Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 1191

"...Your Majesty, what all your lords are worried about is nothing more than sea trade. The investment is huge, but it may not be of any benefit to the Ming Dynasty."

"In addition, there have been many natural disasters in various places recently, and the imperial court needs money everywhere. Therefore, I can understand these reasons for wanting Xu Tu to postpone the discussion."

"The reason why I say that your Lordships' concerns are unnecessary is because it is very simple to resolve this matter..."

Without Qian Shu's interruption, Zhu Yi finally returned to the topic.

Moreover, after the confrontation just now, Xungui's strength has been demonstrated, so Zhu Yi naturally restrained his previous sharpness and was quite modest before speaking.

However, his words still aroused the curiosity of many ministers present. You must know that the imperial government's financial constraints have always been a difficult problem to solve. Even the Ministry of Revenue itself has no good solution. You can go gamble on sea trade.

But now, Zhu Yi said that this matter was not difficult at all, which naturally made everyone prick up their ears and want to hear what the Duke's opinions were.

And the solution Zhu Yi gave is indeed very simple...

"Your Majesty, I have discussed this with many nobles in the capital these days. Since sea trade is a political matter of the imperial court, as honorable ministers, we naturally cannot stand idly by. I have signed a joint letter with the nobles of fourteen families and am willing to give out silver. 80 taels to assist the imperial court in constructing various maritime trade projects. If local officers and soldiers need to be mobilized, we, the honorable ministers, are also willing to go guard and serve the country!"

Facing the questioning eyes of all the ministers, Duke Cheng Guo was fiercely loyal and spoke righteously.

What he said made the ministers behind him stunned.

Ah this...

I have to say, this move is ruthless enough!
The civil servants looked at each other in confusion. For a moment, they didn't know what to say. Is this the confidence of being wealthy?

Isn’t the court short of money?If you honorable men come forward, the problem will be solved!
Simple and crude, but useful!

Moreover, this is almost incomprehensible to the civil servants. The figure of 80 taels is already considered a huge sum of money in today's court.

Of course, if civil servants work together, they may not be able to get it together. After all, compared with nobles, civil servants are better in number.

However, civil servants cannot do this kind of thing, nor are they willing to do it.

To put it bluntly, everyone is studying hard in the cold window in order to shine on the family and have food and clothing. It is not ordinary for people like them, who are mostly from poor backgrounds, to get money. Moreover, even if they can get it, they can't. take.

In the officialdom, who doesn’t flaunt his or her integrity, but ends up saying that he is incorruptible in the first place and then giving out so much money in the back? How to explain it?

Therefore, this kind of thing can only be done by nobles from aristocratic families who have inherited it for several generations and have a profound foundation. Only these people, who have been rich in clothes and food since childhood and spend a lot of money, are willing to take it out and hit themselves. Wanted benefits.

Zhu Yi's words sounded like he was trying to relieve the court's worries, but he actually had his own purpose.

If the imperial court uses the money of these nobles, it will naturally share the profits to benefit them. Among other things, the generals who will lead the troops to guard the country must first be selected from these noble families.

In addition, as for the construction and future management of various projects, it is no surprise that these nobles will definitely have a hand in it.

Zhu Yi laid out these purposes clearly and without any concealment. In a sense, it was because he felt that the court had no way to refuse this proposal.

In other words, His Majesty the Emperor...can't refuse!
After all, such a large amount of free money can also promote the process of opening up the sea. For the emperor, it can be said that it is exactly what he wants.

In order to prevent the emperor from being happy and agreeing directly, there was a commotion among the ministers in the palace. After a moment of pause, Zhou Xuan, the Minister of Punishment, stood up and said.

"Your Majesty, Duke Cheng and all the nobles are truly admirable for their devotion to the country. However, the problem of sea trade is not just about money and garrison. In the year of great disaster, what the people need is to recuperate. If the sea trade project, And continuing to recruit corvees will definitely affect next spring's plowing, so I ask your Majesty to take a closer look and postpone this matter."

This reason is considered tenable.

After all, having money can only solve the difficult problem of the national treasury. However, in addition to spending money, construction projects also require the recruitment of corvees, which is the biggest difficulty for ordinary people.

However, as soon as he raised this reason, someone else among the nobles stood up and said.

