Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 397 Playing Music
In Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, in the palace of the King of Lu, it was already the twelfth lunar month. The sea breeze on the island was freezing cold. The cold wind whistled across the island, but the sound of dance and music could be heard from the palace.
Zhoushan Island is located overseas, so it is impossible to have a palace. This place called the Royal Palace is actually the former Zhoushan General's Mansion.

After Lu Jianguo and his companions returned to Zhejiang from Fujian, they seized the residence of Huang Binqing, the general of Zhoushan, and turned it into the Jianguo Palace.
The back hall of the palace was already covered with floor heating, and the room was warm.

A stage had been set up below the hall. Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu, was sitting on a chair in a bright yellow dragon robe, looking intently at the actors rehearsing a play below.
"Suddenly I dream among the flowers, my daughter's mind is not clear, I stay awake all night with the lights on, the fragrance of plum blossoms cannot wake me up..."

A group of actors dressed in costumes and with heavy makeup on their faces sang the lyrics, while five or six musicians sat beside them, with pianos, drums, flutes and pipes, playing accompaniment to the plot.
The play had been going on for a while, and the opera was drawing to a close. The Hua Dan in the hall leaned on the windowsill and sang in a melodious voice.
"Our Du Liniang, it is inevitable that the flowers and branches on the upper floor will also shine on her sleeping alone"

After the performers finished singing, they bowed to the top and then retreated to the side room to change their clothes and rest, preparing for the next act.

Zhu Yihai sat on the throne in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses. He looked unsatisfied and sighed softly.
"The Wuling Troupe of Zhang Qing's family is indeed worthy of its reputation. The songs they sing are clear and melodious, and the actors' eyes and eyebrows convey emotions. The dance, music and makeup on the stage are all exquisitely crafted. After one scene is over, it almost feels like you have become a character in the play."

Zhang Dai, dressed in a green official robe, stood at one side. When he heard the praise from His Royal Highness the Regent, there was no joy on his face.
Zhang Dai looked at the middle-aged man leaning on the throne with an amazed look on his face. He hesitated for a moment and said

"Your Highness, the cabinet recently appointed Wang Yi as the governor of northern Zhejiang, and also allowed Wang Futai to set up his own government office, organize military camps, and manage all military affairs in Siming Mountain. This seems to be too hasty."

Zhang Dai seemed to have made up his mind when he said this. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice:

"The advantages of Zhoushan now are, first, the naval forces on the island, and second, the righteous armies in Siming Mountain. The mountains and the sea echo each other, and the two serve as a horn to deter the Qing invaders."

"I have no objection to Wang Futai, but the court has now entrusted all the people in the mountains to one person. There are no generals in the court to lead the troops in the mountains, and there are no officials on the island to supervise the mountains. This is against the court's personnel system. Isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

Zhu Yihai's face froze slightly when he heard this, but he quickly waved his hand and said

"My son, you are worrying too much. The appointment of Wang Qing as the governor of northern Zhejiang was reported to me by Lord Xiong and Lord Qian in the palace beforehand."

"There are many different rebel forces in Siming Mountain. Of course, there are rebel forces loyal to the imperial court, but there are also many bandits who pretend to be the imperial court. Elder Xiong and others appointed Wang Qing this time in the hope of clearing up the chaos in the mountain."

"Mr. Wang has been raising righteous troops in the mountains for several years. He has repeatedly helped the island in recent years to wipe out the Qing invaders. Mr. Wang is a loyal and upright person. I can trust him to lead the righteous army in the mountains."

Zhang Dai looked at Lu Jianguo, who looked casual, but his face was still solemn. Zhang Dai hesitated for a moment and whispered again.
"Your Highness, I have something to report!"

"As far as I know, before the Cabinet asked Wang Futai to be the governor of northern Zhejiang, Lord Xiong, Lord Qian, Lord Wu and others had privately met with the people from Guangdong Province."

Although Zhu Lang had just proclaimed himself emperor in Guangzhou two or three months ago, Zhoushan had frequent exchanges with Fujian and Zhejiang at that time, so naturally everyone on the island knew about it at the first time.

After Zhu Lang proclaimed himself emperor, Lu Jianguo and others on the island were somewhat embarrassed. Lu Jianguo and his party were even unsure of how to address Zhu Lang.

