Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 224: The rural elite, the roots are implicated

The ninth day of the second month in the eighth year of Wanli.

In order to examine the candidates from all over the country, the Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi and the Left Vice Minister of Rites and Academician of the Hanlin Academy He Luowen were appointed as examiners.

Pan Jixun, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and the Governor-General of Water Conservancy, reported to the emperor that construction had been completed at Wusong River, Maotang, Xiuzhoutang, Puhuitang, Mengdu River, Shunhe River, Qingyanggang and other places, and that there were still dozens of tributaries in Suzhou and Songjiang. He requested to use 100,000 kilograms of cement stored in the Ministry of Works for experiments as auxiliary materials, and the emperor agreed.

The emperor paid half of the river works on time and commended the ministers who had rendered useful services. He promoted Pan Jixun, the chief river engineer, to the title of Prince Taibao, and promoted him to the Minister of Works and concurrently the Left Vice-Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He also gave his son a promotion and appointed Yilin, the chief grain transport engineer, as per the regulations.

Zhang Ren, the governor of Shaanxi, and other officials, considered reducing the number of taxes because the counties and prefectures under Xi'an and other prefectures were exhausted from the couriers and the people could not bear the hardships. However, the emperor did not agree and ordered Xi'an and other prefectures to make clear arrangements, collect taxes in advance, and collect taxes as appropriate.

The Censorate reported that Lintao prefect Cao Shipin, Miyun guerrilla Wei Kongyu, and Henan Dusi assistant secretary Cui Jingrong had violated the ban and traveled by post.

It was decided at the morning court that Cao Shipin and Wei Kongyu would be dismissed from their posts and become commoners, and Cui Jingrong had retired earlier so he would not be investigated. The censors, the imperial stables, and the officers of the Ministry of War were sent to various prefectures in Xi'an, along with the governors, to investigate those who used official vehicles for private purposes and those who sent official badges to travel by post.

Wu Zhongxing, the chief censor of the Criminal Department, reported that the government was corrupted in the recent period, and human relations were corrupted in the old age. As for those who retired, they never thought about the benefits and disadvantages of reform, and took bribes at will. He requested that a precedent be set for investigating retired officials, and the emperor kept it in the court without issuing it.

Zhou Ziyi, who was promoted from Xima of the Jingju Bureau and editor of the Hanlin Academy, was appointed as Youtongzheng of the Tongzhengsi, in charge of the news edition office.

The Left Censor-in-Chief Wen Chun was transferred to serve as the Minister of War and Governor of Guizhou.

Hai Rui, the Right Vice-Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Sichuan, was promoted to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief and in charge of the Censorate.

……

The other palaces are connected by water holes, and the Han emperor's son has a tower ship.

The weather has always been good since the beginning of spring, and even the emperor's family has to organize one or two activities for the whole family to have fun.

To the northeast of the Qionghua Pavilion in the Western Garden, there is a water palace across the weir, which houses exquisite dragon boats and phoenix boats. Emperor Wuzong disliked the small size of the water palace and built a Wulong Tower boat. However, before he could enjoy the boat, he was ridiculed by Wen Zhengming. But now, the water palace has just become a good thing for Zhu Yijun's family.

The spring breeze is blowing and the sunshine is warm.

The whole family was happy, so naturally only the concubines and servants were brought along.

The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable without the presence of the civil officials who had been watching their manners and conversation all day.

Empress Dowager Chen, Empress Liu, and the concubines were playing mahjong upstairs, while Empress Dowager Li was discussing pregnancy experiences with Concubine Wu.

Concubine Li sat on the deck with the emperor.

Zhu Yijun was lying on a recliner, holding a fishing rod in his hand. It was a rare opportunity for him to try out the boat fishing trick. "What did Grandfather Yue say in the letter?"

Li Baiyang rested his elbows on his knees and held his cheeks with his hands: "It's just some small talk about family matters."

"My great-grandmother gradually recovered in the spring and told me not to worry. She also said that she was old and would not come to Beijing to visit her this year. She would send my uncle to bring some things to me. She also told me how my brothers and sisters were doing in school."

Zhu Yijun lay on the chair, listened with his eyes closed, and occasionally agreed with a word or two.

