Chapter 852: Dragon Scales
For the new policy, it is very important to get off to a good start. The opponent also knows this truth, so when Jiang Qingzhi just took over the power of the new policy, he took action brazenly.
"Those people want to use this to undermine the morale of the new policy. In addition, it is also a warning to those officials who are waiting and watching. If anyone supports the new policy, the next house to be burned down may be their own."
Jiang Qingzhi sat cross-legged on a cushion, sitting in one-legged position. He saw that the Taoist priest could sit in the double-legged position easily, so he thought about how diligently he had been stretching recently, so he gave it a try.
Cross your legs, lift them up, and overlap them on your inner thighs.
What the hell!
Jiang Qingzhi felt extremely uncomfortable. He concentrated and said, "This is a method that kills three birds with one stone. If we deal with it as an ordinary case, those people will definitely have a follow-up..."
Emperor Jiajing nodded, "So, you want to use thunder and lightning?"
"Yes." Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Those people want to test whether I am a Bodhisattva or a Vajra. Then, let them try."
Jiang Qingzhi did not build a Jingguan for this great victory. For a time, public opinion in the capital said that he had changed his character.
At this time, Huang Jin came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the princess has brought food."
Jiang Qingzhi was stunned, "Your Majesty, haven't you had breakfast yet?"
The Taoist nodded, "There were quite a lot of memorials last night."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "It is probably related to the new policy, right? If things go wrong, there will be calls for war and killing."
Emperor Jiajing nodded, "Some people say that you have deceived the emperor, but in fact they are implying that my launching of the New Deal is a foolish act."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Since we are going to cut their flesh, we can't expect them not to scream or struggle."
"Father!" Niece Changle came. Looking at the food box she was carrying, the emperor and his ministers, who had remained calm when talking about the powerful opponent, the scholar-officials, suddenly changed their expressions.
"Father, I did... my cousin." Changle saw Jiang Qingzhi and said in annoyance, "I didn't know my cousin was there, so I did less."
"Not a small amount." Emperor Jiajing's eyes were kind and gentle. "Just right. Qingzhi, what do you think?"
"That's right." Jiang Qingzhi said sternly, "I have eaten."
"Huh?!" Taoist looked at Jiang Qingzhi and snorted, "It's cold, and you're just leaving the city... Young people don't think five meals a day is too much."
"Then...I would be disrespectful to refuse your offer." Jiang Qingzhi forced a smile.
Changle opened the food box attentively. There were two dishes inside. One was stir-fried bean sprouts with mutton. As a gourmet, Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help but be amazed by the combination of ingredients.
The other dish was pretty standard, it was steamed fish.
"I like eating fish." The Taoist said lightly, and Huang Jin immediately brought the steamed fish to the Taoist.
Fried lamb with bean sprouts naturally belongs to Jiang Qingzhi.
"Father said that I have made a lot of progress." Changle looked at his uncle happily.
The mutton was a little tough, but the taste was okay. However, when Jiang Qingzhi put the bean sprouts in his mouth, the mutton smell mixed with the smell of the bean sprouts immediately made him lose his appetite.
"Yes, I've made progress." Jiang Qingzhi said, and then swallowed the bean sprouts.
At least they didn’t throw in too much salt, nor did they make the dish into too much sauce.
"That's good." Changle waited for the two to finish eating, then left obediently. Before leaving, he asked, "Uncle, can Dapeng speak?"
"It's still early!" Jiang Qingzhi took a sip of the tea handed to him by the eunuch, "You can go and have a look if you have nothing to do. Dapeng is very interesting now."
"Father." Changle looked at his father, and the Taoist said, "Go!"
"Thank you, Father."
After his niece left, Huang Jin waved his hand, and a eunuch came in from outside the hall carrying a food box.
Light porridge, side dishes, two pieces of Jiang's fermented bean curd, and a plate of Chinese sausage.
Jiang Qingzhi's appetite was whetted. He drank a mouthful of porridge and found it delicious. "Where did this rice come from?"
Huang Jin smiled and said, "It was tribute from the south."
Jiang Qingzhi nodded. "The land in the south is fertile and the climate is suitable for farming. In addition, there are many places in the south that can be reclaimed, which can be used as an emergency measure when necessary."
Emperor Jiajing nodded, drank a mouthful of porridge, dipped the tip of his chopsticks in some fermented bean curd as a side dish, and found it extremely salty and fresh.
"Originally, the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Nanjing, and most of the powerful nobles and relatives of the emperor also settled in Nanjing. The annexation of land began at that time. It spread from Nanjing. Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, and those people followed him. Then, the north also fell."
"The word 'fall'... reminds me of locusts." Emperor Jiajing smiled.
"Your Majesty, in fact, the annexation of land started with the powerful." Jiang Qingzhi said seriously: "The idea that land can be passed down to children and grandchildren is deeply rooted in people's minds..."
"You have something else to say."
"Yes."
"Go ahead!" Emperor Jiajing put down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Qingzhi enviously as he finished most of the meal. "It's just you and me here, so just go ahead and talk."
"Yes." Jiang Qingzhi said, "The rich and powerful do not pay taxes, and this is the emperor's connivance. It is precisely because of this privilege of not paying taxes that the rich and powerful can profit from annexing land. They either seize the land by force or offer lower conditions than the official taxes to attract farmers to contribute. Does the emperor know? I think he must know."
"But if the emperor wants to govern the world, he must have the cooperation of these people. If the control is too strict, who will work for the emperor?" Emperor Jiajing took a sip of tea.
