Chapter 851: Wearing Silk is Elegant, Wearing Hemp is Lowly

Liang Liang Menglong presided over the Merit-Based Official Selection Law. At first, he felt some pressure, but later he discovered that these officials were, without exception, cowards. They only dared to use petty, underhanded means and absolutely did not dare to "double down." Since they were cowards, there was nothing to fear.

Cowards are the easiest to deal with.

"They are indeed a bunch of cowards. If it were Me opposing the Merit-Based Official Selection Law, I would have a five-step plan to oppose it." Zhu Zhu Yijun sat up straight, looked at Liang Liang Menglong, and thought carefully for a moment before straightening out his train of thought and speaking.

"The core of the Merit-Based Official Selection Law is the Performance Assessment Law. First, change the performance assessment of clerks from once a year to once every three months, then from three months to seven days, then from seven days to once a day, requiring clerks to submit a log of their twelve hours of work to the Southern Yamen every day."

"Whether anyone reads it or not is another matter; just turn it into a mountain of paperwork and a sea of meetings, exhausting these clerks until they are running around in circles. By the end of the year, the performance assessment for these clerks—heh—will all be 'average'."

"If this first step of destroying the selection criteria doesn't succeed, then take the second step: under the guise of fairness."

"Doesn't the imperial court and the Emperor want to select from the clerks? Then expand it!"

"Let illiterate old clerks be rated as 'superior,' and stage a farce of seventy-year-old clerks reading 'Mathematical Treatises' at night. If that still doesn't work, expand it from clerks to licentiates and child students. If that's still not enough, expand it to tenant farmers, drifters, hooligans, and laborers. If you don't allow it, then it's unfair!"

"If the second step still doesn't work, then continue to expand. The third step: on the grounds of insufficient experience, require all licentiates in the world to serve as clerks for ten years before they can be granted official posts. In this way, the world will lack officials, throwing the imperial court into a state where there is no one to use, throwing the world into a state where most posts are vacant, throwing the Southwest Replace Tusi regions into a state without rotating officials, throwing the imperial decrees into a state where they cannot be executed, and throwing the world's governance into a state of decay!"

"If even that doesn't work..."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng finally couldn't listen anymore. He hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Performance Assessment Law has been successful for sixteen years, and the Merit-Based Official Selection Law has already shown results in two years. Among the officials of the Great Ming, there are those who line their pockets, those who harm the public to benefit themselves, those who usurp power, and those who form cliques, but the state of the nation has not decayed to such a degree."

This action by Zhang Zhang Juzheng was clearly rebellious. The Emperor was speaking, and as a subject, how could he interrupt directly?!

But Zhang Zhang Juzheng had interrupted the Emperor. The court officials all breathed a sigh of relief, looking at one another, all shocked. Fortunately, there was a Zhang Zhang Juzheng in the court; otherwise, when the Emperor was acting recklessly, who would stop him?

Could it be Shen Shen Shixing, who was huddled in the corner like a quail? As a "master of balancing water," could he sing a counter-tune against His Majesty?

Shen Shen Shixing, Wang Wang Jiaping, Shen Shen Yiguan, and Wang Wang Yie, the four who had just entered the court to listen to governance, stared at each other. They had originally thought that returning to the capital was a promotion, but they hadn't expected the court discussions to have this kind of style!

Shen Shen Shixing discovered that this court was quite dangerous; it would be better to go to Zhejiang and be the direct superior of Yan Yan Shixuan!

Wang Wang Yie had not wanted to return in the first place, and now he really wanted to escape. He wanted to return to Shandong to plant kelp and open salt fields; although it was hard work, there was no danger of losing his head!

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "What is the Grand Secretary in such a hurry for? Let Me finish. If the Emperor still doesn't repent and insists on doing it, then push the fourth step: continue to expand it, and push to abolish the imperial examinations! Since the Dinghai School System has popularized education and everyone is a scholar, why not just select directly from the Nine Dragons University? Why have imperial examinations and official tests?"

"Abolish the palace examinations, metropolitan examinations, provincial examinations, and academy examinations entirely! Once the imperial examinations are abolished, the Emperor won't even have anyone capable to use."

"If that still doesn't work, then the fifth step: fight!"

