"That's good. I wonder how much food my beloved had at home last night?"
Since Zhang Caiming was stubborn and planned to have his own way, Chongzhen decided to accompany him to the end.
If the traitor can play around like this, why can't he?
"Your Majesty, I only eat four dishes!"
Zhang Cai had already made up the name in his mind, so he was naturally not afraid of Chongzhen's questions.
"What are all the dishes like?"
Chongzhen pretended not to know and asked more details with great interest.
"Two meat and two vegetables. The meat dishes are lion's head and sweet and sour fish, and the vegetarian dishes are roasted tofu and boiled dried shreds!"
Zhang Cai believes that even the scoundrels from the Beiguan Group will not be able to find fault with such a design.
"My dear, can you remember correctly?"
Chongzhen planned to give this guy one last chance to change his ways, but he probably wouldn't buy it.
"Excuse me, these are the four dishes!"
Zhang Cai solemnly affirmed what he had said before, and his colleagues could not find any flaws.
"Then let Lao Aiqing write it down! All the Aiqings present will serve as witnesses to prevent me from wrongly accusing Aiqing again! Great companion!"
"yes!"
Chongzhen had learned all the techniques used by the traitor to deal with moths. He might not be able to create them himself, but he would definitely have no problem copying them.
"this……"
"Shilang Zhang, please!"
Wang Chengen was also happy to see this guy who was trying to disobey the Holy Will fail, and he was eager to let him leave a note. Now he couldn't regret it at all.
"Wait a minute! Your Majesty just knows the dishes. There is no need for Zhang Cai to write because of this, right?"
Zhang Kentang, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, came out to make remarks. He recalled the prince's previous actions in Beidu and immediately became nervous. Once Chongzhen's conspiracy succeeded, Zhang Cai's future career would be completely over.
Saying that, Zhang Kentang hurriedly winked at Zhang Cai. The latter understood and understood that this matter was very risky, so he put the brush aside and refused to write easily. This was considered a step back from the cliff.
"In that case, Zhang Kentang and Zhang Aiqing, I also want to know where you dined last night and what kind of dishes you ate?"
Zhang Cai was so determined to deceive the emperor, Chongzhen decided that whoever dared to speak favorably for Zhang Cai would have to pay a huge price.
Not to mention a mere Zhang Kentang, even the first assistant, Qu Shichu, couldn't do it.
At this time, Qu Shichun's heart was filled with mixed feelings. Why bother bringing in several capable men just for the sake of a table of dishes?
Even if you tell the truth, it's just to get a reputation as a greedy talker, just pay attention to it in the future, nothing more.
But you are trying to cover up your affairs, so you are so secretive, and you lose your official position because of it, you are putting the cart before the horse!
Seven people eat sixteen dishes, an average of less than three per person.
If you were to dine at home, you would have four courses per person...
Don’t these colleagues know how to count?
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
Thinking of this, Qu Shichen felt that the matter could no longer be prevaricated and planned to tell the truth.
"Oh? The chief assistant has something to say. Could it be related to yesterday's dinner?"
At this moment, Chongzhen had no interest in other things. It’s too late to talk about other things later.
"Exactly! Yesterday, the minister and seven other people, including Zhang Wei, Hou Xun, Qian Shisheng, Zhang Cai, and Zhang Kentang, had a meal at Master Qian's house and ate sixteen dishes. Previously, some people were afraid of the large number of dishes and did not dare to I reported it to Your Majesty, so many troubles occurred, and I hope Your Majesty will atone for his sins."
Qu Shishu was already prepared to be dismissed from office. No matter what, he could at least exchange himself for Zhang Cai's safety, otherwise Donglin would be sorry to resume the company.
"Is what Aiqing said true?"
After listening to Qu Shichun's words, Chongzhen felt that this person could still be saved. Although he said he was from Donglin, he was at least quite candid, unlike the previous ones who were deliberately fighting against himself.
"I would like to use my position and reputation as a guarantor, and I hope your majesty will forgive Zhang Cai!"
Qu Shishu made his intention clear so that Zhang Cai could understand and quickly apologized, so as to give the emperor a step down, otherwise everyone would not look good.
