Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

As the Spring Festival approaches, Beijing is getting more and more festive.

The streets around the Drum Tower seemed very crowded, and the sounds of various sales were heard constantly. Many people were happily returning home with loads of New Year's goods.

Nowadays, many great scholars call Hongzhi a tyrant. Naturally, they will not be given the title of "Hongzhi Zhongxing" or "Hongzhi Heyday". However, many people's food bags and money bags are gradually getting bigger.

Those profound knowledge, those so-called great ways of governing the country, and those respected great Confucians are indeed too far away from ordinary people.

It’s just that the people in the capital clearly feel that life is getting better. Like some New Year’s goods that they didn’t dare to ask for or even think about in previous years, now their money bags give them the courage to challenge.

"It doesn't matter whether the pepper is sold by the pound, you can sell it in bulk as long as you give me a copper plate!"

"It is said that the emperor likes to add Sichuan peppercorns to his fish. I want twenty... no, thirty copper coins. Can I sell this?"

"Thirty copper coins are enough for your family to eat several meals. Add a little powder when grilling the fish, and the taste will be amazing!"

…

After Shuntian Prefecture improved the business environment and the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to business, business is now becoming more and more prosperous. As there are more and more vendors, their service attitude is very enthusiastic, breaking the previous tradition of not selling in bulk.

In the past, Zanthoxylum bungeanum was an exclusive product for high-ranking officials, but as a large number of Ming merchants went to Southeast Asia to engage in trade, Zanthoxylum bungeanum from Southeast Asia was sold to the capital.

Since the story of Emperor Hongzhi eating grilled fish has long been spread, Sichuan peppercorns now have a very wide civilian market and have even become the most common condiment for New Year's Eve dinners.

Although Hongzhi's reputation is not satisfactory in Shilin, the simple people living in this land know which king has brought them good lives, so they are flocking to Sichuan pepper.

In terms of the emperor's ability to carry goods, Zhu Youtang is probably the best in history.

It’s just that the sky in Beijing is gloomy, and it seems that a heavy rain will fall at any time, and the goose-feather-like snowflakes will flood the entire city of Beijing.

Although the national debt issue is very sensational in official circles, it is too far away from ordinary people.

Subscribing to a national bond is indeed a joke to the upper class. Which of the six ministers would still worry about money? But for the people at the bottom, even a mere ten taels of silver is out of reach.

The blizzard in the capital did not come, but it was already evening.

When I was young, Yongfang, He Mansion.

The instigator, He Qiaoxin, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, was welcoming him. Whether they were ordinary officials in the capital or high-ranking officials from the border areas who came to the capital to pay their respects, they came to see him one after another.

Once you reach the level of Six Ministers, it is unattainable for lower-level officials, and it can be regarded as the ceiling of the official career of Ming Dynasty officials.

Whether it is a popular fried chicken or an unpopular minister, there is actually no shortage of officials who come to hug him.

He Qiaoxin is not favored. This matter cannot be judged at all. After all, the real answer lies with the emperor. For most people, it is difficult to meet the emperor in their lifetime.

"Tea!"

"Tea!"

"Great tea!"

…

Although He Qiaoxin prides himself on being incorruptible, he is actually a well-rounded official, so he is able to properly handle the intricate relationships in officialdom.

Because of this, he not only had allies with important officials of the imperial court, but also had many followers, and he had a strong appeal in Shilin.

"He Shangshu, please stay, there is no need to see me off anymore!" Cheng Minzheng came to visit today and tried to dissuade Cheng Minzheng who insisted on seeing me off.

The official relations in the Ming Dynasty were intertwined like a spider web. Some officials who seemed to have no contact with each other may actually have deep connections.

The two people are quite different in age. They are neither of the same age nor from the same hometown, but they are the second generation of officials with good roots.

Of course, there is no need to say more about He Qiaoxin's father, He Wenyuan, but Cheng Minzheng's father is Cheng Xin, the former Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, and his father-in-law is the former Chief Assistant Li Xian.

They are closely connected through their father's relationship, and now they are officials in the same dynasty. Both of them have extraordinary status, so they are now very close.

He Qiaoxin insisted on taking Cheng Minzheng to the front yard until he was put on the official sedan, and then he warmly said goodbye: "Brother Cheng, please go slowly!"

"Brother He, farewell!" Cheng Minzheng, faced with such courtesy, returned the greeting secretly, feeling moved.

The sedan slowly lifted up and then left through the open middle door.

He Qiaoxin always had a smile on his face as he watched Cheng Minzheng's sedan leave.

Thinking of what the two of them had discussed just now, and facing the great situation ahead, the corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly.

