Chapter 59: Thunder blasts, ready to fight

"It should be returned to the saint, and it really is returned to me."

This sentence is destined to be recorded in history.

On this day, Emperor Zhu Yijun, taking advantage of a court meeting, announced that he would rule in a different way from the other saints.

As for the extension of the spirit, whether it is Confucius or Wang Sheng, they can study it on their own; but as for the operation of nature, the emperor clearly stated that he had doubts in his heart, which could only be resolved by clear evidence.

With donations from the Taoist sect, the inner court taking the lead, the Ministry of Rites cooperating, and the Ministry of Works contributing, an academy was prepared to specialize in philosophical thinking, such as the causal relationship between claims and evidence, the standard of evidence, the method of obtaining evidence, etc.

At the same time, it is tentatively decided that Ma Ziqiang, the Minister of Rites, will serve as the first president, and Li Youzi, the Left Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, and Tao Dalin, the Chief Academician of the Imperial College, will serve as the left and right deputy presidents respectively.

Zhu Heng, the Minister of Works, whose hair was gradually thinning, promised to complete the academy within a month as a gift to celebrate the change of era.

……

November 1st.

There are still ten days until the winter solstice.

The weather has been gradually getting colder, and a light rain last night made the wind this morning even more biting.

If the previous emperor were still alive, court officials would gradually start to be late or even not attend court at this time of year.

However, two months ago, the performance evaluation method was like a mountain pressing down on us, forcing us to get up from our warm beds.

He cursed Zhang Juzheng in secret, then dressed himself and went to the palace to sit on duty.

The emperor was supposed to hold a grand court meeting on the first and fifteenth day of every month, but the two palaces and the cabinet felt that the new emperor had a heavy workload and needed to attend government affairs and study, and that it would be a shame to add to his burden, so they discussed holding the grand court meeting after the change of the reign title.

Since the general meeting is not going to be held, then naturally we have to hold a small meeting.

The court meeting was held as usual.

Those who participated in the court meeting today seemed to have made an appointment. As soon as they stepped into the Wenhua Hall, they were attracted by a figure for a moment.

As for why he could see this figure as soon as he looked up? It was because the ministers seemed to be avoiding him, and they all moved half a body away, so that a small space was vacated around the figure.

The person who was ostracized by the court officials was naturally Hai Rui.

After Hai Rui settled his mother yesterday, he went to report to the Censorate early this morning, and was then brought to the court by Ge Shouli for a meeting.

Today's court meeting was time-sensitive and demanding, so the ministers and the emperor went through the motions and then got down to business.

First came the memorial from Wang Zongmu, the governor-general of the Grand Canal.

Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang stepped out and said, "The Canal Transport Office has submitted a memorial. The Revenue Department cannot take exclusive control of it. Let's discuss it together."

"Wang Zongmu, the governor of the grain transport, proposed the following measures: to provide relief to the remote areas. The grain transport routes to the four prefectures of Yongzhou, Hengzhou, Changsha in Huguang, and Ganzhou in Jiangxi are extremely long and dangerous. It is proposed that the grain transport amount be 104,783 shi and 8 dou, and the amount will be reduced every year.

"The five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhili have too much grain. It is proposed to distribute it according to the amount of white grain each year and change it to 100,000 shi. As for Henan and Shandong, according to the discount rules, the garrisons without orders and ships will be sent to take turns to transport grain as a show of preferential treatment."

In short, the grain tax in the four inland prefectures would be changed to be paid in silver, instead of actual grain. The shortfall in actual grain would be made up by the five prefectures in Lianghuai.

As soon as these words fell, the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Physical objects are physical objects, and at most you can only use them to your advantage and suffer some losses.

But if the payment is made in silver, the people will have to transfer the money again, and the benefits will be different.

Changing Lianghuai's share of silver into actual grain is like giving up the profits, which is clearly an infringement of Lianghuai's interests!
Is this Wang Zongmu's start, or is it the Emperor's turn?

Ever since Hai Rui returned to Beijing, there have been frequent rumors that he was going to make moves in Lianghuai. Today, as soon as the court went up, Hai Rui was seen standing there with this stick. Now there is another memorial like this. It seems like a coincidence no matter how you look at it.

