Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In the capital city in June, the sun was scorching like fire.

There was a clear look of disgust on the faces of ordinary people. Not to mention the farmers working in the fields in the suburbs, even the traffickers and lackeys in the city were often sweating.

Faced with such bad weather, the people at the bottom can only endure it silently. As for ice cubes that can sell for hundreds of pennies per pound, they are naturally disappointed.

Whenever this happens, local officials will send people to Beijing to send filial piety silver to various officials who hold real power, which is known as: ice warning.

"The salary given by hundreds of officials is not enough to support oneself, so the officials are doing bad things."

In fact, the first half of this sentence is not rigorous, but the second half directly refers to the current situation of Ming Dynasty officialdom.

Since the current trend in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom is the integration of government and business, many officials come from wealthy families and do not need to be corrupt in order to support their families.

Although the salary of the Ming Dynasty was lower than that of the Song Dynasty, the salary of a fifth-rank official was 192 shi, which was already the ration for 16 adults, not to mention various hidden benefits, such as preferential exemptions for Jinshi officials and firewood and silver.

Of course, the most important thing is the income from local "Bing Jian", "Tan Jian" and "Bie Jian", etc. There is no way that these incomes cannot support oneself.

It's just that "officials are bad", it is true.

Take the Ice Warning Silver as an example. These coins cannot be conjured out of thin air, but officials in the capital naturally turn a blind eye in order to make money.

For the sake of their own future, local officials naturally try to continue to make money in the local area to pave the way for their official career.

That's why for some seemingly incorruptible senior officials, the filial piety money from the local officials below is enough to feed and clothe their descendants for three generations.

The Xu Mansion, located in the small town of Yongfang, continues to receive ice and warning coins from local officials during this hot summer day, which continuously delivers air-conditioning to the hot Xu Mansion.

Xu Pu, who was wearing a second-grade official uniform, returned home in a sedan as usual, and the housekeeper happily greeted him with a ledger, which recorded the recent warning money of local officials.

Xu Pu seemed to be in a bad mood, and immediately waved his hand impatiently, preferring to be an upright official who didn't know anything.

"Dad, I made an appointment with some of my friends to go to Hanlin Temple to review my books today, so I want some money!" Xu Yuangai waited at home for a long time, and immediately came up to him to please him.

The housekeeper on the side saw Xu Yuanguan asking for money again, and found that Xu Yuanguan was born in the Xu family. The average family had already been ruined by this fourth son.

Xu Pu frowned slightly, and immediately looked at his son and said, "Did you get into trouble?"

"Dad, if it's nothing, just give me the money!" Xu Yuanguan's heart immediately tightened, and he quickly shook his head in denial.

In fact, Xu Pu had already seen some clues, and he waved his hands in an uneasy mood: "Since you are not causing trouble, then don't always think about running around and return to the warehouse to pay the money in two days!"

"Dad, I've already made an appointment with my friend!" Xu Yuangai pleaded with a grimace when he saw that he would stay for two more days.

Xu Pu ignored Xu Yuangai and went straight to the main room, but he knew that if he didn't make arrangements, he might really have no choice but to lose his reputation.

"Hurry, change your clothes quickly!" The housekeeper followed Xu Pu to the back house and urged the four maids waiting here.

Xu Pu has become accustomed to this kind of life where he can reach out for clothes and open his mouth for food. Every day when he returns home, he will change out of his official uniform and wear a set of comfortable home clothes.

At first, he just thought it would be more comfortable to wear it this way, but now he gradually understood Yang Tinghe's mood. It was actually the official uniform that made him uncomfortable.

He is obviously the most senior imperial master and the leader of Qingliu. He has a resounding reputation in both the government and the public. He can be said to be the best choice to rule the country at that time.

Ordinarily, as the emperor's advisor to the current emperor, he should join the cabinet and worship the prime minister in the new dynasty. It's just that the situation is completely opposite. Not only has he been unable to make any progress so far, but he has also been excluded from the core circle of power.

Now, let alone replacing Wan An and Liu Ji, even Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, would ride on his head. The second-grade official uniform he is wearing now is simply a humiliation.

The dignified First Imperial Master was treated like this, which was unprecedented throughout the Ming Dynasty.

Sometimes, he really hoped that Zhu Youtang would just get rid of him and stop his thoughts of joining the cabinet to worship the prime minister in the future, so that he could enjoy the life of a rich man when he returned to his hometown.

