Chapter 72 The Ninth Chapter Said that Zilitian Cisheng was angry and sang "Ling'er Tune Jade Girl to Hurt Spring"

Just after noon, Foreign Lang Jin Xuezeng, a member of the household department, also came to Dalongfu Temple in a four-person-carried green sedan chair.Ever since Empress Dowager Li entered the temple with a "private visit in micro-service", the Dongchang fan guards immediately closed the gate of the temple, and all idlers were kept out of the gate and not allowed to enter.Jin Xue once swaggered in through the door, and the servants thought he was summoned by Queen Mother Li, but they didn't stop him, and let him leave with his head held high.In fact, Jin Xuezeng didn't know that Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao and other important people were in the temple. He came here for other reasons.

However, in the autumn of the previous year, after winning 10,000 taels of silver in a fight with crickets in Qiukui's mansion and donating it to Taicang, Jin Xuezeng became a celebrity in the capital overnight. Wang Guoguang, the official of the ministry, also felt that he could be cultivated with a clear mind.Therefore, he was entrusted with an important task and sent him to the Ministry of Rites to check the accounts.After half a year, he turned up the old accounts of the Ministry of Rites for decades, picked out the fakes and sought the truth, and carefully compared them, and sneaked out a nest of rats alive.Relying on the solid evidence he provided, Zhang Juzheng punished more than a dozen corrupt Mexican officials.In an officialdom where the habits of Qingliu are so strong, Zhang Ju happened to find such a "follower official" not easy to find, so he was promoted in an extraordinary way. In just over two years, he jumped from a ninth-rank view of politics to a fourth-rank official. Uiro, a member of the household department.The speed of promotion is faster than the bamboo shoots of March Sky.When his official position rose suddenly, what he was most afraid of was that others would say that he "occupies the latrine and doesn't shit". Therefore, whenever the ministry encountered difficult things that others would avoid doing, he would take the initiative to ask for it.Because of this, last winter, he took on another errand - going to Wanping County to inspect the harvest of the Sangongzi grain field.

Let's say that Wanping is close to Beijing, and the green hills, hills, plains and fertile fields are all under the eyes of the emperor.Because of being close, although there are things that honor the grace of God, but more of them are unreasonable sufferings.Not to mention anything else, the Dandao emperors of all dynasties bestowed land to various figures such as the emperor's relatives, neifu Diaota, and almost took up more than half of the best land in the county.Among them, the most striking one is probably Sangongzi Litian.The so-called three palaces are the Qianqing Palace, Ciqing Palace and Cining Palace in Ouchi. There are many Zilitian in these three palaces in Gyeonggi.Besides Wanping, there are Daxing County in Shuntian Prefecture, Jinghai County in Hejian Prefecture, and Qingyuan County in Baoding Prefecture.The harvest of this grain field is called grain silver.The collection is at the disposal of the masters of the Sangong, and it is actually their private money.The emperor, the East Palace and the West Palace usually use this money to reward the servants and maids around them.After Wanli was changed to Yuan Dynasty, although the Empress Dowager Li lived in Qianqing Palace with her son Zhu Yijun, the Compassionate Ning Palace was still her residence in name.Because the emperor was young and not yet ready to spend his own money, the money from the Qianqing Palace and the Compassionate Ning Palace was actually owned by the Empress Dowager Li alone.After the title of empress dowager of the two palaces was granted in the sixth year of Longqing, under Feng Bao's suggestion, the Ministry of Household Affairs approved an additional 50 hectares of rice fields for the two palaces.As a result, the Zili field under the name of the Compassionate Ning Palace, in Wanping alone, is as high as 170 hectares, 49 mu, and 5 cents, with an annual income of more than 8,000 taels of Zili silver.Last year, the amount of silver sent by the Wanping County Yamen was much less than in previous years, and the Cining Palace family alone lost more than a thousand taels.It is not a trivial matter to shorten the income of the Sangong, so the delivery of the grain silver will not take a few days.There was an imperial edict spread: "Why are the three palaces in arrears so much? The money and food in the Cining Palace yesterday was more than a thousand less than last year. It was found out and played. Here." This edict was borrowed by the Empress Dowager Li from the little emperor. It was not sent directly to the Ministry of Household Affairs but passed on by the cabinet. Its intention is also obvious, that is, to hope that Zhang Juzheng can directly supervise the matter.After Zhang Juzheng received the order, he called Wang Guoguang to discuss it, and asked him to send a capable person to Wanping County to investigate the reasons for the outstanding payment of grain and silver. Wang Guoguang recommended Jin Xuezeng almost without thinking, and Zhang Juzheng readily agreed.

