Daming Jingtai: I am the eternal benevolent king

Chapter 356 In the twenty-fifth year of Jingtai, the old ministers withered away. Is this a punishment from heaven?

After the New Year, it will be Jingtai’s twenty-fourth year.

Ming Dynasty has turned a new page.

The most stringent industry-wide protection laws are implemented within the territory.

Zhu Qiyu invited Zhu Yi and Fang Ying, and Yu Qian went to Sanya to recuperate. Among the nobles in Beijing, they had the highest titles.

Since Fang Ying's death, she has become very depressed and much older.

After Zhu Yi supervised Jiangxi, he was favored by the emperor. In recent years, he had made great contributions in pacifying Nanjing, Zhongdu, and Yunnan, and he also got the world certificate back.

The emperor no longer lost his temper with him. Even Zhu Yong was promoted to the title of Marquis of Funing. After he was transferred from Laos, he assisted Xiang Zhong in pacifying Borneo.

It turns out that the Duke of Guizhou, Mu Cong, was also in the capital and was sent out to pacify Shenyang years ago.

"I'm calling you here because I have something important to explain."

Zhu Qiyu put down the memorial, motioned for them to sit down, and said with a smile: "Whether an honorable noble is strong or not depends not on the current generation, but on future generations."

"Not to mention the birth of famous generals throughout the ages, at least they must know how to be generals and how to fight."

"And in the past few years, after the deaths of many earls and marquises, and their sons inheriting the title, I found that they were useless and did not have the skills of their fathers."

"So, I want to build a school where all the nobles can study, and then implement a strict assessment system. Those who fail the assessment will not be allowed to become nobles!"

Fang Ying and Zhu Yi looked at each other and felt something was wrong.

"The veteran is not optimistic about this move."

Fang Ying said slowly: "The nobles and nobles are connected together. Who do you want to preside over the assessment?"

"Let's talk about it, old minister. You know best the virtues of the sons in my family."

"If you let me, the veteran, preside over the assessment, your son will definitely pass. There are so many relatives, nephews, and connections in the military. Who do you want to prevent from seizing the title? That is a serious matter that can end a person's incest. Do you dare to stop him?"

"I don't care about myself, I have to think about maintaining this relationship, right?"

"Whether this school can be run or not, I think it is useless."

After Fang Ying finished speaking, Zhu Yi also agreed: "Weichen also thinks it's useless. Xungui is different from civil servants. Xungui is a whole. You have me, and I have you."

"It doesn't matter if I offend anyone, we are all related."

"Your Majesty, you want your noble heir to become a better person. I and other veterans understand this, but this person is like a dragon or an insect. He is born and cannot be taught."

"Let's just say that my son was taught by you yourself, right?"

"Aren't you still useless in the army now?"

Zhu Yi expressed her helplessness: "Tell me, over the years, Wei Chen has been beaten and scolded, and you haven't beaten him less. Is it useful?"

"You even beat him, and he went home and was complacent with his ministers, saying that you loved him, so you beat him. Anyone who has not been beaten by you in the palace will lose face when he goes out."

"Look, can such a person be taught?"

"Wei Chen advises you, don't worry about it, it's useless."

Zhu Yi was a bachelor, and he could not be a bachelor. His sons Zhu Fu and Zhu Zhen were both incompetent.

This was all taught by the emperor himself.

After attending the martial arts hall, the prince's school also followed suit. I thought it was because they were not good at martial arts. We studied essays, and the emperor asked them to go to the Imperial College to study.

As a result, the Imperial Academy sent back the wine in tears, and even visited Duke Cheng's house and persuaded Duke Cheng to beat to death the two unfilial sons.

Zhu Yi really wanted to beat them to death. The emperor even asked them to go to the Royal Commercial Bank to do business. As a result, they made a big hole and lost a lot of money.

However, the daughters were more successful. The eldest daughter married Mu Cong, the second daughter married Li Dongyang, and the third daughter Yangwuhou Xue Xia.

Zhu Yi's sons are not good, but all his daughters are excellent, which is strange.

"If Your Majesty beats two of his family members to death, then beat the one from mine to death as well." Fang Ying groaned in anger.

But Fang Yi is definitely better than Zhu Fu and Zhu Zhen.

At least Fang Yi can endure the hardships of joining the army. His fighting skills are not very good. At least he can follow the march. Neither of these two people dare to go.

"Can't it be done?" Zhu Qiyu also found it difficult.

The noble son cannot fight, so it is only a matter of time before he replaces martial arts with literature.

After all, civil servants are admitted based on their ability, and honors are maintained by blood, so they are definitely not as good as civil servants.

"It can't be done." Both men shook their heads.

Zhu Qiyu sighed: "My father is a hero and my son is a bear. I'm afraid even the nobles can see him."

"Weak ministers are also worried."

Zhu Yi smiled bitterly: "Wei Chen, let me tell you the truth. If the school is run according to your method and Wei Chen is in charge, in order to inherit the title, Wei Chen will have to brag about his son's excellence even if it is against his conscience."

