All provinces in the world were undercurrent due to the water conservancy rectification and the drastic changes in the central government caused by the impeachment case of Li Xiang, but Guangdong has become the center of the storm again.
Li Xiang is a Cantonese after all.
In the 16th year of Zhengde's reign, Zhang Fujing went south. A major corruption case in Guangdong and Guangxi broke out due to the first battle of Tuen Mun. Almost all high-ranking officials were wiped out, and Guangdong began to clear out its land.
In the first year of Jiajing, due to the hurricane disaster and the pressure of new laws, rebellious gentry appeared in Guangdong, and Zhang Fujing ransacked his house again.
In the second year of Jiajing's reign, Guangdong's government offices underwent major reforms. Procurement laws, commercial laws, and tax laws were tried out, and scientific regulations were compiled. Guangdong, which had experienced great turmoil among officials and gentry, had no more troubles.
Now at the beginning of the third year of the Jiajing reign, Guangdong Xinke Jinshi impeached his first assistant. He was first praised by His Majesty for his loyalty, and then his behavior was found to be "first close to the new party, and then impeached the leader of the new party. He is a villain with ulterior motives."
Li Xiang's parents died young. After becoming a Jinshi last year, he took his wife and children to Beijing.
But in Xinhui County, Li Xiang's relatives, teachers and friends are still there.
Zhang Fujing did not draw his sword this time, but said to Ma Yong: "General Secretary Ma, at the provincial, prefectural and county levels, you need to carefully deploy manpower to help collect local taxes."
This is the new name decided after the unification of local laws. The tribute required by the imperial court from Guangdong was purchased by the annual office and the sitting office, and was paid by the Ministry of Household Affairs.
This part of the corvee pressure that used to be borne by the local government has been transferred to the commercial firms that undertook the purchase, and the tax department can extract part of the commercial tax from it.
The local government's own miscellaneous offices and other corvee apportionments have been unified into local taxes, which are apportioned per mu and the land rights are calculated. After collecting it, the government still comes to carry out the purchase.
The top priority in Guangdong this year is the collection of local taxes.
At the provincial affairs meeting, Sun Jiao was no longer present - news came from Beijing that he had left for Beijing early. One is for the emperor's "safety", and the other is for Empress Sun, who will probably give birth around March.
However, there are still many relatives of the New Dynasty in Guangdong, such as Ma Yong, the father of An Bin, the former chief military officer of Jizhou, and the current director-general of the Guangdong Public Security Department.
After listening to Zhang Fujing's words, he looked at Jiang Xiuyi, the chief military officer of Guangdong: "Under the Public Security Department, in addition to the Haiphong Road and Inspection Department, they are mainly the fast squads and strong squads of the original prefectures and counties. If there is a situation, General Jiang is needed There are many soldiers to take care of you."
Jiang Xiuyi just nodded silently.
Zhang Fujing then looked at Zhai Luan, who had been reassigned as the head of the tax department: "If Zhai encounters obstacles in handling the tax, he can send someone to report it in time."
Zhai Luan went south as a scholar-promoter, but now he was transferred to the Taxation Department. There is no other reason - this is the first time such a tax is imposed, and it is the first time that taxes must be strictly imposed on officials and gentry. Zhai Luan has the experience of being the head of the Ministry of Punishment.
"If the officials in Guangdong fail to do their jobs well, Huo Xun, who is in charge of the three-level imperial censors in Guangdong, will not tolerate it."
Huo Tao learned a lesson, and now he was lucky enough to stay in the job and get promoted, and he agreed repeatedly.
"It is also hard to punish Cao. This year, we still need to use the name of punishment to appease the people and deter young people."
Duan Concubine's father, Cao Cha, was already a fourth-rank magistrate. This time, he was directly promoted to the chief official of the Sentencing Department in charge of the punishment of a province in Guangdong.
After Cao Cha agreed, he asked: "Futai, in the middle of the court now..."
He hesitated to speak.
Although they are both relatives of the same country, nine concubines have not been established since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. The father of the empress was granted the title of marquis and hereditary earl; the father of concubine Shu was granted the title of uncle and was hereditary for three generations; but the fathers of the nine concubines were only appointed or promoted, and they were not qualified enough to know the truth.
The current situation is that the Marquis of Jing'an and the cabinet scholar Sun Jiao hurriedly returned to Beijing after learning the news.
If the emperor was forced by Yang Ting and Ling, would these relatives of the new dynasty still cooperate with the new law in Guangdong?
