The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Capital.

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Houzhao's face looked a little unhappy.

"You mean that someone in the capital deliberately released the news that the Marquis of Zhongshan was about to go to sea to start maritime trade privately, violating the ancestral precepts of Emperor Taizu Gao?"

Gu Dayong, the admiral of the West Factory, Ma Yongcheng, the admiral of the East Factory, and Mou Bin, the commander of the Jinyiwei, are all here.

"Then, the three of you didn't even find out who was the mastermind behind it, and you just grabbed some insignificant chess pieces?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at the three people quietly, and then suddenly slammed the desk angrily.

"What are you still doing?"

"Go check it out!"

"If you can't find out, I will destroy you!"

The three of them trembled and hurriedly bowed and retreated.

After they left, Zhu Houzhao looked at Chen Kuan.

"Da Xun, why do you think these three people are so useless?"

"Tishuai is fine. He has such a temperament and is an old minister of his father's emperor. But these two trashes, Gu Dayong and Ma Yongcheng, are getting more and more unsightly!"

With his own growth, Zhu Houzhao has now entered the next stage of the imperial process, which is to consider the issue of employment.

For example, Gu Dayong and Ma Yongcheng, these two eunuchs were both his old ministers in the East Palace, so they were able to hold high positions, one in charge of the West Factory and the other in charge of the East Factory.

This kind of supervisory agency naturally needs to be placed in the hands of its own people to feel at ease.

However, many incidents have shown that these two confidants did not seem to be able to take on the important responsibilities. On the contrary, they were repeatedly at a disadvantage in the battle!

Of course Zhu Houzhao was dissatisfied with this, or maybe he was tempted to replace him.

Chen Kuan thought for a moment and came up with a different opinion.

"Your Majesty is aware that since the person behind the incident dared to reveal such a thing and made it known to everyone in the city, he must have made all preparations."

"The enemy is in the dark and we are in the open. It is not easy for the factory guards to track down!"

This reason is enough to appease His Majesty the Emperor's anger.

The only problem is that they cannot remain passive like this.

Zhu Houzhao stood up and paced back and forth, then gritted his teeth and said: "Hey, what a good trick!"

"Seeing that the savage fleet is about to be formed and can go out to sea for trade soon, these damn bugs are making this matter bigger at this moment and directly putting it on the table!"

"I and the savages never expected that they dare to do this. How brave they are!"

Zhu Houzhao was indeed very angry, and even gritted his teeth with hatred.

It can be said that he and Tang Hao worked hard for this overseas trade.

They neither mobilized ships from various places nor mobilized Nanjing Navy officers and men. They prepared all the officers and ships themselves!

If you don't have a ship, then build it at Qinghe Shipyard. For this reason, Tang Hao did not hesitate to go to Shandong in person!

If there is no route, then go to sea first to accumulate experience. For this reason, Tang Hao personally led the team to go to sea!

If you don't have navy officers, then you have to train your own soldiers and transform them into navy officers. For this, the monarch and his ministers paid a huge amount of money and food!

As a result, now, just when they are about to be finished, someone is causing trouble behind the scenes, completely making the matter worse and preventing their fleet from going to sea!

It's really... damn!

"Your Majesty, we must find a way to resolve this matter."

Chen Kuan sighed and said: "The mastermind behind this has sinister intentions and has made this matter too big. It cannot be hidden."

"However, once it is put on the table, it will definitely not be able to get around these civil servants and gentry, especially the ancestral precepts set by Emperor Taizu Gao, which will become an excuse for these people to criticize the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

In the past, no matter how you hid it, the officials could pretend not to see it, or selectively turn a blind eye.

But now the situation is different. Someone deliberately made the matter a big deal, so the civil servants and gentry had to intervene and oppose it.

This is the idea of ​​the mastermind behind this, to force the civil servants and gentry to take action, or to give the civil servants and gentry a reason to take action, to check and balance Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao's fleet to sea!

Zhu Houzhao touched his chin and fell into deep thought. This was a little habit he learned from Tang Hao.

"Da Xun, do you think the man behind the scenes could be... Li Dongyang?"

Chen Kuan's heart trembled when he heard this, and then he thought seriously: "It's not impossible."

"It's better to let the factory guards keep an eye on him. If any abnormal movement is discovered, he will be taken directly to prison and tortured!"

Chen Kuan didn't have the slightest fondness for Li Dongyang.

There was no other reason. This guy had colluded with Liu Jin, so he was naturally Chen Kuan's mortal enemy.

