Chapter 138 Chongzhen and Jiangnan

On that day, in the morning, officials were sent to inform the heaven and earth and the ancestral temple. The emperor wore mourning clothes and reported to the Jiyan (a table for displaying sacrifices, with tablets of the previous emperor and gods in front). The emperor wore mourning clothes, set up wine and fruits, and went to the Jiyan of the late Emperor Tianqi, and reported that he had received the order. Then in front of the Fengtian Hall, incense tables, wine and fruits were set up, and the emperor wore crowns and performed the ceremony of reporting to heaven and earth.

Then he went to the Chengxian Hall to pay homage to the ancestors, and that was it. He still wore the imperial robes and went to the Jiyan of the late emperor, and performed the ceremony of five bows and three kowtows.

That morning, bells and drums were sounded. The Jinyiwei set up a procession, and the emperor wore imperial robes and went to the Huagai Hall. All civil and military officials wore court robes, entered the Danchi, and waited for the Honglu Temple to lead the stewards to the Huagai Hall to perform the ceremony. All civil and military officials presented a memorial to congratulate.

Zhu Youjian didn't remember clearly the various scenes and honors of the new emperor's accession to the throne as stipulated in the Ming Dynasty Code. However, when his brother died, he entered the palace as the younger brother of the late emperor. He was trembling and cautious at that time. He didn't dare to eat in the palace for several days. He ate the food made by the then Xin Wangfei Zhou to satisfy his hunger, fearing that the eunuchs in the palace would kill him.

Only when he ascended the throne did he feel relieved. From that moment on, he truly became the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, above millions of people, and had the name to fight against Wei Zhongxian.

A few months later, under the leadership of him, Zhu Youjian, the new Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was annihilated and changed, and the court was full of righteousness and all things were renewed.

When his brother Tianqi was alive, Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch who had great power in the court, had been executed, and a large number of Donglin gentlemen returned to the court to serve. The power of the eunuch party was uprooted, and the civil and military officials in the court congratulated him.

At this time, Chongzhen finally felt the joy of being a monarch!

She also set a small goal for herself and worked tirelessly for her ideal: "I must be an emperor like Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, and establish a prosperous and peaceful world like Taizu, Chengzu, Renzong, and Xuanzong of this dynasty!"

In addition to beheading, exiling, and deposing the civil and military ministers of the eunuch party, Chongzhen gave many vacant positions to the Donglin party gentlemen who were concerned about the world and everything. Chongzhen used all those who the eunuch party hated and wanted to kill.

In addition to appointing wise and upright gentlemen, as an emperor, he really worked day and night. He got up at five o'clock every morning and went to bed at three o'clock, sleeping less than three hours, reviewing memorials and handling government affairs in the court.

However, the memorials reported were either famine and natural disasters or rebellion and man-made disasters, as if they were against him. Nothing went as he wished, making him unable to sleep all night and worried.

"I, Ding Qirui, the Minister of War in Jiangnan, report that on March 11, a group of rebels, named the first year of Daxing, led the crowd to break through the city of Guang'an County in Nanzhili, robbed the treasury and released prisoners. The county magistrate died of exhaustion and the officials were nowhere to be found."

"On May 20, the garrison in Jimen demanded pay due to hunger and burned and looted gunpowder. After many measures, they were finally disbanded."

"I, Zhu Jizuo, the governor of Shaanxi, respectfully and peacefully ascended the throne. Shaanxi Province has been hit by natural disasters, rioters, and bandits since the Tianqi year. If you don't help, there may be a major disaster. I hope Your Majesty will quickly allocate funds!"

In the mountains of similar memorials, Chongzhen would find similar bad news when he flipped through them. Either it was a request for military pay from various places, or a document for disbursement of funds for disaster relief in years of famine. Even in the prosperous Jiangnan, there were one or two memorials from time to time asking for money.

"Alas!" Emperor Chongzhen sighed and looked at the two baskets of memorials brought by the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department. He was in a trance and asked, "How did the emperor deal with these memorials when he was alive?"

Immediately, a young eunuch stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, when the late emperor was alive, all memorials were reviewed by Wei Yan first and then handed over to the emperor. Seven or eight out of ten were intercepted."

It is obvious what the intercepted memorials are about. They must be asking for money and food. Chongzhen continued to ask, "How did the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who is illiterate, deal with it?"

