"My lord, people in the capital city are panicking. There are rumors that the imperial court has no money and relies entirely on the money confiscated from the houses. Therefore, no matter who commits a crime now, it is the result of the house raids!"
As soon as Zhang Mingwei returned to Houya, he heard the report from Captain Jinyi and couldn't help but ask, "When did these rumors start?"
"Just today!" The plainclothes Jin Yiwei who was responsible for patrolling the streets quickly reported, "No one had heard of it before, but today it spread all over the place."
Speaking of which, he added in detail, "They listed several examples, and also talked about the tax-free national policy before the imperial court. All these are just spreading. It is your intention, the Duke, to take a fancy to the money of ordinary people. Whose family If you have a lot of money, you will be charged with something, and then your home will be ransacked and executed."
Although this is indeed the case, at this stage we have to rely on cracking down on corrupt officials and local tyrants and evil gentry to get through this period of moneylessness. However, after the investigation of Chen Xinjia, these words spread instantly, and it was obvious that someone was behind it.
Zhang Mingwei thought this in his heart, and suddenly frowned.
This is actually not the first time this has happened! Previously, when the refugees in Fangshan County were robbed and killed, there were rumors that spread in the capital. If he hadn't had a unique background and won the emperor's trust, it would have been very troublesome for an ordinary person.
Once this kind of rumor spreads, it would be really dangerous for all civil and military officials to impeach someone together based on the fierce public sentiment.
Things can be either one or two, and this kind of thing must never be allowed to be so laissez-faire again!
Zhang Mingwei, who comes from a later generation, naturally knows the power of public opinion control.
If you want to prevent them from spreading such rumors, it is impossible. The more stringent the prohibition is, the more powerful it will become. The most effective way is to control the leadership of public opinion.
But for now, it is still quite difficult to control the dominance of public opinion. It doesn’t mean that if you send someone to speak in the streets, others will listen to you.
If you want to dominate public opinion, you must have a channel that most people can trust. In this way, other people with evil intentions will not be able to cause much trouble no matter how troublesome they are. If we crack down harder, we can control public opinion.
Moreover, this power to control public opinion cannot only be found in the capital, but must be found in all parts of the country. Otherwise, there will still be problems.
With this kind of power to control public opinion, we will also have the right to explain the implementation of the imperial government's national policies in the future. It will not be just what those scholars say!
Thinking of this, Zhang Mingwei decided to do this no matter how busy he was now. Because if he does it well, he can get twice the result with half the effort.
If you don't do something, it is obviously a good thing, but it can be understood as an evil thing by others, so you don't implement it, or even violate it or simply resist it, which will involve a lot of energy and achieve half the result with twice the result.
Zhang Mingwei actually had a plan in mind on how to do this. However, manpower is currently tight, and he can't think of anyone suitable to take the lead in this matter.
After thinking for a while, he asked someone to call Zhou Wenzhen.
As a result, Zhou Wenzhen came to find the Jin Yiwei who went to call him before he left the Yamen.
"My lord, the situation in the capital is not good!" When Zhou Wenzhen saw Zhang Mingwei, he hurriedly saluted, and then said impatiently, "Many people are packing their bags, as if they want to escape from the capital!"
"..." Zhang Mingwei was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized that maybe this was the result of those rumors.
Sure enough, Zhou Wenzhen continued to say, "The officials who were dismissed by the emperor before were dismissed together with Chen Xinjia, because of the impeachment of the Duke. Today, many people are making noises. They can't leave by themselves, so let them The family packed their bags and left Beijing. Many people have come to ask for the carriages and horses driven by the villain. If there is no big commotion, these people's own carriages and horses are enough. But come to the villain, It means they have a lot to transport!”
Having said this, he felt happy when he saw Zhang Mingwei's concerned expression, and quickly added, "I feel something is wrong, so I paid special attention to matters related to you, and asked about the situation. It happened that you asked me Monitor those Shanxi merchants and find that many of the rumors in the capital are spread by Shanxi merchants."
Zhang Mingwei frowned and asked after hearing this, "What other rumors are there? Well, are they against me or the government?"
After Zhou Wenzhen heard this, he immediately replied, "Yes, there are some rumors that before, the Duke only looked for those who were officials to kill, but now even the owners of Huangji Money Shop have been transferred to the imperial edict because the court's money is not enough. We have to attack the rich people in the capital, even those who have not offended the Duke. Otherwise, how could the owner of Huangji Money Shop be imprisoned without offending the Duke?"
"Haha, are you trying to use public opinion to force Jin Yiwei to release him?" Zhang Mingwei couldn't help but sneered when he heard this.
When Zhou Wenzhen heard this, he couldn't help but be a little surprised and said, "My lord, is this really true?"
It is a fact that Chen Xinjia was arrested, because his mansion was surrounded by Jinyi guards, and they could all be seen during the search.
