Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 193: Rebellion is strictly prohibited and must be killed
At nightfall, Zhu Yijun, who was supposed to go to bed, was lying on the bed with his hands clasped on his upper abdomen, staring blankly at the beams with his eyes open.

Although he looked dazed, he was actually recalling what he saw and heard during his inspection tour of Daxing County during the day.

Especially the sentence "If you don't have a daughter, you are only fit to work in the fields" which kept repeating in Zhu Yijun's mind.

Of course he knew what it meant. Not only him, but all the high-ranking officials present also understood it.

Lending is an ancient industry.

Historically, official loans appeared a little earlier. "The Book of Zhou" recorded that all loans from the people should be discussed with the relevant officials and granted, and the interest should be paid in the form of national tribute.

Private lending followed closely behind, with the first recorded case being Su Qin who "lent a person a hundred coins as capital, and when he became rich, repaid him with a hundred gold coins."

Regardless of who Su Qin borrowed money from, the huge profits involved are self-evident.

It is also for this reason that, from ancient times to the present, those "knowledgeable" people who have certain industries will mostly choose this investment method of stepping on the right foot with the left foot.

Temples and monasteries are among the best.

Taoism is better, as it has taken the upper-level route and tends to appear restrained and decent in front of others.

As for the Buddhist sect that takes the lower-class route, it is not easy to hide the fact that they cannibalize people.

Some temples are more direct, and simply tell believers when they join the religion, "Anyone who wants to join the religion must first pay 20 taels of silver. This 20 taels of silver will be used to earn interest to repair bridges and roads, and to provide for the elderly and the poor."

To put it more euphemistically, it is borrowing. Most of the great monks "lend to others, lend again, and manage it again, and then use it to give to others to take it back."

As for the interest.

Scholars get a lower interest rate, which doubles in three years. For example, Mr. Li owes a monk, Huikong, 50 taels of silver. After three years, the principal and interest should be 100 taels, and the monk keeps asking for the debt.

The interest rate for self-employed farmers and small businesses is higher, doubling in two years. "There is a temple on the top of the mountain, dedicated to the Five Gods of Fortune. They must go to the Buddha to borrow money, take the paper money they hang, and pay 45% interest every year."

With an annual interest rate of up to 45%, naturally not everyone can afford it.

As a result, the shops and fields used as collateral naturally fell into the hands of the monk.

The merciful Buddha will also solve the employment problems of bankrupt self-employed farmers and merchants, and hire them as tenants, handymen in temples, and the like.

If the Buddhist is in a more positive mood, he will ask for his wife or daughter, and only grant them a chance to live after blessing them with Buddhist teachings.

Some people often think that if they don’t borrow money, they can resolve the tragedy at its root.
This is too much to ask. Ordinary people's ability to resist risks is simply not enough to allow them to live so easily. A natural disaster, a man-made disaster, or a serious illness will always cause them to be unable to cope.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of land annexation, and it is also one of the mainstream ways of cannibalism in the Ming Dynasty today - systematic cannibalism - if Zhang San is not eaten, Li Si will always be eaten.

Of course Zhu Yijun knew all of this, and he even knew it thoroughly and in depth.

However, all his understanding was only recorded in a few words in history books or memorials.

This is completely different from seeing the suffering of a living person presented nakedly and bloodily before your eyes.

It was just like the embarrassment he felt when he saw the red people in broad daylight.

The word "red people" has unparalleled political correctness no matter when and where.

This banner woven from this collection was held in his hands and waved continuously in both his past and present lives, as he ran around shouting.

However, a set is always just a set and is not real.

In this life, the suffering of the people is just a line of words in a memorial; in the previous life, the hardship of the people was just a string of numbers in a report.

I care and I worry, but there is always a lack of a sense of reality.

Only when he saw it with his own eyes, the suffering of these red people who were bullied and at the mercy of others, did the complex emotions - intimacy, distance, estrangement, compassion, guilt, resonance, determination - instantly surged into his heart, churning and lingering.

Only at this time could Zhu Yijun truly realize what it meant to suffer misfortune from the country and be the king of the world.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun found it increasingly difficult to sleep.

He glanced at the hazy moonlight outside the window, simply lifted the quilt, turned over and sat up, then casually threw his clothes on, pushed the door open and walked out.

