Emperor Yongzheng: Eagle Bow Sirius

Chapter 9
All elder brothers accompanied Yongzheng to lunch, except for the third elder brother Yunzhi, the fifth elder brother Yunqi, and the eighth elder brother Yun who were reserved and self-respected and refused to be presumptuous, the rest of them were all rude and gorged themselves in front of Yongzheng. So, everyone was sweating from eating - only had some vegetarian snacks in front of the funeral in the morning, and this guy was really hungry - Yongzheng was very particular about etiquette, and he hated these dirty ghosts from the bottom of his heart. Smiling and persuading everyone to "use more", he grabbed a few chopsticks of bean curd skin and mixed it with vermicelli to eat, then washed his hands and rinsed his mouth, smiled and saw that everyone was full, got up and said: "I'm tired of talking, brothers, come in anytime if you have something to do!"

So everyone got up one after another, wiped their mouths and picked their teeth, knelt and thanked each other in a chaotic noise, and dispersed in a hurry.Because Yunxiang was also on the mission to go to the study, he was in charge of the defense of the Forbidden City. With this status, he had the responsibility to protect the emperor's safety, so he refused to attend the banquet, and only stood behind Yongzheng to wait.After the banquet, Yunxiang sent the elder brothers to Dan Chi on behalf of Yongzheng. In a blink of an eye, he saw Longkodo standing in front of the East Side Hall, and said with a smile: "Old Long, you came here earlier? Why didn't you come in?" Longko Duo was about to start a conversation, when he saw Yongzheng walking out of the hall, he hurriedly stepped forward and called Qianer and said, "I'm here to send new money to Lord Long Live." As he said, he raised the yellow paper bag in his hand and presented it.

"Hmm." Yongzheng looked a little dazed, he didn't go to pick up the money, but shouted towards the East Side Hall: "Li Dequan!"

"Your servant is here!" Li Dequan had already seen Yongzheng coming out through the glass, and when he heard the call, he rushed out and beat Qian'er down, "What is the master's intention?" Yongzheng waved his hand and said, "Call Zhang Tingyu and Ma Qi over here." Li Dequan agreed , just got up, Long Kedo apologized and said with a smile: "If you go back to the master, Ma Qi has already retired, and Zhang Tingyu is meeting the county magistrate who came to Beijing to introduce him. Come in to see the master when you speak."

Only then did Yongzheng take the heavy wallet, nodded, and said, "Alright. How many county magistrates are you introducing this time?" Long Kedo hurriedly said, "There are 27 in total, and Ting Yu is giving them Talking about introduction to Yizhu, but Ying Jinger’s matter, I guess it’s over now.” Yongzheng smiled indifferently, stared at Longkoduo and said, “Oh? Ying Jinger’s matter, what do you think?”

Long Keduo looked blank, seeing that Yunxiang didn't dare to answer, the county magistrate introduced the emperor, and it was a matter of kowtow, I really don't know why this nitpicky emperor still wants to find fault?When he was in a daze, Zhang Tingyu came in with a small eunuch holding a stack of memorials. Seeing that he was going to salute, Yongzheng waved his hand and said, "No need, come in." Then he went back into the hall, and everyone had to follow in.Yongzheng went to the West Study Room and sat cross-legged on the kang. He sorted out the memorials sent by Zhang Tingyu with his own hands, and ordered, "Mix more cinnabar, I will stay up all night."Then he smiled at Long Keduo: "You are a nobleman, and you are born in martial arts. I don't blame you if you make a mistake. Although the county magistrate is small, he is an official who is close to the people. The order of the temple requires him to preach to the people. The affliction required him to report to the imperial court. Heaven listens to the people, and heaven sees to the people. They have to do business and be the eyes and ears of the court. This level of officials is the most important. Therefore, the introduction cannot be as usual, a large group of people come in , Kowtow to listen to the training and walk. I want to meet one by one, and pass the exam one by one." As he spoke, he opened the yellow paper bag to look at the money.

"Long live," Zhang Tingyu said with a bow, "I think diligence is important, but the eighteen provinces, the world is so big, each province lacks more than [-] people, plus candidates, waiting for election, it is really cumbersome , interviewed one by one, passed the exam..." "You don't have to say any more." Without raising his head, Yongzheng looked at the copper coins on the table and said, "Then meet three at a time—let's take a look at the coins first." Why do you see that the fineness of these three kinds of money seems to be different?"

Only then did everyone pay attention to the money. There were three small bags in a big bag, each with nine sample coins, a total of 27 coins. Can't see any difference.Yongzheng pointed to the first row, then pointed to the third row, and asked: "The money in the third row is not as clear as the calligraphy and painting in the first row!"

