Zhu Qizhen's move was so hateful, but it also had miraculous effects.
Jiangsu and Zhejiang were the two richest provinces in the Ming Dynasty, and they were also the two places with the hottest maritime trade. In particular, the silk industry was the most profitable in the trade.
The major silk merchants in the two provinces combined could support half of the Ming Dynasty.
There are many officials in the court whose families are from the two provinces. Not to mention the wealthy gentry, the capital officials alone cannot handle it.
If a merchant ship stays in the port for a day, the money lost is much more than their monthly salary.
In this situation, they were not generally uncomfortable, but they managed to hold on after all, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces also held on.
The reason is simple. Although merchant ships are not allowed to go to sea, the workshops are still producing and can survive in the short term.
At this time, Li Qing came up with a plan: let Dongchang and Jinyiwei come forward to cooperate with the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau to purchase silk from major silk companies.
Of course, it is collected at Daming’s market price.
This almost empty-handed approach makes some people jump with anger.
A piece of silk in the Ming Dynasty cost only four taels of silver, and most of it was sold overseas for around twenty taels. By buying and selling, the court could earn around sixteen taels from a piece of silk.
When Zhu Qizhen settles accounts, isn't this just picking up money?
A strict order was immediately issued: 700,000 pieces of silk must be collected within three months!
Set a small goal first, grab... and earn ten million from him.
If a man doesn't know how expensive firewood and rice are, what he doesn't know is that these 700,000 pieces of silk can be called a house raid.
But Zhu Qizhen didn't care, and Dongchang and Jinyiwei didn't care either. They were carrying out errands according to orders, and they didn't care about the lives of those big families.
As a result, Jiangsu and Zhejiang's efforts to combat Japanese pirates were unprecedentedly powerful, and the Japanese pirates were wiped out in just one month.
Zhu Qizhen was a little regretful. He couldn't bear to make a mistake, so he could only withdraw the imperial order to collect silk from large families.
However, during this period, a full 200,000 pieces of silk were collected, making a net profit of three million taels of silver.
It was nearly 700,000 taels more than the mined silver mined by Xuande.
In this way, Zhu Qizhen finally understood why Li Qing only focused on maritime trade but didn't care much about silver mines.
Indeed, compared with doing business, the money from the silver mine is really only a small amount of money.
After experiencing such a huge sweetness all at once, Zhu Qizhen was not willing to miss it. He had to think of another way to grab and buy silk again, but was stopped by Li Qing.
"Your Majesty, things are not as simple as they appear on the surface." Li Qing advised, "It's time to stop. They are willing to give in mainly because of their guilty conscience. After all, most of the Japanese pirates are fake. Furthermore, they are afraid that the Emperor will really use troops;
Now that the situation has reached a fever pitch, if we try to forcefully acquire it again, I'm afraid it will... cause trouble again. "
"It's really profitable." Zhu Qizhen was a little reluctant.
Li Qing laughed: "In the future, the imperial court will fully reopen maritime trade, and there will be a lot of money to be made. There is no need to care about this. You have to have a certain degree of control in doing things, right?"
"Alas! As the king of a country, I have to abide by the rules. It's really frustrating." Zhu Qizhen felt bitter.
Li Qing said with relief: "The emperor is not the only one who obeys the rules, all emperors in the past dynasties are the same. As the saying goes, nothing can be achieved without rules. If no one follows the rules, the emperor will suffer the most."óΠъ.oяＧ
Zhu Qizhen nodded lightly and said with a smile: "Sir, you can always wake me up in time at critical moments."
"Your Majesty, you're welcome." Li Qing was polite and reminded: "But Your Majesty, this advantage is not in vain. You may have to pay something."
Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows: "How do you say that?"
"I don't know the specifics. This is three million taels of wasted money. They won't take such a big loss in vain." Li Qing said, "The battle in the temple is like a game between two masters. The strength of the two sides is almost the same. You take it." If he has a car, he can also eat a horse of yours."
Zhu Qizhen said disdainfully: "Then I want to see how they eat my horses."
He didn't take it seriously and even suppressed things like unrest. He didn't believe that Jiangsu and Zhejiang could still cause waves.
But soon, he saw how powerful his opponent was.
In mid-July, secret reports from Dongchang Fanzi and Jinyiwei came from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
"There are not a few people who slander the Holy Spirit.
Some people say: The emperor was not born to the empress dowager, but to a palace maid;
Some people say: The emperor is not the flesh and blood of the previous emperor, he was brought in from outside the palace;
Some people say: Orthodoxy is not orthodox; it was a guilty conscience that led to the naming of this year;
…
Rumors spread throughout the two provinces, but the root cause could not be traced. 》
After Zhu Qizhen read the secret report, he was so angry that he cursed his mother.
