The snow falls one after another, as if it is trying to make up for all the snow that did not fall before.
The New Year has passed, but the festive atmosphere of the New Year is still permeated in the capital.
At the gate of the city, a group of officers and soldiers stood neatly and solemnly. At the front were the generals in armor and the old man in scarlet robes with gray hair.
The goose-feather heavy snow fell and covered everyone's shoulders. Yu Shiyue looked at Yu Qian who was about to set off, with a trace of worry in his eyes and said.
"Yu Shaobao and Governor Zhang are here to suppress Japanese invaders. The mountains are high and the roads are far. You two, please pay more attention!"
The emperor urged him urgently. The imperial edict stated that the army would set off after the New Year's Day. However, the officers and soldiers mobilized this time were not the Beijing camp, but the Japanese troops stationed in Shandong.
Therefore, this New Year's Day had just ended and the imperial court had not yet opened the seal. Yu Qian and Zhang Xi had to set off immediately to prepare for the Japanese army's station.
Because it was the emperor himself who gave the order, and the general and the admiral were very important people among the civil and military ministers, so there were many people who came to see him off.
On the civil servants' side, Hu Xi from the Ministry of Rites, Wang Ao from the Ministry of War, and Yu Shiyue from the cabinet were all here, as well as the nobles, Zhu Yi, the Duke of Chengguo, Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, Fan Guang, the Bo of Jing'an, and the Governor Wuxing, all together.
Come.
Looking at the ministers arriving in the snow, Yu Qian and Zhang Xi looked at each other, and then Yu Qian cupped his hands.
"Thank you all for coming to see us off. Governor Zhang and I will definitely wipe out the Japanese pirates and return our maritime territory to the Ming and Qing Dynasties!"
The team moved forward slowly under heavy snow, and after a while, they disappeared into the snow.
At the same time, Zhu Qiyu stood on the corridor in front of the Qianqing Palace, looking at the silver-covered Forbidden City in front of him, with very complicated emotions.
For some reason, he had a vague feeling that going to suppress the Japanese might be an opportunity to change the Ming Dynasty. It might even be a more critical opportunity than the Battle of Wala. Since he came to the throne, whether it was rectifying the army or
Various other political affairs can be traced, but this matter alone is truly a path that has never been imagined, let alone tried, in the past and present.
I hope Yu Qian’s trip will go smoothly...
Countless emotions were mixed, and finally turned into a sigh, with the snowflakes scattered in the air, leaving no trace, the heavy palace door slowly closed, the figure of the young emperor had long since disappeared, and what was left was only the white snow that could cover everything.
…………
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the imperial court opened the seal, and the elders returned to their respective yamen with tired faces and started chatting.
According to the usual practice, there is no government affairs to deal with until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. During this half month, the current situation of most yamen is basically chatting, fishing, receiving rewards from the emperor, and receiving rewards from the prince.
, receive rewards from the Supreme Emperor, receive rewards from Shangguan... and so on.
But this year is different, because the imperial court wants to send troops to suppress Japanese invaders, so even though many things have been prepared before, the mobilization of the army is not a trivial matter. There are still many things that need to be done, so once the seal is opened, the Ministry of War will be huge.
Fewer official documents need to be processed urgently.
At the same time, what surprised everyone was that the Criminal Department, which had always been calm and unhurried, actually became busy.
You know, although Jin Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments is not like the great uncle of the Ministry of Rites, who sleeps all day long, he is not a career maniac either. On the contrary, Mr. Jin has always been kind and generous to others, but for some reason, he has been in trouble recently.
Since then, Jin Shangshu seems to have gone crazy, pressing down on the officials of the Ministry of Punishment every day, reviewing cases every day until late at night.
Not only that, it is said that Jin Shangshu has to personally verify every case. These officials in the Ministry of Punishments have been extremely busy during this period...
Of course, many people know what the reason is. It is simply the officials who were imprisoned during the plan, and their cases cannot be delayed.
Speaking of which, recently, the capital has been quite uneasy because of this incident...
At night, in the mansion of Chen Xun, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, a middle-aged man in a green robe sat respectfully in front of Chen Xun, with a slightly sad look on his face and said.
"Master Chen, is there really nothing we can do?"
This man's name was Wang Xuan. He was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Xuande's reign. He was currently serving as an official in the civil service department. He was considered a student of Chen Xun.
As for the purpose of his coming today...
Chen Xun shook his head and said.
"I know that you have a good relationship with Ji Tong, but this time, he was a little too courageous. He dared to secretly sell the grain in the Changping warehouse. It would be fine if it was normal, but it happened.
