I'm really not doing business

Chapter 664 Who cares how many bowls of noodles you ate? !

Zhu Yijun's long-planned southern tour began, so the first problem Zhu Yijun needed to worry about was fire. According to Dao Ye's experience in southern tours, Zhu Yijun's journey would not be smooth.

In order to prevent His Majesty from being taken away by the fire, Zhang Juzheng returned Luo Sigong to His Majesty.

Zhang Juzheng knew very well that if the fire really broke out, it would not matter whether he died or Wang Chonggu died. As long as His Majesty was still alive, all the achievements of the Wanli Reform could be protected by His Majesty.

Zhao Mengyou was responsible for the safety of the Emperor as the commander-in-chief, while Luo Sigong was responsible for guarding the door for the Emperor. Whenever a fire broke out, Luo Sigong would rush into the fire without hesitation and rescue the Emperor, just like Lu Bing had done before.

Luo Sigong will not be bribed, even if we ignore the human feelings of friendship between the emperor and his subjects as he has followed him for thirteen years. Luo Sigong's father, Luo Bingliang, is the commander of the Southern Court. The Ming emperor has given the Luo family enough power, fame and a stage to show themselves. The interests of the Luo family and the Ming emperor are already highly tied together.

Zhu Yijun has always been a suspicious person. He doesn't believe in those illusory promises. He has also always been a heartless person. He doesn't believe in those ethical morals, but he believes in the binding of interests.

If something unexpected happens to the emperor, whether it is Prince Lu or the crown prince who ascends the throne, the Luo family will lose their power, reputation, and stage, and the new monarch will definitely liquidate the Luo family in order to give an explanation to the people of the world.

If you ask Luo Sigong what he thinks, he will only express it with his actions. Protecting the safety of His Majesty at all costs was Luo Sigong's only belief and his only support after His Majesty pulled him up from the ground.

For a ten-year-old child, he became the worst one in the sparring match, and sat down on the ground with weak legs after standing still. That was the darkest moment in his life. His Majesty stretched out his hand, and that was a ray of light that was about to enter the dark world. From that moment on, his life began to follow this path, always moving forward. Everything can be summed up in two words: loyalty.

Your Majesty is a holy monarch, and everything is worth it. As long as Your Majesty is still here, all the evil spirits will remain dormant, the Wanli Reform will continue, and the Ming Dynasty will become better.

Even if the emperor ordered him to kill Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu now, Luo Sigong might be doubtful, but he would definitely carry out the order and exchange his life for the "possible traitors". If Luo Sigong was asked to kill his father Luo Bingliang, Luo Sigong might arrest his father and then choose to commit suicide.

Zhu Yijun stayed in Yanzheng Tower, but he did not live there. Instead, under Zhang Hong's arrangement, he went to a civilian house less than three miles away from Yanzheng Tower to avoid accidents such as fire.

The strange thing is that after a night, nothing happened and no one came to teach the young and hot-tempered Ming Emperor a lesson. You just stay in the imperial city honestly and don't go anywhere.

"Why wasn't there a fire last night?" When Zhu Yijun got up, he looked at the rising sun and in the direction of Yanzheng Tower, and asked Luo Sigong with a little confusion.

"Well, I'm not good at this." Luo Sigong scratched his head. He was good at fighting, but he was a little embarrassed to think about problems. He waited for a long time, but there was no sound of a fire.

This was not in line with his experience. In order to put out fires, Luo Sigong actually worked as a stoker in the capital's watchtower for two years to learn how to put out fires.

The emperor left his lair and exposed his weaknesses, but those ambitious people were unmoved. Past experience turned out to be ineffective, which caught Zhu Yijun off guard. If he didn't set fire, should he prepare for a gunpowder explosion attack, or powerful bows and crossbows, or even muskets?

If one's imagination runs wild and one's heart is overwhelmed, and one does it too obviously, the new king will have to carry out a massive purge when he ascends the throne, and it will be the kind of purge that will implicate the general public, tens of thousands of people.

A big fire can burn everything cleanly.

The Ming Emperor was a little disappointed. He was prepared for a fight, but these people have always been like this. They have never disappointed anyone.

