Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 1147 Snow Disaster
The snow fell one after another, as if to make up for the snow that hadn't fallen before.

The New Year has passed, but the festive atmosphere of the New Year is still permeating in the capital.

At the gate of the city, a group of officers and soldiers stood neatly. At the front, there was a general in armor and an old man in scarlet robe with gray hair.

Snow fell like goose feathers and covered everyone's shoulders. Yu Shiyue looked at Yu Qian who was about to set off, with a trace of worry in his eyes, and said.

"Yu Shaobao, Zhang Dudu, we are going to suppress the Japanese. The mountains are high and the road is far away. You two should be more careful!"

The emperor was in a hurry, the imperial decree said that the army would set out after the New Year's Day, and the army that was mobilized this time was not the Beijing camp, but the Japanese army stationed in Shandong.

Therefore, just after the new year's festival, and before the imperial court opened the seal, Yu Qian and Zhang Min had to set off immediately to the Japanese army's garrison.

Because it was the Son of Heaven who made the holy order, and the chief general and the admirals were the most important people among the ministers of civil and military affairs, so there were many people who came to see him off.

On the civil servant's side, Hu Wei from the Ministry of Rites, Wang Ao from the Ministry of War, and Yu Shiyue from the cabinet are all here, and the same is true on Xungui's side, Zhu Yi, Duke of Cheng, Chen Mao, Marquis of Ningyang, Fan Guang, Bo Jing'an, and Wu Xing, the governor. come.

Seeing the ministers coming in the snow, Yu Qian and Zhang Min exchanged glances, and then Yu Qian cupped his hands.

"Thank you for coming to see me off. Dudu Zhang and I will go here, and we will definitely wipe out the Japanese pirates and return me to the Great Ming and Qingping seas!"

There was a lot of snow, and the team moved forward slowly. After a while, they disappeared in the snow all over the sky.

At the same time, Zhu Qiyu was standing in the corridor in front of the Qianqing Palace, looking at the Forbidden City covered in silver, feeling very complicated.

For some reason, he had a vague feeling that going to suppress the Japanese might be an opportunity to change the Ming Dynasty, and it might even be an even more critical opportunity than the Battle of Oara. There are still traces of other political affairs, but this is the only thing that is real, a path that has never been imagined in the past and present, let alone tried.

I hope that Yu Qian's trip will go smoothly...

Countless emotions were mixed, and finally turned into a sigh, accompanied by snowflakes scattered in the air, leaving no traces, the heavy palace door was slowly closed, the figure of the young emperor had long since disappeared, and the only thing left was the snow white that could cover everything.

…………

On the third day of the lunar new year, the imperial court opened the seal, and the bosses returned to their respective yamen with tired faces and started chatting.

According to the usual practice, until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there is no government affairs to deal with. In the past half a month, the status quo of most yamen is basically chattering, fishing, receiving rewards from the emperor, and receiving rewards from the prince. , to receive the reward from the Supreme Emperor, to receive the reward from the superior... and so on.

But this year is different, because the imperial court wants to send troops to suppress the Japanese, so even though many things have been prepared years ago, the mobilization of the army is not a trivial matter, and there are still many things that need to be done, so once the seal is opened, the Ministry of War will be much more There are fewer official documents that need to be processed urgently.

At the same time, to everyone's surprise, the Ministry of Criminal Justice, which had been calm all along, also became busy.

You know, although Jin Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment is not like the uncle of the Ministry of Rites who can't wake up every day, he is not the kind of career madman. On the contrary, this old man Jin has always been generous to others, but somehow, recently Since then, Jin Shangshu seems to have gone crazy, oppressing the officials of the Ministry of punishment every day, adjudicating cases until late at night.

Not only that, but it is said that Jin Shangshu has to personally check every case. The officials of the Ministry of Punishment have been extremely busy during this time...

Of course, many people are well aware of what the reason is. It is nothing more than the officials who were detained in the big plan, and their cases can't be delayed.

Speaking of which, recently, the capital has been quite uneasy because of this incident...

At night, in Chen Xun's mansion, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, a middle-aged man in green robe sat respectfully in front of Chen Xun, but his face was slightly sad, said.

"Master Chen, is there really no other way?"

The name of this person is Wang Xuan. He was born as a Jinshi in the eighth year of Xuande. He is currently a student of Chen Xun.

As for his purpose of coming today...

