Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In the early winter morning, the water of West Lake glowed with a faint golden light.

A breeze blew by, bringing a chill. It was rare for the water in the West Lake to freeze, but now the coolness added a bit of ice and purity.

By the lake, the green pine trees are like smoke, swaying gently, as if dancing for the upcoming distinguished guests.

Since Emperor Hongzhi wanted to visit the West Lake, officials in Hangzhou had already made full preparations. Except for the invited Hangzhou squires and respected old men, no one else is allowed to enter this area, and the Hangzhou Guards also enforce martial law here.

The West Lake under control at this time is like an enlarged version of Taiye Pool.

Zhu Youtang's performance was just like other places. He kept in mind the warning of Dongfang Dao, so he did not dare to act willfully during this southern tour. He always showed off his behavior.

Although a private visit in incognito sounds cool, and it is possible to see some things that cannot be seen while sitting on the Dragon Throne, but since he chose to stand on the side of ordinary people, he naturally will not take the initiative to give the government gentry group any chance to assassinate him. .

Zhu Youtang has longed for the West Lake. The West Lake in this era is naturally closer to nature than in later generations, so he has some expectations for this pristine lakeside.

Since the evidence of Jiangnan Company's rebellion has been found, and after all the people involved in the case have been verified, this major Jiangnan Company rebellion case involving tens of thousands of people has also begun a bloodbath.

No matter what their previous status was, whether they were officials or civilians, or scholars with a high reputation, they would all be put on a makeshift guillotine.

Although Prince Ning's rebellion in Nanchang, Jiangxi was put down before leaving Prince Ning's mansion, since this slogan had been shouted, it was natural to execute the Nine Clan.

Although Zhu Youtang was said to be on a southern tour, he actually had a lot of matters to deal with. This time it could be said that he took a break from his busy schedule, and it was also a break from the heavy killings recently.

On the lake, boats were sailing back and forth, colorful sails were fluttering, and music was playing melodiously.

Zhu Youtang and Concubine Jing and others boarded the largest painted boat, with a beautiful dragon flag hanging on the bow, demonstrating the majesty of the royal family.

At this time, the West Lake is like a sleeping beauty, with scenery everywhere. Visitors can not only appreciate the miraculous craftsmanship of nature, but also see many historical monuments.

Zhu Youtang was wearing a set of bright yellow dragon robes, and his brows still showed the magnanimity of an emperor. Standing on the bow of the boat, looking at the lake and mountains, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in his heart.

Although I know that I cannot create the grand scene of the West Lake that will be crowded with people in future generations, I believe that this place will get better and better, and more and more people will be able to enjoy the scenery of the West Lake here in the future.

The painting boat only traveled a section of the lake before choosing to stop at the shore, where Yin Zhi, a bachelor of the Zhejiang Governor's Cabinet, had already led a group of officials to wait here.

When I saw Emperor Hongzhi chatting and laughing, he not only destroyed the Bailian Sect that had been entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River for hundreds of years, but also prevented Prince Ning from rebelling and could not leave Prince Ning's palace. I sincerely admired this talented and strategic emperor.

"Mr. Yin Ge, is this the broken bridge?" Zhu Youtang walked along the bank of the West Lake and asked Yin Zhi, who was accompanying him, when he came to a stone bridge.

Naturally, Yin Zhi had already done his homework on this place, so he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a broken bridge, but the correct name should be Duan Bridge!"

Zhu Youtang stood at the end of the bridge, reaching out and gently touching the ancient bridge railings, feeling its texture that had gone through wind and frost but still being solid, and feeling the charm of history.

The officials and people who fell behind followed and could only look at Zhu Youtang's back from a distance.

There are different versions of the legend about the broken bridge.

It is said that White Snake and Xu Xian met on this bridge and pledged their love under an umbrella. Later, the White Snake was crushed by Fa Hai under the Leifeng Pagoda. Xu Xian tried to save her by breaking the bridge, but failed.

In addition to myths, there is also the fact that whenever it snows, the bridge deck here is covered by white snow, giving people the illusion that the bridge has been split in the middle, which is also the origin of the remaining snow on the broken bridge.

Of course, the most reliable thing is that this bridge was built by the Duan family. The Duan family living across the bridge built it to save the distance across the lake, so it is also called "Duan Bridge".

Due to the homophony, the original "Duanqiao" became the word-of-mouth "Broken Bridge".

Zhu Youtang walked across this broken bridge full of historical traces, and a fishing pavilion has been built on the other end of the broken bridge, giving him a vague illusion of returning to Xiyuan.

"Your Majesty, please!" Liu Jin was waiting at the fishing pavilion with a fishing rod, everything seemed so familiar.

