The Prosperous Era of Longwan

After appeasing the officials and waiting for everyone to leave the palace, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng wiped the sweat from their foreheads and hurried to Qianqing Palace without daring to delay for a moment.

Outside the Qianqing Palace, there were already many eunuchs and palace maids standing there.

Although there were many people, no one dared to whisper at this time. They all stood with solemn faces and lowered hands.

These people were not all from the Qianqing Palace. The emperor fainted during the court meeting, and the concubines and princes from the harem hurriedly came here with people to visit.

After all, in this deep palace, the emperor is the king.

When Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng arrived here, they could only let people in to pass the news. They did not dare to rush in directly. After all, there were still people from the harem in the side hall. It would be very rude for them to rush in rashly.

Not long after, I saw the ladies from the harem filing out of the side hall with their eyes red, or with their heads lowered and wiping tears. The last person to come out was the prince, and Feng Bao was with him.

When Prince Zhu Yijun came out and saw Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, he hurried over to salute.

Although Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were of high status, they did not dare to show off in front of the prince. They both hurriedly returned the greetings and hurriedly asked about the emperor's condition.

"The imperial doctor said it needs to be nursed back to health, but the other orphans don't quite understand."

The prince thought about it and said, "Let Feng Banban explain it to you. He should understand."

"Master Chief Assistant, Mr. Zhang Ge, the emperor is sick."

Feng Bao explained the conclusion of the previous imperial doctor's diagnosis and treatment. He only said that the qi and blood were insufficient and needed to be nursed back to health, and he should not be affected during this period.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng looked at each other, feeling a little helpless.

In fact, they also knew what was going on. The emperor had played too much in the past and had emptied his body, so he needed to rest and recover.

Just when Feng Bao finished speaking, Chen Ju also walked out of the hall and walked towards them.

After saluting the prince first, and then Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, he said, "Your Majesty, please let the two elders in."

"Master Chief Assistant, you and Mr. Zhang Ge should go to see the emperor first. I should also take His Royal Highness back to the palace to read some books in preparation for leaving the cabinet to study."

Feng Bao took a step back in time and said respectfully.

Although the Ming Dynasty had a system for princes to leave the court to study, in fact, before leaving the court, the prince usually started to learn characters and practice calligraphy with the help of the eunuchs around him, and did not rely entirely on official teaching.

Especially practicing calligraphy is basically the job of eunuchs. After all, the lectures in the lecture hall are more about principles, and the assignments are mostly free writing. You can write whatever comes to mind, and it is not the various topics assigned in schools in later generations. It is somewhat similar to the propositional composition of later generations.

When the prince handed in his homework, the lecturer would also comment on the prince's calligraphy, but more often than not he would instruct the eunuchs around the prince on how to guide the prince in writing correctly.

According to later generations, the most unreliable emperor of the Ming Dynasty was of course Emperor Zhengde. When people talk about him, they are mostly disparaging. He was playful and tired of learning, did not want to make progress, and even created a leopard room.

There are many theories about the Leopard Room in later generations. According to folklore, it was built by Emperor Zhengde after collecting beauties from all over the world for his enjoyment. According to official historical records, it is mostly said that it was a place for the emperor to have fun. According to records, it was actually similar to a zoo in later generations.

Emperor Zhengde collected treasures from all over the world and sent them to the leopard room, but most of them were rare birds and exotic animals.

As for the rumors about Qian Ning, Jiang Bin and others fighting ferocious beasts in the leopard room, most of them come from novels, and the source is that the emperor had an experience in danger when watching ferocious beasts.

However, what many people don’t know is that Emperor Zhengde’s calligraphy and painting were actually considered outstanding among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, and he also left many authentic calligraphy and paintings in the world.

Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji paid attention to calligraphy and painting, especially the paintings of landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, grass and insects. He wrote the year and month on the emperor, and bestowed titles on his ministers, using the treasure of Guangyun or the treasure of Wuying Palace.

Chenghua Emperor Zhu Jian Shen Gong's statue has imperial writings on it, and he used the treasure of Guangyun to write the portrait of Zhang Sanfeng, which is brilliant, vivid and transcendent.

Zhu Youtang, the Hongzhi Emperor, also painted statues of gods. He used the same treasures as before in the year of his imperial brush. Zhu Houzhao, the Zhengde Emperor of the Wumiao Temple, was also good at painting. He once saw a small painting by Zhong Kui in color and wrote a letter to Zhengde's imperial brush.

Therefore, the rumor among the people that the Zhengde Emperor Douda was illiterate and Zhu Yijun was nothing but a slander by later generations.

After all, at that time, people's impressions of the Ming Dynasty mostly came from the "History of the Ming Dynasty" compiled by the Qing Dynasty, so it was inevitable that the rulers deliberately discredited the previous dynasty, and many of the records in it were untrustworthy.

