Nanjing, Imperial City, Little Palace.
The Little Palace, also known as Nangong, was the original Dongwang Palace. It is now the palace of Zhu Cijiong, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty who had a daily salary of one hundred taels.
Although the Emperor of the Republic had long proposed a salary increase, his proposal was shelved by the General's Office and the Ministry of Secretariat, and he could not even reach the National People's Congress. Therefore, Zhu Cijiong did not have the money to repair the huge Forbidden City passed down by Zhu Yuanzhang, which was now in disrepair.
But after all, Zhu Cijiong is an emperor who has endured hardships. He was quite happy eating the pickled vegetables and rolled tofu during the Chinese New Year. Now he is also an emperor who "gets married in a hundred or two days", which is a hundred taels of silver!
As long as you don't squander the family carelessly and don't let the eunuchs below or the servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs trick you into death, one hundred taels of silver a day will be enough.
Moreover, the republican emperor could still earn some extra money, and he also had Concubine Yang who was very good at running the household. Under her management, the emperor's family was living a good life.
Anyway, when Li Zhongshan entered the palace with Chen Yonghua and Lu Sanhao this time, he saw that the inside and outside of the small palace had been repainted. The damaged areas caused by the previous battles have also been repaired. The palaces and servants coming in and out (the emperor of the Republic has no eunuchs) are all well-dressed and well-nourished. The various ornaments and pendants in the palace look quite exquisite. Although the style is obvious at first glance, it is not a luxury product exclusively for the royal family, but an ordinary people's item bought from a private store, but it is beautiful, practical and saves money, so there seems to be nothing wrong with it.
"Fufu, Sanhao, our emperor seems to be living a good life! He still has time to write about how to eat duck in the "Guo Shi Review"."
In a verandah for waiting ministers to rest outside the main hall of the Nangong Palace, while drinking tea and reading a newspaper called "Guo Shi Review", General Li casually chatted with two ministers from the Ming Dynasty's Shangshu Province. The second in command (tied) talked about the happy life of the emperor of the Republic.
This "National Scholars Review" is a very interesting newspaper. It was co-organized by several big guys in the National People's Political Council. It was funded by the Tiandihui, and Li Zhongshan himself was one of the founders.
He originally wanted to start a newspaper to promote his ideas, but he was too busy and had no energy to take care of it, so he left it to Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and Wang Fuzhi.
Under the management of these three people, this "National Scholars Review" actually became popular very quickly - it was a publication specializing in "criticizing the world" run by Mr. Yuan Rusan, how could it not be popular?
The "National Scholars Review" run by the three of them became popular not only because of the reputation of the three of them, but also because they really have a lot in common with the "newspaper-reading class" of the Ming Dynasty today.
In this "National Scholars Review", in addition to reporting on major events "inside and outside the Ming Dynasty" and announcements of the National People's Congress, there are also debate articles written by the leaders of the National Political Council, and a "comment" is highlighted. Some comment on current affairs, some comment on poems and songs, some comment on ancient and modern figures, some comment on local specialties, some comment on opera, some comment on the food, drink and entertainment in Nanjing, and even some girls comment on the Qinhuai River of
Moreover, these "review articles" are not all written in hard-to-understand classical Chinese. A considerable number of them are written in easy-to-read contemporary (referring to the Ming Dynasty and the Republic of China) vernacular, which can be understood by anyone who knows a few words. Even those who don't know much about literacy can understand it. Therefore, this "National Scholars Review" has been very popular from the beginning and has a huge audience. An issue is released every three days, and each issue has more than 100,000 genuine copies printed. If you include pirated copies, there are hundreds of thousands of copies.
You must know that this "National Scholars Review" was only published at the beginning of this year, and it became a hit within a few months!
In the latest "National Scholars Review", Li Zhongshan also saw an article signed "Emperor of the Republic". This is an article that reviews the delicious salted duck, salted duck and roast duck in Nanjing. This emperor knows so much and is so knowledgeable!
"The writing is pretty good!" Li Zhongshan said to Chen Yonghua and Lu Sanhao with a smile after reading the article about the Emperor of the Republic, "I didn't expect our emperor to be so good at this."
