Regarding Zhang Juzheng's visit, Yang Ning couldn't help but be quite surprised.

In the officialdom, it is very taboo for internal supervisors to have close contact with external officials. Zhang Juzheng is now the chief minister of the cabinet and the head of hundreds of officials. And he is the factory supervisor of the East Factory and a powerful internal supervisor. This Nowadays, the two most popular powerful figures inside and outside the country should avoid suspicion. But visiting Zhang Juzheng alone at night will definitely attract criticism from others. He may even be impeached by the imperial censor.

Of course, given the relationship between Empress Dowager Li and Yang Ning, and her reliance on Zhang Juzheng, this is not a big deal. It's just that Yang Ning is a little strange to act like this, but it is inconsistent with Zhang Juzheng's always cautious and serious character. Could it be that he has something? Nothing can be done urgently.

Although they had a good personal relationship, Yang Ning couldn't neglect the visit of the chief minister of the cabinet. He hurriedly led his people to welcome him out of the house.

The alley outside the door was brightly lit by the servants of the university's residence. Zhang Juzheng was dressed in casual Tsing Yi. He was standing in front of the sedan with his hands behind his back. His elegance and refinement faintly revealed the dignity of an official who has lived for a long time. .There was just a hint of unnoticeable worry between his brows. Next to Zhang Juzheng stood his butler... the short and lean You Qi.

"Haha. I didn't know that the Chief Assistant had arrived. Yang Ning was far away to greet him. Please forgive me, Mr. Ge." Yang Ning greeted with a smile.

Seeing Yang Ning using crutches and welcoming him out in person, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but feel a little moved. He said hurriedly: "I'm presumptuous to come to visit at night. I have to bother the governor to go out with his injuries. I feel really uneasy. Already."

Yang Ning waved his hand and said: "We haven't seen each other for a few days. Why are Mr. Ge and the boy getting more and more estranged? This title sounds awkward. Mr. Ge still calls the boy by his first name. It sounds comfortable. Come on, come on. This is not a conversation. Please come inside, Mr. Ge."

"please."

The master and servant Zhang Juzheng were let into the inner hall of the mansion, and the guests and hosts took their seats. Only then did Yang Ning notice that You Qi actually had a gift in his hand.

Zhang Juzheng asked Xu to speak first: "My little friend, I took the liberty of visiting you today. The main reason is to pay a visit because of my little friend's assassination. I feel ashamed to say that. My little friend has been back from the disaster in Changping for many days, but Ju Zheng only came to visit me today." The political affairs are really complicated and I can't get away from it. Please forgive me, little friend." With that, Zhang Juzheng motioned to You Qi to present the gift.

He signaled Han Shanlin to come forward and take it. Yang Ning said with a smile: "Mr. Ge is being polite when he says this. How can I bear it? Mr. Ge is different from the past. It used to be that Mr. Ge was only in charge of border defense and military affairs. Now he has to take charge of the overall situation." , worrying about everything. It’s certainly much more tiring than before.”

These words touched Zhang Juzheng's thoughts. He sighed: "I'll tell you the truth, little friend. Although I had some disagreements with Mr. Gaoge before, now it's my turn to take over the position of chief assistant. I didn't know that Mr. Gaoge also had it at that time. It’s not easy. Nowadays, the political affairs of the government are in devastation everywhere, and the smoke is everywhere. It makes me, the newly promoted chief minister, very anxious."

Yang Ning was surprised and said: "You must have said too much. The current situation is quite stable. Why is it so corrupt?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said: "This little friend doesn't know anything. During the period from the Lantern Festival to now, Chang Tu, the leader of the Duoyan Three Guards outside Shanhaiguan in Northeast China, led 20,000 cavalry to suddenly knock on the pass and burn to death in our land of the Ming Dynasty. Looting; the northwest Tuluo cavalry are also eyeing the upcoming tribute exchange trade between the Ming Dynasty and the Anda tribe, and are ready to send people to cause trouble at any time;

Inside, there were the Dayi Cult in Shandong, Henan and other places who instigated the people, killed officials and rebelled, and occupied county offices. In just a few days, they conquered two states and five counties. The situation was in a state of decay; there was also Guangxi. Li Yan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, led his army to suppress Wei Yinbao and Huang Chaomeng were greedy for merit and rushed forward. As a result, they were ambushed outside Libo County. They fled in defeat and suffered the loss of more than 3,000 soldiers... Hey, this was written in Li Yan's military report. In fact, he lost a full one. There are more than 10,000 people and countless supplies of food and grass.

And... Hey, I'm not afraid of my friends' jokes. In seven or eight days, it will be the time when the imperial court will distribute monthly salary and salary. But now the imperial treasury is extremely short... After barely guaranteeing the salary and silver for border officers and soldiers, these two capitals I really don’t know where to get the salaries of tens of thousands of officials. If the salaries are not paid by then, these tens of thousands of officials in the capital will start to make trouble. I am afraid that I will no longer be the chief minister of the cabinet. Not to mention the implementation of the primary reform policy we discussed..."

Having said this in one breath, Zhang Juzheng was already frowning.

