In the imperial study room, a round of discussions had just concluded.
The Emperor of Yan did not speak much. The prince presided over the ceremony. Most of the ministers and ministers were present. In the corner, there was also Ji Chengjue, who was nominally the watchman of the Ministry of Revenue.
There was no way, the original Hubu Shangshu fell, and the imperial court appointed a new highly respected Shangshu of the Hubu, but an old case happened to be exposed, in which he killed his concubine while drunk.
This is actually not a big deal. As a powerful official of the day, it is normal to secretly kill a concubine at home and execute a servant who made a mistake. As long as the matter is dealt with from beginning to end Just fine.
But who would have imagined that three years later, when it was reported that this official was going to be promoted by the court to be the acting Minister of Household Affairs, the concubine’s family and relatives gathered dozens of people to come. The government offices in the capital beat drums to complain.
For a time, there was a commotion in the city, and the gentleman fell ill because of it. It was not known whether it was a real illness or a fake illness. In short, he did not even go to court.
Emperor Yan issued an order to send an imperial doctor to the palace for diagnosis and treatment, and at the same time he wrote a department to follow up on the case.
As a result, the dignified Yan household department has been vacant until now, but all the work is in an orderly manner. In fact, the operation of the household department is much better than before.
Everyone here is an old fox who has gone through many ups and downs in the officialdom. How can we not know who has something to do with the accidents of the two Ministers of the Ministry of Finance?
At the same time, everyone was also secretly surprised by why His Highness the Sixth Prince, who had been keeping quiet for these years and basically regarded himself as a leisurely and carefree prince, became uncharacteristically tough after receiving the errand from Guanfeng Hubu.
Political struggles are political struggles, and in fact they all have to follow one rule. This kind of behavior of exposing old people and turning over old scores is tantamount to tearing one's face and destroying the original political understanding.
The two methods of punishing people were really too radical and despicable, and it was easy for them to be isolated by everyone in the court.
After all, in the final analysis, how many people are truly as innocent as snow?
But because Emperor Yan has never said anything about this, and His Highness the Sixth Highness has a special status. After all, he is the prince, the emperor's son, so of course the emperor himself can rub it as he pleases;
After all, it is The king belongs to the father.
But the ministers are outsiders after all. Do you want to help the emperor teach his son a lesson? Want to get involved in the Ji family's affairs?
In the past years, there may have been ministers who dared to do these things, but now that Emperor Yan is so powerful, no one dares to stroke the tiger's beard without authorization.
What we are discussing today is business taxation.
From beginning to end, the sixth prince who was supposed to speak did not say a word. Instead, it was the prince who strongly advocated the implementation.
In fact, in the final analysis, basically every larger caravan has a figure of a powerful person standing behind it. Those who have the strength to carry out long-distance and large-scale transactions are either raised by the powerful or It means that after oneself develops to a certain level, he takes the initiative to find powerful people to associate with him.
The commercial tax law is actually cutting off theirMeat.
But today's Dayan is no longer an era where there are many powerful families. Nowadays, no matter what the old Ji family wants to do, everyone can only hold their noses and accept it.
To put it nicely, this is the old Ji family calling everyone to come to discuss the matter. To put it bluntly, it is actually the old Ji family informing you.
Not convinced?
Hold it.
Still dissatisfied?
Die!
Finally, the discussion is over.
Emperor Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said:
"The prince and the sixth son stay."
The ministers immediately bowed and left.
Soon,
the imperial study room suddenly became deserted.
Wei Zhonghe personally stepped forward and gave new tea to Emperor Yan, the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince. Then he walked out of the imperial study and stood at the door.
The prince picked up the tea cup and took a slow sip. It could be seen that he seemed to be imitating Emperor Yan's movements of drinking tea.
Ji Chengjue placed the tea cup on his knees, looking harmless.
"Sixth brother, the money and grain sent by the Ministry of Revenue to Xueguan Customs is a bit too generous. I heard that some generals below have strong opinions on this."
There are actually quite a few people who know about this matter. After all, transporting a large sum of money and grain over a long distance is not just a matter of one or two cars. It is impossible to hide it from someone who is interested.
So, the prince must point this matter out.
He is the prince, the lord of the Eastern Palace, the seat of the country. If your own brothers are secretly forming alliances with the border generals and you still pretend to be cowardly and silent, then this prince must be too cowardly. .
