Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Chapter 303 Not only do I have to tear off your old face, I also have to put it on the ground and step on it (4k)

"Mr. Li is here." Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at Li Shanchang, and said. "Give Mr. Li a seat."

Upon hearing this, the chamberlain on the side immediately brought up a chair.

Li Shanchang thanked him and sat down.

Li Shanchang pondered for a while and then spoke first: "I have been serving His Majesty since the 13th year of Zhizheng. It has been 25 years now."

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little stunned and said: "Has it been so long? Back then, Xu Da and I just captured Haozhou. Mr. Li, your expression remained unchanged, and the scene of riding a donkey into the city alone seemed to be still in front of you."

"If it hadn't been for His Majesty, I might still be just an ordinary teacher in the countryside until now."

Li Shanchang expressed his extreme gratitude for Zhu Yuanzhang's kindness.

However, he quickly changed the subject, and then said: "Since I followed His Majesty, I have worked hard in the first fifteen years, and from the next ten years I have been cautious."

"After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, we were caught between the nobles of Huaixi and His Majesty. We were trying to bridge the gap. We were in a dilemma. It doesn't matter."

As long as the opinions of the scholar-bureaucrats and the Zhao and Song officials were highly unified, they could ignore the common people and there seemed to be no differences.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed drastically. He looked at Li Shanchang with a livid face and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Li, Mr. South Korea!"

In the Song Dynasty, these scholar-bureaucrats were in charge of both inside and outside the court, but they ended up throwing themselves into the sea. Isn't this a lesson? The Mongols are in charge of China, where are those literati?

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Shanchang and said: "Mr. Li, I am very disappointed. That year when you came to us, the first thing you said to me was that you wanted me to follow Liu Bang's example, not kill people randomly, and be good at caring for the people, so that we can conquer the world. "

Song Shenzong discussed the reform with the second government (Privy Council and Political Affairs Hall), but was opposed by Wen Yanbo, an important minister.

Song Shenzong only argued that scholar-bureaucrats also advocated reform, and Wang Anshi also did not dwell on this issue. This is tantamount to a disguised admission of what Wen Yanbo said.

Li Shanchang raised his right hand and slapped his old face hard. He looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was aloof, and said with excitement: "Now not only the Zhongshu Province, the civil servants of the entire court, and officials all over the world are looking at me, the Zhongshu." Prime Minister Zuo of Shu Province can stand up and do something for them."

Li Shanchang spoke word by word.

Because sharing the world with the scholar-bureaucrats can be said to be the consensus of the two Song dynasties.

The reason why Li Shanchang had so much courage today was that he dared to confront Zhu Yuanzhang head-on.

"But your Majesty, can you give me, an old minister, some face?"

It's because he has no way out.

Northern Song Dynasty, March of the fourth year of Xining.

"Have you forgotten how lawless these subordinate officials were during the Yuan Dynasty? Let me say something here, the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed by these subordinate officials!"

Wen Yanbo said: The ancestral family laws are still there, and reforms are unpopular.

"In the court, for Your Majesty's sake, as the Prime Minister Zuo of Zhongshu Province, I am obviously the head of the civil service, but I have to deliberately compete with the officials in eastern Zhejiang and become a villain who forms cliques and pursues selfish interests among the people in the world. This does not matter."

His identity determines what he does today.

Song Shenzong retorted: The common people wholeheartedly support the reform, how can they say it is unpopular, and why must they listen to the scholar-bureaucrats?

At this time, Wen Yanbo said the same thing that Li Shanchang said at this time. He said: Because the people who rule the world in our dynasty are scholar-bureaucrats, not ordinary people!

Once these words came out, there was no more dispute.

"If I don't stand up at this time and speak for the entire Ming Dynasty's scholar-bureaucrats, then how can I have the face to be the head of the civil servants!"

"You took the wrong medicine, or you are insane. How dare you talk to me like this."

Because he has found successful examples in history books.

"Those who serve as ministers will be worried about their ministers' toil, and their ministers will die in humiliation."

"Okay, okay! Well said!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed angrily at Li Shanchang's words and said several good words in a row.

"Even the gentleman himself has forgotten what he said back then."

On the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang just looked at him quietly, his eyes dark, unable to tell what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty, you are promoting officials from lowly positions and promoting them to officials. Aren't these various measures aimed at taking action against the scholar-bureaucrats? Everyone is not blind!"

"Don't repeat the mistakes of Qian Yuan!"

"I dare to tell you why Your Majesty presses every step of the way and insists on holding on to the scholar-bureaucrats."