Since a large number of Qingliu were abandoned by the current Holy Emperor, the current dynasty is full of villains who follow the trend, but the hands and feet of these villains are not clean.

Fortunately, this time the national debt provides an opportunity. If the emperor does not give up raising funds through national debt, someone will definitely step forward if he does not come out to make a huge donation this time.

As long as the Ministry of Punishment under his control grasps the subscription amount of national debt, he will definitely be able to find a big bug, so that everyone in the world will know what role the current Emperor Hongzhi plays.

"Sir, Fei Xiuzhan has been waiting in the flower hall for a long time. I wonder if he can be received now?" The butler stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

He Qiaoxin knew that the Fei Xiuzhuan the steward was talking about was Fei Hong, a Hanlin editor, who was the number one scholar in the 23rd year of Chenghua. He was indeed a good seedling worth cultivating.

His father, He Wenyuan, was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he himself was now the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. Now the two ministers were not officials from Jiangxi, so he naturally became the leader of the Jiangxi Township Party.

In today's officialdom, party leaders usually have strong appeal, and He Qiaoxin, who cherishes feathers, is the leading figure among Jiangxi officials.

"Student Fei Hong pays homage to Lord Sikou!" Fei Hong and the housekeeper smelled a faint scent of sandalwood when they entered the study room, and they seemed to be paying homage respectfully.

Fei Hong was wearing a green sixth-grade official uniform. He was only twenty-two years old. He had an average appearance, a thin figure, a delicate face, thick brows, and a somewhat Confucian air.

Although he has been in the Hanlin Academy for four years, he does not have any official authority. He is more like a candidate who is still working hard to participate in the imperial examination.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing about him was his official uniform, which made everyone look up to him. After all, a 22-year-old Six-Bus Minister was simply rare.

He Qiaoxin specially chose the study room to summon him to show his importance. He was sitting on the first seat in the front hall of the study room drinking tea. He looked like he was taking a breath of spring breeze and raised his hand: "Zichong, please sit down!"

Jiangxi is a major imperial examination province, and the first two top picks in the early Ming Dynasty were all from Jiangxi. The young man in front of me is the top pick in the 23rd year of Chenghua. It can be said that it is a place where talents are born in large numbers.

Now he wants to recruit all outstanding officials from Jiangxi to stabilize his position as Jiangxi party leader.

"Thank you, Lord Sikou!" Fei Hong did not show any stage fright when facing the lofty Minister of Punishment in front of him, and took his seat politely.

He is from Guangxin Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, and his ancestors can be traced back to Fei Yi, the famous prime minister during the Three Kingdoms period. Although the Fei family declined later, it has always been a scholarly family. His second uncle Fei Xuan is now a member of the Ministry of War.

In the 19th year of Chenghua, when he was only fifteen years old, he and his fifth uncle took part in the Jiangxi provincial examination and went to high school together. However, they both failed in the capital examination the following year.

That year, he was only sixteen years old and had an immeasurable future.

Since the next exam would be in three years, under the operation of his second uncle Fei Hong, he successfully entered the Imperial College to study as a graduate of Jiangxi Province.

Similar to Yang Tinghe's experience, because of his extremely high talent for learning and his decent appearance, he was highly regarded by Pu Weixuan, the then Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy.

Not long after, he married his current wife, Pu Shulan, who was the Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy, Pu Weixuan, and gained a good official resource.

In the 23rd year of Chenghua, after passing the imperial examination, he entered the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin compiler. Thanks to his status as the top scholar and his superior official connections, he even participated in the compilation of "Records of Ming Xianzong", so he has become a supernova in Ming Dynasty officialdom.

That's why, even when facing the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he still has the confidence of being a Hanlin official. In time, he may not be able to join the cabinet and worship the prime minister.

In the evening, the courtyard was shrouded in twilight, and a few snowflakes actually fell from the sky.

He Qiaoxin carefully looked at the young Hanlin editor in front of him. Even though he was in a high position, he felt envious. His starting point was really too high.

Although he is not like a second-generation official with upright roots, Fei Hong has a good father-in-law, and more importantly, he entered the Hanlin Academy as the number one scholar, but he is still so young.

He Qiaoxin quickly put aside all the distracting thoughts and asked with concern: "Zichong, I heard that you recently fell ill due to fatigue from reviewing the test papers. Is this related to this?"

"I am sincerely concerned about Sir Sikou. This is indeed the case, but now my body has recovered!" Fei Hong was slightly moved in his heart and expressed his gratitude solemnly.

