Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Nanjing Imperial Palace, Fengtian Hall.

The afterglow of autumn reflected on the ground, forming a mottled silhouette, and this silhouette, like some kind of omen, enveloped the entire Fengtian Hall inside and outside.

"Commander Ji, Your Majesty calls you in."

Following a soft call in front of me, the palace door was quietly opened by the palace maid.

Ji Gang nodded, picked up his Feiyu suit and crossed the high threshold.

The furnishings in Fengtian Hall are still so luxurious and elegant, but at this moment, not many people can appreciate the scenery shown here. Because at this moment, the ministers of Fengtian Palace had lowered their heads and remained silent, even Xia Yuanji, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance who was usually the most eloquent, was like this.

The only person who stood opposite was Zhu Di, who was sitting on the dragon chair.

Zhu Di's face was gloomy, his eyes were cold, and there was a mocking smile on the corner of his mouth, as if what happened just now made him feel very happy, or did it make him feel some different emotions deep in his heart?

Seeing Ji Gang coming, Zhu Di was not in a hurry to speak. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and examined him carefully for a moment, then slowly raised his arm, motioning for Ji Gang to come closer and report back.

"Have you checked it out?"

"Your Majesty!" Ji Gang bowed and said, "We have verified that thirty-six corpses of caravans were found at the foot of Dongshan Mountain in Ningbo yesterday morning. Their death conditions were extremely tragic. Based on the time of death, it can be inferred that they were all committed by the person who committed the crime the night before. Wei After the pursuit, a large number of pirates were found. Among them, the identity of the three leading pirates was unknown. However, judging from their clothing and weapons, they should be Japanese pirates. There were 22 other pirates who were their accomplices. Among them, the majority were Japanese pirates, about ten people, and their weapons were The unique long sword of the Japanese country. As for the remaining people, there is no detailed information. However, according to intelligence, the Japanese pirates along the coast have already been wiped out in the naval sweep last month. Jin Yiwei highly suspects that this group of Japanese pirates came from more recent times. Tsushima Island in the northwest.”

Hearing this, Zhu Di's face became even colder.

"are you sure?"

The third prince Zhu Gaosui, who was standing next to Zhu Di, made a speech, but his attitude seemed a little careless.

"Wei Chen is absolutely sure!"

Ji Gang bowed and replied with an affirmative tone.

"Haha. What a Japanese pirate. I would like to know who was so brave on Tsushima that he dared to openly attack my coastal city. He is looking for death!"

Zhu Di shouted angrily, then turned to look at Jin Youzi on the lower left side, and said sternly: "Draw up the decree, deploy troops to suppress Tsushima Island, and wipe out the Japanese pirates!"

"yes!"

Jin Youzi hurriedly agreed and immediately drafted the decree on the spot.

Zhu Di became more and more involved in the performance and shouted again.

"Come here, prepare a chariot for me immediately. I will personally lead an army to conquer Japan!"

"His Majesty."

After hearing this, Xia Yuanji quickly stood up to dissuade him and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. These Japanese pirates are causing trouble and should be hunted down and captured by the Coast Guard and Navy officers and soldiers. Although the Japanese pirates are from Japan, they are not necessarily from Japan." I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to suddenly raise troops under the control of the border."

"Xia Aiqing!"

When Zhu Di heard this, he raised his eyebrows lightly, stood up slowly and asked.

"Why, does Xia Aiqing think that I can't even deal with Japan?"

Seeing this, Xia Yuanji immediately knelt down and said in panic: "I definitely didn't mean this."

"Hmph! That's good!"

Zhu Di sat back on the dragon chair and said indifferently: "Whether I want to personally conquer Japan depends on the situation of Cao Guogong's mission."

After that, Zhu Di closed his eyes and stopped paying attention to everyone.

Seeing this scene, the ministers present all sighed secretly. They all knew that His Majesty the Emperor was serious about it. If tough measures were not taken, bigger things would probably happen.

Thinking of this, everyone exchanged glances and finally decided to follow Zhu Di's will.

As for "Tsushima", if we fight it, we will fight it.

After half a cup of tea, a group of elite cavalry, surrounded by a carriage, quickly left the palace and galloped along the wide streets of Nanjing City. In a short time, they disappeared into the distant sky.

The ministers left the Fengtian Palace one after another, and Zhu Di, who had been fighting wits with them all night, was left with Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Hubu, Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, and Ru Ru, the Minister of War, the three giants of the civil service in the early Yongle period.

