…
…
Zhao Junchen nodded, his expression still showing no emotion or anger, and just motioned for Xu Qingyan to continue talking.
Under Zhao Junchen's gaze, Xu Qingyan was full of confidence and talked eloquently this time!
"People's hearts always like to seek novelties. As long as more exaggerated rumors appear, people will automatically ignore those rumors that are not exaggerated enough. At the same time, people's hearts will always be accustomed to things that appear frequently. If one thing is It happens frequently, no matter how strange it is, people will turn a blind eye!
Therefore, we can now create and spread rumors through our channels, and expand the scope of the rumors to involve all the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty... Isn't Guan Wuyuan a descendant of the self-proclaimed martial saint Guan Yu? Guan Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty. Let us say that he inherited the legacy of his ancestors and wanted to restore the Han Dynasty;
Another example is Hong Jin, the commander of the Imperial Guards... Was there an emperor named Hong in history? No? That's okay, let's just say that he changed his name in order to hide his origins. We also say that he is a descendant of the Song Dynasty royal family, and he is also trying to restore the Song Dynasty...
By the way, there is also Zhou Shoufu... There is no emperor named Zhou in history? But I remember hearing that there was a fairy called Taibai Jinxing whose surname was Zhou, right? Then let’s say that his grandson Zhou Suwen was the reincarnation of the Taibai Venus Star. When he was born, the room was full of red light. A fortune teller once said that he was destined to become the supreme being in the world...
There is also Ge Lao Li He. All the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were named Li, right? Let's just say that he is a descendant of Li Tang, so he is naturally ambitious and ambitious... Of course we can't forget Wu Xinquan, the eunuch who was the Chief of Ceremonies. There have always been emperors named Wu in history, right? Is it a Jurchen? Even better, just say that he is a Jianzhou Jurchen spy who castrated himself and entered the palace. That would be even more embarrassing..."
Having said this, Xu Qingyan smiled, with a proud look on his face, and continued: "In this way, all kinds of exaggerated rumors appear again and again, and the government and the public will be dizzy. After hearing the new rumors, they will forget the old ones." Rumors, I won’t pay attention to any of them at all!
Moreover, this approach has another advantage, that is, these rumors widely involve the 'Zhou Party', the inner court, the factory guards, the imperial army and other forces. After hearing these rumors, they will be as worried as a young master, and naturally they will not dare to He used these rumors to cause trouble, and even helped to cover them up. He never dared to let these rumors reach His Majesty's ears. In this way, His Majesty would not be misled by these rumors, and the young master's worries would naturally cease to exist. ! "
While Xu Qingyan was speaking eloquently, he was not clear-cut and logical, and even had some common sense errors. However, the method he proposed was obviously a feasible strategy and might even be extremely effective. .
When Huo Zhengyuan on the side heard this, he couldn't help but look at Xu Qingyan with admiration. He felt that Xu Qingyan had completely overturned his previous impression of him as uneducated and unskilled.
On the other side, after quietly listening to Xu Qingyan's narration, Zhao Junchen finally nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Very good, you are really talented in this area. It's not in vain that I hand over the 'Storytellers Guild' to you. , I really did not use you wrong... Now that you have figured it out, you will be fully responsible for the follow-up matters. I hope you can completely put the rumors to rest in the shortest possible time. I will not worry about the details and will only ask. result."
There is a saying in later generations - "There is no useless garbage in this world, only misplaced resources." This sentence is also suitable when it comes to employing people.
Although Xu Qingyan has a frivolous and shameless personality, it is precisely because he is always used to exaggerating and always looking at the world from a villain's perspective, and he does not set a bottom line in doing things, so he is creating public opinion, spreading rumors and causing trouble. But he is definitely a good hand at fueling the flames, sowing dissension, etc.
From this aspect, Xu Qingyan can be regarded as "unlearned and skillful".
At this time, Xu Qingyan saw Zhao Junchen let him go and do it. This was the first time he had taken on an important task. He couldn't help but show excitement. He nodded repeatedly and said: "Don't worry, young master, I will definitely accomplish this. Our 'Storytellers Guild' Now it has begun to take shape, and I am very good at making up stories and telling stories!"
