Outside the Meridian Gate, the kneeling eunuchs and stewards were crying and shouting.
Dongchang Fanzi arrested the person and dragged him out of the city.
The court officials turned a deaf ear.
"Old Master, am I right?" Zhu Qiyu's eyes were burning.
"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision that is beyond the reach of my senior ministers."
Hu Xi knelt down and said, "I will mobilize my family now. Even if I tighten my belly, I will squeeze out some food to build a porridge shed."
Zhu Qiyu looked at Wang Zhi.
"Your Majesty's words are like enlightenment. I am convinced by you!" Wang kowtowed.
All the officials kowtowed and shouted long live.
"Long live? Long live? I'm afraid you won't survive this year!"
"Repeat it again!"
"I didn't ask you to wait for the porridge shack to turn the refugees into servants!"
Zhu Qiyu's tone was sinister: "I don't care what you did in the past! I'm too lazy to investigate!"
"But from now on, whoever dares to deceive the superiors and deceive the inferiors, create clever names, and force the refugees to rebel, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"I will not only kill you!"
"Kill your nine tribes as well! Your Shangguan's nine tribes! Your Shangguan's nine tribes! Kill them all!"
"If you are from Honglu Temple, I will kill Honglu Temple!"
"If it's from the cabinet! I will kill all the cabinet ministers!"
"If you are an honorable minister, I will kill all the nine clans that are related to you!"
"Whoever disagrees with me, I will ask you to wait for the nine tribes to report to the Palace of Hell!"
"Stop being stuck here, get out of here and go do it!"
"Those who have no food, buy food, and those who have no money, find ways to raise money! If you can't fill your stomach, you have to feed the refugees!"
"All grain merchants and cloth merchants in Beijing who dare to raise grain prices will be punished!"
Zhu Qiyu's voice was hoarse and his anger was overwhelming.
He sent eunuchs out of the city to take a look last night, and received reports on the way back from Xiannongtan. There were tens of thousands of refugees everywhere outside the city. Some of the refugees were even beginning to starve to death. The situation was already extremely serious.
As for how the refugees came? He doesn't know yet, but it must be more than the number of refugees mentioned by Fang Ying. Maybe Fang Ying doesn't dare to report that many.
He wouldn't care if the capital camp was in the capital, but now that there are no soldiers in the capital, what can be done to stop the refugees from rebelling?
He doesn't want to be Jiaqing.
The key point is that Boarskin still has room to run, where will he go? There was a war in Xuanzhen, and there was no peace in Liaodong, so we had no choice but to run south.
If we run to Nanjing, Xuanzang will inevitably lose morale among the troops and will not be able to hold it.
At that time, the Wala soldiers will march straight in. If Zhu Qiyu imitates Yelu Deguang and becomes the emperor of the Central Plains, will Zhu Qiyu be embarrassed?
This is not even considering the worse political impact!
The Supreme Emperor hunted in the north, and the current emperor hunted in the south. The two brothers were born for each other. Two runaway emperors came out of Lao Zhu's family. What qualifications do they have to be the co-lords of the world?
Will Bian have any other ideas? Does Yu Qian have other ideas? Do the Oara, Tatar, Kansai Seven Guards, Southwest Chieftains, clans, and honorable ministers also have ideas?
The world is really in chaos!
Even if there is still a small imperial court in Nanjing, it is definitely not Zhu Qiyu who sits on the throne.
What if I were unlucky and were caught by the rebels on the way to escape? Would it be embarrassing? How should Zhu Qiyu live?
"Why don't you go?" Zhu Qiyu is going to kill people with his sword. Whoever doesn't let him sit on the throne will die!
"Your Majesty, don't be angry!"
Zhang Feng had no choice but to climb out and said: "Your Majesty, there is no food in the capital now!"
Zhu Qiyu was startled: "Where is the food?"
"The grain has been shipped out of Beijing, some to the Xuanfu, and some to Shandong. The granaries of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service are all empty!" Zhang Feng reported anxiously.
That's right, in these troubled times, both Xuanzhen and Shandong need food, but it is better for the two sides to be more urgent.
"Let's keep it together at home, and I'll keep it together in the palace."
Zhu Qiyu breathed a sigh of relief: "I will issue an imperial edict first to calm the anger in the hearts of the refugees. In the evening, we will open the warehouse to put food in. Put less, so as not to kill anyone."
"Your Majesty, the ministers and others have been without salary for several months. The family is hungry and there is really no food!" Zhang Feng smiled bitterly.
Zhu Qiyu's expression changed and his tone was cold: "You really can't make it work at all?"
"I can make some money, but it's not enough to give porridge." Zhang Feng was frightened by Zhu Qiyu's expression.
"Not enough? Ah!"
"Zhang Feng! Your family can starve to death, but refugees are not allowed to starve to death!"
"Did you hear that?"
