Chapter 325
Capital.

After Gao Gong stopped lecturing to King Yu, he became Minister of Taichang Temple and took charge of the wine sacrifices of Guozijian. On the contrary, his life was more embarrassing than when he was lecturing to King Yu.

The salary set by Emperor Hongwu and the regular salary of the Minister of Taichang Temple can only satisfy his needs in the capital, not to mention the construction of three major halls this year. Even the officials of the capital have been in arrears for a long time.

In the past, when he gave lectures to King Yu, King Yu could still give some money and gifts every now and then. Now Gao Gong is no longer the lecturer of King Yu, and he can no longer accept rewards from King Yu.

Foreign ministers making friends with the prince is a taboo for the emperor.

Gao Gong gave lectures to Yu Wang for nine years, and the two sides had a deep relationship.

But for the sake of Prince Yu's future, Gao Gong refused to see anyone from Prince Yu's Mansion after he left office, and even refused to accept gifts from Prince Yu's Mansion during the New Year.

In addition, Gao Gong himself was an honest official and his family had little money, so he lived a tight life in the capital.

If it weren't for Zhang Juzheng's family members who stayed in the capital to help Gao Gong from time to time, I'm afraid he, the minister of Taichang Temple, would be starving.

"The minister accepts the order."

Watching the little eunuch who left the mansion cursing and leaving, Gao Gong sat down in a daze. Because of Tan Lun's memorial, King Yu was suspected by the emperor.

He, a close minister of King Yu's party, was demoted to Nanjing Guozijian as a sacrificial wine by such an imperial decree.

Gao Gong didn't have the money to bribe the eunuchs who came to announce the decree, but he didn't care anymore. He had already been demoted from the capital, and he didn't care about these little eunuchs asking for bribes.

Going back into the room, Gao Gong sighed as he looked at the empty study room except for books and manuscripts.

At this moment, the concierge suddenly said that someone was visiting, Gao Gong was a little puzzled, the news of his downfall should have spread throughout the court, officials in the capital have always worshiped the high and stepped down, Gao Gong has a straight temper in the officialdom, and he offended many people on weekdays .

His only friend in the capital is Zhang Juzheng, who is no longer in the capital, so why would anyone visit him at this time?
When the concierge led the guest into Gao Gong's study, Gao Gong saw the visitor's appearance and immediately lost his voice: "Your Highness!"

Emperor Jiajing was a middle-aged son. Prince Yu is only 25 years old now, but his health is not good. The only prince who stayed in the capital looks even older than Gao Gong because of his father's suspicion and caution. .

King Yu was wearing warm clothes. Even though it was only September, King Yu felt cold and cold. After leaving the warm pavilion of King Yu's mansion, his hands had been tucked into his winter clothes.

"Master Gao!"

"Your Highness, you should not have come."

Gao Gong sighed, it is no secret that the emperor likes to use Dongchang and Jinyiwei to spy on court ministers.

As the prince, King Yu must be under stricter surveillance.

The fact that he left the house incognito must have been hidden from the emperor. After this secret meeting, Prince Yu must have become even more suspicious of the emperor.

King Yu said calmly: "Master Gao was demoted from the capital, wasn't it because he was jealous of his father? He was already jealous whether he saw him or not."

Gao Gong sighed long and hard, and King Yu was aware of this, which showed that his political skills had finally improved a bit.

Gao Gong also relaxed. He was demoted to Nanjing to serve as a wine minister in the Imperial Academy, and he was not sent to preside over Nanzhili as a feudal official. Even if he colluded with King Yu, he would not be able to accomplish anything big.

Nine years of teacher-student friendship, and now after parting, I don't know when I will see you again, so Gao Gong simply said with a sigh of relief:
"Since His Highness is here, please ask any questions you have."

King Yu clapped his hands, a servant came into the study with food and wine, the old servant and his wife of Gao Gong's family moved onto the table, and arranged a table of food and wine in the study.

After the two sat down, King Yu asked:
"Master Gao, how can we put down the rebellion of the Su thieves?"

Gao Gong said calmly: "Isn't there a way to calm the chaos that someone has already submitted a memorial for?"

King Yu hurriedly asked with joy: "Master Gao, who is the great talent who made the memorial? Even if Gu is suspected by the emperor, he will risk his life to recommend him to preside over the counter-rebellion!"

Gao Gong said calmly: "Tan Lun's memorial has made it very clear. To put down the Su thieves, these seven strategies are enough. Do you still want to recommend Tan Lun as an official?"

King Yu was silent, Gao Gong raised his wine glass and finished drinking and said: "His Royal Highness knows the crux of the court, and the court ministers are all clear, but it is clear that it is clear, whether it can be done is another matter."

"This Su Ze came to the capital to rescue Yu Dayou back then, and I met him once."

King Yu asked curiously, "What does Su Ze look like?"

Gao Gong sighed and said: "If this person can assist His Highness, he will be like Zhuge Wuhou!"

King Yu said in surprise: "Master Gao thinks so highly of Su Ze?"

