Chapter 137 Going to Jiangnan
At this time, Zhu Houzhao didn't know about the Jiangnan gentry's plot to massacre the Tax Bureau. He had just received the results of the major plan, that is, the assessment of local officials, from Ma Wensheng, the chief minister of the cabinet.
But what surprised Zhu Houzhao, his cabinet ministers and officials was that the evaluation results given by Song Kai, the censor of Southern Zhili, to the officials in the Southern Zhili region were mostly good, and even the worst was average.
There is currently no governor in the Southern Zhili region, so the most powerful official in Southern Zhili is the censor.
According to the records of the Ministry of Personnel, the patrol censors were regarded as imperial officials. They were imperial envoys sent by the central court to patrol various places in the local areas. However, because the patrol censors were permanently stationed in the local area, they were also classified as local officials in terms of geographical affiliation.
But there is no doubt that the patrol censor has great power. He can manage local military, political and civil matters, and is also responsible for the assessment of these local officials, especially in Nanzhili!
Therefore, Song Kai was responsible for the overall assessment of local officials in the southern Zhili region.
However, Zhu Houzhao, Ma Wensheng and others implemented a large-scale assessment this time. The purpose was to assess the officials in the Jiangnan region and punish local officials who failed to collect taxes and crack down on powerful people. They even cracked down on one or two weak officials in the southern Zhili region to improve the central court. The meaning of presence in the Gangnam region.
But now, the evaluation result reflected by Song Kai is that not a single official in the southern Zhili region is incompetent and needs to be dismissed from office!
"How is this Song Kai's evaluation?"
Zhu Houzhao rubbed his face. In the past few days, the results of the plans for local officials in various places were successively sent to the Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet. As the emperor, he would also personally review them. After all, he also wanted to take this opportunity to get familiar with these officials who were close to the people. Therefore, As a result, he has been a little tired recently, his eyes are red, and he has to rub his face to refresh himself.
Wang Shu, who was already ninety years old and equally tired, raised his hands to Zhu Houzhao and said, "This man is good at scholarship. During his tenure as the censor of Southern Zhili, the number of social studies in Southern Zhili increased by more than a hundred. It’s pretty good.”
Average or above in the assessment?
Zhu Houzhao didn't know if he was worrying too much. He was wondering if it was true that there were no stupid or incompetent officials in the Southern Zhili government, or was he restrained because he knew that the imperial court wanted to rectify the administration of officials?
It was already late at night, and the north wind made the window lattice creak. The cabinet ministers and eunuchs who had stayed up for several nights were all yawning. Wang Shu even narrowed his eyes. Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao also felt that it was better not to worry about this matter in a hurry, so he was only going to ask the last question: "Where are the other chief envoys?"
"Fifty-four people in Huguang are the best, one hundred and two are in the middle, three hundred and seventy-four are in the middle, ninety-four are in the bad category, and twenty-four need to be held accountable!"
"Twenty-seven of the top ones on the mountain, 362 of the mid-range ones, 86 of the mid-range ones, fifty-three of the poor ones, and nine of them need to be blamed!"
……
Before Zhu Houzhao could wait for the cabinet ministers to finish their reports, he waved his hand: "No need to read it! It seems that the censor of Nanzhili is really a good old man!"
At this moment, the sound of rapid footsteps came from outside, and then Zhu Houzhao heard Guo Rong reply outside: "Your Majesty! Jinyiwei received an urgent report from Jiangnan, Zhenjiang Prefecture Taxation Bureau and Suzhou Prefecture Chongming The county tax bureau was robbed by water bandits and pirates! All the tax supervisors and their soldiers were killed! All the undelivered banknotes were also robbed! "
As soon as he heard the news, Zhu Houzhao was stunned on the spot!
Ma Wensheng, the chief minister of the cabinet, who was in his twilight years, eagerly began to look for the previous memorials himself. Jiao Fang had already found it and handed it to Ma Wensheng first, and then came to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, this is the inspection tour of Nanzhili." The tax bureau was dismissed according to the imperial censor Song Kai’s previous petition!”
