I'm really not doing business

Chapter 971 Wang Chonggu breaks through the cabinet's path to power, Shen Shixing angrily rebukes the Hanlin Academy for its lack of talent and integrity.
The news that all the perpetrators in the Jingguang Highway corruption case and the official factory corruption case were beheaded and displayed to the public was discussed on the streets for only three days before people gradually forgot about the case. In less than seven days, very few people mentioned it anymore.

The people of the capital city found it difficult to empathize with a corruption case that occurred thousands of miles away. They mostly said that Wang Jian's evil deeds would be punished by heaven, but they discussed Xu Chengchu, this rising star, more.

After Xu Chengchu returned to the capital, he led the plain-robed censors to fight corruption in the city. Wherever the plain-robed censors appeared, high-ranking officials in the court would fall from power.

The common people love to watch a spectacle, and whenever the plain-clothed censors set out, the people would flock to them.

The most discussed topic was the downfall of Fei Qingxiang, the general manager of Yongding and Yongsheng Woolen Mills. People on the streets and in alleys, even at tea stalls, were talking about it with great enthusiasm.

The whole capital was talking about it. The reason it was so talked about was not because Fei Qingxiang had amassed too much silver. In total, it amounted to less than 164,000 taels of silver, which was nothing compared to the 'Happy Stele Forest' outside Chaoyang Gate. It wouldn't even be worth having a stele erected for him. It was only the price of 8,000 bolts of fine woolen cloth.

The reason people keep talking about him is that Fei Qingxiang has homosexual tendencies, especially fond of pretty young men.

Fei Qingxiang did not harass the artisans of the official factory. He treated them very well and never got angry. He often went deep into the workshops and among the artisans to find problems in the official factory. Fei Qingxiang made great contributions to the prosperity of the official wool factory.

He spends all the money he earns on supporting these pretty young men!

In the capital, the leading male actors, especially those who were currently very popular, were all Fei Qingxiang's darlings. Some busybodies even compiled a list based on past events to see who Fei Qingxiang's favorites were.

As soon as this case came to light, the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital were immediately displeased and called for Fei Qingxiang's execution!

Because the common people in the streets and alleys were spreading a rumor: that most of the nobles in the capital have homosexual tendencies, and that with your figure and features, you would definitely get a good price and a good background in the capital.

Anyone with a good physique or appearance would be teased with this phrase several times, and the phrase spread wider and wider, even reaching merchants from Songjiang Prefecture who came to the capital, who spread it everywhere.

It's as if all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital have this hobby.

The trouble caused by Fei Qingxiang has brought shame to all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. These officials and nobles cannot argue with the common people, because the more they try to explain, the worse it gets. The more they argue, the more people will think they are guilty, which will only make the rumors spread wider and wider.

In October and January, many nobles in the capital took concubines, as if anyone who was late in taking a concubine was just like Fei Qingxiang—a truly bizarre situation.

The head of the official factory was a fifth-rank official, far below the scope of the eight deliberations and eight reprieves. The Censorate recommended execution, but the Court of Judicial Review rejected the decision and ordered immediate execution. The reason was simple: 160,000 taels of silver was not a large sum.

Fei Qingxiang served as the general manager of the Yongding Woolen Mill for nine years, but he didn't even earn 20,000 taels of silver a year. Executing him immediately would be too harsh a punishment.

In November, the case of Fei Qingxiang was finally decided by His Majesty. His Majesty was magnanimous and, considering Fei Qingxiang's merits, exiled him to Jinshan, where he would accompany Prince Lu the following year.

It's called exile, but it's really just going to Jinshan City to serve as an official. After a while, when nobody cares, he can come back.

Fei Qingxiang was a capable man who managed the official factory in an orderly manner, both inside and out. The woolen factory improved year by year, and in the seventeenth year, the profits handed over by the official woolen factory alone exceeded 1.5 million taels of silver, second only to the Xishan Coal Bureau.

The emperor exiled him to Jinshan City to serve as the general manager of the Jinshan Gold Mine. As for the matter of his fondness for playing with pretty young men, the emperor treated it as mere gossip and didn't take it to heart.

Some opera lovers might be so upset about this that they would die over it, thinking that their favorite handsome young man was actually such a person behind the scenes, and they would even demand that the court uphold justice and tear the mouths of those who spread lies to shreds. But Zhu Yijun didn't like opera.

Fei Qingxiang's discovery was not actually due to Xu Chengchu going to the official factory to check the accounts. Xu Chengchu had dealt with several fifth-rank officials in succession and was busy consolidating evidence and checking for errors.

