prosperous age

"If I remember correctly, Hai Rui was the head of the Ministry of Revenue."

At this moment, Wei Guangde was thinking about this matter quickly in his mind.

He suddenly realized that perhaps Hai Rui could really be a good helper in promoting the establishment of the tax office.

"Ok?"

When Lao Kan heard Wei Guangde ask this, he was slightly stunned.

To be honest, although Lao Kan recommended Hai Rui at this time, he had never met him before.

Lao Kan left the capital in the 41st year of the reign of Jiajing to take up his post in Guangdong, while Hai Rui went to Beijing in the 43rd year of the reign of Jiajing to take up the post of Director of the Ministry of Revenue. The two men's positions never overlapped, so naturally they never met.

This time, it was because I heard a lot of legends about this person in Nanjing, and after carefully thinking about what I saw and heard along the way, I realized that Hai Qingtian might be the key person to solve the current problem.

All the way from Jiangxi to the capital, Lao Kan had been pondering this matter over and over again.

He knew that Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng had a bad relationship, but in his opinion, it could always be negotiated.

As long as Wei Guangde is persuaded and asked to talk to Zhang Juzheng, it is still possible to succeed.

Although Ming Dynasty officials were collectively corrupt, it does not mean that they made no achievements in state affairs. In fact, there were many capable officials in the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this has been the case in every dynasty, it’s just a matter of the audience’s perspective.

When everyone focuses on the Ming Dynasty, they will discover the problems that existed in the Ming Dynasty and also see those shining people.

It's like if you don't read the history of the Tang Dynasty, you won't think that the emperors before the demise of the Tang Dynasty were actually quite good. It was only due to various reasons that the Tang Dynasty failed to revive. When people talk about the prosperous Tang Dynasty, they can only refer to the prosperous scene before the An-Shi Rebellion.

"Have you discussed this matter with Lord Chen?"

Wei Guangde asked.

The Mr. Chen he mentioned is the current Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Wei, who is also Wei Guangde’s fellow Jiangxi native.

However, Wei Guangde was not familiar with this man before he was transferred from the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel to the capital to serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief.

He was able to obtain the title of Left Censor-in-Chief because of the strong support of the former Censor Chen Zan.

Chen Zan and Chen Yu knew each other in their early years. When Chen Zan served as the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, Chen Yu was the Director of Salt Affairs in Jiangnan. Later, he entered the Nanjing Censorate to exercise supervisory power.

When Chen Zan retired, it was Chen Yu who was recommended to Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde.

In his words, although Chen Wei is from Jiangxi, he is fair in his work and will never favor Wei Guangde just because of their fellow villager relationship.

Therefore, he was recognized by Zhang Juzheng.

Of course, the reason behind this may also be that Zeng Shengwu may have served as the Minister of War.

There were certain things between Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde that everyone knew tacitly.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, since Wei Guangde was able to let Zeng Shengwu of Huguang be appointed as the Minister of War because of state affairs, he naturally could not be stingy.

Given Chen Zan's character, he could naturally accept the recommendation.

After Wei Guangde asked, he saw Lao Kan gently shaking his head, "I just returned to the capital, and I haven't resumed my job yet.

I plan to discuss this with you first to determine the household, and then when I return to the yamen in a few days, I will find a chance to talk to Lord Chen about this matter."

In allowing Hai Rui to enter the Jingjing Censorate, Chen Yu’s attitude was also very important.

It is impossible to force people into the cabinet, otherwise Chen Yu would lose his face.

"Ren Zhi, you said you caused me a big trouble."

Wei Guangde did not say what he was thinking, but said with a wry smile.

"I know Zhang Jiangling is dissatisfied with Hai Rui, but it is true that this person can be used. The court is in need of such people to do things, especially the Censorate.

This time I stayed in Nanjing for a few days and got to know the local officials."

Having said this, Lao Kan hesitated slightly.

In fact, Wei Guangde could more or less guess that his family was in business, and he must have used his reputation to make friends with the dignitaries in Nanjing officialdom to facilitate his family's business activities in Jiangnan.

This is also the reason why every family strongly supports their children to take the imperial examinations. What they want is to have someone to act as a go-between to help them open up their business and build connections.

"According to my opinion of Jiangnan's officialdom, perhaps it is the lack of supervision that makes the officialdom even more corrupt than that of the capital.

If there were no one like Hai Rui in Nanjing, there would be chaos. "

Lao Kan said to Wei Guangde in a low voice.

"Oh."

Hearing this, Wei Guangde nodded slightly in agreement.

In Nanjing, the six ministries are like local tyrants and there is indeed a lack of restraint.

It seems that this is a good point, and perhaps it can convince Zhang Juzheng.

As long as Hai Rui's duties are further specifically restricted, he should not cause trouble for the court, and can also somewhat restrain the powerful people in Jiangnan from acting recklessly.

