Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 9

Having said that, Zheng Michang glanced at Yang Jinshui.Yang Jinshui looked like an outsider at this time, with only ears but no mouth, sitting there with closed eyes and resting his mind.

"I think some people are fighting against the imperial court!" He Maocai simply patted the table and stood up, squinting at Tan Lun who was sitting below him, "The province dispatched troops to the prefect of Ma to reform the mulberry fields. Beware of troublesome people, now it’s all right, the troublesome people have come to the governor’s office! Who on earth ordered Qi Jiguang to take the soldiers away? In front of the minister and Eunuch Yang, explain it yourself!”

It was obvious that he was forcing Tan Lun to speak, and several pairs of eyes were looking at Tan Lun.

"I asked Qi Jiguang to take the soldiers away." It was Hu Zongxian who answered this sentence.

Hu Zongxian uttered this sentence in such a low voice, but it sounded like thunder in the ears of those people, making Zheng Michang, He Maocai and Ma Ningyuan's eyes wide open.Yang Jinshui's closed eyes also opened suddenly, and then closed again, still sitting there like an outsider.

The others were just stunned, but He Maocai froze there and couldn't sit still.

Tan Lun obviously did not expect that Hu Zongxian would take the burden so simply at this time.There was a burst of excitement in his heart, and he wanted to take a look at Hu Zongxian, but he held back and looked at the table.

"In the name of the government, I borrowed 100 million grains from the rice store in the rice market. How much have you borrowed now?" Hu Zongxian changed the subject and looked at Zheng Michang.

Zheng Michang was stunned for a moment, and then replied: "Very few. It is said that there is a shortage of food."

"What about the grain transferred from other provinces?" Hu Zongxian then asked.

Zheng Bichang: "As in previous years, I don't want to give more than one grain."

"That's clear." After saying this, Hu Zongxian glanced at He Maocai, "Sit down first."

He Maocai just sat down.

Hu Zongxian raised his voice, but it was a little hoarse, "I am the governor of Zhejiang Province and also the governor of Zhejiang Province. If the court wants to convict me, it is all my fault. If the people want to scold their mothers, they should scold my mother. Changing the rice fields into mulberry fields is the right thing to do." It is a national policy that must be done. But the mulberry seedlings have to grow at least until after autumn to have tender leaves. One crop of mid-autumn silkworms and one crop of late autumn silkworms will not be able to exchange for rations in those years. The government does not lend grain, only rice farmers If the rice fields are changed, there will be no food to eat after autumn, and anti-people will be produced! 30 more silks will be produced every year, and one silk must be produced. But if we want to produce 30 more silks, 30 silks will be produced in Zhejiang, China. Against the people, I, Hu Zongxian, may not be able to account for my head!"

Having said that, he stopped again.There was silence in the back hall.

Hu Zongxian looked at Ma Ningyuan: "The arrested people are released immediately. The weirs of Xin'an River immediately release water to irrigate the seedlings. You take the county magistrates to do it yourself."

Ma Ningyuan stood up, but still wanted to say something.

Hu Zongxian: "Go."

"Yes." Ma Ningyuan's answer was also a little hoarse, and he picked up the gauze hat on the table and walked out.

Yang Jinshui, who had kept his eyes closed all the time, finally opened them at this moment, and looked at Hu Zongxian: "Lord Department, I can't get involved in your Zhejiang affairs, but I'm responsible for the weaving bureau's errand, and I'm taking care of today's business." Made by the imperial court. At present, the Hangzhou weaving workshop managed by the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau and the weaving workshops in Nanjing and Suzhou have a total inventory of 10,000+ pieces. According to the existing sangtian in the two provinces, weaving, even if the goods are paid in installments within a year, At that time, there will be more than 20 horses short. At that time, the cabinet will not ask you, but the palace will ask me."

Hu Zongxian: "I will report everything to the imperial court today, and ask the imperial court to urge the neighboring provinces to adjust the grain for us. The governor's office and the inspector's office will immediately go to the rice bank to urge the grain loan. I am worried that the government will not return it. I, Hu Zongxian, can Stamp all the IOUs with the seal of the governor’s office! Every day on the canal, there are boats transporting grain. There are borrowers and repayers, why not borrow? Some people say that there is no food and don’t want to borrow money to accuse them of hoarding! Force them, always It is better than forcing the people to rebel!"

Yang Jinshui closed his eyes again, and everyone fell silent.

