Jingming

Chapter 171 The Emperor's Sword Has Been Bleeding for a Year
Guangdong has indeed been hit by a disaster.

The power of a huge typhoon often affects the entire southeast coast, the difference is just how strong the wind is and how much rain is there.

"This is the best time!" Zheng Cunzhong was very excited. "Xie Changjie's clearing of the farmland has almost been completed, and the entire Guangdong gentry and wealthy households are extremely uneasy. If there is no accident, after the autumn grain is harvested, the imperial court will set a new tax system in Guangdong! At this moment, although the imperial court The decree has not yet been made, but the disaster has spread to Beijing, the old party will never remain indifferent, and the court must have decided the outcome because of this!"

He didn't bring a fan today, but urged all the elders: "The first round of the ninth day of August, the rural examination will last for half a month, Yang Shen can't take care of it! Fang Xianfu, a cunning fellow, has already complained of illness, and it is time to start from Chaozhou. Let the clerks spread the word that the collection of summer grain and autumn grain in the village will continue as usual, and if we make more noise, the villagers will be full of enthusiasm. We will naturally set up porridge factories, but this year Yang Shen has asked for donations, and my family has not much leftover grain. Is that reasonable?"

"Most of the summer grain has been destroyed, and the stored grain has decreased a lot. I'm afraid Zhang Fujing will allocate a lot of the grain purchased from Jiaozhi to help Fujian!" Zheng Cunzhong's eyes brightened, "I'm afraid the imperial court doesn't know that the miners in Guangxi are also rioting. There are fires everywhere." It’s all the disaster of the new law’s desire to impose taxes and labor!”

With a natural disaster, the best time seems indeed to come.

After Zhang Fujing came to Guangdong, he killed a high-ranking official, and then Xie Changjie seemed to be threatening to clean up the land, but in the past year, he only changed a city bureau.

The court's struggle between the old and the new parties has conveyed a fact to Guangdong: Even in Guangdong, a trial province, it is difficult to easily remove taxes and labor.His Majesty wants to enrich the country and seek governance, but he can't just sit back and watch Yang Tinghe regain power in the name of the new law.

Otherwise, why would Fei Hong still be in the cabinet?Why did Sun Jiao faintly side with Fei Hong?

Zhang Fujing watched the disaster in Guangzhou, and the three great talents also went to the suburbs of Panyu County with Yang Shen.

Heavy rains, sea tides, and the early rice that was close to maturity and ready to be harvested were blown to pieces.

The old farmer knelt down by the field and wailed loudly, and everyone turned pale when they saw it.

In Chaozhou, hundreds of miles away from them, there were actually subordinate officials in the countryside who sternly said to some Lizheng, Jiashou and the villagers: "Could it be that the hurricane won't pay the grain? By order of the county majesty, His Majesty will be in Guangdong. To try out the new law, what you want is to enrich the country! If you don’t pay the grain, how can you enrich the country? Next month is the time to urge the payment, so don’t miss it!”

"It's almost half destroyed, how can we pay the full amount of food! Such a big disaster, can't His Majesty be sympathetic to the disaster and exempt the tax?"

"There was a war at sea last year. Do you know how much food was spent on rewarding the officers and soldiers last year? Don't talk too much, I have to go elsewhere to inform the village!"

The subordinate officials left in a hurry, leaving only the villagers full of grief and indignation.

"These dog officials! I heard from people in the county that His Majesty has exempted Guangdong from paying taxes for several years. With such a big disaster this year, how can we pay the food?"

"Go to the county to ask for an explanation! We must listen to the county lord himself, is it necessary to pay grain for such a big disaster this year! So many fields have been destroyed, and the seedlings of late rice have also been destroyed. The summer grain is still a little less, and the autumn grain what to do?"

"Yes, are we really going to be forced to die?"

Zhang Fujing, Zhang En and others were discussing disaster relief matters in the Yamen of Guangdong's chief envoy, and they informed the inside: "Master Fantai, the magistrate of Jieyang County, Chaozhou Prefecture, seeks to see you, and the people of Chaozhou are besieging the county government!"

Zhang En stood up in shock: "Let him in quickly."

Jieyang county magistrate's official uniform is not neat, and he came in the rain with a muddy face.

