Jingming

Chapter 441 The Emperor’s Accomplices

The emperor's ideological work is still being done, and the inspection is in full swing.

For Ming merchants, seven or eight good years have passed.

Ever since His Majesty summoned representatives of commercial banks from all over the world on the Wanshou Festival in the 12th year of Jiajing, it has been a boon to businessmen.

A larger scale of border trade, a higher status of merchants, and a more prosperous domestic market.

But who knew that this time the official inspection would actually involve businessmen?

The storm first hit Shanxi, and Shanxi merchants were on pins and needles.

"Could it be that the imperial court wants to default on the ten-year national debt?"

Wang Chonggu's uncle Wang Xian said so.

He looked the most anxious now, spreading his hands towards his younger brother and nephew: "Although only the Metropolitan Procuratorate can investigate the third-rank and above, but now, many fourth- and fifth-rank officers have been passed to the Ducha Division and the Criminal Division. !Xuefu, what did Xu Shenzheng say?"

"Xu Shenzheng..." Wang Chonggu frowned now, "I'm afraid no one in the whole court expected that His Majesty would inspect all officials because of this matter, especially industrial and commercial matters. Pujin Bridge did not cause a big disaster after all. .”

"...I regret it! I regret it!" Wang Xian patted his legs, sat down and stood up again, "If I were still just doing business in salt, grain, sheep and horses, and didn't touch the iron, how could I be involved in this disaster?"

After saying that, he glanced at Wang Chonggu and his son: Did they think that there might be hidden worries in leaving this good business to their own team?
Wang Xian does not have a son as smart as Wang Chonggu.

Starting from the first imperial expedition to the north and Tang Shunzhi being responsible for selling special treasury bonds, Shanxi merchants were the first merchants to taste the benefits in the Ming Dynasty.

Later, the licensing of border trade and maritime trade, and even the two major factory parks of Huailai and Puzhou that relied on Datong after the establishment of the Hetao and Xuanning border areas, gave Shanxi merchants full benefits.

One of them is the large and small iron works set up to rebuild the Pujin Bridge here in Puzhou.

There are factories owned by Baojin Bureau and small private iron factories with permission.

The Wang family naturally has this permission, but they put it on the side of Wang Xian, the eldest family member.Wang Chonggu's father, Wang Yao, is still only doing the old business of the past.

With the help of the iron factory, the Ming Dynasty's policy of allowing iron pots and other takeaways, and the border trade and sea trade license, Wang Xian has made a lot of money in these years.

Now comes trouble.

Wang Xian stood still in front of Wang Chonggu again: "Xuefu! You still have to go to Puzhou! If someone comes to visit me, I said I won't tell you? What should I say? Xu Shenzheng's side..."

"Uncle!" Seeing that he did not continue speaking, Wang Chonggu spoke to reassure him, "The incident at Pujin Bridge was not a serious disaster, which shows that Xu Shenzheng's supervision is very strict. Now that the Polytechnic Research Institute has arrived in Puzhou for re-inspection, Xu Shenzheng's official duties Busy. If things were critical, how could he not send someone back to Taiyuan to give some warnings? At this time, it is better to be quiet and not to move! Xu Shenzheng is an old disciple of Yan Guo. The court makes new money and trust is the most important thing. What kind of national debt is it going to cost?"

"Can……"

"Brother." Wang Yao also spoke, "As long as the iron supplied by your iron factory is fine, what are you afraid of?"

"I don't dare to neglect iron!" Wang Xian said. "The iron needed for Pujin Bridge cannot be used to make iron tools for sale. It is smelted in separate furnaces. But this time it was the bridge piers that were in trouble. The iron boat, this boat is covered with iron, some of it was made by the Zhang family over at Fourth Sister, and the iron was also taken from our Wang family..."

Wang Chonggu's heart was covered with a shadow and he remained silent.

Xu Jie had stayed in the Imperial Study Room and had long known that the Polytechnic Research Institute had researched a variety of new things.Bridges that can span large rivers are one type of research direction.As for the No. [-] bridge on the Yellow River in the world, since it could be built here in the Tang Dynasty, it would be a clear project that could be studied in detail if it could be improved upon.

It's just that the cost is not small, and it has never been implemented.