"Get out of here, I don't care where you go to collect food, even if you go to rob it, I don't care, I'm going to see the porridge shack! The refugees are not allowed to cause chaos! The capital is not allowed to cause chaos!"
Zhu Qiyu shouted loudly: "Everyone get lost!"
He was furious and refused to listen to explanations.
Each and every one of you has a business all over the capital and makes a fortune every day. Even if you say you have no food at home, you won’t even believe it!
Just say that the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture is richer than me!
Think I'm a fool, don't you know?
How old are these damn gangs, and they are still holding on to those two pieces of bad money! You are not afraid that the refugees will form a rebel army, attack the city, and kill your whole family. Only then will you know how to regret it!
He returned to the palace angrily. These people who had been stabbed a thousand times should be sent to the homeless pile and let the refugees cook and eat them!
"Old Master, what should I do?" Zhang Feng's face was full of worry.
"You ask me what to do? We need to raise food. No wonder His Majesty is angry. Your Majesty is right. Once the refugees form a rebel army, don't you know what will happen?"
Hu Hui was also anxious. How long has it been? How many small coins are still missing? Is saving your life more important than anything else?
He looked up and found that many officials, like Zhang Feng, were as anxious as ants on a hot pot.
"Old Master, there is no food at home!" Cui Gong smiled bitterly.
"Cui Gong, you just want to fool His Majesty, but you want to deceive me? How much business does your family have, I don't know? How can there be no food?"
Hu Bi scolded him: "When life is at stake, don't save a few bucks."
"Now we, the courtiers, should stand with His Majesty and stop fighting among ourselves."
"Hurry up and collect food, resettle the refugees, and send them back to their places of origin. Whether they live or die is none of our business."
Hu Bi said sincerely: "Just listen to me, and you will lose money and avoid disaster!"
"It's not an internal fight, old lady, the official's family really has no food." Zhang Feng burst into tears.
Many officials nodded, saying there was really no food.
"Where's the food?" Hu Hui was surprised.
"The woman from the Xiaguan family saw that the price of food had skyrocketed in the past few days, so she sold the food to Guanzhong." Zhang Feng hesitated before telling the truth.
Hu Hui was dumbfounded. The dignified Minister of the Ministry of Hubu actually sold his own grain to the Ministry of Hubu to earn the difference.
"You all sold it too?" Hu Hui pointed at Cui Gong and other officials.
Cui Gong and others lowered their heads in embarrassment.
In the face of a national crisis, as senior officials in the DPRK, they not only did not help the DPRK tide over the difficulties, but also took the opportunity to raise funds for the national crisis.
The emperors all knew that they would sell their palaces and shops to raise money, and use their internal funds to raise money to buy food and provide relief to the victims!
You actually took the opportunity to enrich the country, resold grain, and took the disaster relief funds raised by His Majesty's royal shop. What are you going to do? Do you want to destroy Ming Dynasty?
Have you read the books of saints and sages for half your life, but have you read them into the dog's belly?
Is this how the sages and scriptures teach you how to act?
Hu Xi wanted to scold, but when the curse came to her lips, it turned into a few miserable laughs.
He was on the verge of falling and was supported by Wang Wen.
"Then go out of the city and go to the countryside to harvest. Farmers in the countryside must have some surplus grain. Buy it back at a high price and deal with it first."
Hu Hu could only help them think of a way: "Wait for the grain to be transported to Beijing, and then buy it to them at a low price, and we will suffer some losses."
"Just don't starve to death. Money is nothing more than possessions. You will come back next year, so don't worry about it."
But no one moved yet, they all lowered their heads, not daring to look at Hu Hui.
Zhang Feng hesitated and said: "Seeing the skyrocketing increase in food, the officials have already sent servants to harvest it. All the nearby farms have harvested it, even Tianjin Wei's."
Let’s look at the appearances of all officials and sentient beings.
Hu Xi slapped her forehead and pointed at Cui Gong and other officials: "You're going to collect it too?"
Cui Gong lowered his head and did not dare to answer.
"You guys are really good at making money. You even took away Tianjin Wei's food. I finally know where the refugees come from!"
Hu Hui looked dejected, squatted on the ground, shook his head, and was speechless.
"Xiaguan didn't go to Tianjin Guard, Xiaguan went to Baoding to collect it." Cui Gong whispered.
Wang Wen had a little bit of joy on his face: "I went to Shunde Mansion to collect it."
"I went to Yongqing to collect it." Lin Cong said.
"The price of grain in Yongqing is high, so I went to Hejian to collect it." Wang Hong also looked a little proud.
The dignified central ministers are all like businessmen in the market. The Ming Dynasty will die in the hands of these people sooner or later!
"How long has it been and you are still trying to be clever! Think about your own head!"
Hu Xi smiled miserably: "Tell me what to do! Your Majesty's scolding you is a bad word, and I still refuse to accept it. Now it seems that your Majesty is right to scold you!"
