Night, Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, in front of Jiajing, there were two newly printed newspapers. One was a newspaper specifically for officials and gentry, and the other was a newspaper for ordinary people.
It was during the day, and the newspaper published by the imperial court contained not only the official edict issued by the imperial court to abolish the contemporary Yanshenggong Kong Shangxian, but also the many crimes committed by the Kong family in recent years.
After Jiajing finished browsing the contents of the newspaper, he immediately looked at Lu Fang and said words of encouragement.
"Well, Lu Fang, you did a good job!"
Lu Fang, who had been observing secretly since just now, couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Jiajing's words.
Immediately, he reacted, bowed his hand to Jiajing, and said humbly.
"No matter where, this is all your Majesty's credit!"
"Um."
Faced with Lu Fang's compliment, Jiajing just responded in a subtle way, then changed the subject and spoke immediately.
"Lu Fang, tomorrow we will formally discuss the matter of reforming the land and returning it to rural areas at the cabinet meeting. I have an idea. You might as well check it for me first and see if there is anything that needs improvement."
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang immediately cheered up and responded respectfully.
"Your Majesty, please speak clearly!"
After that, Jiajing cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
"As the cabinet said earlier, the Southwest Chieftains have always been uneasy. If this is the case, then I have no need to keep them anymore. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to attack them first!"
"That's what I think. Soon, isn't the imperial court going to hold an exam specifically for the clan and nobles?"
"I'm wondering if I can take this opportunity to select some of the clan members and nobles to serve in the local area, so that they can have a good experience!"
When Jiajing said this, he turned his gaze to Lu Fang and asked closely.
"Lu Fang, what do you think of my idea?"
When Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, she gave her response after thinking about it for a long time.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I think your idea is very good. There is no need to doubt the loyalty of the clan and nobles to the imperial court. It is naturally appropriate to send them to serve in the southwest, but..."
"Just what?"
Jiajing saw a look of embarrassment on Lu Fang's face, raised his eyebrows, and followed up.
When Lu Fang saw Jiajing's eyes falling on her, she immediately plucked up the courage and spoke cautiously.
"Your Majesty, the folk customs in the southwest are fierce, and the local terrain is very complex and full of miasma. I am worried that the clan and nobles may complain about this. After all..."
After hearing Lu Fang's worries, Jiajing waved his hand and immediately spoke.
"Lu Fang, you don't have to worry about this. When the time comes, the clans and nobles will rush to send their children to the southwest!"
When Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face, but he quickly figured out the reason behind it and carefully confirmed it to Jiajing.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean..."
"Well, yes, I mainly want to take this opportunity to give them a try. If anyone performs well, I will consider it and promote them. This is what those clans and nobles dream of. !”
When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment and then added.
"Since the clan and nobles want to take this opportunity to regain their former glory, then I will give them this opportunity. Whether they can seize it or not depends entirely on them!"
After listening to Jiajing's explanation, Lu Fang was immediately convinced. She leaned down and said respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
After that, Jiajing changed the subject, turned his gaze to Lu Fang, and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Lu Fang, do your ink research for me. I will personally write a letter to Feng Yue and ask him to prepare in advance!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Feng Yue, a Jinshi in the fifth year of Jiajing, is currently the governor of Huguang. As the minister of the Ministry of War, he is the governor of military affairs in Huguang and Sichuan.
Jiajing's plan this time was to inform Feng Yue in advance of the news that the imperial court was about to implement land reform, so that he could mobilize ordnance, baggage, food and other materials in advance, and be ready to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion at any time!
Lu Fang quickly prepared the ink for Jiajing, stepped aside and said respectfully.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After that, Jiajing spread out his pen and paper, organized the words in his mind, and then started writing on the letter paper.
"Hopefully, the reason why I am writing this letter is to inform you that the imperial court will soon implement the policy of returning natives to locals during the Yongle period!"
