Chapter 104 Borrowing people’s heads to grudge the common people! (Second update)
Guo Huan sat on a chair, fiddling with the jade ring with his thumb, staring at Xia Zhibai closely and saying, "How did you guess it?"
Guo Huan did not deny it.
For Xia Zhibai's point, there is no point in covering up the truth.
Xia Zhibai put the basket on the ground and said calmly: "I did provide Hua Lun with an accounting method, but even if a new accounting method comes out, the Account Department will know about it sooner or later. There is no need to go to extra trouble and spend a lot of money to invite me here.”
"Then there is only one possibility."
"It is that the court audit found the household department."
"You feel uneasy."
"I want to know this kind of accounting Method, buy yourself time and reasons.”
“I guessed it right?”
Xia Zhibai looked at Guo Huan with a smile.
Guo Huan touched his palms, clapped his hands with great satisfaction, and said: "He is worthy of being the number one scholar in the new department. His intelligence is indeed extraordinary. I can detect so many things just from my temporary mistakes. When you really enter the official career in the future, you are likely to have a bright future."
"That's right."
"His sharp words in the past made His Majesty furious, but he is still alive and kicking. , is enough to prove that you are no ordinary person."
"It's just that you didn't enter the court after all, so you were deliberately ignored."
"You are very good."
"But I don't understand the second part of you."
"Why are you and I different?"
"They are both. As an official, what difference is there?"
Xia Zhibai looked calm and said with a faint smile, "There is indeed a difference."
"Why am I still alive when I provoke Your Majesty so much?"
"It's because of you!"
Guo Huan frowned, puzzled by this sentence.
Xia Zhibai stood with his hands behind his hands and said slowly: "In the eyes of many people, the reason why I didn't die is just because I gave a lot of treasures. These treasures saved my life, but in the past As Minister Guo knows about His Majesty, he also knows that treasures are not very important to Your Majesty, even the so-called high-yielding grains."
"Those things have never saved my life. .”
"But the 'scholars'!"
"The existence of scholar-bureaucrats proves all the time that today's 'scholars' class is rotten and declining, and you are also challenging His Majesty's bottom line again and again. and tolerance."
"I have always chosen to be on the opposite side of the 'shi'."
"That's why I can live."
"It's not because of Daming. What a great thing I have done, just because I provided His Majesty with another possibility.”
"Although His Majesty is very disgusted and displeased, in the face of your repeated irritations, His Majesty can only hold his nose and continue to 'indulge' me in my life."
"The more complacent the scholar-bureaucrats are, the more they push their limits. , the more corrupt and greedy you are.”
“The better I will live.”
Hearing this.
Guo Huan was stunned for a moment.
This was something he hadn't thought about.
After thinking about it carefully, he nodded thoughtfully.
From the first time Xia Zhibai came into their sight, he was maverick and lawless. Later, in the palace examination, he made even more nonsense, saying in public that he wanted to abolish "shi", but no one was there at the time. Take it to heart, he doesn't either.
But isn’t it really important?
Not important.
The important thing is that Xia Zhibai is indeed on the opposite side of the 'shi'.
That's enough.
Everyone knows that His Majesty does not like scholars.
But governing the world is inseparable from scholars. These scholar-officials in the court all have a natural arrogance.
This arrogance is reflected in all aspects.
Not only in the imperial examination and the Ming Dynasty system, but also in the national affairs.
It’s just that in order to stabilize the world, His Majesty has always made compromises and concessions, but the only thing that can’t be done is that His Majesty must use soldiers.
In this case, Xia Zhibai's appearance, especially his criticism of the entire 'scholar' class, even if his behavior is very unrestrained, will still get his majesty's 'look at him differently'.
Because compared to Xia Zhibai, His Majesty is even more intolerant of ‘scholars’!
Thought this through.
Guo Huan also suddenly realized.
Guo Huan looked at Xia Zhibai and shook his head: "Not enough."
"Your Majesty's cruelty is not what you thought. This alone is not enough to protect your life. "
Xia Zhibai nodded and said with a smile: "Just relying on words is not enough, so I retreated bravely and chose to quit the court and go to the local area to propose a route to support the 'workers and peasants'."
“You say it, but you are just a clown.”
"Only when you really put it into practice can you be looked at with new eyes, or even have high hopes."
"The world has been suffering from scholar-bureaucrats for a long time!"
Guo Huan sneered and had no comment on this statement.
The scholar-bureaucrat system has existed for thousands of years, but is it so easy to overthrow and change?
Guo Huan looked at Xia Zhibai curiously and said doubtfully: "Young people are passionate, full of ideals and enthusiasm. I can understand this, but why are you so sure that you can do it, and Will I be able to gain His Majesty’s trust?”
He was really curious.
Because this is not the first time Xia Zhibai said it.
And Xia Zhibai's attitude has always been positive.
Where does Xia Zhibai get his confidence?
Xia Zhibai smiled and said: "I have already told you the reason."
"But since Shilang Guo wants to know more clearly, I will say a few more words."
"Since the Song Dynasty, plus the Yuan Dynasty, for hundreds of years, the king's power has been weak. In this case , the scholar-bureaucrats were extremely prosperous. "
"Although the status of the Han people in the Yuan Dynasty was low, the Yuan Dynasty implemented a tax package system. As long as the local government could pay the money on time, the Yuan Dynasty would basically not interfere with local affairs. "
“The power of the local scholar-officials is as great as the sky.”
