Finally, someone used the "Ren Shang" badge and met the emperor very smoothly.
"Greetings to Your Majesty!" Wang Mingran bowed respectfully.
Zhao Han smiled and said, "Give me a seat."
Wang Mingran cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Han picked up the benevolent business card on the table and threw it to Wang Mingran. He did not know the reason for his visit, but said: "I heard that you have a garden that is not connected. Chen Jiru personally wrote the name of the garden back then. Now it is Hangzhou."
Academic Exchange Center.”
Wang Mingran replied with a smile: "Although the common people have never heard of your majesty's wise words about the academic exchange center, they know what they mean when they hear it. However, the common people are not that big of face, and they only entertain friends occasionally."
"When I go to West Lake one day, I will definitely play in Buxi Garden." Zhao Han said.
"The common people are waiting for you." Wang Mingran said happily.
The atmosphere between the two chatting was very casual. Wang Mingran was considered a salt merchant who had made great achievements. Xu Ying was able to rapidly develop the intelligence system in Jiangsu, and Wang Mingran was responsible for at least half of it. Of course, he also gained a large share of the salt franchise.
Not like an imperial merchant, but better than an imperial merchant!
Listening to what Zhao Han calls himself, you can tell that he regards Wang Mingran as one of his own, otherwise he would definitely call himself "I".
As for the non-tie garden, it is a West Lake painting boat, where monks, Taoists, celebrities, music, tea and wine, beauties and confidants are sought after by countless literati. At the same time, there are many rules. No servants are allowed, no singing, no making noise.
No joking, no borrowing money, no pretense, no red tape... It has become more and more famous in the past two years, and it has become the first place in Jiangnan to talk about Taoism and make friends.
The king and the people were chatting, and Zhao Han asked about Lianghuai Salt Industry. Wang Mingran was careful to answer in detail.
Finally, Zhao Han asked, "Tell me, what's the purpose of your visit this time?"
Wang Mingran stood up and raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the universities in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces have not yet finalized their campus locations..."
"I know what you are going to say," Zhao Han interrupted immediately, "Do you want to build a university in Huizhou or Yangzhou?"
Wang Mingran said: "Your Majesty knows clearly."
Zhao Han gave a clear answer directly: "It is impossible for Anhui universities to be built in Huizhou. It is too remote. How can you let students from northern Anhui study?"
Wang Mingran said: "It is okay to build it in Anqing. Huizhou merchants are willing to jointly fund the construction of the university with the gentry in Anqing, Tongcheng and other places, and then donate it to the court for free. They will never interfere in the affairs of the school."
"Okay, you can start a fundraiser." Zhao Han agreed.
Um?
So easy?
Wang Mingran, who had prepared a lot of words, suddenly didn't know what to say, and immediately knelt down and said: "Common people, kneel down and thank you for your kindness!"
Although Anqing is not located in the center of Anhui, the location is relatively moderate, and the transportation is very convenient. It was only because of the competition that Zhao Han was not sure. Since the gentry and businessmen were willing to donate, he would sell face to Wang Mingran.
Zhao Han suddenly said: "But there is one condition."
"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions." Wang Mingran responded quickly.
"Isn't it time for your Wang family, the eight major surnames in Huizhou, and the big families in Tongcheng to separate and move?" Zhao Han seemed to be reminding him, but it was more like a threat.
"This..." Wang Mingran could not give an answer on behalf of so many families.
Zhao Han asked Wang Mingran to sit down again: "I don't want to force others to do things, so I just called on the big families to move themselves. But after waiting and waiting, only a few of the big families in the southern provinces moved their children to the north. The epidemic in Henan and Shandong last year
After winter, it has calmed down a lot, and it is not as scary as you think. Although the imperial court is organizing immigrants, they are all ordinary people. How can we do it without merchants? If you merchants migrate there, you can also start your own business. "
Wang Mingran bit the bullet and said: "Your Majesty, the Wang family in Huizhou is willing to separate and relocate. However, the common people cannot make the decision on behalf of other wealthy families. Please give the common people a month, and the common people will definitely convey His Majesty's will."