Zhu Lang had already proclaimed himself emperor, so it was definitely inappropriate to call Gui the Regent. However, if he were to call him Your Majesty, that would be tantamount to acknowledging the legitimacy of the Guangzhou court, which was also inappropriate.
Therefore, the Lu Jianguo court now simply does not mention the Yongli Dynasty, and only refers to the people of the Yongli Dynasty as people from Guangdong Province.
Zhu Yihai's face froze, and he looked at Zhang Dai, who had a serious expression, with a hint of surprise on his face.

Zhu Yihai was not surprised that someone from the Guangdong Provincial Court had come, but that at this time, someone was willing to report the truth to him.

Zhu Yihai was silent for a moment, then he said softly
"Zongzi is indeed worthy of being my family's internal official. He is indeed different from others."

"The cabinet elders have been with me on the sea for several years, and have gone through many hardships, but they have remained steadfast in their determination."

"I know the characters of the ministers very well. Elder Xiong and the others are loyal and upright ministers. They will never do anything that would harm me or the court. You, my son, do not need to worry."

Zhang Dai heard this and looked hesitant.
Xiong Ruolin and other cabinet ministers were all famous officials in the country. Zhang Dai naturally believed that they would never do anything harmful to the court, but which court they were working for at this time was a matter of debate.

After receiving support from Zheng Cai, Yang Geng and others a few years ago, Lu Jianguo also regained his ambition. After the Lu Jianguo court returned to Zhoushan, he immediately began to plan to send troops, hoping to recover the lost territory in Jiangnan and Zhejiang Province.

When Lu Jianguo's army first started to go out to sea, everything went smoothly. With the help of the large ships under Zheng Cai's command, Zhoushan repeatedly defeated the Qing navy at sea, sealing the Qing court on the shore and preventing it from going out to sea again.

But when Zhoushan's troops landed on the shore and attacked the coastal prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River in Zhejiang Province, the situation immediately turned around.

The Zhoushan army, which had won many victories at sea, was easily defeated by the Qing army on land. Often, more than a thousand Qing soldiers from the Green Camp could defeat four or five thousand people from Zhoushan.
After the Zhoushan army was defeated and returned to the island, Lu Jianguo discussed with a group of court officials and they all believed that the reason they lost on land was because the Zhoushan army had no horses or armor and could not contain the Qing cavalry. So the Zhoushan people decided to buy horses and make armor immediately.
But when Lu Jianguo and others officially started to do it, they found that they had no idea where to start.
Lu Jianguo and his men had no shortage of craftsmen, but now Lu Jianguo only occupied an island in Zhoushan. Where could he find iron to cast armor?
The Lu Regent court also thought about buying armor from Fujian and Zhejiang, but at that time, the Guangdong court did not even have armor for everyone in the imperial guards, so how could it have extra armor to sell to Zhoushan?

Zheng Cai, Yang Geng and others were unwilling to be trapped on the island, and later sent troops to Jiangnan several times.

But even if they relied on the help of the insiders in the city to capture the city, they could only plunder it at most. Under the attack of the Qing army, they could not occupy the captured city at all.
After several defeats at Zhoushan, Lu Jianguo's ambitions gradually faded away. When the news came that Gui Jianguo had won a great victory in the southwest and recovered Sichuan, Shu, Huguang, Lu Jianguo simply lay down.
Zhu Yihai was against the Qing Dynasty because, on the one hand, the lineage of Prince Lu did have a deep hatred for the Qing court, and on the other hand, he was forced to step by step to the position of regent.

After Hongguang Lu Wang surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, the south was in chaos. Looking around the world, the huge Ming Dynasty could not find a person to take charge.

Zhu Yihai is still a member of the Zhu family, so he can't just watch the Ming Dynasty fall.

When Zhu Yihai first took the position of regent, he was naturally quite pleased with himself. Who wouldn't want to be alone?

However, as Zhejiang Province collapsed, Zhu Yihai's situation became increasingly unbearable. He was first arrested by the Qing government and fled to the sea. Then he was controlled by military leaders from all sides in turn. He basically had no peace for a few days.
Zhu Yihai is the second son of the Prince of Lu. He was born into a life of luxury. After he ascended the throne as regent, Zhu Yihai's life is worse than before in the Prince of Lu's palace. What's the point of doing this?
Gui Fan is now in the south, and the Ming Dynasty has already continued. Since the Ming Dynasty is safe, he might as well submit to the court as soon as possible to see if he can continue to be a rich and powerful prince.
After Zhu Yihai was completely laid to rest, Xiong Ruolin and other court officials initially tried to persuade him, but after several attempts to persuade him to no avail, the ministers on Zhoushan Island also tacitly stopped making petitions and allowed Lu Jianguo to indulge in pleasure.

