Jiang Wei followed the emperor, so he was naturally paying attention to the emperor's every move. He had some idea of what the emperor liked.
Sure enough, the joy on Lao Zhu's face flashed away when he heard this, but he quickly straightened his face and said in a deep voice: "What you said is absolutely true. I have checked everything clearly. No official has complained here?"
"I have checked everything, and indeed no officials have complained." Jiang Wei nodded and replied sincerely.
At the same time, he continued: "I also went outside the city and stopped several foreign officials who came to the capital for business."
"Oh? What did they say?" Lao Zhu couldn't help but condensed when he heard this. He raised his eyes from the document and looked at Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei quickly lowered his head and replied: "After questioning them, I found that some of them knew something about the capital, but some of them really had a dark eye on the capital. Even among these people, some of them didn't know much about the people they were going to.
I don’t know where the ministry is. I asked them, they came here knowing nothing about the capital, what are their plans after entering the city, what do you think they said, Your Majesty?"
"How do you say it?" Lao Zhu was also aroused by Jiang Wei's curiosity and couldn't help but ask quickly.
After Jiang Wei smiled slightly, he replied: "Without exception, they all said that they would first go to the city and find an inn to stay before making any plans."
Lao Zhu couldn't help but frown when he heard this. The cost of staying in the capital for one night was not low at all. With so many people, if they stayed there for a long time, it would be a very considerable expense.
"Your Majesty, I even asked how long they wanted to stay in the capital." Seeing that his words instantly attracted the emperor's attention, Jiang Yu continued, "They told me that they planned to stay in the capital for at least half a month, and sometimes at most.
One month. How long they can stay depends on when their things can be done. When things are done, they will naturally go back. But if things continue to go wrong, it is possible to stay longer."
After hearing this, Lao Zhu looked up out of the window and couldn't help but sigh: "This will not only cost a lot of money, but it will also waste too much time."
"Yes." Jiang Wei lowered his head and sighed softly in agreement: "Although His Highness Prince Tan's move may be inappropriate, it has really helped many foreign officials."
When Lao Zhu heard this, he was stunned and looked back at Jiang Wei. Thinking that his meaning had been misunderstood by Jiang Wei, Lao Zhu did not elaborate with him. He just shook his head with a smile and looked out the window again.
"anything else?"
A faint voice came out of the hall.
Jiang Wei was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized that the emperor was asking him. He quickly bowed and replied: "I have also asked those who were hosted by His Highness King Tan, and no one said that they had been threatened by His Highness King Tan.
.The people who initially impeached His Royal Highness Prince Tan were indeed exaggerating."
Lao Zhu did not show his anger towards the censor. Instead, he turned back and stared at Jiang Yu, and couldn't help but ask: "If they were not threatened by Zhu Zi, why were they willing to do things for Zhu Zi? Is it because Zhu Zi invited them to eat?"
After having a meal, are they familiar with Zhu Zi?"
Jiang Wei did not dare to add fuel to the fire, nor did he dare to add insult to injury. He could only reply honestly: "I have carefully questioned those officials and learned that what they did for His Highness Prince Tan was nothing more than trivial matters and their own private matters."
"Isn't there a big thing?" Lao Zhu felt a little past and couldn't help but ask.
"No." Jiang Wei nodded with absolute certainty.
At this time, Lao Zhu slowly turned around and couldn't help but smile on his face. He shook his head and sighed with a smile: "What on earth is this kid doing? How much money did he charge?"
When Jiang Wei heard this, he quickly replied: "I learned through inquiry that King Tan collected a little more money than he said. Every time it was basically more than 800 guan, and at most it was even two or three thousand guan. As for I'm afraid only he knows how much King Tan has collected in total. Without the emperor's order, I would not dare to question King Tan and ask for your forgiveness."
"So many?" Lao Zhu was immediately surprised. One time is a thousand guan, so if it is ten times, wouldn't it be 10,000 guan?