We should have stayed in the county government office tonight, but there are too many people in the city and the county government office is too small to accommodate 2,000 people.

So, he found a Taoist temple to stay in - after all, a Taoist temple can be considered a temporary palace in both the sense of ancestral law and asset structure.

"His Majesty."

"His Majesty."

As soon as Zhu Yijun opened the door, he saw Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian guarding outside the door, one on each side.

He was a little surprised: "Why are you all guarding the door?"

There are also basic laws for duty. Although Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian are close ministers, their status is there, so they never have to work night shifts in person. After the emperor goes to bed and before he gets up, they have free rest time.

Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have finished asking questions about Yao Zhong, the eunuch of Xixinsi."

Zhu Yijun strolled out of the courtyard and waved his hand, motioning the two to follow him.

Zhang Hong followed the emperor closely, "Yao Zhong has been looking after the imperial farm in Daxing County for the palace for many years, and he took the opportunity to exchange a lot of land for his own private land. Now he is afraid that the county's land survey will expose his crimes, so he is so fierce and even beat up the officials of the county government."

Sometimes anger does not necessarily come from confidence, it may also come from fear.

Zhu Yijun walked in front and asked nonchalantly: "Who is involved in this?"

This kind of thing could never be stopped, and he knew it.

But when it comes to the imperial estate, it's not something that one or two people can hide for so many years.

Jiang Keqian, who was standing by, took over the conversation and said, "Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei commander Ma Lu is suspected of collusion and shielding. Duke Dingguo has personally sent him to the county jail."

In the capital area, there are more than one or two such extravagant households, and each of them is someone the county government cannot afford to offend.

It was just the right time to send people to the county government as a scapegoat, which not only showed the attitude of the upper echelons, but also made it easier for Wei Yunzhen to establish his authority later.

Zhu Yijun paced and looked up at the moonlight: "Anything else?"

Outside the emperor's bedroom, there was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. It looked solemn and stern under the moonlight.

When the three men passed by, the guards saw the emperor leading the way, with eunuchs and relatives on the left and right, and they just continued to look straight ahead.

Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian exchanged a glance, and the former replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, although Yao Zhong has been running rampant in the county and township under the name of Li Dayong in recent years, when interrogated, it was actually just a show of deception under the pretext of hosting Wu Qingbo."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but shook his head.

Zhang Hong was being discreet about the matter for the sake of his respected grandfather. The truth was that Yao Zhong bribed his grandfather, and Li Jin had no choice but to let Yao Zhong use his name in the face of the clan leader's instructions.

A small county like Daxing has brought out a lot of people.

Zhu Yijun suddenly sighed: "Speaking of which, I rarely feel powerless when it comes to Wu Qingbo."

"Around the first year of the Wanli reign, I punished him for the first time because of Sun Yizheng's incident. In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, he withheld sweaters from the border troops and I almost put him in jail. Afterwards, he cried bitterly in front of my mother and said he would change his ways. I didn't expect that he is still trying to trip me up now."

That's why he often said that being a bit mean may not be useless, but if a person is stupid, he is truly useless.

This foolish grandfather was stripped of all real power after the fourth year of Wanli.

But the identity of a relative by marriage can never be stripped away.

It always pops up at certain times and makes people feel uncomfortable.

Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian had no chance to interrupt the emperor's complaints about his grandfather, and they just followed the emperor silently.

Seeing the emperor pacing in front of him with a worried look on his face, Zhang Hong could not help but whisper, "Your Majesty, go back to your room and rest. It's cold at night."

Zhu Yijun ignored him and asked, "Where is Huairou Earl Shi Guangzu?"

The Marquis of Huairou was conferred upon him by Emperor Yingzong in the first year of the Tianshun reign.

The merits for being conferred the title...well, no merits. The reason given by Emperor Yingzong was "he had made considerable contributions in the garrison of Liaodong", which means that he had no merits but had worked hard.

It is not easy for future generations to delve into the specific reasons.

This lineage has not been very smart for a long time, and has not had any important responsibilities - this is the norm for nobles. Only outstanding nobles like Gu Huan and Zhu Xizhong would throw all the Jinyiwei and Beijing Army on their heads like they were free.

People like Marquis Huairou could only run errands for the emperor in performing sacrifices.

