That night, Master Shen of Daye County left the Imperial History Mansion late at night, and some of the things he learned from his mouth were indeed a little unbelievable. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

It is said that Qiu Yinming has been struggling with some things recently. A few days ago, the Ministry of Household just announced the quota for this year's subway and mine classes. Qiu Yinming and several ministers have written more than once, asking the imperial court to strictly supervise the collection of iron classes, but they have only received some perfunctory words, which have never been taken seriously by most people. The Ming Dynasty has been 90 years since the founding of the country, and now all kinds of waste are thriving, commerce is thriving, and the demand for all kinds of mineral deposits is naturally increasing day by day, and then silver, iron, and copper are naturally growing, but many problems behind this are often ignored.

Let's take silver mines as an example, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places have long been silver mining places, especially in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, accounting for more than half of Zhejiang's silver class. During the Hongwu period, the annual class was only more than 2,800 taels, and during the Yongle period, it increased sharply to 82,000 taels, and then increased year by year. But the silver mines in Wenzhou are almost all thin mines, the local government in order to complete the annual lesson, see the silver will dig, and thin ore mining needs to invest a lot of manpower, the imperial court gate office and layer by layer of exploitation, the local farmers have to pay both the field and the mining tax, the long-term anger and resentment. In the early years of orthodoxy, the imperial court had issued an edict to seal the cave and withdraw the gate, but the amount of silver was still unabated, although the imperial court strictly forbade farmers to mine silver privately, but a large number of peasants still ventured into the mountains to open mines in order to support their families. In the tenth year of orthodoxy, under the persecution of the local government, Zhejiang peasants Ye Zongliu and Cangda gathered people to revolt. During this period, the Deng Mao Seven Uprising broke out in Fujian, and the officials and troops fought on both sides, until the first year of Jingtai, the miners' uprising was suppressed, and the ups and downs lasted six years, which had a great impact. Afterwards, the imperial court once cut the silver class, but everyone who understands it knows that although the "annual income of silver" is less, the real annual income will only increase unabated.

Under the monopoly of the local government, from minor officials to feudal officials, all regard copper and iron ore as profitable fat. As far as Qiu Yinming knew, there were also many people among the court officials who took bribes from the copper and iron taxes by taking advantage of their positions. In the past, Taizu killed officials who accepted bribes, but today, things have changed, and it is not surprising that the court has seen this kind of thing, and there are a few officials who can say that they have a clear conscience. With the little money from the imperial court every year, the whole family can only eat radish greens to live, so everyone tacitly is finding another way to make money.

Qiu Yinming didn't understand the details, but he insisted on watching the hard-earned money of many poor peasants flow into the pockets of these officials, which was really unbearable. Moreover, instead of strictly restricting the taxation of copper and iron in the light of the lessons of the silver class, the imperial court also increased the iron class this year, so there were several cases of justification. Although I don't expect the court to pay attention to it, for the sake of my conscience, I can't care about the criticism of some people around me.

And the things mentioned in the main book of Daye County are about copper and iron ore. Hubei area, the mountains are continuous, the mineral deposits are very rich, since ancient times it has been the important place of copper smelting and iron smelting, and now half of the annual copper and iron tax comes from Hubei. Especially in the area of Daye County, Wuchang Prefecture, there are countless mines, and on the occasion of the autumn harvest every year, the black smoke rises in the mountains, day and night. As early as the Xuande period, the imperial court had a clear rule that the mine should set up a furnace, at most one furnace in each place, the mountain owner was the head of the furnace, and there were no more than forty or fifty subordinate miners, and they were all people of the same nationality. The head of the furnace is the total armor, and every ten people set up a small armor, and the small armor restricts each other. For each mine, the name of the miner must be filled in and submitted to the county government before a license can be issued. All prefectures and counties must often send patrols to arrest each furnace to check the photos, and once it is found that there are many miners or people from other provinces, they must be seized immediately and punished as a felony. However, now the mines in the area of Daye County have as few as five or six furnaces in each mountain, and as many as one or twenty, with two or three hundred people gathering in each furnace. Most of these miners are foreign migrants who have lost their land due to famine or other reasons in recent years, and many of them are thieves and even murderers. If this alone is not surprising, in previous years, these incidents in the mining and salt mining offices in various places have been common, and the government has long turned a deaf ear. But unlike elsewhere, these illegal profit-making mine owners all belong to a powerful Jianghu organization called the "Qingliu Society".

