Wang Yongji Su was sincere, otherwise he would not have become good friends with Hai Rui. Therefore, after Zhu Yijun said this, he immediately dismounted and said:
"I dare not hide it from Your Majesty. The local bureaucrats are indeed not as good as Your Majesty said, nor are they as loyal to the emperor and the people!"
When Wang Xijue heard what Wang Yongji said, he was stunned on the spot. Did anyone in his circle say that?
Wang Yongji continued to speak truthfully: "I am often ignored by them! Moreover, there will still be bold bureaucrats who act in the same way as before, arbitrarily arresting people to serve themselves, and deliberately not allowing people to serve. I know that the imperial court no longer serves the people, especially the people in the countryside."
Zhu Yijun said: "I don't believe this. If you are not so loyal to the emperor and love the people, why do you see so many people living a comfortable life along the official road, and there are so many schools?"
"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"
"This is because they all know that His Majesty is going to pass there, so they don't dare to be careless."
"Not only have the ruling officials written letters to remind the bureaucrats along the way not to misbehave and bully the people, but Lian Chen, Jin Yiwei, Dongchang, etc. also often come to the places that His Majesty passes through because these places are so important, so they often visit the places His Majesty passes through."
"Therefore, wherever Your Majesty passed by, the bureaucrats and scholars did not dare to act recklessly. They neither dared to seize the common people as slaves nor enslaved the common people. Even those who had been enslaved had to be released and paid enough money, and they would also take the initiative to preach The imperial court's policy of permanently eliminating corvee does not hesitate to spend money to invite the people to understand the policy, and also requires notification to the people below, so as to prevent the people from not knowing the new policy when His Majesty and his ministers go to inquire about it."
"In addition, even if His Majesty does not come, the bureaucrats in these official roads and near big cities and towns have to be more vigilant and not dare to act recklessly."
"Because they are worried that important people will find something bad when passing by, such as the Tieling Hou story. Moreover, factory guards' spies often visit these important places, so these places need to have a more New Deal atmosphere."
"But in a place far away from officialdom, it is still difficult to guarantee that there will be no evil officials or evil gentry."
"His Majesty said that he would come incognito to see other places. I knew something like this might happen that would disappoint His Majesty, but how could I stop it?"
"After all, the real situation is like this. Good governance that is not conducive to the evil deeds of the powerful officials and gentry cannot be completely implemented with repeated orders, because people who have the talent do not necessarily know etiquette, and those who have the opportunity to do evil will never fail to do it. There is a lot of reason, so I think it’s good that your Majesty has seen it, so as not to have too many illusions about the bureaucrats like me, and I feel that I can implement the new policy very well."
Wang Yongji played at this time.
"I actually know all this, and I don't think it's strange, and I won't be disappointed in you because of it."
"I asked you just now because I felt helpless for a moment, and it actually made me embarrassed. But in fact, it's nothing. No matter how many bureaucrats in the world do things that are sorry to me, I will still believe that you are following me. I am of one mind."
Zhu Yijun's words made Wang Yongji feel ashamed.
Wang Xijue and other officials in the retinue were even more depressed and their faces turned red. They wished they could eat alive the officials who were taking people and the three scholars who brought their slaves and said they wanted to use the robbed women to satisfy their wild tastes.
After Zhu Yijun said this, he got off his horse and walked toward the officials and scholars who were locking up the people with a sword:
"I have already issued an edict to permanently exempt people from corvee service. Why are you still locking people up to serve in this small mountain village?"
By this time, the officials and scholars knew that Zhu Yijun was probably the emperor through the conversation between Zhu Yijun and Wang Yongji, so they all stood there in shock.
at this time.
Zhu Yijun asked this, and the official who reacted more quickly knelt down first and said, "Your Majesty, the superiors are still issuing official tickets, so we have to follow the orders of the superiors."
"Since you obey the orders of the superior officer and do things unbecoming of a king and father, then I will give you a happy life!"
As Zhu Yijun spoke, he drew his sword and stabbed the official to death, letting his blood drip down along the edge of the sword. He also vomited blood and looked at Zhu Yijun dumbfounded.
Seeing this, the rest of the officials and the three scholars were so frightened that their legs weakened and their whole bodies trembled.
The people who were bound all applauded loudly and shouted "Long live the Emperor". If Zhu Yijun hadn't appeared here in person, they would have thought it was the emperor's will, allowing these officials to lock them up for these young masters. His son served in the army and was even humiliated as if he were a slave.
"Whose order are you following?"
At this time, Zhu Yijun pulled out the bloody sword and asked several other officials.
At this time, the official who came to his senses hurriedly replied: "Of course he is the magistrate of this county."
"What a noble Marquis of Baili. Send an order to send Jin Yiwei to arrest all the officials in the county and bring them to the camp! I'll kill them on the spot after I ask!"
Zhu Yijun said this.
Zhang Jingxiu immediately raised his hand and said yes.
Then, Zhu Yijun looked at the three scholars again, and asked the scholar who initially said he wanted to taste wild things: "What is your identity and what is your fame?"
The scholar replied tremblingly: "Student Fu Mengxia."
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun asked other officials: "What he said is true. If it is false, it will be considered a meritorious service!"
"it is true!"
