Chapter 147 Thunderstorm
The time for tax collection passed quickly, and from all over Da Viet, the tax money with commercial seals was continuously shipped to the capital, and the tax money had been handed over by the Ministry of Commerce.
Those who are interested only know that the tax collected by the Ministry of Commerce will not be less this time, but no one knows the exact amount. It should be said that they cannot estimate it with their common sense.
When Zhou Yi had almost finished the handover and was about to report to Emperor Chongzheng and hand it over to the household department, the emperor suddenly ordered to go to the morning court.
Zhou Yi, like the other courtiers, was puzzled by Monk Zhanger. During these days, Emperor Chongzheng didn't order him, and he himself didn't go to Emperor Chongzheng because he was busy with taxation.
While waiting outside the Meridian Gate, someone came to ask Zhou Yi if he knew what was the reason why Emperor Chongzheng suddenly opened the morning court this time. Zhou Yi really didn't know, so he had to answer truthfully.
But those people don't believe it.
"Hey, Mr. Zhou, why is this so? We are all officials in the same dynasty, and sometimes we help each other. If we know what the emperor is doing, we can make preparations..." After the man finished speaking, the surrounding officials They all nodded in unison.
Zhou Yi smiled wryly: "My lords, I really don't know, you should also know that I have only returned to the capital not long ago, and I have been busy with tax matters these days, and I haven't seen the emperor for a long time! Besides, the emperor's power is unpredictable, How can I, as a courtier, know?"
The person who asked Zhou Yi laughed: "Yes, Mr. Zhou said that, it is true, I shouldn't ask you." But looking at him, he didn't quite believe it.
Zhou Yi shrugged, maybe this is the trouble of being a favored minister. Others only think of you as having a bright future, and the emperor really regards you as his confidant, but only you know what's going on.
Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen stood on the spot with their eyes closed, looking like old gods were there, as if they knew something. Other officials gathered to talk quietly.
Zhou Yi looked around suspiciously. Could it be that something important happened during his absence from Beijing?
Bells and drums rang, the Meridian Gate opened, and Zhou Yi followed a group of ministers into the palace. The people in the Ministry of Rituals who inspected the appearance of officials were still stern and selfless. This time Zhou Yi didn’t smile at them anymore. But he didn't answer, yes, he is such a narrow-minded person.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi would not show his smiling face this time. The old man in the etiquette department was more polite to him. After the inspection, he said: "Master Zhou has worked hard these days." Zhou Yi couldn't laugh or cry
. Really old-fashioned, the ability to watch people play is also very slick, Zhou Yi just nodded lightly, and replied with an understatement.
The official from the Ministry of Rituals didn't say anything, and wrote Zhou Yi a good appearance in the gift book. Then the eunuch sang promises, and the morning court officially began.
But what is strange today is that in the past only princes could be in the Golden Palace in the early court, but this time almost all the adult princes came.
Now there are six adult princes in total, except for the well-known eldest prince and second prince, the other princes are not well-known.
Zhou Yi glanced at the princes quietly, then lowered his head and stood quietly in the middle of the line, making up his mind not to speak. It seemed that something big was about to happen, and he only went to this mess when he was tired of work. Shui, thinking of the unfinished intentions about the prince that Emperor Chongzheng revealed to him before, Zhou Yi lowered his head.
All the ministers were not fools. They knew that something big was going to happen after seeing the battle. Some of them who had already stood in line seemed to understand the truth, some showed uncontrollable joy, and some frowned tightly.
After a while, Emperor Chongzheng came.
Sitting on a high golden chair, he first glanced at the princes standing in the front row. The princes all shook their bodies, and then looked at the ministers. The eunuch sang in a long voice: "There is an enlightenment Zuo, you have no reason to retreat."
All the ministers looked at me and I looked at you, but they didn't speak.
"What, you have nothing to say? You have nothing to say, but I have something to say! The prince is here, come out!" Emperor Chongzheng's voice seemed to come from the ice cellar.