I don't know who exchanged looks.

After some exchanges of opinions, Bi Qiang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, stepped forward and said, "I have worked in local areas and have some experience in Huguang, Nanzhili and other places, so I happen to have some understanding of them."

"This is absolutely not feasible."

Bi Qiang was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing. He later served as Deputy Education Commissioner of Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Office, Right Counselor of Guangxi Provincial Administration, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Provincial Governor of Zhejiang Provincial Administration, and Left Provincial Governor of Huguang Provincial Administration.

Later, he served as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture in Nanzhili.

What he said about having done things in the local area naturally had weight.

"Wang Zongmu said that these five prefectures have too much grain. He doesn't understand local affairs. Although these five prefectures produce a lot of grain, they also consume a lot."

"In addition to our own use, there is also government requisition for brewing, overseas trade, etc., so there is actually not much left!"

His words were convincing, and coupled with his real local experience, they were extremely convincing, and everyone nodded in approval.

Li Zaiting suddenly asked, "Is Minister Bi from Nanzhili?"

As soon as the words fell, Bi Qiang's face immediately turned red, and he turned his head and asked, "What does Li Jieshizhong mean?"

Li Zaiting lowered his head, as if he had never said that.

Wang Guoguang stepped forward and took over the conversation: "Okay, let's talk about the facts."

Zhang Daoming, the Imperial Secretary of Engineering, also stepped out and said, "It is better not to set a precedent for this matter, otherwise it will easily intensify the confrontation between the North and the South."

This is just a brief statement, but the meaning is very clear.

Zhu Yijun flipped through the man's file behind the screen with great interest.

Zhang Daoming, a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, was a fellow Jinshi in the second year of Longqing.

This transfer payment issue is naturally a test of the waters, and it is also a way to see how big a voice the Southern Zhili has in the court.

If you want to move in Lianghuai, you will inevitably offend Nanzhili.

What are the two capitals? To put it simply, they mean two sets of central government teams.

Not only did it have a high administrative status, but in terms of finance, Southern Zhili also accounted for most of the world's fiscal revenue.

Apart from the military power, it is no different from the second-in-command court, just like the division of the Northeast, where you can always put on more clothes when the weather gets cold.

Even if there is no second thought.

Its power was always too great, which made Northern Zhili afraid to act rashly.

Now that he wanted to take action in Lianghuai, he had to adopt a posture of suppressing the rebellion before he dared to let Hai Rui go out.

With such a huge monster beside his bed, Zhu Yijun didn't know how the previous emperors could sleep well.

The court discussion continues.

In addition to these two people, four more people came out one after another and pointed out what was wrong with Wang Zongmu's memorial.

Not surprisingly, the matter was rejected and the memorial was sent back.

But the atmosphere has already reached this point, so there must be something else to come.

Minister of Works Zhu Heng stepped out and said, "Grain Transport Governor Wang Zongmu reported: The sea transport has arrived at the shore."

After saying that, he was about to return to the column.

Zhu Yijun held his forehead with his hand and asked, "Are technocrats so difficult to communicate with?"

He had no choice but to remind her through the screen: "Mr. Zhu, please explain it more clearly."

Zhu Heng finally reacted and quickly added: "Wang Zongmu said that sea transportation has not been possible for more than 160 years."

"When Wang Zongmu was the Left Governor of Shandong, he discussed the Jiaohe River issue and made a detailed study of the history of previous dynasties. He proposed twelve benefits of sea transportation to the cabinet."

"Speaking of which, shipping is imperative!"

"After being rejected by the court, the late emperor accidentally learned about it, so he planned to open the sea this year to try it out and see the effect."

"After Wang Zongmu became the governor of the grain transport, he personally tried to sail six ships across the sea, and they arrived at the shore one after another in recent days."

"I proposed to the Ministry of Industry that the two routes of transportation be combined, sea transportation and river transportation, which will truly benefit the country for thousands of years."

Zhu Heng finished speaking in one breath and returned to the train leisurely.

But the court officials were in an uproar and started whispering to each other. It was not until the official in charge of ceremonies scolded them that everyone stopped whispering.

This is near-shore shipping.

