mtl008 Chapter 160 The Prince Enters Beijing 2
Chapter 160 The Prince Enters Beijing 2
Chapter 160 The Prince Enters Beijing 2
"There may be some action in our family recently, and we need you to be busy."
"Eunuch, please do not hesitate to order, Ji Gang will die!"
"Heh, put away your face." Xu Ruyi picked up a suet jade paperweight on the table and played with it casually, without looking at Ji Gang: "Zheng Feng also listened to the words of loyalty to death. Isn’t it quite a lot? Now the grass on his grave is estimated to be a few inches long? Have you given him some paper money?”
"That... that was just an accident. The villain didn't even think about it." Ji Gang explained dumbly.His eyes narrowed, because he was afraid that the eunuch in front of him would see the killing intent in his eyes.
"It's not surprising that our family doesn't care, as long as you are happy." Xu Ruyi sneered and said: "In a word, in the next ten days, I want you, Jin Yiwei, to turn a blind eye to everything and listen to it. No matter what you see If you hear any rumors, don't gossip around." Xu Ruyi finally raised her eyes and looked at Ji Gang: "Understood?"
"Then if the emperor asks about it..." Ji Gang hesitated.
"whoosh"
A flash of cold light flashed by, and Ji Gang subconsciously wanted to avoid it, and his body swayed, but in the end he remained still with his amazing reason.
The jade paperweight was hit on the head, then fell to the ground and broke into two pieces.The forehead was bruised and purple, but there was no bleeding.The pain made Ji Gang swallow all the next questions back to his stomach.
"Don't talk nonsense everywhere." Xu Ruyi repeated, and two flashes of light shined directly into Ji Gang's eyes: "Do you understand?"
"The little man understands."
"Just understand." Xu Ruyi nodded with satisfaction, stood up and came to Ji Gang, reaching out and patting his shiny face: "It's a good thing to be ambitious, but you must also be self-aware. At least for now. , you can’t afford to offend our family. You have to be patient.”
. . . . . .
All the way into the capital without any surprises, the three brothers Zhu Gaochi settled down in the Palace of King Yan.Without taking a bite of the meal, he changed into the court clothes of the county king and hurried to the palace to meet the emperor.
No matter what, Zhu Yunwen and them are also cousins, so Zhu Yunwen has a smile on his face.
"We're all a family, why bother to see outsiders like this, please get up quickly." Zhu Yunwen walked in a few steps, stepped forward and bowed to help his three cousins up: "Go, Yinghua Palace has arranged the house Banquet, the three cousins have been in the dust all the way, and I and the three cousins will take the wind and wash away the dust."
The close and eager attitude, in the eyes of outsiders, is really a harmonious picture of brothers and friends, full of warmth.The three brothers Zhu Gaochi looked at each other with some doubts in each other's eyes. Could it be that their emperor's cousin didn't have any malice towards them?
"Pass the dishes!" Liu Xi announced loudly after the four of them finished cooking according to their priorities.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen maids lined up, holding various dishes in their hands, and arranged them on the long table in a certain sequence.The emperor ate alone, 36 dishes.This time with the addition of three county kings, it is reasonable to prepare more.But it was a family banquet, Zhu Yunwen specially ordered to prepare a round table, a dozen dishes would be enough.
Some things can be arbitrary, but some rules cannot be waived.After Gong'e put down the dishes, she retreated one after another.At the same time, behind the curtain over there, the musicians also adjusted the stringed harp, and started playing and singing when Liu Xi nodded.
Then, there is the silver needle test dish, the process of the eunuch tasting poison, there are many dishes, and the waste time is a little longer.
When everything was ready, Zhu Yunwen picked up the wine glass and said with a smile: "Come, have a glass of plain wine, and I will wash away the dust for the three cousins."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The three of them quickly got up with their glasses.
In fact, each of them knew in their hearts that the relationship between the two sides was not a friend but an enemy.The so-called kinship is not worth mentioning in front of the imperial power.But on the surface, after all, it wasn't to the point of tearing their faces apart, so the four of them still had affectionate smiles on their faces, talking enthusiastically from all over the world.
Zhu Yunwen led the conversation and talked about everything. Zhu Gaochi responded from time to time. Zhu Gaoxi occasionally laughed heartily and pretended to be naive, talking about the customs outside the Great Wall and the cruelty of the battlefield.As for Zhu Gaosui, he ate the food and drank the wine elegantly. When the mood came, he would add a few lines and compose a poem, showing his elegance as a scholar.
Liu Xi was waiting on the side and would fill up anyone's wine glass when he saw it was empty.When someone drops his chopsticks, he grabs a new pair.Although he did not participate in the discussion of the four people, he understood the deep meaning of their words.