Emperor Zhengde was the only son of Emperor Hongzhi, and the attention paid to Emperor Zhengde's education was unprecedented. The possibility of educating a fool simply did not exist.

As for the current prince Zhu Yijun, although he has not yet left the imperial court, the calligraphy he practiced in the harem passed Emperor Longqing. Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng have also seen two articles. At his age, it is not easy to write like this, so Gao Gong Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Juzheng also had expectations for Feng Bao to supervise the prince's studies.

Feng Baoke was an outstanding student from the Nei Shu Hall, and his talent was credible.

Feng Bao wanted to take the prince back to the palace to study. The two of them were naturally very happy and encouraged him. Gao Gong also asked Feng Bao to supervise the prince to study. When the time comes, he will ask Feng Bao for a reward in front of the emperor.

After watching the prince leave Qianqing Palace with Feng Bao, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng walked into the side hall.

On the right side of the door, a small stove was burning brightly, and a small pot on it was emitting a burst of medicinal fragrance. It was obvious that the imperial doctor was decoction for Emperor Longqing here.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng also didn't take it seriously, and it wasn't the first time they saw such a scene.

As for why they did not go outside but stayed in the side hall, they had asked the imperial doctor before. According to the imperial doctor, the medicine was boiled in the house, and some of the medicinal properties were evaporated and dispersed in the air during the process.

Emperor Longqing now needs nourishment, not only taking medicine to strengthen the body and nourishing the body, but also staying in places containing medicinal properties is also a good way.

Therefore, the small stove for decoction was moved into the side hall, so that Emperor Longqing could absorb more of the medicinal properties besides drinking the medicine.

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty believed in many religions, whether it was Taoism or Buddhism, and these religions all had breathing techniques. They believed that breathing regularly could strengthen the body.

Emperor Longqing believed deeply in what the imperial doctors said, so he allowed them to do so.

At this time, Emperor Longqing had just undergone acupuncture and had regained his consciousness, but his face was still ugly and bluish-white.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself."

Seeing the emperor like this, Gao Gong couldn't help but feel distressed.

After all, they are monarchs and ministers who have been together day and night for more than ten years. Seeing Emperor Longqing's current appearance, Gao Gong really felt like his heart was pricking with needles.

Zhang Juzheng saw Emperor Longqing's appearance in his eyes, but he felt something bad in his heart for no reason.

When we come down, we need to ask the imperial doctors how his illness is and whether he can recover. We cannot just let them make nonsense.

It's not that he thinks too much, it's just that Emperor Longqing's current appearance is too scary.

"The two ministers are in charge of the government. I am afraid that my body and bones will not be able to recover in a short time, and I will not be able to manage the government."

Emperor Longqing leaned on the dragon couch and said weakly.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm waiting for you. Your Majesty just needs to take good care of your body now. We will handle the political affairs well with the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and there will never be any mistakes."

Gao Gong said hurriedly.

"That's very good."

A smile appeared on Emperor Longqing's lips, and then he said slowly: "As I am now, the foreign minister will disappear. When Mr. Gao Ge arrives in Beijing, let him go directly to the cabinet to handle errands, and there is no need to see him."

The Gao Ge Lao mentioned by Emperor Longqing is naturally Gao Yi Gao Zixiang. He has already set off and should not be far from the capital.

Fortunately, the canal is now open again, so I won't be so tired after taking a boat all the way to Beijing. I can go to the cabinet to do business after two days of rest.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng went straight back to the cabinet office one after another. They were silent all the way and didn't know what they were thinking.

In the Qingning Palace, Prince Zhu Yijun had no intention of reading and practicing calligraphy. Instead, he frowned and didn't know what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's time to practice calligraphy."

Zhu Yijun also started to practice calligraphy with Feng Bao for more than a month. He only knew a few dozen characters in total, and he couldn't even read or write.

Some time ago, Feng Bao showed his favor and picked two of the best calligraphy paintings and sent them to the Qianqing Palace. At that time, Emperor Longqing was very satisfied after reading them, so he kept the calligraphy.

Feng Bao called out a few times, and Zhu Yijun came back to his senses.

"Feng Banban, when do you think it will take my father's illness to get better? He also said that he will take orphans with him when leaving the palace in the future."

Zhu Yijun was also concerned about Emperor Longqing's health, but mainly because Emperor Longqing promised to take him with him when he left the palace. He was no longer detained in the palace and could not go anywhere.

But my father's health was not good, so he naturally would not leave the palace.

When will this decision be truly implemented?

Last time I went to the Wei Mansion, Zhu Yijun felt very strange when he saw so many people along the way.

After picking out three ginseng plants from the Wei Mansion, Zhu Yijun wanted to walk more on the street outside, but was persuaded by Feng Bao.

Feng Bao's words are very true. If something goes wrong the first time he leaves the palace, there will probably be no future for Emperor Longqing in the future.

