(Image of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao) The fourteenth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, AD 1519, June 14th. News came from the local area that Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, who had been granted a title in Jiangxi and had harbored dissident intentions for a long time, had long planned to ca

(image of King Ning Zhu Chenhao)

Daming Zhengde Fourteenth year, AD 1519, June 14th.

News came from the local area that Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, who had been granted a title in Jiangxi and had harbored dissident intentions for a long time, had long planned to cause trouble. He killed the local court official and raised an army to rebel, hoping to bring down the Ming Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao .

It is not new for vassal kings to cause chaos.

At that time, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di dared to cause trouble in an isolated city with an army, and he also beat Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunzhen and his whereabouts are unknown. It really set a good example for the subsequent vassal kings.

html There were successful examples from more than 3 years ago, which made Ning Wang Comrade Zhu Chenhao very excited. Zhu Di can do it, why can't I, Zhu Chenhao?

Besides, Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen implemented benevolent government and taught the world. He was essentially a wise king. Such a wise king would fall when he said he would. Zhu Houzhao was just an ignorant and ignorant dandy. Isn't it free to deal with him?

Facts have proved that Comrade Zhu Chenhao was a little overconfident. He may have regarded himself as Zhu Di who conquered Mobei five times and made six voyages to the West. But at this time, Zhu Houzhao was by no means a useless emperor.

Zhu Houzhao loves to make trouble, but he will never fool around when it comes to serious matters.

Zhu Houzhao loves to play, but he will never play around when it comes to important state affairs.

Zhu Houzhao ate, drank and had fun every day, but he did not fall behind in the work he was supposed to do as an emperor.

So when the news of Prince Ning's rebellion reached the capital, Zhu Houzhao immediately decided that if he wanted to go on a personal expedition, he would first defeat Zhu Chenhao.

The ministers of the Ming Dynasty heard everything except the word "personal expedition".

(Tumu Fort Change)

At this time, it had only been seventy years since Ming Yingzong went to Wala to study abroad (Tumu Fort Change). At that time, hundreds of thousands of troops fell into the sand and were wiped out. Even the emperor was The tragedy of the captives is still vivid in our minds. It has only been a century, and you, Zhu Houzhao, want to go out and wander again?

What should you do if you are injured on the battlefield? What to do if you lose the battle? What if you are captured by Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao?

With such lessons learned and endless worries, a group of ministers led by Yang Ting and , the chief ministers of the cabinet, firmly expressed their opposition and refused to agree to the emperor's personal expedition.

The ministers were very resolute, but Zhu Houzhao was obviously not a master who could be controlled.

He took his time and made a decree very calmly, then organized his troops and left.

No one can stop me.

The content of this imperial edict is very short:

" Ming History ": In other words, capital punishment.

Whoever dares to dissent from me will be executed on the spot. We will shoot him first and then investigate to ensure that there is no unjust, false or wrongful case.

The attitude of the ministers was very tough. Unexpectedly, the emperor's attitude was even tougher than theirs.

Years of political confrontation and many years of experience in dealing with these old academics have taught Zhu Houzhao that he can tolerate small things, but he must not tolerate big things.

Therefore, Comrade Zhu Houzhao, who insisted on going his own way, set out from the capital in a mighty manner on August 22 of the same year, intending to set off for Jiangxi and beat the king of Ning, Zhu Chenhao, all over the place.

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty seemed to have a little warlike gene in their bones. Most of them were so keen on military expeditions in person, and that was because they wanted to establish military success in the north, establish their own prestige, and at the same time allow historians to record themselves in the history books. Make such an important note for yourself.

(Portrait of Zhu Houzhao, Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty)

Of course, in addition to this majority, our Comrade Zhu Houzhao also has a personal reason, that is, the emperor is playful in nature, and the thick palace walls and dull Forbidden City cannot contain Zhu Houzhao. There is only one sentence that repeats in his mind every day:

The world is so big, I want to see it.

As said in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption": Some birds cannot be caged because their feathers are too bright.

Zhu Houzhao is not a bright bird, but he doesn't mind becoming a free-flying dragon.

However, four days later, on August 26, when the army reached the boundary of Zhuozhou (the county in charge of Baoding City, Hebei Province), a very bad news came from the front line - Wang Shouren, the governor of Southern Jiangxi. has already captured the unsatisfactory King Ning Zhu Chenhao alive and basically put down the rebellion.

Wang Shouren's meaning is obvious. I have taken care of the matter. It is too dangerous outside. You should go home quickly.

This news was like a bolt from the blue, and Zhu Houzhao almost fainted from anger.

Good on you Wang Shouren, good on you Wang Shouren!

I mobilized troops, worked hard, traveled long distances, and spent a lot of time on the imperial conquest. The purpose is to come to Jiangxi to get addicted to fighting and to increase my reputation. It would be better for you. You can just take care of things for me first. It's done.

You put down the rebellion, and you arrested Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, so why should I fight in person?

(ancient Yangzhou)

However, Zhu Houzhao, who was optimistic and positive, quickly adjusted his mood and changed his route to Yangzhou Prefecture .

Yangzhou is located in a warm and humid water town in the south of the Yangtze River. It has a suitable climate, beautiful bells, Jieshou tea stems , Baoying Cigu, and different scenery in the four seasons.

Zhu Houzhao’s intention is also very obvious. Since the war can’t start, it’s okay for me to stop by Yangzhou for leisure and entertainment, right?

Of course, the ministers have no objections. No one wants to be "executed for speaking out." If you like to play, you can play, and you can also take us to play.

What the ministers understood as play was just traveling around the mountains and rivers, eating and drinking, but after Zhu Houzhao arrived in Yangzhou, the scale of his "play" was a little bigger.

