"The slave obeys."

Ruan Lang took Zhu Qizhen's edict with a solemn expression, then carefully placed the golden knife in the lunch box, and after knocking goodbye, he turned around and strode out of Nangong.

Looking at Ruan Lang's departing back, a touch of spring sunshine shone on Zhu Qizhen's face, but it showed a different kind of gloom.

Also watching Ruan Lang's departing back was Lu Zhong, who was notified by his subordinates to come to Nangong, and beside him stood Zhao Hongjie and Jinyiwei commander Pan Xin.

Originally, Zhao Hongjie was not qualified to stand here, after all, his official title was the commander of the fourth grade, plus the qualifications were still shallow and other factors. However, as a spy agency, it is easy to know his close relationship with Shen Yichen, and in the face of the new stars in the officialdom, the commander Lu Zhong also wants to sell face to make friends with him.

"At this time, it was not time to deliver the meal, but Ruan Lang hurriedly went to Nangong with a lunch box, and now he left in a panic, what did he discuss with the emperor?"

Lu Zhong said this to himself, since the visit of Zhang Xuan, the right governor of Nangong, the secret whistle and eyeliner have changed from the little eunuch in the palace to a more professional brocade guard to monitor.

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There is no way to monitor the content of the conversation in the South Palace, but the eunuchs and concubines who come and go every day have made detailed records, and if the time is a little inconsistent with the process, they will be paid special attention.

Especially Ruan Lang, an old eunuch who has been in the palace for a long time and has deep qualifications, is the focus of attention. That's why, when he came to Nangong today, he showed a slight abnormality, and the commander of Jinyiwei made Lu Zhong lead his subordinates to rush over, and the political struggle could not tolerate the slightest negligence.

"The commander wants to know what Ruan Lang has discussed with the emperor, so his subordinates will immediately order someone to arrest him, as long as he enters the edict, he has to confess!"

The commander on the side knew Pan Xin, and he said with a very indifferent expression. The fundamental reason why the secret service is loved and hated by people is here, without the Jinyi Wei Emperor, it is equivalent to losing the eyes and ears, but once the Jinyi Guard is reused, then there will be a scene where the rules of the law are trampled on.

"No, the blockade of Nangong has already caused dissatisfaction among the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, and if the people around the emperor are wantonly arrested and imprisoned, public opinion may be unfavorable to Your Majesty and even the commander."

Zhao Hongyu stopped a sentence, and at the same time vaguely pointed out that acting like this would be counterattacked.

You must know that the reputation of Jinyiwei is not good now, and the previous commander Ma Shun was regarded as a lackey of the eunuch party and was beaten to death in front of the emperor by the civilian clique. Lu Zhong was promoted normally after picking up a leak, and his relationship with Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu was not close, and he had no foundation and power in the court.

Rumors of mistreatment of the emperor have spread widely, and many people in the Manchu Dynasty are dissatisfied, especially the group of Qing gossip officials who hold Confucian righteousness. In case the arrest is a big problem, it is foreseeable that the impeachment of Kedaoyan will continue, not to mention that Lu Zhong himself can't bear it, and even Jinyiwei's power will be affected in the future.

Everyone is in the same boat, and being an official is for power, and no one wants Jinyiwei to be constrained everywhere in the future, right?

It's just that hearing Zhao Hongjie's objection, Pan Xin's face turned gloomy, and the official position of the commander and Tongzhi is second only to the commander in Jinyiwei, and he is the most likely candidate to take over.

But over the years, Zhao Hongjie has hugged Shen Yichen's thighs, and has been rapidly promoted from a small hundred households to the position of commanding affairs, and the momentum has not decreased, and there is the possibility of winning the command of Jinyiwei, which makes Pan Xin how willing.

"When was the Jinyi Health Office so timid, as long as the evidence of rebellion can be prying out from Ruan Lang's mouth, what can those pen men say?"

Pan Xin's outspoken opposition to Zhao Hongjie's words is still the same simple and crude concept.

"Then if there is no evidence, or Ruan Lang refuses to admit it?"

Zhao Hongjie asked rhetorically, Pan Xin's speculation was based on the fact that the other party had indeed rebelled, but now it is just a panicked expression and an abnormality in the delivery time, so it is impossible to convict on these two points.

"Heh, is Zhao Yishi on duty on the first day, and there are countless ways for the official to confess his guilt after entering the edict!"

Pan Xin's words made Zhao Hongjie really speechless, so he could only shake his head helplessly. Fortunately, Lu Zhong is a sensible person, or he is a timid person, and he understands how risky it is to use this method of torture into a trick.

So he reconciled and said: "Okay, there is an endless argument over a trivial matter, Pan Tongzhi immediately sent someone to keep an eye on Ruan Lang to see what he was going to do." ”

"Yes, Commander!"

