"The outer layer of the imperial city, to the south, is called Daming Gate, and Zhengyang Gate, Yongding Gate opposite. Slightly east and north, pass the left gate of Gongsheng, and the one who goes east is called the left gate of Chang'an. Then cross the Yuhe Bridge in the east, go north from the west of the Ten Princes' Mansion, say Dong'anmen to the east, and then south, cross the Lingji Palace, the ash factory to the west, and say the long right gate. Inside the red gate, north of the gate, then Dengwen Drum Courtyard is in Yan. In addition, there are six gates around the text, and there are seventy-two red shops around the wall. From the Longzong Gate to the east, said to be the direct room of the factory of the ceremonial supervisor, the daily paper and bookboxes are stored here, waiting for the emperor to take the request. After Cining Palace, the outer layer to the south of the east gate, said to be the north room, that is, the clerical room. Then the south is said to be the supervisor of the ceremony, that is, the residence of the two classes and four dials. There are also thatched wooden barrels, which are places for dying. Then the east is called the dining room. After saving points every five watches, it is carried by the river, first here, and then sent to the palace. Further south, it is called the south division room, that is, the direct room of the prison officer's book. Those who face south outside the Longzong Gate are also supervisors, and there are wells in the house. Further south, then Baoning Gate. Outside the door to the west of the hall, said the wisdom of the palace, commonly known as the white tiger hall also. Where the spiritual position of the Emperor Zigong of the Great Xing Emperor is suspended here. Its southwest is called the Imperial Wine Room. The northwest is called the stable, where the prison and the bookkeeper are ordered to open the torture of internal criminals. There are two bridges outside the door, and the stable in the vulgar clouds is also. The southeast is called Sishan Gate. Outside the west of the bridge, it is said that the Wuying Palace, and the queen of the women's dynasty is here. To the west, it is said that the chef and the food supervisor are the first prime ministers, managers, and secretaries to live. In the southwest of Wuying Palace, it is said that the imperial eunuch is the residence of the chief official. To the east, it is called the South Xun Temple. Whenever the emblem is canonized, the cabinet ministers lead the Chinese book to write the golden treasure and gold book here. For example, there is a celebrant supervisor Yin Gong Feng sent by Qin to inspect and treat, the royal prison supervisor will set up a grand banquet to serve, will kill a deer, steamed as a soup, to be rich and extravagant, this grand ceremony also. ”

That Liu Jin knelt there straight, Lang Lang said, although he was close to the age of sixties, he was indeed physically tough, and although he was a eunuch, his voice was still sufficient. The other seven people were prostrate on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the carpet, sobbing in a low voice, I had never heard that Liu Jin had not studied for a few days, but listening to what he said tonight, I couldn't help but be shocked! And Emperor Zhengde lazily reclined on the soft couch, looked at them indifferently, stretched his waist for a long time, and said leisurely: "I waited for you for most of the day, and you were just talking about this in the middle of the night?" Liu Jin, it can be seen that you are familiar with all parts of the Inner Palace, but what is the use of this? ”

"The old slaves are deeply favored by the emperor and never forget their duties. Therefore, it is really helpless to recite it to the elderly. Liu Jin responded, but he didn't forget to wipe the corners of his eyes.

"Hey, it's rare that you have me in your hearts, but I can't afford to pay for the laws of the country, the courtiers jointly played, I had to think about it carefully, and I also let you watch the concert, what else do you have to say?" Zhengde's face was tired, but there was a little more warmth in his eyes, and he glanced at the eight people who were kneeling, and he felt a sense of loss.

"The old slaves entered the palace during the self-formation years, experienced three dynasties, received the grace of the country, and met the lord of the Holy Ming, although they were indebted, they still had the ambition of dogs and horses. The first emperor of the ancient sage, on his deathbed, said: Of course, foreign affairs have an outer court, and internal affairs depend on you. The loss of his father at a young age is a misfortune in life. Thou art a man who is loyal and filial, and thou canst practice the kindness of a false father and the filial piety of thy children and grandchildren. The old slaves and other ignorant people deeply felt the heart entrusted by the emperor, and on the day the emperor ascended the throne, he took the emperor as the king of the saints, although he served dogs and horses, but he did not know how to work. However, the foreign court slandered the slaves and others as tigers, and the Gaiinu and others maintained the authority of the emperor and rebelled against the will of the ministers. At the beginning of the emperor's ascension, he implemented a new policy and eliminated the malpractices. The law of salt introduction is beneficial to the country and the people, and the cabinet ministers instigated the imperial history of the two capitals and repeatedly persecuted the emperor, and the emperor had to obey. The slaves were indignant, thinking that the emperor was a gentleman of all his words, but he was subject to the mouths of the ministers. repeatedly reprimanded the courtiers, so that they were on the same page. ”

