In the capital in August, the scorching heat has passed, and the temperature is gradually dropping.

As the autumn season is imminent, countless candidates flock to the capital to prepare for this year's Enke Township Examination, all of which want to grasp this opportunity to leap into the dragon gate.

Living in this era, it can be said that gaining fame is the only way out for ordinary people.

It's just that it is not easy to stand out from the Shuntianxiang examination, especially the inmates of Beijing Guozijian have the best teaching resources, which makes it even more difficult for ordinary students in Beizhili to break through.

But no matter how difficult it is, their highest pursuit in life is always to gain fame, and then step into the officialdom, and finally walk along that palace road into the Fengtian Temple to meet the high emperor.

Beijing City, Xiyuan.

The officials of the six ministries had fulfilled their original dream, and after being notified, they came to the gate of the West Garden together.

Due to the fact that the emperor now attaches great importance to practice, they have been reused as pragmatic officials of the six ministries. Although the status of the cabinet is still transcendent, it has clearly declined compared to the previous dynasty.

In fact, this is very easy to understand, in the past, the emperor only contacted the cabinet, but now the emperor directly communicates with the officials of the six ministries, resulting in the cabinet becoming the emperor's secretarial body.

As for the ministers who were invincible in the past, they are now obviously suppressed by the emperor, and all the officials of the Ministry of Indecency are no longer selected from the Hanlin Academy.

If the power of the imperial court is now, it is neither their group of six officials, nor the cabinet with a transcendent status, but it is firmly held by Emperor Hongzhi.

"Today's meeting is better to watch more and talk less!"

"What is there to scruple about, let's give advice for Your Majesty!"

"That's right, it's just that some things are said, and after all, they will offend people!"

……

Li Si, the head of the household, walked behind with the two newly promoted squires, looking like an unpredictable prophet, and sighed with emotion to his two subordinate officials.

"If you are in charge, the country will not be a country!" Liu Jian, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, saw Xu Qiong, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, who was talking and laughing in front of him, and said secretly in his heart.

Originally, he didn't want to come to this supreme meeting, but the gold content of this supreme meeting was too high, and the emperor clearly required all the six Shangshu and squires in Beijing to be present.

But it's also bad to come here, in the past, they were all ministers with a transcendent status, and the six Shangshu of the non-Hanlin were polite to him, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, but now he, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, is obviously isolated.

The first stop of the officials of the six departments was not the Heart Cultivation Palace, but came to the new pavilion outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, which was the duty room for Wan An and Liu Ji to play the daily ticket now.

Since Zhu Youzhi is indeed running errands in the Yangxin Palace, now Wenyuan Pavilion is no longer a cabinet, and the real cabinet has also been transferred to these rooms.

Wan An, who was wearing a python robe, was lying in front of the case, and was conscientiously working to soothe the performance of the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

He knew that countless people were staring at his position, and he was indeed not young, so only diligence and responsibility were the best way to keep his throne.

His method proved to be very effective, and now His Majesty not only did not have the idea of replacing himself, but also had some gifts from time to time.

Ahem......

Wan An was old after all, and he couldn't help coughing when he walked out of the duty room, and then said to the officials waiting outside: "Since everyone is here, let's meet Your Majesty together!" ”

"Yes!" Officials such as Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, maintained respect for this old chief, and they gave it up together.

When they came to the door, after the eunuch passed the courtesy, the officials followed the little eunuch inside.

Nowadays, the highest meeting place is no longer limited to the Yang Xin Palace, and if there is a longer meeting or a larger dispute, the emperor will arrange it in the imperial study.

When Li Yu and other officials saw the little eunuch leading them into the imperial study, they silently exchanged glances, and then said respectfully to the attic: "Ministers, please St. Ann!" ”

"Everyone, take a seat!" Zhu Youzhu was sipping tea on it, and said lightly.

Wan An and the others thanked each other and took their seats in turn.

Although the number of people who were eligible to attend the Supreme Council was 20, it was never at full capacity due to a shortage of staff and an errand to leave Beijing.

Guo Yong, who was wearing a bullfighting suit, nodded lightly to the little eunuch next to him, and explained to the ministers present: "This is the result of Liu Zhongqing, the governor of Huguang, and the governor of Anluzhou, please take a look at it!" ”

Li Yu and other officials took the manuscript one after another, and some officials actually knew it in advance, but the officials who did not know it immediately looked solemn when they saw the shocking data.

If it is said that the corruption of the Ming salt government in the past can be pushed to the salt officials and salt merchants, but now it involves the local hidden fields, this sharp blade is directed at the official gentry group, and even at themselves.

