Zhu Youxiao didn't know whether he should be disappointed or happy, this squire Kong Zhigong, the largest squire in the eastern boundary of Shan0, was so popular with the people. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Coupled with the status of this Kong Yan Holy Prince, Zhu Youxiao seems to have felt the key to the implementation of the integrated payment of food by the official gentry in Shandong this time, if this Kong Yan Holy Father takes the lead in supporting, he will definitely get twice the result with half the effort, but if he does not support it, then he will have to work hard to remove this stubborn stone that is blocking the way.

When Zhu Youxiao returned to his imperial boat, Sun Chengzong, Ma Shiying, and Yuan Keli had also arrived at him.

In addition to Sun Chengzong, Zhu Youxiao met Ma Shiying and Yuan Keli for the first time, and these two characters who left a strong mark in the history of the late Ming Dynasty were also a little cramped and uneasy after saluting Zhu Youxiao like ordinary people at this moment.

"The three of them have worked hard all the way, Wang Chengen, give them a seat!"

After Zhu Youxiao said, he gave Wu Jin a look, Wu Jin understood, and after coming over and whispering a few words to his right-hand man, the Dongchang fan also came out of the cabin and shouted in a low voice: "Pay attention to vigilance, if someone trespasses within ten steps, you will be killed!" ”

And here, Zhu Youxiao asked Li Mingrui and Wang Chengen to find a seat for themselves, and the six monarchs and ministers sat around and started a secret conversation.

"You also know the purpose of my meeting with you here, there are many people in the capital, but when we take advantage of this southern tour, we can talk about the next thing, and we have passed through the anger with you before that, you can talk about your thoughts now."

Zhu Youxiao picked up a cup of hot tea and blew the boiling air: "Teacher, come first, make a good start." ”

Sun Chengzong has been blowing the wind and sand in the northwest for several months, his skin has become a little sallow, and he looks like an old farmer in a green shirt and cloth.

At this time, I saw him get up and arch his hand towards Zhu Youxiao, and handed a scroll to Wang Chengen:

"Your Majesty, the land of Qin is not as wide as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Huhu, there are not many famous squires and eunuchs, and the fertile land is mostly concentrated in the hands of rich peasants and old people;

And this scroll is the record of the imperial court's income obtained by the old ministers in these days, based on the fish scale book and the yellow book of previous years, plus field investigations, about the taxation according to the acres of land and the taxation according to the per person;

During the Wanli period, because Zhang Jiangling was in charge of the cabinet, it was implemented for a period of time, and Weichen also compared the taxes of that year with the records of the previous Jiajing Longqing period and the subsequent Wanli 35th year to the 7th year of the Apocalypse;

It was found that if the tax was levied according to the apportionment into the mu, the imperial court tax could increase by more than three times compared with the highest record since Wanli, and the poor people who were exempted from tax could also reach 50% of the total number of people in Qin. ”

In the end, it is a capable minister and a meticulous worker, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help affirming this Sun Chengzong in his heart, and asked: "Although Guanzhong is poor, there are many big families who are so rich that they are rich, and many of them are also related to the border army or in the court, and you have to bear a lot of responsibilities, if you have any difficulties at that time, you can raise them at any time." ”

"Yes!"

Sun Chengzong responded, and here, Yuan Keli also stood up.

Although Yuan Keli looks full of silver hair, his waist is standing straight, and it can be seen from the calluses on his tiger's mouth that he has held a knife and been on the battlefield, and he is obviously not a civilian official who only knows how to talk on paper.

"The minister here is also different from other places, Weichen also did a survey of the gentry in the east of Shan0, and found that because Shan0dong is famous and is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, there are many people in the middle, so most of the fields are concentrated in the hands of these gentry, especially Kong, Lin, He, and Meng;

Among them, the Confucian Shenggong Mansion occupies the largest acres of land, but because the previous dynasties have given it preferential treatment, no levy of forced labor, so its donors are also many, although the realm of the east of the mountain is also considered a rich land, but the imperial court can collect taxes but is not as good as Yunnan, Guichuan and other southwestern provinces. ”

Zhu Youxiao nodded thoughtfully, Shandong is the middle section of the Grand Canal, and the water system is developed, but it is true that the taxes collected are not as good as those of relatively poor provinces, especially since the late Ming Dynasty, what Yuan Keli said is not unreasonable, and it can also be seen that as long as the Confucian family is done, the rest will be much easier.

At this time, Zhu Youxiao looked at Ma Shiying again, Ma Shiying's face was a little white, although he was almost forty years old, he looked no more than thirty years old, with a short beard under his chin, and when he laughed, his mouth was full of white teeth, just like the traitor on the stage, he looked very treacherous.

But what no one expected was that such a treacherous official chose to die when a large number of so-called upright people surrendered to the Tartars.

Perhaps, there is only one fact, that is, Ma Shiying may not be a gentleman, but it is definitely not as unbearable as the Donglin Party.