"It's easy to spread your reputation, just spend money on it."

"What if there is a war in the country and you send him to take charge of the army, but it ends up being defeated?"

"The one far away is Zhao Kuo, and the one close is Li Jinglong."

"That's not just a family matter, it's a major matter for the entire country."

"Wei Chen knows that you are doing your best for future generations. You are not trying to seize titles or reduce them. You just want them to become talented people. But others don't understand your painstaking efforts."

"Besides, all the nobles are relatives, how can we not turn a blind eye?"

Fang Ying agreed.

Not to mention honorary officers, but honorary generals, they are all intricately connected. If they have no connections in the army, they cannot command the troops at all.

"Now that this is the case, let me tell you the truth."

"Actually, the commander of 50,000 people is not that particular. As long as you can command the people below, as long as you don't command blindly."

"The war will not be won, nor will it be defeated."

"What I'm afraid of is that laymen will guide experts. Those who are ineffective at home will be packaged into some famous generals, and then sent by the court to fight at the border."

"The secret was revealed in just one battle. We lost troops and generals, and the front line was completely defeated."

"But they are not afraid. As long as the news is sent back in advance and the family uses money in the court, the matter will be settled."

"Your Majesty, if the military collectively wants to hide it from you, you won't be able to find anything."

Fang Ying said seriously: "Why should I hide it from you? Because there is an assessment. If I help him today, he will help me tomorrow. This kind of nepotism will become more chaotic the more the assessment, the more I will deceive the superiors and conceal the truth."

"If this kind of assessment is really implemented, the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed within a hundred years."

This is extremely serious.

Fang Ying also explained the reason. Can it not be destroyed?

"I'm very happy that you can tell me the truth."

Zhu Qiyu agreed: "My original intention is not to restrict the nobility, but to make the nobles become useful. At least there will be someone in each generation to be the leader of the nobles!"

"For the new generation, I am optimistic about Tao Lu, Fan Sheng, Xu Ning, Zhou Yu, Song Cheng, Mao Rong and Mao Hai (Mao Zhong's nephew). They are gone."

"What about other people's sons? How can these few people support such a huge noble family?"

"Tell me, can I not be anxious?"

"A few years ago, I thought Zhuhui was pretty good. He was raised by me for ten years and I asked him to follow his father for training. As a result, even a savage couldn't figure it out. If his father Zhu Yong hadn't taken care of him, he would have died. It’s all gone.”

"Stop talking about your sons, it's bullshit!"

"Can I not be impatient? You are my humerus. The prince will rely on your son to control the army in the future!"

"If there is no noble man in charge of the military, who should do it?"

Fang Ying and Zhu Yi's faces turned red.

"Let's think of a way." Zhu Qiyu said he was tired.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan."

Fang Ying said slowly: "The veteran's generation has been able to reach this stage because of their training from the grassroots level."

"The next generation of people are born with golden keys in their mouths. It is very difficult for them to start a business, and it is also strenuous to maintain a business. However, they are the first to fight with dogs and stir up trouble."

"It's better to throw them into the army and train like Zhu Hui. You don't need to let them command troops, just let them know how to fight."

"It can be considered an experience."

Zhu Qiyu looked at Zhu Yi and asked him what he thought.

"Wei Chen thinks it's okay," Zhu Yi said.

Zhu Qiyu thought for a while: "Tomorrow, I will host a banquet and summon the nobles in Beijing to discuss it together. If possible, I will go to Borneo to practice."

"There is no danger in Borneo. There are small battles every day."

"Select a group of capable and ambitious people from the families of the princes and send them to Wang Yue's army to follow Wang Yue to level three Myanmar."

This matter is settled.

If the nobles are not strong, they will be swallowed up by the civil servants sooner or later.

It is absolutely impossible for civilian officials to completely replace military attachés.

Because military attachés come from aristocratic families and have known the art of war since childhood, while civil servants have become monks halfway and know little about the art of war. They rely entirely on their lives to accumulate experience. This approach is fine in peaceful times, but once it comes to troubled times, no one will give you time to gain experience.

But if there are civil servants with outstanding abilities, Zhu Qiyu is willing to let them command the army. For example, Xiang Zhong, Han Yong, Kou Shen, Yuan Jie, Wang Wei, Wang Lai, etc. are all in charge of the army.

"Go and invite Nian Fu."

Zhu Qiyu walked around the hall with his hands behind his back.

After a while, Nian Fu came in. After saluting, he stood sideways, not daring to disturb the emperor's thinking.

"Nian Qing, at the meeting on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, you hesitated to speak. Do you have anything to say to me?"

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "Do you have any objections to state-owned enterprises?"

"I really can't hide anything from Your Majesty."

Nianfu sighed: "In the past few days, I have been writing a speculative article and preparing to publish it in newspapers and magazines for people all over the world to discuss."

"Veterans always feel that in this state-owned enterprise, the operators will only put money in their own pockets, and the center will not make much money."