"Just apply the customs of the 'Old Master You' inspection day in May, and imitate past events like the Hangzhou Luo Muying military mutiny, the Nanhou Academy tenant farmer riot in Taizhou Prefecture, and the Ningdu, Ruijin, and Ninghua three-county breach of the prefecture—force the people to rebel, incite the poor and suffering, and the Great Ming has nothing if not plenty of contradictions."

"Fight until the world is in turmoil, fight until heroes rise everywhere, fight until the people's hearts are in doubt, fight until there is unrest, fight until everyone opposes it. This Performance Assessment Law, this Merit-Based Official Selection Law, this Emperor Wanli Reform—they will naturally stop. If the Emperor still doesn't stop, then let the nation perish. Anyway, if the Emperor is replaced, the new one certainly won't dare to continue doing this."

The Emperor's five-step plan was finished. The court officials remained silent. It was fortunate that he was the Emperor; if he were a subject, he would probably be a great treacherous official.

Moreover, every step of these five steps was very clear, progressing layer by layer, and every one of them struck at the vital points.

"As the saying goes: 'Performance assessments eliminate clerks, expanding selection breeds chaos and breaks the moral order, forcing licentiates to serve as clerks cuts off the path to officialdom, school systems replacing examinations destroys the literary tradition, and threatening the people to force policy changes overturns the reform.' If it were like this, what does the Grand Secretary think?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, those who drift in the sea of officialdom all have great family businesses and nine generations of kin. Whoever dares to do this must first ask themselves if their nine generations of kin would agree. Since the 'doubling down' policy was defined as an unforgivable act of rebellion, everyone has been cautious."

"Your Majesty, the Great Ming officialdom is mostly filled with people who hold posts but do not perform their duties, seeking only to avoid mistakes rather than to achieve success. A lack of responsibility is the main problem of the Great Ming officialdom, not rebellion."

"Suppressing a rebellion does not require any evidence or lists. If such a thing happens, one naturally gathers troops to suppress it."

If the Emperor were a weak person, acting like this would be understandable. But with His Majesty's personality—not even forgetting to check on the Capital Battalion during the New Year—who in the Great Ming imperial court would dare?

Political struggle is political struggle; it's you biting me and me biting you. It's an ordinary political struggle in this arena of fame and profit. But rebellion really leads to losing one's head.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng explained in detail why the Emperor Wanli Reform had not seen such farces of "doubling down."

Because this is the Great Ming, a feudal imperial system. The Emperor holds military power, and he holds it very, very tightly. In the Great Ming, to become a student, two students must guarantee you before you can take the academy examination. To become a metropolitan graduate, if you have changed your surname for various reasons, you must change it back.

Shen Shen Shixing used the surname Xu for 27 years, passed the metropolitan examination, and immediately changed back to his original surname.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Liang Liang Menglong and asked, "Therefore, Junior Minister Liang, if you encounter any insurmountable obstacles, just tell Me. I will deal with them. The Merit-Based Official Selection Law must be implemented; it is one of the cornerstones of the Great Ming Emperor Wanli Reform."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Liang Liang Menglong understood the Emperor's intention; it was to back him up. The Emperor had already prepared for the worst.

After Liang Liang Menglong returned to his rank, the Great Ming court officials took a long time to recover before continuing to discuss matters.

Wang Wang Chonggu and Wang Wang Jiaping, as if not believing it, began to stir up the labor union issue again.

Zhu Zhu Yijun hoped they could succeed, but in the end, there were only two outcomes: one was a hereditary class of labor traitors, eating from the employer on one side and the craftsmen on the other; the other was that it would be completely useless, at most organizing a matchmaking event.

This is the inevitable result that appears at the end of power. If too much power is given, they will eat from both sides; if too little power is given, it will have no effect at all.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked out the window, gazed into the distance, and said, "It's snowing."

When they got up in the morning, the warm wind from the southeast suddenly changed direction, and the northwest wind whistled past, sweeping over the capital. Snowflakes began to drift down—a heavy snowfall. The goose-feather snow danced in the wind, swirling willfully.

"A timely snow promises a good harvest. Your subject congratulates Your Majesty and congratulates the world." Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked out the window. Spring rain is as precious as oil; this snow and rain after the Spring Festival are nourishment for the earth.

"Does the Ministry of Justice have any unjust cases?" Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Wang Chonggu and asked.