"I know!"
Zhu Houzhao responded and waved: "Go back and have a rest!"
Seeing this, Ma Wensheng, Wang Shu and others all surrendered and resigned, leaving only Liu Jin standing behind Zhu Houzhao.
Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao also asked Liu Jin to go down to rest, and also asked Guo Rong to go back first. He decided to let himself be quiet.
For a moment, apart from the flying snow swirling around the bright stars and the red wall hidden in the dark night, the only thing beside Zhu Houzhao was the little queen standing at the Qianqing Gate, wrapping herself like a snowman.
Zhu Houzhao didn't notice the little queen. He was just thinking wildly now.
For some reason, Zhu Houzhao began to realize that he seemed to be not an emperor, but a god of death.
Because he has always been causing death and harvesting the lives of others. He is a butcher and will even be a criminal who will go to an international court in future generations.
Now he seems tired of this kind of killing, but he seems to be addicted. He seems to be unable to stop the killing if he wants the crime to be punished and justice to be done.
Because of the death of Emperor Hongzhi, Zhu Houzhao chose to punish the ten clans that rebelled against the party; and because of the deaths of the people in Sanyuan County, Zhu Houzhao chose to kill Lu Zhonghe and other ten clans; and now two people from the taxation bureau have been massacred. , it seems that it was also because of himself, because he refused the request of the Jiangnan gentry.
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but think to himself that the willingness of civil servants like Ma Wensheng to compromise and satisfy the interests of the gentry group might not be really cowardly. They might really want to prevent more innocent people from paying their lives for this, because no matter how sharp your knife is, you can't Stop the greed of the gentry group.
But justice must always be done, human lives must be repaid, and the Ming Empire must still be revitalized. No matter how cruel and murderous the king is at the moment, it is better than having aliens and bandits massacre thousands of miles away more than a hundred years later. Be good.
"Let's go back to sleep!"
Zhu Houzhao saw the little queen, pinched her and put it in Guanyin's pocket, with a soft face, and took the little queen back to Qianqing Palace. After washing up, Zhu Houzhao took the initiative to take the little queen into his arms. "Let me hold you to sleep tonight! It's so warm!"
……
Early the next morning.
Zhu Houzhao summoned Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu again and said, "What do you think about last night's incident?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty! I think we can add the post of governor of Southern Zhili. Only in this way can we check and balance the governor and make the place controllable by the imperial court!"
Ma Wensheng replied. "What the chief minister said is true, and I also think it should be so. The reason is naturally that the south of the Yangtze River is unrest and the water bandits and pirates are very serious. Therefore, a governor is set up to lead troops to encircle and suppress water bandits and pirates, and at the same time supervise the local government. , picket the lawless officials and force the people to become thieves!”
Wang Shu didn't reply either.
"In this case, let Wang Shouren, the wine-offering king of the Capital University, be the governor of Youqiandu, Nanzhili, and the admiral of the soldiers of Yingtian, Su, Song, Hu, Chang and Ning Prefectures!"
In fact, Zhu Houzhao had the same idea as Ma Wensheng, Wang Shu and others, which was to send a governor to divide the power of inspections and inspections, and at the same time strengthen the central court's control over local areas. In addition, it also used this to let the governor inspect inspections and inspections and other matters in Nanzhi. officials and the tax bureau were massacred.
The reason why Zhu Houzhao appointed Wang Yangming to this post was naturally because Wang Yangming was decisive in dealing with things. Not to mention the successful arrest of Zhang Yu and other rebels who went to Beijing, he was able to decisively lead the army to quickly attack King Ning and pacify Ning. The incident of Wang Zhizhi is enough to prove that Wang Yangming can take on important tasks!
