It’s not difficult to figure out this truth. It’s just that there was a layer of paper behind the window, which made it difficult to see the mountains.
Lin Cong's approach is a safe approach, which can guarantee with a high probability that there will be no civil unrest. Even if there is a small-scale disturbance, it can be settled quickly with the help of local gentry and merchants.
But the disadvantage of this is that many people will freeze to death!
Daxing County is originally a land of Gyeonggi, under the emperor's feet, Lin Cong himself is not without foundation in the court, coupled with the tough attitude of the mining tax eunuch, and the combination of various conditions, he was able to make these merchants reluctantly agree, according to the
Last year's price of coal was sold.
What if he is an ordinary local official?
The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and he has no local foundation. Under this situation, even if these local officials try their best to fight for it, they may only be able to lower the price by 10% or 20%, and there is no guarantee that that day
They promised well, and the merchants raised their prices back the next day.
For local officials, rather than expending so much effort and being thankless for their efforts, it is better to turn a blind eye. Merchants with some discerning eyes may even take the initiative to offer some gold and silver as filial piety. As for the people,
, even if they freeze to death, it is their life. Who makes them unable to afford high-priced fuel?
The pros and cons are so obvious, no wonder the local officials would make the same choice, but doing so is actually a waste of human life!
Although there won't be any big trouble, there will undoubtedly be more people who will not survive this winter and fall into the freezing snow with their bones exposed.
Is this kind of stability what the court wants?
There was silence for a while in the hall, and then, a sigh was heard, and Shen Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue came forward and said.
"Your Majesty has compassion for the people, and I know it. This is the blessing of the world and the blessing of the people. However, the most difficult thing in the world is the human heart. Getting rid of the long-standing evils cannot be achieved in a day. As long as your Majesty remains determined, what will happen?"
Worried about not being able to succeed?"
This was said euphemistically, but the meaning was actually to advise the emperor not to be impulsive and not think about eating a fat man in one bite, but to take it easy.
So sometimes, the closer someone is to the emperor, the harder it is to say something. On the contrary, ministers like Shen Yi, who although the emperor values but only focus on doing things, can be tactfully advised.
But then again, for a person with such a firm mind as the Emperor, how could such a level of advice be swayed?
As expected, after listening to Shen Yi's words, the emperor pondered for a moment and spoke.
“Although things are difficult, you have to do it!”
"I am calling you here today for this reason. You must know that the people are the foundation of the country. If the court treats the people as nothing, then one day the country will overthrow and the artifacts will collapse. Now that these few people have entered the officialdom, they should be the common people of the world.
As a matter of fact, I hope you will remember what I say today."
This should be regarded as one of the rare cautious words of the emperor. Therefore, the ministers present naturally did not dare to neglect and spoke one after another.
"Please keep this in mind."
As a result, the storm was finally over.
However, when they walked out of the palace gate, all the ministers present had a flash of doubt in their hearts. They thought that the emperor would do something, but in the end, the emperor just said some truth. As for the cabinet,
However, I have a new errand, which is to write down today's emperor's statement into an imperial edict and send it to all government offices.
It can also be seen from this that the emperor attaches great importance to this matter. After all, there have been edicts with simple instructions like this in the past, but the number is definitely not many.
It’s strange, and that’s exactly what’s wrong here. This theory can’t be said to be useless, but if it can really change the status quo, I’m afraid it’s...
In the Wuying Hall, after the ministers left, Zhu Qiyu did not get up and leave. Instead, he sat where he was without saying a word.
Shu Liang and Hua En stood nearby, feeling that the emperor's mood seemed a little agitated, but they did not dare to ask any more questions.
Until a moment later, the emperor's voice sounded and asked.
"Shu Liang, do you think what I just said was too naive?"
The complicated tone made Shu Liang not dare to neglect, and he quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"It is the blessing of the ancestors and gods that the emperor cares about all the people. I feel that the emperor is right. Although the matter is difficult, it must be done. The emperor is the lord of thousands of times. Whatever he wants to do, he can definitely do it.
"
"Everything can be done?"
Zhu Qiyu glanced at Shu Liang, and he had to say that people who were born as eunuchs were first-class at flattering him. If he hadn't already been a man for two generations, he would have forgotten himself in the constant flattery.