The young eunuch bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Wei Ni has a special cabinet minister to help him. He only needs to cover his head with red."

The Ming Dynasty's "covering red" means to make a check mark. Because cinnabar is used, it is red, so it is called "covering red".

"So that's it!" Chongzhen suddenly realized.

Although this method is simple, how can the imperial power be passed on to others? This is what Emperor Taizu has obtained with great difficulty. He will not give it away so easily. He must personally handle important matters.

"On May 23, Zhejiang overflowed, and countless people and livestock were drowned. Fuzhou was hit by a hurricane and silver rain, and countless people in coastal and suburban areas were drowned. Shaoxing had a strong wind, and the sea water directly entered the county city, and boats could sail in the streets. Shanyin, Kuaiji, Xiaoshan, Shangyu, and Yuyao each drowned tens of thousands of people."

"On June 25, the hungry people in northern Shaanxi carried the elderly and children, hugged the ministers and cried, and I couldn't bear to see it. Men and women, with the elderly and children, lay on the roadside, digging grass roots and peeling tree bark to eat.

In a county, nine out of ten houses were empty, and the county was full of The people in the city have become bandits, and every place ten miles away is a den of thieves. People are like ghosts, and they have eaten all the grass roots and tree barks. Some even cut the flesh of dead bodies to satisfy their hunger, and cut the people walking on the road into pieces and eat them. "

"Assholes, don't you have any good news to report to me?" Faced with the overwhelming disasters, mutinies and many other bad news, Chongzhen finally got furious and angrily swept the memorials to the ground. This was the first time he was so angry since he ascended the throne, which scared the young eunuchs who were serving on the side.

The old eunuchs in the past were basically related to Wei Zhongxian. After Chongzhen came to power, they were either killed or exiled. None of them stayed in office. These young eunuchs had just come to serve, and had never seen the world. They hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"This slave is guilty! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"Forget it, forget it!" Chongzhen waved his hand helplessly and asked the young eunuchs to pick up the memorials on the ground again.

Although he was angry, he still couldn't stop working, and he began to envy the plain and quiet life in Prince Xin's Mansion.

How wonderful it would be if this emperor were not the emperor!

"Your Majesty, there is a memorial that seems to talk about the price of rice! It seems so funny." A literate little eunuch laid out the memorial, and his sharp eyes suddenly saw a piece of good news.

"Really, come quickly and show it to me!" Chongzhen breathed a little quickly. He seemed to have eyes for the little eunuch, and then he took the memorial and started reading it.

This is a memorial from South Zhili, written by Ruan Dacheng, Yin of Jinling Prefecture. Chongzhen frowned slightly. He had heard that this man was Wei Zhongxian's godson. What good news could he have?

With a skeptical attitude, Chongzhen continued to review it word by word, trying not to miss any information.

"Only when the Holy Emperor comes to the throne, everything will live forever. Although there are minor troubles within the four seas, the evil will be eliminated and the leadership will be prosperous. All industries will prosper, and the subjects will be blessed. My minister Ruan Dacheng would like to say that since New Year's Day, from spring to May in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, the price of rice is only For three to five coins per stone, the people sang with their bellies bulging, praising the kindness of the Holy Emperor."

Relying on the dragon chair, Chongzhen smelled the faint scent of red sandalwood from the incense burner in the room, and looked at the memorial sent by Nanzhili. He finally found a trace of the feeling he pursued about the Holy Emperor's reign and his life in the country.

After watching it for a while, something suddenly came to his mind. He suddenly sat up, his eyes shining brightly, pointing to the incense burner that was slowly exhaling fragrance, and shouted loudly to the little eunuch on duty outside the door.

"Since the beginning of my accession to the throne, I have issued an edict prohibiting the burning of incense in the palace. Why are you burning incense here? You must know that my father and brother have been deceived by your methods and their wisdom!"

The little eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare my life! The slaves would not dare to take out the things that were forbidden by Your Majesty that day. The red sandalwood incense burned in the furnace was from Queen Yi'an." Empress Zhang and the Empress saw that Your Majesty was working hard day and night reviewing the memorials, so they specifically asked their servants to find some for Your Majesty, which can help calm your mind. "

"In this case, you must be careful when doing things!" After hearing that his sister-in-law and wife sent these eunuchs to do what they did, Chongzhen turned his anger into joy and smiled on his face.

