Chapter 195: Fang Xiaoru, the scholar who serves as a lecturer!
Fengtian Hall.
The morning court has ended.
Although he only rested for an hour or two last night, Zhu Yuanzhang did not dare to be idle for a moment and started handling daily political affairs early.
The imperial court had a lot of officials, but four of the six chief officials were vacant, and the political affairs of these departments, without exception, fell to Zhu Yuanzhang alone. In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang did not feel the pressure. On the contrary, seeing the memorials completed every day gives me a sense of accomplishment.
It’s just too difficult to handle on your own.
He is getting old after all.
After reading more than a thousand memorials, each memorial contained anywhere from two or three to as many as five or six things. It was really hard for my eyes to hold on. Over the years, he had gradually made the bachelors of the Hanlin Academy, While reading the memorial for himself, he only made the final comments.
The bachelor who is accompanying the recitation now is Fang Xiaoru.
Fang Xiaoru was the son of Fang Keqin, the former magistrate of Ningfu. Fang Keqin was a diligent official, but he was later involved in the empty seal case. He was investigated and convicted by the court and executed. However, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the situation related to Fang Xiaoru. Later, Fang Xiaoru and his brother were pardoned.
In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Fang Xiaoru entered the court due to the recommendation of Wu Chen, Jieshu and other officials.
After hearing that Fang Xiaoru was Fang Keqin’s son, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a sense of pity. Fang Keqin’s death was actually a miscarriage of justice, but as the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang would not admit his mistakes, but Xiaoru, the other party, did get a bit more preferential treatment.
In recent years, he has frequently taken the school's Xiaoru Scholarship Examination.
Fang Xiaoru is a learned man.
Also studied under Song Lian.
In the past few years in the Hanlin Academy, he often took it as his mission to declare the way to govern the world with benevolence and righteousness and to achieve peace in the world.
Thus he was highly appreciated and trusted by Zhu Yuanzhang.
As his eyes became cloudier, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually handed over the task of reciting memorials to Fang Xiaoru, in order to train Fang Xiaoru's ability to handle political affairs, so as to facilitate his work for Zhu Biao in the future. Fang Xiaoru has indeed lived up to expectations and has always been cautious. Industry, diligence and conscientiousness.
As a lecturer, Fang Xiaoru never dared to overstep his bounds.
After reciting the memorial in his hand, Fang Xiaoru respectfully stood aside and waited for Zhu Yuanzhang to review the memorial. Then he followed Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions and continued to pick up the next memorial and recite it.
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished reviewing, he did not rush to review again. Instead, he looked at Fang Xiaoru and said: "It's better that you understand us and know that we don't like those verbose words, so you simplified the content of these memorials. Ru Taisu gave them to us back then." I handed you a memorial, which clearly only has a few hundred words of key points, but you just told me more than 10,000 words.”
“We in the Ming Dynasty don’t care about red tape, and we don’t want to see pedantry. I heard that you also despise diction. Writing?"
Fang Xiaoru said: "Your Majesty, I really don't like writing. Nowadays, the world is complicated and complicated. If everyone is concerned about gains and losses, a huge amount of pen and ink will be consumed every day. But if you can give it up, If these red tapes are laid out clearly, the efficiency of governing the world will undoubtedly be improved a lot."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "That's good."
"That's it. We should let those ministers listen to what they do every day.”
"Whatever you have done, you have to write a long speech. You write a memorial for us, and we will write the administrative documents from now on, promulgate them at home and abroad, so that the speaker can state the gains and losses without red tape. If anyone dares to write a long speech for arrest again, we will Let him receive fifty sticks first."
"I accept the order," Fang Xiaoru said quickly.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, as the saying goes, changing people is like changing knives.
The previous lecturer was Wang Min, Zhongshu Lang, but this Wang Min was too honest. He just read the memorials according to them, which made him fall asleep. Especially now that more and more memorials are weighing on him, Zhu Yuanzhang He became increasingly dissatisfied with Wang Min, and finally replaced him altogether.
I never thought about it.
The one I replaced was fine for Fang Xiaoru.
He waved his hand and signaled Fang Xiaoru to read the next one.
While Fang Xiaoru was reciting, a figure entered the hall. Seeing the arrival of Prince Zhu Biao, Fang Xiaoru hesitated for a moment, but finished reading the memorial, and then bowed to Zhu Biao respectfully and said: "The minister Fang Xiaoru meets His Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Biao nodded.
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes.
He glanced at Zhu Biao and couldn't help but snorted.
"Are you going to see Xia Zhibai again?"
Zhu Biao smiled bitterly and nodded directly: "Back to my father, I did summon Xia Zhibai just now."< br>
Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head, continued to review the memorial, and said indifferently: "Tell me, what did Xia Zhibai say to you again, so that you come to us in such a hurry, we are surprised. We have so many ministers in the Ming Dynasty, why do you treat Xia Zhibai so differently?”
“How many of his ideas are worth listening to?”
Zhu Biao smiled awkwardly and said helplessly: "Father, I have never despised any ministers of the Ming Dynasty. It's just that Xia Zhibai traveled all over the northern Xinjiang and gave me a lot of ideas. I thought that these The idea is feasible."
"Then tell me first." Zhu Yuanzhang was not interested.
