I'm really not doing business

Chapter 710 Wanli Wanli, all families are rebellious

Chen Mo detained Lin Fucheng in the prison of Shanghai County Government, and then immediately began interrogation.

"Master Lin, I was the one who protected you when you went to Baoding. I don't understand. Before the interrogation, I want to ask you why. Didn't Your Majesty do a good enough job?" Chen Mo did not let the jailer start recording, but asked a more personal question.

Lin Fucheng's trip to Baoding was a life-threatening one. A bookish man dared to go to Baoding and expose things that no one dared to speak of. He was truly audacious. But now, Lin Fucheng was arrested and imprisoned by him personally. The charge was denouncing the imperial carriage. Hai Rui was arrested for a public security memorial that year, and the charge was reasonable, which was denouncing the emperor.

Hai Rui was reluctant to scold the current emperor, but Lin Fucheng started to scold him instead. This was something Chen Mo could not understand no matter what.

In order to allow Lin Fucheng to feel at ease and speak out what he wants to say, His Majesty gave him everything he could.

When I went to Suiyuan to study, Your Majesty sent people to protect me. Even the Guangde Bookstore's Xiaoyao Yiwen Zabao was able to survive because of the protection of Wang Qian and Mr. Huang.

Lin Fucheng did not repay the favor, but instead, like those despicable Confucian scholars, he started to curse the emperor.

"No, your majesty has done a great job. The emperors of Qin, Han, Tang and Song have all passed away, but your majesty is a living sage. In the past thirteen years, your majesty has proved yourself to be the master of the world with your magnanimity and perseverance. It is because you have done a good job that I am writing such a miscellaneous newspaper." Lin Fucheng highly affirmed your majesty's achievements, but he still had to criticize.

"Lin Fucheng, a Shanghai native, a fifth-rank doctor of the Five Classics, did you write the article in the August issue of "Xiaoyao Yiwen"? " Chen Mo began the interrogation.

"Yes."

"Did you write this alone? Was there anyone who helped you, or encouraged you?"

"I am alone, no one helps me, no one encourages me."

“Who instructed you to write the article?”

"No one ordered it."

……

Time passed quickly during the question-and-answer session. Chen Mo checked the confession, handed it to Lin Fucheng, and said, "Make sure the record is consistent with your statement. If you find any omissions or errors, correct them immediately. If you are sure there are no problems, sign on each page. You may not use pseudonyms or aliases. The signatures on each page must be written clearly, and then your fingerprints must be placed on the interlaced position."

When the imperial guards tried a case, they did not necessarily have to use torture. People like Lin Fucheng were very cooperative and explained everything to the police.

In Chen Mo's opinion, after Lin Fucheng knew that Mr. Huang was the emperor, he became desperate and was afraid that he would not be able to finish what he wanted to say, so he wrote such an essay, a basket of opinions, and he wanted to finish what he wanted to say even if his life was ended. In a sense, Lin Fucheng was a real basket of opinions.

As for Yuan Zongdao, he didn't even dare to listen to the end of the words, and didn't even dare to put the nine clans on the table, so what kind of opinion basket was that.

"What will happen?" Lin Fucheng asked after signing the contract.

"I don't know." Chen Mo put away his confession and shook his head, saying, "I don't know what will happen. It's no use for you to regret it now."

"Do you think I'm right?" Lin Fucheng asked with a smile.

"You are spreading rumors to confuse the people!" Chen Mo shook his sleeves vigorously and said sternly.

"Hahaha!"

Accompanied by Yao Guangqi, the Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun conducted a comprehensive inspection of the Songjiang Prefecture Iron Horse Factory and fully affirmed Yao Guangqi's work. Because the Songjiang Prefecture Iron Horse Factory had already started production, the iron horses it produced began to be steadily supplied to the official and civilian workshops of Songjiang Prefecture, with reliable quality and high stability.

Zhu Yijun, who was in a very good mood, returned to the villa outside Yanzheng Tower, leaned back on the armchair, and read a few newspapers to pass the time.

