Chapter 218

The Son of Heaven manages the Yang Dao, the Empress manages the Yin virtue; the Son of Heaven listens to external governance, the Empress listens to internal duties. Teaching obedience becomes a custom, internal and external harmony, the country is governed, this is called great virtue.

The Empress of the inner court and the ministers of the outer court, although they are colleagues, have essential differences.

Emperor Shizong was once strangled by a palace maid, and it was widely rumored in the palace that this was the karmic retribution for Emperor Shizong forcing Empress Xiaojie to death and then deposing Empress Zhang.

Emperor Muzong lingered with beautiful concubines, his body was weak, and he died young; the court and the public could only sigh that if it weren't for the Empress living in the cold palace and the lack of female virtue, Muzong might have lived a few more years.

Whether the Emperor's married life is harmonious often relates to the court organization's evaluation of the Emperor's personal style and morality.

Therefore, when dealing with the Empress, one must always pay attention to methods.

Moreover, as the saying goes, husband and wife since the first knot, love and affection without suspicion; Empress Liu had always been dutiful over the years, and at this moment, it was more appropriate to close the door and speak openly than to use any imperial heart techniques.

But after Empress Liu was questioned, she looked quite bewildered: "Bribed my family with ten thousand mu of fertile land!?"

The Empress's brows were tightly locked, as if she were recalling.

A moment later, she finally reacted and looked up at the Emperor: "Is Your Majesty talking about the rouge land that the Kong family daughter brought as a dowry to my younger brother!?"

Zhu Yijun was startled upon hearing this.

The Empress was clearly aware of this matter.

It was just that this name was beyond his expectations.

The so-called rouge land is dowry land, which is the so-called dowry; if one really discusses it, whether it counts as a bribe is between two possibilities.

Empress Liu felt somewhat aggrieved by the Emperor's attitude of holding her accountable, but she still lowered her eyes and explained softly: "Your Majesty, previously the Duke Yansheng entrusted a matchmaker to arrange a marriage with my mansion, and my father arranged for my younger brother Liu Dai to take a Kong family daughter as his wife; because the two were still young, they were not yet married."

"Later, the Kong family signed a contract near the capital, moved the manor fields, and entrusted the Earl of Wuqing to transfer them to my younger brother to take care of, claiming that they would marry the year after next, and that it would be the dowry..."

Empress Liu had no intention of hiding it and told the whole story from beginning to end.

Zhu Yijun signaled with his eyes for the Empress to continue, while he tapped the table with his fingers, silently chewing on it.

Since the beginning of this dynasty, the status of the Kong mansion had become increasingly prominent, and the noble officials who intermarried with them were endless.

The second daughter of Shun Tian Prefecture Governor Wang Xian, the second daughter of Chief Zhang Gelao Li Xian, the granddaughter of Chief Zhang Gelao Yan Song, in addition to the sons of the Earl of Xuancheng, the Marquis of Anping, and other relatives and nobles... successively intermarried with the Kong family.

Marriages between prominent families are often excellent opportunities for open and honest interest exchanges; in the end, it's just having a reason that can pass on the surface.

Zhu Yijun sighed and pulled Empress Liu to sit on the chair opposite.

His palms were intertwined with Empress Liu's hands, rubbing the back of the Empress's hands, and he said warmly: "Empress, if you say that any Kong family daughter has a dowry of twenty thousand mu, it is too self-deceiving."

Since the founding of the country, the court had bestowed many fields upon the Kong family; in the first year of Hongwu, they were allowed to reclaim two hundred thousand mu, and later, Emperor Chengzu and Emperor Yingzong all bestowed some.

But these were sacrificial fields, and the ownership was still public; the taxes were all left to the Kong family for the temple's sacrifices and other expenses.

Now that it is said to be a dowry, it can only be the Kong family's private fields.

