I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 67: Stirring Up the Storm! On the Best Way for Refugees to Appeal

On the sixth day of March, after the regular court session.

Shen Nian took the portrait of Mu Sheng's sister Yurun drawn by Aji and came to the Jinyiwei Yamen on the west side of Qipan Street, opposite the Tongzhengsi.

He informed the guard at the gate that he was coming to visit Zhou Hai, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhou Hai was Feng Bao's godson.

He moved between the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard and was the information purveyor of information in the capital.

If he couldn't find the person in the capital, he might have to rely on the government office to post a reward notice to find him.

Shen Nian chose to visit openly in broad daylight, which was actually more appropriate than delivering a visiting card or meeting privately.

The two met privately.

It was easy for some censors to make a big fuss because the Censors and Guards were directly under the imperial power and civil officials were not allowed to get too close to them in private.

Shen Nian does his personal business as if it were his work, which will not attract too much attention.

To Zhou Hai, this matter was a trivial matter.

At most, he would report it to Feng Bao, the Imperial Household Department Supervisor, or Cao Wei, the Northern Pacification Commissioner.

Anyone who engages in such low-level activities as "buying and selling fake Yangzhou skinny horses" will be despised. The Imperial Household Department and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will never do it, and neither will some high-ranking officials and nobles.

Therefore, if we ask him, the news won't leak out.

As for Shen Nian's behavior of "asking a private matter casually when going to the yamen", the mistake was as insignificant as a sesame seed or mung bean.

Even if some nitpicking censors knew about it, they would think it was not worth wasting paper and ink to impeach him.

soon.

Then the Jinyiwei led Shen Nian in.

"Editor Shen, congratulations on your promotion. How come you have time to come to me today? Is there something important?" Zhou Hai came over.

"Captain Zhou, it's not a big deal. Can we chat in the house for a while?" Shen Nian bowed to Zhou Hai.

"Okay! Okay!" Zhou Hai led Shen Nian into the house with a smile. He had never been so polite to ordinary seventh-rank officials.

immediately.

Shen Nian revealed that his servant's sister was suspected to have been abducted and sold in the capital as a skinny horse, and took out a portrait.

"From Liaodong? Was he sent to the capital around the end of last year?" Zhou Hai thought for a moment, then looked at Shen Nian.

"Editor Shen, I may know her whereabouts, but I need to confirm it. Do you want me to confirm it and then rescue her directly, or do you just want to tell you her whereabouts?"

When these words were spoken, it was obvious that there was a clue, and the question was also very well-posed.

Within the capital, there was almost no one that the Jinyiwei could not rescue, as long as they were not imprisoned in the imperial prison or had an imperial decree.

Zhou Hai will definitely use unconventional methods to save people, maybe using money, force, or just robbing them directly.

After being rescued, Shen Nian owed him a big favor.

Shen Nian thought for a moment and said, "I want to know where the person is and what the specific situation is. As for how to rescue him, if I need to trouble Captain Zhou, I will bother you later."

If it is confirmed that the other party is temporarily safe.

Shen Nian still wanted to use a more formal method to catch these human traffickers and the people behind the scenes and rescue more people.

Those who come from the Hanlin Academy cannot take shortcuts that would taint their morals or give others a handle.

"Okay, I'll give you a reply by tonight at the latest!" Zhou Hai said very straightforwardly and decisively. He was very willing to interact with officials like Shen Nian who had bright career prospects.

There's too much blood on my hands.

He also hoped that when he was attacked in the future, there would be an official who could speak usefully to him and say something good for him.

Then Shen Nian left.

……

As dusk approached, Zhou Hai sent someone to deliver a message.

"There were about 30 women at the Gua Gan Teahouse, all of whom were deceived and sold off at the end of the month. The mastermind behind this was Huang Cheng, the deputy commander of the North City Military Command. Commander Zhang Shuntian also received a share of the spoils."

The Guagan Tea House is not an ordinary tea shop, but a folk society formed by a group of strong beggars.

At present, there are no less than 10,000 beggars in the capital.

Some of them are gamblers.

Some of them were victims of famine who fled from the famine and gradually became refugees and beggars.

The Candle Temple and the Banner Pole Temple in the capital were places where beggars were kept, but they were not enough.

As for the strong beggars.

They are a group of idle, unproductive, and tyrannical young men who demand food, alcohol, and property during the day and steal or rob at night. They are very arrogant.

After accumulating some money, they started to engage in some shady businesses, such as gambling houses, loan sharking, human trafficking, etc., specifically targeting the lower class people.

Most of them have the support of officials and clerks above them, and they know better how to bully the poor.

Shen Nian sat at the desk, thinking about how to rescue these honest women who had been deceived and abducted through formal channels.

If he reported directly to the authorities or wrote a memorial to the cabinet, the effect would be poor.

After the other party gets the news, they may transfer the person immediately.

