I'm really not doing business

Chapter 990 The smile will not disappear, it will only move

Before Zhang Juzheng returned to the Quanchu Guild Hall and began writing his memorial, he first asked You Shouli to retrieve the letters he had exchanged with Li Chengliang over the years, as he needed to ascertain many details about Liaodong.

Li Chengliang was a rough and uncultured man who talked a lot incessantly. These letters helped Zhang Juzheng understand the situation in Liaodong.

There are many letters, such as how to catch bighead carp when Chagan Lake was discovered, and how to send live fish to the palace, etc.

The bighead carp was a gift from Liaodong to His Majesty. The emperor twice issued decrees not to send live fish as tribute, as it was a waste of resources and manpower. However, Li Chengliang and Hou Yuzhao went their own way, and in the end, His Majesty had no choice but to allow them to send live fish as tribute.

Because of the live fish presented as tribute to His Majesty, the bighead carp from Chagan Lake could be sold in Liaodong, Beizhili, Shandong and other places.

The emperor himself praised it after tasting it, so naturally it sold very well.

The emperor made two southern tours, and along the way, there were countless goods that the emperor had tasted and praised, such as Wanli tribute noodles, Wanli tribute pastries, and Wanli imperial cakes. As for whether His Majesty had actually tasted them, Zhang Juzheng did not know.

What the emperor eats and how many bowls of rice he eats a day is a closely guarded secret. Even Yang Bo was questioned by His Majesty back then. "Are you so curious about how many bowls of rice I eat a day?" Yang Bo was terrified and knelt down, unable to get up.

The merchants accompanying the army were a unique group that most scholar-officials were unaware of. The spoils of the Ming army's conquests were ultimately distributed to these merchants, who were also one of the main forces in land reclamation.

Zhang Juzheng also consulted many historical books from the Hongwu era and the "Regulations for Salt Administration" (also known as the Salt Administration Law) formulated in the third and fourth years of Hongwu's reign.

The practice of recruiting merchants to transport military provisions, horses, and other goods, and to cultivate wasteland, using salt and tea as intermediaries, was stipulated in the regulations of the Salt Administration.

Commercial reclamation and military reclamation were systems designed by Emperor Taizu Gao in the early years of the Hongwu reign, and these systems remained effective until the fifth year of the Hongzhi reign of Emperor Xiaozong.

"Emperor Xiaozong..." After reviewing all the old cases related to the Kaizhong Law, Zhang Juzheng was unable to calm down for a long time. He really had a lot to say.

In the fifth year of the Hongzhi reign, Ye Qi, the Minister of Revenue, made changes to the salt exchange system and proposed the silver-for-salt system. Merchants no longer needed to travel long distances to transport grain and other goods to border areas; they could simply pay silver at the salt fields to obtain salt.

This seemed to directly increase the imperial court's annual revenue, but soon, only about 1.3 million taels of silver from the salt fields reached the imperial court. This amount was less than the profits from the seaweed business.

The Ming Dynasty's salt laws were also largely undermined by the "salt conversion system" devised on a whim by Emperor Xiaozong and his minister Ye Qi.

The reason why the salt tax was undermined is simple: the salt fields were responsible for collecting the silver, and the silver was siphoned off layer by layer from the bottom to the national treasury. By the time it reached the national treasury, there was still 1.3 million taels of silver left, and officials at all levels were already showing great respect to the court.

The salt laws were undermined, and the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue plummeted. That was bad enough, but the key issue was that large amounts of land were abandoned by merchants for farming, leading to insufficient military rations and dwindling border reserves.

Originally, merchants would cultivate land in the nine border regions, exchange the grain they cultivated for salt permits at the garrisons, and then send the salt permits to the hinterland, where their families would collect the salt and sell it in various places.

However, after the salt exchange policy was implemented, merchants no longer needed to painstakingly gather tenant farmers to cultivate the land. They could simply exchange silver for enough salt. Merchants began to abandon large areas of land on the border, and in less than five years, the supply of military food decreased by 20%.

