Unlike He Maocai, who was startled, Zheng Michang, who was not far away, was obviously much calmer.

"Sure enough, it's still not as good as those salt merchants before!"

After finishing his sighing, I saw Zheng Michang turn around, look in the direction where He Maocai was, and commanded: "Without further ado, let's quickly send someone to inform the governor of the news!" ”

He Maocai also deeply agreed with Zheng Michang's proposal, only to see him nod and say in response: "Well, let's sit back and relax!" ”

In He Maocai's view, they can be said to have made a great contribution this time, removing the house deeds, land deeds, and those antique treasures, and they contributed nearly 13 million taels of silver to the national treasury this time.

You must know that the taxes collected by the imperial court from the whole country last year were only 32.8 million taels!

And this time, they not only made a contribution and became familiar in front of the emperor, but also got the account books and got rid of worries.

After this, I saw He Mao call a subordinate and ordered in a deep voice: "Send someone to inform the governor of the situation here immediately, go quickly!" ”

When the subordinate heard this, his expression immediately turned grim, and he replied in a deep voice: "Yes, my lord!" ”

After the subordinate walked away, he saw He Maocai looking around, and a trace of regret flashed on his face.

Although a huge amount of family property was confiscated from the Yuan family's home, neither he nor Zheng Michang dared to do anything with the silver.

After all, the whole thing was followed up by the emperor, and if anyone dared to do anything about it, it would be the old birthday star hanging himself - he was impatient.

After this, I saw He Maocai suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, turned around, looked in the direction where Zheng Michang was, and followed the opening.

"Lao Zheng, we didn't catch any oil and water on this trip!"

"It's okay, there will be someone next, rushing to deliver us silver!"

Hearing this, Zheng Michang raised his head, glanced at He Maocai, and said unhurriedly.

Regarding Zheng Michang's words, He Maocai was a little confused for a while.

Then, I saw him scratch his head, looked in the direction where Zheng Michang was with a puzzled expression, and asked: "Old Zheng, what did you mean by what you just said, what do you mean that someone is rushing to send us silver?" ”

When Zheng Michang heard this, a look of helplessness appeared on his face at the right time, and after taking a sip of the teacup on the table, he explained the reason to He Maocai.

"Lao He, you see, we didn't even say hello this time, and brought someone from Hangzhou to Jiaxing, what will he Wang Yongxian think?"

When Zheng Michang said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued: "He will definitely wonder if it is because the newly appointed governor thinks he is unreliable, so he didn't let us know in advance, and sent us over to take charge of the house!" ”

"If he wants to keep his black gauze hat, he has to do something, the governor's side, he can't speak, so he can only start from us, and now in our hands, we can hold his life!"

After Zheng Michang's reminder, He Mao finally figured out what Zheng Michang's previous words meant.

Then, I saw a look of hindsight on He Maocai's face, and said to himself: "No wonder he Wang Yongxian has been waiting outside since yesterday, it turns out that he is planning like this!" ”

After that, He Maocai slapped his thigh as if he had suddenly thought of something, and continued to add.

"By the way, the Yuan family's crime is to secretly possess weapons and intend to rebel, he Wang Yongxian is the prefect of Jiaxing, the parent official of a place, but he is unaware of this, no matter how he has to convict him of dereliction of duty and negligence, if he turns over the previous lawsuits, he will ......"

"Hmph, if he doesn't know each other, let alone keep the position of the prefect of Jiaxing, even if he loses his life, he is careless!"

When He Maocai said this, he sneered, looking confident.

Zheng Michang took in the expression on He Maocai's face, nodded, and said kindly: "Well, as far as I know, he Wang Yongxian has not received less money from those wealthy gentry in recent years, and we can't come for nothing, no matter how much we have to make some oil and water, right?" ”

After that, I saw Zheng Michang withdraw his gaze from He Maocai's body, and said slowly: "Old He, let's go, let's go meet this Wang Yongxian!" ”

After Zheng Michang finished speaking, without waiting for He Mao to respond, he got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

"Lao Zheng, don't go so fast, wait for me!"