Zhao Junchen thought for a while and couldn't help but warned: "Remember, when spreading rumors, you must try to be as concealed as possible, and we must not let all parties notice that we are adding fuel to the flames... Also, you can't just focus on this matter. Don’t forget that there is still a matter of official salary that needs you to secretly help build momentum.”
Xu Qingyan nodded again and said, "Young Master, there is no need to worry. The campaign is currently progressing steadily and there will be no delay."
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "In that case, you don't have to stay here to waste time, just go do something."
*
When Xu Qingyan left the room happily, Zhao Junchen finally turned his attention to Huo Zhengyuan.
The conversation between Zhao Junchen and Xu Qingyan just now deliberately revealed some secrets to Huo Zhengyuan, not only to show his trust in Huo Zhengyuan, but also to further enhance Huo Zhengyuan's confidence.
Sure enough, when Xu Qingyan left the room, Huo Zhengyuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but asked: "Zhao Gechen, I just heard your conversation with Qingyan, saying that you wanted to build momentum for the official salary issue...could it be that Tell me, some time ago, Song Huancheng, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, fainted from hunger and fainted in the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. Does it have anything to do with you?"
A few days ago, Song Huancheng, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites who was well-known among the government and the public, and a high-ranking official of the fifth rank of the imperial court, actually fainted from hunger in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites in public. This incident quickly caused an uproar among the government and the public.
It was also from that time that the public opinion trend between the government and the public was not quite right. Many people believed that there were too many corrupt officials among the court officials. The reason was that the court salary was too low, forcing officials to be corrupt in order to survive. A few honest officials like Song Huancheng who stick to the bottom line are poor and have a difficult life. In the end, bad people enjoy happiness and good people suffer. This situation obviously needs to be changed, and the best solution is to increase official salaries and implement " The policy of "high salary and integrity".
Similar calls continue to sound among the government and the opposition, and now they have begun to take shape.
In the face of such calls, not only did many ordinary people express their support after being misled, but officials, as stakeholders, also helped to build momentum. I just felt that they had been wronged for many years, and they had paid too much but received too little—— What? You said officials still have many shady ways to make money? Don't be stupid, being greedy and accepting bribes is a matter of personal ability, but salary is what they clearly deserve. One code is the same, they are two completely different things!
Originally, Huo Zhengyuan was only happy to see such calls come to fruition and thought it was a normal phenomenon, but now he realized that all of this was secretly promoted by Zhao Junchen.
Hearing Huo Zhengyuan's inquiry, Zhao Junchen also smiled and nodded, saying: "With the commercial tax rectification in the southeastern provinces and the initial development of Sichuan salt, the imperial court's financial turnover has gradually become more abundant. Although the food supply is very tight, it has gradually improved. Got Yu Yin!
When His Royal Highness the Prince makes some results in investigating the feudal affairs, the pressure on the court to support the feudal clan will be greatly reduced, and the Liaodong military town will gradually reduce military expenditures in the next few years... Hey, the feudal clan and Liaodong have always been involved. They are the largest expenditure of the imperial court;
At the same time, the commercial tax rectification in the northwest provinces is also being gradually advanced. In addition, the central court will soon take over power from the Nanjing Six Ministries... Together with these means of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, it is completely foreseeable that the court will soon no longer have to pay for money. Worried about things! "
While talking, Zhao Junchen was obviously talking about some good things that would be of great benefit to the country and the people, but his smile gradually faded, and instead he looked worried.
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "Although these things are very good, they are not conducive to the stability of my position. Once the imperial government's finances are completely improved, I will be dispensable, and it will be natural for me to be killed. matter!
Therefore, I have to find some new expenditure items for the court. Our ocean-going plan alone is not enough. In addition, the stabilization expenditure in the Hetao area is still slightly insufficient, so I want to add additional expenditure items for officials. This way, I can ensure that the imperial government's finances will continue to be tight and I will continue to be indispensable. I can also gain the gratitude of all the officials. Why not? "
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Huo Zhengyuan couldn't help but express admiration. He nodded repeatedly and said, "The cabinet minister is far-sighted. Such a plan is really wonderful. It is also a clever plan that kills two birds with one stone. I admire you!"
