eldest son of Ming dynasty

In July of the first year of Zhengde, there was another heavy rain in the capital.

The rain that fell like a rain curtain made huge splashes.

Li Dongyang and Xie Qian had wet feet within a few steps.Considering that they were very old, the emperor ordered someone to change them into dry clothes.It was simply heavy rain, and none of them could leave.There is no particularly urgent matter in the court, and it is unlikely that anyone will come.

Zhu Houzhao asked the two to stay in Qianqing Palace for a while.

"Early the day before yesterday, the Kodao officials were not appreciative of my plan to abolish the Lianghuai Transport Division. There were also some criticisms from the top and bottom of the court. I have explained the truth thoroughly, and I am tired of talking about it. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I have free time today, Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Xie Ge, let's talk about something else."

Zhu Houzhao usually has a good temper, and life itself is not always a major event or a major choice that determines the fate of many people. Except for those times, the emperor will not be too strict, and his behavior is not weird.

At this time, he beckoned Liu Jin to set the chessboard, and said with a smile: "It is said that drinking tea, playing the piano, burning incense, listening to the rain, and playing chess are the five most elegant things. Unfortunately, no one here can play the piano, so we can't make it all up. We can only make do with it." That's it. How about I play a game of chess with Mr. Li Ge first?"

Li Dongyang saluted, and sat down opposite the emperor after being courteous, and Xie Qian was beside the two of them.

"Please, Your Majesty first."

"Okay. My chess skills are slightly inferior, so you're welcome."

Ever since, the sound of the rain is accompanied by the sound of 'click' and 'click', and time seems to slow down here.

"I still remember that when I was the prince, I also stayed with my father and the two elders. It's a pity..."

Hongzhi is really a good man, at least he is a good father, and sometimes Zhu Houzhao can't help but miss him.

"Since your majesty has been in power, you have made great efforts to govern the world and bring peace to the world. You can be regarded as the wise master of my Ming Dynasty. It is enough to comfort the spirit of the Xiao Temple in heaven. Your majesty does not need to feel too deeply and hurt the dragon's body."

Zhu Houzhao expressed a calm expression, "Consolation to the spirit of the father and emperor... Li Ge, Xie Ge, I am a descendant of the Zhu family, and the foundation created by the ancestors of the Zhu family cannot be destroyed in my hands. At least I have such an idea. But from the first emperor to the present, which dynasty have you ever seen a monarch with a hundred generations, and a country that lasted forever? There are many examples of prosperity and decline. The Ming Dynasty also had the same problem. During the Hongwu and Yongle years The guests from all over the world obey, until now, the Tatars dare to invade the border, Hami has the heart of disobedience, and there are refugees everywhere in the Central Plains..."

"Old Li Ge, Old Xie Ge, you are all people who have read poetry and books. Although you dare not say it, you know in your heart that the Ming Dynasty cannot pass on a hundred emperors."

"Your Majesty!" The hearts of the two trembled, and they were about to stand up.

"Hey." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand and pressed it falsely, "Today is a small talk, and there is nothing wrong with talking about it. Sit down."

"Your Majesty's words are deafening. Looking through the history books, it is true that all dynasties and dynasties are inevitably prosperous and declining, and the decline leads to death. The key point is that treachery and evildoers run rampant and bring disaster to the country, so that the people are in dire straits."

What Li Dongyang said was not unreasonable.

But Zhu Houzhao wants to say something more profound, "Everyone knows that if the people can't survive, they will rise up. But how can the people survive? Land, isn't it? However, did the landless people in the Ming Dynasty live more and more every year? The Yellow Book and the Fish Scale Book haven’t changed their appearance for decades, and the people who wrote them are probably dead long ago. In a hundred years, everything has changed. If my successor king doesn’t think about flexibility, how can the country be governed? How are you doing?"

"I have said long ago that it is right for our ancestors to ban the sea, and it is right for me to open the sea. Everything must be timely. Just like the two Huaihuai Transshipment Departments, the purpose of the imperial court setting it up is to better manage the saltworks. It, the salt field is even more chaotic, so what's the use of it?"

Both Li Dongyang and Xie Qian understood.

I understand that this emperor is not the kind of fatuous lord who plays with state affairs.

I also understand the emperor's determination.

"Your Majesty..." Mr. Xie Ge gave a good idea, "Is it possible to do this...the six transportation departments in the world, first select the Lianghuai transportation department to try out the auction method, and the other five will remain unchanged for the time being."

The emperor's eyes were stern for a moment.

Mr. Xie Ge quickly added, "It is said that it will not change, but the yamen of Yunsi will not change. However, it is still necessary to check the abuse of the salt law and investigate and deal with corrupt officials."

In this way, Zhu Houzhao felt a little more at ease.

"But I won't guarantee that the other transportation companies and salt class promotion companies will remain forever."

"I understand. If the improvement of the Lianghuai Salt Course is effective, then the court will naturally lose the basis and foundation to continue to oppose His Majesty."

This is what is called speaking with facts.

It's a good idea.

