After listening to Zhou Yanru's recital, the emperor was angry and annoyed. Not because of anything else, it is precisely because of such an army that he cannot afford to raise.

The embarrassment of the officers and troops was clear to the emperor. Ni Yuanlu, who is about to be reappointed as the right attendant of the military department, recently returned to Beijing from Nanjing, and he has heard about it and seen and heard along the way. He passed by Yanzhou, Shandong, and saw that the local officers and soldiers did not cover their bodies, did not eat enough, and shivered in the cold wind, like "beggars in the snow wind". This is called the Hanako Army, even if it doesn't mutiny, it's good, where can we talk about any weapons and equipment!

What the emperor was even more annoyed by was that they were all from the heavenly family. The vassal king can afford to raise it, but he can't afford it as the son of heaven!

The emperor's anger was in Zhou Yanru's arms.

The Emperor was a man of temperament, and many important decisions were made when he was emotional. Zhou Yanru just wanted to arouse the emperor's emotions and achieve his own goals.

He smiled slightly, and said to the emperor who was holding his stomach sulk: "The Son of Heaven has all over the world, and all of them are ministers. Regardless of whether his caravan is a righteous army or an official army, as long as it is an army of thieves, isn't it all His Majesty's army? How about the strong soldiers, what about the tight financial plans of the imperial court, aren't they well maintained at the moment? ”

Shoufu's words finally made the emperor understand. It turns out that to open source and reduce expenditure, we have to start from this Shu land! Let's start with this vassal king!

The emperor changed his humble expression and asked Zhou Yanru how to start.

"Your Majesty, since Liao Daheng and Liu Zhibo can ask for so much silver from the Shu Palace, it shows that they have the ability, and it also shows that the Shu Palace's Mansion has silver!"

Zhou Yanru wanted to capture the past, so he first praised Liao and Liu in front of the emperor to prepare for the next set.

"Since Wanli, the population of the clan has increased greatly, and half of the income of the imperial court in a year is less than a year's income of the clan. The people of Shu are rumored that the son of Shu is a boy who scatters wealth, and the meaning is self-evident, that is, he is very good at making money.

The minister thought that since the Shu clan was rich in the world and willing to donate silver to help the salary, His Majesty should show the world and be deeply commended! As for the Shu rebel army, it is naturally more than ever, 1,000 people are too little, 20,000 people are not too much, the minister thinks that it can be expanded to 50,000 people! If the Shu rebel army can stabilize a province, why do you need so many officers and soldiers? In this way, the military department can calmly dispatch the officers and troops of Shu. In Shu Chujun, the original news can be transferred back to the original news and under the command of Ding Qirui. The main army of Sichuan can also be half stationed in southern Shaanxi, Jingchu, and Henan. When the rebel army is formed, why can't it be transferred to Gyeonggi Jiliao to suppress the thieves? If so, Daming Zhongxing is expected to ......"

Zhou Yanru made his opinion clear in front of the emperor. That is, since the Shu Wangfu is willing to donate silver to help him, he might as well donate more. In this way, the Sichuan officers and troops could be transferred to join the Central Plains battlefield, where the war was fierce. This not only saved the silver of the imperial court to raise soldiers, but also added tens of thousands of troops to the imperial court.

Zhou Yanru's thoughts, the emperor understood. But in the end, it's still money from the vassal kings. But he has concerns, and he has learned a lesson.

……

Xue Guoguan, the former assistant who was killed, also had this idea, but the result was to lose his wife and soldiers.

The Li family, Marquis of Wuqing, was infighting, and Li Cunliang's father Li Guochen took revenge on Li Guorui, who inherited the title, and accused Li Guorui of hiding the Li family's donation of 400,000 taels of silver to the emperor.

The ghost tricks made by these villains are almost exactly the same as the actions of Wang Shouren, the king of the hundred households of Jinyiwei, who falsely accused Zhu Huakui, the king of Chu, except that the number has been changed from 13 million taels to 400,000 taels.

The emperor, who was able to spend more than 20 million taels of military expenditure every year and was strapped for food and clothing, was instigated by Xue Guoguan and immediately asked Li Guorui to pay the money. Li Guorui demolished the house and sold it to show that he had no money, and the emperor was angry and put Li Guorui in prison.

At this time, the group of relatives Xungui couldn't sit still.

