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After the heaven-sacrifice ceremony was over, it was already afternoon time. Emperor Deqing once again boarded the royal chariot and led all officials back to the Forbidden City. Then he held a palace banquet and had fun with the officials.
It is worth mentioning that during the palace banquet, Emperor Deqing took out a large number of internal treasures and gave them to important officials of the imperial court. Zhou Shangjing was given an old ginseng root by Emperor Deqing, and Li He was given an old ginseng root by Emperor Deqing. A piece of beautiful jade, Cheng Yuandao, was given by Emperor Deqing an inkstone that Su Dongpo had used.
However, Zhao Junchen and all "Zhao Party" officials were deliberately ignored by Emperor Deqing, and no one received rewards from Emperor Deqing.
Emperor Deqing's approach was obviously to deliberately alienate Zhao Junchen and reverse the wrong political signal he had inadvertently sent when he offered sacrifices to heaven, but it did have some effects.
Otherwise, the original rumor that "Zhao Junchen is the illegitimate son of Emperor Deqing" will probably arise again.
By the time all this was over and Zhao Junchen left the palace and returned to the Zhao Mansion, it was already approaching midnight.
All the activities on this day were to highlight Emperor Deqing's great achievements and martial virtues. Although Emperor Deqing was enjoying himself and enjoying the glory, all the officials were working extremely hard.
The same was true for Zhao Junchen. After he returned to the Zhao Mansion, he immediately lay down on the chair and refused to move.
Seeing Zhao Junchen like this, Cui Qianxue, Fang Ru, and Zhang Yu'er all felt distressed. They either brought tea or water, or pressed their shoulders and patted their backs, fearing that Zhao Junchen would be tired.
"Alas! My health is really not as good as it was back then. Just four or five months ago, I could ride my horse overnight to Huamachi Camp. Without any rest, I secretly started a mutiny and seized control of the three border areas of Shaanxi and Gansu. After that, I spent many days and nights studying defense and formulating strategies, and I didn't feel tired at all. It's nothing like now. I just can't hold on for a long time..."
Halfway through, Zhao Junchen stopped suddenly, but found that his words seemed to have a sense of déjà vu.
Oh, by the way, he had just heard Zhou Shangjing say similar words not long ago, but Zhou Shangjing is already over seventy years old...
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen had a strange expression. After a moment of silence, he said in a very serious tone: "I have to seriously recuperate my body. I can't go on like this."
Fang Ru's expression was distressed and complaining. While massaging Zhao Junchen's shoulders, she said: "Sir, you still have the nerve to say that your body is so unbearable because you worked too hard in Shaanxi and Gansu, but you were completely I didn’t know how to rest, so I left the root of the disease.”
Zhao Junchen smiled bitterly and shook his head. He did not refute, but just closed his eyes to rest.
However, although Zhao Junchen vowed that he must pay attention to recuperating his body, when he closed his eyes and rested his mind, his expression was still thoughtful, and it was obvious that his mind was still not idle.
After about a cup of tea, Zhao Junchen suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Fang Ru and Zhang Yuer, and asked slowly: "Tongji Temple has gradually become a trend now, and Zhang Daoquan has also done a lot under your noses." Things... do you think this person can take on a big responsibility?"
Seeing that Zhao Junchen was making some plans again, Fang Ru couldn't help but look helpless, but she still considered it seriously for a moment and asked: "Let him take on a big responsibility? It depends on how big the matter is!"
On the other side, Zhang Yuer also nodded and said: "After Sister Ru gave me the responsibility for the affairs of Tongji Temple, I also carefully inspected this Zhang Daoquan during this period and found that this person has a small cleverness but no great wisdom. He deceives and deceives ignorant believers. He is very skillful and has some quick wit to justify his explanation, but that’s all.”
Zhao Junchen asked again: "...if it is arranged for him to meet with His Majesty, do you think he is capable of dealing with His Majesty?"
Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er were both shocked when they heard Zhao Junchen's words.
Tongji Temple has always followed the path of the lower class, and most of the believers it has developed are from the bottom of society, such as government servants, concubines and maids of officials, etc. Although there are plans to use Tongji Temple to gradually penetrate the upper class of the government in the future. , but directly contact Emperor Deqing? Is this a step too big?
Seeing the shock and confusion of Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er, Zhao Junchen sighed and slowly told the series of chain effects caused by his birthday gift today.
Hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er became even more incredulous.
