In the capital in December, the snow falls in the north, and it is covered in snow.

The Taiye Pond in the center of the West Garden has been frozen, and the royal garden is also covered in snow, except for the palace to the west, which still shows its yellow roof.

A group of important officials of the imperial court wore robes, stood against the snowflakes falling from the sky, and walked in from the palace gate with the snow that was too late to be cleared, and everyone's faces looked solemn.

After they followed the eunuch to the imperial study, they first shook off the snow under the eaves in front of the door, and respectfully walked inside to worship.

The floor heating in the imperial study has been fully activated, not only with a steady stream of heating rising from the ground, but also with a faint sandalwood wafting in the air.

The Supreme Council of the Ming Dynasty was always here, and now they are here to solve the problems encountered by the empire.

In the process of implementing the imperial decree, it is inevitable to encounter some obstacles, and now the resistance appears in Jiangnan. Whether it was agriculture or commerce, Jiangnan was the most important region of the empire.

"Xinghua County has not issued a silver dollar decree so far!"

"There are no silver dollars in the market of Huizhou Mansion now!"

"A famous Confucian in Chun'an called the new money fake money and called on Shilin to reject it!"

……

The Hongzhi Dynasty introduced its most far-reaching move this year, formally abolishing the silver standard, which had been prevalent in the empire, only to meet with unprecedented resistance in Jiangnan.

The city of Beijing was at the foot of the Son of Heaven, the imperial court governed the entire elite class, and the people here had a certain right to speak, so the abolition of the silver standard achieved remarkable results.

Although it is inevitable that ordinary people still use silver for transactions, the vast majority of transactions are settled with copper coins and silver dollars, and the new currency can be said to completely replace the status of silver.

The benefits of silver dollars are actually obvious, not to mention that the scale of the store is easy to run out of catties and taels, and the impurities of silver taels are different, and the final fire consumption will lose a lot of losses.

The current silver dollar has a fixed face value and is directly tied to a lower face value copper coin, which undoubtedly greatly enhances the fairness of both parties to the transaction.

It's just that the silver dollar that was unimpeded in the capital turned out to be difficult to implement in the rich Jiangnan area, and it was met with many resistances.

At this point, the contradiction between the imperial court and the landlord class in Jiangnan unexpectedly broke out at this moment.

The reason for this is that the influence of the Ming court in Jiangnan has already been greatly weakened, and the abolition of the silver standard by the imperial court has indeed infringed on the core interests of the landlord class.

More than 100 years have passed since the dynasty, the social class has long been solidified, and the vast majority of wealth has been controlled by a small number of people.

How could they be willing to abolish the silver standard just because Japan had large silver mines and many silver mines overseas, and they had accumulated a lot of silver for generations.

The imperial court's decree abolishing the silver standard was fine elsewhere, as many areas were so poor that the imperial court could guarantee the purchasing power of the silver dollar.

The Jiangnan region was completely unacceptable, as the dynasty had been somewhat curbing land annexation, and silver was an important form of their wealth.

Now that they have finally accumulated such a large amount of wealth, how can they let this innumerable amount of cellar silver depreciate greatly and even be unable to circulate and be used?

As for whether Japan will loot the social resources of the Ming Dynasty because of its large silver mines, this is not their concern, or it is not important at all.

It is precisely in this way that the abolition of the silver standard has greatly violated the core interests of the landlord class in Jiangnan, and now almost the entire landlord class is preventing the circulation of silver dollars.

Zhu Youzhu sat in the attic as a spectator as before, and after accepting the kneeling salute of these important ministers, he asked Liu Jin to signal that they could enter the meeting.

"It is really difficult to implement new money in Jiangnan!"

"Even if it's difficult, we have to do it, do we have to sweep away our goods for Japan and barbarians?"

"We can't force them to use silver dollars with knives on their necks, so what's the difference between this and the Northern Captives?"

……

The main purpose of today's Supreme Council was to discuss the obstacles to the implementation of the new currency in Jiangnan, and although they were aware of the importance of abolishing the silver standard, they were also reluctant to use force.

Theoretically, the imperial court can indeed solve this problem by force, but in the actual implementation process, it is easy to create a large resistance force.

When encountering financial crises, all dynasties usually thought of issuing large amounts of money to solve them, but the collapse of the monetary system was often exacerbated by the use of large sums of money, and even more prompted the landlord class to defect.