Hu Zongxian's memorial arrived in Beijing seven days later, and went against the regulations. Instead of sending it to the Secretary of General Affairs, it was directly sent to the cabinet office in Xiyuan.It was Xu Jie who was on duty in the cabinet that day. When he received the memorial, he only glanced at the cover and immediately saw the weight of the memorial and the huge fluctuations it might cause.He didn't show his face, but ordered the secretary office to send him to Yan's residence immediately.

Since the 35th year of Jiajing, that is, after Yan Song passed the age of 75, except for going to Yuxi Palace to meet with Jiajing for about half an hour every day, he has returned directly to the mansion, and has hardly ever been on duty in the cabinet. Send it to Yan's mansion, and Yan Song will discuss all important military and state affairs at home, and then send it to the supervisor of ceremonies in the name of the cabinet to report to the emperor.Just like the rumors outside at that time: the cabinet is not in the palace, but in Yanfu.

When they arrived at the Yan Mansion, Yan Shifan read almost all the official documents first, and then told Yan Song after reading them.On this day, Hu Zongxian’s memorial was demolished by Yan Shifan as usual, and after reading it, he roared like thunder. First, he immediately sent someone to regard Yan Song as his first confidant, and then called Luo Longwen, the envoy who controlled the various memorials, and then Then I took the memorial and went to see Yan Song together.

Yan Song was also quite surprised when they finished reading Hu Zongxian's memorial. He lay motionless on the armchair, but it could be seen that he was lost in thought.

"What is it that 'no land will lose the people, and losing the people will endanger the country'! High-sounding and alarmist!" Yan Shifan couldn't bear the old father's silence, and waved the letter in front of his father, "I think Hu Zongxian is afraid I lost my future and wanted to give myself a way out!"

"I think so." Luo Longwen, the elegant-looking General Secretary and General Political Envoy, answered, "I reminded that Tan Lun went to Zhejiang. Tan Lun has friendship with Hu Ruzhen, and now he is King Yu's confidant. Hu Ruzhen looked at him It is expected that King Yu will take over, and the old man is getting old. It is expected that such a memorial will not be sent to the general secretary, but directly sent to the cabinet, which is clearly a gesture of goodwill to Xu Jie and the others."

"Send it directly to the cabinet Xu Jie and don't dare to dismantle it without authorization. Hu Ruzhen did this just to get rid of you and directly give me admonitions to the emperor." Yan Song still didn't move, but his eyes had moved to look at the two from a distance. , "I dare not say to others, Hu Ruzhen is by no means an ungrateful person, but sometimes he thinks differently from you. When looking at people and things, you have to put yourself in your shoes. What would happen if you were replaced by Hu Zongxian? Do?"

The two thought that a fire would annoy the old man Hu Zongxian, but they didn't expect the old man to see through both sides at a glance. Yan Shifan and Luo Longwen were stunned at the same time, but they were stopped by him. One meaning: I’m already 81, how come I’m not confused at all?
If you should pretend to be confused, you have to pretend to be confused. Yan Song didn't seem to see their reaction at this time, and said slowly: "Instead of you, you can only do this. If Tan Lun doesn't go, he is easy to do; if Tan Lun goes, behind him is Yu." Wang, behind King Yu is the emperor, think for me, he can't be unscrupulous."

"It's the emperor's will to change rice into mulberry!" Yan Shifan couldn't swallow his father's indiscriminate anger, so he directly rejected him.

Yan Song: "Hu Zongxian didn't say no to reform. There is Tan Lun at the gate, and he will give evidence if he wants to reform the law like yours."

"Father!" Yan Shifan walked to the reclining chair, and put the memorial on the coffee table next to Yan Song, "Hu Zongxian's memorial is clearly for the favor of King Yu and the others, and everything is in front of your eyes. Protecting his shortcomings? And saying that he is just trying to get along with me. Who am I? Am I not your old son? You are already 81, why don’t you think about it, one day you will retire, or it will be a hundred years, except Your son has no way out, everyone has a way out."

"Then let me ask you." Yan Song looked at him, "Whose son is King Yu?"

Yan Shifan was taken aback by the question again.

After saying this, Yan Song looked outside the door: "Do you know where the emperor is going this afternoon?"

Yan Shifan and Luo Longwen looked solemn, and looked at Yan Song together.

Yan Song sat up on the reclining chair: "Go to Prince Yu's Mansion to see his grandson."

Both Yan Shifan and Luo Longwen were startled.

"There is always calmness when things happen." Yan Song glanced at the two of them, and lay down again: "It's enough to stand in front of me, let's all sit down."

Yan Shifan and Luo Longwen had no choice but to sit down on the chairs on both sides of him.

