Jingming

Chapter 197

If one lie was told, more lies would be used to cover it up. Wen Suyun had entered a period when it was not suitable for farming. After that, the emperor went on a tour of the palaces according to the dates calculated by Huang Jin.

And Yan Song finally arrived in Jiangxi.

He went to his hometown in Fenyi County, Yuanzhou Prefecture, on the west side of Jiangxi. He went all the way east.From Fenyi, take a boat along the Yuanjiang River, the front section of the Gan River, all the way to the east, pass Linzhou Prefecture, Nanchang Prefecture, and then change Wuyang River, cross Poyang Lake to Raozhou Prefecture, and then go back to Jinjiang River and enter Guangxin Prefecture.

Continuing upstream along the Xinjiang River, he arrived at Qianshan Mountain.

The Wuyi Mountains are just south of the Qianshan Mountain, but how powerful is Fei's family in the Qianshan Mountain?

Let's just put it this way: Fei Hong's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all had the same titles: Dr. Guanglu, Zhu Guo, Young Teacher and Prince Taishi, Hubu Shangshu, and Grand Bachelor of Wuyingdian.

There have been four generations, and all of them have been ministers of the household department and cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

Now, Yan Song, the favorite student of Yang Tinghe, the leader of the new party, and the first chief companion of the Imperial Study, Yan Song, has come to the hometown of Fei Hong, the leader of the old party.

Although they still had to go to Shangrao County where the Guangxin Government Office was located, the prefect of Guangxin and many local people came to Qianshan County first.

Who doesn't want to deal more with consultants?
At the moment, many people are waiting at the wharf of Xinjiang outside the city of Qianshan County.

Yan Song will not go to Qianshan County, which is located by the Qianshan River, but will stop for a short time in Ruikou Town, where the Qianshan River and Xinjiang River meet.

This Ruikou Town is known as the "Eight Provinces Wharf", but it is a very important water and land transshipment hub.

It borders Zhejiang in the east, Fujian in the south, and Huizhou Prefecture in Nanzhili in the north. Qianshan County also has copper mines that have been very important since the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The Fei family was able to make a fortune at the earliest because they became rich because of doing business here.

After Fei Hong's great-grandfather showed great ambitions, he really became a giant family, and it has lasted for five generations. Has entered the royal study.

By this time, Fei's family in Qianshan had produced five Jinshi and seven Juren.Fei Hong's father had five brothers in his generation, Fei Hong's generation had ten brothers, and Fei Maozhong's generation had 33 brothers.

In Guangxin Mansion and even in Jiangxi and Southeast, Fei's family can be regarded as terrifying, and there are not many low-rank officials and officials who have not passed the imperial examination.For example, Fei Hong's cousin and others were taught and taught by Gongsheng, for example, Fei Hong's second son was Shang Baosi Cheng who was born in a Yin position.

As for Jiangxi as a whole, there have been seven chief ministers of the cabinet, including Xie Jin, Yang Shiqi, and Fei Hong.

The prosperity of Jiangxi's literary style is not inferior to that of Nanzhili and Zhejiang.

During the Hongwu period, there were a total of 880 Jinshi, and Jiangxi accounted for 140; during the Jianwen period, one-fifth of the Jinshi came from Jiangxi, and in the second year of Jianwen, the top three were all from a prefecture in Ji’an, Jiangxi; in the second year of Yongle, there were 470 Jinshi, and Jiangxi had 110. People, sweeping the top three in the first class and the top four in the second class.

There are other prominent families in Guangxin Mansion at this moment.For example, Wang Jun who is currently the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Wei who is the right servant of the Nanjing Ministry of Officials, and Yiyang Wang who is the third brother of Wang Dian, who is a servant of the Hanlin Academy. Another example... the first person to be promoted after Zhu Houcong ascended the throne is now the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate Xia Yan, censor of the right capital and admiral of Caojiang, was born in Guixi County, Guangxin Prefecture.

There are also late Confucianists Hu Juren, Lou Liang, etc., all of which came from Guangxinfu.

