Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was the day for the cabinet meeting.
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
In the early morning, Jiajing put on his robes under the service of his personal eunuchs. Not long after, Lu Fang entered the Qianqing Palace with silent steps.
"This slave has met Your Majesty!"
"Um."
Jiajing heard this, and after a subtle response, he looked away from Lu Fang.
Then, Lu Fang quickly came to Jiajing's side, leaned down and reported respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Information Agency has finished printing the third issue of the newspaper. Look..."
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Lu Fang, waved his hand, and said: "Well, after the cabinet discussion is over, it will be officially released!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang responded without hesitation: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, a look of hesitation appeared on Lu Fang's face. She raised her head to look at Jiajing and said cautiously: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, actually I still have some news..."
Jiajing took in the expression on Lu Fang's face and immediately waved his hands and stepped back.
After the eunuchs who were waiting on the side retired one after another, Jiajing turned his eyes to Lu Fang and asked, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
After Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she carefully considered her words before speaking: "Your Majesty, I have received news that the ministers in the court are quite dissatisfied with His Royal Highness Prince Jing's stay in the capital. I threaten to state my interests and rights to Your Majesty in person!"
After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, the expression on his face did not change much. He just nodded and said: "Well, I understand. I will wait until I participate in the canonization of the Imperial Concubine Shen." After the ceremony, I will let him go back!"
Seeing this, Lu Fang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Just when he was about to say something, he heard Jiajing's voice ringing in his ears: "Okay, it's getting late, come with me." Cabinet!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, Lu Fang was seen walking in the direction of the cabinet, following Jiajing step by step.
…
On the other side, the cabinet.
Taking advantage of the gap before the emperor came, everyone hurriedly dealt with the memorial sent by the subordinate officials.
Since it was Hu Zongxian's first time to participate in cabinet discussions, he seemed a little anxious and uneasy.
Seeing this situation, Gao Gong on the side smiled and comforted him: "Brother Ruzhen, don't be nervous, this cabinet meeting is no different from usual!"
After Gao Gong finished speaking, the taciturn Zhang Juzheng also stood up and added: "Mr. Hu Ge, everyone has been here since this time. Just wait until you get used to it!"
Afterwards, everyone started chatting about each other.
But as we chatted, the topic inevitably came to Hu Zongxian.
After all, the imperial court's triennial plan has just concluded. In this plan, the imperial court has dismissed an unprecedented number of officials.
Before this, no one expected that the official department would act in such a strict manner and really implement Hu Zongxian's orders.
As Hu Zongxian said previously, the evaluation criteria for this major plan are mainly based on officials' performance during their term of office, their revealed talents, conduct, age, and competency.
In this process, Hu Zongxian did this and discovered many officials with outstanding political achievements and hard work who had not been promoted for a long time.
In Xu Jie's view, Hu Zongxian was clearly the most important factor in taking office as a new official!
After all, Hu Zongxian has just assumed the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and it coincides with the imperial court's triennial plan. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that Hu Zongxian wants to take this opportunity to perform well in front of His Majesty.
Even if it were him, Xu Jielai, he would do the same!
However, what made Xu Jie feel unhappy was that Hu Zongxian's fire burned him inexplicably.
Obviously before this, he had sent people to remind his subordinates time and time again to be more careful, but they did not seem to listen to his words, which resulted in them being caught off guard.
In this big plan, the people under Xu Jie suffered heavy losses. They were either impeached or removed from office.
In addition to Xu Jie, Yan Shifan on the side didn't look very good either.
Yan Shifan originally thought that since Hu Zongxian was his father's student, no matter what he said, he would still be a bit mean to his own people.
Because of this, Yan Shifan didn't pay too much attention to this big plan. In his opinion, it was just a formality!
Who would have known that Hu Zongxian would be so selfless, not only dealing with a large number of people from Qingliu's side, but also not sparing his own people.
Afterwards, when Yan Shifan, who looked aggrieved, came to Yan Song to complain, he was severely scolded by Yan Song, and successfully received the evaluation of "a useless thing".
Just as the thoughts of everyone in the cabinet were racing, a high-pitched voice was heard outside the cabinet: "Your Majesty is here!"
After hearing this, everyone knelt on the ground and waited quietly for the emperor's arrival.
After a while, Lu Fang followed Jiajing and entered the cabinet together.
After Jiajing sat down in his seat, everyone bowed again and said in unison: "I bow to your Majesty, long live my emperor!"
When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at everyone, waved his hands, and ordered: "Well, everyone, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving the emperor's permission, everyone stood up from the ground one after another and came to their respective seats to sit down.
