Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 224 "Worshiping the Noble in Millet" and 【Secret Book System】

In the line of sight that is difficult for ordinary people to see, the huge turntable rotates non-stop, and finally the blue brilliance shines, and a blue card leaps out and lands in front of Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng frowned, but he didn't check the effect of this strategy card for the first time. Instead, he looked at the huge turntable that gradually dissipated, showing a thoughtful expression.

Among the cards that passed by but were not drawn just now, there was a card that made Xiao Cheng's heart suddenly move.

The name of the card is "Worshiping the Grain into the Millet"!
Entering millet worshiping nobles was founded in the Western Han Dynasty. It refers to the rich folks transporting grains to the government in exchange for titles, and the guilty can be exonerated.

Although it was criticized by later generations as the beginning of selling nobles and vending officials and corrupting the atmosphere of officials, but only in terms of effect, it became one of the sources of finance for the imperial court in the early Western Han Dynasty, and it made the frontier army of the Western Han Dynasty extremely rich.

Previously, in Yunguo, the imperial treasury did not have much food, grass, and grain because it had sent troops to attack the surrounding countries year after year.Even if there are mountains of gold and silver in the national treasury due to [-]% of the financial resources of Deyun Kingdom's Buddhist sects, they can't turn out food for nothing, can they?
Fortunately, Xiao Cheng took over the influence of the miscellaneous family at the beginning, and because of the war horse, he supported Shen Wansan's Shen's firm.Until now, this has the ability to mobilize and organize a large number of private merchants.

Under the circumstances of the imperial court's endorsement and the organization of miscellaneous families, these big private merchants dare not disobey, and naturally they can cooperate with the imperial court to stabilize prices and help the people in the north.

But businessmen are profit-seeking by nature, and it is not known when the plague in the northern border will end.

After a long time, merchants saw that there was no benefit in doing things for the imperial court, and the huge profits were at their fingertips, but they didn't reach out, so it was inevitable that some people would have small thoughts.

At this time, the name of "Ru Su Bai Jue" flashed past, but Xiao Cheng suddenly had some ideas.

Just like the method of passing the test was promoted back then, Xiao Cheng is not a person who can do nothing without the golden finger.Moreover, worshiping nobles in millet is not an extremely difficult thing to operate compared to the method of examination.

Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment, then said loudly:

"Come on!"

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there should even be a little eunuch bowing forward, waiting for orders.

"Pass the decree, summon Qu Cheng, official Cao Shangshu Zhang Hong, Li Cao Shangshu Zhang Zhao, to discuss matters!"

It is not a trivial matter related to the granting of titles by the imperial court, and the corresponding ministers still need to be summoned to meet and discuss.

When the little eunuch heard the words, he quickly bowed his head in response, and ran to summon him.

Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Cheng carefully looked at the cards drawn this time.

In the line of sight that only Xiao Cheng could see, the blue light filled the line of sight.With a thought, the card effect emerged.

【Blue check card, secret book system
Card Effect: After using it, the probability of official handle generation +35%
Card description: It is not easy to make people play secret.Occasionally ignored, that is deceived. 】

The one drawn this time was a rare Ceka.Judging from the effect of this card, this is nothing more than creating a handle to facilitate house raids.

But in reality, it is obviously not so simple.

The secret zhe system is the product of imperial power reaching its peak during the Qing Dynasty in history.

Officials of a certain rank are encouraged to play secret papers and store them in exquisite boxes, which are sent secretly by the minister's cronies and family members.As for the key to the secret letter box, only the emperor and the minister each have a key.

In this way, the memorial written by the superior must not be leaked, and it will go directly to the imperial court without passing through any organization or personnel.

You know, among the hundreds of officials in the imperial court, except for the responsibilities of the censor, they can directly write to the emperor.The memorials handed over by other ordinary officials were not delivered directly to the emperor.And most of them need to go through the screening of superior officials and various yamen before they can be sent to Xiao Cheng.

Such a system naturally gave people the opportunity to manipulate.Most of the things such as keeping them in the middle and not sending them, and losing them unintentionally are mostly means of isolating the inside and outside of the palace.

And the birth of the secret book system is equivalent to another form of opening up the way of speaking.The minister speaks out and advises, and is able to express his feelings in a timely manner.

