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

Chapter 661 Reform
In Pei Yuan's view, there was still some familial affection between Zhu Houzhao and Empress Zhang. After all, regardless of whether Zhu Houzhao was Empress Zhang's biological son, she had watched him grow up.

However, one of these two people was the emperor, and the other was the empress dowager.

Their positions inherently imbue them with the characteristics of political animals.

So, besides their familial bond, the two were also political allies with whom they had a special dependence.

This is why, after Emperor Hongzhi died, Zheng Wang, whom Zhu Youcheng had never had the heart to kill, was mercilessly killed by the mother and son.

Because they share common interests that they need to maintain.

Zhu Houzhao wanted to be a flawless heir to the throne.

Faced with the news of his biological mother brought to him by Zheng Wang, Zhu Houzhao had to confront a serious problem.

If it can be proven that he was not Empress Zhang's biological son, then is there also a way to prove that he was not Emperor Hongzhi's biological son?
If his background is questioned, that will be the first step in the collapse of everything.

For Empress Dowager Zhang, it was even simpler.

If Zhu Houzhao's reign as emperor is unstable, how can she, as empress dowager, maintain her position? If Zhu Houzhao's origins are questioned, leading to unrest, it will directly harm her and the Zhang family's interests.

Therefore, both of them have a firm and clear attitude towards this issue.

Zhu Houzhao would not be swayed by any words, and the Empress Dowager would not allow anyone to challenge the established facts.

In other words, no matter how far this rumor spreads, it will not affect the relationship between Zhu Houzhao and Empress Dowager Zhang.

However, this mother and son, whether their feelings are genuine or not, will inevitably encounter a difficult problem.

Those are the two marquises of the Zhang family.

The two marquises of the Zhang family, who committed numerous crimes, were like the lifeblood of the Empress Dowager. The court officials held the two marquises in their hands, and were always able to force the Empress Dowager to back down at crucial moments.

This is why Empress Zhang wavered on many issues that involved Zhu Houzhao's vital interests.

Pei Yuan's actions this time were intended to stab their fragile relationship in the back and expose the problems of the two marquises of the Zhang family.

According to the original history, it was almost time for Zhu Houzhao and the two marquises of the Zhang family to turn against each other.

In that incident, between her son and her two younger brothers, Empress Zhang almost unhesitatingly chose to help her younger brothers.

This time, Pei Yuan planned to put the mother and son through a period of mental strain beforehand.

Since Zhu Houzhao could not do anything to Empress Zhang, he would inevitably take his anger out on the two marquises of the Zhang family.

Yun Buxian thought for a moment and whispered a reminder, "Chief, rumors are easy to spread but hard to take back."

"This rumor is too dangerous. If the Emperor and Empress Dowager decide to investigate it thoroughly, there will likely be endless troubles to come."

Pei Yuan, however, was quite confident. "Don't worry, I am fully confident that I can persuade the Empress Dowager and the Emperor not to pursue this matter."

Pei Yuan answered Yun Buxian's question, then said to him, "This time you don't need to go south, and you don't need to worry about these things. Just wait for the results in the capital. Go and find Governor Xiao for me."

Yun Buxian left with somewhat complicated thoughts.

If it were Chen Xinjian, the commander would probably have been able to have a long talk with him.

Yun Buxian sighed silently, increasingly regretting his decision.

Xiao Ying arrived quickly.

Ever since Ding Hong, the commander of the Left Guard of Xuzhou, began impeaching Zhang Feng, Xiao Ying knew that Pei Yuan was in control of the matter.

In order to gather evidence against Zhang Feng, Pei Yuan even made a personal trip and took some of the things he had prepared beforehand from him.

Xiao Ying had initially thought that Pei Yuan's plan was a double-cross, something they had been planning for a long time. He hadn't expected Pei Yuan to be so ruthless, turning around and killing the imperial censors who had come to investigate the case.

After the news from Shandong arrived, Xiao Ying was terrified for a long time.

He repeatedly sent people to the garrison to inquire, but the news he received was that Commander Pei was preparing for his wedding and had no time to receive guests.

They had already guessed that Pei Yuan might be with Xiao Ying in Shandong. Although they knew that Pei Yuan was just covering for them, they still had to help him conceal the truth from time to time.

After all, his son Xiao Tong was also by Pei Yuan's side. If Pei Yuan's side failed, the entire Xiao family might be implicated in this unforeseen disaster.

It wasn't until yesterday, when Commander Pei got married and Xiao Ying saw Pei Yuan with his own eyes, that his anxious heart finally calmed down a bit.

This morning, Xiao Ying intended to come directly over.

