Han Kezhong left Beijing with only one entourage, a skinny donkey and two luggage.
In fact, although there were many dirty people among the civil servants in the Ming Dynasty, there were also many people who were loyal, perseverant and upright. To be precise, when many officials entered their official career, they thought about being a saint and continuing their learning to bring peace to the world.
Those who fail the king will not fail the people.
It's just that in this life, as time goes by, many people will forget their original intentions and be pulled to the other side by the world and fame and fortune.
This is the saying that wealth cannot be lustful and power cannot be subdued.
The emperor personally appointed a provincial inspection censor, which caused no disturbance in the court.
To a certain extent, governing a country is the same as living a normal life. It is a steady stream of water, not so vigorous and impassioned. Governing a big country is like cooking small delicacies, and it is not beautiful if the actions are too big.
Furthermore, it is actually not a good thing for an emperor to be too far-sighted. In the end, it is the common people who suffer for the emperor's achievements.
As long as the people can live in peace and have less taxes and corvees and more food, he will be a rare good emperor.
~~
In midsummer, cicadas chirp one after another in the Imperial Garden.
Zhu Yunxi's office moved from Fengtian Hall to Lezhizhai on the edge of the Imperial Garden. It is slightly cooler here. He has always been afraid of heat and loves cold, and cannot bear the heat.
Wang Bashi directed the palace people to place an ice basin in the corner of the palace, doing so quietly for fear of making any noise and disturbing the emperor and ministers who were discussing matters.
Zhu Yunxi leaned on the armrest of the throne with one hand and held a memorial in the other hand. Then he looked at everyone, and finally fell on the veteran minister Ling Han, "Ling Aiqing, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is vacant. Do you recommend the governor of Henan to be elected?
"
After all, Ling Han was old, and Zhu Yunxi had been considering future candidates for the position of Minister of Civil Affairs as early as when he came to the throne. At the beginning, he chose Du Ze, the right minister, who was not good at talking but had the courage to do his job and was honest and upright.
But who would have expected that Du Ze fell ill after entering the summer. The right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who was in charge of assessing the performance of officials all over the world, was vacant.
After listening to Zhu Yunxi asking about himself, Ling Han hurriedly stood up, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, only loyal and upright people cannot take up the errands of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but while being loyal and upright, they must not be pedantic. Hou Yong, the Chief Secretary of Henan Province, has been an official for many years and has excellent evaluations.
.”
"Not only is he honest and upright, but he is also good at discerning right from wrong, so I recommend Hou Yong!"
Hou Yong was a good official. As early as the flood in the Central Plains, he left a very good impression on Zhu Yunxi. Historically, this man was also an admirable loyal minister and filial son.
After Zhu Di was in trouble, he asked Hou Yong to be an official. The latter refused to obey and was tied up. Later Hou Yong took advantage of others' unpreparedness and swallowed the gold and died to live up to his old master. Zhu Yunxi has always been generous to such ministers.
used.
"That's him!" Zhu Yunxi said lightly, picked up the ink pen and wrote the exact words on the memorial, and continued, "I remember that he is from Shandong, right?"
Ling Han smiled and said, "A native of Pingdu, Shandong, he was the 22nd Jinshi in the 18th year of Hongwu. That year, he was the only one from Shandong to take the exam!"
"Talents are rare!" Zhu Yunxi said, "He has been in the local area for many years, and his qualifications and abilities are sufficient!" He then smiled at Ling Han and said, "Since he is the candidate recommended by the old minister, you will have to give more guidance and guidance in the future.
!”
"What the Emperor is saying is that at this age, I can no longer sit in the toilet. It's time for young people like them to contribute to the Ming Dynasty!" Ling Han said with a smile.
Ling Han's words may seem vulgar and casual, but they actually have a deep meaning. He is telling Zhu Yunxi that the person was recommended by me, but he and I are not the same group. I am not a party-loving person. At this age, the biggest thought is
Just stand on this last duty.
At this moment, Yang Jing, the censor of Youdu, suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, do you want Hou Yong to come to Beijing immediately, or...?"
Zhu Yunxi put down the memorial and said, "If Yang Aiqing has anything to say, just report it directly!"