Now they want to force all the landlords in Jiangnan to use the new currency by force, and if they can, they will have to face unpredictable turmoil.

The most important thing is that once the dynasty completely loses the support of the people and loses the entire Jiangnan region, it will inevitably face the fate of regime change.

Although Xu Qiong's reputation is not as good as Liu Ji and Yin Zhi, she is a staunch emperor: "Empty talk misleads the country, but hard work prospers the country!" Don't complain here, how should our imperial court implement new money in Jiangnan next, and we must come up with a feasible solution today! ”

Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, and Jia Jun, the secretary of the ministry, knew that just complaining was really useless, but in the face of this thorny problem, they couldn't help but secretly feel a headache.

According to the current situation, the landlord class in Jiangnan has begun to unite, and it is simply difficult for the imperial court to abolish the silver standard by decree.

"Although we have encountered obstacles, our imperial court naturally continues to require the entire Jiangnan to implement silver dollar settlement. From the chief of government to the government, to the state and county, all local officials were asked to advocate for the use of the new money and prohibit the circulation of silver in the market! Liu Xuan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was well versed in the way of governing the army, and immediately took the lead in expressing his position.

Since his thinking turned from fiction to reality, he has also realized that the middle and lower ranks of the army are nothing more than power and money, and the local officials who have read the books of the sages must be the same.

As long as the imperial court is in control of the future of local officials, those local officials will not dare to disobey the yang and the yin, but obediently implement the abolition of the silver standard by the Ming court.

Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, moved slightly, and asked seriously: "Liu Shangshu, there is nothing wrong with this direction, but how to put pressure on it layer by layer, and how to make the people of the entire Jiangnan accept the new money?" ”

"Naturally, local officials who fail to implement it will be held accountable! All states and counties that are not active will be dismissed from their posts, but also punished by the prefects! Liu Xuan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, avoided the latter problems, but made a fuss about the enthusiasm of local officials.

Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, was in charge of the promotion of hundreds of officials, but he shook his head lightly and said: "Liu Shangshu, the implementation of the new currency in Jiangnan is not effective, although some officials are slack, but now there are many local officials who want to ask for the people's lives like Song Cheng. Take the county magistrate as an example, there are auxiliary officials, officials and officials in a county, once the people below don't work, the magistrate can't do anything if he wants to work! ”

"Li Shangshu, why do you seem to be exculpating local officials?" Liu Xuan, the secretary of the military department, frowned, but questioned Li Yu's motives.

Officials such as Zhou Jing and other officials of the Ministry of Rites did not have the resume of a local official, and now when they heard Li Yu's remarks about protecting local officials, they couldn't help but look at each other.

Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, knew that some of the officials present were too idealistic, so he said with a serious face: "Don't look at the scenery of Zhixian County, but our Ming officials are all rogue officials, and they only take a few entourages to take up their posts in the local area, and they can't even understand the local dialect." On the other hand, the officials and officials are all locals, and these people are usually related to the local clans and gentry, so the poor implementation of the new currency cannot blame the local officials for lax governance! Only when we find the real cause can we prescribe the right medicine! ”

Although he has no experience in the county, he is also a local supervisor of the imperial history, and has also served as the envoy of Shandong and the political envoy of Shaanxi.

Combined with his actual work experience and the situation reported by the officials below, he realized the importance of yamen officials and errand servants, and once these people united, they could even easily empty the power of the magistrate.

The abolition of the silver standard was not implemented smoothly in Jiangnan, and the new currency could not be opened for a long time. If this is the case in only a few places, then it is natural that the local officials are neglecting their administration, but the problems that are prevalent in the whole region cannot be blamed for the inaction of local officials.

Although it is unbelievable, in some remote areas, in fact, there will be a situation where the magistrate is afraid of the local officials, and even dare not accept the cases of the officials.

For example, there was a rather miraculous case in Xin'an County below Guangdong, where the undertaker in charge of selection was beaten to death by his colleague Lu Rongzu, and as a result, Xin'an Zhixian County did not dare to take care of it, and it was not until the relatives of the bitter lord complained to the Guangzhou government that he was punished.

"Since the officials and the officials are the culprits, then we will hold the officials and the officials accountable!" After Xu Qiong got the information revealed by Li Yu, she immediately made a statement.

