Chapter 268 Funeral

Hearing the words "districting according to regulations", the civil and military officials of the former dynasty suddenly felt as if they were mourning for their heirs, trembling with fear, and some even collapsed to the ground. They were afraid that if Ying Yi said a word, they would be pushed out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded.

The former dynasty was full of civil and military nobles, as few as ninety percent of them. How dare they say that they had never taken bribes and perverted the law? It's just that there are more and less greedy, and there are light and heavy vain.

Among them are those who harm the country, and there are not a few.

Although Jinyiwei's situation is declining, they still have eyes and ears in the capital's basic position. In the civil and military affairs of the Ming Dynasty, who did what, how much money they embezzled, and how many lives they lost were all recorded. In the past, there was no way to deal with the evidence of guilt, but now it all falls into Ying Yi's hands.

Of course, there is also Tsinghua University in the mud. A few people with outstanding virtues and good abilities are also recorded.

There is a big pile of such documents on the table at Ying Yi's hand. If he really had to read through them carefully, he might not be able to do it without spending three to five days.

He lowered his eyes down the steps, looked at the former minister with a dangerous expression, and said calmly: "Let's wait until the imperial envoy arrives to discuss the matter."

As soon as these words came out, many people in the court breathed a sigh of relief.

"It is not a long-term strategy for the capital to be subject to military control." Ying Yi added: "We will sort out the details after Zheng Yunzhi, Sun Wen and others arrive in the capital. Mr. Yan has been appointed to the Prince of Xia's Mansion and is temporarily responsible for the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. He is responsible for stability Capital order.”

"Respect your Majesty's orders!"

Yan Ermei slowly retreated.

When we first settled in Kaifeng, we had to deal with many things, which took Ying Yi several months to sort out. The capital is much more complicated than Kaifeng. Now Ying Yi couldn't even find a few available civil servants here. He could only wait until Zheng Yunzhi and Sun Xiucai arrived with their people, and then slowly deal with the details.

As for the rough framework, fortunately, Yan Ermei can help.

Then Ying Yi's eyes fell on the four captains including Zhu Bingkun and Zheng Wu, and said: "Zheng Wu is in charge of the defense of the capital, with Qian Yue as his assistant. Zhu Bingkun is in charge of reorganizing prisoners and eliminating the old and weak, with Zheng Jiu as his assistant. Tian Hongyu is in charge of the capital's defense. In terms of public security, Wang Yisheng guards the palace. When it comes to matters, we must not neglect them."

"Here!"

Finally, Ying Yi said: "All the ministers of the previous dynasty have returned home. They are not allowed to leave the capital without the king's order. They sit at home and are at their disposal at any time. Mr. Yan prepares an edict and announces it to all directions to show that it will be destroyed. Order the officials of the four prefectures. , the garrison generals came to Beijing to offer their surrender, it is April now, if there is no movement between July and March, you will bear the consequences."

After saying this, Ying Yi stood up and said, "Dismiss the court."

...

Martial law was lifted in the capital, and people could finally move around freely. So people came and went, and gradually became more prosperous.

Outside Yongding Gate, the notice office.

Many traders and people gathered together, bustling and crowded.

Under the notice, a literate scholar was reading aloud a three-foot-square notice.

"...Emperor Chongzhen of the previous dynasty ordered to abdicate... There was a successor of the Ying family, who was appointed as the head of the Xia Dynasty. He replaced him in the Ming Dynasty, opened a palace and built a tooth, and ascended to the throne of the king. He was named 'Xia', which was the name of the Xia Dynasty. king..."

"King Xia..." someone said in a daze: "The Ming Dynasty is just gone..."

Many people sigh, not knowing how complicated it is. But in the past few days, the situation in the capital has been foreshadowed for a long time. I have cried and mourned, and I can only accept the reality.

At this time, another guard in Jinyi arrived with a notice and posted seven or eight Fangzhi in succession. After Jin Yiwei left, the crowd gathered around again.

"This is a notice for the palace to recruit officials." A scholar said: "The palace is recruiting officials according to the order of Yan Ermei, King of Xia, and those with both ability and political integrity will be selected."