Zhu Yijun got up and washed in the early spring when there was still a slight chill. Under the protection of the imperial guards, he returned to Yanzheng Tower. During the walk, he figured out some details.

This matter is probably because of Zhu Yiliu.

Zhu Yiliu is such a bastard.

The Ming Dynasty had never encountered such a terrible regent prince. Was he regulating the country? He was clearly venting his anger! This was clearly the most direct manifestation of absolute freedom!
If anyone advocates absolute freedom before the Ming Dynasty system is changed, no one will buy it. One Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu is already annoying enough.

If any accident occurs during the Emperor's southern tour, the eldest son is still young. Even if the eldest son succeeds to the throne, the regent must be Prince Lu, who is an adult.

Over the years, the powerful and wealthy, as well as the elected officials, have long understood that Your Majesty is willing to negotiate conditions, and that the first time the conditions are not so unacceptable, and in some ways, they even seem particularly generous.

But Zhu Yiliu was not allowed to talk. Not to mention talking, the censors followed past custom and said some clichés. Zhu Yiliu would throw them into the prison of the Northern Pacification Division. They were not even given the chance to write a petition and were directly imprisoned.

The emperor died unexpectedly, the prince succeeded to the throne, the ruler was young and the country was in doubt. Zhu Yiliu became the regent, but the situation would only get worse because the only person who could restrain this unreasonable emperor had left.

Zhu Yiliu was not easy to deal with either. He had a man named Xiong Tingbi by his side who was both talented in literature and martial arts. He was the last disciple of Yuan Fu and the emperor's junior brother.

"Your Majesty, your ministers are here to see you. All the officials have submitted memorials and sent them to Tianjin Prefecture overnight." Zhang Juzheng met His Majesty. His Majesty had no dark circles or bloodshot eyes, proving that he slept soundly last night. His Majesty has always been a very brave person. In order to prevent opium from poisoning the Ming Dynasty, he was so brave that he was willing to sacrifice his own life.

On the contrary, Zhang Juzheng was a little restless and tossed and turned until dawn. After the fire was no longer reported, he fell into a deep sleep.

The older people get, the more afraid they become. They are afraid of losing too much, and thus they become conservative.

"What is written?" Zhu Yijun signaled the ministers who were accompanying him on the southern tour to excuse themselves and inquired about what was written in these piles of memorials.

Zhang Juzheng exhaled a breath of turbid air and whispered, "I hope Your Majesty can return to Beijing."

They are all accusations, tearful accusations!
His Royal Highness Prince Lu is not a human being. He has committed many evil deeds and has committed many crimes! If the censors do not agree with Prince Lu, they will be arrested. If the memorials are slightly inappropriate, Prince Lu will directly curse them in his reply! The curses are really too ugly to hear, and you can't talk back. If someone goes to argue, he will be thrown directly into the prison of the Northern Pacification Division.

It can be roughly summed up as: Come back, my Emperor!

Zhu Yijun read several similar memorials and smiled playfully. They were all asking the emperor to quickly end his southern tour and return to Beijing, as he really could not stand this devil any longer. Zhu Yijun was not laughing at these memorials, but at Zhu Yiliu.

Yin Zhengmao demolished the door, Ling Yunyi killed people, Wang Jiaping was confused, Wang Yi'e erected a monument, Shen Shixing paraded people through the streets, and Zhu Yiliu hanged people.

The thirty-two pens were stripped naked and hung on the city wall, tied up in various postures, which has become a beautiful landscape in the capital. This is beyond words and is humiliating.

"When I was in the capital, everyone complained that I was too controlling. Sometimes they said I didn't allow the censors to speak, sometimes they said I was building a lot of buildings, sometimes they said I was stingy, sometimes they said I was too violent, and sometimes they said I abandoned the right path and worshipped heresy. I remember it all clearly. When I left, the wealthy families in Xitu City set up a buffet, as if to celebrate. Now, they want me to go back?"

Zhu Yijun threw the memorial aside without even approving it.