Zhou Yi had discovered before that although the crown prince was trying his best to cover it up, he was still very nervous and hesitant. Now that he was called by Emperor Chongzheng, his whole body trembled, and he knelt on the ground with a trembling voice: "I see my father!" "Father,
you You still have my father in your eyes, and I see that you wish for me to die, so you can inherit the throne!!!" Emperor Chongzheng patted the dragon chair heavily, with endless anger in his eyes.
Zhou Yi's heart shrank when he heard this, this is a very cruel accusation, if one is not good, it will cause Donggong Yichu! Although the crown prince is not an emperor, he has no real power when the emperor is in power, but he is the default heir to the throne, a symbol of royal dictatorship, even if the crown prince has done something wrong, if the emperor has no intention of abolishing the crown prince, he will never be like this Say such a strict duty in front of all the ministers.
"Father, my son was wronged. I really didn't do it. Someone must have framed my son. Father, you believe me, my son has no intention of disobedience. Father..." After Emperor Chongzheng said, The prince suddenly fell to the ground, crying bitterly.
Zhou Yi stared blankly, his heart turned again and again, it seemed that Emperor Chongzheng had caught the crown prince's trick.
"Are you wronged? Ha, haha, now you tell me that you are wronged. Your East Palace is so strict, who can put the dragon robe in your room? Prince, you have disappointed me so much. All the ministers obey your orders." , the crown prince is unvirtuous, unfilial and unfraternal, the position of crown prince will be abolished from today, and the position of the East Palace will be discussed again!" "
Father, father, my son and minister are wronged!!! Father, you have to be clear, my son and minister are wronged!" The prince kowtowed frantically.
Emperor Chongzheng's words could be said to have dropped a big thunderbolt on the Golden Luan Hall, making the unsuspecting courtiers dizzy. Even though they thought that something big would happen, they didn't expect such a big thing as the abolition of the crown prince.
Immediately someone stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible. The Crown Prince is usually respectful to Wen De and has a good reputation. Moreover, the Crown Prince is the established heir. If he is easily deposed, there will be widespread public debate, and the government will be unstable. Your Majesty, think twice." An old official from the Ministry of Rites stood up and said earnestly.
What he said is indeed reasonable. Once the position of the crown prince is determined, it cannot be easily shaken. If the crown prince is easily abolished, it will inevitably cause people to fluctuate. In the past, there was a prince who was on top of him. There is nothing wrong with inheriting the great line. The princes are more or less convinced. Even if they want to do some small tricks behind the scenes, they will at least think twice before acting. If once the crown prince is deposed and the crown prince becomes vacant, it is equivalent to hanging a ginseng fruit in front of everyone. You are not the son of a son, and neither am I. Everyone is in the same position. Right now, only the second prince will end up wrestling with the crown prince, but when the time comes, no accidents, anyone with a little ambition will end up, and the fight will be like a mess.
This is not the most serious thing, the more important thing is that in order to fight for the upper position, the princes will definitely do everything possible to win over the courtiers. Now that Dai Viet is in a situation of internal and external troubles, such internal fighting cannot afford to consume.
Zhou Yi lowered his head, these courtiers could think that, as a monarch, Emperor Chongzheng naturally wanted it too, but why did he still make this decision without hesitation!
Zhou Yi sighed deeply in his heart, all the reason is that Emperor Chongzheng is old, the emperor always likes to say that he is a lonely person, and the heights are extremely cold, being an emperor is not as happy as being a poor man, listening to them fart, dignified ninety-five supreme He is the most honorable person in the whole world, and the power of life and death is given to him. He speaks golden words, and the whole world prostrates under his feet. Men have a natural pursuit and obsession with power, so they command the lives of the world. Who doesn't want to enjoy some extra time? There is nothing in this world that can threaten him, and the only thing that can pull him down from the throne is death.
