"Naturally, these people will be uprooted, and no one will be left. These people are in the back house, and they know this private matter best, if they threaten with it? Then we are in danger. ”

What Zhong Yong was worried about, the emperor was also worried about.

"Zhong Yong, guess how Shen Mingze got back to me?"

Zhong Yong raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at the emperor, he was not in a bad mood.

"I don't know."

"He recently checked the household department, and found that the household department actually had no money, which made me feel a lot of panic, there is no silver in the treasury, so where has all the tax money paid over the years gone?"

Zhong Yong knew that the emperor had no money, but he didn't expect it to be so moneyless.

"They were all borrowed by these officials in the court and the local officials, and they used the money from the state treasury to put usury outside, and the local government could not collect the tax money in arrears, so that they actually enriched their own pockets and embezzled and took bribes. One by one..."The emperor was angry, but he also understood that it was a problem with the system, and he should think of rectification.

Zhong Yong was puzzled and asked, "Why do people borrow money from the treasury?" Will the household people give? ”

The emperor's face was embarrassed, and he couldn't say why.

Can he say that it is a defect left over from the reign of the previous emperor?

No.

It is said that the first emperor was the founding monarch, and the war to recover the frontier was extremely expensive, and the old ministers who followed him had no money to spend, so they could borrow money from the royal family, and the royal family could not bear to refuse, and then it was rehearsed into a situation of not borrowing for nothing.

"Shen Mingze's kid wanted to use these lists to ask for accounts, and I agreed. As for you, cooperate with him, don't let him die before he gets out of school, it can be regarded as your credit. ”

Zhong Yong understood that the emperor had let him go.

"The minister obeys the order, and the minister will go home and think about the past."

The next day, the emperor was furious, because the treasury was empty, and hundreds of officials were corrupt and bribed, touting up and down, and depleting the treasury.

This thunderous rage continued directly into the afternoon.

The officials looked left and right, but they didn't dare to squeak, and waited for people to start with trepidation.

Because borrowing money is not a person, but a hundred officials.

"Who can worry about me?"

Shen Mingze came out and said: "The minister is willing to go to a family to collect the arrears." ”

The emperor said: "This matter has been handed over to Lord Shen Mingze Shen, and the officials will try their best to cooperate... If you don't pay the money, you won't have to go to court..."

The officials didn't say anything, the emperor's dragon eyes swept one by one, not angry and arrogant, and Wei Zheng spontaneously knelt down and said, "The ministers obey the emperor's orders..."

As soon as Zhong Yong took the lead, the Pan family, the Liang family and other powerful families all received orders one after another, and the hundred officials naturally complied.

Then the emperor summoned Shen Mingze in the administrative hall.

"Shen Mingze, this matter will be handed over to you, you may handle it?"

"It's natural to do a good job, but the minister still wants someone like the emperor?"

"Who?"

Chen Mingze said: "The ministers are soft-spoken, naturally they can't convince the officials, the ministers think, if the prince comes forward to assist the ministers in handling this matter, it will get twice the result with half the effort." ”

When the emperor thought about it, it was reasonable.

"Who do you think is up to it?"

Shen Mingze said: "Your Majesty, this matter is a matter of offending people, and the prince is not suitable to come forward, only King Jin and King Huan... It also depends on the two princes, who can be willing to be a lonely minister..."

The emperor's eyebrows frowned slightly, as if he was weighing the possibility of this matter.

"Who do you want to come forward?"

Shen Mingze said: "Anyone can do it, and the minister is sure to let them pay the money." ”

The emperor announced that the two princes entered the palace and explained the situation, and the two of them had long known about the deficit in the treasury and the lack of money in the household, but they both chose to shut up, because this matter offended people.

Before His Royal Highness King Jin entered the palace, the prince explained that this work must not be continued, and King Huan is not a fool, he has just built a foundation now, and he must not offend people at this time.

He can use this to win people over.

So King Huan said: "Father, the son thinks that this matter can be handed over to His Royal Highness the Prince." First, the prince is the prince, one person is above 10,000 people, and he has authority, and secondly, the sons and daughters are soft-spoken and have nothing to do with the courtiers, so I am afraid that they will not be able to handle this matter. ”

When the emperor heard King Huan's words, he set his eyes on His Royal Highness King Jin.

His Royal Highness the King of Jin smiled bitterly: "Father, the sons have more than enough heart but not enough strength, and the sons and daughters are... The body is not good, and it can't withstand the pressure of hundreds of officials. ”

Shen Mingze glanced at His Royal Highness King Jin inexplicably, and then sighed lightly; "Your Majesty, why don't you let the prince come? As the prince of a country, the prince should indeed stand in front of people in front of everything..."

When King Jin heard that he belonged to the crown prince, he lamented in his heart, he must not let the prince go, he stepped forward and said: "Father, as a courtier, the son feels that he should be the first, and the son is willing to appoint." ”

The emperor was very happy when he heard this, and praised him: "My son really knows the righteousness, if this matter is done, I will be rewarded." ”

Leaving the administrative hall, King Huan said: "Congratulations to the third brother for receiving this errand, I am waiting for the third brother to celebrate the banquet in the future." ”

When King Jin saw King Huan, the appearance he had pretended to be in front of the emperor just now was gone, and now he was replaced with a touch of coldness.

looked at the back of King Huan leaving, and snorted coldly.