As the saying goes, it's not difficult for those who want it, but it's not difficult for those who don't. They all know how to make those "auspicious" and "fairy fruits". Zhao Junchen also briefly explained the principle to them. It's neither very valuable nor very difficult. , I just needed some time to try a few more times, but I didn’t expect that just these few ordinary apples would lead the always cautious and suspicious Emperor Deqing into a ditch.
After talking about what happened today, Zhao Junchen further explained his thoughts and said: "At that time, I made up a god named 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' to Your Majesty. Although it was a temporary idea, it was carefully considered and the intention was shared. Three floors!
First of all, I want to strengthen His Majesty's desire to seek immortals and visit the Tao, divert his attention, and stop him from always staring at me; secondly, adding the word "Nanhai" to the title of the immortal is to take advantage of the opportunity to develop. Shipping, by the way, I can also make a fortune from the internal funds; finally, when I made up the name of the immortal, I added the word "Three Saints", saying that this immortal has the best of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. In order to have some relationship between the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' and the 'Tongji Temple'! "
Zhang Yuer's mind was the most astute. She suddenly realized and said with admiration: "Sir, you can think of such profound things in a short time. It's really amazing! The title of 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' you made up, the more I think about it, the more I think about it." wonderful!
This immortal possesses the strengths of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism at the same time, so he is neither a Buddhist Bodhisattva nor a Taoist immortal. Naturally, he is separated from the mainstream religions. Neither Buddhism nor Taoism can take advantage of this!
At the same time, the beliefs of the 'Tongji Temple' have always been inclusive and open to all rivers. It not only worships the Buddhist Buddha, but also worships the Taoist Three Purities, and also takes into account the Confucian saints, which is quite consistent with the description of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea'... Your Majesty, once he sends people to secretly search for traces of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea', they will eventually find the 'Tongji Temple'! "
Zhao Junchen nodded and sighed: "Yes, that's what I mean! Since ancient times, both Buddhism and Taoism have had political ambitions. Once religion is involved in politics, the situation in the temple will become increasingly chaotic and complicated. If they are allowed to After discovering Emperor Deqing's desire to seek immortality and immortality, they will inevitably rush to show their presence. Thinking about this situation makes people have a headache...
The situation in the temple is already complicated enough, and I don’t want to add any more variables. Since Emperor Deqing already has the desire to seek immortality, then I must firmly control the development of this matter in my own hands, at least as much as possible. Reduce the disadvantages of this matter and gain benefits for yourself! At the same time, Tongji Temple has become a trend, and it’s time for it to play a greater role. It’s just the right time to take the opportunity to push it to the forefront! "
"That's why Sir, you asked Zhang Daoquan whether he would take on such a big responsibility because you foresaw that Your Majesty would be interested in Tongji Temple in the future..." Fang Ru couldn't help but think deeply, but she quickly shook her head and said, "But it's a pity. Ru'er thinks that Zhang Daoquan's city and mind are not enough to deal with His Majesty! Your Majesty's temperament has always been shrewd and suspicious. Even if you are the master, you may not be able to fool him easily, let alone Zhang Daoquan. After seeing Your Majesty, he is afraid that Our legs will be weak immediately, and our flaws will soon be exposed. Not only will we not be able to deceive His Majesty, but our relationship with Tongji Temple may also be exposed."
Zhang Yu'er also nodded in agreement: "Yes, even if His Majesty's mentality is becoming increasingly arrogant, he cannot be fooled by Zhang Daoquan and his like. His eloquence and quick wit are good, but his bones are too soft and his courage is not enough. To take on such a big responsibility.”
Hearing the answers from Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er, Zhao Junchen sighed with regret and said: "I didn't have high hopes for Zhang Daoquan, I just asked by chance, thinking that he might grow up in the past two years. Some, but now it seems that we still need to find another way... Think about it again, besides Zhang Daoquan, what other talents do Tongji Temple have? If there are other talents, they can replace Zhang Daoquan in taking on the big responsibility. "
After Zhang Yu'er pondered for a moment, she replied: "Speaking of which, Zhang Daoquan is a rare talent. Not to mention his argumentative skills and quick wit, just because he can integrate Buddhist and Taoist theories and compile a self-defeating religious system, This is something that few people can achieve. Even a magic stick can be called a wizard among magic sticks...
The other people in the Tongji Temple are not as good as Zhang Daoquan, but his eldest disciple Ma Zhong is quite worthy. In terms of courage and government, this person is far better than Zhang Daoquan. He has been a leader for many years. He secretly had an affair with Zhang Daoquan's wife, but Zhang Daoquan never noticed it. Instead, Zhang Daoquan trusted him and regarded him as a successor of the Taoist tradition...
