Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

As the night gets darker, the lights in the East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace are brightly lit.

Compared with the laughter and laughter in the official residence outside, this majestic palace seemed very quiet. A young man in a dragon robe was handling government affairs under the lamp.

The imperial edict appointing Wang Yue as Premier of the Salt Administration has been issued. The ice on the Salt Administration has been broken, but the final success of eliminating salt abuses can only be determined by Wang Yue.

Even though he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, there is a distance in time and space between the center and the local area, and the power to control the local area is at a natural disadvantage.

Now the salt policy can only be put aside for the time being. After all, there are many bad policies in this dynasty, and his latest focus is on water transportation.

Every year, the imperial court collects millions of grains of grain from the six provinces of Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, Henan and Shandong and transports them to the capital, but the annual human and material cost of grains has already reached 80%.

Such huge losses made the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which was much talked about by the current dynasty, the most expensive toy of the Ming Dynasty, and changing sea transportation was undoubtedly the most effective way out.

Zhu Youtang has never been an innocent person, and he has experienced severe beatings from society in his previous life. With 80% of the annual expenditure of millions of stone grains, the number of maggots breeding here is only a lot more than that of Yanzheng.

If he takes action rashly now, not to mention that the military power of the Beijing Army has not yet been controlled, even if he controls the Beijing Army, he will have to find a way to kill people first.

Your Majesty, why do you keep going to Xiyuan recently? Isn't it raining today? You couldn't ride a horse and shoot arrows in the past, right? Niu Mengmeng, who was studying ink carefully next to her, was an innocent girl after all, and she couldn't bear it in the end. Live to find out the truth.

Zhu Youtang was thinking about how to cut into the problem. Hearing this, he said calmly: What? I have to report to you what I have done?

How can this slave be so unruly? I'm just curious about what you did in Xiyuan! Not long after you left the Qianqing Palace today, Eunuch Huai came to the Qianqing Gate and said he wanted to return to his life. The slave said you were not here, and he actually wanted to come in and take a look. Look, this Eunuch Huai doesn’t understand the rules so much that the servants don’t even know how he could sit on it!” Niu Mengmeng said a bunch of words immediately.

Zhu Youtang knew that many people didn't like Niu Mengmeng, a small talker, but he felt very relaxed in his heart: When I lived in Qingning Palace before, my favorite place to stay was the closet. He never thought of me in his heart. Take this wardrobe prince seriously!

Ah? Is this actually true? Niu Mengmeng stared at Zhu Youtang in disbelief.

When Zhu Youtang saw Niu Mengmeng's surprised expression, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He looked out at the dark sky through the window, but he knew that changing some people's inherent perceptions would probably require bloodshed. .

After the Wardrobe Prince kills people, will these people really realize that he is the emperor?

It was just dawn, and there were more and more civil and military officials in front of the Meridian Gate.

Due to the rain yesterday, the weather today has obviously become colder, but many officials' eyes are shining and they are resolutely looking forward to today's morning morning.

Good morning, Bachelor Xu! Liu Ji, who was wearing a first-grade official uniform, saw Xu Pu arriving late and immediately took the initiative to say hello.

Xu Pu has a good drinking capacity like people in the north, and he had a good dream last night. He was still smiling and walking with wind in his mouth, so he responded: Mr. Liu Ge, good morning!

Xu Xueshi, since you proposed to ask His Majesty to reopen the sutra feast, I should follow suit! Liu Ji looked around and then lowered his voice slightly.

Xu Pu couldn't help but be secretly surprised. He didn't expect that his conversation at the banquet last night could reach Liu Ji's ears, but he still said calmly: Fortunately, with the help of Mr. Liu Ge, things can be done.

After overthrowing Wan An, the person standing in front of him was Liu Ji.

It's just that it's not the time to take action against Liu Ji, let alone whether he can bring down Liu Ji. If he is still blocked from the cabinet after a long time of hard work, it will be a big joke.

That's why it is best to choose to live in peace with Liu Ji and join forces to put pressure on His Majesty.

After the two sides reached a tacit understanding, when they heard the morning bell ringing and the Meridian Gate opening, they led the civil and military officials through the city cave of the Meridian Gate and walked towards the rainbow-like Fengtian Gate in front.

Du Ming, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Li Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, exchanged silent glances and found that the team of civil servants was more orderly today, and they vaguely felt that they had gathered into a strong whole.

In the morning light, in front of Fengtian Gate, thousands of officials began to watch the government.

