"Elder Yang Ge, has your headache improved a few days ago?" Xuanzong asked with concern, Yang Shiqi said: "The old minister Xie Huang is worried, the emperor Xuanwang Imperial Doctor went to the old minister's house to see the pulse of the imperial physician Wang Tai prescribed a few pills and has been much better, and the old minister Xie Huang is very kind." After Yang Shiqi finished speaking, he was about to kowtow and thank you.

"Aiqing doesn't have to be like this, Jin Ying went to help the elder up." Xuanzong called Jin Ying on the side to help Yang Shiqi up from the ground, and Xuanzong said earnestly: "Aiqing is the pillar of the imperial court and my right-hand man, how can a few medicinal stones be compared with my humerus." ”

Yang Shiqi said: "The emperor praises the old minister. Xuanzong said with a smile: "Elder Ge, you don't have to be modest, I said that if you can afford it, you can afford it." Yang Shiqi said: "In this way, the old minister will thank the emperor for his praise." ”

Xuanzong continued: "Since you are already healthy, I have something to discuss with you right now. Yang Shiqi said: "Your Majesty, the old minister dared to guess whether it was a matter of Jiaozhi in the south. ”

Xuanzong sighed and said: "It is this matter, and now I have just ascended the throne and all kinds of industries are waiting to be developed. At the beginning of my ascension to the throne, I made a grand wish to make great efforts to govern the country, return the people and work happily, rectify the rule of officials, reduce redundancy, patrol the frontier, and train the soldiers, and finally make the Ming Dynasty rise to peace and the country and the people are safe. ”

Yang Shiqi listened to Xuanzong's words and said: "The emperor's grand wish is admired by the old ministers, and the old ministers are willing to work hard for the emperor's grand wishes until they are achieved." Xuanzong nodded approvingly after listening to Yang Shiqi's words and said, "In this way, I can rest assured, what do you think about Jiaozhi, elder Ge?" Xuanzong asked.

Yang Shiqi said: "Your Majesty, please speak up to the old ministers. Xuanzong said: "Ge Lao, I announced that you are here today to discuss state affairs with you, and you can speak freely as you want, and I will forgive you without sin." Yang Shiqi said: "There are external causes in the matter of Jiaozhi, but everything is expanded to external causes because of the lack of reach." In the current situation, the cause is dominant. ”

Xuanzong nodded and said, "Well, there is some truth in what you said, you can talk to me in detail." Yang Shiqi said: "Your Majesty, the officials on the Jiaozhi side are all people who go to Liangguang and Yunnan to raise people and pay tribute. These people are pampered to the point that they do not want to serve as an official for the benefit of one party and report to the court, but they are arrogant and domineering, oppress the people, expropriate tyranny, and are insatiable, and want to get back the silver taels spent because of the annual tribute in office, so that the people are miserable, and after all, they are unbearable to oppress, and the masses rise up, and now no matter how to appease, it will not help, and the flames of war will not stop easily, these are the internal causes. ”

Xuanzong listened to Yang Shiqi's words, and was silent for a while, pacing slowly in the room, sometimes bowing his head, sometimes raising his head, and sometimes meditating. Xuanzong said: "Elder Ge, I think about what you said carefully, and I already have a plan in my heart. Wang Zhen, pour tea for the old pavilion. Xuanzong instructed Wang Zhen on the side.

Wang Zhenlisuo's futon made Yang Shiqi quickly pour tea under the seat, Yang Shiqi drank the tea and moistened his throat and continued: "Your Majesty, Jiaozhi is located in a remote corner of the country, but it is a barbarian land, and it is difficult for the people to govern if they are not satisfied with Wang Hua. The local officials who recruited power and bribed the emperor have already dealt with it with heavy canons, and they have issued several holy decrees to appease them, which is already benevolent and righteous for them, and they are extremely forgiving. But they continued to resist according to their own ways, and now the emperor sent a large army to conquer it, but they couldn't take it for a long time, and the war became a stalemate. In this way, it is a heavy burden on the imperial court, and the military supplies are continuously transported to the front line, and the personnel are distributed in large quantities, and now the people of my Ming Dynasty are also at the end of the strong crossbow, barely supported, and the fact that the two battles of Wara in the north and Jiaozhi in the south are not costly. ”