"Oh~! I see, it's not a big deal after all. It's just getting together, drinking and eating food, right? How can you, my dear friends, hide it like this? How can I blame you, my dear ladies, without defending the truth?"
Chongzhen could not give face to a minister, but he had to give face to his chief minister.
"..."
Now it was Zhang Cai's turn to be in trouble. He felt that Qu Shishu was completely doing him a disservice.
"Zhang Cai, you swore before and promised that what you said was true. What now? I don't have to argue with you, but why do you speak to many Zhejiang tea merchants who have been evading taxes for a long time?"
Chongzhen cared more about money than bullying.
Without money, Beiting would be much more miserable than Nanting.
"Your Majesty said that the tea merchants evaded taxes, and your Majesty is not the same! I still spent two hundred thousand taels of silver to buy the position of minister! I am afraid only your Majesty knows where this huge sum of money is going!" "
Zhang Cai didn't intend to look back. Since the emperor asked this question, it was just right to ask the emperor back and expose his shortcomings.
"Let me tell you, I just want to pass this method to see if Fushe colludes with merchants. Sure enough, Fushe can spend 400,000 taels of silver to buy an official. It is really extremely generous! If I sell the first assistant at a price of one million taels , according to this calculation, Fushe has the support of many merchants and can afford it! No wonder Aiqing dared to speak openly for the tea merchants. The secret was to receive the benefits of the merchants. All the taxes evaded by the merchants went into the tea merchants. In Qing's pocket. Aiqing has said before that those who are clean will self-clean. I dare to ask, if you accept money from merchants, is this still a clean one? How can you clean yourself up? Can you rely on nonsense and talk nonsense to be clean? Ai Qing is so greedy for profit, and he acts recklessly. Imperial official! He is working as an errand for the imperial court, but he cares about merchants from all over the world! It is a typical job of a food king, eating everything in and out!"
Without such scum to mislead itself, how could Ming Dynasty become what it is now?
He escaped with 20 million taels in one year, and he had a huge sum of 240 million taels in twelve years of reign!
If this tax can be collected, why bother to charge farmers three more wages?
If things go on like this, even if the Ming Dynasty will not be destroyed by the Donglu, it will be destroyed by the merchants!
"Hahahaha! Your Majesty openly sells his official position and speaks so grandly, I admire him endlessly. The Ming Dynasty is declining, and it is your Majesty's fault. Your Majesty should reflect on his past mistakes and issue the "Edict of Sin" to appease Min's anger. I see this Come on, Your Majesty has made ten mistakes. First, he indulged the prince and imposed excessive taxes! Second, he violated the ancestral system and tore apart the Ming Dynasty. Third, he moved to the southern capital and abandoned the defense of the country. Fourth, he listened to partial beliefs and harmed the loyal. Fifth, reuse factory guards and suppress patriots. Sixth, sell goods and mines to compete with Min. Seventh, oppress merchants with heavy taxes. Eighth, march into Huguang and reignite the war. Ninth, instruct pirates to invade the East. Chapter 10: Hiring Japanese troops will harm the country’s prestige! If your Majesty acts like this, how can the Ming Dynasty realize the revival of the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhang Cai listed a bunch of charges to Chongzhen, each of which was consistent with the actual situation and was not fabricated by him.
"...Okay, okay! Aiqing really speaks from the bottom of my heart, I understand! No wonder the prince received military advice from Liu Bowen in the fairy world, saying that people who have returned from society are full of benevolence, righteousness and morality, but there are many tricks behind them. That's it! If I hadn't learned about it now, Presumably Aiqing will keep this accusation for a long time, right? The prince once asked Military Advisor Liu to make an calculation. Military Advisor Liu said that those who returned to society would end up with seven parts begging for surrender, two parts living in seclusion, and one part resisting the enemy. I didn't believe it at first, but now I see Come on, what Military Master Liu said is indeed true! I will not wrong everyone in the society. It is obvious that Aiqing does not intend to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, but swears loyalty to the merchants to seek personal gain for himself. If the Ming Dynasty dies, Aiqing will definitely not be buried with him. , you can surrender to the Eastern captives in the north, or the red barbarians in the south, it can be said that you have both sides! No matter which party takes control of the Central Plains, Aiqing can prosper and prosper, and then shamelessly declare that this is orthodox, and he has chosen the right tree. A loyal minister of habitat!"
