After the duty, Qian Menggao, who was born in the criminal department of the Zhejiang Party, and Wang Shugu, who was in the criminal department, came to the cabinet room.

Since the Fuqing Prime Minister sent a letter requesting Zhishi, the cabinet has actually taken care of the cabinet affairs with the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Wu Daonan, and Fang Congzhe, a scholar of Dongge University.

Wu Daonan is a simple official, not a party member, and his nature is also cowardly, but the organization is clear. After joining the cabinet to participate in the preparatory service, Wu Daonan successively listened to lectures on the emperor's eldest grandson, the kings Yujiao, the wedding of King Rui, the selection of senior officials, the recommendation of relict talents, the abolition of eunuchs who managed taxes, and the filling of the shortage of officials.

Everything played is justified, but although His Majesty is a good edict, he will not adopt it, which makes Wu Daonan quite depressed, only to feel that it is useless for him to enter the cabinet, so he and Fuqing Xianggong Ye Xianggao also have a sense of going to the court, these days they have been pushing the excuse of being sick and unwilling to enter the cabinet on duty.

Shoufu Ye Xianggao occasionally came over and only stopped for a while, and left after a few words, so that this cabinet affairs fell on Fang Congzhe alone.

When Qian Menggao and Wang Shugu came over, Fang Congzhe was writing a note, which was to solve the financial problems caused by the famine in Gansu.

Fang Congzhe suggested that the emperor send internal funds for disaster relief. However, he also knew that His Majesty loved money, so he said, "The money comes from Terne... The number of its scores should be judged by the Holy Judge. "It means that Your Majesty, you see that for the sake of the difficult state affairs, take some private money out, as for whether it is more or less, it is all up to Your Majesty.

As for whether His Majesty has money, Fang Congzhe thinks that there is. This year, the local mine tax supervisors have sent a lot of silver to the inner treasury, and it is estimated that it can be about 500,000 taels, and as long as a part of it is taken out, the problem in Gansu can be solved.

After finishing writing, Fang Congzhe looked at it again and confirmed that there were no mistakes, so he put it down. There is a charcoal pot in the cabinet, and the temperature is very different from the outside, sitting in the house for a long time, the elderly people have the meaning of sleepiness, plus these days are Fang Congzhe on duty, he is a little sleepy, so he wants to take a nap, the outside of the house to report that someone from the criminal department came to see the father-in-law.

Qian Menggao and Wang Shugu and Fang Congzhe are no strangers, these two people are the "cadres" of the Zhejiang Party in the science and road, when the Siming Xianggong gave birth to the "demon book case", it was these two people who charged ahead, and reprimanded Guo Zhengyu, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, and Shen Li, the second assistant, who were born in the Donglin Party, and wanted to use this case to completely suppress the Donglin Party. The latter also personally commanded the patrol governor Chen Zhong to round up thirteen of Guo Zhengyu's domestic servants, and almost starved them to death, which can be said to be the person who really formed a mortal enemy with the Donglin Party.

After Qian and Wang entered the value room, their bodies were warm, and they bowed to Fang Congzhe, who was sitting cross-legged on the warm kang.

"It's cold, so I'll go home and stay at the next duty, what are you doing here? Could it be that the old man can still prepare wine and food for you in this room? Fang Congzhe smiled and raised his hand, signaling that the two of them didn't need to be polite.

Qian Menggao said: "There is tension outside, but Xianggong is good here, and he is not worried at all." ”

"What do I have to worry about?" Fang Congzhe looked surprised.

Qian Menggao was anxious: "Doesn't the Xianggong know that the Donglin Party is using the impeachment of Xiao Wei's father-in-law to deal with my Zhejiang Party?" ”

"Ming Xiu plank road, dark Chen Cang, this ghost trick can't be hidden." Wang Shugu put his hand on the charcoal stove and roasted it.

Fang Congzhe smiled: "You guys are here for this?" ”

"Xianggong sent a word, and I will also write a book to fight back, I can't ask him Donglin to really take down Xiao Wei's father-in-law." Qian Menggao said.

"Even if it's a quarrel, you have to have someone to quarrel with." Wang Shugu hehe.

"What, you want the old man to quarrel?" Fang Congzhe shook his head slightly, knocked lightly on the table, and asked rhetorically, "Is the Fuqing Prime Minister arguing?" ”

Qian and Wang were stunned.

Since Donglin Shangshu Tong Political Division, Ye Xianggao didn't seem to have moved at all.

"No one is arguing with each other, what am I arguing about?"

Fang Congzhe waved his hand, "Don't worry, don't move, freeze, the sky won't fall." ”

"Xianggong, Wei's father-in-law and Zhejiang..."

Wang Shugu was a little worried, after all, some of the things that the Donglin Party participated in were indeed true, just like the current opening of the sea in the southeast, which case did not have the presence of the Zhejiang Party.

"It's nothing, the treasury has no money, Xiao Wei's father-in-law will relieve His Majesty's worries, what is there to say."

Fang Congzhe looked unimpressed, pointed to the note he had just written, and sighed lightly: "The country doesn't open mines, doesn't pay taxes, where does the money come from?" Governing a big country is like a small family, and it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice. ”

When Qian and Wang heard this, they both felt a little strange, because the Zhejiang Party was to some extent the same as Donglin on the issue of mining tax, and they were both firmly opposed. But now listening to Fang Xianggong's meaning, it seems that he wants to support the mining tax.

"Do you know that from the twenty-fifth year of Wanli to the present, the average annual mining tax is 500,000 taels of silver and nearly 20,000 taels of gold.

Fang Congzhe looked solemn, "Our Zhejiang Party used to oppose taxes and mining taxes, but if I am not in his position, I will know how difficult the country is." In the past, there was almost no regular tax on merchants, but it was connived at and ruthless, and it should not be so. Your Majesty is also forced to do this. ”

"Xianggong, I'm talking about Xiao Wei's father-in-law, why is this mining tax involved?" Wang Shugu is a bit inexplicable.

"It's related, it's related."

Fang Congzhe smiled slightly, "Everyone knows that the financier behind Donglin is the owner of Li Sancai in Tongzhou and the factory owner in southern Jiangsu, so they also made a celestial induction to say, which attracted the support of the world, so that they always pressed us... What do we have? ”

What do we have?

Qian and Wang's words about Fang Xianggong were really confusing to the second monk.

"We have maritime,"

Fang Congzhe stroked his beard, "Opening the sea to profit is the only way to solve the financial shortage now, and not to provoke the opposition of the people and the gentry, Your Majesty sees this very clearly, otherwise, do you think that a chamberlain can be bold enough to do so many things?" To tell you the truth, as long as this maritime affairs is run and there is a steady stream of profits, as long as the little Wei Gonggong is not a rebellion, His Majesty will have to protect him, so you all go back and watch, and let their Donglin Party make trouble. ”

"What do you mean?" Qian Menggao still didn't understand it.

"People have the emperor's backing, what are you afraid of?"

After Fang Congzhe finished speaking, he said meaningfully, "I heard that the two princesses, Ruian and Yongning, entered the palace in the afternoon, and Marquis Wuqing also met Your Majesty, if I guessed correctly, these Majesty's closest relatives are probably all interceding for Father-in-law Xiao Wei." ”

"Oh?"

Qian and Wang looked at each other, and they were both shocked.