Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 169: The Front of Public Opinion

No one could have imagined that today's court meeting would have such a turn of events, all because of the outspokenness of a few young scholars.

The emperor elevated the teachings of the ancient sages to the highest level, mentioning those truths that no one could deny, and no one could dissuade him from doing so.

If you can't persuade them, there will be a lot of discussion.

The emperor had to bear the blame.

But would anyone dare to curse the emperor?

"At least, those people had it their own fault!" After returning home, Wang Heng still felt unhappy. "If this is just an isolated case, then it can't be considered a way to stop people from talking!"

"If Your Majesty was worried about this, you would not have done this today."

Wang Xijue shook his head. After all, his son couldn't think clearly.

"Since you are going to implement a new policy, criticism is inevitable. This move today is nothing more than to let the people of the world see clearly that Your Majesty is going to implement a new policy. For this reason, Your Majesty naturally cannot allow the ministers who are willing to implement the new law to be criticized and dismissed. You have to make a fuss about this matter just because of the saying: The new dynasty cannot tolerate ministers who go in the opposite direction."

Wang Heng's expression changed slightly: "What if everyone really resigns?"

"But you can tolerate selfishness." Wang Xijue said quietly, "Your Majesty is determined to deal with it this way, regardless of the public criticism. Your Majesty is unstoppable. If Your Majesty does what Zhang Jiangling can't do, will you be a butcher in the court, or a fish in retirement?"

All the civil and military officials in the world should think twice.

The emperor's words at the court meeting today were truly shocking, equally clear and vulgar: he actually said that those civil officials who were equally corrupt and plundering were more castrated in terms of moral character and integrity!
But he also said that selfishness can be tolerated, so everyone just needs to strike the right balance in how selfish they are.

This is the determination to change reality despite facing it, which is far more resolute than being ignorant and full of passion.

By the afternoon, the news that the Beijing camp was about to hold a military competition had spread.

On the way, there were white-flag soldiers escorting Zhang Yi and other criminals back to Beijing.

At the local level, public opinion was naturally still fermenting, and in the capital, a large amount of the latest news that "the emperor clearly supports the new party" was about to be spread.

The Ming Dynasty was thus clearly placed in a dangerous situation where huge contradictions were about to erupt.

Tycoon Xiao didn't know yet that he was organizing the bidding and subscription of 200,000 taels of newly added gold and silver certificates in the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing.

In the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue, all the prefectures and counties in Nanzhili and the three provinces of Huguang, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang were present. Xiao Daheng made it clear at the outset: "Your Majesty's order: Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou are not only responsible for the transportation of white grain for the people, but also have to transport grain for the imperial court. The imperial court grain of the five prefectures is to be converted into gold and silver, and the white grain of the five prefectures will be transported by Changming Zhaiyang Bank via sea."

The faces of the people from the five prefectures changed drastically, and the hearts of the others also tightened suddenly.

In this way, the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou took away a lot of gold and silver, which was of course a good thing for the local area.

However, the white grain from the five prefectures was no longer transported by the people but by merchants. The five prefectures could no longer interfere in the arrangements of grain transport because of the importance of the white grain.

Zhayangzong was restructured into a merchant, and Zhu Changluo gave him the sweet bonus of transporting white grain from the five prefectures.

The increase in white grain consumption has reached more than 40% in the past.

Xiao Daheng looked at the people from the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou: "In the seventeenth year of Wanli, Lin Daonan, the supervisory censor of Huguang Road, reported that the additional consumption of white grain has reached four dou and five liters per stone, and the boat fee, the postman's silver, and the silver for the carriage have added up to nearly two taels per hundred stones. Compared with the ninth year of Wanli, the additional consumption of white grain has increased by four dou per stone, and the price of the bedding has increased by more than one tael of silver per hundred stones. Your Majesty, by God's grace, there is no need to transport it to the inner court, Guanglu Temple, the five prefectures and six ministries in the future, so the additional consumption is set at two dou per stone, and the price of the bedding is set at one tael of silver per hundred stones. The people of the five prefectures have all benefited from this grace."

The five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou were special because they had fought desperately for Zhang Shicheng against the Ming army, so Zhu Yuanzhang imposed heavy taxes on these five prefectures.

This has continued to this day, and those who have the power to organize the people to move for white grain have used this to gradually encourage the collection of more and more grain.

The new regulations set today are still higher than those during the Gia Long period, but they are much better than the current situation.

What Mr. Xiao said was only the data from the 17th year of Wanli. Now another 12 years have passed. How much is the additional consumption of local white grain collection?

The officials of the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou were speechless. For the people of the five prefectures, this was indeed a blessing from heaven.

But the Changzhou Shen family and the Taicang Wang family will definitely face greater criticism.

This affects a huge amount of interests of the officials of the five prefectures and the gentry!

Xiao Daheng only said, "This year's autumn grain collection will be strictly monitored by me and the governors. The five prefectures will no longer have to worry about transportation, and the transport troops can be assigned to other places. If there is still a problem like at the beginning of the year, your majesty will punish me, and I will naturally be blamed, and you will not be able to escape either."

There are sweet dates with gold flowers and silver, and there are also sticks with white grain. As one increases, the other decreases, and the five governments can say nothing.

"The rest will be determined by orders. We will allow Huguang and Jiangxi to report their quotas first. Nanzhili and Zhejiang, which are close to the canal, will be auctioned and subscribed in the second round." Tycoon Xiao then looked at the others.

The priority has been implemented for places that are geographically farther away, which is bad news for the prefectures and counties in Southern Zhili.