Then, Jiajing looked around and set his eyes on Hu Zongxian. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said: "Well, Hu Aiqing, you did a good job in this big plan. I am very pleased!"
Hearing this, a trace of panic flashed across Hu Zongxian's face. He quickly stood up from his seat and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty is so ridiculous. This is just the responsibility of a humble minister!"
Jiajing heard Hu Zongxian's words, nodded, and said slowly: "Don't be too humble, some people can't even do their own duties well, just take those officials who were dismissed! "
"More than half of these people are those who bully their superiors, take bribes, prey on the common people, and disregard the law, while the rest are mediocre people who have seized high positions."
"As an official, I adhere to the principle of not seeking merit, but seeking no faults. When encountering problems, I only shirk and delay, which greatly damages the image of the imperial court!"
"For these people, the imperial court must take a heavy blow. This time the officials have set a good example. Therefore, I plan to give an extra silver reward to the officials after I come down!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone's faces were full of surprise. After all, this kind of thing was almost unheard of.
But soon, Yan Song and Xu Jie realized Jiajing's intention: "Your Majesty is protecting the calf!"
After all, this time the imperial court's triennial plan was really taken seriously by the officials. Although it achieved brilliant results, there was no guarantee that it would not offend others.
Hu Zongxian was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Although he did not dare to do anything to him openly, after this incident, someone would definitely make a stumbling block secretly.
His Majesty's payment of silver rewards to the Ministry of Personnel firmly tied Hu Zongxian and the Ministry of Personnel together, making the interests of both parties consistent.
In this way, those people will not target Hu Zongxian alone, but the entire official department.
After all, in addition to Hu Zongxian, officials of all sizes in the Ministry of Personnel also received considerable benefits from it!
Thinking of this, Yan Song and Xu Jie looked calmly in the direction of Hu Zongxian, their eyes full of envy.
Seeing that the topic was getting further and further away, Jiajing coughed twice, turned around, nodded slightly to Lu Fang who was waiting on the side, and signaled that the cabinet discussion could begin.
…
Upon hearing this, Lu Fang immediately stepped forward, faced everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Today's cabinet meeting, there are two main things to be discussed!"
"The first is what Zhao Zhenji, the governor of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang, said in the memorial, and the second is that the imperial court is preparing to officially go to war with Anda Khan of the Tumote tribe in the spring of next year!"
After Lu Fang finished speaking, he bowed to Jiajing and then returned to his position.
At this moment, everyone is still immersed in the news that the imperial court is about to go to war, unable to extricate themselves.
At this moment, a crisp sound of 'ding' was heard, bringing everyone back to reality. Following the sound, it turned out that it was Jiajing who knocked on the jade pan, and this also meant that the cabinet discussion had officially begun.
Immediately, I saw Xu Jie standing up impatiently and admonishing Jiajing: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. It is already October, and the imperial court plans to start a war with Ada Khan in the beginning of the next spring. Is there anything wrong with it?" Too hasty?"
"You must know that soldiers are important matters of the country, a place of life and death, between survival and death. They must..."
When Jiajing heard this, he just glanced at Xu Jie and said unhurriedly: "Since it is a cabinet meeting, let's discuss it one by one. Let's discuss the matter of Zhao Zhenji first!"
Seeing that Jiajing had spoken, everyone did not dare to make any more suggestions and could only nod in agreement.
Afterwards, after looking around, Jiajing faced everyone and asked: "I believe all of you have read the memorial that Zhao Zhenji sent to the court, right?"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone nodded.
Then, Xu Jie was the first to stand up, facing Jiajing, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I have my own personal report!"
"speak!"
After getting Jiajing's permission, Xu Jie organized the words in his mind, faced everyone, and began to explain his thoughts.
"The original intention of the imperial court to implement the conversion of rice to mulberry was to make up for the shortage of the national treasury. After His Majesty lifted the maritime ban, the silk, tea, porcelain and other commodities produced by our country in the Ming Dynasty were sought after by foreign countries. Therefore, the prices have also been rising. .”
"Today, the market price of a piece of silk has risen to fifteen taels of silver!"
"Not long ago, our Ming Dynasty signed a trade agreement with the Rakshasa Kingdom. This trade agreement can bring our Ming Dynasty at least 13.62 million taels of silver income every year!"
When Xu Jie said this, he paused for a moment, his expression became extremely serious, and then continued.
"But we can't just look at the immediate benefits, we should make long-term plans. We must know that Zhejiang has always been a major grain-producing province. Some places can produce two or even three crops a year!"
