strictlysupreme Chapter 940: One sentence of life, one sentence of death.
Chapter 940: One sentence of life, one sentence of death.
Chapter 940: One word for life, one word for death.
The final date of the grand court meeting in the 22nd year of Zhengde was set as March 3rd, and the meeting would last seven days.
The biggest change in the main topics compared to previous years is the addition of a foreign section. Specifically, this time the focus is on the discussion of compliance with and implementation of the important treaty "Agreement on Regional Trade, Common Market and Military Defense between Ming Dynasty and Its Vassal States".
Emperor Zhengde has always had this style, that is, everything will not just remain verbal, but he will also look at how it is done in detail afterwards.
The specific change brought about by this was that a large number of foreigners gathered in Beijing.
Some of these people are official and some are unofficial.
Although the emperor was pressed for time, he couldn't miss anyone.
Envoys would even compare themselves with each other, taking this as an important symbol of the closeness of their relationship with the Ming Dynasty and their status as vassal states.
Zhu Houzhao's strategy was also very simple. He would take care of these special forces. For example, he would summon at least one of the Mongolian tribal leaders and envoys from vassal states to convey a clear and concise political message.
The rest,
Then they will be summoned uniformly.
The date is February 26th.
The palace had already notified the emperor of the specific procedures for entering the palace for an audience seven days in advance.
In the early morning of that day, the emperor appeared in the Fengtian Hall as scheduled, and various foreign officials entered the palace one after another.
Such a scene is different from the audience with officials. First of all, the clothing is different. Each country wears its own distinctive costumes. The Mongolian commander has braided hair, and the Nanyang envoys wear white hexagonal hats. Even the way they salute the emperor is different.
Before this, Zhu Houzhao had met with envoys from the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Kingdom of Korea, and the leader of the Mongolian Yongshebu individually.
The Ryukyu Kingdom has always been loyal to China, so the relationship between the two sides is very good. The Kingdom of Korea contributed to the war against Japan, so as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he naturally had to express his gratitude.
The remaining dozens of people met the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for the first time during this unified summons.
Zhu Houzhao was also a rare white face among the crowd. After the ceremony, he gave a speech. He put on his dignity and said: "I decided to hold a grand court meeting after I ascended the throne. The key is that we Han people believe that governing a country requires the wisdom of all parties.
Today you have come from afar, each with your own requests. But I think that no matter what you ask for, it all comes down to deepening exchanges with the Ming Dynasty and eliminating misunderstandings.
The affairs of big and small countries are the affairs of big countries. If they are virtuous, they are their people; if they are not virtuous, they are their deer. Many of you have signed alliances or treaties with me. As long as you are honest and virtuous, you don't have to worry about the Ming Dynasty bullying you.
The state is the lower stream, the female of the world, and the interface of the world. The Ming Dynasty that I lead will not bully the small countries for no reason because of its own strength, so you can rest assured. "
The previous quote is from Zuo Zhuan, which mainly warns small countries not to act rashly and incur dissatisfaction or aggression from big countries.
The last sentence is from the Tao Te Ching, which means that a great country should be like a place in the lower reaches of a river, where all rivers and streams converge, and be in a feminine position. It emphasizes humility, and excessive oppression will lead to backlash.
Important officials from the Ming Dynasty's cabinet and ministries were also present. They were all accustomed to hearing the emperor speak in this way.
The emperor had persisted in learning for decades, and had already memorized important classics such as the "Tao Te Ching" and "Zuo Zhuan". Even these university scholars did not dare to underestimate Zhu Houzhao's "academic" level.
As for whether the foreign officials could understand what he said, that was not the problem of the Ming emperor, but their problem.
You want to survive in this region, but you don't care what the ruler of the most powerful country in the region says. Who can you blame for being so careless?
Zhu Houzhao also elaborated in just a few sentences the principles of coexistence between the Ming Dynasty and the surrounding small countries. It was not about peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. There was no mutual respect and no peace written on paper now.
Some people warn me that if I just behave myself, I won’t deal with you.
"Your Majesty, the Champa envoy Fang Yuan has something to report."
The emperor raised his hand slightly and said, "Speak."
"Yes, last summer, the prince of the Celestial Empire came to our country. His Royal Highness was very elegant and handsome, and was deeply loved by our king. Therefore, he asked the foreign ministers to petition His Majesty the Great Emperor to marry a princess of the same age to His Royal Highness, so as to strengthen diplomatic relations and maintain good neighborliness for generations to come."
Zhu Houzhao thought to himself that the second son was indeed more handsome.
