Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 178

The breeze is coming, and the water waves are not happy.

Seeing the wooden buoy sinking, Zhu Youtang lifted it vigorously, and a carp jumped out of the water immediately.Because this carp is relatively heavy, it almost broke the line.

"Your Majesty, I caught it again, and this is already the eighth!" Liu Jin stepped forward to fetch the fish, looking very excited.

Seeing Liu Jin who had returned, Zhu Youtang asked calmly, "Has the fish been delivered?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the fish has been delivered, but Concubine Shao is playing mahjong with the Queen Mother, so it sounds like she wants it!" Liu Jin replied cautiously.

Zhu Youtang saw that the bait had been hung up, so he lowered the pole again and said, "Isn't this fish basket still there? You sent someone to Xianxi Palace, saying that I gave it to my three younger brothers!"

"Obey!" Liu Jin bowed her hands when she heard the words.

Zhu Youtang just left the fishing rod, picked up the freshly brewed tea next to him, and looked at the sparkling lake in front of him, enjoying the current state of life very much.

In addition to handling government affairs every day, you can enjoy tea and enjoy the scenery here, and you can also fish happily.

This lake is not only rich in fish resources, but also has a variety of fish, so every time the pole is lifted, it can be accompanied by a kind of uncertainty.

Such a state of life is probably beyond the imagination of many fishermen in later generations.

Zhu Youtang actually wanted to catch big fish in the deep water area of ​​the lake, but he knew that he was at risk of falling into the water and drowning, and the current fishing line couldn't support the big fish at all.

Even though this great lake, which has been banned from fishing for a hundred years by the royal family, has astonishingly large fish, but the current silk thread has limited load-bearing capacity, and there is no condition for catching big fish at all.

Zhu Youtang will not give up when encountering difficulties. The goal of catching big fish in this lake will not give up easily, but not now.

Even though Xu Pu has hanged himself now, the civil servants group has never belonged to Xu Pu alone, and there is no guarantee that someone has been looking for opportunities to kill himself, the emperor who is not at their mercy.

After all, the defense still has to be guarded, and it is far from the time to wave casually.

As the setting sun disappeared over the hills, the whole world slowly dimmed.

Zhu Youtang only drank tea and fished here, and without knowing it, he had already caught a full basket, including some fish species that could not be named at all.

In terms of taste, the fresh and authentic fish here is indeed no worse than those imperial meals. I even wonder if the short life of the Ming emperors is due to the problem of diet.

Liu Jin asked someone to bring clear water in a wooden basin, and picked two catches according to Zhu Youtang's wishes.

Zhu Youtang saw that it was getting late, so he put down the fishing rod in his hand, yawned and stretched, and then returned to Qianqing Palace in a jade chariot.

Although the environment in Xiyuan is very good, there are a lot of birds in the morning, and there are cicadas singing, but it is not as good as sleeping in Qianqing Palace.

If it wasn't for something special, he usually wouldn't stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but would choose to return to Qianqing Palace and sleep in the imperial city for a solid sleep.

Especially when you have to go to the early court or the grand court meeting, it will undoubtedly be much more convenient in the Qianqing Palace.

"Get up the sedan chair and go back to the palace!" Liu Jin sang when she saw that Zhu Youtang had already sat on the jade chariot.

When Zhu Youtang took the jade chariot from Xiyuan Gate to the opposite Xihua Gate, he could always see Zhu Ji guarding here loyally, regardless of the weather, and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise slightly.

Some people are loyal or traitor, in fact, it has to be tested by time.

Although Zhu Ji is relatively close to civil servants, he is actually worth giving him some points for his performance of loyalty.

It's just that this doesn't mean that Jinyiwei has no problems. There are too many martial arts and civil servants in it, but it is hard to guarantee that they will become pawns of the two forces.

Zhu Youtang didn't need to worry about this issue. Jinyiwei could focus on assignments. For example, Lu Song who was assigned to Wang Yue's side performed very well, and the capital can only use the East Factory.

Entering from the Xihua Gate, here is the quiet Ouchi Imperial Palace, as if you have come to another world.

As an emperor, Zhu Youtang can come and go as he pleases, but the maids and eunuchs who live here may only stay here for the rest of their lives, and the rules here are strict.

The faint twilight had already descended in this resplendent Forbidden City, and the palace roads seemed quiet.

On the side of the palace road outside Renshou Palace, a beautiful court lady in green clothes was standing there quietly with a carved food box in her hand, exuding a kind of dignity all over her body.