Emperor Chongzheng was already suspicious, and now that he was old and obsessed with power, the crown prince's private possession of the dragon robe was like poking him against the scales. How could he not be annoyed?
Okay, I raised you well, made you a prince, and gave you infinite glory. Now you are looking forward to my death so that you can ascend to the throne immediately. Maybe you still have to rebel... Zhou Yi imitated it in his
heart Although the idea of Emperor Chongzheng is not entirely correct, it is almost the same.
Emperor Chongzheng kept his face cold and silent, and the atmosphere in the Golden Luan Hall seemed to be frozen, but even under such circumstances, more than half of those who stood up to intercede for the prince.
There are no more than two reasons. One is that, as the official of the Ministry of Rites said before, if the prince is easily abolished, it will cause turmoil in the government and the public. The second reason is that the prince is crying and crying for injustice. Such an absurd person, even if he has a different heart, how could he put the dragon robe in his room grandiosely? There are a lot of tricks here!
Of course, there are also objections, "The crown prince is the crown prince, and he will inherit the great power in the future. He hides the dragon robe privately, has bad conduct, and his heart can be punished. How can such a person be worthy of a big job? He should choose another virtuous person to be decent.
" No need to guess, most of them are from the Second Prince's faction.
The two factions who disagreed with each other were fiercely arguing in the Golden Luan Hall, and they were about to roll up their sleeves and fight, which stunned the princes who had never been to court.
Of course, there are still people who don’t make a sound in the hall, most of them are neutral faction, obviously there are too many suspicious things about the Crown Prince’s private possession of the dragon robe, and now the two parties are fighting like black corns, whoever gets involved easily , that is a fool!
The big bosses of the cabinet stood behind Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen, watching their noses, noses, noses, noses, and hearts, without saying a word. Zhou Yi quietly shrunk his body, staring at his toes, as if he wanted to stare at them.
"Xing Jing, as the chief assistant, what do you think?" Emperor Chongzheng looked at the ministers who were frying a pot of porridge below, his eyes flashed with impatience, and with a glance, he saw the neutral faction who had not participated in the war so far. It was really furious, and the consequences of hastily abolishing the prince cannot be underestimated, but he would not believe those people who rolled up their sleeves and started doing it right from the start. It's not that I don't know. These people's buttocks are crooked. Although all of them are reasonable, Emperor Chongzheng will not believe it easily.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzheng focused his attention on the neutral faction. Only what these people said could be a little more credible from the perspective of a bystander.
When his eyes flicked over Zhou Yi, who was bowing his head and showing the back of his head, he paused for a moment, but he still swept forward and called out to Xing Jing.
Xing Jing naturally knew that under such circumstances, it was really unreasonable for him to be silent as the chief assistant.
The noisy ministers and the princes all looked at Xing Jing, especially the prince, staring at Xing Jing rightly.
"Your Majesty, I think that the ministers are now in dispute, and what each said is reasonable. I suggest that this matter should be postponed for a while. After a thorough investigation of the truth of the matter, it will not be too late to make a decision. If the Crown Prince really Secretly hiding the dragon robe, it is of course according to the emperor's holy words that the crown prince should be deposed, if the crown prince has suffered wronged, so it is not a good thing for the crown prince, the princes, and me, Da Yue, to hastily abolish the crown prince!" Xing
Xing After Jing finished speaking, he prostrated himself on the ground and remained silent. After hearing this, Emperor Chongzheng's face remained unchanged, and he frowned. Instead of calling Xing Jing to get up, he called Yang Zhiwen.
"Yang Zhiwen, as the second assistant, what do you think about this matter?"
Yang Zhiwen bowed out of the line and knelt beside Xing Jing, "Returning to the emperor, Xing Shoufu's suggestion is the most appropriate, and the humble minister seconded it." Of course it is the most
appropriate Well, let's put it this way, Prince, the other princes are not offended. But in the current situation, there is no other way except to say so.
