After urging him to come in early, Zhu Yijun rarely left early.
There is no other reason. Today is the day of the Qing Dynasty in Ciqing Palace.
Starting tonight, Zhu Yijun will enter the Qianqing Palace.
During these days, the Qianqing Palace has already been packed up, and the Daxing Emperor Zi Gong who stayed in the Qianqing Palace will also move to another palace today.
Similarly, the belongings of Ciqing Palace will be collected one by one, either sealed up as holy relics, or brought to Qianqing Palace together.
"This coat is no longer wearable, why are you taking it to Qianqing Palace?" Concubine Li glanced at Zhu Yijun in confusion.
Zhu Yijun took the coat from Concubine Li and rubbed it in his hands.
"My mother sewed this coat for me with her own hands. Every time my child wears it, he feels loving and warm. Even if he can't wear it, it's good to warm his feet at night."
He skillfully used the killing move of mother-son affection to attack Concubine Li.
Concubine Li stretched out her hand and pinched her son's face, and said softly: "It's still early in winter, I'll just do it for you this year."
After that, she ordered the palace maid to seal the coat.
Zhu Yijun smiled: "Thank you, mother."
Concubine Li felt warm in her heart, but she didn't want to show it on her face. She simply pointed to another pile of objects: "Are these things going to be sealed or taken to Qianqing Palace?"
Zhu Yijun looked along.
It was a bunch of children's playthings, such as spinning tops, mechanisms and the like.
It was probably someone who had instructed the young eunuch to offer it, but Zhu Yijun had never looked at it recently and almost forgot about it.
Zhu Yijun shook his head: "My child's mind is filled with countless things, but he no longer has the intention to play with these objects."
Concubine Li nodded with satisfaction and directed the palace staff to seal it up together.
"Let's go and take a look at Qianqing Palace with my mother."
After saying that, he took Zhu Yijun's hand and left Ciqing Palace.
As soon as he went out, he saw Feng Bao coming up with someone carrying a chariot: "Your Majesty, Master."
Just as Concubine Li was about to speak, Zhu Yijun tugged on Concubine Li's hand: "Mother, we haven't had time to relax together for a while, so we might as well walk."
When her son said this, the mother naturally agreed. Concubine Li looked at Feng Bao and said, "Feng Dajue, please withdraw the chariot. I and my son will take some time to relax."
Feng Bao winked hurriedly, withdrew his chariot, arranged for people to clear the way in front, and followed the two of them respectfully.
Summer has just entered at this time, and the weather is not too hot yet.
Both mother and son were wearing regular clothes and walking slowly in the Forbidden City.
The imperial city is majestic and majestic, and the roads are wide and clean. The two of them talked and chatted, occasionally making Concubine Li cover her mouth and laugh, enjoying the rare happiness of a family.
Zhu Yijun pretended to be careless and turned around and said: "Feng Daban, please stay away. I have some personal words for my mother, so I won't tell you."
Feng Bao was pretending to be following behind with his ears raised, but he was suddenly clicked. He was startled, but did not move. Instead, he looked at Concubine Li.
Concubine Li was in high spirits. When she heard this, she waved her hand casually, motioning for him to stay away.
Feng Bao had no choice but to slow down.
Zhu Yijun felt relieved when he saw him retreat.
He looked at Concubine Li, and then said: "My child has said so much. If you have any troubles, mother, you might as well talk to your child. My child, I have learned a lot from my husband in recent days!"
Concubine Li shook her head in a funny way: "As long as you study diligently and cultivate your virtues, my mother will not have anything to worry about. Even if she does, it's just political affairs. Even if I tell you, you won't understand."
Zhu Yijun was dissatisfied and said: "Why don't you understand, my child? Is my mother worried about taking the exam to become a Dharma master? Is the Ministry of Revenue unwilling to put one hundred thousand taels of silver into the house?"
Concubine Li glanced at him unexpectedly.
He couldn't help but said with curiosity: "Oh? Even if it is true, what truth does my son have to tell his mother?"
Concubine Li did not get angry as soon as she mentioned the incident that caused her decree to be rejected. Instead, she was interested in seeing what Zhu Yijun thought.
In fact, this matter has been cleared up in the past few days.
