Good son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty

Emperor Zhengde gave a rare wry smile, his face full of desolation that didn't match his age.

"Queen Mother, it's not that I didn't think about it at the time, but the country's finances have been corrupted to this point. If I go to press the Ministry of Households, who should the Ministry of Households go to press, and finally don't push the problem to me? Moreover, after the ministers In my heart, I am just an underage child with no majesty; and mother, you are a woman. It is not a day or two for these civil servants to avoid my royal family. Besides, there are many people in the court who intentionally offend me and the Queen Mother. The so-called direct ministers and admonishing ministers have nothing to do, they have to find something to come out, this kind of thing, such an opportunity, how can they let it go. As long as you annoy Zhen and the Queen Mother, you will immediately become famous in the world."

Emperor Zhengde looked lonely: "When the late emperor was here, there were many such things. Mother, you must have seen it. It is impossible for the late emperor to stop at Lingzi Palace, and wait for everyone to finish their work and bury him! The ministers are all in the name of direct buying. In fact, they have the slightest regard for the royal family in their minds, and their consciences are broken. I don’t believe them. I just want to see the money. The sooner the better Let the late emperor have a grand funeral earlier, in order to show my filial piety."

"Actually, I was also anxious at the time. It is impossible to just watch the late emperor's body parked in the palace and wait for the money to make plans! At this time, someone said that he could think of a way, and I couldn't care less about that." too much."

Listening to her son's rare long speech, and saying it sadly, Empress Dowager Zhang thought of Emperor Hongzhi, her eyes turned red, and tears fell down: "Your Majesty, you are a dutiful son. If you think so, the late Emperor must be very happy."

Emperor Zhengde hurriedly got up, twisted the towel and carefully wiped away the tears on his mother's face.

Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't stop crying.But this budding political figure was not affected by his personal emotions, and asked again: "Who has a way, who said it, your majesty, tell the truth."

Zhengde hesitated.

Empress Dowager Zhang said sadly: "Your Majesty, Ai's family is your own mother. This matter concerns the majesty and dignity of my royal family. Moreover, a criminal will be sent to Beijing after a few days. After the first trial, the truth will be revealed. At this time, there must be an uproar. It’s this time, what’s inconvenient for you to say. Mother is not just blaming His Majesty, you and I have to come up with a solution for this matter.”

Zhengde sighed and said, "Liu Ban is to blame for this matter."

"Liu Jin!" Empress Dowager Zhang's face became serious.

Zhengde nodded: "Yes, Liu Jin said it. He said that one of his disciples knew Yang Zilie, the Tong Zhi of Cangzhou, and Yang Zilie's teacher was the same year as Liu Konghe, the Tong Zhi of Changlu Salt Division. The same family, let Yang Zilie talk to Liu Konghe and tell them to solve one part first. Now that the post of transfer envoy of the Yan Division is vacant, if Liu Konghe is to share the worries of the king and father, he will be promoted to be a transfer envoy in the next year, Jingting Yuntong. As for Yang Zilie, he was transferred back to the central government and entered the Imperial Academy to observe politics. So, this matter was done. Of course, with such a huge deficit, the three of them naturally gained a lot of benefits, and I also acquiesced at the time. Anyway, just look at When it comes to money, everything is easy to talk about.”

"Confused!" Only then did Empress Dowager Zhang fully understand the whole story of the case, trembling with anger, she pointed at Emperor Zhengde and stuttered: "You, you, you...Your Majesty, you are so ridiculous. Is it possible that you are a king and minister on the shore of the land. All the money in this world is yours, so there is no reason for you to embezzle yourself with your fellow ministers. In the future, when things happen, you will inevitably be pointed at by the civil servants and scolded for not being like a king."

Emperor Zhengde: "The queen mother is right, the world belongs to our royal family, but this sentence is just a talk. In other words, I am afraid that the queen mother has never heard of 'scholar-officials and the emperor rule the world together' and 'the world is governed by the emperor'. , the world of the world' people see us orphans, widows and mothers, they will naturally bully us."

Empress Dowager Zhang burst into tears again.

"Your Majesty, don't think about it. You still have to rely on civil servants to govern the world." Empress Dowager Zhang: "It was the same when the late emperor was there, and it will lead to peace in the world."

She also knew that these words could not convince her son.

Sure enough, Zhengde laughed unwillingly: "This kind of emperor is just a display, and they also want me to make a display. No, this rule has to be changed from today. Queen Mother, you are too weak. After I take office, I must not Let the ministers do whatever they want. I am such an emperor, and I am such a man!"

Seeing the excited Emperor Zhengde, Queen Mother Zhang sighed: Your Majesty has grown up!

She waved her hand softly: "Your Majesty, there is really a flood and the national treasury is empty, and a large amount of money is needed for relief. It is not enough to rely on the silver in the Lianghuai and Zhejiang-Fujian saltworks alone. We have to find a way to save Changlu Otherwise, once a civil uprising is triggered, Hebei is close to the capital, and the heart of the country cannot be messed up."

Zhengde nodded: "The queen mother is right, and because of this, I appointed Wu Shiqi as the Changlu Salt Transport Envoy, and asked him to make up for the shortfall in the bank within two or three months, so as to relieve the court's burning eyebrows." Urgent."

