Today is the second session of the subject. Zhu Houzhao is not in the palace. He rushed to Gongyuan early and waited for the opening of the subject.
Without waiting for long, each of the officials cheered up. Enke's second question was about to start. However, I don't know how many people were going to be disappointed. The second question still focused on the troubles in the southwest.
"Why govern the Southwest?"
Damn it, damn it, if you can shout it out, I'm afraid that the entire Gongyuan will immediately have thousands of horses galloping, the beasts howling across the border, Xu Qiong and the two deputy examiners will be sprayed to death by this Gongyuan examination move. Come back, what's going on here? You don't trick people like this. What's the deal with the eight-part essay? I hate your uncle.
In addition to the sound of gongs in the entire Gongyuan, there was also the rough breathing of the officials. For three days, some people worked hard, thought hard, and looked for useful words. However, they really didn't have many ideas in their minds, so they had to make up random things. The words he wrote did not convey the meaning, and the text did not reach the title of the rhetoric. The words were gorgeous and rigorous, and the handwriting was neat and brilliant, but it was useless.
The examination room, Wukui Temple, Mingyuan Building, Zhigong Hall, and Jukui Hall are the official residences of the chief examiner, marking officer, and inspection officer. In the past few days, there have been so many articles that have been praised and appreciated by several marking officers. If not There was no way to know the names in advance before opening the book. They all wanted to violate the rules and know in advance who these moves were.
One of them was written by Zhu Houzhao, and was especially appreciated by Xu Qiong and the two deputy examiners. Every time they read it, they couldn't put it down. It contained quite a lot of insights on political affairs, civil affairs, and military affairs in Southwest China. Naturally, they looked forward to today's topic. This student has another more exciting essay.
Zhu Houzhao nodded secretly. Xu Qiong followed his instructions and followed the old rule. After another half hour, Zhu Houzhao slightly changed the article, finished answering again, and waited for the paper to be handed in at noon.
At noon, Zhu Houzhao rang the bell in the shed to signal for handing in the paper. He was the first person to leave the Gongyuan again. This time, only Zhang Zhong followed, so there was no need for Liu Jin to take him with him. That guy was too eye-catching. , there is no one in the capital who doesn't know him. If he is not careful, he may be exposed, so let's forget it.
Zhu Houzhao naturally wanted to find Miss Yurong when he left the palace. He had not seen her for three days, and he missed her very much. This was his first time picking up girls in his eighth life. I understand, I must understand.
"Brother, please give me something to eat. I haven't eaten for a few days." A dirty little girl, about five or six years old, dark and thin, with burnt brown hair, looked up at him pitifully. .
Zhu Hou looked after the little girl and didn't think much about it. He told Zhang Zhong to drop a piece of silver and send it away.
The little girl's eyes were overjoyed, and her small body thanked her repeatedly. She took the money with both hands and ran to the side, happily preparing to buy food. Just as she timidly spoke to the vendor in a low voice, a skinny man ran out of the alley next to her and fiercely grabbed the money. , said: "You stinky girl, you are looking for death. How dare you embezzle the money you got? If you can't get five taels of silver today, see how I deal with you, get out of here, get out of here." The little girl nodded with fear in her eyes, and looked away again. Taking a look at the steaming food on the stall, I swallowed a mouthful of saliva, turned around and went back to the street to beg.
The skinny man stuffed the money into his arms and headed into the shady alley.
Zhu Houzhao didn't go far when he heard the noise, turned around, and stopped not far away. He was stunned on the spot, and an unknown fire rose up. This scene was too familiar. There was nothing like this in his previous life. Saw it on the news.
He even knew that there were some people like this in ancient times who specialized in getting children from other places. After whipping and beating them, they made these poor children beg for them. If they met those who were smart, well-behaved and good-looking, they would also She was sold to a wealthy family as a child bride, or sold to a brothel. From then on, she lived a life of darkness, where life was worse than death.
"Zhang Zhong, ask Jin Yiwei Mou Bin to come see me." Zhu Houzhao looked at the little girl, his heart ached, and ordered in a cold tone.