How many private fields the Kong family has, the court naturally does not know; after all, the Kong family has its own accounts, but it will not tell outsiders—"All sacrificial fields come from imperial bestowals and are recorded in books; the public mansion manages its own private property, which is very much, recorded in the register but not entered in the books."

But according to the historical materials recorded in the series of books distributed to Zhu Yijun in his previous life, at this time, the Kong family's private fields were mostly around four hundred thousand mu.

Twenty thousand mu is by no means a small number; the public mansion scraping together half a percent of its private property, and it's land near the capital, as a dowry for a daughter, anyone who hears it knows it's wrong.

Zhu Yijun paused and raised his right hand to stroke the Empress's face: "In the boudoir, Empress, tell me the truth; how much of it was given to the Empress's family, and how much was just occupying the Yellow Register on the surface, while secretly managing it for the Kong family?"

For a sage's family, private land naturally also has a tax-exemption quota.

The country follows the old systems of Jin and Yuan; all property placed by the Kong family is exempted from two-thirds of the tax grain.

But as the Kong family increasingly crazily sought fields and set up industries, the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission was the first to be unable to bear it; since the Jiajing years, successive Provincial Administration Commissioners and Governors always had people doing practical work, and for decades, they occasionally submitted memorials, hoping that the court could make some changes.

Unfortunately, Emperor Shizong and Emperor Muzong were unwilling to do this thankless task and chose to believe in the wisdom of future generations.

By the Wanli Dynasty, Zhu Yijun was naturally duty-bound, and without a word, he brought to light what the eunuch party had done in the Tianqi years in advance.

In the past two years, taking advantage of the situation, he changed the old example of exempting two-thirds of the tax grain to a new example of paying nine li of silver less per mu than the people, and even the Kong family's private property outside Shandong was only exempted from miscellaneous corvée and paid grain together with the people.

Clearly, the Kong family, feeling the pressure, quickly responded, choosing to spit out part of their interests and collude with relatives, prominent nobles, and court officials, hoping to successfully survive this storm of measuring fields.

Measuring fields is always like this, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their own magical powers.

Empress Liu held the hand of the Emperor stroking her cheek, wanting to speak several times but stopping.

After a long while, she buried her eyes in the Emperor's palm and said dully: "My father didn't tell me clearly; this subject guesses that my father probably received six thousand mu."

"Does Your Majesty want to punish the Earl of Yongnian?"

The Earl of Yongnian is the Empress's father, Liu Yingjie—coincidentally the same name as the late Viceroy of Jiliao, Liu Yingjie.

Zhu Yijun looked at the Empress in this state and inexplicably fell into a brief loss of focus.

Empress Liu was only nineteen years old and had an honest and dutiful personality, so naturally, one shouldn't expect her political stance to be very high.

While her heart was toward the Emperor, she also didn't think there was anything wrong with her family setting up industries—after all, a dowry is always a justifiable name.

It wasn't just the Empress; these relatives around Zhu Yijun, although they had no second thoughts, all had their own faults.

Empress Dowager Li was full of her son, but she was always taking money from the inner treasury, either rewarding it to her family or gilding the bodies of Buddha statues; the Grand Princess was determined to mix with the Emperor, but it still didn't prevent her from operating gray industries like casinos and Yangzhou thin horses under the name of the Emperor's aunt; the civil and military officials further away were the same, people like Yin Zhengmao and Li Chengliang were all famous for their loyalty and competence, but they were also greedy with style.

Even in his previous life, he had close elders who talked freely after drinking: "Corruption is definitely not okay, but taking bribes without doing things is not only possible, but also shows wisdom."

The people around him, the things in front of him, were like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers stirred together, leading him to be rarely muddled.

"Your Majesty..."

A light call, and Zhu Yijun finally came back to his senses.

Empress Liu seemed to be somewhat uneasy because the Emperor had been silent for a long time.

Suddenly, Zhu Yijun reached out to cup the Empress's face, leaning close, forehead touching forehead: "This is not a matter of whether I want to punish the Earl of Yongnian, but you, Empress."

