The next day, the sky was still dark, and the light of dawn had not yet shone on the square of the Forbidden City, but the elders who had gone to court in the morning were already waiting outside the Meridian Gate one after another.
The weather was still a bit cold, so the elders gathered together in twos and threes, holding hand stoves, chatting.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, Yu Shaobao had just been released from confinement. He hurried into the palace before he even sat down at the Ministry of War. It is said that he quarreled with His Majesty again."
"Isn't that right? The cabinet has already drafted a decree, saying that you should be fined a month's salary for disobeying the emperor. Now that the ban has just been lifted, you are also fined a salary. I'm afraid your majesty is really angry."
"Yes, Yu Shaobao has such a temper. Alas, but after all, he is also an important minister of the Seventh Qing Dynasty. His Majesty punishes him one after another, which is too harsh."
"Who says it's not the case? Don't forget that a few days ago, there was no explanation for the impeachment of Yu Shaobao by Feng Guogong Li Xian. Could it be..."
"Be careful with your words, be careful with your words..."
Small groups gathered together and talked in low voices.
Yu Qian was standing not far in front of them, with his sleeves rolled up and his eyes closed, his face expressionless, as if what they were talking about was not him.
Another sedan dropped down not far from the palace gate. Cabinet Minister Yu Shiyue got off the sedan, looked around, then slowly came to stand in front of Yu Qian.
"Tingyi, what are you making a fuss about? I was still thinking about yesterday. I went to your house yesterday to congratulate you on your reinstatement. What's going on, ugh..."
Yu Qian opened his eyes, and a smile finally appeared on Gu Jing Wubo's face, and he bowed his hand in return and said.
"In these days when Yu is away from the court, he has been working as an official at court. I didn't expect that in this short period of one month, so many major events would happen in the capital."
One day was enough for Yu Qian to understand all the events, big and small, that had happened in the capital recently.
Yu Shiyue waved his hand and said.
"What are you talking about? You are all serving the country and sharing your worries for the king. How can you talk about working hard? It's you, what's going on?"
"Yesterday Eunuch Cheng came to deliver an edict, saying that he would fine you a month's salary. What was the reason for, but he was vague about it."
"Did you know that there are widespread rumors in Beijing that His Majesty intends to target you."
Yu Qian glanced at a group of officials not far away. They immediately hissed and pretended to be nonchalant.
Yu Qian shook his head slightly and said.
"It's just some differences in political opinions. Yesterday, Yu broke into His Majesty again. He deserves to be punished."
It was obvious that he didn't want to elaborate on what he said.
But Yu Shiyue didn't intend to just let him pass by. He took two steps forward and asked in a low voice.
"Tingyi, tell me the truth. Did you enter the palace yesterday because of the mission?"
After saying that, Yu Shiyue stared at Yu Qian closely, not missing any change on his face.
Yu Qian was slightly stunned at first, and then fell into silence, neither admitting nor denying.
But in Yu Shiyue's eyes, it was acquiescence.
At that moment, Yu Shiyue felt helpless, sighed and said.
"You, what are you making? The mission to leave Beijing is what they have been asking for. Your Majesty is just pushing the boat along. Even if something happens, it is they who asked for it. Why should you..."
Hearing this, Yu Qian felt a little surprised and asked with a frown.
"How does Brother Yu know that this time the mission out of Beijing will not be peaceful?"
You know, to this day, no third person knows the contents of the military report.
Although there have been some adjustments to the Beijing camp, since Yu Qian is now the admiral of the Beijing camp, all the descendants of his relatives have been cleared out by him.
Nowadays, the commanders of each regiment and battalion are selected from various places. The military discipline is strict and the specific situation of the transfer will not be disclosed without authorization.
Secondly, the capital camp was also mobilized frequently during this period. More than half a month ago, Baoding Bo Liangyao just brought tens of thousands of troops to Miaoland to replace Wang Ji and put down the rebellion.
The transfer of thousands of people was mixed in, and not even a splash was made.
In addition, during these days, everyone in the government and the public was closely attracted by the case of King Zhennan, and no one would notice that the Beijing camp sent more troops to Datong.
