I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 520: Dear Master, let’s just accept our fate!

Zhu Yijun stood up, walked around the imperial desk, approached Zhang Juzheng, and reached out to help him up.

"Master Zhang, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Zhang Juzheng sitting down on the chair nervously, Zhu Yijun felt a lot of emotions in his heart.

It has not been easy for any reformer, both in China and abroad, both ancient and modern.

He was extremely dangerous during his lifetime and was cursed after his death.

In history, Zhang Juzheng dealt two severe blows to the Ming Dynasty. One was the performance evaluation system; the other was to survey the land and implement the "One Whip System".

With two cuts, some of Daming's rotten flesh was cut off, and he suddenly became energetic again, extending his life for several decades.

But after his death, the conservatives' counterattack was extremely crazy.

His family members were locked up at home awaiting investigation, and several of them starved to death. The eldest son, Zhang Jingxiu, was severely tortured by Qiu Yu, a well-known and honest official, in order to recover the dirty silver that Zhang Juzheng had embezzled during his lifetime.

The fabricated amount did not reach the standard for corrupt officials identified by honest officials, so severe punishment continued.

Zhang Jingxiu, who was unable to die, had to make up stories, saying that he had hidden the dirty silver in the homes of Zhang Juzheng's important cronies, with the amount reaching two to three million taels of silver.

The great Qing official Qiu Yu then contentedly submitted a memorial to close the case, saying that he was upright and incorruptible, and that he had dug out a big rat for the Ming Dynasty and eliminated a great threat to the people.

In history, Zhang Juzheng's reforms, in his own opinion, had only touched the surface before they were met with a fierce backlash and liquidation.

Now that he was behind the scenes, the reforms led by Zhang Juzheng would penetrate into the souls of the conservatives, and he didn't know what kind of crazy backlash this would cause.

Dare to counterattack?
Ha ha!

Zhu Yijun sorted out his thoughts and spoke slowly.

"Gao Gong's death was very strange. Although he was full of resentment and grief, he drank a lot at the farewell banquet before leaving Beijing, and scolded Master Li, Master Zhao, and Master Zhang by name.

His voice was loud and his face was flushed.

As a result, he died suddenly a few days after leaving the capital and arriving at Linqing Post Station. This is indeed suspicious. "

"Now the court and the public are talking about it. Some say that he was murdered by me. They say that I hate him to the core, but because of the favor of the late emperor, I had to let him leave the capital, but ordered the East Factory Jinyiwei to act as a secret agent and not let him return to Xinzheng alive.

So the East Factory used the secret medicine of the inner palace, such as Wu Geng Mi Hun San, Shi Geng Si Ming San, Qing Feng Bei Min Su (Master Zhang), and listen to the names they made up. The previous red crown and peacock gall are outdated.

After hearing this, I began to wonder when the Forbidden City became the headquarters of the Ming Poison Immortal Sect. "

Zhang Juzheng forced a smile.

Zhu Yijun continued, "Some say he was murdered by you, Master Zhang. They say you spent a lot of money to hire a sorcerer and some hidden alchemist.

The poison was the Miaojiang Golden Silkworm Gu, the most poisonous in the world, colorless and tasteless. Those who were poisoned felt no abnormalities at all, but died three days later when they heard the crowing of a cock.

The Thousand Mile Soul Capture Technique and the Seven Arrows Book.

In a remote place, a platform is set up, and a straw man is made with his name written on it. There is a lamp on his head and another lamp under his feet. His footsteps are like fighting. A talisman is written on it and a seal is burned. Then, the man worships three times a day.

At noon on the seventh day, Gao Gong's three souls and seven spirits would be dispersed, and then an arrow would be shot at the straw man. If the arrow was shot at the real person, both the straw man and Gao Gong would spurt out blood and die.

Killing is invisible and cannot be prevented.

But I flipped through it and found that this book of seven arrows with nails on its head is very similar to the plot in the popular "Legend of the Gods" on the market. "

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, these people like to make up stories like this. The more bizarre and strange the stories are, the more the common people like to hear them."

"This is the method of preaching. People will naturally listen to what they like to hear. After listening to it for a long time, they will believe it. Once they believe it, the false will become true.

I gave these scripts to the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Cai Maochun, and asked him to study them carefully with the officials of the Ministry of Education. I told them that they should keep pace with the times and be good at learning.

Folk artists make a living by these means. Making a living is their top priority, so they rack their brains to find ways and content that the people like.

The Propaganda Department should abandon the condescending attitude of the previous literati and celebrities, write more vernacular stories, write more chapters that the people like to listen to, and then integrate the truth into them, so as to achieve the best effect. "

Zhang Juzheng listened silently.

He knew that there were two yamen in the six ministries and temples, so he should not interfere easily.

One is the Ministry of War, and the other is the Taichang Temple.

