I'm really not doing business

Chapter 954 The Precious Note is the Universal Grace

Qi Jiguang proposed a battalion system to the emperor, establishing a nine-border field regiment plan consisting of three regular battalions under the command of a general, one special battalion under the command of a deputy general, one reinforcement battalion under the command of a deputy general, one guerrilla battalion, and three reserve battalions.

The Zhenwu Plan aims to reduce the size of the nine border regions from two million troops to 270,000 field troops.

The "Memorial on the Rectification and Decision of Military Policies" was a joint memorial submitted by the Grand General and the Grand Marshal, with the original intention of formulating a set of military policies that were as important as the Dinghai Education System.

The policy is good, the only problem is that the Beijing garrison may weaken, and the separatist rule of regional military governors is something the court cannot accept under any circumstances.

Qi Jiguang lacked confidence in building all his troops into a powerful army capable of "reporting to the emperor and saving the common people." He preferred to fight all the way to Moscow.

Therefore, we will take it one step at a time and wait until the material conditions are sufficient before we can see if we can realize the emperor's ambitions.

"The day before yesterday, after the Junior Minister of Rites and the Spanish envoy Pedro signed the letter of the Trans-Pacific Commercial Alliance, His Majesty issued a memorial to the Ministry of Rites inquiring whether the Ming Dynasty would repeat the mistakes of the West and seeking fundamental solutions." Grand Minister of Rites Shen Li recounted the Emperor's memorial.

The Ming Dynasty developed both land and sea resources, but its focus was still on the sea, with more than 80% of the population actually living in coastal areas.

The emergence of the Trans-Pacific Merchant Alliance was naturally a good thing for the Ming Dynasty, but it also sounded an alarm. Could the rebellion of the Western vassal states today be the Ming Dynasty's fate tomorrow?
The emperor's question was by no means unfounded; on the contrary, it required a very clear answer.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to the throne." Shen Li presented the memorial to the Emperor. The maritime expansion of the Ming Dynasty and Spain seemed similar, but there were three differences.

The Celestial Empire, as a superior nation, differs from the Western barbarians in three ways. First: the fundamental difference between the Chinese and the barbarians.

Those barbarians, with the nature of tigers and wolves, committed the acts of bandits and robbers. All the silver mines were taken back to their homeland, and all the saltpeter was used to fund their military. Treasure ships laden with precious goods returned home, leaving the granaries of the vassal states empty and resentment rising. The cruelty of their exploitation was glaring and heart-wrenching.
The Book of Documents states: "The people rely on the benefits of the trade and the transfer of resources. The Celestial Empire is driven by profit and guided by benevolence and harmony. When Luzon donated copper, it was rewarded with refined iron, salt, and tea; when Tieling transported ore, it was repaid with porcelain, silk, and grain; when Jinchi donated gold, it was always repaid with agricultural machinery, boats, and carts."
The phrase "懋迁有无" (maoqian youwu) comes from the Book of Documents and means: buying and selling goods, exchanging what is available and what is not. The people all rely on trade to make a living. The red copper of Luzon, the iron of Da Tielingwei, and the gold of Jinchi were never taken for free by the Ming Dynasty, except for last year's Emperor's birthday celebration when the emperor took them for free.

Last year on the Emperor's birthday, several governor-general's offices presented various gifts. The Emperor accepted them once, but immediately issued an edict that no more gifts should be sent in the future. The Emperor only took advantage of the governor-general's offices once on his birthday, for fear of causing a strange incident like the birthday tribute.

Judging from the fact that His Majesty personally issued an edict to prohibit extravagant gifts on the Emperor's birthday, the overseas governor's offices and the heartland of the Ming Dynasty received the same treatment and the same policy.

If you don't show benevolence and righteousness, the colonies will naturally become disloyal. If the homeland plunders all the colonies' output and gives them nothing back, and treats the colonists like natives, it would be strange if the colonists didn't want to separate from you.

Secondly: the implementation of political and educational policies is particularly profound, and the benefits of benevolence and forgiveness are even greater. Yunnan can be permanently annexed, so how could there be any disloyalty on the coastal frontier?