Zhou Kui, the emperor's serious father-in-law, took the lead in making a statement to the emperor, saying that Li Guorui was indeed very poor, and persuaded the emperor not to persecute too much, so that "Qi Wan was in danger". The emperor favored Tian Guifei at that time, and he was bent on making money, and wanted to open a breakthrough from Li Guorui and give a warning to the nobles, so he didn't take the old man's words seriously, and continued to strictly investigate Li Guorui's silver. The party to the incident, Wuqinghou Li Guorui, was shocked and frightened, and soon died in prison.

The money didn't get much, but it offended a large number of imperial relatives, and then the revenge of the nobles came.

Soon the emperor's most beloved fifth son fell ill, and he dreamed in a high fever: he saw a bodhisattva-like grandmother who claimed to be the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva. Because the emperor treats his relatives poorly, he has to punish the emperor and let his son die!

Soon, the fifth son of the emperor died, and Tian Guifei was heartbroken. The emperor was furious and tracked down the so-called Nine Lotus Bodhisattva.

The palace people knelt down and told the emperor: The Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, the Empress Dowager is also filial piety!

The emperor was shocked, and hurriedly posthumously named Li Guorui's seven-year-old son Li Cunshan to inherit the title of Marquis of Wuqing, returned all the gold and silver paid, and then hated Xue Guoguan, and finally killed his head.

The matter of the relatives is finally over, and the princes are all healthy, but the emperor's favorite woman has completely collapsed.

Now that Zhou Yanru came to fight the Zhu family's idea again, the emperor was a little angry.

The Shu clan has always been obedient and honest among the vassal kings, and has a good reputation, and the Ming Dynasty has not made trouble for the imperial family in three hundred years.

Last year, the national epidemic, Shu and Jingshi died a lot, the Shu prince made soap in time, saved many Shu people and did not forget the emperor's family in the palace, the first batch of dedicated to Beijing.

After cultivating a few hectares of wasteland, the prince of Shu hurriedly sold the harvest and exchanged it for five thousand taels of silver to dedicate to the interior.

The old king of Shu died, and according to the etiquette system, the court should be buried with silver, but the emperor did not give a penny of silver, and only sent two Qin messengers to fight empty-handed. Compared with the Fuwang family who died in Luoyang, the difference in treatment is like heaven and earth. For this matter, Empress Zhou, who has always been virtuous, also reminded the emperor rarely: Don't lose the dignity of the heavenly family!

The Sichuan government owes Zonglu to Shu for many years, and it is the prince of Shu who sells the ancestral palace to buy rice for the clan.

There was a great hunger in the south of the Yangtze River, and the price of rice was four to five taels. The prince of Shu transported 100,000 stones of the palace to the south of the Yangtze River for disaster relief, and only sold for two taels and five stones. When the rice arrived at the wharf, all the people competed for it, and everyone praised the benevolence and righteousness of the Shu domain.

Shi Kefa, the former governor of the Nanjing Military Department, sighed to the emperor: Half of the vassal kings, benevolent as the lord of Shu, why is the world so chaotic!

Han Zanzhou, the eunuch of Nanjing, also played the emperor secretly: The people of the Shu Palace's palace praised the prince of Shu, and he was more virtuous than Zhu Chun, the king of Shu, and he could pass it again!

Now that the emperor is nakedly reaching out to the vassal king, will it shake the world like the Battle of Jingjing?

"Taizu's family motto: The vassal king and the son of heaven are originally close relatives. If the orders of the court are reasonable, the king will only obey them; Unreasonable, seen in the ancestral teachings. It is said that the son of Shu is benevolent and virtuous, and Mr. Zhou uses the king's wealth to support the officials and soldiers of the court, is it reasonable? ”

The emperor suddenly mentioned Taizu's family motto, and poured a bucket of ice water over his head to Zhou Yanru, who had infinite expectations.

Taizu's family motto is not only the family law of the Son of Heaven, but also the constitution of the country. The Son of Heaven cannot be changed yet, and if the minister touches it, it is a dead word!

Fortunately, Zhou Yanru deserves to be the champion and the first, and his IQ is so high that no one can match; Clever and quick, who can compare. He groaned for a while, and then said: "The vassal king's silver salary army is a violation of the ancestral system. Such arguments are considered fallacious! ”

Without waiting for the emperor to react, Zhou Yanru said a lot:

"The relationship between the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords is known to the world. The kings of De, Fu, Xiang, Shu, Tang and Hui were killed, and His Majesty embellished the dynasty for it, and saved food for it, and the people of the world were called His Majesty's affection. Now there are thieves everywhere in Shudi, and there is a tendency to intensify. The Shu Domain's salary army is not only for the court, but also for self-protection! If Your Majesty refuses the request of Shudi, if the Shu Domain is unfortunate one day, the world will think that Your Majesty wants to use the hands of thieves to cut down the domain! ……”

Zhou Yanru's words suddenly left the emperor speechless.

