Hu Shouren, like Qi Jiguang, felt a lot relieved after seeing Zhu Yijun's recent edict that the old rituals should bear all the responsibilities for the great mistakes of the past monarchs and ministers, and they were really grateful to the emperor.
In particular, after he met the old coach Qi Jiguang and was reminded by the old coach Qi Jiguang, he respected the emperor even more.
He had to admit that today's emperor is really talented and strategist!
When he and Qi Jiguang and other New Party officials were feeling guilty for the wrong things they had done, His Majesty the Emperor actually came up with the old ritual saying that in the old days no one could be alone, not even the emperor.
This suddenly made him realize that he couldn't blame himself, he could only blame the old etiquette for making him a human being and a ghost before, and he should even feel proud because he still had some kindness and loyalty that humans had before.
to this end.
Hu Shouren decided to take the initiative to go in plainclothes to see the disabled veterans of the old army who were still being raised in Beizhi.
Hu Shouren never dared to visit these people in person before.
Because he was embarrassed to see these disabled soldiers. After all, many of these disabled veterans had been deducted from their military pay and even sent to work for civilian officials such as the Governor of Jiliao and the Governor of Fujian, such as building Buddhist temples and academies that flaunted the merits of civilian officials.
But now Hu Shouren no longer has such a psychological burden.
Because he could directly tell these veterans that it was not him who wanted to be like this, but old etiquette that forced him to be like this.
The Nan soldiers who were disabled in battle were basically in the Nancheng area of the capital.
The area around Nancheng of the capital is mostly a place where civilians gather, and there are not many government offices.
However, due to the great rule of the world, good government policies that benefit the people are frequently issued, and recently they have been permanently exempted from corvee. Therefore, although there are not many dignitaries in this area, due to the increase in the wealth of the people, especially the veterans who are raised here, there have always been a lot of subsidies. , now the shops here are also lined up in rows, there are many businessmen coming here to buy and sell, and the economy is also very active.
In addition, the streets here are not clean and tidy.
Basically every one or two hundred steps, there is a sanitation worker sweeping the streets. There are fixed trash cans and garbage stations, special horse paths and driveways, and sidewalks. There are also soldiers dedicated to maintaining order. Guiding crowds and carriages.
All of this is naturally related to the financial resources of Shuntian Mansion.
Although the imperial court is permanently exempted from corvee service, resulting in local vassals no longer having dingyin income, the central government cabinet department will allocate an investment amount to the local chief secretaries at a fixed time every year, which is far more than the local dingyin income. The profits generated from the investment will be distributed among the central court, local governments and contractors in accordance with relevant regulations.
Therefore, the current Shuntian Mansion basically has no Ding Yin income, which does not affect his government finances.
On the contrary, because the people were freed from corvee forever, they were more willing to consume, which promoted the economic development of Shuntian Prefecture and made the investment profits of Shuntian Prefecture a lot richer. The increased income was already worth the income of Dingyin without the corvee. Loss.
Since Shuntian Prefecture has strong financial resources, it will naturally be able to improve its public service capabilities, hire a large number of older idle laborers as sanitation workers, and improve the transportation environment. In this way, it can win in the increasingly involved bureaucratic examination.
You know, since the Ming Dynasty linked official career and personal income to examination results, the bureaucrats have become more and more involved.
Especially local officials.
In order to show that they are more capable than others, they have begun to compete in terms of the sanitation and traffic conditions in urban and rural areas, not just the economic situation and public security situation.
certainly.
It is precisely because today's officials are becoming more and more competitive in terms of promotion and income in terms of political performance, and they cannot rise by rocket just by brushing up their reputation as a scholar as in the past, that is why some scholar-bureaucrats are disgusted with the new rituals and become members of the old party. Even if the reality is that the new party is in power and officials have to work hard to reach the top, they will still be dissatisfied with the new ceremony because they want to get away with lazy administration.
But the Ming Dynasty never lacked officials. If you don't want to do it, there will be plenty of people to do it.
In addition, local fiscal revenue now basically relies on investments allocated by the central court, which has forced local government offices to become more dependent on the central court in terms of economic interests, leading to an even stronger centralization of power.
Therefore, as long as the emperor still insisted on the examination system established by Hai Rui during the Zhang Juzheng era, these officials could only work hard to improve their political performance and improve the economy. The common people were not encouraged to disrupt the order of old etiquette, such as allowing commoners to wear gold and silver, allowing women to go out to spend money, and allowing commoners to buy luxurious houses with steps, completely putting aside the order of dignity required by the old etiquette.
As for future emperors, if they do not insist on passing the exams and let officials no longer obtain promotion opportunities by brushing political achievements, but make the Manchu Dynasty mostly rely on the reputation of Qingliu to obtain high positions, it will naturally turn the Ming Dynasty's officialdom into another one. situation.
