There was another exchange of words between the monarch and his ministers just now, which made his mouth dry and he could temporarily adjourn the meeting while waiting for Governor Yan.
When the courtiers heard the good news, they felt that they could finally relax temporarily, otherwise they might be called out by the prince.
This little prince is very polite and kind, but as soon as he turns against him, two words will pop out of his mouth - to become an official!
Compared to the emperor who likes to jail, behead, and imprison his ministers, the young prince cannot give in much.
Because he knows how to steal money from under the cauldron - confiscation of homes!
On the first day of supervising the country, the property of forty-one nobles was confiscated, including three princes and two princes.
Ordinary people cannot do such a thing, even the emperor is powerless, but the prince dares to act arbitrarily.
This courage and courage made the courtiers feel frightened, scared and frightened, but they never dared to show their hatred.
So during the break, the most common topic of discussion was how hot the weather was.
If it involves trivial matters in the palace, one must be careful and never give any verbal clues to colleagues.
After half an hour, Yan Jizu was taken into Fengtianmen.
Yaoji was quite satisfied with the time of Wang Chengen's report. It seemed that with the support of the nobles, everyone's work efficiency had been significantly improved.
"The sinful minister Yan Jizu wishes His Royal Highness the Queen a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years!"
Yan Jizu thought that he was about to die and was about to drink the bowl of beheaded wine. However, something suddenly happened that surprised him. After receiving the summons, he crossed the threshold of Huangji Palace and knelt down with utmost respect. On the ground, he didn't dare to get up and raise his head after kowtowing.
"Okay, I have some doubts in my heart. I hope Yan Aiqing can answer my questions. Please stand up and answer!"
The main reason is that if this guy keeps kneeling down, his pronunciation will inevitably be a little inaccurate. In addition, due to the accent, if he can't hear clearly, he will more or less have to be translated by Wang Chengen. Those who don't know may think that I am deaf as a young man.
"The guilty minister's incompetent command led to the destruction of the city of Jinan and the capture of King De. This is an unforgivable crime. Don't dare to get up!"
Yan Jizu knew that he had committed a capital crime. Because King De was captured by the Qing army, but he was still alive, it was inevitable that Long Yan would be furious.
"Hmph, it seems that you still have some self-awareness. Let's do this. I will ask you some questions, and if you answer them truthfully, you can be given a lighter sentence. If you deliberately deceive, then the two crimes will be the same. The main culprit, Ling Chi, will be beheaded by the whole family!"
If you didn't understand the local situation in Shandong, why would you be released from the prison of the Ministry of Punishment?
Just feed you three pounds of soybeans and pour some cold water, and it will be a perfect solution!
"..."
Yan Jizu did not dare to respond immediately. He was still hesitating whether to obey the order and get up. If he committed any disrespectful crime again, it would be very bad.
"Could it be that Yan Aiqing doesn't take my order seriously? Is it possible that she deliberately made an ugly appearance in the hall and raised her butt to disobey my order?"
Maggot eggs, don’t you even think about it?
Zhao Zilong is full of courage, but you are full of cunning!
Just lie down on the ground and stick your butt out, and expect me to sympathize with you. You really know how to scheme.
"...The sinner must never dare!"
With this big hat off, Yan Jizu had to stand up no matter how stubborn he was, lest he really pissed off the prince.
"Then tell me about the situation in Shandong in the past two years!"
The situation in Shandong is at least better than that of Henan and Shaanxi. No matter how miserable it is, it is not enough to start an uprising.
Yan Jizu stood up slowly, buying himself some time to think. There is no need to think too much about this issue, but he must choose his words carefully and not associate the disaster situation in Shandong with the Holy One: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, last spring and summer , there was a severe drought in Shandong, followed by a locust plague, and the price of rice soared. Only vegetable roots could satisfy hunger, and it was not uncommon for neighbors to eat each other. When the wild vegetables were eaten up, and the earth was eaten, no one could satisfy their hunger, or the door would be closed, or the whole village would Escape. Until late autumn, snow and frost kill the crops, and the crops fail. At the beginning of winter, there are already millions of victims, hungry, cold, and displaced. The situation is really terrible."
The courtiers listened to Yan Jizu's report and were not surprised at all, because similar things have happened almost every year since the emperor came to the throne. They are not the worst, only worse. Everyone is used to it, and their ears are almost getting wet.
The situation was much the same as expected. Yaoji asked calmly: "I wonder if Yan Aiqing has any good ideas? How much money will be needed?"
As expected, this guy will definitely come up with a bad idea that will kill the rich man.
Yan Jizu, like the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs, used routine methods to solve the problem: "Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, the guilty officials thought that only the imperial court could provide relief to Shandong to solve the urgent need, and it would cost no less than...a million taels!"
Having just come out of prison, Yan Jizu only knew that His Majesty was traveling to immortality and that the Crown Prince was supervising the country. He did not know about the nobles' homes being confiscated. I thought that the imperial court was still as poor as before, and it was difficult to allocate millions of taels of silver for relief.
