When Yang Sichang was tortured, many scholar-bureaucrats were also present. These people were very silent at this time, although many of them still sympathized with Yang Sichang's fate.
But now Dongchang's eyes and ears are spread among the government and the public, and there are even many clan members in the capital to supervise them. Therefore, no one dares to express sympathy for Yang Sichang.
Now that the emperor is powerful enough, the scholar-bureaucrats are more disciplined and do not dare to make trouble or criticize others at will.
However, this does not mean that scholar-bureaucrats will become the emperor's tools, without their own thoughts and principles of officialdom.
Therefore, in a safe enough environment, such as in a pavilion that is open and difficult to hide people, or on a boat on the lake, three or five civil servants will still leave the servants and maids around them and say something sincere.
"It's really sad that Yang Wenruo ended up like this. After all, a mantis' arm can't stop a car!"
At this time, Huang Shijun, the young minister of Zhan, mentioned Yang Sichang to his colleagues Fang Kezhuang, the censor of Qiandu, and Xie Sheng, the young minister of Taichang Temple, on the boat in Yuanzili at home.
Fang Kezhuang laughed disdainfully and said: "Yang Wenruo has always had a high self-esteem, but in fact, he just has his eyes above his head. A son of a family who has been well-dressed and well-fed since he was a child. He has not been deeply involved in the world. I don't know. The affairs of the world are not just talk on paper. I thought I could just talk the talk, but I even thought of instigating the Japanese shogunate to oppose His Majesty overseas. But in fact, Your Majesty has already responded. The coastal defense insurance has collected a lot of silver coins, and the money for sending troops has been prepared. Okay, just wait to go straight to Edo!"
"Fang Gong is right. After all, Yang Wenruo is more courageous and less resourceful. However, he is also rich in clothes and fine food. He has never experienced the world, but his majesty is able to control and play with the ministers in the palm of his hand. Now the Japanese slaves are even more frightened. The compensation is really surprising. Maybe our emperor is really gifted and extraordinary! But Yang Sichang only deserves to be called a traitor and become a traitor!"
As he spoke, Xie Sheng glanced at the water outside the cabin rather helplessly. Since there was no one around him except two colleagues who were already close friends, he gritted his teeth and said in a voice that only he himself could hear. : "It's so blind that the sky has no eyes to allow such a clever emperor to rule the world. We, the scholar-bureaucrats, have to live with our tail between our legs!"
Fang Kezhuang just smiled bitterly.
Huang Shijun only nodded. Although he did not dare to scold the emperor now, he had no motivation to praise the emperor, because as a middle-level civil servant of the imperial court, he did not catch up with the opportunity to invest in government-owned industries, so he did not share interests with the royal family. bound, and he prided himself on being pure, so he was not very willing to praise the emperor, especially in such unofficial occasions.
Moreover, Huang Shijun also objected to turning such a private party on board into a party of flattery, so he changed the subject and said: "Although Yang Sichang is a traitor, because of him, the imperial court suddenly gained 30 million yuan in silver coins. compensation, the silver in the treasury reached a new high, but even so, it seems that the imperial court undoubtedly reduced taxes and fees, and abolished the Western Factory that collected taxes. Instead, it only ordered a large-scale construction project. Now I heard that all provinces have to report to the government to build more official roads. According to the plan, even the main roads between the two capitals will use the latest cement developed by the Academy of Sciences. It is said that this cement is newly made mud, which can quickly harden the road and knock it like solid wood. However, the cost is quite high, but the court still spent a lot of money. By using this to pave the way, the Japanese country will pay compensation, otherwise even if the national treasury is a golden mountain, it will be drained."
When Fang Kezhuang heard this, he couldn't help but punched the table: "Fang thieves and other powerful traitors are abominable! I don't know that Your Majesty Jianyan is frivolous in corvee and low in gifts. The national treasury is now very abundant. Now there are 30 million more The compensation of yuan and silver coins can completely relieve the people of the world and make them rich! Or the West Factory can be dismantled and there is no need to impose strict taxes."
