Chapter Forty-Nine: The Ancient Capital of Nanjing

Orthodoxy forty-three years in early May.

Zhu Qizhen crossed the river from the north bank and officially came to Nanjing City.

Before I crossed the river, I saw a big light on the south bank of the river, as if the sun was falling, and it was like another day's rise. Zhu Qizhen asked left and right, and they all said: "Dabao Enta is also." ”

It is absolutely impossible to say that Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty does not mention Nanjing's special political status. And to Nanjing, not to mention the great retribution, is eyeless.

China's big antiques, Yongle's big kiln is also.

The light that Zhu Qizhen saw was all the sunlight shining on the Dabao Pagoda, and when the weather was clear, it was really brilliant and difficult to ignore. If it is even more at night, light the lamp on the Great Pagoda of Grace, send out the light in all directions, and shine within a few miles, just like the heavenly Buddha kingdom falling on the earth.

Of course, such a view will be in the future generations, but it is mediocre.

Even the night view of a small city is better than this pagoda.

But in this world, in this era, it is a unique spectacle in the world.

Even if Zhu Qizhen saw it, he felt dazzling. It's just that in his heart, he thinks of the night scenes of those prosperous metropolises in later generations, and all kinds of architectural wonders.

I only sighed slightly.

Because only dreams can see it.

Zhu Qizhen is old, although he does not accept old age, but the homesickness in his heart is played for no reason. I don't know when it popped up.

It's just that even though he is the Son of Heaven, he is also homeless.

The reverse journey of heaven and earth, the strange guest of the world.

Zhu Qizhen's thoughts were also quickly put away.

Once in Nanjing, he had a lot to do.

Not to mention that Nanjing's civil and military officials gathered at the wharf to greet Zhu Qizhen headed by Cao Nai. It is not mentioned that the fathers and elders in Nanjing help the old and the young, and rush to see the holy drive.

After all, most Nanjing people have not seen the emperor's honor guard for many years.

Since the first year of Hongxi, after Emperor Xuanzong, who was still the crown prince at the time, went north to succeed to the throne, no royal personnel came to Nanjing.

The grand occasion of the gathering of hundreds of officials in Nanjing before could only be seen in the mouths of some old people.

This time, Zhu Qizhen came.

The people of Nanjing naturally rushed to be the first, and even blocked the road, and looked at the holy car first.

I have to say that the Ming royal family's love for Nanjing has not completely dispersed until now.

Especially during the Hongwu period, when Emperor Taizu was in power, many times once he calculated that the money and grain of the imperial court were enough, he would order the exemption of Nanjing, as well as the money and grain of some prefectures and counties near Nanjing. In order to repay the contribution of Nanjing's fathers and elders to support Emperor Taizu to fight the world.

Later, because of Nanjing's special status, many things will be treated differently if they happen in Nanjing.

No one knows what Nanjing will be like in the future, but now the people of Nanjing are still interested in the great tomorrow

It's emotional.

Zhu Qizhen's frame passed through the entire city of Nanjing and came to the Forbidden City of Nanjing.

Before Zhu Qizhen came, that is, last year, Cao Nai presided over the repair of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, and spent more than 900,000 taels of silver to almost empty the treasury of Nanjing.

And that's just the renovation of the front hall.

Because Emperor Taizu built the palace at the beginning, he was unwilling to encroach on the people's farmland, so most of the area of the harem of the Forbidden City in Nanjing was built by filling the lake.

Because of engineering and technical problems, during the period of Emperor Taizu, there was a matter of ground subsidence, which was even more cold and damp. If you want to repair it on a large scale, it is definitely not possible to do it with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

It is different from when the Manchu emperors of the later generations went down to the south of the Yangtze River and lived in private houses or other palaces. In the ancestral training of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was never allowed to establish a palace.

Zhu Qizhen went all the way south, most of the time he lived in the official mansion, and even came to drive the repair of various county offices along the way. This is also the reason why one year's money and grain of the land through which one is exempted.

Because for the sake of pick-up. Most of the local government treasury has almost been wiped out, just like Nanjing.

This is enough for Zhu Qizhen to feel distressed.

If it costs millions of taels to repair a palace that is likely to never live in the future, how can Zhu Qizhen be willing?