After everyone left, the atmosphere became noticeably more relaxed.

This is obvious because Zhu Di even gave him a banquet.

Although the food in the palace may not be to your taste, and you can't eat and drink as much as you want, it is still an honor.

After finishing the meal and serving tea, the monarch and his ministers began informal discussions.

"Your Majesty." Xia Yuanji looked at Zhu Di's face and asked, "This incident happened unexpectedly today, but has the news come back from the Japanese mission?"

Zhu Di put down his tea cup and nodded and said: "The spies we sent included professional surveying craftsmen. There is indeed gold mountain on Sado Island, and there is also gold at Iwami, but part of Iwami has been mined. The Japanese probably haven't discovered real silver yet. The mountains are just the edge."

"So His Majesty plans to take action first and occupy Tsushima Island?"

Rujun, Minister of War, a die-hard supporter of the emperor, immediately thought of the emperor's intentions.

"Strike first will gain the advantage, but if you strike later you will suffer disaster." Zhu Di did not shy away and said directly: "That's it. Who knows when the Japanese will find out? It may take a long time, or it may be tomorrow."

Rujun, Minister of the Ministry of War, used water as ink to draw the locations of Tsushima Island and Japan on the table.

"That's how it should be. So what does His Majesty Jeju Island plan to do?"

Zhu Di said calmly: "I have sent eunuchs to declare to the king of Korea. On a small island, Li Chenggui still dares to go against me, the Ming Dynasty?"

"In addition," Zhu Di said to Ji Gang who was standing, "send people to Japan and tell Duke Cao that the king of Japan will severely punish the Japanese pirates. All Japanese pirate leaders will be executed in front of Duke Cao. Do you understand?"

In the silence of several people, Ji Gang quickly agreed.

Obviously, they were not very optimistic that Cao Guogong could complete such a task of slapping the Japanese in the face.

Merely issuing an edict to reprimand the Japanese king should have sufficiently angered the Japanese, not to mention that Japan was required to severely punish the Japanese pirate leaders who brought benefits to their various daimyo.

But no one wanted to say anything to Duke Cao Guo, just like no one really wanted to know whether the Ningbo caravan was attacked by Japanese pirates.

Zhu Di seemed to be in a good mood today. He looked at Ji Gang's leaving figure and raised his eyebrows at the third prince Zhu Gaosui.

Zhu Gaosui understood and explained to the three ministers: "The caravans in Ningbo are gangs selling counterfeit Ming Dynasty national debts. His Majesty has issued an order to severely crack down on counterfeit gangs in various places."

"Fighting the Jurchens and fighting Japan, you guys are destined to have to work hard during this period. Japan's gold and silver mountains are like gold and silver. There are some things that you can't tell the court officials." Zhu Di took a sip of tea and continued.

"I understand."

Xia Yuanji and the other three people said in unison.

Just when Zhu Di was about to say something more, a eunuch came to report, and the commander of the Jin Yiwei sent Ji Gang back.

"Call him in." Zhu Di was a little surprised and didn't know what was going on.

"His Majesty."

Ji Gang came in in a hurry, but Fu Er said a few words to Zhu Di, and Zhu Di's expression became slightly solemn.

"Did the second brother really say that?"

"Absolutely true."

"Okay, you go down."

Ji Gang left in a hurry again.

"Father, where is the second brother?" Zhu Gaosui asked carefully.

Zhu Di sighed, looked at Jian Yi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and Ru Ru, the Minister of War, and said, "There is something I haven't told you two yet."

The two of them put down their teacups and stood up quickly, but felt somewhat uncomfortable. Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, was thoughtful.

The two of them just thought, since it is the second prince's business, don't let us get involved in the dispute over the crown prince and cause trouble.

The emperor's words somewhat deviated from their thoughts.

"The Fertilizer Immortal will be released from prison in two months."

What?

Jian Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Ru Ru, the Minister of the Ministry of War, were stunned.

They know that the statue of Fertilizer Immortal is there.

What does it mean to be released from prison?

Could it be that the Fertilizer Immortal is not an immortal, but a human being?

Zhu Di explained: "Yes, just as you think, the Fertilizer Immortal is just someone I pretended to be. In fact, not only did he invent chemical fertilizer in the imperial prison, but also various policies proposed by the imperial court in the past, such as peaceful farming The vassal vassal, the levy-sharing system, the Ming Dynasty national debt, etc. were all his suggestions."

