mtl008 Chapter 924: Every word is heart-wrenching and every sentence is filled with sorrow.
Chapter 924: Every word is heart-wrenching and every sentence is filled with sorrow.
Chapter 924: Every word is heart-wrenching and every sentence is filled with sorrow.
Looking around the world, the most "radical" place to promote currency reform at this time must be Yangzhou, and Yangzhou prefect Wang Chaoxu has already had a knife to his neck.
The emperor’s attitude now is very simple. All the people recommended by the Ministry of Personnel to go to Yangzhou have been approved. It depends on what you can do.
At such a critical moment, Wang Qiong would no longer care about his face and would definitely send his own people to Yangzhou.
Yangzhou consists of three counties and three prefectures. Wang Chaoxu fought hard for his own future and destiny. He did not sit idle in the government office every day, but went to various county offices to supervise them personally.
But half a month ago, the imperial court changed its system and decided not to recognize the coins previously privately minted by the people. This was an absolute loss for many ordinary people.
So not only were countless eyes watching him from above, but the common people below were also watching the actions of the government with great emotion.
It was not easy for him to pass this level.
In this world, if you make a mistake you have to take responsibility for it. How can it be so easy to just let it go with a letter of apology?
What's more, the emperor hasn't said he would spare him yet.
The seven-day deadline has expired.
According to the imperial edict, the three elders of the cabinet, the ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries in Beijing, the chief and deputy chief officials of the Dali Temple, the Supervisory Council, the Shaofu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry must all come to the court to report.
In addition, lords with a relatively high presence, such as the Duke of Yue and the Marquis of Bowang, also need to attend.
Of course, we can’t miss the most iconic character.
The eldest son of the emperor, Prince Fu Zaihe.
The emperor did not often organize "meetings" of this scale, so just from the size of the group of more than twenty people, one could tell that this was no small matter.
Zhang Cong, the chief minister of the cabinet, knew that his position as cabinet minister had been coveted by someone in recent years. In addition, he acted rather radically and had offended many people, so many people in the court wanted him to step down.
Gu Renyi also knew that he was a representative of the clean stream and many officials were watching his actions.
The eldest prince Zaihe, who was standing beside the emperor, understood even more clearly that his fate was in the hands of a group of upright officials. Although he had already reached adulthood, the matter of establishing a crown prince had been repeatedly frustrated.
One of the important reasons for this is that the upright officials who hold the Confucian classics and take the eldest son as their criterion have been suppressed in the court.
Zhang Cong was really a vicious dog that would bite people. If anyone offended him severely, he would not mind using a little trick to change his fate.
And at the center of everything, Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao was actually well aware of the hidden struggles in the court. He was not surprised, nor was he angry. This was the norm in court politics.
What he cares about is whether the monetary reform can be carried out smoothly.
"The Emperor has arrived!!"
Late July, early August,
It was the height of summer in the capital, but there would also be sudden rainstorms during this season. The sound of thunderstorms was deafening, and then there was a downpour. The raindrops falling from the eaves of the palace formed a curtain of beads, and the ground was instantly soaked.
Zhu Houzhao was facing the gate, watching the heavy rain falling and feeling the cool breeze, and suddenly felt refreshed.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!!"
The ministers paid homage,
The emperor did not go up the steps to sit on the throne, but walked out from the side, walked to the middle of the two rows of kneeling ministers, raised his hand and said, "Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao looked outside the palace and suddenly said, "Today is a very appropriate day. It is like a storm is coming. The situation in the Ming Dynasty has not been as intense as it is today for a long time. Zhang Ge Lao,
"The old minister is here."
"Today I am here to discuss currency reform. As the head of all officials, please tell me how currency reform is going in various places."
"Yes."
Zhang Cong stepped out, bowed to the emperor and said, "Currency reform is the longest-planned and most forceful policy of the court in recent years. After the emperor's decree was issued, the cabinet also acted in accordance with the order. As far as I know, the provinces of North Zhili, South Zhili, Shanxi, Henan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian and others have started the exchange of old and new coins.
