Because the gentry class of the Ming Dynasty was too powerful, and the local officials were all marginal roles in the officialdom, the local officials of the Ming Dynasty were often subject to the local gentry group.

Because the income of Ming officials was extremely low, in terms of financial resources, local officials were at a natural disadvantage, and even were subject to local gentry here.

Fang Bosong, the prefect of Huizhou, received filial piety silver from local squires, which was not a very rare phenomenon, but had become a common means for local squires to win over local officials.

The reason why the ban on silver has not been successfully implemented is precisely because this decree has been blocked by the gentry group, which has led to a dilemma for local officials.

"Yes!" Fang Bosong sighed gloomily in his heart and replied bitterly.

Master Wu and the others knelt behind them, and couldn't help but sigh, but they knew that Fang Bosong's career had come to an end.

Ma Feng's eyelids raised, and he asked sternly: "They gave you 2,500 taels of silver, but did you ask you to help them do illegal things?" ”

"Since the lower officials took office, although they have indeed taken care of them, they have never done anything illegal, and have always abided by the legal system of the imperial court!" Although Fang Bosong can't control his greed, he can keep the bottom line of his officials.

At the beginning of his tenure, it was the first time he had seen so much money in vain, and he didn't have to pay a big price, so he couldn't help but feel a little greedy in the end.

Even though he knew that if he took the money, he would be subject to the squire, but at that time he thought that if he coexisted peacefully with the village, everything would be fine.

If he had known that there would be today's evil consequences, he would not have accepted the silver taels under any circumstances.

Ma Feng didn't seem satisfied with this answer, and emphasized with a serious face: "You just need to answer yes or no!" ”

"Nope!" Fang Bosong shook his head with certainty and denied that there was really no such thing as aiding and abusive.

Ma Feng's face suddenly sang solemnly: "By Your Majesty's command!" Where a squire gives silver, he can cast silverware for his own use. If you dare to make money in the market, you know the law and break the law, and the crime will be increased by one degree. For parents and officials, they should reflect on themselves, and silver is the source of calamity! Today, the imperial court bans silver should not only be limited to merchants and ordinary people, but officials should also set an example. ”

"Minister...... If you obey the order, you will not be in the market, and you will lead by example! Fang Bosong's head was a little twisted, but he still made a statement immediately.

Ma Feng glanced at Fang Bosong coldly, looked up at the sky, and couldn't help frowning slightly.

Master Wu, who was kneeling behind, was bathing in the sunset, but he caught Ma Feng's expression changing, so he reached out and secretly pulled a Fang Bosong's official uniform.

Fang Bosong was waiting for the next step, and raised his face blankly and said, "It's over?" ”

This time, he was mentally prepared to be punished, and he had been waiting for the wrath of thunder. It's just that he didn't expect that things seemed to be different from what he thought.

Ma Feng's brows furrowed again: "Otherwise? ”

"Grandpa Ma, it's not early, we beg you to stay, we will give you a grand reception!" Master Wu helped Fang Bosong, who was full of excitement, to his feet and made arrangements in a flattering manner.

Ma Feng nodded lightly, and reminded him at the end: "Work hard, Your Majesty not only wants to see the effectiveness of your ban on silver, but also pays attention to the cases of evil gentry bullying and goodness, this southern tour is to give the people of Jiangnan a peaceful and prosperous world!" ”

"Thank you Ma Gonggong for mentioning the point, keep in mind the officials!" Fang Bosong suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and nodded hurriedly.

Since it was not early, Ma Feng decided to stay here for one night and go back early tomorrow morning, so he stayed at the Yin Hotel in Huizhou Mansion.

When Fang Bosong asked Ma Feng to stay, he still asked in disbelief: "Master Wu, what is the emperor's intention?" ”

"Your Majesty knows that the Jiangnan squire is preventing the ban on silver, and this time I am afraid that I hope you will do something to the squire!" Master Wu's eyes flashed with a touch of wisdom, but he was making a judgment.

Fang Bosong's brows furrowed, but he said with difficulty: "There are too many squires in Huizhou Mansion!" ”

"We can pick a typical squire to dispose of, or kill the last batch first! Your Majesty is worthy of being a Ming Jun, we are going to ban silver now, and we really can't prevent it all at once, but we want to frustrate the spirit of those squires! Master Wu stretched out his hand and pinched the Bazi Hu, and it seemed that Zhizhu was holding the authentic road.

