Chongzhen has a good nature, seeing that he is ragged, his face is dark, his beard is unkempt, and he has obviously not been groomed for many days, he is secretly unhappy in his heart, and sneered and threw the book on the case at his feet and said, "Wu, do you dare to come back to see me?" Hu Tingyan has already excerpted ginseng, you asked for a bribe of 20,000 taels of silver, what do you say? ”

Wu took out the silver ticket from the place where the flesh was attached to his chest, presented it with both hands, and said: "Your Majesty, if the minister does not accept his silver ticket, I am afraid that he will become a lonely ghost and never see the emperor again." At this point, I couldn't help crying, "The minister is so bitter all the way!" To avoid Hu Tingyan's pursuit, to find food and drink to live, the wind along the caves and ditches pierced people's muscles and bones like knives, the ministers gritted their teeth, afraid that they would fall down and not come back as soon as they relaxed, no one sent a letter for the emperor, and the emperor was deceived by those traitorous villains. The people of Shaanxi are suffering--" He whimpered and intermittently recounted what had happened to Shaanxi.

Chongzhen looked at him sharply as he wiped his tears with his filthy sleeves, and said sharply: "I don't believe it, Hu Tingyan dares to kill people and kill people?" Bullying the king in vain, not afraid of exterminating the nine clans? ”

Wu repeatedly kowtowed: "He didn't dare to know the truth on the pope." ”

"What about Shaanxi?"

"Now Qindi is not only starving all over the wilderness, but also countless anti-thieves are in rebellion, Pucheng, Baishui, Jingzhou, Yaozhou, Fuping, Chunhua, Sanyuan, Hanzhong, Xinghua and other counties have no peace, thieves robbed the prison of Yijun County, gathered on Huanglong Mountain in Yanqing, the number is no less than five or six thousand, Hu Tingyan strictly ordered not to leak, all suppressed, those state and county officials who reported the civil uprising annoyed him, a good meal. These are all things that the minister has seen with his own eyes, and there will never be the slightest falsehood. ”

Chongzhen was furious, got up and scolded: "This bastard thing, when His Majesty resigned, I repeatedly told him that Shaanxi is bordered by the north in the west, Gan and Sichuan in the southwest, and the Yi and Han are mixed. It's good now, there is no way to suppress bandits, and there are more and more anti-thieves, but they are hollowing out their hearts to report safety and say good things. Immediately send Ti to ride out of the capital lock to take Hu Ting's banquet, and I will interrogate him personally! No--it's better to give this bastard Wang Ba to death on the spot, so as not to be angry. ”

Wu was so panicked that he took two steps on his knees, waved his hand to stop him: "The emperor is angry, although the minister's performance is a personal experience, but in the end it is a one-sided statement, such as listening to the minister's words and killing the feudal officials, needless to say Hu Tingyan, the hundred officials may not be convinced...... The minister did not want the emperor to be angry for a while and hurt Shengming. ”

Han nodded and said: "Qindi has been a place where people rely on the sky to eat since ancient times, the land is barren and the people are poor, and it is a natural disaster. Now that the crowd is swarming, he has concealed his banditry and deceived the king, and his crime should be punished. It is better to issue the king's order flag, and take his lock to Beijing and hand it over to the division for interrogation. ”

Chongzhen sat down on the chair gloomily, ordered Wu to retreat, stroked his forehead and said: "It seems that you can't be the prime minister of the peace, the Shaanxi disaster relief money has not yet been settled, and Yuan Chonghuan has to seal the sea again, and it is rare for me to clear my heart." ”

"Why is the sea closed?" Han Xin was surprised that Yuan Chonghuan was his protégé, and the emperor did not shy away from talking, which made him more and more unable to sit still.

"The merchant ships he wants to pass by cannot sail directly to Phi Dao, and must detour to Ningyuan in order to collect taxes and supply military salaries."

"It's a good thing for two pence."

"A good thing?" Chongzhen asked with a smile: "Didn't he give me another problem!" Back then, the platform was called right, but I offended the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of Industry for him. ”

“……？” Han couldn't figure it out, and was silent.