Facing the powerful Zhang Fujing, Cao Cha failed to ask such a question clearly.
Zhang Fujing looked over one by one.
Zhang En, Jiang Xiuyi, Cao Cha, Ma Yong, Zhai Luan, Huo Tao, these are the six giants at the Guangdong Provincial Council.
He simply said: "Your Majesty's decree!"
After saying that, he took out a volume of imperial edict from his sleeve.
Hearing the words of the imperial edict, the six of them were all moved in their hearts. They left their seats and knelt down: "Long live your Majesty! Long live! Long live your Majesty! May I ask for your blessings?"
"The emperor is destined to be blessed by heaven, the imperial edict says." After they had finished greeting the emperor, Zhang Fujing directly began to recite the imperial edict, "Practical science, dialectics, and new laws all came from me, and I will provide advice and support. In the case of Li Xiang, Guangdong is not You need to pay attention to it and implement the new law with peace of mind. Guangdong's application of practical learning and dialectics to recruit students is very consistent with my wishes, accurate! The minister of the old humerus of Yang Ge is responsible for the important task of reform. I really pity his loyalty and bravery. Guangdong does not need to doubt it. Qin Qin this."
"...His Majesty is Holy Ming!"
After everyone stood up and saluted, they saw Zhang Fujing smiling and passing the imperial edict to them.
To be honest, it feels a bit weird, especially the word "pity" and the word "yong" in "pity his loyalty and bravery".
After the imperial edict was conveyed once, Zhang Fujing put away his smile and said solemnly: "Guangdong has been in chaos twice, and there will definitely be another chaos this year. You must not slack off. If Guangdong is like this, what will happen to the world? Now that the central government is united, Guangdong is on the right track. We must work together. The whole world is watching Guangdong. General Si Ma and Cao Tixing are also working together to support the new law. The situation will gradually become clearer. If the new law in Guangdong is successful, the power of His Majesty's practical learning, dialectics and new law will be revealed. The world will never again ignore His Majesty because he is young!"
In the small circle of these seven people, the words were initially made clear.
To put it bluntly, if people with the status of Ma Yong and Cao Cha also vigorously promoted the new law in Guangdong, then the rumors that the emperor was suppressed by Yang Tinghe would slowly dissipate.
But there is a subtle time difference in this.
Because... the separation of taxes and servitude and the sharing of burdens between the rich and the poor were at least after summer and autumn crops.
But in the face of Sun Jiao rushing back to the capital, can some caring people in other provinces endure it?
…
The clipper Sun Jiao was riding on had entered the boundary of Huguang.
It's almost late February. It was already the end of the month when the news of the North Korea meeting in the first month of the first month was rushed to Guangdong. Even if Sun Jiao left immediately, it would not be until March when he arrived in the capital.
The express delivery can be done day and night, with people and horses changed along the way, and Sun Jiao also has a baby on board.
Now, Sun Jiao didn't care to spend more time with his little daughter, who "got a daughter in old age". Instead, he kept watching the news that had been coming from Beijing these days.
On his boat, there was someone special.
Sun Jiao called him over and asked seriously: "Is the secret order Commander Luo gave you really true?"
In front of Sun Jiao was Si Cong, the former commander of the Jinyi Guards who had made his debut that day. Because he helped Zhang Yanling with loan sharking, he has now been demoted to the position of Jinyiwei Baihu. The job at this moment is very special.
Si Cong replied respectfully: "Exactly. The lower official has been secretly trained by Wang Zhenfu for more than half a year. He should have led the special service team to report to General Secretary Ma. But the hidden dangers in Guangdong are not big, but Huguang is more troublesome."
Sun Jiao is from Huguang, so he naturally knows that Huguang is more troublesome.
In Li Xiang's case, the central government created this situation and immediately began to clean up the water conservancy all over the world. The hidden dangers in Huguang, a province of vassal kings, can be imagined.
What is not known to outsiders in the restructuring of Guangdong's government offices is that the Public Security Department, which is mainly responsible for internal security and anti-theft, will set up a special service team in the Public Security Department, organized into one hundred households. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, Jinyiwei has set up a special service station under Fusi in Beizhen, with a total of 5,000 people. This secret force is probably only known to Cui Yuan and Sun Jiao among the current advisers.
Now, Si Cong will not go to Guangdong to perform his duties for the time being, but will follow Sun Jiao.
"Where are the people below you?"
Si Congyan said concisely and concisely: "At the Marquis of Zhenyuan. The lower official came to join the Marquis first."
