Chapter 551 The Emperor's Helplessness, Xu Jie's Rage
What does an emperor value most? Without a doubt, the country's longevity.
No matter how prodigal or stupid an emperor is, he will still make maintaining the country his first goal in life.
Of course, whether this can be done is another matter.
Daoye's temper... how can I describe it! According to his nature, since he started a war with the ministers, he would not withdraw until he won. But after the monarch and his ministers fought many times, he retreated to the West Garden and introduced the Yan Party as a wall of separation between the monarch and his ministers to ease the situation.
The two things that can make the Taoist endure are, first, the destiny of the country, and second, his family.
So when Jiang Qingzhi said that if Suzhou, Songjiang and other places were not in his hands, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably perish, Huang Jin was worried for him.
Taoist priest looked at him quietly, but the more he looked at him, the more worried Huang Jin became about the thunder that might be brewing beneath the calm.
Jiang Qingzhi also looked at the Taoist calmly. Although he was a little nervous, he knew that once he retreated, the Taoist would return to the ruling structure that mainly focused on the north.
When Emperor Taizu Gaozu established the capital in Nanjing, apart from the geographical location, he also took into account the prosperity of the south and the availability of money and grain.
Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing out of concern for his future generations.
He was worried that Nanjing was too far from the border, and his children and grandchildren were far away in Nanjing, and they didn't know how strong the foreign tribes on the grassland were. When the foreign tribes came to the border and the north was in danger, he was still having a party in the Nanjing palace.
"The biggest threat to the Ming Dynasty right now is the foreign tribes in the north." Dao Ye said slowly, "The south is rich, but it is also the south of the Ming Dynasty. Who dares to rebel? Who dares to secede?"
A sneer flashed in his eyes, "Those idiots don't know why I repeatedly cleaned up and rectified the Beijing Guards, but turned a blind eye to the corruption in the Southern Guards..."
Jiang Qingzhi saw the sarcasm in his eyes and felt a chill in his heart.
Daoye did it on purpose!
"The North's products are not as good as those of the South, and it faces the foreign tribes on the grassland, so it cannot focus on farming. The South has money and food, but the North has knives!"
There was more coldness in Dao Ye's eyes. "If those fools in the south dare to test my bottom line, I will let them see the sharpness of the long sword in my hand!"
The North holds swords and guns, and the South holds money and food.
The North carried the brutal grassland tribes for the South, allowing the South to develop with peace of mind. The South provided money and food for the Northern army. This is a complementary regional structure and economic structure.
Jiang Qingzhi thought of how he had mentioned many times that the southern garrisons were corrupt. If the northern officers and soldiers were watchdogs, then the southern officers and soldiers were worse than dogs.
If a thief breaks into a house, the dog will bark wildly. But the soldiers in the south don't even bark.
However, Daoye's attitude was ambiguous. Every time this happened, his memory seemed to be interrupted and he forgot about the South.
It turned out that he did all this on purpose.
"The South has money and food. If it also has a strong army... the Ming Dynasty will be in real danger! I will also be unable to sleep or eat well in the capital!"
I'm still a little naive!
Jiang Qingzhi lowered his head and thought for a moment.
Throughout history, the southern literati had been striving to compete with the emperor for power and profit, but it was not until the death of Emperor Chongzhen that they finally got what they wanted.
And what supports the emperor is the gun.
Only by holding the gun can the emperor have the confidence to challenge the southern literati.
And Emperor Wanli...
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the history of sending people to the south to collect taxes, but they were beaten to a pulp by the literati. He was depressed and went on a hunger strike for several days, and finally had to recall his nephew who was stationed in various places as a tax inspector.
He suddenly discovered a problem.
The Ming Dynasty's imperial power began to fall into the hands of others after Emperor Jiajing.
"Emperor Taizu Gao was the emperor of Ma. After establishing the country, he had everything he wanted, but he still ran into obstacles with the literati. Those people would rather hold the tablets of the Mongols than serve the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Taizu Gao's counterattack was to kill corrupt officials like killing dogs!"
