Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 336

"Shoot~"

"Come on!"

When the court situation gradually became chaotic, in the imperial garden, five-year-old Zhu Ciran was holding a simple bow and arrow made by young eunuchs. With the bow and arrow, he shot a haystack five steps away from him.

When the arrow hit, the eunuchs around applauded one after another, while the maids thought Zhu Ciran was cute.

He is not tall, but he is very stocky, his arms and legs are like mature corn cobs, and his white and tender appearance seems to make people feel that he smells a milky fragrance before he gets close.

Especially the round head and baby fat face, as well as the pair of big shiny black eyes and the two small dimples around the mouth, it can be said that it perfectly inherited Zhang Yan's appearance.

People around him were coaxing him, which made him proudly puff up his chest, put his bow under the creaking nest, proud like a rooster.

"What are you doing?!"

Suddenly, Zhang Yan's voice came, and the eunuchs and maids around immediately calmed down, and Zhu Ciran also changed from the appearance of a victorious rooster to a defeated rooster.

Zhang Yan walked over with more than a dozen court ladies, and then saw Zhu Ciran who was "wielding knives and sticks", and she couldn't help saying angrily:
"Why are you here? Aren't you going to study in the East Palace today?"

"Mom... I'm tired, I don't want to go today..." Zhu Ciran acted coquettishly, but Zhang Yan didn't like this, but walked forward and knelt down, frowned and looked at him seriously:
"You are the crown prince and the heir apparent. In the future, you will govern the world and let the common people have enough food and clothing."

"The story of Huaibei, and the story of Shaanxi right now, when Mother told you, didn't you always say that the people are very pitiful? Why are you lazy now?"

As a mother, although Zhang Yan loves her son, she also knows that Zhu Ciran will be the heir apparent in the future, so she always makes up stories based on current events and tells Zhu Ciran.

Every time Zhu Ciran heard it, he felt pity in his heart, feeling that the people were living in misery.

Zhang Yan originally thought that Zhu Ciran would be very sensible after teaching him for five years, but seeing Zhu Ciran playing bow and arrow here, she couldn't help being a little angry.

"But I don't want to be an emperor, I want to go to the battlefield like Uncle Qi, and fight for my father..." Zhu Ciran said, his eyes were still shining with inexplicable longing.

"Even if you go to the battlefield, you have to be the emperor immediately, not some general." Zhang Yan knew that blocking is worse than being sparse, so she followed Zhu Ciran to guide him, never hitting him.

"But as the emperor, I don't have time to go to war..." Zhu Ciran had a face of reluctance, but at this moment a voice broke the calm:
"Who says the emperor has no time to fight? Emperor Chengzuwen, Emperor Xuanzongzhang, Emperor Wu Zongyi, aren't they all emperors on horseback?"

As soon as the words fell, everyone heard the sound and looked, and then saw Zhu Youxiao who came with a smile, and Wang An, Wei Zhongxian, Wang Tiqian and others who followed behind him.

"Long live……"

Everyone bowed and saluted, but when Zhu Ciran saw this, he ran over with a bow and arrow: "Father!"

"Hey!" Zhu Youxiao hugged Zhu Ciran, and Zhu Ciran waved the short bow in his hand and said:

"Father, I just hit that target with this half-strength bow you got."

Zhu Ciran pointed to the target next to him, and Zhu Youxiao also smiled when he saw it: "My son is powerful..."

"When your Uncle Qi comes back, how about I ask Uncle Qi to teach you horseback riding and archery, and then find you a teacher who won't stop you?"

"En!" Zhu Ciran was excited when he heard that he could ride a horse, and nodded continuously, for fear that Zhu Youxiao would go back on his word.

"Long live..." Seeing that Zhu Youxiao wanted Zhu Ciran to learn horseback riding and archery, Zhang Yan looked at him with a trace of complaint, but Zhu Youxiao didn't care and said:

"It's good to learn some bow and horse archery. Only by being fit can we live comfortably. Look at me and my brother, aren't we just strong people?"

Zhu Youxiao laughed and laughed, but Zhang Yan couldn't say anything more when he heard the words.

"Okay, take a day off today, and tomorrow dad will change your teacher."

"Ok!"