It wasn't until Xu Jie arrived in Shanxi and the construction of the Beijing-Guangzhou Straight Road was coming to an end, and Ming Dynasty's iron output was already worrying about a large surplus, that Xu Jie asked him to start this matter.

Although there have been preliminary studies, the project to rebuild the Pujin Bridge is really too fast.

Wang Chonggu is now deeply worried that because the project is progressing too fast, there are many inside stories involved.

If the Wang family is really implicated in this case, the future of his examination will be uncertain.

Now Wang Chonggu whispered: "A lot of the iron sold to foreign vassals knows where it goes. Everyone knows the destination of the iron sold to foreign vassals. The Zhang family's business in Xining is not small. Will they..."

Wang Xian shivered, as if the shackles of "enemies" had been pressed on his shoulders.

"What I gave to the Zhang family is all good iron needed to build the bridge!"

Wang Xian's words were conclusive, but Wang Chonggu had no choice but to say: "We can only wait and see. Being anxious at this time will only arouse suspicion in vain."

At this moment, Wang Chonggu especially felt the vulnerability of the wealthy businessmen.

Whenever a situation arises, he becomes passive.

He further strengthened his belief: no matter what, someone from the Wang family must enter the officialdom and take the position of important minister!

……

At this time, Xu Jie knew that it was the calm before the storm.

When the PhDs from the Polytechnic Institute arrive in Puzhou, they will not be involved in accountability, but the results of their investigation will determine how this matter will develop next.

For Xu Jie, he has already conducted a thorough internal investigation.

But he knew that no matter how concerned he was about the quality of the project before, there were still officials responsible for it.

As for the Construction Bureau that undertook the construction of the Pujin New Bridge, Xu Jie cannot directly manage it.

It is even less likely that he has been squatting here during the previous construction period and subsequent traffic period.

Therefore, Xu Jie was unsure whether there was any problem.

But one thing is certain: whenever there is a problem, he is responsible.

Now Xu Jie can't come up with a good solution, so he can only cooperate fully and greet the people who come to inspect.

At the same time, he naturally wanted to write a letter to Yan Song.

It’s not just Yan Song.During the years when he served as chief of the imperial study, with this special position, Xu Jie was not without other important ministers in the court who could rely on him.

Between the lines, there are euphemistic expressions that the supervisor has put all his efforts into it, and euphemistic inquiries about what the industrial and commercial sword of the Grand Inspector is pointing to.

Like Shanxi, another gathering place for the Chaoshan turmoil is the Prime Minister Hedao Yamen.

Tang Shu felt very heavy, and he thought it was because someone in the court was dissatisfied with Liu Tianhe.Several major projects that cost people and money have a huge amount of work, and it is easy to find loopholes.

But doesn't His Majesty know how difficult it is to do these things?
During the royal tour to the south, Gong Hong, the former chief river officer, bluntly stated the difficulties of river management in front of the emperor.The difficulty has never been the river control project itself, but the people's hearts during the duration of the river control project.The selfish motives of bureaucrats at both the upper and lower levels to seek profit, and the selfish motives of colleagues in the imperial court to use this to fight for power...

Since His Majesty already understood it back then, why does he have to inspect the industry and commerce now?
If someone wants to touch Liu Tianhe, doesn't His Majesty want to protect him?
The British public said he was helping, but would he still do it?

Tang Shu thought about it, and finally plucked up the courage to appeal to the emperor.

This big police officer, at least in the Prime Minister Hedao Yamen, cannot do anything he wants!
Compared to Xu Jie and Tang Shu, the one who feels the greatest pressure from Dacha now is the Huangming Assets Bureau.

When it comes to the chaos between government and business, where are there more enterprises than those under the Huangming Assets Bureau?

They themselves are both officials and businessmen.

The undercurrent in this direction eventually formed a public case and was presented to Zhu Houcong.

It was the incident where the pastoral supervisor said that the Ministry of Culture and Education had been in arrears with its accounts for nearly two years.

"Your Majesty, according to the holy decree, a group of pastoral supervisors have set up pastoral stations in various counties to raise cattle and sheep with fresh grass and hay."

The president of Qun Mu Supervisor is Zhang Wei, the Marquis of Longping. He has ascended the throne since the 13th year of Zhengde and is now very old.

