Chapter 900
A succession of happy events
An official from the Daolu Division happily approached Pan Yun, hinting, "Should we make arrangements for the Imperial Preceptor's senior brothers, sisters, and nephews?"
Pan Yun: ...
She looked at them quietly for a moment, thinking to herself: Why don't you make arrangements for me first?
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, only then realizing that she didn't seem to have a Buddhist ordination certificate yet.
Miaozhen is very likely to obtain her ordination certificate next year, but she doesn't need the Taoist Registry to arrange it for her.
Moreover… “Sending people to Luchuan is to contribute your modest efforts to the stability of the country. South of Luchuan has always been under the jurisdiction of the Tusi (chieftains), and they have their own customs, though of varying quality. The good customs should be inherited and preserved, while the cruel, bloody, and harsh ones should be abolished and replaced with other ideas and customs. Luchuan is not a place for you to send useless people to draw salaries without working. I hope that the people sent by the Daolusi (the Daolu Bureau) are capable, responsible, and have a heart that embraces all things.”
In the Luchuan area, the people under the rule of the Tusi were equivalent to the Tusi's tenant farmers, and in some places, they were even equivalent to slaves.
Children born to commoners belong to the chieftain, and their life or death is in the hands of the chieftain and his family.
Some tribes even have cruel customs, such as making drums from the skin of young girls and sacrificing young boys and girls to the mountains whenever there is a flash flood.
It didn't achieve much, but it did increase a lot of resentment in the world.
The imperial court wanted to educate these places, and so did Pan Yun.
The officials from the Daolu Division seemed thoughtful and left respectfully.
Pan Jun watched them leave, her eyes lowered as she looked at Pan Xiaohei, who was lying at her feet: "Do you think I should get myself a certificate of ordination?"
Pan Xiaohei: "You want it?"
Pan Yun pondered for a moment and said, "After taking the exam twice, I've developed an obsession with it."
Pan Xiaohei: "Isn't it all just a matter of you saying a word now?"
Pan Yun waved her hand and said, "Forget it, it wouldn't be good if it took someone else's spot. I don't need it now."
Pan Xiaohei rolled over, exposing his belly: "I'm so bored, don't you find it boring?"
“I’m not bored. I’m very busy every day, okay?” Pan Jun glanced at it: “If you feel bored, then go into seclusion.”
Wouldn't that be even more boring?
Seeing her so carefree, Pan Xiaohei couldn't help but ask, "How can you be so carefree? Aren't you worried about Miaozhen and the other two, or that fox and Xiaohong?"
Pan Yun remained calm: "The amulets on their bodies have remained perfectly still, so what's there to worry about?"
Pan Xiaohei gazed longingly at the blue sky outside the door: "The outside world is so vast! I want to go out and explore it too."
Pan Jun picked it up, looked it in the eye, and after a moment of eye contact, she couldn't help but smile: "You really did cultivate a heart."
Pan Xiaohei remained motionless in astonishment.
Pan Yun casually placed it on her lap, rubbed its head and smoothed its fur, and said gently, "Wait a little longer, we'll get out too."
She is a Taoist practitioner, not someone who truly craves power. Her stay in the palace is temporary; one day, she will have to leave.
Pan Yun looked at the clear blue sky outside the door, a slight smile playing on her lips; that was her world.
Pan Yun continued to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works. The cannons had not yet been built, but he took the opportunity to improve many other weapons and tools.
Good news keeps coming in.
Through the continuous efforts of Yang Shan and Xue Shao, Deng Maoqi was finally recruited into the government.
However, Deng Maoqi did not immediately dismiss his followers, but instead asked the court to fulfill part of the agreement first.
For example, the imperial court ordered that land rent in Fujian and Jiangxi should not exceed 60%, and landlords should not demand extra silage from tenants.
Of course, the order was issued, but whether the landowners would obey it when they arrived in the areas was anyone's guess. The only guarantees the government's land and that there would be legal recourse when the people filed complaints.
