Chapter 56: Cooking Gold and Jade, Exhausting Efforts

Outside the Jingyun Gate, drill ground.

The afternoon was originally the time to learn imperial shooting, but today Hai Rui was brought along.

On the large open space, the disciples of the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School were performing hard, hoping to be like the previous lucky ones, entering the Holy One's eyes and stepping into the sky.

Horse riding, boxing, pulling full bows, all kinds of self-expression, everything.

Seeing the Emperor coming, these disciples saluted one after another.

Zhu Yijun let them continue with a kind expression, and he stood with Hai Rui in front of the Jingyun Gate.

He called a eunuch to the front and ordered: "Go, call people over."

Taking advantage of the eunuch's time to call people, Zhu Yijun explained to Hai Rui: "Previously, every time my imperial father thought of Xu Jie's affair, he regretted it."

"And then he taught me repeatedly, but if there is a similar thing, take it as a warning."

"You go to the two Huai regions to clarify taxes this time, it will inevitably be more intense than Xu Jie's return to the fields a few years ago."

Speaking of this, Hai Rui immediately understood what the Emperor was going to do.

He looked at the drill ground and hesitated: "Your Majesty loves the humble subject, the subject is deeply moved. However... will it be a bit too much?"

The Emperor formed a Three Judicial Offices for him alone.

And drew a line, took over the most difficult nobles and imperial relatives, as well as officials of the fourth rank and above.

And was afraid that he would be too hard and easy to break, and repeatedly urged him not to complete the work, four percent of the results is a great merit.

It has reached this point, and actually wants to assign him, Hai Rui, a personal guard!?

Monarch and father, heaven and conscience, Hai Rui felt fatherly love for the first time!

Zhu Yijun didn't feel it and shook his head: "Although I haven't been to the local area personally, I also understand what is 'civil riot' and what is 'gathering'."

"Hai, if the matter is not done once, there can be two or three."

"If you fold in the two Huai regions, I will be heartbroken."

Hai Rui was silent.

But his thoughts had already drifted far away—this time, he really had no room to retreat.

The Emperor said that if the first one is not done, there can be two or three, but Hai Rui asked himself, can he accept it?

He looked at this young Emperor, his heart was full of emotion, and he couldn't repay it.

What big figures in the two Huai regions, what high officials in Nanzhili, what imperial relatives and nobles.

He, Hai Rui, is now carrying the task of fetching scriptures. On the road to the west, he is determined to kill gods when he meets gods, and kill Buddhas when he meets Buddhas!

The two stood still, each with their own thoughts.

Before long, the eunuch led several people over, kneeling and saluting one after another.

Hai Rui saw several people kneeling and saluting, and immediately knew that they were either nobles or military generals—civil officials would not kneel and worship so casually in public.

He began to look at the people in front of him without a trace, guessing their identities.

Fortunately, Zhu Yijun didn't sell secrets. After letting several people be exempt from salute, he began to introduce them to Hai Rui separately.

"This is the Assistant Regional Commander of the Viceroy of the Capital Camp, Gu Huan, Jiao Ze." Zhu Yijun pointed to one person.

Nobles and military officials don't have so many blind talks, no need to introduce the courtesy name, and they don't necessarily have one.

Hai Rui looked at the burly man in front of him and couldn't help but praise secretly.

"Next month, Jiao Ze will be transferred to the Deputy Regional Commander of Canal Transportation, leading a camp of 800 elite soldiers, and follow Hai to the two Huai regions to take office."

These 800 people were formed by Gu Huan's personal guards plus the elite from the Capital Camp.

Although they only practiced for more than a month, the basic appearance was finally formed.

Of course, the point is that he hit the autumn wind everywhere, and finally made up the arrears of these 800 people, and also issued an extra 2 taels of reward silver.

According to Gu Chengguang, he had never seen soldiers practice so hard.

After Jiao Ze saluted again, Zhu Yijun pointed to another person and introduced him to Hai Rui: "This is the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Gu Chengguang."

