My father is Jiajing

Chapter 324: Anxious Hai Rui
After returning from Xishan, Zhu Zaigui had a rough idea of ​​the situation.

Now with the experimental magic medicine provided by the Divine Medicine Palace, the quarrying efficiency of the limestone field has increased a lot compared to before.

However, it also brings with it many safety issues. Some old workers who are not familiar with the characteristics of the magic medicines in the Shen Yao Palace always like to take advantage of their careless mentality that they know everything and can do everything.

They thought that the experimental medicine sent by the Divine Medicine Palace was the same as the gunpowder distributed before. As a result, several accidents occurred and many self-righteous and careless workers were killed.

However, although this is a tragedy, it has sounded the alarm for safe production, and has also made those who have a fluke mentality put away their carelessness and not care about their mood. When facing work, they can't help but concentrate and strictly carry out all production work in the lime field according to the standards of safe production.

It can be said that these lessons learned through blood and fire are still somewhat useful.

Moreover, Zhu Zaigui also used these safety accidents to once again confirm some real problems.

That is the truth that "it is better to give a hard fall than to persuade with earnest words".

With some people and some things, you will only learn your lesson after you suffer a loss.

Otherwise, even if someone talks to them at the top of their lungs, it is not certain that many people will listen to the advice.

In the end, it will take a hard blow from the iron fist of reality to wake up the world!

Therefore, after these production safety accidents occurred, Zhu Zaigui asked the workers in Shunyi, Xishan, and the outer city of the capital to take turns to see the tragic consequences of not complying with production safety regulations, so that they would be alert and not be complacent again.

After all, the current production work, whether it is Shunyi or Xishan, or the construction work in the outer city of the capital, is actually a job with high work intensity and high risk factor.

After returning to the palace, before Zhu Zaigui had time to rest, Hai Rui arrived at the palace exhausted.

The supervisory work over the past year or so had tempered Hai Rui greatly. His skin looked darker than before. If it weren't for the civil servant robes he was wearing, people who saw him now would probably think he was an illegal worker who had just escaped from a coal mine.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Hai Rui's arrival and shook his head helplessly.

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed any longer."

After seeing Zhu Zaigui, Hai Rui couldn't wait to blurt out these words.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Hai Rui with a serious expression. In fact, he knew Hai Rui's anxiety, but some things could not be solved by Zhu Zaigui just opening his mouth.

Zhu Zaigui called Hai Rui, "Sit down and have a drink of water and rest for a while."

Hai Rui said anxiously: "I am not thirsty, I am anxious for the money."

When Zhu Zaigui heard Hai Rui's words, he couldn't help scratching his head. Could the issue of silver be resolved in just a few words?
Zhu Zaigui said: "I know you are very anxious, but I am helpless now. Although the court has issued a clear decree to use the annual salt tax to pay for the capital's outer city project. However, the court has many and complicated affairs, and the salt policy is also a mess."

"Yan Maoqing is a lackey of Yan Shifan. They are now stuck in a key position and are delaying the payment of salt tax silver for various reasons. This king is helpless."

"Moreover, I have also submitted a memorial to His Majesty regarding this matter, but His Majesty's attitude towards this matter has only remained superficial, and he has not actually urged the matter seriously."

"So, I have no idea about the silver issue." Zhu Zaigui was telling the truth. The problems of the Ming Dynasty were complicated and entangled. It was simply a fantasy to expect an imperial edict from two years ago to continuously provide salt tax silver to meet the construction needs of the outer city of the capital.

You have to know that the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty can be said to be among the most pitiful in ancient and modern times.

And no one dared to reveal the reason for this situation.

After all, the financial and taxation system of the Ming Dynasty was personally designated by Emperor Taizu. Anyone who dares to say that there is a problem with the financial and taxation system of the Ming Dynasty is politically incorrect.

Moreover, no one was willing to really reform the Ming Dynasty's financial and taxation system, because the interests involved were too great and no one dared to move easily.

Even Zhang Juzheng, who was known as the "prime minister who saved the time", implemented the Single Whip System in the original historical line, which was nothing more than replacing the in-kind tax with the silver tax.

But such a change caused a huge uproar, causing him to be criticized by thousands of people behind his back.

From this we can see that touching interests is really more difficult than touching the soul.

Therefore, now that Hai Rui was anxious about the money for the outer city project in the capital, Zhu Zaigui could only say that he could do nothing to help.

After listening to Zhu Zaigui's words, Hai Rui also said angrily: "If it weren't for the villain who suggested building a palace for Your Majesty, how could the salt tax silver be embezzled to the point where only one tenth of it remained? Now the construction of the entire outer city has just advanced to the second step, and it is already so difficult. How are we going to plan for the future?"

Zhu Zaigui listened to Hai Rui's angry words without getting angry or annoyed.

Zhu Zaigui said, "Some things are better to be solved than to be stopped. Since the project has really reached the point of running out of ammunition and food, why not stop it for a while? Anyway, we are only responsible for supervising the progress of the project, and the construction responsibility lies with the Urban Construction Department of Shuntian Prefecture. If they can't refrigerate and can't get enough money from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to keep the project running, it can't be blamed on us."

Zhu Zaigui said it lightly, but Hai Rui was so anxious that his mouth was full of cannons. He said, "Your Majesty, you can't think about it this way. The construction of the outer city of the capital is a thousand-year plan of the court. From ancient times to the present, I have never heard of any dynasty that abandoned the construction of the capital halfway through. If this is recorded in the history books of future generations, what will happen to your Majesty's reputation?"

Hai Rui's thoughts are still very simple and he is wholeheartedly considering his emperor and father.

But does the king and father take these things seriously?
It is obvious that the current Emperor Jiajing's obsession with cultivating immortals is becoming more and more persistent year by year.

Therefore, as long as it can bring benefits to his great cause of cultivating immortals, he will be happy to participate in it.

For example, the current Western Garden is already larger than the Forbidden City, and it is also a very solemn and elegant place. However, recently Emperor Jiajing felt that the Western Garden was not good enough, not grand enough, and not in line with his status as a land immortal.

So, when Yan Shifan, who was good at figuring out Emperor Jiajing's thoughts, submitted a memorial suggesting that a more magnificent and majestic palace be built for Emperor Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing was immediately overjoyed and adopted Yan Shifan's suggestion.

Therefore, the current problem is not as simple as Hai Rui sees. There are many issues involved, and it cannot be solved in a few words.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui also comforted Hai Rui, saying, "I understand your intention. I am also concerned about the silver issue. Maybe there will be some progress in a while. Now you just need to stabilize those workers and laborers and ensure that their wages and food are not affected. This will be a great deed."

"As for the progress of the project, you will only do as much work as you have materials. If there are no more materials, you can go to the Urban Construction Bureau and the Shuntian Prefecture to hold them accountable. They will naturally be anxious to negotiate with the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Households. You just need to do your supervisory work well."

(End of this chapter)