When Zhu Zi said a few hundred guan at first, Lao Zhu thought it was only one or two hundred officials. But he didn't expect that Zhu Zi would collect so much at once.
If it were Mr. Qian and Mr. Zhu, it would be okay
He didn't care about it, but Zhu Zi collected so much at once, so Lao Zhu had to care about it.
After a while, Lao Zhu lowered his head and focused his eyes on the document. No matter what, he wanted to fully understand what Zhu Zi had done.
The memorial to impeach Zhu Zi did not frighten him, but it frightened his mother and concubine.
After hearing this, he quickly sent someone to summon Zhu Zi into the palace and interrogate him.
"Zi'er, what is going on? Don't you know that if you, a prince, are entangled with hundreds of officials, people will mistakenly think that you have ulterior motives?"
Zhu Zi sat across from a woman in her forties. Faced with the concern on her face, he just smiled and shook his head, saying: "It's not good for the son to make the mother and concubine worry, but the mother and concubine are worrying too much. As long as I have not done anything that violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty, so those who impeach me are not afraid."
The woman has a full head of black hair, without any extra decorations on it. She doesn't even wear jewelry on her earlobes or neck. She shows her true colors. However, although the woman is not young, her facial features are still delicate, but they are less girlish. Shy, just more charming than a mature woman.
This person is Zhu Zi's biological mother, Concubine Ding.
Concubine Ding looked at her son's indifferent expression and couldn't help but lamented: "Don't underestimate the impeachment of the censor. Maybe the impeachment of the censor cannot do anything to you, but she is afraid that someone will take advantage of this. What should I do if I falsely accuse you of colluding with the court officials for ulterior motives? You should have been allowed to go to the fief like your brother did. If you had gone to the fief, how could these things happen now? "
"Fief? I won't go," Zhu Zi said in a contemptuous tone without hesitation, as if he didn't take the fief seriously at all.
"As for framing a son and his ministers, my father is a wise man and the prince is also a wise man. He will not just listen to the words of those officials. It is not that easy to frame his sons and ministers." Although Zhu Zi was wary of this matter in his eyes, he did not. How much you value this.
Seeing that her son was taking it so lightly, Concubine Ding became even more worried and said quickly: "Why don't you go to the fiefdom? If you don't like Changsha Mansion, then where do you like to go? Even if Concubine Ding shamelessly goes to ask the emperor, she will give it to her.
How about you get a new fiefdom?"
Zhu Zi heard this and looked at his mother-in-law with a smile. When he saw her looking at him with concern, he shook his head and said: "Mother-in-law, I really don't want to go to the fiefdom, but I just want to stay in the capital. When I miss my mother-in-law, I can
I can enter the palace to see my mother and concubine at any time."
Naturally, Concubine Ding couldn't bear to leave Zhu Zi. With tears in her eyes, she stretched out her hand to touch Zhu Zi's face and sighed: "Silly boy, my concubine is fine in this palace. You don't have to worry about my concubine. On the contrary,
You yourself should go to the fiefdom and avoid this troubled place like the capital."
"Concubine, I don't want to leave the capital. If I leave the capital, wouldn't everything I have learned be in vain?" Zhu Zi saw that his concubine had been insisting that he rejoin the vassal, so he had to use his son to deal with his mother.
The killer came, holding Concubine Ding's arm and begging.
Concubine Ding soon couldn't bear her son's pleas and turned away unbearably.
At this moment, Lao Zhu came.
I saw old Zhu Long walking towards this side from the corridor at a striding pace. As he walked, he raised his finger and pointed at Zhu Zi and said, "I was just looking for you. It's better for you to be here."
Seeing that the emperor spoke with anger, Concubine Ding suddenly felt anxious and quickly knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, Zi'er was confused for a moment, please forgive him this time."
Lao Zhu walked into the pavilion, came to Concubine Ding, and said, "Get up."
Concubine Ding was afraid of making the emperor unhappy and making things worse, so she had no choice but to stand up.
