Chapter 480: Pit Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng Still Has to Say Thank You

The "Great Laws" were the harsh laws at the beginning of the country. Because the clauses were too harsh, if executed, the rebound would be too strong. Laws that were not widely recognized were just empty paper. And Zhang Juzheng's "melon vine joint responsibility" in the Examination of Merit Law had just the right intensity.

Any system is managing people, and human hearts will calculate gains and losses.

Scholars are not fools. If the Examination of Merit Law were truly as useless as they scolded, if the Examination of Merit Law were truly too urgent and harsh, the Great Ming officialdom should have been "dead when managed" and a pool of stagnant water long ago. The fact that clearing land could be completed on schedule was already a manifestation of extremely efficient administration.

"The stubborn disease of officialdom, rigidity, has been alleviated in Zhang Juzheng's hands, which can be called a miraculous cure. You say, can our Official Factory Group Manufacturing Law and Engineer Corps fight against Zhang Juzheng?" Wang Chonggu returned to the beginning of the problem.

"Can't fight, simply can't fight." Wang Qian recognized Zhang Juzheng's terror. As Zhang Juzheng's old opponent, Wang Chonggu understood Zhang Juzheng.

Even if you put aside the facts, you can't play, so why fight?

"If you want to make this secret memorial ineffective, doubling it is the most suitable. If you use secret memorials for major national events, secret memorials for routine affairs, secret memorials for trivial matters, and even secret memorials for greetings, then it will be annoying, and secret memorials will no longer be useful. If there are such signs, they should be admonished, the right to secret memorials should be stopped, reprimanded, dismissed, stripped of official status and merit, or even imprisoned and convicted, to prevent it before it happens."

"No." Wang Chonggu shook his head: "The Jin Party is declining, but the craftsmen of the Official Factory Group Manufacturing are my foundation. Do you really think the clan party is so easy to control? It's too late to throw it away. Since I dare to tell His Majesty, naturally I won't use it anymore."

"General admonition is enough to make officials terrified."

Zhu Yijun asked very seriously: "If a Provincial Governor or Viceroy holds my approval and implements it directly, it will inevitably infringe on the functions of the six ministries, break the balance of the bureaucratic system, and cause political turmoil. Wouldn't it be an endless disaster?"

This sentence comes from "Zhaogong's Admonition to King Li on Stopping Slander." King Li of Zhou did not listen to admonitions and was finally exiled by the people. It means: the monarch should weigh and choose, and implement it. In this way, the state's political affairs can be implemented without violating the Great Way.

"We retire." Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu bowed and retired. His Majesty was going to the Northern Camp to drill troops. "Zhenwu" was a very hard thing, and the Emperor never missed it.

"Just like that?" Wang Qian asked somewhat disappointed.

"Father, will Jiangling Gong take away Father's credit?" Wang Qian saw this posture and asked somewhat anxiously.

Relying only on conspiracy and tricks cannot go far, nor can it reach far.

Zhang Juzheng's biggest problem is that he has no experience as a rebel. Some things have too much movement when breaking through from the front, shaking the foundation of the country, but going around, it is simpler.

Zhang Juzheng never thought that one day, he would also take action to protect Wang Chonggu.

Wang Chonggu looked left and right, whispered: "Your Majesty, the most despicable means of the cheap scholars is the two words 'double it.' To destroy a government decree, you only need to execute it twice, causing public resentment and boiling, that's all."

Wang Chonggu's eyes lit up, but he immediately shook his head: "Forget about setting a trap. If I set a trap for him, I still want to live a few more years."

If you get the imperial intention, you can submit a memorial and start doing it. Not every Provincial Governor has the power to act according to circumstances, and acting according to circumstances should not be granted lightly. This time, Pan Jixun and Qi Jiguang did not meet in Suiyuan, which was the reason.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the "Memorial on the Four Diseases of Bloatedness," opened it and read it for a long time, carefully annotated it, and prepared to transcribe it.

"Your Majesty, this must be judged by Your Majesty yourself." Wang Chonggu said straightforwardly. The secret memorial system is completely dependent on the Emperor's wisdom. The Emperor is deceived by officials, or deceived by officials he trusts, which is naturally a matter of entrusting the wrong person.

"Actually, it doesn't have to be solved. Anyway, it has always been like this." Wang Chonggu was still hesitant. He just wanted to hold his Official Factory Group Manufacturing, Engineer Corps, "Memorial on Equalizing Land Service," and three-level academies to live a stable life.