"Besides, if the central government ends up doing business, then it will be a gluttonous feast for the courtiers to annex private capital."

"The veteran feels that state-owned enterprises cannot operate, but central officials are all making a lot of money."

Being rich is really not afraid of offending people.

Because Li Xian is in poor health and will go to Sanya to recuperate next year, the position of chief assistant is vacant, and Yao Kui is too old and has not been in good health in the past few years.

Geng Jiuchou was also in poor health and could hardly support his family.

As for Bai Gui, he was the father-in-law of the emperor and could not be the first assistant.

The position of chief assistant is due to his wealth.

Unless Han Yong, who has made greater achievements, returns to the dynasty, he will be the first assistant and in charge of the center as he is rich and secure.

"Nian Qing, I am very happy that you can tell me this."

Zhu Qiyu had already considered it.

In fact, state-owned enterprises are a bait. This is a game where the big fish eats the small fish. Officials go to eat the small fish among the people. In the end, the emperor takes action and eats them to strengthen himself.

Don’t forget, if the central bank can earn 200 million a year, what else does the emperor need?

Too much benefit is a sin.

"I am also thinking that establishing a new brand and new industrial chain without acquiring private industries is a way to establish a state-owned enterprise."

As a result, it will take several years for a state-owned enterprise to be successfully established.

The central ministers will definitely not choose this path.

"Listen to me."

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand: "Regarding companies, Daming is the most advanced. At the same time, Daming is full of small brands and there are almost no big brands."

"So, the shortcut is to integrate resources and create a monopoly."

"But this kind of integration is an acquisition. In an acquisition, people and equipment must come in together, so the personnel composition will be complicated."

"The important officials in the central government have always hated business and don't know much about business. Naturally, they will be deceived and followed blindly. In the end, their assets will be lost and they will not be able to make a penny."

"Experience has to be bought with money."

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "So, I said, I can only use 50 million principal to build dozens or even hundreds of big brands. Do you think the money is enough?"

"Therefore, we need to do business step by step and attract a group of people who know how to do business to join the government as officials. I plan to establish another institute, called the Commercial and Enterprise Institute, to take charge of state-owned enterprises."

“Do it slowly from the bottom, don’t be afraid of being slow.”

"The gluttonous feast you mentioned no longer exists."

Nian Fu understands that the emperor has been guarding against this trick for a long time. Wait, the emperor is not guarding against corruption, but waiting for others to be corrupt. He likes the big fish to eat the small fish.

Looking at the brand he established, he just wants to attract more brands, and then form a joint force to establish a bigger brand.

"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean." This was a young man asking for directions.

The emperor listened and said that when Li Xian retreats, he will take over.

"Nian Qing, take care of yourself."

Zhu Qiyu actually hopes that Nian Fu will not be the first assistant. Nian Fu is seventy-nine years old this year and will be eighty next year, which is older than Li Xian.

His health has not been good in the past few years, but this old man is too stubborn and insists on being the first assistant.

The chief assistant is too tired. All major events in the world require the chief assistant's decision, which shows the workload of the chief assistant.

"I am lucky enough to meet a wise master in my life. Let me show my talent. Even if I die, I will have no regrets!" The old man knelt on the ground with tears in his eyes.

In the fifteenth year of Jingtai's reign, he suffered from sores on his back when he was a rich man. The personal physician sent by the emperor stayed by his side and saved him from hell.

The fact that he was able to fight a great battle in Hubei that shocked the history, and that he was able to rise to the central government with the position of governor all stemmed from the emperor's absolute trust.

The emperor allowed him to command the army and gave him the opportunity to govern. He was definitely a wise master.

Before his death, he had only one last dream: to take charge of the center and dominate the world.

The emperor granted him permission.

"You are my confidant and my most important minister."

"The Ming Dynasty is what it is today. It is because of the joint efforts of you, Hu Hui, Yu Qian, Wang Yue, Han Yong and countless others."

Zhu Qiyu helped him up: "I am going to Kunlun Mountain to enshrine Zen. I will engrave your name on Kunlun Mountain. I will erect monuments and trees for all your achievements so that future generations will remember them!"

The old man cried bitterly.

After bidding farewell to Nianfu, Zhu Qiyu was worried that this generation of veterans was coming to an end.

But no one can come up from behind.

Especially in the army, the new generation of talents is withering. The most outstanding one is Tao Lu. Tao Lu also has weaknesses. Zhu Qiyu is not optimistic about Tao Lu as a commander.

The seventh day of February.

Zhu Jianshen returned to Beijing and went to the palace to see him.

The emperor summoned all his important officials and said bluntly: "King Chu, I will give you an army of one million. You must conquer North Africa and establish the Kingdom of Chu within three years."

When Zhu Jianshen heard that there were so many soldiers, his expression became overjoyed and then dimmed: "Your Majesty, the land of North Africa belongs to the Ottoman Empire."

"The Ottoman Empire is dominating one side, and now is the time when their soldiers are ready to attack. I have no confidence in defeating them."

