At this moment, I heard Sun Chengzong say: "Element (Yuan Chonghuan's words), Ji Qingwen doesn't know your identity, let alone what your words are." It's a bit of a mistake to call him by his name, but it's not a big deal. He is now worshipping under the old man's door, and he is your junior brother, as for talking to him in this tone? ”

Yuan Chonghuan nodded quietly, and arched his hand: "What the teacher taught is." However, Chonghuan just introduced himself, and he didn't move......"

While listening to Ji Qingwen, he thought: This Yuan Chonghuan is also a famous figure in history, why is his heart eye smaller than the eye of a needle? With such a senior brother, the future may not be easy.

But I heard Emperor Chongzhen on the side say: "Teacher Sun is too serious. Although Yuan Chonghuan is a scholar, he has led a lot of soldiers, so he will inevitably be contaminated with some coarseness, and sometimes he will speak more directly. What's all the fuss about? ”

He paused, then changed his words and said, "Today, the four of us talked all night long, and the conversation was very speculative. I am self-aware, and I know that among the emperors of my dynasty, my character and qualifications are not top-notch. But I am willing to make up for my clumsiness, and I would rather spend more effort and time to correct the mistakes of the previous dynasty. ”

Sun Chengzong listened, hurriedly shook it to the end, and said: "The emperor is working hard, and the ministers are inexplicably impressed. However, the emperor's dragon body is the foundation of the society, and the emperor is also asked to work sparingly, don't work too hard. ”

Chongzhen replied: "I know, but I am still young, and I have always been in good health, so I can still afford to toss." In addition, the length of life seems to have little to do with the degree of work. For example, Confucius lost his life, didn't he also live to be seventy-three years old? Among the emperors of the past and present, how many of them have worked harder than him? And how many are older than him? ”

Sun Chengzong arched his hand and said: "The emperor's virtue can be compared to the saint, and the minister can't look at the saint's back." But Confucius also said, 'One piece and one relaxation, the way of civil and military affairs', please pay attention to the emperor. ”

Chongzhen smiled slightly and said, "Confucius's words are repeated from Teacher Sun's mouth, so it naturally makes sense. But I have also heard of another saying: 'The son of an extraordinary man will be born differently; Those who are virtuous will have a long life.'" I abide by the principles of heaven, love the people like sons, and follow the way of heaven, and the heavens will surely grant me a long life. ”

What Chongzhen said is the principle of heaven and man's induction, although the logic is simple, but it is the basis of Confucianism since Dong Zhongshu in the Western Han Dynasty. Although Sun Chengzong is not the kind of stubborn and rigid Confucian, he is also born in the book of sages, so naturally there is no way to refute Chongzhen's words.

But Ji Qingwen listened to Chongzhen's words, but he had a different emotion - this young Chongzhen Emperor, although the city government is still shallow, impatient, and not necessarily broad-minded, but his pure heart of Kuangzheng Sheji is indeed not half hypocritical.

This made Ji Qingwen also quite moved, and suddenly remembered that Emperor Chongzhen, who had sat on the dragon chair for more than ten years in history, did not die under the Jurchen iron cavalry in the end, but was forced to die on the crooked neck tree in Jingshan by Li Zicheng, who broke through the Beijing Division.

Thinking of this, Ji Qingwen had forgotten his identity as a traverser, and suddenly said: "Your Majesty, although the Jurchens are hateful, you must be careful of the people's army uprisings in Shaanxi and Shanxi. This is my Daming's henchman! ”

When Chongzhen heard this, his eyebrows furrowed, and he said: "In the past few years, it is not good for Shaanxi and Shanxi to become a generation, but according to the situation of Chen Zuo below, the ground is quite stable, and I haven't heard that there are any major changes." You're a bit alarmist, aren't you? ”

Sun Chengzong saw that Chongzhen was about to be anxious again, so he hurriedly persuaded him: "Your Majesty, Ji Qingwen is short-sighted, and when he saw some wind and grass in Shaanxi, he took it seriously, and he was a little too petty." However, although this dog's performance is a little untrue, it is also his sincere heart! ”

Chongzhen listened very carefully, and after Sun Chengzong finished speaking, he said, "Yes, Teacher Sun is right." I want to be an enlightened king, not afraid of my courtiers saying bad things, not afraid of them saying good things, but afraid that they will not tell the truth. It is a fact that Shanxi has had a bad year in recent years, and when I think of a good candidate, I replaced the governor of Yansui and the governor of Shanxi, and asked them to work disaster relief and governance. ”

