Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 213: Reform is not a crime, overturning the verdict is reasonable

The emperor governs the positive way, while the empress governs the negative virtue; the emperor listens to external governance, while the empress listens to internal duties. Teaching obedience becomes a custom, the outside and the inside are harmonious, and the country is well governed. This is called great virtue.

Although the empress in the inner court and the ministers in the outer court are colleagues, there are essential differences between them.

Emperor Sejong was strangled by a palace maid. It was widely rumored in the palace that this was the retribution for Emperor Sejong's forcing Empress Xiaojie to death and then deposing Empress Zhang.

Emperor Muzong was so addicted to beautiful concubines that he became weak and died young. People in the court and the public could only sigh that if the empress had not been in a cold and shabby state, Muzong might have lived a few more years.

Whether the emperor's marriage life is harmonious is often related to the court organization's evaluation of the emperor's personal style and morality.

Therefore, when dealing with the issue of the queen, we always need to pay attention to the methods and approaches.

Besides, as the saying goes, husband and wife are born to be together and love each other without any doubt. Empress Liu has always been law-abiding over the years. Instead of talking about the emperor's intentions, it is more appropriate for her to talk behind closed doors.

But after being questioned, Empress Liu seemed quite bewildered: "Bribe my family's ten thousand acres of good farmland!?"

The queen frowned, as if she was recalling something.

After a moment, she finally reacted and looked up at the emperor: "Your Majesty, are you talking about the rouge land that the lady of the Kong family gave as a dowry to my brother? "

Zhu Yijun was stunned when he heard this.

The Queen was obviously aware of this.

It was this name that was beyond his expectation.

The so-called rouge land is the dowry land, which is also the so-called dowry. If you really think about it, it is ambiguous whether it can be considered a bribe.

Empress Liu felt a little aggrieved by the emperor's attitude of accusing him of a crime, but she still lowered her head and explained softly, "Your Majesty, Duke Yansheng had previously asked a matchmaker to arrange a marriage with my family, and my father asked my brother Liu Dai to marry a lady from the Kong family. However, the two of them were still young and had not yet been married."

"Later, the Kong family signed a contract in Beijing and used the money to move the farmland, and asked Wu Qingbo to transfer it to my brother for care, saying that they would get married the following year and use it as dowry..."

Empress Liu had no intention of hiding anything and told the whole story in detail.

Zhu Yijun signaled the empress to continue speaking with his eyes, while he tapped the table with his fingers and chewed silently.

Since the beginning of this dynasty, the status of the Confucius Mansion has become increasingly prominent, and there has been an endless stream of nobles who have married into the family.

The second daughter of Wang Xian, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, the second daughter of Li Xian, the chief minister, the granddaughter of Yan Song, the chief minister, in addition, the sons of a number of foreign relatives and nobles such as the Earl of Xuancheng and the Marquis of Anping... all married into the Kong family one after another.

Marriages between prominent families are often an excellent opportunity for legitimate business transactions. In the final analysis, it is just a reason to make things look good.

Zhu Yijun sighed and pulled Empress Liu to sit on the chair opposite.

He intertwined his palms with those of Empress Liu, stroking the back of her hands, and said in a gentle voice, "Empress, if you say that any concubine of the Kong family has a dowry of 20,000 acres, it is too self-deceiving."

Since the founding of the country, the imperial court granted a lot of land to the Kong family. In the first year of Hongwu, they were allowed to reclaim 200,000 acres of land. Later, Chengzu and Yingzong also received some grants.

But these are all sacrificial fields, and the ownership still belongs to the public. The taxes are left to the Kong family to use for expenses such as sacrifices in the temple.

Now that it is said to be a dowry, it can only be the private land of the Kong family.

The imperial court naturally did not know how much private land the Kong family had. After all, the Kong family had their own accounts, but they would not tell outsiders - "All sacrificial land was given by the emperor and recorded in books; the private property of the government was very large, which was recorded but not in books."

However, according to historical materials recorded in the series of books distributed to Zhu Yijun in his previous life, at this time, the Kong family's private land is probably around 400,000 acres.

Twenty thousand acres is definitely not a small number. The people in the mansion pooled together half of their private property, which was land near the capital, to give as a dowry to a concubine's daughter. Anyone who heard this would know that it was wrong.

Zhu Yijun paused, raised his right hand and stroked the queen's face: "In the boudoir, Queen, tell me the truth, how much of it is given to the Queen's family, and how much is openly registered in the yellow book and secretly managed by the Kong family?"

As a saint's family, their private land naturally has a tax-free quota.

