Chapter 20 Jianwen
Amidst laughter and joy, the two quickly reached a tacit understanding. Mu Qi and the young cabinet minister clapped their hands in satisfaction at each other, and then asked the butler to bring out the Western wine bought a few years ago and drank with the young cabinet minister.
The Yan family lived in luxury, and Mu Qi was no slouch either. The wine pot he served was an out-of-print official kiln product from the Song Dynasty, the teacups were treasures from Cai Jing's collection; the porcelain plates were top-notch - white glaze with an inscription personally written by Emperor Daojun!
Even with the wealth of the young cabinet minister, he was shocked for a moment: "So powerful! I wonder where did the prince get it from?"
Mu Qi smiled slightly, thinking, do I have to tell you that I even have the pottery bowl that Prime Minister Zhuge played with? But you characters, how can you be qualified to touch your father's things!
After three rounds of drinks, the young cabinet minister was a little tipsy and somewhat open-minded. He held the prince's hand and said sincerely:
"Well, it's because the current emperor is so benevolent and virtuous that he doesn't want to kill more people, so big things can always be resolved. If it were during the reign of Emperor Taizong, all he needed to do was label them as 'remnants of Jianwen' to solve all the problems once and for all..."
Although he kept praising his benevolence, his regret was evident in his words. After all, the old Taoist priest was not an emperor right away, and he did not have the ability to kill and make decisive decisions like his ancestors. Even if they were really accused of being the remnants of Jianwen, it would not necessarily be possible to do anything to Zhou Zhicheng and his accomplices - if they were not killed, they would become enemies instead; if they were just exiled far away, there might be people who would feel sorry for them and secretly lend a hand. So how to deal with it requires some thought.
Mu Qi calmly withdrew his right hand, but only smiled slightly: "Young Lord, you worry too much. Doesn't this Zhou Jieshizhong always say that he admires the virtue of the Fortress-Emperor Yingzong? As far as I know, after Yingzong was restored to the throne, he once built a temple in the capital to commemorate the Oirat Grand Master Yesen. It seems that he missed the days on the grassland."
Yan Donglou asked in surprise: "You want to send people to the temple?"
"Young Lord, you are joking. How could he have a chance to go to the temple?" Mu Qi said slowly, "What I mean is that after Emperor Yingzong returned to Beijing, he never got to walk on the grassland again in his life, which was a great pity. Since this person admires Emperor Yingzong, why not let him fulfill Emperor Yingzong's wish and appoint him an inspector or something to go to the Mongolian border to build relationships! Since he admires the virtues of the late emperor so much, he will surely follow his example and become closer to the Mongolians, leaving behind a good story..."
Young cabinet minister: …………
The young minister was silent. Although the fact that Emperor Yingzong studied abroad in Wala was a taboo in the imperial court, it was not news to the cabinet ministers. Although Emperor Yingzong repeatedly claimed that he was "highly respected" in Mobei, the true situation was unclear and it was said that there were things he could not bear to talk about.
However, since Emperor Yingzong felt very comfortable staying in Mobei, no one could feel uncomfortable for him; and Zhou Zhicheng admired Yingzong's virtues so much, how could he rashly refute the late emperor's self-description?
The late emperor felt comfortable, so you shouldn't be too picky, right?
When he thought of this, the young minister burped and a vague feeling of doubt arose in his heart. He vaguely remembered that in the current court, he and his biological father should be the treacherous ministers who persecuted loyal officials... right?
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They drank a few more glasses of wine and ate some delicious side dishes. Seeing that the food was almost ready, Mu Qi poured another glass for the young minister and asked a question that he had been pondering for a long time.
"To be honest, I am a little confused." He said slowly, "The memorial submitted by Zhou contains a lot of information about the tribute. Some of the details of the negotiations with Japan are extremely accurate and can only be known by people who were present at the scene. I wonder who leaked the information?"
The young cabinet minister thought for a moment and shook his head. "I have selected all the clerks on the scene, and I trust my own people. Eunuch Huang of the Imperial Household Department only has Your Majesty as a cloud above his head, and he will definitely not speak nonsense. I think it is likely that the Japanese envoy leaked the secret himself."
"Oh? The Japanese envoy actually dared to communicate with the minister and leak the news?" Mu Qi pretended to be surprised: "Isn't this a huge crime!"
"That's what the prince doesn't know." The young cabinet elder was a little drunk and poured out his heart: "In the time of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, it was indeed a serious crime for tribute envoys to have secret dealings with ministers from other courts. The whole family could be skinned three times. But nowadays is different after all! Such actions are just turning a blind eye and letting the matter go. Such incidents have happened quite a lot..."