"Forward these memorials back to the cabinet and send them to Prince Lu for approval. I am on a southern tour now. I will not interfere except in military and national affairs and officials above the third rank. You don't know the rules!" Zhu Yijun sent all the memorials back. He was not the donkey of the master Bayi, who would blindfold himself, work hard and never complain, from morning to night.

Diligence is for the revival of the Ming Dynasty. Now is the time to tour the south.

"I obey your order." Zhang Juzheng did not post any floating tickets. The southern tour had been prepared for a year, and the boundaries of power were very clear. Zhang Juzheng was not in the Wenhua Hall, and he would definitely not post any floating tickets on any memorials except those that needed to be handled personally by Your Majesty.

What makes these lowly Confucian scholars even more desperate is that the wise and holy ruler on whom they placed their hopes no longer cares about them.

"Your Majesty, something has happened and someone is crying for you." Feng Bao said solemnly.

Crying for the emperor is another traditional program during the Southern Tour. It has a long history and has existed since the time when Qin Shihuang toured the country.

The reason why it is called a program is that someone arranged for these people who were crying out for injustice to run to the emperor and cry out about their grievances. In many cases, local officials specially prepared some not very serious cases of injustice in order to satisfy the emperor's strong sense of justice on tour, so that the emperor could uphold justice.

Crying for the emperor provides enough emotional value, and in most cases, it is the local officials who cover up big mistakes with small mistakes and take the initiative to expose some small problems, so that the emperor who is on tour cannot see the real contradictions in the local area.

Muddy waters is also a common trick used by despicable Confucian scholars.

"Is it true or false?" Zhu Yijun sat on the armchair and asked Feng Bao, the veteran actor. As an actor, Feng Bao could easily tell the authenticity of the crying emperor.

"Really? They are from Xitucheng in the capital. They have been running for a day and a night. These wealthy families came here to cry out for justice." Feng Bao explained the reason for crying out to the emperor. The wealthy families in Xitucheng were robbed by Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu.

He demanded 50,000 silver coins from each family, or his property would be confiscated if they didn't give him the money. This devil kept his word. Now the wealthy families in Xitu City either sent their sons or came to Tianjin Prefecture in person.

Please ask His Majesty the Emperor to seek justice!

Zhang Youxin, the prefect of Hejian Prefecture, wanted to make progress very much. Probably in order to cooperate with the emperor's strong sense of justice, Zhang Youxin arranged some unjust cases to make people cry for him. Originally, the script of a wise monarch and virtuous ministers had been written, but the people arranged by Zhang Youxin could not squeeze in because there were too many people crying.

The wealthy families were relocated to enrich the capital. There were 3,400 wealthy families in Xitu City, and about 72 of them held the buffet this time, which amounted to 3.6 million silver.

"Where did the silver go?" Zhu Yijun was curious about where the silver that Zhu Yiliu robbed went. Zhu Yiliu was not short of money, and he would give him whatever he wanted as long as it was not excessive, even without the Empress Dowager Li's intervention. It was true that Empress Dowager Li doted on Prince Lu, but the Emperor was also quite indulgent towards Prince Lu.

Feng Bao bowed his head and said, "The imperial treasury."

"Hey kid, I thought everyone was moving to Prince Lu's mansion." Zhu Yijun smiled again.

"His Highness said that His Majesty has never lacked money for his expenses since he was a child. If he needs anything, he just asks for it. The gift of money from the imperial treasury is just the right thing to make up for the shortfall in the Kaifeng to Jiayuguan highway." Feng Bao explained. In this way, the Xitucheng Zhashehu became the sponsor of the Kaifeng to Jiayuguan highway.

Even though they were forced.

"What is your request? Do you want me to pay you back? Don't even think about it." Zhu Yijun sneered and said, "I am a stingy person. That's what they said. They said that I was frugal and that I was just pretending."

“It is impossible to refund the money.”

"That's not the case." Feng Bao said with a smile, "They were thinking about whether they could erect a monument on the Kaifeng-Jiayuguan highway that was about to be built, and write their names on it. It would be even better if they could give it a name."

The first highway in the Ming Dynasty was from Xishan Coal Bureau to Xizhimen Coal Market. The second highway was from the capital through Jizhou to Shanhaiguan. This second highway was built with Wang Chonggu’s own money. This highway was called Chong! Gu! Highway!

