Chapter 10 Zhao Tianli
Wang Zhen felt a headache at the thought. He said, "The Emperor is letting Yang Ji off lightly, simply hoping that the Imperial Prison can handle it as an accident so that everyone can look good. Yang Ji will die sooner or later, so how does it matter? He's so ambitious but so incompetent!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "If he dies, it's all over, but I'm the one who's being treated like a nobody... The more I think about it, the more strange it seems..."
After he finished speaking, he picked up the paper and examined it carefully. He felt that these words were not something a commoner like Li Chu could write. However, Wang Zhen had heard Ma Shun mention that although this boy's life in the imperial prison was not good, he had always lived a good life and even learned to read and write there, so he could be considered to have some knowledge of literature.
These words cannot be said to be of great literary talent, but they just happened to touch the hearts of those ordinary people who are fond of doing good things, so they have been widely circulated.
The eunuch still had five fingerprints on his face. He asked cautiously, "Could it be those officials who did it?"
"With Yang Shiqi not around, how could they have the guts to do this?" Wang Zhen refuted, but then felt that there seemed to be some truth in his retort, saying, "After all, these people are all in the same boat. They are naturally hostile to us. If they do something like this for Yang Shiqi, it's not unreasonable..."
Seeing him looking thoughtful, the eunuch couldn't help but ask, "Then... Master, what should we do now?"
Wang Zhen was silent for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "Kill him! Aren't these common people spreading rumors that the Emperor doesn't intend to punish Yang Ji? Then kill him openly and in front of everyone! Let them understand what justice is! I'll go and explain this to the Emperor myself!"
Although it seemed that the emperor was somewhat unkind, it could at least deter the officials and shut up the people, making them understand the emperor's wisdom.
As for Zhu Qizhen, he could be persuaded with some reasoning. As long as he used it properly, he could make this incident into an example of killing An Jing during the Yijinai battle to intimidate everyone, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Wang Zhen sneered and continued, "Killing him can't be in vain. Let Ma Shun and his men investigate thoroughly. Maybe there's a villain behind this."
The young eunuch understood his implication and immediately responded, "Master, that's right. I'll go right away."
Zhu Qizhen had heard some of the rumors during this period, but since things had come to this point, it was too late to regret. He might as well think about how to make amends.
Besides, this matter was handled by Wang Zhen. Although Wang Zhen did not need to be dismissed for this, the problem could be completely shifted to Wang Zhen. What's more, this matter was not too serious. It was nothing more than killing Yang Ji, so just kill him.
"This servant pays homage to the Emperor."
Zhu Qizhen hummed and said, "Has there been any result regarding the Li Chu incident?"
Wang Zhen quickly said, "That's exactly what I was going to say..." He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you just execute Yang Ji, just like you did with An Jing? According to national law, Yang Ji deserves death. Such a punishment is not only reasonable, but it can also deter officials with ulterior motives."
Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this and asked, "Do you have any evil intentions?"
Wang Zhen replied calmly, "How could Li Chu have done this? I'm afraid someone is behind this, probably those who originally supported Master Yang. After all, Master Yang was once the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, and he promoted many officials and students. It's inevitable that someone would want to do something bad behind the scenes."
Zhu Qizhen didn't take it seriously and said, "In that case, let's do as you say."
Seeing that he didn't seem to care, Wang Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to think about who he should target.
Zhu Qizhen wrote, "With Yang Shiqi gone, Yang Pu has taken over as the Prime Minister. Only he, Cao Nai, and Ma Yu remain in the cabinet. It's only right that we select new people to fill the cabinet."
Wang Zhen quickly said, "Your Majesty is right. I wonder if Your Majesty has chosen a candidate?"
Zhu Qizhen wrote down two names and said, "Chen Xun and Zeng Heling. Both have presided over the imperial examinations many times and have countless students. They are suitable candidates for the cabinet. Although Chen Xun has just returned from mourning, he handles affairs with confidence, so it is reasonable for him to join the cabinet." He paused for a moment and said, "That Xue Xuan is not bad either. He has been transferred to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."
Wang Zhen would naturally not refuse what the emperor decided. Not only that, he would also strongly support it.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. I will start doing it right away."
Zhu Qizhen then asked, "How is the situation in Yunnan?"
The few words Princess Shunde said before she left served as a reminder to Wang Zhen, so he naturally would not take this opportunity to "make things difficult" for Zhu Yuhuan.
