The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 470 Some Arrangements

Jiang Li is dead.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Jingke rushed to the scene, a brothel.

Here we saw Jiang Li’s body, which was stiff and had a blue-gray face.

Judging from his appearance and the blood splattered everywhere, he must have struggled violently before his death.

There was also a female corpse in the room. Her face looked very calm and she seemed to be smiling.

"It should be that when she was enjoying herself and had no time to take precautions, someone stabbed her carotid artery with a hairpin..."

"The blow was fatal and the method was very skillful. The murderer must have practiced before."

After inspecting the scene, the coroner gave his own judgment.

"My lord, please look at this..." A Jinyiwei handed over a few pages of paper.

Chen Jingke snatched it and flipped through it. On it were the last words of the female corpse:

She was originally the daughter of an official, but her family was destroyed when she was a child because of being framed by the Imperial Guards.

She was also sold to a brothel and fell into misery.

……

In short, after being resold several times, she settled down in this brothel.

Then I discovered that Jiang Li would come to the brothel to relax every once in a while.

This gave her an opportunity for revenge.

So she revealed her identity as an official's daughter in order to attract Jiang Li's attention.

Jiang Li was indeed fooled.

It’s a bad habit of men that after women have played around a lot, they like to try something different.

Being a young lady from an official family who has fallen into poverty and misery has a different kind of feeling.

Especially since this woman's family was destroyed by him, the feeling is even more exciting.

So, he died.

After reading the letter, Chen Jingke's face turned pale:
"Deserved it."

He knew that Jiang Li had this problem, especially after going on a mission, he would definitely come to the brothel for entertainment.

Not only him, but most of the dignitaries and literati of this era have this hobby.

It is also beautifully called elegance.

The imperial court repeatedly banned it.

He made great efforts in the extermination of Kong Jiang Li this time, and his family members were sent away, so he came to the brothel out of habit.

Then, this woman found an opportunity and killed him.

After killing him, the woman wrote a suicide note and committed suicide.

I also hope not to implicate other people, I am just here for revenge.

Du Tongli carefully took the suicide note, flipped through it for a few seconds, and immediately said to his subordinates:
"Compare this woman's handwriting to see if it's her own."

Subordinates immediately began to search and compare.

Du Tongli asked Chen Jingke again: "My Lord, look at the emperor..."

Chen Jingke said coldly: "Investigate all the people who are related. I will tell the emperor myself."

Du Tongli breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Yes, I'll send someone to check it out right away."

Chen Jingke paused, patted his shoulder and said:

"Take care of yourself."

Du Tongli lowered his head unnaturally. Sitting in this position, it was impossible to be truly clean.

Just like Jiang Li, is he loyal?

Loyal, no doubt, but not a good guy.

He had checked the woman who committed suicide and found that her experience was basically consistent with what was written in her suicide note.

Jiang Li probably never dreamed that he would die like this.

What about yourself?
Afterwards, Chen Jingke entered the palace and reported the situation on the scene to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he laughed: "What a cowardly death, he deserved it."

"We have repeatedly warned officials not to visit prostitutes, but they all turned a deaf ear to us. Now he is dying in a woman's belly."

Even curse words came out, which showed how angry he was.

But after calming down, he said with a gloomy face: "Do you really believe what the suicide note said?"

Chen Jingke replied: "The Jinyiwei found out the identity of the female assassin, and it is roughly the same as the suicide note."

"Compared with her previous handwriting, the suicide note was indeed written by her."

"And she shouldn't show any signs of being coerced, otherwise Jiang Li wouldn't have missed it."

"In other words, the assassination was most likely done voluntarily by her."

"As to whether there is someone behind her, it remains to be verified."

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "I'm not asking you to analyze it for me, I'm asking you what you think."

Chen Jingke said: "I really want to say that this is revenge by some people, but we have no evidence."

"Not only can we not make this question public, we have to announce to the public that Jiang Li was killed by the enemy girl."

Not to mention that there is no evidence, even if there is evidence, this matter is not suitable for public disclosure.

Because once it is made public, the emperor and his subjects will fall into endless suspicion and killing.

