Bachelor

Chapter 200
The girl said angrily: "I don't know which scholar wrote the book, but the price of mung beans in the capital skyrocketed, and grain merchants hoarded them. In such a hot day, ordinary people can't afford a bowl of mung bean soup."

Sun Dan was ashamed in his heart, and only then did he feel that he did not do the right thing.

Gathering his mind, he glanced at the old man again, "I also asked the old man's name and name. You look very sick, but why did you come to the capital?"?
The old man gasped a few times, then began to cough again.The girl felt distressed when she saw it, so she hurriedly twisted the towel and wiped the sweat from her father's forehead, and said, "It's really not light. , As a result, he caught a cold and became ill for several days."

Sun Dan hurriedly asked why they didn't go to the doctor to prescribe medicine.

Before the girl could answer, the old man said in shame: "I can't even afford to eat, and I don't even need to see a doctor. If the poor family is sick, they can sleep well."

"But you've been sleeping for so many days, why don't you feel better? You still have to ask the doctor to prescribe a few doses of medicine." Sun Dan took out a silver coin from his arms and handed it over.

The old man was naturally grateful, and when the cough stopped, he said: "The little old man is named Zhang Youcai, and this is the little girl Zhang Qiangwei."

After receiving a tael of silver from Sun Dan, Zhang Qiangwei showed a smile and was about to thank you, but Zhang Youcai sighed and said, "I'm still a fool. If I had known that going to Beijing would make it like this, I would have just stayed in high school." Don't."

Sun Dan: "Old man, don't worry, tell me what's going on, how did you know Brother Ping."

As soon as he talked about Ping Qiuli, Zhang Youcai couldn't get angry. He said angrily: "I didn't know Mr. Ping before. That day, the little old man was working in the field, and he heard people from the village running over. Said that there was a distinguished guest at home. The little old man was originally an honest farmer, when he heard that a gentleman came to the house, he panicked immediately, washed his hands and feet and hurried home, and saw Mr. Ping sitting in the main room talking to the little girl. Master Ping was also a kind person, he asked the little old man who was in the house, and asked me if I knew a woman named Zhang E."

Sun Dan wondered, "Who is Zhang Mo?"

Zhang Youcai replied: "Zhang Mo is the daughter of my brother, and I am not afraid of Mr. Sun's jokes when I say it. My brother had studied for a few days and was famous as a scholar. However, because he passed away early, his family was in trouble. And I That niece was selected into the palace the year before last, and she said she was assigned to King Anlu Xing, but I don't know what's going on now."

Sun Dan was agitated, and thought to himself: This is really a bit evil. Could it be that Zhang Mo has become Zhu Houcong's wife.In this way, maybe she is now a concubine or something?

Sure enough, Zhang Youcai continued: "Master Na Ping came to ask for a long time before he nodded in satisfaction, saying that my niece is now married to a wealthy family and has become extremely wealthy. He also said that he can lead us to see her, and it will be a good family." Reunion. Originally, the little old man still had some doubts in his heart. But after thinking about it, Mr. Ping is a gentleman. Besides, the situation at home is not good, and he is willing to pay for the trip. In addition, the little girl is obsessed by some ghost and keeps arguing all day long. I wanted to go to the capital to see her sister. The little old man thought it would be good to have a look, so he followed Mr. Ping. After arriving in the capital, Mr. Ping threw our father and daughter here and disappeared. These Life is hard for us father and daughter, the price of goods in the capital is very expensive, and the little money we have is decreasing day by day. If Mr. Ping doesn't come again, I'm afraid my father and daughter will end up on the streets."

Nannan interjected: "Mr. Ping absolutely can't ignore us, I trust him." Speaking of this, she got a little angry, and looked at her father angrily.

Sun Dan stroked his chin, and already vaguely understood what Ping Qiuli wanted to do.If the guess is correct, the father and daughter should be relatives of an imperial concubine. Ping Qiuli is now impoverished, and now he has a descendant in his hand, and he probably wants to use this to turn himself around.

This kid is really a fine person, even Zhang's father and daughter can be found by him.

Well, let's see what he wants to do.

Since the fall of King Jianghua, the group of people in Qingzhou also sold birds.But because the dispute between Anlu and Qingzhou was really out of the question, for the sake of Tian's family's face, after the succession, the emperor did not hold these people accountable, so he let them go.