What?

Jian Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Ru Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, looked at each other, and both saw the disbelief in the other's eyes.

How can this be?

So many great strategies for establishing a country, were they all written by one person?

They originally thought that this was a plan made by the combined efforts of Dao Yan and other counselors.

Now that I think about it, these policies are indeed very different from the methods used by Dao Yan and other Yan Wang Qiandi advisers to govern.

But no matter how unbelievable it was, with the confirmation of their old friend Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, they had no choice but to believe it.

Because the reason couldn't be simpler, if this thing is false.

There is no need to lie to the emperor and Xia Yuanji.

Zhu Di looked at them and continued: "This man is a descendant of the common people in the south of the Yangtze River, and his literary name is not obvious. Therefore, no one cared that I was implicated when I punished the ten Xiaoru clans of Fang a few months ago, and the second prince discovered it accidentally. This amazing talent has benefited a lot from listening to his lectures.”

Next, Zhu Di explained what happened to Jiang Xinghuo.

After listening, Jian Yi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, asked: "Your Majesty, what do you mean..."

Zhu Di said with a smile: "What I mean is that although this person does not know it, he has indeed served our Ming Dynasty and has made outstanding contributions. It is better for me to worship him as a national teacher and let him preside over all the matters he proposes."

This means that if you use it well, you will use it to death.

Zhu Di didn't care at all about the MG wealth given. Compared with the benefits Jiang Xinghuo brought to Ming Dynasty, those things were simply incomparable.

Eight million taels of silver a year was enough to suppress all opposition.

National Division!

The two important ministers fell silent.

They didn't know how to answer.

The position of national master is so noble.

Throughout the thousands of years of history in China, kings of all dynasties have rarely appointed national advisors. Even if there is a tradition of appointing national advisors, it is an extremely noble etiquette.

Just like Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, canonized Pasiba as the master of the Yuan Dynasty!

After all, to put it more mysteriously, this is related to the future destiny of Ming Dynasty.

But this Jiang Xinghuo is qualified to serve as a national teacher.

First of all, he has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. The various policies mentioned before, no matter which one they are, can be regarded as amazing strategies, and the work of spreading labor into the land is a contribution to the benefit of all people.

Secondly, this person possesses ancient unique knowledge. If Ming Dynasty can get some guidance from him, it will definitely be able to develop faster.

Finally, His Majesty appreciates him so much, and his status in His Majesty's heart is stable. His Majesty is absolutely assured that he serves as the national advisor.

As for his background and imperial examination issues...

Haha, what a problem that is.

In the eyes of an emperor like Zhu Di, nothing is more valuable than making a contribution.

Zhu Di looked at them with bright eyes: "What do you two dear ladies think of this move?"

Jian Yi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, said: "Your Majesty is wise."

Ruyu, Minister of the Ministry of War: "This is the great fortune of the Ming Dynasty."

Xia Yuanji naturally agreed, and after taking care of the other two important officials in the civil service system, Zhu Di's heart dropped.

After all, it is absolutely impossible to bypass civilian officials when it comes to canonizing a state advisor. If all the civilian officials hold objections, then Zhu Di will not be able to insist on his own way.

This is not about granting Jingnan military honors. Zhu Di would never do it against public opinion.

However, there was one thing Zhu Di didn't expect, or he didn't even realize that as the emperor, he was becoming more independent.

Will Jiang Xinghuo refuse the position of National Preceptor?

From a normal perspective, no one would refuse such a high position, right?

Therefore, Zhu Di never thought about the possibility of Jiang Xinghuo's refusal.

Zhu Di continued: "Before, I thought that the second prince might not understand something, so I entrusted Duke Cao to listen. The second prince also knows this."

"Nowadays, Cao Guogong is responsible for sending an envoy to Japan. Only the second prince is in the prison to attend the lecture. The second prince told Commander Ji that the next lecture involves the management of the country and the people. It may be a bit difficult. He may not be able to fully understand it. , so I plan to ask someone for help.”

"And Jiang Xinghuo is only two months away from being released from prison. He can teach up to five classes at most."

"This class is the fifth or fourth period from the bottom."

"I plan to trouble my God of Wealth, Xia Shangshu, to go to jail in person for this class. I wonder what Xia Shangshu wants?"

