Chapter 183 Zhu Xiongying's Death
"Zhu Chong, you must have an idea. Tell it quickly and stop talking nonsense!" Old Zhu was panting like a cow. He couldn't bear to hear the bad news anymore.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command!" Zhu Chong bowed and said, "Father, I believe that the baojia system of selecting talents cannot be used as it is now, where local people nominate them. The best policy is for the imperial court, that is, the Ministry of Personnel, to appoint and dismiss them."
"Furthermore, the selected village chiefs and village heads must be absolutely loyal to the court, so that they can benefit the people."
After hearing Zhu Chong's proposal, Old Zhu couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's easy for you to say that, kid. You said it yourself. The Ming Dynasty is so big, with so many village chiefs. Where do you want us to find them? And where can the Ministry of Personnel find so many suitable people?"
"Father, how could you have forgotten what we discussed today?" Zhu Chong said with a smile, "As long as you are willing, we have a large group of suitable candidates waiting for your personal appointment!"
Old Zhu was stunned at first, then suddenly realized, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Are you talking about those veterans who have fought hundreds of battles? Are they capable?"
"Father, why can't they do it?" Zhu Chong said seriously, "You yourself said that those veterans have followed you through battles across the country and are absolutely loyal to the court. Moreover, they have spent their entire lives in the military, so they possess both experience and ability!"
"It's absolutely perfect for a group of people like this to return to their hometowns and serve as village heads or village chiefs. Aren't you worried that you won't be able to provide them with adequate compensation if you send them back? This is perfect!"
"The court will use an alternative method: retain their inoculation agents, but allow them to return to their hometowns to serve as local officials. Their daily salaries will count as their compensation. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone. What do you think, father?"
Hearing what Zhu Chong said, Old Zhu was immediately moved. Yes, it can be done this way. Isn’t this just killing two birds with one stone? No, it’s killing three birds with one stone. No, it’s probably more than that!
Old Zhu suddenly became excited. The problem of military households in the Ming Dynasty had been around for a long time, and Old Zhu had never found a suitable solution.
Now, after hearing what Zhu Chong said, Old Zhu suddenly had an epiphany, his eyes opened up, and he immediately had an idea.
To be honest, every time Old Zhu saw those old soldiers who had followed him in fighting for their entire lives living in a daze in Yingtian Prefecture, he felt uncomfortable.
Of course he knew that it was right to send these veterans back to their hometowns to enjoy their old age, but he really couldn't think of a good way.
Things are different now. Sending these veterans back to their hometowns is no longer a problem. Even if some of them are unwilling to leave, it doesn't matter. They are bound to be a minority. After all, as veterans, they also hope that one day they can return home in glory, not to mention returning with an official position!
By then, as Zhu Chong said, even if the veterans were not given pensions, they probably would not have any complaints, and would even be grateful to him!
The benefits of doing so are obvious.
First of all, the military status of these veterans is still retained. In this way, when they return to their hometowns, they will definitely not dare to commit crimes because they are military personnel. Once they break the law, the local military court can directly execute them.
Secondly, these people were appointed as village heads and village chiefs entirely by the Ministry of Personnel of the imperial court, which pointed out the future path for the current soldiers in the army.
As long as you serve the country well as a soldier, you will be directly granted an official position by the court when you retire and return home in glory.
It gave the soldiers hope, so that they no longer thought that being a soldier was a chore, and it helped to rectify the atmosphere in the army.
Finally, the soldiers deployed can be used for multiple purposes, allowing them to become the eyes and ears of the court in the local area, allowing the court to have extreme control over the local area.
The more Old Zhu thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more he liked Zhu Chong, the more he liked him. Several things that had been bothering him were solved by Zhu Chong in one go, and he didn't even have to spend any extra money!
But this matter was of great importance, involving the retirement of tens of thousands of veterans, and it was not something that Old Zhu could make a decision on immediately. So Old Zhu pondered for a long time, nodded, and said, "You are a good boy. Let us think about it carefully."
Zhu Chong originally thought that Old Zhu would be absolutely willing to agree, but he didn't expect that Old Zhu would still need to think about it. In a hurry, he blurted out: "Actually, Father, we don't need to think too much. If you are really worried, you can find a county town near Yingtian Prefecture to try it out and see the effect!"
After hearing what Zhu Chong said, Old Zhu's eyes lit up again. This kid is really good. He comes up with ideas one after another.
While I was thinking about how to implement it, he already had a plan, apparently afraid that I would not agree.
However, seeing Zhu Chong's anxious look, Old Zhu was quite happy. But before Old Zhu could be happy for too long, a palace servant suddenly broke in, making both Old Zhu and Zhu Chong change color at the same time.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, something has happened in the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince has passed away!"
"What?" Following Old Zhu's shrill roar, the palace was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds.
Soon, the news of the Crown Prince's death spread throughout Yingtian Prefecture like thunder from a clear sky.
It had only been a short time since Empress Ma and Zhu Xiongying were poisoned, and Zhu Xiongying got into trouble again, throwing the entire palace into complete chaos.
Not long after, Old Zhu, Zhu Biao and Zhu Chong appeared together outside Zhu Xiongying's palace gate. Also present were Mao Xiang and his Jinyiwei.
After entering the palace, Old Zhu cast a sinister glance at the people around him, then snorted and ordered, "Mao Xiang, everyone in the East Palace, except the Crown Prince, is under our watch!"
"From now on, no one is allowed to leave without our written order. Anyone who dares to move will be killed without mercy!"
After saying this, Old Zhu ignored Zhu Biao and the Crown Princess who were trying to come forward awkwardly, and walked straight into the hall. Zhu Chong also followed him in.
Old Zhu took two steps at a time and came to Zhu Xiongying's bed. Looking at the little man on the bed, tears suddenly burst out of his eyes.
When Zhu Chong saw Zhu Xiongying lying on the bed, his eyes contracted violently and he couldn't help but look towards the entrance of the hall.
No, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess walked in hesitantly. Zhu Biao noticed Zhu Chong's eyes and lowered his head in shame.
Seeing this, Zhu Chong seemed to be thinking about something. He turned around and looked at Zhu Xiongying, who seemed to be asleep on the bed, but his delicate face was distorted. He felt suspicious.
Who dared to attack Zhu Xiongying repeatedly? Hadn't the previous incident been resolved yet? Aren't they really afraid that Zhu would kill someone?
"Prince, come in here. What's going on? Why is our Hero gone?"
Facing the angry Old Zhu, no one in the palace dared to stand and speak. Even Zhu Biao kowtowed before answering, "Father, I deserve to die. When Xiongying was discovered by the palace servants, he was already like this..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
