eldest son of Ming dynasty

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Houzhao put down the memorial in his hand, with a look of frost on his face.

You Zhi, who has been serving beside him for many years, can already intuitively feel a certain aura, so whenever this happens, his tail will be clamped extremely tightly.

As a person who always constrains himself according to the requirements of a generation of Mingjun, Zhu Houzhao spent twenty years of hard work, and his only focus was to bring Ming Dynasty out of the darkness. But what about these people? what are you doing?

He even somewhat understood why Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill so many people.

Not killing is not enough to vent your anger!

"Go and call Zhang Cong."

You Zhi bent down slightly and then withdrew.

As a result, as soon as he stepped out, there was a loud bang in the Nuan Pavilion.

You Zhi's face became serious and he didn't dare to be distracted in the slightest.

Generally speaking, when external ministers accept a summons, they must first inquire about the emperor's mood before going in. It depends on the situation. If the emperor is in a good mood, then he said, "Sell a favor." , if the emperor was in a bad mood, he would not say a word to avoid getting into trouble.

After a long time like this, people like Zhang Cong who often visit the palace will know what he means by not speaking.

Of course, I don’t know what exactly I am unhappy about.

And even Zhang Cong had to be a little cautious when facing such a scene, and he didn't dare to delay for a moment, and immediately rushed from the cabinet room to the palace.

There are also Gu Renyi and Wang Tingxiang in the cabinet.

The noses of these people are like dogs, extremely sensitive, and they can roughly see clearly when they meet each other.

Zhang Cong quickly rushed outside the Qianqing Palace and, under the guidance of the eunuch, prepared to enter the Nuan Pavilion to kneel down.

"Mr. Zhang Ge, your majesty has decreed that no servants are allowed to enter. Mr. Zhang Ge, please invite me."

Zhang Cong was heartbroken.

The emperor he faced was not a young emperor in his teens or 20s, nor a weak emperor who had to say "Sir, teach me" in everything. He was facing an adult who had been on the throne for twenty years and had full control of the country's power. A strong monarch.

So even if he is the chief assistant, he is still a little nervous in this posture.

But no matter how nervous you are, you have to go in.

So he opened the door and took a quick look out of the corner of his eye. He found that the emperor was sitting behind the imperial desk, and then he knelt down hurriedly.

"Your Majesty Zhang Cong..."

Wow!

Before he finished speaking, two or three memorials were suddenly thrown in front of him.

Zhang Cong trembled and kowtowed immediately, "Your Majesty, forgive me!"

"Logically speaking, you are the chief minister of the dynasty, and I am not a monarch who does not know how to treat virtuous officials. The Ming Dynasty will not tolerate a generation of Confucian ministers who are loyal to the country, so no matter what, I should save some face for you, but Open your eyes and take a look! Look at the people you have used!

Greedy for money! Framed! Lustful! Bully! Zhang Bingyong, you must give me an explanation for this matter no matter what! Otherwise, I will tell you! "

Zhang Cong quickly took out the memorial and read it, and then he understood the general outline.

The Sichuan Governor Yao Yulin's official silver smuggling case and the frame-up of Xia Yan... were simply too horrible to watch.

Zhu Houzhao also gave him some time, stood up from his chair, walked up to him, and asked angrily: "Is it wonderful? Is it funny? Is it funny? This is the second-grade governor who is guarding the side on my behalf! From the time of Zhengde to the present, Has there ever been such a hateful governor?!"

Zhang Cong wiped the sweat from his forehead, blinked hard twice, and then said: "Your Majesty, this matter is my fault. I don't know the person well, and I am selfish and indulged him, causing him to do such things as deceiving the emperor." It is a treasonous and unethical thing. I have nothing else in mind. Please leave Wusha for a while and hand over the case to me. I will definitely give you a satisfactory result, give a warning to all the officials, and give an explanation to the people. Your Majesty does not need to Take action. Afterwards, I will apologize to Your Majesty again!"

Zhu Houzhao did not answer his question for the time being, but slowly squatted down and said in a faint tone: "Mr. Zhang Ge, I will ask you again. Are you aware of Yao Yulin's smuggling of official silver...or not?"

In fact, Zai Yan had already told him everything. Zhang Cong had severely reprimanded Yao Yulin in private and asked him to stop immediately.

If it weren't for his attitude, Zhu Houzhao wouldn't even bother to ask.