His majesty has made great plans to include Chang Pingcang in the evaluation, but he still dares to do so. Even if I want to help him, I'm afraid I won't be able to."
Seeing this situation, Wang Xuan looked a little gloomy, but he still refused to give up and said.
"But Master Chen, we can't blame Ji Tong entirely for this matter. When he took over, Changpingcang was already deficient. This is the usual practice. Besides, many of them are bad debts left over from the previous one."
, who would have thought that His Majesty would suddenly recruit Chang Pingcang from various places?"
"Huh, is this the usual practice?"
Chen Xun snorted coldly, his voice became darker, and said.
"Where does such an unhealthy trend come from? When you entered the officialdom, I told you that if you do not uphold your integrity, you will one day suffer harm to yourself. If Ji Tong had not been greedy for the profits from the food trade, how could he have ended up in this situation?
"
this……
Seeing that Chen Xun was a little angry, Wang Xuan gradually lost his confidence and began to plead.
"Master Chen, even if this is the case, he will not be imprisoned. This court has never had such a precedent. What's more, Ji Tong is not doing this alone. So many officials are doing this. Couldn't the Ministry of Punishments not do this?
Do you want to be open-minded?"
Therefore, this is the so-called mentality that the law does not blame everyone.
Seeing Wang Xuan begging like this, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a headache. He knew that if he didn't reveal the truth, he might not be able to get rid of this difficult student. He sighed and said.
"I have tried my best on this matter, but there is really nothing I can do to save it. Two days ago, I personally went to see Jin Shangshu and got the approval. His Majesty ordered how these cases should be tried, not to mention me.
This is Jin Shangshu. If you want to be forgiven, there is no way."
"Now that the matter has come to this, all I can do is try my best to keep him from being exiled or having his sentence increased. However, he cannot keep his official position. This matter is not small and different from usual. So, if any of you are like Ji Tong, , or other people currently imprisoned in the Punishment Department who are involved, kill them as soon as possible, and don’t do useless things again, lest you get involved, do you understand?"
The tone of these words was somewhat harsh. Wang Xuan was stunned for a moment, but soon realized that Chen Xun was not joking.
So, he had no choice but to nod his head and said.
"Students understand..."
After spending a few words with Chen Xun, Wang Xuan was a little absent-minded. Chen Xun knew his situation very well and didn't ask too many questions. After a while, he sent him away.
After walking out of the gate of the Chen Mansion, the face of the master in question suddenly became ugly. He stood in front of the sedan, his expression changed for a while, and finally he gave instructions to the accompanying boy.
"Go to Prince's Mansion, Young Master Zhan Shixu's residence!"
…………
Qianqing Palace.
Since the beginning of winter, Zhu Qiyu has become more accustomed to summoning ministers in Qianqing Palace to handle government affairs. Firstly, the Wenhua Palace is too big, even if the stove is turned on, it is very cold. Secondly, the prince is getting older. When he came to Taipei, the regular scripture banquet lectures and readings would begin after the new year. Although he had not planned it, there was always a main hall, so Zhu Qiyu simply gave the Wenhua Hall to the prince.
After the Chinese New Year, the routine morning dynasties were basically moved to Wuying Hall.
It was almost February now, and the weather was a little warmer. However, Zhu Qiyu was too lazy to bother, so he has been managing politics in the Qianqing Palace.
There are several major events in the imperial court now. One is the suppression of Japanese invaders, which is progressing smoothly. Although the imperial edict was issued to set off after the new year, after all, the army is going out, and there are many trivial matters, so until half a month ago , the army really set off, preparing to go to Fujian and other places to suppress the Japanese. However, Yu Qian knew the real purpose of suppressing the Japanese, so he should be sure of the time. Zhu Qiyu was not too worried about this.
In addition, there is the imperial examination after the spring. This is Zhu Qiyu's second imperial examination after he ascended the throne, so naturally it must be treated with caution.
Especially, after the last imperial examination caused such a big case, whether this imperial examination can be successfully conducted is a matter of great concern.
However, it is precisely because of the lesson learned last time that this time, Hu Hui will be the examiner himself. Although he is a fisherman on a daily basis, he has never been ambiguous in such important matters, so it is okay. Let Zhu Qiyu rest assured.
Then, the last thing left is...
"Your Majesty, Wang Wen, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Shen Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Husbandry, and Jin Lian, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, have been summoned outside the palace!"
Putting down the memorial in his hand, Zhu Qiyu rubbed his forehead and said.
