Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 425: My Ming Dynasty is stable again
Zhu Houzhao did not forget his original purpose and said carefully, "Then Zhang Yong..."

Pei Yuan also encouraged the emperor, "Your Majesty is wise and decisive. As long as the time is right, it will only take a word to change a servant."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao also puffed out his chest with pride.

Perhaps because the conversation was speculative, Zhu Houzhao raised his chin and gestured to the scholars.

"What do you think about this matter?"

Pei Yuan knew that the most critical moment had come.

He deliberately hesitated for a moment, then asked Zhu Houzhao, "What does Your Majesty think?"

Zhu Houzhao almost laughed out of anger after hearing this. "I am asking you, not asking you to ask me! What, do you also want to learn how to guess the emperor's intentions?"

Pei Yuan heard this and said confidently, "I am a humble Jinyiwei. Isn't it my duty to guess the emperor's intentions?"

Pei Yuan's words were only for the purpose of lobbying for immunity in the future and to prevent Zhu Houzhao from wasting his suspicion on himself.

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, Zhu Houzhao indeed smiled and agreed with this statement.

However, Zhu Houzhao was more generous than Pei Yuan thought, and said directly, "Just speak freely, and it's fine to treat it as a conversation between friends. Didn't I pardon you from death last time?"

Pei Yuan then said after a moment's hesitation, "I think Your Majesty has nothing to hesitate about this matter, and there is not much room for you to hesitate."

Zhu Houzhao was obviously surprised by Pei Yuan's statement. "What do you mean?"

Pei Yuan replied, "Your Majesty, please think about what your purpose is in rewarding your ministers?"

Zhu Houzhao had an idea in mind, but did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at Pei Yuan with a smile, wanting to see how he judged.

Then Pei Yuan said, "I would like to make a bold guess. Firstly, it is to reward meritorious service, and secondly, it is also to win over the warriors."

Zhu Houzhao said, "This is all part of the topic."

Pei Yuan lamented to Zhu Houzhao, "People's hearts are never satisfied, and they are fickle. Although these two things sound simple, it is not easy to do them well."

Before Zhu Houzhao could ask, Pei Yuan asked, "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the stories of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty?"

Zhu Houzhao asked curiously, "Which one are you talking about?"

Pei Yuan said, "In those days, Emperor Taizu of Han rewarded his ministers for their contributions to the founding of the country. He first rewarded more than 20 great meritorious officials, but the rest of them competed for merit day and night, and it was impossible to determine who was the better, and no reward was given."

"When Taizu was in the Nangong Palace in Luoyang, he saw some generals often sitting together on the sand and talking. So he asked Liu Hou what they were talking about?"

"Zhang Liang told Emperor Taizu of Han that they were plotting a rebellion."

"Han Taizu did not believe it and said, 'The world is already stable, why are they still plotting rebellion?'"

"Zhang Liang told Emperor Taizu that Your Majesty rose from a commoner and relied on these people to conquer the world. But since Your Majesty became the Son of Heaven, the people you have rewarded are all old friends like Xiao He and Cao Shen, and the people you have killed are all enemies in your life. Now they are calculating their own merits and think that if they add them up, even if the emperor grants the whole world, he will not be satisfied. But if they take into account the past grudges with Your Majesty, they may be killed."

“So they think they can use them to take over the world again and redistribute the credit.”

"Taizu was worried about this and asked Zhang Liang for advice. Zhang Liang told Taizu that he could first reward the people that Your Majesty hates and is well known to the public as a warning to the ministers. Then Taizu said, Yong Chi and I have been friends for a long time, but he has embarrassed me many times. I want to kill him, but because he has made many contributions, I can't bear it."

"So the two of them discussed it, held a grand banquet, and conferred the title of Marquis of Shifang on Yong Chi."

"The generals were delighted to see this, and they all thought that Yong Chi was still a marquis, so they had nothing to worry about."

Zhu Houzhao pondered Pei Yuan's words and felt that they were indeed alarmist. He immediately smiled and said, "Our Great Ming has been peaceful for a long time. It is not the time when the world is just beginning to settle down. The generals have long been content with wealth and honor. Do you dare to rebel?"

Pei Yuan threatened Zhu Houzhao a little, "The anger of a common man can still cause blood to splatter five steps. The horse owners can also surround the capital three times if they rise up. Your Majesty, do you want to underestimate those warriors with knives?"

After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao still looked a little unconvinced, but he also felt that the logic was correct.

Pei Yuan added, "Besides, I mentioned this matter only as an example to illustrate the responses of military officers to different expectations."

Zhu Houzhao then became interested.

"Tell me."

Seeing that there was still some wine left in the cup, Pei Yuan dipped his chopsticks in it and drew three lines on the table in order of height.

