British government.
Zhang Mao originally thought that after meeting Jiang Dezhong, he would regain Zhang Zhou's favor and wait for the letter with peace of mind after returning home.
As a result, news came that Dongchang was investigating corruption cases within the Dudu Mansion, especially involving kickbacks and corruption in Beijing-based procurement.
When Zhang Mao faced Zhong Decai, who was seriously summarizing the situation, his face was ashen, and he almost found a wooden pillar to hit him against.
"Don't worry, sir, the government and the public are not aware of this happening yet. It's just because some of us are our own people that we can learn the news in advance." Zhong Decai said.
Zhang Mao said with a dark face; "You want to say that because I was involved in the case, I knew about it faster than others?"
"This..." Zhong Decai I don’t even know how to describe it.
Zhang Maodao: "Decai, tell me the truth. In the past few years, after you followed me, when it came to the capital's purchases, especially the property that passed through your hands, I said no. Follow the court accounts, but..."
"My lord, please stop beating around the bush. I know what you mean. Isn't it just how much money you have embezzled? Although I don't know the specific figure, All in all, in the past ten years...it should be at least a hundred thousand taels of silver..."
"You...what did you say?" Zhang Mao felt like his head was getting bigger. .
Zhong Decai said helplessly: "Otherwise, where did the money for building the ancestral temple come from? And what about your concubines and the expenses of the house? You also know that the expenses of the house are huge. Don't talk about it for a year. There is also tens of thousands of taels of silver. It is said that hundreds of thousands of taels of silver are relatively small."
Zhang Mao was surprised: "My house costs tens of thousands of coins a year, isn't it? "Silver?"
"You are really good at joking. Tens of thousands of copper coins are only ten taels of silver. You usually go out for a drink, or ask a waiter to come back to sing an opera, and ten taels of silver are enough." I can't beat him," Zhong Decai said helplessly.
Zhang Mao frowned and said: "Then how much is your annual training?"
Zhong Decai said helplessly: "It's only... two or three hundred taels of silver."
p>
"You...you are really mad at me." When Zhang Mao heard this, he almost wanted to hit someone.
Zhong Decai said: "If you think the price is unfair, sir, just say it and I won't bother you. It is indeed difficult to establish a foothold in this land of the capital. In the future, I will definitely be able to walk around the world." Remember your kindness."
Zhang Mao sat there with an annoyed look on his face, but he was helpless.
Think about it, the money given to Zhong Decai alone is only two to three hundred taels a year, and his wife and concubines spend a lot of money, plus a lot of expenses at home...
Zhang Maodao: " Don’t you mean to say that all the expenses in the house were brought back from the imperial court and not earned by me?”
Zhong Decai sighed: “My lord, think about it. How much land can be harvested in a year? Besides, they are all cultivated by tenant farmers, so the rent money recovered is not much.Less. There are some shops in the house, some are rented out, and some are run by themselves, but if it weren't for the business purchased by the imperial court, each of these shops would be losing money. "
Zhang Mao said angrily: "Then I am useless? ”
“My lord, you can’t say that. Now everyone in the capital still remembers your good deeds. At least before, there were rules for doing things. As long as you spend money, you can get things done. Now I have money and nowhere to spend it..." Zhong Decai was very helpless.
Zhang Mao said angrily: "You want to tell me that I have also done things like selling officials and titles, so now, they all want to There’s no place to send money when looking for connections, right? ”
“Alas! "Zhong Decai sighed heavily.