Even if they noticed it, most of them thought it was a normal border defense arrangement and no one thought much about it.
But Yu Qian did not expect that Yu Shiyue would directly ask about the mission as soon as they met.
Yu Qian's unusual behavior made Yu Shiyue frown. After thinking about it, he spoke.
"This is not difficult to guess. Some time ago, didn't you ask me to go to Wang Wen to discuss it? At that time, I knew that the emperor disapproved of this matter."
"Later, when the emperor agreed to send an envoy, I felt suspicious and went to Wang Wen's house again, but his attitude changed drastically."
"Not only did they not set up obstacles for the mission, but they also asked several government offices to make it easier."
"I knew then that the mission's trip out of Beijing would probably be in vain."
After hearing what Yu Shiyue said, Yu Qian felt relieved and sighed.
"So that's it. Brother Yu guessed it right. This time the mission out of Beijing will probably be in vain. However, the reason why I argued with His Majesty yesterday was not about this matter..."
Yu Shiyue was a little confused, pondered for a moment, and asked.
"If it's not for this matter, could it be because of Wang Ji?"
You must know that the reason why Yu Qian was banned at that time was because he opposed the replacement of Wang Ji, the chief military officer of the Miao Conquest.
Yu Qian shook his head and said, "Brother Yu, it's better not to make blind guesses."
After thinking about it, Yu Qian seemed to feel that something was wrong again, and said, "Brother Yu, do you still remember that you were in my house on New Year's Eve, why did I chase you away?"
Yu Shiyue was suddenly startled and lowered his voice: "You mean, are those rumors true? Is His Majesty really going to target you?"
Yu Qian sighed and said softly.
"In short, I will go up in the morning. Brother Yu just needs to wait and see what happens. Just watch from the sidelines and don't wade into this muddy water."
Yu Shiyue wanted to ask again, but the sky was already dimly lit, the palace door was slowly pushed open, and it was time to go to court.
So, he had no choice but to swallow back the words that came to his lips, straighten his appearance, and follow the long queue towards the palace.
Today's morning meeting is at Wenhua Hall.
Although it was said yesterday that the Ministry of Civil Affairs officially launched Beijing inspections, it affected the hearts of both the government and the public.
But after all, the Beijing inspection is not a matter that can be solved in one day, and the officials involved in the Beijing inspection are all mid-level officials below the fourth rank.
The grades of the elders who can enter the morning court are basically not too low.
Therefore, the atmosphere in the morning is relatively relaxed.
The Ministry of Rites presented some specific matters regarding the draft, and then the Ministry of Personnel presented a list of transfers of a number of local officials.
Then when we arrived at the Ministry of Industry, Chen Xun, the minister, did not come out to speak. Instead, Wang Wei, the minister, stood up and spoke.
"Your Majesty, I have been inspecting the Shawan breach of the Yellow River for two months under the emperor's order. This is the local hydrological and terrain conditions. Your Majesty, please take a look."
A chamberlain came down and delivered the memorial to the emperor's imperial desk.
The ministers below did not respond at all. The Ministry of Industry inspects many places every year, and it is nothing more than building embankments and rivers.
However, these projects all cost money.
The Ministry of Finance is currently strapped for money, and is afraid that this matter will be nothing more than nothing in the end.
Wang Wei reported: "Your Majesty, the Shawan Bay has been breaching for several years. Every year, embankments have been built and collapsed every year. Every time there are heavy rains and high tides in summer, breaches will occur everywhere. The local people are suffering terribly. Once the breaches are opened, grain canals will also be blocked."
Affect operation."
"I led a group of officials from the Ministry of Industry to conduct an on-the-spot investigation and discovered that the river sections in Zhangqiu and other places have been silted up for many years, and the dams built are more than two feet high."
"Under such circumstances, dredging alone is insufficient. Therefore, the Ministry of Works proposed that we should build more weirs, water gates, control canals, build gates, and raise Zhangqiu to connect the Yellow River and clear the water. Only in this way can we solve the problem of Shawan every year.
