I - Chapter 1070

  Chapter 1070 1066 [Final Chapter Five]

   Yingmin Hall.

   Zhao Kuanghuan’s elementary school classmate He Qianji, although he was eliminated by Huangcheng Primary School, has been studying hard. He went to college at his own expense, but he accumulated a lot of money in the imperial examinations, and he was ranked 78th in the second list. Relying on his political achievements and the appreciation of the prince, he is now a minister of the Ministry of officials.

He Qianji said: “Cremation is a vulgar custom in the Buddhist family. How can the emperor do this? Of course, the last emperor’s last order must be obeyed. He can cremate the emperor’s imperial belongings and scatter them on the land as nourishment for pines and cypresses. As for the remains of the first emperor, they should be buried according to the ceremonies. , there must be no negligence.”

   Li Yong, who was born as a prince division, is 60 years old this year and currently serves as the chief assistant. He immediately retorted: “The last emperor’s will cannot be changed, and the cremation must be cremated!”

   “This is indecent!” He Qianji said.

  Li Yong said: “Rites are determined by people, and the last emperor’s will is the ceremony!”

  He Qianji said: “Burning the dragon body of the former emperor, where will the present emperor be? Do you want the emperor to bear the infamy of destroying his father’s body?”

  Li Yong said: “The cremation was ordered by the first emperor, and it has already been announced to the world. How can the people talk about it?”

   “Officials and people don’t gossip today, but what about a hundred years later? What will future generations think when they read history books?” He Qianji asked.

Li Yong roared angrily: “How do you know the great ambitions of the late emperor? Thousands of years later, your majesty will guard the territory of thousands of miles with the body of a real dragon, and the Chinese descendants will only respect the late emperor more and more. I think this is disrespectful!”

  Zhao Kuanghuan finally spoke out: “Mr. Li, just discuss the matter, don’t slander your colleagues.”

  Li Yong picked up the wat board, held it to his chest and said: “If your majesty does not obey the last emperor’s last order, after the minister dies, he will have no face to see the late emperor. Please resign!”

   As the leader of the princeling party, Li Yong often confronted the royal party officials. But when the crown prince really succeeded, he quarreled with his colleagues again, and even forced him to be cremated by resigning.

   Zhao Kuanghuan was very entangled at this time. Of course he wanted to obey the last emperor’s will, but he also wanted to do what He Qianji said.

  In Zhao Kuanghuan’s view, the cremated remains were divided into twelve parts, and those from all over the world were scattered in the soil to plant trees.

  He Qianji said it very well, cremating the relics of the late emperor and burying the remains of the late emperor took care of all aspects.

  Zhao Kuanghuan felt that Li Yong was troublesome, especially by threatening to resign, and he was challenging his majesty as the emperor.

  Zhao Kuanghuan looked at the ministers: “Do you have anything to say?”

  Li Kaiji, the first number one scholar in the New Dynasty of Datong, came out holding the wat board and said: “You should obey the last emperor’s will, and you can’t change it at all.”

  Shen Wei, the candidate for the first imperial examination, died young, but Zhang Shouyue, who was second in the list, is still alive and currently serves as the Minister of Commerce. He said: “Your Majesty, I agree with Shang Shu’s words to cremate the relics of the late emperor and bury the remains of the late emperor. If this is the case, your majesty will be able to fulfill both loyalty and filial piety.”

  Ministers of the Cabinet and Ministry expressed their opinions one after another, and the supporters of the two views were almost evenly divided.

  Zhao Kuanghuan looked behind the curtain: “What lesson does mother have?”

Fei Rumei, who has always been evasive and has a small temper, said slowly at this moment: “Brother Han will not talk nonsense, and he will not say wrong things. He is right in everything he does. You are the emperor now, not my own.” Yes, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to ask me, I just listen to Brother Han.”

  Suddenly, a guard rushed into the side of the hall and whispered to the female officer on duty.

The female officer hesitated for a few seconds before quietly walking to Zhao Kuanghuan’s side: “Your Majesty, the people of Jinling Mansion came from all over the world to mourn the late emperor in hemp and filial piety. The people in the city also gathered at the gates of the imperial city. They also elected A few leaders want to set up a mourning hall outside the imperial city, and the guards don’t know how to deal with it.”

  Zhao Kuanghuan asked: “Where is Shangyuan magistrate?”

   “The magistrate of Shangyuan County has mobilized the police to maintain order outside the imperial city.” The female officer replied.

  Zhao Kuanghuan said loudly: “Where is the governor of Jinling?”

  An official who was nearly fifty years old came out: “The minister is here!”

   Zhao Kuanghuan said: “You leave the Forbidden City immediately to appease the people outside the city. That’s all, Zhuqing and I will go and have a look together.”

  The ministers didn’t know what happened, so they went out with the emperor.

  Climbing up to the Donghua Gate tower, Zhao Kuanghuan’s breathing was stagnant, and something stuffed his chest in panic.

  Beyond the city walls, looking around, all the people are plain, and everything in sight is white.

