In recent years, the emperor has enjoyed outings in the palace and countryside. Initially, he went out one afternoon and did not stay overnight.
But gradually, this tacit understanding was broken. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. In the second year of Zhengde, a major assassination of the emperor occurred.
That time, Queen Mother Zhang was so frightened that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Later, for the sake of safety, the palace did its best to find a manor outside.
In this case, no matter how you say it, even if you don't return to the palace, you will have a place to go after dark.
The manor was originally named Yuyuan, but Zhu Houzhao, a bastard, had some strange ideas and ordered it to be changed to Heaven and Earth.
It's a pity that he didn't come to this garden very much. On weekdays, there were just people sweeping it and keeping it clean, that's all.
Also because there were so few people, he did not agree to decorate it splendidly in order to avoid extravagance and waste.
But he likes bamboo forests and lakes. Lotus flowers can be grown in the lake water. In summer, that is, right now, the lotus flowers are in full bloom. Not only are they beautiful, but there are also lotus roots and seeds that can be eaten.
There are a few more fish in the small lake. When you really need to relax, you can go here and become a fisherman.
He didn't care what those censors said about playing with things and losing one's ambition. It was obvious that a combination of work and rest would be more efficient. No matter how happy it was to be the emperor, he couldn't go without a rest all year round.
Sometimes he would take a small boat and lie down for half a day, which would give him some free time. After changing his mind, he would wake up a lot.
How did Zhang Cong, the original magistrate of the county, know where this place was, and the people who were looking for him didn't tell him clearly. As for the emperor himself, he was only lucky enough to see him from a distance during the imperial examination, but at that time he was nervous and looked directly at the emperor. It's disrespectful, so I don't look at it carefully at all.
I don’t even know what it looks like.
So when Zhu Houzhao walked towards him along the curved stone path built in the lake, he still stared at the emperor stupidly.
This made Zhu Houzhao a little suspicious. Seeing that Zhang Cong never bowed his head, he asked: "Liu Jin, didn't you tell him that I wanted to see him?"
"Without His Majesty's will, I dare not make my own decisions."
"Oh... just stay here and don't follow me." Zhu Houzhao nodded, thoughts filling his heart.
"My slave obeys the order."
In this way, until Zhang Cong came close, he slightly bent down and held his hands in salute.
The person who came was well-dressed and full of nobility. Anyone who saw him would know that he was not an ordinary person.
But he didn't think about it in the direction of the palace, because the visitor brought a woman, and she didn't look like a maid. The emperor wouldn't bring a concubine, right?
Zhang Cong actually knows etiquette, and the female relatives of noble families should not look too much, so he only glanced at her, and quickly shifted his gaze after seeing his face clearly.
There are many yamen in the capital, and if you want to survive, you have to pay attention to details like this.
"I, Zhang Cong, have met Xiongtai. I don't know what your surname is, so why are you looking for me?"
"My surname is Wang, it's..." Zhu Houzhao was already playful and started to make nonsense, "It's Uncle Wei Ning, and this is my sister-in-law."
"That's polite." Zhang Cong said politely.
"Sit down." Zhu Houzhao kept blowing the fan in his hand, "Sister, you sit on the left."
Wang Zhi felt a little strange, sister...
It's not a good idea to find another identity. Is this deliberately trying to be her brother?
Zhang Cong was still a little confused, but the other party was Weiningbo Mansion. Based on the principle of not offending others, he was prepared to adapt to changes.
After sitting down, Zhu Houzhao said: "Brother Zhang doesn't recognize me, but I recognize you. What you wrote in court that day has already spread throughout the capital. The root cause is increasingly concentrated in the world, and the people are becoming more and more poor and the fields are getting worse. In the famine, taxes and corvee have not been reduced, making the people more poor, and the country's wealth has become increasingly scarce. After decades, I don't know how the country's taxes will be paid? These shocking words are coming from you, right? ?”
"Uncle Weining was overly complimentary. He was filled with grief and anger that day, and his words were a bit fierce."
"Are you afraid?"
Zhang Cong shook his head and said, "Everyone is responsible for what I do. Since I have said what I said, I will naturally recognize it, and I am afraid that there will be no way to talk about it. Even this life itself has been picked up."