Zhu Houzhao nodded and was about to give an order, but it was too late.

"Your Majesty, Bachelor Xie and Bachelor Yang want to see you!"

A eunuch came inside and brought bad news.

The chief assistant of the cabinet is Xie Qian, and Yang Tinghe, a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion.

The two of them came together now, and it was obvious why.

Zhu Houzhao's face darkened and he could only nodded gloomily.

"Send them in!"

After a while, everyone took their seats.

As soon as Xie Qianfu sat down, he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, does he know that there have been a lot of rumors in the capital in recent days?"

"These rumors claim that the Marquis of Zhongshan secretly formed a fleet in Shandong to prepare for sea trade. They are very convincing, and they also provide evidence that the Marquis of Zhongshan colluded with foreign barbarians!"

Oh, colluding with foreign barbarians?

What a big crime!

Zhu Houzhao replied impatiently: "It's just some rumors. Bachelor Xie must not take it seriously!"

"Rumors?" Xie Qian said in a deep voice: "Since it is a rumor, why doesn't Your Majesty summon the Marquis of Zhongshan back to the capital?"

"Why did Marquis Zhongshan stay in Shandong for half a year? And why did he recruit craftsmen to build ships at Qinghe Shipyard?"

"This is to prepare for Japan!"

Chen Kuan interrupted: "Xu Jin, the Minister of War, once mentioned that our warships of the Ming Dynasty have been in decay for a long time, and the system of preparing for Japan has been completely destroyed!"

"The reason why Marquis Zhongshan is stationed in Shandong and building ships is naturally to rebuild the Beiwa system. Is there any problem?"

Be prepared!

This is the best excuse.

After all, it was in this name that Tang Hao left Beijing for the first time.

So why not this second time?

"His Majesty!"

Xie Qian's face became serious.

"Emperor Taizu Gao once issued a ban, and no one was allowed to go to sea!"

"If one person goes to sea, behead him! If three people go to sea, his family will be beheaded! If three or more people go to sea, three clans will be killed! Anyone who leads a fleet to sea will be exterminated!"

"If what the Marquis of Zhongshan is doing now is to prepare for the Japanese, what if he leads a fleet to sea in the future? Then your Majesty, please punish him according to the teachings of our ancestors!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Houzhao became furious.

what is this?

Are you forcing Zhu Houzhao to express his stance?

Either you recall the Marquis of Zhongshan now and stop the idea of ​​going to sea for trade; or if the Marquis of Zhongshan really leads a fleet to sea in the future, then you will confiscate his family and exterminate his family to respect the teachings of Taizu!

This is Xie Qian, who hates evil and is slightly pedantic.

This is also the real reason why he was able to win the support of civil servants and gentry as the chief minister of the cabinet.

After all, when there is any fight, Xie Qian, who hates evil and hates hatred, will become the best sharp knife to achieve their goals for them!

"Xie Qian!"

"You are so presumptuous!"

Zhu Houzhao angrily rebuked: "Could it be that when the Marquis of Zhongshan went to sea to suppress Japanese invaders, you also wanted to confiscate his home and exterminate his clan?"

"The ancestral motto! Do you only remember this ancestral motto of sea ban? Do you want me to mention to you the ancestral motto "Those who have been corrupted for sixty taels or more are stripped of their skins and made grass?"

Xie Qian was speechless, but he still refused to give in.

"Your Majesty, there are some things that must not be done like this!"

"If everyone knew that huge profits could be made by going to sea, if everyone followed the example of Marquis Zhongshan and ignored the national policy of banning the sea, then who would be willing to farm in the countryside? Who would still be willing to be a farmer with his face turned to the loess and his back to the sky? household?"

"People have fled, the land has been depleted, food production has decreased, the country cannot rule the country, and the court cannot collect taxes, then how can the Ming Dynasty be maintained?"

"Your Majesty, think twice!"

To be honest, Xie Qian naturally has real talents and knowledge, and he does not oppose just for the sake of opposition.

The purpose of the Marquis of Zhongshan and His Majesty the Emperor can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye. It is nothing more than to start maritime trade and make profits from it.

But doing so would harm the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

"Since ancient times, those in power have placed great emphasis on agriculture and mulberry trees. This is also the foundation for our China to be passed down to this day!"

