Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 284 Ruixue
All the ministers in the court said that Jiajing was prosperous and the world was alive, but the people were starving for thousands of miles.

In the winter of the 44th year of Jiajing, a rare heavy snowfall hit the capital and several counties in North Zhili.

He Fu.

He Liu's family sat around the stove, roasted and had lunch.

Lao Hu took a sip of his wine and said, "Lao Liu, it is said that auspicious snow is a sign of a good year. But this snow will last for twelve days at once! The people in Beizhili are afraid that they will suffer."

He Liu sighed: "It's been nearly a year. The national treasury is at a time when money is tight. A few days ago, Zhang Butang has started to collect military rations, and urgently transferred them to several prefectures that were hit by snow. However, the limited military rations are just a drop in the bucket. .”

Bai Xiaoyan said: "The more than 30 boat meters you asked me to ship from Jiangnan will take more than half a month to arrive in Beijing."

He Liudao: "It's too late! I don't know if the people in Beizhili can survive this winter."

Old Hu sighed: "Oh! It's not that our Ming Dynasty has no money! It's just that all the money has gone into the private treasury of the emperor. Let's say this year, let's search Wu Shujian and Yan Song's family wealth. How much money is it? All went into the internal carrier library!"

He Liu shook his head: "The emperor did this, can the people not call him greedy for money and good goods? According to Mr. Huang, who is in charge of the internal storage, the silver in the internal storage is piled up like a mountain, and it is moldy and hairy!"

Bai Xiaoyan said: "It's fine for you two to complain at home. Don't go out and say it! If it gets out, you are guilty of slandering your father. Ten heads are not enough to cut off."

Outside the main hall of Yongshou Palace.

Chief Assistant Xu Jie held a memorial in his hand.This memorial was jointly signed by all members of the cabinet, requesting the emperor to open an internal transport warehouse to relieve the victims.

Xu Jie knew in his heart that if this memorial was sent up, the emperor would reject it nine times out of ten.He was also forced to do this trick.Hundreds of thousands of disaster victims in several prefectures in Beizhili are waiting to be fed.The tens of thousands of tons of military rations squeezed out by the Ministry of War could not last for a few days.If it really makes the people unable to survive, then the disaster victims will become anti-people!

Xu Jie, 63 years old, has been waiting for half an hour in the heavy snow outside Yongshou Palace.His hands and feet were freezing cold.

Finally, Lu Fang, the chief inspector of ceremonies, walked out of the hall.

Lu Fang walked in front of Xu Jie, and said half-yin and half-yin: "This auspicious snow is so bright! This is the auspicious auspiciousness that God sent to our Ming Dynasty! This is the blessing of the emperor who respects the sky and loves the people!"

Xu Jie nodded: "Eunuch Lu is right."

Lu Fang pointed to the notebook in Xu Jie's hand: "Why, do you have something to do with the emperor?"

Xu Jie said: "Eunuch Lu, hundreds of thousands of people in Beizhili have been hit by disasters. You also know that the national treasury is now empty as the year approaches. All members of the cabinet jointly wrote a note, asking the emperor to open an internal transport warehouse to help the victims. "

Lu Fang's complexion changed when he heard the words: "Old Xu Ge, in a dignified Jiajing and prosperous age, there was a small calamity and a small shortage, and the treasury couldn't come up with money? Want the emperor to use his own private money? How does your cabinet handle things? Let the emperor know , can't Longyan be furious?"

Xu Jie had long hated Lu Fang, an eunuch, so much that his teeth itch.There is no other way, he is in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies, and has the great power of government orders.For the hundreds of thousands of souls in Zhili, he could only bow his head in front of Lu Fang.

Xu Jie said: "Thousands of mistakes, it is always the fault of being a courtier. It is me, the chief assistant, who failed to manage the cabinet well, and caused such a big hole in the treasury."

Xu Jie was talking nonsense with his eyes open.In the past few years as the chief assistant, he has exhausted his energy, drilled mountains and drilled holes, demolished the east wall to make up the west wall, and barely maintained the operation of the six departments.But no matter how diligent and thrifty he is as a daughter-in-law, he can't control the extravagance of Emperor Jiajing's mother-in-law.