Even if you want to hide your strength and bide your time, it is not such a way to hide your strength.
It is a huge taboo for a prince to secretly collude with the generals of the border army.
Originally, the prince thought that after he said these words, in front of his father, his sixth brother should kneel down in fear and apologize, and then give a lot of reasons to excuse himself.
But what surprised the prince was that,
after hearing this, Ji Chengjue,
just raised his head slightly and looked at him,
Very confused:
"Oh, which general is dissatisfied?"
"..." The prince.
The prince was caught off guard for a moment. The key to the question was which general expressed his dissatisfaction?
The crux of the problem is obviously that you favor Snow Customs and show your favor to Mr. Hirano!
The so-called dissatisfaction of the generals is just like many censors and ministers in the court who open and close their mouths to "please for the people" or "the people's resentment is boiling", as if they really live among the people every day and listen to the voices of the people. , cannot be studied carefully.
The most important thing is,
The dissatisfied general must be someone stationed in Jin.
With the relationship between Uncle Hirano and Marquis Jingnan, who dares to say this?
Even if there is someoneDare,
Then you dare to say it, point it out, stand up,
Let’s see how Jingnanhou will deal with the dissatisfied general!
The Emperor Yan, who was sitting in the first seat, did not make a sound, but silently sipped the remaining tea leaves between his lips and teeth.
"Sixth brother, what do you mean?"
Ji Chengjue smiled and said:
"Second brother, Uncle Hirano once saved If you take my life as a younger brother, you can repay the favor as a younger brother, okay?”
“How can you repay a favor with the most important weapon of the country?” the prince scolded.
Ji Chengjue nodded, stood up, saluted the prince, and said:
"If you go back to your highness, the money and food for the troops stationed in Jin will be divided into three parts. , one part comes from the imperial court, one part comes from Yingdu, and one part is raised by oneself.
In the first half of the year, the money and food sent to Xue Customs from Yingdu are also sufficient. ”
This. It was something that Marquis Jingnan had promised Zheng Fan.
"Sixth Brother, what exactly do you want to say?"
"What I want to say is, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you are saying that the supply of money and food for the military is an important weapon of the country. The relationship is very important. The money and food distributed by Yingdu were personally distributed by Jingnan Marquis, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition.
Military matters are not about playing house, nor about opening warehouses to provide food to the victims. They pay attention to the rain and dew. , both are favored by the king.
The troops stationed in different places have different responsibilities and face different enemies. Can they be treated equally?
Xuehaiguan North? Reject the barbarians, fight against the Chu State in the south, and use a pass to stabilize the situation in eastern Shanxi for our country, Yan. If the military supplies are insufficient, and the money and food are not enough, then the barbarians will rise again and the Chu people will invade again. Are you going to fight the Eastern Expedition?
Your Highness,
You don’t know the military,
Don’t talk too much about military affairs. ”
"You said that I don't know how to fight. What about you, Sixth Brother? Do you mean that you know how to fight?"
"I don't know how to fight."
< p>"Then you...""But my brother doesn't say much."
"..." Prince.
I don’t understand fighting, but I don’t beep.
"The distribution made by my brother is basically based on the military rations issued by Yingdu. Since the Marquis of Jingnan believes that Xue Customs needs to pay the actual amount, then I will follow the wishes of the Marquis of Jingnan. Do it.
If His Highness the Crown Prince feels that he knows the situation in Jin better than the Marquis of Jingnan, and knows the military better,
Then please give His Majesty the Crown,
< p>My dear brother,How dare you disobey me!"
"You..." Prince.
"That's enough."
Emperor Yan spoke.
The prince and Ji Chengjue knelt down together.
"I am not keeping you here because I want to hear your bickering."
"I know my sin."
"I know my sin."< /p>
The Emperor Yan stretched out his hand and picked up a piece of paper. This isA folder about the ticket number was delivered by Ji Chengjue a few days ago.
Emperor Yan has read the document. His original intention was to keep his two sons and discuss the articles of association alone.
But Emperor Yan finally picked up the fold and put it down again,
and said:
"Go away."
"My son, my ministers, retire."
"My ministers, my ministers, retire."
The brothers left the imperial study room and passed by the small pond in the imperial garden. The prince said:
"If there is anything missing in the marriage, tell me."
