Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 29

Hai Rui: "Tomorrow we will discuss the proposal again. We will wait for your lord's instructions."

Gao Hanwen looked away, did not sit down, and stood there: "You are not ashamed of the sky, and you are not ashamed of the earth. Tomorrow, I will ask the two of you to fight for the people of Chun'an and Jiande to survive."

Wang Yongji was a little surprised, and looked at Hai Rui.

Hai Rui looked at Gao Hanwen steadfastly, his eyes flashed with suspicion.

The meeting to change rice to mulberry has resumed.But after a day, between rooms, the atmosphere is very different.

Zheng Michang was still sitting in front of the big case in the middle, with a solemn face, his eyes were no longer half-closed as they were the day before, and they shone brightly, covering the entire lobby, scanning the officials sitting in front of the cases on both sides one by one. .

He Maocai also changed from the tense expression he had the day before, and leaned very relaxed on the chair at the head of the desk on the left, with one hand resting on the desk, and several fingers were still lightly tapping on the desk surface in turn.

What is officialdom?Once you are an official, you will have pomp when you go out, and "aura" when you enter, which is called officialdom.Although the participating officials in Zhejiang didn't know what happened in the next day, they all felt that the aura in the lobby had changed!Can today's bill pass?

A pair of eyes couldn't help looking at Gao Hanwen who was still sitting at the head of the desk on the right.

Gao Hanwen was still the same Gao Hanwen, sitting there upright.But if you take a closer look, you can see that just one day, his face was dusty the day before yesterday, but it is haggard today.His eyes were staring up and down, and he lost the look he had when he took office, and he looked dazed.

Hai Rui and Wang Yongji were still sitting on the bench at the end of the case.

Wang Yongji looked at Hai Rui opposite him with heavy eyes.

Hai Rui's gaze was fixed on Gao Hanwen who was diagonally across from the desk.

"Let's discuss the matter." Zheng Michang spoke, but his eyes stopped looking at the crowd, and looked outside the hall ahead.

Those officials also sat upright, looking at their noses and hearts, but their ears were all pricked up.

Zheng Michang: "Things have nothing to do with experience. Gaofutai went to the Weaving Bureau yesterday, and the two magistrates went to the grain market yesterday. They should all know how to reform and provide relief." Speaking of this, He said to the scribes beside him, "Send the proposal."

"Yes." The clerk immediately picked up the stack of proposals from the case, first He Maocai, then Gao Hanwen, walking on both sides in a zigzag shape, put a copy of the proposals on the case for each person.

When they arrived in front of Hai Rui, since there was no desk, the clerk handed over the proposal.

The scribe walked up to Wang Yongji again and handed over the proposal.

There was silence in the lobby, only the sound of pages being turned.

After reading it all, there are still two pages, six articles and more than two hundred words, and no word has been changed!
The hall became even more silent, and a pair of knowing eyes looked at each other, and they all looked at Zheng Michang in the middle of the hall.

Zheng Michang's eyes were still looking outside the hall.

Holding the proposal in his hand, Wang Yongji looked at Hai Rui.

However, Hai Rui had placed the proposal on the stool beside him without knowing when, and closed his eyes.

He Maocai kept staring at Gao Hanwen who was facing him. He found that Gao Hanwen's proposal was still there, and he didn't open the first page to read the second page.

He Maocai: "Gaofutai, it seems that you haven't finished watching it yet?"

All eyes followed this question to Gao Hanwen.

Only Hai Rui still sat there with his eyes closed.

"One word has not been changed, do you still want to read it?" Gao Hanwen suddenly raised his head, and finally that unyielding expression flashed in his eyes, looking at He Maocai.

"Yes, I haven't changed a single word." Seeing that he was still stubborn, He Maocai immediately put on an air of disappearing while talking and laughing, and leaned back again, "Mr. One word, do your best'." At this point, he intentionally emphasized the words "to do his best".

Gao Hanwen's chest immediately seemed to be hit, but his eyes were still looking at him unyieldingly.

He Maocai: "I will change these eight characters now, and call it 'If you don't change a word, you will solve your dilemma'."

Gao Hanwen was startled, and tried to stand up with his hands on the edge of the case, but his head was dizzy for a while, and finally he couldn't stand up.