Although he had expected this, Mu Qi was still speechless for a moment. Ever since Emperor Xiaozong allowed civil officials to govern the country with great Confucian scholars, the weak and fragmented tributary diplomacy had long become an unbreakable old custom. The barrier set up by the Ministry of Rites was as loose as a shower head, allowing people from both inside and outside to come in and out freely. Considering the large amount of silver in the hands of the Japanese envoys, it is not surprising that they could secretly bring one of them to the Imperial Secretariat.
Perhaps humanoid creatures also have a sympathetic connection with each other. Emperor Baozong loves Mongolia and is nostalgic for the past when he licked the hooks of the Oirat people. Now that times have changed, Zhou Jishizhong, who reveres Baozong, has no Mongolia to lick, so he simply finds another way and engages in secret relations with the Japanese. With such a tacit understanding, Zhou Zhicheng should be buried with the emperor in the mausoleum, so that he can communicate with Bao Zong in the underground.
However, the fact that the collusion between the inside and the outside was so blatant undoubtedly demonstrated the extremely bad intelligence situation. Decades later, Japan landed in Goryeo, trying to replicate its dream of conquering China by using Goryeo as a springboard, which it had been dreaming of for thousands of years. The invading generals at that time could even clearly describe the palace where the emperor of the Central Plains lived and even the cabinet's decision-making process in correspondence.
How did such confidential information get out? Looking at it now, the three-foot-thick ice is indeed not formed in one day!
Mu Qi remained calm: "Since this is the old system of our ancestors, why do you ignore it? Can't we punish them severely?"
The young cabinet minister blew a breath from his nostrils impatiently, and it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the Japanese - of course, don't get me wrong, the young cabinet minister was by no means having a change of heart and worrying about the country and the people; it was purely the instinct of a treacherous minister acting out. He felt that these unhuman devils dared to collude with the Qingliu to stab him in the back, and that his ambition to make money was blocked by outsiders. He was so angry and irritated that he could hardly control himself.
——Damn it, the overall situation of the foreign nations paying tribute is on the shoulders of me and the prince; you, Zhou, a mere seventh-rank official who came from a juren family and climbed up by climbing the trouser belt of the Xu family, actually dare to talk to me about serving the country!
However, despite his anger, the young minister could only sigh deeply and look around in bewilderment:
"Your Highness should know that those bookish idiots in the Ministry of Rites have always been emphasizing 'cultivating culture and spreading knowledge', the so-called using benevolence to influence the barbarians; if the Japanese had not committed any earth-shattering crimes, they would not agree to investigate. A mere affair is nothing more than a warning..."
The treacherous minister is not omnipotent. It would be fine if you asked him to deal with just two people; but if he really had to deal with so many stubborn idiots in the Ministry of Rites, the young minister would be a little overwhelmed.
But the prince smiled slightly.
"Haven't the Japanese committed any serious crimes? That's not necessarily true." Mu Qi said softly, "Brother Yan, do you know that a nobleman from Japan, Soga, once compiled a book claiming that the descendants of Jianwen who fled abroad may have had contact with Japan?"
Young Lord: “…Ah?”
He suddenly took a breath of cold air and was half sober in an instant. I just felt cold from head to toe, as if the golden knife of Emperor Taizong was hanging on my neck!
Damn, this is no joke!
"How dare Japan do this?" He hissed, "They - they have ulterior motives, what do they want to do!"
Mu Qi smiled slightly, thinking that this might not be some far-sighted or sinister intention. It was probably just the Japanese' usual way of pretending to be cool and trying to attract attention. In order to boost their confidence, they stole a celebrity from the Central Plains to make up the number. This kind of operation is endless, from Xu Fu to Yang Guifei in history. It's just that this time they were so proud of themselves that they accidentally hit a wall.
In other words, Emperor Taizong really could not get up; if he had said those two words during the Yongle period, he would have been sent to be the eunuch of Sanbao one by one.
Of course, some things are not as heavy as two taels if they are not weighed, and they cannot weigh as much as one thousand pounds if they are weighed; everyone is easy to talk about when the news has not leaked, but once it is publicly exposed, the so-called excuse of talking nonsense to gain popularity will definitely not explain it - again, what are you Japanese trying to imply by writing these things and spreading them? What is it implying? Who is behind this? I think it is necessary to conduct a thorough investigation on the eunuch from the East Factory who has been tested for a long time!
Wei Junjie, a Western official, suggested that the remnants of Emperor Jianwen of Japan should not embarrass the eunuchs.