The last time Zhu Yijun saw Shi Guangzu's name appear on his desk was when he was caught by patrol soldiers for violating the curfew by soliciting prostitution at night. The judicial department requested eight opinions on the punishment: "Shi Guangzu, the Marquis of Huairou, was deprived of his salary and rice for a year. He was arrested by patrol soldiers for violating the curfew by taking prostitutes with him."

It is really expected that he can't see the situation clearly and resists the crossing of the field.

Zhang Hong replied carefully, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Huairou should have 800 acres of land. Now, according to the housekeeper, it should be several times more, and the number of slaves he owns may be hundreds or more."

"Some of these cases involved forced buying and selling, as well as bullying of the people. The county government has found pretexts for them and is investigating."

Although Sejong promised that there would be no more trouble, there would always be other ways out. It would be a fantasy for the dignitaries to abide by the law and be impeccable.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun fell silent for a moment.

Eight hundred acres of land is no small sum, and together with the rewards from the palace and the share of the business that one has enjoyed in the Grand Princess's Mansion over the years, it is more than enough to live a wealthy life.

Now the amount is several times more, it's really... greedy.

Zhu Yijun casually brushed past the incense burner in the middle of the courtyard and turned to look at Jiang Keqian: "Uncle, does the Yutian Earl's Mansion have land and slaves?"

As I said, friend and foe are the most difficult things to distinguish.

Take the matter of land measurement and household clearance for example. Just the tip of the iceberg we saw on the first day showed that eunuchs, Jinyiwei, external relatives, nobles, and temples and monasteries were involved. It could be said that we were outnumbered.

In history, when Zhang Juzheng was in charge of measuring land, the first thing he did was to write a letter home and ask his family to clear up his hidden land.

The first time, more than 570 acres were cleared, and the second time, more than 720 acres were cleared, all of which were donated to the government for confiscation.

Regardless of the amount, the fact that the report was submitted in two batches clearly showed that the family members had hindered Zhang Juzheng's orders.

So, what about yourself?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help feeling sentimental, so he casually asked this question to the old servant of the Eastern Palace, the relative of Emperor Shenzong and a close minister of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Jiang Keqian was stunned for a moment, then reacted and replied calmly: "Your Majesty, this is the custom of the nobles. The rooms in the mansion want to live, and I can't stop them."

"However, after I become the head of the family, I will do my best to restrain myself and will never harm the people."

Zhu Yijun asked: "How do you restrain them?"

Jiang Keqian pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, although there are slaves, they are orphans that I bought from slave dealers. Even if they want to be freed when they grow older, they can come and go freely after the two clearings." "As for the land, after I was restored to my title, I was granted 800 acres of land, not an acre more. I simply exchanged 470 acres of lower land for the upper land of the people, and paid the difference according to the market price. I did not force them to buy or sell."

Zhu Yijun shook his head.

The people's voluntary participation is never truly voluntary, but most of the time it is just a helpless choice when they are left with no other options.

But this cannot be blamed on Jiang Keqian. His cousin's behavior was indeed very Keqian-like.

Zhu Yijun retracted his gaze, lowered his head and said with emotion: "My cousin's Buddha nature is deeper than that of some great monks."

Jiang Keqian hesitated to speak.

After hesitating for a while, he couldn't help but reply: "Your Majesty, I don't have any Buddha nature, and I don't have any empathy for the people."

"I am only trying to please Your Majesty. Your Majesty loves the people, so I love the people as well and dare not neglect them."

"People like eunuch Yao Zhong and Huairou Earl Shi Guangzu not only do not love the people, but are also disloyal to the emperor."

"Those who have no ruler and no people are still a minority after all, and they are not a force to be reckoned with. Your Majesty does not need to feel sad or angry over them."

It's just a matter of saying go back to bed.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help laughing when he heard this, but he didn't respond.

The group walked to the door of the Zhenwu main hall. Ignoring the guards, Zhu Yijun walked up the stairs and slowly entered the hall.

As soon as he walked into the hall, Zhu Yijun was stunned.

He looked at the figure kneeling on the mat and called softly, "Wang Qing."

Wang Xijue was praying with his eyes closed, but he subconsciously shuddered when he heard the voice.

