The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

When history books describe a tyrant, they often use an adjective: moody.

But it is often the emperor's capricious mood that makes his subjects feel afraid.

Emperor Zhengde was delighted and rewarded Qiao Yu generously. Then he started fishing again. The fish nest made of 500 kilograms of lotus seeds was very useful. Soon, he caught a small grass carp weighing half a kilogram.

Emperor Zhengde turned to Chang Feng and asked, "Uncle, who do you think I will give this fish to?"

Chang Feng pretended to be old and confused, squinting his eyes and shaking his head slightly: "This old minister is stupid and ignorant. This old minister does not know."

Emperor Zhengde shouted, "Where is Fengyang prefect Li Jicai?"

Li Jicai stepped forward tremblingly: "Your Majesty, your Majesty is here."

Emperor Zhengde pointed at the small grass carp and said, "This fish is a reward for you."

Li Jicai held up the small grass carp with both hands and shouted, "Thank you!"

Emperor Zhengde said, "Don't be so quick to thank me. Where's the money?"

Li Jicai's hair stood on end when he heard this: "May I ask Your Majesty, how much is this fish?"

Emperor Zhengde said: "I won't tell you the price, you decide."

Li Jicai said tentatively: "Eight, eight thousand."

Emperor Zhengde rolled his eyes and asked, "How much?"

Li Jicai quickly changed his words: "Twenty-eight thousand."

Emperor Zhengde snorted coldly: "Tell me more, how much?"

Li Jicai was as sad as if he had lost his parents. It seemed that he would not be able to pass the test without paying. He changed his words again: "Fifty-eight thousand taels."

Emperor Zhengde said: "I think this fish is worth 180,000 taels of silver."

Li Jicai kowtowed and said, "I cannot afford so much money!"

Li Jicai was not crying poor. His family property was only about 60,000 to 70,000 taels. He really couldn't afford 180,000 taels.

Emperor Zhengde said: "It doesn't matter. If you can't come up with it, you can ask the people behind you to make up for it."

Li Jicai said, "Please, Your Majesty, please make it clear."

Emperor Zhengde said angrily, "Do you really need me to explain this clearly? Fengyang is the birthplace of Emperor Taizu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and has a noble status. However, a group of high-ranking officials in Jiangnan have used Fengyang as a transit point for their private salt business. As the prefect of Fengyang, you naturally became the person in charge."

"You manage the private salt transportation business for your superiors in Fengyang. You have earned more than a million taels of silver for them in the past few years. Asking them to help you collect 180,000 taels is just a drop in the bucket."

Li Jicai was stunned when he heard this.

Emperor Zhengde said loudly: "Many of the ministers present here rely on Li Jicai to make money, right? If you don't gather the money, I will hand Li Jicai over to Chang Feng. Chang Feng has ninety-nine ways to make him confess who is behind him! How much money has he collected from the salt business!"

Chang Feng reminded Li Jicai: "180,000 taels is not much, it is already a great favor. Governor Li, you should be able to collect it within three days, right?"

Li Jicai kept kowtowing: "We can get it together, we can get it together."

Emperor Zhengde said: "Okay! Go home and collect the money!"

Li Jicai stood up and said, "I obey your order." Then he took small steps backwards and started to walk away.

Emperor Zhengde stopped him and said, "Take that grass carp. It is worth 180,000 taels of silver. Li Aiqing, you must cook it well and enjoy it when you get home."

Li Jicai picked up the grass carp and walked away as if he had lost his parents.

Emperor Zhengde said loudly: "Salt business accounts for 15% of the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty. The court has six salt transport offices in Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Changlu, Shandong, Fujian, and Hedong. As far as I know, the six major salt transport offices resell salt permits and smuggle salt every year, and the profits can reach millions."

"No matter how greedy the six salt transport officials were, they would not dare to swallow the millions of taels of profit every year. So where did this money go? Naturally, it was divided up by officials from top to bottom."

