After getting Jiajing's permission, Zhang Rong slowly stood up from the ground.
Then, Jiajing waved his hand and ordered the eunuch waiting aside: "Come here and give the British Duke a seat!"
As soon as the words fell, a eunuch came forward, prepared a seat for Zhang Rong, and thoughtfully placed soft cushions on the seat.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"
Seeing this, Zhang Rong didn't refuse and sat down on the chair.
Jiajing looked at Zhang Rong sitting upright, nodded, and then said: "Mr. British, Lu Fang must have told you the general situation before coming here, right?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Zhang Rong's affirmative answer, Jiajing turned his gaze back and went straight to the topic: "Well, in that case, I'll keep the story short!"
"Didn't I say before that after the birth of the child in the belly of Imperial Concubine Shen, those clans and nobles who are listed on the list will officially set off to take up posts in Bozhou in the southwest?"
"Now, I think it's time!"
Although Zhang Rong had been fully mentally prepared before coming, when he actually heard these words from Jiajing's mouth, he still couldn't hide his excitement.
After all, the clan and nobles of the Ming Dynasty have been lonely for too long. Now that they finally have a chance to rise, they must find every way to seize it.
If you miss this time, you don’t know when the next one will be!
Then, Zhang Rong came back to his senses, stood up from his seat suddenly, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said in a deep voice: "We, Shiqing Shilu, have retired with the country, so naturally we should share your worries for you. Your Majesty, just do as you command!"
When Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but feel a trace of emotion on his face.
Then, he nodded and said loudly: "Well, okay, you are not only setting an example for the clan and nobles of the Ming Dynasty, but also setting an example for the people of the world. It will be recorded in the history books in the future. , your names will definitely be left on it!”
When Zhang Rong heard this, his face was full of excitement. He knelt on the ground with a thud and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"
"Well, get up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Zhang Rong sat down again, Jiajing looked in the direction of Zhang Rong again and continued: "What time do you think is the best time to set off?"
Zhang Rong heard this and after pondering for a moment, he responded: "Your Majesty, I feel that now that Bozhou has been decided, it is the time when people's hearts are floating, so we might as well send someone there as soon as possible. What do you think?"
Regarding Zhang Rong's suggestion, Jiajing only thought about it briefly and agreed, because Jiajing knew that the clan and nobles had been waiting for this opportunity for too long.
After that, the two parties discussed the details for a long time, and then Zhang Rong said goodbye and left.
After walking out of Qianqing Palace, Zhang Rong took a greedy breath of air, clenched his fists, and his face was full of anticipation.
…
After leaving the Forbidden City, Zhang Rong immediately summoned Duke Cheng, Duke Ding, and other Ming clan nobles to the British Palace.
In a short time, those clans and nobles who had received the news rushed to the British government residence as quickly as possible.
Because they knew that Zhang Rong must have something extremely important to announce when he chose to summon everyone at this time.
At this moment, the hall used by the British government to entertain guests was already bustling with people.
Everyone was guessing Zhang Rong's purpose in calling everyone, and their eyes looking at Zhang Rong were full of expectation.
Zhang Rong saw that people had almost arrived. After coughing twice, he faced everyone and said in a deep voice: "Ahem, everyone, to be honest, I went to Qianqing Palace not long ago!"
Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo on the side, heard Zhang Rong's words, a look of eagerness flashed on his face, and he urged: "Young Lord, don't show off. Is that the reason why His Majesty came to you?"
When Duke Cheng Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Rong, waiting for his response.
Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Zhang Rong nodded and said loudly: "Well, that's right, His Majesty has decided that in three days, those clansmen and nobles who were previously selected into the list will I will officially set off to work in Banshu, a place in the southwest!"
Because this news was too impactful to the clans and nobles present.
Therefore, they reacted after being stunned for a long time, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.
But what followed was a deafening cheer.
Later, Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, stood up with a serious face, faced everyone, and repeated his attitude: "We are all noble clan members of the Ming Dynasty. We are like-minded. We are both prosperous and disadvantaged." existence, we should help each other..."
…
After the discussion, a large number of royal nobles, including Duke Chengguo, Duke Dingguo, Marquis Wuqing, and Marquis Xincheng, left the British government one after another.
After that, Zhang Rong ordered his son Zhang Yuangong to be called to the study.
"Father, do you have anything to do with your child?"
In the study, Zhang Yuangong looked at Zhang Rong, who had his back turned to him and said nothing, and asked anxiously.
Hearing this, Zhang Rong turned around. After looking Zhang Yuangong up and down, he pointed to the empty seat aside and said coldly: "Sit down!"
