Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 765: Damage and Flooding of Fields
Jiangnan Spring,
Inside the partition on the second floor, there was still complete silence. Everyone stared at the tea in front of them, motionless. Even Eunuch Yang himself, after thinking of various methods, found none of them to be appropriate.

The biggest problem in Jiangnan is that the best farmland is in the hands of aristocratic families and nobles. The land that allows the court to collect taxes is used to grow food in the hands of the people. Once the land is converted and mulberry leaves are planted, food supply will be lost. It is a dilemma.

And those county magistrates are not easy to deal with either.

"Everyone, do you have a foolproof plan?"

Eunuch Yang asked again,
Everyone remained silent, except for Ma Guangcheng, the deputy judge of Jinling Prefecture, who showed a hint of hesitation. Eunuch Yang saw this and smiled.

"Is this the magistrate?"

When Ma Guangcheng heard Eunuch Yang asking, he quickly stood up and bowed;
"I dare not address you as eunuch. I am Ma Guangcheng, the magistrate of Jinling. I am honored to meet you, eunuch. I am honored to meet you, Lord Zhongcheng."

He bowed respectfully to Eunuch Yang and Lord Jing,

Seeing the smiles on the two men's eyes, Jing Cunliang took a look at Ma Tongpan, who was dressed in a clean official uniform and had neatly trimmed hair. He looked like a capable person. Could it be that he had a way to...
"Master Ma, you are too polite. We are officials in the same dynasty, so there is no need for such false formalities. But Master Ma, do you have any good ideas? Please tell me."

"Yes, since you have an idea, it would be a great service to the court if you speak it out for discussion."

Eunuch Yang reached down and pressed his hand, motioning Ma Guangcheng to sit down and make his words clearer.
Ma Guangcheng's face flushed, and he looked at the two adults with gratitude. After a pause, he suppressed his excitement and said:

"Eunuch Yang, Lord Zhongcheng, I think it would be time-consuming and laborious to go to the counties to convert farmland into mulberry trees with only the people in the government office, and it might not be successful. Even though those low-class people are weak and can be bullied, once their fields are moved, they will be furious, and there might be civil unrest, which would be hard to explain."

He swallowed his saliva, and seeing the two nobles nodded, he continued;

"So, I think the so-called natural disasters and man-made disasters should be used for this natural disaster. The rain in Jiangnan is a bit heavy."

Ok?
What does this mean?

Eunuch Yang was quite puzzled. He glanced at Lord Jing, who had the same expression. Only Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, who was sitting in a lower position, was moved. Ma Guangcheng dared to come up with such a vicious plan. He would confiscate his family and exterminate his entire family.
"May I ask what Lord Ma means?"

Eunuch Yang asked in a long tone.

"In reply to your question, Anning County, Shangyu County, and Chunyang County are all large counties near the Grand Canal. It has been raining heavily and the water level of the Grand Canal has risen a lot. If a small hole is breached somewhere, the so-called farmland will be ruined. When the time comes, the prefect will provide disaster relief and ask them to plant mulberry trees to supplement the court. Isn't that considered a success?"

As soon as this word comes out,
Everyone's face was filled with shock, and they looked at Ma Tongpan in disbelief. This was a plan to confiscate the property and exterminate the clan. Even Ning Kai, the Imperial City Secretary who was sitting at the table, had a sullen look on his face. If the counties in the south of the Yangtze River were flooded, the court would surely be furious. These,

"Master Ma, do you know that if the Jiangnan County was flooded and it was man-made, the court would know about it within three days. At that time, the court would be furious and blame you. Do you know the crime?"

I thought Ma Guangcheng would be scared, but Ma Tongpan smiled and clasped his fists in reply;

"As for Ning Jian's affairs, I know that natural disasters are inevitable for the court. Besides, I am not talking nonsense. I just want Eunuch Yang and the Minister of the Central Chancellery to hear it. It's just a joke."

"you."

Ning Kai's face turned pale, and he wanted to ask more questions, but was stopped by Eunuch Yang.
"Okay, Master Ning, some things should go in one ear and out the other. Just treat them as a joke. Why do you take them so seriously?"

Eunuch Yang glanced at Lord Jing again and asked,
"What does Lord Jing think?"

"Ahahaha, Eunuch Yang is really putting things in a difficult position. If you want to do it, you need to see how much grain and silver Magistrate Jia's Jinling City has in stock."

