Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 135: The nobles surrendered and seized the power of the gentry!
Zhang Yanling looked at Zhang Heling with a confused look on his face.

"Brother, why did you hit me?!"

Zhang Heling pointed at Zhang Yanling and said, "I hit you lightly. I didn't tie you up and hand you over to Zhang Fujing for justice. That's good enough!"

"Go back!"

"Don't embarrass the Queen Mother here!"

Zhang Heling then kicked Zhang Yanling.

Zhang Yanling still didn't understand and even felt a little angry.

Because Zhang Heling had never been very nice to him, and now he was teaching him a lesson, he naturally felt very disgusted.

Zhang Heling grabbed Zhang Yanling's hand and dragged him out of the palace.

When Zhang Yanling was dragged out of the palace by Zhang Heling, he could no longer bear it and yelled:
"enough!"

"Zhang Heling!"

"When dad was around, you bullied me."

"Dad is gone now, and you're still bullying me!"

"I am the Marquis of Shouning after all. Why do you want to hit me?"

"You know nothing!"

"I am just putting on an act for your majesty to see."

"You know, His Majesty has just promised us a huge benefit. As long as we perform well, he will give us this huge benefit!"

Zhang Heling cursed Zhang Yanling and then started talking.

When Zhang Yanling heard what Zhang Heling said, his anger immediately disappeared. He stretched his neck and asked Zhang Heling:

"What's the benefit?"

Zhang Heling began to whisper in Zhang Yanling's ear.

The more Zhang Yanling listened, the wider his mouth opened.

"The Emperor's grace is mighty!"

"The Emperor's grace is so great!"

Under the blue sky.

Zhang Yanling quickly turned around and bowed towards the Forbidden City.

"We are not in the right if we owe you taxes."

"But if they come to stop us from lending at low interest rates in the name of promoting new money to help ordinary people, then we are not without reason."

"So, now, don't get angry with Zhang Fujing. Go to Xingming Bank and borrow the money that His Majesty promised. Then let the monks and nuns in our temple lend it to us. If anyone doesn't allow us to borrow money from the Zhang family, we will make a scene! Surround Shuntian Mansion and beat the drum to report it, saying that they are oppressing us!"

Zhang Heling then continued speaking to Zhang Yanling.

Zhang Yanling nodded: "I know what to do, brother, don't worry."

……

at this time.

The main street outside Shouning Marquis Mansion.

"Zhang Zhongcheng, there's no need for your National Taxation Bureau to treat the Zhang family like this, right?"

"The Zhang family is at least a relative of the current Empress Dowager Cishou!"

"If you do this, won't it make people think that the new emperor will no longer recognize the old relatives after he ascends the throne?"

Hanlin editor Yang Weicong and other officials from northern aristocratic families became very concerned about the matter because they heard that Zhang Fujing was leading people from the National Tax Bureau to collect taxes in Shuntian Prefecture. Many of them even followed Zhang Fujing to the Shouning Marquis Mansion and witnessed with their own eyes how Zhang Fujing collected taxes from the Zhang family.

When Zhang Fujing was forcibly collecting taxes from the Zhang family, Yang Weicong expressed his opinions to the people from the National Tax Bureau.

Zhang Yanling happened to rush back at this time.

Yang Weicong and others even came to Zhang Yanling specially.

Yang Weicong even took the initiative to say to Zhang Yanling: "Marquis Shouning, look, this is what Zhang Yongjia did. He beat so many of your servants to death and confiscated a lot of your food and money. This is the behavior of a cruel official. You should report him!"

Because Zhang Yanling escaped through the back door when Zhang Fujing and the tax soldiers of the National Taxation Bureau were collecting taxes, Yang Weicong thought that he didn't know about it and that he just rushed back from outside after hearing the news, so he told Zhang Yanling so.

"What the hell!"

"Stop fanning the flames here and tempting me to do something disloyal and immoral!"

"You are a scholar, how could you do such a mean thing?"

"What's wrong with people coming to collect taxes for the court?"

"My slave was beaten to death for being lawless, and you are also lawless?"

Zhang Yanling cursed and then questioned Yang Weicong.

Yang Weicong didn't react for a long time.

"no!"

"How come we are lawless?"

Yang Weicong then smiled bitterly and spread his hands, but he was obviously feeling guilty, so he sighed and said:

"Let's go. The uncle of the emperor doesn't feel wronged, so why should we feel wronged for him?"

Zhang Fujing happened to come out of Shouning Marquis's Mansion at this time.

Zhang Yanling took the initiative to walk towards Zhang Fujing and deliberately asked loudly:

"Zhang Zhongcheng, have all the taxes been collected?"

