According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet could refuse to draft an "unreasonable" edict to the emperor and return it to execution.

It looks as if the cabinet is the power of the emperor with checks and balances.

But in fact, it is not, because the cabinet is not the prime minister, the status and official positions are ambiguous, it is a group of secretaries, the emperor can be removed at any time, the cabinet does not dare to oppose the emperor's will, and must stand on the side of the emperor, plus there are also celebrant supervisors and Dongchang, they have the power to approve red.

Not only that, because the cabinet was composed of scholars, and the scholars were not of high rank in the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet scholars were above all the courtiers with their humble positions, so they naturally became a thorn in the side of the ministers, and every move made by the cabinet became a reason to be criticized, and attacking the cabinet in power even became a way for the ministers to gain a clear name.

That's why Shen Shixing asked for a court.

He has no authority to promote this matter, and if he votes directly, he will definitely be attacked, but this matter has nothing to do with his vital interests, but he does not dare to rashly disobey the emperor.

And once it enters the court discussion process, it has to be said, dozens of officials are pulling together, and the scene is so spectacular.

Although this is not a big deal, if a major event really happens, they will also play like this, which directly leads to the middle and late Ming Dynasty, in fact, the efficiency is extremely poor, all parties have their own interests, and the lack of final decision-makers, the result is naturally prevarication, a lot of time is wasted.

Everyone knows so many problems of Ma Zheng, but they can't deal with it, and it is for this reason that this is actually a flaw in the system.

This system is in the hands of Taizu and Chengzu, there is no problem at all, because they themselves are very authoritative, and they work very hard, but once the emperor relaxes, then there will be problems with this system, because the original power is concentrated in the hands of the emperor, if the emperor does not care about things, ministers and eunuchs have no decision-making power, and they use the topic to play, and the whole country will lose its decision-makers.

Some people say that Wanli will not go to court for 30 years, and the country can still operate normally, but it is actually wrong, because the problems at that time have not been solved, and they are still becoming more and more serious.

The only thing Wanli did in the past 30 years was to smoothly leave all the problems to Tianqi and Chongzhen, and none of them were left behind.

The reason why Wei Zhongxian, a four-limbed man who does not learn and has no skills, thinks that he has done a good job, is that at that time, Wei Zhongxian had decision-making power, and he was able to promote many things, whether it was good or bad, it can be seen what the situation was in Daming at that time.

However, Guo Dan's appearance gave Wanli a different kind of passion, so he took the initiative to ask for the lifting of the restrictions on the clothes of chariots and horses.

Shen Shixing, who was unwilling to take responsibility, immediately told the emperor's thoughts to other ministers.

This was immediately met with fierce opposition from the ministers, because according to Confucianism, the ancestral system could not be easily destroyed unless it was absolutely necessary, and if this restriction was lifted, the superiority of the superior would be a little less, how could this be done.

But at the same time, the news also spread.

Chiang Mansion.

"Do you think this matter has anything to do with Guo Dan's secret purchase of silk?"

Jiang Shiyou asked uncertainly.

Xiong Feng said: "If the imperial court really lifts the restrictions on the clothing of chariots and horses, then the price of silk will definitely rise, because the number of people buying silk will increase a lot." ”

Zhao Fengyuan said: "The key is that in addition, there is no reason to buy silk at present. ”

Jiang Shiyou nodded and said, "You all think that this matter has something to do with Guo Dan's purchase of silk?" ”

Mao Shen said: "I think there is a chance that it can't be wrong." I suspect that Guo Dan knew in advance that the Holy Lord wanted to lift the restrictions on the clothes of chariots and horses. Do you remember that when the last canonization ceremony, the merchants who were authorized by the Holy Lord to participate in the canonization ceremony rode in horse-drawn carriages and wore embroidered clothes, which was probably a temptation, and there was not much opposition at that time, so the Holy Lord decided to lift the restrictions on clothes, carriages and horses, and this canonization ceremony has a close relationship with Guo Danke. ”

Zhao Fengyuan said: "Can't we let Guo Dan play such a play under our noses!" ”

Jiang Shiyou said: "What do you mean? ”

Zhao Fengyuan said: "Let's also buy silk." ”

Jiang Shiyou hesitated for a moment and said, "But we still have a lot of wood hoarded over there, and we are buying silk here, which is not a small risk." ”

Mao Shen said: "The timber money can't run away, Chen Ping has been anxious recently, looking for timber merchants everywhere, saying that he is willing to buy timber at three times the price, he is even willing to pay fifty percent of the money first, we see that they can't last long, Marseille is delayed, Guo Dan will have to lose a lot of money, this account is very easy to calculate." ”

