Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The dignified Minister of Criminal Affairs was imprisoned in the Metropolitan Procuratorate's jail and had to eat New Year's Eve dinner in prison. This matter quickly became a topic of conversation among the people in the capital after the New Year's Eve dinner.

"If he was really a good official, the emperor wouldn't let him eat New Year's Eve dinner in prison!"

"They say he doesn't take a penny, but has he done anything practical for us people in the decades he has been an official?"

"I don't understand politics. This time it may be revenge, punishment of evil and promotion of good. Anyway, I know that Hongzhi is a good emperor!"

…

Faced with the newly released blockbuster news, the people in the capital did not believe in He Qiaoxin's "don't take a penny" label, and commented as if they had already seen through everything.

In fact, in every period of the Ming Dynasty, virtuous ministers with various labels appeared. Each of these virtuous ministers were like saints who benefited all directions. However, the result was that the people of the Ming Dynasty had less and less land, and their lives became worse and worse.

On the contrary, the tyrant Hongzhi, who was criticized by the literati, has continuously introduced measures to benefit the people since he came to the throne, which actually made their annual New Year's dinner more sumptuous.

Perhaps many literati were aggrieved by the upright official He Qiaoxin who "didn't take a penny", but they always felt that they were too far away from this virtuous minister. On the contrary, they became more and more intimate with this Hongzhi Dynasty.

That night, Shi Xin, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, shivered from the cold in his cell.

That night, the fireworks in the capital were booming, illuminating the simple and satisfied faces.

boom!

As a firework exploded in the night sky, the bright fireworks illuminated the entire palace. The third year of Hongzhi had passed, and the fourth year of Hongzhi was coming.

The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu.

Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches.

…

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was just dawn.

As the Ming Dynasty held a New Year's Day meeting as usual today, all officials in the capital got up early to wash up and then put on a brand new official uniform.

Wang Hua, the new uncle of the Imperial Academy, was serving as the first scholar in the 17th year of Chenghua. He was served by his wife Zheng and put on a red Luo Shang count uniform, but his face did not show the joy of the New Year at all.

Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, his current status is the most special. Although he was the new uncle of the Ming Dynasty, he was the only count who held a civil position in the Ming Dynasty with the title of Imperial College.

Wang Hua's official power is not strong, but he looks more and more like the president of a top university, and he is devoted to the education of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, he only became an official when he was thirty-five years old. In this era of seniority and seniority, it is almost impossible to join the cabinet and become a prime minister.

Now, as Xin Xinbo, he serves as the imperial wine minister. Although he has no chance to become Jiuqing, it is already the most ideal result.

In fact, he has never been a fan of officials. Originally, his biggest wish was to train his son to become a talented person, but now the empire has entrusted him with countless outstanding students to teach, so he is very satisfied with his current situation.

It's just that people are not as good as nine out of ten, and now he also encountered an uncomfortable thing.

He took a sedan chair to the square in front of the Meridian Gate, which was already crowded with people. The officials were standing in the queue in an orderly manner, greeting each other and saying some New Year's greetings.

"Uncle Xin Xin, where do you go?" Cheng Minzheng, the minister of Taichang Temple, was maintaining order. When he saw Wang Hua wearing earl clothes, he pointed to Wu Xun's team.

Facing this arrangement, Wang Hua couldn't help but frown slightly.

Although he is the earl of the Ming Dynasty, he is an out-and-out civil servant, and he is a genuine Imperial College sacrificial wine, so he has reason to stand in the ranks of civil servants.

"Uncle Xin Xin, is there any problem?" Cheng Minzheng, Changqing of Taichang Temple, noticed Wang Hua's reaction and asked deliberately pretending to be confused.

Wang Hua has never been a person who likes to argue with others, so he looked deeply at Cheng Minzheng.

As early as when he was in the Hanlin Academy, he had disliked this official-lover bachelor. Faced with the sudden rejection, he seemed to have made a major decision in his heart, and walked towards Wu Xun's team without saying a word.

Compared with these scheming hypocrite civil servants, he would rather stay with the straight-faced Wu Xun, without having to bear the imprint of being a civil servant.

Cheng Minzheng couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly when he saw Wang Hua walking towards Wu Xun.

"Wang Jijiu, come to us quickly, the seat is reserved for you!" Wu Jinghou Zhao Chengqing had already noticed the scene just now and greeted him very enthusiastically.

Due to the successful recovery of Jianzhou and the smooth advancement of Jianzhou and city construction, Zhao Chengqing, as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, was also promoted to a higher rank.

