Household lobby.
Li Min, the Minister of Household Affairs, carefully looked at the grain price booklet just reported from Beizhili.
He was puzzled: "How come the price of food has dropped so much? The price of Jiangnan high-quality rice has dropped to five cents of silver per stone."
Zhang Wei, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, smiled and said: "This is a great thing! When the evil eunuchs in the previous dynasty were in power, the country was in decline. In the 22nd year of Chenghua, the price of rice in Beizhili even rose to one or two taels of silver per stone. .”
"Now that the price of rice has dropped so much, it shows that the emperor is diligent and caring for the people, and good governance has been achieved! The Ming Dynasty has seen a prosperous period!"
Zhang Wei is in his fifties and his ancestral home is Laizhou, Shandong. This person had been a litigator before being elected and was eloquent.
He supervises Jingcang, so he is also called "Cangchang Minister".
Li Min said: "That's the truth. But I still think the plummeting price of food is a bit abnormal."
Zhang Wei smiled and said: "Li Butang is worrying too much. The low price of food shows that you, the head of the household department, are good at managing food!"
Zuo Shilang Gao Ping said: "Li Budang, last autumn there was a good harvest in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. There is more food, so the price will naturally fall."
Li Min closed the food price book: "Maybe."
The drop in grain prices is indeed a major political achievement of the Minister of Household Affairs. Li Min didn't dwell on the matter anymore.
The envoy of Jinyiwei North Town is on duty.
Sun Luan has been on leave for more than half a year. Chang Feng was responsible for the daily affairs of the Northern Division, so he simply occupied the magpie's nest and moved to the duty room of the Zhenfu Envoy.
Li Guang, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, came in.
Li Guang smiled and said: "Chang Qianhu, you people in Beizhen Fusi have got a great job this time! There is an edict!"
The commander of the Jinyiwei is Zhu Ji. According to the rules, Li Guang came to Jinyiwei to deliver the decree to Zhu Ji.
However, Huai'en's evaluation of Zhu Ji during his lifetime was extremely positive: Zhu Ji could not be an official at all!
It's just that Zhu Ji didn't know how to play right and left in front of his superiors, and he was extremely harsh on his subordinates.
No one above him liked him, and those below him hated him. He has been the conductor for three years, and now he is like a cat or a dog.
If the Director of Ceremonies comes to deliver an order to Jin Yiwei, he will usually bypass Zhu Ji and pass it directly to Chang Feng.
Chang Feng quickly knelt down and said, "My lord, Chang Feng accepts the order."
Li Guangdao: "I have an edict. I ordered the Fusi of Beizhen to send Tiqi to all the states and counties in the world to inspect the grain storage situation in various places. I appreciate this!"
In August last year, Emperor Hongzhi issued a decree ordering local governments to take advantage of the good years to stockpile grain and rice within half a year.
Now comes the stage of acceptance.
Emperor Hongzhi did not let anyone from the Ministry of Household Affairs go to check and accept it. Because he knew that the civil servants of the Ministry of Revenue had an intricate relationship with local officials. The investigation after investigation is nothing more than a confused imperial envoy checking a confused account.
Emperor Hongzhi simply sent out his private army slaves to carry out inspections and acceptances everywhere.
From ancient times to the present, acceptance has always been a big mistake.
Chang Feng received the order, and Li Guang said with a smile: "You Jinyiwei's robes can now fully reap the benefits of going to Beijing on business."
Chang Feng said calmly: "My subordinates must let the robes do their best to run the emperor's mission well."
Li Guangdao: "By the way, this morning my wife went to Kunning Palace to meet Queen Zhang. I saw that she has gained a lot of weight. Sure enough, she has enjoyed the blessings of following Chang Qianhu."
Chang Feng said perfunctorily: "I have gained a lot of weight."
Liu Xiaoyan gained weight because after giving birth to Zhuangzhuang, she was busy taking care of the child all day long, and also had to entertain the ladies of the capital. No time to practice martial arts.
However, Chang Feng really liked Liu Xiaoyan's current figure between the sheets. He once said to Liu Xiaoyan: "You are fat but not greasy, and you are as soft as if you have no bones."
Li Guang said with a smile: "The Queen Mother treats you, the Chang family, really differently from other courtiers. She sewed a bellyband with her own hands and gave it to your young master."
"Hey, how can ordinary ministers have such grace and honor?"
Li Guang chatted with Chang Feng for a while, drank two bowls of tea, and left Jinyiwei.
After Li Guang left, Chang Feng immediately summoned the remaining four Qianhu, five deputy Qianhu, fifty Baihu, and one hundred general bannermen from Beizhen Fusi to discuss matters.
Chang Feng first relayed Emperor Hongzhi's will.
