Idle courtiers

Chapter 267
Yan Maoqing, courtesy name Jingqing, was a Jinshi in Fengcheng, Jiangxi Province in the 20th year of Jiajing.

The name of this person, Zhou Nan is like thunder.He also worked as a pedestrian in the pedestrian department for several years before, and after the pedestrian's term expired, he entered the Metropolitan Procuratorate as a censor.Later, because of his outstanding talents, he was promoted to the left deputy capital censor and became the leader of the world's speech officials.

This person is Lao Zhou's predecessor and role model. In fact, if Mr. Zhou gets the Jinshi award, he will probably follow the same path.

Because of this, Zhou Nanping also paid attention to this person's deeds during the day, and carefully studied his promotion trajectory.

Yan Maoqing was born in a poor family in his early years, and after getting rich, he became a little impetuous and liked to show off his wealth.The daily utensils used at home are extremely luxurious, and even the chamber pot used to relieve hands at night is made of silver.It is estimated that they were too poor before, and once they are developed, they will consume retaliatory consumption!

Zhou Nan thought in his heart that if he became as rich as him in the future, he would probably be unstable as well. This person is interesting.

Just last month, Yan Maoqing obtained the imperial court's decree to take the title of right servant of the Ministry of punishment, and the prime minister of Liangzhe, Lianghuai, Changlu, Hedong, and Siyan Transport Division.

Official salt was the main input of the Ming treasury, accounting for more than 60% of the central government's total revenue.Take Lianghuai salt as an example, the state can collect 40 taels of silver every year. You must know that the 300 years of Jiajing’s Taicang silver is less than [-] million.

Because the salt tax was so important, the old system of the Ming Dynasty stipulated that the ministers were in charge of salt administration, and there was no arrangement by the prime minister for the four salt transportation departments. In this way, Yan Maoqing had all the power to control the country's revenue and goods.

Today's Mr. Yan is so popular that people in the central ministries and even the cabinet elders are polite to him if they want to spend money.This guy was very dignified when he was patrolling the two Huaihe Rivers, and the officials would kneel and prostrate themselves on the ground when they saw him.

When Wu Xinhua heard Zhou Nan's question, he said that there were quotas for salt quotations in various places.The salt merchants have dealt with Yandao all their lives, and the cooperation with each other is very pleasant.Anyway, I go to the Salt Road at the end of each year. After completing the formalities, I buy the official salt and start the business.

After Yan Maoqing went to Lianghuai to inspect the salt, he took all the power of the salt road into his own hands, and announced that all the salt quotations sent out were invalid and had to be issued again.

The Lianghuai salt merchants didn't take it seriously at first, thinking that Yan Maoqing just wanted to grab the land while holding power in his hands.It is also understandable that every year they go to Yandao to open Yanyin, they will pay a sum of money to the salt patrol envoy and Yandao officials.

Master Yan took office as a new official, so he naturally wanted to reap some benefits.But the benefits of last year were taken away by other people. If he wants to make a fortune, he has to wait until the end of the year.The problem is that he, the prime minister, Yanzheng, is only temporarily dispatched, very set up, and who knows how long he will be able to do it.Whoever is in his position wants to make quick money.

This time it was just a gesture to blackmail everyone.

So, the salt merchants in Lianghuai and Yangzhou counted together, and I was also destined to meet a hungry and consumptive ghost, so let's send another tribute to it!

However, when everyone went to please, Yan Maoqing acted as an upright official and arrested more than a dozen big merchants who were leading the gift-giving in one go, and paraded them through the streets with heavy punishment and shackles.

Pity these salt merchants who are delicate and expensive, how can they endure this kind of hardship? Two people died during the torture, and two more died when they could not withstand the torture of more than 100 catties of wooden shackles.

As a result, the businessmen no longer dared to go to Yan Maoqing's place to make trouble, and they all quietly looked for ways down below to make friends.

There are not many other things in the Jiangnan and Huaihe Rivers, but there are many scholars.There are more people who study, and more people become high officials.The gentry of the Jianghuai family was a powerful force in the political arena of the Ming Dynasty, and there were several big figures behind any salt merchant.To put it bluntly, they are the white gloves and money bags of Grandma Chaozhong.

Because of this, in the past month or so, salt merchants from Yangzhou and Lianghuai have come to Beijing one after another, and the Tongzhou Wharf is a silver boat pulling money.

Although Wu Xinhua is at the bottom of the Jianghuai salt merchants' ecological chain, he is not willing to just quit this lucrative industry, and he also imitates his predecessors and came to the capital to try his luck.

"Yan Maoqing!" Zhou Nan tapped his fingers on the table after he finished speaking, thinking deeply.

This person is now Prime Minister Siyan Secretary Yandao, and it can be said that he is extremely popular.Speaking of which, Zhan Tong is also under his jurisdiction, and I don't know if the face of the fat man or the face of the palace will be given to Yan?
Huh, this person's name is a bit familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere.

In fact, this sentence in Zhou Nan's mind was a bit confusing.The current Yan Maoqing is very beautiful and famous, and no one in the capital knows it.When Zhou Nan went to the Department of Pedestrians to collect festival fees, he heard his colleagues jokingly say that we pedestrians are just running errands. If we can work as a job in Senior Yan’s Xingyuan for a few months, we can see the benefits of a few thousand taels. There is no need to worry about daily necessities.

