Red Mansions: The Sky-shaking Fall Chapter 773 Emperor Chongping: Forty to fifty million taels, the treasury will not have to collect taxes for three years.
Chapter 773 Emperor Chongping: Forty to fifty million taels, the treasury will not have to collect taxes for three years.
Jinling, Ningguofu
At this moment, Daiyu was sitting in the garden of the back house, sitting in the pavilion, playing Go with Li Qi, while Li Wen was watching the game with his arms around Shui Xin, who was like a porcelain doll. She was a young and bright girl. After getting along with each other during this time,
We gradually became familiar with each other, laughed and talked about everything.
The air in Jinling City is fresh after the rain. The sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the southeast corner of the courtyard, with its tiny light yellow osmanthus flowers, is sparsely falling on the grass. The fragrant floral fragrance is mixed with a bit of the grassy air after the rain, floating in and out from time to time.
A few cheerful birdsong.
Zhen Xi was wearing a light white plain skirt and was sitting on a bamboo cane chair. She was holding a book in her hand and reading it attentively. The two characters "Three Kingdoms" were written on the cover.
The girl spent the night at Ningguo Mansion last night. She was like a frightened rabbit at first, but now she has gradually calmed down. Under the curved and thin eyebrows, her beautiful and white oval face is dizzy like clouds, and her nose is beautiful.
The lower lip is shaped like a cherry. Compared to Zhen Xue, due to her younger age, both her figure and face are undoubtedly more petite and delicate, just like Zhen Xue.
"Girl, drink tea." At this time, Xiren brought a cup of fragrant tea, handed it over, looked at the girl with a demure expression, and thought to himself, I heard Qingwen say yesterday that this was sent by the Zhen family to the uncle as a concubine.
"Thank you, sister Xiren." Zhen Xi raised her innocent and beautiful face, Li Duo smiled slightly, and her voice was soft and waxy.
Zijuan took the tea cup from the side and handed it to Daiyu and Li Wen who were playing Go, the two little girls Li Qi, and Shui Xin who was in Li Wen's arms, holding her little face in her hands and watching several aunts playing chess.
.
At this moment, Jia Heng changed his clothes, entered the pavilion with the salutations of his grandma and maids, looked at Daiyu and several little girls, and said softly: "Sister Lin."
Daiyu put down the chess piece in her hand, looked at the young man with bright eyes, and asked happily: "Brother Heng has just come back from the Yamen? Where is daddy? Didn't daddy come back with you?"
Jia Heng nodded and said softly: "I went to the Hubu Yamen. My uncle went back to Yangzhou first." Daiyu frowned when she heard this and said in surprise: "Why did dad go back to Yangzhou?"
Jia Heng said: "The regulations on salt affairs have been finalized at the Hubu Yamen, and my uncle is anxious to go back to Yangzhou to handle official duties."
When Daiyu heard this, her face looked as if she was lost, and she sighed quietly.
Jia Heng looked at Daiyu, who had become sad, and said softly: "Sister, don't worry too much."
At this time, Zhen Xi was holding the book, her ears almost twitching, and she was eavesdropping on the conversation between the young man and Daiyu, with a hint of curiosity on her face.
Brother Heng and Sister Lin seem to be talking about salt affairs?
Jia Heng looked at Zhen Xi and said, "Sister Xi'er, are you used to living here?"
In fact, it was an embarrassing incident yesterday, and Zhen Qing's elder sister was really ridiculous. I wonder if it left some shadow in the little girl's heart.
Zhen Xi put down the Three Kingdoms dialect book in her hand and said softly: "Brother Heng, Sister Lin, Sister Wen and Sister Qi are very good to me."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Just get used to living here. If there is anything missing, just tell me."
Zhen Xi said shyly, "Thank you, Brother Heng."
Daiyu gave up Go to the two sisters Li Wen and Li Qi, followed Jia Heng out of the pavilion, and came to the end of the corridor in the backyard. She said softly: "Brother Heng just mentioned the salt business, is it going well?"
As he spoke, he picked up the teapot on the side and poured a cup for Jia Heng, with a look of tranquility on his beautiful face.
