Neither give instructions nor stay in the middle.
The crown prince's approach was to reject the suggestions of his ministers, and he directly stated in the court that he would use severe punishments to govern all officials. If this continues, Zhu Houzhao's reputation will not be much better than that of Emperor Yongzheng.
Power can be returned to the memorial, but power cannot stop ministers from speaking. Even if they are not allowed to speak openly, they still can't stop it in private.
This is inevitable for the political development of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Jian sometimes worries about this. If his leader follows a tyrannical king, it will still affect his reputation after his death... He may not care about it, but he still cherishes feathers.
However, Dong Gong did know what happened ahead of time.
Li Dongyang bought the latest issue of "Ming Pao" and gave it to Mr. Liu Ge to take a look. Today's topic is very big and scary: the whole story of corrupt officials in Zhejiang.
While he was reading, Jiang Tongzu, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who had taken off his official uniform, was also looking. When he found his name listed, he was so angry that he tore up the paper!
"The emperor should share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, not with the people!"
The sky was full of confetti flying with the cold November wind, falling on the foot of the chair, on the threshold, and on the person who stepped in. This person was Jiang Tongzu's close friend in the same field, Ma Yiqian, who at this time was serving as a doctor in the Ministry of War's chariot driving department and a member of the Qing Dynasty, and was in the fifth rank.
The two of them were close in age and had similar interests. They had been on good terms with each other since they became officials in the court.
Everyone knows what happened in the palace yesterday. Jiang Tongzu is going to be a common people. This punishment is not harsh, but it is very insulting. It is like saying... Jiang Tongzu has no idea about the sufferings of the people. How could this reputation spread well?
"Huide, be careful!" Ma Yiqian was frightened when his friend shouted so loudly.
The power of His Highness the Crown Prince has intervened in the Jin Yiwei, and the Crown Prince is obviously better at using the power of the Jin Yiwei than the current emperor. If Jiang Tongzu shouts this at home, don't think that the prince won't know. When Cheng Minzheng said in Beijing, "The prince is just an eight-year-old child," didn't it become known later?
"How could I not know that I should be careful with my words? But if the state affairs are like this, what good will it do for you and me to be cautious about what we say, be careful about what we say, be careful about what we say...?"
Of course Ma Yiqian understood what he meant, and he could better understand Jiang Tongzu's mood.
Now they have understood the Crown Prince's style of dealing with things. At best, he is assertive, but at worst, he is smart enough to refuse advice and is literate enough to cover up his mistakes. This could be seen in the court yesterday.
For Jiang Tongzu, throwing that memorial to the ground basically announced the end of his official career. Jiang Tongzu had not yet arrived, so early and suddenly, how could he be mentally balanced?
There are many people like this in the capital. As long as their ideas are far different from those of the prince, most of the time they are called rotten scholars. They are all the proud sons of heaven who came from Jinshi. Sometimes, it is inevitable in their hearts Will not be convinced.
"Huide, I warned you back then. The current prince is a very smart man, and it is useless to convince him with a memorial." Ma Yiqian looked at the torn piece of paper in his hand, "No matter what The Zuo Shunmen incident in the twelfth year of Hongzhi, or now that the memorial has been returned, the prince's door is closed to us. He only needs ministers who can cater to him. "….
boom!
Jiang Tongzu was furious and slapped the table hard.
"We are not ashamed to flatter the monarch in a flattering manner!"
I don’t know if he really said this out of the righteousness of his heart, or because he had no hope of an official career. What makes them feel most desperate is that the prince has just turned fourteen. If he ascends the throne and governs himself, their lives will be over.
"I have already thought about it." Ma Yiqian sighed. "When I find the right time, I will go to the court and ask for my resignation. There is no place for me in the court, so why force it? In the future, I will express my love for the mountains and rivers, recite poems and recite poems. That's fine." It’s a joy in life.”
Jiang Tongzu seemed to be unable to swallow this breath, and reluctantly agreed, his tone full of sourness: "That's right... If there is a way in the world, you will see it, but if there is no way, you will hide it. If a country has no way, it is shameful to be rich and noble."
Ma Yiqian was a little surprised. He knew his friend well, "When did Huide change his mind?"
"It's not a replacement
I have no idea, the world is like this and there is nothing we can do about it. I also have a good friend, whose surname is Lu and whose given name is Meng. He is also in the same situation as me. We joined the court together as officials in order to help the world and benefit all people, but the prince does not need us. Instead of living in confusion, it is better to return to the countryside. "
"Okay!" Ma Yiqian congratulated him, "Huide doesn't know something. You and I are not the only ones who have this idea. When the time comes, we can find some like-minded people and return to our hometown as officials, whether it is to set up a college to give lectures or to entertain our grandchildren. , it’s better than the feeling of being useless now. At that time, let’s pursue the elegance of the Eight Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and future generations will be a little envious of us when they know us!”
Putting it this way, it seems that the unhappy things in the court are nothing.
But faintly, Jiang Tongzu was still a little worried.
"I'm afraid... Hongzhi will collapse halfway through the resurgence, and the world will be in chaos. You and I, the earthly duckweeds, will not be able to stop the rolling tide."
"Will it?"
Jiang Tongzu seems to be convinced, "The current prince was born in the palace and grew up in the palace. The teacher at Zhan Shifu taught him that 'the people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is strong and the country is peaceful.' So he believed it. As everyone knows, the gentry in the world is The foundation of the imperial court. Besides, how could I not know that the gentry oppressed the people? But disturbing the gentry is like destroying its own foundation. If this continues, how can the country avoid chaos?"
"This is why Huide said that the emperor shares the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, rather than with the common people."
