Chapter 474

The six offices of the six offices also have something to say. There are such good targets as Wang Chonggu, why not attack him, but have to talk about the capital garrison attacking Suiyuan? Everyone remembers when His Majesty killed Chen Youren on the street. Chen Youren wrote a book "Record of Pacifying the Japanese Pirates" that was yin and yang, trying to whitewash the Japanese pirates and splash dirty water on General Qi Jiguang, and was finally killed by His Majesty on the street!

The Emperor killed someone on the street.

The Ministry of Rites followed up and wrote a book "Record of the Eastern Expedition," detailing the atrocities of the Japanese pirates and the strictness of General Qi Jiguang in restraining the army.

Reporting to the Son of Heaven and saving the common people is the result of long-term practice, not a slogan, but a fact.

Some things can be touched. Wang Chonggu, just scold him. Who let Wang Chonggu commit a crime bigger than the sky? Even Zhang Juzheng is always vigilant against Wang Chonggu.

Some things cannot be touched. Zhang Juzheng and General Qi Jiguang are the pillars that stabilized the Emperor when the Emperor was young and the country was suspicious. As long as the Emperor's heart is hot, he will try his best to maintain them.

The development of things is always beyond everyone's expectations. The problem of supporting the frontier in Suiyuan was immediately responded to after the price reduction and the exile of the censor officials. This also confirms General Qi Jiguang's judgment on the scholar-officials: they are bargaining. After seeing that it is impossible to do, they immediately began to repeat.

The Great Ming capital garrison can return to the capital as scheduled.

"This divine sword is indeed sharp." Zhu Yijun said sincerely after reading the memorial.

According to the Ministry of Rites' estimate, the Great Ming's literacy rate exceeds 25%. This doesn't mean that those who can only write their own names are called literacy rate, but those who have finished the Four Books and Five Classics exceed 25%. This means that the Great Ming has too many scholars. They don't have a stable life. There are many people, so the competition is great, and they cannot handle lowly industries, otherwise it is a disgrace to elegance. The scholar-officials hoped that the Emperor would raise the price again, but they waited for a price reduction.

"If it weren't for detecting the danger, it wouldn't be so easy to want Junior Grand Secretary Wang to spit out silver."

"You, you are just young and too arrogant."

His Majesty has cards in his hands to deal with the old nobles' "holding the people to threaten the government." This is why Wang Chonggu deserves to die. It is all the industrial and military battalions that Wang Chonggu set up that made the Great Ming smoky!

His Majesty has two cards in his hands that the old nobles fear most. The first is maritime trade, and the second is the industrial and military battalions.

The monarch should follow the great path, magnificent and upright. Such insidious means are somewhat not like a monarch.

Wang Lin has no choice. If he doesn't touch this mine, the 6 million mu of land will explode himself. The former Governor of Sichuan, Luo Yao, as a direct descendant of the Zhang Party, was handled by Zhang Juzheng, without any intention of showing mercy outside the law.

Wang Lin and Zhang Juzheng were Jinshi in the same year and had many political disagreements. These 6 million mu of extra land are the bombs under his butt. If he doesn't report it actively, once someone knows, Wang Lin is afraid that his end will be even more miserable than Luo Yao's.

The absurd things after the Prince of Lu's grand wedding slowly came to an end, and the public opinion on the Prince of Lu going to his fief also stopped abruptly, because informed sources revealed: the Great Ming Emperor intends to enfeoff overseas. Informed sources further revealed that with the Prince of Lu's greedy nature and absurd style, enfeoffing overseas, I am afraid that the sea merchants will have no way to complain.

Feng Bao thought for a while and said, "Junior Grand Secretary Wang is so cautious now, obviously His Majesty's performance is very obvious. In order to keep the whole family alive, Junior Grand Secretary Wang is even willing to take out silver. The Chonggu Road, the Dujiangyan water conservancy, and the reward treasury of the three-level schools."

"Governor Hai is enjoying it." Feng Bao felt that Hence Hai Rui didn't care about his reputation. He was scolded like this, but Hence Hai Rui never talked back, and every time he beheaded corrupt officials and incompetent people, the excitement Hence Hai Rui showed was heartfelt joy, which meant that another group of insects had been eliminated!

