Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 177
In the capital city in June, the sun is scorching like fire.

The faces of ordinary people are obviously more disgusted, not to mention the farmers working in the fields in the outskirts, even the traffickers in the city are often sweating.

Faced with this bad weather, the people at the bottom could only endure it silently. As for the ice cubes that can sell for hundreds of pennies per catty, they were naturally sighing.

At this time, local officials will send people to Beijing, and give tribute silver to various officials who hold real power, and the nickname is: Bing Jing.

"The salaries of hundreds of officials are not enough to support themselves, so the administration of officials is bad."

In fact, the first half of this sentence is not rigorous, but the second half of the sentence refers directly to the current situation of Daming officialdom.

Since the current trend in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is the integration of government and business, many officials were born in wealthy families, and there is no need to be greedy for money in order to support their families.

Although the salary of the Ming Dynasty was lower than that of the Song Dynasty, the official salary of the fifth rank was 192 shi, which was already the ration of 16 adults, not to mention various hidden benefits, such as the preferential treatment of Jinshi officials and firewood, silver, soap, and silver.

Of course, the most important thing is the "ice warning", "charcoal warning" and "don't watch" from the localities. These incomes do not exist at all and cannot support themselves.

It's just that "officials are very bad", but it is true.

Take Bing Jingyin as an example, these coins cannot be conjured out of thin air, but officials in the capital naturally blinked and closed their eyes in order to collect money.

For their own future, local officials naturally try to continue to make money in the local area, so as to pave the way for their official career.

That's why, for some senior officials who seem to be as clean as water, the filial silver of the local officials below is enough for their children and grandchildren to live comfortably for three generations.

The Xu Mansion located in Xiaoyongfang, in this scorching summer, has received constant warnings from local officials, sending air-conditioning to this hot Xu Mansion.

Xu Pu, who was wearing a second-rank official uniform, returned home in a sedan chair as usual, and the housekeeper happily greeted him with the ledger, which recorded the recent warnings of local officials.

Xu Pu seemed to be in a bad mood, and immediately waved his hand impatiently, preferring to be an upright official who didn't know.

"Father, I have made an appointment with those Juren friends to study at Hanlin Temple today, so I want some money!" Xu Yuangai waited at home for a long time, and Dang even came up to please him.

The housekeeper at the side saw Xu Yuangai reaching out for money again, and found that Xu Yuangai was also born in Xu's family, and the average family had already been ruined by the fourth son.

Xu Pu frowned slightly, and immediately looked at his son and asked, "Did you cause trouble?"

"Father, if there's nothing else, just give me money!" Xu Yuangai's heart tightened immediately, and he quickly shook his head in denial.

Xu Pu had actually seen some clues, and waved his hands in a low mood: "Since it's not causing trouble, then don't always think about running around, and then go to the warehouse to pay the money in two days!"

"Father, I've already made an appointment with a friend!" Seeing that he would stay for two more days, Xu Yuangai begged with a bitter face.

Xu Pu didn't pay attention to Xu Yuangai, and went straight to the main room, but he knew that if he didn't make arrangements, he might really only lose his name to Sun Shan.

"Hurry up, change the clothes for the master!" The butler followed Xu Pu to the back house, and urged the four maids who were here.

Xu Pu has become accustomed to this kind of life where he stretches out his hands with clothes and opens his mouth with food, and every day when he comes back, he will change his official uniform and wear a set of comfortable living clothes.

At first, he just thought it would be more comfortable to wear it like this, but now he gradually understood Yang Tinghe's feelings, and it was really the official uniform that made him feel uncomfortable.

He is obviously the emperor's teacher with the most experience and the leader of Qingliu. He has a resounding reputation in the court and the public, so he can be said to be the best choice for the ruler of the country.

Ordinarily, as the emperor's tutor to the current emperor, he should be in the cabinet to pay homage to the prime minister no matter what in the new dynasty.It's just that the situation is quite the opposite. Not only has he not been able to advance an inch so far, but he has been excluded from the core circle of power.

Now, not to mention replacing Wan An and Liu Ji, even Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, would ride on his head. Wearing this second-rank official uniform now is simply a humiliation.

The dignified number one imperial teacher received such treatment, which was unprecedented in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Sometimes, he really hoped that that kid Zhu Youtang would just get rid of him, and cut off his thoughts of joining the cabinet to pay homage to the prime minister in the future, and he could enjoy the life of a rich man when he returned to his hometown.