"Yes. To be honest, the talent, courage, and courage of the current prince are indeed extraordinary, but this concept is wrong. To attack one's own foundation one by one is to use one person to fight against the world. Let's say that this time Zhejiang Eucalyptus, which gentry will have their hearts set on the imperial court in the future? It’s a pity that the Eastern Palace still thinks that I am a rotten scholar and do not understand the principles of governing the country.”
Ma Yiqian was speechless for a moment after hearing this.
And Jiang Tongzu made some determination at this moment, "Even if you and I stay away from the court, we must still have the thought of saving the country. Since the prince does not listen to you and me, then we can only slowly pursue it. The East Palace is not built Academy, did you create "Ming Pao" to influence people's hearts? We should also spread our ideas to other places and others, gather talents, and wait for the opportunity. One day, His Highness will hit a wall and look back, and he will find that we are the ones with the best intentions. Good suffering."
…
…
At this time, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian were in the Qianqing Palace. There were only three of them, and Prince Zhu Houzhao was not there either. ….
"...What do you three think of the prince's performance in the morning court yesterday?" Emperor Hongzhi paced the palace with his hands behind his hands. He is now better and likes to exercise like this every day.
"Full of courage and overwhelming momentum." Liu Jian responded.
The emperor glanced at Li and Xie. So Li Dongyang reported back, "Your Highness is resolute and resolute. He dares to make plans and face disputes head-on on matters he has determined."
"Where's Mr. Xie Ge?"
Xie Qian couldn't escape either, but he said more simply, "Your Highness has the appearance of a heroic lord."
"How does it compare to me?"
If it were ordinary ministers, or those who were not so smart, they would flatter the emperor. But the three of them have been in the court for so many years. In addition to knowing the prince, they also know the emperor better.
Our Holy Lord is the successor of our ancestors. At that time, Emperor Taizu was deeply worried about his descendants being weak and being bullied by others, and was overjoyed that his descendants were smart enough to take on the world. Emperor Taizu had so many sons at that time, but now he doesn’t have to worry about it. That’s it. one. The inheritance of the ancestors and the country for all eternity must be handed over to his hands no matter what.
Liu Jian held the ceremony and replied: "Your Majesty is indeed not as good as your Highness at your age."
This is the expressive art of the Grand Bachelor, which conveys the meaning without belittling the emperor too much.
In fact, in the past few years, Emperor Hongzhi has clearly seen what age is and what is not. "You don't dare to say it, but I dare to say it. My prince is more suitable to be an emperor than me. Hey, I don't know whether to be happy or sentimental... …I have governed the world for seventeen years. In the end, my greatest contribution to my ancestors and to the world is not to govern the Yellow River and appoint people on their merits, but to give birth to an heir to our Zhu family whose mind and means are as good as those of our ancestors.”
"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so self-effacing." Li Dongyang replied: "For three generations, among the monarchs of Shoucheng, His Majesty can be called the benevolent emperor and the wise and virtuous monarch.
. "
"That's the problem." The emperor waved his hand, "I am a benevolent king, and the prince is punished severely. Some ministers in the court always think that I am just such a son, so I love you too much. Mr. Liu Ge and Li Ge Lao, Lao Xie Ge, do you also think that my love for the prince is really just because of my closeness? You are also my teacher, am I... such an ignorant king and father? "
After hearing this, the three of them knelt down in unison, "I don't dare."
"If I were just doting on him, I would not let the prince interfere so deeply in the government affairs. If he does not have this will, there is no way to force him. How can I dare to take things lightly when it comes to the country and the country of our ancestors?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
"After you go down, you can tell me what I mean. There will always be one sun in the sky. There is no big sun or little sun."
All three of them are extremely smart people.
The emperor's meaning is clear, that is, the courtiers should not ponder whether there is any disagreement between the emperor and the prince, or whether the prince's intention may not be the emperor's intention. No, the imperial court has always been the political center, there is no second one.
"I understand."
Now some ministers will think about it on their own, and then give very inappropriate examples, such as Li Shimin letting his father become the emperor.
"As long as you understand..."….
After the emperor said this, the three old men stopped staying.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao was reading the secret report from Jin Yiwei. Is it true that the gentry should not be offended?
If he hadn't known about the death penalty in the early Qing Dynasty, he would have almost believed this.
In the early Qing Dynasty, these gentry groups in Jiangnan were accustomed to arrears of money and food to the court during the Ming Dynasty, so they did not change their practices when the emperor changed. As a result, the Manchu and Qing court acted unreasonably with them and strictly ordered officials at all levels to collect grain arrears from the gentry. Of course, things started out the same as they did in the Ming Dynasty, because the local gentry and landlord forces in the Jiangnan area were intertwined and deep-rooted. It was obviously unrealistic to completely eradicate these forces just by relying on the emperor's mere edict.
But the rest of the story is different.
In the 18th year of Shunzhi, after some collections, the Qing government deposed all the officials and gentry in Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and Liyang County in Jiangnan who were still in short supply of food, totaling more than 13,000 people. The decree is very strict. No matter how much money or grain is owed, they will be punished severely. That is to say, no grain of grain is owed.
As a result, Ye Fang'ai, a Jinshi at that time, was dismissed by the court because he owed one cent. This is where the rumor that "Tannhua is not worth a penny" came from.
[To be honest, I have been using @@ recently to read and catch up on updates, change sources, and have many reading sounds. It can be used on both Android and Apple. 】
Zhu Houzhao ordered the Jin Yiwei who was kneeling in front of him: "Don't disturb them, let them gather together."
It's much more convenient to get it in one pot than to find it all over the street.
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Thanks to the host who tipped the teapot bubble! .
royal hired cat