Speaking of this clear stream meeting, almost everyone in the Huguang area knows about it. The waterways of the Yangtze River basin are vertical and horizontal, the hills are continuous, the land is small and the people are many, since ancient times, it is a place where the green forest is rich and strong, and many large and small gangs have set up camp in the lakes and rivers on both sides of the Yangtze River. Four years ago, the government had a large-scale crackdown, but afterwards, a clear stream meeting appeared out of thin air, and the leader led by him did not know what the background was, and he monopolized all the copper and iron mining in Hubei in just a few years, and entangled the powerful in the rivers and lakes to dominate one side. Not only occupy the mines, but also widely purchase land, enslave tenants more than 10,000 families, enter and exit with a sword, and ride a servant with fresh clothes and angry horses. These people are so blatantly blind to the king's law, but from the political envoys to the prefectures and counties, no official government has criticized them. The previous prefect of Wuchang wanted to meddle in this matter, but found that the Qingliu Association had all kinds of licenses and documents in his hands, and repeatedly checked the files, all saying that it was an innocent chamber of commerce, and paid taxes on time every year, and had no handle to follow. However, the local people have suffered greatly. It turned out that the Qingliuhui had gathered many scum who were originally bandits, and now that they had backers, they grabbed land and looted civilians, and many peasants became homeless and had to sell themselves to the Qingliuhui, either as miners or as tenant farmers. The Qingliu Society not only exploited civilians, but also annexed other small gangs by force. Last year, some small gangs that did not obey the Qingliu Society united to resist, but they were surrounded and suppressed by the government under the name of "homeless rebellion", and hundreds of people were beheaded at the end of the year.

After listening to Master Shen's statement, Qiu Yinming knew that this must be another case of collusion between the powerful and the government to corrupt and bend the law to commend their private pockets, but there has never been a scale like this, especially when they are so arrogant, I don't know how big the backer behind this is. No wonder Dali Siqing and many other officials are reluctant to mess with it, they must all know that there is a deep involvement here. After sending away Master Shen's book, Qiu Yinming thought about it all night. First, this is obviously not an ordinary collusion between officials and businessmen, and it is likely that the big people in Beijing will be implicated in the background. Now, Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng are making a lot of money and building mansions, but Cao Jixiang doesn't have much movement. can think about it, Cao Jixiang is still the most well-connected, as the father of Dongchang Factory, there are countless cronies, and how many people are openly and secretly scolding him. The corruption case in Henan last time was not resolved, and Cao Jixiang was behind it. Is it still related to him this time? Second, most of the iron ore sellers that the Xihai League went south to Jingzhou to find were Qingliuhui. Even Qi Mutian felt that they didn't know the depths, and their origins were definitely unusual. Judging from what Master Shen said, this clear stream will be flying and domineering, and there will be a big backer, if the Xihai Alliance wants to negotiate conditions with them, it must be even more difficult, I don't know what kind of incident the Xihai Alliance will stir up here. Either way, it's worth seeing for yourself. Qiu Yinming pondered that if he could find out what the Qingliu Society and the local government had done, and search for evidence of their crimes, it would be enough to bring down the backers behind the scenes. Moreover, with the intervention of the West Sea Alliance, it may be possible to get twice the result with half the effort. It's up to you to get a chance to go in person.