After Jin Xuezeng got this errand, he hired a donkey to ride to the Wanping County Office and explained his intention to the county magistrate Shen Du. That's it." Apart from expressing enthusiasm, Shen Du refused to say a word.Jin Xue once guessed that Shen Du's mind should be avoided as a party involved, and secondly, he was afraid of saying wrong things in front of the imperial envoy, so it was not difficult for him. He only sent Master Qian Liang to accompany him to Gongzhuangzi Litian for field investigation? This kind of investigation does not seem to be difficult on the surface.Just ask the tenants of the palace and they will know.But if you go deep into it, you will know that there are many hidden secrets.Jin Xuezeng spent more than 20 days here, and had to return to the county government office because of the Spring Festival.When saying goodbye to Shen Du, he didn't talk about the results of his investigation, but only left a sympathetic sentence: "You are a county prince." He was so emotional because he found that there were too many land donations. In fact, it has become a bad government that endangers the oppressive areas of Bangben.For example, in Wanping County, there are more than 1,000 hectares of farmland rewarded with various types, accounting for three-tenths of the county's land.These estates belonged to three hundred and seventy-one people, some of them were hereditary from the previous dynasty's relatives, and some were the favor of relatives of the current dynasty's dignitaries, all of them could not be offended.These grains of farmland have to be paid in full once they are approved. If there is a natural or man-made disaster and the farmland fails to harvest, the landowner who is reasonable can still reduce it according to the discretion. percent.Once this happens, Wanping's one-county decree will be really embarrassing for one hundred and twenty people.If you help the nobles to press rent, it is tantamount to killing people; if you help the farmers complain, you will be insulted by the nobles.As far as Shen Du is concerned, last year Dongyue was slapped in the face by Du Jizu, the hereditary lord who came to press for the rent, because she said a few words for the tenants.Jin Xueceng obtained a lot of details during the investigation. During the Spring Festival, he took the opportunity to visit the house of Lord Wang Guoguang to pay New Year's greetings, and gave a general report on the various disadvantages of Zilitian.Wang Guoguang felt that the matter was serious, so he took him to Zhang Juzheng's mansion to report again.Wang Guoguang's meaning is obvious. If the first assistant is determined to solve Zilitian's bad governance, Jin Xuezeng can continue to investigate. If not, this hornet's nest should hurry up and stop poking it.How could Zhang Juzheng, who was thinking about financial reform, be willing to leave such dirty things behind? He immediately asked Jin Xuezeng to continue the investigation.

With the support of the chief minister and the ministers, Jin Xuezeng resumed his errand immediately after the Spring Festival with full energy.He found out from the records of the money and grain room of the Wanping County Department that the Dalongfu Temple in the capital also had 60 hectares of donated land in Wanping Mafangzhuang, and received nearly a thousand taels of silver every year: According to records, this is the time when Yingzong The emperor's gift-the right is the lamp oil money given by the royal family.Jin Xuezeng wanted to find out what the monks of Dalongfu Temple were doing with the thousand taels of silver.Yesterday, he came back from Wanping County. He went to the Ministry to pass Mao in the morning. After dealing with some urgent affairs, he boarded the sedan chair and went to Dalongfu Temple.

He wandered around the temples and asked about the situation of accepting incense money.Unconsciously, I have passed through the four major halls and arrived at the fifth major hall.He was chatting with the monk on duty in the dharma hall, when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside the door, he turned his head and saw a group of people had already walked to the door under the guidance of the abbot of the temple On the white stone railing platform built by Emperor Yingzong.The host pointed to the algae well above his head, and began to tell a group of people the story of the eight parts of Tianlong painted on it.There was a middle-aged man in a blue sermon robe, and a long beard floating on his chest caught his attention.When he took a closer look, he couldn't help being startled, and thought in his heart: "Isn't this Mr. Shoufu? How could he come here in casual clothes? The woman next to him looks very elegant, but I don't know who it is." Since Meeting each other, Jin Xuezeng knew that he couldn't avoid it, so he stepped out of the door and shouted to Zhang Juzheng:

"Master Chief Assistant!" Zhang Juzheng was taken aback, he didn't expect that there would be an official appearing here and now, let alone that this official would be Jin Xuezeng.While speaking, Jin Xuezeng had already come to the front, and he bowed to the ground, but he did not perform the ceremony of attending the court - this is also the rule: no matter how big an official is, if he only wears casual clothes, he cannot meet with the official ceremony.Seeing Jin Xuezeng's respectful manner, Empress Dowager Li who was standing next to Zhang Juzheng also wondered why a fourth-rank official would come out of the Dafa hall.After lunch, she was the one who proposed to go around the temple to clear up the stomach.She originally wanted to get out of the car, but her strong curiosity drove her to stay. She asked Zhang Juzheng:

"Who is this guy?" Zhang Juzheng was worried that he couldn't introduce him. Seeing that the Empress Dowager Li took the initiative to ask, he quickly replied, "This is Wailang Jin Xuezeng, a member of the household department." Pay something." "Ah," Empress Dowager Li raised her eyebrows, suddenly became interested, and ordered, "Take him to the living room for an interview." Empress Dowager Li and her party returned to the living room and sat down in their original positions. Wanhe Lingjinxue once entered the room to have an audience.At this time, Jin Xuezeng knew that the lady was the Queen Mother Li, and he was very excited.The real head of the Wanli Dynasty is the Empress Dowager Li, and this is an open secret known to all.Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng, both ministers and foreign ministers she relied on, arrived together today, such an opportunity is even more rare.He felt that Zhang Ju had introduced him to Empress Dowager Li just now in front of the Dafa Hall.He figured out what Zhang Juzheng was thinking, and wanted him to take this opportunity to tell Queen Mother Li the whole truth about the grain silver he had obtained through investigation, so he was prepared in his heart.As soon as he entered the house, he gave an audience ceremony to Empress Dowager Li.Empress Dowager Li gave him a seat, but Jin Xuezeng knelt on the ground and could not get up, and replied:

"In front of the Empress Dowager, lower officials dare not sit down." "Why?" "For the sake of court etiquette, only the ministers of the second rank and above have the reason to grant the seat when they meet the emperor and the empress dowager. I am a fourth rank grasshopper official, so I can only kneel." Empress Dowager Li smiled and asked, "Why, is Sipin still a grasshopper?" "Compared to the seventh-rank county magistrate, my fourth-rank Yuanwailang is a high-ranking official, but in front of the empress dowager, I can only be regarded as a grasshopper."

Jin Xuezeng's tone of voice is witty, but he doesn't feel glib.Empress Dowager Li was used to seeing dull people, and felt fresh when she first saw such an unusual person, and then asked: "I heard you can fight crickets." "Small tricks are nothing to worry about." "Although it's a small skill, it also shows spiritual energy," Empress Dowager Li said with a smile, "The year before last, you won 10,000 taels of silver in a cricket fight in Qiukui Mansion, and donated it to Taicang. Why did you do this?" "Share your worries for the emperor."

"Well," Empress Dowager Li felt that this answer was too sweet, and asked again, "You just said that you came to Dalongfu Temple today for business?" "yes." "The temple is a place for burning incense and worshiping Buddha. What business do you have?" "Of course, because this is a royal temple. Since Emperor Yingzong's time, he has given 70 hectares of Zili Tian, ​​and the annual rent income is about 1,000 taels of silver, which is used to pay for the daily expenses of the temple. The official is here today to investigate Find out how to spend the one thousand taels of silver every year." "Have you found out?" Queen Mother Li asked with concern. "Today, I have mixed feelings when I visit Dalongfu Temple." Jin Xuezeng knelt on the ground, straightened his body and asked, "Just now, the abbot of the temple is accompanying the Queen Mother. I don't know the cassock he is wearing. Do you pay attention?" "What happened to the cassock?" Queen Mother Li asked in confusion. "This cassock is made of high-quality western cloth. According to the estimation of the officials, it is worth at least fifty or sixty taels of silver." "The monk's clothes are so expensive?" Zhang Juzheng asked deliberately. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm puzzled about," Jin Xuezeng replied calmly, "I've heard since I was a child that the six sense organs are all purified once I enter Buddhism. Greed, hatred, and ignorance respond to the problems of the world, and everything is not tolerated by the Buddha Land. The great monk is wearing gorgeous clothes, which in itself is not the work of a monk. Today, when I enter this Dalongfu Temple, it is like entering a house of bells and Dingshi." Jin Xuezeng's words were sharp but reasonable. Empress Dowager Li looked at him and asked, "You mean, Dalongfu Temple squandered all the silver that the emperor gave?" "There are such suspicions," Jin Xuezeng replied very simply, "this Dalongfu Temple is the most incense-filled temple in the capital, and many nobles in the city are his benefactors. I heard that many middle-ranking officials in the palace, every year To donate incense money here, Wu He, who committed suicide in fear of crime a while ago, came here to burn incense on the first day of the new year, and donated five hundred taels of silver at a time..." "Is there such a thing?" Empress Dowager Li interrupted Jin Xuezeng and asked Feng