieve your fatigue. ”

"Where's the son?" Wang Pu looked around and asked, "What about my son?" ”

"Fa'er was clamoring just now to wait for you to come back and hug him, and he won't be able to stay up and sleep."

When he said this, Chen Yuan's face was happy, which was the brilliance of maternal love.

Wang Pu is stupid, although Chen Yuanyuan does not have Liu Qingyan's foxy wind, does not have the grace and luxury of Princess Changping from her bones, and does not have Liu Ru's sassy and heroic posture revealed in her gestures, but in Wang Pu's heart, whether it is Liu Qingyan, Dong Xiaowan, Nen Niang, and Liu Ruyi, they cannot be compared with Chen Yuanyuan.

Chen Yuanyuan is indeed beautiful and glamorous, she is also Wang Pu's first woman in this world, but the main reason why Wang Pu respects her and loves her is her gentleness, kindness and open-mindedness, Chen Yuanyuan is never pampered and arrogant, nor is she jealous with Nen Niang and Xiaowan, she loves Wang Pu far more than her own life.

Wang Pu still remembers that scene, Chen Yuanyuan raised the jade bottle high and poured the crane top red in the bottle into his mouth, from that moment on, Wang Pu and Chen Yuanyuan's bloodlines have been integrated, they are lovers and relatives!

"Madam, I've worked hard for you during the time I've been away from home."

Wang Pu gently hugged Chen Yuanyuan's slender waist and kissed Chen Yuanyuan's delicate mouth affectionately, and behind the two, Dong Xiaowan quietly withdrew with a few maids.

(To be continued)