Wang Wang Chonggu was startled and almost choked. He hurriedly stepped out and bowed, saying, "Unjust cases? What unjust cases? Wasn't that Yang Wei who wanted to overturn the case already beheaded and displayed?"

"What about the case of Tang Tang Zhihan, the merchant chief of the Yuegang Ocean Trading Firm? Has it been handled cleanly? Has the family property been recovered? This case has been going on for so long. Wang Qian mentioned it yesterday, so I took note of it. It seems it hasn't been finished yet?" Zhu Zhu Yijun inquired. Tang Tang Zhihan had been swindled out of quite a bit of family property, and Tang Tang Zhihan himself had almost died.

Wang Wang Chonggu hurriedly replied, "Tang Tang Zhihan's ex-wife, Liu, transferred quite a bit of family wealth—a total of 1.6 million silver—and Liu and that adulterer Xu Xu Zhenyi squandered quite a bit of it. Only 600,000 silver was recovered. At the end of last year, it was settled, and the Zhangzhou Prefecture reported it to the Ministry of Justice. This case has already reached the Court of Judicial Review."

He kicked the ball away first. The Ministry of Justice was actively handling it; it was the Court of Judicial Review that had some issues.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the official position screen and asked, "Where is Wang Wang Shiyang, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this case has already been concluded." Wang Wang Shiyang hurriedly stepped out and bowed.

The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Yang Wei, had been beheaded.

After Yang Wei died, the original left and right junior ministers, left and right vice ministers, temple directors, and temple deputies were all implicated and dismissed, even if no substantive evidence of collusion with Yang Wei was found. Political cases were all like this: better to kill the wrong ones than to let one slip through.

Yang Wei himself was insane, implicating his subordinates to follow him into misfortune.

Yang Wei wanted to overturn the case, and the fact that His Majesty didn't kill everyone in the Court of Judicial Review was already very merciful.

Wang Wang Shiyang had been urgently transferred from the position of Right Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to be the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, presiding over the internal and external affairs of the Court of Judicial Review.

Therefore, Wang Wang Shiyang was the smallest official in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, a fifth-rank official. Of course, if Shen Shen Shixing hadn't been restored to his official position, both Shen Shen Shixing and Wang Wang Shiyang would have been very small.

Soon, a young eunuch stepped through the snow and brought documents from the Court of Judicial Review. After Zhu Zhu Yijun read them carefully, he handed the case files to Feng Bao and said, "The Ministry of Rites knows. Publish this case in the Imperial Gazette."

"The coastal areas are gradually transforming into a commodity economy. The social environment of the past, where the 'housekeeper' managed the accounts, no longer exists. If the accountant doesn't manage the accounts in the future, or if one still plays house, I'm afraid they will end up like Tang Tang Zhihan—losing both people and money."

"I am very fortunate that Tang Tang Zhihan was still willing to believe in the Southern Yamen, believe in the imperial court, and believe in Me, giving Me a chance to uphold justice, instead of gathering his old brothers and creating a 'Emperor Wanli Maritime Disaster' for Me. To suppress a pirate group of 4,000 people, one would have to send out at least 40,000 naval troops. To fight Japan, I only sent out 30,000 Capital Battalion troops."

Zhu Zhu Yijun was very grateful that Tang Tang Zhihan was willing to believe in the imperial court and give the imperial court a chance, instead of choosing decisive armed retaliation. If that had been the case, a pirate group of 4,000 people would probably have taken three to five years to suppress, costing who knows how much of the national treasury, and causing endless harm.

Tang Tang Zhihan gave the imperial court face, and the imperial court gave him a just trial.

Wang Wang Chonggu said solemnly, "Your Majesty, Tang Tang Zhihan's family wealth this year has already exceeded 1.3 million silver. Compared to his peak period, it's only a matter of a year or two."

"Tang Tang Zhihan has remarried, but what is surprising is that this new wife is actually a courtesan from the world of flowers. Tang Tang Zhihan gave the brothel 3,000 taels of silver as a bride price to marry this new wife back. The new wife spends money lavishly, but Tang Tang Zhihan never restricts her."

Marrying a wife involves a bride price, and the wife must return a dowry. Moreover, to show that the families are well-matched, the dowry will not be lower than the bride price. Even Zhu Zhu Yijun is like this.