This meant that he agreed. If he wanted to provide disaster relief, he would need silver and grain. Giving more or less was a matter for the future. Jia Yucun's face turned pale.
"Replying to Lord Jing, there is not much food and official silver. If there is more than one county, it can be used. Besides, the gap cannot be too big. If we need supplies, Lord Shen will help us."

This is clear. Whether it works or not depends on how Lord Jing does it.
"What do you think, Mr. Shen?"

Jing Cunliang looked directly at Shen Wanhe. This richest man in Jiangnan couldn't escape.
Shen Wanhe was horrified in his heart. How could he dare to destroy the dike and flood the fields? However, the attitudes of Eunuch Yang and Lord Jing meant that he had tacitly agreed. He could only reply carefully.

"My Lord, there are thirteen grain stores in Jinling that should be able to provide some relief. However, my Lord, it's okay for one county. If there are more, we definitely don't have that much reserve, so we need to be moderate."

Following the words of the Jinling prefect, Jing Cunliang also explained the inventory situation. He smiled.
"It's better to be prepared. Let your people buy food and cloth. Wait until the imperial examination is over and the rain has almost stopped. Then we can start. Lord Ma, I'll leave this to you. Don't be careful. If it works, it will be a great achievement. Eunuch Yang, what do you think?"

"Haha, it's all for the court. Now that we've spoken, I can't stand this. Magistrate Jia, I don't have much, so I'll pledge one thousand taels of silver first to buy more food for later use."

Yang Chi saw that the discussion was complete and that this method was the fastest. It was always right to prepare money and food.

"Your Excellency's righteousness has moved me so much that I will donate five hundred taels of silver."

Jia Yucun was so moved that he shed tears and also donated silver. When the others saw this, they all donated silver according to their rank. As the saying goes, the cat weeps over the rat in false sympathy, and the immoral act of the broken dam and flooding the fields was said by everyone to be serving the court and sharing the worries of the royal family. But who would consider the common people?

Only Ning Kai from the Imperial City Bureau was restless. This was a serious act of deceiving the emperor and treason, how could they be so careless? Natural disasters and man-made disasters, naturally man-made disasters are greater than natural disasters. Now the rain is so heavy, how can they guarantee that only Shangyu and Anning counties will be flooded? Once the victims come out, it will be a chaos.

I want to talk about it again, but how can I change the tone set by Eunuch Yang and Lord Jing? I don't know if Commander Shi Gui has returned from Suzhou.
"Grand Eunuch, I would like to ask how the two counties of Chunyang and Yongning in the south, south of Jinling, can convert farmland into mulberry trees."

We can't use this method, otherwise the city of Jinling will be flooded, and the court will be furious. At this time, Ma Guangcheng spoke first.

"Don't worry, Lord Ning. The government will naturally send people to the two southern counties to force them to change their crops and see the effect. If the people obey, we will not do it in vain in the north. If it doesn't work, then we can give it a try. The decision still needs to be considered carefully."

Ma Guangcheng knew that this was a vicious plot that would cost him good karma, but thinking about his future promotion and wealth, he decided to go for it.

Eunuch Yang smiled and raised his hand.

"Master Ma has also been burdened. We will first try it out in the two southern counties, and also send people to notify the northern counties to see the results. If it is changed, it's fine. If not, it has to be this way. We have to follow the arrangements of the court. If this is successful, Master Ma will be credited with the first merit."

"Thank you, eunuch, for your cultivation."

The two of them sang the same tune, making the others feel a little uncomfortable, especially Jia Yucun, whose eyes flickered. Ning Kai, the Imperial City Refurbishment Officer, was a little anxious and wanted to say more, but was stopped by Eunuch Yang.

"Sir Ning, you still have work to do. Magistrate Jia, there are so many rare stones in Jiangnan. Select some of the best ones, carve them carefully, and send them to the capital on a special ship. Remember, you must not mess with the goods. After loading the ship, Sir Ning will send someone to escort them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the capital. No loss is allowed."

Eunuch Yang gave a warning and gave some instructions, which made Jing Cunliang, who was standing by, a little confused. What kind of strange stone is this? Isn't this the Huagang Stone from the Song Dynasty? It consumed a lot of wealth in Jiangnan, which led to unrest in Jiangnan and made the Song Dynasty court powerless.
Could it be that His Majesty really wanted to do this? Jing Cunliang couldn't believe it, and even the others were a little shocked. Jia Yucun stammered,
"Eunuch Yang, how much of that stone do you want?" The so-called stones were all unformed embryos used by wealthy merchants to make jade wares. They were very valuable and not ordinary stones. If there was a shipload of them, they would be priceless. Even officials like them didn't use much of them. Besides, Jiangnan didn't produce jade, but Jiangbei did, but it was very expensive.