Fang Bosong has completely broken with the squire group in Huizhou Mansion, but he still said puzzledly: "This official doesn't have to be afraid of those squires anymore, but I won't pursue the matter of accepting two thousand five hundred taels of filial piety and silver?" ”

The 2,500 taels of filial piety silver was a thorn in his heart, and now being stabbed to the emperor by the squire of Huizhou Mansion can be said to be inevitable, but things suddenly became incredible.

"Didn't Your Majesty just say it clearly? The silver accepted by Dong Weng may be minted for his own use and is not allowed to circulate in the market. As long as Dong Weng does not violate the holy will, he will naturally not be held accountable by the imperial court, after all, silver is not currency today. It's just that this matter was finally poked out, and even if the effect of the Huizhou government's ban on silver cannot be the first, it must be ranked in the forefront, otherwise it will be difficult to ensure that it will be held accountable by the imperial court afterwards! Master Wu patiently explained.

Fang Bosong's hanging heart finally let go, and he surged up with greed again: "Since the emperor doesn't ask for guilt, can this mansion still compete for the position of governor of Fengyang?" ”

"Our Majesty has always reused Wan'an back then, if Dong Weng can really do a good job of the errand that His Majesty attaches importance to, let alone a trivial Fengyang governor in his eyes, Dong Weng will not be able to win the six books in the future!" Master Wu is full of confidence.

Fang Bosong looked at the last rays of the sunset, and suddenly there was a sense of comfort that the catastrophe had completely passed: "Pass the order, copy the guys from this mansion!" ”

The night is like ink, and the streets and alleys of Huizhou City are quiet and deep.

After some rectification, Zuixianju reopened, and business was not affected by the closure, and it became lively again. The special upstairs private room is brightly lit, contrasting with the darkness outside.

In the private room, a huge mahogany table is filled with all kinds of delicacies: abalone, bird's nest, bear's paw, deer antler velvet...... Every dish is a luxury that ordinary people can hardly reach.

"The square stone statue is against us, it is really self-defeating!"

"It is said that the Son of Heaven is a tyrant, and this time the square stone statue is going to be divided into five horses, right?"

"Huh...... The emperor's actions are really fast, and he is really vicious! ”

……

Li Shen, Cheng Dexing and others sat around the table, their faces full of satisfied and smug smiles, celebrating the elimination of Fang Bosong, the prefect of Huizhou, who did not know each other.

They held delicate wine glasses in their hands, which were full of mellow wine, and when they thought of Fang Bosong, who was about to fall to the ground, they toasted and congratulated each other.

Cheng Dexing gently picked up a piece of abalone with chopsticks, put it to his mouth and savored it, as if he was tasting the ultimate delicacy in the world, and then gave Li Shen a thumbs up.

Li Shen was forced to close down for rectification due to the drunken immortal residence, and he was forced to pay a deposit, and he hated Fang Bosong in his heart, and at this time he was also tasting the antler velvet on the table.

Wine and delicacies, and a beautiful woman playing the piano next to them, the squires here are so unhappy that they feel that their lives are simply more comfortable than the emperor's.

However, just as this extravagant atmosphere reached its peak, the door of the private room was suddenly pushed open.

Fang Bosong, who was wearing a crimson official uniform, rushed in with the yacha, and a murderous aura instantly spread.

The environment that was originally full of laughter and laughter instantly became silent, leaving only the horror and gasps on the faces of the squires when they saw Fang Bosong.

"Ashlar?"

He ...... Why is he still wearing an official uniform? ”

"Hasn't he already been condemned by the emperor?"

……

Li Shen, Cheng Dexing and other squires were extremely shocked when they saw Fang Bosong, who suddenly appeared with a catcher, and then muttered to themselves in confusion.

Although their news could not be reported in real time, the emperor sent down the eunuch to ask him in the first sentence if he had received a bribe of 2,500 taels of silver, which was the exact news that should have been transmitted back from their inside.

Fang Bosong saw through their thoughts at a glance, and solemnly arched his hand in the direction of Nanjing City: "Are you strange why this mansion has not been dismissed?" Your Majesty, the silver given by you has been ordered by this government to be minted and will not be circulated in the city. ”

Silver drowning device?

The squires present were shocked again, they didn't expect this prefect to dare to do such a luxurious thing, was this because he didn't die fast enough?

"Governor Fang, you are so extravagant, aren't you afraid that our Huizhou Mansion squires will jointly impeach you?" Li Shen thought that he had caught Fang Bosong's pigtail, so he threatened with a gloomy face.

Silver is such a noble thing that even the rich and noble would not behave like this.