Bao, who was listening attentively to the conversation. "Yes, the old people in the palace, more or less, like to do some meritorious deeds." Feng Bao answered truthfully. "With so many great benefactors, does Dalongfu Temple still need grains of silver?" Jin Xuezeng asked, and everyone present listened to him with bated breath. There is a fixed amount of wealth in the world. If there is more reward here, it will decrease there. Nowadays, the wealth of the world is controlled by some powerful and powerful families, regardless of whether it is the imperial court or the people. When Feng Bao heard Jin Xuezeng's words were outrageous, he was worried that Queen Mother Li would not listen, so he quickly stopped and said: "Jin Xuezeng, you were ordered to investigate the lack of silver in Sangongzi, why did you bring up these wild cotton?" Although Jin Xuezeng is not the kind of slippery character who adapts to the situation, he is quite able to judge the situation and grasp the measure.He just released a "two kicker", the original intention was to find out the truth.Seeing Feng Bao come forward to stop him, he followed his words and replied: "The matter of Sangongzi's grain silver has been investigated by the minister. The reason for the lack of payment last year was that the field was plagued by insects in the spring. In terms of harvest, the wheat in Sangongzhuang's field was only 30% of the previous year's. The grain silver handed over by the farmers, It’s less than half of the total, and the county government is trying to raise the difference.” "Where does the county government go to raise money?" Zhang Juzheng asked. "In addition to the private grain farms given to Wanping, there are also some official lands used for county schools and mountain forests. This part of the income is controlled by the county government. It is calculated that this input is not enough to make ends meet, but the county magistrate Shen Du is worried. Too much underpayment of the Sangong Zhuangtian’s grain silver will cause holy wrath, so we have to temporarily adjust it. Even if we tear down the east wall to pay the west wall, it will not be able to make up the quota.” "How much did they collect?" Queen Mother Li asked with a sullen face. "Just for the Compassionate Ning Palace, they collected a whole three thousand taels of silver." "Who asked them to join?" Empress Dowager Li stood up abruptly, the moth on the slanted hairpin on her hair, and her jade pendant were shaking, her eyes were wide open, staring at Jin Xuezeng, and asked angrily, "Wanna?" Who is the county magistrate Ping?" "Shen Du." "What you said just now, did he tell you?" "No, Shen Du kept a secret and refused to say anything. What I said just now is all from my own investigation." Jin Xuezeng replied calmly, without any intention of shirking responsibility.Feng Bao hadn't seen the queen mother lose her temper for a long time, so he quickly leaned over to persuade her: "Please calm down, Queen Mother. Jin Xuezeng's nonsense is not substantiated. Jin Xuezeng, don't retreat!" Jin Xuezeng was about to kowtow to thank you and leave when Empress Dowager Li waved her hand and said out of breath: "slow!" "Queen Mother." Feng Bao shouted nervously. Empress Dowager Li stabilized her mood a little, looked at Jin Xuezeng, and calmed down: "You will find him in the afternoon, Mr. Feng, and withdraw the money from the inner court supply treasury. The money filled by the Wanping County Government will be refunded. You Go to Wanping tomorrow to do this." The sudden change of Empress Dowager Li's attitude, Jin Xuezeng didn't know whether it was a disaster or a blessing, and carefully replied: "Empress Dowager, I'm here on an official mission, just to explain the facts of the investigation, and I don't mean to ask the Empress Dowager to return the money." "Do you have the guts to ask us to give back our money? You said it yourself, you are still a grasshopper!" Empress Dowager Li became angry again, and turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, "Mr. Zhang, Wanping County Magistrate Shen He will be dismissed from his post and will never be used again!" Zhang Juzheng hesitated and did not answer, but Jin Xuezeng, who was kneeling on the ground, yelled brazenly: "Queen Mother, I have something to report to you." Fearing that Jin Xuezeng would add fuel to the flames, Feng Bao stomped his feet anxiously and shouted, "Shut up!" Empress Dowager Li glared at Feng Bao and asked Jin Xuezeng, "What do you want to report?" "I want to defend Shen Du a few words," Jin Xuezeng said with a blushing face, "Shen Du has worked for the court sincerely, and he has suffered a lot of grievances when he was the magistrate of Wanping County. Not only can such a good person not be promoted, but he must Suffering the punishment of dismissal, such a treatment is against the justice of the court!" "Presumptuous!" This time it was Zhang Juzheng who yelled, pointing at Jin Xuezeng and angrily said, "You have been in the officialdom for a few days, and you know what court justice is, huh? You are so arrogant in front of the Queen Mother, based on your words just now, This assistant can dismiss you and investigate!" Jin Xue once bluntly said that he committed a crime because of his impatience, but he woke up after Zhang Juzheng scolded