Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 856 Replacement
Zhou Anmin left excitedly. After Zhou Anmin left, Zhu Shenzhui once again picked up Lou Laoer's secret memorial and read it over and over again for a long time.

This incident was really unexpected and made Zhu Shenzhui very angry, but if he thought about it carefully, this might be an opportunity.

Since Zhu Shenzhui officially ascended the throne, he has had no problem controlling the northern part of the Ming Dynasty. However, he is somewhat powerless over the southern part of the Ming Dynasty. After all, the south is different from the north. Firstly, the capital is in the north. After Zhu Shenzhui took the capital by force, he shocked the north. In addition, in the subsequent foreign and internal wars, Zhu Shenzhui's prestige gradually increased and his rule gradually became stable.

In addition, the implementation of tax reductions in the northwestern provinces, border trade in Shanxi and other places, and maritime trade in Shandong, etc., also won Zhu Shenzhu a lot of popular support. With the local stability and the recovery of production, he was naturally recognized.

The bandits caused great chaos in the northern provinces, bringing great damage to the local areas including the Central Plains. This damage not only destroyed productivity, but also caused countless people to be displaced and even lose their lives. Even the local gentry class suffered huge losses. As the power of these gentry classes weakened, a power vacuum emerged. After the bandits were pacified, the implementation of the court's decrees became smoother. This was also the main reason why Zhu Shenzhu was able to control the north including the Central Plains.

But the south is different from the north. There have been no major incidents in the south in recent years, and even natural disasters are much less than in the north. Moreover, the south has always been the richest region and grain-producing area in the Ming Dynasty. Although life in the north is difficult, the south is still prosperous.

In addition, the Donglin Party and other civil service groups have their roots in the south, as well as the entrenched gentry groups in the south. These people are extremely powerful, and have woven an impenetrable network from top to bottom. Not to mention how Zhu Shenzhu became emperor, even when Emperor Tianqi and Emperor Chongzhen were in power, they had no good way to deal with the south, especially the latter. After all, the former still had Wei Zhongxian as a sharp weapon in his hand. But it was precisely because Emperor Tianqi valued Wei Zhongxian and used Wei Zhongxian to suppress the south and get silver directly from the south that led to a strong backlash from the Donglin Party and other civil service groups, and ultimately Emperor Tianqi fell into the water and died bizarrely.

Although the exact circumstances of Emperor Tianqi's death are unknown, Zhu Shenzhui can conclude that Emperor Tianqi's death must be related to the Donglin Party, including some people in the civil service group and the southern gentry group. Moreover, it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to be divided into north and south. Even though the north has shown signs of improvement under Zhu Shenzhui's rule, the problem is that the south is extremely important to the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention other things, the financial tribute from the south is what the Ming Dynasty urgently needs. If the south can be dealt with and the entire south is under control, then many problems facing the Ming Dynasty can be easily solved.

This time, Lou Laoer's secret memorial revealed the tip of the iceberg of the problems in the South. Zhu Shenzui, while angry, also saw an opportunity.

The Donglin Party, including the civil service group and the gentry group in the south, acted in one way in secret and had the guts to do such a thing in defiance of the world. If this matter was used well, it would be a breakthrough point in dealing with the South.

This is also the reason why Zhu Shenzhui instructed Zhou Anmin to let the Jinyiwei investigate the matter carefully. Moreover, they must not investigate it in a high-profile manner, but must investigate it quietly. Once the news leaks out, it will be useless. Based on Zhu Shenzhui's understanding of these people, they are capable of doing anything.

If they knew our purpose in advance, the matter would not be able to be investigated at all and would definitely end up in nothing. All they would need to do was throw out a few scapegoats and give the court an explanation on the surface, but the real person behind the scenes would not be harmed at all and would continue to be the official he deserved and make the money he deserved.

After pondering for a long time, Zhu Shenzhui felt that it was not appropriate to rely solely on Zhou Anmin. After all, the Jinyiwei were not absolutely reliable. Such a big thing would not take one or two years, but ten years. Could it be that all the Jinyiwei in the South were blind and deaf?

So there is only one possibility, that is, the Jinyiwei in the south has secretly colluded with these people, and helped to conceal it. Once Zhou Anmin makes too much moves, these people will not be vegetarians, and if this happens, it will be troublesome.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall. After a long time, Zhu Shenzui had an idea in his mind, and he called Du Xun, who was serving outside, in.

"Your Majesty..."

"Is the eunuch guarding Nanjing Cao Huachun?"

"Your Majesty, it is Eunuch Cao." Du Xun answered with his head down, but in his heart he was wondering why Zhu Shenzhui suddenly asked this.

Cao Huachun was the eunuch sent by Emperor Chongzhen to Nanjing to serve as the garrison eunuch. Cao Huachun's status in the palace was not low. In terms of seniority, he was older than Wang Chengen who was beside Emperor Chongzhen. In his early years, Cao Huachun offended Wei Zhongxian and was suppressed by Wei Zhongxian and thrown into the residence of Zhu Youjian, who was then the Prince of Xin, and became Zhu Youjian's old man in the palace. After the death of Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Chongzhen. After becoming emperor, he dealt with Wei Zhongxian and his gang, and naturally he had to use his own people. In this way, Cao Huachun and Wang Chengen came to power, and the two of them entered the Silijian together and took charge of the East Factory, becoming one of the most powerful eunuchs in the palace.

