Chapter 104 Zhang Juzheng: Are you so polite? (6K please subscribe!)
The words fell.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Zhu Si.
The three Zhu Gaochi all breathed a long sigh of relief, and were filled with infinite gratitude to this young father from Hongwunian.
After his name was called, Xiao Zhu Si stood up with a numb scalp.
"Fourth, you have to give us a good answer."
"If you get the answer wrong, not only will you be slapped after class, but your salary will also be halved."
Old Zhu glanced at Xiao Zhusi, and this brief sentence hit his ears. The psychological defense line that Xiao Zhusi had just established a second ago collapsed instantly.
‘Dad, you don’t play like this!’
Originally, due to the reform of the nobility system, Xiao Zhusi's annual salary had changed from 50,000 dan to 10,000 dan.
If he had to cut off another half, he would only have five thousand shi left. If he continues on this trend, he would probably be able to catch up with the fourteenth old Zhu Kui soon.
Faced with the dual pressure from both mental and financial pressures, Xiao Zhu kept lighting his hands on the table, racking his brains and thinking, and a thin layer of cold sweat could be clearly seen on his forehead.
In my mind, I ran through the two illusions I just experienced a dozen times at an extremely fast speed, searching for the answer.
Suddenly, an idea flashed and Xiao Zhusi's eyes lit up.
Gritting his teeth and stamping his feet.
"The problem is Tuogu!"
After saying this, Xiao Zhu was so nervous that he looked closely at Ji Boying, waiting for Ji Boying's confirmation of his answer.
The others all looked stunned when they heard this, as if they had been struck by some keyword, and they all began to think deeply.
"Brother, is the fourth child's answer correct?"
Old Zhu asked aloud, very concerned about Xiao Zhusi's answer.
The reason is simple.
If Xiao Zhusi answers wrongly, as students in the same group, Lao Zhu and Abiao will have to do push-ups together.
The dignified Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, the dignified founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, if he was lying on the ground doing push-ups, and in front of his children and grandchildren, it would be a real loss of face. Lao Zhu would never allow such a thing to happen.
Ji Boying looked at Xiao Zhusi and looked at him with calm eyes.
But it was this calm look that fell in Xiao Zhusi's eyes that made him feel uneasy.
"Xian, Master Xian, I...did I get the answer right?"
Xiao Zhusi asked tentatively with a worried heart.
Ji Boying's brows wrinkled slightly, and his expression became increasingly serious.
This slight change in facial expression fell into Xiao Zhu's eyes, and his heart felt chilly.
He could even predict how his father would beat him up after class, and he immediately wanted to cry.
Just when Xiao Zhusi was in despair.
"Correct answer."
Three words came from Ji Boying's mouth.
The moment it fell into Xiao Zhu's ears, this Hongwu Xiao Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, then suddenly became ecstatic, slammed the table, looked around and shouted.
"I got it right!"
"Did you see that?!"
"The immortal master said I got the answer right! I was right!!"
His excitement was like seeing a bunch of sows lining up to jump into a river.
As juniors, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Zhanji, and Zhu Qiyu all smiled perfunctorily and nodded when facing this young ancestor.
Old Zhu Di and Zhu Laosi glanced at their young selves and lowered their heads in unison. Is this really their young self? Can they be promising? It’s so embarrassing!
"You bastard, what are you shouting about?!"
"Sit down for us. If we keep arguing, our annual salary will still be halved!"
Lao Zhu drank.
Although he scolded him on the surface, he could actually tell that Lao Zhu was very satisfied with Xiao Zhusi's performance just now.
After all, both Lao Zhu Di and Zhu Laosi are Laosi from different time and space. One is over sixty and the other is over forty. Only this young Zhu Si is the good boy cultivated by Lao Zhu.
"Yes, yes, dad is right!"
Xiao Zhu Si chuckled, calming down his excited heart a little, and finally sat down after receiving Ji Boying's gaze.
Ji Boying coughed dryly, feeling a little tired after standing for a long time, and sat back on the chair in the center of the podium.
Xiyu heard a dry cough and very considerately brought a cup of herbal tea over.
