Chapter 51: Ants meet the sky, dialogue in the invisible
The most amazing thing about Xu Jie is his ability to keep calm.
He can always control his emotional fluctuations and remain as steady as a rock.
Even though Yan Shifan pointed at him and accused him of being the "protective umbrella" behind the land annexation in the southeast, he remained indifferent.
Because compared with the emperor's attitude now, Yan Shifan's barking is meaningless.
Looking at the court, except Yan Song, any political enemy was not worthy of his attention.
"Yan Shifan, stand up and speak," Jiajing finally spoke amid everyone's anxious waiting. While speaking, he raised his hand and picked up the evidence, "Let's all take a look at the evidence Yan Shifan presented."
Lu Fang took the evidence and came to Xu Jie.
Xu Jie nodded to Lu Fang, took the evidence and looked at it carefully.
Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji also came over immediately, but Yan Shifan was the only one standing with his head held high, glaring at everyone coldly.
After a while, when everyone had seen enough, Jiajing spoke.
"Xu Jie, do you have anything to say about Yan Shifan's words?" Jiajing asked calmly.
When Xu Jie heard Jiajing's questions, he knew it was his turn.
After handing the evidence in his hand to Zhang Juzheng, he took a step forward, stood beside Yan Shifan, and bowed slowly.
"Your Majesty," Xu Jie said in a calm but powerful voice, "My first wife did have a younger sister, and she did have a daughter who is my niece, and she did marry the head of the Lin family."
"Although I have never met Lin Ziang, nor have we had any direct contact with him, if the records in the files are true, I am willing to bear all the responsibility for the sins I have brought to the court, the country, and the emperor."
"Huh?" Yan Shifan was stunned by Xu Jie's words. He was shaken by these words.
No, what does that mean? Are you admitting guilt?
Isn't that the niece of my distant cousin? The relationship is not remote at all. Do you really recognize her as a relative?
Is this old Xu Jie confused? Once this is said, no matter whether you have anything to do with this case or whether you really didn't know about it, you can't escape the blame. His existence itself is a kind of protection!
The previous ease in Yan Shifan's eyes disappeared.
A pair of eyes stared at Xu Jie, not understanding what this slippery old loach was trying to do.
After Xu Jie spoke, Yan Song, who seemed drowsy, straightened his back slightly. He raised his head and glanced past Xu Jie, then looked at Yan Shifan who was frowning, but he chuckled in his heart.
"Oh, Shifan, learn, learn well..." Yan Song said in his heart, no longer looking at the two of them, and lowered his head again.
What Xu Jie said was much more interesting. Jiajing knew that this second assistant of the cabinet, who had always been very secretive, was going to show his edge in front of everyone for the first time.
This sentence is clearly asking myself for an answer.
The second-in-command of the cabinet had to take action after joining forces with Yan Song.
He said this without any intention of defending himself. He realized that the bill he had to pay for asking the emperor to help settle the matter could not be counted on the previous one.
Each account must be settled separately. This time, it is not enough to just pay the money. This time, we have to hand over the land held by the gentry and the wealthy families.
Acknowledging the Lin family is telling myself that I, Xu Jie, am willing to obey all of Your Majesty's wishes. Please also tell me, Your Majesty, whether you want all of it, or just part of it?
It has to be said that after answering the questions last time, Xu Jie has realized that what the emperor wants is absolute obedience.
Not absolute obedience is disobedience!
Well, as for how to tell him how much I want, the meaning is very clear. The answer is "if the file is true."
And the answer is also an attitude.
An attitude from the emperor that determines whether he still has room and opportunity.
If the files are true, then the Qingliu faction, including the gentry and powerful families behind them, will face a major purge. Naturally, this also means that the emperor wants all the land that the Qingliu faction has taken over.
If the files need to be verified, then it means that the emperor only wants a part of the "handling fee".
Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji all had different expressions after Xu Jie admitted it.
At this time, Zhang Juzheng, who still had room for strategy and cunning, had a look of worry and confusion between his brows. His eyes moved and he looked eagerly at Jiajing on the throne.
Zhao Zhenji looked at Yan Song, then at Jiajing, and finally lowered his head without leaving any trace.
"Lord Yan, what do you think?" Xu Jie had a good attitude, so Jiajing naturally would not hold on to him. Because his original intention was to teach these clean officials a lesson, to tell them that there was a price to pay for letting him help them clean up the mess, and this price was getting heavier each time.
In fact, from the beginning to the end, his target was not the land in the southeast. This time it was purely a fortune brought by Hai Rui.