Seeing that Deng Maoqi's requests were all off-target, Xue Shao secretly gave him a hint.
Therefore, two more points were added to the report: First, the court should make proper arrangements for the refugees who followed Deng Maoqi, ensuring that each person could at least receive two mu of land to survive.
Secondly, they demanded a land survey in Fujian and Jiangxi.
Xue Shao wrote a memorial to the court, earnestly requesting that the court grant Deng Maoqi's two conditions.
The first provision is beneficial not only to the refugees who followed Deng Maoqi, but also to the imperial court.
By securing land for the people, these displaced people would be bound by the land and would no longer cause trouble.
Secondly, and this is exactly what the emperor wanted to do, he used Deng Maoqi as an excuse.
The emperor agreed.
There were naturally dissenting voices within the government.
"If this precedent is set, I fear that in the future, if the people are dissatisfied, they will be coerced into rebellion, which will breed unruly people and be detrimental to the country."
But Yu Qian said, "How can we throw the baby out with the bathwater?"
Thus, the emperor made the final decision and agreed to Deng Maoqi's conditions.
After a year and a half, Deng Maoqi's rebellion was finally quelled. Xue Shao and Yang Shan were ordered by the emperor to handle related matters in Fujian. Before the New Year, they led Deng Maoqi and his entourage back to the capital to report to the emperor.
Meanwhile, good news also came from the sea: Li Qing, the Zhejiang official in charge of defending against Japanese pirates, annihilated 68 pirates at sea, captured 109 pirates, and retrieved two Ming Dynasty silver ships that had been blocked at sea.
At the joint request of the Zhejiang Prefect and the Naval Office, the imperial court decided to establish a Maritime Trade Office in Ningbo Prefecture, so that silver ships from Dasen Township could directly dock at the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office.
When Pan Yun heard this news on the Qintian Observatory, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and exclaiming, "Is Cao Jixiang about to vomit blood?"
The official in charge of the Spring Palace was also delighted: "I heard that Eunuch Cao has submitted three memorials in succession, urging His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Quanzhou Guard, and has even volunteered to be the supervisor of the Quanzhou Guard!"
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "It's not necessarily a bad thing for him to be a supervisor."
The official in charge of the Spring and Autumn Annals looked at Pan Yun in surprise, paused for a moment, and then said, "The ministers in the court are strongly opposed to this, believing that it is already taboo for a eunuch to be the head of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office, and if he is involved in military affairs as well, I'm afraid..."
Pan Yun: "What's there to be afraid of? Everyone has greed. Hasn't Jiang Fangzheng done enough? Men always think that someone will become perverted if they lose a thing down there, but in my opinion, there are many people in the court who are more perverted than eunuchs."
The official in charge of spring was in an awkward position.
Pan Yun also knew why they disliked eunuchs holding military power: because they had no wives or children, and once they gained power, they were difficult to control.
But they forgot that the emperor liked to use them precisely because of this.
Because they had no roots or foundation, they could only rely on the emperor.
The official in charge of the Spring Palace carefully reminded him, "It's better to be careful. Although Cao Jixiang is loyal and honest, this is a matter of the present. No one knows what the future holds. Moreover, if this precedent is set, I'm afraid that eunuchs will become the norm in military affairs, which will be detrimental to the country."
Pan Yun countered, "Wasn't the practice of using eunuchs as military supervisors a precedent set by the Yongle Emperor? Guo Jing served as military supervisor in Datong for several years, why didn't anyone mention this?"
The official in charge of spring was in an awkward position.
The court was also arguing about this matter, and this time, Yu Qian was also among those who strongly opposed it: "It is precisely because of the precedent of Guo Jing and others that we should take it as a warning."
We finally managed to kill Wang Zhen, how can we let another Cao Jixiang appear?
As expected, eunuchs were as annoying as ever, even less so than Taoist priests.
Yu Qian decided to find time to meet with Pan Yun and ask her to persuade the emperor.
At this time, Yu Qian was unaware that Pan Yun was on Cao Jixiang's side and was a heretic. (End of Chapter)