Among all the bad news around him, the price of rice reported by Jiangnan for several consecutive months was as low as only five cents of silver per stone. This was undoubtedly a bright spot in the gloom. At that time, Chongzhen had a very good impression of Ruan Dacheng of Nanzhili, and his heart There was also the slightest suspicion.

Let's put this aside for now, such a low price made Chongzhen feel good.

When he was still in Xinwangfu, he had also dabbled in ancient and modern novels and commentaries, and he remembered reading such a description in "Journey to the West".

Sanzang came to Xiajun and Yu'an County of Tianzhu Kingdom. When he saw the singing and dancing in the city, and the people living and working in peace and contentment, he was secretly happy and said in his heart: "People say that all the people in the Western Regions have never been here. Looking carefully, this scene is so different from that of the Tang Dynasty! This is the world of bliss.”

I also heard people say that white rice costs four cents per stone and sesame oil costs eight cents per catty. It is really a place where grains are abundant and livestock are prosperous. Nowadays, Japonica rice in the south of the Yangtze River only costs three to five yuan per stone. This is clearly the dawn of the paradise world!

"Any other news? Let me know as well!"

Chongzhen's original intention was that there was some other news. Unexpectedly, the young eunuch might have mistaken his intention and sent another memorial to Ruan Dacheng.

"Your Majesty, here is another memorial from Nanzhili!"

"Your Majesty, Ruan Dacheng, made a speech. Your Majesty worked hard to eliminate traitors and sycophants in order to clarify the inner affairs of the country. On the third day of March this year, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to be the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Censor of the Capital. He went out to the town of Xingbian and became the governor of Ji, Liao, Deng, Lai, Tianjin and other places. Military affairs, moved to Shanhaiguan.

Every time I think about it, the slaves are everywhere outside the pass, and our army can only control them with artillery. Now that the iron materials are all ready, His Majesty Fuqi has given permission to cast ten red Yi cannons of three thousand pounds in the south of the Yangtze River, fifty small red Yi cannons of one thousand pounds, and several large and small Folang machines, and transport them to the army to serve. To relieve my emperor’s worries! "

This news immediately changed Chongzhen's mood from cloudy to sunny, and he forgot about Ruan Dacheng's past as an eunuch. He kept praising this person to the eunuchs around him that he was a loyal minister and must be praised well. reward.

I have no idea where such a huge amount of iron came from as South Zhili is a place with scarce mineral resources.

It was reasonable to say that the price of rice was low, and anyone who was interested could find out the clues about the iron material by looking into it, but Chongzhen didn't pay attention to it. Yuan Chonghuan had been urging him for many days, and now was not the time to get entangled.

Now that South Zhili has prepared all the iron materials, as long as an imperial edict is issued here, more than a hundred artillery pieces, large and small, will arrive in the capital and become a weapon for the army to kill the enemy. How can this not make people overjoyed?

"Who is in charge of the cabinet today?"

"Reporting to your Majesty, Zhou Daodeng is on duty today."

Zhou Daodeng came through the imperial examination in the Eight Classics and did not engage in bribery. He was a Jinshi and a good scholar. He has been an official since the 20th year of Wanli. He has served as a minister, a minister, and a bachelor of Dongge University. He can be regarded as highly virtuous and respected.

A few years ago, Wei Zhongxian slandered Emperor Tianqi and dismissed Xianfu at home on unfounded charges. Now that Wei Zhongxian fell, Chongzhen activated him and made him a cabinet minister.

"Preach my will and summon him quickly."

After a while, Zhou Daodeng hurried over, and after some courtesy to the emperor, Chongzhen ordered the eunuch to bring a chair. This was regarded as a seat in front of the emperor, and it was also a gesture of the emperor to express his courtesy to the virtuous corporal. Of course, for Donglin, For Zhou Daodeng, the party boss, it is also a great honor.

"Does Sir know about the current situation in Nanzhili?"

Zhou Daodeng twirled his gray beard, trying to figure out the thoughts of the new emperor. Just now the eunuch was summoned to the cabinet, and his followers were stuffed with money. The eunuch revealed that the emperor is in a good mood now, so you can rest assured.

"Your Majesty, although the veteran minister is in the cabinet, there are still a lot of leaks, which are not as clear as the sage's candlelight. The thing in Jiangnan you are talking about is a matter of requesting an order to cast a cannon?"