Kneeling in front of the emperor, Zhang Wei said aggrievedly: "Now it is found that in Jiangxi, fresh milk and meat are actually collected and deducted greatly. They are sent to ten middle schools and two or three schools, but instead they are sold to restaurants and wealthy families. . Even so, not only did he default on the payment, but he also tainted the fresh milk and meat sent to the prison by filthy uncleans, which harmed the students. I am unjustly accused!"

Fang Xianfu, the minister of the Ministry of Culture and Education and Yan Song's successor, kowtowed to the side and apologized: "I have failed to control you well, please forgive me."

Zhu Houcong only looked at them coldly.

Although this matter is a unified procurement under the Ministry of Culture and Education, the accounts are with the Ministry of Culture and Education.But at the local level, the yamen responsible for culture and education are still under the control of local officials.Fang Xianfu is not directly responsible.

On the contrary, this time the bad debt was finally turned over to the emperor: It is reported now that over the years, many children in local schools have become ill after drinking fresh milk or eating meat sent by the group of pastoral supervisors, and some have become ill due to Those who failed to receive timely treatment eventually lost their lives.

Therefore, first of all, some places are more difficult for group pastoral supervisors.Defaulting on accounts and waiting until nothing happens before paying them are all petty tactics.Asking for more to be delivered, and having people check the food and drink of each batch and keep them on file for future reference to avoid liability, this was the beginning of how things started to go wrong.

On the one hand, they reduced the number of meat and milk supplies out of fear of further problems in the school.On the other hand, there will inevitably be another channel for meat and milk to flow to the commercial market, or as a "welfare" for local officials and wealthy families: eating and drinking, it is justifiable.

After a lot of back and forth, the longest payment arrears now reaches nearly two years.

Zhu Houcong knew very well that the child who ate the meat and milk of the Qun Mu Superintendent must have really had something happen to him, otherwise the Qun Mu Superintendent would not have been caught.

But the local authorities have seen the opportunity and huge profit margin of this fresh food supply giant. If they want to become a meat and milk tycoon, I am afraid they have a lot of motivations.

As for this matter, the group of pastoral supervisors can even complain to the emperor: With the current quarantine methods, how can we guarantee that meat and milk will be spread out in this way without problems in the long run?
Zhu Houcong knew not to give up eating because of choking.Because fresh meat and fresh milk may contain some pathogenic bacteria, should we not do this at all?

Besides, it’s not just about letting students eat raw food, there is always the hurdle of cooking.Even if there are still some problems, what is the purpose of opening up medical hospitals at the same time?Do you only treat patients from wealthy families?

The fundamental thing is that these are "luxury goods" and the profit margins are not small.

"This is a good deed that benefits the country and the people. They don't think about prevention, they only care about making profits!" Zhu Houcong looked at Fang Xianfu and said, "You have written for all the provinces and governments. Education will be the foundation of the country in the future of the Ming Dynasty. If you put your hand here, I will put it in." They will all be chopped off! If the provincial governors had not arranged this matter, there would be no need to come to Beijing to attend major national policy meetings!"

"...The minister obeys the order."

After Fang Xianfu left, Zhu Houcong looked at Zhang Wei again: "Don't think that I don't know. Isn't the good meat and milk sold in collusion with the local government, and the ones sent to primary and secondary schools are not good in the first place? 伱I hope that this matter will be done well and my son will still seize the throne, but I will turn a blind eye and turn a blind eye for fear that people below me will say bad things about you! Since I already knew about these problems, why didn't I report them, and waited until I was implicated and couldn't hide them anymore? What's the use of crying?"

"……minister……"

Zhu Houcong patted the table: "Almost [-]% of those who surrendered to the Mongolian people are now grazing for your group of herdsmen! I implemented this strategy and made your group of herdsmen become the largest supplier of meat, eggs, and milk in the Ming Dynasty, spreading throughout all prefectures and counties! Poor people really can't afford it, but they can also raise chickens and pigs. Your customers are all government officials and rich households! You don't dare to hate them, but you don't know why I asked you to do this. Ordinary people can't afford it, there's nothing we can do about it. But as long as their children are motivated and go to school, I will make sure they can afford it and grow well!"

"...I am guilty."

"Is it true that most of the things you send to school are shoddy? Go and check for yourself!" Zhu Houcong paused and said in a cold voice, "Don't think about still perfunctory. After you check yourself, I will naturally arrange an unannounced visit. "

Zhang Wei left tremblingly, leaving Zhu Houcong feeling depressed.

