In less than half an hour, a group of people came in from outside the Meridian Gate, carrying heavy boxes, and walked straight to the designated position in the square. The feudal lords just panted and took off the weights on their shoulders.
The seal was clearly written with "Chengguo Gongfu" in big red letters, and there were thirty-seven large boxes unloaded at the same time, which looked really valuable.
At that time, Zhu Chunchen's heart tightened and his face became stiff. Then his face changed drastically, his Adam's apple squirmed, as if his strength had been drained, and he stood there blankly, eyes wide open, unable to speak.
How to explain this? Zhu Chunchen felt a sense of frustration that he couldn't explain.
If the box contained real money, then the trick of pretending to be poor would have been exposed.
The crime of deceiving the emperor was not too much, and even having his family confiscated and exterminated was not an excessive crime. What was even more frightening was that he even signed his name on the main hall.
With this evidence in black and white, the people from the Third Law Division were still at the scene, and they would not be able to deny the confession afterwards.
Yao Ji has already received the report from the feudal lord who went to search. He calculated in his mind that if these boxes were converted into silver, they would be more than 40,000 taels, which would be enough to match the four dishes of Cheng Guogong!
Humph, the food you eat is expensive enough!
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. If Dongchang and Jinyiwei only copied this little thing in the Duke's mansion, then they should have their heads scrutinized. Most of them must have gone into private pockets.
The British prince who was eating wild vegetables was not to be outdone. The feudal lords who came to ransack his house quickly entered the outer court square and brought in fifty large boxes at one go, leaving the ministers stunned and stunned.
Because everyone is counting silently in their hearts, and they come in one by one. This is simply a game of numbers and showing off wealth. Let’s see how these guys who have been desperately crying about poverty before will end up in a while.
When Zhang Shize stood there and saw this situation, he choked a few times with his mouth open, and then his body tilted and he fainted from fear. How funny this was. The ministers who were watching indifferently looked happy, and everyone wanted to There is still fun to see.
The eunuch Yang Jinchao who was guarding the entrance of Huangji Hall hurriedly came forward to report. Yao Ji couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this: "Let the imperial doctor go over and take a look. If he faints, he will be revived. If he is really dead, he will be sent to the place where he should be sent." go!"
Do you want to escape disaster with this trick?
Go ahead and dream, you will all be jailed today!
Ding Guogong Xu Yunzhen didn't wait long, and all his belongings were packed in, reaching a record of fifty-nine large boxes. The piles on the ground already covered the predetermined area, and the feudal lord in charge had to stretch the boundaries a little further.
Due to Emperor Chongzhen's character flaws and perceived abilities, it was impossible for him to take tough measures against his nobles while he was in power. Even if the confiscation operation was carried out, it was only a trial on individual objects, and it came to an abrupt end after encountering a slight setback.
When Yaoji took over this huge empire, Ming Dynasty was already on the verge of financial bankruptcy, and the huge military expenditures caused by internal and external troubles were at the forefront of all strategic issues.
Most of the problems associated with it stem from financial difficulties. Without temporary relief, it is impossible to untie the knot of this recurring cycle, let alone completely solve it.
Continuing to increase the "three rates" is unrealistic and will trigger large-scale changes. For the current plan, we can only treat the already fat and strong nobles as pigs.
Yao chickens need a way to get immediate results and make more money quickly, so "fatten and then kill" is the best method that can be found so far.
Both Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng can use this method to expose their wealth. As the prince, it is not a bad idea. The excuses they need can naturally be found in the "fat pigs".
In fact, this was the only feasible and efficient method when the imperial court gradually lost its ability to collect local finances.
The Ming Dynasty fell due to a fiscal collapse. Although the scapegoat's tactics of increasing taxes delayed the collapse, it also led to a large-scale military collapse.
The harder the people at the bottom are squeezed, the more turmoil will be caused, and the easier it will be for unstoppable regional-level chaos to occur.
The silver collected through additional levies had to be used to quell the rebellion, which turned into a bottomless financial pit over and over again.
The gentry who were supposed to pay taxes escaped the taxes they should pay through preferential and exemption privileges and passed them on to the landless tenants.
In this case, the nobles who held large amounts of land and wealth were a combination of landowners and gentry.
At this moment, it is most appropriate to leave the financial difficulties of a terminal illness to them.
The nobles living in the capital are a highly concentrated group of wealthy people who belong to the big fish among the big fish.
As long as we can catch them all in one go, there won't be much side effects.
Even if there is, it doesn't matter.
Although drinking poison to quench thirst can only relieve temporary emergencies, it cannot cure the deteriorating balance of payments.
Now Yaoji is in urgent need of attention and can’t control that much.
No matter what kind of pig you are, as long as you are fat and strong, you can kill it first.
In a nutshell - Your Excellency, come to my bowl!
Dongchang and Jinyiwei, who were in charge of searching the house, did not dare to delay at all. After searching the valuables, they immediately packed and sealed them and transported them to the Forbidden City to be opened and then inspected and counted.
Therefore, the ministers resting outside the Huangji Palace were all fortunate enough to witness the grand scene of opening the boxes. Under the sunshine, without exception, they all released a dazzling light that was eye-catching, as if mountains of gold and silver were shining towards everyone. wave.
