Chapter 28 publicity

The palace city built in the early years of the founding of the Ming Dynasty is located in the Zhengyang Gate in the east of Nanjing City.It was a complex of buildings with yellow glazed tile roofs surrounded by high walls five miles long from north to south and four miles wide from east to west.Within the palace city, Chengtian Gate is the boundary, and to the north of the gate is the Forbidden City.Walking through the Duanmen and Meridian Gates, there are three main halls, "Fengtian", "Jinshen" and "Hua Gai" standing in sequence.There are also "Wenhua Hall" and "Wuying Hall" on the east and west sides, as well as "Wenlou" and "Wulou".This is the place where the emperor accepted the pilgrimage of hundreds of officials and held grand ceremonies. From the north of the "Three Great Halls" to the Houzai Gate, it belongs to the scope of the "Houting".There are also many palaces with different names and an imperial garden.The emperor's daily life is there.

Apart from this part of the Forbidden City, on the south side of the palace city, a wide royal road stretches straight from the Wulong Bridge outside the Chengtian Gate to the main gate of the palace city - Hongwu Gate.On the east side of the imperial road, there are five ministries of officials, households, rites, soldiers, and workers other than the Ministry of Punishment, as well as the clan's mansion, as well as Honglu Temple, Qintianjian, and Imperial Hospital; on the west side of the imperial road is the The highest military institution - the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, as well as the seat of Jinyiwei, Tongzhengsi, Taichang Temple and other yamen.

This huge palace city, as a symbol of supreme authority, was naturally solemn, sacred, and magnificent when Emperor Taizu established his capital in Nanjing.However, since Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, after more than 200 years of idleness, it has long been depressed and dilapidated, and it is no longer the same as it used to be.Most of the palaces in the Forbidden City were dilapidated and in disrepair because there were very few chances to receive the emperor's visit; As for the clan mansion that manages the affairs of the royal family, since the Ministry of Officials took over its powers, it has collapsed to the point where only a few gateposts remain.

At the end of April in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, there was a sudden change—a comprehensive cleaning and a preliminary renovation plan were implemented urgently in Miyagi.For several days in succession, teams of mules, horses and carts mobilized here from all directions, transported full loads of bricks, tiles, wood and stones into the palace, and dragged out all kinds of rubbish piled up like mountains.Groups of eunuchs, sergeants and craftsmen came and went in and out of several side gates of Miyagi all day long.Driven by the foreman, they were sweating and busy, looking exhausted, which added tension and panic to the old and quiet city...

Due to the compromise and concession of Shi Kefa and other ministers of the Donglin faction, the final decision on the establishment of a new monarch was reached in this way: On April 29th, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rituals brought a public letter jointly signed by all officials in Nanjing, and was ordered to go to Yizheng to welcome King Fu. The next day, Xu Hongji, the Nanjing garrison, as the hereditary Wei Guogong, led his ministers to Pukou in Jiangbei to pick him up, and escorted King Fu to Yanziji Wharf. On the 30th, all the ministers in Nanjing who received the news were dispatched to Yanziji to meet the new master, and once again expressed their sincerity of concentricity.It was agreed that King Fu would drive into the city on the next day—that is, the first day of May.

Things are going well.However, in view of the fact that we are now in an extraordinary period of national change, in order to prevent accidents, these actions were not announced in advance.It was not until the first day of May that the military academy was dispatched by the Bingma Division to strengthen security on the route that King Fu entered the city. When the time comes, we will worship and welcome you. When it was almost time, everything was ready.After landing from the Sanshan Gate, King Fu had to go to Xiaoling Tomb to pay homage and pay homage, and he did not enter the city for the time being.Therefore, Guo Weijing, the patrolling censor who sits at Chaoyangmen, has not yet ordered the street to be cleaned.Those who carry burdens, those who take sedan chairs, and those who walk still come and go.Although until now, they didn't know what was going to happen, but since the bad news from Beijing, the scholars who have been waiting in panic, still guessed based on a series of abnormal actions inside and outside the palace city in the past few days. A new emperor is about to rule this former capital.Naturally, they didn't understand how the new emperor was born, what kind of intense and intense contests he had gone through behind the scenes; they didn't even care about the difference between this prince and that prince who came to sit in the Dragon Court.They just decided that it was a vital thing according to the rules passed down from generation to generation.Just as it is impossible to imagine that there is only a temple without a Bodhisattva in it, as long as the throne on the main hall is no longer empty, they will feel that everything is protected and protected again, and they will feel at ease again, and even feel a little happy.It was this discovery that made Chen Zhenhui, who was coming out of the Hongwu Gate from the Yamen of the Ministry of War, smile wryly while looking at the scene on the street.

