In the living room on the second floor of the Xiyuan Elite House, Zhu Youzhen, who was standing on the balcony, looked at the drizzling rain outside, and couldn't help asking: "Is there still no news of rain from Shaanxi and Shanxi?" ”

Qian Qianyi, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately got up and replied: "Back to Your Majesty, from August last year to the beginning of this month, there has still been no rain in the two places, but fortunately, the two places have been building water conservancy facilities in the past few years, so drinking water for people and animals can still be guaranteed."

In addition, the northwest region has been promoting potato and corn planting in recent years, so there was still some harvest in the two places last autumn, and since last autumn, the imperial court has begun to divert and provide disaster relief to the local victims, so so far, the disaster situation in the two places is still under control, but..."

Zhu Youzhen turned to look at Qian Qianyi and asked, "It's just what?" ”

Qian Qianyi immediately replied: "It's just that since last autumn, locust plagues have been found in many places in Shaanxi near the Yellow River, although they have not caused major locust plagues, but as the saying goes: locusts will be destroyed after a long drought." If there is no rain in the northwest region, I am afraid that a wave of locust plagues will inevitably break out this spring and summer. ”

Zhu Youzhen thought for a while and asked, "What is the opinion of the household department on the drought situation in the two northwestern provinces?" ”

Qian Qianyi thought for a while and said: "The opinion of the household department is to increase the intensity of disaster relief in the two places, continue to implement the policy of cash-for-work, and invest in local water conservancy and transportation. The most important thing is to take this opportunity to absorb the victims from the two places and relocate to Xitao and Houtao, and develop the local wasteland to reduce the pressure on disaster relief in the disaster area. ”

Zhu Youzhen nodded and said: "Just follow the advice of the household department, Lu Qi, allocate another 150,000 yuan from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to buy rice and grain to be shipped to Shaanxi and Shanxi, for the cost of catching locusts and digging locust eggs, and Ling Tian Wenming is responsible for this matter for the locust catcher, and one pound of locusts or insect eggs is exchanged for one pound of grain." ”

Lu Qi and Qian Qianyi both agreed, and Zhu Youzhen turned the topic back to the topic and said: "Most of the list of official appointments and dismissals handed over by the cabinet this year is fine, but a few people still have some questions.

For example, Yu Dacheng, the candidate to take over as the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, tell me what is the reason for recommending him to take over as the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian? And Ma Shiying, it hasn't been two years since he was dismissed for corruption, did you nominate him as the prefect of Ruzhou, did he make any great contributions? And..."

With the list of names reported by the emperor, Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren both felt a little sweaty. Yu Dacheng is a good friend of Yuan Chonghuan, and he admires Yuan Chonghuan very much in front of his colleagues on weekdays. Therefore, under the operation of Yuan Chonghuan, Qian Qianyi agreed to let Yu Dacheng take over as the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian.

As for Ma Shiying and several other officials named by the emperor, it was the result of the exchange of interests between the cabinet ministers. Now that they have been pointed out by the emperor, they can't help but feel frightened.

After hesitating for a while, Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren, who exchanged glances, praised Yu Dacheng unanimously in front of the emperor for the first time, saying that he had a firm position, and had been fighting against Wei Zhongxian's actions to monopolize the government at the time of the Apocalypse.

As for the other officials mentioned by the emperor, some of them were not convicted of crimes, but were only retaliated against. For example, like Ma Shiying, he just collected some bad rules according to the unspoken rules of the local government, and the money did not fall into his pocket, but was given to the magnates in Beijing who recommended him, but he was reported by someone and finally dismissed from his post and investigated.

Although the unspoken rules of these places were not legal after the imperial court promoted reforms, everyone was like this before, and officials who did not accept such unspoken rules were ostracized by their colleagues. Therefore, strictly speaking, officials like Ma Shiying and several other officials should be given a chance to mend their ways, instead of beating them to death with a stick.

As for the cabinet's inquiries and investigations of these officials, they all supported the reform of the imperial court, and no one was opposed to the reform. This is more reliable than that of some local officials who did not make mistakes, but who were obedient to the reform policies issued by the imperial court.

After listening to Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren's explanations, Zhu Youzhen was silent for a while and said: "Except for Yu Dacheng, other officials have called me over to let me see them, and their appointments and dismissals will be decided after I have seen them."

As for Yu Dacheng, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian is not a suitable position for him. Governors and governors are all vassal ministers of the territory and pillars of the country, and they are burdened with the birth, old age, sickness and death of the population under their jurisdiction, and their reputation for honesty is useless. If you don't have the experience and ability to govern the localities, don't you regard the famous instruments of the country and the lives of the local people as child's play?

What's more, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian is not only in charge of Zhejiang and Fujian, but also the pillar of stability in the southeast coastal region. The southeast coast is the most important export trade area in our country, if you find an incompetent person to serve as the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, do you think that the southeast coastal area of our country is too quiet now? ”

Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren hurriedly got up and complained to Chongzhen: "The ministers dare not do this, it is the ministers who have not thought it through, please give the ministers some more time, and let the ministers re-select the personnel..."