This method was too dirty, not ordinary dirty, but it made him unable to start.
Investigate it carefully, it seems like you have a guilty conscience, don't investigate it, it seems like you acquiesce, but you can't find out the reason, but this is the most important thing for the king of a country.
How to prove that my father is my father and I am my father is a problem.
Even if Zhu Qizhen can prove it, there are so many people, how can he prove it?
Zhu Qizhen was disgusted. He didn't expect that someone could use such despicable methods.
With the spread of the news by caring people, the news quickly spread to the two provinces and even the capital, and it almost became known to the whole world.
No one in Zhu Qizhen could argue, so he could only issue edicts to first clarify and then severely punish those who spread rumors.
Only now did he realize that what Li Qing said was true.
Zhu Qizhen's operation did have an effect. The people liked to eat melons, but no one wanted to cause disaster. Gradually, no one spread the word.
However, Zhu Qizhen is still depressed. What will future generations say after such a big commotion this time that he will not be able to protect his future?
This is a major legal matter, how could he not care about it.
"Don't get caught by me, otherwise I will be the widower of his three thousand swords." Zhu Qizhen was furious and incompetent.
He spread rumors and then broke his legs to refute them. He was unlucky to have such a thing happen.
Late July.
Wang Zhen rushed back first.
"Your Majesty is very happy. The riots in Fujian and Fujian have basically subsided, and the army will be able to regroup after the Mid-Autumn Festival." Wang Zhen said with a flattering face.
"Why don't you come back with the army?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Wang Zhen's face stiffened. Naturally, he would not say that it was Zhang Fu who was annoying him and driving him back. He just said: "Isn't this slave just trying to get the good news to the emperor as soon as possible?"
"I knew the good news a few days ago." Zhu Qizhen looked at Wang Zhen with a smile, "Well, he is a lot darker, but he is not as weak as before. It seems that you have suffered a lot this time."
Wang Zhen said hurriedly: "It is a slave's blessing to endure hardships for the Emperor."
"Don't worry, you will be indispensable for the reward." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile, and then added: "After a thousand years, you, Wang Zhen, will definitely have a place in the history books of my dynasty."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty for your kindness." Wang Zhen kowtowed repeatedly, his face flushed with excitement.
To him, the latter sentence was much more important than the previous reward.
Eunuchs also seek fame, and even have a stronger obsession with being famous in history than civil servants.
They have no descendants, but if they are recorded in the glorious history, that would be the greatest comfort.
Wang Zhen was so happy that as soon as he returned to the Chief of Ceremonies, he called for the food, and the couple celebrated happily.
Three days later,
The Duke of Guizhou, Mu Sheng, came to report.
The Luchuan Xuanwei envoy thought Ji Ji was planning to rebel, and led his troops to invade Mengding and Wandian under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, killing and plundering wantonly. Burma and Siam were ready to move, and the war showed signs of spreading to Yunnan.
Mu Sheng asked for reinforcements of 200,000 troops, repeatedly stating that 100,000 troops were in urgent need.
This time, the chaos was a little bigger.
Zhu Qizhen was a little panicked. The Beijing army had not returned yet. Even if they came back, they would need time to rest and recuperate. The border troops could not move rashly, and the guardsmen... could not be mobilized at once.
And the choice of head coach...are all problems.
He urgently summoned Li Qing and Yu Qian into the palace to discuss important matters.
Yu Qian directly asked for a fight: "Your Majesty, I would like to go to Luchuan to quell the rebellion."
Zhu Qizhen was embarrassed to refuse, but he didn't want to agree. Firstly, Yu Qian was a civil servant. Secondly, Yu Qian was powerful enough. Although he was just a minister, his real power far exceeded that of the minister.
There is also Wang Zhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who only follows his lead. If he is allowed to lead the troops, there will be a risk of losing control.
Li Qing suggested: "Your Majesty, the first priority is to mobilize the troops from the guard station. At the same time, the nine sides must also mobilize manpower. It doesn't need to be more, just five thousand people in one place."
"Where's the coach?"
Li Qing thought for a while and said: "The British government recommended Yang Hong, and I also think he is a suitable candidate."
Zhu Qizhen shook his head and refused directly.
There is no other reason. Yang Hong is also Yu Qian's person.
"Your Majesty, this slave has someone to recommend." Wang Zhen said in a low voice.
Li Qing frowned, and Yu Qian was also sullen. He was not angry that the emperor did not use Yang Hong, but angry that a eunuch dared to interfere in military affairs.
Zhu Qizhen looked at Wang Zhen with interest: "Who is it?"
"Shang Shu of the Ministry of War, Wang Ji!"