Zhang Zhong bowed slightly, and then walked somewhere along the street. There were no secret guards following to protect His Majesty. Naturally, it was impossible for His Majesty to have only Zhang Zhong by his side. Isn't that a joke?
"It is said that Mou Bin will come to see you immediately. Remember to tell him not to make any publicity." Zhang Zhong ordered his men.
"yes."
Zhu Houzhao is in no mood now, his sense of justice is overwhelming. He is possessed by various heroes. He cannot be indifferent to such things, especially since he is now the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Even the capital has this This kind of thing can be imagined in other places. It's still a waste. I'm afraid if he walks out on the front foot and becomes the Sui Yang Emperor on the back foot, don't look at it as a trivial matter. Look at it from a young age. This kind of thing, In the Ming Dynasty, one would be beheaded.
In broad daylight, these people are so unscrupulous. Could it be that no one cares about what these Jin Yiwei are doing, eating and playing?
He didn't dare to think about it anymore. What a wonderful Daming flower, but it was destroyed by these unscrupulous guys. The most important thing was that little girl, who was called a weak big brother, and his heart was broken. , these bastards have no humanity and should really be killed.
"Master, would you like me to bring the little girl over for questioning?" Zhang Zhong said carefully.
Zhu Houzhao pondered for a while, shook his head and said, "What's the use of treating the symptoms but not the root cause? Let's wait until Mou Bin comes."
Not long after, Mou Bin learned that His Majesty had left the palace and was about to summon him, so he hurried over to see him.
"Your Majesty, minister..."
Zhu Houzhao had no intention of continuing. He pointed at the almost invisible little girl in the distance and said in a deep voice, "Have you seen that little girl?"
Mou Bin was really confused. What was going on with His Majesty? Is there something wrong with that little girl? He was confused, but he still nodded and said, "I saw it."
Zhu Houzhao snorted coldly, and Mou Bin's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know who His Majesty was angry with.
"Your Majesty, the humble minister is guilty." He was decisive and confessed directly. Anyway, he admitted his mistake first, and he didn't see that Your Majesty was angry.
Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice, "I just want to ask you, what do Jin Yiwei do for food?"
Mou Bin was immediately shocked, Your Majesty, what do you have to say? You actually said, "I am guilty."
"Why don't you clean up those bastards and keep them for the New Year? Look clearly, that little girl was born with a father and a mother, but now she is being used to beg. You royal guards are all over the world, and you are not only monitoring the world for me. , but also to monitor the world for the people of Ming Dynasty. This is your duty. All day long, you only know that you are guilty and guilty. You have many sins, you know? What use do I want you to do? What use do you think? "
The more Zhu Houzhao talked, the more angry he became. He really couldn't control it. What he hated most were those hooligans who were idle and idle. The deaths in previous lives were not all because of these people. This was the hatred deep in his bones. He couldn't change it. dropped.
Mou Bin finally understood that the source of His Majesty Long Yan's anger was here. He knew what he should do. "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will handle this matter as soon as possible and give an explanation to Your Majesty and the people of the world."
"Okay, I'm waiting for your explanation. How many more children are there like that child? They have to be found out for me. Those whose families can be found will be sent back. Those who can't find their families will be resettled in the capital. "
Zhu Houzhao's good mood was completely ruined, and he gave up all thoughts of looking for beauty, so he went back to the palace directly.
Along the way, he was completely quiet. Zhang Zhong felt like he was out of breath. He understood Zhu Houzhao's mood. He used to be a military general. He was kind but not in charge of troops. His heart was as hard as stone. But after following the late emperor for a long time, how much Influenced by some of the kindness of the late emperor, at this moment, I couldn't help but feel lucky for the late emperor. His majesty was kind and had kind thoughts. The Ming Dynasty had such an emperor, which was really a blessing to the world.
What Zhu Houzhao was thinking about was not only kindness, but also how to use this matter to win over the people again. It was simply killing two birds with one stone. Li Shimin of the former Tang Dynasty once said an eternal saying, the king is the boat, the people are the water, and the water can carry the boat. It can also capsize a boat.