Fang Xiaoru looked around and was about to exit the hall, but was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang.
“No need.”
“Listen too.”
"By the way, let me give you some advice."
"No." Fang Xiaoru was startled and spoke respectfully.
Zhu Biao glanced at Fang Xiaoru and didn't take it too seriously. He still admired Fang Xiaoru very much. He was a very talented person and was highly appreciated by his father. He was also very knowledgeable.
Zhu Biao said: "I would like to inform my father."
"Xia Zhibai suggested that the court 'cut down the vassalage'."
"But it's not the feudal lord that's being cut, but the 'economy' of the Jiangnan region." "Today's Jiangnan region is basically self-sufficient in food, clothing, housing and transportation, and there is even excess to be shipped out. This has also led to people in the Jiangnan region bringing A sense of arrogance, with no regard for people in other parts of the world. Although the court has made many effective efforts to target the Jiangnan area, it has not been able to change the status quo."
"Jiangnan. The fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty still accounts for half of the Ming Dynasty. "
"For many people in the Jiangnan region, the south of the Yangtze River, especially the northern Xinjiang region, is a burden and burden to the Ming Dynasty. They basically rely on squeezing the south to support it. Therefore, they have always held a discarding attitude toward northern Xinjiang, and this concept is deeply rooted. "
"Your Majesty must break this gap if you want to bridge the gap between the north and the south."
"However, relying on conventional methods such as relocating the population and suppressing commerce in the Jiangnan region has achieved some results, but the effect is not very good."
"And Xia Zhibai gave his son a good suggestion. "
"It is better to block than to open up."
"Since the imperial court cannot curb the prosperous economy in Jiangnan, it will not curb it, but let it develop. The only thing the imperial court has to do is Let the South and the North realize that there is me in you and you in me, so that they are entangled with each other. Although there will still be a certain amount of resentment and resentment, there will no longer be any suspicion of division between the north and the south. "
" I think this idea is very feasible.”
Zhu Biao slightly arched his hands.
Speak out Xia Zhibai’s thoughts.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
He raised his head, and a gleam of clarity flashed in his cloudy eyes.
He looked at Zhu Biao with a little interest and said, "How come you are me and I am you?"
Zhu Biao said: "Go back to your Majesty."
"Business!"
When he heard the word 'business', Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.
Zhu Biao also realized that Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was wrong, and said quickly: "Father, I believe that business cannot be beaten to death with a stick. Business is indeed a part of the Ming Dynasty's economy, and in the past, the most exchanges between the north and the south were business. "
"But now, with the intervention of the imperial court, the trade between the north and the south has been reduced to a certain extent."
"This is a very bad sign."
"Less communication means less understanding of each other. If we rely entirely on the imperial court to migrate people, or rely on inns to transmit information, over time, Nan I don't know. The north, and the north does not know the south, are completely two regions. This is an extremely dangerous thing for bridging the north and the south. "
"Now, relying on the power of the imperial court, it is no longer possible to go any further in bridging the north and the south. "
"So we need to rely on the power of the people."
"Xia Zhibai conducted an on-the-spot inspection of northern Xinjiang. He said that northern Xinjiang is rich in 'iron coal', and now steam engines are in the south. It is relatively popular. Once the steam engine really starts operating in the south, a lot of iron and coal will be needed, and then there will be the possibility of sending iron and coal from the north to the south. ”
"Open the closed market in the South through iron and coal."
"This is not a bad idea."
"With coal and iron, more northern goods may not be able to be transported to the South in the future. Especially for cattle and sheep, the people in the northern and southern Xinjiang have a deeper understanding of each other through the trade. ”
"Xia Zhibai also suggested opening the sea."
"Open certain trade routes along the coastline."
"Let trade from south to north get greater benefits."
"And the most important thing is not just to reduce trade. The transportation expenses provide another way for the transportation of materials in the Ming Dynasty. A road other than water transportation. The only way to transport materials in the Ming Dynasty is water transportation. Otherwise, when the water transportation becomes bigger, it will inevitably become too big. ”
"The Ming Dynasty cannot walk on only one leg!"
"At the same time, according to Xia Zhibai, he is also planning to develop textiles in the north."
"The north has a vast territory and a large population, so more cash crops can be grown and transported to the south."
"Whether it is textile factories or iron and coal, it is the imperial court that takes over."
“The majority of the profits are in the hands of the imperial court.”
“Through these methods, the exchanges between the north and the south will increase, and the understanding of each other will gradually decrease. It will also contribute to the stability of the Ming Dynasty. It will be of great benefit to reduce the strength of Jiangnan. I think the Ming Dynasty can do this."
"Please give me a warning."
With a solemn look on his face, Zhu Biao spoke out his thoughts.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a gloomy face. He didn't like everything Zhu Biao said.
Because these ideas all follow the Xia Zhibai asset theory.
Fang Xiaoru frowned in thought.
He was thinking about the feasibility in his mind. After thinking about it for a while, he nodded secretly. These ideas are indeed bold, but if they are really done, it seems that they can indeed bridge the gap between the north and the south. The function also allowed the court to collect a lot of money and food.
But before Fang Xiaoru could speak, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke first.
“Since you know so much, how do you know that there is no selfish intention of Xia Zhibai in this?”
“How do you know that all this can really happen?”
< br>(End of this chapter)