"There's no need to worry about this!"

Everyone followed the voice and looked closely, only to find that the person speaking was the Duke of Feng, Li Xian, who also kept a low profile and was silent all day in the court, but also held the position of Duke!

Unlike Zhu Yi, this old man was originally a minister of Conglong. Although he was useless and has now become a mascot for the emperor to perform sacrifices, his status and achievements are still important. There, his weight in the court was much higher than that of Zhu Yi. Of course, if one wanted to count his appeal among nobles, that would be another matter.

Seeing him standing up, many people's expressions suddenly changed, because this old man is a true member of the Emperor's party. When he comes forward, in a sense, it means that the Emperor is telling everyone clearly Man, the emperor was behind this matter.

As expected, Mr. Li walked into the hall step by step and said.

"Your Majesty, I think what Duke Cheng Guo said is reasonable. Maritime trade is a major policy of the imperial court and can enhance the prestige of our country. As an honorable minister, how can I just sit back and let the imperial court go unfinished due to a shortage of money and food? I and Duke Dingguo's government, Jing The Anbo Mansion and eleven families of honorable ministers are united and willing to contribute 60 taels of silver to help the court."

Seeing other civil servants trying to refute him, Li Xian continued.

"A few days ago, I heard that the Ministry of Household Affairs implemented the restructuring of craftsmen's households. The craftsmen were allowed to pay money and food, and the court recruited craftsmen to assist in the construction of the project. I thought this policy could also be implemented in the matter of maritime trade, and the Chengguo Office raised 80 yuan. Two taels are used for the construction project, and the 60 taels raised by the ministers and the Dingguo government are used to hire craftsmen and civilians, who may assist the court and implement this smoothly."

These words immediately blocked those who wanted to refute his words.After a while of low discussion, Wang Yining, the Minister of Rites, spoke with some confidence.

"Even if there is enough money, such a project will definitely require a lot of civilian craftsmen, and it will still disturb the people..."

However, before he finished speaking, Zhu Yi on the side spoke.

"Your Majesty, I heard that since the New Year's Day, there has been heavy snowfall in various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. The people have been scattered as refugees and have no livelihood. Although the imperial court has tried its best to provide disaster relief, but if we can recruit these refugees and give them money, let them go to the coast to work for the imperial court. The construction project can not only appease the refugees, but also help the court promote maritime trade as soon as possible. It is really the best of both worlds!"

Uh……

As soon as these words came out, Wang Yining looked a little embarrassed and couldn't help but look at the Ministry of Works on the side. However, to his disappointment, there was no movement there.

So, Wang Yining hesitated for a moment and had to retreat.

In the court, there are still many people who have doubts about this matter. However, seeing the honorable nobles committing such a crime this time, and it is a rare alliance between the noble nobles Jingnan and the emperor, there is something behind the scenes. It was obvious that the emperor was pushing for it. Even if these people wanted to object, they had to weigh their own weight first. So, for a while, the palace became quiet.

Seeing this situation, the emperor finally spoke and said.

"Since none of the ministers have any opinions, then I will approve this report from the Ministry of Household Affairs."

Although such a result had been expected, a group of civil servants still felt a little frustrated when the decision was finally made.

However, the emperor hadn't finished his words yet. Looking at the group of nobles below, the emperor seemed to be hesitant, frowned, and then said.

"Sea trade is a major government matter of the imperial court, and there is no reason for asking noble families to contribute money to build the port. However, I am not willing to go against the loyalty of all the noble families. I will take the 140 million taels jointly raised by the noble families. Half of it will be used for the construction of maritime trade projects.”

"The remaining half will be handed over to the Imperial Store for deployment and used for tribute trade with overseas countries. The profits should be made, and the Imperial Store and the noble families will get it!"

"As for the specific matters of project construction, the Ministry of Household Affairs will discuss it separately with the Ministry of Works later, and we will withdraw from the court!"

As a result, such a fiercely quarreling court meeting finally came to an end for the time being. Of course, the result was that some people were happy and some were sad.

The proposal of the Ministry of Revenue Sea Trade was passed, but this is just the beginning. The next specific implementation steps are the biggest key, so we cannot relax yet.

However, Zhu Qiyu has already been prepared for this. In fact, for him, the most difficult thing is the court meeting. As long as this level is passed, at least on the surface, there will be no more people. To restrict sea trade.

