Chapter 121: A good beginning and a good end

Zhu Yijun shook his head and sighed, feeling quite emotional.

In history, Zhu Xizhong died of illness on September 30th of the first year of the Wanli reign.

Today is July 19th, and the two are actually not far apart. Even if it weren't for the incident in Huguang, it would have been two months.

However, the relationship between the ruler and his subjects in these two cases is quite different. To die peacefully is nothing compared to dying with honor.

Although there are ingredients that each needs, but...

Even if one were to spend a fortune on horse bones, one could not treat the Chengguo Mansion unfairly, not to mention that it was a great help to oneself.

Since he ascended the throne, the Jinyiwei helped him control the inner court and suppress the two palaces and Gao Gong. Now this Duke Chengguo has died in the line of duty.

The Chengguo Mansion has become completely dependent on him, and can be said to be an integral part of him.

If Zhu Xizhong couldn't even maintain his posthumous honor, how could people believe his talk of reviving the Imperial Palace?
At the beginning, Zhu Wan worked for Emperor Sejong, but he was impeached and committed suicide. He even turned the tables and implicated his relatives, but Emperor Sejong remained indifferent.

Even five years after the incident, the Minister of War Nie Bao was still mocking Emperor Taizong: "The law has clear provisions. The powerful people in Fujian and Zhejiang have privately built huge boats and traded with the bandits. If we impose strict prohibitions, resentment and criticism will arise. Since the death of Governor Zhu Wan, the law has been lifted."

You see, the people who set up the legal network all died unjustly, so how can people control the powerful people in Fujian and Zhejiang?
If people's hearts are lost, it will be difficult to lead the team.

For this reason, Zhu Yijun naturally could not let the Duke's Mansion continue to be as it was in history. After Zhu Xizhong's death, things took a sharp turn for the worse - Zhu Xizhong was posthumously awarded the title of king in the year he died, and in the second year, Zhu Xixiao died in March after taking over the guard affairs, and Zhu Shitai died in September after inheriting the title of Duke. Ten years later, his posthumous title of king was stripped away, and in the fourteenth year, Duke Zhu Yingzhen committed suicide.

The Jinyiwei is not so easy to control, and they will be liquidated if you are not careful.

In the past there was Lu Bing, and later there was Chengguo Mansion.

Therefore, although Zhu Yijun's words just now were euphemistic, his attitude was clearly expressed.

Zhu Xizhong died for his country! The imperial envoy died on duty!

What? The heinous crime of killing the prince without authorization and usurping the imperial power?

The only thing that needs to be discussed is the way Duke Chengguo does things, but his intentions are good, and he is a good nobleman.

What's more, he worked hard and died in office. How can we be too harsh on such a loyal minister?
Let’s not talk about rewards and punishments, let’s just talk about how to reward.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi looked at each other and showed helpless expressions.

Now, whenever the emperor lifts his butt, they know whether he is going to shit or pee.

This is such a difficult matter again.

The court deliberations are not a one-man show for the cabinet, and the civil and military officials in the court are not commanded by the cabinet.

The emperor only needs to consider persuading the first and second assistants, but they have a lot of yin and yang to reconcile.

As the chief minister, Zhang Juzheng was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, it's not just about Zhu Xizhong, but also about the son-in-law Wu Jinghe."

"Even if Wu Fu Ma is the head of the imperial clan, he cannot arbitrarily designate Jing, Xiang, Min, and Ji as criminal vassals and demote them to a lower rank without the approval of the Ministry of Rites, the Cabinet, and Your Majesty."

In addition to these four vassal states, the Chu vassal state is also investigating.

It can be said that all the princes in Huguang became criminal vassals after this incident.

Just like the case of Zhu Xizhong, once it was brought to court for discussion, it caused another uproar.

It’s not that princes and dukes cannot be killed. The imperial court has killed many of them before.

It's not that the vassal states could not be convicted. The abolition of the Liao vassal state was personally handled by Zhang Juzheng.

The problem is, how can one act on his own accord on such a procedural issue without the approval of the cabinet or the emperor?
Once this precedent was set, the trend spread to generals at the border and governors-general in various places, which meant the collapse of the ritual system.

Never do it!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun nodded in agreement: "The way you do your job is indeed inappropriate."

He smiled and said as a matter of course: "That's why I want to discuss with you two gentlemen today how to end this matter."

Zhang Juzheng saw this behavior and found it to be exactly what he had expected, and he felt helpless.

The young emperor was willing to give up power, but once he intervened in government affairs, he always caused great trouble to the cabinet.

Zhu Xizhong killed the prince without authorization, and the young emperor hinted from the beginning that he was not only innocent but also deserved a reward.