"If your Majesty is establishing trade for the sake of profit, as the saying goes, if the superiors do something good, the subordinates will follow suit. Your Majesty does not attach importance to farming and mulberry farming, and those below will pay even less attention to farming and mulberry farming. No matter how much silk is woven in the Ming Dynasty and porcelain is burned, No matter how much there is, it cannot be used as food. If everyone in the Ming Dynasty fights for profit and changes rice to mulberry for profit, sooner or later the grain-rich areas in the south of the Yangtze River will run out of food, and the people of the world will eventually have no food to eat..."

Xie Qian came here today not just because Tang Hao was preparing to go to sea. What he really wanted to do was to dispel His Majesty the Emperor's pursuit of profit!

The emperor does not pay attention to agriculture and mulberry trees, but instead pursues money and profits like a businessman. Is this what an emperor should do?

Xie Qian's words are tantamount to openly accusing Zhu Houzhao, the emperor, of being immoral!

Zhu Houzhao couldn't bear it anymore, pointed at Xie Qian's nose and cursed angrily: "Okay! You, Xie Qian, are really good!"

"Since you scolded me for pursuing money and profit, I would like to ask you, why are the taxes of my Ming Dynasty getting smaller and smaller?"

"I would like to ask you, why is it that the Ministry of Household Affairs is unwilling to provide money and food for training the soldiers of the Beijing Army, and still wants me to allocate funds from internal funds?"

"Aren't you Xie Qian eloquent? Then tell me!"

Xie Qian was startled when he heard this and lowered his head silently.

Zhu Houzhao, with a livid face, angrily said: "If it weren't for you civil servants and gentry standing in the way, if it weren't for you civil servants and gentry fighting for power and profit, would there be any need for me and Marquis Tang to work so hard to develop overseas industries to fill these loopholes?"

"Ha! You civil servants and gentry will be shouting there, asking me to work hard, reviving the Ming Dynasty, and developing people's livelihood. But when I want to train troops, you don't agree. I spend my own money to train troops. You still don't agree. I and Marquis Tang is running around raising money and food to train his troops, while I, the emperor, am secretly building a fleet to go to sea to make money like a businessman, and you still don’t agree!”

"Then Xie Qian, tell me now, if you don't have a strong army, what will you use to resist the increasingly powerful Northern barbarians? What will you use to fight those Mongolian Tatars? Are you going to kill Xie Qian? Or are you like you guys? Civil servants and gentry, go and stand one by one on all sides, waiting for those Tatars to chop off your dogs' heads one by one?"

"Answer me, Xie Qian!"

His Majesty the Emperor's words were like a sharp sword, piercing Xie Qian's heart.

He couldn't understand why the Ming Dynasty became like this.

It is naturally wrong for His Majesty the Emperor to engage in business.

It is also wrong for His Majesty the Emperor to go to sea against the instructions of his ancestors.

But why does Your Majesty want to do business and why does Your Majesty go to sea?

Because His Majesty wants to train troops and His Majesty wants to revive the Ming Dynasty, then this is the right thing to do.

But why is this so?

Whose problem is it?

Xie Qian fell silent and opened his mouth several times, but in the end nothing came out.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, his heart already told him the answer.

The problem is not with His Majesty, nor with the Marquis of Zhongshan, but with... the civil servants and gentry!

Yang Tinghe had been silent for a long time, but now he finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, the matter has become serious. Even if the minister and the other two don't come, other colleagues will definitely come."

"So the best solution right now is to find a perfect excuse for Tang Hou to go overseas, such as the Jeju Racecourse!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone present looked at Yang Tinghe in surprise.

This Grand Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion seems to have something wrong with his stance!

Yang Tinghe ignored everyone's strange looks and said to himself: "The Jeju Racecourse now belongs to the Ming Dynasty. Then Tanghou can send a fleet to transport materials and transport horses. In any case, these are sufficient excuses."

"As for those behind the scenes who are fanning the flames and spreading rumors and causing trouble, they must be dug out as soon as possible, otherwise things will change later!"

Because of Yang Tinghe's unexpected cooperation, Zhu Houzhao's anger became much less intense.

"What Master Yang said is absolutely true."

"I know this matter well, please stand down!"

Xie Qian and Yang Tinghe saluted and left.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the backs of the two of them, slightly lost in thought for a moment.

"Da Ju, if Master Yang is now the chief minister of the cabinet, is it feasible?"

It was obvious that Zhu Houzhao had his thoughts and wanted to forcefully support Yang Tinghe to succeed him as the chief minister of the cabinet.

From what happened just now, it is not difficult to see that the positions of Yang Ting and the Imperial Master are undoubtedly on his and Tang Hao's side, which is extremely valuable.

