Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 209 A Trap

Originally, according to Zhang Yifan's plan, he would see his relatives in Nanjing on the first day, and return to Liujia Village on the second day.

As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang's summons arrived, and there was no other way. Who made this father-in-law the emperor?
So, Zhang Yifan rushed to the Forbidden City first.

The eunuch who conveyed the order brought Zhang Yifan to Wuying Palace. This place had not been here for three years and it seemed that nothing had changed.

After entering the hall, what surprised him was that Zhu Yuanzhang did not summon him alone because there were other people in the hall.

Zhang Yifan glanced over and saw four people in the palace, namely Prince Zhu Biao, plus three prime ministers Deng Yu, Hu Weiyong and Wang Guangyang.

The palace maids and chamberlains are not considered people for the time being, they are just objects in the hall.

Looking at them, Zhang Yifan couldn't help feeling a little accomplished.

Because he knew that it was because of his time travel that history had been changed. Originally, at the end of the 12th year of Hongwu, both Deng Yu and Wang Guangyang were dead, but now, they are still standing in front of them.

Thinking of this, he stepped forward to greet Zhu Yuanzhang.

After the ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang pointed his finger at Hu Weiyong and said: "Yifan, several prime ministers and others have also submitted memorials and want to recommend you to be the governor of Tianfu. What do you think? "

Zhang Yifan couldn't help being taken aback when he heard this.

At first, he thought Zhu Yuanzhang was looking for him because of his glass factory, but he didn't expect that he was going to be the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture!
Yingtian Prefecture has jurisdiction over eight counties: Shangyuan, Jiangning, Jurong, Liyang, Lishui, Gaochun, Jiangpu and Liuhe. It was the capital of the Ming Dynasty. In the 20th year of Hongwu, it had a population of more than 1109 million.

Yingtian Mansion has a special status, so the rank of Fuyin is the third level, which is two to three levels higher than the general prefect. It is managed by ministers at the level of minister and minister.

If we just talk about being an official, Zhang Yifan's sudden jump from being a county magistrate to the position of Yingtian Prefecture Governor is definitely a series of jumps, and the speed of promotion is astonishing!

But in the Hongwu Dynasty, this was actually not uncommon because Zhu Yuanzhang was short of people.Just last year, he promoted a large number of people, such as Li Huanwen and Fei Zhen, who were promoted from the prefect of Xi'an and Bao Chao to the minister of household affairs and minister respectively.

After Zhang Yifan resigned as the magistrate of Xiangshan County, he only had a title but no position. Now, he saw that the position of governor of Yingtian Mansion was about to fall to him.

Therefore, Zhang Yifan made a tactical retreat to try to avoid this position, and immediately responded: "Father, Jing Jing is pregnant, and I have to take care of her!"

The implication is that he doesn't want to be the Governor of Yingtian Mansion.

Everyone was a little surprised when they heard this answer.

They have heard of people who do not want to be officials because they are not feeling well, and they have also heard of people who do not want to be officials because they are not talented enough, but they have never heard of people who do not want to be officials because their wives are pregnant.

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "Now we are preparing to implement the new policy of Xiangshan County. You are the most familiar with the court. You are the governor of Tianfu, and you don't have to go outside. It is also suitable for resting and raising a fetus. What are you saying? "

When Zhang Yifan heard this, he still didn't answer, and replied: "Father, I'm going to be a father, so of course I'm nervous, so I want to spend time with Jing Jing."

Hu Weiyong on the side suddenly became a little anxious when he heard this.This prince-in-law had to take care of the princess one by one. Maybe the emperor was temporarily soft-hearted and actually agreed!
You know, asking Zhang Yifan to be the governor of Yingtian Mansion was a trick he came up with.Once it is implemented, it will naturally be impossible to ask Zhang Yifan to become prime minister, and his position will be stable.

As for whether Zhang Yifan would become the governor of Yingtian Mansion and threaten his position as prime minister again, Hu Weiyong was not worried at all.

Because this position of Yingtian Mansion's governor is definitely not easy to get, it's a trap.