It was not until the day before yesterday that Chen Zhenhui was notified by Shi Kefa to rush back to Nanjing from Pukou.Before that, he knew nothing about what happened.After experiencing the initial shock and realizing that the situation was irreversible, he, like his fellow members, felt unusually resentful and frustrated.Because things are very clear, as the supreme ruler with absolute authority once established, the character and quality of the emperor himself, and his emotional inclinations are all directly related to the rise and fall of the imperial court, and at the same time determine to a large extent the success of the imperial court. The future and destiny of those who serve as courtiers.Because of this, a while ago, Chen Zhenhui and his friends resolutely rejected the righteous King Fu and supported the wise and wise King Lu; later, King Lu could not be established, and King Gui finally accepted it.Unexpectedly, in the end, just because of Ma Shiying's sudden change of mind, Donglin completely compromised without any resistance, making the efforts of the previous period come to naught. "Oh, don't they understand that all the difficulties and disasters in the future will be caused by this!" Chen Zhenhui was disappointed and thought bitterly.However, he also understands that it is useless to just be indignant when things have come to this point. The most urgent thing right now is how to quickly establish a new line of defense based on the changed situation to prevent the political situation from deteriorating further.In view of the fact that in the previous round of competition, the ministers of the Donglin faction were surprisingly full of worries, cowardly and weak, and had different opinions and went their own way. The idea of ​​acting as a staff member is very necessary.In fact, both in terms of coordinating the relationship among the figures in power of the faction to form a strong and consistent external resistance situation, or in seeking to influence the thoughts and actions of these figures in order to achieve the purpose of promoting the reform of the government. Such a reliable and mutually supportive bond is indispensable.Therefore, today he summoned his friends to meet at the Changhaoju Restaurant outside Zhengyangmen. On the one hand, it was to stabilize the morale of the army, and on the other hand, he also urged the friends to put his idea into practice as soon as possible. carry out.

Now, Chen Zhenhui has come to Changhaoju.In the Zhengyangmen area, this can be regarded as the largest restaurant.However, children of aristocratic families like Chen Zhenhui are used to going to elegant gardens or private river houses for gatherings and banquets on weekdays, rather than going to restaurants to mingle with ordinary people.The reason why I made an exception today is because several members of the company wanted to see the scene of King Fu entering the city, so they temporarily decided to reserve a single room facing the street in Changhaoju, and set up a table of wine and food, so that they can chat with each other at that time. Take a closer look.

"Hey, Chaozong, why did you arrive so early today?" When Chen Zhenhui climbed to the second floor of Changhaoju and stepped into the pre-booked private room, she found Hou Fangyu already sitting inside, she folded her hands in surprise and smiled say hello. "Hmph, what's more, if it wasn't for brother, why would brother rush to sit on this cold bench!" Hou Fangyu complained in his tone. "Oh?" "Come here, come here, don't rush to salute, sit down! Before they come, I will tell my brother something first." Hou Fangyu gestured, looking a little anxious.

"What's the matter, so urgent?" Chen Zhenhui asked curiously as she sat down. Hou Fangyu didn't answer, he went to the door first, stretched out his head and looked around, then came back and sat down beside Chen Zhenhui, and said angrily, "Brother, do you know? Zhou Zhongyu scolded you behind your back Mile!" Chen Zhenhui was stunned for a moment: "Call me? Zhou Zhongyu? What did he scold me for?" "Hmph, he scolded you for being scheming and wanted to be Mr. Xizhang, and said that you advocated that all the members of the commune should be aides, because you wanted to hold everyone in the palm of your hand, and said that as long as he lives, brother will never think about it." It can be done!"

