I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

Chapter 586 I have decided, it’s up to you...

What Yan Shifan did not expect was that even though he had reduced his presence as much as possible, he still did not escape Jiajing's eyes.

Immediately, Yan Shifan suddenly stood up from his seat, with a tangled look on his face, and then declined.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am a humble minister with few talents and limited knowledge. I am afraid that I will not be able to handle such an important task!"

"You must know that this is an exam specifically for the clan and nobles. Wei Chen thinks it is better to let the Ministry of Rites do it. After all, the test questions are from them, so when the time comes..."

However, Jiajing seemed to see what Yan Shifan was thinking, chuckled lightly, and then spoke.

"Yan Shifan, you don't have to worry. When the time comes, you just need to follow the imperial examination procedures. You don't have to save face for me!"

When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment and then added.

"I know very well the level of the clan and nobles. When the time comes, you just need to deal with it impartially. Do you understand?"

Seeing that Jiajing had already said this, Yan Shifan knew that he could not shirk, so he had no choice but to accept the job.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Jiajing saw Yan Shifan taking over the job, he nodded slightly and immediately gave instructions.

"Well, sit down!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After that, Yan Shifan sat back in his seat. At this moment, his face was full of doubts.

"What do you mean by your majesty? Why do you insist on following the imperial examination process? Isn't your majesty worried that the clan members and nobles will not be able to answer the questions?"

"You must know that the main purpose of Your Majesty's holding this examination specifically for the clan and nobles is to silence the ministers, so that the clan and nobles can legitimately enter the official career and participate in the Come to the government!"

"But now, His Majesty emphasizes that I should deal with it impartially. Has His Majesty been prepared for it? Or..."

While Yan Shifan was still racking his brains to think about the intention behind Jiajing's move, Lu Fang stood up and said in a deep voice.

"The first matter discussed by the cabinet this time has been discussed. We will continue the discussion after a short break!"

As soon as Lu Fang finished speaking, everyone present felt as if they had been granted amnesty and couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

Xu Jie on the side was filled with joy because His Majesty had handed over the "hot potato" of the examiner into the hands of Yan Shifan.

Nothing would make Xu Jie more happy than letting Yan Song and his son suffer!

"Humph, Yan Shifan, I want to see how you will deal with this situation when the time comes. Are those clan members and nobles easy to get along with? In the end, you will end up in a dilemma!"

"If you follow His Majesty's instructions, you will definitely arouse the dissatisfaction of those clans and nobles. If you don't follow His Majesty's instructions and want to practice favoritism, I, Xu Jie, will find you Ginseng by the way. This book will make you unable to eat and carry it around!"

Xu Jie thought so, and then glanced at Yan Shifan without any trace.

After that, about a few minutes passed, and Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, stood up. After looking around, he said loudly.

"In this cabinet meeting, the first matter has been discussed, and now the second matter is discussed, which is related to the reception of the Rakshasa mission!"

After that, Lu Fang did not hesitate at all, and immediately returned to his original position, like a sculpture, lowering his head without saying a word.

As soon as Lu Fang finished speaking, Xu Jie stood up and said in a deep voice.

"Report to Your Majesty, this minister has his own performance!"

"speak!"

When Jiajing heard this, he glanced at Xu Jie and immediately gave instructions.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Xu Jie organized the words in his mind, he spoke slowly.

"Your Majesty, this Rakshasa mission has traveled thousands of miles to come to our country in order to carry out long-term trade with our country and purchase silk, tea, porcelain and other luxury goods produced in our country. Wei Chen feels that we should make good use of this Chance!"

When Jiajing heard Xu Jie's words, he suddenly became interested and asked with great interest.

"Oh, Xu Jie, if you have any ideas, just say it!"

Xu Jie heard this, thought about it for a moment, and then said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, this is what I think. Although the silk, tea, porcelain and other luxury goods produced by our Ming Dynasty have always been very popular among these foreign countries."

"Before this, Wei Chen specifically asked the officials at Honglu Temple about the relevant situation, and he learned a fact from this."

"That is, among the Fanbang countries, those who can afford silk, tea, and porcelain only account for a small part, and most of them are princes and nobles."

