Chapter 79: Ying people wield axes to break the sacrificial table

The Ming Dynasty never lacked smart people.

Those who can reach the position of Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace are the smartest among the smart people.

The difference lies in that wisdom is used in different places.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong used their wisdom to serve the country.

Xu Jie and Li Chunfang used their wisdom in planning.

Xu Jie was under double pressure from Hai Rui and Gao Gong. Forced by the situation, he had to take drastic actions in order to save his life.

At that time, Hai Rui had not yet found out about Li Chunfang, so the latter seemed to be much more at ease.

Li Chunfang quietly watched Xu Jie charge into the battle line, waiting for the emperor's choice, waiting for Xu Jie's outcome, and waiting for the storm in Southern Zhili.

Until... I saw the emperor's edict of repentance.

The Analects of Confucius says, "The will of a man cannot be taken away."

He didn't know how the emperor, who was only eleven years old, had memorized the Analects so well.

But the fact is, the overall situation cannot kidnap this Saint. This Saint himself is the overall situation.

In Li Chunfang's opinion, it was not because the emperor was so talented, nor was it because he was so courageous as Qin Minglei said.

The only thing is that he is the emperor, that's all.

Under the Guochao system, it didn’t last long before the emperor treated ministers as his servants.

It can be said that as long as the emperor insists on having his own way, this kind of momentum effect can be achieved.

Emperor Wuzong was so frivolous back then. He used a pseudonym and went to the battlefield, and no one could stop him.

If a branch of Sejong's family succeeded him, he could force the prime minister to step down, or he could act on his own, ordering people to survey the land and threaten Zhejiang.

This is the awe-inspiring trend and this is the system!

No matter how Li Chunfang lamented, he could not change the status of the upper and lower classes.

Whether tyrant or benevolent monarch, in short, no single person can compare with the determination of an emperor whose "will cannot be taken away".

In this case, one can either hide in the entire system and hope that the emperor won't notice when he does something bad.

Or you can just kneel down and beg for mercy.

Unfortunately, for tall people like Li Chunfang, there are no extra options.

Just as Hai Rui said, it was he who promoted Wang Ruyan, and later the stolen money was also sent to his home as usual. Just for this reason, he could not get away with it.

Not to mention that he privately formulated the "Village Covenant" to replace the county government's national laws and practiced self-governance. Strictly speaking, there is really no room for maneuver in convicting him of breaking the law.

Therefore, Li Chunfang had no choice but to bow his head and tie his neck to the emperor to save his family.

Coincidentally, he had more bargaining chips to bow to the emperor than Xu Jie.

Apart from anything else, he is at least the person in charge in Nanzhili.

These people are using him and want to use him to get ahead, so why doesn't he need to borrow the power of these people?

After Duke Wei begged for mercy and Marquis Huaining surrendered, it was no longer possible for a single individual to resist the imperial envoy.

He didn't even have the qualifications to bargain with Hai Rui.

This was what happened to the Chief Censor. He was escorted to the capital as soon as they met.

No one could face the imperial envoy, and no one wanted to be the first to do so.

Therefore, they had no choice but to put forward a person to take charge and reluctantly work together to gain the qualification to negotiate with Hai Rui and others.

After Xu Jie's defeat, the only person in Southern Zhili who had such prestige and qualifications was the former Prime Minister Li Chunfang.

Coincidentally, Li Chunfang also had his own plans.

He just needed to use these people to gain the influence to stir up the situation in Southern Zhili, and then... sell them to the emperor for a good price.

Li Chunfang looked at Hai Rui quietly, waiting for his reply.

Hai Rui frowned, unable to keep up with the pace of these people guessing the emperor's intentions.

What split Nanzhili?

How do you know that His Majesty has this intention?

Xu Jie suddenly coughed lightly and interrupted, "Shi Lu may have forgotten that Hai Gangfeng has never entered the pavilion."

Vision has nothing to do with wisdom. It is difficult for a minister who has never served in the cabinet to have a global perspective.

He smiled apologetically at Li Chunfang.

Then he pulled Hai Rui aside and said, "Hai Gangfeng, this matter is a little obscure, but I believe that what Li Chunfang said must be what His Majesty needs."

"Let me talk, it will surely please His Majesty."

Hai Rui looked at Xu Jie warily: "Xu Shaohu, why don't you make your statement clearer?"

He was just here to handle the case and had not received any instructions from the emperor to split up Southern Zhili.

However, the situation was changing rapidly, and he was not sure whether what Li Chunfang said was true.

Xu Jie whispered, "Hai Gangfeng, please trust me for once. My life and death are in the hands of others, so I will not lie to you."

He looked at Hai Rui with sincerity and said, "Hai Gangfeng, I can also talk to you. I can also be your Majesty's confidant."