Zhu Youtang sat on the soft couch. Han Youying, who was accompanying the southern tour this time, had already made tea and was respectfully waiting for Zhu Youtang to enjoy the tea while fishing.

At this moment, West Lake is so similar to Taiye Pool.

Zhu Youtang held the fishing rod in his hand, with the bait already caught on it. He flicked it very skillfully, and the fish with the fishing line fell into the clear water of the West Lake.

It’s just that the fishing line thrown out is no longer a natural fiber such as horsehair or silk, but an epoch-making artificial fiber, that is, the famous artificial fiber in later generations-nylon.

After such a long period of repeated research, and with the financial support of the Ming Dynasty, a team led by Shao Yuanjie of the Metaphysical Academy finally developed nylon.

This kind of synthetic fiber nylon breaks the limitations of natural fibers. It not only has stronger flexibility, but can also be mass-produced.

Zhu Youtang was lying on the soft couch. When he saw the long-lost fishing line sinking into the lake following the bait, he was also holding the fishing rod and looking at the movement of the lake with concentration.

Since we have come to such a paradise on earth, if we don’t catch a fish here, we will really be letting down our southern tour and the rich fish resources here.

"Your Majesty has started fishing!"

"I heard that the emperor can catch hundreds of fish in one day!"

"Today I am able to see the Emperor fishing, it is truly my great fortune!"

…

The officials and squires accompanying this time were all blocked at the other end of the broken bridge, but they could see the emperor fishing in the West Lake on the shore, and they couldn't help but talk about it.

Xu Hong, the prefect of Hangzhou, has been busy in order to entertain the emperor. Now he has arranged in advance for several of the most famous painters in Jiangnan to sit on the shore and paint.

Under their pens, a grand scene is slowly leaping onto the paper.

It includes the beautiful scenery of the West Lake, the emperor's concentration on fishing, and the scenes of officials and people watching the ceremony here. We strive to present this scene to the world.

"Moved!"

"Look, the buoy is really moving!"

"Quiet, don't make any noise, do you know how to fish?"

…

After the officials with good eyesight noticed that the buoy moved, they could not hide the excitement in their hearts. They were even more nervous than their own fish pulling the line.

Those who knew how to fish stopped immediately. Although they were actually quite far apart, they were still worried that these daredevils would scare the fish in the lake.

call out!

It was too late, but soon, Zhu Youtang took action.

When he saw the buoy sinking to the bottom, he lifted the rod vigorously. When the fishing line stretched straight, he immediately clearly felt the pulling force from the bottom of the water, and a heavy object was lifted up by him.

At this moment, he seemed very nervous.

Nylon has indeed emerged, but whether it can meet the standards for actual use still needs to be tested. After all, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. No matter whether it is a black cat or a white cat, it is a good cat if it catches mice.

In full view of everyone, an extremely beautiful carp jumped out of the water following the fishing line, causing bright smiles to bloom on the faces of the onlookers.

Zhu Youtang's wrist had just exerted force. When he saw the carp pulled out of the water flying towards him, his heart beat loudly and he felt this long-lost fishing feeling.

Liu Jin reacted faster than the others and picked up the carp that was caught ashore very quickly. He smiled like a treasure and said, "Your Majesty, this carp is really beautiful. The meat must be delicious!"

Zhu Youtang was in a good mood when he saw the first fish he caught, but his good mood did not last long. After all, coming here with such a big fanfare today naturally has other agendas.

Huh?

Han Youying saw that Zhu Youtang did not touch the Longjing tea that was passed to her. She immediately noticed that Zhu Youtang was abnormal and silently took the tea cup back.

Time passed bit by bit, and the sun came to the high altitude.

The officials and squires on the other side have been led into the joy of fishing by Emperor Hongzhi. They are nervously watching with bated breath, for fear of missing any moment.

coming!

When Zhu Youtang saw the fishing rod suddenly sinking to the bottom, a flash of determination flashed in his eyes. He grasped the fleeting opportunity in his nervousness, and then suddenly lifted the fishing rod.

This time he went to West Lake with all his efforts and what he wanted was definitely not small fish or shrimps.

Zhu Youtang felt the wild and powerful pull from the bottom of the water, and his heart beat loudly. The critical moment finally arrived as expected, and the fishing line instantly tightened outside the lake.

In the past, he took the initiative to straighten the fishing line, but this time it was as if he suddenly caught a rampaging piglet.

"What's going on?"

"Look, the fishing rod is bent!"

"Ah? Why didn't the fishing line break?"

…

The officials and squires watching from across the bank suddenly became worried when they saw the fishing rod in Zhu Youtang's hand bending and the hooked fish escaping towards the center of their lake.

