Jingming

Chapter 449 Conservatives think the emperor is too conservative

From Anlu to Jingzhou, Zhu Zaiyi became more and more confused.

"Since even ordinary scholars are talking about it, why hasn't this matter made any waves? Uncle, didn't you say that girls in big talent shows always cause panic among the people?"

Zhang Juzheng was also a little surprised.

It is said that the provincial-level Xiangxian Yuan is responsible for the inspection and recommendation, but the Xiangxian in the prefecture and county are not told these matters at all.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Juzheng replied: "Perhaps it is because of the precedent that the daughter of a wealthy family can enter the palace. This year, Your Majesty has asked those three questions again. Therefore, the provinces have announced that Your Majesty will marry a daughter of a scholar, farmer, industry, commerce, military and arts. The intention is to intrude on the local area and lead to constitutional inspection and impeachment."

Qi Jiguang didn't understand, and Zhu Zai'an frowned in thought.

Zhang Juzheng knew very well what the emperor expected of him, so he explained it in detail based on his already possessed understanding.

The emperor had just asked the officials from all over the world how to cultivate themselves, manage their families and govern the country, and proposed the idea of ​​​​building a unified party in the world and putting the people first, but then he drafted a female talent show?
These are two things that are somewhat contradictory upon closer inspection.

Although there is nothing wrong with enriching the harem from the perspective of imperial supremacy, the emperor's selection of women again after 20 years of imperial rule is still different from his diligent and virtuous image in the past [-] years.

To put it harshly, if the current emperor did not have such great achievements and prestige, I am afraid he would not be able to escape the evaluation of "dissolute and immoral".

"...You are saying that local officials think that His Majesty intends to test him?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "No matter what they think, before and after this major national policy meeting, they must behave in a safe and sound manner. Although your Majesty has many concubines, in the past 20 years, he has never been known as a womanizer in the government and the public. Instead, he has been famous for his diligence. Everyone knows it. Why do you do this now? From the center to the local government, I’m afraid many people have thought about it carefully. "

Zhu Zaiyi nodded slowly, as if he had some understanding.

Is this the chain reaction that an emperor's move will cause?

Although the clear decree is that each province recommends six people and finally selects six people, everyone will ponder the emperor's true intention.

Could it be that my father had really figured this out and made such an explicit decree on purpose?
In Zhu Zaiyi's impression, his father was indeed quite diligent.Although there are many concubines in the harem, I have never heard of any of them being extremely favored.Apart from the queen mother, if I really want to talk about it, it really comes down to position... Apart from the second concubine, only Concubine Jing is slightly favored.

It is a way to avoid trouble by spreading rain and dew evenly.

Zhu Zai'an, who is almost here, is also at a young age.He is a prince and is not married yet. He must be virtuous. This is the warning of his teachers.But when he thought about it carefully, if he was already an emperor at this age, he might not be able to be as beautiful as his father...

Due to previous concerns about the stability of the crown prince's position, Zhang Bi and Yang Shen both expressed their concerns implicitly: the emperor was under pressure to give birth to a prince as soon as possible after the vassal princes succeeded to the throne, and he had to consider the hidden worries of princes competing for the crown prince in the future.If the emperor hadn't been extremely restrained back then, he and the King of Yue would not be the only princes of similar age.

Isn't there some kind of fitness method spread in the palace?
Therefore, the emperor, who could not be called indulgent in the first place, chose to draft women again this time, which is very different from usual. I am afraid that he really has a deeper intention.

"Father... Your Majesty is really thoughtful." Zhu Zaiyi thought he understood. "You will know if they are just talking about it if you look at how the place does it. A decree can be made even if everyone thinks about it carefully. Let’s all think carefully about what we can do to truly love the people.”

Zhang Juzheng smiled: "That's true."

There is another point that Zhang Juzheng did not say clearly.

He is still young, but he grew up with the prince in the past and is very familiar with His Majesty and Holy Queen Xiaojie.

Before the death of Holy Queen Xiaojie, she was extremely dignified in the harem.

But the queen had just left, and the prince later told him fearfully about the incident involving the concubine, which also involved the eunuch and female officer in charge of the East Palace. It was really dangerous.

How can His Majesty, with his great talents and great plans, be overwhelmed by the chores in the harem?
This time, when new people are added to the harem and a new queen is established, there must be some clear candidates to make the harem peaceful, right?