The feudal lords began to open several boxes that they had found from Duke Dingguo's residence. They all contained fifty taels or even one hundred taels of gold ingots. No matter whether they were poor or lowly Cao Min or first-class officials, seeing such a scene , will make it like a dream.
The box was not stuffed to the brim, because if it was full, the weight would be too heavy to lift. Even so, the box seemed extremely heavy and had to be carried by six strong men before it could be transported to the Forbidden City.
The appearance size is not too big. The box containing silver cannot be compared with the box containing leather goods. It is the size of a freezer and is filled with silver. Even ten people cannot lift it.
"From fifty taels, two! Four! Six! Eight..."
The counting team is divided into four people. One person checks the number by hand, one person performs visual and mental arithmetic, and one person records it. The team leader supervises it so that it can appear to be strict and fair. The last four people must sign and fingerprint, and the official counting document will be presented to the eunuch by the chamberlain. The Crown Prince's Holy Judgment.
Don't underestimate this job. A box of gold and silver weighs at least one hundred and eighty kilograms. It can make people's arms sore after going in and out. Therefore, after counting a box, the positions of relevant personnel must be rotated in sequence.
The box that was just counted contains a total of seventy-three silver ingots, which is 3,650 taels of silver, equivalent to a weight of more than 270 kilograms.
"Bang~!"
Just when Yaoji was about to convene the ministers to resume the meeting, a dull crash suddenly came from the square, and then the sound of hard objects scattered on the ground could be heard.
Eunuch Yang Jinchao estimated that the sound must have disturbed Sheng Cong, so he hurriedly entered the palace to report: "Your Highness the Queen, Your Highness the Prince, the Dongchang guards did not carry it properly, causing the box to be damaged and the property to be scattered, disturbing the Holy Emperor!"
Seeing so many gold and silver treasures, the prince must have known that the three princes were deliberately lying before. He must be very angry at this time. It is best to report everything early to avoid being punished later.
"It's okay, I'm just going to go take a look!"
Yaoji, who was in a good mood, waved his little hands, not paying attention at all, and would not order any punishment for the relevant people.
Walking outside the temple, you can see a bright golden color from a distance, just like the sparkling sea under the sunset, it is really beautiful.
But the scenery in front of them was even more priceless. It was filled with gold ingots. The courtiers who were watching on the terrace outside the palace were extremely surprised!
Yao Ji put up the pergola with one hand and held the white marble railing with the other. He looked into the distance and asked softly: "Whose box is that?"
They are all rich people with nothing to lose. With you "the pillars of the country", why worry about the Ming Dynasty being immortal!
Yang Jinchao responded in an unusually flattering manner: "Your Highness, this is the box from Dingguo Gong Xu Yunzhen's residence!"
After the chamberlain finished his report, he mourned in his heart for Xu Yunzhen, who did not know whether to live or die.
I think back then, Gao Qiqian and others were so stingy, but before they could finish their sophistry, they were beheaded...
Yaoji smiled meaningfully and said sarcastically: "Dingguo Gong? Haha, it seems that my Ming Huangdou Gong family has a lot of soybeans. His ancestors have not worried about running out of soybeans for eighteen generations!"
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the nobles and nobles of the feudal lords brought their selfish nature to the extreme. Facing the Qing army that was attacking cities and plundering territory all the way, they refused to give up anything until death. This perseverance was comparable to that of the heroes of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. .
It would be understandable if he could exchange the treasures in his hand into ghost coins before dying and spend them down there. Otherwise, it is really unexplainable that there are not many nobles in the world who are willing to abandon their families and careers and donate money to fight the enemy.
His Highness the Crown Prince chatted to death all of a sudden. Yang Jinchao really couldn't pick up the conversation, couldn't laugh or cry. He could only stand there in embarrassment and wait for his master's orders.
However, after hearing the prince's scolding personal comments, I guess the days of the Ming Dynasty's "Huangdou Gong" are running out. This guy is also impatient and openly deceives the emperor, and the prince exposes him.
Yaoji ordered Yang Jinchao to summon Xu Yunzhen and asked in a loud voice: "Did Duke Dingguo make his fortune by cheating me, Emperor Chengzu?"
Dingguo Gong was first named Xu Zengshou. He was the second son of the founding general Xu Da. He was slaughtered by Emperor Jianwen because he secretly attached to King Yan. He was later granted the title of Dingguo Gong by Emperor Chengzu. By the time of Xu Yunzhen's generation, in addition to excessive expropriation and expropriation, only the remaining Greedy for life and afraid of death.
Xue Guoguan, the chief minister, was frightened after hearing this. Generally speaking, once the Holy Emperor asked this question, it was deemed that a certain minister had committed a crime against his king, and he would be imprisoned, beheaded, or executed by Lingchi. .
Xu Yunzhen heard the hidden meaning of the little prince's words, and hurriedly knelt down on the ground, and said generously: "I am greedy for profit, and I have betrayed the grace of the saint. I am willing to donate all my family property to your highness to help our Ming Dynasty resist foreign enemies!"