People who don't know how to fish worry about the rod exploding or the emperor being dragged into the lake by a big fish, but knowledgeable fishermen know that the fishing line cannot withstand the pulling force of the big fish.

Countless experiences have clearly told them that fishing can only catch some small fish and shrimps for their own entertainment, and fishing can only be a dream.

Experienced fishermen always try to figure out how to escape from the big fish, instead of trying to catch the big fish regardless of the actual situation and thinking about how to catch the big fish because the toad wants to eat the swan meat.

Unexpectedly, a bizarre thing appeared in front of them. It was clear that the emperor caught a big fish, but the fishing line did not snap instantly.

"What...what's going on?"

Yang Jun, the governor-general of Zhejiang Province, was influenced by the emperor's hobby of fishing and had already turned into a fisherman, but at this moment he couldn't help being dumbfounded.

I saw that the weird fishing line was pulled straight, but it didn't break instantly as imagined, but it formed a wrestling situation with the emperor holding the fishing rod.

In particular, the big fish in the lake turned to the shore after rushing into the lake to no avail. This was a bizarre phenomenon that had not happened to them in decades of fishing.

When Zhu Youtang saw that the big fish he had caught had come around, he felt relieved and started fishing according to the method of later generations.

Not to mention whether the craftsmanship of the nylon thread can be matured, and the endurance of the nylon thread is limited, so the normal method is to slip the fish to consume the physical strength of the big fish.

"There must be a big fish in this water!"

"Why didn't the fishing line break?"

"I don't know, but that fishing line is not our usual fishing line!"

…

Not only the officials were very surprised, but also the fisherman who was invited this time was also extremely shocked, but some people have slowly seen the clues.

But no matter how close they are to the truth, they still can't believe that there is such a magical fishing line in the world, a fishing line that can wrestle with big fish.

Could it be the golden thread? No, gold thread shouldn't have such miraculous effects.

Yang Jun, Zhejiang's Left Chief Envoy, had already begun to have random thoughts in his head, but he quickly vetoed it himself.

Zhu Youtang knew that the emergence of nylon fishing line was impactful. Unlike those shocking poems, nylon fishing line was breaking people's fixed perceptions in this era.

This is the case in real life. It is not scary how powerful others are, nor scary how talented others are. What is truly scary is being solemnly told that the earth is round.

The emergence of nylon fishing line is subverting people's fixed cognition.

When Zhu Youtang saw that the fish was almost gone, he originally wanted to use a net, but when he saw that the grass next to it was connected to the lake, he cleverly pulled the big fish directly to the shore.

how come?

Some officials' eyes widened with disbelief on their faces, as if they had seen some miracle. Their mouths opened slightly, as if they wanted to say something, but they were so shocked by the sight in front of them that they were speechless.

When some squires saw the big fish that was caught, their faces were full of admiration and admiration. They were staring at Emperor Hongzhi intently, as if they saw some divine light in him.

"Ah? This...this is the Carp King! Your Majesty, you caught the Carp King, long live your Majesty!" When Liu Jin saw the huge Carp King pulled out of the water, she knelt down incoherently.

"This is a sign of great prosperity, long live my emperor!" Everyone present was led by Liu Jin and started to kneel down one after another.

When you catch the King Carp in the West Lake today, what is this if not a good omen?

When Zhu Youtang saw the carp caught by himself, he felt extremely happy. He also did not expect that he could really catch a big carp in the West Lake this time.

But luck is also a part of strength. When she tasted the good tea sent by Han Youying, she promised in a good mood: "I will go to your tea garden tomorrow and have a good taste of your tea!"

"This is my concubine's blessing!" Han Youying said happily when she saw Zhu Youtang, who had caught the huge fish, promised so happily, her beautiful eyes looked brilliant.

When I caught a big carp here, the fishing net there also made a harvest.

Nylon nets are much better than traditional fishing nets, especially because they can catch big fish in the water, which once again shows the economic value of nylon.

However, at this stage, everyone's attention is focused on the nylon line, and everyone knows that His Majesty used the nylon fishing line to catch the Carp King.

Thanks to a painter's depiction of today's grand occasion, pictures of officials and citizens watching the emperor sitting and fishing for the Carp King soon appeared on the streets of Hangzhou, which naturally aroused a wave of amazement.

The above are all things for later. After finishing fishing in the West Lake, the next trip is to visit Longjing Village and the surrounding scenic spots and historic sites, and then return to the Hangzhou Palace.

Although there were many disturbances during this southern tour, the southern tour has actually ended, and Dongfang Road's prediction seems to have come true. (End of chapter)