Tana didn't understand the concept behind the emperor's order for Jin Yiwei to send people to conduct a thorough investigation, but the other courtiers in the imperial study were all frightened.
"Your Majesty! You must not do it!" Yang Shen was the first to speak, but his expression remained firm in the face of the furious emperor, "It is true that the weather is strong, and it is true that there is a disaster! Although the disaster reported by the Suzhou Prefecture is particularly serious, it cannot be It means there is something hidden! Governor Yingtian, the Grain Supervisor, and the Supervisory Censor can go and verify what happened! The Jinyi Guards went south, and they discovered a serious problem even though there was no hidden secret!"
Zhu Houcong immediately stared at him.
The emperor's eyes were very cold, and Zhang Fujing couldn't help but look at Yang Shen: He is still as fierce as when he was in Guangzhou...
Yang Shen did not back down and continued: "I know that your Majesty is worried that the grain tax collected by the Ministry of Household Affairs in Beijing this year will be collected by the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanzhili and the three provinces. Even so, the State Palace has been established, and the grain tax will be collected. It is my duty to do this, and I will do it on my own! A mere report from the district government revealed why His Majesty was so aggressive. Even General Assistant Fei, Zhang Guowu and the ministers were summoned to inquire about the matter, and the Jinyi Guards were also sent to investigate thoroughly. Have you actually decided that this is a major case?"
Fei Hong also looked sideways: Yang Tinghe, your son... has a very different temper than you. Thinking about what happened back then, was it really true?
Now that Yang Shen has become emperor directly, blame him for making a fuss out of a molehill.
More importantly, there was a faint accusation that the emperor should not interfere so easily in some civil affairs that had been decentralized.
After Yang Shen finished speaking these words, the imperial study room became extremely silent. Zhu Houcong's own breathing made the loudest sound.
"According to what you said, maybe Suzhou Prefecture really suffered such a serious disaster?" After a while, Zhu Houcong calmed down and asked lightly.
"It is now the eighth year of Jiajing. Who has the guts to be so rampant?" Yang Shen raised his eyebrows without hesitation, "Even if it is not entirely due to natural disasters, this man-made disaster, I am afraid that nothing will be found if we continue to investigate. On the contrary, we will find out the original Regarding water conservancy issues."
"... Clean up water conservancy?" Zhu Houcong was a little surprised.
Yang Shen nodded: "Although the Suzhou government report only mentions one sentence, your majesty should have paid attention to it because of his sage. I know that your majesty is often depressed because of the incident of the concubine and the prince at the beginning of the year. I deeply admire your majesty's affection. However, state affairs are complicated and must not be dealt with hastily!"
Lu Bing looked at Yang Shen blankly: So brave!
Although I don’t know why, His Majesty has always been worried about An Bin’s death in childbirth. Everyone in the palace knows this, so few people dare to mention it. Now Yang Shen not only mentioned it in person, but also mentioned it when the emperor himself was furious, and even blamed him for losing his mind and handling state affairs hastily.
Zhu Houcong was also stunned for a moment, then became calmer and remained silent.
After Yang Shen reminded him, he also remembered that the Suzhou government report did mention something: the typhoons and the wind and waves brought by them in the past two months destroyed some sea and river embankments, and thus washed away a lot of fertile farmland. Now that the statistics are out, Suzhou Prefecture can only collect 70% of the quota for grain tax this year, and it still has to provide disaster relief.
If there is a reason why other prefectures are not so serious, then it is because Suzhou Prefecture had engineering problems during the previous water conservancy cleanup process. After all, this year's typhoon did not land in Suzhou Prefecture.
If there were any problems with the cleanup of water conservancy, the water patrol censor sent to Southern Zhili at that time was the first batch of trusted new law officials, and now he has been ranked as the fourth-rank general director of the Ministry of Industry.
Zhu Houcong finally understood what Yang Shen meant and looked at Zhang Fujing and Fei Hong.
Seeing that the emperor's eyes were a little colder, Fei Hong smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, Xiu's words make sense. What is the reality? Although Southern Zhili is not a province and does not have a capital inspectorate, the governors of Yingtian and Huaiyang are also Withdrew, but after all, there are still governor Yingtian, patrols, and supervisors. Thirty percent of the crops have been destroyed, so they don’t dare to cheat. In any case, food requisition and disaster relief are two things that need to be done. Let’s continue the investigation..."
Zhu Houcong remained silent and looked at Zhang Fuking again.
"...Your Majesty, it has been eight years since the new law was tried in Guangdong in the first year of Jiajing. In these eight years, there is no longer any distinction between the old and the new party..."
Zhu Houcong finally spoke: "Why don't you speak more clearly? Isn't it just that you are in love with me, and you are in love with me?"
Everything ultimately comes back to people. The former Xinfa generals have embarked on a stable promotion path. Over such a long period of time, new friends, new in-laws, new masters and apprentices have had interests entangled with each other. You know my details, and I know your dirty stuff. Yang Shen said that even if someone caused trouble, no matter how many investigations were carried out, the original Xinfa general would be found. If you really found something, do you want to continue the investigation?
