There are three things that a new official should do when he takes office. This has been said in all dynasties. Although Gao Pragmatic occasionally appears to be unique in reforms, he is still relatively "conforming to the trend" in these traditions. Therefore, as a great minister, he certainly has three things to do when taking up his new post. Make a fire.
Originally, Gao Pragmatic had many flaws in the Ming Dynasty's financial system and wanted to vomit them out. However, he also knew that he would not become fat after eating one bite. If he forced too much into his mouth at one time, he would not only chew more than he could chew, but would also easily choke. die.
When it comes to reform, it is certainly necessary to have a high-level view, but when it comes to actual implementation, it must be done steadily and step by step. Therefore, we need to burn three fires, but we cannot hope to raise the fire to the sky. Sooner or later, a single spark will start a prairie fire. The real key issue is that the single spark must be sure to be preserved.
There are many people who care about his three fires. In addition to the officials outside the palace, people in the palace are also concerned, such as the young Ninth Five-Year Plan, the current emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun.
However, Zhu Yijun did not stay in Qianqing Palace today, but in Yikun Palace.
Yikun Palace is located to the north of Yongshou Palace, south of Chuxiu Palace and east of Changchun Palace. The East and West Twelve Palaces of the Ming Dynasty are centered on the east, close to the central axis, and close to the Qianqing Palace. Therefore, the Yikun Palace is a rather noble palace in the harem besides the Kunning Palace where the queen lives.
The explanation of "Yi" is to assist. Since the Queen's palace is Kunning Palace, Yi Kun means to assist the Queen in managing the Sixth Palace.
Probably for this reason, the owner of Yikun Palace is the imperial concubine Zheng, the mother of the emperor's third son Zhu Changxun.
In addition, Yikun Palace is close to Changchun Palace where Princess Yongning lives. There is also an ulterior motive in this. The owners of the two palaces know it, but it seems that the two parties do not have much interaction because of this.
Zhu Yijun stayed in Yikun Palace tonight as he did most of the time, and Concubine Zheng was waiting by his side as usual.
At this time, the emperor was reading a picture album. The picture album was bought by Concubine Zheng's family as a gift to her. She found it novel and presented it to the emperor again.
This picture album is an imported product, said to be a Western product, but it is not a portrait, but a still life. Zhu Yijun looked at it for a while and felt that his painting skills were different from those of Ming Dynasty, but he did not feel that there was any special benefit, so he was somewhat uninterested.
When Concubine Zheng saw it, she had a charming smile on her face, and whispered something into the emperor's ear quietly, which made Zhu Yijun look surprised: "Qiu Zhen, there are... uh, that kind of picture?"
Concubine Zheng pursed her lips and snickered, tilting her head shyly, but still replied: "How could it not be possible? All the Western paintings in Ming Dynasty were obtained by his fleet. There are also rumors in the market. I also came to visit the bride the year before last. I only found out after my sister-in-law mentioned it privately. Your Majesty, do you think, since he got all the paintings, how could he not have them himself?"
Zhu Yijun looked stunned at first, but then shook his head and said: "No, just because his fleet sells these things doesn't mean he has them himself. I think he has little interest in these things."
Concubine Zheng Huang said in surprise: "Your Majesty, are you so sure?"
"I have been to his house - oh, I mean Baiyulou." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "Some people outside say that Baiyulou is like Lutai, but in fact it is just a stone house. Although the decoration inside is exquisite, it is not There are groups of dancing girls. As for some people saying that there are many LUO statues inside, I have also seen them. They are all statues of little boys with wings on their backs. They are a bit strange, but they are not obscene at all."
Concubine Zheng pursed her lips slightly: "The emperor can trust him, how do you know that he didn't hide certain people because the emperor was gone?"
Zhu Yijun suddenly frowned, and his previously relaxed demeanor began to become stern. He turned to look at Concubine Zheng, and said slightly: "An important minister in the cabinet, how can it be criticized by the harem?"
He threw the picture album in front of Concubine Zheng and slammed it on the table in front of her. He stopped looking at it, but turned to look at the picture album next to him and inlaid it with mother-of-pearl, agate, jade and Chinese jade. He picked up a jasper cup on the rosewood coffee table with a picture of fish and colorful lotus, took a sip of hot tea, and sighed softly.
The atmosphere changed so quickly that the entire Yikun Palace, from Concubine Zheng to the maids and eunuchs, began to be on tenterhooks and did not even dare to express their anger.
Concubine Zheng Huang was also a little panicked, but she knew that the reason why she was favored was that she did not follow the emperor in everything like other concubines. Therefore, she would not apologize immediately if she made a minor mistake, or would not apologize immediately, or behave like other concubines. Concubines usually say things like "I deserve death for my crime."