Zhang Cong's heart moved when he heard this question. Emperor Zhengde is extremely smart. If he tells the truth and admits his mistakes sincerely, there is still a chance. But if he wants to hide it, it is absolutely impossible. The emperor's spies are everywhere, up and down the court, inside and outside the capital. , who can guarantee that he is really airtight?

"I, I am guilty!"

Zhu Houzhao pretended to be harsh, "So you know?!"

Zhang Cong began to tremble and said, "I dare not deceive the emperor. More than a month ago, Yao Yulin was afraid because of the change of things, so he secretly informed the ministers and asked him to get rid of his crime. What I thought before was that I investigated the case first and took the opportunity to report it to Your Majesty. I never thought that Yao Yulin would confront Your Majesty with such a deceitful attitude and act so boldly that I was deeply shocked."

Previously, when the emperor's eldest son Zaihe impeached him in person, Zhang Cong also admitted that he had smuggled official silver, but he only admitted that he had improperly hired people.

This time there is a new development in the matter. Although the temporary non-reporting can be explained as being ordered to investigate the smuggling case, we plan to report it together after the investigation is completed. But Yao Yulin deceived the emperor, which was a big deal. How could he not report it?

After all, you are still protecting your own people.

If he is not one of his people and lets him know about it, will he get any good fruit?

But one thing Zhang Cong is really good about is that he doesn’t take it himself.

The reason why Zhu Houzhao always recognized him was because he valued him.

If you want to talk about extravagance and luxury, Zhang Juzheng is better than him, but why does Zhang Juzheng still have a higher status?

After all, the Chinese people understand one thing: you have to do things.

When used on emperors, it is called a successful king or a defeated enemy, such as Li Shimin or Zhu Di.

By analogy, Zhang Cong does not want money for himself, or even fame, because he has an ideal in his heart, and he wants to realize his political ambitions, which is to get rid of bad government and prosper the country.

Seeing that he told the truth, Zhu Houzhao felt a little comforted, "I think your future will be dragged into the water by these people even if you try your best to stand on the dry shore."

Zhang Cong knew that he had made the right bet, "I have not thought about the retreat. I just feel that meeting the Ming Lord is a rare opportunity in the ages, so I only want to assist His Majesty and show my loyalty."

"Get up."

"The guilty minister dare not."

"Do you want to plead for Yao Yulin?"

"The guilty minister dare not do it even more."

"That's fine. When you go down, you will deal with him personally, as well as the officials who committed the official bank smuggling case, and collect all their illegal gains into the national treasury. If you do this well, it won't be too bold for you to get up. Okay, get up. .”

"I thank your Majesty for not killing me!"

"Actually, I understand you very well, and you understand me very well." Zhu Houzhao said earnestly, "They say you are not greedy for money, but I am actually not greedy for money either."

"Yes, Your Majesty can call you frugal as the saint said."

"Instead of squandering this money on these people, it is better to collect it. Whether it is to provide relief to one more disaster victim or to expand an extra inch of land, this is all the credit of you and I, our monarchs and ministers. We cannot take it easy on them."

Zhang Cong knew that he could no longer be ambiguous, "Your Majesty, please grant me three months. I will definitely handle the official bank smuggling case one by one."

"Three months is too long. In a few days, I will go to the summer palace. After settling there for a month, you have to give me the truth, a list of officials, and some money from the court. return."

The emperor was afraid of heat. After the summer palace was built, he had to leave the palace every summer and work there.

To put it this way, it took more than a month.

"His Majesty……"

"Don't bargain! Is this a trivial matter?" When something happened, the emperor was not so easy to talk to. "And this Yao Yulin, you also know about his affairs. Zai Yan did not accuse him unjustly. Since the evidence of the crime is true, then be strict Dispose of it seriously and quickly! He doesn’t cherish his own head, why should I keep it for him?”

Zhang Cong did not plead for mercy, but just made a reasonable analysis, "Your Majesty, this case has just been investigated. If Yao Yulin is executed at this time, other criminals will definitely not cooperate when they see it, causing everyone to deliberately conceal it in order to save their lives." .”

Zhu Houzhao pointed at him impatiently, "This is a problem you have to solve. If you had taken precautions in the beginning, how could you have ended up in this situation today? I have already been tolerant. If I commit the crime of smuggling, I want to demote his family to a lowly position." !”

"Yes, then... Wei Chen understands."