Ordinary officials don't have the guts to deceive the emperor anymore.After all, no one can guarantee whether one of his colleagues and subordinates will directly file a secret complaint.

Of course, such a system also has disadvantages.

Leapfrogging appeals, responsibilities are not clear, leading to suspicion from top to bottom, and there is even the possibility of threatening and framing colleagues with a secret system.

But even so, this secret book system can greatly strengthen the emperor's authority and stabilize the emperor's rule.

Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng nodded in satisfaction, thinking silently:
Perhaps, we need the help of the Mo family to build a batch of exquisite secret boxes! ——
The northern border of Yun Kingdom, under the rule of Huichuan County, the only place leading to Jianchang Mansion, and the county seat of Heyi County.

Throughout the entire county town, a group of children were heard cheering and huddled together, roaring past the streets, while still shouting loudly:

"Master Hu is going to die, Master Hu is going to die!"

The people in the city, who were busy with their livelihoods, were startled when they heard this, and they stuck their heads out one after another, looked at the half-children who were having fun, and said one after another:
"Dead? The retribution is coming, is it really plagued?"

"Shh, keep your voice down..."

"Boy, what are you talking about? Don't die! If the Hu family hears about it, it will bring trouble to the family."

The leader boy stopped in his tracks, looked at the fellow villagers who were showing fear, deliberately amplified his voice, and shouted with great air:
"It's okay! Master Hu is going to die this time. Mr. Hai from the capital has already arrested the entire Hu family, and he is currently questioning the county government!"

When the people heard the words, their expressions became even more weird to the extreme.

Many of them, already showing panic and panic, looked around cautiously, saw that no Hu family members saw them, and hurriedly dragged their own family away from here, for fear of getting involved with these half-sized people who didn't know what to do. What does it have to do with it.

Some people felt a little pity in their hearts. Seeing that the child was ignorant, they couldn't help but say:

"Stupid boy, what do you know? Officials protect each other, and Master Hu was arrested. After three or five days, he fed the high officials from Beijing, and then he was released naturally."

"Because the Hu family doesn't take care of you, hurry up and let the family lead you away!"

"Oh, misfortune comes out of your mouth, what a crime!"

Seeing that the folks don't believe in themselves, the half-children panicked and said in a hurry:

"It's true! Master Hu is really dead this time!"

"Master Hai is really different this time."

"At the entrance of the county government office, the Hu family members have already been executed with sticks!"

What he said made all the people stunned.

One of the boys, seeing that everyone still didn't believe it, couldn't help but continued:

"Really, if you don't believe me, you go to the county government office to see it! That second son Hu was beaten to a bloody mess, and the little dog was so scared that he peed in fear!"

"You're talking nonsense! I didn't pee because I was scared... I just, just, I was in a hurry! Another child who was less than ten years old and had water stains on his crotch, under the eyes of all the villagers, Immediately, his face turned red, and he desperately defended himself.

Seeing that all the children spoke in unison, swearing in unison, not looking like they were lying, the hearts of the people couldn't help but be shaken.

"Would you like to go have a look?"

"Okay, let's take a look!"

A group of people thought about it, and couldn't bear the throbbing in their hearts. They put down their work and rushed towards the county government at the same time.

At this time, in the county government of Heyi County.

Master Hu looked at his second son who had been killed with a cane, his eyes were bloodshot and red, and he roared angrily:

"You're looking for death! But a mere censor under the censor's mansion, with a rank of less than six hundred shi, dared to disregard human life and kill a good family. Is there no one in my Hu family?"

Hai Rui was wearing the censor's mansion, with a serious and firm face.Listening to Master Hu's words, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, and he said:

"What a son of a good family! Your second son, in the name of preventing the spread of the plague, looked for beautiful women from a good family in the market, and then directly deducted the status of a refugee from the Xia Kingdom, and robbed you into your Hu Mansion to bully you wantonly. January Within a short period, there were seven or eight lawsuits involving human life. How dare you call yourself a good family son for such a crime!"

Having said this, Hai Rui's eyes became even more murderous, and he shouted:

"Zhi Du, Zhang Tang!"