Then he asked someone to hang up a complete map of Kanyu in the Ming Dynasty.
Chang Feng said: "Our Ming Dynasty has a total of 140 prefectures, 193 states, and 1,138 counties."
"I plan to deploy a thousand people from Beizhen Fusi. Each group of five people will patrol five to six counties."
"The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory. I know you all want to go to Jiangnan, not Lingnan."
"For the sake of fairness, after the list of people is determined, everyone draws lots. Whichever place you catch will go to that place."
Fatty Xu asked: "Master Chang, do we Qianhu and deputy Qianhu also participate in the inspection?"
Chang Feng said: "Qianhu and Deputy Qianhu will not participate. After all, our Northern Town Fusi's errands are not just about inspecting the grain storage."
Qian Ning was a little disappointed after hearing this. Originally, he planned to make a fortune by going to Beijing on this errand.
Chang Feng said seriously: "Everyone, I know that some of you think that going out for inspection in Beijing is a fat job. Get ready to show off your skills and make a fortune!"
"I tell you, don't be wishful thinking!"
"The Nanzhen Fusi is in charge of the law and discipline. I will ask the Nansi Wangzhenfu to dispatch special personnel to monitor you everywhere. Once you are found to have taken bribes and engaged in favoritism, don't blame the law and discipline for being unforgiving!"
All the robes said in unison: "Yes!"
Of course, Chang Feng is not Zhu Ji. First of all, I gave the robes a beating, and naturally I also gave them a sweet date.
Chang Feng said again: "It's okay. Cheng Yi can still be accepted. We can't break the rules of officialdom. But we can't go too far! Each Cheng Yi must not exceed fifty taels!"
The robes were all happy after hearing this. Sure enough, there are benefits to following Mr. Chang.
Chang Feng said: "Okay, let's draw up the list now. Then draw lots."
More than a thousand people were mobilized to go out on patrol, and the list alone took four hours to draw up, right up to the time of lighting the lamp.
The next day, Chang Feng ordered those who participated in the inspection to draw lots and determine their respective inspection locations.
After doing all this, Chang Feng went to Qianqing Palace to repeat the decree.
Emperor Hongzhi had just listened to a report on grain prices from Li Min, the Minister of Household Affairs. He was in a good mood, pleased with himself.
Every wise king in the past dynasties hopes that food prices will be maintained at a low level.
Before the Wanli Dynasty, it was actually a false proposition that low grain prices hurt farmers.
At that time, there were still nearly a hundred years before the implementation of the Yitiao whip method. When farmers pay land tax, they pay grain and rice.
After farmers have paid their land taxes, they are lucky to have enough surplus grain to fill their stomachs. Where can I sell the extra grain and rice?
Even if there is a good year, farmers will have more food in their hands. What they want to do is not to sell it, but to store it at home to prepare for disaster years.
If farmers don't sell their surplus grain, they won't be hurt by low prices.
Almost all grains and rice sold in the market are produced by large and small landowners who own large amounts of land.
The damage caused by the low price of grain is not farmers at all, but large and small landowners.
For Emperor Hongzhi, he was eager to weaken the interests of the powerful landlords!
Chang Feng knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I have already prepared a strategy for going out to inspect the place to stock up on food."
Emperor Hongzhi said: "Well, let's talk about it."
Chang Feng presented the patrol regulations he had just drawn up and explained them again.
Emperor Hongzhi was extremely satisfied: "Very good! Chang Feng, let me tell you something about the relationship between monarch and ministers. Those civil servants in the Ministry of Revenue are unreliable."
"The grain hoarding policy is the first national policy I have formulated independently. The Jin Yiwei are my eyes and ears, and they have to check whether the national policy is implemented for me."
"During the Chenghua Dynasty, someone once said, 'If a good imperial edict comes out of Shuntian, it will be like papyrus; if a good government decree comes out of Shuntian, it will be forgotten'."
"I want to know whether the local officials of this dynasty are disobeying me!"
What Emperor Hongzhi said was actually not a phenomenon unique to the Chenghua Dynasty.
In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and the emperor lived in the capital. After the imperial edict leaves the capital, it is difficult for the emperor on the throne to know whether or not local officials and county magistrates will implement it.
As the saying goes, the sky is high and the emperor is far away.
For ordinary people, the biggest "official" they can come into contact with in their lifetime may be the village grain chief.
Within the jurisdiction of a county magistrate, he is simply like a local emperor.
The imperial edict is conveyed to the county magistrates through the first-level yamen. Whether or not the magistrates implement it depends on their mood.
Maybe when I was having sex with my concubine, I felt depressed for a while, my mood changed, and I simply regarded the imperial edict as a penniless piece of papyrus.
