One hundred and fifty-one chapters public and private
Liu Mengqian, the prefect of Hangzhou, was an elegant man. The most famous "deeds" he left in Hangzhou was the gathering on Su Causeway one spring:
"In February, the victory meeting was held at Sudi. There were ram's horn lanterns and tens of thousands of gauze lanterns in the city. They were hung on the peach and willow trees, and the ground was paved with red felt. There were young girls and famous prostitutes, drinking and singing. At night, thousands of wax candles were burning together, and the light was bright.
It's like daytime. Looking from the lake, there are thousands of candles on the embankment, and the lake's shadow is doubled. The wind is playing, the music is playing, and the sun is sinking."
This kind of scene, no matter in the past or now, is an extremely elegant scene. Zhao Yingong was quite envious when he read this paragraph in the past.
No matter how elegant a person is, he has to solve the livelihood problems of the people under his rule. Liu Mengqian is lucky enough to be the prefect of Hangzhou, which is known as "paradise". Not to mention the various "prospects" of being an official, the most important thing is
What's more, he doesn't have to endure the nightmare environment like many of his colleagues.
Therefore, Magistrate Liu is very satisfied with his current situation. However, last year's severe drought cast a shadow on his official career.
As long as you are a local official, you will always encounter one or two famines during your tenure. In ancient Chinese society, there was a natural disaster about every three years on average, and a major disaster about ten years ago. It has always been the responsibility of local officials to relieve famines and deal with the aftermath.
One of the main tasks. Magistrate Liu has naturally experienced it.
Since the first year of Chongzhen in Zhejiang, natural disasters have occurred almost every year. The affected areas are all over the province. Even the Hangjiahu Plain area, which has always been a land of plenty, has suffered from floods and droughts repeatedly. The people have little time to breathe. In addition, the government has imposed excessive taxes over the years.
The Jiangnan area, which was originally a heavily taxed area, has long been severely damaged.
The large number of refugees has given Prefect Liu a headache. In recent years, "civil uprisings" have continued, disturbing the world. Although Liu Mengqian is an elegant man, he still has knowledge: Jiangnan has been at peace for a long time.
If it really happened and triggered a large-scale civil uprising, it would not be possible to count on the extremely exhausted officers and soldiers or the gang of horse-stepping men who usually only scare and extort the people. At that time, he, the prefect, would probably have no choice but to commit suicide in the lobby.
share.
Therefore, when the famine struck, he summoned the local gentry and asked them to do their best to help the government maintain and provide relief to the victims, and set up a famine relief bureau. They set up porridge sheds, opened rice dumplings, applied medicine, and collected roads for burials... After all, Jiangnan was a land of plenty.
, the private savings are still quite abundant, barely maintaining the situation.
However, the situation has not improved. The drought has passed, but the price of food on the market is rising with the coming of the "Five Years of Famine and June". The price of a bucket of rice on the market has exceeded three coins of silver.
Based on Prefect Liu’s experience, once the local price of rice exceeds four yuan, a large-scale famine will occur among the people. The tragic situation of flood victims that has been calmed down will happen again, and then most of the hard work from last year to now will be in vain.
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Moreover, if the spring sowing cannot be carried out in time, it will mean that the year's harvest will be finished, the grain tax will not be collected, and the refugees will riot, then he, the prefect, will not have to work. Seeing that the situation is becoming more and more dangerous, Liu Mengqian can no longer sit still.
Not caring about his "official prestige", he went directly to the Famine Relief Bureau to convene a meeting of the Jin gentry.
The Famine Relief Bureau is located in Guanxiang in the center of the city. More than a dozen committee members and local gentry who have no positions but have contributed a lot have gathered in the lobby.
There were divergent opinions at the meeting. The measures to combat famine and provide disaster relief were nothing more than commonplace talk, which everyone here is familiar with. But when it came to specific management, no one was willing to say more - because it involves money.
question.
From the beginning of the disaster last year to now, several rounds of "recruitment" have been carried out. Although the people here are all local people who are eager for public justice, after all, they have not reached the level of selfless destruction of homes to rescue famines - and in recent years, local famines have continued.
, the government imposed excessive taxes, and their own economic situation was also greatly damaged.
The final result of the meeting was still undecided. We only continued to do the few things we could do at the moment. As for the most important items of grain and rice, and lending seeds to the people to cultivate cattle, they were very expensive and the money was
The source of the rice could not be confirmed, and for a while no one was willing to come forward to handle it.
When the meeting was over and the committee members dispersed, Liu Mengqian took care of the young man and asked Zhao Yingong to meet him in casual clothes in the flower hall.
Zhao Yingong was very active in the activities of the Famine Relief Bureau. In particular, the refugee problem that the government felt was the most difficult problem was basically solved by Cihuitang. Although he had also heard many rumors about the refugees who were taken in by Cihuitang.
