Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 303 Faces
In the second hall of the Yamen of Suzhou, apart from Fang Wen, the magistrate, several other high-ranking officials and the manager of the sixth house were discussing how to deal with the riots in the city.

As the prefect Fang Wen was the highest-ranking official in the Suzhou government, the co-prefect Ren Yuanshan did his part to sit in the main seat where Fang Wen usually sat.

"Currently there is chaos in the city. Most of the people in the city are flooding the streets. The number of people should be in the tens of thousands. It is reported that they are coming to the government office. The number of people involved in this matter is huge. If one is not handled properly, the consequences will be unimaginable! Today The government office is ill, and the official affairs of the government office will be temporarily handled by this official; this official has always adhered to the principle of teamwork, so please speak up boldly and strive to find a good strategy to calm the chaos in the city!"

After a clear cough, Ren Yuanshan, who was as steady as Mount Tai, spoke unhurriedly.

Ren Yuanshan, who is the assistant of the first government, has always been at odds with Fang Wen, and he is also a hindrance to Fang Wen. Under his leadership, the general judge Wu Zhiqun, the promotion official Jiao Yunfeng, and the successors of various houses also joined Fang Wen in succession. Wen's actions, the result is that Fang Wen's first fire as a new official was extinguished before he took office.

The reason why Ren Yuanshan did this is simple: jealousy.

Ren Yuanshan, who has been serving as a prefect for four years, has been coveting the position of magistrate. He thought that this seat would be his after the current magistrate's term expires and is transferred to another place. Fang Wen, who was biting gold, under thirty, and served as a sixth-rank magistrate in a remote village, suddenly cut off his seat, which made Ren Yuanshan, who was full of pride and determined to win the magistrate's position, both ashamed and hated , and then attributed all the hatred for the court to Fang Wen.

Ren Yuanshan knew about the city strike in Suzhou this time, and the promoter Jiao Yunfeng had already revealed it to him in advance, and sent 500 taels of silver in the name of visiting his sick wife, and invited him to withdraw the business tax together. After signing the title book for the additional levy, Ren Yuanshan happily agreed to it after accepting it with a smile.

He thought clearly about this matter. Once there was chaos in Suzhou, even if it calmed down quickly, but after the court pursued it, someone must be held accountable, and Fang Wen, the magistrate, was the best candidate to take the blame.

With the strong evidence of him, Wu Zhiqun, and Jiao Yunfeng, several senior government officials, can the officials sent by the court to investigate the cause of the incident be suspicious?Regardless of whether Fang Wen was dismissed or transferred in the end, the post of magistrate would be vacant again. As long as he spent a lot of money on activities, wouldn't the seat that made him think about it day and night belong to him in the end?
The appointment and dismissal of officials in Nanzhili, Jiangxi and other places was decided by the Nanjing Ministry of Civil Affairs. With Jiao Yunfeng at his side, as long as the money was paid in place, it would not be difficult for Xu Wenyuan, the servant of the Nanjing Ministry of Civil Affairs, to complete the matter.

The Ren family came from a rich family in the Jingxiang area, and their ancestors had also been officials such as prefects and six ministers. The family took advantage of these convenient conditions to engage in business activities. A fortune, since he took the pilot test and was gradually promoted to the position of Tongzhi in Suzhou Prefecture, the patriarch of the Ren family intends to transfer the family business to the more prosperous Jiangnan area in order to earn greater profits.

However, due to the fact that there are too many well-established businessmen in Suzhou Prefecture, his position as an acquaintance is not considered a big position in the Nanzhili area, so the business expansion of the Ren family in Suzhou is not very ideal. A cloth and tea shop does not make a lot of profits.It is also because of this that Ren Yuanshan is extremely eager for a magistrate of Suzhou. Only when he becomes the magistrate of a prefecture will his authority and influence be greater, and the family business can also take it further.

Ren Yuanshan is very clear about Jiao Yunfeng's background. Xu Wenyuan, the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Nanjing, is Jiao Yunfeng's uncle, and Huang Zhi, a great businessman in Suzhou, is the eldest son of Xu Wenyuan's uncle's family. The Jiao family and the Xu and Huang families rely on each other in many businesses. In terms of trade and communication, the interests of the three families have been closely linked together.