Ji Qingwen bowed down to thank him according to the rules, but he was not convinced at all in his heart: "Am I called short-sighted? With my words, maybe I have saved Emperor Chongzhen, okay? However, now that history has changed to a certain extent, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong have merged in advance, and I don't know what kind of movement will happen! ”

But I heard Emperor Chongzhen say again: "Ji Qingwen is a businessman from Shaanxi, right?" Since you are poor over there, the merchant landlord will give a few taels of silver and a few more tenants to help those poor peasant tenants, which can be regarded as sharing the worries and labor of the monarch's father. ”

Ji Qingwen didn't expect Chongzhen to say a word, so he transferred the contradiction to himself, and suddenly had another thought, and said: "Your Majesty, the minister still has a word, I'm afraid it's a little rebellious, I don't know if to talk about it?" ”

Chongzhen waved his hand impatiently: "I have just said, as long as it is your heartfelt words, you must express your heart directly, and I can naturally tolerate it." ”

Ji Qingwen was waiting for this sentence, and immediately said: "The emperor wants the ministers to tell the truth, and the ministers will tell the truth." In fact, the biggest landlord in Shaanxi is none other than the Qin Wangfu in Xi'an. Now that the imperial court is in financial difficulties, it has never lost a penny of silver from the Qin Palace. Did the emperor also ask them to give some money? ”

Before Chongzhen could answer, Sun Chengzong immediately echoed: "Ji Qingwen is right, the pressure on the imperial court to support the princes and county kings from all over the country is too great. I remember that the year before last, the minister met the governor of Henan and heard him say that the taxes collected by Henan Province would be good for supporting King Zhou's family. Henan wanted to renovate the Confucian Temple, but he couldn't come up with the money, but had to borrow money from King Zhou. That's a bit of a story......"

Chongzhen has also been a vassal king, and he knows the malpractices very well, but the honor and pension system of the clan is an ancestral system, and he can't change it at will, so he has to say: "I also want to reduce the expenses of the clan, but the amount of the clan is set by Emperor Taizu, and no one can deduct it." I only want to start with myself first, be a little more diligent and thrifty, and hope that those princes everywhere can understand the difficulties of the court and my hardships. ”

Ji Qingwen smiled evilly and said, "What the minister said just now was not clear. The minister's intention was not to deduct the money from the palace, but to let the palace take out the money. Teacher Sun, my ancestors and ancestors don't have a rule that the palace is not allowed to pay, right? ”

Sun Chengzong was stunned for a moment, then smiled again: "Okay, you are a dog, you really live up to the emperor's kindness." Your Majesty, Ji Qingwen has some truth in what he said. ”

Chongzhen was embarrassed: "If they want to pay for it, I'm afraid it's a little difficult." But you can't send soldiers to raid your house to collect debts, right? It's hard! ”

Sun Chengzong said: "It's not difficult. Aren't the princes always clamoring for more palace guards? We just fulfilled their wishes, so we asked the royal palace to pay for the additional guards for the imperial court......"

"No, that's not going to work!" Chongzhen categorically vetoed, "The palace's self-respect for the army is the foundation of the disaster, and this matter is absolutely not feasible." Mr. Sun is also from a background in leading soldiers to fight, why don't you know this truth? ”

Facing the emperor's question, Sun Chengzong smiled lightly: "The emperor is wrong to blame the old minister." The palace guards don't necessarily have to stay in the palace. As long as the palace takes out the money, recruits troops locally, and then transfers the newly recruited guards to Liaodong in the name of training. These soldiers and horses are still nominally the palace guards, but they are controlled by the military department. As for the military salary, of course, it is out of the king's palace. ”

"Good! Coup! Coup! Chongzhen applauded twice, then turned his head to Yuan Chonghuan and said, "Yuan Chonghuan, you heard the words of Sun Chengzong and Ji Qingwen, right?" These palace guards are all going to be sent to Liaodong to be your subordinates, you go back and prepare the chapter first, and I will take it upon me when the time comes. ”

Yuan Chonghuan agreed: "Yes." But I was complaining in my heart: This bad thing that offended the royal family was not asked to do it by Mr. Sun, nor did it ask Ji Qingwen to do it, but let me do it, didn't I deduct a big black pot on myself?