Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The neglect of water conservancy facilities is a big problem. After all, Emperor Jianwen only did one thing in the past four years, which was to be exploited by the vassal.

Moreover, Zhu Yunwen was deceived by the Jiangnan gentry. How could the Jiangnan gentry be interested in maintaining public water conservancy facilities with their virtues?

Repairing bridges and repairing roads means repairing our own property, and no one wants to take care of other people's property. Why should we spend money and effort to do something that has no benefits?

That's all in the Hongwu period. Zhu Yuanzhang's butcher knife was too powerful, and Lao Zhu knew the importance of water conservancy facilities to agriculture, so he kept urging them.

Emperor Jianwen grew up in a deep palace and was raised in the hands of women. How could he understand this?

So naturally, when Emperor Jianwen heard that maintaining water conservancy facilities was a waste of time and money, Emperor Jianwen didn't care.

Zhu Di put his hand on his forehead, rubbed his eyebrows vigorously, and then raised his head and said: "Ask Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan to lead the inland navy to urgently dredge the tributary channels of the Hongwu period, and then start from Sichuan, Sichuan, Jingxiang and other places in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The ground adjusts the grain.”

Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan was a master of water conservancy, but the inland watermen couldn't dig out guano or conduct cross-sea expeditions. They were idle, so they had to get started quickly.

As for grain transportation, land transportation was too slow at this time, and the administrative envoys along the Yellow River system in the north, such as Hebei, Henan, and Shandong, had long been destroyed. If you want to transport grain quickly, you can only transport grain from Sichuan and the Kingdom of Abundance in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Huguang, a land of plenty, found a way.

"Is there anything else you haven't considered?"

Zhu Di's meaning is already obvious. If it doesn't happen anymore, praying for rain must be put on the agenda.

Jing Qing used his common man's anger and quoted Zheng Xia's old practice of praying for rain when Wang Anshi carried out the reform, linking whether it rained or not with whether the reform offended God.

This is the biggest obstacle currently encountered by the reform. The vast majority of people in this era still believe in this way.

A teacher must have a reputation. If the name is not correct, his words will not go smoothly, and if his words are not right, things will not happen. This matter has pushed Zhu Di and everyone who advocated reform into a dead corner. The days are passing day by day, and March is coming. Seeing that March is coming, we cannot continue to delay it. .

The eyes of everyone in the hall were focused on Jiang Xinghuo.

Among these people, some may not believe in the unproven matter of artificial rainfall, but no one does not believe in Jiang Xinghuo's ability.

This is something that has been proven time and time again, Mr. Jiang, there is always a way.

Jiang Xinghuo, who was sitting on the golden pier, stood up and just said.

"Your Majesty can issue an "Edict to Pray for Rain."

Zhu Di looked at Jiang Xinghuo, who was full of confidence, and somehow felt infected, as if the success of praying for rain was just around the corner.

Zhu Di asked: "When do you pray for rain?"

In Jiang Xinghuo's sleeve, there was a rain praying timetable made by Zhuo Jing and the relevant officials of the Qintian Prison. Several days had been drawn up.

"On the ninth day of March, there is a large sacrificial altar in the eastern suburbs."

Soon, the contents of a piece of edict flew all over Nanjing as if it had wings.

“Since spring, there has been no sweetness.

It used to be that there was no rain in the past, so we started praying, and when it rained, it was already like the later time. Even though there is no drought now, we still have to pray.

I will send my imperial master to worship at the altar in the eastern suburbs on the ninth day of the third lunar month and pray sincerely. "

With the issuance of Emperor Yongle's "Edict to Pray for Rain", it was a foregone conclusion that Jiang Xinghuo, the national master who only existed in legend to the common people, would perform his duties in public.

Whether the Imperial Master's prayer for rain can succeed has become the hottest topic of discussion in different circles throughout Nanjing, from street scoundrels to laundry ladies.

Unlike Zhu Di and others who had great trust in Jiang Xinghuo, these melon-eating people did not have much hope for the success of the national master's method of praying for rain.

The reason is also very simple. In the area of ​​feudal superstition, the Imperial Master has not shown any convincing behavior.

In everyone’s impression, what does banishing an immortal look like?

It must be very charming and charming!

At the very least, he must be able to show everyone different spells, just like Lin Lingsu, the Northern Song Dynasty's national master and the leader of the Shenxiao Sect, who could somehow manage to produce decent thunder spells with both hands.

How could the national preceptor be an ordinary person who doesn't know magic?

And if the Imperial Master really had the ability to pray to God for rain, why was he still rumored to be a prisoner?

Therefore, according to the common people's point of view, the so-called "outsiders" are nothing more than self-proclaimed liars.

Of course, in most cases, there is actually just a layer of window paper between the liar and the master.

As long as you can't expose it, then he is a real master; on the contrary, even if he is a liar, you can't do anything about him. This "liar-master duality" situation is especially obvious in this era.

After the storybook "Journey to the West: The Appearance of the Great Sage of Chechi Kingdom" spread by unknown sources, the popular view that the master was a three-legged cat Taoist cultivator like the tiger-powerful immortal in the storybook began to change. There has to be more and more market.

After all, who doesn’t love a metaphor?

We are talking about the Great Immortal Huli, the Grand Master of the Chechi Kingdom in the storybook. We did not say it was Jiang Xinghuo, the Grand Master of the Ming Dynasty.

Well, if they knew that these words were written by Jiang Xinghuo himself, they don't know how they would react.

Of course, in addition to people who enjoy watching the excitement, there are also people who have calm analysis and don't believe in magic.

But this group of people are not very optimistic about Jiang Xinghuo.

