Zhang Zhai.

Zhang Ying finished dressing for Zhang Wen, picked up the neat official robe and put it on for him, and said softly: "I washed Xianggong's clothes myself, I used pottery to fill boiling water, you can iron the clothes, you see, there are no wrinkles at all." Xianggong can't do bad things when he wears this dress. ”

Zhang Wen was moved: "This official robe was put on by Ying'er, and I will definitely do something beneficial to the people when I wear it!" ”

Zhang Ying smiled sweetly: "Come back early in the evening, I'll make you something to eat." She stroked Zhang Wen's solid chest, looked up at his face, couldn't help but love it, and stood on tiptoe and kissed Zhang Wen's face.

He turned around and walked out the door, and when he reached the gate of the outer courtyard, he waved his hand behind him without looking back, because he knew that Zhang Ying must be watching him at the door.

In the middle of the morning, Zhang Wen handled some daily affairs in the household yamen outside the Forbidden City, and received a joint letter from subordinate officials, asking the imperial court to strictly investigate the bad rules of the palace procurement, tribute, manufacturing bureau, weaving bureau and other departments. It was all about the eunuchs of the inner court, so such a proposition did not help much in the outer court, and it was smoothly completed as a whole and directly sent to the celebrant through the cabinet.

In the afternoon, the emperor summoned Zhang Wen into the palace to face the saint and make a statement in person. Zhu Youxiao is still doing carpentry in the Yangxin Palace, and when Zhang asked about the Yangxin Palace, he saw that Zhu Youxiao was disheveled, and he was not wearing any clothes, and he was still busy with carpentry there. There was a girl crying there next to her, Zhang asked to see, who is Zhu Huijing, the princess of Suiping?

Zhu Huijing's crying is naturally her marriage, Zhu Youzheng was very depressed by her entanglement and crying, but he couldn't bear to scold her, he also felt sorry for his sister in this matter, and he had no choice, if he wanted to blame the ancestral system, where did he go to find a satisfactory husband for his sister?

It happened that Zhang Wen came, and Principal Zhu You sighed and said to Zhu Huijing: "I want to discuss state affairs with the minister, you go down first, and we will talk about this later." ”

Zhu Huijing wiped her tears with a handkerchief, pouted, and said, "If the imperial brother doesn't promise me, I won't leave!" ”

Zhang Wen knelt on the ground and said in a loud voice: "Zhang Wen, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, knock long live my emperor, and knock on Her Royal Highness Princess Suiping." ”

Zhu Huijing was startled by this sudden yell, and stomped her feet and said coquettishly: "Can't you be quieter?" ”

"Back to His Royal Highness, the minister is the emperor's loyal minister, and the loyal minister is frank and will not speak quietly."

Zhu Huijing glared at Zhang and asked, "Hmph, that's okay, you are not afraid of being heard, then I will listen to what the imperial brother has to say to you." ”

Zhu Youxiao sighed and said, "Zhang Wen, calm down, sit down." ”

"Your Majesty." Zhang Wen sat down on the stool next to him. Zhu Youxiao also stopped the boring carpentry work, put on his coat, and washed his hands and wiped his sweat under the attendants of the eunuchs and palace maids, and did many trivial things.

Zhu Youxiao sat on the chair, picked up the teacup and blew the water: "You handed the master of ceremonies to the recital, I have seen it this afternoon, I have ordered the master of ceremonies to approve ......the red, and I will do it immediately" He said and glanced at Zhang Wen very meaningfully, "You are deeply conscious, I didn't misunderstand you...... Well, this matter is promising, as for your previous impeachment of Wei Zhongxian for collaborating with the enemy, it is all groundless, don't mention it again, understand? ”

"The minister understands, and the minister obeys the holy decree."

The actual reason for Wei Zhongxian's downfall was that his party made a mistake in governance, which led to the martyrdom of the Beijing Division, the anger of the officials and the people, and the great loss of popularity. But now when he is asked to pay the price, he can't just talk about the facts, otherwise the court itself will admit that the administration is improper and affect the official prestige. So he had to use other reasons to deal with Wei Zhongxian, and the simplest reason was, of course, greed for ink...... Inside and outside the court, how many people have clean butts? As soon as you check the greed of the inner court, you can let whoever you want to get out.