Li Shanchang opened his mouth to defend and said: "I have not forgotten! But I also want to remind your majesty that benevolent government still needs people to do it. If you don't rely on scholar-bureaucrats, do you have to rely on those subordinate officials?"

Share the world with scholar-bureaucrats?

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered.

"Decades later, the words still ring in my ears."

"I accept your majesty's knowledge, and I can share something with your majesty. It's nothing."

"Your Majesty, you must know that in this Ming Dynasty, you share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats!"

It's a pity that Ming Dynasty did not coward Song Dynasty.

There was no fear on Li Shanchang's face, and he said: "If I lose my manners in front of Your Majesty, Your Majesty can punish you severely according to the law. But can Your Majesty also think about it for me and the civil servants in the dynasty! And think about it for yourself, Your Majesty." think!"

What Zhu Yuanzhang looked down upon the most was that the dynasty was not the Yuan Dynasty, but the cowardly Song Dynasty, which had left the Han people to foreigners!

"But now, Your Majesty, you want to raise them out of humble status again, and you also want the court to give them salary and silver! Do you know what you are doing?"

In their view, this world did not belong to the common people, and only the scholar-bureaucrats could get a piece of the pie.

As the head of a hundred officials, if he does not stand up at this time and speak out for the civil servants all over the world, will his position as Prime Minister Zuo of Zhongshu Province still be tenable? !

Li Shanchang could only take a gamble.

Hundreds of years ago, in the same conversation between a monarch and his ministers, some ministers also said this sentence: "The heavenly family and the scholar-bureaucrats share the world."

Emperor Hongwu was not Song Shenzong either.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Shanchang and said solemnly: "I haven't forgotten."

The politics of the Yuan Dynasty were corrupt, and the officialdom was even darker. The subordinate officials were responsible for all matters related to people's livelihood, and they tried their best to take bribes and oppress and plunder the people. As an emperor born from a poor peasant, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally suffered from Yuan officials.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang's parents died indirectly at the hands of these subordinate officials.

"But it is precisely because I have not forgotten that today I will promote the reform of subordinate officials, because only in this way can we truly put an end to the harm of subordinate officials who have caused trouble for thousands of years!"

"Mr. Li, you just said that you have not forgotten what you said back then. If you really have not forgotten, then what difference does it make if the person who implements benevolent government is a scholar-official or a subordinate official?! In the end, the only thing you can't bear to part with is you scholar-officials It’s just the power in your hands.”

Li Shanchang was speechless by Zhu Yuanzhang's words. He just stared at Zhu Yuanzhang with his big eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice: "Mr. Li, our Ming Dynasty is not the Song Dynasty. Ming Dynasty is the emperor who shares the world with the people, not the scholar-bureaucrats. No matter whether they are scholar-bureaucrats or subordinate officials, as long as they are good to the people of Ming Dynasty, they will be good to us." If Ming Dynasty is good, we will do it!"

"If you do this and deny your old face to Mr. Li, then we will not only tear your old face off, but we will also put it under our feet and step on it hard!"

When Li Shanchang heard these words, his whole body felt as if he was struck by lightning, and he shouted in pain: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about!"

You must know that for thousands of years, the interests of the emperor have been closely linked to the scholar-bureaucrats. "I say that the emperor should share the world with the common people, not the scholar-bureaucrats!" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were cold, without any trace of past kindness.

Li Shanchang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's horrified eyes and knew that from this moment on, perhaps the decades of kindness between the emperor and his ministers would come to an end.

Li Shanchang had the power of civil servants that he wanted to defend.

He stood up, knelt down and saluted, then turned and left.

When Li Shanchang walked out of the main hall, Zhu Biao happened to be walking towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Zhu Biao looked at Li Shanchang's angry figure leaving from a distance. He stopped and looked up at the thick dark clouds on the horizon in the distance.

His brows also became more and more frowned.

As the crown prince, how could he not know about the turmoil in the court these days.

Zhu Biao also knew exactly why Li Shanchang entered the palace today.

Moreover, Zhu Biao could see from the way Li Shanchang left just now that his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, had obviously broken down with Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang does not represent him personally.

This conversation between the monarch and his ministers can be said to be the first head-to-head confrontation between prime ministerial power and imperial power.

When Zhu Biao walked into the hall, he found that Zhu Yuanzhang was silently watching the secret note sent by the Jin Yiwei in front of him.

"Father." Zhu Biao stopped talking.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head, glanced at Zhu Biao, and said calmly: "Boss, it's okay."

"As long as we are still alive, the sky will not turn upside down!"

After leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Zhu Biao did not return to the East Palace, but asked the people below to make arrangements for a trip to Yangzhou.

