serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 60 The Big Pit
Coming out of the household department, Chen Yejun and the old butler walked back slowly one by one.

From a distance, he saw two people sitting on the steps, and two horses tied to the hitching post on one side.

Getting closer, Chen Yejun recognized Feng Ziying, son of General Shenwu, and Liu Xianglian, grandnephew of Liu Fang, a cabinet scholar.

The two also saw him, and quickly stood up: "Are you back?"

Chen Yejun turned over and dismounted: "I was thinking about getting together in the next few days."

Feng Ziying: "I heard that you also mortgaged the sacrifice land?!"

Chen Yejun remained silent. Worshiping the fields is the foundation of a family, the last retreat left by the ancestors for the descendants, and most importantly, offering sacrifices to the fields is not an official.But I have mortgaged the sacrificial land. If I can't make achievements on the battlefield, the Nanyang uncle's mansion will become a laughing stock, and I will have no face to face my ancestors!
Feng Ziying said to Chen Yejun sadly: "How many times have I told you that we are brothers, we have the same blessings and share the same hardships. But what about you? You would rather pawn the property and mortgage the land for sacrifice than open your mouth to our brothers! "

Liu Xianglian was also angry: "If you don't care about being brothers with us, just say it, we won't put hot faces on cold asses!"

Chen Yejun lowered his head slightly: "I am the son of a criminal minister, and I survived only by the grace of the Supreme Emperor. I cannot implicate you."

Liu Xianglian stomped her feet and let out a long sigh.

Feng Ziying smiled bitterly: "What if the imperial court does not allow you to join the army?"

Like a thunderbolt, Chen Yejun was shocked on the spot.

Liu Xianglian was in a hurry: "I'll ask my uncle! If you can't, go to Jia's house. The Yongwei Battalion will always accept you."

Chen Yejun smiled, and said to Liu Xianglian: "The recovery of the owed money this time is a transaction, but it is also a grace. I don't believe that your majesty will give up all the ranks of the low-ranking army for a general or even a general. human heart."

Liu Xianglian's eyes lit up, and she nodded deeply.

"I just inquired at the household department, and a notice will be issued in three or two days. I will go to the barracks then, and I don't know when we will meet." Chen Yejun said to the old housekeeper: "You always go to buy some wine and vegetables and come back. , let's have a meal together."

"Yes." The old butler led the horse and left.

"Inside, please!" Chen Yejun took off the key from his waist, opened the side door, and said, "I've made up my mind, this time I'm going to the grassland, I'll either die in battle, or return home in good clothes." He strode in.

Feng Ziying and Liu Xianglian, who were standing aside, looked at each other and walked in.

outside the Meridian Gate

From a distance, Zhao Zixun, Minister of the Household Department, came over holding the account book.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

Dozens of officials were kneeling densely in the square, and they raised the memorials in their hands above their heads.

Beside the door, the eunuch on duty at the Meridian Gate led a team of people from the Criminal Division to block there.

Zhao Zixun walked over quickly: "What's wrong?"

The eunuch said, "Because His Majesty promised a military post."

How shrewd is Zhao Zixun!Looking at these so-called clear streams, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes.What they objected to was not His Majesty's promise of honorable military posts, but the recovery of the money owed to the treasury!

At this moment, the first assistant Song Chengliang came out, followed by the second assistant Zhang Shangwen and the imperial envoy Pei Yan.

The officials kneeling there saw them, but kept silent.

Song Chengliang said: "Shangshu has a way to go to Shangshu. You should first communicate with the Political Secretary, and then the Tongzheng Secretary will deliver it to Wenyuan Pavilion. Don't you know this rule?"

A censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate who was kneeling in the first row raised his head, and replied in a high voice: "Returning to the first assistant, we are attending the cabinet, and there are six officials from the nine ministers! Our memorials must be submitted directly to the emperor!"

All the officials had discussed it, and they said in unison: "Please send our memorial to the emperor immediately!"

Song Chengliang: "Don't talk about king's law? What are you doing? Are you going to force the palace?"

An official from the Ministry of Rites on the side said: "Looking back, your cabinet and the officials of the six ministries and nine ministers assisted His Majesty in managing the country of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but what happened! Droughts, floods, and locust plagues continued, and the Mongolian Tartars in the north frequently invaded south. It was the Manchu Tartars who attacked the city of Beijing, most of the capital was looted, and 20 million people were forced to leave the customs and became slaves of the Manchu Tartars.

We haven't published the memorial at this time. Are we waiting for those nobles who entered the military camp with money to start taking advantage of their position to embezzle military supplies, deduct military pay, and soldiers to become their personal labor tools, and then repeat the same mistakes as before? "

The officer next to him said loudly: "Soldiers are a major event for the country. The way of survival depends on the generals. If the army, especially the generals, becomes corrupt, the army will have no combat power and morale. Why can't the huge army of the Zhu Ming Dynasty be defeated? Manchu Tartars? It is because of the corruption of the army!"