Seeing him, Zhang En asked, "How did Fang Zhifu and you deal with it? At this critical moment, why did the people besiege the county government?"

Jieyang magistrate looked aggrieved: "Fu Zun has been sick since last month, and the official went to report the situation, and Fu Zun passed out immediately. Lord Fantai, the province's repeated orders to apply for summer and autumn food cannot be ignored. The official order The subordinate officials told the villagers to let the people feel at ease to clean up the fields and replant rice seedlings quickly so as not to miss the late rice. Unexpectedly, the unscrupulous people joined forces and even besieged the county government. The lower officials have already taken the first few people into custody..."

Zhang En's eyes showed a fierce look: "Stupid! Minzhi County is suddenly hit by a catastrophe. What is your intention in urging food and taxes at this time?"

"...Lord Fantai, the chief envoy just wrote a document to urge this matter last month, and the subordinate officials are also following orders." Jieyang magistrate was extremely wronged, "The disaster relief has been arranged by the subordinate officials, and all Jieyang gentry donated money and food To help the victims, the county also urgently sent officers to clear the silt and repair the fields, all for early rice and late rice, which is also related to the livelihood of the people. Unexpectedly, the unscrupulous people only listened to this year's food and taxes, but completely ignored the county. They survived the disaster together."

Zhang Fujing looked at him quietly.

The arrangement of Jieyang County will definitely not be a problem. The chief envoy has official orders. Apart from caring about food and taxes, the magistrate of Min County must also make proper arrangements for disaster relief.

But how the subordinate officials passed on the words and how the people's emotions were aroused is unknown.

Now that the people are besieging the county government to ask for an explanation, it is naturally impossible for him, a county magistrate, to replace what the above said about this year's grain tax reduction.

The court's decree has not yet arrived, and in the one or two months of coming and going, under the circumstances that everything is still uncertain, how much will the public grievances in the midst of the catastrophe ferment?
Zhang En looked at Zhang Fujing with a sullen face: "Futai, I'm afraid all prefectures and prefectures will be like this, how do we do things now?"

In the matter of disaster relief, Guangdong will not play any tricks, and those gentry who have complaints will not be the first bird in this matter, and they must be very "cooperative".

The most important thing is the emotions brought about by the people who have to pay the grain in full due to the sharply reduced harvest this year. A little provocation will cause trouble.

Guangdong is so big, can it be possible to spread manpower all over the place all the time to watch who uses what words and what actions to stir up public grievances?
Zhang Fujing is the only one in Guangdong who can make a decision before the imperial court's will.

Guangdong tax does not need to be handed over for the time being, Zhang Fujing can consider it comprehensively.

Zhang Fujing said with a sullen face, "Since it is besieging the county government, the crime is unavoidable. It is right to take him into custody first, but you are not allowed to treat him lightly. Min Zhi County, if something happens in the prison, you know the seriousness!"

The Minzhi county even claimed it was.

Zhang Fujing bowed his hands to Zhang En again: "I have already submitted to the imperial court to request that this year's land tax be exempted. Although the decree has not yet come down, I ask the feudal lords to write according to this first."

But Zhang En asked: "The ditches, houses, and roads damaged by the hurricane must be repaired as soon as possible, and servicemen will be sent everywhere."

This is the bigger problem.

The farmland that has been washed away, the people will naturally clean it up quickly without ordering it.But what about those public facilities?It would be a temporary errand all over the place.

If the civilian households can't send out Ding, they have to pay.

Food and taxes can be waived, but if the money is given out now, the public's grievances will be even higher.

"Leave this matter to the governor! All the prefectures and prefectures will send servants, and the governor's yamen will come to make unified arrangements." Zhang Fujing's eyes reappeared, "This is for disaster relief, not ordinary servants. Please ask the vassals and prefectures to solicit donations from gentry and wealthy households. Disaster situation Afterwards, each erected a monument to commend their merits.”

"Where did Ding Yan come from?"

"Relief with work! Insufficient, there are also guards in Guangdong."

Zhang En's complexion changed: "Futai, there are robbers and miners making troubles in Guangxi, if the military households in Guangdong also make troubles because of dispatching slaves, it will be a big mess!"

Zhang Fujing said with certainty: "No mess!"

After leaving the office of the chief envoy, Zhang Fujing returned to the governor's office and wrote letters again and again, and then handed them over to his staff: "Send them to Huangmingji, Wuzhou, and Wuchang mansions respectively!"

