Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 263 This is a big taboo! Must be severely punished!
Liu Yinghuai was eventually pinned to the floor by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Zhu Houcong stood up and looked at Liu Yinghuai: "It seems that Doctor Zhou was really harmed by you."

"Tell me, why did you want to harm Doctor Zhou?"

Zhu Houcong asked with cold eyes.

Liu Yinghuai also looked up at Zhu Houcong, his eyes full of desire.

"Your Majesty, can telling me save a life?"

"Say!"

Zhu Houcong did not comment.

Liu Yinghuai did not dare to ask any more questions, but answered honestly:
"They want me to become His Majesty's most trusted imperial physician!"

"Who are they you are talking about?"

Zhu Houcong asked in a deep voice.

"Speaking out can save a life, right?"

Liu Yinghuai asked again with longing eyes.

Zhu Houcong did not nod, but said calmly: "Speak!"

Liu Yinghuai said, "I only know that it was Li Yang, the transport commissioner of Liangzhe Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, who sent someone to see me!"

"Anyone else?"

Liu Yinghuai shook his head: "Your Majesty, I don't know."

"do not know?"

Zhu Houcong chuckled.

Liu Yinghuai said anxiously, "I really don't know! They just sent me a letter in the name of Li Yang, asking me to kill Doctor Zhou and become the most trusted doctor of His Majesty! They said that if I don't do it, they will bring up my father's past and bring it up again!"

"You really don't know?"

Zhu Houcong asked.

Liu Yinghuai said: "I really don't know!"

"I don't believe it!"

Zhu Houcong said coldly, then looked at Yang Li: "You have made great contributions. I will increase your official title to the Right Tongzheng of the Tongzheng Department, and grant you the hereditary status of a student of the Imperial College!"

Yang Li was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.

then.

Zhu Houcong ordered Zhang Tong: "Take him away, and send the other doctors back home. Their families must have been frightened for a long time, but the Liu family must continue to keep a close watch on them!"

"Also, send someone to arrest Liangzhe Transport Commissioner Li Yang immediately!"

Zhang Tong bowed and said yes.

……

……

"Liu Yinghuai and Chen Chong were not released!"

"Did something go wrong?"

"Go and report to the master!"

Hiding in a teahouse, several servants started muttering as they looked in the direction of the imperial city.

Not long after.

These people left the teahouse and blended into the endless stream of people in the city, like raindrops falling into the sea.

At that time, Liu Yinghuai, who was being taken to the imperial prison, did not expect such a mistake to occur.

For this reason, he also looked at Zhang Tong: "I heard that General Ti is very close to Qingliu?"

Bang!
Zhang Tong punched Liu Yinghuai directly in the abdomen.

Liu Yinghuai's face suddenly twisted, and sweat broke out on his forehead from the pain: "Why did you hit me!"

"Because you killed Doctor Zhou! He was also an old friend of our palace. He not only treated the emperor, but also us!"

After saying this, Zhang Tong ordered someone to take Liu Yinghuai to the interrogation room.

Liu Yinghuai was stunned, but then he understood and said with a sad face: "How come I met such a scheming Majesty!"

As the saying goes, there must be a brave man under a heavy reward.

Zhu Houcong was very glad that there were still people in the Imperial Medical Bureau who wanted to advance themselves and covet high positions and generous salaries.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy for him to find out the murderer who poisoned Doctor Zhou.

Of course, Zhu Houcong also knew that the group that was dissatisfied with the new policies he implemented was not a strict organization. As long as he used a little coercion or inducement, there would be people who would defect and offer their contributions.

It’s not that Zhu Houcong himself was so powerful, but that the imperial power made some of his scheming methods produce greater effects.

Who made him the emperor?

He can give people high positions and generous salaries.

And precisely because he was the emperor, while offering temptation, Zhu Houcong did not intend to easily let go of anyone who dared to assassinate Doctor Zhou.

After all, harming the people around him is a very serious matter.

Therefore, severe punishment will naturally be severe.

But in addition to severe punishment, how to further prevent imperial physicians from acting recklessly through institutional means is something Zhu Houcong needs to seriously consider.

In theory, the imperial physician system of the Ming Dynasty was very complete.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was very careful in preventing imperial chefs and doctors from doing anything wrong. Therefore, it is impossible that the imperial physician system he designed did not take into account the need to prevent imperial physicians from misbehaving.

Historically, many misdiagnosis incidents among emperors of the Ming Dynasty were caused by the emperors themselves taking the lead in destroying the system.

Not to mention that Emperor Xianzong believed in sorcerers' elixirs to treat diseases, and Emperor Xiaozong asked the imperial physician to prescribe medicine without allowing him to see the patient in person, the late Ming Emperor Zhu Changluo even used the "Lingyinlu" presented by his ministers to treat diseases, which resulted in constant diarrhea. It was too hasty.

Therefore, Zhu Houcong still needs to carefully consider how to further improve the imperial physician system left by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The poisoning of Imperial Physician Zhou also caused an uproar in the court.

After hearing the emperor's words in person in the imperial study, the cabinet chief Fei Hong invited his disciple, the Minister of Rites Wu Yikuan, and his fellow townsman, the Minister of Works Tong Rui, to his home, brushed his sleeves and said angrily:
"They are so bold. In order to stop the new tax policy, they even dare to harm the people around His Majesty!"

"It is not a good thing to force His Majesty to become an inactive emperor!"

Fei Hong sat back down and looked at the two of them.