In Hence Hai Rui's values of "monarch and minister" for thousands of years, his biggest heart disease is actually the Emperor. In Hence Hai Rui's view, if the Emperor is wise, the country is prosperous; if the Emperor is foolish, the country will perish. The responsibility of the world is tied to the Emperor alone. He is a supporter of the claim that "everyone in the world is for private, only His Majesty is public."

A "demon book" spread rapidly in the streets of the capital. It contained the concubines of twenty censors of the Censorate and officials of the six offices. One by one, the "Little Stories That Must Be Told Between Censors and Concubines" were named, with pictures and texts. The twenty-page booklet directly ignited the whole capital, and people were discussing it.

Alleviating the three main contradictions is the internal cause of the Great Ming's current system design.

Wang Chonggu said helplessly, "Actually, it's nothing. They have been nagging Zhang Juzheng for ten years. What result have they nagged out? His Majesty is wise and intelligent. They can't fool His Majesty. Our family won't have any trouble. Not resisting is not being a turtle, but it's unnecessary. If a party struggle is set off, the blame will be hard to escape. Compared to scolding a few words, maintaining a situation of 'fighting without breaking' is taking the overall situation into account."

It was soon asked out, and it had a lot to do with corruption. These 6.15 million mu of land were previously sheltered by officials in Jiangxi.

This huge unfairness in education is accelerating the tearing of the Great Ming's upper and lower levels, and the official factory group, the industrial and military battalions, and the three-level schools centered on craftsmen and soldiers are to alleviate this tearing and contradiction.

Zhu Yijun put down a memorial impeaching Wang Chonggu and said, "This Guanglu Temple Assistant Xiao Dehui makes a lot of sense. In the memorial, he mentioned Wang Chonggu's overstepping of authority, Zhang Siwei's assassination of the king, and the fire in the palace, reminding me to guard against Junior Grand Secretary Wang's disloyal heart. He is right. Is my guard against Junior Grand Secretary Wang not obvious enough?"

Wang Chonggu is indeed very clean in his private life. After his original wife died, even though there was only such a rebellious son as Wang Qian, Wang Chonggu didn't make any scandals like illegitimate children. But this group of pure officials, twenty censors, have more than one concubine.

Wang Qian has read the Institute of Anatomy's Theory of Superiority and Theory of Inferiority. From the beauties from all over the world, Wang Qian thinks the Institute of Anatomy's theory makes sense.

Physically eliminating the core of the reform—the Emperor, Zhang Juzheng, and Wang Chonggu—is the best way. This seems to be the optimal solution. No matter who of these three reform cores dies, the Great Ming's new policy will come to an abrupt end. But the problem is: the Great Ming is extremely guarded against this. The Great Ming Emperor doesn't even live in the palace. The personnel structure of Tonghe Palace is simple, the defense is strict, and the Emperor is always vigilant against scholar-officials.

His Majesty does advocate the great path, and has said and done so for many years, and many things are done in the open. But this time, Wang Qian felt that His Majesty didn't know how to do it before, but was too lazy to use it. It was so skillful that Wang Qian felt it was too smooth.

Hence Hai Rui has never had anything to say about His Majesty's diligence, but is worried that His Majesty is too diligent in government, which has the crisis of "difficulty in ending."

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and agreed with Feng Bao's statement.

Pan Jixun killed many people during the locust plague in the third year of Wanli, forcing the powerful and influential families in Jiangxi to donate grain for disaster relief. After the new Governor of Jiangxi, Wang Lin, took office, he found these 6.15 million mu of land, and Wang Lin finally chose to pierce it.

This divine sword is very easy to use.

"Father, are you sure it's us who brought His Majesty bad?" Wang Qian said with a confused look on his face, "I think it's Zhang Juzheng who taught His Majesty these means. His Majesty is too skillful, and even prepared for the tail-end work of Grand Tutor Wan. His means are so skillful that I am shocked."

If Zhang Juzheng were here, he would be furious. He never taught the Emperor any insidious means. Don't put everything on him! He is not a basket, everything can be put in! Insidious means are the usual means of your Wang family, not his Zhang Juzheng's housekeeping skills!

It really wasn't taught by Zhang Juzheng, nor by Wang Chonggu. It was mainly because Zhu Yijun saw too much, and it was a natural wisdom.