Yang Jing bowed his head and said, "I and Hou Yong were Jinshi in the same year. In their early years, they were both working for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. They are close friends and we often exchange letters." After saying that, he paused and said, "Last month, Hou Yong also returned the favor.
I wrote a letter to the minister saying that I haven’t seen my mother at home for seven years!”
Speaking of this, Yang Jing looked at Zhu Yunxi's face and continued, "Hou Yong's letter to Chen said that when he was in office, he received a letter from his nephew, saying that his mother almost died of illness during the Spring Festival and was seriously ill.
Keep chanting Hou Yong’s name!”
"Hou Yong has not been home for seven years since he was promoted to the position of imperial censor in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and was promoted to chief minister. The handwriting on the letter to the minister is full of tears at the end!"
Scholars, real scholars, put country before family, and loyalty and filial piety cannot be both.
Moreover, there were many rules for being an official in the Ming Dynasty. Even if he reached Hou Yong's position, if he wanted to support his mother by his side, he would have to write to the emperor.
Zhu Yunxi sighed slightly, "The biggest regret in life is that my son is away from home. He hasn't been home for seven years, which is so painful for him!" He said, paused, "This matter is also my negligence, and I didn't know about it at all!"
Speaking of this, Zhu Yunxi pondered for a moment, "He has not been home for seven years, so he should be given a month's leave to go home and visit relatives. But firstly, the officials cannot be left alone for a day, and secondly, even if he is given one month, he will go home."
I’m afraid there won’t be much time left on the road!”
Then, he sighed slightly and said, "Pass an edict to grant Hou Yong a mansion in the capital, allowing him to take his mother to his side and support him, so as to fulfill his filial piety!"
"Your Majesty is so kind, and all the ministers in the world are so lucky!" All the ministers in the palace stood up and saluted.
"What kind of kindness is this!" Zhu Yunxi waved his hand for them to sit down and said with a smile, "You ministers, the pillars of the country, are in my arms. You have worked hard for the Ming Dynasty, how can I bear to see you missing your family?"
"Some of you are old ministers who have watched me transform from a prince to an emperor, some are newcomers who have been promoted after I ascended the throne, and there are also chief ministers, officials and censors from all over the world. To me, you are not just ministers!"
"I have true feelings for you, understand your difficulties, and understand your difficulties. I hope you will do good deeds and do practical things. As long as you can do your duty as an official, I will do my duty as a gentleman!"
"The great gift from the monarch and his ministers cannot be abolished, but I still feel that there should be some human touch between us monarchs and ministers! I think that my intelligence is not as good as that of Emperor Qin and Han Wu, and my achievements are not as good as those of Tang Taizong and the Supreme Emperor."
"But I have a frankness and calmness in my heart, so I can be at heart with all of you."
"As long as you ministers live up to the people, I will never let you down!"
"Your Majesty!" With such words that showed his true feelings, all the ministers could not sit still. They stood up and saluted with sobs in their mouths.
Throughout the ages, has any emperor ever said such a thing to his ministers?
In the ears of these ministers who had the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Rules integrated into their bones, just by saying this, the emperor immediately let them die, and they were all willing to do so.
"Look, they're kneeling again!" Zhu Yunxi smiled, "You bastard, help me lift them up!"
"Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report!" Yang Jing, the censor of Youdu, spoke again.
"Come on!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile.
"Your Majesty's grace, Xu Houyong's mother came to Beijing, but..." Yang Jing said, smiling bitterly, "Houyong's family is poor, and all the salary he received over the years, except for expenses, was sent home to support him.
A poor student from my hometown."
"From Pingdu to the capital, I'm afraid...I'm afraid that the expenses for the waiting mother are not enough! Moreover, the old man is old, so he has to drive slowly along the road, and he has to take the accompanying people with him..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunxi suddenly recalled the scene of disaster relief in the Central Plains that day. Hou Yong was wearing a patched official robe, soaking in muddy water. A pair of official boots were worn to pieces, but he was reluctant to throw them away and hung them to dry on the windowsill.
An honest official is so pure that people only have respect in their hearts.
"I am an emperor who is rich all over the world, but my ministers can't even pay for their mother..."