Yan Song: "Because Tan Lun is in Zhejiang, he knows everything. Even if Hu Zongxian passes this memorial to the envoy first, you can't hide it. In the end, it has to be sent to the cabinet, to the supervisor of ceremonies, and to the emperor. What would the emperor think when he saw it? I was thinking while listening to it just now, and I felt that what Hu Ruzhen said in Zouli was still an old-fashioned way to seek the country. There are so many fields, so many people, and it is a place where Japanese pirates are making trouble. If it really provokes a civil uprising, isn’t it The blessing of the country. If the emperor thinks the same way, the silk will still need to increase by 30 pieces. How should we answer when asked us? Think about what Hu Zongxian said in the memorial, except for what you said about letting the big silk farmers buy the rice fields of the farmers and replant them with mulberry fields. Is there any other way to get the best of both worlds?"

"Besides our reform, I don't know what other reforms are there?" Yan Shifan became anxious after hearing this, "The purpose of changing rice fields into mulberry fields is to produce more silk, and the purpose of producing silk is to turn it into silver. Silk is not good. Let the common people change it by themselves. The silk produced is sold to small workshops, and the silk weaves cannot be sold. Father, at that time, it was because the treasury was empty and the palace was so expensive that we thought about it. This method. If we don’t grit our teeth and hold on at this time, the treasury will still be empty, and we don’t need others to pour us down, we have already collapsed.”

"What does Hu Ruzhen think, we don't have to suspect him." Luo Longwen knew that he had to follow Yan Song's words at this time, so he moved away from Hu Zongxian first, but he had to let Yan Song understand that they were also speaking from his perspective, "but what Xiao Ge said It is both reason and force. Strong medicine is used to cure serious illnesses. This national policy was established at the beginning to solve the crisis. Sangtian in Zhejiang can only be changed by those big silk households, so that they can have more than a few million silver a year. Last year’s deficit, this year’s Only then can the expenses be met. The people have to sell the mulberry field, or they have to sell it if they don’t sell it. Otherwise, even the 50 horses business of the Weaving Bureau this year will not be able to be done. At that time, Eunuch Lu would not bear the burden , the responsibility lies entirely with the cabinet, all with the elders.”

These words really hit Yan Song's sore spot, Yan Song fell silent again, staring blankly at the door.Yan Shifan and Luo Long fixedly looked at him.

"We can no longer withstand this thunder." Yan Song finally spoke, picked up the memorial and shook it a few times, "Shifan, you take this memorial to the supervisor of ceremonies, and think about it before the emperor goes to Prince Yu's mansion." Pass the method to Eunuch Lu. Please Eunuch Lu give the memorial to the emperor face to face when he arrives at Prince Yu's mansion, so that the emperor will give the order at that time."

Yan Shifan took the memorial, but still didn't quite understand the meaning, so he still looked at Yan Song.

Luo Longwen: "Elder Ge has a high idea. In front of King Yu, no matter what orders the emperor gives, we will have no hidden dangers in the future. This is one of them. If King Yu has other ideas and wants Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng to be hindered, that's a good idea." I didn’t say it at the time, and I didn’t dare to say it again in the future. The second thing is, Mr. Ge, I don’t know if my subordinate’s guess is right.”

Yan Song gave Luo Longwen an appreciative look: "Luo Longwen is also the one who knows the little things and knows the best."

Yan Shifan didn't feel jealous at all for his father's appreciation of Luo Longwen, and immediately responded loudly: "Understood, I'll go to the Supervisor of Rites."

Of course, Prince Yu’s Mansion knew the news that Hu Zongxian’s memorial had been urgently delivered to Beijing, and also knew the outline of the content of the memorial, because Tan Lun’s letter also arrived at this moment.

"Tan Lun is a national scholar!" Zhang Juzheng slapped on the letter without concealing his excitement after reading Tan Lun's letter, "It's a big deal to be able to persuade Hu Zongxian to write this memorial from the monolithic Zhejiang!"

"I don't think so." Gao Gong, who has always been easily excited, is not as excited as him at this time, "There are several memorials for Hu Zongxian this time. Only the Yan family knows how many are now. If the Yan family only Several other insignificant memorials were presented to the emperor, but his memorial was drowned out, and then he wrote to Hu Zongxian to say that there was no such memorial, and Hu Zongxian would never make another memorial to expose his teacher."

Gao Gong's words were like a ladle of cold water, immediately pouring down the excitement of several people, and everyone fell silent.

(End of this chapter)