But Zheng Michang stood up, and looked slowly at the officials below: "Yesterday, this court and Gaofutai had an in-depth discussion on the imperial court's national policy of changing rice to mulberry and how to build morality in Chun'an with both reform and relief." The relief food in the official warehouse is enough for three days. The disaster is raging, and the mulberry seedlings must be planted in June. If we continue to discuss and fail to make a decision, we will lose the court and the people! Gao Futai Understand the truth and agree to our proposal. Now that there are no objections, let’s all sign the proposal.”

The pen and ink had been prepared for everyone's case, and the officials in Zhejiang picked up their pens one after another and signed the proposal in front of them.

Gao Hanwen still sat there, and did not go to pick up the pen on the desk.

"Gaofu Terrace." Zheng Michang looked at Gao Hanwen deeply.

Gao Hanwen seemed to muster up the last bit of courage: "I haven't changed a word, so I can't sign it."

He Maocai was about to stand up again, Zheng Michang's eyes immediately swept to him, and then he still calmly said to Gao Hanwen, "Then think again." After saying this, he shouted to the hall: "Serve tea !"

It seemed that it had been prepared a long time ago, and it was the book office that served tea the day before yesterday, holding a tea tray with eight tea bowls, walked in quickly, but stopped after entering the lobby door.In reverse order, first put down two bowls of tea on the benches of Hai Rui and Wang Yongji, and then put down the tea bowls on each official's desk from bottom to top in a zigzag shape.

There was only one tea bowl left on the tray, and the book office walked up to Gao Han's copywriting, still smiling, and threw the tea tray in front of him.

Gao Hanwen didn't go to get the bowl of tea, he said gloomily, "Put it down."

The book office still held the tea tray and sent it in front of him.

Gao Hanwen looked at him with a gloomy mood.

The secretary's eyes were full of sincerity, and his eyes moved a little, signaling Gao Hanwen to look at the tea bowl.

Gao Hanwen couldn't help looking at the tea bowl.

——There is a piece of eight-line paper with words written on it under the teacup!

Gao Hanwen's face turned pale, but he sat there in a daze, still not picking up the tea bowl.

The secretary didn't force him anymore, he put the tea bowl in front of him with one hand, and moved the tea tray in front of him with the other hand.

——The words on the eight lines of paper on the tea tray suddenly appeared: "The matter between me and Yunniang has nothing to do with others. Gao Hanwen!"

The book office didn't stay any longer, and walked out with the tea tray in his hands.

All eyes were on Gao Hanwen, only Hai Rui was still sitting upright with his eyes closed.

Gao Hanwen raised his right hand slowly, and slowly moved towards the pen on the pen stand.Despite trying to control it, the hand still picked up the pen with a slight trembling.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai relaxed at the same time, and slowly leaned back in their chairs.

"Master Futai!" Wang Yongji suddenly stood up.

Gao Hanwen's hand that had already picked up the pen stopped there again.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai immediately stared at Wang Yongji.

Hai Rui's eyes also opened, looking at Wang Yongji.

Wang Yongji looked at Gao Hanwen: "My lord, I have a few words to ask my lord to show you my humble position."

"Please tell me." As if he was taking a step towards Yuan, and was suddenly pulled by someone, Gao Hanwen immediately put the pen back on the pen holder.

Wang Yongji: "Master Zhongcheng said just now that we had a deep discussion with him yesterday. The relief food can only be distributed for three days, and the mulberry seedlings must be planted in June. These are all true facts. But these facts were discussed during the discussion the day before yesterday. But why, under the same circumstances, this proposal could not be implemented the day before yesterday, but it can be implemented today? I am very puzzled by the humble staff."

"Tom tom tom" He Maocai immediately knocked on the case a few times: "Since it is the truth, it should have been passed the day before yesterday. Why is it so puzzling!"

