Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 152: Ming Emperor Excerpt

After the tea, Chen Yuanyuan bit her lip and looked at the emperor with expectation in her eyes, "Your Majesty, I will rub your shoulders for you."

In an instant, the fragrance filled the air, the charm was overwhelming, and waves of tingling and numbness swept across my back.

It was not until this time that Zhu Changgan finally had time to appreciate Chen Yuanyuan's beauty, her pair of jade feet as smooth as solidified tofu. Her feet were not round, but rather delicate and graceful, as exquisite as the most beautiful jade in the world, making people unable to resist holding them in their hands.

Further up are the rounded and even calves, which suddenly peak at the buttocks and then suddenly tighten... and finally reach their peak at the chest.

Zhu Changgan's gaze finally fell on Chen Yuanyuan's face, which was as proud as the frost and snow.

"Your Majesty..." Chen Yuanyuan's cheeks were as red as thick ink, and the tip of her nose was dotted with twinkling stars under the light, making it look even more crystal clear and smooth.

Zhu Changgan pulled the other person over, and his thousands of black hair suddenly spread out, passing over the desk, sweeping away the papers on it wantonly.

Raindrops were falling outside Chenghua Palace, hitting the rubble.

The leaves at the door were also beaten again and again...

It has to be said that the worldly-wise Chen Yuanyuan and the humble-born Chen Fei are two completely different experiences.
It was not until the sunset, when the setting sun was as red as blood, that Zhu Changgan stood up and said, "I never thought that you could really stay clean even in the mud."

"Although I was born in a humble family, I also know that there are some things that I cannot accept even if I die." Chen Yuanyuan stood up and helped the emperor put on his clothes. She pressed her soft hands on his chest, "Your Majesty, will you come again tomorrow?"

The voice is full of expectation, excitement, and nervousness. It is delicate and soft, but the most penetrating.

"Come, why not?" Zhu Changgan smiled and pinched her chin. Compared with Concubine Chen, Chen Yuanyuan was more in line with the impression of women in later generations.

She can sing and dance well, can go to the living room, can endure loneliness and can roll in the big bed.

"I finally understand why the emperor doesn't hold court early in the morning. You have to eat one bite at a time, and save the Ming Dynasty bit by bit. Things can't overwhelm you, but emotions can. So when it's time to relax, you must seize the opportunity."

"Come on, have another drink."

……

Zhu Changgan was a completely different person after coming out of Chenghua Hall. He was in a good mood and his whole body seemed to be floating.

Wang Chengen trotted behind him, "Your Majesty, there is news from the Jinyiwei and the East Factory that all the people involved in the case have been tried."

Zhu Changgan listened for a while, took the list from him, looked at it for a few seconds, and threw it to him, "Let Gao Yushun and Ma Shiwei do it."

In addition to Linhuai Hou Li Hongji and Yangwu Hou Xue Lian, many plates of the Later Jin Dynasty and 12 corrupt and lawless officials were also implicated, with their native places written behind them.

Almost all of them are from Southern Zhili, Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

Zhu Changgan then looked at the list of items confiscated this time, including gold, silver, shops, fields, rare objects... a total of two million taels.

"This is enough money to pay for the attack on Mongolia south of the desert."

Zhu Changgan's understanding of this sentence is: Before the troops move out, the food and fodder must find a place to go.

Zhu Changgan raised his head and glanced at the sun. In his previous life, he had heard that officials in the late Ming Dynasty were extremely corrupt. There were so many corrupt officials in the capital that they could not be killed completely. As for the local officials who were out of the supervision of the imperial power, their methods were so vicious and their names were so numerous that they shocked people's worldviews.

"Has there been any news from Cao Huachun?"

"not yet……"

"Report!" A eunuch suddenly rushed in from outside, "General Cao defeated the Tumed Left Banner, killed 3200 enemies, captured 5000 horses, and more than cattle and sheep..."

Zhu Changgan was immediately overjoyed. "Issue a reward for the three armies. This will be the front page of the Ming Times tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, the Director of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Xu Cifu, requests to see you."

"Let him in."

Now Xu Ci Fu not only has been promoted to the position of Chief Secretary, but also has the title of Doctor, and receives a salary of the fifth rank. Everything is different now.

Just like those civil governors and commanders, when they lead troops to war, they will be given another title, such as concurrently serving as the Minister of War.