Wang Wang Yaozhuo was invited by the Minister of Personnel, Wan Wan Shihe, and the Minister of Rites, Ma Ma Ziqiang, and the dowry was given by Empress Dowager Li. These dowries were also invested in opening the seas, and Wang Wang Yaozhuo herself receives dividends every year.

In Wang Wang Yaozhuo's empress dowry, there is a piece of dowry that the Emperor also kept together with the box—it is a silver hairpin left by her mother. This silver hairpin once scratched her neck. Back then in Shanzhou, Wang Wang Yaozhuo would rather die than be bullied by the wealthy families of Shanzhou.

Wang Wang Yaozhuo's personality is extremely unyielding.

Zhu Zhu Yijun also made a 999-tael pure gold empress seal for Wang Wang Yaozhuo. Wang Wang Yaozhuo never used it once, because she couldn't lift it. (Chapter 299)

Taking a concubine involves a bride price, which is actually redemption, because in the Great Ming, a concubine can be given away at will.

Tang Tang Zhihan's outcome was very good. He didn't die, his injuries healed, his family business is recovering, and he has married a new wife. However, this wife's background is not high, and of course, she can't manage the accounts.

The five major maritime trade offices all have accounting rooms specifically to help these powerful and wealthy families manage their accounts.

The commodity economy of the five major maritime trade offices is gradually forming. The past living environment is undergoing earth-shaking changes. Anyone who cannot keep up with this change will be eliminated by the waves of the era, even if you are at the forefront of the surging waves of the Emperor Wanli Reform.

The past division of labor where the husband managed the outside and the wife managed the inside was a kind of family division of labor established under the small-peasant economic model. The legitimate wife either spent her time around the kang or around the stove, and the most she saw were the peddlers walking the streets. At most, she would visit the market or visit relatives during the holidays.

Rouge, powder, silk, and satin were mostly brought home by men who were away from home.

But after the formation of the commodity economy, the foundation of this division of labor is being dismantled.

In the past, women could only survive by depending on men because society did not provide them with any job opportunities. Moreover, the formation of the commodity economy and the dazzling array of goods are impacting everyone's values. The sufficient supply of goods will shake this traditional family concept.

After the Tang Tang Zhihan case broke out, everyone felt insecure. There were seven large maritime merchants who secretly transferred their family property. And these were just the big maritime merchants that the Great Ming could count.

More clearly, after the formation of the commodity economy, the power of money to seem omnipotent, like a flood descending from the sky, is impacting the traditional values of the Great Ming, changing the thinking patterns and traditional moral laws of all Great Ming people.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Shen Li stepped out to accept the decree. He thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, regarding the four words 'wind and public opinion,' I have looked at them again and again, and I still think one must just believe in facts. Otherwise, the more one denies based on falsehoods, the more one cannot deny. People will go to understand the whole picture of the matter at the beginning of the denial. Once they understand the whole picture and the lies are exposed, the false denial becomes a joke."

"In any case, the Great Ming imperial court, whether it lives or dies, must absolutely not become a joke. If moral laws become a joke, then monsters and demons will inevitably run rampant in the world."

"Your Majesty, moral laws and morality are not worth money, but they are the foundation upon which our Great Ming stands."

When the Tang Tang Zhihan case broke out, there were many rumors. Some even said that the imperial court was going to sentence Tang Tang Zhihan to death, and others said that the imperial court was shielding the big maritime merchants. Now that the Imperial Gazette is going to publish this case, it is natural to explain the matter clearly and explain why the imperial court made such a judgment. If it was Liu who plotted for money and killed, but it was Tang Tang Zhihan's fault, then it's no wonder it's snowing in the capital.

"Then what if someone sets aside the facts and refuses to talk about them?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

"Uh..." Shen Li didn't even know where His Majesty learned the phrase "setting aside the facts and refusing to talk about them." As soon as these six words appeared, Shen Li felt his blood pressure rise quite a bit.

For the Ministry of Rites, what they fear most are the eight words: "the world's morals are declining, and the moral order is collapsing." Setting aside the facts and refusing to talk about them, and false narratives, are the most terrifying weapons against moral laws.