As soon as Li Chunfang opened his mouth, Xu Jie suddenly saw a glimmer of hope for survival!
There were no chips before, but now the chips are here!

Li Chunfang now represents a large number of high-ranking officials and nobles behind Nanzhili, some with known status and some without.

Since he came to talk to Hai Rui on his own initiative, he must be prepared to cut flesh and bleed.

As long as I accept the order in times of crisis and negotiate a satisfactory result for the emperor, I will be meritorious! I may even be able to save my life!

Hai Rui was also in a dilemma.

The situation in Southern Zhili was complicated, with former prime ministers popping up one after another, repeatedly exceeding Hai Rui's ability to handle.

Just as Xu Jie's problem was dealt with, Li Chunfang jumped out.

Splitting up Nanzhili... He had a vague feeling about it, but couldn't figure it out.

Hai Rui pondered for a long time.

Then he looked at Xu Jie: "Xu Shaohu, I will tell your majesty everything that happened today without missing a word. Xu Shaohu, don't make the mistake."

Xu Jie let out a long sigh, this meant he agreed.

He bowed to thank her, and went back to Li Chunfang with Hai Rui.

Xu Jie looked down at this young man and said, "Li Shilu, please don't talk about other things. This official and Hai Yushi are here to handle the salt administration case."

"If you want to understand the emperor's intention, you may assist me in handling the case."

Li Chunfang was not surprised to see that Hai Rui and Xu Jie had changed their positions in the blink of an eye.

He also understood what Xu Jie meant.

Before he could make conditions to the emperor, he needed to give what he was supposed to give, only then would he be qualified to sit down and talk.

Li Chunfang pondered for a moment and said, "I happen to know something about the Lianghuai Salt Administration case. Wang Ruyan, who was involved in the case, once visited me."

"At that time, he mentioned that... Huai salt could produce 1.53 million yin per year."

"By the way, I heard that the detailed account books of the various sub-transportation offices and salt fields in Lianghuai are also archived in one of his other prefectures. I know the location and will tell the two imperial envoys later."

One million and five hundred and three thousand yin is the actual amount produced in Lianghuai.

This was a compromise of the people behind him and also Li Chunfang's sincerity. He threw out the number without reservation.

Of course, it is impossible for the center to collect so much, and there are still many losses that cannot be reduced.

For example, the lowest-level clerks, salt workers, and laborers were corrupt, and small officials at all levels were corrupt and took bribes. These were problems that even the so-called big men could not solve.

The central government can collect a maximum of 1.3 million to raise the amount, and it will even decrease year by year in the future.

But no matter what, he showed his sincerity.

Hai Rui couldn't help but sigh.

This was his mission this time. It took three months, during which he beheaded dozens of salt officials, confiscated countless properties, and offended important officials, such as the former Prime Minister and the Duke of the State. Other three ranks were not even considered a rank. There were also dangers such as arson and hidden arrows.

Now that Li Chunfang had said this, everything was finally settled.

He was about to ask about the account books when Xu Jie grabbed him.

Xu Jie shook his head coldly: "The Lianghuai Transportation Bureau already has account books, so it's better not to make another trip."

That’s what it means to not be enough.

Luo Sigong, who was standing behind Hai Rui, couldn't help but glance at Xu Jie.

God bless him, this was the first time he saw someone who could get into the role so quickly. If you didn’t know, you would think he was the emperor’s confidant.

Li Chunfang seemed to have expected this to happen, and said without any hesitation: "I heard that the Salt Merchants Association is also involved. You two may want to investigate it. Maybe there are some clues."

Hai Rui couldn't help but glance at Li Chunfang.

He naturally understood what Li Chunfang meant. The Salt Merchants Chamber of Commerce was directly abandoned at this moment.

Hai Rui only raided seven large salt merchants and more than ten small salt merchants, but the Embroidered Uniform Guards found 390,000 taels of silver.

If all the thirteen major salt merchants in the Salt Merchants Guild were to be confiscated, the sum would probably be six hundred thousand taels!
The national treasury only takes in three million taels a year. This is already 20% of it!
He was ready to agree.

Xu Jie shook his head again and said, "We have already raided seven major salt merchants and have a clue. Why don't you bother Li Shilu to remind us?"

The emperor expected to sort out the salt tax and confiscate the salt merchants' property.

If you only achieve this extent, it cannot be considered as currying favor with the emperor.

Li Chunfang continued without stopping: "Congratulations to the two imperial envoys for their achievements. Yesterday I heard that the Ministry of Revenue of Nanzhili is verifying the grain taxes for the past two seasons. I heard that this year, there will be an increase. That is a double blessing."

This was Cao Bangfu's bargaining chip, and Li Chunfang threw it out as well.