"You and I were married under the witness of the Taimiao, and we have been together for more than four years, and it has been even longer since you entered the palace."

He looked into Empress Liu's eyes, word by word: "Empress, do not be bedfellows with different dreams from me."

The Emperor's sudden sentence made Empress Liu's expression suddenly become somewhat flustered.

She opened her mouth to argue.

"Listen to me." Zhu Yijun interrupted her.

"Yes, the exchange of betrothal gifts and dowries is human ethics; the Earl of Yongnian did not oppress the common people, nor did he interfere with the national constitution; hoping that I would be rarely muddled for once is human nature, and now that Noble Consort Wu is pregnant, I would immediately punish the Earl of Yongnian, which would inevitably make the Empress feel uneasy."

"But common sense is like this, but the Empress shouldn't really think so."

Empress Liu didn't know what the Emperor was thinking, her expression became more flustered, and there were tears in her eyes.

Zhu Yijun reached out his thumb and wiped the corner of the Empress's eyes.

"The Empress should know what I am doing."

"I am restless and sleepless for the country, racking my brains, supporting this old ox and broken cart, walking on thin ice."

"If you say that there is anyone in the world who should share the Yin and Yang with me, who else could it be but you, the female monarch? Who else should follow my footsteps closely but my wife? Who else should understand my thoughts but the Empress?"

"Husband and wife are one body; you and I should be naturally like-minded."

"You are now the Empress, and in the future, you will be the Empress Dowager; if even you are unwilling to follow my path, and are busy with family calculations all day, what will happen to my Crown Prince? What will happen to my posthumous affairs?"

"Back to the present, the Empress's family affairs are something you and I should bear together."

"But I cannot bear it; everything must have a beginning; measuring fields has only just begun this year; if I am rarely muddled now, I am afraid I will really become an old muddled person like the Imperial Grandfather."

"Empress, the Earl of Yongnian's matter, you should bear it for me; do you say it is or not?"

Empress Liu could only listen silently after being interrupted, her face changing from fearful to thoughtful, then to biting her lip and lowering her head.

The Emperor was always this insightful about world affairs; just as he said, the Noble Consort was pregnant, and the Emperor immediately wanted to punish the Empress's father; who wouldn't think too much about it?

Yet the Emperor's words were so heartfelt and sincere.

A sentence of "future Empress Dowager" made any hesitation vanish immediately.

Especially, when the Emperor's words "husband and wife are one body, like-minded" came out...

Empress Liu looked at the Emperor foolishly.

Entering the Heavenly Family by mistake, she had heard too much of Emperor Shizong's heartlessness and Emperor Muzong's promiscuity; the current Emperor's appearance, even after several years, was truly hard to believe.

Every time this happened, it was like falling into a dream.

After the Emperor finished speaking, Empress Liu's expression was already extremely complicated, with some regret, carrying pity, and seemingly still pondering because she had realized something.

Half an hour passed.

Under the Emperor's earnest gaze, the Empress nodded heavily.

After a long while, she reacted and opened her mouth to express her stance to the Emperor: "This subject will summon the Earl of Yongnian to the palace tomorrow, let him surrender to the Censorate, and explain the accounts of these fields clearly."

Zhu Yijun finally felt relieved upon hearing this.

He pinched the Empress's face and comforted her: "That's right, I am at ease with you handling things."

Zhu Yijun stood up and took Empress Liu's cheek into his arms.

With things said to this point, naturally, there would be no rift between the two.

Zhu Yijun spoke a lot of intimate words with the Empress.

Not until their emotions stabilized did he take the Empress's hand and sit down on the edge of the bed together.

Empress Liu leaned into the Emperor's arms: "Your Majesty has longevity without boundaries, and your blessings are much deeper than this subject's; do not speak of posthumous affairs in the future."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

In terms of natural lifespan, he couldn't compare to this Liu who lived to the Chongzhen Dynasty, let alone the matter of shortening his life by working for the country.