He is so handsome that people come to him to ask for marriage.
"Marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. I don't know the age of your Champa King's daughter or her birth date. How can I make a rash decision?"
"Replying to the Great Emperor, my third daughter Zhenyi is gentle, talented, beautiful and intelligent. She is only a few years younger than the prince, so she can be a good match."
Zhu Houzhao looked at his cabinet ministers.
Talking about marriage in Fengtian Hall, is this outrageous?
Gu Renyi received the emperor's gaze and said in time: "Your Majesty, marrying a daughter from a foreign country is a sincere gesture. If the age is similar, it is fine."
In fact, what he was thinking in his heart was: Your Majesty, you have married several foreign women.
"In that case, I will take the initiative and agree to it."
The envoy was immediately excited, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao thought the matter ended here.
Unexpectedly, the Brunei Kingdom also followed suit and started praising the Second Brother for being so wise and brave.
This made Zhu Houzhao, as a father, feel a little vain.
All the officials in the court also felt that the great country's reputation had been demonstrated.
Everyone became excited at the end of the conversation, until the Mongol Umur tribe sent a message to Muzai asking the emperor to marry his daughter. The emperor suddenly changed his cheerful expression and his face turned a little cold.
"Do you think this is your Mongolian camp? How dare you ask me to marry my daughter off?" He sneered, "When you Mongolians kidnapped the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and surrounded Beijing, you didn't marry your princess off. What do you mean by bringing this up today? Are you insulting me?"
The emperor's voice was not loud, and his tone was not particularly rhythmic, but even such a straightforward rhetorical question was powerful enough.
The power does not lie in how well one speaks, but in the strength of the Ming Dynasty.
Muzai's face changed drastically, and he quickly apologized, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I just said this following everyone's advice. If I have offended you, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "This is Fengtian Hall, where all ancestors can see. No one can joke with me here. If you speak like this, you are either stupid and don't understand the rules of the Ming Dynasty at all, which is disrespectful; or you are bad and want to humiliate me on purpose, which is offensive.
No matter which one you choose, it is unacceptable. But I am not a mean person. I will not tolerate a wrong word or two, and I will definitely not take your life. How about this, at the Mongolian tribal alliance meeting this year, you Wumoer tribe will give one-third of the grassland to me as a small punishment. "
This is the result of saying the wrong thing.
Muzai had no choice but to admit his guilt and thank the emperor for his kindness. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me."
Zhu Houzhao stood up with a sense of complacency.
Zhang Cong and other ministers saw this scene.
Those who are familiar with history books all know that the attitude of an emperor who knows life and death with every word is a state that countless people have pursued since ancient times, but only a few can achieve it.
Now they have a leader before their eyes, a true Han hero.
The emperor put his hands on his waist and said calmly, "In this grand court meeting, the topic of the Ming Dynasty and the surrounding countries is how to promote exchanges and cooperation. I have no intention of letting the Luzon incident happen again. I hope you can all seize the opportunity. Court is dismissed."
……
……
In the Qianqing Palace, You Zhi came with his head lowered.
"Your Majesty, the three ministers Zhang, Gu, and Wang request to see you."
"Let them in."
Zhu Houzhao was changing his clothes. He wore the dragon robe only to meet foreign officials. In private, he was more comfortable in casual clothes.
"I will see you, Your Majesty."
"what's up?"
Gu Renyi said first, "Your Majesty, the three of us are here for the matter of Your Majesty."
"What happened to him?"
Gu Renyi said something neither light nor heavy, "It is like this, a foreign envoy has asked us these days, saying that he does not know where the prince is."
Zhu Houzhao understood.
What these three old ministers meant was that since there were so many outsiders around, it would be better not to make their own ugly affairs public.
temporarily,
Just let the boss out of the house first.
"Is that what you all mean?"
Zhang Cong and Wang Tingxiang clasped their hands and said, "Your Majesty, we believe that what Lord Gu is thinking is a good idea for the country."
Zhu Houzhao did not doubt Zhang Cong, but he looked at Gu Renyi deeply.
He had doubts in his heart, could it be that this group of people wanted to "support the collapsing building" and try their best to save the face of the eldest prince at this time.
If he were to suffer such a disgrace in front of foreign ministers, it would be a big flaw in the matter of appointing a crown prince in the future.
"The majesty of a great country comes from clear rewards and punishments, and my dignity does not lie in deliberately covering up my shame. Gentlemen are open and honest, while villains are evasive. Let these foreign officials know what strict laws mean, and what it means that the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people when he breaks the law. Isn't that good?"
"But……"
(End of this chapter)