Chapter 383: Respect for the Prosperous World
"…Mr. Xia insisted on leaving, and my servant tried to persuade him in vain…"
Emperor Jiajing listened quietly.
Xia Yan had once been a wall of separation between him and his ministers, but Xia Yan was aloof and refused to form a clique, so this wall had little effect and was even less effective than Yan Song's clique at the moment.
Moreover, Xia Yan refused to submit to the emperor and was often disobeyed by him.
This is completely different from Yan Song, who regarded his words as the supreme will.
But when the day really came for Xia Yan to leave, Emperor Jiajing inexplicably felt reluctant to let him go.
That arrogant old man, although he refused to bow to him, he also refused to be perfunctory to him. The relationship between the monarch and his subjects was more like a pair of incompatible friends.
Especially in the past two years, Xia Yan, who was free from official duties, was even more free and unrestrained. When the emperor and his subjects were getting along, he spoke more directly, which made Emperor Jiajing inexplicably think of Wei Zheng in the pre-Tang Dynasty.
This old thing!
Emperor Jiajing sighed in his heart.
"Then Lord Changwei came." The eunuch continued, "Lord Changwei asked Lord Xia if he had accepted his old age. Lord Xia..."
Doesn’t that kid want to give up Xia Yan either?
Yes, with an elder like Xia Yan taking care of the family, Jiang Qingzhi can feel more at ease when he goes out.
Emperor Jiajing suddenly felt that he was getting old and actually had such feelings.
He couldn't help but smile.
I'm not old yet!
"…All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people in the land are his subjects! The great Ming Dynasty should make the world bow down to it!"
The eunuch couldn't help but raise his voice. Even though his voice was sharp, the heroic spirit in it moved Huang Jindu.
The eunuch's eyes were bright, "Mr. Xia said that since you have such a heroic spirit, then why don't I accompany you for a trip!"
Huang Jin held the whisk in his hand and whispered, "Let the warships cover the sea, let the sails cover the sky, and let the footprints of the warriors of the Ming Dynasty spread all over the world..."
He just felt something surging in his chest.
"The great Ming Dynasty deserves the world's respect!" Emperor Jiajing put down the jade awl, stood up and walked out of the hall.
The sun was constantly dispelling the fog, and the beams of light were sometimes bright and sometimes dim, making the entire West Garden look magnificent...
"The glorious Ming Dynasty!" Emperor Jiajing narrowed his eyes, "Am I old? Huang Ban."
"Your Majesty is not old." Huang Jin followed behind him.
"Young men have such lofty ambitions, but I sigh that I am getting old. I... have been trapped in a cage for too long and have forgotten the lofty ambitions I had when I ascended the throne."
"Your Majesty." Looking at the bright eyes of Emperor Jiajing, Huang Jin was in a trance, "I...seem to see Your Majesty in those days."
He really seemed to see the young man who was full of vigor and ambition. At that time, Emperor Jiajing was full of enthusiasm and wanted only to pull the Ming Dynasty back from its decline.
What would have happened to the Ming Dynasty if it weren’t for Empress Dowager Zhang and Yang Tinghe?
This thought flashed through Huang Jin's mind.
"If we want to revive the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, we must first rectify the Ming army. It is time to rebuild the imperial guards." Emperor Jiajing looked into the distance with his hands behind his back. "Altan will not stop, and I will need time to rebuild the imperial guards. When Emperor Chengzu went north to the grasslands, he frightened the remnants of the Mongols. Although I am not talented, I also want to go on an expedition."
Huang Jin felt his blood boiling, "I am willing to be a soldier under your majesty's command and fight for the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhang Tong was excited by the atmosphere, "Your Majesty, I am one of them too."
Emperor Jiajing turned around with his hands behind his back and looked at the people he spent every day with. "Are you not afraid of becoming the second Wang Zhen?"
Huang Jin was startled, "I dare not interfere in politics."
Emperor Jiajing said calmly: "Whether it was right or wrong to blame Wang Zhen for the defeat at Tumu Fort, I don't know. But since then, the Ming army has never gone out to attack the Hu again, so that a clown like Altan can run rampant for a while. I am waiting, waiting for the Beijing Guard to be rebuilt."
Waiting for that day...
Emperor Jiajing's eyes were sharp, "Let the world see that the Ming Dynasty is not in decline, and I am also ambitious!"
……
Li Tian was very happy about Xia Yan's arrival and he went out to greet him in person.
"It was Madam who decorated the yard." Huang Yan'er said without losing any time.
"I'm just one person, there's no need for me to go through so much trouble." The old man said there was no need to go through so much trouble, but when he saw the layout of his own courtyard, the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
"Who said you are alone?" Li Tian said, "Everyone in this family is your relative."