History has always been written by the victors, but I am afraid that these Donglin Party members who took refuge in the Manchu Qing Dynasty will naturally not leave any good words when recording this fierce enemy who has harmed their Donglin Party's side of the water, and they will do their best to demean it, and the best people in later generations will know that he is a traitor almost as soon as they hear Ma Shiying.

"The minister in Fengyang also made an estimate of the goods of the various inspection divisions and the transit caravans at the customs and the various types of trade in the state capital and county, of which the goods transiting from my Fengyang alone are not less than 10 million taels per month, and the silver money operated in the inns, teahouses, wine shops, grain, oil and medicine and other shops in various state capitals and counties is not less than one million even in the worst county.

After Ma Shiying finished speaking, Sun Chengzong and Yuan Keli gasped, and couldn't help but look at this Ma Shiying.

Not only these two people, but even Li Mingrui, a cabinet scholar at this time, also felt that this Ma Shiying was bragging, just collecting business taxes in Fengyang could generate more than 10 million taels of revenue, which was directly comparable to the treasury revenue, so if the amount of commercial tax collection was increased throughout the country and checkpoints were set up in the thoroughfares of various provinces, it would not be a problem to embarrass the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty for decades.

However, Zhu Youxiao himself is an ancient well, and he is naturally very clear about the folk wealth accumulated by this ancient empire, and even in his opinion, this Ma Shiying has actually made a conservative estimate.

Fengyang is not only a transit place for goods trade between the north and the south, but also a transit place for goods from the east and west, and its economic scale should not be just a scale of 10 million taels per month.

"It seems that you are all full of confidence, but I also have to make it clear to you that although the prospects for this pilot reform are very good, the resistance encountered is also very great, you have to be prepared, but what I can guarantee is that as long as I am still in power, I can let you start and finish well, and if I am not there for a day, I will also leave an edict to protect you and your family without worry."

Zhu Youxiao's words moved the three feudal officials very much, and the three of them were also busy asking Zhu Youxiao to rest assured that they had been psychologically prepared since they decided to be the vanguard of reform, not to mention that they themselves were also vested interests.

In addition, now there are women in the palace who are pregnant with dragon seeds for Your Majesty, which undoubtedly makes their beliefs firmer.

Chapter 189 writes that Zhu Youxiao sent people from Dongchang to protect and let Yuan Keli investigate the case

Zhu Youxiao naturally not only used the enthusiasm of these three feudal officials to carry out reforms, but also promised that he would always stand behind them, Zhu Youxiao also promised that one of the taxes raised in the future could be attributed to local autonomy, which could be regarded as a disguised benefit for them, and once they had their own small treasury, they would naturally be able to increase their income.

Especially Ma Shiying, the reason why he vigorously supported Zhu Youxiao to increase the commercial tax in Fengyang and open the centigold system was to increase the small treasury for himself, otherwise he would not have deliberately said that the total value of the goods actually circulated in Fengyang every month would be low, so that he could retain a part of the commercial tax silver for his own use.

Now His Majesty himself has promised that a certain amount of the increased tax and silver can be set aside in the localities, which undoubtedly acknowledges in disguise the intention of letting them build small coffers in the localities.

Although Sun Chengzong and Yuan Keli were not as careful as Ma Shiying, they also had to admit that it was indeed much more convenient for the local government to have a certain degree of financial autonomy in handling emergency government affairs, and they could not only rely on the imperial court to allocate money in the event of natural and man-made disasters.

In addition to expressing his full support for the three and giving them a certain degree of military and political autonomy, Zhu Youxiao also asked Dongchang to send capable henchmen to the governors and yamen of Shaanxi, Fengyang, and Shandong.

On the one hand, it is to protect the safety of the three people, after all, no one can guarantee that those with vested interests will not take risks and carry out assassinations to intimidate officials who want to make achievements; On the other hand, it is also to act as his own eyes and ears, after all, these three governors will have greater authority than other governors in the future, and he must also take precautions as emperors.

Sun Chengzong and Ma Shiying had to rush back immediately to start the reform not long after meeting Zhu Youxiao, while Yuan Keli was not in a hurry to leave, he had just been appointed as the governor of Shandong, in addition to undertaking the implementation of the new policy of integrating the officials and gentry in Shandong, he naturally had to accompany Zhu Youxiao to inspect the people's situation in Shandong.

"You came just in time, I have a case here, I'm afraid that I will have to trouble you, the governor, to handle it personally, according to him, the officials of the state government yamen ignore him", Zhu Youxiao said and ordered Wang Chengen to call the old man named Kong Zhiqi.

Yuan Keli didn't know what a big case was, but he actually asked His Majesty personally, and he didn't dare to despise it for a while, and when he heard His Majesty's tone say that it was because the state government yamen did not accept the case, he was even more sure that this case would not be small.