“All ready!”

"All outstanding taxes and penalties have been paid."

"I'm sorry for the offense, Marquis Shouning."

Zhang Fujing was quite surprised. He didn't expect Zhang Yanling to be so calm and not have any dissatisfaction.

Therefore, Zhang Fujing answered Zhang Yanling in a calm tone and took the initiative to express his apologies.

"As long as it's complete."

"Please don't impeach me again and say that Shouning Marquis Mansion didn't cooperate in paying taxes."

After Zhang Yanling said this, he went into the house.

Yang Weicong and others were about to leave, but were even more shocked by this scene.

Zhang Yanling's performance during the tax collection process of the State Taxation Bureau, and the news that the State Taxation Bureau actually forcibly collected the taxes owed by the Zhang brothers, soon spread in Shuntian Prefecture.

Many powerful officials and gentry in the capital were shocked by this.

"This Zhang Fujing is really brave enough to come at me head on!"

Guo Xun couldn't help but sigh in front of Zhang Wei, the Marquis of Hui'an. Zhang Wei said, "In my opinion, we should take the initiative to pay taxes to the State Taxation Bureau, and don't wait for them to come to us. That would be ugly."

"Even the Zhang family doesn't dare to offend the Yili faction, so how dare we?"

After Zhang Wei said this, Guo Xun nodded and said, "You are right. We have already offended the civil officials of the ritual protection faction. If we really offend the ritual discussion faction that supports His Majesty, then His Majesty will punish us."

"But why did the Zhang family suddenly cooperate so well?"

"Tell me, could it be that His Majesty promised the Zhang family some benefits?"

Guo Xun couldn't help but ask about Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei immediately stood up: "Then you must cooperate immediately!"

"In this case, His Majesty might even give some of the benefits given to the Zhang family to us nobles because we are loyal to him!"

"I have to go home immediately and tell them to prepare the taxes and fines that should be paid. I can't let Zhang Fujing have a reason to bombard my front door!"

"and many more!"

Guo Xun hurriedly called Zhang Wei again.

Zhang Wei couldn't help but ask Guo Xun: "Is there anything else?"

"Since you want to continue to show your loyalty."

"Then we should think about what kind of loyalty His Majesty needs us to show the most right now."

"Your Majesty, you are not collecting the arrears just for the sake of a small amount of regular taxes. After all, the regular taxes in our Ming Dynasty have never been high. The reason why the rich families don't pay taxes is not to evade the regular taxes, but to make more common people willing to contribute to the rich families."

"Now that His Majesty is suddenly demanding payment of the arrears of taxes, the only reason is that he is not happy with us big households hoarding grain and speculating on grain, and speculating on new money, in order to oppose the court's promotion of the new money."

"So, if we want to show our loyalty, we should not only pay taxes and fines honestly, but also quickly distribute grain to stabilize grain prices and spend the new money we received!"

Guo Xun said.

Zhang Wei couldn't help but think about it seriously, then nodded: "You are absolutely right!"

then.

When Zhang Fujing brought the National Taxation Bureau to their homes, the noble families of Guo Xun and Zhang Wei had their servants prepare the taxes and fines to be paid, and waited for the National Taxation Bureau to come and check them.

at the same time.

The noble families of Guo Xun and Zhang Wei also began to have their own grain shops sell large amounts of grain. They also paid their family members monthly wages in advance and paid the employees in their own workshops wages. All the money they paid was new money, and they began to use the new money to purchase the things needed in the mansion.

Although Zhu Houcong wanted to reshape the currency system and allow Shuntian Prefecture to start circulating new coins, he did not strictly prohibit the people from using gold and silver as currency from the beginning. This was to prevent ordinary people from being unable to buy and sell goods due to a temporary lack of new coins. As a result, many wealthy families deliberately did not use new coins for consumption in order to prevent the circulation of new coins.

Now that the noble families of Guo Xun and Zhang Wei are willing to use the new currency for consumption, it is naturally beneficial to the reshaping of the monetary system.

It is no coincidence.

As the Zhang brothers were successfully taxed, the noble families of Guo Xun and Zhang Wei actively cooperated. More and more wealthy families in the capital could not withstand the pressure from the court and began to pay taxes and fines on their own initiative, and also began to use the new money on their own initiative.

This caused the amount of new money circulating in Shuntian Prefecture to gradually increase sharply.

"very good!"

After Zhu Houcong learned that Guo Xun and Zhang Wei took the initiative to cooperate, he was naturally very satisfied and said this.