Zhu Yunwen said that the world prospered under the governance of the imperial court, and Zhu Gaochi's response implied that this was also inseparable from the governance of the vassal kings.Zhu Gaoxi's laughter contained the sadness of "how many people have fought in ancient times". As for Zhu Gaosui, it showed the prosperity of Peking's literary style.
All in all, Zhu Yunwen said that the imperial court governed the world very well, while Zhu Gaochi said that the vassal kings also governed the country well.
After drinking for three rounds, Luo Quan talked a lot, Zhu Yunxuan's eyes seemed a little drunk.At some point, he suddenly asked: "There are many rumors in the government and the public that the fourth uncle has the heart of disobedience. This message is very vicious. It is really hateful to separate the blood and family relationship of my Tian family."
The atmosphere on the wine table turned cold all of a sudden, as if someone had stopped talking, and there was no sound for a moment.The smiles on the faces of the three also froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Zhu Yunqi's words seem to be unintentional, but they are actually very knowledgeable.First of all, he uttered Zhu Di's ambitions in the form of rumors, and at the same time he said that he did not believe it, and he had nothing to do with him, it only depends on how Zhu Gaochi responded.
Zhu Gaochi pondered for a moment and then said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you also said that these are rumors of vicious villains and cannot be believed. And..." Zhu Gaochi paused and then said: "I also heard some in Peking. There are rumors that His Majesty intends to cut down the feudal vassal and change the ancestral system. My father, the king, and my three brothers, Weichen, don't believe it either.
However, His Majesty mentioned today that there are people spreading rumors in both Beiping and Nanjing. It can be seen that some people secretly want to stir up trouble and want to be detrimental to the design. Please also ask Your Majesty to investigate strictly. "
The words were soft yet hard, killing people with a blunt knife, and in the middle, Zhu Yunwen was given a big hat of changing the ancestral system. It must be said that the saying "a person cannot be judged by his appearance" is vividly reflected in Zhu Gaochi.
Here, by the way, a large part of the reason for the ups and downs of the Ming Dynasty for nearly 300 years should have fallen on Zhu Yuanzhang.The world has changed, and the sea has changed.Only by reforming can we become strong and adapt to this world, so that we will not be abandoned by this world.Zhu Yuanzhang obviously didn't understand this truth, so he formulated detailed rules and regulations for his descendants, and also decreed that future emperors should not change them.It's like forcing a curse on your descendants.
Do you want to cut down the feudal vassal?Then you are changing the ancestral system.
Even Zhu Yunqi couldn't afford to wear this hat.
Seeing Zhu Yunwen's gloomy face, Zhu Gaochi said again: "Actually, why should your Majesty worry? There are several generals such as Cao Guogong and Wu Yinghou in the court. Who in the world can destroy my Zhu family?"
. . . . . .
"Who in the world can destroy my Zhu family's country?" Muttering Zhu Gaochi's question in his mouth, Zhu Yunwen's eyes were deep.
The banquet has already dissipated, and the three Zhu Gaochi brothers have already left the palace gate. Although it is still early, they have to rest earlier.After all, I will go to Xiaoling to mourn Zhu Yuanzhang early tomorrow morning.
Although Zhu Yunwen drank a lot of wine, the drunkenness in his eyes was completely gone at this moment, replaced by the clarity of the young emperor.
"I don't know who can destroy my Zhu family's country, but your father wants to destroy my country. Don't I know?" Zhu Yunwen snorted coldly.
"As one wishes."
"The servant is here."
"Can you think of a way to keep these three cousins of mine?" Zhu Yunwen asked.
"No." Xu Ruyi lied, but with a worried look on her face: "Your Majesty, King Yan dared to let his three sons go to the capital together, because he was sure that the court would not detain them for no reason. So there is nothing to worry about. Otherwise, just talking about Zhu Gaochi's physique, it is not impossible to say that he can't travel far."
"Oh." Zhu Yunwen rubbed his temples: "Think again, think again. I can keep them for half a month at most. We will work hard during this half month, and we will definitely find a way."
"There is already a solution, and it is already being implemented. We will see the result tomorrow. It's just that I can't tell you." Xu Ruyi secretly smiled in her heart, but she still nodded her head calmly.
"Your Majesty." Liu Xi walked in from outside the palace with a thick stack of memorials in his hand, followed by two young eunuchs who also looked normal.
"Finished?" Zhu Yunqi asked casually.
Liu Xi and the little eunuchs carefully placed the memorials in their hands on the table, and respectfully said: "It's all approved. That's all for today." They took out a booklet from their pockets and placed it in front of Zhu Yunqi alone: " Lord Fang and Lord Xie said that they don’t know how to make a decision on this booklet, so please His Majesty personally approve it.”