To put it simply, it means relying on sea routes to meet inland freight needs.

From the southeast, from the sea to Zhejiang, into the Huai River and Huai River regions, and even from the sea to Shandong, into Tianjin.

It is called sea transportation, but in fact it is the same track as canal transportation!

It's a blatant act of stealing people's jobs.

Wang Zongmu's previous article "Twelve Advantages of Maritime Transport" has already discussed this matter in detail.

Everyone has seen it, what is your reaction?
In Wang Zongmu’s own words, “Everyone heard it suddenly and looked at each other in doubt and horror.” The voices of opposition were so loud and endless.

Come again now?

Many people are ready to make a move.

Someone took the lead, and Jia Daiwen, the deputy secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped out and said, "I have heard about this matter. The Nanjing Ministry of Revenue just happened to have a report on this matter."

Everyone looked at him.

Jia Daiwen was a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing's reign. He served in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works. In August, he was promoted to the position of Du Shizhong of the Ministry of Revenue.

Although this person was not from Nanzhili, his two sons married the granddaughter of Li Chunfang, a former Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace and a native of Nanzhili, and the daughter of Cao Bangfu, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, respectively.

My daughter also married and moved to Nanzhili.

It can be said that Jia Daiwen is the spokesperson for Nanzhili.

Jia Daiwen took out a memorial and handed it to everyone, and then he said, "Zhang Huan, the official in charge of the Nanjing Household Department, has submitted a rebuttal to Governor Wang's memorial."

"Governor Wang Zongmu reported that 120,000 dan of rice was shipped from Huai'an to Tianjin and finally to the port, without any loss of rice." "But in fact, rumors say that eight ships carrying 3,200 dan of rice encountered a storm and lost everything, and there is no news!"

"It is said that Wang Zongmu anticipated the possibility of such a loss, so he sent someone with 30,000 taels of silver to buy food to replenish it."

"This is a heinous crime!"

There was another round of noise.

Suddenly, the screen on the imperial steps was removed, and the ministers were not surprised.

The emperor looked at Jia Dai with disappointment and asked, "Rumors?"

"It is said?"

"Mr. Jia, I have just had doubts about this matter. When the two memorials differ, which one should I take as the main one?"

"Governor Wang Qing said that the 120,000 shi of grain was intact, and there are 120,000 shi of grain on board as 'clear evidence'."

"Zhang Qing, the Imperial Secretary, said that all 3,200 dan of silver was lost, but that was just a 'rumor' or 'said'."

"What does this mean to me?"

Jia Daiwen's expression changed.

He quickly explained, "Your Majesty, the censors have the right to report matters upon hearing rumors!"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Mr. Jia, I did not stop the censors from reporting to me, but since this is a local matter that I cannot reach, can't you understand your father and emperor and look for some 'clear evidence' before reporting to me?"

I wonder if this reminded someone.

Li Zaiting suddenly stepped out and said, "Yes, Jia Jishizhong, how come the memorials of Governor Wang and Zhang Jishizhong arrived at the same time? How could Zhang Jishizhong refute Governor Wang?"

"Is he a prophet, or is he spying on the memorials? Or is there simply someone unclean around Governor Wang?"

"Is it possible for a high-ranking official of our dynasty to be so naked?"

Zhu Yijun cast an admiring look towards Li Zaiting.

It doesn't matter if it's done openly, but you still have to reward him something secretly.

The idea of ​​near-shore shipping is not without origin.

Although storms, running aground and other events are extremely risky, we cannot just give up because of fear.

When Gao Gong was in power, he was determined to open up the sea and also to do offshore shipping.

This led to Wang Zongmu's proposal of "Twelve Advantages of Maritime Transport", and then Wang Zongmu was authorized to implement it on a trial basis, which was also the order Gao Gong requested from the late emperor.

Now that Zhu Yijun had taken over Gao Gong's political resources, he naturally took over this matter as well.

Continuing to try sea transportation is both a need of the times and a preparatory work for activating canal transportation.

When Hai Rui starts the grain transport in Lianghuai, trouble is inevitable. By then, sea transport can at least serve as a temporary backup.

So as to avoid being coerced by others using the "overall situation".

