Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In August in Beijing, the sweltering heat is gone and the temperature is gradually dropping.

As autumn is approaching, countless candidates are flocking to the capital to prepare for this year's Enke Township Examination, hoping to seize this opportunity.

Living in this era, obtaining fame can be said to be the only way out for ordinary people.

It's not easy to stand out from the Shuntian Provincial Examination. Especially the graduate students of the Imperial College in Beijing have the best teaching resources, which makes it even more difficult for ordinary students in Beizhili to break through.

But no matter how difficult it is, their highest pursuit in life is always to obtain fame, then enter the officialdom, and finally walk along the palace road into Fengtian Palace to pay a visit to the aloof emperor.

Beijing City, Xiyuan.

Officials from the six departments had achieved their original dream. After receiving the notice, they came to the gate of Xiyuan together.

Since the emperor now attaches great importance to practical matters, these pragmatic officials of the Six Ministries have been reused. Although the status of the cabinet is still aloof, it has obviously declined compared with previous dynasties.

In fact, this is easy to understand. In the past, the emperor only had contact with the cabinet, but now the emperor directly communicates with officials from the six ministries, causing the cabinet to become the emperor's secretarial agency.

As for the former arrogant Ci ministers, they are now obviously suppressed by the emperor. All the ministers in the Ministry of Rites are no longer selected from the Hanlin Academy.

If we say where the power of the imperial court lies now, it is neither the six officials of them nor the aloof cabinet, but is firmly controlled by Emperor Hongzhi.

“It’s best to watch more and talk less in today’s meeting!”

"If there is anything to worry about, we can just make suggestions for His Majesty!"

"That's true, it's just that if you say some things, you will end up offending people!"

…

Li Si, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, walked behind with two newly promoted ministers. He seemed to be uncertain and expressed emotion to his two subordinate officials.

"If the sycophants are in power, the country will not be a country!" Liu Jian, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, saw Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, chatting and laughing in front of him, and thought to himself without feeling angry.

Originally, he had no intention of coming to attend this supreme meeting, but the value of this supreme meeting was too high, and the emperor clearly requested that all the six ministers and ministers in Beijing should be present.

But it was equally bad to come here. In the past, their Ci Minister had a detached status, and the six non-Hanlin ministers had to be polite to him, the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, but now he, the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, was obviously isolated.

The first stop for the officials of the six departments was not the Yangxin Hall, but the new pavilion outside the Yangxin Hall. This is the room where Wan An and Liu Ji are currently on duty every day.

Since Zhu Youtang was indeed on errands in Yangxin Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion was no longer the cabinet, and the real cabinet had been transferred to these rooms.

Wearing a python robe, Wan An was crouching in front of the case and was diligently drafting memorials from the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

He knew that countless people were eyeing his position, and since he was already quite old, the best way to hold on to his position as chief minister was to be diligent and responsible.

Facts have proved that his method is very effective. Not only has His Majesty not changed his mind, but he also has some gifts from time to time.

Ahem...

After all, Wan An was getting old. He couldn't help coughing when he walked out of the duty room, and then said to the officials waiting outside: "Now that everyone is here, let's meet His Majesty together!"

"Yes!" Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials maintained respect for the old chief minister and said hand in hand.

When they arrived at the door, after being informed by the eunuch, the officials followed the young eunuch inside.

Nowadays, the highest meeting place is no longer limited to Yangxin Hall. If there is a long meeting or a meeting with serious disputes, the emperor will arrange it in the Imperial Study Room.

When Li Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and other officials saw the young eunuch ushering them into the imperial study, they exchanged silent glances, and then said respectfully to the attic: "Your Majesty, please greet me!"

"My dear friends, please take your seats!" Zhu Youtang was sipping tea above and said calmly.

Wan An and others thanked them and took their seats one by one.

Although there are twenty people qualified to participate in the Supreme Meeting, due to lack of personnel and business trips away from Beijing, the number has never been reached.

Guo Yong, who was wearing a bullfight uniform, nodded gently to the little eunuch next to him, and then explained to the ministers present: "This is the result of Liu Zhongqing, the governor of Huguang, and his father-in-law in Luzhou. Please take a look at it, your lords!"

Officials such as Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, took over the manuscript one after another. Some officials had actually known about it in advance, but the uninformed officials suddenly became solemn when they saw the shocking data.

If we say that the corruption of salt administration in the Ming Dynasty could be blamed on salt officials and salt merchants before, but now it involves local hidden fields, this sharp blade is pointed directly at the officials and gentry, and even at themselves.