"I'm temporarily staying in Hengzhou, Changsha, and Wuchang. How will I stay there?"
Si Cong did not need to answer, and said in a low voice: "The Marquis must have received your Majesty's secret order. I only listen to the orders of the Marquis."
Sun Jiao looked at him deeply and nodded slightly.
Currently in Huguang, there are King Chu of Wuchang Prefecture, King Liao of Jingzhou Prefecture, King Min of Wugang Prefecture, King Ji of Changsha Prefecture, King Xiang of Xiangyang Prefecture, King Jing of Qizhou Prefecture, King Shou of De'an Prefecture, King Rong of Changde Prefecture, and King Hua of Lizhou Prefecture. Prince Yang, and Prince Rui of Hengzhou Prefecture, who established the new vassal state.
Among them, King Shou and King Rong were both descendants of Xianmiao, and King Rui was the stepson of Emperor Zhengde, with a special status.
There are nine existing princes in one province, ranking first in the entire Ming Dynasty in terms of the number of vassal kings.
If we add in the vassal kings who have been dismissed due to various reasons, Huguang has established a total of sixteen vassals. For the deposed vassal kings, some of the original land granted was given to the vassal kings who later established the vassal state or moved to Huguang, and the rest was turned into official land.
Huguang has probably the closest interest relationship with the royal clan.
The boat sailed to Hengzhou Mansion at the intersection of Lei River and Xiangjiang River. This was the fiefdom of King Rui Zhu Zaiyan.
Sun Jiao stayed here for a day and only went to Prince Rui's Mansion in Jin'ao Lane.
It seemed that this was only necessary for etiquette, but in Prince Rui's palace, Queen Xia did not show up. Prince Rui, who was only four years old, wore mourning clothes and met Sun Jiao accompanied by Chang Shi.
After the adoption, he mourned his "father" Zhu Houzhao again.
At the cusp of the storm, this little Rui Wang didn't understand. But his mother probably understood what the situation was like. If it weren't for Sun Jiao's status, Prince Rui's Mansion would have closed its doors to all guests.
The Xia family even quickly sent a congratulatory gift to Queen Sun for her upcoming birth of a prince.
It was not yet known whether she would give birth to a prince or a princess, so Xia was very scared. She didn't understand why Sun Jiao insisted on visiting her in person - she just sent someone to say hello.
Go away now!
When news came about Sun Jiao's actions in Hengzhou Prefecture, he accepted a banquet from local officials of Hengzhou Prefecture.
Faced with various temptations during the dinner, he only said that he believed that his advisers were of one mind and were loyal to the country.
The next day he set off to continue to Changsha Prefecture.
There is also a vassal king here, and Wang Bangrui, the censor of Huguang Water Patrol, is also in Changsha Mansion. The purpose is self-evident.
Sun Jiao no longer visited Prince Ji of Changsha Prefecture in person.
On the contrary, Shi, the chief minister of Prince Ji's palace, came to the banquet.
During the dinner, Sun Jiao asked Wang Bangrui: "Both Wei Xian and Yu Maogong are Jinshi of Zhengde Dingchou Branch?"
Wang Bangrui was silent for a moment, and then said: "Bangrui and Xia Gongjin are also in the same field."
Sun Jiao asked him about his relationship with Yu Chengxun, and he mentioned his relationship with Xia Yan, as if he wanted to prove that he was not changed from Shujishi to supervisory censor to inspect Huguang Water Conservancy because of his closeness to Yu Chengxun.
But Huguang Water Conservancy involves so many royal family members, how heavy is the burden on Wang Bangrui? If Yang Tinghe didn't appreciate him and believe in him, how could he send him here.
Sun Jiao nodded: "I heard that when Wei Xian was still studying hard in the government school, he proposed the fourteenth plan to suppress the bandits to the prefect?"
Wang Bangrui was silent for a while before replying: "I am worried about the people and driven by righteous indignation. At that time, it was superficial and not worth mentioning."
Sun Jiao smiled and said, "Weixian is not yet thirty this year, right?"
"...Xiaguan was born in May of the eighth year of Hongzhi. He is already thirty years old."
"At thirty, your future is boundless and your future generations are formidable." Sun Jiao nodded again, "Huguang is a vast territory and there are many things going on. Wei Xian still needs to think carefully and act cautiously."
"...I will keep in mind Mr. Ge's teachings."
The brief conversation revealed very special information, and Sun Jiao seemed to be warning him.