Xiong Feng said cautiously: "But it costs a lot of money to buy silk, and this happened suddenly, and it was difficult for us to raise money to buy it for a while." ”

Zhao Fengyuan said with a smile: "Buying directly from the market, naturally it costs a lot of money, but we can intercept the silk that is being shipped to the capital, as long as the silk does not enter the capital before the end of the year, the silk on the market will not be satisfied at all, the price will definitely rise a lot, and when the year is over, it will be sold again, but it can make a lot of money." ”

At this moment, a butler walked in, bowed, and said, "Master, there is news from the market that the price of silk has risen by two cents per foot. ”

If you want to convert it into RMB, it is probably more than a dollar, and the news has just come out, and it will rise by more than a piece in a foot, and the reaction is already very intense.

"So fast?"

Jiang Shiyou's face was shocked, and he said, "This matter has not yet been decided. ”

Zhao Fengyuan said: "According to the news from the court, the saint took the initiative to ask for the lifting of the restrictions on the clothing of chariots and horses this time, this is the holy will, I think there is a chance that this matter will not come out, otherwise, Guo Dan will not secretly buy silk." ”

Mao Shen said: "Brother Jiang, this opportunity must not be lost, if it is usual, we still have to have some scruples, after all, this silk is different from wood, and the government will definitely intervene, but now the ministers of the DPRK and China are all supporting us to deal with Guo Dan, at this time, they will only turn a blind eye to the sale of silk." ”

Jiang Shiyou glanced at Xiong Feng again.

Xiong Feng hesitated for a while, but finally couldn't resist the temptation and nodded.

Tooth dealers are doing this, and if they don't get involved in this kind of thing, then they will question their official teeth.

Jiang Shiyou said: "Okay, you should immediately find out how many silks will come to the capital in the near future." ”

The Yanagi family.

"Grandpa, this news has just come out, the price of silk has been rising, and now there are many merchants who are not shipping, it seems that they are all in the policy of the imperial court, if the imperial court really lifts the restrictions on the clothing of carriages and horses, at least this year to next year, the price of silk will inevitably rise a lot."

Liu Chengbian was excited and anxious and said to Liu Zongcheng.

Liu Zongcheng was silent.

Liu Chengbian said: "Grandpa, my grandson told you last time that Guo Dan has been secretly buying silk in the name of charity, which shows that he knew about this in advance, and if it drags on, the money will be made for them." ”

"It was because Guo Dan secretly acquired that I hesitated." Liu Zongcheng said with a solemn face.

Liu Chengbian was puzzled: "What does grandpa mean by this?" ”

Liu Zongcheng said: "Have you forgotten that the first two times, how we suffered a big loss in the hands of Guo Dan, I just think this situation is familiar with the time!" ”

Liu Chengbian thought about it and felt that Liu Zongcheng was a little suspicious, but the first two times, he was played by Guo Dan to death, but he didn't say anything to refute it, but said: "What does grandpa mean?" ”

Liu Zongcheng groaned for a while, and said, "You immediately arrange for someone to go to Chen Fangyuan's house, and say that I will go to visit tonight and be a little more hidden." ”

"Chen Fangyuan?" Liu Cheng was stunned.

Liu Zongcheng nodded and said, "I plan to hire their Shinyuki to collect information on silk and silk, and then make plans after everything is clear." ”

Liu Cheng became depressed, and when you investigate clearly, the daylilies are cold, and besides, Chen Fangyuan is Guo Dan's person, isn't this jumping into the pit.

Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, it's up, it's up."

Li Gui quickly walked into the hall and said to Wanli excitedly.

Wanli threw the music in his hand and hurriedly asked, "What did you say, but the silk has risen?" ”

"Yes, yes."

"So fast?" Wanli felt that the connection between the policy and the market was so close, and hurriedly asked: "How much has it risen?" ”

"It's up two cents per foot."

"It's only two cents?"

"Your Majesty, this is a lot, one foot is two cents, one zhang is two cents, one piece of cloth is eight cents, and Guo Dan bought 15,000 horses, but it has risen by 1,200 taels, this is just the beginning!"

"That's a lot!"

Wanli nodded.

Kou's tooth shop.

"At what price are you going to sell?"

Kou Zhuansha sat on the master's chair and looked at Guo Dan, who was used to sitting opposite.

Guo smiled lightly: "It's not that I want to sell at what price, but look at what price the silk will be when it arrives in Beijing." How much will you predict to rise? ”

Kou Zhuansha sighed slightly: "Now the imperial court has not yet decided whether to lift the clothes of the chariots and horses, and two cents is already a lot, but in view of the fact that the merchants are not shipping now, and are waiting for the decision of the imperial court, this will definitely cause a shortage of silk in the market, and I predict that the price may rise to seven to eight cents." ”

In ancient times, prices either did not rise, but rose more terrifying than later generations, this is because of transportation and productivity, once there is a shortage in the market, productivity and transportation will not be able to keep up for a while and a half, and the increase is generally higher than that of later generations.