"There is no such thing." Zhang Juzheng confirmed the existence of the letter, but he knew nothing about the content.

It's strange if it's right!

The entire method Wang Chonggu gave was centered on the means of "secret memorial."

Zhang Juzheng saw the appearance of the beheading line from the Emperor's fleeting expression. Wang Chonggu did not dare to stare at the Emperor, but Zhang Juzheng did not have this concern.

"Father, imperial favor!" Wang Qian raised his eyebrows and pushed the teacup forward.

"This is naturally good. Once His Majesty hears about it, I will take action again, which will be of no avail." Zhang Juzheng heard this and didn't say whether he believed it or not. Wang Chonggu knew the seriousness.

Zhu Yijun did not trust Wang Chonggu. This matter, long, long ago, was something Wang Chonggu himself knew better than anyone else. Wang Chonggu also admitted it. People always have to pay the price for their mistakes.

The Emperor can ask this question, so he will not be deceived. The Emperor's deep-rooted prejudice against civil officials is a dead knot, the kind that can never be untied. The Emperor can distinguish the reports from Provincial Governors and Viceroys everywhere.

The Great Ming has a resistant sentiment toward the Emperor personally commanding battles. The lesson of the Tumu Crisis when Emperor Yingzong of Ming was captured was truly too great.

Zhang Juzheng bowed and said: "I must thank the Second Grand Secretary for his guidance. It is truly enlightening and enlightening."

Slowly promote it, at most to the level of prefect. There is no need to go further down, and there is no significance in going further down.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the yellowing lamp light and said somewhat dissatisfied: "Am I the teacher, or are you the teacher? Turn it up a bit, I want to transcribe."

In the future, judging by the Spring and Autumn Annals, can his father be a meritorious official of the restoration?

Is the Emperor a good person? For most people in the Great Ming, the Emperor is a wise monarch, but not a good person. What kind of emperor would a good person be?

Emperor Jing Zhu Qiyu was a good person. In the Golden Knife Case, he spared Zhu Qizhen's life. Zhu Qizhen repaid him with the "Duo Men" coup. Zhu Qiyu himself, along with the followers who supported Zhu Qiyu's ascension to the throne—Yu Qian, Wang Wen, Fan Guang, etc. —all had miserable ends.

"I never worry about this problem." Zhang Juzheng added, he had great confidence in His Majesty.

The next day, Zhang Juzheng got up early, could only take the annotated memorial and hurried to the Wenhua Hall. After the court session, Zhang Juzheng began to transcribe and sent it to the Imperial Study.

The benefits of imperial favor are truly known to those who have used it.

Wang Chonggu rubbed his eyebrows with his hand and said: "I have some ideas, but I am hesitant."

Four dishes, one soup, one bowl of rice, one light cake. Although the taste of the light cake had been improved several times, it had absolutely nothing to do with luxury.

Zhang Juzheng said: "His Majesty is wise and natural, but human power has its limits. There will be things that cannot be exhausted by imperial decrees, and there will be things that cannot be decided immediately. Therefore, deliberate in the secret memorial."

"This, this, Your Majesty, I can only say that these are all rebel means." Wang Chonggu chose to tell the truth.

"The Second Grand Secretary Wang is indeed a virtuous talent for governing the country." Zhu Yijun looked at the original, looked at Wang Chonggu, and said with a smile.

This sunny smile looked very open and also very deceptive.

The executor is definitely Zhang Juzheng. He is destined to carry this pot and this scolding.

Once the seeds of suspicion are planted, they will take root and sprout, blossom and bear fruit. The list of recommendations that Wang Chonggu supervised the Beijing Camp and was blocked by Tan Lun was a dead knot that could not be untied.

"Father, imperial favor!" Wang Qian was somewhat anxious, seeing this posture.

"Wang Second Grand Secretary, will His Majesty write to General Qi?"

Zhang Juzheng suddenly laughed and whispered: "It must be said, the Second Grand Secretary Wang's rebel experience is indeed rich."

"Then let's talk about bloatedness. In fact, the Examination of Merit Law cannot cure bloatedness." Wang Chonggu sighed: "Bloatedness is divided into many parts. Nepotism is one, redundancy is one, empty pay is one, and there is also the structure."

Fire lacquer sealed, the report entered the capital. It did not follow the original path of layer-by-layer delivery, but was sent directly to the capital by the post station report. The content of this memorial was about the construction of the word "secret."