The price of rice in the border areas soared, reaching as high as five taels of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain at its peak!

The fact that merchants and farmers accounted for 20% of the military rations was so important is because Jiubian was a military-controlled area, meaning that the ecology there was actually very fragile, and a small change could have far-reaching consequences.

The Nine Border Regions were already in a state of food shortage, with insufficient food resources. The large-scale abandonment of land by merchants led to a 20% reduction in food supply, which was tantamount to the collapse of the sky for the Nine Border Regions.

Let alone the nine border regions, even if the grain supply in the capital suddenly decreased by 20%, the price of grain in the capital would soar from five coins per shi to the point where 20% of the population would starve to death.

The first person to attempt to sabotage the Opening of the Middle Way was Liao Yongzhong, the same Liao Yongzhong who drowned the Little Ming King in the river. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and almost had Liao Yongzhong killed.

The salt tax reform, which Ye Qi and Emperor Xiaozong came up with on a whim, completely ruined the Ming Dynasty's salt tax and the supply of military provisions to the border regions. In Zhang Juzheng's eyes, they also bore some responsibility for Altan Khan's rise to power and his invasion of the capital region.

Because the nine border regions were not destroyed, Anda Khan could not have caused such a big mess.

Zhang Juzheng took out Li Chengliang's letters after he arrived in the Western Regions and read them for a long time. He confirmed that Li Chengliang still had merchants accompanying him when he went to the Western Regions, and the number of them was very large.

Although Li Chengliang's household guards numbered only three thousand, the number of soldiers, merchants, laborers, civilians, cooks, prostitutes, and others accompanying him exceeded twenty thousand.

"What can I say about this Marquis of Ningyuan? Is he really that obsessed with this brothel?" Zhang Juzheng finished reading all the letters, copied down the key points, and shook his head helplessly.

He didn't know how many times he had told Li Chengliang, but Li Chengliang just wouldn't listen and insisted on messing around with that brothel.

Last time, Li Chengliang clashed with Zhou Yong, the governor of Liaodong, over the brothels in Tieling. Li Chengliang felt that Zhou Yong was a man of integrity who refused to go to brothels with him, so he was not one of his own and had the behavior of a bandit.

Now Li Chengliang has set up a brothel in Hami and even built a Hu Xuan dance hall. He has been impeached by Gansu officials many times. Many merchants have gone to Hami, and the brothel has become a must-visit place, making many people eager to go there.

Not only are courtesans from the heartland following them, but Hu women are also a major feature of the brothels in Hami.

When Li Chengliang went to the Western Regions, the merchants who accompanied him also began to cultivate the land in the area, following the tradition of thousands of years ago. This time, they were cultivating cotton fields. In March of this year, Li Chengliang forbade all merchants from cultivating cotton fields, stipulating that they could only grow grain and not cotton, which caused the merchants to complain.

In the Western Regions, Li Chengliang's words carried more weight than imperial edicts. While His Majesty reasoned with him, Li Chengliang acted like a bandit king, refusing to listen to reason. If someone disobeyed, he would drive them away; if they caused trouble, he would kill them. Merchants had no choice but to switch to growing grains and dared not plant cotton.

Li Chengliang's regulation was not arbitrary. The widespread planting of cotton had led to a decrease in grain production in the Western Regions. Grain was already scarce and extremely lacking in the region, and cotton production made it even more scarce. Therefore, this one-size-fits-all approach was necessary to prohibit merchants from cultivating cotton fields.

Li Chengliang knew this was not a long-term solution, so he specially invited the Grand Minister of Agriculture from the Agricultural College to go and see if there was any way to help.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture had no solution, but he came up with one.

Ke Yanchang, an agronomy PhD from the agricultural college who went to Hami in the western region, was a pillar of strength in Suiyuan.

