In the second hall of the governor's office of Liangjiang Governor Duolong, several cups of tea are exuding the fragrant aroma. Because the weather was a bit hot, Duolong had already changed into thin casual clothes without wearing a hat. He was shaking his fan and urging Jieshu and Geng Jingzhong to be crowned.
Duolong used to be the head of the guard stall outside the Qianqing Gate, and he, Jieshu and Geng Jingzhong were all old acquaintances who would never look up when they saw each other, so the two men stopped covering their heads and changed their clothes, just sitting there and chatting with each other. Duolong chatted and laughed. Echu, Ma Hu, and Liang Huafeng, the three local officials in Liangjiang and Jiangsu, as well as Wang Zhongxiao, Cao Xi, Cao Yin, and Shi Lang, the four people who were called by Duolong and Jieshu to accompany them, were also changed. The clothes fell down.
Everyone was chatting and laughing while waiting to taste the banquet prepared by the Liangjiang Governor's Yamen, which was quite enjoyable.
Wang Zhongxiao admired their demeanor as important ministers and looked at Shi Lang's big, dark face. This is a tricky thing! Not only was he capable, but he was also extremely difficult to serve. Like his unfilial father Wang Fuchen, he repeatedly jumped between the Qing Dynasty and Zheng Ming. Moreover, because his whole family was slaughtered by Zheng Chenggong, he and Zheng Ming were no longer on the same page, so It is impossible to praise Shi Lang for rebelling against the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty. Kangxi probably believed in Shi Lang very much because of this matter, and did not regard Shi Lang as a die-hard member of the Ao Party because of Tu Hai's "bit" before his death.
And if Kangxi had labeled Shi Lang as reliable, it would probably be a bit difficult for Wang Zhongxiao, the final minister, to frame this traitor.
After Jieshu, Geng Jingzhong, Duolong, Echu, Ma Hu, and Liang Huafeng finished talking about the scene, they finally started to talk about the business. Then he saw Jieshu's serious face: "Ma Futai, this time, in addition to sending He Shuo's consort to the vassal, this king also has a secret mission. Did the emperor tell you in the imperial mail?"
Although the name of Jiangsu Governor Ma Hu is a bit "sloppy", at first glance he is a shrewd and careful person. He is a nobleman with a red flag in Manchuria. He was a translation scholar in the ninth year of Shunzhi. Last year, he was released as the governor of Jiangsu in the eighth year of Kangxi. He has made great progress!
Hearing Jieshu's question, Governor Ma Hu immediately said with a serious face: "Your Majesty, the emperor has already told Beizhi. After Beizhi received the letter, he immediately dispatched 300 elite pacesetters, all of whom were put into plain clothes. The Humble Administrator's Garden where Wang Yongkang lives is under surveillance."
When Ma Hu talked about monitoring the Humble Administrator's Garden, a hint of surprise flashed across the faces of Shi Lang and Liang Huafeng. Obviously these two people didn't know that Wu Sangui's son-in-law was now Prince Zhu San.
However, General Echu of Jiangning and Cao Xi, the weaver in Jiangning who looked similar to Cao Yin, both looked calm.
Jieshu asked again, "Does Wang Yongkang look like the real Third Prince Zhu?"
It seems that Prince Kang is not a fool. He still has doubts about Wu Sangui marrying his daughter to Prince Zhu.
Ma Hu said: "Your Majesty, this Wang Yongkang is about the same age as Emperor Chongzhen's third son Ding Wang Zhu Cijiong. He also speaks a northern accent and looks elegant. In addition, according to the investigation of the Beizhi Office, he was from Shunzhi in about three years. He came from the north to escape hardship. When he first came here, he had no servants and an old mother to lead him. He bought a house in Suzhou to live in, but later he lived in poverty and became increasingly depressed. His mother passed away the year before last, and after some arrangements, the family property also disappeared. There was not much left, so he sold them all, collected some money and went to Yunnan. Unexpectedly, when he came back, he was already the son-in-law of King Pingxi. As for whether he is really the third prince of Zhu, he is not sure because of his humble position."
This is true enough!
Wang Zhongxiao breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that Ma Hu was doing things "too carefully" and it would be difficult to accidentally find out that Wang Yongkang was not the third prince Zhu.
But Shi Lang and Liang Huafeng were so shocked that their jaws almost dropped - Wu Sangui's son-in-law is Prince Zhu San? This guy turned out to be a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, he was hiding so deeply.
Jieshu shook his fan, thought for a moment, and then asked Governor Ma Hu: "What is Wang Yongkang busy with recently? Who does he interact with on weekdays?"