Gao Gong sighed again and said: "Looking at the current situation in Fujian and Zhejiang, Su Ze knows everything about politics, military affairs, economics, and economics. The opera "Three Dreams" written by him is still the most famous piece in the capital, and its name has surpassed that of Wang Shizhen. Isn't such a person the talent of Zaifu?"

King Yu was silent.

Gao Gong continued: "Tan Lun's "Seven Strategies for Combating Thieves" is an upright approach and is not used by the court. Now everyone in the court is placing their hope on the border troops going south to quell the rebellion."

King Yu hurriedly asked, "Isn't it okay?"

Gao Gong said: "Of course it can be done. This Su Ze has the talent for governing the world, but Fujian and Zhejiang are still too few people. Su Ze's foundation is still shallow. If a military victory can interrupt Su Ze's pace of expansion , then the imperial court can rely on a wider territory and manpower to overwhelm them."

King Yu didn't know whether it was due to drinking or hearing the good news. He said with rosy cheeks:

"Doesn't that mean that as long as the border troops move south next year, the Soviet Union Rebellion will be put down?"

Gao Gong put down his wine glass and said: "Your Highness, all the princes in the court are saying that it is enough for the frontier troops to go south, as if the frontier troops go south can solve all problems."

"This minister is saying that it is a victory. If the frontier army goes south and loses the battle, the imperial court's collapse will be even faster!"

King Yu's face turned pale all of a sudden.

Gao Gong continued: "The Su thieves are only occupying two provinces and two prefectures now. If you use Tan Lun's prescription, you will have rotten sores on your body. The best way is to take medicine slowly and take care of your body. It will be fine if you make up for the shortfall.”

"But waiting for the frontier army to go south now is equivalent to taking a dose of strong medicine. Either the medicine will cure the disease, or the strong medicine will not work, and the rotten sores will spread instead. At that time, the medicine will be difficult to cure."

King Yu had studied medical science himself because of his poor health. He immediately understood the metaphor of Gao Gong.

The two capitals and thirteen provinces of Ming Dynasty, although Fujian and Zhejiang are relatively developed areas, they are only a small part of the area for Ming Dynasty.

If he followed Tan Lun's method to become stronger, then with Ming's size he would definitely be able to overwhelm Su Ze.

However, the most neutral and peaceful medicine is not used by the imperial court. Now the emperor and the ministers are pinning their hopes on the powerful medicine of "frontier troops going south". It seems that as long as the frontier troops go south, everything will be fine.

Gao Gong's words shattered King Yu's illusions. Although the frontier army has combat effectiveness, who said they will definitely win?
In the matter of war, the military gods in history lead troops, and the outcome of the war is also unknown.

If more people will definitely win, then Fu Jian will definitely protest that he fought a fake war.

King Yu's face looked ugly.

"Master Gao, what can you teach me?"

Gao Gong picked up the dishes and said, "For His Highness personally, you just need to be careful in your words and deeds, and don't get involved in court disputes."

"King Jing has already resigned from the vassal, Yan Song and his son have fallen, and the court has finally stabilized. As long as His Highness does not make a big mistake, Your Majesty will never recall King Jing."

King Yu clenched his fists and said, "Master Gao still wants the lonely king to bear it?"

Gao Gong nodded and said, "For Your Highness, Ninja is naturally the best choice."

King Yu raised his head and said, "What about Yu Guo?"

Gao Gong stood up and said, "Yu Guo, is Your Highness really going to do this?"

King Yu nodded and said: "My ancestor Jiangshan, if I don't do something alone, what face would I have to go underground to meet my ancestors!"

Gao Gong looked at King Yu and said, "Yu Guo, there are ready-made examples to learn from."

"example?"

"Su Ze."

Gao Gong said: "What did Su Ze do before the rebellion? Has Your Highness ever thought about why the Fujian and Zhejiang rebels are so powerful?"

This was beyond the scope of King Yu's brain to think about, and he looked at Gao Gong dully.

Gao Gong sighed, his disciple could be regarded as a middle-aged man at best, and compared with the emperor on the dragon throne, he was even more "stupid".

The only advantage of Yu Wang is probably that he can listen to advice.

Gao Gong said: "Promoting production and breeding, this is what Su Ze did before the rebellion."

"If Your Highness participates too much in important affairs of the imperial court, His Majesty will be afraid of you. You can learn from Su Ze and start by using the techniques of managing the world."

"Su Ze opened sea trade in Fuzhou, and the imperial court could also open sea trade in Dengzhou, as well as trade in the border market of Datong. It is said that most of the military expenses Su Ze spent on training the new army were earned through sea trade."

"In addition, the various workshops in "Tiangong Kaiwu" are also the techniques of enriching the country."

King Yu was overjoyed after hearing Gao Gong's words. He immediately said:
"Princess Yu's family is proficient in this way, so I can let Princess Yu's natal family handle these matters!"

Gao Gong opened his mouth, but finally closed it.

His original intention was to persuade King Yu to support industry and commerce, but he did not expect that King Yu's first thought was to make Princess Yu's natal family rich.

Gao Gong's will is even weaker. Does King Yu really not understand what he means, or is he pretending to be confused?