Hai Rui nodded again, satisfied in his heart.

This burly Embroidered Uniform Guard can also be seen at a glance that he has experienced the battlefield.

"Commander Gu, take 200 Embroidered Uniform Guards as Hai's personal guard for inspecting the two Huai regions."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the *Qiu Ba* (soldiers) are different.

Many things that *Qiu Ba* cannot do, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has no scruples.

Gu Chengguang saluted Hai Rui.

"This is the leader of the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School this year, specially granted the Jinwu Guard, Luo Sigong, this is the heir to the Pingjiang Earl, Chen Yinzhao."

Zhu Yijun pointed to the two and explained to Hai Rui.

Hai Rui skipped the former and looked at the latter.

Smiled: "I just met this heir a few days ago."

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

Then he reacted.

At the beginning, he promised Li Wei maritime transport, and the Imperial Father-in-law Li Wei sought his in-law, the Earl of Pingjiang, saying that he wanted to do this business together.

Then they sent people to the port to investigate, acquire the fallen maritime merchant association, etc.

I'm afraid the two met by chance when returning to the capital.

He waved his hand and skipped this matter, explaining: "Luo Sigong's martial arts are extraordinary, just to protect Hai's safety."

And looked at Luo Sigong: "Must be inseparable."

Luo Sigong is no more than seventeen, but he can stand out from the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School. Besides martial arts, his wisdom is not bad.

He saluted: "The subject obeys the decree!"

Zhu Yijun said again: "The Regional Commander of Canal Transportation, Marquis of Baoding, Liang Jifan, was impeached and idle. The current Regional Commander of Canal Transportation is the Earl of Pingjiang, Chen Wangmo."

Liang Jifan was impeached, which was what he instructed people to do.

No way, this Marquis of Baoding is the in-law of Empress Dowager Chen. Now that he wants to do things, he naturally has to guard against it and change to a reliable one.

Hai Rui understood it at once.

He was still wondering just now, why assign a thin-armed and thin-legged heir to be a personal guard.

It turns out it is used to handle this Earl of Pingjiang.

As a personal guard, naturally, he must be inseparable. Once someone has a plot, the personal guard will bear the brunt, and this Earl of Pingjiang will definitely not sit idly by.

Hai Rui sighed again.

This young Emperor almost took care of all the places where problems might occur.

After a deployment.

Just the soldiers and guards he can control directly have 1,000 people.

And by using the heir, he handled a Regional Commander of Canal Transportation, a noble uncle.

This kind of military noble who has been on the battlefield has some personal guards. Even if he cannot fully control the canal soldiers, he is not bad at the basic disk.

In addition, the Holy One also hinted to him that the Viceroy Wang Zongmu would also fully support this matter—if he is evasive and unconvinced, go to the Earl of Ding'an to suppress it.

This battle, those who know understand that it is to investigate corruption, those who don't know think there is some war.

Zhu Yijun introduced several people one by one, and urged them to obey Hai's orders, not to be arrogant and domineering, etc.

Only then let people retreat.

Hai Rui suddenly remembered something and asked curiously: "Does the Cabinet know about this arrangement?"

According to his understanding.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's affairs are easy to arrange.

But the rest should not be easy to handle.

Jiao Ze was originally a Assistant Regional Commander of the Capital Camp, now transferred to the Regional Commander of Canal Transportation, must pass the Ministry of War.

The Left Vice Minister of Justice of Nanzhili, Wang Xijue, cooperating with him, seems simple, but also must need the Ministry of Justice of Northern Zhili to agree to delegate power.

Not to mention, Chen Dong, the dignified Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, a fourth-rank official, is of the same rank as himself, but sent to follow the two Huai regions, which is somewhat inconsistent with the convention.

He really doesn't know how the Emperor persuaded the Cabinet and the Six Ministries.

Zhu Yijun suddenly turned his head and looked at Hai Rui.

