Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 194: It's hard to walk, like cooking a small fish

The world is filled with murderous aura, the sun is dim, the wind is cold, and the snow is dark.

……

The touring team left Daxing County early in the morning and set foot on the official road to Wanping.

Wanping is only seventy miles away from Daxing and can be reached in less than half a day.

For such a short distance in the past, the emperor would surely ride ahead on horseback to appreciate the scenery along the way, but today the emperor was sleeping soundly in the carriage.

From time to time, officials would cast their eyes towards the emperor's carriage and discuss things secretly.

For example, He Luowen, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Chen Jingbang, the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, who assisted in the military affairs of the Beijing camp, following behind.

The two men were walking with their horses behind them. The two horses behind them were side by side, rubbing their necks against each other. The two men leading the horses were whispering to each other.

"Your Majesty left the matter to Wei Yunzhen during the day, and I don't know why he suddenly changed his mind in the middle of the night." He Luowen tried to lower his voice.

He Luowen is from Henan and speaks with a slight accent.

Chen Jingbang turned his gaze away from the emperor and replied casually, "I'm just angry. This kind of thing has a lasting effect. The more you think about it, the angrier you get. Not to mention a young man like Your Majesty, when I closed my eyes last night, my mind was filled with hideous and cannibalistic faces."

The two of them were in the same class, both studying in the Hanlin Academy, and were selected together as daily lecturers in the Eastern Palace. Now they are also making progress together in promotion, so it is natural that they have a good relationship.

He Luowen sighed, "I am still angry, but in my opinion, it was most likely that the Grand Chancellor instigated Your Majesty."

"Yesterday evening, I heard that the Grand Chancellor sent a message to the county government office, asking Wei Yunzhen to investigate and punish the case strictly and not to show any leniency."

As Xu Guo was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, it was only natural that he was forcibly taken by the Emperor to try the case.

But Wang Xijue was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. If he hadn't gotten involved, how could he have followed the emperor to the county government and acted on his own will?

Thinking of this, He Luowen glanced at Wang Xijue who was talking with the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Chen Jingbang stroked his beard with a relaxed expression: "If you ask me, Wang Xijue's instigation was good. Killing a group of people like this will serve as a slight deterrent, and maybe it can persuade more people who come later to stop before it is too late."

"Killing is to protect life. Wang Xijue's daughter has ascended to heaven. I have also cultivated merits now. The whole family is full of immortals and Buddhas."

The first half of the sentence is serious, and the second half is a joke.

He Luowen shook his head and laughed. Wang Xijue would definitely not like to hear this. Didn’t he know whether his daughter had become an immortal or not?

He squeezed towards Chen Jingbang and said helplessly: "We can see things clearly, but the Grand Master cannot. He kept nagging all the way."

Last night, the emperor sneaked to the county government office and brought to justice a group of nobles, eunuchs, monks, and even Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li, who were just listed in Wei Yunzhen's case.

This was so impolite that the Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi was very angry.

If it weren't for the fact that he still had to work for the court, he would have resigned and returned home a few years ago.

Chen Jingbang laughed: "I guess the Grand Master is very angry now."

"When your majesty was returning last night, he was stopped by the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, who gave him advice in person, and his tone was extremely rude."

"It would have been fine if Minister Xu had just run away in disgrace, but Minister Wang took advantage of the situation and refused to show mercy. He insisted on standing up and defending Your Majesty, arguing with the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan until his face turned red."

Looking at Wang Xijue's appearance, I don't know how he got to play with Shen Shixing.

He Luowen shook his head when he heard this. Wang Zongyi was his immediate superior in the Ministry of Rites after all, so he had to defend him. "No wonder the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan is so persistent. After all, your Majesty's actions were somewhat frivolous."

"I heard that your majesty was almost hit by a bald donkey last night."

To say that the emperor was frivolous was not just because he left his ministers behind and raided the county government office at night.

Most of the time, the emperor went there to vent his anger, and his habit of liking to reason came back again. He had to explain the crimes of the bald men to their faces and explain how they deserved to die.