Seeing this, He Mao hurriedly took three steps and two steps to keep up with Zheng Michang's pace.

……

"Xiaguan Wang Yongxian, I've seen two adults!"

After receiving the report from his subordinates, Wang Yongxian didn't care about anything else, and hurriedly came to Zheng Michang and He Maocai in three steps and two steps, leaned down, and said respectfully.

At this time, Wang Yongxian's whole person looked extremely haggard, and since yesterday, he has been waiting near the Yuan family's mansion, and he has not left half a step during this period.

He knew very well in his heart that at the moment, his situation was very dangerous.

Judging from the previous signs, the newly appointed governor of Zhejiang, Zhao Zhenji, obviously did not trust him, otherwise, he would not have sent Zheng Michang and He Maocai to Jiaxing to take charge of the affairs of the house.

Wang Yongxian felt that the purpose of Zheng Michang and He Maocai coming to Jiaxing this time was not pure.

There is a way to kill chickens with a knife, these two are Zhejiang's political envoys, as well as according to the inspection envoys, such trivial things, there is no need for the two of them to go out in person!

Because of this, Wang Yongxian felt that the two came to Jiaxing to raid their homes on the one hand, and to inspect themselves on the other.

After all, Zhao Zhenji was new to the city and didn't know much about the situation in Zhejiang, maybe a rumor reached Zhao Zhenji's ears, so Zhao Zhenji took advantage of the matter of raiding his house, and let Zheng Michang and He Maocai come to inspect him.

Moreover, Zheng Michang and He Maocai's attitude towards themselves before was also very intriguing, and they looked like they were doing business.

In Wang Yongxian's opinion, only by getting rid of Zheng Michang and He Maocai can he keep the black gauze hat on his head and get out of the Yuan family's sunken ship smoothly.

After He Maocai looked Wang Yongxian up and down, he replied imperceptibly: "Hmm." ”

"The two adults came to Jiaxing from Hangzhou, all the way to Jiaxing, but also because of the Yuan family's affairs, they have not rested for a moment, and they have been tired until now, and the lower officials have ordered someone to prepare a banquet for the two adults, and please be sure to enjoy the face of the two adults!"

When Wang Yongxian's words fell, after Zheng Michang and He Maocai exchanged glances with each other, they saw Zheng Michang nodding and commanding: "Well, lead the way!" ”

Seeing that Zheng Michang and He Maocai agreed to their request, Wang Yongxian only felt ecstatic, and couldn't help responding: "Yes, two adults, please come with the officials!" ”

……

A day later, Zhejiang, the Governor's Palace.

At this moment, in the study, Zhao Zhenji was methodically processing the official documents sent by the officials of the Governor's Mansion.

After a period of familiarity, Zhao Zhenji has become more and more comfortable with many affairs of the Governor's Palace.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door from outside, Zhao Zhenji saw this situation, put the processed official document aside, and commanded: "Come in!" ”

When the words fell, the door of the study was pushed open, and after a while, I saw a Xu official walk in, leaning down and respectfully reporting: "Lord Governor, Lord Zheng, Lord He, they have sent someone back from Jiaxing, and they are currently waiting outside!" ”

"Well, it seems that most of it is from the Yuan family in Jiaxing, there is news!"

Zhao Zhenji thought so, and immediately came back to his senses, looked in the direction where the official was, nodded, and commanded: "Well, the official knows, let him in!" ”

"Yes, Governor!"

After answering the call, the official did not stop in the room for the slightest, and immediately walked away.

After a while, under the guidance of a guard, I saw someone enter the study.

After entering the study, he subconsciously looked in the direction where Zhao Zhenji was, leaned down, and said respectfully: "The lower official has seen the governor!" ”

When Zhao Zhenji heard this, he glanced at the person who came, and asked, "Lord Zheng, Lord He, are they still going well?" ”

When the people heard Zhao Zhenji's words, they didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, and even told everything they knew.

