Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 380: The Big Trouble of Yanshenggong

Xu Hongzu was actually not willing to be bound and had to travel with another purpose.

But first of all, the emperor described by Xie Tingzan made him feel that he was not so irritable and terrifying, but instead made him a little curious.

Secondly, the people he mentioned who were serving in the Boxun Institute were not officials. There were many "talented people" among them, including Taoists, farmers, and Westerners.

In the end… since he was being targeted, he had no choice.

It wouldn't take much effort for Fei Xietingzan to deal with a young man in his early twenties.

The words "Aren't you going to file a complaint with the emperor?" easily choked Xu Hongzu. After he wrote a letter home, Xie Tingzan arranged for him to go north.

Then Xie Tingzan continued to go to Qufu, while Kong Shangxian was also on his way back to Qufu from Beijing.

In the capital, discussions were still going on in the Taichang Temple, but it certainly would not take one day to reach a "consensus".

But Kong Shangxian's "experience in academic research" had already spread in the capital.

At this point in time, the Ming Dynasty was waiting to welcome the prime minister and the new central government offices.

As if they were reminded, many officials began to "study in depth" the insights of the theory of "investigating things and seeking knowledge" on their own.

The candidates who had already arrived in the capital were ecstatic: the imperial examination was only a few months away, and they could suddenly concentrate on learning from the insights of many important officials in the court on their new studies. What could be better than this?

The court officials wanted to make progress, and so did the candidates.

Zhu Changluo now also felt another reason why the lineage of Duke Yansheng had been able to stand firm through the dynasties: having soft bones was also an advantage, which was very useful for the emperor.

Now that Kong Shangxian has left the capital, his son is still there, and he seems to be determined to study the theory of investigating things and seeking knowledge throughout his life.

The descendants of Confucius and officials and gentry in the court and the public began to actively welcome the emperor's injection of Confucianism. Would Zhu Changluo stop? He was about to hear them shouting in unison and promoting the new learning.

"Your Majesty, the sermon for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's lecture has been presented."

For this matter, Ye Xianggao went to the Yangxin Palace to present: "According to the imperial order, Xu Xueshi will give a lecture on the study of nature, and the content is farming; Wang Zhangsi will give a lecture on classics, history and humanities, and the content is the Hundred Emperors Diagram."

Enlightenment is enlightenment, now that he had been officially appointed as the crown prince, Zhu Youjian accompanied the emperor to Tongliao and returned to Beijing, and further education of the crown prince was put on the agenda.

Zhu Changluo did not refuse this.

Considering that the prince was still young, the emperor asked that the content of his speech should not be too profound.

Two lecturers are arranged each time, and they are deliberately chosen from the two fields of natural science and classics, history and humanities.

After looking at the sermons drafted by Xu Guangqi and Wang Heng, Zhu Changluo nodded repeatedly: "Very good."

Anyone could see that the emperor really valued the education of the crown prince. He was actually preparing a team for the crown prince by holding a lecture.

Both Xu Guangqi and Wang Heng were young, and they were destined to become important officials in the future.

The former was fine. Wang Heng, the head of the New Policy Reform Office, used the Hundred Emperors Chart compiled by Zhang Juzheng to educate Emperor Wanli as explanation material, which was naturally about politics.

Seeing that the emperor approved, Ye Xianggao immediately said, "Then I will order someone to pass on the message and ask the Hanlin Academy to prepare a lecture."

For such a small matter, it would be enough to submit the memorial to Zhu Changluo.

Ye Xianggao came here specially, and Zhu Changluo of course understood that he was trying to show off his presence in front of him.

"How far has the Great Court Meeting progressed?" he asked, giving him a chance.

"The affairs of the various offices cannot be stopped. I have arranged to handle them after the daily shift. Your Majesty is so gracious that you have ordered the officials to prepare banquets and ordered the eunuchs and guards to escort the important officials back home. Now the process is going smoothly. However, the offices have undergone major changes, and we are only now further clarifying how the various offices and departments will hand over their duties. It should be almost done in another four or five days, and then we should appoint officials from the top to the bottom."

Zhu Changluo nodded and asked with a smile: "From top to bottom, the first one is the prime minister. Who do you think is qualified for the prime minister of the Executive Yuan?"

