Factory owner is king

Chapter 152

Both Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng are relatively close to Zhu Yunqi, and they are both colleagues and confidants.But from a certain point of view, they are still enemies.

They are all self-proclaimed talented and knowledgeable people, and no one is convinced by the other, so occasionally there will be some disputes.From the bottom of their hearts, both of them were thinking about Zhu Yunwen and the country of the Ming Dynasty, so they sat together today to discuss future arrangements to avoid any misunderstandings, arguments, and laughter.

Politics is actually a process of choosing and retreating. If you want to achieve something, you usually need to make certain concessions.

Huang Zicheng proposed to cut the vassal, first easy and then difficult, Qi Tai agreed.Qi Tai proposed to use martial arts to strengthen the army, and Huang Zicheng agreed.This is one step forward and one step backward.And then, there are many other things to talk about.

Huang Zicheng proposed to clean up the officials, and Qi Taiyou proposed to investigate the fields.Huang Zicheng proposed to emphasize agriculture, and Qi Tai also proposed to suppress business.The two of you came and went and re-planned the entire Ming Dynasty.A servant of the Eastern Palace and a left servant of the Ministry of War acted like the emperor and the prime minister. If outsiders saw it, they might laugh at it.

In order not to let others ridicule, the topic of the two slowly turned a corner.

"Brother Huang is so talented that he can be a pillar of the world. I think it is more than enough to be a minister of Taichang Temple and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy."

"What the hell." Huang Zicheng's face smiled like a flower: "Brother Qi's views on military preparation are much deeper, I think, than those of Ru Yu, Minister of War."

"Brother Huang is too famous, Qi Tai can't afford it."

The two flattered and flattered each other, and while chatting and laughing, they appointed each other officials and made a wish. A bright future was just around the corner, and they couldn't wait any longer.

. . . . . .

Zhu Yunqi didn't know that his official position had been determined by the two of them. At this moment, he was accompanied by Xu Ruyi, and he was meeting a man in the Hall of Martial Heroes, a scholar who looked ordinary but had a convincing temperament.

He was Fang Xiaoru, known as "Mr. Zhengxue", whom Zhu Yuanzhang called from Hanzhong in the Shu region to Zhu Yunwen.

At the age of 41, he has piercing eyes.The mandible has a three-foot beard, and the face is like a crown jade.The body is well-proportioned, the only flaw is that the back is slightly hunched, but the integrity of the whole body is really attractive.

"Mr. Zhengxue has come from a long way. You are tired from the journey. Come on," Zhu Yunqi poured tea for Fang Xiaoru himself, and said with a smile, "Taste it, sir. This is a fine red robe. I think this tea tastes good."

Fang Xiaoru got up and cupped his hands, and said respectfully: "Thank you, His Royal Highness Changsun, for the tea, I am very grateful."

Speaking of which, Fang Xiaoru passed the imperial examination in the tenth year of Hongwu, when he was only ten years old.This was an out-and-out talent and prodigy at the time.Everyone who has read his article will praise him, and it stands to reason that it is not a problem to get a Jinshi degree.

But unfortunately, before he could enter Beijing to take part in the examination, his father Fang Keqin was involved in the Kongyin case and was beheaded by Zhu Yuanzhang.And he had to go home to observe filial piety.

In the days that followed, he studied hard every day and cultivated himself.In the next few years, his fame and talent became bigger and bigger, almost to the level of world famous.

In the 15th year of Hongwu, Wu Chen, the governor of Zhejiang, recommended him to Zhu Yuanzhang. After meeting him, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "It is not the time to use him yet" and sent him to Hanzhong as a lecturer, dedicated to the Confucian students in Hanzhong. teach.

Therefore, it is not wrong to say that Fang Xiaoru calls himself a "little minister", although his official position is a bit strange.

Seeing Fang Xiaoru sipping tea quietly, Zhu Yunqi thought for a while and asked, "Do you have any opinions on the major events in today's world, sir?"

Zhu Yunwen didn't really have anything to say for a while, so he just said this. The general meaning was that he wanted Fang Xiaoru to say whatever he wanted, and he was willing to listen to anything that was useful to the country.

Fang Xiaoru put down the tea cup, pondered for a moment, and then said: "The legal system established by the Holy One for His Highness Changsun is already very complete. Except for the vassal prince's policy, which may be flawed, I don't think there is anything that can be changed."

"Oh?" Zhu Yunwen became interested.

He had seen too many people who boasted and criticized the current situation in front of him or his grandfather, but he had never seen someone who was as silent as Fang Xiaoru in front of him.

Zhu Yunwen asked doubtfully: "Sir, by saying this, do you want to imitate Cao Shen's old deeds in the early Han Dynasty?"