"This is also a recruitment notice. Hey, the recruitment is for craftsmen. Those with outstanding craftsmanship, whether blacksmiths, carpenters, or masons, can apply for the royal palace... Oh, there is also a salary, three hundred new coins a month." A scholar He looked strange and said, "What do you mean by new coins?"

A businessman said: "This husband doesn't know that Henan has introduced new coins as early as the beginning of the year to replace the old coins. This is the new coin." As he said this, he took out a handful of golden coins from his sleeves, which was particularly special. striking.

This businessman traveled all over the country and did business in Henan, so he naturally knew it and said: "The new coins of King Xia are more valuable than the previous copper coins and silver coins. Both the appearance and material are extraordinary and indestructible. We, the businessmen, like it the most. . In Henan, the new currency is exchanged for one hundred taels of silver, but in the market, one hundred taels can be used as one, two or five taels of silver."

"Three hundred qian monthly salary, so that's four taels or five taels of silver!"

"That's the truth."

"That's a good job." Someone was immediately moved: "We craftsmen are helpless in life. If we can have a monthly salary of three hundred yuan, it will be easy to support our family."

Notices are posted at the city gate and at every street entrance. In addition to promoting the destruction of the Ming Dynasty and the accession of the Xia king, there was also the defeat of the Eastern captives and the construction of the Jingguan. They also recruited officials and craftsmen, and even preached various laws, and planned to erect a law tablet near the Temple of Heaven and carve laws on it.

In addition, the Xia Palace was engaged in Yan Ermei's convening of major merchants in the capital to establish a chamber of commerce, stabilize prices, announce tax laws, new currency and other matters.

He has made a good start here, and can start working on the details as soon as Zheng Yunzhi, Sun Xiucai and others arrive.

As for Ying Yi himself, apart from the guidance, all the specific matters were left to Yan Ermei and others. He is more concerned about military reorganization.

As for the palace, except for military control, everything remains as usual. Ying Yi did not do anything inconsistent with etiquette and maintained a certain degree of respect for Emperor Chongzhen.

Qianqing Palace, where Ying Yi works.

Tian Hongyu stood with a bow.

"What number is this?"

He said calmly.

Tian Hongyu said: "Back to you, after Ni Yuanlu, Fan Jingwen, Li Banghua, and Shi Yaobang, Ling Yiqu is the fifth person."

"The fifth one..." Ying Yi sighed a little: "The Ming Dynasty has been raising scholars for three hundred years, but after all, there are still people who live and die together."

After a pause, he opened a silk book with a few lines written in blood. This was Ni Yuanlu's suicide note.

Like him, several others also left suicide notes. They were all requests for the King of Xia to be kind to the clan of the previous dynasty and to the people.

As the saying goes, when a bird is about to die, its cries are mournful, and when a man is about to die, his words are also kind. After all, they could not accept the death of the Ming Dynasty, so they followed the Ming Dynasty and returned to Huangquan.

These people may be corrupt and bend the law, but at the last moment, they were able to retain a bit of dignity and character, which in Ying Yi's opinion is extremely rare.

"That's all."

Ying Yi sighed and said: "You went to give me some comfort on my behalf. It would be good if you could say something back. Finally, you can do your best. Those who have died for the Ming Dynasty have a noble character. They should give more preferential treatment to their family members and descendants. Please wait for Zheng Yunzhi for details. We will handle the details after we arrive.”

Tian Hongyu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please give me your order."

"Go ahead."

Ying Yi waved his hand and dismissed Tian Hongyu.

In the Qianqing Palace, there was only one person left. Ying Yi stroked these suicide notes and felt quite emotional for a while. When the Song Dynasty died, 100,000 people crossed the sea to die. When the Ming Dynasty passes away, there are also mourners. Although the world is reincarnated and people's hearts are not the same in troubled times, there are always some people who can hold on to their bones.

No matter how these people are usually, at this moment, they all shine.

Ying Yi will not force them to stay. It is said that seeking benevolence will lead to benevolence and seeking righteousness to obtain righteousness. If you can retain people, you may not be able to retain your heart. It might be more comforting to let them leave their names in history. It also teaches people that when this glorious Ming Dynasty comes to an end, there are people who see him off.