While admiring, Huo Zhengyuan's previous worries were greatly relieved. He only felt that Zhao Junchen had such foresight and would not collapse easily in the future. He could follow him with peace of mind, and there was no need to worry about others.
Seeing the change in Huo Zhengyuan's expression, Zhao Junchen knew that his goal had been achieved, so he changed the topic and returned to the topic, saying: "This morning, His Majesty has issued an order to appoint you as the 'Southeast Patrol Envoy'. This The position is newly established, and the rights and responsibilities are somewhat unclear... After all, Your Majesty still secretly guards against us and does not dare to give us too much power... But we also have many helpers in the southeastern provinces, enough to help you complete the ocean voyage. Planned.”
Huo Zhengyuan nodded in agreement and said: "Please rest assured, Zhao Gechen. After Xianguan went to the southeast, he immediately started making arrangements. We will soon be able to take over the fleet of the 'Eight Kings Shipping Company'. With the full assistance of the Zheng family, the ocean plan will be launched." You’ll get results quickly, so you don’t have to wait too long.”
Zhao Junchen sighed and said: "Yes, our ocean-going plan must be put into effect as soon as possible. It is best to be able to find a sufficient amount of grain and transport it to the inland before autumn this year. I am fully counting on it now." Looking at you... Of course, your apparent mission is to imitate Zheng He's voyages to the West and take the opportunity to search for immortal sites for His Majesty. The superficial work must not be left behind and let others find fault."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen opened a box at hand and handed it to Huo Zhengyuan. Huo Zhengyuan took the box and looked at it, and saw a thick stack of silver notes placed in the box.
The denominations of these banknotes were all five thousand taels, and the sum of all the banknotes totaled three million. Huo Zhengyuan himself was used to seeing the world, but at this moment he suddenly saw such an astonishing number of banknotes. , still couldn't help but breathe faster.
Zhao Junchen's expression remained unchanged and he continued: "Our ocean-going plan is too huge, and the imperial court will only give partial support. Moreover, it is borne by the Ministry of Revenue and internal funds. The turnover is quite time-consuming, so this money You take it first as an initial investment. I will continue to support you through various channels in the future. Whether it is financial resources, human resources, or materials, I will do my best. I only hope that you can do your best and come up with it as soon as possible. Results.”
Seeing that Zhao Junchen actually used his private money to fund the ocean-going plan, and hearing Zhao Junchen's sincere words, Huo Zhengyuan felt more and more the importance and urgency of Zhao Junchen, and immediately reassured him: "Zhao Junchen pays such attention and trust to I will not be repaying the official position. I will pack my bags when I return to the mansion today. I will leave the capital tomorrow at the latest and rush to the southeastern provinces to do work. I will never waste time and hinder Zhao Gechen!
...By the way, Xiaguan heard that Zhao Gechen has a lot of staff who are good at financial management, but there is a lack of relevant talents under Xiaguan. Can Zhao Gechen be willing to bear the pain and arrange a few staff who are good at financial management to assist Xiaguan in his work? Otherwise, it would be difficult for the official to manage such a huge amount of money. "
Huo Zhengyuan is a smart man. Now he doesn't need Zhao Junchen to say anything, so he takes the initiative to ask Zhao Junchen to arrange staff supervision. This can be said to be extremely sensible.
Zhao Junchen naturally would not refuse at this time, and immediately recommended several close aides to Huo Zhengyuan, and Huo Zhengyuan immediately said that he would definitely reuse them.
"Are you leaving the capital tomorrow?" After agreeing on this matter, Zhao Junchen thought for a moment, then shook his head regretfully and said: "Of course it is a good thing that you can do things so wholeheartedly, but if you have to leave tomorrow, I I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you off.”
This time, Huo Zhengyuan knew very well the reason why Zhao Junchen could not see him off, and asked: "But the medical school of Doctor Zhang has been completed?"
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "This matter has cost me a lot of effort, and it is equally important. When the medical school officially recruits students tomorrow, I must personally preside over the opening!"
…
In the past few days, I have sorted out the early foreshadowing, and I have laid down a lot. I will gradually fill in the holes next. This book has always been written in a way that several story lines are advanced at the same time, so I have to sort out my thoughts from time to time.
Will resume updating the big chapter tomorrow.
…
