Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 178
Just as the two royal guards were about to come over and pull him away, Qian Qianyi suddenly shouted: "I plead guilty, Your Majesty, spare my life, I plead guilty!"

Zhu Tianqi then signaled the two Jinyi guards to step back, and then said: "Since you are willing to plead guilty, then this matter will be easy to handle, and as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, you must also know very well what kind of consequences you will face for what you have done. The end?"

Qian Qianyi showed despair, but he was unable to answer Zhu Tianqi's question. He was very clear about the fate of the treasonous crime, and it was precisely because of this that he felt even more disheartened.

Zhu Tianqi looked at Qian Qianyi and shook his head slightly, "Qian Qianyi, I treat you well, don't I? You were originally dismissed from office due to a case of malpractice in the imperial examination, but I ignored the previous suspicion and promoted you to be the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. I asked you to join the cabinet, but you don't want to serve the country, you just go against me many times, and now you actually want to instigate me and my fifth brother to fight each other, how can you be so vicious?"

However, although there was some regret on Qian Qianyi's face, he did not seem to feel guilty. After all, from his standpoint, it was difficult not to go against the emperor.

Zhu Tianqi could see that it was meaningless to say these words to Qian Qianyi, so he looked solemn and said: "It stands to reason that you will definitely die if you commit such a heinous crime, but I I still decide to give you a way to survive, and whether you can go or not is up to you!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi became more energetic, and his eyes suddenly became bright, and he looked at Zhu Tianqi.

Zhu Tianqi immediately said: "I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for King Xin. King Xin is young and has a long way to go in the future. If he is confused by you and becomes involved with 'rebellion' I am afraid that the stain will never be washed away. When future generations see this part of the historical data, I don’t know what they will think. Maybe I and King Xin, who are good brothers, will also be said to be enemies!

Therefore, I don't intend to make this matter public, but if I don't make it public, it doesn't mean that you can be exonerated. You know this, I know it, I believe Wang knows it, and Jin Yiwei knows it. It's impossible to pretend that nothing happened , as the initiator, you must also pay the price!
So I hope you can write a confession and submit it yourself. The crime should be that you cover up the canal transport officials and engage in malpractice for personal gain. In this way, I can spare your life, but don’t be an official anymore and go back to your hometown to retire. Go for it! "

Although his life was saved, Qian Qianyi felt a little bit lucky, but when he heard that he was going to be dismissed from office and return to his hometown to retire, he suddenly felt a little disappointed, because for someone like him, the end of his official career was also the same as the end of his official career. Almost dead!

Zhu Tianqi saw that Qian Qianyi still seemed a little hesitant, so he said to him again: "Of course, you can refuse and choose to be buried with you with the reputation of King Xin, but I can guarantee that in that case, you can be buried with you before you die. You are going to suffer, after all, you are in the hands of the Jin Yiwei now, and King Xin is the current commander of the Jin Yiwei, he will take good care of you!"

When Qian Qianyi heard this, he immediately shivered for no reason, and Dang even stopped hesitating, and kowtowed on the ground like garlic: "Minister, Qian Qianyi, thank the emperor for not killing me, I have failed the emperor. Thank you for your kindness, I will eat fast and chant Buddha's name every day for the rest of my life, and sincerely repent!"

Zhu Tianqi didn't care whether he spent the rest of his life fasting and chanting Buddha's name, or living and drinking. Since he was willing to agree, this matter had a proper ending and he sent him away with a wave of his hand.

After Qian Qianyi left, Zhu Youjian walked out of the Nuan Pavilion. Zhu Youjian heard clearly the conversation between Zhu Tianqi and Qian Qianyi. He didn't expect that his eldest brother would treat him like this. Well, in order to protect his reputation, he even endured the serious crime of treason committed by Qian Qianyi, and he was immediately moved and ashamed.

He even felt a little disgusted with himself, hating that he had ever thought of seeking power and usurping the throne. Now that he thought about it, he simply had no face to face his brother!
Zhu Tianqi looked at Zhu Youjian, only to see Zhu Youjian standing blankly in front of the door of Nuange, his shoulders shrugged, and he started crying there with tears on his face.