Ke Yanchang successfully cultivated the purple root grass sent by the Rus' Kingdom, and planted it all over Suiyuan. He also cultivated fast-growing poplar in Gansu. The Zhong Sheng Liangshu No. 1, which is now being vigorously promoted by the Ming Dynasty, was also cultivated under Ke Yanchang's leadership.

The "Respect for Antiquity and Progress Award" of the 20th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign had already been awarded to Ke Yanchang, but Ke Yanchang was too busy to accept the award, so it would be kept by the Emperor himself.

Ke Yanchang is now trying to find a solution to the problem of saline-alkali land covering the mountains and plains of the Western Regions. If a good solution is found, merchants can be allowed to cultivate cotton fields. This will create a virtuous cycle of commercial, military, and civilian land reclamation.

The alkaline soil is covered in white foliage, and several crops are planted each year. There aren't many seedlings, and hardly anything is harvested in the fall.

Saline-alkali land is a major problem hindering grain production in the Western Regions. Ke Yanchang is looking for various halophytes, and ideally, he wants to tame these plants to drain salt from the saline-alkali land.

Moreover, most of these halophytes are high-quality pasture grasses. After all, animals will even chew on stones for salt, and wolves will jump into sheep pens to lick up urine stains.

If halophytes suitable for growth in the Western Regions can be cultivated, a virtuous cycle can be established, which will lead to salt removal by halophytes, animal husbandry, and expansion of arable land. Once this link is established, the grain output in the Western Regions will continue to expand.

If the Ming Dynasty can maintain control over the Western Regions for more than two hundred years, and this cycle can continue for two hundred years, then the Western Regions will truly be the only region in history that no one has been able to separate from the Western Regions.

His Majesty personally kept Ke Yanchang's Honoring Antiquity and Progress Award plaque until Ke Yanchang returned to the capital, where it was then personally awarded by His Majesty.

Pang Xian also missed the award ceremony for the Progress Award once. At that time, he was in Suiyuan to vaccinate against smallpox. More than a year later, the emperor personally awarded the award to Pang Xian. Pang Xian was a student of Li Shizhen, and he surpassed his teacher.

Zhang Juzheng synthesized all of Li Chengliang's letters and various policies regarding the opening of the middle class, and began writing "The Memorial on the Relocation of People from Liaodong during the Wanli Era".

This was originally intended to be written by Qi Jiguang, but Qi Jiguang was a great general and not very familiar with politics. Zhang Juzheng wanted to help Qi Jiguang complete this book, "The Memorial on Migrant Population," which was comparable to "New Book of Military Efficiency" and "On War."

Qi Jiguang returned to the General's Mansion and helped Zhang Juzheng write the "Memorial on the Appointment of Craftsmen and Officials".

Zhang Juzheng was not familiar with the artisans as a group because he had never supervised large-scale construction projects or official factories. Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, knew artisans very well because his personal guards were miners from Yiwu.

These Zhejiang soldiers followed Qi Jiguang in his campaigns across the north and south, making great contributions and even discovering the Womagang mining complex during the conquest of Suiyuan.

Qi Jiguang truly understood the artisans as a group. He combined his experience with the artisans he had lived with with them to write a ten-thousand-word book, which he sent to the Quan Chu Guild Hall to help Zhang Juzheng complete the final step of the official selection process.

To this day, Zhang Juzheng still doesn't know that the Civil Service Examination Law was originally a bad idea suggested by Wang Qian to the emperor. However, at that time, Wang Qian only had a preliminary idea, and the improvement of the Civil Service Examination Law was completed by Zhang Juzheng himself.

On the fourth day of the eighth month of the nineteenth year of the Wanli reign, a court meeting was held in the Wenhua Hall, where Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang each submitted their memorials.

"Sir, Commander Qi, you have devoted yourselves to the Ming Dynasty. On behalf of all the people, I thank you both." Zhu Yijun said sincerely after reading the two memorials.

Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang bowed again, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty."

The phrase "dedicating oneself to the utmost" is a very high compliment, because it was Zhuge Liang's self-evaluation, and this evaluation was recognized by his opponents and by time.

Sima Yi's greatest enemy was Zhuge Liang, but the Western Jin Dynasty established by the Sima family held Zhuge Liang in extremely high regard.

Phrases like "unprecedented since the Qin and Han dynasties," "his great name will be remembered throughout the universe," and "when Ge Gong was alive, no one noticed anything extraordinary; after his death, no one has been able to compare" were all praises of Zhuge Liang during the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties. The greatest praise for Zhuge Liang came during the Jin dynasty.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang. If history were to judge him in the future, Zhu Yijun would not care about his reputation, nor would he care if his grave was piled with garbage. What he had done was bound to invite criticism.

But he hopes that historians can be fair to Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang, for they were worthy of the court, the emperor, the country, the people, and, most importantly, their own conscience.

The two of them embodied loyalty to the extreme.

The court officials were abuzz with discussion about the two memorials. Both were written by thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge, both had passed the imperial examinations with flying colors, and both had climbed step by step to reach the Wenhua Hall. They were both human, so why was there such a huge difference? These two important ministers, Zhang and Qi, were still putting in their best efforts. The civil service examination system was a major reform of the Ming Dynasty's bureaucracy, while the memorial on relocating people could significantly mitigate the severe effects of the celestial upheaval.

“Returning land to its original state in Xuzhou.” Shen Shixing stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty, returning land to its original state in Xuzhou is the easiest place.”

Shen Shixing submitted a memorial on returning land to the people, invoking the banner of the established laws of the Hongwu Emperor, and proposed to return land to the prefectures of Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou, and Yingtian.

Shen Shixing originally thought that Suzhou Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture would be the easiest, but he was wrong. After communicating with the prefects of the five prefectures, he found that Xuzhou Prefecture would be the easiest to deal with.

"Oh? Xuzhou Prefecture doesn't have that much silver, so how come it's the easiest?" Zhu Yijun asked somewhat strangely. Xuzhou Prefecture was on the land return list because of Zhu Yijun's personal preference, as a reward for loyalty. He originally thought that he would have to pay a high price to help Xuzhou Prefecture.

But the reality seems to be different.

Shen Shixing said with deep emotion, "The land in Xuzhou has already begun to be returned to its original state. I have been communicating with Prefect Liu Shunzhi through correspondence. Prefect Liu has already completed part of the land return by passing through the imperial road."

The fact that 7% of the population were willing to enlist actually reflects the ease or difficulty of governance. The higher this number, the more popular the local government was with the people, and the easier it was to govern.

After all, the fact that I was willing to apply and register means I really have a cow!

When the imperial court needed to do something, it would actually conscript these registered people. Repairing bridges and roads, building ditches and wells, repairing imperial highways, constructing official factories, etc., were all hard labor jobs.

"How did Liu Shunzhi manage to do that?" Zhu Yijun was also taken aback when he heard this. The imperial road passed through many places, so how could Liu Shunzhi have used it to redistribute the means of production?
Shen Shixing explained in detail how Liu Shunzhi had done it.

While the Beijing-Guangzhou highway was under construction, the highway from Jinan Prefecture to Yangzhou Prefecture was also under construction. This highway passed through Xuzhou Prefecture, and Liu Shunzhi immediately seized the opportunity to use the construction of the highway to establish an engineering corps, sort out production relations, reward and punish law-abiding and lawless gentry, and finally complete a thorough land survey and a population census.

Only by having both the fish-scale ledger and the yellow ledger in hand can the means of production be redistributed.

"Speaking of last year's Emperor's birthday, officials from all over the country submitted congratulatory memorials, discussing their views on Hou Yuzhao's book 'Turning Over.' I have a very deep impression of Liu Shunzhi's congratulatory memorial. He said that only when the people are turned over can the Ming Dynasty be turned over, and only by returning the land to the people can they be turned over." Zhu Yijun listened to Shen Shixing's statement with deep emotion.