"Lord Governor, everything is going well, Lord Zheng and Lord He, from the home of the Yuan family in Jiaxing, a total of 12.82 million taels of silver have been confiscated, and in addition, the land occupied by the Yuan family adds up to a total of 198,000 mu!"

When the visitor said this, he paused, and then continued to add: "In addition, there are countless house deeds, mansions, and antique treasures!" ”

After learning the news from the mouths of the people, Zhao Zhenji couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and the stone hanging in his heart finally landed safely.

For Zhao Zhenji, with such an achievement, he can barely give the emperor an errand.

In Zhao Zhenji's view, it is not important how many silver taels were copied from the Yuan family, but the important thing is that the living example of the Yuan family proves the seriousness of the land annexation phenomenon in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

A Jiaxing Yuan family has annexed nearly 200,000 acres of land, not to mention, there is more than one Yuan family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang!

After that, I saw Zhao Zhenji suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, withdrew his gaze from the person who came, and commanded: "Well, this official knows, you can go down and rest!" ”

"Yes, Governor!"

After answering, the visitor left the study directly.

After the visitor left the study, he saw Zhao Zhenji spread out the pen and paper, and after thinking about it for a long time, he picked up the pen and wrote it.

"Your Majesty, Weichen Zhao Zhenji, there has been some progress in the matter of the Yuan family in Jiaxing recently."

"Weichen sent someone to raid the Yuan family in Jiaxing, and from the Yuan family's home, 12.82 million taels of silver were confiscated, and there were countless house deeds, mansions, antiques, etc., in addition, the land occupied by the Yuan family in the name of the Yuan family totaled 198,000 mu!"

"It can be seen that the land annexation situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is serious, and Wechen feels that the next thing should be ......"

When the last word fell, I saw Zhao Zhenji put the brush in his hand back in place, and after checking it several times to confirm that there were no mistakes or omissions, Zhao Zhenji was relieved.

When the ink on the paper was dry, I saw Zhao Zhenji put it in an envelope, and then called his cronies and commanded: "Deliver this letter to Your Majesty as soon as possible, do you understand?" ”

Regarding Zhao Zhenji's words, the cronie naturally did not dare to disobey, only to see him take the envelope with a solemn face and respond in a deep voice: "Yes, my lord!" ”

After that, I saw Zhao Zhenji retract his gaze, waved his hand, and commanded: "Without further ado, let's set off as soon as possible!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

After the cronie left the study, he saw Zhao Zhenji pick up the teacup on the table, and after taking a sip, an inexplicable look appeared on his face.

Zhao Zhenji knew very well in his heart that after a while, the news of the raid of the Yuan family in Jiaxing would spread to the capital.

At that time, he will inevitably be pushed to the cusp, and those wealthy gentry who feel a sense of crisis will definitely try their best to impeach themselves.

"Next, the DPRK and China should not be too peaceful!"

……

Since Xu Jie realized that the whole thing had nothing to do with Hai Rui, the right capital of the Inspectorate, he ordered those under him to stop the impeachment of Zheng Michang and He Maocai.

After Xu Jie's side stopped, those officials who had previously received the Yuan family's silver, or who had received favors from the Yuan family, also stopped impeachment one after another.

In the eyes of those people, Xu Jie must have smelled something unusual in the direction of the wind, so he chose to stop.

Those officials who had received the Yuan family's money and promised to help impeach Zheng Michang and He Maocai were the first to stop.

For them, keeping the black gauze hat on their head is the first priority, as long as the black gauze hat on their head is still there, then the silver will continue to roll towards them.

As for those officials who have received the favor of the Yuan family, they are - come and feed the son to eat bread. JPG。

Because of this, the government and the opposition gradually calmed down, and the time came to mid-November.

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Jiajing was sitting on the dragon chair, casually flipping through the notes sent by the celebrant supervisor.

"That's right, it's almost the end of the year, who doesn't want to take this opportunity to rush the performance!"

