Chapter 386 If God doesn’t take revenge, I will
The snow stopped, but the disaster remained.
The palace opened its private treasury and took out a lot of money and grain, which led the people of the capital to shout "Long live the emperor". Some ministers praised the emperor, and Yan Song sent a memorial to the emperor, but the Jiajing emperor didn't even look at it, saying, "If you have that time, you might as well do something for the victims."
Some people say that Emperor Jiajing was just pretending.
But when Princess Changle donated her savings, those strange rumors stopped coming to light.
As a eunuch beside Emperor Jiajing, Huang Jin also launched a fundraising campaign.
He took the lead in donating ten strings of money, which set a benchmark.
The following people, depending on their status, could receive nine or eight strings of coins. For ordinary eunuchs and palace maids, ten or twenty coins would do.
"this is mine."
Zhang Tong held a wooden box and reluctantly poured the money inside into the frame. There were at least three hundred coins.
The eunuch in charge coughed dryly. "You have just arrived, twenty or thirty coins will be enough."
Although he is by the Taoist's side, Zhang Tong's status is the lowest.
"But Eunuch Huang said to do our best!" Zhang Tong said seriously, "I have tried my best."
The eunuch had never been contradicted like this before, and just as he was about to scold him, Huang Jin arrived.
"Not yet?" Huang Jin asked.
"I don't spend money on food or daily necessities." Zhang Tong counted his expenses with his fingers, and looked at the copper coins reluctantly, "I will save money for my family later."
The eunuch glanced at Huang Jin, implying that this guy had broken the rules.
Huang Jin shook his head, "Follow me."
"Yes." Zhang Tong followed him to a remote place.
"Be obedient. Donate as much as others do." Huang Jin had never taught anyone so carefully before, but today he took the trouble to explain the ins and outs to Zhang Tong.
"But... Eunuch Huang, you said you would do your best." Zhang Tong, who was short, looked up at him.
Under the gaze of those pure eyes, Huang Jin moved his lips and nodded vigorously, "Yes! Yes... I was wrong."
"It's time to eat!"
When Zhang Tong heard the shout, he said happily, "Eunuch Huang, I'm going to eat first."
"Go!"
The food in the palace was actually not that good, especially the meals served to ordinary eunuchs and palace maids. According to Rui Jingxian, this was the kind of food that cows and horses eat.
But Zhang Tong ate with great joy.
"Delicious?" The old eunuch beside him felt disgusted when looking at the food he had been eating for half his life.
"Delicious." Zhang Tong said vaguely with his mouth full of food.
The old eunuch looked at him, his eyes softened, "Yes, before I entered the palace, the food at home was even worse. Compared to this, it was like pig food. But after eating it for a while, why did I start to dislike it?"
After dinner, Zhang Tong helped clean up before going back.
There was still half an hour before he was supposed to take over, so he prepared to take a nap.
Maybe I can dream about my parents and brother.
He found a side hall and sat down in the corner.
Someone called him in a daze, "Zhang Tong, Zhang Tong."
"Hey!" Zhang Tong opened his eyes and responded.
A eunuch came in and said, "I've been looking for you for a long time."
"What's the matter?" Zhang Tong asked with a smile.
The eunuch was struggling to carry a bunch of copper coins. "Your Majesty just gave a reward to someone around you. You got 500 coins."
"So many?" Zhang Tong said happily.
"There are more eunuchs like Huang." The eunuch laughed.
"That's as it should be."
Zhang Tong happily took the copper coin and said, "When my elder brother comes back later, I will let him take it home."
"I've put it away." The eunuch went back with a smile.
Huang Jin was also resting at this moment, but he was not taking a nap. Instead, he was reading a book.
"Eunuch Huang." The eunuch came in and bowed respectfully.
"Did you give him the money?" Huang Jin asked.
"Yes."
"No doubts, right?" Huang Jin suddenly smiled, "That kid is as innocent as Bai Shui, how could he have any doubts?"
"He smiled so hard that his eyebrows were visible but his eyes were not." The eunuch flattered, "It is only Eunuch Huang who is merciful."
Huang Jin smiled, and the eunuch whispered, "The man that Eunuch Huang asked me to keep an eye on yesterday, someone reported earlier that he was indeed in league with Rui Jingxian's men, but he doesn't have any important information, so Rui Jingxian can't get any evidence against us."
"Do we have any leverage over him?"
"Yes, look at this servant's mouth." The eunuch patted his cheek lightly and said with a smile: "Eunuch Huang, how do we deal with that man?"
