After listening to Chen Yi's words, the last doubt in Zhu Qiyu's heart was completely dispelled. He nodded and said.
"Sir, what you said makes sense, I understand."
However, even though he said this, Zhu Qiyu's brows still did not open. Seeing this situation, Chen Yi thought for a while and said.
"I'm afraid your Majesty's visit today is not just for rectifying the affairs of the officials, right?"
As soon as he said this, Zhu Qiyu smiled bitterly, but couldn't help but nodded. Indeed, what Chen Yi just said was right.
For him, it was already a matter of determination for him to use the capital to inspect and organize the officials.
Although there were some twists and turns, it was not enough to make him give up his thoughts. At most, he would just change his approach.
What really worries him is...
"Sir, you are wise. What worries me is indeed not the administration of officials, but..."
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu finally expressed his concerns about his current way of speaking.
The relationship between king and minister is not that of master and slave, nor is it just that of commander and executor. In a sense, it is more like collaborators, who jointly manage the huge institution of the court.
Of course, under the Ming Dynasty's system, this cooperative relationship could easily become unbalanced due to the unequal status of both parties.
If Zhu Qiyu was just an emperor succeeded by a vassal, then he would be happy to see this imbalance happen.
Because this situation of a strong king and weak ministers is a very comfortable state for the emperor. As for the consequences, I am afraid that he will not be affected by it until his death.
But the fact is that Zhu Qiyu is not an ordinary emperor. He has seen the collapse of the dynasty with his own eyes. Because of this, he knows better that the long-term monarch is strong and his ministers are weak, and the hidden dangers buried will be faced decades later.
There will be irreversible consequences.
It is said that governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. Sometimes this is the truth. In many cases, Zhu Qiyu, as the emperor, needs absolute authority, but he does not want his subordinates to become submissive because of this absolute authority.
Don't dare to speak out.
In a sense, this is the same contradiction as the ministers, who hope that the emperor can make wise judgments, but also hope that the emperor can rule from the top.
Of course, for Zhu Qiyu, in this power system of monarchs and ministers, he has complete initiative within a certain range.
Just like suppressing or encouraging science, how to do it actually only depends on his thoughts. However, after all, the emperor is not omnipotent. He can only make choices, but the results of the choices are not his.
Can be controlled.
"I see……"
After listening to Zhu Qiyu's words, Chen Yi didn't look surprised. On the contrary, he even felt a little relieved and said.
"It is indeed a blessing for the country that your Majesty has such insight!"
This look of anticipation made Zhu Qiyu feel a rare embarrassment and he said quickly.
"Sir, I am the General Constitution of Science and Technology. I wonder if you have any good ideas for this?"
In fact, this is Zhu Qiyu's main purpose today. To give impartial advice is originally the responsibility of science. However, the Ming Dynasty's graceful speech gradually made these officials unscrupulous and proud of offending the imperial power.
Therefore, Zhu Qiyu reformed the science and education in order to suppress this trend, but in the end, he went too far, and the ministers in the court did not dare to speak.
Although Zhu Qiyu has a vision of two lifetimes, he is only one person after all, and he is used to looking at problems from the emperor's perspective.
As the leader of Ke Dao, Chen Yi should know no one in the imperial court better than him. Moreover, judging from Chen Yi's previous actions, although he is a member of Ke Tao, he is not that kind of person.
Like ordinary Feng Xianguan, he only thinks about how to "rectify the emperor", so it is most appropriate for him to answer this question.
However, facing the emperor who was full of expectations, Chen Yi shook his head this time and said.
"Your Majesty is a promising monarch, so the only one who can answer this question is Your Majesty himself. Although I can speak, I am also a member of the scientific community after all, and my words must be biased."
"However, as the saying goes, taking history as a guide, if your Majesty really doesn't know what to do, then you might as well look at what the virtuous monarchs of the past generations have done. Perhaps, you can learn something!"
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu was slightly startled, but he still nodded.
"I understand, thank you sir."
Chen Yi naturally saw the disappointment of the emperor in front of him, but he did not say much and instead spoke.
"Since Your Majesty is here today, I have the audacity to ask Your Majesty for a favor!"
Zhu Qiyu came back to his senses and said warmly without much hesitation.
"Sir, if you have anything to say, you can tell me. If you can do it, I have no reason to deny it."
