Chapter 158: A Difficult Choice

As Ye Mengding said, the ancestors of the Pu Shou Geng family came from the Western Regions. According to later research, the credible surname from Arabia is higher. Pu Shou Geng is also an official and a businessman, a typical integration of government and business, with the power in his hands can carry out the spice trade on a larger scale, and can grab profits and increase wealth through various "legal" means. Pu Shougeng monopolized the overseas trade of Quanzhou spices for nearly 30 years at the end of the Song Dynasty, "to travel to and from the sea with good Jia, resulting in a huge production of thousands and thousands of domestic servants." ”

Of course, during Pu Shougeng's stay in Quanzhou, he vigorously developed overseas trade, making Quanzhou the largest port in the East at that time, and Quanzhou's tax revenue once accounted for one-tenth of the entire Song Dynasty.

At the end of Song Duzong Xianchun (1271~1274), he and his brother Pu Shousheng were tired of serving the coastal system in Fujian because of their meritorious service to Pinghai Kou. Later, he was awarded Fujian, Guangdong to recruit envoys, and led Fujian and Guanghai. Later, because Zhang Shijie "plundered 2,000 Pu's sea ships and did not have their goods", he descended to the Yuan in the first year of Song Duanzong Jingyan (early 1277), and after Pu Shougeng descended to the Yuan, he killed the Nanwai clan and the Yuan. In the fifteenth year of Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan dynasty (1278), Pu Shougeng was appointed as the secretary of the Fujian Province, and in the same year, he was ordered by the ancestor of the Yuan dynasty to summon overseas and restore the mutual market, which played a certain role in the resumption of overseas trade.

Because of the rebellion against Song Shiyuan, in the early Ming Dynasty, he also explicitly forbade the descendants of Pu Shougeng in southern Fujian to become officials.

Such a historical figure, in my memory of the end of the Song Dynasty, is not at all. If you follow today's Forbes rankings, the Pu Shou Geng family is not the first but also the second. Its strength is naturally not something that Lin Zhixiong can compete with.

Ye Mengding continued: "Chen Huainan, the supervisor of Fuzhou Shipping, is also a member of Chen Xinshu's family, if it is Shi Hongsheng and Chen Xinshu, then Chen Huainan naturally has to listen." ”

"Shi Hongsheng, Chen Xinshu, these two are important members of Fujian Road."

Lin Zhixiong thought that I knew them, and he was overjoyed, and said, "Doesn't the son know them?" ”

I shook my head: "I don't know any of them." ”

Lin Zhixiong said disappointedly: "If the son has no choice, then I have to admit defeat." ”

Ye Mengding said suddenly: "Boss Lin, have you gone to the yamen of the state capital to sue?" ”

"I've been there, but the government won't accept it, saying that it's a matter of the Shipping Department, and they can't control it."

Ye Mengding himself is the official secretary of the management officials, and he is naturally clear about the jurisdiction of the officialdom: "The subordinate yamen of the Ship Department is the state capitals of various places, how can you say that you can't manage it?" ”

"The prefect of Fuzhou must know something, so he doesn't dare to accept it."

"Well, it sounds like this, if the Pu family did it, everything can be explained, and the motive is easy to explain."

Lin Zhixiong said: "Yes, Gongzi Huyan, I also think so, the only one who is more powerful than my firm on Fujian Road is the Quanzhou Pu family." ”

I thought for a while and said, "Boss Lin, you go back first, let me think about this matter carefully, and we will discuss it here in the evening." ”

"Okay." Lin Zhixiong said helplessly, "Then I'll come back in the evening, son, and say goodbye." ”

After Lin Zhixiong left, Ye Mengding said: "Son, how do you want to deal with this matter?" ”

To me, it's a small thing. I can ask the Ministry of Commerce to issue a document saying that MSG is not among the contraband, or directly ask Ye Mengding to order Fujian Road and let him go. But this matter is very likely to involve the entire bureaucracy of Fujian Road, which makes me have to be careful.

Without careful investigation, I also know very well that at least more than eighty percent of the official yamen in the entire Song Dynasty were corrupt and derelict in their duties, and in some areas it could even be as high as 100 percent. It can be seen from several land measurements that the official website of Fujian Road is not simple, even if it is as strong as Jia Yidao, there is nothing to do about it.

The officials of the entire Song Dynasty held the view that punishment should not be held accountable, and collectively committed fraud. During the period of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty, Jia Rudao was in power, seeking personal gain, greedy for pleasure, and there was a miasma of smoke in the court, and officials from all walks of life were the same, filling their pockets.