After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, he put Zhu Ciran on the grass, and then said with a smile: "Let's go play with your mother."

"Okay!" Hearing that, Zhu Ciran immediately took Zhang Yan's hand, pulled Zhang Yan and ran towards the archery target.

Seeing the backs of Zhu Ciran and Zhang Yan leaving, Zhu Youxiao also stroked the short beard on his chin, and then said:

"By the way, what is the name of the Yanshan official who impeached Cui Chengxiu today?"

"Jin Xuan in the official affairs..." Wang An reminded in a low voice, while Wei Zhongxian and Wang Tiqian felt something was wrong.

"Jin Xuan..." After murmuring again, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said:

"He's a good guy, transfer him to the East Palace to teach the prince how to read and write, and just hand over the Yanshan set to the prince."

"Long live..." Wei Zhongxian and Wang Tigan couldn't help but speak, then quickly softened their tone and said with a smile:

"Long live, Zhang Na, the reviewer of the Imperial Academy, taught well. If you change it directly, I'm afraid it will make people think that Zhang Na has some problems..."

"Heh..." Hearing Wei Zhongxian's words, Wang An laughed disdainfully in his heart.

He said that there was a problem, but in fact he didn't want to change people.

Zhang Na, who was reviewed by the Imperial Academy, was Wei Zhongxian's teacher for Zhu Ciran. He was naturally an eunuch. As long as he was trained from an early age, Wei Zhongxian could still rely on Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Ciran's favor to guarantee his power before he died.

Now Zhu Youxiao proposes to change teachers, and to replace them with Jin Xuan, an official from Yanshan who is "upright and upright" today. Doesn't this mean killing them both?

"Yanshan's teaching method is very good. As for Zhang Na, let's transfer to the official department to take charge of the affairs, and make up for Jin Xuan's vacancy."

Zhu Youxiao spoke indifferently, but everyone knew that since Zhu Youxiao said so, it meant that his idea had been made up.

"By the way, when will my brother return to Beijing?"

Zhu Youxiao asked Wang An, and Wang An replied:

"Jin Yiwei said that His Highness is not worried about the newly appointed local officials, fearing that they will not be able to govern well, so he is planning to wait until after the cold dew, and the common people will get the food for the winter before returning to the capital."

"It's hard work, brother..." Zhu Youxiao showed a trace of guilt on his face, and then he looked at Wei Zhongxian and others and said:
"Go back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and deal with the memorials accumulated in the past few days."

"Yes..." Wei Zhongxian bowed back when he heard the words, and had someone call for a walking chariot.

Zhu Youxiao got on the chariot, and then returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Just when he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, all the officials also left the palace.

Because Zhu Youxiao obeyed Zhu Youjian's words and gave officials a day off every five days, about one-sixth of the more than 3000 officials in the capital took a day off today.

The large and small bathhouses in the capital also welcomed the patronage of many officials.

However, as officials, most people still choose to relax in the bathhouse in the imperial city, which is also the norm.

It's just that compared with them, Yanshan officials are unique.

Instead of relaxing in the luxurious bathhouse in the imperial city, they chose to relax in the Nancheng bathhouse that is close to the common people...

The bathhouses of the Ming Dynasty are actually similar to the modern ones, except that the bathhouses of later generations have decorations and lights, so they look clean and tidy.

In the Ming Dynasty, the bathhouse was built with bricks and stones. Behind the pool was a large boiler. Once the hot water was turned on, it flowed into the pool from the water wheel, so the temperature of the pool was always kept hot.

This kind of bathhouse is called "mixed hall" by people, and it is also a major feature of civilian bathhouses.

However, compared to the Song Dynasty, only the south had scrub masters, and the Ming Dynasty scrub masters can be said to be all over the country.

Some simple health care measures have gradually spread, such as knocking on the back, rubbing mud, etc., and the bathhouse culture has become more and more mature.

Yanshan officials like bathhouses, not for enjoyment, but because bathhouses are actually the most direct experience of life in the city.

Because this place is very vulgar, everyone can come, and there is no reason to refuse it. Similarly, whether it is a royal relative or a commoner, everyone is the same when they take off their clothes.

Going to the bathhouse is just a habit of loving hygiene, and the appearance of the bathhouse also makes people feel cleaner and makes life more comfortable.

