Wanli Youming

Chapter 104

After hearing this, Ma Ziqiang sighed: "Forget it, let's just see him."

So, not long after, You Qi's nephew, Li Ji, came to Ma Ziqiang's place, saluted as a junior, and said, "The late student has met Mr. Ge."

"My good nephew is Mr. Chu Bin's nephew. There should be no formality."

Ma Ziqiang said something with a smile, and asked someone to serve tea to Li Ji, and after asking Li Ji some gossip, he got straight to the point: "I don't know what your nephew wants to say here?"

Li Ji then said: "There is a rich businessman in Songjiang who is related to Mr. Xu and has done a lot of overseas business. He also has a woman who is very good at poetry, so she is inevitably high-spirited. She said that she would rather be a talented concubine than a farm wife. Uncle Mu is talented, and wants to present his daughter as a concubine, and give [-]% of Haili to his uncle as a dowry, I wonder if elder Ge can facilitate this?"

"If things can be done, this wealthy businessman will give half of the price to the old man as a gift of thanking the coal, and another 20 taels of silver will be given to the old man for the matchmaking fee."

After Ma Ziqiang heard this, he knew that this was a bribe for him and the Zhang family, and it was obvious that You Qi of the Zhang family was willing to accept the bribe, and hoped that Ma Ziqiang would also accept the bribe, so it was not easy to refuse directly , had to laugh and said: "May this be done!"

Li Ji was overjoyed, and after flattering Ma Ziqiang for a while, he left.

After Li Ji left, Ma Yi asked Ma Ziqiang: "Father, do we really want to accept half of Haili's gift and 20 taels of silver?"

Ma Ziqiang said: "Our family's profits are all due to power, not what we should have. Therefore, whether we should give up or not is not up to us, but the more powerful people." It’s up to you, so keep it first, and talk about it after you return to Beijing. If you don’t accept it now, you’ll scare the snake away.”

"As for You Qi, I will ask Yuan Fu face-to-face for my father's instructions when he returns to Beijing."

Ma Yi clapped her hands and said yes.

Then, Ma Ziqiang said: "Order to go on, three days later, I will go to Huating to meet Mr. Xu."

Ma Yi continued to say yes.

Three days later.

Outside Xu's house in Huating, the road is full of cars and horses, and the official boats are like a forest.

And Xu Jie led a group of officials and gentry out of the ten-mile long pavilion to welcome Ma Ziqiang.

"It's a serious disturbance to the people, a serious disturbance to the people!"

Seeing this, Ma Ziqiang sighed to Xu Jie and other officials and gentry first, said this, and then came over to salute Xu Jie: "Old sir, how are you?"

"I'm worried about Laoge, the old man is still quite tough, but this year's molars are a little loose."

After Xu Jie said with a smile, he said: "Ge Lao cherishes the power of the people, and will be a good assistant in the future."

"Ashamed!"

"The servant was entrusted by the holy order and Yuan Fu to inquire about the people's conditions, and he was actually asking about the sufferings of the people. Now that the people in the south of the Yangtze River are abundant, I'm glad that the rejuvenation of the country is in sight!"

After Ma Ziqiang said a few words on the scene, he exchanged pleasantries with Xu Jie for a while, and then, accompanied by Xu Jie, went to Xu's house and performed the guest and host ceremony. After the banquet, he and Xu Jie borrowed it in the study In the name of appreciating gold and stones, he chatted about his real purpose of coming to Xu's house, and said: "Mr., the gentry of Nanzhi are too polite!"

"As long as it can make the world peaceful, especially Nanzhi, without fighting, these gifts are nothing, they are just a public opinion."

Xu Jie said with a smile.

Ma Ziqiang said: "It's just that Yuanfu may not be willing to accept this public opinion, and the system reform must continue."

"The system of our ancestors may not be that good, but if we continue to reform the system, it is easy to become a sinner through the ages."

Xu Jie suddenly suppressed his smile and said.

Ma Ziqiang cupped his hands and said, "What the old man said is true."

Xu Jie then asked again: "The old man went south this time, what did Jiang Ling tell the old man, did he have to say, what system will be changed next?"

Ma Ziqiang answered the wrong question: "I am going to ask the old man for advice!"

