He looked at the two people who looked embarrassed after hearing what he meant. Huang Qiong also knows that both of them are under great pressure now. Some people did not dare to come to him and ran to the magistrate's office. What Huang Qiong knows even more is that the clan may not be the only ones who want to interfere in Zhengzhou now. Liu Hu Qian'er went to the street, met the second manager of Zuo Cheng's family, and entered the magistrate's office.
Huang Qiong did not expect that his killing spree would only cause some lower-ranking officials to hold back. Those clans that were interested in getting involved did not dare to be too unscrupulous. But the important ministers in the court didn't take it seriously at all. Both of them were officials in the court, how could those important officials in the court dare to offend them easily?
Although Su Jin was pedantic and rigid, there were finally some changes that made Huang Qiong happy for him. But at this time, this kind of change was not what Huang Qiong liked and needed. After thinking for a while, Huang Qiong said: "This is just my family's opinion. You can just say it if you have any ideas. Three cobblers can even rival Zhuge Liang."
"If there are any difficulties that need to be solved by this king, you can ask for a high price. Don't say that I won't give you this opportunity. If you have anything to talk about today, there will be no tomorrow after passing this village. After the articles of association are finalized, if there are still deviations in the execution, I can settle the score with you two."
After Huang Qiong finished speaking, Su Jin and Jian Yong looked at each other, gritted their teeth and said, "Your Majesty, now in Zhengzhou's treasury, the poor can starve to death. Seeing that after the autumn harvest, it's time to renovate the river again. Time. But right now, Zhengzhou Prefecture, let alone the river workers’ money, has not yet received the food and salary for the subordinate officials next month.”
"The emperor has now exempted Zhengzhou's taxes. Not to mention the autumn taxes, even next year's taxes have not been paid. But as soon as this yamen opened, money was needed everywhere. The money and food for the guards were borne by the river workers and the yamen, and the officials in the government This does not include the money and food needed to demobilize the rebels. Do you think the fields that can prove the original owner’s absence will be sold this year?”
"Should there be restrictions on household registration for people who buy land? After all, the people's livelihood in Zhengzhou is in decline right now, and not many people can afford to buy land. At present, Zhengzhou's treasury is empty, and it has reached an unsustainable point. Your Majesty, I and Jian Tongzhi The discussion is that if the original owner of the land that has been sold returns, the treasury will allocate part of the money and materials for certain compensation."
"Although it is unethical to do so, the problem is that if they don't return, can't these lands just be abandoned? The most important thing is that that part of the land is sold by the government, which can at least solve some of the urgent needs. Your Majesty, ministers, etc., this is also the case There is no other way. There are two important things in Zhengzhou right now, one is this year’s autumn harvest, and the other is the river construction of the Yellow River.”
"The autumn harvest is not a big problem, but the river work cannot be delayed. Although it is customary for the court to bear 60% of the money and food required for the river work. But no one can guarantee when the 60% will be allocated by the court. Especially this year. There is a severe drought in Longyou and Shaanxi, making it even more difficult for the court to make progress. What’s more, what if???”
Looking at Su Jin who was silent after saying this, Huang Qiong nodded slightly: "I know that I have to consider the problem comprehensively, which is better than when I was in the British Palace. This is good. I also know that you are in difficulty right now. Very, not only is the treasury in Zhengzhou empty, but the door to your house cannot be opened now. Not only the surrounding clans, but also the high officials in the DPRK are sending notes and writing letters in large numbers."
"However, this hole cannot be opened. Firstly, even if it is at least on the surface, we must show a fair attitude in dealing with it now. Otherwise, people with malicious intentions will instigate and the people will boil. Secondly, it will save you some trouble in the future. , after all, one year is not a long time compared to your term. We cannot try to save trouble now and be blamed next year."
"One of you is from the royal palace, and the other is preserved by me. In the eyes of others, you are all my king's people. There are definitely not a few people in the court and palace who are looking for trouble with you. Even for the sake of For your sake, this handle must not be left to others. I am not afraid of being implicated by you, but I don’t want to lose two helpers in vain."
"Thirdly, do you think it's enough to satisfy some people's greed? Have you forgotten that human greed has no end? As the saying goes, flies don't bite seamless eggs. Once this hole is opened, what will happen in the future? It will be difficult to collect it again. Remember one sentence, if the people don’t have enough to eat, they will rebel. By then, the situation that has finally been stabilized may become corrupt again.”
"If the current situation in Zhengzhou is in chaos, it is not the current situation. This time it is a civil strife in the Tian family, and King Jing has been violently conquering Zhengzhou in recent years, which has completely lost the hearts of the people. Except for a few extremely ambitious people, No one among the people responded at all. But if the people's hearts are unstable and they feel that the court is unfair. If someone rises up and calls out, what should you do?"
"If this hole is opened, who can guarantee that the people below will do things properly? You have all been officials for more than ten years, and you understand some things even if I don't say them. As long as this hole is opened a little, those people will The dirty official dared to tear open a bigger one. I used more than a hundred heads to suppress the boiling public resentment in Zhengzhou."
"If during the execution, a monk with a crooked mouth reads the sutra crookedly, Zhengzhou may become a fire again. Regarding money and food, I will find a way for you. However, the amount will not be too much, and I can only provide you with emergency supplies for the time being. However, even though my father has exempted Zhengzhou from three years of money and food, there is nothing we can do about it."
