"What the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Otsuka said is not unreasonable."
Wang Xijue replied with a smile, then looked at Qi Jiguang and others, stood in the bright hall and asked:
"But do you really think that now that the world is free from corvee and there is no shortage of gold, silver, copper and iron, it will be completely prosperous and there will be no place for filth and evil?"
"I'm afraid not necessarily?"
After Wang Xijue asked and answered his own questions, he added: "Although the imperial court issued an edict to exempt the world from corvee service, it is difficult to determine whether there is still a situation of enslaving the people and collecting Ding Yin."
"In my opinion, it depends on the execution willingness and ability of the local governor and governor, and even the lowest state and county people-friendly officials, and even Li Zheng, it depends on whether their willingness is strong or not!"
"The reason is that it's very difficult to prevent cats from stealing fish!"
"So, if His Majesty really wants to leave the capital, he is afraid that he will not only see the support of all the people, but also a lot of rats and beetles, and if Baoqi doesn't do it, he will go on a killing spree again! So that the contradictions will intensify, and then conflicts will arise, which will make Your Majesty Just like Shimiao did back then, he finally became disheartened and stopped restructuring. He simply hid in the palace and tried to benefit the world. He would rather be resented by people who had the world's common people in his heart than to stand up for the people of the country and be a truly responsible king and father. !”
"Although there is a whistle-blower system now, and factory guards are spread all over the world, you are really sure that your Majesty has really seen a lot of people who are doing nothing but sucking up the people's fat and anointing. You see these people turning new rituals and new policies into their new A tool for absorbing the people’s fat and the people’s ointment?”
After Wang Xijue said that, the imperial minister became quiet.
Huang Xun, the eunuch in charge of the Ceremony Supervisor, couldn't help but ask: "What do you mean by Mr. Ge?"
"First try to prevent His Majesty from leaving the palace! At least for now, His Majesty will not be allowed to leave the palace. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. If Your Majesty cannot see it, he will only see the good side of the new ceremony."
"And as the benefits of overseas development become more and more abundant, there is no doubt that this situation will become less and less, so rare that His Majesty cannot see it, or even if he sees it, he will not feel it is serious. At that time, His Majesty will be allowed to leave the palace. It’s not too late.”
"It just takes time. No one knows how long it will take. It may not be appropriate for His Majesty to leave the palace at this time."
After Wang Xijue continued to answer, he said: "So, it is better for your majesty to stay in the capital and only see Taicang becoming more and more full, the money accumulated in the capital is getting more and more, the ministers are becoming more loyal, and it is quite good to teach those girls to read in their spare time." Good, and can only see that the world is getting better, which will benefit the country and Chang'an."
"Is it really okay to just let His Majesty see the peaceful side of the country and the people?"
Shen Li asked at this time.
Shen Shixing put down his folding fan and said, "Recently, more and more reports have been reported as good, and fewer and fewer reports have been reported as negative. I'm afraid the same is true for the reports from Jinyi Weidong Factory. They report more good news and less worries. , If things continue like this, I am afraid that Your Majesty will not like to hear bad things, but will prefer to hear good things. But sincerely, I would rather Your Majesty not change the system because of this, than deceive Your Majesty into going to reform."
"Yuansuke is right."
"But now there's a bad thing."
"Xiao Daheng, the governor of the three sides, reported that the Qing clan clan came to report that the Qing King colluded with the captives to massacre the clan."
At this time, Qi Jiguang handed over an urgent delivery that he had been looking at just now.
Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue and others immediately looked solemn.
Shen Shixing immediately took the urgent delivery and asked, "When did this happen?"
"Half a month ago."
"The King of Qing was greedy for the salaries of distant clans of the vassal clan, not to mention forcing these clans to serve him and not allowed to go out to do business and cultivate land, which aroused a mutiny, but the King of Qing actually colluded with Kuaibai to suppress it."
Qi Jiguang said.
Shen Shixing frowned slightly for a moment: "This matter was reported by Governor Xiao Daheng. So Ningxia Governor Cao Zideng and others may have colluded with Prince Qing's Mansion, otherwise they would not have reported it!"
"should be."
Wang Xijue replied at this time.
Cao Zideng was a disciple of Shen Shixing. He was strongly recommended by Shen Shixing and Tingtuan was appointed governor of Ningxia.
Now if Cao Zedeng is really involved in colluding with captives and powerful vassals to bully the clan, Shen Shixing will have to face a choice of whether to protect Cao Zedeng.
"This matter involves captives and powerful vassals, and may even involve local governors and government troops. It must be handled with caution."
"It's better not to report it first and not let His Majesty know about it first, lest His Majesty Long Yan be furious and directly issue an order to arrest Cao Zideng, which will cause chaos in Ningxia and even implicate Yuan Fu."
"You know, there are more captives than Han people in Ningxia now. If you are not careful, it can easily cause drastic changes!"
