In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, when the year was approaching, the Ming Dynasty added three more cabinet scholars, so that the number of cabinet scholars in the imperial court finally increased to six, with the addition of Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng, Zhou Tingru, Xue Guoguan, and Fan Fucui, who were originally busy because of too few people, finally breathed a sigh of relief, but there was one person's performance that made people frown.

In Kunning Palace, Chongzhen said to Yue Yang, who took his wife and children into the palace to visit his mother-in-law: "Zhenghong...... Zhou Tingru reported to me, saying that you have almost never been to the cabinet office since you became the cabinet elder, what is going on? ”

"Nothing." In the face of Chongzhen's questioning, Yue Yang did not look half embarrassed, and said with a very calm expression: "Your Majesty, although the minister has entered the cabinet, he is just a name, and the minister promised you that you will not break your word if you want to stay in the fiefdom." After a few days, when the ministers will train the new army in the capital, the ministers will take their families to the officials, and then the imperial court will send someone to Shanxi to take up the governor. ”

What the...... It's too ...... How does this work? ”

"How can this be helped, Hailou has been the governor of Shanxi for more than four years, and it is not long before the five-year term, and it is time to change people." Yue Yang, who was sitting in front of Chongzhen, saw Chongzhen's expression clearly for a moment just now, he sighed secretly in his heart, but said with a smile on his face: "Although Shanxi is the place where the ministers started, the ministers are not people who eat the ancients, as long as the new governor sent by His Majesty can adhere to the policy of apportioning the land into the mu set by the ministers, and the officials and gentry are integrated as errands and paying grain, there is no big problem with whether the ministers are watching or not." ”

"It's natural...... It's nature! ”

Chongzhen nodded again and again, he was not a fool, he naturally understood that the biggest credit for the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty in recent years was that Yue Yang adhered to the policy of apportioning the land into the mu and the officials and gentry as one errand and one food. As the base camp of Yueyang, Shanxi is not only the birthplace of this policy, but also a place where commerce and trade are very developed, and Shanxi alone pays no less than two million taels of taxes every year, which is almost the same as the taxes paid by Jiangnan, the most important tax center of the Ming Dynasty. Chongzhen would not change this policy unless he was dizzy, which did not benefit him at all.

The first thing she thought of was that once Yue Yang really decided to settle in Dayuan, it would mean that she would not be able to see her daughter and grandson for a long time, so she couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, are you too far away from Dayuan's fiefdom to change it to a place closer to the capital?" ”

Hearing this, Chongzhen and Yue Yang couldn't help but smile bitterly at the same time, they didn't expect that Empress Zhou, who is known for her virtuousness, also had such a naïve side, it seems that women will always be more emotional than men.

However, Queen Zhou is not an ordinary person, and she knew her recklessness as soon as she spoke. She smiled bitterly, reached out and took the newborn baby from Zhu Yujiao's arms, kissed it on his immature little face, sighed lightly and said to Yue Yang: "Zhenghong, Shicai is reckless in this palace, in the future, this palace only hopes that you and Yu Jiao will take the child into Beijing to see the palace and the emperor when you are free." ”

In the face of his mother-in-law's reasonable request, what else could Yue Yang say, he could only agree without a mouth.

Seeing that Yue Yang had so generously agreed to hand over Shanxi, Chongzhen's mood suddenly rose, and he asked again: "Virtuous son-in-law, if you go to Dayuan Shandong and Liaodong, won't there be no one to preside over the overall situation." What are your thoughts on this? ”

Yue Yang didn't answer, but looked at Chongzhen for a while, and saw that Chongzhen felt a little hairy in his heart. If any of the courtiers dared to stare at him like this, Chongzhen would have called the guards to drag this bold guy out and beat him to death. But in exchange for Yue Yang, he didn't have any way.

It wasn't until Chongzhen was a little unbearable that Yue Yang said leisurely: "Your Majesty, Liaodong has only been set for a few years, and it is the time when people's hearts are unstable. If it is under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court, how do you plan to govern it? ”

Chongzhen gritted his teeth and said, "This ...... I plan to make Liaodong a province, and then follow the example of the mainland to send governors, political envoys, envoys and other officials to slowly smear, what do you think? ”

A hint of sarcasm flashed in Yue Yang's eyes: "But the people of Liaodong are fierce. If the government has extorted and provoked the people to rebel, what should the court do? Is it possible to send a large army to clean it up? ”

"This ......"

Hearing this, Chongzhen's old face turned red, and he was a little speechless. Liaodong is not in the same pass, where the people are fierce, and Yueyang has implemented extensive management of Liaodong in these years, and has also issued a large number of front-loading smoothbore guns to the hands of the people. You can't get into trouble and ask Yue Yang's head to ask him to send the Xuan army to suppress it, in that case, the face of the court will not be wanted.

