The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 571 Kang Yingqian Comes Out

"Eunuch Dongfang, where is Lu Xiangsheng now?"

"Your Majesty, Governor Lu is currently in Ningguta, waiting to be transferred to Sakhalin Island to take up his post as Governor of Sakhalin Island. He will also be the first Governor of Sakhalin Island. Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs that he forgot that you only appointed him last month..."

Liu Zhaosun thought for a while and realized that this was indeed the case. He smiled awkwardly, nodded to the chief steward, and asked casually:
"Eunuch Dongfang is so knowledgeable and insightful that he's almost as accomplished as the Grand Secretaries like Qian Qianyi, Hou Xun, and Wen Tiren. Do you think Lu Xiangsheng is capable of great use?"

Dongfang Zhu was terrified. He thought the emperor was going to criticize him again - in recent days, all factions had been criticized and each party had sacrificed scapegoats - the eunuch quickly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

Dongfang Zhu certainly knew what "capable of great use" meant. It meant letting Lu Xiangsheng enter the cabinet to replace the positions of Sun Chuanting and Ma Shiying, and together with Kang Yingqian, take charge of the government of the Great Qi Dynasty, second only to the emperor.

Dongfang Zhu had no connections with the civil officials. The political turmoil caused by Empress Dowager Cisi's hunger strike made the father-in-law more aware of the true nature of the bureaucrats: they were all people who would not hesitate to cause chaos in the world for their own selfish interests.

Although the father-in-law is loyal, he does not dare to offend this group of people easily, and is even more unwilling to wade into this muddy water.

"Your Majesty, I am only a eunuch, a useless man without any balls. I have no knowledge. How can I speak carelessly about important matters? If I say something wrong, I will be killed. I will cause trouble for His Majesty's military and national affairs, which is a crime worthy of death!"

The palace maid Amber came forward with a large basin of cards and whispered a few words in the ear of the retired emperor. When Liu Zhaosun heard that the Empress Dowager Cisi had recovered, he was overjoyed.

"Then there's no need to turn over the cards. Let's go to the Cining Palace tonight and keep the Empress Dowager company."

The emperor's mood improved, and he said to Dongfang with a smile on his face:
"But it's alright. Sun Chuanting and Ma Shiying, we can't keep them. In just a few years, they've turned the Great Qi into this state. I'm almost becoming Li Yuan. If I don't replace them, Xuanwu Gate won't be far away."

Dongfang Zhu raised his head when he heard the words "Xuanwu Gate":

"The Emperor is wise and powerful. Those scoundrels are no better than ants trying to shake a tree. They overestimate their own abilities. I see that those foreign ministers have now fully understood the Emperor's majesty and will not dare to act recklessly again."

The Emperor was quite disappointed with Dongfang Zhu and stopped discussing with him. He said with an unhappy look on his face:

"Are you scared by these people down there?"

"Slave girl, slave girl, no, I dare not."

Liu Zhaosun stretched out his big hand and patted his father-in-law on the shoulder, asking him to stand up.

"I have seen bigger battles than this before. Ministers betraying and assassins assassinating people. What's this? It's just a few cabinet ministers being replaced. It's like the sky is falling. There is no need to panic. Summon the Grand Secretary Qian Qianyi to the palace tonight and draft an edict for me."