He knew very well that because of natural disasters, many things had to be brought forward.

He looked at the sword bestowed by the emperor hanging on the wall.

This knife has not seen blood for a year, this time it should be a full drink!
The first one to receive the letter from the chief envoy was naturally the Guangzhou government, and Yang Shen also felt it, so he invited some gentry and wealthy households living in the city to the government office and said unceremoniously: "In the year of catastrophe, we must prevent The rogues! The walls of several counties in Guangzhou have been damaged. This is also for your own wealth and lives. You have visited every family in this government. The people have suffered serious disasters. At this time, you should work together. The government will allocate money, and the rest I have to ask you all."

The faces of the representatives of the gentry in Guangzhou Prefecture were ugly.

But Yang Shen didn't care, he knew that because of his previous actions, he could no longer get rid of his image in this life.

But it is true that he has seen too much since he came to Guangzhou, and now he has a different understanding in his heart.

"Aren't you all willing to talk?" Yang Shen said calmly, "Although the government would like to get closer to you, the backlog of cases always needs to be tried."

Previously, when I visited the countryside, my sincerity was as good as gold and stone. Some people really thought that Qingtian had come, and many old cases were brought to the Guangzhou government again.

As a result, the faces of the representatives of the gentry in Guangzhou Prefecture became even uglier.

"My lord, the hurricane is violent and violent, and our families have been severely damaged." Someone said, "Now we have to buy grain seeds, repair the fields, set up porridge sheds, and arrange family members to help the village. We donated a lot to do it. We also donated a lot to renovate the Gongyuan, it’s really unsustainable.”

"It's all difficult, the government knows." Yang Shen said calmly, "Compared to the people who suffered from the disaster, your family is well-off, why is it difficult to survive? Futai and Fantai have already said that this time we will overcome the difficulties together, and the good people In the future, the gentry will erect monuments to commend them. Those who have outstanding academics, who are recommended to county schools, government schools, or even tribute to the Imperial Academy, will also be invited to honor the grace of the court. At this time, it is difficult to send to the common people Serve? There has been a civil uprising in Chaozhou Prefecture, do you think that the villagers don't know who ran rampant in the village in the past?"

Many people suddenly changed color.

Kindness and Wei?But the common people in the countryside know who to mess with and who not to mess with!You "Yang Qingtian" can still make decisions for them from time to time?

"...Fu Zun is right. Students, let's make up another 100 taels."

Talking nonsense, they were either dozens of taels or more than a hundred taels, and they all promised a little bit.

At the gate of the social college in a town on the outskirts of Panyu County, there is a long line of people outside the porridge shed set up by the "Xiangxian".

In the porridge shed, the steward of a certain master came out to the team and pulled a certain commoner: "Lao Qi Gan, you have three acres of land on the mountainside, and there is no disaster there. The fields in the bay area have been washed away, why are you here to join in the fun?"

"Guan Xu, please do me a favor, there is a mountain torrent!" The man cried, "There are eleven people in the family, and there will be no rations until after autumn..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's not like I haven't been to your house! In addition to your own more than eleven acres of good land, you also rented five acres of official land. How can you not store food? Don't argue with them, do you think so?"

When the victims' team heard this, they complained immediately.

"Your family has so many fields and you come to beg for porridge? My family only has four acres and six cents of fields. This time they are all destroyed! Are you embarrassed?"

"How cheeky!"

"Get out!"

The person known as Gan Laoqi wailed loudly: "More than half of it was destroyed, eleven people, how can we live like this?"

"What do you do with so much? You sell one or two daughters to be maids and you're done with it? Don't fight with us, you can still fight if you can afford so much!"

Guangdong is not considered the most severe typhoon disaster this time. Jiang Mian has not yet arrived in Nanzhili, but the closer the distance, the faster the news will come.

More than 40 counties were affected, millions of people's fields were destroyed, and tens of thousands of households were displaced.

Old people committing suicide, selling their sons and daughters, local officials dispatching slaves due to disasters, gentry setting up porridge sheds to donate, with little rice and gruel, and then taking advantage of the disaster year to lend rations or even buy fertile land at a low price are all common practices.

Jiang Mian has never been a magistrate, he is Qingliu.