The emperor personally wrote a stele to commemorate this. Wang Chonggu wished he could go there eight times a day. Later, even though he did not go there anymore, he would send people to clean the place every year.

The money went into the Pixiu's stomach, so it was impossible to spit it out. Moreover, Zhu Yiliu's reason was very legitimate, he was plotting treason. The emperor left the capital for a southern tour. It would have been fine if he didn't cry, but he even dared to set up a buffet and invite hundreds of artists?! If this isn't a traitor, what is he?
The wealthy people in Xitu City did not expect to get the money back. Since they had spent the money, asking for a stele was also a way to gain some good reputation.

"Don't even think about it!" Wang Chonggu objected immediately, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, they didn't repair even one mile of the road, but they just want to take the road that your Majesty built for themselves. Now they want to erect a monument, what do they want to do in the future?! They must want to take the road into their own hands!"

"Your Majesty, you must not erect a monument!" Wang Chonggu, a top Confucian scholar, started by exaggerating the matter as soon as he opened his mouth. He put a high hat on the extravagant family, accusing them of coveting the court's public property and the ancestral foundation, and his main purpose was to exaggerate.

These remarks made Zhang Juzheng laugh out loud. These remarks seemed extremely reasonable, but if one wanted to take control of the Chidao Road, one would need the right time, right location and right people. Moreover, it was difficult to make money from the Chidao Road from Kaifeng to Jiayuguan. Would he take it over and maintain it himself?
Wang Chonggu erected a monument to commemorate the uniqueness of his name on the road, which is one of his most outstanding achievements.

"According to what the deputy governor said." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu's anxiety and didn't pretend to be mysterious. He agreed directly. He explained: "A fine is a fine. They are unwilling to donate even a cent of silver, and you want me to erect a monument for them?"

"No one will be seen. All will be driven away."

A vacation is just a vacation. Their demands cannot be met and Zhu Yijun is too lazy to meet them. Whoever paid the fine should go and talk to him/her. Go and talk to Zhu Yiliu!
Zhu Yijun climbed to a high place and looked into the distance, looking at Tianjin Prefecture. Tianjin Prefecture had no city walls. The original adobe city walls of Tianjin Wei were all demolished. There was a trade route from Jingtang to Tianjin, Shanhaiguan to Tianjin, Tianjin to Mizhou, and to Jinan. There were a total of four trade routes, going towards the horizon. Together with the canal that could be vaguely seen in the mist, they formed Tianjin's transportation network.

This is the hub for the circulation of goods between the north and the south, and also the gateway for the capital to face the ocean. Even in early spring, caravans still come here in an endless stream.

The entire Tianjin Prefecture woke up under the light of the early morning dawn. Caravans came and went in an endless stream. Furs, ginseng, and wild goods from the north and coal, woolen cloth, and alkaline noodles from the west all went south after circulating in Tianjin. The Bohai Bay outside Tianjin Prefecture had begun to thaw, but ships were still not able to navigate.

"It's well connected." Zhu Yijun patted the railing and exhaled a breath of hot air. It was still very cold in the February morning.

"Sir, the people of the Ming Dynasty are really hardworking. You see, these caravans work day and night. These goods are all made by their own hands. When Ningyuan Hou came back, he brought me a few tiger skins. I was tempted to make a fur myself."

"I failed. I didn't even know how to use the grease scraper." Zhu Yijun talked about his embarrassing experience of overestimating his own abilities.

He had originally planned to tannin a fox skin himself to make a waistcoat for Wang Yaozhuo, but he failed to make it and had to buy one. When he went to the workshop, he didn't even know how to use the knife to scrape the grease off the fur.

The grease can be scraped off and made into soap, which is used for washing clothes. Add a little bit of white clay and wash it clean. Add some flowers and it will have a fragrance.

The working people have never lacked wisdom, especially when silver became abundant and there was demand, all kinds of commodities began to appear.

The shortage of money was indeed a shackle that hindered the development of the Ming Dynasty.

