Di Daughter's Interpretation

Chapter 45

An Zan was silent for a while, and Fang said bitterly, "Yes." Mr. Zhou was really dismissed for embezzling Jinhuayin.The Jurchens sent troops to attack Liaodong, and the battle was urgent, but the Chinese army was short of food and pay, and was unable to fight! "Soldiers and horses have not moved, food and grass go first", can hungry soldiers win the battle?Can it resist foreign aggression?
The Jurchens grew up in a bitter cold place, lived in water and grass, and hunted and hunted as a profession. They fought bravely like wild wolves.The soldiers of the Celestial Dynasty have been waiting for several months, and they have no food and clothing. How can they resist the murderous Jurchens.Lan Yu, the commander of the Liaodong capital, repeatedly asked the imperial court for an increase in military pay, but the emperor never responded.The military situation is urgent and the national treasury is empty. As the servant of the household department, Mr. Zhou is desperate and helpless.

Even the emperor who had been abolished for more than ten years in the early dynasty, and who had not issued official documents for a long time, reacted extremely quickly this time, and issued an edict to reprimand the Ministry of Household Affairs, "Today, the gold, flower and silver are borrowed without permission. What kind of system is this?" ?” Ordered “Zhou Quan changed his post to serve the people” and scolded Mr. Zhao, Minister of the Household Department face to face, “If he commits another crime in the future, he will not be punished.”

Gold flowers and silver are his personal pocket money, and his food, drink and entertainment are actually more important than the frontline war.Such an emperor is very speechless.

An Zan's expression was no longer graceful and peaceful. Thinking of the situation in the court and China, his heart was agitated.Xie Yu thoughtfully refilled a cup of hot tea for him, and asked with a spirit of learning and inquiring, "Father, what's the matter with the mine supervisor and tax envoy? , I saw a lot of interesting things. In the ninth year of Longhua, the Liaodong mining tax envoy Gao Jiang collected 50 taels of mining tax in one year, and the emperor even issued a decree to praise him, so Gao Jiang must be able to be an official?" 50 taels, This is really a huge sum of money. The total annual income of the imperial court is only more than four million taels.

There was anger on An Zan's face, but it disappeared in a flash. He said gently, "The mine supervisor and tax envoy is sent by the emperor himself. All the income tax is paid to the inner treasury, but we have nothing to do with it." The money in the inner treasury is the royal family's income. , for imperial use.

According to the system of this dynasty, the Ministry of Household Affairs is "specially in charge of money and valleys", which is the department responsible for financial power.However, the emperor personally sent a group of eunuchs to act as mine supervisors and tax envoys, and set up separate tax offices to collect mine taxes and salt taxes in various places, and went to various places to rob money with open flames, specifically to search for gold and silver goods for him.

Gao Jiang, the Liaodong Mining Tax Envoy, was originally a rogue in the market, but later he came from eunuchs and entered the palace.Once the villain gets his way, of course he is very rampant.After Gao Jiang arrived in Liaodong, he acted recklessly, registering rich households in Liaodong and blackmailing them one by one.Merchants and common people who dared to resist were arrested and tortured in the past, making the people of Liaodong miserable.

Originally, "the people of Liao were enough to guard the land of Liao", and the soldiers and civilians outside the Celestial Pass could resist the Jurchens.However, because of the Liaodong mining tax, Gao Jiang's misconduct caused the people's hearts to be lost, and the situation in Liaodong was critical.

Gao Jiang searched for more than 50 taels of people's fat in Liaodong, and I am afraid that 50 taels is just a fraction.But as soon as the 50 taels were put into the internal treasury, the emperor was elated and praised Gao Jiang very much.

In Liaodong, Wang Zhicai and Li Yuning, who pleaded for the people on behalf of the people and offended Gao Jiang, were all in prison for more than ten years.Having lived in a ghostly place like imperial prison for more than ten years, I really don't know if they still look like people.

An Ruming was listening, and couldn't help but said, "What kind of official is the mine supervisor and tax envoy? They are all gangsters who are robbing with open flames." An Zan glanced at him lightly, An Ruming lowered his head embarrassingly, I know that I am not careful in what I say.

Zhang Yu was originally sitting in a gentle manner, but now he also became excited, "Mine supervisor and tax envoy? When I was in Shaanxi, I led my brothers to kill a tax official. That person should be killed!" The rogue robbed and oppressed the good people.This kind of person can't get rid of his hatred even if he kills him with a single knife.

An Ruming looked at Zhang Yu in surprise, murder?Kill the tax collector?Of course the tax official is hateful and damned, but he was sent by the emperor himself.An Zan, on the other hand, acted as if he hadn't heard the words at all, and asked him politely, "Wuji, drink tea." He had already heard how Zhang Yu and Jieyu met, so he knew that Zhang Yu had been a bandit and killed The rich, the poor.

An Zan looked at the calm Xie Yu, and asked gently, "Why do you remember to read the old mansion newspaper?" Xie Yu pursed his lips and smiled, "Not only the old mansion newspaper, but also the current one. The battle in Liaodong is tight, Bandits and bandits were rampant in Shaanxi and other places, and the people in Yunnan got angry and killed Yang Hong, the mine supervisor and tax envoy." I heard that the emperor sighed deeply, feeling sorry for his beloved "house slave" Yang Hong.

