In the afternoon, as the heat gradually increased, there were few pedestrians on the street. They were chatting or taking a nap in the shade, fanning their fans, and a group of soldiers and horses patrolling the area listlessly.
It is not surprising that there are people enjoying the shade at the foot of the imperial city. As long as they do not come here at night, they will not be driven away.
A carriage stopped outside the Dong'an Gate of the Imperial City. Some people were curious to see who it was, but they only saw a figure from behind, wearing a blue shirt, hiding inside the Imperial City Gate.
In the Palace of Qianqing, there were ice cubes to cool down the heat, and the maids shook their fans. Emperor Chongzhen put down the book in his hand, waved away the maid and gave Chang Yu a seat: "Is the deal settled?"
Chang Yu cupped his hands and said, "Three years."
Hey, Emperor Chongzhen looked surprised: "You can open a lion's mouth better than me." Chang Yu smiled bitterly and said: "My lord, I thought they were going to bargain for a price, so I shouted and waited for a counter-offer. Who knew the three of them might I thought too much and actually agreed without much counter-offer.”
"It can only be said that what they got is far more than we guessed." Emperor Chongzhen breathed out: "But now that we have agreed to this matter, that's all. If there is more, they will not retreat, and if there is less, I will not make up for it. In three years Being self-sufficient also made the burden on the court a little lighter."
Chang Yu hummed, but in reality he was not happy. It seemed that he was letting them be self-sufficient, but in fact, he was using the people's wealth and money that Li Zicheng had plundered. In the end, it was the people who suffered!
"My lord, I expected that what they got would be enough for three years of self-sufficiency, but they would never really use it all to make enough for themselves." Chang Yu sighed, and Emperor Chongzhen frowned: "You mean..."
"None of the three Gao Jie are good people. They have a history of bullying the people and plundering people's favors. They have done all sorts of evil!"
"So you have to send people to keep an eye on them." Emperor Chongzhen's face gradually turned cold, and he clenched his fists hard: "If you endure it longer, you will eventually deal with them."
"No" Chang Yu shook his head: "Keep an eye on the first year of junior high school. You can't guard against him on the fifteenth day. Instead of doing this, it's better to keep him by your side and keep an eye on him." Emperor Chongzhen was startled, and then he realized: "You should discuss this matter with Shi Kefa in detail." Give me a sure word and I will fully cooperate with you."
Chang Yu smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, this matter is like sailing along the current with almost no obstacles. The people in the court wish that I was not in the capital. Furthermore, they can't say anything about suppressing the bandits and quelling the chaos going south."
Emperor Chongzhen seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "In terms of marching and fighting, no one in the court can compare with you. However, the political affairs of the court are not as simple as you think. The relationship between them cannot be explained in one sentence. Fortunately, you just fight and win the war." That's it, leave the rest to me, I'm good at this, and I also want to express my displeasure over the past ten years!"
Chang Yu nodded and smiled secretly in his heart. This Emperor Chongzhen was full of revenge, and he was overjoyed as soon as he tasted some sweetness.
It’s no wonder that since he ascended the throne for more than ten years, he has been so suppressed by the cabinet that he can hardly breathe. Thinking about how leisurely his brother Tianqi is, it’s all because there is Wei Zhongxian behind him, and now he finally has the confidence , I want to let go of more than ten years of depression.
"What do you think about the anti-corruption in Beijing?" After a while, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly asked.
Chang Yu thought for a while and then said: "The effect of knocking on the mountain and shaking the tiger has been achieved. The emperor's determination has also been felt by the courtiers. It's almost time to accept it, otherwise I'm afraid there will be no one in the court!"
Emperor Chongzhen smiled bitterly, "There is no one in the court! How pitiful!"
Recently, the Dongchang and Jinyiwei Procuratorates have joined forces to investigate corruption and even investigate each other, but they have really followed the clues and caught a lot of fish, even big fish. Following Emperor Chongzhen's hint, they only caught some small fish and shrimps, and the big fish were just The secret warning was given without arresting anyone, just for fear of being too widely implicated. It would be a joke to catch a whole bunch of people and leave no one available to the court.
"Why don't we let it go like this?" Emperor Chongzhen snorted coldly.
"Of course it won't happen." Chang Yu smiled slightly and said, "Otherwise they won't be able to remember, so why would the emperor go through all the trouble of warning, beating and fines? This matter will be left to the Jin Yiwei to handle."
Emperor Chongzhen was startled: "Why didn't Dongchang handle it and hand over the work to Wu Mengming in vain?"
Chang Yu smiled again: "My lord, I have made too many enemies. I'd rather give this good thing to Mr. Wu."
Emperor Chongzhen also smiled: "You know it's a hot job, so Wu Mengming has some free time recently, so I asked him to do it." He looked at Chang Yu meaningfully and said, "You won't deliberately retaliate against Wu Mengming, will you?"
Chang Yu looked confused: "Chen, why do you want to take revenge on Mr. Wu? Could it be that he has done something to disgrace me..."
Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said nothing.
In the courtyard of the Great World Guild Hall outside the Qianmen, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Tang Tong and others were all there, welcoming Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing and Liu Liangzuo who had just entered the city.
This villa is the residence that Chang Yu arranged for them to live in the capital. It is private, quiet and has everything you need. Ordinary people will never enjoy it. Not to mention the ordinary officials who come to Beijing to report on their duties, even the big bosses of the Six Ministries do not have this kind of treatment.
