Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

"Are we in high school?"

When Haikuan and others heard the news announced loudly by the government officials, they suddenly felt dizzy, but they still couldn't believe the sudden news.

Gao Kui also felt that things were strange. After all, the candidates for Huiyuan had just been officially announced, and the standards of these three people were indeed not above him.

However, it was impossible for the gang of government officials who announced the good news to be fake, and no one dared to make such a joke on the big day. What was even more strange was the weird ranking.

In the earlier announcement, it was clear that only 600 people would be admitted for this examination. Why were "601", "602" and "603" suddenly made available?

"This is a gift from the emperor!"

A bright light suddenly flashed in Xu Hong's mind, and he shouted with joy.

Some people also reacted that the number of admissions for this examination is 600. Now that these three people are able to graduate from high school and rank after the 600th place, it is naturally an additional gift given to them by the emperor.

"The students thank the Emperor for his great kindness!"

Chen Shou and the other three knew that this must be a gift from the emperor, a kind of compensation for their earlier, or a recognition of their earlier loyalty, so they immediately kowtowed in the direction of the Forbidden City.

The three of them all come from lower-class backgrounds, and it is no longer easy for them to persist in several college entrance examinations. This time they are ranked outside the 600th place. It can be said that it will be difficult to obtain the title of Jinshi in this life.

If one does not have the title of Jinshi and only enters the official position as a Juren, then one has to start as a sesame official such as the Zhengjiupinjiaoyu. Usually, reaching the county magistrate is already the ceiling.

But now, because they showed their loyalty in the case of Huichang Hou and because the three of them wanted to share the emperor's worries, they actually received the emperor's favor.

Even if this title is not so glorious, this move is equivalent to pulling them out of the quagmire. At least they can start their career as a seventh-grade county magistrate or a government official.

It no longer mattered how others would ridicule him. At this moment, they just wanted to repay the emperor's favor and be a good official who loved the country and the people.

"It's happening, it's really happening!"

Shopkeeper Zhang felt like he was in a dream. The three top Jinshi officers just now were no longer real, and now the emperor had gifted three more, causing Dongsheng Inn to have six Jinshis at once.

Dongsheng Inn has not only washed away its earlier unlucky reputation, but now has such an amazing record. Candidates taking the exam next year will definitely be struggling to stay in their own inn.

"Really six...all six?"

Tan Bo looked at the yamen who announced the good news in front of him. He suddenly felt like he had fallen from heaven to hell, and he murmured to himself in disbelief.

Before the top twenty were announced, he thought his bet had been won, but with Gaokui High School, his heart suffered three consecutive blows.

But who would have thought that the other three poor candidates, who were clearly not worthy enough to carry their own shoes, would be specially awarded the title of Jinshi by the emperor.

Now, he has lost the bet, and he will have to go to Beizhen Fusi to scold Zhu Ji later. His uncle will probably skin him off.

Crackling...

Dongsheng Inn lit up firecrackers again to convey the good news here.

The business of the inn was originally sluggish, but since the murder of Miss Qian who was chased and killed, the business has plummeted even more. But now, like a dead tree blooming with spring, six Jinshi were born at once, and it was no wonder that shopkeeper Zhang was smiling from ear to ear.

The sky in Beijing is very blue and spotless.

Things were just as they had guessed. Just as the announcement of the good news was in full swing, Liu Jin had already arrived at Shuntian Gongyuan with a decree.

Since Xu Hong, Zhang Sui and Gao Kui were in high school, there was no need to interfere.

Faced with the fact that Haikuan, Chen Shou and Weng Peng were not on the list of 600, Liu Jin also conveyed the intention to add these three people.

Zhu Youtang did not intend to squeeze out the quota of others, so the number of students admitted for this session was no longer 600, but 603.

After Wang Yue dealt with these matters, he could not go home immediately. Instead, he had to follow Liu Jin into the palace to meet the saint.

Liu Jian saw that Wang Yue was so highly regarded by the emperor, as if he had overturned a jealous jar, and immediately secretly made up his mind to step Wang Yue into the mud again.