"My lord, please allow Beizhi to finish." Wang Yongji bowed his hands to He Maocai, turned his face to look deeply at Gao Hanwen, "This time, Beizhi was transferred from Kunshan. Before going to Kunshan, Beizhi was in Renzhi County, Jiande. I know the situation in Jiande. There are 27 registered people in Jiande County, and 44 mu of registered land. Among them, 15 mu is the mulberry field of a large silk family, and 29 mu is the rice field of the farmer. One season per mu In a good year, two shi and five buckets of rice can be produced, but in a bad year, the grain output is less than two shi. The rice produced is spread to each person, and the annual output is less than 250 catties. After threshing, the white rice per person is less than [-] catties. Spread every day, every day People are less than seven or two meters long, and the elderly and children can barely satisfy their hunger, but the strong men are far from enough. Thanks to the mountains and water, we can plant some tea, mulberry and hemp, produce some paulownia lacquer, and fish and shrimp can be caught in the river. Only when we sell can we pay taxes If there is any surplus, I will change some oil and salt to buy some coarse grains to make ends meet. The suffering of the people's livelihood is already unspeakable."

He Maocai: "The chief ministers you mentioned have numbers."

Wang Yongji didn't look at He Maocai, but still looked at Gao Hanwen: "This year in Jiande to divert floods, half of the people's fields were flooded, about 14 mu. If these people sell all their fields, they can only rent fields for farming next year. If It is still a paddy field, and the rent is paid at a 150-[-] basis. Each person can only earn [-] catties of rice per year. If the silk obtained is exchanged for grain, there may be three or two or five dollars a day. My lord, three or five dollars for rice, is it enough for you a day?"

Gao Hanwen's eyes were full of pain, he was silent for a long time, and replied: "Of course not enough."

Wang Yongji: "Mencius said: When Yu thinks that there are drowning people in the world, he is like drowning himself; when Ji thinks that there are hungry people in the world, he is like himself being hungry. My lord, this pen in your hand is tied to the lives of hundreds of thousands of disaster victims. You are drowning yourself, please be careful, my lord!"

These words are the real "truth".The officials in the hall are usually not ignorant, but they have been numb for a long time, and I am a good official.At this time, Wang Yongji said it carefully, with such a painful expression on his face, he was dumbfounded.

There was another silence in the lobby.

Zheng Michang knew that he had to make his final statement, so he stood up: "The county magistrate just told the truth about Jiande. This court was once the chief envoy of Zhejiang, and was in charge of the money and grain of the province. Not to mention Jiande, everyone in Zhejiang I know the real situation of each county. One county has one county, one province has one province, but the current situation of my two capitals and thirteen provinces in Ming Dynasty is that the national treasury is short of money! Mongols are constantly invading in the north, and the Japanese pirates are all over us There are riots along the coast in Zhejiang and Fujian. The court wants to use troops, appease the sea leading to the West, recruit troops, and build ships. This is the biggest truth of the court. A small county magistrate uses a small county's small account to calculate the country's big He even threatened his superiors not to sign on the motion to promote the national policy!" Then he raised his voice and turned harsh: "The imperial court has regulations, and the province's affairs are not qualified to participate in the meeting. Come here, tell the two magistrates to go down (sound: ke)!”

The book office who delivered the tea came in from outside the lobby immediately.

Wang Yongji was standing, and the book office picked up his bench, and walked up to Hai Rui: "Master Zhixian, there is no seat for you here, please get up."

Hai Rui stood up slowly, and the book office immediately picked up his stool again, one in each hand, and walked out quickly.

Hai Rui and Wang Yongji stood there.

Wang Yongji and Gao Hanwen were diagonally opposite, and they were still looking at Gao Hanwen with heavy eyes.

Gao Hanwen's eyes turned to Zheng Michang in pain: "Lord Zhongcheng..."

"Who has the final say here!" He Maocai interrupted Gao Hanwen sharply, and turned to Hai Rui and Wang Yongji, "Master Zhongcheng told you to go down, do you hear me?"

Hai Rui said, "But I don't know where to tell us to go down?"

He Maocai: "Go where you should go!"

Hai Rui: "Then we should go to Beijing, to the Ministry of Officials, to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and finally to the Meridian Gate!"

"What do you mean?" He Maocai stared at him.

Hai Rui: "Go and ask the imperial court why they sent us to Chun'an and Jiande."

He Maocai: "Are you threatening the ministry, or the whole of Zhejiang's superior office?"

(End of this chapter)