Fei Hong and others remained silent, while Zhu Houcong continued: "You three have a heavy burden. You need money and food for everything, including the Northern Expedition, reform of the military system, expansion of the capital, flood control, and promotion of new learning. At this stage of the new law, you all You want to be on the safe side. But since you know that there may be trouble, you don’t think it’s appropriate to go to war?”
"You should investigate and investigate! If someone is in trouble, you should investigate and deal with it!" Yang Shen looked at Lu Bing, "I just think that the Jin Yiwei specializing in handling this case will frighten all the local officials."
Fei Hong quickly added: "Let the Metropolitan Procuratorate conduct verification first before talking."
Lu Bing couldn't help but look at the emperor, feeling a little nervous.
Although it was just a small thing, this incident became a microcosm.
Even if he was as well-behaved as Fei Hong, he would not want the emperor to personally intervene and leave the Metropolitan Procuratorate to investigate because of this trivial matter. This would shake the prestige of the State Palace and the Prime Minister and Minister of State.
Zhu Houcong closed his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Then I'll give you three months."
"I will accept the order..."
"The foundation of a tax-paying country. In the past, I knew exactly who should wear the label of anti-tax and tax evasion that was only pinned on some so-called unscrupulous people! According to the yellow book remade in the sixth year of Jiajing, I also know how much grain should be collected. It’s very clear. You said it takes time, but I still know everything. Since the 16th year of Zhengde, from the capital to the localities, from the chief officials to the subordinates, the clans, the honorable ministers, the virtuous gentry in the countryside, how much has changed, I and the government and the public are all clear about it. Chu!"
After the four were spoken clearly, Zhang Fujing felt like a heavy burden was on his shoulders.
He knew what the emperor was going to say.
"It has changed so much, but what remains unchanged is the collusion between the officials and the gentry, trying to escape from taxes and servitude, changing the soup without changing the medicine!" Zhu Houcong said solemnly, "I put my words first. Many soldiers in the border towns sacrificed their lives, and this was how we defeated the Northern captives. , so that the provinces in the hinterland can sit back and enjoy peace. The troubles in the north are not over, and now is the time for everyone to perform their duties and fulfill their responsibilities. If there are still so many people who do not have correct thoughts and only enjoy the benefits without fulfilling their responsibilities, I will teach them how to behave in the next life!"
…
The three people who left the imperial study felt heavy.
Even Yang Shen, who was the most naive in the past, is no longer a fool now.
Even Zhang Fujing, who was considered the strongest pioneer of the new law, could not easily keep up with the emperor now.
After walking outside the Fengtian Gate, Zhang Fujing sighed: "Your Majesty understands the principles of human nature, how can you not know that this is harshness? There are so few saints. This is what Your Majesty said. Overcorrection must be overcorrected. The Ming Dynasty is too big. There are too many officials and gentry, so let’s handle this case carefully and set some rules. Yongxiu, what your Majesty says today is that the most important thing is that we and the three of us are safe."
Yang Shen snorted: "Your Majesty, you can be demanding, but as a minister, I still put prudent use of things first. The minister of state is in charge of a matter, Zhang Guowu and I, don't we just have a bad side and a good side? It's easy to handle the case well. , it is easy to establish rules. However, in the Ming Dynasty, there are now more than 100,000 officials and hundreds of millions of gentry and wealthy households. It is necessary not only to not be lazy but also to keep the people's hearts stable. If it is not necessary to set rules from time to time, it can also be beneficial to stimulate their minds. What else can be done? ?”
Fei Hong was confused: "Since you understand this, why are you so... admonishing Your Majesty today?"
Yang Shen said with a straight face: "Your Majesty, the king of the country, why do you behave like a little girl and grieve for a small matter in the harem for so long? Now that you are so angry after hearing the report from Suzhou, it shows that you are in an unstable state of mind. This is not a blessing for the country, and it is even worse than The matter in Suzhou is important, how can I not speak out and give advice?"
Fei Hong could only mutter in a low voice: "It's strange to say that besides the queen and empress in the harem, your majesty actually loves the second concubine and concubine Jing more, so he would actually care about the concubine..."
Although the three of them were extremely dignified when they were in the Imperial Study Room, everyone was actually transparent. Now Fei Hong actually took the initiative to chat about little gossip about the emperor.
They really couldn't understand why the emperor was like this. To put it bluntly, in the family of ordinary officials and gentry, it was equivalent to the unfortunate death of a concubine... Speaking of the prince, the emperor was not the one who had heirs. It's okay to be sad for a while, but to be still emotionally unstable after such a long time is really unlike the emperor of previous years.
In the Yangxin Hall, Zhu Houcong was silent for a long time after they left. Huang Jin and Lu Bing were both embarrassed to speak.
Lu Bing was even more embarrassed. He was called over. It turned out that the emperor wanted him to send people to investigate the case, but Yang Shen and others persuaded him to go back.
Now that the emperor has not spoken, it is not easy for him to just resign and return to Jin Yiwei.
In the end, it was Huang Jin who spoke first: "Your Majesty, the beauty Duoyan donated by the three tribes is still waiting to be seen in the backyard."
