On this day, Zhu Houzhao had just started to deal with government affairs, and Ma Yongcheng, the commander of the East Factory, hurriedly came to Zhu Houzhao: "Emperor! The minister is guilty! After the craftsmen who killed the important members of the imperial court were taken to the edict prison by the East Factory, they suddenly died of anger yesterday, and the head of the East Factory on duty had also hanged himself! There is also a big stall named Qiu Ye who is extremely suspicious, but he has escaped! All his family members disappeared suddenly! ”

"What's going on? These craftsmen are the key to finding out the truth behind this case now, and if they die like this, won't it become a headless case! ”

Zhu Houzhao asked with a hint of anger, he didn't expect such a fork in the East Factory.

"The emperor forgives the sins! It's the minister's carelessness, it seems that there should be a thief in the East Factory, please give the Minister a chance, the Minister will clean up the portal, rectify the East Factory, and no more such a thing! ”

Ma Yongcheng replied with some fear, he didn't expect that he would not go a little late, and such a thing would happen.

"No matter how you check, people have hanged themselves! It seems that the people behind these are also very means, you go to the celebrant to receive the punishment yourself, but, next, if I know that the East Factory has done something wrong, you can ask for a pension! At that time, you will also be deprived of your participation amount! ”

Zhu Houzhao said in a very stern tone.

Although Zhu Houzhao knew that it was inevitable for the reform opposition to infiltrate his factories and Jinyiwei, he also had to put some pressure on the people around him, lest they relax and make it easier for the enemy to infiltrate.

"Yes! The minister guaranteed with the head of the item that such a thing would never happen again in Dongchang! ”

Ma Yongcheng gritted his teeth and said, he couldn't help but secretly swear that whoever wants to beat his Dongchang idea again and take away his wealth, he will let that person be crushed!

At this time, Ma Wensheng, the first assistant of the cabinet, couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty! These people can buy the people of Dongchang to do such a poisonous hand, the minister thinks that the power behind them must not be underestimated, and he also thinks that he will not give up, and it is clear that he wants to prevent His Majesty from canceling the edict of the craftsman registration system. ”

"Cancel! Must be cancelled! You Ma Wensheng has been the secretary of the Ministry of War, you Xu Jin is now the secretary of the Ministry of War, and you Jiao Fang have also been the squire of the Ministry of War, you should know better than this officer, what are the weapons made by this kind of forced craftsmen now! There are no six out of ten firearms that can be used; Armor is thinner than paper! Even the number of craftsmen is getting smaller and smaller, the fleeing of the fugitive, the hiding of the hidden, in the long run, how can I have a weapon that can be warned, a good craftsman who can make a weapon! ”

Zhu Houzhao scolded loudly.

"Your Majesty is angry, the minister understands His Majesty's painstaking efforts, and also knows that this craftsman registration system must be changed, Your Majesty's move is indeed a move to love the people, but the minister wants to say that Your Majesty's move is indeed blocking the financial path of others, these people are bold, once Your Majesty is unwilling to compromise, with the minister's understanding of them, they are bound to continue to commit crimes! The court officials who died today, but they are only afraid that they will be killed tomorrow......"

Ma Wensheng didn't say it directly, but Zhu Houzhao also understood what he meant, and laughed angrily: "I understand what you mean, but since ancient times, there has been no one who has not sacrificed in reform, I believe that there are all Aiqing here, as long as I am still the heart of the people in the world, no one dares to do anything to me, dare to do to you!" We can't be intimidated by some small people, and we have issued an order to urge the household department and the Ministry of Industry to let them hurry up to complete the transfer of the origin of the artisan people, the matter of rewarding the rice, and the recruitment of craftsmen! ”

"Since ancient times, there has been no one who has not sacrificed in reform!"

I don't know why, when Ma Wensheng, Jiao Fang, Xu Jin, Liu Jin and others couldn't help but burst into tears when they heard this, and for a while, Ma Wensheng choked up directly: "The outside world says that Your Majesty is very violent, but no one knows that Your Majesty is a wise man who does not hesitate to live and die for the people of the world!" This is the purpose! ”

So, at the insistence of Zhu Houzhao, the Ming court continued to insist on abolishing the craftsman registration system, and the household department Shangshu and the Ministry of Works, Ye Heng, also had to follow the will and began to convert the nationality of all craftsmen into the people, and gathered these craftsmen to prepare to distribute the Lu rice rewarded by the imperial court.

These craftsmen didn't expect that the imperial court would suddenly give themselves back their freedom, and they would also give themselves Lu rice, and they were even a little unbelieving at first, and asked an official: "Dare to ask this big man, from now on, we can really do whatever we want to make a living?" You can also get a stone of rice! ”

"Yes! You have caught up with the good times, the peaceful and prosperous times, the emperor has mercy on you, and let you be like the people, you can farm, you can do business, you can continue to do your old business to earn money with your ability, you can also study and start a career, and you will be an official in the future! Go get rice! Don't delay the people behind! ”

A head of the household department said impatiently.

And these craftsmen were not angry, after all, they were used to being insulted and beaten by officials, and now they only spoke harshly, which was nothing to them, but smiled even more, and sighed:

"I really met a good emperor! Fortunately, I didn't pay the silver to the old men of the Ministry of Industry to redeem myself, otherwise I wouldn't have the opportunity to lead Lu Mi to become a citizen today, long live my emperor, long live, long live! ”

The craftsmen were very grateful to Emperor Zhu Houzhao's policy, and they also began to have a good impression of the Ming Dynasty, and began to feel that the imperial court not only wanted to oppress themselves, but also favored themselves.

However, at this time, Zeng Jian, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, was naturally very unhappy after knowing that the imperial court still ignored the work of the imperial court and the fact that the craftsmen killed the officials of the imperial court and continued to implement the abolition of the craftsman registration system and the freedom of the craftsmen, and he was very angry in his heart:

"Now that these craftsmen have been wiped out, they should know the stakes involved, whether this Zhu Houzhao doesn't know, or Ma Wensheng and other cabinet ministers don't know how to advise! Don't you know that the gentry are very dissatisfied with them today, and even intend to kill them! Since you just killed the court officials today, you can kill them tomorrow! At this time, we will not stop letting craftsmen go for the people, but we will insist on going our own way! And take away people's money! Don't you really know how to write dead words? ”

Although Zeng Jian, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, was unhappy, he still had to pretend to be sick on the surface, and only after midnight did he quietly meet his henchmen secretly: "Let them do it again, so that the court can thoroughly understand the stakes here!" This time, the nobles will also be pulled, and when the time comes, the official will have to see if the court will dare to forcibly return these craftsmen for the people! ”

……

At the same time, Zhu Houzhao also received a report from Gu Dayong on the second day: "Your Majesty! Our people came to report that Zeng Jian, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, had been crying out for pain, and he couldn't find out the clues after being sent to the imperial doctor, but when he was ugly last night, he suddenly disappeared! The eyeliner we planted in his house quietly watched, there was no one on the bed, and there was no cry of pain! ”

"These civil officials really have ghosts, continue to stick to them tightly, and try to find out the evidence, but also remember not to startle the snake!" Zhu Houzhao commanded.