Liu Shunzhi was a good official. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who was granted the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations). He accomplished things that many Jinshi graduates could not.

Zhu Yijun met Liu Shunzhi during his southern tour. Liu Shunzhi was not actually smart and did not belong to the category of quick-witted geniuses at all, but he still managed to do it.

Shen Shixing said with some difficulty, "Prefect Liu's method of returning land to the people can be used as a reference in Yangzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou and Yingtian. If I were to take charge of the land return project, I would be taking credit for the work done by Prefect Liu."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Minister Shen, what you say is true. Prefect Liu can only return some of the land in Xuzhou. He also needs your help as a high-ranking official in the capital. Well, we complement each other. There is no question of one of us taking credit for the other. We are both virtuous and good ministers."

"I will bestow extra favors upon Minister Liu. There is no need for you to feel guilty. What is due to you will be yours."

Shen Shixing was a gentleman, and his virtue did not allow him to claim credit for Liu Shunzhi's achievements. It was possible to take credit, but for a top scholar to steal the credit that a mere candidate had worked so hard to earn would be a disgrace to Shen Shixing.

The matter of Shen Shixing taking back the land was actually difficult to carry out, after all, the powerful and influential people in these places were definitely not to be trifled with, and the resistance was considerable. However, Liu Shunzhi's actions successfully opened up a huge gap for Shen Shixing.

A huge gap appeared in an impregnable castle, making it much easier for Shen Shixing to breach it.

Gao Qiyu glanced at Shen Shixing, a hint of envy in his eyes. Shen Shixing's life had been very smooth.

He passed the imperial examination after only half a year and became a Jinshi, becoming a disciple of Zhang Juzheng. When he went out to serve as an official, he was the governor of Songjiang. Song Yingchang laid a solid foundation for the affairs of Songjiang. After returning to the capital, he made great contributions to the reform of the official factories. Now, he has the merit of returning farmland to the people, and someone is paving the way for him. It is within his grasp.

Gao Qiyu has come this far because his former mentor, Yuan Fu, disliked him and made things difficult for him at every turn, so he had to work hard in everything he did.

Gao Qiyu failed the imperial examination for the first time in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign. Watching Shen Shixing, the top scholar, parade through the streets, treading on flowers in Chang'an in a single day, full of vigor and high spirits, Gao Qiyu still wanted to see this top scholar display his inner ambitions and watch Shen Shixing do things. He felt as if the heavens and earth were helping him when the time was right.

Gao Qiyu was not discouraged. He was already better than most of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). He was now a court official and participated in the important affairs of the country. Shen Shixing was indeed very strong and had great luck, but Gao Qiyu was no less talented than others!

"Minister Shen, there's something I need to tell you. Yao Guangqi, the magistrate of Songjiang, and Yan Shixuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, have come to the capital to report on their duties, to take charge of the General Affairs Office and the Assistant Magistrate." Zhu Yijun looked at Shen Shixing and felt that things had been going too well for him lately, so he told Shen Shixing some great news.

"Who? Yan Shixuan?!" Shen Shixing's expression changed drastically. All the misfortunes he had suffered in his life, being demoted to the fifth rank twice and serving as the fifth-rank official in charge of the governorship of Songjiang Prefecture, were all due to this person, Yan Shixuan!
"Exactly." Zhu Yijun looked at Shen Shixing's drastic change in expression and smiled brightly. Yan Shixuan's reputation for overthrowing his superiors was truly well-deserved. Hou Yuzhao, as his immediate superior, was not immune to this. If Hou Yuzhao hadn't been so lucky, he would probably have ended up like Shen Shixing.

"Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? They are all old friends, Minister Shen, you may meet them." Zhu Yijun's words brought smiles to the faces of the court officials.