Xia Yan glanced at her and said, "Qingzhi married a good wife."
"Thank you for the compliment." Li Tian glanced at Jiang Qingzhi and raised his eyebrows slightly, showing that he was very proud.
Jiang Qingzhi curled his lips, implying that you should just go ahead and do it!
That day, Jiang Qingzhi held a banquet at home to welcome Xia Yan.
The old man was invited by Jiang Qingzhi to sit at the head, but he firmly refused and sat at the first seat below Jiang Qingzhi. He turned his eyes and looked at Xiao Zhuo and others, stroking his beard and said, "Since I have entered the Bo Mansion, I will take the Bo Mansion as my home from now on. I will take the Mohist School as my home."
The old man's statement made Xiao Zhuo and others very happy.
Just like new things in later generations were ignored when they first came out, Mohism was like a nobody at the moment, suppressed by Confucianism and not understood by the people...
But if there is an authority who sings praises for this emerging thing in the media, it will attract a wave of traffic and the popularity of this emerging thing will immediately increase.
Although the Mohist school gradually gained some fame, it lacked authoritative endorsement.
And Xia Yan, the former Prime Minister, suddenly jumped out and said, "I am a member of the Mohist family. The Mohist family is this and that..."
This is more effective than any ten thousand words of self-praise from Jiang Qingzhi and others.
Xia Yan said slowly: "Confucianism cannot get out of the cycle of order and chaos. The current national situation of the Ming Dynasty... If you have read the history books, you should know the undercurrents surging under this peace. If Confucianism fails, then it should give way and let the Mohists take over!"
The old man's eyes turned, "Your Majesty is determined to rebuild the Ming Dynasty. This is a good opportunity for our Mohist School. We will do our best to achieve a prosperous era. When the prosperous era is achieved, Confucianism... Get lost! This cup is for the prosperous era!"
Everyone raised their glasses.
He said loudly: "For the prosperous times!"
In the palace, Emperor Jiajing also held a family dinner. The difference was that he and Changle were together, while the two princes were separated by a screen.
This is also like covering one's ears and stealing the bell.
"Dad, eat this." Changle served the food to Taoist priest.
"Yes!" Emperor Jiajing nodded and asked, "You two have experienced a lot this time. Did you gain anything?"
Prince Yu put down his chopsticks on the other side of the screen. "Father, I thought that if the government took action, everything would go smoothly. But I didn't expect that disaster relief is so complicated, and those officials are often not as good as petty officials..."
"Officials are as clean as water, while clerks are as slippery as oil. Officials have studied hard for ten years, but are not as capable as clerks. This book by sages..." Emperor Jiajing muttered to himself.
"Fourth brother." Emperor Jiajing asked Prince Jing to share his thoughts.
"Father, the people don't ask for much. They just want to fill their stomachs and have clothes to wear. It makes me sad. These people are hardworking, but why can't they support their families after working hard all year round? I've been thinking about this recently."
"Then let this be the topic for you two!" Emperor Jiajing raised his glass, but found that it was his daughter sitting opposite him, and couldn't help laughing, "This glass of wine is for the growth of both of you."
"Dad, what about me?" Changle asked. There was tea in her cup, but she wanted to drink a glass. "You?" Emperor Jiajing said, "Changle has also made great progress. This glass of wine is also for you."
"Dad, I'm talking about wine."
"I was also talking about wine."
"Dad, you're cheating. We agreed that I can have a drink today..."
Zhang Tong stood outside the palace, looking at the starry sky, and said with longing: "This is a great day."
……
Zhu Shitai is missing.
"It is said that he ran away to Huairou secretly, saying that he was providing disaster relief. But his whereabouts are unknown."
In the Yan family's restaurant, Yan Shifan took out his folding fan and waved it, looking at Lu Bing who was sitting opposite him and said, "Zhu Xizhong has only this one son. He seems calm, but I bet he's going crazy."
Lu Bing brought Shen Lian with him today. Shen Lian was drinking by himself and soon became tipsy. He sneered and said, "Young Lord is hoping that something happens to Duke Cheng's eldest son. Without an heir, Duke Cheng will surely be depressed. With one less person to monitor him, Young Lord can do whatever he wants."
Yan Shifan glanced at him. "I heard that Tang Shunzhi has come to the capital? He is a talented man. Ask him if he is willing to be my guest!"
This was a sarcasm and provocation. Shen Lian laughed, "Hahahaha! Why does Mr. Jingchuan need the young elder's affirmation for his talent? Back then, Mr. Jingchuan resigned from his post and refused to bend for a living, which made him admired by scholars all over the world. I'm not saying that just based on the young elder's reputation, Mr. Jingchuan would definitely stay away from you."