Xu Jie was stunned, and said with a sneer: "This old man is an old man in the forest, so there is nothing to teach him. It is just the words of the village, and if he speaks to the elders in the pavilion, he will inevitably be suspected of discussing politics."

"The old gentleman is no better than others, not to mention that this is not a public discussion on the forum, but a private chat."

Ma Ziqiang laughed.

Xu Jie said: "Jiangling is the one who is in power! I just want to know what system Jiangling will change next! Why, Qian'an refuses to reveal the slightest bit, so as to reassure me? Anyway, in the 32nd year of Jiajing, Zihonglu's name also has me power."

Ma Ziqiang smiled and said, "The old man is right."

Then, the room became so quiet that a needle could be heard falling.

After a long time, Xu Jie had no choice but to say: "That is to say, I was doing nunnery to you in private, so I dared to do it once. Unlike Jiang Ling, you know the principle of being lenient in politics. If you know that you really need to reform, why not We will withdraw the factory guards and disarm the post.”

"The factory guards are a nuisance to the people, Qing knows, and it costs a lot of money, especially now that the factory guards have doubled, which is of no benefit to the country or the people;"

"As for the military post, it's too redundant! Yunnan, Guizhou and other impoverished lands, why build additional military posts to make the chieftain uneasy and increase the soldiers' troubles?"

"The old man's words, the servant will transfer to Yuanfu to know."

Ma Ziqiang replied.

Xu Jie was taken aback for a moment, then he had no choice but to put the teacup on the table and rubbed his temples: "I'm old! If you talk too much, you will lose energy and feel very dizzy. Please forgive me!"

Xu Jie asked his son Xu Kun to help him and left.

"Congratulations to the old man."

Ma Ziqiang stood up and bowed.

And Xu Kun, after helping Xu Jie to leave, said to Xu Jie: "Father, this Ma Tongzhou, how can half of Hailiga plus 20 taels of silver be thrown down, and he can't even ask half a word?!"

"Would you like to send someone to impeach him and make him resign from office? I've never seen someone so reckless!"

"Where is it so easy to pry open the mouth of an elder?"

"If it can be pried open, can Jiang Ling let him into the cabinet regardless of past suspicions?"

"It's enough to let him know what we mean!"

Xu Jie asked a few words with a smile, and said, "Don't mention the words of asking him to become an official. The emperor is not yet strong, and the Kodao speaker has not yet reached the time to suppress the cabinet ministers!"

"Yes!"

After Ma Ziqiang left Xu's mansion, his face darkened, and after returning to the boat, he said to his son Ma Yi: "It's time to get down to business! Send me the "Di Bao" that I haven't read recently!"

Ma Yi handed over a stack of "Di Bao": "It's ready."

Ma Ziqiang held up the gold-encrusted cup, looked carefully at the "Di Bao", and said for a while: "Gangfeng helped his mother's coffin back home, have you arrived in Nanzhi?"

As he said that, Ma Ziqiang said: "The next group of people will not be seen, so go directly to Xianxia Pass and wait for Mr. Gangfeng! Send me a handwritten letter to him, saying that I am waiting for him for my father."

"Yes!"

Xianxiaguan is the only way to enter Fujian from Zhejiang in this era.

If Hai Rui wanted to return to his hometown quickly through water transportation, he would go to Zhejiang, and then go to Fujian from Zhejiang to return to Hainan. Therefore, Hai Rui will indeed pass through Xianxia Pass.

Ma Ziqiang waited for Hai Rui not long after he arrived at Xianxia Pass, and as soon as he saw Hai Rui, he went to Guan and bowed to Hai Mu's coffin first, and then welcomed Hai Rui into his room with a smile and said: "Servant Although I was ordered to inquire about the place, there was no farmer in sight, they kept a close eye on me, so I had to rely on Duke Hai."

"I understand what Elder Ge means. I asked for Elder Ge, and I know some truths."

The southern gentry did not dare to provoke Hai Rui, so this made it easier for Hai Rui to get in touch with the common people and investigate the real situation of the people.

As for Hai Rui, as he spoke, he handed Ma Ziqiang a stack of Qianshan paper with various numbers of characters written on it.

Ma Ziqiang asked Ma Yi to take it and handed it to him, and asked Hai Rui: "Let me tell you about my own experience, from your point of view, is it feasible to increase the business tax?"

(End of this chapter)