Song Yingxing naturally had no reason not to agree to the emperor's request.
After he left, it was finally the turn of Dongchang Admiral Wang Chengen. He collected some important reports to the emperor about what happened during Emperor Chongzhen's absence in the capital, and then presented a small notebook for recording.
The eunuch in charge of the ceremony was Cao Huachun, who had been repaired by Emperor Chongzhen, and the chief assistant of the outer court was Xue Guoguan, known as Xue Manzi. The two of them sat in charge of the court and basically had nothing to do.
After Emperor Chongzhen listened to what Wang Chengen verbally reported, he just casually flipped through the notebook. Unexpectedly, when he was about to finish flipping through it, he suddenly saw something and started to read it carefully. This made Wang Chengen a little confused. Could it be that he had made an oversight and failed to report something important?
After a while, Emperor Chongzhen finished reading, threw away the small notebook, and asked Wang Chengen: "While I was away from the capital, which gentleman had the greatest influence on the prince? In other words, who did the prince most like to listen to?"
When Wang Chengen heard this, he remembered what the emperor had just read.
He, the admiral of Dongchang, knows the things in the palace best. Therefore, he immediately reported back to the emperor: "This is Wu Changshi, the head of the Ministry of Rites. His Royal Highness likes to listen to his lectures the most!"
Hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but said: "Wu Changshi? When did he give a lecture to the prince?"
Wu Changshi was not on the list he had appointed before. This person was born as a Jinshi in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign. Speaking of which, he is not qualified to give lectures to the prince, right?
"Back to Your Majesty, there are quite a few vacancies for the Prince's lecturers. It was the Empress who made the decision and appointed him to give lectures to the Prince." When Wang Chengen said this, seeing that Emperor Chongzhen still looked a little confused, he added and explained, "This Wu Changshi has a very good reputation in the officialdom. Well, his talent and reputation were spread everywhere, and even the Empress heard about it, so she appointed him. At that time, the Empress said that if His Majesty comes back and feels dissatisfied, he will be replaced. "
Emperor Chongzhen was still a little puzzled, so he asked again: "Sanjia was just born with the same Jinshi. Why is his talent and reputation spread everywhere, and even the queen is famous?"
"Your Majesty, this person was one of the few people who initiated the founding of Fushe. Now Fushe is very famous. His reputation is only lower than that of Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai. They say that he did not perform well at the beginning, otherwise he would not be able to perform well. It won’t be ranked in the top three." Wang Chengen quickly replied.
Emperor Chongzhen also heard about Fushe, and Zhang Pu was naturally impressed, and he was indeed somewhat famous. Of course, he didn't know that at this time, Fushe's reputation was actually quite famous, and Fushe's leader, Zhang Pu, was even more popular. At this time, Zhang Pu already had a nickname among the literati who took the imperial examination, called "Folk Emperor".
The reason for this is because of this restoration organization.
This Fushe was founded by literati who exchanged their experiences in the imperial examinations.
At that time, it was not as developed as it is now, and you could buy famous papers from any place online. Generally speaking, the experience of the imperial examination is the secret of every family, and no one will share it. After all, the imperial examination is a one-plank bridge. It is competitive and squeezes others out.
However, Zhang Pu and others shared their own experiences. And he is indeed talented. As early as the sixth year of Tianqi, he became famous in one fell swoop with his article "Tombstones of Five People".
Therefore, upon hearing that he would share his experience, the literati immediately flocked to listen to his and other founders' speeches. Just like this, this society is getting bigger and bigger. Its members are mainly scholars, and they are mainly children of official families.
In this era, it is difficult for many people to imagine how terrifying the network of people formed by countless officials and family members is. Basically, behind each member, there was an immediate relative who was an official in the court or in the local area. The energy gathered from this gave Zhang Pu and others a decisive official power.
However, Zhang Pu and others were obviously not satisfied with just exchanging their experiences on the imperial examinations or simply discussing literature. After all, Zhang Pu's fame is based on "Tombstones of Five People". Therefore, they began to comment on current affairs and government affairs, and took over the banner of the Donglin Party, which is to "care about everything about the family and the country"!
After a few years, their ambitions expanded again, and they began to manipulate the imperial examinations.
The first step in the imperial examination is to become a scholar; as for scholars, the emperor does not care, it is a matter for local officials. Therefore, this gives Fushe room to manipulate.
Most of the local officials were direct relatives of their members, so it was up to them to decide who could become a scholar and who could not. If you cannot become a scholar, it is even more impossible to be a scholar or a scholar.