Seeing that Zhang Dai wanted to say more, Zhu Yihai simply waved his hand and said

"Wang Qing's unification of the Zhejiang mountain righteous army is beneficial to the court."

"Zhang Qing is obsessed with appearances now. Zhoushan and Guangzhou are all one. As long as it is beneficial to the court and the country, why should we divide them so clearly?"

Zhu Yihai finished speaking and did not wait for Zhang Dai to reply. He continued

"The young female singer in the play just now sang very well, but the old female singer's voice still lacks richness and there is room for improvement."

"Come on, let the Wuling troupe come up, let's continue playing music and dancing, and rehearse another show." Zhu Yihai ordered, and the troupe that had just left was called in again, and the sound of stringed instruments rang out in the room again.
Zhang Dai's father and grandfather were both officials of the Lu Wang Palace. It was because of this friendship that Zhu Yihai called Zhang Dai the palace's internal official.
After the Qing army captured Zhejiang, Zhang Dai chose to flee to Zhoushan to rely on Lu Jianguo.

Zhang Dai was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting and opera, but he was not good at practical work. After Zhang Dai went to Lu Jianguo, although he was appointed as Zhongshu Sheren and served by his side because of their old friendship, he was always inconspicuous.
After Lu Jianguo was completely dead, he became obsessed with opera and suddenly discovered Zhang Dai's attainments in opera.
The two discussed opera, calligraphy and painting day and night, and they felt like close friends. That was why Zhang Dai could not help but remind Lu Jianguo

Zhang Dai looked at the intoxicated Regent in the dragon robe in front of him, and sighed softly, and completely gave up the idea of ​​advising him.

The emperor has recovered eight provinces and has brought great power to the world. He has long been regarded as the ruler of the Ming Dynasty by the world. His Highness Prince Lu is now addicted to dance and music, which is not a bad thing for him.

In the palace of Prince Lu, Zhu Yihai and Zhang Dai continued to rehearse the opera, while at this time two ships from Zhejiang Province had already sailed into Zhoushan Port.

At Zhoushan Port, three old men in red official robes with crane patterns on them stood at the ferry. The leader was Xiong Rulin, the current Prime Minister of the Lu Regent Court. The other two were Qian Sule, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge, and Wu Zhongluan.
Behind the three stood two other military officials, Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian.

The cold wind blew at the port, but the few people seemed unaware and just waited quietly on the shore.
The two ships soon sailed into the port. When they stopped, two men in brocade furs and scarlet robes came out of the cabin.

Zhang Jiayu and Qian Sufan were also stunned when they saw the people on the shore. Zhang Jiayu took a few quick steps and bowed to Xiong Rulin.

"Thank you Lord Yu Yin and the other gentlemen for welcoming us. The weather is cold and I don't deserve your kindness."

"The Siming Mountain expedition was made possible thanks to your help. I have not been able to express my gratitude to you before. I would like to thank you on behalf of the imperial court for your help."

Xiong Rulin also bowed in return and said

"Unifying the Siming Mountain Volunteer Army is beneficial to the country, and we have no choice but to do it. May I ask Brother Yuanzi, what is the current situation in Siming Mountain?"

"Zhejiang Province has received reports from Siming Mountain. Although there have been some setbacks, Governor Wang has successfully reorganized the various volunteer armies in the mountains."

Xiong Rulin looked at the smile on Zhang Jiayu's face, but his expression was complicated.

Although Zhoushan gave Wang Yi the post of governor, it was not enough to just issue an edict or an official title to reorganize the rebel army in the mountains.
If these rebel armies were so easy to reorganize, there wouldn't be so many strongholds in Siming Mountain.
Xiong Ruolin and his companions had wanted to unite the Siming Mountain Volunteer Army several years ago, but they had never been able to reach an agreement with the various camps in the mountains. However, this time, they followed the wishes of the Guangdong Provincial Court and gave an order. Within just one month, Siming Mountain had already been unified.

Although Xiong Ruolin had not yet received the news from Feng Jingdi, he knew that this reorganization would not be smooth sailing.
The Guangdong court was more powerful, which was one reason, but this kind of decisive and murderous style of action also made Xiong Ruolin feel more and more complicated.
Zhang Jiayu and Xiong Rulin were talking, while Qian Sufan quickly walked up to Qian Sulue and bowed.

"Xi Jiu has met Brother"

Qian Sule saw Qian Sufan and was also excited. He reached out and helped Qian Sufan up.
"You don't have to be like this with your family. How are you doing at home these days?"