She was just afraid that if she came too early, she would be met with Pei Yuan's sour face, since it was her wedding night yesterday.

Xiao Ying hurriedly came over when someone delivered the letter.

Pei Yuan knew Xiao Ying's purpose, and said to him as soon as they met, "You've done a clean job. I've also brought Xiao Tong back for you. You'll see him in a little while."

"As for the rest..."

Pei Yuan, thinking about Xiao Ying's double-crossing plan that had been replenished several times, said to him, "I have another way to make up for the money you missed out on."

When Xiao Ying heard Pei Yuan report that he was safe, he felt much more at ease.

Upon hearing Pei Yuan mention compensation, Xiao Ying waved his hand dismissively, "Thanks to you, we made a fortune on the paper money last time. My Xiao family is not short of money now."

He pleaded again, "Brother, all I ask is that you stop doing things like confiscating property and exterminating families, and don't implicate us."

Pei Yuan didn't insist. "Fine, if you don't want to participate, that's fine too. Bi Zhen happened to be here yesterday, so it's the same if I go to see him."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he sent someone to notify Wang Chang, the Shandong governor who had been suspended from his post, and Bi Zhen, the Shandong garrison eunuch, to come to court.

Then, he summoned Xiao Tong, who had recovered quite well.

When Xiao Ying saw his son again, he had a momentary feeling that his son had suddenly grown up.

Xiao Tong has indeed undergone a complete transformation compared to before.

After participating in the assassinations of Zhang Yong, the former Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Xiao Chong, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, Xiao Tong's thinking became completely clear, and he had come to the realization that "at worst, I'll just die."

Xiao Ying exchanged a few words with his son, but couldn't help but think of what Pei Yuan had said earlier.

The Xiao family is not short of money, but they have already bet too much on Pei Yuan.

If they are absent from Commander Pei's operation, a misjudgment might cause them to lose all their previous efforts.

Xiao Ying had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Commander, what's the method you just mentioned?"

Pei Yuan asked with a smile, "What, you want to get involved again?" Xiao Ying sighed, and without asking what it was, simply nodded.

This time, Pei Yuan wasn't in a hurry to say it. "Let's wait a bit. Anyway, I'll have to say it again when Bi Zhen arrives."

Pei Yuan looked at Xiao Tong beside him and asked, "How have you been resting these past two days?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tong immediately replied, "This subordinate thanks you for your understanding, Commander. I have rested enough. Commander, please feel free to give any instructions."

Pei Yuan did not hold back his praise even in front of Xiao Ying.

He looked at Xiao Yingdao and said in a very mature tone, "Look, what a great young man."

Xiao Ying silently put his hands in his pockets, without saying much.

Pei Yuan looked back at Xiao Tong again, his expression turning serious. "Gather all the manpower we used during the last trip south."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tong's eyes widened. A guess immediately flashed through his mind. He then looked around and asked Pei Yuan in a low voice, "Is the commander planning to silence them?"

Pei Yuan was displeased and scolded, "What are you saying? In a few days, I, the commander, will be heading south again, and this time I will be taking them with me."

Xiao Tong then realized he had misunderstood. He breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly tried to cover up his mistake with an embarrassed smile, "So it was about killing Bian Xian. I was quite startled."

Xiao Ying crossed his arms and glanced sideways at Pei Yuan.

Look at the way you've raised my child.

Pei Yuan suppressed his emotions, after all, he couldn't scold the man in front of his father.

So he patiently said to him, "This trip isn't far, it's to Jingzhou in Hejian Prefecture. And no one will be killed, it's just normal official business of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Go and have someone make preparations."

Xiao Tong immediately replied, "Then I will get to work."

After a while, Wang Chang arrived first and then poured out his grievances to Pei Yuan.

What he said was similar to what Song Chunniang had reminded Pei Yuan of before.

Wang Chang's non-stick pan is so slippery! Such a big case happened in Shandong, and as the person primarily responsible, he couldn't get anything on it.

This makes many people think that this guy who is completely innocent in the first episode is very likely the murderer.

In the past two days, Wang Chang has been summoned for questioning by the Censorate quite a few times.

But what really bothered Wang Chang was that he was actually involved in this matter.

These past two days, Wang Chang has been on high alert, afraid of saying something wrong. The mental tension and torment have been causing him considerable pain.

To this, Pei Yuan only replied, "Your Excellency is well-read, but do you know what the most difficult aspect of reform has always been?"

Wang Chang pondered for a moment, about to reply.

Xiao Ying, standing nearby, asked in surprise, "You want to change the law?"