"Oh yes, my father asked me to give his regards to His Majesty."

Out of extreme boredom, Li Baiyang fiddled with the fishing rod in his hand, and the fish float dangling on the water.

"It is said that the royalties that His Majesty asked my father to pass on to Wu Cheng'en finally came to collect this year."

"I hope Your Majesty will not keep the memorial about the selection of a replacement for the Nanjing News Office. Grandfather is sincerely looking for a successor, not to deal with the impeachment of the censors."

"My grandfather also said that the son of the Zhang family, an old friend, came to visit us as a gift of ten taels of gold because he was transferred to Suzhou and Songjiang to manage grain and participate in politics. He also asked someone to pass it on to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun was rocking in the recliner with one leg bent and the other ankle resting on his knee, shaking leisurely without any manners.

After hearing the last part, he slowed down the frequency of shaking his legs, looked at Li Baiyang and confirmed: "Is Susong in charge of grain and participating in politics?"

Li Chunfang would not deliberately pretend to be honest just for ten taels of gold.

This is snitching.

Li Baiyang met the emperor's gaze and nodded with a puzzled look: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Zhu Yijun curled his lips and said, "Nothing. The post of Susong's grain manager and political advisor was abolished the year before last."

There is a reason why Zhang Juzheng was hated.

In addition to the performance evaluation system, the food and clothing of millions of canal workers were often jeopardized.

It was said a few years ago that in recent years, officials inside and outside the country have regarded the old quotas at the beginning of the country as having increased several times, and have ignored the hardships of the people and caused trouble at every turn. This is not the first time.

Therefore, the cabinet and the ministries pushed down the government layer by layer, pushing for a drama of simplifying administration - "ordering all provincial officials to investigate and discuss the abolition of redundant staff one by one."

The position of Susong's grain manager and political advisor was removed two years ago.

However, judging from Li Chunfang's report, it is obvious that there are policies from above and countermeasures from below.

Li Baiyang had been in the palace for many years, and was used to it. He was even in the mood to make fun of it: "Who made Your Majesty so far away from the emperor?"

Zhu Yijun rolled his eyes at her and asked, "What kind of sacredness do you have for the Zhang family, the old friend you just mentioned?"

Since its establishment, the yamen system has begun to have biological instincts - the first priority of the entire yamen is to ensure its own survival.

But this vital sign is also rooted in human nature.

To put it simply, the civil servants in Sendland cannot be laid off because they have Humphrey's protection, while the Susong Grain Administration Office is still in place, probably because of the Zhang family mentioned by Li Chunfang.

Since they were old friends, Li Baiyang naturally knew it very well.

She just said, "It's Zhang Fang's Taicang Zhang family, famous for filial piety. His three sons were all Jinshi and Juren during the Jiajing period, and they are collectively known as the Three Zhangs of Taicang."

"The eldest son, Zhang Qing, was appointed as a doctor in the Nanjing Military Department. The second son, Zhang Yi, was appointed as the co-magistrate of Taicang Prefecture. The third son, Zhang Xing, was originally the magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture. He was demoted two years ago and is also the governor of grain administration in Susong Prefecture."

Zhu Yijun frowned.

He put down his shaking legs and slowly sat up. "There is not even a senior official in red robes. A mere fifth-rank doctor or deputy governor dares to hold on to the official position that the central government wants to abolish. It is true that the emperor is far away."

Li Baiyang shook his head helplessly: "Your Majesty has never been to Jiangnan. It is completely different from the capital."

Seeing the emperor's gaze coming over, Li Baiyang paused and explained, "Let's talk about the Zhang family. Although Zhang Fang has no official position, he built charity houses, opened Confucian schools, and provided relief to disaster victims. He is well-known among scholars and the people."

"When it came to his sons, the three Zhangs of Taicang, they gradually exchanged articles with Wang Shizhen, Gui Youguang and others. After the publication of Loudong Poetry Anthology, many people flocked to his school to learn from him. Gradually, it was called the Loudong School, and it seemed like it was about to establish its own school."