Only then did Lao Zhu turn his attention to Zhu Zi, remained silent for a moment, and said, "I have verified over the past few days that the memorial to impeach you is indeed exaggerated."
"Your Majesty, Zi'er was confused for a moment, huh?" Concubine Ding was about to plead for her son, but she suddenly reacted
Come on, what is the emperor talking about?
The expression on Zhu Zi's face was not what he expected. He bowed to Lao Zhu and said proudly: "Thank you, father, for your innocence."
Lao Zhu motioned to Concubine Ding and Zhu Zi and said, "Sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Ding hurriedly bowed before sitting down next to the Emperor.
And Zhu Zi sat down directly opposite his father...??.
Lao Zhu didn't frown or say anything about Zhu Zi's behavior. Instead, he said to him softly: "What you did was indeed not illegal and disciplined, and you did help a lot of people."
"Thank you, Father." When Zhu Zi heard his father say this, he naturally thought that the matter was over. From now on, he would be able to make money happily.
Unexpectedly, Lao Zhu interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me yet."
Seeing Zhu Zi's face full of confusion, Lao Zhu had no choice but to say to him: "Although what you are doing is legal, it is equivalent to taking advantage of the imperial court's loopholes."
"Father, my son and I also wanted to help those officials." Zhu Zi quickly complained. It was obviously his own good intentions, but how could he take advantage of the court's loopholes?
When Lao Zhu heard this, he immediately sneered and said in a deep voice: "Are you doing it to help those people or to collect money for yourself? You know better than me."
Zhu Zi immediately lowered his head in embarrassment, glanced at his father's face, and muttered in a low voice: "I collected some money, but I really helped them. If I hadn't helped them, I
, will never charge money.”
Seeing that Zhu Zi refused to repent, Lao Zhu couldn't help but asked in a deep voice: "I heard that you accepted money during this official performance appraisal and helped many officials. However, when I checked, I couldn't find any evidence of your involvement.
Traces, what’s going on?”
Before Zhu Zi could answer, Concubine Ding beside her was so frightened that her face turned pale and her delicate body couldn't help trembling. She asked Zhu Zi: "How dare you to interfere in the performance appraisal of the Ministry of Household Affairs? Why don't you hurry up and tell your father
The emperor apologizes?"
The performance appraisal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is a major matter that affects the promotion or demotion of officials. Even the imperial court attaches great importance to it. Every time the performance appraisal is conducted, I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are watching, just to prevent others from interfering.
It can be said that anyone who dares to intervene at this time will without exception have to bear the wrath of the emperor and the officials. No matter how strong his bones are, he will only be shattered into pieces.
It was clear that Zhu Zi had intervened in such a big matter, but there was no anger on Lao Zhu's face. Instead, he raised his hand to stop Concubine Ding from speaking. He asked Zhu Zi, "What on earth is going on?"
Concubine Ding was very anxious at the side. If the emperor had not reached out to stop her just now, she would have wanted to hit Zhu Zi with something.
When Zhu Zi heard this, the embarrassment on his face became even stronger. Facing his father, he replied hesitantly: "Your Majesty, your Majesty did not interfere in the performance evaluation of the staff."
Lao Zhu did not get angry, but asked more curiously: "But I found out that some officials did ask you for help, and you also accepted their money."
"I have received the money, and I have promised them that if the matter cannot be completed, I will return all the money to them. For some people who should refund the money, I have already refunded the money to them. However, Erchen
It is true that from the beginning to the end, I have never interfered in the performance appraisal of the officials." Zhu Zi replied calmly.
Lao Zhu was even more confused and continued to ask: "What on earth is going on? Since you didn't interfere in the performance evaluation of the officials, why can you help them?"
Although Zhu Zi refunded some people's money, he pocketed the money of those who did not.
"In fact, my father knows better than my son. Every time the official performance is evaluated, some people will be promoted, some will remain unchanged, and some will be demoted." Zhu Ziqian said with a smile.
