In the court room.
Yu Qian held his breath and concentrated, considering the words in his mind, preparing for today's 'battle'.
Glancing at Wang Zhi not far away, the latter nodded slightly to express his full help.
Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt uneasy after thinking about it. He turned back across the crowd and glanced at Li Qing.
But he found that Li Qing seemed to be fine and didn't wake up.
Isn't today the day when the emperor promulgates national policies? Yu Qian was a little puzzled, but he didn't think it was the case. After all, Li Qing had come to court.
Marquis Yongqing really has a big heart... Yu Qian smiled bitterly, but under the influence of Li Qing, he was not so nervous.
Half an hour later, Zhu Qizhen stepped into the hall.
The ministers paid homage and the mountain shouted long live.
After the great ceremony between the monarch and his ministers, the ministers went back to their respective offices, waiting for the emperor to ask questions and then report on their work.
They didn't notice that today was any different from usual.
Zhu Qizhen did not ask: "Do you have this memorial?" Instead, he said directly: "Wang Aiqing."
Wang Jing, Wang Ji, Wang Zuo, Wang Zhi... all the big guys looked at each other, not knowing who the emperor was calling, so they all stood up.
Zhu Qizhen added: "Wang Ning loves Qing, so he stepped forward to answer the question."
Hearing this, the other bosses surnamed Wang went back to their classes. Wang Ning stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "What do you want your Majesty to say?"
"What happened to the treasure ships that the Three Treasures Eunuchs used to sail to the West in the past?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Wang Xing didn't expect the little emperor to ask this at all. He thought for a while before replying: "The treasure ship has been in disrepair for a long time and basically cannot be launched into the water."
Zhu Qizhen looked regretful and sighed: "These treasure ships have made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, but now they can't even enter the water."
After a pause, he said loudly: "Wang Aiqing, I order you to mobilize manpower immediately and repair these treasure ships within three months. Not only can they be launched into the water, but they must also withstand the waves."
"Is it...ah?" Wang Yan was startled, "Your Majesty, what...does this mean?"
The expressions of the ministers changed slightly, and there was a vague foreboding: The emperor is not going to...
"I want to restart maritime trade." Zhu Qizhen said.
brush--!
All the officials looked at Zhu Qizhen at the same time, with shock in their hearts and ugly expressions on their faces.
Sure enough, the little emperor still wanted to restart maritime trade.
It's not that they never thought that this would happen one day, but they just didn't expect that this day would come so quickly.
How long has it been?
In the five years of orthodoxy, they were still very proud of themselves and had the power to influence the situation. In just two years, first the recommendation system was abolished, and then the garrison ministers were withdrawn. The power of the civil service group was greatly reduced.
Now they have to reopen the imperial trade. For them, this is like falling from heaven to hell.
We can't let it go anymore!
This is the voice of all civil servants.
Even many military attachés and nobles disagreed, and they were also conducting maritime trade secretly.
Although the imperial court explicitly prohibited officials from engaging in maritime trade, for Jingguan'er, this was just a means to accelerate their money-making.
Of course, they themselves don't show up, they control everything from behind, and they make a lot of money.
The Ministry of Punishment took the lead in taking action, saying, "Officials do not compete with the people for profit, and the emperor has control over the world. Now that the national treasury is full, why should he care about this small amount of money?"
"I second the proposal!" All the Ministry of Household Affairs agreed with the matter.
Yu Qian glanced at the officials from the former camp, but no one dared to look at him and avoided his gaze.
When it comes to their own interests, they will not rush to make selfless contributions.
Yu Qian had no choice but to go into battle in person and hummed: "Little money?
Taizong's southern expedition to Jiaozhi, northern expedition to Mongolia, opening of the canal, moving the capital to Shuntian, compiling the Yongle Canon... Which one cost less?
What do you rely on for such great achievements? "
As soon as Yu Qian came on the stage, both of them immediately lost their temper and went back to work.
Soldiers versus soldiers, generals versus generals, it was no longer their place to interfere.
All the big men in the court frowned secretly, cursing Yu Qian's ancestors for eight generations while thinking about countermeasures.
Wang Zuo, the Minister of Household Affairs, was thinking of a way to deal with this when he was suddenly kicked secretly by his own minister. He staggered out of the crowd.
Wang Zuo licked his lips. He was not in good health to return from work, so he retorted: "Taizong's voyages to the West were to spread the culture of the Ming Dynasty and promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. It is a good story that will last forever, and it is also a great achievement.
How come it becomes a business deal when it comes to the minister's mouth? "
Wang Zhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, immediately went out to support Yu Qian, "Why does Wang Shilang care about him?
What we are talking about now is the profits from ocean trade, please don’t ramble on. "
Wang Zuo hesitated and said angrily: "Now our Ming Dynasty is prosperous, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, and taxes are rising. During the Hongwu period, the annual tax was only 35 million shi, but now it is more than 50 million shi. Why should we compete with the people for profit?" ?”