So, Chen Yi pushed himself up from the couch, barely straightened his waist, bowed his hands to Zhu Qiyu, and said.
"Your Majesty, I am getting old, and now I am seriously ill. It is really difficult for me to be qualified for the position of Zuodu Censor. I have begged for bones several times before, but Your Majesty refused. I naturally know that I have a deep love for you."
"However, with my current body, it is indeed difficult for me to continue serving the country."
"I passed the Jinshi examination at the age of twenty-three and have been an official for more than forty years. Today, I am really tired and want to return to my hometown to rest."
"Therefore, I have the courage to ask your Majesty to allow me to return to my hometown and enjoy my old age in peace."
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu frowned. He did not expect that Chen Yi would make this request.
Although Chen Yi also returned home due to illness in his previous life, his current situation is different from that in his previous life.
The first is Chen Yi's body. Because Zhu Qiyu sent an imperial doctor to nurse him back early, his condition is much better than in his previous life. Secondly, Chen Yi's status and reputation in the court are now much higher than in his previous life.
You must know that Chen Yi is only sixty-five years old this year. Although he is not considered young among all the important ministers, there is still an old man in the Ministry of Rites who is nearly eighty years old who insists on shining brightly. His age naturally also
It's nothing.
In the past, although Chen Yi resigned several times, Zhu Qiyu was not sure. On the one hand, this was because for senior ministers like Chen Yi who had been recovering at home for several months, submitting resignations was basically a fixed process.
, to prove that he did not intend to cling to power and occupy the place even if he did not work. On the other hand, Zhu Qiyu was indeed unwilling to let such a useful Zuodu Yushi leave just like that.
However, what Chen Yi said just now was obviously not a joke, but a serious request.
"The General Constitution must not do this..."
Regardless of whether it was accurate or not in the end, at least in person, he could not agree to this request. Otherwise, if word spread, it would definitely chill the hearts of all the senior officials in the imperial court.
Therefore, putting all these thoughts behind for the time being, Zhu Qiyu shook his head gently and continued in a gentle tone.
"I am young and have weak morals. I have been on the throne for several years. It is when I need the assistance of a highly respected minister like Zong Xian. Zong Xian can just rest in peace at home to recuperate. I will send an imperial doctor over later. All the medicines Zong Xian needs will be given to me.
It can be taken directly from the inner treasury. I only hope that the general constitution will take good care of his health as soon as possible. This will be a blessing to the country."
Chen Yi was obviously not surprised by this answer. He sighed softly and cupped his hands.
"Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Afterwards, the two of them stopped talking about this matter. Instead, they talked about some government affairs that had happened in the court in recent days. However, Chen Yi obviously wanted to become an official, so he was not willing to say too much.
Therefore, Zhu Qiyu gave him a few symbolic words of comfort and asked him to take good care of his illness. Then, he left the Chen Mansion and returned to the palace.
However, along the way, Zhu Qiyu was thinking about the few sentences Chen Yi gave him. He could realize that Chen Yi actually had an idea, but he did not say it directly, but hoped that Zhu Qiyu could go there by himself.
try to find.
After thinking for a long time, Zhu Qiyu finally shook his head. He could only attribute this to one reason, that is, maybe Chen Yi felt that it would be more convincing to let Zhu Qiyu find this method by himself if he said it directly.
…………
As the days passed, the weather in the capital gradually became warmer, but Shen Shangshu's mood still felt like he was soaking in ice water.
First, a military report came from the Ministry of War. The process of conquering the Japanese army was not going smoothly. The Japanese pirates were cunning and got the news that a large army was coming from the court early. Therefore, by the time the army arrived, they had already fled to the sea.
Faced with this situation, the admiral Yu Qian and the commander Zhang Xi jointly submitted a petition, intending to take a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, they ordered the army to temporarily station down and focus on clearing out bandits on the land to avoid being attacked from the front and back when fighting Japanese pirates.
At the same time, various places along the coast were blocked to cut off channels for Japanese pirates to obtain supplies.
After all, judging from the intelligence currently available to the court, although these Japanese pirates along the coast are all called Japanese pirates, a large part of them are fishermen along the coast who fell into the trap and became pirates. Now they have fled to the sea and can only hide for a long time.
If there is a problem, we must return to the shore to replenish food and water. As long as these channels can be blocked, we can wait and see.