Hu Weiyong knew that when Zhang Yifan was the magistrate of Xiangshan County, he was a selfless and selfless man. Not only did he capture the Marquis of Yongjia, but also all the dignitaries from the capital who were sent to do business in Xiangshan County were also dealt with by Zhang Yifan. (Actually, it was Fang Xiaoru who took care of it, but Hu Weiyong naturally thought it was Zhang Yifan's intention. He hadn't seen Fang Xiaoru's stubbornness yet).

Hu Weiyong estimated that according to Zhang Yifan's temper, after becoming the governor of Yingtian Mansion, he would definitely be selfless.

However, there are many high-ranking officials and nobles here in Yingtian Mansion, especially the vassal kings and the major founding officials. Many of them are very willful and many are arrogant and domineering.If Zhang Yifan were to be selfless in his position as Ying Tian Fu Yin, he would definitely conflict with the dignitaries.

The emperor could side with his consort once or twice, but what about too many times?What if the consort and the prince conflict?As long as the prince consort hates the dignitaries of the capital, then don't even think about living a comfortable life!
Hu Weiyong didn't believe it. Would the emperor keep this consort every time?

This is where his evil plan lies!
However, now that he saw that Zhang Yifan did not accept the official position of the governor of the Yingtian Mansion, he was naturally anxious, and couldn't help interjecting: "My son-in-law, it is the princess who is pregnant, and it is not you who is pregnant. Effective!"

When Zhang Yifan heard what he said, he retorted rudely: "You want me to have a baby? What are you talking about?"

Hu Weiyong: "..."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang became a little unhappy and said, "Okay, don't make any noise!"

After finishing speaking, he looked at Zhang Yifan, his face turned serious and asked: "Yifan, do you want to be your glass factory, so you don't want to be the governor of Yingtian Mansion?"

Obviously, he already knew this.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan immediately replied confidently: "Father, my son has come up with some money-making things, such as cement, salt field method, fish floss, turning brown sugar into white sugar, and banks, etc. These are all donated. Now. I have been an official in Xiangshan County for three years and have not paid a penny. But now that Jingjing is pregnant, Erchen should at least earn some money to raise the child, right? This is the first time that Jingjing has given birth to a child, and Erchen is with her. It’s not too much for her to make some money of her own, right?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little unhappy when Hu Weiyong said that Zhang Yifan was unwilling to serve him, but now he felt ashamed.

No one else would have given something so profitable to the court.However, this son-in-law not only gave, but also gave more than one, two cornucopias.

Not to mention son-in-law, even my own son, it is impossible to treat Lao Tzu like this!

Thinking of this, when Zhu Yuanzhang was about to say something, he heard Zhang Yifan still saying: "Besides, my father doesn't know something. I have some ideas about building this glass factory, and I feel that I can make some good things." , it also requires careful consideration. When it is actually made, the imperial court will also benefit, even if the ministers are still working for the imperial court in other aspects, right?"

"As for Xiangshan County's new policies, they are already there, just follow them. It's impossible, right?" When Zhang Yifan said this, he glanced at Hu Weiyong, with a little look in his eyes. Contempt, it seems, is what he is talking about.

When Hu Weiyong saw it, he seemed to be stabbed by his look, and he immediately wanted to regain his face, but he knew that the consort must know best if he spoke directly about Xiangshan County's new policies, so he immediately changed the subject and said: "The consort said "Relax, isn't your glass just crystal? What other useful things can you make out of it, yet it requires a talented prince-in-law to spend time thinking about it?"

Obviously, either Zhu Yuanzhang mentioned the matter of Glass to him, or he heard the gossip about Glass himself.

At this time, in order to criticize Zhang Yifan, he did not hesitate to describe Zhang Yifan as extremely talented.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also curious and asked: "What other good things can be made from crystal... glass?"

If Princess Ning Guo just told him to use the house, as far as Zhu Yuanzhang himself is concerned, it is not worth Zhang Yifan's efforts!If you want money to raise a child, he can just print it and give it to you.