It turns out that this group of self-proclaimed pure officials play so wildly! Behind the hypocritical appearance, there are all these sordid things.

Compared to the red-haired and golden-haired barbarians, Wang Qian prefers Persian beauties. In his eyes, the red-haired and golden-haired barbarians are pigs without hair removed, with that smell that needs perfume to cover up and vigorous body hair. Wang Qian doesn't like it.

Wang Qian is a very stubborn person. From the fact that his ideas have been at odds with his father many times, it can be seen that he is quite rebellious. According to Wang Chonggu's original plan, he would not pay attention to it. If the scolding was too fierce, he would submit a memorial to resign, and His Majesty would warmly retain him. This play has been performed for ten years. Now Wang Chonggu can borrow strength from His Majesty. This is his greatest confidence in promoting the new policy.

The first is the high concentration of imperial power and the contradiction of various classes demanding power.

The Wanli Reform, starting from Zhang Juzheng's new policy, has been using various policies to increase the authority of the court and the Emperor from the beginning to change the Great Ming's current situation of being trapped in five diseases. It is to consolidate imperial power. The Emperor is the foundation of all new policies. Therefore, ten years later, in the tenth year of Wanli, imperial power was once again highly concentrated in the hands of the Emperor himself. But obviously, the scholars who were used to the Taoist burning and the Wanli hiding were dissatisfied with this situation.

This is the hierarchy, the intuitive manifestation of class. Higher classes can mobilize more social resources to protect themselves.

Many things in the world are like this. If you want people not to know, unless you don't do it. There is no wall in the world that doesn't leak wind. Six million mu of land, the officials in Jiangxi are really too brave! They are really not afraid of the incident.

Only allow you Zhang Juzheng to be a capable minister who reforms?

"Oh, no." Wang Chonggu slapped the table and said, "Isn't this bringing His Majesty bad? His Majesty was always following the great path before. These means, these tricks, isn't this bringing His Majesty bad?"

Wang Qian said very stubbornly, "What the pure officials rely on is reputation, isn't it? I think they have no reputation this time, and have no energy to attack father. The three-level schools are clearly a great good thing for promoting literature and education, but in their mouths, they have become a rebellious policy that shakes the country. I am not convinced!"

Feng Bao thought for a while and said, "I think it is indeed a bit biased. They are all working for His Majesty, but His Majesty has never protected Junior Grand Secretary Wang."

This contradiction is long-term, a contradiction between centralized power and dispersed power.

"Am I treating Junior Grand Secretary Wang too thinly?" Zhu Yijun thought for a while and asked.

Now in the eyes of scholar-officials, Hence Hai Rui is the Emperor's running dog, a supporter of rebellious policies, and a cruel official who harms colleagues.

Wang Qian frowned, thought for a while and said, "Is there a possibility that father is old?"

Wang Qian nodded and said, "Yes, where can our family's bookstore print books of that quality?"

Wang Qian doesn't think being a turtle is a good strategy. Wang Qian not only refuses to be a turtle but also wants to counterattack, and it must be a fatal blow, attacking the dead spot of the pure officials—reputation. Over the years, Wang Qian has collected a lot of black material, stripped the skin of the pure officials, and let the world see their true faces.

The reform implemented by the imperial court will inevitably cause fierce opposition from the existing vested interests, and the political ecology of imperial autocracy's suppression and exclusion of different political views, such as exiling lowly scholars to Suiyuan to support the frontier and dredging the Wujiang River in Guizhou, is the most typical suppression and exclusion. This will inevitably prompt the old nobles to adopt more extreme ways to prove their existence.

This contradiction is also long-term, a contradiction of social fairness.

This contradiction is also long-term, a contradiction of means of production.

Wang Chonggu thought for a while, nodded solemnly, looked at Wang Qian and said, "I was promoting the 'Three Meetings and Three Musts' at the Xishan Coal Bureau, which was actually a bit of a way to avoid disaster. Alas, the scholars of our Great Ming scold people really unpleasantly. Seeing them is somewhat depressed. To tell the truth, it is indeed much more refreshing."