When Yan Song's boat docked, he saw so many gentlemen outside the pier, and he was not without emotion.

This is what power and position brought him: wherever he went, he was treated with respect and respect.

"I'm very sorry for disturbing the place. Song just went back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors, and took the road to take office. Song is not very frightened by your hospitality."

Yan Song got off the boat and bowed again and again.He was already a good-looking talent, now in his 40s, with a calm and polite demeanor, without any airs of counseling.

The local officials are naturally headed by Wen Anyong, the prefect of Guangxin, while the local gentry is dominated by Fei Wan, the head of the Fei family and Fei Hong's younger brother.In addition, Gong Cun, the supervisor of the Qianshan Copper Factory, also came here.

With so many people gathered together, Mr. Fei contributed a large courtyard in this town of Ruikou, and the banquet was already prepared.

"In court, I have asked for benefits from my son's confiscation. I am really yearning for the Fei family's way of studying and educating people." Yan Song looked at Fei Hong's son Fei Maoxian who had returned to his hometown and encouraged him, "My nephew has not returned this time. If I can go to high school, I won't be able to have this teacher-student friendship with you."

Fei Maoxian even said he didn't dare, but only said that he was not good at academics.

Yan Song smiled and said to Fei Wan: "Your nephew is talented enough to be a tribute, but this time, after I read the answer sheet, I was quite upset when I read it. It seems that my nephew was transferred to Sichuan by brother Zichong." However, nephew Maozhong Xian just won the first prize in high school, so it would be good for Fei not to continue to show off the limelight this time."

Everyone's heart was moved when they heard it: Fei Maoxian was said to be enough to be a Jinshi, so could it be said that Fei Maoxian's answer was poor on purpose this time?

Is it Fei Hong's advice, or is there another reason?
Now the protégé of the leader of the New Party has shown closeness to Fei’s inside and out. Wen Anyong, the prefect of Guangxin, couldn’t help saying: “Futai has already been a consultant, and since then I have a great relationship with Jiangxi Juzi as a teacher and student. This time I return Township, Jiangxi is all excited. First serve as the chief of the imperial study, and after Zhejiang takes office, he will return to the court. Jiangxi will have another great scholar."

"Don't dare." Yan Song smiled politely, and then sighed, "I'm really apprehensive about going to Zhejiang to take up my post. I detour Jiangxi and enter Zhejiang via Guangxin Mansion. I also hope that Zhejiang will correct itself first. "

Wen Anyong's heart skipped a beat: "Futai is going to Zhejiang, don't you want to go to war?"

Expressing his closeness to the leader of the old party, and pointing out that he was giving Zhejiang time to deal with the tail, Wen Anyong dared to ask this sentence.

Yan Song just smiled: "Your Majesty once had a clear decree. Five years ago in Jiajing, the new law was only implemented in Guangdong. For the rest of the provinces, safety must be the top priority."

Wen Anyong couldn't help but nodded: "Guangdong is still compiling and reviewing department rules this year, and reforming government offices. There are nearly 30 officials in a province, and all offices are based on procurement. If it is implemented in other provinces, the total number of officials in Ming Dynasty will increase to more than [-]. Ten thousand or even [-]? Even if you can double your annual income, I’m afraid it’s not enough.”

"It's just that the people's land is decreasing, the people's burden is increasing, and the government's expenditure is also in a dilemma. How can we do it if we don't change it?" Yan Song cupped his hands to the north, "Your Majesty has the ambition to enrich the country, and the ministers should share the worries of the king. Yang Ge’s old spirit has swallowed up the ages, and many new laws and strategies are really extraordinary, let’s see the results of Guangdong.”

Fei Wan remained silent, while Wen Anyong was thoughtful.

Those of them who are far away from the center of the court are thinking about what will happen after five years of Jiajing.

If the new Guangdong law is really effective, the most difficult change for them to accept after it is implemented in the provinces is that if the officials and gentry always occupy a large number of land and people, they will become the main force to bear taxes.