Due to the existence of the Diaomin Register, many of them have already begun to "correct themselves", and naturally they know that their families are actually members of the "Hidden Field".

However, things did not change after all. After the court used the execution of the men of the Sun family to show the determination of Qing Zhang, the veil of Anluzhou was still lifted by Liu Zhong.

A pair of slender hands brews West Lake Longjing, and a scent of tea rises.

Zhu Youtang, who was lying on the chair, took a sip of the tea he had just brewed, and then said to the important court officials below: "The results of Anlu Prefecture's Qingzhang have come out, and all of you have seen it! I could have done it." Tolerating a certain amount of hidden land, after all, if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and it is even more difficult to ask local officials to do everything right! Just take a look, the registered acres account for one, and the hidden land accounts for two. This Anlu is still considered The territory of the Ming Dynasty?"

Huguang is familiar with it, and the world is full of it!

While it is good to develop cash crops, food is also a top priority.

Due to its geographical location, soil and water conservancy, Huguang is the most suitable place for the development of agriculture in the Ming Dynasty and is also a natural granary.

In the original historical trajectory, Zhang Taiyue presided over a nationwide purge. The original area of ​​Huguang was 36.44 million acres, but it turned out to be 91.63 million acres, and the hidden farmland turned out to be as high as 55.19 million acres.

What is this concept?

The land area after Zhejiang was cleared was 5,630 acres, so the result of the clearing in Huguang was that the Ming Dynasty was equivalent to one more land in Zhejiang.

But now, Zhu Youtang has brought forward the history of Qingzhang. Since the imperial court also launched a big weapon this time - the Diaomin Register, and the Ministry of Industry is now promoting the meter meter in local areas, this purge has become more thorough.

Since the imperial court had cleared away the obstacles of the Sun family, Liu Zhong's purification was progressing very smoothly, and the feedback from Anlu Prefecture was very good.

The "good" here is partly bad, because the situation in which Luzhou Hidden Field was placed is very serious.

Take the Anlu Sun family as an example. They have been multiplying in Anlu Prefecture since the Taizu period. They not only occupied a large number of military villages, but also extended their tentacles to people's fields.

The number of acres of land under Sun Jiao's name alone has reached tens of thousands of acres. However, in the official list, there are only two thousand acres under Sun Jiao's name, and an astonishing 80% of the hidden land is hidden.

The overall situation of hidden farmland in Anlu Prefecture is shocking. The number of hidden acres is actually twice that of the registered acres. That means Anlu Prefecture escapes twice the grain tax every year.

If the whole world were like Anlu Prefecture, then the Ming Dynasty's annual grain tax revenue would no longer be 30 million dan, but a full 90 million dan.

Just like this, the results of the Qingzhang of Anlu Prefecture have strongly proved the hidden diseases of the official and gentry class, and the grain tax of the Ming Dynasty is likely to rise sharply.

"Your Majesty, you can tell the whole story at a glance! Judging from the results of this purge in Anlu Prefecture, the hidden land of the officials and gentry today is so huge that I thought that the whole country should be purged immediately!" Wu Yu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, exuded a kind of aura. Be energetic and make your stance clear.

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jian, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, immediately retorted: "Absurd! How can you know the whole leopard at a glance? In the past, there was a flying head in the sky, but it was difficult to see it when it was far away. People in Yue thought it was a fu, and people in Chu thought it was a Yi. Now An Lu Prefecture is hiding in the field. How can the land of one state be used to confirm the two capitals and thirteen provinces because of the Sun family? It is not absurd to think that the Sun family is evil and the gentry in the world are evil?"

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials exchanged silent glances, and finally understood why His Majesty wanted to sit on it and drink tea. He knew that there would be a dispute over this matter.

In fact, everyone knows this matter well. Even if the hidden land problem in Anlu and one state cannot explain that the entire Ming Dynasty officials and gentry have hidden land, it is already very serious in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

You must know that in Anlu Prefecture, it is not just the Sun family who is in Yintian, but the ordinary officials and gentry also perform this kind of operation more or less, so the problem in Yintian must exist in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

As for the hidden field issue in Anlu Prefecture, it is probably just following the national trend.

"Liu Shilang, you are obviously sophistry! It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. However, today's grain taxes are decreasing and land expansion is increasing. Isn't it contradictory? Today's Anlu Prefecture is enough to prove that there are a lot of hidden fields in the country. It should be cleared. The whole country!" Wu Yu came from an ordinary farmer's family and argued fearlessly.

