Chapter 205: Tao and Art, Please Take a Slap
"All under heaven belongs to the king. Those who do not obey the king's rule will be killed!"
Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes and said after a long while, "That idiot is so evil."
Huang Jin didn't know what Emperor Jiajing thought of these sharp remarks, so he stepped aside, thinking that if Emperor Jiajing agreed with this view, then the way of interaction between the Ming Dynasty and the Altan tribe would change.
As a result, the entire situation in the north will undergo tremendous changes.
And the trigger of everything was just a young powerful man.
What if Your Majesty objects?
Emperor Jiajing's stubborn decision to kill Altan's envoy was an uncompromising attitude.
The country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.
Huang Jin felt it was quite terrible.
Bah!
There was a crisp sound, Huang Jin looked up and saw that the jade chime on the table was gone, and there were a few pieces of debris on the ground.
The small jade awl in Emperor Jiajing's hand also broke into pieces, leaving only a small piece in his hand.
This is... the second one, right?
Huang Jin hurried forward to pick up the debris. "These craftsmen are becoming more and more perfunctory in their work. I will definitely punish some of the troublemakers later..."
Emperor Jiajing said expressionlessly: "Just change one."
"Yes."
Huang Jin walked out, looked up at the gray sky, and the smile that he had been holding back finally broke out from the corners of his mouth.
That young man is the only one in the court who could make the calm Emperor Jiajing break his own jade chime for the second time, right?
……
"Rituals are only for the Great Ming, and should not be applied to the four barbarians."
In the duty room, Xu Jie's gentle voice came slowly.
"Yes." Zhou Xia looked a little annoyed. "I want to refute, but Prince Yu said, have those foreign races ever paid taxes? Have they ever fought for the Ming Dynasty? If not, then why can they enjoy the Ming Dynasty's courtesy... I am speechless."
"If you want to enjoy the courtesy of the Ming Dynasty, you must serve the Ming Dynasty. In other words, you must become a member of the Ming Dynasty." Xu Jie keenly noticed Jiang Qingzhi's attitude towards foreigners.
"Chang Wei Bo only cares about profit. I think you can go to the Ministry of Revenue." Zhou Xia couldn't help but mock Jiang Qingzhi, implying that this person would be better off being a businessman and was not qualified to be an official.
"You want to say that he is greedy?" Xu Jie shook his head. "Did you see him accepting bribes? Did you see him asking for rewards?"
Zhou Xia shook his head, "I heard that Long Weibur only eats."
"He once said that no matter how big or luxurious a house is, it can only be used for bedrooms, dining rooms, and study rooms. What's the point of having other places bigger? If you see too much luxury, it will become ordinary. It's just to deceive yourself that you are superior to others, to prove that you are a superior person, and to comfort your fragile heart."
Xu Jie's eyes were dim, "This boy... is free and unrestrained, and has the demeanor of a famous scholar. But he is always fighting for every penny, and lacks broad-mindedness."
……
Prince Jing came to the Jiang family and told them about Prince Yu's recent situation. When he mentioned that Prince Yu's expenses were deducted, he hated him for not fighting back.
"Are the money and food enough for us to eat?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"enough."
"Is that enough to wear?"
"enough."
"Then what else do you want?" Jiang Qingzhi asked in return: "Every needle and thread, every penny and meal, are all the blood and sweat of the people. As princes, you enjoy the support of the people, but what have you two done for the world? What have you given back?"
King Jing said, "Uncle, isn't this as it should be?"
"You deserve it!" Jiang Qingzhi sneered, "The people of the world support your majesty and the ministers, that is their reward for governing the world. But what have you done for the world? Why do people of the world support you?"
"This is...Uncle, you are putting profit above all else."
King Jing felt that his uncle's remarks were too extreme.
"What do you think the people see?" Jiang Qingzhi said calmly.
"It is only natural for the people to support the royal family. I have never heard of anyone complaining."