At this moment, I only heard Zhu Huijing say coldly: "It's ridiculous to say anything frank!" Wei Zhongxian and his party made a mistake in their governance, and you want to punish their crimes, but you take care of the face of the imperial court, so you play some means to punish bad rules, isn't that so? Just know the face! ”

Zhang Wen was taken aback, this kind of words came out of the mouth of a teenage girl, and one sentence broke the mystery, it was too weird, Zhang Wen couldn't help but look at Zhu Huijing in amazement.

Zhu Huijing looked at Zhang Wen and continued to say coldly: "Zhang Wen, you gave the imperial brother a good idea, no wonder the imperial brother believes you so much." As soon as you sit in the position of the head of the household, you will come up with a reason to punish the bad rules, and in order to reduce the resistance of the outer court and gain the support of your colleagues, you will first write a book only for the bad rules of the inner court. But after all the henchmen of Wei Zhongxian in the inner court have been punished, you will ask for an investigation of the bad rules of the outer court in order to eliminate the Wei party officials, right? ”

Zhang Wen said nothing, although his layout is not very clever, but it is not so conspicuous, even the people in the outer court can't figure out what he wants to do, and he was unexpectedly seen through by a little girl......

Zhu Youxiao heard Zhu Huijing's analysis, and saw Zhang Wen speechless and speechless by his sister, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help laughing: "Zhang Wen, my sister has read more books than me, and you, a jinshi, may not be able to talk about her." ”

At this time, Zhu Huijing looked at Zhang Wen and smiled ill-willedly: "Zhang Wen, your so-called openness and so-called helping the world and saving the people are not fighting for power and profit, and you can come up with any major policies and strategies for benefiting the country and the people?" ”

"That's not it!" Zhang Wen's face turned red, and he said angrily with a little annoyance, "The minister's sincerity to the emperor and the country has never wavered. The reason why I want to use such and such a layout is completely out of desperation. If you think about it, if you have the ideal of punishing the officials, you can directly formulate a policy strategy of comprehensively supervising and cracking down on bad rules, can it be implemented? The country's disease has been deeply cured, and it cannot be cured with a simple decree, but can only be slowly adjusted from the deep level. ”

Zhu Huijing raised her head and asked, "Then tell me, what is the problem of our Daming?" ”

Zhang Wen frowned and said: "I Ming ruled the world with filial piety and restrained the behavior of the subjects with morality, and morality completely replaced the role of law in many cases, such as in the vast countryside, there are no officials, and the laws of the government cannot reward and punish those places." Therefore, the elders of the clan and the village took the place of the control of the law, and the elders of the clan were the elders, who used morality and benevolence to educate the people, so that they could live and work in peace and contentment. This method was an effective method in the early period of our dynasty, simplifying the administrative system, improving the efficiency of political affairs, and making the world safe and sound. However, this method is no longer suitable for the times, because this kind of inappropriateness has led to a marked decline in the control of the state, the inability to collect taxes, and financial difficulties. Since ancient times, it has not been smooth sailing for those who have changed the law, so the minister has been psychologically prepared, and he can only make a long-term layout in order to achieve the goal of changing the law. ”

Zhu Huijing frowned thoughtfully and said, "It's out of time?" Why is it out of place? ”

"The fundamental reason is that since the Ming Dynasty, wealth has been extremely unevenly distributed, and the gap between the rich and the poor is huge. Your Highness can imagine that when the elders of the clan eat meat and drink wine every day, and spend extravagantly, the so-called younger generations have no food to eat, no clothes to cover their bodies, and even have the tragic situation of eating with their children! With such elders and such morality, is there any moral benevolence to speak of? ”

"Easy to eat?" Zhu Huijing's face turned pale.

Zhang Wen said coldly: "Yes, Yizi and eating is not a word, it is a real situation." Swap your children with others and boil them in boiling water! What is morality when children struggle helplessly in boiling water, when they gnaw at human bones......"

"Don't talk about it!" Zhu Huijing's shoulders trembled slightly, she was most afraid of talking about dead people and the like, and when she heard such a thing as cannibalism, she almost didn't vomit.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath, "This is the status quo!" I am not poor, a table of banquets can be worth 10,000 taels! A courtesan can sell for hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, which is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of stone rice, tens of millions of catties and hundreds of millions of catties of rice! Is this poor? How many people can a courtesan support? A courtesan, she's just a plaything......

