Chapter 560: The Traitor and the Emperor
"Someone is coming from Suzhou."
As the weather was cold, Yang Qing moved his music practice to the study.
Han Yu sat opposite them, separated by a table, one writing music and the other reading a book. In the corner, smoke curled from the incense burner, and the high-quality incense exuded a refreshing aroma.
"What did they say?" Yang Qing looked up, "At first they vowed to make Jiang Qingzhi fail in Suzhou, but in the blink of an eye, more than ten heads were hung outside the gate of Suzhou Prefecture.
Jiang Qingzhi used such a ferocious method to show the world that he was irreconcilable with our orthodox teachings. The scholars in the capital shouted and cursed upon hearing the news, but it was just shouting and cursing. Some people even compared this incident to the Jingguan outside Datong City, saying that Jiang Qingzhi was threatening us and was going to use the heads of our Confucian disciples to build the Jingguan..."
Han Yu was silent for a moment. "Someone from Suzhou Prefecture said that now in Suzhou Prefecture, whenever Jiang Qingzhi is mentioned, the people all praise him. They also praise the Mohist School. Mr. Yang, that is Suzhou Prefecture! One of the foundations of my Mingjiao has become the place of the Mohist School and Jiang Qingzhi."
"Don't you understand?" Yang Qing said, "Fools are ignorant. If someone gives them some benefits, they will praise them unconditionally. They only see the benefits. But why should we care about all this..."
"Huh?" Han Yu was puzzled.
Yang Qing said calmly: "If Jiang Qingzhi is disgraced, no matter how many people praise him, who will still remember him after a long time? As the saying goes, one should remember the well-digger when drinking water, but don't forget another saying..."
Yang Qing slapped the chess piece hard, and it hit the wooden chessboard with a bang.
"The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit!"
……
Ministry of Industry.
Jiang Hua convened some officials to discuss the matter.
The officials stood in neat rows in the lobby, and there was complete silence.
Jiang Hua glanced at his subordinates and said calmly, "I just went to Zhilu, and Yuanfu said that the so-called heavenly punishment in Suzhou Prefecture was consistent with what Chang Wei Bo said after the three courts discussed it together."
When Jiang Qingzhi's memorial arrived in the capital, it sparked a controversy. Some people said that the evidence Jiang Qingzhi obtained with a butcher's knife in Suzhou was unfair.
So the Taoist priest asked the three officials to discuss the matter together.
Subsequently, news from Suzhou Prefecture continued to arrive, and evidence from the East Factory also continued to arrive.
Rui Jingxian arrested many people in the south, especially in Suzhou Prefecture. When the evidence was handed over to the Three Courts, it was shocking.
"Not to mention the annexation of farmland and the absorption of population, but in order to strike down the Mohists, they even pretended to be gods and staged a so-called divine punishment drama. Do you know what the people of Suzhou Prefecture think of officials and powerful people now?"
Jiang Hua said: "What they said is not even as good as fart!"
Jiang Hua slammed the table so hard that his subordinates were shocked.
Knowing this, the good-tempered old man was furious.
"It's nothing! The government is nothing in the eyes of the people. What's the point of its existence? If you say east, the people will think west is better. If you say plant mulberry trees, the people will be suspicious and wonder if you are trying to trick us."
An official couldn't help but say, "Shangshu, that's Suzhou Prefecture's business."
It has nothing to do with us!
"The matter of Suzhou Prefecture?" Jiang Hua sneered, "Someone said that this matter is related to certain people in my Ministry of Industry. Do you know what I mean? Someone is colluding with those powerful people, and that person... is in my Ministry of Industry. Otherwise, how could those powerful people easily know the whereabouts of my Ministry of Industry officials? They are also familiar with the biogas tanks and caused the divine punishment."
Everyone bowed their heads.
But everyone was wondering who the traitor was.
"I don't know who that person is. But I would like to quote Long Wilbur's words: God is watching what people do. If God doesn't punish you, people will!"
The old man glanced at his subordinates and said, "Disperse!"