For the strike action secretly manipulated by Jiao Yunfeng and others, Ren Yuanshan naturally agrees very much in his heart.Although most of the Ren family's business was concentrated near their hometown, there were very few supplies that needed to be trafficked through the Grand Canal, but the emperor's sudden levy of commercial taxes on the canal made Ren Yuanshan smell dangerous.He was keenly aware that the emperor dared to levy commercial taxes on the canal today, and the next step would probably be to issue commercial taxes in various places in Ming Dynasty. Only when he resisted this tax collection would he break the emperor's long fingers. And completely dispel his more unrealistic thoughts.

"Although there are signs of turmoil in the city, the root cause is that the court has raised taxes brazenly in disregard of public opinion; all dynasties have used gentry as the foundation of the country, especially in the south of the Yangtze River, where the market has always been prosperous and the gentry Gathering, since ancient times, has been the source of taxes and taxes in all dynasties, and it is actually the foundation of the foundation of the ages. The officials believe that civil disturbances in the city are not unsolvable. If you want to calm the chaos, you must first investigate the root cause. The decree is withdrawn, and the so-called civil disorder is like snow in spring, disappearing in an instant!"

The judge, Wu Zhiqun, casually cupped his hands at Ren Yuanshan, and opened his mouth to express his opinion.

"The words of the general judgment revealed the source of this disaster, and also expressed the aspirations of the gentry and people in the south of the Yangtze River. They are really penetrating words! Thinking of my people in the south of the Yangtze River, since the founding of the Taizu, they have donated countless money and food to the court. If there were no donations from the gentry and people in the south of the Yangtze River for 200 years, how would the imperial court use it to pay for the officers and soldiers? Which one is not my offering in the south of the Yangtze River? There are big traitors doing evil in the court today, bewitching the saints to come up with such a poisonous scheme, causing the people in the south of the Yangtze River to cry and cry, and in desperation, they rose up to resist and thought they wanted to survive. We are the officials of the court, The demands of the people should be the top priority. Now that such a rich place is about to become a place where people are scrambling to flee, as an official of the herdsmen on behalf of the heavens, but does not speak out for the living people, is it not ashamed of one's own conscience?"

Over [-] years old, Jiao Yunfeng, an elegant-looking pusher, raised his eyes and asked questions continuously with a generous tone.

Although Jiao Yunfeng has a very close relationship with Xu Wenyuan, who is the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Nanjing, his rank is still low because he was too late in the pilot test.But this time, if Fang Wen can be squeezed out, Ren Yuanshan can be righted, and Wu Zhifeng can fill in the position of co-prescribing, then Jiao Yunfeng will be promoted to the position of general judge, which can be said to be a happy situation.

"Zhifeng's discussion is wonderful! We read the books of sages and sages, and what are the herdsmen doing in the world? The benefit of the people is also! And now there are thieves who are plotting to hurt the people's roots in order to satisfy their own interests. Who can bear this? Intolerable! Hurting the foundation of the people is hurting the foundation of the country! What can Zhifeng do for us to reward?"

Ren Yuanshan spoke upright and awe-inspiring, when he mentioned the excitement, his face seemed to be covered with a layer of holy radiance, making people dare not look directly at it.

The Liufang Jingcheng who have never spoken out are full of contempt in their hearts: they keep saying that they are for the country and the people, but they want to use it for their own use. Changes, it is really difficult for ordinary people to imitate.

"The lower officials believe that the flames of civil unrest in the city are not enough to shake the hearts of the traitors in the capital. Only when the turmoil intensifies and spreads to other prefectures in Nanzhili, so that Jiangnan is in danger of overthrowing, will the traitors in the capital be moved! Then We and the relevant officials of Nanzhili have jointly signed a petition on behalf of the people, forcing them to withdraw their orders, so that the people in the south of the Yangtze River can restore their lives and work in peace and contentment!"

　Thank you book friend Hui Junan for your reward, thank you for your long-term support and encouragement.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)