Emperor Zhengde
Chapter 335 Politics
Chapter 335 Politics
The issue of posthumous honor for Zhang Cong was not just about Zhang Cong's personal honor, but rather the political question of whether the Ming Empire should continue its reforms.
Precisely because of this, the trivial matter of whether Zhang Cong could be posthumously awarded the title of Wen Zheng attracted great attention from both the government and the public.
"As long as Your Majesty does not insist on posthumously conferring the title of Wenzheng on Zhang Cong, it means that Your Majesty has no intention of further reform. In this way, Your Majesty will no longer employ reformist officials. Only then will we have the opportunity to flog Zhang Cong's corpse and dig up his grave! This will prevent his successor from arbitrarily changing the etiquette and laws again!"
At this time, the Minister of Education Xu Jin was discussing this in secret with the officials of the Ministry of Education.
As a reformer, Zhang Cong not only introduced many tax items during his time in power, he also reformed the Ministry of Education and implemented the examination and elimination system for the first time, dismissing all unqualified students and educational officials, which cut off the Ministry of Education's financial resources.
Therefore, Xu Jin and other officials of the Ministry of Education had hated Zhang Cong for a long time, and they wanted to whip Zhang Cong's corpse, dig up his grave, and brand him as a traitor, so as to prevent a second powerful cabinet prime minister from taking office.
It was not just Xu Jin and other civil officials who were testing the Emperor Zhu Houzhao's reaction and preparing to further discredit Zhang Cong. At this time, Duke Dingguo Xu Guangzuo was also hosting a banquet at the No. 1 restaurant in the capital: "I recently heard that Zhang Fujing passed away. I am very happy. This old man is really a good man. Let's drink to everyone present!"
"Okay! Qiu will drink first to show his respect! Zhang Fujing has caused us so much suffering. Now that he is dead, the whole country is celebrating!"
Xianning Marquis Qiu Luan also echoed the words, slapped a woman on the thigh, and then touched her. The woman just frowned, and Qiu Luan grabbed her neck and said, "Damn it, Zhang Fujing is dead now, I'm not afraid of killing you again! Smile for me, smile happily!"
The woman was pinched so hard that her face turned red and her mouth opened. She weakly grabbed Qiu Luan's brocade robe with her hands, and before she could react, Qiu Luan kicked her aside. For a moment, she could only force a smile, and sighed in her heart that as soon as Zhang Fujing died, these powerful people in the capital began to show their true colors and no longer feared the law.
Although the judiciary and administration of the Ming Dynasty were now independent, Zhu Houzhao allowed Zhang Cong to serve as the chief executive of the Zhongjun Society in order to ensure that Zhang Cong could carry out reforms smoothly.
Officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple were all members of the Loyal Emperor Society. Zhu Houzhao even set up a three-judicial department of the Loyal Emperor Society. Because of this, Zhang Cong indirectly had the power to manipulate the judiciary and avoided being constrained by the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice when he carried out reforms.
Therefore, many dignitaries and officials mistakenly believe that the current harsh laws are caused by the cruel official Zhang Cong, but they do not realize that it is caused by public opinion. After all, as the Ming Dynasty has developed to this point, there are more and more scholars among the common people, and they can no longer tolerate the dignitaries taking human lives lightly. Naturally, they don't know why the emperor Zhu Houzhao in the deep palace agreed to let Zhang Cong take on the judicial power. Isn't it because the dignitaries are too disobedient?
In any case, Zhang Cong's death is naturally a relief for the powerful and wealthy, as if they are free and can kill people at will. At least that's what Qiu Luan thinks. Zhang Cong's death makes him feel as if a mountain pressing on him has been lifted, and he feels a lot more relaxed.
It would have been fine if the civil officials and the powerful hated Zhang Cong, but what was even more disappointing was that many people among the scholars and common people also hated Zhang Cong and were disgusted by Zhang Cong's reforms, which deprived them of the opportunity to live a carefree life.
"Your Majesty has suspended court for three days since the death of Grand Tutor Zhang, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. Why are you setting off firecrackers for three days and making irresponsible statements that the traitor is dead and the world is peaceful?!"
Inside the imperial prison, the Embroidered Uniform Guards questioned the captured student Wang Shizhen.