At this time, Li Chengliang, the deputy privy envoy, couldn't help but make a suggestion.
After hearing this, Wu Wenhua, the Minister of War, thought for a while and said: "At this time, it seems that it would be better not to report."
"Then just sit back and watch this clan being massacred?"
Shen Li asked at this time.
Li Chengliang said: "We are not just sitting idly by, but we are going to issue an order to the governors and ministers around Ningxia to mobilize troops to prepare for war. After the court mobilizes more troops around Ningxia, it will not be too late to inform His Majesty."
Wang Xijue looked at Shen Shixing at this time: "This depends on Yuan Fu himself. After all, Cao Zideng is a disciple of Yuan Fu."
"If we don't report it, wouldn't His Majesty himself know it from the secret reports and reports?"
Qi Jiguang interrupted and asked.
Shen Shixing nodded after hearing this: "I still have to tell your majesty that even if Cao Zideng does something treasonous and unethical, he can't cover it up! As for your majesty's reaction, and if he makes a wrong decision, we will stop him!"
Li Chengliang and Wang Xijue said nothing after hearing this.
At this time, the Royal Inner Garden.
Zhu Yijun was trying out the horse-drawn train here with the queen and other harem dignitaries.
It is a kind of train-like vehicle that is improved on the basis of four-wheeled carriages and consists of multiple four-wheeled carriages pulled by horses on railway tracks.
Because the royal inner garden was very large, Zhu Yijun had just before ordered Qi Changguo to lay a section of railway track here.
It is Qi Changguo who is taking Zhu Yijun and others on a trial ride on the horse-drawn train.
"how do you feel?"
When Zhu Yijun tried riding the horse-drawn train, he specifically asked about Empress Du who was riding the train with him.
Empress Du said with a smile: "It is much more stable. The key is that several large carts are put together, which makes it more spacious. It is much more spacious for sleeping and dining inside."
"In the past when we were engaged in large-scale infrastructure construction, I had asked my uncle, as Minister of Industry, to lay railway tracks near important roads. In the future, when we go out to Beijing to inspect the world, we can take this train. This way, we don't have to clear the roads and lay down loess."
As Zhu Yijun spoke, he specifically asked Qi Changguo: "I heard that my uncle also made cement according to the method of building a temple?"
"Your Majesty, yes."
"My uncle has submitted a request to reinforce the Canal Canal with cement, and His Majesty has given the royal approval, allowing the Cabinet Secretary-General to raise funds to build a cement workshop and invest in local cement pouring projects."
Qi Changguo replied.
Zhu Yijun nodded after hearing this: "It seems that in the future, there will be no need to worry about the railway being easily flooded by river water during the flood season when it passes through the river."
"Your Majesty said so."
Zhu Yijun then sat on the wicker chair in the carriage and read the secret reports from the factory guards and the informants from the private sector.
Zhu Yijun frowned when he looked at one and threw one on the case.
"Tian Yi, Zhang Jingxiu!"
Zhu Yijun suddenly shouted.
Tian Yi and Zhang Jingxiu, the two intelligence chiefs, hurriedly walked to Zhu Yijun's side.
Zhu Yijun grabbed a bunch of informants and secret reports and threw them in front of them.
Queen Du and other nobles in the harem were holding their breath and concentrating.
"let's go."
When Queen Du saw this, she didn't ask any questions and just took the nobles to the carriage at the back.
Zhu Yijun here asked Tian Yi and Zhang Jingxiu: "Are you deliberately creating a world for me where there is no more trouble?!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
Seeing that these two people were also confused, Zhu Yijun said: "There have been too many reports of good news recently! The common people are grateful and the gentry praises the New Deal. Why, are you afraid that if you report worries, I will blame them for being watched by the local factory guards? Isn’t it tight enough, or are they just too lazy to keep an eye on it, so they just make up some pleasant things to say, so that even if it’s futile, they can please me and not have any mistakes?”
At this time, Zhang Jingxiu said: "I don't blame His Majesty for being angry. In fact, this minister also discovered this situation and issued many orders to reprimand me. But I don't know if the world has really changed for the better now, or if most of the Jin Yiwei are really peaceful and lazy. Anyway, there are more people who report good news and fewer people who report sorrow."
"Same goes for slaves."
"As the King of Kings has said, here in Dongchang there are many people who report good news and few people who report sorrow."
Zhu Yijun frowned even more after hearing this.
He worried that he was locked in an information cocoon, like a story in a certain movie.
And this undoubtedly caused him, the emperor, to make wrong judgments and do very stupid things.
"That's fine!"
"Maybe it's because there's nothing too embarrassing right now."
"But all the bureaucrats in the world have become better because of this. I don't believe it. Taizu was so ruthless in killing them back then, but there are still many who can't help but bully the people and greedy for money."
Zhu Yijun continued to read the informant as he spoke.
However, after looking at it for a while, Zhu Yijun saw a report about bad things.
