Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 76 Moving is not easy (Part 2)
The industry of Honghezhuang cannot be completely closed because of Zhu Youdong's move to the south: China is too big. If you want to have an impact on the national economy through "emerging" industries, you must set up more than one production base. Moreover, as a child under six years old, Zhu Youdong has to leave Wanli so far away, so he always has to leave some "hostages". Therefore, the industry of Honghezhuang may be adjusted because of Zhu Youdong's move to the south, but it must not be completely closed.
Originally, Zhu Youdong planned to have Shen Li, the Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Ningyuan jointly guard this industry: you can't bother Wanli too often, after all, he is the emperor first, and then someone's grandfather. In this triangle chain, the upright Shen Li is a very important link: with this person's existence, the civil officials cannot unite, and as long as the civil officials do not have a unified position, the Duke of Yingguo alone can handle more than 99% of the troubles...
Unfortunately, plans cannot keep up with changes. Zhu Youdong is just a history enthusiast and not an expert in Ming history. How could he remember the year Shen Li retired?
With a long sigh, after seeing Shen Li off, Zhu Youdong welcomed Wen Tiren.
"Mr. Wen, there is such a thing..."
Although he was sitting, Wen Tiren kept his body slightly leaning forward and listened carefully to Zhu Youdong's narration. His eyes moved flexibly and he said, "I congratulate the Crown Prince. Today is the day for the young eagle to spread its wings."
"Hehe~ Mr. Wen, when a young eagle flies out from a cliff, it may soar into the sky, or it may fall off the cliff and be smashed to pieces."
"What does your Highness need me to do?"
Smart man! Zhu Youdong said, "Mr. Wen, you and I have been teacher and student for nearly two years. You are one of the people I trust the most. Now, I have to go to Nanjing to take charge. There are many things that cannot be done without Mr. Wen."
As we all know, Nanjing also has six ministries. However, Nanjing does not have an emperor now, and there has not been a crown prince for more than a hundred years. Therefore, the actual political status and rank of the six southern ministries are weaker than those of the six northern ministries.
The current Six Southern Ministries are, to a large extent, a nursing home or an exile place (if the emperor or a powerful official does not like a certain minister but it is not easy to remove him directly, he will throw such a minister to the Six Southern Ministries to be punished).
Of course, among the six southern ministries, the Ministry of War is still very powerful. The Nanjing Ministry of Revenue is responsible for collecting taxes from the four provinces in the south of the Yangtze River around Yingtian Prefecture, and this amount accounts for more than 50% or even more of the national income of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue also controls the salt permits and household registration of the whole country. It can be said that in terms of economy, the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue is the real top priority. Therefore, some young officials were sent to the six southern ministries by the big guys behind them: raise your level first!
Zhu Youdong originally planned to transfer Wen Tiren to Nanjing Ministry of Rites as the vice minister during this trip to the south: Jiangnan is a place with rich cultural heritage, and Zhu Youdong's future career cannot be separated from a large number of talents. Although Nanjing Ministry of Rites can neither interfere with the imperial examinations in Beijing nor dominate the provincial examinations in Yingtian, with the title of vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wen Tiren can openly inspect schools in the provinces of Jiangnan and contact students in the provinces of Jiangnan...
But now that Shen Li is about to retire, this plan is obviously not going to work. With Sun Chengzong and Xiong Tingbi already being sent out, and Lu Kun sure to resign after Shen Li retires, Old Wen is already the most reliable person around Zhu Youdong in terms of his ability to coordinate in the officialdom.
"Your Highness, as your Highness's tutor, I should naturally serve you. Whether I follow you south or stay in the capital for you, I am happy to do it."
"Well...Mr. Wen, this is what I think..."
"I understand. Your Highness will make all the arrangements."
After seeing Wen Tihen off, Zhu Youdong met Zhang Yicheng, Xu Guangqi, Zhao Shizhen, Matteo Ricci, Wei Zhongxian, Cao Sanxi and others.
Under the premise that Old Wen must stay in Beijing, Zhang Yicheng must go south. Unfortunately, the official rank of this top scholar is too low, and no matter how hard Zhu Youdong tries, he can't get him to be a minister in the six southern ministries. So he can only settle for the second best. In Zhu Youdong's plan, he arranged Zhang Yicheng to Yingtian Prefecture.
Xu Guangqi and Zhao Shizhen also had to go south: Honghezhuang would only be a production base in the future. The R&D center had to go with Zhu Youdong. Not only the two of them had to go, but all the craftsmen who had worked in Honghezhuang for more than a year and their families had to be taken away.