"It seems to be fair, but in fact it is absurd." The British Duke Zhang Fu went to work, "In the Taizu Dynasty, all the levies were rice, wheat, and fine grains. Now, more than half of the 50 million stone grains are Xuande potatoes, Yongle beans, and Yongle rice are all whole grains, can they be compared?"
As soon as Zhang Fu spoke, no one raised any objections, and the court fell into an eerie silence.
Yu Qian struck while the iron was hot, "What the British public said is absolutely true, this moment is the same as that moment;
Now the people of Ming Dynasty can have enough to eat. In the past, most of the things that could be solved with food now require money. Relatively speaking, the national treasury is not full compared to the period of Taizu, but is actually poorer. "
"I disagree." Liu Zhongfu, the Minister of Household Affairs, retorted, "Fine grains are grains, but coarse grains are not grains? Silver ingots are silver, but broken silver is not silver?"
Or should we say that Yongle beans, Yongle rice, and Xuande potatoes cannot be eaten? "
"You...!" Yu Qian was furious, "Is this the same thing as being messy?"
"Why not?" Liu Zhongfu snorted, "Is the food in the treasury fake?" gòйЪ.ōΓg
Li Qing saw that Yu Qian couldn't think of a rebuttal for a while, so he had to leave work and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Liu Zhongfu looked back at Li Qing and frowned: We, the minister and the minister, are fighting, why are you just adding to the excitement?
Others were also dissatisfied with Li Qing's approach. It has always been an unwritten rule for soldiers to fight against soldiers and against generals.
Although you, Li Qing, are favored, in the end, you are just a failure. Why do you do so?
I'm shameless... Li Qing rolled his eyes and looked at Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Come forward and say it."
Li Qing stepped forward, turned to Liu Zhongfu and said, "Liu Shangshu, I want to ask you a question..."
"I don't bother to answer your question." Liu Zhongfu was full of arrogance.
Li Qing shrugged and looked at Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Qizhen immediately said: "Li Qing asked, Liu Qing must answer!"
Liu Zhongfu: "...Li Du, please ask me about it."
"Over the years, has the money and food in the treasury been increasing or decreasing?" Li Qing looked at him steadily and said word by word, "Above the court, in front of the emperor, if Liu Shangshu dares to deceive the emperor, the consequences... Haha, please Liu Shangshu answered."
Liu Zhongfu's expression changed and he was speechless.
"Answer!" Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice.
"emperor……"
"Answer directly!" Zhu Qizhen's face was gloomy, "Immediately!"
"Change, less." Liu Zhongfu whispered.
There was no way he could lie, the accounts were there, and he would know them as soon as he checked them. Moreover, the little emperor already knew what he was doing, so he didn't dare to lie about it.
Li Qing added: "The emperor is wise and powerful, and manages the country in an orderly manner. Why is the national treasury getting poorer and poorer?"
"This..." Liu Zhongfu stammered, "I, I still...can't find the reason in the future."
"Bang——!" Zhu Qizhen threw the paper weight down and became furious, "Then how did you become the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
"Your Majesty, I forgive you, sir..."
"No need to say it." Zhu Qizhen interrupted forcefully and snorted coldly: "I think you are an old fool. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you can't even understand this account. What use do you have?
You, return home after your official career! "
"Ah?" Liu Zhongfu was dumbfounded and his face turned pale.
Wang Zuo, who had just been kicked, was secretly happy and closed his mouth tightly. He decided that he could not make the emperor unhappy anymore no matter what.
"Your Majesty, think twice...!" Wang Ning of the Ministry of Industry said loudly: "At present, although the national treasury cannot keep up with the Xuande Dynasty, it is enough for use. There is also a severe drought in Shandong and Henan this year. This is also the reason for the reduction of taxes. Please be careful, Your Majesty." .”
"Your Majesty, the people are suffering." Chen Zhi, the censor of Zuodu of the Imperial Procuratorate, came out to show his compassion for heaven and earth, "Please show mercy to your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, think twice...!"
The ministers knelt down and cheered, all of them were loyal ministers petitioning for the people.
An uncontrollable depression suddenly rose in Zhu Qizhen's heart, and he said bitterly: "I thought over and over again, and decided to reopen ocean trade!"
He glanced at the ministers with cold eyes, "Who agrees and who opposes?"
All the bosses: "...Your Majesty, think twice!"
"Your Majesty, I have this report." The Ministry of Household Affairs said loudly.
The Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate followed closely, "I also have this memorial."
"I also have this memorial!"
…
The public speaking groups of the six subjects and thirteen subjects collectively launched an attack. These trolls realized that it was time for them to show off, and each one competed vigorously.
Li Qing shook his head secretly and said in his heart: Stir it up, stir it up, this time, you have to mess up your own life.
This time, the little emperor wants to kill people to establish his authority!
