Prime Minister

Chapter 403

In May of the eighth year of Jiayou.

Zhang Yue and Lu Dafang took office immediately after meeting the Empress Dowager Cao, and the two of them didn't even get their orders.The most urgent task right now is how to stabilize the price of salt in the capital.

The Sansi Yamen was the largest government office in the Song Dynasty.

There were 24 cases in the third division. During the Zhenzong period, there were 890 and seven officials in the third division, including 150 and six officials in Yantie, 180 in Duzhi, and 220 in household affairs.

In the Qingli period, the number reached a thousand again.

The third division is where many famous ministers started, such as Zhang Dexiang of the Zhang family, and Zhang Pin once served as excessive judges.

Zhang Yue and Lu Dafang arrived here together, and first went to the hall of the third division envoy to meet Cai Xiang, the third division envoy.

Cai Xiang's life is a bit difficult these days. There are rumors in the government and the public that when the official family was established as the prince, everyone knew that the big plan had been decided, but Cai Xiang was the only one among the ministers who complained about this.

Rumors still spread that Cai Xiang once wrote a letter to the late emperor, advising not to establish a prince, and now the letter is still banned.

This rumor is unfounded.

But the problem is that when the first emperor established the crown prince, Cai Xiang was one of the most trusted ministers of the official family. Although there is no evidence that he expressed his opposition to the establishment of the prince, there is also no evidence that he supports the prince.

Believe it or not, it's up to the officials themselves.

When Lu Dafang and Zhang Yue met Cai Xiang, the other party smiled and talked a few words. Cai Xiang repeatedly ordered the Empress Dowager Zhang Yuedao to stabilize the price of grain and salt, and asked him to go to the Salt and Iron Hall to start the matter immediately. When he went to court, he had to explain to the queen mother.

Lu Dafang, Zhang Yue said yes, and came to Yantie hall under the guidance of officials.

The highest officer of the Yantie Department is Yantie Deputy Envoy, and the current Yantie Deputy Envoy is Fan Shidao.Fan Shidao is Fan Zhongyan's nephew, but he was at odds with Han Qi and Chen Shengzhi, and when he learned that Han Qi had placed Zhang Yue and Lu Dafang in the hall, he was very displeased with this behavior of mixing sand.

Fan Shidao said to the two of them: "When you first came to the hall, you were supposed to meet the wind, but now you know what's going on after seeing the provincial governor. The wind will be avoided. After you have settled with Judge Chu, how can you stabilize the price of salt? Zhang Xueshi You have to come up with a report today."

Zhang Yue said yes.

He had been explained before he came, and Fan Shidao's attitude towards this was also expected.

In addition to the deputy envoy, there is also a judge who is not in the office today.

Afterwards, they came to the First Court of Justice to deliver with Chu Jianzhong, the outgoing third judge.

Chu Jianzhong is about to take up the post of Kuilu Transit Envoy. As the first judge of the Yantie Hall, he is in charge of the four cases of soldiers case, helmet case, salt case and tea case.

When Zhang Yue heard it, the other party was really a genius.

You must know that among the 24 cases of the three divisions, the four cases of commercial taxation, helmets, music, and salt are the most complicated.

The three cases of business tax, helmet and salt are all in the Yantie Division. The other party is also in charge of the helmet and the second case of salt, and he is still in charge of the other two cases.

Chu Jianzhong said: "Vice Envoy Fan told me earlier that the salt case in my hand will be handed over to Zhang Xueshi, and the military case, helmet case, and tea case will be handed over to Judge Lu. Do you know that well?"

Zhang Yue has no objection, unlike Lu Dafang, he has no experience in governing the local area at all, and a salt case is almost the limit.

When Chu Jianzhong, Zhang Yue, and Lu Dafang were handing over, an official in a scarlet robe happened to enter.

Chu Jianzhong laughed and said, "Judge Cai!"

Lu Dafang and Zhang Yue hurriedly greeted him. This person is Cai Kang, another judge of the Yantie Hall.

Cai Kang had already been a transit envoy before he became the judge of Yantie. He was far above Zhang Yue and Lu Dafang in terms of official position and qualifications. He is currently in charge of commercial tax cases, iron cases, and setting up cases.