Ma Hu said: "This Wang Yongkang likes to make friends with people in official circles and scholars. He also holds poetry gatherings in his Humble Administrator's Garden from time to time to make friends through literature."
"Oh?" Jieshu asked, "Did you say anything against the Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty?"
"I don't know about my humble position," Ma Hu paused, "But... there is an anti-book circulating in Suzhou Prefecture recently!"
"Anti-book?" Jieshu asked, "How anti-book?"
Ma Hu said solemnly: "On the contrary, that is quite powerful!"
"Are you going to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty?" Geng Jingzhong, who was with Jie Shu, heard the word "anti" and became more energetic and followed suit.
He is interested in the rebellion.
"No more!" Ma Hu shook his head.
"What does more than mean?" Geng Jingzhong was stunned.
Ma Hu said: "If this book had been left in the Ming Dynasty, it would probably be an anti-book!"
"What? So contrary?" Geng Jingzhong was shocked, "Ma Futai, what exactly is written in this book?"
Jieshu also asked: "What book can be like that?"
Ma Hu winked at Cao Xi, who immediately took out a few thread-bound volumes from his sleeve pockets and gave them to his son Cao Yin, asking him to give one to each of Jieshu, Geng Jingzhong, Shi Lang, and Wang Zhongxiao.
"The World is a Public Theory." Jie Shu took a look at the book and read out the title in a low voice, then frowned, "The World is a Public Theory. It's quite familiar. I seem to have heard it said in Beijing! Could it be that there is one in Beijing as well?" The third prince Zhu’s accomplice?”
Ma Hu immediately explained: "Your Majesty, this 'the world is for the public' comes from the "Book of Rites". The original text is "The Journey of the Great Dao". The world is for the public, select the virtuous and capable, and maintain trust and harmony. Old friends do not only kiss their relatives, but also "The only son"
"Stop, stop, stop, I remembered!" Jie Shu blushed and waved his hands, "When I was in school, I could hear my ears ringing, and I had to recite it. But although I can't believe everything in the "Book of Rites", it's not true either. Go against the book!"
"Your Majesty, are you looking at who wrote this book?"
"Oh, is this Zhu Cijiong?" Jieshu took a look and asked, "Who is he?"
"He is the Third Prince Zhu!" Ma Hu replied, "My lord, have you forgotten? The name of this Third Prince Zhu is Cijiong. He is the third son of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty and was named Prince Ding."
"Oh" Jieshu nodded pretendingly. In fact, he didn't even know what the third prince Zhu's name was? Because the question books sent below all use "Pseudo Prince Zhu San" to refer to the endless killing Zhu Laosan.
"Then where is this book?" Jie Shu asked while flipping through the book.
"Your Majesty, this book is not only against me, the Qing Dynasty, but also against all the emperors from the First Emperor to the present!"
"Ah, you are so heartbroken?" Jie Shu was shocked.
Next to him, Geng Jingzhong's eyes widened, "Doesn't that mean that his own Emperor Chongzhen has also rebelled?"
"That's right!" Ma Hu nodded and said, "One of the chapters in this book is called "Original King", and it says, 'Those who become kings in the future are not like that. I think that all the rights and interests of the world belong to me, and I use the interests of the world to It is okay to attribute all the harm to oneself to oneself, and to attribute all the harm in the world to others." He also said, "There is no other. In ancient times, the world was the master, and the king was the guest. Anyone who manages the world for the whole life of the king is the world. Today, it is the world. The king is also the master, and the world is the guest. Anyone who has no place in the world and can find peace is the king. In order to use what he has not obtained, he slaughters the liver and brains of the world, separates the children of the world, and gains my inheritance. , It's not tragic.' Your Majesty, look at it, haven't you scolded all the emperors in the past and present? As long as the emperor regards the world as his own property, he will attribute all the harm to the world to others and disperse the world. Children, in order to gain one’s inheritance”
"Is this, this, is this Third Prince Zhu crazy? What does he want to do by writing such a counter-letter?"
"That's right, does he still want to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty? You are already a guest here, so why is the Ming Dynasty still here?"
"This Third Prince Zhu is unfaithful and unfilial!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it is simply a crime worthy of death, a heinous crime!"
Jieshu, Geng Jingzhong, Shi Lang, and Wang Zhongxiao all exclaimed. They have also seen counter-proposals, but to such an extent is simply appalling!
"It's not over yet!" Ma Hu said, "The following "Yuan Chen" is even more powerful. It says, 'The world is so big that it cannot be ruled by one person, but it can be divided and ruled by a group of workers. That's why I came out to be an official. "For the world, not for the king; for all the people, not for one surname." These words fundamentally deny the loyalty of the ministers to the emperor! This is the ultimate level of rebellion!