All the emperors and princes are waiting quietly.
Ji Boying took the teacup, drank the herbal tea in one gulp, and then handed the teacup back to Xiyu.
His gaze swept across these emperors and princes.
"Jia San answered very well."
Jia San is Xiao Zhu Si’s student ID.
"When the monarchy changes, there are countless powerful ministers created in the name of Tuogu throughout the dynasties."
"Huo Guang, Sima Yi, Yu Wenhu and others are too numerous to mention."
"Any minister who has Tuogu is called an assistant, but in fact he acts arbitrarily as Tuogu. He overwhelms the emperor who has just ascended the throne in everything, and even does not take the emperor into his eyes."
"The power of the court subordinates he leads will also expand rapidly during this period. Even if the vassal minister dies, the new leader of the vassals can often still suppress the imperial power."
"Look at Zhu Houzhao, this is the best example."
When this was said, the eyes of all the emperors and princes were all focused on Zhu Houzhao.
‘??????’
‘What are you all looking at me doing?!’
When Emperor Hongzhi Zhu Youtang died, he arranged for Zhu Houzhao to appoint three ministers, Li Dongyang, Liu Jian, and Xie Qian, although Zhu Houzhao immediately sacrificed Liu Jin's sword.
But it still couldn't stop the civil service group, which had exploded during the Hongzhi Dynasty, from once again achieving a qualitative improvement.
Therefore, even after Li Dongyang retires, Yang Tinghe will take over.
The power of this civil servant group has not diminished at all, especially after the Eight Tigers were defeated, the imperial power in Zhu Houzhao's hands was even more tightly locked.
Because the power in the hands of imperial power and civil servants is naturally in a competitive relationship, once the imperial power becomes strong, the power of civil servants will inevitably decline, and vice versa.
And people, especially those who are officials, have a deep-rooted pursuit of power. Once they hold power, they cannot take the initiative to release it.
If it weren't for the Jiajing Immortal's naturally superior IQ, we can draw a conclusion from the experience of the Zhengde Dynasty that conventional external forces such as eunuchs would have been unable to deal with these civil servants.
In addition, the evil hands have many tricks up their sleeves, especially when playing Tai Chi with one hand, one should not be too slippery, and use force to fight force, so that dogs within the Wenchen Group can fight dogs and disintegrate the opponent from within, otherwise it will really be impossible to play.
But that was only in the early to mid-term. In the later period of the reign, the Jiajing Immortal was too conceited and thought he was playing tricks on the court, but he didn't know that he was being played without realizing it.
At this moment, Zhu Houzhao was watched by a bunch of ancestors.
My heart pounded.
Zhu Houzhao, who was already shy, buried his head under the table.
‘That’s not necessary, is it?’
‘It’s not my fault, I am the most painful victim!’
‘Why are you staring at me for so long? Are there butterflies on my face?!’
"Master Immortal, if you don't rely on important ministers alone, but the crown prince is young and unable to handle the government affairs independently, then what will happen?"
Emperor Xuande frowned and said in a solemn voice.
As soon as these words came out, Yongle Zhu Zhanji and Hongxi Zhu Zhanji subconsciously looked at Emperor Xuande. This may also be the dilemma they may face in the future.
Of course, it might not be.
After all, when they realized that they did not have enough sons, Yongle Zhu Zhanji and Hongxi Zhu Zhanji reached a tacit understanding by chance.
Work hard to be a lustful king and work hard to create people.
Whether it can be made is another matter.
There is a high probability that Xuande and Zhu Zhanji were too late. Like his grandfather Yongle Emperor, he did not know what he had done. There is a high probability that he also had some fertility problems in recent years.
As for his two sons, one is the Baozong who has been excluded from the succession, leaving only Zhu Qiyu.
"Dad, I don't need an assistant minister."
Jingtai Zhu Qiyu, who was next to Emperor Xuande, muttered something in a low voice.
"No, you need to."
Emperor Xuande glanced at Emperor Jingtai and said seriously.
