Chapter four hundred and eighty fourth Chongzhen heart
While Chongzhen was looking at Pang Gang, Pang Gang was also looking at Chongzhen quietly, the most diligent emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty, but also the most bumpy and even tragic emperor.
Although this was not the first time he met Chongzhen, Pang Gang was still slightly surprised when he saw Chongzhen. He had changed a lot after not seeing Chongzhen for several years. With his gray hair on his temples, he didn't look like he was just thirty-two or thirteen years old.
People, on the contrary, look like middle-aged people in their forties.
Pang Gang sighed slightly and then said: "Your Majesty, you have reduced your income."
A simple sentence of "You have reduced the Qing Dynasty" made Chongzhen's eyes red and almost shed tears. Over the years, he sat in this seat tremblingly, walking on thin ice, just to regain the glory of his ancestors, but
In the end, he failed. Although there were objective reasons and his own supervisory factors, it was undeniable that at least he had tried hard, but in the end he found that all his efforts had been in vain.
Looking at Pang Gang, Chongzhen's lips trembled slightly, and after a long time he said: "Pang Gang, please talk to me alone!"
After saying that, regardless of whether Pang Gang agreed or not, he took the lead and walked towards the back, without any eunuchs or maids following him.
Lu Kuanliang, who was behind Pang Gang, looked at Pang Gang with some worry. This was his territory. Although he had already led his troops into the Forbidden City, he had been camped here for hundreds of years. It was too easy to play any tricks.
Okay, my boss is worried about his safety just following others there.
But Pang Gang ignored Lu Kuanliang's gaze and immediately agreed.
"yes!"
Pang Gang followed Chongzhen's footsteps without hesitation and caught up. Seeing Pang Gang's retreating figure, Lu Kuanliang, who was worried about his boss's safety, shook his head, and the two soldiers followed him from a distance.
.
Pang Gang walked beside Chongzhen, deliberately falling half a body behind. Chongzhen did not speak, and he remained silent.
After walking for almost half a quarter of an hour, the two came to an imperial garden. Dozens of flowers in the imperial garden were blooming brightly in the scorching sun. After entering the garden, Chongzhen said: "Pang Gang, now in Beijing
The city and my entire family have fallen into your hands, what do you plan to do with me?"
After Chongzhen finished speaking, his eyes stared at Pang Gang, and Pang Gang said lightly: "The emperor's words are wrong. The problem now is not how I want to deal with the emperor, but how the emperor plans to arrange himself. I
I dare to ask, does the Emperor intend to continue to live in the Forbidden City or move out?"
Although Pang Gang's sentence did not directly answer Chongzhen's question, the content of this sentence already stated the answer.
After listening to Pang Gang's words, Chongzhen stopped, took a deep look at Pang Gang, and sighed: "Aren't you afraid that I will trouble you again after I regroup? You should know that there are still tens of thousands of people in Jiubiang in the Ming Dynasty.
Elite soldiers, they are still loyal to the Ming Dynasty."
Pang Gang laughed loudly and said: "Your Majesty, you have been sitting in that chair for not only a day or two, but even a year or two. Do you think it is interesting for you to sit in that chair? You know the hardships best, can you
Putting down that burden may not be a bad thing for you. As for the frontier troops on the nine sides, to be disrespectful, although in your opinion they are already elite, in my opinion, it is not easy to destroy them.
It just takes a little more effort.”
Chongzhen was silent. Pang Gang's words sounded very unpleasant, but Chongzhen knew that it was not difficult for Pang Gang to deal with the border troops on the nine sides.
The remaining new Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief, Wu Sangui, was left alone. As soon as the imperial court stopped disbursing wages to Shanhaiguan, within three months, Shanhaiguan's troops would be in chaos. I'm afraid there would be no need for Pang Gang to attack them.
I got into trouble myself first.
With a long sigh, Chongzhen nodded and said: "Okay, you win, I promise you. In a few days, I will hold a Zen throne ceremony and give up the throne to you, but I still have something to ask you about what I want to do.
How have you thought about my concubine's offer of marriage to you?"