"I thought it would take at least ten years for the Chu State to be established."

This is the reason why Zhu Jianshen was chosen. He did not make wild boasts when he saw the benefits, but analyzed calmly.

This is the person who achieves great things.

"That's right. Normally speaking, it would take only twenty years for Chu State to exist from scratch."

"But now the situation is different."

"The Ming Dynasty was willing to let go of Indian interests in exchange for concessions from the Ottoman Empire."

"And you occupy the trade between North Africa, Ming Dynasty and Europe. You are the transit point. You should know how much profit there is."

Osman, a transit agent, often has a brain twitch and does things that are not human.

In the past few years, the Ming Dynasty had monopolized Indian trade, which made Timur and Osman very unhappy. The two countries would act as pirates and attack the Ming Dynasty merchant ships.

Zhu Jianshen was not very happy. This money had always been earned by Osman. If he made it, he would inevitably break up with the Ottoman Empire.

The emperor asked him to block the gun and block Europa and the Ottoman Empire.

This is also the reason why he was enfeoffed here.

"With an army of one million, I will send Guo Deng to take charge of it for you."

Upon hearing Guo Deng, Zhu Jianshen's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, can you send another cavalry commander? I think Tao Jin and Shenying have done their job properly, can you send them to me?"

"No."

Zhu Qiyu directly objected: "The northwest cannot do without them. Zhou Xi and Liu Ning are sent to you. These two are famous seeds. If you use them well, you will definitely succeed."

"Also, you don't have to go to the first group. I will send Guo Deng to lay down the base first, and then you can land."

"I will prepare weapons, farm tools, and seeds for you, and then batches of people will transport them up."

"But you have to pay attention. Ming Dynasty's weapons, seeds, and agricultural tools are all secrets and are not allowed to be leaked. As long as you, Chu State, can use them, once they are leaked and I find out, I will deprive you of the throne!"

Zhu Jianshen was startled and knelt on the ground, even saying he didn't dare.

He was also confused. The ordnance was well protected, but what was the use of other things?

After explaining some more, Zhu Jianshen was asked to retreat.

"The Wang-Vietnam front has moved west, and the news of success should be coming soon, and then it will be the annexation of San Burma and Bengal."

Zhu Qiyu said: "Transfer Wang Xin to Sri Lanka and establish a feudal state for Lao Qi."

He also talked about some domestic matters.

Sure enough, good news came in April. Wang Yue had captured all of Siam, and on the way to attack Ava, Ava and Lucchuan sent envoys to surrender.

Wang Yue asked for one million slaves, and the two sides were still negotiating.

There is almost no suspense in the Three Burma War. After all, Ava and Bago have been fighting for forty years and have already drained the national treasury.

Bian Yong went into the village to negotiate and gave large pieces of land to Sichuan.

And carry out reform and return.

The Lama's intention was to make the Yellow religion the state religion, but the central government rejected it and only allowed Lamaism to preach. There was no state religion in the Ming Dynasty.

It's nothing more than transferring more benefits. If he doesn't know what is good and what is bad, Han Yong will teach him how to behave.

Han Yong is ready to go to the snow mountain at any time.

On September 17, good news came. Wushuang was willing to withdraw the capital and change it into a province. The Yarlung Zangbo River was divided into two parts: Sichuan in the east and Wushuang in the west.

Bian Yong also discussed with Duosi Dusi, using Bayan Kela Mountain as the boundary, with Sichuan in the south and Duosi in the north.

Duosi Dusi sent envoys to surrender and was willing to withdraw the capital and turn it into a province.

Duosi is too poor, and the center really doesn’t want it.

The final decision was to remove Duosi Dusi and change it to Qinghai Province, referred to as Yong.

The territory of the Ming Dynasty was completely finalized, stretching from the Aral Sea to the west, the Bering Strait to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and Malacca to the south.

Including Wusheng, Qinghai, Western Regions, Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Mongolia, Yuerhai, Rehe, Beizhili, Hebei, Liaoning, North Korea, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Turks, Tatars, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, South Zhili, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiaozhi, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, New Yizhou, New Jingzhou, New Yangzhou, New Yanzhou, New Xuzhou, New Qingzhou , Malacca, Luzon, Bianzhili.

Three capitals and forty provinces.

In October, Guo Deng led an army of 100,000 troops, 30,000 farmers, 2,000 craftsmen, and 500 doctors, and took a treasure ship to sail across the sea to Africa.

Wang Wei led the navy to escort.

In the blink of an eye, it’s July of the twenty-fifth year of Jingtai.

The sixteen-year-old prince finally got his wish and married Yang as the crown prince.

The four sons got married together.

The second eldest Zhu Jiansong married Geng Yu's daughter, the third eldest Zhu Jianyu married Liu Jian's daughter, and the fourth eldest Zhu Jianji married Wang Yue's daughter.

When he got rich, he got what he wanted and became the chief minister.