First of all, it was the late emperor who repeatedly took money from the Taikang and Guanglu Temple treasury and never returned it. There was no distinction between public and private matters, so it was unreasonable.
Secondly, the current Ministry of Household Affairs is really stretched.
The late emperor passed away suddenly. Whether it was the mausoleum or the ceremony, a large amount of expenses suddenly increased. It was also the summer flood season of the Yellow River, and a batch was taken away by the Ministry of Works, not to mention the previous Yinzhimao grain arrears.
Military pay and salary.
This time Gao Gong stepped forward to block the outstretched hand from the palace, and it was not his intention alone. He almost gained the support or acquiescence of most of the courtiers from the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Concubine Li knew the seriousness and did not make a big deal out of it.
Zhu Yijun now has Jin Yiwei as his eyes and ears, so naturally these things have not been hidden from him.
He thought about it for a while, found an entry point, and said slowly: "Let's talk about the silver first."
"My mother is a benevolent elder. She will definitely not be greedy for these one hundred thousand taels. Instead, she is afraid that this will become a routine and the power of the internal funds will be repeatedly eroded. She will not be able to give her children a sufficient internal funds, right?"
Regardless of whether it's right or not, let's put on the high hat first, and then distort the idea - putting aside the fact that the officials withheld money, I have an idea about how to replenish the internal funds.
Concubine Li thought for a while and felt that even if she had some thoughts about the silver coin, the rest was still the same. She hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Zhu Yijun said calmly: "If you want to replenish your internal funds...Mother, I have a way to get the best of both worlds."
Concubine Li was startled: "The best of both worlds?"
Zhu Yijun paused, and in Concubine Li's confused eyes, he said, "Mother, I will give you an example."
"Mother, do you know how much the palace spent on tribute tea last year?"
Although Concubine Li held a high position, she didn't pay much attention to these matters. She still answered carefully before saying: "Fourteen thousand catties?"
This was what Emperor Daxing mentioned when chatting with her. The tribute tea seemed to be limited to this number, and no more could be allowed.
It includes rewards, sacrifices, household items, and things used in Nanjing.
Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Mother, last year, it weighed a full 80,000 kilograms."
Concubine Li was stunned: "Eighty thousand catties? How can the palace use so much!?"
Zhu Yijun sighed: "Mother, during the Hongwu period of Taizu, the tribute amount for tea was only more than 4,000 kilograms. To use it to work the people, Taizu set up 500 teahouses to exempt them from labor and focus on production.
It’s the so-called Guanyuan Guanbao.”
"But except for these official bakeries in the official gardens, the remaining farmers in each province produce it themselves, and then levy it into the inner treasury at a discount of six cents of silver per catty."
"At the time of the Imperial Examination, although the quota was 14,000 jins, according to Guanglusi's accounts, the amount of tea used in the inner treasury was actually increasing year by year. By last year, it had reached 80,000 jins a year!"
"This extra 60,000 kilograms is actually 36,000 taels of silver!"
Zhu Yijun glanced at the palace eunuch behind him.
Concubine Li was not an unreasonable person, and she immediately understood that the people in the palace were taking advantage of it.
The more wasted tea leaves will be produced several times if one person divides the tea leaves more.
She was silent for a moment and then said: "No wonder the internal funds are always short of money."
Concubine Li didn't mention a thorough investigation. You can't check everything. What if something is really found?
She can tell that the officials in our dynasty make a living through corruption, so she naturally has no expectations for eunuchs.
But she didn't expect the numbers to be so exaggerated!
She accepted that the palace maids and eunuchs would get 20% or even 30%, but she didn't expect... that she would get 20%!
A tribute tea contains thirty-six thousand taels of water. What about gold flowers, money, millet, silk, tea, wax, and pigments?
Every year, millions of taels of money are spent completely!
Zhu Yijun nodded: "Mother, it's not just that, this is just coming in secret."
"It is also obvious that all kinds of calligraphy and paintings in Wenyuan Pavilion, and the original copies, I am afraid that half of them have been replaced by fakes."
"If you are brave enough, just steal it."
He glanced at Feng Bao out of the corner of his eye.
The modern treasure "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" which is stored in the National Palace Museum is still stamped with the private seal of Feng Dajue.