Everyone stopped talking and smiled bitterly.
Although I don’t know what Shabi means, I feel like it’s a curse.
"Old Master, why don't you come up with a solution? Where can we get some food?" Wang Wen said with a flattering look on his face.
"Go to Shunde Mansion and give it a try." Hu Bi scolded him.
Wang Wen's face turned red and he argued: "Old Master, your family is not rich and your expenses are high, so you want to make a little money. This is human nature, but who would have thought that there are so many refugees in the capital... "
"Can it be less?"
"Use your brains to figure out where the refugees come from!"
"You forced me out!"
"When you go to buy grain, you must be buying it from a big household. Is it possible that each family should collect it?"
"Now is the time when there is no harvest, and the surplus grain in the people's homes may not last until the autumn harvest! Are the people's homes willing to sell it? Huh?"
"But you pay high prices to buy grain. Those big families are crazy about money. Not only do they sell their own surplus grain, they also force farmers in the countryside to hand over their surplus grain and sell it to you!"
"I sold them to you, what do they eat?"
"What will those big gangsters do? Aren't you all smart? Haha, you must take the opportunity to occupy their fields!"
"That's how these refugees came here!"
"They were originally good family members in Gyeonggi Province, but you forced them to become refugees!"
"If His Majesty finds out, you all should touch your necks to see if they are strong enough!"
"A bunch of bad guys!"
Although Hu Ming didn't understand what Shabi meant, she felt that it was very appropriate to describe the Gongun Dukes.
He walked away.
Lin Cong, Zhang Feng and others quickly grabbed him: "Old Master, it's useless to blame us now. The top priority is to raise food and solve the crisis!"
"What can I do? Can you conjure food?" Hu Xizhen felt that his pig teammates were hopeless.
"Master, you were responsible for buying grain before. Do the grain merchants in Beijing still have grain?" Xue Xuan asked anxiously.
Hu Hui pointed at him: "Mr. Xue, you are also selling grain? How can you make money from the country's crisis?"
Xue Xuan's face turned red and she didn't know where to put it.
"You are the master of literature, the teacher of the world's literati! You are also the prime minister of the dynasty. Don't you know how the money to buy food comes from?"
Hu Xi was about to cry: "Your Majesty raised that by selling the Imperial Store!"
"In order to sell the goods at a good price, the household department argued with those merchants all day long, and the whole body was smelled of copper!"
"I finally raised money, bought grain from grain merchants at a high price, and shipped it to Shandong. That is life-saving money, Mr. Xue!"
“Your Majesty’s hair turned gray because he didn’t have enough money!”
"They are greedy for petty profits. I can understand it, but you can't!"
"You are the leader of literati in the world and a role model for literati in the world!"
"Tell yourself, are you worthy of reading the sages' books? How can you serve as a teacher in the future, and how can you make students believe in the world of great harmony in the sages' books!"
Only then did Hu Hui discover that two-thirds of the courtiers in the DPRK had made this national treasure.
The few who didn't get it probably couldn't grab it and didn't even drink the soup, but they must have sold the remaining food at home.
"I am ashamed to be a sage!" Xue Xuan covered her face and cried.
Hu Xi wiped her tears and knew that it was useless to scold her. The thing had happened and she had to find a way to solve it.
He calmed down and said: "Now we can only go to the honorable ministers. They have a lot of land in the capital, and they will have enough food at home."
Zhang Feng lowered his head and said nothing.
"what happened again?"
Zhang Feng smiled bitterly: "To report to Taifu, Zhang Mao from the British Duke's Office transported hundreds of carts of grain to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Other ministers also followed suit and sold the grain. The Ministry of Revenue purchased the grain from ministers first, and then It belongs to the officials in the capital, and finally it belongs to the grain merchants."
Hu Hui's eyes darkened: "Why do you collect all kinds of food?"
I'm afraid that if Xunchen's family has no food to support the tenants, they may be driven out and become refugees!
Moreover, if you know something from the slightest hint, are the surplus grains of ordinary people in Beijing also sold to the Ministry of Household Affairs at a high price?
In this way, can food transported by water can feed the population of Gyeonggi?
broken! broken!
Once the grain transported by water cannot supply rations, the capital will be in chaos!
Once there is a mess...
He didn't dare to think about it anymore!
The key is that the emperor doesn't know it yet. Once the emperor knows it, he will definitely take action! If we don't wait for food to be in chaos first, I'm afraid the emperor will cut off everyone's heads and kick them as balls!
The most frightening thing is, how many people from the DPRK are leading troops to fight abroad?
If they knew that their family members were killed, wouldn't this force them to rebel?
It’s over, it’s over!
The Ming Dynasty is about to overturn!
"Old Master, the situation in Shandong is in danger. Your Majesty has also said that he will collect grain from the capital and transport it all to Shandong, mainly Shandong..." Zhang Feng defended.
