Jingming

Chapter 257 The Emperor Came to His Loyal Shandong

Three years ago, Zhu Houcong's understanding of water transportation was relatively shallow, and he only thought that the water transportation within the Ming system was probably the business of millions of water workers.

But it is not three years ago now, and Zhu Houcong no longer takes it for granted.

After setting sail from Tongzhou, Zhu Houcong's imperial boat sailed slowly on the Huitong River.

"During the reign of Yongle, the water ridge was in Jining. The Mongolian and Yuan dynasties focused on sea transportation, and the [-]-mile river connection was gradually abolished. In the past, Uncle Pan, a Tongzhi in Jining, was going to dredge the river. If this is done, we will have today’s situation.”

Accompanying Zhu Houcong was Li Wei, the former minister of the Ministry of Industry, who was added to the cabinet after those counselors left Beijing.

He figured out the emperor's purpose of bringing him specially - there was a censor who patrolled the world before, and the first batch of three-year national policies determined at the national policy meeting included the investigation of the world's floods and water conservancy.

This time the emperor was going south along the canal, on the way to Fengyang and the ancestral mausoleum in Sizhou. Li Kui had already made preparations for more than a month, so that he could answer Zhu Houcong's questions at any time.

Sure enough, Zhu Houcong asked, "Is it better that there is a shortage of tank boats now?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it's much better." Li Kui was beating his heart, "In the past, Liu Liu and Liu Qi's bandit army attacked Jining, burning more than 16 water boats, and the shortage of water boats was once more than [-]. Qingjiang, Wei Although the Hezhu Factory can build nearly a thousand large and small tank boats a year, they may sink in storms, or be stolen and sold by the army, or they may be too old to be reused. When His Majesty ascended the throne in the [-]th year of Zhengde, there was a shortage of [-]. In the past three years , the missing number has dropped to more than [-]."

In front of this person, Li Nai didn't dare to hide anything, so he also told the story of the water transport officers and soldiers stealing and selling the water tanks.

Zhu Houcong nodded without making any comments.

Is this the food and clothing of millions of waterworkers?Of course it is.

But compared to the uncontrollable process of transshipment of food and salaries by sea, the canal is still located on land after all, and there is monitoring along the coast.

To establish the capital in Beijing, we have to face the big problem of ensuring the safe supply of many materials needed by Beijing.

But the canal's problems extend far beyond itself.

Zhu Houcong wanted to take a look for himself first.

The boat sailed in the territory of Beizhili, this journey was not Zhu Houcong's focus.

He didn't come here specifically to play, and he didn't mean to go ashore here to see people's livelihood.

no need.Zhu Houcong did not grow up in the palace since he was a child. He has many paintings in his mind from 500 years later, which are richer than those painted by Tang Yin and others in Guangdong.

He went ashore to observe the situation of the people, but he disturbed the people instead.

Just sit on the boat and occasionally look at the situation on both sides of the canal and the river.If you have time, you can call the accompanying officials to ask about the situation.

The emperor never even got off the ship.

Every day when night falls, the imperial ship will berth at the pier.

There will be local officials and representatives of the gentry waiting there, and Zhu Houcong will show up on the bow deck of the ship, ask a few words of the scene, encourage one or two, and then give up.

The boat was not too big, and Zhu Houcong didn't think it would look cramped if he just slept on the boat.

But Wen Suyun and Zhu Zaiyu were both freshmen and juniors.

After the first half day of freshness, both of them were actually looking forward to going to the shore to have fun.

Meals were also simple, and after leaving the palace, Zhu Houcong didn't let them talk about those rules, so they ate together around the small round table.

"What do you want to say, say it."

After glancing at Wen Suyun, Zhu Houcong opened his mouth slightly.

"...No, it's nothing." Wen Suyun felt that His Majesty was on his way, and he was not in the mood to play—there were still rebels in Huguang.

Zhu Houcong naturally understood what she was thinking, smiled and said: "Be patient for a few more days, when we get to Linqing, we have to stay for a while. Do you know Linqing?"

……

Linqing is located in Shandong, Wen Suyun naturally knows what kind of place it is.

If we apply the later statement, at this time, there were three super cities in Ming Dynasty with a population of more than one million: Beijing, Nanjing, and Suzhou.

In the back row are several first-tier cities with a population of nearly one million.Among these cities, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Guangzhou, Kaifeng, Xi'an, etc. were all very famous later, but Linqing, Shandong was squeezed in among them.

In Daming, the most prosperous and developed city in Shandong is Linqing.

Because of the canal.

And if the floating population is included, Linqing is likely to have a population of over one million for a long time.

In the whole of Shandong, Linqing produced more than half of the Juren in Shandong.

The granary in Linqing can store more than three million stones of grain, making it the largest granary in the entire Ming Dynasty at the moment.