  All kneel, some silent, some weeping.

  Pu Songling, who has served as the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, muttered to himself: “People’s hearts, people’s hearts can also be seen, it is not something illusory. Throughout the past and present, who can win the hearts of the people like this?”

  The ministers were all stunned, and their hearts were so shocked that they couldn’t be more shocked.

   This was not organized by anyone, but the people came spontaneously.

  When the crowd entered the city, there were two or three hundred more people outside the city. It is estimated that as time goes by, more and more people will enter the city, and by then, all the streets near the imperial city will be blocked.

  The people in the city were infected and came here one after another, and the number of young people was also increasing.

  Young people, of course know the goodness of the old emperor, but after all, they have not experienced the hardships themselves, and it is difficult to empathize with them only listening to their parents. They are so well protected, especially those under the age of forty, life will be smoother and smoother as soon as they are born.

   Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand… one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand…

   It didn’t take that long to wait, the team of crying spirits increased rapidly, and more than 100,000 people from the city came. Not to mention that the linen in the whole city was out of stock, but all the white cloths were bought by people, and some people even wore white silk on their bodies.

  The streets around the Forbidden City are densely packed with people, extending from Shangyuan County to Jiangning County.

Zhao Kuanghuan called the officials from the inner and outer dynasties and ordered: “You go and prepare meals. The cooks in the palace should light up the fire and cook quickly. As for the canteens of the yamen outside the palace, as well as the restaurants and restaurants in the city, it is up to you to cook as much as you can.” You can buy as much food as you can. Before evening, the food should be delivered to the common people, and the royal family’s accounts should be spent.”

Immediately afterwards, he called the Minister of Rites: “Take people out, and set up a mourning hall outside each city gate for the late emperor’s throne for the people to mourn. There are also mourning halls in the streets farther away, one for each street. Let the people move around indiscriminately, otherwise there will be chaos after a long time.”

Then, he called the governor of Jinling to come: “After you leave the city, immediately contact Shangyuan and Jiangning county magistrates. Except for the police, all officials will come to maintain it. Outside the gates of the inner city, mourning halls are also set up. There are also two. There is also Zhongshan Temple, where monks can build mourning halls and divert some common people to go there.”

   Zhao Kuanghuan called the clan again and said to his younger brothers: “Let’s go out of the city immediately and preside over the mourning halls for me. You should discuss which one you are in charge of. If there is any disagreement, the king of Chu will decide.”

  The princes have been avoiding suspicion and did not participate in the previous discussions. Generally speaking, they are still very reassuring for the new emperor.

   Zhao Kuanghuan has a strong adaptability and handles things appropriately. He is completely a qualified emperor.

  It’s a pity that he is destined to live under the shadow of his father for the rest of his life.

  With the emperor’s speech, everything inside and outside the palace began to work quickly.

   Zhao Kuanghuan said to the ministers: “When the people disperse, we can choose a time to cremate the late emperor.”

That night, the French envoy Bertrand wrote to Louis XIV: “Your Majesty: The great Chinese emperor has finished his life. The last order he issued was to cremate his body and divide his ashes into ten pieces. Two copies are scattered all over the country…”

“Today, I saw a scene I will never forget. Citizens inside and outside Nanjing, as well as farmers farther away from the countryside, spontaneously came to express their condolences outside the palace. Everyone was wrapped in white cloth, and they gathered together, as if it had snowed heavily in Nanjing. .I can’t be sure of the number, it could be 100,000, it could be 200,000, it could be more.”

“By evening, all the streets outside the palace were blocked by crowds. There were the most elderly people, and there were also many young people. There were farmers, businessmen, scholars, students, peddlers, workers…all the occupations I could think of , all of them are here.”

   “The number of people is still increasing, because just as I was writing the letter, there was another sound from outside the embassy. It was a farmer from a farther countryside…”

“The great emperor of China, he is respected by countless people. I saw an old man kneeling on the street until he fainted, as if his father had passed away. It was such a shocking scene. I never thought that the death of a monarch would Made the people so sad. They all came here spontaneously, no one forced them, their pain came from the heart. At this moment, I understood the emperor’s title, why he called himself ‘the emperor of the people’. He really did… “

  The next day, mourning halls were set up in universities, middle schools, and primary schools inside and outside Nanjing.

  The students were called back to the school first, and the crying people on the street were also shunted to the school one by one.

  Some big families also set up mourning halls in their yards or backyards of shops to help the court divert people. After a full day of tossing, traffic in Nanjing City finally resumed, but crying can still be heard everywhere. Some people left after expressing their condolences, but others came when they left. Especially after the mourning hall was set up, Nanjing citizens who had stayed at home came to the mourning hall to express their condolences and kneel down.

  The number of people mourning the old emperor is increasing!

  The princes were all exhausted. As the family members of the deceased, they knelt in various mourning halls and knelt for a whole day and night without finishing. They could only use the time to go to the bathroom to move their legs.