If he takes another concubine, maybe he can have another fat boy.

Unfortunately, the position of Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Officials was too tempting, and he simply couldn't make up his mind to take off his official robes, and he couldn't let go of this heavy power.

Xu Pu thought about resigning, but he just thought about it.

It was not easy for him to climb to this position, and he didn't want to disappoint his mentor's cultivation.Although the current situation is not good, and the current position can be said to be a humiliation, but he believes that there will be a bright future.

The clothes were changed quickly, the humiliating second-rank official clothes were removed, and a set of comfortable home clothes was replaced.

Xu Pu enjoyed his life at home very much. Even if he was not happy in the court, he was still a high-ranking official left servant after all, and he was also the owner of this house with dozens of servants.

In this house, he is simply the emperor.

"Master, just now Jiangxi sent a letter, please read it!" Xu Butler seemed to have thought of something, and immediately took out a letter to write.

Letters from Jiangxi?
When Xu Pu heard that it was a letter from Jiangxi, his heart skipped a beat.

If there is anything to worry about recently, it is undoubtedly that the emperor did not play his cards according to common sense this time, and even directly pointed the finger at the officialdom in Jiangxi.

Unfortunately, after being recommended by Li Si, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the imperial court actually appointed Wang Yue as an imperial envoy this time.

He knew that although Wang Yue was a very out-of-group person and had the bad temper of a border guard, he was a man who knew how to use tricks.

Now the imperial court entrusts Wang Yue to Nanchang to investigate the inaction of the Jiangxi chief envoy. Although the Jiangxi governor Li Ang is an extremely shrewd person, there is no guarantee that the Jiangxi chief envoy will not show any flaws.

Xu Pu's eyes flashed murderous intent, but he knew that it was time to abandon the car and save the handsome man.

He decided that even if Xu Huai, the governor of Jiangxi, was sacrificed, the incident would not be brought to the attention of Jiangxi governor Li Ang, so he slowly opened the letter, but was completely stunned the next moment.

At this moment, it was as if he was suddenly stabbed with a knife.

The next day, an explosive news suddenly came from Jiangxi, and the official circles in the entire capital suddenly exploded.

While everyone was still guessing whether Wang Hua had withheld military pay, Wang Yue, who was ordered to patrol Jiangxi, found out Wang Hua's withholding of military pay with lightning speed.

It is said that in just one day, the case was solved directly.

Reported by Jiangxi right envoy Qin Minyue, Jiangxi left envoy Xu Huai, Jiangxi governor Liu Jun and Jiangxi procuratorate Chen Yonghao testified that Jiangxi governor Li Ang was the instigator of the embarrassment of military pay.

"Hehe... I have long said that the Jiangxi officialdom is to form a group to frame Wang Hua!"

"Such a case is really appalling. This Jiangxi official deserves to be killed."

"Jiangxi governor Li Ang's first criminal dared to frame his colleagues like this, and he should be executed as Ling Chi!"

……

When the officials in the capital learned that the deduction of military pay was actually framed by Jiangxi Governor Li Ang, the wind changed 180 degrees immediately, and they all pointed their finger at the Jiangxi officialdom.

"I remember the one who said he would vouch for Li Ang!"

"Hehe... Maybe he is the mastermind behind the scenes!"

"If you ask me, there are still people behind the governor of Jiangxi, and the case needs to be dug deeper!"

……

As the Jiangxi incident continued to ferment, the officials in the capital did not forget what happened in the early court that day, but they all pointed their finger at Xu Pu, the left servant of the Ministry of officials.

This is not all about throwing stones at Xu Pu, but judging from the development of the whole incident, Xu Pu's suspicion is undoubtedly the biggest one, and he also has sufficient motives for committing the crime.

Since Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, is the mastermind behind the scenes, Xu Pu, who is Li Ang's backer, may not be able to escape the blame. Maybe Xu Pu is the real mastermind behind the scenes.

When the imperial court learned of this situation, it ordered Li Ang, governor of Jiangxi Province, to be escorted to Beijing for trial.

Just as everyone was speculating whether the matter was related to Xu Pu, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and whether the current emperor would take the opportunity to punish Xu Pu, an unexpected incident came.

At dusk that day, Xu Pu returned home as usual, except that the four maids were sent away.

"Master hanged himself!"

When Butler Xu realized something was wrong, he immediately pushed open the door, and then there was a wailing sound.