"Father, you mentioned the two words 'bloatedness.' Do you have a good method?" Wang Qian keenly noticed that Wang Chonggu was speaking with hidden meaning!

Zhang Juzheng can cure rigidity, so can his father, the Minister of Justice, cure bloatedness?

Wang Chonggu tilted his head, looked to one side, and whispered: "To be ashamed, these are all methods I used when I communicated with the Jin people."

What kind of communication required such secrecy? Naturally, it was treason, false military reports, private exchanges, and even smuggling gunpowder and arrows, and selling contraband. Does this still need to be said?

The Imperial Study was a bit quiet. Zhu Yijun coughed and said: "Past events need not be mentioned. Since the Second Grand Secretary announced the 190,000 displaced people in Xuan-Da, the past will not be pursued. This secret memorial method will probably make everyone terrified and in danger. What does the Second Grand Secretary think?"

Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng, and Wang Chonggu discussed for a long time in the West Flower Hall of the Imperial Study about the establishment of the secret memorial system. Wang Chonggu did not hide anything. Anyway, the executor was Zhang Juzheng, and the one who was scolded was also Zhang Juzheng. What Wang Chonggu wanted was just imperial favor. Official Factory Group Manufacturing and Engineer Corps were his greatest help in leaving a name in history.

"Father is indeed brilliant!" Wang Qian's eyes lit up. The credit was their old Wang family's, and the dirty work and scolding were all carried by Zhang Juzheng!

Wang Chonggu swaggered to the Quanchu Assembly Hall. He didn't even exchange pleasantries and put the "Memorial on the Four Diseases of Bloatedness" in front of Zhang Juzheng. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Juzheng finished reading Wang Chonggu's memorial.

"Alas, sleep, sleep." Zhang Juzheng was very clear about this matter.

Setting up such a secret reporting system would definitely make everyone terrified and in danger. This kind of thing, Wu Zetian did it, history calls it: "Day and night, memorials were sent to the princes. Those arriving in the capital from all directions delivered secret words in advance, with deep meaning and important words, or there were changes, or there were untruths."

The secret memorial can solve the four diseases of bloatedness. Local Provincial Governors are dispatched officials, all of whom are left and right vice ministers or left and right vice censors-in-chief to govern the place. These Provincial Governors are the knives inserted by the imperial court into the local area. But when these knives arrive in the local area, they are not sure whether they will get the support of the capital, especially the Emperor, if they cut off some useless yamen or parasites eating empty pay.

"Then wouldn't it be that we let him be scolded, and he still has to thank us?" Wang Qian said with a strange face.

"I am not afraid." Wang Chonggu was using the Tonghe Palace for the first time. The high officials who had this treatment were only Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang. Now he, Wang Chonggu, was sitting here upright, knowing how many bowls of rice the Emperor ate.

Wang Chonggu's experience was so rich, does it mean he was still using this method? The killing intent flashed and disappeared. Wang Chonggu was really still using it. Why did he submit a memorial to the Emperor? Anyway, Zhang Juzheng had no rebel experience. Such a rebellious thing, no one would report it to His Majesty.

Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu walked out of the Tonghe Palace. The sun was high, the sky was clear, and the coal smoke was spreading. The sky was not blue, but a cyan-gray.

This person, Luo Sigong, only listens to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, as a minister, the most feared thing is to guess the imperial intention wrong. With Your Majesty's instigation, naturally, there is nothing to fear."

This is the fact written by Li Yashi in his travelogue. The Great Ming Emperor is like a bitter monk. What can be seen is like this, and what cannot be seen is also like this.

"What does the Second Grand Secretary think?" Zhu Yijun asked calmly, looking at Wang Chonggu.

Good people don't live long, and good people can't be emperors.

"Your Majesty, the original?" Zhu Yijun first asked for the original, that is, the one Wang Chonggu wrote. He wanted to determine whether the entire memorial was Zhang Juzheng's meaning or Wang Chonggu's meaning. There was no other reason, he just wanted to see if Wang Chonggu was truly loyal to the monarch and patriotic.

"I won't set a trap, I will go directly to him!" Wang Chonggu stood up and said to Wang Qian: "You, you are still a bit useful. For people like Zhang Juzheng, there is no need to set a trap at all. Just give him the memorial directly."