Wang Shizhen replied sternly: "Zhang Cong is a cruel official. He imposed heavy taxes, causing the wealthy families to go bankrupt. He tortured the children of the royal family and nobles. He was even more stubborn and harsh. Tens of thousands of students were laid off by him, causing countless suicides. He also encouraged the people to fight against him, which was a disgrace to civilization! In addition, he stole the power of Tai'a, just like Wang Mang and Cao Cao. Now the treacherous minister cannot escape the heaven's punishment and his soul will go to hell. How can we not be happy!"
……
Spring is cold.
The successor Prime Minister Xia Yan had just returned from the Ming Academy of Engineering, but at this time he did not feel the slightest excitement about becoming the Prime Minister. The spontaneous counterattack against Zhang Cong by the people made him feel disappointed and frightened. He was not afraid of the counterattack from the powerful and civil servants, but he was also really afraid of not being understood by the people.
Now there are more and more voices in the court suggesting that he cancel the heavy taxes on mining within the Great Wall and reduce commercial taxes and customs duties. However, Xia Yan has been in the cabinet for many years and has long known that the empire's tax policy cannot be relaxed at present, especially the heavy taxes on mining within the Great Wall. Once this is abolished, the capital and human resources of the Ming Dynasty will be withdrawn to the interior again, and the areas outside the Great Wall that have just been developed will return to a nomadic state again.
It may even lead to serious damage to the environment within the Great Wall, destruction of more arable land, and the presence of a large number of slave laborers and foreigners will also pose hidden dangers.
Therefore, from the perspective of national interests, Xia Yan knew that even if he became the Prime Minister, he could only follow the rules of his predecessor and continue to adhere to the strategy of external expansion rather than the conservative strategy of internal development.
"Most people are selfish and short-sighted. They see that the interior of the country is warm as spring, rich in mineral resources, and has convenient transportation conditions. If they bring slave laborers to the interior to develop mineral resources, it will undoubtedly be a huge profit. However, if they do not develop the areas outside the country first, the Wala in the northwest and the Jurchens in the northeast will sooner or later become a major threat. The interior of the country is not a paradise, so how can it be safe in the world!"
Xia Yan couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Zhang Cong is dead, the people's hardship is relieved." A headline on a page of a newspaper called "Beijing Political Talk" caught Xia Yan's attention, and Xia Yan could not help but shout:
"The court has not yet come to a conclusion on Zhang Cong, and now Zhang Cong is still the former Prime Minister and the leader of the Ming Empire. Who gave him the courage to criticize the ministers? Go ask the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the General Administration of Press and Publication how they approved it!"
"Sir, please calm down. This newspaper is owned by the Second Prince," Cabinet Scholar (a newly created official position) Tang Shunzhi couldn't help but remind Xia Yan.
Xia Yan didn't say anything more after hearing this. He was silent for a moment before he sighed slightly and thought to himself, "Perhaps some trends are really unstoppable."
Soon, Xia Yan boarded the bus to the imperial city. Only officials attending court were eligible to take this bus. Zhu Houzhao would often take this bus out of the city. When Xia Yan boarded the bus, he happened to run into Zhu Houzhao, who was also on the steam bus. He could not help but bow deeply, "Your Majesty!"
When Zhu Houzhao saw that it was Xia Yan, he nodded and said immediately, "It's really cold today! It's clearly past spring, and all the flowers are about to bloom, but there's a chill that won't go away!"
Xia Yan naturally understood what Zhu Houzhao meant, and could not help but reply: "Spring, summer, autumn and winter, cold and heat, the four seasons always cycle once a year, and the alternation of hot and cold is also common. Your Majesty should pay attention to the dragon's health. As long as the country has a wise ruler, the world will prosper in the end, whether it is cold or hot."
"I know that the land under our feet is so attractive, just like the arms of a mother and the body of a beloved wife. No one can leave it. No one is willing to travel to a bitter and cold place, and no one is willing to leave their hometown. After all, the vast mountains and rivers of our Ming Dynasty contain countless treasures." Zhu Houzhao's meaning was very clear. He simply knew that geographical factors made most of the Han people in the Ming Dynasty conservative in their bones.