Pei Yuan quickly corrected, "It's not that I want to reform, it's that the emperor wants to reform."

Wang Chang was also drawn to Pei Yuan's words, and he asked somewhat nervously, "Could it be that the Emperor is going to implement new policies again? I'm afraid it won't work out?"

The reason why Liu Jin's group fell from power was precisely because Zhu Houzhao wanted to implement new policies.
The officials initially thought the so-called new policies were nothing more than trivial matters, and that they might even be able to benefit from them. However, they never expected that the damned eunuch Liu Jin would actually produce something.

Holy crap! He deserves to die!
This led to the fact that the officials and gentry who had previously outwardly supported Liu Jin immediately switched sides.

Wang Chang, being slightly slow to react and slower to defect, became a beneficiary of the plot to overthrow Liu Jin.

First, he relinquished the legitimate position of Minister of War in Beijing, one of the Seven Great Ministers, and went to Nanjing, where he became Minister of War, a position with significantly less real power.

Then, with the smooth progress of the suppression of the rebellion in Bazhou, Wang Chang, who clearly could not keep his position as the Grand Marshal of the South, came to Shandong as the governor, as arranged by Pei Yuan.

But before his career could take any turn for the better, after many twists and turns, another reform was proposed.

Wang Chang hurriedly said, "Commander, this law cannot be changed."

Pei Yuan wanted to emphasize again that it was the emperor who was reforming the laws, but both of them were convinced that it was he who was pushing for the reforms.

Considering that he wasn't entirely wrong, Pei Yuan had no choice but to skip the topic and ask, "The prince hasn't said yet, what is the key to the reform?"

Wang Chang's mind was in turmoil. He wanted to talk to Pei Yuan about the downsides of the reforms, but he knew that Pei Yuan was not the kind of person who was easily swayed, so he had to answer Pei Yuan's question first.

He hadn't forgotten the answer he'd just thought of, so he said, "It's people. For reform to succeed, there must be people who push for it and truly implement it."

Pei Yuan nodded in satisfaction, revealing a little more, "The reason I went to such lengths in Shandong this time was to solve the personnel problem."

"The first step is to remove these officials who were deeply entrenched in Shandong."

"Local power is simply divided into three levels: officials of the imperial court, local clerks, and gentry in the fields."

"In our Ming Dynasty, officials adopted a system of avoiding local residency, so those serving as officials in Shandong were all from other provinces. Although they seemed to have little connection with the local area, some officials served for quite a long time and had already formed intricate relationships with the local people. This made them seem to be deeply rooted in the land and became representatives of the interests of all parties."

"To break through the first barrier of power, we must use overwhelming force to completely purge and replace all the officials appointed by the court. Without great perseverance and careful planning, it will be difficult to achieve this goal."

"The second layer of power barrier is the officials, most of whom are controlled by local powerful families. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the administrative controllers of various prefectures and counties. The officials control the channel from officials to the people and profit from it. Once reforms touch the interests of these people, even the best reforms can be easily blocked from the people."

Pei Yuan didn't mention how to break down the barriers of the official class, but continued, "Then there are the local gentry. These local gentry, with their prestige and local influence, control the people and land down to the individual level. It can be said that the Ming Dynasty we are trying to govern consists of them and the people influenced by them."

Seeing that Pei Yuan's thinking was so clear, Wang Chang realized that it was not a sudden inspiration, but rather a premeditated plan.

This made him even more nervous. "Is the commander really going to push for reform? Isn't this a bit too early?"

Pei Yuan pondered silently for a moment, then said, "It's a bit early for me, but just right for the Ming Dynasty."

After saying that, Pei Yuan said to Wang Chang, "Wang Qiong, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was in Shandong to provide disaster relief. He must have had quite a bit of dealing with you, right? Have you heard of the Single Whip Law from him?"

Wang Chang was taken aback. "What is the Single Whip Law?"

Pei Yuan then briefly explained the concept of the Single Whip Method to Wang Chang.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chang, recalling Pei Yuan's series of actions, exclaimed in shock, "So, the turmoil caused by the Great Ming Treasure Notes, and what the commander did in Shandong, were all for the ultimate purpose of introducing this Single Whip Law?"

Pei Yuan said, “That’s right. I plan to clean up Shandong completely, and at any cost, create a strong Ming Dynasty banknote, and persuade the emperor to try out the Single Whip Law in Shandong.”

"If we replace a large number of the officials in charge of Shandong, and then use the Luo religion, which connects the countryside, to bypass the 'official' class, and finally let the gentry and the common people be the beneficiaries, then we hope this reform can be successful."

(End of this chapter)