Wu Jinghe's usurpation of authority involved not only the cabinet, but also the Ministry of Censors, the Imperial Censorate, and the Ministry of Rites, all of whom would not let it go easily. The little emperor simply said that the method was inappropriate, meaning that the slightest mistake could not be made.

The young emperor relied on the cabinet to reconcile yin and yang, and when something happened, he would call him and Gao Yi - "Sir, please reconcile it again."

It really makes people feel... well, it feels pretty good.

After all, they are all serious matters, not like Emperor Sejong's insistence on building palaces and pavilions to harmonize yin and yang.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Your Majesty, since the case in Huguang has been investigated to a certain extent, let Hai Rui and others return to the capital to report first."

Huguang has been in turmoil for quite some time.

When Chu Fan murdered his father and usurped the throne, Emperor Shizong ordered Wu Jinghe to handle the case. After more than a month, he was excluded from the whole of Huguang.

Now that this matter has not been resolved for a long time, and many gentry have been ruined and their families have been destroyed, the pressure is doubled.

Zhang Juzheng received letters from his hometown in Jiangling every day pleading for mercy.

Of course, the reason was very high-sounding. The imperial envoy's investigation of the case caused unrest among the people, which not only dampened the enthusiasm of officials to govern the country, but also affected the enthusiasm of the people to produce and farm.

Even though the situation has eased somewhat after Liang Menglong took office, the situation should not be underestimated.

Since the emperor has said he wants to wrap up the matter, it would be best to first determine the tone and close the case, and then express his stance.

So as to avoid causing unrest in people's hearts.

While the three were discussing business, Zhang Hong quietly prepared lunch and stood behind the emperor to remind him.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yijun stood up and walked down the imperial steps, politely inviting them: "Gentlemen, let's have dinner first."

The two cabinet ministers were also accustomed to the emperor's behavior, so they quickly thanked him and followed him.

Eating time is a good time to discuss matters.

The so-called "don't talk while eating" means you can't talk while chewing, not that you can't talk during the meal, otherwise there wouldn't be so many banquets.

The three of them sat down in a row.

Zhu Yijun continued Zhang Juzheng's words: "Sir, I will issue an edict later to settle the Huguang incident and order Hai Rui to return to Beijing immediately. What do you think?"

The imperial edict must be issued, and the imperial envoy should return.

Didn't he call the Prime Minister and the Second Prime Minister to discuss the drafting of the bill?
As for the content of the edict, it depends on what consensus the three people reach.

After the two ministers heard the emperor's words, Gao Yi was the first to ask, "Your Majesty, do you really want to take the property of the vassal states back to the inner court?"

Before Wu Jinghe left, the emperor had already discussed the matter of demotion and inheritance of the title with him and his wife.

Only when you become the head of the household do you realize how expensive firewood and rice are.

Saving money is never a matter of willingness, it’s just that everyone has their own resistance.

The resistance to the vassal states' surrender was originally from the emperor, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet had never been willing to pay to support so many members of the royal family.

Since the emperor was interested, the two of them naturally agreed.

The consensus at that time was to start with the affairs of Huguang, punish the criminal vassal states and lift the commercial ban on the lower-level royal family members.

After the news spread, he would instruct one or two obedient vassal states to surrender and give them additional rewards, with one punishment and one reward for each inside and outside, in order to coerce the rest of the vassal states.

First confirm, then customize.

Boiling the frog in warm water prevents the various feudal lords from colluding with each other and also preserves the emperor's virtue.

However, the young emperor did not tell the two of them about the confiscation of the family property!
When it comes to real money, are you playing tricks on the teacher?
Seeing Gao Yi's subtle expression, Zhu Yijun was quite dissatisfied, so he quickly asked Zhang Hong to serve the gentleman a bowl of soup to relieve the heat.

He said sincerely, "I only mentioned this matter to Wu Jinghe and confiscated the ancestral property of the Yueyang Palace."

"How could I have known that all the feudal lords were involved? I never expected this!"

"But sir, since it has already been confiscated, you can't change your mind overnight."

"As for the specific disposal of the clan property, it is not just the inner court that will be in charge. I want the inner court, the clan affairs office, and the Ministry of Revenue to manage it."

It would be a lie to say I didn’t say hello to Wu Jinghe.

Before Hai Rui and his companions set off, they only knew that the Yueyang Palace was involved in the case.

But it is not worth mentioning that Zhu Yijun made some speculations and even hinted that Zhu Xizhong had implicated the various vassal states.

If Huguang really wants to confiscate all the property of the vassal states this time, the amount will certainly be nearly one million.

