Behind every prosperous era, there are invisible but real hidden dangers. Now, this huge Ming Dynasty empire has begun to decline.
Politically speaking, corruption, let alone corruption, exists in every dynasty and every generation, and it is difficult to completely eliminate it. What really put the Ming Dynasty in danger of collapse was the rise of the civil service group after the Tumubao Incident, which completely suppressed the military.
This caused the balance between civil and military affairs to be broken, and the imperial court began to gradually enter the court of civil servants.
As for the virtues of the literati in the late Ming Dynasty, there is no need to say, anyway, most of them are not just some people!
Economically, land annexation has become more and more serious, business is booming, and the seeds of capitalism have been born. However, the imperial court barely gets any tax revenue in this aspect. The later the period, the more money the imperial treasury lacks.
In the army, the garrison system has begun to rot from the roots. However, this hot potato cannot be solved at all. Even the emperor and civil officials cannot intervene in this problem. Otherwise, the entire country will die in the military mutiny without the people revolting.
These are just a few of the main reasons for the demise of the late Ming Dynasty. If we talk about it in detail, there are so many hidden dangers that it could last three days and three nights.
But unfortunately, Lin Nuo was not an angry young man. He had no intention of talking in detail to the cheap disciple in front of him. After a few words of emotion, he stopped talking.
The young man in brocade clothes seemed a little irritable in the face of the huge wave of refugees. He had no intention of talking about the court system or national affairs at this moment. After saluting Lin Nuo, he left in a hurry.
Looking at the young man being escorted away by a group of royal guards, Lin Nuo looked for a long time before coming back to his senses and turned to look to his side.
"Xiu'er, what do you think of this young man?"
"He has an off-kilter personality, but his nature is quite pure, and he is not a narrow-minded person!" Xiu'er thought for a moment and gave the answer.
Lin Nuo nodded. He didn't know if Xiu'er had already guessed the identity of the young man, but even if he guessed the identity of the prince, with Xiu'er's character, it would be difficult for him to take it seriously.
On the other hand, Lin Nuo was becoming more and more interested in the middle-aged coachman. However, due to Xiu'er's reputation, since the other party was unwilling to tell, it was difficult for him to get to the bottom of it.
After passing through the messy Zhengyangmen Gate, the three of them found a good inn to stay, and then after having some simple meals, they went to rest.
After traveling continuously for more than half a month, even Lin Nuo, a warrior, felt a little tired at this time.
...
Lin Nuo rested here, but the group of young men in brocade clothes who bid farewell to him continued non-stop all the way across the outer city and into the palace.
Perhaps due to the influx of refugees in the capital, the palace is also quite vigilant. Along the way, rows of imperial guards wearing red unicorn uniforms can be seen in the corridors and aisles from time to time. Not only that, there are also many imperial guards around.
Hidden in the dark, monitoring all possible dangerous situations.
"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Lin Nuo's guess was correct. This young man in brocade clothes was none other than the crown prince Zhu Houzhao, the only son of the current Emperor Hongzhi.
Along the way, all the imperial guards who saw Zhu Houzhao knelt down and saluted. Under the escort of a group of royal guards, he came to the outside of a main hall. After waiting for a while, he was ushered in by the eunuch who came from the hall.
into the palace.
"Father, I'm back!"
The area inside the hall is not large. Apart from a table, a few chairs and a few antique vases, there is almost nothing else. Emperor Hongzhi was sitting at the table looking at the memorial. When he heard the familiar voice, he couldn't help but raise his head and reveal his face.
A hint of doting smile.
"Is Zhao'er back? This time you went out to see the world, and the journey went smoothly?"
"It didn't go too well. A hungry tiger attacked me on the way. The guards injured more than a dozen people before killing the tiger."
On the way back, Zhu Houzhao had already warned the accompanying Jinyi guards not to reveal anything about their relationship with Master Lin. As for the injured Jinyi guards, he had already thought of an excuse.
Hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi's originally doting face showed a look of surprise, and then his eyes kept looking at his son.
"When I went out for a trip, I didn't expect that Zhao'er also learned to lie, haha!"
As an emperor for more than ten years, although Emperor Hongzhi was called a benevolent emperor, he had been in contact with the civil servant group for a long time and was very thoughtful. He was very keen to detect the unnatural look on Zhu Houzhao's face.
"Father, my son did not lie!" Although he knew that the lie had been seen through, Zhu Houzhao still had to pull it off. He really couldn't tell the truth about his apprenticeship, otherwise with his father's temper, his
Master Lin, I'm afraid there will be trouble.
"Well, Zhao'er is getting older and it's time for you to have your own secrets. Father, I won't force you!"
Emperor Hongzhi did not continue to struggle with this matter, but stretched slightly tiredly and put the memorials on the table aside.
"Father, on my way back this time, I saw a lot of refugees. They are completely different from the peace and prosperity of the country and the people that the elders said before!" Seeing that his father no longer asked about what happened before, Zhu Houzhao couldn't wait to tell the people he met on the way.
Talk about the refugees.
"Oh, it's normal. Those old foxes, if what they say is true, it would be good. If you really listen to them, you may die without even knowing how you died!"
"Zhao'er, you are not young anymore. You have begun to understand the hardships of people's livelihood. It's time for my father to let you understand some things!"
With that said, Emperor Hongzhi brought the memorial on the table to his son, "You should take a look first!"
Zhu Houzhao was stunned for a moment, then picked up the memorial and started reading it. After a while, a look of anger appeared on his still slightly immature face.
"In addition to singing praises, these mediocre people just complain about poverty and ask for money. In their words, those refugees who were homeless due to the snowstorm actually became slightly affected by the disaster?"
"How do you feel? Do you want to kill all these corrupt officials... Unfortunately, even I can't touch them at will!"
"Father, you are the emperor, and you keep your word, can't you still kill these corrupt officials?" Zhu Houzhao didn't believe it. In his opinion, the emperor is the most powerful person in the world. He can kill whoever he wants. How can he kill them continuously?
Even a corrupt official can't do it?
"It's true that they can't be killed. There are too many people involved behind these people. One move can affect the whole body. Without detailed evidence, even the emperor cannot kill people at will!"
Emperor Hongzhi sighed, "Nowadays, the power of the civil servants has long been established. Even the emperor can hardly compete with the entire civil servant group head-on. In the past, there were military dignitaries who could check and balance them. However, after the Tumubao Incident, the military dignitaries had already declined.
It’s of no use!”
"You will definitely ascend the throne as emperor in the future. Today, my father will teach you the first lesson of being an emperor, checks and balances!"