The Duke of Qian's residence was located in southern Yunnan, a region shrouded in miasma and inhabited by the Miao and Yi peoples, making it even more difficult than overseas settlements. However, the imperial court established local chieftains to respect local customs, set up military farms to ensure livelihoods, built numerous community schools to educate the people, and frequently exempted taxes to restore their strength. For over two hundred years, the remnants of the Six Zhao kingdoms all recited the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the children of the Three Xuan kingdoms all learned proper etiquette and customs.

Today, in the governorates of Luzon, Palembang, and Kim Chit, the roads are open and news reports are fast, government factories are established and crafts are thriving, and public pharmacies have been opened to treat diseases and epidemics, and childcare officials have been appointed to care for orphans and children.

Culturally speaking, the Central Plains has a wealth of experience in governing the people.

From the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to the Ming dynasty, the rule of the four barbarian tribes never ceased. Compared to the overseas governor's offices, Yunnan's conditions were much worse back then. Transportation was inconvenient, and it was a land of miasma. The Miao and Yi people had been around for thousands of years, making overseas expansion much more difficult than it is now.

But today, the people of the Six Zhao all recite the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the children of the Three Xuan all learn the proper attire.

The people of Yunnan would be the first to object to the Duke of Qian's family wanting to break away from the Ming Dynasty; they would only think the Duke of Qian's family had gone mad.

The Ming Dynasty's support for the overseas governor-general's offices was not just empty talk; it was based on a thorough understanding of the process of the Ming Dynasty's rule over Yunnan and the various policies it formulated. If any disloyalty were to arise in the coastal regions, the Ming Dynasty would have every reason to punish the guilty and bring righteousness upon the people.

Thirdly, they were connected by blood, and the fate of the various vassal states was tied to the Celestial Empire.

The vast copper mountains of Luzon, if not forged in the workshops of the Celestial Empire, would be no different from mere rocks. The mines of Da Tielingwei, if not transported by the great ships of the Divine Land, would simply turn the accumulated fields into ruins. As for the vast plains of Jinchi, if one wishes to cultivate thousands of fertile fields, the plows and hoes must rely on the forging of the heartland. It is like an infant relying on its loving mother, or branches clinging to a tall tree.

If one deviates from the fundamental principles, life will immediately cease; this is ordained by nature and cannot be changed by human effort.

The third difference is that the Ming Dynasty's control over overseas governor-general offices resulted in greater economic stability, as the industries of these governor-general offices were built upon the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's industries.

The iron mines of Da Tielingwei are only something that the Ming Dynasty can handle. No one else can handle them. If the Ming Dynasty doesn't take them, these copper and iron materials are no different from stubborn rocks. Branches separated from their roots will die, and this is the law of nature. The Ming Dynasty's overseas governor's office has no reason to commit suicide.

The differences in these three aspects do not mean that the Ming Dynasty can rest easy. The Ministry of Rites proposed six methods to prevent problems before they arise in order to reduce the centrifugal force of the overseas governor-general's offices.

First, establish patrol inspectors to examine official conduct and understand the people's conditions; second, promote education and culture so that the schools can transform barbarians into civilized people.

Thirdly: monopolize maritime trade and establish mutually beneficial trade policies; Fourthly: implement a rotation system for military garrison duty, with soldiers rotating every three years.
Fifthly: enfeoff members of the imperial clan and select virtuous princes to govern and strengthen the borders; Sixthly: strictly punish corruption and show no mercy to those who embezzle excessively.

The Ministry of Rites' expectation for the Overseas Governors-General's Office was "to share the same language and customs, and for the Chinese and barbarians to be of one mind." If this could be achieved, then: beyond the borders, there would be no land that would ever be disloyal; wherever the sun and moon shone, all people would be obedient; though the mountains and rivers were different, the wind and moon would be the same, the sun and moon would shine together, and the bond would be as strong as metal and stone.

"Very good, then so be it, Grand Minister of Rites." Zhu Yijun carefully read the memorial and then approved it.

Shen Li's memorial became the general guideline for the Ming Dynasty's overseas governor-general offices.

The council discussed the early rainy season, the expansion of the Suiyuan Highway, the construction of the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway, the reduction of troops and strengthening of the border, the control of overseas governor-general's offices, as well as the war in the southwest and trade with Laos.

