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Chapter 510 Four major families
Ningbo, known as Yin in ancient times, belonged to Kuaiji County in the Han Dynasty, Yuyao County in the Tang Dynasty, and Mingzhou in the Song Dynasty. In the 14th year of Hongwu, in order to avoid national taboo, Zhu Yuanzhang took the name of Haidingze Boning and renamed it Ningbo, taking over the four counties of Yinxian, Xiangshan, Cixi, Dinghai and the two prefectures of Fenghua and Changguo.

To the west of Ningbo City is the vast Ningshao Plain, with fertile land and crisscrossed rivers, making it the most important grain-producing area in Zhejiang. It is adjacent to Hangzhou Bay on the north side, and on the east side is the dotted Changguo Prefecture, later known as Zhoushan Islands.

On the south side is Xiangshanpu, a long and narrow bay. Inland rivers go around the city and are connected to the East China Sea. Water transportation is very convenient. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been an interconnection port between the East China Sea countries and mainland China. It is also the only port where the Ming Dynasty pays tribute. In addition to seafood, the biggest specialty is merchants, including maritime merchants.

Moon Lake, also known as West Lake, is located in the southwest of Ningbo City. It was excavated during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty and has a long and narrow shape. During the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, pavilions and pavilions were built, and flowers and trees of the four seasons were planted everywhere, forming a scenic spot of ten continents on the Moon Lake. It was a place where literati and poets gathered to rest and rest.

The great poet He Zhizhang of the Tang Dynasty, the famous official Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty, the prime minister Shi Hao of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the famous scholar Yang Jian of the Song Dynasty. These romantic figures all lived here in seclusion, gave lectures, served as officials, or wrote books, leaving an indelible impression on Yuehu Lake. imprint.

Just after the Qingming Festival, the sun is shining, flowers are in bloom, and there are many tourists around Yuehu Lake. There is a large manor about a mile to the west, with a waterway connected to Yue Lake, forming a small lake in it. Pavilions and pavilions are built on the shore, and flowers and trees are planted everywhere, which is elegant in style.

At this time, there were four old men sitting around the pavilion of the water pavilion. There were refreshments and chessboards on the stone table. It was like a gathering of relatives and friends, but the expressions on everyone's faces were very solemn, and they seemed to be discussing important matters.

If the locals saw it, they would definitely be surprised. These four are actually representatives of the four most prominent families in Ningbo Prefecture.

The man with gray hair in a bun is called Yang Dezhou, whose courtesy name is Qizhuang. He is the head of the Yang family in Jingchuan. He was elected magistrate in the sixth year of Jingyang (1610) at the age of 53, and was appointed magistrate of Gaotang County, Shandong Province.

The fat man with a dark face is called Lu Maolong, whose courtesy name is Lengchen. He is 60 years old. He is the parent of the Lu family in Yuehu. He was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Wanli and served successively as the county magistrate of Hefei and the official of the Rites Department.

The thin man is Zhang Bangren, whose name is above. He is the head of the Zhang family in Chahu. He is 59 years old. He was a Jinshi scholar in the third year of Jingyang and was awarded the title of Magistrate of Gutian County, Fujian Province.

The man with three beautiful beards is Tu Benjun, whose courtesy name is Shutian. He is the head of the Tu family in Jianqiao. He is 55 years old. With his father's kindness, he is appointed as the Dianbo of Taichang Temple and the doctor of the Ministry of Rites.

In the eyes of local people, in addition to being powerful and wealthy, they and the families they represent also have a good reputation. He did a lot of things such as building bridges and paving roads, opening schools, and doing charity. It cannot be said that he was deeply loved by the people and could be called a home that accumulated philanthropy.

"When I learned that my two brothers had returned home, I felt a sense of foreboding in my heart. How could I have expected that this is true? With such a foolish king in the government, we will never be able to succeed, and the country and the country will be in trouble!"