Pei Yuan then pointed to the top line and explained, "This is the best expectation of the generals. Meeting this expectation will certainly make them grateful, but this expectation is often unrealistic."

"Just like what was said in the story just now, if Emperor Taizu of Han had done what the generals expected, even if he gave them the whole world, it would still not be enough."

Pei Yuan pointed again, at the bottom line drawn with wine.

"This is the bottom line expectation of the generals."

Pei Yuan pointed to the line and said to Zhu Houzhao, "If the military officers' expectations are not met, they will naturally become resentful. If their expectations break this line, it will inevitably lead to turmoil."

Zhu Houzhao was still very confident about this and still insisted on his own judgment, "It won't come to this."

Pei Yuan did not respond, but reminded, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten the current fierce public opinion? Aren't the civil officials now holding the military officials responsible for failing to contain the Bazhou rebels, which led to the expansion of the rebellion?"

"The Bazhou Rebellion lasted for more than two years, and many generals suffered defeats. Otherwise, the Bazhou Army would not have grown to such a large scale."

"Now that the imperial court's reward has not been delivered, they are beginning to hold them accountable."

"What if someone said 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked' while they were sitting on the sand and talking? Now the dispute between the civil and military officials is gradually getting heated. What if the military officers are afraid of retaliation and want to clear the court for Your Majesty?"

Zhu Houzhao’s eyes widened immediately.

The political struggles in the Ming Dynasty have always been bloody.

If something unexpected happens, the consequences will be disastrous.

Zhu Houzhao panicked a little.

This morning, when I was having breakfast, Daming was fine...

Did I eat something dirty?

Just as Zhu Houzhao was nervously recalling the recipe, he heard Pei Yuan pointing to the top line and saying, "This is Xianning Marquis Qiu Yue."

"Qiu Yue's meritorious service is not worthy of his reputation. If all the generals expect rewards based on Qiu Yue's standards, then the court will only reward them indiscriminately and be laughed at by the world. This is fine, but I am afraid that if there are rebellions in the future, the generals will just sit back and watch, hoping for a marquisate."

Pei Yuan pointed to the bottom line again, "This is Mao Rui. Mao Rui suffered the most losses, and also lost his seal. How Your Majesty deals with this man will determine how this great debate on merit will end."

Zhu Houzhao recovered from his panic.

He blurted out, "He is 'Yong Chi'."

Pei Yuan nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, this person is 'Yong Chi'."

Zhu Houzhao thought quickly and asked Pei Yuan, "Do you mean that I should reward Mao Rui first to stabilize people's hearts?" Pei Yuan shook his head, "No."

Then he pointed to the top line again and said, "Qiu Yue's title of Marquis has raised the expectations of the military officers."

He pointed to the bottom line again and said, "If we reward Mao Rui again, we will raise their bottom line again."

Finally, he pointed to the line in the middle and said, "Then your Majesty, there is not much room for turning back on the reward you can make."

Zhu Houzhao was very smart. He looked at the model that Pei Yuan built for him and said thoughtfully.

"Qiu Yue was given the title of baron when he defeated He Jin in the fifth year. This matter has been settled and there is no need to mention it again. The reward of being given a marquisate for dispersing Zhao Sui was also an extra reward to motivate the troops. Since these rewards have been made clear, there is no reason to regret it. Qiu Yue has worked hard for the country. I don't want to see the old general make any mistakes. You can let him claim illness and let his son Qiu Chang take his place. When Qiu Yue passes away, Qiu Chang will inherit the title."

Qiu Yue successfully obtained the hereditary title of marquis, and his position was replaced by his son. He should be very satisfied with this, as both his reputation and his reputation were taken care of.

Other military officers who felt that the rewards and punishments were unfair could also be slightly appeased.

Pei Yuan was also very satisfied with this.

Although Qiu Yue was not Yang Tinghe's younger brother, he was close friends with Peng Ze, who also had a Northwest background. The two had a very good relationship, and Peng Ze almost treated Qiu Yue's children and grandchildren as his own.

Qiu Yue can almost be said to be Yang Tinghe's younger brother.

It would obviously be a good thing to let this man temporarily withdraw from the political stage and let his incompetent son take over.

Then Zhu Houzhao said, "Although Mao Rui lost his army and humiliated the army, the situation in war is unpredictable. Let him go home and retire."

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he asked Pei Yuan for his opinion, "Pei Yuan, what do you think?"

Pei Yuan exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. This will calm the army and prevent the villains from taking desperate actions."

Zhu Houzhao looked at the three shallow wine stains on the table for a while, feeling a little worried.

It is not difficult to stabilize the situation, but the issue of how to reward has not yet been resolved.

