My father is Jiajing

Chapter 353: Deafening Silence

Prince Yu's Mansion.

The capital has been very busy recently, especially Shuntian Prefecture, which is the eye of the storm. All eyes are focused there for a while.

Whether they are here to watch the fun or have other thoughts, they are all paying close attention to the development of subsequent responsibility issues in the Beijing Outer City Project.

Wang Youzhao was so frightened that he trembled with fear and ran to Xu Jie for help, but Xu Jie didn't see him.

Hai Rui sat on a chair in Zhu Zaigui's study and looked at Zhu Zaigui who was sitting in the first seat. He felt complicated at the moment. He never expected that this incident would cause such a storm and had reached the point where almost the entire nation was paying attention to it and discussing it.

"My Lord, what should we do next?"

Compared with Wang Youzhao's current troubles, Hai Rui was more concerned about the construction of the capital's outer city, because at this time the capital's outer city construction was really running out of ammunition and food.

If there is no practical solution, this matter will not only become a joke for Wang Youzhao alone, but also a joke for the entire Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Hai Rui was still very anxious. After all, this was his first real job since he became an official. If he failed in this matter, there would be no future.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Hai Rui with an anxious look in his eyes, and he put down the volume of "Yongle Encyclopedia" in his hand. Zhu Zaigui then turned his attention to Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng who were also sitting in the study.

Zhu Zaigui asked, "What do you think the next step should be, Mr. Gao and Mr. Zhang?"

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhu Zaigui, and they both felt guilty. If they just wanted to get rid of Wang Youzhao, it would be too easy for them.

But the problem now is that even if Wang Youzhao is eliminated, there is still no money for the project of the outer city of the capital.

Moreover, given their usual way of thinking and ideas, it would be somewhat difficult for them to get enough silver in a short period of time to ensure that the outer city project of the capital would not be affected.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng said in shame: "I have not yet thought of what to do next."

Zhu Zaigui took a sip of the teacup and found that there was no water in the cup, so he called Meng Chong and said, "Look, refill the tea for all the gentlemen."

After giving Meng Chong his instructions, Zhu Zaigui said slowly, "The next plan is also very simple. We need to let this matter continue to ferment until the court and the cabinet can no longer bear it and have to think of a change. Only then can I solve the problem later."

"Otherwise, even if I present a solution to the problem now, no one will take it seriously, let alone care about it. They may even think that I am daydreaming."

"Therefore, the main strategy now is to pursue Wang Youzhao relentlessly, firmly grasp his attitude of being an official who does nothing but work and is irresponsible, and push all the problems encountered in the outer city project of the capital onto him."

"Let him feel how terrible the consequences of being an official who does nothing are, then he will learn his lesson and take the initiative to take responsibility and work hard for the affairs of the capital's outer city." After hearing Zhu Zaigui's words, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. They never expected that Prince Yu had such a hard heart. You know, no matter how useless Wang Youzhao was, he could barely be considered a provincial governor, in charge of a prefecture.

But now, in Zhu Zai's mouth, Wang Youzhao is like a lump of clay that can be kneaded at any time and can be dealt with as he pleases. Is this still an idle prince who cannot ask about political affairs?
Obviously, all of Zhu Zaigui's actions now have exceeded their cognition and refreshed their understanding of Zhu Zaigui, the seemingly harmless and idle prince.

Gao Gong worriedly said, "It's fine for the prince to continue to target Wang Youzhao, but what if he really can't stop it in the end?"

Zhu Zaigui said indifferently: "That is the court's business, what does it have to do with us? And even if we don't do anything, do you think the court has the money and means to continue the construction of the outer city of the capital?"

"Hai Rui has been observing government affairs in the Ministry of Revenue for a year. Although he may not have access to the Ministry's confidential information, he should be relatively clear about the Ministry's annual revenue and expenditure. You can ask Hai Rui now if the Ministry of Revenue has any extra money that can be allocated to the outer city of the capital?"

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but look at Hai Rui. Hai Rui sighed helplessly, "Your Highness is telling the truth. The Ministry of Revenue is in a tight spot every year. Many government offices have started to find ways to get money on their own because they have received funding from the Ministry of Revenue."

"For example, the Ministry of Works, although it seems to be the last among the six ministries, it spends the most money every year. Not to mention the general expenses of palace maintenance, the money spent on managing the Yellow River and Huai River and dredging the Grand Canal is as high as one million taels every year."

"But how could the Ministry of Revenue pay so much money to the Ministry of Works alone every year? Therefore, in order to make up for the ministry's expenses and to maintain the court's large-scale projects, the Ministry of Works has gradually set up banknotes in various places to collect the money from merchants and travelers."

"The Ministry of Revenue also had complaints about this, but due to reality, the Ministry of Revenue could only let the Ministry of Works do what it wants. The attitude of the court was also quite ambiguous, and no one was willing to point out these problems."

"So even if we don't impeach Wang Youzhao now and try to smooth things over peacefully, we can't fool people about the construction of the outer city of the capital that has already started. The common people passing by will see that the construction of the outer city of the capital that the court wants to build has stopped."

"Imagine if such news spreads to all parts of the world over time, how will people in the world view the court? Will the court's dignity and respectability still exist? And how will we, the ministers who have read the books of sages and are determined to serve the world and relieve the worries of our king and father, deal with ourselves?"

"So, Your Majesty is right. No matter what the consequences are, we must make this matter public. Only after we make this matter public and expose all the problems, can we find a way to solve the problem."

Hai Rui's words made Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng so silent that they were deafening!
The two Hanlin scholars who have not yet come into contact with the core, even though they have thousands of ravines in their hearts, have never experienced practice and have no specific understanding of the difficulties of the court. They only know some problems that can be seen with the naked eye.

You may think that you can solve the problem by having a selfless heart and a willingness to stand up for the people of the world. In fact, such hot-blooded impulse will not only fail to help solve the problem, but may even make it worse.

Of course, this is not meant to belittle scholars. After all, scholars like Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, who studied hard and became officials but still stuck to their original aspirations and were determined to create a new atmosphere for the world, were still highly respected by Zhu Zaigui.

So at this time, Zhu Zaigui also said: "Don't worry, gentlemen, I will find a way to solve this matter in the end. But as I said before, if this matter cannot make the court and Your Majesty feel endless pressure, my method will never work."

“Therefore, we must persist at this time no matter what, continue to amplify this matter, continue to let more people know, and then use their public opinion to put pressure on the court and make the court alert again.”

"Let those high-ranking ministers in the court re-examine their actions, and let them understand that the purpose of the court's existence is to help the people of the world solve their problems and give them a sense of pride in stability. This way, it will not be in vain for me to put on such a big show behind the scenes."

(End of this chapter)