Pang Gang smiled slightly: "Princess Kunxing is so beautiful and smart, I am so happy that I can find such a good wife. How dare I refuse!"
"Well, that's good. Ainao is my most beloved daughter. I hope you can treat her well after she gets married and not let her suffer any grievances. Can you do it?" At this point, Chongzhen was very excited.
God's eyes were fixed on Pang Gang, as if he wanted to see something in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I'm grateful to Princess Kunxing for marrying her, and I will live up to her!" Pang Gang's words were unwavering.
"That's good!"
At this point, Chongzhen never mentioned that matter again, as if the two of them had never said anything about it. In fact, the marriage grant was not so much a marriage between Chongzhen and Chongzhen as it was that Chongzhen wanted to buy a safe house for the old Zhu family.
symbol.
Since ancient times, when dynasties have changed, there has never been a peaceful transition without bloodshed. The previous royal family could not escape the pain of the sword. Although Pang Gang has promised not to hurt the lives of the Zhu family, who can say clearly about this thing? Kun Xing
When Princess Zhu Aona married Pang Gang, Chongzhen made it clear that I married all my daughters to you. I hope you would spare our old Zhu family for the sake of my daughter and let our old Zhu family be treated as equals.
The people are also good.
Chongzhen couldn't explain the meaning of this clearly, but not only Queen Zhou understood it, Concubine Yuan understood it, Wang Chengen understood it, Pang Gang also understood it, so Pang Gang happily agreed and told him clearly, "Your daughter, not only do I
Married, and you can go wherever you want, I won't make things difficult for you.
After listening to Pang Gang's words, Chongzhen's heart was relieved a little, and he sighed: "Pang Gang, this daughter of mine has been the apple of my eye since she was a child. She is only fifteen this year. If it weren't for...
.I really can’t bear to let her leave my side.”
At this time, Chongzhen no longer had the usual image of a king of a country. Instead, he looked like an ordinary old man and father. He was full of reluctance for his daughter who was about to get married, and desperately asked his son-in-law to treat his daughter well.
Pang Gang understood Chongzhen's mood very well. This princess, who was called Princess Changping in later history books and appeared in many TV shows and movies, was indeed very popular with Chongzhen. However, Pang Gang also knew that without his appearance,
, in four years' time this princess will have one of her arms chopped off by her biological father, and finally get married under the arrangement of the Manchu Tatars, and finally die in depression.
Just when Pang Gang was lost in thought, Chongzhen suddenly asked quietly: "Pang Gang, I have never understood that I think I am a promising king. During the more than ten years in power, I have been managing the government day and night, but I can
However, the situation in the Ming Dynasty became increasingly corrupt and finally got out of control. What is the reason for this?"
Chongzhen had been holding this issue in his mind for a long time, especially in these years, when the Ming Dynasty was so poor that it could hardly afford the officials' meager salaries. Sometimes Chongzhen wished he could even sell the chamber pots he used. But there was still no financial support at all.
Improvement. Each of the officials would only focus on what they had on their plates, and would only do perfunctory tasks assigned by the court. This also made Chongzhen even more depressed and puzzled, but he had always kept this question in his heart.
, he never dared to ask others, but today, when Pang Gang came, he finally couldn't help but confide.
"This... Pang Gang hesitated for a moment. The question of Chongzhen was too broad. He couldn't finish it all at once. Thinking of this, he raised his eyes and looked at Chongzhen again. He found that there was a trace of confusion in this guy's eyes at this moment. It seemed that
He is also very confused about his governance process over the years.
"Okay, just talk about it yourself." Pang Gang thought for a while and then said: "Your Majesty, let me just talk about it for now, and you can just listen to it."
After coughing lightly, Pang Gang said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the most important reason why the situation in the Ming Dynasty has become increasingly corrupt is that the court has no money. The warehouse of the Ministry of Revenue should be so poor that even rats are not willing to live in it at the moment, right?"
Hearing this, Chongzhen blushed, but he had to admit that what Pang Gang said was very reasonable. The current imperial court was indeed extremely poor, and it was estimated that he could not even afford one hundred thousand taels of silver.
