Before Han Du was happy for a long time, Lao Zhu asked thoughtfully: "But even if Wang Yuanji wants to increase his knowledge, wouldn't it be good to take a walk in Ming Dynasty? Why do he have to go to Nanyang?"
Han Du paused when he heard the words, his brain cells were running wildly, and he said tentatively: "I don't know what he is thinking, but there are students in the academy who have been to Old Port. Maybe he learned about the situation in Nanyang from the academy. It’s not necessarily the case that you have the idea of going to see it.”
After hearing the explanation, Lao Zhu's expression softened and he sighed: "Then you think it's okay to let him go to Nanyang?"
"I think that since he wants to go, let him go. It's good to think of it as a way to increase his knowledge. Anyway, he came back in just five years, so there won't be any delay." Han Du said bravely.
Lao Zhu pondered for a while, weighed it over and over in his mind, and finally nodded, "Okay, then I will allow him to serve as governor."
...
The new governor of Nanyang in the Ming Dynasty was announced. There were thirty-three people in total. Except for the four people from the Prince's Palace and Wang Yuanji, the others were all distinguished generals, and even Cao Zhen was among them.
As the Marquis of Jingchuan, Cao Zhen not only had no resentment at being sent to serve as governor thousands of miles away, but actually seemed very interested.
This can't help but make Fang Xiaoru and others who are traveling with him feel a little surprised. A marquis is so happy just because he can serve as governor?
Han Du stood in the crowd of farewells. After bidding farewell to Cao Zhen and others, he turned back to look at Wang Yuanji.
"Why did you think of going to Nanyang to serve as governor?"
Wang Yuanji smiled sheepishly, and he explained hesitantly: "Sir, I feel that the Hanlin Academy is not suitable for me, so I thought I would take this opportunity to go out and have a look."
"Is it because of this?" Han Du was a little surprised.
Wang Yuanji nodded and replied: "Of course."
Han Du glanced at him with some confusion and asked: "How come Hanlin Academy is not suitable for you? You don't know, Master Ma actually thinks highly of you. Really, he was praising you in front of the emperor a few days ago. Woolen cloth."
Wang Yuanji smiled helplessly and said: "Master Ma praises me, I believe it. However, I just feel that I am incompatible with the Hanlin Academy."
"Why?" Han Du didn't understand. Since Wang Yuanji was welcomed by many people in the Hanlin Academy, why was he out of place?
Shaking his head, Wang Yuanji explained: "Sir, you should know that students like to be efficient when doing things. But in their eyes, such an approach is the impatience of young people."
"What you don't know, sir, is that when the students first went to Hanlin Academy, they didn't like the students. Later, the students noticed this problem and changed the way they did things. They deliberately adapted to their ideas and won their approval and love. .”
"However, this kind of recognition and love is not what students want. What students want is the original unfettered self."
Han Du finally understood why Wang Yuanji chose to go to Nanyang. It was just that he didn't like to cater to others.
He took a step closer, patted his shoulder, and said, "It's your ability to be liked by others, so you don't have to feel depressed. But since you have chosen to go to Nanyang, I won't stop you. Maybe after a few years, It can make you more adaptable to this world and no longer resist it as much as you do now."
Wang Yuanji lowered his head and thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "The students don't know."
"It's okay if you don't know." Han Du smiled and patted his shoulder, sighing: "No one knows everything from birth. You need to walk the road under your feet, and everything in the world needs to be seen with your own eyes. look."
"Go ahead and be the governor for five years. I believe you will have a deeper understanding at that time."
"Thank you, sir." Wang Yuanji bowed respectfully to Han Du, and then followed the crowd and walked onto the naval warship one by one.
The soldiers on the shore untied the rope, and the warship moved away from the shore little by little under the ripples of the water and floated towards the river.
Han Du waved his hand towards the people on the boat until the warship raised its sails and left along the surging river.
...