"The old gentleman is right, this is one of them. The governor of Nanzhili reported that from New Year's Day to March in spring, the price of rice in Nanzhili is three yuan per stone."

"This is a sign of the Holy Emperor's reign, peace in the world, and a prosperous age!"

As soon as Chongzhen's words came out, Mr. Han, the chief minister of the cabinet, immediately stood up and left his seat, fell to his knees and shouted long live the mountain.

"Sir, please rise. I have ascended the throne at a young age, and it is with the help of all the great sages that I can restore the prosperous times when the emperor was still alive." Although he was happy in his heart, Chongzhen still had to show his loyalty. A wise and humble attitude is in line with the standards of wise kings of all ages.

"What do you think, sir, of the request from Nanzhili to cast cannons?"

After pondering for a while, Mr. Han slowly opened his mouth.

"Xu Guangqi, a native of Jiangxi in this dynasty, has considerable experience in casting artillery, and I have also paid attention to this matter."

What Zhou Daodeng said is true. His family is indeed close to Xu Guangqi's family. There are even people in the family who were baptized into Catholicism because of Xu Guangqi's relationship.

"The cost of casting a Hongyi cannon is huge. In addition to the iron materials and labor costs, the fuel is also a huge amount. Although Jiangnan's memorial shows that iron materials and other items are available, it is said that the cannon must be cast after the imperial edict is approved. "Twenty-three out of ten can be regarded as national masters. It can be seen that it is difficult to cast cannons. In my humble opinion, I might as well order Jiangnan to cast them. If ten cannons are cast, they will be sent to the capital."

"In my opinion, Ruan Dacheng, Yin of Jinling Prefecture, is loyal to his duties, diligent and capable. I intend to promote him. What do you think, old man, by transferring him to be the governor of Southern Zhili?" Chongzhen asked intentionally.

The position of governor of Southern Zhili is roughly equivalent to that of the boss of Jiangnan Province. He was only a mayor before. Although his power is not small, it is still much smaller when the power is lavished on Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty is wise, but I thought that it would be better to promote Ruan Dacheng after the cannons cast from Jinling are shipped to the capital. I just remembered that Jiangxi and Fujian have also reported that the price of rice in the two provinces is only between eight yuan and one tael. If it is simply If you promote officials because of the low price of rice, there is a risk that public opinion will be unfavorable to Your Majesty. Once the cannon is cast and shipped to the capital, you can rest assured that there will be no mistakes. "

Hearing this, Chongzhen's impression of Zhou Daodeng became even better.

Listen, what a wise minister and good minister this is for me! It’s right to let him be the first assistant!

When Zhou Daodeng's sedan chair returned to his mansion, his family's butler and nephews were already waiting in front of the door.

The butler who helped the master get out of the sedan chair had a smile on his face, "Thank you for your hard work, master!"

"Well, as a minister, you should serve your country loyally. This is the duty of scholars of our generation. Is there any errand at home today?"

The steward ordered someone to carry the sedan away, and told his master in a low voice, "Jinling sent people to bring some local products from the South China Sea, not much else. Among them was a six-foot-long dressing mirror, which is rare in the world. It is a Rare things.”

"Hmph! You have been with me for many years, why are you still so blind to these external things? Have you sent a letter?" Zhou Daodeng's attitude was very clear, and he scolded the housekeeper a few times.

The housekeeper was used to it, and replied: "Letters, greeting cards, and gift orders are all sent to the master's study."

Zhou Daodeng sat on a bench and read Jin Ling's letters. Ruan Dacheng's letters were written very politely, and he always addressed him as an elder. Because of the mountains and rivers, he could not listen to the teachings in the morning and evening, which was a pity. He specially sent someone to send some local products from the South China Sea to express his admiration.

At the end of the letter, he mentioned something by the way: rice prices are now low in Jiangnan. If the old gentleman intends to transport rice north to help the victims, the student is willing to repay the favor.

"This eunuch is quite interesting!" Putting down the letter, Zhou Daodeng twirled his beard and laughed. However, when people offered so much money to seek refuge, he would not refuse anyone who came.

Not long after, the housekeeper ordered someone to put the full-length mirror in place. The frame was made of rosewood and the glazed mirror inlaid with gold looked dazzling under the candlelight.

