Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 265

"Are we in high school?"

When Hai Kuan and the others heard the loud announcement of the good news from the yamen servants, they suddenly felt a sense of dizziness, but they still couldn't believe the good news that came down suddenly.

Gao Kui also felt that things were full of weirdness. After all, the candidates for Huiyuan had just been officially announced, and the level of these three people was indeed not above his own.

But it is impossible for this gang of good news officials to fake it, and no one dares to make such a joke on the big day, and what is even more weird is this weird ranking.

In the previous announcement, it was clear that only [-] candidates were admitted for this general examination, so why did the "[-]st", "[-]nd" and "[-]rds" suddenly be vacated?

"This is a gift from the emperor!"

Suddenly a bright light flashed in Xu Hong's mind, Dang even said loudly happily.

Some people also realized that the number of places admitted for this examination is [-].Now that these three people are able to go to high school, and they are ranked after [-], it is naturally another gift from the emperor.

"Students thank the emperor for his kindness!"

Chen Shou and the other three knew that this must be a gift from the emperor, as a kind of compensation for them earlier, or as a commendation for their earlier loyalty, so they kowtowed in the direction of the Forbidden City immediately.

The three of them were all from low-level backgrounds, and now it is not easy to hold on to several exams. This time they fell outside the [-]th place.

If you don't have the fame of Jinshi and just become an official as a juren, you have to start with sesame officials such as Zhengjiupin Jiaoyu, and usually the magistrate is already the ceiling.

It's just because they showed loyalty in the case of the Marquis of Huichang, and because the three of them wanted to share the emperor's worries, and they got the emperor's gift.

Even if this fame is not so glorious, but this move is tantamount to pulling them out of the quagmire, at least they can also start their official career with the magistrate of the seventh rank or the official of a government.

As for how other people will sarcasm, it is no longer important. They just want to repay the emperor's kindness and be a good official who loves the country and the people.

"It's done, it's really done!"

Shopkeeper Zhang felt like he was dreaming. Just now, the three top Jinshi officers were already unreal, and now the emperor even bestowed three more, causing Dongsheng Inn to produce six Jinshi all at once.

Dongsheng Inn not only washed away its inauspicious reputation earlier, but now has such an astonishing record, the candidates who will take the examination next year must be desperate to live in their own inn.

"Really six... all six?"

Tan Bo looked at the Yacha who was announcing the good news in front of him, and suddenly felt like falling from heaven to hell, and he muttered to himself in disbelief.

Before the top [-] were announced, he thought his bet was a sure win, but after Gao Kui went to high school, his heart suffered three consecutive blows.

It's just that who would have thought that the other three impoverished Juren, who were obviously not worthy of carrying their own shoes, would be specially awarded the title of Jinshi by the emperor.

Now, he has even lost the bet, and he will have to go to Beizhen Fusi to scold Zhu Ji later, his uncle is probably going to take his skin off.

crackling...

Dongsheng Inn lit firecrackers again to convey the good news to the surroundings.

Originally, the business of the inn was sluggish, but after the murder of Miss Qian, the business plummeted even more.It's just that now, as if a dead tree is in spring, six Jinshi were born at once, and it's no wonder Zhang Zhang is smiling from ear to ear.

The sky in Beijing is very blue and spotless.

Things were just as they had guessed, when the Annunciation was in full swing, Liu Jin had already arrived at the Suncheon Tribute Court with a decree.

Since Xu Hong, Zhang Sui and Gao Kui are in high school, there is no need to interfere.

Facing that Hai Kuan, Chen Shou, and Weng Peng were not on the list of [-], Liu Jin also conveyed his will to add these three people.

Zhu Youtang didn't intend to crowd out other people's places, so the number of people admitted in this session's examination was no longer [-], but became [-].

After dealing with these matters, Wang Yue could not go home immediately, but had to follow Liu Jin into the palace to face the saint.

Liu Jian saw that Wang Yue was so highly valued by the emperor, as if he had knocked over the jar of vinegar, and immediately made up his mind to step Wang Yue into the mud again.