Seeing that Lu Zhong finally appointed himself, a smug look appeared on Pan Xin's face, Zhao Hongjie, an outsider who used to be Wang Zhen's godson and now relied on Shen Yichen's thigh, was still not reused at the critical moment.

In fact, Pan Xin's idea can only be said to be half right, Lu Zhong gave him the task not because of intimacy, but more because Pan Xin was not afraid that Zhao Hongjie would snatch the position of the commander of Jinyiwei, but the current Lu Zhong was also a little worried.

You must know that as the highest commander of the secret service, the emperor does not value ability or talent, but absolute loyalty.

On the other hand, the ability to be unfaithful is worthless in the eyes of the emperor!

Lu Zhong was urgently ascended to the throne after the accidental death of the previous commander Ma Shun, he was not the confidant of Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu, so far there is still some estrangement between the two sides, and the core confidential affairs were handed over to the eunuch Cheng Jing, who was in charge of the internal official supervisor, and also used the long-abandoned East Investigation Factory.

The East Investigation Factory is the famous "East Factory" in film and television dramas, which has been established as early as the Yongle period of Ming Chengzu. You must know that Zhu Di relied on Jingnan to overthrow Emperor Jianwen before ascending the throne and becoming the Supreme of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, in a sense, it can also be said that he was not in the right position and did not experience the conventional legal inheritance.

In order to strengthen their rule, most of the spy agencies such as factory guards were founded or strengthened during the Yongle period, among which was the East Factory.

However, with the death of Zhu Di, the emperors of the Renxuan and Xuan dynasties chose to prefer the "benevolent rule" of recuperation, and the existence of the factory and health institutions was obviously not in line with the interests of the civilian group, after all, no one wanted to be arrested from the bed in the middle of the night without the approval of the three law divisions.

As a result, the East Factory was actually suppressed, and only a sign was hung up, and all the specific affairs were handed over to Jinyiwei.

However, with the Orthodox Dynasty Wang Zhen in power, he served as the eunuch of the ceremonial supervisor Bingbi, and also served as the factory official of the East Factory. In order to collect intelligence and strengthen the control of the government and the opposition, the Dongchang factory, which was originally in vain, has developed to a certain extent, and finally transferred a group of people from Jinyiwei to set up the team.

Now in the Jingtai Dynasty, with Wang Zhen's evil consequences in front of him, everyone in the world knows what will happen to the eunuch dictatorship. But the problem is that Zhu Qiyu has no choice, he really can't find enough trusted and useful courtiers, so he can only continue to use eunuchs in order to maintain his rule, just like the previous emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

On the premise that the master of ceremonies and the eunuch are all old qualifications in the palace, and under the premise that they have not made a big mistake, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu is not easy to move them, so he can only continue to grieve his henchman Cheng Jing as the eunuch of the internal official and the eunuch.

However, the East Factory, which was originally controlled by the eunuch Bingbi, let Cheng Jing serve as the leader of the factory, which is why Zhu Qiyu's intelligence efficiency has soared, which makes Shen Yichen sometimes impressed.

"Hongjie, you are here to continue to keep an eye on Nangongzhong's every move, and if you have any situation, you will immediately report to Commander Ben."

"Yes, Commander."

Zhao Hongjie's expression was very calm, and he did not show the slightest dissatisfaction because of the differential treatment.

This kind of performance made Lu Zhong feel very satisfied, and he patted Zhao Hongjie on the shoulder and encouraged: "If you are young and promising, you will definitely have a bright future in the future." ”

"Commander Xie praises!"

Lu Zhong's words made Zhao Hongjie's face look look like a burst of excitement in an instant, and the other party nodded and left with satisfaction.

But just after Lu Zhong's back disappeared into the red wall of the Forbidden City, Zhao Hongjie's eyes showed a touch of disdain, and then he instructed Wei San beside him in an indifferent tone: "Call a few people to follow Ruan Lang, and remember not to let Pan Xin's people find out." ”

Zhao Hongjie has never believed in Lu Zhong's overtures, let alone eaten the pie painted by the other party. The struggle between the two emperors may be an unpredictable disaster for the people of the society, but for those with ambitions, it is an opportunity to turn over.

Zhao Hongjie also doesn't want to miss this opportunity!

The clouds of Nangong gradually thickened, but time passed minute by minute, and soon came to the first day of April in the first year of Jingtai.

The palace examination was postponed for a month, and on this day it was held as scheduled, and 300 new science gongshi walked into this incomparably desirable Forbidden City with excitement and anticipation, hoping to be appreciated by the emperor and hand-picked the world!

Shen Yichen has served as the president of the examination, and in order to ensure the fairness of the palace examination, he will generally not serve as the reading officer again.

It doesn't matter to Shen Yichen about this, although the paper reader has the power to recommend the three dingjia, but he can't form the friendship of teachers and students, after all, the three hundred jinshi are all protégés of the Son of Heaven in theory, and the benefits are far less than the president of the examination in the name of the teacher.

