Chapter 8 3. Daydreams

Zhu Di, the king of Yan, proclaimed himself emperor, but he was resisted not only by Jianwen Confucian scholars, but also by Jianwen officials.This was prominently reflected in a daydream of Emperor Yong Le. What happened to Emperor Yongle's daydream? One day, Emperor Yongle had a daydream in a daze in the Nanjing Palace. He dreamed that a man named Jing Qing was holding a sword and running around the emperor's throne, trying to chase him down.He retreated quickly, the faster he retreated, the faster he chased, and the slower he retreated, the slower he chased.Jing Qing, this person has a lot of background.

Who is Jingqing?Originally surnamed Geng, surnamed Jing, from Zhenning, Shaanxi Province (now Zhaizi Village, Shanhe Town, Zhengning County, Qingyang City, Gansu Province).Emperor Jianwen once sent Peiping to consult with Jingqing, from Nanjing to Peiping, to observe the actions of Yanwangfu.King Yan invited Jing Qing to a banquet, seeing his clear speech and elegant demeanor, he greatly appreciated him.Jing Qing returned to Nanjing after the official business.After Yan Wang Zhu Di captured Nanjing and seized the throne, he appointed Jing Qing and the official was restored to his original post.However, Jing Qing "was in Cao Ying and his heart was in the Han Dynasty". During the early court on August 15th, he carried a sharp knife and went to the court in a phoenix (big red) dress alone in violation of the regulations.When Zhu Di came out of the palace gate, Jing Qing suddenly committed a crime, swung a sharp knife, stabbed the emperor (one said he was found), and was captured by the imperial guards.Emperor Yong Le questioned, Jing Qing replied: "I want to avenge my old master!" and cursed loudly.Emperor Yongle ordered his teeth to be knocked out, and Jing Qing yelled at Zhu Di's dragon robe while being knocked out.Zhu Di was so angry that he ordered Jingqing to be skinned, lasted with grass, and tied in shackles to the gate of Chang'an.Later, Zhu Di drove past Chang'an Gate, and the tether suddenly broke. "The fur scene is clear", and he took a few steps forward, looking like a criminal driving.Emperor Yongle was shocked and ordered to burn it.Later, Emperor Yong Le slept during the day and dreamed that Jing Qing was chasing him around the throne.After waking up, he broke out in a cold sweat, and ordered his family to be executed, and his family was wiped out. (Volume 18 of "Ming History Chronicles" Volume 18) Like Hu Run's Prison, "he lived in hundreds of families, and the name of injustice pierced the sky." ("Ming History·Chen Ying Biography" Volume 38) Emperor Yongle felt that there were many murders in Nanjing, and the atmosphere was heavy. , is not a place to stay for a long time.He didn't want to use Nanjing as his capital anymore, and decided to move to his "Land of Longxing" Beiping.

Li Zhigang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, etc., followed the will of Emperor Yongle, on the thirteenth day of the first month of the first year of Yongle (1403), they made a statement on the move of the capital of the Ming Dynasty: Beiping is the place where the emperor Longxing, please establish Peiping as the capital.Emperor Yongle said: "Yes." (Volume 16 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of Ming Dynasty") The Ming Dynasty decided to move the capital to Beiping. However, Zhu Di decided to move the capital to Beijing, just because he dreamed of Jing Qing committing a crime during the day?Is it just because there are too many murders in Nanjing and the yin is too heavy?In fact, such a major decision must have more complicated considerations:

First, Beijing is the "Land of Prosperity" with a solid foundation.Emperor Yongle believed that Beiping's feng shui was good, which fulfilled his emperor's dream, but there were ghosts in Nanjing, so feng shui was not good for him.Zhu Di has been operating in Beiping for more than 20 years, and has a solid foundation, while Nanjing is full of survivors of the former dynasty, and people's hearts are unstable. Therefore, it is better to return to the base camp of Beiping. Second, Beijing is a dangerous area, and its location is important.Beijing "rests on Juyong in the north, stands on Taihang in the west, connects mountains and seas in the east, and overlooks the Central Plains in the south. The fertile soil is thousands of miles away, and the mountains and rivers are well-shaped, enough to control the barbarians and the world. It is also the capital of emperors and kings forever." (Volume 180 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of Ming Dynasty") At that time, the forces of the Yuan Dynasty, "there were no less than a million people who controlled strings", seriously threatened the safety of the north of the Ming Dynasty.The capital is located in Beijing, and "the emperor guards the gate of the country", which is beneficial to the defense of the north.

Third, Beijing is a central place with convenient transportation.In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, tribute was paid from all directions, and the roads were evenly spaced, connecting all directions of Kyushu, and the location of the capital is livable in the world.The territory of Shengming stretched from Heilongjiang estuary and Sakhalin Island (now Sakhalin Island) in the north to Zengmu Shoal in the south. The geographical location of Beijing is roughly in the middle of the north and the south.At that time, there were no cars, planes, or high-speed rail, and transportation mainly relied on land and water transport—the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through five major rivers: the Haihe River, the Yellow River, the Huaihe River, the Yangtze River, and the Qiantang River. Beijing is the starting point of the Grand Canal.

