Zhang Anshi came over to take a look, and he already knew why Hu Guang couldn't understand it.
It’s strange to understand!
This memorial is densely packed with numbers.
Zhang Anshi certainly knew that the arithmetic school adopted the famous Arabic numerals of later generations for the convenience of counting.
Of course, Arabic numerals also have their shortcomings, that is, they are easy to confuse and falsify. Therefore, Chinese numerals are often filled in after the general accounts to prevent tampering.
So probably, this memorial has become a whole chapter full of numbers, which in the eyes of a layman is like a ghost painting.
It seems that everyone also saw that Zhang Anshi understood this memorial.
So someone asked, "His Royal Highness, King Song, what are these things above?"
Zhang Anshi said: "It's the amount, all the money, taxes, and revenue from railway operations of the entire Jiangxi Railway Department."
After everyone heard this, they were quite excited. Xie Jin took the lead and said, "How much is the number?"
Zhang Anshi closed the memorial and said: "The number is not small, but..."
"Just what?" Jie Jin looked suspicious.
Zhang Anshi said: "Let's talk about it after meeting the saint."
Hu Guang couldn't help but muttered: "What's the point of selling it at this time?"
But Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "I'm afraid that I'm going to frighten you if I tell you now. This is for your health."
"..."
It's so mysterious that it makes everyone even more curious.
Therefore, Zhang Anshi ordered his wife to go and inform Zhu Di first.
On the other hand, he hid in the corner and continued to open the memorial and read it.
In fact, Zhang Anshi was not afraid of scaring them, but even though he could understand it, he was also surprised by these numbers. He was afraid that the railway company had made a mistake in calculation, so he needed to compare the accounts first, so as not to worry about it later.
Disgraceful in front of the emperor.
The reason why these accounts are complicated even for Zhang Anshi is because they involve too many types of income.
This is different from the accounts reported in the past. If it is Zhili, it is only responsible for reporting taxes. If it is Qixia Commercial Bank, it only needs to report revenue and profits.
But the Railway Department, or in other words, the Jiangxi Railway Department, is essentially a complex of government, railways, and commercial firms, with various incomes mixed together in a dazzling array.
I saw Zhang Anshi looking down at the memorial and lost in thought.
Hu Guang and the others are not easy to disturb.
Smart people will probably not continue to talk in depth at this time, because the results will be revealed soon. If they talk too much, they will appear impatient and unstable.
The bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion is regarded as the prime minister, and the prime minister should naturally have the demeanor of a prime minister.
Therefore, everyone drank tea separately and simply talked about other things.
"I heard there's a show going on outside right now, and it's really hot." Yang Rong said with a smile.
Upon hearing the play, Xie Jin's eyebrows moved slightly, but he lowered his head to drink tea.
Hu Guang showed a bit of displeasure, and said with great displeasure: "These so-called operas are said to entertain people, but in fact they are evil people's ideas. Scholars should study with peace of mind, and people should make a living with peace of mind..."
Yang Rong smiled and said, "It's too gray to protect you. You're in a hurry, you're in a hurry, you're in a private shop, you're in a hurry." What's going on?
Xie Jin said, "But I don't know what you are talking about?"
Yang Rongdao: "It's about a young master of a family who fell in love with his maid, and secretly communicated with her, eventually giving birth to a son. After that, the young master had to marry a rich lady of a family because of family reasons. His wife, the maid was sent out. Not long after that, the wealthy young lady fell ill and died. The young master renewed his relationship and married another wife. Who knew that when the maid's child grew up, he actually married the second wife? adultery……"
Hu Guang had an angry look on his face and cursed: "It's really immoral!"
Seeing Yang Rong, he became silent.
Hu Guang couldn't help but said: "Tell me, what happened next?"
"I thought Mr. Hu was not willing to listen." After that, Yang Rong continued: "Over there, it was the maid who was driven away, living among the people, and gave birth to a daughter outside. Who knows? My daughter... unexpectedly ended up working as a maid in this young master's mansion by some strange combination of circumstances."
Hu Guang showed a tragic expression: "Needless to say, this is another human tragedy. Oh my god, people's hearts are so bad now."
