Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 260: One ruler rules alone, and the ruler and his subjects rule together!

In front of the Hai Mansion, there is a jujube tree and another jujube tree.

Hai Rui worked as a teacher in Nanping, Fujian for several years, served as a county magistrate in Chun'an County for several months, served as a prefect in Hangzhou Prefecture for several months, and finally served as governor-general in Nanzhili for several months. He was a simple and honest person on weekdays, but after all, his time there was short. After being transferred to Beijing, he was not short of money, but he was not rich either.

So, he found a simple courtyard house on the northeastern edge of the city, far away from the six ministries. The lowest monthly rent was no more than eight hundred yuan. Hai Rui brought his mother, wife, two children, Princess Li, and Crown Prince Zhu Yijun and his mother and son here.

This small courtyard was very much to Hai Rui's liking.

There are three rooms on the north side facing south, with a living room in the middle. A door on the east side of the living room leads to the bedroom, and a door on the west side leads to that room. In this way, the two palace maids who accompany the princess and the prince and his mother can take care of their masters and also sleep here at night from time to time.

The east and west wing rooms, the east wing belongs to Hai's mother, that is, Mrs. Hai, and the west wing is where Hai's wife and children live.

With so many women in the courtyard, especially the princess and the prince, Hai Rui could not live here. Even if he did, he could only live in the South Gate House with the Jinyiwei disguised as gatekeepers.

Therefore, Hai Rui lived in the Ministry of Rites during these days. This made it convenient for him to discuss the simplification of texts with the scholars, but he also had no other place to live.

The most valuable thing is that there is a locust tree in the yard, which is very lush. In summer, the shade it casts can cover half of the yard. There is a small table and a few bamboo chairs, which are convenient for eating and enjoying the cool air.

There is a well on the west side of the yard, not far from the kitchen. It is less than ten feet deep and contains clear water, which is not easy to find in Beijing. It is especially convenient for the Hai family who have to fetch water for washing the floor every day.

When I first arrived, there was only a small courtyard with rooms on three sides. It was empty, the furniture was not in use, the doors and windows were dilapidated, and the interior walls were peeling off.

It took quite some time, and Hai Rui paid out of his own pocket to hire masons and carpenters, and the repairs were finally completed that morning.

The two Jinyiwei disguised as masons and carpenters finished nailing the last window. Several masons and carpenters also walked out of the house. The leader walked up to Hai Rui, saluted, and said, "Master Hai, we are leaving now."

Hai Rui nodded, took out five copper coins from his lapel and handed them to the leader, saying, "The rest of the wages."

The leader seemed very embarrassed. Hai Rui handed it forward again and said, "Take it. If anyone has any questions, let them come to me."

After hearing this, the leader breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Master Hai, for the reward."

He took the money and walked out of the yard with the group of masons and carpenters carrying their tools.

Hai Rui also walked out of the courtyard gate and instructed the several Dongchang guards disguised as servants outside the courtyard gate: "Move the remaining household items in, and then clean the floor of the east wing."

The Hai family is of the fire element and they often go barefoot on the ground all year round. So washing the floor has become a frequent thing to do, especially where Mrs. Hai lives.

Several servants immediately carried baskets filled with pots, pans, and utensils into the west kitchen. The other two servants moved the last table and a few chairs on the table into the east wing, then hurried out and walked to a well on the right side of the yard, put down the bucket on the wheel and fetched water.

After all, he was from Dongchang, so he could just run with a bucket full of water. After a few trips back and forth, the brick and stone floor of the east wing was washed as smooth as a mirror.

Like the masons and carpenters, these Dongchang servants hesitated for a moment about the remaining wages before accepting it.

Hai Rui said to the servant in charge of the kitchen, who was also the head servant, "The previous master planted some seasonal vegetables in the corner of the yard. The princess has ordered that we can plant and eat them ourselves from now on. There is no need to send food from the palace."

Following the direction of Hai Rui's finger, a lot of beans had already grown on the bean rack. Although they were of different lengths, they were edible.

The lush green water spinach and spinach have obviously reached the season of maturity, and in a small corner, there are also some green onions planted.

Although the place is not big, these vegetables are enough for the women and children in the courtyard.

Mrs. Hai is also a diligent person. Although she has lived in the south for a long time, she has learned to grow northern vegetables, so she will never lack vegetables to eat in the future.

Madam Hai and his wife both knew how to cook. After Princess Li moved into the courtyard, she took the initiative to ask that the palace not send her daily meals. She even wanted to learn how to weave and sew from Madam Hai. It wouldn't be long before she wouldn't even need clothes from the palace.

Hai Rui was originally very apprehensive about Princess Li working, but Princess Li took the initiative to tell him about the maid's background, and that she was capable of working and could do the job, so he agreed.

Besides, the dishes provided by the palace, the dishes from the imperial kitchen, let's just call them imperial meals, Hai Rui had tasted them and they were really not tasty.

Although the ingredients are fine and the cooking methods are meticulous, few of the dishes are hot and they have no taste. No wonder His Majesty no longer asked the imperial kitchen to provide meals after he moved to the West Garden. The food is really not tasty and is just enough to fill his stomach.