"Commander." Zhu Hao came and glanced at Yan Shifan. Lu Bing nodded, and then he said, "Your Majesty ordered me, the Jinyiwei, to go to Huairou... to find the eldest son of Duke Cheng."
……
"Is it really lost?" Jiang Qingzhi was enjoying a rare vacation and was in a leisurely mood.
"He's really lost." Huang Liao smiled bitterly. "The Duke originally thought that the little Duke wouldn't cause any trouble, but who knew that the guards at home failed to do their duty and lost him in a moment of distraction. After that, we searched for him for a long time but couldn't find him."
"This kid..." Jiang Qingzhi stood up, "I'll go take a look now."
At the Duke's Mansion, Jiang Qingzhi heard crying as soon as he entered.
The Duke's wife had completely changed from her previous elegant and graceful demeanor. She was wiping her tears and scolding the old playboy.
"...You should never, ever, say anything like that. My husband shouldn't have said anything about the disaster, or about what we should do, or that Dalang lacked temper... Dalang is impulsive by nature... If anything were to happen to him, I would not live any longer."
"Qingzhi." The old playboy was in a state of panic. When he saw Jiang Qingzhi coming in, he smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, I've made a fool of myself."
"Tell me the situation!" Jiang Qingzhi sat down.
"Da Lang went to Huairou. He brought a few ingots of silver, most of which he exchanged for food and gave to the victims..."
Jiang Qingzhi covered his forehead with his hands, "Don't show off your wealth. He's a young man. If he shows off his money at this time, he'll be in trouble."
"That's right." Zhu Xizhong said, "Then on the second day, the guards cleared out a group of thieves who wanted to target Dalang, but on the fourth day, when they were dealing with a few thieves, Dalang disappeared..."
After listening to this, Jiang Qingzhi stood up and asked, "Have you sent anyone to look for him?"
"Most of the guards at home have gone." Zhu Xizhong said.
The old dandy also wanted to go, but he was a close official. Although the snow had stopped, the disaster relief work in various places was complicated and he could not get away.
"How about I go!" The beautiful woman stood up.
"Sister-in-law, I'll go!"
Jiang Qingzhi felt that this matter was caused by himself.
When Jiang Qingzhi left the Duke's Mansion, Sun Bu Tong said, "Many people outside say that the young Duke is a waste. He is not good at studying and practicing martial arts. He can even get himself killed by disaster relief. If the Duke's Mansion relies on him, I'm afraid it will decline."
……
At this moment in Huairou City, the victims were surrounding several porridge stalls crying for food.
A few beggars emerged from the alley, and the oldest one said, "Hasn't started yet?"
Someone said: "It's a start, but this porridge..."
He lowered his bowl, and everyone looked over and saw that the porridge was as thin as water.
The old beggar cursed, "Damn it! Didn't they say that a lot of food was shipped from the court? Did they feed the dogs?"
The young beggar behind him said, "I'm afraid it was really fed to the dog. But that dog has a name."
"what is it call?"
everyone asked.
The young beggar said, "It's called the official!"
"You kid, if those people hear you saying this, they will beat you to death." The old beggar taught: "As beggars, the first thing we must not offend is the officials and gentry. If we offend them... kid, who cares if a few people die at this time!"
"But the money and grain are not right." The young beggar said, "That day I squatted at the city gate and counted the number of carts entering the city, and calculated the expenses of several porridge distribution places. The grain must have been embezzled."
"How can you figure out such a complicated matter?"
Everyone was surprised.
The young beggar said, "My second uncle is a great... scholar. I have studied with him for a while and can easily calculate these."
"Damn it, that's our life-saving food!" everyone cursed.
The young beggar whispered, "Do you want to get to the bottom of this?"
"Ok?"
Everyone looked up, "Do you have an idea?"
The young beggar said, "The county magistrate has been fighting fiercely with the local gentry these days, and most of the officials in the county government have left, so the office is empty... If the account books can be found... they are dead."
Everyone looked at each other.
"Once we find evidence, the capital will be furious, and we will be meritorious officials." The young beggar was tempting, "If we are lucky, we can get a job as a minor official, or at least get a reward of 10 or 8 strings of cash. With this money, we can do anything."
After some persuasion, everyone agreed.
"it is good!"
The old beggar asked, "Boy, you speak so well and with such knowledge, what is your origin?"
"You're down and out, why are you still talking about this?"
The young beggar's hair was messy and covered most of his face. He casually lifted it up.
If Zhu Xizhong and his wife were there, they would definitely exclaim in surprise.
Isn’t this my Dalang?
(End of this chapter)
