As for the two princes, because they could not ride horses, Zhu Youxiao temporarily left them in Chengdu, and then returned to Beijing with Ma Xianglin's third group of troops.
On December 12, Zhu Youxiao returned to Beijing from Chengdu with two thousand escort cavalry, one man and two horses. He galloped for more than five hours every day, and finally entered Shuntian Mansion on the 25th.
The British Duke Zhang Weixian, who had already received the news of the emperor's return to Beijing, dragged his old body out of the city to greet him in person.
The officials in the DPRK and the Central Government, as well as the few prime ministers who stayed behind, knew nothing about all this.
They are currently sorting out the military and political affairs and financial expenditures for the whole year in accordance with the emperor's instructions before leaving. They are busy making a summary and submitting it to the emperor for review.
When Zhu Youxiao saw Zhang Weixian, he found that he looked older than before he left the capital.
Although he knows that he still has many years to live, if he continues to work too hard, it will definitely have an impact on his lifespan.
Colonel Zhu You still had great respect for this man who was loyal to the emperor, helped him ascend the throne, and helped him build a new army.
"How is your health lately?"
The emperor's first words made the nearly 70-year-old Zhang Weixian burst into tears on the spot. Unexpectedly, His Majesty did not ask about state affairs first, but asked about his own physical condition.
He choked and replied:
"Everything is well, my dear. I'm afraid that your majesty will take this old man into your heart, and I can't afford it."
Zhu Youxiao grinned, then took his hand, and the two walked slowly while talking.
He now needs to know the general situation of the capital. During his absence, did he notice any abnormalities? Are the courtiers like last time, with little dirty tricks behind their backs?
Zhang Weixian knew that the emperor was a person who didn't like to waste time listening to nonsense, so he brought up the important points first.
The tax collection for the first year of Tianqi has been completed. Except for Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan, the accounts and grain taxes of the other provinces have been submitted to the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Zhang Weixian does not know the specific number of them. Although he is one of the remaining prime ministers, he has no say in national affairs.
Officials from the Ministry of Revenue would not discuss such a sensitive matter with nobles like them. Civil and military affairs are separated and power is at odds with each other. This is something that can never be changed in the current era.
However, recently, the DPRK and China have been arguing about tax issues in Jiangnan provinces. Cheng Guoxiang, the Minister of Household Affairs, seems to be extremely dissatisfied with this year's tax revenue.
I was asking questions every day, going through the accounts of previous years in the household department, and officials from Jiangnan would take a detour when they saw Cheng Guoxiang, as if they were very afraid of him.
Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao's brows frowned, and the relaxed and joyful expression on his face just now disappeared instantly, replaced by an extremely serious face.
He already had some guesses in his mind. This must be the work of the officials and noble families in the south of the Yangtze River. He had killed a river of blood in the capital, and they couldn't just sit back and watch.
Their own cruelty and bloodthirsty made them, who were part of the same interest group, naturally in danger. If the emperor dared to attack their interests, they would also dare to slam the table and challenge the emperor.
Zhang Weixian did not know what the emperor was thinking, so he continued:
"There are also endless arguments about the expenditures of various ministries next year. Taxes and money have even been shipped to Taicang, and officials from the other five ministries have reached out to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for money."
"In the early Jin Dynasty, Wang drew up a nine-sided military expenditure for next year, which was as high as millions of taels, but Cheng Guoxiang rejected it."
"Cheng Guoxiang didn't look good on other officials either."
"The only reply they had was that they had no money. Even if the sky fell, they would still have no money. We would make a decision when His Majesty comes back."
Cheng Guoxiang is a well-known iron rooster. Since he became the Minister of Household Affairs, he has changed the bad habits of his predecessors.
Without the emperor's imperial edict and the cabinet's instructions, no money or food could be obtained from him.
As the saying goes, kindness does not control wealth. With such a tight-fingered person watching the door of the treasury, I can rest assured that at least the basic accounts will be correct.
"How is the disaster relief work in Shandong and Shaanxi? Have the people been calmed down? Are there any chaos in the disaster areas?"
Zhang Weixian replied:
"The disaster in Shaanxi has gradually stabilized, and everything is under the control of the imperial court. Because there are Jin Yiwei and the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate on site to monitor, the corruption that His Majesty is worried about has not occurred on a large scale."
"But there are still some people who are greedy and greedy and take risks. They really don't know how to die."
"I have discussed this matter with the other four prime ministers. My opinion is that the people affected by the disaster should be given priority at the moment. Since there is no big trouble, we should suppress it for the time being and wait for the disaster to pass before settling the accounts later."
Zhu Youxiao nodded with satisfaction. This is indeed the case. Everything must be prioritized.
It is very normal for officials to embezzle food funds for disaster relief. Zhu Youxiao actually tacitly agreed. As long as the people would not starve to death, he could ignore it.
There is a line in a later TV series that says very well: Only when you feed them well will they be willing to do their best to work for you.
Without them, would he, the emperor, have to personally deliver disaster relief food to the people?
So what if we kill them? The people who replace them will only have greater appetites and courage, and can have no bottom line at all.
Of course, when necessary or in an emergency, a wave of ruthless actions will be taken. These people are just raised pigs.
When the need arises, it will be enough to put them forward to scare the monkeys. If they really do nothing, it will only make them more rampant.
In Shaanxi, there are not a large number of officials and gentry groups controlling the place, so the work of the court is relatively easy to do, and the emperor's authority is also there.
But Shandong is different. It is a very special area and is the birthplace of civil servants and scholars with Confucian culture.
It is difficult for the imperial court's policies to be effectively implemented in Shandong.
Especially for policies that are not conducive to the gentry, even if your emperor's imperial edict reaches Shandong, it will be inexplicably lost and no news will be heard.
All this is because there is a big family in Shandong, a big family that even the emperor has to support, support and coax. There, they act as the leader and take the lead in opposing the imperial court.
At the same time, he was also the leader of all officials and scholars. Among the scholars, the emperor's status and authority were inferior to them.
This family is naturally the Kong family. This cancer is really the biggest thief and blood-sucking insect in the country.
According to Zhang Weixian's report, the disaster in Shandong has not yet been effectively controlled, and some places have not even received a grain of disaster relief from the court.
Zhu Youxiao knew without thinking that this must be a grand gesture of the Kong family.
The Kong family must have been involved, otherwise the grassroots officials and gentry would not have been so bold and capable to challenge the authority of the imperial court.