However, even so, the future of Jianghua Wang's staff like Ping Qiuli was ruined.

A person like Ping Qiuli, who is so proud and arrogant, is absolutely unwilling to be lost in the smoke and dust of history.Then, it is imperative to change the court.

If you can climb up to a royal family, maybe there is still a possibility of turning over.

This guy is indeed a character, and he is so fascinated by Zhang Qiangwei.Tangtang Pingqiuli actually used such a method, which is really interesting.

However, Sun Dan was surprised immediately: Could this Zhang Qiangwei be the family member of Zhu Houcong's second queen, Concubine Zhang Shun?Yes, it must be.Concubine Zhang is also from Gaotang... If this is the case, the problem will be serious, and Ping Qiuli must not be allowed to succeed.Otherwise, if the extremely favored concubine Zhang speaks ill of me, Sun Dan, in front of the emperor all day long, I'm afraid my life will not be so easy in the future.

Zhang Youcai sighed: "Ninny, I'm afraid Mr. Ping won't take care of us anymore. Now, it's not because of Mr. Sun's money that he can afford to take medicine for his father. Otherwise, we will really die in a foreign land."

Zhang Qiangwei: "Mr. Sun is also Mr. Ping's friend, and I still rely on Mr. Ping's face." Speaking of this, she looked proud.

Sun Dan was speechless, he didn't expect that he was kind, but the money was taken out, but Zhang Qiangwei remembered Ping Qiuli's face, why did this sound so boring!
Thinking of this, Sun Dan felt bored, got up and said goodbye, and said: "Later, if you need anything, you can just find the boss, and I will charge all the expenses to me."

The father and daughter are naturally grateful.

Sun Dan was about to leave when he heard the voice of the innkeeper from outside: "Hey, hey, this is not a place for you to break into. Do you know who lives here? It's either the master Juren, or a famous scholar. You don't look like scholars, I'm sorry, you go back and forth wherever you go. The shop is already full, so we won't accept any more."

After finishing speaking, another loud slap was slapped on the face, and then the innkeeper's surprised and angry voice came: "Why are you beating people? Is there still heaven and law?"

Sun Dan was amused to hear that, the innkeeper was really unlucky, he was slapped twice in one day.

A sharp voice came: "I'm getting impatient to live in front of us, talking about the law of nature, please invite that scholar surnamed Sun out, my master wants to see him."

The voice was sharp and sharp, a typical eunuch's voice.

Surprised, Sun Dan hurried out and saw Huang Jin standing in the courtyard with two white-faced and beardless eunuchs.

All three of them are dressed as ordinary people.

Huang Jin frowned and looked at the barn in the corner of the courtyard, pinching his nose with two fingers, apparently overwhelmed by the smell of animals.

Sun Dan laughed: "Hello, shopkeeper Huang, are you here to look for me?"

Seeing that it was Sun Dan, Huang Jin flashed a gleam of light in his eyes, then changed into an affectionate look, stepped forward and cupped his hands and smiled, "Why did Mr. Sun hide in such a place?"

Sun Dan: "There's a lot of noise at home. I'm looking for a clean place to study. I'm going to take the country test. If I stay at home, what homework do I still study for? Thanks to you, you can find such a secret place. Let's talk in the room."

After entering the house, Huang Jin said: "East Factory is looking for someone, are you afraid you can't find someone?"

Sun Dan: "That's right. You are the biggest local snakes in the capital. Why, the East Factory is under your control now, where is Bi Yun? Good guy, Master Huang, do you have the seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies now?"

"No, I'm just a eunuch holding a pen." Huang Jin didn't answer Dongchang and Bi Yun's affairs, but said: "Mr. Sun, clean up. Follow me right away."

Sun Dan: "Where are you going?"

Huang Jin lowered his voice and said, "My master wants to see you and ask some questions."

Sun Dan was refreshed, and the emperor finally wanted to see himself.It seemed that Jiajing had finally become familiar with the affairs of the court and China in the past two months, so he ordered himself to enter the palace to ask questions.Today, the storm of the Great Ritual Conference has not yet arrived.The emperor would not ask about these, it is probably other government affairs.

He straightened his clothes: "Okay, I'll go with you now."

Emperor Jiajing still lived in Xiyuan like Zhengde.