The long history of Prince Ji's Mansion in Changsha had a different expression.
He was re-elected by the Ministry of Rites in the past two years. Why doesn't something look right now looking at Sun Jiao's performance?
Queen Sun was about to give birth, but he was still so unhurried in Huguang.
The situation was sensitive. After all, Prince Ji of Changsha Prefecture did not arrange for anyone he truly trusted to interact with Sun.
The next day, Sun Jiao set off from Changsha Prefecture and entered the Yangtze River via the Xiangjiang River and Dongting Lake.
The water was wide, so he also changed to a larger boat.
In Wuchang Mansion, the Governor of Huguang, the Chief Envoy Department, the Dusi Department, and the Criminal Investigation Department were all making preparations.
Then, it was the commander-in-chief of the Huguang Du Commandery Department who left Wuchang Mansion first and headed for the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
In Baling County, Yuezhou Prefecture, at the mouth of Dongting Lake, the Marquis of Jing'an, the abbot of the state, the cabinet bachelor, and the first military official in Huguang, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, met.
Gu Shilong had just turned forty this year, but when Sun Jiao saw him, he only felt that his health was worse than when he passed through Huguang and went south the year before last.
"Zhongxun, why are you so thin?" Sun Jiao was worried.
Huguang is so important now. Gu Shilong, the commander-in-chief of Huguang, cannot make any mistakes.
Gu Shilong's father ascended the throne as a concubine, and he was an honest and law-abiding official for thirty years. Gu Shilong inherited his father's style and acted meticulously.
He shook his head: "No problem. Mr. Ge, my son Gu Huan is now the Red Helmet General guarding the Forbidden Palace. After Mr. Ge returns to the capital, I hope to take more care of him."
He said it without any hindrance, but there was a sense of entrustment in his words.
Sun Jiao was shocked: "What happened in Huguang?"
Gu Shilong solemnly said: "The King of Chu has been quite bold recently. Many of his vassals and concubines, as well as businessmen from Huguang, have secret dealings with my unfilial second son Gu Yu. I would like to plead guilty and impeach the King of Chu for secretly befriending an honorable minister and having some evil intentions!" "
Sun Jiao looked at him in confusion: "Your Majesty, are you deeply involved with the Prince of Chu's Mansion?"
Gu Shilong nodded heavily: "In the thoroughfares of the nine provinces of Wuchang Prefecture, I took my second son with me and neglected to discipline it. The dogs have devoured a lot of the fertile land in Xianning and Jiayu counties in the south of Wuchang Prefecture. Huguang has been clearing up water conservancy and clearing up water. When I arrived at Wuchang Mansion, I couldn't prove my innocence. My family was unfortunate, so I could only set an example and help His Majesty."
Sun Jiao's heart became heavy and he asked again: "Where are the generals under my command?"
"Naturally, I also bought a lot of good land." Gu Shilong said decisively, "After I plead guilty, there is still a list of names to be submitted. I ask Mr. Ge and Cui Zuojun to do it on my behalf, so that I can still guard Huguang and use the generals on the list. If officials are appointed everywhere, there will be no chaos in Huguang."
Sun Jiao asked seriously: "Is there already a guard station to connect with the vassal king?"
"Of course there is." Gu Shilong said, "Huguang has fifteen prefectures and two prefectures, with a total of 108 counties and 14 scattered prefectures. The area is larger than Nanzhili and Zhejiang combined. Although it has to support nine princes and one county king, the land tax It accounts for less than twenty-one of the country's weight. Of course Mr. Ge knows the reason."
Sun Jiao nodded solemnly.
Huguang has a dense water network, and the amount of fertile farmland is unmatched by Guangdong and Zhejiang. Nowadays, although there are many clans in Huguang, there are so few land endowments. Most of the reasons are due to frequent bad harvests due to floods and other reasons. In addition, the clan, military attachés, civil servants and gentry often invaded people's farmland in Huguang, and the problem of hidden farmland and hidden households was much more serious than in Guangdong.
To solve the problem in Huguang, the first thing that cannot be avoided is the clan.
Now, Gu Shilong was ready to take action on King Chu.
There is no doubt that he will also let Yang Tinghe use him as the leader of the nobles to perform the surgery together, but he will ask Sun Jiao and Cui Yuan to protect him.
Sun Jiao thought about his daughter who was about to give birth. Judging from the letters home, His Majesty took good care of her.
So he said flatly: "I will stay in Huguang! You can't handle this matter in Huguang alone!"
(End of chapter)
