Chapter 10: Corruption and abuse of power, daily talk about Taijia

Early morning on the second day of the sixth month in the sixth year of Longqing.

……

The night passed.

After all, he is a child, and his sleep quality is much better than before he traveled through time. Zhu Yijun had a rare good sleep after a long time.

When he first woke up, he was still a little groggy and subconsciously reached for the cell phone under the pillow.

When I touched nothing, I suddenly woke up.

"Your Highness, you are awake." The palace maid beside the bed came closer.

Zhu Yijun suddenly asked, "Did you hear what I said in my dream last night?"

Several palace maids were startled: "Your Highness, you never talk in your sleep."

He was relieved and nodded: "It seems to be a dream, please change my clothes first."

Several palace maids immediately came over holding ceremonial clothes.

While getting dressed, the palace maid said, "Your Highness, Zhang Dayong has come to Ciqing Palace and said he is ready to serve you at any time."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but laugh. Zhang Hong really wanted to improve himself.

After she had dressed in her kimono and washed up, he said, "Let Zhang Daban come in."

Zhang Hong came in carrying breakfast.

He looked at the still somewhat childish Crown Prince and was stunned for a moment. He almost couldn't identify him with the intimidating heir apparent in the Qianqing Palace yesterday.

But he was a senior eunuch after all, so he was naturally shrewd, and his confusion soon disappeared: "This servant greets the master."

Zhu Yijun nodded gently and motioned him to come closer.

Then he sat down at the table and started to eat.

Zhang Hong asked the maid to leave, then he took out a stack of papers from his sleeve and said, "Master, everything you told me yesterday is here."

Zhu Yijun took it with some surprise. Zhang Hong is quite quick in doing things.

After a rough look, I found that there were more than ten eunuchs on the list who were in charge of collecting mining taxes in Huguang in the six years from the first year of Longqing to the present.

Some also marked age, occupation and other information.

He was satisfied and praised: "Well done."

The use of ears and eyes is reflected here.

The matter of Huguang was not actually urgent. If he wanted to deal with it, he had to at least gain some power.

However, as preparation is the key to success, it is always better to prepare in advance than to only get information from memorials.

Whether it is the palace, the central government, local areas, border affairs, or financial matters, one must first have a clear idea of ​​it before making specific plans.

Relying entirely on the knowledge of later generations is like a blind man groping in the dark, and I am afraid that we will never be able to recover.

We have to combine our knowledge with current events and reflect each other.

This is called the modernization of later knowledge.

Zhang Hong was praised and even said he didn't dare.

Zhu Yijun read it carefully while eating breakfast.

The depth of mining in Huguang is inevitable, but it cannot be achieved in one day.

The late emperor had inspected the taxes during his six years in office, so how come he didn’t find any problems?
This is what Zhu Yijun cares about.

Seeing that he was absorbed in watching, Zhang Hong whispered, "Master, something happened in the palace last night."

Zhu Yijun didn't even raise his head: "Don't keep me in suspense, just speak frankly."

Zhang Hong quickly said yes, and then continued, "Meng Chong slipped and drowned last night."

Zhu Yijun paused, raised his head with a puzzled look, "Slipped?"

Zhang Hong knew that this person was a man with a clear mind, so he explained, "The people from the East Factory found it. After investigation, they said that he fell and drowned. The Imperial Household Department also confirmed it. Feng Dayong is busy with this matter."

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "You are too lazy to carry people on your back. It's really ugly."

Zhang Hong didn't dare to answer.

Zhu Yijun didn't say much about this matter.

After reading the list handed over by Zhang Hong, he said, "These people are living a good life now, right?"

Zhang Hong thought about it for a moment and replied, "The position is not very high, but the money is indeed quite generous."

Zhu Yijun already had an idea in his mind.

In the Ming Dynasty today, it can be said that eleven out of ten officials are corrupt.

Collusion between officials and businessmen and exploitation of the people are minor matters.

From the common people to the princes, who can escape?
The Ministry of Revenue did not issue annual gifts to Prince Yu's Mansion, and the entire mansion was almost unable to make ends meet.

In the end, he had to bribe Yan Shifan to get through the Ministry of Revenue, and finally get the annual gift that had been stuck for three years to be released.