Except for the material he provided, it was all done by His Majesty. The demon book was printed by the three printing factories of the inner office, and the eunuchs gave it to the aunts and grandmothers to spread it. The Minister of Rites, Wan Shihe, was responsible for the tail-end work, sprinkling water to wash the ground. The whole process highlighted a smoothness and fluency.

So the problem of supporting the frontier in Suiyuan has been alleviated, and with the establishment of the three-level schools, this problem can be further alleviated.

Various flowery words will deceive, but the "cow balls" will not.

Wang Chonggu's mouth twitched, gritted his teeth, and looked at Wang Qian with some unbelievable eyes, asking, "Son, are you in such a hurry to inherit the family property that you want your father to die?"

"I don't have any nonsense. A few days ago, His Majesty summoned me to the study of Tonghe Palace. After asking about the Yanxinglou Trading House, he said to me: 'These censor officials are really annoying. As a son, you should be filial. If you have a good strategy, don't hide it.'" Wang Qian told Wang Chonggu the whole story.

"It makes sense." Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "Xiao Dehui is not Junior Grand Secretary Wang. He cannot feel the pressure and the sharp blade on his head."

This is 6 million mu of land. The officials in Jiangxi actually dared to shelter and hide it! They are really not afraid of the incident.

Wang Chonggu leaned back heavily on the chair, full of annoyance, and said, "When I could dance the seven-star ring-headed sword, I should have chopped you up. Anyway, I have a grandson."

Wang Chonggu seems to have fallen into a dilemma of being isolated and helpless. He is Zhang Juzheng's political enemy. When the Great Ming attacked Bansheng, Wang Chonggu also turned his sword inward to clean up the moths of the Jin Party, and then the memorial to equalize fields and corvee made him cut himself off from the gentry and powerful families. The industrial and military battalions then built three-level schools, which offended the scholar-officials.

Hence Hai Rui followed these 6 million mu of land and caught this batch of 264 corrupt officials, all dismissed.

Wang Qian doesn't have such great ability.

The second contradiction is the contradiction between the meat-eaters and the producers. It has not been significantly alleviated, and even some self-cultivating farmers and tenant farmers have borne the tax pressure brought by the clearing of fields. This is also the reason why the Tax Inspection Institute is hated. The promotion of the new policy is pushed forward step by step with the restoration of administrative capacity. The relationship of strong personal attachment has not changed significantly.

The matter was done by Wang Qian. Like father, like son. Wang Qian has never been an upright person. He admits it himself: father and son are both treacherous officials. Since they are treacherous officials, they must do the work that treacherous officials should do.

"You are really filial." Wang Chonggu was directly laughed at. He is at this age, where is there any filial piety in sending Persian beauties?!

"Father, just ask you, this skin of the pure officials has been pulled off, and they are exposed to the world. The demon book I made, is father's mood much more refreshing?!" Wang Qian leaned forward and asked curiously.

Feng Bao chose to tell the truth. Compared to His Majesty's protection of Zhang Juzheng and General Qi Jiguang, Wang Chonggu has also done many things, but His Majesty has never helped Wang Chonggu.

"I am not making a fuss. A few days ago, His Majesty summoned me to the study of Tonghe Palace..."

The memorial of returning fields and the memorial of equalizing fields and corvee can significantly alleviate the contradiction between people and land, and the contradiction between producers and meat-eaters.

The Wanli Reform is deeply changing the Great Ming's mountains and rivers, in all aspects—politics, military, economy, and lifestyle—all of which have undergone earth-shaking changes with the influx of a large amount of silver and the promotion of the new policy. In this process of drastic change, the Great Ming is gradually becoming powerful, but the reform also contains sharp contradictions.

No need to lie. Wang Chonggu was hiding in the Xishan Coal Bureau and wanted to take action more than once. He was irritable and grumpy. Although he deliberately suppressed and restrained himself, he wanted to take action more than once. Finally, he endured it for the sake of the overall situation.

In the third month of the tenth year of Wanli, before the spring was over, Hence Hai Rui joined the Ministry of Personnel to dismiss 264 officials of all levels from their official status and fame.

Although the news came without head or tail, judging from the Great Ming Emperor's firm will to open the sea, I know that His Majesty is afraid that he really has this plan.