"Lord Shen, let's go and do something."

Shen Mingze made a list of money officials one by one, handed it to King Jin, and then found a restaurant and invited hundreds of officials to drink.

"This king is really helpless to take this errand, and please don't embarrass this king, I thank you in advance here."

"His Royal Highness King Jin, we can't take it out at this time, this is not a small amount."

His Royal Highness the King of Jin did not answer, but invited everyone to eat and drink.

And they did not know what was going on.

But after they finished eating, His Royal Highness King Jin said: "My lords, Lord Shen has recently caught a few prisoners, these prisoners are the Western Xia sent to my Great Song Dynasty secret agents, after the criminal department severely cracked down, these people confessed to their people, actually in the backyard of my Great Song Dynasty officials, this king is really shocked after hearing this, everyone, can you realize the seriousness of these things?" ”

Everyone was amazed, and naturally understood the key point.

This is just a dead person, but if the state secrets are stolen and ruined, it is a great crime of raiding the family and destroying the family.

King Jin saw that everyone understood what was involved, and drank another glass of wine alone.

"What's even more terrifying is that the Western Xia secret agents actually found out the privacy of various officials and recorded them in a book, which will be used to threaten the officials in the future. Ladies and gentlemen, think about it, is money or life important? ”

Everyone understood that Lord Jin was threatening them.

At this moment, the Ministry of Rites Shangshu stood up and said, "His Royal Highness King Jin, what are you doing, do you want to threaten us and others?" ”

"No, this king is by no means such a villain, I summoned all the adults today to want to give you this list, I hope you will go back to clean up the inner house, and return me to the Great Song Dynasty a Qingming world."

The list was given, but the official's privacy was not given.

The adults went back, arrested the gloomy thief in the house, beat him severely, and explained everything that should be confessed and what should not be explained.

They are afraid in their hearts, afraid that their privacy will be taken out and punished.

And it was at this time that His Royal Highness King Jin revealed that he had not yet opened the seal, and as for whether he opened the seal or not, whether it was handed over to His Majesty or not, it depended on the meaning of the adults.

How can the officials not understand whether life is important or money?

Of course it's fate.

After Zhong Wen participated in the Hongmen banquet held by His Royal Highness the King of Jin, he went home and turned over the cabinets, and Sun said: "Master, you know the little bit of family wealth at home, how can you not make up 100,000 taels of silver." ”

Zhong Wen was timid, in order to go with the flow, he borrowed 100,000 taels of silver from the treasury with everyone, and he spent it all these years in order to pass the time.

"What can I do? If the money can't be paid, we're done. ”

"Master, is it really that serious?"

"This matter is very serious, don't you know, the things I did back then were all pulled out."

"What's the matter?"

"It's not for your sister to deal with the mess, since your sister married the Feng family, she has been a demon and a blessing, either to kill the concubine, or to kill the girl with a cane, she even dares to kill the daughter of an official, this matter is all handled by me and my eldest brother to help him, these things seem to be hidden, but they are all under the surveillance of others, I have just taken office now, how many people want to pull me into the water, no, I must not be pulled down, this money must be filled..."

When Sun heard this, he felt that it was tricky, and said, "The old lady still has 50,000 taels of gold in her hand, you go and tell the old lady about it." ”

Old lady's place

As soon as the old lady heard Zhong Wen's intention, she had a dark face and said, "This is just a means of King Jin, there are so many officials in the court, can he get rid of them all?" Besides, don't you still have your big brother in front of you now? ”

Zhong Wen said: "Mother, you don't know, this eldest brother is afraid that something is going to happen." ”

"What do you mean?"

"When I came back today, Shen Mingze suddenly pulled me over and bluntly said that something was going to happen to the Zhong family, and Aunt Du in the West Courtyard was the remnants of Xixia. The emperor locked up the eldest brother in the mansion and thought about it. ”

The old lady thought slightly, and Zhong Wen said: "Mother, my son has finally returned to the court, you must help your son." ”

Mrs. Zhong knows that now the second son is incompetent, and now she can only rely on the third son.

But 100,000 taels of silver, that's not a small amount.

"You go to Xiyuan to see your eldest brother and ask how to do this?"

Zhong Wen said: "Is the mother unwilling to help her son? ”

"I asked you to go to the West Courtyard to see your eldest brother first, why are you disobedient?"

Zhong Wen was anxious and said, "Now that the Du family is locked up in the Criminal Department, my eldest brother has been convicted because of this, what can I do to find him?" If the mother doesn't help, the son can't pay the money, and in the end he can only choose to split up..."

"You..."

As soon as the Sun family heard about the separation, his eyes lit up, this division is good.

Now the east and west courtyards of the Zhong family are blocked by a high wall, although there is no separation, but it is no different from the separation of the family, who lives whom, no, they have to live in Dongyuan now to see the eyes of the girl's grandmother, and now they are depressed, it is indeed not very good.

And the eldest brother connived at the women around him to leak military information, to put it mildly, don't do your duty, the key is to leak military information, and you should be beheaded.

It's good to split up, so it's not involved.

Mother Se explained: "Third master, you misunderstood the old lady, how can the old lady not care, the old lady just asked you to go and see the uncle, after all, such a big thing happened in Zhongfu, you should go to greet one or two, and there is someone who needs help over there." In this way, the uncle will miss you in his heart, and he will have a lot of help in the future. ”