The Taoist's voice echoed softly in the hall, "Emperor Jianwen... the one who was fooled by the Confucian scholars and started to reduce the power of the vassal states before he had a firm foothold, which led to the Jingnan Campaign..."
"Your Majesty." Jiang Qingzhi laughed dryly, thinking to himself, you are from the lineage of Emperor Chengzu, is it appropriate to say this?
"That's all fate!" Taoist looked at him, "I've said before that a person's fate is already predetermined. Everything you say and do, everything you drink and eat... is cause and effect. Emperor Jianwen valued Huang Zicheng and others, which led to Emperor Chengzu's ascension to the throne. Remember, this is cause and effect, and it's also fate!"
"Yes." Jiang Qingzhi thought that everything was fate, so why did this person still do things?
The Taoist seemed to know what he was thinking. "When the time comes for you to move and give it your all, even if you are completely desperate, God will still find a way to cheer you up. This is also fate."
Jiang Qingzhi held his chin with one hand, "Yes."
The Taoist took a sip of tea and felt it was a little cold, so he paused for a moment. Huang Jin quickly asked someone to get some hot tea.
"When Emperor Chengzu was in power, there were constant conflicts between the emperor and his ministers. However, Emperor Chengzu was able to suppress his ministers with his own prestige."
"After that, the emperor Xuanmiao was unable to cope with the situation, and the north turned from attack to defense. After that, the emperor's decline was hard to reverse."
Xuanmiao refers to Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji.
"Your Majesty." Huang Jin brought the tea. Dao Ye took it and drank a sip. His thin and pale face became more red. "The defeat at Tumu Fort broke the backbone of the Ming emperor. From then on, the emperor was gradually suppressed... You come on stage, I step down. I come on stage, you get out..."
This is about the two brothers Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu. After the defeat of Tumu Fortress, Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirat and Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne. The Oirat did not expect the Ming Dynasty to reject it, but they were unwilling to keep Zhu Qizhen, a waste, so they finally released him.
The subsequent story is hard to describe. Zhu Qizhen was restored to the throne and Yu Qian died.
"Later, the emperor became a plaything kept by civil officials." Taoist said sarcastically.
This statement should refer to Emperor Wu, also known as Zhu Houzhao.
This emperor spent his short life trying to break free from the constraints of civil servants. He eventually fell into the water and died of illness.
"What do you think of this?" asked the Taoist priest.
Jiang Qingzhi blurted out, "Whoever controls the gun is the emperor!"
This statement was taboo, but Daoye nodded, "Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu both controlled the army, so their orders were enforced and their words were followed. Later emperors were trapped in the deep palace, and the army gradually became a watchdog and was not in their own hands. If they refused to compromise with the civil officials, they would be puppets!"
Jiang Qingzhi had never thought about the national strength of the Ming Dynasty from this perspective, and he was shocked.
"After I ascended the throne, I also hoped to join forces with civil officials, but Yang Tinghe slapped me. From then on, I knew that between the emperor and the civil officials, either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind. There is no third possibility. No, there is." Jiang Qingzhi said softly: "Don't bow your head!"
Isn’t this the current relationship between the Taoist priests, civil servants, and literati?
"I refuse to bow my head, and neither do they. We are in a stalemate. But who will be harmed?" asked the Taoist.
"The country and the people!" Jiang Qingzhi gradually entered a state of mind. "From this, it can be seen that the emperor must control the army. Secondly, he must kill decisively. In addition, he must suppress the civil officials!"
Emperor Jiajing nodded. "I said so much because I want you to know that Suzhou and Songjiang are the key points, but I don't have the weapons that can make those people bow their heads. If I suddenly launch an attack, it will definitely cause a backlash. If the south is corrupt..."
"The Ming Dynasty is in danger!" Jiang Qingzhi felt that he was a little naive. He scratched his head and said, "I am overthinking it."
According to his idea, he should take advantage of the fact that the people of Suzhou Prefecture are on his side and take control of Suzhou Prefecture from the military and political aspects.
Afterwards, with Suzhou as its base, it continued to expand in all directions, gradually encroaching on the south.
But now it seems that this idea is too idealistic.
Emperor Wanli was not weak, but he had no choice but to bow his head in the face of the situation.