And the Chaoguan in Linqing, the tax money that can be collected every year, is also the highest in the entire Ming Dynasty.

To make it clear, in terms of commercial taxation, Linqing Chaoguan’s tax revenue is higher than that of the entire Shandong Province, accounting for nearly a quarter of the national tax amount.

Expressed in a passage familiar to Zhu Houcong, Linqing is the prototypical location for the story of the Ximen official who had not yet appeared at this time but became famous all over the world.

Jiaqi County is rich and prosperous, and prosperity overwhelms the two capitals.

On October [-], Zhu Houcong was about to arrive in Linqing.

Linqing is a state under the jurisdiction of Dongchang Prefecture, and the city of Linqing Prefecture itself is not small.The circumference of the city wall is more than nine miles, which is larger than its superior city.

However, due to the economic effects brought by the canal, from the early years of Hongzhi, the west of Linqing City to both sides of the canal were full of people.During Liu Liu and Liu Qi's uprising, in order to protect Linqing, a peripheral border town was built.

Today, the area of ​​Linqingzhou City is actually only about a quarter of the area of ​​the entire Linqing City.

Li Dongyang left a poem when he passed Linqing in the past:

Ten miles away, the two sides of the bank are divided, and the high-rise buildings enter the blue sky.

Official ships and Jiabo passed by one after another, and drums and gongs were heard everywhere.

The broken shore frightened the flow back here, and the sound of the waves resounded with spring thunder day and night.

Thousands of fireworks gather in the city, and thousands of sails and masts come on the river.

Now Cui Yuan and Li Quanli only feel worried about the safety of the emperor staying here for seven days in the future.

Lots of people, lots of mobility, messy!
Before Zhu Houcong, both of them rushed to Linqing City.

Zhang Fujing has already come here. After all, Zhu Houcong is not planning to go to Jinan in the southeast, let alone Yanzhou Prefecture or Qufu County.

Those in Shandong who can come to see him after being "enjoyed" are only at the fourth rank or above.

For officials below the prefect, I am afraid that only officials in Linqing Prefecture have this luck.

"A few months away, how about the supervisor?"

Cui Yuan and Zhang Fujing have only known each other for a few days, but they are still exchanging warm greetings at this moment.

One is the number one figure among the relatives other than Sunjiao, and he is also related to the army.

One is one of the most popular figures among the courtiers of the new court, who is as famous as Yan Song.

Everyone is the strongest imperial party, and their quality is higher than that of Yang Tinghe. After all, being able to hold the current position depends on the emperor's promotion of Nobushige.

So he quickly got to the point: "The guard camp is stationed in the north of the city. Let Xiangchengbo temporarily take over the defense of Linqing City. The imperial driver is berthed outside Beishuimen, so let's enter the city through Zhendingmen."

"But according to the staff's arrangement, the lower officials are already ready."

Although Cui Yuan still has the title of Marquis of Jingshan, the title of Counselor has become Daming's honorary title second only to "Ge Lao".

University scholars are all counselors, but honored relatives are not.

Linqing Zhizhou glanced at Zhang Fujing after saying this, and then said: "The lower officials have already cleaned up and refurbished the Confucian Temple and the area, and the counselors will go to inspect it first to see what else needs to be added?"

"need."

After Cui Yuan nodded solemnly, he walked ahead with Zhang Fujing before asking in a low voice, "Confucian Temple?"

There are Confucian temples in almost every prefecture and county in Daming, because there are prefectural schools and county schools everywhere.

The construction of Confucian temples in various places should have started on a relatively large scale in the Tang Dynasty, became custom-made in the Song Dynasty, and almost took shape after the Ming Dynasty began.

The Confucian Temple is not only for offering sacrifices to Confucius and sages, but generally for the integration of temple and learning.The official status of the Confucian Temple is actually a part of the official school. Generally speaking, the construction regulations of the Confucian Temple are relatively high or even the highest in the local area.

The local Confucian temples are all organized and built by local officials, and the Confucian temples in various places present the architectural style of their respective regions.In a place where the style of study flourishes, Confucian temples and government schools will develop better and better.

Where is Linqing?
Zhang Fujing said with a slight smile: "The Linqing Confucian Temple is more elegant and solemn than any other place in the city, and it is also the most comfortable. Your Majesty is the mantle of Dacheng Wenxuan's predecessor and the master of new studies. Wouldn't it be best to set up in the Confucian Temple? It's the luck of the Linqing Confucian Temple. Mr. Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Jin, who came to play the outpost together, only smiled slightly.

Cui Yuan felt reckless, and he was afraid that no one in the whole court could compare with this guy.

Now that the emperor has a new identity, the matter of staying in the Confucian Temple may come to mind in some people's minds—the dove occupies the magpie's nest.