Therefore, the Forbidden City of Nanjing is only the front hall of the repair, except for the place where Zhu Qizhen lives and the place where the minister is summoned, all of them are overgrown with wild grass, and there are even places where hares fly.

Zhu Qizhen could even go directly to the harem to hunt after going down to the court.

It's something special.

However, when Zhu Qizhen arrived in Nanjing, he did not have time to do these things.

Because the first thing he had to do was to worship the tomb of filial piety.

It takes more than ten days to prepare, and Zhu Qizhen has no time to really get in touch with the substantive issues, so all the time is spent on fasting, worshipping filial piety, and sending people to worship the mausoleums of the founding heroes and so on.

After these things came to an end, Zhu Qizhen had time to examine Nanjing.

Although he had only been in Nanjing for more than ten days, he felt the difference between Beijing and Nanjing.

Some people may say that the folk customs in the north are simple, and the folk customs in the south are weaker.

But in Zhu Qizhen's view, the atmosphere in Beijing is more politicized. More superstitious about the imperial court, and there are people with meritorious reputation. However, the folk customs in the south are more liberal and a little freer.

This fundamental ethos has been somewhat retained even in later generations.

In Zhu Qizhen's analysis, it is because Beijing is the political center of the Ming Dynasty, and if one wants to develop, all his opportunities are in politics.

In Beijing, it is simply impossible to have a social status if you don't want to be in politics.

There was an old thing in the Yongle years.

Emperor Taizong issued a certain day, and many people in the Hanlin Academy were not there. Ask what's wrong.

So Jinyi Guardian reported that a big businessman in Beijing died, and the three sons competed for the family property, and each invited officials to administer justice for him, as long as he could help him win the family property, he could have a rich Xie Yi.

Even if it doesn't work out, there is a letter of silver.

So many officials of the Hanlin Academy went, after all, the so-called poor Hanlin, Hanlin is generally relatively poor if he does not hold a real position.

Emperor Taizong brought the list of guests to this merchant banquet, and he was immediately furious, and a large number of important ministers of the second and third grades in the court went. Emperor Taizong immediately ordered the raid of this merchant.

Under the shroud of imperial power, it is impossible for everyone to improve their social status without finding a way out of the Ming system.

Even in this case, the North still wants to take the civil service exam.

But the South is different.

The productivity of all localities in the south is to surpass that of the north, not only because the grain yield per mu in the south is on average one stone more than that in the north, but also in other aspects.

There are many people in the south who can improve their social status without relying on the Ming system.

For example, Xu Chunshen is a representative.

If Xu Chunshen hadn't been involved in the affairs of the imperial court, he wouldn't have fallen so easily.

and Shen Zhou.

Although Shen Zhou has no fame, he is a famous painter in the world as a famous person in the south of the Yangtze River. He was still very respected in Jiangnan, so he didn't want to go to Beijing to serve as the imperial court.

If it weren't for his mother's urging, he wouldn't have left Jiangnan at all.

Although the imperial examination is still the best way to improve social status, in many places in Jiangnan, it is not the only way out.

Becoming a big businessman, or getting the ultimate in a certain skill, can be out of the ordinary.

There were many such masters in the Ming Dynasty. Not only limited to piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also many jade, ornaments, and so on.

Although such a master of art cannot be compared with officials, he can also intersect with Shilin on an equal footing.

Therefore, the northern Shilin did not have much struggle against the imperial power. But the folk customs of Jiangnan are so unruly, and they have repeatedly acted against Zhu Qizhen, in fact, they not only have to understand the grievances between the Ming royal family and several generations of Jiangnan Shilin, but also Zhang Shicheng with Emperor Taizu, most of the Jiangnan scholars helped Zhang Shicheng, Emperor Taizong Jingnan, and Jiangnan scholars also stood on the wrong side.

It also depends on the economic foundation of Jiangnan.

At least many times, the authority of the Ming Dynasty could not penetrate deep into Jiangnan. This is the centrifugal force that has always existed in Jiangnan that is contrary to the Ming court.

Zhu Qizhen wanted to understand this, but found it difficult to do.

If it was just some old things, Zhu Qizhen felt that there was a solution, but now it involves this kind of economic foundation, which makes Zhu Qizhen feel tricky.

Not to mention, if Zhu Qizhen feels that the economy of Jiangnan is growing by leaps and bounds, it is estimated that this centrifugal force will only get bigger and bigger. It's only going to get harder.