It was the Ministry of Revenue's year-end plan that led to the discovery of this person, and the more than 300 abacus experts imprisoned in Dongjiaomin Lane Prison were of great help.

Fei Qingxiang was timid. As soon as he sat down in the chair, before the censor in plain clothes even began to question him, he confessed everything clearly, like spilling beans. Fei Qingxiang dared not resist the investigation, transfer evidence, fabricate facts, or shirk responsibility. He told the whole story, including things that even the imperial guards did not know.

Fei Qingxiang was afraid that he would follow in Wang Jian's footsteps. In his view, Wang Jian's death was because Ling Yunyi, the new boss, was going to change the head manager. With a new emperor comes a new set of officials. Fei Qingxiang was afraid that if he was slow to explain himself, he would be killed by the bloodthirsty Ling Yunyi.

In addition to the serious consequences of the Rongcheng magistrate's resistance to the investigation, Fei Qingxiang hoped to exchange honest confession for leniency. Sure enough, he won the emperor's pardon and was given a fairly good way out.

"This is a newly made down lining, please take a look, Your Majesty." The newly appointed Minister of Works, Zeng Tongheng, presented the newly made dodo bird and goose down lining to the emperor. It was extremely warm, much better than cotton clothing.

Down-lined jackets, originally reserved for imperial use, became popular among the common people, and the way this was achieved was through official down factories.

The new inner lining uses a high-density knitting method with more than 180 warp and weft threads per square inch, and is sealed with small needles, which effectively solves the problem of fluff leakage.

The limitations on the widespread use of down feathers still lie in the selection of down feathers and down feather production. The numbers of dodo birds and geese are too small. These problems are gradually being resolved.

Zhu Yijun sometimes lamented that it would be great if breeding seedlings and large livestock could be as simple as breeding dodos, geese, laying hens, and broilers.

Poultry breeding is much simpler than livestock breeding because poultry lays more eggs, while livestock produce far fewer offspring per year. Egg-laying hens can now lay more than 150 eggs a year, and that number is increasing rapidly.

Originally, if Fei Qingxiang hadn't been investigated, he would have joined the Ministry of Works as a senior official in the Construction and Maintenance Department to oversee the down factory. Now, the Ministry of Works has to find someone else.

The Ministry of Works was a little annoyed; it was causing too much trouble.

Zhu Yijun carefully examined the down lining and chatted with Zeng Tongheng for a long time. Former Minister of Works Wang Daokun retired due to illness, and Zeng Tongheng was promoted from the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The emperor inquired in detail about the production of down linings and padded jackets, the progress of the construction of official factories, the number of workers recruited by official factories, the construction of official buildings and schools, and other issues.

Zeng Tongheng's visit to Tonghe Palace this time was clearly well-prepared, as he answered all of His Majesty's questions.

Zhu Yijun then chatted with Zeng Tongheng about the woolen industry. Zeng Tongheng answered fluently, explaining that the woolen fabrics of the Ming Dynasty were mainly hand-woven, though not purely handmade. They were made using manual machinery, such as jacquard looms and flat looms.

In the countryside, the main type of machinery is made of pure wood and is hand-operated, with a small number of machines made of iron and wood. Most of these are old-fashioned, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and do not produce much work. In contrast, the hand-operated machinery in the city is mostly new-style, mainly made of iron and wood, with some made entirely of iron.

Only the Yongding Woolen Mill used a mechanized workshop, which had extremely high production efficiency. One Shengping No. 9 machine was equivalent to three hundred weavers, which is by no means an exaggeration.

Zeng Tongheng's attitude toward fully mechanized workshops was the same as Feng Bao's: if conditions allowed, they should definitely go ahead with it, and the saved working hours should be used to reduce the working hours and intensity of the workshop's artisans.

Zeng Tongheng's ideas were good, but the results often went in the opposite direction.

"I have discussed this issue in detail with Duke Wencheng. The Grand Minister of Works has just taken office. With more time, we will understand why Duke Wencheng is so cautious about the mechanical workshops." Zhu Yijun said with some emotion. Zeng Tongheng was just as radical as Wang Chonggu was back then, believing that machinery could relieve the suffering of the world.

As a Labour Party member, I believe that with technological advancements, more work can be done by one person, and therefore artisans will have an easier time as technology progresses.

Theoretically, this is true, but in reality, it is often not so; backward production relations hinder the realization of this theory.