His expression was complex, with heartache, and some pride: "Hai, do you think the 1 million taels of silver in my inner treasury was given to the Cabinet and Six Ministries for nothing?"

The affairs of the Six Ministries, instead let the inner treasury pay 1 million taels, how can it not spit out some meat?

This money is naturally not just spent here, but taking the opportunity to reach these political consensuses is normal.

Hai Rui thought for only a moment and reacted immediately.

Zhu Yijun grabbed his hand: "Whether it's worth it depends on Hai."

Hai Rui was speechless, and had to guarantee again.

The monarch and subject discussed some details, and then talked about family affairs.

By evening, Zhu Yijun reluctantly watched Hai Rui leave the palace.

After Hai Rui left.

Zhu Yijun called a Zhongshu Sheren and ordered: "Draft a decree for me, add a title to Hai Rui's mother, and discuss the details in the Cabinet."

The central Sheren responded and went.

Zhu Yijun called Zhang Hong again: "Go, give Hai Rui 20 taels of example silver, and choose a good-raising concubine for Hai Rui."

"If Hai Rui and Hai mother decline, just say... parents give, cannot decline, don't fail the imperial grace."

This kind of pure good person is lonely and has no descendants, which sounds a bit desolate.

He just did it casually, as for whether it works, it depends on creation.

Zhang Hong took the order and went.

Then he asked Li Jin: "How is the person chosen for Zhang Jing?"

Li Jin hurriedly replied: "Holy One, it has been handed over to Zhang Jing, all are the elite of the Imperial Horse Guard."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "Call him over."

Li Jin was about to respond.

Zhu Yijun called him again: "Forget it, there are too many things, you pass the word for me."

Li Jin bowed and waited for the Holy Emperor's voice.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said slowly: "The Nanjing Garrison is Zhang Hong's previous position. I know they have some foundation in it."

"This time, Zhang Jing is going to take up the post of Nanjing Garrison Commander. You don't need to do anything; just suppress any foolish movements for me. Without an imperial edict, not a single soldier or piece of armor is to leave the camp."

"If you take the elite of the Imperial Horse Guard to take office, and you can't handle this little thing, then just commit suicide in Nanzhili, don't come back to lose face."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, indicating that he had finished speaking, and let Li Jin pass the word.

Since he has already assigned elite soldiers to Hai Rui, he is not afraid of simple civil riots.

Instead, it is the internal and external collusion, clamoring for soldiers to make trouble, which must be guarded against.

The so-called Nanjing Garrison is to control the guards in Nanjing, generally held by nobles and eunuchs at the same time.

Zhang Jing is a ruthless person. Since he can overthrow Feng Bao and take the position in history, his means must not be bad. Sending him to Nanzhili is to suppress the guards in Nanjing and prevent changes.

Guarding against micro-gradualism, this is already the extreme he can do

Li Jin quietly retreated.

After all matters were instructed, Zhu Yijun rubbed his brow with some exhaustion.

He remained alone on the drill ground, recalling his responses once more, thinking about whether there were any omissions.

Only after confirming there were no errors did he let out a long sigh.

In these recent days, too many things have drained his mental energy.

Unfortunately, it is not yet time to rest.

Thinking this, he had someone serve him as he put on his wooden armor and began to practice his boxing techniques.

After finishing his evening meal.

Zhu Yijun finally had the leisure to open the "Analects" and the "Book of Rites" to study.

He was originally exhausted beyond measure.

But at the thought of tomorrow's Classics Mat, Zhu Yijun could only force himself to stay alert and finish his schoolwork first.

He just read quietly like this.

Sometimes lost in thought.

Sometimes picking up his brush to circle and annotate certain passages.

After about an hour or more, he slowly closed the pages.

Afterwards, feeling truly weary, he simply closed his eyes to take a short nap.

After dozing off for a good while, he stretched, sat up, and continued his studies.