, will be transported away by ships from the Qiantang River every other month. As for where it was transported, it is not known at all. It is only said that it was sent to Guangdong to reclaim wasteland.
If this matter were in peacetime, the local officials would have to ask about it. But now, the governments everywhere are trying to treat the headaches and the pains. The gathering of a large number of victims is a huge hidden danger. Now there are people who are willing to come forward to deal with it. No matter where you end up.
No matter where they are sent, the refugees will live or die. What’s more, the yellow list system has been abolished in recent years, and the number of households is completely fabricated. It has become unclear how many households are registered under the rule of local officials.
Therefore, all the officials in Hangzhou Prefecture took an indifferent attitude towards this matter.
Liu Mengqian first exchanged some polite words with Zhao Yingong, praising him for being "young and promising" and "impressed with justice". He also said that he was revising his watch and asked for credit for the local personnel in the famine relief. The court would naturally have something to say by then.
After Rongdian came down, it was still unclear whether Zhao Yingong would go further.
Zhao Yingong thought that the so-called further advancement was nothing more than the qualification of "Study in the Imperial College", which he really looked down upon. But on the surface, he still pretended to be flattered and thanked him repeatedly.
After the polite exchanges, Magistrate Liu's conversation turned to the issue of famine relief.
Zhao Yingong already had a secret case in his mind. However, he was unwilling to speak out at the meeting. Firstly, it was too high-profile and could easily lead to taboos. Secondly, once this matter was implemented, the subsequent economic benefits would be enough to make people jealous, so it was not appropriate for him to bring it up.
That's great. It's best to propose the plan to Magistrate Liu in private and let him announce it.
This prefect Liu will not let go of any opportunity now. Because he showed his ability to digest the refugees in the previous stage, he will definitely come to Yi Zun for advice.
Zhao Yingong's plan has been considered many times. On the one hand, it is his task to continue to attract the Jiangnan refugees to go south, and he can fully undertake it. On the other hand, he also needs to rely on this to give his affairs a "life-saving" meaning.
coat.
He briefly and concisely reported on the management ideas, with the eight words "relief on behalf of business and revitalizing the market" as the purpose.
There are many victims. If you want to save money, you can rely on some porridge, pickles, and vegetables. Although it can calm people's hearts, it will not be able to resume production. It would be best if you lend cattle seeds, etc. to help the victims resume production, but the cost is too high.
The Famine Relief Bureau couldn't afford it. Even if it "solicited donations" from Jin gentry merchants all over Hangzhou again, it would be difficult to raise much rice. Moreover, repeated solicitations would inevitably cause a backlash - Zhao Yingong tactfully reminded Magistrate Liu that this would be detrimental to his official reputation.
unfavorable.
In the Ming Dynasty, the power of the gentry was very strong. If local officials wanted to serve as officials in a peaceful manner, the gentry could not be offended. Of course, Magistrate Liu understood Zhao Yingong's reminder.
"'Use business to provide relief and revitalize the market.' These eight words are well said, but how to implement them? Please teach me, sir." Magistrate Liu pretended to be asking for advice humbly.
Using business to provide relief and revitalizing the market is just a policy. Although it is novel, in actual implementation, the word "money and food" still cannot be avoided. What Liu Zhifu wants to know is how Mr. Zhao conjured money and food out of thin air.
"Your Majesty, you are serious. I never dare to use the word 'teach'. It's just a student's disdain, and there are many difficulties involved."
"But it doesn't matter, as long as students can do it, they must try their best."
"Of course there are many difficulties. I can't put them into words, but I don't dare to trouble you. As long as I can do my best, I will take care of them. Please rest assured. The refugees will definitely not be in trouble."
Zhao Yingong's words first made his attitude clear: Cihuitang will continue to take in refugees sent out. As long as the local government does not interfere, the refugees will form a refugee group and things that endanger order will not happen.
Liu Mengqian nodded slightly. With this premise, everything would be much easier to handle. As for where the refugees went, it doesn't matter to him.
Zhao Yingong went on to say that although the refugee problem can be solved, restoring production is still a top priority. In order to not miss the farming season, it is imperative to lend seeds to the people to farm cattle. But now neither the government nor the Famine Relief Bureau can come up with the money.
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"... After thinking about it, the student came up with a way, which can be said to be both public and private." It was only then that Zhao Yingong showed his trump card.
"What method?"
"Silk!"
Liu Mengqian's mind was very quick, and he immediately realized that Mr. Zhao was interested in raw silk. This was not surprising - raw silk was very profitable. However, it was difficult to quench his thirst by far away water, and when raw silk appeared, the time for transplanting rice had already passed.
.The key depends on how he deals with this "public and private" plan?