The other party exchanged a few words of greeting, and then said with a smile: "My Second Judge's Court is on the west side, and the afternoon sun always annoys me. After Brother Chu was promoted, I happened to move into this hall."

Zhang Yue had heard about the officialdom in the Song Dynasty. The competition for the first office in the yamen was always fierce, and the implication was that I would occupy this seat first.

There is an unwritten rule in the yamen that priority is given to the first department and the first courtyard for internal promotion.

After Cai Kang said this, Zhang Yue and Lu Dafang would not compete with each other for the first courtyard of the Yantie Hall.Both of them are rookies and there is nothing to argue about.

After that, Zhang Yue went to the second courtyard, and Lu Dafang went to the third courtyard.

The main hall of the Yantie Office faces south, and the deputy envoy and Gouyuan work together, but one is in the east and the other is in the west.

Next, the first court, the second court, the third court and the fourth court are allocated to the judges. The first court and the third court face east, and the second court and the fourth court face west. However, there are only three judges in the Yantie Hall now, so the third court The four courtyards are so empty.

As for the Seven Cases Office of the Yantie Department in the north, each case has a Kong Mu in charge. For example, the Yan case under Zhang Yue's rule has more than 50 officials. It is really a complicated case.

After Zhang Yue arrived at the courtyard, he looked at the several sycamore trees planted in the courtyard for a long time. From today on, he, like the trees, took root in the Salt and Iron Hall.

After Zhang Yue arrived at the courtyard, he immediately summoned Kong Mu to discuss the price of salt banknotes.

As the saying goes, "Thousands of lines above, one needle below", Empress Dowager Cao asked about the price of salt, Han Qi put pressure on the third division, Cai Xiang, the third division's envoy, Fan Shidao, the deputy envoy of salt and iron, asked Zhang Yue to produce a statement.

When Zhang Yue took office, he immediately consulted with Kong Mu.

From high-level execution to grass-roots execution, this is one needle down.

Kong Mu's surname is Zhang and his first name is Shan. He has worked in the Yan case for more than [-] years and has served countless officials.In fact, the day before Zhang Yue took office, Zhang Kongmu visited Zhang Yue at the mansion. It turned out that when Wu Yu was appointed as Yantie judge, Zhang Shan was his confidant.

As soon as Zhang Kongmu saw Zhang Yue, he said: "We are all very happy to learn that the bachelor has been relocated, and we have prepared a small gift."

Zhang Yue said to Zhang Kongmu: "My first appointment as an official is to borrow a lot from Kongmu. Yesterday, the queen mother ordered me to stabilize the price of grain within a month. I also ask Kongmu to help me with this matter. I will understand these thoughts first, and we will handle them." Let’s discuss this matter slowly.”

Zhang Kongmu said in embarrassment: "Bachelor, let's slowly figure out a solution on the salt price, and get familiar with the case first."

Zhang Yue said: "I don't have time, the deputy envoy wants me to come up with the report today."

Zhang Kongmu said: "So fast...the bachelor has become a vice envoy?"

Zhang Yue said: "Perhaps! Also ask Kong Mu to teach me the mystery."

Zhang Kongmu said: "Xuanji, let me think about it, let's start with Duyanyuan..."

Zhang Yue patted his legs and said: "Duyanyuan... I heard it when I went to Jiaoyinpu yesterday, and now Kong Mu mentioned that this must be the key point, let's go immediately, talking while walking."

Zhang Kongmu didn't expect that Zhang Yue would act so swiftly and swiftly, so he did what he said.Just about to speak, Zhang Yueji took his hand and went out together.

Zhang Yue and Zhang Kongmu rushed to Duyanyuan in a carriage.

Zhang Kongmu and Zhang Yue talked about Duyanyuan, which was established in the third year of Jiayou.

Speaking of Duyanyuan, we must mention a great reform of the salt industry in the Song Dynasty, the Salt Banknote Law.

The name of the official who proposed this law was Fan Xiang.

Originally, the Song Dynasty's salt law was completely monopolized by the court, and officials were promoted and sold by officials.

After the Song Dynasty fought against Xixia, in order to facilitate the supply of military rations, they took out the salt from the pool, and changed the prohibition law (official production, official transportation, and official sales) to the commercial law (official production, commercial transportation, and commercial sales).

