Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 190: Four Noes and Two Straights, Doing Your Duty

On October 18th, the seventh year of the Wanli reign, there was a heavy snow.

As the saying goes, if you have no worries in your mind, it is a good time in the world.

According to this statement, Zhu Yijun has not had any good times since he ascended the throne.

There are always one or two trivial things on my mind.

For example, today, even if you practice martial arts, there are endless political affairs to deal with and endless memorials to receive.

Outside Jingyun Gate, the training ground.

Zhu Yijun drew up a jet-black longbow, breathed evenly, held the bowstring taut, and aimed carefully at the target fifty steps away.

Zheng Zongxue stood beside the emperor and continued, "...The review is scheduled for the 22nd day of the first lunar month. As for the number of people, which battalions, and the specific procedures, Lord Wang is still discussing it with Governor-General Gu."

call out!
Zhu Yijun suddenly loosened his fingers.

The arrow flew out of the string, drew an arc in the air, and barely embedded itself into the edge of the target.

"Please pay more attention to the military parade. Zhao Yongxian will be transferred to Zhejiang to fight against the Japanese pirates. I plan to let Lai Tinghui take over as the right staff officer of the Beijing camp. You will take on the responsibility for the first month before he takes office."

Zhu Yijun put down the five-force bow and picked up a six-force bow - one catty in the Ming Dynasty was about 595 grams, and nine catties and four ounces was one force.

With the extra force, when the bowstring is pulled, it is not as full as before.

Zhu Yijun's arms trembled a little as he took a serious look. "Take advantage of the military parade to clear out the noble officers who are drawing empty salaries. You are a civilian official, so it will be more convenient for you to do this than Gu Huan."

In a Beijing garrison of 100,000 men, there are bound to be some people who are drawing salaries without doing anything.

You have to check it again every three to five years.

Just as Zheng Zongxue was about to speak, he heard the buzzing of a bowstring and an arrow brushed the target and flew backwards.

When he saw the arrow fall to the ground, he bowed to the emperor and congratulated him: "This arrow must have been one hundred and twenty steps away! It shows that Your Majesty has already possessed the six powers, and is truly a man of both civil and military powers!"

The emperor's training was based on the standards of the Beijing Camp, with the distance requirement being 120 steps to pass and 160 steps to be optimal.

In terms of strength, it is divided into upper, middle and lower force. The upper force is 120 kilograms; the middle force is 80 kilograms; and the lower force is 60 kilograms.

The emperor could pull a six-force bow and shoot at a distance of 120 steps, which had already reached the standard of a large archer.

Although it missed the target, Your Majesty shot far!

May martial virtue flourish!

Zhu Yijun glanced at Zheng Zongxue unhappily and said, "You have become a sycophantic official. Haven't you seen me practice my aim?"

Honestly speaking, all the preparations he had spent half a day on were definitely useless.

For example, the examination standard for the military examination is to shoot at a moving target eighty steps away and hit half of the targets in a twelve-shot succession.

Therefore, Zhu Yijun can only be said to have strength above average, but his accuracy is not quite up to par, and he is just a half-step soldier.

Facing the emperor's ridicule, Zheng Zongxue simply said calmly: "I am fortunate to be by your side now. If I don't obey you, Your Majesty, even though you are the emperor, what's the point of it?"

Obeying the emperor is also about fearing that the emperor will be bored.

Zhu Yijun couldn't hold back his expression when he heard this, and he burst out laughing: "The court officials all use allusions to advise and remonstrate, but you use it to please me."

These words were said by Yuwen Shiji.

When Emperor Taizong of Tang saw a tree, he casually praised it as a good tree. Yuwen Shiji, who was standing next to him, started to roar and agreed, saying, "Oh, it's really beautiful."

Taizong was speechless and said that you are acting like a sycophant. Yuwen Shiji then said what Zheng Zongxue said - it can be seen that the one who can make the leader relax is the real confidant.

Of course, Zheng Zongxue was not just trying to please the emperor, but more importantly, he was using Emperor Taizong of Tang to encourage the emperor.

