Once he told a lie, he had to use more lies to cover it up. He said that Wen Suyun had entered a period that was not suitable for farming. After that, the emperor visited the palaces according to the dates calculated by Huang Jin.
Yan Song finally arrived in Jiangxi.
After a trip to his hometown in Fenyi County, Yuanzhou Prefecture, located on the west side of Jiangxi Province, he walked all the way east. From Fenyi, take a boat along the first section of the Gan River, Yuanjiang River, and go all the way east, passing Linzhou Prefecture and Nanchang Prefecture, then changing to Wuyang Water and crossing Poyang Lake to Raozhou Prefecture, and then trace the Jinjiang River into Guangxin Prefecture.
Continuing upstream along the Xinjiang River, he arrived at Qianshan.
The Wuyi Mountains are just south of Qianshan Mountain, and how powerful is the Fei family of Qianshan Mountain?
Let's put it this way: Fei Hong's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all had exactly the same titles: Doctor Guanglu, Zhu Guo, Young Master and Crown Prince Taishi, Shangshu of Hubu, and Bachelor of Wuyingdian.
Four generations have passed, and all of them have served as ministers of household affairs and cabinet ministers in the Ming Dynasty.
Now, Yan Song, a protégé of the new party leader Yang Tinghe and the first chief accompanying scholar of the imperial study, came to the hometown of Fei Hong, the leader of the old party.
Although they still have to go to Shangrao County, where the Guangxin government office is located, the prefect of Guangxin and many local people came to Qianshan County first.
Who doesn’t want to interact more with counselors?
At this moment, many people were waiting there by the dock of Xinjiang River outside Qianshan County.
Yan Song will not go to Qianshan County, which is located on the banks of Qianshan River, but will stop briefly in Rikou Town, where Qianshan River and Xinjiang River meet.
This Rikou town is known as the "Eight Provinces Wharf" and is a very important water and land transshipment hub.
Bordering Zhejiang to the east, Fujian to the south, and Zhili Huizhou Prefecture to the north, Qianshan County also has copper mines that have been very important since the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Fei family became rich first because they did business here.
Then Fei Hong's great-grandfather truly became a giant after he showed his ambitions, and it has been in decline for five generations. Although Fei Hong's son Fei Maoxian did not win the Jinshi this year, Fei Maozhong was the top scholar in the previous subject, and now he is the top scholar. Already entered the imperial study room.
By this time, the Qianshan Fei family had produced five Jinshi and seven Juren. Fei Hong's father's generation has five brothers, Fei Hong's generation has ten brothers, and Fei Maozhong's generation has thirty-three brothers.
In Guangxin Prefecture and even in Jiangxi and Southeast China, the Fei family was terrifying, and there were only a handful of low-level officials and officials who had not passed the imperial examination. For example, the teachings and teachings of Fei Hong's cousin and others were born in Gongsheng. For example, Fei Hong's second son was Shangbao Sicheng, who was born in Yinzhi.
In Jiangxi as a whole, there have been seven chief ministers of the cabinet, including Xie Jin, Yang Shiqi, and Fei Hong.
The prosperity of Jiangxi's literary style is not inferior to that of southern Zhili and Zhejiang.
During the Hongwu period, there were a total of 881 Jinshi, and Jiangxi accounted for 147; during the Jianwen period, one-fifth of the Jinshi were from Jiangxi. In the second year of Jianwen, the first three people were all born in Ji'an, Jiangxi; in the second year of Yongle, Of the 470 Jinshi, there are 110 in Jiangxi, ranking among the top three in the first class and the top four in the second class.
There are other prominent families in Guangxin Mansion at this moment. For example, Wang Jun is currently the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Wei is the right minister of the Nanjing Civil Affairs Bureau, and the Yiyang Wang family of the three brothers Wang Dian, who is the Imperial Academy's minister, and another example... the first person promoted by Zhu Houcong after he ascended the throne is now the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. Xia Yan, the censor of Youdu and the admiral of Caojiang, was from Guixi County, Guangxin Prefecture.
There are also the late famous Neo-Confucianists Hu Juren, Lou Liang, etc., all of whom came from Guangxin Mansion.
