Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 69

King Yu pondered for a moment, and said: "Anti-Japanese war in the southeast is a major event. Tomorrow, the Yongshou Palace will discuss matters. You must persuade the emperor to approve Hu Zongxian's memorial!"

Xu Jie said: "A strange thing will happen in the imperial court meeting tomorrow. We and the people of the strict party will support the same memorial for the first time."

King Yu asked, "Why did Master Xu say that?"

Xu Jie is King Yu's teacher. In front of his own people, King Yu has always respected him as Master Xu.

Xu Jie smiled: "Hu Zongxian is a student of Mr. Yan Ge. His memorial is reasonable. How could Mr. Yan Ge, a teacher, sing against his students? Alas, the emperor has known that Yan's party is full of people these years. Why don't you punish Yan Dang, a traitor? It's simply because Yan Song knows how to know and employ people in addition to punishing and killing people. It's a pity that a national scholar like Hu Zongxian can't be used by the prince, and he voted under Yan Dang's sect."

A day later, Yongshou Palace.

All the members of the cabinet, the six ministers, and the ministers all stood outside the green gauze curtain of the main hall.

Yan Song was over eighty years old, and Emperor Jiajing allowed him to sit in front of the hall for discussion.Beside him, stood his son—Xiaoge Lao Yan Shifan.

Yan Song said: "Report to the emperor. Jin Yiwei confiscated Wu Liangyong's 280 million taels of silver in the south of the Yangtze River, and made great contributions. The treasury is empty, and this money can just solve the urgent need! The minister discussed with Xu Cifu and several cabinet members. The 280 Ten thousand taels of silver, 70 taels were allocated to Hu Zongxian for military expenses. 50 taels were given to the Ministry of Industry to build the embankments of the Baimao River and Wusong River. 60 taels were given to the Henan River Yamen to dredge the Yellow River. The robot bought 40 fast guns to strengthen the defense of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong. These are the top priorities..."

"Alas~" Emperor Jiajing sighed from the green gauze tent.

"Divide it up, divide it all up! There is a saying in the folk that people who have scattered wealth gather together! It's just that the palace where I live is a little bit broken, and the Taoist temple of worshiping heaven and praying for blessings is a little bit broken..." Emperor Jiajing said.

Hearing the words, the important officials outside the green gauze tent fell to their knees in unison.

Yan Song is such a smart person, he quickly said: "The emperor is the son of heaven, and all the people in the world are the emperor's subjects. My Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, and everyone in the world has a heart of filial piety to the emperor. Minister It has been discussed with the cabinet, and the remaining 60 taels of silver will be used to repair Lingji Palace and Chaotian Temple for the emperor."

Emperor Jiajing in the green gauze tent said again: "What do you say? Yan Song, your cabinet drafted a statement stating the use of the 280 million taels. The supervisor of ceremonies approved the red, and the money will be yours." The decree is 'Use it! Let it go."

When Emperor Jiajing said the word "will", he deliberately emphasized his tone. Of the 280 million taels of silver, none of them went into his private treasury. He, the emperor, felt unwilling.

There are rumors among the people that Emperor Jiajing was greedy for money and good goods, and this statement is actually true.All the silver in his inner storage has become moldy.The national treasury is empty, and the turnover of the six ministries is not working. He has never given out one tael to support the government.

Five days later, Emperor Jiajing's decree was sent to Jiangnan in an expedited eight hundred miles.

"Shangzhi: Criminal officer Wu Liangyong seized 280 million taels of dirty silver. Except for the 70 taels handed over to the Zhejiang Governor's Yamen to raise military supplies and grass, the rest of the silver was transported to the capital as soon as possible. Jinyiwei inspected hundreds of households. He Liu was smart and capable. Make meritorious service, and General Guangwei will be disbanded."

Hu Zongxian and He Liu both let out a sigh of relief after receiving the imperial edict.He Liu's head was saved now.