"In addition, there are various marriages. For example, Zhang Qing married a woman from the family of Minister Wang of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Zhang Xing, who is now serving as the governor of grain in Susong, is married to a member of my clan, so he came to pay his respects to my grandfather."

Zhu Yijun stood up and sat upright, tapping his knees with his fingers, listening quietly to Concubine Li's popular science lecture on the political ecology of Jiangnan.

It is true that the tree is big and has deep roots, with tangled connections.

A phrase suddenly popped up in his mind - integration of industry, academia and government.

The first generation accumulates initial wealth, and then distributes it widely and does good deeds to cleanse themselves of the trouble.

The second generation began to take the imperial examinations, build up academic cliques, make marriages everywhere, and squeeze into the ecology of local scholar-officials.

The third generation will probably have to rely on their accumulation to make a difference in the central government.

By that time, as long as a Jinshi emerged, he would have money, a good family background, connections, and even the reputation backed by the so-called "Loudong School". Such a person would definitely need to be a Shujishi as a starting point.

Wait, Loudong School...

Zhu Yijun suddenly remembered something.

He turned his head and looked at Li Baiyang: "Is there another child named Zhang Fuzhi in the Zhang family?"

Li Baiyang glanced at the emperor suspiciously, wondering where the emperor had heard it.

She recalled for a moment and confirmed with certainty, "There is indeed such a person. He is the son of Zhang Xing. He passed the imperial examination two years ago and they organized a 30th birthday party together. My father even went there at that time."

"Come to think of it, Zhang Fuzhi should be taking the imperial examination today."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun showed a look of realization.

It turns out that this Zhang family is that Zhang family!

In this case, it was basically the same as what he thought.

Zhang Fuzhi of the third generation, even though he passed the imperial examination at the age of 40, was still appointed as a passerby. He was promoted all the way to the positions of temple minister, vice minister, and minister. It can be said that his official career was very prosperous.

However, I missed a generation.

By the time of Zhang Pu, the fourth generation, all that was left was Yang Wang, the ultimate Yang Wang.

Zhang Pu completely accepted the legacy of the Loudong School and created his personal image brand as "The Second Son of Loudong".

With the support of his father, the Shangshu, he passed the imperial examination, was awarded the title of Shujishi, and worked in the Hanlin Academy to improve his resume.

Even afterwards, he resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown to recruit celebrities to form an association, led an anti-tax movement to expel eunuchs, and developed student marches to attack the government office.

Relying on a huge network of relationships, he became a great figure in the world, with hundreds of thousands of students looking up to him as their leader; until he developed his association to the imperial court, making scholars and Confucian scholars serve him as their second master; until he remotely controlled the prime minister of the dynasty, controlled the imperial examinations, and proclaimed himself the emperor of the people...

This is the history of the rise of Fushe.

No wonder, it has been in business since the Jiajing period.

It turns out that the climax of the mass movement in the Ming Dynasty was achieved step by step.

Zhu Yijun slowly stood up and paced on the deck.

The insignificant little thing happening before my eyes inexplicably corresponds to the records of later generations.

It is like clearing away the fog of history, and the direction of the thread suddenly becomes clear.

From this example, Zhu Yijun suddenly had a real sense of the political ecology of Jiangnan as described by Li Baiyang.

This is not just a matter of Suzhou and Songjiang managing grain and participating in politics.

The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River…the association of scholars…the social form…the popular thoughts…

The emperor paced back and forth, looking as if he were lost in thought.

Seeing this, Li Baiyang couldn't help but call out, "Your Majesty, are you going to deal with some important matters?"

Having said that, the tone was inevitably a little resentful. If I had known, I would have repeated what my grandfather said next time.

A soft whisper sounded in Zhu Yijun's ears, and he turned around subconsciously.

He met Concubine Li's aggrieved expression, and then realized that he was lost in thought.

Being in a trance is trance, but it is not a rush.

Zhu Yijun put the important matter in his heart and shook his head, saying, "It's just a small matter, there's no need to rush."

He sat back on the recliner and asked, "What else did Taiyuegong say?"

Li Baiyang shrugged his nose and tried to hold back his laughter: "That's all."