After all, the young cabinet minister did not have the well-trained vision of the Dongchang eunuch, and could not quickly find the traces of Jianwen's remnants from the clues in Japan. He looked around and whispered, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. It's precisely because it's true that I find it strange." Mu Qi said nonchalantly: "The Japanese wrote about being descendants of Jianwen in their own country, and when they arrived in the capital, they worked hard to win over ministers and inquire about information; and Zhou Zhicheng suddenly became interested and happened to be concerned about the tribute affairs of Japan - this possibility doesn't seem very likely..."
The Japanese country promotes the idea of being the descendants of Jianwen, and you follow suit and cooperate with each other. Is such tacit understanding purely a coincidence?
A single remnant of Jianwen could still be forgiven, but the remnants of Jianwen who colluded with foreign countries were unforgivable and extremely serious; it was enough to make Zhou Zhicheng drink a few cups of wine, and frighten the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites so that they dared not move. It's fine if you're making trouble elsewhere, but if you keep jumping back and forth on the issue of Jianwen, then I'm afraid your ten clans are a bit too many!
The young cabinet minister's face was uncertain, and even the wine cup in his hand was shaking a little - if Zhou Zhicheng could really be implicated in the big case of Jianwen's remnants together with the Japanese, then not only would the Qingliu never dare to overturn the case, but it would also be a chance to warn Japan and vent the anger in his heart.
But dealing with Zhou Zhicheng was one thing, but dealing with the Japanese on the charge of being Jianwen's followers, and even all the officials in the capital who colluded with the Japanese, was really a big deal, and even the Yan Party could not help but hesitate.
As if seeing his hesitation, the prince spoke softly:
"Brother Yan, what else do you have to worry about? Brother Yan, you might as well think about it. Our actions are to relieve His Majesty of his worries. Your Majesty wants to give Emperor Taizong a temple name and change the ritual system. None of these are easy tasks..."
According to historical facts, a few months later, Master Fei Xuan started his grand plan to change the temple name to replace his biological father. The court was at a loss as to how to deal with it, and countless remnants of Jianwen were implicated, causing a lot of discussion in the court and the country. It is said that among the four or five hundred people left in Nanjing, seventy or eighty officials who sympathized with Jianwen were arrested and all of them were fined or beaten. In this way, from top to bottom, they were wiped out. Even the well-tested eunuchs from the East Factory began to grumble as they caught more and more remnants, wondering why they were getting more and more numerous and countless. Could it be that the court's biggest threat was not outside, but in the Qingliang Palace in the Western Garden?
Such disrespectful speculation spread and was difficult to control, causing Master Fei Xuan to be in a very embarrassing situation and almost becoming a laughing stock of the world.
But it doesn't matter. Now, the caring Prince Mu and the caring Little Minister have discovered for the most holy and wise Emperor the fundamental reason why Jianwen's followers keep emerging - if even Japan has been occupied by the remnants, then isn't it reasonable for the court to be invaded by foreign vassal states and for ministers to have secret dealings with each other?
It’s not that the Lord didn’t work hard, it’s all because the remnants had external help. In other words, it was precisely because of Zhenjun's wisdom and greatness that he saw through the sinister infiltration intentions of the Japanese Jianwen elements in time, and made timely deployments and commands that he was able to turn the tide and prevent the Jianwen elements from infiltrating tribute affairs.
True Lord, you are so virtuous!
——Therefore, the frequent incidents in the court cannot be blamed on the emperor's failure to judge people, his lack of vision, his stubbornness, his abuse of punishment, and his changes in the system; the only thing to blame is the eunuch Sanbao's failure to eradicate all the evil, which has led to the remnants of Jianwen being scattered and uncontrollable. Therefore, not only should we pursue the enemy relentlessly and eliminate the remaining poison now, but when the navy is trained in the future, it will be necessary to send the eunuchs of the East Factory to Japan to eliminate the remaining poison and rescue the Japanese court from the hands of Jianwen's elements.
Perhaps he was born with the body of a treacherous minister and was extremely intelligent. The young cabinet minister took a deep breath and suddenly understood it quickly. He rolled his eyes several times and suddenly grabbed Mu Qi's hand again (this time the prince didn't have time to dodge).
"Your Highness is right!" He said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, at least on the issue of Japan, the influence of the remnants of Jianwen has been very serious. How to clean up in the future, I still need your guidance."
Mu Qi opened his eyes slightly and forgot to struggle free his right hand for a moment. Yan Donglou's emphasis on the seriousness of the impact was tantamount to hinting at the idea of how to deal with it: not only Zhou Zhicheng, but any remnant of Jianwen who dared to respond to Zhou Zhicheng's call and favored Japan in tribute affairs could be dismissed and cleared out together; and after the cleanup, he was willing to share the remaining official positions with the Mugong Mansion.