"Of course, the more the better. There must be more. When transporting to the capital, the emperor will need it for his Taoist practice. Now Changle Palace is dry and has no Taoist style. This servant feels guilty, so everyone, please pay attention."

This matter was reported by Xia, the chief steward of Changle Palace, who personally went to Eunuch Yang to tell him about it. The Wuwei Palace was too desolate, and the emperor needed jade to decorate it and suppress the spiritual energy, so he ordered the matter to be handed over to Xia Shouzhong. Unexpectedly, Eunuch Xia assigned the matter to Eunuch Yang who went south to Jiangnan. Yang Chi did not think much of it, and submitted a memorial to the ancestor to inform him of the matter.

Dai Quan looked at the memorial but didn't take it seriously. He approved it and replied. After all, the expenses of Changle Palace had increased so much. However, Eunuch Yang, who had received the approved memorial, had no idea about this. In the past, no one had ever seen people who came out to do work in the palace pay for their work out of their own pockets. They all said that it was a gift from the subordinates, which they could not eat or spend all.

Jia Yucun's face was a little pale, and he was sweating slightly. If he did this, he would definitely be cursed in Jiangnan. But Eunuch Yang had already given the order. Jia Yucun, who thought he was very careful about his reputation, couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He looked at Hu Tongzhi beside him and said nothing. He felt sorry for Brother Hu.
"Don't worry, Eunuch Yang. I have accepted this matter. We must not neglect the affairs of the palace. I will let Hu Tongzhi supervise this matter personally. There is no jade in the south of the Yangtze River, but there are many mountains in the north of the Yangtze River. Although it is not easy to mine, we can still dig it up with people and money. I will be in Jinling City, serving you at your service."

"Haha, look at all of you. Magistrate Jia's mouth is as sweet as honey. Well, let Hutong Zhi special handle the jade issue. Lord Ning is forced to follow and send people to protect him. As for the matter of converting farmland into mulberry trees, Lord Jing, gather all the officials, police chiefs, and yamen runners in Jinling City and have them all go down to carry out the execution. Whoever doesn't work hard, I will tell him not to work hard anymore. As for the matter in the north, Ma Tongpan, choose a good person and wait for the news."

When Eunuch Yang finished speaking, it was obvious that he had issued an order and was serious about it. Everyone stood up and bowed;
"Yes, Grand Eunuch."

Although everyone felt that something was wrong, no one dared to speak out. In the officialdom, one would rather offend a villain than offend someone in the palace, especially someone without roots, as that would bring them no peace.

With tacit understanding, everyone responded in unison.

After the discussion,

Shen Wanhe clapped his hands, and delicious food and wine were served one after another. On the western stage, the authentic water-grinding tune of Jiangnan Kunqu Opera was also sung. Only outside, heavy rain was falling from the sky. The gloomy sky revealed a sense of uneasiness. The wind and rain in Jiangnan were about to get stronger.

Towards evening,

In the imperial study in the capital,

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong actually placed a table in the imperial study. There were not many dishes on it, but they included both meat and vegetables. Emperor Wu and the eldest prince Zhou Ding sat opposite each other at the table.

Dai Quan stood by and waited on him.

The father and son of the royal family were actually having a meal in the imperial study. During the meal, Emperor Wu kept picking up food for the Prince of Jin with his chopsticks, and his love for him was beyond words.
Zhou Ding was not vague either. He buried his head and ate with big mouthfuls. After just one day, he felt that the food in front of him was so delicious.

"Your Highness, please eat slowly. There is still so much left. I will give you another bowl of rice."

"Mm, delicious."

The eldest prince passed the bowl over, then picked up a bowl of soup and slurped it up, looking very happy. Seeing this, Emperor Wu felt distressed but did not show it.
"What's wrong? Didn't you eat well in Hanyuan Hall? Or you didn't eat enough. Why do you look like this?"

After saying this, he deliberately put on a face.

Zhou Ding swallowed the soup in his mouth, put the bowl down, and shook his head.

"Father, there is no such thing as not eating well or not being full. The food inside is all the same. The Marquis brought more dishes, so the food is okay. The civil servants all have pickled vegetables and naan bread. Even Marquis Luo Yun eats the same food as the soldiers, but it's not as good as the food we eat."