Two men in their 30s and [-]s with resolute and serious faces stepped out immediately, and said in a deep voice to Hai Rui:
"exist!"

These two people were two scribes temporarily arranged by Yushitai before Hai Ruilin set off.

Hai Rui was quite satisfied with these two regardless of their temper, temperament, or talent and learning ability.

"Find out the evil servants involved in the case one by one. First, they will be sentenced to [-] sticks, and then they will be sent to prison, waiting for Xingcao's instructions to beheaded!"

When Zhidu and Zhang Tang heard the words, a coldness flashed in their eyes, and they said in a deep voice:
"Yes!"

These two people, in history, are famous for their hatred and ruthlessness.If the offender falls into their hands, he will be punished first with a stick. Even if he doesn't die on the spot, he will lose most of his life, and it won't last for a few days.

Master Hu's second son was beaten to death in their hands!

Seeing the two people who killed his son with sticks, Mr. Hu struggled and roared:

"I want you to die! There is no place to die! Hu Deqi, Taichang Chancellor of Chaozhong, is my own brother. After you, none of you will be able to escape!"

Hearing this, Zhang Tang looked at Mr. Hu, with a cold smile on the corner of his mouth, and said solemnly:
"Okay, Taichang Cheng Hu Deqi, I have already made a note for Mr. Hai!"

Given the personality of Hai Rui and the other three, even if his elder brother is the current Shangshu Ling Qucheng, as long as they have solid evidence, the three of them would not mind fighting with him.

What's more, now that the new yamen official positions in the court are about to be completed, the subordinate officials of the Sangong and Jiuqing have all been merged into the Cao Cao.At this time, he is still a so-called Taichang Cheng. Obviously, he has been squeezed out to a vain position. How can he compare with Hai Yushi, who was born in the imperial examination and is currently hand-picked by His Majesty?

With a cold face, Hai Rui shouted:

"And you, Hu Deshou, colluded with the government, ran amok, and disregarded human life. The crimes related to you in my hands are too thick to grasp. When the Xia Kingdom invaded before, you even treasoned the enemy. All kinds of crimes will not be forgiven! As a censor, I will supervise the world on behalf of His Majesty, and sentence you to beheaded. All your property will be confiscated, and your relatives will be exiled to the south. Only when the official Cao Huiwen agrees, you will be executed immediately!"

Hu Deshou heard the words, his eyes widened, and he roared:
"How dare you! My brother is Hu Deqi, Taichang Cheng, you are so brave, are you going to die?"

Hai Rui snorted coldly when he heard that, and said:
"Yes, there is Taichang Cheng Hu Deqi! Indulging relatives and relatives, running rampant in the countryside, he will not be clean. When I return to Beijing to investigate, if I have evidence of his crime, I will also meet His Majesty and write a letter to participate in the performance!"

At this time, Hu Deshou saw that Hai Rui was still tough and didn't take his backer seriously at all. He suddenly panicked and shouted loudly as before:

"My brother is Taichang Cheng, my brother is Taichang Cheng... woo woo woo..."

Zhidu sneered, and stuffed a piece of cloth that he didn't know where he got into Hu Deshou's mouth, saying:

"Understood, Mr. Hai has already remembered! Don't worry, your brother will not be well!"

After finishing speaking, he motioned to the accompanying guards to press Hu Deshou down directly.

This Hu Deshou is considered the mastermind, and he needs to be checked by Xingcao and the county city once he is responsible for the crime. Obviously, he can't be killed directly in the name of rod responsibility.

Hai Rui's solemn voice of convicting Hu Deshou just now spread directly outside the hall.

The people who had already gathered outside the county government office were silent for a while, and then burst into cheers that resounded all around.Even many people who had been bullied and oppressed by the Hu family had reddened eyes, tears rolled down, and wept uncontrollably.

Hai Rui lowered his eyebrows slightly, and continued to shout:
"The magistrate of Heyi County, Gou Xianglin!"

An obese middle-aged man in a county magistrate's uniform stood aside, trembling all over, and replied:
"My, my officer is here!"

"What else do you want to say?" Hai Rui asked sharply.

Hearing this violent shouting, Gou Xianglin's heart skipped a beat, his knees went limp, and he fell limp to the ground, saying incessantly:

"Your official, your lower official is wronged!"