The progress and iteration of production technology and the advancement of production relations are gradual processes, never achieved overnight. In the process of technological progress and its implementation, and the advancement of production relations, craftsmen always suffer repeatedly and indirectly.

Moreover, Wang Chonggu discovered that the emergence of machinery seemed to have made the ruling class increasingly less reliant on the poor and laborers to maintain their rule.

This conclusion terrified Wang Chonggu, and he even had the urge to smash up the government factory.

Before the advent of iron horses, the people of the Ming Dynasty had to perform corvée labor. However, over the years, with the continuous upgrading of iron horses, their horsepower, size, iron consumption, and coal consumption have decreased.

One Shengping No. 9 machine is equivalent to three hundred weavers, so one Shengping No. 100 machine is equivalent to three thousand weavers. If one thousand machines are produced in a year, will the imperial court still need to provide labor services?

If the imperial court does not require corvée labor, does that mean that the imperial court's ruling position can be maintained without the support of the majority of the people?

Every time Wang Chonggu thinks about this, he feels a bit pained, and he even feels that he has done something wrong.

But Zhu Yijun knew the cause of the effect. He knew the answer: Wang Chonggu's worries would not happen within a few hundred years. It was impossible to completely replace humans with machines, at least in the foreseeable future.

Zeng Tongheng had just become the Minister of Works. Observing the government from the sidelines was completely different from taking charge of the work himself. After a while, Zeng Tongheng fully understood Wang Chonggu's concerns.

After the establishment of the Xishan Coal Bureau, the jobs of more than 40,000 woodcutters, wood carriers, and wood dividers were eliminated. These 40,000 able-bodied laborers were equivalent to 40,000 households and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. Wang Chonggu also put in a great deal of effort to absorb these laborers into the government factories in batches, which finally eliminated this hidden danger.

The livelihoods of millions of canal workers are at stake, making this a very complex and difficult problem to solve.

"Grand Minister Zhang Xueyan recently submitted a memorial proposing to establish a Materials Estimation Office within the Ministry of Works, to be in charge of estimating the amount of materials and labor, as well as auditing, supply, and sales. What does the Grand Minister of Works think?" After asking about the down factory, Zhu Yijun inquired about the establishment of the Materials Estimation Office, a joint office under the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works.

The cost management department of Dagong Dingjian Construction Project is the main function of the cost estimation office.

This is also a lesson learned from the corruption scandal involving the Beijing-Guangzhou Imperial Highway. The reason why local government officials dared to interfere in the construction of the highway was because the imperial court was previously unable to fully understand the construction costs.

“Previously, all these projects were commissioned to the officials in charge of the construction, who made their own estimates, which made it easy for fraudulent activities to occur. At that time, Duke Wencheng was still alive. He was wise and capable, and he could see through the fraudulent activities at a glance.”

“After the corruption scandal in Beijing and Guangzhou, a special department for cost estimation was established. For any project, cost estimation and verification are conducted in advance, and a capable official is appointed to handle the project. Upon completion of the project, the department is ordered to work with the responsible official to conduct a detailed verification and calculate the cost based on the work completed. This is a very good policy.” Zeng Tongheng considered it and agreed to the establishment of this department.

The construction of the large project was previously managed by Wang Chonggu. Wang Chonggu was not a god, and he did not know how much material to use, but he knew how much money people wanted to embezzle.

Wang Chonggu was in charge of major construction projects, mainly to control people's greed. This ability didn't come out of nowhere; it was all experience that Wang Chonggu gained through his own greed.

Having taken the imperial court's money, the Great Wall in Xuanfu and Datong was not repaired at all. Duke Wencheng possessed extremely rich and extraordinary experience in corruption, which is why Wang Chonggu's statue depicts him as a military general.

As a military general, he pacified the Japanese pirates in the south and resisted the invaders in the north, fighting in both the south and the north; as a civil official, he formed cliques for personal gain, attacked those who disagreed with him, and was a treacherous minister of the state.

Therefore, Wang Chonggu preferred to portray himself as a military officer rather than a civil official. He was a very complex person, and it was difficult to define him in a single sentence.

With Wang Chonggu gone, the establishment of the Dagong Ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel) became less smooth. It was only in recent years that mathematics became a prominent field of study, attracting more students. Previously, there simply weren't enough mathematical talents to establish such a facility.

"This department is still under the Ministry of Works, so the Grand Minister of Works still has to put in the effort. Even the Grand Minister of Agriculture can only audit the accounts when the project is completed and the accounts are settled." Zhu Yijun explained the specific affiliation to Zeng Tongheng.