"Although you didn't put it in your own pocket, you knowingly refused to retaliate, which means you can avoid the death penalty and cannot escape the crime of living. I won't say anything else. You can speak for yourself. If the case is not settled when it is due, or it is not settled thoroughly, you must what to do?"

Zhang Cong felt uncomfortable all over. Sure enough, the emperor was angry and would not let him off easily.

"If this is really the case, I will ask to be dismissed from my post."

"Dismissal? Let you go home to live in retirement and enjoy happiness?" Zhu Houzhao waved his hand with a temper, "If you want to do such a good thing, I will continue to use you! Don't stay in the capital, and don't even think about returning to your hometown. When the time comes, you can go to Manjiala. The country’s Wanli Port, Ming Dynasty wants to open up wasteland there and build the second Shitang Port, but they are worried that they can’t find anyone. Just go and see when it is built, and when will you be allowed to return to the Central Plains and reunite your family!" Zhang Cong's face turned bitter all of a sudden.

The so-called fallen leaves return to their roots. When people grow old or die, they return to their original places. This is something that many people care about very much.

After running thousands of miles away to Laoshizi Manlajia Country, if he died on the road, he would be a lonely ghost. If he accidentally died in the sea and was fed to the fish, there would not even be a whole body.

If you say you want to be an official, this is fucking exile.

And this kind of exile, just like Yang Yiqing, it is very difficult to come back.

Yang Yiqing is still in Xinjiang. It's been years and there's still no movement.

Why does he think he can beat Yang Yiqing?

Yes, Zhu Houzhao is really angry. He has not thought of dealing with Zhang Cong for the time being. He has reasons to be forgiven for this matter, but the official silver smuggling cannot be mentioned just because of his face. It's gone like this.

What face does he have in front of the emperor?

"I understand."

"As long as you understand. Go and deliver the decree first, granting Yao Yulin the death penalty."

Zhang Cong had no choice but to say, "Yes."

"You wait a moment. Youzhi, Youzhi," Zhu Houzhao shouted outside, "invite Gu Renyi and Wang Tingxiang."

"Yes."

"Wait a minute, call the three people in the attendant's room."

There is something Zhu Houzhao has been brewing for a while, and he will make formal arrangements today.

Except for Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, that is, Emperor Xianzong had been in power for more than 20 years, the other emperors did not reach, or could even compare to, the level of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

Zhu Houzhao is now considered one.

Therefore, not to mention some of the big rules of the Ming Dynasty, he could easily change other small rules.

No one will fight with him to the end on small issues.

Even if there is Leng Tou Qing, it is just verbal abuse and cannot form a real resistance force.

Not long after, six people gathered in the Nuan Pavilion.

Zhu Houzhao no longer mentioned the matter of his anger with Zhang Cong, but calmly stated the story of Yao Yulin's deception, and then used this to start, "When I was still young, I heard the words "officials protect each other." I don’t think it’s harmful, but looking at it over twenty years, it’s quite harmful. The memorial system of this dynasty was based on the starting point of the Heavenly Family’s selfless affairs and the ministers’ selfless affairs, but in practice it was found that it was not necessarily appropriate. Yao Yulin You all have seen this deception, but which one of you has reported it to me?"

The emperor lightly blamed him,

All six of them couldn't stand it anymore and immediately got off their stools and tried to kneel down.

"The minister is guilty."

Zhu Houzhao didn't blame the remaining five of them. With Zhang Cong's style, others were generally unwilling to offend them.

"Whether it's guilty or innocent is another matter, but the system of this memorial needs to be changed. If the memorial contains ordinary people's sentiments, it is a trivial matter. If it is a national event, I still don't know. Foreign ministers are all prophets, what are they saying? ? I felt angry today, so I said it directly - the ministers and prophets unite to make preparations first. As for me, sometimes I don't react in time, and I might be deceived."

What is this word?

Gu Renyi said: "I don't agree with your majesty's words. Only by trusting each other can political clarity be achieved. If monarchs and ministers are suspicious of each other, this is... this is..."

"What is this? A sign of national subjugation?"

"I don't dare."

Zhu Houzhao slammed the table and said, "Don't fool me with these words. I am the emperor who has been the emperor for twenty years. I have handled countless cases and exposed the conspiracy of many ministers with evil intentions! I am going to do it today. Whether you are willing or unwilling, you must act in accordance with the imperial edict. If the imperial edict is fulfilled, you will be the emperor!"

Even the stubborn Gu Renyi could only bow her head at this time.

The emperor has this temper. When he is really serious, even Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe will fall for you.