"That's great." Zhu Yijun's smile was as bright and warm as the morning sun.

He looked at Tianjin waking up in the early morning, looked at the caravans coming and going, looked at the crowds of people, looked at the rows of streets, looked at the peddlers selling breakfast, looked at the steaming Tianjin buns, looked at the thawing of the Haihe River, and felt particularly happy.

He remembered that the last time he went to Tianjin to watch the naval review, he saw coal ships connected end to end on the canal. At that time, Zhu Yijun watched for a long time and felt that all his years of work had not been in vain.

This feeling is becoming clearer and clearer.

Now, looking at Tianjin waking up in the early morning, Zhu Yijun feels even more that all the hard work he has put in over the past twelve years is worth it, just like farmers harvesting crops in summer and autumn. Is there anything more gratifying than seeing the results of his hard work with his own eyes?

This is also the biggest reason why Zhang Juzheng firmly supported the Southern Tour. No matter how many articles he wrote, they could not compare to the affirmation he received from this one glance.

On the road of life, people will feel lost, perplexed, and doubtful. They will not know whether to go on or not, because they don't know whether what they are doing is useful. A contradiction between knowing and doing will arise, and they will become lazy. Even the most determined people will get lost under this kind of inner demon.

Your Majesty is a living person, not a machine. To see whether the 12th year of the Wanli Reform has yielded any results, Your Majesty must see this beautiful land with your own eyes, only then will you love it more deeply, the confusion in your heart will dissipate, and you will become more resolute.

Zhang Juzheng could fully understand your majesty's feelings, because he was such an old man, and had been a high-ranking official in the government during the 12th year of the Wanli Restoration, so he also felt confused.

Zhang Juzheng also said sincerely: "The country is rich and the people are strong today, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe.

The sun and the moon dim and then brighten again.

The Ming Dynasty's situation really improved, and Zhang Juzheng saw it with his own eyes.

Zhu Yijun has a very busy schedule today. He has to go to the Weaving Bureau, the Iron Smelting Institute, the Huimin Pharmacy and the Orphanage. These are all places he wants to see with his own eyes today.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was busy on his inspection tour, and Prince of Lu Zhu Yiliu was not idle either. He got up very early. The extremely lazy Zhu Yiliu got up so early because he wanted to go to Chaoyang Gate to see in person the thirty-two lowly Confucian scholars hanging on the city wall, not to take them down, but to watch the fun.

"His Royal Highness Prince Lu has arrived!" Li Yougong flicked his whisk and invited Prince Lu to get out of the car.

Zhu Yiliu jumped off the car, looked at the sun rising in the sky, stretched himself, and it was another day of misbehavior.

"Prepare to hang someone." Zhu Yiliu came to the Wufeng Tower at Chaoyang Gate. He wanted to hang someone there before the city gate was opened.

Zeng Shengwu was right. We had to find someone to serve them. After the ropes were tied, someone had to be there to help them hang up and let down, and also to help them eat and drink. If they were hung overnight, they would probably freeze into popsicles. Moreover, they had to be observed after being vaccinated against smallpox in case of any adverse reactions, so we had to find a doctor to watch over them.

It's really a huge waste of manpower and resources.

After nine days, it was just the right amount, not too much or too little, and the real acne grew out, and the rumors were self-defeating.

"Hehe, I know what you are thinking. You are just looking for a chance to commit suicide, right?" Zhu Yiliu swung the whip in his hand, raised his eyebrows and said, "You can't commit suicide. If you do, I will be scolded. You cheap scholars, I don't want them to take the blame and accuse me with justification."

"I won't give you a chance."

"You can't commit suicide. If you do, I will kill your entire family! I promise I will keep my word!"

Zhu Yiliu got up so early just to threaten the Bi Zhengs. If these thirty-two Bi Zhengs dared to commit suicide, he would kill their entire families.

If Zhu Yiliu is asked to do some serious work, he is really too lazy, but if he is asked to do something bad or threaten others, he will really get up earlier than the chickens. The emperor also discovered this and knew that he did not want to read the memorials, so he gave him more authority and let him curse to his heart's content.

