prosperous age

After completing his memorial, Cao Yikui immediately sealed it and ordered his messengers to send it to the capital at top speed.

Although the people of the Ming Dynasty can now afford salt, buying salt has become a heavy burden on them, accounting for almost the entirety of their living expenses.

In reality, the salt sold by the Ming government was not actually that expensive; the price was increased several times over by the salt merchants.

Salt producers were extremely poor, while the people who consumed salt were exploited in every way.

The enormous profits from the salt industry were entirely divided up by salt merchants and the people behind them, while the imperial court only received a small portion of the salt tax.

Even this salt tax was constantly being eroded.

It was only a few years ago that Zhang Juzheng, through his tough tactics, managed to extract some more revenue from them, allowing the salt tax of the Ming Dynasty to recover slightly.

Meanwhile, in the capital, after waiting for two days, the imperial decree was finally issued, ordering Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Supervisor of Eunuchs, to be demoted to Nanjing to guard the tomb of Emperor Taizu, and his family property to be confiscated.

The reason why the news of the handling was not announced until two days later was not because there were any new twists and turns in the palace, but because the palace also needed to purge Feng Bao's faction and wait for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to confiscate Feng's residence and other family assets.

According to the records in Feng's household ledger, Feng Bao's enormous assets appeared in the eyes of the nobles in the palace for the first time. The market value was 2.27 million taels of silver, of which the treasures in the warehouse were worth more than 300,000 taels of silver, the calligraphy and paintings and antiques were put into the inner treasury, and the land and houses worth more than 700,000 taels of silver were temporarily collected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard for sale and handed over to the public.

Feng Bao was also released. His men were all in the Jinyiwei prison, so they weren't afraid of him causing any trouble.

As for the officials in the outer court, they are too busy avoiding him to even approach him.

In reality, these officials have been living in constant fear these past few days, terrified that their relationship with Feng Bao will be exposed.

After all, they definitely left something at the Feng residence through visiting cards and letters.

These tokens have now been stored in the palace, ready to be used as evidence to punish them whenever the Wanli Emperor is displeased.

Some of the older ones were already considering submitting a petition to retire once the storm had passed.

They dared not remain in the court any longer.

The courtyard where Feng Bao is currently residing is still a small two-courtyard house under his name, which was the first property he acquired in Beijing.

However, the place had already been confiscated. He was only allowed to stay there for two days, and then he was to pack his belongings and go to Nanjing, escorted by officials.

At this moment, Feng Bao was no longer the spirited man he had been a few days ago. He didn't even know what had happened in those few days that had brought him to such a state.

He understood that the emperor hated him, since for a long time he had been teaching the young emperor according to Empress Dowager Li's wishes. Although it was a bit strict, strict teaching was definitely not a bad thing for the young emperor.

He always thought that Empress Dowager Li would protect him, even if he hadn't done anything meritorious, he must have at least put in some effort.

Unfortunately, no.

Empress Dowager Li also abandoned him and did not speak up for him in front of the emperor.

At this point, Feng Bao had to face the problems that would arise after he left Beijing.

His family property was confiscated, leaving him with very little money.

At this point, he was like a rat in the street, unable to get any help from anyone.

Without money to carry him on his journey south, he didn't know if he would have made it to Nanjing alive.

A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken. Even though he was once the prime minister, without power and money, his days in Nanjing would be unbearable.

Ultimately, he remained a criminal, far inferior to those who went to Nanjing to serve as garrison eunuchs.

Turning back into the room, Feng Bao's gaze fell on the only scroll he had brought from the palace, which could be considered an external possession.

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival, you are ultimately not a work for a jack-of-all-trades."

He only took this scroll from his room in the palace; the other valuables in the room had been stolen by the eunuchs.

After he fell from power, his residence was treated like a brothel, open to anyone who wanted to visit.

Those who lack appreciation skills naturally wouldn't recognize calligraphy and paintings.

Relatively speaking, in the eyes of these eunuchs who lacked discernment, valuable calligraphy and paintings were not as worth as a silver ingot.

The rest, namely the clothes in the house, are unwanted.

Although clothes are expensive these days, that's why the ancients said "clothing, food, housing, and transportation"—clothing was the most important thing.

However, in the palace, clothes were distributed annually, and it's hard to imagine that palace eunuchs would wear patched clothes while on duty.

After thinking it over, Feng Bao realized that only Wei Guangde might be able to exchange some silver for it.

However, Feng Bao was proud his whole life, and naturally he wouldn't take Wei Guangde's money for nothing. He planned to sell this painting that he treasured so much, so that at least he could retain the most basic dignity.

"Godfather, the medicine is ready."

Just then, the voice of a palace attendant came from outside the door.

This was Feng Bao's godson from before, and after he lost power, he was the only one willing to leave with him.