"The imperial court's annual grain revenue is four million dans, of which Nanzhili pays 1.8 million dans per year and Zhejiang pays 630,000 dans. In other words, Zhejiang needs to bear at least one-eighth of the imperial court's grains every year! "
"Now, the price of silk has skyrocketed, and the price of raw silk has also risen all the way. Now, as a raw material for producing silk, a pound of raw silk has risen to as much as three taels of silver!"
"When the people see the profit, they will rush to plant mulberry seedlings. When the time comes, the number of people willing to plant seedlings will decrease, and the amount of grain that the court can collect will also be reduced a lot, and there will inevitably be a shortage of grain. "
"It's okay when the weather is good, but once there is a natural or man-made disaster, the people of Zhejiang will suffer. You know, you can't eat mulberry seedlings!"
After Xu Jie finished explaining his point of view, his face was filled with unconcealable worry. He looked in the direction of Jiajing and continued.
"Your Majesty, you must know that focusing on agriculture and suppressing commerce has been a national policy since ancient times. We must not abandon the fundamentals and pursue the inferiors to shake the foundation of the country!"
Yan Song on the side heard Xu Jie's words, and his face was full of solemnity. After all, Xu Jie's words were quite reasonable. No matter from any angle, there was nothing wrong with them.
Not only that, Xu Jie also seized the moral high ground in one fell swoop. After all, once there is a shortage of food and people starve to death, big trouble will happen!
When the people are hungry, they are very likely to rise up in rebellion and shake the rule of the imperial court!
Yan Song understood that Xu Jie wanted to take this opportunity to criticize the successful conversion of rice to mulberry. If people starved to death after converting rice to mulberry, then he, Yan Song, would definitely be infamy in the history books.
Soon after, Jiajing was seen supporting his chin with one hand. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Well, what Mr. Xu Ge said makes sense. We can't just focus on the present, we should take a longer-term view!"
"The current surge in silk prices has indeed brought a lot of income to the people who grow mulberry seedlings, but as Mr. Xu Ge said just now, in the long run, it will definitely lead to food shortages!"
"Once there is a shortage of food, those merchants will definitely hoard it. When the price of food rises, it will be the ordinary people who suffer!"
Seeing that his proposal was approved by the emperor, Xu Jie's face was full of excitement that could not be concealed.
Yan Song, who was not far away, saw this situation and felt that something was wrong. After organizing the words in his mind, he immediately stood up and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I have a personal note!"
"speak!"
After the words fell, Jiajing waved his hand, signaling Yan Song to stand up and explain his point of view.
"Your Majesty, the situations that Mr. Xu Ge mentioned just now are certainly possible, but at present, those people have indeed gained a lot of profits and lived a good life by planting mulberry seedlings, and Your Majesty, you have exempted the people from a annual taxes.”
"In this way, we can hide wealth among the people. This is a good policy that benefits the country and the people. Now, one tael of silver can buy at least two stones of grain, and a pound of raw silk can be sold for three taels of silver! "
"Fujian and Jiangxi, the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang, are both major grain-producing provinces, especially Fujian. Today, under the governance of Governor Tan Lun, Fujian is gradually recovering its vitality. The grain produced in Fujian every year not only meets the daily needs of local people , most of them have been sold!”
When Yan Song said this, he paused for a moment and proposed an idea to Jiajing.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Now that sea trade is booming, why doesn't the imperial court try to import food from abroad through sea trade?"
"Both Siam and Jiaozhi are extremely rich in rice, and the local grain prices are also very cheap. The price is only one-third of that in the Ming Dynasty. No matter how bad the situation is, the Ming Dynasty can also import grain from Japan to fill the gap in Zhejiang. Food gap!”
"Besides, Annan was originally my hometown of the Ming Dynasty, but now I don't like the king and have rebelled many times. I think we can take this opportunity to provoke a war with Jiaozhi and make this place the granary of our Ming Dynasty. !”
"As long as we capture Jiaozhi, Ming Dynasty will no longer have to spend money to buy food from abroad!"
When Yan Song finished speaking, the cabinet suddenly fell into silence. No one expected that Yan Song would actually propose to recover Annan and start a war with Jiaozhi.
Vietnam was called Annan in ancient times, also known as Jiaozhou and Jiaozhi. It has been a territory of China since the Han and Tang Dynasties. During the war in the late Yuan Dynasty, Annan took the opportunity to break away from China's territory.