After the Nanjiao incident, the expectations of these imperial party members on the emperor became higher and higher.

Zheng Zongxue was amused but didn't push his luck any further. After a moment, he calmed down and got back to business: "Although most of the nobles who disobeyed orders have been sent to the Five Military Commandery in recent years, I'm afraid the issue of them eating the empty payroll will have to be traced back to the battalion officers..."

"I am not strong enough, and I need the full cooperation of my deputy generals and lieutenant generals."

As the Left Staff Officer of the Beijing Camp, he can be said to be the current executive officer, with a low position but great power.

But he is a civil servant after all, and his control is never enough to reach the middle and lower levels.

Zhu Yijun did not say anything like "I just want the result", but expressed his understanding: "So, I plan to take advantage of the military review to let a group of deputy generals, lieutenant generals, guerrilla generals, and assistant generals take lessons with me."

"Then I will use my title as the emperor to give you some advice."

Of course, working for the deputy general and the lieutenant general was not entirely to pave the way for Zheng Zongxue to investigate the empty salaries.

Moreover, as he is getting older, he has a further need to control the Beijing camp.

The civil officials controlled the cabinet and court officials, and the military generals needed to go deep into the Beijing camp and send a deputy counselor - one general for each camp, and thirty camps meant thirty people, which was not a lot.

Zheng Zongxue was startled: "Class?"

Zhu Yijun nodded and put down the bow in his hand: "Qi Jiguang, Yin Zhengmao, Yu Dayou and other generals and commanders have been leading troops in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian for a long time. Those who should be transferred should be transferred, and those who should retire should retire."

"When I returned to Beijing to report on my work, I happened to receive an assignment from the Beijing Guards Military Academy."

"After all... I have learned most of the Confucian classics, and it is time to learn the martial arts classics."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zongxue could not help but remind him, "Your Majesty, in recent years, due to the civil war in Japan, the number of Japanese refugees fleeing to our coastal areas has increased year by year. Now that the generals and generals along the coastal areas have been transferred together, it is better to be cautious."

It’s not that the Japanese pirates are so strong.

But this thing is like black slaves, cheap, and it is extremely easy to recruit the gentry in Zhejiang and Fujian.

It would be bad if some people with ulterior motives took advantage of the opportunity when the generals or commanders were transferred and deliberately caused trouble.

Zhu Yijun hummed and explained, "Governor Yin Zhengmao's mission has been sent to Zhang Xueyan. The affairs of Zhejiang and Fujian will be handled by Ding'an Bo and Li Zaiting."

These are all things that have been considered long ago.

The Shanghai Maritime Customs and the Fujian Maritime Customs will soon open shipping and collect customs duties.

Delegating power is something that must be done at the last minute.

Therefore, Zhu Yijun not only handed over the military and political power of Fujian Province to the Governor Li Zaiting, but also sent Gao Gong, the former Prime Minister, to Zhejiang to make contributions.

While the two were talking, Zhu Yijun suddenly caught a glimpse of Wei Chao leading Shen Shixing towards him.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun began to drive people away: "Let's do this for now. I will take some time to inspect the Beijing camp before the New Year. You prepare the case files of the deputy generals and lieutenant generals for me."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zongxue immediately bowed and took his leave.

When he turned around, he saw Shen Shixing, stepped aside and bowed to greet him.

Shen Shixing nodded in return.

The two passed by each other.

Shen Shixing came before the emperor and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​practicing sword and stood in horse stance on the spot.

Seeing this, Shen Shixing came straight to the point and said, "Your Majesty, can you postpone your tour of Shuntian Prefecture for a while?"

Zhu Yijun frowned: "Postpone it? Wasn't it already agreed upon at the court session the day before?"

Shen Shixing replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, the country is in turmoil. More than a hundred court officials have retired. We are really busy lately. The court cannot be separated from your Majesty's bravery and decision-making for a moment..."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and interrupted him directly: "Mr. Shen is trying to smooth things over with me, right?"

At the time of Shen, Xing choked.