But this man's talent and debating skills are far inferior to Zhang Daoquan's, and he is too courageous and wild-minded. He is not as easy to control as Zhang Daoquan. Now we are holding on to the reason why he had an affair with his wife, so that we can make him He is submissive and obedient, but if we abandon Zhang Daoquan and instead reuse him, this handle will not be effective. "
Zhao Junchen thought thoughtfully and said slowly: "A person's natural talent is often fixed, but a person's courage and talent can often change qualitatively overnight!
Perhaps, we can change our thinking. Since we cannot find talents enough to replace Zhang Daoquan from the Tongji Temple, can we try to change Zhang Daoquan's character? Perhaps, we can also take the opportunity to strengthen our control over Zhang Daoquan..."
Both Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er are well versed in conspiracy. After hearing Zhao Junchen's suggestion, many despicable plans suddenly emerged in their minds.
After Zhao Junchen thought for a long time, he said slowly: "In short, this matter must be planned in advance and carried out step by step!
First of all, he sent an order to Zhang Daoquan and asked him to try to make up a set of myths and doctrines about the "Three Saints of the South China Sea". This is what he is best at. He must put more thought into it and there must be no obvious flaws. !
Secondly, let the "Tongji Temple" secretly enshrine the statues of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" in advance, but do not publicize it to the outside world for the time being, and pretend to be secretive until Emperor Deqing sends people to visit the "Three Saints of the South China Sea". After the traces are traced, they will be discovered sooner or later;
Finally, we need to try to change Zhang Daoquan's temperament and give him some stimulation so that his courage and government are enough to take on big responsibilities..."
Speaking of this, Zhao Junchen suddenly raised his head and glanced at Cui Qianxue.
Ever since Zhao Junchen talked about business with Fang Ru and Zhang Yuer, Cui Qianxue has been fiddling with her clothes in every possible way. She is not interested in such things, let alone keeping them in mind. Zhao Junchen originally did not intend to avoid them. she.
But the conversation that followed touched on the despicability and darkness deep in human nature. Cui Qianxue had always been simple-minded, and Zhao Junchen did not want it to fall into her ears or taint her heart.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen suddenly smiled and said: "Qianxue, I was just dealing with His Majesty and his colleagues in the palace, and I didn't eat well. I also want to have another bowl of snow pear soup you made last time."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Cui Qianxue was stunned for a moment, but soon her face showed joy and said: "As long as you like it, I will make another bowl for you."
After saying that, Cui Qianxue got up and went to the small kitchen to make soup for Zhao Junchen.
After Cui Qianxue left, Zhao Junchen, Fang Ru, and Zhang Yuer started talking and discussing again.
Soon, another conspiracy was formed.
*
The matter of "Tongji Temple" will take some time to ferment, so there is no need to mention it further for the time being.
However, Zhao Junchen said that after taking a day's rest, he returned to the court for work on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
Compared with the end of last year, the official duties on Zhao Junchen's shoulders are still heavy and not much easier.
In the final analysis, most of the official duties handled by Zhao Junchen were related to Emperor Deqing's birthday. In fact, he was wiping Emperor Deqing's butt!
On the day of Emperor Deqing's birthday, he first generously rewarded officials with a month's salary, and then generously reduced the taxes of various prefectures and counties. He expressed his stance in a relaxed manner, but there is no doubt about his generosity. This disrupted the imperial government's fiscal plans and increased the pressure on the treasury. Many plans had to be re-formulated, and a series of measures to increase revenue and reduce expenditure were needed to maintain the turnover of treasury expenditures.
At the same time, Emperor Deqing also expressed that he would highly reward the Jianzhou Jurchens, Monan Mongolia, and North Korea for their obedient performance, and repay their tribute several times. However, because of the property tribute this time by the Jianzhou Jurchens and other ministries, There were so many treasures that the household and internal funds had to be bleed out in order to maintain the dignity of the Ming Dynasty.
It's okay to say that the former is just an internal matter within the Hubu Yamen. Zhao Junchen also has a series of backup plans that can be implemented, but the pressure is greater. But the latter is troublesome because it involves the Hubu, the Rites, and the internal transportation warehouse. In the yamen, if you want to reach a consensus, you must go through a series of wrangling and disputes.
How much should be rewarded and given back to Jianzhou Jurchen, Monan Mongolia, and Korea? How much effort should the Ministry of Accounts contribute? What percentage should be allocated to the internal transportation warehouse? Should the rewards and rewards be mainly money and food, or treasures?