"Oh!" Long Kedo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Your Majesty, there is a difference here. In fact, no matter how carefully you look at it, the second row is not as good as the first row. The three rows of copper coins are not a model. The first The row is called "ancestral" money, which is cast to save the imperial archives; the model is embossed with ancestral money, and the second row is called "mother" money, and a large number of mother money is cast and printed, and the third row is "child money". , It is the money that is common all over the world. Because of repeating it twice, Ziqian calligraphy and painting are naturally not as good as ancestor money." Yongzheng laughed and said: "Pay attention to everything and learn. Unexpectedly, you, Uncle Qiuba, have reversed the money law!" He said with a smile thoughtfully. He got up, took two steps on the ground, and suddenly asked: "That Sun Jiagan, why did you get into a fight with the Minister of the Household Department? It's also because of unclear calligraphy and painting?"

Yunxiang and Longkodo didn't know the whole story, they looked at each other without daring to answer, and said, "I just asked someone to ask me. It's not because the calligraphy and painting are unclear, because copper and lead are used to cast money, and Sun Jiagan is the head of the Yunnan Guizhou Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs. There was a statement that the minister of the household department should submit it to the imperial court. Ge Dahun said that he was troublesome, but he refused to accept it. The two of them talked back in the lobby of the household department. It's getting big."

"Both of them are bastards!" Yongzheng yawned, looked at the money on the case again, suddenly changed his mind, and asked Zhang Tingyu, "Is this person surnamed Sun safe?"

"No."

"Let him come to see me."

Zhang Tingyu looked at Yongzheng in surprise, and hurriedly agreed to go out to deliver the decree.Yongzheng looked at the chiming clock with a smile, and said, "It's time for the card to be closed. Is Yunxiang starving? Xingnian, I'll bring you two plates of snacks for Lord Thirteen!" Then he sat down to watch the memorial, Zhang Tingyu and Long Kodo stood beside him cautiously, not daring to vent his breath.Yongzheng flipped through a few papers, pressed them down, and picked up another copy to examine for a long time. He saw a young official in his 20s come in, and ignored him. He let him participate in the ceremony, but turned to Long Kedo: "This Shi Yizhi wrote a reference, saying that Nuo Min, the governor of Shanxi Province, concealed the deficit. Do you know about this?"

"Back to the emperor," Long Kedo hurriedly bowed, "Shanxi's deficit has been filled in 56 years of Kangxi. At that time, the emperor was in charge of the household department to check it out. Is there anything wrong with it? But Shi Yizhi is upright, he is really a clean official, He is the supervisory censor, and he allowed rumors to play out, even if it is not true, it is for the public, and it seems that it is not a big mistake. Please learn from the emperor!" Although he said both things, in fact, everyone present understood that Nuo Min and Shi Yizhi belonged to Shaanxi and Gansu. It was recommended by Governor Nian Gengyao, and Nian Gengyao is the current Emperor's most trusted vassal mansion. Yunxiang was chewing his snacks slowly on the small table next to him, but he said in his heart: "Slippery—this old loach!"

Only then did Yongzheng look at the young official kneeling in front of the kang, the mending clothes outside the robe with eight pythons and five claws had been stripped off, there was no red tassel on the big hat, the top of the clam was also taken off, and a button on the collar was taken off. It was probably pulled off when he was wrestling with Ge Dahun, with a pair of goldfish eyes and an unflattering hooked nose on a face like a wax gourd.Yongzheng glanced at it, feeling disgusted immediately. While drinking tea and staring away, he asked, "Your name is Sun Jiagan? When did you transfer to the account department? Why haven't I seen you?"

"Back to Long live." Sun Jiagan bumped three heads heavily under the gold bricks, and said loudly: "I was a Jinshi in the 60th year of Kangxi, and I was assigned to the Ministry of Households for three months after being a candidate in the Ministry of Rites. Long live Lord Longqian returned to his residence, so I am not blessed to know the holy face." Yongzheng sneered: "It may not be a disaster if you don't see me, and it may not be a blessing if you know me. Yes, no matter the foreign officials and Beijing officials, how can you achieve the sixth rank? You don’t know how to drill and manage, and whose career you have followed, and you have risen so fast, are you still restless?” Sun Jiagan said: “Long live back, I tie my hair To be educated, to obey the teachings of the saints, and not dare to be careless about family and private affairs, let alone state affairs and social affairs? During the palace examination, the minister was actually a biography (No. 60), and he was handed out to the Hanlin Academy for his appearance. Ugly, the academician in charge said, "The 4th anniversary of the Holy Ancestor, what do you look like standing in the Qing secret team?"? The official department of the Advisory Council downgraded the head of the household department...Long live still said that the minister is a drill, and the minister does not know what to do How can you play back!" After saying that, tears rolled down like pearls.