Jia Heng nodded, took the tea cup, and said softly: "It's going well, it's going well. The rules and regulations have been established. All that's left is to see the execution. The military affairs in the south and north of the Yangtze River are similar. I will have a lot of free time next, so I'll spend time with you."
Accompany my sister for a walk in Jinling City."
During the previous seven days, I took a day and a half to accompany Daiyu to Jiming Temple, Phoenix Terrace and other scenic spots. I still had to fulfill my promise to Daiyu.
Daiyu's starry eyes looked at the young man and said softly: "Brother Heng is busy with important matters."
Jia Heng took a sip of tea and said, "My sister will pack up tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, my sister will go to Suzhou with me."
"Going to Gusu? The day after tomorrow?" Daiyu was surprised and asked.
Although Jia Heng said it yesterday, Daiyu didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Jia Heng stood up from his seat, leaned over and took Daiyu's slender hand. The girl's slender fingers were as green as green.
A hint of shame appeared in Daiyu's eyebrows, and she whispered: "Brother Heng."
Jia Heng held Daiyu in his arms and sat on his lap, like holding a porcelain doll. He leaned close to the girl's ear and said warmly: "I haven't been too busy recently. Besides, I promised my sister before.
"
You must do what you promise, you can't make a cake, it depends on your attitude... Well, this can also be regarded as a classic saying of the little fairy.
Hearing this, Daiyu put her head against Jia Heng's arms, her heart filled with sweetness, and whispered: "Brother Heng has been busy with official duties recently, so it's not too late to wait for a while."
Jia Heng said: "I am not busy at this time. I just happened to accompany my sister to visit Suzhou. Besides, some time ago, Zhang Yongchuan, the governor of Jiangnan Province, sent a letter to Jiangnan Camp, mentioning that the coastal defense beacon warning system needs to be reorganized to prevent precautions.
Previously, the bandits crossed the sea by boat and raided the coast, so I happened to go to inspect it, which was considered a matter of public and private convenience."
In addition, there are still official duties to go to Suzhou, such as going to find Princess Kuaiji's consort, finding out the deficit during the Longzhi period, and then thoroughly investigating the remaining four major salt merchants.
Once the salt voting method became popular, and the dignitaries in Jinling City heard about it and wanted to get a share of the salt profits, they would not feel sad for the Yangzhou salt merchants.
Wang, Huang, Jiang, and Xiao once owed money on credit and misappropriated huge amounts of money from the Salt Transportation Department. They all had to pay back one by one. This was not considered an extermination, but a redistribution of social wealth and resources.
Listening to the young man's talk about his official schedule, Daiyu's starry eyes flashed, a narrow smile emerged, and she said softly: "Brother Heng, it's okay, but if you delay the official work, it will be my fault."
Jia Heng: "...."
It's such an unexpected angle, so hard to guard against. But Daiyu shouldn't be so petty.
Sure enough, I found a smile in Daiyu's trembling eyelashes. She gently caught the lamb and said softly: "My sister is a little naughty now."
Daiyu chuckled and said softly: "Brother Heng, do you think I am ignorant?"
"How could it be?" Jia Heng smiled, leaned towards Daiyu's cheek, and kissed the girl's cheek, which undoubtedly made Daiyu snort slightly and make her starry eyes blurry.
Even though Yinhan usually stayed away from each other many times, this kind of intimacy, which in Daiyu's eyes could be called doting, was the first time for Daiyu.
Daiyu gently grabbed Jia Heng's hand while shepherding the sheep and said in a trembling voice: "Brother Heng, uh~~"
The familiar gentle and unbridled breath came over, engulfing Daiyu like a tide in an instant.
After a while, Jia Heng hugged Daiyu, whose cheeks were already as pink as a blush, and smiled and said: "Okay sister, I will go back to the study to write the memorial first. If anything happens to my sister, just go find me."
"
At this point, the rectification of military affairs and salt affairs in the south has come to an end. All that is left is to wait for the results of the follow-up military affairs and rectification of salt affairs.