Han Du originally thought that the matter would just go away, but he never expected that when the 33rd Governor of Nanyang returned to Beijing to report on his duties, there would be another turmoil.
Last time, when Lao Zhu rewarded the governors, he gathered everyone together, simply treated everyone to a meal, and then rewarded everyone with 10% of the amount of property they had contributed in recent years.
But this time, Lao Zhu didn't know what happened, and he actually wanted to reward everyone in the court. Moreover, there was no hint of it beforehand, and it was announced directly in the court.
"... Zhu Shou, the governor of Luzon, has been working diligently to guard one side of the Ming Dynasty for many years. He has made outstanding achievements. He was given an additional 800 stones of food and a reward of 60,000 taels of gold and 930,000 taels of silver... ."
"...Zhang Chao, the governor of Old Port, has a reward of 40,000 taels and 620,000 taels of silver..."
One by one, the shocking numbers were like huge boulders, hitting the ears of the ministers hard.
After Xun Gui heard this, his expression suddenly changed. The emperor's move came so suddenly that no one was even prepared. Being caught off guard, they didn't know how to deal with it, so they could only turn their gazes to Tang He who was at the front.
Tang He's motionless body calmed the heart of a noble military commander, allowing everyone to calm down. Listen quietly first, and then discuss other matters in the long run.
But the civil servants immediately exploded. Such a huge reward was simply unprecedented and unheard of. If it weren't for the old eunuch who read the imperial edict, everyone would have thought that the person who read the imperial edict had read it wrong.
After the imperial edict was read out, Zhao Mian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was the first to stand up and object, "Your Majesty, although the weather was good last year, because of the need to plant new grains for spring plowing this year, the expenses of the Ministry of Revenue would have been higher than last year. If it is so important now, The Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with the reward. I sincerely ask the Emperor to think twice."
In the past few years, the world has been going smoothly. With the continuous replenishment of food from Nanyang, there has been no more famine in the world. Of course the Hubu treasury is full, but no matter how full it is, Zhao Mian does not want to spend so much money on these thirty-three people.
Why are they rewarded so generously? Is it just because they guard the wilderness? If this is the reason, then Zhao Mian said that regardless of the old bones of the minister, if he can get such a reward after serving as governor for five years, he can do it.
"Your Majesty, please think twice..."
Lao Zhu looked at the civil servants who were kneeling down and worshiped, and felt an extremely happy feeling in his heart. If this were ten years ago, when he was extremely poor, faced with the helplessness of having no money, he would have to give in even if he was unwilling.
A penny can stump a heroic man. This has been the case since ancient times.
But now it's different. Lao Zhu waved his hand domineeringly and said: "I have given these rewards, and there is no need to pay them from the national treasury."
No need to pay from the treasury? Zhao Mian was stunned for several breaths before he slowly realized what the emperor meant. In other words, these rewards were all paid by the emperor, without the user paying a penny?
In this case, Zhao Mian had nothing to say. He raised his hands dryly and said, "In that case, I...have nothing to say."
Then, he retreated back into the crowd.
But the emperor's words caused an uproar among the civil servants. First of all, this amount of money is not a small amount, and the emperor is responsible for it alone. Doesn't that mean that the emperor's inner treasury now has so much money, or even more?
So, a question arises, how much money does the emperor have in his inner treasury?
Secondly, the rewards received by each governor ranged from several hundred thousand guan to more than one million guan. Why on earth did the emperor reward these governors so highly? Can I get such a reward even after serving as governor for five years?
An Tong, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, could not sit still. Among the six departments, the Ministry of Punishment was the poorest. Of course, there is also a Ministry of Rites that is even poorer than the Ministry of Justice, but now there is no minister in the Ministry of Rites, and there is no role for the Ministry of Rites to speak above the court. The Ministry of Punishment naturally became the poorest one with the right to speak.
An Tong quickly stood up and asked: "The emperor is wise and has always made clear rewards and punishments. I dare to ask, what are the achievements of these governors to receive such a heavy reward?"