Zhu Tianqi was stunned. Although he talked about "reputation" and "face" when he just talked to Qian Qianyi, he actually didn't care about that stuff. He was immortal anyway and basically wouldn't get involved. When it comes to changing dynasties, and as long as he is in power, doesn't he have the final say in how the history books write it?
What Zhu Tianqi really cares about is the bad influence once this matter is made public. The ministers of the DPRK and China were inspired by Qian Qianyi, and maybe someone will follow suit in the future, so it is better not to make this matter public. The fewer people there are, the better.

As for how to deal with Zhu Youjian, Zhu Tianqi already had a plan. He stood up and walked to Zhu Youjian, raised his hand and patted his shoulder, and said: "Fifth brother, don't cry, this is all for brother's sake." Do it, you don't have to think about it!"

Zhu Youjian held back his tears, but he knelt down and gave Zhu Tianqi a big salute and said: "Brother, please rest assured, I will never do anything to disobey my brother in the future, and I will swear to serve my brother to the death! "

Zhu Tianqi helped Zhu Youjian up from the ground and said comfortingly: "Okay, okay, we don't speak the same language as one family, I believe you!"

At this point, Zhu Tianqi changed the subject, looked embarrassed, and said, "It's just that to be on the safe side, I still have to aggrieve my fifth brother for the time being and leave the capital first and go to the vassal state!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's face was filled with surprise. He was surprised, worried, and even wondered if the emperor no longer trusted him, so he wanted to drive him away.

However, Zhu Tianqi immediately said: "Fifth brother, don't get me wrong. I didn't force you to surrender because I didn't trust you. I just wanted to protect you. Although this matter was handled very low-key, it was inevitable. If the news leaks out, I'm worried that other people with evil intentions will repeat the same trick. At that time, how will you deal with yourself, fifth brother?"

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he suddenly became a little scared, and his doubts were immediately dispelled.

Zhu Tianqi then said to Zhu Youjian: "As for the matter after the feudal clan, you don't have to worry, fifth brother, I will not let you waste the rest of your life in the land of the feudal clan, I plan to open courses for all the feudal kings in the future Recruiting scholars and allowing members of the royal family to serve as officials. At that time, it will be a great opportunity for you, fifth brother, to show off your ambitions!"

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he suddenly understood. He didn't care whether he could take part in the imperial examination. He only cared about whether he could become an official. As long as the door to becoming an official was opened to the royal family, the imperial examination would be nothing more than a passing examination. It's just a cutscene.

After all, today's imperial examinations are a tool for the civil servants to make money by selling their offices and titles. It is a "green channel" for them to cultivate cronies and expand their collective power.However, Zhu Youjian was wrong to think so. How could he have imagined that the imperial examination after Zhu Tianqi's rectification was not only fair and just, but also extremely difficult. He took the exam for three years before being admitted...

Zhu Youjian naturally obeyed Zhu Tianqi's arrangements, and after returning home, he began to prepare to leave Beijing and join the feudal clan.

Qian Qianyi did not delay, and soon handed over a memorandum of apology. Zhu Tianqi also immediately came up with a long-prepared solution and issued the decree.

Qian Qianyi was dismissed from office and his house was confiscated. At the same time, he and everyone else in the Nine Clans would never be hired by the court and would not be allowed to serve as officials in the court for life!
Because it was Qian Qianyi himself who submitted the confession, and the emperor did not kill him or take his life, all the officials in the court had no way to go to court to plead for Qian Qianyi, so everyone went to ask Qian Qianyi privately. Qian Qianyi never mentioned what was going on.

Now everyone is a little confused. If it is said that Qian Qianyi engaged in malpractice for personal gain and was punished for shielding the water transport officials, but none of the officials involved in the water transport received his protection, and neither did those who came to him to intercede. None of them succeeded, so this matter has become a mystery!
However, with Qian Qianyi's departure, the trial of officials involved in water transport went much smoother. In the past, everyone had pinned their hopes on Qian Qianyi, but in the end, even Qian Qianyi was defeated. This is a big deal for them. It was extremely intimidating, and immediately everyone became honest, no longer taking chances, and all obediently confessed their crimes and obeyed the law.

Things went very smoothly. Not only did the water transportation be rectified smoothly, but Qian Qianyi, a big troublemaker, was unexpectedly eliminated. Zhu Tianqi was still in a good mood. The only flaw was that Qian Qianyi was probably He had long thought that his house would be ransacked, so he must have been prepared for it. When Jin Yiwei went to his house to ransack his house, he only found a few thousand taels of silver.