"If the entire court is filled with a style of empty talk, I'm afraid..." Shen Li shook his head repeatedly and said, "Then the Minister of Rites should be sent to the imperial prison to be sentenced to death. The Ministry of Rites would be unable to normally perform its functions. Morality is indeed not worth money, but without it, the nation will not be a nation."

High morality cannot govern a nation, and morality is not worth money, but without it, everything in the world will decay.

"Your Majesty, Wan Shao Zongbo once said: 'To destroy the roots of a clan, break the spine of its men, and snatch the courage of its husbands; to ruin the chastity of its women and extinguish the kindness and gentleness of its wives—once the social atmosphere decays, the world will tilt.'"

Shen Li said with a somewhat ugly expression, "The Ministry of Rites that Wan Shao Zongbo handed over to me is an uplifting field of wind and public opinion. If it really becomes what Your Majesty said—setting aside the facts and refusing to talk about them, and the wind and public opinion are all empty talk—I ask Your Majesty to behead me and display my head. I would be a sinner against the name and teachings of the imperial court."

"I think the current wind and public opinion are very good. The Grand Secretary has worked hard." Zhu Zhu Yijun was very satisfied with Shen Li. At the very least, he had really sent the clerks to farm properly, and had set up a sufficient Performance Assessment Law to assess the results of their farming, firmly maintaining that the national wind and public opinion would not decay.

Wan Wan Shihe had indeed said this. Back then, the Unlimited Freedom Faction falsely claimed to be the City of Freedom in the West, fabricated events, completely distorted the definition of freedom, and regarded enjoying rights while stripping away responsibilities as a matter of course. In the end, they were thoroughly defeated by the Limited Freedom Faction led by Lin Fu and Li Zhi.

The City of Freedom in the West was a cesspool. After the Great Ming fleet arrived, they discovered it wasn't a City of Freedom at all; it was more like a demon's den.

If the Unlimited Freedom Faction were allowed to develop, I'm afraid it would have become like the Paradise Sect in Japan today.

"Your Majesty, I have one matter." After Shen Li finished speaking, instead of returning to his rank, he took out a memorial and presented it to the imperial front. Shen Li was a cabinet minister, so it was impossible for anyone not to let him present a memorial, which showed that there were some problems with this memorial.

The entire memorial was about one thing: centering on facts, constructing the "Great Ming Victory Studies."

The Great Ming army entered Korea, and the Great Ming had to win and really did win. The Great Ming also had to publicize these victories, rather than letting these victories be summarized by a few simple sentences in history books. That way, there were too few victories, only military victories.

This was not Shen Li's idea alone, but a decision of the Ministry of Rites. The meaning of the Ministry of Rites was very clear.

The Great Ming not only needed military victories but also political victories, and even more so, cultural victories.

The Great Ming lacked "Victory Studies." This was a conclusion reached by the Ministry of Rites after observing the "constant victory" victory studies of the barbarians. Since they had won, they should publicize it openly and uprightly.

Shen Li saw that His Majesty had finished reading the memorial and immediately bowed, saying, "I believe that the six victories of entering Korea to resist Japan, as well as the Tsushima Island Great Victory, the Changmen Great Victory, and the Kyoto Great Victory, are all worth writing about in detail. I have combined the reports from the front lines and many officials of the Ministry of Rites to compile 'The Great Ming Army's Eastern Expedition Record,' using the nine victories of the Eastern Expedition as the outline, writing all the details of the battlefield into the book."

"In addition, I have selected 136 rewarded generals and soldiers, naming them after the 28 Constellations, 36 Heavenly Spirits, and 72 Earthly Fiends, recording the heroic fighting of the soldiers in detail, and compiling them into the three-volume 'Record of Eastern Expedition Heroes.' I ask Your Majesty to publish it to the world!"

"The barbarians are good at 'constant victory' victory studies. If future generations judge the Spring and Autumn period, I am afraid these barbarians will talk nonsense. Those who don't know might think Japan won. Therefore, we must have the 'Eastern Expedition Record' and the 'Record of Heroes'."

Zhu Zhu Yijun's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Present it, present it quickly."

The book had long been prepared. This was something the Ministry of Rites had been doing all along. They had been doing it since the Pyongyang Great Victory, and the Ministry of Rites had even sent the book to the front lines for Qi Qi Jiguang to see, asking the soldiers on the front lines to correct some details before presenting it to the imperial front.