Wang Yue suddenly felt a vicious look from behind him, but he did not look back, but followed Liu Jin towards the outside along the wide corridor.

Since Jukuitang has been prohibited from contacting the outside world, Wang Yue had no idea what was happening in the outside world. Naturally, he did not know that Jin Yiwei wanted to concoct a test fraud case.

Wang Yue was secretly afraid after listening to Liu Jin's story and found that the water in the capital was indeed very deep.

The case of the Marquis of Huichang has not yet been solved. As a result, Ma Shu, a small member of the Imperial Guard, arrested three officials in order to investigate the fraud case of the Huichang Examination. This was obviously aimed at himself, who had just returned to the court.

At this moment, he was glad that he met Master Ming.

If it is true that because of the loyal behavior of these six emperors, he should be investigated for cheating on the topic, then this matter is simply more unjust than the charge of writing poems and resentments.

Liu Jin led Wang Yue to the gate of Shuntian Gongyuan and pointed to the carriage waiting here: "Master Wang, please get in the carriage!"

"Okay!" Wang Yue knew that Liu Jin was a popular eunuch around the emperor, so he responded politely.

Since Suncheon Gongyuan is quite far from Xiyuan, the best option is to take a horse-drawn carriage.

Wang Yue actually wanted to go there on horseback, but now the capital was not as good as the place and there were too many rules in the capital, so he followed Liu Jin and boarded the car.

Returning to the court this time, he knew that there was still a war, but the enemy was hiding deeper and more secretly.

Like the Jinyi Baihu Ma Shu who wants to attack him this time, he is just a pawn of a certain force, and the person who really wants to attack him must be a political enemy.

During the confrontation with Liu Jian, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had a vague feeling that Liu Jian was not powerful enough and that the real chess player was probably hiding in the dark.

drive!

As the coachman raised his whip and whipped his horse, the carriage moved slowly towards Xiyuan.

After Wang Yue chatted with Liu Jin for a few words, he sat in the center and closed his eyes to rest.

He knew that the emperor was so eager to summon him, and he probably still hoped that he could break the situation for him. The matter might be even more difficult than before.

When I was in Anlu before, I only felt that the place was being harmed by officials who were corrupt and perverted the law, but gradually I realized that many of the crux of the problem may lie in this court, and even in the bodies of those virtuous ministers who are full of benevolence, justice and morality.

But now that he has come back and has the full support of the emperor, he naturally has to continue killing until all these people are killed and become officials honestly.

Perhaps you will understand only after you have experienced it. When you think of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and the simple people who work hard, some people really deserve to go to hell.

Xiyuan, Yangxin Hall.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing regular clothes, was sitting in front of the case and was concentrating on handling government affairs. He looked more and more mature.

Although the city of Beijing is very lively today, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it is naturally impossible to limit his vision to the capital city, but to focus on the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

After the war in the southwest, Huguang received the most attention. The governor of Huguang, Liu Zhong, had just sent a memorial to him reporting on the progress of the Qing Dynasty.

Although the progress of Huguang's land clearing was still very slow, Liu Zhong was like a diligent old ox plowing the fields, but he did not let go of any piece of tax land that should belong to the Ming Dynasty, leaving the landowners who had hidden their land nowhere to hide. .

In fact, many people think that with the register of unruly people and the dedicated officials like Liu Zhong clearing landowners, the landowners in Huguang will definitely take the initiative to register all the hidden acres.

It's just that this idea is completely wrong. The greed of those local officials and gentry is beyond imagination. It is more uncomfortable for them to spit out their profits than to kill them.

Although many landowners chose to register voluntarily, more than a dozen big landowners were registered as unruly people every month, and some were executed for violently opposing the court.

People die for money and birds die for food. Perhaps this is the real social phenomenon.