"Is this Lin Fucheng crazy?! He actually dared to scold me! What right does he have to scold me!" Zhu Yijun stood up from the armchair, threw the newspaper in his hand fiercely on the table, and said in a stern voice with an incredible expression: "Is he crazy? This is simply treason. Arrest him and put him in prison immediately! Immediately!"

Zhu Yijun was scolded as Hongwen and was furious, because Lin Fucheng said in a newspaper that during the Jiajing Jiajing period, every family was clean, but during the Wanli Wanli period, every family was evil!

He finally understood how the Taoist felt when he saw those eight words in his later years. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty wished he could kill Lin Fucheng's entire family right away!

"The Imperial Guards have already arrested him." Feng Bao said cautiously. His Majesty was really angry. Generally speaking, His Majesty would not pay too much attention to the accusations of these literati. His Majesty would often treat these things with a bit of joking and mockery and would not take them seriously.

But this book of Lin Fucheng's miscellaneous reports was able to break down His Majesty's defenses, and it obviously hit the nail on the head and touched on a sore spot.

The order to arrest people was not issued by Zhu Yijun. As soon as he saw this magazine, he was so angry that he was fuming!

Zhu Yijun said sternly: "He said that my sympathy for the poor and the coolies is false! What basis does he have to say that about me! Throughout the dynasties, except for me and Emperor Taizu Gao, who else can farm? The sweet potatoes that I personally bred, compiled and promoted in agricultural books have been planted all over the country, and to this day! Sweet potatoes are still not taxed! This means that local government offices must not take advantage of this to collect taxes!"

"How can it be false? Is he blind?! Is he blind? What do you mean every family has resentment? I have worked hard for thirteen years, but all of it was in vain?"

The Taoist priest was scolded because he was really giving up. Zhu Yijun has never slacked off in the past thirteen years. Why is he scolded like this?
Zhu Yijun could tolerate other accusations. He was immune to them after being scolded so many times. But he refused to admit this one thing!
His sympathy was never false! He was down-to-earth and changing the Ming Dynasty bit by bit. The sweet potato porridge in the broken bowl and the roasted sweet potatoes in the stove were becoming the memories of a generation or even several generations.

Sweet potatoes and potatoes have always been positioned as famine relief food. If the emperor does not collect taxes on these two crops, the local governments cannot take advantage of the situation to collect taxes. Those local gentry and local officials who were accomplices of the tiger will no longer be able to act as accomplices without the tiger. Even some middle-class families will choose sweet potato porridge when there is a shortage of food.

It doesn’t taste good. Eating too much will cause bloating and stomach acid, and it’s not even that nutritious. But eating it is the most important thing right now.

"Go and bring him to me! I want to confront him face to face in person!" Zhu Yijun knew very well that he could actually remain silent and let the Ming Dynasty's error correction mechanism operate. Lin Fucheng would be badly punished if he didn't die. But he just wanted to have a good talk with Lin Fucheng face to face!
"Your Majesty, Lin Fucheng is too eloquent." Feng Bao carefully reminded His Majesty that Lin Fucheng was not easy to deal with. He had never been defeated in a debate with a group of scholars. Even the great lamas in Suiyuan were no match for Lin Fucheng.

"Bring it here." Zhu Yijun said calmly. He wanted to see what Lin Fucheng had to say.

When Zhu Yijun finished reading the entire magazine by Lin Fucheng, he was so angry that he didn't think what he said made any sense. But after calming down a little, Zhu Yijun felt a little annoyed that he shouldn't have expressed his opinion. This opinion was true.

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty." Lin Fucheng came before the emperor in shackles and saluted respectfully.

"Now that the shackles are removed, stand up and answer." Zhu Yijun waved his hand impatiently. The more he looked at Lin Fucheng, the more annoyed he became. Lin Fucheng was not troubled by the imperial guards, so he was dressed neatly and in high spirits.

After the imperial guards removed the shackles, Lin Fucheng stood up and bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, there is an undercurrent coming out from the bottom of the river, rolling over the water like a wheel. The crisis is often hidden under the water. When it is exposed, it is too late."

"Just like when the Ninth Battalion of Zhejiang entered the city to suppress the bandits, it was a true portrayal of the undercurrents."