After all, in the time and space where Emperor Xuande lived, Zhu Qiyu was only seven or eight years old, and it was impossible for him to handle government affairs independently.
As for how long he can live, Emperor Xuande, who has already experienced a critical illness, is really not sure. He now lives every day as his last.
"The emperor is incapable of giving birth. This is another situation. Let's first talk about how to deal with it under normal circumstances, and then talk about special situations."
Ji Boying glanced at Emperor Xuande and then looked away.
Incapable of giving birth...!
The moment these four words fell into the ears of the three Zhu Zhanji, all three of them lowered their heads subconsciously, and the man's self-esteem suffered an epic blow.
It’s not that Ji Boying deliberately attacked Zhu Zhanji.
Compared to Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's twenty-six sons, or even compared to their father Zhu Dapang's ten sons, having two sons was simply too weak.
Laughter suddenly sounded.
"Why are you laughing?"
Looking along the laughter, I found Zhu Houzhao smiling happily.
"You are almost thirty, you have a lot of concubines in the harem, and you don't even have a son. What qualifications do you have to laugh?"
If Zhu Zhanji was not committed to creating humans, then Zhu Houzhao simply could not create humans.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Zhu frowned.
In Lao Zhu's view, how could an emperor not have a son? Our Lao Zhu family has a throne to inherit!
Can't you, the descendants of future generations, give me some strength? If you lie down for a long time and you can't pick up a knife, you can't even lift a gun?!
"That, that..."
Zhu Houzhao rubbed his hands, but finally did not open his mouth.
He didn't know why, but it took a long time every time, his style and posture were very wild, and the last step was full of guilt, but he just couldn't give birth.
"It's all my fault that the bellies of my concubines are not even up to par!"
Ji Boying glanced at Zhu Houzhao.
If one or two concubines cannot be born, it may be the problem of the concubines. If more than ten or dozens of concubines cannot be born, it means that you, Zhu Houzhao, are not good at it.
"If you have any questions, come to me alone after class."
Leave a message for Zhu Houzhao.
Ji Boying looked at Lao Zhu and several Zhu Di.
"In terms of inheriting monarchy, Lao Zhu and Zhu Di did the best in the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties. This is also an example that you should follow."
"Remember, you must cultivate your own prince as early as possible while you are in power."
"Proactively cultivate a team for the prince, proactively delegate power to the prince, proactively establish prestige for the prince, proactively provide the prince with opportunities for internship, and confirm that the prince has the ability to independently exercise monarchy."
The words stop here.
Fatty Hong Xi was stunned.
"Then what?"
"Then you can die with peace of mind."
Apart from the fact that he died young, Abiao, who was trained by Lao Zhu himself, can be described as 'perfect' from the perspective of training a prince.
Even after the death of Zhu Biao in history, Zhu Yuanzhang's short-term training of Zhu Yunwen can still be evaluated as excellent.
Of course, this excellence does not refer to Zhu Yunwen himself, but to Lao Zhu's approach. A series of measures fully ensured that Zhu Yunwen could successfully take over the monarchy and securely sit on the throne.
The succession of monarchy in the Hongwu Dynasty can be said to be perfect.
As for the fact that Zhu Yunwen lost the throne, it was purely due to his own mental retardation.
The same was true for the Yongle Dynasty.
Zhu Di’s deliberate cultivation of Zhu Gaochi needs no introduction.
After the success of Jingnan, Zhu Gaochi began to contact the government under Zhu Di's instruction.
Except for those Jingnan nobles, almost all the Yongle court officials are princelings. Zhu Gaochi's prestige among the officials is even higher than that of the Yongle Emperor.
This was all Zhu Di's permission. If it had been another emperor who was afraid of the prince, he would have killed the prince long ago.
Moreover, while Zhu Di was training Zhu Gaochi, he also trained his great-grandson Zhu Zhanji.
This approach directly ensured the smooth succession of the monarchy for the two generations of emperors after Zhu Di's death, without interference from any subordinates.
As for the third generation, their lifespan is really limited. Otherwise, with Zhu Di's temper, he might have a great-grandson of the emperor. With Emperor Yongle personally teaching him, Zhu Qizhen might not be so useless.