It's just that in the face of these resistances, it is natural to punish those who deserve punishment, and those who need to be executed are executed. Clearing the land will be a basic national policy of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

Facing Liu Zhong's report, Zhu Youtang gave instructions: "I heard that Qing is still doing everything personally, wearing common people's clothes and going to the fields, often lodging in the wild, and sometimes not having enough to eat. I feel very ashamed when I think of Qing's hardships in Huguang. Your contribution today will last forever. Land tax is the cornerstone of the country. Every acre you clear will benefit the country. I recall that the monarch and his ministers met in the past to create a prosperous world. You practiced it in Huguang. My heart has not changed. I hope you will cherish it more in the field. The porridge is warm. And eat it!”

Although during the Zhang Juzheng period, the Ming court directly mobilized officials from all over the country to clear the abbot, it only took three or four years to complete the work.

It’s just that the total acres of land in the Ming Dynasty was 700 to 800 million acres, while the total acres of land in subsequent dynasties was as high as 2 billion acres (hidden fields still existed), so there is every reason to suspect that Zhang Juzheng’s purge was not complete.

In fact, this is a reasonable guess. The most important thing for the Qing Dynasty is the ruler and the fairness of personnel. There is only one Liu Zhong in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty. How can he ensure that all officials are honest and fair?

Zhu Youtang knew that this matter must not be rushed, only slow work can produce fine work.

Even if it takes Liu Zhong three years to complete the work of clearing the husband of Huguang, it is actually worth it. Liu Zhong revealed Huguang's hidden land base, so that he could set a benchmark for Qingzhang across the country, and it would be difficult for other regions to casually deal with it.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng also used his hometown of Huguang as a benchmark, but he still acted too hastily, resulting in the number of acres of land in Fujian almost unchanged.

Zhang Juzheng spent three or four years clearing 155 million acres, and he extended the time to five years. He believed that he would be able to clear 310 million acres, thus breaking through the 1 billion mu mark and reaching half of that of subsequent dynasties.

Green smoke curled up from the copper stove, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

Zhu Youtang is now used to and even likes this taste, so he continues to deal with the government affairs at hand.

In addition to Huguang, Xuanda's relationship with Mongolia is increasingly easing. Especially in the cold winter last year, I exchanged 10,000 cotton-padded clothes with them, which caused both parties to enter a honeymoon period.

As for the disaster in Shanxi when snow crushed houses, there are mature disaster relief procedures in this era. You just need to ensure that the people who use them are relatively reliable.

Zhu Youtang knew that Shanxi was very important, and was preparing to find a candidate for the governor of Shanxi, but learned that Wang Yue had already arrived.

The government affairs of the two capitals and thirteen provinces have to be dealt with. The Ming Dynasty cannot be chaotic, but the court must continue to be cleaned, especially the Chinese moths must be dealt with.

Zhu Youtang stretched his body and smiled slightly when he saw Wang Yue walking in: "Wang Qing, people say that hosting an interview requires you to shed a layer of skin, but I think you are still in high spirits!"

Huang Pan saw that Wang Yue's face was indeed very good when he came in, and he couldn't help but look at Wang Yue more.

"Your Majesty, compared with life in the military, presiding over an examination is not a hard job. Those who say it is hard must be hypocritical!" Wang Yue, a man who has truly endured hardship, responded very relaxedly.

this……

Liu Jin, who followed in, was slightly startled at first, and then looked at Wang Yue with complicated eyes.

The examiners who were presiding over the examination kept complaining that they were tired, as if they were killing him half of his life, but finally, when it came to Wang Yushi, he actually said this.

Once this matter spreads, it will definitely make those Ci ministers embarrassed. This one really doesn't give any face to those noble Ci ministers!

Zhu Youtang could see that Wang Yue was telling the truth, so he nodded gently: "I have no military experience, but I know something about it from history books. I remember that Wang Qing also wrote a poem called "Ode to Himself" , I lamented that Confucian officials worship generals, it is easy to talk about military affairs but difficult to use them. The only pain in the world is to conquer husbands. What happened next?"

"Since Your Majesty remembers my poem, I am flattered. The following is: The world is as cold as the border. Your hair is like the snow blown by Hujia, and your heart is refined into elixir by the fire of the beacon. The justice of the court is as clear as the sun, and you can look down without shame and feel at ease everywhere." Wang Yue felt in his heart. Secretly moved and a little shocked, he first expressed his stance and then recited the poems that followed.