After he reluctantly pleaded guilty, he finally told the truth: "Your Majesty, the new Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Zhiyuan just arrived yesterday. He said he needed to familiarize himself with the affairs of the government office and is temporarily unable to accompany Your Majesty."

"Shuntian Governor Hu Zhili has just come to the cabinet and said that Your Majesty is touring Shuntian Prefecture, and some people in the prefectures and counties are quite panicked. In order to avoid any trouble, he hopes that Your Majesty will revoke the order."

"After Wang Zongyi took office as the Minister of Rites, he also said that Your Majesty's trip was frivolous and must not be allowed..."

Zhu Yijun lost his strength and could not stand steadily on his horse, so he staggered to his feet.

He couldn't help but point his finger at Shen Shixing and said, "Shen Ge Lao, you and I are the emperor and the minister. The cabinet can't always be convenient to the outside world, which will tie my hands and feet."

Shen Shixing seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Zhu Yijun took the hot towel and wiped his sweat, then looked at Shen Shixing and shook his head, saying, "I have lived in the deep palace for a long time and have never seen the world."

"The heroic decisions you speak of are mostly based on my limited experience and my reluctant decisions."

"It was fine in the past, but now, how can you repeatedly resist me in such a major matter as the land clearing and household clearing that interferes with the foundation of the country?"

"Even if the cabinet wants to set an example for civil officials and make compromises, it should also reason with them and persuade them sincerely, so as to build a bridge between the upper and lower levels. How can people just go where the wind blows?"

Zhu Yijun educated the paste maker earnestly.

Shen Shixing's intelligence is impeccable, but his personality is too soft.

It's bad enough that you're bullied by the emperor, but you also often compromise with court officials. Who are you, Xiao Shen, hanging out with?

Shen Shixing felt helpless.

I wish it were as simple as the emperor said.

None of the emperors of the Zhu family were worry-free. They either went out of the palace in disguise to fight in wars, or went out of the palace to survey feng shui.

When did the whole court not speak out against it? Wouldn't anyone who supported it be scolded?

He was trying to persuade him sincerely. If he was so easy to persuade, I would have seen no one persuade the emperor.

Shen Shixing was complaining in his heart, but he still admitted his fault sincerely and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty is right. I will go back and make new arrangements."

He was about to take his leave when he suddenly heard the emperor calling him.

Shen Shixing looked up in confusion.

Zhu Yijun turned around and told Jiang Keqian and Li Jin, "Yutianbo and Li Daban, take people to Shuntianfu to clean up the area."

The two of them left in response.

Shen Shixing looked at the emperor in surprise: "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Mr. Shen, please stand here and don't move. I will change into regular clothes." After that, he turned around and left without paying attention to Shen Shixing's call.

……

Shuntian Prefecture Government Office.

The new prefect, Wang Zhiyuan, sat in the lobby, flipping through files with a frown on his face.

The files of Shuntian Prefecture are so complicated and messy!

There are a lot of bad debts visible to the naked eye, the earliest of which can be traced back to the time when Sun Yi was in office ten years ago. It would have been fine if this person had just embezzled money, but the resulting land disputes, illegal passes issued with government seals, and silver owed to businesses are too numerous to count, and no one has solved them in the past seven years!
As for the files involving land and household registration, either a number has been passed down for ten years, or a page is missing here or a book is missing there. It is obvious that the lower officials were perfunctory and the superiors were negligent, or even deliberately withdrew the important files.

However, the former prefect Jin Lijing had wiped out all ties with the emperor by voluntarily ending his political life, so it was impossible for him to capture him and interrogate him.

As for the other miscellaneous things, they are too numerous to count.

For example, more than 3,800 wealthy households that the imperial court moved to Beijing from Zhejiang and other places disappeared from the yellow book.

Or perhaps the families who moved in from other provinces this year to seek school enrollment have mixed up their native places. They were originally wealthy or business people, but their places of origin were inexplicably changed to student status, etc.

There is no way to trace it.