The southwestern front is making steady progress. Large-scale advances have ended, but small-scale skirmishes are becoming more frequent.

Due to its military defeats against Laos, Toungoo has been plagued by internal strife and has split into numerous small states that even the Ming Dynasty could not count. Mang Yingli is still hiding in Toungoo, barely clinging to life.

The Ming Dynasty built an official road all the way to Laos, and the trade volume along this official road was astonishing.

Laos is really, really poor. Many Laotians don't even have clothes because there is no cloth available. They wear all sorts of very primitive clothes. Besides the refined salt that the Ming Dynasty needed, Laos also has a lot of very precious timber.

Thirty-six pieces of rosewood, padauk, sandalwood, and even golden nanmu, enough to make pillars for the Hall of Supreme Harmony, were traded to the Ming Dynasty in one transaction.

A full thirty-six!

After the central axis of the palace was burned down, Zhu Yijun couldn't find all the pillars for the Hall of Supreme Harmony, so he had to use reinforced concrete, which was cheaper than Phoebe zhennan wood.

Even with such thick and sturdy Phoebe zhennan wood, it was still not the most precious material in this batch. The most precious material was agarwood, which was sent to the imperial court in twelve boxes at once.

Zhu Yijun, standing in the Wenhua Hall, looked at the box of agarwood in front of him and fell silent. This stuff cost ten thousand coins per piece, it was extremely expensive. It sank in water, did not produce an open flame, and turned into black charcoal when burned, producing wisps of white smoke with a fragrant aroma.

As the supreme emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he only had a few pounds of agarwood in the palace. It was only burned to ward off evil spirits and eliminate impurities when an imperial heir was born.

The box of agarwood in front of us weighs a full 36 jin (approximately 18 catties). Based on the amount used in the past, this box alone would last for decades. Twelve boxes would weigh 432 jin (approximately 260 kg).

Besides agarwood, there is also a set of Buddha statues made of Phoebe zhennan wood, depicting Empress Dowager Li worshipping Buddha. This was a gift from Lao Daoshi to express gratitude to the Ming Dynasty for its assistance in repelling the attacks from Toungoo and Annam, giving them a brief respite.

Finally, to express his gratitude, Dao Shigong also sent a total of eighteen pairs of children, boys and girls.

"No, am I some kind of demon or monster? The kind that eats young boys and girls alive?" Zhu Yijun found this state gift rather baffling.

Golden nanmu wood suitable for making pillars, large pieces of agarwood for research by the Jieku Academy, the mining and transportation of Jingjue salt, and a whole set of Buddhist sculptures to please the Empress Dowager—Zhu Yijun liked all of these very much, treating the Ming Dynasty as a business.

The last boy and girl were truly strange.

Shen Li said helplessly, "Your Majesty, there is no Ximen Bao in Laos. They have this bad custom of offering young boys and girls to the river god to pray for good weather and for the Ming Dynasty to protect them from war. Dao Shigong has chosen eighteen pairs of young boys and girls."

"I am not a monster! How can a god eat people!" Zhu Yijun was both angry and annoyed. He thought that Dao Shigong had finally come to his senses and sent the child to the Ming Dynasty to be raised from a young age, so that when he grew up, he could go back to govern Laos.

It turned out to be not at all; it was a sacrifice.

"Dao Lansheng is old and has nothing to do in the capital. He spends all day listening to storytelling at Qianmen Tower. Sending them to him to look after the children and arrange their schooling is just ridiculous!" Zhu Yijun slammed his hand on the table and made arrangements for the children's placement.

Instead of sending eighteen pairs of boys and girls back on such a long journey, it would be better to raise them properly so that Laos and the Ming Dynasty can become even more closely intertwined in the future.

Ximen Bao governed Ye, a story from the "Biographies of Jesters" in the Records of the Grand Historian.

During the Warring States period, the ruler of the State of Wei sent Ximen Bao to govern Ye County. The locals had a bad custom of the river god taking a wife. Ximen Bao directly threw the witch into the river as a sacrifice and dug twelve ditches to control the Zhang River. From then on, the Zhang River never flooded again.