"Even if our guess is true, those people's purpose is only to kill Jiang Li to avenge the Kong family and Neo-Confucianism. They will not have any other ideas."

"In fact, you have been mentally prepared for this, otherwise you would not have sent all of Jiang Li's family away."

"It's just that Jiang Li's death was indeed very cowardly, which is a little hard for you to accept."

Zhu Yuanzhang still could not accept this reason and said, "No, we must find out clearly."

"We won't be able to sleep or eat well until this matter is thoroughly investigated."

"What are you checking?" It was Empress Ma, who came over with the support of Zhu Xiongying.

When the news of Jiang Li's death reached the palace, Zhu Xiongying realized that something was wrong and immediately ran to move Empress Ma over.

Chen Jingke hurried over to support her other side.

Ma sat down next to Lao Zhu and said, "Don't you think the world is chaotic enough?"

"If the ruler regards his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will regard the ruler as their own heart and soul."

"If the ruler treats his subjects like dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler like a fellow countryman."

"If the ruler treats his subjects like grass, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy."

"You are decisive and have indeed solved many problems and cleared the way for change."

“But you have to remember that too much is as bad as too little.”

"You shout for war and killing every day, and you wish you could dissect people's hearts and take a closer look."

"Which minister can be at ease, and who dares to serve you?"

Old Zhu was speechless.

If someone else dared to say that, he would have been furious long ago.

But Empress Ma said that he could only listen obediently.

He also subconsciously put the jade ruyi used for scratching his itch into his sleeve.

Because Empress Ma really dared to hit him with the Jade Ruyi.

He broke one last time, and he was heartbroken for a long time.

Madam Ma continued, “If Biaoer hadn’t cleaned up the mess for you, the Ming Dynasty would have been in chaos six years ago.”

"We finally have this great situation, and you want to do whatever you want, right?"

"Don't you see how old you are? How many years can you live?"

"It's too much trouble. Do you have the time to clean up the mess?"

"You don't want to hand over such a mess to Xiongying, do you?"

This is the root of the problem, time.

Mr. Zhu is already seventy years old this year.

It is rare for a person to live to be seventy. Even though you are still strong now, it will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Now we should think about the stable transfer of power instead of doing whatever we want.

In the previous life, in the North and South List case, Zhu Yuanzhang only dealt with one or two people. Wasn’t it because of this concern?

Of course, in his previous life, Zhu Yunwen lacked ability and prestige, so he had to make certain compromises.

Leave a relatively stable Ming Dynasty to your grandson.

It’s a pity that Zhu Yunwen is a typical example of someone who can lose even when a flying dragon hits his face.

All of Lao Zhu's plans came to nothing.

Fortunately, Zhu Di finally won the world and no outsiders gained any advantage.

In this life, Zhu Xiongying's ability and prestige are enough to control the situation, but his methods are a little bit harsh.

At the age of seventy, he still suppressed the Confucian school and Neo-Confucianism.

But this is enough. If we continue, I am afraid it will be a bad ending.

Although Zhu Xiongying can keep the situation under control, that's no reason for you to be willful.

Empress Ma said this in a tactful way, but the meaning behind her words was quite serious.

Lao Zhu said a little aggrievedly: "We just want to find those people out, so as not to leave hidden dangers for Xiongying, not to do whatever we want."

Madam Ma sighed, "When the water is too clear, there will be no fish."

"Don't say you have no evidence, it's just suspicion."

"Even if we find suspicious points, what can we do? If we continue to investigate, it will only be an endless tug of war between the emperor and his subjects."

"It is indeed a pity that Jiang Li died, but this is also the result of the cause he planted in the beginning."

"Listen to me, check it out and publish the girl's suicide note as the truth."

"Then let's end this matter here."

Empress Ma's words were still very effective. Although Mr. Zhu was very reluctant, he still accepted her advice.

This made Chen Jingke put his worries to rest.

The death of Jiang Li could be a big deal or a small one. If it is investigated on a larger scale, Neo-Confucianism and even the entire Confucianism, as well as the branches of the Kong family, will inevitably be implicated.