"That's because they're afraid!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "They may seem to have no complaints now, but one day things will turn upside down and these offerings will backfire... If you eat the people's money, you have to spit it out. With interest!"
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, princes from all over the country were killed in large numbers. This was the backlash.
The people who used to be afraid of and revere the Zhu family, once they became the masters of the situation, vented all the resentment that had been accumulated for generations.
"Cook and share."
"Poke a hole in the belly, find a wick and light it..."
"Kill all the men, and capture and humiliate the women. Fourth Brother, if you knew your children and grandchildren would suffer this, would you still want this support?"
Jiang Qingzhi asked.
King Jing shuddered, "Uncle, don't scare me."
Ha ha!
Jiang Qingzhi laughed.
King Jing felt a chill down his spine for no apparent reason. "Uncle, is there anything to eat?"
"biscuit."
"What cookies?" King Jing had never heard of them.
Jiang Qingzhi casually took out something, unwrapped it and threw it over.
King Jing took a sniff and said, "It smells like milk."
He took a bite. "It's a bit hard. Oh! Sweet and salty, with a milky aroma. Mmm! Delicious!"
King Jing ate a piece of compressed biscuit and smiled happily, saying that he wanted to eat at his cousin's house.
The plan can't keep up with the changes.
Xia Yan is here.
"Xu Jie submitted a memorial opposing any contact with the Altan tribe."
Xia Yan sniffed, "What's that smell?"
They are all dog noses!
Jiang Qingzhi said, "Mr. Xia, your teeth are not in good condition and you can't eat."
"Eat it first." Old Xia glared. "Why, you can't bear to part with it?" Jiang Qingzhi gave him a piece of compressed biscuit.
The old man bit...
"what!"
I bite again!
The loose old tooth finally bit a piece of biscuit into its mouth.
"Mmm! Beautiful!"
King Jing looked at the remaining half piece of compressed biscuit in his hand and asked, "Uncle, you don't want to eat it?"
"I'm tired of eating this." In his previous life in South America, Jiang Qingzhi occasionally led his men to fight guerrilla warfare. At first, they ate local biscuits as dry food, but later Jiang Qingzhi couldn't get used to it, so he ordered domestic compressed biscuits online.
The compressed biscuits of various flavors made the group of country bumpkins under his command smile happily, but they groaned when they ate too much. Some people couldn't poop, but they still ate several large bags of biscuits at every meal...
Xia Yan swallowed a biscuit, drank a few sips of tea, and wiped his beard, "When did you provoke Xu Jie?"
"He and I..." Jiang Qingzhi thought for a moment, "We've only met a few times, and we were quite far apart, and we've never spoken a word."
"Xu Jie has been dormant for many years, why did he suddenly show up? And when he showed up, he came for you." Xia Yan rubbed his lower abdomen and felt that the small piece of biscuit seemed unexpectedly filling.
King Jing chuckled, and when he saw Jiang Qingzhi frowning, he knew his uncle hated keeping secrets, so he quickly said, "I accidentally heard last time that Xu Jie might be joining the cabinet."
Tsk!
Xia Yan and Jiang Qingzhi exchanged glances.
"Stand in line!"
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Before entering the cabinet, Xu Jie must clarify his position and have his own way of governing. This is considered to be an early choice of sides, and also a test. He is testing Your Majesty and Yan Song."
"There are only two prime ministers in the court at present, Yan Song, and Yan Song is almost the only one holding power. Your Majesty, no matter how confident you are in this old dog, you still have to have someone to restrain him. Xu Jie is deep and his position is unclear..."
After all, Xia Yan was the former Prime Minister, and he analyzed Xu Jie's intentions clearly with just a few words.
"Mr. Xia, why don't you come to my place?" Jiang Qingzhi was delighted to see the prey and wished he could bring Old Xia to his home to serve him as a sacrifice.
"Staff?" Xia Yan glanced at him.
"What staff?" Jiang said seriously, "We are a family."
Xia Yan didn't say anything.
Old Xia is aloof and arrogant. Even though he is down and out now, he still refuses to rely on others.