Clearly, Laos also had similar bad habits, but Laos did not have Sima Bao, nor did royal power triumph over divine power, ultimately leading to the farcical situation of sacrificing young boys and girls to the Ming emperor.

After Zhu Yijun returned to Tonghe Palace, he saw a miscellaneous newspaper on the table. On the cover of the newspaper was an invitation to a gathering, inviting scholars from all directions to come to Taibai Tower for a discussion.

The newspaper's paper wasn't very nice, the handwriting wasn't very clear, and the name was unfamiliar—it was called "The Merchant's Report." Zhu Yijun opened it, looked at it for a while, then threw it aside and said to Feng Bao with a smile, "Nonsense, don't bother sending it again."

Zhu Yijun made some simple preparations and was just about to deal with the memorials that had been sent today when he looked at the miscellaneous report again. He picked it up and read it through.

The new miscellaneous newspaper, penned by Liu Xinkui, was a completely unfamiliar name, but its contents were somewhat explosive. The newspaper stated: "The precious paper is the universal grace of the Holy One."

Zhu Yijun read two paragraphs and thought they were nonsense, so he didn't look at them closely. Then he picked them up again and suddenly felt that there seemed to be some twisted logic to them.

"Your Majesty, would you like to go and see the excitement?" Feng Bao asked the emperor, seeing his interest. The meeting was scheduled for today.

“No, his idea isn’t very mature,” Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, “We’ll proceed with the military inspection as usual.”

"The minister obeys the order."

The Ming emperor did not attend this gathering because he felt that the article had some merit, but it was also fallacious reasoning and not worth Zhu Yijun wasting his time on.

When the emperor went to the Beidaying camp in the afternoon, the sky became gloomy and the wind was damp. By the time the entourage arrived at the Beidaying camp, the drizzle had turned into a downpour. The emperor did not review the troops outdoors, but conducted a brief review at the drill ground of Wuying Tower.

The heavy rain lasted for less than 15 minutes before turning into a drizzle. The capital city became clearer thanks to the rain, and in front of Taibai Tower, there was a bustling scene of cars and people, with countless people participating in the gathering.

Liu Xinkui, a scholar-official from Chengdu, Sichuan, became famous upon arriving in the capital for defining the paper money as a symbol of imperial grace. Since no money was charged for this gathering, many scholars naturally came to join in the fun.

The discussion was like scholars arguing over their hair, but strangely enough, they eventually reached a consensus on the absurd idea that the precious paper money was a divine gift.

When Zhu Yijun returned to Tonghe Palace, it was already afternoon. Although he did not participate in the meeting, the Ming imperial guards still managed to gather all the information they needed and present it to the emperor.

"Is the precious paper money a divine favor? How could it possibly reach a consensus among the scholar-officials?" Zhu Yijun flipped through the documents in front of him, finding it utterly unbelievable.

Only after he had carefully read through all the documents from the meeting did he realize that the scholar-officials had not gone mad.

Liu Xinkui came prepared. The content he published in the newspaper was a trap. In fact, his theory was already very sound, but he deliberately made it look flawed in order to attract people to the gathering. Liu Xinkui's goal was very simple: to make a name for himself.

Reputation is money, and that remains true in any era.

The Ming Dynasty's understanding of money was constantly evolving, not static. In his "Illustrations of Production," Jiao Hong, a scholar specializing in natural sciences, defined money as a special commodity and a universally accepted general equivalent.

The study of production and currency was intended to better explain the actual role of currency in the economy and how the imperial court could better utilize monetary tools to promote the development of the Ming Dynasty.

Building on this, Liu Xinkui went a step further, proposing a correlation between the money supply and the production of goods.

A money shortage occurs when the money supply cannot meet the needs of commodity exchange.

When the money supply is sufficient to meet the needs of commodity exchange, there is a balance.

When the money supply exceeds the needs of commodity exchange, it's just a pipe dream.

Could the currency of the Ming Dynasty meet the needs of commodity exchange? Obviously not.

The more silver there is, the more active the Ming Dynasty's trade becomes, and the greater the growth in currency demand is compared to the inflow of silver, resulting in a larger silver shortage.