But what about Zhejiang? The Prime Minister is from Zhejiang, and Xiao Daheng has always been considered a key figure in the Zhejiang Party. Is he trying to show that he is not biased?

Next, Huguang and Jiangxi will respectively explain this year's harvest situation, and then agree to a certain share of gold and silver based on how much silver they can consume.

Of the 200,000 taels, the five prefectures took a portion, and Huguang and Jiangxi took a large portion, leaving very little. Under the dominance of Mr. Xiao, the distribution of the newly added gold and silver was much smoother than expected.

It's just that the dispute was put aside again.

"Ask Chief Chang to come in."

Everyone watched as a middle-aged man walked in. He was wearing a green official robe embroidered with an oriole, meaning he was an eighth-rank official.

"This is Chang Qing'an, the head of Changming Zhayang Company. Changming Company bid 680,000 taels of silver for the head of Zhayang Company, and Chang Qing'an is now in charge of Changming Zhayang Company. With the grace of Your Majesty, he has been granted an eighth-rank official position."

"Your humble servant greets you all." Chang Qing'an stood and saluted. "According to the imperial decree, Changming Zhaiyang Guild has set up stores in Nanjing City, Wuchang Prefecture, Nanchang Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, and Taicang Port in Suzhou Prefecture. I will visit the provinces and prefectures one by one to transport the gold, silver, and grain."

Xiao Daheng pointed at him and said, "Let's recognize each other first."

So these people told him their names and official titles one by one, and at the same time looked at the businessman wearing official robes with mixed feelings.

Changminghao's operation of adding new gold and silver was to present them directly to the emperor in Beijing, and those collected locally could be used to purchase other goods and then resell them.

Chang Qing'an said that the first batch of places would set up stores to connect with the newly added gold, flowers and silver. This is already a preliminary network, and it is a network with an imperial merchant background and involves taxes and silver.

The head of the group is an official, and it is similar to a government office.

Weird inside and out.

When he came to the front of Wang Siming, the Left Governor of Jiangxi, who came here in person, Chang Qing'an did not shy away from others. He bowed and said, "My son-in-law, Meng Xikong, is a Jinshi this year and was appointed as the magistrate of Leping County, Raozhou Prefecture. If there is anything I have done wrong, please feel free to point it out, Wang Fantai."

Wang Siming's eyes moved: "So he is the son-in-law of Chang Xingshou."

A son-in-law who had just passed the imperial examination was captured. The head of the Changming Salt Company in Huai'an, Fan Yuanzhu, had a concubine in his family. The owner of the Changming Company, Wang Xun, was awarded the seventh-rank official uniform, and there is now a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the family.

No one dared to underestimate the eighth-rank merchant official in front of them.

Chang Qing'an is very good at dealing with people, and the atmosphere here is harmonious.

In the capital, the upstart among the royal family, Queen Guo Lanzhi's brother, also began to run his own business.

The restaurant named Kuai Tan Xuan has a Mingtang-like structure. Although it is not very large, there is a stage in the middle.

The lobby has scattered seats, private rooms on two floors on three sides, and a separate floor on the top.

At this moment, the Kuaitan Pavilion is full of distinguished guests, all of whom are nobles and dignitaries.

The younger generations of their family were sitting in the lobby listening to the storytelling of Shen Qinghong, the successor of the Mei family.

"Think of the court meeting of all the ministers, all in front of the Qianqing Gate. Those scoundrels cried and begged for mercy in front of the emperor, and His Majesty said: Since they like to make up stories and ridicule the eunuchs who serve the country, they should be castrated. Everyone, I'm afraid that the scar on your penis hasn't healed yet!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The descendants of the nobles had actually heard about this incident, but the emphasis and tone used by the storyteller were naturally different and interesting.

They were not sure whether the storyteller in Kuai Tan Xuan was so bold because today's guests were special.

But the emperor often listened to his storytelling, so he must have been allowed to make fun of this matter.

In the private rooms around Kuai Tan Xuan, many people had mixed feelings and looked up at the third floor from time to time.

On the third floor, there is only a large suite with a round dining table outside and a tea table, a desk, an antique shelf and a couch inside.

Now Zhu Changluo is here, as are Wuqing Marquis Li Wenquan, Yongnian Earl Wang Dong, the emperor's uncle Wang Daoheng and the current queen's brother Guo Zhenming.

"Everyone knows that this Kuai Tan Xuan was opened by you guys together, so there is no need to hide it." Zhu Changluo looked at them and said, "It's nothing more than a restaurant. You should pay the local stamp duty and open the store as many times as you want. I will not ask what the storytellers say in the store or what the opera troupe sings in the store. I have approved it. The prices of tea and snacks do not need to be expensive. Local governments dare not touch Kuai Tan Xuan, and it is enough for us to hear something interesting in Kuai Tan Xuan."

"The minister obeys the order."

"First, support storytellers and opera troupes. Remember, officials and gentry will be afraid to come to this quick talk house, but businessmen are different. They will gradually realize how many opportunities are hidden in the things the storytellers say in this quick talk house. Open it in every prefecture and every county, support storytellers, and then go to every town and every village! Don't be in a hurry to make money. I am prepared to spend money on this matter. I will give silver every year!"

Promotional expenses.

Now I can selectively talk about interesting things in the court, and later I can also talk about local criminal cases.

Literati know that the power of pen can melt gold through public opinion, and Zhu Changluo wants to raise a large team of storytellers to use their mouths to melt gold through public opinion.

This is a real mouthpiece.

(End of this chapter)