"My eldest brother, everything is fine at home now. Thanks to the great grace of the court, my fourth elder brother and seventh younger brother have all entered the court. Although my tenth younger brother failed in the spring examination this year, he has also passed the provincial examination..."

Qian Sufan and Qian Sule are related just by listening to their names. Qian Sufan is Qian Sule's fifth brother.

A few years ago, Qian Sufan fled to Fujian Province with Lu Jianguo and others. After Gui Fan and Lu Fan met, Qian Sule continued to follow Lu Jianguo back to Zhoushan, while Qian Sufan, Qian Situ and other members of the Qian family stayed in Fujian Province.

After Qian Sufan returned to Guangdong Province, he was originally appointed as the Tongzhi of Zhangzhou in Fujian Province.

The court's action in Zhejiang Province this time requires the cooperation of Lu Jianguo, and Qian Sule is now a cabinet minister appointed by Lu Jianguo.
Considering the special relationship between Qian Sufan and Qian Sule, Zhang Jiayu transferred Qian Sufan to the Nanzhili Governor's Office to be responsible for liaison with the Lu Jianguo court.

In fact, at this time, it was not only the Qian family. Although all the ministers in the Lu Jianguo court still respected the Lu Jianguo flag, everyone had sent their families to the Guangdong Provincial Court.
There were three great scholars in the Lu Jianguo Dynasty. Qian Sule was not to be mentioned. Except for Qian Sule, all the members of the Qian family had already served in the Guangdong Provincial Court and achieved fame.

The son of the Prime Minister Xiong Rulin, Xiong Qiguan, is now studying at the Imperial College in Guangzhou, and the son of the Grand Secretary Wu Zhongluan is also serving as an imperial censor in Guangzhou.
Even Xiong Ruolin and the other three university scholars were like this, and the other officials on the island were even more so. Now almost every official in Zhoushan had private contacts with people in the Guangdong Provincial Court.
In fact, after the Guangdong Provincial Court's great victory in the southwest, the officials in Zhoushan knew that it was impossible for the Lu Regent to compete with the Gui vassal for the orthodox position.

The reason why Zhoushan officials are still staying in Zhoushan and not going to the Guangdong Provincial Court is not because they don't want to, but because they can't.
The Guangdong court controlled eight provinces and had already shown signs of rejuvenation. The meritorious officials who supported the establishment of the Gui vassal state, the local scholars of the eight provinces, the scholars who fled from the north to the south, and the fact that the court had reopened the imperial examinations this year meant that the number of scholars waiting to serve in the Guangdong court had already exceeded the quota.

The Guangdong court is now so full of people that they can't even fill the positions of the scholars in the court, so how can they give these Zhoushan officials positions?
The reason why all the officials in the Lu Jianguo court are still staying in Zhoushan is that they are waiting for the court to recruit Lu Jianguo.

Although the emperor is a righteous person, the regent Lu is not a traitor for raising an army in times of crisis.

From the meeting between the two vassal states in Fujian Province, it can be seen that the emperor actually did not intend to wipe out the Lu vassal state like the Longwu Emperor.

In fact, the Guangdong Provincial Government should never have wiped out Lu Jianguo at this time. Both vassals were members of the royal family. At this time, with a powerful enemy in front of them, it would not be a good reputation to fight against one's own family.

Even if the Guangdong court could destroy the Lu vassal, it would still be embarrassing. The best way for the Guangdong court at this time is to use its strength to force the Lu regent to abdicate.

The officials of Zhoushan are waiting for this opportunity. Once the imperial court decides to recruit Lu Jianguo, they can make some insignificant contributions to make Lu Jianguo realize the reality as soon as possible.

Once the imperial court peacefully incorporated the Lu Regent, these Lu vassal officials would naturally be able to integrate into the imperial court.
On the shore, Zhang Jiayu briefly reported the situation in Siming Mountain to Xiong Rulin and others, and then continued

"The Siming Mountain Volunteer Army has been reorganized, and now we are just waiting for the troops from Zhoushan."

"The affairs of the court are urgent. I am here to meet with the King of Lu and decide whether to send troops to Zhoushan."

This time, the Zhejiang Province operation needed Zhoushan's cooperation. Zhang Jiayu did not hide the plan from Xiong Ruolin and the other two. Xiong Ruolin naturally knew what Zhang Jiayu was talking about.

"Your Highness is now in the palace. In this case, Governor Zhang, please follow me into the palace."

Xiong Ruolin had a serious look on his face and said no more. Everyone got on the carriage and headed straight to the Lu Palace in the city.
(End of this chapter)