Fourth, Beijing is the capital of emperors with rich heritage.Beijing has been an imperial capital for more than 400 years, from Nanjing in Liao Dynasty, Zhongdu in Jin Dynasty to Dadu in Yuan Dynasty.Beijing has a rich historical and cultural heritage, a grand atmosphere, and an imperial atmosphere. Therefore, Emperor Yongle's move to Beijing was a correct and important decision either at the time or later. It has been 18 years since the decision to move the capital to Beiping and the official establishment of the capital in Beijing.This is a very long process: in the first year of Yongle (1403), Zhu Di ordered Beiping to be Beijing; in the fourth year of Yongle (1406), Zhu Di ordered to build the Beijing Palace; Zhu Di visited the north many times and lived in Beijing for a long time, while his prince Zhu Gaochi supervised the country in Nanjing.In the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420), the Beijing Palace was completed.After that, Zhu Di issued an edict: On the first day of the first month of next year, with Beijing as the capital, the capital will be officially moved to Beijing, and a celebration ceremony will be held.

Establishing the capital is a top priority for a regime and a king.At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, became the climate, and he hesitated between Fengyang, Jinling (now Nanjing), Kaifeng, Luoyang, Xi'an, and Beiping (now Beijing) when he wanted to build a capital.One day, he asked his ministers to write poems to express their opinions.The Confucian scholar Deng Boyan presented a poem saying: "Aozu stands on the four poles, and Zhongshan is a dragon." (Volume 12 of "Seven Revised Class Drafts") This poem fits Zhu Yuanzhang's intention of making Jinling his capital.Zhu Yuanzhang recited this poem aloud on the table in the Jinluan Hall. Deng Boyan mistakenly thought that the emperor was furious, and his own life was over.

Moving the capital is equally thrilling.It has always been extremely difficult to move the capital, and the experience of the previous dynasty is vivid.Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty coerced the nobles to move their capital from Datong to Luoyang in the name of war; King Jin Hailing also destroyed Shangjing (now Acheng District, Harbin City) and forced the nobles to move to Zhongdu (now Beijing); , he acted alone, and the Zhubeiles saw that the old man was gone, so they had no choice but to follow.Yongle's relocation of the capital has both the side of great talent and long-term strategy, and the side of being forced and helpless.Until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Zongxi and others were still discussing that if the capital was still in Jinling, the Ming Dynasty might get rid of the fate of collapse.If it hadn't been for moving the capital to Beijing and "the son of heaven guarding the country", I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty might have lost half of the country in the north as early as the "Civil Change" of the Yingzong Dynasty.Of course history cannot be assumed.

From the first day of the first lunar month in the nineteenth year of Yongle (1421), Beijing once again became the political center of China after Yuan Dadu.Beijing was the political center of the whole of China during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and is now the capital of the People's Republic of China. Emperor Yongle was a talented and generous monarch.why would you say so?He made significant contributions to the development of Chinese history: First, maintain national unity and consolidate the northern border. Second, send Zheng He to the Western Ocean to complete the feat in the history of human navigation.

Third, the compilation of "Yongle Dadian" is a grand event in the history of Chinese culture. Fourth, the construction of Beijing, the capital city, has added a world cultural heritage to mankind. Zhu Di, like his imperial father Zhu Yuanzhang, both had great historical achievements, but they also had great historical crimes—they both disregarded life, especially the lives of scholars, abused power and brutally slaughtered dissidents. On the TV screen, we can often see the majestic Forbidden City, the majestic and majestic three halls of the Forbidden City, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Fengtian Hall) with the highest construction level and the largest volume among the three halls.Let's go back in time by 590 years.On the first day of the first lunar month in the nineteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1421), a historic event took place in Beijing, in China, in Asia, and in the world: Emperor Yongle, dressed in a dragon robe, sat in the Fengtian Hall ( On the throne of the Hall of Supreme Harmony), accept the congratulations of all officials, celebrate the arrival of the New Year, and also celebrate the official opening of the newly completed palace - the Forbidden City Palace.In front of Fengtian Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony), cigarettes are lingering, whips are blown and music is played, and all civil and military officials shout long live.At the end of the ceremony, a grand banquet was held to entertain civil and military officials and tribute envoys.

From this day on, Beijing was officially upgraded to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and Nanjing became the accompanying capital! From this day on, the Daming Palace officially entered the stage of history and culture! In short, Emperor Yongle's move of the capital to Beijing was an earth-shattering feat, and it was a decision that would affect thousands of years! The Beijing City and the Beijing Imperial Palace built by Emperor Yongle first set a central axis.This central axis and the imperial palace located on the central axis live "in the middle of the world". What's the story?