"I see that here, under the control of the Zhengzhou Prefecture, other shops have very little business, but only brothels and tile houses have a prosperous business. Those who go to such a place are all wealthy locals. You can start from there and think of a solution Do you want to collect some money? Especially those big brothels, which have a lot of income every year, so they still have to collect some taxes.
"Don't worry about the accusations of making money on your own. As long as you are dedicated to serving the public, no one will dare to say anything to you. It is normal to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Otherwise, even if the emperor has not exempted Zhengzhou from money and food, according to the current situation in Zhengzhou, unless we come up with a The officials force the people to rebel, otherwise you won’t have anywhere to collect them.”
"Also, Zhengzhou has always been the hub of flood and drought roads on Henan Road. Countless merchants pass through here every year, transporting goods to Jingzhao and the northwest. Even a small Hulao Pass official can find a way to scrape oil from business travelers. You guys As a local parent official, can't we think of a way? Of course, this is just a stopgap measure."
"Once Zhengzhou Mansion recovers, these things can no longer be done. But for now, we can still start from these aspects. Don't have any worries. As long as the money you collect does not go into your own pockets, I will take care of everything for you. . This king has only one request for you, and that is that within three years, you should keep your doors open every night in Zhengzhou."
After Huang Qiong finished speaking, Su Jin and Jian Yong also knew that their original idea was basically impossible. After the two people looked at each other, they could only nod in agreement. After the two left, looking at their backs, Huang Qiong sighed softly. The two of them still thought of things too simply.
How could Huang Qiong not know about the difficulties between Su Jin and Jian Yong? As a local official, you still need to take care of things when going up the mountain, otherwise good things can turn into bad things. Apart from anything else, it would be too easy for the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works to drag you down for half a year just for the money and food a Yellow River worker needs. This year is also experiencing a severe drought in the northwest, and even the excuses are ready.
The Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works can find excuses to delay your money and grain, but no one dares to delay this. Otherwise, once the spring floods come next year, it will not just be a matter of taking off one's hat. If the losses are too great, public resentment will be too boiling. There must be some people in the court who don't mind using their heads to try to deflect public opinion.
Especially now, whether they like it or not, they all have the word "English" on them. He went on a killing spree in Zhengzhou, killing more than a hundred officials in one go, and offended many people in the court. Some people are not good at doing things, but they have a way of finding trouble and teasing people behind their backs. If you can't control yourself, you may not dare to attack the two of them. At this time, you must not leave any excuses to others.
As for the money and food needed, that's easy to handle. After inspecting so many officials' homes, the homes of just two Zhengzhou magistrates and Zhengzhou military envoys were enough to meet the needs of the Zhengzhou river workers this year. But all he can do now is to allocate enough money and food to the river workers. Any more may not be a good thing for these two people. Besides, if you don’t force them, do you know that money is not easy to come by?
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong shook his head slightly. He knew that the previous idea must have come from Jian Yong. Only after serving in the local government for many years can one come up with such an idea that won't offend both sides. As for Su Jin, at most he was persuaded and just followed. Su Jin, who had been in the Hanlin Academy for nearly twenty years and had never been released, did not have this ability.
When I elected him to be the magistrate of Zhengzhou, did I help him or hurt him? We can only wait and see. As for the future, I'm afraid that Jian Yong, who talks about not being a loyal minister and only wants to be a famous minister, will go further than him. However, it has finally opened up some. Know what to do as a local official. At this point, change is much better than no change.
After sending Su Jin and Jian Yong away, Huang Qiong did not return to the study. He only took Liu Hu with him and started walking around Prince Jing's Mansion. Prince Jing's Mansion has been set up as a royal palace for some time. He has never seen the entire Prince Jing's Mansion. Now that the regulations were finalized, Huang Qiong breathed a sigh of relief and simply went to visit Prince Jing's Mansion.
After just a quick look, it seemed that Rao was already mentally prepared. Huang Qiong couldn't help but be stunned by this magnificent and grand palace, which exuded not only the aura of wealth and honor inside and outside, but also the luxury. Compared with this Prince Jing's Mansion, the Prince Ying's Mansion that he inherited from Prince Teng has become a fucking messy courtyard.
Looking at Huang Qiong's face, the only remaining steward in the entire Prince Jing's Mansion, the eunuch in charge of Prince Jing's Mansion, hurriedly said: "Your Highness, when this Prince Jing's Mansion was being built, Prince Jing came to see it before he became a feudal lord. . Later, King Jing privately increased the area by 30% on the basis of the Ministry of Works building, and at the same time built three new halls."
"All the main halls are made of huanghuali wood, and the floors are paved with spotted stones. Because King Jing likes apricot flowers very much, a large number of apricot trees were transplanted during the construction of the entire palace. Every spring , the palace is filled with the singing and dancing of orioles, the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers."
"This palace garden is modeled after the Imperial Garden of the Daming Palace in the Western Capital. You see, the rockery stones in this palace garden are all Taihu stones transported back from the south of the Yangtze River. The pavilions and pavilions here are made of All of them are copper algae and iron algae. When the lake was excavated, more than 10,000 people were used manually."
"There are also eighty sika deer, cranes, and peacocks stocked inside, and the lake is also stocked with precious koi carps. This lake is connected to the river outside the city, and in summer the entire garden is extremely refreshing. Every year In summer, King Jing and all the princesses rest in the dormitory in this garden."