"Shut up! His Majesty asked you to rob people's food? Are you crazy?"
Hu Xi sat slumped on the ground and waved his hand: "Go back and wash your necks. There is nothing I can do."
"Master, why don't we strike first and kill all the refugees." Wang Wen said fiercely.
"Kill? Go and kill!"
Hu Hu scolded him for being stupid: "If the capital camp is in Beijing, why should we be afraid of tens of thousands of refugees? Don't forget, there are only more than 10,000 Liang Yue in the capital, and we don't know what their combat effectiveness is. Can we count on them?"
"Old Master, please ask the imperial edict to transfer Fan Guang, who lives in Yongguan, back to the capital." Wang Wen said fiercely.
"Then you go to stop Wala? Okay, don't say it's nothing! If you can kill me, do you need to tell me?"
Hu Xi was so angry: "Can you spare some money from the Hubu Granary? Let's give the refugees some hope first and take it one day at a time."
"The granary of the Ministry of Finance is full of rats." Zhang Feng smiled bitterly.
"Everyone can put together a little bit, and a few meals will not kill anyone." Hu Ming really had no choice.
"Old Master, if we can get it together at home, why are we still gathering here? Let's just say my family has no rice left to cook tonight!" Wang Wen really wanted to strangle that prodigal woman to death!
"There is no food in the capital, there is a shortage of food in Shandong, there is a war in Xuanzhen, there is no hope in the northwest, and the Miao chaos in Huguang is not over."
"We can only use water transport to transport grain from the south of the Yangtze River..."
“But there’s not enough time, the refugees can’t stand it any longer!”
Hu Xi's hair turned gray due to anxiety, but there was still nothing he could do.
The courtiers all had sad faces, and they were more worried about their own families going hungry at night.
"Old Master, I know that there is food everywhere, but..." Shi Pu hesitated.
"Shi Shangshu, tell me quickly, this is life-saving food. I'll borrow it myself!" Hu Xi was very worried.
"The temple has food."
hiss!
Many officials gasped.
The temple is like a hornet's nest, and the emperor wouldn't dare to prick it without looking at it.
He only punished his domestic slaves but not those who visited temples. He was shunned like a tiger. Even the emperor who was not afraid of heaven and earth was afraid of him, let alone the Gungun princes who were lying on their bodies and eating nothing.
"Shi Shangshu, don't you have two people in your family who believe in Taoism and Buddhism?" Lin Cong glared angrily!
This kind of hornet's nest needs to be poked if you are crazy!
Anyone who makes this suggestion is either stupid or bad.
"My old mother believes in Buddhism, but this is a question asked by Taifu Hu, and I just answer it." Shi Pu looked innocent.
"Can you say this nonsense? How many people in Beijing believe in Taoism and Buddhism? Don't you know how many people there are?"
Lin Cong roared in a low voice: "Don't be ignorant, I am here to save you. If word gets out, your life will be at risk!"
Then he looked around angrily: "No one is allowed to spread what I said today. It's for everyone's good. Do you understand?"
"Your Majesty, I understand!" Baiguan responded.
Yes, Lin Cong was really saving Shi Pu, but Shi Pu didn't appreciate it and made Lin Cong very angry.
"Okay, stop arguing."
Hu Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Then I will go in person and borrow some food from the temples and Taoist temples!"
"What?" Lin Cong, Wang Wen and others opened their eyes wide.
Cui Gong said anxiously: "Old Master, during the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Taizu did not dare to blatantly attack temples. The chaos of religion was worse than the chaos of refugees! Old Master, please think twice!"
"It's just a loan, you can pay some interest. Once the grain is transported to Beijing, I will return it to them. If the money and grain are enough, we will pay the loss."
Hu Hui believes that this is the best solution.
Although the dispute between Confucianism and Buddhism was raging in the court, it was just a debate. Occasionally, the court did not have the order of the Buddha, but it was just a formality.
However, if you use money and food, you will be destroying the very foundation of the temple!
Temple temples are not easy to deal with.
"I can't borrow it."
Xiang Wenyao stood up with fear on his face and stood up to dissuade him: "In the third year of Jingtai, my subordinates submitted a memorial to advise Your Majesty: abstain from wandering and eating, ban wandering and laziness in order to strengthen the profession, eliminate the teachings of monks and Taoists, and save redundant expenses. It is beneficial to the people. Monks and Taoists do not know the meaning of the king and his ministers, and the relationship between father and son. They are harmful to morals. If they do not eliminate them and want to govern the world, it will be difficult..."
"This is the original text of Xiaguan Shang's memorial. It was read out in the Fengtian Palace at that time. You should remember it."
"But you know what?"
"That night, Xiaguan's youngest son broke his leg on the way home. No one at Xiaguan's house came to collect the tribute bucket for a month!"