During the Hongwu period, Annan became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and was in a semi-independent state. During the Yongle period, the Chen family and the Hu family in Annan had internal strife. Hu Yiyuan and Hu Hancang usurped the throne. The Ming court supported Chen Tianping and sent troops to assist. The Ming army only sent out one expedition. In the year, they won a great victory and completely eliminated the regime established by the Hu family.
Since then, Annan has been under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. However, due to the Ming Dynasty's exploitation of the local people, rebellions continued.
Since Emperor Xuande, Ming Dynasty gradually lost control of Annan.
Successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty wanted to regain Annan, but due to the decline in national power, they had to put it on hold.
After Yan Song finished speaking, Gao Gong stood up, with a trace of hesitation on his face, and raised an objection to Jiajing: "Your Majesty, in the 19th year of Jiajing, Mo Dengyong led his ministers to Nanguan of the town to express his opinions. I, Ming Dynasty, please surrender!"
"Then I, the Ming Dynasty, demoted the Annan Kingdom to the Annan Dutong Envoy Department, changed its thirteen departments into the Thirteen Xuanwei Department, each established a Xuanfu, Tongzhi, Deputy Envoy, and Qianshi, and appointed Mo as the Annan Dutong Envoys, from the second rank, hereditary, pay tribute every three years."
"Since Annan has surrendered to Ming Dynasty, it is not good for Ming Dynasty to deliberately provoke a war at this time, right?"
As soon as Gao Gong finished speaking, Xu Jie stood up, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I think what Yan Ge said just now is very reasonable. Annan is a My hometown of Ming Dynasty!"
"Nowadays, although it ostensibly surrenders to the Ming Dynasty and pays tribute regularly, the Ming Dynasty does not get many actual benefits from it. It is just an empty name!"
"As Mr. Yan Ge said just now, as long as we capture Jiaozhi, our Ming Dynasty can solve the food problem once and for all, and there is no need to spend money to buy it!"
When Xu Jie said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "I, Da Ming, am his father-in-law in Annan. How can any father-in-law in this world pay for his children's things?"
After Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng, who had been silent, also stood up and put forward his own suggestions: "Your Majesty, I also feel that it is imperative to take this opportunity to capture Jiaozhi!"
Immediately afterwards, Hu Zongxian, who had been observing for a long time, also stood up, looked in the direction of Jiajing, leaned down and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I feel that although capturing Jiaozhi will bring many benefits to our Ming Dynasty, we must be cautious about this matter. After all, before this, the people in Annan rebelled repeatedly and did not obey the rule of our Ming Dynasty!"
After listening to everyone's opinions, Jiajing couldn't help but frown, and tapped his fingers on the table very rhythmically, making a 'ta-da' sound.
When everyone saw this situation, they all kept silent and did not dare to make any sound.
After a long time, Jiajing came back to his senses, faced everyone, and said slowly: "Well, it is true. Although Annan was once ruled by the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle, Hongxi, and Xuande years, the local people were fierce and did not obey. The rule of my Ming Dynasty is even hostile to my Ming Dynasty!”
At this moment, Yan Shifan on the side seemed to suddenly think of something, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said cautiously.
"Your Majesty, I feel that Ming Dynasty does not need to personally send officials to rule Jiaozhi. We only need to support obedient people to rise to power and ensure that we get enough food from Jiaozhi every year!"
"In this way, the costs that Ming Dynasty needs to pay will be greatly reduced. We only need to send a small number of troops to station in important places and assist them in suppressing domestic rebellions when necessary!"
After hearing Yan Shifan's proposal, Jiajing also had a look of surprise on his face.
What Yan Shifan meant was that after capturing Cochin, he would use Cochin as a granary and support a puppet regime as an agent to indirectly rule Cochin.
The Ming Dynasty only needs to obtain enough food from Jiaozhi every year to feed the country, and the rest is not required.
Once the puppet regime that was supported is disobedient, Ming Dynasty can immediately replace it with an obedient person to safeguard its own interests.
After Jiajing listened to Yan Shifan's proposal, he pondered for a moment and then spoke.
"Well, I think Yan Shifan's method is good. In this way, I, the Ming Dynasty, don't have to work so hard to send officials to rule this place, and I can eliminate the resistance of the locals as much as possible!"
Seeing that the emperor had made his decision, everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After that, the voice of Jiajing's ancient well was heard: "However, this matter cannot be rushed. It must be done step by step. For this first step, let's start with the Chen family that once ruled Annan. Find out if they are still there. Are there any surviving tribesmen?”
"If not, let me, Ming Dynasty, make some!" (End of Chapter)