"I'm afraid that it will be fake for him to close the sea and collect taxes, but he intends to subdue Mao Wenlong."

"Mao Wenlong?" Han secretly sighed in his heart, vaguely remembered the burly man, and said with a little hesitation: "The minister heard that Mao Wenlong was arrogant and abnormal, and did many illegal things, since Yuan Chonghuan was ordered to supervise Ji and Liao, and also took care of the military affairs of Denglai Tianjin, he also has the right to control him." It would be a good thing if he could be restrained and faithful. ”

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Hmm! I'll give him permission again. ”

"The emperor is still not at ease with Liaodong?"

Chongzhen exhaled a long breath lightly and said: "I'm not worried, there is Yuan Chonghuan firmly armed, Xu Tu recovered, and I slept peacefully, but Shaanxi and Shanxi ...... Ay! It's really heart-wrenching! It's not that I'm afraid of a serious disaster, but I'm afraid that someone will cause a disaster, and I'm still in the dark when things come to an end. ”

The emperor's words can be described as true. At that time, the cabinet minister Li Chaling once said that the drought was cruel, and the few words in it have been remembered for many years and dare not forget. ”

"What words?"

Han chanted slowly: "The feelings of the husband and the county are unknown; The love of the county and the temple are unknown; The love of the temple is also unknown; It begins with concealment and becomes blindness. The end of tolerance and concealment is very small, and the disaster of deception is very deep. There was a trace of tears in his eyes, and his expression showed a bit of grief and indignation, "Hu Tingyan, as a second-class member of the imperial court, if he pays attention to saving the people on weekdays, why would he be helpless and lie to the king!" ”

The two monarchs and ministers felt heavy in their hearts, and they were silent for a long time. When Han saw Li Biao and Qian Longxi coming in, he changed his words and said: "The disaster relief is not before the year, but after the beginning of spring. The minister was worried that if the relief was not effective at that time, the people would be hungry and follow the thieves, and the people would be scattered, and they would mistakenly cultivate summer grain, and the situation would be very bad and could not be cleaned up. If some money and food can be distributed before the year, it will definitely be able to curb the spread of the bandits, and those people who are forced to make a living will also lose the heart of being thieves, and the gangsters will not destroy themselves. ”

Li Biao said: "What Elder Han Ge said is very true. However, the treasury was empty, and it was difficult to raise so much money and food for a while, and the ministers had no choice but to share the emperor's worries. The position of the minister acting as the first assistant has been more than three months, and the gap in the door cannot be eliminated; The plan of food for the soldiers, the ministers cannot raise it; The people's livelihood is poor, and the ministers cannot save it; It really hurts the emperor to know people. The minister is willing to donate this year's money to help the victims of the disaster in Shaanxi. ”

Chongzhen shook his head and said: "Gentlemen, as cabinet ministers, work hard for the country on weekdays, and eliminate harm for my prosperity, the court has benefited a lot, and you should take it, how can I force it back again, the court is not so poor." Besides, if you do this, you are also teaching the ministers of the world to be embarrassed, and the donors are so distressed that they want to scold, and if you don't donate, you are afraid that you will miss the future. They will scold the gentlemen for being obsessed with flattery, regardless of the bitterness and happiness of others, and scolding you is also scolding me for being mediocre, not being able to love and compassionate officials, and I not being able to infame for my own family! ”

"The minister was anxious for a while, and made this decision, if it weren't for the far-reaching thoughts, the minister would not have been concerned about offending the bureaucrats, but he was just trapped in an unknown place by the emperor, and he was deeply frightened." Li Biao secretly regretted saying Meng Lang, seeing that the emperor was so compassionate, he couldn't help but be grateful.

Chongzhen said with a smile: "Mr. is in the Pavilion, there are many things to do for me in the future, if you offend the bureaucrats, how can you deal with yourself?" Spit stars can drown people. I'm different, I'm a loner! ”

The three of them almost laughed out loud when they heard it, and Qian Longxi said: "The emperor has a deep understanding of human feelings, and Shengrui is chasing after Taizu and Chengzu, no wonder the ministers think that the emperor is unreachable." ”

"The ministers are intimidated by the emperor's authority, and it is human nature to be sycophant, where can it be taken seriously?" Chongzhen's expression was indifferent, as if he was a little unimpressed.