When Yan Song's boat docked, he was filled with emotion when he saw so many gentry outside the pier.
This is what power and position bring to him: wherever he goes, he is treated with respect and courtesy.
"I feel very sorry to have disturbed the place. Song is just returning to his hometown to pay homage to his ancestors and take the road to his appointment. You are all treating me so well, so Song is not afraid."
Yan Song got off the boat and bowed repeatedly. He was already a talented person, but now he is in his forties. He has a calm and polite demeanor, without the slightest air of giving advice.
The local officials were headed by Wen Anyong, the prefect of Guangxin, while the local gentry was headed by Fei Wan, the head of the Fei family and Fei Hong's younger brother. In addition, Gong Cun, the field supervisor of Qianshan Copper Factory, also arrived here.
With so many people gathered together, Fei had donated a large yard in Rikou Town and had already prepared a banquet.
"During the court, I often asked for help from Zifang Gong. I really admire the Fei family's way of studying and educating people." Yan Song looked at Fei Hong's son Fei Maoxian who had returned to his hometown and encouraged him, "My nephew will never come back this time." If I can go to high school, I won’t be able to have this teacher-student relationship with you.”
Fei Maoxian even said that he did not dare to do so. He only said that he was not good at studying.
Yan Song smiled and said to Fei Wan: "My nephew is talented enough to be a tribute scholar. However, after I opened the answer sheet this time, I was quite confused when I read it. It seems that my nephew was transferred to Sichuan by brother Zichong." However, Maozhongxian’s nephew has just won the top prize in high school, so it would be good for Fei not to continue to be in the limelight this time."
Everyone was moved when they heard this: It was said that Fei Maoxian was good enough to be a Jinshi. Could it be that Fei Maoxian deliberately gave a poor answer this time?
Was it Fei Hong's advice, or was it due to other reasons?
Now the protégé of the leader of the new party is showing closeness to Fei in both words and deeds. Wen Anyong, the prefect of Guangxin, couldn't help but say: "Futai already has the qualifications to participate in policy, and since then he has had a great relationship with Jiangxi Juzi as a teacher and student. This time he replied Our hometown, Jiangxi should be excited. First, he will be the chief of the imperial study, and then he will return to the court after Zhejiang is appointed. Jiangxi will have another great scholar."
"Don't dare." Yan Song smiled politely, and then sighed, "I am really scared to go to Zhejiang to take up my post. I took a detour from Jiangxi to Zhejiang via Guangxin Prefecture, and I also hope that Zhejiang will correct itself first. "
Wen Anyong's heart moved: "Futai is going to Zhejiang, don't you want to start a big war?"
Expressing his closeness to the leader of the old party and pointing out that he was giving Zhejiang time to deal with the problem, Wen Anyong had the courage to ask this question.
Yan Song just smiled and said: "Your Majesty had a clear decree. Five years ago during Jiajing, the new law was only implemented in Guangdong. In other provinces, safety must be the priority."
Wen Anyong couldn't help but nodded: "Guangdong is still compiling and reviewing scientific regulations and reforming government agencies this year. There are nearly ten thousand officials in one province, and all offices are operated by procurement. If it is implemented in all provinces, wouldn't the total number of officials in the Ming Dynasty increase to more than twenty Ten thousand or even three hundred thousand? Even if I could make twice that amount per year, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be enough.”
"It's just that nowadays, the land of the people is dwindling, the burden on the people is getting heavier, and the government is in a dilemma about spending money. How can we do it if we don't change it?" Yan Song bowed his hands to the north, "Your Majesty has the ambition to enrich the country, and the ministers should share the worries of the king. Yang Ge Lao is so angry that he has swallowed up all the ages, and his many new laws and strategies are truly extraordinary. Let’s see the results in Guangdong.”
Fei Wan remained silent while Wen Anyong was thoughtful.
Those of them who were far away from the center of the court were all thinking about what would happen to Jiajing in five years.
If the new law in Guangdong is really effective, then after it is implemented in the provinces, the most difficult change for them to accept is that if the officials and gentry always occupy a large number of land and people, they will become the main force bearing taxes.