These officials thought that what the scholar said was false, but they did not expect that the scholar was so frightened after Zhu Yijun killed the person that he only knew how to tell the truth.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun continued to ask Fu Mengxia: "What is the relationship between Fu Mengchun, the censor of the left deputy capital, and you?"
"It's my brother!"
Fu Mengxia replied.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun pointed at the officials and common people and said: "They either dare not disobey their superiors' orders, or the officials deliberately concealed the new policy information. As scholars who are supported by the imperial court with subsidies, you study the new policies every day in school." Scholars, you shouldn’t know that the imperial court has been exempted from corvee forever, what’s more, you are not officials, and you have no right to let the postmen serve the people at your service. How could you dare to do this?”
"So it turns out that you have really been freed from corvee forever?"
"No one from the county came to the village to inform me, but I still accepted Ding Yin."
At this time, some people on the side started talking after hearing Zhu Yijun's words.
After Zhu Yijun asked Fu Mengxia, Fu Mengxia just broke out in sweat and said: "It was the local magistrate Xue Fuyin who gave the official tickets to the students."
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun ordered again: "Arrest all the officials of Zhending Prefecture, big and small, and bring them to the camp. I will kill them on the spot after I ask!"
Fu Mengxia suddenly trembled.
"He gave you an official ticket, and you took it. How dare you enslave the people like this, and also tarnish the innocence of the captured women? What have they become in your eyes? Are they your servants? Can you still do whatever you want? A trampled beast of the wild?”
Zhu Yijun asked Fu Mengxia.
"Your Majesty, spare your life!"
"Your Majesty, spare your life!"
"Your Majesty, spare your life!"
…
Fu Mengxia kowtows like pounding garlic.
"Cut it down!"
"The Ministry of Culture and Etiquette prohibited three generations of his family from taking exams. Fu Mengchun's tutoring is poor and he does not know how to teach his children to learn new etiquette and abide by the new policies. This is tantamount to allowing his children to cause trouble. He is dismissed from his post and exiled to Luzon and sent to the army!"
"The slaves of his family have also been chopped down, causing trouble to the master!"
Zhu Yijun only said these few words, then looked at the other two scholars and ordered Zhang Jingxiu: "Also take him down for careful interrogation!"
Zhang Jingxiu raised his hand and said yes.
Then, Zhu Yijun got back on his horse, turned the horse's head and said: "Go back to camp!"
Liu Wei, Wang Xijue, Wang Yongji and others followed immediately.
However, Wei Peng, the military medal winner who had made great contributions in the war against Yang Yinglong, followed Zhang Jingxiu's instructions and led a team of imperial guards to stay, and personally cut off Fu Mengchun's head with a knife, and mentioned it. Rentou returned to the camp and handed in a mission to Zhu Yijun.
Zhu Yijun issued an order to spread the message to all major universities, county schools and academies.
Wang Xijue found Qi Jiguang after following Zhu Yijun back to the camp. The two drank tea and looked at the snowy scene outside the tent, talking about what they had seen today.
"You must have seen it now. Your Majesty is asked to go out to inspect the capital. As expected, there will be human lives."
Qi Jiguang first smiled and said to Wang Xijue.
Wang Xijue nodded: "Yes, His Majesty still saw some evil things done by bureaucrats."
"Your Majesty must be even more disappointed with the bureaucrats!"
Qi Jiguang nodded, replied, and said: "Fortunately, His Majesty still trusts us and does not blame Governor Wang Butang for this, nor does he blame Gong, the second assistant in charge of internal affairs."
Wang Xijue smiled helplessly: "At first, I changed my mind and asked Your Majesty to leave the palace. I wanted Your Majesty to see that the New Deal really changed the Ming Dynasty and benefited the people. However, Your Majesty still saw the bad side of the bureaucrats."
"Don't be too disappointed, sir. A chronic illness that has lasted for hundreds of years can be completely solved in ten or twenty years. Your Majesty has at least seen that the people have indeed become richer. He should not be too disappointed with the officials in the world. At least he has not blamed Wang Butang has even been emphasizing that he trusts you and me."
Qi Jiguang came to comfort Wang Xijue.
Wang Xijue nodded, sighed and said: "What Mr. Ming said is true, but I think that your Majesty is not disappointed at all, because your Majesty has never believed that the world's bureaucrats will benefit the people. He will believe that the Duke is like this." An individual minister puts the people at ease, but he has obviously known for a long time that human nature is evil, and believes that the bureaucracy as a whole will only oppress the people without benefit, so his reaction is not so fierce."
"You asked me to believe that all officials in the world are good, but I don't believe it either, let alone Your Majesty."
Qi Jiguang also said this with a smile.
Wang Xijue said: "But he is the king's father! If the king's father increasingly feels that all his ministers deserve to be killed, and always has contempt and prejudice against his ministers, how can he govern this country?"
"I can only hope that your Majesty will see more bureaucrats and scholars being true gentlemen in the future!"
Qi Jiguang replied.
Wang Xijue nodded: "I believe that most bureaucrats and scholars who believe in the new etiquette are gentlemen, and they will also correct His Majesty's prejudice against us!"
Qi Jiguang nodded: "First of all, we ourselves must stand upright so that the emperor can believe that among today's bureaucracies, there are still more gentlemen than villains."
(End of chapter)