At least they can reach a consensus goal in a short period of time and work together to rejuvenate the Ming Dynasty.

And the current chief minister of the cabinet, Xie Qian, is a pedantic and stinking stone. He only knows how to talk about things based on the principles of those civil servants and gentry, and he has a very stubborn temper!

Zhu Houzhao now understood what Tang Hao said to him back then.

It is undoubtedly the best for Liu Jian to be the chief assistant of the cabinet. If Xie Qian is the chief assistant of the cabinet, then his majesty, the emperor, will suffer a lot.

Now it seems that what the savage said is true!

Chen Kuan put forward a hypothesis.

"Xueshi Yang has only been in the cabinet for less than a year. According to his qualifications, he is not qualified to be the chief assistant of the cabinet, otherwise he will not be able to convince the public."

"But if Bachelor Xie is more sensible and takes the initiative to return to his hometown like Li Dongyang, then Bachelor Yang can naturally take over the position of chief assistant of the cabinet..."

Hearing this, Zhu Houzhao's eyes became profound.

With Li Dongyang's resignation, only Xie Qian and Yang Tinghe are left in the cabinet.

They also recommended other talents to the cabinet many times, but they were all rejected by Zhu Houzhao in various names.

Zhu Houzhao just didn't want the cabinet to grow and grow, cutting off the opportunity for others to enter the cabinet.

But now it seems that he has an unexpected surprise with this step.

Did Xie Qian take the initiative to become an official...?

Outside Qianqing Palace.

Xie Qian and Yang Tinghe walked in sync.

"Jiefu, why do you..."

"Don't Mr. Xie already have the answers to your Majesty's questions?"

Yang Tinghe replied expressionlessly.

"Even if Mr. Xie doesn't want to admit it, this is the truth."

"I once heard a saying, which of the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty does not have thousands of hectares of fertile land to his name?"

As soon as these words came out, Xie Qian's face became extremely ugly, and even looked faintly ferocious.

"To be honest, when I heard this at first, I thought it was very funny, but soon I stopped laughing because my relatives far away in the country sent letters."

Yang Tinghe's eyes were deep, but his tone was helpless.

"Since I, Yang Tinghe, entered the cabinet, more and more common people have taken the initiative to donate their land to the Yang family and voluntarily become tenants in my Yang family. Now, my Yang family is also a large family with hundreds of acres of fertile land! "

When Yang Tinghe said what he meant by this sentence, there was no pride in his tone. Instead, it was full of joking and self-deprecation.

"Think about it, the situation that Mr. Xie encountered is the same, right?"

Xie Qian didn't answer, but his figure became more and more shabby.

"Of course, there is no need to pay taxes on these fields. The local officials dare not ask me, Yang, to collect taxes. They are afraid of my power, Yang Tinghe, and I can end their career with just one sentence!"

"How many wealthy families like the Yang family are there in the world? At least behind the Manchu ministers and every courtier, there is such a noble family, as well as the chief envoys and inspectors from all over the country. There are prefects from various places and county magistrates from various places...like crucian carp crossing the river, they are densely packed and countless!"

"Xie Gong, please tell me, how many fields belong to your Majesty, how many fields belong to the common people, and how many fields belong to the gentry?"

Xie Qian suddenly turned his head and looked at Yang Tinghe in disbelief.

He seems to have underestimated this... Emperor Zhengde!

"The rich have endless fields, the poor have no place to stand, the imperial court's tax revenue is getting less and less, and the soldiers and civilians on the nine sides are miserable..."

"Why are our military and civilians so poor in Ming Dynasty?!"

"Why is my Ming Dynasty so miserable?!"

"Why are we, the people of the Ming Dynasty, so destitute?!"

"That's the real reason!"

Xie Qian looked at Yang Tinghe blankly, and finally sighed.

"Yang Tinghe, you won't be Liu Jian, you will be Shang Yang, Wang Anshi and his ilk!"

"No wonder His Majesty has been determined to innovate since he came to the throne. It turns out that the root cause lies with you, Yang Tinghe!"

Xie Qian accused angrily, but Yang Tinghe shook his head.

"I have never taught His Majesty anything other than the teachings of scripture."

This kind of rhetoric can only fool children.

Xie Qian naturally didn't believe it, so he turned and left.

"I won't stand in your way."

"Tomorrow I will submit a petition to resign."

"Yang Tinghe, let's see how you revive the Ming Dynasty!"

The purpose is achieved.

Yang Tinghe bowed to Xie Qian's back from a distance.

"Thank you, sir! Let's go!"