He knows he is going to die, why would he care about you?
Spitting on the emperor was the least of his worries. At that time, there was a monk with great strength who broke free from the restraints of the yamen runners and rushed towards the emperor.

Although he was kicked to death by Wang Xijue on the spot, chaos was inevitable for a while, and the emperor was probably frightened as well.

Fortunately, the emperor was not a sickly person, unlike some other emperors who were "too frightened to fall ill and could not get up."

Being so frivolous, it was inevitable that the court officials would criticize him.

Chen Jingbang couldn't help but be speechless after hearing this: "There's nothing we can do. Your Majesty is in the Ninth Heaven and rarely deals with these weak monks. I don't know what a dying counterattack is."

"Look at those masters of the Wang family and the Li family. Aren't they just obediently waiting to be killed?"

Even eunuchs have to marry wives and adopt children, but the pure-minded Buddha doesn't have these messy weaknesses.

Even when their lives are about to be lost, they still do whatever makes them feel comfortable and act without restraint.

There were also people like Huairou Earl Shi Guangzu who had a family with him, who would shout "Long live the emperor" on his deathbed even if he was beaten with a hundred and two sticks on the spot.

At this moment, He Luowen suddenly sighed.

He sighed for no apparent reason: "That being said...but, Your Majesty will only submit to death in front of me, what about outside Shuntian Prefecture?"

Chen Jingbang's expression changed.

He looked around for a moment and asked hesitantly, "Qitu is saying..."

He Luowen met Chen Jingbang's gaze with a worried look on his face: "Even though the capital is under the might of heaven, they still dare to resist and refuse to obey. They have to wait until they are attacked by swords and axes before they wake up. What about those outside the capital? How many of them are there?"

"Retired officials, royal families from various places, powerful tycoons, nobles who own property, and officials and businessmen who are in collusion, these characters that the local prefectures and counties cannot afford to offend, are densely packed in the two capitals and thirteen provinces."

"Two months ago, Sima Zhi wrote to me and asked me if I could protect him if he offended Shen Li. I wasn't even sure myself."

"Under such a difficult situation, the land allocation and household clearance is limited to three years. Is it possible..."

"Some are too eager for quick success."

……

"Is it too eager for quick success? Mr. Fan is worrying too much."

Although Wang Xijue had not slept all night, he still looked very energetic, and his voice was as loud as a bell without any intention of concealing it.

He explained to Fan Yingqi: "The land measurement and household clearing is not something that came out of thin air. Since Gui E, Guo Huahong, Tang Long, and Jian Xiao successively proposed the land measurement in the ninth year of Jiajing, successive local officials with insight have never stopped knowing and practicing this matter."

"In the tenth year of Jiajing, Zou Shouyi spent three years in farming in Anfu, Jiangxi."

"In the 12th year of Jiajing, An Rushan surveyed the land and cleared the households in Yuzhou, Henan, which took him two years and eight months."

"In the 15th year of Jiajing, Wang Yi measured the land and distributed the grain in Suzhou, South Zhili, which took him three years and four months."

"In the 18th year, Ouyang Duo investigated the hidden farmland in Yingtian Prefecture, which took him two years."

"In the 26th year of Jiajing, the magistrate of Haiyan County, Jiaxing Prefecture, measured the land in less than three years."

"In the first year of the Longqing reign, Xu Tian, ​​the magistrate of Haining County in Hangzhou Prefecture, conducted a land survey in September of the previous year."

"Those officials who are willing to measure the land and take the initiative to measure the land have never measured the land for more than four years!"

Wang Xijue looked at Fan Yingqi and said seriously, "Some things cannot be left to chance. We should cut the Gordian knot quickly so that the capable officials can be distinguished from the lazy ones."

"As for the prefectures and counties that have not been built in three years, we will have other plans in the future."

"It is a rare event in a century, and it is time for Your Majesty to take over the throne and make sure it is done once and for all!"

The last sentence was what Zhang Juzheng left for Wang Xijue when he left Beijing.

The latter was presented to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in front of him today - such a rare feat in a century should be accomplished as quickly as possible while the emperor is in power, so as to solve all problems in one fell swoop.