Zhang Juzheng added the usage method of the secret memorial. The Emperor is a person, not a god. If you have to deify the Emperor, you are enshrining the Emperor in the nine heavens, usurping the power of the master.

Once the secret memorial system is established, this sentence will no longer hold, because the King of Tears of the Common People will definitely know.

"Empty pay, the six rooms of the prefectures and counties, the education department, etc. —only those few people are working, and the rest are all idle people receiving salaries. Take Pucheng as an example. In our hometown's six rooms, a total of 140 people receive salaries, but only 17 people are on duty. How do these 17 clerks feel when they see others receiving salaries without checking in?"

"Then I won't stay any longer. I will leave the memorial to the Grand Secretary." Wang Chonggu did not explain, stood up, and chose to leave.

"Your Majesty, when the Emperor listens to politics, it is to act according to things without violating them." Wang Chonggu said with a solemn face. His voice was very low.

Imperial favor is truly too easy to use! Before, Wang Chonggu was scolded into what he was. Once His Majesty took action, the momentum of Wang Chonggu's attack immediately stopped.

Wang Qian whispered: "We let Jiangling Gong manage the officialdom. He sets traps for us every day. We also set a trap for him. Father, Jiangling Gong is the kind of person who knows it is a trap and will still drill into it. Didn't Yang Taizai say it at that time? Jiangling Gong, a gentleman can be deceived by squareness."

The Great Ming's current statistics even include combat ships, and the scale is not as good as the 18th year of Yongle.

Wang Chonggu, this kind of minister, must be used carefully and vigilantly. He cannot be relaxed for a moment. But if he is indulged, it will lead to disaster. It is also a bad thing for Wang Chonggu. He will not leave a name in history, but will leave a bad name for ten thousand years.

Guessing the imperial intention is perhaps the biggest heart disease of a minister in his life. What exactly does the Emperor mean? Guessing back and forth, and finally guessing wrong, one slip of the foot becomes a thousand years of hatred. With this secret memorial that is never made public, the lower situation reaching the upper is no longer an obstacle.

In Wang Chonggu's system design, at the beginning of the design, only local Provincial Governors and those determined to be loyal to the monarch and patriotic, such as Hou Yuzhao and Zhou Liangyin, were qualified to submit secret memorials. The secret box and the fire lacquer on the secret memorial must be intact, otherwise, they will be held accountable. The secret memorial goes directly to the imperial front, not through the Office of Transmission and the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Can Zhang Juzheng, who follows the Great Way, think of this secret memorial method?!

"Caution is the most important. If the monarch is not secret, he will lose his ministers; if the minister is not secret, he will lose his body. Can one not be afraid? For all secret memorials, the word 'secret' is the most important. Therefore, use fire lacquer for special sealing, send it to the capital by post station report, and send it directly to the imperial front." Wang Chonggu explained the system design of the secret memorial in detail.

If it reaches the point of "pinching the special line," the local Provincial Governors and Prefects should worry about their heads. The scope of the secret memorial is clearly defined, and greetings must use this channel, then don't blame the Emperor for being impolite.

"Letters and secret memorials are also different." Wang Chonggu explained the difference in detail. The biggest difference is that the secret memorial is independent of the process. It is a communication channel between the Emperor and the local Provincial Governor and border officials. It is more formal than private letters and has a certain administrative effect. The content is not to communicate feelings, but to communicate national affairs.

"Second Grand Secretary Wang, give me the bottom line. Are you still using this secret memorial method to communicate with the Jin people?" Zhang Juzheng looked left and right, pulled Wang Chonggu to one side, and whispered: "Don't say that I, Zhang Juzheng, turn my face and don't recognize people. I am saving you."

Zhu Yijun explained: "Ah, it's just talking about things in the capital, fearing that General Qi will worry about his hometown, so I rambled on. I have never commanded the front line to fight, where to station, how to attack, etc. I don't understand military affairs. General Qi's victory at the front is all due to the bravery of the Beijing Camp elite and General Qi's command."

"Teacher, it's time to rest." You Qi turned the lime spray lamp down a bit, looking somewhat guilty. He, a big steward, managed to the teacher's head.

"And there are some yamen that have long had no need to exist, but have been established for many years, and the only role is to raise idle people."

Wang Chonggu did not find it convenient to reach out too far. The imperial favor and credit were indeed Wang Chonggu's.