If he takes another eighteen-year-old concubine, he might get another fat boy.

Unfortunately, the position of Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Civil Affairs was too tempting, and he simply could not make up his mind to take off his official robe and let go of this heavy power.

Xu Pu thought about resigning, but it was just a thought.

It was not easy for him to climb to this position, and he did not want to live up to the cultivation of his mentor. Although the current situation is not good and the current position can be said to be humiliating, he believes that there will be a brighter future.

The clothes were quickly changed. The humiliating second-grade official uniform was removed and replaced with a set of comfortable home clothes.

Xu Pu enjoyed his life back home very much. Even if he was unhappy in the court, he was still the superior Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the owner of this house with dozens of servants.

In this house, he is simply an emperor.

"Master, a letter has just been sent from Jiangxi. Please read it!" Butler Xu thought of something and immediately took out a letter and said.

Letters from Jiangxi?

Xu Pu couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart when he heard that it was a letter from Jiangxi.

If there is anything that worries me recently, it is undoubtedly that the emperor did not follow common sense this time and pointed the finger directly at Jiangxi officialdom.

Unexpectedly, through the recommendation of Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, the imperial court appointed Wang Yue as the imperial envoy this time.

He knew that although Wang Yue was very unsociable and had the bad temper of the border officers, he was a man who knew how to use tactics.

Now the imperial court has asked Wang Yue to go to Nanchang to investigate the inaction of Jiangxi Chief Envoy. Although Jiangxi Governor Li Ang is an extremely shrewd person, there is no guarantee that Jiangxi Chief Envoy will not reveal any flaws.

Xu Pu's eyes flashed with murderous intent, but he knew it was time to abandon his car to save his commander.

He decided that even if he sacrificed Xu Huai, the governor of Jiangxi Province, he would not let the matter fall on Jiangxi Governor Li Ang, so he slowly opened the letter, but was completely stunned the next moment.

At this moment, he felt as if someone had suddenly stabbed him with a knife.

The next day, an explosive news suddenly came from Jiangxi, and the entire officialdom of the capital suddenly exploded.

While everyone was still speculating whether Wang Hua had withheld soldiers' pay, Wang Yue, who was ordered to patrol Jiangxi, used lightning speed to find out Wang Hua's withholding of soldiers' pay.

It is said that the case was solved directly in just one day.

It was reported by Qin Minyue, the right chief envoy of Jiangxi, and testified by Xu Huai, the chief envoy of Jiangxi left, Liu Jun, the commander of Jiangxi Dusi, and Chen Yonghao, the inspector of Jiangxi. It was Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, who was the instigator of the withholding of military pay.

"Haha... I have long said that Jiangxi officialdom is a group to frame Wang Hua!"

"Such a case is truly appalling. These Jiangxi officials should all be killed."

"The first offender, Governor Li Ang of Jiangxi, dared to frame his colleagues in this way. He shall be executed in Ling Chi!"

…

When officials in the capital learned that the withholding of soldiers' pay was actually caused by Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, the trend immediately changed 180 degrees, and they all pointed the finger at Jiangxi officialdom.

"I remember that person who said he would vouch for Li Ang!"

"Haha... maybe he is actually the mastermind behind it!"

"If you ask me, there are people behind the governor of Jiangxi, and we need to continue to dig deeper into this case!"

…

As the Jiangxi incident continued to ferment, officials in the capital did not forget what happened in the morning that day, and they all pointed the finger at Xu Pu, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

This is not all to add insult to injury to Xu Pu, but judging from the development of the entire incident, Xu Pu is undoubtedly the biggest suspect and has sufficient motives for committing the crime.

Since Jiangxi Governor Li Ang is the mastermind behind the scenes, Xu Pu, who is Li Ang's backer, may not be able to escape the blame. Maybe Xu Pu is the real mastermind behind the scenes.

When the imperial court learned of this situation, it immediately issued an order to escort Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, to Beijing to await trial.

Just when everyone was speculating whether the matter was related to Xu Pu, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and whether the current emperor would take the opportunity to punish Xu Pu, an unexpected thing came out.

That evening, Xu Pu returned home as usual, except that he took away the four maids.

"The master hanged himself!"

When Butler Xu realized something was wrong, he immediately pushed open the door, and then a wailing voice sounded.