The reason why they lost hope in the Imperial Preceptor was that, apart from the fact that the Imperial Preceptor himself seemed to have no real qualifications, the more important reason was because - the delay in praying for rain was seriously insufficient!

It doesn't matter if you don't have any spells, it'll be a drag, right? Can't we just wait until God makes it rain? Why are you so sincere? You are talking about March. March 29th is also March. You have to force yourself to March 9th.

Now it is less than twenty days until the ninth day of March, so we have fully calculated!

Therefore, whether it is based on the level of magic or the actual possibility of rain, the people in Nanjing City are not very optimistic about Jiang Xinghuo.

"This Imperial Master is too arrogant!"

"Isn't that right? I don't even want to wait a few more days to see if it will rain... Haha, this time the matter of praying for rain is probably in doubt!"

"Oh...what a pity!"

"Yes! In the past few days, we have had intense discussions on the streets, but few people believe that the National Master can successfully pray for rain!"

"I guess it's because of the pressure from His Majesty. The Imperial Master never dares to ignore His Majesty's wishes. I'm afraid... Well, this time praying for rain seems to have ended in vain!"

"It looks like we are going to have another dry spring. I don't know when it will rain."

"It doesn't matter if your prayer for rain fails. The emperor was deceived by this charlatan. Do you really think he is some kind of extraordinary person?"

"That's right, it's okay to deceive others. Anyone who believes it himself is a fool."

…

Rumors and rumors swirled, and it seemed that nothing else at the moment, including the large-scale protests in Songjiang Prefecture, could stop people in the capital from discussing praying for rain.

Bizarre and bizarre discussions filled the streets in Goulan wine shops, restaurants, inns, teahouses and boats.

Although every day after dinner, the focus of everyone's discussion was always the Imperial Master.

But whether we should say it or not, deep down in our hearts, we actually don’t have much hope for the National Master.

After all, the national master is young and has no ability, so it is really hard to believe.

If he were an old Taoist priest in his seventies or eighties, maybe some people would still believe him.

Therefore, except for a few people who knew Jiang Xinghuo's plan, almost no one fully believed that the National Master could succeed in praying for rain this time.

——————

The time comes on the ninth day of March.

The sky is a little gloomy and the air is unbearably hot. It has been like this in the past few days.

The dark clouds in the sky covered the sun, blocking all the sunlight, leaving only a faint light, making the atmosphere even more depressing.

"Didn't you go to the Eastern Suburbs Sacrifice Altar today?"

The consort Mei Yin sat in the cell and looked up at Zhu Di who came to visit him. His cellmate Jing Qing had been taken away in advance. It stands to reason that the most important thing for the emperor today should be the national preceptor's prayer for rain.

Although the time for praying for rain was in the afternoon, the emperor should have gone there early.

Zhu Di did not answer Mei Yin's question, but asked in a confused manner.

"Why?"

When he heard Zhu Di's words, Mei Yin's expression was unusually calm, so calm that Zhu Di suspected that he had expected it.

Yes, how could he not expect that?

How could this Mei Consort, who had always been smart and proud, not think of the consequences?

"After the decisive battle of Lingbi, that little beast Jianwen has no way to save himself. I gave you the first chance. I borrowed the road from Huai'an under the pretext of offering incense to Emperor Taizu Gao. Thinking that you would surrender, I will give you a title. It’s not a bad idea to have a prince.”

"But what about you?" Zhu Di sneered to himself.

Mei Yin said calmly: "I will have your messenger's ears and nose cut off, leaving his mouth intact, and ask him to go back and tell you that the vassal king has a prohibition on returning to the capital to offer incense. Anyone who does not comply will be unfilial."

"I bypassed Huai'an and crossed the river to ascend the throne, giving you a second chance to lead your army back. What about you?"

Mei Yin stood up from her clothes and looked directly at Zhu Di: "In mourning for Emperor Jianwen, I will give him the posthumous title of Xiaomin and go to the temple to be named Shenzong."

"Eldest sister (Princess Ningguo) knelt down and begged me. I originally promised her not to kill you, so I gave you a third chance."

Zhu Di's hands were folded together, and the chill in his tone seemed to come out from between his teeth.

"But now, I have changed my mind."

"I want to reform the law and strengthen the country and enrich the people, but you actually instigated someone who was a student of yours when you were studying politics in Shandong and is now a doctor of the Imperial College to secretly conspire with several Imperial College students to incite the Imperial College students to revolt. You deserve to die!"

Zhu Di stood up and stared at Mei Yin condescendingly: "I want you to die clearly this time, without a burial place!"

Mei Yin lowered his head and said nothing.

"I know you hate me, but do you know? I hate myself even more."

Mei Yin raised her head, looked at Zhu Di, and gritted her teeth.

"I hate myself for not being able to abide by the late emperor's edict and fight against rebellion!"

"I hate that I have wasted my trust and am unable to do anything alone. I am ashamed of my young master!"

"I hate that I can't draw my sword and kill you, the traitor who usurped the country!"

Zhu Di hated Mei Yin over and over again for not appreciating him, so why didn't Mei Yin hate himself? He wished he could kill him right now, but reality forced him to survive and continue to exist in the world.

Zhu Di had a look of disgust on his face and waved his hand.

"Take it away, I want you to see with your own eyes how the Imperial Master prays for rain! Let you see, you can't stop my reform!"

Soon, someone picked up Mei Yin's arms and took him out of the cell. Mei Yin shouted loudly before leaving.

"Zhu Di, you are an eternal thief!"

"Heaven has spurned you, and praying for rain is unreasonable!"