Take Chu Fan as an example. In history, Chu Fan was blackmailed by Wang Shouren, who said that Chu Fan had seized the property of his ancestor Wang Bi, which was more than 10 million taels.

The King of Chu pleaded that there were only 180,000 taels in his palace. How could there be so much? If he didn't believe it, he could come and check.

The difference between the two was so huge that Emperor Wanli sent an imperial envoy to check without saying a word. The envoy came back and said, "Well, there were only 180,000 taels, not a penny more."

What happened later is easy to explain. Several decades later, Zhang Xianzhong was a kind-hearted man. After the uprising and the capture of Wuchang, he counted the ancestral property of the Chu family for free.

According to records, "a hundred carts of gold and silver" were taken away, but the exact amount is unknown. However, even if it is exaggerated, the total amount of assets of several prefectures and clans would not be less than one million.

This was also the reason why Zhang Juzheng was displeased.

The country is in dire need of money at this time, so why don't you tell the cabinet about such a huge sum of money and instead try to secretly take it into your inner court?
Zhu Yijun hurriedly explained, don’t worry, old man, it’s not that I want to spend it myself, but I want to use it for the right purposes, and the Taicang Warehouse will also have a share!

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yijun saw that the two men's complexions looked much better.

Zhu Yijun struck while the iron was hot and informed the two cabinet ministers again about the matter of establishing a trading company and encouraging members of the royal family to engage in industry.

"It was previously agreed that each feudal lord would be demoted to a lower rank and inherit the title, and each prefecture would have a fixed salary."

"But I received a memorial from Wu Jinghe, which said that most of the royal family members with titles did not work, committed crimes, and were infuriating."

"Most of the royal family members without titles were poorly clothed and hungry, which was really miserable."

"I want to leave them a way out."

He did not guide the royal family to do business simply for the purpose of making money.

But there are considerations.

To put it bluntly, his move was an attempt to transform the vassal states from meat pigs into imperial merchants and state-owned enterprises.

Run a business, have a name and a position, reproduce internally, be in the same place, and have direct access to the ears of the emperor.

Of course, the authority of the People's Armed Forces Department, that is, the royal guards, must be exempted.

The officials in the inner court, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Clan Affairs, and the royal palace who are in charge of the clan property are almost replicas of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Once a round of internal competition is completed and a group of good businesses that can make money and a group of secure businesses that can accept losses are screened out, things will be in shape.

We cannot always focus on taxes when it comes to our purse lines. If we impose taxes directly, the people will react too strongly.

It would be better to try a different approach and open up new sources of income – feudal marketization and directly compete with the gentry for food.

As for what to do if they don’t make money…to be honest, Zhu Yijun really couldn’t imagine that a famous and powerful royal merchant could not make any money as a whole.

To take a step back, even if there is a loss, we can work with others to do the accounting and sell off the property.

At worst, some members of the royal family will starve to death. Anyway, the capital comes from the royal property.

In fact, Zhu Yijun's actions may have given rise to some budding ideas.

Otherwise, it would not be limited to fully competitive industries such as industry.

No matter how badly they do, even if they all die, the meat is still rotten in the pot. They can replace a group of people and continue the business.

The two cabinet ministers listened carefully.

Zhang Juzheng, who was standing by, couldn't help but take a deep look at the emperor, feeling more and more emotional.

The little emperor's behavior so far really satisfied him.

The determination to rebuild the Ming Dynasty led to everything.

Academically, his ability in studying classics was as good as that of the imperial examination candidates; during the imperial lectures, even if he wanted to be strict, he could not find any fault with the emperor.

In government affairs, the talents he demonstrated were almost God-given, and his vision and skills were all top-notch.

Even the emperor's personal character, which was most criticized by the outside world, was somewhat cruel.

But in Zhang Juzheng's view, the underlying tone is still benevolence and generosity.

With such a monarch and such students, what more could one ask for?
Zhang Juzheng listened quietly to what the emperor said and exchanged glances with Gao Yi.

The former then expressed his position: "Your Majesty has already informed the Cabinet about the matter of the vassal state earlier."

"Although there are some additions and deletions now, they are still within your majesty's plan, and we have no objection."

"But, Your Majesty, please think twice about the matter of Duke Chengguo."

What he meant was that he approved of Wu Jinghe's handling of the matter and was willing to endorse it - the consort's handling of the various vassal states was remotely controlled by the emperor and the cabinet, and there was nothing illegal about it.

Things like setting up criminal fiefdoms, confiscating clan property, and lifting commercial bans were all the ideas of the central government.

Of course, the Ministry of Revenue also has a share of the confiscated clan property!
But, the matter of Duke Chengguo is not so easy.