"I know." Zhu Houcong finally raised his head and asked after seeing Lu Bing, "Why are you still here? Since the Metropolitan Procuratorate sent people to investigate first, you can go back."
"...Yes." Lu Bing bowed and took two steps back, then stopped and asked, "Your Majesty, I have made arrangements to see the military team compete for the championship in October. Your Majesty said that all the ladies will go, what about this Duo The empress presented by Yanbu, can I also arrange to be escorted by chariot?"
"Let's arrange it."
After Zhu Houcong finished speaking casually, he still sat there.
Zhu Houcong did not expect that Yang Shen complained about his emotional instability due to the incident in Suzhou Mansion.
After Huang Jin was the only one here, he asked, "Have I been in a bad mood these past few months, leading to improper handling of state affairs?"
Huang Jin thought to himself, don't ask me such a difficult question. He looked awe-inspiring: "Your Majesty's sage is rare in ancient times and modern times. How can you handle state affairs inappropriately? Yang Shangshu is really bold. That is to say, His Majesty is very broad-minded. Even the servants just want to He was scolded. It’s just that His Majesty has instructions on weekdays, and Yang Shangshu was talking about state affairs, so I didn’t say anything!"
"...It means that I am indeed in a bad mood from time to time, so you are all trembling with fear." Zhu Houcong sighed.
Huang Jin's eyes were slightly red, and he said softly: "Your Majesty, it's fate that Concubine An is not blessed with good fortune. Your Majesty is so sad, even if Concubine An knew better, she wouldn't be able to bear it."
Zhu Houcong remained silent.
Mayong's daughter was adopted as one of the nine concubines for political purposes. After entering the palace, Zhu Houcong was not close to him. Even if she was pregnant last year, when the emperor and ministers were still paying attention to the changes in the situation on the grassland, Zhu Houcong was not too concerned, at least much less than when Sun Ming and the others were pregnant.
After having a prince and a daughter in succession, Zhu Houcong was not that worried about her childbirth. It was only after the incident happened that all kinds of feelings came to his mind.
After all, unlike people of this era, Zhu Houcong experienced such a thing, and his grief and self-blame seemed to be more intense. After all, that was a woman who had a close relationship with him, who only respected him, who had a reputation and status. She was his son who had never seen the world.
Coupled with the invisible pressure brought about by the changes in the situation after Qinghai changed hands, Zhu Houcong has had this knot in his mind in the past few months.
More of his worries are facing the future - because of the limitations of technology, in his long life, he will probably experience the death of his women, the deaths of his children, and the deaths of close and trustworthy ministers. And it's getting denser.
Zhu Houcong thought that after all these years, he actually had the cold-blooded ruthlessness of an emperor. However, he found that some deep-rooted ideas in his heart would still violently impact his emotions under certain circumstances.
After a while, he smiled to himself: "I'm no different. Let's go and see her."
As I said before, some people enjoy their benefits but do not fulfill their righteousness. How is he any different in this harem?
All the beauties in the palace are looking forward to his blessings. Zhu Houcong is happy when he is happy. He can usually make everyone happy? Now that I have encountered this kind of thing, I have been in a bad mood for several months. Isn't it a pretentious act just to satisfy some so-called moral requirements in my heart?
He didn't want to give up this kind of happiness. It's like asking those wealthy officials and gentry to "pay all their dues if they have a correct mind" without engaging in some behind-the-scenes operations. They can't do it either.
This is human nature, no one is nobler than anyone else.
Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong felt that his mood was a little different.
Seeing that Zhu Houcong was interested, Huang Jin couldn't help but cheer up and quickly sent someone over to get the beauty ready to meet him.
Zhu Houcong walked smoothly.
You see, when he was thinking about something just now, because of Huang Jin's reminder, wasn't he a little more curious about that prairie beauty?
It is true to govern diligently for the country and the people, and it is true to indulge in selfish desires and indulge in royal power.
While walking on the road, Zhu Houcong thought of Yang Shen again.
Zhu Houcong's anger before was true. Why was Yang Shen so strong? Why did he seem to wake up a little when he mentioned his emotional problems? Why do I feel a little embarrassed after thinking about it carefully and realizing that what he said makes sense?
The last harsh words were partly because Zhu Houcong really thought it was time to give him a good beating, and partly to make peace with his previous angry appearance.
Zhu Houcong felt a little depressed as he walked.
If I had known better, I would have prostituted his poem for nothing on a whim, but now I always feel a little guilty in front of him because of the contributions he has made and the historical reputation he has lost.
Is he so tough now because he noticed something after receiving feedback from himself after repeatedly admonishing him when he was punished by the imperial staff?
You won't stick to your nose and face again and become a Wei Zheng-style figure, right?
While sitting there drinking tea and thinking randomly, I looked up casually after hearing the unfamiliar sound of worship.
Zhu Houcong was stunned.
Tana was kneeling on the ground. Although she lowered her head, she looked like a turtle with its head extended because she was peeking at him curiously from below.
The strange appearance made Zhu Houcong laugh.
(End of chapter)