The current "Zhenwu" has not even seen the threshold of being poor and warlike. The Beijing Camp's establishment was 200,000 people from Yongle to Jiajing, and now there are only 100,000. The remaining quotas were given to the navy, which is the embodiment of the national policy of attaching equal importance to sea and land. In the Yongle years, the navy was a separate establishment.

In the 18th year of Yongle, the total scale of the Great Ming navy was equal to ten of Philip II's Invincible Armadas: 1,350 patrol ships, 1,350 warships, 400 large ships, and 400 covering ocean ships. Even the 400-liao war seat ships were not within the scope of statistics, and the navy soldiers exceeded 200,000.

Before lunch, the Emperor summoned Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu to the Imperial Study of the Tonghe Palace, and also asked Zhang Hong to prepare extra bowls and chopsticks.

"Overpraised, overpraised!" Wang Chonggu originally intended not to speak and pretend to be an expert, pretending to be a look, but after the words "governing the country," Wang Chonggu's cultivation was directly broken, and he hurriedly answered modestly, without the arrogance of just entering the door.

If you can't fight, join them. This is not a shameful thing. This is called "those who know the times are heroes!"

Zhu Yijun suddenly remembered that poem: "The water that capsizes the boat is the tears of the common people; if it doesn't reach the horizontal flow, the monarch doesn't know."

The Emperor's decree is not convenient to say in the imperial decree, and sometimes there are things that cannot be decided. How to decide whether a government decree is suitable for the local area? It needs to be deliberated in the secret memorial, expanding the secret memorial's original function of reporting to an important means for the monarch and ministers to discuss political affairs. For major decisions, consult the opinions of local Provincial Governors.

"These methods, no matter how you look at them, are a bit wrong." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu's original and Zhang Juzheng's copy. The content was the same, only Zhang Juzheng combined his own experience in officialdom and added some details. The main body was still Wang Chonggu's thinking.

"Then, should the nine-border generals have this power?" Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu and asked calmly.

Don't have too high requirements for good people, and don't be too lenient to bad people.

"Where is the original?" Zhu Yijun first asked for the original, that is, the one Wang Chonggu wrote. He wanted to determine whether the entire memorial was Zhang Juzheng's meaning or Wang Chonggu's meaning. There was no other reason, he just wanted to see if Wang Chonggu was truly loyal to the monarch and patriotic.

"I won't set a trap, I will go directly to him!" Wang Chonggu stood up and said to Wang Qian: "You, you are still a bit useful. For people like Zhang Juzheng, there is no need to set a trap at all. Just give him the memorial directly."

There are many Great Ming generals who do evil, but there are also many Great Ming generals who die for the country and die on the battlefield. This is a contradictory and unified collection. You cannot look at the leopard through a tube and see the whole picture.

The menu was decided by the Empress and would be changed regularly. It was not fixed, but they were all things the Emperor loved to eat.

The Examination of Merit Law is not a panacea for officialdom. It is not that it will be good once eaten, and it will be effective every time. Some stubborn diseases are also incurable, but Wang Chonggu still wants to say that this is already unique. It is excellent to have it used.

Thrift is a virtue. The light cake Zhu Yijun eats, a front-line soldier can eat one and it will last for half a day. If they fall behind or are surrounded, four or five are enough to escape danger.

"If you cannot be secret, it is better not to report. The state affairs are busy, and there are things that are inconvenient to be exposed to the public. His Majesty has a decree: all secret edicts, unless notified by the imperial decree, are not allowed to be told to anyone. Words do not pass six ears. If you want to inform the Wenyuan Pavilion and the six ministries, you must delete the vermilion approval and the name of the reporter. Officials are not allowed to inquire about each other, are not allowed to quote, and are not allowed to print. Those who print and leak secrets will be beheaded." Wang Chonggu explained the system design of the secret memorial in detail.

Just quieted down for two days, and have to be scolded again. Who can stand this?

"To put it more clearly, if it weren't for His Majesty standing in the middle of the sky like the sun, this kind of secret memorial would be a disaster for the world. This is a tool, just like the hoe in the hands of farmers. It can plow the land, and it can also fight and fight. This secret memorial depends on how His Majesty uses it." Wang Chonggu directly pointed out the words. This kind of conspiracy and tricks, it is better to say it clearly and clearly.

Even if it is a rebel means, Zhang Juzheng can find the Great Way in it. Even if it takes a long time, the main function of the secret memorial will become a special channel for consulting opinions.

Wang Chonggu truly didn't know there was such a thing. He also knew today how many bowls of rice the Emperor ate.