The "Eastern Expedition Record" appended the full text of the "Kyoto Treaty," and the Ministry of Rites even annotated it word for word, not only explaining its content but also explaining why it was done and the significance of doing so, making it easy to understand, and defining the nature of the Kyoto Treaty.

If the Japanese pirates hadn't invaded Korea, there wouldn't have been this treaty. The Great Ming was punishing the wicked and comforting the people; it was the army of a king.

Zhu Zhu Yijun flipped to the "Record of Heroes." There were no generals in the Record of Heroes; they were all company commanders and below, mainly soldiers. Not only were there elite troops from the Great Ming Capital Battalion, but also Liaodong troops and Korean troops. For example, Li Li Shunchen was among them, ranking among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Li Li Shunchen was still very capable of fighting, but he entered the battlefield after the Battle of Chungju. Therefore, based on military merit, Li Li Shunchen could only rank among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Using colloquial language and characters, rather than classical Chinese, the narrative style was quite interesting and not boring. For example, Zhao Ji's page started with: Zhao Ji, Zhao Zhao Laoqi, was originally an ordinary vegetable farmer.

They were all role models selected from those with low backgrounds. The deeds of the generals were mainly recorded in the "Eastern Expedition Record," while the "Record of Heroes" recorded the legendary stories of the heroes on the battlefield.

Zhu Zhu Yijun read two pages and nodded, saying, "I will keep the book and read it slowly. Let the Three Classics Printing House publish it. Just like 'Simple Prescriptions for Hygiene and Prevention,' distribute the high-quality printed copies to all government offices, and sell mainly the cheap printed copies."

"Then, have the storytellers, singing segments, and plays been prepared?"

The Ministry of Rites specifically writing books and biographies for soldiers from poor backgrounds already represented the Ministry of Rites' stance. There wouldn't be any major problems with the book.

The barbarian "constant victory" victory studies were indeed a bit tricky. After much research, the Ministry of Rites decided to construct a Great Ming Victory Studies based on facts, using magic to deal with magic.

The reason the Ministry of Rites dared to announce the victory at this time was because of the Changmen Great Victory. The Great Ming army had repelled the desperate counterattack of Mori Terumoto, the overall situation was settled, and there were no more variables.

Zhu Zhu Yijun approved of the Ministry of Rites' proposition, and not only did they have to write books and biographies, but they also had to write them into storybooks and spread them throughout the country.

"They are already in preparation." Shen Li said with a smile.

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly and said, "That's good, as soon as possible."

The two successive Ministers of Rites were a bit like Hu Ying, Hu Zhong'an, of the early dynasty—both were comprehensive. Wan Wan Shihe and Shen Li took over from each other to construct the national moral laws after the Emperor Wanli Reform. This was shaping consensus and was a great contribution to the Emperor Wanli Reform.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Shen Li saw that His Majesty had stamped the seal, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng before returning to his rank and taking his seat.

Wang Wang Chonggu sensed something unusual. He saw that meaningful glance and also saw that Zhang Zhang Juzheng was a bit guilty. The old foxes in the Zhao Wenhua Hall were all as calm as Mount Tai collapsing before them. Wang Wang Chonggu could tell because he had been an opponent for too many years.

Clearly, these three volumes of the "Eastern Expedition Record" and three volumes of the "Record of Heroes" had added private goods!

Wang Wang Chonggu originally wanted to stand up and say, "Your Majesty, they are playing you! Your Majesty!"

But Wang Wang Chonggu thought about it and immediately sat firmly, pretending not to see. Such an obvious flaw—I'm afraid a rash attack would be counterproductive. After so many years, Wang Wang Chonggu had suffered too many losses.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Wang Chonggu's appearance of wanting to speak but stopping, and smiled. He had indeed added some private goods. He had added many narratives of gratitude, roughly: the Great Ming army was able to achieve such a victory all because of His Majesty's strategic planning!

Regarding narratives of gratitude, the Emperor had never been particularly approving, and even somewhat disgusted. But the Emperor could be disgusted, while subjects could not. If Wang Wang Chonggu had rashly attacked, he would naturally have had to suffer in silence. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had set a trap, but Wang Wang Chonggu hadn't fallen for it.