Due to the existence of Diao Minji, many of them have already begun to "self-correct", and naturally know that their family is actually a member of the "hidden field".

It's just that there are no variables in the matter after all, and after the imperial court used the killing of the male of the Sun clan to show Qingzhang's determination, the veil of An Luzhou was still lifted by Liu Zhong.

A pair of slender jade hands brewed the West Lake Longjing, and a fragrance of tea rose.

Zhu Youji, who was lying on the chair, took a sip of the freshly brewed tea, and said to the important ministers of the court below: "The results of Anluzhou's Qingzhang have come out, and you Aiqing have also seen it!" I could have tolerated a certain amount of hidden fields, after all, when the water is clear, there are no fish, and it is even more difficult for a strong person to ask local officials to do a good job! It's just that you take a look, the registered acres account for one, and the hidden fields account for two, is this Anlu still the territory of the Ming Dynasty? ”

The lake is ripe, and the world is full!

While the development of cash crops is good, food is also a top priority.

Due to the relationship between geographical location, soil and water conservancy, Huguang is the most suitable place for the development of agriculture in Daming, and it is also a natural granary.

In the original historical trajectory, Zhang Taiyue presided over a national cleanup. The area of Huguangyuan is 36.44 million mu, but the result is 91.63 million mu, and the hidden field yield is as high as 55.19 million mu.

What is this concept?

The acres of land after Zhejiang Qingzhang is 5630 acres, so the result of Huguang Qingzhang is that Daming is equivalent to an extra Zhejiang land.

It's just that now, Zhu Youzhu has advanced this history of Qingzhang. Due to the fact that the imperial court also launched a big killing weapon this time, Diao Minshu, and now the Ministry of Industry is implementing meters in the local area, this clearing has become more thorough.

Since the imperial court had cleared the obstacles of the Sun clan, Liu Zhong's Qingzhang was progressing very smoothly, and the feedback from An Luzhou was very good.

The "good" here is not good, because the situation of placing the Luzhou Hidden Field is very serious.

Taking the Anlu Sun family as an example, they have been multiplying in Anlu Prefecture since the Taizu period, and they not only invaded a large number of military camps, but also reached out to the people's fields.

The acres of land under Sun Jiao's name alone have reached tens of thousands of acres, but in the official register, Sun Jiao's name is only 2,000 acres, and the hidden fields have reached an astonishing eighty percent.

The overall situation of the hidden fields in Anlu Prefecture is shocking, and the acres of hidden fields are actually twice as many acres as the registered fields, that is, Anlu Prefecture escapes twice the grain tax every year.

If the whole world is like Anlu Prefecture, then the annual grain tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty is no longer 30 million stones, but 90 million stones.

It is precisely in this way that the results of the Qingzhang of Anlu Prefecture come out, but it is a strong proof of the stubborn disease of the hidden fields of the official gentry class, and the grain tax of the Ming Dynasty is likely to usher in a sharp rise.

"Your Majesty, take a peek and know the whole leopard! Judging from the results of the Anlu Prefecture's Qingzhang, today's official gentry are very huge, and the ministers think that they will be cleared in the whole country immediately! Wu Yu, the right attendant of the household department, exuded a sharp aura all over his body, and even if he made his position clear.

As soon as the words fell, Liu Jian, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, immediately retorted: "Ridiculous! How can you get a glimpse of this matter and know the whole leopard? In the past, there was a Hongfei sky, and it was difficult to brighten up far away, and the more people thought it was a lot, and the Chu people thought it was B. Today, the hidden fields of Anluzhou are burdened by the Sun family, why is the land of one state confirming the two capitals and thirteen provinces? With the Sun family being evil and the gentry in the world being evil, isn't this wrong? ”

Li Yu and other officials silently exchanged glances, and finally knew why His Majesty was sitting on it and drinking tea, and dared to know that there would be a dispute over this matter.

In fact, everyone knows this matter, even if the problem of the hidden field in Anlu Prefecture cannot be explained that the entire Ming official gentry are hidden in the field, but the hidden field is already very serious in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

You must know that Anlu Prefecture is not only the Sun family in Yintian, but those ordinary officials and gentry also carry out this operation to a greater or lesser extent, so the problem of Yintian must exist in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

As for the problem of hidden fields in Anlu Prefecture, it is likely that it is just following the trend of the whole country.

"Liu Shilang, you are clearly sophistry! The Ming Dynasty has been founded for more than 100 years, but today the grain tax is decreasing day by day, and the expansion of land is increasing day by day, isn't it contradictory? Today's Anlu is a state, which is enough to prove that there are a lot of hidden fields in the country, and it should be clear in the whole country! Wu Yu was from an ordinary peasant family, and he argued fearlessly.