She suddenly thought of something and looked at the emperor helplessly: "At the end, he also mentioned that I am not young anymore. If I have any illness, I should not be afraid to seek medical treatment."

Zhu Yijun touched his nose awkwardly.

Old Li was probably worried about his granddaughter because he saw that Concubine Wu, who entered the palace later, was pregnant.

It’s really hard to say.

Suddenly, the fishing rod moved. Zhu Yijun changed the subject as if he had been pardoned: "Ah! The float moved!"

Li Baiyang curled his lips and echoed, "Oh, there are fish bubbles that His Majesty caught himself again!"

Zhu Yijun was pretending to raise his fishing rod.

Hearing such ferocious words, he was instantly embarrassed and his face turned red. In the chilly lake breeze, he gradually broke out in sweat.

The Taiye Lake was rippling with waves, and several small boats were approaching from afar.

"Your Majesty, Royal Concubine, the Queen Mother said it's almost time for dinner." The eunuch's voice interrupted their world.

The colorful clouds are like jade beads, curled up and hanging down from the blue sky.

The bright spring sunshine shines on the dragon boat, and figures big and small are busy with their work.

……

Some people are enjoying themselves, but...Shen Shixing is in a miserable situation.

People outside say that he is now the sole prime minister, the highest official in the country, and has great power.

I don't know.

A prime minister with power but no responsibilities is like a blessing from heaven, while a prime minister with both power and responsibilities is destined to be exhausted to death.

Shen Shixing had to review hundreds of memorials every day, no matter how big or small, and complete the tasks assigned by the emperor. It was a relief to not have to work hard. He felt like his soul was about to leave his body and he was floating in the air.

Cabinet value.

At noon, Lord Shen didn't even move from his seat and just hurriedly ate two mouthfuls of rice.

He threw aside the newspaper that was under the tableware and waited for the piles of draft memorials to fill the table again.

Shen Shixing sighed, covered his face with his hands and rubbed them vigorously to wake himself up.

Zhang Juzheng will return to Beijing next month, and Wang Xijue will also join the cabinet by then, so life should be much easier.

One month left.

Thinking of this, Shen Shixing perked up, picked up the memorial, and began to draft it one by one.

"The ponds and pools of the government officials and civilians in the sixty-six counties and prefectures of Jiangxi Province were measured, and a total of 6,145,954 mu of land was measured in addition to the original amount."

Ponds are one of the types of land, referring to artificially dug or naturally formed water storage ponds, as well as pond embankments, pondside mudflats and other lands directly related to the ponds, which are called pond fields.

The land measurement has been going on for some time and all provinces have made some progress.

Jiangxi completed the measurement of dry land last year, and half a year later, the measurement of ponds, arable land, dry land, etc. is still ongoing.

Without hesitation, Shen Shixing wrote down the sentence "to compensate the common people in the province for the false grain they had to pay during the festival" and placed it on the right hand side - this was something that had already been discussed in the court, or perhaps did not need to be discussed in the court, and only needed to be reviewed and approved by the emperor before he could directly reply to Jiangxi.

"Zhangnanfeng County called for 47,300 dan of land for rent, and Wuning County had 371 mu of unsold government land, and the price was 36,490 taels of silver."

All rented out land and confiscated land that have not yet been sold are state-owned assets.

Shen Shixing thought about it, wrote down the four words "Jie Bu Ji Bian", and placed them in a box with the words "Ministry of War" labeled on it behind him - there would be no problem using it in the military direction, but the Ministry of War had to prioritize them.

"First, the land in Shanxi was measured. Jinfu and Ninghua Palace were competing for land. The Jinfu's farmland was located in Taiyuan and other places, with an actual area of ​​720,350 mu; Ninghua Prefecture was located in Nieying and other villages, with an actual area of ​​57,552 mu."

Obviously, this pile is a special topic on land use.

The royal family in Shanxi was in a stalemate over a dispute over land, so they sent a special censor to deal with it. This is the second reply, so at least there is a conclusion.

Shen Shixing shook his head and did not draft a ticket. He just put it on his left hand side - since it involved the royal family, it had to be discussed in the court.

"Your Excellency, Ni Guangjian, the Left Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration, and Zhou Ziyi, the Right Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration, request to see you."