In Lu Xiangsheng's last battle, he was named the Governor-General of Xuanda, given the title of Minister of War, and was in charge of supervising reinforcements from all over the country, and was given the Imperial Sword.

A similar understanding can be found in later generations: "If a staff officer is not accompanied by a chief, his fart will not make any sound."

Xu Ci came back in and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty!"

"Get up."

Xu Cifu said politely, "Your Majesty, the candidates from Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Huguang, and Fujian have already arrived in Beijing and are waiting for your inspection."

Zhu Changgan hesitated for a moment, "Seven days later, I will review them in front of the Imperial City and formally confer titles on them."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will arrange it right away."

There could be no room for error in the cleansing of Nanzhili, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Huguang and other places, so Zhu Changgan designed a series of plans. In addition to external pressure, there must also be internal pressure, and these students were one of them.

……

Before the sky became completely dark, Sun Chengzong, Yang Sichang and others came to ask for a meeting.

The new Prime Minister Xiong Wencan advocated "pacifying first and then suppressing" the rebel army and issued an order to surrender. With the help of student Lu Ding, Liu Guoneng was formally surrendered in the camp.

The garrison post that was originally intended for Liu Guoneng was instead granted by the emperor as a guerrilla general, affiliated with Zuo Liangyu's unit, and tens of thousands of his soldiers were dismissed.

The camp system of the Ming Dynasty became the dominant system in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. The official positions from top to bottom were general, deputy general, lieutenant general, guerrilla, garrison, captain, inspector, and defense officer.

This time point is six months earlier than in history. Although it is only six months or half a year, the impact it brings is huge.

The whole court was peaceful. Sun Chengzong and Yang Sichang of the Grand Council spoke highly of Xiong Wencan and hoped that the emperor would commend him.

But the emperor said calmly, "Liu Guoneng has already intended to surrender. What I want is Zhang Xianzhong. Let Xiong Wencan work harder."

……

At this moment, all the hotels and post houses in the capital were filled with candidates and scholars from all over the Ming Dynasty.

"Have you heard? His Majesty will see us the day after tomorrow."

"If I had known this earlier... I must ask His Majesty for an official position this time."

"We've also visited the Anti-Corruption Department, and it's really good. Xu Cifu was born a scholar, but now he's a fifth-rank official. This means our chance has come." One of them, Lu Wenquan, couldn't help but stand on the table and said with a red face, "Tomorrow we will visit the Ministry of Works under the guidance of the Jinyiwei..."

"I'm going to visit the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow!" "I'm going to the Grand Council tomorrow..."

As soon as this voice came out, it immediately attracted countless envy.

When these people gathered together, the whole restaurant seemed to be boiling with excitement, unable to suppress the excitement in their hearts. In the past, they had only heard of this place but had never seen it, but now they could step into it. For them, this was something they had never imagined.

From June 25th to July 7th, all the candidates and scholars who come to Beijing from other places can enjoy half-price accommodation and meals.

In addition, people from the Jinyiwei and the Wucheng Bingmasi took them to visit the Ming Dynasty’s government offices, under the pretext of knowing in advance what the Ming Dynasty court was like.

After the visit, the emperor would receive them.

While they were discussing, people from the Jinyiwei and Dongchang came over again.

This time, the carriage behind them was loaded with piles of books. "To all the scholars coming to the capital from other places, these are the books bestowed upon you by His Majesty. You will be tested on them in a few days."

Wow~
In an instant, countless people rushed out from the inns and snatched things like crazy.

"Don't rob. Everyone has one. His Majesty said no money is required. Anyone who robs or causes trouble will be stripped of his official title and will never be employed again."

With just one word, the scene suddenly became quiet.

"Virtue!" Ma Shiwei looked at everyone and asked people to start distributing the gifts. These people lined up in an extremely neat manner, waiting for the gifts.

People from the Jinyiwei, Dongchang and Wucheng Bingmasi took them on a free tour and let them learn. After that, they had to undergo military training before finally meeting the emperor.

When these people got the book, they saw a few words written on the front page: "Excerpts from the Ming Emperor."

Open the back.

"Chapter One: Loyalty to the Emperor and Patriotism..."

"Chapter 2: Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence and Righteousness..."

Many students looked at the contents, their eyes flickering. Someone asked the Jinyiwei, "Sir, did His Majesty really choose the test questions from this?"

"Can this be false?"

"That's not difficult..."