Wu Jingbo was promoted to Wu Jinghou and became a bright new star in the current Wu Xun Group.

Although the Ming Dynasty's court has gradually come under the control of the civil servant group since the Tumubao Incident, the Wuxun Group can actually still occupy a place now.

After all, the court is not controlled by the civil servant group and "the title of prince is not my wish, but the sea is flat", so Zhao Chengqing relies on his bravery to become a very important Wuhou in the Ming Dynasty.

It is said that Zhao Chengqing was favored by the emperor and planned to let Zhao Chengying take charge of the military and political power of Datong as the commander-in-chief of Datong after the dismissal of the post of Governor Xuanda.

Although Wang Hua admired the knowledge of those civil servants, he also admired the generals who sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty, so he respectfully held his hands in his hands and said: "Thank you, Lord Marquis!"

Because Wang Hua was granted a title based on his military merits, he especially led the army into the royal city of Li Dynasty to show the bloody nature of civil servants. Several military honors also expressed their goodwill to Wang Hua.

"Wang Jijiu, do you have any news from the south recently?" Zhao Chengqing's eyes flashed with sadness, but he asked in a lowered voice.

The smile on Wang Hua's face disappeared and he shook his head gently: "I have asked my family members to get a boat and search the place where the incident occurred, but I still haven't found anything!"

He and Zhao Chengqing can be said to have the same problem. During the imperial court's trip to Luzon to inspect the gold mines, their precious son disappeared in the storm.

"I'm afraid his boy is not telling the truth, and our search direction has been misled!" Zhao Chengqing looked at the proud Cheng Minde from a distance and made a judgment in his heart.

Wang Hua also seemed to have some enlightenment and nodded thoughtfully.

During this period of time, what worried him most was his son whose life or death was uncertain. Although Cheng Minzheng's son Cheng Si told the whole story clearly, there are indeed many things worth considering about this incident, especially Li Yanwen's impression of him was not bad.

There has been no news from home, and now that he heard Zhao Chengqing's judgment, he couldn't help but doubt Cheng Si's words.

"Let me take some time with you to enter the palace!" Zhao Chengqing suggested seriously.

Wang Hua did not ask about Zhao Chengqing's plan, but nodded happily: "Okay!"

Zhao Chengqing glanced at Wang Hua in surprise. He just felt Wang Hua's trust in him, and felt warm in his heart. He felt that Wang Hua was a person worthy of close friendship.

At this time, the bells and drums of the Wu Tower rang, and a eunuch shouted: "All officials come in!"

Hundreds of civil and military officials filed in from the left and right gates of the Meridian Gate, led by cabinet scholar Liu Ji and British Duke Zhang Mao. Everyone put on a brand new official uniform.

Passing through the city gate opening, your eyes suddenly opened up, and what appeared in front of you was the huge square in front of Fengtian Gate. In the center was the Five Golden Water Bridge, and in front of it was Fengtian Gate.

Many veterans couldn't help but sigh, time passed by inadvertently, and now it was their fourth time to attend the Hongzhi Dynasty Meeting.

The new king, who was defined as a weak man at the time, has become a tyrant that everyone respects. Although there are many familiar faces around him, Wan An is no longer the one at the forefront this time.

So many things have happened in the past year. Some people have been promoted, while others have lost their jobs and gone home.

In recent days, two major events have occurred. Wan An, the chief minister of the cabinet, who is the leader of hundreds of officials, was angered to death, and He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment, was imprisoned in the Metropolitan Procuratorate for the New Year yesterday.

It's just that the former belongs to the past tense after all, while the latter is the latest news at the moment, and it is a major event that may affect their career.

When all the civil and military officials came to tidy up their clothes in front of Jinshui Bridge, a small dispute broke out over the treatment of He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment.

"He Qiaoxin is not greedy after all. This alone makes him better than most officials!"

"Haha... He is indeed not greedy for a penny, but he used both ambergris and thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum!"

"A hundred thousand taels of luxury goods, according to his approach, it is better to let him be greedy for gold and silver!"

…

Faced with the ongoing dispute over He Qiaoxin's merits and demerits, although some people want to defend He Qiaoxin, more voices still accuse this hypocrite.

"If you accept something valuable, it's considered bribery. It's not necessarily too harsh!"

"I didn't say that accepting something valuable is accepting a bribe, but not a hundred thousand taels!"

"One hundred thousand taels is not enough, but a few taels is enough. There is no accuracy in this matter at all!"

"If accepting something valuable is defined as accepting a bribe, who among our civil and military officials will be spared?"

