In the first year of Chongzhen, the sixth day of February.

Taihe Gate.

As soon as he went to the court, Yang Gengai took out the "Song of Righteousness" by Wen Tianxiang of the Southern Song Dynasty and said to the ministers below: "Ladies and gentlemen, I look at this "Song of Righteousness", which is written in a grand and impassioned manner, which is in line with my heart. Therefore, I decided to show you Aiqing, and recite it together, so that the monarchs and ministers can feel the feelings of this patriotic prime minister together. ”

After speaking, the little eunuchs handed out a copy to the ministers in the main hall.

The ministers looked at each other, not knowing what kind of medicine the emperor was going to sell in this gourd. I had to pick up the "Song of Righteousness" and read it. If you want to say these ministers, I don't know if Wen Tianxiang estimates it, and people who haven't read his "Song of Righteousness" probably don't. Because some people were so attentive to reading, they actually shook their heads in this hall and read it out loud.

Yang Gengai saw that the ministers had also read it for a while. So he interrupted: "Everyone, Aiqing, have you all read it?" ”

All the ministers replied, "Yes."

"Well, very good, like this, I think that the feelings of this patriotic prime minister are admirable, I decided to recite the poem of this patriotic prime minister with you Aiqing, to remember this patriotic prime minister, and secondly, to increase the righteousness between the chest and abdomen, what do you think Aiqing?"

Before the ministers could come to their senses, Yang Reform waved his hand. A eunuch stepped up and shouted in a slender voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?" Please read it with me. ”

"Heaven and earth have righteousness." The voice of this eunuch was very loud and very high, but it had a somewhat strange taste, and how much it changed the heroic and righteous "Song of Righteousness".

"Heavenly ...... Earth...... Yes...... Righteous ......: "The ministers haven't come back to their senses for a while. The recitation stammered, sparsely pulled.

Yang Gai shouted loudly: "Be louder, haven't you eaten?" "Song of Righteousness" is such an impassioned and heroic song, it is really ...... for you to recite it like this Do it all over again. ”

The eunuch who led the singing glanced at Yang Gai, and then began to lead the singing again: "Heaven and earth have righteousness......

This time, the ministers below understood the routine. He also recited aloud: "Heaven and earth have righteousness......

The eunuch's voice: "Miscellaneous manifolds ......"

The voices of the ministers: "Miscellaneous manifolds ......"

"The lower is the river, and the upper is the star......"

"The lower is the river, and the upper is the star......"

……

After reciting a heroic and impassioned "Song of Righteousness", Yang Gai clapped his hands and said: "Good poem, really a good poem." ”

"Bang, bang, bang, bang......" Yang reform's applause echoed in the empty hall. The ministers had just finished reciting the poem, and they were immersed in the shock brought by the poem. Momentarily carried away. Hearing the emperor applauding alone, a group of ministers hurriedly responded and applauded together.

For a while, the sound of "pop ......" resounded throughout the hall.

Yang Gai's mood was very comfortable. Seeing the elite scholars of the Ming Dynasty performing a singing poem, I thought it was very interesting and decided to keep this project for a long time in the future.

"Dear Aiqing, I think that reciting such poems often will help to improve people's righteousness and personal morality, so I am determined to recite such poems often in the future. In order to improve the overall quality and moral cultivation of our monarchs and ministers. ”

Only then did the ministers understand what the emperor meant, that is, they should recite poems every day in the future! Although this is unprecedented, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing, after all, poetry is also a good thing to cultivate a person's feelings. Anyway, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, one is more weird than the other, there are emperors who don't go to court, there are emperors who are generals, and there are emperors who are carpenters, it is easy to understand that such a thing happens, and the ministers feel that this emperor is really nonsensical.

In the next discussion, Yang Reform has a bit of a headache.

The first article is about the dismissal of the ministers of the king of Jiliao, this Yang reform is still a little impressed, this minister of the king is not a good thing, he will be dismissed if he is dismissed, but his successor is Yuan Chonghuan! This is a perennial problem.

The dismissal of Wang Zhichen, almost no one came out to oppose it, it was passed smoothly, let Yuan Chonghuan come to power, and there are many people who support it, if the emperor nods, it is estimated that there is no problem, the problem is that once Yuan Chonghuan comes to power, it will be like history, one wants to kill Mao Wenlong, and the second is that Jin Ye Boar Pi is estimated to enter the customs after coming, and there are problems such as mutiny, which are probably also out of this year. It has more or less something to do with Yuan Chonghuan's coming to power, and the third is his famous five years of fooling the emperor.

Yang Gai had a big headache for this question, thought about it, and still made a decision: "Summoning Yuan Chonghuan back to Beijing, I have something to ask him." So be it. Next topic. ”

It was somewhat strange for the ministers to see the emperor sitting on the throne alone and frowning for a long time before making such a decision.

The next topic is about the forbidden sea, the ban on Zhang, the spring traffickers, Yang Reform directly painted a big red "X" for this fold, all the ministers saw it, and they all took a breath, it is rare to see the emperor behave like this, this twist and turn really provoked the emperor, maybe the emperor's tendon is wrong.

The next one is the issue of military salaries. The report was that Shaanxi had not paid military salaries for several years. If it doesn't happen again, it is estimated that this will be a rebellion.