Zhang Juzheng ruled the Ming Dynasty almost like a regent for many years, which greatly weakened the prestige of Emperor Wanli. When he took power, he found himself facing a situation where the internal forces were complicated and the emperor could not control it.
Why was Qi Jiguang neglected?
Thinking about it now, it is inevitable that Emperor Wanli wanted to purge Zhang Juzheng's people.
The dispute between the emperor and his ministers forced Qi Jiguang, who was devoted to serving his country, to step down in disgrace.
The emperors after that were completely alone. Why was Wei Zhongxian able to be given important positions? Were the emperors really stupid?
Jiang Qingzhi felt that he had torn a crack in the fog of history.
The Taoist priest was waiting for Jiang Qingzhi to speak, but there was no response after a long while. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Jiang Qingzhi was holding his chin with one hand, his head nodding, and he had actually fallen asleep.
Huang Jin wanted to wake Jiang Qingzhi up, but Daoye shook his head slightly and pointed to the charcoal basin not far away. Huang Jin brought it and placed it beside Jiang Qingzhi.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Qingzhi woke up slowly.
The Taoist priest was reading memorials, and Huang Jin was standing beside him, swinging the whisk in his hand from time to time.
Suck!
Jiang Qingzhi sucked his saliva and said, "I am a rude minister."
"Go back and rest. By the way, Huang Jin, give that thing to him."
The Taoist priest put down his red brush.
Jiang Qingzhi took a box, opened it and took a look. "Makeup?"
"This is something for women's skin care, it works." The Taoist said, "Go back and have a good rest."
Jiang Qingzhi stood up and stretched. Huang Jin couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Daoye suddenly asked, "Xiong Jia was rescued by you, why didn't you tell me?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the powder box in his hand and said, "I think it is my responsibility, so I forgot about it."
Jiang Qingzhi looked sleepy and covered his mouth to yawn.
"Go!" There was more warmth in the Taoist's eyes, "I will ask the imperial physician to check your pulse later... Don't act so weird. Your body is weak, and you must be damaged after this long journey."
Walking in the West Garden, Jiang Qingzhi stretched his legs and felt his energy and spirit gradually returning.
Outside Zhilu, Xu Jie was accepting the goodwill of several officials.
"…The Lord Minister is busy going back and forth between the Imperial Household and the Ministry of Rites all day, but I am doing nothing. I am really ashamed."
"There have been undercurrents in the court recently, and I don't know what to do. If the Lord has any instructions, I will follow them."
Xu Jie listened calmly. If he wanted to bring down Yan Song and his party, he would need countless helpers. Although these officials who showed goodwill would not go through fire and water for him, standing behind him and waving flags and shouting for him could also increase his power.
"70% of the court now agrees that the elder should take charge of the Ministry of Personnel. This is definitely a done deal."
An official laughed and said, "I heard that the old official...I'm afraid he won't be around for long."
Everyone smiled.
Xu Jie didn't want to listen to such blatant flattery. Just as he was about to go in, he saw someone running hurriedly. It was Yan Song's entourage.
The attendant entered the duty room, Xu Jie stopped, and several officials followed behind him...
"Yuan Fu, Xiong Jia is awake."
Xu Jie clenched his right fist.
"Hey! Which imperial physician saved him?" This was Yan Shifan's voice.
"It was Lord Changwei!" the attendant said, "Lord Changwei went to the Xiong family just before he returned to the capital. I don't know how he treated the patient, but then Minister Xiong woke up. The imperial physician just came into the palace and said that a medicine made Minister Xiong sweat, and he will definitely recover within three days."
"Dad." Yan Shifan's voice was filled with joy, "Xiong Jia has recovered, Xu Jie's hopes have been dashed, Jiang Qingzhi is indeed our lucky star!"
A clerk came out and coughed, "Lord Xu."
The sound in the duty room suddenly stopped.
Xu Jie turned around expressionlessly.
Those officials seemed to have learned how to escape and disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Not far away, a young man was looking at him with his hands behind his back and smiling.
Xu Jie spoke.
As smooth as jade, yet it seems to carry an endless chill.
"Long Wilbur!"
(End of this chapter)