But there was no other way to prevent poisoning. After all the meals had been tasted by the palace maids and eunuchs, they had to wait for a while and could not be moved, touched or changed. Even heating was not allowed. No matter how delicious the dish was, it would not taste good if it was completely cold. And in order to prevent the preferences from being known by evil people, one could not even eat two chopsticks of a dish, which meant there was nothing to eat.

It would be fine for Princess Li to eat these tasteless imperial meals in the palace, but if she still eats the same outside the palace, wouldn’t it be a waste of her time?

I would rather grow my own food than eat the emperor's food.

The head servant, upon hearing this, turned greener than the spinach. After a long silence, he said, "Master Hai's family doesn't raise livestock, and they only eat green vegetables. I'm afraid it's difficult for the prince."

You can grow your own vegetables, but what about meat?
There is no place to raise chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, etc. in this mansion. It’s impossible that the prince will no longer eat meat, right?
"You can send some fresh meat."

Hai Rui seemed to take a step back and said, "I will pay."

Somehow, the head servant felt inexplicably better and his face slowly regained its color.

In order to ensure that the prince can have meat, such a "condition" seems acceptable.

The leading servant thought for a moment and said, "Then I will go back and report to the Second Ancestor..."

Hai Rui interrupted him and said, "Whether it's Eunuch Lu or Eunuch Huang who has a problem, let them come to me. It has nothing to do with you."

After Chen Hong's death.

Huang Jin was appointed as the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and the supervisor of the Eastern Depot, becoming the second ancestor of the inner court.

The leader's words were obviously an attempt to find a way out for himself. Hai Rui had no difficulty in doing so and took the responsibility.

"Thank you, Master Hai." The leading servant said gratefully.

After packing up their things, the servants were about to leave. Before stepping out of the door, the leading servant whispered a reminder: "I heard that Mr. Hai's old friend in Jiangnan has arrived in Beijing and is staying at the post station. Maybe you should go and take a look."

……

The Temple of the Virtuous and Good is located in the inn.

Hai Rui met his old friend, Wang Yongji, the governor of Zhejiang, whom he had not seen for many days.

A fire, a chair, Wang Yongji lying on the bed, Hai Rui holding the tongs to adjust the fire in the stove and boil the medicine, obviously feeling very complicated and heavy.

The investigation into the case of forged memorials was sent to various provinces, and dozens of governors and governors immediately set out in response to the order, rushing towards the capital day and night.

Wang Yongji’s riding skills were good, but after several days and nights of traveling 2,500 miles, he was exhausted when he arrived at the capital.

The emperor had ordered the imperial doctors to be ready at any time. The medicines for Wang Yongji's external and internal use were all prescribed by the great doctor Li Shizhen himself. He would be almost cured in two days. The governors and governors of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, and Huguang, which were closer to the capital, came earlier, so their basic activities were not affected much.

Now, with Wang Yongji's arrival, Zhejiang has also arrived. Only the governors and governors-general of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangxi have not arrived yet, but they will be here in a few days.

They could all catch up to watch the triumphant return ceremony of the northern expeditionary army.

Wang Yongji was still lying there, staring at Hai Rui closely.

"Life is not even a hundred years long, yet we always worry about a thousand years." Hai Rui finally spoke, saying, "Your Majesty's Wanshou Palace and Yongshou Palace have been completed for a date, and the Imperial Observatory has also chosen a date for the relocation, but when the day of relocation came, Your Majesty suddenly refused to move.

On that day, all the ministers were stunned. Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the cabinet, even knelt on the ground and apologized, tears streaming down his face.

The other three members of the cabinet and all the officials from the six ministries and nine departments were also moved by the prime minister's sorrowful cry and burst into tears together.

Runlian (Wang used the character Ji), do you know why? "

The Yongshou and Wanshou Palaces were built with the intentions of the subjects all over the world. Civil and military officials wrote poems to congratulate the emperor on his move. However, unexpectedly, the emperor was unwilling to move.

The ministers' crying ultimately failed to open the gate of Yuxi Palace.

"It was the day when the various provinces reported the case!" Wang Yongji replied.

"Yes."

Hai Rui put down the tongs, looked up at Wang Yongji, and said helplessly, "Why pick that day to report on any other day? It would be fine if it was just one or two provinces, but it seems like you guys had planned this and reported the case together."

After a nationwide investigation and manhunt, no real evidence was found against a single person, and no proof of guilt was established.

There were many people involved, including scholars, common people, peddlers and lower-level officials. The testimonies of those arrested in various provinces were inconsistent and they kept changing their statements, which caused public outrage and made the emperor lose face.

Such a result, or explanation, was presented on His Majesty's "big day".

That night, in front of the Yuxi Palace, Hai Rui felt a murderous intent surging in the void.

The high officials of the imperial court and the local governors, whether intentionally or unintentionally, caused unimaginable embarrassment to the emperor.

Paine, the Minister of Justice who was impersonated in the case of forging memorials, fainted on the spot and has been lying in bed unable to get up since then and has not recovered.