Not to mention here.
Anyway, Zhu Yijun is still in office and is still insisting on passing the exam.
Then bureaucrats must continue to do real things, and cannot just talk about their character or use various drastic measures to attract names.
Hu Shouren liked the capital city under this governance model very much.
Because the capital city under this model will change rapidly at a visible speed, and it will be a positive change, that is, it will become more and more prosperous.
As an old subordinate of Qi Jiguang, Hu Shouren would naturally actively support the property of Qi Changguo, the son of the Duke of Ji, and bought a four-wheeled carriage early.
Sitting in Qi's four-wheel carriage, he looked at the various new changes in Nancheng of the capital with admiration.
Soon, Hu Shouren discovered that none of the businessmen today wore cloth, and all wore silk robes. Moreover, some women had begun to go out because of the improvement in economic status brought about by the establishment of a large number of embroidery workshops, and many civilian women began to go out. They wear gold hairpins and silver hairpins, instead of the wooden hairpins that most common women could only wear in the early years.
In addition, Hu Shoumin also had to admit that there were really many civilians coming out to spend money, and no one came out of the shops empty-handed.
Long queues began to form in front of many shops, filling the specially designated pedestrian streets of Sunchon Mansion.
Especially outside some dental shops that were responsible for the introduction work, there were even more people. Looking from a distance, it looked like a black python lying across the street, and it directly blocked Hu Shouren's way to some big drug stores to buy some nourishing medicinal materials.
Obviously, affected by the permanent freedom from corvee, more poor people at the bottom would rather come out to find a job than join the big family as slaves. After all, as long as there is no Ding Yin, they can live even with low wages, and as long as they can live, not everyone can Be willing to sell your dignity to be a lowly person for others.
Han people are not born cheap, they are born to want to be slaves.
"Boutang, do you want to send soldiers to clear the road?"
Lin Yan, Hu Shouren's general in command, asked at this time.
Hu Shouren waved his hand and said: "There is no need to disturb the people. Leave a few people to drive the carriage back. You and I can get off the car and walk. Just go around the side path."
"yes!"
Hu Shouren got off the carriage as he said that, turned around and walked back.
It is now the middle of winter in the eighteenth year of Wanli, and New Year's Eve is approaching, and there is snow everywhere.
Hu Shouren and Lin Yan took a detour through the snow and arrived at a large pharmacy.
This large drug store has a long facade, taking up half of the street, and red lanterns are hung at regular intervals. Various Ming-made colored glass cabinets are filled with precious medicinal materials such as deer antlers and ginseng, and it is also crowded. There is an endless stream of people coming in and out here.
Because even if the north wind is blowing hard right now, and if you stay for a while, your eyebrows will be frosty and your face will be chapped, but because everyone in the Ming Dynasty is rich and it is the New Year, people come and go frequently, so this big medicine shop is as busy as other shops. Very prosperous.
After Hu Shouren entered, he immediately bought a large amount of ginseng, deer antler and other nourishing products at once.
He didn't feel bad at all about spending money on disabled soldiers from his old unit.
What's more, this is the first time I have the courage to see the disabled soldiers who followed me.
He had no intention of hiding his generosity.
Because of the new gift, his legal income was enough for him to buy a lot of ginseng and deer antlers, so he was not afraid of being seen by Yanguan and Jinyiwei in Beijing.
When I was passing by with Cai Guozhen, I happened to see Hu Shouren buying so many valuable supplements and loading them into the car. I couldn't help but say to Cai Guozhen who saw this scene with me:
"If it were in the past, Yan Guan would have used this to impeach Hu Shouren. If he bought so many precious medicinal materials, he would have deducted military pay!"
"And if there are a few more articles of impeachment, the emperor will be suspicious even if he doesn't believe it, and the people of the world will believe it even if they don't believe it. But it's different now. He, Hu Shouren, can definitely say that just the profit from the subscription tickets he bought for supporting the country's external development can make him If you buy so many precious medicinal materials, the emperor will not doubt it! Everyone in the world will also believe in him!"
"The new gift is purely to win people's hearts with benefits, not with righteousness!"
Bai Xuanxuan continued.
Cai Guozhen smiled and said: "Why bother with such a trivial matter? Now that we have met, you might as well go and make friends. Nowadays, it is popular for military generals to switch to civilian positions. Hu Shouren will become the governor of Beizhi, and he will still be Qi Penglai's old department. If we can get along with him He established a relationship, and when Li Tieling (Li Chengliang) replaced Qi Penglai as prime minister in the future, he would be able to drive a wedge between them, the generals of the southern army and the generals of the northern army, and look for opportunities to restore the old ceremony."
"You are right, Qi Penglai is Qi Penglai, and he, Hu Guanhai, is Hu Guanhai."
