Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 465 The court was in an uproar; were there really people who didn't know their own mortality?
The court discussion in Fengtian Hall continued.

Zhu Jinzhen left the pass with many other matters to attend to besides the mutiny in Jiangnan.

For example: to increase the salaries of all officials.

"All officials of our Great Ming Dynasty, regardless of rank, shall be paid according to the salary initially proposed by the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet. At the same time, the system of paying in kind shall be abolished, and all salaries shall be paid in real gold and silver."

When Yu Huatian finished reading Zhu Jinzhen's decree, the court instantly erupted in chaos.

"what?"

"Did I hear that right? There really was a pay raise?"

"Yes, and His Majesty is also going to abolish the commutation system, so we won't have to collect those bolts of cloth and pepper anymore."

"Keep an eye on those censors in the Censorate. If anyone dares to contradict us now, throw them down and beat them to death."

"There can't be such a stupid idiot, right?"

"Haven't you seen those bookworms who think they're so pure and upright?"

Upon hearing this, the officials were alerted and began to glare unkindly at certain self-proclaimed upright individuals, those who simply enjoyed arguing, and those old-fashioned conservatives.

Some veteran officials, especially Zhang Mao from the Zhang family, felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter to himself, "Although His Majesty has abolished the ancestral system established by Emperor Taizong, it is beneficial to all officials. Even if I were out of my mind, I would never dare to oppose it!"

Just kidding. The imperial edict that Zhu Jinzhen just ordered Yu Huatian to read clearly stated that officials' salaries, regardless of rank, would be increased fivefold from the original level.

Five times the salary!
Moreover, all the money and grain were distributed in full, in real gold and silver.

Anyone who dares to step forward at this time will be the enemy of all officials of the Ming Dynasty.

That's not to prevent being hit on the head with a club and stuffed into a sack while walking.

If anyone dares to utter a word of objection in the Hall of Supreme Harmony today, the Ministry of Justice, the Six Doors, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will receive a report tomorrow that they have been stabbed fifty-seven times in the back and died by suicide.

Although the Censorate consists of remonstrating officials, they are now all keeping silent.

They're not stupid either.

At this time, the officials of the Censorate, including the Six Ministries, the Five Courts, the Hanlin Academy, and the Five Military Commissions, did not have much energy to focus on them.

The reason is simply because the imperial edict contained too much information.

"Is it true that all officials' salaries have increased several times over, and His Majesty has graciously allowed us to exchange our performance records, reviewed by the Secret Guard and the Six Ministries of the Cabinet, for various treasures circulating within the Secret Guard?"

"I've heard that the treasures circulating within the Secret Guard are as numerous as the stars in the sky, such as thousand-year-old spiritual herbs that are priceless and can be obtained as long as you have enough merit, as well as all sorts of elixirs and miraculous medicines."

"Not only that, I recently heard that more than a dozen kinds of elixirs have appeared within the Secret Guard, including a longevity pill that can prolong life. It is said that just one pill can extend one's life by ten years, but I don't know if it's true!"

"Hiss, in other words, in the future, our political achievements, besides being assessed and promoted by the Ministry of Personnel, can also be used as a currency to exchange for those treasures from the Ministry of Revenue every year?"

"Can we now obtain things like the Blood Bodhi, which we used to only dream of, and the Dragon Tonic Soup, which is said to be made from the flesh and blood of a dragon and countless rare and precious herbs?"

"That's right, that's right."

The court was in an uproar, and all the officials trembled.

With Zhu Jinzhen's successful pacification of the rebellion, the Xuanjia Secret Guard came into the public eye, and many things inside the secret guard could no longer be hidden and were dug up.

Among them, the treatment and treasures that could be exchanged for merits by the Xuanjia Secret Guards were the most tempting to the court officials.

Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about the century-old Tian Shan snow lotus.

That thing can cure all poisons in the world, enhance one's martial arts skills, turn white hair black, and even prolong life. There are very few of them in the entire Ming Dynasty.

However, within the secret guard, this thing was not considered precious at all.