Therefore, an ancient Chinese history is a history of the game between emperors and bureaucrats, and between China and local governments.
Chang Feng cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will strictly instruct the robes to complete this errand."
Emperor Hongzhi said: "Well, I always feel at ease when you do things. By the way, Sun Luan has been ill for six or seven months. I heard that he is terminally ill, so why haven't you submitted a memorial to resign?"
"He resigned so that I could promote you to be the envoy of Beizhen."
No matter how kind Emperor Hongzhi was, he was still a boss. As a boss, you should draw the pie for your employees in a timely manner.
Chang Feng burst into tears after hearing this: "Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for your love."
Emperor Hongzhi waved his dragon sleeves: "That's all, go down and do your errands."
Chang Feng returned home after a day of errands.
Lao Taishan Liu Bingyi came to visit.
Chang Feng said half-jokingly: "Old Taishan. You are not here to plead with your former disciple, right? No need to talk!"
Liu Bingyi was confused: "What do you want me to ask for? Ah, you said that Beizhen Fusi sent people to various places to inspect the food hoarding situation?"
"I'm asking for nothing more than this! I'm telling you, all the official warehouses in the world are full now!"
Chang Feng frowned: "Why is Lao Taishan so sure?"
Liu Bingyi is an old fox in the officialdom, and he still keeps a secret even for his own son-in-law. Knowing that he had just made a mistake, he quickly said perfunctorily: "Ah, there were good harvests everywhere last autumn. The official warehouse is naturally full. I have never seen the price of food drop so much."
Chang Feng sat on the chair: "Then are you coming this time?"
Liu Bingyi said: "Ahem. Last time Tangtang asked me to find a yellow nanmu fishing rod for her so that she can go to the Yongding River to catch big tortoises weighing more than five kilograms."
"No, I just went to Fushenghao Grocery Store and bought one and delivered it to her."
Liu Bingyi had been the minister of Taichang Temple for three years, and he was idle and comfortable. There is nothing serious to do except attend morning pilgrimage on time. He spent the whole day playing with flowers, birds, fish and insects, fighting cocks, walking dogs and fishing for tortoises.
Chang Feng said: "Thank you for your hard work, Old Taishan. By the way, Tangtang is ten years old this year. It's not appropriate to play like crazy all day long."
"If Lao Taishan is free, help find a female teacher for her and teach her the Four Books for Women."
Daughters of famous ladies in the Ming Dynasty were required to read "Nv's Commandments", "Nv's Training", "Nv's Analects" and "Nu Fan Jie Lu" at the age of ten.
The boxing gang in later generations took to the forefront as soon as the Four Books for Women were mentioned. But history is history. You can’t just turn a blind eye to this period of history because you think it’s wrong or bad. That's called historical nihilism.
Liu Bingyi said: "It's done. I'll take care of this. By the way, are you going to be promoted to the governor of Beizhen soon?"
Chang Feng took a sip of tea: "Who said that?"
Liu Bingyi said: "Who is there to say? It has been spread all over the official circles in the capital recently. Sun Luan, the governor of Beizhen, is seriously ill. If he dies, you will definitely be the governor of Beizhen."
Chang Feng shook his head slightly: "Farewell, Governor Sun Zhen is my respected superior. I hope he recovers soon!"
Chang Feng has already planned it. If he is promoted to the governor of Beizhen, he will promote Qian Ning to inspect thousands of households and continue to be his substitute.
As for Fatty Xu. After all, he had the title of Duke to inherit, and he didn't care about his official position in the Imperial Guard.
The only thing he cares about is to follow Chang Feng and run errands with his good brothers.
Tangtang walked in with Zhuangzhuang in her arms. She asked Liu Bingyi: "Uncle-in-law, my sister-in-law asked you what you want to eat tonight. She will cook it for you herself."
Liu Bingyi frowned: "No. Let the cook do it. Tell her, I'm afraid of tiring her."
Tangtang turned and left.
Chang Feng smiled and said: "Old Taishan, I'm also afraid of Xiaoyan cooking. She can mistake salt for sugar and vinegar for soy sauce. Even Huzi won't eat the rice she made."
The family had a happy dinner. Liu Bingyi left the house with a full stomach and sat on the official sedan chair.
Liu Bingyi is actually very content. With Chang Feng, a promising son-in-law, as his backer, he did not lose his official position after the new emperor ascended the throne. Now he is in Xiaojiuqing, eating, drinking and having fun all day long, living a life like a fairy.
He sometimes feels complacent: If I hadn't broken the engagement, I would have inspired this kid Chang Feng to make progress. I'm afraid he won't be able to climb to the high position he is today!
Three days later, more than a thousand Beisi Paoze who left the capital were ready.