Besides, there is even a social culture in the bathhouse. A few friends go to the bath together after a busy day. Not only can you talk about business, career, and life in the bathhouse, you can talk about everything. This kind of life is very Interesting, just like Kim Hyun and the others right now...

"Today Boyu angrily scolded Cui Chengxiu in the court hall. It can be said that word has spread. When I heard about it, I was absolutely amazed."

"That's right! It's a pity that I'm all working in the Beijing Yamen, not in the Sixth Division, so I can't go to the temple to face the saint, otherwise I have to impeach those eunuch officials one by one."

"Not only them, but also the group of corrupt officials who ruined our reputation in Yanshan."

"Yes yes yes yes..."

In the bathing pool, more than [-] young Yanshan officials chatted happily with smiles, but Jin Xuan, who was the subject of their discussion, had a blank expression and didn't know what he was thinking.

"what happened?"

"It's okay...I'm just thinking about what Li Shilang said today."

Bo Chengde, the head of Daxing County in Shuntian Prefecture, who was acquainted with Jin Xuan, saw that his friend was absent-minded. After asking, Jin Xuan also responded to the other party.

What Li Changgeng said to him, he had told Cheng De a long time ago, and Cheng De also said with a smile when he heard what his friend said:

"Li Shilang is a good official, but after all, he has been an official in Daming's 'old officialdom' for too long, and he is still sticking to the rules."

"Don't forget, we are 'new officials', and we don't have to abide by the rules of the old officialdom."

Cheng De thought that Jin Xuan was struggling with the so-called rules, but he didn't want Jin Xuan to shake his head and said:
"I'm not thinking about Li Shilang's words. Are the rules in the old officialdom really that strong?"

"Among the three years before Yanshan became an official in the imperial court, there were such a large number of corrupt officials."

"When I was waiting in Yanshan Mountain, I also took a political class. Although the textbook clearly explained how dark Ming's officialdom is and how many things are tempting, you and I didn't receive much after all."

"If a few years later, you and I become like those corrupt senior brothers, will you still remember who you are today?"

"Don't think so much..." Hearing Jin Xuan's words, Chengde sighed and said:
"Anyway, I'm satisfied at the moment. I thought that the salary of the master was only 30 taels of silver, but I didn't expect to add up other miscellaneous things, and it would be more than [-] taels of silver."

"More than fifty taels of silver... My family is in Huozhou, Shanxi. If it is classified according to the class in the political book, it can be regarded as a rich peasant. But even so, the fifty mu of land in the family can only produce eighty or ninety shi a year. That's all Mimai."

"This year, after Zhese is sold, it can only be sold for 40 taels of silver, and this is the land accumulated by three generations of my family's grandparents."

"The efforts of three generations are not as good as studying in Yanshan for five years. How can I be dissatisfied?"

"Yes..." Jin Xuan couldn't help sighing:

"My official position is higher than yours, and I am in a place like the Sixth Division. I only have a regular salary of 40 taels of silver. Counting other miscellaneous items, I can have a salary of about 100 taels."

"100 taels of silver, even if there is a lot of fish and meat every day, it is enough for my parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, nephews and other 12 people to eat for several years. If it is used to buy land, it can also buy eight acres of land around the capital."

Speaking of this, Jin Xuan couldn't help but said: "The salary is so high, why do those senior brothers still want to embezzle?"

"I'm afraid you and I won't be able to figure it out for the rest of our lives." Cheng De shook his head, and Jin Xuan was also speechless.

The two were lying in the bath, but after a few seconds, they were beaten by others with a ladle of water.

The originally depressed mood also became more relaxed with the joy of the "water fight".

After an hour, after everyone had cleaned up and enjoyed a massage from the bath master, they changed into Taoist robes and square towels comfortably, and walked out of the civilian bathhouse.

Zhengxifang and Zhengdongfang can be regarded as the two most prosperous places in Nancheng. After more than [-] people walked out of the bathhouse, they could see many ordinary people and traffickers passing through the streets.

Chengde stopped an old man selling baked sweet potatoes, bought a lot of sweet potatoes from him, and distributed them to his classmates.