"The emperor is making money!" Lu San said with a smile, "In the past few issues, I have been reviewing ducks. In the previous issues, I was reviewing silks and satins made by the four major weaving companies. Before that, I was reviewing porcelain. These were all written after receiving money. .His articles are not cheap. One article can cost two to three hundred taels, which is almost as much as the emperor’s salary (the emperor’s salary).”
"Is there such a thing?" Li Zhongshan was stunned and thought to himself: Has the emperor become an advertising expert? But this also shows that the industrial and commercial economy in the southeast of Ming Dynasty has developed very well! Well, this is all due to the good leadership of this great general. Now that the imperial court has no money to fight the war, the merchants in the southeastern part of the Ming Dynasty must give more money!
Chen Yonghua said: "The emperor doesn't comment randomly. It's really good to get something that he praises. So his pen has been rising. At the beginning, the three gentlemen wanted the emperor to earn some pen, which was a disguised form of increasing the emperor's pen." Salary. Unexpectedly, everyone liked his reviews, and more and more people read them. There are also many traders in Nanjing who pay him to review their goods, and his writing skills are getting better and better."
"This is King Yuanjunsu," Li Zhongshan said with a smile. "King Yuanjunsu is down-to-earth and truly understands the sufferings and preferences of the people. Although our emperor is the son of the late emperor, he has not been in the palace for a long time. The prince, so he knows everything.”
"I also heard that the emperor also wanted to comment on the girls from the Qinhuai River." Chen Yonghua said with a smile, "Comment on a new Qinhuai Eight Beauties, but Concubine Yang didn't allow it, so I had to give up."
"The noble concubine did the right thing!" Li Zhongshan nodded and said with a smile, "Our emperor is the prime king and must be a virtuous king. It is not appropriate to comment on the women in the brothel. But we can ask the emperor to come forward and comment on me, the Ming Dynasty. Bullish sentiment.”
"What do you mean the people of Ming Dynasty are bullish about the market?"
"That's right. Chinese people can't buy or sell, so why are they so bullish?"
Even Chen Yonghua and Lu Sanhao don't understand why Li Zhongshan deceived people in retrospect?
Li Zhongshan closed the "National Scholars Review" newspaper in his hand, smiled and said to the two of them: "San Hao, Fu Fu, aren't we tight on money now? And it's time to spend money now. The current situation, Ming, Zhou and Qing The Three Kingdoms fight to the end to see who can overwhelmingly invest in military spending!
If we rely solely on tax collection, even if we hold Jiangnan and Guangdong, two extremely wealthy territories, we may not be sure of victory. After all, everyone doesn’t like paying taxes!
There are still only two ways to raise money quickly and in large quantities. One is to sell one's identity as a national or a national, and the other is to borrow money from merchants in Jiangsu and Guangdong! "
"Shikai, there are many people who object to this matter of betraying the identity of a countryman and a countryman!"
"That's right, almost all those who have obtained the status of nationals and nationals do not want us to sell the status of nationals and nationals in large quantities. And the state governments that have implemented or are about to implement the national government do not support the rapid increase of the national government. .”
Li Zhongshan had known this situation for a long time, and he just smiled and said: "The country and the people discussing politics are just business! There are more people in the country, and the benefits are less. And there are many places for the people to discuss politics. , there will be fewer seats for exiled officials. Those scholars who have bought the status of national scholars and can pass the official examination and the provincial examination, of course, do not want other state governments to engage in people's deliberations on government. Once people's deliberations on government are implemented, those state governments will The number of official positions will be reduced, and many second-ranking officials will be recommended for local political affairs, so they will have fewer opportunities to serve as officials in other places."
Of course there are benefits to this countryman and his countrymen!
First of all, the people and scholars of this country have certain political privileges. They can meet officials without kneeling, they can not be slapped when they are on trial, they can discuss politics, they can write letters and speak out, and they can have priority in entering local official schools.
Don't underestimate this privilege. With this privilege, local officials cannot manipulate it casually.
Secondly, as long as Chinese people and soldiers join the army, they are eligible to be allocated land or homesteads in big cities (the location is of course not good). For Chinese people without industry, this economic benefit is still very attractive.