There was a deep meaning behind Emperor Chongzhen's placing Cao Huachun in the position of eunuch guarding Nanjing, because the eunuch guarding Nanjing at that time was Zhang Yixian. Zhang Yixian was not a member of Emperor Chongzhen's team, but an old man left by Emperor Tianqi. At that time, there were bandits in various provinces, and various bandits headed by Gao Yingxiang were rampant in various provinces of the Ming Dynasty, even threatening the safety of Jiangnan. In order to stabilize Jiangnan, especially Nanjing, Emperor Chongzhen finally selected Cao Huachun to go to Nanjing to replace Zhang Yixian as the eunuch guarding Nanjing. In this way, Cao Huachun left Beijing for Nanjing, and many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

"I heard that Cao Huachun has been old and in poor health in recent years?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.

Du Xun's heart was slightly moved, but his expression did not change at all: "Your Majesty, Cao Dajian is indeed not young anymore, and his health has not been as good as before. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, Cao Dajian sent someone to give Your Majesty a gift and also wrote a letter saying that his condition has worsened, and he wanted to ask Your Majesty to grant him leave to live on..."

"Yes, I remember this." Zhu Shenzhui nodded slightly. Cao Huachun did say these words. The eunuchs in the palace are different from the officials. When the officials are old, they can beg for their bones, that is, request retirement. But the eunuchs in the palace do not have this treatment. Generally speaking, when the eunuchs with high ranks and status are old, they have three places to go. One place is to be placed in the residence of the eunuchs in the harem to live in retirement until they die. The second place is to go to the imperial mausoleum for retirement, guarding the imperial mausoleum for the emperor and spending their old age there. The third place is for the emperor to show mercy and let them go back to their hometown, but this situation is extremely rare. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, very few eunuchs have been able to spend their old age in their hometown.

Although Cao Huachun was a man of Emperor Chongzhen, he was not only capable but also had a good character and a good reputation in the palace. Although he had a good relationship with the Donglin Party, he was not considered a member of the Donglin Party. It was for this reason that Emperor Chongzhen chose him to serve as the eunuch guarding Nanjing.

"Cao Huachun has been working diligently and conscientiously in Nanjing over the years, so he can be considered to have made contributions. By the way, where is his hometown?"

"Your Majesty, I remember that Cao Dajian's hometown is Wangqingtuo, Wuqing County."

"Wuqing County?" Zhu Shenzhui nodded slightly. Wuqing County was not far from the capital, just near Tianjin.

Zhu Shenzhui immediately came up with an idea and ordered: "Since Cao Huachun is old and sick, let him come back. Give him 500 taels of silver and allow him to return to his hometown to retire. After returning home, all treatment will be equal to that of a fifth-rank official."

"I will arrange it right away. I will thank the emperor for his kindness on behalf of Eunuch Cao." Du Xun said hurriedly. His words came from the heart without any falsehood.

Du Xun was very surprised by Zhu Shenzhu's attitude towards Cao Huachun. You should know that Cao Huachun was a man of Emperor Chongzhen, and Zhu Shenzhu ascended to the throne by stepping on Emperor Chongzhen. It stands to reason that a new emperor chooses new ministers. Cao Huachun was the eunuch guarding Nanjing. Although this position was not as high as that of the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, it was not low either. It was equivalent to the highest eunuch in the south appointed by the emperor.

After Zhu Shenzhu ascended the throne, the eunuch guarding Nanjing would definitely be replaced. It was impossible for Cao Huachun to stay in this position forever. Du Xun had been prepared for this. Moreover, Cao Huachun was also a smart man. He knew that his situation was embarrassing, so he deliberately wrote a letter to beg for retirement due to health reasons.

However, Du Xun did not expect Zhu Shenzhui to arrange Cao Huachun in this way. Not only did he allow him to return to his hometown to recuperate and spend his old age, but he also gave him silver and the same treatment as a fifth-rank retired official. Such treatment was not simple. Not to mention that Cao Huachun was a man of Emperor Chongzhen, even Emperor Chongzhen would not treat him so well. Allowing him to return home was a great grace.

But Zhu Shenzhui did just that, which made Du Xun sigh at Cao Huachun's luck and at the same time more grateful to Zhu Shenzhui. Although these eunuchs seem to have a high status, they have no offspring, and as slaves around the emperor, everything they have is given by the emperor, whether it is wealth, power, status or other things. If they lose the emperor's favor, their ending will be very miserable.

Although Zhu Shenzhui had strict rules and high requirements for the eunuchs around him, he was different from Emperor Chongzhen. He did not have the irritable character and temper of Emperor Chongzhen, and he even had the habit of using others as shields at any time. Even though Zhu Shenzhui had strict requirements for the eunuchs around him, everything was within the rules. As long as they followed Zhu Shenzhui's rules and did not make mistakes intentionally, Zhu Shenzhui would not blame them too much even if something went wrong. Even if they did something wrong accidentally, as long as they admitted their mistakes in time and it was justifiable, Zhu Shenzhui would not beat them to death with a stick. At most, he would scold them a few times or give them a few strokes.

From all these points of view, serving Zhu Shenzhui was much easier than serving Emperor Chongzhen. After all, the latter had a fickle mood and no one could predict whether he would make a big mistake by accidentally saying something, or even lose his life.

But it was different with Zhu Shencui. As time went by, Du Xun and others had understood Zhu Shencui's personality and temper. As long as one worked hard and did his job well, and did not try to be clever, Zhu Shencui would still be kind to others.

(End of this chapter)