Even if it has not been transferred.

They definitely have the employment contracts of these women in their hands, claiming that they are just matchmakers and that these women are willing to be concubines, which is not human trafficking at all.

If a lawsuit really goes to court, Shen Nian may not win. He is not suitable to be involved in such a mess, and he does not have the energy to look for evidence.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Aren't the people who drove out the refugees from Liaodong from the Beicheng Bingmasi? I got it!" Shen Nian became excited.

……

After dismissal at dusk.

Shen Nian returned home and called Aji and Mu Sheng over.

"Musheng, I know your sister's whereabouts. She's safe until the end of the month, but I still need you to rescue her."

"Me? What can I do? If I can exchange my life for another's, I'm willing to do it!" Mu Sheng raised his head and said.

"You don't need to sacrifice your life for mine. Tomorrow morning, follow Aji to the outskirts of the city and look for other refugees from Liaodong. We don't need many, just five, and they need to have loud voices."

"Aji, buy them all some clothes. Remember, they must be patched old clothes. Then take them into the city this afternoon and let them rest outside the Zhengyang Gate. I'm going to have them file a complaint, and you'll write it."

……

After Shen Nian finished the arrangements, he returned to the study and thought about whether there were any omissions in the plan.

His specific measures were: let these refugees come to Beijing to file complaints, accusing the Liaodong disaster relief silver of being embezzled, and accusing the Beicheng Bingmasi of driving away and beating the victims, and first involve the Beicheng Bingmasi.

There are two formal channels for people from other places to come to Beijing to file complaints.

First, submit a petition to the Ministry of Public Administration; second, strike the drum outside the Meridian Gate to file a complaint.

But at present, these two channels are almost unavailable to ordinary people.

First of all, the journey from other places to the capital is usually long, and many people are illiterate. They also have to ask lawyers to write lawsuits, and the round trip cost can be more than ten taels of silver, which is equivalent to two years' income for a middle-class farmer.

Secondly, local officials bribed the clerks of the Wucheng Bingmasi or Shuntian Prefecture, making it impossible for people from other places to file complaints to enter the capital.

Finally, even if some people could reach the Tongzhengsi or Wumen Gate, they would be stopped and expelled by clerks.

Nowadays, the Dengwen drum in front of the Meridian Gate is for people to see, not to be beaten.

As for the Tongzhengsi.

Some low-level officials who want to impeach their superiors may not be able to successfully submit a memorial, let alone the common people.

Of course, there are other special channels.

For example: blocking and appealing for justice, relying on gentry, imperial examination candidates, retired officials to file complaints, etc.

But it all depends on luck.

If you are not careful, you may be charged with "disturbing officials and falsely accusing officials" and be punished.

According to the "Great Ming Code", anyone who goes to his superiors to file a complaint outside his jurisdiction will first be flogged fifty times.

Shen Nian asked these people to change their clothes so that they could enter Beijing as "low-level laborers."

Asking Aji to write a complaint was to explain the situation and get himself out of the situation. And Shen Nian planned the place where to file the complaint.

It is not the Tongzhengsi, not the Wumen Gate, not the Shuntian Prefecture, not the Jinyiwei, and not even the Three Judicial Departments (Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, and Censorate).

But the Ministry of Revenue.

Last year's disaster relief money for Liaodong was paid from the Ministry of Revenue and distributed to Liaodong. Now there are so many refugees, all claiming that they have not been appeased. There must be someone who embezzled the money.

The Minister of Revenue Yin Zhengmao had just taken office and was looking to gain a firm foothold.

If he knew about this, he would definitely report it, because there are so many problems to be explored!
For example: Did officials in the Ministry of Revenue embezzle disaster relief funds? Did the Northern City Military Commission accept bribes from local officials to drive out refugees? Did the Liaodong local government falsely report the number of disaster victims? Did they withhold disaster relief funds? Did officials and businessmen collude to substandard relief grain?
Another point: Liaodong, as a frontier region, often had disaster relief funds diverted to military supplies. Was this also the case this time? If border residents were forced to rebel, who would bear the responsibility?

In Yin Zhengmao's eyes, these problems are all achievements.

……

Shen Nian was certain that Yin Zhengmao would thoroughly investigate the matter for another reason.

In the past, the Ministry of Revenue, under the leadership of the hard-working Wang Guoguang, worked diligently and was very well-behaved.

All government offices asked the Ministry of Revenue for money.

But the financial management offices of the Ming Dynasty actually included more than just the Ministry of Revenue. The wealthier ones also included the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department.

The Ministry of Works was in charge of the country's craftsmen. The mountain product taxes, pottery smelting fees, and mountain field and garden expenses collected by the four major Qinglisi were not levied through the Ministry of Revenue.

The Imperial Household Department was in charge of the Huangce of the whole country, the supervisor of the weaving in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and also in charge of water conservancy, boats, vehicles, bridges, etc., and was also very rich.