However, Han Yong and Xiang Zhong were about to return to the court. Han Yong expanded the territory of Sichuan, and Xiang Zhong, who had overseen Borneo for six years, also retired with great achievements.

The rest can be left to the successor.

The three provinces of Borneo have been initially cleared.

The population also exceeds 10 million.

But for the prosperous Borneo, its tens of millions of people are far from enough.

The central government removed the governor of Borneo and established three governors to manage the place.

Song Wei, who was in Luzon, was hit by a poisonous arrow from a savage and died in Luzon. The emperor named him Uncle Baguio and later named Marquis Baguio.

The emperor once again issued an order to kill Lu Song without leaving a single breath.

Song Wei's unexpected death made the emperor very sad. He personally wrote a memorial speech to commemorate Song Wei and strictly ordered the generals in the world to pay attention to their safety.

Zhu Yongsheng was appointed governor of Luzon.

After the prince's wedding, he will leave the palace and live alone in the palace.

In the Yangxin Hall, Zhu Qiyu was looking at the memorial when he suddenly raised his head and asked, "Prince."

"My son is here."

There are four more tables in the Yangxin Hall, and the four princes each sit at a table and watch the government affairs handled by the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

"This is Xiang Zhong's memorial. What do you think?"

Feng Xiao presented on behalf of the emperor. Feng Xiao was fifty years old and was getting old. He had served the emperor for almost thirty years. The emperor promised that he would not need to pay more courtesy. Before Xiang Zhong arrived in the capital, he petitioned for his subordinates to be appointed officials.

Zhu Jianqi was sixteen years old. He left the cabinet to study at the age of six. After his wedding, he was able to take charge of the government personally and handle government affairs together with the emperor.

This is the power given to him by Zhu Qiyu.

But this power is possessed by all princes.

When the princes mature mentally, the emperor will teach them the art of the emperor's mind.

Zhu Jianqi frowned slightly: "I think this Xiang Zhong has selfish motives."

"how to say?"

After Zhu Jianqi read it, he handed it to the second child to read and passed it on in turn.

"These are all wishes made by his subordinates. There is no court in their hearts, only their small group. If the central government agrees to them, wouldn't Borneo be Xiang Zhong's Borneo?"

Xiang Zhong stayed in Borneo for six years and completed the cleansing of Borneo, but he also managed Borneo like an iron barrel.

The censors all said that Xiang Zhong had the intention of treason.

The Supervision Department even issued a memorial every day, asking the Central Committee to transfer Xiang Zhong back and break up his small group.

But Xiang Zhong, on his way back to Beijing, was still petitioning for promotions for his subordinates.

How did Dong Ci, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, approve it?

agree!

"Dong Ci is simply criticizing indiscriminately!"

Zhu Jianqi was very angry. He believed that Xiang Zhong had no country at all, only his own interests. No matter how talented such a person was, he could not be reused.

It's not that it can't be reused, it's that it's killed immediately.

"Second brother, what do you think?" Zhu Qiyu looked at Zhu Jiansong.

"I think what the prince is saying is that Xiang Zhong wrote this memorial with some resentment. He obviously does not want to return to the capital, and would rather run his own small world in Borneo. This shows that he has the intention to rebel." Zhu Jiansong said. Words that kill people and hurt their hearts.

Zhu Jianyu also thinks so.

"Where's the fourth child?"

The three brothers all looked at the fourth child.

Zhu Jianjian scratched his hair: "My son and my three brothers have different opinions. Xiang Zhong dares to speak out and petition for an official appointment, which just shows that he has no ambition."

Zhu Qiyu snorted: "Don't you think this is a test of the center?"

"Father, what you mean is that Xiang Zhong is testing the central government. Once the central government disagrees, he will immediately set up a ship and return to Borneo?"

Zhu Jianqi's expression changed: "Then we can't keep such treacherous officials and traitors!"

Zhu Qiyu was a little disappointed with these four brothers.

"Father, do you have a different opinion?" Zhu Jianjian was good at pleasing his father.

"Let me ask you, what is ambition? Who is ambitious?"

Zhu Qiyu asked himself and answered: "Everyone with ability has ambition."

"When people have power, they want more power. When they have military power, they want to be emperor. This is human nature."

"Those who have no ambition are trash and cannot be reused."

"As an emperor, don't be afraid of your ministers' ambitions, just control their ambitions."

Zhu Qiyu winked at the eunuch serving the pen and ink: "Write, I agree to Xiang Zhong's report, but the Procuratorate reported that Xiang Zhong had corrupted a huge amount of money. Although I didn't believe it, I was afraid of what he said, so I immediately arrested Xiang Zhong and brought him to the capital for interrogation by the five departments. , to restore Xiang Zhong’s innocence.”

"Isn't it solved?"

Zhu Qiyu looked at his four sons: "It's not as complicated as you think."

"Kill ambitious people? Are they just traitors and traitors?"

"Don't you have any ambition? Do you dare to say that you have never thought about this position?"

The faces of the four sons were earth-colored.