Xu Jie shook his head helplessly: "There are both joy and sorrow. In addition to this case, there are several other cases, such as the case of using bows and crossbows to secretly harm the imperial envoy, and the case of soldiers in disguise setting fire to the government office. It's really a headache. Other cases are fine, but this case of treason is too exhausting."

Xu Jie spoke eloquently and emotionally, but Li Chunfang listened in silence.

This meant that the money issue was negotiable, but the secret dispatch of troops and the distribution of bows and crossbows required an explanation to the emperor. Such righteous words made Luo Sigong turn his head away and no longer look at Xu Jie - he had never seen such a person before.

Li Chunfang thought for a while and sighed, "This matter involves the Ministry of War, so I don't know anything about it. Xu Shaohu might as well ask Ji Lian, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and the senior official of the Central Military Governor's Office."

"Such a cruel and mad person should be imprisoned and sent to the capital as soon as possible."

The Minister of War of Nanzhili was previously Wang Zhigao.

After the central government promoted him to the position of Minister of Justice, the vacancy has not been filled yet.

The Ministry of War is now controlled by the Assistant Minister of War Ji Lian.

Now Ji Lian was abandoned by Li Chunfang and the people behind him without knowing it.

Xu Jie nodded with satisfaction and added, "Does Li Shilu know about the Taizhou case of inciting ignorance?"

Li Chunfang seemed to be hesitant to speak, and his expression gradually became difficult.

Xu Jie had a calm expression, said nothing, and looked at Li Chunfang quietly.

Xu Jie said indifferently: "After all, this is a major case of rebellion. Your Majesty will just wait for the result."

Li Chunfang closed his eyes and nodded slowly: "From my guess, Yingtian Prefecture Governor Zhu Gang, Taizhou Prefect and others must have some clues."

This means selling out Zhu Gang as well.

Xu Jie stepped forward: "Where is the tea lesson?"

Li Chunfang's face was extremely ugly, and he couldn't help but wave his sleeves and said, "Xu Shaohu, I am idle at home, how can I know so many things."

"Even if it's just idle chatter in the countryside, it has to be pleasing to my ears."

At this point, I can no longer agree to Xu Jie.

If he cut too much flesh from his colleagues, he, as the person in charge, would not be considered to have done anything meritorious.

If I can't use this opportunity to win favors and accumulate reputation, how can I work for the emperor?
Xu Jie took a step back and said, "You don't have to know the whole picture. A 50% understanding is enough."

"Without this much knowledge, how can you become famous in the village?"

As a middleman, he must have been authorized.

If you can't make the decision on anything, what's the point of you, Li Shilu, being the middleman?
Li Chunfang shook his head: "Xu Shaohu, the emperor's order is more important, so don't waste too much time here."

This was a warning to Xu Jie not to ruin the emperor's plans just to save his own face.

If he is not given some leeway and is not allowed to save face in front of the group of people behind him, he will not be able to do the work of an emperor.

Li Chunfang refused to give in.
Xu Jie also remained silent.

The two faced each other for a long time.

Then they all raised three fingers at the same time and then put them away in a flash.

Both sides breathed a sigh of relief. 30% was acceptable to both sides.

Talking about this, we can almost give the matter of Nanzhili a decent answer.

Xu Jie nodded: "Li Shilu just said that he wanted to share the worries of His Majesty?"

Seeing that Xu Jie did not force him any further, Li Chunfang breathed a sigh of relief.

He pondered for a while, then slowly said, "I just said something wrong. I shouldn't have guessed the emperor's mind."

"However...from what I have seen of your handling of cases these days, I feel that Nanzhili is too big to be eliminated, so I have the audacity to speak to Your Majesty."

Xu Jie asked, "Li Shilu, please speak, I will report it to Your Majesty."

Li Chunfang nodded: "There is no two suns in the sky, and no two rulers in a country, but now there are indeed two capitals in our country."

"When politics comes from two directions, it is the beginning of disaster and chaos."

"I will petition His Majesty to split up Nanzhili!"

Hai Rui, who was standing by, suddenly realized why the two prime ministers both speculated that the emperor wanted to split up Southern Zhili.

Nanzhili now has a set of centers that are not the center.

It occupies the most prosperous territory and controls 60% of the world's taxes.

The Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court all had the same official hierarchy in Nanzhili as that in the central government.

In addition, academies and imperial examinations produced the largest number of Jinshi.

Nowadays, some people in Nanzhili even openly claim that they have studied the imperial examination system thoroughly.

As a result, a large number of people from Southern Zhili gradually formed in the central government.

This is why the salt administration case he is handling now is so difficult.

A mere salt tax case has already involved three prime ministers!
There were countless other dukes, earls, marquises, and high-ranking officials in red robes.

Hai Rui was quite intelligent, but he lacked the perspective of a cabinet minister. Now that he was enlightened, he immediately realized the point and grasped the key point.