Shen Shixing was working hard when a voice was heard outside the duty room.

The work in his hands was interrupted, and he reluctantly stopped writing, looked up and told the secretary on duty in the cabinet: "Please come to the lobby, I will leave immediately."

After saying this, Shen Shixing closed the memorial, put down his pen, and slowly stood up.

He blew a breath into his hands, wiped his temples with his hands, looked at himself in the bronze mirror, and then pushed the door open and walked out.

The east and west rooms with copper stoves for burning incense and potted flowers are the elegant rooms where assistant ministers take charge. The lobby, which is used exclusively for meetings and receptions, is much more solemn.

It is made of blue bricks and gray tiles, and has a wide and deep interior, with rosewood chairs on both sides for people to sit on.

As soon as Shen Shixing walked out of the duty room, he saw Ni Guangjian and Zhou Ziyi already seated in the lobby.

When the latter two saw Shen Shixing, they all stood up and took the lead in greeting: "Excuse me for disturbing Mr. Shen's lunch break."

Shen Shixing smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Being an official in the court is a toilsome life, why would I mention such an unfamiliar word as lunch break?"

As he spoke, he returned the greeting to the two men and motioned for them to sit down.

Shen Shixing took the main seat as a matter of course and looked at Zhou Ziyi: "I haven't congratulated Yifang on his promotion yet."

Zhou Ziyi sat down half a step behind Ni Guangjian and continued Shen Shixing's words: "Thanks to your majesty for trusting me, a fool, to be in charge of the News Office. If there are any mistakes in the future, I hope that Lord Shen and my colleagues will bear with me."

The three of them exchanged polite greetings.

Shen Shixing finally asked the main question: "Yintai is also a rare guest of the cabinet. It's rare for him to come. I wonder what's the matter?"

The Tongzhengsi was naturally a rare guest.

Since its powers were usurped by the Cabinet, the Tongzhengsi's ranking in the court has plummeted, and even standing forward would result in a beating.

With so little real power, there is no reason for him to join the cabinet. It is only in recent years that he has been given additional responsibilities and can occasionally appear in the cabinet.

Ni Guangjian and Zhou Ziyi looked at each other.

The former took the initiative to explain his purpose: "Today, Fang was promoted and took over the News Office from me. There are still some difficult matters that need to be handed over, so I came to seek advice from Lord Shen so that we can settle it."

Ni Guangjian worked in the Ministry of Public Security for ten years and was promoted to the position of Zuo Tongzhengshi based on seniority.

People who are used to handling government affairs step by step really can't keep up with the so-called new laws, new studies, new newspapers and other new things.

Zhou Ziyi's decentralization was also the result of Ni Guangjian's repeated requests to the emperor.

Because of this, the Ministry of Public Security now has a lot of difficult problems piled up, so it is a good opportunity to bring Zhou Ziyi to the cabinet to set the tone.

Shen Shixing did not immediately agree, but asked without comment: "Why don't you go to the West Garden to look for His Majesty?"

Ni Guangjian and Zhou Ziyi found it a difficult situation and it would definitely not be an easy matter to make a decision on.

Each department has its own affairs to attend to.

What's the point of running to the cabinet when you encounter a problem? Do you really think it's the prime minister's residence?
Ni Guangjian cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is on a boat today and has no time to make a speech. Let me go and find Elder Shen. If you are still unsure, we will discuss it in court tomorrow."

Shen Shixing subconsciously clenched the fist in his sleeve.

Then he nodded helplessly: "Ni Yintai, please speak."

Ni Guangjian calmed down and said, "It's mainly two difficult things."

"One is the mess left by Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Justice before he left."

Shen Shixing was a little confused.

Zhang Han was handed over to Pan Sheng peacefully. Given his personality, he would not do anything to set a trap on his own initiative.

Besides, even if there is, what does it have to do with the Ministry of Public Security?
"It was a murder case in Hangzhou six years ago. The government sentenced the criminal to death."

"When the three judicial departments reviewed the case, the Censorate and the Dali Temple were quite hesitant and rejected the Ministry of Justice several times. At one point, it was stuck for two years and there was no solution."