"Are they all killed? They are all mediocre ministers, and the dynasty has been destroyed long ago!"

"Use your ministers' talents, not their virtues."

"Is there anyone in this world who has both ability and political integrity? Zhu Jianqi, I ask you, are you?"

"You are not a moral gentleman when it comes to yourself and others, so why should you expect others to be moral gentlemen?"

Zhu Jianqi said in confusion: "But this is what Master taught me."

"You believe what he taught you?"

"Use your brain and think about yourself before doing anything. Standing in this position, what choice would you make?"

"It's normal for Xiang Zhong to be ambitious. With such great achievements, he should be ambitious, arrogant, and test the center!"

"But you can't just kill him based on a testimonial. That would be stupid."

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "You are the future emperor, and you are all emperors in the feudal kingdom. Remember, you must trust your ministers, but at the same time, you must not be deceived by your ministers."

"Father, what will be the result of that loyalty meeting?" Zhu Jiansong asked.

"Trial? It's just a show of force. Tell him that I have seen his little thoughts, that's enough."

"What's there to judge? If you're greedy, then you're greedy. If you've ever thought about becoming an emperor, then you've thought about it. What can you do? As long as he has the ability, he should use it!"

"Don't be upset just because of slight disturbances. This is not what an emperor should do."

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "It is not that easy to be a traitor in the Ming Dynasty. Even though Borneo is far away overseas, I can kill anyone, including Xiang Zhong, with just one imperial edict."

No one knows how many nails the emperor buried in each province.

Only Zhu Qiyu can do this, and he will not be able to do it when the prince ascends the throne.

But Zhu Qiyu would never do it until the last step.

"As an emperor, you have to know how to pretend to be ignorant and keep a tacit understanding with your ministers."

"Do you really think that these old ministers who are harmless to humans and animals now were so obedient when they were young?"

Zhu Qiyu sneered: "Everyone has ambitions. If you use them well, you will be a famous official. If you don't use them well, you will be the king of the country."

"This chair is not easy to sit on."

"Let it be revealed that Lao Qi is not yet a princess. I have taken a fancy to Xiang Zhong's granddaughter and will get married when she reaches that age."

"This is called giving grace."

"If you slap someone, you have to give them sweet dates. Otherwise, why would they work for you? Because your surname is Zhu? Or are you a big-faced person?"

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "Remember, being an emperor means cutting the cake, and managing ministers means handing over the benefits."

"Whatever he wants, you can give him what he wants in order to be a good emperor."

"Of course, you must have absolute authority to be like me."

"If not, just live in silence and pretend you don't know anything so you can survive."

"Sometimes living is more important than anything else."

Zhu Qiyu taught his sons.

"My sons and ministers will be taught." The four sons knelt on the ground.

"Do you understand what the Director of Ceremonies approved this time? Dong Ci, it's my humerus." Zhu Qiyu smiled and sat back on the throne.

The emperor first added the official position of a Borneo official, then punished Xiang Zhong, and then recruited Xiang Zhong's granddaughter as the seventh princess.

This is a slap in the face to Xiang Zhong, telling him to be honest and not have any thoughts that he shouldn't have.

If you don’t believe me, why don’t you go back to Borneo now and see if they are willing to rebel against you?

At the same time, I am also telling Xiang Zhong that I will remember all your achievements. What I can give you will definitely be more than what you will get by rebelling. How about we continue to cooperate? What do you think of Xiang Zhong?

The princes were thoughtful.

“If you want to have absolute power, you have to be able to sit on the bench.”

"The ministers sit for eight hours, and you have to sit for ten hours, or even more."

"If you don't have this bit of perseverance, you won't be able to sit on this chair."

Zhu Qiyu asked them to continue reading the memorial.

When they returned to the East Palace in the evening, Zhu Jianqi said to the Crown Princess: "Today, my father told me a lot of important things that I couldn't hear before. My heart is shaking like a river."

He wanted to tell Yang, but Yang didn't dare to listen.

She had just gotten married, and if she offended her parents-in-law over this matter, death would be waiting for her.

She is different from other princesses. She is the daughter of a small official family and does not have such a big backer.

"Your Highness, are you hungry? I have prepared your favorite food." Yang left the main hall.

Zhu Jianqi was depressed and had no one to complain to.

I used to think of Mrs. Yang as Bai Yueguang, but now that I have married her, I no longer feel happy about it. It’s better to miss her than to miss her. Men are all big pigs.

He thought for a while and decided to ask the teacher for advice tomorrow.

The next day, morning.

The four princes stood in the middle of Danqi. After they went up to Danqi, they had to salute their teachers first. The courtiers bowed to the emperor while they stood aside.

Zhu Qiyu, however, had a sullen face and was in a bad mood.

"Your Majesty, I have said it before. If you promise to serve in the army once, all the armies will make trouble in the future. If you make trouble today and go home tomorrow, you will not have a peaceful life in the future."

Sun Yuanzhen spoke first.