He Qiaoxin intended to cultivate and win over this young man with unlimited potential, and immediately said in a gentle manner: "A few days ago, my old colleagues sent me a pair of ginseng that is nearly a thousand years old. It has miraculous nourishing effects. However, it is not suitable for me to take strong ginseng today, so I will give it to you today." ! I hope you can take good care of your health as soon as possible and work together to clear away the smoky atmosphere in the court!"

"How dare a student give such a generous gift? There is absolutely no way he can use it!" Fei Hong knew that the value of these centuries-old ginseng was too much, so he immediately excused himself from the court.

He Qiaoxin's face straightened up and he looked displeased: "I cherish talents for Jiangxi. This ginseng is no longer good for me. Now ginseng can help you recover! If you don't give me this ginseng, you are looking down on me!"

"In this case, students have no choice but to be respectful rather than obey orders!" Fei Hong saw that He Qiaoxin had already said this, so he had no choice but to accept it.

The butler next to him saw this scene in his eyes, but he didn't understand why He Qiaoxin would force such a treasure on others. It was a treasure that could only be encountered but not sought.

It's just a good thing now that the pair of ginseng worth tens of thousands of gold was abandoned like a pair of rags, and the treasure was given to a young man.

When the housekeeper saw He Qiaoxin's glance, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in his heart, but he didn't dare to delay for even a moment and immediately sent someone to the warehouse to get the ginseng.

He Qiaoxin was very satisfied with Fei Hong's acceptance of his heavy gift. He knew that it would be much easier for him or his descendants to deal with Fei Hong in the future. He seemed to be in a good mood and asked: "Zichong, have you heard about the issuance of national bonds by the imperial court?"

Fei Hong had always paid attention to government affairs and immediately smiled bitterly.

How could he not know about this matter? It had already spread throughout the official circles, but this novel financial product aroused his interest.

Fei Hong thought of the recent strange things and replied honestly: "I dare not deceive the Lord Shangshu. This matter was originally intended to require all officials of the Hanlin Academy to also participate in the subscription, but I don't know why it was suddenly stopped today!"

Originally, he had planned to get some money to participate in the subscription, but he chose to believe in the character of the current saint, but things suddenly changed.

"The imperial court arranged for the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice to be the first to subscribe. However, I am as honest as water, so I naturally have to do what I can. I will subscribe for one this time!" He Qiaoxin took a sip of tea and looked very disdainful.

The corner of Fei Hong's mouth twitched slightly, and he asked humbly: "It has long been known to the world that Master Sikou is not greedy for a penny, so it is reasonable to subscribe for one now. However, the students are still puzzled as to why the imperial court stopped it. Woolen cloth?"

"Wan'an is just a clay sculpture master. He only knows how to whitewash peace to the emperor. This time he wants to deceive even more. In order to successfully issue national bonds, he approached me privately earlier and wanted me to spend tens of thousands taels to subscribe for national bonds. Although I I obviously agreed, but how could I collude with him? Now I only recognize one to show that all officials in the world are clean and honest. Wanan's plan has gone bankrupt, which is why the subscription was suddenly stopped!" He Qiaoxin took a sip of the tea cup. Tea, explained looking triumphantly.

this……

When Fei Hong learned the ins and outs of the matter, he looked up at He Qiaoxin in front of him in surprise.

Although they Hanlin officials cannot participate in state affairs, they have already made plans for the national debt, and they even knew that the emperor went to Luzon to look for gold mines because of Taizu's dream.

Now the mission to Luzon has returned successfully, confirming that the gold mine has been confirmed.

It's just that this year has been a year of disasters, and now the national treasury is already empty, so the court is trying to find ways to solve the funding gap in the early stage of gold mining.

Who would have thought that the Minister of Punishment would not come up with any suggestions, but would actually make a delaying move, and now he dares to feel complacent here.

Fei Hong swallowed secretly and reminded him carefully: "Lord Sikou, I'm afraid it's the emperor's intention to ask you to subscribe for a huge amount of national debt. Isn't it difficult for you to do this?"

The housekeeper had already ordered his servants to go to the treasure house to get the ginseng. Hearing this, he looked at his master worriedly.

Although there is no lack of fighting in the officialdom, and Wan'an is already an old man who has exhausted his energy, his father's approach not only does not betray Wan'an's face, but also stands on the opposite side of Zhu Youtang.

Judging from various signs, the person behind the national debt is the emperor, not Wan An, who is said to be unable to get out of bed recently.

"What does the emperor mean? If the emperor really wants me to do this, then the emperor should issue a secret edict or an imperial edict instead of asking an old immortal to pass the message on!" He Qiaoxin held the lid of the tea and lightly poured the tea, looking confident and mocking.