He also said that "the order of chaos in the world does not depend on the rise and fall of one surname, but on the joy and sorrow of all people." Therefore, the death of Jie and Zhou was the cause of governance; the rise of Qin, Mongolia, and Manchuria was the cause of chaos! '.These are also treasonous words, and they turn the rise of our Qing Dynasty into chaos! If Zhu Yuanzhang saw this and regarded the happiness of all the people as the standard for controlling chaos, he would have to kill the third prince Zhu!
What else is there to do? If you do not serve the world, you will be your servants and concubines; if you serve the world, you will be your teachers and friends. Fu Ran, he is called a minister, and his name has changed repeatedly. Husband, father and son are immutable. Look, what are these words? Okay! You, your king, your ministers, your fathers, your sons, your sons, can’t be taken away from you, let alone those of us who are slaves! "
"It's contrary, it's contrary, it's totally outrageous!"
"It's so rebellious. How dare Prince Zhu be so rebellious?"
"He probably knew he wouldn't be able to come back tomorrow, so he just broke the pot and threw it away?"
Ma Hu shook his head, pointed at the book and said, "There are more!"
"What else? Who else is he going to rebel against?" Jieshu asked with eyes wide open.
Ma Hu said: "He wants to rebel against the world's gentry!"
"What? How have the gentlemen in this world offended him?"
Ma Hu said: "The last article of this anti-book is about this. It is called "Equal Fields", also known as "Original Fields". It says that cultivators are the foundation of the world and are responsible for taxes, labor, and military service. Kings, ministers, The gentry all depend on it for their upbringing. If there is an invasion by a foreign enemy, the tillers must serve as soldiers to resist. Therefore, all the land in the world must be owned by the tillers. Otherwise, the tillers will become weaker and poorer, and in the end they will be unable to support them. To protect the country, the most important thing is to rise up! This was the fundamental reason for the demise of the Ming Dynasty!
The Third Prince Zhu also said that the current gentry and us Eight Banners disciples have gone too far and have occupied all the land in the world. As a result, the cultivators have no land, so they have to rent land for farming, and the rent is too high, and they have to bear the burden of the landowner. The taxes and labor that were passed on, the hard work, and little income, even the food and clothing had to be borrowed. Such a world is not a place of rule, but of chaos! We have to start from scratch, and then allocate land to farmers, and then serve as soldiers, serve in the army, and pay grain according to the amount of land allocated. Although those who have served as officials can get more land, they must be strictly limited. Even the king of the world cannot occupy too many fields.
Only in this way can all cultivators have their own land, the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the world can be well governed! "
"This, this, this," Jie Shu said in shock, "How come this is similar to what King Chuang did? Does Prince Zhu want to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, or does he want to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Shun Dynasty?" After saying this, he pointed to his hand again. The book in Li asked, "Have Duo Zhijun, Ma Futai, and Cao Langzhong been sent to the emperor?"
"Sent it away!" Duolong sighed, "I sent it away a long time ago. It should be sent to the south study room by now? I wonder how angry the emperor will be after reading it?"
"Have you all finished reading?"
In the south study room of Qianqing Palace, the suppressed angry voice of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty rang out.
"I've finished reading! Your Majesty, this book is so shocking that I can't keep it!"
"Your Majesty, I have finished reading this book. I also think this book is extremely rebellious!"
"Your Majesty, this book is full of treacherous words, and I suggest that it be banned immediately!"
"Your Majesty, my servants also suggest that this book be banned. Anyone who dares to keep it privately among the people will be severely punished!"
The ones who answered were four ministers lying on the ground, two full ministers and two Han ministers.
The two most trusted ministers are Mingzhu and Suo'etu. Emperor Kangxi's most trusted ministers are these two people who are in cahoots with each other for personal gain.
The two Han members were Kangxi's two teachers, Xiong Cilu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and Chen Tingjing, a probationary bachelor.
During the Shunzhi and Kangxi years, the Hanlin Academy was a government office that came and went. And whether there was a Hanlin Academy also involved the struggle between the imperial power of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the power of the kings and ministers who discussed political affairs. When the Si Fu Zheng came to power, there was no Hanlin Academy in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the kings and ministers met to discuss military and state affairs. The academicians of the three inner academies were responsible for drafting edicts, and the young emperor was responsible for agreeing.
But now that the little emperor is in power, the council of kings and ministers is responsible for standing aside when discussing government affairs, and the bachelors of the third inner house take on the responsibility of discussing political affairs. The little emperor still has to listen to suggestions, so the third inner house has become the cabinet again. In a while, they will no longer be called the Grand Bachelor of the Third Academy of Internal Medicine, but will be changed to the Grand Bachelor of the Zhonghe Hall, the Grand Bachelor of the Baohe Hall, the Grand Bachelor of the Wenhua Hall, and the Grand Bachelor of the Wuying Hall.