And the later Prime Minister Xu Jie was known as Xu Bancheng and owned hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land. Who in the world didn't know this?
Hai Rui was ordered by the emperor to ask Xu Jie to return the land, but he was still driven away in disgrace.

Not to mention that the various government offices were forming cliques for personal gain, making private transactions, and running for office and vying for titles, which were endless.

If the superiors are like this, the lowly officials will also be exploited to death.

There are countless examples of tricks, such as kicking the cane and pouring liquid on the tip of the cane, cleverly setting up tax items, and pulling out the cow to rob the house.

You can even drain all the military pay of the border troops!
This is no longer an isolated problem, but a widespread problem in the Ming Dynasty officialdom.

Officials nowadays have lost all sense of shame regarding corruption.

Yes, I am greedy, that’s right, everyone is greedy, so what?

Didn't Qi Jiguang, a man who was determined to wipe out the Japanese pirates and was not afraid to sacrifice his life for his country, still not escape this disaster?
Why is there such a trend? In a word, the salary is low.

If you look at the people who received regular salaries in history, you will know that Gao Yi couldn't even raise enough money for his funeral after his death, and the palace had to pay for it. Hai Rui was even worse off, as his official position was not high enough to reach the palace, and his colleagues still paid for his burial.

It would be bad enough if the salary was this low, but the key is that it is often in arrears, and half salary is a blessing.

In the words of Gu Yanwu, "the salary is too meager to support his family."

We can barely make ends meet, so how can we have the mood to put up a integrity memorial?

There are only a few noble people, and most people can only go with the flow. If they are not greedy, they will starve to death. How can we restrain them?
In this context of lack of moral constraints, corruption has become rampant.

The officialdom is like this, let alone the eunuchs.

Why is the tax inspector's job such a lucrative one? If there is no problem at the local level, it's fine. But if there is a real problem, the tax inspector eunuchs will make a lot of money!

It is hard to say whether this tax is collected for the palace or for one's own pocket.

I'm afraid that the imperial envoy who is in charge of auditing the accounts and the local authorities have already reached a tacit understanding.

Looking at these dozen eunuchs, none of them reported any problems, but they all had bulging pockets, so we know what's going on.

I just don’t know whether the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the Huguang mining tax this time, or whether the problem is too big and someone can no longer handle it.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said to Zhang Hong: "It's fine if you are paid for doing errands in the palace, but if you hide something from me, I won't admit it."

"Keep an eye on these people, don't let them drown again, I'll be of use to them in the future."

"You are secretly picking a soft bone, and ask me the truth about Huguang."

"From now on, I don't care what the outside court says. When the palace inspects the taxes, I want to know what the palace says."

Zhang Honggong felt a chill in his heart when he heard this.

How can people survive if they have done something "secretly"?

Last night I only felt the awe-inspiring majesty, but now I feel the bone-chilling cold.

Is this the heavenly home?
He is only ten years old! He is indeed a sage king, cruel and ruthless!
Zhu Yijun had nothing to pretend in front of Zhang Hong, and he needed the royal laws to subdue these eunuchs.

Politics means showing different qualities in front of different people.

Zhang Hong has experience in the palace and has people under him, so these things are perfect for him to do.

He should not spend too much energy on this matter. It would be fine if he caught a small eunuch and asked him about the situation so that he could have a clear idea of ​​the situation. It would be unwise to cause trouble with the Huguang area now. If he was not careful, it would be a "civil uprising". However, as long as these tax inspectors were still there, a big case would be raised!
Let them have fun now. Make a list and settle the score later.

As for the eunuchs' corruption, he doesn't have the ability to control it now. He has to eat one bite at a time and do things one step at a time.

Zhang Hong took a step back and said, "I will do it right away."

Zhu Yijun stopped him and said, "Go through the people around me again. Arrange some of your people in Wenhua Palace and the two palaces."

The eunuch commander is in charge of the duties in each palace, which is within his authority.

Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment before answering, "I understand."

What he didn't say was that he already had people stationed in the two palaces and Wenhua Palace.

This is what every eunuch would do.

……

After breakfast, Zhu Yijun had to go to Wenhua Hall to attend classes, which were called daily lectures.

As the emperor's private hall, Wenhua Hall naturally has many palaces and pavilions.

The main hall was where the emperor held regular court sessions, and the rear hall was where the emperor lectured.