If we really look into it carefully, I am afraid that more than half of the world's taxes will be borne by officials and gentry from several major imperial examination provinces such as Nanzhili, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang.
Yan Song expressed his closeness to Fei. Could it be that the imperial party and the old party had other plans?
These words cannot be asked clearly, and they are not familiar with Yan Song.
After all, although Yan Song's great-grandfather once served as the chief envoy of Sichuan, his grandfather and father failed to pass the imperial examination and become officials.
The Yan family in Yi County, a branch of Yuanzhou Prefecture, has become famous in the past ten or twenty years almost exclusively because of Yan Song: If he hadn't delayed a subject for his father Ding You when he was sixteen, Yan Song would have passed the county examination at the age of ten. To be able to win the imperial examination earlier, it is also possible to become a high school scholar in the early twenties, instead of entering the Hanlin Academy in the second place at the age of twenty-five.
After all, the Yan family cannot be compared with the Fei family. He, Yan Song, was able to move forward and retreat freely. The previous two generations of the Yan family had no official status, so how could they have purchased many fields? Yan Song's great-grandfather was also known for his integrity. Because he did not eat meat, he was nicknamed Yan Qingcai.
"In the chaos of Chenhao in Xinli, Jiangxi, the people need to rest and recuperate more." Yan Song added, "The gentry in Guangdong have no regard for national laws and despise the power of heaven. His Majesty was furious, so he killed Guangdong's son in Fengtian Palace. If all the gentry in the world remember this, The teachings of saints can relieve the king's worries and improve people's livelihood, so why does your majesty need to go to war in Guangdong?"
Fei Wan remembered the letter sent by Fei Maozhong and immediately said: "Guangdong has always had poor education, and the mountains are high and the roads are far away, so it is becoming more and more rampant. Jiangxi's literary style is at its peak, so it is natural that the saint's teachings are not dared or forgotten. Now the official treatment method can be implemented , My elder brother also once advised me that the most important thing is to recuperate and recuperate by taking the corvee lightly and paying little in taxes. The policy of exempting people from taxes is to give strict orders not to overstep the limits. If this can be done, it will not be difficult to make the country rich."
Wen Anyong and other attentive officials and gentry couldn't help but look at him.
Fei Wan dared to say this without Fei Hong speaking?
On the one hand, they want the treatment of officials in the new law, but on the other hand, they still insist on exempting them from taxes and salary. As for whether the apportionment will be based on Ding or land rights after the compilation and review of the code, as long as it is not apportioned according to land rights, it will not let the officials and gentry pay a penny more, it will just let the rich households bear more.
In the new law, there is naturally a procurement law that is also beneficial to the officials and gentry - shouldn't the officials have the final say in government procurement? This money will eventually fall into the pockets of the officials and gentry.
Even if the commercial and tax laws are adhered to on this basis, the business taxes will still be borne by the merchants who come forward to run the trading houses.
What Fei Hong means is to give up part of the benefits to realize His Majesty's wish to enrich the country, but without disturbing the foundation?
If we compare the two, Guangdong is responsible for the salary of nearly 10,000 officials. In the final analysis, it is actually not as good as the tax increase of other provinces in the past three years. So why should we almost reinvent the wheel like Guangdong did?
Another point: Guangdong has the advantage of shipping, but inland provinces like Jiangxi and Sichuan do not have this additional income. Just like this Rikou Town, which is known as a place for merchants to transship. If they really follow the commercial and tax laws, how many more taels of silver can they collect?
Yan Song smiled and said nothing.
This trip around Jiangxi is to reveal the intriguing meaning of his stance.
Even the old party cannot insist on changing all the old systems in the face of His Majesty's true desire to enrich the country. What we need to do now seems to be to compare and squeeze out the more radical New Party from power through short-term profit concessions. As long as the foundation remains intact, officials and gentry may gain even more in a few decades.
Fei Hong had already called on the officials and gentry in Sichuan to abide by the restrictions on exemption from taxes and levies and take the initiative to apply for payment. Although the new law has not been fully implemented, the proportion of exemptions and exemptions for officials and gentry is a long-established national law. Fei Hong only called for it but did not impose orders. Yang Ting and the leader of the new party, can the Yang family say one thing but do another and not respond to the call?