But he didn't dwell on this problem, letting the Empress loosen his clothes, and said casually: "The Kong family didn't just find the Earl of Yongnian; it seems Noble Consort Wu's family didn't escape either."

"I have been too busy to get away recently; Empress, why don't you take this opportunity to be the villain for me, ask all the concubines and female officials clearly, explain it clearly, and set some rules, so that they can correct if they have mistakes and encourage if they don't."

Zhu Yijun said it casually, but in fact, he had been thinking about it for a long time.

The matter of harem competition is essentially no different from the struggle for power in the outer court, and it is something that cannot be avoided no matter what.

In the matter of power struggle, the most taboo thing is for the Emperor to think he is the referee in the middle.

If so, why distinguish between Empress, Consort, and Concubine?

Zhu Yijun didn't want to sell out Noble Consort Wu; on the contrary, he wanted to prevent chaos in the harem—what he wanted was for the harem to be orderly and function normally even when the Emperor didn't intervene.

The Empress didn't take this seriously after hearing it and agreed immediately, only muttering: "Noble Consort Wu is pregnant with the dragon seed, and her status is not ordinary; other concubines are probably hard to accept."

Zhu Yijun slapped his thigh upon hearing this: "Empress saying this, the Duke Yansheng's crime of alienating the Heavenly Family is truly great! I must punish them!"

Logically speaking, with the status of a concubine, she was theoretically a marginal figure who wouldn't even be considered for bribery.

Now that she had been bribed with a large amount of fertile land, wasn't it because the mother was honored by the son? What the Empress was afraid of was this.

The Duke Yansheng didn't follow the basic laws when bribing; saying it was alienating the Heavenly Family really wasn't wronging him.

The Empress was slapped and felt pain, giving the Emperor a white look. Zhu Yijun didn't care at all and coughed lightly: "The Empress is also, this statement has a suspicion of jealousy; I also want to punish the Empress!"

He sat on the edge of the bed with a big horse and a golden sword, and after speaking, he patted his thigh.

Seeing this, the Empress couldn't help but blush and hesitate.

But in a moment of carelessness, she was turned over by the Emperor and pressed hard on his lap.

"Do you know your mistake!"

"Are you still jealous!"

Chaotic sounds began to ring out.

One after another.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Today is the last day before the court officials' New Year holiday, and also the last imperial audience of the seventh year of Wanli.

This book was recently updated on ##!! Update!

Of course, not many people needed to participate in this annual meeting.

At this time, there were only four or five people scattered in the Huangji Hall, sitting or standing.

Minister of Justice Zhang Han had been waiting in his seat early, with the Great Ming Code that had been revised this year placed in front of him.

Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang and Governor of Henan Li Youzi were whispering to each other.

Hai Yushi-in-Chief Wen Chun came and went, went and came back, looking quite overwhelmed.

Shen Li was originally sitting at the end, but as his colleagues entered the hall, he frequently stood up to salute, so he simply stood up and paced in the hall.

"Hai Yushi-in-Chief, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Justice, Minister Li, Minister Shen, you all came early."

Li Zaiting saluted with his fists, followed behind the eunuch, and stepped into the hall with ease.

Wen Chun and he were both from the Northwest, belonging to the Qin party, and had a friendship long ago, so they just nodded to each other and skipped the empty rituals.

"Minister Li also came early." Zhang Han and Wang Guoguang returned the courtesy.

"Minister Li, I haven't seen you for years; you've become much more dignified."

Li Youzi clicked his tongue, looking Li Zaiting up and down.

Similarly, as a provincial governor, Li Youzi was sent out in the fifth year of Wanli; compared to this junior who was sent to Fujian in the first year of Wanli, his own demeanor was actually a notch lower.

This state of ease, if not for years of holding supreme power and sitting in a one-man hall, I'm afraid it couldn't be cultivated.