"In my opinion, if this continues, the Ming Dynasty's salt business will become the private money of officials at all levels!"

"I have made a decision. Six salt administration eunuch offices will be set up in Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Changlu, Shandong, Fujian, and Hedong. The eunuchs will replace the salt transport envoys. From now on, the salt tax will no longer be collected by the state treasury, but will be collected by the internal transport treasury!" The civil servants were dumbfounded. In this way, wouldn't the salt tax become the emperor's private money? What should we do?

The thinking of the civil servants in the Ming Dynasty was so strange. They were allowed to be greedy, but the emperor was not allowed to be greedy.

But at this moment, no one stood up to object. They knew that Emperor Zhengde came prepared today. There was also an old butcher from the Jinyiwei sitting next to the emperor. No one wanted to be the first to stand out and get into trouble.

Emperor Zhengde fished for two hours, gave away thirteen fish, and extorted one million taels of silver from civil officials.

Moreover, Emperor Zhengde took this opportunity to take over a dozen important powers from the civil officials and gave them to the eunuchs. The eunuchs represented the emperor, which was equivalent to the emperor openly competing with the civil officials for power.

In the evening, Emperor Zhengde ordered all civil officials to leave.

As Chang Feng collected his fishing rod, he quietly reminded Emperor Zhengde: "Your Majesty, Jiangnan is the home of the Ming Dynasty's civil servants."

Emperor Zhengde looked at one side: "What do you mean, uncle?"

Chang Feng said: "I don't have any idea. I just have a suggestion. From now on, the number of Han generals on garrison duty will be doubled."

Emperor Zhengde frowned and asked, "Uncle, do you think the civil officials dare to assassinate the king?"

Chang Feng smiled and said, "I didn't say anything. It's just that I'm not afraid of ten thousand, I'm afraid of one."

Emperor Zhengde nodded: "Well, I'll do as you say, uncle. From now on, the number of garrison duty will be doubled."

Chang Feng added: "Your Majesty has used both kindness and power today. This is a good thing. It is time for those lawless civil servants to be more restrained. But is Your Majesty a little too hasty?"

Emperor Zhengde asked, "Are you trying to say that things will turn out well if we take it slow?"

Chang Feng replied: "Your Majesty is very wise. This is exactly what I wanted to say."

Emperor Zhengde shook his head slightly: "Throughout the ages, many things have gone wrong because of the four words 'slow down and things will turn out well'. If you don't make decisions when you should, you will suffer the consequences. When Taizu and Taizong achieved their great cause, which one of them was not swift and resolute? If they believed that slow down and things will turn out well, I am afraid there would be no Ming Dynasty and no me!"

Chang Feng fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face: "Wuwuwuwu!"

The drama queen is at it again.

Emperor Zhengde asked, "Why is my old uncle crying?"

Chang Feng replied: "I am so happy that I am crying. With a wise emperor like you, the Ming Dynasty will surely prosper and prosper for generations to come!"

At night, in a secret courtyard in Yingtian City.

A dozen dark figures were sitting together and discussing secretly.

"That person is trying to leave us no chance to survive."

"Oh, does he think he can do whatever he wants? It's not him who rules the Ming Dynasty, it's us who rule it!"

"Since ancient times, the struggle between the power of the monarch and the power of the ministers has been like a game on the battlefield. It's either you die or I die."

"You mean, kill him?"

"Why, can't it?"

"Absolutely not! If a minister kills his king, he will be infamous for eternity."

"Wrong. We didn't kill him. His favorites did."

"Oh? Are you talking about Chang Feng? Or Jiang Bin?"

"Oh, I have my own way. Let Jiang Bin take action. But I have to inform the gentleman in Beijing about this matter."

"Great! The tyrant king died at the hands of his own favorites and treacherous ministers. It was his own fault. But how do you get Jiang Bin to take action?"

"Jiang Bin is a soldier from the frontier army. He has no brains. I have my own way to make him work for us."

The dark cloud of a great conspiracy looms over Yingtian City. (End of this chapter)