Xiang Wenyao smiled bitterly: "The family that accepts the gongtong believes in Buddhism, but refuses to accept the gongtong from Xiaguan's house, just because Xiaguan received this memorial!"
Hu Hui also knows that monks and Taoists are definitely a hornet's nest, and they don't dare to poke it unless absolutely necessary.
"It's just borrowing, you can borrow it at a high price." Hu Bi was at a loss.
Xiang Wenyao still shook his head and said nothing.
In fact, he wanted to say that the more refugees there were, the more prosperous the temples would be, and the monks and Taoists would take the opportunity to recruit the refugees as tenants of the temple fields and recruit more monks and Taoists into the temples.
It can be said that this is a gluttonous feast for the dignitaries and temple officials in Beijing.
Whoever influences them to fatten up their brains and make a lot of money is their enemy!
They don't care whether the refugees will rebel. Anyway, if they rebel, the emperor will support them, so what are they afraid of? Wouldn't it be possible to live a good life under another emperor?
"Then I can't do anything." Hu Hui sighed.
"Old Master, I think what Wang Shaobao said is true. We advise Your Majesty to ask the Nine Sect Admiral Liang Yue to lead his army out of the city. We might as well do nothing but do nothing..." Mu Zhuang gritted his teeth and said.
"Shut up!"
"Old Master, are you worried about the lack of military strength? We can fight with our servants together!" Mu Zhuang became furious.
"Go to the palace and report to His Majesty. I can't help you! I wish Mu Shaoqing immediate success!" Hu Bi was too lazy to scold him. This guy has a hole in his head.
If the refugees can be killed, why bother?
Don’t forget, there is no food in the capital, and the number of refugees will increase every day. More and more refugees will be killed outside the city today, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow? Can you finish the killing?
Doesn't this force the good families of Gyeonggi to rebel and cause trouble?
Hu Xi felt tired: "Just wait until you figure it out. I can't help you."
"Your Majesty also said that you can rob or kidnap, as long as you use food to help the refugees and prevent the capital from causing trouble."
"I listen to Your Majesty. As long as there is no chaos in the capital, I can do whatever you want. I pretend to be deaf and mute and let's leave."
"Old Master!" Lin Cong and others tried to persuade him to stay.
Hu Xi's pace is firm, and these pig teammates really can't lead him.
When he returned home, he saw his eldest son Hu Changning playing with birds and insects, and his bad mood improved a little: "Changning, go in person, take the food at home, and set up a porridge shed outside the city."
"Ah?" Hu Changning was holding a bird cage to entertain the birds when he was suddenly stunned.
"Ah for what?"
"Hurry up and get it done. The porridge shed must be set up before dark."
"Let the refugees have porridge and do it quickly!"
Hu Bi wanted to urge him to make progress, but he was so confused that he didn't say anything.
"oh."
Hu Changning's expression was stiff, and cold sweat flowed from his forehead: "Um, father, why do you need to set up a porridge shed? Food is so expensive in Beijing these days..."
"Just do it if I ask you to do it. What are you doing here?"
Hu Xi roared angrily: "Before dark, the refugees must have porridge to drink. If they can't, our Hu family's heads will have to be moved!"
"Ah?" Hu Changning exclaimed, his body softened and he leaned against the doorpost.
The bird cage he was holding fell to the ground, the cage broke, and the bird in the cage flew out.
This is Hu Changning's favorite bird.
Hu Hui saw something was wrong: "What's wrong?"
"F-Father..." Hu Changning hesitated and wanted to lie, but he was stupid and couldn't think of it.
"to be honest!"
Hu Changning was startled. He was so afraid of his father that he gave up.
"The price of grain in Beijing was extremely high a few days ago. My son wanted to make a small profit, so he sold all the grain at home. Father, please don't worry. My son made thousands of taels of silver..."
Hu Xi's eyes darkened: "What a naughty boy! What a naughty boy!"
Hu Changning was quite proud. He went to Gyeonggi Province to collect a lot of grain and sold it to the Ministry of Revenue. He made a huge profit of more than a thousand taels. He didn't know how to spend so much money.
But seeing his father crumbling, he hurried to help him.
Snapped!
Hu Hui slapped him in the face: "I was so wise in my life, why did I give birth to a stupid son like you! Why didn't you discuss with me when you were reselling food?"
"That's it! Go summon Lin Cong, Li Xian, Zhang Feng, Shi Pu and others!"
"Go and invite me! Hurry up! I'm going to be mad at you!"
Hu Hui had tears in his eyes. He thought his family was safe. Who would have thought that his stupid eldest son would actually sell all the remaining food in the family!
I was laughing at someone before, but ended up getting slapped in the face!
…
On the way back to the palace.
Zhu Qiyu looked unhappy: "Preach the decree and read it to the refugees!"
