Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 225 The world is never black and white!

Stand in the court?
Still stand with the powerful.

This choice is not an easy one.

He was originally promoted by local dignitaries.

If he loses his place, how can his family survive?
But if your Majesty knew about it, given your Majesty's hatred for corrupt officials, I'm afraid he would be able to escape if the Embroidered Uniform Guards conducted a thorough investigation.

No matter which choice you make, it's a dead end.

Xia Zhibai could see Tian Jing's panic and anxiety, and immediately realized that the situation in Jiangnan was more complicated than he had expected, and that more powerful people were involved than he had expected. It was not so easy to "snatch food from the tiger's mouth" from these people.

Xia Zhibai said: "Deputy Tian Yun, you are a scholar."

“But being an official is different from studying.”

"Reading only requires writing articles, pursuing elegance, pursuing gentleness, courtesy, frugality and modesty, being calm and unhurried, and being decent in everything. But being an official is not that easy. It is not like entertaining guests, writing articles, or painting or embroidering. It is impossible to be so refined and bookish."

"Being an official is primarily political."

“We have to talk about politics.”

"The Ming Dynasty's salt administration started with you, and it is destined to end with you. All of this is led by you. If you want to quit, others will take over and inevitably push many problems onto you. No one is willing to clean up others' messes."

"Especially when it comes to the highly profitable business of salt."

"However, judging from the chaos in Jiangnan, you have never considered these things from the beginning. You only saw the huge profits under the salt policy, and ignored the stability under the 'past' salt policy, and the efforts made by the court to maintain the 'stove household system'."

"Through your hands, the appetites of those people in Jiangnan have been enlarged."

"They are no longer satisfied with just earning 'salt money'."

"And he wants to embezzle the money that the court should save."

“Trying to have it both ways.”

“The demands of the Jiangnan kitchen households are actually very simple.”

"Smash the steam engine and let the salt administration in Jiangnan area return to the old 'rationing system'."

“But you know it very well.”

"Can not go back."

"The meat has been eaten. The officials and gentry in Jiangnan will never spit it out, nor will they allow this money-making 'machine' to stop. The demands of the kitchen households are not met, and under the pressure of the officials and gentry in Jiangnan, the only thing the local government can do is to suppress it with iron blood."

“Whether the crackdown is successful or not, it will intensify local conflicts.”

"Then Jiangnan will just be in chaos."

"Given your majesty's violent temper, once he learns of this, he will definitely purge the officials in Jiangnan. I'm afraid there will be a bloody salt administration case. It's meaningless for you to consider them. The more you speak for them, the worse your fate will be."

"There is no two suns in the sky, and no minister has two masters!"

"The Ming Dynasty has only one sky, and only one sky."

Tian Jing's face was ashen and pale.

How could he not understand this?
But he had no choice.

The situation in the Jiangnan region is more complicated than anywhere else in the world.

That is the birthplace of your Majesty, and also the place where the court nobles made their fortunes. There are too many interests entangled in it. In addition to Zhou Dexing and Wang Bi, your Majesty's son-in-law, Li Shanchang's son, is also involved. In addition to these people, there are also the sons of local officials and dignitaries. Which of these people can he afford to offend?

He can't afford to offend anyone.

And not to mention him, even Wei Heng wouldn't be able to do it.

Why are they able to sit in their current position?
They know it better than anyone else.

It was pushed up by the Jiangnan powerful group.

The token of their allegiance was to hand over the blueprints of the "steam engine" so that all the huge profits from the salt administration would go to these powerful groups.

They did it and successfully got the blueprints.

He also gained a firm foothold in the Salt Transport Bureau.

However, neither he nor Wei Heng had expected that these powerful groups had such a big appetite. They not only wanted to eat the "salt", but also the "stove owners", trying to eat both ends. As a result, the stove owners were in an uproar, and the local public opinion was boiling over in just over a year.

He actually didn't want to get involved at all.

He also sincerely agreed with Xia Zhibai's suggestion at that time.

I actually went for a walk.

But he was only a fourth-rank official, which was not worthy of his respect in front of these "powerful ministers". He didn't even have the chance to speak and was simply brushed away. But at that time, he still had some hope in his heart, thinking that Zhou Dexing and others would be more careful about their manners. Besides, the Guo Huan case was right before their eyes, so they should not go too far.

But he overestimated these people.

These people, relying on their status as followers of the emperor, do not take these things seriously at all.

I do whatever I want, without any restraint.

The evil of their actions and the despicable means they used are jaw-dropping.

a long time.

Tian Jing's eyes were red, and he said angrily: "Do you think I don't know this?"

"You think I want this?"

"Ask all the scholars in the world, how many of them don't want to be like you? You can say whatever you want, do whatever you want, and speak out loudly when you see injustice in the world, and even question Your Majesty in person. Who doesn't want to be like this?"