On that beam, Xu Pu didn't choose to change the second-rank official uniform, but chose to hang himself from the beam, choosing to end his life decently.

Xu Pu's official career is full of legends. At the age of only 26, he was ranked second in high school as a Jinshi, and he even worshiped under the school of a university scholar.

From the editor of Hanlin to the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, he has gone for 25 years, but during this period he has become the prince's tutor, has recruited many bachelors, and has accumulated enough reputation.

If there were no accidents, as long as the crown prince ascended the throne, he, the emperor's teacher who had been arranged in the East Palace early, was destined to soar into the sky and become the leader of the civil official group.

It's just that there was a deviation in history. Almost from the moment he entered the official career, the layout failed to get the desired result in the end, but drifted away from the new king.

In the secret contest of local government, he suffered a crushing defeat.

In fact, Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, did not bear everything alone in the end. When Xu Huai, the governor of Jiangxi Zuobu, bit him, he also chose to bite Xu Pu, who was in charge of the dynasty.

If the court continues to pursue it, then he, the leader of Qingliu, may be sent to the guillotine.

"Xu Pu is dead?"

"It seems that the matter really has something to do with him!"

"That's good, he has saved his reputation, and His Majesty doesn't need to bear a bad reputation!"

……

The news of Xu Pu's suicide by hanging from the beam spread quickly, and the officials who heard the news were also very sad.

Who would have thought that the superior Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Officials would choose this method to end himself, but the officials who know the basics know that this is probably the last way for Xu Pu to save his face.

Regardless of the final trial result of the matter, once Jiangxi Governor Li Ang persists in biting Xu Pu, then the virtuous officials that Xu Pu spent decades shaping will be completely destroyed.

Xiyuan, Tingchao Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang is used to coming here every day, watching the buoy go down, and with a light lift, a wild Qingyu is lifted up by himself, which seems to be very relieved.

It's just that Xu Pu ended up in this way, but the matter is not easy to deal with.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter left by Xu Pu!" Tan Conggui presented a letter, looking very respectful.

Zhu Youtang took the letter and saw the last letter Xu Pu left for himself, but he knew that Xu Pu not only wanted to preserve his reputation, but also wanted to protect his family.

Originally, he disdained such excessive demands, but soon discovered that there was a list in the letter.

The reason why Xu Pu let him cast a taboo is that Xu Pu's control over the local area is too strong, so he chose to allow Xu Pu to stay in the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Officials.

It's just that now I can see that Xu Pu has been aware of this from the beginning to the end, and now he is handing over this list of officials just to hope that he and his family will be spared.

"Your Majesty, do you want to search Xu Pu's home?" Tan Conggui asked seriously when he knew that Jiangxi governor Li Ang had testified against Xu Pu.

Zhu Youzhang put away the list in his hand, and said flatly: "Xu Pu presided over the two general examinations, and served as the left servant of the Ministry of Officials for many years, there are really too many former officials, so let's stop here! "

Although he is a high-ranking emperor, he still has to worry about it after all.

There are only six most important yamen in the capital, and it is a very simple matter to control them. However, there are more than 300 county yamen in the world, and there are hundreds of state yamen and government yamen.

From the perspective of the overall situation, it is really inappropriate to kill Xu Pu, at least it is not easy to do it now.

"Your Majesty, isn't this too cheap for Xu Pu?" Qin Conggui had already listed Xu Pu as the number one enemy, and suddenly felt unwilling to express his opinion.

Naturally, it is impossible for Zhu Youtang to have no punishment at all, so Dang even said indifferently: "Didn't Xu Yuan harass Song Cheng's wife, Yunniang? Arrest them and question them!"

"Your Majesty, Xu Yuangai's crimes are more than these. I'm afraid it's about..." Tan Conggui made a gesture of wiping his neck, looking serious and authentic.

Zhu Youtang put aside the fishing rod again, although he didn't search Xu's house, but Xu Yuangai, a vicious young man like him, couldn't let him go, so he waved Tan Conggui away.

"Observe the order!" Tan Conggui guessed Zhu Youtang's attitude, and a stern look flashed across his eyes.

Up to now, he only hopes to become His Majesty's sharpest knife, and kill all those who dare to oppose His Majesty.As for Xu Pu, it's a pity that this old guy hangs up too fast, otherwise he will definitely be skinned and cramped when he arrives at Dongchang.

(End of this chapter)