Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 262: I have been looking forward to the "Royal Master" for a long time!
Not long after.

A group of people appeared in front of the convoy.

The leader was Lin Shijia, the chief administrative officer of Zhejiang Provincial Government.

Before the person got close, Lin Shijia's voice could be heard from afar, sounding very enthusiastic and positive.

Lin Shijia walked forward quickly and said respectfully in a loud voice: "Welcome to the adults from Kyoto. I, the Zhejiang Provincial Government Councillor and Councillor, are waiting for you at the city gate. I have been specially ordered to come out of the city to welcome you. Please follow me."

Lin Shijia walked closer.

He just took a quick glance and then bowed to the people in front of him without saying anything.

The attitude is very humble.

Most of the officials who came this time were of higher rank than him, such as the Duke of Xin, who was even more admired. As for the Jinyiwei, although their official positions were not high, they were an imperial institution, and he did not dare to offend them in the slightest. He also could not afford to offend court officials such as Hua Lun and Lian Zining.

Only Xia Zhibai held a lower official position than him, but Xia Zhibai was the imperial envoy this time.

He was even more afraid to offend.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Lin Shijia behaved extremely modestly.

As the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person.

Xia Zhibai bowed slightly to Lin Shijia in return and said with a smile, "Then please lead the way."

Lin Shijia smiled and said, "What's the trouble? Originally, I, the governor's councillor, wanted to come, but I was overwhelmed by local government affairs, so I had no choice but to appoint me to come. I hope you gentlemen will not mind."

"Moreover, you all have come from afar to help us save the people from their misery."

"I can't even wait to welcome you."

"My Lords, please follow me."

Lin Shijia patted the horse with a smile, then walked directly to the front of the queue, leading the way like a vanguard officer.

Hua Lun and others were quite pleased with Lin Shijia's actions.

Even a little surprised.

Lin Shijia's official position is not low, and in the past, even if the local authorities welcomed court officials, they would never come more than a mile away. Most of the time, they would welcome them near the city gate. There is no way they would really run so far. This shows the sincerity of the Zhejiang Provincial Government.

Hua Lun stroked his beard, looked at Xia Zhibai, and said with a smile: "It seems that you guessed wrong this time. The Zhejiang Provincial Administration is still reasonable. He knows why the court came and what you were sent to solve. He does not want to cause trouble."

Xia Zhibai looked at Lin Shijia's receding figure meaningfully, and said with a smile: "I hope so."

The two men got back on the carriage and drove towards Yuhang County in a swagger.

At the gate of Yuhang city.

Zhou Ziliang, Wang Xuanfan and the Salt Administration Commissioner Li Benmo had already been waiting outside.

They posed in full swing to welcome Xia Zhibai.

Not only did they send people to welcome him a mile away, but they also called almost all the officials with some real power in the governor's office and the county government team of Yuhang County. There were nearly a hundred people standing at the city gate, and the momentum was extraordinary.

And so many people came just to welcome the arrival of Xia Zhibai and others.

This is quite grand.

Li Benmo looked at the grand ceremony in front of him, glanced at Zhou Ziliang imperceptibly, and couldn't help muttering in his heart: "These officials of the local governor's office are really good at putting on a show. If I didn't know the truth, I would really think they only care about the imperial court."

"But Xia Zhibai is also proud enough."

"Even when His Highness passed by in the past, Zhejiang never made such a grand scene."

"However, Xia Zhibai has only been an official for less than two years. How could he have seen such a world? I'm afraid that if Zhou Ziliang and others flatter him, he will not be able to tell north from south. But this is perfect. It would be better if these people could go back sooner."

Li Benmo withdrew his gaze, then raised his head slightly and looked forward.

Some shadows can be seen faintly at the edge of my vision.

coming!

Zhou Ziliang coughed lightly and said solemnly: "This time the court is very concerned about the salt administration of Zhejiang Province. They have specially sent an imperial envoy and important officials such as Duke Xin to come here. We must fully cooperate and not let the court be dissatisfied with Zhejiang Province."

"You must be submissive and respectful."

"do you know?"

Zhou Ziliang glanced around.

The officials around looked at each other and smiled slyly.

The officials headed by Wang Xuanfan said in unison: "Don't worry, sir. We can save ourselves the trouble."

"The court officials will definitely feel at home and won't have any dissatisfaction."

Zhou Ziliang nodded with satisfaction.

He had specifically reminded them during this period, and the officials of the Provincial Government were well aware of the reason and had already agreed. However, just in case, he still reminded them. Zhou Ziliang retracted his gaze and said, "Okay, I'm coming."

"Everyone cheer up."

Done.

Zhou Ziliang took the lead and stood at the front.

The rest of the officials stood according to their status.

After a while, the large group of people stopped.

Xia Zhibai also got off the carriage, and Tang He and others also got off the carriage.

Zhou Ziliang had never seen Xia Zhibai, but when he saw that the leader was a young man, he knew that the man in front of him was Xia Zhibai, who had become famous in the past two years. Zhou Ziliang stepped forward and took the initiative to say, "I am the councilor of the Zhejiang Provincial Government. I am honored to meet the imperial envoy and all the gentlemen."