Before Zhu Yunxi could finish speaking, the ministers hurriedly said, "I dare not accept the emperor's words!"
"Pass the decree!" Zhu Yunxi thought about it and said, "Let the Chief Secretary of Shandong... No, the bastard will send the decree to Guanglu Temple, allocate three hundred silver dollars from my inner treasury, and send it to Shandong together with the imperial decree.
Pingdu, Hou Yong's family, as a means of payment!"
"In addition, inform the Shandong Chief Secretary about the government offices and postal stations along the way. The carriages and horses used by Mrs. Hou must be exquisite and comfortable. Let Pingdu Mansion select five officials and two doctors to accompany them."
"Mr. Hou, all the food, clothing, housing and transportation along the way will be in accordance with the rules of the third-rank official, so don't be negligent!"
"I obey the decree!" all the ministers said in unison.
The honor given by the emperor to his ministers made them all feel proud and empathetic.
The veteran Ling Han sighed and said, "Including the previous Dynasty, I have served kings for several generations. Only when I get to the emperor do I know what a virtuous and kind king is!"
Zhu Yunxi smiled and said, "Old Minister, what you said is biased, aren't you? If you spread the word, be careful... Hahaha!"
After Ling Han finished speaking, he realized that he had made a mistake. These words did not scold the Supreme Emperor, so he quickly concealed his smile.
Then he continued, "Hou Yong is a man of good fortune. The late prince also loved him so much back then!"
When he said this, Zhu Yunxi remembered the old events of that year.
Hou Yong was born in a poor family, and was elected to the Imperial Academy and became a Jinshi. However, he refused after being awarded the official because his father was sent to Fujian for committing a crime. He wanted to use his official position in exchange for his father's pardon.
After Prince Zhu Biao heard about it, he ordered people to rush to Fujian overnight and send Hou Yong's father back to his hometown, which became a good talk for a while.
"If you don't love such a minister deeply, wouldn't you be a coward?" Zhu Yunxi smiled.
He immediately picked up his pen and wrote on a blank piece of paper.
"My heart aches when I hear that you haven't seen your loving mother for seven years. Your family and country are all over the world, and you sacrificed your family for the sake of the country. You lost your filial piety and loyalty to your ministers, and you hid your family affection for the king."
"I am filled with emotion when I hear this. This is because you are both loyal and filial. After receiving the order, I will come to Beijing as soon as possible. Don't worry about anything at home. I will make my own arrangements."
After washing, he dried the ink and handed it to Ling Han, "Follow the imperial edict and send it to Hou Yong!"
"I obey!" Ling Han took it solemnly with a solemn expression.
Zhu Yunxi sighed again and said with a smile, "Like the emperor's grandfather, I only love honest officials. But the officials are so poor that they can't even support their mother, and I feel bad after hearing this. The salary is meager, only enough to support the family, and what I fear most in life is
The word "poverty" means "poverty."
"How to make officials honest without being miserable is a real dilemma!"
Hearing this, all the officials bowed their heads and remained silent.
Only the old minister Ling Han smiled heartily, "Your Majesty, why don't you give me some extra salary?" He continued laughing and said, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have been an official in the Ming Dynasty for thirty years.
My hometown has been subsidizing me, but after careful calculation, I have still lost money over the years!"
"You have a beautiful idea!" Zhu Yunxi laughed.
"Old Minister Ling's words are wrong. You have been in trouble for thirty years in the Ming Dynasty, but in the previous dynasty in the Yuan Dynasty, there were always fat vacancies!" Among the ministers, a minister who was close to Ling Han said with a smile.
Ling Han's old face turned red, "That was all given by others, forced upon me!" As he said that, he laughed and cursed, "Why did you bring the matter of the previous dynasty to our Ming Dynasty?"
Both Zhu Yunxi and his ministers burst into laughter.
Whether an official is honest or not depends on his or her personal integrity on the one hand, and on the other hand it depends on the monarch.
If the monarch is fatuous, the officials will be greedy if they are not greedy.
~~
I, a shameless, most shameless person, am in debt again.
I'm stuck. I sat here for an hour and couldn't come up with six words.
You can hit me, but be gentle, otherwise it will hurt too much.