On it are blatant words such as "Although the Sui Dynasty pearls are not as good as Yungui, they are rare treasures and should be treasured." This shows how rampant it is.
Concubine Li became more and more silent, and then she realized that this family was not easy to run.
Zhu Yijun struck while the iron was hot: "If this continues, even if my mother presses hard on the household department and gives money to the internal funds every year, it won't be enough for the people below, and we will have a reputation as a bad person."
"Mother, I will talk about the Ministry of Household's interception of internal funds and financial resources later. I just want to replenish the internal funds, so it's time to cut back on expenditures."
His tone was slow and persuasive.
But Concubine Li suddenly realized something. She was confused and asked, "How does my son know these things?"
She frowned: "Who chews the tongue of the palace in private?"
She doesn't even know about these things, so how come her ignorant son has a clean family?
The court debates, tea law, and stolen books mentioned just now involve the Ministry of Household Affairs, Guanglu Temple, and all aspects of the inner court. I don't expect anyone to mention it casually.
Could it be the high arch...
Concubine Li was afraid that foreign ministers might deceive her son and send her as a lobbyist.
Zhu Yijun did not answer this question directly.
Instead, he was calm and shook his head with a firm expression: "Mother, the "Book of Changes" says that if a ruler is not secretive, he will lose his ministers. Since the child is the king and has the trust of his ministers, he must not be "dis secretive". Mother
I have a question for you, but please forgive me for not being able to answer it."
If you really want to imitate Bawang and say "These are the words of Zuo Sima Cao Wushang", then you are really showing off your brain.
The one who is superior should be able to do the job.
Concubine Li's expression immediately darkened.
Zhu Yijun saw that Concubine Li's face was not very good, but she did not flinch at all.
He held Concubine Li's hand tightly and said sincerely, "Concubine, I am the new king of the Ming Dynasty."
Concubine Li's eyes narrowed.
Her son's reaction was completely beyond her expectation.
In a daze, the cowardly and weak son who cried and admitted his mistake gradually became blurred, and was replaced by the new king of the Ming Dynasty who was soft on the outside and strong on the inside, with a firm tone.
Before, she just felt that her son was gradually becoming wiser, calmer, benevolent, filial and enlightened, which made her happy.
Now, I was suddenly shocked to see how the eunuchs in the inner court and the ministers outside would react when they saw the new king in this state.
Is this where people’s hearts are going? Is this what people are hoping for?
She unexpectedly found a loyal member of her team secretly right under her nose.
She would have been anxious if her son had failed, but now that her son suddenly became sensible, her mood was still extremely complicated.
She suddenly felt something about Empress Chen's feelings as she watched her mother's harem helplessly.
After thinking about it for a long time, Concubine Li was still not impressed by the power. In the end, she softened her expression and simply ignored the matter: "My son has really grown up."
Zhu Yijun breathed a sigh of relief.
He did not intend to use this as a test, and also to inoculate Concubine Li.
If you get a taste of power and get out of control, the situation will be difficult. Fortunately, looking at it now, you can still handle it clearly.
Seeing that Concubine Li softened her attitude, he immediately grabbed Concubine Li's hand in a flattering manner and said, "Mother, when my child grows up, I can serve you better."
Concubine Li looked at her coquettish son and shook her head helplessly: "Go on, what does this cost-cutting have to do with the examination method, and how can we get the best of both worlds?"
Zhu Yijun also skipped this matter wisely: "Mother, if you have passed the test, it may not only be used by civil and military officials."
The examination law not only urges officials to complete their tasks, it also has natural anti-corruption functions.
Zhang Juzheng's examination method was based on the six ministries and the Metropolitan Procuratorate being responsible for registering the deadlines for their officials to handle matters, and establishing three account books.
These account books record the expected completion date of each task. One is kept with the Sixth Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, one is sent to the Sixth Section, and the last one is submitted to the cabinet.
According to the account book records, the Sixth Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate need to inspect the completion of tasks by officials on a monthly basis. Each completed task will be registered. Uncompleted tasks must be reported truthfully, otherwise they will be punished.
It seems to have little to do with anti-corruption, but in fact, it has two functions, that is, clearing rights and responsibilities, and archiving receipts!
That is, job division and ledger records.