"Are you the only one in the world who is an upright, loyal, independent, and remonstrant minister?" Zhu Yijun tapped the table and said, "You wrote this treasonous miscellany, which made me embarrassed. If I don't punish you severely, these scholars will despise me and humiliate me in the future! You tell me, how can I punish you so that people in the world dare not offend me, but also do not block the way for people to speak and make the world speechless?"

Zhu Yijun understood the dilemma that the Taoist had faced. Once the public security notice was issued, it was not right for the Taoist to kill Hai Rui. If he killed Hai Rui, the whole world would call him a tyrant, and the already weak error correction mechanism of the Ming Dynasty would be completely destroyed. The situation of deception was already serious, and the situation would be even worse if the people below could not get through to the emperor. However, if he did not kill him, where would the emperor save his face? In the end, he could only imprison him.

Hai Rui did indeed scold the Taoist priest so much that he broke down, and Zhu Yijun admitted that Lin Fucheng also scolded him, the holy emperor of the Ming Dynasty, so much that he broke down.

Because Lin Fucheng is right.

Lin Fucheng's entire miscellany has only one core content: the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, every family has resentment, and everyone has complaints. As a monarch, the emperor has an unshirkable responsibility, and your majesty's new policies are all superficial.

The Wanli Reform seemed grand and glorious, but it was all superficial. Only the sweet potato was truly a good policy that benefited all the people. All the others were just superficial and did not go deep into the foundation!

"How about exile to Java?" Lin Fucheng said tentatively. He found a place of exile for himself, which was the most severe punishment except beheading.

He knew that he had gone too far, but everyone wants to live, and a good death is worse than a miserable life.

"If you want to go to Java to research the plantation industry, you can tell me directly. I will send a few ships to protect you and make it an exile. Are you satisfied with it?!" Zhu Yijun was still slamming the table. Lin Fucheng was not smooth at all in doing things. No matter how reasonable you were, you would still beat around the bush.

Now people are being framed.

Even if this sentence was Wanli Wanli, all families benefited, not all were evil, Zhu Yijun could still show mercy outside the law, but Lin Fucheng spoke frankly.

"Just exile him to Java!" Zhu Yijun picked up the newspaper, looked at Lin Fucheng and said angrily, "Live well, don't die there. Write a letter to Beijing every year so that I know you are alive. There are five or six cases of malaria a year in that place. Go and suffer. Don't think that if the soldiers can bear it, you can too."

"You are right. I accept your criticism."

"I have summarized your article. The achievements of the Wanli Reform were naturally fruitful, but all these achievements were divided up by hereditary officials, officials selected by officials, powerful and wealthy people, and local gentry. The middle-class families, common people, and poor laborers who accounted for the majority of the Ming Dynasty did not get much benefit."

Lin Fucheng knelt again and said loudly: "I am guilty of usurping the throne, but this must be said, this layer of window paper must be broken!"

At this time, Lin Fucheng still did not regret publishing this unauthorized newspaper. If it happened again, he would do it again even if he was beheaded. He was trying to break through this layer of window paper that was trying to cover up the truth. It seemed a thin layer, but it was as difficult as climbing to the sky to speak out. But as long as he spoke out, no one could pretend not to see it, and the Ming Dynasty would be able to move forward amid the intensification of contradictions.

Does this count as martyrdom for Lin Fucheng? Putting oneself in the game, winning half a move against heaven? Probably count, but Lin Fucheng knows very well that His Majesty is a reasonable man, and as long as his words make sense, His Majesty will not kill him. But it doesn't count either, because who knows if His Majesty will really kill his whole family in a fit of rage.

Lin Fucheng is not trying to hype up his own reputation; the bond between the nine clans is a reality.

"Your Majesty, the teacher is here." Feng Bao reported in a low voice. Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Tutor of the Ming Dynasty, the Left Pillar of the State, the Imperial Preceptor, the Earl of Yicheng, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, and the Minister of Personnel, saw the newspaper and immediately came to the villa to meet His Majesty.

"Xuan."

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty! How dare this traitor not wear shackles?" Zhang Juzheng greeted him as he entered the room, and then said angrily, "How dare Lin Fucheng not wear shackles? Who is so bold as to protect this traitor!"

