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Chapter 386 I can’t survive anymore

"...Your Majesty, I forgive you. I have not traveled to many states. I can't think of a place that is far away from villages and towns, has convenient transportation and is close to water sources." Zhou Daodeng lowered his head and clasped his hands together as if to recall from memory. I searched hard, but unfortunately I couldn't find it after a long time of searching. I bowed deeply again with a sly smile on my face.

"Well, if you don't understand, you just don't understand. It is in line with my advocacy of seeking truth from facts..." Hong Tao nodded, deliberately paused mid-sentence, and glanced at the others.

"..." The response he got was silence and evasive looks. Even Wang An was unwilling to look directly at him. Only Wang Chengen looked around stupidly.

"But just being able to seek truth from facts can only make you a direct minister, but not a capable minister. Now that the imperial court is reforming and eliminating abuses, it is the time to employ people. It is not enough to have direct ministers, and more capable ministers are needed. Since Zhou Shangshu can seek truth from facts, it is not as good as Take a step forward and try again to see if you can be a capable minister. I will leave it to you to supervise the construction of the Woolen Mill."

Originally, Hong Tao planned to hand over the construction of the woolen mill to Ye Xianggao's supervision. Although Fang Congzhe was trying hard to improve his status, he had to abide by the rules as a lackey, and there was a first come first served basis. The reuse of Fang Congzhe is just urging Ye Xianggao to work harder, and there is no idea of ​​replacing him.

But Zhou Daodeng's performance made Hong Tao temporarily change his mind. It seemed more important to let Ye Xianggao panic for a few days and use the opportunity of building a factory to test whether Zhou Shangshu was as useless as the legend said.

The emperor's assignment once again caused the room to fall into silence. The difference from last time was that everyone raised their faces, with various contents in their eyes, and turned to Zhou Daodeng.

Zhou Daodeng could feel the huge energy released in the eyes of his colleagues, which was very fiery. They seemed to be asking: You kid is hiding so deeply that you didn't even notice that you had the ability to hide things from others before. But don’t be too happy too early, we’ll see whether it’s a blessing or a curse!

The content in these eyes was what Zhou Daodeng did not expect and was deeply afraid of. How could he, who was born into a well-known family, be a novice in politics? It was not because he was not smart enough, otherwise he would not be able to pass the imperial examination even if he entered the Imperial Academy. .

The reason why he behaved in a muddle-headed manner was entirely because he had lost confidence in the status quo. When he was a boy, he also wanted to be a big shot, and he was willing to achieve a great cause by cultivating himself, managing his family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world.

Relying on his family background, he came into contact with many local officials and even high-ranking officials in the DPRK, preparing to pave the way for an official career. But gradually he discovered that this road might not work. The actions of the emperor and courtiers seemed unable to make the country strong, and he should not be able to influence the current situation by relying on his own abilities.

As a result, Zhou Daodeng was not full of enthusiasm in his youth. Instead, he became prematurely old and completely lost interest in the glory of his ancestors in high school after ten years of hard work. But he is still a mortal after all. He cannot resist the power of his family and can only follow the path arranged by his elders.

After entering the official career, Zhou Daodeng quickly strengthened his previous judgment. Even though the emperor was working hard to innovate and introduce new things and achieved certain results, in his opinion, it was just a return to the past. A small number of royalists alone cannot defeat the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. This has been proven countless times in history, and it would be in vain to try again.

But there was one person whom he admired from the bottom of his heart, that was Navy Governor Yuan Keli. From his perspective, the main force of the New Deal was not the emperor, nor Li Zhi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, but Yuan Keli.

If the navy did not provide sufficient support to the royalists, let alone the implementation of the New Deal, similar decrees would probably not be able to leave the Forbidden City. At the same time, it was equivalent to putting all the blame on his shoulders. Once the New Deal failed, it would be fine as long as the emperor surrendered to the civil servant group, but Yuan Keli would have to be ruined. From the bottom of his heart, Zhou Daodeng also wanted to be such a heroic figure who could turn the tide, even if he ended up in pieces. However, he asked himself that he did not have the courage and courage of Yuan Keli. Thinking about his wife and children, and then thinking about his family, he no longer had the courage to give it a try, so he could only pray for Yuan Keli secretly.

How should I put it, Zhou Daodeng did not think Emperor Jingyang was a wise king. The first is that they are not smart enough. In history, all emperors who have accomplished something will show their unique talents when they are young. For example, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Even Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, who came from the most humble background, is said to have a magnificent appearance.

However, Emperor Jingyang was neither talented nor extraordinary. If I had to use one word to describe him, he would be mediocre. It is said that before becoming the prince, there was no systematic enlightenment. Even if he became the prince, it was the result of the struggle between the emperor and the civil servant group, and it had basically nothing to do with his own ability.

As for the various actions after he ascended the throne, Zhou Daodeng did not personally experience it, and it is impossible to determine whether it was due to the emperor's strategizing based on rumors alone. In particular, choosing himself to be the Minister of Civil Affairs further confirms this analysis. But who is a wise emperor who would choose to let an official like himself who is obviously just waiting for death to take such an important position?

"...I, I don't know how to weave or build a factory, so I'm afraid I might make a mistake. My life is of the least importance, but Your Majesty's mutual trade plan is the most important thing." In line with the principle of protecting one's own safety, Zhou Daodeng planned to give in in exchange for the support of his colleagues. tolerant.

The method is very simple. Doesn't the emperor always emphasize seeking truth from facts? Well, let's follow your routine. Frankly speaking personally won't help. It's time to change someone. It would be even better if he offended the emperor and was demoted because of this. It would be more comfortable to take the opportunity to step out of the undercurrent of the court and become a local official of a state or county.

"No...hehehe, Zhou Shangshu, you may not be familiar with my habits. No one can say whether you can do something or not. Only I can make the decision. If I say you can do it, you can do it if you can't; I say If you don't make it, you won't make it.

People are not born knowing it, they must learn it through habit. You only supervise the construction, and other people will handle the specific matters. See more, think more, summarize more, report more, and interfere less. This is the only help I can give you. "

No matter how Zhou Daodeng tried to shirk the blame, Hong Tao would not let him slip by. It will be difficult to hang around this time. In the woolen mill, there are not only members of the emperor, but also members of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers and the cabinet's bachelors, including himself, of course. Not doing well? If it's just a little bit close or a day late, someone will fix it without waiting for the emperor to take action.

"Your Majesty..." Even after saying this, Zhou Daodeng seemed to be still struggling, refusing to accept the order and thank him happily.

"You are not allowed to resign on the pretext of illness. If your arm is broken, I will send you a royal guard to drive you. If your leg is broken, I will hire a four-wheeled carriage to accompany you!"

Hong Tao felt that the order given just now was not very strict. If this guy went out of his way to resign, or took sick leave to injure himself, he could still escape. If not, the loopholes must also be filled.

(End of this chapter)