An Tong's words immediately attracted numerous nods of approval from the civil servants.
A reward like this is really too heavy and makes everyone jealous. But since it is a reward, it means that these people must have corresponding achievements. What kind of achievements have they made? Let me know. If you have the chance, let me know. Because no matter who it is, they all want such a generous reward.
If these people do not have enough merit, then they will definitely not accept it. Although these rewards have nothing to do with them, out of jealousy, if they don't get it themselves, they can let others not get it either.
Lao Zhu saw the attitude of the ministers in his eyes, and An Tong's reaction was not beyond his expectation. Lao Zhu, who had been prepared for a long time, said: "The Governor's Mansion suppressed one side, protected the shipping routes, and provided countless grains, copper materials, and various materials for the Ming Dynasty. These rewards are rewards for them traveling thousands of miles to guard the side for the Ming Dynasty."
Lao Zhu dismissed An Tong with just one sentence. He didn't even give An Tong a chance to speak, and just glanced at the old eunuch.
The old eunuch immediately took a step forward, waved his whisk, and shouted: "After the ceremony, leave the court!"
Zhu Shou and others were all very happy. After all, they were able to fulfill their rewards. Their hard work outside for so many years was not in vain.
But the civil servants were different. Some of them noticed the emperor's abnormal behavior today. They dare not say that they know everything about the emperor, but at least they understand most of it.
Would the emperor reward those former governors so heavily for no reason? How can this be.
There is something unknown about this.
So taking the opportunity to go to court, several ministers looked at each other, and after a short exchange, they understood what they all meant.
As night falls, Zhan Wei's mansion is a large house. Compared with this, the three houses are simply not worth mentioning.
Taking advantage of the fact that there was no curfew, several carriages came to the back street of the house and drove into the narrow alley to stop.
Several people in casual clothes got out of the carriage. There were servants waiting at the back door. When they saw everyone coming, they quickly saluted and invited them into the house. After everyone entered the house, they quickly closed the courtyard door and stood guard at the door.
In a study room, Zhan Hui, Zhao Mian, Qin Da, and An Tong sat down around a table.
Zhan Hui spoke first and said: "I'm looking for you all to come here today. I believe you all know what is going on, right?"
"It is indeed too strange for the emperor to reward those governors so highly today." Zhao Mian nodded in agreement.
Zhan Wei pondered for a moment and suddenly saw An Tong and asked: "Brother An, what do you think?"
"What else can I think? To be honest with you, I am still puzzled by this matter. How can you think that the emperor, who was so poor in the past, suddenly rewarded those governors so heavily? Let's not talk about it for now. Where did the money for the emperor's reward come from? Even if the emperor had this money, he would not give it all to them so easily." An Tong sighed.
Just when everyone was lost in thought, Qin Da suddenly interrupted: "I wonder if you noticed something?"
"What's the matter? Brother Qin, tell me quickly." An Tong asked first. He also couldn't figure out what was going on here, so he wanted to know the answer more and more, and he was naturally the most sensitive to possible clues.
Qin Da put his hands together and said: "Today in the court hall, when the emperor was issuing the decree, I noticed that the nobles were not moved at all by such a huge reward. It was as if they already knew what was going on and were used to it. Average. However, this is obviously the first time the emperor has given such a large reward, so how can they become accustomed to it?"
Zhan Wei's eyes narrowed, and his pupils instantly shrank like needlepoints. He twirled his beard and muttered: "So, there must be something that those nobles know that we don't know."
Qin Da and others looked at each other in confusion. What Zhan Wei said was indeed reasonable, but no matter how reasonable it was, how could they get the news from Xungui?
Anyway, it is impossible to rely on inquiries. They have been facing each other tit for tat for more than a day or two. Everyone is hostile to each other. It is simply impossible for Xungui to tell them the inside story.