In the Ming Dynasty, officials from other provinces who came to Beijing to report on their duties mostly stayed in temples. In addition to the low salary and unable to bear the high consumption in the capital, there were other aspects. For example, inns were mostly mixed with restaurants and brothels, and dignitaries of the imperial court would come and go as soon as they arrived in Beijing.
It is rare for someone to point fingers and spread it to the censor's ears, so it is rare to exaggerate it with ink.
Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty prohibited officials from exceeding the standard accommodation. "Da Ming Code, Military Code Five, Post Office" stipulates: "Any official who goes out to do business and occupies the upper room in the main hall of the post house will be flogged fifty times." This means that
, if an official from another province wants to live comfortably when he comes to Beijing and stays in a hotel to have sex, he will be slapped with a 50-dollar slap in the face if he is found out.
I can't afford to stay in an inn and it's inconvenient. Or can I stay in a fellow villagers' guild hall?
It is also sending a "bullet" for impeachment to the censor. After all, starting from Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty tried its best to prevent officials from forming cliques and colluding with each other. It is not easy for officials from other provinces to travel thousands of miles to the capital, so why live in a guild hall?
Are you frightened and trying to find fault for yourself?
So in order to save money and avoid suspicion, choose more temples.
Civil officials are like this, and military commanders have military power. Although they are not afraid of the stigma of the land of fireworks, they dare not be suspected of being close to anyone.
Now this troublesome matter has been solved by the little eunuch. Although several military bosses are not short of money, it is best to have someone to provide food, accommodation and entertainment. Moreover, this kind of place is completely isolated from outsiders, and the only people who can come and go are
The closest one is Dongchang, even if some censors know about it, it doesn't matter.
Dongchang was the emperor's confidant, and being close to him meant he was close to the emperor. Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't have wanted to be close to these generals.
In this courtyard, all the heroes gathered together. Almost all the military bosses from Jiangbei were here. Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Tang Tong, Ma Ke, Liu Zeqing, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, the seven generals were sitting in the hall, with great aura.
The servants who were waiting on him had their legs trembling.
It's just that the atmosphere in the hall is a bit wrong.
Which of these seven people is not a military boss who stomps his feet and shakes up one side? One person is a world, let alone seven people.
It's too tactful to say they don't get along, but in reality they just look down on each other.
Zhou Yuji is a serious person, at least on the scene, he is passable, but Huang Degong is outspoken and hates evil. He has always had quarrels with Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie, and it makes him sick to his stomach when he sees it. How can he look good? Although he and Liu Liangzuo have fought side by side, they are not ashamed
As a human being, he also loves to ignore others.
It can be said that the smell of gunpowder started to rise within a few words of the meeting. With Liu Zeqing fanning the flames, Gao Jie and Huang Degong almost would have taken action if Zhou Yuji had not smoothed things over. Tang Tong and Ma Ke, on the other hand, watched and had fun.
"You took advantage of the situation and acted like a good boy, you are shameless!" Huang Degong looked at Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie with contempt on their faces.
With a bang, Gao Jie smashed the table: "To give face to Commander-in-Chief Zhou, I have tolerated you several times. We have come from thousands of miles away to help you. Have you ever given me a share of what you captured from the Tatars? Your officers and men have enough to eat and drink in the camp.
You can go into the city to play, but my brother is now soaking in the rain and wind outside the city, and can't even eat anything thick. How can you still tell me that you are shameless and shameless?"
"Damn it, what can you do if you can't bear it anymore? Do you want to fight with me?" Huang Degong roared, stood up and started to fight again, but Tang Tong and Ma Ke held him tightly: "Don't hurt your kindness."
"What we gained from capturing the Tatars was the result of our brothers who traveled thousands of miles and fought with all their lives. If we hadn't defeated the intruders you and the others were chasing after a bloody battle in Baoding Prefecture, you could have taken advantage so easily.
, but at this time, I am still thinking about getting a share of the pie and trying to save some face by beating the Tatars!" Huang Degong cursed loudly.
Gao Jie was not good at eloquence. He suddenly lost his temper but was so angry that he blushed and became thick-necked. Liu Zeqing stepped in to help him at the right time: "It doesn't matter whether we are taking advantage of it or not, we are just following orders. When the factory supervisor ordered us to pursue the enemy, is it possible that we have to pay back the price?"
If we have the guts to disobey military orders, we will save ourselves the trouble of not having to make this trip."
The implication is that everything is done according to orders. It is my fate to take advantage. It is the advantage given by the young eunuch. If you are not convinced, go to him. You deserve to be unlucky for not taking advantage.
These words immediately made Huang Degong speechless, and he immediately became furious. He already had a grudge against Liu Zeqing, so he picked up the tea bowl and swung it over: "You are the most shameless..."
Liu Zeqing dodged sideways and was also angry. Everyone in the hall quickly tried to persuade them and pulled the two away. Zhou Yuji furrowed his brows and roared: "We are both the commander-in-chief of the same side, so we are not afraid of being embarrassed and making people laugh."
"Who dares to make a joke? Huang Pif, if you don't accept it, we will go out and have a fight," Gao Jie roared.
"Everyone, what's going on? It's so lively." A voice came from outside, and Li Yan came slowly with a cane.
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Book friends, take a walk and give some encouragement.