"Incredible!"
"It's really unbelievable that even if you treat the common people as human beings, you can't even treat your own clan members as human beings."
"If the Zhu family were all like this, it would be impossible for the Ming Dynasty not to fall!"
What Zhu Yijun saw at this time was the informant that the Qin vassal colluded with the prisoners to massacre the troubled and poor clan, and he frowned on the spot.
Tian Yi asked at this time: "Your Majesty, since there are still things that make people angry, I wonder if we should announce the arrival of the governors?"
Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and then said: "Don't announce it yet!"
Then, Zhu Yijun looked at Tian Yi, Zhang Jingxiu, Qi Changguo and other people around him and said, "Don't tell anyone about this."
"yes!"
Zhu Yijun had no intention of taking the horse-drawn train again, and went back to Xiyuan where he lived. He sat next to a beauty under the eaves, concentrating for a long time, his eyes deep and unpredictable.
Not long after.
Huang Xun walked over quickly.
When Zhu Yijun saw him appearing, he asked, "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent message from the governors of the three sides. Yan Qing Fan colluded with captives to massacre the vassal clan. The rulers believe that this matter needs to be handled with caution, and they should first mobilize troops around Ningxia Town and then send people to investigate, so as not to force rebel troops. With Qing Fan.”
Huang Xun said at this time.
Snapped!
Zhu Yijun turned around at this time, put one hand on his knees, opened the folding fan with the other hand, fanned the wind and said: "That's it!"
"Show off your chariot and attendants!"
Then, Zhu Yijun gave an order.
…
It turns out that there are also hierarchies within the Ming Dynasty clan.
Basically, many poor clans with low titles are controlled by clans with high titles.
Both financial and personal relationships must be controlled by them.
Therefore, many high-ranking clans tend to be greedy and take away the devolved clans for money or extortion, leaving many low-ranking clans in poverty, and some even become beggars or slaves of powerful clans.
In these years, Zhu Yijun has no longer received a salary from the clan. Although they are all paid in zhese instead of rice, the zhese is now silver dollars, which is enough for some poor clan members to survive.
What's more, Zhu Yijun lifted many prohibitions on the clan, allowing the clan to reclaim wasteland, farm, and even do business.
But in actual implementation, it changed the taste.
Many of the powerful clans and bureaucrats below still stubbornly abide by the previous rules.
The King of Qing, Zhu Shenshuang, was such a strong vassal. Just like the King of Chu, Zhu Huakui, who dared to directly kill his Chu vassal clan with a stick, he not only dared to kill directly with a stick, but also dared to collude with the captives and the army to directly massacre these clan members who disobeyed him. .
this day.
At the time of the war in July of the nineteenth year of Wanli, the governor Cao Zideng personally led his close officers and soldiers to escort a group of poor Qin clan members who wanted to complain to him to Zhu Shensong: "These are all complaints to this court. Your Highness."
"There is a labor camp!"
Zhu Shenshang said with a smile, then looked at the poor clan members who were tied together, and sneered: "Do you really think you can escape from the clutches of Gu?"
"Pooh!"
"Zhu Shenshuang, you are just an heir of a side branch, but you deprive us of our salaries, force our female family members to engage in prostitution, and even make us mine for you and sell our children as slaves to wealthy families. If we don't comply, you will They colluded to trap us and kill us, and now they have even colluded with the governor!"
"You bully your fellow clansmen like this, how can you see Taizu in the future!"
At this time, Zhu Shensong, a poor clan member, shouted and asked Zhu Shensong.
Zhu Shenshuang was so angry that he immediately slapped the table and shook his fat face: "How outrageous! You are the lord of the vassal, but you dare to disobey me!"
After Zhu Shenshuo said this, he said to the captives he had included in the bodyguard: "Kill them all! To correct the king's law!"
"yes!"
Then, all the captives drew their swords and walked towards Zhu Shenkong.
Phew!
Zhu Shenkeng was stabbed on the spot, his abdomen was stabbed through, and he vomited blood and died.
"Zhu Shensong! Cao Zideng! You slaughtered the clan, you will not die a good death!"
At this time, another clan member, Zhu Shuai Tong, also shouted.
Cao Zideng's face sank.
Zhu Shenshuang shouted directly: "Cut his tongue first! Anyone who dares to call Gu by his name will do the same!"
"yes!"
"ah!"
Then, other poor clan members who were brought in were killed one after another.
Zhu Shensong also laughed proudly because of this, and said to Cao Zideng: "Thanks to Fuyuan's plan to capture them, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous!"
"Your Highness doesn't need to say this. I just hope that Your Highness will keep an eye on all the clans in your mansion and don't let them really have the chance to escape and report."
"On the people's side, I can naturally keep an eye on them, but on the clan side, I can only rely on His Highness."
Cao Zideng said.
Zhu Shenshuang nodded: "Don't worry!"
(End of chapter)