Zhang Hongzhong was kind and did not make things difficult for Feng Bao. He even gave him a spot to take a eunuch with him to serve him.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Shoucheng."

Feng Bao nodded, looking at the medicine bowl on the table, the dark medicine soup inside.

He knew it would be tough, but in order to survive, he had to take good care of his health before he left.

So after leaving the palace, the first thing Feng Bao did upon arriving here was to have someone find a doctor to examine him and prescribe two doses of herbal medicine to help him recover.

Feng Bao also carried a purse with him, containing some silver coins and a five-hundred-tael silver note.

He plans to go out tomorrow, exchange the silver note, and then take the painting to Wei Guangde; perhaps he can get several thousand taels of silver that way.

With this money on him, Feng Bao should be able to settle down in Nanjing.

Even if those people in the Nanjing palace try to take advantage of us, we can handle it.

Feng Bao, having risen through the ranks himself, naturally knew how difficult it was to deal with lowly people, especially someone like him.

Before leaving, I should go and see Wei Guangde. Perhaps he will remember our past friendship and help me resolve some matters in Nanjing.

The next day, Feng Bao sent Shoucheng to Tonghui Pawnshop to exchange the silver note for 490 taels of silver.

There's no way around it. In the Ming Dynasty, money shops don't have silver for deposits. If you take out a banknote, it's worth five hundred taels. If you redeem it according to the time on the banknote, you can get the whole amount back when it matures. But now, if you redeem the silver early, you'll lose ten taels.

In the present Ming Dynasty, there is no reason to exchange currency in other places; it can only be exchanged locally.

With the silver notes from Beijing, Feng Bao would only be ripped off even more in Nanjing.

As for why the banknotes were redeemed at a pawnshop instead of a money exchange, it's because Tonghui was actually a shop that operated both a money exchange and a pawnshop. The fact that it could obtain licenses for both industries at the same time shows that its owner was quite powerful.

Well, this is actually a shop owned by Wei Guangde. He doesn't need to show his face to get any business licenses; Zhang Ji just needs to put in a word.

That evening, Feng Bao, along with Shoucheng, donned cloaks and went directly to the Wei residence, knocking on the side door.

At this moment, he didn't want more people to see his disheveled state. Although he knew his whereabouts, he couldn't hide the watchful eyes of countless people in the capital.

"Feng Bao is here?"

Feng Baojin would naturally not be stopped from entering Wei Guangde's residence, even though he had lost power.

Therefore, Zhang Ji could only have someone lead him slowly inside, while he went ahead to inform Wei Guangde.

"Please ask him to come to the study."

Wei Guangde gave the instructions.

Soon, Feng Bao was brought here, and Wei Guangde came out to greet him.

"Brother Shuanglin, please come in. You must have been frightened these past few days." Wei Guangde invited him into the house, saying this in a low voice as they walked in.

"Thank goodness you spoke up for me to the Emperor, otherwise I don't know what would have happened to me."

Feng Bao still had connections in the palace, so he naturally knew that it was Wei Guangde's idea to send him to Nanjing to guard the imperial tombs.

If the emperor didn't want to see him, then he could only die.

However, Wei Guangde said he would be exiled far away. Well, as long as it wasn't to guard the border, but to Nanjing, it would naturally be the best place for him.

"Hey, wasn't that where Eunuch Lü sent you back then? That's the only place you can escape disaster."

Wei Guangde said casually.

"Yes, Lü Fang died there. I suppose that once I leave, we will never see each other again."

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Feng Bao naturally thought of Lü Fang, the most prominent eunuch in Yuzhi, who was almost punished for offending the Longqing Emperor. In the end, it was Wei Guangde, Chen Yiqin, and others who pleaded for him, and he was eventually exiled to Nanjing.

Fortunately, the place has beautiful mountains and clear waters, making it a good place to retire.

Brother Shushuanglin, there's no need to worry. I'll speak with my brother-in-law and Chen Ju, and ask them not to make things difficult for you in Nanjing.

Wei Guangde looked at Feng Bao and spoke.

Even if he was dissatisfied with him, Wei Guangde would not show it. Instead, he would still treat him as a former member of Yuzhi and try his best to exonerate him.

Even if they cannot escape punishment, they will be given appropriate consideration.

To outsiders, Wei Guangde's behavior suggests that he is at least a man who values ​​old friendships, and that even if one falls on hard times, joining his ranks will at least provide some protection.

Those who have lost power are most afraid of being pushed around like a wall falling down, or being beaten by everyone like a broken drum. Without anyone to rely on, they are not far from death.

“Shan Dai, I know your nature. You shouldn’t be here today, but I have no choice.”

Feng Bao stared at Wei Guangde and spoke.