Zhang Mao said: "Then let me ask you, how many steps are there until the case can be traced to me? "
Zhong Decai said seriously: "Everyone who has had direct contact with you has been taken down. This time I heard that in addition to the procurement in Chajingying, it seems that there is also the mining in the local area. Relatedly, people from the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works in previous terms have been taken down, and now both the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works are panicking. "
Zhang Mao said: "Where is the Governor's Mansion? How many people were captured? "
"The Governor's Mansion...is still peaceful now. "Zhong Decai said, "The generals in the Beijing camp, even those involved in the case, are not involved in it now. Your Majesty seems to be very tolerant of the generals involved in the case. Besides, the oil and water in Jingying is mainly from procurement matters, and the mining is only related to the generals in Jizhou and Xuanfu towns. Jingying is no longer A popular place for generals. ”
Zhang Mao exclaimed: “The capital camp is at the feet of the emperor, no one wants to come to the capital camp anymore?” ”
“Isn’t it? Nowadays, the officers and soldiers of the border army can not only farm fields, but also have the money and grain allocated by the court. They can also easily perform meritorious service in wars. I heard that the fields are also divided, and there are even more merchant villages in various places, especially the generals who have mining sites. You can't go there even with money, you have to have strong connections. The Chengguo Palace is very prosperous now, but based on what I've heard, the Chengguo Palace may... be in trouble this time. "
"Humph! He, Zhu Tingzhan, thought that he could stay away from other things since he was in Nanjing? I'm just waiting to see how lively he is. Isn't he in great glory now? A battle in the northwest can bring him back to his original shape! ”
“Well, sir, should we report it ourselves now?” I'm afraid that some people will implicate you. According to the past, as long as we take the initiative to report, even if these people implicate you, you can still say that they are framed. You are selfless and righteous Ling Ran. "
Zhang Mao said with a dark face again: "It's better if I don't die. Tell the people outside that the doors have been closed recently to thank guests, and no one is allowed in. Even people in the house who leave the door are not allowed to come back! I want to practice Zen and meditate, but in the end... I'm going to die! "
Zhong Decai said helplessly: "This is useless. If it really involves you, it must be your Majesty's decree. NowThe Anyuan Hou family is also in trouble, don't you still want to..."
"Don't mention Liu to me, his family has nothing to do with me. It was the biggest mistake of my life when I took him to the northwest. Now I just want to drink tea, listen to music, and... recuperate at home..."
"You recuperate? "
"What's wrong? To the outside world, I am seriously ill and have only a few days to live. Your Majesty might just be merciful and forget about me? snort! ”
……
……
Jiao Fang is leaving the capital and returning to Henan.
Li Dongyang cannot get help from Jiao Fang I don't know what's going on here, so I can only find someone who has a good relationship with Jiao Fang, namely Zhong Zhong, who is originally from Henan, and go to say goodbye to Jiao Fang.
Zhong Zhong is from Shandong. , are considered northern officials like Jiao Fang, and Jiao Fang usually looks down on southern officials the most, and even has a clear relationship with southern officials... But he and Zhong Zhong still have a good relationship, at least in terms of face.
"Mr. Li Ge is still concerned about what happened in your house. In fact, I probably mentioned to him that some people from the Household Department have been taken over by Dongchang recently, but the news cannot be leaked yet. It should be that Dongchang is investigating some case. If Meng Yang said it clearly, we would be fine here. A preparation. ”
Zhong Zhong’s tone was also very helpless.
He indeed only has a few days left in the court, and everyone knows that he is leaving.
Even if he doesn’t Go, the authority of the Ministry of Finance has been repeatedly reduced. After all, the current left minister of the Ministry of Finance is Lu Wan, and the biggest difference between Lu Wan and Wang Qiong is that he is very enterprising, and he has the experience of being promoted to a senior official. , so that Lu Wan had a very wide network of contacts in the court.
Although Zhong Zhong is now the Minister of Household Affairs, his power has basically been eclipsed.
Jiao Fangkan. Looking at the family members who were packing things in the yard, he said helplessly: "Quanzi's family has been convicted now, and I have nothing to miss in this capital. ”
“Son? "Zhong Zhong was surprised.
Jiao Fang said: "Quanzi did some wrong things, but he did not deserve death. Being involved in court disputes is also a misfortune for my family. ”
Obviously Jiao Fang does not feel that it is her and her son’s fault, but believes that the disputes in the court have harmed her family, and her son Jiao Huangzhong is a victim of the political struggle. It seems that Li Dongyang should take the blame instead of looking for someone to blame. People came over to make sarcastic remarks.
Jian Zhong said helplessly: "You are in the Hanlin Academy, so the affairs of the court in recent years should not involve you too much, so how can you be related to your son? "
"Didn't you hear what I said? "Jiao Fang said sternly, "Don't you know who is involved in the case behind the scenes, who wants to beat him up, and who wants to watch the fire from the other side?
Don't you know? Do you dare to say that you are completely unaware of the internal affairs of the Ministry of Accounts? ”
Ji Zhong was speechless when asked.
He was helpless.
After all, Ji Zhong himself was not involved in the mining tax and the mine. It's not that he doesn't want to, but because there areWang Qiong and others blocked it, and this relationship hadn't jumped to him yet.
But according to Dongchang’s intelligence, it seems that he, Dian Zhong, is the big shot behind the scenes and the overall mastermind.
Jiao Fang would also feel that the case in the mine had something to do with Zhong Zhong, and Zhong Zhong was more here to add insult to injury than to help him.