…

Things eventually got around to the trap dug by He Qiaoxin. Although anyone with a discerning eye knew that He Qiaoxin was clearly a huge corrupt person, defining bribery as something valuable would make everyone fall into the trap.

If the emperor uses this reason to attack officials, everyone will inevitably "suffer".

It has nothing to do with loyalty, they just want to protect their personal interests. Even if they cannot create a "political ecology of ruling the world with the scholar-officials", they are not willing to become fish on the emperor's chopping board.

Because of this, many civil servants wanted to maintain their personal interests. Even though they knew that He Qiaoxin was guilty of an unforgivable crime, they still hoped in their hearts that He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment, would escape the crime of bribery.

Zhang Sheng and Xie Qian heard these sounds and exchanged silent glances, but they knew that these officials actually underestimated the emperor's skill and determination.

In the past four years, the emperor has been growing up. Anyone who dares to look down upon him must pay the price with blood.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Under the leadership of the cabinet scholar Liu Ji and the British Duke Zhang Mao, all civil and military officials came to the Fengtian Palace and knelt down respectfully to the newly arrived Emperor Hongzhi.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing a dragon robe, was one year older. His whole body became more majestic and majestic, and the few sparse beards under his chin were obviously longer.

When Zhu Youtang faced the civil and military officials kneeling at his feet, there was no New Year's joy on his face.

The territory of the Ming Empire was too large, and the tentacles of the Ming Dynasty still extended to the east and south. The fourth year of Hongzhi was destined to be another unstable year.

But he knows that his direction is not wrong. As long as he overcomes the difficulties and kills the enemies that stand in his way, the Ming Dynasty will surely be able to dominate the world.

According to the usual procedure, envoys from various countries congratulate and present gifts to the emperor, which is called congratulations.

The crown prince of Joseon, Li, has been in the Ming Dynasty for a year, and he is more and more yearning for the Ming Dynasty. This time he obediently presented a generous gift on behalf of Joseon.

After Beishun envoy Tuo Huochi presented a generous gift, envoys from North Vietnam, Champa and South Vietnam presented gifts one after another, and finally it was the turn of the Haixi Jurchens.

Since the Ming Dynasty formulated the foreign policy of pro-Jurchens from the Haixi Jurchens and the Far Wild Jurchens, the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchen tribes has become very tense, but the Jurchen tribes in the Haixi Jurchen tribes have been granted titles one after another.

The Haixi Jurchens are collectively known as the Jurchens who live in the meanders of the Songhua River and the Ash River Basin. They form the four tribes of Ula, Hada, Huifa and Yehe, so they are also called the four Hulun tribes.

The guards were set up in the Ming Dynasty, and the leaders of each department were given titles in the Ming Dynasty. They were awarded the titles of governor, governor Qianshi, commander of the capital, Qianbaihu, town governor, etc., and were given seals, edicts and crowns.

In fact, in the Haixi region, in addition to these four tribes, there are also three tribes: Xibo, Alchuka and Emu.

After Zhu Youtang learned about the situation, he followed the idea of ​​pushing the grace order and immediately divided the entire Haixi region into seven parts, so now the seven tribal leaders have been banned.

Although this approach increased Ming's financial expenditure to a certain extent, this expenditure was actually insignificant compared with long-term stability and benefits.

The decline of the Ming Dynasty was largely due to careful calculation. In the later period, the dynasty tried to reduce expenditures and cultivated a bunch of parasites. In the end, the people became poorer and poorer, and the officials and gentry became richer and richer.

This year, the seven Jurchen tribes in Haixi sent people over. The envoys from the four tribes in front were fine, but when they arrived at the Alchuka tribe in the back, something unexpected happened.

The person from the Alchuka tribe came from the named Alchuka Wei Tongzhi Kuleca. He had a dark face, was not tall, but had a very strong body.

But what was very surprising was that when he came to the palace, he raised his chin high and looked directly at Zhu Youtang very rudely.

Zhu Youtang faced such provocative eyes. Even though he knew that he still wouldn't have time to breathe this year, trouble came to his door on the first day of the new year.

"Kuleca, you are disrespectful to look directly at the face of the sky. If you don't kneel down when you see His Majesty, you are a fatherless king. How dare you do this?" Guo Yong saw that Kuleca, a fellow acquaintance of the Alchuka tribe, was so disrespectful. Li looked directly at the emperor and immediately accused him angrily.

For a moment, the civil and military officials on both sides also noticed this arrogant Jurchen and started talking about it.

"Shuzi, do you want me to raze your Alchuka tribe?" Wu Jinghou Zhao Chengqing immediately scolded. (End of chapter)