After Zhang Yuangong heard this, he didn't hesitate at all. He sat down on the empty chair pointed by Zhang Rong and sat upright, not daring to make any move.
After that, Zhang Rong looked away and said slowly: "Do you know why dad came to you this time?"
Facing Zhang Rong's inquiry, Zhang Yuangong couldn't help but show doubts on his face.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yuangong searched carefully in his mind. After confirming that he had not made any mistakes recently, he shook his head and responded: "Go back to father, I don't know!"
Zhang Rong took in the expression on Zhang Yuangong's face and shook his head in a subtle way, and said slowly: "Your father and I went to Qianqing Palace today to meet with His Majesty!"
Hearing this, a trace of hesitation flashed across Zhang Yuangong's face. He mustered up the courage and confirmed to Zhang Rong: "Father, do you mean that my child will soon go to Bozhou to take up a post?"
Hearing this, Zhang Rong glanced at Zhang Yuangong and nodded: "Well, that's right, you, the clan and noble children who have been listed by His Majesty, will set off in three days!"
When Zhang Rong said this, he continued without waiting for Zhang Yuangong's response: "Dad called you here today because he has something to say to you!"
"Boshu is a place with many ethnic groups, high mountains, dense forests, steep terrain, and miasma!"
"The environment in that place is harsh. If you don't pay attention, you will easily get sick. There is basically no cure for diseases in that place. You must pay more attention to your health and don't worry your mother!"
"In addition, the imperial court is here to implement the policy of returning natives to exile in Bozhou. It is no better than the capital. You must pay more attention to everything. Do you understand?"
When Zhang Yuangong heard Zhang Rong's words, he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. He had never seen Zhang Rong speak like this since he could remember.
Later, Zhang Yuangong's face was filled with gratitude, he leaned down and said in a deep voice: "Thank you father for reminding me, I understand!"
…
Several days have passed since Zhao Zhenji personally led his troops to surround the Weaving Bureau.
Although the current Weaving Bureau is temporarily under the charge of the Chief Envoy, it is operating normally without any major problems.
Zhejiang, Zhejiang Governor's Mansion.
Today, Zheng Michang, He Maocai, Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and others gathered in the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion to report to Zhao Zhenji the results of recent days.
"Your Majesty the Governor, since you ordered people to post the notices, the people have been enthusiastic about reporting it, and the government has followed suit and arrested many businessmen!"
"Right now, not many merchants dare to take risks and buy raw silk from the people at low prices!"
As Zheng Michang said this, a trace of joy flashed in his eyes.
Without Zhao Zhenji's decisive action, the raw silk in the hands of the people would probably not have been saved.
At that time, in order to give an explanation to the court, Zheng Michang will definitely be thrown out as a scapegoat and end up with the same fate as Ma Ningyuan.
After Zhao Zhenji learned the news from Zheng Michang, he didn't show much surprise on his face. He just nodded and ordered: "Well, good job. Interrogate those merchants as soon as possible and try to get as much information from them as possible." Mouth, get some valuable confessions!”
When Zheng Michang heard this, he immediately looked stern, lowered his head, and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, Lord Governor!"
After Zheng Michang, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou stood up from their seats one after another and described their gains in recent days to Zhao Zhenji.
"It seems that the raw silk in the hands of Zhejiang people has finally been saved!"
Just when Zhao Zhenji was feeling so emotional, He Maocai stood up, scratched his head, and said cautiously: "Xun... Your Excellency, the imperial court's triennial plan is about to come soon. Look... …”
Zhao Zhenji took in the expression on He Maocai's face, raised his eyebrows, and gave instructions: "I will write the test for you when I come down later!"
The grand plan of the Ming Dynasty began in the eleventh year of Hongwu. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the Ministry of Personnel to evaluate the officials who came before him as "the most powerful in the palace", with the highest ranking being the highest and the lowest ranking being the highest.
The Ministry of Personnel was ordered to hold a banquet in the inner court, and officials were seated according to their assessment results.
Those who are competent and have no faults are classified as the upper class and are given a seat to eat. Those who are still competent but have faults are classified as average and eat while standing. Those who are faulty and incompetent are classified as the lower class and are punished to stand in line outside the door and look at others. Eat and wait until the banquet is over before leaving.
Since then, the triennial plan has become the imperial court's assessment of foreign officials, which mainly include military affairs, civil affairs, justice and other chief officials.
As for the Beijing officials of the central government and the six ministries and nine ministers, there is another assessment system. The assessment system for Beijing officials is called Beijing inspection. The Beijing inspection is held every six years. Beijing officials of fourth rank and above only need to write their own performance reports and submit them. They are assessed by the Ministry of Personnel, and their promotion, demotion, and retention are decided by the emperor.