"Ah, he, he said that I asked the members of the community to be staff members, because I wanted to hold everyone in the palm of my hand?" Chen Zhenhui asked in surprise, "But that day, when I visited him and talked about it, although he didn't Work hard, but it’s not impossible!” Hou Fangyu sneered and said contemptuously: "He's playing tricks on you! Zhou Zhongyu, don't you know that? He pretends to be dignified and innocent, but he's evil in his heart! He said you want to hold everyone in your hands , Actually, I think it's true that he thinks so! You didn't see the "Liudu Anti-Riot Public Exposure", how did he do it?" In the 11th year of Chongzhen, all the students of Fushe jointly published the "Public Announcement of Preventing Chaos in Liudu" to denounce Ruan Dacheng.That incident once caused a sensation among the government and the public, and Fushe's prestige was greatly enhanced because of it.Originally, Chen Zhenhui drafted and revised the public announcement, but for some reason, it was rumored to be written by Zhou Bi.In this regard, Zhou Bi has not clarified it, in fact, it is tantamount to acquiescing.Although Chen Zhenhui felt strange and a little dissatisfied, but because of their friendship, she was embarrassed to express her dissent publicly, and only complained to Hou Fangyu in private.Now hearing the other party mention it, he couldn't help but move, and asked: "By the way, Langsan and Danxin both asked me about this a few days ago. I was wondering how they would know. Could it be you who told me?" Hou Fangyu snorted: "I'm complaining for my brother! "Liudu Anti-Riot Public Exposition" is a great act of my righteousness to restore the society, and it will surely be famous forever! The contribution of drafting and presiding should belong to brother, but he Zhou Zhongyu How can a gentleman behave in such an act of deceiving the world and stealing his name! This tone, brother can bear it, but brother can't bear it!" Chen Zhenhui was stunned for a while, and at the end, sighed, and said: "That's it. Since he intends to seize this merit, is there any reason not to become angry when you say it like this? Besides, he must think that I secretly instigated, So I deserve to be scolded!" Hou Fangyu straightened his neck, and said angrily: "This is what it is, so why be afraid of him! If he has the courage, come and confront brother face to face!" Chen Zhenhui twitched the corners of her mouth, and said with a wry smile: "Of course he won't confront me, and he won't even mention this matter. Only in this way, there will be troubles in the club from now on!" "Brother is also too suspicious!" Hou Fangyu made a gesture of disapproval, "At best, Zhou Zhongyu just relied on joining the club a few days earlier, and there he relied on the old to sell the old. If he has any extraordinary skills, I really really want to Didn't notice it! Even if he has Taichong and Zifang who are willing to serve as pawns, besides you and me, we have the gang of Ciwei, Danxin, Ergong, and Langsan. Ways to talk them over, if you don't believe it, you can't beat Zhou Zhongyu!" Chen Zhenhui shook her head: "You can't say that. It's not like you don't know the situation in the club. After these two years of tossing and turning, people's hearts have been scattered, and the situation is getting worse. Now there are only a few people who are still trying to do something. Just a few people out! If you continue to fight, how amazing! It's better to break up the gang as soon as possible, it will be more peaceful and worry-free!" "Then Zhou Zhongyu..." "Isn't he just scolding me right now? Then let him scold me a few words! As for the rest, you might as well watch and talk. Anyway..." He was about to continue talking, but suddenly there was a sound of footsteps on the other side of the stairs.Then, several people talked and came to the door.So Chen Zhenhui had no choice but to shut her mouth and stand up full of thoughts. Those who arrived in this batch were Wu Yingji, Zhang Zilie, Mei Langzhong, and Yu Huai.In addition, there is a community member who just arrived from Wuhu yesterday, named Shen Shizhu.In the 11th year of Chongzhen's resumption of the society and the publication of the "Liudu Anti-Riot Public Exposure", Shen Shizhu was also a very active character.In the past two years, because I don't come to Nanjing often, I have fewer opportunities to meet with you.However, now they are together, and they are still very affectionate with each other.Chen Zhenhui didn't