The neutral faction seems to be invincible, no one can cling to it and can't offend, but one bad thing is to make sandwich biscuits.
Zhou Yi still stood there without moving, even the angle of his head hadn't changed from the beginning to the end.
Emperor Chongzheng paused.
Now that he breathes, it affects the hearts of countless people. Everyone is looking at Emperor Chongzheng eagerly. In fact, Xing Jing's suggestion is indeed the best under the current situation. For the prince, although he is deposed, it is still like a It's like a rope hanging around the neck, but at least there is a chance of buffering.
For the second prince and the faction, even if the prince cannot be abolished, the prince's prestige will be greatly reduced after this incident, especially in the heart of Emperor Chongzheng, who has already been deeply guarded against the prince. Any more mistakes will remind Emperor Chongzheng of what happened today, and then it will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
"Zhou Yi, I see you are always looking at your toes. Do you have flowers growing on your feet or something? Come out and tell me what you think ."
mmp!!!
, Call him out when this kind of hatred arises. Although he is more concerned about who will succeed the emperor, it seems that the crown prince and the second prince are the same, and the other princes have not revealed it yet. A good situation is, of course, that if you can avoid contamination, you will not be contaminated.
But Emperor Chongzheng didn't think so much for Zhou Yi. In his heart, it was right for his subjects to share the emperor's worries. He valued Zhou Yi so much, so Zhou Yi should naturally give his heart and soul to him. Zhou Yi had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk out, walked quickly behind Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen, knelt down with a plop, and the three of them knelt in a row. Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen couldn't escape being questioned by Emperor Chongzheng because of their status. Zhou Yi was purely because Emperor Chongzheng valued him. In the eyes of Emperor Chongzheng, a third-rank official could receive the same treatment as the first assistant and second assistant. From a certain point of view, this was indeed an unparalleled favor for him. It would be great if Emperor Chongzheng would be the first to think of him for a good thing. Zhou Yi complained in his heart, and replied with a very respectful face: "Your Majesty, the abolition of the crown prince is really involved. I dare not speak nonsense. I can only do it." What I'm talking about is that apart from the fact that the crown prince is the crown prince of a country, he is still your son, the eldest brother of the princes. Abolishing the crown prince is not only a state matter, but also a family matter. Your majesty, the humble minister has been raised by my father since childhood. Daddy, I know that the most precious thing in this world is family affection. Your Majesty, in addition to being the monarch of a country, you are also the father of many princes. In this world, how can there be parents who do not love their children? Love is deeply responsible There is nothing that cannot be said between father and son, why don't you have a frank and honest talk with the princes, know their thoughts, settle the family affairs, and talk about state affairs before it's too late!" Zhou Yi finished speaking , and then fell down on the ground.
Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen were taken aback for a moment, and then cursed together in their hearts. This damn boy can really turn black into white with just one mouth. In fact, there is no difference between Zhou Yi's central idea and theirs. It was all discussed after adjournment, but from the perspective of family affection, this kid also did not offend anyone, but he showed his innocence.
None of them said good things, but in the eyes of the emperor, they would inevitably have the impression of being irresponsible, but Zhou Yi, with sincere words, directly touched the softest heart of Emperor Chongzheng, not only did not appear slick, but was sincere and loyal.
After hearing Zhou Yi's words, Emperor Chongzheng's throat trembled a few times. He scanned the front row and looked at his princes eagerly. "Family love, how long has it been since he heard this word?"
After being an emperor for a long time, I am used to calculating everything. Everyone around him wears a mask. Husband and wife, father and son, monarchs and ministers, no one can really trust. In the heart of the emperor, how could he not expect family affection.
Zhou Yi's words directly drew out the meager family affection in his heart.
Zhou Yi is the only one who can really think about him...
After Zhou Yi said this, Emperor Chongzheng's face gradually improved, and he said softly, "Zhou Qing, get up." "
Thank you." Your Majesty," Zhou Yi said in a loud voice, and after getting up, he quietly stood aside, as if he hadn't done anything the whole time.