After all, he killed the prince on his own initiative.

To avoid punishment, one must rely on the cabinet’s vigorous mediation, not to mention that the emperor wanted to confer rewards.

Even if a person's debts are settled after his death, that is not a panacea.

Zhu Yijun had anticipated this.

He said slowly: "How about dismissing Zhu Xixiao from his post as the Right Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi were both shocked, and then they realized what the emperor meant.

The two of them said almost in unison: "That's all."

Seeing the two gentlemen respond, Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction and said nothing more.

Who controls the Jinyiwei is not determined by official title, but is clearly defined.

A certain official position, in charge of guard affairs, is the complete leader of the Jinyiwei.

Today, in addition to the commander-in-chief Zhu Xizhong, the Jinyiwei also has the right commander Zhu Xixiao in charge of the guard affairs.

It can be said that the Jinyiwei was the private territory of the Chengguo Mansion. This was also the reason why all the civil and military officials in the court regarded the Chengguo Mansion from top to bottom as the emperor's lackeys.

However, misfortunes often follow blessings, and blessings often follow misfortunes. It is precisely because of this that it is inevitable that jealousy will be aroused.

Zhu Xixiao and Zhu Shitai were both healthy and well, but both died of illness after Zhu Xizhong's death. There might be a reason for this - the Duke Cheng's Mansion has been in charge of the Jinyiwei for too long.

Therefore, the proposal Zhu Yijun just made was to make concessions for Zhu Xizhong's actions, and also to preserve the Chengguo Mansion and let it escape from everyone's sight.

In this way, giving up real power and conferring some honors and empty titles is the only natural thing to do.

After the storm subsides, it will be easy to arrange a place to go.

As for the new Jinyiwei governor...

The high priest Zhu Xizhong, who had represented the royal family in sacrifices 66 times, has passed away. It is time for a new high priest to take over and take over the Jinyiwei at the same time.

Favoring only one family or surname is not the right way to claim the throne.

Zhu Yijun was reviewing the game while drinking porridge.

Gao Yi spoke again, "Your Majesty, apart from this, I'm afraid there are still some obstacles at the Ministry of Rites."

Zhu Yijun swallowed the porridge and looked at Gao Yi, saying calmly: "Didn't I agree to let Zhang Siwei join the cabinet during the last court meeting? Why are you still making a fuss?"

Gao Yi hesitated to speak.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't bear to watch it anymore, and said helplessly, "Zhang Siwei's father, Zhang Yunling, colluded with the Tatars and leaked military information. He was punished by the governor of Xuanda, Tan Lun, according to military law."

"Did Your Majesty do this on purpose?"

Zhu Yijun quickly said in a serious tone, "Sir, why do you say that? Could I have ordered Zhang Yunling to deliberately violate the law and seduce Tan Lun to kill people in anger?"

He did not send the Jinyiwei to carry out political assassinations as Gao Gong said.

Instead, he collected evidence and had Tan Lun execute him by military law.

This is a legitimate matter, and no one can say it is wrong.

It would be fine if it was my instructions that Tan Lun was involved, but it is impossible that someone was instigating Zhang Siwei's father to break the law, right?

Upon hearing this, the two cabinet ministers immediately understood what was going on.

Fortunately, Wang Chonggu and Yang Boming were able to stabilize the situation in Xuanda, otherwise Xuanda would have been in chaos.

No one knew why the emperor was so opposed to Zhang Siwei that he did such a thing - it was just a violation of the national law and collusion with the Tatars. The Jin Party had been doing this for who knows how many years. If they said he was indignant, the two did not believe it.

Gao Yi even spread his hands and said, "Minister Zhang is in deep grief and has no interest in government affairs. Your Majesty should keep Huguang's memorial in the palace and wait until Minister Zhang returns home to mourn for his father before submitting it to the Ministry of Rites for discussion."

Zhang Siwei was grief-stricken over the death of his father, and acted a bit crazy, so much so that even the cabinet did not dare to confront him.

We can only wait a few more days.

Zhu Yijun was reasonable and nodded: "Sir, you are right. It should be so."

Who opened his third eye?

Even if he allowed Ma Ziqiang of the Jin Party to take over the Ministry of Rites and join the cabinet, he would not give Zhang Siwei any chance.

Wang Chonggu who valued money more than his life, Gao Gong who thought highly of himself, Shen Shixing who was weak in character... Zhu Yijun could tolerate all kinds of fellow villagers and all kinds of character flaws, but he had no patience at all for those who were too selfish.

If the central team is not gradually purified in this way, how can we command it smoothly?

(End of this chapter)