"Let Xingming Bank contact them and grant them a low-interest loan."

"Let them also benefit the people for me."

"I cannot follow Wang Anshi's example and vigorously promote the Qingmiao Law, asking officials to borrow money from the people for me. I can only let these nobles and relatives promote the new money for me and benefit the people and farmers. I will just make a small profit to make up for the increased expenses of the inner court."

then.

Zhu Houcong also gave relevant instructions to Gu Dayong.

As for Zhu Houcong, he knew that he would not be able to monopolize the benefits of the Ming Dynasty's financial market.

But it would be much easier if he could get the nobles and relatives to join him in seizing the financial benefits monopolized by the gentry throughout the world.

In short.

He would not open imperial stores or expand imperial farms directly like previous Ming emperors did. Instead, he would let nobles, relatives by marriage and other forces act as his gloves. This way he could avoid direct conflicts of interest with officials and gentry, and also prevent the eunuchs in charge of execution from affecting his own reputation because of corruption and excessive unscrupulousness.

It is the time of spring famine.

There are many ordinary people who borrow money.

and.

There are so many new immigrants in the capital now, and especially with the construction of the outer city, a large number of migrant workers have gathered here.

natural.

There were many people who were interested in taking out loans to invest in opening gambling houses, brothels, and hotels; there were also many people who were interested in taking out loans to open butcher shops, rice shops, cloth shops, and drug stores.

Therefore, many wealthy families began to lend money crazily.

However, the gentry in Shuntian Prefecture were unaware of the true situation, and they took advantage of this opportunity to have the Buddhist temples and monasteries under them that were responsible for lending raise the interest rates and deliberately refuse to pay new money.

However, the Zhang brothers and other relatives, as well as the nobles such as Marquis Wuding and Earl Hui'an, began to use the low interest rate of 2% per year to attract loans, which was unusual. They also paid new money and made it clear that they would only accept new money!

Many people came to the Buddhist temples under the Zhang brothers and the Marquis of Wu'an and the Earl of Hui'an to borrow money.

This made the gentry of Shuntian Prefecture quite angry.

"You are not allowed to go to Xiangshan Temple to borrow money. That is the property of the treacherous minister Guo Xun. If you borrow money from them, you are in league with the treacherous ministers! Supporting their chaotic politics!"

Yang Weijun, a scholar who came to his own temple in the western suburbs to collect money, was furious because not many people came to borrow money from the Kaiyuan Temple, which was invested and built by his family and Li Lun, the Shaoqing of the Imperial Household Department in the Hongzhi Dynasty. He also saw that people from nearby even went to the Xiangshan Temple in groups to borrow money. He then took his servants to stop these people.

"Sir, we don't know what a treacherous minister is. We only know that the interest from Kaiyuan Temple is too high. Even if the weather is good this year, there won't be much food left after paying off the loan."

"Yes, Xiangshan Temple is different. Their interest is much lower than in previous years. Even if the harvest is not good this year, we can still pay it back if we save a little."

The people began to tell the reasons.

The more Yang Weijun listened, the angrier he became: "You are a bunch of fools. You are willing to join the treacherous officials for a small profit. You really deserve to be beaten!"

The people had no choice but to beg for mercy.

Yang Weijun did not forgive these people, but waved his hand and said, "Beat them! Beat them to death, carry them back to the village here, and tell them that this is the fate of those who surrender to treacherous officials!"

"Yes!"

The slaves under Yang Weijun's command actually started beating the people with sticks.

Unfortunately, these people were too docile and afraid of counterattack, so they were charged with treason. After all, Yang Weijun was a student, so three of them were beaten to death on the spot.

As a result, the relatives of these people came to the Daxing County Court the next day to report the Yang family for beating someone to death.

Although the current magistrate of Daxing County is Ren Zhengxian, the actual person in charge is the prefect Yang Shen.

After Yang Shen heard about it, he immediately issued an order to arrest Yang Weijun, and at the same time sent a letter to the Inspector General Xiao Huai to strip him of his honors.

And this Yang Weijun happened to be the cousin of Hanlin Yang Weicong.

The Yang family was a prominent family in the north. Yang Weicong's father, Yang He, had served as the principal of the Imperial Academy, so he had many students. When Yang Shen just arrested Yang Weijun, Yang Weicong brought many civil servants and scholars to the Daxing County Government.

Yang Weicong took the initiative to plead with Yang Shen, saying: "My cousin is also a treacherous minister and a villain, and he accidentally killed an ignorant person! It was not intentional, so please Mr. Sheng'an, please forgive me!"

(End of this chapter)