Zhu Youzhen waved his hand and said: "No need, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian can't be vacant for too long, where can I wait for you to go back and discuss slowly." I look at Chen Qiyu, the imperial history of the right capital, is not bad, he previously lived in the Tang Dynasty Mansion in Nanyang, and cleaned up the local tyrants and inferior gentry in Nanyang, and promoted the local land reform effectively. Let him temporarily take the position of governor of Zhejiang and Fujian as the right capital imperial history, and see if he can hold on. ”

Qian Qianyi still has some doubts, thinking that Chen Qiyu, who has just been promoted to the right capital of the imperial history, and has been appointed governor of Zhejiang and Fujian in less than half a year, seems to have been promoted too quickly. Wen Tiren beside him was already full of praise: "What Your Majesty said is that the minister also thinks that Chen Yushi's ability and talent are enough to be the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, and the minister seconded the proposal. ”

Qian Qianyi paused for a moment, and reluctantly bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is sacred, and the minister also seconded it." ”

Zhu Youzhen glanced at the two of them and said, "Then the matter of the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian is so decided." Yu Dacheng is known for his integrity, so find a clear position in the Ministry of Rites, and I hope that the two of you will strictly review the appointment and dismissal of officials, and you will no longer be so careless. ”

Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren responded in unison, and Zhu Youzhen continued: "In addition, I have added a few people to the list, you can go back and take a look." It's not an important appointment or dismissal, it's just that a few secretaries of the Imperial Secretariat go to the local government for a period of time, which can be regarded as an additional channel for me to understand the local people's feelings. If you don't have anything to report, stand down. ”

Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren still wanted to stay here, so they quickly took the documents approved by the emperor and left, preparing to go back and communicate with the officials named by the emperor to prevent them from making mistakes when they were summoned by the emperor. Now they're grasshoppers tied to a rope.

After watching the first assistant and the second assistant leave the room together, Lu Qi reported to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, Han Yiliang, Xu Xianchun, and Zhang Xianzhong are already waiting next door. ”

Zhu Youzhen sat back at the back of the desk and replied casually, "Let them in." ”

After a while, Lu Qi took Han Yiliang, Xu Xianchun, and Zhang Xianzhong from the waiting room next door, and after the three of them entered the room, they saluted the emperor. Zhu Youzhen commented on the documents and said without raising his head: "Get up, do you know what I called you over for?" ”

Xu Xianchun and Zhang Xianzhong naturally didn't know why, but Han Yi replied with a good conscience: "Your Majesty, but for the frequent activities of bandits in Taihu Lake, you summoned the ministers and others?" ”

Zhu Youzhen pointed to a large stack of documents in a corner of the table, motioned to Lu Qi to move them to the coffee table in front of the sofa, and said: "You all take a look, this is the Shen Yikui brothers, Wang Yong, Luo Rucai, these patrol police chiefs from all over the southeast, and the gangster cases collected over the past few years.

From Hangzhou to Nanjing, there were disappearances and bandits along the canal and Taihu Lake. I was also amazed when I saw it, and behind these cases were faintly related to the gentry families in the area around Taihu Lake.

The year before last, the wife of a Xiucai in Hangzhou returned to Wuxi Province to relatives, but disappeared mysteriously on the way. This Xiucai walked back and forth several times along the path of his wife's relatives, but he couldn't find any clues.

But last year, on the edge of the West Lake, he saw a maid suspected to be his wife's side on a cruise boat, and he tried to call out the maid's name, but the maid quickly hung up the curtain in a panic. He later found out that the cruise ship was the family of Master Huang of Huzhou, and he wanted to find him, but the Master Huang left Hangzhou overnight. He immediately reported to the police, but no one paid any attention. It is said that Master Huang and Hangzhou Tongju are in-laws, so no one dares to take his case.

There were also Jiangxi silk merchants who went to Huzhou to buy goods, but they never returned. The family searched hard but found nothing, but they saw the merchant's clothes in a clothing appraisal shop in Huzhou, and the clothing appraisal shop could not tell the origin of the clothes. And as it happens, the items of the missing person have appeared in this clothing shop more than once...

The bandits of Taihu Lake are so rampant, but the Zhuangzi on the shores of Taihu Lake is more than one day a day, and it seems that those bandits still know the truth of not eating the grass next to the nest. However, I don't see it that way, I think that the reason why the Taihu bandits are difficult to exterminate is mainly because of the collusion of officials and bandits, and the support of the gentry.

When the official army passed, these bandits hid in Zhuangzi by the lake and became a good citizen; As soon as the officers and soldiers left, they became bandits across the Taihu Lake again. They plundered the merchants on the Taihu Lake, and the gentry sat on the ground and divided, and even some of the gentry took the initiative to provide information to these bandits, and I didn't even want to see the dirty deeds in them.

I asked you to come over precisely because I wanted you to go south to deal with these colluding officials and bandits, and to give Taihu Lake a bright future. The Shanghai gentry were preparing to build the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway, so they hated these lake bandits and roadlords. After you go south, you can rely on Shanghai and mobilize the 1st and 2nd Shanghai Garrison Divisions to carry out an all-round attack on the Taihu Lake area.

I give you the authority to take it first, whoever is involved. Those who dare to resist will be killed on the spot. You can mobilize the patrol police and the army in the southeast. Zhuangzi along the line of Taihu Lake, all those that affect the local irrigation and drainage are also demolished. I hope that you can use this operation to deter the local outlaw gentry from doing wrong, do you have a problem? ”

Han Yiliang felt that his forehead was starting to sweat again, but looking at the expressions of the two Jinyi Guard officials beside him, he could only continue to prove to the emperor that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had nothing to fear.