When other people heard these conversations, they were also very curious and looked at Zhang Yifan, waiting for his answer to see what good things it would be?

Zhang Yifan didn't hide anything after hearing this, and directly replied: "Some scholars may not be able to see distant words clearly because they use their eyes for a long time. I can help them; older people may not be able to see close words clearly." , I can help him see the words clearly; when a general in the army observes the enemy's formation and cannot see clearly when he is far away, I can help him see further..." After hearing this, Deng Yu didn't think anything was wrong at first. But after hearing this, he was surprised and interrupted Zhang Yifan for the first time: "May I ask my consort, how far can you see the enemy formation?"

He has been leading troops to resist the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty since he was 16 years old, which can be regarded as his military career for most of his life.I am most passionate about everything in the military.At this time, I heard that there was such a thing that could help generals observe the enemy's position, and I was suddenly surprised.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan turned to look at him and said, "You won't know until you do this, but it does have the effect of amplifying distant objects!"

Today's Ming Dynasty, southwest, northwest, Liaodong, etc. are still controlled by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. As the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly knew how important something that could observe the enemy's formation from a long distance would be.

He may not care about the other two, but this one cannot be ignored.

So, after Zhu Yuanzhang heard Zhang Yifan's answer, he said to him: "So, then you should concentrate on making this thing first and see!"

After a pause, he added to Zhang Yifan: "As for your shares in the glass factory, I don't want it. Your filial piety is enough. If you want to give it to other brothers and sisters, you can take care of it yourself. Craftsmen and so on, You can just pick it up, but if something comes to you, you can’t shirk it, do you understand?”

Zhang Yifan's intention after traveling through time was to farm comfortably.The agreement reached at this time is considered ideal.Therefore, he immediately responded: "Thank you, Father!"

Hu Weiyong on the side saw the trap set and was avoided. Although he wanted to stop it, Zhu Yuanzhang had already made a decision, so he was powerless.

But this result is not bad, after all, the son-in-law will take care of his affairs by himself, at least he will not be an official in the court in the short term.

Zhu Biao, who had been silent, heard this and said to Zhang Yifan with a smile: "Yifan, just now my father was discussing the salary matter with the prime ministers. You have mentioned this matter before, and the salary of Xiangshan County is also Unlike the imperial court, my father also wants you to make suggestions."

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan turned to look at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded to him, and then motioned to Wang Guangyang to introduce Zhang Yifan: "The current salary, in terms of years, is one thousand shi for the first grade, and [-] shi for the first grade; [-] shi for the second grade, and [-] shi for the second grade; Six hundred stones for the third grade, five hundred stones for the third grade; four hundred stones for the fourth grade, and three hundred stones for the fourth grade, all will be given three hundred coins..."

Zhang Yifan heard that there was a difference of one hundred stones for each grade, and the money given was the same.

"The first five grades are 220 shi, and the second grade is 170 shi, and the salary banknotes are all 150 guan; the first 120th grade is 110 shi, and the second grade is 75 shi, and the salary bills are all 45 kuan; the first 65th grade is [-] shi, and the seventh grade is [-] kuan. The salary notes are all sixty guan; the eighth grade is [-] shi, and the eighth grade is [-] shi, and the salary notes are all [-] guan; the ninth grade is [-] shi, and the ninth grade is [-] shi, and the salary notes are all [-] guan."

Taking the local seventh-grade county magistrate as an example, the monthly salary is equivalent to a little more than 8 shi, and the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are 5 guan per month.For now, Zhang Yifan feels that a county magistrate can barely support a family with a small number of people. However, if the treasure banknote depreciates and there is no money in the future, then the county magistrate will be a bit miserable.

This salary is still a bit low for someone who holds the power of a county.It can even be said that if you want to hire staff, you have to pay for it yourself.

So, after Wang Guangyang finished speaking, he asked: "Is there anything else?"

"What else?" Wang Guangyang asked a little doubtfully after hearing this.

But Zhu Biao heard it and took over the topic and replied: "Does Yifan mean the year-end bonus like Xiangshan County?"