What is the difference between this situation and measuring the land again and re-counting the household registration one by one?
Wang Zhiyuan felt the situation was very difficult and couldn't help but sigh.

Shuntian Prefecture has always been known as one of the Nine Minor Officials, and was mostly a stepping stone for court officials. The Wu Ri Jing Zhao was a true portrayal of this position.

Even though there was some improvement after the emperor issued an edict in the first year of the Wanli reign to regulate the terms of office of all officials, the situation was already becoming dire.

Even if the term of office is five years, who can properly deal with the mess that has occurred over the past decade?
Most of the prefects in office think "it's better not to do it".

Just like what Jin Lijing said when he retired, it is better to retire happily since you have no control over the situation.

"Wang Jingzhao, this is the population census taken during the fifth year of Longqing, when Sun Yizheng was in office."

A voice awakened Wang Zhiyuan from his meditation.

He raised his head and saw Zhizhong walking out from the side hall holding a stack of files.

Wang Zhiyuan quickly stood up and took it: "Trouble Chang Zhizhong."

The Zhizhong is at least a fifth-rank official, so he should be treated with due respect.

Chang Chunqiao quickly replied, "I am sorry to trouble you. It is my honor to work with Wang Jingzhao. When Wang Jingzhao said 'govern with the people', he once took it as a role model for me."

Wang Zhiyuan was not well-received in official circles, but his reputation among the people could be summed up in one word: "Buddha in every family."

Equalizing corvée labor was Wang Zhiyuan's consistent political view.

As soon as he took office in Shuntian Prefecture yesterday, he openly declared that he "aims to suppress the corrupt officials, eunuchs, nobles, and famous people, and return the people of this country to a better life." - He aims to suppress the nobles and let the people recuperate.

The appointment of such a figure at the critical juncture of land measurement and household registration naturally polarized the officials under him.

The prefectural chancellor, Guo Tingwu, had to run all night and was transferred to the Taichang Temple early this morning.

Chang Chunqiao, who had just been promoted from the local level to Shuntian Prefecture in July, couldn't wait to get the position.

When Wang Zhiyuan heard the compliment from his subordinate, he smiled politely.

Just as he was about to say something polite, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

They both looked outside.

I saw a group of Jinyiwei and factory guards entering one after another.

Wang Zhiyuan frowned, put down the file and went to meet him.

He is fifty-three years old this year, with a square face and a full forehead. A slight hint of dissatisfaction is revealed on his face, revealing his awe-inspiring righteousness.

As soon as I walked out of the lobby, before I could scold him, I saw the person's face clearly.

I was shocked for a moment!
Wang Zhiyuan's expression of accusation disappeared, and he hurriedly turned back to the hall and explained to his subordinates who looked puzzled: "The leader led by Yutian Bo and the factory supervisor must be the emperor!"

"Quick, tidy up your appearance!"

The voice just fell.

Then three whip sounds were heard, followed by a feminine voice that entered the hall: "The Emperor has arrived! The officials and gentry welcome him respectfully! The common people bow down to him!"

A moment of distraction.

The two people in the lobby saw a figure slowly appearing like the moon surrounded by stars.

Wang Zhiyuan and Chang Chunqiao hurriedly patted their bodies, rubbed their faces, and walked quickly to the lobby door.

The two men looked serious and respectful, and bowed in a very formal manner.

"I, the humble servant Chang Chunqiao, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, greet your majesty!"

"Your Majesty, I am terrified to see you in person!"

Wang Zhiyuan was a third-rank official, so naturally he didn't need to introduce himself.

Zhu Yijun walked in from outside and looked at Shuntian Prefecture with curiosity.

To be honest, he left the palace only a few times in these eight years.

Only the six government offices outside the Meridian Gate and Wang Shizhen’s villa twice - the imperial road used for sacrifices in the southern suburbs - were not even considered outside the palace.

It is inevitable to feel stuffy, after all, the Forbidden City is not that big.

So much so that even though it was a government office at this moment, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but look at it with great interest for a long time.