Zhu Biao knows his father's character. In order to achieve what he wants to achieve, Zhu Yuanzhang can really do anything.

Zhu Biao is not worried about Zhu Yuanzhang's strength.

But he didn't want to cause too much turmoil in the court, especially now that the Ming Dynasty was booming.

Before anything irreversible happened, Zhu Biao planned to go find Yang Xian.

In his opinion, Yang Xian must have a way to solve this problem.

This is the biggest difference between Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Yangzhou, Shenhou Mansion.

Yang Xian didn't expect that he would see Zhu Biao again so soon. Didn't he just help them solve the placement problem of those scholars and the hidden harm of subordinate officials?

Judging from the hurried look on Zhu Biao's face, it's obvious that the problem he encountered is not small?

Yang Xian brought a cup of tea to Zhu Biao and said, "Did something happen again in the court?"

Zhu Biao did not answer, but took out a joint memorial from his arms and handed it to Yang Xian.

Yang Xian took it and looked at it, calling him "good guy". These civil servants actually quoted scriptures and wrote tens of thousands of words on the reform of subordinate officials.

From the beginning of Pangu to the present day.

The first article is full of nonsense, and the latter is about the many disadvantages.

But after going around and around, it's still the same, nothing new.

It is nothing more than treating a subordinate official in a lowly position, lifting a subordinate official out of a lowly position, and promoting a subordinate official to an official position. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Then there are these subordinate officials who are despicable, so the court has to take strict precautions and give the officials a lowly status, so that they can only stay in a low position, with their heads up to the ceiling and not allowed to go up.

and many more.

In the end, dozens or hundreds of officials signed the petition with sympathy.

It's eloquent and spectacular.

Yang Xian looked at it and laughed out loud.

Seeing this, Zhu Biao had a puzzled look on his face and said, "I am worried about this matter. Why is Yang Qing laughing for no reason?"

Yang Xian smiled and said: "The reform of subordinate officials, elevating subordinate officials from humble status, and giving subordinate officials the opportunity to be promoted will inevitably have an impact on the current scholar-bureaucrat class. It is normal for them to have such a reaction. .How many officials in the Manchu Dynasty currently oppose the reform of subordinate officials?"

"Nine times out of ten," Zhu Biao said, already thinking in a good direction.

"There must be a conflict with His Majesty over there in Zhongshu Province." Yang Xian said casually. If not, Zhu Biao would not be so urgent.

Zhu Biao looked serious, nodded, and said: "Just in the morning, the Korean prince came to the palace to meet the saint, and finally parted on bad terms."

"Your Highness, you don't want your Majesty to have too much trouble with the scholar-bureaucrats of the Manchu Dynasty?" Yang Xian could tell Zhu Biao's thoughts at a glance.

Zhu Biao did not deny this.

Yang Xian said: "Didn't His Highness ask me why I was laughing? Because the answer Your Highness wants has always been in your own hands."

"In my hand?" Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, and then thought of something. He looked up at the memorial of hundreds of officials in Yang Xian's hand and asked doubtfully. "Yang Qing is referring to this hundred official memorials?"

Yang Xian smiled and replied: "That's it."

Yang Xian's words made Zhu Biao even more confused.

This memorial of hundreds of officials was made by Manchu officials who opposed the reform of subordinate officials, so how could it be used to solve this crisis.

Seeing that Zhu Biao still didn't understand, Yang Xian smiled and said: "The person I admire most in my life once said something. When he talked about the issue of the united front, he pointed out that we should make more friends and destroy the enemies. It’s done very little.”

"His Royal Highness, who are our enemies and who are our friends in this reform of subordinate officials?"

Zhu Biao said without thinking: "In this matter, the enemies are naturally the scholar-bureaucrats whose interests have been harmed, and the friends are the subordinate officials of the entire Ming Dynasty?"

"More than that." Yang Xian shook his head slightly, and then said. "In addition to those subordinate officials, those down-and-out scholars who have nothing to do are also our friends."

Obviously, during the previous major reform event, which affected the corrupt Confucianism activities led by Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism, these scholars were still enemies of Yang Xian and the imperial court.

But when it came to the reform of subordinate officials, they became friends in the blink of an eye.

Who is our enemy? Who are our friends? This question is the primary question of the revolution. All revolutionary struggles in China in the past have achieved very little results. The basic reason is that they cannot unite with real friends to attack real enemies.

Friends and enemies are relative concepts. Those who threaten more than the common interests are enemies, and those whose common interests outweigh the threats are friends.

For the imperial court at the moment, the issue of reforming subordinate officials is to unite more friends.

(End of this chapter)