Anyway, Chinese people like to compromise.If you can’t change them all, then change one first.

In fact, Zhu Houzhao has never made drastic changes. Auction is a new method. Whether people in this era can adapt to it, and whether it can be used well after adapting is still a matter of opinion.

Moreover, drastic changes usually lead to the concentration of wealth by those who have an advantage.Because they have advantages in information, ability, financial resources, and relationships.

"Mr. Xie Ge's words are also words of seeking the country." Zhu Houzhao smiled slightly, and got what he wanted, so he stopped entangled in this matter and talked about other things, "Actually, the courtiers misunderstood Oh, the two elders already know, I took the silver, which one thing did I not do to benefit the country and the people? As the silver in the salt class increased, would I use it to build palaces? Search for treasures? Or do alchemy and Taoism? , seeking longevity?"

Speaking of this, Wen Chen was worried.

"Your Majesty, you can't believe the words of some quack arts..."

"I know." Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes at Li Dongyang, the old guy couldn't understand a joke.

On the contrary, Xie Qian thought of something that had been done in Yongshou Palace earlier, which angered Emperor Longyan.

The foreign ministers appreciated this a lot, because it showed that the emperor would no longer let the Buddha's technique affect the court.

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has indeed saved money. He is stricter than himself and more lenient than the people. This is what a sage-king does."

Zhu Houzhao generously accepted this flattery, "So let's say. What is there to worry about the court collecting more money? In the first year of Zhengde, the court only allocated 30 taels of money for river repair in one province in Shandong. Next year, I plan to increase it to two , there will be three in the next year, and there is also the Yellow River that has been infested every year, the water conservancy is not repaired, and the agriculture is not prosperous, but where does this money come from?"

Both Li Dongyang and Xie Qian had excited expressions in their eyes, "The imperial court will allocate funds for river repair in two provinces next year?"

"That's my plan. But it depends on the specific situation of Shandong's summer grain and autumn grain this year. Shandong officials must let the cabinet and I see that after the river repair money goes down, the grain harvest will increase. Otherwise, I will doubt that the money Is it really used on the blade."

At that time, when you asked for money, you talked nicely, but you couldn’t use it when you want to go back. There are many queues in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, so why should I give it to you?

Both Li Dongyang and Xie Qian understood what the emperor meant.

The emperor also sent a message to Liu Jian, the governor of Shandong, through them.

Even the cabinet can properly support Shandong.

"With Mr. Xi Xian here, there is no worry in Shandong."

"If the imperial court can have more money, I still want to build library gardens in Yingtian, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and even Taiyuan, Luoyang and other places. After all, students in the capital can read free books, and other places Students should also be able to see it.

I even thought that Juren's granary may not have changed for many years, should it be increased as appropriate?

Can there be more private schools run by the government?

Can the private school provide two meals a day?
In this way, even the poorest children can study without worry as long as they are sent to private schools.In this way, my Ming Dynasty really does not know how many pillars of the country should emerge. "

After this series, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's hearts trembled, "According to what Your Majesty said, the imperial court's revenue must continue to increase, the more the increase, the better. If these can be realized, then my Ming Dynasty will be far superior to the Han and Tang Dynasties!! "

"Now the two elders understand me, why should I change the salt class after I have accumulated a lot of wealth?"

Li Dongyang thought for a while, and said seriously: "Since the salt class is a bad government, it must be changed!"

"Where is Mr. Xie Ge?"

"My minister agrees."

Zhu Houzhao is doing many things now, after all, he has a great righteousness, that is, he really will not waste money.

Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and all the courtiers believed this.

Therefore, the wealth is looted into the treasury or the Shaofu, and it will soon be released in other forms.

With the rise of Ma Zheng, the northern Zhili area has been canceled year after year by counties and counties, the frontier army has become stronger, the river workers have money, and even the intensity of disaster relief has increased.

Where did the money come from?

Just look at the heads that were killed.

Now that the cabinet is well laid out, the six ministries are not a problem. The main household ministries, military ministries, official ministries, and criminal ministries are all his confidantes, and the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry all know his temper.

Even though the imperial decree to cancel the transportation company has not been issued immediately, the preparations for the auction of the salt farm have already begun, including the site selection and construction of the auction site, the verification and confirmation of the output of the salt farm, the determination of the price, and most importantly, the funding flow direction.

It is difficult for traditional officials to gain Zhu Houzhao's complete trust, especially when it comes to economic issues.

However, the authority of the Shaofu has indeed expanded too fast.

Zhu Houzhao thought for a long time, and told the two elders of his new idea.

That is to say, the Shaofu will be independent from the Ministry of Household Affairs and become the "Seventh Ministry" in addition to the six departments.

Zhu Houzhao can expect that his subsequent administration will involve a lot of money.

Moreover, the concentration of power inherently leads to the concentration of wealth.

In layman's terms, the emperor can directly control more and more state-owned assets.He can still use the plundering method of "scraping his home" just after he ascended the throne, but it will not work ten years later, so this is also a long-term consideration.

But Li Dongyang and Xie Qian may not understand it.