If you really want to study it in detail, I am afraid that more than half of the world's taxes will be borne by officials and gentry from Nanzhili, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other major imperial examination provinces.

Yan Song expressed closeness to Fei, could it be that the imperial party and the old party have other plans?
These words can't be asked clearly, and they are not familiar with Yan Song.

After all, although Yan Song's great-grandfather was once a political envoy in Sichuan, his grandfather and father failed to pass the imperial examination to become an official.

The Yan family in Fenyi County, Yuanzhou Prefecture, has gained fame in the past 20 years almost only because of Yan Song alone: ​​if it hadn't been for the delay of a subject for his father Ding You at the age of 16, Yan Song, who passed the county examination at the age of ten, would have been even better. Early in the exam, he also became a high school Jinshi in his early 20s, instead of taking the second place in the second class and entering the Imperial Academy at 25.

After all, the Yan family cannot be compared with the Fei family.He, Yan Song, was able to advance and retreat freely. The previous two generations of the Yan family had no official status, so why did they ever own a lot of land?Yan Song's great-grandfather was also known for his honesty, because he didn't eat meat, so he was nicknamed Yan Qingcai.

"The chaos of Chenhao in Xinli, Jiangxi, the people need to rest and recuperate." Yan Song added, "The gentry in Guangdong have no law and despise the power of God. His Majesty was furious, so he killed the son of Guangdong in the Fengtian Palace. If the gentry all over the world remember According to the teachings of the sages, the top can relieve the king’s worries, and the bottom can care for the people’s livelihood, so why does your majesty go to war in Guangdong?”

Fei Wan thought of the letter sent by Fei Maozhong, and immediately said: "Guangdong has always been poorly educated, and the mountains are high and the roads are far away, so it has become rampant. Jiangxi's literary style is at its peak, and the sage's teachings are naturally not forgotten. Now the official treatment law is implemented. , My brother also once advised that the most important thing is to lighten the corvee and thin the tax, to rest and live. The policy of exempting the tax and exempting the Ding is to strictly order the officials not to go beyond it. If this is the case, it will not be difficult to make the country rich."

Wen Anyong and other officials and gentry who were paying attention couldn't help but look at him.

How dare Fei Wan say that without Fei Hong speaking?
On the one hand, we want the law on the treatment of officials in the new law, and on the other hand, we still insist on exempting officials from taxes.As for the editorial department, whether to apportion according to Ding or land rights, as long as it is not apportioned according to land rights, it will not make the officials and gentry pay a penny more, but let the rich households bear more.

In the new law, there is also the purchase law that is also beneficial to officials and gentry—isn’t the government’s purchases decided by officials?This money will eventually fall into the pockets of officials and gentry.

Even if the commercial law and tax law are adhered to on this basis, the business tax is still borne by the businessman who runs the business.

What Fei Hong meant was to give up part of the benefits to realize His Majesty's desire to make the country rich, but don't touch the foundation?

If you compare the two, Guangdong is responsible for the salaries of nearly ten thousand officials. In the end, it is actually not as good as the tax increases of other provinces in the past three years.
Another point: Guangdong has the advantage of being a city ship, while inland provinces like Jiangxi and Sichuan do not have this extra income.Just like this town of Ruikou, which is known as a place where merchants are transshipment, if the commercial law and tax law are really enforced, how much more money can they charge?

Yan Song smiled and remained silent.

Going around in Jiangxi is to release the intriguing meaning of his position.

Even the old party, in the face of His Majesty's desire to enrich the country, cannot insist on keeping all the old systems unchanged.What needs to be done now seems to be to compare and squeeze out the more radical new party through short-term profit concessions.As long as the foundation remains intact, the officials and gentry may gain even more after decades.

Fei Hong has already called on the officials and gentry in Sichuan to abide by the restrictions on exemption from taxes and taxes, and voluntarily apply for payment.Although the new law has not been fully implemented, the proportion of officials and gentry who can be preferentially exempted is a long-established national law, and Fei Hong is only calling for it, not forcing it.Yang Ting and the leader of the new party, can the Yang family say one thing and do another and not respond to the call?