What's more, His Majesty brought two concubines and one concubine with him.

But...Dun Lun seems to be a ceremony of human relations.

A group of people entered the city, and when they reached the entrance of the Confucian Temple, Cui Yuan looked up and sighed: "As expected of Linqing, this Lingxing Gate is built so magnificently."

Lingxing is the spirit star, which is the Tiantian star in the sky. It is used in Confucian temples to praise Confucius as comparable to heaven, and because the spirit star "masters scholars", it is consistent with the function of official learning.

In terms of regulations, only the Temple of Heaven, the Imperial Mausoleum and the Confucian Temple can build Lingxing Gate.Its characteristic is a group of three doors with a total of six pillars.In a more ordinary place, wooden pillars, stone pillars and some wall tiles are used for decoration.And this Linqing Confucian Temple has built a huge gate house archway.

Entering the door is the standard configuration in the vestibule of the Confucian Temple - Panchi.There is such a place in every Confucian temple, which is taken from the ancient ritual "the emperor Biyong, and the princes Pangong." Generally speaking, it is to dig an artificial pool with a stone bridge on the pool.

The construction of this bridge has gradually acquired a particularity that has not been put on the surface.In the beginning, a bridge will be added when the Jinshi is out of the local area.Later, the imperial examination became more and more prosperous, and the Jinshi also became inflationary. It became a bridge only after a top scholar.

Now the Panchi of the Linqing Confucian Temple is not only large and full of ancient trees, but the bridges added on both sides have also been built like winding corridors on the lake in the garden.

Zhang Fujing introduced to him: "Kuixing Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion."

Cui Yuan looked at the two directions of his fingers, and he said with a smile: "When you ascend the pavilion, you can overlook the whole city, and it is also convenient for the guards to guard, isn't it?"

"... What Mao Gong said is true."

"The left and right squares by the Confucian Temple were the usual residences of officials and gentry. I don't know how many high-ranking officials and scholars have lived in the vestibule of Linqing Confucian Temple." Zhang Fujing saluted him. The Qing side has less than one month to prepare. Although His Majesty has ordered everything to be kept simple, Sun Cance and Eunuch Huang still have to take a closer look. What needs to be added must be ordered quickly. Parallel filling, it’s quick to set up.”

"It's up to Eunuch Huang."

Cui Yuan saluted the extremely low-key Huang Jin: "Eunuch Huang is always with His Majesty, and he knows best."

"Let's take a look first." Huang Jin was still smiling.

He doesn't care what kind of Confucian temple or not, the world belongs to His Majesty, so he can't go or stay anywhere?

The Confucian ceremony has been changed, and the statue of Confucius in Linqing Confucian Temple has also been removed, but it is impossible for the emperor to sleep in the Dacheng Temple and the verandahs on both sides where Confucius and many sages are enshrined.

Arriving at a large-scale courtyard, Cui Yuan couldn't help asking: "Is this Pangong Square newly built?"

On the central axis of the vestibule, it is located in the south of Dacheng Gate, which is the boundary between the front and back of the Confucian Temple. The layout of the Pangong Square seems familiar to Cui Yuan—a bit like the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhang Fujing replied solemnly: "It was originally there, but it was just refurbished and the interior and exterior furnishings were changed."

Cui Yuan could only shake his head.

Zhu Houcong had decided to stay in Linqing for seven days, so whether it was Zhang Fujing, Dongchang Mansion, or Linqing Prefecture, how could he dare to neglect?

"Mao Gong is not afraid that His Majesty will blame him."

"That's not going to happen." Zhang Fujing smiled cunningly and complacently, "I have asked for an order, and everything is purchased with money. Your Majesty has given you permission. When Your Majesty leaves Linqing, I can bring back some of the utensils. Sell ​​it. Your Majesty has used it, so Shandong must have spent a sum of money in advance, but will get back more, right?"

Cui Yuan was a little dizzy, and opened his mouth slightly: "Your Majesty has granted it?"

Good guy, isn't this using the emperor's name to make money?

Zhang Fujing nodded affirmatively: "I played directly from the secret box, but Cui Cance didn't know about it. Today, Eunuch Huang is in person, and I talked to Cui Cance in private. I have a deep understanding and admiration for His Majesty's open-mindedness and open-mindedness in dealing with things." , when I was in Guangdong..."

So they chatted about old things like Huguang dragon and tiger fierce medicine, which not only further shortened the relationship between the three of them, but also showed Zhang Fujing's understanding of the emperor.

In a few words, it revealed that when he tried out the new law in Guangdong, he was very diligent in discussing the implementation details of the new law with the emperor.

Now that he is the governor and has the secret box, he naturally has to use it better.