Whenever a triennial major event comes, the governor of a province needs to judge the officials under his jurisdiction based on their talents, academic performance, age, and performance of their duties. Therefore, the evaluation made by the governor is also called Test language.
At this time, those officials in charge of military affairs, civil affairs, and justice are all trembling with fear, praying for a good review from their superiors.
This is especially true for He Maocai. As the inspector-general of Zhejiang, he was in charge of the prosecution of criminal charges in a province. In addition, he was also responsible for supervising education, military preparation, pacification of the people, the Qing army, Yi Chuan, patrolling the sea, and supervision. Military, water conservancy, reclamation and other responsibilities.
These errands can easily go wrong if you don't pay attention to them. If something goes wrong at this juncture, He Maocai, as the inspector of Zhejiang, will be blamed. At the least, he will lose his official position, and at the most, he will be sent to the army.
It is precisely because of this that He Maocai mentioned this matter to Zhao Zhenji, the governor of Zhejiang, in front of everyone.
He Maocai did not dare to ask for the best evaluation. He only hoped that Zhao Zhenji could give himself a moderate evaluation and keep his current position.
When Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, He Maocai showed a look of gratitude on his face. He lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Thank you, Mr. Xun!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhenji nodded slightly to He Maocai in response.
Although Zhao Zhenji took office not long ago, he knew He Maocai relatively well, and his talents, learning, and political achievements could barely be rated above average.
But even if it is an above-average evaluation, not more than half of the officials in the Ming Dynasty can truly receive this evaluation, and the vast majority of them are mediocre and incompetent.
…
At this moment, He Maocai on the side seemed to suddenly remember something, looked in the direction of Zhao Zhenji, and continued.
"By the way, Your Majesty the Governor, the Inspection Department where I am located is mainly responsible for the interrogation of those merchants!"
"Recently, the official learned from the confessions of some merchants that before this, the Yuan family in Jiaxing was suspected of cooperating with these merchants to jointly lower the price in order to purchase raw silk from the people!"
"Before this, Yuan Kui, the young master of the Yuan family in Jiaxing, took advantage of the situation and forcibly took away the wife of a commoner and severely injured her husband. Now, this man has been imprisoned by the government and is waiting to be punished!"
When He Maocai said this, he paused for a moment and then added: "During this period, the Yuan family sent people to invite the officials to banquets more than once, but they were all rejected by the officials. Mr. Governor, what do you think? …”
Before He Maocai finished speaking, Zhao Zhenji couldn't hide the excitement on his face. He suddenly stood up from his seat and asked: "Are the words you just said true?"
The people present obviously did not expect that Zhao Zhenji, who had always been calm and calm, would have such a big reaction, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
After He Maocai noticed Zhao Zhenji's eyes on him, he couldn't help but panic. After secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he respectfully responded: "Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely true, and there is no lie in it!"
After receiving He Maocai's affirmative reply, Zhao Zhenji's face was full of relief.
After all, Zhao Zhenji came to Zhejiang to take up a post, on the one hand, to take over Hu Zongxian's job, and on the other hand, he wanted to secretly find out the land and population hidden by these wealthy gentry.
The Yuan family in Jiaxing is a well-known family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and has annexed more than 100,000 acres of land.
Zhao Zhenji was worried that he could not find a reason to attack, but at this moment, He Maocai gave him an excellent reason.
He planned to use this case to explore the reality of the Yuan family in Jiaxing.
Then, Zhao Zhenji came back to his senses, his face full of anger.
He suddenly slammed the table, looked in the direction of He Maocai, and said in a deep voice: "Humph, the wife who occupies someone else's wife dares to seriously injure someone without saying anything. It's really lawless!"
"If this continues, where is the justice in this world?"
"Master He, try this case in accordance with the laws of the Ming Dynasty and give justice to the people!"
He Maocai naturally heard the implication of Zhao Zhenji's words. Zhao Zhenji was hinting to himself that he would use the topic to make this case a big deal!
Although He Maocai didn't understand the reason why Zhao Zhenji did this, with the nod of Zhao Zhenji, the governor of Zhejiang, he had the confidence to handle the case.
What's more, at present, the imperial court's triennial plan is approaching, and he still needs Zhao Zhenji's help in He Maocai's examination.
If we can take advantage of the opportunity to hear this case at this time and hype it up, it can be regarded as a political achievement.
Apart from anything else, there is definitely no problem in keeping your current position.
After thinking about this, He Maocai leaned down with unusual respect and said in a deep voice: "As you command, Lord Governor!"