On the contrary, the prefect of Huizhou not only admitted to accepting their silver taels, but also used silver to cast drowning weapons, which is clearly a negative teaching material for corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty.

Fang Bosong found that the other party couldn't understand what he wanted to express, so he smiled coldly: "Silver is a cheap thing, you give it to this mansion, how can this mansion be valuable." Now that the imperial court has banned silver, all the monarchs should take this government as an example, and don't let such cheap goods pass through the city! If you don't know what to do with these cheap things, you can also send them to your own house, and your house will cast them for others to give. ”

This is undoubtedly a naked provocation and a slap in the face.

They originally thought that if they poked out the matter of giving them a silver tael, Fang Bosong must be in a catastrophe, and they didn't want the silver that they originally regarded as a treasure to be redefined by the emperor.

Since silver is a cheap thing, Fang Bosong naturally did not accept bribes, and the casting of drowning weapons can be said to be in response to the call of the imperial court.

"It is really a miracle that someone is obviously greedy for ink, but now he is not punished!" Cheng Dexing had already understood the true meaning, but he sarcastically said hatefully.

If silver was the currency, Fang Bosong's amount of ink greed far exceeded 800 yuan, which was enough to behead three times.

It's just that now, in order to implement the ban on silver, the emperor turned a blind eye to Fang Bosong's crimes. By this measure, the way they thought they were pinching the local officials by seven inches of corruption has now become ineffective.

Fang Bosong's eyes were as cold as a knife, and his voice was loud and firm: "Li Shen, Cheng Dexing, and everyone present, are you guilty?" ”

His voice echoed through the chamber like thunder, making the squires tremble involuntarily, and suddenly they thought of the crimes they had committed over the years.

Fang Bosong directly counted their crimes: "Do you really think that this mansion really knows nothing all these years? Li Zitao, you forcibly occupied the field of your neighbor Li Si, causing him to die in a hurry. Zhang Hongzhong, you colluded with the bandits to kidnap Li Zitao's son to ask for money, and the leader of the bandits has already confessed to Jianglong. Sun Zhongshu, you have already committed a lot of crimes in the fish and meat township with your own identity...... Ladies and gentlemen, what you have done is intolerable! ”

With Fang Bosong's voice complaining, the fear of the squires present became more and more intense.

It would be fine if Fang Bosong wronged them, but it was all facts, and even some things could not be denied at all. It was as if they saw their own miserable future, that a catastrophe was about to befall them, and the horror in their eyes could not be concealed.

"Governor Fang, stay a line!" Cheng Dexing was the leader of this group of squires, and he warned with a gloomy face.

Fang Bosong thought that he was almost killed by the other party, and responded jokingly: "Cheng Dexing, you have an affair with Li Shen's wife, do you really think that it is seamless?" ”

Li Shen has been eating melons on the side, and now when he heard this revelation, he looked at Cheng Dexing in shock.

Cheng Dexing was startled at first, and then denied it, but Li Shen, who saw the clue, rushed over and grabbed his face, causing him to have to fight with Li Shen.

The two people who were in the same camp just now are now enemies of life and death, and the two of them soon hung their lotteries.

"Prefect, please spare us! We know it's wrong, and we'll never dare again! A squire suddenly knelt down in front of Fang Bosong and begged for mercy with tears in his eyes.

His pleas for mercy seemed to open Pandora's box, and the other squires fell to their knees, crying and begging for mercy. Although they are arrogant and domineering on weekdays, they are as helpless and pitiful as lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

However, Fang Bosong did not waver in his determination because of this, but waved his hand lightly: "Send them all to the government prison, and this government will judge them one by one!" ”

The catchers who were present had been waiting for a long time, and immediately stepped forward to lock up the squires away.

The cries and begs for mercy echoed in the night sky, and they finally realized the terrible power of the emperor and the power of the officials, but they could not change the tragic fate they were about to face.

But who is to blame for this?

Now the knife holder neck knows that it regrets, but it is already too late.

The southward movement of the Son of Heaven, coupled with a certain degree of whipping and connivance towards them, caused the fourteen prefects and four prefects to bite the Fang Squire group like mad dogs.

In fact, not only Huizhou Prefecture, but also the other thirteen prefectures and the four prefectures directly under the central government are like iron hearts, changing the previous practice of grinding foreign workers, but have vigorously implemented the imperial court's ban on silver.

In particular, silver was redefined by the emperor and abolished the status of currency, so they could be unscrupulous when they lifted the shackles, but they vented their anger on the local squires.

Now they have only one thought: those who dare to block the ban on silver will all go to hell. (End of chapter)