After Jia Rudao forcibly pushed the Gongtian Law, due to the eagerness for quick success and improper management, the trust of the people in the government also fell to the lowest point, from disappointment to numbness, which also caused the inaction of most Song people when the Mongols invaded the south, because their hearts have been numb, so they have long been indifferent to what country and nation, not to mention what fighting spirit, what ideals.

I've always wanted to change this situation of officialdom, but I've never been able to make up my mind how to change it. I know that only the imperial court that wins the trust of the people and has achievements can give the people confidence, so according to my original intention, I will hand over all the corrupt officials to the criminal department for questioning.

I can only think about it, but I don't dare to really do it.

Even if my new army is trained and has the ability to take down all these officials according to the law, it will only be a quick moment, the officials are gone, and who will govern the whole country, in that case, it is estimated that it will be chaotic for several years, but if it continues to develop, it will not take long for the corner of the Great Song Dynasty to be devoured by these moths and rats. What's more, there is also Mongolia like a tiger and wolf in the north, which will go south at any time.

Even if there is no powerful Mongolia, I estimate that the Great Song Dynasty is exhausted.

However, there is one thing that I am very, very gratified about, no matter how greedy these corrupt officials are, their property is still in our territory, unlike the corrupt officials of later generations, many people have made any asset transfers, and their wives and children have all gone abroad, even if they want to be caught, they can't get it back.

Just like this Fujian Road, from the envoy to the small officials below, it is estimated that all of them can be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law. But what should I do after the investigation is done? It's not enough to let the people have a direct election, this seems even more unrealistic.

Technology can be revolutionized in an instant, but open cooking can only be done gradually.

But here I am, it's variable. I'm going to change no matter what, after all, I'm the one the Guardian chooses.

I didn't answer directly, but looked at Ye Mengding and Yuan Jian in the room and said, "Ye Aiqing, Mr. Yuan, I will discuss a problem with you. ”

The two of them were shocked, and for some reason I suddenly called myself me again. Yuan Jian knew that something was wrong, and said loudly outside the door: "Lan Yu, you and Shen Mo are guarding the door, and no one can enter at will." ”

Ye Mengding said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, please speak clearly." ”

"You all know very well in today's officialdom that since Emperor Taizu, our dynasty has been nearly three hundred years. So far, officials have become more and more corrupt, engaging in irregularities for personal gain in various localities, and the party is the same and different, and the network has been crisscrossed and criss-crossed, deceiving the upper and lower levels, so that the orders of the DPRK and the Central Committee cannot be carried out at all in the localities. I want to change the status quo, and I will change it. But I never had the resolve to make a choice. I have a few ideas, so I'm just free to discuss them with you. To put it simply, the first method is to check all the officials who have violated the law in all the ministries and in all parts of the country. the second is to maintain the overall situation, grasp the typical, and make an example; Third, as of a certain time, the past is not to blame, and the recidivist is guilty of one degree and the old accounts are thoroughly investigated. Of course, there may be a fourth, fifth, or even more. ”

I've been thinking about this third way for a long time. As the so-called upper beam is not right and the lower beam is crooked, the main beam is oblique, if the lower beam is right, but beaten, there are not many saints in this world, most people will plan for themselves first, when the main beam is obliquely pressed, it can only be oblique, so as not to be crushed by the main beam.

If the first emperor had a virtuous emperor, he would not be in this situation today.

Ye Mengding has lived in officialdom for a long time, and is naturally more familiar with Yuan Jian: "Your Majesty, this first method is obviously undesirable, if it is investigated and dealt with according to the law, there will probably not be a few people left in the official government in various places, so the minister prefers the second type, as for the third type, the minister has not yet figured it out." ”

The third option is the ICAC model in Hong Kong.

Yuan Jian said: "Your Majesty, the minister agrees with the third type. ”

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, the first plan, the minister's opinion is the same as that of Lord Ye, and the second kind of killing one to make an example is not advisable, because it is not at the beginning of corruption, but it has reached the period of corruption network, and no point is enough to destroy a net, and killing one is not enough to set an example. This third one, while novel, is feasible. Just like a person whose whole body is sick, the only thing a doctor who has no idea what to do is to ensure the safety of his life first, and not to have new symptoms, and wait until the old injury is under control. Your Majesty's third way, first, can dispel the concerns of officials who have been corrupt and maintain the operation of the existing government, and secondly, it is also a bottom line, telling them that until this end, those who cross the line will be killed, so that it will start with a few timid people and slowly transition to the majority of people obeying the order, of course, this point should start with the upper officials, the upper beam is gradually corrected, and the lower beam will naturally follow suit. ”