The more silver there is, the less silver there is. This ridiculous and unsolvable dilemma is right in front of the Ming Dynasty. As long as there are powerful and wealthy people, local gentry and gentry with businesses, they can clearly feel that the Ming Dynasty's silver is completely insufficient.

In recent years, in particular, Spain has become increasingly arrogant and has continued to anger the Ming Dynasty, leading to a proactive reduction in the inflow of silver into the Ming Dynasty.

This behavior exacerbated the money shortage, which had a fatal impact on the Ming Dynasty, affecting all aspects of the country. The emperor used gold and paper money to make up for the lack of silver inflow.

So, what was the price of the gold and paper money? The price was that His Majesty the Emperor had to tighten his belt and live frugally.

Any silver in the imperial treasury was sent to the Yanxinglou Gold and Silver Market to exchange for gold. The gold was then deposited into the Tonghe Palace Treasury and subsequently lent to the court in the form of paper money.

In particular, Your Majesty's lending of precious paper money to the court at 'zero interest' is a testament to Your Majesty's benevolence and grace.

"I also charge interest, so how come Liu Xinkui says it's zero interest?" Zhu Yijun frowned. Zhu Yijun also charged interest. When the court borrowed money, Zhu Yijun provided the currency, and interest was charged when the currency was repaid.

"Liu Xinkui means the actual interest rate. The interest His Majesty receives on the debt is the same as the interest on the deposits at the Huitong Post Station, so it's zero interest," Feng Bao explained. Liu Xinkui had studied this in detail; the emperor actually doesn't make money by lending money.

The Huitongguan Post Station earned interest on its deposits; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to absorb enough silver to mint silver coins for circulation.

"That's true." Zhu Yijun affirmed Liu Xinkui's statement, saying that he had earned much more by using the money to develop plantations overseas than by lending money.

Baochao is paper money, representing the transition from precious metal currency to paper money in the Ming Dynasty. Paper money is entirely based on credit, and the credit here is all the emperor's personal credit.

From top to bottom, all classes recognized His Majesty's credibility, believed that His Majesty's Tonghe Palace Treasury had so much gold, believed that the Emperor would not recklessly distribute it, and believed that the Emperor could protect the gold.

Once the credibility of the paper money collapsed, it meant the collapse of the emperor's own credibility. Judging from the emperor's severe punishment of his maternal grandfather, Marquis Wuqing, Li Wei, and Empress Dowager Li, it was clear that maintaining the credibility of the paper money would require paying a very high price.

The paper money was issued with the emperor's credit backing, which was also a sign of the emperor's benevolence and virtue benefiting the world.

In addition to the two reasons mentioned above—zero interest and credibility—Liu Xinkui proposed the concept of excess demand for currency, further explaining that the precious paper money is a divine blessing.

Liu Xinkui believed that the best monetary policy was not balance, but a pipe dream, because most scholars ignored the widespread excess demand for money.

Excess demand for money was a conclusion Liu Xinkui reached after long-term observation in Songjiang Prefecture.

Firstly, in the present Ming Dynasty, money shops need large amounts of currency for turnover, and the business of making money from money does not involve actual production.

Secondly, almost all powerful figures, wealthy merchants, and money lenders would allocate a portion of their currency to non-productive sectors, whether it was silver buried in pigsties or large sums spent on pleasure.

Silver was dammed in the metropolis, and paper money was also dammed in the metropolis. The resulting idle circulation of currency is a typical characteristic of currency allocation to non-productive sectors.

How to control the money supply to exceed the demand for commodity exchange while still meeting the needs of the excess money supply and preventing the rapid devaluation of the paper money was a severe test for the Ming Dynasty court and His Majesty the Emperor.

The fact that Your Majesty did not take the shortcut of over-issuing currency to solve the problem is the third reason why the precious paper money is a divine grace.

"No matter how you look at it, Liu Xinkui was brought here by the Master to express gratitude." Zhu Yijun shook his head after reading the contents of the meeting. He did not agree with the contents. Zhu Yijun was indeed restrained, but his restraint was for the sake of maintaining power.