"Go ahead," Zhao Han waved his hand and said, "Before you convey the news, you can take a trip to Yangzhou."
"According to the order!"
Wang Mingran bowed and stepped back.
Wang Mingran didn't know why he went to Yangzhou, but he understood it when he got there.
After only staying in Yangzhou for a few days, Wang Mingran heard a commotion on the street. He called his servant and asked, "What happened outside?"
The servant was panicked and excited at the same time, and said: "Master, there are many officers in military uniforms outside, surrounding the houses of those Western merchants (Shanxi, Shaanxi)!"
The military uniform is the canvas uniform of the Datong Army.
At first, only the medics and dragoons were equipped, then the navy soldiers also changed their uniforms, and finally all the Tatung troops were equipped. Of course, the troops wearing armor did not wear this kind of canvas uniforms when fighting.
Although they are deviant and do not conform to traditional clothing specifications, there are always people who pursue fashion to imitate them.
Nowadays, in some big cities, there are many young people walking around in canvas uniforms. And they also modify them themselves, adjusting the colors and partial styles, making them look more upscale than real military uniforms.
Wang Mingran had already guessed at this moment that this was what the emperor asked him to come to Yangzhou to see.
He trotted quickly to the street and found some officers in military uniforms, directing more ordinary officers to do things.
Moreover, although the clothes of the officials in front of us are similar in style to the military uniforms, they are all black - the clothes of the anti-corruption system have been changed from black to white. The work clothes of the secret agents have all become black and are only worn when doing business openly.
.
"What kind of official job is this?" Wang Mingran didn't understand.
Although he once assisted Xu Ying in building the Jiangnan intelligence system, he only assisted and could not possibly grasp the core information. Moreover, after Jiangnan was pacified, Wang Mingran was not allowed to ask any more questions.
Even when the spies changed their work clothes, Wang Mingran had no idea.
In other words, even most officials don't know, because Xu Ying's secret agent has not made any big moves publicly, and even the official name of the secret agency has not been decided yet - people's understanding of the secret agent is still limited to carrying a sword.
The era of scholars.
Several Yangzhou local officials came quickly, and one of them asked: "Where are you from? Why did you bypass the local government to arrest merchants?"
The spy leader glanced at these officials and said: "We are acting under the emperor's orders. If you are not here to plead for mercy, please step aside. Otherwise, arrest them all and transfer them to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for trial!"
The Metropolitan Procuratorate of the New Dynasty of Datong is not the Metropolitan Procuratorate of the Ming Dynasty. Its previous name was the Integrity Department!
The local officials in Yangzhou in front of them couldn't help but look frightened when they heard the name of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. They looked at the imperial edict brought by the spies, and when they saw the emperor's exclusive seal, they immediately hid aside and stopped interfering.
This kind of imperial edict belongs to the central edict, is irregular, and bypasses the cabinet department. Even the cabinet ministers and ministers do not know about it.
The local officials hid nearby and looked at each other in confusion. Finally, one official mouthed silently: "Jinyiwei!"
"What an injustice!"
There were shouts from the Wang family mansion, and the shouts were getting closer and closer. Not long after, they were dragged to the door. They saw people of all ages, men, women, and children, and even the babies who were still nursing were taken away. Many spies and official servants were left.
The search continues.
This entire alley belongs to the wealthy area of Yangzhou, and the families living in this alley are either rich or noble.
In addition to the Wang family, the Zhang family, the Li family, the Fan family, and the Lu family were also investigated, and all of them were taken away en masse.
The other wealthy people in the alley were trembling with fear.
They didn't even dare to go out and only sent their servants to the streets to inquire. After the slave manumission order was issued, although they all became employed, the rich still had many servants.
Wang Mingran was also frightened. Although he didn't know why he was arresting people, it was enough to show the monkeys.
He quickly notified other Huizhou merchants to convey the emperor's dissatisfaction, and these Huizhou merchants contacted the gentry. Finally, they took the initiative to register with the government, and each family was split up and a few branches were separated to immigrate to Henan and Shandong.
We must also give property to the immigrated collateral tribesmen. We cannot just go there naked, and we cannot just send the down-and-out tribesmen away!