Third, a national scholar is equivalent to having the title of scholar. As long as he passes the local officials, he can serve as a low-level official in the local area, and he can also take the provincial examination to be a judicial officer. After passing the examination, you can go to the reform schools in Nanjing and Guangzhou to study New Confucianism and practical management of the world. After graduating from the Reform School and passing the examination, you can become a Jinshi, and then you can become a local mid-level official.
Of course, low-level local officials can also be promoted to mid- to high-level officials without having to take the provincial examination or study in a reform school.
Chinese people can also obtain the qualifications to serve as officials by serving in the military and being awarded the title of National Scholar. They can also be directly admitted to Nanjing and Guangzhou Jiangwu Hall - graduating from the Jiangwu Hall will be a National Scholar!
The way to become a Chinese citizen or a scholar is currently open, mainly through passing the imperial examination to become a scholar. It is not easy to become a scholar! For each hospital examination, the maximum number of students in a county is only twenty.
In other words, the number of national scholars produced through the imperial examination is extremely limited, and it is impossible to form the basis for people to discuss politics, and it is also difficult to dilute the interests of existing people and national scholars.
Of course, it is impossible for the scholars and scholars produced through the imperial examination to give much help to the current Ming Dynasty.
"General, you must have thought of some clever trick, right?"
"General, if you have any clever ideas, just tell me and I will give you some advice."
After hearing Li Zhongshan's analysis, Lu Sanhao and Chen Yonghua knew that he must have a clever trick!
Li Zhongshan nodded and said: "There is no good move, but there is one bad move! It is 'As long as the people of the country rise, everything will be solved'!"
"Rising?"
"Why did it rise?"
Li Zhongshan said: "The threshold for becoming a Chinese must be raised greatly, and keep rising! Only in this way, people who have become Chinese before will feel that they have taken advantage, and that this Chinese is right. In this way, they will not strongly oppose it. Let’s expand the scale of Chinese people. People who have not become Chinese people before will also follow the trend and buy because Chinese people have risen! Moreover, Chinese people are selling at a higher price, so naturally they don’t need to sell too much to make enough money.
In addition, in order to create demand, we can also stipulate the inheritance of nationals and scholars! "
"inherit?"
"How do I inherit this?"
Li Zhongshan said: "What I mean is that this Chinese identity can be inherited, but it can only be inherited one-to-one. The heir can be a son, brother, son-in-law, nephew, or even an elder. But a Chinese can only pass on his identity to For a relative, there is no such thing as a Chinese citizen’s son. In addition, the sons of kings, dukes, marquises, uncles, sons, barons, etc., can all obtain the status of Chinese citizens!
The status of a national scholar cannot be inherited!
In this way, many wealthy national scholars and citizens will buy a national identity for their sons who have just been born or even have not yet been born. "
Chen Yonghua frowned and asked: "Then can those who have no money still become Chinese citizens?"
Lu Sanhao also had the same idea, nodded and said: "Yes, we in tomorrow's dynasty can't just accept money, right?"
"Of course!" Li Zhongshan said, "In today's troubled times, how can we stop strong men from being promoted through meritorious service. However, this threshold must also be raised. Originally, one could become a citizen by serving as a soldier, but now it has to be changed to serve as a soldier for ten years or more. You have to achieve certain military exploits to become a citizen of the country!
In addition, if you become a soldier of the Chinese people, you will get a piece of land that is enough to feed and clothe your family! In this way, former soldiers who became Chinese soldiers will feel that they have taken a big advantage. The new soldiers will definitely work harder to become citizens and receive land. "
His method is the same as Roman citizenship in the early years!
This Roman citizenship once exuded an alluring aroma, and many warriors from Roman overseas provinces who wanted to obtain Roman citizenship even did not hesitate to serve as soldiers for Rome!
Moreover, these non-Romans, who had difficulty becoming Roman citizens, also have a very strong sense of identity with Rome.
Now Li Zhongshan has packaged this Roman citizenship as a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. Now he is using it to deceive the strong men and wealthy people in the Ming Dynasty. In the future, if there is an opportunity, he can also give some to foreigners who admire the strength of the Ming Dynasty.
"The method is not bad." Chen Yonghua asked, "But I am afraid that no one will recognize our method of driving up the prices of Chinese people."