Yang Rong said: "Mr. Hu, can you please stop interrupting."
Hu Guang had no choice but to keep silent.
Yang Rong continued: "As a result, the son born by this maid fell in love with this maid, so he tried his best to show his hospitality."
Hu Guang: "..."
Although Hu Guang wanted to curse a few more times, he finally endured it.
Yang Rongdao: "At the same time, when the wife who renewed her string saw this, she was naturally jealous."
Hu Guang coughed desperately.
Yang Rong glanced at him and continued: "But who would have expected that just when the maid's daughter and the maid's son, who is now the young master of the house, were about to have a good relationship, the maid's daughter was actually killed by the maid's son. The master fell in love with her and insisted on taking her as his concubine."
"So, one night, the young master made a big fuss in the mansion and confronted the master, and finally revealed the past step by step. The master discovered that his son had an affair with his stepmother. And the young master actually discovered that the maid at home was actually his half-father. Brothers and sisters from the same mother..."
After all, Hu Guang couldn't bear it any longer and said angrily: "Don't look at anything that's inappropriate, don't hear anything that's inappropriate, don't say it, don't say it."
Yang Rong really remained silent.
Seeing that he remained silent, Hu Guang finally couldn't help but asked: "Have these people behind been punished by God?"
"That's not true." Yang Rong said with a smile.
Hu Guang said angrily: "It's hateful. The people who sing this opera are hateful, and the people who compile this opera are also hateful. What happened next?"
However, Yang Rong suppressed a smile and said, "Don't Mr. Hu not want to hear it?"
Hu Guang said with a sullen face: "I just want to know the result."
Yang Rongdao: "The situation is more complicated than what I just said, because I can only give a general idea about this play, and there are many people who have no time to say. In this story, it turns out that the maid born to the maid is actually entering the palace.
I had an affair with a certain man before..."
Hu Guang showed a painful expression.
But I heard Yang Rong continue: "And the man who had an affair with the maid's daughter actually entered the mansion and became a groom in order to find the maid's daughter."
Hu Guang sighed: "The world is really going downhill, the world is going downhill!"
Yang Rongdao: "But the groom couldn't get what he asked for, and he saw that the maid's daughter was almost taken over by the young master of the house. So in sadness, he hid in the warehouse drinking, and one night he actually got married to his wife..."
"What..." Hu Guang slapped the case and stood up, his eyes as big as bells, and the fire in his eyes seemed to burst out.
Yang Rong pressed his hand on him and said: "No, no, no, Mr. Hu, please don't be angry first. You misunderstood. This groom has nothing to do with his wife. He is just the wife who remarried. When she saw the young master, she fell in love with him, so she committed suicide."
It was sadness that came from my heart. After hearing what happened to the groom, I could not help but sympathize with him, so I introduced the groom into the inner palace..."
Hu Guang said casually: "So in the inner courtyard, the groom will renew his relationship with the maid's daughter?"
Yang Rong shook his head and said: "No, this groom entered the inner courtyard and actually gained the master's trust. When the master saw that he was fair and handsome, he actually..."
Hu Guang covered his eyes and shouted: "Oh my god, this troupe deserves to be killed."
Yang Rongdao: "I actually turned this horseman into a book boy."
Hu Guang sighed: "This is the end of the disgrace."
"And after the groom became a bookboy and gained the master's favor, he had a desire for revenge and wanted to kill the master, and even more so the maid's daughter, so he conspired with Xu Xian's wife, and the two became an adulterer...
…”
Hu Guang was dumbfounded. He was tired.
Yang Rong continued: "It wasn't until that night that the truth came out. The maid's daughter was heartbroken that her childhood sweetheart, the groom, had done this, and immediately jumped into the well and committed suicide. The master never expected that his wife would be like this, and he was so angry that he got heart disease.
He actually died. The wife who continued her marriage was so ashamed that she ran away overnight. The young master was disheartened and fled away from home. The groom also learned that the maid's daughter actually missed him, and saw the maid's daughter commit suicide.
