Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

The squires gathered around Ju Ming as he returned to the city. On the surface they were respectful, but in their hearts they were filled with fear.

This feeling of panic came from Ju Ming's low profile, actually saying sorry to the squires in public, saying that he could not help them reduce taxes.

With such an attitude, Zhizhou seems to have become the protector of the landlords, and he has to apologize to the landlords for failing to protect him.

But in the blink of an eye, the biggest gangster in the county was arrested!

After respectfully escorting Zhizhou into the hotel, the squires immediately whispered and went back in groups to discuss.

They eagerly wanted to know what Ju Ming was going to do.

At night, when Ju Ming had gone to bed, Cao Yuangui and Wang Tian visited him hand in hand.

Ju Ming invited them in and asked casually: "Why didn't Geng Dingchen, the chief registrar, come?"

Wang Tian said: "This man is close to the Sun family. The prefect arrested the Sun brothers. He is no longer with us."

"How close?" Ju Ming asked.

Cao Yuangui said: "Geng Dingchen married his niece to the son of Sun Zongzhen, the head of the capital. Sun Zongzhen's uncle Wang Keshu was not only a doctor in the official department, but also a member of Cai Gongxiang's party. The lower official wanted to remind the eunuch that arresting the Sun brothers had offended Cai Gongxiang. .”

Ju Ming immediately laughed and said, "You said this because you have made up your mind and want to follow me?"

Cao Yuangui said: "Han Chuang studied hard for more than ten years, and became an official for more than ten years. Thirty years of time, now only one magistrate of the county. Such wasted time, only because of the troubles of the traitors in the court, the talented and virtuous people are depressed and unable to be promoted. I would like to attach myself to the prefect Jiwei and have a fight with those traitors!"

"How did you know that I wanted to go against the traitors?" Zhu Ming asked.

Cao Yuangui said: "The prefect heard that the uncle of the Sun brothers was Cai Dang, but he dealt with it calmly without changing his face. He must have already had a plan in mind."

Zhu Ming asked Wang Tian again: "Where is your Excellency?"

Wang Tian said: "I am willing to follow the prefect and sweep away the evil atmosphere in the court!"

These two guys are crazy about getting promoted. Even if they know that the enemy is Cai Jing, they still have to make a desperate move.

"Sit down and talk," Zhu Ming called the maid to watch tea and asked casually, "Master Geng got married to the Sun family and climbed up to Cai Dang in many twists and turns. Why don't you follow the Sun family's path?"

Cao Yuangui seemed to be greatly insulted, and his voice increased a bit: "Although my Cao family in Shanyin (Shaoxing) has not been an official for generations, I have been an official since the Taizu Dynasty. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, my Cao family has been There are four Jinshi, even if the highest one is only a punishment officer, how can it be regarded as a scholarly family? What is the value of his Sun family? There are only various officials in the ancestors, not even a Jinshi, so he is worthy of marrying my Cao family ?”

Wang Tian said: "The Sun brothers are arrogant and rude. Before Cao Magistrate took office, I was already the magistrate of Leize County. Some people stopped the car to complain, so I arrested a Sun servant, and the Sun brothers held a Hongmen banquet. Humiliating. And... He also threatened that if I don't release him immediately, he will make me unworthy of office!"

"So, you let him go?" Zhu Ming asked with a smile.

Wang Tian blushed and acquiesced to this matter.

Ju Ming said: "The Sun brothers are bullying the market and the fish and meat village. This case will be tried by you."

Wang Tian couldn't help showing a sinister look. He obviously wanted to avenge himself and take the opportunity to put the Sun family to death.

Cao Yuangui reminded: "The Sun family is powerful, so this case will definitely be appealed to the Si Li Yuan and the Prefecture Yuan. Especially since the Si Li joined the army, Jin Tao, has long been bribed by the Sun family. Any case involving the Sun family will be personally reviewed and revised. Not guilty."

Wang Tian also said: "If the prefect wants to achieve something, he must straighten out the various officials in the prefecture. Otherwise, even the Sun family can only arrest but not judge."