Pang Gang continued: "But why is the imperial court so poor? Is it true that I, the Ming Dynasty, have no money? Of course not, you can tell by just visiting any official or noble house in the capital. Any of them
There is definitely much more money in the warehouse than in the Ministry of Household Affairs. What is the reason for this? In the final analysis, there is something wrong with the court's policy, that is, the formulation of taxation. This is true when Emperor Taizu set the tax rate.
There is a problem. Why are taxes allotted to ordinary people, but people with high status do not have to pay taxes? Why are business taxes set so meagerly? All kinds of things have caused today's troubles. It is ridiculous, and a household in a country
The money in the ministry can't even match that of a Jiangnan salt merchant. Isn't this weird?"
Pang Gang did not save face for Chongzhen at all, and he said this without politeness. Chongzhen blushed when he heard it, and quickly argued: "Since ancient times, the imperial court has no reason to strive for profits from the people. The imperial court also hides wealth from the people."
"That's not right!" Pang Gang said firmly: "Even if wealth is hidden among the people, it is not hidden like this. Nowadays, in the Ming Dynasty, the poor have no place to stand, while the rich have vast buildings and thousands of buildings. It is the so-called wealthy people's road to wine and meat.
There are frozen bones, which is a reflection of my Ming Dynasty today."
Every word of Pang Gang's words pierced into Chongzhen's heart, and his face turned red and white, but before Pang Gang finished speaking, he continued: "There is a saying that has been said since ancient times, no businessman is a traitor.
The greed of those wealthy gentry households is endless. It stands to reason that even if we only follow the Ming Dynasty's tax rate of 1 in 30, if we can collect taxes normally, our Ming Dynasty's treasury will not be so embarrassed. But as a result, those merchants have
I am reluctant to pay the 10% tax. Is this the result of not competing with the people for profit as advocated by the imperial court?"
"Enough!" Chongzhen finally couldn't help being angry. He glared at Pang Gang, his chest rising and falling, and shouted: "At least I, the Ming Dynasty, have enjoyed the national destiny for more than two hundred years, which proves that the methods of our ancestors are not perfect.
It is worthless and I cannot allow you to slander it here!"
Pang Gang said with a tit-for-tat sneer: "But if you are wrong, you are wrong. If you cannot correct it in time, the result will be ashes and annihilation, just like the Ming Dynasty today."
Pang Gang's words were like a heavy hammer hitting Chongzhen's heart, and Chongzhen was like a deflated rubber ball. He sighed heavily and waved his hands listlessly: "That's all, as the saying goes, the king of success is the loser.
Kou, you won this time, I have nothing to say."
Pang Gang also knew Chongzhen's temper, and he was not surprised when he saw him lowering his head. He also softened his tone and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you don't have to be too sad. Since ancient times, we have been separated for a long time. How can we stay together for a long time?"
The undefeated dynasty, you listen to people shouting long live in the Jinluan Palace every day, it is difficult to understand that you can really live for ten thousand years? So, you still have to be more open-minded. "
"Haha... Chongzhen smiled bitterly. He smiled helplessly and said: "Okay, do I still need you to teach me how to think openly? I also want to think openly. Even without you, I can't hold on to this country.
If you live here, it is already blessed by your ancestors if you can have a good death!"
"It's good that the emperor can think so."
Pang Gang saw that Chongzhen said this with a calm expression. He estimated that Chongzhen said this from the heart, and nodded secretly in his heart. It seemed that he had really let go, and he no longer had to do anything he was unwilling to do.
Seeing that the two parties had basically reached an agreement, Pang Gang also suggested: "Your Majesty, let's go back, otherwise someone should be waiting impatiently. It's important to note that they have been here for so long. My subordinates and the prince and princess should also be impatient.
.”
When Pang Gang and Chongzhen arrived in front of Kunning Palace with calm expressions, everyone was stunned by the expressions of these two people. Where did these two people come from? Could it be that these two people can really talk?
Together? But Empress Zhou and others, who already knew that Chongzhen wanted to be enthroned, were not as surprised as others. Instead, they showed a look of relief. It seemed that the old Zhu family had been saved.