"Just say that I have been deceived by traitors and your food has been corrupted by these damn eunuchs. I will hand over the culprit to you and let you do whatever you want! I have done some self-examination and set up a porridge shed every mile outside the city. Fill it first. With a full belly, I will build a refugee camp to shelter you from the wind and rain. I am watching your situation every day, and I am here to help you clear up your grievances!"
"Your Majesty, this imperial edict is too colloquial." Feng Xiao frowned.
"If you speak classical Chinese to some common people, will they understand it? You have to understand that it varies from person to person."
Zhu Qiyu smiled bitterly: "Feng Xiao, I leave the matter of setting up a porridge shed outside the city to you. I will give you the Emperor's Sword. You can kill anyone! We must not let chaos arise in the capital!"
"This slave accepts the order!" Feng Xiao knelt down to thank him.
"Collect some food in the palace, keep the rations, and take the rest out." Zhu Qiyu was really scared.
"It is hereby announced that the nine gates of the Admiral's Mansion will be under martial law from now on. No city gates are allowed to be opened without my decree!"
"Write another imperial edict and send it to Juyongguan at any time, so that Fan Guang can return to Beijing to protect him!"
Entering the Qinzheng Hall, Zhu Qiyu took a sip of tea and said to Qin Chang: "Go in person and pass the order to Cao Jixiang to ask him to speed up. Now the courtiers are too busy to take care of him. This is the best time to make money."
"Then pass the order to Dongchang and ask Shu Liang to destroy all the factories and shops that make and sell incense. These will be used for the first batch of goods, and then recruit the incense craftsmen into the incense making bureau."
Zhu Qiyu tapped his fingertips and muttered: "The Incense Making Bureau is located in the old prison. It was renamed the Incense Making Bureau. Shen Huai was ordered to lead Wu Xiang's right guard to guard the Incense Making Bureau."
Using Shen Huai was to give Song Wei some face.
It won’t chill the people below.
"Qin Chang, urge Cao Jixiang to be fast!" Zhu Qiyu was red-eyed because he was short of money.
Let Cao Jixiang out and grab the money.
…
Feng Xiao and Chen Shao led the team and escorted hundreds of people out of the city.
Feng Xiao announced the decree to Liang Yue on the city gate. After the announcement, he looked out of the city.
There are flowers blooming in the capital, but outside the capital it is like a white field.
The inside of the city is like heaven, and the outside is like hell.
As far as the eye can see, there is only snow and dirt, not even a dry grass root, and the bare ground is thousands of miles away.
Refugees were everywhere. Although their clothes were not too bad, they were not much better. They were all shaking with hunger.
"Does your Majesty know?" Liang Yue asked cautiously.
"Marquis Baoding, was this how you were when you entered the capital?" Feng Xiao asked.
"Not yet."
“There were refugees in Gyeonggi at that time, but not so many.”
"I don't know why, but since the severe floods in Shandong, there have been more and more refugees outside Beijing."
"I also went to ask in person. The accents are all local. Most of them are from good families in Gyeonggi. There are also tenants from big families who were driven out to make a living."
Liang Yue smiled bitterly: "I have just written a memorial. I wanted to start it tomorrow morning, but I don't want you to come and announce the decree."
"The Marquis of Baoding is interested."
Feng Xiao was in a good mood: "The emperor was furious outside the Meridian Gate today and asked the officials in the capital to set up a porridge shed to help the refugees. I'm afraid it will be over in a few days."
But Liang Yue stopped talking.
"The Marquis of Baoding will tell you if you have anything to say. Although our family does not have much real power, we are always a bit mean-spirited when serving in front of the emperor. If you can be of use to our family, we will do anything for you."
Feng Xiao showed his favor to Liang Yue. He knew very well how much the emperor valued Liang Yue, so he naturally wanted to win over him.
"Eunuch Feng has a heart-to-heart relationship with me, and I cannot go against my father-in-law's good intentions."
Liang Yue gritted his teeth and said: "I will tell you the truth. I guess that more and more refugees will gather because there is no food in the capital!"
It was fun for Feng Xiao to say: "How can there be no food in Beijing?"
"Indeed, the emperor sold the imperial store, raised 190,000 taels of silver, and bought some grain in Beijing, causing the price of grain to rise sharply in Beijing."
"But the water transportation has not been interrupted, and food comes to Beijing every day."
"Your Majesty has also issued an imperial edict. This batch of grain in Beijing will temporarily solve Shandong's urgent needs. From now on, grain will be transported from Nanjing, and the money will come from the Ministry of Household Affairs and internal funds."
"Now that the imperial edict has been sent out of Beijing, Nanjing must be raising food to transport to Shandong."
"The Xuanfu food has also been transported away, and it is still sufficient."
"Perhaps the food supply in Beijing has not been plentiful recently, but it is not without food."
"It will be transported to Beijing by water."
