The next morning, Cao Huachun stood beside Zhu Youjian and recounted to him what he had heard the previous night.
In conclusion, "According to Master Gao, natural disasters will be a constant problem for our Great Ming Dynasty for the next ten years or so."
"They're really tough to deal with!"
Cao Huachun looked emotional.
“In the past few years in Jiangnan, this old servant has seen many similar scenes.”
"I heard that it snowed near West Lake last year, but not heavily."
"But judging from this, I'm afraid the snow will get heavier and heavier in a few years."
A look of confusion appeared on Zhu Youjian's face.
"So that's how it is?"
"Why didn't Master Gao tell me these things when I first met him?"
Cao Huachun then smiled and shook his head.
"Your Majesty, look at the history books. In the end, which dynasty or generation did not suffer from rampant natural disasters and man-made calamities?"
“Take the former Yuan dynasty, for example. The Yellow River flooded, and the Yuan court organized the people to build water conservancy projects, but they oppressed able-bodied men.”
"That's how the story of the stone man with one eye came about, and only then did the founding emperor have the opportunity to rise to power."
"And after our Great Ming Dynasty was established, there were quite a few natural disasters."
"For example, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, the Yellow River flooded again, breaching its banks at Chaoge and causing many deaths."
"How come our Ming Dynasty was still as stable as Mount Tai back then?"
"It is clear that this natural disaster can only serve as a catalyst."
"As long as our Ming Dynasty is politically sound, even if natural disasters occur one after another, our Ming Dynasty will remain as stable as Mount Tai."
After listening to such a long speech, Zhu Youjian nodded repeatedly.
"Haha, I didn't expect that after a few years, Cao Daban, your words have become more and more reasonable."
"That's right, Wu Qi once said that virtue is more important than strategic location."
Upon hearing the emperor's praise, Cao Huachun quickly waved his hand, not daring to take credit for himself in the slightest.
"Your Majesty, you flatter this old servant."
"How could this old servant possibly say such things?"
“These are all things that Master Gao casually mentioned last night after I finished getting information out of him.”
“I think it makes a lot of sense, which is why I’m telling you this.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian was stunned for a long while before sighing and saying:
"Master Gao is indeed amazing."
He patted Cao Huachun on the shoulder.
"Cao Daban, you should spend more time with Master Gao in the future and try to get more information out of him."
"Our Great Ming Dynasty can't do without Master Gao right now!"
Cao Huachun nodded immediately.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this old servant knows what is important."
After finishing talking about Gao Qingyun, Cao Huachun took the opportunity to bring up another matter.
"Your Majesty, this old servant has heard that in the past few days, Wei Zhongxian has used the Zhou Yanru incident to call for the destruction of the Donglin Party, causing quite a stir?"
Zhu Youjian's face immediately showed a smug and happy expression.
Wei Zhongxian was a cunning and treacherous old man, but now he was being completely controlled by him, which naturally made Zhu Youjian very proud.
He laughed a few times, then said:
"You've heard about it too, Cao Daban?"
“That’s right. In the past few days, Wei Zhongxian has been holding Zhou Yanru hostage and has implicated several other Donglin Party ministers.”
"At first, the Donglin Party was not convinced, saying that this was Wei Zhongxian's revenge for personal reasons."
"But after I ordered Luo Yangxing to confiscate their property and found hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in each of their homes, the Donglin Party members stopped talking!"
Emperor Taizu came from a poor background, and from his time onward, the salaries of Ming Dynasty officials were not high.
However, soon after, something even worse happened.
Among the officials' salaries, the Ming Dynasty paper money, which was originally quite valuable, gradually collapsed and became so cheap that it was not even good enough to wipe one's bottom.
As a result, the official's life became even more difficult.
For a normal official, even one of the highest rank, to accumulate hundreds of thousands of taels of silver through his salary, he would have to live to at least two hundred years old.
Although most officials actually have their own ways of embezzling and accepting bribes.
But if this matter isn't brought to the forefront, it doesn't count for anything.
But if the emperor finds out, it will be a serious crime that leads to the confiscation of one's property.
The Donglin Party members who have recently fallen from grace are a case in point.
Zhu Youjian excitedly said, "I will divide the confiscated silver into two parts, one to be sent to the Imperial Treasury and the other to the Ministry of Revenue."
"Bi Ziyan of the Ministry of Revenue has been writing memorials praising me these past few days!"
Seeing Zhu Youjian so happy, Cao Huachun laughed a few words in agreement.
Then, seemingly casually, he casually reminded her:
"Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian's efforts are truly commendable."
"It seems that he will be able to wipe out the Donglin Party in one fell swoop soon."
"I just wonder what you will do with Wei Zhongxian after the Donglin Party is finished?"
Zhu Youjian knew that Cao Huachun had a grudge against Wei Zhongxian.
In fact, it wasn't just Cao Huachun.
The entire Ming Dynasty court, from eunuchs in the palace to local officials of all ranks, was filled with civil and military officials.
Aside from those who were once part of the eunuch faction, who doesn't have a grudge against Wei Zhongxian?
Historically, Wei Zhongxian was easily overthrown, partly due to his poor interpersonal relationships.
Zhu Youjian hesitated.
But he quickly added, "Although Wei Zhongxian made great contributions, he also made many mistakes in the past."
"After dealing with the Donglin Party, I will naturally not spare them."
Cao Huachun sighed inwardly.
He had practically watched Zhu Youjian grow up, so he naturally knew that Zhu Youjian's words were somewhat insincere.
Even if Zhu Youjian had actually killed Wei Zhongxian later, he would have felt a thorn in his side, as if he had wronged Wei Zhongxian.
"Hmph, that old dog is dead, so be it. I can't let the emperor remember his kindness!"
"That old dog may not have a son, but he does have a nephew."
"If the emperor feels guilty and gives Wei Liangqing an important position, then we'll be in trouble!"
His eyes darted around, and he suddenly shook his head.
"Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler, and naturally you should know the principle that mistakes must be punished and merits must be rewarded."
“If Wei Zhongxian makes a great contribution, you don’t need to kill him directly.”
"Moreover, I have heard that when you were bedridden, Wei Zhongxian was so anxious that he sent people everywhere to ask for medicine for you."
"They even went so far as to beg the Prince of Fu for help."
"This loyalty is truly touching!"
This seemed like he was speaking well of Wei Zhongxian, but Zhu Youjian's expression instantly froze.
"Hmm? Wei Zhongxian contacted Prince Fu?"
Is this true?
Cao Huachun quickly replied, "At the time, I was in Jinling and only heard rumors about these things."
There is no real evidence.
Zhu Youjian nodded blankly: "Oh, is that so?"
"Then I will have Luo Yangxing investigate this thoroughly!"
Seeing this, Cao Huachun secretly chuckled to himself.
Whether Wei Zhongxian actually contacted Prince Fu back then, he really didn't know.
But he knew very well that if he said that, the emperor would definitely suspect that Wei Zhongxian was making preparations for his death.
This is similar to official corruption; it's something that can be done but not talked about.
If you play dirty tricks behind the scenes, and the emperor doesn't know about them, or if he does know but doesn't care, then it doesn't matter.
But if the emperor finds out, and the emperor takes it seriously, then it's a path to death.
Cao Huachun was even more certain that Wei Zhongxian would not be so honest.
"He definitely contacted Prince Fu!"
"As long as Luo Yangxing finds out the real evidence, the day the Donglin Party is finished will be the day you, Wei Zhongxian, die!"
Cao Huachun could barely contain his smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com