I bow before your majesty, long live my emperor! Wan An is no longer here, but now, led by Liu Ji and Xu Pu, he kneels before the young emperor.

Zhu Youtang turned his head and looked to the left, and found that Liu Ji was the only cabinet minister kneeling here alone.

Familiar processes and similar recipes started from the clan mansion. Today, the Zongren Mansion no longer asked Zhu Youtang to finalize the names of the members of the Zongfan, but the King of Zhou invited him out of the city to pay homage to his ancestors.

What was supposed to come finally came. When it was the turn of the Ceremony Department, the atmosphere in the square instantly became different.

Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, and Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, also felt something strange, and looked at the team of the Ministry of Rites warily.

Zhu Youtang saw the copy in his hand. What the Ministry of Rites submitted yesterday was to send the consort Zhou Jing to pay homage to Emperor Jing's mausoleum. This was undoubtedly a trivial matter.

Ni Yue, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, came out and said impassionedly and confidently: Your Majesty, the Yingzong Sutra Banquet Rituals will be given three times on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of every month. In the Imperial Wenhua Hall, I met The cold and heat are temporarily exempted. If the sutra feast is not abandoned for one day, the holy virtues and virtues will improve by one day; if it is not abolished for one month, the holy virtues and virtues will advance by one month. If people's minds and spirits are complicated, then Naturally strong and sensitive. Lectures at the Sutra banquet are the place where the righteous master broadens the mind and inspires the spirit. It is now a full moon for Your Majesty to ascend to the Dabao. The prime years will not come again, and it is difficult to get up again in one day. Please do not violate the ancestral rules and please open the Sutra Let’s talk about it at the banquet and every day!”

I second the proposal! Zhou Hongmo, the Minister of Rites, and other officials immediately knelt down and agreed after listening to Ni Yue's request.

At this time, the vast majority of the officials who attended the morning court knelt down, and their momentum was as loud as the sky. They decided to join forces to force Zhu Youtang to resume the Sutra banquet and daily lectures.

Zhu Youtang, who was sitting on the throne, looked at the officials kneeling on the ground in darkness. Listening to the voice that was louder than shouting long live, he finally felt the true power of the civil servant group.

If this group of officials can really advance and retreat together, even if he is a superior emperor, it will undoubtedly be extremely difficult to control the entire civil servant group.

The imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty has laid the foundation of civil servants. As an emperor, he can control the cabinet and the six ministries, but he cannot control the entire world at all.

At this moment, he knew that if he wanted to break up this force, he had to dismantle the imperial examination system, otherwise the civil service group would one day swallow up the imperial power.

Naturally, Zhu Youtang would not be disturbed by this. He looked at Liu Ji with a normal expression and said: Mr. Liu Ge, how does the cabinet do things? The memorial to the Ministry of Rites submitted by the cabinet yesterday did not cover this matter. I don't know who it is. Something went wrong?

Your Majesty, Mr. Wange may have made a mistake! But don't give lectures before the imperial festival, and don't give lectures before the Sutra Banquet. I also ask the Holy One to reopen the Sutra Banquet! Liu Ji did not intend to be Zhu Youtang's courtier. , first passing the responsibility directly to Wan An, who has returned home, and at the same time directly stating his position.

Your Majesty, I would like to ask Your Majesty to reopen the Sutra Banquet and set an example to the scholars in the world! Xu Pu raised the corners of his mouth slightly and led the remaining officials to put pressure on Zhu Youtang.

At this time, the vast majority of officials in the square had already stated their position, and they were determined to force Zhu Youtang to bow his head, restart the Sutra banquet obediently, and carry out a major ideological transformation.

Zhu Youtang did not pay attention to Xu Pu and others' request, but continued to stare at Mr. Liu Ge and asked: Mr. Wange made a mistake? Haha... I remember that I had repeatedly issued orders earlier that important members of the imperial court were not allowed to use any excuses for any reason. Quechao, why didn't Wan'an come to the court this morning? Doesn't he, the chief minister, not want to do it?

ah?

As soon as these words came out, Qian Guan, who was kneeling in the square, was dumbfounded.

Wasn't that old man from Wan'an discovered by you because he presented the book of Chinese magic to the late emperor? Yesterday you took away people's tooth cards and drove them out of the Forbidden City. Can they still come?

Thanks to the book friend Xian Gua Qi Liu for the 100-coin reward and Dianjun Xiaowei Xia Houyuan for the 100-coin reward. Thank you very much!