He withdrew his gaze with a hint of regret, walked into the hall, and said with a smile: "I came here suddenly."

After saying that, he raised his hand lightly, motioning for the two to stand up.

Wang Zhiyuan saw Shen Shixing only after he stood up. He suppressed his emotions and nodded in greeting.

"Huh?" Zhu Yijun looked at the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, revealing a look of reminiscence, "Have I met the governor before?"

Chang Chunqiao quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I was the magistrate of Jiangyou County in Sichuan who came to Beijing to see the emperor in the second year of the Wanli reign. I was promoted to the governor of Shuntian Prefecture in July this year."

Zhu Yijun suddenly realized.

Once reminded, he remembered the group of local officials who had performed well in the examination and entered Beijing with Qi Jiguang in the second year of Wanli.

This fellow was the county magistrate who had exposed his superior on the spot—and was also the reason why Hai Rui was appointed governor of Sichuan.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sighed: "It only took five years to go from the seventh rank to the fifth rank. It seems that Chang Qing has lived up to my expectations in the past few years."

Although it is normal to stay at the same level for three years, being promoted at the right time is a privilege for the chosen ones.

Only the Jinshi graduates from the Hanlin Academy have this qualification.

A poor county magistrate like this would often spend his entire life stuck in the sixth or seventh rank.

Chang Chunqiao's face was full of pride and restraint: "I am a humble scholar, a mere juren. It is all thanks to your majesty's good governance, the trust of the governor of the sea, and the fair examination system of the Ministry of Personnel that I have been able to succeed."

Although he had exposed his superiors, he was promoted to the sixth rank for his meritorious service.

But these are minor details.

The main reason is that Shangguan took a fancy to him.

Zhu Yijun smiled. Of course this was not true. What made Hai Rui appreciate him was his ability, right?
But he certainly wouldn't be polite with such words to a lowly official.

Zhu Yijun asked casually, "How is the situation in Sichuan?"

Sichuan was a provincial government that received special attention, so Hai Rui was allowed to go there several years in advance.

Hopefully it won't be too bad.

Chang Chunqiao thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, I am not sure either. When I left Shu, the land survey and household clearance had just begun."

“It was going pretty well at the time.”

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but nod his head, Hai Rui was still reliable.

He sat leisurely in the main seat of the hall, looking at the files on the table and asking, "How are the candidates from these two subjects doing after they went there?"

The Ministry of Personnel will naturally report such matters.

But we still need to listen to different perspectives.

Chang Chunqiao hesitated for a moment, and finally told the truth: "It's a mixture of good and bad."

"People like Li Sancai, the Li Candidate, and Li Kun, the Li Fujun, have excellent reputations both in the officialdom and among the people."

"Some scholars who went there either failed to do their job well or were resentful, and ended up messing things up."

Zhu Yijun sighed and couldn't help but sigh: "Li Sancai is a little beyond my expectations."

This guy has high expectations but poor skills, but his strength lies in his ability to judge the situation according to the circumstances.

As a result, Wang Xijue often wrote love letters to this guy out of admiration for him.

Hai Rui's letter even said that if he had no children this year, he would adopt Li Sancai as his godson.

It's really a bit like the Ming Dynasty succubus.

Zhu Yijun shook his head, put these things behind him, and asked Wang Zhiyuan about the real matter: "Are you planning to survey the land and clear the households?"

Wang Zhiyuan walked up to the emperor and replied, "Your Majesty, I am looking at the population statistics for the fifth year of Longqing."

Zhu Yijun said, "How is it?"

Wang Zhiyuan sighed and said helplessly: "I'm afraid I have to start all over again. This volume of statistics is completely inaccurate."

Zhu Yijun was puzzled: "Why?"

Wang Zhiyuan thought for a moment, thinking about how to explain to the emperor.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Your Majesty, the original record of the Hui Dian was that the population of Shuntian Prefecture was 669,300, but in the fifth year of Longqing, Sun Yizheng counted the number of people and found that the total population was only 147,300."

"Only 20% is left! I cannot believe it!"

(End of this chapter)