Although the Governor of the Rivers was a newly created position, it was not a lone commander. Zhu Youxiao had separated the Du Shui Qing Li Si from the Ministry of Works and placed it under the leadership of Zuo Guangdou.
Zhu Youxiao had long wanted to change the divisions among the six ministries, but he knew he couldn't rush them. The newly established River Governor's Office, as later generations defined it, was equivalent to the Ministry of Water Resources.
The king and his ministers talked for a long time before Zuo Guangdou took his leave.
After walking out of the Meridian Gate, Lao Zuo looked back at the towering Meridian Gate Tower, shook his head with a wry smile, turned around and left quickly.
On his way from Shaanxi to Beijing, Lao Zuo passed through Shanxi and stopped by to see Yang Lian, the governor of Shanxi. He and Yang Lian were the backbone of the Donglin Party and were known as "Yang Zuo".
Although the governors of the northern provinces had received imperial edicts to report to the capital after the autumn harvest, the edict also specifically instructed the governors to prepare detailed disaster relief plans based on the assumption of a major disaster.
But Yang Lian was a little impatient. His good friend had arrived in Beijing before him, so he wanted to ask his good friend to take his memorial to the emperor and present it to him.
The memorial criticized many of the court's policies, including the following: the emperor allowed the imperial guards to run rampant and abuse their power, promoted officials who curry favor with the powerful, excluded and attacked upright officials, and suppressed students...
Submitting such a memorial was risky, and Yang Lian trusted Zuo Guangdou's character. The problem was that he had submitted it countless times, only to have the emperor ignore him.
Of course, Yang Lian was Yang Lian. He did not give up even though he had some opinions. He worked diligently on tasks such as clearing military bases, collecting military pay, and combating corruption.
As the highest official in a province, Yang Lian often wore a blue shirt and cloth shoes, went deep into the fields and people's homes, and inspected in disguise. He knew the good and bad things in the neighborhood, punished evil gentry and powerful people, and was loved by the people.
Zuo Guangdou did not agree with some of the court's policies, but felt that his old friend was sincere. He did not criticize the emperor in his memorial, but instead pointed the finger at the flatterers and eunuchs around the emperor, so he agreed.
But what Lao Zuo saw and heard along the way was very different from what it was a few years ago. Not only had the roads and houses changed, but also the appearance of the people had changed.
Lao Zuo also learned about the reversal of the Liaodong war situation from the court gazette and the Ming Forum.
Since Lao Nu rebelled against the Ming, the Ming army had been defeated repeatedly, losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions of civilians, and had lost most of Liaodong. As an official appointed by the court, Lao Zuo felt this much more strongly than the common people.
But now, the turning point in the situation in Liaodong has affected tens of thousands of people. Instead of being oppressed by increased taxes and burdens, the people have been exempted from taxes and reduced taxes, which has prevented them from being oppressed.
Lao Zuo knew the cost of the Liaodong war better than the common people. The "Liao salary" levied during the Wanli period had already shown that the court's finances were stretched.
Although Lao Zuo had many complaints about the court's policies and the emperor's behavior, he still had a sense of the overall situation and was not as paranoid as some people.
We have to admit that the Ming Dynasty has changed a lot in the past few years, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is thriving.
Whether it's the war or the people, things are gradually getting better. Those who are resentful or even dissatisfied are mostly because their own interests have been damaged.
After returning to Beijing, Lao Zuo saw more and visited Sun Chengzong, Li Qiyuan, Xu Guangqi and others. From their mouths, Lao Zuo learned more and was even more shocked.
Not to mention the military academy, the academy of sciences, and the agricultural academy led by Xu Guangqi, the expenses of these are nothing. The investment in Liaodong and Southwest China in recent years alone is an astronomical figure.
The emperor even took out all his gold and silver to expand the military and reward meritorious soldiers.
Several batches of palace maids were released but never recruited again; the palace expenses were carefully calculated and the Wanshou Festival was not held. Can you still say that the emperor was a tyrant?
Of course, Yang Lian didn't dare to say anything about the emperor being incompetent in his memorial. But at this time, wasn't it inappropriate to give the emperor trouble?
What finally made Lao Zuo change his mind was the emperor's summons. Money was being spent everywhere, and the emperor was not stingy with his investment in water conservancy, just to reduce the impact of the disaster and minimize the harm to the people.
Lao Zuo pinched the memorial in his arms and quickened his pace. Although he felt that he had broken his promise to Yang Lian, he did not regret it very much.
Perhaps after Yang Dahong returns to Beijing, he will change his mind and consider the overall situation. Thinking this, Lao Zuo ordered his servants to turn the car around and head straight for the new government office in Hedao.
………………………….
Zuo Guangdou took his leave, but the emperor was not idle and had no time to "punish" Xiaohui, although it was quite exciting and the emperor liked it very much.
"I thank the emperor for his great grace." Old Wei, who had not been seen for a long time, knelt down as soon as he entered the hall, walked a few steps on his knees, and kowtowed heavily.
Zhu Youxiao raised his hand and said, "Wei Ban, please stand up." After a pause, the emperor continued, "Now that you've moved into the mansion, are you getting used to it?"
"It's a habit, a habit." Old Wei kowtowed again, his voice choking. "I feel deeply for the Emperor's grace, and I couldn't sleep at night. Finally, I thought of a way to repay him."
Oh, Zhu Youxiao was a little curious about what method Lao Wei had come up with.
Last time, in order to repay his kindness, he wanted to present his niece's granddaughter to the palace, who was Concubine Ren Rong, who was known in history as "beautiful and cunning", but was rejected by the emperor. What will he do this time?
"Stand up and talk." Zhu Youxiao's eyes flashed, and he became more alert.
In history, Wei Zhongxian and Keshi persecuted concubines in the palace. If we dig deeper into the reasons, it should be because Concubine Ren Rong gave birth to Prince Xianhuai Zhu Cijing.
Think about it, the deaths of several of the carpenter's descendants were a bit suspicious, but Prince Xianhuai Zhu Cijing was the only one who grew up healthy.
If it weren't for the mysterious Wanggongchang explosion that frightened Zhu Cijing to death, he would naturally be the only heir to the carpenter. Old Wei and Keshi would naturally be rich and prosperous, without any worries.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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