He vaguely remembered that he had seen this person in some history book when he was in the modern world, but because he didn't read carefully at the time, he forgot the content.

Zhou Nan thought to himself again: Yan Maoqing is holding on to the salt, but he wants to live with rare goods.Seeing that the Lianghuai salt field produces so much salt, and the country relies on this salt tax to operate, it will have to find a solution sooner or later, but it is a question of how much money will be paid.This set, I can see much more.When he releases the invitation, he can ask Fatty Zhan to intercede and give him more money, but it will only increase the operating cost.

Immediately, Zhou Nan made up his mind: "Besides the military, I will give this a try. Don't be impatient, it's just a delay. Besides, you only have a quota of [-] citations per year, which is really too little. "It is indeed a small amount. You must know that the big salt merchants in Yangzhou get tens of thousands of seals every year.

Either don't do it, or do it bigger.

Hearing Zhou Nan's tone seemed to be sure, Wu Xinhua was ecstatic in his heart, and said repeatedly: "Why don't you rush, time doesn't wait, it is said that the salt boats from the Lianghuai River are going to the south of the Yangtze River, and none of our Huai'an landed, so if we continue like this Everyone wants to drink the northwest wind. Pedestrians, three thousand is too little, and we have to get twenty thousand."

Hearing what he said, a bright light flashed in Zhou Nan's mind: Oops, both Huaihuai salts have gone to Jiangnan, Yan Maoqing probably wants to kick all the Jianghuai salt merchants away and go it alone.

That's right, if he is released, it's just to get some filial piety and some money, he might as well monopolize this business with his own white gloves.

It doesn't have to be long, he probably will only be in this position for a year or so, and he will leave with one vote, and he can easily get a few 10 taels.

Yan Maoqing is so crazy, isn't he afraid of offending the grandma in the court, isn't he afraid of the law of the country?

……

Don't be afraid, being able to achieve such an important position as the right servant of the Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister's Siyan Division shows how great his status in the emperor's mind and the power at hand are.Who can move such a political star?

Moreover, if he dared to do this, he might even collude with some big shot.

The water here is very deep, I'm just a small person, I'm still covered in scabs and have no place to wipe, if I rashly step into this muddy water, I don't know how I died.

Thinking of this, Zhou Nan burst out laughing, leaning forward and backward.

Wu Xinhua was flustered when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Is [-] a little too much, or... [-] is fine."

Zhou Nan put away his laughter, pointed at the soldiers and shouted: "Wu Xinhua, you are taking a big breath, and you will be charged [-] yuan if you open your mouth. What is a small businessman with? Virtue is not worthy, it is you who are talking about it." Such a person, a gentleman does not talk about profit, and has a way to make money. It is a shame for my generation of scholars to be as shameless as you are. Soybean, see off!"

Immediately, he ordered Soybean to fork Wu Xinhua out.

"Yan Maoqing...what is his origin and what is written in the history books, I have such a good memory! The next time I see my mentor, I will ask him about it." Zhou Nan sat at the table and thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure it out.

Although this person is a high-ranking official at the ministerial level, he is only a small figure in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and he can only leave a short mark in the historical materials.Later generations will not take it to heart when they read it.

As a minister of the Ministry, I, Zhou Nan, a small pedestrian, probably don't even have the qualifications to leave a fortune on it.Thinking this way, I was really a little frustrated.

So, I traveled to the Ming Dynasty, or is it meaningful for me to exist in this world?

For a while, our Master Zhou fell into the philosophical thinking of "who am I, where am I from, and where am I going?"

After thinking for a long time, and taking another sip of wine, Zhou Zimu suddenly realized: We are just a common man who is full of wine, sex, wealth, and four poisons. As long as we live happily for a lifetime, I will not be blamed for the merits of the past.

Coming out of the house, just as he was about to go home, he saw Zhu Congchi coming triumphantly with two brothel girls in his arms.

Zhou Nan frowned: "Brother Zhu, it's getting late, let's go back! Forget it, I'll pay the bill today. After all, we met once, and now we have to say goodbye. It's my kindness."

"Don't make it look like a farewell. I'm going back to Datong this time, and I'll be back in the second half of the year. I live in this capital for two months every year. We brothers often meet each other. Why be so sad?" Zhu Cong drank After drinking a lot of wine, he asked the Mr. Gui next to him with his tongue out: "Silver lock and Hongtao, are the two girls finished? If you are free, I will call you here. I finally met a treat today, so naturally I want to be happy."

Zhou Nan was taken aback: "Call four girls, Brother Zhu, you are also a man of your age, do you want to die?"

"I'll be going back to Datong right away, and I'll be under the control of the yellow-faced woman at home. If I want to have fun again, I'll have to wait at least half a year." Zhu Congjin gave Zhou Nan a contemptuous look, "Zimu, Zimu, look at you That stingy look makes you want to pay for the money. Don’t worry, just now your guest threw 100 taels of silver to the building, which is considered as your and my expenses for today. Wouldn’t it be a waste if you don’t return it until the building is finished? Already? Or, Zimu might as well just rest here today."

Zhou Nan: "I'm not as free as you, so I'm leaving."

This Wu Xinhua knows how to be a man, and he is not so annoying!

(End of this chapter)