Huang Jin looked at the scroll and waved his hand, "The snow has melted. There has been a lot of water in the palace recently."
"Yes, it's time to fill up those wells." The eunuch smiled and left. After leaving, he called another eunuch and whispered, "Kill him!"
"Yes."
There was one person missing from the palace that day, and a corpse was found in a dry well.
People have two sides, and Jiang Qingzhi saw this most clearly. When he was in South America, he could sit back and watch his men shoot crazily at the government's military vehicles, but after returning home, he could also sigh when he saw someone carrying several bags of cement upstairs with difficulty, and then buy a bag of drinks for the man who made a living by selling hard labor.
Shen Lian brought the latest news obtained by the Jinyiwei from the grassland.
"The Altan tribe was also affected by the snowstorm, and the tribes suffered heavy losses. The spies reported that cattle and sheep from the tribes were frozen to death in large numbers, and the herdsmen were wailing as they skinned and meated the animals..."
Shen Lian glanced at Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi looked calm, even somewhat contented.
Some people say that a famous general should regard human life as worthless... Shen Lian thought of Tang Shunzhi's endless praise for Jiang Qingzhi, and couldn't help but sigh, "The wealthy merchants of the Altan tribe took advantage of the situation to lower the price, and the herdsmen had no choice but to sell their flesh and blood at a low price in order to avoid starvation. The merchants here heard the news and went there, and also got a share of the pie."
"it is good!"
Jiang Qingzhi looked quite satisfied. Shen Lian couldn't help asking, "Chang Wei Bo, aren't you worried that Altan will go crazy due to poverty? Will you go south to forage for the grass valley next year?"
Whenever the grasslands are hit by natural disasters, man-made disasters, and poverty, they will involuntarily look to the south. The neighbors in the south have money and food, otherwise, go and rob them!
"We won't fight this year, and we won't fight next year, but sooner or later there will be a war, or even a long war." Jiang Qingzhi said: "Since it is unavoidable, it would be best to start the war when the other side has also suffered heavy losses."
Shen Lian watched his expression, "Does Chang Wei Bo expect Altan Khan to start a war right away?" "Yes, the sooner the better." Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "But it's impossible this year. We'll have to see how things go next year. What a pity."
Shen Lian made a special trip back home. Tang Shunzhi has been traveling around the capital recently, saying that he wanted to see the topography of the capital.
"Is Yingde back?"
Tang Shunzhi was washing clothes in the yard. He turned around when he heard the voice and said, "I just came back."
"I just went to Xin'an Lane. That Chang Wei Bo heard that Altan's tribe suffered heavy losses due to the snowstorm and he was actually gloating over the disaster."
Shen Lian said: "I am not a pushover, but Chang Wei Bo kills prisoners and builds Jingguan at will, and treats human life as worthless. Yingde, if such a person were in a chaotic world, he would be a hero!"
Tang Shunzhi rubbed the clothes a few times, scooped a spoonful of water into the wooden basin, soaked the clothes under the water, and turned around to find a place to sit down.
"He is not a tyrant."
"So you think..."
"He is just..." Tang Shunzhi pointed to his heart, "He is just a person with hope in his heart. I know what you are worried about. It is nothing more than that I am too close to him. If something bad happens, my school of thought will also be implicated."
"This person takes an unconventional approach and often does things that shock people. It's not easy to spread my philosophy of mind. If I'm implicated, I'm afraid I'll never recover."
"What did you say in your last moments?" Tang Shunzhi asked.
Shen Lian said solemnly: "This heart is bright, what else can I say?"
"This heart is bright. Since it is bright, then live according to your heart. Do you think what Jiang Qingzhi did is right or wrong?"
Shen Lian was silent.
Tang Shunzhi sighed, "Everything he does seems to be heretical, but which one of them cannot be shown to others? Which one of them is harmful to the country and the people? If so, is that so-called scripture, that so-called Tao, right or wrong?"
Shen Lian seemed to be hit by a slap in the face, "Yingde you..."
"You seem unrestrained and uninhibited, but deep down you are still bound by Confucianism." Tang Shunzhi said gently, "Sir, you said that knowledge and action should be united, but you didn't talk about the deeper meaning.
Now that we know what is more important, we naturally have a principle for what to do. For example, when Chang Wei Bo killed prisoners and built Jingguan in the south, it seemed like he was bloodthirsty, but if you think about it carefully, those Japanese pirates had their hands stained with the blood of the people of the Ming Dynasty, should they die?"