"The Rakshasa mission that traveled thousands of miles to come to our country this time was on orders from their country's royal family to purchase silk, tea, and porcelain from our country."

"Wei Chen is wondering if we can take this opportunity to promote the silk, tea, porcelain, etc. produced by our Ming Dynasty to the people of other countries. In this way, our Ming Dynasty can also make more profits from it! "

"In the future, the silk, porcelain, tea, etc. produced by our Ming Dynasty can also be divided into two types like the newspapers of the imperial court. One is specifically for the princes and nobles, and the other is for ordinary people!"

As soon as Xu Jie finished speaking, Yan Song stood up and expressed his dissent.

"Humph, it's really ridiculous!"

"Mr. Xu Ge, don't forget that the silk, porcelain, tea and other luxury goods produced in our Ming Dynasty are popular among foreign countries. Isn't it because they are exquisite in shape and expensive?"

"The royal families of those foreign countries will try their best to buy silk, porcelain, tea and other luxury goods from the Ming Dynasty. Now, if you do this, isn't it equivalent to destroying your own brand?"

When Yan Song said this, he turned his gaze to Jiajing aside and continued.

"Your Majesty, it is true that things are rare but valuable. Take Liuxinju as an example. Ever since Liuxinju became extremely popular due to the publicity of the imperial newspaper, the price of their pickles has also increased accordingly!"

"As Liuxinju's pickles became more and more popular in the capital, later on, Liuxinju even resorted to purchase restrictions to limit the number of people who could buy pickles."

"But with the purchase restrictions, the price of Liuxinju pickles has also increased several times, even to the point where ordinary people are prohibitive!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. The suggestion put forward by Mr. Xu Ge can certainly bring in considerable benefits in the short term, but in the long run it is completely undesirable. Your Majesty, please think twice!" Yan Song finished speaking, Then he bowed to the ground and waited quietly for Jiajing's decision.

In Jiajing's view, the views of Yan Song and Xu Jie can be described in two words, namely quality and quantity!

Xu Jie wanted to expand the coverage of silk, tea, and porcelain at the expense of lowering the quality of goods through volume, and gain more profits from them, while Yan Song wanted to take the high-end route wholeheartedly and earn money from the princes and nobles. their money.

At this moment, Jiajing quickly made a decision in his mind after listening to the narratives of Yan Song and Xu Jie respectively.

After all, ordinary civilians in Europe now have difficulty even having enough to eat. How can they have enough ability to afford luxury goods such as silk, porcelain, tea, etc.?
Immediately, Jiajing raised his head and said slowly.

"Well, as Mr. Xu Ge said just now, among the foreign countries, the people who can afford silk, tea, and porcelain only account for a very small part. As far as I know, those ordinary civilians can't even afford to eat Having enough to eat is a problem, so how can we afford these luxuries?”

"The suggestion put forward by Mr. Xu Ge is certainly good, but now is not the time."

"I think that the focus should be on the princes and nobles at the moment. After all, they have the most wealth and will never frown even when they spend money!"

Seeing that Jiajing had made the final decision, Xu Jie could only nod in agreement even though he was unwilling to do so.

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

When Yan Song on the side saw Jiajing finally accepting his proposal, he couldn't help but feel a sense of joy in his heart, and he immediately sat back on his chair, looking like an old god.

At this moment, Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, stood up and said loudly.

"In this cabinet meeting, the first and second matters have been discussed. After the break, we will immediately start discussing the third matter, which is to re-initiate the policy of returning land to locals during the Yongle period!"

When Lu Fang finished speaking, everyone was in high spirits. The next matter that needed to be discussed was the top priority of this cabinet meeting!
At this moment, Jiajing also used one hand to support his chin and began to close his eyes to rest.

Everyone else in the cabinet held their breath, fearing that making the slightest sound would affect the emperor's rest, and the entire cabinet fell into silence.

Time passed by slowly. Jiajing opened his eyes, rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, looked around, and then spoke.

"My dear friends, you can tell me what you think about this!"

As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng, who had been silent for a long time, stood up and said in a deep voice.

"Report to Your Majesty, this minister has his own performance!"

"speak!"

After receiving Jiajing's permission, Zhang Juzheng slowly expressed his idea of ​​returning home.

"Your Majesty, I think it is very necessary to carry out reform and return to local rule in the southwest!"