The current dynasty follows the old system of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and all Kong family properties are exempted from the established practice of exempting two-thirds of the tax grain.

However, as the Kong family became increasingly frantic in their pursuit of farmland and property, the Shandong provincial administration was the first to be unable to bear it. Since the Jiajing period, every provincial governor and governor-general had always been down to earth and had occasionally submitted memorials to the court over the decades, hoping that the court would make some changes.

However, both Emperor Shizong and Emperor Muzong were unwilling to do such a thankless task and chose to trust in the wisdom of future generations.

During the Wanli reign, Zhu Yijun naturally took on the responsibility and without saying a word, he exposed what the eunuch party had done during the Tianqi period.

In the past two years, the established practice of exempting two-thirds of the grain from tax was changed to a new practice of collecting 9 cents of silver per mu less than that of the common people. Even the private property of the Kong family outside Shandong was exempted only from miscellaneous labor service and had to pay taxes together with the common people.

Obviously, the Kong family, feeling the pressure, responded quickly by giving up part of their profits and colluding with their foreign relatives, prominent officials, and court officials in order to successfully get through the land measurement turmoil.

When it comes to farming, it's always like this, with each one showing off their magical powers.

Empress Liu held the emperor's hand that was stroking her cheek and seemed to say something but stopped herself several times.

After a while, she buried her eyes in the emperor's palm and said sullenly, "My father never told me clearly. I guess he received about 6,000 acres."

"Your Majesty, are you going to punish Earl Yongnian?"

Yongnian Bo is the Queen's father, Liu Yingjie - who happens to have the same name as the former Governor of Ji and Liao, Liu Yingjie.

Zhu Yijun looked at the Queen's appearance and fell into a brief trance for some unknown reason.

Empress Liu was only nineteen years old and had an honest and dutiful character, so naturally she could not expect to have a high political position.

Although she was on the side of the emperor, she did not think there was anything wrong with her family acquiring property - after all, dowry was always a reasonable excuse.

It's not just the queen. Although Zhu Yijun's relatives have no ulterior motives, they all have their own problems.

Empress Dowager Li was obsessed with her son, but she always took money out of the inner treasury, either to reward her family or to build golden bodies for Buddhists; the eldest princess was determined to get along with the emperor, but that did not stop her from running casinos and Yangzhou skinny horses under the name of the emperor's aunt; the same was true for the civil and military officials further away, such as Yin Zhengmao and Li Chengliang, who were both famous for their loyalty and dedication, but also greedy for fame.

Even in his previous life, he had close elders who would talk about corruption after drinking, saying, "It is definitely not okay to embezzle, but it is not only okay to take bribes but also shows wisdom."

The people around him and the things in front of him were like the Yangtze River and the Yellow River mixed together, making him confused.

"His Majesty……"

After hearing a gentle call, Zhu Yijun came back to his senses.

Empress Liu seemed a little uneasy because the emperor remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, Zhu Yijun reached out and held the queen's face, brought it close to her, and touched her forehead with hers: "This is not a matter of whether I want to punish Yongnianbo, but of you, the queen."

"You and I were married under the witness of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. We have been together for more than four years, and you have been in the palace for more than that."

He looked into Empress Liu's eyes and said word by word: "Empress, please do not sleep with me but have different dreams from me."

The emperor's sudden words made Empress Liu look a little flustered.

She opened her mouth to argue.

"Listen to me." Zhu Yijun interrupted her.

"Yes, the exchange of betrothal gifts and dowries is a human relationship. Yongnian Bo has never oppressed the people, nor has he interfered with the constitution. It is human nature for him to hope that I will be confused for once. In addition, now that Concubine Wu is pregnant, if I immediately punish Yongnian Bo, it will inevitably make the Queen feel uneasy."

"But common sense says so, but the Queen shouldn't really think like that."

Empress Liu had no idea what the Emperor was thinking, and she became increasingly flustered, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Zhu Yijun stretched out his thumb and wiped the corner of the queen's eyes.

"The Queen should know what I am doing."

"I have been restless and exhausted for the sake of the country, and I am struggling to carry this old ox and broken cart."

"If I were to ask who in the world should be the one to manage yin and yang with me, who else could it be other than you, the lady? If I were to ask who in the world should be the one to follow my steps, who else could it be other than my first wife? If I were to ask who in the world should be the one to understand my thoughts, who else could it be other than the queen?"

"Husband and wife are one, you and I should naturally share the same aspirations and ideals."

"You are the queen now, and you will be the queen mother in the future. If you are unwilling to follow my path and are always scheming against your own family, what will happen to my prince? What will happen to my affairs after my death?"