On the other hand, Yu Qian also petitioned the imperial court, saying that the officers and soldiers had not practiced naval warfare for a long time and the ships they used were dilapidated and dilapidated. He requested that the Nanjing shipyard build an additional 200 ships and at the same time repair the existing hundreds of ships.
Boat.
It should be said that from a strategic point of view, these two items are the most suitable for the war situation. However, for the Ministry of Revenue, it is life-threatening.
In the previous article, if the army is stationed, it is true that it can force the Japanese pirates to risk landing. However, it should be noted that when the army goes out, the money spent every day is like running water. Using this method, the minimum guarantee is to be stationed for three days.
It took only a month to start, not to mention that Yu Qian still planned to continue building ships. He touched his upper lip to his lower lip. It was easy to say, where would the money come from?
"Your Majesty, this is a report from Henan, Huguang and other places. Since the beginning of spring, it has not rained in several places for more than a month."
"The report just sent back from Fengyang shows that the disaster relief money has been allocated in place, and all the food has been shipped smoothly. Now the people's sentiment is stable. As long as the follow-up is successfully concluded, the disaster will be calmed down."
"but……"
In the Wuying Palace, the early court meeting has ended, but another small-scale court meeting has just begun. In addition to the six ministers and cabinet ministers, the candidates participating are several governors of the military government.
At this moment, in the middle of the main hall, the person chattering is Mr. Shen Yishen, the Minister of Household Affairs.
"According to reports from various places, this snowstorm has had a great impact on the fields. In almost all affected areas, wheat seedlings have been frozen to death. This is a memorial just handed over by Fengyang Prefecture, requesting the imperial court to protect various areas from the disaster.
This year's taxes will also be allocated to the remaining grain crops in the Changping warehouse to assist farming."
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Shen Shangshu said these words with full of resentment, and there was only one reason for this. Just in the morning court, the emperor waved his hand and directly approved Yu Qian's memorial.
Forget it if they have to be stationed. After all, in such a strategic matter, Shen Yi and even the Minister of Household Affairs cannot intervene and urge troops to be dispatched as soon as possible. However, in Shen Yi's opinion, this latter request is completely unnecessary.
You must know that the Ming Dynasty's officers and soldiers were not good at naval warfare. Even if they build new ships now, they will be useful. But without officers and soldiers who are good at sea warfare, they will be built in vain.
What's more, it's not like there are no ships to prepare for the Japanese army. Although they are a bit worn out after not being used for a long time, maybe they can be used?
According to Shen Shangshu, he didn’t even want to approve the repair money, but he also built new ones...
But there was no choice, the emperor had opened his mouth, and Shen Yi himself was not the kind to dare to confront the emperor directly in the palace.
Therefore, we can only use this method to complain about the emperor's lavish spending...
However, Zhu Qiyu didn't care about Shen Yi's resentful look. He knew the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Since he agreed to the army's expedition, he must have prepared a solution for how to solve the problem if money was needed, even if he didn't.
With the ready-made money, Shen Yi must have already thought about whom to deduct.
He is acting like this right now, just because he wants to make a bad deal. If there is a chance, he will ask for a sum of money. If there is no chance, he will also emphasize how difficult it is for the household department to show his merit.
In the end, he will definitely be able to handle the matter. Shen Yi has this sense of propriety.
Of course, despite this, we cannot just take it lightly. Although the disaster here in Fengyang has calmed down, as Chen Yi said, there are still many things to worry about in the follow-up. After this snow disaster, summer grain will definitely not be harvested. Not only that, but we also need to provide grain relief to ensure the next round of farming.
In addition, the people have lost their harvest. Not only are they unable to pay taxes, but they also have to consider how to restrain local tyrants from taking the opportunity to annex land. This is also a difficult problem.
Moreover, another point is that although Zhu Qiyu was prepared for the drought that had just been reported in Henan, Huguang and other places, not everyone was as foresighted as he was. At least, for Chen Yi, this must be a surprise problem.
In this case, I am afraid that the affairs of the Ministry of Punishment cannot be delayed any longer. As soon as he thought of this, Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on Jin Lian. However, just when he was about to speak, a discordant sound suddenly sounded in the hall. sound.
"Your Majesty, according to what Shen Shangshu just said, the disasters in various places this year are serious. Under such circumstances, it is even more important to save money. I just submitted the memorial to Shaobao. The many uses mentioned, I think it is not allowed..."