Among them, Northern Zhili was the closest and had made the most effective progress. In terms of the amount of old currency recovered, Shuntian Prefecture and Baoding Prefecture had recovered more than 300,000 coins of the current and previous dynasties, and Guangping Prefecture and Daming Prefecture had recovered more than 200,000 coins. As for silver, Northern Zhili alone had more than 3 million taels. In addition, Shanxi and Henan..."
After all, Zhang Cong was an "old bureaucrat" for many years and knew the emperor's habits, so he always gave data when he spoke. He didn't know how many people who spoke in the air had been dealt with by the emperor.
But when Zhu Houzhao really heard it, it was actually just a number. As the emperor, it was not easy for him to ask the prime minister in front of so many ministers: Is this data of yours true or false?
This was already a rather harsh question, and it represented the emperor's distrust of the prime minister.
Afterwards, there will inevitably be some kind of political turmoil.
So Zhu Houzhao believed what he said, and it would be fine as long as no new problems arise afterwards.
However, in the eyes of other ministers in the hall at this time, although Zhang Cong's words were meaningful and the monetary reform was implemented rapidly, he avoided talking about the real problem.
In order to coordinate with various provinces in a timely manner, Zhang Cong also reported that he had coordinated with officials such as the Minister of Personnel, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and the Minister of Public Security to coordinate with local governors one by one. In short, great progress had been made.
Afterwards, Wang Qiong, Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Zilin and others also made supplements.
But in the end, they all said they only reported good news and not bad news.
Zhu Houzhao knew the atmosphere at the moment but did not expose it. He just glanced at the ministers and said, "It seems that currency reform is not an eternally difficult task that cannot be carried out. You have all worked hard. What about others? Do you have anything else to report?"
After these words were spoken, before anyone else could say anything, a white-haired old man standing further back suddenly stepped out.
Zhu Houzhao recognized him, Yan Yishou, the Minister of Rites, who was a Jinshi in the third year of Hongzhi. He initially served as a county magistrate in Henan. In the eleventh year of Hongzhi, he was promoted to the Censor of Guizhou Province. After the Zhengde reign was changed, he was ordered to inspect Guangxi. Later, he served as an official in the Guanglu Temple and the Dali Temple.
He was praised by the emperor and his colleagues for his integrity, outspokenness and dedication.
He is already 65 years old this year, an old minister at an advanced age. He is currently serving as a minister and will retire in a few years.
"Your Highness Yan Yishou, the Minister of Rites, has something to report."
Zhu Houzhao turned around and found him following the voice. At the same time, there was a different look in his eyes. He looked at Zhang Cong, then at Gu Renyi. The two old guys still had no expression.
But as soon as Yan Yishou spoke, the atmosphere in Fengtian Hall became noticeably better.
"Yan Yishou, do you also want to report what you have done for currency reform?"
"Your Majesty, I was promoted to the position of Minister of Rites by Your Majesty. Naturally, I dare not disobey the imperial edict. Half a month ago, I ordered my family and the Yan family of Baling to go to the county government to exchange the currency. To this day, there is not a single old copper coin or silver in my house!"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing. "Well, well, well, you have the demeanor of an old and loyal minister. Go ahead and talk. I'm listening."
"Yes!"
Perhaps because of his old age, Yan Yishou's voice always sounded like phlegm stuck in it, and he couldn't cough it out. "Your Majesty! I want to impeach Wang Chaoxu, the governor of Yangzhou!"
He deliberately said this loudly.
The sound was so loud that it echoed in the Fengtian Hall.
"Yan Yishou, you should know who Wang Chaoxu is, right?"