"Since the chieftains in the southwest have always been uneasy, I plan to start with them first. You must mobilize ordnance, baggage, food and other materials in advance, and be ready to mobilize troops to suppress the rebellion at any time!"
"Not only that, I will also ask the Department of Arms to send you a large number of new weapons to suppress the rebellion. In addition..."
When the last word fell, Jiajing breathed a sigh of relief, and then checked it carefully from beginning to end. After confirming that it was correct, Jiajing put the brush aside.
Next, while waiting for the ink to dry, Lu Fang seemed to suddenly think of something, and boldly confirmed it to Jiajing.
"Is it possible that His Majesty is planning to take this opportunity to test the paper-cased bullets produced by the Ordnance Department?"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Lu Fang, nodded, and said.
"Well, that's right. Although the paper-cased bullets have been given priority to the Shenji Battalion, they still have to be tested on the battlefield!"
When Jiajing said this, after looking at Lu Fang up and down, he turned to ask.
"By the way, Lu Fang, last time the Ministry of Revenue allocated all the money that should be allocated. How many paper-cased bullets have been produced by the Arms Department so far?"
After Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, she gave her own response after thinking about it for a long time.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't know much about this, but judging from the output of the Arms Department, there should be tens of thousands of paper bullets."
"Well, I know!"
Jiajing did not comment on Lu Fang's answer, but nodded and immediately responded.
After that, Jiajing saw that the ink on the letter paper had dried, and immediately put it into an envelope, turned his eyes to Lu Fang, and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Lu Fang, deliver this letter to Feng Yue for me!"
"As ordered, Your Majesty, I will deliver it as soon as possible!"
Lu Fang solemnly took the envelope from Jiajing's hand and responded in a deep voice.
…
Capital City, Yan Mansion.
At this moment, in the study room, Yan Song slowly took off his reading glasses, immediately looked away from the newspaper in front of him, looked at Yan Shifan beside him, and then spoke.
"Did you see, Yan Shifan, if we had been nosy before, then it would probably be us who were written in this newspaper!"
"You know, the newspaper matter has always been handled by His Majesty himself. From this, we can see His Majesty's attitude towards Kong Shangxian!"
After Yan Song finished speaking, he picked up the teacup on the side and took a sip. At this moment, his face was full of joy.
Yan Shifan on the side heard Yan Song's words, but there was still a lingering look of worry on his face. After hesitating for a long time, he said slowly.
"Father, now that Kong Shangxian has been officially deposed as Duke Yan by His Majesty, I am worried..."
When Yan Song heard this, he knew that Yan Shifan was worried about his daughter Yan. After thinking about it for a moment, he immediately spoke.
"Don't worry, I will let people keep an eye on Kong Shangxian. After all, she is also my granddaughter, Yan Song, and it is not anyone else's turn to bully her!"
"Yes, father!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, a look of gratitude suddenly appeared on his face. He immediately stood up from his seat, cupped his hands and said respectfully.
After that, Yan Song turned his gaze to Yan Shifan aside, perhaps to consider him. After thinking about it for a long time, he slowly said.
"Yan Shifan, do you know why His Majesty agreed to the proposal of returning home without any hesitation?"
"You know, the risks involved are not small. If you don't pay attention, your whole body will be affected!"
After Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he immediately fell into deep thought. After a long time, he came back to his senses and said in a deep voice.
"Father...Father, I feel that back then the national treasury was empty, Japanese pirates were rampant along the southeastern coast, and there were Tatars watching eagerly in the north."
"Not only that, disasters occurred frequently in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Droughts, floods, floods, and locust plagues took turns. The imperial court really couldn't spare any time to deal with the chieftain issue in the southwest. Therefore, it could only deal with They turned a blind eye to what they did."
"Now, the national treasury is abundant. Not only the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast have been wiped out, but even the Tatars in the north have been defeated by the Ming Dynasty. Now that most of the foreign troubles have been eliminated, Your Majesty also feels that it is time to free up your hands to wipe out these insects! "
After listening to Yan Shifan's analysis, Yan Song nodded and then added.