Yang De was the youngest, and he was the least skilled in Qi-nurturing skills. He couldn't help but complain before he finished a cup of tea. However, the way he spoke was very particular. He did not mention his own affairs, but instead defended Zhang Bangren and Tu Benzhen.

Two months ago, the Juzi murder case was settled. The Juzis who participated in the gang fight were unscathed, but the officials who secretly incited the Juzis to cause trouble to put pressure on the emperor suffered heavy losses. Tu Benjiu happened to be involved in the Li Ke affair, and he had to take the initiative to resign.

Yang Dezhou was not involved in the Juzi murder case because he was serving as magistrate of Tang County, Shandong Province. Even though he had great resentment against the New Deal in his heart, he had no chance to enter Beijing, so he escaped a disaster. As the saying goes, it is a blessing, not a curse, but a curse cannot be avoided. Just a month ago, Zhou Daodeng, the governor of Shandong, came. Before anyone could see it, the official document was placed on the desks of the various prefectures and counties. There is only one content. From now on, the assessment of Shandong officials will no longer be determined by external inspections, but will adopt a new model, points.

Depending on the local conditions, on the premise that the output of wheat, cotton and other crops will not be affected to a large extent, the increase in wheat and sweet potato production each season will be converted into a certain number of points. Each state, prefecture, and county will also have different coefficients converted into points for the development of handicrafts and factories, and the amount of commercial taxes will also be converted into points.

In short, without increasing the tax rate, whoever governs an area with high grain production, more wasteland reclamation, developed handicrafts and factories, and pays higher commercial taxes will have more points.

From then on, the appointment, removal, promotion and promotion of officials in Shandong were no longer under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, and there was no court recommendation. Completing a certain number of points is considered qualified. Officials below the standard will be replaced, and officials above the standard will be promoted and receive rewards from the emperor.

In addition, the new governor Zhou Daodeng also brought dozens of young subordinate officials, known as New Deal supervisors. These people will be dispatched to serve in various states and counties to assist the chief officials in promoting the New Deal.

The former minister of the Ministry of Personnel suddenly became the governor of Shandong, which is very similar to the former cabinet scholar Li Zhi who became the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Regarding this change, some Shandong officials understand the reason, and they all know that there are only two roads in front of them.

Otherwise, you should take the initiative to ask for resignation from the imperial court, lest you be demoted due to the unfavorable implementation of the New Deal. Otherwise, they should change their ways and join the new camp, learn the new ruling philosophy from the beginning, strive to gain some political achievements, and keep their official position.

However, some Shandong officials were not reconciled and decided to submit their resignations together through private contacts. On the one hand, they were expressing their emotions to the court and on the other hand, they were testing the emperor's reaction.

As a result, the response came quickly. All the officials who resigned were approved, and a note from the emperor was added: If you resign bravely when the imperial court is employing people, you have betrayed my trust, and you will be demoted to a commoner and will never be hired!
At this time, all the officials who submitted their resignations were dumbfounded. It is a common practice in officialdom to threaten to resign and advertise oneself. They will resign if they are scolded, they will resign if they have different opinions, they will resign if they encounter difficulties, and they will resign if they cannot stand it. .

But resigning does not mean leaving the court, nor is it the end of a political career. They would often gain a good reputation, and if the tide changed, they would have plenty of opportunities to return to the court.

Han Chuang studied hard for more than ten years, just to get the good grades and become an official in the court. It's better now. Just be demoted to common people and never be hired. It must be political persecution, and there is only one source, the New Deal!

If in the past few years, most of the gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang scorned the New Deal when it came to it, with the rise of Guangdong and Fujian provinces and the changes in the power structure between the DPRK and China, more and more people have realized the power of the New Deal and subsequently changed their attitudes.

However, unlike the gentry groups in Guangdong and Fujian, the gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang did not take the initiative to change their previous business models and try to join the New Deal to seek more profits. Instead, they developed a stronger sense of resistance and disgust, and then turned them into Considered as a life-or-death enemy.

(End of this chapter)