Xia Yan also understood Zhu Houzhao's implication and replied, "But the world is not just China, and the world is not just Han people. If you stay in a peaceful and comfortable environment, you will inevitably decline. Once a powerful neighbor comes to plunder, the mountains and rivers will inevitably change color. I understand Your Majesty and Mr. Zhang, otherwise I would not have joined the Loyalty Society. But now no one in the world understands it, and even the royal heirs don't understand it. I am worried that a hundred years later, our Ming Dynasty will still inevitably repeat the same mistakes, even if I am willing to follow Xiao's rules and disregard life and death, just for my country!"
"who is it?!"
Zhu Houzhao looked at Xia Yan seriously.
Xia Yan looked around. He knew that if he mentioned this to the emperor, he would be in danger of offending the heir to the throne. However, in order to give His Majesty a clearer understanding of the current situation, he had to speak out. Now that His Majesty wanted to ask, he had to answer truthfully: "Second Prince, this is a piece of news in the Beijing Political Talk. According to the reminder of the cabinet scholar Tang Shunzhi, this publication was run by Your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao glanced at Tang Shunzhi.
Tang Shunzhi was extremely depressed, wondering how the Prime Minister could sell him out. He could only prostrate himself immediately and said, "Your Majesty, I only heard about it when I was studying at the Imperial University."
"Get up. There's no need to tell anyone about this. It's enough for me to know it," Zhu Houzhao said, and then looked out the window again. He had to admit that he could always insist on external expansion, and he could also select the prime minister and other important officials of the cabinet who always insisted on external expansion, but his life was limited. If a new emperor ascended the throne in the future, would the new emperor insist on external expansion, or would he also seek peace and be conservative? History has proved that even the so-called wise emperors would also impose maritime bans, and even prefer maritime bans and close the country to the outside world.
This made Zhu Houzhao wonder whether he should carry out a reform to limit the imperial power.
But will it be useful to limit the power of the monarch?
Now most people in the world tend to be conservative. The restriction of the monarchy means that the state's ruling body will represent the will of the majority, which will make it even more conservative. In history, in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the monarchy had already been limited by the rites and laws upheld by civil officials, so wasn't it also conservative?
How can we ensure that the Ming Dynasty can continue to expand, open up and even be proactive a hundred years later?
"It is impossible to rely on any emperor, and it is not possible to rely on the majority, because the truth is sometimes not in the hands of the majority. After all, even the rebellious peasants don't know why they are rebelling. The only way may be to allow ideological dictatorship and let the ideas of external expansion and opening up continue to dictate the Ming Dynasty! If it continues to be dictatorial, no matter whether it is the emperor, the prime minister or other people in power, if they want to keep their positions, they can only accept this kind of thinking and obey this kind of thinking!"
Zhu Houzhao suddenly said this, Xia Yan could not help but be greatly surprised, and asked: "Your Majesty, do you mean to use the law to prove the orthodoxy? But the laws established by our ancestors can be changed, so how can the law not be changed?"
"Although the laws established by our ancestors can be changed, they cannot be completely abolished. The same goes for the constitution. The Ming Dynasty needs to enter the constitutional era. What we need to do now is undoubtedly to strengthen the constitutional awareness of the people and the rulers. The Loyalty Society will play a major role in this. We cannot guarantee that everyone in the world will have the idea of opening up and expanding to the outside world, but the members of the Loyalty Society must have it! And it must be pure!"
Zhu Houzhao motioned Xia Yan to sit down and said, "This is the only way now. Our children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. The same is true for the world. We cannot control the future world. We can only take care of the present!"
"I understand! I will follow your instructions!" Xia Yan said with a bow.
……
Snapped!
With a crisp sound, the second prince Zhu Zaituo smashed the glass in his hand and said angrily: "This Xia Yan doesn't want to give me face at all!"
"Your Highness, why do you have to do this? Now he is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and has taken over Zhang Cong's position in the Loyal Emperor Society. Apart from His Majesty, he has the final say in the world! Back then, Zhu Houwan of the Zheng Wangfu was executed by Zhang Cong. Now it is just to let His Majesty know that you are dissatisfied with Zhang Cong. There are many cases where the royal heirs are dissatisfied with the prime minister on the spot. This is nothing. The key point now is what His Majesty is thinking. The evidence of the Censorate impeaching Zhang Cong for cheating in the imperial examination has been submitted for so long, but there has been no response. I am afraid that Xia Yan deliberately sold you out in front of the emperor to test His Majesty's intentions."
