Chapter 374
Wang Yanqing's movements were suppressed by him. She bumped his elbow with her elbow and said angrily, "Don't make trouble. Raise your hand and change your clothes."
Lu Heng glanced at Wang Yanqing, slowly let go of her waist, and raised her hands. Wang Yanqing helped him change into his usual clothes, and the dinner outside was already set. The two of them went to sit outside and were about to eat when a servant suddenly hurried outside, stopped in the courtyard and clasped his fists: "Commander, there is an edict in the palace."
Lu Heng had no choice but to put down his chopsticks, change back to his court clothes, and enter the palace immediately. Lu Heng slandered on the road, the emperor deliberately did not let him live overnight. However, in the past two years, the emperor has become more and more devoted to cultivating Taoism, and even Zaochao has been dismissed, and the courtiers can't see the emperor. Calling Lu Heng into the palace so late was probably due to an urgent matter.
Lu Heng rushed to Xi Nei. The emperor now does not live in the Forbidden City, but moved to Xi Nei. The West Inner was originally a royal garden, with exotic flowers and plants, rockeries and flowing water, three lakes that are continuous and open, and the mist is slim. With the smoke lingering in the palace, it really has the meaning of a fairy palace in the night.
The eunuch guarding the gate saw him, Shi Shiran saluted, and said, "Captain Lu, come here with the servants."
After the change of the Renyin Palace, the emperor no longer believed in the palace servants, let alone the ministers, so he simply moved to the Western University, and the staff around him were all arranged by himself, and he no longer accepted the rules of restraining the king from ancient times to the present. The emperor didn't even go to the morning court, and stayed in the Western University every day, only the eunuchs he trusted could get close. If a courtier wanted to see the emperor, he had to write a report first, and then wait for the emperor to summon him.
But if you think that the emperor will not go to court, it will be a big mistake. The power of the government is still firmly in the hands of the emperor, and because of the cancellation of the early dynasties, most of the courtiers no longer participate in the deliberation, and only the courtiers in charge report to the emperor alone. As a result, the balance between the monarch and the minister was completely broken. The ministers were suspicious of each other and could not control the emperor. They could only fight internally. The emperor quit the game and completely became a judge and a spectator.
Lu Heng was one of the few courtiers who had normal access to the emperor. When the eunuch saw him, he did not dare to make things difficult, and immediately led Lu Heng to see the emperor.
As soon as Lu Heng entered the hall, he smelled the smell of medicinal herbs. He lowered his head without changing his face, and saluted the figure behind the curtain: "I see the emperor."
The emperor, wearing a Taoist robe, sat in front of the alchemy furnace and asked, "What do you think about the situation of Japanese pirates?"
This is a proposition. Lu Heng's mind quickly flashed through the people and things during this time. Everything was as usual in the Ministry of War. Xia Wenjin was busy enlightening the second prince. That is, how many people in the cabinet have come to see the emperor? Lu Heng's thoughts flashed in the blink of an eye, but he kept calm and quickly replied: "Governor Zhang Jin has been in Nanjing for many years. He is familiar with maritime affairs, acts cautiously, loves the people like a son, and with him overseeing the army, there should be good news soon."
In officialdom, impeachment is not necessarily scolding, and praise is not for your own good. Lu Heng's words seemed to affirm Zhang Jin, but in fact every word had other meanings.
Zhang Jin, a native of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, came from a poor background, but he found a rich father-in-law to help him become an official in the imperial examinations. After that, Zhang Jin stayed in his hometown and worked as a prefect and a servant in the Nanjing area. He used his power to open the door for his father-in-law. Lu Heng said that Zhang Jin was familiar with maritime affairs, but he was actually implying that he and the local squires and merchants were of the same mind; he acted cautiously, that is, since he oversaw the battle, no pirates had been killed along the coast; there should be good news soon, which means that he has not yet done so. Good news came.
After listening to this, the emperor stood up from the pill stove, walked to the table and took a book, and said, "Yan Wei entered the palace just now and brought a book. It is said that it was delivered to the capital only after dying. Come and have a look."
Lu Heng entered the curtain, took the book, and looked down carefully.
The book was written by Zhao Wenhua, the minister of military affairs. Zhang Jin is also the Minister of War, but he has been serving in Nanjing, while Zhao Wenhua went out from Beijing and inspected the coast to Zhejiang. Lu Heng had the impression that he hadn't seen Zhao Wenhua since the New Year's Eve holiday. It seems that under the pretense of going home for the New Year, Zhao Wenhua actually went to Jiangnan for an unannounced visit under the secret order of the emperor.
In the first month, just after Zhu Wan committed suicide. Although the emperor dismissed Zhu Wan from his official position and ordered people to arrest Zhu Wan and return to Beijing, he did not intend to kill him. However, it was the news of Zhu Wan's death that was sent back to Beijing. The emperor said nothing about Zhu Wan's death on the surface, but he actually held a grudge and secretly sent someone to investigate.
Zhao Wenhua took half a year to return the memorial today. The memorial said that only a small part of the Japanese pirates were from Dongying, and the remaining 80% were their own. They disregard the sea ban and smuggle with outsiders. The so-called pirates are the middlemen who give up farming and devote themselves to the sea, connecting Zhejiang and Fujian squires and merchants with Westerners. The imperial court had a sea ban, and in order to hide people's eyes and ears, coastal officials called these people Japanese pirates together, and used the name of Dongying people to cover up their private trips to sea.
Sea trade generates huge profits every year, which flow into the pockets of local gentry and bureaucrats without passing through the imperial court. The issue of Japanese pirates is deeply rooted in private, and even many officials have direct or indirect connections with pirates in their homes. The Southeast Sea Division's campaign against Japanese pirates was simply not working hard. Even before the start of the fight, the officials let the pirates out in advance. In this way, how could the Japanese pirates be eliminated?
Zhang Jin was recommended by the local squire group, and would not really rectify the Japanese pirates.
Zhao Wenhua also said in the memorial that after the former governor Zhu Wan arrived in Zhejiang, he strictly enforced the security guards on the coast and vigorously rectified the coastal defense. The sea ban was unprecedentedly strict, so he was hated by the local bureaucrats. After Zhu Wan destroyed many pirates and ports in a row, he finally angered the local bureaucracy. They joined forces with officials from the capital, Zhejiang and Fujian to impeach Zhu Wan.