So, suppressing his restless heart, the little prince followed him back to the palace. He just saw interesting things along the way and asked someone to buy some.

Zhu Yijun randomly selected these things on the street, and without worrying about any problems, Feng Bao directly agreed and asked people to buy them.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is blessed with great blessings. He should get well soon. Then the Crown Prince can follow you out of the palace."

Feng Bao said cheerfully, trying to comfort the young prince.

"That's good."

Zhu Yijun nodded. Although his brows did not relax, he did not look as sad as before.

However, he was not in the mood to practice calligraphy at the moment. He looked at the books, pens, inks, paper and inkstones prepared by Feng Bao and shook his head, "If you don't want to write now, just take them out."

"Prince, Gao Shoufu would like to ask the prince to come back."

Feng Bao was only halfway through what he said when he was interrupted by Zhu Yijun, "I don't like him. He only knows how to teach me the rules. I remember it was like this before, but now I have more to learn calligraphy."

When Feng Bao heard what Zhu Yijun said, although he was happy in his heart, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he continued to comfort him: "Prince, Gao Shoufu is actually doing it for the best of the prince. He has no other intentions."

"I just don't like him."

The little prince still said stubbornly, "The few times I played in the palace, it was because he made suggestions to my father, and then I was reprimanded."

Zhu Yijun is still very vindictive. Although he can't leave the palace, the Forbidden City is so big that there are actually many places to play, including the Six Corridors and the Cabinet. He can go there without leaving the Forbidden City.

So Gao Gong saw him several times, and Gao Gong mentioned it when he met Emperor Longqing, and then the emperor sent someone to call him back to the palace.

"It's better, Master Wei. When I met him outside, he was very enthusiastic about teaching me how to have fun. The gifts he gave me were also the most satisfying."

At this point, the little prince couldn't help but smacked his lips.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually did not need much knowledge, he only needed to learn analysis and judgment, so Wei Guangde never believed that rigid teaching could teach a good emperor.

As for asking the emperor to work diligently and love the people, that is actually not something that can be taught in books. Instead, he needs to understand the principle that "water can carry a boat or capsize it." Then he will know what to do.

To put it bluntly, all decisions made by the emperor must be based on the overall situation and for the sake of the overall situation, rather than solely based on the emperor's mood and preferences.

At this time, Gao Gong, who returned to the cabinet, called Zhang Juzheng and asked him to go with him to his chief assistant's room.

Although he felt strange, Zhang Juzheng still followed Gao Gong into the house.

"Uncle, the way His Majesty is acting now, I think we have to consider the country and the country, and we have to intervene in some things in the palace."

Gao Gong's words scared Zhang Juzheng to the point where his heart trembled.

Can foreign ministers interfere with matters in the palace?

But after Gao Gong's explanation, Zhang Juzheng understood what Gao Gong meant.

“Sir Shofu, I think it’s okay to put away those illustrations you mentioned.

However, we don't have to say anything about this matter. It depends on the eunuchs in the palace. "

Zhang Juzheng reminded in a low voice.

"That's what I mean. Now that His Majesty is like this, it's time for us to ask Meng Chong and Chen Hong to come over and talk about it and finalize this matter."

Gao Gong said, "It would be best if only a few eunuchs who are close to His Majesty know about this matter."

What Gao Gong didn't say was that there were too many eunuchs in the palace, so it was not necessary to call them all, just a few of the more favored ones.

Zhang Juzheng had no objection and looked at Gao Gong and nodded.

Soon, the little chamberlain who helped in the cabinet got the order and went back to the palace without stopping to invite Meng Chong, Chen Hong, Feng Bao, Zhang Hong and others.

The cabinet minister Gao Gong came to see them. Whether it was Meng Chong or Feng Bao, they were still very surprised to know the news, but they still rushed to the cabinet.

Before leaving, Chen Ju was arranged to wait on Emperor Longqing's bedside.

When they arrived at Gao Gong's duty room in the cabinet, everyone understood the reason for calling them here this time. Gao Gong wanted to put away the small picture books in the palace, which were erotic pictures.

"this."

Meng Chong was very embarrassed when he was named by Gao Gong. Although Gao Gong had good intentions, he would not be happy if he made his majesty unhappy.

"Eunuch Meng, His Majesty's recovery is the top priority. I have heard before that His Majesty's body was better after a few doses of medicine, but he couldn't wait to summon the palace servants to sleep with him, which is why the troubles are now like this.

That's it, I'll be responsible if something goes wrong, and your majesty will blame you on me. "

Gao Gong used the tactics used to deal with foreign dynasties again to force the eunuchs in the harem to obey his orders.

The expressions of dissatisfaction on the faces of Meng Chong, Zhang Hong and others flashed away, but when they thought of the emperor's body, they all nodded slightly.