Hai Rui slapped his palm on the desk, gritted his teeth and said:
"You are stupid and incompetent. You sit back and watch the powerful oppress your neighbors and run rampant in the county. You are deaf to the people's grievances! All these things, you are ashamed of the government, the salary of the court, and the trust of His Majesty! I have no right to dismiss you from office, but I will immediately write a letter to Cao, the official in Jingzhong, and the county government of Huichuan County, and hand it over to Yousi for conviction!"

When Gou Xianglin heard this, his body suddenly became like a puddle of mud, and he collapsed on the ground in a daze.

The people outside the county government watched the mighty Hu family collapse, and the county magistrate who was in collusion with him was taken down, cheering even louder.

"People of Heyi County, thank you Hai Qingtian!"

"Thank you Hai Qingtian!"

"I and the people of Yi County will never forget the kindness of your lords!"

When the words were excited, a group of simple and simple people fell to their knees with a plop, and slammed their heads several times at Hai Rui.

Hai Rui's expression softened slightly after hearing the words of thanks from the people.Seeing the people kneeling together, they walked quickly towards the gate of the county government office.But before he took a few steps, he stopped immediately, then turned around and hid behind the county office.

Seeing this, Zhi Du and Zhang Tang hurriedly followed.

Looking at Hai Rui who hastily hid behind the county office, Zhang Tang asked in a puzzled way:
"Why are you hiding?"

Hai Rui stopped in his tracks and said in a deep voice:

"The people are excited because I eliminated the powerful and bully. If you come forward at this time, the people will not get up... You two, go and persuade the people to leave for me!"

After hearing this, Zhidu admired Hai Rui even more, and couldn't help admiring:

"My lord is benevolent and virtuous, I really admire the lower officials!"

Hai Rui shook his head slightly, changed the topic, and said:
"The matter here is finally over. I was trusted by His Majesty, and I was hand-picked as the supervisor of Jianchang Mansion to punish the evil tyrants in Huichuan County. After all, I have exceeded my authority! And I have been here for so long, after all, I owe Your Majesty's trust. Immediately write to His Majesty to apologize."

When Zhi Du and Zhang Tang heard the words, they immediately looked at each other in dismay, and couldn't help but comfort them:

"I stayed to investigate, and I also heard that there are many refugees from the Xia Kingdom in Heyi County. Who knows, this is just an excuse for the Hu family to bully the people and satisfy their selfish desires..."

"Yes, my lord, His Majesty will certainly understand the secrets here!"

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui nodded silently and said:

"Clean up the first and last, and set off for Changning County, Jianchang Prefecture as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" The two responded immediately.
-
In Changning County, Dao Yan looked at the second batch of food and grass with indifference in his eyes.

On the other hand, Colonel Shi, on the other hand, had a happy expression on his face, and kept saying:

"The imperial court is really awesome this time. In just a few days, the second batch of food has been delivered. The quantity is large and there are so many types. This is really big enough!"

The convoy of the first batch of materials arrived continuously, as if the end could not be seen at a glance.But among them, medicinal materials, warm clothes and many other materials accounted for half of the transport capacity.

But the second batch of supplies in front of us are mostly food, fruits and vegetables, wine and meat.In comparison, it is more than the first batch of materials before.

Dao Yan sneered and said:
"The person behind this has a big hand, a big appetite, and enough ability and connections! He actually made it happen!"

Hearing Dao Yan's words, Shi Xiaowei was a little unresponsive.

Dao Yan raised his hand slightly, stopped a vehicle transporting grain and grass, and signaled Captain Shi to step forward to check.

Lieutenant Shi was a little puzzled, and according to what Dao Yan said, he stepped forward and touched the sack casually.The next moment, Captain Shi's expression changed suddenly.

Touch it, something is wrong!

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately pulled out the long knife at his waist, and slashed across the sack.

The sack was torn open, exposing the finely divided bran inside.

Shi Xiaowei looked at Dao Yan in shock, then reacted suddenly, grabbed the caravan guy who was transporting, and said angrily:

"What is this? Food?"

The guy who was caught was stupefied, and faced with Lieutenant Shi's questioning, he stammered:

"I-I don't know..."