"Let Wu Shiqi make up the 200 million shortfall within two or three months?" Queen Mother Zhang couldn't help but let out a low voice.

"He may not be able to do anything about it, but don't forget, Queen Mother, there is Su Mu standing behind Wu Shiqi." Zhengde said seriously: "Others may not be able to do it, but Su Mu will definitely find a way."

Speaking of this, Emperor Zhengde was affirmative.

"Su Mu?"

"That's right, Su Mu is a man of talent, not to mention he is talented in both culture and martial arts. No matter how you look at it, he is a pillar of the country. Queen Mother, you forgot the statement of the whip method he taught. If it is promoted to the whole country, it will definitely be done in one fell swoop." Reverse my slide toward fiscal corruption."

"Su Mu does have some skills in financial management. His family has also seen that article. It's good, but he has no choice but to cut it a little bit. It will inevitably be suspected of being radical when it is implemented."

Seeing Empress Dowager Zhang nodding, Emperor Zhengde was encouraged: "Even the Empress Dowager admits that Su Mu has means, so I still have confidence in asking him to collect 200 million taels of silver in a short period of time. However, Su Mu was left to me by the late emperor." A talented envoy cannot be directly promoted to a high position. This will also damage his reputation. How can he enter the cabinet as a minister in the future? After all, he must first take the Jinshi examination, be admitted to the Imperial Academy, and then practice in other government offices for more than ten years. So, I simply asked his father-in-law to stand at the front desk. Then, after a while, I ordered Wu Shiqi to make up for the shortfall as soon as possible. I also know Wu Shiqi, he is just a bookworm, useless , and has the stinky temper of a literati. At that time, if you can't bear it, you will naturally ask Su Mu for advice. When I use Wu Shiqi, I use Su Mu. When I use Su Mu, I use his financial management ability."

"Your Majesty seems to be very familiar with that Wu Shiqi?" Empress Dowager Zhang gave him a strange look.

Emperor Zhengde didn't dare to continue, rubbing his nose and smiling bitterly.

I thought to myself: "Old Mr. Wu, I know him very well. Back then, we used to get together every day to study and play chess, and we were often scolded by this pedantic master!"

Of course, he didn't dare to say this to Queen Mother Zhang.

Finally, Empress Dowager Zhang said quietly: "Since Your Majesty has already made up his mind, let's do it this way. In half a year, His Majesty will be in charge, and this country is not yours in the end. However, this matter must be dealt with, and the deficit will be settled." Let Su Mu handle it first, and don't let His Majesty's reputation be damaged in the slightest. How to deal with this case in the end, you have to be cautious."

Emperor Zhengde heard the Empress Dowager Zhang talk about this serious ink corruption case, and touched his nose again, until it turned red.

If such a shocking case is to be covered up, no one will be able to cover it up.

Empress Dowager Zhang waved her hand and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, it's just three lives."

Zhengde shook his head: "Although those three people are despicable, they are still serving the royal family, don't they..."

"What is it? Confused!" Empress Dowager Zhang said sternly: "A king should have a heart like a stone. Your Majesty is too nostalgic and soft-hearted, and gave the villain a chance to exploit. Look at the people around you, Liu Jin is a shameless villain, and Su Mu is a cunning bastard. Of course, it is up to you who your majesty wants to use. However, villains also have their uses. If you use them well, it will be easy. Liu Jin started this matter, let him handle it well Otherwise, this despicable villain will not be spared!"

At this moment, Queen Mother Zhang showed her strong side.

"Yes, yes, the queen mother is right." Emperor Zhengde said cautiously: "Mother, if Su Mu handles this errand well, can you let him return to Beijing. And...the matter of Taikang..."

When talking about her daughter, Empress Dowager Zhang was depressed for a long time, and then said sadly: "Whether Taikang lives or dies, let her go. If she does something scandalous that damages the royal reputation, it is not easy to come back." .”

"Okay, that's it."

Coming out from Empress Dowager Zhang and returning to Xiyuan, Liu Jin came to serve the marquis, and asked cautiously, "Long Live Lord, Empress Dowager Cisheng invites Your Majesty to come over, is there something important?"

Zhengde smiled bitterly: "It's not that case yet."

"What case?" Liu Jin's eyelids twitched.

"What else can it be other than the case in Cangzhou? I don't want to ask about this kind of thing, it's annoying!" Zhengde smiled: "The queen mother said, I told you to handle it properly, otherwise, I can't keep you."

Liu Jin's face turned pale: "Long live Lord, don't worry, I will make you happy."

Zhengde took out a game of war: "What is going well and not going well? I haven't found anything interesting if Su Mu is not in the capital. It is meaningless to be the emperor. Hey, there is such a big battle in Cangzhou, why didn't Su Mu call me. Cangzhou It's only three or five days away from the capital, so it doesn't matter if I go out of the palace quietly for a few days. Hey, the annoying thing only cares about his own happiness. Liu Ban, come here, come and kill two games."

The emperor was dissatisfied.

Because Liu Jin had something on his mind, he played this chess sloppily, and was killed by Emperor Zhengde and wiped out the whole army.

After finally getting away, Liu Jin returned to the duty room of the Li Supervisor, knocked the cup to the ground, and roared angrily: "Su Mu, you just take care of your fucking errands in Cangzhou, what's the matter?"