After a while, King Rui was called first.

Zhu Zaiyan didn't know what was going on, but Zhu Houcong said directly: "Now that we have a microscope and can see bacteria, there is one thing we can think about."

"Please show your majesty."

Zhu Houcong only remembered it because this incident happened to him, and he only had a vague direction: "Many imported foods contain bacteria. Some bacteria are fatal and some are beneficial. You and the hospital over there are too many. Let's study it together with the imperial doctors. I thought that since the water is much safer after boiling, this must be the reason. After studying this sterilization method, how to make it no longer cause disease without losing nutrition, there should be a solution Method."

He only knew that there was a so-called pasteurization method, which seemed to be quite simple, just boiling it, but he didn't know the exact method.

But now that a microscope is available, one of its uses can be developed.

Zhu Zaiyan accepted the order and left, and Zhu Houcong's attention returned to the main issue.

Nowadays, the biggest problem in the chaos between officials and businessmen is the use of new policies, hidden rules, and personal connections to make profits.

Humanity is there, and naturally these things cannot be cut off.

But that can only mean that the law is not strict enough and the cases are not enough to alert most people.

It's just that the "business" was slightly loosened, but there were so many problems. No wonder emperors and civil servants in the past dynasties had prejudices against businessmen who were too profit-seeking.

If you want to integrate and accept them into the core circle, the first thing you have to do now is their own failure.

Because power has nothing to do with them, only wealth is their lifeblood, so do they accumulate wealth regardless of it?
The problem is that the shadows of officials are all behind the current leaders.

The ones who benefit the most are officials, and most businessmen will become the scapegoats.

"Like a raccoon dog..." Zhu Houcong muttered in a low voice, "It's time to take off some of the so-called coat of having both ability and political integrity."

After taking off the cloak of "knowing books and being polite" in the past, they need a new cloak.

Zhu Houcong then raised this issue at the "preparatory meeting" before the major national policy meeting.

To put it bluntly, it is an advance cake planning meeting to determine the core of the nine ministers of the State Council.

Zhu Houcong asked Zhu Wan, the chief of the imperial study room, to read out many newly discovered cases first. Gui E looked at Zhu Wan, 47, reading the cases with a straight face, and recalled that she first met him and asked him about his life ambitions.

Zhu Wan said: There are many noble officials and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, and all the servants are the people who are struggling to survive.Natural disasters and man-made disasters cause displacement from time to time.I don’t have any great talents, but I just want to do my best to protect the land and bring peace to the people.

Now, Gui E, who is close to retirement, still has a bad temper. At that time, Zhu Wan asked him, "He is not as harmonious as his predecessors said, but he has repeatedly offended Shangguan because of this."

What Zhu Wan is reading now is to clearly understand the local interest chain of "harmony and harmony" before the emperor and the public take action.

Gui E has a bad temper, so his popularity is also very low.

Being able to become a minister of state, Gui E believed that this was the emperor's appreciation for his "not being in harmony with the light".

He looked at the emperor, thinking about the emperor's intention in arranging this incident.

After the silence in the National Policy Hall, Zhu Houcong spoke: "The construction quality of the Pujin New Bridge is found to be no problem. It is caused by the corrosion of sewage discharged into the Yellow River by factories in Puzhou. The secret report I received said otherwise. It is said that steel from iron factories has become unsalable, and [-]% of farmers in the Ming Dynasty still cannot afford to buy iron farm tools. Farmers can only sell some things produced in the fields in exchange for some money, but every autumn, many grain ships return from overseas. When the price of food drops, buy it first and sell it wherever there is a disaster."

The emperor glanced at the ministers and said calmly: "In-laws, clansmen, and fellow villagers have students who are not officials. Who are the real owners behind the Ming Dynasty's enterprises, companies, and shops registered by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce? There are all the clues. Now, not long after the start of the Grand Supervision, how many mature and prudent ministers have come to advise me not to engage in a major war, so as not to panic people?"

"Your Majesty." Zhang Bi spoke, "The various procurement agencies, the government, and many enterprises, companies, and shops have more contacts than before. In the current era of profit, some local officials have not cultivated their moral character, and there are indeed unpardonable crimes. Crime should be severely punished. However, in recent years, finances and taxes have increased significantly, and the national treasury has become increasingly poor, which is also due to the boom in industry and commerce. It would not be good if this big inspection made officials and businessmen afraid. I set up a batch to serve as a warning to others, and I thought it was enough. "

Naturally, Zhu Houcong had to respect the opinions of the Prime Minister and Minister of State, not to mention that it was impossible to continue the investigation indefinitely.