Cao Shen, that is, Cao said in the idiom "Xiao Gui Cao Sui", became the prime minister after Xiao He, and did not make any changes to all the policies set by Xiao He.

Fang Xiaoru smiled slightly: "Your Highness Changsun, in fact, you should know in your heart that today, under the governance of the Holy Emperor, the people are already living and working in peace and contentment. If you want the people to live a better life, you cannot say it is impossible, but it is difficult. And there is no necessary."

"Oh? Why isn't it necessary?"

"The common people don't have many pursuits. What they want is just three meals a day, enough to eat, and a little extra money in their hands. They won't think about other things, and His Highness will naturally do the same. There’s no need to give.”

"If Gu wants to give it?"

"That's difficult." Fang Xiaoru smiled and talked eloquently: "A man in the north can cultivate [-] to [-] acres of land, and he can harvest more than one stone of wheat per acre. The sum of summer wheat and autumn millet is about two stone. The land in the south is fertile, and the yield of two seasons of rice can be as much as [-] stone. Up to four stones. Excluding other exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, the court's land tax collection was thirty taxes per one. If other exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes were included in the calculation of the land tax, it could be converted into twenty taxes per one.

In addition to the necessary expenses spent on various projects such as water conservancy, the imperial court spent most of the money on distributing salaries to officials in the court and raising military equipment.

In other words, if His Highness wants the common people to save more, he must continue to reduce the salaries of the officials.The consequence of reducing salary is to make corruption more serious.I won’t say this, but I believe His Highness will understand. "

. . . . . .

"Mr. Zhengxue is indeed a great talent. If His Highness can have such a person to help him, it will be a blessing to the people of the world, and it will also be a blessing to His Highness."

After Fang Xiaoru left, Xu Ruyi said to Zhu Yunqi seriously.

"Oh?" Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Ruyi in surprise: "I have never seen you admire a person so highly. Today you two only met once and you came to such a conclusion. Tell me in detail, what do you think?"

"Your Highness, I don't know much, but I also know that governing the world is nothing more than martial arts. Mr. Zhengxue doesn't understand military affairs. He pointed out the shortcomings of the vassal king without going into details. It shows that this person has self-awareness and is not just talking about military affairs on paper. People. When talking about civil administration, he started from the people's livelihood, and explained the people's income and expenditure in a clear and logical way, and based it on numbers, which was convincing. Finally, he handed over the decision-making power to His Highness, which shows that he knows how to advance and retreat, and respects his superiors. Isn’t such a person a great talent?”

To be honest, Xu Ruyi didn't have a good impression of these ancient Taoists, especially after getting in touch with Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and others.

Doing things based on imagination, talking too loudly, being unrealistic, and being willful.Scholars harming the country refers to this group of people.

At first, I thought Fang Xiaoru was like a raccoon dog, but now I see Wanquan is not a concept. Here, Xu Ruyi has to admire Zhu Yuanzhang's knowledge of people.

Zhu Yunxuan thoughtfully recalled what Fang Xiaoru and Xu Ruyi said before, Xu Ruyi didn't bother, and stood quietly.

At some point, a small yellow gate outside the hall rushed in in a panic.

"Your Highness, Your Highness! Whoops!" Xiao Huangmen tripped at the door and fell on his back.There was blood all over his face, but he didn't care to wipe it off. He knelt on the ground with a "plop" in three steps and two steps, and shouted in his mouth: "Your Highness, something is wrong!"

Before Zhu Yunwen could react, Xu Ruyi stepped forward and shouted sternly: "What do you look like in such a panic! Let's talk about it after we think about something clearly!"

"Yes!" The little eunuch was startled by Xu Ruyi's appearance. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, managed to calm down, and said tremblingly: "Your Highness, the emperor was admiring flowers in the imperial garden just now, and suddenly he vomited blood and fainted. , is still unconscious and has been carried to the Yangxin Palace. Eunuch Zhang..."

"What did you say!" When Zhu Yunwen heard this, he stood up and exclaimed, then his body swayed and he was about to faint.

"Your Highness!" Xu Ruyi hurriedly supported her, and put her right palm on the back of Zhu Yunqi's heart, injecting a gentle inner force to stabilize Zhu Yunqi's heart and blood.

"I, I...Grandpa Huang!" After finally not falling, Zhu Yunwen shouted and ran towards the Yangxin Hall, followed closely by Xu Ruyi.

"Your Majesty, oh, oh, oh..." Panting, Zhu Yunwen ran to the door of Yangxin Hall. He opened his mouth to shout, but Xu Ruyi behind him covered his mouth: "Your Highness, keep your voice down, be careful not to disturb anyone." The emperor!"

"Ah, oh!" Zhu Yunwen nodded, and then hurriedly walked in as quietly as possible.