As for those secret methods, it depends on the person. Wang Yue and Yu Zijun were sent by him to explore the way. One of these two people was brought out by Yu Qian and the other was brought out by Shen Yi. In the case of sea trade, There is no need to question your firm stance on the matter.

The only thing that makes people worry is that their qualifications are a bit shallow and they may not be able to control the place. However, this problem is not big. At least these two people are still capable. Otherwise, they would not be as capable as Shen Yi and Yu Qian. High evaluation, it will be at least more than half a year before the sea trade really starts, which should be enough for them to become familiar with local government affairs.

Of course, the more important point is that now all the old sticks in Fujian officialdom have been basically taken down, and what is left to be added is fresh blood. Zhu Qiyu has already told Wang Wen about this before.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the Beijing inspection, some young and capable talents were arranged to go to Fujian to give them a chance to make achievements. At the same time, young people who are hardworking will naturally be better able to adapt to these changes.

In fact, this is the real reason why Zhu Qiyu wanted to thoroughly investigate Fujian officialdom before opening the sea.

In Zhu Qizhen's eyes, all he can see is that getting rid of these people will make it extremely difficult to open the sea and lose a large number of forces that can be united.

However, for Zhu Qiyu, his considerations are more profound.

It is true that keeping them will be a help to Kaihai, but at the same time, they will also be the biggest resistance.

The coastal area has now formed its own set of rules. The Japanese pirates and smugglers are at the bottom, colluding with the local gentry, relying on smuggling and robbery to make profits, and plundering the people's wealth. At the same time, with the help of the gentry, they build connections with local officials. Bribe these people and let them turn a blind eye to what the Japanese pirates are doing.

This kind of rule has been in operation for many years, and it has already become a behavior that is tacitly approved or even secretly supported by all forces. If we say that under such circumstances, we directly open the sea, then depending on the policy of the imperial court, these Japanese pirates and smugglers will suddenly become The most upright businessmen can do is to reduce plunder, but the situation of profit sharing among all parties will not change at all. Moreover, it will be extremely difficult for outside merchants to enter this set of rules.

In the end, the result was that the imperial court spent countless manpower and material resources. Even the emperor Zhu Qiyu opened up sea trade under the pressure of the ancestral system. However, the benefits obtained were exploited layer by layer by these people, and what was left in the end was Not much.

This situation is obviously not what Zhu Qiyu wants, nor is it acceptable to him.

Therefore, if we want to open the sea, we must first break this set of almost solidified rules. Whether it is Japanese pirates, smugglers, gentry, or local officials, we must uproot them all at once and clean them up.

The so-called breaking and then establishing, with the experience of Longqing Switch, Zhu Qiyu knew very well how much benefits opening the sea could bring to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, regarding the difficulty of opening the sea that many ministers and even Zhu Qizhen were worried about, Zhu Qiyu had never None of it is a problem.

Greater resistance simply means that the price to be paid is greater. The biggest reason why most people waver on various major political issues is actually that they are unable to determine whether their choice is correct or not.

But this does not hold true for Zhu Qiyu. Because of this, no matter how high the cost, Zhu Qiyu will promote the opening of the sea. As the saying goes, in the Ming Dynasty, there was really nothing that the emperor was determined to do, but could not do it no matter what. Yes, the only difference is that the price paid is not worth it.

Therefore, sending a large army to exterminate the Japanese pirates and uproot the local gentry and officials involved in the Japanese pirates would cause instability in Fujian officialdom and even Fujian as a whole for a long time, but it was still worthwhile for Zhu Qiyu.

No matter how much resistance there is to the proposal to open the sea in the court, for Zhu Qiyu, it is just a matter of effort to overcome it, and the result will not change. Therefore, what he is really concerned about at the beginning is actually after the sea is opened. what to do.

Although the Longqing Switch in the previous life achieved great results, in Zhu Qiyu's view, it was still a bit conservative. The reason is that many interests that should have been attributed to the country were taken over by local gentry, merchants and even officials through various channels. So this time, when he wanted to open the sea, he naturally had to find a way to avoid these hidden dangers in advance. After all, what he had to do was not just copy Long Qing's open sea...

(End of this chapter)