Just when the palace test was in full swing, Shen Yichen and Jin Lian, the head of the household, were discussing fiercely how to distribute military salaries to ensure that several wars were carried out at the same time.

"Shen Zhongtang, the cabinet has already known the recital to His Majesty, and the radical degree of the content is from your handwriting."

"This official can tell you very clearly that even if there are 3 million rice grains shipped from the south and 2 million taels of military salaries confiscated, it is still far from enough to pay for disaster relief and war, and a trade-off must be made."

Last year's various changes made the Ming treasury squandered, and this year it was internal and external troubles that hit one after another, Shen Yichen seemed to get a lot of money, but in fact, it was far from enough to divide it.

During the period of the Orthodox Dynasty, the military household system established in the early Ming Dynasty was almost unsustainable, and in order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the armies in various places, it was necessary to implement the conscription system. This is also the reason why the military attache of the Ming Dynasty had two sets of military ranks, such as 100 households, 1000 households, etc., corresponding to the small banner and general flag, and the officers at the level of guard commander and capital commander corresponding to garrison, guerrilla and so on.

The conscription system means that the expenditure of money and food is higher, unless you force the strong men, why can the common people sell their lives, just rely on a few noble and righteous slogans?

Before Shen Yichen, he went out to Shandong, Fujian and other inland places, mainly based on the guard system, and an average soldier's salary of one stone of rice per month was enough. It can be placed in a high-risk place like the nine sides, and the treatment of the recruited soldiers is one or two, which is equivalent to three to four stone rice grain in normal times.

Moreover, it is not enough to distribute rice and grain, and those who have a small family have to pay two catties of salt and two horses of cloth every month, which is equivalent to at least 15 taels a year. That is to say, not counting the wartime rewards, if you want to maintain the Liaodong Army and the Xuanda two fronts, more than 100,000 horses, the full salary will not be less than two million taels.

Of course, according to the Ming Dynasty's practice of embezzlement and deduction, in fact, half of the hands of the low-level soldiers were thankful.

The Southern Expeditionary Army led by Jingyuan Bo Wang Ji also had more than 100,000 horses, and the military salary cost of the expedition to Luchuan would not be lower than that of the border army, which was another budget of two million taels of silver. In addition, it is necessary to provide disaster relief to the people, as well as to exempt the severely affected areas from taxes and seedling loans, and at least one million taels of silver must be prepared.

Shen Yichen's grand blueprint, Jin Lian felt that he had sold his own household book, and he couldn't scrape together the money needed to start a war on the third front, and the court would have to collapse financially if it lasted for half a year at most.

"After removing the needs of disaster relief and helping the people, the Liaodong Army was given priority, followed by the Southern Expeditionary Army, and the Xuanda side was temporarily defensive. If there is still a shortage of money, the clan will first default on the rice and silver of the clan, and then recover the land tax attached to the large gentry and gentry. ”

Shen Yichen said this sentence expressionlessly, in fact, when he proposed the plan in the cabinet meeting, he had already expected this situation to happen. The reason why he still insists on starting in the recital is that he asks for a price and pays back the money on the spot.

Sure enough, when Shen Yichen's words came out, Jin Lian, the head of the household department, was full of shock, the group of royal relatives in the clan belonged to the characters who could not be provoked, and all of them had the ability to reach the sky. And in order to gain the support of the clan, the Holy Beings must give priority to their emotions.

Not to mention the arrears of rice and silver to the clan, even if the treasury really has no money, it has to be allocated from the internal funds first!

"This matter is absolutely impossible, and even if the clan is in arrears with rice and silver, it is only hundreds of thousands of taels, which is still a drop in the bucket."

Jin Lian directly vetoed Shen Yichen's suggestion, in fact, in the first year of Jingtai, in the early and middle Ming Dynasty, the clan expenditure was far from the point of dragging down the finances, and in the later period, it was those feudal kings Zhuangtian who did not pay taxes that really affected the finances.

Hundreds of thousands of taels of clan money cannot solve the financial crisis, but it can bring a sense of crisis to the emperor and the vassal king, realizing that there is a possibility of collapse of the Ming Dynasty's finances, and it is no longer the scene of the previous when the treasury was full of days.

With this sense of crisis, a consensus will soon be reached to make money, and the huge treasure ship fleet will still dock in the harbor after transporting grain, and the smuggling interests on the southeast coast will be in the hands of the local clans and big families, except for Shen Yichen's share of the pie from the Japanese state, and they are also the biggest force in the DPRK and China opposing the opening of the sea ban.

At present, Shen Yichen of the vassal king will definitely not be able to move, and the arrears of silver will be made up and distributed as soon as possible after protests in various places. His real goal was to use the financial crisis to pressure Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu to open a treaty port along the coast, and set up a customs to collect taxes, and cancel the sea ban in disguise.

The drunkard does not mean to drink......