Cutting 1719

Chapter 50
In the Hongde Hall of the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty was drinking the new spring tea while looking at today's memorial. out.

"The Ministry of Household Affairs has written that the provinces have lost a lot of money and have accumulated malpractices for a long time, and the payment of money and food that should be handed over has been delayed for a long time. The local governors are all complaining to me!"

Below, Ma Qi, the Chief Manchurian University Scholar and Minister of the Household Department, was sitting on a small stool. He was actually two years older than Kangxi, and now he was 68 years old, his gray braid trembling slightly.

He was the one who submitted this memorial, and he immediately knelt down and said with a panicked expression: "My Majesty, although this year's examination plan has been completed, I am worried that if this continues, the national treasury may not be able to make ends meet, which will damage the reputation of the Holy King."

Looking at this noble minister of the Manchu family, Kangxi's face softened a lot. He understood that there are not many Manchu ministers who can help, but Hanchen should not be allowed to do all the major and minor affairs of the government and the public, otherwise he will not be able to sit in the country. It's safe, so I also favor Ma Qi who is quite capable of doing things. Although Ma Qi was severely punished by Kangxi in the early years as the eighth master party, after all, Kangxi really has no one to use, so since Kangxi In 55, Ma Qi was promoted to the position of Minister of the Household Department, and he never moved again.

"Hmph, although my country is safe and prosperous in the Qing Dynasty, after all, the Northwest is using troops, and the grassland tribes also need to be appeased. This matter of money and food must not be ignored. No matter how frugal I am, I can't afford it." Continue." Kangxi said slowly, and gave Ma Qi a light look.

Ma Qi knelt on the ground, trembling, looking like he was about to die. In fact, he lived longer than Kangxi in history, and said in a low voice: "The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and he will bear the responsibility of the entire Qing Dynasty with his own strength. Jiang Shan, how can a courtier wrong his father? The Ministry of Households raised money and food in various ways, so it's not a big deal if you think about it."

Hearing this answer, Kangxi's complexion improved a bit, and he said: "As the saying goes, it takes a long time to see people's hearts, but you, Ma Qi, know my heart very well. Get up and sit down, and talk about the specific strategy."

With some difficulty, Ma Qi climbed onto the stool, stroking his gray beard, and said: "My Majesty, now that the Northwest has been using troops for many years, Shaanxi and Gansu were originally desolate, and now they are unable to raise funds. There is still a need for relief, the south is mostly a land of fish and rice, and there are countless wealthy businessmen and tycoons, maybe we can raise more money to use it for the country."

As soon as the south was mentioned, Kangxi's face became gloomy, and he snorted softly: "Not long ago, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi issued a memorial saying that there is a ban on mining in Guangdong and Guangxi. All the benefits go to the imperial court, so the people's sentiments are repeated, there are many bandits and riots, and now they are raising money and food in the south, or can they break the mining ban?"

"Your Majesty, the opening of this mining ban must never be opened. The miners gather because of the mining profit, but this mine is a rootless water after all. Once the mining is over, the mining profit will be exhausted. If you want to make a living, you will gather people to become bandits and do illegal things. Therefore, the veterans have always advocated the ban with all their strength to prevent future troubles."

Kangxi groaned softly, and said again: "The landlords and gentry of the former Ming Dynasty opened mines privately, so that the world was full of hidden dangers, and the country was overthrown. The Qing Dynasty had to prevent this from happening."

Having said that, Kangxi didn't take it seriously in his heart. In fact, the prohibition of local mining was not for other reasons, but to avoid the expansion of local power.

When it comes to mining, the Qing government and local officials have always urinated in the same pot. The local state and county officials are all thinking about mining to expand their financial resources. This is a situation that Kangxi does not want to see if the position is too large.

Ma Qi is also like a mirror in his heart. What Emperor Kangxi said just now is that he is worried that asking for money and food from the south will be tied to the ban on mining, so he made a test. If he belongs to the central government, he, the minister of the Ministry of household affairs, has the confidence to speak.

It can be seen from this section that there was a tacit understanding between Emperor Kangxi and Ma Qi, but no one was willing to really challenge Ma Qi.

Ma Qi sighed in his heart, as an official, it is better to be confused, but the emperor can't be a clay puppet when he speaks, so he said softly: "Your Majesty, the mining order is absolutely forbidden. As for the money and food, you might as well let it Local prefecture and county officials should collect money and food as they collect. If there is any delay, the magistrate should check and report to the office. For example, if the money and food are approved by the prefecture and county, but the government envoy arrives at the miscellaneous faction, and the deduction is not issued, the county magistrate of Xuzhou should report to the governor. , and report it to the Ministry of Science and Technology."

"As for the current deficit, the governors can be asked to find out the reason. If the magistrates jointly conceal the deficit and cause the deficit, they will participate in the revolution immediately, and the magistrate will pay for it alone. If the state and county magistrates falsely report the deficit, the governors will refer to it according to the facts and make a clear decision. It is proposed to recover it under the criminal's name."

"If the deficit is caused by misappropriation due to official duties, the prefect and county magistrate will be dismissed and retained, and the compensation will be paid within a limited period of time. If the granary is rotten, it will be completed within one year, and it will be restored. The prefecture and county are short of money and grain, and the magistrate will report it, but the chief executive will not transfer it. If it has been reported, or has been forwarded to the governor, but the governor does not immediately participate in the question, Xu Zhifu will report to the ministry, and the governor and chief minister will be dealt with according to the law of asylum, and the compensation will still be distributed. The officials of the guards are short of money and food for the guards, according to the land. Punishment."

This remark touched Kangxi's heart, and it can be seen that the chief Manchurian scholar really has a few brushes, and he is indeed a good example of the relationship between the monarch and his ministers.

However, Kangxi still felt that it was not enough, so he snorted softly and said: "The local governors who did not do their best to prevent the deficits in the prefectures and counties beforehand, and those who did not make every effort to make up for the deficit afterwards, should be severely punished and ordered to pay compensation." The weight of this made Ma Qi feel a little cold.

This master is going crazy now because of this eternal holy name!In this way, is it true that officials do not have a living in this world?
Thinking of this, Ma Qi ignored the majesty of the emperor and pleaded bitterly: "Your Majesty, this governor represents the imperial court after all. You should save some face!"

However, Kangxi began to press forward step by step, "If I hadn't been too generous before, how could I be cruel next time in the [-]th year of Yuji? But if I don't do this, how can the overall situation be peaceful? Ma Qi, you are a relative of the Manchu family, You should understand how difficult it is for me to obtain the Daqing community! If you have any concerns, just speak up!"

As soon as these words came out, Ma Qi was helpless, after all, this master has already been so straightforward, what is the next ruthless hand in the sixty years of Yu Ji?To put it bluntly, Kangxi himself knew that he didn't have a good life for a few years. If he didn't take this opportunity to paint himself with a few more layers of gold, where would he be the eternal sage?
Ma Qi sighed in his heart, so he had no choice but to kowtow and go out.

After Kangxi watched Ma Qi leave, he was not in the mood to continue reviewing the papers, and greeted the little eunuch in front of the palace.

"A few days ago, Zhao's body was cold, but now he is in better health?"

"Reporting to the emperor, Zhao Guiren has already handed over the sign, and he seems to have recovered."

"Well, let's drive."

"Whoo."

(End of this chapter)