After repeated consideration, Qiu Yinming decided to continue to write a direct letter to attract the attention of the cabinet. The next day, Qiu Yinming searched the files of the successive superintendents of Huguang Province in the past five years in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Sure enough, it was found that there were many facts about local tyrants tyrannizing private mines and annexing fields, resulting in resentment among the people, but no one mentioned the Qingliu Society, which made people feel more and more strange. After two days of deliberation, Qiu Yinming carefully drafted a memo, although he did not dare to speak directly about the things mentioned in the main book of Daye County, but widely cited all relevant evidence in the past five years, and pointed out the necessity of inspecting the mining affairs of Hubei and the livelihood of the people in related areas on the grounds that the rebellion of the displaced people had not yet subsided. After the folding was drafted, Qiu Yinming found an opportunity after the morning and handed it to his teacher Hu Ying first, asking him to look at it in advance. Hu Ying is quite prestigious in the cabinet, and there may be hope for his support.

One day later, in the evening, the firewood housekeeper, who had just returned from the countryside, told Qiu Yinming with great interest about the many excellent peonies that had recently been transplanted from Luoyang in the Jile Temple. The three generations of the family in Chai Guan's hometown are all flower farmers, so Chai Ban also has a soft spot for flowers and trees, and when it comes to famous flowers, it is endless. Qiu Yinming listened to Steward Chai's words, and suddenly thought in his heart that the teacher Hu Ying had always loved flowers, and he was worried about asking him for help a few days ago, and he had nothing to send, which was just right. So the next morning, the firewood housekeeper went to Jile Temple to buy a few peonies from the monks in the temple.

This errand is exactly what Chaiban wants. In the evening of the second day, I saw Steward Chai happily instructing the servants to bring in five pots of budding peonies from outside the door, put them one by one in the courtyard, and came forward to introduce the origin of several flowers to Qiu Yinming. Qiu Yinming heard it in a fog, and only wrote down a few names, but the five pots of flowers looked extraordinary, especially one of the pots of flowers named Langfeng Bai, which was shiny and moist, like a white jade lamp, gentle and elegant, and independent. Qiu Yinming thought: I don't know if the rain will still like it? After a little thought, the five pots of flowers were divided into three parts, two pots were given to Hu Shangshu more elegantly, two pots were brightly planted in his own yard, and sent to Chai Ban to take care of, and the pot of Langfeng Bai was left by himself. Seeing that the adults were so generous, Chai Ban was already overjoyed, and he didn't mention planting flowers.

Qiu Yinming returned to the study, picked up the pen and sent a text message: Today, I occasionally got a good flower, and I heard that its name was Langfeng Bai, and the fruit was clear and beautiful, just like Qing. Without him, a little bit of heart, hope to be happy. Fold the envelope and immediately send the flowers and letters to Baoshun Money.

At dusk the next day, Qiu Yinming took two entourages and carried two pots of peony flowers to Hu Shangshu's mansion. Two peonies one is called Ge scarf purple, cold and elegant, people forget the vulgar, the other is called Lantian jade, a flower with many stamens, just like the warm white jade sprinkled with gold powder, gorgeous and lovely. Hu Ying was tending to the flowers and plants in the garden at this time, and knowing that he was coming, he had already asked people to set up refreshments in the hall. Sure enough, Hu Ying saw these two peonies and was full of praise. The two went to the hall to watch tea, and Hu Ying said casually: "Have you been busy lately?" Qiu Yinming replied: "It's okay." I'm just worried about what I said in the recital a few days ago. ”

Hu Ying said: "You have recently repeatedly admonished copper and iron taxation and other matters, and the cabinet has indeed discussed this matter. I've read the excerpt you drafted a few days ago, and it's right. But what is it that makes you so concerned about the mining industry in Hubei? It's just you and me here, so you might as well talk about it. I'll say a few more words for you in the cabinet. ”

Qiu Yinming thought to himself: The teacher is really smart. Then he said: "Thank you for the teacher's care, the students dare not hide it." Presumably the teacher has heard of the complaint filed in Beijing in the main book of Daye County, Hubei Province a few days ago? Hu Ying nodded and said, "I have heard of it." Qiu Yinming continued: "To be honest, the student met with the master book privately. Hear things you've never heard of. Hu Ying's face was shocked, and then he listened more attentively. Qiu Yinming told him in detail about the things stated by Master Shen that night, and expressed his intentions together.