Chang Feng gathered them in the school grounds for training.
Chang Feng said: "Brothers, I still want to remind you a few more words. Don't find me annoying."
"The Imperial Guards are the emperor's eyes and ears. If the emperor's ears and eyes are mixed up with the local officials, colluding with both inside and outside to deceive the emperor, then don't blame the family for being ruthless!"
"I have said before that I have no objection to you accepting the Cheng Yi. But you should not feel that you owe the local magistrates the Cheng Yi just because you have taken them. Follow the rules and protect them."
"You just think Cheng Yi deserves it. Just accept the gift and do nothing!"
Chang Feng's words not only warned Paoze, but also gave Paoze something to gain.
If Zhu Ji said the same thing, it might not taste like this.
Qian Ning shouted: "I will keep in mind the instructions of the governor!"
All the robes were stunned at first, and then shouted in unison: "I will remember the instructions of the Governor!"
Chang Feng showed displeasure: "Qian Ning, don't be the leader and talk nonsense. Sun Zhenfu is recuperating in his mansion. There are only a thousand households here, and there is no Zhenfu."
Qian Ning said: "My subordinates only know that whoever sits on duty as the envoy will be my envoy!"
Chang Feng actually felt very happy. Who doesn’t love a top hat?
Chang Feng smiled and scolded: "Okay, do you think you can talk? Okay, brothers, let's go! I wish you a smooth journey, complete the errands assigned by the emperor, and return to Beijing as soon as possible."
All the robes left the school grounds one after another.
Fatty Xu came forward and said, "Hey. Mr. Chang, your prestige in the Wei now is not only comparable to that of Ambassador Sun Zhen, but also comparable to that of Commander Zhu."
"The brothers all said it would be great if you came to be the commander."
Chang Feng said: "Don't talk nonsense. It's another thing to let Commander Zhu listen."
"Oh, by the way. Brothers are out of the capital, so we don't have nothing to do."
"In a month or two, you and I will go out of the capital and visit several prefectures near the capital to inspect whether the lords are doing their jobs diligently."
Fatty Xu said: "Sure! I'm almost going to get sick from being held back in the capital all day."
Chang Feng joked: "You go to Yihong Mansion all day long to find Saitanghong, how can you still get sick?"
Fatty Xu said: "Hey, don't mention it. She has no time to serve me recently. She is busy with the grain and rice business."
Chang Feng was a little strange: "She is openly engaged in skin and flesh business, secretly engaged in unprofitable business. When did she start selling grain and rice again?"
Fatty Xu explained: "My Hong'er not only has a bright tongue, but also a bright brain. She can do any business that makes money."
Chang Feng asked: "Now that the price of food has dropped as low as three grand, she is still squandering food and rice. Isn't she afraid of losing money?"
Fatty Xu smiled and said: "Master Chang, when it comes to confiscating homes, you are an expert. When it comes to doing business, you are a layman!"
"High food prices don't necessarily mean you can make money, and low food prices don't necessarily mean you can't make money. Whether you make money or not depends on whether there is a price difference."
"I also gave her three hundred taels of silver to buy shares. Guess what? It turned into five hundred taels in one month."
Chang Feng was surprised: "The advantage is so big?"
Fatty Xu said: "That's right. Help me earn money, and people ask me to ask, where can I find such a good thing."
Chang Feng praised: "You are a blessed person. Especially Yanfu."
In the next month, Chang Feng successively received documents from some prefectures and counties in Northern Zhili to investigate the status of grain storage.
Due to the long journey to other provinces, the documents have not yet been sent back.
Without exception, all official warehouses in various places have stocked up on food in accordance with the amount set by Emperor Hongzhi's imperial edict. Many of them exceeded the number.
Chang Feng organized the documents and entered the palace to report to Emperor Hongzhi.
Emperor Hongzhi was greatly surprised: "There are 117 counties in Beizhili. Your Beizhen Fusi has already inspected 69 counties."
"All sixty-nine counties have stockpiled enough grain according to the amount I set?"
Chang Feng held up his hands: "Your Majesty, according to the documents sent back by the robes, this is the case."
Emperor Hongzhi frowned, full of suspicion: "If three or two of the sixty-nine counties do not have enough stock, I will not be suspicious."
"But now they are all fully stocked. I am a little worried."
Chang Feng understood immediately: "The emperor is worried that his subordinates will collude with local officials and conceal the truth."
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly.
Chang Feng said: "I requested an order to go out with Qian Ning, Xu Guangzuo and others to inspect the grain storage situation and strictly investigate the illegal collusion between internal and external parties."
Emperor Hongzhi said: "Yes, it's accurate. Remember, what I want is the truth, not high-sounding figures!"
(End of chapter)