Of course, this is not Shu Liang's fault. If you want to find someone who dares to speak out and make remonstrances, there are many things in Kedao. The living environment of eunuchs determines their personalities in most cases, so you can't be too harsh on them, but...
"After today's incident, the court should know who is more important than the common people or the gentry. However, you must also discipline the people under your command. If something like Liu An happens again, I will not be lenient!"
After hearing this, Shu Liang trembled and said quickly.
"This slave obeys the order..."
Zhu Qiyu already knew the whole story of Liu An's matter. Although Dongchang has been very popular in recent times, don't forget that there is also a royal guard in the capital. The emperor is always surrounded by people who can spy on the news.
people.
Putting aside the matter of people besieging Huangzhuang this time, after Lin Cong's impeachment last time, Zhu Qiyu began to send Jin Yiwei to find out the truth of the matter.
In the capital, Jin Yiwei can no longer be regarded as Dongchang's opponent, but outside the capital, Dongchang and Jinyiwei are not on the same level at all.
Later, the news came back and it turned out that everything Lin Cong said was not groundless.
The mining tax eunuchs, relying on the emperor's backing, wantonly plundered property in the local area. They were no more than country gentry and merchants. Nowadays, many of them have reached out to ordinary farmers.
For the mining tax eunuchs who have received the imperial edict, they certainly don't care about the mosquito legs of ordinary farmers, but the problem is that the people under them need oil and water.
In order to facilitate the work, mining tax eunuchs are often driven by local people, many of whom are rogues. Once these people have power in their hands, they will naturally be unscrupulous.
The mining tax eunuchs wanted this group of people to help with things, and at the same time, they accepted their filial piety, so they naturally let it go. In fact, many people even secretly encouraged this behavior.
Liu An is one of them!
He took over the jurisdiction of Huangzhuang from Song Wenyi. At this time, Huangzhuang had basically taken shape. For Liu An, he only needed to take good care of it and not cause any trouble.
However, after finally gaining power, how could Liu An be willing to live a mediocre life like this?
He soon began to seize land. When Song Wenyi was here, because of the initial establishment of the imperial village, and Song Wenyi himself was personally ordered by the emperor, he could not do any prohibitions, so he had a sense of propriety. Although some land was taken by force,
It was obtained by some evil gentry through clever means, and after all, they paid for it in money.
But when he arrived at Liu An's place, he simply robbed him. Well, it's not appropriate to say that. Eunuch Liu made a white note and promised to give him money in the future. But in fact, everyone knew what the situation was.
Part of the reason why the people were so easily incited to besiege Huangzhuang this time was because Liu An had a long-standing reputation in the local area.
Of course, this does not mean that there are no problems with what Lin Cong did. In the final analysis, the mining tax eunuch is just a transitional product, a last resort measure in a year of great disaster. If the opening of the sea cannot go smoothly, then,
The wealth plundered by the mining tax eunuchs will become an important supplement to the imperial court, but this will come at a price.
Now it seems that the price is already showing, it should be said that it is earlier than Zhu Qiyu expected...
Shu Liang bowed his head, hesitated for a moment, and asked.
"Your Majesty, Liu An's matter..."
After all, Shu Liang has served the emperor for a long time, so he knows the emperor's temper very well. Since the emperor said these words, it means that the emperor must have known about Liu An. In this way, it will not
Maybe it would be a simple matter of resigning and putting a ban on it.
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu snorted lightly and said.
"Liu An has amassed a lot of money these days, and the people under him are doing whatever they want with the power in their hands. You can handle this matter. If the money and silk are confiscated, the people under him should be handed over to the competent authority.
deal with."
"Lin Cong is still capable of doing things. Let him try these cases!"
Speaking of Lin Cong, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but sigh. In fact, he still had hope for Lin Cong. He was not cliquey in the government and had tenacity. For Wang Zhi's sake, Zhu Qiyu was willing to give him a chance.
, It is a pity that Lin Cong is so useless, at least for now, he still needs to be tempered.