These two departments mostly obeyed the instructions of the Secretariat of the Advisory Bureau, and often received instructions from the emperor.

Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Juzheng and picked up the teacup, "Master Zhang, please have some tea. This is new tea from Baoqing Prefecture, Hunan."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Juzheng also picked up the teacup and took a few sips.

"Your Majesty, this Hunan tea is good, fragrant and sweet."

"Huguang is an important place, a place of good feng shui.

There is a saying in the early Song Dynasty that if Suzhou, Changshu and Shu were together, the world would be enough. This is referring to the Three Wus. However, after development till now, the Three Wus, including northern Zhejiang, have become cultivated land, and the wasteland has almost been reclaimed.

Wealth brings prosperity to the world. But if the Ming Dynasty wants to be strong and prosperous, it cannot just be Suzhou and Changzhou. We need Huguang to be prosperous, the world to be prosperous; Northeast China to be prosperous, the world to be prosperous; Annan to be prosperous, the world to be prosperous.

As more and more places become well-developed, the Ming Dynasty will naturally become prosperous and strong.”

Zhang Juzheng knew that the emperor was chatting like this, firstly to comfort his nervousness and anxiety, and secondly to explain his philosophy of governing the country so that he would have a clear idea.

The emperor and his ministers know each other well, and the cabinet should avoid making mistakes that conflict with the national policies of the Western Garden when governing the country.

Zhang Juzheng said quickly: "Your Majesty is wise and has devoted all his energy to the Ming Dynasty and its people."

"I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Master Zhang is the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty. We, the emperor and his subjects, must manage this family well."

"Your Majesty's sincere teachings are engraved in my heart."

"I know that Master Zhang truly cares about the Ming Dynasty and its people. He is a responsible and ambitious official, so I told Master Zhang some of my thoughts.

One person's plan is short, but many people's plan is long."

"I am all ears. Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

"Wang Yi'e has been appointed as the Governor of Huguang and has arrived in Changsha. Most of the clowns on the Hunan-Guangxi border have been wiped out by Tang Kekuan's troops, and the remaining remnants are being gradually eliminated.

Eliminating the rebels is one thing, but developing the two lakes is more important. "Master Zhang, what are the benefits of developing the two lakes?" Zhang Juzheng's anxiety and uneasiness gradually faded away, and his mind turned to political affairs. He smiled and answered.

"Your Majesty is testing me.

Previously, when I was in Xiyuan, explaining classics to His Majesty, I heard His Majesty mention that the Yangtze River is the main artery of the Ming Dynasty, connecting three directions, the upper, middle and lower reaches.

The lower reaches gave birth to the Three Wus, enriching the world, and now Shanghai has risen as the dragon's mouth.

Going up the Yangtze River, you will find Jiangsu, Nanjing and Anhui, which converge at the Three Wus and Shanghai, forming the head of the Yangtze River. Above Anqing is the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, starting with Jiangxi.

Jiangxi has Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River, and is already a land of fish and rice. But it is long and narrow, and although it is rich, it cannot satisfy the rest of the world. Going up the river, you will find the two lakes.

To the south of the two lakes are Dongting Lake, Xiangjiang River, Yuanjiang River, Zijiang River and Lishui River, and to the north are Hongze Lake and Hanjiang River. The two lakes have vast areas and abundant wastelands that can be vigorously reclaimed.

This year, Cao Gong relocated the first batch of 700 households from drought-stricken and barren areas such as Guyuan and Qingyang in Shaanxi to Changde and Yuezhou. This was the first step in relocating people and reclaiming wasteland.

In the past, Shaanxi and Ningxia faced pressure from the Ordos and Tumed Mongols to break through the border, and had to settle a certain number of people in the border areas to farm in order to solve part of the military food problem.

Now everyone in the court knows that after Altan Khan’s inexplicable death, the Mongolian right wing is no longer a problem. Sooner or later, it will become a subsidiary of the Ming Dynasty like the left wing.

From then on, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Shanxi no longer had to worry about border troubles, and Cao Bangfu dared to try to relocate hundreds of households to Huguang as a pilot project.

"The prince recommended the two lakes to be supervised. One of the top priorities is to change the natives to officials, and revitalizing the two lakes is the top priority. If the two lakes are civilized and prosperous, they will satisfy the world. Then the body of the long dragon of the Yangtze River will be strong, and it will be a natural thing to cultivate the three tails of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan in the future."

Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction, "Master Zhang knows about Huguang affairs, so I am relieved.

"Records of the Grand Historian" says that the strength of mountains and rivers lies in virtue, not in danger. What is virtue? It is not only about education, but more importantly, it is about people's livelihood. Let the people have enough food, wear warm clothes, live and work in peace and contentment, and the Ming Dynasty will be forever strong!

The same is true for the policy of reforming the native system.

How to win the hearts of the people from the chieftains? Of course, it is about people’s livelihood!