Zhu Houzhao went hunting outside Yangzhou City in the morning, and returned to Yangzhou City to find a restaurant for dinner at noon. This was relatively normal, but in the evening, Zhu Houzhao showed his true colors and actually went to visit the major brothels in Yangzhou City and inspected the prostitutes.

The scene was very spectacular. The fat and thin prostitutes stood in a row. Zhu Houzhao looked at this and that, and made comments while watching:

"This one is too thin" "This one is too fat" "This one is too tall" "This one" "Too short." I'm afraid the emperor never read the book so seriously.

The prostitutes who were personally reviewed by Comrade Zhu Houzhao suddenly became celebrities, and even their net worth increased several times.

lasted eight months.

As early as half a year ago, Wang Shouren, the governor of Southern Jiangxi, had captured Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao in Nanjing, waiting for Zhu Houzhao's opinion on how to deal with it.

(Portrait of Wang Shouren)

is after all a vassal king and a relative of the emperor. Although Wang Shouren can catch him, he has no right to kill him.

Whether to kill him, imprison him, or let him go on the spot, the situation must be reported to heaven and wait for the emperor's decision.

But the strange thing is that Wang Shouren submitted one letter after another, but Zhu Houzhao left them all unanswered without replying to a single word.

As the saying goes, "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, and an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time." Wang Shouren is not an idle official, and his time is not in vain. He is responsible for patrolling the south of Jiangxi. Where does he have time because Zhu Chenhao is doing it with the emperor? Consumed?

But the emperor is the King of Heaven, I want to drag you, what can you do?

However, Wang Shouren was, after all, the greatest sage in ancient and modern times. He soon became blessed and wrote another letter. In the letter, he stated that this time he was able to put down the rebellion in Jiangxi and capture Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao alive, all because of the emperor's command. Fang, all the credit should belong to the emperor.

This letter was sent, and it had a miraculous effect. Zhu Houzhao happily accepted Zhu Chenhao and announced that he would set off to return to the capital today.

The emperor is finally going home, and the ministers are very happy, because as long as the emperor returns to the capital and the Forbidden City, it means that they no longer have to worry.

But obviously, the ministers were a little happy too early.

When the emperor went on an expedition, he marched in a hurry. In order to get ahead of Wang Shouren, he could walk eight hundred miles a day. But now that he has nothing to do and is light, the emperor can be said to walk three steps a day, three steps a year, and stop and go along the way. , it was a great time to play.

(Qingjiangpu)

Zhu Houzhao set out from Yangzhou, roamed Zhenjiang Prefecture , climbed to the top of Jinshan Mountain, crossed the Yangtze River from Guazhou, and finally arrived at Qingjiangpu in September of the 15th year of Zhengde.

Qingjiangpu is an ancient place name. Referring to historical maps, its approximate scope is today's Qingjiangpu District in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province.

Hepu opened its port in 1415, the 13th year of Yongle . It is located along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It has convenient transportation and is a territory for transporting money and grain. It also has ships from the south to the north and horses, a thoroughfare for nine provinces, and is known as the granary of the world.

Zhu Houzhao arrived at Qingjiangpu and saw the sparkling water, fish swimming on the shallow bottom, and beautiful scenery all around, but he didn't plan to leave. For 4A-level scenic spots like

, you must check in.

Viewing the scenery from across the shore is not a big problem, but Zhu Houzhao has never been a fuel-efficient lamp. He insisted on steering the boat to the water to catch fish. As a result, this guy was not very skilled in driving and did not catch many fish. Instead, he fell on the boat. He stumbled, the sole of his foot slipped, and he fell into the water like a green onion. When the attendants scrambled to fish Zhu Houzhao out, the emperor's physical condition was already not optimistic at that time. After returning to Beijing, he was even more healthy and ill, and he was almost even sick. You can't even go to court.

Falling into the water can cause lung disease, and lung disease can cause inflammation. If the inflammation is not cured, something could easily happen.

The sixteenth year of Zhengde, 1521 AD, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

Zhu Houzhao, who had returned to the capital for many days, suddenly vomited blood, fell to the ground, and could not get up again.

On March 14th, when he was dying, Zhu Houzhao left a few words in an understatement: "Dragon Yu was the guest, and he left at the age of thirty-one."

Before his death, Zhu Houzhao said:

"Records of Emperor Wuzongyi of the Ming Dynasty": All the past events were my fault and were beyond your control.

I did everything wrong in the past. It is no wonder that this situation has occurred now, my ministers.

(Portrait of Yang Tinghe)

This emperor, who had been unrestrained and free-spirited throughout his life, finally began to feel remorse until he was dying.

hates heaven, hates earth, hates himself for being inexperienced, hates himself for being young and frivolous, hates God for not giving him enough time.

But so what?

This country is the host and people are guests. No matter how reluctant you are to leave, when it is time to leave, you must leave.

Although the emperor always claims to be a god, after all, the emperor is just a mortal body, eating all kinds of grains, experiencing love and hatred, and finally turning into a handful of loess.

Zhu Houzhao is dead, and this world has nothing to do with him, but the Ming Dynasty still exists, with thousands of miles of beauty and thousands of miles of mountains and rivers still existing. What’s even more terrible is that when Zhu Houzhao was in power, because he was playing around all day long, he turned the feudal monarchy era The most important responsibility and obligation of the emperor was forgotten, that is, the emperor had no children, not even a son.

The emperor has no sons, so who will inherit the Ming Dynasty?

Now, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty have set their sights on Yang Tinghe, the chief minister of the interim prime minister's government.

The vast smoke outside the Forbidden City, the setting sun melting gold, and the magnificent mountains and rivers are just like in the past. Now, the direction of history is in Yang Tinghe's hands.

This is an ordinary day in Yang Tinghe's life, and it will also become a day that determines the fate of the Ming Dynasty.