"After that, Minister Zhang found out about it and felt that the Dali Temple was dragging its feet and shirking its responsibilities. He ignored all the opinions and sent a letter to Hangzhou to review the death sentence first, and then forced the Dali Temple to sign the official document. After that, the prisoner was executed in the autumn."

Both Confucian teachings and Ming Dynasty laws advocate the cautious use of the death penalty.

Once a death sentence is pronounced, it must be reviewed by the three judicial departments.

"Things would have ended here, but in the end..."

Having said this, Ni Guangjian paused.

When Shen Shixing heard this, he immediately had a bad feeling.

Ni Guangjian met Shen Shixing's gaze with a brilliant expression and slowly said, "Last year on New Year's Eve, the victim of the case went home to celebrate the New Year."

"In other words, there was no murder case. The government found a criminal and sentenced him to death!"

Shen Shixing finally understood what the relationship was with the Tongzhengsi.

Zhou Ziyi on the side smiled bitterly and added: "The Ministry of Justice has been drafting the memorial for half a month, and the court is still silent, but the scholars in Zhejiang are already in a turmoil."

"All the major associations of scholars rushed to spread the news, and the common people were filled with righteous indignation."

"The Hangzhou government suppressed the incident by force and arrested a group of scholars who published the newspaper and posted the posters. They charged them with making up rumors and spreading them to confuse the public."

"Newspaper companies registered with the Ministry of Public Security were also closed down."

At the 3 p.m. time, my gums started to ache slightly.

No wonder the Ministry of Internal Affairs found the situation difficult and insisted that the cabinet make the decision.

The three judicial officials probably wanted to deal with this matter privately, otherwise it would not have caused such an uproar among the people and there would not have been any news from the official authorities.

It is difficult to say whether the retired Zhang Han has any responsibility. This also involves the issue of whether retired officials should be held accountable.

Not to mention the government office - such a big incident made Shen Shixing want to slap these people to death!

But this matter has escalated from the matter of a few constables and jailers to the political stance of the entire government office and even the provincial three-division office.

The dead cannot be resurrected. If you want to appease the public anger, you must take a lower stance and involve more people.

It's so complicated and messy.

Although the Ministry of Public Security is now ordered to release news and handle public opinion, it is still helpless when faced with such a thing.

Shen Shixing rubbed his brows and did not answer immediately: "The Ministry of Public Administration should not express its position yet. Wait until the court meeting tomorrow."

Since the emperor said that if he was unsure he should bring the matter to court for discussion, even though Shen Shixing felt sick, he was not so stupid as to make the final decision out of the blue.

"One more thing?"

Although Shen Shixing took the initiative to ask the question, he had already made up his mind to bring it up in the court meeting.

Ni Guangjian gestured to Zhou Ziyi who was standing beside him.

The latter took the opportunity to take over the conversation: "Lord Shen, it's about the Dutian Governor's Office. In the middle of last month, after Shen Li and his party arrived in Shandong, He Xinyin published an article titled "The Confucius Mansion is Full of Crimes", which immediately caused an uproar."

Shen Shixing sighed: "Are the crowds upset again?"

Public opinion is just a matter of opinion. If things aren't intense enough, they won't be called that.

Unless things get to a certain point, the news office won't bother to take care of it.

Zhou Ziyi was also not happy with the situation he had taken over. He nodded helplessly, "The three government offices of Shandong Province, the Duke of Yansheng, and even Governor Yin of the Salt Administration Office all sent letters to inquire whether it was the Tongzhengsi's order."

"In addition, the reaction of the scholars is even stronger now. The Ministry of Public Administration has been inundated with letters. They all blame us for publishing the evil book for He Xinyin, and ask if we are intentionally insulting the saints. They want to expel us from the Confucian school."

"I heard that there are already signs of a mass demonstration to attack the Dutian government office."

Shen Shixing tutted his words and laughed at himself: "I said I wanted to stir up a hornet's nest."

Ni Guangjian and Zhou Ziyi smiled bitterly.

Shen Shixing waved his hand and said, "Let's discuss this together in the court."

"This is not a matter of public opinion guidance. The Ministry of Public Affairs should not be involved for now. Stop reporting news and wait for a result before responding."