After a moment, he finally reacted, stood up from the futon, slowly turned around and saluted: "Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun stretched out his hand to signal him to get up, and couldn't help but smile: "It turns out that Wang Qing hasn't slept yet."

Wang Xijue sighed, his tone complicated: "I was suddenly entrusted with an important task by His Majesty, and today I witnessed with my own eyes the difficulties of the new policy and the hardships of the people. I was overwhelmed with thoughts and could hardly fall asleep."

His difficulty in sleeping was different from the emperor's difficulty in sleeping.

It is not because I am worried about the people that I toss and turn.

Instead, he was thinking about what he should do to solve the current problems while in his position in the Ministry of Personnel, or even when he enters the cabinet next year.

Zhu Yijun sighed in sympathy, and also said: "I lament the hardships of people's lives, and I sigh deeply and wipe away my tears."

As he spoke, he casually took a stick of incense and walked forward to insert it into the incense burner.

Today, Zhenwu Emperor is not only an official deity, but is also regarded as the true body of Emperor Taizu, and anyone who comes to worship him is worthy of him.

Wang Xijue saw that the emperor was in a bad mood, and thought about the fact that he had not slept most of the night and came to burn incense, so he couldn't help but have some guesses in his mind.

He stood behind the emperor and casually consoled him: "Your Majesty, the people's livelihood is difficult, so we should not slack off."

"When the Xining Reform of the Song Dynasty failed, Wang Anshi, who was in charge of the new policy, wrote a poem in Jiangning."

"One of the lines says, I wish to be a frivolous boy of Wuling, born in the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras. I will spend my life fighting cocks and running dogs, and I don't know the safety of the world."

After he finished retelling the story, Wang Xijue couldn't help but click his tongue three times and smacked his lips.

After a moment, he continued, "Your Majesty, many people at the time interpreted this sentence as Wang Anshi's yearning or even escape. However, when I read this sentence roughly, I only felt that the despair and resentment towards Song Shenzong in it almost overwhelmed everything."

"Wang Anshi knew the safety of the world, but he watched the new law being destroyed. How could he be the emperor of Song Shenzong?"

"I have some humble opinions, and I dare to tell your Majesty. I hope you will always take them as a warning."

The people are incapable and are called gods.

It means that ordinary people can't find better words to praise.

However, after the predecessors were given a temple name, new meanings would often be added to the temple name because of the deeds of their predecessors.

If the new law is abandoned halfway, the emperor may have to ask for a temple name like Song Shenzong.

He was advising the emperor not to give up the journey because of the huge obstacles he saw.

Wang Xijue's words were not tactful enough and were even a bit presumptuous, but Zhu Yijun knew his temper and did not take it seriously.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I understand your painstaking efforts, but I am only worried about the land survey. Just now, when I was lying on the bed, I couldn't help thinking about what I saw and heard during the day."

"In a trance, the sound of rats gnawing at my flesh kept ringing in my ears, and the cries of the people echoed in my mind. The rage in my heart was burning more and more fiercely."

"But I have nowhere to vent, so I have to come out and relax."

Structural oppression has no place to vent.

It's not that one person did something wrong, it's that the world is wrong.

How should Shi Guangzu be sentenced for setting up checkpoints and collecting fees? Not guilty, because he was not a bandit, he was a nobleman.

Not to mention the nobles, outside the capital, anyone could set up a checkpoint as any "father of a student" and collect tolls from the farmers and tenants. If the tolls were accidentally collected from a passing official, both parties would have to smile at each other, bow and say that a flood had washed away the Dragon King Temple.

The burden on the people? Not worth mentioning.

What about county clerks who solicit bribes and collect fees for entering the city? According to the law, this is a heavy sentence, but if you really arrest people on this ground, 99% of the petty officials in the world will get away with it.

Even in the capital, where high-ranking officials in red robes frequently came and went, when Li Zhi first entered the capital, he was still asked for bribes by the city guards.

During this period, all those who suffered injustice from the government would often just sigh and say that they had bad luck, and even the people themselves felt so - this mentality can be seen in many works, including "Water Margin" and "Jin Ping Mei".

What about the temples lending money?

Not only is it legal, it's even reasonable.

If an imperial decree is issued not to allow temples and monasteries to lend money, the first to riot will be the common people - without loans, what will they do in times of famine? The government? It doesn't matter, they will have to wait in line until next year.