"You have backbone!" Zhu Houzhao praised him and pretended to hold his hands in front of him, "The reason why I invited Brother Zhang here today is also because of these few words."
Zhang Cong lowered his voice and said with a slight embarrassment, "I'm sorry to speak frankly..."
"ah……"
"The people I'm talking about who occupy the land are...just..." Zhang Cong felt strange. I almost cursed you nobles by name, why do you still think what I said was good?
Forehead……
Zhu Houzhao knocked on the table and said, "I am the earl of the imperial court. I am serving the imperial court and your majesty. How can I have any selfish motives?"
Zhang Cong's eyes lit up, "Uncle, I admire your righteousness!"
Wang Zhi was suppressing a laugh by the side. The emperor was really playful when he was not serious.
"You're welcome! Brother Zhang, let me ask, what you said this time is so impassioned and pointed at the shortcomings of the world, but you don't know if there is any way to eliminate this stubborn disease for the imperial court?"
"In fact, His Majesty has already used the method."
"What?"
"In the second year of Zhengde, the emperor ordered to clear out all the imperial estates and official fields in the capital and return the land to the people. This was the method. Those who win the hearts of the people will win the world. Later, when the Tatars invaded, the people of the capital and the imperial court shared the same hatred, which illustrates the effectiveness of this method. right."
"After all, it is easier under the emperor's feet. What about those borderlands and places with high mountains and far away from the emperor?"
"What does Weiningbo mean?"
"I also heard people talk about it. In Shaanxi, the pastures of imperial officials' horse farms were occupied. In various border towns, most of the fields of military camps were also occupied, leaving military households with no land to stand on. Without land, military households would have to flee. , or they are ruined, and the fighting strength of the frontier army is not as good as before. The generals only focus on enclosing the land to make money, while the soldiers do not even have a livelihood. Isn’t this exactly what you said, that the cultivated fields are becoming more and more concentrated, and the people are becoming increasingly poor? "
Talking about this, Zhang Cong also felt sad.
"I think that since the emperor understands the principle of returning the land of the capital to farmland, he must also know that military camps and pastures also need to be cleaned up. It is just that there is a lack of opportunity. When the opportunity comes, it is not impossible to do it!"
"You think you can do that?"
Zhang Cong said seriously: "This is not something that can't be done, but something that has to be done. My uncle also said that the families in the border army don't even have a livelihood. If the court turns a blind eye, more unpredictable things will happen in the future." Things."
"Unpredictable things?"
Zhu Houzhao thought, did the soldiers mutiny?
Zhang Cong did not dare to say more.
"But some people say that this matter is of great importance. If it is not handled carefully, it may be in danger of overturning. Even so, do you think this matter has to be done?"
"Uncle...have you ever seen truly poor people?" Zhang Cong suddenly asked this question.
Zhu Houzhao shook his head, "I haven't seen them. How are they doing?"
"In good years, you can barely satisfy your hunger, but in bad years, you sell your sons and daughters. This is the case for all people in the world. If you really look at it, you won't have so many worries, doubts and entanglements. Even if you can't do it, you have to do it."
Zhu Houzhao felt a little shocked. He thought about various profound truths that Zhang Cong might say. But he didn't expect it to be such a common reason, so common that he, a person who actually knew the current situation of the people, would ignore it.
Yes, there is no need for so many analyzes of pros and cons, pros and cons. What is the situation in the DPRK and the reaction of the border troops? After really seeing how the people are living, do you still have to think about whether to do something or not?
Could it be that if you can't do it, just throw your hands up and say you can't do it? In order to make the world more stable, do you have to suffer even more for the people?
Zhu Houzhao was also thinking that if he didn't have such a strong will, Zhang Cong in history might not be willing to risk the world's disapproval. What smart person doesn't know how important what he does is, but he still did it, and It was done very forcefully.
This person came at just the right time.
That’s fine, let’s start with the pastures and military villages.
Caochang and military garrison are related to military strength. After all, some of his troops are now considered direct, and the Tatars in the north have also been severely damaged. If you don't have the courage to do so in this situation, then this emperor is too weak.
When the military camps are cleaned up and the frontier army can take on a new look, then everything will fall into place.