"Thank you, second brother, there is nothing missing."
Because,
it is already Basically nothing.
The prince's wedding is a major event. According to past practice, a minister will take the lead in organizing it.
For example, Emperor Yan ordered Prime Minister Zhao Jiulang to be responsible for the last wedding of the prince. Although the wedding of the eldest prince and the barbarian princess was low-key, in name it was also organized by the Minister of Etiquette.
In the end, when it came to my place, a member of the Rites Department, a foreign minister, was responsible for the preparations. The Rites Minister, a foreign minister, was surnamed Chen. Because of his family background, he was not cleared, but he was also cleared early. The earth was sent to the bench.
When a prince gets married, the national treasury and the royal treasury will jointly provide a sum of money for financing.
Compared with the money negotiated for the prince's last wedding, the money he contributed for this wedding was less than 10%, or even less than half.
At the same time, the prince's residence is equivalent to the dormitory for the princes before they get married.
The eldest prince has already been given a house in Yanjing City, close to the palace, and the prince has already moved into the East Palace.
As for myself,
the wedding date has been set, but she still hasn’t mentioned the house.
No matter the size or location, there is no news at all.
If Uncle Zheng knew about this here, he would definitely laugh at Xiaoliuzi: You are taking your wife and children to live in the factory dormitory after getting married.
So, when the prince asked what he was missing as an elder brother, Ji Chengjue replied that he was lacking nothing.
Sometimes,
When you have nothing, you lack nothing.
"My younger brother has grown up and has a family, so he should be more stable."
"My brother understands."
The two brothers said indifferently. After saying a few words, the prince returned to his East Palace, while Ji Chengjue walked all the way out of the south gate and got into the carriage driven by Eunuch Zhang himself.
The carriage shook and the figures swayed.
Ji Chengjue, who got into the carriage, picked up the towel prepared in advance and wiped his face carefully.
"The prince talked about the money and food at Xueguan today in front of his father." Ji Chengjue threw the towel into the basin as he spoke.
"Master, The prince is impatient. It would be a bit too pretentious for him to choose these words himself. ”
As the prince and the master of the East Palace, if you have to do everything personally, then what is the use of those ministers and lackeys who have taken refuge under you?
Go out and fight the charge yourself. , seemed straightforward, but in fact, it was a loss of dignity for the prince.
Ji Chengjue shook his head and said:
"He did it on purpose, he was reminding his father. Your Majesty, I have made good friends with Zheng Fan, and I am getting married, and the wedding between him and the princess that was originally interrupted should be put back on the schedule. "
"The slave is stupid. "
Eunuch Zhang quickly admitted his mistake. He had only been taunting the prince in front of his master, but he failed to understand the deep meaning behind the prince's move.
"It's a matter of fact. , are everything arranged? "Ji Chengjue asked.
"It's settled, Master, it's just..."
"Just what? "
"Master, this is going to reveal all our trump cards directly, isn't it..."
"Zhang Banban. ”
“The slave is here. "
"Ever since I came to Beijing this time, I have said that I have no way out. In the past, my father could cut and beat the people around me because there was nothing around me. People who can't give up.
Now,
I am a father. ”
“Master, the one in Madam’s belly is also His Majesty’s grandson after all. "
"The Tian family is ruthless. ”
“Yes, Master. ”
“Let’s bet that he is not an easy character to deal with as an official of the state of Qian and the regent of the state of Chu. Therefore, this time, he just took advantage of the wedding to open the door to him.” He looked.
If the old man wants to see it, let him see it. ”
“By the way, Master, there is someone from Pingye Bofu, named Fan Li. ”
“Fan Li? Haha, I have always heard that Zheng Fan has a man named Fan Li who is talented in literature, martial arts, and proficient in calculations. He has a great reputation in the world.
Where are others? "
"In the house. "
"Cheng, go back to the house. I have to meet the people Zheng Fan sent in person. "
The story of Uncle Zheng's general Fan Li has been rumored in the world for a long time, and there are many versions.
"Your Majesty and Uncle Hirano haven't seen each other for a long time, right? ”
Last time, Eunuch Zhang was ordered to go to Litian City because something happened to Mrs. Jingnan Hou, so Zheng Fan followed Tian Wujing and arrived at Litian City a day later, so he had seen it.< /p>
"I envy him. Not to mention the savages on the side and the Chu people watching eagerly. In his place, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and he is free and at ease."