Upon hearing this, Fan Yingqi was silent for a while, and finally bowed and replied: "Grand Chancellor, your words are good. I appreciate your advice."

The two men were seven years apart in age, and Fan Yingqi was the elder, so Wang Xijue called him "gong".

Since the former was slightly lower in official rank, the latter was called the Grand Chancellor.

Wang Xijue casually mentioned: "Speaking of great men, how many in the world can compare to us, the people of Ziwei?"

"As long as we don't go along with the crowd and make things difficult for His Majesty, then even if there are ten or a hundred times more Huairou Earls, as long as we can clearly distinguish between the enemy and ourselves, what is there to fear?"

Although Fan Yingqi was the top scholar, his abilities were mediocre.

When he took part in the Zhejiang provincial examination, his essay was rated as poor, so he had no choice but to become an imperial examination immigrant and settle in Shuntian Prefecture. Even so, he still paid the "school selection fee", which was a donation, and entered the Imperial College.

He ranked 193rd in the provincial examination and was chosen as the top scorer in the palace examination because he pleased Emperor Sejong.

This kind of resume was not very popular in the officialdom. As soon as he graduated from the Hanlin Academy, he was sent to Nanjing to retire.

If there were not so many vacant positions this time, it would not have been this person's turn to be the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, out of distrust of Fan Yingqi's ability, Wang Xijue tactfully reminded him that it was okay to have average talent, but he must manage himself and his family affairs well to avoid revealing any flaws - in this world, we are not afraid of clearly distinguishing between the enemy and us, but we are afraid of me being within you.

Fan Yingqi was about to speak.

Two eunuchs walked up to Fan Yingqi and said, "Minister Fan, His Majesty has summoned you."

Upon hearing this, Fan Yingqi subconsciously looked towards the emperor's carriage, only to see a monk and a Taoist being led to the emperor's carriage.

He immediately realized that this was the aftermath of the emperor's venting his anger last night.

Fan Yingqi had some guesses in his mind. After clasping his fists towards Wang Xijue, he rode his horse towards the emperor's carriage.

When I got closer, I saw that the so-called monk and Taoist were Taoist Yuanshen and Monk Hongfa - these two were at least the leading figures in Buddhism and Taoism in the northern Zhili area.

The two men were still breathing a little hard, with sweat dripping from their necks. It was obvious that they were exhausted from rushing all the way here.

It seems he is terribly frightened.

Fan Yingqi mocked them in his heart but did not show it on his face. He just nodded to the two men as a greeting.

Just at this moment, the curtain of the emperor's carriage was suddenly lifted by two hands.

Zhu Yijun, with sleepy eyes, yawned, stretched, and got out of the carriage.

"His Majesty."

"His Majesty."

Fan Yingqi quickly dismounted and bowed.

Taoist Yuan Shen bent his waist even lower; Monk Hongfa simply knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Zhu Yijun jumped down from the carriage and dusted off his robes. "I originally said that I would come to you two to reason after my inspection of Shuntian Prefecture. I didn't expect you two to come here so early in the morning. I don't know if it's a telepathic connection or a sign from the Buddha."

Monk Hongfa felt bitter.

The emperor has started killing people, how can they not come?

If the emperor suspected that Buddhism had lost its respect and was resentful, then he, the monk Hongfa, would probably meet his own Yuwen Yong. Taoist Yuan Shen, who had dealt with the emperor several times, was more calm and composed. Facing the emperor's ridicule, he smiled flatteringly and said, "Your Majesty is the Taoist master who has come down to earth. The fact that we have a spiritual connection is also a sign of the Taoist master."

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but smile.

I have to say that although structural oppression cannot be alleviated immediately, it still makes me feel good to kill a few exploiters with ugly eating habits.

He waved his hand, motioning the three to stand up, and talked as he walked.

"I'll get straight to the point." Zhu Yijun rubbed his neck, which was a little sore from sleeping, and said, "You don't have to be too alarmed. I have always seen monks and Taoists building bridges and roads and helping the people."

"It's just that I've seen some bad apples among them violate the rules, so I have to deal with them according to the law."

