Gengxu (the 18th day of May) in the eighth year of Yuanfeng.
Cai Jing of Kaifeng Prefecture, Hu Ji, the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture, and Li Shiliang, the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture, were each punished by a fire in the tribute courtyard and failed to put out the fire. They were each fined eight pounds of copper. Level one, special penalty for fire in Gongyuan.
Li Ding, the official of Zhengyi and the Minister of Rites, was demoted five levels in a row. He was appointed as the official of Zhengyi and was appointed as the official of Chaoyi.
It is equivalent to the official rank of prose in the past, from Liubu Shilang to Taichang Temple Shaoqing, Sinong Temple Shaoqing or Shangshu Shilang.
For civil servants and officials, this is already a heavy derogation!
But it's not over yet!
The Yushitai immediately reported a large number of reports and dug up the dirty information for so long.
Li Ding, who was imprisoned in the Yushitai, also thought clearly.
He cleanly admitted and confessed to numerous crimes.
The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Husbandry were as happy as during the Chinese New Year.
Because Li Ding admitted that he had embezzled a large amount of ministerial money during his tenure in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs.
You ask him how much he has embezzled and embezzled? He couldn't tell himself clearly.
Anyway, it is misappropriation and corruption.
So the Ministry of Rites reported that although the traitor Li Ding only worked at the Ministry of Rites for five days, he had already misappropriated and embezzled more than 10,000 yuan frantically!
The Ministry of Accounts happily reported a figure of 80,000 yuan.
The shortfall in the Minister's money from the Ministry of Accounts was filled in one go.
At the same time, Li Ding also admitted almost all the crimes of fabricating, framing, and slandering the ministers during the Wutai Shi case.
He has now shouldered all the charges he could bear.
If he couldn't bear it, he would blame Wang Gui, who was already dead.
It was said that Wang Gui coerced him and instigated him to do it.
Except for the Wutai Shi case, he also confessed to all the major cases he participated in during the Yuanfeng era, and by the way, he put all the blame on Wang Gui - it was Wang Gui who forced me to do it!
Li Ding is so sensible, so Yusi is naturally looking up to him.
Therefore, in the end, the capital reported it, and the result of the deliberation among the governors was that Li Ding, the court official, should be charged with corruption, frame-up, etc., and be assigned to live in a certain state.
Since Renmiao came into power, no important official at the waiting level has been stripped, and even the number of supervisors has been very few.
For important ministers who are waiting to be appointed, the highest punishment is usually to be resettled.
The governors of the capital hall retaliated like this, naturally they were showing off their posture.
At the same time, it also gives the two houses an opportunity to extend their favor.
Otherwise, how can the two palaces be merciful outside the law if they directly apply for resettlement or are expelled and suspended? How to show the compassion of the two palaces?
And it is no longer time for the two palaces to just take charge of politics.
Each of them has a Hanlin bachelor who can serve as a staff and introduce national stories and allusions to them.
Therefore, once this matter was reported, they would probably understand.
Then, he asked Zhao Xu for his opinion and finally came up with the final solution.
Li Ding, the court official, committed corruption, dereliction of duty, framed ministers, and slandered the great emperor's virtue and government. He committed a heinous crime!
However, Li Ding, the official of the imperial court meeting, still had a trace of conscience. He confessed and repented, and was given leniency. He was demoted as the deputy envoy of Yuezhou Tuanlian. He lived in Yingzhou and was not allowed to sign official documents for this state.
So, with a lot of gratitude, Li Ding was escorted by the dispatched officials and embarked on the road to Yingzhou.
If he is lucky, he might be able to get a pardon in a few years and move to a place with better conditions.
Furthermore, he retained a certain decency.
For example, he was allowed to write to the court and live with his family. Although his salary was reduced by half, he was allowed to cultivate land in Yingzhou and give lectures in Yingzhou.
In other words, Zhao Xu made an opening here.
Give him a chance to be a dog in the future!
At the same time, it also retained the possibility that he could accumulate fame through lectures and then be pardoned by the imperial edict.
After all, Li Ding still has something.
Can't waste it!
However, that will be at least several years later.
…
Finished handling Li Ding's matter.
The two palaces held Zhao Xu in the Yanhe Hall and met the elder Han Wei who wanted to resign and return to Xuzhou.
Han Wei's resignation this time did not launch an indiscriminate attack on the New Party and Wang Anshi like Zhao Xu did in his previous life.
He did not sing praises to Sima Guang, and even took the lead in attacking the edict drafted by Zhang Dun to "please speak frankly."
On the contrary, he barely mentioned any political affairs of the country.
He just followed the procedures, talked about the affairs of Xuzhou Mansion, and asked the two palaces for some preferential treatment and special policies - for example, allowing him to adjust the Young Crops Law, the Exemption Law, and the Baojia Law in Xuzhou without having to report to the capital. the power of law.
Naturally, the two palaces agreed to these requests and preferential treatment - this is the privilege of the elders!
During the Xining Reform, Han Jiang, Fu Bi, and Wen Yanbo all had these privileges.
At the end of the ceremony, the Queen Mother asked as usual: "I don't know, dear sir, do you have any advice on state affairs?"
Han Wei immediately said: "The benevolent saints of the two palaces protect and support His Majesty the Emperor, and extend grace to the world..."
As he spoke, he looked at the young master who had remained silent from beginning to end, and bowed: "His Majesty the Emperor will carry out the Emperor's decree..."
"Abolish the evil laws, drive out the villains, and reform and rest with the people. The world is happy and overjoyed... The old minister has nothing to say..."