Chongzhen did not expect that Zhang Cai could actually arrange the prince's actions on himself. In this way, he would be a faint king similar to Qin II, Jin Hui Emperor, Song Huizong and others.
But Zhang Cai is by no means a good person, and he has a lot of shortcomings that can be exploited. Chongzhen was trained by a certain traitor, and now he is not completely reborn, but he finally has some enlightenment.
At least I understand that getting angry will not solve the problem. There are always more solutions than difficulties. As long as you control yourself properly, there will always be fewer treacherous people in the court than loyal ones.
If it doesn't work, you can temporarily look through the bound book that the traitor gave you. There are many emergency measures on it. It's not too late to go back and look for specific countermeasures.
"If you want to impose a crime, why bother? I have always acted openly and aboveboard, so I am not afraid of deliberately slandering you! On the contrary, Your Majesty, your actions have been criticized since you came to the throne! If not, why are the bandits constantly coming? Why is the border border in danger? Why is Zhongliang so good? Killed? Why is the country in danger?"
If it were just a verbal battle, Zhang Cai would be somewhat sure that even if the other party was the emperor, he would not be afraid.
"It's easy to interpret, just because I am not the king who has subjugated the country, but you are the minister who has subjugated the country! Loyalty to the king and serving the country is false, seeking personal gain is true! Benefiting the people is false, and arbitrary power is true! Being strict with oneself is false, and arrogance and lewdness are false It’s true! It’s false to understand the sentiments of the people, it’s true to collude with merchants! It’s false to do your duty, it’s true to disobey and deceive the emperor! How can the Ming Dynasty prosper with such arrogance as those ministers who have subjugated the country? Remove Zhang Cai’s current official position, and will He will be imprisoned and will be released after verification!"
In the past, Chongzhen could not find the root cause of Ming Dynasty's disease. After being pointed out by a certain traitor, if Nan Ting fell ill again, Chongzhen could immediately trace the source.
"Hunjun! The Ming Dynasty will surely perish because of you! Liu Bowen even calculated that the Ming Dynasty will perish! Hahahaha..."
Now that the matter has come to this, Zhang Cai is not afraid of being stabbed, so he will scold him first.
"Drag it out quickly!"
Chongzhen's face darkened and he threw out his robe sleeves. The Han generals standing on the left and right did not dare to neglect and immediately dragged the madman out of the hall.
"Kentang Zhang did not report what he knew. He was dismissed from his current position, retired and returned to his hometown, and his position will never be renewed! Qian Qianyi closed his door and reflected on himself for three months. He is not allowed to contact others before the time is up!"
Zhang Pu will probably never come back, Zhang Cai will be imprisoned, and Zhang Kentang cannot be kept.
Three people were taken down from Donglin before, and Chongzhen was still considering Qian Qianyi.
He has not been dismissed from office for the time being, but it can be regarded as a temporary suspension until he behaves well.
In this way, among the two gangs of Donglin and Fushe, the only one who could go to the palace to participate in the court discussions was Qu Shishu, the chief minister.
"I am guilty, I hope your Majesty will punish me!"
When Qu Shishu saw that Donglin and Fushe's colleagues, except Qian Qianyi, had not received a good end, he apologized on his own.
"I don't know Aiqing, but Aiqing is recommended by the prince. The prince thinks highly of Aiqing, saying that he is the first choice for the first assistant of the Southern Court. Since Aiqing became the first assistant, he has worked hard and worked hard without complaining. I think I love you. Much better than Wen Tiren, Zhou Yanru and others. Even based on the prince's words, I still believe in Aiqing's character and conduct. If you love me, you don't have to belittle yourself, and you will continue to solve my problems in the future! Zheng Aiqing, what I said before Five hundred thousand taels of silver for tea lessons, that's it. The cabinet drafts the decree. I'll have my senior partner seal it after I read it. After the cabinet posts the note, it will send a flying horse to Hangzhou without any mistakes!"