Bai Xuanxuan suddenly realized it and asked Cai Guozhen: "Then let's go say hello?"
Cai Guozhen nodded, came over first, and raised his hand to Hu Shouren:
"Hu Butang must be going to meet the retired Confederate soldiers who are being raised here?"
"It turns out to be Shaozukazai, disrespectful!"
When Hu Shouren saw that it was Cai Guozhen, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, whom he had met once before, he immediately raised his hands and saluted.
At this time, Bai Xuanze also came over and bowed to Hu Shouren:
"I've made my choice in the Li Kezuo department. I'm honored to meet you today!"
Hu Shouren also nodded in greeting: "It turns out that the advice was given in vain."
Then, Hu Shouren replied to Cai Guozhen: "As Shaozukazai expected, I am going to see the old disabled soldiers, so I came here to buy them some things."
Cai Guozhen said with a smile: "They were injured and disabled for the country. I should go and have a look. I happen to be with the department. I wonder if the department would mind?"
"How dare you!"
Hu Shouren replied with a smile.
Cai Guozhen ordered his servants to buy some precious medicinal materials, and at the same time said to Hu Shouren, "I wonder if the minister can go and see the prime minister?"
Hu Shouren said: "See you."
"How is the Prime Minister's health now? I heard he is ill, but I haven't had time to see him yet."
Cai Guozhen said.
Hu Shouren said: "It's much better, but it's still a bit weak and needs to be recuperated."
"That's good!"
Cai Guozhen said with a smile, and then added: "It's just that if the prime minister continues to be bad and even has to be dismissed and returns home, I'm afraid he will fulfill the wishes of the northerners."
After hearing this, Hu Shouren glanced at Cai Guozhen, and then agreed: "What Shaozhongzai said is that everyone knows that the Northerners love to support bandits. If the old minister resigns, most of the benefits of benefiting the people in the world will go to the Northerners."
"That's what worries us in the South."
Cai Guozhen was overjoyed when she heard what Hu Shouren said, so she whispered something to Hu Shouren that seemed to be heartbreaking.
Hu Shouren nodded: "Zai Shaozhong came here to say hello when he saw me. He really came with a purpose."
"We don't dare to hide it from the ministers. We have long planned to let the ministers join the Privy Council in the future, so as to stand up for us from the south and divide the power of the northerners."
Cai Guozhen then said this again, and looked at Hu Shouren, waiting for Hu Shouren's reaction.
Hu Shouren waved his hands hurriedly: "I don't have that ability!"
"How could there be no father!"
"Except Duke Ji Guo among the Southern soldiers, he has the highest prestige!"
Cai Guozhen said.
Hu Shouren said: "Li Tieling is an extraordinary person. How can I deal with him?"
"Although Li Tieling is powerful, he from the north is not as powerful as I am from the south. Whether it is the cabinet, the Privy Council, or the ministers in power, we are from the south!"
Cai Guozhen said.
After hearing this, Hu Shouren couldn't help but ask: "What do you mean?"
"There is a new beauty in Xunfang Pavilion tonight. She plays the piano very well. You might as well go and have a look. You will meet many people worth making friends with."
Cai Guozhen said and took the first step.
Hu Shouren thought for a moment and then followed.
…
"Your Majesty, the Jin Yiwei has found out. The bureaucrats who recently went to see the Prime Minister are mainly the Minister of Civil Affairs, Cai Shilang, etc."
"To be specific, it was Shilang Cai and others who let the Prime Minister know about the demon book, which made the Prime Minister fall ill. In addition, Shilang Cai and others were bureaucrats who often went to gatherings at Yixunfang Pavilion. Therefore, I would like to ask, Should we arrest all the bureaucrats who went to Xunfang Pavilion and Cai Shilang and other parties?"
Xiyuan.
Zhu Yijun was lying on the couch in the warm pavilion, eating oranges, and uncomfortably put the orange peels next to the charcoal fire. By the light of the charcoal fire, he looked at the newly arrived secret box, while at the same time listening to Zhang Jingxiu reported some bureaucratic situations discovered by Jinyiwei.
After Zhang Jingxiu said that, Zhu Yijun said: "Then arrest them all in the name of forming cliques and causing chaos!"
Zhang Jingxiu raised his hand and said yes.
Zhu Yijun then looked at the secret memorial that had just been sent.
While Zhu Yijun was watching the secret report, Zhang Jingxiu immediately issued an order for immediate arrest after leaving the palace.
Soon, Cai Guozhen was pulled out of the bed by Jin Yiwei and forced into the prison car.
Cai Guozhen also knew the reason, so he hurriedly said: "I met with the Prime Minister to ask him to make a decision. I did not force the Prime Minister to do anything. I have a clear conscience. Why did your Majesty want to arrest me?! I want to see your Majesty, I want to see you Your Majesty, please plead!"
(End of chapter)