Hu Zongxian said to He Liu: "Lao Liu, you are a hundred households of the sixth rank, but you have been awarded the rank of General Guangwei by the emperor who can only be a military officer of the fourth rank. It seems that the emperor is quite fond of you. I am in my inner house tonight. I have a banquet to thank you, and you should honor it."

He Liudao: "Then respect is worse than obedience."

At night, He Liu came to Hu Zongxian's inner house.

The imperial officials of the Ming Dynasty all had magnificent inner houses.Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province, is the head of the governors of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, but the inner house is very simple.A dining table, a wooden bed, a desk, a bookshelf, hundreds of books, these are all the belongings in Hu Zongxian's inner house.

An old servant put some side dishes and a jug of wine on the dining table.

Hu Zongxian said: "Lao Liu, I don't have any delicacies here. Don't take offense."

He Liudao: "Hu Butang's incorruptibility and self-defense are obvious to all in the court."

In the imperial court, many officials pretended to be simple in clothing, board and lodging for the world to see.Hu Zongxian's incorruptibility is really incorruptible.

At the beginning, Ding Wang sent dozens of eyes and ears to the south of the Yangtze River, trying to catch Hu Zongxian.In Ding Wang's view, how can the majestic governor of Zhejiang Province, who is in charge of the most affluent land in the south of the Yangtze River in Ming Dynasty, be clean?I never thought that dozens of ears and eyes all returned home.

Eyes and ears report to Ding Wang: Don't talk about holding evidence of Hu Zongxian's corruption.He doesn't even accept the normal ice respect, charcoal respect, and etiquette!He donated half of the 900 taels of salary a year for a senior official of the second rank to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's army.

Even Ding Wang, a treacherous villain, sighed: Honest officials are rare, and capable ministers are even rarer.Hu Zongxian is the most rare and honest official in the Ming Dynasty!

Hu Zongxian raised his wine glass: "Lao Liu, I have to respect you for this glass of wine! You risked your head and saved the lives of [-] sons of Qi Jiajun and Yu Jiajun!"

He Liudao: "Hu Butang's words are serious. Compared with Butang's daily food and clothing and worrying about work in the southeast, what is my little contribution?"

Hu Zongxian and He Liu drank it all.

Hu Zongxian asked: "You have finished the errand of confiscating Wu Liangyong's dirty money. When are you going to return to the capital? I will definitely see you off when the time comes."

He Liu smiled awkwardly, and thought to himself: The errands in the open are over, but the errands in the dark—the investigation of the salt tax in Jiangnan, I haven't figured it out yet!How can he go.

He Liudao: "What? Hu Butang is chasing his subordinates away?"

Hu Zongxian didn't deny it: "That's right. I'm driving you away."

He Liu smiled and said, "Why? Could it be that the subordinates offended Hu Butang?"

Hu Zongxian shook his head: "No, not only did you not offend me, but you were kind to me! I just don't want to see you stab that hornet's nest in Lianghuai Salt!"

He Liu no longer pretended to be confused: "Hu Butang is afraid that I will poke a hornet's nest, so he won't be able to escape unscathed?"

Hu Zongxian waved his hand: "Old Six. I say something disrespectful. You are just a good person in the Jinyiwei! The court has more of you, and it doesn't matter if you are missing. Compared with the Jiangshan Sheji of the Ming Dynasty, your life is worthless Mention. But if you poke the hornet's nest of Lianghuai Salt Affairs, it will cause chaos in the officialdom in Jiangnan! When the officialdom is in chaos, Jiangnan will also be in chaos. Jiangnan is the imperial court's financial and taxation center. If Jiangnan is in chaos, it will affect the whole body! I can't just sit and watch Watching you make the court mess up!"

Hu Zongxian took out a memorial, and said: "I have prepared a step for you to leave. Don't blame me. This memorial is for you to use your status as an imperial envoy to bully the local government and insult officials. Pass it up, You may be reprimanded by the emperor, and then transferred back to Beijing. For the sake of the society of Ming Dynasty, I can only repay virtue with grievances."

(End of this chapter)