Jiajing put aside the letter in his hand after reading the letter from the Inspectorate, and said with emotion.

After this, Jiajing suddenly had a flash of inspiration, rubbed his chin with one hand, and thought so.

"By the way, since it's almost the end of the year, I just take this opportunity to let the cabinet or the ministry make a ranking."

"Then according to the ranking, a year-end bonus will be issued to the six departments, the five armies, the five temples, the divisions, and other departments!"

"In this way, it can be regarded as paving the way for the test method to be implemented in the future, with such a layer of foreshadowing, the resistance to the implementation in the future will also be much smaller, now you might as well let them taste some sweetness, and then it will be a big stick!"

The more Jiajing thought about it, the more feasible he felt, and at this moment, he saw Lu Fang walking in with a silent step.

After entering the Qianqing Palace, Lu Fang subconsciously looked in the direction where Jiajing was, leaned down, and said respectfully: "The slave has seen Your Majesty!" ”

Jiajing was very happy about Lu Fang's arrival, only to see him beckoning and motioning for Lu Fang to step forward: "Lu Fang, you came just in time, I happen to have one thing, I want to hear your opinion!" ”

Seeing this, Lu Fang had no choice but to swallow the words that he had not had time to say back into his stomach.

He came to Qianqing Palace in order to hand over the handwritten letter sent by Zhao Zhenji to Jiajing.

After this, I saw that Lu Fang's face was full of humility, and he said kindly: "Your Majesty, the slave and maid are stupid, and I am afraid of delaying state affairs......"

Before Lu Fang's words were finished, he was interrupted impatiently by Jiajing: "Okay, don't be humble, it's just a trivial matter!" ”

When Lu Fang heard this, the whole person couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and after that, he only heard Jiajing's slightly excited voice ringing in his ears.

"Lu Fang, it looks like it's coming to the end of the year, I plan to let the cabinet or the ministry make a ranking, and then give the six departments, the five armies, the five temples and other departments according to the ranking, and issue year-end bonuses!"

When Jiajing said this, he added a sentence closely: "Of course, your celebrant is also among them!" ”

"Your Majesty, please forgive the slave and maid for being stupid, what does the year-end bonus mean?"

After listening to Jiajing's narration, Lu Fang had a slight look of doubt on his face, and asked in words.

Jiajing took in the expression on Lu Fang's face, and explained unhurriedly: "This is a new word I just came up with, as the name suggests, it is the reward given by the imperial court to those departments who are efficient and conscientious at the end of the year!" ”

After listening to Jiajing's explanation, a look of surprise appeared on Lu Fang's face.

After this, I saw Lu Fang gather his mind, raise his head to look in the direction of Jiajing, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the slave maid thinks that this strategy is very good, so that not only those civil and military officials in the court can have a hope, but also can improve the efficiency of work to a certain extent." ”

"More importantly, the civil and military officials will definitely be grateful to Your Majesty!"

When Jiajing heard this, after pondering for a while, he commanded: "Well, since that's the case, when the time comes, find a time to call Yan Song and Xu Jie, and discuss it well!" ”

Seeing that Jiajing had already made a decision, he saw Lu Fang bow his head and respond respectfully: "Obey, Your Majesty!" ”

……

After that, I saw Lu Fang unhurriedly, took out the letter sent by Zhao Zhenji from his sleeve, and handed it to Jiajing, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, here is the letter sent by Zhao Zhenji to you!" ”

When Jiajing heard this, he raised his eyebrows, and then took the letter from Lu Fang's hand.

"Zhao Zhenji wrote a letter to me, it should be that there is news from the Yuan family in Jiaxing!"

Jiajing said so, then opened the envelope in his hand, and browsed the contents on it with great concentration, only to see that it was written.

"Your Majesty, Weichen Zhao Zhenji, there has been some progress in the matter of the Yuan family in Jiaxing recently."