That being the case, Fei Hong's hometown of Jiangxi should naturally be the same.

When Yan Song went to Zhejiang, Zhang Fujing's hometown Zhejiang should naturally do the same.

Otherwise, just wait for the new party to use the power of the Ming Dynasty, bring the convenience of the city and ship company to create taxes, and use the new Guangdong law to implement it nationwide, and dig out everyone's roots.

At this moment, the officials and gentry of Guangxin Mansion knew everything in their hearts, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Yang Tinghe proposed so many new laws in one breath, so let's do some things and not do some things.Just like Wang Anshi's reform, after his downfall, not all of the new laws were abolished, but some were retained.

The most important thing is the detailed rules, how to facilitate the operation of officials, and how to ensure longer-term and greater interests.

Yan Song came to Xianxia Pass with the welcome of some people from Guangxin Mansion.

This location is located at the boundary of Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces. It is "the key of the two Zhejiang provinces and the throat of Fujian". It has always been a battleground for military strategists. ancient pass.

Yan Song looked back at Jiangxi, and then at Fujian.

Because of the three principles of heaven, matter, and human beings, His Majesty has now set up the Wanfa Hall to study physics.If the physics is successful, according to what His Majesty said, the production and transshipment of goods can all be greatly improved.If the burden of the people is less, the demand for goods will be huge in the future.

Therefore, in addition to the gentry in the future, merchants will inevitably become a group that bears the burden of taxation.In order for Ming Dynasty to operate smoothly under this new set of laws, the status of merchants must be respected.

As long as the officials and gentry take the step of paying taxes according to the law, they can never turn back.If you escape at that time, the newly revised "Laws of the Ming Dynasty" will not spare anyone.Want to oppress businessmen to pass on costs for their own benefit?I don't even look at who is behind Huangmingji.

He finally looked towards Zhejiang, and in front of him was Quzhou Mansion.

From Xianxiaguan to Jiangshan County, he can go all the way south from Qujiang, the upper reaches of Fuchun River, through Jinhua Mansion and Yanzhou Mansion to Hangzhou Mansion.

Yan Song put away his easy-going attitude when he was in Jiangxi, and said calmly, "Let's go."

After entering Zhejiang, he was the chief official of the 75 counties in the eleven prefectures and one prefecture.

As soon as they arrived in Jiangshan County, the people who had already been waiting here were led by two people: Shao Xi, the right chief envoy of Zhejiang Province who led the civil servants to greet him, and Yu Yunzhong, the governor's personal battalion officer Yu Yunzhong.

"Please refer to Futai for the next bid!" Yu Yunzhong, who was himself a Qianhu of Wei in Hangzhou, is now promoted to a general. Yu Yunzhong is sincerely grateful to Yan Song who took the lead in asking Yu Qian to carry him into the Taimiao.

Yan Song looked at the team of governor's personal soldiers he brought, this is not all.As a show of solemnity, Yang Tinghe allocated 5000 people to his Fubiao battalion. These are direct soldiers that Yan Song can easily mobilize without going through cumbersome procedures.

The governor has the power to control the military, although it is not as good as the governor.

He just smiled, and after bowing to Shao Xi again, he looked at the other person who tied him up.

"Zhang Qin, deputy envoy of Haiphong Road in Zhejiang Province, the criminal officer, did not do enough to prepare for the Japanese, and did not succeed in pursuing and suppressing them. Please let him go!"

Yan Song narrowed his eyes slightly.

It has been left to Zhejiang for such a long time, is this the person they launched?
For making such a drama, I am afraid that his guilt is also very shallow: the source of this incident, after all, is still in the Shibo Department, the prefects of Ningbo and Shaoxing, and the local guards.

"There's no need to plead guilty, let's untie the rope first." Yan Song smiled and stepped forward to help him untie the rope, and then said to Shao Xi, "Shao Youshi, how is the situation in Zhejiang now, and I have to ask you for advice. please."

(End of this chapter)