marquis of jingan

Chapter 1471 Difficult Task

Chapter 1471 Difficult Task

In the Manna Palace.

His Majesty the Emperor seemed to be in very good spirits because things went smoothly today.

After he motioned Shen Yi to sit down, he smiled and said to Master Shen: "I have heard the three sentences that Shen Qing said to them in the hall just now. Shen Qing said it very well."

His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand to dismiss the palace servants, and then he sighed slowly: "Back then, the two of us started the Northern Expedition together. On the surface, it was you, Shen Qing, who was working in the front, but in fact, I was in the back and also made a lot of efforts. These officials in the court also made efforts, and they can all be called heroes."

"Therefore, in consideration of their contributions, for the entire ten years, as long as they do not do anything particularly excessive, I will not punish them, nor will I set up a major prison."

"but now…"

The emperor shook his head silently and said, "I have been considerate of them and treated them with kindness for a full ten years. Until now, I just want to move the capital and stabilize the court. For their own interests, they have completely lost their consideration for me."

"It's impossible to tame it."

The emperor lowered his head to drink tea and said silently: "Since they don't understand me, I can no longer turn a blind eye to their mistakes over the years. Shen Qing said it very well. The half of the country we fought for in the past was not won for them."

"I hope that after this time, the administration of the imperial court will be clean and orderly for a period of time, then my efforts will not be in vain."

Mr. Shen bowed his head slightly and said, "I think that Your Majesty is too lenient towards them. During the Northern Expedition, apart from Your Majesty's planning, the only people who really contributed were the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue. Now Prime Minister Zhao is in Nanjing, and the former Minister of War Jiang has retired. The contributions of those years have nothing to do with these people in the court now."

"In my opinion."

Master Shen said in a deep voice: "To punish them, we must use heavy hands. Most of the gold and silver they embezzled came from the people. If the court uses heavy hands, even if it means some criticism from the scholars and officials, it will save the people from having to eat."

"His Majesty."

"The power of the civil service is already too great."

Master Shen bowed his head slightly and said, "You are the ruler of the Restoration, but you still need to be cautious about those civil officials. Think about it, the rulers of future generations will probably not dare to offend them even more."

"Your Majesty, you must be more severe this time, especially against those officials who have thousands of acres of fertile land at home. They must be severely punished!"

The so-called dynasty cycle law, in essence, means that when land annexation reaches a certain level, the lower-class people can no longer survive and have to stand up and raise the flag of rebellion.

In fact, land annexation in Dachen has become very serious.

Twenty years ago, when Shen Yi went to work in the southeast, the then Governor of Guangdong had more than 100,000 acres of farmland in his hometown, which was known as Half City.

The situation of other officials and literati is generally similar.

It is true that because of Shen Yi's expansion of territory, the grassroots conflicts in Dachen were eased a lot, and rebellion was unlikely to occur in a short period of time, but it was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

Emperor Hongde looked at Shen Yi thoughtfully, then smiled dumbly: "I originally thought that Shen Qing, a scholar, would feel uncomfortable about Luo Yong standing up to report him, but I didn't expect Shen Qing to hate those scholars more than I do."

Master Shen took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, land is the foundation of the people, and the land annexation in Dachen has become quite serious. A large number of the people below have lost their own land and can only work as tenants for the wealthy families."

"I know that Your Majesty has wanted to do as much as possible for Da Chen in the past two years, and I think the land issue is the most important issue."

"While the land annexation in the north is not serious, I think Your Majesty can send a trustworthy person to a certain state in the north to try to ban the sale of land..."

“We’ll see the results in four or five years.”

"In addition, the Ministry of Revenue will establish a new land department, which will be responsible for surveying and managing the land throughout the country. The core of this department is to be cautious in every land transaction."

"As long as this matter can be accomplished and carried out..."

Mr. Shen said solemnly: "It can at least extend the reign of the Chen Dynasty by another fifty or even a hundred years."

Hearing these words, Emperor Hong De couldn't help but change his expression slightly.

He lowered his head and coughed a few times, then looked at Shen Yi and sighed: "It's easier said than done to survey the land."

"I... am afraid I may not be able to do it."

Shen Yi bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is in the prime of life. As long as you do it, you will be able to accomplish it."

"I have a suggestion."

The emperor smiled and said, "You say."

Shen Yi said in a deep voice: "Send the Fourth Prince to the Ministry of Revenue to do this. Give him two years to survey the land south of the Huai River."

"If he could accomplish this, instead of just hanging around in my backyard all day..."

Shen Yi's face was serious: "I think your majesty did not choose the wrong person."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression also became serious. He looked at Shen Yi and asked, "I thought that Mr. Shen was only interested in military affairs."

Shen Yi lowered his head slightly and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I have always been more interested in farming than in military affairs."

"You may have forgotten that I suggested to you a long time ago that we build an agricultural college in the court to cultivate better seeds and grow more food in the fields."

The emperor smiled dumbly: "I remember that at that time, Shen Qing also told me that he wanted to include agronomy in the imperial examination. This was too unorthodox, and I had no way to agree to it."

"but…"

His Majesty the Emperor stroked his chin and said, "After I have dealt with these officials in the court, I will carefully consider Shen Qing's proposal."

What really moved Emperor Hongde was Shen Yi's words that the country's prosperity could be extended by another fifty to a hundred years.

This is Emperor Hong De’s starting point.

After all, he was a child raised in the royal palace, and it was impossible for him to think from the perspective of ordinary people.

As an emperor, all he wanted was to make the Chen Dynasty prosper.

In comparison, Shen Yi's starting point is simpler.

He wanted people all over the world to live a few more years of peace and have more full meals.

that is it.

After the emperor and his minister talked for a long time, His Majesty the Emperor patted Shen Yi on the shoulder and said, "This time the three judicial departments are going to handle a big case, which involves a lot of people. Does Shen Qing have any other ideas?"

"Have."

Mr. Shen bowed his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, this time the three judicial departments should not only investigate officials in the south. In the past ten years, many officials have been stationed in the north. They should be treated equally and investigated."

"This includes the former Qi officials who surrendered, no exception."

Emperor Hong De nodded slowly.

"I... understand."

After a few more words, Shen Yi stood up to say goodbye. His Majesty the Emperor personally escorted him to the palace gate. After watching Shen Yi go away, he coughed violently a few times. After he finally calmed down, he waved to Eunuch Wei and said, "Go and call the fourth brother."

"Yes."

Soon, the fourth prince Li Jian, who looked very much like Emperor Hongde when he was young, came to the Ganlu Palace, knelt before the emperor, and kowtowed, saying, "Your son pays respects to your father."

His Majesty the Emperor waved at him, motioning him to come forward.

After Li Jian came forward, the emperor smiled and asked, "Have you been to the Shen family often recently?"

Li Jian blushed and lowered his head: "Yes..."

"Just now, your uncle Shen recommended a job to me."

Li Jian became serious: "Please give your instructions, Father."

His Majesty the Emperor briefly explained it, and then said, "Surveying the land will definitely offend the local noble families, and it may be a thankless task."

"Would you like to go?"

Li Jian lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked up at his father and said, "Father, do you want me to go?"

His Majesty the Emperor had a complicated expression and said nothing.

Li Jian thought for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "I am willing to go, but father, you have to agree to one thing for me."

Emperor Hong De nodded slightly.

"You said."

Li Jian raised his head and said, "My son is going south, you can't allow Miss Shen to marry..."

His Majesty the Emperor smiled silently upon hearing this.

"Okay, I agree to your request."

(End of this chapter)