Counting the days, it’s already the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month, and it’s not long before the annual vacation and red envelopes are given out.
At this time, if a little friction occurs, it shouldn't matter. After all, there are still red envelopes hanging there...
Zhu Jianshen thought secretly.
After careful consideration, he went to Jinyi Zhao Prison.
~
Zhao Prison is dark and humid, and is filled with all kinds of weird and unpleasant smells. It can be said to be the ultimate interpretation of dirt and chaos.
After all, anyone who can enter here has committed a serious crime.
However, there was an exception for one prison. This place was not very good, but at least it was normal. The prison was relatively clean and had thick bedding.
Wang Zhi has been here for more than a year;
He has lost some weight, but has grown a lot in height, almost catching up with Wynn. However, he has not seen the sun all year round, and his face looks haggard and pale.
'Wow -! '
The chain was opened, and Wang Zhi, who was sleeping under the covers, heard the noise and raised his neck to take a look. At this glance, his expression changed instantly.
He climbed out of bed in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to put on his clothes. Wearing only a pair of small clothes, he kowtowed and saluted:
"Slave, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"
"Get flat."
Zhu Jianshen waved his hand, and the Jinyi commander bowed his hands and stepped back.
Wang Zhi had been trained by Zhen'er for many years. Although he was young, he was very smart. From the time he put on the quilt, he knew that the emperor would definitely not kill him, and would even use him, but he didn't know exactly when he would be used.
But obviously, the time has come to use him.
The emperor would not come to an unlucky place like Zhao Prison during the festive period when the New Year is approaching. There must be arrangements when he comes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Zhi got up from the ground, lowered his head, and looked like he was letting everything go without any complaints.
Zhu Jianshen couldn't help but chuckle, "You little guy are quite smart, put on your cotton clothes first and then reply."
The words "little boy" instantly made Wang Zhi feel at ease. He quickly said it was about dressing, and then respectfully said: "Please give me your permission, Your Majesty."
Zhu Jianshen said solemnly: "I ask you, will you dare to be so reckless again in the future?"
"Slave..." Wang Zhi took a deep breath and followed the words Zhen'er taught him: "Slave is only loyal to the emperor. As for other things... I have to give in to being loyal to the emperor."
Wang Zhi did not answer, but he did answer: I was so reckless because I wanted to protect the emperor. Compared with protecting the emperor, whether I am reckless or not is not important.
Zhu Jian smiled deeply, what he wanted was Wang Zhi like this.
If Wang Zhizhen loses his spirit, he will lose his effectiveness.
"Who taught you these?"
"This is the duty of a slave..." Wang Zhi paused mid-sentence, abandoned the cliché, and chose to tell the truth: "I was taught by the imperial concubine."
The imperial concubine also said that the emperor must not be deceived in any form...Wang Zhi regarded these as golden rules.
Zhu Jianshen nodded slowly with a gentle expression: "You are very good. You don't have to stay here anymore."
Wang Zhi was stunned for a moment, then turned pale and flushed with excitement. Finally, he no longer had to live in this dark prison.
"My slave, I thank you for your kindness." Wang Zhi kowtowed.
"Okay, get up." Zhu Jianshen turned around and said, "Follow me."
"My servant obeys the order." Wang Zhi climbed up and followed the emperor step by step.
…
Zhu Jianshen still asked Wang Zhi to serve in the Royal Horse Supervisor, and went a step further and made him the chief.
This is already a position of real power. The next higher up is the admiral eunuch, and the next higher up is the supervising eunuch, and then...only the eunuch of the imperial horse eunuch is left.
Wang Zhi was too young after all and still needed time to hone his skills. However, Zhu Jianshen had high hopes for this chess piece and even paved the way for him to follow.
Wang Zhi didn't know about this, he only knew that the emperor planned to train him.
"This slave will live up to the emperor's cultivation!" Wang Zhi took the appointment and dismissal order with both hands and promised with a trembling voice.
Zhu Jianshen smiled and said, "I will come back during the Chinese New Year. The imperial concubine will always talk about you."
"Slave... I obey the order." Wang Zhi's voice was choked, he bowed again and exited the hall.
Zhu Jianshen sighed deeply and said to himself: "I hope you can do what you said and don't let me down."
Zhu Jianshen endured it for ten years and managed it for ten years. The step-by-step efforts he made in these ten years gave him the ability to truly compete with his ministers.
It's time to show his strength.
"They have become too comfortable after all these years..." Zhu Jianshen sneered, "It's time to rectify and reshape the officialdom."
After heaving a sigh of relief, he raised his voice and said, "It is said that Wan'an is coming to the palace to see me!"
…
The next day, morning.
The emperor went to court and all the ministers saluted. Everything was the same as in the past.
As the New Year approaches, the atmosphere in the court becomes relaxed and even cheerful.
With the sound of "all the ministers are at peace", all the ministers stood up and returned to their respective positions, showing a harmonious and harmonious scene.
However, there is one exception.
Wan'an!
The old guy was devastated. This time the emperor told him about his errand... it was really enough to attract hatred. He had a hunch that if he said this, his reputation would be completely ruined in the future, even though he himself didn't have a good reputation.
But after this time, he will even be infamous in the history books of Chenghua.