"I know that he is the second son of Wang Dehua, the Minister of Personnel! But I recommend and implicate people regardless of their status, only their intentions! The king needs to be in office, and many of them are corrupt, bend the law and act in favor of their own interests, which is outrageous. He uses power as bait to recruit unjust businessmen for his own use, and work together for personal gain. He is really a parasite of the country and a thief of the people. He ignores the suffering of the people and only tries to please the will of the superiors, flatters the superiors and bullies the subordinates, and regards the lives of the people as nothing.
After the incident, I realized that I had carried out many currency reforms in order to gain your Majesty's forgiveness. However, the way of reward and punishment has been discussed in ancient times. Merits are merits, faults are faults, and merits and faults cannot be offset. Your Majesty, do you know that his move is to put you in an unjust position?
Every time I think of this, I feel heartbroken and can't help crying. I beg Your Majesty to see clearly and punish these scums severely to set things right and give justice to the people of Yangzhou. It is also a warning to other officials not to repeat the same mistakes. Although I am old, I still worry about the country and the people. I cry and speak out. I hope Your Majesty will have mercy on the people, get rid of these traitors, and revive the government! These are all my heartfelt words, every word is full of tears, every sentence is full of sorrow, I hope Your Majesty will make the decision! "
No matter how much effect these words have,
But Yan Yishou himself was full of emotion, especially considering his age, and he still spoke with "tears and sorrow in every word", and his tone even sounded like he was about to shed tears.
Even Zhu Houzhao was somewhat shocked.
Although these people may be pedantic, it is precisely because of groups of old men like these who bravely risk their lives that they prevent some truly foolish emperors from doing ridiculous things.
In order to avoid suspicion, even if Wang Qiong was really innocent, he had to lower his head and walk out, kneel on the ground, cry and beg for mercy, and ask the emperor to impose heavier penalties on Wang Chaoxu.
After all, this guy was the one who submitted the petition of apology himself, so there is no point in trying to make excuses.
Even Wang Qiong, who knew the emperor's temper well, couldn't help feeling a little nervous at this moment.
As for Gu Renyi, Wang Tingxiang, Jiang Yong and others, they were waiting for the emperor's reply.
The emperor was a man of great cunning and shrewdness. This time he gave the Qingliu a chance to speak, but on the surface everyone could see that this was a means of putting pressure on local officials, forcing them to desperately promote monetary reform.
Therefore,
Maybe nothing will change.
Not long after,
As expected, the emperor began to speak.
"Wang Chaoxu did mention the crime you mentioned in his confession, and he confessed everything. However, he asked me to give him some more time to come and confess his crime after he has made a decision on the overall situation of the currency reform in Yangzhou. Yan Yishou, is this feasible?"
Gu Renyi was a little disappointed. The emperor still used the same old tricks.
Afterwards, Wang Chaoxu might encounter some problems, but nothing serious. The emperor would deal with them on the surface in recognition of their merits, but would not actually hurt them fundamentally. As for Wang Qiong and Zhang Cong, there would be no danger at all.
He sighed in his heart and felt that Yan Yishou could step down at this time and quit while he was ahead.
But at this moment, something unexpected happened. Yan Yishou knelt down and bowed, then suddenly roared, "I don't think it's possible!"
The smile on Zhu Houzhao's face gradually faded. Most of the ministers knew his routines, and they just "coordinated" with each other. The Qingliu knew that it was not the right time and would also know what to do.
But this kind of thing is what makes young and inexperienced people feel annoying.
"Why not?"
"Your Majesty, do you really believe that an official like Wang Chaoxu who has no regard for the people and the emperor can really accomplish the currency reform? I have known about the events in Yangzhou for a long time. Wang Chaoxu is colluding with businessmen. There are even rumors that he has hidden millions of silver in his government office, and most people spit on him! How can the court show the virtue of your majesty and the court by using such a person? Where is the justice and fairness?! The people will not understand the court's good intentions in promoting currency reform, and it may even have the opposite effect! Therefore, I think that your majesty's move is absolutely unacceptable!"
(End of this chapter)