However, after the fire in Xiyuan, several rooms in Leopard House were burnt down, making it difficult for people to live there anymore.Therefore, Jiajing moved the office to Yuxi Palace.As far as Sun Dan knows, Jiajing has moved there and has not moved his nest for decades.As a result, Yuxi Palace became the central decision-making institution of the Ming Empire.

Sun Dan is familiar with Xiyuan, and he is familiar with Xiyuan. He has visited it many times before when Zhengde was there.Today, the place is still the same place, but Zhengde is gone.Things are different and people are different, and the world has changed, which makes people feel a little emotional.

After entering Yuxi Palace Abode, I saw a handsome 15-year-old young man in Taoist robes sitting on a bright yellow pouf.And the real Wang of Baiyun Temple stood by.

This was the first time Sun Dan saw Emperor Jiajing, and he hurriedly said: "Sun Dan, a grassroots man, pay homage to the emperor!"

Huang Jin said: "You don't need to give a big gift. Your Majesty said that Mr. Sun is a commoner and a gentleman. You only need to stand and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sun Dan straightened up and looked at the past.

The Emperor Jiajing also raised his head and took a deep look at Sun Dan, and then slowly stood up from the pier: "His government is boring, his people are honest, his government is inspected, and his people are lacking! Only when you are in such a high position do you know that being an emperor is the most boring and painful thing in the world. Sun Qing, I have been waiting for you for a long time." He said "Hula!" He threw off the sleeves of his Taoist robes: "You all step down, I and Sun Qing There is something urgent to say."

"Yes!" Huang Jin and Wang Li retreated.

As soon as the two left, the room fell silent.

Jiajing only looked at Sun Dan intently with his eyes, but did not speak.And Sun Dan also looked back at the past with a calm face. For a while, no one spoke, and he was a little cold.

After a long time, the corners of Jiajing's mouth curled up slightly, and he suddenly smiled and said, "Mr. Sun's talent and name have been known for a long time. These days, I am bored in the palace, and the articles written by my husband. Whether it is poetry, poetry, modern stereotypes, or novels I read all the novels and drama scripts. I didn’t expect that my husband is so versatile and proficient in all kinds of subjects! If it weren’t for your articles, I would have been suffocated to death in the palace for the past two months. Fortunately The affairs of the court have been settled, but you can often order Mr. to enter the palace to speak."

"Your Majesty loves me, Xiaomin is just an ordinary scholar who wrote some random things, it's nothing."

"Sir, you are humble." Jiajing glanced with satisfaction at this think-tank whom he had never met before, Conglong's number one hero, Jiajing was very satisfied.In Huang Jin's mouth, Sun Dan is a crazy student with talent and arrogance, but when I saw him today, he was not like that.

Sun Dan's calmness impressed the emperor, and he asked Sun Dan a few more questions.Sun Dan also answered everything appropriately and appropriately.

After talking for a long time, the emperor finally got acquainted with Sun Dan, and gradually let go: "Sun Qing, people say that you are a peerless national scholar. I have always wanted to order you to enter the palace to ask politics. You said, I have just ascended the throne. First of all What should be done?"

Sun Dan smiled slightly: "It's not what you should do first. Your Majesty should ask yourself, what is the most troublesome thing now. If you have a headache, treat your head, and if your foot hurts, treat your feet. Do as you like, and it will come naturally."

Jiajing put his hands on his forehead and said with a smile: "Sir, what you said is very moral and meaningful. Since I became the throne, everything has been going smoothly, but I feel that the government is a bit chaotic and it will take a while to sort it out. By the way, there is one more thing. Now the national treasury is empty, and after the funeral of Emperor Wuzong and my enthronement ceremony, I have no money on hand. I heard from Lu Bing that Mr. Sun is good at managing money, but I don’t know what good way to do it?"

Sun Dan didn't answer, just asked: "The country's major affairs are handled by the prime ministers of the cabinet. Presumably Mr. Yang Ge and the others have figured out a way."

Jiajing nodded slightly, "Yang Shoufu came to me yesterday and said that the national treasury is now empty and we have to increase income and reduce expenditure. He suggested that we first rectify the bureaucracy and streamline the organization to save money." Speaking of this, he waved his sleeves angrily: "I used to be in Anlu At that time, I didn’t know that there were so many officials in the country, and the total number had reached an astonishing 12. In my opinion and Yang Shoufu’s opinion, it would have no effect if we abolished 3 people and kept only [-]. There are also more in Nanjing Come out with a sixth part. Is it necessary to keep that institution in that place, there must be a lot of people who make a living there."