Lan Zhen returned to his duty room and sat in silence for a long time.
knock knock!
"Come in."
The door opened, a man walked in, and then closed the door.
"Minister Lan." The man bowed.
Lan Zhen said quietly, "At the beginning, you swore that as long as I could provide the whereabouts of those officials and the details of the biogas pool, this matter would be foolproof. But now the three courts have agreed that the divine punishment was a fake, and this matter is set in stone... How can it be foolproof? Instead, Jiang Qingzhi used more than ten heads to demonstrate his majesty, which greatly boosted the prestige of the Mohist School."
The man sat down and said with a smile: "It's hard to describe the events in Suzhou Prefecture. The local tyrants looked down on Jiang Qingzhi, and the government office was a little timid, which led to the failure.
But this matter is not entirely without merit. The more than ten heads in Suzhou Prefecture seemed to highlight Jiang Qingzhi's reputation for ferocity, but it also aroused public indignation. After all, the lips and teeth are cold! "
Lan Zhen was silent.
"Also, it's almost the end of the year, and Jiang Qingzhi's so-called treasure has not yet been released." The man said sarcastically: "It's been almost half a year! What kind of treasure needs so long?"
Lan Zhen's eyes lit up slightly, "Yes, Jiang Qingzhi also said at the beginning that there will be results before the end of the year."
"But what was the result?" The man chuckled. "He returned from Suzhou Prefecture with great power, and for a time, the scholars in the capital were silent. If we could give him a blow..."
"Confidence is the foundation of life."
"Without faith, there is no foundation."
"Besides, he is a great Mohist master. He may not keep his word, but he cannot break his promise. Back then in the court, I squeezed him. If the treasure he made is really beneficial to the country and the people, then the Ministry of Industry will fully support the craftsmen he wants. But if not..."
Lan Zhen smiled and three more wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Of course there are no craftsmen. Without craftsmen, even if Jiang Qingzhi is proficient in all mechanical arts, he can't cook without rice."
"This is what we have been focusing on." The man had a proud look in his eyes. "If the Mohist School wants to revive, it must continuously produce its own products. These are the treasures that benefit the country and the people as Jiang Qingzhi said. And all of this depends on the craftsmen. This matter..."
The man looked at Lan Zhen and said, "We have not made any move since Jiang Qingzhi returned to Beijing, hoping that he would think that we are intimidated by his popularity and want to avoid him. This is a strategy to make the enemy arrogant. It is the right time to take action now!"
Lan Zhen was silent.
The man chuckled and said, "Someone asked me to tell Minister Lan that there is a vacancy in the south, and that vacancy is perfect for Minister Lan.
I will hone my skills in the local area for a few years first. The south is the foundation of my religion. I can achieve political achievements and have whatever I want...
In a few years, Minister Lan will be famous all over the world. Who can stop you from entering the cabinet? Even if there is no vacancy in the Political Affairs Hall, you will definitely have a place in the six ministers!" Lan Zhen's eyes were more brilliant, and the man struck while the iron was hot, "It is said that Xiong Jia can already get up and walk around. If His Majesty hadn't ordered him to rest for a few more days, he would have gone to the Ministry of Personnel. Once he was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel... Don't forget that Jiang Qingzhi saved him. And you... are not on good terms with Jiang Qingzhi."
Lan Zhen took a deep breath and said, "I will get ready right away."
The man stood up and bowed, "In that case, I will wait for good news."
"It must be good news!" Lan Zhen nodded.
After the man left, Lan Zhen closed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and opened his eyes after a long time. There was already a look of madness in his eyes.
"You are loyal and diligent, but you can't get a position as a minister. And Yan Song and other sycophants are sitting high in the temple and looking down on us. Why?"
Lan Zhen's face flushed, "What loyalty, what Ming Dynasty... Since loyalty cannot be exchanged for rewards, then don't blame me..."
He closed his eyes, as if saying goodbye to something.
……
The next day, the Taoist ordered Huang Jin to come to the Jiang family for questioning.