Zhu Youtang knew that if he wanted to create a prosperous age, he couldn't let the border generals feel cold, but today was not about talking about border defense, so he changed the subject: "I should have let you go home to recuperate today, but something happened while you were presiding over the examination, so I need to let you know immediately!”

"Your Majesty, is it about Ma Shu?" Wang Yue had already heard Liu Jin tell what happened when he came, so he cut to the chase directly.

Zhu Youtang felt that Wang Yue was really focused on doing things and nodded gently: "This matter involves my personal guards. Neither the Ministry of Punishment nor the Shuntian Prefecture are suitable to intervene, so I plan to ask your Metropolitan Procuratorate to come and investigate." Investigate this case. It has been found that Ma Shu is just a pawn. I want you to start with Ma Shu and find out the person behind it who repeatedly disrupts the government!"

"Your Majesty, may I ask your Majesty, have you found anything yet?" Wang Yue knew that the emperor in front of him was never an empty air, and he even wanted to get information.

Zhu Youtang found that Wang Yue was a smart man who knew how to do things, so he deliberately betrayed him: "While Wang Qing was in Shuntian Gongyuan, I did conduct a secret investigation. Do you know who I found?"

"Commander Zhu Ji of the Jinyi Guards?" Wang Yue's heart moved slightly and he boldly guessed.

Zhu Youtang hesitated for a moment and then gave the answer directly: "Yes, but also no! Zhu Ji is very cautious and leaves many things to his deputy Jinyiwei Tongzhi Yang Han. This time he ordered Jinyi Baihuma I'm sorry that the arrest was not Zhu Ji's order, but the verbal order from Yang Han, the commander of Jin Yiwei!"

"This is a good method! The people below will do everything. As long as the people below do not testify against him, then he is absolutely safe in theory!" Wang Shu is a person who understands the art of war and nodded thoughtfully. .

Zhu Youtang saw that the matter had been revealed, so he simply confessed his intention and said: "I not only want evidence of Zhu Ji's crime, but also want to find out all his accomplices in Jinyiwei. I hope you can help me clean up Jinyiwei!"

"Your Majesty, I have something I don't know whether to say or not!" Wang Yue hesitated for a moment, then seriously handed over his hand.

Zhu Youtang picked up the tea cup on the table and said calmly: "But it doesn't matter!"

"The Jin Yiwei are His Majesty's first bodyguards. Some of them may be disloyal in their hearts, but they definitely have no intention of forming a party and rebelling!" Wang Yue said although he didn't know the specific situation, but he had a clear understanding.

What Zhu Youtang mainly dislikes is that Zhu Ji and other Jinyiwei are too close to civil servants, but there are some things he still can't say directly: "Wang Qing misunderstood! I don't suspect that Jinyiwei forms a clique for rebellion, but I suspect that they form a clique for personal gain, or even Already involved in the political struggle!”

"Has your Majesty found something?" Wang Yue finally understood and asked seriously.

Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and revealed the information: "According to my latest investigation, Zhu Ji runs a pawn shop and a gambling house. After these investigations, it was found that some Jin Yiwei came to his gambling house. We often win money, including the son of Yang Han, the commander of the Imperial Guard!"

"Your Majesty, how does the pawnshop make money?" Wang Yue's heart moved slightly and he immediately asked.

Zhu Youtang took a deep look at Wang Yue, but with the intention of investigating, he said: "I can only reveal so much to you. The rest will be investigated by your Metropolitan Procuratorate. I hope you can hand over a satisfactory report." s answer!"

"Yes!" Wang Yue said bitterly, knowing that the pressure had fallen on him.

Liu Jin looked at the background of leaving Wang Yue, but knew that there would be no peace in the court this year.

Although the little old man looked gentle and gentle, Wang Yue's eyes did not deceive anyone. The traitor in the court might really be in danger of losing his life.

Now the emperor has given Wang Yue the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the newly established search office, and also allowed Wang Yue to point the finger at the Jin Yiwei. It is destined to be a bloody storm.