"Let's get back to the present. The Queen's family affairs should be taken care of by you and me together."

"But I can't bear it. Everything has a beginning. The land reclamation has just started this year. If I am confused now, I am afraid I will become as confused as my grandfather."

"Empress, you are responsible for the Yongnian Earl's affairs. Do you think it is right or not?"

After being interrupted, Empress Liu had no choice but to listen silently, her expression changing from fear to thoughtful, and then to pursing her lips and lowering her head.

The emperor has always been so insightful about the world. As he just said, when the concubine became pregnant, the emperor immediately wanted to blame the queen's father. Who wouldn't think too much about this?
But the emperor's words came from the bottom of his heart and were so sincere.

With the words "future empress dowager", any hesitation would be immediately dispelled.

Especially, when the emperor said, "Husband and wife are one, with the same aspirations and the same principles"...

Empress Liu looked at the emperor infatuatedly.

I accidentally entered the royal palace and heard too much about Emperor Sejong's ruthlessness and Emperor Mujong's promiscuity. It is hard to believe that the current emperor is like this, even after several years.

Every time this happens, it feels like I’m in a dream.

By the time the emperor had finished speaking, Empress Liu's expression was extremely complicated, with some regret and pity, and she seemed to be still in deep thought because she had realized something.

A long while passed.

Under the emperor's earnest gaze, the queen nodded heavily.

After a long while, she finally realized what she should say, and quickly expressed her position to the emperor: "I will summon Earl Yongnian to the palace tomorrow and ask him to surrender to the Censorate and clarify the account of this land."

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun finally felt relieved.

He pinched the queen's face and comforted her, "That's right, I'm at ease with you doing the job."

Zhu Yijun stood up and held Empress Liu's face in his arms.

Having said that, naturally there would be no grudges between the two.

Zhu Yijun had a long and intimate conversation with the Queen.

Only after his emotions had calmed down did he take the queen's hand and sit down together on the bed.

Empress Liu fell into the emperor's arms and said, "Your Majesty, may you live forever. You are much more blessed than me. Please don't talk about my afterlife anymore."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

In terms of longevity, he could not compare to Liu, who lived to the Chongzhen period, not to mention the fact that he shortened his life due to busy work with state affairs.

But he did not dwell on this issue, and let the queen undress him, saying casually: "The Kong family not only targeted Yongnian Bo, but also Concubine Wu's family, which seemed to be not spared."

"I have no time to spare recently, so Queen, why not take this opportunity to play the bad guy for me and ask all the concubines and ladies-in-waiting clearly, explain everything clearly, and set some rules, so that those who have done wrong can correct their mistakes, and those who have not done wrong can learn from them."

Zhu Yijun said it casually, but in fact he had been thinking about it for a long time in the past few days.

The competition for favor in the harem is essentially no different from the struggle for power in the outer court, and it is something that cannot be avoided no matter what.

When it comes to power struggles, the most taboo thing is for the emperor to think of himself as the referee.

If this is the case, what is the point of distinguishing between empress, concubines, and imperial concubines?

Zhu Yijun didn't want to sell out Concubine Wu, but rather wanted to prevent chaos in the harem - what he wanted was for the harem to be orderly and function normally when the emperor was still in power.

The queen didn't take it too seriously after hearing this, and immediately agreed. She just couldn't help but mutter, "Jieyu Wu is pregnant with the dragon seed, her status is not ordinary, other concubines may not be able to enjoy it."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun slapped his thigh and said, "The Queen said this, and the Duke of Yansheng has committed a great crime in alienating the royal family! I will definitely punish them!"

Theoretically speaking, a concubine's status means she is a marginal figure who is not even eligible for bribery.

Now that she has been bribed with a large amount of land, isn't it just because of her son that she has gained status as a mother? This is what the queen is afraid of.

Duke Yansheng's bribery was not in accordance with the Basic Law, so it is not unfair to say that he alienated the royal family.

The queen was slapped so hard that she rolled her eyes at the emperor. Zhu Yijun didn't care at all and coughed lightly: "The queen is the same. Your words are jealous. I will also ask the queen for her crime!"

He sat on the edge of the bed with his legs spread wide, and patted his thigh after saying this.

Seeing this, the queen blushed and hesitated.

But she was not paying attention and was turned over by the emperor and pressed hard on her legs.

"Do you know you are wrong?"

"Are you still jealous?"

A chaotic sound began to be heard.

One after another.

……

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Today is the last day before the New Year holiday for court officials, and it is also the last imperial meeting in the seventh year of Wanli.

Of course, not many people need to attend this annual meeting.