Li Zaiting shook his head and sighed, meaningfully: "As I grow older and have more things to deal with, I naturally wash away my frivolity and impetuosity."

Li Youzi secretly laughed in his heart; this guy's words sounded like the real thing, but the day before yesterday, when he entered the capital, he ran to Gao Yi's mansion to move bricks and tiles, and for this, he was impeached by the censors several times, which didn't seem to show that he had washed away his impetuosity.

At this time, Shen Li suddenly interjected: "How is the task Minister Li handled in Fujian?"

Li Zaiting turned his head and looked at Shen Li: "There are still many barriers; this time I returned to the capital to report on my duties, precisely to seek help from colleagues in the court."

After speaking, he pulled out a chair and sat down with ease.

The matter of the Shipping Office was truly hard to describe in a few words.

When the Shipping Office was rebuilt back then, the opposition in the court never stopped.

It was nothing more than those things.

Either saying that the foreign vassals cut off tribute, there was no market or ship, and setting up a Shipping Office was not enough to cover the public expenses of the supervisor, harming the people in vain.

Or that the Shipping Office was just clever extortion, ignoring the complaints of the common people, and insulting the national body.

Or it was the set of rampant sea pirates; big bandits like Lin Daoqian and Lin Feng blocked the sea routes, so it shouldn't be rushed, harming the lives of sea merchants in vain.

It was thanks to someone in the central government holding the line that it wasn't abandoned halfway.

But even so, the exclusion from the local level never stopped.

The officials of the yamen were all complaining, saying it was inappropriate; cunning and rich people used names to trade, forged documents, and avoided smuggling; local big families colluded and induced, bought forbidden items, borrowed pirate soldiers to provide pirate food, and acted as guides to listen to the thieves.

Li Zaiting went from being a Councilor of the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission to the Governor of Fujian, taking seven years, relying on his arbitrary actions in Fujian, to finally distinguish the winner.

The sentence "many barriers" truly contained too many hardships and obstacles, not enough to be told to outsiders.

Shen Li nodded thoughtfully and did not ask further.

After Li Zaiting sat down, he took the initiative to speak to Shen Li, picking up the topic: "I have had years of effort here, but it's just the final kick; on the contrary, Minister Shen's task, how are you preparing to handle it?"

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall had strange expressions.

The matter of the Earl of Yongnian had already reached the Censorate, so naturally, it couldn't be hidden from these figures in the hall.

Shen Li was ordered by Heaven to patrol and oversee the measuring of fields, but before he left the capital, a huge connection hit his forehead.

Whether it was a sage's family or a relative, neither was a soft persimmon.

Shen Li opened his mouth to answer, but heard movement outside the hall.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Zhang Gelao Shen Shixing, Minister of Personnel Wang Xijue, Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi, Minister of War Yin Zhengmao, Minister of Works Zhu Heng, and others arriving together.

Clearly, they had finished the court discussion in the Wenhua Hall and rushed over after the morning court.

"You all came early."

Everyone in the hall stood up to salute one after another.

"Zhang Gelao Shen, ministers."

Shen Shixing was full of smiles, without any intention of being arrogant: "Just now, there was a dispute in the court discussion about the spring examination, so I came late; don't blame me, don't blame me."

The pleasantries did not last long.

Since the regular court had dispersed, the Emperor would naturally arrive at the hall before long.

Sure enough.

Following the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel Chen Sanmo, Minister of Rites in Nanjing Pan Cheng, and others turning in from the side hall.

A sound of a whip suddenly rang out.

Everyone was startled, knowing the Emperor had arrived, and stood up one after another, waiting respectfully with their hands bound.

The sound of the whip only rang twice, and the Emperor's figure appeared in the hall—the Emperor was becoming less and less observant of the rules.

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun appeared calmly in his newly changed regular clothes.

"Sit, let's start once everyone is here."

