Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 117: Two roads split, please choose
In the Yangxin Palace, Zhu Changluo’s first sentence was very clear.

"Private matters are reported, public matters are requested, the rules are broken." He looked at the three people, "I trust the intentions of the cabinet ministers, you all understand. Secret reports are beneficial to me, but if I am easily deceived, it may harm the country. But I think that in the future, it will only fall into personnel, financial planning, military affairs and many other state affairs. You can advise or even reject them."

What else could Shen Shixing say: "I have no objection."

Yes, if someone else is being attacked and they are just speaking up for others, that’s nothing.

Can it be said that you are only afraid that others will use secret reports to attack cabinet ministers?
If you are upright, why should you be afraid? The emperor has said that he does not want to be impeached based on rumors, at least there must be clear evidence.

In front of the emperor, Shen Yikuan and Wang Xijue could only express their obedience.

Because the power to reveal secrets was originally a grace given by the emperor to his cabinet ministers. Since the emperor wanted to extend this grace to everyone, who could object?

"My ministers may think that I have given the cabinet great power, but have also restrained it with secret reports." Zhu Changluo continued to speak in plain language, "But I hope that the cabinet ministers can share the burden with me. In the future, the number of memorials may be ten times that of petitions. How can I ignore them all? In this case, you don't have to worry about me not being diligent in my work."

"Your Majesty is diligent, and we are all aware of that."

"I have a question during the lectures these days, and I would like to ask you for your advice."

"I dare not claim to be teaching."

They said polite words, but Zhu Changluo didn't know what they were thinking.

He only said: "I have read the past affairs of the previous dynasty. If the opinions of important officials are the main ones, there are many officials who impeach important officials for favoritism and arbitrary decisions. Therefore, there are countless people who have been found to be unrighteous and dismissed from their posts. In this case, how can we achieve the goal of having all the upright people in the court, who are all loyal to the country, as the saints said?"

The three of them looked at him with mixed emotions.

What is this eternal problem?
Zhu Changluo sighed, "I said I was afraid of being lost in the devil's barrier, and it was not empty words. I am the Son of Heaven, and I am dedicated to governing. My words and deeds are like thunder and rain for the world. If I have this confusion in my heart and cannot solve it, I am afraid that I will harm the country and the people. I dare not make any decisions lightly."

Shen Yiguan stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty has made secret reports to open up the channels for people to express their opinions, and has listened to the opinions of the people at home without passing them on to the outside world. I understand your desire for governance."

What does it mean to have all the upright people in the court loyal to the country?
As the discussion continues, we will inevitably come to the most fundamental reason for the current situation: selfishness.

However, if we were to face up to this selfishness, we would find that most officials and gentry in the world go against the teachings of sages and are full of moral stains.

Then the conclusion becomes: Whatever the emperor wants to do, at least in principle, he should do it, but because officials and gentry are the foundation of the country, he has to do it slowly.

Shen Yikuan and the other two did not really want to discuss their selfish motives with the emperor.

Zhu Changluo shook his head, "I really have doubts. I have heard and often seen a saying: History will have its own public opinion. Sometimes when you do something, you will always be infamous at the time; after many years, people will think about it again and give it public opinion. For example, when Qi Jiguang was petitioning for mercy, my father also said that Qi Jiguang had "great merits but no great faults." But when Qi Jiguang died of illness, why couldn't the government and the public have such a public opinion before his death?"

It’s Zhang Juzheng again.

Today, Qi Jiguang has been posthumously conferred the title of marquis by the new emperor, even though the retired emperor did say that Qi Jiguang "had great merits but no major faults."

So why did Qi Jiguang have a miserable old age during the Wanli reign?
"Public opinion must come from a fair heart, only then can there be public opinion!" Wang Xijue said.

"What Lord Wang said reminds me of the sentence 'When the great way is practiced, the world is for all. Select the virtuous and capable, and practice trust and harmony.'" He looked at the three people, paused for a moment, and then continued to slowly read the rest of the sentence, "Now that the great way is hidden, the world is one family. Everyone loves his own relatives, loves his own children, and uses his own goods and strength."

Shen Shixing knew that this was the content of a lecture at a recent imperial lecture, and the lecturer actually only spoke the first half of this passage from the Book of Rites.

The content of the second half of the sentence made the three of them look at the emperor with some concern, as if they were hesitant to speak.

What does this mean?

"The whole world is a family, and now it is the royal family. Love your relatives, love your children, and use your own resources. How could I not know that the royal family will bear the brunt of the impact? But I have read through the classics, and except for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, who have no reliable history, every dynasty after that was a family empire, and every dynasty and generation could not escape the overthrow of the country. That change of dynasty, not to mention the lives of the people, how many generations of wealthy families were destroyed?"

Shen Shixing sighed, "Your Majesty is worried, and so are I. After much thought, we have come up with a plan to increase the gold and silver. Your Majesty, please proceed slowly and be careful."