"Even if water transportation is not enough, you can go to Baoding, Tianjin, Tangshan and other nearby places to buy grain. There is no shortage of grain in Beijing."
Seeing Feng Xiao's optimistic look, Liang Yue guessed that the emperor probably thought so too.
It is thought that the refugees in the capital are only suffering from ringworm and scabies.
"Eunuch Feng, please take a step to speak!"
Liang Yun took Feng Xiao to a different place and lowered his voice: "I will tell the truth to Eunuch Feng. Please tell Eunuch Feng the truth. Please convey these words to Your Majesty!"
Seeing Liang Yue's extremely solemn look, Feng Xiao put away his smile and nodded solemnly.
"To be honest, Eunuch Feng, when news of the severe floods in Shandong reached the capital, the powerful officials in the capital went around to collect grain."
"I heard that the price of food in Gyeonggi Province has skyrocketed."
"Food prices in Tianjinwei, Tangshan, Baoding and other places have also skyrocketed."
"And the powerful people in the capital took them all away with a wave of their hands."
"After taking it away, sell it to the Ministry of Finance at a high price."
"No matter how much money the rich and powerful make, there is no food in the capital."
"The source of the refugees in the Gyeonggi region is because large households sell grain. Some farmers follow suit and sell, and some farmers are forcibly bought and sold."
"This has led to refugees everywhere, because they can't survive anymore!"
"To put it bluntly, these refugees are all good families in Gyeonggi!"
Liang Yue said with great certainty.
Feng Xiao was stunned. He moved the corner of his mouth and said in disbelief: "Marquis Baoding is joking."
"Your Majesty speculates that there may have been a disaster somewhere in the capital, and so many refugees appeared before they even reported to the court. How could it be because of food shortages?"
"I am absolutely telling no lies!"
"In the past few days, I have been in contact with the refugees, and I only know this."
"I have written these circumstances into the memorial. Please take it back and present it to Your Majesty for reading."
With that said, Liang Yue took out another memorial from his armor. The memorial was sealed. This was a secret revelation.
It's a secret report.
Liang Yue made two preparations: one was to write a letter to the emperor in court, and the other was to reveal secrets and report secretly.
They are worried that this matter will involve too many officials and are worried about retaliation, so they know how to protect themselves.
Feng Xiao couldn't believe it anymore: "If it's true as Marquis Baoding said."
"I'm afraid the number of refugees will increase day by day."
"Before the grain can be transported by water, the capital will be overcrowded!"
"Even transporting food by water can't keep up with the rate at which refugees consume food!"
His body was weak. If he told the emperor about this situation, he would probably kill everyone in the court!
No, even if you kill everyone in the court, you won’t be able to find a solution!
"That's why I'm worried!"
"Eunuch Feng, the top priority is not to rescue the victims!"
"But try to get food! Enough food!" Liang Yue grabbed Feng Xiao and said.
Yes, once soup kitchens are used to provide relief to the homeless, it will actually lead to some good families in Gyeonggi who still have a mouthful of food at home leaving their homes and businesses to come and eat.
This creates a vicious cycle.
There are more and more refugees, and the food transported by water is simply not enough to consume. When one day they really run out of food, they will not hesitate to invade the capital and bring down the emperor!
In fact, once the news of free grain distribution in Gyeonggi spreads, people from all provinces will probably travel thousands of miles to eat free grain!
This will cause chaos in the world!
"I understand, I understand, our family understands!"
Feng Xiao nodded desperately and looked panicked: "Thank you very much, Marquis Baoding, for reminding me. Our family will return to the palace immediately and report to the emperor. We will definitely not forget Marquis Baoding's great contribution!"
He was incoherent.
We can no longer deliver the decree, let alone send these sinners out of the city to be killed by the refugees!
Once the refugees see blood, they will become ferocious and the devil knows what disasters will result!
Fortunately, fortunately, the Marquis of Baoding is the emperor's man!
Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Everything should remain as it is!" Liang Yuan said firmly.
"Yes, just keep it as it is, keep it as it is!"
Feng Xiao couldn't wait to return to the palace and report the matter to the emperor.
…
Qinzheng Hall.
Zhu Qiyu was filled with joy after listening to Jin Zhong's report.
"Recover 370,000 taels of silver? Great! Jin Zhong! Well done!"
When you have money, you become stronger.
I can finally do whatever I want!
"Send an order to Fang Ying to recruit troops, and recruit them as if they are risking their lives. Recruit all the strong-bodied refugees among the refugees into the regiment camp! Work hard for me! Haha!"
Zhu Qiyu was overjoyed, as if he could hold these 30,000 people in his hand.
He is so afraid of Yu Qian!
What if Yu Qian comes back?
What if Yu Qian and Hu Hui merge?
I'm not afraid!
I have power in my left hand and soldiers in my right hand. I am the real emperor! Hahaha!
"Jin Zhong, you did a good job!"