"But how many people in the world can do this?"

"Everyone knows the truth. I know the principles of loyalty, filial piety, integrity and chastity better than you do." "But the world is not black and white."

"It's not like you can do whatever you want."

"You have won the first place in the imperial examination at a young age, and are highly regarded by His Majesty, but do you know how long it took me to reach my current position?"

"Thirty years."

"I was well-read at a young age, but the world was in constant war, so I had to seek refuge everywhere. I missed the first imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty, and I never had another chance until the ninth year of Hongwu, when I was recommended by the current Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief Ru Yan to be an official. But I stayed in Hengshan for a full ten years."

“No progress in ten years.”

"I know the world better than you do."

"The world is so snobbish nowadays."

“Who among the poor doesn’t want to be rich?”

"And these ministers in the court, aren't they considered 'powerful'?"

"They are afraid of being poor, but they are more afraid of being poor!"

"In this world, in order to earn money and food, the poor work hard, tilling the fields, working with tools, doing business, and studying. Who doesn't want to be independent? But in this world, except for a few meritorious people, how many people can do it?"

"You once said you wanted to 'abandon the scholar'."

"But have you ever thought that the 'scholars' are the last resort in the world? Except for the 'scholars' who can still consider fame and fortune, the rest of the world has no chance to climb up at all. They can only live in hardship and suffering. Don't these people work hard and make progress?"

"No!"

"But the rich and powerful today are unwilling and do not allow any opportunity to get rich to be given to the poor. They are even finding ways to take the money and food of the lower-class people for themselves. Do you really think that the scholars of the world are unaware of this situation?"

“They know better than anyone.”

"Have you ever asked them why they do this?"

"But I asked!"

“Because they are afraid of failure.”

"As the world changes, dynasties change, and how many people fall, how many rise, how many wealthy families, amid intrigue and deception, fall to the bottom, and become the lowest class. Which of these officials of the current dynasty has not experienced this, which one has not seen this with their own eyes?"

"It is precisely because they have seen it that they are more afraid of becoming like this."

"You only see them madly exploiting the people and amassing wealth, but you have no idea that they do this just to keep their family prosperous forever and bless their descendants. In their eyes, the so-called world is just a tool for them to make money. Money and status are the real thing."

"Don't you want to report this to His Majesty?"

"Then I'll tell you."

"How deep is the water in Jiangnan?"

"Zhou Ji, the son of Jiangxia Hou Zhou Dexing, operated two salt factories in Huguang and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in just one year."

"You think there is only Zhou Ji, let me tell you, Zhou Ji is just the most blatant one, secretly there is also the current emperor's son-in-law, Sima Lun, he is also involved in Jiangnan, but his methods are more covert. In addition to this son-in-law, there are also the son of the current Grand Tutor Li Shanchang, Xu Zengshou, the fourth son of the Xu family, Chang Mao, the son of the Prince of Kaiping, and so on."

"With so many sons of meritorious officials, how can I speak?"

"Do you think His Majesty really doesn't know the situation in Jiangnan? His Majesty knows, but he just chooses to turn a blind eye, because these people have followed His Majesty to conquer the world. How could His Majesty kill meritorious officials? What's more, there is also the current emperor's son-in-law?!"

"As the saying goes, what goes up must go down. The poor see the rich and they all make such greedy moves. For the sake of money and food, they will do anything to achieve their goals."

"I admit."

"The kitchen owners in Jiangnan are very pitiful."

"But no one in the world will sympathize, and no one will care."

"Heroes won't do that, officials won't do that."

"Neither will your majesty!"

"The kitchen owner's business can be big or small."

"As long as the local government can suppress the situation, and then a memorial is submitted to the court stating that a group of people have gathered to cause chaos and the court has successfully suppressed the situation, will Your Majesty really ask more questions? Will you really send people to the local government to conduct a thorough investigation?"

"Let alone investigating the Ming officialdom, if His Majesty just trembles, it will scare everyone to death."

"Even if you are Xia Zhibai, you may not be able to withstand the investigation."

"I'm coming to find you."

"It's not to let you push your luck."

"I just really don't want to see the local cook die like this."

"I want to leave them a chance to survive."

"And what you said at the time about moving these cooks to the north is indeed a good idea, and it can also save many people. At least under the current circumstances, all parties can barely accept it, but it is only for the time being. If the local cooks are still stubborn and think that they can change the government's mind by making a fuss."

"Then their only outcome is death!"

"The thing I fear least in this world is the dead."

Tian Jing's eyes were sharp.

His expression relaxed a lot, as if all the long-suppressed dissatisfaction was poured out, and he became much more relaxed.

We can't afford to offend him.

He is not qualified!

(End of this chapter)