As for Lao Zhu’s original intention, it doesn’t matter.

As long as he plants the seeds of doubt, they will inevitably be used by those below him and turned into a sword of authority to unite factions and eliminate dissidents.

By then, the entire country will fall into endless turmoil.

Let alone reform, it is hard to say whether normal administrative operations can be guaranteed.

Over time, it will only arouse the resentment of people all over the world.

To put it bluntly, people all over the world follow you because they hope that you can govern the country well and everyone can live a good life.

It’s not meant for you to bother with it every day.

You make life difficult for everyone every day, so who would want to follow you?

But Madam Ma was clearly not done yet. After talking about Old Zhu, she pointed her gun at Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying:
"You two should not think that His Majesty is worrying for no reason."

"Those people may not dare to have other ideas about you now. If you reveal your flaws, they don't mind taking risks at the critical moment."

"Not to mention the distant past, the Yuan Dynasty lasted for a total of ninety-seven years, with eleven emperors."

"However, Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty reigned for 23 years, Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty reigned for 30 years, so the two of them together occupied 53 years."

"In the remaining 44 years, there were nine emperors, an average of one every five years. The shortest was even killed after only a few months in office."

"Why is this so?"

"It's because power has fallen into the wrong hands. The monarch is unable to protect himself, and his life and death are entirely dependent on the will of the powerful ministers."

"Therefore, you must protect yourself at all times and never put your life or death in the hands of others."

The two quickly replied: "Yes, we know."
-
Jiang Li’s death could not be concealed and soon became a hot topic.

Some say he was killed by his enemies, some say it was revenge by the Confucius family, and some say it was revenge by Neo-Confucianism.

Overall, his death was generally applauded.

But there was a group of people who became anxious and uneasy, and they were the civil servants.

This looks like an act of revenge no matter how you look at it.

Moreover, who would everyone think of first when he died at this critical moment? Neo-Confucianism and the Confucian branch.

Of course, it is also possible that other people put the blame on the two families.

Thinking of this, everyone became suspicious.

That’s fine, but I’m afraid the emperor thinks the same way.

If we really follow this line of thought to investigate, I don’t know how many people will die.

By then, I don’t know how many of them will be dragged into this.

For a time, everyone had an even worse impression of Neo-Confucianism, and any remaining thoughts about the Kong family were also extinguished.

No matter whether you did it or not, I'm just scolding you anyway.

Just as they worried, Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry and asked the Jinyiwei to thoroughly investigate the case.

Just when everyone thought that bloody storm was about to break out again.

However, a few days later, Du Tongli gave an unexpected answer.

After investigation, it was found that the woman was indeed seeking revenge, and no other hidden secrets were discovered.

What was even more unexpected was that Lao Zhu actually accepted this answer.

He expressed regret for Jiang Li's death and ordered a grand funeral.

As for the forces behind the brothel, their properties were confiscated and they were exiled.

There's nothing they can do. The incident happened in their family and they can't avoid taking responsibility.

What's more, they are not wronged.

Let’s put it this way, how many of those who run brothels are good guys?
Jiang Li's death was completely a matter of raising him high and then letting him go lightly.

All the ministers couldn't believe the result.

So much so that some people wondered whether the emperor was trying to paralyze everyone.

However, confirmed news soon came out that the emperor was indeed furious and demanded a thorough investigation.

He was dissuaded by Empress Ma.

In addition, Empress Ma also defined the case as revenge by the daughter of an unjustly murdered official.

Not only that, she also paid for the woman's burial out of her own pocket.

It turned out that it was Empress Ma who took action.

The ministers suddenly realized what was going on and were relieved that they had been hanging in the balance.

In fact, no one is stupid.

It is clear that in this matter, Lao Zhu chose to keep quiet.

At the same time, it also officially sends a signal to the outside world, a relatively peaceful signal.

Now that the matter has come to an end, he will not make any big moves anymore, so everyone should just calm down and do what they need to do.

This is a reassuring signal for everyone in the Ming Dynasty.