The Materials and Estimation Office was jointly managed by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, but mainly by the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Revenue was not involved in daily management, but only conducted the final audit of the completed project accounts.

The clear meaning of this statement is to make the accounts look good so that the Ministry of Revenue won't find fault with them all the time. The major construction project is very lucrative, and how much the Ministry of Works can actually pocket depends on its capabilities.

"Your Majesty understands," Zeng Tongheng replied hastily, fully comprehending the Emperor's meaning. Zhu Yijun and Zeng Tongheng chatted for over half an hour before Zeng Tongheng took his leave.

After the Minister of Works left, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty continued to review the memorials of the day. Without the constraints, and with the lazy tool of "Zhu Yiliu's seal", reviewing memorials became much easier.

"What's going on with the Hanlin Academy members?" Zhu Yijun picked up a memorial, in which Li Changchun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, requested to retire.

Li Changchun's decision to retire was not due to his repeated missteps in the Wenhua Hall, which instilled fear in him, but rather because the Hanlin Academy was in trouble and lacked personnel.

Now, after the imperial examinations, newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) no longer participate in the selection process of the Hanlin Academy, but instead take the path of promotion through official appointments.

Previously, newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) considered it an honor to enter the Hanlin Academy, because without becoming a Hanlin member, one could not enter the Wenyuan Pavilion to participate in confidential matters, and thus could not advance to the position of Grand Secretary.

During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, family background was particularly important in officialdom.

Having passed the imperial examinations, he received no special favor from the emperor and could only ever become a county magistrate at most. Hai Rui was an extremely special case.

Most of the third-class Jinshi graduates lingered at the level of prefect, unable to rise to the rank of official in the central government for more than ten years. Those who managed to reach the positions of provincial governor or provincial judge were considered extremely lucky.

Those who passed the imperial examination in the second class were divided into two types. One type was selected into the Hanlin Academy as a probationary official, which was a smooth path to advancement. The other type was sent to serve as an official outside the capital. Most of these officials were provincial governors or provincial inspectors. They had the opportunity to advance, but it was extremely difficult. Entering the cabinet was a pipe dream.

Those who came from the Hanlin Academy were different. They didn't need to go out to serve as officials. They could simply stay in the capital and wait for a while before becoming Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet and participating in confidential national policies.

Zhang Juzheng's biggest shortcoming was his lack of experience in local government; he often had to ask questions about local matters at length.

"It's all because of Shen Shixing. When Shen Shixing went to Songjiang to become the governor, he completely cut off the path to power for those with a Hanlin degree," Feng Bao said in a low voice.

As the top scholar in the imperial examination and a member of the Hanlin Academy, Shen Shixing, according to past rules, only needed to revise his books to enter the Grand Secretariat. However, Shen Shixing went to Songjiang Prefecture to serve as the governor, which can be considered as drawing a line between himself and the Hanlin Academy. This also means that the rule of Hanlin Academy members directly entering the Grand Secretariat has been completely broken.

No matter who it was, they all had to gain experience in local areas and accumulate enough knowledge before they could enter the cabinet. The special status of the Hanlin Academy was completely lost.

Wang Chonggu was the first cabinet minister who was not from the Hanlin Academy during the Wanli era.

Wang Chonggu ranked 86th in the second class of the Jiajing Emperor's reign in the 20th year of the reign, fourth from the bottom. He was not selected to become a member of the Hanlin Academy. Instead, he served as a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice and was sent to Anqing as the prefect. When the Japanese pirates were rampant, he served as the deputy military commissioner. He first followed Cao Bangfu, the governor of Yingtian, to fight against the Japanese pirates and annihilated them in Xiagang and Jingjiang. Later, he followed Yu Dayou on several sea voyages to attack the Japanese pirates' lair.

In the second year of the Wanli reign, Wang Chonggu had just returned to Beijing to serve as Minister of Justice. Later, due to the construction of the Grand Secretariat, he was appointed as the Second Grand Secretary. For a long time, Wang Chonggu refused to sit in the Wenyuan Pavilion, citing the need to avoid factional strife.

Wang Chonggu, who was not from the Hanlin Academy, was put on the hot seat when he entered the cabinet. Zhang Juzheng agreed to let Wang Chonggu enter the cabinet, but he did not have good intentions. He wanted to break the rule that cabinet ministers could only be selected from the Hanlin Academy, and he also wanted to break the abuse of nepotism. He used Wang Chonggu as a pawn.