In this case, why do all the provinces need to review and recommend six candidates?
Even Zhang Juzheng could vaguely guess it. He believed that those local officials with rich official experience would think more clearly.

Therefore, as the first person to observe the suffering of the people, Zhu Zaiyi and Zhang Juzheng put it in the back of their minds.

In Jingzhou, Zhang Juzheng is actually very famous.But ever since Yun Feifan entered Beijing, he never came back, and the Zhang family also moved to Beijing.

Even though there are still clan members, Zhang Juzheng was just a child when he left Jingzhou, but now he has a majestic appearance and a very different temperament. No one knows who this man named Zhang Feng is.

Along the way, the prince and he became slightly famous because of their extraordinary insights into new learning.

Seeing that the prince was enjoying the feeling of being praised and sought after by others, Zhang Juzheng reminded him: After all, I am from Jingzhou. If I stay here for a long time, I'm afraid I will still be guessed. Let's move to another place.

So the three of them set off for Shandong. Qi Jiguang was very nervous because they were about to start taking a boat.

If something happened on the river, wouldn't it mean that the sky would not respond and the earth would not work?

Without thinking too much, I contacted someone and followed a caravan down the river.Some of the sailors and laborers in the caravan naturally have other identities.

But the owner really didn’t know that the young master of the caravan was very excited in the cabin: “When we get to Wuchang, we must go to the Xiujiang Tower to get drunk together! Brother, I will be the host, and the Chu Art Troupe supported by my Song family is known as Wuchang is a master of both sex and art. Being the number one in the family, Miss Shu, is really..."

Qi Jiguang listened with sweat on his forehead and looked at Zhang Juzheng.

We have made some friends along the way, but if His Majesty knows what kind of "bad friends" we have made with the prince, we actually want to take the prince to visit a brothel. Will he be beaten to death when we return?

Zhang Juzheng was only interested in learning about the customs and customs of Wuchang from him.

Qi Jiguang looked at the prince again: What's the matter with your shining eyes?

Aren’t we here to appreciate the suffering of the people?

……

It was November in the blink of an eye, and important officials gathered in the capital.

In the Yangxin Hall, when the emperor and his ministers met again, Zhu Houcong and Tang Shunzhi were already middle-aged.

"I have figured it out. Historically, important local ministers have to return to the capital once every three years to see their ministers. Your Majesty has a broad mind, but he only said that the journey is long and traveling is time-consuming and disruptive."

In an era with such backward transportation conditions, requiring local officials to come to the emperor to symbolically report their duties and express gratitude was nothing more than an emphasis on the emperor's control over personnel power.

The places that are closer are fine, but the places that are far away only take half a year to go back and forth.

When Zhu Houcong saw him using this as an example to express his trust in the appointed officials, he just smiled.

"It's great that you have returned to Beijing. With your talent, in addition to being in charge of the Ministry of Culture and Education, you can also serve as a staff member at the Military Affairs Council." Zhu Houcong admired Tang Shunzhi very much, "In the next few years, help me establish order around me. Great." At the national policy meeting, many people still don’t understand why I want to attack Japan first, what do you think?”

With Tang Shunzhi's learning ability, letting him take up the Ministry of Culture and Education would not take up too much of his energy.

The establishment of the Academy of Sciences, the establishment of Ming Dynasty's scientific research system, and the research and development of new technologies require more open-minded and capable management talents.

In addition to handling this matter well, Tang Shunzhi could also give full play to his strengths in strategy. "Although Taizu said that Japan is a country that cannot be conquered, today is not what it used to be. The shipping routes are already well known, and the benefits of the Ming Dynasty's armor cannot be blocked by Japan." Tang Shunzhi thought for a while and then said, "Besides the benefits, there is more important. What does Your Majesty want to do with Japan? Have you ever heard that Your Majesty wants to try out the system of a virtual monarch in Japan?"

He asked Zhu Houcong straightforwardly, looking into the emperor's eyes, waiting for the answer.

Zhu Houcong was silent for a moment and nodded slowly: "I really think so."

Tang Shunzhi bowed and said, "I have the guts to kowtow to Your Majesty, but you must not do this."

"Why?"