But Lao Zhu is still Lao Zhu, and he is never the type to suffer in silence.

He used the Jiang Li incident to formally legislate to crack down on officials visiting prostitutes.

Once discovered, there will be no room for negotiation and the person will be dismissed immediately.

Chen Jingke also took the opportunity to add a few more rules, such as no drinking or gambling while on duty, and anyone found doing so would be dismissed on the spot.

Not only will he be dismissed from his post, but if serious consequences are caused, his direct superior will also be dismissed.

Many officials could not stand this and found various reasons to oppose it.

What if some lower-level officials deliberately do something bad?

But it was obviously useless to negotiate conditions with Zhu Yuanzhang, and these articles were directly written into the Ming Dynasty laws.

In the next two months, the political situation indeed entered a stable period.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not call for war anymore, but gradually delegated power to the crown prince, allowing him to sort out the disrupted administrative system.

The other positions are easy to deal with. As the powerful prince, Zhu Xiongying has his own team and is not short of talented people.

The difficult part is the cabinet scholar.

"Liu Xiao and Zhao Shucai were killed, Duke Han and Duke Wei wanted to retire, and Shang Xueshi also submitted his resignation."

"There are seven cabinet scholars, and five of them are gone all of a sudden. Where can I find so many people?"

Faced with this situation, Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but feel a headache.

He could select other officials according to his needs, except cabinet scholars.

This position requires not only ability but also prestige.

Without sufficient prestige, no one below will be convinced and nothing can be done.

Chen Jingke was also having a headache and said, "Let's solve them one by one first. The position of Duke Wei is the easiest to handle. His successor can only be chosen from the military."

Zhu Xiongying was amused: "That's the military spokesperson, do you think he's a good choice?"

"Why, you don't want Duke Liang or Boss Xu to come?"

Chen Jingke also laughed and said, "How is that possible? Duke Liang (Lan Yu) has enough experience, but his personality is really not suitable for this job."

"Let's not talk about Boss Xu's qualifications, the fact that he is the Crown Princess's brother is not acceptable."

One of the main reasons why Xu Da decided to retreat at this time was because of his relationship with Xu Miaojin.

After all, we still need to be on guard against our in-laws.

Zhu Xiongying asked: "Who do you think is suitable for the position?"

At this point, he suddenly thought of a candidate and said, "How about Li Jinglong?"

Chen Jingke quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, he doesn't have enough qualifications and talent."

"Li Jinglong is a good minister of war, but he has too many shortcomings to be a cabinet scholar."

Currently, the Minister of War is in charge of military logistics, while training, combat and other tasks are under the responsibility of the Five Military Governors' Office.

After traveling through time, Chen Jingke had a lot of dealings with Li Jinglong. He was also very interested in this historical celebrity and made a point to learn more about him.

I also listened to some famous generals' comments on him.

For example, Xu Da believed that Li Jinglong was cautious and careful in character, but his use of troops was conventional and lacked spirituality.

He was able to manage logistics and deploy troops perfectly, but he failed in handling emergencies.

It can be said that he is an excellent Minister of War, but being the head of the military is no joke.

The military’s representatives in the cabinet are not just there to protect the military’s interests.

There is also a more important task, which is to provide military advice and reference to the emperor and other ministers.

If it really comes to a critical moment and the court is waiting for him to judge the situation, he would be led into the ditch.

Zhu Xiongying naturally knew his father-in-law's evaluation of Li Jinglong, and said helplessly:
"If that doesn't work, then choose one of the veterans to do it first."

It’s not that there are really no suitable candidates. Mu Chun, Mei Yin and others are more than qualified in terms of qualifications, abilities and status.

However, Mei Yin is now in charge of Sichuan, Mu Chun is in charge of Yunnan, and the others each have important tasks to do, and none of them can be left without.

In fact, the new generation of generals who grew up after the founding of the Ming Dynasty are currently in their rising period.

Either he is fighting in wars to accumulate military merit, or he is guarding a place to hone his abilities. He has no time to serve in the central government.

To be a cabinet scholar, one must be at least 50 or 60 years old.