Ye Xianggao knelt down immediately and said, "The importance of being a prime minister can only be determined by your majesty. I dare not speak nonsense!"

"What about you?" Zhu Changluo did not let him go, "Do you have the determination and strategy to take charge of civil affairs and promote the new policy?"

"Your Majesty..." Ye Xianggao lowered his head, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. In the past, I was pedantic and lazy, not good at practical matters but always liked to make decisions. Now, I can listen to the teachings of the emperor, and all the wise men in the court are talented. I only know to improve my knowledge and ability. Although I yearn for the important task of being a prime minister, I know that it is difficult to convince the public now. If Your Majesty thinks that my virtue and talent are the best for the time being, you will naturally use me well. Otherwise, I still need to be polished. I have decided to work diligently and obey your orders wherever I go!"

Of course he couldn't volunteer himself, so he didn't answer Zhu Changluo's question directly.

Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "It's enough that you have these insights. It shows that you are much more loyal to the country than before. Back then, you almost joined those Nanjing traitors for a little exemption, but fortunately you stopped at the brink of death and turned to the light. Now, you understand that the new border lacks good talents and are willing to send your own son to Fuzhou. This is very good."

"…I am where I am today because of your majesty's generosity, which has given me the opportunity to correct my mistakes. Your majesty has not only not punished me, but has also repeatedly pardoned me, allowing me to hold a high position and experience more practical work. Your painstaking efforts and grace are as great as the sea, and my whole family cannot repay you."

Choking with sobs, he wiped his tears and said, "When I was in Nanjing, Lord Taicang wrote to me, telling me about my childhood. The Japanese invaded and my family was displaced. It was only after the court suppressed the Japanese rebellion that I was able to survive. When I entered the officialdom through the imperial examination, my selfishness gradually overwhelmed my public spirit, and I forgot that without a country, I would have no home. I ordered my son to go to Fuzhou, so that he would remember to put the country first and then the family, in order to repay the emperor's grace through the hardships he experienced in Fuzhou. I have to admit that I only knew how to be an official, but not how to serve the country and bring peace to the world. Now, I have come to realize more and more how great Lord Taiyue was in those days. He dared to say that he was not a prime minister but a regent, but in fact he only had a public spirit, and he cared about the country but not himself."

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "I can tell that you are still determined. Whether you can convince the people depends on whether I can trust you and whether you can find a way to make the court's policies go smoothly. How about this, you should think about it carefully in the next few days and submit a draft of the policy strategy to me."

"I accept the decree!"

When Ye Xianggao heard the word "also", he knew that the emperor had included him in the list of candidates.

Who exactly has been ordered to draft such a policy strategy?

Ye Xianggao didn't know that although he was in charge of the Imperial Study, memorials did not go through the Ministry of Public Security.

Watching him leave, Zhu Changluo thought silently.

The candidate for the first prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, who has attracted much attention from both the government and the public, will eventually be the first to come out.

To be honest, given Zhu Changluo's personality and abilities, he was not prepared to choose someone like Zhang Juzheng.

In fact, he had already given the standard in his question: determination and courage.

This prime minister is bound to offend people. As long as he can listen to Zhu Changluo's words and resolutely implement them, and can push them forward, he will be competent.

So Ye Xianggao is not useless.

No matter how much of what he said today and the understanding in his words came from his heart, his attitude was expressed: he would obey orders.

Of course Ye Xianggao could also hear what the emperor wanted.

There is one advantage of being an important official under this emperor: on many important matters, the emperor would communicate candidly with several important officials.

Therefore, Ye Xianggao knew very well what the future Executive Yuan should do to promote the new policies.

The Executive Yuan is only responsible for civil affairs, which means it is in charge of finances. The general direction is to help the emperor and the court win the hearts of the people, especially the hearts of the common people. The specific path is naturally to enrich the country, enriching the country from taxes on gentry and industrial and commercial income.

What Ye Xianggao needed more was how to make the emperor believe in his determination and courage.

Returning to the warm chamber of the Minister in Chief of the Secretariat assigned to him in the Fengtian Hall, the two cabinet secretaries also understood what their immediate superior had been worried about these days.

So they brought over a few memorials.

"Minister Shu, the memorials from the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, the Yanzhou Prefect, and the Jining Prefect arrived at the Tongzhengshisi just two quarters of an hour ago."