Cui Yuan couldn't imagine that His Majesty would hold the "Emperor's Utensils Auction" in this place where merchants gather after leaving Linqing.

He can only sigh: Zhang Fujing is a money maker.

Cui Yuan, a rare and intelligent man among his relatives, also read another intention: Zhang Fujing was too brave, and he had offended too many officials and gentry, and he could only rely on the emperor for the rest of his life and his heirs.And the promotion is so fast, if the emperor wants to continue to trust him, he has to leave some other stains on the emperor.

Selling the things used by the emperor to make money. In the future, this innocuous matter will become a "crime" that some political opponents will bring up to speak out.

Whether to punish or not depends entirely on the holy will.

In Pangongfang, indeed, there is not a single item that is not a good item.

It is both luxurious and not tacky.

Except for a place to put the dragon chair, all the other utensils are ready. After reading it, Huang Jin can only say: "Zhang Dutai is thoughtful. But since we want to make money, let's talk about some gadgets."

Zhang Fujing looked extremely happy: "Eunuch Huang, please tell me!"

Huang Jin said solemnly: "Your Majesty said, Mao Gong is really a ghost. Since I can come up with this idea by myself, then I can learn a big character for a pen."

Cui Yuan and Zhang Fujing were dumbfounded.

As for?
But fortunately, it is not about the writing of the memorandum, the proof is not beating, but encouragement.

Zhang Fujing said sadly: "Your Majesty thinks day and night about making the country rich and the army strong, and I am inexplicably grateful."

The three of you looked at me, I looked at you, and finally laughed together.

The rich businessman's money, if you don't take it for nothing, don't you?
To suppress rebellion, to provide disaster relief, to make southern tours, and to ask for money!
"This is Linqing! Is it bustling? I passed by when I entered Beijing with other beautiful girls, and we didn't let us see more!"

On the canal to the north of Linqing City, Wen Suyun took Zhang Qinghe's hand and pointed to the shadow of a boat moored on the shore temporarily.

"It stretches for tens of miles, and it really is lively."

Zhang Qinghe had never left the capital, and now she just pursed her lips and looked ahead curiously, and it was Zhu Houcong who spoke.

Daming's foreign trade is still not good. If the whole of Daming is a purely commercial city, Linqing is the most important, just like Shanghai many years later.

How could Zhu Houcong not stay in such a place for a few more days?

Not for fun, but because here, there are also many brilliance and sins nourished by the canal, the great artery of Ming Dynasty.

Here is the largest wharf in the Ming Dynasty, the most difficult to find out the origin and whereabouts of the three religions, and the noble officials and gentry who are most deeply involved in the market and the smell of copper.

In addition, Linqing also has the most cutting-edge urban planning ideas throughout Daming.

At this moment, in the border city of Linqing, Zhugan Lane, Kuutong Lane, Guoshi Street, Mashi Street... From Tawan in the north to Touzha in the south, everyone in Linqing's five "commercial districts" stretching for tens of miles, lined up The Jingying troops who went to Sanshuimen and Liulumen got the information.

The emperor finally came to Linqing.

To the west of Zhongzhou Street, on the west bank of the Wei River, there are all kinds of boats berthed, whether they are docks or not.

The north water gate is closed today, and the boats coming and going are all docked first, waiting for the royal driver to disembark.

At the turn of Wenshui in the southeast of the city, Linqing Chaoguan is very busy.

"Within 30 years, the account can't be missed for any year! Check it again!"

They who have been asked to start learning double-entry bookkeeping naturally know how professional they may be in checking accounts after the emperor comes.

And the emperor is always playing with new things, new learning, new methods... Who knows what new ideas he will have about Linqing Chaoguan after he comes to Linqing?

In the block to the west of Weihe River, a spice shop near Xiyanmen is a common pattern of shops in the front and houses in the back.

A merchant is a person who has a fixed store, a fixed residence, and a stable tax payment in the local area. The shopkeeper of this spice shop is surnamed Wu.

"Have all the boats stopped at Nanbanzha Wharf?"

"It took 20 taels of silver to park on the pier."

Shopkeeper Wu nodded: "Just wait."

The emperor wants to stay here for seven days, so don't worry.

He stood up: "Go to Sitong Building and book a private room, I want to entertain guests."

This city with millions of people is like the heart of the main artery of Ming Dynasty. How could it stop functioning completely just because the emperor is coming?
Similarly, it will also be a vital point of Daming.

If something major happens here, its influence will affect most of Ming Dynasty.

Now, Zhu Houcong's car is docked.

A newly built wharf in the north of the water gate in the north of the city has been surrounded by guards. On the shore are officials from Shandong's top-down and water transportation system.

"His Majesty is here!"

"Your servants welcome you, long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

The emperor came to his loyal Shandong.

(End of this chapter)