Qian Longxi blushed slightly and said: "The minister is stupid, but he also remembers a lot of seventeen histories." The emperor has been uninterrupted and unremitting, unremitting, unheard of, and unheard of. The emperor is in full bloom in the Spring and Autumn Period, but he is not confused by the sound, the palace is forbidden and clear, which is deeply in line with the purpose of the Qi family to govern the country and level the world, and it can also be said that he is a former sage. The emperor was diligent and thrifty, and made great efforts to reduce the daily cost of buying the imperial dining house from hundreds of taels of silver to thirty taels, and changed the crown robe and boots once a day to once a month. The emperor is rich all over the world, and the twisted children, steamed rice, long-lived vegetables, and silver sprouts eaten are even worse than those rich and noble families in the market. Is this comparable to the emperors of the previous generation? The ministers saw it with their own eyes, and the emperor didn't admit it! ”

Chongzhen couldn't help laughing when he saw that he was straightforward, and quipped: "I admit it, and if I don't admit it again when I say good things, wouldn't I be ignorant of lifting?" Han and Li Biao also laughed, and Chongzhen continued: "Isn't what the outer court said all good things? If there is something bad to say, let's hear it. ”

Qian Longxi groaned and said: "If there are bad words, those courtiers outside will not say anything to the old ministers." ”

Chongzhen smiled and sighed: "If you listen to it, it will be dark, I know this reason!" I have also heard one or two rumors from the outer court, you only talked about the 'three unreachable', and the 'five do not know it' did not say, I understand that you are leaving dignity for me. The 'five don't know it' also has some truth, and it is a wake-up call for me, but I can't tolerate him. One is that he has something to say but does not speak directly, but he talks behind his back, slanders the government and government, there is no me in his eyes, and his heart is unpredictable; The second is a corner of the view, which is inevitably exaggerated, and I do not fully agree with it. I wrote these words down and put them on my pillow, and read them several times before going to bed, and most of them were tacitly read in my chest, saying that I should not treat my ministers as stupid, suspicious, arrogant, and prostrate...... A whole bunch of not. He took a sip of tea, got up and paced slowly, thinking: "There are also people who say that I am too strict with treatment and too heavy for self-use. If one person is wise, and his subordinates cannot fulfill their loyalty, His Majesty's ears and eyes will sometimes be clogged! Relying on one's own heroic judgment, and the people of the great doctors and the country are not satisfied, your majesty's opinion will sometimes change! …… If the desire to seek treatment is too hasty, it will inevitably become utilitarian, and the utilitarian will turn into a criminal name, and the criminal name will continue to flow into suspicion, and the suspicion will accumulate into a cover. ’”

Chongzhen stopped, looked at the three old ministers with blazing eyes, and said with a long sigh: "The words are heavier, I feel quite harsh to hear, but these people have not lost their loyalty and love, but they are pedantic and do not know the situation of the country and people. In recent years, Wei Zhongxian, who has been rebelling against him, has stolen the authority of the country, abolished all things, bowed to his relatives in many things, and negotiated with a compromise on changing the vote. If I am not in a hurry to do something, Wen Tian has been playing martial arts for a long time, and the country has accumulated many disadvantages, and when I encounter fame and fortune, I want to be listed indiscriminately; There was a mistake, but they passed the buck to each other. At this time, if you don't overkill, reprimand, and rectify the discipline, when can peace be expected? ”

Li Biao said tentatively: "The minister will go back and punish these people who slander the government according to the law? ”

Chongzhen shook his hand and said: "There is no need to investigate, the road is closed, and it is not a sign of peace and prosperity, but I want to tell the courtiers, if you have anything to say in the future, you will speak out, I am not a man-eating tiger, I can distinguish between good and evil, and I also have the grace to accommodate people, and the sword is not gagged." He saw the three ministers listening quietly, their faces were solemn, they couldn't help nodding, and said with a smile: "Mr. Xiangyun has gone through three dynasties, and today's state affairs are complicated. Here is the right of the criminal department to Liu Mao in the matter of the excerpt to reduce the post station, saying that hundreds of thousands of taels of silver can be saved every year, how about using these silver to help Sanqin? Summoning Liu Mao in to discuss together. ”