Having suffered so many losses, Wang Wang Chonggu was somewhat self-abandoning. To be a treacherous official, one could be bad, but one absolutely could not be stupid. Wang Wang Chonggu had a very good sense of self-awareness.

The court discussion continued. At the beginning of the New Year, it was mainly about the metropolitan examination and palace examination of the 17th year of Emperor Wanli. Shen Shen Shixing was the chief examiner, and Wang Wang Jiaping was the deputy examiner. Both were teachers.

After the court discussion, Zhu Zhu Yijun specifically kept Shen Shen Shixing, Wang Wang Jiaping, Shen Shen Yiguan, and Wang Wang Yie. After the southern tour, the four of them were to be the cabinet ministers left behind. This was a matter of great importance, so naturally, he had to give them some instructions. These were all battle-tested warriors of the feudal empire, whether in ability or morality, they were rare phoenix feathers and dragon phoenixes among people.

"Regarding the return of land in Zhejiang, what does Vice Minister Shen think? Can Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao, the Provincial Governor, handle it well?" Zhu Zhu Yijun said with some worry, "Vice Minister Shen knows that Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao often goes against the grain and is not good at fighting with others. I am afraid that he won't finish the work, but instead will invite a fatal disaster."

"Your Majesty, he can handle it well. When the ship arrived at Songjiang Prefecture, I met with Provincial Governor Hou. I asked him, how should the return of land in Zhejiang be handled? Provincial Governor Hou said, 'Treat them as bandit chiefs.'" Shen Shen Shixing answered this question very decisively and firmly. Except for being careful about Yan Yan Shixuan, everything else was not a problem.

Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao often goes against the grain, not because he is stupid; on the contrary, this is because he is particularly persistent in his own cognition.

Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao had two great merits in Liaodong: one was the Liaodong Agricultural Reclamation Bureau, which, with the cooperation of Li Li Chengliang, completely solved the problem of Liaodong being too big to manage; the second was that the entire Great Ming should be the King's subjects.

If they do not obey the imperial court's orders, then they are not Great Ming people. Since they are not Great Ming people, they are enemies.

This was the logic of Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao himself. Regarding the return of land in Zhejiang, whoever obstructs the return of land should have their Great Ming citizenship revoked, not be treated as a national, and be treated as an enemy. This could solve many problems.

This slightly strange thinking logic was the thinking pattern that Marquis Hou Hou Yuzhao had developed after presiding over the return of land in the border regions for a long time. Although strange, it was very reasonable and very conducive to the return of land.

Shen Shen Shixing was presiding over the return of land in Zhejiang, always thinking that these were his own people, that there should be moral laws, that there should be compromise, and that he should understand their demands. But the powerful and wealthy families who organized the "returning home bandit groups" were already enemies.

When internal contradictions are transformed into contradictions between the enemy and ourselves, it becomes very simple, clear, and bright.

Zhu Zhu Yijun communicated with Shen Shen Yiguan about the breeding of seeds in Gansu. The situation of breeding in Gansu was better than Zhu Zhu Yijun's expectations. Now, a path had been formed where the Great Ming Agricultural Academy developed new crops, while Gansu Farming expanded the seedlings, and finally spread to the hinterland along the post road. This path was very important.

And the construction of the Longkai Post Road would undoubtedly accelerate the speed of this spread.

The Longkai Post Road had been under construction for four full years, and some sections had already been opened. But the problems were also very obvious: there was a shortage of locomotive heads. Small, high-horsepower, high-efficiency steam engines were still too few. Not only was production insufficient, but distribution was also insufficient. If it weren't for the smooth production of the Shanghai County Iron Horse Factory, the imperial court would have reduced the allocation of iron horses to the Jiangnan region, and the shortage of iron horses in the hinterland would have been even greater.

"The Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan has already arrived at Jiayu Pass. Does Vice Minister Shen think the Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan can replicate the development of Liaodong?" Zhu Zhu Yijun talked about Li Li Chengliang's appointment to the Seven Guards of Guanxi.

"The Marquis of... Marquis Ningyuan can certainly do it. Although the Western Regions are slightly barren, the post road has been built to Hami Guard. With the post road, development is not a problem." Shen Shen Yiguan's answer was a bit stumbling. It wasn't that Shen Shen Yiguan had no confidence in Li Li Chengliang, but it was a matter of status.