Before that, he needed to write a memorial to the emperor, describing his experiences and gains during this period.
Regarding the past losses caused by the confiscation of salt merchants in Yangzhou, the new salt law, and the follow-up arrangements for the rectification of the Jiangbei and Jiangnan camps, as well as Guo Shaonian, the consort of Princess Kuaiji of Suzhou.
Daiyu nodded her head, looked at the young man intently and affectionately, and said in a soft voice: "Brother Heng, please go."
In the study
Jia Heng's face was as calm as an abyss. He sat down behind the desk and found a blank memorandum, preparing to explain the matter to Emperor Chongping. After writing for a while, he wrote down the salt affairs regulations together with the latest amount of deficit recovery.
Forty to fifty million in goods is equivalent to two years of taxes on the national treasury!
Suddenly, there was a series of light, silent and almost imperceptible steps. "Xiaoxiao, you didn't go to take a nap?" Jia Heng said softly without raising his head.
I have long been accustomed to Chen Xiao's footsteps, which are unique to a warrior. They are as light as feathers and make no sound when stepping on the snow.
Chen Xiao came closer, holding a tray with pears in his hand. Under his beautiful eyebrows, his clear eyes looked at the young man who was writing at the desk.
Year, curiously asked: "What should I write?"
"Salt Matters Memorial." Jia Heng picked up the brush and dipped it into the inkstone with ink, and then continued writing on the rice paper spread out.
Chen Xiaoxiu frowned imperceptibly, picked up a pear, picked up a dagger to peel Jia Heng, and said, "Just now, a few people from the Wang family went to Hao Jiru's house, maybe to ask for help."
Jia Heng put down the brush in his hand, with a cold look in his eyes, and asked: "Hao Jiru, a former minister of the Ministry of Rites who became an official, what kind of fun is he doing all day long?"
"Hao Jiru was a great Confucian from the south of the Yangtze River and an important minister in the cabinet during the Longzhi period. He had disciples all over Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Wasn't it said before that you had hundreds of thousands of troops and harbored different ambitions? It also attracted a lot of people to support him." Chen
Xiao handed over a peeled pear.
Jia Heng stretched out his hand to take the pear, took a bite, and said: "I was busy with military affairs and salt affairs before, so I was too lazy to pay attention to him. Since he is a great scholar in the south of the Yangtze River and will never rest in retirement, let him know what the dangers of officialdom are.
No guarantee."
Have these people forgotten that he is still the Governor of Jinyi? There is an unknown amount of their dirty information in the Jinyi Mansion in Jinling. Even if there is none, you can always find it as long as you are willing to look for it.
Chen Xiao condensed his eyes and said softly: "You go to Suzhou the day after tomorrow, and you will leave it to Lin Ruhai and Qi Kun to handle the Yangzhou Salt Institute. Nothing will go wrong, right?"
Jia Heng ate a big snow-white pear and said softly: "The details are very clear. If a cabinet minister and a censor can't even handle this little thing, it will be a great misfortune for the man."
We are sure to leave the day after tomorrow, and we just talked to Daiyu, so Chen Xiao just peeked at him again.
Anyway, he was used to it. Not to mention bleating, even grinding and grinding with the millstone were all caught in her eyes. And what was quite puzzling was that Xiaoxiao had no abnormality at all.
But it was clear that he had seen too much, and why he peeked at him and Daiyu just now was not out of some psychology?
Chen Xiaoqing said: "Actually, when the emperor was in office, he was very clear-sighted and well aware of the long-standing malpractices of the Huaidu Transportation Department. Guo Shaonian, the consort of Kuaiji at the time, took some of the bribes himself, but most of them were sent to the palace to be used for his southern tour that year.
There are some old accounts that are not easy to check."
Jia Heng said: "I just want to find out the bad debts of the Wang family and the Jiang family. I can't let them get away with it easily. As for the Southern Tour account book, it's not time to check it yet."
The six visits to Jiangnan involved the historical evaluation of the Supreme Emperor, which may have been the old emperor's bottom line, so the emperor still ignored the Zhen family.