Jiao Fang pointed to the yard and said: "My son usually comes to visit, but now his family members, wives, concubines and children have all been convicted and missing. If you still want to help me, then Bring them back for me, and the ancestors of my Jiao family will also be grateful to you. If you can't, then please go back first, you are not welcome here."
Jiao Fang's indifference made him sad. Zhong could see that he was persona non grata.
"Meng Yang, I know there are many misunderstandings in your mind. Nowadays, the affairs in the court are beyond our control. His Majesty did not mention this matter in court, but it stands to reason that in the past few days, It’s time to mention it, and someone will definitely speak for you. Don’t worry.” , Go back home immediately.
However, before he reached his door, he saw a visitor's vehicle. After getting off the carriage, he asked a little and found out that it was Lu Wan who was here.
Ji Zhong doesn’t want to see Lu Wan, especially in this private situation, because in Jain Zhong’s view, Lu Wan is a “villain”. In both big and small matters, Lu Wan is clearly his. He is a subordinate, but within the household department, everything is suppressing him.
But he still entered the courtyard and saw Lu Wan waiting in the main hall.
Lu Wan walked over and seemed to know that Ji Zhong did not want to see him. He said, "I came here because of the recent case investigated by Dongchang."
Ji Zhong said: " Just tell me what you have to say."
Lu Wan nodded and said directly, "What is certain at the moment is that the court wants to investigate corruption."
"Quan Qing, You don’t mean to say that there is serious corruption in the household department, and even the hands and feet of those who were taken away are not clean, right? You have to know that they don’t supervise Taicang at all, and they have no chance to do anything.
Zhong Zhong still has to speak for his subordinates.
Lu Wandao: "I know, so I am here to remind you, Minister, that it is best to be aware of everything and find out everything clearly, otherwise you will easily fall into a trap."
"Trap ?" Zhong frowned.
Lu Wan said seriously: "The few people who have been taken so far are the baits set by Dongchang. Whoever bites will fall into the trap. Nowadays, it is no longer a fishhook, it is almost It’s a fishing net.”
“Let’s be clear,” Zhong said.
Lu Wandao: "These people are all involved in one thing, and that is the imperial court's mining in various places in the north. Nominally, these mines are the private property of Cai Guogong, but you and I both know that that Cai Guogong never took these mines as his own, and Jin Yiwei assisted him in starting the mines."
Dan Zhong's face was dark, as if he had realized something.
“Later.” Lu WanbuChong said, "The cabinet took the lead, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War and other yamen, when Ma Shangshu was still there, tried their best to propose to His Majesty that the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Industry should supervise these mines. You have also seen what happened next. Although The mines continue to develop, and more and more are opened, but the profits are decreasing day by day. "You mean, the ore and other things produced by the mines have been stolen?"
Lu Wan shook his head and said: "Things are by no means that simple. More and more mines are opened, but most of the later mines are local projects. These mines themselves have little output, and every time a mine is opened, , the local government would recruit civilians to carry out mining and other tasks, and the court would even use money from the original mining revenue to maintain these new mines, but the new mines often failed to make ends meet."
"Yes. "?" Zhong frowned.
Zhong Zhong obviously doesn’t understand anything about mining.
Lu Wandao: "If you just take away the ore, then the method is too inferior. The court may conduct a thorough investigation early in the morning. The key lies in the subsequent collection and development of the ore.
p>
Far less profitable than the original mines opened by Cai Guogong. Most of these mines were just fishing in troubled waters, and the reason why they entered the system was not only to meet the imperial military's huge demand for ores... but also Most of the money went into the pockets of the people in the court."
"Then why didn't your Majesty check it before?" Zhong Zhong said coldly.
Lu Wan said helplessly: "What your Majesty originally wanted was ore, especially iron ore. These new mines cost a lot of money, but at least they can increase the production of iron. Although the iron... is expensive. It was forged by the cost. But later...some people found ways to make more money, so that the court spent more and more money on these useless mines."
"Of course. , not all of the money was taken by officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, but more by those who managed the imperial estates and official lands. However, officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were behind it, and it was indispensable that many yamen in the court were behind it. Everyone is involved in it, vying to get benefits from this business... It seems that this is Cai Guogong's private property, and if you don't take it, you don't get it."
Jian Zhong said with a dark face: "I don't have it. "What does it have to do with me?"
Lu Wan said with a smile: "No...there are many people in the court who are profiting from it. Your Majesty can't stand it, and let Dongchang investigate thoroughly." As the case expands, some people...sooner or later will be punished. But they will also become infamous and will be infamed forever. "The transcoding has been serious recently, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode." Thank you