"Sir, please be patient. I have had it removed for him. He wants to be like Bi Gan and have his heart cut out to prove his loyalty, but I don't want to be like King Zhou." Zhu Yijun sighed, signaling Zhang Juzheng not to be so angry and to sit down and talk.

Zhang Juzheng did not sit down, but bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, Lin Fucheng criticized the emperor, sought favor and slandered him, destroyed the foundation of the country, made up lies to confuse the people, and spoke evil words against heaven and earth. He is guilty of treason and should be executed! I ask Your Majesty to execute this beast to set things right!"

Your Majesty does not need to bear the infamy of murder, but Zhang Juzheng does.

The most important thing about Zhang Juzheng's words is that they undermine the foundation of the country. In the feudal monarchy, Zhang Juzheng could not tolerate attacks on the sage monarch in any way, and he could not establish his authority without killing.

"I have never worried about bearing a bad reputation. From the beginning of the southern tour, I killed more than 720 people from the Hejian Zhang family in Tianjin Prefecture. When I arrived in Xuzhou, I killed the former Xuzhou prefect Chen Wuyin because of corruption. In the end, it even reached the point of extorting money. When I arrived in Zhejiang, I confiscated the property of all the wealthy families with more than 100 hectares of land. Wherever I went, there was blood and gore." Zhu Yijun talked about this southern tour.

On the way to the south, Zhu Yijun killed many people. In addition, the torture in the Southern Court and the suppression of the rebellion in Zhejiang were two things that would be infamous for eternity. He never cared about his reputation.

"What Lin Fucheng said does make some sense." Zhu Yijun said with a hint of helplessness: "The fruitful achievements of the Wanli Reform were all stolen. It's my fault."

"What logic does it make? It's just nonsense! Your Majesty, don't believe him!" Zhang Juzheng was still aggressive and looked like he was going to kill someone.

When Zhang Juzheng saw the eight words "Wanli Wanli, all the families are rebellious", he was angrier than the emperor. He wanted to kill him immediately and hated himself too. What a bullshit free channel for speech. He should not have allowed this bunch of opinionated people to talk nonsense. Killing the nine clans to intimidate them was the fastest and safest way.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's rage, Zhu Yijun calmed down. He looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, "Sir, don't be angry. Sit down and talk calmly. I am not angry anymore, so why should I be angry?"

"Lin Fucheng started with the land survey law. The land survey law was completed, but there has been no further action on returning the land to the land. The only places that are returning the land to the land are Songjiang Prefecture and Zhejiang. Moreover, Zhejiang is being forced to do so. If the fire had not occurred at the imperial residence, I am afraid that Zhejiang would not have returned the land to the land."

"Yes, Lin Fucheng's guess is correct. I really don't plan to return the land during this southern tour."

Zhang Juzheng finally sat down and immediately said, "It's not that I don't want to do it, it's that the time is not ripe."

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "When is it considered ripe? Or, in other words, has the court really set a standard for when the time is ripe? No, no one mentions it. It's not that the time is not ripe, but that the court has no intention to promote the return of land. You have already returned the power, and I am lazy."

"Returning farmland to farmers is a redistribution of the means of production, which will definitely lead to more intense social conflicts. Whether it is sooner or later, this pain is inevitable."

Lin Fucheng expressed his doubts about the Land Return Law. Is His Majesty the Emperor satisfied with the achievements of the new policy? Is he satisfied to the point of being lazy?
"I wrote the petition to return the land, but I... think it is better not to do it." Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment, and then gave his own opinion. The Ming Dynasty was good enough, and even if the land was not returned, the huge profits from opening up the sea were enough to ease the widespread contradiction between people and land, and there was no need to excessively pursue the redistribution of the means of production.

"Why not do it? Because it will intensify conflicts and even endanger the country. To be more specific, it may endanger my safety, or my throne. So, sir, do you still think that Lin Fucheng's criticism is wrong?" Zhu Yijun said with a sigh.