The daily lectures in the Eastern Palace are held in the right side hall of the Wenhua Hall.

When Zhu Yijun arrived, many lecturers had already arrived.

The Prince’s daily lectures are not one-on-one teaching.

There are more than ten officials with various titles, including attendant officers, lecturers, proofreaders, and assistant clerks. They are responsible for everything from reciting, flipping through books, proofreading, to taking notes.

All he had to do was sit there, read along, and ask questions if he had any. He didn't have to do anything else.

Gao Yi was at the head of the class. When he saw the crown prince enter the hall, he immediately led the two groups of lecturers to stand up and line up in a row.

Zhu Yijun should be the first to perform the teacher's ceremony.

After receiving the gift, the lecturers knelt down and kowtowed to the successor emperor.

The two sides saluted in succession. Zhu Yijun immediately smiled, showing his white teeth that had just been cleaned in the morning, and took two steps forward.

Grabbing Gao Yi's hand, he said enthusiastically, "Sir, I reviewed my lessons yesterday and gained something new. It's just as you said, reviewing the old will help you learn new things."

Gao Yi was confused by his behavior. When did the Crown Prince become so close to him?

While trying to break free without leaving any trace, he said with a stiff upper lip: "The words of the saints are certainly correct, but your Highness has gained something thanks to his own diligence."

Zhu Yijun not only did not let him break free, he even held his arm and said, "It is all thanks to the teacher's good teaching. What are you going to learn today? I can't wait."

Having said that, he took Gao Yi's hand and walked inside.

He can also do what Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, did. He is determined to be the succubus of the Ming Dynasty!
The other lecturers looked at each other and followed behind thoughtfully.

When they arrived at the position, Zhu Yijun reluctantly let go of Gao Yi's hand.

Just as Gao Yi was breathing a sigh of relief, Zhu Yijun called out to the young eunuch, "Sir, you are my trusted minister, how can I not treat you with courtesy? Come, give you a seat."

Gao Yi quickly bowed and refused: "Your Highness, I am still strong. If I can't even stand, I will not be able to stay in the cabinet."

Zhu Yijun was not willing to let him go: "Sir, why are you making excuses? This is not a regular court session. Don't refuse."

"My father left the three ministers with me and specifically asked me to treat them well. Sir, please don't let me be unfilial."

He is best at talking big.

Honest people like Grohe are easiest to bully when they are under a big banner.

Without waiting for him to refuse, he ordered the eunuch to put the seat next to Gao Yi.

It is called a seat, but in fact it is just a small stool, about the size of two palms, just right to support the two petals.

Gao Yi just feels that life is full of being forced to do things.

The previous emperor was like this, Zhang Juzheng was like this, and now the successor is like this too.

It would be a lie to say that he was not moved by the Crown Prince's behavior.

The lord held hands in front of the emperor, just like Emperor Guangwu in the past, and also offered him a seat and mentioned the former emperor's ministers in every speech. Which civil official could refuse such admiration?

But, although I was moved, I still felt very uneasy.

He carefully placed half of his buttocks on the stool to show his respect: "Thank you, Your Highness, for the seat."

Zhu Yijun sat down at the desk and nodded with satisfaction, then asked casually, "Sir, has the cabinet agreed on a date for the transfer of the late emperor's coffin?"

The late emperor's coffin is still on display in the Qianqing Palace, and Zhu Yijun is waiting to move in.

On the surface, he was asking about the relocation of the coffin, but in fact he was asking about the day when he would move into the Qianqing Palace. At the same time, it was also the time when he should accept the advice and prepare to ascend the throne in front of the coffin.

Gao Yi pondered for a moment and replied, "The Ministry of Rites reported that the coffin will be moved on the sixth of this month, and the memorial service will be held on the tenth. The Cabinet has approved it, and we are just waiting for the palace's opinion."

Zhu Yijun counted the days. Today was the second day of the Lunar New Year. In four days he would accept the advice and in eight days he would ascend the throne.

On the eighth day, he will ascend the throne and become emperor.

His mother is also going to be the queen mother.

It also means that Gao Gong’s political career is about to end.

Now is the time when Feng Bao and Gao Gong are fighting the most fiercely. Feng Bao has been waiting for this moment. If it were not for this gap, Zhang Hong might not be able to enter the Imperial Household Department safely.