When Zhang Zilin went to the southeast last year, he only faced the terrified southeast officials and gentry.

But at this moment, Jiang Mian was going south, facing millions of disaster victims.

Zhu Wan, who had made great contributions in supervising the killing of officials in the southeast last year, was promoted to the prefect of Zhenjiang. He stood on the mountainside and looked at the devastated muddy fields with tears streaming down his face.

"The land tax will definitely be waived, and the government will agree with you first!" He raised the sleeve of his official robe that was already wet and wiped his face. !Family to buy food, credit first, keep accounts!"

"Fu Zun! The gentry and the wealthy family have the most fields and the most disaster-stricken!"

"Where have you learned the teachings of the sages?" Zhu Wan stared closely at the magistrate under the rule, "Did the grains in the warehouses get moldy because of the heavy rain? Could it be that the victims were really forced to revolt and break up their homes to rob grains? Is it for you to buy food? , It’s not forced donations! Is it to force the government to be promoted to ask questions?”

"If there is no decree, they will definitely save the grain for this year's land tax." The county magistrate was afraid of his stubbornness, "Fu Zun, the imperial court's decree has not been issued, how can we tell the people to exempt this year's land tax without authorization? Nanzhili is a tax-heavy place, how can the court Will you make this decree?"

"You can do what the government tells you! If something goes wrong, the government will bear it all! If you don't obey, the government will deal with you first!"

The north is still sunny and sunny, the autumn wind has not blown, and the heat is unbearable.

The show girls have spent two months here, and Sun Ming has been stared at by more and more people because of the vague respect of some female officials and eunuchs.

She had missed the emperor more and more, and the worry on Zhu Houcong's brows did not dissipate a little because Lin Qingping was pregnant.

The world is cruel to everyone, and the emperor needs to make more choices.

"Chuanzhi Zhenyuanhou, if Guangdong needs it, go down Lingqu!" He paused, and then said, "Chuanzhi Mai Fu, Chen Jin, Zhang Fujing, Wang Hong, Zhao Jun, close the net in advance!"

Fishing is fishing, and Zhu Houcong has never meant to play with the lives of the people in Guangdong. Although the Jinyiwei Lingnan Walk has changed people, it has not wasted nearly a year.

Although they haven't exposed enough telltale feet now, since the natural disaster has arrived, they don't care about missing some people.

In the imperial study room, the counselors had different expressions.

They didn't know the news that Lin Qingping was pregnant, and the Empress Dowager Jiang strictly ordered not to apply for it until three months before she became pregnant.

But they knew that in order to avoid the superposition of various chaos, the Guangdong side was afraid that there would be a sharp knife, so that Gu Shilong, the commander-in-chief in Huguang, had to prepare to go south.

And the miners in Guangxi happened to make trouble in this scorching summer, so Zhu Qi had to stay in Guangxi.

It will take time for the decree to go from the sunny days of Beijing to the windy and rainy south. The scholars in the Guangzhou government continued their rural examinations in the heavy rain.

Zhai Luan was going to pay attention to the provincial examination, and then a list was handed over to him.

"All investigations have actual evidence, and the meaning of Futai Fantai should be denounced!"

Looking at the long list on it, Zhai Luan couldn't help trembling his fingers.

Is there really no problem with this?

In the Guangzhou mansion, Zheng Cunzhong asked in surprise in his private house: "Have you really sued Yang Shen and Xie Changjie together?"

"That's right! Yang Shen forced the donation, the head of the Zhong family hanged himself, the eldest son of the Zhong family is kneeling at the gate of the governor's office, and many families have sent people to testify!"

Zheng Cunzhong stood up excitedly: "The big thing is done! To sue the fifth-rank magistrate and the third-rank to participate in politics, the governor's office must accept this case! Even Zhang Fujing can't suppress it easily, and send this news to the capital as soon as possible to Yushi Lu!"

In front of the governor's yamen in Guangdong, a middle-aged man in sackcloth and filial piety knelt at the door, holding the pleading paper high in both hands, and the servant next to him held an umbrella for him.

In the heavy rain, there were more than a dozen people kneeling together.

"Please ask the masters of Taiwan to be the masters of the grassroots! The prefect of Guangzhou forced Liang Shan to death, domineering the village, and the people of Guangzhou are miserable!"

