Ming Dynasty: Regrets about the Jingnan Rebellion? I changed it in a dream!

Chapter 130 Zhu Houcong invited Yao Guangxiao to serve as an official in the Jiajing Dynasty, but I can only slay dragons, not govern the country
However, for some reason, none of Zhu Di's three sons lived long.

Perhaps this is the result of trying to change your own destiny.

The third son, Zhu Gaosui, died at birth. Zhu Gaoxu suffered the same fate as General Chang Yuchun. Zhu Gaochi had always been in poor health.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zengshou happily bowed and thanked him: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As an emperor, he still has this power.

Xu Miaoyun and Xu Zengshou then settled down near the tavern, waiting for its door to open.

As Zhu Biao was the emperor, he naturally did not have much free time, so he was waiting here specially.

The main reason is that he actually doesn't want to put too much pressure on Zhu Xiongying, the crown prince.

During the Hongwu Dynasty.

He knew what kind of pressure being a prince entailed.

Especially after the abolition of the prime minister system, if one wants to be a wise ruler, one must spend a lot of time handling government affairs.

Day after day, year after year.

None of them had the tremendous energy of their father.

……

Yongle Dynasty.

in the next period of time.

Zhu Di rarely came to the tavern to drink.

As emperor, although Zhu Gaochi was the regent, he also needed to read the memorials handled by him.

Because of what happened in the tavern, too much time has been wasted.

Naturally, he had to find time to deal with the accumulated memorials.

The old monk Yao Guangxiao returned to his usual life habits.

Eat, chant, and drink.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui also became much calmer because of the news about Xu Miaoyun.

Zhu Zhanji was in a bad mood because of Sun Ruowei's death, and he also knew his own position.

I also know that I shouldn't be so arrogant and should learn from my father and mother.

Be calm.

As for Zhuang Mu himself, he took a day off from work.

He went outside the city and erected a monument for his grandfather.

After erecting the monument, Zhuang Mu knelt down and kowtowed several times.

At this time, Yao Guangxiao beside him looked at the tombstone and slowly said, "Is your grandfather called Zhuang Yi?"

Zhuang Mu stood up, patted his sleeves and nodded.

"Old monk, do you know him?"

Perhaps Yao Guangxiao was too bored, so when he learned that he was going to erect a monument for his grandfather, he followed along.

He shook his head slightly.

"I don't know him, I'm just a little curious."

"Your ability is actually passed down through generations, so why doesn't your father have this ability?"

After hearing this, Zhuang Mu actually couldn't give an accurate answer.

"Perhaps this ability is a recessive gene."

“What is a recessive gene?”

Because Zhuang Mu could only be awake for four hours a day, he did not stay for long after erecting the monument.

Prepare to return to Yingtian Prefecture.

Listening to Yao Guangxiao's question, Zhuang Mu also responded.

"Yes, it's the special ability hidden in the blood."

Just as Zhuang Mu and Yao Guangxiao were on their way back.

Because Yao Guangxiao was curious, Zhuang Mu told Yao Guangxiao what he learned about his grandfather from his father.

It can also be used to kill the free time on the road.

After hearing this, Yao Guangxiao seemed to be thinking about something.

"You mean, after your grandfather went crazy, he never showed up again?"

"Yes, whether he is dead or alive, my father doesn't know either."

In fact, if possible, Zhuang Mu still hopes that his grandfather is still alive.

After all, they are blood relatives.

Of course, if he was really still alive, Zhuang Mu would find it hard to accept it.

If he was still alive, why didn't he see his father when he died?

Before they knew it, Zhuang Mu and Yao Guangxiao returned to the tavern.

Coincidentally, Zhu Houcong came to the store at this time.

He had been waiting in the tavern for a long time.

Seeing Zhuang Mu coming back, he quickly said, "Where's that old bastard who bullied me last time? He's not here again?"

Zhu Houcong asked directly where Zhu Di was.

Ever since Zhu Di scolded Zhu Houcong last time, he has been holding a grudge.

The first thing he did every time he came was to ask where Zhu Di was.

He wants revenge.

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu glanced at Yao Guangxiao and spoke.