  This memorial ceremony for the people brought a strong soul shock to the new emperor, clan, and officials.

  We all know that the old emperor is loved by all people, and it is still deeply shocking that he could reach such a level.

  …

  Old man Li and his wife supported each other. After kneeling down and crying bitterly in the mourning hall, they planned to go home. They were afraid that their son and daughter-in-law would be worried, and they didn’t even know that their son had been found.

  But it is impossible to get out at all, the road is blocked.

  For half an hour, the old couple only walked 100 meters away, and their bodies couldn’t squeeze anymore, so they had to retreat outside the street shop to rest.

  Official errands can’t deliver food, they can only let the people pass the food in outside the crowd. It wasn’t until the mourning hall of Zhongshan Temple was set up outside the inner city, and the people in the outer areas were separated, that the situation improved slightly.

  Old man Li didn’t get the official meals, so he ate dry food with his wife.

  It was getting dark, and another old man came to rest, even accompanied by his children and grandchildren.

   “Brother, what’s your surname?” Old Man Li asked.

  The old man said: “Miangui, my surname is Rong. Everyone in the village calls me Rong Mazi. How about you, brother?”

  Old man Li said: “My surname is Li, the third son of Li. I live in Machang Village, just to the east of the Royal Racecourse.”

   “Then you are very close, I am from Meijia Village,” Rong Mazi said, “I used to farm for Master Mei, but when Lord Long Live came, I farmed for myself.”

  Old man Li said: “The commander of Xiaolingwei is named Mei. I used to be a military household, and I only cut trees for the Mei family.”

  Rong Mazi said: “Your side is the main sect, and mine is a side branch. My wife’s surname is also Mei, and she is a maid of the Mei family. She follows the master’s surname, and I don’t know what my own surname is.”

  Old man Li asked: “How is the crop this year?”

  Rong Mazi said: “God bless you, it’s alright, the weather is going well. Last year it was not good. First, there was a spring drought, and then there was heavy rain when the rice was earing. I worked hard and didn’t get a few catties of rice.”

“It’s all the same,” Old Man Li said, “I heard a strong wind blowing outside the night before, and I was afraid that the Long Live Lord was summoned back to the sky by the gods. Well, I should have gone out to have a look at that time, maybe I could see the Long Live Lord The last side.”

  Rong Mazi said: “Long Live God ascended to immortality and went to heaven to enjoy blessings, but how will we live in the future?”

  Old man Li said: “I discussed with the old woman, the food at home cannot be sold. Long live God is gone, maybe some corrupt officials will be encountered in the future, and there is food in the warehouse, so I don’t panic.”

   “I think the same way. The food must not be sold,” Rong Mazi said. “My family has saved money in the bank, so I have to withdraw it quickly.”

  Rong Mazi’s son interjected: “Father, the money is well kept in the bank, and you can earn interest every year. What are you doing with it?”

  Rong Mazi pointed to his son, and said to old man Li: “This little **** was born with enough to eat, how can he know how uncomfortable it is to be hungry?”

The old man Li also said: “That’s right, young people have never seen corrupt officials. Nowadays, the officials in the town are poor, and they are corrupt if they eat cards? It’s a joke, the real corrupt officials can take you to the skin and bones It can squeeze out oil and water!”

   After Zhao Kuanghuan came to power, the first crisis he encountered was brought about by his father.

  In the autumn of that year, the price of grain across the country skyrocketed because farmers refused to sell grain.

   And it is a universal grain storage!

  At the same time, Datong Bank in many places was run by ordinary people to withdraw money.

  Zhao Kuanghuan could only issue additional military tickets and official tickets, so that soldiers and officials could use paper money. Take out the fiscal money from the treasury and provincial capitals, states and counties, and lend it to banks to deal with the run.

   Immediately afterwards, speed up the cleanup of the officialdom, check the fields in advance, and let the newspapers make a big splash. By combating corruption and encroaching on people’s fields, he expressed that he was the same as the old emperor, so as to gain the recognition of the people across the country.

   People gradually discovered that even though Long Live God had passed away, the sky did not seem to have fallen.

   It was not until winter that the crisis passed smoothly.

   Zhao Kuanghuan broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he didn’t mess around with the New Deal, otherwise he didn’t know how it would end.

  The cremation of the late emperor’s body was carried out in the Forbidden City, for fear of causing disturbances among the people.

   But the news spread. When the ashes were sent away from Nanjing, countless people lined the road to see them off, and the whole city cried and mourned.

  A set of ashes was buried in Zijin Mountain. Before the stele was engraved and the trees were not planted, the people had flocked to visit the grave.

  Old man Li called his sons back, took his children and grandchildren up the mountain together, brought a whole basket of eggs, and spent money to buy pork heads.

   Outside the cemetery, there are all tributes.

  Chicken, duck, fish, eggs, wine, rice, fruit, peanuts, melon seeds… There are also many tomato scrambled eggs, because the common people heard that Long Live Lord liked to eat this dish during his lifetime.

  (end of this chapter)