know beforehand that Shen Shizhu was coming, so she asked about Shen Shizhu's recent situation with concern as usual.After Shen Shizhu answered one by one, he also asked about Chen Zhenhui's situation.While Chen Zhenhui was answering, he started to turn the big head on the thin neck, looked around, then blinked a pair of black eyes, and asked: "Hey, why don't you see Taichong and Zifang? And Pijiang?" "Oh, Taichong and Zifang will come." Wu Yingji, who had already sat on the chair and closed his eyes to rest his mind, opened his eyes as an exception, and answered first, "As for Pijiang—" he sneered, and did not continue. "Oh—what happened to Bijiang?" Shen Shizhu couldn't help asking. "It's okay, I'm probably still playing chess with Dong Xiaowan in Rugao reciting poems!" After finishing speaking so lightly, Wu Yingji closed his eyes again. "But, everyone is here, how can he not come?" Because he didn't know much about the situation of the members in the past two years, Shen Shizhu was even more at a loss. "Is there anything I can do?" Yu Huai yawned and answered, "Whoever likes to come and who doesn't like to come, up to now, it's up to each person's pleasure! Who can control who? Oh, Brother Mo Fei Do you think this social situation is still the same as it was when Master Xizhang was alive? With a single leaflet, everyone will go on the road overnight and flock to the Tao? Hmph, that kind of extravagant situation will never be seen again! So Pijiang is not Come, it is not surprising. Don't you see that many should come, didn't they all come!" "You can't talk like that!" Wu Yingji opened his eyes again, and his dark and thin face seemed to be covered with a layer of cold autumn frost. What Han Xiuzhai said. I want to see how he proves that he is not a coward who is greedy for life and afraid of death!" When Wu Yingji said so, those club members who knew the inside story naturally understood what was going on, but Shen Shizhu was even more puzzled.He opened his mouth, and was about to ask, when Mei Lanzhong, who was sitting next to him, stood up calmly. "Forget it, forget it," he said, shaking his hand, "Why bring up those old things again. Besides, Pijiang doesn't necessarily mean he won't come. Aren't Gao Jie's soldiers making a lot of trouble in Yangzhou these days? I'm afraid it's the road It doesn't make sense and I don't know." After speaking, he was probably afraid that Wu Yingji would not give up, so he hurriedly turned to Shen Shizhu again, "Brother Kuntong, didn't you meet Qian Muzhai when you were in Suzhou? Why don't you tell me what he told you? Listen to everyone!" The community members didn't really want to participate in the discussion about Maoxiang, and they were always concerned about Qian Qianyi's departure from Nanjing, so they immediately became interested. At first, Shen Shizhu kept asking: "Hey, what's wrong with Pijiang? What's going on here?" Later, seeing Wu Yingji shut his mouth and didn't say anything, everyone asked him about Qian Qianyi's situation. Cai waved his hand unhappily, puffed his cheeks and said: "Qian Muzhai didn't say anything, but he looked very frustrated. He scolded Shi Da Sima, Lu Shao Sima, Hubu Gaogong, and Imperial Academy Jiang Gong. He also said that from now on, he was determined to go back to seclusion. In the countryside, don’t care about staying in the capital anymore!” "He scolded Shi Da Sima, Lu Shao Sima and the others—what exactly did he scold?" Because Qian Qianyi was a character who knew the inside story in the competition to support the new monarch a while ago, so even Chen Zhenhui paid attention. "This--it's nothing more than scolding them for being timid, weak-hearted, speaking hard, and hiding away when they see Zhenzhanger, and saying that they sold him!" Shen Shizhu repeated casually, obviously The exact meaning of these words is not quite understood.After a pause, he added: "Oh, by the way, Qian Muzhai also said some weird things - he advised me not to come to Liudu at all, and said that being a gentleman can't achieve great things, just to They are too gentlemen, so they must not be able to fight villains. He also said that anyone who is a gentleman will not end well!" "Ah, he, he said that?" Chen Zhenhui asked in astonishment.Seeing Shen Shizhu nodding his head affirmatively, he fell silent, and then turned to look at everyone, only to find that everyone, like him, seemed stunned by this vicious and ominous prophecy, and they all sat blankly, saying nothing. not coming out...