Zhu Changluo became happy: "Good! I am really relieved to hear what Lord Shen said today! I also said frankly that I gave the cabinet the power to directly collect the memorials and draft the tickets for review, hoping that the cabinet ministers can take responsibility! I want to make a secret report, but the cabinet ministers dare not take responsibility! I have a special favor, but it is not easy to announce it directly. Father has a knot in his heart for all kinds of things in the past, and you are just worried. If you take up this matter, everyone in the world will know that you are loyal."

Wang Xijue thought back to what happened before and asked, "... Could it be related to Zhang Jiangling?"

"That special favor is related to it, but it is not what I expect you to take on now."

"Your Majesty, please give your orders clearly." It was Shen Yikuan who spoke.

Shen Shixing kept looking at Zhu Changluo with a complicated look in his eyes. This was a euphemism for the three of them, saying that the old emperor was to blame for all the things that happened in the past.

"In addition to the Beijing Camp, I will also streamline the four guard camps, and reduce the four guards to one guard."

Shen Yiguan was stunned for a moment: "Why should we be responsible for this matter?"

Although the Imperial Guards were directly under the emperor's command, they were also officers and soldiers in the capital, and the salaries and food of ordinary soldiers were still borne by the national treasury.

The civil officials were naturally happy that their weight was reduced by more than half in one go.

Although I knew that the emperor would have more to say, but since I had already conferred the title of Lord and reorganized the Beijing Camp, what did this matter? It was nothing more than having one more guard after the reorganization.

"Please submit this matter together with the post-war settlement in Bozhou. I want to use the chieftains and naturalized soldiers in the streamlined Yongwei Battalion."

The three of them couldn't help but be shocked.

Could it be that the Ming Dynasty has no more soldiers available?
No, this is to tell the people of the world that the emperor also knows that the relationship between civil and military officials has long been complicated.

The country has been founded for more than two hundred years, with relatives, old friends... How can only one Beijing camp be enough?

The emperor wanted a group of loyal and brave soldiers who could be used immediately.

"Your Majesty..." Shen Shixing couldn't help but want to speak as he thought about the uneasy feelings of the civil and military officials throughout the world.

"So this is something I have to take responsibility for." Zhu Changluo said that he knew the difficulty involved. "After taking responsibility for this matter, I will choose an opportunity to restore Zhang Jiangling's reputation. In the future, a hundred years after my father's death, I will grant Zhang Jiangling the title of a disciple in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Zhang Jiangling has devoted his entire life to the country, and the Zhu family has never treated meritorious officials badly! I am willing to bear the accusation of being unfilial!"

The three of them looked at him in disbelief for a moment; they had not expected such a special favor.

How many emperors of the Ming Dynasty have had no one to accompany them in the imperial temple?
What an honor this is!

As long as the Zhu Ming dynasty exists, generations will enjoy the incense, blood and food, and the supreme posthumous reputation!

All three of them knew that this was the promise the emperor had made to them.

Once a precedent is set, there will naturally be followers.

No matter what you thought in the past, as long as you dare to take responsibility and do things for him, you will have opportunities in the future.

This is certainly not easy, because in the end you have to stand firm.

If one has so many stains on himself, how can he be worthy of the title?
But this is not the problem at the moment!

At this time, Zhu Changluo said leisurely: "You are all people of outstanding talents and profound knowledge. Throughout the dynasties, how many dynasties have lasted for more than 300 years? The Ming Dynasty has been established for more than 230 years. I must give it a try. If I can start a new chapter, it will be tantamount to founding a country! If the earth shakes, won't you think about your descendants and clans? Even if I value my old ministers in every way, if there is a change of dynasty, will the later generations remember the kindness of the old dynasty?"

For the first time, the three of them clearly heard the emperor talk about a farther and greater goal, and at this moment they only had two choices.

They had all served as prime ministers, and they all knew which people had to be moved if the Ming Dynasty was to start a new chapter, and they all knew why Zhang Juzheng had such a miserable end.

Now the emperor has made it clear that there is a danger of a change of dynasty!
"Your Majesty, minister..."

Shen Yi Guan was so scared that sweat broke out on his forehead. Shen Shi Xing also rarely lost his composure and regretted returning to Beijing for the first time.

The emperor's ideas are just ideas. If they are not implemented, he will never take the initiative.

But what about them? If they hear this idea and don't follow it, they will become the leader of the traitors one day, right?
One side is so touching, the other side is so scary.

"Your Majesty's actions...are not the way for a ruler to use his subjects."

After a long time, Wang Xijue spoke first.

"What Wang Ge Lao said makes sense." Zhu Changluo did not deny it, "But I have been letting the court discuss things for the past few days, and I am letting you see it. The three and a half new rules are made by me for the cabinet ministers. I have made great efforts, do you know how much I trust you?"

The three of them were silent: But that half will make us always cautious in front of the emperor.

(End of this chapter)