He Liu confiscated Wu Shujian and Yan Song's two huge fortunes this year. Xu Jie thought that this would make up for the shortfall in the national treasury, and the life of the cabinet would be easier.I never thought that the emperor's decree would have all the wealth of these corrupt officials enter the internal storage and become the royal family's private property.

However, the money used by Emperor Jiajing to cultivate Taoist temples and palaces was all paid out of the treasury.In this way, how can the national treasury not be short-lived?Even if the people in the cabinet have all kinds of skills, they are just clever women who can't cook without rice.

Lv Fang held her head high, and said to Xu Jie half-heartedly: "Mr. Xu Ge really wants to write this book?"

Xu Jie gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I offend Holy Wrath, I still have to follow this scripture. This is related to the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people."

Lu Fang nodded: "That's all! I always want to give Xu Ge the face. I will pass this book on behalf of Xu Ge."

Xu Jie handed the memorial to Lu Fang, cupped his hands and said, "Eunuch Lu, please!"

Lu Fang took the memorial and entered the main hall of Yongshou Palace.He even threw the memorial into the stove.All the smoke is faint, and the excerpts disappear in smoke!

Emperor Jiajing had just taken the elixir and was practicing "crane walking" in the hall.

Seeing Lu Fang coming in, Emperor Jiajing asked, "What's the matter with Xu Jie?"

Lu Fang knelt down and said: "My Majesty, Mr. Xu Ge congratulates His Majesty, respecting heaven and cultivating Taoism has achieved great success! This transparent auspicious snow is an auspicious auspiciousness descended from the heavens, which means: Your Majesty will attain Taoism and become a fairy in a short time!"

Emperor Jiajing sneered: "That's natural, why should they say it?"

Emperor Jiajing suddenly asked Lu Fang: "Lu Fang, who is standing beside you?"

There was nothing around Lu Fang.

However, Lu Fang said: "My Majesty, I seem to see the Sanqing Shangxian standing beside me, riding a white deer to invite you to the Heavenly Court to meet the Jade Emperor!"

Emperor Jiajing laughed wildly: "I eat thirteen kinds of pills every day! There is always one that can turn me into a fairy!"

Lu Fang was used to the insanity of Emperor Jiajing after taking the elixir.He kowtowed and said: "It is said that one person achieves the Tao, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. If the emperor becomes a god, the servants look forward to being a fairy boy who protects the Dharma. They will follow the emperor to the heavenly court to have a look!"

Xiyuan, value room.

Gao Gong hurriedly paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

Zhang Juzheng sat with a sad face.

Xu Jie walked in and brushed the snow off his body.

Gao Gong asked: "Shoufu, have you handed over the brochure?"

Xu Jie nodded: "Eunuch Lu has already handed it over."

Zhang Juzheng's face changed when he heard the words: "It's over! Shoufu, if I'm not mistaken, Lu Fang has already burned the book at this moment!"

Xu Jie said: "Lu Fang doesn't have the guts to do that, does she? That trick could be related to the life and death of hundreds of thousands of souls!"

Zhang Juzheng sighed: "My chief assistant. Is there anything that Lu Fang dare not do now? He wholeheartedly caters to the emperor, so why would he hand over such a funeral report to make the emperor displeased? Let us It’s hopeless.”

Gao Gong asked: "Then what should we do? We can't watch so many people starve to death!"

Zhang Juzheng said: "That's it. First, let's dispatch officials from the household department as soon as possible to supervise the distribution of the part of the grain squeezed out from the military department. There is not much food in the first place. If the officials below let the officials pick it up again, the people will be afraid. Not even a bowl of clear porridge. Second, adjust grain from Shandong and Jiangnan."

Xu Jie asked: "You mean, let Shandong and Jiangnan pay in advance the imperial rations for next year?"

Zhang Juzheng sighed: "At this point today, the Ming Dynasty can only live on their own food!"

Gao Gong slapped the table: "I've run out of food, just wait for the people all over the world to raise their flags to rebel!"

(End of this chapter)