Wang Yue suddenly felt a vicious look behind him, but he didn't turn his head, but followed Liu Jin and walked outside along the wide corridor.

Since Jukui Hall has been forbidden to communicate with the outside world, Wang Yue didn't know what was going on outside. Naturally, he didn't know that Jin Yiwei wanted to concoct a cheating case in the exam.

After listening to Liu Jin's story, Wang Yue was also secretly afraid, and found that the water in the capital was really deep.

The case of the Marquis of Huichang has not yet been resolved, and Ma Shu, a small Jinyiwei Baihu, actually arrested three candidates who wanted to investigate the fraud case of the Huichang Examination, which was clearly aimed at himself who had just returned to court.

At this moment, he was glad that he met the Ming Lord.

If it is really because of the loyalty of these six candidates that he has to investigate himself for leaking and cheating, then this matter is simply more unjust than the crime of complaining about poetry.

Liu Jin led Wang Yue to the entrance of the Shuntian Gongyuan, pointed to the waiting carriageway and said, "Master Wang, please get in the carriage!"

"Okay!" Wang Yue knew that Liu Jin was a popular eunuch beside the emperor, so he replied politely.

Since Suncheon Gongwon is quite far from Xiyuan, the best choice is to take a horse-drawn carriage.

Wang Yue actually wanted to go there on horseback, but now the capital is not as good as the place, and the capital has too many rules, so he boarded the car with Liu Jin.

Returning to the court this time, he knew that there was still going to be a war, but the enemy was hiding deeper and more secretly.

Like Ma Shu, who wants to attack him this time, he is just a pawn of a certain force, and the person who really wants to attack him must be a political enemy.

During the confrontation with Liu Jian, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites just now, he faintly felt that Liu Jian's city was not enough, and the real chess player might be hiding in the dark.

drive!
Following the groom's whip and horse, the carriage slowly moved towards Xiyuan.

After talking to Liu Jin for a few words, Wang Yue sat in the center and closed his eyes to rest.

He knew that the emperor was so eager to summon him, and he probably hoped that he could break the situation for him. The matter might be even more difficult than before.

When I was in Anlu before, I only felt that the place was framed by those officials who were corrupt and broke the law, but I gradually realized that many cruxes may lie in this court, even those virtuous officials who are full of benevolence and morality.

It's just that now that he has come back and has the full support of the emperor, then naturally he has to continue to slaughter until all these people are killed and become officials honestly.

Maybe you will understand after experiencing it. When you think of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend their homes and the country, and the simple people who work hard, some people really deserve to go to hell.

Xiyuan, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing ordinary clothes, was sitting in front of the case, concentrating on handling government affairs, and his whole person seemed more and more mature.

Although the city of Beijing is very lively today, it is naturally impossible for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty to limit his vision to the capital, but to focus on the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

After the end of the Southwest War, Huguang is the one that has attracted the most attention. The governor of Huguang, Liu Zhong, reported the progress of Qingzhang just before his case.

Although the progress of Huguang's clearing is still very slow, Liu Zhong is like a diligent old ox plowing the field, but he does not let go of any tax field that should belong to Daming, so that those landlords who hide their land have nowhere to hide .

In fact, many people think that with the registration of unreasonable people and the due diligence of officials like Liu Zhong to clear the property, the landlords in Huguang will definitely register all the hidden land on their own initiative.

It's just that this kind of thinking is actually very wrong. The greed of those local officials and gentry is beyond imagination, and it is more uncomfortable for them to spit out their benefits than to kill them.

Although many landlords chose to register voluntarily, more than a dozen big landlords were included in the register of troublemakers every month, and some were executed for fiercely fighting the court.

People die for money, birds die for food, perhaps this is the real social phenomenon.

But in the face of these resistances, it is natural that the punishment should be punished, and those who need to be executed will be executed. Qingzhang Tianmu will be a basic national policy of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

Facing Liu Zhong's report, Zhu Youtang issued instructions: "I heard that Qing is still doing it by himself, going to the fields in common people's clothes, often staying in the wild, and sometimes not getting enough to eat. At that time, I read how difficult it was for Qing in Huguang, and I feel very ashamed. The merits of Qing today will last for thousands of years, and land tax is the cornerstone of the country. If you have more than one mu, you will benefit the country. Recalling that the monarchs and ministers met in the past to create a prosperous world, and you practiced in Huguang. And eat it!"