Therefore, Wang Zhen did not dare to hide anything and immediately said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Yunnan's transformation of the natives into commoners will be handled according to the princess's wishes. With Minister Wang also working with Yunnan-related affairs, I believe the transformation of the natives into commoners will be completed sooner than the princess expected."
"Having Wang Ji in Yunnan can also help stabilize the southwestern border." Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and then asked, "Has the Wala Mongols made any recent moves?"
Wang Zhen felt relieved at this mention. He said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. There's news from the border. The Tartars are busy looting on the grasslands and have no time to bully the people on the border. Furthermore, our Ming Dynasty has opened up trade and allowed the Oirat to come to the capital to pay tribute. If the Oirat dared to invade, the border troops would surely strike back. With our military strength, defeating the Oirat would be effortless. Otherwise, why would Yesen submit so obediently?"
Wang Zhen's words made sense. Zhu Qizhen simply responded with a chuckle, then said, "Although the Oirat are obedient now, there's no guarantee they aren't harboring treachery. The current tribute and trade are merely a delaying tactic. Once the southwest is truly stable, then it's time to emulate Emperor Taizong and crush the Oirat."
Although Zhu Qizhen was unwilling to admit it, he had to face the fact that his father had indeed abandoned many cities on the northern border. This process was either active or passive, causing the main defense line to shrink continuously.
But the Ming Dynasty today is no longer the Ming Dynasty that was internally empty due to years of war against the Tatars. After these years of recuperation and the test of the just-concluded Luchuan Battle, it can be seen that the Ming Dynasty has no problems with logistics supplies.
In a few years, the generals selected in the previous military examination will not be able to take charge on their own, but at least they will be able to act as vanguards. With a few veterans, even if this team is not as strong as when Taizong was alive, it should be enough to deal with the Oirat.
At that time, he could follow the example of Emperor Taizong's expeditions and his father's border patrols, leading officials and generals to fight against the Tatars, and he would surely be able to restore the former glory of the Ming army.
Wang Zhen saw that he seemed very confident and immediately agreed, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
In October of the eighth year of Zhengtong, it was late autumn, the wind was cold and the capital was filled with a solemn atmosphere. Yang Ji was finally sent to the execution ground and got the ending that should have come long ago.
Then the autumn rain continued, and the bloody smell produced by the execution of prisoners was easily washed away, and it seemed as if nothing had happened in the capital.
"Your Highness?"
Zhu Yuhuan came to his senses, put down the letter in his hand, and said, "Xu Gong wrote to me that Li Chu had committed suicide in the street. The incident caused a huge uproar. The court sentenced Yang Ji to be executed immediately. The execution will be carried out this autumn. I believe his head has comforted the souls of Li Chu and his family in heaven."
In fact, Zhu Yuhuan had anticipated this matter. Although Xu Gong had said that Li Chu had learned to read and write in prison and looked pure and unselfish, Zhu Yuhuan was always certain of one thing.
Li Chu never let go of the hatred in his heart easily. He just had to endure the torment brought by hatred.
Zhu Yuhuan asked Xu Gong to hand over Li Chu in order to "make the best use of things".
Of course, she knew that Zhu Qizhen would not go to extremes. After all, Yang Shiqi was the prime minister and had once been the emperor's teacher. Even Wang Zhen would not be able to directly deal with Yang Shiqi's son like he did with An Jing, so she asked Xu Gong to secretly help Li Chu.
Li Chu is her tool, and she is also Li Chu's tool. They just get what they need.
Huai En didn't look surprised, he just sighed and said, "It's not easy for him to get what he wants. There are many more people in this world who die quietly and can't even wait for the day of revenge."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded, closed Xu Gong's letter and put it back into the envelope. She was about to burn it when she saw a thin piece of paper in the envelope. The paper was rough and didn't look like letter paper. She was slightly stunned.
Huai En saw the surprise on her face and asked, "But is there something wrong with this letter?"
Zhu Yuhuan shook his head, took out the piece of paper and looked at it carefully, then stood there in a daze.
"If Yang Ji is not killed, how can we win the support of the people? Who will relieve the suffering of the common people? Living without property, dying without incense. We must see the justice of heaven, retribution is inevitable. Li Chu."
Just a few short sentences, only thirty-six words, but they were extremely heavy.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the somewhat blurry handwriting. It had no artistic beauty or literary style, but it was so powerful that it could be seen through the paper, and every stroke was made with extreme care.
Although Zhu Yuhuan had not met him many times, at that moment he thought of how seriously he wrote these words.
As an ordinary person, Li Chu only wants one result.