Seeing that the matter had been settled, everyone did not stay in the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion for too long, but said goodbye and left.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, He Maocai saw no one around. After pondering for a long time, he looked at Zheng Michang standing aside and raised his doubts.
"Old Zheng, do you think the governor is interested in the Yuan family's property and wants to take this opportunity to extort money?"
When Zheng Michang heard what He Maocai said, his face suddenly filled with black lines, and he responded without thinking: "How is this possible? The governor obviously came here to practice. Besides, don't forget, the governor is a commoner. In the future, The future is limitless!”
"How can you waste money and ruin your own future just for this?"
When Zheng Michang said this, he paused and continued: "In my opinion, the governor must have other considerations!"
After Zheng Michang finished speaking, without waiting for He Maocai's response, he walked to the place where the sedan chair was parked.
Seeing this, He Maocai quickly caught up with Zheng Michang in three steps and two steps at a time, and then said: "Old Zheng, Old Zheng, don't walk so fast, wait for me!"
…
On the other side, in the inn where Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing stayed.
Long before Zhao Zhenji personally led troops to surround the Weaving Bureau and imprisoned Pang Qian, the eunuch in charge of the Weaving Bureau, and others, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing knew that the situation was over.
After all, before this, no one expected that Zhao Zhenji would have the right to kill first and report later given by the emperor!
After that, things did not go beyond the two's expectations. Under the joint attack of the government and the army, not many merchants in Zhejiang dared to maliciously lower the price of raw silk and forcefully purchase raw silk from the hands of the people.
And this undoubtedly declared the complete failure of this operation!
Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing failed to achieve their set goals of purchasing enough raw silk from the people.
Yan Maoqing couldn't even imagine what those senior officials whose interests had been harmed would do when he returned to the capital.
After all, this matter involves many things and the interests behind it are complicated. There are even rumors that the Director of Ceremonies is also involved.
Yan Maoqing didn't know exactly how many people in the court were involved, but he knew that he and Wang Ting would definitely bear the wrath of those people after they returned.
To make matters worse, Ma Ningyuan, a prisoner of the imperial court, died in the cell for no apparent reason. For this reason, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing will have to hold their noses and admit the authenticity of Ma Ningyuan's confession.
After all, only by substantiating Ma Ningyuan's crime of committing suicide out of fear of crime can the two of them escape from this case smoothly without having to bear the corresponding guilt.
In the room, Yan Maoqing was alone, sipping wine from his glass. There were several dishes of side dishes placed on the table.
In the past few days, Yan Maoqing has not gone anywhere. He just shut himself in his room and drank to drown his sorrows.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Seeing this, Yan Maoqing could not help but frown slightly, and then ordered: "Come in!"
After the words fell, there was only a "squeak" sound, the door of the room was pushed open, and the person who came was revealed, it was Wang Ting, the right servant of the Ministry of Revenue.
When Yan Maoqing saw that the person coming was Wang Ting, his expression softened a lot. Then, he pointed to the empty seat opposite and asked Wang Ting to sit down: "This is Mr. Wang, come and sit down!"
When Wang Ting heard this, he didn't refuse and sat down opposite Yan Maoqing.
"Come on, let's have a drink first!"
After Yan Maoqing finished speaking, he picked up the wine flask on the table and filled Wang Ting's drink with wine.
At this moment, Wang Ting's face was full of sorrow. He raised his head and drank all the wine in the cup.
After that, Wang Ting looked at Yan Maoqing on the side and asked, "Master Yan, what should we do next? If we just go back to the capital like this, we won't be able to do the job!"
Yan Maoqing took in the expression on Wang Ting's face, shook his head, and said slowly: "Oh, Mr. Wang, we are completely desperate now!"
When Wang Ting heard what Yan Maoqing said, he couldn't help but feel a trace of sadness on his face. He knew that what Yan Maoqing said was true.
During their trip, not only did they fail to pass Ma Ningyuan's case, but more people were implicated. They even failed to complete the task of purchasing raw silk.
After returning to the capital, there will definitely be no good end. Even if he can barely save his life, his official career will be cut off.
While Wang Ting was still racking his brains to think about possible countermeasures, Yan Maoqing looked in the direction of Wang Ting and asked, "By the way, Mr. Wang, how many days do we have?"
When Wang Ting heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses. After a moment of recollection, he responded: "In three days, we will have to end the investigation, officially set off, and return to the capital by boat!"
When Yan Maoqing heard this, a look of sadness appeared on his face. He raised his head, drank all the wine in the glass, and said to himself: "There are only three days left!" (End of this chapter)