The young cabinet minister came from a humble background and only cares about doing things, not empty words. After his political enemies are eliminated, his position will be vacant, and then everyone can share the fruits of their labor.
Of course, the Duke Mu's Mansion was not short of this official position, but if they could take the opportunity to place people in the tribute and even coastal defense, it would undoubtedly be a huge benefit in the anti-Japanese situation. Mu Qi was excited for a moment, but then he hesitated - he had too little time to prepare, and he didn't have enough people to help him, so he couldn't make a decision for a while.
Should we push General Qi and others up now? Wouldn't it be too eye-catching to force things to happen?
He hesitated for a moment, but decided to delay it, so he smiled slightly and shook the young elder's hand:
"I am extremely grateful and naturally I will do my best to help you. However, the time is not right yet, so please be patient, young minister."
I actually shook your hand. Is this gratitude for our cooperation sincere enough?
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After sending the young cabinet minister away, Mu Qi thought it over and ordered his close followers to mobilize the people in the mansion to secretly monitor the residence of cabinet minister Xu Shaohu - although Zhou Zhicheng's presumptuous letter may not have the support of cabinet minister Xu; but if things get out of hand in the future, Xu Shaohu may not necessarily rescue his relatives. Once the elder gets involved, the situation will become extremely troublesome and Mu Qi will have no choice but to be cautious.
It was a huge taboo in the politics of the country for nobles to monitor the ministers. But now we have to consider the overall situation of resisting the Japanese pirates, and there is no time for hesitation. He ordered his servants to inquire about the news everywhere, but found nothing in the afternoon. The confidants of Duke Mu's mansion inquired privately and found that Lord Xu had stayed indoors for the past few days and had not seen any guests. According to a reliable informant, Lord Xu actually ordered people to collect the Qingci memorials written by the emperor, saying that he was reading them carefully in the mansion and had no time to do anything...
Perhaps the news was too shocking, and Mu Qi was stunned when he heard the report:
"What?"
The confidant who was sent out crossed his arms and said, "I dare not deceive the prince. The spy who informed us of the news said that Lord Xu told his family that he had gained something recently and admired the Taoist teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, so he took your majesty's article and read it carefully behind closed doors, hoping to gain some enlightenment."
Mu Qi: …………
Well, Lao Deng has been practicing Taoism for decades, and he has indeed written a lot of articles, expressing his deep feelings on the road of cultivation and summarizing his scientific research experience in refining elixirs and taking drugs for many years. It can be said that there are endless chapters and it is a magnificent sight. With just a simple summary, Mu Qi can organize hundreds of years of reading comprehension for the Japanese and ensure that there will be no repetition. But things like writing articles and publishing papers cannot be achieved by just quantity. Otherwise, wouldn’t the best poet in the world be Zhang Zong of the Qing Dynasty?
Generally speaking, Lao Deng's level of cultivation is similar to Zhang Zong's literary level. It would be unfair to say that he has none at all, but it is roughly at the level of "something" - occasionally he gets inspired and produces a few articles that are quite good, but most of his works are basically limited to the level of "there is no paper in the village toilet again".
Isn't it the same as learning poetry by reading Mr. Zhang's poetry collection to cultivate immortality by relying on Lao Deng's toilet paper articles? If we can learn all this, then is there any reason in this world?
Mu Qi was silent for a moment, and finally let out a sigh.
After all, Lord Xu was a two-time Jinshi and a great figure in Confucianism. He couldn't be so unable to distinguish the quality of an article that he took home and licked the old Deng's article, which was so hard that he even refused to wipe his butt with it, as if it were a treasure. The important officials of the Qingliu clan value their reputation the most. To be able to throw away the reputation of the Xu family's ancestors for eighteen generations, he must have some important plan.
As for what specific major plots there are, that is not the concern of a noble son. Since Lord Xu stayed at home and refused to see guests, his reaction to the outside world was bound to be slow. When it comes to playing tricks on people, the most important thing is to act quickly. As long as Zhou Zhicheng is dealt with within these few days, even if the elder returns to power in the future, it will be difficult to rescue him from Mobei. Even if Zhou Jishizhong had a strong backing, he would have to wander around the frontier for the rest of his life, watching cattle and horses grumble all day long.
——Therefore, the key to the current situation lies in the word "speed". It seems that we need to consider inserting people into the tribute system as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, Mu Qi couldn't help but frown again:
Who should I choose?
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