, was also overwhelmed with grief and full of self-blame, so he hid his name and returned to his hometown. Only then did he find out that his family had suffered a great disaster. All his parents and brothers died of starvation, and all the family fields were pawned."
Hu Guang then breathed a long sigh of relief and said: "That's more or less the same. At least... there is always some karma, and there will always be no consequences."
"Also." Yang Rong said.
Hu Guang: "..."
Hu Guangfang's relaxed face suddenly tightened again.
Xie Jin looked at Hu Guang with a smile.
And Jin Youzi was also fascinated by it, feeling that he still had more to say.
Yang Rong said: "Didn't the young master go far away from home? But by some strange combination of circumstances, he boarded a merchant ship going overseas. He first worked as a sailor on the merchant ship and then arrived in Java. Unexpectedly, he didn't know
Why did he start a business and make a fortune? His family fortune was ten times or a hundred times more than his ancestral property. So he built bridges and paved roads in Java, practiced virtue and performed good deeds, which became a good story for a while."
Hu Guang: "..."
"And the horseman, when he was about to starve to death, suddenly the Postal Service was recruiting workers. He had no choice but to apply, and he was lucky enough to get in. Because he was diligent and meticulous in his work, he began to make a fortune and married a man.
My wife has given birth to many children, and her life is prosperous."
Hu Guang: "..."
Yang Rong glanced at Xie Jin from the corner of his eye.
Xie Jin said with a smile: "Yang Gong has always been smart, but I would like to ask you why this kind of opera can be so popular all over the world?"
Yang Rong smiled and said calmly: "Actually, I was confused at first, but after careful consideration, I realized that this is not simple. In this play, there are both gentry families and high-level mansions.
The actor must have come from a scholarly family, so he dramatized the events in the mansion so vividly that many soldiers and civilians were able to get a glimpse of the life in that high-end mansion, which satisfied their curiosity."
"Secondly, the relationship between the characters is complicated, but their fates are linked to each other. There are inevitably some adultery, the maid and the young master fall in love, and the groom changes his destiny. This also taught the soldiers and civilians to listen.
Super addicted.”
"Of course, in the end, there will be some karma and retribution, and it will become a warning for the prosperous times."
"More later, although the young master and the groom made a mistake, they also received their retribution. Since then, they have been reborn, but this may not stop people from thinking."
Hu Guang just shook his head and said with lingering anger: "The person who compiled this play has such a vicious mind. He really deserves to be cut into pieces."
"..."
But at this moment, a eunuch came in a hurry and said: "My lords, Your Majesty has summoned all the princes to see you."
Immediately, everyone fell silent, quickly put away their thoughts, stood up and straightened their clothes.
Zhang Anshi has finally checked the number and is full of confidence.
Immediately, several people went to Chongwen Hall together.
At this time, Zhu Di was listening to a lecture at the Hanlin Academy.
Seeing the scholars coming to see him, he immediately smiled and said, "My lords, I heard that there is a report from the Jiangxi Railway Department?"
Zhang Anshi stepped forward and replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, the Jiangxi Railway Department is here to report."
The Hanlin officials all had indifferent expressions.
In fact, they had a good impression of the emperor's grandson, but the emperor's grandson had gone off track since he followed his uncle.
From everyone's point of view, the emperor and his grandson were malleable talents, but they just took the wrong path.
However, this time, the situation in Jiangxi has deteriorated, causing many people to slander Huangsun. The situation in Jiangxi is so corrupt, which is not unrelated to the local mischief between Huangsun and the Railway Department.
Jiangxi is a land of plenty and has always been the focus of taxation. If Jiangxi is like this, then the rest of the world will also suffer.
Zhu Di was quite nervous at this time. Naturally, he knew that rumors about the emperor's grandson's mischief in Jiangxi had begun to appear in scholars and the market.
Of course Zhu Di knew that these rumors could not be taken seriously, but the problem was that the appearance of such rumors would in itself be quite harmful to his grandson's prestige.
Zhu Di was a little anxious and immediately said: "Report it."
Zhang Anshi said: "Jiangxi Railway Department's freight income this year totals 1.95 million taels."