Listening to the bad news listed one by one by Zhang Juzheng, Yang Ning couldn't help but be secretly shocked: It turns out that he always felt that although the political situation in the Ming Dynasty was weak, it was not so bad that it was uncontrollable. But he didn't expect that Wanli was right in front of him. Just after she ascended the throne and Queen Mother Li came to power, the world was already in such a dangerous situation of internal and external embarrassment. Foreign enemies invaded from outside and rebellions continued inside. However, it would be like a prairie fire that would never be extinguished. If it continues like this. I'm afraid it won't be long before the entire Ming Dynasty will fall into turmoil. And Wanli will "gloriously" become the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If such a chaotic and turbulent situation really occurs, it will definitely not be for him. What you want to see.

"These things should have been reported to the Queen Mother and the Emperor. What does the Queen Mother mean?" Yang Ning asked.

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly and said: "The empress is also worried. But in the end, she is a woman after all... Sigh. In short, this assistant is incompetent. The empress may also be busy with the assassination of the princess and the little friend recently. These political affairs...she It is better to let me lead the cabinet to find a solution. I have also discussed it with the two old ministers Yang Gong and Lu Gong. Everything else is easy to talk about at the moment. It is just the matter of the official salary of 20,000 yuan, which is really urgent. But it is difficult to deal with it. The treasury is empty. We really have no idea. I know that you have extraordinary insight and far-sightedness. I am here to ask for advice. I hope you can teach me."

After talking for a long time, Zhang Juzheng finally explained the real purpose of his visit. Yang Ning couldn't help but feel relieved. He couldn't care less about being modest. He immediately asked cautiously: "How much silver is needed for this month's salary?"

"One hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver." Zhang Juzheng replied.

Yang Ning took a breath. Damn, 120,000 taels of silver. This is not 12 taels. He is not a machine that "earns money". There is no way to think of a way.

"Hey, Mr. Chief Assistant, how many taels of silver are left in the treasury now?" Yang Ning asked again with a smile.

A trace of guilt flashed across Zhang Juzheng's face. "It's less than twenty thousand taels."

Yang Ning let out another breath of cold air. For such a huge Ming Dynasty, there was only a mere 20,000 taels of silver in the treasury. This is unimaginable.

Yang Ning couldn't help but ask: "I remember when I was raising donations for disaster relief years ago, the treasury was empty. Now it's been so long. Why is the treasury still like this? Doesn't the Ministry of Household Affairs have no tax input?"

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly and said: "There is input, but the expenditure is also large. The state treasury has always been unable to make ends meet. However, the most difficult period has been these two months. I am preparing to reform the top ten taxation issues in the country. And We have ordered the collection of the accumulated tax arrears of various provinces over the years, totaling four to five million. As long as this amount of money is collected, this stretched situation will definitely be improved. But..."

"It's just that distant water cannot quench the near thirst." Yang Ning answered for Zhang Juzheng.

"Exactly. That's why... Bensuke came to ask the kid how to solve this problem. Ever since the kid had a sudden idea to raise funds for disaster relief, Bensuke admired the kid's ability to 'make money in a wise way'. …….”

Yang Ning hurriedly said: "Stop it, stop it. Stop it quickly. My Lord Chief Assistant, raising donations for disaster relief is considered a civil matter. But distributing official salaries is a major matter of the court. You, important ministers and capable officials who have been in office for many years, can't solve it. I am alone. Young eunuch, where can I get money for you?"

It could be heard that Yang Ning did not want to worry about this matter. Zhang Juzheng looked solemnly and said: "Eunuch Yang, I have to come to you for advice as a last resort. Ignore our personal relationship for now. I only want to say that for the sake of the Queen Mother and the Emperor. For the sake of the great Ming Dynasty, Eunuch Yang. You should also do your part and do your part.”

Zhang Juzheng was given such a big hat. Yang Ning couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Mr. Ge, it's not that I, Yang Ning, don't want to contribute and do my best. It's really that I don't have any good ideas. Where can I get such a large sum of money?" .Woolen cloth."

At the end of the sentence, Yang Ning started thinking rapidly. He really didn't want to worry about this matter at first, but Zhang Juzheng's words "for the Queen Mother and the Emperor" touched him immediately.

I just heard what Zhang Juzheng said. Although there were so many chaos happening inside and outside the court, Empress Dowager Li was more dedicated to tracing her assassination. When facing herself, she never mentioned these worries, but always smiled at her. .Whatever worries she had, she had to bear them all by herself. She didn’t want to let herself worry about them. Empress Dowager Li treated her with such deep affection. How could she not do her best to solve her problems?

"Since there is nothing in the treasury, can we urgently allocate a batch of cash from the treasury of neighboring states and counties?" After thinking for a while, Yang Ning tentatively said. Yang Ning was not very clear about the imperial financial system. He could only Try out suggestions.

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly and shook his head: "We have thought about this a long time ago, but it doesn't work. Because tax collection has been unfavorable for many years. Now most states and counties are unable to make ends meet. If we force the taxation, we will only tear down the east wall to make up for the west. Walls won't help."

"Then... how about temporarily borrowing money from the wealthy businessmen in the capital, and then paying them back when you have the money. I believe someone will be happy to help." Yang Ning had already thought of the capable "free talent" of the Hao family.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head even more. "No, no, no. This is absolutely impossible. The court issues a salary, but borrows money from wealthy businessmen. Where is the face of the court, and where is the majesty of the royal family. Besides, even those court officials who receive salaries Don't agree. They all claim to be disciples of Saint Kong. They will make trouble if they don't get the salary. They will make trouble even more if they get the salary like this. Each one of them has become Boyi Shuqi who shamefully eats Zhou Su. They will definitely feel that they have suffered a great shame and humiliation. ."

"Fuck..."
Chapter completed!