After merchants transported millet to the northwest to obtain quotation coupons, they could use the coupons to exchange for salt quotations in the capital. After getting salt quotations, merchants went to Xiechi to fetch salt and transported it to various places for sale.

But in the Qingli year, the Song Dynasty and Xixia fought in the northwest.Hundreds of thousands of troops of the Song Dynasty were stationed in the northwest, and the problem of how to transport so many soldiers and horses was exposed. Merchants often sent inferior grain to the northwest, and then went to the capital to exchange salt.

So Fan Xiang proposed reform.

Instead of transporting millet to Shanxi, merchants used the money to buy salt directly in the capital, and the imperial court then gave the money to the Shaanxi Transit Department to let them use the money to buy their own military rations, so that they would not have to buy inferior military rations.

Not long after this system was put into practice, something went wrong.

Because after the self-use grain and grass were converted into real money, the imperial court issued a large amount of salt banknotes without restraint.

Because the price of salt is fluctuated severely by the seasons, and the merchants in the capital saw the currency attribute of salt banknotes, so they speculated on salt banknotes.As a result, either the merchants who bought the salt banknotes lost money and lost their homes, and they couldn’t get the salt out of the salt pond with the salt banknotes issued by the imperial court in their hands, or the salt banknotes were speculated and skyrocketed, making it hard to find a banknote.

In the third year of Jiayou, Fan Xiang reformed the salt law again.

First of all, strictly stipulate the issuance price of one seat and six guans of salt and salt banknotes, and set up the Duyan Institute in the capital.

The Sansi Yamen invested 20 guan to the Duyanyuan. Once the price of salt banknotes fell to [-]guan, the Duyanyuan used [-]guan and [-] yuan to repurchase it.Once the price of salt banknotes soared, the court used the market price minus [-] yuan to sell salt banknotes to stabilize the price of salt.

Now when Zhang Yue arrived at Duyanyuan, he saw a long queue in front of the courtyard, all of them holding cash, but the gate of Duyanyuan was closed.

Zhang Yue asked Zhang Kongmu, "Why is there no one in the yamen selling salt notes?"

Zhang Kongmu sighed: "The banknote law was corrupt before, and the imperial court issued false banknotes indiscriminately. This is Duyanyuan. The third department originally allocated 20 yuan to collect saltnotes, but because there were too many saltnotes, 20 yuan was used up. So that Duyanyuan I have no money to buy banknotes for several months."

Zhang Yue said: "Why doesn't the third division allocate any more money?"

Zhang Kongmu said: "The salt banknotes are issued by the Shaanxi Transshipment Department, and all the profits belong to the northwest. The salt banknotes are distributed indiscriminately, but in the end the third department's yamen is required to pay for the bottom line, and the yamen is naturally unwilling. The Shaanxi Transit Department asked us to allocate money. I begged several times, and all of them were recommended to the governor."

Zhang Yue asked: "Then what about the salt money you bought before?"

Zhang Kongmu said: "At the beginning of the year, the price of salt loosened a little, and finally some merchants came to the Duyanyuan and were willing to buy salt banknotes. The Duyanyuan has a handful of salt banknotes in their hands, but there is no penny. Since someone is willing to accept, they can give as much as they want."

"The price of salt rose slightly, and there was some turmoil. That is to say, some traitors came to Yanyuan to buy banknotes and sell them to Jiaoyinpu, seeking profit from the difference. When the price of salt rose soaring, Duyanyuan now has no more banknotes in hand. "

Zhang Yue couldn't help but help his forehead, this salt money law is clearly a good law, how could it be done like this.When the price of salt is low, there is no money to buy it, and when the price of salt is high, there is no money to sell it.

Zhang Yue said: "Why don't you ask the Shaanxi Transportation Department for more money?"

Zhang Kongmu sighed: "This is the bad part. Before, our three divisions refused to allocate money, but now the price of salt money is soaring, and the remaining money in the hands of the Shaanxi Transit Department is also precious, so we refuse to give money."

Zhang Yue also accepted it. When the price of salt banknotes was low, the court printed banknotes desperately, but when the price of salt banknotes was high, they stopped printing them.

(End of this chapter)