A tiger that has lost its teeth is still a tiger!
If you really try your best to show off your power, you may tear apart the finally stable political situation and damage the prestige of the royal family.
"Just be sensible." Chen Xiao warned in a cold voice, lowered his head again, and peeled the pear with a dagger.
The girl moves skillfully, and the green-edged dagger shines on her fair joints and skin, giving her a clean and neat beauty.
Peel off the skin of the pear, pick up the snow-white pear, and take a bite. The juice gently overflows between the red lips and white teeth, and is rolled to the lips by Lilac's uvula, but her expression is as cold as frost.
Jia Heng couldn't help but glance at the young girl with cold and tranquil eyes. The young girl had just taken a bath, and her warrior uniform was a little loose. The gleam of white skin between her lower head caught his eye, like a snow pear branch.
Jia Heng focused his gaze and quickly looked away.
Chen Xiao seemed to be aware of it. He raised his eyes and glared at Jia Heng, with anger hidden in his clear eyes.
"There's juice on your mouth, wipe it with a handkerchief." Jia Heng took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, handed it over, and said softly.
Of course, it's not that I lost my handkerchief skill, but that I was covering up the awkwardness of being discovered.
Chen Xiao snorted coldly, took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and looked at the young man who had already picked up the brush to write the memorial again, with a faint look.
...
...
The years pass by, and the seasons flow by.
Before I knew it, another four or five days had passed.
Suzhou City, on the outskirts of the city, has deep foothills, lush trees, and a small river as green as a jade belt passing by. The sky is gloomy, and sometimes the wind blows, which makes it a little light.
The cold autumn wind is coming, and the cemetery of the Lin family is here, and Lin Ruhai's late wife Jia Min is buried in the family land.
At this time, Jia Heng, Xi Ren, Zicuckoo and Dai Yu rode a carriage to this place and looked at the tomb with a tombstone not far away.
There were no weeds around the tomb, and it was clear that someone came to clean it from time to time.
At this moment, Daiyu knelt down on the futon in front of the tomb, kowtowing to her dead mother. Under the girl's smoky eyebrows, which were like green willow leaves, her starry eyes that used to be as bright as rainbows were filled with tears, and her vision was blurred.
Zijuan and Xiren on the side handed over handkerchiefs.
Jia Heng looked at Daiyu who was immersed in a sad and sad mood, put the last wad of paper money into the copper basin, looked away from the blazing flames, sighed softly, held Daiyu's arm, and said warmly: "
Sister, it’s getting late, it seems like it’s going to rain now, let’s go back.”
Zijuan and Xiren stepped forward to help Daiyu up and whispered comfort.
Daiyu said "Yes", and the tears accumulated in her eyes under Yan Yan's eyebrows fell silently. She stood up, looked at Jia Heng with tearful eyes, and called softly: "Brother Heng."
Jia Heng took Daiyu's hand, hugged the girl's shoulders and said warmly: "Sister Lin, I'm here."
Then, together with Zicuckoo and Xiren, Daiyu got on the carriage. At some point, an autumn rain came as expected. The rain hit the rolling green mountains, which were so green, and fell on the small river, making the water mist thick.
Accompanied by the sound of the coachman's whip, the carriage turned and turned, heading towards Gusu City along the bluestone road paved by the Lin family.
When Jia Heng led Daiyu to Gusu to worship Jia Min, thousands of miles away in the sacred city of Daming Palace and Hanyuan Hall -
Emperor Chongping is convening six ministries of the cabinet to discuss this year's autumn grain collection.
As it entered late September, the tasks of collecting autumn grain in various places became more and more arduous. The bureaucracy from top to bottom of the Han Dynasty was in operation. From provincial capitals, prefectures and counties to rural Baojia, grain taxes began to be collected according to the fish scale yellow book.
Incidents of conflicts between officials and civilians also increased accordingly.
All in all, the entire northern Han Dynasty suddenly suffered a rain disaster this year. Although the chronic drought has been slightly alleviated, the problem of reduced grain field production has not been effectively solved.