"It's not that I have any prejudice against you."

It is still necessary to give people reassurances.

If this kind of grassroots organization rooted in the people were to rebel, it would be no small matter.

Upon hearing this, Monk Hongfa immediately expressed his opinion: "Your Majesty is the Living Buddha, it is only natural for you to clean up the mess for us!"

The people who died were not from their temple, so there was no sense of burden in applauding and cheering.

As long as the emperor doesn't escalate the situation, everything will be fine.

Since Zhu Yijun wanted to get straight to the point, he naturally had no intention of beating around the bush. He shook his head and said, "Let's talk about the loan. It's definitely not okay for you to do this."

Otherwise, how can we say that the hero is so cool and elegant? If Zhu Yijun knew martial arts, he could just shoot these people and that would be it, and the government would naturally take care of the aftermath.

But it’s different for an emperor. After venting your anger, you still have to put in more effort.

Monk Hongfa and Taoist Yuanshen looked at each other and felt that they were in pain but could not express it.

They are not like the masters in the storybooks who have the final say. At best, they are just representatives who are pushed out to kneel down and admit their mistakes to the emperor.

This move would involve touching upon their source of finance. Even if they agreed, the temples behind them might not necessarily acknowledge it.

Monk Hongfa hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to forbid us from lending money?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I am not so stupid as to be this stupid."

A one-size-fits-all approach is impossible. The root of the problem lies in the fact that small-scale peasant economies are unable to withstand risks, and so there is a natural demand for loans.

This is how things are in the world. If the government cannot take on financial functions, someone else will take them on.

The demand is there, and the invisible hand will always give birth to a carrier for usury.

There are no temples or monasteries, but there are still gentry.

Even without gentry, merchants may still be able to get loans.

As for taking it over to the government and unifying its supervision?

That would be even more unrealistic.

Wang Anshi had tried it, but given the productivity of feudal society, this path was not feasible.

When the interest rate was low, the government colluded with temples, monasteries and local gentry, with the former lending money to the latter, and the latter lending money to the people at high interest rates.

If the interest rate is not low, it will become a strategy to harm the people. The government is much more cruel than temples and monasteries in taking over the steakhouses.

To put it bluntly, it is still limited by information transmission and cannot achieve too detailed and meticulous governance.

Taoist Yuan Shen asked cautiously, "What does your majesty mean?"

The emperor must have some ideas.

Otherwise, the Minister of Revenue would not have been called over.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said, "I will say a few words. You two just listen to them first. Minister Fan, you should also take note."

The three of them looked solemn.

Zhu Yijun said carefully: "I will not take care of other matters of you temples and monasteries, but you can no longer be so reckless in lending. You must be supervised by the Ministry of Revenue in the future."

"The size of the loan, interest rate cap, mortgage scope, etc. must all be within the Ministry of Revenue's regulations."

"Not only your temples, but also other pawnshops and businesses will be treated the same. Those who lend money and are unwilling to be supervised will be dealt with according to the law."

If we want to regulate an industry that is growing wildly, having laws to follow is the first step. We cannot always find other excuses to deal with it.

The saying goes, you eat as much as you can.

Today's government does not have the ability to take on everything, but it is more than enough to provide a little supervision - the extent of the supervision depends on the country's strength.

When Fan Yingqi heard this, he was shocked at first, and then he understood why the emperor called him over.

Then he reacted and was delighted.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is the Governor of the Granaries. To put it bluntly, he is in charge of the warehouses. Regardless of whether his position is high or not, it is really difficult for him to achieve political achievements.

Now that the emperor wants to give him a new burden, it is obviously a good thing for him and the Ministry of Revenue!

Monk Hongfa hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the whole world belongs to the king, so we should be supervised by the court. I just don't know what the specific restrictions are."

Buddhism has undergone several transformations since it was introduced into Chinese territory.

The Three Wus and One Zong destroyed Buddhism and completely completed its localization. Disobedient sects were either annihilated or regarded as obscene and were hunted down and killed.

It is only natural to be controlled by the imperial court - just like the Monks' Registrar's Office.