The final review power of a state's prison lies in the hands of the commander-in-chief.

If the manager joins the army and is determined to speak out against him, the magistrate has no right to interfere in the trial of the case. He can only ask the Criminal Division to send someone to investigate, or directly impeach him for dereliction of duty.

Zhu Ming did not go directly to Puzhou Prefecture to take office, but delayed in Leize County. Firstly, he used the Yaoling incident as an excuse, and secondly, it was too complicated in the prefecture. Or is the relationship between the county and the county simpler? It can be easily sorted out, and perhaps a breakthrough can be found.

Ju Ming asked: "How much do you know about Puzhou Tongpan and the various Cao Cao?"

Cao Yuangui said: "The general judge's name is Tian Ruyong, and he is a party of Prime Minister Zheng Juzhong. He is also proud of this. He has publicly shown off many times that he is a close friend with Zheng Juzhong's second son Zheng Yinian."

Wang Tian sneered and said: "He is just trying to put money on his face. I heard people say that Tian Ruyong was a former Imperial College student. His family had quite a lot of money and he often had fun in Tokyo. He spent a lot of money to buy a singer and offered her to her without shame. To Zheng Yi Nian, he passed the Imperial College Examination and got the title of Jinshi. The singer he presented to her had been resold by Zheng Yi Nian."

Cao Yuangui said, "You just heard what others said. It's hard to tell the truth from the lies."

"There must be a reason for the rumors to come out of nowhere." Wang Tian insisted on his judgment.

Zhu Ming was too lazy to listen to such gossip and asked: "Recording affairs and joining the army?"

Cao Yuangui said: "The name of Huang Guinian who joined the army is recorded. I only know that he is from Fujian, but I don't know his details."

Wang Tian laughed at himself: "I think he is also a member of my generation. He was a Jinshi ten years ago, but now there is only one official who has joined the army (the same level as a county magistrate)."

These two people don’t know the details of Huang Gui Nian, but Ju Ming knows!

The prototype of Huang Yaoshi, the leader of Peach Blossom Island, the big troll who impeached Qin Hui four times... He went to Peach Blossom Island to live in seclusion in his later years because he offended Qin Hui.

After repeated questioning, Zhu Ming had a general understanding of Puzhou.

Tongpan Tian Ruyong is a member of Zheng Juzhong. Although he is also a traitor, he is the political enemy of Cai's party.

Lu Shi joined the army in the Yellow Turtle Year, with little background and difficulty in promotion. During the Jingkang period, this person was a staunch advocate of war, and later he impeached Qin Hui. He must have a very upright character.

Si Hu joins the army and Guo Mao is Tian Ruyong's lackey.

Jin Tao, the manager, joins the army and is a relative of Cai Dang. Not even Cai Dang, he is probably someone who has no background but wants to climb up.

As for judicial participation in the army and regimental training as deputy envoy, they can be completely ignored.

The judicial officers have been deprived of their duties and are only responsible for providing legal reference when trying cases.

The deputy Tuanlian envoy is roughly equivalent to the Minister of Human Resources and Military Affairs. Su Shi was often demoted to this position.

Ju Ming suddenly said: "I want to pay equal taxes on all fields. What suggestions do you two have?"

Wang Tian asked: "Real Fangtian or fake Fangtian?"

Ju Ming smiled: "What is true and what is false?"

Wang Tian said: "King Shu (Wang Anshi) is the real square field, and Cai Jing is the fake square field. The real square field takes a long time, at least one year, and if there is too much dissent among the people, it may take two or three years. Even five years or eight years. The original reform of King Shu took more than ten years, and it only equalized the tax on the five square fields in the north. As for the fake square fields, it can be found in a year and a half, which is what Cai Jing did .”

Wang Anshi paid equal taxes on the square fields, and the results of the square fields must be made public. If the dispute is too big, it must be reviewed to prevent subordinate officials from colluding with the gentry to occupy private fields. Especially for the ownership of reclaimed land, the time to confirm the ownership is extremely long.

Ju Ming said: "I want Zhen Fang Tian, ​​please cooperate with me."