Xuanzong sighed and said: "Aiqing, what you said today is exactly what I think. I plan to collect my troops and abandon the Ming Dynasty to deal with the trouble of the Ming Dynasty, but I am afraid that what I want will be abandoned by most officials. The hundred officials will definitely scold me as a faint monarch and accuse me of losing my ancestral inheritance. ”

"If the emperor has the heart to do things, he must show the momentum of breaking through the bamboo, and if the officials want to make trouble, the old ministers will reason with them. As long as the emperor insists on his heart and is not swayed by hundreds of officials, he can solve the matter of Jiaozhi. Yang Shiqi said, Xuanzong was very grateful when he heard it, and said to Yang Shiqi: "The old man can stand up to the courage of the three armies." After some praise, Xuanzong continued to Yang Shiqi: "Pavilion Elder, I said before that I would rectify the rule of officials and reduce redundancy, and I will start from the palace after thinking about it, and I must set an example so that I can show my determination and have an immediate effect." ”

Yang Shiqi listened to Xuanzong's words and asked with some doubts: "The old minister is stupid, I don't know how the emperor can start to reduce redundancy from the palace. Xuanzong didn't answer Yang Shiqi's words directly, but said to Wang Zhen: "Wang Zhen, how about the matter of replacing the older eunuchs you told me before?" ”

Wang Zhen said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the slave and maid already have a plan in their hearts. Xuanzong nodded and said, "Okay, you can say what you think in your heart and let me and the elder listen to it." Wang Zhen said: "The slave obeys the order. ”

"The emperor and the slaves and maids looked through the roster of celebrant supervisors, and the total number of people in the three palaces, six courts, twelve prisons, four divisions, and eight bureaus was 8,500, and more than 2,500 people over the age of 45. The slaves and maids estimated that they would send those over the age of forty and five to the 'Anle Hall' and the 'Huanyi Bureau', so that they could save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year. The slave and maid estimated that another 1,000 people would be recruited into the palace this spring to offset the previous vacancy. Yang Shiqi said: "Will the dismissal of the thousands of people of the head of the king cause panic and then unnecessary riots, and how to arrange the specific arrangements of the leader and the 'Huanyi Bureau' to go to the 'Anle Hall' and the 'Huanyi Bureau'. ”

Xuanzong said: "Well, yes, what the elder asked is also what I want to ask. These palace people have been in the palace for more than 30 years, and they have no merit and hard work, if they are not properly arranged, who will do things for the royal family in the future, just like this, Zi Zhen is a little unbearable. ”

Wang Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, now we want to rectify the rule of officials, and the reduction of the palace is to play the role of opening the mountain, and the affairs in the palace can be solved in the future." Wang Zhen continued: "The matter that the emperor asked just now, the slaves and maids also thought of countermeasures, and those who were over fifty years old were sent to the 'Anle Hall', while those over forty-five years old and those under the age of fifty went to the 'Huanyi Bureau'. Later, these 'Anle Hall' monthly salaries were two hanging money, and the 'Huanyi Bureau' was five hanging money. If you are willing to leave the palace, you will have a one-time supply of one hundred taels of silver. ”

Yang Shiqi asked suspiciously: "Why is the monthly salary so low?" And the cost of the journey is so high? ”

Wang Zhen said: "Ge Lao, if you think about it, so many people stay in the palace and have nothing to do, and they all need a lot of silver taels for monthly salaries, fire consumption, grain and rice, etc. It seems that a hundred taels of silver is a lot, but we have saved a lot of silver taels. Yang Shiqi listened to the reverie carefully, and then said: "Well, after the Lord of the King said this, the old man's heart is a lot brighter. ”

"In that case, Wang Zhen, you go and hand it over to me, and I will handle this matter after reading it, and this matter should be done sooner rather than later." Xuanzong said to Wang Zhen, "Elder Ge, you go and write the matter of Jiaozhi to a note, and then submit it to the cabinet for discussion." After the discussion, the results were told to me. Then he said to Yang Shiqi, "The minister obeys the order, and the minister retires." "The slave and maid are gone." Yang Shiqi and Wang Zhen said in unison.

After Yang Shiqi and Wang Zhen came out of the house, Jin Ying, who had not spoken, said: "Your Majesty, Wang Zhen's reduction of palace personnel is a big matter, whether you need to think about it again." ”

Xuanzong waved his hand and said: "Those who achieve great things are not informal, how can they succeed if they look forward to the future." I have made up my mind, you don't have to ask about this matter anymore and leave it to Wang Zhen to handle. "Slaves obey," Kim Ying said.