After Li Zaiting assisted, Jia Daiwen was about to refute.

But the Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng suddenly stepped out and took over the conversation: "I remember this too. When the late emperor issued the edict to try it out, he should have ordered the Ministry of Works to accompany him, right?"

Zhu Heng was suddenly called out and was a little stunned.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Two people in charge followed the whole process, but I didn't hear of any subversion."

He hesitated and said, "But I think that even if there is a capsizing, we should continue to explore sea transportation..."

The ministers glanced at this technocrat, wondering if he still didn't understand what they were arguing about.
This is not a technical issue, it is a political issue.

If we go by sea, what about water transport?
This is the livelihood of millions of canal workers, and it cannot be decided by just doing it or not.

Wang Zongmu is really a bad son. He is a governor of the grain transport system, but he is digging into his own family.

Zhang Siwei from the Ministry of Rites stepped out and tried to smooth things over, saying, "The implementation of sea transportation now is like trying to grow rice in the north. We should start with a small amount of experimentation to see if it can adapt to the local climate conditions, and then gradually promote it."

"By the same token, the appropriate long-term and short-term strategies for river and sea transport should also be flexibly formulated based on actual conditions."

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Siwei deeply.

He praised: "Your words are mature and prudent."

However, he was secretly alert in his heart, as the Jin Party was the most powerful among the local party members nowadays.

However, the local party in Southern Zhili should not be underestimated. The Zhejiang Party and Donglin Party in later generations all branched out from the local party in Pan-Southern Zhili, which shows how powerful they were.

Now, if the Pan-Southern Zhili Township Party joins forces with the Shanxi Party, things will become unpopular.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Guoguang again: "Mr. Wang, what does the Ministry of Revenue mean?"

Wang Guoguang was well prepared. He paused for a moment before saying, "When the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology proposed to commend the achievements of maritime transport, we pointed out that in the long run, relying on rivers is fundamental, while maritime transport is a means to deal with current emergencies."

"We believe that given the unpredictable risks of shipping, we should first familiarize ourselves with this route in case of emergency."

"Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue proposes that we should try to increase the number of sea transport trips in the first year."

Zhu Yijun nodded but did not express his opinion.

He looked at Zhang Juzheng with a gentle expression: "Prime Minister, what do the cabinet think?"

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the emperor.

He continued, "What the censors of Nanzhili said is just a rumor, and it is difficult to investigate further. However, officials who dare to take responsibility should be treated leniently to see the effect."

"Moreover, shipping involves a large number of people, including manpower from several provinces, taking several months and crossing three provinces. There are hundreds of officials, governors, garrisons, and sailors involved. If there is a shipwreck, it is unlikely that only the censors would mention it."

"The thirty thousand taels of silver came from the Huai Treasury, and there are accounts to check. The hired manpower and boats are also clearly recorded. Your Majesty, why not order the Ministry of Revenue to work with the Censorate to conduct an investigation through the inspectors."

"As for the issue of sea transportation, I think what Minister Wang said is a good idea for the country, and the Cabinet agrees."

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Then please submit your proposal to the Imperial Household Department later."

The two of them decided the matter after a few words.

Jia Daiwen's face was gloomy. This emperor was much harder to fool than the previous emperor.

That’s bad enough, but the current leader also assisted Zhou in his atrocities. The country is on the verge of collapse!

He returned to the train and glanced at Zhang Siwei inconspicuously, only to receive a shake of the head in response.

Bah! You only make symbolic contributions after receiving benefits. Sooner or later, you, the Jin Party, will have to experience this feeling too!

After venting his anger, he had no choice but to exchange glances with several colleagues, indicating that they should take the long view.

Jia Daiwen thought that this was enough.

They have been targeting Lianghuai repeatedly. As the saying goes, three times the limit is enough. There shouldn't be much for them to do next.

but……

Gao Yi, the Deputy Minister of the Cabinet, stepped out and said, "The Cabinet has received several impeachment documents, with witnesses and evidence. We plan to have them examined by the three judicial departments."

He took out several memorials for the court officials to circulate.

He was looking at the Minister of Punishments Wang Zhigao, the Chief Censor of the Censorate Ge Shouli, and the Minister of the Supreme Court Chen Yisong.