"Thank you..." Jin Xuan took the roasted sweet potato, thanked him first, and then reminded:

"Although you have a salary, if you continue to spend it like Yuansheng, I'm afraid you won't be able to survive it for a few months."

"Hey...you can't say that." Chengde peeled off the sweet potato skin and began to eat, saying:

"Forgot what I said in the economics class? People need to spend money to drive the local economy, and small businesses need to make money, so the court can only have taxes. This is called driving the economy, huh..."

Chengde felt a little hot while talking, and exhaled, and Jin Xuan turned his head to the other students when he saw this:

"Nothing to do today, let me treat you to the stall to eat something."

"it is good!"

"Then thank you, Brother Boyu..."

"Thank you very much..."

Everyone chatted and joked, like their classmates in the same class, and quickly walked to a small shop from the street, ordered some common side dishes, three meat and five vegetables per table, three tables for seven or eight people Nearly ate it.

After the enthusiasm was high, some people bought a few catties of shochu, and everyone pushed the glasses to change, and the time passed little by little.

It wasn't until the sky gradually darkened and the sound of evening drums sounded from the Drum Tower that everyone chatted and laughed, and walked towards the Shanjufang in Dongcheng.

Officials who graduated from Yanshan students can't actually spend much money.

Because Zhu Youjian had prepared everything for them a long time ago, each county has a dining room, large or small, including one Huangdian, and there are also a number of courtyards in the workshop.

Each compound covers an area of ​​one mu, and there are six small courtyards, each with a main house and two side rooms.

Officials in Yanshan can receive a number of meal tickets each month, depending on the number of officials' family members. With the meal tickets, they can eat in the big dining hall of Shanjufang.

In addition, there are coal, salt, oil, tea, cloth and other tickets that can be collected. Basically, all aspects of life are arranged, so don't worry about it.

This kind of expenditure is not very large. So far, the annual expenditure of nearly 26 Enke graduates is less than 50 taels of silver.

If Zhu Youjian wants to solve the redundant staff, it is destined that the number of officials in the future will not be as bloated as it is now, and it will naturally be able to support the officials.

It can be said that the current life of Yanshan officials will be the life of Ming officials in the future.

It is precisely because they have such scruples about all aspects of welfare that Jin Xuan and the others are even more puzzled about what the group of corrupt Yanshan officials think.

However, soon Jin Xuan knew why those Yanshan officials became corrupt...

"I am back……"

Back in the courtyard, Jin Xuan yelled to the courtyard, but the strange thing is that none of Jin Xuan's family members were at home, and at this time, Jin Xuan's mother came out of the main house in a panic, and pulled Jin Xuan away. Hyun held his hand and whispered:

"There are guests in the hall, remember what mother told you since childhood..."

After finishing speaking, Jin Xuan's mother hurried out of the courtyard and closed the door.

Jin Xuan was stunned for a moment, then looked towards the hall, frowned and walked into the hall, but he didn't want to see a person in Taoist robes sitting at the main seat, and six servants stood beside him.

"You go out first."

The man greeted the servants on the left and right, and the six people bowed and retreated.

After they left, the man got up and bowed to Jin Xuan:

"My congratulations to Jin Zhan for his promotion. From now on, he will be the prince's teacher!"

"Who are you?" Jin Xuan frowned. Although he was a little surprised when he became a member of Zhan Shifu and the prince's teacher, he still asked vigilantly.

"I'm just a businessman from Zhejiang Province. I came here this time to ask for Jin Zhan Shi calligraphy. A small meeting gift is not a respect."

As he spoke, the man stretched out his hand to touch the table, and only now did Jin Xuan see that there were boxes of wooden boxes that filled the table.

At the same time as he noticed, the man raised his hand and opened the wooden boxes one by one.

Each of these wooden boxes contained small silver ingots, each weighing about five taels, and there were more than two hundred such small silver ingots.

"A small gift is not a respect..." The man stood up with a smile, and skillfully pulled out a piece of high-quality rice paper from the last wooden box, and put away the prepared pen and inkstone, and prepared to give Jin Xuan a gift with his own hands. Grind ink.

But when he was about to grind ink, Jin Xuan grabbed his wrist, and the two looked at each other.