"Let them in!"
So Wynn quietly retreated, and not long after, he led the three elders into the hall.
After the salutes were completed, Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on Chen Yi first and said.
"I have already read the report on the Fengyang snow disaster submitted by the Ministry of Household Affairs. This snow disaster is not small in scale and involves the area of Bawei. Moreover, from the looks of it, the snow will not stop in a short period of time, and there is such a continuous heavy snow. , the common people have charcoal fires to spend the winter, and there will be a shortage of cotton-padded clothes. In addition, the heavy snow will inevitably affect the wheat harvest. What good strategies does the Ministry of Household Affairs have?"
What's... a good idea?
Shen Shangshu had a sad face and sighed heavily in his heart.
What good ideas can he have?
Although I was already prepared in my heart, who could have imagined that such a big surprise would come just at the beginning of the new year.
God really knows how to joke. When it doesn't rain, it doesn't rain. Now, it can't stop.
Fengyang Bawei has been snowing heavily since the end of the year. It has been more than a month now. It is said that some people have frozen to death in these days. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, of course he is anxious, but what is the use of being anxious? .
Originally, the Ministry of Revenue still had some money left over, but the emperor insisted on sending troops to suppress the Japanese. Now, if not emptying the treasury, it was almost enough.
At this time, if a large amount of silver is allocated for disaster relief, then the subsequent military supplies cannot be guaranteed. If it is not drawn from this place, then where will he get such a large sum of money...
"Back to Your Majesty, I have sent a letter to the county governments involved in the disaster, ordering them to submit the specific situation of the disaster as soon as possible. At the same time, I have sent government servants and civilians to clear the snow, at least to ensure that the official roads are smooth, and I have also ordered the neighboring states and counties to provide emergency services. Prepare carbon fuel and transport it to the disaster-stricken areas."
"Next step, I plan to temporarily spend the cotton-padded clothes, military tents and other things to keep out the cold stored in the Nanjing warehouse. At the same time, I will call on the local gentry and wealthy households to help the county government provide porridge for disaster relief. On the court's side, based on the reported disaster situation, Formulate detailed regulations for disaster relief as soon as possible."
It can be seen that Shangshu Shen is really in a dilemma, and he has come up with such methods as calling on the squires. It can be seen that the national treasury is really tight.
Seeing this situation, the two elders from the official department and the criminal department could not help but express sympathy, and then... stood aside and watched with cold eyes.
Just kidding, this is none of their business, so why talk so much if you don’t have to get into trouble...
However, they could stand by and watch, but some people could not. For example, the emperor Zhu Qiyu, seeing Shen Yi's appearance, how could he not know what Shen Yi was thinking, and helplessly glared at the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhu Qiyu road.
"Shen Qing, just tell me directly. How much money does the Ministry of Revenue estimate will be needed for this disaster relief?"
Shen Yi said so much in a roundabout way, but in fact, it boils down to two words: crying for poverty. Of course, this does not mean that the Ministry of Revenue really cannot come up with the money, but if it really has to come up with it, a lot of things will have to be done. , we have to stop temporarily.
When the time comes, he, as the Minister of Household Affairs, will be chased by various government offices for money again.
Hearing this, Chen Yi was a little embarrassed, but soon he spoke.
"Your Majesty, in this heavy snow season, the main cost of disaster relief is labor. Whether it is clearing snow, or transporting food and fuel, the cost will double in such weather. The imperial court has just mobilized labor once for the purpose of suppressing Japanese pirates. If we continue to send more troops at this time, I am afraid it will cause civil unrest."
"Therefore, if we want to successfully solve this disaster, we can only hire laborers at the government's expense. In addition, due to the heavy snowfall, the price of carbon dioxide in various places has increased. The Ministry of Household Affairs has made a rough calculation and wants to calm this situation." This disaster will cost about three hundred thousand taels of silver."
As soon as these words came out, Wang Wen and Jin Lian on the side couldn't help but feel a little moved.
They didn't know anything else, but when there was a drought in Jiangxi last year, the imperial government invested only about 500,000 taels in disaster relief.
However, the disaster in Jiangxi covers a much larger area than this snow disaster. From this point of view, the severity of this snow disaster is probably the worst in history.
However, after the words fell, Zhu Qiyu snorted and said.
"In this case, the disaster is urgent. The Ministry of Household Affairs should prepare silver supplies as soon as possible and transport them to various places in Fengyang. We must not let the people suffer because of failure to provide disaster relief. Does Shen Shangshu understand?"