Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 37: Don’t Be a Saint, Be a Good Minister

After Zhu Houzhao used the silver earned from the Royal Exposition to reissue the Qi Lu rice to the officers and soldiers of the regiment and the imperial guards, not only Guo Rong's family benefited, but also tens of thousands of middle and lower-level officers and soldiers.

Guo Rong's subordinate, Liang Ze, also had money to hire a midwife to help his wife give birth. Even a few days later, his wife gave birth to a big fat boy for him.

For the soldiers of the imperial army, although Zhu Houzhao only paid each person a salary ranging from 100 to 5 taels, it really made these soldiers remember Zhu Houzhao and determined to be loyal to him.

The Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao not only provided them with security in life, but also gave them the desire to change their lives through verbal incentives and promises.

at the same time.

Zhu Houzhao not only won over the morale of the regiment and the imperial guards, but also influenced Wang Yangming, who was the head of the Ministry of War at the time.

Wang Yangming was greatly inspired by Zhu Houzhao, so as soon as he returned home, he went into his study and started writing furiously, not even bothering to eat.

Recently, as the New Year is approaching and the funeral ceremony of the late emperor is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Hua, who was promoted to the Minister of Revenue, is not very busy with government affairs. Being a little afraid of the cold, he returned home early. When he saw his son Wang Yangming writing something in the study, he couldn't help but smile knowingly, thinking that his rebellious son finally stopped daydreaming in the bamboo forest or on the tree, and also knew how to read and write.

Wang Hua changed into his home clothes and walked to his son. Seeing that his son was writing a memorial, he was even more pleased: "Now that you are an official appointed by the court, it is good for you to be diligent in government affairs. The duty of an official is to benefit the people. What are you writing?"

"Ten thousand words!"

Wang Yangming replied and continued to write with ink.

Wang Hua was horrified. In all his years as an official, he had never seen an official writing a ten-thousand-word letter. He couldn't help but start reading.

But when Wang Hua saw that it was all about "raising military preparations", "recruiting elite soldiers", "opening the sea for trade", he couldn't help but get furious, grabbed Wang Yangming's unfinished memorial and tore it up:
"Asshole! You are crazy! Who told you to write this? Do you think I am not living long enough? Do you think my Wang family is too peaceful? Do you think the court is too peaceful? How could I have a son like you who is only interested in fame and reputation?"

"Master, I am not seeking fame and reputation. I am considering the country and people of the Ming Dynasty. To be more precise, I am considering the country and people of the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty was right when he inspected the regiment camp today. The Ming Dynasty cannot repeat the path of the two Song Dynasties! Although the change of dynasties is a common thing in history books, it is ultimately the rise and fall of a family. It does not matter. It does not even have much impact on a famous family like us. But if a foreign race destroys our country, it will not be the destruction of a family, but the destruction of China!

The Ming Dynasty can perish, but it cannot perish at the hands of foreigners. As a minister of the Ming Dynasty and a Chinese, I should advise you to take advantage of the Ming Dynasty's national strength to revive the military and clear out the Tartars outside the Great Wall, so as to prevent China from being invaded by foreigners a hundred years later. The Japanese in the east and the Western barbarians in the west all have the ambition to regard China as their fertile land!"

As Wang Yangming spoke, Wang Hua was already shaking with anger. "What nonsense are you talking about? You want His Majesty to go on a warpath. How can the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty be unrelated to you? Now I can see that you are not only a rebellious son, but also a traitor! If I don't kill you today, you will eventually kill the emperor and usurp the throne!"

"Enough! Your Majesty is right. This is our era. Master, you are old and don't quite understand our ideas. I can understand that, but can you just sit back and watch the Tartars wantonly plunder our border towns and kill our people? You are also the Minister of Revenue, one of the six ministries and nine officials, but you can't even figure out how to pay the rice salary. You only know how to eat as much rice as you have. You are not a traitor, you are a mediocre official!"

Wang Yangming seemed to be irritated by his father Wang Hua's behavior, so he became rebellious and directly satirized his father.

Wang Hua, the Minister of Finance, was so angry that his face turned red. He couldn't help but slap him directly, but he couldn't do it in the end. He just sat down helplessly, his hands hanging down and his feet stamped, saying: "Rebellion, rebellion!" Wang Yangming didn't say anything when he saw his father like this. He just stood by silently, his mouth raised high, looking at the unfinished ten thousand word letter on the ground with some heartache: "My son has decided not to be a saint but a good minister. Saints cannot eliminate the evil of people, but good ministers can help the king eliminate the hidden dangers of the world!"

Wang Hua had never expected that his son Wang Yangming would be so rebellious. He stamped his feet in anger and shouted, "Someone! Lock Wang Yun in the woodshed!"

As he said that, Wang Hua turned to Wang Yangming and said coldly: "I will write you a letter of resignation tonight, and you should go back to your hometown to study! If I keep you in the capital, you will sooner or later cause a terrible disaster for my Wang family! You are already in your thirties, how can you still be so naive!"

At this time, two strong slaves of the Wang family came in and asked, "Master, do you really want to lock me up?"

"Lock him up! Don't let him out without my order! This boy will become a disgrace to my Wang family!"

Wang Hua was furious and no longer had his usual gentle and polite demeanor. His eyes were spitting fire when he looked at Wang Yangming.

Wang Yangming, on the other hand, talked about his nails calmly, as if he was already used to his father's anger and believed that his father would not do anything to him. He waved his sleeves and followed the servant to the woodshed: "Sooner or later, the Wang family will be proud of me!"

It is now the tenth day of October.

The Ministry of Rites had previously decided to posthumously name the late emperor "Emperor Jiantian Mingdao Chengchun Zhongzheng Shengwen Shenwu Zhiren Dadejing", and his temple name "Xiaozong".

Now is the time when the coffin of Emperor Xiaozong is buried in the mausoleum. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Rites, starting from October 16th, the coffin of Emperor Xiaozong will set off for the imperial mausoleum.

Starting from the tenth day of October, the Taichang Temple submitted a memorial requesting the start of the fast. Zhu Houzhao then issued an edict ordering the ministers to start the fast and stay overnight in the government office. Slaughter and music were also banned until the day the coffin was buried in the mausoleum.

Zhu Houzhao also had to start fasting from this day on, and because he had to complete the burial ceremony of Emperor Xiaozong, he also had to return to the Forbidden City.

Because the Qianqing Palace was being renovated by the Ministry of Works, Zhu Houzhao temporarily lived in the Cining Palace to the west of the Qianqing Palace. Empress Dowager Zhang also temporarily lived there. The mother and son lived in the same palace at the same time.

Although Zhu Houzhao is now a time traveler, he now occupies the body of the son of Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang, so naturally he should fulfill his obligations as a son.

However, as for the renovation of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houzhao actually did not understand at first why all the officials were in a hurry to renovate the Qianqing Palace for him. It had not been renovated for 18 years during the Hongzhi period, and they had to wait until the burial of Emperor Xiaozong to renovate the Qianqing Palace. Moreover, it seemed very urgent. After the Ministry of Works submitted the request, the cabinet voted to approve it on the same day.

But after thinking about it, Zhu Houzhao could almost figure out what these civil servants were thinking. They just wanted him to stay in the Forbidden City forever.

Zhu Houzhao did not stop the Ministry of Works from building the Qianqing Palace for him. He did not mind whether he lived in the Qianqing Palace or the Leopard House in the future. In his opinion, as long as he came to power, even if he lived in the Qianqing Palace, the civil servants would not be able to lock him up in the Forbidden City.

(End of this chapter)