“So the scholar-officials have become accustomed to sharing the world with the emperor.” “The concept of ‘sharing the world with the scholar-officials’ has been deeply rooted in the bones of the scholar-officials for hundreds of years, but this This was unacceptable to His Majesty, so when Hu Weiyong tried to usurp power, His Majesty took action violently, but killing people could not solve the problem."
“Because batches of scholar-officials will come one after another.”
“The answer given by Your Majesty is one and only one, which is to kill.”
“This is a battle. Brutal political struggle."
"My unique existence creates a strange scene."
"It is clear that neither side can be tolerated, but both sides have to be tolerated, because the emperor and his ministers are eager to find a new balance."
Guo Huan laughed.
He already understood why Xia Zhibai was still alive.
Because His Majesty needs to re-find the balance between the monarch and his ministers.
In the past, the court had only two choices, either to kill so many people that the scholar-bureaucrats completely retreated, or to give in.
But Xia Zhibai's alternative appearance gave the court a third choice.
It's just that this choice doesn't matter at the moment.
Soon.
Guo Huan’s expression changed.
He suddenly thought of something.
It's not that Xia Zhibai's choice is irrelevant, but His Majesty is deliberately keeping it.
Because Your Majesty will not compromise, Your Majesty will definitely be strong to the end.
But as Xia Zhibai said, scholar-bureaucrats will succeed one after another, but such a strong monarch may not be available from generation to generation.
Your Majesty is leaving another choice for future emperors.
For a while.
Guo Huan's mind was a little confused.
He suddenly couldn't understand the situation.
After a long while, Guo Huan suddenly raised his head and said in a cold voice: "This is your idea."
"It is not what other scholars think."
"It is even more so. His Majesty’s.”
Xia Zhibai chuckled and said lightly: "This is indeed my idea, but it will gradually become a reality, and the reason is very simple."
"Because the butcher knife in your Majesty's hand will not stop."
"I will keep killing."
"When I kill to the point where the officials in the world are afraid, and when I kill to the point where the officials in the world are terrified, my system should have been initially completed. You can naturally enter the court and replace the 'old' scholar-officials, so I said it at the beginning."
"What happened to you has nothing to do with me."
"Moreover, the more you confront and struggle, the more jealous and dissatisfied your Majesty will be, and His Majesty's butcher knife will strike faster and harder."
"And this is what I like to see. "
"I'll start a new fire on the side, waiting for your Majesty to clean the house and welcome the guests."
Xia Zhibai looked at Guo Huan with a smile.
But when this smile fell into Guo Huan's eyes, it gave him a creepy feeling.
Xia Zhibai believed that His Majesty would kill the people in the court.
He also firmly believed that His Majesty took action against the Ministry of Accounts not because of the new accounting method.
That is just an excuse made by His Majesty.
In Xia Zhibai's eyes, this incident was more of a political turmoil and a test by scholar-bureaucrats against His Majesty, which is why His Majesty made such a harsh counterattack.
But Guo Huan really didn't notice this.
Guo Huan looked cautious and said in a serious voice: "What basis do you have?"
Xia Zhibai shook his head, looked at Guo Huan and said in a deep voice: "I am also curious."
From God's perspective, he knew that Guo Huan could not escape this disaster, but the history of Guo Huan's case was unclear.
It's just that major cases like this usually involve political reasons. What can make Zhu Yuanzhang act so cruelly must be a threat to Zhu Yuanzhang's psychological defense.
Otherwise it would never be like this.
But with Hu Weiyong in front, no one should dare to provoke Zhu Yuanzhang for a short time in the court.
This is where Xia Zhibai is confused.
Guo Huan stood up and thought seriously.
He also felt that what happened this time was not groundless. After Xia Zhibai said this, he also sensed a conspiracy.
Suddenly.
Guo Huan thought of something and his pupils shrank suddenly.
He knew the reason.
Military pay!
It can only be military pay.
Guo Huan said tremblingly: "It's military pay."
"His Majesty mentioned the Northern Expedition a year ago."
"His Majesty wanted to completely eliminate Bei Yuan's power in Liaodong, but at that time the Six Ministries settled a score and wanted to break through Bei Yuan Taiwei Naha The imperial court had to send out at least 200,000 troops for the Northern Yuan army. At that time, except for the Ministry of War, the other five ministries were very dissatisfied. "
"Because the imperial court had already carried out the Northern Expedition in seventeen years, and its finances were seriously insufficient. "
"The imperial court cannot afford an army of two hundred thousand."
"At your Majesty's insistence, the Ministry of Revenue can only 'borrow' it from local landlords and businessmen."
"According to the calculations of the Ministry of Revenue, this kind of 'borrowing' is actually a disguised increase in the tax. However, under His Majesty's secret instructions, this kind of tax was forced to go down. But even if the tax is paid to the world, Doubling the ratio will take at least several years to raise enough military expenses and rations for the 200,000-strong Northern Expedition."
"Many officials in the Ministry of Revenue are very resistant to this."
Guo Huan's voice became more and more trembling, and he gradually understood.
Your Majesty is planning to borrow the head of the Household Department for use.
(End of this chapter)