"The flintlock is not complicated, it just needs to be made with more precision. At first, it requires experienced craftsmen, and then a group of people will be trained."
"Is it that simple?" Huang Jin couldn't believe it. "We are dazzled by those things, and Long Wilbur actually said they are not complicated?"
"It's not complicated." Jiang Qingzhi thought to himself, if you were allowed to see the large-scale mechatronic equipment of future generations, or even equipment controlled by artificial intelligence, wouldn't you go crazy?
"That's good." Huang Jin was about to go back when he suddenly remembered something, "It's almost the end of the year, and His Majesty asked if there was anything missing at home."
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the bear paw that Concubine Lu Jing had sent yesterday, and said with a smile: "I will go to the palace later."
This means to go and rob.
Huang Jin wanted to mock this guy, but then he remembered that he had just confiscated the bacon from the Jiang family, so he was too embarrassed to speak.
Jiang Qingzhi went into the palace as he said. Early the next morning, he prepared to set off with a few guards and an empty carriage.
"Miss."
"I am leaving."
"Oh!"
Li Tian came out and saw that he looked like he was going to rob someone, so he couldn't help but laugh.
"Be serious and don't laugh." Jiang Qingzhi said, "If there is anything missing at home, please let me know when you remember it. I will go to the palace to get it."
Jiang Qingzhi set off in a mighty manner.
When he arrived outside the West Garden, he saw the old dandy,
"Qingzhi." The old playboy complained when he saw him. "I don't know why His Majesty called us yesterday... He asked about the training of the guards and said that the military merits and generals were incompetent. He was never so energetic. It was only until recently that His Majesty let us out for breakfast.
Yan Song was so hungry that his face turned pale and he looked like he would fall down if the wind blew. Yan Shifan supported him and the father and son went into the duty room. Each of them took a cake and ate it voraciously, scaring the officials into thinking that they were refugees from somewhere..."
Jiang Qingzhi knew that the Taoist was stimulated by the flintlock rifle.
The emergence of the flintlock rifle will inevitably trigger a military revolution.
This revolution will trigger a complete innovation in the structure of the Ming army.
Military honors, military families, traditional generals... will all be baptized in this change.
Those who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and the Taoist priest will rise to the top, while those who stand on the opposite side will become sacrifices in this reform.
This will bring about a subversive change to the political landscape of the Ming Dynasty.
If operated well, it will be a great help to Daoye and Mojia.
If the operation is not done properly, many unexpected accidents will occur.
Therefore, Jiang Qingzhi would rather proceed slowly than act rashly.
There was a small court meeting today. When everyone saw Jiang Qingzhi, who was supposed to be resting, suddenly show up, they couldn't help but speculate about his purpose.
In fact, after Jiang Qingzhi entered the West Garden, he was thinking about something and followed the ministers into the palace. When he realized something was wrong, it was too late for him to withdraw.
"Isn't Long Wilbur at home resting?" someone asked.
"National affairs are important." Mr. Jiang looked righteous.
But he didn't notice that Lan Zhen was staring at him.
When Taoist saw Jiang Qing, he was also surprised for a moment, but then he was quite pleased, thinking that his cousin was indeed ambitious.
While the king and his ministers were discussing matters, Jiang Qingzhi was thinking about his own affairs.
The flintlock rifle must first be equipped to the Huben Zuowei, and Jiang Qingzhi would not compromise on this point no matter who it was.
Because no one knows the power of firearms once they are deployed in an army.
"Long Wilbur!"
"Long Wilbur!"
The old playboy in front of him turned around and said, "Qingzhi, Qingzhi..."
Jiang Qingzhi looked up and saw Lan Zhen standing in front of him. He turned around and said, "Last time, I made a bet with Lord Changwei. Lord Changwei said that he would definitely produce a treasure that would benefit the country and the people before the end of the year. Now it's almost the end of the year. I wonder if you have it?"
Zhu Xizhong's eyes narrowed, "This is forcing the emperor to abdicate in public, what a thief!"
(End of this chapter)