But when I arrived at Zhu Zhanji's place, everything began to gradually change.
Zhu Zhanji used Sanyang Tuogu to usher in the era of civil servants, which directly led to the crazy rise of civil servant forces in the Zhengtong years. Coupled with the collapse of the Xungui Group caused by the Tumubao Incident, the civil servant group had no rivals in the court.
And starting from Zhu Zhanji, various ministers for future emperors began to rise, and it almost became a routine operation before the death of the emperor, as if he would have no face to see his ancestors if he did not support him.
Every time a person is entrusted, a powerful minister will be created, and the power of civil servants will have to collectively climb up the ladder.
Moreover, later generations of emperors became more and more perfunctory about the training of successors, or they deliberately did not train them.
For example, Baozong's training of Zhu Jianshen was almost zero. After all, Zhu Qizhen himself couldn't handle it with his own two brushes.
And Zhu Jianshen almost treated Zhu Youtang like a slave, and almost destroyed Zhu Youtang. Zhu Youtang had a hard time living in Dalian since he was a child, let alone being exposed to power in advance like Zhu Biao, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji.
The addiction of a trainee emperor.
If he dared to have such an idea, he would probably have to move out of the East Palace and build a floor in the imperial prison the next day.
Going down, Zhu Youtang versus Zhu Houzhao, let alone that.
The only and only son, doted on by God.
As for Zhu Houzhao, he has no worries about being a successor at all.
Even the genius Jiajing Immortal didn’t know what happened to his mind one day, and he actually believed the lies about Erlong’s invisibility.
From that day on, he never saw his son again until his death. Poor little Long Qing, who had never experienced father's love, didn't even have the title of prince. In the end, he ascended the throne as King Yu, let alone got any internship opportunities.
.
From now on, there are not many normal ones.
"What brother said is very reasonable."
"We must write this into the ancestral system!"
Lao Zhu nodded solemnly.
"Of course, the above is the best situation, that is, if you have enough sons and time permits."
"In addition, there are two possible situations."
"First, the king died early and the prince was young."
"Second, childless."
When Ji Boying said these two sentences, he almost had to mention the names of Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Houzhao.
Of course, Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu was also listening carefully, because he also had no son.
But he doesn't have any psychological burden now. Ji Boying has already chosen his successor, his nephew Zhu Jianshen.
Regarding this point, since all his sons are dead anyway, he doesn't have much opinion.
"Before answering, you should remember one thing."
"The smooth inheritance of monarchy and the smooth sailing of the Ming Dynasty ship are the ultimate key goals."
"Therefore, to achieve this goal, you must make some concessions and sacrifices, even your own society."
Ji Boying glanced at everyone, especially looking at Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Houzhao.
"You must first consider the Ming Dynasty, and then consider yourself."
"This is very difficult to do."
"I have never advocated customizing the ancestral system, but in this matter, it must be decided based on the ancestral system."
Ji Boying's eyes were fixed on Lao Zhu.
"Determined by the ancestral system: the person who becomes the crown prince must be at least fourteen years old, and those who are under fourteen cannot inherit the throne."
"After the crown prince ascends to the East Palace, he must supervise the country for one year."
Ancient system: The emperor can rule personally when he reaches fourteen years old.
Although we do not rule out child prodigy emperors who possess superhuman wisdom at the age of eleven or twelve, or even eight or nine years old.
But those are a few special cases after all. Using age as the limit, plus ensuring that the prince gets an internship opportunity to supervise the country, can best guarantee the prince's ability to independently exercise monarchy after he ascends the throne in the future, and ensure the smooth handover of the empire's monarchy to the greatest extent.
Ensure the stable operation of the empire.
The sound fell and there was silence.
Because this system is really unheard of for these emperors and princes.
Since ancient times, the first priority in inheritance has been bloodline, and there are no rules that limit the succession of a prince based on age.
"We agree!"
Lao Zhu thought for a moment and made a decision.
"Brother is right. Whenever a young master succeeds to the throne, there will be disputes, or even directly lead to the destruction of the country!"