"What's the matter?" Ye Xianggao was still pondering the emperor's words. He slowly sat down and picked up the teacup.

"It's related to Qufu..."

Ye Xiang paused and looked at them. Seeing the meaningful looks in their eyes, he put down his teacup and reached out his hand.

After a careful reading, it was naturally because they reported that many people had recently filed complaints in Qufu, and that the Kong family's main and side branches were also engaged in internal strife. In addition, a large number of candidates who were preparing for the imperial examinations gathered in Jining Prefecture to denounce the price of boats and carriages to Qufu, which had increased several times. There was someone behind the scenes inciting this. The prefect of Yanzhou also mentioned the case of Xu Hongzu...

Ye Xianggao knew that the lineage of Duke Yansheng should not be touched lightly, as people in the capital were still discussing Kong Shangxian's experience in academic research.

This guy knows the direction of the wind and is very humble. Last year, he actively organized the Kong family's branch to move to the border and purchased special border defense bonds. He also resigned from the post of Jining Prefecture and Qufu County Magistrate. Not long ago, he used his status as the Duke of Yansheng to advocate the theory of "investigating things to gain knowledge". Now that he has been released by the emperor to Qufu to enjoy his old age, doesn't it mean that the emperor is still willing to let him go back to control internal conflicts?

But Ye Xianggao suddenly realized: the emperor is the emperor, and the prime minister is the prime minister.

If we want to implement the new policy, how can we avoid the resistance of the gentry represented by the lineage of Duke Yansheng?

Shouldn't the prime minister be sharpening his sword? The title of leniency should be given to the emperor.

His eyes kept changing and he was making a difficult decision in his mind.

Nothing can better demonstrate determination and courage than taking action against the Kong family.

Yanzhou and Qufu were not without smart people. Because of the Kong family's actions, the governor of Jining was replaced. The Kong family took the initiative to arrange for some of the side branches to move to the border, which naturally made people with ulterior motives see that the Kong family was showing weakness. Therefore, there were people who collectively reported the Kong family's evil deeds in the past. The Kong family's move to the border and the purchase of national bonds all meant that they had to pay out profits. There was injustice within the family, which caused the main branch and the side branches to quarrel.

At this time...it is time to lend a helping hand to Duke Yansheng and help him resolve the internal conflicts within the Kong family.

Anyway, he will definitely continue to make concessions as long as he can keep the title of Yansheng Duke.

As for the benefits, naturally more will be spit out.

He thought for a while and then stood up: "Is the imperial platform in the palace?"

"exist."

Ye Xianggao nodded: "Good! You are smart, not bad!"

After praising the two secretaries, he quickly went to find Shen Li.

Shen Li, a man of upright character, would certainly be willing to join him in impeaching the Kong family for bullying the local people and harming Shandong.

This time it has nothing to do with any official positions, it is just for the righteousness of the world and for the people of Shandong!
Although the emperor did not take the initiative to cause trouble for Kong Shangxian because of his tact, the situation now started from the people, so how could the court not uphold justice?

Ye Xianggao is now a popular candidate for prime minister, and of course many people are loyal to him.

Within a day or two, countless court officials prepared memorials and petitions.

"He is successful in academic research, but not in managing his family..." At the Privy Council, Tian Le listened to Yuan Keli's statement with a smile on his face.

After the success in Liaodong, Yuan Keli was appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor. Next, he was in charge of the transformation of military personnel into civilians and other border defense system construction in the Nine Frontiers, Liaoning Province, and Chengde Prefecture.

Yuan Keli finished talking about some of the court officials' comments on Kong Shangxian, and then he laughed: "Poor Duke Yansheng had just left Beijing, but he didn't expect the fire to start again behind him."

Tian Le sighed in his heart: "The position of prime minister is indeed extraordinary. Your Majesty is willing to give up power, and finally there are many more loyal and upright ministers."

"From Yida Xiang's perspective, how far will this go?"

Tian Le said meaningfully: "It's hard to say which step, but the Qufu County Magistrate has kept his position. He is not cautious, but arrogant. At least in the future, the Qufu County Magistrate can't always be named Kong. Now that the court official has arrived, Qufu has been opened up."