Dongfang Zhu was terrified and stood up to receive the order, but he saw the retired emperor staring at a pile of wooden tablets of concubines on the table, muttering:
"Sun Chuanting's excessive killing nearly triggered a civil uprising. Ma Shiying's empty talk harmed the country, and he sat back and watched officials form cliques for personal gain. And Xu Guangqi and Jin Nige, who were so absorbed in scientific research, didn't even realize the thieves were already at my side! Although these people are loyal, I dare not use them anymore. Never mind. Let Kang Yingqian and Lu Xiangsheng return quickly."

~~~~
At dusk, the front door of Kangjia Lane in the east of Jieze County was deserted. A sparrow that was looking for food was reluctant to return to its nest. It was looking around in front of the Kang family's house, rubbing against the crack of the door, trying to get in to grab some food.

In Jieze County, which suffered from floods and droughts, it was indeed not an easy task to find a few extra grains of food.

The gate creaked, and the sparrow flapped its wings and flew away. A young man with a sad face and a frail figure poked his head out from the gate. He glanced at the street, and when he saw that the intersection was empty, he clenched his fists and muttered softly:
"No porridge today. Do you really think there is no Li Xianzhong in Jieze County? Great Qi is worrying, really worrying!"

The sky gradually darkened. Several black shadows flashed quickly on the street and disappeared into the alley next to it like ghosts. Then several timid figures followed in. After some bargaining, the group of ghosts got what they wanted and dispersed, disappearing into the dim night.

Kang Jingxiu knew that it was Peng Tianxing, the deputy manager of Jieze County Chamber of Commerce, who was selling grain privately. The price of this black market transaction was more than three times that of the Chamber of Commerce, and it was hunger sales (real hunger marketing). The supply was limited every day, and you couldn't buy more grain even with money.

The people of Jieze County all knew where the grain, cotton, cloth, tea, and sugar traded on the black market came from. After Jieze County suffered a disaster this year, the imperial court allocated tens of thousands of shi of rice and wheat to the county. Less than half of this amount actually entered the granaries; the rest went on the black market. The people were indignant about this smuggling, which violated the laws and institutions of the Great Qi Dynasty, but no one dared to report it.

A few years ago, someone wrote a letter to report a crime, but the letter fell into oblivion and there was no response. The people involved were soon imprisoned on various inexplicable charges.

It can be seen that the forces involved in smuggling should not be underestimated, and can be said to be omnipotent.

Several officials in Jize County were divided on their stance on smuggling, and their subordinates were at a loss as to what to do. If they banned it completely, the people might starve to death. But what if they allowed it to continue? The foundation of the Great Qi Dynasty was shaken.

According to the Da Qi system, the distribution of food supplies is the joint responsibility of the Lian Chamber of Commerce and local officials. However, now the Lian Chamber of Commerce is leading smuggling, which forces the people to choose black market transactions.

Kang Jingxiu still remembered Peng Tianxing very clearly, because when their Kang family was raided, among the officials who counted the silver, there was Peng Tianxing. At that time, Peng was just a clerk in the Chamber of Commerce.

Kang Jingxiu closed the door, returned to the yard, and said to the inside:

"Uncle, there's still no porridge today. I wonder how many people will starve to death."

A hoarse cough came from the compartment, followed by a familiar voice:
"If the imperial court doesn't provide aid, our Kang family will provide it ourselves. How much grain is left in the cellar?"

Kang Jingxiu entered the room, where a thin old man was sitting. He was holding a teacup in one hand and rummaging through a pile of waste paper with the other.

"Uncle, we don't have much left? About a hundred dan? That damn Peng Tianxing confiscated two hundred dan from us. If you hadn't had the foresight to sell the medicine shop last year, we would have starved to death! We can't give away the grain we have saved to the poor."

"Well, you're right. We should keep the life-saving food. Who knows what bad things these beasts might do next."

Kang Yingqian sat down like an old tree with twisted roots, gently put down the teacup, and joined in searching the pile of papers with his other hand.

"Uncle, what are you looking for?"

Kang Yinggan ignored his nephew. His old hands, like dead branches, suddenly trembled and his eyes narrowed into lines.

"found it,"

"What?"

Kang Jingxiu thought that Lao Kang was looking for silver bills, but when he thought that Da Qi was not interested in the silver bills from the former Ming Dynasty, he became even more confused.

"What? It's a memorial to the emperor on public security."

After hearing this, Kang Jingxiu became even more frightened and confused.

"A memorial to the emperor about public security? Uncle, are you trying to emulate Hai Gangfeng? Writing a memorial to the emperor to denounce the "dog emperor"? When did I become so upright? I'm the type to be Yan Song or Xu Jie, not Hai Rui!"

Kang Yingqian gritted his teeth and glared at his nephew hatefully, but in the end, he did not bring down the slap he had raised.

"The Great Qi is in chaos, and the Emperor is calling me out of retirement. I've waited for this day, for a comeback, for over a decade. Jingxiu, follow me, your best days are yet to come."

(End of this chapter)