Therefore, if those literati want to continue on the road of imperial examination, they must be in favor of the restoration of the society, work hard for the restoration of the society, and gain the approval of Zhang Pu and others.
Once approved, it is a certainty that the candidate will pass the exam.
Although it is much more difficult for Fushe to control the two steps of the imperial examination and Jinshi, but if the foundation is controlled by Fushe, it is equivalent to controlling the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty. And this is the origin of the "civilian emperor".
When Wen Tiren was the chief assistant, he had actually already realized the dangers of restoring society. However, he did not defeat Fu She, but he was defeated first.
Besides, after Emperor Chongzhen heard Wang Chengen's answer, he frowned and asked, "Did Zhang Pu also become the prince's lecturer?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" When Wang Chengen heard this, he immediately nodded and echoed, "Zhang Pu was also favored by the Queen, but the prince is closer to Wu Changshi."
Emperor Chongzhen frowned when he heard this. During his absence from the capital, several people from this Fushe could actually influence the queen and let them become lecturers for the next emperor of the Ming Dynasty. This energy seems a bit scary!
With this in mind, he told Wang Chengen: "Go and find out the details of this Fushe in secret for me, and report back to me as soon as possible!"
"My servant obeys the order!" Wang Chengen naturally knew that the emperor seemed to have objections to this restoration of society, so he quickly replied.
However, Emperor Chongzhen still had something to say: "Check again, how do Wu Changshi and Zhang Pu teach the prince, and what do they mainly talk about?"
He felt that something was wrong. The prince was now a bit vain and focused more on face. This was not what a good emperor should have!
During normal classes, there would naturally be servants and maids serving in the palace. Wang Chengen only had to investigate them and he would be able to find out what they usually taught in class. Therefore, he quickly agreed again, and when the emperor stopped explaining, he hurriedly left.
At the same time, at Shanhaiguan, people sent by Emperor Chongzhen also arrived.
In the Governor's Mansion, Sun Chuanting looked gloomy and said coldly to Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong: "I have made up my mind. I will set out today to clean up the military farmland!"
"Governor Sun is determined to have his own way and wants to force a general who has fought for the imperial court for many years to rebel?" Fang Yizao did not show weakness, but asked tit for tat.
After Sun Chuanting heard this, he immediately clapped his hands and yelled: "Those military farms were decided by Taizu, who dares to violate them? The emperor also expressly supports it, and no private person can occupy any of the farms!"
Having said that, he walked around the scene of the case, walked up to Fang Yizao, looked directly at him and said: "On the Guan-Ning front line, how much food does the court spend every year? You are the governor of Liaodong, don't you have some idea in your mind?"
"Jianlu invades every year and the army fights every year. How can we not waste money and food?" Fang Yizao still refused to let go and retorted.
"Haha!" Sun Chuanting suddenly sneered when he heard this, "Why haven't I seen the Jianlu invaders every year? Why haven't I seen the elites of the Ming Dynasty? They didn't even dare to defend the land and would only stay in the city. Here, just rely on fortified city artillery to defend?"
At this point, when he saw that Fang Yizao was still trying to argue, he became a little impatient, and shouted sternly: "Don't think that I don't know that most of the farmland on the Guanning front line has become the grain fields of the ancestors. The imperial court has clearly ordered The servant system is no longer allowed, but how many servants does the ancestral family have? The military pay, money and food allocated were all privately appropriated by the ancestral family. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the ancestral family has been fighting against the Jianlu for many years, I would have punished him long ago! "
"You must have evidence when you speak!" Fang Yizao also raised his voice and said sternly.
"Evidence?" After hearing this, Sun Chuanting turned around and walked back to the commander's case, picked up a booklet from it, raised it and said: "I have visited various places down here in the past few months, and it's not just a quick glance. This is where I am. The number of cultivated fields investigated was a random check of the pay received by each army over the years. In addition, the records archived in the imperial household department are also here. Comparing the two, the number of cultivated fields, even if there is a slight difference, is almost the same. The ancestral system It cannot be violated, and the farmland must be taken back!"
Staring at the booklet in Sun Chuanting's hand, Fang Yizao actually knew in his heart that Zu Dashou had known about it for a long time. If he couldn't stop him, Zu Dashou also had countermeasures. Therefore, when he saw Sun Chuanting using his same rhetoric again, he smiled coldly and said: "Sun Chuanting, I hope you won't cause trouble. Once something happens at Shanhaiguan, there will be no danger to defend the capital. The consequences will be serious, even if you have the emperor's trust. , can’t bear this responsibility!”