"I know that given the current situation, this can only be the case." Zhu Houxuan lowered his voice, "I was just shocked to see that once the inspection of industry and commerce was to be carried out, it turned out that the clan, relatives, civil and military officials, gentry and village sages were all united in one, so I was advised to stop it. .”

Zhang Bi suddenly trembled.

The emperor has not been a big hater for many years, but now this hat is very dangerous.

What does unity mean?What is enough?

"Of course, everyone is dedicated to the country and worried about the chaos of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Houcong added, "I just don't understand why we don't worry about it on weekdays? Do we think that a small mistake made by one person at a time will not harm the foundation of the Ming Dynasty? Or do we think that everyone is In this way, the law does not punish the public? Throughout the dynasties, each has its own party disputes, just like everyone's political opinions are quite different. But now, as long as it involves industrial and commercial matters, the government and the opposition are unanimous, and expanding the scope of the investigation will not be conducive to state affairs. "

Gui E narrowed his eyes, opened them and said decisively: "Your Majesty, I think we should expand the scope and investigate further!"

"Is it useful? Can it cure the root cause?" Zhu Houcong looked at him.

"As your Majesty said, human desires are inexhaustible, so selfishness must abide by moral principles, etiquette, and laws. We cannot expect that everyone will be a virtuous man, so we will naturally resort to laws. If we cannot prevent them, we will use them. He’s afraid of it!”

"This batch will be punished severely!" Zhu Houcong emphasized his attitude and paused for a moment before continuing calmly, "I have three questions, both for your ministers and for the officials around the world."

All the counselors looked at the emperor, and the Emperor of Heaven asked three questions very calmly: "After becoming an official, how should I continue to cultivate myself, how should I manage my family under my new identity, and what is the starting point for me to govern the country? That’s what really helps me manage the Ming Dynasty.”

Zhu Houcong looked at Zhang Bi: "The inspector can only deal with the identified batch and stop, but before the Wanshou Holy Festival, everyone from the first grade to the ninth grade will answer these three questions of mine. Ming Wen entered the capital. How did the officials of the Ming Dynasty think about the six words of cultivating oneself, harmonizing the family and governing the country after becoming an official. I want to make statistics on the actual standards of loyal ministers and virtuous ministers in the minds of the officials of the Ming Dynasty. "

Zhang Bi:......

Zhu Houcong looked at the others again: "I value practice, and everyone in the world knows it. Please remind me, don't use false words to prevaricate me, and give me standards that are practical, achievable, and should be achieved. I will not explicitly set this standard, Ming Dynasty The standards that officials generally agree on will be the standards in the future. If everyone generally agrees that these standards should be met, then if they fail to do so in the future, it means that they do not meet the quality requirements of Ming Dynasty officials."

It was standard, Zhang Bi felt a little dizzy.

Is this a common "attitude" formed by officials all over the world, and will it become the moral and legal shackles for Ming officials to serve as officials in the future?
It is not an upper limit standard advocated by saints and sages, but a lower limit standard extracted from the coquettish statements of the entire group of officials?
If you can't even reach the lower limit, what kind of beasts and Confucian scum are you?

The emperor was not done yet, and continued: "When this standard comes out, it will be the purpose and creed of Ming scholars who will serve as officials in the future, and it will be the yardstick for Ming officials to serve as officials throughout their lives. Those who agree with this standard, no matter what their political views, will They are my comrades! I am not afraid of any party disputes. The more we argue, the clearer the truth will be. As long as we serve the country wholeheartedly, serve the public good for everyone as mentioned by the sages, select the talented and capable, and maintain trust and harmony, then they are all the same as me. , Comrades who serve as officials for the sake of world harmony!"

"I have said before that I can tolerate the selfishness of people in the world." Zhu Houcong said solemnly, "Besides selfishness, what about the public spirit? This time, I will see what the world's officials think the public spirit should be. How should this public spirit be? Define it clearly and make a decision. The future of the Ming Dynasty will not be a party of universal unity, and there is no need to serve as an official!"

(End of this chapter)