Yang Shiqi and the five people were moved to tears, and they knelt down and said: "The ministers are just doing their duty as courtiers, they are all Your Majesty's benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and filial piety, and the destiny of heaven, so that they can repeatedly turn danger into disaster, or they will come to Jitai!" ”

Zhu Gaochi stood up with the table, stepped forward to help the five people up one by one, and said with tears in his eyes: "You take care of each other, don't say those words that are outside the world!" Saying that, he squeezed Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu's hands tightly, "Our name is Junchen, but we are really siblings!" ”

"Your Majesty......" Yang Shiqi and others burst into tears and couldn't cry. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The six of them hugged their heads and cried, and when their emotions calmed down, Zhu Gaochi sat back on the throne and looked at Yang Shiqi and the three of them: "I am going to let the three of you also enter the Wenyuan Pavilion, and the three of you are fellow scholars, and they will jointly assist me." ”

The hermitage is Yang Pu's number, and the Jie'an is Huang Huai's number. When Yang Shiqi heard this, he immediately said: "The emperor is sage! The national politics are cumbersome and wasteful, and there are two great people to join the cabinet, and the ministers are overjoyed! Yang Rong and Jin Youzi also nodded heavily.

Zhu Gaochi was pleased, these five people are in the prime of life, have both ability and political integrity, and more importantly, after the cruel test of the Yongle Dynasty, they can be completely trusted, and with such a strong cabinet to assist, their confidence is also a lot stronger. After a pause, he said slowly: "In the future, military and political affairs will depend on the assistance of the cabinet, but there is a problem, that is, the non-commissioned officers of the university are only five grades, and when they are connected with the six ministers and local officials, they will inevitably be very passive. ”

Hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, Yang Shiqi and the five of them were excited, and the emperor's words pointed to the biggest weakness of the cabinet today! At that time, Emperor Taizu abolished the Zhongshu and the prime minister, and directly led the six departments and hundreds of divisions, and concentrated the power in one. However, with the founding of the People's Republic of China for a long time, the national politics have become more and more complicated, even if Zhu Yuanzhang has superhuman energy, he can't cope with it, so he can only find someone to help him.

However, Emperor Taizu didn't want the prime minister who had worked so hard to abolish it to reappear, so he thought of a way to have both worlds, and appointed some officials with both talents and virtues as university scholars to assist him in handling state affairs, but the official rank of university scholars was only five grades, far lower than the six ministers and local officials, and it was naturally impossible to let those second-rank officials bow to them. In this way, it is avoided that the scholar will be too powerful and become a prime minister who is not the prime minister.

Later, in the Jianwen and Yongle dynasties, the cabinet system took shape, and the emperor relied more and more on the cabinet scholars, but the official rank of the scholars always stayed at the five grades, which was far from the high-ranking officials of the imperial court, and successfully limited the expansion of the power of the scholars, which was also the real reason why Yang Shiqi and others were isolated and helpless in the days of King Zhao's rebellion, and could only ask Wang Xian for help.

Now listening to the emperor's words, he actually wants to lift the restrictions imposed on the heads of scholars, how can Yang Shiqi and the others not be excited, only to hear Zhu Gaochi said slowly: "Therefore, I am ready to raise the official rank of the scholar to the second grade, which is on par with the imperial history of the six Shangshu." Saying that, he looked at the five people with a smile: "In this way, in the future, you will be more handy in handling national affairs." ”

Yang Shiqi and the five people heard this, but they were not happy and surprised, Yang Rong said: "Your Majesty is very loving, and the ministers are grateful, but the cabinet system is created by Taizu, Taizong is perfect, and the university non-commissioned officers are only five grades, which are already deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and they are rashly promoted to the second grade, I am afraid that it will cause an uproar in the government and the opposition!" ”

"Even if I don't promote you, won't the government and the opposition be in an uproar?" Zhu Gaochi said slowly: "After the edict of enthronement, I don't know how many people are holding back their strength and preparing to oppose me, you say, do I shrink my hands and feet and dare not promote you, or do I want to promote you and give me more help?" Saying that, he sighed and said heavily: "Don't think that this is a meritorious appreciation, reforming the old and making the new with me is a chore to be scolded and scolded, maybe you will complain about me in the future." ”

"The ministers will definitely work together to assist Your Majesty!" The five scholars hurriedly expressed their voices in a deep voice.

The next day, it was the first court meeting after the new monarch ascended the throne, the ministers and officials dressed in court clothes, lined up neatly outside the Fengtian Gate, greeted His Majesty the Emperor on the throne, and then knelt down and kowtowed to the mountain to call long live, all the etiquette was meticulous, but everyone could feel that the air above the Fengtianmen Square was about to freeze.

The mountain rain is coming, and the wind is full of buildings.

After the ministers got up and stood up, Zhu Gaochi glanced at the hundreds of officials facing down, took a deep breath, and began his first speech in front of the hundred officials after he became the emperor: "I was sheltered by my ancestors, and I was lucky to be on the throne, but I knew that I was sparse and weak, and I was trembling. After a pause, he said sincerely: "We still need all the princes and officials to work together and assist me, and our monarchs and ministers will work together to overcome the current crisis for the Ming Dynasty." ”

"The ministers must be smeared with their hearts and brains to repay the emperor." Hundreds of officials naturally talk nonsense.