After the books were distributed, people from the Jinyiwei, Dongchang, and Wucheng Bingmasi went door to door to register their real names, asking for all kinds of details, including their place of origin, whether any of their parents were officials, and whether there were any traitors in the family.

After being questioned, the students no longer cared about the noise, but returned to their rooms and began to recite "Selected Excerpts from the Ming Emperor's Festival" impatiently.

……

In fact, the trigger of this matter was the Integrity Bureau. When the Ming Times first reported on the Integrity Bureau, it instantly attracted all the students in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

The emperor then published an article in the Ming Times, proposing to establish branches of the Integrity Bureau across the country.

Moreover, 50% of the officials were local scholars and candidates, which pushed the matter to a higher level, and the emperor had to meet them in person.

Although Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Huguang, Fujian and other places are the farthest away, they have the largest number of students coming this time.

Because these places were richer and the students had more capital, with the help of their families, they traveled by water and then by land before arriving in Kyoto.

This was the case with Lu Wenquan. He rushed here from Yingtian Prefecture and originally wanted to take a boat with two fellow villagers. However, when he contacted the boatman, he found that the boat was already full. There was no place to stand outside as all the people were candidates for the imperial examination and scholars going to Beijing.

In the end, they had no choice but to use their family connections to travel north on a boat that was carrying fish. Along the way, they met several groups of people who were also trying to take the boat, all heading north to Beijing.

After coming down from the waterway, they traveled together again, and experienced heavy rain again. One of them was soaked like a drowned rat, and fell ill the next day and never got up again.

After they buried the person, they continued walking, and after nearly a month, they finally arrived in the capital.

Now that the news has come that the emperor is going to meet them, how can Lu Wenquan not be excited?
As a candidate, it is extremely difficult to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. The examination is only held once every three years throughout the Ming Dynasty, from Emperor Taizu to the present day, for more than two hundred years.

There were only 86 lists in total, with an average of only 270 candidates passing the imperial examination in each list. Only more than candidates could pass the exam in three years. For hundreds of thousands of juren and xiucai, it was like a piece of meat hanging in front of them. The deep despair of wanting to eat it but being unable to reach it whipped them all the time.

But now it is different. Your Majesty will set up anti-corruption offices in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. The number of people in each province will range from hundreds to thousands, and only those under the age of 25 will be selected.

The only way to pass the imperial examination is to select one out of ten thousand, but here only one is selected from dozens. How can this not drive these young students crazy?

Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, don't they study their whole lives just to become officials?
Zhu Changgan's move not only ignited the enthusiasm of these students, but also ignited the enthusiasm of their families. All families with the means did their best to send their sons and nephews to Beijing.

This is why there is such a grand occasion in the capital.

Faced with such a situation, the Imperial Guard, Eastern Depot, and the Five Cities Military Affairs Department did not dare to be negligent and took turns on duty for twelve hours to ensure that nothing happened to these students.

In particular, Chen Fei's father, Chen Erfa, was scolding his subordinates at this moment.

"Don't blame me for not telling you in advance. If His Majesty punishes me, Old Chen, for this matter, you won't have an easy life. I... I will castrate you." He was so anxious and angry that a big blister appeared on his mouth.

There has been a killing spree in the palace these past two days. Yesterday, my daughter specifically reminded me not to cause any trouble, as His Majesty has been wanting to kill someone these days.

"Ouch, this is almost my death." Chen Erfa was walking forward with his face covered when he was suddenly tripped by a stone. He kicked it in anger, but the stone only stayed a little outside and there was a bigger one underneath. He almost broke his bone with this kick.

He gritted his teeth and got up. He looked around and when he saw that no one was around, he complained in a low voice, "I am so unlucky to have such a son-in-law..."

He was promoted again, from deputy commander of the Southern City Army to deputy governor-general.

"Captain!"

"grown ups!"

Two people from the Five Cities Army stopped and shouted when they saw Chen Erfa, but Chen Erfa scolded them, "Don't talk nonsense, I'm not the governor yet."

"Isn't it a matter of time? Everyone knows that His Majesty values ​​you..."

"roll!"

After Chen Erfa left, the man touched his head and said, "No, what did we say wrong?"

"You new here don't know that what our governor hates most is people complimenting him on his promotion." Another person looked at Chen Erfa's back speechlessly.

The new boss opened his mouth and said, "Ah? Is there anyone who doesn't want to move up?"

……

(End of this chapter)