In the whole world, is it the land of the king?The whole world belongs to the emperor, and he wants to plunder his own people and connive at a bunch of eunuchs to harm the country. I really don't know what he thinks.Greed for money is not this kind of greed.

The mine supervisors and tax envoys sent by the emperor are really like bullies and bandits. Some openly rob, some dig people’s ancestral graves in the name of mining, and some claim to "search for gold treasures by order", and they go directly to the homes of wealthy businessmen and murder people. It is really lawless. .

This is really an official is a bandit, and a bandit is an official!Xie Yu thought fiercely.

An Zan looked melancholy, "This is the end of the world!" It became more and more unsightly and hopeless.How many good men with blood and integrity gave up their lives to speak to the emperor, but they were either punished by the court or demoted or dismissed.The emperor is a king, and he insists on doing so. There is no way to be a courtier, but to repeatedly remonstrate.

"The world has come to this!" In a luxurious mansion on Dingfu Street, there were also people who expressed such sentiments.This person has a handsome face and gorgeous clothes. He is Cai Xinhua who had never paid homage to Xie Yu.

On the one hand, he never forgot Jieyu, and on the other hand, he failed the imperial examination and wanted to donate an official to seek a future, so he informed his parents, brought his servants and others, and left Xijing for the capital.He suffered several hardships along the way, and was almost robbed by bandits several times. Fortunately, the dozens of bodyguards he hired were highly skilled in martial arts, and they rescued him from the bandits' knives every time.

For the rest of his life after the catastrophe, it is natural for Cai Xinhua to generalize.What's more, he came to Beijing this time to donate officials with a large amount of bank notes, but he saw the money being spent like running water, and he couldn't even hear it. Probably.

It was a teacher he brought who was a bit interested, and smiled at him and said, "Young master is too pure and kind, I am afraid he will be deceived. According to me, the young master went straight to the path of the great eunuch in the palace. Shortcuts." It won't work if you spend money like this.I don't even see a hall official in the town, and I only deal with small officials of the eighth rank and the ninth rank, can I be successful?These little officials are also ruthless, catching a sheep to death, it is probably very rare to meet such a young man who is not shrewd and spends money loosely.

Cai Xinhua hurriedly said, "Sir, please teach me how to go about the way of a great eunuch in the palace." The same is to spend money. Officials deal with ah.

The master laughed and said, "If you want to follow the path of the great eunuch, you must meet the young eunuch first." As he said this, he was thinking about how to get some money from this young boy.Everything in Beijing is expensive, if you don’t have money, you can’t move a single step, even if you want to listen to a song and be called a prostitute, it’s much more expensive than Xijing.How to make money if you don't have money, it's not easy to live in the capital.

"I have a classmate who has always been in contact with the palace, but this person is a little greedy for money." The master frowned slightly, "I don't want to pay attention to such a vulgar person." Although it is to earn some money from him , but put on a noble look on the face.

Cai Xinhua said in a hurry, "Sir, don't do this! People die for money, birds die for food, what is greed for money! As long as you can get through the door, money is a trivial matter!" He ordered the boy to "get the bank notes!" Handed out a silver note of 500 taels and a silver bill of 100 taels, and handed them to the master, "Please come and run, if the matter can be done, I will thank you very much." I agreed, took the bank note and went out.

Master doesn't have any classmates in Beijing, he just lied to Cai Xinhua.After leaving the door, the master took out the silver ticket to play in the Golden Cave for a while, but it turned out that he really did not play in vain.In the entertainment field, among the prostitutes, the master really met a capable person.

"Little eunuch, I really know those three or two," the singing girl named Hongxiu said with a coquettish smile, shaking her round fan, her breasts half exposed.The master was overjoyed, "Really?" This Hongxiu is not a famous prostitute, but she also has such connections, the capital is indeed an interesting place.

Hongxiu giggled and said, "There is nothing false about this, it is naturally true. The little eunuch often goes to the courtyard to find guests to talk to, and he will know each other after he comes and goes." It is not unusual to say that it is necessary to talk about some secrets However, the entertainment venue is a good place.

"Honghong," the master hugged the red sleeve, "you have to do me this favor." As he spoke, he put a heavy yellow bracelet on Hongxiu's slender wrist.Hong Xiu glanced at it with satisfaction, and said with a charming smile, "Why are you being polite to me?"

On the second day, Hong Xiuzhen invited a young eunuch in the palace for the master: Xiao Huizi.Xiao Huizi was very clever, and said in a big way, "I've got the matter of donating officials! The money is exchanged, and I'll let you get the voucher tomorrow!" What kind of thing is this.

The master hurried back and said, Cai Xinhua was overjoyed, and immediately took out the bank note, and graciously said, "It's all thanks to Mr.!" .From now on, I will also be an official. Cai Xinhua looked at the official credentials of the sixth-rank acquaintance, and couldn't keep his mouth shut for joy.

I'm already a sixth-rank official, if Xie Yu met me, wouldn't he be overwhelmed?Cai Xinhua had a sweet dream, and ordered people to watch near An's house in Xinghua Hutong every day to see if someone had returned from An's house.

(End of this chapter)