Zhu Zaitu's staff said.
Zhu Zaituo couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "So, I have to go visit the new Prime Minister?"
"No need, Your Highness, just wait and see. His Majesty has been deliberately avoiding talking about the issue of establishing a crown prince, which clearly shows his dissatisfaction with Your Highness being the crown prince. His Majesty is extremely fond of the Empress, so there is no doubt that Your Highness and the Third Prince are more favored by His Majesty. However, Xia Yan's move has really put us in a passive position. In my opinion, no matter whether this matter is good or bad, we should stop publishing "Beijing City Political Talk" first."
This was said by Zhu Zaituo's aide.
Zhu Zaituo also nodded and ordered people to stop publishing "Beijing Political Talk".
……
While eating steamed pork ribs with potatoes, Tang Shunzhi took out a newspaper from his sleeve and handed it to Hai Rui: "Take a good look at it. This is probably the last issue."
When Hai Rui saw the name of the newspaper was "Beijing City Political Talk", he couldn't help but be surprised and said, "Isn't this the newspaper founded by the Second Prince? How could this be the last issue? Will it be discontinued?"
"This matter is really a case of a child without a mother. It's a long story. Although the lifestyle has changed, the court is still so complicated. The big boss in the cabinet really dares to tell His Majesty everything, and he didn't want to implicate me. I just gave him a reminder, and it's my fault for being too talkative..."
Tang Shunzhi then told him everything he had seen and heard.
After hearing this, Hai Rui was not very interested in Tang Shunzhi's experience. He was only interested in the topic of strengthening constitutional construction mentioned by Tang Shunzhi. As a young man who grew up in the Zhengde Dynasty, he personally experienced the rapid changes of this era and received a different education in this era. The Emperor Zhu Houzhao's judgment gave him a feeling of enlightenment.
But at this time, Hai Rui was naturally not qualified to enter the core layer of the Ming Empire. The only thing he could do now was to ask himself curiously, as if asking Tang Shunzhi: "What do you think Your Majesty wants to determine as the constitution of the Ming Dynasty?"
Tang Shunzhi smiled slightly. He knew Hai Rui because Emperor Zhu Houzhao had issued an edict to establish the Royal Academy for the purpose of educating the royal family's children. At the same time, in order to play a positive guiding role for the royal family's children, the Royal Academy was required to regularly recruit a certain proportion of children from aristocratic families and poor families as students to provide them with free education. In addition, the two of them were not afraid of the domineering behavior of the royal family's children, so they became good friends.
Because of this, Tang Shunzhi was unwilling to hide anything from Hai Rui and said, "To be honest, I don't know what law the emperor wants to use as the constitution, but at least the outline of the constitution will include the content of opening up to the outside world and reforming the law at home. Running water does not rot, and door hinges do not rot. The court is changing, people's hearts are changing, and the government orders must change naturally. You know that I am a disciple of Wang Xue, I focus on practical achievements, and I sneer at the existing etiquette and laws. If we really want to govern the country with a constitution, this law must be included in the outline of the constitution, and I will defend it with my life."
Hai Rui nodded and couldn't help but clap his hands and stand up: "Hai has decided to join the Loyal Emperor Society!"
Tang Shunzhi smiled and said, "Then I will be your introducer."
However, not long after Hai Rui applied to join the Loyal Emperor Society, an imperial edict came to Tang Shunzhi, stating that he was not suitable for staying in the central government, and was therefore demoted to the Ming Army Command College to study military affairs.
Zhu Houzhao still asked the East Factory to investigate the matter of Zhang Cong cheating in the imperial examination for his son. After investigation, it turned out that the evidence was fabricated by the Censorate, because Zhang Cong's nephews and nephews did not take part in the provincial examination because of Zhang Cong's order.
"What can you do in the Censorate? The innocence of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet actually depends on the people of the East Factory to prove his innocence! Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Zan hanged himself to apologize!"
After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he turned to Xia Yan and ordered: "And the one who impeached Zhang Cong, beat him to death! As a censor, if you impeach a minister without punishment, you will not be able to rectify the government!"
