This Hou Dong once looked honest and honest, hum! "
Houdong Zeng, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, did not submit the case last night that the salt merchant Dai Lu sued the cloth merchant Chen Xin for falsely accusing him and his family, and he did not prevent a certain prince from sleeping.
As a result, it was delivered faster than the "Jingshi Daily" early the next morning, and all the things that should have been done by him were pushed to a certain prince, euphemistically calling it - the case is complicated, please ask for the Holy Judgment!
After a brief reading, a certain prince also understood what his beloved was thinking. He was not afraid of offending others, but he didn't want the salt merchant named Dai to succeed.
Everyone in the government and the public, especially the civil servants and generals who could go to the palace, knew how capable a certain prince was. The more difficult the matter, the easier it was for the prince to handle it.
"When you enter the court, call the salt merchant Ma Yongliang first. Later, I will ask for a Holy Judgment on this case!"
A bunch of overfed things are causing chaos to me, so I'll take care of you, especially those bitches who are secretly working against me.
There will be no court meeting today because the orders issued at yesterday's court meeting will not be fully implemented until today. As long as the Military Aircraft Department can operate as usual, we can notify everyone with just one phone call.
"I'm Zhu Cihong, is Shen Teng here? Let him come to the East Palace!"
Jinyiwei who did not have any outside work had to go to the Yamen to report early in the morning. When a certain prince summoned certain factory guards, he did not need to send people there because the telephone line had been extended to the eagle and dog.
The salt merchant's club is far away, and there is no single phone line yet. If you want to find someone, you can only send someone there first. But as long as salt merchants still want to buy their goods in the capital, they must be ready at all times.
"Child Shen Teng comes to see His Highness the Crown Prince and wishes His Highness..."
"Okay, no gift! Let's take a look at this first!"
For the henchmen who are loyal to him, a certain prince is relatively approachable, and there is no need to go through complicated etiquette. They are used when summoning them.
"What do you think?"
"Back to Your Highness, do you think we should check these businessmen first, especially the unscrupulous Dai Lu?"
Shen Teng still couldn't figure out what the prince meant, so he could only throw stones to ask for directions, but since it was about merchants, it was always right to investigate first.
"Ma Yongliang, the president of the salt merchants, will come over in a moment. Let's listen to what he has to say first, and then we can make a decision!"
Usually, a case trial involves not only hearing the opinions of the plaintiff and defendant, but also collecting the testimony of others.
Taking this case as an example, it is not enough to just listen to the statements of Chen Xin, Dai Lu and their friends who support them. We also need to listen to the teahouse owner, storyteller, and witnesses. It would be even better if Jin Yiwei's spies were present to witness the incident. .
Only when the front, back, left, right, up and down are combined, can it be a closed three-dimensional space. The real situation will not escape from this place. Otherwise, we can only guess based on inference, which is based on the analysis of some people. The ability to judge.
While waiting for him, a certain prince asked Li Jizhou, the eunuch of the East Palace Bingbi, to bring him the account books about Zijin bonds, overseas Jinshan shares, and tax payments.
A certain prince wanted to see how much money Dai Lu gave him. If he gave him too much money, he could remember his past filial piety, so he could take the punishment lightly, otherwise he would not blame himself for being ruthless.
There are thirty-six large-scale salt merchants in the Jifu area, and all of them have paid taxes in full. This refers to those who are alive, not those who are dead and those who are sent to mine.
Dai Lu paid back taxes and fees of 3,586 taels, ranking 30th. I didn’t buy Zijin Bonds, but bought 2,000 taels of Overseas Jinshan shares. The total cost was less than 6,000 taels.
The salt industry, along with grain and oil, is one of the two most profitable industries in the north. Although the strength of the salt merchants in Jifu is inferior to that of their counterparts in Lianghuai, they should not be underestimated, especially since they have been evading taxes all year round, and all of them are extremely rich.
This is less than 3,600 taels of silver. On average, it will only be more than 70 taels per year for fifty years. According to the business scale of the Dai family's salt industry, a certain prince was determined not to believe that the Dai family had evaded such a small amount of tax.
Other businessmen only paid part of it, but a certain prince didn't want to catch all the money yet, so it was almost enough to pay taxes and fees, otherwise Jifu's economy would completely collapse.
But for some people who are disobedient and have second thoughts, this standard no longer applies. If they are not severely punished, similar situations will happen again.
"Cao Min Ma Yongliang kowtows to His Highness the Crown Prince and wishes His Highness a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years!"
"No gift! President Ma, I would like to ask you, yesterday I gave you and other salt merchants a purchase share of 100,000 taels. Can you decide how to distribute it?"
"Back to Your Highness, Cao Min will convene a meeting for the salt merchants in and around the capital in the morning to discuss the quota. If those salt merchants who have traveled farther away cannot arrive in Beijing quickly, they can only get 2% as agreed. share. Cao Min just arrived at the club this morning and received the edict. Before the meeting even started, he immediately came to the East Palace to wait for orders."