"However, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager did not regard the old ministers as old and decrepit. They consulted the old ministers in the palace... The old ministers were frightened..."
"Begging for an edict to ban Chinese copper coins from leaving customs..."
The two palaces looked at each other through the curtain, and then the Empress Dowager said: "Han Qing means very well!"
"My money is expensive, just as it is!"
He then ordered Han Wei to report to his subordinates, and within a half-month period, the Jiayou money ban was reinstated - anyone who left the customs with copper coins without permission would be executed for five or more coins! Those with five or fewer thorns will be exiled.
Zhao Xu remained silent.
He knew that since the founding of the Song Dynasty, although every effort had been made to increase copper mining, iron coins were even cast and circulated in Sichuan and Shaanxi.
However, money shortage was still a chronic problem of the Song Dynasty!
Even since Xining, Zhao Xu's father has increased the number of money-casting supervisors throughout the world.
The number of coins minted each year exceeded five million coins.
However, the speed of development of the Song Dynasty's commodity economy and the popularity and acceptance of Song Dynasty copper coins by the entire known world still left the Song Dynasty in a deep money shortage, which is what modern economics calls: insufficient money supply.
Before the Xining Reform, the Song Dynasty could only impose a ban on copper coins.
But it's no use.
That's why Xining's reform lifted the money ban and changed the customs tax on copper coins.
Every time a copper coin comes out of customs, the state imposes a tax of fifty cents.
Wang Anshi’s idea was that it could not be stopped. Rather than letting smugglers make the profits from the copper coin trade, it was better to let the country make them.
However, this undoubtedly exacerbated the Song Dynasty's own money shortage.
In the case of insufficient money supply, deflation has become a nightmare for the Song Dynasty's economy.
Everyone at the top and bottom knew that money shortage was poisoning the Song Dynasty.
Although they don't know what deflation is, they can feel from around them the harm caused by the lack of copper coins to the commodity economy.
Naturally, there are endless calls for reinstating the money ban.
But the problem is - the Song Dynasty couldn't even eliminate illicit salt, so it wanted to eliminate copper coin smuggling, which was more profitable and had more ways to make profits?
Dream on!
If the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death!
If you carry a bag of copper coins on your back and go to the other side of the border, you can buy livestock, spices, ivory or other highly profitable commodities at prices far lower than those in the Song Dynasty.
Any fool would take a gamble.
Therefore, Zhao Xu knew that Han Wei was doing useless work.
There is only one way to solve the money shortage - continue to increase the money supply.
At least double the amount of money minted every year to reach the level of 10 million coins.
In order to barely meet the needs of the Song Dynasty's own commodity economy.
As for wanting to act as the World Bank and provide financial lubrication to the world?
The annual minting amount of 20 million guan may be enough to make do.
is it possible?
impossible!
Mining and smelting technology has almost reached its ceiling.
We can only wait for technological breakthroughs, especially breakthroughs in mining technology.
Fortunately, Zhao Xu knew that Shen Kuo now had a technology that could temporarily alleviate the money shortage.
"Do you want to remind me?" Zhao Xu thought for a while and then gave up the plan.
If Shen Kuo even needed him to remind him about such a thing.
What else does Shen Kuo need to do?
…
"Shen Tiju..."
Shen Kuo was writing something at his desk when he heard Yan Shouqin's voice outside the yard.
He quickly stood up and walked out of the door.
The servants he hired have already invited Yan Shouqin in.
"Be careful..." Shen Kuo looked at the young ministers following Yan Shouqin and asked, "What is this?"
Yan Shouqin smiled and said: "Congratulations to Shen Tiju..."
"The Empress Dowager deeply agrees with what she said in the letter to focus on manufacturing weapons bureau, and everyone has even personally given instructions..."
As he spoke, he handed over the emperor's instructions brought from the palace to Shen Kuo's hands.
"After being promoted, you can do things conveniently in the bureau that specializes in manufacturing weapons..."
Shen Kuo quickly bowed down and took the young master's instructions from Yan Shouqin's hand.
He read it carefully and looked at the official regular script instructions on the document: However, Shen Kuo of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau was ordered to act on his own initiative! From now on, Shen Kuo will submit a letter to the Tongjian Secretary and send it directly to the emperor!
This made Shen Kuo feel relieved.
He looked at the few ministers who were following Yan Shouqin and asked, "What about these?"
Yan Shouqin smiled: "Everyone was worried that it would be too hard for one person to work hard, so they asked these little yellow sects to follow the instructions of the sect..."
Shen Kuo understood instantly!
So he immediately expressed his stance and raised his hands in the direction of the imperial city: "God's grace is so great that I can't repay it!"
Yan Shouqin waved his hand and said to the ministers who followed him: "Come forward and give a ceremony to Shen Ti!"
"From now on, you will obey orders in the specialized arms manufacturing bureau and work carefully!"
"Wei!" the ministers replied in unison, and then came to Shen Kuo and bowed one after another: "I have seen Shen Tiju. In the future, please ask Shen Tiju to encourage you and give you any orders... I will obey you." !”
Shen Kuo said quickly: "Please get up quickly... please get up quickly..."
He knew that even if these people were sent by the young master to help him, they were his spies, and they were trained and taught by the young master.
And it just so happened that he also needed a way to let the two palaces and the emperor who lived deep in the palace know that he, Shen Cunzhong, was a capable, motivated, and obedient minister!
A lot has been deleted from this chapter~
Mainly, most of the history of the money shortage and currency in the Northern Song Dynasty has been deleted.
Well, after today's update is completed, I will publish a single chapter to talk about it.
(End of chapter)