"Yeah!" Zhang Yifan nodded after hearing this.

Zhu Biao did not answer, but turned to look at his father.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw it, he said to Zhang Yifan: "What you did in Xiangshan County was too lavish. Government offices in other places cannot be as rich as Xiangshan County Government."

As soon as he heard this, Zhang Yifan knew that this father-in-law was still a little confused.

In fact, the salary set by Zhu Yuanzhang went through several versions. The more changes were made, the less the salary was given.However, this plane has actually changed somewhat due to Zhang Yifan's influence.

After Zhang Yifan heard this, he reported to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, I think that local officials are people-friendly officials. Their performance directly represents the court and will have a great impact. Therefore, I think that we should To solve their worries, we should not let them think of ways to make money because of their poverty! In addition to my personal experience, I also know that some local officials are really poor!"

As far as the current salary is concerned, Zhu Yuanzhang actually referred to the account book provided by Zhang Yifan, eliminated the expenses he thought were unreasonable, and then pinched the money that was just enough.

I have to say that Zhu Yuanzhang, an old farmer, is really picky.In other words, his requirements for officials are really high!

If Zhang Yifan had said this before, Zhu Yuanzhang might not have listened at all. What would he think you knew?

However, Zhang Yifan now has just returned from Xiangshan County's three-year administration, and his words are authoritative.

Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang heard what he said, he pondered for a moment and then asked: "Then how do you think we should adjust it?"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan replied without thinking: "My son believes that we must first clarify the specific responsibilities of local officials, how much work they do, and how much salary they receive. If the county magistrate is really too busy and wants to use staff, then This money should also be considered. In fact, Erchen believes that the division of local duties is too rough. Now at the beginning of the founding of the country, the local population can be maintained with a small amount, but if there is peace in the future and the population increases, then just rely on the current The county officials will definitely be too busy..."

Xiangshan County is an example. When Zhang Yifan first went there, the registered population was only 7 to [-]. Later, the law of public distribution of grain fields was implemented, hidden households were cleared, etc., and the population reached about [-]. Adding in the captured pirates, The population increased to more than [-].

Later, as Zhang Yifan straightened out the government affairs of Xiangshan County, explosive population growth began.The busyness of affairs is obvious to all.

When Zhang Yifan said this, he said sincerely: "Father, my son and I have great confidence in the future strength of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, I suggest that my father should plan in advance from a development perspective when setting up local government offices."

Having said so much, it boils down to two points.

First, local officials are officials who are close to the people. They must ensure that they have no worries in order to correctly implement the court's decisions.

Second, we must look at it from a development perspective and take precautions, otherwise big problems will definitely occur.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened to his suggestion, thought about the situation in Xiangshan County, nodded, and then told Hu Weiyong and others: "You should have heard this, I think it makes sense, and we will draft a new one on the salary matter!"

Hu Weiyong was helpless after hearing this. This prince-in-law was really troublesome. As long as the emperor summoned him to discuss matters, he would always make trouble.

However, he could not refuse this job. This was a symbol of his power.

So, I had to agree.

Zhang Yifan originally thought of also proposing a year-end bonus and pension, which is retirement salary.But thinking about the stinginess of the old man, if you mention this now, there is a high probability that you will not be considered.Therefore, he did not mention it, and he could talk about it when there was a suitable opportunity in the future.

He didn't know that in the original history, his salary was also cut.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was decided that the Prince Consort and the Princess would receive 12 shi of grain and [-] guan of cash per year.However, on the [-]th day of the first lunar month in the [-]th year of Hongwu's reign, the salary of the Prince Consort Captain was only [-] dan.

Of course, Zhang Yifan wouldn't care if it really changed like history.How can you live on your salary if you travel through the world in a dignified way?
After the discussion, Zhang Yifan went back.He decided to build a separate courtyard in Liujia Village as soon as possible, farther away from the Forbidden City.Set up a glass factory, impart scientific knowledge, and live a happy farming life!

(End of this chapter)