"It's hard to say. I can only say I'll find a chance to talk to Uncle Da."

Wei Guangde whispered, "Let him supervise the local inspections as the Chief Censor, strengthen the collection of silver for the imperial court, and not worry about other matters."

Wei Guangde repeated it again, and Lao Kan immediately nodded in agreement.

After discussing the main business, they talked about some other trivial matters. The most talked about topic was naturally the great victory in Liaodong that Lao Kan heard about later.

Wei Guangde also told him what he knew.

"The battle was definitely won, and it will take some time to summarize the results. But no matter what, Huang Taiji must have been scared out of his wits. Even if he succeeds Altan Khan in the future, he will not dare to act rashly against the Ming Dynasty.

From now on, it will depend on how the imperial court secretly arranges and gradually weakens the power of the Mongols."

Speaking of the Battle of Hongtu Fort, Wei Guangde's mood improved and he spoke with great joy.

The arrangements regarding Mongolia were all planned by him. In fact, he was the one who was most reluctant to see the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia break up.

Not only were all previous plans in vain, but the wool on the grassland was also the main raw material for his chamber of commerce to engage in wool weaving.

If a real war breaks out, it will become difficult to get large quantities of wool at low prices.

"By the way, I also brought you a gift from a Fujian merchant who said it was a good thing he got from the Yi people."

At this moment, Lao Kan seemed to think of something and said to Wei Guangde again.

"Oh, where? What is it?"

Wei Guangde was also very curious. Knowing that it was something from the West, Wei Guangde naturally wanted to take a look.

"Someone, bring in the box I brought."

Lao Kan stood up and walked outside the flower hall and gave instructions to the Wei family servants.

Soon, a half-foot long box was delivered.

Lao Kan placed the box on the coffee table, opened the lid, and took something out.

Wei Guangde was stunned for a moment, but soon recognized that it was actually a pipe. He looked into the box and saw tobacco leaves inside.

“Shandai, take a look, a breath of this can refresh your mind.

It’s just that the first time you inhale it, it will be a bit choking, so you have to inhale it gently.”

At this time, Lao Kan had already taken out tobacco leaves from the box and put them into the pipe. "You need a lighter to light it. This tobacco will emit a pungent smell when it is lit, but it doesn't matter. You will get used to it after smoking it a few times."

Lao Kan was operating on his own while Wei Guangde was watching from the side.

After Lao Kan finished it and handed it to him, he took out a fire starter, opened it, blew at the spark, and the flame started.

"Try it."

Lao Kan said to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde followed suit, holding a pipe in his mouth. Lao Kan lit it diligently. Wei Guangde took a small puff and spit it out skillfully.

Then, Wei Guangde couldn't help but cough.

I was used to smoking in my previous life, but this is the first time this body has touched this thing, so it is normal to have such a reaction.

"hehe."

Lao Kan did give a hearty laugh and kept saying, "That's it. It's always like this at the beginning."

Wei Guangde actually doesn't feel good at all now. This tobacco leaf is not like the one in later generations. It has been processed by tobacco companies and graded. Anyway, Wei Guangde doesn't think this tobacco leaf is good to smoke.

"Was this thing sent by the barbarians?"

Speaking of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde had indeed never seen anyone smoking after he traveled through it, not even the so-called leaf tobacco.

However, he had seen Emperor Longqing taking snuff before. He also had that thing in his palace, and he had tried it, but didn't like it very much, so he didn't use it anymore and put it aside.

"Yes, it was bought by Spanish merchants. I heard that there are people growing this tobacco on the island of Luzon.

By the way, the Nanhai Navy went to find that Fujian merchant. He not only brought back sweet potato seeds from Luzon, but also brought back tobacco seeds. They call this thing "Resurrection Grass". It is said that it can relieve fatigue, refresh the mind and relieve boredom. It also has the ability to cure diseases and prolong life. "

Lao Kan continued.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly. At this time, if he told Lao Kan that this thing could be fatal if inhaled too much, he was afraid that no one would believe it.

After all, he had just come into contact with this thing, how could he know all this?

There was no way to explain it, so Wei Guangde took another small puff. This time he felt a little better, but he still felt that the tobacco was not good. Anyway, it was a completely different experience from smoking cigarettes before.

"The taste doesn't suit me. It's not good to smoke."

Wei Guangde could only say this and put his pipe aside.

"There are still some tobacco leaves in the box. If you feel tired, take a puff. Maybe you can have a good experience."

Lao Kan didn't care and just said it happily.

The thing was given to Wei Guangde. It was none of his business whether he smoked it or not.

"By the way, do you have a lot of tobacco leaves?"

Even though it was just a small box, Wei Guangde guessed that Lao Kan should still have some tobacco leaves in his hand.

"What do you want tobacco for?"

Lao Kan asked in confusion.

"See if the snuff maker in the palace can brew it to make it smell better."