It’s difficult to resolve.”
Now the bosses are in high spirits.
They thought that the Ministry of Works was going to build the embankment as usual, but they never thought that this time the Ministry of Works was going to do something big.
The money spent on digging the canal and building the water gate was wasted. The number of civilians recruited alone was not tens of thousands, and the construction of the canal was not even started.
The emperor here also finished reading the memorial and nodded.
"Thank you for your hard work, Qing Wang. The Shawan breach really shouldn't be delayed any longer. Since the Ministry of Industry has inspected the local situation, does it have a specific budget?"
This time, it was Chen Xun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, who appeared on the stage.
Mr. Chen stepped forward and cupped his hands.
"Reporting to your majesty, if it starts from Zhang Qiu and ends at Qinshui, the construction of the large canal is estimated to cost 800,000 taels of silver."
"As for the construction period, it depends on the number of civilian workers. If the number is sufficient, it can be completed in three to five months. It can be completed before the rainy season this year to avoid affecting the transfer of summer grain."
After Chen Xun finished speaking, a censor asked.
"I would like to ask Chen Shangshu, how many people do you mean by the sufficient number of people?"
Mr. Chen Laoshang was obviously well prepared and once again held his hands in front of him.
"If there are 60,000 people, they can build a large canal within five months."
You could hear a pin drop in the main hall.
The elders looked at me and I looked at you, and they were all extremely surprised.
You know, recruiting more than 10,000 people to work is already a huge pressure on the court.
Sixty thousand people? This Chen Shangshu is crazy!
At that moment, a royal censor spoke out.
"Your Majesty, this matter is inappropriate. Now that the border war has stopped, the Miao lands in the southwest are still fighting, and the people are in decline, how can we carry out such an important task? In addition, the Ministry of Revenue does not have enough silver to allocate. I think we can still build the dams and dams.
The matter of the big canal can be slowed down."
The emperor seemed to be hesitant, and after a moment, he asked Hube on the side.
"Shen Qing, what do you think of this matter?"
The ministers immediately focused their attention on the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Shen Shangshu curled his lips inwardly, but his face was very respectful and said.
"Your Majesty cares about all the people, and I naturally dare not neglect it. If the Ministry of Works wants to build the canal, it will not have to have 800,000 taels in place in an instant. If it is allocated in several batches, the Ministry of Household Affairs can also support it.
With a batch of 300,000 taels, we can still make it together."
Is this the sun rising in the west?
The elders looked at each other and started talking about it.
They had not paid much attention to this matter before because they felt that the proposal of the Ministry of Works would not pass at all, and the Ministry of Household Affairs would immediately be stuck.
But no one expected that Hu Bu, known as the Iron Rooster, would agree to the request without any obstruction this time.
Now it's a big deal.
Although I thought of it as a joke before, who doesn't know that the imperial court only has so much money, and if it is used too much, it must be used less.
Everyone knows the current situation of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
If we really invest such a large amount of silver in the Ministry of Industry, I am afraid that what everyone will take home next year will still be a pile of peppercorns.
"Your Majesty, no, now is the time when the people are recuperating and recuperating, how can we carry out such a large-scale construction project?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is safer to build a dike. If you are worried about another breach, you can move the local people out first and rush to build a large canal. It will waste people and money, but it may not be effective."
Suddenly, there were voices of opposition from both the government and the public.
However, no one dares to say that they should give up river control. After all, the Shawan breach has occurred not just in a year or two, but for a full five or six years, basically breaking out every year.
The local people were indeed miserable. The imperial court sent officials to control the floods every year, but the results were not great.
Therefore, the reason for their opposition is nothing more than focusing on silver coins and civilian husbands.
Chen Xun was already prepared for this. He took a step forward and spoke.
"Your Majesty, I have also considered this matter. It is better to build the canal sooner rather than later. The Shawan breach will directly affect the transportation of grain. The amount of grain transported due to this delay every year is no less than hundreds of thousands of stones. If the Shawan breach can be completely solved,
This will ensure smooth water transportation and restore our country’s national strength as soon as possible.”