The expansion of the Suiyuan highway could indeed be addressed by issuing more currency, but Zhu Yijun chose to divert the silver intended for Zhu Yiliu's enfeoffment.

The precious paper money is the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty for the next few decades, or even hundreds of years. Zhu Yijun dared not mess it up; he could not bear that responsibility.

“There are many things here that only the ministers know. Liu Xinkui was indeed invited by someone, but it was Vice Minister Ling who invited him, not Mr. Zhang.” Feng Bao told the emperor about Liu Xinkui’s background. It was not Zhang Juzheng, but Ling Yunyi, which was why this new miscellaneous report was able to appear before the emperor.

Zhu Yijun said with some surprise, "Vice Minister Ling?"

"Vice Minister Ling thinks that the narrative of gratitude you've presented is too conservative and hesitant," Feng Bao said helplessly.

Ling Yunyi was a typical radical. He always advocated for a massive, sweeping approach followed by gradual adjustments, which was completely different from the conservative approach of Zhang Juzheng, who made steady progress day by day.

The narrative of gold has been around for three years, and the gold-inscribed paper has been issued for three years. Zhang Juzheng left such a good narrative of gratitude unused, but Ling Yunyi took it and used it directly.

"Tell Vice Minister Ling to tone it down a bit, so as not to offend anyone." Zhu Yijun did not object, but reminded Ling Yunyi not to use too much force, lest it backfire.

The reason Zhu Yijun did not object was actually quite simple: Liu Xinkui was stating the facts, and facts speak louder than words.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to create a narrative of gratitude because he needed to solve a problem: after his death, the emperor needed to have enough power to deal with the strong counterattack from the opposition to the Wanli Reforms. The elite troops of the Beijing Garrison alone were not enough; he also needed the support of the people.

Zhu Yijun rested for a quarter of an hour before continuing to grind the millstone. The two hundred memorials submitted that afternoon had already been delivered to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace.

"This is outrageous!" Zhu Yijun said angrily, holding a memorial: "Immediately issue a decree to Song Qichang, the governor of Shandong, ordering that all the culprits involved in the case be arrested within three days of the imperial edict's arrival! If he fails to do so, I will lead troops to Jinan Prefecture and behead him!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Governor Song arrested the man that very afternoon," Feng Bao quickly advised the emperor, explaining that anger is bad for one's health.

After the summer harvest, the emperor will inspect all the granaries of the Ming Dynasty in preparation for any unforeseen weather events. This imperial edict was issued at the end of last year. The reason for conducting the inspection now, six months later, is to give all regions time to prepare and ensure that the grain is gathered in order to avoid being caught.

A group of seven people, including the Shandong Provincial Inspector and the Ministry of Revenue official, were inspecting Changqing County when they discovered that the county's granaries had been replaced by old ones and that many granaries were empty. After the seven people had secured the evidence, on the night before they were to leave, a group of thieves suddenly appeared and attacked and beat the Provincial Inspector, the Ministry of Revenue official, and others. The Ministry of Revenue official was the most seriously injured, with his nose broken. All the evidence was destroyed.

The emperor was truly very merciful, giving them six months to prepare, which was also to deal with any unforeseen events. Otherwise, the devastation of the local granaries would have been very difficult to manage.

After Feng Bao reminded him, Zhu Yijun noticed that there was another memorial from Song Qichang below.

That afternoon, Song Qichang led his troops directly to Changqing County and arrested everyone in the county government, including the yamen runners. The next day, he arrested three prominent families in the county and brought them to justice before submitting a petition to the imperial court.

The matter is not complicated. Shandong is a coastal province and not a place where weather changes can have a severe impact. This year, Shandong has enjoyed favorable weather conditions and a bumper summer harvest.

The magistrate of Changqing County completely forgot about filling the reservoir for the inspection.

When the imperial court began its investigation and the Jinan prefecture issued a warrant to the magistrate of Changqing County, he hurriedly ordered the gentry to transport their grain to the county government's granary. Transporting grain takes time, and the seven-member imperial censor's entourage arrived too quickly.

There was a local gentry who came up with this idea. His idea wasn't to attack the imperial envoy, as no one would have that kind of courage. Instead, the gentry hired a few thieves to steal from him.