Although Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng and Lin Fucheng did not put it so clearly, the meaning was actually very clear. The emperor might or was becoming an obstacle to the new policies. If the emperor, the initiator and host of the new policies, became an obstacle to the new policies, the new policies would inevitably fail.

As the supreme emperor, for the sake of temporary peace and comfort, he chose to become the holy emperor who ruled the country with ease in the eyes of the Confucian scholars. It seemed to be a better choice for the new policy to stagnate or even regress.

The fact is that Zhu Yijun was indeed a bit slack. As the host of the new policy, he did not continue to implement the Land Return Order and the Single Whip Law.

"Zhejiang is already doing it. What Lin Fucheng said is wrong." Zhang Juzheng was still very persistent. Why had the order to return the land not been implemented? The households in Zhejiang that owned more than 100 hectares of land had their properties confiscated and the land was distributed to the people. Was it fake?
Moreover, there are no deeds for the divided lands. These lands are collectively owned, based on the standard of one hundred and ten households per mile. They are collectively owned and no form of buying and selling is allowed.

Zhu Yijun did not say much. He knew very well that even if he said anything to the emperor today, Zhang Juzheng would not admit that Lin Fucheng was right. If Lin Fucheng was right, Your Majesty was wrong. But Your Majesty was a wise and benevolent ruler. This was an undeniable fact. At least Zhang Juzheng could not deny it. The Zhang Party and the Chu Party with Zhang Juzheng as the core, and even the law-abiding officials of the world, could not deny it. Otherwise, what would their efforts and struggles be worth?
In Zhu Yijun's opinion, what Lin Fucheng said made some sense. The Land Return Order and the Single Whip Law of Songjiang Prefecture were implemented very well. Songjiang Prefecture essentially abolished labor service and instead distributed labor service among the fields for collection. However, the Ming court did not intend to implement the decree in an all-round way.

Zhu Yijun continued, "Sir, I have indeed been a little slack. You see, the Ren and Chu families in Songjiang Prefecture are doing money lending business under the guise of insurance, lending money at high interest rates. I do not approve of this, but I only dealt with the Ren and Chu families, but did not further establish a system to improve and crack down on these fundraising and lending industries."

"I actually have a bit of a gloating mentality. They have been fooled so many times and suffered so much loss. If the court intervenes again, they will be willing. But this is a national affair, not a child's play. We can't get angry about it."

Lin Fucheng's criticism was not empty talk but very real. He mentioned the chaos in the insurance industry in Songjiang Prefecture, but the emperor did not take any further action and even refused to establish the most basic supervision. This meant that the emperor was just watching the fun and observing the fight between two tigers.

However, Your Majesty's act of watching the fun and doing nothing is a disservice to all the people, and your sympathy for the poor and the laborers is false.

To sit idly by and watch the chaos in the insurance industry is to condone illegality. The biggest victims are the poor laborers who have to bear the high interest rates and the middle-class families who have been deceived. Their life savings will be destroyed in an instant.

The official insurance of the Ming Dynasty was real insurance. It allowed maritime merchants to avoid losing all their money even if their ships were swallowed up by the raging ocean. At least they could continue to work. It was a way of spreading the risk. However, for voyages of more than 50,000 miles, only the maritime merchants affiliated with ocean-going trading companies, all of whom were powerful and wealthy, could be protected.

The policy of the Ming Dynasty court only protects the interests of the powerful and wealthy, but does not protect the people under their control. What is this if not false sympathy?
Lin Fucheng's criticism is not general and empty, nor is it the kind of sarcastic and indirect criticism of the lowly Confucian scholars. Instead, his criticism is very direct.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and said, "In this way, relying on the Songjiang Prefecture Maritime School for expansion, I will take out one million silver coins specifically for the expansion of the Maritime School and the establishment of a third-level affiliated school, which is specifically used to train mathematical talents. The investment of real money and more mathematical talents is the key to solving the problem."

"Similarly, the Insurance Department of Songjiang Prefecture, which is responsible for supervising the censors, must fully review any business engaged in the insurance business, especially the qualification review, and be strict and severe. If necessary, the Tax Inspection Office must also cooperate in the action, take the strength of tax inspection, penetrate and review the actual owners, and make up the taxes."