After saying that, he wanted to throw away and leave. As the governor of Liaodong, he had the confidence to confront the governor of Jiliao. What's more, he and Zu Dashou worked together, giving him more confidence to deal with Sun Chuanting, an outsider.
When he reached the entrance of the lobby, he suddenly stopped again, turned around, and said to Sun Chuanting in a cold voice: "The slave chief has repeatedly recruited General Ancestor to surrender. The conditions given should not be too generous. Once pressed, you just wait. Apologize with death! If you insist on going your own way, I will go back and impeach you to the court. This is a public matter, so you can take care of it yourself!"
After saying that, he didn't care about Sun Chuanting's face and just wanted to walk away.
But at this moment, a school captain hurriedly arrived. Seeing that the two feudal officials were there, he immediately reported: "Sir, the emperor's decree has arrived!"
After hearing this, Sun Chuanting immediately ordered: "Place the incense table and receive the order!"
He was determined to clean up military farms. According to the ancestral system, if the farming operations in various places were normal, the court would not have to bear so much burden. Although the imperial court was rich now, he knew that it was a one-stick deal and it was impossible to confiscate a lot of people's homes every year. In the long run, taking back the farmland can greatly reduce the pressure on the court, and it can also suppress the increasingly powerful ancestral family, so that the entire Shanhaiguan side will not have to act based on the ancestral family's face.
Before leaving the capital, he obtained the emperor's personal permission to do what he wanted in Shanhaiguan. And from the previous experience of Prince Qin, he knew that the current emperor was a responsible person. Now that he had said everything, he would definitely support him. This was the confidence that gave Sun Chuanting the courage to touch his ancestral family!
This time the imperial edict came suddenly, and he had nothing to worry about. I believe that the emperor can only do things that are beneficial to him. unless……
When Sun Chuanting thought of this, his heart suddenly tightened and he couldn't help but become worried.
Unless the emperor fails to suppress the bandits, he will continue to deploy Guan Ning's army. If this is the case, then we have to rely on the military strength of our ancestors. In this case, the Zu family will definitely take advantage of this, and maybe take advantage of the situation to counterattack themselves!
As he was thinking this, Fang Yizao obviously also thought of this possibility. He smiled coldly and said: "The emperor's personal expedition has only been half a year. Not only did he take away the three major battalions, he also transferred Vice General Wu's troops. Originally, The troops at Shanhaiguan are weak. If the emperor fails to suppress the bandits and continues to deploy Guan Ning's elite troops, General Zu may have something to say to the emperor, haha, just take it easy!"
After hearing this, Sun Chuanting still had a cold face, which did not change at all. In his heart, he still believed in the emperor's responsibility.
At this time, the angel had arrived, and Sun Chuanting and Fang Yizao stopped arguing and hurriedly greeted him.
What surprised them both was that the angel was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. What made them even more puzzled was that the angel also brought a huge package. They didn't know what it was, which was a bit strange!
At this time, the incense table had been placed, so the two of them did not ask any questions and went ahead to receive the order.
It's nothing if he didn't accept the order. Once he accepted the order, Sun Chuanting and Fang Yizao were both shocked.
They never expected that the emperor would be so powerful. He annihilated the Hetao Tartars and obtained countless cattle, horses and sheep. In just six months, he also wiped out all the bandits, and the three major battalions had almost no losses. Now Has returned to the capital.
This matter is simply not good news for Sun Chuanting! His usually expressionless face actually showed a rare smile. After the angel finished reading the decree, he laughed loudly and shouted "Long live the mountain!"
Fang Yizao, on the other hand, was a little absent-minded, as if his soul had left his body. He didn't know what he was thinking. He shouted "Long Live the Mountain" and just moved his mouth instinctively.
After Sun Chuanting received the imperial edict, the angel pointed at the package and said: "Vice General Wu has been promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Relief and Suppression Army, and is now still suppressing the rebel general Chai Shihua in Shaanxi. He promised the emperor that those who dare to rebel against the Ming Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away they are. He will not return to Liaodong until the rebel general Chai Shihua is captured. Well, these are the family letters of the officers and soldiers of the Guan Ning Army. The emperor brought them back after his triumphant return. The governor will send these family letters to you by the way. This will help Let the family members of General Wu’s headquarters feel at ease!”
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