He stood up and raised his hands to the north and bowed: "Fortunately, the Holy Emperor is on the throne. The new policy will benefit the common people, and it should start with the Kong family!"

Yuan Keli didn't know what Tian Le said, "I want to cause trouble for Duke Yansheng", so when Tian Le said this in a decisive tone, he just thought that Tian Le was wholeheartedly serving the country and the people.

Among the important officials in the court, Tian Le is the most special.

He has assisted the emperor in managing military and political affairs for ten years, and his position remains unchanged.

Although he held great power, he did not care about personnel matters outside the Privy Council.

Yuan Keli, who was unanimously regarded as Tian Le's successor, returned to the capital. He knew that there were many things worth learning from Tian Le.

Now as he watched Tian Le's emotions being released, he knew that he was not actually unconcerned about civil affairs, it was just that he was already the Minister of War.

"With the talent and virtue of Tian Xiang, this position of prime minister should be held by Tian Xiang."

"Li Qing, you must remember this." Tian Le said to him solemnly, "Since the Privy Council has been established, it should only focus on military affairs. If you have the spare energy and the public spirit, you can express your opinions to His Majesty, but you must not openly participate in civil affairs. The Council must repeatedly remind you that this time when impeaching Kong, the ministers of the Privy Council cannot make a single memorial or report on this matter!"

"Thank you, Prime Minister Tian, ​​for your advice!" Yuan Keli bowed to him, "I'll pass the message on right away."

He knew that many people in the Privy Council now felt that the civil officials were more attractive.

After the reform, local military officials will no longer have such great power, but civil officials will have a chief official from the province to the county. Although they are still subject to a lot of supervision, their autonomy in daily administration will increase a lot. It's nothing more than facing a clearer performance evaluation in the end, and they also have to pay attention to the supervision from their colleagues on a regular basis.

There is a rule in the Privy Council that civil officials are allowed to enter but not leave, but not everyone can endure it.

After the Northern Frontier War, it seemed that there would be no more major wars to fight. The previous Northern Frontier War was also over very quickly. The duration was far less than that of the Wanli Campaign.

The Privy Council will reform the Ming military system on a larger scale, and suppressing the civil and military officials in the Privy Council is of utmost importance.

Therefore, Yuan Keli, who had made great contributions in Liaodong, was transferred back to preside over this matter.

At this moment, Zhu Changluo was also looking at the mountain of impeachment memorials in front of him, and in his hand was the impeachment memorial jointly signed by Ye Xianggao and Shen Li.

The weight of the two prime ministers impeaching Kong together was naturally completely different.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he let them continue flying forward for a while.

Then he picked up another memorial presented by Xie Tingzan and read the description of the young man from Jiangyin in which he recommended him.

Looking at the description of "with a misty air, determined to travel all over the mountains and rivers", he finally began to realize who this person was.

Xu Xiake almost had his legs broken by the Kong family?

He was a little amused and confused, wondering if something had changed because of him.

In fact, this is true. Xu Xiake did travel north along the Cao River to visit Mount Tai and the Confucius Temple that year, and then returned home safely.

Otherwise, how could he have traveled to so many places later?

It’s just…because of Zhu Changluo, Kong Shangxian’s actions last year intensified the internal conflicts within the Kong family, and also caused some people with ulterior motives to intensify the conflicts between the Kong family and the local people.

Xu Xiake happened to see what Kong Shangxian had instructed.

The elders of the Kong clan argued for so long, and in the end, Kong Shangxian kept writing letters back to force the issue, saying that he was ready to advocate for the theory of "investigating things to extend knowledge" in exchange for the emperor's forgiveness. This made more elders realize the seriousness of the matter. After more than a year of delay, they solemnly moved the old tablet to a more private place and hid it. Then Xu Xiake happened to be used by someone with ulterior motives.

Now Kong, who is indeed like a frightened bird, has done something wrong, and has given Xie Tingzan and others an opportunity to catch him.

At a time when everyone wants to make progress, I wonder if they will file another impeachment petition and accuse the Kong family of treason after hearing about the impeachment of the Kong family in the capital...

"...When Xu Hongzu arrives, I will arrange for him to come to the palace and I will meet him."

Zhu Changluo just found it more and more interesting.

(End of this chapter)