After arriving in front of everyone, Chongzhen whispered to Princess Zhu Yuyao of Kunxing who was standing behind Queen Zhou: "Your Majesty, today I announce that you will be officially married to Pang Gang. From now on, he will be your husband-in-law.
,do you understand?"
"What?"
Chongzhen's words shocked most of the people around him. The palace maids and eunuchs around him, and even the soldiers behind Pang Gang were also stunned, but soon their surprised expressions turned into relief. It seemed like this.
Their Ming emperor wanted to exchange his daughter for Pang Gang's support.
Compared with others, Zhu Yurao had known about her future destiny a few days ago. She was not too surprised or emotional about it. Since ancient times, the marriage of royal children has been more involuntary than that of the private sector, and she also knew that.
.Only if he marries Pang Gang, can the lives of his parents and several brothers and sisters be guaranteed, and he himself is the link between Pang Gang and the Zhu family. This has nothing to do with love, but only interests.
Even so, Zhu Ailao still had no intention of resenting her father, because she knew that even without Pang Gang, she would marry another unknown person. Moreover, this Pang Gang also looked very tall and mighty. At least he could
It's enough to protect yourself and your family.
At this time, Queen Zhou also walked over slowly and looked at Pang Gang carefully for a while. Facing this beautiful woman wearing a Feifeng palace dress, Pang Gang knew that this must be his future mother-in-law, Queen Zhou.
Facing the graceful Queen Zhou, Pang Gang blushed in a rare way and felt a little embarrassed.
Empress Zhou looked at Pang Gang carefully and then smiled and said: "Well, he is indeed a hero who can defeat bandits and Tatars. It is her good fortune that I can have a husband like you, so I can rest assured."
Already."
Pang Gang quickly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, you are so polite. It should be said that it is my good fortune to be able to marry a princess."
This is not because Pang Gang is being modest, but because he truly thinks that if he can marry Princess Zhu Yuluo of Kunxing, he will avoid a lot of unnecessary troubles when he takes over the power of the old Ming Dynasty as the son-in-law of the Zhu family. Moreover, he
I don’t want to get my hands so bloody when establishing a new dynasty. The glory of the Zhu family will soon become a thing of the past. Giving them a way out is not a big deal for me. If I am worried about the future of the old Zhu family,
It is just a joke to regain the throne. If the throne is taken away from me, it will only prove that I am too stupid and cannot blame others.
When Empress Zhou saw her husband and Pang Gang returning with calm faces, she knew that the biggest obstacle between them had disappeared. The old Zhu family lost their country, but gained a peaceful life. What they lost was what they had gained.
, this may not be a good thing for the Zhu family, at least her husband will no longer have to wait until dawn to approve memorials. For a woman, what is more important for the whole family to be together safely.
Thinking of this, Queen Zhou's eyes became softer when she looked at Pang Gang. She laughed softly and said, "Pang Pang, the name I heard about you is Chaodong. Can I call you that?"
Pang Gang couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. Facing his future mother-in-law, how could she say no? He lowered his head and said, "Of course, it is an honor for me to be able to address you like this."
Faced with Pang Gang's humility, Queen Zhou nodded with satisfaction, "You're welcome, you won't need to call yourself a minor minister soon."
"Uh... Pang Gang was speechless. Queen Zhou, your words are too suggestive. Don't forget that your husband hasn't given up to his brother yet. I'm not worried about you, a big old lady, but I am worried about you."
Pang Gang, who was speechless, took a few steps back and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, now that I have entered the capital for the first time, there are still many bandits and bandits still running around. Please allow me to leave for the time being. I will wait until I have wiped out all the bandits before entering the palace."
Your Majesty and Your Majesty report their victory."
After saying this, Pang Gang was about to salute Chongzhen and Queen Zhou and say goodbye. Suddenly, a soldier rushed to report, "Report to the prince, Cheng Guoji came to report that they captured the bandit strategist Li Yan and his party thirty miles outside the city alive."
, specially report to the prince!"
"Oh... Pang Gang was immediately surprised... To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)!~!
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