Zhengde's face changed, he sat up straight, and said, "Don't say it again!" ”

It turned out that at the beginning of Zhengde's succession, he appointed the eunuch Cui Gao to go to the south to supervise the dragon robe, and Cui Gao asked Zhengde for 12,000 salt as funds for official travel. However, what Ling Zhengde did not expect was that the Hangul of the Ministry of Households, which was responsible for the distribution of salt quotations, refused to enforce it, on the basis that there had been a clear provision prohibiting the use of salt quotations in lieu of appropriations. And it was Zhengde himself who issued this decree, or at least in his name. According to the ancestral system, salt is used as border defense expenses and cannot be diverted for other purposes. However, Emperor Chenghua felt sorry for his eunuchs, and when he sent them out on business, he acquiesced in their behavior of using salt to enrich their own pockets, so during the Chenghua years, he always used salt to replace appropriations. By the time of Chenghua's son, Emperor Hongzhi, the ministers played out the shortcomings of the emperor, and Emperor Hongzhi issued a decree prohibiting the use of salt quotations instead of appropriations. When Emperor Zhengde succeeded to the throne, he reaffirmed this in his enthronement edict. However, Zhengde seems to have forgotten this article, or did not know that there was such an article at all (because the edict was drafted by the minister on behalf of the minister), so when Cui Gao proposed to replace the appropriation with 12,000 salt quotations, Zhengde agreed, but was rejected by the head of the household. Zhengde, who felt that his authority had been challenged, became more and more determined in his mind, and resolutely asked the Hubu Shangshu to issue salt citations, but Zhengde's tough attitude caused a group of petty officials to fight back - the six branches gave the matter and the thirteen imperial histories, which were officials who specialized in scaring people, regardless of the size of the officials or the emperor, they dared to scare, and they all went up to the court, hoping that the emperor would take back his fate. But Zhengde is not a bad seed, the more the officials oppose, the tougher he is, he said that the holy decree has been issued, you have no jokes, you don't have to go up again, otherwise I will do you!

It is no longer possible for the officials to encounter such a hard emperor, but at this time there is still the last line of defense - the cabinet. The power of the Ming cabinet is still relatively large, although they have no decision-making power, but they have the right to vote, that is, to draft the decree instead of the emperor, doesn't the emperor want to make an order? We don't draft. Zhengde didn't have a problem for a while, and in desperation, Zhengde took a small step back and released a little kindness, because he felt that the ministers were against Cui Gao, so he decided to demote Cui Gao to the deputy envoy and appoint another eunuch as the chief envoy, but the 12,000 salt citations must be issued.

But it is obvious that Zhengde miscalculated, the ministers did not care which eunuch was the envoy, their goal was not to give salt introduction, but since the emperor had released his goodwill, the ministers would not know what to do if they did not take a step back. As a result, the three cabinet ministers put forward their own proposal - 12,000 salt citations, "half of which will be given to the salt quotations, and the other half will be converted into silver", this plan will reduce the amount of corruption of the eunuchs by half at once, and it can be regarded as some gains. And the three ministers also have other wishful thinking, once the emperor agrees to this operation, it means that the emperor admits that he is wrong, and he can kill the new emperor's sharp spirit. Although Zhengde was only a fifteen-year-old boy and didn't know what it meant, there were still many eunuchs with evil intentions around him, and they quickly explained the deep meaning behind it to Zhengde. "One of the twelve thousand salt quotations is not missing.

Seeing that Zhengde was about to win a big victory, at this time, the three cabinet ministers used the last killer move, and they jointly resigned, and at the same time. This caught Zhengde off guard, after all, he had just ascended the throne, and he was very young, it was impossible to deal with the complicated affairs of the court, and he didn't have his own team to promote, even if he was promoted, it would take time, and the move of the three auxiliary ministers could be said to hit Zhengde's sore spot. In addition, the queen mother knew about this and reprimanded him greatly and asked him to follow the instructions of the previous emperor. In desperation, Zhengde could only agree to the proposal of the three auxiliary ministers - accept the plan of the household department, half with the price of silver, and half with salt.

In this way, the first confrontation between the young Zhengde and the courtiers ended in failure, in the course of the confrontation Zhengde insisted on his own opinions several times, but failed to implement his plan, and finally had to accept the compromise plan, losing his face, and this also ignited Zhengde's competitive heart, in the years to come, Zhengde repeatedly did right against the courtiers, which may be one of the reasons.

This matter is an open secret, no one dares to mention it in front of Zhengde, I don't want this Liu Jin to say it, I listened to it, and I knew that Zhengde would be angry.

The hall was quiet, there was hardly a sound, and the storm we had predicted did not happen at all, but everyone could feel a sense of oppression.