As for Matteo Ricci, Zhu Youdong was full of deception: Mr. Ricci, please don't be reluctant to part with the few believers who have just developed in Beijing. When you arrive in Nanjing, I will allocate a piece of land for you to build a new Catholic church, okay? You see, your contact with the Jesuits has to go through Macau, and Macau and Beijing are too far away. It will be different in Nanjing, the whole journey will be by water! How fast! Well, speaking of which, the lens grinder you found for me last time was quite good, and I will continue to expand the scale, so you can just let them come to Nanjing...
As for Cao Sanxi, it was much simpler: I want to take you to the south to meet the best businessman of this era. Are you afraid? No? Then let's go!
The one who needs to stay is Wei Zhongxian.
"Young Master, wuwu, logically speaking, I was promoted by you. I will do whatever you ask me to do... But I really can't bear to leave you."
"Alright, alright. You're almost forty years old. How can you keep crying? Zhongxian, there's nothing we can do. I'm going south , so I have to keep someone in the palace. Wang Chengen is too young. If I leave, he can't take care of the entire Xinghua Palace by himself."
"Uh... Young Master, can't you let Xiao Cao stay?"
"... Tadayuka, you were selected directly by me. But Otomo... was not."
After hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's mood suddenly changed from sadness to joy: So that's how it is, it turns out that I am the one that the master trusts the most!
"I understand. Although I am reluctant to leave you, but since you have said this , it would be too ignorant if I still want to follow you south. So, please rest assured, I will definitely take care of your home in Beijing even if it costs my life!"
"Well, Zhongxian, I heard that you have been working hard to learn to read in the past two years. That's great. After I go to Nanjing, I will have to rely on you to pass on news from Beijing. Don't be afraid of your ugly handwriting. I will only read your handwritten letters in the future..."
"Yes, young master! Xiao Cao told me a few days ago that if you don't keep secrets, then... uh... Anyway, please rest assured, young master, I will definitely follow your instructions."
"Well, do a good job. There will be more than just one eunuch in your future... hehe..."
…
In June of the 34th year of Wanli, the Imperial Censor Hou Qingyuan wrote to the emperor, saying that our dynasty had long had an ancestral system that the crown prince guarded Nanjing. However, since the Xuande period, it had not been implemented for various reasons. Today, our crown prince and the crown prince are both in good health and mature in mind. The ancestral system of the crown prince guarding Nanjing should be restored.
As soon as the book was submitted, some people responded to it, but there were also many people who opposed it. However, with the unanimous agreement of the emperor and the three cabinet elders, the proposal was implemented.
On June 18, Wanli issued a series of imperial edicts, which were quickly countersigned by the cabinet.
First: The Crown Prince Zhu Youdong will be stationed in Nanjing in the 35th year of Wanli. Officials of the six ministries and the Censorate of Nanjing, generals and commanders of the five military governors' offices in Nanjing, and eunuchs guarding Nanjing will all be under his control. The above people are responsible for matters and will first report to the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince cannot make a decision, then report to Beijing.
Second: Yang Tingyun, the censor of the Beijing Censorate, was promoted to Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief and appointed as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture.
Third: Li Zhizao, the river supervisor, entered the Nanjing Censorate and served as censor.
Fourth: Zhang Yicheng, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, was transferred to be the Imperial Censor of Yingtian Prefecture.
Fifth: Xu Guangqi, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, was transferred to serve as the director of the Nanjing Imperial College.
Sixth: Wen Tiren, the former director of the Ministry of Rites in Beijing, was transferred to be the director of the Ministry of Personnel in Beijing.
Seventh: Li Ruzhang, the former general of Yansui Town, was transferred to the position of deputy governor of Nanjing Front Army Governor's Office.
After these decrees were issued, the entire Ming officialdom instantly understood: the emperor had made up his mind, and the Crown Prince's departure for Nanjing was a foregone conclusion.
The ancestral system is here, and the grandson is really not easy to mess with. So this time, although the Ming Dynasty's censors also opposed it for a while, they stopped talking when they saw that the situation was clear. On the contrary, many officials flattered themselves and went to Xinghua Palace: Your Highness, the south is good, take me with you?
Zhu Youdong ignored all these people: on the one hand, he had already spent a lot of effort to settle his teachers with Wanli, and it was beyond his ability to settle more people. On the other hand, he thought: Who are you? Why should I take care of you?
These officials were of course very disappointed when they met with a cold shoulder from Zhu Youdong. But before they could turn their dissatisfaction into memorials to impeach Zhu Youdong again, a bigger wave came.
In July, the first minister Shen Yikuan and the third minister Shen Li retired at the same time .
In the same month, Emperor Wanli issued an edict that starting from the 35th year of the Wanli reign, mining taxes would be stopped nationwide!