Yes, there are natural disasters in many places, which have affected the agricultural harvest, but we are not short of grain, the price of rice must have skyrocketed, and we have so much silver that we can't buy from other countries?

The disparity in the distribution of wealth is too great, and this is the status quo......"

Zhang Wen's face was a little sad: "But the minister is just a mortal, there is no way to change all this, the minister can't let the vested interests spit out what they eat in their mouths, if the minister really wants to do this, the bones will be chewed by others." However, the minister eats the emperor's lu, and the minister is ready to give it a try! ”

He pulled the big red official robe on his body, and his cold tone became gentle: "When the minister came out of the house this morning, the minister's concubine said to the minister that the official robe was washed by her own hands and ironed by her own hands, and the minister wearing this official robe must be worthy of the emperor and the people." ”

Zhu Huijing looked at Zhang Wen with a complicated expression, and asked in a low voice, "She...... What is your name? ”

"Zhang Ying," Zhang Wen said happily. After a while, his expression froze, and he said, "The emperor gave the ministers a visit to the ministers, and the ministers live in the temple, so they must not be tied up because others want to chew the bones of the ministers!" ”

Zhang Wen's eyes and tone made Zhu Youxiao deeply feel a kind of sincerity, and Zhu Youxiao said in a deep voice: "Zhang Wen, how are you going to try?" ”

Zhang Wen clenched his fists and said, "Legislation." Etiquette and morality have collapsed, and the original moral norms have lost their effect, so they can only be used! Establish a set of effective laws to replace morality, and establish a system of supervision and enforcement, so that the new laws can operate more fairly. ”

Zhu Youxiao flicked his sleeves and said: "What kind of system can make the people who directly operate the laws and regulations not form a party for personal gain? ”

Zhang Wen groaned: "The minister has also been exploring this problem, and currently thinks of a solution, although I feel that it is not stable enough, but during the reign of the emperor, it will definitely be effective, and its loophole is that it may be deformed after the change of power."

The specific organization is composed of Jinyiwei, the governor and governor, the government, and civil society. The Governor of the Governor shall organize a Supervision Yamen, and the persons who supervise the Yamen shall not be subject to the control of any local official, but shall be directly responsible to the Governor, and shall have the power to investigate any local magistrate; To involve civil society, such as guilds of various industries, in political affairs, to supervise and supervise the yamen, and to request the governor to organize an investigation and supervision of the yamen; The governor resides in the highest governor of each locality, is directly appointed by the central government, belongs to the Beijing official, and is supervised by the Jinyi Guard, thus forming a relationship of constraints and constraints. Before the law, there was no distinction between the elder and the younger, and the prince was guilty of the same crime as the common people.

As long as the effective implementation of the law is ensured, the emperor and the cabinet can achieve the purpose of adjusting the flow of wealth by issuing decrees. There is a loophole here, and when the members of the cabinet change, the ideals of governance will change, and the laws and regulations will change, and it will not last long. The solution to this loophole is not known to the minister for the time being......"

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a long time and said, "Your idea is to replace morality with the legal system? ”

Zhang Wen nodded: "Back to the emperor, the minister is exactly this idea." Now that the imperial court is governing and inspecting its achievements, it is often perfunctory with moral articles, and morality has collapsed, and it is impossible to judge whether such a system is good or bad. As a result, there are no clear rules, and in order to be promoted and protect themselves, everyone will hold each other and form parties for personal gain, and bad rules and party disputes will become more and more intense. ”

Zhu Youxiao stood up and paced in front of the dragon couch, and after a long time, he suddenly stood still, pointed at Zhang and asked, "I asked you to be the first assistant of the cabinet!" ”

He stretched out his hand, his long sleeves danced with the wind, and he could affect the general trend of the world with a flick of his sleeves, which was the real king's spirit.

Zhang Wen didn't say anything like the minister's fear, how could he be, he stood up, hugged his fists and said, "The minister wants to try." ”

Zhu Youxiao's expression became sad, and he said coldly: "If you don't succeed, you will really be chewed to pieces!" If you succeed......" he didn't continue.