However, Kangxi was not at ease about handing over power to these bachelors, so he had to re-establish the Hanlin Academy and let the bachelors of the Hanlin Academy draft edicts and provide suggestions to himself at the same time - if you listen to both, you will understand!
At the same time, Kangxi was also an emperor who loved learning. He had a good relationship with some of the academicians of the Third Inner Academy who taught him Confucian classics, so he allowed them to enter the Hanlin Academy as pillars.
Following this "pillar", the Han dog officials of the Qing Dynasty also had a way to rise - first "roll" a first-class or second-class person and rank among the best, and then enter the Hanlin Academy to "roll". If you are handsome, speak well and have a nice voice, and are liked by both the emperor and the queen mother, you can become an emperor's master, and then you can become a very popular minister. In the history of the Qing Dynasty, there were probably only two Han ministers who climbed to the position of Prime Minister and Fu (the Han soldiers of the Eight Banners were bannermen) who did not have such experience. One was Zuo Zong, who had served as Minister of Military and Aircraft and Dongge University Scholar. Tang, one is Yuan Shikai, who was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet
At this moment, the two Manchu and two Han ministers whom Emperor Kangxi trusted the most all gave unanimous opinions - the book "The World is Public" must not be kept!
It’s so counterintuitive! Moreover, this book contains the same principles of rebellion written by the Third Prince Zhu. It is completely different to come from the mouth of an unknown person and from the mouth of the Third Prince Zhu.
Due to the special status of Prince Zhu San, this book is no longer an "anti-book" in the simple sense, but also the reflection and self-criticism of a subjugated prince. Every word is blood and tears, and every sentence is sincere, which is very convincing.
However, Kangxi's response to his subordinates' suggestion of an immediate ban was just a sigh: "It must be banned. But it's too late! Because the four books of "The World is Public" that I showed you are from Jiangsu and Yunnan respectively. , Guizhou, Sichuan!”
Hearing Kangxi's words, several ministers took a breath.
The "Tianxia Weigong Lun" in Jiangsu is easy to ban, which is nothing more than a literary prison. But what about Yun, Gui, and Sichuan? This is obviously the Prince of Pingxi's palace who is up to something. The incomplete book was printed on Wuhua Mountain. Who can go to Wuhua Mountain to check for counter-propaganda? There are not only rebel letters on Wuhua Mountain, but also heavily armed rebels!
"Your Majesty," Mingzhu said, "Wu Sangui is trying to stir up public opinion for rebellion! If the scholars in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are deceived by him and believe that he is rebelling for the sake of the common good of the world, then it will be difficult for the imperial court to destroy him!"
"Your Majesty," Xiong Cilu, who had just become a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, reminded, "Wu Sangui's rebellion in Yunnan-Guizhou is already a clear sign. The imperial court only needs soldiers to block it and water to cover it up. Besides, the people in Yungui-Sichuan are The land is small and wide, and the method of equalizing the land and dividing the land will not seduce many people. What I am worried about is the secret strategy set up by Wu Sangui and Zhu San in Jiangnan. The people in Jiangnan are too narrow, and there are many evil gentry and unruly people. Once Zhu San is killed, The prince is bewitching me, I’m afraid it will lead to chaos!”
Kangxi frowned and nodded slightly: "I am also worried about chaos in Jiangnan! Do you have any good ideas?"
"Your Majesty," Chen Tingjing suggested, "Jiangnan must not be in chaos. If Jiangnan is in chaos, the imperial court will have no military spending to suppress the southwest, and Wu Sangui will have an opportunity to take advantage of it! But the emperor should not worry too much. Because Prince Zhu San and Wu Sangui are here Did you make a big mistake while trying to demagogue people?”
"What's the big mistake?" Kangxi asked.
"They shouldn't use the idea of equalizing land to deceive people's minds!" Chen Tingjing said with a smile, "The so-called original monarch, original ministers, and original laws are fictitious to most Jiangnan gentry, but their land is real. Wu Sangui If you and Prince Zhu want to divide their land, isn't that to take away their lifeblood? Your Majesty, I suggest that the court ban the original monarch, original minister, and original law of "The World is Public", and at the same time print more Harada chapters in Jiangnan Distribute it so that all the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River can see clearly that what Wu Sangui, Zhu Third Prince and others want to do is no different from Li Chuang!"
"Okay!" Kangxi was overjoyed, "Chen Tingjing, you are indeed my Zhuge Kongming!"
(End of chapter)