This set of methods requires secrecy from the bottom up, and also secrecy from the top down. The secrecy work here at the Emperor's place must be done well. The principle is that it should not be made public if it can be avoided. If it must be made public, the vermilion approval and name must be painted black, and then transcribed and issued by the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

But the Great Ming has no resistant sentiment toward the Emperor pointing his sword. The Emperor still needs to set the general goal. Li Yashi once asserted in his travelogue that if the Emperor pointed his sword at Toledo and Madrid, the Templars and the Pingbo warriors would definitely flatten the place where the sword pointed, even if it were far away in the West.

Wang Chonggu felt a chill behind his neck, and a chill rushed from his tailbone to his forehead. He shuddered, but looking at His Majesty's sunny smile, he felt that he was probably catching a cold, which was why he shuddered.

You Qi grabbed the lime spray lamp and said: "Teacher, there is an imperial decree."

"No, no, it's all for His Majesty's work, for the revitalization of the country. Grand Tutor, please stay, please stay." Wang Chonggu did not expect Zhang Juzheng to be so grand.

Wang Chonggu shook his head with a smile and said: "It won't. Not only will he not take credit, but he will record it in detail. The imperial favor that should be ours will not be less at all."

"His Majesty said, if the teacher stays up late, he will ask me."

Wang Chonggu hurriedly said: "It is a matter of course. The generals of the nine borders, the regional commanders, and the assistant regional commanders should have secret boxes, secret memorials, and seals. They use the post station report of the Tang report. I specifically wrote in the memorial that military officials should have secret memorials to prevent the evil wind of promoting literature and suppressing martial arts!"

Zhu Yijun asked again: "What about framing? For example, Liaodong Provincial Governor Hou Yuzhao frames Marquis of Ningyuan Li Chengliang for rebellion, using the secret memorial system to exclude dissidents, form cliques for private interests, and promote literature and suppress martial arts?"

He submitted this memorial to obtain imperial favor, not to seek death. In front of His Majesty, clamoring to promote literature and suppress martial arts, isn't that nonsense? Only civil officials can submit secret memorials, but military officials cannot. Isn't that letting civil officials make up nonsense?

Wang Chonggu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the most important thing about the secret memorial is this 'secret' word. The monarch is secret, and the minister is also secret. The Provincial Governor holds the secret memorial vermilion approval, which means he has the imperial intention and can ask for an imperial decree. It doesn't mean that he can implement it directly after getting the imperial intention. Wouldn't that be a mess?"

"Good! Good!" Zhang Juzheng stood up and slapped the table, collected the memorial into his sleeve and said: "The Second Grand Secretary Wang is indeed a virtuous talent for governing the country!"

The Emperor set up an examination for You Qi, divided into exercise, diet, daily life, hygiene, and other aspects. If he did well, he would be rewarded; if he did poorly, he would be punished. The rewards were extremely generous, the punishments were extremely severe, and there was another person named Luo Sigong, who was a military guard of the Iron Forest Army of the Quanchu Assembly Hall, and also responsible for the second record.

Wang Chonggu stopped his steps. It was really as Wang Qian said. He pitted Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng still had to thank him, Wang Chonggu.

"The yamen of the Great Ming's large counties have 5,000, and small counties raise 3,000 yamen runners. If they don't raise so many, they can't collect taxes. If they raise so many, the local level can only think of their own ways. The Examination of Merit Law cannot solve this problem."

"Is it like me writing to General Qi?" Zhu Yijun suddenly found a corresponding example.

"Nepotism, Tan Lun scolded me at the beginning, saying that even the dogs in the family had to be brought to the Beijing Camp to eat imperial grain. He scolded correctly and incorrectly. That list was indeed all Jin people, but they were not all incompetent. Ma Fang, Ma Fang's son, and Ma Gui, Ma Jin, were all talents that could be used. But he also scolded correctly, they were all nepotism. The Examination of Merit Law can break nepotism, which naturally goes without saying."

"Those who are powerful are destroyed, those who have high merit are ruined. Who can escape it?" Wang Chonggu felt that if he came again, he would probably do the same. Life seems to have choices everywhere, but in fact, there are not so many choices. Coming again can't change anything.

Wang Chonggu envied Zhang Juzheng. Under the Emperor's protection, he could avoid the nightmare of "the powerful are destroyed, the meritorious are ruined."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 481 =====