Yaoji snorted disdainfully, and then asked the Shandong governor sarcastically: "Relieve Shandong? Isn't there enough relief from the court? Relief comes every year, and troubles happen every year. According to this situation, the court will have to allocate millions next year. Two silver coins to help Shandong?"
Yan Jizu no longer dared to talk rashly, and waited honestly to be punished. He was not stupid enough to fight back. At the court meeting, he asked the prince what he would do if he didn't provide relief. It was really impatient to live.
"I wonder if the chief assistant has any good ideas?"
The governor of Shandong is a useless snack, look at the quality of the chief minister of the cabinet.
Xue Guoguan is not as stupid as Zhang Sizhi. He will not take a step forward until he has figured out the prince's intention. His strategy is to be careful to make Wannian Ship: "I am dull and mediocre, but I hope that your highness will be considerate!"
Wen Tiren, a man with only a few talents, was able to occupy the position of first assistant for several years, and he was able to retire and go home to take care of himself.
Therefore, Xue Guoguan decided to follow the example of his predecessor, not seeking merit, but seeking no faults, as long as he was not caught by the prince.
Yaoji didn't blame the chief minister for this, and settled for the next best thing: "Forget it, what about the cabinet and even the six ministries? It's not like I, the ministers of the Ming Dynasty, can only spend money for relief, but can't make money for An Min, right?"
Being in such a group, everyone became more cautious. It didn't matter if they kept silent. Once they said the wrong thing, disaster would come from their mouths. Only when his name is called by the prince, will he reluctantly offer suggestions.
You ministers are really my "auspiciousness", asking you to use your brains is like killing you.
Don't be afraid of wolf opponents, be afraid of pig teammates!
Now is not the time to divide your noble property with me, everyone seems to have been wilted by the sun.
"Okay! Since everyone has no countermeasures, I will come up with a solution called 'relief through work'! Specifically, it is to use the method of paying for work instead of simple relief. At least the imperial court There will be income, which is much better than paying for nothing. For example, drying salt, fishing, and mining are all businesses that disaster victims can engage in. Shandong has been hit by disasters for many years. The land can no longer be cultivated, but people still have to survive, right? These businesses It just gives them a way to survive. As long as they arrange their livelihood, they can get paid according to their work. I wonder what do you, my beloved, think?"
If anyone dares to reject my suggestion, then please come up with an alternative plan immediately. If you can't come up with it, go back to your hometown immediately.
Anyway, from now on, no matter whether it is the household or internal funds, a lot of money will not be spent in vain.
How much money do we have to spend to feed the millions of victims?
While others were still weighing the pros and cons, Li Daiwen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, came out and commented: "I have reported to His Highness the Crown Prince. I think this is a very clever plan. Firstly, it can prevent the victims from wasting the imperial relief money, and secondly, they can also find a share." The livelihood business can be said to kill two birds with one stone. But I still have doubts. If I want to dry salt on the beach, where should I choose? How will the sea salt be disposed of? If I open a mine, how will I find out whether the mineral deposits are real or not?"
In Li Daiwen's view, the prince's plan was good, but it was mostly on a utopian level. When it comes to reality, it will face many thorny problems, and many of them are not easy to solve immediately.
Li Juesi, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, very much agreed with Li Daiwen's doubts, and he could not let the prince gain too much power regardless of emotion or reason. On the first day he went to court, he overwhelmed the courtiers: "I reconsider what Li Shangshu said, the cost of drying salt and mining The amount of money is huge, and preparations are complicated. One careless move may cause all previous efforts to be wasted. I think there are many hidden dangers and difficulties, and I hope that Your Highness will think twice."
Those below are most welcome to the Ministry of Household Affairs to directly donate money to help the victims, because this is the easiest way for them to get money. As long as the accounts are done flawlessly, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver will be in their pockets.
"The difference between what Mr. Li said!"
There are also people with different opinions, such as Zhang Guowei, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry and the censor of the right Qiandu: "The method of 'relief through work' is really beneficial to the country and the people, and all men, women, old and young can participate. If not, the only way is to allocate funds It's just a way of providing relief, but the court can't get any feedback from it. Comparing the two methods, the superior will make a judgment. The method of His Highness the Crown Prince is a wise move!"
As early as the eighth year of Chongzhen (1635), Zhang Guowei, who was the governor's censor at the time, and the governor's censor Wang Yi'e presided over the construction of Wujiang stone ponds. Before that, they led the construction of Fanchang and Taihu cities. These projects were actually It was all disguised work-for-relief, but there was no famine in the Jiangnan area. They were just ordinary hired laborers who were paid to work.
In view of the accumulated experience in this area, Zhang Guowei knew the pros and cons, so he firmly supported the prince's suggestion.
Two assistants under his command expressed completely different views. As the minister of the Ministry of Industry, Liu Zunxian had to express his position: "To report to His Highness the Crown Prince, I believe that this method may solve temporary needs, but abandoning fertile land and cultivating it on the coast will never last long." This is a plan. If the whole of Shandong is like this, then in the next few years, the fertile fields in Shandong will not be harvested, and there will be a severe food shortage, which will make Min unstable!"