Faced with structural oppression with no culprit, even an emperor can only sulk.

Wang Xijue suddenly came to his senses after hearing this.

He glanced at the Jinyiwei and the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department beside the emperor, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, in the evening, Wei Yunzhen has invited the Marquis of Huairou to the county government office."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "I know."

The tour to Shuntian Prefecture is just for research and investigation. It's time to leave after the visit. I have to go to Wanping early tomorrow morning.

As for the problems discovered and even the aftermath, they should be left to the local chief officer.

If Daxing County cannot handle the situation, then go to Shuntian Prefecture. If Shuntian Prefecture cannot handle the situation either, then there is the Shuntian Governor.

The time of the emperor and his senior officials is precious, and they have no time to stay and deal with these trivial political affairs.

Wang Xijue spoke again: "Your Majesty, Yao Zhong, Ma Lu, and all the abbots and masters of the temples are all in the county government."

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

Suddenly he realized that Wang Xijue was not trying to persuade him to go back to sleep: "What Wang Qing meant was..."

Wang Xijue met the emperor's gaze with confidence and said, "Your Majesty, the sound of rats gnawing is ringing in my ears, and the sound of the people wailing is echoing in my mind. I agree with you."

"Since you are so angry, how can you just ignore it?"

The implication is that even if it only makes you feel relieved and at ease, it's worth it.

"In my opinion, Yao Zhong and Ma Lu have occupied the imperial land and committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. Their crimes are unforgivable! They should be punished according to the law! Huairou Earl Shi Guangzu set up checkpoints to collect taxes, which is tantamount to establishing a government! He should be beaten to death in court!"

"Anyone who rapes someone's wife or daughter in a temple or monastery is guilty of the ten unforgivable crimes! Only by hanging their heads in the Daxing County parade ground can the people's anger be appeased!"

"Your Majesty, why not call up the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Xu Guo, and let's ride to the county government office now. Go and come back quickly so that we can rush to Wanping tomorrow morning."

Zhu Yijun took a breath of cold air.

No wonder historical records say that this guy forced Zhang Juzheng to commit suicide with a knife. It turns out he has such a temper!

Wang Xijue, you are a bit too extreme!
Zhu Yijun couldn't help rolling his eyes and refused sternly: "Uh, Lord Wang, it's okay for the ministers and nobles, but for the temples and monasteries to rape people's wives and daughters, most of the people are willing to be mortgaged, wouldn't it be inconvenient to be convicted..."

Although mortgaging living people does not conform to his values, this is the course of development of the times.

At most, it is just a violation of the precepts, and from the legal point of view, it is indeed not a crime.

Wang Xijue saw the emperor's intention, and he seemed to have thought of it a long time ago, blurting out: "Your Majesty, in May of the tenth year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu issued an order."

"Buddhism and Taoism are meant to purify and benefit all living beings. However, many monks and Taoists today do not observe the precepts, and are always competing for benefits. They are not sincere, and even drink alcohol and eat meat, wander around and indulge in debauchery without any scruples, corrupting morals."

"If there are monks or Taoists who do not follow the ancestral traditions and violate the strict prohibitions, they will be killed without mercy."

Wang Xijue paused and said, "Your Majesty, raping someone's wife or daughter is a violation of the precepts. According to our ancestors' law, you should be killed without mercy!"

Minister Wang has very white teeth, and his tone reveals a chilling chill.

The voice lags behind.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath, turned around, and ordered Jiang Keqian: "Mr. Jiang, go, prepare the horse, and follow me to the county government office!"

Jiang Keqian left immediately.

Then he looked at Zhang Hong and said, "I will go kill some people and come back before dawn."

Zhang Hong hesitated to speak.

Zhu Yijun grabbed Wang Xijue's hand and walked out of the hall: "I wonder if Minister Xu has fallen asleep."

Wang Xijue replied sternly, "Minister Xu must not have gone to bed yet either."

The two men's voices became lower and lower, and they went to the side hall to look for Xu Guo.

A quarter of an hour later, the three men rode out of the temple on horseback, followed by a number of followers, and rode away.

　I can't finish writing the next chapter tonight, so I won't post a single page. I'll post it tomorrow during the day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)