"I have prepared a banquet in the city to welcome you, the Imperial Envoy."

"Please come to the banquet, sir." Zhou Ziliang's attitude was also very humble and he acted very approachable.

Xia Zhibai took a look at Zhou Ziliang. Zhou Ziliang was a middle-aged man with a medium build and a slightly protruding belly. He had a lot of hair on his head and his face was a little oily, but not greasy. He looked quite mature and steady, but there was a bit of gloom between his brows.

It gives people a sense of a smiling tiger.

Xia Zhibai said: "Thank you very much for the warm welcome, Governor Zhou."

"But we have government affairs to attend to, so it is difficult for us to attend such a banquet. Please forgive us, Governor."

Zhou Ziliang smiled and said, "I understand. It was my negligence."

"We have arrived in Yuhang. I have something to tell the Imperial Envoy. Can we talk while we walk?"

Xia Zhibai was silent for a while, and finally nodded.

Zhou Ziliang's face lit up with joy. He winked at several officials behind him, asking them to make way.

Zhou Ziliang walked in front of Xia Zhibai, still smiling, but his brows suddenly showed a hint of worry and solemnity. He said softly, "Emperor Xia, you may not know that we have been suffering from the imperial court's orders for a long time."

"In the past few months, there have been constant incidents in Zhejiang."

"Many of them were caused by cooks, which has seriously affected the normal livelihoods in Zhejiang."

"Local people have a lot of resentment."

"And you, Xia Qincha, once ran a salt business."

"You should know that local governors do not have much authority to interfere in salt administration. Salt administration is mostly handled by the Salt Transport Department under the Ministry of Revenue. After the turmoil in Yuhang, I wrote to the court many times to explain the pros and cons of salt administration, but my words were not taken seriously and the court did not believe me."

"I fully agree and appreciate what you said about reforming the salt administration."

"Xia Qinchao, don't worry."

"All the officials in my Zhejiang Provincial Government are officials of the imperial court."

"I will strictly follow the orders of the imperial court and will not shirk or obstruct them."

"So, Imperial Envoy Xia, don't worry about us. Just go ahead and do it. We will fully cooperate with you."

Zhou Ziliang spoke with a determined look on his face.

His face was full of loyalty, as if he had really been worried about the salt administration for half a year.

I have been looking forward to seeing the 'King' for a long time.

Xia Zhibai smiled, letting the breeze caress his cheeks, and said calmly: "Governor Zhou, don't worry. I came here this time to thoroughly investigate the issue of salt administration. And not only salt administration, I also want to tell the governors of the south one thing."

"The world is about to change."

Zhou Ziliang's eyes darkened slightly, his expression uncertain.

Xia Zhibai said: "Governor Zhou may not know the wonderful use of this steam engine. At present, the steam engine is only used for salt production, but after all-night research by the engineers under my command, they have found other uses, such as making steam carriages, steam boats, or other power tools."

"The world will gradually transition to the steam age!"

"Perhaps the governor may not be able to imagine it at the moment, but I can give a general description."

"The emergence of steam carriages and steam ships will make travel between different places closer. Whether it is transporting people or goods, it will be very convenient and fast. It can also greatly reduce the number of people employed in a place and create more valuable and meaningful things."

"Today, the vast majority of the people in the world are trapped in the fields."

"I will slowly break free in the future."

“This cannot be changed by location or human effort.”

“This is the general trend.”

Xia Zhibai looked at Zhou Ziliang meaningfully, as if he had already seen through Zhou Ziliang's intentions, but he did not deliberately expose him. Instead, he took this opportunity to clearly state his purpose.

Zhou Ziliang's expression changed slightly.

He looked at Xia Zhibai deeply, and said with a fake smile: "It is true that heroes emerge young."

"It is a blessing for the world that Imperial Envoy Xia has such great ambitions."

"I, Zhou Ziliang, am also fascinated by it."

"But all this will take time, won't it?"

"I still hope that Envoy Xia can focus on the civil unrest at hand. If this civil unrest turns into a civil riot, no matter how good his ideas are, they will all be in vain. Zhejiang has been peaceful for too long, and the people can't stand such a big fluctuation."

"I only hope that Envoy Xia can be more considerate of the people."

“Don’t stand against the people.”

"Don't create a mess in Zhejiang. People's livelihood is difficult. As officials of the imperial court, we should think more about the people."

Zhou Ziliang looked very concerned about the people.

Xia Zhibai stood tall, his eyes calmly looking forward.

He sighed, "When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer. Many times, it is beyond our control. The only thing I can do is to let the people benefit from it. Perhaps one day, my Ming Dynasty will be able to abolish agricultural taxes and corvée labor, and give the people peace."

Hear the words.

Zhou Ziliang was stunned.

Abolish agricultural taxes and corvee labor.

A strange look appeared on his face. How could this be possible?
Without agricultural taxes and corvee labor, where would the court get the money from?
Did it fall from the sky by itself?

Xia Zhibai's idea is really bizarre.

(End of this chapter)