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Chapter 502: Let bygones be bygones
This is not because there is any strategy or concern, but because there are really not enough people. In the administrative division of the Ming Dynasty, North Zhili and South Zhili are not two provinces, but the collective name of two large number of directly governed state capitals.

Northern Zhili governs eight prefectures: Shuntian, Baoding, Hejian, Zhending, Shunde, Guangping, Daming and Yongping, two prefectures of Yanqing and Baoan, plus Xuanfu town. The prefectures, prefectures, and towns were not subordinate to each other, but were all accountable to the court.

Whether we should create a general management position similar to that of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, or assign eight prefects and two prefects to manage respectively, this matter needs to be thought about carefully.

At that time, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor-General of Nanyang were established, and the military and political powers were seized entirely to protect the New Deal. At present, the New Deal in Guangdong and Fujian has been rolled out for several years, and its foundation is becoming increasingly stable. Major reversals will not easily occur again, so there is no need to waste a general watching them all day long.

On the contrary, the personnel changes in the court were more frequent, the struggles were more intense, and there was no spokesperson to show up for him. Letting Yuan Yingtai become the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is not just a return to enjoy the blessings. He will face a more dangerous and difficult battle.

The inclusion of North Zhili in the second phase of the New Deal was not a temporary idea. This idea had come up a long time ago, but I never found a suitable opportunity to try it. In the important area of ​​​​the capital, stability is the priority.

But the weak response from the courtiers just now reminded me that the opportunity seemed ripe. If the capital city of Gyeonggi can take the lead in launching the new policy, the effect will be more eye-catching than if several provinces implement it together, and it will also completely dispel the concerns of some people who are hesitant and sit back and wait for changes.

"Your Majesty, who should be in charge of the Minister of Punishment and the Yushi of Zuodu?" Seeing the emperor's tendency to fight, Ye Xianggao quickly reminded him, not to mention the state officials in Beizhili, there are only six departments left at the moment. Four parts.

"Let's discuss it together after Yuan Yingtai returns to Beijing... Gao Aiqing, you will also serve as the Minister of Justice; Yang Aiqing, if you are able, you can do more work and take charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate for a while."

Hong Tao is indeed sleepy, but he is not so sleepy that he has to give up his two important positions as Minister of Criminal Affairs and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Temporarily letting Gao Panlong and Yang Tingyun take over is just a temporary measure. Who is more qualified? We really have to wait. Yuan Yingtai came back to discuss it carefully.

There are still more than 20 people who participated in fights and troubles sitting in the carriage outside. If they can be saved, it will be considered as a service to the scholars. We can't watch many students studying hard for many years. They were all deprived of their fame because of this.

"Master Weng did not mention them, but he forgot about them...Wang Chengen, you accompany Master Weng to read out the whole story of Juzi's murder case in person. I don't plan to punish you this time, but you can't gather people to cause trouble after you go back.

By the way, I have written down all their names here. Regardless of whether they pass or fail, the test papers will be read by the emperor. There is no need to worry about someone in the court deliberately making things difficult. Whether you can pass high school depends on your personal ability.

I very much look forward to them being able to serve as officials in the government, see with my own eyes the gap between being an official and being a scholar, and experience the pros and cons of the New Deal first-hand. It will not be too late to draw conclusions by then. "

But the emperor's words made Weng Zhengchun's worries unnecessary. Not a single one was dealt with, and all those who supported or opposed the New Deal were pardoned. In order to prevent examiners from trying to figure out their own ideas and manipulate the exam secretly, a section of the examination papers was added to make it as fair as possible.

"I would like to thank His Majesty for his grace on behalf of all the emperors. Long live my emperor..." This solution greatly exceeded Weng Zhengchun's expectations. At the same time, it also made him deeply moved. He bowed his head on the ground and shouted, "Sage" with an old face. Tears flowed freely. Speaking of Emperor Jingyang, Old Man Weng was both dissatisfied and relieved. It can be summed up in just four words, with mixed feelings.

Mingjun? No. Since he came to the throne, the emperor has taken action against the imperial examination more than once. He seems to have a lot of resentment about the content of the examination and has many criticisms of the candidates who passed the examination. Various signs indicate that he is far from the ideal of a qualified king among scholars.

Foolish king? Absolutely not! The emperor had the qualities to become Yao, Shun, and Yu. The first is frugality. As the emperor of the Nuo Empire, in order not to increase taxes, the three main halls of the Forbidden City have not been repaired. The palace expenses are getting less and less year by year. He also takes great risks to halve the salaries of the royal family members. .

Secondly, he is not addicted to women. After more than ten years on the throne, he still only has one queen and two concubines, and they were all married when he was the prince. There has never been a draft, and even the number and number of court ladies selected each year has been reduced to a minimum.

Again, diligent and studious. The emperor became enlightened very late, but he never stopped learning after he ascended the throne. No matter how busy you are, you will always have books around you. When you are free, you will read them. If you don’t understand, you will ask someone. We also allow the ministers, lecturers, and scholars to have different opinions, and never use the throne to oppress learning. If something is wrong, it is wrong.

Then there is the unusual intelligence! Put aside those uncanny skills, ignore the spider-like fonts and nonsense poetic attainments. Generally speaking, the emperor was very knowledgeable, especially in mathematics, astronomy, history, Taoism and Neo-Confucianism.

Sometimes the theories put forward by the emperor were enlightened and enlightened even to the editors and scholars of the Hanlin Academy. Of course, it would be perfect if the deviant parts could be removed.

Finally, be diligent and caring for the people. Every time the emperor and his courtiers fought to the death, no matter what the cause was, one thing was constant in the end, that is, concessions benefited the people.

This emperor, who grew up in a deep palace and had never left the imperial city before he was twenty years old, somehow understood the sufferings of the people. Before making any decision, he would ask: Will it be beneficial to the people?
If there is, we will seriously consider it immediately and will most likely support it. If not, the matter will most likely be shelved or even opposed. Of course, except for merchants, the emperor not only valued the feelings of the people, but also loved the skills of merchants, including governing the country.

The courtiers privately believed that this mode of thinking probably came from not being valued by his father since childhood, being forced to live in the cold palace, and experiencing too much warmth and coldness in the world too early.

Regardless of whether this speculation is reasonable or not, Weng Zhengchun believes that Emperor Jingyang is generally a good emperor, who can always keep the life and death of the people in mind. No matter how weird he is, how bad can he be!
It was precisely because of this understanding that he agreed in principle that serving the emperor was the right choice, and he firmly maintained lawful neutrality when choosing sides several times.

In fact, not only Weng Zhengchun, but also a considerable number of the hundreds of Beijing officials who were eligible to participate in the early court had similar attitudes towards the emperor and the New Deal.

(End of this chapter)