Liu Jian's knowledge was naturally not weak, so he retorted calmly: "The world's food taxes are decreasing day by day. This is due to the late emperor's benevolent government and the abundance of disaster-free fields! As for what you said about the increasing number of fields, it is actually a glimpse of the past. This is true. The situation in the world is complicated. When disasters occur, fields decrease, and fields are expanded. Increases and decreases are common occurrences. How can you prove that it is not an increase or a decrease?"

this……

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and other officials couldn't help but look at each other in shock when they heard Liu Jian's words.

In fact, they all felt that Liu Jian was sophistry, but the Ming court rarely collected data in this area, and for a while it was really impossible to tell whether it was "increase and decrease" or "increase and decrease".

But we have to admit that these poets have a great advantage in quoting scriptures, and the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, who has read the books of sages, is indeed good at eloquence.

In the attic, the aroma of tea overflows.

"Your Majesty, if you smell this tea before drinking it, it will taste better!" When the confrontation occurred below, the young girl who was making tea reminded with a smile.

She is one of the three hundred beautiful ladies. She is lucky enough to have good tea skills, but she is lucky enough to be transferred here to temporarily serve as the emperor's tea lady.

Zhu Youtang liked the well-developed and fair-skinned tea girl next to him very much. He reached out to pick up the tea cup and smelled it. Then he took a sip and suddenly a refreshing tea fragrance poured into his body.

After all, this is an era of struggle for power. Now that he wants to take power personally, the wishful thinking of the ministers has failed, and now this famous virtuous minister in later generations is slowly turning dark.

It's just that the court needs this kind of tit-for-tat, and these hypocritical Qingliu Ci ministers are their own best whetstones.

"Your Majesty, I sincerely ask you to go to Henan to clear out your land, and please give me your permission!" Wu Yu, the right minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, was so angry that his face turned red and his neck was thick, but he suddenly requested.

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials looked at each other, and then smiled knowingly.

Wu Yu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is now requesting an order to be sent to Henan. Although it may be to pave the way for his future promotion to the six ministers, it is more likely to target Liu Jian.

After all, Liu Jian is a native of Henan. His ancestors were high-ranking officials in the Yuan Dynasty, and Liu Jian's father, Liu Liang, was a magistrate of Sanyuan County. It can be said that he came from an official family.

If the court suddenly wants to investigate Liu Jian's family's land, considering Liu Jian's current status, it is really possible to find out the considerable amount of hidden land in his name.

When Liu Jian saw Wu Yu targeting him in this way, his face suddenly became terrifyingly gloomy, but he glared at the junior fiercely.

If it were people like Li Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, that would be fine. Now a right minister of the Ministry of Finance, who was moved up from the Ministry of Finance, Zhongchao, dares to challenge him. Today, he is too disrespectful to his position as the crown prince.

At this moment, he hated the Hongzhi Dynasty who did not attach importance to Ci ministers, and also hated Hongzhi who did not attach importance to their Ci ministers to govern the country.

"Wu Yu, how long have you been serving as the Minister of Household Affairs? Let me make it clear that from now on, if the term of the Six Ministers of the Ministry of Finance is less than one year, they will all work hard in their positions for me, and don't just think about running away to serve as a feudal official!" Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and warned expressionlessly.

When Liu Jian saw Zhu Youtang's attitude, he couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he glanced at Wu Yu proudly and secretly recorded this hatred.

Wu Yu ignored Liu Jian's proud look, but hurriedly knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, please remember your teachings! I am not asking for a feudal official, but the result of the Qingzhang of Anlu Prefecture has confirmed the disease in Hidden Field, so I just want to share your majesty's worries and repay your kindness! I am not a talented governor of Henan, so I would like to ask your majesty to grant me the post of magistrate of Luoyang. I am willing to help your majesty clear Luoyang Mansion and increase the court's food tax revenue!"

this……

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and others couldn't help but look at Liu Jian, daring Wu Yu to kill Liu Jian at the expense of his official career. This kind of minister promoted by an official is really scary.

Liu Jian tried hard to calm down his nervous mood, but he didn't expect this stupid young man to be so cruel.