Although during the period of Zhang Juzheng, the Ming court directly mobilized officials from all over the country to clear the Zhang together, it only took three or four years to complete the work of clearing the Zhang.

It's just that the total field mu of the Ming Dynasty was 7 to 8 million mu, while the total field mu of the subsequent dynasties was as high as 20 billion mu (there are still hidden fields), so there is every reason to suspect that Zhang Juzheng's Qingzhang is not thorough.

In fact, this is a reasonable guess. The most important thing about Qingzhang is the measuring ruler and the fairness of personnel. There is only one Liu Zhong in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, so how can we guarantee that all officials are clean and fair?
Zhu Youtang knew that this matter must not be rushed for success, only slow work can produce meticulous work.

Even if it takes Liu Zhong three years to complete the clearing work of Huguang, it is actually worth it.Liu Zhong disclosed the base number of hidden fields in Huguang, and then he could set a benchmark for Qingzhang in the whole country, and it would be difficult for other regions to perfunctory.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng used his hometown Huguang as a benchmark back then, but Naihe was a little hasty in doing so, resulting in almost no change in the number of acres in Fujian.

Zhang Juzheng spent three or four years clearing out 1.55 million mu. If he extended the time to five years, he believed that he would be able to clear out 3.1 million mu, so as to break through the 10 billion mu mark and reach half of that of the subsequent dynasties.

Green smoke curled up from the copper furnace, and a faint scent of sandalwood filled the air.

Zhu Youtang is now used to and even likes this taste, so he continues to deal with the government affairs at hand.

In addition to Huguang, the relationship between Xuanda and Mongolia is gradually easing, especially when I exchanged [-] cotton coats with them in the cold winter last year, which caused the two parties to enter a honeymoon period.

As for the disaster situation in Shanxi where snow crushed houses, this era has a mature disaster relief process, and I just need to ensure that the people who use it are relatively reliable.

Zhu Youtang knew that Shanxi was very important, and was about to look for a candidate for the governor of Shanxi, only to learn that Wang Yue had already brought him.

The government affairs of the two capitals and the thirteen provinces have to be dealt with. The Ming Dynasty cannot be chaotic, but the court must continue to be cleaned, especially to clean up the moths in Huaxia.

Zhu Youtang stretched his body, and when he saw Wang Yue walking in, he smiled slightly: "Wang Qing, people say that you have to shed a layer of skin when hosting a meeting, but I see that you are still full of energy!"

Huang Pan looked at Wang Yue who came in with a really good expression, so he couldn't help but look at Wang Yue more.

"Your Majesty, compared with the life in the army, presiding over the examination is not a hard job, and those who say it is hard must be hypocritical!" Wang Yue responded very easily as a person who had really suffered.

This……

Liu Jin, who followed in, was taken aback for a moment, and then looked at Wang Yue with complicated eyes.

The examiners who presided over the examination kept shouting that they were tired, as if they had killed him half of their lives, but when it came to this Wang Yushi, he actually made such an argument.

Once this matter gets out, it will definitely make those ministers lose face. This one really doesn't give those noble ministers any face!

Zhu Youtang could see that Wang Yue was telling the truth, so he nodded lightly: "I have no military experience, but I know something from history books. I remember that Wang Qing also wrote a poem called "Ode to Yourself" , I sigh to myself that Confucian officials worship generals, it is easy to talk about soldiers, but it is difficult to use soldiers, the only thing in the world is to recruit husbands, what is going on behind it?"

"Since your Majesty remembers my poem, I am flattered. The following is: The world is boundless and cold. Hair is blown into snow by Hu Jia, and the heart is refined into pills by beacon fire. The court is just as bright as the sun, and it is safe to look up and be ashamed." Wang Yue thought in his heart. Secretly moved, but also a little shocked, first expressed his position and then recited the following poems.