Gao Gong was already a little drunk, and he was too lazy to delve into King Yu's state of mind.

It was obvious that he had only had two drinks. Although Gao Gong didn't hold a lot of alcohol, that's not the case?

"Your Highness, is such fine wine a gift from the palace?"

King Yu said: "This is the most popular jade pot spring in the capital. It was sent to the house by Concubine Li's brother."

"Yuhuchun? Which time-honored wine in the capital?"

King Yu was stunned for a moment and said, "It seems to be wine from Zhejiang, which was sold to the capital by southern merchants."

Zhejiang?

Gao Gong and Yu Wang looked at each other, and immediately put down the wine bowl in their hands. Gao Gong suddenly felt that the table of wine and food was boring.

The imperial court gave Gao Gong a very tight time to take office. The next day, Gao Gong left the capital in a carriage. Except for his own manuscripts, Gao Gong left all the books to King Yu.

King Yu also acted immediately, and invited Li Guozhang, the father of his concubine Li, to the palace.

Concubine Li's family was poor, and Li Guozhang was originally just a bricklayer. It was only after his daughter gave birth to the emperor's grandson that he gradually made his fortune and started to do some imperial food business.

Concubine Li is a smart person, and she keeps a low profile in Prince Yu's Mansion, but no matter how low-key Li Guozhang is, he is also a relative of the emperor. Although Daming's relatives are far less prominent than before, Li Guozhang is not satisfied with being a rich man.

Hearing what his son-in-law King Yu said, Li Guozhang's eyes lit up.

However, King Yu said with some hesitation: "Master Gao asked me to breed and start a business, but now what kind of business can the capital have?"

Li Guozhang rolled his eyes and immediately said: "Your Highness! I often hear that the most profitable business nowadays is cotton weaving!"

"The fields of Xu Ge's hometown in Songjiang Mansion have all been converted into weaving and tailoring workshops, and now the entire nine winter clothes are supplied by Xu's family!"

"I heard that Mr. Xu Ge is known as Ban Huating in Songjiang Mansion! Half of the weavers in Huating are working for his family!"

King Yu frowned. Xu Jie had a good official reputation in the capital, but he didn't expect to have such a big property in Songjiang Mansion.

Wait, isn't Songjiang mansion taken over by Su thieves?Why is the property of Xu Ge's hometown still in Songjiang Mansion?

Xu Ge's hometown in Songjiang Mansion sent winter clothes to the Bian Jun, and the Bian Jun would go south to fight Songjiang Mansion in the coming year, King Yu suddenly felt a little dizzy.

Seeing his son-in-law's expression, Li Guozhang immediately said: "I don't understand those important military affairs, but I also think that such a big matter as the frontier army's winter clothes, how can I leave it all to the Xu family!"

"And what is the difficulty of spinning and weaving? I heard that it is written in "Heavenly Creation", isn't it? Find some weavers who are good at weaving in the capital, and then build looms according to the drawings."

"If the clothes are woven in the capital, it would be closer to send them to Jiubian."

King Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately said to Li Guozhang: "Then I will trouble my father-in-law to manage it! I will play for the emperor right now!"

The next day, King Yu went up to play and bought Jiubian winter clothes in Songjiang Mansion. He was suspected of being an enemy and asked the imperial court to buy Jiubian soldiers' winter clothes near the capital.

The emperor immediately approved the memorial, and Xu Jie, the chief minister of the cabinet, immediately submitted a memorial of apology, stating that the Xu family's properties would be withdrawn from Songjiang Mansion immediately.

Naturally, the emperor would not change the chief minister of the cabinet at this time, and the memorial to the pleading guilty would not be issued, and the emperor decreed to comfort Mr. Xu Ge.

The next day, relying on newspaper news, news of Tan Lun's escape from Nanjing reached the capital, and the emperor was furious.

Previously relying on the impeachment of Hu Zongxian's superior speech officer Lu Fengyi, he wrote a letter again. The target of this attack is the opening of Dengzhou.

Lu Fengyi said that the Su thief was hiding in the capital. After getting the news in the capital, he immediately sent it to Jiangnan by Dengzhou Clippers, which led to the escape of Tan Lun and other prisoners.

Lu Fengyi said that because of the famine in Nine Borders, the imperial court opened the port of Dengzhou to transport military rations. Now that the famine in Nine Borders has been resolved, it should follow the old system of Hongwu to ban the sea and close the port of Dengzhou again.

Lu Fengyi also said that because the imperial court opened a port in Songjiang, Fuzhou, the people's hearts were in turmoil, and finally they followed the Su thieves. She also said that Dengzhou is an important town in the north, and the old things in Fusong cannot be repeated.

As expected, Lu Fengyi's memorial was approved by the emperor. Lu Fengyi was promoted to Zuo Qiandu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and was promoted two levels again.

Just when all the officials in the capital were holding back their memorials at home, they were preparing to "admonish the king and make the world known".

Su Ze is visiting the iron-making blast furnace near Fuzhou with Eunuch Tao.

(End of this chapter)

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