Asking the Shu domain and the Shu gentry to help pay the righteous army was originally proposed by the governor and the governor of Shu according to the joint report. Although the Shu Wangfu did not make a clear statement, it is likely to know and agree. If the Shu Domain's army is self-preservation, if it is rejected by the emperor, it will be the responsibility of the emperor and the court in the event of an accident in the future. At that time, if someone accused the emperor of using thieves to cut down the domain, how could the emperor respond?

"That being the case," said the Emperor slowly, "it is enough to approve the matter of the Shu Rebellion." Just ......"

The Emperor spoke, accentuating his tone again.

"This requires them to be willing, and they must not force the feudal government to pay the money! lest it hurt the heavens and the people, and destroy the friendship of the heavenly family! As for the number of rebels, they were also invited by Liao Daheng and Liu Zhibo. Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong Army, the gentry helped to pay them, but most of them were allocated by the imperial court. No matter how rich the vassal country is, it is only a corner of the land. With the power of one domain, how can it bear the number of 50,000? It's better to just go with the flow. ”

The emperor finally agreed, which made Zhou Yanru's heart happy.

20,000 is not a lot! If they are all treated according to the equipment and salary of the caravan, they will save at least one million taels of silver for the imperial court a year! If it is extended to the world, all the feudal lords and nobles of the world will help pay together, then the financial difficulties of the imperial court will be solved!

Xue Guoguan wanted to do something but lost his life, and he easily did it himself!

Thinking of this, Zhou Yanru finally couldn't help it. The corners of his mouth twitched, and a smile oozed from him. It's just that the king's prelude is right, he is still careful from time to time, observing the emperor's movements. At this time, Zhou Yanru suddenly found that the corners of the emperor's mouth also had a smile on his lips!

I see!

The emperor's previous difficulties were just tricks that he didn't want to take responsibility!

Zhou Yanru sighed in his heart, the young and reckless emperor twelve years ago was no longer gone.

When he left Beijing, the emperor was only twenty years old, and now he is thirty-two years old. Premature aging in the prime of life, gray temples, it can be seen that the depth of care on weekdays!

Now that he saw it clearly and thought it clearly, Zhou Yanru went all out and laid out everything.

"The Salt Tax Reform Petitioned by Nashu and the Meritorious Deeds of the Petition ......"

"It's all right. The cabinet re-voted, and the celebrant approved Zhu! If they want to give money to help train the army, the court always has to give some sweetness. As long as they don't toss out of Shudi, they will depend on them. ”

"Your Majesty, obey the order!"

"The edict is issued in the world." The emperor sat still, only a mouth was moving, "Commending the Shu Palace's donation to help the army is deeply righteous." Liao Tycoon did a good job......"

"The minister's will, if he can persuade the army to build, retake Bazhou, and pacify the whole Sichuan, he will not lose Jiuqing."

"Very good!" The Emperor nodded, "Sir, you can tell him by private message!" ”

"Obey the order!"

Mr. wrote another private letter to Liu Zhibo, praising him for understanding the general situation, taking into account the overall situation, caring for the same heart, and maintaining the Shu Provincial Fu Bureau! But also remind him not to get involved with Liao Tycoon! Stroke the joint name to play these things, do less! ”

The matter was quickly resolved. Zhou Yanru was about to say goodbye, but the emperor opened his mouth again: "The vassal king can't pawn the army, and the ancestral system is also!" Mr. can also use private messages to inform Liao and Liu! ”

"Obey! The minister also remembered two things:

As soon as the thieves in Hanzhong came, the thieves of the little red wolf repeatedly harassed Hanzhong Mansion. King Rui went to the court several times and asked for the transfer of the domain. The minister thought that King Rui was His Majesty's own uncle, and he must not lose it. If you have to, you can move to Shudi! Chongqing natural insurance, can be Baorui Wang safe;