him.Although he admitted that he was emotionally extreme, he didn't think he said anything wrong. At this moment, he knelt there with his head bowed, his face full of frustration, and he didn't make a sound.How did he know that more than half of Zhang Juzheng's fury was just acting.The Chief Assistant scolded him openly, but secretly wanted to protect him.Zhang Juzheng had already seen Empress Dowager Li's face turn red and turn pale, fearing that she would not be able to hold back her seizures.If the words "removal and investigation" come out of her mouth, it will be an unchangeable decree.Jin Xuezeng's official career, which had just started, would soon end, so Zhang Juzheng spoke first.Knowing that Jin Xue was not convinced, he also wanted to take this opportunity to beat the "donkey", so he continued to reprimand: "The empress dowager wants to dismiss Shen Du. This is a wise move. You can't even see this, so why are you pretending to be a capable person! According to Benfu, there are at least three reasons for Shen Du's dismissal: first, Sangong The grain silver was collected due to a natural disaster, and Shen Du dared to embezzle the school silver and the horse silver to supplement. If this matter was spread, people who didn't know would think it was forced by the Queen Mother. Righteousness? Second, as an official of the imperial court, he dare not be an upright person, and governs the county according to the law. Instead, he is obedient and compromises. Yongguan; thirdly, this Shen Du has been the county magistrate in Wanping County for four years, and he should be said to be well aware of the various disadvantages of Zilitian. But when did the emperor see him write a few words on this matter? Wearing an official A person who only pays a salary and eats a salary does not dare to speak out for the government, such an official who only has his own gains and losses in his heart and has no emperor, what is the use of keeping him!" Empress Dowager Li's dismissal of Shen Du was an angry remark, but Zhang Juzheng did not expect that Zhang Juzheng would actually observe You Wei and say such a profound truth.While greatly admiring Zhang Juzheng, she also strengthened her confidence in her ability to handle affairs. She asked Jin Xuezeng: "Shoufu, have you listened to what he said?" Jin Xuezeng had long listened to and "understood" Shoufu's grand theories - he was clearly reprimanding him, but he was criticizing Zilitian's bad governance in private - and he immediately admired Shoufu's superb political wisdom.He replied: "After listening to the words of the first assistant, the subordinates were enlightened. After the first assistant's instruction, the subordinates realized the wise and wise judgment of the queen mother." A few words of flattery made Empress Dowager Li feel better.She bit her lip and thought for a while, then asked again: "How harmful is Zilitian to the government?" Jin Xuezeng wanted to answer, but when he saw that Zhang Juzheng had the intention of giving a performance, he said modestly: "I was ordered to go to Wanping County to investigate, and what I know is only a one-shot view, so I dare not make a statement." Zhang Juzheng felt that this was a good opportunity for him to present the financial reform to Empress Dowager Li, so he typed the draft a little, and said slowly: "Since the ancestor emperor, there have been nine emperors in the country. When each emperor was in power, he had rewarded the emperor's relatives, relatives, close servants and meritorious officials with land. Some time ago, the minister sent someone to the clan mansion to check the books. As of Longqing In the past six years, there are 8,203 members of the royal family. Among them, there are 30 princes, 203 county kings, 5 princes, 41 eldest sons, and 438 town generals. , 1,070 Fuguo generals, 1,137 Fengguo generals, 327 Zhenguo lieutenants, 108 Fuguo lieutenants, 280 Fengguo lieutenants , there were 4,300 untitled nobles, and 275 common people. Each of these clansmen had rewarded land under their names, some with more than a thousand hectares, and the least with more than 80 mu. Add up to more than 4 million acres of land. This is only the clan, if you add the grants from relatives, nobles, meritorious officials, servants, temples, etc., the number is so huge that it is difficult to count for a while. Last year, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Households, all the land in the world The tax and food of the state government are about 26,684,000 shi. Those who receive the imperial salary include 24,000 civil servants, 55,000 officials, 100,000 military officers, and 700 guards. Seventy-two, 896,000 banner troops, and 35,800 catering staff. The tax money collected by the court is simply unable to meet this huge expenditure. Comparing the two, the annual tax and food shortage is about More than 10 million shi. The current situation is that the Beijing government is short of lumi, the guards are short of monthly rations, all sides are short of military pay, and the province is short of salary. Wang Guoguang, the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, will be in charge of the world's finances, but it will only take two years. Her head is full of black hair, but more than half of it is gray. If nothing else, just because one person