Now, he is free, but I still have to stay in the capital. Sometimes when I think about it, I really feel that I am at a loss. "
"Master, do you want to go to Snow Customs? "
Ji Chengjue shook his head and said:
"What are you going to do at Xue Customs? What kind of brothers can join forces?
Hehehe.
< p>Then on this day,Would your surname be Ji or Zheng?”
……
In the Imperial Study Room, Emperor Yan continued to hold the Holding the booklet about ticket numbers.
Wei Zhonghe was studying ink beside him. Seeing this, he pretended not to see it.
“The Min family had originally talked to the late emperor about establishing the Dayan bank account, but the late emperor refused. Unexpectedly, my son would bring it up again.
Wei Zhonghe,
Tell me,
Do business people in this world always think that they are much smarter than others and think that others around them , Are they all fools?"
"Your Majesty, His Highness should not dare to have this intention."
"He didn't dare? He didn't dare before, but now. , He is tougher than anyone else."
"Your Majesty, I heard that this kind of thing is also used in some places in Qianguo. The locals call it Jiaozi. When people in that place do business, they use it. It saves a lot of trouble."
Huang Yan shook his head and said: "I can't use this thing, at least for now. Ten years later, I, Dayan, fell into the hands of a group of wealthy businessmen."
After saying this, Emperor Yan leaned back slightly.
Wei Zhonghe paused while studying the ink and said:
"Your Majesty, the following people came to report that many merchants have entered Beijing recently, and some of them have already retreated. Many old people have also come to Beijing.
Among them are..."
"Are they from the Min family?"
The Emperor Yan once ordered Jingnan Hou to lead the army. The army crushed the Min family. At the same time, Concubine Min, the biological mother of the sixth prince in the palace, was thrown into the cold palace and given Bai Lingxiang to die after more than a month.
The Min family was destroyed a long time ago in the name of rebellion, and precisely because it was dealt with by the Emperor Yan himself, it was impossible for the Min family to be overturned, because the emperor had no power. wrong.
"Returning to Your Majesty, it is the remnant of the Min family."
The Min family was destroyed, but outsiders may never know how terrible the Min family's financial situation was. .
Because the Min family looks like an ordinary family on the outside, but their wealth can lead to the gods, and the relationships they have formed with money and silk as a link have actually formed an extremely terrifying network.
If it can be said that the numerous clans and clans in Great Yan controlled more than half of the land and population of the Yan Kingdom, then the Min family almost controlled more than half of the circulation in Great Yan.
Yanchu, Yanjin, Yanqian, Yanman and even as far as the west,
on the long road,
all have the banner of the Min family huge caravan.
So,
When Concubine Min entered the house,
The Min familyOnly the head of the family dared to give such an exaggerated dowry.
It is impossible for the head of the Min family not to know that wealth should not be revealed, but he is confident.
It’s just that he misjudged Emperor Yan.
Not just him,
In fact, the powerful families who had taken root in Great Yan for hundreds of years also misjudged Emperor Yan.
"Your Majesty, these remnants of the Min family do not know the great grace of heaven, so they asked for orders to use the Secret Service..."
The Secret Service was dispatched to wipe out the remnants of the Min family.
The Emperor Yan raised his hand and interrupted Wei Zhonghe’s request,
said:
“Wei Zhonghe.”
“Slave "
"Do you know why I ordered Wu Jing to destroy the Min family but not clean up the remaining members of the Min family?"
A big family based on merchants, you? Just destroying his family is like just trampling a spider to death, but ignoring the huge spider web it has already weaved.
That net, and the knots tied on that net, are the real foundation.
"My slave is stupid, please show me."
"Because in the past, their surname was Min."
Said,
Emperor Yan picked up the teacup,
took a sip of tea,
chewing some of the tea leaves he just drank,
continued:
p>
"Now, their surname is Ji."
——————
The next chapter is a climax, I want to write it in one go , about 10,000 to 20,000 words, so don’t wait tonight.
It was very interesting to read a book friend’s complaint the other day, saying that Xiaolong had been saying good night to us for so many days, but his schedule had broken down, hahahaha.
It’s true that my routine is broken, embarrassing.
The next chapter will probably be written tomorrow morning or noon. Don’t panic, hug the dragon!