"Since that's the case, why not just cut off the young master's path to the throne?"
Anyway, in Lao Zhu's view, everyone with the surname Zhu is the emperor, and they are all his descendants.
Moreover, Lao Zhu’s words were not just random talk. After leading the army, Lao Zhu began to read, especially the history books of various dynasties and dynasties.
There are many examples in history of the country's subjugation due to the loss of monarchical power due to the succession of young masters, such as the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Later Zhou Dynasty, etc. This is how people like Lao Zhao and Lao Yang made their fortunes. After all, orphans and widowed mothers are the most bullied.
"I agree too."
Old Zhu Di and Zhu Laosi also spoke repeatedly.
Emperor Hongxi nodded: "What the Immortal Master said is very wonderful. In this way, the prince will have both age and experience in handling political affairs, and there will be no need to rely on him."
Emperor Xuande was silent for a moment, then raised his head.
"For the sake of the country, I agree."
The other emperors and princes also nodded their heads.
Ji Boying glanced at the group of emperors and princes and did not say more on this issue.
This ancestral system is not difficult to say, but it is still difficult to implement it, especially to pass it down from generation to generation. After all, the flower of power is charming to the eyes and confusing to the people.
"Second question."
"Someone tell me what I saw in the second illusion."
Just say it.
A Biao spoke immediately.
Because Xiao Zhusi was named in the last question, he missed the opportunity to become a conspicuous bag. He was already unwilling to miss this second question.
"Military power!"
Two short words that go straight to the core.
The reason why Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty Liu Xie was in such a mess was because he had no soldiers.
Of course the Emperor of Heaven is not like this.
The reason why Ji Boying showed these emperors and princes the extreme example of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was to once again emphasize the importance of military power. Since the Battle of Peking, the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the Ministry of War have been out of balance.
"Good answer."
"You must ensure the status of the Governor's Office of the Five Armed Forces, ensure the status of military generals in the court, and make military generals a force that restrains the civil servant group, instead of being reduced to props for civilian officials to display as the nobles decline."
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, it was not easy for the powerful officials in the temple to kill a general.
Even a first-class military general like Qi Jiguang, who rose to the rank of governor-general of the left, after losing the big tree of Zhang Juzheng, will do whatever he wants, and all he needs to do is give an official letter of impeachment.
Having said that, Ji Boying did not give a detailed explanation.
This article is enough to mention here, because the situation of each dynasty is different, and it needs to be specifically formulated and implemented according to the actual situation of different time and space.
"As for the check and balance of military power, this is a homework assignment. I will hand it in after formulating a plan."
"Next, let's look at the third illusion."
"Pay attention, this illusion will tell you the ultimate secret of controlling the ministers in the palm of your hand."
The words are settled.
Lao Zhu, A Biao, Lao Zhu Di, Xuande, Hongxi, Jingtai Zhengde, and a group of princes all frowned, their eyes were serious, and they all took a deep breath.
In an instant, everything around me changed.
The main hall of Zuixian Tower disappeared, and a very ordinary room appeared instead.
Lao Zhu, A Biao, Xiao Zhusi, Jianwen, Zhu Laosi and Jianwen may not know each other, but Lao Zhu Di and other emperors and princes are all familiar with them because they come here often.
"This is...the cabinet room of the Forbidden City.
Cabinet room.
On the desk belonging to the chief minister of the cabinet, I saw a handsome middle-aged man with a fair face and a beautiful beard. He was writing vigorously with a pen in his hand.
"Come here and take a closer look at what he is writing."
As Ji Boying finished speaking, everyone walked up quickly.
This group of emperors and princes formed a circle, each with their hands behind their backs, leaning down to look at the man who was writing with spirit.
Zhang Juzheng: Are you so polite?!
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PS: Today’s 10,000-word update is here.
Re-determine the update time to avoid waiting in vain.
Starting tomorrow, it will be updated twice at 0:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Of course, there is another plan, which is to update a 10,000-word chapter at once at 0:00 every morning. I just don’t know which one I like.