"Good." Zhu Gaochi glanced at Xia Yuanji, the head of the household, and said slowly: "Elder Xia Guo, tell everyone about my current situation in the Ming Dynasty." ”

"Yes." Xia Yuanji is only in his sixties, but he looks old, and others believe him when he says he is eighty years old. Everyone knows that his full head of white hair and wrinkles are the result of a heartbreak for the finances of the Ming Dynasty. Everyone understands that without the existence of this supreme financial master, there would be no great achievements of the Yongle Dynasty, and the words that come out of his mouth are naturally the most authoritative.

"Your Majesty," at this moment, Xia Yuanji's face was full of deep fatigue, and he said in a hoarse voice: "My current finances are no longer enough to describe as dangerous. The treasury is empty, and it will take twenty years to repay the debts owed for years, even if they are not eaten or drunk, and they are repaid with national taxes......"

"Hiss......" The ministers gasped one after another, and when Emperor Yongle was there, he never said this to the ministers. Therefore, although they all know that the country is difficult, they all think that it is just a temporary difficulty, and they will get through it. But if you don't eat or drink for 20 years, who can survive it?!

"How so?" Ding Guogong couldn't help but ask loudly: "How can you be in debt to such a point?" ”

"There are many reasons, the expenses over the years are huge, the treasure money is indiscriminate, and the disasters are still ......frequent," Xia Yuanji saw that the eyes of the hundred officials were straight, and he could only explain slowly: "To put it simply, in the past twenty years, various expenditures have surged, and the imperial court's income is far from enough for the country, so it can only maintain the expenses of the imperial court by issuing money, but the treasure money is indiscriminate, and the prices in various places have skyrocketed, resulting in the exponential increase of various expenses, and the imperial court can only print more treasure money to make up for it, and further worsen the price ......"

"To put it bluntly, the indiscriminate issuance of treasure money is to drink to quench thirst, and the more you drink poisonous wine, the more dangerous it is, but in order to maintain it, you can only drink it cup after cup......" Xia Yuanji sighed and said: "Until the people's resentment boils, the gentry and gentry do not accept the treasure money at all, and the court can only borrow money from the people, and the debts will naturally accumulate in a few years." After a pause, he said: "In addition, now that the domestic disasters are full of days, industry and commerce are withering, and the taxes of the imperial court have shrunk seriously, it is still an optimistic estimate to pay off the debt in 20 years." ”

After Xia Yuanji finished speaking, he retreated to his position, Zhu Gaochi's gaze slowly swept over everyone, and said bitterly: "Everyone, the glory of the past has become a thing of the past, how similar is the current Ming Dynasty to the last years of the previous dynasty, if we don't immediately stop the precipice and make up our minds to straighten out the finances, I am really worried that we will repeat the mistakes of the previous Yuan!" ”

"......" The ministers nodded with a heavy heart, after all, they were all powerful people on the ship, and no one wanted this ship to sink.

"That's why I will order to stop buying, weaving, and stopping going to the West, and try my best to reduce expenses," Zhu Gaochi said earnestly: "Everything is to survive the current crisis, start from me, save national strength, and all the ministers must also set an example for the people!" ”

"The ministers obey the emperor's will!" The civil officials stood up and sang, but the generals on the other side looked very ugly, and there was no voice. Their ideas are very simple, there is no problem in saving the country, but don't save it on your own head, let alone cut off your own financial route!

But these words could not be put on the table, and the generals could only hold their breath there temporarily, not daring to refute the emperor in front of the court. This is also the reason why Zhang Fu refused to say much to the nobles yesterday. Above the court, no matter how obscene the thoughts are, they must be covered up with high-sounding words, and when the emperor stands on the truth, he can only wait patiently for the opportunity.

Zhu Gaochi didn't expect the generals to support sincerely, they didn't make trouble, he was very happy, so he continued: "The state affairs are complicated and complicated, and I don't have the ability of Emperor Taizu Taizong, so I can only rely on all the secretaries, especially the cabinet scholars. After a pause, the emperor said slowly: "I am going to reclassify the rank of the scholar to the second grade, so that I can connect with the six departments and nine secretaries and local officials, what do you think?" ”

As soon as these words came out, many officials cast envious glances at Yang Shiqi and others, and Jian Yi and other high-ranking officials in the ministry were naturally unhappy. However, the emperor did this, although the scholars were also second-class, but the people were more powerful and closer to the emperor, so they were naturally a head above them!

However, they also knew that this was what people deserved, not to mention that speaking out against it at this time would cause strong disgust from the emperor and the five scholars, which was really worth the loss...... At least, not to be the first bird!

Just as several ministers peeked at each other, hoping that someone would come out first to express some different opinions, a rough voice sounded in the square, which shook people's ears:

"Your Majesty, I don't rely on the old to sell the old, the university scholar is the fifth grade, but the system set by the first emperor, the bones of the emperor are not cold, it is not suitable for you to do this!"

Zhu Gaochi's eyes sank, and he looked at the old thing that didn't rely on the old and sold the old, it was Xue Lu, the Marquis of Yangwu!

Yang Shiqi sighed in his heart, knowing that he couldn't be good now......