"Your Majesty, it's right to drive them with profit, but you're going in the wrong direction. Taxes throughout the dynasties mostly come from fields and farmers. To sit back and watch or even condone the powerful and wealthy to annex land is like holding the sword upside down. In addition!"
Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "When the powerful and wealthy unscrupulously annex land and absorb people, those below them, such as the literati and local gentry, will naturally follow suit. The law not to punish the masses is just an excuse, in fact, the upper beam is crooked and the lower beam is crooked."
"You are criticizing dragon scales with your words."
"Yes." Huang Jin's heart trembled, and he quickly glanced at the emperor and his ministers.
The Taoist looked calm, and so did Jiang Qingzhi, with a smile on his face.
Emperors are naturally proud, and Emperor Jiajing was proud by nature. The combination of the two, plus the fact that he had been emperor for many years, made his arrogance almost soar to the sky.
Pick the dragon scales!
This is a blow to the Taoist priest.
Huang Jin didn't know what Jiang Qingzhi was thinking. He waved his hand backwards, and several eunuchs quietly left.
If there is a dispute between the king and his ministers, the fewer people present the better.
Otherwise, if foreign officials knew about it, they would gloat over the misfortune and think that there was a big problem between Emperor Jiajing and Jiang Qingzhi, the new policy partners.
There is no consensus internally and there are so many contradictions. As for this new policy... let's just forget about it!
"How many years have passed." Emperor Jiajing suddenly sighed, "When I entered the capital that year, I was full of confidence and wanted to change the decline of the Ming Dynasty. From Anlu to the capital, I thought about the government and the reform every day. When I arrived in the capital, I unexpectedly learned that they wanted me to enter the palace through another way. That is not the way of an emperor. They want me to bow my head."
Jiang Qingzhi listened with a smile, he knew this history, Yang Tinghe and Empress Dowager Zhang chose Daoye to succeed the throne because they thought this royal family member whose father had just died was easy to control.
That young man likes Taoism?
OK!
Taoism advocates tranquility and inaction, and inaction is just right.
Isn't it easier to control a king who does nothing?
But we have to show him our power and let him know who is the real master of the Ming Dynasty.
As soon as he arrived in Beijing, Emperor Jiajing was beaten by Yang Tinghe and Empress Dowager Zhang.
If Emperor Jiajing was ten years older at that time, he would probably choose to endure.
But the Jiajing Emperor at that time was young and hot-tempered, and he immediately fought back: I will not take this path!
The two sides were in a stalemate, and Emperor Jiajing was furious. He said that either he would change his route and enter the palace, or he would go back to Anlu. Whoever wanted to be the emperor could do it.
The old man is no longer serving.
This gentleman's arrogance reached the sky, and finally Yang Tinghe and Empress Dowager Zhang had to compromise.
He failed to show his power and tried to show off his power but ended up being a bit of a fool.
Many years later, someone gave Emperor Jiajing another warning and a heavy blow.
——Land annexation and population absorption were caused by the emperor’s connivance!
The culprit is the emperor!
What will happen to the Taoist?
Jiang Qingzhi was also unsure.
But he had to let Dao Ye know that if the Ming Dynasty wanted to change, it had to start from the top, that is, from him, the emperor.
"Yang Tinghe and others were unwilling to accept this, so they made things difficult for me. They thought I would compromise. Yes, I did compromise at first. I thought that I would tolerate each other for the sake of the country. But I didn't expect them to be so aggressive and push me further. I can no longer tolerate this, so I don't need to tolerate it anymore!"
Emperor Jiajing raised his eyes and said, "My ministers all know that my dragon scales cannot be approved. Why did you knowingly violate it?"
The atmosphere in the hall became tense.
Even Huang Jin quickly lowered his head and stood with his hands behind his back.
The Taoist priest is angry... Jiang Qingzhi was guessing that if he was really angry, then he would have to change his strategy.
But looking at those calm eyes, Jiang Qingzhi suddenly changed his words, "Honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, and good medicine tastes bitter."
I say this as honest advice and good medicine.
Emperor Jiajing stared at him, but Jiang Qingzhi still smiled and looked at him.
I don’t know how long it was, but just when Huang Jin felt his whole body tense and sore, Emperor Jiajing suddenly laughed.
"Hahahaha!"
Is this a laugh of joy or anger?
Huang Jin gave Jiang Qingzhi a look, and Jiang Qingzhi shook his head slightly.
Now that the bow has been drawn, there is absolutely no turning back.
He came here today well prepared, just to let the Taoist know that the change of the Ming Dynasty must start with him.
Otherwise, what a shitty new policy! Jiang has given up on this.
The Taoist stopped laughing slowly and pointed at Jiang Qingzhi, "I thought you would be respectful to me because of your sudden wealth, but there are countless people who are respectful to me. Yan Song is respectful with fear, Cui Yuan is respectful... Even Xu Jie, when he sees me, he tries to figure out my thoughts and please me. There are too many people, too many people trying to please me, I don't like it."
"Those people try to please me for power, for wealth and glory. And you! Why?" Emperor Jiajing looked at Jiang Qingzhi with gentle eyes, "I know."
Emperor Jiajing stretched out his hand, but couldn't reach Jiang Qingzhi's shoulder. He frowned and said, "Why don't you come closer?"
Jiang Qingzhi moved his buttocks, but it was his first time to do the double cross-legged position, and he was completely immersed in it. When he moved, he cried out in pain: "Fuck!"
Seeing Jiang Qingzhi moving his legs with a grin, the Taoist laughed again.
"Hahahaha!"
The eunuchs outside the palace were surprised. Zhang Tong looked up and said, "The sun is out. The sky is clear!"
(End of this chapter)