No, the Wusheng garrison started making a fuss, saying that the plateau climate could not be tolerated, and clamoring to go home or pay more.

As soon as Han Yong set out to return to Beijing, they made a fuss.

“It’s understandable that the climate is harsh, so we’ll add an additional plateau subsidy.”

What Zhu Qiyu was angry about was not this, but the fact that as soon as Han Yong left Sichuan, the generals below made trouble. It was clear that they were afraid of Han Yong, not the central government.

Is this Han Jiajun?

Shouting for Han Yong to go back?

Is this meant to trap Han Yong to death and trap Han Yong to death on a snowy mountain?

"Your Majesty, the wind must not rise!"

Sun Yuanzhen said anxiously: "It is better to let Han Yong go back, deal with these people, and then return to Beijing."

Zhu Qiyu looked at Sun Yuanzhen. Han Yong came back to be the Minister of War. Sun Yuanzhen was already ninety-one.

There are three ministers in the Ministry of War because Sun Yuanzhen can hardly take charge.

Now he is criticizing Han Yong in the court, and it seems that he still wants to dominate the position of Minister of War.

Everyone understands, people are all official fans.

Looking at how old he is, he is eighty-one. After becoming the first assistant, his energy level is actually better.

"Don't bother Han Yong. Just increase the money first and appease the soldiers. It's really hard on the plateau."

Zhu Qiyu said: "In the past few years, Bai Ang and Peng Yi have been to the snowy mountains, and they both say they can't get out of breath. It's really difficult."

While they were discussing, a eunuch came running in quickly.

"Your Majesty, there is bad news from the Tutor's Mansion!"

The Taifu is Li Xian.

Suddenly, Zhu Qiyu stood up: "Didn't the Taiyuan Hospital say that Li Xian's health has improved? Why is he gone?"

"Let's go to Tai Tu's Mansion!"

"quick!"

When Hu Hu was alive, he said that Li Xian could support the government. In the past ten years, it was Li Xian who supported the government, so the Ming Dynasty entered a period of rapid development.

In recent years, Li Xian has been in poor health and has stopped serving as director.

But he is still the Dinghai Shenzhen of the Ming Dynasty.

A group of veteran ministers, although not very governing, played a vital role in the Ming Dynasty.

They are mature and mature, have precise control of the situation, and can always give the emperor the best advice.

All the ministers followed him to Li Xian's mansion.

He was kneeling up and down on the ground, crying bitterly.

In the inner hall, Li Xian acted like a good person and actually smiled when he saw the emperor: "Your Majesty, are you here?"

This is a flashback!

"Chief Assistant, I'm here." Zhu Qiyu glanced at Li Zhang, thinking of the scene where Li Zhang tortured Li Xian before, and found it very interesting, but now things have changed.

"Your Majesty." Li Xian looked at the emperor and smiled.

Zhu Qiyu sat beside the bed and grabbed his hand: "I can't live without you. Over the years, you have been my humerus, making suggestions for me and protecting the Ming Dynasty from wind and rain."

"I can't bear to leave you, Your Majesty."

Li Xian was still laughing: "But the late emperor is summoning the old minister and asking him to serve over there."

"The development of the Ming Dynasty, the old minister is not worried at all."

"The road you pointed out is better than the road Ming Dynasty stuck to for hundreds of years. It's a pity that I can't see the end."

"I will never see the time when Kunlun Mountain will be enshrined in Zen."

Li Xian looked at the emperor and smiled: "Before I die, I would like to give one last piece of advice to your majesty. I hope you will allow it."

"I listen, I am accurate."

The former Li Xian is not the current Xiang Zhong, who is equally difficult to tame.

But it took Zhu Qiyu eighteen years to finally tame this man.

But just a few years after being tamed, he was about to pass away.

"Your Majesty is well-informed and knows about the An-Shi Rebellion."

"The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was due to Xuanzong, and the failure was also due to Xuanzong."

"Old minister, please remember that your majesty must not imitate Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and hand over power to the hands of the sycophant Yang Guozhong."

"Now in the court, there are talented people such as Nian Fu, Xiang Zhong, Han Yong, Geng Jiuchou, Bai Gui, and Wang Fu, who can temporarily stabilize the court."

"But they are all older."

"I believe that the people who will stabilize the center in the future are Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang and Liu Daxia."

“You have to make good use of these people.”

"Don't be like Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. Ming Dynasty is everyone's hard work."

"Although I tried my best to refuse Ming Dynasty to take this path, Your Majesty insisted on going your own way, so I went forward hard and sacrificed everything for Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, this is the hard work of everyone. Your Majesty, you must not destroy it, you must not destroy it!"

Li Xian burst into tears.

Crying and crying, there is no life left.

Zhu Qiyu slowly closed his eyes, full of sadness: "I heard it, Chief Assistant, I will always remember your words."

After hearing the news that Li Xian passed away, there was loud crying outside.

Li Zhang also knelt on the ground and cried loudly.