In addition, another reason is that the Wang family behind Wang Yangming is one of the shareholders of the Royal Bank, and the Royal Taxation Bureau is the main reserve account of the Royal Bank. Therefore, the revenue of the Royal Taxation Bureau, that is, the amount of Jiangnan Commercial Tax, determines the Royal Bank’s Income also affects Wang Yangming's interests.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao did not have to worry about Wang Yangming being bribed and used by Jiangnan officials.
However, Zhu Houzhao not only wanted to send Wang Yangming there, he also wanted to go himself!
"Your Majesty, why do you want to go to Jiangnan?"
Ma Wensheng couldn't help being surprised when he heard that Zhu Houzhao said that he would personally take the First Division of the Guards to Nanjing to pay homage to Xiaoling Mausoleum.
"I'm going to see if this Jiangnan is still my world! You don't have to worry about it, I have my own opinions, but your external caliber must be that I am just going to worship Xiaoling! However, the chief minister Ma Wensheng, the palm print Liu Jin, and the officials Shangshu Wang Shu wants to go with me so that we can deal with the administrative reform during the big plan at any time, especially in the Jiangnan area, so we can investigate and approve immediately!”
With that, Zhu Houzhao left the cabinet and the ceremonial supervisor's room, and only told Gu Dayong: "Go and tell Qiu Yue and Guo Rong to come!"
……
Three days later.
Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty, was preparing to go to Nanjing.
The little queen couldn't help but pouted: "Brother Emperor, can you not go?"
"No!"
"Brother Emperor, can you take me with you?"
"No way!"
"Humph, ignore Brother Emperor!"
Seeing the little queen rubbing her eyes and running away, Zhu Houzhao just smiled faintly, turned around and left Qianqing Palace.
By noon that day, Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty left Beijing with the First Division of the Guards.
However, when Zhu Houzhao just left the city, he saw a green-robed official kneeling outside the city gate and shouted:
"Jiang Wei, the head of the Ministry of Rites, asks Your Majesty to return to the palace, not to disturb the local area, and to stop patrolling the south of the Yangtze River!"
Zhu Houzhao didn't expect that someone would stop him when he left the city, so he quickly ordered someone to bring Jiang Wei over.
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but ask: "Why did you stop me?"
"I am here to stop Your Majesty for the sake of the people of the world. Your Majesty is the most powerful person in the world. He should rule the world from his residence in the palace. I hope that Your Majesty will be considerate of the people and stop the southern tour to avoid disturbing the local area and increasing the burden on the people!"
Jiang Wei said.
"Where are you from?" Zhu Houzhao asked again.
"I am from Changshu, Suzhou!" Jiang Wei replied.
Zhu Houzhao thought it was no wonder, and then said: "I have made it clear to the world that the pastoral officials in various places do not need to pick up the driver. Anyone who violates it will be punished! How can it disturb the local area! Moreover, I am going to the south of the Yangtze River to worship the Xiaoling Mausoleum. This is the meaning of benevolence and filial piety. How dare you stop it!”
"I am not forbidding your majesty to worship Taizu, but for the sake of the people of the world, I would like to ask your majesty to return to the palace and select important ministers and nobles to go to the south of the Yangtze River to worship. There is no need to go in person!" Jiang Wei replied.
"Am I the god of plague or a demon? As soon as I leave the capital, the people of this world will not be able to survive! Do you want to say that I am a tyrant who will levy and levy violence as soon as I arrive?!" Zhu Houzhao asked coldly.
"I don't dare! I just want your Majesty to return to the palace!" Jiang Wei replied.
"You already think so, why don't you dare? Send an edict that anyone who dares to stop me will be punished with trespassing and beheaded!"
Zhu Houzhao said and returned to the chariot.
But Jiang Wei still knelt on the ground and shouted loudly: "If your Majesty insists on leaving the city, I will kneel down and not stand up!"
Thank you to book friend Chang Gong Yaozhi for the 100 starting coin reward
(End of chapter)