"Your Majesty is in the capital and will not blame us so harshly! We just heard about this legend on the grassland and published it in a newspaper. What's wrong with that?" A pen said loudly with some dissatisfaction.

Zhu Yiliu put his hands on his waist, laughed wildly, pointed at the pen and said to Xiong Tingbi: "Look, this is the cheap scholar."

Zhu Yiliu turned around and yelled at Bi Zheng: "Then go find the wise ruler! When my brother was in the capital, you all spat out shit like you had eaten shit. Now you remember your majesty's kindness? What were you doing before?"

"Should!"

"Hang it up! No breakfast for them."

After watching the thirty-two artworks being hung up, Zhu Yiliu wrote on a large sign at the gate: "On the second day after the vaccination, the cow's tail and horns did not grow. I am very disappointed."

"You better grow a bull's tail and horns, or I'll make one for you on the ninth day!"

Amid Bi Zheng's insults, His Royal Highness Prince Lu laughed wildly a few times and walked away. The people watching from the surrounding area were pointing and talking. Some said that Prince Lu was bad, some said that Prince Lu was violent, and of course there were also people who said that Prince Lu was venting his brother's anger and that this was a sign of brotherly love and respect.

Zhu Yiliu didn't care about these comments at all.

"Is the parade car ready?" Zhu Yiliu asked Xiong Tingbi about what he had instructed him to do when he was heading to Wenhua Hall. Threatening people was only the first evil. He wanted to learn from the master of keeping balance, Shen Shixing, and hang people on the parade car and parade them through the streets, mainly the forty-seven death row prisoners.

Zhu Yiliu had to let the people know why they died, they were all traitors.

"It's done. We've made improvements according to His Highness's instructions. There are eight hanging places on the top, and it can rotate. There are cause signs at the bottom with their crimes written on them." Xiong Tingbi reported on the parade car he had made.

Compared to the parade car made by Chen Tiande, this one by Xiong Tingbi is bigger, has more space, and the reason sign is also very eye-catching. A total of eight cars were made.

Once we find out who is responsible, we will hang them on a car and parade them around the streets.

"Is it fun to hang someone up?" Zhu Yiliu asked with a smile.

"It's fun." Xiong Tingbi looked a little evasive, looked around, and said in a low voice.

"It would be more fun to parade in the streets." Zhu Yiliu patted Xiong Tingbi's arm and said, "The master called you back from Suiyuan for a reason, of course, to celebrate the New Year, but the master was afraid that a hundred years later, your overly upright character would cause you great harm. You can't always be a hero on the grassland. There are too many demons and monsters in this world."

"You can only learn the ways of a gentleman by following a gentleman like you. If you watch your majesty teach you by words and deeds, you will become even more of a gentleman."

"You can't be taught, so I can only let you do it."

"Follow me and learn how to be a bad guy!"

Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment, his brows knitted into knots, and asked doubtfully: "Sir, do you really mean this? Have you told His Highness?"

"No, I just guessed." Zhu Yiliu showed a triumphant smile and said, "I was just teasing you! You are still so funny, hahaha."

"I have something to tell you. There were two families that didn't pay their fines yesterday. Bring your men and tear down their doors and move their beds. If they still don't pay, we're going to confiscate their homes. This is no joke."

Prince Lu, the regent, started another day of misbehaving. Today he wanted to dismantle people's doors and move people's beds. This was Yin Zhengmao's unique skill, and Prince Lu thought it was useful, so he used it.

"Okay." Before the court meeting, Xiong Tingbi received the king's order and headed straight for Xitu City with the imperial guards and the guards of Prince Lu's mansion.

In the process of dismantling the door and moving the bed, Xiong Tingbi slowly discovered that this person really couldn't just be a gentleman. If he just be a gentleman, when others say that you ate two bowls of noodles but you only ate one bowl, do you have to cut open your stomach to show people that you only ate one bowl of noodles?
Who cares how many bowls of noodles you eat?!

Who cares whether those artworks hanging on the city gate towers will grow cow tails and horns?
Of course you have to be a gentleman, but you can't just be a gentleman. If you only act like a gentleman, you are giving your enemies opportunities.

(End of this chapter)