can’t make ends meet, it’s hard for a clever daughter-in-law to cook without rice.” Speaking of this, Wan He looked in with his head, Feng Bao went to the door and whispered something to him, Wan He walked away lightly.Empress Dowager Li caught a glimpse of Jin Xuezeng still kneeling there, and asked: "After kneeling for half a day, your knees are not sore." "Sour." Jin Xuezeng grinned. "There was a minister in the previous dynasty who made a mistake when he met him. He was punished to kneel at the Meridian Gate. He knelt for a whole day. His body is still intact. It seems that your kneeling skills are not good enough. It's none of your business here. go." Jin Xue once had a rare opportunity to hear Shoufu's long speech on national finance, and he was very interested in listening to it, but he did not expect that Queen Mother Li wanted him to step down, so he had to kowtow and thank him, and retreated angrily. In the living room, Zhang Juzheng continued the topic just now, and continued: "The rise and fall of a country depends on the administration of officials; the prosperity and decline of the court depends on the finances. Since my Majesty Wanli ascended the throne for two years, although I am a young man, I have a heroic appearance. I am determined to open up new policies and be a wise monarch who sets an example for future generations. Great luck, great luck for the common people. Since the Beijing inspection the year before last, every time the minister has a suggestion, the emperor has humbly accepted it, and issued a decree for the world. It is precisely because of the emperor's full support that the minister can judge matters and make decisions based on circumstances. And Happy today, all over the world, a new situation of clean, diligent and diligent officials has emerged. This is a good sign for a prosperous age, but it is not yet a prosperous age. Because the country's finances are still in a very difficult situation." Empress Dowager Li has never seen anyone discussing state affairs so vigorously, including her husband, Emperor Longqing, who is already famous, and her son, the little emperor Wanli, who promises everything.Taking advantage of Zhang Juzheng drinking tea to moisten his throat, she interjected and asked: "How to turn around the country's financial difficulties, presumably Mr. Zhang has already planned a strategy and has a well-thought-out plan." "The minister has been paying attention to financial issues since he served as an assistant minister in the second year of Longqing." Zhang Juzheng was afraid that the Empress Dowager Li would be impatient, so he tried to be concise and concise. Finance, the farmland in the north, and the tea-horse trade are all finances, and the issue of Zilitian that the Queen Mother just asked is even more financial. There is a fixed amount of land in the world. Every mu of Zilitian in Xungui's hands means that the court will lose one. Mu field tax. After calculation, if only three cents of tax money per mu were handed over to the state from the grain fields owned by the clan, the court would have more than 1.2 million taels of silver. This is equivalent to a hundred thousand taels under the command of a governor of Jiliao One year's expenses for soldiers. If all the grain fields in the country were handled in this way, half of the military expenses on the nine sides of the north would be solved." "Are there so many?" Queen Mother Li asked. "I have carefully calculated, the error will not be too big." Empress Dowager Li immediately calculated: The Palace of Compassionate Peace has more than 170 hectares of Zili field in Wanping County. If three cents of silver are collected and handed over to the state treasury, it will cost more than five thousand taels of silver a year, which is not a small sum. Number of.But she knew that if she took the lead, all the owners of Zilitian in the world would not dare to disobey.For this alone, the imperial court received several million taels of silver a year.Mr. Zhang is planning for the world, so he made this proposal, and he must not support him for some small self-interest, not to mention that the world is in the hands of his son.With her mind set, she said to Zhang Juzheng: "Mr. Zhang is worried about finances. He is worried about the emperor. Who wants to be a wise monarch, but doesn't want to realize the wish of a rich country and a strong army? A small family of Dingmen, open the door and there are seven major things: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea." Let alone a country? Without money in hand, nothing can be done. Let’s see the financial reform you proposed, starting from the grain field. An additional three cents of silver per mu is not a big deal. You go back and let the Ministry of Households Draw up a note and send it to the emperor, and let the emperor approve the decree." Zhang Juzheng didn't expect the Empress Dowager Li to agree so readily, and moved to say: "The Empress Dowager is so reasonable, I can only serve the emperor with all my heart and soul. As long as the country's finances need to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, on the one hand put an end to greed and extravagance, and on the other hand sharpen the needle to open up avenues of wealth." , I guarantee that within two years, the financial