unclear

Chapter 178 Food shortage 3
"Everyone, everyone, everyone, please be patient. This matter is just a rumor and there is no conclusive evidence. I and others can't influence the court with our words. It's better to see first. Whether it is loyalty or traitor, sooner or later the truth will come to light."

Seeing that his friends from the same department were about to quarrel over different political opinions, Jin Shijun quickly stepped in to smooth things over.In fact, he also faced a similar situation to Zuo Guangdou. From the day he entered the court as an official, the Zhejiang Party, the Donglin Party, the Qi Party, the Chu Party and other factions in the court continued to instigate, win over or bewitch.

Which faction is righteous and which is treacherous is impossible to detect clearly from the surface. The only way to draw a conclusion is to first listen to their words and then observe their actions, and finally understand their hearts.Isn't this a good opportunity now? There's nothing to say or do, just wait and see the results.

"Yes, yes, Meng Zhang is right. It won't help if we argue and argue. Why don't we think about a solution together. If we get something, dedicating it to His Majesty may save the people in disaster."

As the host, Yang Sichang also followed suit, but his method was more diplomatic.It's useless to just talk the truth, you have to find something to do, so that your brain is busy and you don't have the energy to fight.

But the result was not satisfactory, let alone a few junior officials who had just entered the court for a year, even if all the six ministries, nine ministers and cabinet bachelors were gathered together, there would still be no way.

This move was too cruel. Taking advantage of the drought in the northern provinces, it bought up most of the surplus grain in the two main producing areas in the south. Coupled with the floods in the coastal areas, it was simply a drain on the bottom of the pot, and there was no possibility of a comeback.

Oh, yes, it is not completely out of control. The only way is to spend more than double the money to buy grain at the current grain price and transport it to the disaster area.Of course, the Ministry of Household Affairs will definitely not be able to come up with this money. Whether or not the victims will be saved will depend on internal funds.

This time, the emperor was put at the center of the storm. He had to choose between paying or watching the people under his rule starve to death.But no matter which way he chooses, he will still be compensated. The person is saved but the money is gone. Whatever he does in the future, he will have to discuss it with the officials and Yan Yuese.

If you keep money and don't save people, your reputation will be ruined. If you let the literati's pen outline it a few times, no matter how hard "Half Moon Talk" praises it, you will still be a complete fool!Having lost its appeal among the people, we still have to rely on a group of officials to govern the world!
"My beloved ministers, my loyal ministers, and the pillars of the empire, can't you think of a solution at this time?"

This is the fourth time this decade that the emperor has gone to the direct room of the cabinet to hold an imperial meeting, and his eagerness is evident.However, more than half a month passed after deliberation, and no effective method was proposed. Instead, many complaints about the new disaster relief law were heard.

"In this case, I will act arbitrarily for once. Do you have any objections?" Seeing that he could not get any constructive opinions except listening to criticisms after further discussions, the emperor's face was slumped, and his eyes were full of anger. It was obvious that he was Going crazy.

"I am unable to share your Majesty's worries, and I feel deeply guilty..." Shen Li, as the chief minister of the cabinet, took the lead in expressing regret. While placing all the responsibility on the emperor, he also recognized the emperor's arbitrary power in the matter of food shortages.

"Well, I have made a decree to announce to the world that the victims need to be rescued and food needs to be bought, but I am not going to pay for an extra tael of silver! The new disaster relief law must be implemented to the letter, and I will send supervisors from Beijing and Nanjing to various places to inspect , Anyone who violates the rules will be punished without mercy, causing disaster to the three tribes!
From now on, each of you, dear ministers, will select one or two disaster-stricken prefectures to take charge of it. If there is a problem with the relief food in the area in charge of whichever one is responsible, if the supervision is insufficient, I will hang that person's head on the city gate to show the public. The clan was demoted to a lowly status! "

The emperor didn't seem to hear it, or didn't think of the consequences. He still insisted on the implementation details of the new disaster relief law. It was very carefully arranged, and established a responsibility system and extremely strict punishments.

"...Your Majesty, it is your duty to supervise the new disaster relief laws and appease the victims. But if there is no food, what should we use to provide relief?"

Although the emperor spoke fiercely and his expression matched, no one among the ministers in the room took him seriously.No one is scared. Why don’t you plant crops after hearing the cries of crickets?At that moment, Xiao Daheng, the Minister of Punishment, stood up to challenge. "Xiao Shangshu, if I remember correctly, you should be from Tai'an Prefecture. There have been no disasters in the area in the past two years. Although the grain production is not very large, it is still acceptable. But I heard that your wife's uncle's family bought a lot of rice from Wuxi. , and also used canoes, why is this?"

Looking at this tall man from Shandong with thick eyebrows and big eyes, Hong Tao felt very sorry.Xiao Daheng was truly born into poverty. His parents worked at a tofu stall. No matter how hard and tired they were, they were unwilling to wrong their only son. They lived frugally and saved money to send him to private school.

As a result, God only makes blind birds because of hunger. Xiao Daheng’s father died when he was just 15 years old, leaving an orphan and a widowed mother even more miserable.Fortunately, someone introduced him to a marriage, and she was the daughter of a wealthy family in Yangqiu.If he didn't have his father-in-law's family to help him, he would have to buy tofu and fail in the exam.

During his 30 years as an official, whether he was a local magistrate or served in the six ministries, his work ability was highly qualified, and he was capable of both civil and military affairs. During the Korean War against Japan, he also completed the affairs of the Ministry of War with great success. Remarkable.

However, since he became the chief minister of the cabinet, he gradually turned to the Zhejiang Party. Within a few years, he became a banner of the Zhejiang Party, and his status was comparable to that of the rising star Li Tingji.

If you just form a party, that's it. The general environment is like this. It is very difficult to gain a foothold in the court without being united.But he actually went against his origin and started to harvest wool from the people.

Under his protection, his wife's family almost monopolized the canal dredging and repair projects from Jining Prefecture to Dongchang Prefecture, and together with the officials of the Water Transport Yamen, they made a lot of money by deceiving the superiors and subordinates.

And during this man-made food shortage, his wife's family was not idle either. They were part of the first wave of large-scale purchases of Jiangnan rice since last autumn.Anyone who says that without his guidance behind the scenes is a complete coincidence would be lying to a fool.

"...Your Majesty, I would like to pledge my head on my neck that I have never done anything like this! I have really offended a lot of people in the Ministry of Punishment over the years. Please take a closer look and clear my name!"

Chi Guoguo asked the minister's family face to face whether they were hoarding money and specifically going against the emperor, which caught Xiao Daheng off guard.But he was only stunned for a few seconds, and then immediately launched a counterattack. Not only did he deny it, he also took the initiative to demand a strict investigation. He was very confident.

"I also believe that Xiao Shangshu will not be ignorant of the importance... I will solve the food problem. How to distribute the food to the victims is the work of all of you. Go down and prepare first. It will be busy in a few days. ”

Looking at the old face that was flushed with anger, Hong Tao felt very sad.The acting is so expressive, every wrinkle, every beard and hair is full of drama, and anyone who watches it feels like he has suffered a huge grievance.

If Yuan Keli had not been the governor of water transportation, had heard that his subordinate officials had collusion with his wife's uncle, and specially sent people to Tai'an Prefecture to investigate on the spot, he might have been deceived.

Since these people are determined to fight with themselves to the end and do not cherish their last chance, then there is no need to talk nonsense.As the saying goes, if you don’t shed tears until you see the coffin, the winner will be decided this month.

(End of this chapter)