After this arrest operation, Xu Ying's secret agent became famous.
The people even gave him a nickname: The Secret Guard in Black!
The secret guard in black and the censor in white, the former is a member of the secret service, and the latter is an honest government official. From then on, they have the same name. Officials inside and outside are frightened and uneasy, fearing that they will be visited by black and white. They privately call them "Black and White Impermanence"
”.
Of course, compared to the imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty, the spies in black do not have that much power.
They only have the power to arrest under orders. Once officials are involved, they must be handed over to the Metropolitan Procuratorate (Integrity Department), or jointly tried with the Metropolitan Procuratorate. If there is no imperial decree, after arresting civilians, they must also contact local agencies.
Li Banghua went to Tian Younian privately and asked, "Your Majesty has restored the Imperial Guards. Should he give some advice?"
"It's useless to persuade," Tian Younian shook his head, "What's more, there is a difference between His Majesty's spies and the Imperial Guards. Officials cannot be arrested at will, and they must be handed over to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Nor can they interfere in ordinary cases.
He can arrest those who work in detail and those who collaborate with the enemy and betray the country."
Li Banghua sighed: "I'm afraid that I will become a Jin Yiwei in the future! The Jin Yiwei of the Ming Dynasty did not have much power at the beginning, but in the end they had to set up the East Factory to check and balance. I finally know that so much money allocated by the Ministry of Finance goes unaccounted for every year
, what on earth is it used for!”
The secret guard in black has no cell of his own.
This large-scale arrest required the use of the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.
Salt merchant Zhang Wanxue was tied to the rack, and no torture was used yet.
Xu Ying came to the trial in person, with a gentle manner and a pleasant look on her face, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, confess honestly, we will finish the matter sooner."
Zhang Wanxue cried and cried: "Sir, the common people have been wronged!"
Xu Ying was still smiling: "Do you know Yang Yiqin? A clerk from a Nanjing firm."
Zhang Wanxue was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he knew he was doomed.
Xu Ying added: "Confessing honestly will not embarrass your family. Of course, the premise is that they don't know."
"Really?" Zhang Wanxue felt hopeful again.
Xu Ying said: "I don't need to coax you. Your Majesty has set a rule. As long as the crime of collaborating with foreign enemies is not extremely heinous, although the family property is confiscated, the crime is not as serious as that of the family. Descendants within the fifth generation are not allowed to engage in special business, nor are they allowed to serve as officials.
.”
It’s over!
The descendants of the fifth generation cannot be officials, cannot engage in specialized businesses, and have all their property confiscated. Even if they do not die or go to jail, they will still be reduced to the lowest level of society.
After five generations, the class has been solidified, so how can it be possible to turn around?
Xu Ying said with a smile: "There is another option. As long as you cooperate well, after the property is confiscated, your family can be immigrated to Taiwan. Although you still can't be an official or do a specialized business, at least you can divide the land for farming, so you won't be in trouble."
Without a living, they starve to death."
Zhang Wanxue said with a cry: "How can they farm?"
"Urban civilians can learn to farm when they immigrate to the north. Why can't your family learn how to farm when they immigrate to Taiwan? Are they born more noble?" Xu Ying said disdainfully, "Hurry up and confess. If you confess, you will die happily, no.
Confessing is difficult even if you want to die. Don't force me to use torture. I really can't bear to see that kind of scene. Also, don't hide it. You will not be the only one arrested this time. If your confession doesn't match up, you can weigh the consequences yourself!"
"injustice……"
Zhang Wanxue still wanted to complain, but he saw an official in black slowly coming over with a bamboo stick.
Another officer in black was holding a small bottle in his hand. He didn't know what was in the bottle, but it was definitely not something good.
"I'll do it!" Zhang Wanxue quickly changed his words.
But Xu Ying said: "You shouted too slowly, you need to take an injection to refresh yourself."
"ah!"
The bamboo stick pierced hard into the gap between his nails, causing Zhang Waxue to twitch all over in pain. The guy was so frightened that he became incontinent, his crotch was full of urine, and he cried: "I'll move, I'll move... wuwuwuwu!"