Wang Chonggu knew that his status as a cabinet minister who did not come from the Hanlin Academy was conspicuous, and he also knew Zhang Juzheng's plans. He had to bear the burden himself, and he was well aware of the hardships involved.

After Wang Chonggu became the second-in-command, the campaign against him never stopped, and it continued until his death. The Ming emperor was even forced to send artisans down the mountain, which shows how great the resistance was.

Wang Chonggu led the way. Shen Shixing was the top scholar in the imperial examination. He didn't even need to participate in the selection process. After the palace examination, he became a compiler of the sixth rank.

After being selected into the Hanlin Academy, the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) studied for three years and then had to take another exam. Those who passed were appointed as seventh-rank officials (Jian Tao) or seventh-rank officials (Bian Xiu), while those who failed were sent to serve as officials outside the capital.

The positions of Shujishi, Jiantao, Bianxiu, and Xiuzhuan were not fixed. After working on the national history, veritable records, and daily records for a period of time, one could become a sixth-rank Attendant Reader or Attendant Lecturer. If one did well, one could become an Attendant Academician or Attendant Lecturer.

As for the standards for whether someone has done a good job, those standards are controlled by the ministers in the court, so your mentor can indeed decide your life or death with a single word.

After becoming a Reader-in-Waiting or Lecturer-in-Waiting, one could then be appointed as a Vice Minister in one of the Six Ministries and enter the Grand Secretariat.

Shen Shixing was already a Reader-in-Waiting, and he only needed to take one more step to become a Vice Minister. However, Shen Shixing insisted on enduring hardship and went to Songjiang Prefecture to work as the governor for six years, a job that was more arduous than a donkey's work, before returning to the capital to become the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

This is equivalent to saying that Shen Shixing, the top scholar in the imperial examination, did not agree with the rule that Hanlin scholars could directly enter the cabinet to participate in confidential matters.

This rule is now completely gone.

"Doesn't everyone call Shen Shixing the Master of Balance? Is it really his fault that he doesn't offend anyone?" Zhu Yijun asked with some doubt. Shen Shixing is someone who doesn't like to go to extremes, so how can the decline of the Hanlin Academy be blamed on Shen Shixing?

“After Vice Minister Shen returned to the capital, a scholar who was also a reader went to his residence. Vice Minister Shen said… said: “The Hanlin Academy has three things that are useless: shameless, spineless, and useless! It is your business if you want to stay in the cesspool, but you want to drag me back to the cesspool? I will not accompany you!” Feng Bao recalled an old incident from last December.

Wang Chonggu broke through the cabinet's path to power, and Shen Shixing angrily denounced the Hanlin Academy for its lack of talent and integrity.

His scathing rebuke shook the court and beyond; the Hanlin Academy was in decline, with no one left capable of serving.

The Hanlin Academy is in such a state today that it's not even as good as the Censorate. At least the Censorate still has Lu Guangzu in the cabinet, who has set up an Anti-Corruption Division and is leading plain-clothed censors to fight corruption everywhere.

The Hanlin Academy was quietly abandoned by everyone in a forgotten corner.

"Shameless, spineless, and useless." Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment. This scholar's cursing was truly filthy. Shen Shixing's three "nothings" directly tore off the fig leaf of the Hanlin Academy, the most "respectable place for deliberation of state affairs," and spat it on the ground twice.

There are four laughable things about the capital of the Ming Dynasty: the articles of the Hanlin Academy, the weapons of the Armory, the tea of ​​the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the prescriptions of the Imperial Medical Academy. They are all satirical for being unworthy of their titles.

The Hanlin Academy has always been a cesspool, but when it was covered by a fig leaf, everyone regarded it as a place of elegance and refinement. Shen Shixing's words tore off this fig leaf and exposed the true nature of the cesspool.

That's utter nonsense about being refined and noble; they're all maggots from a cesspool.

Others' insults don't have that much power, but Shen Shixing's insults have a truly far-reaching impact.

After Shen Shixing's rebuke, the Hanlin Academy's unstaffed probationary scholars, reviewers, editors, and compilers all fled, choosing instead to become supervisors and follow the path of a virtuous official to continue seeking promotion.

It is obvious that Shen Shixing, as Zhang Juzheng's protégé, shared the same ideology when he entered the cabinet: the path of a virtuous official is the widest one in the officialdom. If the Hanlin scholars continue to stay in the Hanlin Academy, they will only waste their time and gain nothing. If they can't even see this, they don't need to continue to struggle in the officialdom.