On that beam, Xu Pu did not choose to change out of the second-grade official uniform, but chose to hang himself from the beam, choosing to end his life honorably.

Xu Pu's official career is full of legend. At the age of only 26, he ranked second in high school and became a high school scholar. He even became a disciple of the bachelor Shang Ren.

It took him twenty-five years to go from Hanlin editor to right minister of the Ministry of Rites, but during this period he became the prince's imperial master, recruited many bachelors, and accumulated enough reputation.

If there are no accidents, as long as the prince ascends the throne, he, the imperial master who has been arranged in the East Palace early, is destined to soar into the sky and become the leader of the civil servant group.

It's just that there was a deviation in history. Almost from the moment he entered the official career, he failed to get the desired results in the end, but gradually drifted away from the new king.

In the secret contest for local power, he was completely defeated.

In fact, Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, did not bear everything by himself in the end. When Xu Huai, the governor of Jiangxi Province, bit him, he also chose to bite the current Xu Pu.

If the court continues to investigate, then he, the leader of Qingliu, may be sent to the guillotine.

"Xu Pu is dead?"

"It seems that the matter really has something to do with him!"

"This is good. He has kept his reputation, and Your Majesty does not need to bear a bad reputation!"

…

The news that Xu Pu committed suicide by hanging from a beam spread quickly, and the officials who learned the news were filled with sadness.

Who would have thought that the superior Zuo Shilang would choose this method to kill himself, but the officials who knew the truth knew that this was probably Xu Pu's last way to save his face.

Regardless of the final outcome of the matter, once Jiangxi Governor Li Ang persists in biting Xu Pu, the character of a virtuous minister that Xu Pu has spent decades building will be completely destroyed.

Xiyuan, Tingchao Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang has become accustomed to coming here every day. Watching the buoy float down, he lifts a wild fish up with a slight lift, which seems very relieved.

Just thinking about Xu Pu ending it in this way makes things not easy to handle.

"Your Majesty, this is the letter left by Xu Pu!" Tan Conggui said very respectfully as he presented a letter.

Zhu Youtang took the letter and saw Xu Pu's last letter specially left for him, but he knew that Xu Pu not only wanted to preserve his reputation, but also wanted to preserve his family.

Originally he disdained such an excessive request, but soon discovered that there was a list of names in the letter.

The reason why Xu Pu allowed him to throw a rat-proof weapon was that Xu Pu had too strong control over the local area, so he chose to allow Xu Pu to stay in the position of Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

But now I see that Xu Pu knew this from beginning to end, and now he handed over this list of officials in the hope that he would let him and his family go.

"Your Majesty, do you want to search Xu Pu's home?" Qin Conggui asked seriously immediately knowing that Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, had testified against Xu Pu.

Zhu Youtang put away the list in his hand and said calmly: "Xu Pu presided over two general examinations and served as the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs for many years. There are too many disciples and former officials, so let's stop here! "

Although he is a high-ranking emperor, he still has to worry about it after all.

There are only six most important yamen in the capital, and it is a very simple matter to control them. However, there are more than 1,300 county yamen in the world, and there are hundreds of state and government yamen.

Considering the overall situation, it is really inappropriate to kill Xu Pu, at least not yet.

"Your Majesty, is this too cheap for Xu Pu?" Tan Conggui had already listed Xu Pu as his number one enemy, and he suddenly felt unwilling to express his stance.

Of course, Zhu Youtang couldn't really have no punishment at all. He said calmly: "Didn't Xu Yuanguan harass Song Cheng's wife Yun Niang? Yun Niang is a third-grade imperial concubine. How can he offend her with his white body?" Arrest him and hold him accountable!"

"Your Majesty, Xu Yuangai's crimes are more than these. I'm afraid he is..." Qin Conggui made a gesture of wiping his neck, appearing serious.

Zhu Youtang put aside the fishing rod again. Although he did not search the Xu family, Xu Yuangguan, a bad boy who had done many evil things, naturally could not let him go, so he immediately waved Tan Conggui away.

"According to the order!" Tan Conggui guessed Zhu Youtang's attitude and said with a fierce look in his eyes.

At this point, he only hopes to become His Majesty's sharpest knife and kill all those who dare to go against His Majesty. As for Xu Pu, it's a pity that this old guy died too quickly, otherwise he would be skinned and cramped when he arrived at the East Factory.