"How can the Minister of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty be appointed as the prefect? ​​I won't allow it! Please do your job as the Minister of Household Affairs for me. When the time comes, I will make my own arrangements!" Zhu Youtang gently held the tea cup in his hand. Putting it down lightly, he changed the subject and said: "The results of one state cannot determine the whole country! It is not appropriate to implement nationwide Qingzhang in Ming Dynasty today, so we will wait for the results of Qingzhang in Huguang. If all the prefectures in Huguang have hidden fields When the time comes, the imperial court will appoint capable ministers as governors to serve in local areas, what do you think?"

Although the results in Anluzhou have been shocking, it has not yet reached the time to implement it nationwide.

One is that Anlu Prefecture is a state after all, and Anlu Prefecture does not have the persuasiveness to point to the whole. Therefore, the best way is to wait for the official results of Huguang’s clearing of the title.

The second is the lack of talent. After all, it is people who really do things, not a piece of official paper. Like Anluzhou's Qingzhang, if someone else were to do it, it would probably be a different result.

In addition, Qingzhang Tianmu will eventually go to war with the gentry class. It is not advisable to act too hastily now, but it can be solved slowly through a point-to-point approach, which will also give the entire gentry class a buffer time.

For example, Zhang Juzheng's implementation of nationwide land clearing took four to five years. However, his own land clearing has only been implemented for a few months, so there is no need to rush to implement it nationwide.

That's why, regardless of whether Liu Jian just stood up to oppose it, he actually just wanted to clarify the results of Qingzhang's victory, but he was not eager to promote it nationwide.

Officials such as Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, knew that the current emperor was an old man who was sincere in seeking the country, so they immediately expressed their stance together: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Although Wu Yu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, hated officials like Liu Jian who were holding back, he still obeyed His Majesty's arrangements and knew that His Majesty was actually protecting him.

He just glared at Liu Jian secretly, but secretly decided to wait until the results of Huguang's abbotship were resolved, and then he would request an order to be the governor of Henan, insisting on taking off Liu Jian's underwear.

Liu Jian's brows frowned slightly. Although he successfully escaped this time, he felt a strong uneasiness in his heart.

"Li Qing, how much will be the tax revenue of Anlu Prefecture after this cleanup?" Zhu Youtang had already planned in his mind, so he asked Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs below.

Li Si thought for a while, then reported a figure: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Anlu Prefecture's tax revenue is expected to reach 150,000 dan!"

Huh?

When Wan An and other officials heard this data, many officials seemed to have thought of something and immediately turned their heads to look at the attic above.

"I remember that one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand stone tax and grain can be used by the central government! In this case, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Personnel will work together, and you two yamen will upgrade Anlu Prefecture to Anlu Prefecture and add another county!" Zhu You Zang picked up the tea cup that had just been poured and made arrangements in a formal manner.

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Jia Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of Works, found that this arrangement seemed reasonable and reasonable, so they respectfully saluted and said: "I will accept the order!"

Wan An and Liu Ji silently exchanged glances, realizing that their emperor was becoming more and more unfathomable.

Originally, the clearing of land was an infringement of the interests of local officials and gentry, and local officials who colluded with local officials and gentry would also be an obstacle. However, now Zhu Youtang has upgraded Anlu Prefecture to Anlu Prefecture, and also added a county seat, which will undoubtedly divide local officials well. Close relationship with local officials and gentry.

After all, after clearing the land, not to mention many states have the opportunity to be promoted to prefecture, even from Zhongfu to Shangfu, then there is hope that the rank will change from a fourth-grade prefect to a full fourth-grade prefect.

When facing Qing Zhang Tianmu, he did not act too hastily. Instead, he defeated them one by one just like cutting off the skin in the early Ming Dynasty. He was really planning every step. Is there any reason why Qing Zhang Tianmu could not be accomplished?

"I have summoned you here today. The result of Anlu Prefecture's clearing is the second. In recent years, Annan has repeatedly invaded the southwest of the Ming Dynasty. It is the second best to occupy and seize land. It actually slaughtered our border residents several times, and also looted pearls and burned ships! Today I have verified his crime, dear friends, please take a look!" Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and said with a hint of anger.

Guo Yong, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, had been standing below. After hearing what Zhu Youtang said, he asked the young eunuch to distribute the relevant evidence to all the officials present.

The second assistant Liu Ji did not like war, but after seeing the numerous crimes listed above, a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

"Now that the north is stable and the national treasury is full, I have decided to conquer Annan and help Zhancheng and other foreign vassals recover their lost lands to enhance the prestige of our Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Youtang came to the guardrail and said in an astonishing way.