Chapter 62 I am still waiting to save money for my son
Chapter 62 I'm still waiting to save money for San'er
Just when Zhu Zaigui was renovating his bathroom in the palace, Zhang Juzheng, a handsome man from the Hanlin Academy, could no longer contain his passionate heart and prepared to write a memorial to Emperor Jiajing to express his true feelings and point out the current ills of the court.
As an editor of the Hanlin Academy, Zhang Juzheng had to write memorials with brilliant writing and well-founded allusions.
So when Zhang Juzheng was planning his draft, he had already chosen the format of the memorial he was going to write.
Zhang Juzheng planned to imitate the "Memorial on State Affairs" by Jia Yi, a famous official of the Western Han Dynasty, and write a political memorial to express his infinite love for the Ming Dynasty and his infinite loyalty to Emperor Jiajing!
Zhang Juzheng began by bluntly stating the five most pressing issues in the political crisis at the time.
They are: the royal family issue, the talent issue, the bureaucracy issue, the armament issue and the fiscal revenue issue.
These five issues were clearly pointed out by Zhang Juzheng and placed in the first sentence of the memorial.
"The most serious ones are the arrogance of the royal family, the laziness of the officials, the laxity of the administration, the failure to improve the border defenses, and the great loss of financial resources. Other things that are a burden to the sage are too numerous to mention, but these five are the most serious and obvious ones."
Only young people have the courage to write such a direct memorial.
So when Emperor Jiajing saw this memorial, a smile appeared on his face.
How could Emperor Jiajing not know about the issues Zhang Juzheng raised?
Emperor Jiajing had been emperor for 28 years and he spent countless efforts to solve these problems.
But can these problems be solved just by talking?
Whether in the imperial court or in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, these problems are complex and deeply entangled.
It is not something that can be solved by just an imperial decree, a few imperial envoys, or killing a few people.
Even if Taizu were still alive and allowed him to kill without restraint, he might not be able to solve the problem.
After all, the selfishness and interests involved are so great that even if there is a risk of being beheaded, there are still people who will do it anyway.
If killing people was really useful, four major cases would not have occurred in succession during the reign of Taizu.
This shows that in the face of interests, the butcher's knife may not have much deterrent power.
This is also the area where Emperor Jiajing was most powerless.
Otherwise, why would he give up being the king of the revival of the country and instead go and practice Taoism?
It was because he had worked so hard for more than 20 years and thought that the world would get better. However, when he looked back, he found that there were still so many of these desperate parasites, and their methods of secretly disobeying the emperor's orders had become more covert and sophisticated, which made Emperor Jiajing feel powerless and he had the idea that "the world is not worth living in, I might as well become an immortal."
Emperor Jiajing continued to read Zhang Juzheng's memorial: "I have heard that the likes and dislikes of the royal family today and the princes and kings in the past are all influenced by the people's views and customs. I have read the ancestral teachings and the way the royal family is treated in this court is very grand and the precautions are also strict."
"But now, one or two vassal states do not think of learning from their ancestors' teachings, exercising restraint and prudence to receive the blessings of Heaven, but abandon the dignity of dukes and kings, compete for the title of immortals, recruit people who are skilled in magic and escape, and confuse the people."
"All of them seek favor and flattery from the emperor to expand their power, but they are actually treacherous, greedy, lewd and cruel, bullying officials and oppressing the common people to indulge their desires. Now the governor of Henan has also reported it. If we don't make some changes early, and let them succeed again and again, I am afraid that the governors of the four directions will no longer be able to carry out their ambitions, and the trend of becoming too powerful will be established. I humbly think that this is not a trivial matter. This is what is called the arrogance of the royal family."
Seeing this, Emperor Jiajing could not help but snort. On the surface, it was about the royal family issue, but in fact it was secretly accusing Emperor Jiajing of practicing Taoism.
If it were not for the fact that Zhang Juzheng's memorial contained some profound insights and the vigor of a young man, Emperor Jiajing would have sent the Jinyiwei from the Eastern Depot to knock on Zhang Juzheng's door to offer his warmth.
"Look, this is my good minister. He actually used the royal family's affairs to make false accusations about my cultivation of Xuanshen Dao. He is really bold."
Emperor Jiajing was talking to himself. Huang Jin did not express his opinion, but only said: "The emperor's heart is high and far-reaching, how can ordinary people see it?" When Emperor Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but hummed twice with pride, "Go and get a piece of Bing Xin candy."
Ever since Zhu Zaigui developed Bingxin Candy, Emperor Jiajing fell in love with the refreshing and cool mint flavor.
Huang Jin carefully held the Bing Xin candy in front of Emperor Jiajing. Emperor Jiajing pinched a Bing Xin candy and put it in his mouth. The cool feeling of menthol immediately lifted Emperor Jiajing's spirits.
Emperor Jiajing said with emotion: "The Taoist scriptures say: If the heart is as clear as ice, the sky will not fall and the mind will remain calm even if it changes. The feeling of this Bingxin Candy really matches the Taoist scriptures. It is really a top-notch product!"
The Taoist scripture sentence said by Emperor Jiajing is the sentence from the Taoist classic "Bing Xin Jue".
Huang Jin said: "Your Majesty is right. Prince Yu really has inherited the true immortal heritage. Otherwise, I don't know how to praise him."
Emperor Jiajing chuckled, "San'er, he is a little clever. Although I don't know how this Bingxin Candy is made, I am sure that it must contain Yiran Candy and Yindan Grass."
Silver Dancao is the ancient name for mint.
Huang Jin smiled and said, "No one is wiser than the Emperor. The Emperor has sharp eyes and can see the true nature of this Ice Heart Candy at a glance."
Emperor Jiajing smiled complacently, and then asked, "What has San'er been doing in the palace recently?"
Huang Jin said: "The spy said that Prince Yu was remodeling the house in the palace, and it seems that he wants to build a very different bathroom."
When Emperor Jiajing heard that Zhu Zaigui was building a bathroom in the palace, he couldn't help but become curious.
"What kind of bathroom?"
Huang Jin said awkwardly: "It's not clear yet."
Emperor Jiajing said again: "Then let's investigate it. I want to see what tricks this kid has played. He is not doing his job and making money for me. He actually built a bathroom at home. How is his Shunyi Industrial Park?"
Emperor Jiajing finally asked about Zhu Zaigui's Shunyi Industrial Park. Although this industrial park had not been completed yet, it was no longer a secret to Emperor Jiajing.
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing could not help but become concerned. After all, he got a "three-tenth profit" from the money Zhu Zaigui earned. Seeing that his son had lost so much money to build an industrial park in Shunyi, it would be strange if Emperor Jiajing did not care.
Huang Jin said: "It has already taken shape. It should be ready in another three or four months."
When Emperor Jiajing heard that it would take another three or four months, he felt that it was a bit too long.
"Please coordinate and transfer some more craftsmen from the palace to help San'er catch up with the progress. I am still waiting to help San'er save money."
After Huang Jin heard the Emperor Jiajing's order, she quickly responded, "I'll arrange it right away."
Emperor Jiajing hummed, "Go ahead."
After Huang Jin left, Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhang Juzheng's memorial on current affairs again. After reading it, Emperor Jiajing put the memorial away, placed it under his cushion, and then began to meditate again, as if he did not take Zhang Juzheng's memorial seriously at all.
(End of this chapter)