Zhang Yan said: "Your Majesty, since there is a shortage of money in the house now, it is better to reduce the use of concubines and concubines, so that it can be better than nothing." ”

Zhu Youxiao looked at her and confirmed that she was telling the truth, but he was greatly moved: "I understand Baozhu's intentions, but I have an idea, I want to release all the palace maids who are older in the palace out of the palace, so as not to miss their lifelong events." Wei Banban said that there are already more than 9,000 internal eunuchs in the palace, so I am ready to issue an order not to allow people to castrate themselves, and no longer recruit internal officials, so that you can save a lot of money, and you don't have to cut it anymore. ”

"Your Majesty, the concubine is alone, how can she use so much food and clothing, if you can have a little less, won't the emperor have a little more? The emperor used this money to do something beneficial to the country and the people, didn't he also have the credit of his concubines and others? Please ask the emperor for your permission. ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "Will the two of them think the same as you?" ”

Zhang Yan replied: "The last time the three of us chatted about this problem, they also felt that it was completely unnecessary to eat so many dishes in one meal, and the palace was too extravagant, and they would definitely have the same opinion as the concubines in this matter." ”

The next day, the emperor decreed: drastically reduce the amount of money in the palace, and those who have reached the age of 23 or have been in the palace for eight years can apply to leave the palace, and will be compensated according to the number of years in the palace. From now on, the people are not allowed to castrate, and the palace will stop recruiting internal officials. If there are extenuating circumstances and the law does not allow the death penalty to be imposed, if he wishes, he or she may be transferred to the palace punishment after a joint investigation by the Criminal Department and the Ministry of Rites, and then report to the Imperial Court. Those who are tortured by the palace can apply for it by themselves if they wish to enter the palace, and they can become internal officials after examination, and those who do not want to enter the palace can be redeemed with coins according to their age.

This holy decree made many palace maids burst into tears with excitement. Some people have been in the palace for decades and have not even seen the emperor's face, but they are so old that they can't even see their families. And it was rumored in the palace that this was the suggestion given by the queen and Princess Duan to the emperor, so before a large number of palace maids left the palace, they all came to kowtow to the three queens, wishing the queen and the princess a long life, many sons and grandchildren, but it made the three of them become red-faced.

Some palace maids have no way to find their families or the descendants of the family are unwilling to take them back, the emperor let them live in the palace for the elderly, indispensable food and clothing, and according to their respective good at things to classify statistics, mainly divided into three categories: management, accounting, logistics. And invite the elderly in the trading house to teach them to learn special skills, prepare first, and then arrange it when they have the opportunity later.

However, the holy decree stipulates that people are not allowed to castrate, but it has caused many people to be dissatisfied. At the court meeting the next day, Zuo Guangdou came out to speak against it (after Yang Lian quieted down, he replaced Yang Lian and was often the first to come out against the emperor): "Your Majesty, there are too many poor people in the world, and eunuching into the palace is a way out for them. ”

Zhu Youxiao was so angry with his theory that he was about to laugh, but looking at the appearance of the ministers, there are many people who should think the same way. So he said: "As the Son of Heaven, the people under my rule are willing to castrate themselves because of poverty and endure this pain without a queen, which is my loss of morality, my shame, and the shame of the Ming Dynasty." ”

Here again, here again, the ministers had no choice but to kneel down together: "It's the incompetence of the ministers, they can't share the worries of the monarch's father, and they are guilty of capital crimes." ”

Zhu Youxiao continued: "I am going to tour the world to see how my people are living, why there are so many people who are so poor that they would rather emasculate themselves, please discuss a strategy with the ministers, and choose Shaanxi as the first stop." ”

Fang Congzhe walked forward on his knees and said, "Your Majesty, you must not." Your Majesty is newly ascending to the great treasure, and the center is determined, if you patrol the Quartet, there will be no owner in the court, and there may be unforeseen disasters. The imperial court originally had a history of patrolling, and its duty was to report on the local people's conditions, how could they dare to work for Your Majesty, and ask Your Majesty to take back the order, and the ministers would never dare to obey the order. After speaking, he prostrated again and again.

Li Zongyan, the head of the Imperial Palace, said: "It is the incompetence of the ministers, and the Imperial Court has a negative grace, please allow the ministers to atone for their sins, and the ministers will personally lead the thirteen provinces to supervise the imperial history, find out the causes of the people's poverty throughout the country, and then report back to Your Majesty, please ask Your Majesty for permission." ”

Zhu Youxiao said slowly: "There should be different reasons in various places, and Li Qing will arrange it, and the imperial history of various places will find out why some people are so poor, and what are officials in various places doing, but there are ways to reduce poverty." The court is noisy every day and shouts that this is a treacherous and that is a villain, what does it mean? I feel that as an official for one term, on the side of enriching the people, such an official is a good official, and I want you to help me govern the great tomorrow, so that my people will be more than rich, not that you will accuse each other and be traitors. In the future, the officials should pay attention to judging officials, look at their actual achievements, do not listen to some false texts, and still less form a party to attack each other. ”

Li Zongyan and Zhao Nanxing, the secretary of the ministry, went forward and kowtowed. Zhu Youxiao said: "Get up, and send the military department to Yang Lian in the matter, go to Yan'an Mansion to inspect the situation of Yan'an Mansion's civilian governance and military governance, and review the new army trained by Sun Chuanting, and bring back the Beijing Division to join the Guards." ”

Yang Lian had no choice but to step forward to receive the order. Since the last Li Sancai incident, he has been faintly estranged from some people in the Donglin Party, and now the emperor has asked him to go to Yan'an, and he can't refuse as a military department, but it will make the Donglin people even more dissatisfied with him.

In Yang Lian's study at night, Zuo Guangdou, Zhao Nanxing, Gong Nai, and Huang Zunsu sat quietly. Yang Lian opened his mouth and said: "All of you colleagues are well-intentioned, but you also saw the matter of Li Gong that day, and you can say that it is good for Lian to uphold justice, but now that the matter has come to this, it is said that Lian is at a loss, and it is inconsistent, how can Lian be convinced." The apology does not need to be mentioned again. ”

It turned out that these people wanted Yang Lian to write a letter to Li San before admitting his mistake, and this was the second time, but Yang Lian insisted that he was not wrong, and these people also knew that Yang Lian was not wrong, but they didn't want Donglin to split, so they wanted to persuade Yang Lian to bow his head first and then speak, but Yang Lian was so tough that he resolutely refused to admit this mistake.

Zuo Guangdou hesitated for a moment, but still said: "Brother Wenru, in this way, there will be a crack in my Donglin lineage, and if you want to repair it in the future, it will be difficult." ”

Yang Lian thought for a moment and said categorically: "If you want to do the wrongs and seek perfection, you can prevent the split of Donglin, then this kind of split is not a good thing." I think what the emperor said today is very reasonable, what does it mean to make noise every day and say that this is a treacherous and that is a villain? People have to do things, do practical things, and these vain things are really not interesting. If Donglin is going to split, start with ripples. ”

Zhao Nanxing reprimanded: "Wen Ru has to say so, we can better serve the country and the people by uniting as one, of course, we must first distinguish between loyalty and evil, and then we can unite." ”

Yang Lian retorted: "What is loyalty, which is evil, Li Gong is such a family property, the source is innocent, do you believe Mengbai?" I don't believe it anyway. ”

Zhao Nanxing's face was ashamed, and it was difficult to say anything. After several people looked at each other for a long time, they had to say goodbye together.