The period from the tenth to the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign was the most dangerous five years of the Wanli Reforms. It was a time when the new forces were not yet strong and the old forces were powerful. If we survived this period, as long as we did not make any mistakes, we could continue on the road ahead.

"Li Changchun didn't actually do anything wrong, alas." Zhu Yijun still approved Li Changchun's memorial and allowed him to retire and live with his relatives.

“Your Majesty, Vice Minister Li is a kind-hearted man, but kind-hearted people face many obstacles in court,” Feng Bao added.

The cabinet ministers were largely in agreement, with the majority of votes supporting Li Changchun's retirement, and even the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs shared this sentiment.

Li Changchun is not a bad person. Many of his positions are based on the lofty moral principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. These moral principles are not wrong, but Li Changchun's lack of practical experience makes these moral principles somewhat untenable and empty.

Even a somewhat hollow expression of moral loftiness is far superior to the writings of the Hanlin Academy.

"Promote him by one rank, grant him a house, and let him be neighbors with Lu Shusheng. Don't go back to your hometown." Zhu Yijun made his final imperial edict, which can be considered a graceful retirement. If this kind-hearted person continued to serve in the court, his fate might be even more tragic.

"Your Majesty, I, along with the Eastern Depot, conducted an internal audit of the dispatched eunuchs. The preliminary estimate is over six million taels of silver." Feng Bao presented the Emperor with an account summary compiled by the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhu Yijun glared at Feng Bao and said with a hint of helplessness, "What are you trying to do? Who is trying to fight corruption for eunuchs? Isn't this ridiculous? Feng, the imperial treasury is empty. I can be more frugal and save money slowly."

“Your Majesty, some of these are not corrupt, but disloyal,” Feng Bao said in a low voice. “In recent years, there have been many incidents involving eunuchs. I want to take this opportunity to purge the traitors among the eunuchs.”

Even a thief within the family is still a thief.

Feng Bao pointed out several of them, saying that if eunuchs had even abandoned loyalty to the emperor, then there was no point in them living.

Zhu Yijun examined the accounts carefully and discovered that the most serious crime committed by the five people at the top was not corruption, but disloyalty.

For example, Gao Tan, the eunuch in charge of Liaodong, embezzled soldiers' monthly rations, humiliated common officers and generals, and abused artisans and civilians, inciting popular uprisings. There were widespread resentment in Liaodong, and rumors had circulated that some people vowed to eat Gao Tan's flesh. There were even reports of young and strong men fleeing to join the ranks of barbarian chieftains.

"Have you gone mad? You even embezzled the winter coat allowance I gave you?!" Zhu Yijun then realized that if Feng Bao didn't do this, he, the ancestor, would also die.

Zhu Yijun provided 74,000 soldiers in Liaodong with 1.5 taels of silver annually for winter coats. This money was used to purchase cotton-padded clothes, shoes, hats, earmuffs, and other items. Liaodong was bitterly cold, and these were the only things they had to get through the winter. Zhu Yijun had been distributing this money for 17 years, starting in the second year of the Wanli reign.

Gao Xin and his adopted son Gao Huai sold all the winter coats that had been distributed along the imperial road! And they sold them to the soldiers!

They sold cotton-padded clothes that should have belonged to soldiers to soldiers.

Zhu Yijun looked at the account book and felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. The two of them had been embezzling winter coat funds for four years before their crime was finally exposed.

"Why didn't my soldiers mutini and kill these scoundrels? We swear to eat their flesh, skin them alive, and tear out their tendons!" Zhu Yijun slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He took a few steps before he managed to calm his anger down a little.

Feng Bao said in a low voice, "Didn't His Majesty give the soldiers their full pay? The soldiers in Liaodong also thought that His Majesty wanted this money, so they gave it to them."

"Send Xu Jue to arrest him and bring him back to the capital for me to deal with! He's lawless!" Only then did Zhu Yijun realize why the soldiers hadn't mutinied.

Once the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away. The Korean War is over, so these extra favors will be reduced under various pretexts.

The soldiers' bottom line was actually very clear: half pay. Gao Xin and his adopted son Gao Huai had also figured this out, which is why they were so audacious.

As for soldiers, the court cannot withhold all their pay. Giving them half a day's pay would allow them to live and guard the borders for the emperor, preventing the barbarians from growing too powerful. But if they are not even given half a day's pay and are forced to die, then it is truly impossible for them to be loyal.

Zhu Yijun circled five eunuchs with a vermilion pen. The cases they committed were similar, and they were all eunuchs guarding the nine border towns.

(End of this chapter)