Xu Jie didn't need to say anything. He pretended to be suddenly enlightened and asked, "What's the plan?"

Li Chunfang nodded: "This matter will take a long time. If Your Majesty follows my advice and uses the power of the Central Government to put pressure on it, it will probably take at least several decades to unravel the mystery."

When it comes to cultural origins and humanistic identity, it is not enough to simply divide the area and set up a few government offices.

The upper level needs to force the issue, while the lower level needs to be influenced subtly.

It will take at least 20 to 30 years.

Li Chunfang paused and continued, "But...if Nanzhili could understand the emperor's heart, think about what your majesty thinks, and worry about what your majesty worries about, at least ten years of hard work could be saved!"

There are only so many prominent figures in Southern Zhili.

Xu Jie was already the target of public criticism, so Li Chunfang naturally took the blame.

As long as the middleman he acts as today can prevent a disaster for the large group of people behind him, he will be the undisputed leader.

Compared to the central government's out-of-reach, he, as a local leader, is extremely valuable.

As long as he is willing to split up Southern Zhili for the emperor, the weight and effect will be self-evident.

Xu Jie pressed the issue: "How can we help Your Majesty? Does Li Shilu have any good ideas?"

Li Chunfang had already prepared a plan: "Let's not change the district divisions for now, and this matter should come to fruition naturally."

"We can first divide Nanzhili into two parts in reality."

"There are permanent chief censors, ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, and governors of Fengyang Prefecture, Luzhou Prefecture, Anqing Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Chizhou Prefecture, Ningguo Prefecture, Huizhou Prefecture, Chuzhou Prefecture, Hezhou Prefecture, Guangde Prefecture, etc., seven prefectures and three states."

"Although he is only a governor, as long as he is given the title of Minister of Revenue and Chief Censor, he can handle local taxes and report directly to the emperor."

"First, wait for four to five years, and then turn the governor into a provincial governor, set up an inspection office, and slowly take over the power of civil affairs and criminal justice."

"With the support of the salt administration, the opposition will not be too strong. As long as we, the loyal ministers who care about the emperor, mediate, everything will be possible!"

Li Chunfang had just finished speaking.

Then Xu Jie clapped his hands and praised: "Good! Mature and steady, inherited from the same lineage."

"Everyone says that Shi Lu is the prime minister of Qingci. Now it seems that Shi Lu is just trying to please them."

"The emperor is now making great efforts to reform the old and establish the new, and Shilu can point out the current problems and explain them in detail."

"Shilu, what a talent!"

"I will definitely report this to His Majesty."

Li Chunfang rejected Xu Jie's praise and continued, "In addition, your majesty's edict mentioned the development of maritime transport."

"Then I can also give my sincere heart to the Shanghai Maritime Customs in Chongming."

Xu Jie nodded frequently.

He agreed, "Shi Lu is indeed a talented person. However, the governor of Fengyang, seven prefectures and three states, and the Minister of Revenue, is to directly snatch the tax amount from the Southern Zhili. I'm afraid it is not an easy task."

Li Chunfang nodded: "Of course, even if there are loyal ministers to help, they still need to be strong enough."

Xu Jie fell into deep thought.

He seemed to have gained something. After thinking for a while, he looked at Hai Rui and said, "Censor Hai, what is my position now?"

Hai Rui was startled, and after a moment of recollection, he said, "Right Censor-in-Chief, Governor of Fengyang, Yingtian and fourteen other prefectures."

Xu Jie nodded and asked no more questions. He hoped that the emperor would understand what he meant and give him a way to live.

He paused, then looked at Li Chunfang: "So, what is Li Shilu asking for?"

Li Chunfang is different from Xu Jie, his butt is much cleaner.

The emperor said that he was willing to bow his head and let bygones be bygones, so there was no need for Li Chunfang to do that.

So, there must be something else he is looking for.

He looked at Li Chunfang quietly, waiting for his answer.

Li Chunfang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I have a granddaughter, she is fourteen years old, smart and beautiful..."

He looked at the Jinyiwei behind Hai Rui, and seemed to be saying to the emperor from a distance: "Perhaps you can enter the palace and serve the two concubines."

……

On February 17th, the Waking of Insects has just passed and all things come back to life.

However, it is inevitable that spring thunder will disturb the world.

Just after noon, the sky was overcast and a light rain began to fall.

Boom.

A spring thunder broke through the sky with a muffled sound.

Outside the Wanshou Palace in Xiyuan.

The eunuch attendants passing by could even hear the symphony of thunder and chimes, which continued in the distance.

In the Wanshou Palace, Zhu Yijun sat cross-legged on a cushion with a memorial in his hand.

He looked around in astonishment: "I'm only eleven years old, and Li Chunfang wants to give me a concubine!?"

(End of this chapter)