At this time, there were only four or five people in the Huangji Hall, some sitting or standing.

The Minister of Justice Zhang Han was waiting at his seat early, with the Ming Dynasty Code, which had been revised just this year, in front of him.

The Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang and the Governor of Henan Province Li Youzi were whispering to each other.

The Chief Censor Wen Chun came and went, and looked quite overwhelmed.

Shen Li was originally sitting at the last seat, but as his colleagues entered the hall, he frequently stood up to greet them, and even stood up and paced around the hall.

"General, Grand Chancellor, Grand Minister of Justice, Minister Li, Minister Shen, you all came early."

Li Zaiting saluted with his fists, followed the eunuch, and walked into the hall with ease and leisure.

Wen Chun and he were both from the northwest, and were from the same hometown as Qin. They had known each other for a long time, so they just nodded to each other and avoided the formalities.

"Good morning, Libudang." Zhang Han and Wang Guoguang replied politely.

"I haven't seen Kuributang for many years. He has become much more dignified."

Li Youzi couldn't stop clicking his tongue and looked Li Zaiting up and down.

Although both of them were in charge of a province, Li Youzi was sent out to work in the countryside in the fifth year of the Wanli reign. Compared with this young man who was sent out to Fujian in the first year of the Wanli reign, Li Youzi's temperament was actually inferior to that of the young man in front of him.

This kind of composure cannot be developed without holding power and having the final say for several years.

Li Zaiting shook his head and sighed, saying meaningfully: "As I grow older, I experience more hardships, and naturally I have washed away my frivolous and impetuous nature."

Li Youzi laughed secretly in his heart. This guy said it in a serious tone, but the day before yesterday when he came to Beijing, he went to Gao Yi's house to do some work, and for this he received several criticisms from the censors. It doesn't necessarily mean that he has gotten rid of his impetuousness.

At this time, Shen Li suddenly interrupted: "How is Libudang's mission in Fujian going?"

Li Zaiting turned his head and looked at Shen Li: "There are still many obstacles to overcome. This time I returned to the capital to report on my work, just to seek help from my colleagues in the court."

After saying that, he pulled out a chair and sat down leisurely.

It is really hard to describe the affairs of the Maritime Customs in a few words.

When the Maritime Customs Office was rebuilt, there was constant opposition in the court.

That's all.

Either the foreign vassal states have stopped paying tribute, there are no markets or ships, and setting up a market is not enough to cover the public expenses of the government, and it would be a futile effort and would harm the people.

Either that or the Maritime Customs is actually levying excessive taxes and extorting money without paying attention to the complaints of the common people, thus humiliating the dignity of the country.

Or maybe it was the rampant pirates who blocked the sea route with big pirates like Lin Daoquan and Lin Feng. We must not rush and harm the lives of the merchants traveling by sea.

It was also thanks to the support of the central government that the project was not ruined halfway.

But even so, local exclusion has never stopped.

The officials in the government offices all made excuses and said something inappropriate; the cunning and wealthy pretended to be merchants and forged permits to evade smuggling; the local big families colluded with each other and bought banned items, borrowed the bandits' soldiers to transport stolen food, and acted as local guides to do what the thieves did.

Li Zaiting worked his way up from being a councillor in the Fujian Provincial Government to the governor of Fujian. It took him seven years, and he finally determined the outcome by exercising arbitrary power in Fujian.

The phrase "many obstacles" actually contains too many difficulties and obstacles to be told to outsiders.

Shen Li nodded thoughtfully and stopped asking questions.

After Li Zaiting sat down, he took the initiative to talk to Shen Li and started a conversation: "I have accumulated years of hard work, but it is just the finishing touch. What are you going to do about Shen Bu Tang's mission?"

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall looked strange.

The affairs of the Earl of Yongnian had all been reported to the Censorate, so naturally, they could not be concealed from those people in the palace.

Shen Li was on patrol in behalf of Emperor Tian and was in charge of farm affairs, but before he even left the capital, a huge problem hit him on the head.

Be it a saintly family or an in-law family, neither of them is a pushover.

Shen Li opened his mouth to answer, but heard noises coming from outside the hall.

When everyone turned around, they saw Cabinet Minister Shen Shixing, Ministry of Personnel Wang Xijue, Ministry of Rites Wang Zongyi, Ministry of War Yin Zhengmao, Ministry of Works Zhu Heng and others coming together.

It was obvious that he had rushed here after finishing the court meeting in Wenhua Palace.

"You all came early."

Everyone in the hall stood up to greet him.

"Lord Shen, all the ministers."