He collected his thoughts, spread out the paper, picked up his brush, pondered for a moment, and slowly wrote: "The Classics Mat official Shi Xing said to me, 'At the beginning of man, his nature is inherently good'; the Classics Mat official Si Wei said to me, 'At the beginning of man, his nature is inherently evil.' I am bewildered and do not know which to follow."

"After the Classics Mat, I read through all the classics and surveyed all the books, only then learning of Mencius's theory of the goodness of nature, Xunzi's theory of the evil of nature, and Gaozi's theory of neither good nor evil. All are the words of the various masters and the Second Sage; I am even more confused and do not know where to turn."

"Fortunately, the Kingdom of Joseon shares the worries of the ruler and father, and has presented a person of innate nature."

"I ordered the inner court to observe him for over a month, recording his actions and conduct, and finally reached a definite conclusion."

"This person encounters evil without annoyance, sees good without joy, follows his heart's desires, acts without limits, and has no rules in his heart."

"When the eunuchs taught him etiquette and the Assistant Prefect taught him human relations, this person was like the clearing and muddying of heaven and earth gradually separating; he gradually developed conscience, good deeds, and feelings of gratitude."

"Thus, it is concluded that at the beginning of human nature, there is no good or evil; it is determined by what is seen and encountered after birth."

"Therefore, I follow Gaozi's theory—'Nature is like turbulent water; if directed to the east, it flows east; if directed to the west, it flows west'."

"I also have a realization, which is: in the disputes of theories, there is no way to convince people without clear evidence."

He wrote down his assignment for tomorrow's Classics Mat in one go and blew on it with satisfaction.

He waited quietly for the ink to dry, then turned to Jiang Keqian, who was standing by.

He asked casually: "When will Li Zhi arrive in the capital?"

Jiang Keqian was expressionless and said in a matter-of-fact tone: "Your Majesty, Li Zhi has been seeking people along the way to discuss learning, preaching and clearing up doubts for academies everywhere, so he is much slower than expected. It is estimated that he will arrive in two or three days."

Zhu Yijun frowned. This guy really doesn't give him any face; even after he urged him like this, he is still dragging his feet on the road.

On second thought, it makes sense; in this guy's eyes, Confucius is just barking like a dog, so he, the Emperor, probably isn't much different from dog excrement.

He asked again: "What about that Commandery Prince from the Zheng Wang's family?"

Jiang Keqian shook his head: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard sent people to go with the Imperial Clan Court, but he still made excuses not to come."

Zhu Yijun sighed; there is still resentment in his heart.

Originally, Zheng Wang submitted a memorial to remonstrate with Emperor Shizong, but as a result, the enraged Shizong directly stripped him of his princely title, demoted him to a commoner, and imprisoned him in Fengyang.

Although the late Emperor showed grace and released Zheng Wang, and also restored his title, this grudge is obviously not so easy to let go of.

When Zheng Wang was imprisoned, this Commandery Prince was only fifteen years old. He said, "It is painful that my father is imprisoned without guilt," and then built a mud room outside the palace gate, where he lived alone on straw mats until Zheng Wang was released.

Since Zheng Wang was imprisoned without guilt, it goes without saying who was at fault. Therefore, this Commandery Prince has always harbored resentment toward the imperial family. Since then, he has not lived in his proper mansion but went to build a mud room, which was a form of silent protest.

And Zheng Wang himself, in history, even refused to accept his salary, and until his death, he wore plain clothes and ate simple meals of vegetables.

It is no wonder, then, that when Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, this family did not send a single congratulatory memorial.

Now that he has invited him repeatedly, yet he still makes excuses, it is also within reason.

If it were anyone else, Zhu Yijun wouldn't bother to pay attention; anyway, it was Shizong's fault, and he has no burden in his heart.

The problem is... this Commandery Prince of the Zheng Wang family, he is determined to have him.

This person is called Zhu Zaiyu, known in later generations as the Saint of Temperament; he is a world-famous musician and mathematician.