However, Huang Yunfa was in Chen Xinjia's house at the time and was arrested after dark. Most people would never know that Huang Yunfa was arrested. Therefore, what Zhou Wenzhen said just now about Huang Yunfa was a rumor. However, he was a little surprised when he heard Duke Xingguo's tone, as if it was true.
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei nodded and said, "That's right. He happened to be in Chen Xingjia's house and was taken to prison together. However, by accident, I have already found out a huge case."
At this point, seeing Zhou Wenzhen's disbelief, Zhang Mingwei explained casually, "I asked you to monitor those Shanxi merchants a long time ago because I knew they had committed a serious crime, but there was no evidence for the moment, so I didn't do anything." them."
Even Zhou Wenzhen's expression just now made him feel that he was interested in Shanxi merchants' money. It can be seen that these rumors released by Shanxi merchants are really deceptive.
The reason is simple, because what they say is true. But, for the wrong reason. However, how many people will believe the reason and investigate the reason?
At this moment, another captain of the Imperial Guard hurried over and reported to Zhang Mingwei, "Sir, the brothers at the city gate have reported that there are more carriages and horses in the city, all laden with property. Do they want to intercept them?"
If intercepted, it will be more confirmed that those rumors are true, and the people of the capital will be even more panicked! At that time, not only the target person will run away with the money, but even the non-target person will also run away with the money.
Don't underestimate this kind of panic. If it really gets serious, it will greatly affect the people's livelihood and stability of the capital.
It has to be said that this method of creating panic is very destructive and difficult to deal with.
Zhang Mingwei was thinking about it when suddenly, someone came outside to report that Liu Zongzhou, the censor of Zuodu, was visiting.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate is responsible for supervision. Needless to say, what is the reason for his sudden visit?
However, Liu Zongzhou was now considered Zhang Mingwei's side, so he did not hesitate and personally greeted him.
Sure enough, as soon as they met, Liu Zongyi said to him with a worried face, "My lord, this case of arresting Chen Xinjia also involves Huang Yunfa, the owner of Huangji Money Shop?"
Zhang Mingwei had already discussed the matter of arresting Chen Xinjia in the Wenhua Hall before. Therefore, everyone in the Wenhua Hall at that time knew why Chen Xinjia was arrested. But they didn't know about Huang Yunfa.
Although Zhang Mingwei mentioned that there were merchants working with the captives, he did not specify which merchants they were.
At this time, I heard Liu Zongzhou and Zhang Mingwei walking towards the lobby, a little anxious at the same time. Before sitting down in the lobby to talk, he continued to say, "Now people in the capital are panicked. Are those who were arrested by mistake released first? And Chen Xinjia... How about publishing the case immediately in accordance with the public sentiment?"
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei just shook his head and said, "Do you think those people won't transfer money now that you do it?"
The great thing about rumors and rumors is that these things can come very suddenly, but it takes a long time to eliminate them. It's like getting sick. The so-called illness comes like a mountain falling and goes away like a thread spinning.
After hearing this, Liu Zongzhou thought that Duke Xingguo was right, but he still said, "No matter what, it is better to do it than not to do it. Otherwise, all the rich people in the capital will flee. Is this still the capital? Your Majesty's face, Where to put it again?”
If all the rich people in the capital fled, it would not only affect the people's livelihood, it would also be a huge blow to Emperor Chongzhen's reputation.
It was also for this reason that Liu Zongzhou came in a hurry.
Of course Zhang Mingwei knew this, but he was not panicked. At this time, he had arrived in the lobby. After he sat down, he asked people to serve tea and said to Liu Zongzhou, "Didn't I tell you before that there was a case of a businessman colluding with prisoners? Now we have found out a rough idea!"
"What, so fast?" Liu Zong couldn't help being a little surprised when he heard this on Monday, and then confirmed with surprise.
Zhang Mingwei nodded after hearing this, and when he was about to speak, a military officer in Jinyi hurried in and reported to Zhang Mingwei, "Sir, that Huang Yunfa has confessed, and here is the confession!"
Zhang Mingwei couldn't help but feel a little happy when he heard it, and immediately took it and looked at it. But it's still a bit uncomfortable. There is nothing we can do about it. For the past twenty years, we have been accustomed to simplified Chinese and horizontal layout. It is a bit difficult to change it.
But after scanning it, I can get a rough idea of the situation. Afterwards, he happily said to Liu Zongzhou, "I said before that there were merchants who were working with the captives, but actually I was referring to Shanxi merchants. This Huang Yunfa is one of them. This is his confession, come and take a look!"
Liu Zong was overjoyed when he heard this on Monday. He quickly went to take it and read it quickly. The more he watched, the more frightened he became. Finally, he raised his head and sighed to Zhang Mingwei, "These businessmen are driven by money and have done so many things that are beneficial to the establishment of the captives. It's really no wonder!"
After sighing, he still remembered the purpose of coming, so he quickly said, "Master, why don't you make an announcement immediately to end the chaos in the capital?"
Zhang Mingwei listened and shook his head. It was not the time to announce it yet.
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