Idle courtiers

Chapter 229 Winter Solstice ([-])

Yan Song helped him up: "Ruzhen, Ruzhen, get up quickly, it's cold on the ground, why should there be a big courtesy between you and my teacher and students. Sit down and talk slowly."

"Yes, teacher." Hu Zongxian kowtowed again, stood up and sat down beside Yan Song, and looked at his teacher carefully.

The two just shook hands like this, wanting to say something but didn't know how to say it.

After a long time, Yan Song let go of Hu Zongxian and sighed: "I'm 81, my blood energy has declined, and my hands are cold. How old is Ruzhen this year?"

Hu Zongxian really felt that the teacher's hands were as cold as ice just now, and his heart was even more sad: "The teacher forgot, the students have eaten 56 meals this year, and they are getting old."

Yan Song sighed: "I picked you up as a school teacher back then, and you were only in your early thirties. Unexpectedly, you are also old, and your hair is also gray. The days go by so fast! You have been in the southeast for several years, and you can only see each other every year." Looking at you. As a teacher, I always remember you, in this world, disciples are closer than sons!"

Hu Zongxian's eye circles were slightly red: "Students also remember their teacher."

Beside him, a fat man lying on a hu bed, covered with a fur, laughed in a low voice, and said in a breathless voice: "Ruzhen, sometimes I really doubt that you were born by my lord father."

The fat man who spoke was Yan Song's son, Yan Shifan, the left servant of the Ministry of Industry.

He was born with a short stature, dark skin, so fat that his neck could not be seen, and he had a white cloud in one eye, which made him look awkward with two old handsome guys, Yan Song and Hu Zongxian.

Yan Song: "Qing'er, you are getting old too, but you feel better today."

Yan Shifan said weakly: "It's still the same as usual, I have no strength in my body, and I can't get out of bed and walk a few steps before I feel dizzy and panting badly."

"I'm getting old." Hu Zongxian sighed: "I have nothing to regret in my life, as long as I can do something for the country. The students are already old, and the Southeast War is probably the last thing I can do." It's a big deal."

"Ruzhen is in his prime, why are you so depressed? You are the most capable of doing things among the people I use, so you should cheer up." Yan Song was a little sad, and asked: "Did you not get a good result from the meeting just now? Your Majesty promised to give you How much military pay?"

"The Son of Heaven is very encouraging to the students, but..." Hu Zongxian hesitated for a moment, and said, "It's just that the imperial court only gave 20 taels of military salary."

Speaking of this, he smiled wryly: "It can only mend the winter clothes of the soldiers, but as for other things, it can't be done."

"20 taels?" Yan Shifan suddenly became fierce: "Ruzhen and the Southeast War are our façade, and someone in the court wants us to lose the battle to make it a good joke. Yes, someone above must have ordered it to do so."

Yan Song shook his head: "Although my family business is big in the Ming Dynasty, it also has big difficulties. With a total of only 200 million taels in Taicang, no one can be such a clever woman. Since it was promised by the emperor himself, you should not complain, Ruzhen. "

Hu Zongxian: "Teacher, students only know how to work with sincerity."

Yan Shifan snorted: "You know how to be a man, like a wronged little daughter-in-law. If you don't have money, how do you fight? Are you a grandson who can turn money into money, or Taishang Laojun who can turn stones into gold?"

Hu Zongxian didn't dare to say more, he just looked up at the teacher and fell silent.

Old Yan Shifan of Xiaoge coughed again, and frowned: "Your Majesty has always cared about the pirates in the southeast. After all, that is where my Ming Dynasty's wealth is most important... I am so stingy today. Why? Father, today the court is discussing next year's finances. What is the situation of the expenditure, you old man, come and listen."

Yan Song explained in detail the situation of being on duty in the cabinet today.

After listening, Mr. Xiao Ge tapped the armrest of Hu's bed with his fingers, and said in a low voice: "Father, Your Majesty wants to move some domestic money from the Taicang bank!"

Yan Song smiled wryly: "I don't know why, as the year is approaching, His Majesty will also need money. But, again, the total is only 200 million taels of silver. Such a big court still needs to be maintained, and I am also embarrassed."

How could Mr. Xiaoge not know what the emperor and his father were thinking.

Emperor Jiajing spends a lot of money making alchemy, making sacrifices, and building temples every year, and the internal treasury is not enough to spend. He usually asks Yan's father and son for money.Every time, Yan Song tried his best to be satisfied, which is also the reason why the Yan family's 20-year holy family has not declined.

It is estimated that the emperor ran out of money again, so he raised the idea of ​​treasury and wanted to borrow some from it.

The problem is that the total expenditure of the imperial court needs 300 million taels a year, but now it is only 200 million taels in Taicang.It is difficult to maintain it, and if it is misappropriated by the emperor, it will be fatal.

In real history, Jiajing was extremely poor from beginning to end.It wasn't until Zhang Juzheng implemented a whip method in the Wanli year that the country's annual fiscal revenue reached an astonishing 500 million taels.In this way, the imperial court can not only operate normally, but also have a lot of savings.

Relying on the family business accumulated by Zhang Shoufu, the victory of the three major Wanli campaigns was later achieved.

If the emperor wants money, you can just give it. The wealth of our Yan family is given by the emperor. As for how the court maintains it, it can't be controlled so much.

Father is trying to please both sides. There is no such cheap thing in the world.

Xiao Ge was dissatisfied with his father's pedantry, but he was dissatisfied. Hu Zongxian's problem needed to be resolved.

Hu's war in Fujian was their face. If the battle was fought well, his father's position would be stable. If he lost, the wall would be overthrown by everyone.

Yan Shifan tapped his finger on the armrest again, and asked, "Ruzhen, how much do you need for the military salary?"

Hu Zongxian: "One million is still needed."

"It's also easy. There is no king butcher who still eats hairy pigs?" Yan Shifan said: "Let Luo Longwen go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to collect the salt tax for next year in advance, and send it to the army first. In addition, the salt tax can also be used on this year's basis. An additional [-]% will be issued.”

Lianghuai salt and Fujian salt are the treasury of the Yan Party, and they are also an important income of Emperor Jiajing's internal funds.

A lot of this money is not included in the national financial books.

Yan Song thought for a while: "It can be done."

Hu Zongxian has been operating in Zhejiang and Fujian for many years, and he also knows that his teacher is familiar with the local people's conditions. Hearing this, he felt relieved: "That's good, I will be more confident in fighting next year."

After talking about it, the three of them relaxed.

Yan Song smiled and said: "It's the night of the winter solstice, after a busy day, Ruzhen hasn't eaten yet, and the old man is also very hungry, so let's stay here and eat!"

Soon, Yan Mansion set up a table of wine and food.

Hu Zongxian was so happy that he ate two extra meals.

But Xiaoge was weak, and stopped chopsticks after only drinking a bowl of mutton soup, and his spirit seemed listless.

Hu Zongxian was worried: "Deqiu has been ill for several months, why hasn't he recovered?"

Yan Shifan: "I'm afraid it won't get better, I'll die and fall down."

Yan Song: "Don't talk about being discouraged. By the way, Xu Ge's granddaughter married Shao Qing as a concubine. I asked someone to do a horoscope test, and I decided to set a date."

"It's so happy again, it sounds like my son is going to die." The elder Xiaoge was very dissatisfied: "I can't believe it if I don't speak a word. Xu Zisheng is just trying to please his father, but he is not sincere. He If you really want to make friends with us, why don't you marry your granddaughter to Shao Qing. I heard people say that this concubine from the Xu family likes to dress up as men, she's crazy, how did she get into our house?"

(End of this chapter)