Who knows where this thief came from? If we just delay for three to five days, we can fill the warehouse. Then, the Changqing County government can arrest a few vagrants and scoundrels to take the blame, and everything will be perfect.

However, problems arose during the actual execution process. The order to only seize and destroy evidence, and absolutely not to harm anyone, was not followed, and the thieves who stole the evidence were discovered.

The imperial censor, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and others refused to hand over the account books no matter what they did. They even fought back desperately, smashing whatever tables, chairs, and benches they could get their hands on. When the thieves sent to steal from them failed, they became enraged and resorted to open robbery.

The matter quickly escalated.

"So, if the magistrate of Changqing County had been more careful and remembered this matter, he wouldn't have had to resort to last-minute scrambling and create such a mess." Zhu Yijun finished reading the detailed account of the case.

Changqing County is adjacent to Jinan Prefecture and is considered a large county. The county seat alone has a population of over 300,000, so it is not short of food. The fact that things have come to this point is really beyond everyone's expectations.

“Your Majesty, the magistrate of Changqing County has been rated as top-notch for the past three years. If he is rated as top-notch again this year, he should become the prefectural judge of Jinan.” Feng Bao said in a low voice, “The granary of Changqing County is in deficit, but he did not embezzle it. The year before last, he exchanged it for salt and made it into vegetarian dishes.”

"According to Feng Daban, there seems to be more to this case than meets the eye?" Zhu Yijun carefully reviewed the Shandong governor's memorial again, which did not mention why the Changqing County granary was in deficit.

Vegetarian dishes, also known as pickled vegetables, are made by pickling vegetables with salt. Records of this method can be found in Shang Dynasty books, and it was already widely used around the time of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty.

Vegetarian dishes from Shandong often include kelp, radish, and Shandong scallions, resulting in an excellent flavor. They are sold in many parts of northern China during the Ming Dynasty, and can even be found in Womagang.

This is the business that Song Qichang started in Shandong after Wang Yie left. It sells not only vegetables, but also salt, kelp, scallions and other products.

"The warrant from Jinan Prefecture has arrived in Changqing County. According to past practice, the Imperial Censor and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue would have to wait seven days before they arrived. But the warrant arrived in the morning, and the Imperial Censor arrived in the afternoon. It's a bit too hasty." Feng Bao said a few good words for the magistrate of Changqing County.

If one only looks at the memorials of Governor Song Qichang, the Imperial Censor, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, one might think that the magistrate of Changqing County had no sense of respect whatsoever.

But Feng Bao immediately sensed something was wrong and specifically sent the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial to the Censorate to find out what was going on.

When the imperial inspector and the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue arrived in Jinan Prefecture, they had already thoroughly understood the situation in each county, clearly knowing who had done what and who hadn't. Shandong was generally wealthy, except for Changqing County, which was too busy with vegetarian dishes to pay attention to.

The ticket holders set off in the morning, and the imperial censors arrived in the afternoon; it seems they were treating the magistrate of Changqing County as a quota to be met.

At the crucial moment of his promotion, the magistrate of Changqing County also felt that the censor had arrived too quickly and harbored resentment, which is why he agreed to the method of stealing evidence.

“Your Majesty, the magistrate of Changqing County has nothing to do with me, but this censor is somewhat eager for quick success and instant benefits.” Feng Bao carefully reviewed the performance evaluation of the magistrate of Changqing County. He was a conscientious official, but he had done too much and made a mistake, which gave the censor a handle to use against him.

This may also be one of the drawbacks of the performance evaluation system, as it can exacerbate internal friction within the system.

The magistrate of Changqing County in Shandong is a typical example. If you arrive too late, you won't be able to catch him. The imperial inspector was indeed too eager, but the magistrate of Changqing County made a mistake in handling the matter himself.

This is truly an internal power struggle, all for the sake of promotion.

　Gold couldn't be spent directly; it needed to be exchanged for silver first, just like money today. Therefore, the emperor's hoarding of gold was essentially exchanging his own extravagance for the development of the Ming Dynasty. This is the main logic behind the narrative of paper money as imperial favor. (Please vote! Awooo!!!)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)