Chapter 181 The Eagle and the Lark, the Jiajing Emperor's Wise
Xuanfu is one of the nine important border towns and an important node in the northern defense line that the Ming Dynasty focused on building.
After the establishment of the Nine-Border Defense Line, a large number of troops were needed to garrison it. The annual military pay and food alone were a heavy burden for the Ming Dynasty, and the annual repair costs of the Nine-Border City Walls made the Ministry of Revenue even more anxious.
It can be said that the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was drained away bit by bit by the nine frontiers.
Thirty thousand strings of cash may not sound like a lot, but for the Nine Frontiers, it is the life-saving money for many soldiers.
And 30,000 strings of cash was a huge sum of money for the Ministry of Revenue, which was already struggling to make ends meet.
So when the emperor suddenly became furious, everyone remained silent.
Who did it?
Thirty thousand strings of cash, what a courage!
Minister of War Wang Yiqi glanced at Jiang Qingzhi and shook his head slightly, indicating that he had absolutely nothing to do with it.
That's good... Jiang Qingzhi has finally established himself in the Ministry of War. If Old Wang is implicated and forced to step down, all his previous work will be in vain.
"Greedy!"
"All nine clans of idiots should be killed!"
The emperor's anger came quickly and went away quickly.
Someone must be sent to supervise this matter, otherwise it will inevitably be left unresolved.
Someone from the Five Military Commandery came forward and volunteered.
Emperor Jiajing sneered, "What do you want to do? Cover up for them?"
"I dare not!"
The general who volunteered knelt down. Jiang Qingzhi looked at him from behind and saw sweat flowing down from the back of his neck. His back must have been soaked.
If someone plays tricks on the Taoist priest, he’s done for.
"Somebody come!"
"His Majesty!"
Lu Bing was caned, but the East Factory was still there.
The governor of the Eastern Depot, Rui Jingxian, knelt down.
"Catch him and interrogate him!" Emperor Jiajing said coldly, "The people from the East Depot confiscated his property. I want to see how much wealth he has that he dares to cover up for others."
The man instantly collapsed, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"
The guards dragged the man out, and Emperor Jiajing's expression returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
"This matter..."
Emperor Jiajing turned his eyes and said, "Chang Wei Bo."
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi came out of the class, "Your Majesty."
"You are more familiar with the north, go there and find out the truth."
"Yes."
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand and said, "Chang Wei Bo stays, and the rest... go back."
Everyone resigned.
After everyone had left, Emperor Jiajing stood up and walked down the stairs.
"Follow me for a walk."
The king and his ministers walked out of the hall and watched the ministers walking slowly in front of them.
Lu Bing was lying on a bench, probably trying to ease the pain of the caning.
Seeing Emperor Jiajing and Jiang Qingzhi coming out, Lu Bing turned over and knelt down instantly.
And without saying a word.
This is a smart man. He knows that the more he defends himself, the more the Taoist will look down on him.
I might as well just keep silent and learn from Master Yan Song: Your Majesty, I am just a dog you raise. If you say go east, I will never go west.
Emperor Jiajing looked at his brother coldly, "Don't let me down."
"Yes."
This was a warning. Seeing Lu Bing leave, Emperor Jiajing asked with his hands behind his back, "What do you think of the prince's previous actions?"
"Your Majesty, this matter..."
Jiang Qingzhi is not sure about this matter.
"Speak!" Emperor Jiajing's voice became a little bleak.
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the gray hair on his temples and wondered if this emperor's job was interesting.
"The prince is alert."
Not long after the news of Chen An's impeachment of Jiang Qingzhi reached the East Palace, the Crown Prince reacted and realized that Chen An was a fence-sitter and might even be a double-dealer.
"continue."
Emperor Jiajing said calmly: "Today we are not talking about the emperor and his subjects, but family affection. Tell me what your cousin thinks of him."
Tsk!
Last time, Jiang Qingzhi used family affection to trick Cui Yuan, but he didn't expect that today he would be returned the favor to him.
He considered his words, but then thought of the prince's fate in history, and sighed: "This child is a bit stubborn. He has trapped himself in a small circle and is sitting in a well and looking at the world. He also thinks too much..."
Jiang Qingzhi suddenly shuddered.
Yes!
In history, the prince was always conscious before his death. What illness caused him to die so quickly at such a young age?
Jiang Qingzhi suppressed these thoughts and said, "The prince is a little extreme and a little arrogant. Children of this age are in a high position and look down on the world. After a long time, they can't control themselves and will think that the world is like ants. In this way, they will look down on others..."
"Why are not you talking?"
Emperor Jiajing asked.
"You know." Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "In the end, except for the people around him who rely on him, he has become a lonely man. On the other hand, he thinks that everyone in the world is blind and does not know his own advantages..."
It's a vicious cycle. "Are you alone?"
Emperor Jiajing sighed, and Jiang Qingzhi saw the desolation in his eyes.
After the Taoist priest fell out with the scholars and officials of the whole world, he was actually a lonely man.
But the prince was only thirteen years old and had already followed his old path.
"Go!" Emperor Jiajing waved his hand. "By the way, the third son has been making a lot of noise lately. You should take him with you."
"Yes, I will retire."
Jiang Qingzhi resigned.
At this moment, his mind was full of the previous court disputes.
Emperor Jiajing first showed his intention to deal with Cui Yuan, but just when Cui Yuan was terrified, he suddenly turned his anger towards Lu Bing, scolded his own brother in public, and beat him with a stick.
Cui Yuan must be overjoyed at this moment as if he had escaped death, and he must be gloating over Lu Bing's misfortune.
What will happen to Lu Bing, who took the blame for Cui Yuan?