So it is!Yongzheng's face darkened, he was a little moved.Immediately smiled and said: "You are inferior to your appearance. In ancient times, there was Zhong Kui Zhong Kui, the man in the story. It is said that Tang Minghuang saw him catch little ghosts and eat them when he was ill. He ordered Wu Daozhi to draw Zhong Kui to catch ghosts. He is ugly and loved by the people. Now there is Sun Jiagan, which is good. Sigh. But a gentleman knows his fate, reading cultivates his character, you are No. 4 in the first class, and your knowledge must be passable. Why are you so Meng Lang, yelling at the officials, wrestling with ministers, and fighting until Xihua Gate——You are too wild Already!"

"Long live," Sun Jiagan asked, looking up, "I wonder if you have seen the newly minted Yongzheng Qian Long live?"

"See you, great!"

"Long live, do you know how much Kangxi money can be exchanged for with one or two foot prints?" Sun Jiagan stared straight at Yongzheng with a firm tone, "Is the money made by Long live for the convenience of the people, or to whitewash the peace?"

Hearing this series of questioning, all the guards and eunuchs in the hall trembled and changed color. Yongzheng called himself "Iron Man" in the mansion. He was known for being mean, jealous, and ruthless. The little sixth-rank hall official!Zhang Tingyu and Long Kedo looked at Yongzheng's increasingly gloomy face, and they looked at each other, trying to relieve his fury, when Yunxiang shouted from the side: "Sun Jiagan, you are talking to Wansui." ? Someone—get out of him!"

"Slow down." Yongzheng had turned his back, and said in deep thought, "I don't blame him for his temperament. Well, according to the official price, one tael of silver can be exchanged for two thousand Wen - what does this have to do with your business?"

Sun Jiagan also realized that he was in disrespect, and hurriedly kowtowed: "I am impetuous by nature, long live to forgive my minister, and I have no place to be grateful. Just now, long live said that the official price is the official price. But now it is not the case. One or two Taizhou footprints are actually the only ones on the market. It can be exchanged for 750 Wen!"

When others heard this, they thought it was a normal thing. Zhang Tingyu, who had been in charge for many years, knew the pros and cons of it well, and his head swelled up like a thunderbolt!Yongzheng said with a smile: "Money is expensive and silver is cheap. It has been in ancient times. What's the big deal? It's worth your fuss! You belong to the Yunnan-Guizhou Company, and you have ordered Yunnan to open more copper and lead and make more money. Wouldn't it be equal?" "Longkodo frowned and said: "It is certainly a way to open more mines, but there are too many miners, and it is easy to cause trouble when they get together, and it is also a headache." Yunxiang asked: "Sun Jiagan, according to your opinion, why is the price of silver and money so high?" Can't be balanced?"

"Back to Lord Thirteen," Sun Jiagan said, "the proportion of copper and lead in Kangxi coins is wrong, half copper and half lead, so the traitors took the money, melted it down and re-smelted it, and made copperware to sell. If you turn over the money, you will get dozens of times the interest." So no matter how much the country exploits mines, it can’t fill this bottomless pit. The collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the inequity of money and money were also a major malpractice. The Lord changed the Yuan to the top, refreshed the politics, and clarified the administration of officials. How can we repeat the same mistakes?”

This matter is actually related to the political situation!Yongzheng didn't understand the truth, and fell into deep thought.Zhang Tingyu saw that Sun Jiagan didn't understand clearly, bowed to the side and apologized with a smile: "Long live, long live the disadvantages here will be clear. The imperial court pays for mining and casting coins, and copper merchants receive money for casting. It is inconvenient for the people to circulate, so they have to use Barter; so the price of money is too expensive for the convenience of the people. This is the second and more important thing. The treasury collects taxes, and what they collect is silver, which is priced at two thousand taels of silver. The price is paid in copper coins, and the filthy officials can exchange two thousand taels of silver for more than two taels of silver, but they only pay one tael to the treasury..."

I see!Before Zhang Tingyu finished speaking, Yongzheng's heart was clear: Every year, more than half of the imperial court's collection of taxes fell into the private pockets of foreign officials!Thinking of how cleverly these filthy officials took such plunder, they still had to increase their consumption and exploitation. They were still not greedy enough. Immediately his face was livid with anger. He glanced at the 5000 shiny new coins and wanted to grab them and throw them out of the door. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly asked Sun Jiagan, "Then how do you think this coin should be cast?"

(End of this chapter)