Without waiting for Li Yu to express his position, Liu Xuan said bitterly: "Elder Xu Ge, the officials and officials below here are as smooth as oil, not to mention that the base is too large, and they don't necessarily have that rare errand!" ”

The officials of the Ming Dynasty usually have errands that have only been obtained for decades, and there are many officials who want to display their ambitions, and they are also responsible for the rise and fall of the clan, so the future is the lifeblood for them.

It's just that the officials and the officials are all errands for the low-level people to mix a mouthful of food, and if someone gives enough silver taels, they don't care whether they will be dismissed from their posts by the imperial court.

It was precisely in this way that the imperial court was able to blackmail local officials into doing things with their future, but it was very difficult to operate involving thousands of scribes and officials.

"This ...... How's that to be? Xu Qiong found that this was really the case, and was dumbfounded.

Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, and Jia Jun, the secretary of the ministry, silently exchanged a look, although this Xu Qiong was loyal enough to the emperor, but his vision and talent were still lacking.

In the face of such a thorny problem, how can a dignified pavilion elder pick a child?

"This official measured the acres of land in Huguang back then, and encountered countless obstacles, but Chengmeng was valued by His Majesty, and as the governor of Huguang, he overrode the officials of Huguang, and had the right to directly recall the middle and low-level officials and officials, so that Xiao Xiao dared to be angry and did not dare to speak! Since it was not possible to enforce it in Jiangnan by decree at present, the official thought that he could send his important ministers to Jiangnan to take charge of the abolition of the silver standard and the introduction of the new currency. Liu Zhong combined his experience in Huguang and put forward his own proposal.

"It seems to work!"

"The implementation of the new currency is not as good as measuring the acres of land, and the new currency requires the cooperation of others!"

"No matter how difficult it is, send an important minister to Jiangnan to preside over the overall situation!"

"The capital is too far away from Jiangnan, and it is indeed necessary to send ministers to take charge of the overall situation, and those who obstruct can also be punished on the spot!"

……

When Liu Xuan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, and other officials learned of Liu Zhong's proposal, although it was indeed not as simple as measuring acres of land, it was also supported by most people.

In the attic, the fragrance of tea is lingering.

Zhu Youzhi took the teacup handed over by Han Youying, and silently tasted the fragrant tea in his hand.

In fact, he intended to send important ministers to Jiangnan to take charge of the overall situation, but the situation in Jiangnan was much more complicated than many people wanted, and it was extremely difficult to push the existing resistance.

Although he has been in the capital, he has been silently paying attention to the movements of Jiangnan, but he knows that those big families in Jiangnan are slowly uniting against the new coins of the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, the ministers and other ministers are invited to go down to Jiangnan to take charge of the implementation of the new currency!" After the statements of the important ministers present, the first assistant Liu Ji asked Zhu Youji in the attic for instructions.

Liu Jin glanced at Zhu Youji, and said in a unique voice: "Your Majesty is invited by the princes, I don't know who can do it?" ”

As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence below.

Everyone knows that this is an opportunity, but it is also a challenge.

If they can handle things well, then they can naturally return to the court as six Shangshu like Liu Zhong, and even be personally greeted by His Majesty.

It's just that if they mess things up, not only will they not be able to return to the capital, but they may also lose their official positions and say goodbye to their careers completely.

Originally, many people were eager to try, but when they thought of the strength of the big families in Jiangnan, they couldn't help but retreat, but they knew the difficulty of this matter.

Wu Yu, the left attendant of the household department, hesitated for a moment, but took the initiative to ask for help: "The new currency is the affairs of the household department, and now I am afraid that only this official is the most suitable!" ”

Lu Wen and other waiters in the military department heard Wu Yu take the initiative to ask for help, but they couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Although it is a great fortune, the probability of failure is too high, and it is better to honestly wait for a local governor to transition than to gamble on this position.

"Wu Shilang's courage is commendable, but your qualifications are too shallow, and you have no prestige in Jiangnan officialdom, I'm afraid you will shock those Xiaoxiao!" Li Yu, the secretary of the ministry, glanced at Wu Yu, who had just entered middle age, but shook his head lightly.

It's not that he wants to target Wu Yu, but that Wu Yu has been promoted from the Tobu Lang to the Tobe Shilang, and his current qualifications and prestige are too weak. If you go to the general governor's position, there is naturally no problem, but it is not enough to see in Jiangnan at all.

You must know that Jiangnan is entrenched in martial arts, eunuchs, Confucianism and family families, and Wu Yu, who was a small five-grade official a few years ago, can't resist it at all.