"Your father is my humerus, a wise minister of the Ming Dynasty, and a hero of the Ming Dynasty."

"But God is jealous of talents."

"Why can those people who do nothing live? Why are my humerus leaving me?"

Zhu Qiyu's voice was sad: "Li Zhang, you want to be a person like your father. This is my expectation for you."

"I obey the order!" Li Zhang kowtowed.

He slowly walked out of the room.

The courtiers gathered outside, and Zhu Qiyu sighed: "I will confer the title of Grand Master, First Grade Zhuguo, Grand Scholar of Huagaidian, and build a temple to honor Li Xian. Please choose a good posthumous title."

News of Li Xian's death reached Fangshan. Xu Jue, who was doing pesticide research, vomited blood after hearing the news and died.

After Xu Jue's death, the future of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences was uncertain.

Wang Lai, who was lingering on the sickbed, also received an obituary notice.

"It hurts me to lose three important ministers in one day!"

Zhu Qiyu was in a very bad mood: "I also promised them that I would take them to Kunlun Mountain to become Zen monks. Why not wait? Duosi has already joined!"

"Your Majesty, please take care of the dragon body." The courtier advised the emperor.

Wang Lai's death was expected, but Li Xian and Xu Jue's death was an accident.

"The court will stop tomorrow morning, I'm not in the mood." Zhu Qiyu was in a low mood. The Ming Dynasty's achievements today are closely related to the efforts of the ministers.

These veterans were the pinnacles of the Jingtai Dynasty.

The emperor often came up with weird ideas, and these old ministers could advise the emperor, and occasionally they could make suggestions and wipe the emperor's butt.

But the old ministers left one after another, making the emperor feel depressed.

The prince personally came to pick up Xiang Zhong, but Xiang Zhong was not a prisoner at all. He was dressed in military uniform and looked like a general. This made the prince have a very bad impression of him.

In winter, Empress Dowager Wu, who was lingering on her sickbed, finally couldn't stand it any longer and passed away.

The emperor was in mourning for three days, and the whole people were in mourning.

During this period, news came again that Xu Bin had died of illness. Xu Bin was almost ninety years old, but he still couldn't survive this winter.

He also had poor health and could not withstand traveling, so he recuperated in the capital and died in the capital, which was fine.

But the Supervisor of Ceremonies lacked an experienced guy.

Xiang Zhong entered the cabinet, and Han Yong became Minister of War.

Come December.

Suddenly a eunuch came to report that the chief minister, Nian Fu, had vomited blood in the cabinet.

Zhu Qiyu was shocked and immediately went to the cabinet.

The Tai Hospital was rescuing him, but when Nian Fu saw the emperor's figure, he waved his hand to indicate that he would not treat him anymore, but reached out to catch the emperor.

"Nian Qing, I am here."

The four princes also knelt on the ground. Nian Fu was their teacher and one of the most important teachers in their lives.

Zhu Qiyu grabbed his hand, which was covered in blood.

"Old minister, I can't go on with you."

"To be treated favorably by Mingjun, and to be a very popular minister, I will die without regrets."

"It's just that I'm worried about something."

Nian Fu's voice trembled, and he squeezed the emperor's hand hard: "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is booming, but behind the scenes it is very turbulent. It looks like blooming flowers, but in fact it is burning fire."

"You must not indulge your nature and be careful of Tang Xuanzong's future troubles."

"Your Majesty, Ming Dynasty is your masterpiece today, you cannot destroy it with your own hands!"

"His Majesty!"

Nian Fu kept this tone and kept calling the emperor.

"I know, if I don't want to be Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, I won't do it!" Zhu Qiyu was in tears. Another veteran minister passed away.

He was also the second person to persuade him not to become Tang Xuanzong.

Everyone can see that Ming Dynasty is getting better quickly, just like the prosperous Tang Dynasty, it reached the extreme, but fell off the altar like a cliff.

Therefore, before Li Xian and Nian Fu died, their main thought was not to become Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Before his death, Wang Lai also left a letter admonishing the emperor to guard his inheritance and not to be complacent.

"Your Majesty, there is bad news coming from the Northeast."

Within a few days, news came that the North Korean governor Luo Qi had died of illness.

Zhu Qiyu was depressed. Why did so many important ministers leave me?

Another eunuch came in.

"Who else died?" Zhu Qiyu was in a bad mood.

"Back to my lord, my father-in-law passed away due to illness."

"Lian Zhong?" Zhu Qiyu wondered. Lian Zhong had been working in the Flood Control Department and was in good health. He even went to the plateau. Why did he die suddenly?

"I heard that Eunuch Lien passed away after hearing that the Queen Mother passed away!"

Zhu Qiyu closed his eyes, feeling very desperate.

Lian Zhong had worked in the Flood Control Department for many years and had made great achievements. He was also in good health, but he left because of his deep relationship with Empress Dowager Wu.

"Is this God punishing the Ming Dynasty? So many old officials died one after another within a year. What is the future of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Qiyu murmured to himself.

(End of this chapter)