"Necessary supervision is imperative. Similarly, after the court obtains more mathematical talents, the scope of official insurance will be expanded."

“If there is a problem, it must be solved.”

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head again and said.

There was a widespread lack of mathematical talents, which was the dilemma faced by the imperial court. The fact that Galileo came to the Ming Dynasty and was as good at mathematics as the Doctor of the Five Classics was very telling. The Ming Dynasty was the Celestial Empire with the most complete education system, the most perfect talent training process, and the largest number of scholars in the world, but the masters of mathematics were at the same level as the foreigners. This was the embarrassment of insufficient talents.

His Majesty had no choice but to use his own method and spend money to become stronger.

"By the way, we should clean up these messy insurance banks in Songjiang Prefecture. At least we cannot let the extravagant households hide behind the scenes and make the most money without taking any responsibility. There is no such good thing in the world." Zhu Yijun made further clear arrangements.

"As for you, Lin Fucheng, just go to Java. Don't come back to the hinterland for three to five years, and don't die outside." Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and punished Lin Fucheng. Exile was a must, even if what he said made some sense, but the feudal monarchy had its own limitations.

If you curse the emperor, you will never let him get away with it.

"Your Majesty, if we don't punish these traitors, we will not be able to set things right!" Zhang Juzheng was still very persistent.

"Sir, if criticism is not allowed, then praise is meaningless, so let it be." Zhu Yijun still did not follow the advice of the Taifu and chose exile instead of beheading.

Allowing criticism does not mean allowing absolute liberals and Confucian scholars to talk nonsense and make up stories.

"I, a guilty subject, kowtow to thank the Emperor for His Majesty's grace." Lin Fucheng kowtowed again to express his gratitude. His Majesty really showed mercy beyond the law. In this matter, if His Majesty really wanted to execute his entire family, no one would plead for him. But if he were asked to do it again, he would still say that he would publish this miscellaneous newspaper.

"Go down. I will ask Marquis Yingyang to take care of you." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling Lin Fucheng to leave.

Lin Fucheng packed his bag and looked at the fifth-rank official robe, tablet, seal and other items, and sighed heavily. He handed these things to the Imperial Guards, but Chen Mo did not take them. This was not within his authority. He went to inquire with the officials from the Ministry of Personnel, who said that the Five Classics Doctors were not under their jurisdiction. Lin Fucheng ran around and finally found the Internal Seal and Ribbon Supervisor to return the seal and ribbon, but was told by the eunuch of the Seal and Ribbon Supervisor that the seal and ribbon would not be taken back without an imperial edict.

"Zhang Daban, Zhang Daban, this official position and seal are not taken care of by the outer court or the inner court. Where should we return them to?" Lin Fucheng met Zhang Hong. In fact, it was Lin Fucheng who ran around and the eunuchs in the palace found out. Zhang Hong came here specifically to deal with this matter.

"Fifth-rank Doctor of Five Classics, tsk tsk." Zhang Hong grabbed the seal, looked at it for a long time, put it back and said, "Every Doctor of Five Classics was personally appointed by His Majesty. Since His Majesty has not said that he will take it back, you can take it. Do you think you can survive in Nanyang without this official robe and this official position?"

Lin Fucheng's official status was not that of the Governor-General's Office, but that of an official from the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, appointed by the emperor. When he arrived in Southeast Asia, he was an extremely special existence. No matter whether it was Guo Xing Zhengmao or Yingyang Hou Zhang Yuanxun, people had to be sent to protect him to prevent any accidents.

This is not an official position, but Lin Fucheng’s life-saving talisman, the guarantee of his survival.

"His Majesty asked us to give you a book, an agricultural book. When you arrive in Nanyang, find out everything about the Nanyang plantations. You can play your role and give good suggestions." Zhang Hong took out an agricultural book compiled by the emperor himself and gave it to Lin Fucheng. Going to Nanyang was exile, and he was also given the task of fully understanding the situation of the Nanyang plantations.

"I, a humble servant, thank you for your majesty's grace." Lin Fucheng bowed deeply towards the Beiyuan Palace and burst into tears.

(End of this chapter)