Tang Shunzhi looked at him calmly: "I have looked through the history books, but there is no one who has as far-reaching plans as your Majesty! Your Majesty is worried that in the future, the crown prince will be unworthy and will harm the country and the people. Now he is trying the system of false kings in Japan, which is counterproductive."

"Tell me in detail."

Seeing that the emperor's expression did not change at all because of his honesty, Tang Shunzhi's eyes showed admiration.

"In my opinion, it is almost impossible to find a king who will reign in the Ming Dynasty in the future who is as wise and as diligent as your majesty. Trying to practice a false king in Japan will only make your majesty's descendants worried and the hearts of all the ministers in the Ming Dynasty in the future. King and ministers Being jealous of each other is a disaster rather than a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Houcong said nothing.

There will indeed be such consequences if there are role models outside.

Tang Shunzhi said proudly: "I don't understand why your majesty insists on retaining the Xujun of the outer vassal. After hearing your majesty's three questions, I know that your majesty loves the people like a son and has great aspirations for the world to be unified. With the Ming Dynasty's national strength, cultural and educational prosperity, as long as the people of the outer vassal live and work in peace and contentment, why bother Keep those foreign dignitaries?"

Zhu Houcong looked at him a little surprised.

"I am in Hetao, and the Mongolian people who submit to me regard them as obedient and support themselves. Who among the Mongolian people in Hetao today does not praise the kindness of the Ming Dynasty? They have food to eat, clothes to live in when they are cold, and they have a stable place to live. The people do not want much. The dignitaries of the outer vassals are left behind. There are too many, and if we still hope that they will not cause trouble and help the Ming Dynasty manage the foreign vassals, isn't that tying our own hands and feet?"

Tang Shunzhi came with experience and said disdainfully: "Although we don't need to regard them as barbarians, they are fighting for power and profit without learning or skills. They are really far behind the Ming Dynasty. The army is everywhere, first to kill the people and thieves, and then to be lenient and peaceful in politics, and to promote culture and education. , keep him fed and warm, and allow him to serve. Instead of worrying about the future, Your Majesty, it is better to manage the foreign vassal well while your Majesty is still young. In just one generation, who of the people in the outer vassal will still miss the old years?"

Zhu Houcong was shocked by him. Is Tang Shunzhi so rough?
It has to be said that Zhu Houcong still has some later generations' thinking and feels that ethnic issues are probably very complicated.

But now that Tang Shunzhi said this, he suddenly felt that even the Ming Dynasty was still struggling to unite the national and national consciousness.Do places like North Korea and Japan really have a strong national consciousness nowadays?
Speaking of which, as long as outsiders are not too brutal, war scenes that are easiest to unite a unified national consciousness toward foreign countries are unlikely to occur.

In other words, Tang Shunzhi's opinion is that if you push forward with the more disciplined Wang Shi, and then implement benevolent government, the results will be greatly changed in one generation.

"...Throughout the dynasties, it was extremely difficult to educate people after opening up new territories." Zhu Houcong expressed his question, "Why is Ying De so optimistic?"

"This is your Majesty's contribution." Tang Shunzhi said seriously, "In all the past dynasties, I have never heard of a wise king like your Majesty. Under the new learning, all officials are pragmatic, and rewards and punishments are appropriate. Your Majesty also has the ambition to bring great unity to the world, and also promotes the path of physics to create people. Wealth, in order to strengthen the country. Naturally, it is difficult for a distant foreign vassal like Japan to be regarded as a real land. However, with the development of maritime transportation and convenient transportation, it cannot be treated as it was in the past. Why not treat the prince as a vassal and unite China?"

He concluded: "The system of a false king is absolutely unacceptable! How can the world be unified if the systems are different?"

When Zhu Houcong heard the word "system" from his mouth, he didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

"...This is inappropriate." Zhu Houcong said, "If Japan sets such an example, the other vassals will be in panic, and there will be constant worries on the Ming Dynasty's frontiers."

Tang Shunzhi looked at him strangely: "Your Majesty... The Ming Dynasty has restructured its army and has never slackened in improving its armor. I'm afraid you don't know as well as I do about the strength of the Ming Dynasty's military, right?"

"...You mean, anyone who refuses to accept can be beaten?"

Zhu Houcong knew this, but he didn't expect that Tang Shunzhi was a conservative. Tang Shunzhi thought he was too conservative.

Are you so pragmatic that you no longer have a reputation as a lecturer?