Shen Shixing smiled broadly, not showing any sign of being arrogant: "Just now, the court was discussing various matters concerning the Spring Examination. Don't blame me for being late. Don't blame me."

The pleasantries didn't last long.

Since the regular court was over, the emperor naturally returned to the palace soon.

as predicted.

Following the Ministry of Personnel's Chief Secretary Chen Sanmo, Nanjing Minister of Rites Pan Sheng and others moved in from the side hall.

A whip sounded suddenly.

Everyone was startled, realizing that the emperor had arrived, and they all stood up and waited respectfully.

After only two of the three whip sounds, the emperor appeared in the hall - the emperor was becoming more and more unruly.

"His Majesty."

"His Majesty."

Zhu Yijun appeared calmly in his newly changed casual clothes.

"Sit down, let's start when everyone is here."

Zhu Yijun sat on the main seat and stretched out his hand to signal everyone to take a seat.

Shen Shixing glanced over and hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, we are still short of Elder Wang."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "The Five Military Commandery is a mess. Not to mention today, he won't be able to get away during the holidays."

This is the truth, and the emperor does not want to marginalize Wang Chonggu.

After hearing this, Shen Shixing sat down with relief.

Zhu Yijun glanced at the dozen people in front of him. These were all his trusted and important ministers.

"Before we discuss this, I have something to say first."

Everyone sat upright and looked at the emperor intently.

Zhu Yijun chose his words carefully and got straight to the point: "The new policy has been in effect for eight years. For eight years, the court has only done things without saying anything. Every time there is a new policy, the people are confused and at a loss, not knowing why."

"That's what's happening right now with the land clearing."

"Although the court is targeting the corrupt officials, it is inevitable that it will disturb the people. The people do not know why, and they are afraid that this move is to increase taxes. They are horrified and terrified."

"It is really inappropriate to just do it without saying anything. It just pushes some people to the opposite side and makes them scapegoats."

"Not to mention the wealthy and cunning officials who are trying to sow discord among them, which is simply disrespectful of the imperial order."

"The new policy has already reached a point where we are wading into a deep pool. After careful consideration...it is time for us to raise the flag!"

Not to mention those who were listening, the several second-rank officials who were discussing the matter looked at each other in bewilderment.

The flag has been raised. People who don't know this might think that Huangji Hall is Juyi Hall, and these people are preparing to raise the flag of rebellion.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that we should also shout out the slogans of the New Deal and let the world know about it, just like Emperor Gao did when he conquered the world?"

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Li Zaiting who spoke first.

Wang Zongyi frowned. This analogy was too inappropriate.

Shen Shixing glanced at Li Zaiting. He had been serving the emperor for many years and was the one who could best grasp the emperor's thoughts. He did not expect that he would be overtaken by someone else.

Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zaiting with admiration.

He said with relief in his tone: "That's right, just like when you are in rebellion, you have to shout slogans. Once the people hear them, they will know what the New Deal is doing, what the New Deal is going to do, and why it is doing it."

"If we talk to those reasonable people, we can save a lot of trouble."

The ministers understood, but found it even weirder.

It is really not acceptable to use this method in times of peace.

"At the same time, there is an old case that needs to be reopened."

Li Youzi, Shen Li and others were present in the court for the first time. They were unsure of what was going on and subconsciously looked at Zhang Han.

Minister of Justice Zhang Han looked up, confused and unsure whether the Ministry of Justice had made a mistake again.

Instead, Shen Shixing curled his lips, knowing that the emperor was going to make trouble again, and he was very resentful in his heart.

Seeing his colleagues were puzzled, Shen Shixing asked thoughtfully on their behalf: "Your Majesty, please explain clearly."

Zhu Yijun did not keep the secret, and glanced at these trusted ministers, reminiscing: "Wang Anshi, who was in charge of the new law in the early Song Dynasty, said that the will of heaven is not to be feared, the ancestors are not to be followed, and people's words are not to be cared about."

"As a result, he was stripped of his title, his statues in the Confucius Temple were destroyed, he was driven out of the Dacheng Hall, and even banished from the temple grounds. He was designated as a sinner for all eternity, and the people cursed him for hundreds of years."

"Wang Anshi and the Xining Reforms, along with the New Law, have become infamous among scholars."

Having said that, Zhu Yijun held back a sigh.

There is a reason why "Jing Gong Zhu" has been used as a slang to insult people for thousands of years.

Zhu Yijun shook his head to shake off his thoughts, then he straightened his face and said seriously: "Let's not talk about right or wrong. If we want to raise a banner for the new policy, we have to overturn the Xining Reform and Wang Anshi's case."

(End of this chapter)