Wang Lin and Zhang Juzheng's political views are different, mainly because of the assessment law. Wang Lin feels that Zhang Juzheng is harsh to officials. Everyone is an official in the same court, looking up and not seeing down. Putting shackles on all officials, what does it mean? Wang Lin resigned for this, but now Wang Lin feels that Zhang Juzheng's assessment law is too conservative.

Moreover, the evil consequences of inciting civil unrest, besides disgusting the Emperor, will inevitably accelerate the establishment of local industrial and military battalions, and the production mode of the industrial and military battalions will crush and violently change the old, feudal, and strongly personally attached production relations. For the old nobles, this is not as good as kowtowing to be a loyal minister. At least His Majesty's reform is still based on stability.

Produced by the three printing factories, this is the receipt given by the Emperor to Wang Qian. If something happens, the Emperor will cover it.

Wang Chonggu himself is a conservative. He doesn't want to tear his face, so that everyone is not decent. Being scolded a few times, His Majesty didn't approve his resignation memorial, and nothing happened.

On the 20th day of the third month of the tenth year of Wanli, Wang Chonggu finally finished his work at the Xishan Coal Bureau and the Yongding Official Factory and returned to the capital. When the censor officials who intended to overthrow Wang were excited and prepared to crusade against the Junior Grand Secretary, the capital officials were surprised to find that their own backyard was on fire.

"Father only has me as a son, so he can't bear it." Wang Qian was full of confidence. This was proven by practice. He said with a smile, "Father chased me for two streets before, and he is still strong and his sword is not old. I have selected two Persian beauties for father, and they have been sent to father's room."

And the method given by Wang Chonggu is more material, and the method given by Zhang Juzheng is more currency. This is not a question of who is better or worse. Without Zhang Juzheng's new policy, the administrative power would not be restored, and Wang Chonggu would be blind to do anything.

Wang Qian said very affirmatively, "How much family property do you have? I have 1.12 million silver in His Majesty's place, and I bought 500,000 silver of Suiyuan road in Yanxinglou. If there is no accident, by the time I reach father's age, I should be much, much richer than father."

The third contradiction is the cultural contradiction between the superstructure and the foundation. The new policy mainly benefits the meat-eaters. The reform of the Songjiang School's liberal faction represents the meat-eaters benefiting from the new policy. Zhang Juzheng is distributing the scrolls. This problem has been discussed very clearly. Similarly, bearing the pain of reform, but in the case of meat-eaters benefiting more, the poor people become victims.

Wang Qian looked left and right and whispered, "The first issue of the demon book is a lesson. It clearly says 'to be continued.' Once these pure officials still talk endlessly, the second issue will be printed. It has already been carved. If this group of pure officials is still shameless, His Majesty will ask Hence Hai Rui to come out."

Census of households and population and the abolition of lowly status are part of the memorial to equalize fields and corvee.

The Great Ming Emperor is far away, and the old nobles' granaries are right in front of them. When the number of refugees is too large and they rise up, it becomes inevitable that the old nobles will die first.

"Son, why bother." Wang Chonggu took a day off after finishing the "Three Meetings and Three Musts" to cultivate his spirit. He is not young, and high-intensity work is indeed very tiring, but nothing is more tiring than heart-tiredness. Wang Chonggu is a living person, and occasionally he will be a bit confused.

An emperor protecting a minister, without even using administrative power, can protect him very well. This further strengthened Wang Qian's worship of authority. Wang Qian has always been a believer in authority. He doesn't believe in the Great Ming Law, only in the Emperor's promise, even if the Emperor doesn't fulfill the promise.

The old nobles are even less willing to set off "civil unrest" to resist, such as further increasing land rent, forcing tenant farmers to leave the land and become refugees, and increasing social instability. This is caused by physical distance.

Opening the sea is a problem that sea merchants don't want to discuss. The benefits are too huge. It's better to maintain the status quo. Let the Prince of Lu continue to make trouble in the capital. Anyway, it's just a prince, not His Majesty.

When everyone felt that Wang Chonggu was easy to bully and intended to fall into the well, Wang Chonggu seemed to have counterattacked.

He picked up a memorial, opened it and looked at it, picked up the vermilion pen and wrote: "The Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Hence Hai Rui, and Li Youzi joined the Minister of Personnel, Zhang Juzheng, to report, and the imperial edict dismissed 264 officials including Ai Mu, the Assistant Minister of the Jiangxi Department of the Ministry of Justice."