With these two things, we can have traces traceable from above, and people from below can be held accountable.
Didn’t the tribute tea consume an extra 60,000 kilograms?
Who is responsible? Where has it been used?
In the past, the management was chaotic, and there were no records or records to check.
Once you have passed the exam and have clear rights and responsibilities, you can immediately sort out who is responsible for the matter and who is swimming naked. It will be immediately exposed. You can't shirk responsibility even if you want to.
Similarly, with a ledger, every transfer and use can be traced, and the difference can be seen at a glance.
Whether or not the higher-ups should be held accountable when something goes wrong is a matter of one word.
This is the sharp sword hanging over the heads of officials, and it is also one of the reasons why there is so much resistance today.
This method, even if it cannot be said to be perfect, is at least the first step in the fight against corruption and government officials in terms of system. As for the future... taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.
This is enough. The rectification of officialdom has never been completed. As long as he is alive, this matter will not stop.
The devil is one foot high, the Tao is two feet high, the devil is three feet high, and then spirals upward.
Concubine Li immediately reacted: "You want to implement the examination method in the palace!?"
Zhu Yijun shook his head.
If you play like this in the core department, you won't know if you will be strangled to death if you fall asleep. Of course, you have to play the side drum first.
He considered it carefully and said: "Mother, this matter is too harsh for the inner court, and spreading it rashly will hinder my saintliness."
"My mother is already afraid of causing trouble, and the child is sharing her worries, so how can it add to the burden?"
This is also what Concubine Li is worried about.
She was even hesitant about the imperial examination method adopted by the foreign dynasty, so how could she agree to implement it in the palace.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun needs to dispel her doubts.
She wondered: "What does my son mean?"
Zhu Yijun said slowly: "Mother, I have an idea."
"First, this matter is too big to be spread out rashly. You might as well pick one or two places to try for some time and proceed step by step."
Concubine Li asked: "How to proceed step by step?"
Zhu Yijun replied calmly: "Outside the palace, Shuntian Prefecture is used as the boundary to implement the examination method, and other matters are not involved for the time being."
"In the palace, let's take the needlework bureau as an example and leave it to Zhang Hong to take charge. With my mother watching, we can also see if it works, so as not to be deceived by foreign ministers."
"It's better for the children to learn to supervise and accumulate some knowledge."
"In this way, although it takes a longer time, not only can we summarize the shortcomings and mistakes, but we can also accumulate a group of experienced people for future deployment."
"If it doesn't work, stop it immediately. If it works, it can save internal funds."
Concubine Li has always liked compromise.
She may be hesitant to say that the method of passing the examination will be spread in two capitals and thirteen provinces.
But it would be much easier for her to accept it if it was limited to the small needlework bureau and Shuntian Mansion for now.
——
PS: Please vote for next month and follow up on Tuesday’s chapter.
Note 1: "(During the Hongwu period), tea was offered on it. The amount of tribute from the world was 4,000. The tribute from Jianning, Fujian was the best. There were names such as Tanchun, Xianchun, Second Spring, Purple Bamboo Shoots and Jianxin. All the old ones were collected
And grind it, press it with silver
The boards are large and small dragon groups. Taizu stopped building them because of the hard work of the people, but ordered the tea buds to be picked and brought back to serve five hundred households. Every tribute of tea was given according to the amount, and there was no record." - "History of the Ming Dynasty"
·Volume 56·Food 4》
Note 2: Regarding the price of tea, please refer to Gu Yan: "Tribute Tea Stele" and "Cixi County Chronicles Volume 2".
Note 3: Feng Bao's private engraving of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" reads: In my spare time, I read the pictures and saw Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan in the Song Dynasty. I observed the essence of his human figure paintings, the wonderfulness of trees, boats and carts, the city bridges and villages.
, out of this world, very real
The scenery is in my eyes, and I feel refreshed. Although the jade of the Sui Dynasty and the Pearl Dynasty is not as good as that of Yunnan and Guizhou, it is a rare treasure of the world! It should be treasured. ——Imperial Envoy, Governor of Dongchang Official School, also in charge of the Queen's Supervisor, Chief of Ceremonies, Eunuch, Town
Yang Shuanglin, Feng Bao.
Chapter completed!