Gao Qiyu's smile was as bright and sunny as His Majesty the Emperor's.

Shen Shixing was somewhat absent-minded during the morning court session. As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he was indeed going to meet with Yan Shixuan and Yao Guangqi. Yan Shixuan had left a very deep impression on Shen Shixing.

However, now that Shen Shixing is a high-ranking official in the Jianzai Emperor's court, he doesn't believe that Yan Shixuan can still be the same as before!
When the court session ended, Shen Shixing was preoccupied and didn't watch where he was going.

"Watch out!" Several court officials shouted a warning as Shen Shixing was about to bump into the gatepost of Zuoshun Gate.

"Bang." Shen Shixing bumped into a doorpost. He rubbed his head and looked at the doorpost with some confusion. He had walked this road to Zuoshunmen for many years. He could walk with his eyes closed and he would never bump into it!
"Minister Shen, don't get distracted while walking. These gateposts are so big, and they've been standing here for so many years," Gao Qiyu kindly reminded Shen Shixing as he passed by. He should watch his step.

Shen Shixing's bad luck wasn't over yet. On his way back to the Ministry of Personnel, he tripped at the threshold and almost fell. Although he didn't fall, he sprained his left ankle.

He didn't take it seriously at first; what's the big deal about a sprain? Everyone sprains their ligaments a couple of times in their lifetime. But by noon, the pain became unbearable, so he consulted a senior physician who determined that bandaging and immobilization were necessary, and he was diagnosed with a partial ligament tear.

Shen Shixing now speaks with his feet on a stool, which is extremely inelegant. He even goes to the Wenhua Hall for the morning court session in this manner!
When His Majesty the Emperor heard about Shen Shixing's experience, he felt great sympathy for him. He refused to grant Shen Shixing sick leave and instead gave him great privileges, allowing him to enter the palace in a sedan chair and having his guards carry him into the hall to participate in court discussions.

Shen Shixing could not imagine the scene at all. He had one foot on a stool and was meeting with His Majesty to report on the progress of the reform of the official factory's shareholding system and the return of land to the people.

His Majesty's preferential treatment is not to make a fool of Shen Shixing, but because every task he has is of utmost importance and cannot be delayed. If he does not attend court or handle official business, it would be like letting a cooked duck fly away from his mouth.

He could only attend court in this injured state, and the key point was that he had to attend court like this for 20 to 30 days!

This is utterly disgraceful and shameless!
"Goodbye, Brother Yaoquan. You are as dashing as ever." Yao Guangqi and Yan Shixuan were both former subordinates of Shen Shixing. After returning to Beijing, they visited Shen Shixing as soon as possible. Yao Guangqi was quite polite, and he asked with some curiosity, "Brother Yaoquan, what happened to your foot?"

Yao Guangqi immediately noticed Shen Shixing's bandaged foot, which was stretched out on the stool.

"This morning, on my way back to the Ministry of Personnel after court, I twisted my ankle at the entrance, and the chief physician bandaged it up." Shen Shixing's foot twitched when he saw Yan Shixuan.

Shen Shixing looked at Yan Shixuan and said, "Mingtai, we have no enmity between us, and I am no longer your superior. Please stop your nonsense! You have only just arrived in Tongzhou, and I am already in such a sorry state."

Yan Shixuan said blankly, "What does Brother Yaoquan's injury have to do with me?"

“When I arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, the Junior Minister Gao Qiyu stopped me and talked about the affairs of the Huan Tai Merchant Alliance Council. He mentioned the two of you, mainly Mingtai. I was thinking about your matter, so I fell down,” Shen Shixing said with a pained expression.

Yao Guangqi was recommended by Gao Qiyu, while Yan Shixuan was recommended by Wang Jiaping. Before the Ministry of Personnel granted him his official position and seal, Gao Qiyu naturally had to communicate with Shen Shixing about the matter. They went to court together, and Gao Qiyu told Shen Shixing about the personnel relationships involved.