Emperor Chongzheng looked at Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen who were kneeling in front again, and said in a slightly cold voice, "Get up too."
Xing Jing and Yang Zhiwen also got up, how could they not hear the difference in Emperor Chongzheng's tone, but who let Are their brains not as fast as Zhou Yi's? Forget it, anyway, this kid can't be judged by common sense, he was born a monster, it's heartbreaking to compare with him.
The crown prince knelt on the ground, seeing that Emperor Chongzheng's face had calmed down a lot, he was greatly relieved, no matter what, the present test may have passed.
After Zhou Yi returned to the queue, the second prince took a deep look at him. He had only heard that Zhou Yi was eloquent and loved by his father. As for how much he got, how much did his father love him? He, the second prince, didn't have any intuitive feelings.
But today, Zhou Yi touched Emperor Chongzheng with just a few words, which shocked him and made him salivate at Zhou Yi at the same time. This person is worth using all means to win him over!
Emperor Chongzheng seemed a little tired, and he gave the prince a cold look: "Get up, we will discuss your matter after investigation!" "
Yes, thank you father..." The prince's eyes were red as if he had received an amnesty.
Disappointment flashed in the eyes of the second prince's group, but they soon regained their strength. It's not over yet. The emperor just said that the investigation will be done after a clear investigation, and he didn't say that he won't abolish the prince! They still have a chance!
"If you have a book to play, you can leave the court without a book!" The eunuch sang again dragging his voice under the signal of Emperor Chongzheng.
Who else is there at this time? Seeing that the emperor was in a bad mood, he wished he could go down as soon as possible, so as not to touch the emperor's minefield.
But at this time, there is really someone who is not afraid of death and bumps upwards.
"Report to the emperor, I have something to play!"
Who is so bold, is it stupid or naive, didn't you see that the emperor is worrying about it! Everyone took a closer look, only to find that it was Zhou Yi who spoke loudly.
The crown prince's heart that had fallen back a little suddenly raised his heart again, for fear that Zhou Yi was talking about him again, so please don't do this, big brother, won't you just let me escape this disaster quietly? Emperor Chongzheng was a little irritable, he didn't want to deal with court affairs at all, but seeing that it was Zhou Yi, he managed to
suppress the impatience in his heart, "What's the matter?"
Since then, the commercial tax for the first quarter has been collected, and all of them have been registered and shipped to the capital, with a total of 15 million taels of silver! After your majesty decrees, the tax silver can be handed over to the treasury at any time!"
"Hiss..." All the officials in the hall gasped. Did they hear hallucinations? What did Zhou Yi just say? Not fifteen hundred taels, nor one and a half million taels, but fifteen million taels! ! ! Damn, this is worth more than half of the national treasury's annual income.
"Because it's the early days, the scale of border trade and the newly established workshops are not much, and the tax money may increase in the future. Your Majesty, the humble officials are not effective, please punish me!" This is not over yet, Zhou Yi doesn't seem to think that he How amazing is the number mentioned before, and I continue to add it, and there is deep regret and self-blame in my tone!
Oh my god, come on, let’s strike them dead. Zhou Yi said before that he opened up border trade, started business, and how he would make money. They all just thought Zhou Yi was bragging. , On the contrary, it wasted a lot...
Is this still a normal world? Could it be that the Fang family they got up this morning is not right? And this is only the tax for the first quarter, Zhou Yi is a fierce man who has to collect business tax four times a year! How much money would that be and listen to this kid's tone, what's with the deep regret? In the ears of these ministers, it all turned into showing off and ridicule, especially those who jumped to oppose Zhou Yi's opening of border trade.
"Hahahahahaha..." Emperor Chongzheng paused for a long time after Zhou Yi finished speaking, and after making sure he had heard correctly, he suddenly burst into laughter! The laughter went straight to the Golden Luan Hall!