Second, His Majesty Zhang Jimeng, the prefect of Baoning, was personally promoted, diligent and capable, and tried to protect the overall situation of northern Sichuan. As for Zhang Fakong, a native of Ningzhou, Yunnan (now Huaning County, Yunnan), the minister heard that he was a very honest official, and he once offered the surplus of 300,000 taels as a soldier's salary during his tenure. Please transfer Zhang Fakong to the Shaoqing of the Taifu Temple in Beijing, so as to use his integrity! ”

King Rui moved the domain, which was to build a wide range of feudal domains to divide power, which could prevent a feudal domain from sitting large; Zhang Jimeng was reactivated by the emperor, and his actions must be in line with the Sacred Heart. Zhang Fakong and Governor Liao Daheng are both from Yunnan Township, and they cannot play a role in supervising and balancing Liao Daheng. Transferring it to the central government can divide the power of Liao Tycoon.

The smile on the emperor's face grew even stronger. He bowed his jaw and said, "But! Where the Rui domain moved, it was still up to the Rui domain to invite the imperial court! As for Zhang Jimeng, let Li Rixuan (Note 1) make a discount, and the cabinet vote is proposed! ”

……

The emperor and his first assistant blatantly robbed the royal family, and found a high-sounding reason.

The emperor did have concerns about this matter, he was afraid of the punishment of God, and he was afraid of the noise of the noble clan, so he could not bear a little responsibility. This is the reason for the Ming edict of the world.

Seeing off Zhou Yanru, the emperor was in a good mood. But looking at the piles of music on the desk in a blink of an eye, he suddenly lost his mood.

"Tian Guifei is better today?" The emperor asked Wang Chengen.

"Niangniang's illness is getting worse day by day, and there is still no improvement today. Yesterday, the steward of Chengqian Palace (Note 2) came to report that the concubine wanted to entrust the prince to Empress Yi'an. ”

Empress Yi'an is the honorific title of the emperor's sister-in-law Zhang Yan after he ascended the throne. The imperial sister-in-law personally raised the prince, and the emperor was naturally relieved. But the queen is the mother-in-law of the princes and princesses, even if Tian Guifei entrusts the orphan, she should also entrust the queen to raise, how to entrust it to the imperial sister-in-law?

Thinking of this, the emperor couldn't help but sink his face: "Tian Guifei has something to say, and you should report it immediately." How to continue to this day? ”

"Slaves and maids die!" Wang Chengen hurriedly knelt down to apologize.

But the emperor had already gotten up and said, "Hurry up and drive the Chengqian Palace!" ”

As soon as the emperor stood up, he hesitated again.

"Emperor?" Wang Chengen inquired about the emperor's attitude.

"This newspaper, you turn it to Wang Dehua to take a look! Let him send Dongchang to Shudi! Didn't Luo Bingzhang send someone from Wu Qinghou's family, how could such a major event not be rewarded? ”

"Emperor, Lord Yushi Yang's request to dismiss the East Factory (Note 3) has spread all over Beijing. Listening to the second prince, those people in Dongchang were panicked......"

Wang Chengen replied in a low voice, his gaze drooping as much as possible, avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of his master.

"Send it out!" The emperor's decision was beyond doubt.

"Slave obeys!"

At this moment, the emperor's fierce eyes crossed Wang Chengen's rickety shoulders and swept into the shadows of the corner of the hall, where the young eunuch was waiting to be called.

Those officials and generals in the foreign dynasty are still unreliable after all!

The Emperor was silent for a moment, and a rebellious thought leaped into his mind. These eunuchs around you still have to be used!

"Wang Chengen, you choose a few capable men from the Yongwei Battalion (Note 4) and follow Ma Wenke (Note 5) to Shudi. Ma Wenke, you keep an eye on it, I can't raise a tiger for trouble! ”

The emperor went and named the eunuch in the corner of the hall.

Note 1: Li Rixuan, then the secretary of the ministry.

Note 2: Tian Guifei should have moved back to Chengqian Palace at this time.

Note 3: Volume 18 of "Ming Ji Beiluo" records how Dongchang, a well-known spy agency in the Ming Dynasty, disappeared.

Note 4: The Yongwei Battalion, the troops under the command of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, is the emperor's own army, garrisoning the Ouchi. Wang Chengen was a eunuch who was the chief eunuch of the ceremonial eunuch, and in the last years of Chongzhen, he once commanded the Yongwei battalion. However, whether Chongzhen was in the first month of the fifteenth year of the year of the Yongwei battalion, Xiangmu did not carefully examine it.

Note 5: Ma Wenke, a eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, and an attendant of Emperor Chongzhen.