Phi-Fic Chapter 775 Acting as Shepherds of Heaven
Chapter 775 Acting as Shepherds of Heaven
Chapter 775 Acting as Shepherds of Heaven
Morning the next day.
Zhu Youjian looked at the civil and military officials and said in a cold voice, "What do you all think of what Minister Kong just reported?"
Kong Zhenyun shook his head with a wry smile. "Your Majesty, please don't always make me your scapegoat! Aren't you just setting me up for failure?"
The civil and military officials all kept their eyes down, seemingly detached from the situation. But in their hearts, they were all cursing: "Zhu Youjian, are you stupid? No matter the dynasty, which big city doesn't have beggars?"
"Bang!" Zhu Youjian slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "I never imagined that there would be so many homeless people in the capital of my Great Ming Dynasty? Whose fault is this? Is it mine?"
"Alas..." Kong Zhenyun sighed and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"Bang!" Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the table again and said coldly, "I am not angry, but saddened for the people! There are so many poor people under the emperor's nose? Are all my ministers incapable of assisting the emperor above or benefiting the people below, and are they all just holding positions without doing their jobs?"
Shuntian Prefecture Prefect Liu Zongzhou shook his head with a wry smile. No matter what happened in the capital, it would always be blamed on him, so he had to speak up.
Liu Zongzhou cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Majesty, it is not that I have failed in my duties. These beggars are all idle and lazy. They do not engage in any proper work and make a living by begging. No matter what dynasty it is, there are always such lazy people!"
"Is that so?" Zhu Youjian said irritably, "How come I heard that there are no beggars in Hanshan? Hanshan has a population of over a million, which is about the same as the population of the capital. I ask you, are there no idlers in Hanshan?"
"Ahem..." Liu Zongzhou coughed awkwardly a few times, not knowing what to say.
Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and then said, "As the Son of Heaven, I govern the people on behalf of Heaven. You are all important officials of the court, and you should assist me so that the people can live in peace and prosperity. The capital is under the Emperor's feet, with a population of over one million, yet there are more than ten thousand beggars! How can I bear this?"
Is it that I am not diligent in my duties? Or that I do not love my people? Since ascending the throne, I have worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, never daring to slacken or be careless in any matter. I have the people in my heart and practice frugality. I do not crave rare and exotic foods, nor do I seek luxurious clothing. I do not allow my senses to be tempted by material desires, nor do I allow my dwelling to be misled by frivolous crafts…”
Zhu Youjian kept repeating how frugal, diligent, and loving he was.
The civil and military officials all looked at each other in bewilderment. "Your Majesty," they thought, "the Ming Dynasty belongs to you. It's your prerogative to choose to live a life of hardship. But you can't expect us to suffer with you, can you?"
"Alas..." Zhu Youjian sighed and said, "My dear ministers, I am speaking from the heart. If you can't even sweep your own house, how can you sweep the world? Let's start making sure the people live in peace and prosperity from the capital. I don't care what methods you use, you have one month to ensure that all the homeless people in the capital have a job that provides them with enough to eat and a warm home!"
"Kong Zhenyun, Liu Zongzhou!" Zhu Youjian commanded, "This matter is entirely under your responsibility!"
"Your subject accepts the decree and thanks you!" Kong Zhenyun and Liu Zongzhou immediately knelt down to receive the decree.
After the court session ended, the civil and military officials strolled in twos and threes, chatting amongst themselves. They all thought Zhu Youjian had lost his mind! Learning from Hanshan? There were no beggars in Hanshan? Who the hell believed that?
Kong Zhenyun and Liu Zongzhou both felt incredibly unlucky. How did they end up in this mess? Finding work for beggars? That wasn't the problem; the real issue was that if they weren't lazy, they would have already found their own way to make a living.
Liu Zongzhou looked at Kong Zhenyun and asked with a wry smile, "Lord Kong, what do you think should be done about this task?"
Kong Zhenyun thought for a moment and then said, "The one who tied the knot must untie it. Since the Emperor says there are no beggars in Hanshan, why don't we go and ask Prince Tuzhu for advice?"
Liu Zongzhou quickly said, "Lord Kong, Tu Zhu Wang is your son-in-law, so we'll have to trouble you with this matter."
"Sigh..." Kong Zhenyun sighed and said helplessly, "Let's go, come with me!"
Soon, Kong Zhenyun and Liu Zongzhou arrived at the Tu Zhu Prince's Mansion. Out of respect for Kong Zhenyun, Wang Wenzhou did not keep them waiting and quickly came to see them with the baby in his arms.
Wang Wenzhou put his arm around Kong Nianhui, took a sip of wine from her mouth, and asked, "Old Kong, what brings you here today?"
Kong Nianhui is Kong Zhenyun's youngest daughter. Because she is beautiful, Wang Wenzhou has recently taken a liking to sleeping with her, and she often stays by his side.
Kong Zhenyun quickly recounted what had happened in the imperial court.
Wang Wenzhou was amused and laughed loudly, "Isn't this easy to handle? Just send the yamen runners to arrest all the beggars in the capital and drive them out of the city, that'll solve everything!"
"Pfft..." Kong Zhenyun and Liu Zongzhou were completely dumbfounded.
Kong Zhenyun said with a wry smile, "Boxin! Don't drag this old man down with you! If the Emperor finds out about this, my position as Grand Secretary is over!"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Old Kong, we're not strangers."
At this point, Wang Wenzhou squeezed Kong Nianhui's hand, which was inside her clothes, and Kong Nianhui quickly fed him a mouthful of wine.
Wang Wenzhou continued, "For Kong Nianhui's sake, I won't cheat you! With over a million people in Beijing, how could there be no beggars?"
Liu Zongzhou quickly said, "Your Highness, aren't there no beggars in Hanshan?"
Wang Wenzhou curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Can the capital compare to Hanshan? The reason why there are no beggars in Hanshan is actually very simple. Anyone who is idle will be arrested by the yamen runners for no reason, sent to a labor camp for study, and finally given a job."
"Let me ask you, can the capital city do that? Even if you arrest them all, are there that many jobs?"
Liu Zongzhou nodded; Wang Wenzhou's words were indeed true. Having served as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for so many years, no one knew more about the affairs of the capital than him.
"Boxin, is there really no other way?" Kong Zhenyun asked with a wry smile.
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "That Zhu Youjian is a complete idiot. He probably thinks it's embarrassing that there are beggars in Hanshan but not in the capital city right under the emperor's nose."
There are all kinds of people in this world. There are some lazybones who don't want to work and just want something for nothing. Even if you give them a task, they're too lazy to do it, and they won't do it well either.
Kong Zhenyun quickly said, "That's true, but what if the Emperor blames us?"
Wang Wenzhou quickly said, "Old Kong, Zhu Youjian is such a pig, he's obsessed with saving face! You've driven away all the beggars in the capital, leaving only the rich. Zhu Youjian will feel that under the emperor's rule, the people are living in peace and prosperity, and he'll feel proud. How could he possibly blame you?"
Kong Zhenyun nodded, agreeing with Wang Wenzhou's point.
"Boxin! Thank you for reminding me! I'll take my leave now!" Kong Zhenyun said, and then turned to leave.
Wang Wenzhou quickly said, "Old Kong, what's the rush? Eat before you leave!"
"Boxin, let's drink another day!" Kong Zhenyun really didn't want to drink with Wang Wenzhou. Every time he saw his daughter feeding Wang Wenzhou wine mouth-to-mouth like a prostitute, he regretted marrying his daughter to Wang Wenzhou.