Zhu Houzhao's handling of the matter was like a bolt from the blue, shocking the court and the public. No one expected that the emperor would still protect Zhang Cong. The Minister of Education Xu Jin had to remain silent again and temporarily put his dissatisfaction with Zhang Cong in his heart. Even powerful people such as Duke Dingguo Xu Guangzuo and Marquis Xianning Qiu Luan kept a low profile and dared not express any dissatisfaction with Zhang Cong.
The government officials below also understood the meaning of the song and began to actively arrest those who had slandered Zhang Cong in private.
But Zhu Houzhao knew that his action only temporarily suppressed the resentment of the world towards Zhang Cong, just like temporarily using solid ice to freeze a volcano that was about to erupt. But this volcano would erupt sooner or later. The more he suppressed it, the more magma would erupt.
However, the situation could be suppressed as long as possible. Under the instruction of Zhu Houzhao, the chief minister of the cabinet, Xia Yan, asked the Ministry of Rites to posthumously confer the title of Wen Zheng on Zhang Cong, which brought the matter to a temporary end. While Xia Yan admired the emperor's courage, he also felt deeply the pressure. However, the emperor's behavior undoubtedly gave him more confidence to continue to implement the policy of external expansion and opening up.
Of course, continuing such a policy will not really lead to chaos in the world. The vested interests just want to turn the interior of the country into their hunting grounds. Now that the emperor and the court are unwilling, it does not mean that they cannot survive. They can only continue to plunder outside the Great Wall and overseas.
As long as the vast majority of common people could survive, even if the princes rebelled, the military generals mutinied, and the civil officials conspired, they would not be able to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhu Houzhao began to reach higher requirements for ideology, and at the same time he also intensified the propaganda of this ideology.
then.
From education in the classroom to newspaper articles in the media, conversations among officials at all levels, and even research articles by scholars, the idea of outward expansion and opening up has been repeated over and over again like frying beans, forcing people all over the world to admit that this is the right path.
From officialdom to business and even academia, members of the Zhongjun Society quickly occupied various important positions.
Unconsciously, the Ming Dynasty was no longer a Confucian-ruled country but a party-ruled country.
But no matter what, Zhu Houzhao could not avoid the issue of succession to the throne and how much power the heir should have.
"Now it seems that whoever becomes the core figure of the Loyalty to the Emperor Society can control the court. But if this continues, even if I become the emperor, what can I do? Can the Loyalty to the Emperor Society really have the final say in the world? But the Loyalty to the Emperor Society is loyal to the emperor, and there is no theory of listening to the emperor. They regard the emperor as the country, but I don't want to just represent this country, I also want to own this country!"
The third prince Zhu Zaijie said somewhat depressedly.
Immediately, Zhu Zaijie could not help but say even more angrily: "This is all Zhang Cong's fault! And Xu Jin and Wang Hua!"
"Why should you make others angry, third brother? If the emperor didn't want it, how could they accomplish this?" Zhu Houcong said.
Zhu Zaijie couldn't help but get a little nervous when he heard Zhu Houcong say this: "What the emperor's uncle said is not wrong, but I don't understand why the one who gave birth to me did this! Also, tell me, why didn't he let my eldest brother become the crown prince?"
Zhu Houcong looked around again and said, "In my opinion, he is confused and he doesn't even know what he is doing. No matter what, I believe that other princes don't understand your father just like you and may have some complaints. What you need to do now is to keep calm. No matter whether you can ascend the throne in the future, you must first find a way to persuade the ministers to make His Majesty a king overseas. The world is so big that no matter whether it is the current emperor or the future emperor, how can you manage it? Go overseas and carve up a kingdom first. If you can be made the crown prince by His Majesty in the future and return to China to be the emperor, it will be better. If not, with a million soldiers, you can accomplish great things!"
"You are right. The world is not limited to the nine provinces. There are fertile lands everywhere. But I don't know what the emperor is thinking now. He neither appoints a crown prince nor appoints a king overseas. He only cares about developing science and technology and industry. If he continues like this, we will also grow old!"
After Zhang Heling's voyage around the world, the vision of the Chinese people also changed. At this time, not only Zhu Houcong turned his attention to overseas, but Zhu Zaijie also began to have a global vision, not limiting his attention to the domestic situation. He even couldn't help but blame Zhu Houzhao.
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(End of this chapter)
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