Shen Lian nodded silently. He was well-informed in the Jinyiwei and naturally knew the heavy crimes committed by the Japanese pirates in the southeast, which could not be redeemed even by death.
"But if we send them to the capital to be presented as captives, what will the scholars and officials say?"
"Imprisonment or hard labor, hard labor is most likely."
"Then what else is there to say?" Tang Shunzhi said, "I was there too. I felt a little uncomfortable at first, but then I felt... Damn, it was a good kill!"
This was the first time Shen Lian heard Tang Shunzhi swear.
"I also asked Long Wilbur at the time, asking him if he wasn't afraid of retribution after death for killing so many people. Do you know what he said?"
Tang Shunzhi did not wait for his answer and said softly: "If the heavens are going to punish us, the Japanese pirates who committed endless murders deserve to die. But as far as I know, many of them are living a carefree life. Since the heavens will not punish us, I will do it. If there is retribution, I will accept it happily!"
Tang Shunzhi stood up and patted Shen Lian on the shoulder, "Chunfu, you have been in the Jinyiwei for too long, so long that you don't even realize how you have changed."
"Have I changed?" Shen Lian was at a loss.
"I just happened to be going to Xin'an Lane. I probably won't be back for dinner, so I brought you some delicious food."
When Tang Shunzhi arrived at the Bo's Mansion, Jiang Qingzhi was receiving Huang Jin.
"Mr. Jingchuan, please wait a moment." Fucheng knew that his uncle valued this master of psychology, so he accompanied him personally.
In the study, Huang Jin said softly, "The woman's surname is Wang, she's fifteen years old, and although she may not be a disaster to the country or the people, she's still attractive."
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ashes from his cigarette and asked, "Again?"
Huang Jin nodded, "Yesterday, the woman came to see Concubine Lu Jing, and happened to meet His Royal Highness Prince Yu. Let's say one thing... Chang Wei Bo, it's not a good thing for a man to be too concerned about a woman, but it depends on what kind of man he is."
This sounds confusing, but it represents what Emperor Jiajing meant.
——The third kid is not stable when it comes to women, it’s time to take care of him.
The old father adhered to the ruling that two dragons should not meet, but left the matter to Jiang Qingzhi.
"I understand." Jiang Qingzhi nodded, indicating that he would handle the matter.
Huang Jin stood up and said, "By the way, the weather has been cold recently, and my mouth has no taste. Last time I heard that Long Wilbur's family has something... pickled broad beans?"
Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Stone."
"Young Master." Sun Chonglou came in.
"Tell the kitchen to give Eunuch Huang... three jars of pickled broad beans."
"Ten cans!"
"You think beautiful!"
"At least seven cans."
After some bargaining between the two, Huang Jin returned to the palace in triumph with five jars of pickled broad beans.
Tang Shunzhi was invited into the study.
"What did you gain from this trip, Mr. Jingchuan?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
This time, Tang Shunzhi went to survey the terrain of various places in the capital on the commission of Jiang Qingzhi. Jiang did not tell him the purpose, but Tang Shunzhi vaguely guessed something.
Tang Shunzhi sat down and said, "I have been traveling around the capital this time, and halfway through, I suddenly realized that the country is based on power, not danger. If you are righteous, you will have many supporters, but if you are unrighteous, you will have few supporters.
If you are virtuous, the whole world will follow you, and the civil and military officials will work together. Even if the capital is flat, the cavalry of Altan will never set foot in it. If you are immoral, even if the wall is thousands of feet high, it will collapse without attack. "
"Sir, you have attained enlightenment." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"I also saw Confucianism everywhere, and students everywhere were reading with their heads shaking. Qingzhi, Mohism... there is still a long way to go!"
Jiang Qingzhi asked: "Doesn't the School of Mind belong to Confucianism? Also, if Mohism comes to the fore, what about the School of Mind?"
Tang Shunzhi smiled carefreely, "No matter who is in power, my heart will be what it is. What is the way, what is the art, I will follow my own path, what does it have to do with others?"
This guy is really free and easy. Jiang Qingzhi thought of Shen Lian before and couldn't help but sigh: "If everyone is like Mr. Jingchuan, then the world will be peaceful."
What worries him now is the matter of that kid Prince Yu.
I am also a little curious about the young lady named Wang.
He called Mo Zhan over and said, "Go check the background of that young lady surnamed Wang."
"Yes."
After Mo Zhan left, Jiang Qingzhi laughed, "I want to see who this person is!"
……
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(End of this chapter)