Lu Sanhao thought for a while and asked: "Brother Shikai, you don't want to use "Guo Shi Ping" to advocate how valuable the Chinese people are, right?"
Li Zhongshan nodded and said: "Not only does the "Guoshi Review" help promote it, we also have to use all means to promote it. We have to let everyone know that the situation in the Ming Dynasty is great, and that the three-point world is as solid as gold, so this countryman will definitely do it in the future. It will rise even higher. If you don’t buy it now, you will regret it for the rest of your life!
We can even get some support so that everyone knows that Chinese identity is in short supply! "
His method was to artificially create a tense relationship between supply and demand, publish false good news, and conduct false transactions to drive up prices. Using this method to deal with the gentry and young men of the Ming Dynasty, wouldn't it be a piece of cake?
"Hahaha, the general has a solution! With the general strategizing, I can rest easy!"
Li Zhongshan had just told Chen Yonghua and Lu Sanhao how he was going to increase his status as a Chinese citizen, issue additional shares at a high position, and get a large sum of money and young men, when Zhu Cijiong's voice came over.
Li Zhongshan, Chen Yonghua, and Lu Sanhao quickly stood up and followed the sound, and saw an emperor of the Republic of Ming Dynasty dressed as a scribe walking over with a spring breeze on his face.
"I respectfully send you your Majesty's greetings."
When the three ministers saw the emperor coming, they quickly bowed to him.
Zhu Cijiong waved his hand and said: "Pingshen Pingsheng, everyone, please sit down. After you sit down, tell me how I can help promote this Chinese market?"
Hearing what Zhu Cijiong said, Li Zhongshan, Chen Yonghua, and Lu Sanhao all laughed.
This emperor is really a rare wise king in the Ming Dynasty! With such a wise king, why worry about not having the four families return to the Ming Dynasty?
The Qing Dynasty, Beijing City, the Imperial Palace.
Emperor Kangxi, who had just completed his wedding, was hosting a banquet in Qianqing Palace to entertain his uncle Yang Qilong.
The emperor seemed to be in a good mood - his new wife was already two months pregnant! She is two months pregnant right after getting married. This is a good sign!
Of course, Imperial Physician Le and Little Guizi’s father-in-law helped Kangxi make ends meet, so the child in his belly must be his! Because this Kangxi had already asked her to sleep with Yang Xiaomi before he held his wedding.
Moreover, Imperial Physician Le also told Kangxi that after carefully taking her pulse, there was a 60% chance that the child in Queen Yang's belly would be a boy, and only a 30% chance of being a girl!
There's a chance they're twins!
Anyway, it’s very likely that it’s a boy!
So Kangxi had already named his future prince, "Baoqing" - to protect the Qing Dynasty!
Of course, keeping the Qing Dynasty could not rely solely on Kangxi's son, Kangxi himself also had to work hard. Today, he hosted a banquet for Yang Qilong in the Palace of Qianqing, just to work hard to protect his innocence.
"Brother Yang," Kangxi politely called his uncle "Brother Yang," and then said to him pleasantly, "North Korea has expelled the envoys I sent and they refused to accept my supervision from the Qing Dynasty. The country seems to be preparing to rebel!"
Of course it was impossible for North Korea to accept the supervision of the Qing Dynasty. The previous Ming and Qing Dynasties did not send supervisors to the country. Now the Qing Dynasty has declined like this. Why should they send supervisors to the powerful Korean Kingdom?
The Kingdom of Korea was already being kind-hearted if it did not unite with the Ming Dynasty to attack "Hu Qing". The Qing Dynasty actually wanted to send supervisors to the country, which was simply unreasonable!
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, as long as you are here, the Kingdom of Korea cannot be overturned!" Yang Qilong said confidently.
Kangxi nodded with satisfaction and said: "Brother Yang, this Korean expedition is directly related to my prestige. You must not have any accidents. If you are not sure, I will send more troops to you to make sure everything is foolproof." "
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Yang Qilong said, "This time there are 30,000 land and water troops in the North Korean expedition, and they will also march by sea and attack the royal capital of North Korea. We will definitely be able to catch them off guard!"
"Okay!" Kangxi said with a smile, "Then I will wait for your success in Beijing. This is the result of the destruction of the country!"
(End of chapter)