Zhu Yijun sat in the main seat, reaching out to press down, signaling everyone to sit down.

Shen Shixing scanned, hesitating for a moment: "Your Majesty, Zhang Gelao Wang is still missing."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "The Five Military Commissions have a pile of messes; let alone today, he won't be able to get away during the holidays in the future."

This was the truth, not that the Emperor wanted to marginalize Wang Chonggu.

Shen Shixing, upon hearing this, felt relieved and sat down.

Zhu Yijun turned his eyes around these ten or so people in front of him; these were all trusted heavy ministers.

"Before discussing business, I have one thing to say."

Everyone sat upright, looking at the Emperor with concentration.

Zhu Yijun pondered his words and went straight to the point: "The new policy has been implemented for eight years now; for eight years, the court has only done it without talking about it; every time there is a new policy, the people are confused and don't understand the reason."

"Now, measuring fields and clearing households is just like this."

"Although the court is targeting treacherous and powerful people, it inevitably disturbs the people; the people don't know the reason, fearing that this move is for the court to increase taxes, howling in shock, and frightened."

"Doing it without talking about it like this is truly inappropriate, plainly pushing some of the people to the opposite side, becoming a knife for others."

"Not to mention the treacherous people and cunning officials stirring up trouble in between, wasting the imperial mandate."

"Now the new policy has reached the deep pool, I have thought about it again and again... it is time for us to raise our banner!"

Not to mention those listening, the few second-rank hall officials who were discussing business looked at each other.

Raising a banner, this statement, those who don't know would think that the Huangji Hall is a gathering hall, and this group of people is preparing to raise a banner and rebel.

"Is Your Majesty saying that we should also be like when Emperor Gao founded the world, shouting the slogan of the new policy, and telling the people of the world?"

Everyone turned their heads, but it was Li Zaiting who spoke first.

Wang Zongyi frowned; this metaphor was truly too inappropriate.

Shen Shixing glanced at Li Zaiting; he had served before the Emperor for many years and was best at grasping the Emperor's pulse, but he didn't expect to be snatched of the topic.

Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zaiting with appreciation.

His tone carried relief: "Exactly so, just like when rebelling, one must shout a slogan; the people will know what the new policy is doing, what the new policy is preparing to do, and why the new policy is being implemented."

"Telling those reasonable people can also save a lot of trouble."

The ministers understood, but felt it was even more strange.

Using this method in peaceful times is truly not elegant.

"At the same time, there is an old case that needs to be overturned and retried."

Li Youzi, Shen Li, and others were listed in the court for the first time and couldn't grasp the pulse, subconsciously looking at Zhang Han.

Minister of Justice Zhang Han raised his head, shocked and suspicious, not knowing if the Ministry of Justice had made a mistake again.

On the contrary, Shen Shixing curled his lips, knowing the Emperor was going to toss again, and was complaining in his heart.

Seeing his colleagues confused, Shen Shixing thoughtfully asked on their behalf: "Please clarify, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun didn't sell out, his eyes scanning these trusted heavy ministers, looking reminiscent: "Wang Anshi, who managed the new policy in the former Song Dynasty, said that the mandate of heaven is not enough to fear, the ancestors' laws are not enough to follow, and people's words are not enough to worry about."

"Therefore, he was stripped of his title, his statue in the Kong Temple was destroyed, he was driven out of the Dacheng Hall, and even dismissed from the temple courtyard, designated as a sinner for all ages, and scolded by the people for hundreds of years."

"Wang Anshi and the Xining Reform, together with the new policy, have already become stinking in the scholarly world."

Speaking of this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh.

There is a reason why the people can use "Jinggong pig" as a slang for scolding people, which has been passed down for thousands of years.

Zhu Yijun shook his head to shake off his thoughts, then straightened his face and said seriously: "Regardless of right or wrong, if you want to raise a banner for the new policy, the case of the Xining Reform and Wang Anshi must be overturned."

(End of this chapter)