Sometimes the emperor needs to be courageous and rogue, otherwise he will not be able to impress this group of literati who are full of mind and body.

"The decree is very simple. From now on, all the memorials in the Ming Dynasty will be changed by me. The first is the format. The attendants will clarify this. Throw away the red tape as I usually ask you. Officials from all over the country will not write it. , please send the format."

Zhu Houzhao was like this when he asked them for something. What was the problem? Why does this problem exist? What are the historical and practical reasons? What's the impact? Suggest how to solve it.

Just say it clearly and understand it like this.

However, the officials of the Ming Dynasty today do not know how to do it. They have to use a useless prefix to show their literary talent. In fact, Zhu Houzhao is a businessman, not a teacher who corrects compositions.

For him, writing clearly means writing well.

He Tingren is now in charge of the attendant's room, and he accepts orders honestly.

Zhu Houzhao continued, "In addition to the format, it is also the person who submits the memorial. Starting from this year, I will expand the number of ministers with the right to secret fold. All the secret folds from various places will go directly into the palace wall. During this period, no one is allowed to open and read, otherwise , I won’t spare you any serious punishment!”

In fact, the easiest thing to do is to be like Zhu Yuanzhang, I will look at everything I send in without your votes, but humans cannot do that.

Even though Zhu Houzhao was so diligent, he also reviewed some important memorials. Most of them were drafted according to the draft. He just wrote them as soon as he got them. Later, he reduced them to "read". In the past two years, it has been just one word: "read".

If he continues this, he will be replaced by symbols.

The more critical aspect of the memorial system in the Ming Dynasty is that after the General Secretary received the memorial, he would first make a copy.

This time, the emperor was really the last person he saw.

Zhu Houzhao wanted to change this, and he continued: "From today on, the Cabinet will set up a Secretary's Office, which will be responsible for receiving memorials that are not submitted in secret. Afterwards, the Cabinet will draft and submit them to me for reading. The General Affairs Department will still be retained, but He is no longer responsible for the communication of memorials from ministers, but all complaints and suggestions from all directions outside the court are still accepted by the General Affairs Envoy."

To put it simply, from now on, national affairs will go to the cabinet, and petitions will go to the General Affairs Department.

As for copying and keeping files?

Zhu Houzhao told the Attendant's Office, "The Attendant's Office will have an agency under it, with varying numbers of people and no specific affairs. It is only responsible for copying the memorials I approved after Zhu's approval. There is no need to deliberately find another place, it is right next to the cabinet." Find two rooms.”

In this way, Zhu Houzhao took over power over important ministers and important matters in a secret manner. Most of the remaining routine affairs still relied on cabinet votes, but he had many fewer people to contact, so there was a constraint.

Because there are few people, it is easy to investigate, and they know exactly who has been leaked.

Of course it is not difficult to guess the emperor's intention.

The consequences are also obvious.

You still know who impeached you in the court before.

But after this change, only the emperor knows who stabs you in the back.

Because of information asymmetry, you don’t know how much the emperor has mastered, so they can’t talk nonsense when facing the emperor, otherwise it will be easy to reveal their secrets.

Revealing secrets in front of you? This is no fun.

"There is a saying among the people: Become a villain first, then a gentleman. Take care of people's morality,"

"The minister is here."

"I know you are a gentleman from all over the world, and you ask me to be a gentleman from all over the world every day, but whether you are a gentleman or not has nothing to do with how you handle state affairs. How many times have I been coaxed by these bastards according to the old rules, for twenty years, It’s time to change.”

"Your Majesty speaks frankly to me, and I should face your Majesty with sincerity. If your Majesty does this... from now on, there will be no ministers, only domestic slaves."

Zhu Houzhao's eyelids flashed. The ancients were still smart and had unique vision.

Indeed, if this is done, the ministers will obey the emperor's orders in everything, because if others don't know, there will be no discussion of government affairs.

The emperor is happy and thinks that we can brainstorm ideas, so we can discuss it.

If you are unhappy and decide to do this, then the people below will do it.

And this is indeed the way to order a domestic slave.

"This kind of change won't break your muscles and cause an uproar in the world. Let's try it first. Not all policies in the imperial court are appropriate. I have always opposed using these frames to frame myself. If it's not good, then just change it back. .Didn’t Confucius also say that there is nothing great that can be done to improve things?”

Zhu Houzhao didn't care about that, he would use these 'domestic slaves' to straighten out the country first.