Sun Dan nodded and said: "Your Majesty's words are very true. There are several reasons and manifestations for the corruption of officials: one is that officials have been indulged in comfort for a long time and are used to not doing things; There are also ways to gain fame and reputation without doing practical things. Therefore, if Your Majesty wants to be a wise emperor through the ages and make a difference, he must start from these places."

"Yes, yes, that's the reason." Jiajing felt excited, his young face was full of red light: "Yang Shoufu said the same thing yesterday, haha, it seems that you two want to go together. Sun Dan, I really I read you right, you really have the talent of Zaifu!"

Sun Dan was complacent, but shook his head: "Your Majesty, the current financial chaos of Ming Dynasty is like a patient who has been ill for many years. His body is already in short supply. If he rushes to take strong medicine, he may not be able to withstand it. Now, Your Majesty Pudeng Dabao is going to make a big move on the imperial court's institutions, I'm afraid it's inappropriate."

"What's wrong, didn't you also say that you want to rectify the bureaucracy?" Jiajing looked at Sun Dan strangely.

Sun Dan: "Sooner or later, the administration of officials will be rectified, but not now. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for two months, and I'm afraid that even the officials above the sixth rank in the capital will not be able to recognize them all. Does your Majesty know who will be dismissed or demoted?"

Jiajing's face suddenly turned livid, and suddenly he grabbed a jade ruyi on the case and threw it on the ground, smashing it to pieces, and roared angrily: "Damn it, I almost fell for their tricks. This government, My eyes are still smeared now, and some people are eager to ask me to rectify the administration of officials. This is to let me be their knife to offend people! More than 3 officials were laid off in one go. Add up to more than a million. In this way, wouldn't there be millions of people who treat me like a bandit?

Yang Ting and his people are detestable, and his heart can be punished! "

Sun Danxin said: It seems that this Jiajing is exactly the same as recorded in history. He is not only a wise monarch, but also a narrow-minded and ungrateful person with great mood swings.

He said calmly: "It's not impossible to rectify the administration of officials, it's just that the time is too late, it's too early."

"That's right, it's too early, it's too late." Jiajing said yes again and again, but he was a little annoyed: "If you don't do this, what else can I do?"

Sun Dan: "Yang Shoufu's idea is correct. It is imperative to rectify the administration of officials. It is of great benefit to the country, the people, and the emperor. However, rectifying the administration of officials is a means. I think Yang Shoufu also wants to reform the government. I think it is for your majesty." Let’s overcome the difficulty of emptying the national treasury together. Historically, reforms have always started with economic reforms, but Yang Shoufu first rectified the administration of officials, why is that?”

The emperor asked: "Why is that?"

Sun Dan: "What Yang Shoufu emphasized is to address the problems existing in officials and ministries, and fundamentally change the bad status quo. For example, appease the upper and lower levels, do not seek merit but seek no fault, goof around, and perfunctory when there are official documents from the cabinet, etc. Wait. These must be reversed, and must be strictly enforced. Then, first of all, we must rectify the administration of officials, and then the subsequent reforms can be implemented. It is a pity that Mr. Shoufu is too eager and anxious. The preparations in advance have not been done well. He played it in a hurry, and even got the order wrong. He also made a lot of painstaking efforts, but there is no other meaning."

Only then did the emperor feel relieved, and said: "Perhaps I blamed Yang Shoufu by mistake. Then, in your opinion, how should we do the preparatory work first?"

Sun Dan, "Returning to Your Majesty, it is what I said earlier. If you want to change the financial distress, you need to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Yang Shoufu only thinks about reducing expenditure, but he has not considered increasing revenue. It is not appropriate. "

He sorted out his thoughts: "In Yichen's view, since the Zhengde Dynasty, the government has been unable to make ends meet and has been in deficit every year. This is a very serious problem. If this continues, the fundamental plan of the court will be shaken. Therefore, we must first Find a way to increase the income. The courtier has a way to make full use of it without adding gifts."

"Speak quickly."

"Clear the arable land, sort out the taxes, and distribute the head tax to the land."

(End of this chapter)