Although today's Tianqi Dynasty is densely populated with factory guards, as long as they are not scolding the emperor and the ministers are scolding each other, the factory guards are still too lazy to take care of it. Zhu Youxiao doesn't have that much energy to interfere. Therefore, Fang Congzhe will still be punished by the court. The minister rebuked him as a traitor, but only behind his back and did not dare to do it openly. After all, if he scolded him openly now, Emperor Zhu Youxiao would still go out and protect the dignity of his chief minister.
Therefore, Fang Kezhuang can now scold Fang Congzhe directly.
In fact, there are many officials in both the government and the public who want to overthrow Fang Congzhe. The reasons are different, but the purpose is to bring down Fang Congzhe.
Just like the Jiajing period in history, even though Yan Song controlled the cabinet for more than 20 years and was favored by Jiajing, there were still many civil servants who had the intention of disloyalty.
The same is true for the current Tianqi Dynasty.
"They want it so!"
Xie Sheng continued, and then said: "Then, they can take advantage of the opportunity to make money. Just one project can make them a lot of money. Although your Majesty is wise, he lives in a high place and it is difficult to know everything about what is going on below. In any case, this way If this continues, wealth will only flow to the powerful and the common people, and we, the gentry, will no longer be as rich as before! In the future of the world, those who are as rich as the country will also be the ones with the power to rival the country, and the politics of the aristocratic families of the past will reappear!"
…
"You mean, there will be aristocratic families in the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Youxiao asked Yuan Keli to go to Beijing to serve as Shangshu of the Ministry of War.
Because when Yuan Keli reported his duties to him alone as the emperor, he also mentioned that the current wealth of the Ming Dynasty was not only flowing into the hands of the people through factories and projects, but also flowing into the hands of the old ministers and governors who had invested in government-run industries, as well as the nobles and vassals. , Therefore, Zhu Youxiao is now asking Yuan Keli.
"I am not being alarmist. Moreover, I believe that your Majesty, with his wisdom, must have anticipated this step."
Yuan Keli pursed his lips and replied with cupped hands.
Zhu Youxiao stared at him seriously. He didn't expect Yuan Keli to have such courage to propose this.
You must know that with Yuan Keli's current status, he can completely acquiesce to this phenomenon and naturally become what he calls a "rich family member". After all, Yuan Keli is not only a member of the Guide family, he is quite popular among scholars, and he has been involved in side affairs for a long time. , has made many military exploits, is also very prestigious among military generals, and has also invested in Zhu Youxiao's official industry. He asked the emperor to be wary of the emergence of aristocratic families, which was equivalent to asking the emperor to be wary of himself.
"It seems that my restoration of the reputation of Zhang Juzheng and others, and my clear and strong support for Xiong Tingbi, Bi Ziyan and other civil servants who dared to serve the country and the people, were effective. Did the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty follow the ethos of the early Wanli period? Even Yuan Keli They are starting to break away from class limitations and think about the long-term future of the country."
Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but thought.
But Zhu Youxiao did not express his position directly, only nodded: "I understand, please step back."
Yuan Keli was stunned for a moment.
He believed that His Majesty was an emperor who was keen on innovation and extremely resourceful. Therefore, he had long made up his mind to risk his life and state the hidden worries he had seen to the emperor when he went to Beijing to report on his duties.
But he didn't expect that the emperor acted very calmly, and there was no sign of agitation in Gujing Wubo's eyes.
"yes!"
Yuan Keli had no choice but to leave.
"What Yuan Aiqing said today must not be leaked. If it is leaked, I will kill you Wang Chengen first!"
Zhu Youxiao ordered in a cold tone after Yuan Keli left.
Wang Chengen was so frightened that he crouched on the ground: "I don't dare!"
Here, Yuan Keli received a letter placed in his sedan in advance after leaving the palace.
The letter was written to him by Hong Chengchou's trustee.
Because Yuan Keli was once considered Hong Chengchou's room master during the imperial examination, and he was also his teacher.
Therefore, the letter reads:
"When I heard that my mentor was promoted to Grand Sima, my student Yan Yan asked someone to congratulate me. However, my student originally had the ambition to serve the country, but he was killed by a traitor. Now he has fallen into the trap of rebelling against the party. He has no choice but to succumb to being a thief. He is in panic all day long. I wonder if my mentor can defend the student to the court. The student is willing to serve as the court’s eyes and ears and help the court eliminate the rebels. I just hope that the court can restore the student’s name. The student is very grateful.”
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