Zhang Wen understands that even if he succeeds, there will be no good end, what he is doing is already crazy. To talk about being in power and being an official seems complicated, but in fact it is just a game, played under the established rules. And what Zhang Wen wants to do is not to play this game, he wants to change the rules and set the rules of the game! How many of those people in history who want to change the rules and change the law have a good end? It has affected the interests of too many people, once it loses power, who will you get if you don't get it?

Zhang Wen thought of Zhang Ying, his daughter, and those who loved him, and he said in a daze: "Your Majesty, the minister has only one request." ”

"You say." Zhu Youxiao said.

"If the minister's reform is successful, and the country is rich and the people are strong, can the emperor confer a knighthood?"

At this time, Zhu Huijing smiled and said, "Brother Huang, Zhang Wen is learning from Wang Qian." The imperial brother wanted him to be the first assistant of the cabinet, and he asked the king of Qin for benefits first, just like Wang Qian, and the king of Qin relieved Wang Qian. ”

Zhang Wen was stunned and said: "Ryukyu is now in the hands of Hongyi, and on that day, the minister wants a knighthood, borrows some soldiers and horses, and leads the troops to bring Ryukyu back and settle my family there." ”

Zhu Huijing remembered Zhang Ying, who had moved her a little just now, and immediately closed her mouth and stopped asking sarcastically.

At this time, Zhu Youxiao said: "Imperial sister, you come to write the content, I personally signed it, and gave Zhang Wen a holy decree, on the day of the revival of the Ming Dynasty, I will crown him as a duke, and give him the Ryukyu title, hereditary replacement." ”

Zhang Wen hurriedly knelt on the ground and shouted: "Thank you Emperor Longen, long live my emperor......

Zhu Huijing and Zhang Wen came out of the Heart Cultivation Palace, and Zhang Wen calmly said to Zhu Huijing: "At this time next year, His Royal Highness is already married, and he should live in the princess's mansion, and he can't leave the palace easily." ”

Zhu Huijing was not annoyed, but looked at Zhang Wen with interest, her eyes were a little confused, and she smiled bitterly: "Zhang Wen, I suddenly see that you are very cute." ”

"Cute?" Zhang Wen looked at Zhu Huijing's smiling eyes in amazement.

Zhu Huijing smiled very unnaturally, she suddenly felt very lonely, when she imagined getting along with a person who made her disgusting, and there was no common language, except for a few words of nonsense, she couldn't say a word, what a lonely day it would be...... Only now that she asks such a person can she have something to say to herself and understand her thoughts, but everything is likely to be just an extravagant hope, and it is impossible for Zhang Wen to abandon his power and everything he has for a woman.

Zhu Huijing saw that Zhang Wen was speechless, so she said, "Can you do me a favor and get rid of that villain who deceived the royal family?" ”

Zhang Wen was taken aback when he heard this, looked at Zhu Huijing, and was speechless. Candidates to get rid of the colt? This seems to be a good way to rescue Zhu Huijing...... The candidate for the concubine bribed some eunuchs at the beginning and lied about the truth, otherwise the inner court would not have chosen him to be the concubine, for such a despicable villain, Zhang Wen killed him like killing a pig.

However, if it is really up to Zhang Wen to do it, I'm afraid there will be some trouble. Zhu Huijing's sorrow made Zhang Wen sigh, she is a princess, it is not useless to be beautiful, and in the end she will marry an ugly monster. Zhu Huijing is as beautiful as a fairy, and her tragedy makes Zhang Wen feel very sorry, pity, and even an impulse, but Zhang Wen has no intention of interfering...... Sometimes Zhang Wen is indeed a little cold-blooded, and he doesn't see a person who loves one, it's none of his business, and he generally doesn't care. He was self-aware, he knew what he was doing, he was a cabinet minister, and he was in charge of the suffering of the whole world, and the sorrow of the princess was none of his business.

What if you kill it? Zhang asked if he wanted to marry Zhu Huijing himself? This was completely unwise, so Zhang Wen continued to be silent.

The look in Zhu Huijing's eyes dimmed, she lowered her head and stopped entangled.

Zhang Wen's heart ached: he used to be a cold-blooded animal who was selfish and thought about everything for himself, and his reason was almost numb. Do you still want to go on like this, and continue to be a walking corpse?