Han Dao: "The post station harassed the tired people, and the emperor once strictly ordered the military department to strictly manage the survey horse card to clear the source of the malpractice. It's just that many years ago, like this, it may be difficult to have quick results between rushes. The ministers thought that the emperor was worried about his hard work, and the diet was reduced, and all the people in the world should share some for the emperor, and there were many rich people in Jiangnan, so it was better to order them to donate silver for disaster relief to solve the urgent need. ”

Chongzhen frowned and pondered for a moment before he said: "Those rich silver is not easy to use, how can they take it out for nothing?" When Emperor Taizu Gao, there was a richest man in the south of the Yangtze River, Shen Wansan, who donated to build three city gates in Nanjing, and Emperor Gao made his two sons officials, and he wanted to reward the three armies for Emperor Gao, how wild! At present, unlike when Guozuo was first established, I am worried that if this case is opened again, it will become a common practice to sell official beards, and those untouchables who get rich have bad morals, and they don't know how to read, but they are indiscriminately included in the Shilin temples, and the rich families in various places are also the source of food and clothing for the poor, if the imperial court takes more than enough and gives it insufficient, those outlaws and scoundrels will inevitably rise up and embarrass the rich, and the situation is bound to be even more difficult to clean up. I also can't tolerate Shen Wansan's first-class characters arrogantly arrogant and despised the court. Disaster relief is a state affair, if the post station can be cut to save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, it is more than enough to help the victims, wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone? ”

Han said: "Needless to say, the post delivery takes advantage of its convenience. In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, Emperor Gao created the ancestral system, inspected the people, set up horses and mules, boats and cars, and other items have regulations, but over time there are disadvantages, the more the post is used, the more indiscriminate, the aid to Liao and Guizhou, the conscription and salary, the abolition of the ring, the internal officials of the Wu Ben, all of which are not used, these drawbacks are caused by lax supervision, and now the holy oracle is strictly responsible, how dare the ministers ignore it? The emperor then instructed Yousi to strictly rectify it, and regularly sent people to check and inspect, and this disadvantage was naturally reduced. ”

Chongzhen held back the unhappiness in his heart and asked, "Don't dare to play around?" I know that only two places, Liangxiang and Zhuozhou, have been abolished, and the other places are still the same, and I have repeatedly forbidden them, and I have not complied with them. The post book was set up for the purpose of sending emergency documents to report military information and dispatch officers from various places, but recently, officials have been favoritism, abusing talismans and inquests, even if they are specially designed to transmit military information, they dare to take it seriously! The post delivery is the blood of the country, and I think that this matter must be ...... with fierce medicine" He saw a short and fat man wearing a wide hedgehog tonic suit come in, and before he could see how the fat man walked on his legs, he rolled to the desk like a ball, knelt down and kowtowed, raised his hand and ordered the fat man to flatten himself and said: "Liu Mao, you will read the excerpt to the cabinet ministers." ”

Liu Mao took the book from Wang Chengen's hand, cleared his throat slightly, and said sharply: "Today, Xiazhou County is trapped in the post station for seventeen or eighteen years...... According to the words of Chen County, there were only 30 horses at the beginning, and each horse had 50 taels of food, and gradually increased and 50 horses, and 80 taels of food, and then increased to 120 taels, and then increased to 160 taels, and the post was poor, so why not...... Ministers can't mediate, the ban is not stopped, and the straightforward law is just a law...... "Shu Ben is nearly 1,000 words, to the effect that the post delivery abuses all kinds of bad rules and rectification strategies. Chongzhen got up to listen, and when he heard the pain, he couldn't help but grit his teeth secretly, and Liu Mao just finished reading, so he asked, "How can a horse use one hundred and sixty taels of food?" ”