It’s not that Jiajing didn’t want to take this opportunity, using the opportunity provided by Yan Song and his son, to thoroughly investigate the issue of land annexation in the Ming Dynasty.
Once the investigation is carried out, the Yan Party will go all out.
However, this cannot be done in this way. If so, it will definitely lead to turmoil in the government and the country, and the upright officials will also fight to the death.
He did have a very strong control over the court and was at the peak of his power, but that didn't mean he had such control over every inch of land.
Land reform requires that the top leads by example and that orders be passed down from the top. If the local governments do not cooperate, it is doomed to fail. There are enough lessons and experiences in history books. If we want to reform, we must first rectify the administration of officials.
Even the people whose lands have been annexed may, no, it is very likely, oppose him.
If the step is too big, it may even provoke civil unrest.
The Ming Dynasty is now riddled with holes. What it needs is gentle repair, rather than cutting off or chopping off the sores and rotten flesh wherever they are, which will only accelerate its collapse.
The Ming Dynasty would be his natal possession and he would never allow it to be lost.
"Your Majesty," Yan Song stood up tremblingly after being called by Jiajing, and bowed, "I think that it is the duty of an official to understand that those in high positions should not only take good care of themselves, but also be careful about the people they protect."
As he spoke, Yan Song turned his head slightly and looked at Xu Jie.
"Lord Xu has always been honest and upright, and his character is noble. His deeds are witnessed by all officials. If you say that he provided protection for his family and harmed the people's land, I absolutely do not believe it."
"Those in high positions, even if they are clean, can hardly avoid being blamed by others." As he spoke, he smiled and looked up at Jiajing. "Don't be afraid of your majesty laughing at me. There are also people in my hometown who use my name to do evil things."
Hearing this, Jiajing's expression relaxed slightly.
Lu Fang on the side had a smile on his face and laughed silently.
On the other side, Zhang Juzheng frowned as if he was thinking. Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji glanced at Jiajing on the throne and lowered their heads.
"Every time I think about it, I feel uneasy."
With just a few words, he used his own experience as an example and laughed it off. The previously tense and heavy atmosphere in the hall suddenly eased.
Yan Shifan looked at his father's back angrily, his fists clenched hard in his sleeves, and he was very dissatisfied with his father's sabotage.
But he was not stupid. He knew the result. It was probably because he did not see it clearly. However, his father had seen it clearly but did not tell him the answer. He also understood that he was being used as a tool by his father.
Well, okay, you really are my dad!
Yan Song naturally had no idea what his son was thinking, so he continued, "I think Lord Xu is the same."
"After all, this is related to the cabinet's deputy minister, and the matter of the file records needs to be thoroughly investigated." He looked at Lu Fang and said, "This thorough investigation of smuggling is originally supervised by the East Factory."
"And the Imperial Master, Qingfeng Xuanling Shouzhen Huiwu Zhenren, will make her first stop in the southeastern journey to Dinghai County. She will be in charge, the East Factory will supervise, and there will be wise officials such as Hai Rui and Zhang Ziming to assist her."
"I think the matter in the southeast can be cleared up, and Shaohu will be cleared of all charges, which will show that the emperor is very perceptive."
These words easily resolved all previous conflicts and answered Xu Jie's questions on behalf of Jiajing.
At this point, in the main hall of Yuxi Palace, the emperor and his ministers once again tacitly reached a deal. Qingliu asked the emperor to "collect the sword", and the fee was officially agreed upon.
"What Lord Yan said is true." The matter had been discussed, so it was naturally Jiajing's turn to come forward and finish it. "I also believe in Lord Xu's character. The people also say that the court still has three poor relatives."
(Note: Excerpted from the sixth chapter of A Dream of Red Mansions, "But relying on my grandfather's false reputation, I became a poor official... As the saying goes, even the imperial court has three poor relatives, let alone you and me.")
"Oh," Jiajing couldn't help but smile, saying leniently, "It's not just you, I also have relatives who don't know any better."
"If you are blamed for the mistakes these people made, then shouldn't I be setting an example?"
"Your Majesty is so kind." Upon hearing this, everyone bowed slightly and shed tears of gratitude.
At this moment, in the hall, there was a beautiful picture of harmony between the monarch and his subjects, but the young cabinet minister Yan Shifan was feeling indignant.
"Okay, okay, you are the ruler and your subjects of the same virtue, you fight against each other, you are noble, you are great, but I am a villain... humph!"
At this point, the young minister's world of being alone and hurt was created.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