Yang Reform has a headache, how long has he been in office, and the hole in military pay is about to open.

A headache turned into a headache, and he asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, how much should this military salary be paid?" ”

The secretary of the military department spoke first: "Back to the emperor, this Shaanxi military salary owes more than 800,000 taels over the years. It is urgent to reissue, otherwise, after a long time, the sergeant will inevitably mutiny. ”

The head of the household department immediately came and said: "Your Majesty, there is no silver in the household department, only 780,000 taels of scattered silver remaining, how to pay the army to Shaanxi?" Please forgive the emperor. ”

"The minister asked the emperor to send internal money to help the army. Otherwise, the sergeant mutinied, and it would be even more difficult to do it. A minister who Yang Gai didn't know said.

"The minister also asks the emperor to send a ......," said another minister.

"Please ...... the minister."

"Minister......

Recently, Yang Reform has given a very good impression to the ministers, gentle and elegant, never angry, and does not punish people at will, and the courage of the ministers has gradually grown, and the early dynasty, which was relatively dull because of the influence of the Wei case, has gradually become lively.

Yang Reform also Baidu has a little history in the past few years, and knows some, this year is the year of mutiny, the year of high salary, if Shaanxi is given a supplementary military salary this time, then, what about Shanxi? Jiliao, what about the other side of the Dongjiang River? What about the numerous guest troops? Reissue or not? They heard that Shaanxi had repaid military salaries, but they didn't make a fuss?

It is better to reissue all the way to the end of the surname at one time, so as not to mutiny again this year. The idea was certain, so Yang Gengai asked: "How much arrears are there in each side over the years?" Including guest troops inside and outside the Kansai. ”

The secretary of the military department immediately came out and played: "Your Majesty, the arrears of salaries on all sides over the years are as high as three or four million taels. ”

"Three or four million taels?" Yang was somewhat prepared for reform, but he was still surprised! The finances of the Ming Dynasty are really rotten. Woe! Those landlords, old wealthy, bureaucrats, and big businessmen saved so much money, and the dead were reluctant to pay more taxes, and tried every possible means to evade taxes, so that the Ming Dynasty had no money to pay the minimum military salaries. It is estimated that the money of these landlords, old wealth, bureaucrats and scholars, and big businessmen has gone to others, and they themselves have to be slaves for others. Thinking of this, Yang Reform was angry.

Yang Gai sat on the dragon chair and pondered for a long time before he said: "The arrears on each side, let's reissue fifty percent of the surname at a time, and then reissue the other half when the situation is better in the coming year, and the money ...... I'm out. Yang was depressed, and he didn't get a penny, so he spent nearly two million taels like this. It's not a good thing. It's better to hurry up and get money, otherwise there will be no military pay at the front, even if you don't mutiny and make trouble, it is estimated that you will not have much heart to fight, and the combat effectiveness is estimated to have dropped to the level of the peasant army, and it will be a tragedy to fight with Houjin.

Coming from the 21st century, Yang Gai came up with a good word to express his current situation -- slavery.

In the 21st century, there are house slaves who worry about mortgages every month, and there are card slaves who run endlessly every day to pay off their credit cards. In the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was reduced to a slave and had to worry about military pay all the time.

The ministers who knelt on the ground heard that the emperor paid money to make up the military salary, and they all knelt on the ground and shouted "Shengming".

Yang Reform is really angry, and thinking that this silver may be indispensable, embezzled, and intercepted, I am afraid that only one or two percent of the money that can really reach the hands of the sergeant is a good thing. I'm going crazy in my heart. If you want those sergeants to fight hard, do you still expect you drifters and corrupt maniacs to fight with wild boar skins?

Yang reformed determined to knock on these drifting, embezzlers too.

Yang Gai pressed it with his hand, and the eunuch on the side immediately understood, and shouted in a sharp voice: "Quiet, quiet!" ”

The hall immediately fell silent.

Yang Gengai glanced at the ministers in the hall and said, "I heard some words a few days ago, and I am very interested in them. I wonder if you would be interested in studying with me. ”

As soon as the ministers heard that the emperor was going to study words, they thought to themselves that the emperor was not crazy again, and asked us to read some words, although words are a good thing, but reading poetry all day long is not the duty of our ministers! How can any courtiers engage in poetry all day long. It's time to educate the emperor.

Can anyone explain to me how to explain the word "drifting"? Yang Reform's words were very loud, and the entire hall could hear them clearly.

Crazy! Astound! Unbelievable! Ridiculous! Shame! And so on the faces and hearts of these ministers.

A "petty official" standing in the back row probably didn't know much about it. jumped out and played: "Your Majesty, drifting refers to the fact that the ship is sailing on the sea, and it is inevitable that it will be injured by the wind and waves and sink some, so there is a saying about drifting." ”

"Well, how much does that usually drift?" Yang continued to ask.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, generally drifting into three ......" As soon as he finished speaking, this "little official" came back to his senses, where is this discussion word, it is clear that the emperor complains that everyone is drifting his things, beating everyone, he still jumped out recklessly, I really don't know how to write dead words. His face turned pale in an instant.

"Sancheng, very good, that is to say, I have two million taels of silver, are you going to drift away from me six hundred thousand taels of silver?"

"Ministers don't dare to ......," a group of ministers said in unison. They were all scared out of sight.;