Her facial features are exquisite, her skin is fair, and she is tall. She possesses a rare and elegant aura that is rare for women in this era. Standing there in an orderly manner is like a landscape.

When seeing Zhu Youtang, that kind of smile from the heart was full of contagion, as if it could illuminate this lifeless palace.

Qingyue greeted Zhu Youtang who passed by, and at the same time explained her intentions: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager ordered the slaves to bring you a bowl of crucian carp tofu soup that has just been cooked!"

"Have you been waiting here for a long time?" Zhu Youtang noticed the food box Qingyue was holding, and asked with concern.

Qingyue's heart warmed up, she smiled slightly and said: "Just wait for a while!"

"Go slowly!" Zhu Youtang noticed that her legs were unnatural, so he ordered the eunuch who carried the dragon chariot.

Qing Yue deliberately waited here for a long time just now, her feet were a little numb at this time, so she silently followed behind, feeling a warm current in her heart.

Under the care of dozens of eunuchs and court ladies, the Qianqing Palace appears to be in perfect order.

Zhu Youtang found that it was more comfortable to live in this huge bedroom. After getting off the dragon carriage, he went straight to Xinuang Pavilion.This is the most frequent time of day, where the most important scientific and technological achievements of the empire are gathered here.

The design of the sailboat, the idea of ​​the cannon, and the immature firecrackers are like a museum here.

Seeing that the Ministry of Industry sent another spring, Zhu Youtang didn't hold out much hope at first, but when he pressed it, he looked at his hand in disbelief.

I was afraid that it was just an illusion, so I squeezed it again immediately, and I clearly felt the strong elasticity in my hand, and a smile appeared on my face.

He finally succeeded, and the problem of the spring was broken.

"Your Majesty, what is this little thing?" Qingyue noticed Zhu Youtang's reaction, and asked curiously.

Zhu Youtang pressed it again, and it seemed that there was no deformation or weakening of the elasticity. He passed the spring in a good mood and said, "This is the spring!"

"What's the use of this little thing?" Qingyue bowed slightly and stretched out her hands to take over the spring. After looking up and down, she looked up and asked in a very puzzled manner.

Zhu Youtang picked up another spring to check the quality, and explained in a serious manner: "You press both ends at the same time, and then let go, and it will return to its original shape. Isn't that interesting?"

Qingyue imitated Zhu Youtang's method and tried it. Although she felt that this thing was a bit magical, it just couldn't reflect Zhu Youtang's happiness.

As if thinking of something, he lowered his head and looked at Zhu Youtang warily.

"Now that we have this little thing, we can modify our loom, and the speed of weaving can be increased to at least eight times!" Zhu Youtang didn't know what Qingyue was thinking at this time, so he carefully moved the spring Put it away.

The spring is naturally not the purpose. After all, it is meaningless to restore the original shape. Only by using it on the loom can it exert its maximum value.

Qingyue tilted her neck and looked at Zhu Youtang seriously, as if she had realized something.

"You are just like Niu Mengmeng. You really play the piano to a cow. You don't understand these things, right?" Zhu Youtang realized that what he said was too profound, and seemed belatedly.

Qingyue shook her head lightly, and said very seriously: "Your Majesty didn't use this little thing for fun, but because he wanted to use this little thing on the loom, so that the cloth sold by the cloth store can be cheaper in the future. This will allow more people to afford cotton cloth!"

"It can be said that as the production efficiency of cotton cloth increases, the corresponding production cost will decrease, and the cotton cloth on the market will naturally be cheaper at that time! In fact, the more important thing is that the cost of producing brocade cloth in Daming is low, but it can be obtained through the price advantage Seize the cotton cloth market of the foreign domain, for example, you can fully occupy the cotton cloth market in North Korea!" Zhu Youtang didn't expect that Qingyue really understood, so he directly stated his intention.

Qingyue looked into Zhu Youtang's eyes seriously, and said with a slight smile on her face: "Your Majesty, you will definitely become a good emperor, and you can leave your name in the history books!"

"I will leave my name in the history books, so do you want to be honored?" Zhu Youtang looked up and down this intelligent and generous woman, but he was ready to tease her.

Qingyue's face turned red immediately, but she suddenly said as if she wanted to run away: "This servant has to go back to the Queen Mother!"

However, Zhu Youtang stopped Qingyue, and lightly wrapped his arms around the woman's slender waist.