Tang Shunzhi said solemnly: "With the ambition of world unity, all the vassals of the Ming Dynasty should truly surrender!"

Zhu Houcong looked at him with complicated emotions: Could it be that you have become so hawkish because you will be the General Staff Staff of Military Affairs in the future?

Could things really go so smoothly?
"... Ying De, you have great ambitions, so you are willing to stay in the border areas for more than ten years." Zhu Houcong said, "Taizong established the Chief Envoy of Jiaozhi in the past because most of the wise ministers were unwilling to go to the border areas. Therefore, If education is ineffective, it will ultimately harm the people and the country."

People's problems are always the biggest problem.

It is naturally not difficult for the Ming Dynasty's army to push over, but if others are willing to live in the Ming Dynasty's system without giving some status and way out to their local powerful people, will there be so many talented people in the Ming Dynasty willing to go over?

Tang Shunzhi laughed: "As I said, this is your Majesty's contribution. Now your Majesty has made it clear to the world that agriculture, industry and commerce are the foundation of the country. Straight roads, rivers and sea transportation have greatly facilitated travel. Businessmen have always been looked down upon because of their cunning, greed and fear. It harms the country and harms the people. However, businessmen travel far and wide, but they are the least afraid of the long and difficult journey. Since the ministers are worried about how businessmen will get involved with powerful people in the future, what your majesty should try in the outer vassal is how businessmen will be officials. .”

"..."

Zhu Houcong was really shocked now.

Tang Shunzhi actually saw through the true nature of businessmen as pioneers in the future era who were keen on colonization. What he meant was to encourage businessmen to go to surrounding foreign vassals to implement a specially designed capitalist system?
To be honest, since Zhu Houcong already felt that the Ming Dynasty was essentially a kind of "agricultural capitalism", he did not resist it.

Maybe... only if everyone attaches great importance to industry, commerce, and trade, can the entire Eastern market dominated by the Ming Dynasty be established faster?

What will happen next is naturally a set of Eastern standards.

Tang Shunzhi added: "Now your Majesty is asking all the officials in the world three times, asking them to keep the public mind in mind, cultivate their moral integrity and manage their families. However, everyone has selfish motives and wants to ensure that future generations will be rich and worry-free. If it is inconvenient to do it in the Ming Dynasty, why not go to other vassals to do it? ? This strategy is the best of both worlds, and with the support of hundreds of officials, the people of the Ming Dynasty can also benefit. Even if the world is unified, the Ming Dynasty and the foreign vassals are like legitimate concubines. The legitimate son's life is better, but the concubine's life is a little worse, but it can be much better than before, right? This is enough."

"...I haven't seen you for many years, Ying De, you have changed a lot." Zhu Houcong said truthfully.

Tang Shunzhi was righteous and awe-inspiring: "I have always been loyal and only worked for the country of the Ming Dynasty! I saw the suffering of the Mongolian people in Hetao, and I really pity them! Your Majesty loves and protects the people of the world, and I feel the same. A wise king is in power, and the dynasty is full of virtuous ministers. Why should things be delayed? How can the great foundation of world unity be achieved without blood and fire? Besides, even if you want to become a famous teacher, there is no need to work hard."

"What's Ying De's advice?" Zhu Houcong felt that he had been a little attracted by him.

Tang Shunzhi said categorically: "Next year, when the envoys of the various vassals submit the results of the investigation, they will issue an edict to the vassals in the name of the suzerain and father, instructing them to abolish the common people's corvee and make the officials and the people share the burden, as in the Ming Dynasty, and to straighten out taxes to reduce the people's taxes. Bitter. The people of the foreign vassals are eagerly looking forward to this kindness from Your Majesty, but how can the monarchs and ministers of the vassals obey? If they don't obey, then they will punish the people and punish them!"

Zhu Houcong did not expect that he would openly interfere in other people's internal affairs.

But judging from the situation at this time, they did openly regard the Ming Emperor as their king and called themselves ministers.

There seems to be nothing wrong with asking your ministers to do something...

It was useless to ask for it in the past, because the strength could not keep up.

Do you have this strength now?

"Ying De, I didn't expect you to be so radical..."

"Your Majesty said that the world is unified, why are you so hesitant?"

Zhu Houcong was speechless: Yes!Am I too conservative?
(End of this chapter)