Wei Guangde said, "I feel that this thing is similar to snuff. They can make all kinds of snuff. Let them see if this tobacco leaf can also be brewed.

Snuff also has the function of refreshing the mind and relieving fatigue. I feel that the two are similar and should be able to do the same thing. "

"That's right. I'll send some to you later. If that doesn't work, I'll write to ask Fujian to send some more."

Lao Kan smiled and said, "Oh, there is one more thing, it's about the sweet potato."

"Sweet potatoes? I advised the agricultural department to get some vines from there, but I didn't pay attention to how they were grown.

What, is there any harvest in Fujian?"

Wei Guangde asked with a smile.

“I heard that many places in Fujian have already started growing that thing, and the yield is quite good, mainly because it is suitable for growing in mountainous areas.

You know, Fujian is a place with eight mountains, one river and one piece of farmland, and agriculture is extremely backward.

When I was in Fujian, I also put a lot of thought into this. I also asked them to build the terraced fields you mentioned before, but the soil over there is thin in the mountains, so it is not easy to build.

The sweet potato has solved a big problem. It can satisfy the food needs of the people in Fujian, which is really a great achievement.”

Lao Kan said.

"Since Fujian has been successful, I will summon the people from the Agricultural Persuasion Department tomorrow to ask about the situation and have them send the sweet potatoes to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan and other places as soon as possible. There are also many mountains and little land there, so I think it will be helpful in solving the problem of food rations for the people."

Wei Guangde immediately said, "But this tobacco..."

Wei Guangde thought about it and said, "I'm afraid we still have to restrict the cultivation of tobacco. I don't know if it can be grown in the mountains. Anyway, we can't let them use good fields to grow this stuff. It can't be eaten or drunk."

"That's exactly what I told them."

Lao Kan continued.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty were able to clearly understand that fields were used to grow crops. This was the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. Without agriculture, there would be no stability.

Afterwards, Wei Guangde took two more puffs of the pipe, but finally couldn't accept the taste and chose to give it up, putting it aside like snuff.

Perhaps, the tobacco leaves brewed by the palace craftsmen can allow Lord Wei to relive the joy of smoking.

After seeing Lao Kan off, Wei Guangde returned to the backyard to rest. Perhaps due to the effect of those few puffs of tobacco, he tossed and turned the whole night and had trouble falling asleep.

When he woke up in the morning, Wei Guangde didn't feel very energetic, after all, he didn't get a good rest the whole night.

After breakfast, I took a sedan chair to the palace gate.

As soon as he got off the sedan chair, he met Zhang Juzheng, who had just arrived as well. The two exchanged a few words in front of the palace gate.

Zhang Juzheng immediately noticed Wei Guangde's poor mental state, and asked him a few questions with concern, asking Wei Guangde to pay attention to rest and not stay up too late, as it was bad for his health.

"It's not what you think."

Wei Guangde was a little amused and helpless, he knew what Zhang Juzheng was thinking.

The nightlife of Ming Dynasty officials was very rich and could not be banned by a curfew.

"Lao Kan returned to the capital yesterday. He came to my place in the evening and gave me something he got during his trip south. It's similar to snuff, but it's obviously more effective in refreshing me. I took a few puffs and didn't get a good rest the whole night. I tossed and turned in bed."

While walking towards the cabinet, Wei Guangde explained the situation to Zhang Juzheng.

“The effect is so outstanding?”

Zhang Juzheng was surprised and asked hurriedly.

"Why, uncle, do you need that thing to refresh yourself? I'll have someone send it to your house later."

Seeing this, Wei Guangde immediately spoke.

"That's not good."

Zhang Juzheng hurriedly declined.

"Hey, I told you first, I found the taste really bad after taking two puffs. I didn't expect the tobacco to be so overbearing. It kept me awake all night."

Wei Guangde was telling the truth, he really didn't like it.

"Okay, let me give Ren Zhi a note and ask him to send one to your house. You will know after you try it.

But it’s best not to smoke that stuff at night, be careful not to end up like me, it’s not pretty.”

While chatting, the two of them had already walked into the cabinet. When they met the secretaries on the way, they all stepped aside and saluted.

Speaking of last night, Wei Guangde naturally thought of Hai Rui.

It was not convenient to tell him about it now, so Wei Guangde simply followed Zhang Juzheng to his duty room and told him about Lao Kan's concerns.

Zhang Juzheng was only told about the possible collusion between officials and businessmen in the collection of silver for exchange of notes, the concerns about tax evasion, and the possible negligence and dereliction of duty of the provincial inspectors during the supervision process.

In the Prime Minister's duty room, Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment before he said, "We can only ask the Censorate to send more people to inspect the area, especially in Jiangnan."

When Zhang Juzheng said the word "Jiangnan", his tone was also very serious, and he was obviously aware of some of the problems that existed in Jiangnan.

"The Chief Censor is also very important."

Wei Guangde said. (End of this chapter)