Zhao Yingong said: Although Hangzhou suffered from drought last year, the impact on sericulture farmers was not great. In particular, the mulberry gardens were not greatly affected by the drought climate. There have been no further disasters since autumn last year. The mulberry trees are growing very well. This year
The harvest of mulberry leaves should not be a problem, so the harvest of silkworm cocoons can be guaranteed.
His plan was to use the 50,000 taels of silver raised by the China Merchants Bureau as advance payment to the Famine Relief Bureau, and the Famine Relief Bureau would purchase the cocoons. Zhao Yingong would not interfere with the purchase price of the Famine Relief Bureau, but the China Merchants Bureau asked the Famine Relief Bureau for the purchase price.
The price purchased by the bureau is certain. During the incoming and outgoing process, the premium generated is the profit of the famine relief bureau. This profit is used as a loan for famine relief. It purchases seeds, cattle and grain to survive the famine.
Distributed to disaster victims in the form of loans, which will be repaid after autumn.
The Famine Relief Bureau is run by the government, and it has the title of famine relief. It can easily create dual political and moral pressures, and the sericulture households are not afraid of not complying. And as far as the gentry in the late Ming Dynasty was consistent, they did not take advantage of the situation.
If you take advantage of this opportunity and squeeze it hard, you will never stop.
As for how much profit they could squeeze out of the sericulture households, and what limitless things the silk cocoon guild could do, it was not within his scope to consider. The more severe the losses suffered by the sericulture households, the more beneficial it would be to Zhao Yingong.
Zhao Yingong continued to say that in terms of specific operations, the advance payment can be used first so as not to miss the farming season, as long as enough purchase money is set aside. As for how much of the purchase money is left, Zhao Yingong was vague. In short, in the end, Zhao Yingong will follow the instructions
For the purchase price of China Merchants Bureau, the buyer received silkworm cocoons or raw silk equivalent to fifty thousand taels of silver.
"What if the sericulture farmers refuse to sell to the Famine Relief Bureau?" asked Magistrate Liu.
"What's so difficult about this?" Zhao Yingong said with a smile, "Of course I have to ask you to make a notice in advance and understand it. I think the common people also understand the key points. If it doesn't work, I have to ask the masters of the silk cocoon trade to help me.
"
The Famine Relief Bureau is not a silk cocoon shop, and the specific business operations must be left to them. Zhao Yingong estimated that having the Famine Relief Bureau as the general contractor would mean that a layer of profit was taken away from the silk cocoons in Hangzhou.
There is bound to be some quarrels in the industry over the purchase of silk cocoons, and the exploitation of sericulture households this year may be unprecedentedly heavy.
Magistrate Liu twirled his beard and nodded without saying anything. Zhao Yingong lowered his head with a smile on his face and just drank tea.
He was not worried that the Famine Relief Bureau or Magistrate Liu would trick him - if it was Zhao Yiggong's personal move, then there was a high possibility that he would be tricked - the officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty were all cannibals, but they did not spit out bones.
The China Merchants Bureau is lending money now. Not to mention the righteous cause of famine relief, if he wants to trick thirty-six gentry gentlemen from Jiangnan in one fell swoop, Governor Liu is too bold.
Magistrate Liu understood what he heard and thought that Mr. Zhao was indeed an evil businessman. However, this solved his urgent need. He guessed that he would have to get a 50-50 profit from this acquisition. Not only the expenses for seed farming and cattle
As for his whereabouts, the gentlemen of the Famine Relief Bureau also had some help. It was indeed a "public and private matter".
A smile suddenly appeared on his face and he was called "Mr. Talented". Zhao Yingong took the opportunity to make a second suggestion.
Although the losses of the sericulture households were relatively small, they were still affected by the disaster. The money for this time's famine relief had to be spent on the silkworms they raised. With the current shortage of supplies, the life of the sericulture farmers was also very difficult. Therefore, they should also have some support. He mentioned that he was willing
Help the silkworm farmers and provide them with "tips". At the same time, they set up a charity workshop in Cihui Hall, specializing in silk reeling for customers.
“The purpose of setting up this workshop is to accommodate the refugees so that they can have a place to support themselves.”
Magistrate Liu was an official in Hangzhou and knew the meaning of "shaoye". Hearing Zhao Yingong mention this matter, he understood what he meant after a moment's thought. He had contributed a lot to famine relief this time, so it was natural that he would not object to these benefits. As for valet
He didn't see any special need in the silk reeling workshop. After all, most sericulture farmers reeled the silk themselves. But he thought it didn't matter - it wasn't anything illegal.
"It's easy. You just have to do it yourself." Magistrate Liu said, "I know it well." He picked up the tea cup and said, "I'm sorry."
PS: It is doubtful whether the prefect of Hangzhou in 1634 was Liu Mengqian.