After listening, Hu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "I think this matter is extraordinary. If you want to go on the patrol yourself, even if you find any evidence, I'm afraid it is not up to you. You'll have to think twice. ”

Qiu Yinming said: "After thinking about it a few times, the student has made up his mind. The foundation of being an official lies in seeking benefits for the people. Nowadays, there is such a collusion between officials and bandits, bribery has become commonplace, and no one has paid attention to it for several years. Students just can't stand it. Even if this is not possible, students are willing to give it a try. I hope that the teacher will help you. ”

Hu Ying looked approvingly and said, "It's okay." In this way, I will find an opportunity to talk to Lord Xu about your intentions in the past two days, and the Holy Lord listens to him the most now. ”

Qiu Yinming heard this, and immediately said: "I heard that the Holy Lord often talks with Lord Xu privately, but I don't know what to talk about. ”

Hu Ying said: "No one knows. It must be some chasing the wind and shadows, the secrets of the east and the west. Alas, the official is in charge, and this is all he can do. ”

Qiu Yinming knew that Hu Ying was very dissatisfied with Xu Youzhen, so he said: "The teacher doesn't have to mind too much. Perhaps the situation will improve soon. ”

Hu Ying sighed: "I'm old, I don't care a lot. I was thinking about when I would be able to return to my hometown and plant flowers. It's you, who have the opportunity to do something practical. ”

Qiu Yinming said with a smile: "The teacher has won the award." ”

Suddenly, Hu Ying slapped the chair and said, "Ahhh I'm such an old fool. After talking for a long time, I almost forgot about the big thing. ”

Qiu Yinming was surprised in his heart and asked, "What is so important?" ”

Master Hu smiled: "It just so happens that you are here today." Otherwise, I'll have to visit you at your house." ”

Qiu Yinming became more and more confused. Hu Ying continued: "I remember when you first became a jinshi, you said that there was no one at home, so you never got married. However, starting a family is a major life event, and you should not neglect it. A few days ago, Lord Shi asked me to tell you that he intended to marry his niece to you. I don't know what you think? ”

These words were like five thunderbolts, Qiu Yinming's heart was tight, and he didn't know how to answer.

Lord Shi was so kind that he asked the teacher to be a matchmaker, and of course he agreed to someone else. But he was extremely unwilling, and how could he justify this in front of others. For a while, it was like a thorn in the back.

Hu Ying saw that his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his face was hesitant, and he said in surprise: "Lord Shi is just this one niece, and he treats him as his own, I heard that he has both virtue and appearance, what else do you have to hesitate?" ”

Qiu Yinming had no choice but to say: "I am from a poor background, please allow me to think about this matter before replying." ”

Hu Ying smiled: "Don't worry about this. Looking at Jingshi, where else can you find a better young person than you? Don't worry, I will be the matchmaker, if you marry Miss Shi, it will be a match made in heaven. ”

Qiu Yinming couldn't refuse, so he had to ask Hu Shangshu to give him a few more days to think about it. This sudden incident caused him to be in a big upset, and after chatting casually with Master Hu for a while, he got up and said goodbye. Thoughts were churning along the way: there was no reason to put this marriage on hold anyway. Moreover, if he can marry Shi Heng, his position in the court will be more stable in the future. But what about the rain? A few days ago, I talked to her about fame, and today it came true. He understood her affection, but he didn't know what she was going to do with him. He couldn't give up his fame for her, but if he wanted to give her up for fame, he didn't want to think about it. At this time, my mind was full of her shadow. Although I expected that there would be a day when I would make a decision, I didn't expect it to be so fast!