Even in Zhou Dao's official life, he had never seen such a huge mirror!

Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw that the handsome young scholar at that time had turned white at the temples and his forehead was full of wrinkles. Compared with the concubine Xin Na who was serving her with her head down, one was like a white lotus with water flowing in her eyes, and the other was like an old pine and cypress covered with scales.

As Su Dongpo said, it is just like a pear tree crushing a begonia.

Zhou Daodeng couldn't help but sigh, "Lian Po is old!"

"How can I compare myself with that Lian Po? That Lian Po became famous only because of the tolerance of those who studied. Without Lin Xiangguo, he would be nothing more than a rice bag and a martial artist. Master As the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty, I have a good understanding of people and can help your majesty. It is not an exaggeration to say that I am a saint!" The steward smiled and flattered me.

Zhou Daodeng was immediately in a happy mood. Looking at himself in the mirror, he felt energetic. He seemed not too old.

"You write a letter to the governor of Jinling in my name. Tell him that the Holy One has agreed to his cannon-casting matter, and asks him to be careful and handle the matter well. He will give all the money he needs to give, and don't be reluctant. As long as things are done, he can continue to stay in Jiangnan, talking about poetry and painting, drinking wine and admiring the moon."

Zhou Daodeng's face was full of smiles. The scenery and women in the south of the Yangtze River were truly extraordinary. He would probably look for a place to take care of himself when he was old. But now, he was only sixty years old and could still serve as the first assistant for another ten years.

He wanted to enjoy all the powers he had never enjoyed before.

The housekeeper had already become extremely proficient in his master's method of betraying Fenglei, and he nodded in agreement.

"What about the price of rice he said?"

The housekeeper asked back, the price of rice in various parts of the north has skyrocketed now. If he can buy rice for three cents of silver and transport it to the north, he can make huge profits, which makes him a little tempted. He hopes that the master can do some business, and he can do it Then share bowls of porridge and drink.

"Take it easy! There are probably not a few people who are eyeing the price of rice in South Zhili now. We cannot easily wade into this muddy water."

Zhou Daodeng knew very well that although rice was only sold for five yuan per stone in Jiangnan, it would cost eight yuan or even one tael in Fujian. If it were shipped to Jiangxi and Jiangnan, it would cost three taels. Where is the money to be made? !

A secret letter written by the chief minister's confidant was sent to Jinling as quickly as possible by the Jinling Yamen's official in the capital, and was handed over to Ruan Dacheng's desk.

"Guozhu, come and see!"

After reading the letter, Mr. Fu Yin felt extremely happy and ordered his son-in-law Guozhu to be found and handed him the letter from the capital to read.

"The First Assistant wrote to tell my father, Your Majesty," Ruan Dacheng immediately clasped his fists and bowed far to the north, "I have agreed to my cannon-casting plan, and the cabinet will send an imperial edict within a few days. Your Majesty is very concerned about my time in Jiangnan. I am very satisfied, especially with the prosperity of the country, the low price of rice, and the singing of people's bellies, which makes His Majesty Longyan very happy. I was told that the artillery was cast and sent north to the capital immediately, and His Majesty will be promoted to the official position of his father again. !”

"Congratulations, father!"

Hearing this, Zuo Guozhu was also overjoyed. It is said that in the first thirty years, one should respect the father and respect the son, and in the next thirty years, one should respect the son and respect the father. Ruan Dacheng had no children and only had one son-in-law. His official career would not be smooth sailing in the future.

Especially this time, he teamed up with Qin Hao to traffic large quantities of japonica rice produced in Taiwan to the south of the Yangtze River. Countless grain merchants with intricate relationships with officials at all levels swarmed in, holding a lot of money in their hands, and they wanted to share it with themselves. Get a piece of the pie.

Hundreds of thousands of japonica rice were sold out in an instant, which not only made him a lot of money, but also made him a lot of good friends. Most of the former salt merchants also changed their businesses and started trading grains.

In order for Ruan Dacheng to continue to stay in Jiangnan and run his business, Qin Hao spent a lot of effort this time. He gave money to those who should send money, grain to those who sold grain, and iron to those who sold iron.

As long as Ruan Dacheng remains in office, everything will be fine. With this layer of tiger skin, Qin Hao can continue to develop his business in Jiangnan internally, and can still carry out military activities unscrupulously externally.

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