Jiajing Chengming

Zhu Houcong's expression also became serious at this time.

"You also heard what Yang Tinghe said just now."

"The biggest reason why he dared to murder me is that he was sure that if I were killed by him, the struggle between you and Zhang Fujing would intensify and become uncontrollable."

"He's not wrong!"

When Zhu Houcong said this, he looked at Yang Yiqing again: "You have already begun to eliminate dissidents and don't care about the lives of ordinary people."

Yang Yiqing said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and I am guilty of death!"

"I won't kill you!"

Zhu Houcong said something at this time.

Then, Zhu Houcong explained the reason: "First, you are still loyal to me, and second, you have made contributions. I will not be too harsh on those who really care about me."

"Issue an order to dismiss Yang Yiqing, the Junior Tutor, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and the Grand Secretary of the Huagai Palace, and to bring him to the capital as a prisoner. He will be placed under house arrest soon!"

Zhu Houcong issued an edict at this time.

He had already made up his mind on how to deal with Yang Yiqing.

Yang Yiqing immediately understood the purpose of Zhu Houcong's actions, and hurriedly thanked him, "I thank your majesty for not killing me!"

So, Yang Yiqing was taken away and put into a prison van.

After dealing with Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing, Zhu Houcong turned his attention to Qin Wen, who had been promoted to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and Wen Xiang and Zhang Rui, the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

"Qin Wen, there is something wrong with your people, so you can't stay in the Imperial Household Department anymore. Go to Changping Prefecture to guard Wei Bin."

Zhu Houcong dealt with Qin Wen first.

Qin Wen kowtowed and said yes.

Then, Zhu Houcong looked at Zhang Rui and said, "You easily agreed to help others without considering my safety and your own safety. It seems that I have been too lenient with you and let you relax."

"Death with a stick!"

Zhu Houcong then uttered two words.

Zhang Rui burst into tears immediately.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

Zhu Houcong ignored them and just watched the Jinyiwei drag Zhang Rui away.

Then, Zhu Houcong looked at Wen Xiang and asked, "What weakness did Yang Tinghe find in you that made you want to harm me?"

Wen Xiang choked up and cried, "I was foolish and deserve to die!"

"Can you just use the word 'confused' to shirk this responsibility?!"

"I can't believe what Zhang Rui said, that he was confused."

"Not to mention you?"

Zhu Houcong stood up when he said this: "Are you all also hoping that I will die sooner so that you can assist the young master and control the government?"

"Your Majesty, allow me to report!"

"I definitely don't have such thoughts!"

"This servant is really just confused!"

Wen Xiang replied while crying.

Zhu Houcong laughed: "Forget it! I am too lazy to ask."

"Drag him away, and cut him into pieces 3,600 times as Liu Jin did, and let the eunuchs eat them as a warning!"

Zhu Houcong gave the order at this time.

Wen Xiang fainted on the spot.

It involves the safety within ten steps, so before these people in the inner court do anything to offend him, he can show all kinds of favors to them. But once they do, Zhu Houcong has to be cruel, and the punishment may even be more severe than that of people outside the court.

As the sun rose higher, more and more poor people came to beg for food in the area around Xingguo Temple.

What these poor people didn't expect was that on this day, someone would give them salty meat. Although the meat was a little old, these poor people were still very happy, as happy as if it was New Year's Day.

At this time, Zhu Houcong also met Zhang Cong alone.

"Fu Jing, did you ever think that things would develop to this point?"

Zhu Houcong then asked about Zhang Cong, and before Zhang Cong could answer, he smiled and said, "Yang Tinghe is willing to get rid of me!"

"Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Yang Tinghe is just at his wit's end and has no choice but to resort to this last resort."

"After all, regicide is a capital crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the clan, and not everyone has the ability to regicide. Yang Tinghe just happens to have this ability."

"If Your Majesty really governs the country as Yang Ting and these people expected from the beginning, and only criticizes the inner court and the harem, it will be more likely to be in danger."

Zhang Cong then comforted Zhu Houcong.