Zhu Qiyu paced back and forth, excited, and patted Jin Zhong on the shoulder: "Jin Yiwei is expanding, go to pick people outside the city! Pick more! Expand aggressively! Qian Zhen is out!"
"Recruit some women as well, especially those with good looks. All of them will be recruited into the Imperial Guards. They will be well trained and placed in the homes of civil and military officials to serve as my eyes!"
"In the time of Taizu, Taizu knew all the things the officials in the capital said in their sleep!"
"This is all the work of Jin Yiwei, I also want to know!"
“Not just Gyeonggi!”
"I want to know everything everyone in the world has said!"
"You are my eyes!"
Zhu Qiyu is floating.
After being suppressed for too long, I finally turned over and became the master, flying freely.
"We will also recruit some smart children, both boys and girls. We will set up a small school in the palace and I will take care of it myself."
"I invited famous teachers to a banquet to learn classics, strategy, art of war, arithmetic, etc., and I personally trained a group of talents."
"These children will be my die-hard fans in the future."
Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but smile.
The feeling of having great power is great!
I can finally sleep peacefully!
Next, there is the draft of girls to enrich the harem.
When I get better, I will start giving birth to a son.
If you have more sons, the throne will be stable!
The smile on Zhu Qiyu's face couldn't be restrained. It drifted away and could be blown away by a gust of wind.
The fluttering feeling is so comfortable!
This is what it feels like to be an emperor!
Zhu Qiyu looked excited: "From now on, all the silver will be transported into the palace and stored in the inner warehouse, and the copper coins will be placed in the inner transport warehouse."
"Your Majesty, do you want to continue the investigation?"
"There is a huge silver-making workshop in that barren mountain!"
"My slave thinks that there must be something unusual here." Jin Zhong asked.
Zhu Qiyu pondered, it was really unusual to set up a silver-making workshop outside the barren mountain.
Does this workshop belong to Zhang Fu?
"What do you think?" Zhu Qiyu restrained his joy and asked.
"My servant checked it out and found out that the barren mountain is a mine, and the owner of the mine is Chen Xun's younger brother Chen Mian."
"But I sent someone to check it out. It's just a barren mountain, not a silver mine."
"So this slave thinks there is a ghost inside." Jin Zhong replied.
"Where is Chen Mian?"
"It was cut in half." Jin Zhong replied.
Zhu Qiyu pondered slightly: "I think it belongs to Zhang Fu."
Jin Zhong's eyes lit up: "This slave also thought he belonged to Zhang Fu!"
"Then let's find evidence. When Zhang Fu returns to Beijing, we will arrest him and bring him to justice." Zhu Qiyu said calmly.
As for who the silversmith is, it doesn't matter at all.
But at this moment.
Feng Xiao ran in in a panic.
"Why are you running?" Zhu Qiyu scolded.
"Your Majesty, it's not good!"
Feng Xiao's mouth was dry and he was out of breath.
Zhu Qiyu asked him to drink some water before talking.
He shook his head and presented the memorial in his arms first.
After a few gulps of water, he knelt on the ground with a look of horror on his face.
Zhu Qiyu opened the memorial and read it, and he exploded instantly!
"Crazy! Crazy!"
"Are they really short of this little money?"
"Collect grain at high prices, buy and sell! Make money from me!"
"But it forces farmers in Gyeonggi Province to become refugees!"
"What an irony! The most ironic thing in the world is this!"
"You must be dumbfounded this time!"
"Hehehe!"
Zhu Qiyu smiled miserably: "Do you think I can do whatever you want because I'm holding the sky up for you?"
"Announce to me all the civil and military officials in the country and all the officials in the capital to the Fengtian Palace!"
"No one is missing!"
"Prepare the Emperor's Sword, I'm going to kill someone!"
Not killing is not enough to appease the anger!
You really don’t care about the Ming Dynasty. You only know that for your petty profits, I sold the imperial store to raise disaster relief funds!
What you are doing is for disaster relief funds!
Every penny, every grain of food can save a disaster victim!
Okay, you are far away in Gyeonggi and cannot see the tragic situation in Shandong, and you don't care about the people of Shandong. Okay, I can understand it, but I can't force farmers to sell their rations to you!
You have forced the people of Gyeonggi to rebel, and you are dancing on the edge of a knife!
Water can carry a boat but it can also capsize it!
If you leave the people without food, what will they do? Use your brain!
Do you really lack that little money from selling grain?
Missing?
You have dozens of times more tea and flowers than this!
Even if there is a sesame official in Gyeonggi Province, how can he not earn tens of thousands of taels of silver every year? You all look down on copper coins and treasure banknotes!
Which entry and exit are not preceded by shouts from behind? Who doesn’t have more than ten wives and concubines?
Not enough?
I’m so damn tired of living!
Zhu Qiyu is really a loser, and his good mood is gone.
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(End of chapter)