Liu Jian's knowledge is naturally not weak, so he retorted lightly: "The grain tax in the world is decreasing, which is due to the fact that the first emperor implemented benevolent government and avoided disasters!" As for what you said about expanding the field, it is actually a leopard in the tube. The situation in this world is complicated, in the event of a disaster, the number of fields decreases, the expansion of fields increases, and the increase and decrease are common things, so how can you prove that it is not an increase or a decrease of more? ”

This......

Li Yu and other officials couldn't help but look at each other when they heard Liu Jian's words.

In fact, they all think that Liu Jian is sophistry, but the Ming court rarely counts data in this regard, and for a while and a half, it is really impossible to determine whether it is "increasing and decreasing" or "increasing and decreasing".

But I have to admit that these ministers have a great advantage in quoting scriptures, and this Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, who has read the books of the sages, is indeed good at arguing.

In the attic, the fragrance of tea overflows.

"Your Majesty, smell this tea first and then drink it, it will taste better!" When there was a confrontation below, the young girl who was making tea reminded with a smile.

She is one of the three hundred show girls, but she is fortunate to have a good tea art, but she is fortunate to be transferred here to temporarily serve as the emperor's tea girl.

Zhu Youzhu liked the well-developed and fair-skinned tea girl next to her, reached out and picked up the teacup and smelled it, and then took a sip, and suddenly there was a refreshing tea fragrance pouring into her body.

After all, this is an era of struggle for power and profit, and now he wants to take power himself, which leads to the wishful thinking of the ministers, and now this famous and virtuous minister in later generations is slowly blackening.

It's just that the court needs this kind of-for-tat, and these hypocritical Qingliu ministers are their best whetstones.

"Your Majesty, please go to Henan Qingzhang Tianmu, and please allow me!" Wu Yu, the right attendant of the household department, was so angry that he blushed and his neck was thick, but he suddenly pleaded.

Li Yu and other officials looked at each other, and then smiled.

Wu Yu, the right attendant of the household department, is now asking for an order to be released to Henan, although it may be to pave the way for the promotion of the sixth department of Shangshu in the future, but it is more likely to target Liu Jian.

After all, Liu Jian is a native of Henan, his ancestors were high-ranking officials in the Yuan Dynasty, and Liu Jian's father Liu Liang was a priest in Sanyuan County, so it can be said that he was born in a family of eunuchs.

If the imperial court suddenly really wants to check the acres of Liu Jian's family, combined with Liu Jian's current status, it is really possible to find out a considerable amount of hidden land in his name.

Liu Jian saw Wu Yu targeting him like this, his face suddenly became gloomy and terrifying, but he glared at this junior viciously.

If it is Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, these people are enough, and now a right servant of the household who moved up from the middle of the household department dares to argue with himself, and now it is too much to take his own prince.

At this moment, he hated this Hongzhi Dynasty that didn't pay attention to the word ministers, and he also hated the Hongzhi who didn't use their word ministers to govern the country.

"Wu Yu, how long have you been in the household department? I affirm one thing, in the future, all the servants of the six departments will serve less than a year, and they will all be given to me to work honestly in their own positions, and don't just think about running to the local area to serve as the official of the feudal territory! Zhu Youzhi took a sip of tea and admonished expressionlessly.

Liu Jian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Zhu Youzhi say this, and at the same time glanced at Wu Yu proudly, and secretly wrote down this hatred.

Wu Yu didn't pay attention to Liu Jian's smug gaze, but hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, keep in mind the teachings!" The minister didn't want to invite the feudal officials, but the Qingzhang of Anlu Prefecture had confirmed the illness of Yintian, so the minister just wanted to share his worries for His Majesty in order to repay the king's kindness! The minister is not the talent of the governor of Henan, please let Your Majesty take the post of prefect of Luoyang, and the minister is willing to clear the Luoyang Mansion for His Majesty and increase the grain tax for the imperial court! ”

This......

Li Yu and others, the secretary of the ministry, couldn't help but look at Liu Jian one after another, daring to love Wu Yu to bite Liu Jian to death at the expense of his career, this kind of squire who was promoted by the official was really terrible.

Liu Jian tried hard to calm his nervousness, but he didn't expect this stunned young man to be so ruthless.