Just when everyone was at a loss what to do, Zhao Mian sighed and said, "Actually, have you ever thought about it? Since you are used to this, it means that this kind of reward is not the only one."
"What does Brother Zhao want to say?" An Tong couldn't help but asked anxiously.
Zhao Mian paused for a few breaths and said word by word: "Since this is not a list, is it possible that as long as you serve as governor for five years, you will get such a reward?"
"This...isn't possible?" An Tong was shocked, and at the same time he felt regretful and almost bleeding.
Millions of guan, at least hundreds of thousands of guan... He actually gave up such an opportunity on his own initiative? If he had known this, he should have taken the initiative to become the governor of Nanyang.
As a second-level official, his annual salary is only 900 yuan. Compared with the governor's annual income of more than 100,000 yuan, it is simply not worth mentioning.
The expressions of others also changed. Without knowing the specific situation, they did not worry about gains and losses like An Tong did. But they still regretted giving up the position of governor in vain.
Even if they don't know whether serving as governor will bring such great benefits, even if they don't go, it is still good to leave it to their disciples and former officials.
Zhan Hui punched the table with hatred, looked at the three of them with wide eyes, and said in a deep voice: "This matter is of great importance. No matter what, no matter what method is used, we must find out what happened to this governor." thing."
The three of them looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
...
At this time, Han Du was in front of Lao Zhu, with a bitter face and full of complaints.
"Why did the emperor reward those governors in front of hundreds of officials?"
Lao Zhu was not angry because Han Du was questioning, but said calmly: "Don't these people not want to go to Nanyang to serve as governor? I just want to stimulate them."
Han Du said without thinking: "The emperor's move has indeed stimulated them, but I'm afraid it will also cause trouble for the emperor."
"What trouble do I have?" Lao Zhu curled his lips, not taking Han Du's kindness to heart at all. Instead, he thought Han Du was being alarmist.
Ever since Lao Zhu became emperor, nothing could cause him any trouble.
Han Du's face turned green and white and said: "The emperor's such a heavy reward to the governor and such an abnormal behavior will definitely attract the attention of the civil servants. If they continue to explore this, I am afraid that the tribute paid by the governors to the emperor will become a problem. I can’t hide it anymore.”
"If you can't hide it, you can't hide it. I don't want to hide it from them now." Lao Zhu didn't care about this at all. After a pause, Lao Zhu raised his head and asked Han Du: "Didn't you say it? Daming thought To truly develop Nanyang, we must allow more people to go voluntarily. Then I ask you, if officials don’t want to go, how can you get the people to go voluntarily?"
"The emperor's words are reasonable." Han Du nodded in agreement, but changed his tone and said: "But if this happens, the gold and silver in the emperor's inner treasury will no longer be hidden. I am worried that they will not choose to go to Nanyang, but instead It will attract the attention of the emperor’s inner treasury.”
"How dare they!" Lao Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and glared angrily when he heard that someone wanted to pay attention to his inner treasure.
Han Du stopped talking immediately and couldn't help but blame Lao Zhu. This is not a question of whether they dare or not, but a question that will definitely arise.
Do you want civil servants to take the initiative to go thousands of miles away to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty? I'm afraid Lao Zhu is overthinking. In the concept of civil servants, they are masters who sit in high halls and rule from the top, and they are wise men who strategize and win decisively thousands of miles away.
From these examples, have you ever seen a civil servant who did not hesitate to travel thousands of miles to personally experience what he did?
No!
Lao Zhu had obviously thought of this, his expression condensed, and he said in a deep voice: "With me here, who dares to attract the attention of my inner treasure?"
Han Du secretly sighed. It is true that no one dares to covet the inner treasure when you are here. After all, your butcher knife is still very sharp, but what if you are no longer there? Han Du felt that Lao Zhu's move was completely digging a hole for Zhu Biao, but it was still a very deep hole. After Zhu Biao fell, he didn't know if he could get up.
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