Guo nodded with a smile and said: "But the four official teeth will never be purchased at the market price, we earn four cents per foot, and it's about the same, first earn more than two thousand taels to warm up." ”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"Uncle, it's me."

Kou Yi's voice came from outside.

Guo said lightly: "Come in." ”

Kou Yi came in and said, "There was a letter from Chen Fangyuan just now, saying that Liu Zongcheng would visit him tonight. ”

Kou Liansha was slightly stunned, and looked at Guo Dan again.

"It has nothing to do with me, I haven't planned to go to him yet." Guo Dan shook his head and said.

Kou Zhuansha said: "Could it be that Liu Zongcheng wants to borrow Chen Fangyuan and want you to show favor?" ”

Guo Dan groaned for a while, nodded and said, "It should be, the old fox wants to bet on both sides, but it's okay to save me from going to him again." ”

Kou Zhuan Sha said with doubts on her face: "Does the husband really think that this old fox is worth trusting?" ”

Guo smiled lightly: "Except for our own family, who is worthy of trust, we businessmen pay attention to interests." ”

That night, Liu Zongcheng came to Chen Fangyuan's house, and as soon as he entered the back hall, he saw Guo Dan sitting inside, and a flash of joy flashed in his eyes.

"Old man Liu, don't come unharmed."

Guo Dan stood up and smiled slightly.

Liu Zongcheng smiled: "I didn't expect you to be there!" ”

Guo Dan said: "I am specially waiting for Old Man Liu here." ”

"Oh?"

Liu Zongcheng glanced at Chen Fangyuan on the side.

Chen Fangyuan said with a smile: "Brother Mo didn't forget, Guo Danke is also the proprietor of Xinxing, and he is still the big proprietor. ”

"I'm old, I don't remember." Liu Zongcheng shook his head with a wry smile.

"Don't stand, please sit, please sit." Chen Fangyuan greeted.

After the three of them sat down, Liu Zongcheng said, "The old man came here today mainly to hire you Shinyuki to investigate the information about silk. ”

Guo smiled and said: "What a coincidence, we have a ready-made one, according to the results of our analysis, if Old Man Liu also buys silk, he will lose all his money." ”

Thankfully, it came. Liu Zongcheng suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, but his face did not change and said: "Impossible, I heard that you are also secretly buying silk?" ”

Guo Dan said: "I am a loss-making transaction, the silk I bought for thousands of taels is to be sold at a reduced penny, and it is estimated that I will have to lose a few hundred taels, which is not cost-effective." ”

Liu Zongcheng was confused when he heard it.

He made thousands of calculations, but he didn't calculate it, Guo Dan was trading at a loss......

Chen Fangyuan was secretly happy on the side, and today finally proved that he was not stupid, anyone who cooperated with Guo Dan would have this kind of reaction.

Guo Dan said again: "Old man Liu, it's too late for you to make another deal at this time, it's better to watch the fire from the other side, maybe you can get something more valuable." ”

"What is it?" Liu Zongcheng asked.

Guo Dan said: "A piece of tooth stickers from the imperial court." ”

Liu Zongcheng's eyes widened, and he said in a trembling voice: "Tooth sticks? ”

The tooth strip is a symbol of official teeth, which is indeed what he dreamed of.

Guo Dan nodded.

But Liu Zongcheng had seen the world after all, and he quickly reacted, he glanced at Guo Dan, and said, "I believe that there is a price to pay to get this dental sticker." ”

Guo Dan said: "You Yaxing forty percent of the shares." ”

Liu Zongcheng's eyes widened, and after a while, he smiled and said: "I'm really sorry, I can't tolerate your big Buddha with this small business!" ”

Guo smiled lightly: "It may not be able to accommodate it for the time being, but with the tooth stick, it can be accommodated." ”

Liu Zongcheng said: "But no matter how you listen to this, it seems to lure a wolf into the room!" ”

"It may also be the God of Wealth, it depends on how Old Man Liu understands it."

"Whether it's a wolf or a God of Wealth, this request is forgiving." Liu Zongcheng shook his head and said.

Guo Dan shrugged and said: "Whatever you want, you are willing to do business, but if you wait until the four major officials are bankrupt, and then you come to me to talk about this matter, then I want you to take eighty percent of the shares." ”

The Four Official Teeth? Bankrupt?

Liu Zongcheng was stunned for a moment.

Dare to love you not for money, you want your life!