That's fine. As the magistrate of Daxing County, he can't interrogate the mining tax eunuchs with official ranks, but he can still clean up these scoundrels. He must clearly interrogate the evil deeds these people have done and liquidate them one by one. Lin Cong is afraid that some people will be busy.
"This slave obeys your order."
Shu Liang lowered his head, his attitude was respectful, but his expression was a bit hesitant.
"However, Your Majesty, the matters at the Imperial Manor are, after all, Eunuch Song's errand. Do you want me to inform Eunuch Song about this matter?"
After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu looked at him deeply and waved his hand.
"It's up to you. You also know the ins and outs of the establishment of mining tax eunuchs. I sent these eunuchs out in the hope that they can build the Imperial Mansion well. But there are some things that can be done and some things that cannot be done. Song Wenyi is in Beijing. It won’t be long, you have to help remind me of some things!”
After the words fell, Shu Liang's eyes suddenly lit up and he said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, I understand!"
Looking at Shu Liang's leaving figure, Zhu Qiyu sighed in his heart. Wherever there are people, there are people's plans. I'm afraid Liu An's matter and the struggle between the big brother in the palace are inseparable. However, , these are small things and do not affect the overall situation.
Chen Yi is right. The most difficult thing to deal with in the world is the human heart. Using the mining tax eunuch is a so-called way to defeat all laws with one force. However, there are too many hidden dangers in this way. If it were not for the threat of natural disasters, he would Not willing to do this.
And since there is an emergency solution, there is naturally a right way, but...
The deep gaze was withdrawn, and Zhu Qiyu sighed softly, there was still a lot to do, so there really was no need to rush.
The New Year's Eve is not far away, and the heavy snow in the capital still rarely stops. However, this cannot stop the people's expectations for the New Year.
Not surprisingly, after the imperial edict was issued, many smart people in the capital understood which direction the wind was blowing. With the fuel raised by Shu Liang, prices in the entire capital were quickly stabilized.
Of course, some means are inevitably used in this process. The so-called combination of kindness and power is the real way to solve the problem.
The capital has become more and more lively, and dignitaries can be seen everywhere. Starting from last year, vassal kings from all over the country are allowed to visit the disciples of Zongxue during the New Year and meet the emperor at the same time. Although they need to apply six months in advance, and then go through The Ministry of Rites approved it and the Emperor Zhu approved it. However, for many feudal kings, this was still a good opportunity to go out.
Following the precedent of last year, many more vassal kings came to the capital this year than before. Although some places are experiencing great disasters and the court needs money in many places, they will not lose money on such occasions. Lost face.
The banquets in the palace continued day after day. Zhu Qiyu also met many vassal kings these days, but half of these vassal kings were not very interested.
As for the reason, it is also very simple. The painting of the Huangzhuang pie is very beautiful, but the money was thrown in quickly. But now, let alone getting back the original money, we have to continue to throw it in.
The successive natural disasters not only greatly reduced the output of Huangzhuang, but also in order to maintain the normal operation of Huangzhuang, the feudal princes had to supplement some money and food themselves and give it to the local government for disaster relief.
During the banquet, many vassal princes complained about Zhu Qiyu. Of course, it could also be said to be a show of merit. However, when Zhu Qiyu mentioned that he wanted to take back the imperial village and let the imperial court take full control of it, these vassal princes
His head shook, but he shook his head again. One by one, he was loyal to the country and tried his best for the country.
After all, money is not the most important thing to them now. On the contrary, what Huangzhuang brings to them is a looser degree of freedom than before, which most people don't want to lose. With this sweetness, no one can
I don’t want to go back to the original situation where even hunting was subject to heavy restrictions.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu took back the sweet dates that he had originally prepared. You must know that according to the previous agreement, the harvest of Huangzhuang, on the basis of ensuring the basic rations of tenants, must be limited to provide taxes to the court, and then be turned over to
Tenancy in the royal palace.
Many places were severely affected by the disaster this year, and the harvest of Huangzhuang was greatly reduced. However, there were still some. Zhu Qiyu originally planned to use these limited portions that should be handed over to the court to supply the palace. It was better than nothing.
However, seeing the appearance of these feudal kings, he naturally put away this idea. After all, mosquito legs are also meat...