Dao Yan patted Shi Xiaowei's hand slightly, and said in a deep voice:

"It has nothing to do with him!"

Hearing this, Captain Shi let go of the buddy, looked at Dao Yan, and hurriedly asked:

"This, what is this?"

"Bran!"

"Aren't the previous vehicles all made of rice, wine, and meat?"

"It's for officials and generals, so of course it's rice, grain, wine and meat." Dao Yan said flatly.

Lieutenant Shi trembled in his hands, showing a trace of anger, and said:

"How dare they! If they are placed in the army and embezzle the army's rations, that would be a serious crime against the Nine Clans!"

"Why don't you dare? Anyway, it is to provide food for the refugees in the city, as long as it can keep them alive. But what the officials and generals provide is not these things!"

Speaking of this, Dao Yan paused slightly, pulled Captain Shi to a place far away where no one was around, and continued:
"Eight hundred cash for a stone of grain, and five hundred cash for a stone of bran. The millions of grain grain needed in the northern border can be a huge profit of one or two million taels of silver. Some people naturally cannot sit still." Living!"

Lieutenant Shi opened his mouth, looked at Dao Yan, and said with disbelief:
"You knew about this from the beginning?"

Dao Yan nodded when he heard the words, and said:
"The poor monk traded one stone of grain for three stones of bran. In this way, the poor monk can be more confident and save the lives of millions of refugees in the city. And the people behind him will spend gold, silver and strength to appease the officials in the city for the court." , to boost the morale of officials, so that officials can do their best work."

Although the bran is difficult to eat, it is also a grain crumb, which can satisfy the hunger.The grain and grass that could have saved one person can now save three people.There are also people who take the initiative to appease the officials for the court. What a wonderful thing this is!

Dao Yan paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said:

"So the poor monk doesn't think this is a bad thing!"

Captain Shi frowned and remained silent for a long time, but he still didn't understand the key point, so he could only shake his head and say:

"I don't understand these twists and turns, but everyone is harmless. That person can't possibly have paid such a high price! Some of them must have lost money!"

Dao Yan heard the words, chuckled lightly, nodded and said:
"Of course, Your Majesty and the court are at a loss!"

Lieutenant Shi shook his head when he heard the words, and said in a firm voice:

"Your Majesty has lost money? That's not okay, I want to report to the general and stab your Majesty!"

Dao Yan heard the words, but grabbed Captain Shi and persuaded:

"Ah, ah, don't worry. This plague is not over yet, and the people behind it are still of great use! Also, if they dare to be so bold, they must have already taken care of everything. We can't stop it."

Although Dao Yan was limited by his own environment and status, he didn't know that behind this was Jin Tangfeng of Miscellaneous Family.But he is also very clear that there are definitely not many people in the entire Yun Kingdom who can have such a big generosity.

If this matter is exposed, who and who can help the court to mobilize supplies?

And as Dao Yan said before, there are people behind it who are operating in it. Apart from suffering a little loss for the court, it will be more conducive to the prevention and control of the plague.

Dao Yan didn't have any position to refuse, he even took the initiative to persuade Shi Xiaowei.

Hearing Dao Yan's words, Shi Xiaowei looked anxious and said:

"Oh, Master, you are so confused! If this matter is exposed, you will die! You have worked hard for several months, sitting in the city to contain the plague, and you have a bright future. If it is unlucky because of this matter, I will not be able to save you Already!"

Dao Yan looked at Lieutenant Shi who was really thinking about him with an anxious look in front of him, and suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry, in fact, His Majesty still has the court, so he won't suffer, and he can even benefit from it!"

While talking, Dao Yan blinked slightly at Captain Shi.

Lieutenant Shi was stunned again when he heard the words, and said in puzzlement:
"what?"

When Dao Yan heard the words, a cunning look flashed in his eyes, he lowered his voice, and said softly:
"Report after the fact, His Majesty ordered the house to be raided! At that time, His Majesty used one-tenth of the original budget to prevent and control the plague in the northern border. There is no more money to be stolen from that person's property... "

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiaowei was stunned again.

After a long time, he scratched his head and muttered silently:

"You guys, you have so many eyes..."

　I think today should be able to...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)