After saying that, he picked up the teacup and took a sip.

This is serving tea to guests.

The two men from the Tongzhengsi had good eyesight and immediately stood up and said goodbye.

Shen Shixing felt a little annoyed, so he just stood up to see him off but did not walk to the door.

After watching his two colleagues leave, Shen Shixing slowly sat down with some tiredness.

The Ministry of Public Administration didn't know how to express its opinion and at most felt it was difficult. The Cabinet, which was responsible for coordinating government affairs, felt like it was being burned by fire.

There were literati from folk societies, wealthy people who often attacked government offices, and students who frequently demonstrated.

Since the land measurement, the world has been like a powder keg. Officials are disloyal, the north and the south are alienated, and the gentry are willing to destroy dikes and flood fields to prevent the land measurement.

In addition, there is the newspaper, a means of public opinion promoted by the emperor.

This situation could really get out of hand.

Don't let anything really go wrong.

Thinking of this, Shen Shixing stood up suddenly and shouted to the Zhongshu Sheren's duty room next door: "Prepare a sedan chair for me to go to the Ministry of Personnel!"

The secretary on duty in the cabinet responded and left.

Shen Shixing glanced at the duty room. Sunlight was pouring in through the window, casting shadows on the piles of memorials.

He shook his head, reached out to close the duty room door, and walked out slowly.

……

Shandong Provincial Government, Jinan Prefecture.

After retiring as a cabinet scholar, Yin Shidan built a hut on the bank of the Luo River, where he lectured and wrote books. He had many followers and named the garden "Tongleyuan".

After Yin Ge Lao was reinstated as the Governor-General of the Salt Administration, the garden was handed over to his son Yin Gao to manage.

Although Yin Gao was the prefect of Jinan, he was not well-known in the literary world, and no scholars had ever come to Tongleyuan to have fun with him.

But today is clearly different.

Beside Baotu Spring, a group of scholars and Confucian scholars, more than a hundred of them, sat on the ground, forming three circles inside and outside.

Yin Gao, the host, sat in the innermost circle with dignity.

In addition to those who have geographical advantages, the innermost circle is mostly made up of celebrities.

One of the three in Taicang.

The second of the Five Gentlemen of the Southeast.

The family of sages Yan and Meng gathered together.

Even Zhao Nanxing, Zou Yuanbiao and others who retired during the Nanjiao Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony.

It can be said that all the wise men and women, young and old, have gathered here.

A group of people were passing a booklet around, talking to each other and discussing things.

The Kong family's fields spanned five provinces, including military farms, sacrificial lands, and official farms. It was estimated that the area exceeded one million acres.

What about the Kong family's letter of surrender, the dispute between the Southern Kong and the Northern Kong over the legitimate and illegitimate children, and how the two Kongs have behaved since the Qian Yuan Dynasty came to rule the Central Plains? It's as if you were there in person.

In the name of running schools and worshiping Confucius, they used local officials to seize farmland, took advantage of the farmers' bankruptcy, forced them to buy the land by trickery, or even directly occupied it and swallowed it up unreasonably.

They even made public how the Kong family raised rents and exploited farmers by means of "dou jian" and "di pi".

The appendix also seems to have interviewed local people, citing examples of the tragic conditions of exploitation by the Kong family.

For example, Li Xianke of Jining, according to his family tree, had an ancestor named Li Jing during the Xuande period, which is exactly the same name as the "household member" of the Kong family during the Hongwu period.

So the Kong family accused Li Xianke of being a fugitive and forced him to become a citizen and serve as an official.

The government assisted the tyrant and left Li Xianke with no way to seek justice. He was forced to become a "householder" of the Kong family.

All these words are clearly recorded in this book.

Everyone was whispering to each other and passing it around.

When it happened to be passed to Kong Chenghou, he suddenly tore the book into pieces!
Kong Chenghou was furious: "Insulting my ancestors, how can I tolerate this? How can I not tolerate this?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there were responses one after another.

"well said!"

"He Xinyin is just a criminal. He should be beheaded for spreading evil words!"

"That's easy to say. Let's see if you can arrest and convict him with the thousands of cult members gathered around him."