"This was all forced by the treacherous minister Zhang Fujing and others!"

"If he hadn't suggested reforming the currency tariff, who would have used this method?"

The Minister of Rites Wu Yikuan spoke first.

Minister of Industry Tong Rui also echoed, "That's right! Since the nobles and relatives failed to stop it, these people will naturally take risks and adopt other measures to make His Majesty lose the confidence to support Zhang Fujing and others as soon as possible!"

at that time.

Wu Yiguan then asked Fei Hong: "Does Yuanfu know what His Majesty's reaction is to this?"

"Your Majesty is such a wise king, he understands the pros and cons here, and for this reason, he even said in front of us that this time he really touched his vital point."

Fei Hong said with a serious face.

Wu Yiguan nodded and asked expectantly, "So, Your Majesty is willing to compromise and no longer use Zhang Fujing's strategy?"

"Whether His Majesty will compromise or not depends on how the strike goes."

Fei Hong replied calmly.

"What the Prime Minister means is that we have to let them continue the strike?"

Wu Yikuan asked again.

Fei Hong said: "Of course!"

Wu Yi Guan couldn't help but open his mouth to speak, but then he held his words back.

Tong Rui couldn't help but say, "But the price of silk and cotton cloth in the capital is rising, and it's not a good idea to keep the goods in the south in the warehouse and not sell them in the north! Many wealthy merchants can't wait any longer and are clamoring to accept the new currency tariff. Local government officials and gentry can no longer suppress their protests."

“We must hold on!”

"Because your majesty has begun to be dissatisfied with Zhang Fujing and others. For example, Wang Yangming, who is close to Zhang Fujing, will soon resign and return home."

Fei Hong said.

After hearing this, Wu Yiguan and Tong Rui looked at Fei Hong with joy:

"Is there really such a thing?"

Fei Hong nodded: "It has been approved. You will know it in a few days when you see the "Di Bao"."

"In that case, we should hold on!"

Wu Yi Guan said with a smile.

Tong Rui also hurriedly bowed to Fei Hong: "Don't worry, Prime Minister, I will tell them clearly that if the gentry in a certain place can't bear the current losses and refuse to insist on striking, the Ministry of Works will seriously review the projects in that place!"

"That's good!"

Fei Hong said with a smile.

At this time, Wu Yiguan asked Fei Hong again: "Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling have already taken a large amount of silver dollars to Jiangnan. Does the Prime Minister have any good advice for the gentry?"

Tong Rui nodded and said, "Many gentry are worried about this and have expressed their dissatisfaction to me, asking why the officials in the court cannot punish them openly."

"Losing a little profit is like taking their lives. They complain and blame others, but what do they know!"

"We court officials are not serving them!"

"The two uncles of the Zhang family, let alone anything else, are the late emperor's uncles, and even more so, the younger brothers of the current Empress Dowager Zhaosheng! If you want to respect the eldest clan, then these two must be treated with respect!"

"So, don't say that the gentlemen in the court cannot punish them. Even if Your Majesty punishes them, we have to plead for them!"

"As for the two uncles wanting to take the profits from the people, they can just persuade the villagers not to take out loans!"

Fei Hong said.

"We understand. We can only let the gentry persuade the villagers not to lend them money!"

"That's right, let's stop here today, I have other things to do!"

"Then I'll take my leave!"

After Wu Yiguan and Tong Rui left, Fei Hong called his nephew Fei Maozhong over:
"Write a letter to my family in my name and ask them to take out all the cash in the house and go to the various prefectures in Jiangnan to buy cotton cloth and silk, and go to Huguang to buy grain. The more the better! Tell others that you want to sell it to the chieftains in the southwest!"

"Also, ask someone to go to the Qingjiangpu Shipyard to buy ships. First, buy 1,000 ships of 500 tons each. As for the money to buy the ships, use the family's land and paper mill as collateral to borrow from Uncle Zhang. The more you borrow, the better."

"Also, when my family buys a boat, they should also establish a relationship with the transport troops along the way and recruit more of those who are unwilling to stay in the transport troops."

After hearing this, Fei Maozhong asked curiously, "Uncle, what is the purpose of doing this?"

"Of course it is for the greater wealth of our Fei family!"

"Of course, it's also for the country and the people!"

Fei Hong replied.

Fei Maozhong became more curious after hearing this: "Uncle, I still don't understand something."

"You'll understand in the future."

Fei Hong smiled slightly and said, "Now, you just need to understand that this is a great opportunity for us at the Fei family. If you miss it, you may never have it again!"

"A favourable opportunity?"

"Yes, do you know the families of Duke Wei and Duke Ding?"

"I know! They are a family that truly maintains its wealth and prosperity during the Ming Dynasty."

"If we, the Fei family, seize this opportunity, we will also become such a family. After all, your uncle is now the Prime Minister, and we, the Fei family, are a giant family in Qianshan. We have this opportunity to show our loyalty to His Majesty!"

Fei Maozhong didn't ask any more questions and just bowed and said yes.

Fei Hong then followed the emperor's order to draft a secret notice requesting the establishment of a supply and marketing shop.

After receiving the secret revelation, Zhu Houcong naturally approved it and ordered him to enter the palace for an audience.

"There is something I have always wanted to ask you. You and Wang Shizhong investigated the case of the wealthy family in Fujian embezzling the Donglai gold mine. Did you find any evidence of the Master's crime?"

(End of this chapter)