"Brother Shuanglin, please speak frankly. I will do my best to help you if I can."

Wei Guangde spoke up.

They didn't fully agree, only saying they would do what they could.

“My younger brother Feng You and my nephew Feng Bangning have been imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I know you have some connections in there. I would appreciate it if you could help me smooth things over and make things easier for them inside.”

When I'm convicted later, I'd appreciate it if you could pull some strings for me, just so I could live.

If the heavens still remember my hard work, please ask them to speak on my behalf: it would be best if I were exiled to the south, so that we can see each other one last time before we die.”

Feng Bao didn't mention any past grievances between them to Wei Guangde; it was pointless. Now, Feng Bao simply needed to state his request.

Based on his understanding of Wei Guangde, if he was willing to help, he would definitely speak up; if he was unwilling, he would politely decline directly.

That way, he can think of other solutions.

At most, we can throw the rest of the silver at Liu Shouyou and see if he's willing to be lenient.

In the palace, apart from Zhang Cheng, both Zhang Hong and Chen Ju would only turn a blind eye.

After all, they are kind and honest people and wouldn't make things difficult for his family.

After Feng Bao fell from power and lost his protection, both of them eventually died in prison.

This time, Feng Bao found Wei Guangde, and only he could help them get through this and survive.

As for the final punishment, it was actually in the emperor's hands; Wei Guangde could influence the decision-making process but could not make the decision himself.

Feng Bao understood this point.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly and said only, "They will not suffer in the imperial prison, but I cannot guarantee their final fate. However, I will do my best to make amends."

Wei Guangde agreed. Actually, Feng You and Feng Bangning's crimes weren't that serious; it was mainly Feng Bao's misfortune that implicated them.

Of course, without Feng Bao, they wouldn't have enjoyed more than ten years of wealth and status, nor would they have become officials; they would all have been poor, struggling farmers.

As for the mistakes he made and the sins he committed, those acts of bullying men and women and disregarding human life seem to be less than what Xu Jue did.

Feng Bangning's biggest crime was said to be causing trouble and oppressing the people. Relatively speaking, Feng You's problems seem to be more numerous.

"However, it would be best to save only one of them and hand one over to His Majesty to vent his anger."

A moment later, Wei Guangde whispered to Feng Baodao, "His Majesty will definitely not let Princess Yongning's matter go easily."

Wei Guangde's words were subtle, but Feng Bao understood that the Feng family needed to hand over a life to appease the emperor's anger.

"Let's preserve Yongting, after all, we have to leave a lineage for the Feng family."

Yongting was Feng Bangning, and he could only use his younger brother's life to answer to the emperor.

At this moment, Feng Bao truly regretted handling Princess Yongning's affair. Otherwise, the emperor's resentment towards him wouldn't be so deep, and the empress dowager might have spoken up for him.

At this moment, the only thing he could think of that had offended Empress Dowager Li was this matter.

"This is the only thing I still have with me right now, and I don't think I can keep it."

I know Shan Dai is also a lover of painting, so I've sent it over today. Let's see how Shan Dai prices it.

Feng Bao felt relieved. He had agreed to help, and now all that was left was to raise the money to take care of himself.

As they were talking, Feng Bao took out the scroll and handed it to Wei Guangde.

In fact, Wei Guangde noticed the scroll in Feng Bao's hand when Feng Bao came in. It was strange that he could still keep a painting at this time.

However, considering that the person was released from the palace, I didn't bother to investigate further.

"What Brother Shuanglin means is..."

“I need money to cover expenses on my journey, and I have nothing else with me except this painting.”

After listening, Wei Guangde reached out and took the scroll, and said with a smile, "I've long heard that Brother Shuanglin loves calligraphy and painting. Today, I'll see what kind of treasure you always carry with you."

Wei Guangde slowly unrolled the scroll on his desk. The scroll was very long, and only a small portion of it could fit on the desk.

But with just a fleeting glance, he recognized the painting. Emperor Huizong's slender gold calligraphy was written directly on the painting. Wei Guangde certainly recognized these characters, and he figured that if he continued to open it, he would see a scene of the outskirts of Bianliang.

"Brother Shuanglin, what is your asking price?"

Wei Guangde immediately asked, without even thinking, he knew about the painting and its value.

One of the ten most famous ancient Chinese paintings, it has immense collection value.

"Five thousand taels."

Feng Bao didn't stand on ceremony and directly quoted a price.

Five thousand taels is definitely not a low price.

In reality, unless one is madly in love with a painting, there is absolutely no way they would spend so much money to buy it.

In fact, Feng Bao's offer price shows how much he values ​​this painting.

"The inscriptions by famous figures alone are quite valuable."

Feng Bao continued.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly in agreement upon hearing this. (End of Chapter)