As long as hundreds of thousands of Miao people are well fed and clothed, the chieftain is nothing! Without us doing anything, these Miao people will tie up the chieftains who used to oppress and exploit them and send them to us.

Therefore, when Wang Yi'e was in charge of the two lakes, his primary task was to help farmers develop their businesses and revitalize the economy. There were paddy fields on the flat land, where rice could be grown to solve the problem of food shortage.

There are plants and trees on the mountain, such as mulberry, tea, tung and lacquer trees, where you can raise silkworms and draw cocoons, pick tea leaves and press oil, cut lacquer and cut trees. Then you can go down the waterway and reach Shanghai in the Three Wus to exchange for cotton cloth, sugar, salt and ironware.

Only by sharing what we have and taking what we need can we achieve prosperity. If the two lakes are prosperous, it will naturally drive western Hunan and western Hubei, and then drive Guizhou, southern Sichuan and Yunnan.

As long as we improve the economy and solve the people's livelihood problems, all the problems of land reform and local rule can be easily solved."

Zhang Juzheng said sincerely: "Your Majesty is wise, far-sighted and far-sighted."

When Zhu Yijun saw that Zhang Juzheng's knot was completely untied, he turned back to the matter of Gao Gong.

"There are rumors that Gao Gong was murdered by some people and the blame was put on your Master Zhang. These people are the relatives and friends of Wang Lin and Wang Shizhen."

Looking at Zhu Yijun's gaze, Zhang Juzheng felt a little flustered.

"This is nonsense. How could those people with ulterior motives frame others? They could have found out the truth by investigating. In the end, they followed the clues and caught the tail. Then they followed Wang Lin to Xishikou, and also sent Wang Shizhen, who was originally released and sent home, to Xishikou.

This rumor is not well-made and has ulterior motives!"

Zhang Juzheng's heart was beating so fast that it almost burst out of his chest.

I knew that nothing can be hidden from the emperor.

The emperor knew all the little tricks in my mind in just a blink of an eye.

What he said just now was a warning to me. If I still put the blame of Gao Gong's death on the conservatives, I would be really ungrateful.

Zhu Yijun noticed the expression on Zhang Juzheng's face and continued.

"After receiving the urgent report, I immediately sent an express message over 800 miles away and asked several famous local doctors to examine Gao Gong's body. The report is here, Master Zhang can take a look."

Zhang Juzheng took the report and glanced at it, his eyes flickering a few times.

"I never expected it, Your Majesty. I really never expected it."

"I can't think of it either. But since it has happened, let's solve it properly. Master Zhang, let Mr. Tan from the Ministry of War and Mr. Wang from the Ministry of Justice investigate the case of Gao Gong's sudden death."

Let the Minister of War Tan Lun and the Minister of Justice Wang Chonggu investigate?

Zhang Juzheng thought about it and finally understood.

Gao Gong died at Linqing Post Station, which was under the jurisdiction of the Military Department. It was reasonable for the Minister of War, Tan Lun, to supervise the case.

With the addition of Wang Chonggu, the Minister of Justice, the standards are high enough.

The key is that the next move will be easy.

He wanted to take advantage of Gao Gong's death, and the emperor also wanted to use Gao Gong's death to play chess.

It’s just that the emperor’s move seems to be more clever and more aboveboard.

"Your Majesty is wise! I will issue a letter when I return, asking the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice to jointly investigate this case and report back as soon as possible."

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Zhu Yijun and asked carefully, "Your Majesty, how should we investigate the case of Cai Guoxi in Jiangsu?"

The case of Cai Guoxi might very well be traced back to his mentor Xu Jie, so Zhang Juzheng was a little cautious.

But he did so again. If this case was not dealt with seriously, the prestige of the cabinet would be completely destroyed, and he, as the prime minister, would be nothing in front of local officials and powerful families!
The alley is blocked at both ends!
That's why Zhang Juzheng wanted to pass the ball to the emperor. As long as the emperor spoke, he would have an explanation to Xu Jie.

My dear teacher, it's not that I don't try my best to protect you, it's that the emperor has spoken personally, and I can't stand it. Both of us, teacher and student, can only accept our fate!
Zhu Yijun also saw through Zhang Juzheng's little thoughts, but unlike his grandfather, Emperor Jiajing, he did not have so many petty thoughts and ideas.

As a ruler, you must stand up, support your subjects, and give them a way out, so that you can get things done better.

Zhu Yijun nodded, "Forcing a local official to death is unprecedented in the country and must be dealt with severely. I have chosen the person for this matter, Master Zhang, don't worry.

In a few days, I will officially announce the decree and send a special commissioner to investigate this case."

Send a specialist to investigate and deal with it severely!

The candidate has been chosen.

Zhang Juzheng's heart moved and he knew who the emperor had chosen.

My dear teacher, this time we really have to accept our fate!
(End of this chapter)