"Well, what you said makes sense, but you missed the point."
When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he couldn't help but have a hint of curiosity on his face, and he immediately asked.
"Father, please speak clearly!"
Hearing this, Yan Song nodded slightly, and then began to speak his views unhurriedly.
"Your Majesty's purpose this time is to increase the court's control over the local area. You might as well think about it, during the Yongle period, why was the court able to implement the policy of reforming the native land and returning it to the local people in the southwest?"
"In the final analysis, it is nothing more than that at that time, the imperial court had absolute power and firmly controlled the local areas, and the local governments did not dare to disobey the imperial court's orders. But later, as the imperial court's control over the local areas gradually weakened, they had no choice but to regain their control. The chieftain system was restored."
"As for the current situation, just as you said before, the treasury is now abundant and most of the foreign enemies have been eliminated. Your Majesty can also free up your hands to deal with these insects with evil intentions!"
"In my opinion, His Majesty is clearly taking this opportunity to frighten the local forces that are ready to take action!"
Yan Song looked at Yan Shifan, who was already deep in thought not far away, and couldn't help but have a happy smile on his face.
In fact, there is one more important thing that Yan Song did not tell Yan Shifan, that is, the current His Majesty is one of the few powerful emperors in the Ming Dynasty!
Yes, in Yan Song's view, the Ming Dynasty has been founded for hundreds of years, and the real emperors who are worthy of the name, except for the Taizu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and the Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, are the current His Majesty.
Not only that, but His Majesty currently has a large number of capable ministers and generals to rely on. Whether it is Yandang or Qingliu, there are His Majesty's people.
"Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun, Hai Rui, Zhao Zhenji, Hu Zhili, Zhang Juzheng..."
One name after another flashed through Yan Song's mind, and when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
These people were either feudal officials or cabinet ministers. Even Hai Rui became the censor of the right capital and was in charge of the entire inspectorate.
You know, His Majesty just rebuilt the Shenji Camp not long ago, and the power he has in his hands has also been greatly enhanced.
Not to mention, there are the more than 25,000 soldiers that His Majesty asked Zhang Juzheng to train secretly earlier!
Yan Song has not forgotten that Jiajing has been on the throne for decades and has already accumulated great prestige. Not only that, the current His Majesty is in very strong health and does not appear to be old and comatose at all.
His control over this empire is constantly strengthening. At present, under the leadership of Jiajing, the Ming Dynasty has begun to regain its vitality and vitality, and its national power is steadily improving.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must hold on!"
"I, Yan Song, cannot live without you, Your Majesty, and Ming Dynasty cannot live without you, Your Majesty!"
Yan Song came back to his senses and muttered to himself silently.
After that, Yan Shifan, who was deep in thought on the side, perhaps figured out the reason behind this, and saw an inexplicable look in his eyes, and he spoke excitedly.
"Father, the child knows!"
When Yan Song heard this, he just glanced at Yan Shifan, then withdrew his gaze and turned to speak.
"Well, it's good if you can think about it. After all, leaving those people to us to govern, no matter what, it's better than those chieftains!"
After that, Yan Song changed the subject, turned his attention to Yan Shifan, and asked.
"By the way, Yan Shifan, do you know about the promotion of Hai Rui from the Inspectorate to Youdu Yushi?"
"If you reply to your father, the child will know!"
As soon as Yan Song finished speaking, Yan Shifan responded without thinking.
"You should pay more attention to this Hai Rui from now on and try not to offend others. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father, the child knows!"
After Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he immediately stood up from his seat, lowered his head, and responded in a deep voice.
"Okay, it's getting late, you should go back and rest quickly!"
Seeing that most of what needed to be said had been said, Yan Song ended the topic at the right time and turned to give instructions.
"Yes, father, please leave now!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he bowed his hands to Yan Song and immediately turned around and left.
(End of chapter)