But just run away. Zhu Tianqi doesn't plan to kill him. As long as he doesn't come out to be an official, he is no threat to him. This guy's literary talent is not bad. He writes more poems and compositions at home to leave more memories for future generations. It would also be nice to visit some cultural heritage sites!
Furthermore, how can Jin Yiwei have time to track down Qian Qianyi's family property now? They can't even raid the homes of hundreds of water transport officials. These people are all extremely corrupt. They have gold and silver at home, and they just go to the capital. The ships transporting silver were all connected, and Zhu Tianqi's internal funds once again ushered in a "big harvest".

Regarding the rectification of water transport, Zhu Tianqi did not intend to beat all officials and practitioners in water transport to death with a stick. His rectification of water transport this time mainly targeted water transport officials with higher official positions, without touching the people below.

There are two reasons. One is that the person below, Zhu Tianqi, dare not move easily. Because there are too many officials and employees in water transportation, tens of thousands of people, it is impossible to review them one by one. On the one hand, if there is a large-scale picket and abolition, it will be very difficult. It's easy to cause a big mess.

When Chongzhen abolished the post station, a large number of postmen lost their jobs. These postmen either became social unrest or directly joined the rebel team. This is a bloody lesson!

The second is that Zhu Tianqi does not think that these people at the bottom will be the fundamental problem of water transportation corruption. The so-called "the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked." If the people responsible for management at the top are capable ministers and officials who are honest and dedicated, things will gradually change below. You have to stay safe. Of course, those who are stubborn can also be punished within the system.

But one important point is that this rectification must be carried out "within the system." Once they are kicked out or forced to leave the system, control will be lost.

Regarding the follow-up rectification plan for water transportation, the first is to select more honest and capable officials to fill the vacancies in water transportation. The second is to improve the income level and treatment of officials and employees in water transportation. In the final analysis, it is still necessary to "high salary to maintain integrity." ".

Needless to say, the officials at the upper level of water transportation needless to say that the imperial court has significantly increased the salary level of officials before. Their continued corruption and perversion of the law is purely due to their own selfish desires. Therefore, the imperial court will naturally not increase their salary level and treatment for them.

This salary increase is mainly aimed at lower-level officials, especially the lower-level water transport workers. The situation of these people is very similar to that of the lower-level soldiers in the Ming army. Under the oppression of superior officials, livelihood is a problem. In order to support their families and survive, they must Some people will choose to take risks, do illegal things, even form gangs, and occasionally become water bandits.

Therefore, if we want to solve the problem of water transportation, we must find ways to improve the income level and treatment of lower-level officials and employees, so that the work they do can become a serious job that allows them to support their families through labor, and prevent superiors from They were exploited and oppressed by officials.

Although such a rectification will not only increase the expenditure of the imperial court, but also take a long time to see the results, Zhu Tianqi thinks it is worthwhile, because the expenditure spent by the imperial court on water transportation is different from that of being transported by water every year. Compared with the amount of Tan Mo, it is actually a little less.

Therefore, instead of letting the officials of the water transport take bribes and break the law, it is better to fight against corruption and receive the money from the court, and then the court will distribute the money reasonably to the officials and practitioners of the water transport to build a virtuous circle system.

During the period when the imperial court was rectifying water transport, Zhang Guoji and Zhang Shili had also transported grain and tax money from the south back to Beijing by sea. The sea transport took less than ten days, which was at least one-third faster than water transport. Significantly.

Now that water transport has been rectified and Qian Qianyi was dismissed as a result, no one in the court dared to stand up against the imperial court's promotion of sea transport.

Zhu Tianqi immediately ordered the establishment of a shipping governor's office in the northern and southern capitals to oversee the court's maritime affairs. At this point, Zhang Guoji, the shipping governor, was finally no longer an official with just one title.

Zhang Shili was also appointed as the head of shipping, and became a sixth-rank court official. Although his rank was not high, it was considered "prosperity" for Zhang Shili. After all, with his original status, he would not be able to be an official in eight lifetimes!

What's more, Zhang Shili is very clear in his heart that this "chief" is just the beginning. He will have a bright future in the future, and promotion will not be a problem. After all, he is following Zhang Guoji on errands for the emperor, and it is easier to get the holy title than others. Grace favors you.

(End of this chapter)