Zhu Yunqi stretched out his hand to pick up the brochure in front of him and looked at it, and said with a smile: "Don't mention it, the idea you gave me is really good. I read the brochure yesterday, and I stamped and issued it without changing a single word. down."
Xu Ruyi said flatteringly, "Scholar Fang reconciles with great talents, and that's why His Majesty knows people well."
"It's still your idea."
While talking, Zhu Yunwen glanced through the memorial, and then said with a smile: "Hey, I take it as a big deal. Those that are not far away will be transported to the capital, and those that are far away will be sent back to the local area. It is also worth mentioning. I will personally approve it." He picked up the ink pen on the table and started writing bit by bit.
But it turned out that the memorial was talking about the issue of tax escorts in various places.
It's not time to collect taxes yet, but some of the mineral taxes, salt taxes, etc. that have been owed by various places in the past few years have been collected this year.On the way to the capital.It's just that when the new emperor Zhu Yunwen came to the throne, he issued an order to waive the taxes owed over the years, the Ministry of Revenue was hesitant about what to do with the money and grain that were already on the way.
"The department of the Ministry of Household Affairs issued a document. Those who are already on the way and within a thousand miles of the capital will continue to be escorted. The rest will be escorted back to their hometown." Zhu Yunwen murmured for a year, writing at the end of the memorial.After finishing writing, just about to close the memorial, after thinking about it, I added another sentence: "If there is salt tax in Yangzhou, it will not be returned."
Hearing this, Xu Ruyi understood and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I heard that the Yangzhou tax collectors collected a lot of salt tax money this year?"
"You also know?" Zhu Yunwen replied with a smile: "A while ago, I remembered that Lu Zhili, the magistrate of Yangzhou, said in the book that it seems that a huge amount of 40 taels of silver has been confiscated. If this money comes up, the salaries of the officials in the court will be settled this year. Most of the time, we can’t just give it back to them.”
Among the taxes of the Ming Dynasty, agriculture, salt and mines accounted for the bulk.Among them, the salt tax and mineral tax are even heavier than the agricultural tax, and it can also be regarded as the real money that the imperial court can really collect.There is no other reason. According to the tax law formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang, farmers do not necessarily need to pay money to pay taxes, and grain and meat crops of equivalent value are also acceptable.What does that mean?For example, a farmer needs to pay one or two taels of tax. If he has the ability, he can carry a basket of eggs worth one or two taels of silver.Even in the southern coastal areas, some fishermen pay taxes with salted fish.
The imperial court and government offices in various places are also somewhat helpless with these things. Sometimes they have no choice but to even distribute fish, meat, rice eggs and other items as salaries, and let the officials and servants go to the market to sell them.
The local yamen can do this, but the imperial court can't do it out of respect.
Just imagine, it would be outrageous for officials such as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Minister of the Ministry of War to sell a bunch of salted fish on the street.At the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to issue them unlimited printed banknotes.It's just that the value of this thing is really depreciating. It's not as good as every year, and it's not as good as every day.So later, with acquiescence, it was changed to issue four silver banknotes.
Among them, most of the silver six received by officials came from the tax burden of salt mines.Therefore, Zhu Yunqi specifically pointed out that the salt tax is inevitable.
When mentioning the money, Zhu Yunxuan remembered something again for some reason, and asked, "By the way, both Ru Yu and Qi Tai mentioned the matter of martial arts before, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty," Xu Ruyi said with a wry smile, "the late Emperor has strictly ordered that internal officials are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. You are really embarrassing your servants."
"Don't do this." Zhu Yunqi pointed at Xu Ruyi and scolded with a smile: "When the emperor was still alive, you dared to talk about the vassal king's strategy. Now you are talking about martial arts and you are going to do this with me again. Why are you making trouble?"
"Hehe..." Xu Ruyi blushed, and then smiled awkwardly, "It's also because the late emperor saw that I was young and loyal, so he didn't care about me."
"I don't care about you either, just say what you have to say."
"Well..." Xu Ruyi pondered for a moment, and said: "The servants really don't know about the relevant regulations, but I believe that the two adults should have a plan in their hearts, so His Majesty just ask. The servants just think that this martial arts It should be held by Mr. Ru Yu, after all, he is the Minister of the Ministry of War, with a higher status, which can also show that the imperial court attaches great importance to martial arts.
There's just one thing. After the martial arts competition is over, how will His Majesty plan to arrange the military examination people? "
"This..." Zhu Yunqi was taken aback for a moment, apparently he hadn't thought about this issue before, and it was not mentioned in the memorial of Ru Yu and Qi Tai.
Thanks to "Qingfeng Zilai", "book friend 2134****99" and "never read genuine novels" for their comments and recommendation votes. I am grateful Orz
(End of this chapter)