Zhu Yijun said slowly, "First, the interest rate cap must be set. You can't just do whatever you want. I won't cheat you. You can negotiate with the Ministry of Revenue to come up with a number that is profitable and gives me some face."

At first glance, loans seem to be profitable no matter how much interest is paid.

But in fact, we also have to consider the extremely high bad debt rate in this era.

Once the interest rate cap is set low and the market operates smoothly, the law will become meaningless.

Therefore, the specific number is not something he can just decide casually.

"Secondly, the loan method must also be determined. The interest rate is still negotiable. Even if you set it higher, it's fine, but you must not allow compound interest. The interest must be calculated based on the principal."

Taoist Yuan Shen's expression changed, and he asked, "Your Majesty means that from now on, we can only lend money in the form approved by the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Can we add more at the last minute?"

He is an eighth-rank praiser, so naturally he has to pay homage to him.

Zhu Yijun nodded amiably, "Okay, but if you do other types of loan sharking in private, don't blame me for being so sharp."

The threshold is already very low and does not add overly strict restrictions.

The main purpose is to make the central government aware of these situations so that there will be laws to follow when something happens.

"Third, for those who have overdue loans but are willing to continue to repay their loans, they should be allowed to repay the principal first and delay the repayment period for a certain period of time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Monk Hongfa gave a bitter smile.

"Amitabha."

He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the money we borrow is like the circulation of living water. If it only goes out and never comes back, we will also find it difficult to continue."

Once the extension period is granted, it seems that there are fewer bad debts, but the silver reserves in the temple cannot be collected in time, which will inevitably affect the turnover.

If the turnover is slow, won’t you earn less?

It’s not as convenient as directly confiscating the land.

The first two things the emperor said were fine, they were nothing more than changing the approach and being more flexible, but the third one was a bit inhumane. Did they really think they were doing charity?

Zhu Yijun suddenly turned around and looked straight at Monk Hongfa: "Master, don't think I'm easy to bully just because I look so friendly. I just killed a dozen bald men last night."

"I am now sincere in my negotiation. If you continue to smile like this, I will kill you right now."

Monk Hongfa was stunned when he heard this.

Beads of cold sweat suddenly began to appear on his forehead, and he bowed hastily: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."

It is true that serving the king is like serving a tiger!

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "I don't mind you making money by lending money, but I will never tolerate you using it as a means to rape other people's wives and daughters or annex land. This is my bottom line."

"You can discuss the specific matters with the Ministry of Revenue and come up with a proposal that both sides can accept."

"Anyway, I have drawn the line here today. If anyone crosses the line in the future...if you treat the common people as grass, don't blame me for treating you the same way then."

This is almost the same as applying for a financial license.

But unlike shipping licenses, financial licenses are not for making money, but are really intended to regulate these vampires.

Regardless of the effectiveness, it is better to do it than not to do it.

When the monk and the Taoist heard the emperor's murderous words, they both broke out in cold sweats.

Yuan Shen Dao Ren stammered, "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, how can I not obey you?"

Monk Hongfa didn't dare to think too much: "I will go back and discuss it now."

Zhu Yijun hummed and said, "I won't see you off."

This is what it means to drive people away.

The two of them bowed hastily, said goodbye and left.

After the monks and Taoist priests left, Fan Yingqi also spoke up at the right time: "Your Majesty handled the matter calmly without losing his benevolence. You are truly a sage king."

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Don't flatter me, this is just a case of thunder in Daxing County not making any sound."

Monks and Taoists are all soft persimmons, they will squirt water if you squeeze them.

The rest of the nobles and eunuchs are equally not worth mentioning.

The phrase "thunder does not make a sound" is easy to understand. Fan Yingqi was stunned when he heard it, and then he reacted: "Is there something big happening in Wanping?"

Zhu Yijun sighed: "It's hard to say the size."

"The petition just sent by Wanping County Magistrate Zhang Mengtong said that the grassland of the county's Beijing garrison was converted into arable land after investigation."

"We still don't know how many people from the Ministry of War and the Beijing Camp are involved."

(End of this chapter)