Generally speaking, the emperor didn't mind. Even if he was a little angry at the time, he gave up after a while. But something seemed wrong today. The emperor turned his head and ignored her for a while. The entire Yikun Palace was quiet. This atmosphere even reminded her of the time when she sneaked into her ancestral hall when she was a child. The eerie and terrifying atmosphere inside the ancestral hall. .
The rules in the harem of the Ming Dynasty were very strict. Don't say she was a concubine, even the queen was strictly prohibited from interfering in state affairs. However, this rule did not work particularly well for Concubine Zheng before. The emperor was always quick to forgive her, but this time, the emperor seemed to be really angry.
Only then did Concubine Zheng remember the warning her family had given her. Gao Pragmatic had an extraordinary status in the emperor's mind, and might even be more important than Prince Lu.
Concubine Zheng originally wanted to keep her temper and continue to have a cold war with the emperor, but suddenly, Zhu Yijun gave a cold "hum" and stood up to leave.
"Your Majesty!" Only then did Concubine Zheng realize that something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve as usual, and said aggrievedly: "I know I was wrong."
After all, the emperor really loved this unique woman in front of him. Hearing this, he took a deep breath and said sternly: "There is no child's play in the national law. The ancestral rules have been established for two hundred years. Even I must abide by them, let alone the harem? I am pragmatic and pragmatic. I read with you every now and then, I know that you are a man of upright character and the best in the world in talent!"
His words were originally meant to be harsh, but as he spoke, especially after talking about Gao pragmatism, he actually became really angry again, and his tone was like thunder, as if it was the black clouds that were approaching when a rainstorm was about to come. The city is about to be destroyed.
The palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened by the emperor's roaring voice that they trembled. Many of them even subconsciously plopped down on the ground. Even the confidant maids around Concubine Zheng were silent and trembling.
Concubine Zheng was about to cry, her eyes were red, and tears were rolling in her eyes. But this time the emperor may have mentioned that Gao Pragmatism "was my companion when I was a child. He has a good character and is the best in the world. I know him well." Then he thought of the friendship over these years. It seemed that he was really angry, but he was still cold. Staring into Concubine Zheng's eyes.
At this moment, Concubine Zheng was suddenly really scared. She saw something indescribable in the emperor's eyes. It was an indescribable feeling, but she clearly discovered that in the emperor's mind, even she was not as important as being pragmatic.
What she saw in the emperor's eyes was not only friendship, but also a unique kind of trust, a kind of trust that could be trusted with everything without any other reasons.
Concubine Zheng suddenly felt regretful and felt that she should not have listened to some people to test the emperor's views on Gao Pragmatic.
What a stupid temptation! In the emperor's mind, Gao Pingshi was as perfect as Confucius was alive!
Damn it, you deserve death!
Concubine Zheng didn't know who she was referring to when she said she deserved death, Gao Pragmatic, or the person who encouraged her to test.
"Your Majesty, I don't dare anymore, please calm down." Concubine Zheng's tears fell, fluttering like broken pearls, her face that was both happy and angry was like pear blossoms with rain, which made people look down upon her.
Most of the coldness in the emperor's eyes dissipated, but for some unknown reason, he just nodded numbly and said, "I will wait and see."
Then he turned his head slightly and said to Chen Ju: "Go to Qianqing...Kunning Palace."
Concubine Zheng's hand holding his sleeve loosened as if she suddenly lost strength, and allowed the emperor to leave. She no longer had the energy and confidence of the past to step forward and pull him back with a sweet smile.
No one dared to advise, even Chen Ju was cautiously hunched over to lead the way, wishing that every step would be silent so as not to attract the emperor's attention.
But the emperor had just walked a few steps out of the main hall when he couldn't help but ask: "Chen Ju, are you going to be at Zhaohui Jinggongfang or Baiyu Tower tonight?"
Chen Ju hurriedly stopped and turned around, bowed and replied: "I am returning to Jinggongfang, Zhaohui."
Zhu Yijun nodded and said to himself: "That's right. He will officially take up his new post tomorrow. He will have to go to the Ministry of Household Affairs earlier than usual. If he goes to Baiyu Tower tonight, it will be a bit far."
Chen Ju accompanied him and said, "Yes, your Majesty is very accurate in seeing things."
Zhu Yijun took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said with some annoyance: "Tell me, will seeking the truth annoy me?"
Chen Ju said cautiously: "I will tell you what happened tonight. I'm sure not a word will be leaked out, and Da Sinong will definitely not know about it."
"That's not what I said!" Zhu Yijun suddenly became angry, even stamped his feet, and said angrily: "I seem to have fallen into a trap. Shi Xing is not one of the people seeking truth. If he does something evil, you Will Qiuzhen think that I did this on purpose? Will he..."
Chen Ju hurriedly said: "Your Majesty!"
Zhu Yijun did not continue speaking, but just exhaled a rough breath.