Zhu Houcong put his hands behind his back, nodded, and said: "I understand that this struggle can never stop. Fighting against the sky is endless fun; fighting against the earth is endless fun; fighting against people is also endless fun!"

Zhang Cong was stunned after hearing this, and then bowed his head respectfully: "Your Majesty, what you said is very wise!"

Zhu Houcong just smiled slightly.

At this time, the eunuch Mai Fu walked in quickly: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Henan. The Yellow River has burst its banks in Mengxian and Qinyang, and nearly a thousand miles of the area has been flooded!"

After hearing this, Zhu Houcong hurriedly took the urgent letter from Mai Fu.

Then, after taking a look, Zhu Houcong handed it to Zhang Cong and said, "The struggle has begun again."

Zhang Cong took it and began to read it.

Afterwards, Zhang Cong looked at it and bowed to Zhu Houcong and said:

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"I think that the governor should be held accountable and sentenced to death for this matter, but I boldly speculate that it is very likely that the wealthy and powerful local residents in Henan Province took advantage of the natural disaster of summer rainstorms and floods to deliberately destroy the dikes to show their dissatisfaction and take the opportunity to speed up annexation!"

"It's not just the governor and the officials in Henan who failed to protect the dikes, but the court can only hold the bureaucrats accountable at the moment. After all, Henan is so large that it's hard to find out whether the dike breach was caused by bureaucratic corruption or the evil intentions of the wealthy and powerful!"

"Because no matter what, the court's new policies have indeed caused heavy losses to the wealthy families. If they want to maintain stability within the clan, they must do everything they can to increase their income and make up for their losses."

Zhang Cong replied.

Zhu Houcong clenched his fists and frowned as he spoke, then he suddenly sighed: "Reform and reform will inevitably come at the expense of the people! Mengxian and Qinyang dikes burst, and I don't know how many people will be separated from their wives and children and their families will be destroyed!"

"Your Majesty is right. Reforming the system will offend the wealthy and powerful, and the wealthy and powerful will find ways to pass the cost down to the lower classes!"

"The people will always be implicated. As the saying goes, when a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer."

“But no reform is necessary!”

"If the system is not reformed, the people will also have to support an ever-increasing number of rentiers, and more and more families will be torn apart and their families will be destroyed. Reforming the system will at least cost a portion of the people."

"No matter what, it is better to let some people suffer than to let all people suffer!"

Zhang Cong replied at this time.

Zhu Houcong turned around and looked at Zhang Cong: "I think we should continue to transfer the cost abroad, so that at least fewer people will be the cost. So I hope that you can continue Yang Yiqing's foreign policy, and even expand it."

Zhang Cong hurriedly bowed and said yes, with a look of excitement on his face.

He made such instructions because he knew that the emperor regarded him as the future prime minister.

Therefore, Zhang Cong also said: "But your majesty, people are greedy, and many wealthy families are greedy and only want to eat alone. No matter how much the court expands the benefits of the world, I am afraid they will never be satisfied, and may even be more greedy. They will even increase their monopoly and mergers, which will only increase the harm to the people!"

"I know!"

Zhu Houcong nodded and said solemnly: "Carrot and stick! The duty of the court is to make those who deserve to get rich get rich, and those who deserve to die die!"

"Since the wealthy families in Henan have used the natural disaster to give me a big surprise, I will also give them a big surprise!"

"I intend to issue silver dollar bonds in the name of the Ministry of Revenue. People all over the world will buy silver dollar bonds from the court. The court will issue bonds, just like salt permits, and then pay interest regularly. People all over the world can also cash in the bonds regularly to recover the principal and interest."

Zhu Houcong said this and looked at Zhang Cong.

After hearing this, Zhang Cong pondered for a while, then bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, this will further bind the world's wealthy and powerful families to the fate of the country, forcing the wealthy and powerful families who borrow money to hope that our Ming Dynasty can continue to prosper. However, I am afraid that future kings and future rulers will not recognize this debt and lose credibility." (End of this chapter)