Chongzhen also knew that his words just now had made Yue Yang a little unhappy, so he quickly changed the topic and began to talk about the parents, and the atmosphere began to gradually become lively.

During the meal, Chongzhen suddenly asked: "Zhenghong, I plan to send the prince to Shanxi, so that he can learn some experience in governing places, what do you think?" ”

Yue Yang's chopsticks, who were picking up vegetables, paused in mid-air for a while, and then slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty's move is very good." As the saying goes, it is better to read 10,000 books than to travel 10,000 miles, the prince grew up in the deep palace and did not know the people's suffering. ”

As soon as Yue Yang's words came out, a trace of embarrassment appeared on the faces of Chongzhen and Queen Zhou, and his son-in-law still spoke so directly and ruthlessly. And Zhu Yujiao on the side also stepped on her man with her little foot covertly, signaling him to speak carefully.

After having lunch and sitting for a while, Yue Yang and Zhu Yujiao left the palace and returned to the Horse Mansion. In the cart, Yue Yang leaned on the cushion behind him and closed his eyes, today Chongzhen continued to test his bottom line in and out of words, which shows that with the gradual improvement of the situation in Daming, his cheap father-in-law has been a little unable to hold back the rights that originally belonged to him. The recovery of Shanxi was the first step, followed by Shandong and Liaodong as his second step.

When Yueyang was in deep thought, Zhu Yujiao, who was snuggling up to him with her son in her arms, turned her head and asked: "Xianggong, why did the emperor let Cihong go to Shanxi to practice, you must know that according to the tradition of my Ming royal family, the prince does not need to go to the place to practice." ”

Yue Yang opened his eyes and said lightly: "What's strange about this, this shows that Your Majesty has also begun to realize that the Ming Imperial Family has a great deficiency in the education of the prince." To put it mildly, in addition to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the next successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty are not as good as the generation, when Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were in power, but whenever the emperor spoke to the ministers of the court, there were no people who did not dare to follow, how could it be like now, the court had to be noisy for a long time to pass one thing, which was the reason for the emperor's lack of skill and perseverance. ”

Hearing this, Zhu Yujiao's little face first showed disbelief, but then became depressed. Although Yueyang's words are not good, but what he said is the truth, when the Ming Dynasty was founded, the national strength was prosperous, the army's combat effectiveness was so strong that it was a mess, if it was in the Ming Dynasty, Nurhachi, Huang Taiji and other goods were estimated to not even be able to make a wave, and they would have to be killed by the Ming army.

Seeing Zhu Yujiao's expression become depressed, Yue Yang continued: "Presumably, your father and emperor also saw the disadvantages of the Ming royal family's education, so he planned to send the prince to the following to experience while he was still young, so as to prepare for the future, I agree with this very much." ”

Hearing this, Zhu Yujiao asked again: "Xianggong, since you have entered the cabinet, why did you take the initiative to return Shanxi to the imperial court and settle down in Dayuan?" ”

Yue Yang looked at Zhu Yujiao with a smile: "If I don't do this, can your father rest assured?" ”

"I ......"

Zhu Yujiao couldn't help but be dumbfounded, her husband's strength was too strong, so strong that he could pull the emperor off the horse at any time, and anyone sitting in his father's seat would be wary of him.

Seeing Zhu Yujiao's uneasiness, Yue Yang stroked her hair and comforted: "Don't worry, your husband and I don't have the slightest interest in your father's throne, if I want to sit, I will sit early in the morning, and I won't wait until now." The reason why Liaodong and Shandong were not handed over to the imperial court is because these two places have not been properly governed, and if they are rashly handed over to the imperial court, they will inevitably be beaten back to the prototype, so that your and my years of hard work will be in vain. ”

"Then if the prime minister handed over Shanxi to the imperial court, isn't he afraid that Shanxi will also be beaten back to the prototype?" Zhu Yuluo asked unconvinced.

"Of course not, everything is on the right track in Shanxi now, as long as your father's brain is not faint, he will not move indiscriminately, which will not do him any good for the court!" Yue Yang's voice carried indescribable confidence.

"Humph!"

Although he was a little dissatisfied with Yueyang's belittlement of his father and emperor so much, Zhu Yujiao still chose to remain silent, after all, he has broadened his horizons a lot with Yueyang for more than a year, and he knows that today's Ming Dynasty can have today's scene is inseparable from his own efforts, if there is no Yueyang on the side, the Ming Dynasty may not know what the chaos will be.

Speaking of this, Yue Yang stretched his waist for a long time: "Okay, Xianggong won't talk about it, let's go to Shanxi in a few days, and prepare to take Sister Hailanzhu and them over, and our family will go to Dayuan, Xianggong promises that as long as it takes ten years at most, Dayuan will become a good place that is no less than Shanxi!" (To be continued......)