"Uncle." Prince Yu and his sister came.
"Where's Duoduo?" Zhu Shou'an came in and looked for Duoduo.
Jiang Qingzhi looked down at Duoduo, who had huddled behind him after hearing the sound, and said calmly, "He ran away."
"Then I'll go find it." The little girl ran out, "Duoduo, Duoduo..."
Prince Yu saw that his younger brother was also there, "Your mother is looking for you."
"Why are you looking for me?" King Jing asked nonchalantly.
"They said some guests were coming and asked you to accompany them." Prince Yu said gloatingly, "I heard that several noble ladies came today."
"Next time I won't release the snake, I'll release the dog instead!" King Jing walked away with a dark face.
"Tell me! What's the matter?" Jiang Qingzhi knew that Prince Yu must have something wrong.
"Uncle, Zhou Xia told me before that since I agree that the four barbarians are not Chinese, then beheading the envoy of Altan and refusing to communicate is the right thing to do. Why do you object?"
Prince Yu had been learning from his uncle for a long time and was somewhat dissatisfied with the decision to blockade the Altan tribe.
“I actually felt like I had slapped myself in the face.”
"You've been fooled. That's a trick." Jiang Qingzhi sneered, "Xu Jie is so good, he used sophistry on a teenager."
Xia Yan laughed heartily, "You can be proud of yourself for being able to force Xu Jie into this situation."
"Is it surprising that Xu Jie uses sophistry?" Jiang Qingzhi said lightly.
"I refuted him, saying that if we open up contact with Altan's tribe, we can get a lot of information and prevent trouble. But Zhou Xia said that this is just speculation. Altan has been asking for tribute for many years. How can he have the ambition to invade the Central Plains?"
This is still sophistry.
"In the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, the so-called Tao is that those who are not of our race must have different hearts. And whether the Ming Dynasty communicates with the Altan tribe or not is just a trick. Third brother."
Jiang Qingzhi frowned, feeling that Prince Yu's comprehension ability was a little lacking.
"Uncle." Prince Yu was a little nervous, worried that his uncle would scold him.
"I forgot to teach you the difference between art and Tao." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Tao is the foundation and starting point, while art only serves Tao, that is, it is the various means used to achieve Tao."
Prince Yu seemed to be thinking about something.
"No matter what the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards the Altan tribe is, in the final analysis, it still serves the interests of the Ming Dynasty. Do you understand?"
Prince Yu nodded, his eyes sparkling. "Not my kind is the Tao, and this Tao also serves the interests of the Ming Dynasty. For this reason, all means are just techniques to achieve this Tao. Techniques serve the Tao, and we cannot put the cart before the horse."
Xia Yan praised: "Your Highness is smart."
Prince Yu smiled shyly and asked, "Zhou Xia said Xu Jie has submitted a memorial to oppose my cousin's suggestion. What should we do?"
Xia Yan said: "Although Xu Jie has been dormant for many years, he has been cultivating his hopes. Once he speaks out in opposition, more and more people in the court will oppose you. Qingzhi, don't underestimate the enemy."
"I don't underestimate the enemy, but Old Xu's vision... Excuse me, I really don't think highly of it."
Jiang Qingzhi raised his eyebrows, "Let Xu Wei come."
Xu Wei came, reeking of alcohol and looking tipsy, which made Xia Yan feel dissatisfied. He thought that if it were him, he would definitely scold him and kick him out if he didn't change.
But Jiang Qingzhi ignored him and ordered: "Go to the Honglu Temple to negotiate and say that I want to see Chen Pin. Also, have someone invite Xu Jie and tell him that I want to invite him to watch a play today."
Xu Wei burped, "What are you going to do, Master?"
Jiang Qingzhi said, "Originally, he showed his head, and it has nothing to do with me. But he shouldn't have used me to attack him. Since he has attacked me, I am not the kind of person who will just take a beating without fighting back, so I will let him take a slap."
(End of this chapter)