Seeing that his father was not angry and was just listening attentively, Zhu Zi boldly said: "Whenever an official comes to find my son, my son will tell him that he will do his best to help him keep his official position. Even if he is lucky,
He can still be promoted. But things in the world are unpredictable. If his sons and ministers can't protect him, then he can only be considered.
They are unlucky. However, I promised that if I did not help them, I would return all their money."
"I know all this. What I want to know now is, what did you do to help them?" Lao Zhu looked at Zhu Zi solemnly.
Concubine Ding couldn't help but become nervous. She rubbed the silk handkerchief in her hand vigorously with her white jade fingers, fearing that if she did something wrong, the emperor would take Zhu Zi down and punish her.
But Zhu Zi gave an answer that surprised everyone. He spread his hands and said expressionlessly: "My son has never done anything."
Lao Zhu was stunned when he heard this, and the next moment his face suddenly darkened, and he shouted sternly: "Impossible! If you didn't do anything, how did you help those people? You are so brave, are you still in front of me?
Want to cover up your quibbles?”
Concubine Ding couldn't sit still anymore, and quickly said to Zhu Zi with an anxious look: "Whatever you did, tell the emperor immediately. The emperor is your father, and as long as you tell the truth, the emperor will forgive you.
Oh~"
The last words were spoken towards Lao Zhu.
But at this time, Lao Zhu was staring at Zhu Zi and didn't care at all about Ding Fei's words.
Zhu Zi hurriedly explained: "Father, in the official performance appraisal, there are people who go up and people who go down. Even if I don't do anything, among those who come to see me, aren't there people who go up and down? Isn't it true?
As long as the money of the deposed person is returned to him as promised, and some ministers have tried their best, but his problem is too serious and they really can't help him. If these people are sent away, won't the others be able to do so?
Is it right to keep people’s money?”
"I don't have to do anything to get money for free. With such an easy way to make money, why should I risk the disapproval of the world and interfere in the performance appraisal of the officials?"
When Lao Zhu heard this, he was stunned. It took him a while to react. He pointed at Zhu Zi and said in disbelief: "It's actually like this. No wonder I checked here and there and found nothing. I thought you had used something."
The last resort is that you really didn't do anything, so no wonder I couldn't find it."
"My son will not do anything illegal or disciplinary." Seeing that his father understood, Zhu Zi suddenly had a smile on his face.
But in his mind, he thought about the disdainful expression on Han Du's face when he saw Han Du talking about officials' corruption: "The courtiers who make money by being corrupt are all trash. The Ming Dynasty Code was compiled like a sieve, you can use your fingers casually
One click can dig out a big hole. As long as you carefully study the Ming Law, you will find that there are ways to make money everywhere, and you will not break the law."
Other students did not take Han Du's words to heart, thinking that the gentleman was just bragging. But Zhu Zi knew who Han Du was, and he was able to live comfortably for four years in the academy by tricking and deceiving.
Incomparable, how could he be someone who follows the rules?
Things that follow the rules have no appeal to Zhu Zi, but Han Du's eccentric approach is very suitable for him. Therefore, from that time on, Zhu Zi paid attention to Han Du's inadvertent remarks.
Organize them into a book and study them carefully.
He even took the opportunity to ask Han Du some things that he was puzzled about by asking questions he didn't understand. Over time, Zhu Zi slowly mastered a knowledge that he thought was extremely interesting.
Therefore, after graduating from the academy, he directly proposed to his father that he did not want to secede the country, but only hoped to stay in the capital. Because his knowledge could only be put into use in the capital.
After Lao Zhu was silent for a moment, he asked: "Then they believe you so much? You didn't do anything, and they willingly gave you money?"
After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Zhu Zi's response for several breaths.
Lao Zhu couldn't help but frown, raised his voice and asked: "Zi'er? What are you thinking about?"
"Ah?" Zhu Zi suddenly came back to his senses and subconsciously replied: "No, I didn't think about anything."
When Lao Zhu saw it, his eyes suddenly narrowed and he said, "Then tell me, you didn't do anything. Why did those officials let you take their money?"