"Sorry, Jin's calligraphy is not worth a thousand taels of silver, and Jin's handwriting is ugly, please return..."

Facing the silver that is his ten-year salary, Jin Xuan now understands why so many seniors have fallen into corruption.

This is just a businessman's investment. If the matter is confirmed, Jin Xuan may have to face a dozen merchants himself, and the money they bring is the salary that Jin Xuan can't earn in his current official position in his lifetime.

Most of the people who entered Yanshan Academy were orphans from poor families, or even both parents died.

They have known the importance of gold and silver since they were young, but how many of them can stick to their hearts when faced with the temptation of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of taels of silver?
Ten silver and one gold, 1 taels of silver equals 1000 taels of gold. If this gold is brought to future generations, it can be worth tens of millions.

Faced with such a temptation, how many people can stick to their hearts?
What's more, this is just a nomination certificate, and the follow-up investment is the most shaky existence.

Three years to clear the magistrate, one hundred thousand snowflake silver, this sentence is not a promise...

"Why should Jin Zhan be so excited? The court has not abolished the Runbiyin, isn't it also a chance for you?"

Faced with Jin Xuan's attitude, the merchant did not leave in a hurry, but bargained with Jin Xuan with a smile.

Because he has dealt with too many officials of Ming Dynasty, especially officials like Jin Xuan who have a bitter family and rise to the sky in one step.

Even if they refuse for the first time, they only need to say a few more words from the briber, and their already shaken hearts will still collapse.

"Jin Zhan..."

The merchant still wanted to strike while the iron was hot, but he didn't want Jin Xuan to let go of his hand and said:
"If your Excellency does not leave with the money, then I will inform Bing Ma Si and Jin Yiwei!"

"You..." Seeing that Jin Xuan was so tough, the merchant's expression immediately turned ugly. Then, under Jin Xuan's gaze, he walked out of the meeting hall, and several servants who had been listening to the movement at the door also hurried into the room and put The silver is ready to resist going away.

The courtyard door was pushed open, and Mother Jin, who had been keeping watch at the door, was taken aback. She was slightly relieved when she saw the six householders walking away from the wooden box.

She hurried into the courtyard, and then bolted the door, walked quickly all the way into the meeting hall, looked at the silver that hadn't fallen, and said to Jin Xuan:
"Xuan'er, you are an official in the court, so you have to be careful. We can't earn even one tael of these unclean silvers. You have to be worthy of His Royal Highness Qi's cultivation of you."

"Mother, don't worry, Xuan'er is not that kind of person." Seeing his mother, Jin Xuan forced a smile.

Jin Xuan's character is like this, naturally it is because of the teaching of Jin Mu, so Jin Mu will remind Jin Xuan not to forget what she taught him before going out.

Right now, it seems that Jin Xuan has indeed stuck to his heart, but it is a pity that this time is just a trial on his long official career in the future, and there will be thousands of trials in the future.

"..." Thinking of this, Jin Xuan understood why those Yanshan seniors could not withstand the pressure, chose to accept bribes, and became the corrupt officials he once despised.

Soliciting is not terrible, and bribery is not terrible. The most terrifying thing is that someone keeps wooing and bribing.

In the face of such temptations again and again, who can stick to their hearts again and again?
Jin Xuan suddenly thought of the classmates who went to the bathhouse with him today, and couldn't help but look up at the courtyard door.

Looking at the courtyard gate, he couldn't help sighing in front of his mother:
"I don't know how many people will be able to go to the end with a clean slate in this long career..."

　After Jin Xuan and Li Zicheng's Dashun army broke through Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen died for the country. After Jin Xuan learned about it, he took off the tooth card and handed it to his family. Regardless of his family's obstruction, he threw himself into the Jinshui River.The river was shallow, and Kim Hyun committed suicide by sinking his head into the mud.The Dashun Army has occupied Da Nei for more than a month, during which time no one was buried for Jin Xuan.The internal official pointed to the crown robe on the Jinshui River and said: "This is also the Jinbing Department." Later, his younger brother Jin Qi collected his head and buried it with a wooden body.

　　Chengde, with a strong personality, is pure in morals, hates evil and hates evil. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Chengde cried bitterly when he heard that the emperor had died. He rushed to Donghuamen with chicken wine.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)