The eyes of Jian Yi, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Ru Yu, Minister of the Ministry of War, all turned towards Xia Yuanji.

The two of them could understand in their hearts that the emperor really needed someone who knew how to manage the country and benefit the people, but they were still emotionally unacceptable.

A minister was sent to jail pretending to be a prisoner just to listen to a lesson.

Isn't this too luxurious?

The two of them didn't dare to think about the absurdity.

I just feel that it is a bit of a luxury to go to the imperial prison to listen to the lectures as a minister, just because I am afraid that the second prince may not understand something and convey it insufficiently.

It was still the early Ming Dynasty and the cabinet had just been formed.

How high is the status of a minister?

How precious is time?

How could you waste it on something like this?

However, it was beyond Jian Yi and Ru Ru's expectations.

Xia Yuanji's eyes showed ecstasy!

Even his voice was trembling.

"Really, really?!"

Thoughts flashed in Xia Yuanji's mind: "I can actually hear Master Jiang's lecture in person? What a blessing! Before, I had many questions that I couldn't ask through a wall. Now that I have the opportunity to ask questions, it will definitely help me manage the national economy. The people’s learning will be further improved!”

Zhu Di nodded.

Xia Yuanji immediately knelt down and saluted: "Thank you for your grace!"

Jian Yi and Ru Yu looked at each other.

What's happening here?

Xia Yuanji has always been a steady person. Being imprisoned for lectures is obviously insulting to people like them who have reached the top civil service level. Why is Xia Yuanji so excited?

The two of them were really hard to understand.

Even if Jiang Xinghuo proposed the Ming Dynasty National Debt, it was indeed a good idea, but it was only a good idea.

Why is Xia Yuanji so excited?

You know, when the former Minister of Household Affairs Yu Xin became official, and when Xia Yuanji was promoted to Minister some time ago, they were never so excited!

Xia Yuanji is such a smart man. He saw the doubts of the two people and explained: "Master Jiang's lecture, the national debt of the Ming Dynasty is just the tip of the iceberg!"

"Just the first course on economics of the country and the people is enough to guide the Ming Dynasty's banknote planning for the next few decades, called 'Silver Banknotes'!"

Xia Yuanji smiled again and said, "Of course, even if I tell you these things, I'm afraid you won't understand. You just need to know that Master Jiang's talent and wisdom are beyond comparison with ordinary people."

Zhu Di here, thinking about the recent changes in the Ming Dynasty, and thinking about many things after Jiang Xinghuo was released from prison, it is convenient to ask. I am afraid that the national power of the Ming Dynasty will be even higher!

Involuntarily, Zhu Di also had a smile on his face.

Jian Yi and Ru Ru were so angry at Xia Yuanji's last words that their teeth itched.

A dog bites Lu Dongbin and does not recognize a good heart.

Obviously they felt unworthy of the emperor's arrangements for Xia Yuanji, but unexpectedly, Xia Yuanji himself was willing to go to the imperial prison to listen to the lectures, and even taught them a lesson.

However, this did arouse Jian Yi and Ru Ru's great curiosity.

Not only did the emperor attach great importance to it, but Xia Yuanji also respected it.

This shows that this fertilizer immortal prototype named "Jiang Xinghuo" must have abilities beyond their inherent cognition.

Otherwise, how could it be so highly regarded?

Zhu Di said at this time: "Jiang Xinghuo's existence will be made public sooner or later. Therefore, Jian Shangshu and Ru Shangshu will come with me to listen to the class at noon tomorrow. It may be beneficial."

Now that the emperor has spoken, Jian Yi and Ru Ru are naturally helpless.

if not?

Do you want to say that your department is very busy and you don’t have time to go?

Even the emperor has time, but you don’t have time? Are you more valuable than the emperor's time? What do you mean?

After several people discussed some more things, Jian Yi and Ru Yu walked out of Fengtian Hall, feeling the autumn wind blowing at night, and couldn't help looking at each other and smiling bitterly.

"Jian Tianguan, why do I feel like this is a bit of a joke?" Ru Yu whispered.

"To be honest, I feel the same way."

Jian Yi shook his head slightly and said: "But since His Majesty attaches so much importance to it, even if you and I are not willing to believe it, we have to go there tomorrow."

Speaking of this, Jian Yi frowned.

"That's not right. Xia Shangshu can listen to the edict in prison, so why should we go with him? We can't go to jail."