The governor's office is in the Guangzhou mansion, and the subordinate staff of the Guangzhou mansion reported back in fear: "Master Fu, something is wrong! The Zhong family will sue you at the governor's office!"

He is not an ordinary magistrate, he is the son of the chief minister of the cabinet.

Yang Shen was actually startled, and after a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Let them sue, the government is not ashamed. However, it is not indecent to come and go, and to spread the word to the Gan family, Li family, and Ge family in Panyu. Miserable Lord, this mansion will go to court tomorrow to ask questions!"

"...Fu Zun, the porridge shed that Xun Juren set up in the south of the city is the largest, and he is there every day..." Tong Juan reminded him with trepidation.

"Since there is a sufferer, he should send a message." Yang Shen sneered, "What? He will withdraw the porridge shed immediately?"

Inside the governor's yamen, Zhang Fujing already knew the situation at the yamen's gate.

"Accept the complaint first, let them go back and listen to Hou Chuan." After Zhang Fujing casually ordered, he said to the three people in front of him, "General Jiang, Wang Nietai, Commander Zhao, please take care of everything!"

The three said in unison: "The last general takes orders!"

Zhang Fujing picked up the "sword" and commanded coldly, "Go to Zheng's house!"

On the streets of Guangzhou, the rain has not stopped.

Many people saw the governor refitting the sword bestowed by the Son of Heaven, walking towards the west of the city surrounded by many guards.

No one knew where he was going. In Zheng's house, Zheng Cunzhong had just finished writing a letter and dried the ink with a smile on his face.

After the butler took the letter and handed it to a servant, the servant left through the main entrance with the package on his back.

When he was walking towards the carriages and horses in the city, he was suddenly blocked by two people in front of him.

He lowered his head and wanted to go around, but two hands reached out in front of him.

"What are you doing... um!"

The governor's guard of honor walked through the streets and alleys, and arrived at the door of Zheng Cunzhong's house in full view.

In many small shops not far away, many people's expressions changed involuntarily, and then they left in a hurry.

Zhang Fujing patiently waited for the servants of Zheng Cunzhong's family to open the door. Once the door was opened, the servants were supposed to tell the story, but Zhang Fujing stepped in directly.

The butler in the front yard glanced at him, and after a big change in his face, he greeted him with a smile: "My lord..."

"Where is Zheng Cunzhong?"

Zhang Fujing kept walking, and after passing through the door between the front yard and the back yard, he saw a scholar in green shirt stand up with a scroll in his hand beside the yard in front of him.

Zheng Cunzhong was really stunned, he didn't know why the dignified governor came to his house in person.

In sight, only Zhang Fujing, who was approaching step by step with the sword bestowed by the emperor, could not see any intention on the governor's face.

"...The governor is here, and the students are welcome..."

"What book does Zheng Juren read?" Zhang Fujing walked up to him, smiled and asked kindly.

"...The students are preparing for the exam, and they are reading Zhuzi's Four Books Collected Notes... In Futai, the humble house is full of luxuriant plants. I don't know if I have the honor to ask Futai for teaching..."

"The knowledge of the sages." Zhang Fujing smiled and sat down in the open-air bookstore next to him, "I am going to test your knowledge."

"...Students are ashamed." Zheng Cunzhong was about to call the housekeeper to make tea when another person walked in from the front yard.

The rain-stained flying fish suit sprinkled water droplets while walking, and after the man strode over, he just took out a letter from his arms silently and handed it to Zhang Fujing.

Zheng Cunzhong's eyes froze: that was the letter he had just written and sent.

Zhang Fujing smiled slightly: "The writing is very good."

After finishing speaking, he opened the envelope in front of him and took out the letter paper inside and shook it. Zheng Cunzhong wanted to stand up to stop him, but finally he glanced dryly at the sword bestowed by the emperor on his waist.

"The Zuoqian capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate!" Zhang Fujing was full of emotion, "You have taken the exam four times, and you have already been promoted to such a high position in the same subject?"

Zheng Cunzhong stared at him closely.

"What about learning?" Zhang Fujing looked at him, the smile in his eyes gradually froze and asked chillingly, "Since you have to take the examination of the Ministry of Rites next year, you should not forget every word taught by the sages, right?"

(End of this chapter)