"In addition, regarding the matter of civilians, it is really not appropriate to recruit people on a large scale. Therefore, according to my wishes, I can temporarily mobilize 50,000 troops from the capital and more than 10,000 canal workers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. I will personally supervise and make a quick decision. A large canal can be built before the rainy season.
Dredge the canal."
Everyone was speechless for a while. No one thought that the Ministry of Works would actually target the Beijing Army.
As a result, everyone looked at Yu Qian who was standing aside, hoping that he would speak out against it.
However, this one in Shaobao stood there like a clay and wood sculpture, without saying a word.
As we all know, the emperor's relationship with Yu Qian was not very good during this period.
So, after pausing for a moment, seeing that Yu Qian did not object, the emperor seemed too lazy to ask him any more questions and simply said so.
"In this case, let's follow the instructions of the Ministry of Industry and deploy 50,000 troops from the Beijing Army. Chen Xun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, will personally supervise and build the canal within five months."
Seeing that the ministers below still had objections, the emperor felt helpless and continued.
"As for the silver taels, the national treasury is now empty. The 300,000 taels that need to be allocated in advance will be allocated half by the national treasury and the internal transport warehouse. The remaining 500,000 taels will be advanced by the internal transport warehouse and half will be paid in advance after the summer grain transfer is completed.
Return to the inner shipping warehouse.”
Well, the emperor paid for it himself, so the people below have nothing to say.
But looking at Chen Xun's eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little envious, jealous, and hateful.
This is 800,000 taels. Even their salary here is half the salary of peppercorns. The Ministry of Industry has obtained such a large sum of money. How can it not be enviable?
With everyone watching like this, Chen Xun felt only pressure.
These ministers were just watching the excitement, but only Chen Xun knew how much hope the emperor had placed on this matter.
This court meeting seemed to be passed easily.
But in fact, it was all because neither the Ministry of Household Affairs nor the Ministry of War put any restrictions.
One of them gave money to others, and this was considered a smooth progress for this matter.
And the reason why the two sides cooperated so well was entirely because the emperor was helping behind the scenes.
Even over this matter, the Emperor and Yu Qian had another big quarrel yesterday. If the Emperor hadn't forced Yu Qian to bow his head in the end, his stubborn temper would have lifted the roof today.
But because of this, Chen Xun felt greater pressure.
He has always been in Qingliu and is not particularly familiar with practical matters. Although he has been practicing a lot these days, he still has no idea about the specific operations.
After all, this was no small matter. The Emperor had done so much to pave the way for him. If he messed up, Chen Xun didn't dare to think about the consequences.
Building a large canal and setting up a water gate may seem simple, but in fact, where to start building it, how to build it, and how to set up the water gate are all delicate tasks, and there is no room for error.
Chen Xun knew how much he weighed, so after pondering for a moment, he boldly stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Majesty, building the canal is not a trivial matter. It requires careful attention. I know a person who is proficient in hydrology and geography. I sincerely request your majesty's permission to order his entourage to build the large canal. It will be completed as scheduled."
The elders seemed to feel a cool breeze blowing through the hall in an instant, and couldn't help but shiver.
Immediately afterwards, the Emperor's calm voice came down.
"who?"
Chen Xun also felt the subtle changes in the atmosphere, but he was really unsure about going into battle alone, even with the help of officials from the Ministry of Industry.
With no choice but to bite the bullet, he said.
"Your Majesty, this person's name is Xu Youzhen, and he is currently serving as an attendant in the Hanlin Academy."
After finishing speaking, Chen Xun's heart was agitated.
He had mentioned this matter to the emperor before, but at that time, the emperor seemed to still be thinking about Xu Youzhen's proposal to move the capital, so he ignored it.
This time, he gave Xu Youzhen an idea and asked him to change his name, maybe he could get away with it.
The emperor said nothing.
The courtiers also noticed that something was not right about the situation, and they looked at each other with their eyes, noses, and hearts, bowing their heads and saying nothing.
Just when Chen Xun was uneasy and felt that this matter was futile.
The sound of the sound on the imperial steps fell, still calm and calm.