Not long after, the side door of Liu's Mansion opened from the inside. A man stuck his head out and took a look, then walked to the corner of the street, came to a few people, bowed his head and said: "Sir, my benefactor just went in. .”
After he finished speaking, he described his appearance again. Finally, he showed a trace of pleading and said: "The villain has reported to all the adults as instructed. Please let the villain go. If the master knows that I reported the information to the Jin Yiwei, The villain will definitely be beaten to death."
Opposite him was Liu Yue, the commander-in-chief of Jinyiwei. He understood that the man who had just entered was Liu Meicai's benefactor, the person they wanted to investigate. He ignored the words of the servant of the Liu family, lowered his head and thought for a while, then waved his hand and said: "Let's go, but you have to remember, just pretend that you have never seen us. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand, I understand!" The man was overjoyed, nodded in response, and then sneaked back to his house impatiently.
As soon as Liu Yue waited for him to leave, he said to several of his men: "You guys, go to the street corner in front and wait. After the man comes out for a while, follow him alternately. You must find out where he comes from and who he is."
Jinyiwei is not omnipotent. If you want to investigate someone quietly, you can only do it step by step. This time, they secretly threatened the servant of the Liu family with a reason, and then they determined who Liu Meicai's benefactor was to be investigated. As for what this person was talking about when he came to the Liu Mansion, because no one was listening, Liu Yue and others were at a loss for the time being.
What they didn't know was easy for Emperor Chongzhen to know. For example, at this moment, he was watching the text live broadcast.
"Master Liu, it is now rumored that the Manchu army has escaped and Director Gao's command has joined Lu Shangshu. Is this true?"
"The prince in the palace sent someone to send back the news. It cannot be false, otherwise it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
"Yeah, Lu Shangshu is warlike. He was promoted so quickly because of his military exploits. Now that he is safe and sound, it seems that there will be no peace in the capital!"
"What my benefactor said is absolutely true! The emperor was hesitant, and he didn't expect to reuse Lu Shangshu again. He is the main combatant, and this war is likely to last for a long time. If he angers the Manchu emperor outside the pass and continues to send troops in If it is closed, it will probably take a long time. My benefactor, you’d better be careful!"
"Who says otherwise! In this war, the road is not peaceful, who dares to go out to do business! Is there not a good official in the court who truly cares for the people? What we and other ordinary people want is peace, not peace. There’s war!”
"That's not true. There are rumors in the court that the Yangge Ministry still wants to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty and has stopped the war with the Qing Dynasty. But now there is no movement. I don't know why?"
"Ah, the war continues and the trade routes are blocked. All the losses are money! Sir Liu, are you willing to take the lead and plead for our people?"
"Don't worry, my benefactor. I have been supported by my benefactor for many years, and I should repay it with all my heart. That's all. I'll set off right now and go to Yang Ge's department to find out what's going on. I'll think of a way back later, contact my colleagues, and put an end to this war as soon as possible! "
"..."
Looking at these conversations, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but feel a little angry. In fact, it goes without saying that he has a Shanxi merchant background. Businessmen in the world are basically profit-seekers. How many of them will stick to the bottom line and not make money that they shouldn't make?
Since ancient times, it is not unreasonable to emphasize agriculture and suppress business.
Businessmen cannot live without businessmen, but if they are allowed to develop and grow, they will definitely use money to influence the court's major policies. Don't ask about right or wrong, just seek benefits, everything is about money!
Farming is the foundation and business is the supplement. This is what this era should have. If it comes to future generations, it will be industry and agriculture, and commerce will always be a supplement, but not the foundation. Otherwise, which class can compete with wealthy businessmen?
One impression that Emperor Chongzhen brought from later generations was that in this era, the big salt merchants also used their money to influence the salt politics of the court. They even tried to control the imperial examinations and control the court's policies from the fundamentals.
This Liu Mei is from the Shanxi merchants, and how many people in the court are standing behind the Shanxi merchants and other big businessmen?
If we want to revive the Ming Dynasty, these things must be resolved one by one. Emperor Chongzhen thought this in his mind, suppressed his impetuous thoughts, and wanted to see what Yang Sichang's attitude was?
About half an hour later, Liu Meicai went to see Yang Sichang. After some polite remarks, Liu Meicai first talked about the good news.
Yang Sichang's face looked a little ugly, and he nodded and replied: "Yes, now Lu Shangshu has commanded an army of 50,000, and the King Qin's army that will arrive later will also be controlled by him."
After hearing this, Liu Meicai said, not knowing whether intentionally or unintentionally: "Lu Shangshu has been promoted quickly due to his military merits. Maybe after this time, he will be promoted to the cabinet. By then, he will be the youngest and most promising minister of the Ming Dynasty in the cabinet!" "
Yang Sichang frowned immediately when he heard this, as if there was a flash of anger.
Liu Meicai saw it clearly and knew what was going on, so she added: "But the official thinks that Lu Shangshu is in charge of the war and is warlike for his own selfish reasons, regardless of the hardships of the people's livelihood. If the war continues for a long time, it will always be the people who suffer. Yangge Department I am deeply trusted by the emperor, but I have to make decisions for the people!"
"Huh?" Yang Sichang was a little confused after hearing this, and couldn't help but wonder.
"Yang Gebu!" Liu Meicai said solemnly, "The official believes that in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, only the Yangge tribe is the mainstay of the Ming Dynasty. To fight against foreigners, we must first settle the internal affairs. I admire you deeply. The powerful enemies of the Qing Dynasty are invincible. , if we can turn enemies into friends, there will no longer be wars like today, and the people will be lucky! I am incapable of being talented, but I am willing to follow Yang Ge’s left and right, and cheer for Yang Ge!”
Hearing this, Yang Sichang's eyes couldn't help but light up. But then, he remembered Emperor Chongzhen's remarks that refuted the strategy of settling the country first in order to resist foreign aggression, and he suddenly felt a little discouraged. According to the emperor's wishes, it is absolutely impossible to negotiate peace with the Manchus!
Thinking like this, he had no choice but to say: "The emperor does not agree with the strategy proposed by me! Now that Lu Shangshu is reused, it is clear evidence. Let's wait and see what happened first. If there are more twists and turns in the war, maybe it will be better. There’s a turning point!”
He also wanted to understand that unless the Manchu and Qing troops continued to fight and win consecutive battles, that would put pressure on the emperor again. In this case, the emperor might abandon his original intention and start paying attention to him again.
Liu Meicai understood Yang Sichang's words just after thinking about them for a moment. When he was about to say something, he heard footsteps coming from outside. It was Yang Mansion's housekeeper who had arrived. He held a letter in his hands and said, "Sir, there is a letter from Governor Xuanda!"