Zhu Youtang knew that if he wanted to create a prosperous world, he couldn’t let the border generals feel cold, but today he didn’t want to talk about border defense, so he changed the subject: “You were supposed to go home to recuperate today, but something happened during your presiding over the examination, so Need to let you know immediately!"

"Your Majesty, is it about Ma Shu?" Wang Yue had already heard Liu Jin tell the story when he came, so he went straight to the point.

Zhu Youtang felt that Wang Yue was a person who was really focused on doing things, and nodded lightly: "This matter involves my personal guards, and the Ministry of Punishment and the Shuntian government office are not suitable to intervene, so I plan to ask your Metropolitan Procuratorate to come and thoroughly Investigate this case. After investigation, Ma Shu is just a pawn, and I want you to start with Ma Shu and find out the person behind him who has repeatedly disrupted the court situation!"

"Your Majesty, if you dare to ask Your Majesty, has it been seized?" Wang Yue knew that the emperor in front of him was never an empty air, so he even wanted to make a report.

Zhu Youtang discovered that Wang Yue was a smart man who knew how to do things, so he deliberately sold a pass: "During Wang Qing's detention at the Shuntian Gongyuan, I did conduct a secret investigation. Do you know who I found?"

"Jin Yiwei Commander Zhu Ji?" Wang Yue's heart moved slightly, and Dang even boldly guessed.

Zhu Youtang hesitated for a moment, and then gave the answer directly: "Yes, but also no! Zhu Ji is very cautious in his actions, and many things are left to his deputy Jin Yiwei Tong Zhi Yang Han. Forgive me arresting people was not an order from Zhu Ji, but a verbal instigation from Jin Yiwei Tong Zhi Yang Han!"

"This is a good method! The people below do everything. As long as the people below don't testify against him, then he is absolutely safe in theory!" Wang Shu is a person who understands the art of war, and nodded thoughtfully. .

Seeing that the matter had been discussed, Zhu Youtang simply confessed his intention and said: "I not only want Zhu Ji's criminal evidence, but also want to find out all his associates in Jinyiwei. I hope you can help me clean Jinyiwei!"

"Your Majesty, I don't know if I should say something or not!" Wang Yue hesitated for a moment, then bowed his hands seriously.

Zhu Youtang picked up the teacup on the table, and said lightly: "But it's okay to say!"

"Jin Yiwei is His Majesty's first personal guard. Some of them may be disloyal in their hearts, but they definitely don't have the idea of ​​forming a clique for rebellion!" Although Wang Yue didn't know the specific situation, he had a clear understanding.

What Zhu Youtang mainly disliked was that Zhu Ji and other Jinyiwei got too close to the civil servants, but there were some things that he couldn’t say directly: “Wang Qing misunderstood! Already involved in the political struggle!"

"Did Your Majesty find out something?" Wang Yue finally understood, and asked seriously.

Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and revealed the information: "According to my latest investigation, Zhu Ji runs a pawn shop and also a gambling shop. After these investigations, it was discovered that some Jin Yiwei came to his gambling shop He often wins money, including the son of Yang Han, the commander of Jin Yiwei!"

"Your Majesty, how does the pawnshop make money?" Wang Yue's heart moved slightly, and Dang even asked.

Zhu Youtang took a deep look at Wang Yue, but he had the intention of investigating and said: "I can only reveal so much to you, and the rest will be investigated by your Metropolitan Procuratorate. I hope you can hand over a satisfactory report. s answer!"

"Obey!" Wang Yue knew that the pressure had fallen on him, and cupped his hands bitterly.

Liu Jin looked at the background of leaving Wang Yue, but knew that this year's court would definitely not be peaceful.

Although looking at this little old man is gentle and gentle, but Wang Yue's eyes can't deceive people, I'm afraid that the treacherous courtiers really lose their lives.

Now the emperor gave Wang Yue the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the newly established search office, and also allowed Wang Yue to point the finger at Jin Yiwei, which is destined to be a bloodbath.

(End of this chapter)