"How many true clean officials and true pure officials like Hence Hai Rui does our Great Ming have?"

Hence Hai Rui immediately smelled the taste. Fields would not appear for no reason, nor would they disappear for no reason. So Hence Hai Rui wanted to ask about these 6 million mu of land.

He has great confidence in this. The Suiyuan road has not skyrocketed now, but he is optimistic about the long term. Once the horsepower of the Great Ming's steam engine begins to develop rapidly, the ticket price of the Suiyuan road will soar at an astonishing speed.

This large-scale dismissal that caused an earthquake in the officialdom was in Jiangxi. Last year, outside the original amount of ponds and ponds in the 66 counties of Jiangxi, 61,459 qing and 54 mu of land were measured, totaling 6.15 million mu of fertile land.

The Great Ming has only 300 Jinshi every three years. Among these 264 people, 54 are Jinshi, and the rest are Juren. Dismissing official status and fame is the standard process for dismissal during the Wanli years. Those who go home do not enjoy tax and judicial privileges and cannot become gentry.

"Good Hai Gangfeng, he was scolded as a cruel official later. It's all my fault. I didn't use this divine sword well."

The outdated method of falling into the water is very immature.

From the successive impeachments of Wang Chonggu and the crazy opposition of the miscellaneous newspapers to Wang Chonggu, it can be seen that the scholar-official class has erupted with great dissatisfaction with the court's hands being too long, managing too widely, and managing too strictly.

Is it really worth it to charge into battle like this?

The Emperor approved Wang Chonggu's leave. Wang Chonggu slept until the sun was high. When he woke up, he saw this demon book.

Over the years, this divine sword, Hence Hai Rui, has been the number one person in the Great Ming to fight corruption and catch greed. If the Ministry of Personnel perceives the lower-lower grade, Hence Hai Rui will investigate it. Generally, officials of the lower-lower grade have problems. Hence Hai Rui's good reputation has been ruined by Zhu Yijun, the Emperor.

The Great Ming is really too big and has strong inclusiveness, which can accommodate these two claims.

Zhu Yijun wrote a vermilion comment on Hence Hai Rui's memorial: 【The Censor-in-Chief is in the court, the atmosphere is majestic, upright and independent. Many officials hate him and don't talk to him. The Censor-in-Chief has merit to the country. A little noise, don't pay attention to it. I know the love minister's upright spirit.】

Hence Hai Rui, charge with confidence, I will support you with all my strength in the back!

"Very good." Wang Chonggu stretched, feeling that he had inexhaustible energy. He died, and His Majesty should not go to overthrow his tombstone to vent his anger. What he did was not meaningless!

Wang Chonggu couldn't fight Zhang Juzheng, let alone Zhang Juzheng who had His Majesty's support. Now, Wang Chonggu also has support from His Majesty.

Zhu Yijun summoned Hence Hai Rui back to the court in the first year of Wanli, actually to block the nagging of the censor officials. After Hence Hai Rui started to fight corruption, Zhu Yijun realized that this divine sword had injected a completely different atmosphere into the Great Ming's dead officialdom. This atmosphere is called upright spirit.

"Did His Majesty do it?" Wang Chonggu was startled and sat up suddenly. This is really no soreness in the waist, no pain in the legs, high spirits, and the confusion in his heart immediately vanished.

"Also, the imperial teacher is Zhang Juzheng. His Majesty's virtue should be remonstrated by the Grand Tutor. It has nothing to do with us." Wang Chonggu relaxed. He is not an imperial teacher. Back then, Fan Yingqi and Wang Jiaping went to teach the Emperor and were asked by the Emperor to be speechless. These are all written in the text. Wang Chonggu didn't teach it, and the judgment of the Spring and Autumn Annals is not Wang Chonggu's fault.

The demon book soon spread from the capital to the Southern Yamen, and then spread all over the country. The speed of information circulation is accelerating. Except for the black material of the capital, the censors of the Nanjing Censorate are also troubled, because the black material of the Nanjing publication is that of the Nanjing censor officials, the same twenty people, which is considered adapting to local conditions.

(End of chapter)