"The household servant of the Ming Dynasty has the reason to serve as the prefect, so please don't allow it! You honestly do a good job for me to serve the household servant, and when the time is ripe, I have my own arrangements! Zhu Youzhu gently put down the teacup in his hand, and said with a twist: "The effectiveness of a state is indeed indescribable to the whole country!" Today, it is not appropriate for the Ming Dynasty to implement the national Qingzhang, so we will wait for the results of Huguang Qingzhang. If there is a hidden field in all the prefectures of Huguang, and then the imperial court appoints a capable minister to enter the place as a governor, what do you think? ”

Although the results of Anlu Prefecture have been shocking, the time has not yet reached the time to implement it nationwide.

One is that Anlu Prefecture is a state after all, and Anlu Prefecture does not have the persuasive power to point to face, so the best thing to do is to wait for the results of Huguang's Qingzhang to be officially released.

The second is the lack of talents, after all, it is people who really do things, not a piece of paper. Like Qingzhang in Anlu Prefecture, if someone else does it, it is likely to be another result.

In addition, Qingzhang Tianmu is going to start a war with the official gentry class after all, and it is not appropriate to be too hasty now, but it can be solved slowly in a point-to-face manner, and it also gives the entire official gentry class a buffer time.

For example, Zhang Juzheng has spent four or five years on the implementation of the national clean-up, but now he has only been trying to clear the acres of land for a few months, but there is no need to rush to implement the whole country.

That's right, no matter whether Liu Jian stood up against it just now or not, he actually just wanted to clarify the results of Qingzhang's battle, but he was not in a hurry to implement it throughout the country.

Li Yu and other officials knew that the current emperor was honest and seeking the country, so they said together: "Your Majesty is wise!" ”

Although Wu Yu, the right attendant of the household department, hated an official like Liu Jian, he also obeyed His Majesty's arrangement, and knew that His Majesty was actually taking care of himself.

It's just that he secretly glared at Liu Jian, but he secretly decided to wait until Huguang's Qingzhang had a result, and he asked to be appointed as the governor of Henan, and he had to take off Liu Jian's underwear.

Liu Jian's brows furrowed slightly, although he successfully escaped this time, a strong uneasiness surged in his heart.

"Li Qing, after this clearance, what is the tax grain in Anlu Prefecture?" Zhu Youzhu already had a plan in his heart, so he asked Li Si, the head of the household department below.

Li Si thought for a while, and then reported a piece of data: "Back to Your Majesty, the tax grain in Anlu Prefecture is expected to reach 150,000 stones!" ”

Hey?

When Wan An and other officials heard this data, many officials seemed to think of something, and they turned their heads to look at the attic above.

"I remember that 100,000 to 200,000 stone tax grain can be for Zhongfu! In this case, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Officials will work together, and the two of you Yamen will upgrade Anlu Prefecture to Anlu Prefecture and add another county! Zhu Youzhu picked up the freshly poured teacup, and made arrangements for the authenticity.

Li Yu, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, found that this arrangement seemed reasonable, so they respectfully saluted and said, "The ministers have the order!" ”

Wan An and Liu Ji silently exchanged glances, and found that their emperor was becoming more and more unfathomable.

Originally, clearing the acres of land was an infringement on the interests of the local gentry, and the local officials who were in collusion with the local gentry would also become an obstacle, but now Zhu Youzhu has upgraded Anlu Prefecture to Anlu Prefecture and added a county seat, which can undoubtedly well divide the intimate relationship between local officials and local gentry.

After all, after clearing the acres of land, not to mention that many states have the opportunity to be promoted, even from Zhongfu to Shangfu, then there is hope that the rank will change from the four-grade prefect to the four-grade prefect.

In the face of Qingzhang Tianmu, he was not in a hurry, but broke it one by one like cutting in the early Ming Dynasty.

"I have summoned you here today, and the result of the Qingzhang of Anlu Prefecture is secondary. In recent years, Annan has repeatedly violated the southwest of our Ming Dynasty, occupying land and seizing land is still secondary, and has slaughtered our border people several times, and has also plundered pearls and burned boats! Now that I have verified his guilt, please take a look! Zhu Youzhu took a sip of tea and said with a little anger.

Guo Yong, the eunuch who held the seal of the celebrant and held the seal, had been standing below, and after hearing what Zhu Youzhu said, he asked the little eunuch to distribute the relevant incriminating evidence to all the officials present.

The second assistant Liu Ji didn't like war, but after seeing the crimes listed above, his eyes immediately flashed with a fierce look.

"Now that the north is stable, and the treasury is full, I have decided to conquer Annan and help Zhancheng and other foreign vassals to recover lost territory, so as to promote the prestige of our Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Youzhu came to the guardrail and said amazingly.

(End of chapter)