Wang Chengen, who was dressed in a big red python robe, looked at Li Zhi, whose face was as heavy as water, and bent down and bowed. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Wang Chengen has seen the Duke of Jinguo!"

Now Li Zhi is already a national prince and a very popular minister. Even a eunuch like Wang Chengen, who is a celebrant and a pen, has to bow and salute when he sees Li Zhi, otherwise it will be a transgression of etiquette.

Li Zhi nodded, waved his hand and pointed at the carved upholstered rosewood chair in the second hall, and said, "Sit down!" ”

Wang Chengen sat down, looked at Li Zhi's Jinguo Mansion, and said with a smile: "The Jinguo Mansion's mansion is quite magnificent. ”

Li Zhi said with a smile: "The specifications are not built higher, and some crumbs have no reverence for their fathers." So this duke spent a lot of money on his own duke. ”

Wang Chengen nodded, and secretly said that this Li Zhi is really rich now. I heard that Li Zhi won several million taels of silver against Japan, as well as several million stone of rice, but the specific number is unknown. Now it is not an exaggeration to say that Li Zhi's wealth rivals the country.

"Our family came this time to discuss with the Duke of Jinguo Zhu Youshu at the behest of the Son of Heaven. No matter how wrong King De is, he is also a prince and should be handed over to the imperial court to deal with. ”

Of course, Li Zhi knew Wang Chengen's intention, and when he heard this, his face sank, and he said: "The prince's life is precious, but isn't the life of my father's precious?" Zhu Youshu assassinated his father twice, if he didn't kill him, wouldn't he be regarded as weak by the people of the world? How many people are going to rush up and assassinate Bengong? ”

Wang Chengen arched his hand and said: "Don't worry, the evidence provided by Guogong this time is conclusive, and King De can't escape the punishment of a degraded concubine." And Guogong killed the prefect Zhan Kejian and You Yipeng, and the villain who coveted Guogong would also be deterred. ”

Li Zhi said lightly: "No, if you don't kill Zhu Youshu, the other princes may assassinate my father at any time in the future, and my father can't sleep at night." ”

Wang Chengen saw that the good words didn't make sense, so he pretended to be a little angry on his face and said: "After all, the Duke of Jin is just a prince, what qualifications do you have to interrogate and deal with the prince without authorization?" Is the Duke of Jin going to make trouble? ”

Li Zhi said lightly: "Even if you are charged with committing rebellion, my father-in-law will also kill Zhu Youshu." ”

Wang Chengen opened his mouth, there was really no way to take Li Zhi.

Now Li Zicheng and Li Dingguo are making a lot of noise in Henan and Huguang, and more than 100,000 border troops have been transferred to the south by the Son of Heaven to suppress thieves. The imperial court only had the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp guarding the capital left, and there was really no strength to suppress Li Zhi. Now when dealing with Li Zhi, I can only talk about it and discuss it.

Like Zhu Youshu, he assassinated Li Zhi twice Li Zhi caught a current matter, Li Zhi wanted to kill people, and Wang Chengen could only negotiate with Li Zhi. Pressing Li Zhi on the charge of rebellion is just a test, if Li Zhi does not comply, Wang Chengen will not dare to intensify the contradiction between Li Zhi and the imperial court no matter what.

After thinking about it, Wang Chengen sighed and said, "Guogong, tell me directly, what kind of conditions are needed to release King De." ”

Li Zhi looked at Wang Chengen, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's not impossible for my father to release King De." ”

After a pause, Li Zhi said: "It's just that in that case, my father is at risk of being assassinated in Tianjin and Shandong at any time." Therefore, the Duke asked the yamen in the two places to remove all the officials, catchers, and archers in the torture quarters. These officials, hunters, and archers became corrupt and self-respecting, and they were all driven out of the yamen. Their funds were handed over to the Father, who would later hire 'police' to maintain law and order and enforce the law in Tianjin and Shandong. ”

When Wang Chengen heard Li Zhi's words, his face darkened.

This Li Zhi really opened his mouth again, wanting to use this assassination to expand his power in Shandong and Tianjin.

Now Li Zhi has only judicial power in the two places, but no law enforcement power. The cases adjudicated by the court are not able to be enforced by the limited judicial police, and in the end they often rely on the tiger master to enforce the case. Today, local law and order is still controlled by the officials of the magistrates, who not only continue to bully the good and bully, but also act in contradicts Li Zhi's court.

If Li Zhi wanted to take full control of order in Shandong and Tianjin, he had to obtain the right to enforce the law.

Li Zhi said lightly: "Only when Bengong personally comes to grasp the security of the two places, Bengong believes that no one dares to take the risk to assassinate Bengong." ”

After a pause, Li Zhi said again: "Moreover, the law enforcement power is handed over to those corrupt officials, and the common people are unlucky." If it is handed over to the father, the government will choose capable and honest people, which can suppress the powerful and bully the wealthy gentry and ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment. ”

Wang Chengen thought about it for a long time, and finally did not bargain with Li Zhi, but said: "This matter is very important, our family can't agree to the prince, we still have to ask the Son of Heaven." ”

Li Zhi nodded and said, "It should be like this!" ”

Wang Chengen didn't say more, bowed his hand to Li Zhiyi, and strode out of the Guogong Mansion.

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In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youzhen heard Wang Chengen's statement and did not speak. He held a "one or two" banknote issued by Li Zhi, and carefully touched the shuttle.

This banknote is very well made, first of all, the material is made of good mulberry paper, and secondly, there is a watermark on the paper. The printing was done in a five-color overprint, with the banknotes printed in a variety of patterns, and a few lines of tiny characters printed on the front of the banknotes. If you want to forge such banknotes, you must invest at least 1 or 20,000 taels of silver to make paper, engravings and molds.

Compared with Daming treasure banknotes, Li Zhi has put more effort into the anti-counterfeiting of banknotes.

However, for those who have the intention of imitating paper money, one or twenty thousand taels of silver is not impossible to come up with. In order to prevent counterfeit banknotes, it is ultimately necessary to protect them through violent means.

Therefore, it is only natural that Li Zhi wants the law enforcement power of Tianjin and Shandong.

The law enforcement power of the two places is also not in the hands of Zhu Youzhen, and the local administrative law enforcement is controlled by civilian officials who protect each other. In fact, when he ordered the law enforcement power to be ceded to Li Zhi, Zhu Youzhen did not lose anything. The only problem is that Li Zhi will use this law enforcement power to strengthen his control over the two places, and become bigger and bigger.

Wang Chengen arched his hand and said: "Holy Lord, exchanging King De's life for the law enforcement power of the two places, Li Zhi is too lion to open his mouth." ”

Zhu Youzhen put the banknotes on the table and asked, "How much silver does Tianjin and Shandong spend a year on security personnel such as government officials and fast arresters?" ”

Wang Chengen arched his hand and said: "I have checked the account books of the household department, and there are now more than 45,000 security personnel employed by magistrates in the two places, and it costs 830,000 taels of silver a year. These funds were drawn directly from the local land endowments, and never went through the hands of the imperial court. ”

Zhu Youzhen smiled and said, "Li Zhi wants to be bigger, and we can also take the opportunity to become bigger!" As long as you can take the opportunity to grab some silver to raise soldiers, you are not afraid that Li Zhiwei will not be able to lose it. An order was issued to Li Zhi that the magistrate's security personnel could be dismissed, but three-quarters of the 830,000 taels of silver saved would be handed over to the Household Department Warehouse. The remaining quarter was left for Li Zhi to do errands. ”