All the officials said in unison: "For the sake of the country and the people of the world, please withdraw your will!"

Song Chengliang was trembling with anger: "What a big tone! Does it mean that if you don't listen to you, Dazhou will perish?"

Someone let out a low voice: "It's hard to say!"

This blow made Song Chengliang startled and annoyed, his face flushed, he couldn't breathe, and coughed violently.

The eunuch hurried forward to support Song Chengliang and beat his back.

Zhao Zixun couldn't bear it anymore, and said loudly: "If you can pay back your respective debts, and persuade other officials to pay off the national debt together, I will be able to persuade His Majesty to take back the order with my life as a guarantee. If not, I will lead The whole family committed suicide under the Zhengyang Gate. How do you see it?"

Everyone was shocked by Zhao Zixun's words!
All the officials fell silent.

Pei Yan, the imperial envoy, said: "It's only natural to pay back the debts. But His Majesty has a decree: officials below the fifth rank will pay off their debts within two years. These people are clean, and many of them are very famous and honest officials. , is a fifth-rank Beijing official, with an annual salary of less than 80 taels of silver, and a salary of less than [-] shi. Even if he supports his family, he only has food and clothing.

How do you ask them to pay back the owed silver!They are not nobles, they have land and manors, and royal rewards. "

Zhao Zixun was stunned by what he said.

A royal censor suddenly stood up: "That's right! Kill people to pay for their lives, and debts to pay back money. Why do you want to exchange military positions?"

Another official stood up: "Since it is about asking Xungui to buy an official today, there is no need to talk about it. We will find a way to pay back the money we owe."

"We're not here to make trouble!" The officer next to him also stood up and said loudly: "We will pay back the money owed to the treasury even if we sell our sons and daughters! But now we are here to tell the truth to the emperor, so that the emperor can understand The harm of selling officials and nobles. My lords, did we do something wrong?"

The officials shouted in unison:
"answer!"

"Talk back to us!"

Zhao Zixun didn't back down, and reprimanded loudly: "Are you planning to rebel?"

The imperial envoy doctor Pei Yan's face sank: "Is there anyone who speaks like this?" Then he said to the second assistant Zhang Shangwen: "Paper can't cover the fire. It is the right of all officials to deal with it. How to deal with it is up to the emperor." Gang arbitrariness."

After a pause, "Your Majesty is merciful. I originally wanted to give the nobles a favor, but they got involved with money. It's hard to say!"

Zhang Shangwen: "Then submit it."

Zhao Zixun was in a hurry: "I can't submit it!"

Pei Yan's face was contorted with anger, and he said loudly: "You dare to block the way of speech and deceive the saints! This old man will definitely impeach you."

Zhao Zixun snorted angrily: "You are welcome!"

Pei Yan stopped talking, but looked at Song Chengliang.

Song Chengliang could only nod his head.

Qianqing Palace, go to the study.

The floor was full, and all those notebooks were piled up on the imperial case.

Emperor Jianwu's hand was pinching under the imperial case: This hat is too heavy for selling an official!
Zhao Zixun swallowed his saliva: "Your Majesty, many families have pawned their ancestral property to collect the silver taels. The pawnshops on the street outside Di'anmen have suppressed the market to [-]%, and the nobles still choose to pawn their ancestral property. Why? Woolen cloth?

Because they want to restore the glory of their ancestors, they believe that fame and fame can only be obtained from horses, and their wives and sons are conferred.This is their ancestral motto, their belief, and the glory of the Great Zhou generals. "

Pei Yan: "As a subject, it is my duty to destroy the family and relieve the country when the country is in trouble, but anyone with a bit of conscience should not ask for benefits, and put His Majesty in a dilemma."

Zhao Zixun came up again angrily: "You put it lightly! Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite. Without ancestral property and no military post, how can a large family live? They are not like your doctor Yu Shi who has the age of each province. Jing, Bing Jing, Tan Jing, by the way, you are still a giant in the Jiangnan literary world, with students and old officials everywhere."

"You are presumptuous!"

Pei Yan's face turned pale, and he knelt tremblingly on the ground: "Your Majesty, I will tell my old man to return to my hometown, and I will tell my old man to return to my hometown."

Emperor Jianwu came back to his senses and glanced at Dai Quan.

Dai Quan understood and walked over to help Pei Yan up.

Emperor Jianwu: "I am the emperor, I can't break my promise!"

Zhang Shangwen said: "Your Majesty, those who have experience in commanding troops can be awarded the rank of military officer, and the rest can be awarded the rank of Wu San. The rank of Wu San is also considered a military position."

Zhao Zixun was shocked, and he looked at Zhang Shangwen with some doubts.

Pei Yan: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

Song Chengliang hesitated for a moment, then said softly: "The minister seconded the proposal."

Emperor Jianwu bowed his head in thought, and then nodded heavily after a long time.

Zhao Zixun's face turned gray immediately, the emperor had finally broken his word, can the nobles swallow this breath? !

(End of this chapter)