Regarding Qu Shichu, Chongzhen felt that his abilities were much stronger than Wen Tiren, who only knew how to mix mud.
First of all, Qu Shichun supported taxing merchants. At least his attitude was not as stubborn as other Donglin or Fushe people.
Secondly, Qu Shishu mostly agreed with the prince's practical policies, and hoped that the Southern Court could be put into operation quickly after the emperor's arrival.
Finally, Qu Shishu felt that the merchants' previous strike to petition the scholars was actually harmful to the interests of the Southern Court and even the Ming Dynasty, and it was best not to happen again.
Of course, Qu Shichun was also opposed to Huang Degong's reckless sending of troops, especially when Song Ji led his troops to Yangzhou to arrest salt merchants, which simply disgraced the court.
However, Huang Degong succeeded after all, and Taicang, the Ministry of Revenue, received more than two million taels of silver. Even Zheng Sanjun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, who benefited from this, could only smile bitterly.
At this time, Huang Degong was happy and at ease, because the three thousand taels bet turned into thirty thousand taels in cash.
Since a lot of money has been settled, this reckless man will not be angry no matter how you criticize him.
From top to bottom of the Yongwei camp, everyone was betting on the prince to win the battle. Now that the court discussion has become like this, who is still in the mood to ask?
Those officials who made the wrong bet were as heartbroken as if their own father had died.
They can't go to the palace, and they have no control over the court's discussions.
But Huang Taiji can actually lose, which will make them feel painful.
Because the compensation is not three melons and two dates, but real gold and silver...
Now the news spread from inside to outside, and spread by the Yongwei camp, Nandu City almost knew the news that the Crown Prince had won the battle.
Many gambling house owners simply chose to run away. They were not afraid that the Yongwei camp would come to cash out, but they were worried that many local officials would become jealous of their losses and insist on taking their bets back.
Yongweiying doesn't care about this kind of nonsense. As long as he can get the lottery in his hands, everything will be fine.
The rift between the officials and the gambling houses is purely dog-eating-dog, and the Yongwei camp is not allowed to watch the fun!
Huang Degong was still blaming Song Ji for being so stupid. Why didn't he bring dozens of thin horses from Yangzhou City to him?
Now that I have money, I can finally buy a few serious Yangzhou thin horses after deducting the money needed to support the soldiers.
What Chongzhen was thinking about was how to get money from Zhejiang tea merchants!
Qu Shichen was thinking about how to clean up this mess!
Huang Degong was thinking about how to play with a thin horse...
Donglin and Fushe are unlucky this time, while the Beiguan Group is gloating about their misfortune!
Several Nanguan officials all pretended that nothing had happened!
This is the court proposal of Nanting!
Zheng Sanjun suddenly thought of a question. The difference was one million taels. The emperor asked the Zhejiang tea merchants to pay 500,000 taels. Who should fill in the remaining half?
"Your Majesty, the difference is still five hundred thousand taels!"
"Let the Lianghuai salt merchants pay one million taels!"
"..."
Zheng Sanjun didn't realize it for a moment. The difference was 500,000 taels, but Emperor Chongzhen asked the salt merchant to pay 1 million taels!
If the calculation is correct, can the household department still earn 500,000 taels?
But does the emperor really mean this?
The matter was so important that Zheng Sanjun was afraid that he might misunderstand the holy intention.
"The Lianghuai salt merchants have been trafficking in illegal salt for a long time. The prince once told me that at that time, the prince had no time to go south, so he had to send Shen Xun to investigate the case of missing tax money. Song Ji led his troops to arrest the salt merchants. , Lianghuai salt merchants have confessed one after another, which shows that tax evasion and even trafficking in illegal salt do exist. Compared with the taxes he has evaded in the past few decades, the one million taels I asked him to pay is not much!"
"..."
Zheng Sanjun was confused. Can the court now use this logic to collect taxes and money?