"During the Hongwu period, Chieftain Wusa was at the junction of the Sichuan-Yunnan Post Road. In order to ensure control over Yunnan, the imperial court found excuses to rebel against Wusa."

"In the end, after more than 2 servants of Usa Chieftain were killed and Usa Guards were established, the place was completely settled and there was no longer any hidden danger of rebellion!"

"Since the chieftains in the southwest are currently uneasy, Wei Chen feels that we should follow the example of the Hongwu period and use thunderous means to wipe them out completely in the name of countering rebellion!"

"After it is cleared, we will set up a guard station and divide and conquer it so that it can no longer pose a threat to our Ming Dynasty and completely eliminate the hidden danger of rebellion!"

"In addition, chieftains who are loyal to our Ming Dynasty, such as Yongshun and Baojing in western Hunan, Chief Yang in eastern Sichuan, Tianzhou in Guangxi, and Jingdong in Yunnan, should be vigorously appeased!"

When Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Yan Song on the side narrowed his eyes slightly and looked Zhang Juzheng up and down without leaving any trace.

At this moment, he saw in Zhang Juzheng the ruthlessness and determination necessary to become the chief minister of the cabinet!

In layman's terms, Zhang Juzheng skipped all the cumbersome established procedures and directly suggested to the emperor that he send troops in the name of quelling the rebellion, and that he could talk slowly after the local chieftains were completely subdued.

The lives of tens of thousands of people depended on Zhang Juzheng's casual words.

After listening to Zhang Juzheng's proposal, Jiajing also fell into deep thought. He tapped his fingers on the table very regularly, making a 'ta-da' sound.

Although before that, Jiajing had already written a personal letter to Feng Yue, the governor of Huguang, and asked the Department of Arms to transport a large number of new weapons, as well as a lot of food, wages and weapons, so that he could be ready to mobilize troops to suppress the rebellion at any time.

Even though they have made these preparations, Jiajing still does not have much confidence. In the final analysis, it is because the local guard soldiers have relatively low combat effectiveness, and their combat effectiveness is far less than that of Zhejiang!
On the one hand, the local soldiers in Zhejiang have been tempered in the long-term battles with Japanese pirates and have gradually grown into elite soldiers. Not only that, because Zhejiang is very wealthy, the local guard soldiers have the same treatment as the border troops. It is also rare in the entire Ming Dynasty.

"Should we just send the army? It would be better if we win. We can use this power to carry out the reform and return to the land. But if we lose, or the situation falls into a stalemate, then the court will have to think again. The resistance encountered by the implementation of reforming the land and returning it to the current situation is not ordinary!"

After a long time, Jiajing came back to his senses and did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he turned his eyes to Xu Jie aside and said slowly.

"Xu Jie, what do you think of Zhang Juzheng's idea?"

When Xu Jie heard Jiajing's words, he thought about it for a moment before speaking cautiously.

"Your Majesty, I think it would be too risky to send out the army directly like this. It would be fine if we win, but what if..."

When Xu Jie said this, he stopped and did not continue.

At this moment, Gao Gong stood up and cupped his hands, saying in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I think this idea is very feasible!"

When Jiajing saw Gao Gong standing up and supporting Zhang Juzheng, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he asked immediately.

"Oh, Gao Gong, what do you think?"

When Gao Gong saw Jiajing's eyes falling on him, he was not afraid at all. After organizing the words in his mind, he said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the local chieftains are exploiting the people under their rule in every possible way. It is not an exaggeration to describe them as breaking the bones and sucking out the marrow. Therefore, the people have already been boiling with resentment!"

"This time, the imperial court went to conquer the southwestern chieftains on the grounds of quelling the rebellion. Not only did it firmly hold the righteousness, but it also won the hearts of the people. The people will definitely eat the pots of pulp and welcome the king!"

"Besides, now that the treasury is abundant, the soldiers and horses are strong, and there are new weapons from the Arms Department to help, isn't it easy to deal with these chieftains?"

After listening to Gao Gong's admonition, Jiajing nodded, which was regarded as acknowledgment of Gao Gong's words.

After that, Jiajing looked away from Gao Gong and asked.

"Then who do you think should be better operated on first?"

(End of this chapter)