Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 653 New Policies Arise Again
Pei Yuan was extremely annoyed by Zhu Houzhao, a man who had no morals and no sense of boundaries.

Then let me ask you.

Why don't you ask around and find out if I feel a sense of accomplishment now that I've gotten a woman who likes you?

Pei Yuan looked at Zhu Houzhao, held back for a long time, and finally swallowed his words.

Forget it……

Zhu Houzhao was secretly pleased to see that Pei Yuan, who was usually very eloquent, had been stumped by his question.

Fortunately, Zhu Houzhao also knew that what he had done... was indeed somewhat unethical.

If this topic is discussed in depth, how will people view his ruthless act of betraying one minister to reward another?

So Zhu Houzhao changed the subject and asked Pei Yuan about his purpose in coming.

Pei Yuangang's train of thought was disrupted by Zhu Houzhao, and he was slightly taken aback by Zhu Houzhao's question.

Zhu Houzhao then smiled and said, "Minister Pei, you need not hold back from me. You are my personal eyes and ears, and I have always known your talents. If you have any advice to offer, please speak freely."

Seeing that Azhao had already said so, Pei Yuan said directly, "This humble servant has come to discuss His Majesty's intention to personally lead an expedition."

Zhu Houzhao's smile vanished, and he frowned slightly as he looked at Pei Yuan. "Could it be that you've also come to stop me?"

Pei Yuan immediately said sincerely, "Your Majesty, you should be aware of the situation in Shandong. The bandits of Bazhou have run rampant in Shandong several times before, causing great suffering to the people of Shandong. Now is the time for Shandong to recuperate and rebuild, and it is really not safe to cause chaos here."

Zhu Houzhao said unhappily, "No. These thieves dared to forcibly kill the imperial censor sent by the court in front of a county official and gentry. What an outrageous act! It would not be an exaggeration to call those people rebels."

"If that's the case, what kind of court would it be if we didn't use overwhelming force to intimidate them?"

Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was determined, Pei Yuan said, "If what Your Majesty says is true, those traitors already have rebellious intentions. If they hear that Your Majesty is personally leading the expedition, they may fight like cornered beasts and might actually be forced to rebel."

"The people of Shandong value small, visible sentiments and loyalty more. Many would die for a friend, but few would die for Your Majesty. Once a rebellion gains momentum, it could easily become uncontrollable. I fear that it might incite another rebellion in Bazhou."

"Instead of doing that, it would be better to follow the advice of the court officials and proceed slowly. Once we have peeled back the layers and dismantled the rebels' forces, we can then arrest and interrogate them. Wouldn't that be entirely beneficial?"

After listening to Pei Yuan's words, Zhu Houzhao hesitated for a moment, but still said, "No! If there is a festering sore, it is better to cut it off directly than to let it fester."

Pei Yuan sighed and said, "Then Your Majesty must understand the principle of 'an army marches on its stomach.' I heard that when the rebellion in Bazhou was quelled last time, almost all of Liu Jin's two or three million taels of silver in the imperial treasury was spent. If Shandong is in chaos again, what does Your Majesty plan to use to fight the war?"

Zhu Houzhao asked with some surprise, "How do you know about the Taicang silver?"

Pei Yuan didn't expect Zhu Houzhao to ask this question, but there was nothing wrong with saying it.

He quickly replied, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten? It was Wang Qiong, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who exposed the massive waste of military funds on the Huguang front. As the official in charge of money and grain in the Ministry of Revenue, he naturally knew the situation of the Taicang silver very well.”

Pei Yuan added, "Back then, I learned in private that Wang Qiong was not only capable of governing the country and benefiting the people, but also had military talent in ensuring sufficient troops and food supplies, as well as strategic planning. So I showed his writings to Your Majesty. At that time, I had already had contact with Wang Qiong."

Zhu Houzhao responded, "Oh, is that so?"

Then Zhu Houzhao remembered the situation back then.

At that time, the Ministry of Revenue, under the pretext of appeasing local authorities, requested tax reductions or exemptions for several regions.

As it turned out, he happened to see Wang Qiong's article and promptly pointed out the problems in it.

"In the year the bandits rose up in Bazhou, the crops were plentiful, but only Hejian Prefecture suffered a reduced harvest due to floods. After the banditry, although the wealthy were harmed by the bandits, they had enough money to pay tribute, but the poor had no land, and the court's benevolence could not be extended to them."

"After the uprising in Bazhou, the bandits, due to their growing scale, shifted their focus to attacking large cities. However, the urban residents had no land, while the rural residents did. In the later stages, the urban residents were the ones who suffered the most damage, and exempting them from land taxes actually benefited the rural residents, not the urban residents."

