After Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment, he said: "Once the wheels start turning, it is difficult to stop, especially when the driver is the emperor. Even if all the people in the world want to stop, the emperor will not let the car stop easily. After all, If you really stop, who knows whether you will change drivers or change lanes?"
"My subordinates understand!"
Zhu Geng cupped his hands and replied.
Tongzhou.
In the courtyard of a deep house.
The two scholar-bureaucrats stood facing the chess table.
"What a shame!"
"Chen, Xue and other Dukes were shown their heads to the public."
"Throwing stones to ask for directions eventually becomes asking for directions."
"The prince also went to Nandu to supervise the country."
"Zhu Jijiu is also going overseas to be Zhu Fangbo."
"This glorious Ming Dynasty is controlled by people with practical knowledge. For their own status, they make the scholar-bureaucrats all over the world work hard because of them. They want to roam in the forest but can't, want to speak freely but can't, and want to be respected by others. And it’s so difficult, now even my family has to be on guard!”
"In short, we scholar-officials seem to have fewer constraints on our studies. We can study any knowledge, and even have less burdens. Subsidies have increased, and we are permanently exempted from corvee. However, we must behave better than before, because there may be people complaining everywhere. .”
"I heard that gentlemen such as Chen and Sun were betrayed by their families, just like Duke Gu of Wuxi was accused by his son."
Li Song also stood under a big locust tree that day and told Zhu Jimao about the recent news.
After hearing this, Zhu Jimao nodded and said: "Yes, the scholar-bureaucrats in the world are working too hard now, but the common people are becoming more and more leisurely. Many of them still wander around, and the scholars also go to the river to drink wine and swim in the mountains and rivers;"
"But just because of this lack of distinction between superior and inferior, even if the court's spy is everywhere, the world will complain. This complaint will not affect the Holy One, but will also affect the Crown Prince and put pressure on the Crown Prince."
"Exactly!"
Li Song nodded and said, "I don't know what kind of trouble the prince will cause if he goes to the south."
…
"It is better to establish a virtuous person than to establish a direct descendant!"
Summer of the twenty-sixth year of Wanli.
As soon as the prince arrived in Zhenjiang, he saw such a line of large characters painted on the brick wall of a farmhouse, and his face became dark because of it.
"Your Highness!"
"The white paint hasn't dried yet. It must have just been painted on at night."
"I am guilty of failing to prevent the people below from making such remarks completely!"
Li Chunguang, the governor of Yingtian who was greeting him, immediately went to the brick wall in person, then ran back to the prince and answered with his hands raised.
The prince said: "It's okay! Fu Yuan doesn't have to blame himself. His slogan is just an opinion."
After the prince said that, he ordered people to continue driving away.
In fact.
Although Chen Yuwen and others' plot to slander the prince as a lecherous person failed, the idea that establishing a direct lineage was inferior to establishing a virtuous person continued to be widely discussed among the people, driven by people with ulterior motives.
Moreover, many people continued to allude behind the scenes that the current prince was unworthy, in an attempt to bring the prince into disrepute.
Especially many landowners in the south.
These people seemed to deliberately put pressure on the prince who went south and make the prince feel intimidated, so they tried their best to hype up the topic of "establishing a direct descendant or establishing a virtuous person".
"The prince came to Nandu to supervise the country and has decided to select concubines in Nanzhi!"
even.
There are also people with ulterior motives who secretly create rumors that the prince is coming to Nandu to select concubines, in order to reinforce the prince's lewd and lustful image and turn the falsehood into reality.
"Really! There are rumors everywhere that the prince is suffering from the disease, but he is still misbehaving."
"Anyone who lets his daughter become the crown prince's concubine will be in trouble."
"So, whoever has a daughter, hurry up and get married if you can, otherwise you won't be harmed by the prince!"
On this day, there was an idle Qingpi in a teahouse. He talked about it vividly to several fellow villagers he knew, and only quickly walked away when official officials came.
The prince also heard such remarks, and said with a cold expression:
"Sure enough, even if the truth is found out, as long as someone wants to turn me into an unworthy prince, there will always be unworthy remarks about me, and there will be people who will try their best to slander me!"
"Your Highness, don't worry too much. The imperial guards will not allow these people with ulterior motives to slander and spread rumors."
Zhu Guozhen said something at this time.
The prince nodded: "I understand, the pure will become clear, and the turbid will become turbid."
"Let Zhang Ti, who came to the southern capital with us, send his royal guards to make an unannounced visit to see if any of the people in the south are so panicked that they are marrying off their daughters overnight because of these rumors."
The prince smiled and gave an order at this time.
"yes!"
…
"How about it?"
"Is there anyone who marries a girl overnight?"
On this day, on the banks of the Qinhuai River, Li Daozhao, a member of the Nanjing Engineering Department, asked Tang Chou, who was the head of the Nanjing Criminal Department, on a boat.
Tang Chou said in frustration: "You will know after listening to it! There are not many suona players in this city, and no matchmaker is busy pulling strings. It seems that the people have no reaction at all to this matter."