Regarding these issues, the three yamen each hold their own opinions, and no one can convince anyone.
So, after a whole day of quarrels and heated debates, the matter finally reached the court of Emperor Deqing.
In the imperial study room, several cabinet ministers, Li Chengru, the Minister of Household Affairs, Lin Wei, the Minister of Rites, Sun Zhongliang, the eunuch in charge of the internal transportation warehouse, and others gathered together and expressed their opinions one after another.
Lin Wei, the Minister of Rites, cares most about the court's dignity and believes that the court should be as generous as possible this time, otherwise this year's grand event of all nations coming to court will turn into a joke, and the Ming Dynasty's influence on surrounding countries will not be maintained.
Under Zhao Junchen's instructions, Li Chengru, the Minister of Household Affairs, behaved like an iron rooster without plucking a hair. He insisted that the imperial court must not foster the bad habit of taking advantage of the situation in various countries. The reward was slightly higher than the tribute, so 20% to 30% was enough. Moreover, the rewards should be mainly flashy and rare, and the amount of money and food should be as little as possible.
On the one hand, Sun Zhongliang, the eunuch in charge of the internal transportation warehouse, agreed with part of Li Chengru's statement and believed that the imperial court should not be too generous when rewarding countries. However, on the other hand, he believed that the imperial court should not let the countries be too cold. Each country is now experiencing a food shortage, and the rewards should not be too generous. Nowadays, we should spend more money and food.
Ultimately, the three people's opinions are due to the different positions of their buttocks.
The Yamen of the Ministry of Rites is responsible for contacting various countries. Naturally, it hopes that the court will be more generous. The officials of the Ministry of Rites will then become famous and may even receive kickbacks from various countries.
The Hubu Yamen must bleed this time. Naturally, they hope that the imperial court will not be too generous when rewarding countries. Moreover, there is only money and food in the national treasury, and most of the treasures are stored in the internal transportation warehouse. If the imperial court rewards various countries with various treasures, If it is mainly used, the household department will be able to allocate less, and the internal transportation warehouse will allocate more.
It is precisely for the same reason that the views of the inner shipping warehouse and the household department are partly the same and partly opposite.
Seeing the three major yamen insisting on their own opinions and not giving in, Emperor Deqing couldn't help but feel a little headache.
From a selfish point of view, Emperor Deqing obviously agreed with the view of the inner transport warehouse. After all, the inner transport warehouse was Emperor Deqing's private property. However, Emperor Deqing also knew the court's financial and food dilemma, and he also did not want to harm himself or others. Raising tigers is a disaster.
After hesitation, Emperor Deqing turned his eyes to the cabinet ministers and asked, "Do the cabinet ministers have any different opinions?"
As Emperor Deqing finished speaking, Zhao Junchen stood up first and said before Zhou Shangjing and others could express their opinions: "Your Majesty, the views of each government office are different, and it also involves the image of the imperial court. Under such circumstances, it is natural that It is up to you to make the final decision in Qiankun. No matter what your Majesty says, I will obey your orders and do things... However, I have estimated that the tribute this year from Jianzhou Jurchen and other tribes is worth at least three million taels of silver, but Your Majesty, you also know the actual situation of the national treasury. If the treasury is allowed to spend too much money and food to reward countries, many plans will be affected and some things will have to be postponed for several years!"
When talking about "many plans" and "some things," Zhao Junchen was both vague and emphatic.
But Emperor Deqing understood Zhao Junchen's hint.
If Emperor Deqing forces the Ministry of Revenue to spend too much money and food to reward Jianzhou Jurchen and other tribes, then Emperor Deqing's plan to go to sea to find immortals will have to be postponed.
After understanding Zhao Junchen's hint, Emperor Deqing's expression suddenly became more solemn.
In a way, this can be regarded as an unexpected gain from Emperor Deqing's desire to seek immortality.
After a long silence, Emperor Deqing saw that the other cabinet ministers had no original opinions, so he turned his attention to Zhao Junchen again and asked: "So, according to Zhao Aiqing's idea, how should this matter be handled? Alas, neither can It affects the imperial court's future plans and cash and food turnover, but it is really a dilemma to maintain the dignity and influence of the imperial court and not to chill other countries."
Of course, there was one thing Emperor Deqing didn't say, that is, his internal transport warehouse should not bleed too much.
In short, Emperor Deqing still wanted to cover everything!
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this kind of thing is easy to handle!"
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Also, the previous chapter should have been Chapter 1043, but Bugs wrote it as Chapter 1034. I’m really sorry.
Why do I always get the wrong chapter number?
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