In this way, Sun Jiao's idea of ​​tax reduction, while seemingly compassionate, actually resulted in the poor and urban residents who suffered the most during the Bazhou Rebellion and suffered heavy losses gaining nothing. On the contrary, the local powerful families who owned large tracts of rural land and suffered less damage would become even richer and more powerful because the court exempted them from taxes.

then.

Zhu Houzhao suddenly remembered that they had indeed discussed how to deal with the lack of funds and supplies in the event of a rebellion.

At that time, Sun Jiao should have known that the Taicang silver was about to run out, so he shamelessly proposed that local powerful families could pay money to buy official positions.

When Zhu Houzhao heard these words, he almost laughed in anger.

First, the court should exempt them from taxes. Then, when the court needs money and grain, they can exchange their official positions for money and grain from them. Once they obtain official positions, they can also be exempted from corvée labor.

The imperial court, however, wanted to give up their official positions and exemptions from corvée labor for nothing, and take back the taxes they were supposed to pay.

Zhu Houzhao was a little annoyed, but this only strengthened his resolve.

"No! I must send troops!"

Pei Yuan was truly puzzled. "Your Majesty, why is that?"

With Zhu Houzhao's knowledge, he should have been fully aware of what he was saying long ago.

Zhu Houzhao smiled but did not answer.

Pei Yuan wasn't particularly discouraged. Although he hadn't achieved his goal, at least he knew the emperor's attitude.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was no longer trying to persuade him, Zhu Houzhao asked with a smile, "When is your wedding banquet scheduled? May I come and join the fun?"

Pei Yuan was startled and quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is inappropriate."

Zhu Houzhao said displeasedly, "Can't even I, the matchmaker, go?"

Pei Yuan thought to himself, "If it were in the past, you could have joined in the fun if you wanted."

But tonight I still have to share the spoils with my cronies, and it would be very inconvenient if you, the Emperor of the Great Ming, were present.

Pei Yuan could only say, "By then, it will be too late for Your Majesty to return to the palace. Such a major case has just occurred. If Your Majesty is not careful, I'm afraid it will give those ministers a handle to use against you. If Your Majesty wants to hear some excitement, you can have Eunuch Lu attend the ceremony on your behalf, and then ask Eunuch Lu about it afterward."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao's anger turned to joy, "Very well."

I mainly want to know if Pei Qing was beaten...

Seeing that he could not persuade Zhu Houzhao, Pei Yuan had no choice but to take his leave.

After walking a few steps, Pei Yuan thought about what Zhu Houzhao might care about, and couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Is it alright if we don't go to Shandong?"

Zhu Houzhao was also getting up, wanting to hear what the court officials were saying, when he heard this seemingly random conversation and asked in confusion, "What?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "Although I have heard some rumors about this matter, I cannot say much. Your Majesty should summon Wang Qiong as soon as possible and listen to his brilliant strategies for governing the country. Then you will know why Shandong cannot be allowed to descend into chaos." Zhu Houzhao was somewhat surprised by Pei Yuan's insistence and said with great emotion, "Minister Pei truly has the nation at heart."

After saying that, he couldn't help but wave to Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan had no choice but to return and approach Zhu Houzhao.

This time, Zhu Houzhao finally revealed a little bit, "You also deserve credit for my ability to quickly gather these confidants in the army."

"I will no longer hide it from you."

"If I cannot gain military power and then restart the new policies, all of what you mentioned before may continue to happen. And it will happen in Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou..."

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao patted Pei Yuan heavily on the shoulder, expressing his determination.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan couldn't help but gasp.

Now I know how you died.

So, you haven't given up on the new policy after all?

Pei Yuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to Zhu Houzhao, "Your Majesty, I support your personal command of the expedition again!"

Zhu Houzhao had considered that telling Pei Yuan these things would affect Pei Yuan's attitude, but...

Is it really that effective?

Zhu Houzhao could hardly believe it. "What?"

But then Pei Yuan said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is determined to support the personal expedition. However, since Your Majesty is after military power, why not use the pretext of heading south to Shandong to launch a feint and go directly to Xuanfu or Datong?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao was startled. "You mean?"

Pei Yuan immediately urged, "Your Majesty, the court will naturally come up with endless reasons to prevent you from personally taking control of the military. Even if Your Majesty tries to prove yourself, what use will it be in the face of established prejudices?"

"The best proof is for you to personally go among your loyal soldiers and receive their cheers and support, isn't it?"

"By then, military power will be firmly in your hands. As long as Your Majesty can win the hearts of the soldiers, why would you need the approval of others?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up.

It was as if a completely new door had opened before his eyes.