On the dragon bed, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were closed tightly and his face was pale.An old imperial doctor closed his eyes and checked his pulse.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand to stop the palace eunuch who was about to bow down, and then stared at the imperial doctor closely.Every time the imperial doctor frowned, his heart thumped.

After a while, the imperial physician put down Zhu Yuanzhang's wrist, gently placed it under the brocade quilt and tucked it in, pointed to the outside of the hall, and softly signaled: "Your Highness, please follow me."

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Yunqi couldn't wait to ask: "How is the emperor's grandfather?"

"Your Highness." The Imperial Physician whispered, "According to my minister, Your Majesty is full of Qi and blood, and his pulse is steady and strong, like a man in his prime..."

"So my grandpa is okay?" Zhu Yunwen said in surprise.

The imperial doctor shook his head and said: "Your Highness, it's just the opposite. Your Majesty is now seventy years old, and it is abnormal to have such a pulse. According to my speculation, it is caused by His Majesty's domineering internal energy."

"So what exactly is going on?" Zhu Yunwen almost cried when he remembered it.

Xu Ruyi took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Just tell me directly why the Holy Majesty fainted and when he would wake up. Don't need to elaborate on the rest!"

The imperial doctor looked at Xu Ruyi, then at Zhu Yunzhen, and said in a solemn voice: "Your Majesty will faint. It is probably due to a head wind or a temporary lack of energy, which causes the true energy in the body to be turbulent. I will prescribe a medicine immediately. Your Majesty. If you take it on time every day, you may be able to wake up in as little as seven or eight days, but it's also possible..."

"What else could it be?"

The imperial doctor sighed and shook his head.

Zhu Yunwen let out an exclamation and passed out.

"Your Highness!"

"His Royal Highness!"

"Hurry up and tell the doctor!"

"I...I am..."

. . . . . .

On the ninth day of March, Zhu Yuanzhang fell ill and fell into a coma.After repeated treatment by the imperial physician, she finally woke up on April [-]th.But after Zhu Yuanzhang woke up, his mind was already blurred, he often had a fever, talked nonsense, salivated, and was foolish.The body is getting weaker and weaker day by day.

Under Zhu Yunxuan's tearful acquiescence, Lao Zhang, the chief internal officer, began to lead the supervisors and eunuchs to prepare all the expenses, coffins, white silk, mourning belts, mourning halls, and other arrangements needed for the emperor's grand trip.

The news of the emperor's critical illness did not cause much disturbance in the court. After all, the emperor's physical condition was expected by the courtiers.On the contrary, the vassal kings from far and wide felt uneasy when they received the news that the emperor was seriously ill.One after another, they drove lightly and went to the capital.

Among the vassal kings, there is only one exception, and that is Yan Wang Zhu Di.Having been ill for many years, when he received the news that his father was seriously ill, he couldn't bear the blow for a while and lost his soul.Kneeling in the direction of Nanjing every day, his eyes are dull, as if he is crazy.When the news came, the courtiers expressed their understanding and praised King Yan for his filial piety.

Zhu Yunwen, Xu Ruyi, Huang Zicheng and others naturally understood Zhu Di's ambition, but they still didn't say anything. After all, public opinion in the world was sincere, and if they spoke lightly, it would probably make the vassal king uneasy.

. . . . . .

On May 31th, the [-]st year of Hongwu's reign, the emperor vomited blood again and fell into a coma.

After the diagnosis, the imperial doctor said: "There may be something unspeakable, and it is better to prepare early."

Once the news came out, all the ministers were uneasy and the whole world was in fear.Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of the emperor who oversees the country, ordered that he should not go to court for ten days, but he would wait in front of the bed day and night with no clothes on.

"Your Highness, Xu Ruyi, the eunuch of the East Factory, would like to see you." Xiao Yuanzi said softly.

"Xuan," as soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen changed his words and said, "Well, let's go see him alone, so as not to disturb Grandpa Huang." Gently tucking Zhu Yuanzhang's withered hands back into the quilt, Zhu Yunwen stood up and walked out of the house.

"His Royal Highness." Xu Ruyi bowed down.

"Get back on your feet." Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and frowned: "Grandpa Huang is seriously ill and lonely and confused. If you have anything to do first, just tell me when you turn around."

"Your Highness, slaves and maidservants cannot be the masters of this matter." Xu Ruyi said: "The unspeakable matter may be in front of you, and the princes from all walks of life will enter the capital in a few days, and your Highness needs to order the transfer of troops and horses in Beijing."

"Ah? Oh." Zhu Yunqi was stunned for a moment, then he understood, and without saying anything, he came to the front of the book case and put the ink on the pen, then took out the seal and stamped it, and handed it to Xu Ruyi: "You can figure it out. "

"My slave obeys the order." Xu Ruyi bowed and stepped back.

(End of this chapter)