At this time, Yang Guochang said: "Your Majesty, since the border troops were disbanded, various military expenditures have increased sharply. Hebei, Shanxi and other places have entered drought conditions. This year's autumn grain collection will be exempted by 30% as appropriate."
Emperor Chongping pondered: "The frontier army was not eliminated just once a year ago, so why is military expenditure increasing instead of decreasing?"
Yang Guochang said: "Back to the Holy Spirit, the border army has a quota of one million. Although it has been reduced, it will be replenished in real numbers in preparation for the invasion. The actual number of troops has not been reduced much. In Datong, the number of troops in Taiyuan is more than 200,000.
, military spending remains high.”
At this time, Wang Shuirong of Beijing was standing in the queue of several ministers at the Military Aircraft Department, his young and handsome face showing some discomfort.
The trip to Datong and Taiyuan returned in vain. This military plane...
At this time, the Prince of Nan'an County said: "Your Majesty, although the three towns in the northwest have been reduced this year and the redundant troops and chaos have improved, since the beginning of this spring, the old illness of the Prince of Xining has recurred. He has been diagnosed and treated by the doctor several times.
The Fanbu is showing signs of instability again, and I think the imperial court should make plans as soon as possible."
The King of Xining County, the Jin family, has been guarding Qinghai for generations, and the current King of Xining County is now a veteran in his sixties. He has been in a trance all his life, and has accumulated many injuries on his body. As he gets older and the weather in the northwest becomes worse,
Some can't stand it.
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he sighed and said, "The ministers of the Zhu Kingdom are old and withered. I sent an imperial doctor to diagnose and treat him last time. How did it get to this point again?"
In fact, he has some complicated feelings. The military strength in the northwest corner also worried him back then. Now that Beijing Camp and Jiangnan have been completely controlled, he can make great plans.
But he is also over forty, and there are still twenty years left for him? Or fifteen years?
Shi Jie, the minister of the Ministry of War, held a wat tablet in his hand and went out to announce: "Your Majesty, Jin Xiaoyu, the crown prince of Xining County, is serving as a military aircraft driver. He is walking at the military aircraft office. The book was submitted by the military aircraft office the day before yesterday. He wants to return to his hometown to serve the king of Xining County."
In fact, Jin Xiaoyu, the eldest son of the prince of Xining County, was hanging out with Liu Fang and others.
Being defeated by Jia Heng was regarded as a great shame and humiliation from then on. When Liu Fang was expelled from the military aircraft office by Emperor Chongping and sent to the front line to supervise the transportation of grain and grass, she gradually became disillusioned with Shenjing.
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said, "This is due to the filial piety of the children and the common love of the family, so I allow it to be played."
Originally, I wanted to stay in Shenjing and wait for the King of Xining to leave before sending another important minister to the northwest to take charge. But now that the King of Xining's old illness has relapsed, there is no need to be too anxious.
Mainly due to the great victory of the Beijing camp and the return of the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps, the middle-aged emperor gained more confidence and calmness.
After making preliminary decisions about the affairs of the Xining County King, Emperor Chongping looked at Yang Guochang and said softly: "How big a silver gap is there in Northern Xinjiang?"
Yang Guochang pondered and said: "Back to the Holy Land, I have been in arrears with food and wages for almost a year. Previously, the Ministry of Household Affairs held them captive on the grounds that the number of soldiers was not full. But now, except for Datong, Taiyuan and other military towns, other border towns, especially the three northwest
Everyone in the town said that the number of soldiers was sufficient, so many soldiers were finally raised, and they were afraid that they would still need 3 million taels. This summer, there was a flood in the Huaihe River. The Ministry of Household Affairs was busy allocating disaster relief silver taels. At present, only 400,000 taels could be allocated. The old minister was wondering whether to use internal affairs
The government allocated a sum of internal funds and sent it to northern Xinjiang urgently to assist the Hebei Economic Strategy Division and the northwest?"
Emperor Chongping frowned and looked down at the gray-haired, old-looking Yang Guochang, feeling a cold feeling in his heart.
If internal funds have to be withdrawn frequently, what should the Ministry of Accounts do?