Yes, instead of going to great lengths to prove to those court officials that he was a different emperor from Emperor Yingzong, and making a trip to Shandong only to be judged by them, why not just lead the troops directly to Xuanfu?
Why don't I just take direct control of those troops and seize military power?
Having gained Pei Yuan's support, Zhu Houzhao immediately exclaimed excitedly, "This is a good idea!"

Then he frowned, "But the imperial court has been refusing to allow me to go to Shandong. What should I do?"

Pei Yuan said confidently, "Your Majesty can entrust this matter to me. I am willing to persuade Grand Secretary Yang to support Your Majesty's personal expedition."

Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed and quickly said, "If you can persuade Yang Tinghe, I will definitely remember you for a great service."

After finishing his sentence, Zhu Houzhao decisively said, "There's no time to lose. I'll summon Grand Secretary Yang right now, and you can speak with him."

Pei Yuanzhu Houzhao, being so impatient, quickly advised, "How could Grand Secretary Yang possibly reach a private agreement with His Majesty in front of everyone? Why don't you ask His Majesty to adjourn the court session first, and then send someone to the Grand Secretariat to invite Grand Secretary Yang to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for a talk?"

"Moreover, Grand Secretary Yang is of a strong character, and we may have to try to persuade him. I am just a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It is not a big deal for me to flatter the Grand Secretary of the court, but if His Majesty is present, how should I conduct myself?"

Zhu Houzhao thought about Yang Tinghe's temper and didn't want to get a cold shoulder, so he said, "Alright, you go to Zhonghe Hall and wait there. I'll have Yang Tinghe come to see you there later."

Pei Yuan immediately left the Taihe Hall and, led by Li Jin, went to the Zhonghe Hall behind it to wait.

Once inside the Zhonghe Hall, Pei Yuan waited cautiously for Yang Tinghe to arrive.

It wasn't until half an hour later that Pei Yuan heard footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw Yang Tinghe entering the hall.

Yang Tinghe also saw Pei Yuan.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was dressed in the uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he subconsciously regarded Pei Yuan as an NPC in the hall, looking around as if he wanted to wait for Zhu Houzhao.

Pei Yuan could only cough lightly and take the initiative to speak, "This humble officer, Pei Yuan, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, greets Grand Secretary Yang."

Yang Tinghe was somewhat surprised to see the NPC speak.

Then his gaze shifted, "You're Pei Yuan?"

To be honest, although Pei Yuan always regarded Yang Tinghe as a hypothetical enemy and often considered him a rival, the gap between the two in terms of strength and status was too great. Before, Pei Yuan had never even had the chance to properly meet Yang Tinghe.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the two have absolutely no connection.

The imperial court has yet to issue a statement regarding the recent cheating scandal in the special imperial examinations.

Bian Xian has always insisted that Pei Yuan was an accomplice of Yang Tinghe, which is why he knew in advance who the Grand Secretary was looking for, and that's why he went through all that trouble to create the Qingqian case.

When Yang Tinghe learned of this, he was also puzzled, wondering how he had such an accomplice.

However, after learning the whole story of the Qingqian case, Yang Tinghe himself felt that it was a bit strange.

The top few papers were all personally selected by him, and the order of the top three was determined by the emperor at random from the papers he had chosen.

The key point is that those exam papers were never unsealed before the rankings were determined.

In other words, to make the prophecy on the blue talisman come true, one must at least accurately make oneself, the Grand Secretary, and the Emperor act according to his wishes.

This is simply impossible!
Even if Yang Tinghe starved to death or jumped off the Taihe Hall, it would still be impossible!
When all the impossibilities came together, Yang Tinghe became interested in Pei Yuan. So what exactly happened?
If it weren't for the fact that the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Bian Xian had been relentlessly impeaching the two of them for being accomplices, he would have long ago summoned Pei Yuan to his residence for questioning.

Another thing that impressed Yang Tinghe about Pei Yuan was that before Xiao Chong went to Shandong, this guy claimed to be his admirer and offered Xiao Chong a file on Zhang Feng's illegal activities, warning Xiao Chong that there might be a trap set for him, Grand Secretary Yang.

Now that the incident has occurred in Shandong, it indirectly proves the authenticity of Pei Yuan's warning.

This made Yang Tinghe feel even more strongly that he might be able to get something useful from Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan was somewhat alarmed by Yang Tinghe's words, and he blurted out, "Does Grand Secretary Yang also know that Pei Yuan exists in this world?"

Yang Tinghe assumed that Pei Yuan's behavior was due to being flattered, so he said calmly, "There are some things I want to ask you."

Pei Yuan said with a sigh, "This humble servant has always admired Your Excellency. Whatever Your Excellency wishes to ask, this humble servant will answer without reservation."

(End of this chapter)