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Chapter 158: The Way of Royalty 2 (Silver Update 9)

"I am just reminding you to nip problems in the bud, but I am speaking from the bottom of my heart. If something is wrong, I will correct it and if it is not, I will encourage you. Get up first, I still have business to discuss! The Nanjing Ministry of War reports, Xiaoling Shrine Superintendent Du Xue and Xiaoling Wei Shen General Chen Liao stole the mausoleum trees and dug up the dragon's veins. Did the Chief of Ceremonies hear about this?"

"My servant also received a report from Zhou Gui who was guarding Nanjing. The Nanjing Ministry of War deducted gunpowder and ammunition from the Xiaoling Guards. The two sides turned against each other and made a false accusation." Wang An immediately became serious when he mentioned the work of the Chief of Ceremonies, and answered very politely. Do not mix personal likes and dislikes.

"In your opinion, is it a false accusation by the Nanjing Ministry of War or a lie by the Nanjing Shrine Superintendent?" Every time Nanjing is mentioned, Hong Tao feels a sense of unknown irritation.

It's not that I have any prejudice against this city, but there is a well-equipped imperial court and palace there.Although appointments are still made by Beijing, it is obviously a waste to have two sets of management teams in one country, not to mention the country's deteriorating financial situation.

However, every time the intention to abolish Nanjing officials was revealed to the cabinet or even the Supervisor of Ceremonies, they were met with strong opposition. The reason was nothing more than clichés such as the land of dragons and the dragon veins of the country, but it was impossible to refute. After all, the ancients had this idea. Things are highly valued.

Hong Tao could also guess the deeper intention. Some officials, especially those in the south, had not yet given up on the idea of ​​moving the capital. Keeping the structure of Nanjing was an important convenience for moving the capital.

Also, it is based on self-interest. Most of the officials in Nanjing are serving as pensioners. They are not watched by the emperor, and there is no fighting in the court. They do not do much work and get a lot of salary in exchange for oil and water.It is estimated that many officials working hard in Beijing regard Nanjing as an escape route, so that they will have a place to go if they lose power.

The ceremonial supervisors also have selfish motives. Like officials, eunuchs have many opportunities for promotion in the imperial palace in the capital, but the competition is still fierce and the dangers are great.If you have the opportunity to work in Nanjing, it is basically the same as paid vacation. You can freely make money. It is not your own money anyway, so why cancel it.

In fact, Hong Tao did not want to completely abolish the Nanjing imperial court. As a companion capital, it could still play a certain role.Economically, materials produced in the south can be gathered nearby for storage in Nanjing and then shipped north in batches.Militarily, Nanjing has the Seventeenth Guards Army, which is also of positive significance in deterring the southern provinces.

But then again, these jobs can be completely replaced by several separate organizations, and there is no need to support so many idle people.According to the archives of the Ministry of Household Affairs, in the third year of Jingyang, thousands of pigs were used for sacrifice in Taichang Temple, Guanglu Temple, Neigongjian, and Shengongjian alone in Nanjing.

The Xiaoling Guards stationed at Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum went even further, with 6000 riders. In addition to rations, each person received an extra three dou per month in the name of training, which amounted to 800 shi in a year.Add to this [-] kilograms of gunpowder, [-] kilograms of lead bullets and [-] taels of practice silver, which sounds painful.

The Xiaoling Guards were responsible for protecting the mausoleum and were not subject to dispatch from the local government or the Ministry of War. They did not have to risk their lives to prepare for war. Hong Tao could guess that at least [-]% of these expenditures went into someone's pocket without asking around.

This year, the Nanjing Ministry of War cut off logistical supplies on the grounds that firing guns, firing cannons, neighing horses, and cutting down trees in Xiaoling Mausoleum would disturb Emperor Taizu Gao. Unless the Xiaoling Guards went to the school grounds to practice, they would not provide anything.

Ordinarily, Hong Tao couldn't completely change this kind of thing. It would be more troublesome to leave it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Cabinet to deal with it as before.But he is not the kind of boss who can rub sand out of his eyes. He can tolerate it when he is incapable. When he has some power in his hand, he always thinks about killing anyone who disobeys him.

This time the Nanjing Ministry of War and the Superintendent of the Shrine were fighting each other, which gave him a hint of the possibility of taking advantage of the chaos.But before the plan is officially launched, it is necessary to scan the details of Nanjing and try to know yourself and the enemy as much as possible to see what the chances of winning are.

"In the past few years, when Japanese pirates broke out along the coast, all the elite Nanjing camp guards were mobilized. Only ten of the existing soldiers were able to complete the training. The remaining soldiers were all old, weak and disabled. The only soldiers who could fight were Xiaoling Guard and Zhenwu Camp.

The Xiaoling Guards were ordered to guard the interior and were commanded by the Palace Supervisor; the Zhenwu Camp was under the control of Zhu Jixun, the Nanjing Guards of Funing. The Nanjing Ministry of War had the post of Counselor and Machinery Officer, but no strong soldiers at hand. "

Wang An still didn't say who was right and who was wrong. He just introduced the current situation of the two parties in detail, leaving it to the emperor to think about it himself.This is also the basic skill of accompanying the emperor. Some emperors don't like to use their brains, so they must take the initiative to offer suggestions.Some emperors like to ponder things, so they should not make decisions on their own and talk about right and wrong.