"You're looking for him? I can go get him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong coughed twice softly.

"Ahem, let's forget it."

"Let him go."

"I'm here to drink, not to fight."

Although he said he wanted revenge, Zhu Houcong did not dare to call Zhu Di.

The main reason is that Zhu Houcong was a very selfish person.

This kind of wine was special, and he did not want to share it with his ministers, eunuchs, or soldiers.

As for Zhu Di and others, if he had not been unable to find out the identities of Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao, he would have sent people to arrest them long ago.

If only.

He even wanted to take the entire tavern for himself.

It's just that I don't have the ability.

Zhuang Mu came to the counter as usual and prepared to mix drinks, while Yao Guangxiao naturally sat next to Zhu Houcong.

Then, Zhu Houcong took the dream wine prepared by Zhuang Mu and walked towards the recliner next to him.

Perhaps because he had come here so often, his vigilance had lowered a lot.

When Zhu Houcong was almost asleep, Yao Guangxiao asked Zhuang Mu.

"Zhuang Mu, this old Taoist priest should also be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It seems that he should be the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"Do you know his identity?"

In fact, he had wondered last time whether Zhuang Mu knew the identity of this old Taoist priest.

After all, Zhuang Mu has special dreaming abilities and can even dream about the future, so it is normal for him to know.

He was a little curious as to why an emperor who was in good health had so many ulcers on his arms.

Why are you wearing Taoist robes?

"Old monk, don't you say you don't ask about court affairs?"

Yao Guangxiao chuckled softly and said, "I'm just asking some gossip. These aren't matters of the imperial court."

"I just want to know why, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he wears Taoist robes, and...what's going on with the skin ulcers on his hands."

"I think you should know something."

Anyway, I'm bored, so I can talk about anything.

Zhuang Mu thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, he should be Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Houcong."

If I remember correctly, or if the records in history books are not too different, this person should be the alchemy and Taoist emperor Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houcong?
Yao Guangxiao began to wonder in his mind which generation this was.

Gaozhan Qijianyou, thick Zaiyi Changyou. Kind and harmonious brothers, simple and peaceful Dixianyou.

Gao naturally refers to the generation of Zhu Gaochi.

That is, Zhu Di's sixth-generation grandson.

"Is it the emperor of Zhu Gaochi's lineage?"

Because of the Battle of Tumu, Yao Guangxiao was not sure whether Zhu Houcong was an emperor from the line of Zhu Gaochi or the line of Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhuang Mu nodded.

"What caused the ulcer on his arm?"

"Look at what he's wearing. Don't you understand? Taoists seek immortality and eat elixirs."

Take pills? Seek immortality?
To be honest, when Yao Guangxiao heard these words combined to describe Zhu Houcong, he was a little surprised.

"Isn't this person very smart? How could he believe this?"

He has been in more contact with Emperor Jiajing these days.

It’s mainly playing cards. Not to mention other things, just the game of playing cards.

In fact, it can be seen that Zhu Houcong is extremely smart.

Especially his calculation ability is particularly strong.

Being able to clearly remember and infer what cards you have in your hand will affect the smoothness of your card playing.

If his luck had not been better than Zhu Houcong's, he might not have been able to beat Zhu Houcong in playing Landlord.

Strong calculation ability and memory.

He was also extremely cunning and suspicious, and was simply Zhu Di without any military power.

He even surpassed Zhu Di in terms of cunning, scheming, and suspicion.

Logically speaking, he should be a good emperor, but how could he believe in the art of practicing Taoism to achieve immortality?
Zhuang Mu smiled helplessly.

"Well, you'll have to ask him himself."

As for why Zhu Houcong was obsessed with seeking immortals, he asked.

I guess only Zhu Houcong himself knows.

In fact, at the beginning, Zhu Houcong did not eat the pills he made.

But later, his health became worse and worse, so he started taking the pills he made himself.

It's a desperate attempt attitude.

It can also be said that this is a form of escape.

Escape the physical discomforts of aging and the impending death.

The same goes for moving to Xiyuan.

Escape from the intrigues in the court and the fatigue of reviewing the large number of memorials every day.