Chen Xun shook his head and said.

"I know that you and Ji Tong have a good relationship, but this time, he was a little too courageous, and he dared to sell the grain in the Changping warehouse without permission. As far as the big plan is concerned, His Majesty has said that Chang Pingcang will be included in the evaluation, but he still dares to do so, even if I want to help him, I am afraid that I will be powerless."

Seeing this situation, Wang Xuan looked a little gloomy, but he still didn't give up, said.

"But Master Chen, you can't blame Ji Tong for this matter. When he took over, the Chang Ping warehouse was already insufficient. This is the usual practice. Besides, many of these are bad debts left over from the previous predecessor. , who would have thought that His Majesty would suddenly conscript Changping warehouses in various places?"

"Hmph, is this the usual practice?"

Chen Xun snorted coldly, his voice sank, and said.

"Where did such an unhealthy trend come from? When you became officials, I told you that if you behave improperly, one day you will harm yourself. If Ji Tong was not greedy for the profit of this grain business, how could he be in such a state? "

This……

Seeing that Chen Xun was a little angry, Wang Xuan gradually lost his confidence, and began to beg, said.

"Master Chen, even if this is the case, you won't be caught in prison, right? There has never been such a precedent in this court. What's more, it's not Ji Tong who did this. So many officials are like this. Isn't it possible for the Ministry of Punishment to Open the net?"

So, this is the so-called mentality that the law does not blame the public.

Seeing Wang Xuan's pleading, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a little headache. He knew that if he didn't come out, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to dismiss this difficult student. He sighed and said.

"I have tried my best on this matter, but I really can't bring it back. Two days ago, I personally went to Jin Shangshu and got an accurate statement. Your Majesty ordered how these cases should be tried, let alone me. It is Jin Shangshu, there is no way to forgive him."

"The matter has come to this point, what I can do is to try my best to keep him from being exiled or punished further, but the official position must not be kept. This time the matter is not small, it is different from usual, so if someone of you agrees with Ji , or other people who are currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment are implicated, cut them off as soon as possible, don't do any more useless work, lest you get yourself involved, understand?"

The tone of these words was somewhat severe, Wang Xuan was taken aback for a moment, and soon realized that Chen Xun was not joking.

So, he could only nod his head and said.

"Student understands..."

He said a few more words with Chen Xun, Wang Xuan was a little absent-minded, Chen Xun knew his situation well, didn't ask any more questions, and sent him away not long after.

Walking out of the gate of the Chen Mansion, the complexion of the lord in the incident suddenly became ugly. Standing in front of the sedan chair, his expression changed for a while, and finally he gave instructions to the accompanying servant.

"Go to the mansion of Mr. Zhan Shixu, the son of the prince's mansion!"

…………

Qianqing Palace.

Since the beginning of winter, Zhu Qiyu has become more accustomed to summoning ministers in the Qianqing Palace to deal with government affairs. One is that the Wenhua Palace is too big, and it is very cold even if the stove is raised. As he grows older, he will start a formal lecture and reading after the year. Although there is no pre-government, there must always be a main hall, so Zhu Qiyu simply handed over the Wenhua Hall to the prince.

After the New Year's Eve, the routine early dynasties were basically changed to the Wuying Hall.

Now it's almost February, and the weather is getting warmer, but Zhu Qiyu didn't bother to bother, so he has been managing politics in the Qianqing Palace.

There are a few big things going on in the imperial court now. One is the matter of suppressing the Japanese, which is progressing fairly smoothly. Although the imperial decree was issued in the next year, after all, there are many trivial matters for the army to go out. So, until half a month ago However, Yu Qian knew the real purpose of suppressing the Japanese, so he should be sure of the timing. Zhu Qiyu was not too worried about this.

In addition, there will be an examination after the beginning of spring. This is Zhu Qiyu's second imperial examination after he ascended the throne, so it must be treated with caution.

In particular, after such a big case in the last imperial examination, whether the imperial examination can be successfully conducted this time is a matter of great concern.

However, because of the lessons learned last time, this time, the chief examiner of the test will be Hu Wei himself. Let Zhu Qiyu rest assured.

So, the last thing left, is...

"Your Majesty, Wang Wen, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Shen Yi, Minister of the Ministry of Households, and Jin Lian, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, are summoned outside the hall by the order!"

Putting down the memorial in his hand, Zhu Qiyu rubbed his forehead and said.