Ma Yongliang didn't know what he had done wrong now. Since the prince only summoned him, and there was a royal guard standing next to him, his head was buzzing and his heart was beating wildly, for fear of being raped. be punished.
"Two percent?"
"Back to Your Highness, exactly!"
"Well! From my point of view, this rule does not apply to the present situation. It should be determined based on the total amount after adding up the purchase of Zijin bonds, overseas Jinshan shares, and payment of taxes. What percentage of the total amount does each salt merchant account for? , then multiplied by one hundred thousand taels, is their share."
"Yes! What His Highness said is absolutely true. This method is extremely fair. Cao Min deeply believes it, so he will go back and announce it to the salt merchants in the meeting!"
Ma Yongliang was relieved when he heard that it had nothing to do with him. Whatever the prince said, he would do it. Just follow what the prince said, it's right after all.
What's more, he had contributed a lot in the past. According to the prince's calculations, his family's share might be more than 78%. This result is naturally something Ma Yongliang is willing to accept.
Thirty-six salt merchants, on average, each accounted for less than 3%, which is only 3,000 taels. Converted to the previous market price, that is, they provided the court with salt worth 1,500 taels of silver.
The imperial court did not allow salt merchants to increase prices, and they could only supply goods to the imperial court. Then the salt merchants had only one way to go. Naturally, they had to fight for more shares for themselves.
If calculated according to the regulations of the prince, the salt merchants who had contributed a lot in the past would support it with both hands. This can be regarded as a reward for them.
It's just that Ma Yongliang didn't understand why the prince summoned him alone. Could it be that the presidents of other industries had already received the oracle?
"This is the calculated share for me to send people. President Ma just needs to do it. If something happens to me, I will send someone to find you in the club!"
You don’t have to calculate it yourself, and you don’t have the right to see some things. What should be known to you has been prepared for you a long time ago.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Cao Min obeyed your order. Cao Min will go back and inform the salt merchants in the industry, so that everyone can start preparing refined salt worth one hundred thousand taels."
Of course Ma Yongliang was happy to be able to eat ready-made food, but he didn't know what the prince's purpose was. Was it just to repay the salt merchants who had contributed so much?
"Shen Teng, do you know why I acted like this just now?"
"Go back to Your Highness, you are humble and stupid, I don't know what Your Highness means!"
"Dai Lu didn't contribute much before, and his total amount only ranked 31st among all salt merchants. If converted according to the average, he can get 2.77% of the share. If converted, it is worth More than 2,770 taels of refined salt. I don’t want to see such a result, so I arranged a new calculation method. As a result, Dai Lu’s share will be reduced to 1.5%. Left or right is almost equivalent to half, which will inevitably cause this guy to be dissatisfied. And your task is to find an experienced person..."
"I understand, Your Highness, please rest assured, I will definitely handle this matter!"
"No rush! No rush! This matter can only be acted upon after I have concluded the case!"
"My child understands!"
Businessmen are all useless, but Dai Lu is particularly obvious. He vaguely intends to join the braid, so a certain prince cannot keep him for the New Year.
But it is definitely not possible to deal with it clearly. Killing this businessman who jumps out and commits a crime without any evidence will inevitably have undesirable effects, especially the glorious image of a certain prince will be compromised.
Then you have to use extraordinary means. If you can't use tricks on the surface of the water, you have to use some tricks under the water. Even if something really happened, no one would know.
But in public, a certain prince must show a fair and strict attitude, and this case must be handled in accordance with the law. If it was really easy to handle, that bastard Yin Houtongzeng of Shuntian Prefecture wouldn't pass the case on to himself.
I spent so much money and effort, and even asked Old Wu to inject myself with pox, just because I didn’t want to hear the voice of “Long live the Qing Emperor” in the city!
Now there are people who don't take themselves seriously, so much as saying loudly that "the Ming Dynasty will fall and the Qing Dynasty will rise", so they must be cut off.
A certain prince asked his uncle to publish a newspaper just to occupy the commanding heights of public opinion and control the direction of Jifu. However, there are still people who dare to take the initiative to find trouble. This cannot be tolerated.
If things continue like this, it is estimated that even the popular "Children's Rhymes of the Dead" will have to be released.
It doesn't matter if there is no evidence, we don't need to use tricks that can only be used if there is evidence.
"Your Highness, Song Yingxing, Xiong Renlin, and Bo Jue from the Academy of Sciences would like to see you!"
"Xuan!"
"My ministers Song Yingxing, Xiong Renlin, and Bo Jue come to see His Highness and wish..."
"No need! Stand tall! Give me a seat!"
The two people before were either standing or kneeling. The value of the three in front of them was extraordinary. They could enjoy the treatment of sitting down, which was equivalent to the first and second grade officials of the imperial court.
"Why do you all come to this palace so early?"