You say Zhu Houcong is smart, he is indeed smart. He was able to defeat a generation of powerful officials when he was just a teenager.

Moreover, he did a very good job in maintaining a balance in the court.

When he first ascended the throne, he governed the country well and the country was peaceful and prosperous.

But over time, the phenomenon of inaction began to emerge.

Just like Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and Qin Shi Huang.

"Zhu Houcong is the smartest among the Zhu emperors."

"It's a pity that it's not used in the right way."

"Well, to put it simply, it's a weakened version of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang."

After hearing this, Yao Guangxiao had a general understanding of Zhu Houcong.

A weakened version of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

In other words, after the early Kaiyuan Prosperity was weakened, it should be that the governance was very good, but it could not be considered the Kaiyuan Prosperity.

In the later period, after the An Lushan Rebellion was weakened, it was probably caused by incompetence and tyranny, but it did not lead to the Ming Dynasty being almost destroyed like the Tang Dynasty.

“When people are free from pressure, they will think about desires.”

Yao Guangxiao picked up the wine glass, took a breath, and said softly.

Zhuang Mu also echoed: "Who says it's not?"

Zhu Yuanzhang faced the pressure of survival, which made him strong-willed and he never neglected his duties.

Zhu Di was under pressure from Zhu Yuanzhang. He wanted to wash away the label of treason, so he wanted to cover it up with his achievements and not neglect his duties.

Zhu Gaochi was under pressure from Zhu Di and wanted to gain Zhu Di's approval, so he took care of all matters, big or small, as regent for more than ten years and never neglected his duties.

Zhu Zhanji did not have much pressure, which led to his neglect of government affairs in his later years. However, he died before this could become a problem.

At this moment, Zhu Houcong shouted: "Hou Yi!!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Houcong suddenly opened his eyes.

Zhuang Mu looked at this scene and smiled indifferently.

It seems that Zhu Houcong was shot down by Houyi again.

I don’t know how many times Zhu Houcong was shot down by Houyi.

Zhu Houcong came to the counter angrily.

"Damned Hou Yi, just wait for me, I will change the history books when I return!"

"I can't cure you, but can I change your history?!"

Just change the story of Houyi shooting down the sun!

Or simply erase the word Houyi from history books.

To avenge Houyi for shooting him to death more than ten times!

Or change the story of Houyi shooting down the sun into the sun drying Houyi.

Anyway, as the emperor, he has a thousand ways to deal with Houyi.

Of course, we can only write about it in writing.

It's impossible to bring a large army to kill Hou Yi.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Mu also smiled and explained, "Calm down."

"Have a drink."

Zhu Houcong drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, but still felt a little unsatisfied. He glanced at Yao Guangxiao beside him and asked.

"Old bald donkey, aren't you very smart?"

"Think of a way for me. Houyi's archery is so accurate that no matter whether I run in a straight line, a curve, or a Z line, I can't avoid him." Zhu Houcong said as he gestured his escape route with his hands.

Although I don't want to admit it, this old bald man is indeed very smart.

Maybe he has a solution?

Yao Guangxiao chuckled.

"You can't do anything, so what can an old bald donkey like me do?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong instantly understood that the old monk must be dissatisfied with his title.

In order to experience becoming the sun without worrying about his life, Zhu Houcong rarely lowered his head.

He forced a smile and said, "Old sir, could you give me some advice? If this can be accomplished, I will reward you... um..."

Zhu Houcong thought for a long time.

The identity of this old bald donkey has not been ascertained yet, and it seems that the reward cannot be given to him.

But if you want them to give you advice, you need to give them enough benefits.

He felt around and took out a bag of money.

Then he placed it in front of Yao Guangxiao and said with a smile: "The gold and silver here are enough for you to have no worries about food and clothing in this life, or even in the next life."

"Give me some advice."

Yao Guangxiao took the gold and silver and smiled.

He directly handed the money to Zhuang Mu.

And said: "Please keep it for me."

Zhuang Mu naturally did not refuse and put it away.

Then, Zhu Houcong looked at Yao Guangxiao with anticipation, waiting for his answer.

Yao Guangxiao accepted the money and did not break his promise, so he spoke.