In this case, Fei Hong's hometown of Jiangxi will naturally be the same.
When Yan Song goes to Zhejiang, Zhang Fujing's hometown of Zhejiang will naturally do the same.
Otherwise, let’s wait for the new party to use the power of the Ming Dynasty, bring the convenience of tax creation, and use Guangdong’s new law to be implemented nationwide, and root out everyone’s roots.
Now, the officials and gentry of Guangxin Prefecture felt confident, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Yang Tinghe proposed so many new laws in one go. Some of them are feasible and some are not. Just like Wang Anshi's political reform, after his fall, not all of the new laws were abolished, but some were retained.
The most important thing after all is the details, how to make it easier for officials to operate, and how to ensure longer-term and greater benefits.
Yan Song arrived at Xianxia Pass under the auspices of some people from Guangxin Mansion.
This location is located at the boundary between Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. It is "the key to the two Zhejiang provinces and the throat to Fujian". It has always been a battleground for military strategists. Together with Jianmen Pass, Hangu Pass and Yanmen Pass, it is also known as China's four major Ancient pass.
Yan Song looked back at Jiangxi and then at Fujian.
Because of the three principles of heaven, matter and man, His Majesty has now set up the Wanfa Pavilion to study physics intensively. If physics is successful, according to His Majesty, the production and transportation of goods can be greatly improved. If the burden on the people is smaller, the demand for goods will be huge in the future.
Therefore, in addition to the gentry in the future, businessmen will inevitably become a group responsible for taxation. In order for Ming Dynasty to operate smoothly under this new set of laws, the status of businessmen must be respected.
As long as the officials and gentry took the step of paying taxes according to the law, they would never look back. If you try to escape then, the newly revised "Ming Dynasty Code" will not spare anyone. Do you want to force businessmen to pass on costs and benefit themselves? Don’t even look at who is behind Huang Mingji.
He finally looked towards Zhejiang, with Quzhou Prefecture in front of him.
After going down from Xianxia Pass to Jiangshan County, he can go all the way south from Qujiang River, the upper reaches of Fuchun River, passing through Jinhua Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture to Hangzhou Prefecture.
Yan Song put away his easy-going attitude in Jiangxi and calmly ordered: "Let's go."
After entering Zhejiang, he became the chief official of the eleven prefectures, one state and seventy-five counties.
When they first arrived in Jiangshan County, the people who had been waiting here were led by two people: Shao Xi, the Zhejiang right chief envoy who came to greet him with his civilian officials, and Yu Yunzhong, an officer in the governor's personal camp in Fubiao.
"See Futai under the mark!" Yu Yunzhong, who was a member of the Hangzhou Wei Qianhu family, was now promoted to the rank of general. Yu Yunzhong was sincerely grateful to Yan Song who was the first to ask Yu Qian to carry him to the Ancestral Temple.
Yan Song looked at the group of governor's soldiers he brought with him. This was not all. Yang Tinghe showed his solemnity by allocating 5,000 men to his Fubiao battalion. These were direct soldiers that Yan Song could easily mobilize without cumbersome procedures.
A governor can control military power, although not as much as a governor.
He just smiled, and after greeting Shao Xi again, he looked at the other person who tied him up.
"The guilty officer, Zhang Qin, the deputy envoy of Zhejiang Coast Guard Road, failed to prepare for the Japanese, and the pursuit and suppression failed to achieve anything. Please forgive him!"
Yan Song narrowed his eyes slightly.
After leaving Zhejiang for such a long time, is this the person they pushed out?
For such a drama, I'm afraid his guilt is very shallow: after all, the source of this incident is still in the Shibo Division, the prefects and local health offices of Ningbo and Shaoxing.
"There's no need to apologize. Let's untie the rope first." Yan Song smiled and stepped forward to help him untie the rope, and then said to Shao Xi, "Your Majesty Shao, I need to ask you for advice on the current situation in Zhejiang. please."
(End of chapter)