"This matter can't be handled by Shangshu, right? Each of us Shangshu is in charge of one, and we are too busy every day, so who can leave? Liu Xuan, the secretary of the military department, suddenly found Li Yu looking at him, and immediately felt ridiculous.

Officials such as Lu Wen, the left attendant of the Ministry of War, realized that Li Yu wanted to let Shangshu-level officials go, but things were really as Liu Xuan said, and they were simply lacking in skills.

Ahem......

Wang Yue, who was sitting next to him, had been enduring the itching of his throat, but suddenly reached a critical point and couldn't help but cough.

Although he has always refused to accept old age, he still has some physical problems in these days of pampering in the capital. Especially this winter, it's easy to run out of energy.

The secretary of the ministry looked at Wang Yue behind Liu Xuan, and finally sighed secretly: "Wu Shilang's qualifications are still shallow, and now the six Shangshu really can't leave, so Lu Wen, the left waiter of the military department, is more suitable!" ”

I?

Lu Wen, the left attendant of the military department, was still happy that he had escaped a catastrophe just now, but he didn't want to be recommended by Li Yu, the secretary of the high-ranking ministry, so he suddenly pointed to his nose like eating a hundred flies.

Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, and other officials found that there was no problem with Li Yu's thinking, so they nodded in agreement.

Don't......

Lu Wen, the left attendant of the military department, wants to cry without tears at the moment, although on the surface he is still trying to maintain his character of not being afraid of things, but in his heart he hopes that there will be variables.

Unlike other officials who have a prosperous official path, they have served as the Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple in Nanjing for many years, but they know how deep the water in the south of the Yangtze River is. Not to mention that he is a small soldier of the left squire, even if the military department is still in the book, he will be drowned.

It's just that he is destined to be disappointed, because he is usually too arrogant and upright, but his qualifications and prestige are very high, so he was unanimously recommended to the emperor by everyone.

"Now that the end of the year is approaching, I am not a mean king, and there is no need to rush to Jiangnan! Lu Wen can prepare first, and I will make a decision after the year! Zhu Youzhu said lightly in the face of the candidates launched by the important ministers below.

The abolition of the silver standard is related to the rise and fall of China, and the candidate in his heart is not in Shilang, because the six books cannot be left at all, so the real intention is the cabinet ministers.

Liu Ji, as the first assistant, is naturally not suitable to be sent to Jiangnan, Xu Qiong's vision and ability are not enough to win or lose, so in fact, only Wang Yue and Yin Zhi are left.

What he likes most in his heart is Wang Yue, but Wang Yue is not young, but there is obviously something wrong with his body, so he can't bear to let this old minister bear this pressure anymore.

But now that the New Year has come to an end, no matter how anxious he is, he has to let the family set off after the New Year, and he wants to think carefully about the candidates during this period.

Finished!

Lu Wen, the left attendant of the military department, was completely dumbfounded, although he got a respite from the Spring Festival, he knew that his career was going to be ruined by the appointment after this year.

Wang Yue has now cultivated a pair of fiery eyes, but he glanced at Lu Wen deeply, knowing that he might have to go to the matter by himself.

Yin Zhi noticed Wang Yue's reaction, and thought of this colleague who had silently served the empire and the people all his life, and he also made a decision in his heart.

"Haha...... Our merchant ship has returned smoothly! ”

"It's great to come back this time and not have to pay taxes!"

"It's too easy to earn Yinliang now, and this year I'm going to be a groom in Cuihualou every night!"

……

Compared with the worries of Beijing, with the smooth return of the ships that returned with full loads, the entire family in the south of the Yangtze River presented a grand scene of celebration.

Although a large part of the cake of the maritime trade was stolen by the capital through cotton cloth, their porcelain, silk, and books were all coveted overseas and were also richly rewarded by trade.

What's more, they also found silver mines on the island of Kyushu this time. As the tyrant said, there are indeed a lot of silver mines in Japan, and they will share the silver mine cake with the Otomo family in Japan.

The time quietly came to the end of December, and there was an unexpected thing.

The golden fleet from Luzon to the capital encountered a storm, and one of the golden ships ran aground, only to encounter a merchant ship returning from Japan and its escort ship.

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youji, who was resting in the palace, got the latest information, and immediately gritted his teeth and said: "Immediately spread that Wang Yue and Yin Zhiji will meet you, and I want Jiangnan to know what color it should belong to!" (End of chapter)