In the end, they chose one among the veterans.

Cao Zhen, Marquis of Jingchuan.

This person may not be very famous, but in his previous life he was executed as an accomplice of Lan Yu, so everyone knows who he is.

A die-hard fan of Zhu Xiongying's faction.

His ability in commanding troops and fighting wars was not particularly outstanding, but his ability in building up the army and cultivating land was commendable.

There are also some merits in his assessment of the situation.

After all, he was one of the founding dukes and had experience in leading troops in battle independently.

As long as Xu Da, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng and others do not come out, there will be no problem for him to serve as the military's spokesperson in the cabinet.

Next is the selection of the Shangshu on the administrative side.

"Fu An, the Governor-General of Nanyang, was the candidate that had been decided long ago."

"Besides, Fu Zhong is doing a good job over there, so it's a good opportunity to promote him."

"Zhan Hui, the Minister of Personnel, has the ability and qualifications to join the cabinet."

The name Zhan Hui is also not very eye-catching, but he was also killed in the Lan Yu case in his previous life.

The only thing missing from him is the label of Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiongying, so he can be used with confidence.

There were still two vacancies left, but Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying did not decide on the candidates themselves.

After all, Old Zhu and Zhu Biao are still in power, and we have to seek their opinions on such a big matter.

There are two spots left, so I'll go ask them.

Go find Lao Zhu first, and he will tell you directly, you guys can do whatever you want.

This means complete decentralization.

The two went to find Zhu Biao again.

After more than a year of treatment, and the stimulation of the birth of three children in succession, his ability to move is gradually recovering.

Now I can move my right hand by myself and my right leg can also move slightly.

But the left side of the body still showed no reaction.

In fact, everyone knows that there is no possibility of recovery on the left side.

Being able to recover to the current state is the result of devoting all the current top medical resources.

Zhu Biao himself was quite open-minded: "It's much better now than being paralyzed in bed. One should be content with what one has."

"These are all the blessings that my three little treasures have brought me."

Everyone is happy that he can take things in a positive light.

As for the selection of cabinet scholars, he did not delay, but directly gave two candidates.

Two candidates that were completely beyond Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying's expectations, but also very reasonable.

Fu Youwen, the Left Supervisor of the Gold Banknote Bureau, and Zhao Zhi, the Minister of the Honglu Temple.

Fu Youwen was the left supervisor of the Gold Banknote Bureau, and the first person in charge.

He is also one of Zhu Biao's core team members and is trustworthy.

If Zhu Xiongying wants to make drastic changes next, he must have an accurate grasp and prediction of various numbers.

Fu Youwen can take on this task.

Another point is that he is Fu Youde's cousin and has a very deep relationship with the nobles.

It is a kind of appeasement to the noble group.

Zhao Zhi, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, once served as an envoy to Japan and had a deep friendship with the Japanese royal family and ministers.

Later, when the Ming Dynasty opened up to the sea, he was the first person to be sent as an envoy, and together with Geng Zimao, he destroyed the Kingdom of Luzon.

He eventually became the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, where he achieved remarkable results.

Thanks to his assistance, Zhu Xiongying created new diplomatic rules.

The establishment of the subsequent vassal relationship was also inseparable from his advice and suggestions.

It can be said that he is the best at diplomacy in the Ming Dynasty at present.

Zhu Biao said: "The vassal states have been granted, and the standards of the suzerain-vassal system have been established."

“But there is still a long way to go before it can be implemented.”

"Having an experienced official take charge of this matter will save you a lot of trouble."

Chen Jingke had to admit that these two choices were really brilliant.

It can be said that all aspects have been taken into consideration.

Zhu Biao... What a pity, he died too early in his previous life, and became paralyzed too suddenly in this life.

Otherwise there must be something greater.

At this time, Zhu Biao said:

"After so many years of planning, Japan's strength has been greatly weakened."

"There's no point in delaying it any further, and it might even lead to more complications."

"Once Nanyang is stabilized, we can start conquering Japan."

"Zhao Zhi knows the situation over there best. You should listen to his opinions on this matter."

(End of this chapter)