"It's actually like this?"
"Isn't there enough recent rumors about the prince's lewdness and lust?"
"Or are all the people in the world greedy for wealth and status, and are willing to push their own daughters into a pit of fire?"
"If this is the case, then it is true that after the implementation of the new rituals and the boom in commerce, the people of the whole world have become more and more utilitarian!"
Li Daozhao was also very disappointed after hearing this and started talking.
then.
Li Daozhao added: "Why don't we let the ship dock and go into the city to see what the people of Yingtian Mansion think."
"OK!"
Tang Chou nodded.
Afterwards, Tang Chou and Li Daozhao entered Nanjing City together.
As soon as he entered the city, Tang Chou found a matchmaker named Yan who had been bribed by him to give him more concubines, and asked:
"Mother Yan, how are you? Are there any common people who are willing to marry your daughter?"
"Ouch!"
"My lord, the families you are interested in, although their daughters are all beautiful, they are not willing to marry their daughters as concubines."
Mrs. Yan replied hurriedly and embarrassedly.
After hearing this, Tang Chou asked: "Didn't you tell them that His Highness the Crown Prince was coming to Nandu to select concubines for the harem?"
"say it!"
"But they don't believe it!"
"They all said that many knowledgeable people in the community have said that this is a rumor. Not only is His Highness not lewd and lustful, but he is also not naughty or perverse. Otherwise, he would not have been sent to Nanjing by the Emperor to supervise the country."
"Those people said that the reason why I was sent to Nanjing now is to benefit our people in the south. Because there is an emperor in the north, there must be a prince in the south. Otherwise, corrupt officials in the south will not be more bold than those in the north."
"In the end, the common people believed it. They also said that they hoped that their daughter would marry the prince and become the princess, and if she had the opportunity to join the army, they just didn't believe what I said. Some of them even said that I was deliberately doing this to make more money as a matchmaker. He was alarmist, spreading rumors and slander, and even threatened to arrest me and bring me before the officials."
"How dare I? I have no choice but to mention it."
After Yan said this, Li Daozhao and Tang Chou both turned dark.
after awhile.
Tang Chou smiled and said, "That's right. It's actually true. It's very good. The people of this dynasty are becoming more and more discerning."
"yes!"
Li Daozhao echoed.
Yan couldn't help but said at this time: "I don't quite understand what you are saying?"
"What can you understand?"
Tang Chou said with a smile and left with Li Daozhao.
After walking a few steps, Li Daozhao sighed to Tang Chou and whispered:
"I have to admit that the atmosphere in this place is becoming more and more out of the control of our scholar-bureaucrats, and it is indeed becoming more and more difficult for the common people to inspire them."
"yes!"
Tang Chou agreed and asked: "Have you noticed that although Dongchang doesn't arrest many people anymore, we can't control the world's public opinion very much. If this continues, does it mean that we will still be prone to being slandered? ?”
Li Daozhao suddenly realized and said: "Although Dongchang doesn't arrest many people now, I heard that Dongchang is much more powerful now than before! Many Jiangnan literary societies, poetry societies, and theater troupes are supported by them. You know, those poor people have always been short-sighted, selfish, and shameless, and they will speak for anyone who gives them money."
"But we also have our own literary club and theater troupe?"
Tang Chou suddenly said something.
Li Daozhao said with a helpless smile: "Although there is, once the two types of discourse are confused, the people can only believe their own analysis. And if the emperor has been promoting good governance, the people are indeed getting richer and the country is getting stronger. I'm afraid the people are more willing to believe those who speak well of the emperor and the court."
"After all, everyone is more willing to believe that the emperor, who is the lord of all people, is a holy master and a benevolent king, and that he is living in a happy and prosperous age, rather than the filthy end of the world. Who doesn't like to listen to flattering words?"
"That's right!"
Tang Chou sighed, then looked at the people walking on the street with gritted teeth, and cursed: "A bunch of stupid people! When they study, become scholar-bureaucrats, or even become officials, they will know how poor they are now." Stupid and naive!”
…
"Daughter, that is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"You are so heroic, your face is as bright as jade!"
"They say I am a hero, a good man, and the emperor is brave. This prince is also personable and does not look like a drunkard!"
"No matter what, with the arrival of a prince, our south will no longer be just a land of corrupt officials and evil gentry."
"Welcome the prince and be louder. This way, as long as the prince is a good prince, he will have the courage to compete with corrupt officials and evil gentry. If not, there will be no loss."
After Prince Zhu Changxun arrived in Nandu, many people really cheered and got excited, and indeed they seemed not to be affected by the rumors.
Prince Zhu Changxun himself said in a letter to Zhu Yijun:
"Father, don't worry. Nowadays, the people are wise. When I come to Nandu, it is inevitable that some local forces will deliberately spread rumors and expose me to show my power. Fortunately, the people still believe in my ministers and are not that easy to deceive. Although most of them are not very good at it. I love to care about political affairs, but as long as I care about political affairs, I am not really stupid, and I know checks and balances!" (End of Chapter)