Shen Shixing thought of the three words "Yan Shixuan" and then fell down. This feeling was all too familiar to Shen Shixing!
It's always the same. Things seem to have nothing to do with Yan Shixuan, but in fact, they are all related to him!
Shen Shixing had never suffered any injustice in his life; all his setbacks were due to Yan Shixuan! He hoped that Yan Shixuan would stop using his supernatural powers. His life was not as strong as Hou Yuzhao's; he couldn't withstand it, he really couldn't.

“Uh…” Yan Shixuan said somewhat blankly, “Brother Yaoquan, Governor Hou is in Zhejiang and nothing has happened to him. He is safe and sound. It’s not me.”

“That’s right. Governor Hou rode his horse across Liaodong as if it were flat ground, but when he got to Zhejiang, he didn’t even dare to ride a horse anymore and had to be careful everywhere.” Shen Shixing sighed heavily, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"The Ministry of Personnel has prepared all your official documents and seals. Process them immediately." Shen Shixing sat up straight and handed the seals to Yao Guangqi and Yan Shixuan. The moment the seals were handed over, Shen Shixing felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders!

With the official seal handed over, Yan Shixuan's immediate superiors are now Yao Guangqi and Gao Qiyu. It's Gao Qiyu's turn to be in trouble!
Shen Shixing was unable to host a welcome dinner for the two, and the three of them reminisced for a long time.

Shen Shixing asked about the situation in Songjiang Prefecture after he left. Songjiang Prefecture was good, but not good either. It was a place where silver was abundant, and silver could buy almost everything. Everyone pursued silver, and some social customs had collapsed. Extravagance was rampant, and Wang Qian tried to curb it several times, but with little effect.

The more expensive it is, the more people buy it; the more they buy, the more expensive it becomes. Jadeite produced by Huangzhuang is widely sought after. A three-ounce full-green jadeite can cost as much as 30,000 taels of silver. The key is that Huangzhuang doesn't have that many high-quality pieces to release, which causes the price of jadeite to rise higher and higher.

Shen Shixing then inquired about the land reclamation project in Zhejiang. The situation in Zhejiang was much better than before, and the benefits of streamlining production relations and redistributing the means of production were beginning to show everywhere. Zhejiang was more than one step ahead of other places.

Moreover, since Hou Yuzhao did not make any progress, it was very necessary for him to remain in Zhejiang to consolidate the effects of returning land to its original state.

If it weren't for the ruthless Hou Yuzhao, the land return policy in Zhejiang would have been repeatedly delayed. Hou Yuzhao's approach to problems was based on his own stance, and this unreasonable method actually made the land return policy a resounding success, thoroughly consolidating the implementation of the land return order.

“There’s no position in the capital, and Governor Hou can’t return to Beijing either. I’m afraid he’ll have to stay in Zhejiang for a while,” Shen Shixing said, shaking his head. Hou Yu Zhao is always like this, different from others, going against the grain. Everyone else wants to advance, but he doesn’t. He wants to carry out the policy of returning land to the people completely.

"Old Zhao always considers his position, is it really okay?" Yan Shixuan still felt that Hou Yuzhao's actions were probably inappropriate.

"Governor Hou's ability to do this is due to his talent, something others cannot imitate," Yao Guangqi expressed his opinion. Hou Yuzhao's ability to do this was a near-intuitive battlefield instinct developed over twelve years in the complex environment of Liaodong.

It appears to be conditional probability theory; the more sufficient the conditions, the greater the likelihood of a bad person.

However, Hou Yu Zhao's situation is not entirely like that. If others do this, regardless of right or wrong, they will definitely cause trouble if they look at their stance first.

The following morning, Gao Qiyu claimed illness and was unable to attend the court meeting.

Shen Shixing's smile was even brighter than Gao Qiyu's smile yesterday!
(End of this chapter)