Calling him a heaven-sent genius is not enough to describe him; this is an epoch-making figure who could perform square root and cube root calculations using a giant abacus spanning 81 columns.

This person proved in history that the interval of the equal-tempered scale can be taken as the twelfth root of two, accurate to twenty-five decimal places!

This is the twelve-tone equal temperament in music theory.

Not to mention the useless comparison of being decades ahead of Europeans, just based on this mathematical talent alone, Zhu Yijun could not possibly let him go.

Mathematical talent has its own corresponding sense of smell.

This person has made great achievements, from determining the calendar to calculating the geographical location and magnetic declination of Beizhili, and then to accurately calculating the length of the tropical year and the specific gravity of mercury.

Zhu Yijun dare not even imagine what a wonderful scene it would be if such a person, in addition to music, could conduct mathematical research and promotion for him.

But now, harboring resentment is not a solution either.

Zhu Zaiyu voluntarily gave up his princely title in history and devoted himself to the study of music theory; this kind of ideological realm is obviously not something that can be moved by ordinary means.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time and finally made up his mind.

He spread out another sheet of paper, picked up his brush, and slowly wrote, starting with the heading: "Zheng Wang, Houwan, my relative; Commandery Prince of Zheng Wang, Zaiyu, my relative."

"I have heard that Zheng Wang was stripped of his title because of his words and imprisoned without guilt. Although my imperial father carried out the work of setting things right, it is difficult to soothe the wounds of relatives."

"This is the fault of my imperial grandfather, and I am willing to bear it. I send a gift of apology from afar to Zheng Wang, hoping to comfort my kinsman and release his resentment as soon as possible."

"In addition, I hear that my relative Zaiyu is quite interested in music theory. My personal guard Keqian is also skilled in it, and has recently had some insights, which can make the equal temperament scale increase to twelve positions."

"If you have leisure, you may come to the capital to fulfill the friendship of relatives and explore the way of music theory."

"Looking forward to your reply."

After Zhu Yijun finished writing, he picked up the private seal on the side and stamped it.

At the signature, he left the four characters "Changwei Jushi".

After doing all this, Zhu Yijun called out to Jiang Keqian.

With a look of certainty, he said: "Minister Jiang, I have heard that you have had new insights into music theory, right?"

Jiang Keqian was startled.

He said, somewhat confused: "No, I haven't."

His progress in compiling the music book is slow, and there have been no new developments; he doesn't know what His Majesty means by this.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "I say you have, so you have."

He handed this letter to Jiang Keqian and instructed: "You send someone to deliver this letter to the Zheng Wang's mansion."

"In addition, you attach your own letter and say..."

He gave instructions in such and such a way, personally imparting the strategy.

He personally taught Jiang Keqian how to be a riddle-maker and pretend to be unfathomable.

He couldn't remember some of the mathematical ideas very clearly, but he was from a science and engineering background after all, and he could still remember some calculus and abstract algebra, which was more than enough to be a riddle-maker.

At worst, after tricking him over, they can study together.

To reform the tax law and finance of the Ming Dynasty, it is necessary to reform the Ministry of Revenue.

It can be said that the talent he lacks most now is minor officials who have a rough understanding of mathematics.

Although he has a set of mathematical systems in his mind, he has vaguely forgotten most of it. If he wants to localize it, he will inevitably need these mathematicians to implement it specifically.

Jiang Keqian nodded as if he understood, preparing to write down these words later according to the Emperor's instructions.

He took the letter and was about to retreat.

Zhu Yijun called him back again and handed the previously written assignment on the theory of good and evil to Jiang Keqian.

He instructed: "Go to the Tongzheng Office first, make a copy of this and send it over to be published in the next issue of the Sun and Moon Morning News."

"The old rules, still use plain language."

"Write the causes and consequences of the Classics Mat into it as well, and finally add a comment at the end, saying..."

Speaking of this, Zhu Yijun paused, pondered for a long time, and then said word by word: "In all disputes of theories, evidence comes first."