——Let the criminal who caused his family to be destroyed pay with his life.
At this point, the life of the princess and the prime minister are not as important as Yang Ji's life.
And he chose to fight the final blow with his own death.
This was the last thing he could do.
Fortunately, they had all waited for this day.
The pain is that they shouldn't have to go through all this.
Zhu Yuhuan sighed, sealed them all back in the letter, and threw them into the brazier beside him.
In just a moment, the envelope had turned into ashes, leaving only the last bit of warmth of revenge.
Zhu Yuhuan saw Huai En looking at him and said with a smile, "Is Wang Zhi not back yet?"
Seeing that she looked normal, Huai En said, "Mrs. Xu has learned to use the local officials' language to inquire about herbs and prescriptions. During this period, she can finally officially start consulting with local people."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and said, "How could I not know her? She must have only learned the names of the herbs and a few words about the diagnoses of herbal medicine. Today, if she takes us to the tavern here for food and drinks, she will definitely bring that little translator with her."
When Huai'en heard her say this, he knew that Zhu Yuhuan was referring to Dao Gaihan's youngest daughter Anhan.
Among the native officials, Dao Gaihan was one who had close relations with the Ming Dynasty. In the previous battle of Luchuan, Dao Gaihan and his mother Yuxiang fought against Luchuan together, and it was Zhu Yuhuan who personally asked for titles for the mother and son.
Tai Yiren Yuxiang was deeply influenced by the Han people. She could speak and write Chinese characters, and her descendants could also speak Chinese. Zhu Yuhuan naturally did not hesitate to promote them. As long as Dao Gaihan's family could contribute, Zhu Yuhuan arranged work for them, with one Han official working with a local clerk.
After all, the reform of the chieftain system was to abolish the original chieftain system and to place the areas under the management of prefectures, counties and districts like other provinces, which would inevitably involve the power of the native officials.
Yunnan is certainly safe with Wang Ji leading a large army to guard it, but the officials still need a period of adaptation and will inevitably need the cooperation of the native officials. Moreover, the local degree of sinicization is still too low, so the elimination of the native official system cannot be rushed.
According to Zhu Yuhuan's classification standards, the older ones temporarily served as clerks, responsible for communicating between Han officials from the capital and local people, learning how to use various tools from craftsmen and then teaching them to local people.
The younger ones usually studied in the private school opened by Zhu Yuhuan, learning Chinese culture. In their spare time, they helped to pass messages, which was considered a job. When they were older, they would still have time to become officials.
The most important thing is that these clerks are different from clerks in other places. They have the opportunity to become ordinary officials. Although they have to start from the lowest level, they are also serious officials.
In the past, local officials were often given to the heads of tribes, and the leaders of a tribe were mostly elderly people, leaving young people with no room to display their talents. Zhu Yuhuan's actions undoubtedly gave these people room to display their talents, and they certainly would not miss this good opportunity.
Zhu Yuhuan specifically submitted a memorial stating, "The local tribes have unique circumstances. For example, Dao Gaihan's mother led the tribe in resisting foreign enemies, and only two or three out of ten do so. I implore Your Majesty to pardon one or two of them and allow Yunnan to handle this matter specifically, appointing these loyal daughters to official positions and serving the state." He assigned Dao Gaihan's daughters various positions. Even the youngest, Anhan, was entrusted by Zhu Yuhuan to serve as Xu Wangzhi's "translator" and "language teacher."
Apart from anything else, it is not uncommon for women in Yunnan to show up in public. Although there are not many women like Madam Yuxiang who can write and fight against bandits, people do not think it is rare for women to be proficient in one of them.
However, it is indeed a rare thing to be able to serve as an official in the court, let alone a woman being rewarded by the court to serve as an official.
Following the precedent of Dao Gaihan's family, other local officials followed suit and sent the younger generations in their families to serve as officials. As a result, Zhu Yuhuan was more successful in Yunnan than in the capital.
Zhu Yuhuan's original intention was to avoid the local people's refusal to cooperate, and this was exactly the situation she wanted to see.
Anyway, whether the assessment is passed is decided by the imperial court, and Zhu Yuhuan did not agree to let their descendants serve as officials in the local tribe. Even if they are promoted from clerks to officials, they will be appointed wherever the imperial court tells them to. Will they have the chance to resist?
If they really dare to resist at that time, they will naturally be served with firearms.
Zhu Yuhuan stood up and stretched, then walked around the table and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go and see how the waterwheel is being repaired."
Huai En hurriedly followed her and walked out of the study together.
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