At this time, in the Kedao below, Yan Zhaozhong, the censor of Jiangxi Province, holding a wat tablet, came out of the squad and said: "The humble minister Yan Zhaozhong, the censor of Jiangxi Province, died in ignorance. Your Majesty, in recent years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has embezzled mineral resources.
An unprecedented large-scale gold mine was discovered in Bodu, Henan, Yongning, and a huge amount of silver was obtained. If these are sent to the Ministry of Household Affairs, the embarrassment of silver shortage will be greatly relieved."
As soon as this statement came out, more and more censors from the Kedao Yanguan came out to echo. At this moment, Han Huang's expression among the cabinet ministers moved slightly, and there was a cold look in his eyes. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was unscrupulously taking over the world.
The mining was profitable, and the courtiers were dissatisfied with it for a long time.
Emperor Chongping looked indifferently at the ministers below, his expression indifferent, and he did not say a word.
At this time, Cheng Xin, the general affairs envoy, rolled his eyes and went out to report: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Internal Affairs oversees the mining and mineral resources of the world. This is an ancestral law. Besides, today is about the matter of allocating money from the Ministry of Household Affairs. How can we do that?"
Rambling about here and there."
At this time, Pang Shilang, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, said: "Master Cheng's words are wrong. It is precisely because the benefits of the mines and rivers are not under the control of the Ministry of Husbandry. They rely solely on grain taxes. In recent years, the grain taxes in various provinces have not been paid in full due to natural disasters.
The Ministry also needs to coordinate taxes and funds to supplement the provinces, so it is stretched."
For a time, other Ke Dao censors came out one after another to agree.
After the ministers below finished their speech, Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said: "The Ministry of Household Affairs needs to draw up a detailed list of how much food and salary needs to be allocated. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will first allocate 1.2 million taels to supply Jizhou and the northwest.
The rest will be calculated after considering the situation of autumn grain collection."
Emperor Chongping didn't realize it at first, but now he had to hold on to more than two million taels, and then he felt extremely painful.
The key is that Emperor Chongping knew nothing about the effectiveness of the border army's reorganization. Where did the money go? Yang Guochang bowed his hands and said, "Old minister, I have received the order."
When the three million taels requested turned into 1.2 million taels, I was not dismayed. In other words, I had already gotten used to it, and even part of the money allocated to the border town was allocated first.
Emperor Chongping said: "This year, the Huaihe River has just suffered a flood, and the provinces are in a bit of trouble. When collecting autumn grain, we must check the provinces and counties, so as not to deprive the people of their rations."
Yang Guochang quickly handed over his hand.
At this moment, an eunuch called from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, Uncle Yongning has sent a memorial from the General Affairs Department."
When the officials in the palace heard this, they looked sideways, slightly surprised.
This is another memorial from Uncle Yongning? Did he win another battle?
A few days ago, Emperor Chongping appointed Jia Heng as the crown prince's Taibao, which made many civil servants feel complicated, and many officials were even jealous.
What virtue can there be for a slutty and vulgar martial artist?
Dai Quan took the box from the eunuch, took out a memorial, turned around and handed it to Emperor Chongping. "Your Majesty," Dai Quan bowed and handed it over.
Emperor Chongping picked up the salt affairs report and read it attentively. After a while,
His face was happy at first, then gloomy.
"Four of the eight major merchants in Yangzhou have accumulated more than ten million in wealth over the years, and they owe more than one million taels of government money on credit every year. These are the national taxes and money of our great Han Dynasty!" Emperor Chongping read the memorial, and there seemed to be something hidden in his brows.
He looked at the thunder and said in a deep voice.
When he was in his dormitory, he went to Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River to investigate the case and find out the injustice. He had already seen the extravagance and extravagance of the salt merchants. However, when the emperor visited the south of the Yangtze River six times, these salt merchants were the ones who reciprocated and donated money.
They are just using national funds to worship the Heavenly Family.
Forty to fifty million taels, and the treasury will not have to collect taxes for three years! But... where are the tax arrears from the Longzhi period? Moreover, there are four other general merchants!