He said, "It's about the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner, Wang Ruyan."

"Twelve charges, including corruption, embezzlement, collusion with salt merchants, and withholding taxes."

"The criminal has been taken to the Canal Transport Office, and the witnesses and evidence are all in the Northern Pacification Office."

"Three of you, who do you think is suitable to handle this case?"

Jia Daiwen, Zhang Daoming, Bi Qiang and nearly ten other people all looked at Hai Rui at the same time, their faces changing drastically!
Wang Zhigao, the Minister of Justice, shook his head and said, "Lianghuai is too far away to reach. The Ministry of Justice has too many cases on hand, so we won't send anyone."

"You may as well go to the Southern Zhili Ministry of Justice and cooperate with the Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate in the investigation."

Such cases involving officials are generally led by the Censorate.

It is reasonable to authorize the Ministry of Justice to the Nanjing Ministry of Justice.

Before Dali Temple Minister Chen Yisong could speak, Zhang Juzheng interrupted him and said, "Several people from the Dali Temple in Nanjing have retired and the vacancies have not been filled yet. I'm afraid it's not convenient to do this."

Dali Temple Junior Official Chen Dong stepped out confidently and said, "Dali Temple Junior Official Dong, I am willing to take this position."

The emperor was pleased and said, "If Chen Qing is indeed the one who deserves the honor, then it will be Chen Qing."

It was like a play, everyone had their own lines, and the matter was settled in the blink of an eye.

The court officials didn't understand what was happening.

There were rumors before that the Lianghuai salt administration was going to be changed, and people thought there was still time to prepare. But who would have thought that the cabinet would quietly take down a Lianghuai salt transport envoy!

This has been planned for a long time!
It was obvious that he had been captured long ago, and they were just waiting for Hai Rui to come to the capital. As soon as Hai Rui came to the court today, this matter was immediately brought up for consideration.

Everyone looked past Ge Shouli and fixed their eyes on Hai Rui.

as predicted.

Ge Shouli also looked at Hai Rui and nodded, saying, "Supervising the Lianghuai salt tax and managing the river is the responsibility of Hai Rui, the Chief Censor."

Hai Rui took a step forward and faced the emperor with a resolute and solemn expression: "It is my duty, and I will handle this case well!"

　There is one more chapter, which will be posted later (needs to be revised)
　　Note 1: Wang Zongmu, the governor of the grain transport, proposed four things to do: First, to provide relief to the remote areas. The grain transport roads in Yongzhou, Hengzhou, Changsha, and Ganzhou in Hubei and Jiangxi are extremely long and dangerous. It is proposed to convert the grain of shi and dou into a tax per year. The grain of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou in Zhili is too much. It is proposed to convert it into shi per year according to the amount of white grain. For example, in Henan and Shandong, according to the tax rate, the garrisons without orders and ships should be dispatched to stop transport in turn to show relief...

　　Note 2: Wang Zongmu, the governor of the grain transport and the chief censor, reported: the sea transport has arrived at the shore. He said: "Sea transport has not been possible for more than years. When I was the left governor of Shandong, I studied the history of Jiaohe River in detail and proposed benefits. At that time, everyone was shocked by the sudden news. Later, the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology made suggestions and the governor tried it out, and they all agreed with my words. It turned out to be true. I heard the news and decided to open the transport this year. I happened to be the official of the grain transport department and made plans for its issuance. Now, the six ports have arrived at the shore without any problems. The people of the world have finally believed that sea transport is feasible. This and the river transport will be used together, which will benefit the country for thousands of years." Reported.

　　Note 3: First, Zhang Huan, the official in charge of the Nanjing Household Department, discussed the governor-general's grain transport. Wang Zongmu reported in June that dan of rice was shipped by sea, and it left Huai'an on a certain day, and arrived in Tianjin, and no grain of rice was lost. Later, people said that eight boats carrying dan of rice by sea were suddenly blown away by the wind, and there was no impact. Zongmu probably expected this, and sent taels of silver to buy up the rice.

　　The above three notes - the first one in the "Records of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty" is July of the sixth year of Longqing, and the last two are October
　　
　
(End of this chapter)