So did Gao Gong realize it?
Zhu Yijun wanted Gao Gong to retire with dignity, otherwise if he lost too badly, his political legacy would also be wasted.

Not to mention anything else, just the Jin Party is now being suppressed by relying on Gao Gong's personal prestige.

If Gao Gong retired with honor and maintained the threat of being reinstated at any time, the Jin Party would not be embarrassed.

But if it was still the same as in history, his mother would have publicly announced that "Gao Gong is monopolizing power and we don't know what he is going to do. The three of us, mother and I, are terrified and uneasy."

It would be difficult for him to clean up this mess.

His current plan is to use Gao Gong to consume Feng Bao, and preferably to assist him in taking the East Factory from Feng Bao.

After he ascended the throne, he would follow Li's wishes and advise Gao Gong to retire. According to etiquette, after the new emperor ascended the throne, all ministers had to submit their resignations, and whether to stay or leave was up to them.

By bringing up the matter on his own initiative, Gao Gong could at least maintain his dignity as one of the Three Dukes, rather than Feng Bao deliberately angering the Li family.

In this way... Gao Yi would not have had to die of worry after Gao Gong was dismissed.

Gao Yi seemed to be aware of something when he was reminded of this. He looked up at the absent-minded Crown Prince, and when he saw that the lecturers were already in line, he coughed softly and said, "Your Highness, the lecture is about to begin."

Zhu Yijun immediately came back to his senses and sat up straight, "Sir, is it time to recite the Yin Zhi Pian today?"

Gao Yi shook his head and tried to look calm: "Today we will talk about the Taijia Chapter."

As he spoke, Zhu Yijun saw the secretary beside him turn the page in front of him to "Taijia Chapter".

He paused, uttered a long "oh", and said nothing, but his heart was filled with emotions.

"The Book of Documents: Taijia" only tells one story - Yi Yin released Taijia to the Tong Palace.

Taijia was a king of the Shang Dynasty, and Yi Yin was a veteran of four dynasties and Taijia's regent.

The so-called Yi Yin exiled Taijia to Tong Palace means that after Taijia ascended the throne, he was chaotic and violated the laws made by Tang. Yi Yin then exiled Taijia to another palace near Shang Tang's tomb and became regent himself.

After three years of regency, Yi Yin saw that Taijia had repented and reformed, so he invited Taijia back to power and returned power to Taijia.

The story is simple and not uncommon. He has seen people who wrote a letter of apology and then came back to take charge of the situation. The question is, why did Gao Yi suddenly insert this story?
He didn't believe that this was a teaching arrangement. Gao Yi would not do such a thing.

It can only be intentional!
Who meant it? What did it mean?
Is it a warning for him to be honest and not follow Taijia's footsteps?

Or was it to remind him that someone was planning to depose Yi and Huo?

Or... compare yourself to Yi Yin, who served as regent and then returned, to show your determination?
-
Note 1: In history, after Gao Gong was dismissed, Gao Yi immediately resigned, but his resignation was not accepted. Two days later, he died of worry and illness at home at the age of 55.

Note 2: (June th year of Longqing) Gengwu, Grand Secretary Gao Gong was dismissed, and the eunuch Feng Bao of the Imperial Household Department and others passed on the Empress's edict, the Imperial Noble Consort's edict, and the Emperor's imperial edict to the officials of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Personnel and other government offices. One day before the death of our late emperor, he summoned three cabinet ministers to the imperial bed, and personally gave my mother and my son a will, saying: "The Crown Prince is young, and he must assist us every day. Now Grand Secretary Gao Gong has monopolized power and seized the power and wealth of the court for himself, and does not allow the emperor to be in charge. I don't know what he wants to do? My mother and my son are terrified and uneasy, so Gao Gong was ordered to return to his hometown and live in seclusion, and was not allowed to stay." - "Records of Ming Shenzong"

Note 3: In 1571 (the fifth year of Longqing), the annual salary of each official was 206 dan, and the price of rice at that time was 0.6 taels per dan, so the actual payment was less than %.

Chen Guanggui: "A Preliminary Study on China's Fiscal Support Rate", published in "Contemporary Economic Science", July 2003.

Wu Jianhua: "Research on Redundancy and Vacancies of Officials in the Ming Dynasty", Xiamen University, doctoral dissertation, 2001, page 60.

(End of this chapter)