As soon as this statement came out, all the officials looked surprised at first, and then inevitably began to whisper.
This number obviously far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Before everyone could calm down, Zhang Anshi added: "The bulk of it is freight, and the revenue mainly depends on it. Freight alone accounts for 80% of the revenue."
After hearing this, Zhu Di finally cheered up and said, "Are there so many?"
"After the railway was completed, there has been an endless flow of merchants' transportation, which can be said to be day and night." Zhang Anshi answered honestly.
In fact, this is also related to the great development of railways. Because of the large-scale construction of railways in Jiangxi, many businesses began to pour in. All kinds of equipment, materials and commodities need to be transported by railway.
For Zhu Di, this was nothing short of an unexpected surprise. He couldn't help but rejoice: "The railway in Jiangxi has not yet been fully completed. Even in Nanchang, Jiujiang and other places, it only took three to six months to complete. It only takes these days."
, the railway’s revenue is actually 1.95 million, so wouldn’t it cost more than 5 million taels to connect the entire territory?”
Facing Zhu Di's expectant gaze, Zhang Anshi said: "The Railway Department also estimated this."
Zhu Di probably did the math. Although he didn't know how much the net profit would be, such revenue was enough to cover his huge investment, and he was extremely happy.
Zhang Anshi said again: "Of course...the revenue of this railway is only a small amount, Your Majesty...these are actually nothing. In addition, the Railway Department also reported..."
The monarchs and ministers fell silent for a moment. If the freight was much beyond everyone's expectation, Zhang Anshi only compared it to a small head. Obviously, Zhu Di became more interested in Zhang Anshi's next words.
Zhang Anshi said: "In the past year or so, the number of households at various railway stations has increased by 1.13 million..."
1.13 million households...
Everyone was stunned.
In an instant, many people began to panic and looked at each other.
It seems that at this moment, an unknown sign gradually appears.
Sure enough, Zhu Di's face first changed from overjoyed, then his eyes began to darken, and then his face began to look as cold as frost.
Zhu Di suddenly said coldly: "Is Xia Qing here?"
Xia Yuanji, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, also participated in the lecture today. At this time, he couldn't help but stand up and said: "I...are..."
Zhu Di's eyes were like lightning, and then he fell on Xia Yuanji, and said slowly: "Chief Advocate of Jiangxi Province, what is your household registration?"
"This..." Xia Yuanji started to hesitate in response.
He had to say tremblingly: "In the 26th year of Hongwu...the total number of households registered in Jiangxi's Chief Envoy was 890,000..."
After a pause, Xia Yuanji continued: "After that, in the 13th year of Yongle, it was reported that because a large number of people in Jiangxi moved to Huguang and other places, there were... 730,000 households."
As soon as this statement came out, the whole palace was in an uproar.
Zhu Di suddenly became furious: "Since...a few years ago, there were 730,000 households in Jiangxi, why now in the Jiangxi Chief Envoy Division, the population of the Migrant Railway Division alone has reached 113
Ten thousand households, which is more than the registered household registration in the entire Jiangxi?"
And this problem is the most terrifying.
From the Hongwu period to the present, almost two generations have passed. In two generations, the household registration has not increased. In this peaceful world, in Jiangxi, a land of plenty, the registered population has actually dropped to 730,000 households.
In the past, it could be explained by the migration of people from Jiangxi to Huguang, but in fact, this cannot be explained. How many people migrated?
Of course, in fact, during the Yongle period, the population of Jiangxi's Chief Envoy declined relatively slightly.
What’s even more ridiculous is that in the history of the Ming Dynasty, Jiangxi experienced a full hundred years of development, and the entire Jiangxi was almost in a period of peace. By the sixth year of Wanli, the population of the Chief Envoy of Jiangxi was only registered.
580,000 households were settled!
After ten generations, and with almost no major natural disasters, no wars, and no large-scale plagues, the population plummeted by nearly half in more than a hundred years.
As for the so-called registered population, in fact, for the imperial court, it was essentially the taxable population.
No one expected that a report of the emperor's grandson's account would reveal a terrible fact in the blink of an eye!