situation will fundamentally change." "With your words, we are relieved, and so is the emperor." Empress Dowager Li said with a slight smile, and said, "I should have said that I would come to Dalongfu Temple to relax today, but who knew that she would put on a straight face again. After talking about state affairs for half a day, we are really tired." "It's because the minister is tired of the Queen Mother." Zhang Juzheng said apologetically, "Please go back to the palace to rest the Queen Mother." "There are still things to finish." Empress Dowager Li suddenly giggled and asked Feng Bao, "Eunuch Feng, have you brought it?" "Brought it." After Feng Bao replied, he smiled treacherously at Zhang Juzheng, and then walked out the door. In the living room, only Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng were left.Suddenly, both of them felt a little uncomfortable.Empress Dowager Li glanced at Zhang Juzheng who was sitting upright, blushing on her face, she reached out to caress her temples, and asked: "Mr. Zhang, when we lost our temper just now, didn't we look ugly?" Zhang Juzheng couldn't help being surprised: How could the Empress Dowager ask a minister of the foreign court such words? But he still answered honestly: "At that time, I was only thinking about how to reprimand Jin Xuezeng, but I didn't notice the Queen Mother." A trace of disappointment flashed across Queen Mother Li's sweet eyes, and she asked again: "Do you want to know what we were thinking when you discussed the national finance just now?" "I want to know, please let the queen mother explain in detail." "We were wondering why this Mr. Zhang has such a good brain. He can memorize so many boring numbers. He just opens his mouth and doesn't even choke a single one. From this alone, we can conclude that you are loyal to the country and diligent in political affairs. people." "The Queen Mother has won the prize." "We are telling the truth," Empress Dowager Li sighed, "The emperor is most afraid of ministers Wen Tian and Wu Xi. With Mr. Zhang as a role model for all civil and military officials, the emperor no longer has to worry about the court situation." Zhang Juzheng understood from the bottom of his heart that the queen mother was talking about the emperor, but she was the one who was most worried about the court situation, so he replied: "Although the emperor is young, he has lofty aspirations. It can be predicted that he will be a wise monarch when he grows up." "I hope so," Empress Dowager Li was grateful, and she cast a bolder gaze on Zhang Juzheng, "Who in the world would not want their son to become a success? As the empress dowager, this worry is even more unusual. Fortunately, Under the guidance of Mr. Zhang, Jun'er is open-minded and eager to learn, diligently studies political affairs, and has made a good start." Zhang Juzheng hurriedly corrected: "I dare not teach the emperor." "What is a teacher to a student if it is not teaching?" Empress Dowager Li said with emotion, "As a mother, we can see clearly that two people have the greatest influence on Jun'er's growth. One is his father, Long Qing. Emperor, the other one is you!" "Queen!" Zhang Juzheng shouted at a loss. "Mr. Zhang, don't be nervous. This is what we say from the bottom of our hearts. There is no falsehood. After all, we are the queen mother. In this capacity, do we still need to be hypocritical to curry favor with others?" Empress Dowager Li's fiery gaze made Zhang Juzheng feel uncomfortable.But he didn't dare to go one step further, he only choked up and replied: "The empress dowager attaches so much importance to her subordinates, and the ministers have no way to repay them. They should tie a grass ring and swear to be loyal to the emperor to the death." Compared with the generous statement on state affairs just now, Zhang Juzheng seemed to be a different person. Facing the restraint of the chief minister, Empress Dowager Li looked up and asked: "Mr. Zhang, don't you think the Queen Mother doesn't look like a woman?" "No..." Zhang Juzheng was speechless. "No, nothing?" Empress Dowager Li pressed on, before waiting for an answer, she asked again, "What kind of person do you think we are?" "The Queen Mother is dignified and virtuous." "anything else?" "The Queen Mother is beautiful but not glamorous, charming but not coquettish." "Is this Mr. Zhang's sincere words?" "It's the truth." Zhang Juzheng was already hot all over, his throat was dry and smoky, but he couldn't think of drinking water.Empress Dowager Li looked at his embarrassment, and suddenly felt a great sense of satisfaction, and said: "Wang Luo Bin's "Looking at Wu Wen" scolded Wu Zetian, "You can see jealousy at the beginning, but Hu Mei can confuse the master." This is the slander of poor literati! Hu Mei is the capital of women. There is no cat in the world who does not eat fish, and there is no cat who does not like Hu Mei A woman's man. Mr. Zhang, think about it, the emperor is surrounded by clouds of beauties, and the concubines in the harem are full of beauties. If you are not charming, how can you outshine others and win favor? If you can't be favored, as a woman, how can you Don't keep a green lantern until it turns white? Of course, being charming can only be used as a means to gain favor. If you want to be favored, you must be dignified and virtuous. Therefore, being charming and dignified are two sides of a woman, and the two cannot be neglected. " Zhang Juzheng had never heard of this strange theory.But it also allowed him to find the reason why Queen Mother Li stood out in the harem back then.He felt that the beautiful Empress Dowager, who was only thirty years old, was not only respectable, but also cute, and he couldn't help but admire from the bottom of his heart: "The Empress Dowager is truly a heroine!" Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Li didn't appreciate it, she pouted her lips and said sarcastically, "Mr. Zhang, we're going to be vulgar for your evaluation." "what?" "A woman who wants to be a hero, is that still a woman? The greatest ability of a woman is to be able to win the favor of men." Zhang Juzheng's heart skipped a beat, he saw some expectation in Empress Dowager Li's eyes, so he whispered: "As a woman, the queen mother may be a little lonely." "That's right," Empress Dowager Li's mind was moved, she saw crystal clear tears overflowing from her eyes, she sighed, "As a woman, we have seven emotions and six desires, but as a queen mother, we have to suppress these seven emotions and six desires." "The Empress Dowager's mother is in the world..." Zhang Juzheng wanted to say a comforting word, but he didn't think it was right to say it, so he stopped.At this time, only a slight cough was heard outside the door. "Who is it?" "It's us." Feng Bao's voice, he went out to call someone, it wouldn't take this long.But he saw that Empress Dowager Li intended to stay alone with Zhang Juzheng for a while, so he dawdled outside for a long time. "Did someone bring it?" Queen Mother Li asked. Feng Bao replied through the door: "Bring it." "come in." The door was pushed open, Feng Bao let a well-dressed young woman walk in, Zhang Juzheng took a look and couldn't help being surprised, it was none other than his beloved Yuniang who came. "How could it be you?" Zhang Juzheng couldn't help standing up. Yuniang also saw Zhang Juzheng, but she didn't have time to say hello, only to see Feng Bao pointing to Empress Dowager Li and saying to her: "This is the Empress Dowager Mercy." Yuniang quickly knelt down and kowtowed. Empress Dowager Li stared at her for a long time before ordering to give her a seat. Then she asked Zhang Juzheng with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, didn't expect that?" "Chen..." Zhang Juzheng's face turned red, he didn't know what to say. However, during a chat a few days ago, Empress Dowager Li learned from Feng Bao that Zhang Juzheng had fallen in love with a little girl named Yuniang, and she suddenly felt curious.In her impression, Zhang Ju is just a serious and honest gentleman, she never thought that he would spend the past few months in love.After arriving at Dalongfu Temple this morning, when she was talking with Zhang Juzheng, she suddenly had an idea and wanted to find Yuniang here to meet her, so she secretly ordered Feng Bao to send someone to do it during lunch. Seeing Yuniang for the first time, Empress Dowager Li marveled at her beauty, watched her walk a few steps, graceful and graceful, but she was not frivolous, and asked her a few gossips, nothing more than her background and hometown, and Yuniang was not stage fright , He responded generously and correctly, and he already had a good impression of her in his heart.Seeing Zhang Juzheng embarrassed, Empress Dowager Li smiled and said: "Mr. Zhang, I heard that you have a jade lady beside you. We just want to see what a beautiful person you are, so we asked Eunuch Feng to invite her to Jixianglu today." When Zhang Juzheng heard that Empress Dowager Li knew everything, he felt a little nervous, and replied uneasily: "The minister's behavior is disorderly, which is out of the demeanor of a minister." "Sir, you don't have to impeach yourself," Queen Mother Li said in a rare affectionate tone, "Our Queen Mother is not a dull person. A while ago, seeing Mr. Zhang working so hard on state affairs, we thought about choosing one in the palace. Give Mr. Zhang a maid of both good looks and let her serve you well. Who knows that the maid of honor has not yet been selected, but this Yuniang has come first. This is a good thing, don't blame yourself." "Thank you, Queen Mother." Zhang Juzheng was grateful. "Yu Niang, come here." Empress Dowager Li suddenly called out. Yuniang got up and walked to Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li took her hand and touched it, then looked at her twinkling almond eyes, white and round chin, and sighed: "Looking at your appearance, you are also a blessed person. Follow Mr. Zhang and you will not lose his luck." "Thank you Queen Mother for your compliment." Yu Niang squatted down with a blessing. 李太后朝张居正瞥了一眼，又对玉娘说：“咱若不是太后，肯定就要起你的醋意儿，玉娘，从今天起，你就算从我身边选拔的宫女，好好服侍张先生，不可耍娇使性子，你记住了。” “奴婢记住了。”玉娘羞涩地一笑。 “记住了就好，没事儿的时候，咱会宣你进宫拉拉嗑子的。”李太后说着，又问，“听说你很会唱曲儿?” “奴婢学过几支。”玉娘谦虚地答。 “现在，你给咱唱一支吧。” “不知太后要听什么?” “你这妮子，正是怀春的年龄，你就拣怀春的曲子唱一支吧，张先生，你说可好?” “臣听太后的。” 说话间，冯保让人将玉娘随身带来的琵琶拿进来，玉娘略一沉思，就捻指弹唱起来： 念多情，抛不掉他的情意儿厚， 清晨起闷悠悠，桃红纱帐挂金钩。 孤孤单单无陪伴。 懒对菱花怕梳头。 热扑扑的离别恨，把奴的魂勾。 谁能够把情留、把情留? 背地里，奴的泪双流。 奴是一颗实落心， 生生教你温存透。 温存透、温存透， 可恨奴家无来由， 梦赴阳台把佳期凑， 醒来却是孤孤单单在绣楼， 看天边，残月如钩…… 玉娘唱的是《岭儿调》，凄切哀婉。唱着唱着，她已是泪流满面。冯保在一旁观察，只见张居正眼睑低垂，负疚之情已在脸上显露。而李太后受到的感染更深，几颗晶莹的泪珠，正滚动在她的发烫的脸颊上。