“How can I give you advice without telling me the background and situational crisis?”

Zhu Houcong then told Yao Guangxiao everything that happened in his dream.

Summarize it in one simple sentence.

How to dodge Houyi's arrows, survive successfully, and become the only dazzling sun in the sky.

Yao Guangxiao thought for a moment and then said with a smile.

"Father, like son."

"You are the sun, why do you hide from a mortal's arrow?"

"You're trying to compete with a crossbow at a distance of ten meters."

"In your dream, can you rush to Hou Yi before he shoots his arrow?"

Zhu Houcong was slightly stunned.

He hadn't thought about this question.

However, he had tried it before, and after transforming into the Golden Crow, his flying speed was very fast, so it should be possible.

"should be no problem."

"Since this is the case and we can't escape, why not give it a try?"

"Even if it doesn't work, at least dying together with Hou Yi is also a kind of growth, isn't it?"

If we can't destroy the crossbow, we can at least kill the person who uses the crossbow.

This sentence instantly enlightened Zhu Houcong.

Yup!

How could I have forgotten to resist?

It is true that he is the one in the dark. Houyi shooting down the sun made him think in a limited way.

Houyi shot down the sun, and the sun could only escape to survive, but it forgot that it was the sun.

Since there is no way to escape, why not give it a try and fight to the death with Houyi?

Even if he still died, at least... he could have taken away one of Hou Yi's arms, just one arm.

If you don't let me have a good life, I will bite off a layer of your skin too!!
"Hahaha, old bald donkey, you are really smart!"

"Are you interested in becoming an official?"

"With your intelligence, being in a high position shouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Mu just smiled and said nothing.

Unexpectedly, the old monk was poached by Jiajing.

Yao Guangxiao did not take Zhu Houcong's disrespectful words too seriously.

He just responded calmly: "You also know that I am smart."

"Aren't you afraid that you can't control me?"

This sentence made Zhu Houcong laugh instantly.

"Hahaha, there is no one in this world that I cannot control."

"As long as you dare to come, I will dare to control you!"

Perhaps when it comes to playing cards, I can't compare to this old monk.

In terms of intelligence, I am indeed a little inferior to him.

But when it comes to matters in the court, this old man may not be as capable as himself.

Yao Guangxiao laughed out loud and said, "Hahaha, that may not be the case."

"If you can't control me, I can pull you down from the throne."

Yao Guangxiao narrowed his eyes, and Zhu Houcong immediately felt a huge chill.

This old bald donkey...is not kidding.

Black clothes, monk, dragon slaying technique.

These were a few words that suddenly popped into his mind.

Zhu Houcong looked at Yao Guangxiao in silence for a while, then waved his hand.

"Never mind, never mind. You must be sixty or seventy years old this year. It's time for an old man to enter the court."

"Haven't you heard that there are no people in the Ming Dynasty?"

"Let the younger generation handle the affairs of the temple."

After saying this, Zhu Houcong added another sentence.

"It's not that I'm afraid. It's because the Great Ming Law states that Emperor Taizu stipulated that those over sixty years old must retire."

Originally, the retirement age in the Ming Dynasty was seventy.

But Zhu Yuanzhang thought this was not acceptable, so he set the age limit at 60.

When Zhuang Mu heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

If I remember correctly, Yan Song, who was appointed in the late Jiajing period, seemed to be sixty years old?

How dare you use Yan Song, and why don't you dare use Yao Guangxiao.

This is obviously fear.

Come to think of it, Yao Guangxiao is quite scary.

The dragon-slaying technique helped Zhu Di ascend to the throne.

At the beginning, even Zhu Di himself might have found it hard to believe that he had become the emperor.

Seeing this, Zhu Houcong was slightly displeased and scolded: "What are you laughing at? Did I say anything wrong?!"

Upon seeing this, Zhuang Mu put away his smile and spoke seriously.

"You're right!"

Looking at Zhuang Mu, Zhu Houcong did not blame him, because Zhuang Mu was his treasure.

Even if he does something out of line, you can't touch him if he's gone.

How can I seek the immortals? !
"Humph."

Zhu Houcong snorted lightly and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Don't bother with a young boy and an old bald man.

Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong praised himself in his heart.

I am really magnanimous, hahaha!
After he left, Yao Guangxiao asked curiously.

"Why were you laughing just now?"

Zhuang Mu said with a smile.

"Didn't Zhu Houcong say that he wanted to recruit you, but used your age as an excuse?"

Yao Guangxiao nodded.

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang did stipulate that Ming Dynasty officials could retire when they reached the age of 60.

I am already 84 years old, so even if I retire at the original age of 70, I have already met the requirement.

Zhuang Mu explained, "The chief minister of the Jiajing Dynasty was over sixty years old."

"He's not worried about your age. He's actually frightened by your words and your aura."

Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao also smiled.

It turned out to be the case.

"Haha, actually, I was just joking. I'm eighty-four years old."

"Where would I find the energy to slay a dragon?"

"Alas, one has to accept old age."

Seeing this, Zhuang Mu also responded.

“But even if a phoenix gets old, it’s still a phoenix. Even if a chicken gets old, it’s still a chicken.”

He could scare someone like Zhu Houcong with just one word.

This is enough to prove that the old monk has extraordinary ability and momentum.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui walked into the tavern.

After getting acquainted with each other, Zhu Gaoxu naturally became less polite.

Coming in front of Zhuang Mu, he asked directly: "Zhuang Mu, is my uncle here?"

Zhuang Mu shook his head.

"The old Taoist priest did come just now, but as for Zhu Biao... I haven't seen him yet."

"Speaking of which, you are the King of Han, why are you looking for him?"

"Ask once a day."

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui came every day these days to ask whether Zhu Biao had arrived.

This made Zhuang Mu feel a little strange.

Logically speaking, shouldn't Zhu Di be the one asking?

Why are Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui starting to care about Zhu Biao?

Zhu Gaoxu did not hide this.

"I just want to see my mother as soon as possible."

"I heard from my father that my mother in Hong Sheng Dynasty might not be dead. I was bored, so I came to ask."

Zhu Gaosui also echoed.

"Zhuang Mu, if you have any news, please tell me in time."

"My people are at the door. If you have any news, just shout."

These days, Zhu Gaosui has also withdrawn most of the Jinyiwei near the tavern.

Only a small part remains.

There is no need to monitor it twelve hours a day.

Zhuang Mu nodded: "That's no problem."

"By the way, you don't dream anymore?"

Zhuang Mu looked towards Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu hardly had any dreams these days.

Basically, we just come to ask for some information, have a drink, and play cards, and that's it.

I basically don’t dream anymore.

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, he felt a terrible headache.

He waved his hand and said, "Being an emperor is boring."

Hearing what Zhu Gaoxu said, Zhu Gaosui thought he was joking, so he explained for him with a smile.

"My second brother hasn't decided who to choose as the successor to the Northern Emperor."

He didn't have many children, so there was basically nothing to hesitate about.

However, Zhu Gaoxu had a lot to think about.

There are only two options when choosing an heir.

Or he could choose the second legitimate son according to seniority, but the second legitimate son and Zhu Gaoxu became enemies.

Or he could choose other heirs based on their abilities, but Zhu Gaoxu was not clear about the abilities of other heirs.

Zhu Gaoxu could not choose either of these two directions.

"Mr. Yao, why don't you give my second brother some advice?"

Zhu Gaosui looked at Yao Guangxiao who was sitting nearby and asked.

Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao didn't even think about it.

He shook his head and said, "The matter of choosing a successor still needs the King of Han to make his own decision. I don't know much about it, so it's hard for me to comment."

If I'm not very familiar with him, it's naturally impossible for me to recommend him casually.

Of course, Zhu Gaoxu still had to make the decision himself on this matter.

"However, further consideration is necessary. The King of Han is already sixty-nine years old."

“We need to identify the capable ones.”

In the dream, Zhu Gaoxu could only do the "Zhuazhou" ceremony.

He doesn't have that much time to train an outstanding successor on his own.

We can only observe as much as possible to see which offspring has outstanding military capabilities.

The Northern Emperor is in charge of military affairs, so his successor naturally needs to focus on military capabilities.

(End of this chapter)