After a pause, he didn't dislike it. When there were many people, they cooked in a big pot. The Marquis was considerate and stewed meat for the three of them. However, how could the taste compare to that in the palace or the palace?
"It's just that the taste isn't as good as in the palace or the palace. When I first started eating it, I found it hard to swallow, so I felt a little sad. I wasn't used to it so I ate less."

Murmuring a smile,
But he didn't know that Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong's face was red, and he scolded him;

"The candidates for the special examination have three days, while the examiners have seven days, because they need to mark the papers and write the list. They have to bring their own food, which is nothing more than dry food and pickles. Marquis Luo Yun is considered a wealthy family in the eyes of the people. He can eat those, so how can you not eat them?"

Zhou Shihong understood that he had seen the meals in the army. It was nothing more than a big pot of stew. It was good enough to be full. How could it have any taste? Not to mention that when the army was marching, they ate dry food, one meal was full and the other was hungry. There was not even a cup of hot soup.
"Father, I didn't say we can't eat it, it just doesn't taste good. How many days do you want us to stay in Hanyuan Palace?"

Prince Jin sounded aggrieved. He had never experienced such things since he was a child. When he heard that he still needed to mark the papers, he thought he would not stay there, right?
"Humph, you are just thinking of some tricks. Of course, I will stay there. You can leave only after the work is completed successfully. Otherwise, it will be a joke."

Although Emperor Wu spoke harshly, his hands did not slow down at all, and he did not stop picking up the dishes.

Dai Quan had already brought the bowl of rice over and placed it on the table.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin has been smart since he was young and can understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts. However, eating those for several days in a row, even a servant would find it difficult to swallow, like a cup of wax. Your Highness can hold on for two days, which is much better than a servant."

Feeling that what he said was inappropriate, he said "Pah" a few times and slapped himself in the face.
"Damn you, slave. You can't keep your mouth shut."

This interruption made it impossible for Zhou Shihong to continue. He put down his chopsticks and pointed at Dai Quan.
"You old bastard, you're doing these useless things."

Then, looking at Ding'er in front of him, he suddenly realized that he had indeed grown up. Although his eunuch uniform was unsightly, his figure and complexion were good-looking, and he already looked like he did when he was young. He felt comforted.
"Ding'er, why did you come here alone today? But Marquis Luo Yun has something to say?"

No one knows his children better than his father. Generally speaking, the three of them are not so active, especially when they are older and love to play, and even forget that they have a father like him.

Zhou Ding's face flushed, and he almost forgot about the business when he was eating. He quickly took two mouthfuls of food, swallowed it, and replied seriously;

"Your Majesty, you are very good at predicting things. This afternoon, Marquis Luo Yun suddenly said that it was raining heavily and the official road was muddy. It would be difficult for the army to march south. He was also worried that Linshan County might have been lost or rebelled. So he was worried and asked me to find you and make preparations early. He also asked Marquis Baoning to count the soldiers in the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Army Camp and not to slack off."

King Zhou Ding of Jin thought about it and it seemed that this was it.

However, Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong and Dai Quan beside him changed their expressions when they heard this. Marquis Luo Yun's intention was obvious, that is, the army heading south was defeated and Wang Ziteng's troops suffered heavy losses. If they wanted to reverse the defeat, they had to send troops again. But, how was it possible?

"Dai Quan, is there any report from Wang Ziteng?"

Emperor Wu's face was gloomy. He thought back quickly. Since the troops were dispatched, they had been followed by people from the Imperial City Bureau. They had to report three times a day without rest. If there were any problems, they could be conveyed.
Dai Quan was also a little surprised. How could the Marquis have such an idea? Even if there was a problem with Linshan County City, Daliang City was still in his hands. As a bridgehead to the south, as long as Daliang City was not lost, he would be invincible.

Although Wang Ziteng's troops were not the elite troops of the Beijing Camp, they were also brave soldiers of the government army. It was impossible for an army of more than 100,000 to be defeated without a sound.
Think about these days, the memorials from the front line are nothing more than marching matters.
"Your Majesty, Wang Ziteng's troops have been heading south all the time, taking the official road, so there is nothing wrong. Besides, Daliang City is still in our hands. Even if Linshan County City falls, or really surrenders to the enemy, with more than 100,000 troops, they are not something that those bandits can defeat."

"What if they are not bandits?"

"This"

(End of this chapter)