It stands to reason that the Academy of Sciences has enough money and food, so they don’t have to worry about food and drink, and they have all kinds of materials and personnel. I haven’t heard anything about it recently, so why did they suddenly form a team and come here?
"Your Highness, yesterday I heard in the palace that Donglu was about to knock off the enemy. I went back and told everyone in the Academy of Sciences that everyone has the desire to serve the country, but they don't know how to act. I hereby come here on my behalf to ask for instructions from Your Highness!"
Although the Academy of Sciences led by Song Yingxing has a large number of craftsmen with a low level of education, it does not mean that they will sit back and watch the invasion of Donglu.
These people can now live a good life with no worries about food and clothing, all thanks to the gift of a certain prince. If the Donglu troops come to the city, they will do their best to help the court and the defenders defend the capital.
"So that's it. The Academy of Sciences is the most important government office in the Ming Dynasty. The objects studied in it are of extremely important value. Not only can they boost the Ming Dynasty's economy and create tens of thousands of taels of value, but they can also protect the country and the country. Contribute to repelling the Donglu. Take the steam hammer as an example. With this thing, it saves the blacksmith the effort of forging. Not only does it speed up the production of armor, but the yield of finished products is also greatly improved. Right now, first, The Academy of Sciences must ensure that the projects under study are carried out smoothly. Secondly, projects undergoing experiments outside the city must be moved to the city within three days. There are huge open spaces in the middle city and the new city where experiments can be carried out. I can allocate a piece of Special land is used for the Academy of Sciences to conduct outdoor experiments. Third, it is necessary to ensure the safety of research results and prevent them from being stolen by Donglu. While additional manpower is deployed, corresponding fire-extinguishing equipment is arranged to prevent fires. The desire of the Academy of Sciences to serve the country, this The palace has long understood. Donglu is about to be closed. Everyone working in the Academy of Sciences should also pay attention to rest and not be overworked. In particular, scientific researchers are priceless treasures. I don’t want to see the talents cultivated through hard work due to overwork. And sudden death will be a loss for the entire Ming Dynasty. By the way, the research on various types of missiles cannot be stopped, especially anti-ship missiles, which will be the only weapon for our Ming Navy to dominate the ocean. The experimental site can be located in the South Pacific The area of the liquid pool should be enough."
"Taiye Pond" is the small broken pond next to the palace city. It was usually a place where the emperor and his concubines went on quasi-camping trips.
But now a certain prince has changed it to fish farming, which is real fish farming, the kind that can be eaten, such as soft mandarin fish with few spines and so on.
It's not bad to use it as a shooting range. If some projects are put aside for a long time, it will take a long time to resume if they want to pick them up again.
Even if a small piece of Taiye pool is used for experiments to ensure the continuation of the project, a certain prince is very willing.
"Taiye Lake is a lake reserved for the royal family. Your Highness must not do this!"
Old Songtou would not dare to use the royal place for target shooting. Others may not understand what an anti-ship missile is, but he knows it very well.
"You don't need to worry about this matter, I've settled it like this. Isn't it an extremely cost-effective thing to exchange a small pond for a large ocean?"
The exchange of Taiye Pond for the Pacific Ocean was a hugely profitable deal, and anyone would agree to it unless he was a fool.
"Your Highness has a far-sighted vision, and I am grateful..."
Song Yingxing could not continue to refuse. He also knew the importance of anti-ship missiles, because the performance of the warships of the Ming Navy was far inferior to that of the Xiyi. If he wanted to win the naval battle, he had to work hard on firearms.
"Okay! Okay! As long as the Academy of Science's projects can be advanced as scheduled, I am willing to sell the pot!"
This is true. Only by upgrading the level of the base can the level of the arms be upgraded. The Academy of Sciences is the shortcut to upgrading the level of the base.
Without the steam engine developed by the Academy of Sciences, it would take who knows how long it would take to manufacture 100,000 pieces of plate armor, let alone a heaven-defying artifact like an airship.
The annual expenditure of the Academy of Sciences is no less than five hundred thousand taels of silver, which is a money-burning monster. If it were a dumper, he would be more willing to use the money to arm tens of thousands of troops.
The value of technology is both visible and invisible. It may be dim sometimes, but it can also shine brightly at critical moments.
When Western science developed, the Ottoman Empire, which was once extremely powerful and could threaten Western Europe at any time, began to decline and was eventually dismantled to pieces.
"His Highness has treated the Academy of Sciences so well, and I will do my best for His Highness until my death!"
"Alright! Alright! Don't talk about death. The Donglu outside the pass are not dead yet. Why do you, my dear friends, talk about death? You must live until the king's army regains Liaodong and revives the Ming Dynasty. This is the holy will and you must abide by it! "
The premise of the survival tactic is to keep breathing and don't stop, otherwise you will die and you will have no choice but to stay in the pit.
"...I obey your orders!"