Although the relationship between the ruler and his subjects is unspoken, it is like that of enemies.

It would be fine if other provincial governors did the same thing, as it had nothing to do with Hai Rui and Hai Rui could not do anything about it. But Wang Yongji, the deputy who accompanied Hai Rui through Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, and even Nanzhili, also did the same thing. Hai Rui really could not understand it.

What happened to his old friend during the time he was away from Jiangnan?
"He regards the country as his own home, and rules alone, taking and taking as he pleases, treating all officials as if they were nothing, and ignoring the people of the world. My Lord, this is the root of the trouble of our Ming Dynasty."

Wang Yongji first answered Hai Rui's deeper question, and then replied: "The main culprit in the forged memorial case is not in Zhejiang, even if he is in Zhejiang, he has long been nowhere to be found. The Jinyiwei and the Dongchang are helpless. Why does the emperor make things difficult for the local governors?
Do we really have to push a few people to take the blame so that His Majesty will be satisfied?"

indeed.

The case of forging memorials was essentially a drama of "a subordinate making fun of the emperor", but the forged memorials were not without substance. The emperor's tyranny, large-scale construction projects, and obsession with Taoism and fasting were all facts.

The forged memorial was circulated throughout the country, and the emperor was furious. He demanded an explanation from the governors of all provinces. What explanation could they give?
Look at the way the emperor destroyed culture and started the literary inquisition. He couldn't find the main culprit, so he asked people to take the blame. Isn't this forcing people to die and their clans to be exterminated?
Wang Yongji could not do such a thing. When the local authorities found nothing after their own investigation, they thought of a good day and reported the case to the emperor, hoping that on a good day the emperor would not be angry and would let the matter go.

He never expected that he thought so, and other provincial governors and governors-general also thought so. It was just a coincidence.

The emperor's mood for the relocation was ruined, and the relationship between the emperor and his subjects deteriorated again.

Wang Yongji almost lost half his life during the 2,500-mile race, and couldn't help but feel resentful towards the emperor.

Your Majesty is making a fuss over a few slanderous remarks.

Hai Rui was stunned.

He didn't expect that his old friend would be so childish now.

From ancient times to the present, the power game between the emperor and his subjects is not a dinner party, but a life-and-death struggle.

If Your Majesty allows the court and local governments to slander His Majesty, causing the people to lose their reverence for You, then they will blame You for all the dissatisfaction in their lives. If this continues in the long run, how can Your Majesty lead the people of the world?

Hai Rui thought that after several earthquakes in the court last year, many young and capable governors took office in various provinces. From his old friend, Hai Rui seemed to see the naivety of other young governors.

This group of successful and lucky people saw the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty and blamed all these shortcomings on the emperor.

At this moment, Hai Rui gradually understood why those old guys like Yan Song and Xu Jie were able to hold power in the country for decades.

In the hearts of these governors and governors-general, they ranked first, followed by Mencius' words "People are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important."

They put the emperor and father of all the people in the world in the last place!

Seeing Hai Rui remained silent, Wang Yongji thought he had been recognized and continued, "In the history of China, the Xia and Shang dynasties were the dynasties with only kings but no people. At that time, the Book of History said, 'When will the time come? I will perish with you!' It can be seen that the people were living in misery and the people of the world wanted to perish together with King Jie of Xia.

The Shang Dynasty replaced the Xia Dynasty. In the first few hundred years, it still cared about the people of the world. But when King Zhou came, he treated the people like grass and destroyed them in an instant.

Confucius was born to teach people to love others. Mencius was born next to him and he expressed the eternal truth that "people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important." However, the Qin Dynasty did not respect Confucius and Mencius and it perished after three generations.

It was not until Emperor Wen of Han that he truly understood this principle. He practiced frugality, ruled the country with his subjects, and put the people first. Only then did China truly enjoy a peaceful and prosperous era for the first time, which is known in history as the Reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing.

Emperor Taizong of Tang followed his example and ruled the world together with wise ministers, and the Zhenguan Reign was achieved.

After that, there were many changes of dynasties. Whenever the ruler and his ministers ruled together and put the people first, the world was peaceful. Whenever a ruler ruled alone, abandoned his wise ministers, and ignored the people's livelihood, the country would decline and perish.

The present emperor strictly practices one-man rule. He treats the cabinet as servants and all officials as enemies. He attacks and kills people at will. He empowers eunuchs with power and lets his household slaves rule the country. He treats the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty as the private property of the Zhu family.

He did not attend court for more than 20 years, claiming to be in Xuanxiu, but secretly ruled the country alone, using brocade clothes outside and eunuchs inside, all in his attempt to elevate the emperor's name.

The Emperor, Your Majesty, Your Highness, and the next one below is the Saint.

"It's a pity that the officials of the Ming Dynasty suffered even more. Many died at the hands of the butchers, and many died as a result of being implicated!"

The young governor was not satisfied with the power of governing a province. What he wanted was for the Holy Emperor to rule the country...

(End of this chapter)