Chen Ju swallowed and seemed to feel a little uncomfortable in his throat. He quietly cleared his throat and then lowered his voice and said: "Your Majesty, you also said that Da Sinong has a good character and is the best in the world. He is an old man. With his intelligence, even if something really happened, he would definitely be able to see through the tricks behind it. The demons and monsters had nowhere to hide, so how could they turn their anger on the emperor?
Furthermore, the thunder and rain are all the kindness of the king. With the loyalty of the great agricultural minister, how can he feel resentment because of it? Does your Majesty still remember the year when Da Si Nong was appointed to Guangxi? How many people in the world think that Da Si Nong will become the second Yang Sheng'an, harboring resentment and ridiculing his superiors with literature but not thinking about government affairs, and wasting all his abilities?
But what did Da Sinong do? In Guangxi, he not only governed the place on behalf of Zhang Ren and solved the problem of chieftains, but also helped the court regain Annan, and even managed the financial affairs extremely well. The slave heard that Guangxi’s tax revenue last year reached 60% of Guangdong’s, especially the commercial tax, which even surpassed Guangdong’s!
To be honest with the emperor, when this servant heard the news, his jaw dropped! Guangdong is so wealthy, but Guangxi can actually overtake this business tax? "
Zhu Yijun felt much better after hearing these words. He nodded and said: "It does happen. It is said that it is mainly due to the sugar tax and wood tax... Oh, by the way, Qiu Zhen also paid a lot himself. It seems that he has just said that. What kind of vehicle and boat tax did he pay more than 50,000 taels?"
"Yes, yes, the emperor has a really good memory, it's the travel and boat tax." Chen Ju sighed: "It's interesting to say that this tax didn't exist before, and it was Da Sinong who proposed it at that time.
In fact, in Guangxi, apart from Jinghua, how many other people can meet the standard of paying vehicle and vessel tax? This tax is almost set for himself. My servant also read several history books in the study room in the past. I really looked through the Twenty-Four Histories and couldn't find anyone who did this. "
"Yes, yes." Zhu Yijun sighed with emotion: "Heaven asked for truth and came to assist me. In the past, the emperor's wisdom and discernment were so great that he simply abandoned me and left me. If I don't cherish it, won't God punish me?"
Before Chen Ju could answer, he continued: "But I was so angry just now that I didn't have time to think about it carefully. Now that I think about it, Concubine Zheng's behavior today is very unusual..."
Chen Ju also felt that there was something wrong with Concubine Zheng's behavior today, but he still pretended to be surprised and said "ah".
Youdao is to accompany an emperor like a tiger. As someone who is close to the emperor, you cannot listen to such words without any reaction, nor can you continue to answer them indiscriminately. Chen Ju is obviously a master, and he only used a surprised "Ah" "The word, I caught the words firmly.
Sure enough, the emperor followed these words and analyzed them. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Concubine Zheng knows about my relationship with Qiuzhen. In the past, even when Qiuzhen was mentioned, she only congratulated me for having such a minister to assist me. It is really Sheji." What a blessing. Why did she suddenly change her temper today and actually hint that Qiuzhen would do one thing to me openly and secretly? Either someone taught her this, or someone encouraged her...
Huh, that’s great! Someone in the court had a plan to seek truth, and someone in the palace actually extended a black hand. I think some people are worried that Qiu Zhen has taken charge of the household department, and the three fires of the local official are going to burn their heads, so they can't hold back and jump out one after another. "
Chen Ju breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but his face was extremely serious. He nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, Shengming Zhuzhao, how come you didn't think of this!"
After Zhu Yijun heard this, he couldn't help but criticize him and said: "You too, what does Dongchang do for food? You can only find out so much about such an important matter? Honorable ladies, send me to Qiuzhen Mansion. Come on, what's the big deal? It's just something about the Beijing Camp, but you sent more than twenty people to monitor it. What are you monitoring? With such a large group of people openly visiting, how could it be that they are plotting something evil?
On the contrary, the matter that should have been investigated earlier has been delayed. It has been more than half a month and the details have not been found out! Let me ask you, when did Shi Xing and... form a tacit understanding? Did they meet privately? Or is there someone out there? "
Chen Ju hurriedly knelt on the ground and replied quickly: "This slave is punished by death, this slave is punished by death. However, Dongchang and Jinyiwei have already found out a little bit. Please give me some more time to continue investigating, and we will definitely find out the truth."
Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and said, "Tell me what you have found out now."
Chen Ju said: "Since Dongchang and Jinyiwei usually don't dare to monitor the ministers, they can only take a roundabout way and use some disciples and other small figures to verify..."
"I'm asking about the results, not the process."
"Yes, yes." Chen Ju said: "Back to the emperor, there should be no private meeting. There must be a spy among them. Although it has not been found out yet, all clues point to the palace."
Zhu Yijun's pupils shrank slightly and he said coldly: "Huh, it's just as I expected."
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