"Weichen sent someone to raid the Yuan family in Jiaxing, and from the Yuan family's home, 12.82 million taels of silver were confiscated, and there were countless house deeds, mansions, antiques, etc., in addition, the land occupied by the Yuan family in the name of the Yuan family totaled 198,000 mu!"

"It can be seen that the land annexation situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is serious, and Wechen feels that the next thing should be ......"

Time passed slowly, I don't know how long it took, I saw Jiajing put down the letter in his hand, and said with emotion: "This Zhao Zhenji, you did a good job!" ”

From the moment Jiajing just started to browse the letters in his hand, Lu Fang has been beside him, secretly observing the expression on Jiajing's face, and at this moment, after hearing Jiajing's emotion, Lu Fang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Immediately, I saw that he had organized the language in his mind, and asked curiously: "Your Majesty, is there good news from Zhao Zhenji's side?" ”

"See for yourself!"

After Jiajing finished speaking, he handed the letter in his hand to Lu Fang's hand.

After Lu Fang respectfully took the letter from Jiajing's hand, he began to browse through the contents of it.

The first sentence on the letter paper shocked Lu Fang.

"What, Zhao Zhenji didn't say a word, and directly led people to copy the Yuan family's home in Jiaxing, from which 12.82 million taels of silver and nearly 200,000 acres of land were confiscated!"

"If this news spreads, it will definitely cause an uproar in the government and the opposition, and at that time, he Zhao Zhenji will be pushed to the forefront and become the target of public criticism, and I am afraid that he will ...... at that time."

Just when Lu Fang's face was cloudy, he only heard Jiajing's voice without a trace of emotion: "Lu Fang, what do you think?" ”

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, after considering the sentence, he cautiously responded: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, the slave maid feels that if this matter spreads, it will definitely cause heated discussions in the court, and when the time comes, Zhao Zhenji will be pushed to the cusp! ”

"In addition, as far as the slave maid knows, the relationship between the Yuan family in Jiaxing and the DPRK is complicated, and it is inevitable that officials will stand up and attack the ...... at that time."

After listening to Lu Fang's narration, Jiajing nodded, and turned to speak: "Lu Fang, I understand what you said, but I just want to see how much resistance there is to this matter!" ”

After this, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Lu Fang's body, and commanded: "Recently, keep an eye on me, and if there is any movement in the court, report to me immediately!" ”

When Jiajing's words fell, I saw Lu Fang's expression dark, and he responded in a deep voice: "Obey, Your Majesty!" ”

……

When night falls, the Forbidden City, the celebrant is on duty.

In the duty room, Huang Jin, Feng Bao, and several other eunuchs were busy criticizing the recitals sent to the celebrants.

At this moment, I saw Lu Fang walking quietly and entering the duty room.

Seeing Lu Fang's arrival, everyone stopped what they were doing, got up from their seats, bowed to Lu Fang, and said, "Ancestor! ”

Hearing this, Lu Fang glanced over everyone's bodies and sat down on the main seat by himself.

After that, I saw Huang Jin step forward and ask very respectfully: "Ancestor, why do you have time to come to the celebrant today?" ”

Facing everyone's curious eyes, I saw Lu Fang wave his hand and said unhurriedly: "Our family came here this time to tell you a piece of news in advance!" ”

When Lu Fang said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued: "It looks like the end of the year is approaching, Your Majesty said, the cabinet or the Ministry of Officials will take the lead in the next ranking, and then according to the ranking, the six departments, the five armies, the five temples and other departments will be issued year-end bonuses!" ”

"Our celebrant is also among them, and he can also receive the year-end bonus issued by His Majesty!"

Feng Bao, who was on the side, heard Lu Fang's words, and a look of doubt appeared on his face, and immediately, he plucked up his courage and asked, "Godfather, what does this year-end bonus mean?" ”

When Lu Fang heard this, he looked in the direction where Feng Bao was, shook his head, and explained: "You don't even know this, this year-end bonus, as the name suggests, is ......" (end of this chapter)