With enough merits, you can have as many as you want.

There are also century-old vermilion fruits, five-hundred-year-old ginseng and lingzhi, and blood bodhi that only appeared in the eyes of the world a month ago; all of them are peerless elixirs.

These don't even cost money.

As long as the officials of the Ming Dynasty earn performance points corresponding to their annual performance evaluations, they can exchange for these points.

How could they not be moved and shocked?
The noisy sounds lasted for about half an incense stick's time.

Zhu Jinzhen listened quietly to their excited discussion without interrupting. Only after they had vented their emotions did he give Yu Huatian a look, signaling the officials to quiet down.

"Previously, Japanese pirates invaded the southeastern coast, including Fujian and Zhejiang."

"Although they colluded with local powerful families and gentry, these mere Japanese devils dared to invade our Great Ming and slaughter our people. I had just ascended the throne and needed to maintain stability, so I did not deal with them immediately."

"What do you gentlemen think of those Japanese slaves?"

"How should we deal with it?"

Zhu Jinzhen's displeasure, anger, and murderous intent echoed in the Fengtian Hall, clearly reaching the ears of all the officials.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Japanese invaders have offended our Great Ming Dynasty and deserve to be punished."

"We should send troops to punish them, so as to demonstrate the might of our great Ming Dynasty."

"Those Japanese barbarians refuse to submit and recklessly resort to arms. How can our great Celestial Empire let this go unpunished? Your humble servant requests permission to fight!"

"I second the proposal."

"No, the founding emperor established an ancestral precept that Japan should not be conquered. If we rashly raise an army to attack them, wouldn't that be a violation of the ancestral precept?"

"fart."

"They've already come to our doorstep and are committing massacres along the coast. How can we still follow our ancestral teachings? Even if the founding emperor were to be resurrected, we would still have to fight this battle. Otherwise, the surrounding countries will think that our Great Ming is weak and easily bullied."

The Fengtian Hall instantly erupted into a commotion.

Some advocated launching a military campaign against them, or even destroying their country.

There were also those who opposed it.

They might cite Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial ancestral precepts, or argue that excessive killing is unacceptable and that countries shouldn't be destroyed lightly, otherwise it would have a significant negative impact on the Ming Dynasty's subsequent conquests of other states.

Only a few people noticed that although the court was arguing fiercely, with spittle flying everywhere.

However, neither the Ministry of War nor the Five Military Commissions, nor even the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Western Depot, made any move, as if they were completely uninvolved.

Not right either.

Whether it was the Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, or the Embroidered Uniform Guard, their gazes were all fixed on those officials who held dissenting opinions.

Officials who stood on the side of the Ming Dynasty, opposed the destruction of Japan, and felt that subsequent wars might have negative consequences received little attention.

However, those officials who invoked the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty, claiming that Japan was a country not to be conquered and that rashly launching an attack would be a violation of the ancestral precepts, were all remembered by the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Dragon Guard Manor.

"All right."

Zhu Jinzhen interrupted coldly, glancing at the officials who had been the most vocal in their opposition. He waved his hand and said, "Take them away. I don't care about the process, I just want the result. Let's see what kind of business dealings they have with those Japanese devils."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Several Tian Ce soldiers filed in and dragged them away.

No matter how much they protested their innocence, Zhu Jinzhen ignored them.

Before he went into seclusion, he had already given clear instructions regarding the expedition to Japan. The Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions had been preparing for this period of time, waiting only for Zhu Jinzhen's final decision.

The idea that was brought up in court today was a spur-of-the-moment decision by Zhu Jinzhen, who wanted to give it a try. He never expected that a few reckless fools would actually jump out.

Those who had just expressed their opposition, along with many officials, instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

They knew what Zhu Jinzhen meant by "not asking about the process".

Those who were just speared are all doomed, and they won't die easily.

The Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Embroidered Uniform Guard have been incompetent and are eager to make a name for themselves. If we don't expose them thoroughly and extract all useful information from their mouths, they won't even be able to die.

(End of this chapter)