In March of spring, the peach blossoms in Datong Mansion were in full bloom. Although the people coming and going were dressed in shabby clothes, their eyes were bright and they had smiles on their faces.
Speaking of the new king's ascension to the throne, there has been no war in the northwest. In addition, the weather was good last year, so everyone had a good year and made progress in life.
The common people do not have much extravagant expectations in their lives, and they are satisfied with this.
Well, the life of the common people is good, but for the clan, it is a bit uncomfortable.
Zhu Chongzhuo stood behind the team with an impatient expression, looking at the long flow of people, feeling increasingly irritated.
The clan reform implemented by Jiajing last year actually had little impact on both the upper and lower classes. On the contrary, they are likely to be the beneficiaries.
Just talking about land tax, the first three levels of clans can still be exempted from land tax, while the lower-level clans do not have much land in their hands. Not to mention that now clans can join the army and take the imperial examination, which is the path to promotion no matter what.
But not everyone will be satisfied with a policy, and it will be very difficult for the middle-level clans. First of all, they have to pay land taxes like the common people. Secondly, the title of the next generation will decrease, which will easily lead to a sense of loss. The last point is also the most terrible. Originally, the imperial court gave the clans
All those given out were stipends and rice, but Jiajing felt that this was too wasteful, so he asked each locality to make their own assessment and exchange part of the stipends and rice into treasure notes.
For example, the Jiangnan area itself is wealthy, and local officials did not want to offend anyone with this small amount of money, so in the end they only reduced their salary by 20%. However, in Datong, it was difficult to make ends meet just to raise soldiers every year, so they frantically reduced their salary by 70%.
Zhu Chongzhuo is the sixth-generation grandson of the acting king Zhu Gui. Now he has been awarded the title of General Fengguo. He is stuck in the middle. Not only is he uncomfortable, but the promised annual salary of 600 stone meters is now only 100.
Eighty stone, and the rest are all precious notes.
Baobao was originally a banknote issued by Zhu Yuanzhang in the seventh year of Hongwu. However, its value was greatly reduced just a few decades later. Now, the exchange ratio with silver has reached a very exaggerated level. Speaking of which, this is another sum of money.
Bad debts, in short, the three melons and two dates I folded for the clan members were not enough to treat guests to a meal.
Such behavior will inevitably make the clan members full of resentment. For example, Zhu Chongzhuo once cursed the court at a banquet, and even made rude remarks to the saint and was reported to the police. The current acting king is also smart, knowing that the emperor is now trying to attack them, so he said nothing
Not to mention dealing with Zhu Chongzhuo, he was fined a full three years' salary.
Although the salary of General Fengguo of Datong Prefecture was reduced to only one hundred and eighty dan, it could be converted into one hundred taels of silver. Of course, Zhu Chongzhuo was not reconciled to such a huge loss, so he took advantage of today's salary and came to the feudal treasury in person.
He wanted to fish in troubled waters and continue to lead. However, before it was his turn, he was caught by the surrounding soldiers. It turned out that the king knew his character and ordered people to guard here to prevent this from happening.
Zhu Chongzhuo cursed, and after several attempts to no avail, he simply sat down on the ground and cried bitterly: "Oh, Holy Ancestor! Look at what kind of life your descendants are living!! Are you trying to touch me?"
The foundation of Ming Dynasty!!”
He originally thought that he could instigate a few relatives and try to get some benefits from making the matter bigger. Unexpectedly, the people nearby just glanced at him and hid far away for fear of being implicated.
"Good-for-nothing!" Zhu Chongzhuo scolded angrily, and finally left angrily.
When I got home, my subordinates secretly came to report: "Master, Mr. Luo is here."
Zhu Chongzhuo's expression changed slightly and he whispered: "Arrange to enter the side hall, I will go there immediately."
After giving the instructions, he frowned and hesitated for a moment before slowly walking into the back room.
In the side hall, a handsome young man in Taoist robes saw Zhu Chongzhuo and greeted him with a smile. He bowed and said, "I haven't seen you for many days. General, you are still so heroic."
Zhu Chongzhuo nodded, exchanged a few words with the other party, and then lost his temper and said directly: "Mr. Luo, I heard that the imperial court is looking for a Bailian traitor named Luo recently. Is it..."
"Hey, that's right." Luo Tingxi admitted very naturally, his slender eyes narrowed to a slit, and his smile was like a spring breeze.
Zhu Chongzhuo immediately became anxious and said quickly: "Then you come here to find me!? What if someone sees you!"
"..." Even though Luo Tingxi was scheming, he was choked by the fool. He suppressed the urge to kill and said warmly: "General, you won't forget what we are going to do, right? We are about to make a great cause, and again
Why bother with these little things? Besides, you can rest assured that no one will notice when I do the work."
Zhu Chongzhuo also came to his senses. When he reached the critical point, he hesitated, "Do you think our plan...can it work?"
"Of course, I have led the White Lotus sect to prepare in various pastures, just waiting for your order." Luo Tingxi comforted him. Seeing Zhu Chongzhuo's hesitation, he secretly thought that dog meat would not be served at the table, so he simply made it clear, "General,
You took the initiative to come to us that day, and now we have established contact with Mongolia. All you have to do is open a city gate. If you are not willing to take this risk, then how can you plan for a great cause."
Zhu Chongzhuo was a little embarrassed by what he said. He and a group of friends were extremely dissatisfied with the imperial court's order to reduce the clan's benefits. Under the stimulation of alcohol, his mind became hot, so he proposed to imitate Taizong and lead troops from Datong to the capital.