"Let them in!"

So, Wynn withdrew silently, and after a while, he brought the three elders into the hall.

After the salutes were completed, Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on Shen Yi first, and said.

"I have already read the report on the Fengyang snow disaster presented by the Ministry of Household Affairs. The scale of this snow disaster is not small, and it involves the land of eight guards. Moreover, it seems that the snow will not stop in a short period of time. Such a continuous snowstorm , The common people spend the winter with charcoal fires, and there will inevitably be a shortage of cotton clothes. In addition, the continuous heavy snow will inevitably affect the wheat harvest. What is the good strategy of the Ministry of Households?"

What's... a good strategy?
Shen Shangshu had a bitter face, and sighed heavily in his heart.

What can he do?
Although I was prepared in my heart, who would have thought that such a big surprise would come just after the beginning of the new year.

This God really knows how to joke, it doesn't rain when it's not raining, and now it won't stop.

The Eight Guards of Fengyang have been snowing heavily since the beginning of the year. It has been nearly a month now. It is rumored that some people have froze to death these days. He, the Minister of the Ministry of Households, is of course anxious, but what is the use of being anxious? .

Originally, the household department still had some spare money, but the emperor insisted on sending troops to suppress the Japanese. Now, even if the national treasury was not emptied, it was almost the same.

At this time, if a large amount of money is allocated for disaster relief, then the follow-up military supplies cannot be guaranteed. If it is said that if it is not drawn from this place, where will he get such a large sum of money...

"Returning to Your Majesty, I have transferred the papers to the county governments involved in the disaster, and ordered them to submit the specific situation of the disaster as soon as possible. At the same time, send government servants and civilian husbands to clear the snow, at least ensure the smooth flow of official roads, and order the neighboring prefectures and counties to urgently Prepare charcoal items and transport them to the disaster-stricken areas."

"In the next step, I plan to temporarily spend the cotton-padded clothes, military tents and other items stored in the Nanjing warehouse to keep out the cold. At the same time, I will call on the local gentry and rich households to help the county government to provide porridge for disaster relief. According to the disaster situation reported in the report, Work out the rules and regulations for disaster relief as soon as possible."

It can be seen that Shen Shangshu is really embarrassed, and he has come up with such a way to call on the squires. It can be seen that the treasury is really tight.

Seeing this situation, the two elders of the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Punishment couldn't help showing sympathy, and then... stood by and watched coldly.

Just kidding, it's not their business, why talk too much, I don't have to cause trouble...

However, they can stand by and watch, but some people can't. For example, the emperor Zhu Qiyu, seeing Shen Yi's appearance, wouldn't he not know what the other party was thinking? road.

"Shen Qing, just tell me directly, the Ministry of Households estimates, how much silver taels will be needed for this disaster relief?"

Shen Yi said so much in a roundabout way. In fact, when it comes down to it, the core is just two words, crying poor. Of course, this doesn't mean that the Ministry of Accounts really can't get the money out. , you have to stop temporarily.

At that time, as the Minister of the Household Department, I am afraid that he will be chased by various yamen for money again.

Hearing this, Shen Yi was a little embarrassed, but soon, he spoke.

"Your Majesty, in this heavy snow season, the main cost of disaster relief is labor. Whether it is clearing snow, transporting food, or fuel, the cost will double. The imperial court has just recruited labor for the suppression of the Japanese. If we continue to increase the dispatch at this time, I am afraid it will cause civil unrest."

"Therefore, if we want to solve this disaster smoothly, we can only hire labor labor at the expense of the government. In this way, due to the heavy snow, the price of salary and carbon has risen in various places. The Ministry of Households has roughly calculated that it wants to calm down the situation. This disaster will cost about 30 taels of silver."

As soon as this remark came out, Wang Wen and Jin Lian couldn't help but feel a little moved.

They don't know about other things, but last year's drought in Jiangxi, the government invested about 50 taels of relief money.

However, the disaster situation in Jiangxi covers a much larger area than this snow disaster. From this point of view, the severity of this snow disaster may really be the worst in history.

However, when the words fell, Zhu Qiyu snorted and said.

"Since this is the case, the disaster situation is urgent. The Ministry of Household Affairs should prepare silver supplies as soon as possible and transport them to various places in Fengyang. They must not let the people suffer because of the lack of disaster relief. Can Shen Shangshu understand?"

Uh……

(End of this chapter)