"Who is Du Xue?" Of course Hong Tao could understand the meaning of the words, but he did not make a judgment immediately, but asked another question.

"A disciple of Tian Yi, he once supervised the army of North Korea. He was quite talented in killing the enemy in front of the battle line and staying calm in times of danger."

"What about Zhou Gui, the eunuch of the inner garrison?" Hong Tao heard a detail from Wang An's narration just now. The Nanjing Ministry of War did not sue the eunuch of the inner garrison of Nanjing, but instead targeted Du Xue, the eunuch of the palace eunuch.According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing's army was mainly governed by three departments, namely, internal garrison, garrison and maintenance counselor.The internal guards are eunuchs, usually from the ceremonial eunuchs in Beijing, who are considered expatriates.The garrison is held by distinguished military generals, while the machine counselor is a civil servant, usually a part-time job served by the Minister of War in Nanjing.

Eunuchs, nobles, and civil servants were the main components of the ruling class of the Ming Dynasty. They had common interests and conflicts with each other.The emperor entrusted the army to their command for the sake of safety and balance, and to prevent the appearance of a single word.

If the Nanjing Ministry of War wanted to seize military power from the eunuchs, the impeachment should be for the internal guards instead of provoking the palace supervisors.Due to the existence of Xiaoling, the status of the Nanjing Shrine Palace Supervisor is much higher than that of the Beijing Shrine Palace Supervisor, so why add another powerful rival.

"Zhou Gui was once the Empress Dowager's long-term attendant, and his status was aloof. Even when Tian Yi was alive, he had to treat Tian Yi with courtesy."

"Oh... tell me again who Fu Ninghou is!"

Wang An's hint worked, and Hong Tao instantly understood why the Nanjing Ministry of War skipped the internal defense and directly impeached the Divine Palace Supervisor's Palm. It seemed that the internal defense was too hard to move, and the Divine Palace Supervisor's Palm was easier to bully in comparison.

"His ancestor Zhu Zhen started his career in Beijing following Emperor Chengzu. He was worshiped as the commander of the Zhongdu Remaining Department, and he gave many gifts to the Baoguo Gong. Zhu Zhen's son Zhu Qian participated in the defense of Beijing during the Zhengtong period, and was promoted to the governor of the left. In the 19th year of Wanli's reign, Zhu Jixun ascended the throne and served as the garrison of Nanjing."

Compared with the description of Zhou Gui, Wang An's attitude towards Funing Hou Zhu Jixun has no personal evaluation such as aloof status. It is the same as reading the household registration book, with no more and no less words.

"Well, this one is not easy to mess with. It seems that Chen Ju is still too soft. Some people think that the Chief of Ceremonies is easy to pinch!"

Now Hong Tao has figured it all out. The Nanjing Ministry of War can neither move the inner guard Zhou Gui nor the noble Zhu Jixun who has been favored for several generations, so he sets his sights on the handprint of the Nanjing Shrine Palace Superintendent.No matter how you compare, Du Xue has the softest foundation and is more likely to succeed.

But here comes the problem. Even if Du Xue has no foundation, he is still sent out from the Li Jian. As the saying goes, when beating a dog, it depends on the owner.Compared with the Empress Dowager and the distinguished nobles, it should be more difficult for the ceremonial supervisor with the support of the emperor to fight. How could he become a soft persimmon?
There seem to be only two answers. First, the reputation of Chen Ju, the chief minister of rites, is not fierce enough and his methods are not strong enough, which gives the outside world the illusion that he can take advantage.

Second, some people want to use this matter to test the emperor's attitude, whether he favors eunuchs or protects officials, or whether he is more responsible than others, or whether it is better to do less than to do more.

Hong Tao prefers to have both.Chen Ju and Tian Yi have similar personalities. They like reading and writing poems. They speak quietly and have a reserved personality, more like a contemporary scholar.

This appearance is very conducive to communication with the cabinet bachelors. Emperor Wanli is also quite good at choosing secretaries. With Tian Yi and Chen Ju supporting him from the front, he will be much more practical if he shrinks in the palace and does not go to court. At least the cabinet and the chief ceremonial supervisor There won't be too many conflicts, and it can barely keep the court running.

When I first came to the throne, my foundation was too weak, so I didn't dare to replace all the senior officials of the Supervisor of Ceremonies at once. Moreover, having the two of them continue to support me from the front would also give the courtiers an illusion of peace of mind.

But as time went by, the hands stretched out longer and longer, and the importance of the ceremonial supervisor became more and more prominent.Not only to stabilize the situation, but also to become the emperor's sword to fight for power everywhere.At this time, Chen Ju's advantage became a shortcoming. He was more than conservative but not aggressive enough.

On the other hand, Wang An's personality is more outgoing, yet calm and tolerant. He has general knowledge and a strong competitive spirit, but he is not jealous and loves talents very much. As long as he finds that his subordinates have real abilities, he will not hesitate to recommend them to the emperor.

If he can get rid of his short temper and being too strict with his subordinates, and gain more experience and skills in political struggles, he will be an excellent candidate to succeed Chen Ju in charge of the affairs of the imperial city in the future.

I originally wanted him to train as the second-in-command of the Supervisor of Ceremonies for a few more years, but now it seems that he can no longer wait. He must be reminded to take the initiative to shoulder the heavy responsibility and gradually grow up in the battle.

(End of this chapter)