Lu Bing was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. This was the first time he was scolded by his brother in public and beaten with a stick in front of the court officials. This humiliation must have made Lu Bing hate Cui Yuan for a long time.
One was gloating, the other was furious...
What can Yan Song use to persuade for peace?
Common opponent!
But their common opponent Jiang Qingzhi went to Xuanfu.
Look, all the Yan Party’s mortal enemies are gone.
What are you waiting for?
If you have a grudge, you should take revenge. If you have a vengeance, you should take revenge!
A small conflict caused by Ma Chongde in the morning and the military pay corruption incident far away in Xuanfu were easily connected by the Taoist priest, causing Cui Yuan and Lu Bing to successfully turn against each other.
This method can be described as turning one's hand to make clouds and another to make rain.
If Jiang Qingzhi had not read a book about Taoist Master in later life and knew his character, he probably would not have been able to detect it at this moment.
Jiang Qingzhi turned around and took a look.
In front of the palace, Taoist priest stood there alone, seemingly looking at him.
But it seemed like he was looking into nothingness.
Huang Jin came over to report, "Your Majesty, someone from the Crown Prince's side has communicated with Yan Shifan to discuss how to deal with Chen An."
"It's too small." Emperor Jiajing seemed to have forgotten his vindictive nature. "He asked me to deal with Chen An, so why did he go and discuss it with Yan Shifan?"
Huang Jin lowered his head.
"He doesn't want to fall out with Yan Song and others." Emperor Jiajing said calmly, "You idiot, you didn't learn even a little bit of my toughness, but you did learn how to maneuver."
It is the ministers who are making the most of the maneuvers, while what the emperor has to do is to look down on his ministers from a high position.
……
Prince Yu was very excited when he learned that he would follow his cousin to Xuanfu.
Prince Jing went to see Concubine Lu.
"The East Palace has been a little uneasy recently. Your Majesty, please pretend not to notice some of their little tricks, but you will definitely have to respond. This is not directed at anyone.
Fourth brother, don't roll your eyes. You don't know your father's methods. If he wants to deal with someone, that person will not escape. He is now letting Prince Yu follow your uncle to Xuanfu, which is a silent warning. "
Concubine Lu Jing arranged her son's clothes, turned to the front, and praised: "My son is indeed full of heroic spirit."
King Jing sneered, "The Crown Prince was instigated by those around him to be hostile to his uncle. Now he regrets it, but is too ashamed to turn back. He is caught in a dilemma and is inevitably at a loss as to what to do..."
Concubine Lu looked at him steadily, "You have become smarter. But you should know that your father is the enemy of the scholars and officials in the world, and who are the people around the prince? They are the scholars and officials."
"I know that my cousin is not very supportive of scholars and officials, and is considered an enemy by them. Those around the prince must be trying to seduce him."
"The prince is regretful, but if he turns against the people around him, who will support him?" Concubine Lu Jing thought of the prince who seemed polite but was actually unhappy. "He is the prince. He has been studying with those so-called talented scholars since he was a child. Under the constant influence of those people, the prince's attitude towards the literati is naturally different from your father's. Therefore, he is naturally hostile to the enemies of the literati. Do you understand?"
"Can your father tolerate this?" Prince Jing felt that his father had never been a tolerant person.
"Hey!" Concubine Lu sat down, took the tea handed to her by Chen Yan, drank a sip, put down the teacup, and said, "Why did your father hide in the West Garden? Is it really impossible for him to stay in the palace? Even if there are nails left by the predecessors, just replace them all."
King Jing was startled, "You mean..."
"During the Zuo Shunmen Incident, your father punished more than a hundred officials with sticks, shocking the world. He then fought with them for decades. After the palace coup, your father did not say that he would replace the people in the palace, but instead hid in the Western Garden. This was not fear, but a gesture."
King Jing was puzzled.
"You are young after all, and you don't have much experience." Concubine Lu Jing said, "After your father made a gesture of retreating to the West Garden, the scholars and officials were overjoyed, and the conflict between the emperor and his subjects has been eased since then. Do you understand?"
"Father is showing weakness." King Jing understood, "Father is showing weakness in exchange for compromise between the monarch and his subjects, and temporarily joining forces to govern the country."
"Yes, this is for the sake of the overall situation. As for the Crown Prince, your father is in a dilemma. If the Crown Prince is kept away from the literati, do you think it is possible?"
"No, the so-called scholar-officials are Confucians, powerful people, and scholars... They are everywhere. Unless it is the crown prince..."
King Jing's eyes suddenly narrowed.
Concubine Lu Jing smiled, and was actually a little proud. "But you are different from Prince Yu. You studied Confucianism at first, but later you learned something else from your uncle by chance, and stayed away from those scholars. The prince didn't have this opportunity. No, he did, but he just disdained it."
King Jing’s breathing became tense.
His father was the mortal enemy of the literati, while the prince was their friend. However, he and Prince Yu were Jiang Qingzhi's disciples.
Seeing the brilliance in her son's eyes, Concubine Lu warned him, "Your cousin is very talented, you must not think of using him. Remember, don't think that your cousin is only a few years older than you, and you should have other thoughts. Once you become my teacher..."
"I know." King Jing nodded carefully. "I don't know what others will think, but after learning from my uncle for these days, I feel that my uncle's talent is like an eagle and a lark compared to those so-called great talents in the East Palace. One soars in the clouds, and the other chirps on the branches."
……
East Palace.
In the study, the prince looked at the portrait of his biological mother, Concubine Wang, on the wall and said softly:
"Mom, I really regret it."
He gently stroked the portrait, "But I am the crown prince, the heir to a country, and the future emperor. How can I bow to a minister?"
The corners of Concubine Wang's mouth in the portrait are raised, and she is smiling with the skylarks on the branches in the spring light...
(End of this chapter)