"After all, it's still Shen Li who released the dog to bite people."

"Alas, Shen Li has always had a good reputation in Shilin, why bother coming here?"

"You're asking this question even though you already know the answer. Who isn't a dog that has been let out?"

"Be careful what you say."

"What are you talking about? You've been retreating again and again. The wealth and property of several generations are behind you. How can you retreat? Even if it's the dog that was released, its claws and fangs should be cut off!"

We all gathered in Tongleyuan today, nominally to enjoy the springs, but the actual reason was clear.

If it was just a local land survey, they would still have room to collude with the government office, and they could still tolerate everyone giving out 30% to fill the emperor's days.

What's the point of letting Shen Li out to patrol the fields?

They even want to use the saintly family as an example to scare the monkeys.

It really pushes people into a dead end!

Yin Gao listened to the discussions and sighed, "The salt administration case was a hot topic in Nanzhili at the beginning, and everyone knows what the final result was."

"Even if it bites the saint now, what can we do?"

He looked at his garden mansion with some melancholy.

His sight seemed to see through the courtyard wall and see his thousands of acres of fertile land that were about to be confiscated.

What a wonderful house, do we really want to share it with the people?

Are we really going to return the land that we acquired with so much difficulty and the hidden tenants in full?
It's a sin to give away your money to the poor!
But even so, what can we do?
No wonder Yin Gao was frustrated.

Compared with the six ministries and nobles in Nanjing led by Xu Jie, this group of people is not even worthy of carrying shoes.

They have already suffered a crushing defeat, what can this group of people do?
"That's wrong. The salt administration case back then was not even a bit as important as it is now."

Yin Gao turned his head.

The person who spoke was Zhang Yi, one of the Three Zhangs of Taicang.

Before Yin Gao could ask, Yan Sishen asked first: "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Yi stroked his beard and said, "You must know that the original case of the salt administration was nothing more than a few court officials and nobles colluding with wealthy merchants."

"Their power is rooted in the officialdom. Under the pressure of power, they will naturally be crushed to pieces, even Master Xu is no exception."

"As for now..."

After a slight pause, someone immediately said in dissatisfaction: "Don't keep us in suspense, continue."

Zhang Yi was about to explain, but someone interrupted him.

"Brother Zhang's point is that the new policy now, whether it is measuring land or insulting the saints, is the business of the people of the world."

Everyone turned around and saw that the person who spoke was Zhao Nanxing.

This man in the southern suburbs offered sacrifices to heaven and denounced the Prime Minister for being unfilial. His brother even posted a note to criticize the emperor's mistakes. His family was full of loyal and brave people, so their reputation in the literati circle was naturally high. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone paid attention to him.

Zhao Nanxing spoke eloquently: "Power is rooted in the officialdom, and the emperor's power will naturally be crushed once it is crushed."

"If everyone in the world rises up in opposition now, can we still massacre everyone in the world?"

When everyone heard this, they all understood.

Yin Gao hesitated for a moment and reminded him, "Brother Zhao, although we are all role models in the scholar community, we are not yet at the stage where we can raise our arms and have the whole world follow us."

It’s okay to brag, but no one will really believe such things, right?
"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter.

Kong Chenghou was in a bad mood and interrupted by waving his sleeves: "Why are you playing the role of a famous scholar when we are talking nicely? It's so noisy!"

Zou Yuanbiao paused.

He snorted coldly, not caring about the Kong family, and raised his head and said, "The provinces are not like the capital, where scholars gather. How can the emperor's power be used?"

"We are leading the way, how can the world not follow?"

Meng Yanpu's expression changed: "Brother Zou, you mean..."

As soon as he asked the question, before he could even finish his words, someone was eager to answer it.

"What happened in Hangzhou this month may serve as a reference!"

"The people are blind, but they can be led a little!"

Zhang Yi and Zhao Nanxing spoke at the same time, looked at each other and laughed.

The rest of the crowd understood what he meant and immediately clapped their hands and laughed.

For a moment, laughter resounded throughout Tongle Park.

The water of Baotu Spring gurgles out, as if in response to the sound of the spring.

(End of this chapter)