At this time, the old man Kong Zhiqi came over and saw that the emperor Zhu Youxiao and an official in a red robe were about to kneel, but Zhu Youxiao immediately stopped him, and asked Kong Zhiqi to tell Yuan Keli about his daughter's disappearance, and said: "Old man, don't worry, this is the biggest parent official on the ground in your mountain 0, he won't care about your business." ”

After hearing this, Kong Zhiqi also told him when his daughter went to Kong Yan's Shenggong Mansion to do short-term work, when she disappeared, and when she went to the county and state government yamen, and even went to the branch of the Dao Yamen, and there was no official who was willing to make decisions for himself.

Yuan Keli didn't expect that His Majesty personally interrogated about a simple case of missing people, so he didn't think it was too difficult, in the Ming Dynasty, where the household registration management system was very strict, even when the system collapsed in the late Ming Dynasty, it was impossible for a weak woman without a guide to go far, unless there was an accident.

However, since His Majesty had inquired, he couldn't ignore it, so he assured Zhu Youxiao: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, after Weichen goes back, he will definitely make every effort to investigate this case according to the envoy and Qu 0 Fuzhi County, and find the whereabouts of his daughter for this old man." ”

"Very good", after Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, Wu Jin also came over and said: "Your Majesty, Yuan Chonghuan has already been decorated, I don't know what to do, whether to bury it on the spot, or transport it back to his hometown." ”

"Why should such a rebellious person fall back to his roots, we are almost in Ji0 Nancheng anyway, so we will bury him by the dock outside this Ji0 Nancheng, so that people from the south and north can see the fate of this person, so as to warn the world!"

When Zhu Youxiao said this, Wu Jin had no choice but to do it, and Yuan Keli couldn't say anything, Mao Wenlong was a general he single-handedly promoted, and now His Majesty killed Yuan Chonghuan because of Mao Wenlong, he didn't know whether he should intercede or support His Majesty to do so, since he couldn't make a choice, he simply remained silent.

When Wu Jin was looking for a mass grave to bury Yuan Chonghuan, Zhu Youxiao's imperial boat had also arrived at the boundary of Ji 0 City.

At this time, outside the city of Jinan, there were countless officials and squires waiting outside the city, among which there was a fat head and big ears wearing a python robe, and Kong Yinzhi, the holy prince of Kong Yan, who was wearing a duke pheasant's tail crown, was particularly attention-grabbing.

Zhu Youxiao, accompanied by Yuan Keli, the governor of Shandong, got off the ship first, and was naturally followed by Li Mingrui, a cabinet scholar, and Wang Chengen, the head of the celebrant supervisor, as well as the commanders of the battalions of the Praetorian Guard and the officers and soldiers of each battalion.

After Zhu Youxiao received their salutes, he walked straight to the red carpet of loess.

However, Zhu Youxiao asked with some annoyance: "Didn't you already order your local officials not to take care of the affairs of my southern tour, why did you waste manpower and financial resources so much to repair this imperial road for me?" ”

At this time, Gu Tingzhuo, the political envoy of Shandong, hurriedly replied: "Back to Your Majesty, these non-ministers are actually the heart of the Holy Duke of Kong Yan who is in awe of Your Majesty, and specially donated 200,000 silver to build it, and the salutes and singing and fighting along the way are also the same. ”

Zhu Youxiao sighed, smiled at Kong Yinzhi on the side, and said, "Thank you to Yan Shenggong." ”

Kong Yinzhi smiled at Zhu Youxiao with a flattering face: "This is what a courtier should do, Your Majesty, you are a king, and it is natural for your courtiers to be filial to and loyal to Your Majesty's righteousness. ”

Zhu Youxiao had to admit that this Kong Yinzhi's deferential life to himself really made it difficult to hate him.

However, before Zhu Youxiao figured out the reaction of the Confucian Mansion to the official gentry's integrated payment of grain, he had not yet decided whether to move Kong Yinzhi or not.

Kong Yinzhi didn't know what His Majesty was thinking in his heart today, but he also knew that since His Majesty was here today, he had to stammer, at least not to offend His Majesty because of this.

For example, the homeless people and beggars in the city, Kong Yinzhi also personally hosted the soup shack to save these lowest-level people, and Zhu Youxiao also saw this scene after entering Ji0 City and couldn't help but praise Kong Yinzhi: "Kong Yan's holy father has benefited the township, but it is also indispensable." ”

"What Weichen did and what His Majesty did, it was just to do his best to help his neighbors."

Kong Yinzhi smiled and said.

Not long after, there was a sudden sound of urgent horses' hooves behind Zhu Youxiao, and he was stunned to see Wu Jin coming to Zhu Youxiao's side as quickly as the wind, and said in his ear: "Your Majesty, when I was digging a pit to bury Yuan Chonghuan, I accidentally found a female corpse, whose voice and smile were somewhat similar to the characteristics of his daughter depicted by the old man surnamed Kong, all of them had moles on their eyebrows. (To be continued.) )