Just thinking about it made his scalp numb...
Time passed by minute by minute, but Wan An never dared to stand up, so much so that even when the meeting was almost over, he didn't even stand up to speak.
He wanted to drag it over, but...someone disagreed.
"Wan Aiqing!"
"Ah? I'm here, I'm here." Wan An gritted his teeth and left work.
Zhu Jianshen looked dissatisfied and his eyes were threatening: "I see that you are distracted and worried about gains and losses, but you have something to say but you dare not say it?"
When the ministers saw this, their eyes suddenly focused on Wan An.
"My lord, my lord..." Wan An's head was about to explode. He knew that once he said the so-called advice, he would be cut off from the civil service and would never be able to stand up again, but... if he didn't say it, he might be sacked immediately. Get lost.
After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and decided to walk to the dark side.
"Back to the emperor, I have something to advise you!"
Zhu Jianshen's expression immediately softened and he said with a smile: "It's okay to say it!"
Wan An knew that he had no way out. His reputation was bad enough. If he did not cater to the emperor, he would not be able to continue to be an official, so he simply gave up.
"Your Majesty, it has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. As time goes by, there are more and more officials in the Ming Dynasty..."
Wan An said in a deep voice: "At present, various institutions in the Ming Dynasty are already bloated. Too many officials not only make the court's financial expenditure excessive, but also develop the lazy character of officials;
As the saying goes, one monk carries water to eat, and two monks carry water to eat..."
Now that he said it, Wan An no longer had any scruples and kept buzzing...
This is a fact. The imperial examination is held every three years. According to the rules, those who win the Jinshi are officials, and those who are promoted are also qualified to be officials.
Although it is rare to be a Jinshi in the imperial examination in this era, there are more than a hundred people in each exam, and at most, there are even hundreds of people who are Jinshi;
The imperial examination is held once every three years, but officials are not changed every three years. In most cases, they work until they die.
After more than a hundred years of accumulation, the Ming Dynasty's bureaucracy... has reached a point where it has to be reduced.
In other words, it’s time for Daming Company to lay off employees.
After Wan'an finished speaking, he cupped his hands and said: "I sincerely request the emperor to streamline the officials of the Ming Dynasty so that the fittest will survive..."
"Your Majesty must never listen to Wan An's words!" Yin Min, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was the first to go out and sneered at Wan An's remarks, "What Wan An said is a big fallacy."
Zhu Jianshen's face drooped and he said calmly: "What's Yin Aiqing's advice?"
"Your Majesty, which official has not studied hard for ten years and gone through many tests before becoming an official?" Yin Min cupped his hands and said, "Of course, I am not speaking for the officials, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty."
He talked eloquently: "The literati have worked so hard to become an official, but they were easily deprived of their official position. There is a serious imbalance between effort and reward. If this continues, I am afraid... no one will be an official anymore; gōΠb.ōγg
By then, who will help the emperor manage the country? "
"I second the proposal!" Yang Ding, the Minister of Household Affairs, came out, "Wan Shangshu's words may seem reasonable, but in fact they are very harmful. Since ancient times, people have always been easy to do things. How can they be said to be lazy?"
Cabinet member Liu Ji also said: "Comparing Ming officials to monks is an insult to the officials and an insult to the emperor."
Lu Yu, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, agreed: "I agree, the salary of officials is not high. The Ming Dynasty was prosperous and tax revenue hit new highs. This expenditure is not painful, so why bother?"
Is this right or wrong? On the surface, officials' salaries are not high, but their actual income is not. How can it be that it doesn't hurt?
All the ministers knew this, but they didn't say anything.
Bai Gui, the Minister of the Ministry of War, directly criticized him and said: "Wan Shangshu is talking about monks, but is it suspected of innuendo?"
It is not a secret that Taizu was a monk.
The main reason is that Lao Zhu's background is too low. He wants to "add bricks and mortar" to his own image, but it is too difficult. No one among the generals in Huaixi knows the origin of Zhu Chongba.
As a result, Lao Zhu simply put it aside and often thought that I was a commoner in Huaiyou.
I believe that this will better highlight my destiny!
Based on this, the two editions of Taizu's Records did not beautify Zhu Yuanzhang's poor background in any way.
"Wan An's heart is so destructive, please ask the Emperor to judge!"
"Please ask the Emperor to judge!"
Those who criticize Wan'an come one after another, and everyone hates him to the core. This is really digging up the grave of his ancestors.
If this policy is really implemented, no one will be able to live alone. They will either pack up and get out, or they will work hard to kill their colleagues, or they will bow to the imperial power and be submissive... In short, it will never be easy.
Wan An had expected this and was not surprised.
He didn't speak because he knew someone would speak for him.
Zhu Jianshen has spoken, he must speak, Wan An is the introduction, only he can take charge of such a big matter.
"Your concerns are very reasonable. However, what Wan Aiqing said is not unreasonable." Zhu Jianshen said, "There are too many officials in the Ming Dynasty. This is an indisputable fact..."
Seeing that the ministers were about to argue collectively, Zhu Jianshen quickly changed the subject: "Of course, the matter is important and must be done with caution."
With a smile on his face, he promised: "Don't worry, gentlemen, I will think twice before I act!"