Also ascend the throne of the Nine-Five Supreme Being.
The speaker has no intention but the listener has the intention. Facing several hopeful younger brothers the next day, Zhu Chongzhuo had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue. After the imperial court successively reorganized the clan, he actually had the idea of starting a rebellion.
However, due to the Ming Dynasty's pig-raising policy for so many years, Zhu Chongzhuo had no one at this time, but it didn't matter, he had no one, the Mongols had someone!
So after careful consideration, Zhu Chongzhuo came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea.
He decided to cooperate with the Mongols internally and externally, and first captured Datong, and then sent his troops south to occupy the entire Shanxi Province. Since the Mongols could fight, he commanded the Mongols to fight everywhere, and finally proclaimed himself emperor, killed the Mongols, and completely occupied the entire Ming Dynasty.
!
When Zhu Chongzhuo thought of that scene, he was so excited that he trembled all over. He happened to know a non-staff member of the White Lotus Sect, so in order to attract more talents, he took the initiative to contact him.
A clan member named Zhu, who was also a general of Fengguo, actually approached him and said he wanted to rebel?
The White Lotus Sect was also a little confused. After confirming that it was correct, they immediately sent high-level officials to contact them.
As a professional rebel, the execution ability of the White Lotus Sect is naturally incomparable to that of useless Zhu Chongzhuo. Originally it was just an idea, but Luo Tingxi developed a series of careful plans based on this idea, and finally even contacted the Mongols.
Up.
During this period, Luo Tingxi chose to go to the capital. He originally wanted to muddy the waters in the capital. When the Mongols came, the Ming Dynasty would be besieged internally and externally, and it would definitely not be easy. But he didn't expect the opponent to be so alert, and he almost got lost there.
If only everyone had the same mind as this one, Luo Tingxi sighed inwardly, glanced at Zhu Chongzhuo, and continued to confuse: "I used to show the general's birth horoscope to the saint I taught to check, and the saint said that the general has
'Oita' is born to be an emperor. If we don't seize such a good opportunity now, will we be inactive for the rest of our lives?"
Zhu Chongzhuo clenched his fists when he said, "Okay! I'll do as you say. When it's done, I'll make you the national preceptor and respect Bai Lian as the national religion!"
Luo Tingxi smiled, "The little man will thank the general first."
…
In the capital, although some people were surprised that the arson incident could be related to the White Lotus Sect, Xian Ruxing didn't take it to heart.
In fact, we can't blame her. The main reason is that there are too many problems in the Ming Dynasty. The White Lotus Sect, whether in the eyes of the world or in film and television works, is a charlatan who deceives poor people to make money.
Although they played a part in destroying the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang himself was very taboo about religion. He even carried out a period of siege and suppression against the White Lotus Sect, and in the worst case, he almost wiped it out of the world. Until the Tumu Fortress
After the revolution, the imperial court's control over local areas became increasingly loose, and the White Lotus Sect revived.
Over the years, he has been making small fuss in the southwest and northwest, and Ming Dynasty did not pay much attention to it. Now it is the first time he has appeared in front of everyone. Xian Ruxing went to the Ministry of Punishment and sent a few wanted notices, and then continued busy with the matters at hand.
At this time, a businessman from the Western Regions claimed to have brought two auspicious white foxes from Buryatia and wanted to present them to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Houcong thought it was interesting and asked Xian Ruxing to go and have a look.
Buryatia is probably the modern Siberian region. Xian Ruxing didn't know much about it even before he traveled, let alone now, so he immediately ran over. However, when he saw the real thing, he was a little dumbfounded.
Facing the excited Zhu Houcong, he hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, why do I look at this fox... so much like a dog..."
"Ah? No way, would you like to take a look again?" Zhu Houcong had never observed a fox at close range. After hearing Xian Ruxing's words, he was a little unsure, but the attributes of feudal superstition still prevailed. "The white fox is the incarnation of auspiciousness.
It’s normal for it to look better than ordinary foxes. Recently, there have been more and more folk temples dedicated to fox fairies, so this thing comes at the right time!”
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the two round creatures nestled in the wooden fence gasped at the same time, then spit out their pink little tongues and tilted their heads with cute expressions on their faces.
Zhu Houcong: "..."
"Look," Xian Ruxing held his forehead and teased two small white dogs with his hands. These should be the ancestors of Pomeranians and Samoyeds. When the sled dogs were young, they were easy to identify because their mouths were sharper and their tails were not obvious.
fox.
It was not once or twice that the people of the Ming Dynasty fooled the emperor of the Ming Dynasty like this. In the past, when paying tribute, they often made some weird things and then offered them in the name of "auspiciousness". In order to show the magnanimity of a great country, the Ming Dynasty often gave many precious things.
return gift.
Unexpectedly, Jiajing came to power, and this point has not changed.
"I will soon put that person in jail who tells lies with his eyes open!" Zhu Houcong said fiercely.
Xian Ruxing did not dissuade him, mainly because Jiajing's superstition was a time bomb. What if he goes crazy one day and just wants to practice Taoism like in history? It is better to desensitize him to these "auspicious things" now.
.
However, Zhu Houcong quickly put this behind him, because something happened that related to the entire Ming Dynasty.
Reports came from the front, and Fengguo General Zhu Chongzhuo cooperated with the Mongols inside and outside, and secretly opened the city gate during the change of guard, allowing the Mongolian troops to enter Datong.