The people are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. When the people are stable, the world will be stable. Even if someone rebels, no one will follow. If the people are unstable, the world will be unstable. If someone rebels, just like after Li Zicheng's uprising, in just a few months, They gathered hundreds of thousands of people and attacked cities and territories one after another. The Ming army was defeated like a mountain. This is the people's heart. When they can't survive, they can change the world.
After returning to the palace, Zhu Houzhao ordered Liu Jin with a gloomy face: "The Ministry of Life and Punishment, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Rites, and Qin Jian, the commander of the Five Cities Army and Horses, immediately go to Yangxin Hall to pay an audience."
Liu Jin didn't know what happened to make His Majesty unhappy. He glanced at Zhang Zhong but didn't get the slightest answer, so he quickly responded and left with the order.
Soon after, the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Rites, Qin Jian, the military commander of the five cities, and others came according to the order.
Since it was not a formal court meeting, there was no need to call, and only ordinary etiquette was required. After Zhu Houzhao asked them to get down, everyone looked at each other, not knowing why.
Zhu Houzhao did not mince words with them, and directly said to Qin Jian, the commander of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division; "What are the responsibilities of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, Qin Jian, can you tell me?"
Qin Jian looked confused, "What's going on?" I said, "Why did your Majesty suddenly summon me, a foreign minister? Something must have happened and someone needs to be held accountable."
"Your Majesty, I will be in charge of patrolling, apprehending, and holding people accountable in the five directions of the capital. I will keep the merchants and people safe, clean up the streets, ditches, and prisoners, and guard the five cities for the emperor." Qin Jian answered cautiously as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The ministers who were summoned were all a little confused. They didn't know why His Majesty suddenly summoned him, and then also summoned Qin Jian, a foreign minister from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, but they soon found out.
Zhu Houzhao nodded, gritted his teeth and said, "Very good, it turns out you still know your responsibilities." This tone was wrong. Everyone could tell that this was a prelude to something going on.
Qin Jian was stunned. After thinking about it, he really couldn't think of any major events in Beijing recently that would reach His Majesty's ears.
"I am guilty, please make it clear to your majesty."
Hearing this, Zhu Houzhao said indifferently: "I'm not afraid that everyone knows, I left the palace incognito today. Do you know what I met? I saw a little girl who was only about five years old, begging along the street, and was beaten by a dark and thin man. The man shouted, cursed and threatened, and there was more than one such child. I met no less than ten such children all the way back to the palace. There were always people following them, either beating or scolding, or threatening to ask for money. Your Majesty and others would usually sit in a sedan chair. While passing by or riding a horse, didn't you see it? I tell you, I saw it, so I am very heartbroken. Those are children with parents and relatives. Have you read all the books of sages in vain? You, I, you. , and you are so young, you should be ashamed." The last sentence was almost shouted.
"I am guilty."
Zhu Houzhao glanced at them lightly, calmed down and said, "Since you know you are guilty, you must learn to correct yourself and show your innocence."
"My lord, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment listens to the order."
"My lord, the Minister of Household Affairs is listening to the order."
"Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites listens to the order."
"The capital is the most virtuous place in the Ming Dynasty. Under the emperor's feet, there are lawless people running rampant. The Ministry of Rites has the responsibility to educate all people. Although it is not directly related, it is an unavoidable responsibility. I ordered the Ministry of Rites to write an easy-to-understand article advocating etiquette. Come out, and then copy it to the world. I want everyone in the world to see it. The Ministry of Rites arranges people to go down and deal with it personally. Remember my words, I want every common people to see and understand. The Ministry of Punishment immediately orders all the prison yamen in the world to vigorously To regulate public security in various prefectures and counties, those who violate laws and disciplines will be severely punished. The nursing home was originally a place to house widows and widowers all over the world. Now it is also allocated to the name of the Ministry of Household Affairs. My internal funds and the national treasury each allocate one hundred thousand taels. Silver, please run the almshouse properly for me without making any mistakes."
"My ministers, in compliance with the decree, I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of all the people in the world. My emperor is wise and has blessed the world. Long live my emperor."
[Sorry for some minor mistakes and omissions, they have been corrected]