Qingyue knew that she couldn't escape at all, and this was the result she expected, at this moment she heard the sound of her heart beating.

Zhu Youtang found that the woman's body was very soft, and told Liu Jin next to her, "Go and tell the Queen Mother, just say that Qingyue's ankle is sprained, and she wants to stay overnight in Qianqing Palace!"

"Yes!" Liu Jin knew what was going to happen, so she accepted the order.

Qingyue's face was flushed red, but she suddenly begged: "Your Majesty, no!"

"Do you think it's still useful to make excuses now?" Zhu Youtang held her tightly in his arms, but said as if it was inevitable.

Qingyue felt Zhu Youtang's domineering, but she still anxiously explained: "Your Majesty, this is considered to be deceiving the Queen Mother on purpose, I wish I could come back later!"

"It's not impossible, but it depends on your performance!" Zhu Youtang realized that he was really impatient, so Dang even agreed.

Just as Qingyue was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she found that she had already been hugged to a chair, and she still couldn't escape this man's favor after all.

The full moon hangs high tonight, and the entire Forbidden City is like daytime.

After taking a bath, Zhu Youtang came to Dongnuange as usual, but instead of dealing with the memorial, he focused on the information handed over by Dongchang and Jinyiwei.

As the two most powerful intelligence departments of the Ming Dynasty, countless intelligences are collected every day.

It is naturally impossible for Zhu Youtang to read all the information. Only those very important or representative information can be found on his desk.

Listening to it, it is clear that it is not easy to truly control this huge empire, so he needs to see the world through different channels.

Many people don't know that there are guarding eunuchs in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and Zhu Youtang has already ordered these people to submit important information.

The person Zhu Youtang was most satisfied with was Wang Zhi, the eunuch guarding Nanjing. Wang Zhi was able to gain the trust of Emperor Chenghua back then, and he was indeed outstanding, especially in the character of loyalty.

Wang Zhi is not only very diligent, but also meticulous in everything, almost like his own eyes and ears.Not only will he report his personal thoughts truthfully, but he can also make a constructive suggestion, which is a lot behind the other guarding eunuchs.

That's why, even though the capital and Nanjing are separated by thousands of rivers and mountains, I can clearly understand many situations in Nanjing, and even know some illegal things.

After all, Nanjing is the capital of Bei, and there are many noble children and high-ranking officials living there.

These personnel have no legal awareness at all, and often do some illegal things by virtue of their privileges, such as the rape of civilian women by the government of Wei Guogong in Nanjing.

In fact, Zhu Youtang has realized that the court's control over the local area is declining, and the biggest root cause is the excessive power of the privileged class.

Not to mention those magistrates who depend on the faces of officials and gentry in everything, even if it is a local governor, even if they don't cooperate with local forces, they can't suppress this kind of local forces that integrate government and business.

Take Hai Rui, the famous governor of Yingtian, as an example. His spearhead was directed at the local forces headed by Xu Jie.

Why?

Local forces have strong influence in the imperial court, and crushing a governor is as easy as crushing an ant.

If the Ming court wanted to truly suppress the localities, it not only needed to select more backbone officials, but also had to give the local governors more power.

It's just that the governors of various places now acquiesce to the background of local officials. The reason why these officials can continue to be promoted is the result of their curry favor with the officials and gentry.

It is undoubtedly a dream for the imperial court to govern the region through these slick governors.

Zhu Youtang chose Hanlin Xiuzhuan Wang Hua as the governor of Southern Jiangxi earlier, not only to solve the problem of rogues in Southern Jiangxi, but also to test the effectiveness of the airborne governor through this appointment.

Judging from the results this time, it is undoubtedly a very successful attempt.

In particular, the Jiangxi official den case allowed him to airborne officials more boldly, thereby breaking the local cultivation model dominated by civil official groups.

Zhu Youtang plans to set up the post of governor in succession in one capital and thirteen provinces, and the governor will be selected from among the six servants. This kind of governor who comes from a third-rank official will naturally have more confidence.

In fact, when he directly promoted officials from the Langzhong to become ministers, he had already had this idea. The six ministers went to the local area to practice, and the governor who performed well had the opportunity to become the minister of the six departments.

Zhu Youtang was an emperor who dared to think and act, so he wrote on the paper: "He Cong, Governor of Shandong!"

Whether this Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War can successfully aspire to the Minister of the Ministry of War depends on his performance in Shandong. After all, the eating of the Confucius family in Qufu is a bit ugly.

(End of this chapter)