Cao Yuangui couldn't help but ask: "Which party does the prefect belong to?"

Ju Ming smiled and said: "I am the imperial party, a man appointed by the government to discover the beauty. Moreover, I already offended Cai Jing last year. If you two are afraid, just pretend that you didn't say anything tonight."

He offended Cai Jing last year, but this year he became a court official and governor of the state?

Cao Yuangui and Wang Tian's eyes lit up, there was something going on.

Cai Jingdu is seventy years old, how many more years can he still dance? It is definitely more promising to follow the young Ju Ming.

Cao Yuangui said: "If you want to equalize the taxes on the fields, you have to knock the mountains to scare the tigers. The Sun brothers must be punished severely, take the opportunity to rectify the subordinate staff, and scare the squires. Only by controlling the subordinate staff and beating the powerful can we feel at ease. field."

Wang Tian said: "Equal taxation will offend the gentry to death. It is not enough to be tough. You must give some benefits. It is easier to do things if you are hard and soft."

"I plan to abolish the horse administration," said Ju Ming. "The imperial court had previously issued a decree to let the state governments in Jingdong take back the horse ranches and still recruit tenants to give them land to raise horses. This has never been done in Puzhou, and I want to do it. It’s done. The imperial court doesn’t care about local conditions, as long as the horse quota is sufficient. At that time, let the gentry in each county allocate some money to buy horses to subsidize the interests of the pasture horse farmers. It can not only provide business to the imperial court, but also make people happy The squires and horse farmers profited.”

Cao Yuangui shook his head after hearing this: "The Puzhou grassland has been occupied by the Li family for a long time. The Li family is the most prominent family in Puzhou. Not only do they have officials in the court, but there are also countless subordinate officials in the state and county offices. The land of grassland , can’t be taken back.”

"As long as you can get rid of it, there is no place in the world that cannot be recovered." Ju Ming sneered.

Wang Tian felt his scalp numb. This was so reckless. He even regretted taking refuge in Ju Ming.

If you offend the Li family in Puzhou, nothing can be done. It is estimated that half of the subordinate officials in Puzhou Prefectural Government and Juancheng County Government will give up their jobs. If a subordinate official disobeys the rules and fails to do things, or deliberately makes trouble when doing things, then no government orders can be implemented.

Ju Ming said: "Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged subordinates are plentiful."

Cao Yuangui advised: "Prefect, the Li family really can't touch it. The subordinate officials controlled by the Li family only need to be obedient and do things normally. If they make trouble during the tax collection period, they won't even be able to collect taxes. If the tax amount is insufficient, the court will punish them!" "

"You don't have to worry about this." Ju Ming is here to gain experience.

What experience?

Of course, it is the experience of governing a local area and the experience of fighting against the powerful.

Even if he failed, it would be nothing more than demotion.

How can we govern the world in the future if we can't even bring justice to a local powerful clan?

He restarted Wang Anshi's square field equalization tax law, not only to make the lives of the lower class people better, but also to accumulate experience in this area.

After chatting until midnight, Cao Yuangui and Wang Tian left.

On the way out of the hotel, Cao Yuangui was worried: "I'm afraid this governor will mess things up. He doesn't know anything about governing the place."

Wang Tian said: "If a court official who is not as good as a weak official knows the state, what if he screws up? Let's demote him together. Cai Jing is already seventy years old, how many more years can he live? Once Cai Jing falls, the prefect will be promoted. The prefect will be promoted. If he gets promoted, we can too. Quan should play with him. What matters is not getting things done, but how to show our loyalty."

"This makes sense." Cao Yuangui agreed very much.

The two don't think Ju Ming can succeed, and there will definitely be problems with the two taxes next year.

But they don't care, step-by-step promotion is too slow, and they can't let go of a thigh. Zhu Zhizhou likes to toss, so he will accompany Zhizhou to toss. Anyway, that's all.

Wang Tian was too lazy to think about what would happen next year. Zhizhou asked him to try the case of the Sun brothers. He would take the opportunity to avenge the humiliation first, which would at least make him feel happy.