Zhu Houzhao pointed to the wine stain in the middle and asked Pei Yuan, "Then what should I do?"

Pei Yuan's eyes also fell on the wine stain in the middle, and then he said to Zhu Houzhao, "With these two boundaries, no matter what we do, things will not be much different."

Zhu Houzhao was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Pei Yuan say, "It's nothing more than 'working hard but getting no thanks' and 'not working hard but getting no thanks'."

Zhu Houzhao almost laughed out of anger after hearing this.

It seems that no matter what he does, he will end up in trouble, right?

But Pei Yuan's face was very serious. "No matter how your majesty intends to reward, it cannot escape the title and benefits."

"A title is a prestigious tool and should not be given lightly. As the ancients said, 'A ruler should be careful with his tools and reputation.' If Your Majesty indiscriminately awards titles of marquis and earl, it will intensify conflicts between the civil and military officials and will inevitably sow the seeds of disaster."

"As for the benefits, the last time the Imperial Censor Zhang Lian made a report, he boldly speculated that the extravagance over the years has almost exhausted the silver in Taicang. The Suzhou and Hangzhou manufacturing offices are also unable to operate normally due to opposition from the Qingliu. I'm afraid that the current money and silk can't support large-scale rewards."

Zhu Houzhao was silent for a while. He naturally knew the situation in the court better than anyone else.

He simply asked Pei Yuan, "Does Mr. Pei have any good ideas?"

Pei Yuan was surprised to see that Zhu Houzhao was such a show-off and didn't even take the risk of recognizing his son.

Could it be that Zhu Houzhao hasn't thought of this yet?
It shouldn't be.

Pei Yuan looked at the timeline and found that... it seemed that the time had not yet come.

Even if the rebellion in Bazhou had not ended ahead of time, this matter would have to wait for several months.

Maybe Zhu Houzhao really hadn't thought of this method.

Pei Yuan had made all the preparations, and of course he couldn't let Zhu Houzhao mess up.

He took all the money...

Therefore, Pei Yuan could only bite the bullet and take the initiative to remind, "I do have an idea, but I'm afraid it will cause controversy."

When Zhu Houzhao heard that Pei Yuan had an idea, he immediately showed his expectation, but he said disapprovingly, "What's the big deal about the controversy? Is the current controversy still small?"

Pei Yuan suggested, "Your Majesty, if you want to win the loyalty of those military officers without having to pay too much, why not follow the example of Taizu?"

Zhu Houzhao was stunned when he heard this, "Han Taizu also encountered this kind of trouble?"

Pei Yuan quickly corrected, "I was talking about our dynasty's Taizu."

Zhu Houzhao became more and more interested, "Tell me about it."

Pei Yuan said, "When Emperor Taizu was conquering the world in his early years, because his family was few, in order to better control the army, he adopted many sons to serve as his vanguard..."

As Pei Yuan spoke, he looked at Zhu Houzhao calmly.

Sure enough, Zhu Houzhao's eyes suddenly lit up.

Pei Yuan continued, "If Your Majesty selects a hero from among those meritorious generals and adopts him as his son, even if the reward is lowered, as long as they are father and son, what else can sway them?"

"Your Majesty has the help of these imperial bastards who hold a large number of troops. Even if others are dissatisfied, who would dare to offend His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty does not need to use the country's famous tools, but only use personal affection to win them over. In this way, the military officials can enjoy wealth and honor without any worries. Your Majesty can also get many strong supporters and realize your ambitions."

"Besides, these bastards may be your Majesty's father and son, and they are also noble enough. But their status has nothing to do with the country, and they are only approved by your Majesty."

"Your Majesty can grant it with a single word, and you can also take it away with a single word. The wealth and status of these military officers depend on Your Majesty, not the court. Even the Ministry of War and the Cabinet can only stare in amazement, and have no room to intervene."

"In this way, without spending a penny, the rewards and punishments are all decided by the emperor, so no matter what the Ministry of War comes up with, it will be insignificant."

After Zhu Houzhao finished listening, he felt as if his ears were buzzing.

He had only one thought at this moment.

My Ming Dynasty is stable again!

The ministers in the court had been arguing for more than a month, and the conflict between the civil and military officials was so serious that it almost led to a political crisis.

He didn't expect that this Jinyiwei could help the emperor take control of the situation without spending a penny just by saying a few words.

In this way, it was equivalent to him bypassing the Ministry of War and the Cabinet and directly controlling the military power through the system of adopted sons.

You know, since the Battle of Tumu, even the Beijing troops have been taken away by the Ministry of War.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the considerate and resourceful Jinyi Guard Captain in front of him and couldn't help but come up with a bold idea.

You are my first good-looking son!
(End of this chapter)