In other words-

The imperial court had several sources of income, but when it came to disaster relief and people's welfare, the first place they would turn was to the Ministry of Revenue.

Yin Zhengmao is not a cowardly and honest man, and he cannot be bullied like this.

If he needs to pay more, he will definitely try to get other government offices to pay.

In addition, Shen Nian was also certain that once this matter came to the cabinet, the three elders would definitely take it seriously.

One is to help Yin Zhengmao gain a foothold.

Secondly, all the civil and military officials in Liaodong need to be disciplined, otherwise the refugees will become rebellious next, and the border must not be in chaos.

This way.

Saving those good women became a trivial matter, and there was no need for Shen Nian to find someone to remind them or ask Mu Sheng to complain again.

As long as Yin Zhengmao reported to the emperor that the Beicheng Bingmasi had "driven away refugees and deceived the emperor."

The imperial inspector who is in charge of supervising the North City Military Affairs Division will definitely find evidence to accuse the commander and deputy commander of the North City Military Affairs Division of a series of evil deeds as soon as possible.

Otherwise, it would be their dereliction of duty.

By then, Mu Sheng's sister and those poor women of good families would be rescued soon, and the people in Liaodong who were oppressed by bureaucrats and military households would also have a better life.

This is Shen Nian’s overall plan.

A small effort can achieve a great result, a private matter becomes a national affair, and saving one person becomes saving many people.

Taking advantage of the fact that Yin Zhengmao had just taken office and was in urgent need of making achievements, many problems in the court surfaced.

As for how big this incident can get, how many officials can be dismissed, and how many problems it can solve for the people of Liaodong, it all depends on Yin Zhengmao's ability.

Shen Nian predicted.

After this matter became a big deal, if the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department knew that he had inquired about Zhou Hai, they would definitely guess that it was his idea for the refugees to go to the Ministry of Revenue to file a complaint.

After all, going to the Ministry of Revenue to appeal for justice is not something that ordinary people can think of.

If those old foxes really thought of it, Shen Nian would not be afraid.

His original intention was right, and his actions were beneficial to the court without any harm. Maybe Yin Zhengmao would even thank him!

……

March 7th, near dusk.

The official sedan chair of Yin Zhengmao, the Minister of Revenue, left the west gate of the Ministry of Revenue, accompanied by more than ten people.

"Cough...cough..."

In a corner not far away, Aji started coughing.

These five refugees and Mu Sheng had no idea what the Minister of Revenue's sedan chair looked like.

When they heard the command, they immediately rushed forward and began to shout:
"The victims of the Liaodong disaster have been wronged. Someone embezzled the disaster relief funds from the Ministry of Revenue!"

"The victims of the Liaodong disaster have been wronged. Someone embezzled the disaster relief funds from the Ministry of Revenue!"

"The victims of the Liaodong disaster have been wronged. Someone embezzled the disaster relief funds from the Ministry of Revenue!"

……

There are some rules to follow when it comes to crying out for justice.

The first sentence must express the core content.

If you just shouted, "My dear judge, I'm innocent, you must stand up for me," you might be driven away by the officials as soon as you finished shouting.

The vast majority of officials in the Ming Dynasty did not like to meddle in other people's affairs, and when they had grievances, they would appeal to the Minister of Revenue, which was unprecedented.

There are three judicial departments in the capital, namely Dengwen Gu and Tongzhengsi.

If the Minister of Revenue accepts the case beyond the rules, wouldn't that be an slap in the face of the other heads of government offices?

Yin Zhengmao in the sedan was startled by the shout.

Just as several officials and servants were about to drive away the six people seeking justice, including Mu Sheng.

Yin Zhengmao lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and said, "Bring the petition here!"

It was not his duty to redress grievances for the people, but he had to take care of the "Liaodong and Ministry of Revenue disaster relief silver."

After reading the petition, Yin Zhengmao's eyes rolled.

He said to the clerk at the window beside the sedan chair, "First, take them to the government office and settle them. Also, quickly send someone to the north suburbs of the city to see how many refugees there are."

After saying this, Yin Zhengmao patted the sedan chair and shouted, "Go back to the yamen!"

The voice is clear and full of energy.

Once Yin Zhengmao is sure that there are no less than 2,000 refugees from Liaodong outside the city, he will definitely submit a memorial.

……

not far away.

When Aji saw Mu Sheng and six others being taken into the Ministry of Revenue, he hurried away.

Everything is under the control of his young master.

Next, it depends on how Yin Zhengmao will make his first move as a new official.

As for how big the fire will burn and who it will burn, that is not what Shen Nian considers.

The current Ming Dynasty needs such a flame.

……

Early the next morning, Yin Zhengmao's memorial appeared in the cabinet duty room.

Zhang Juzheng looked annoyed.

What infuriated him most was that there were already thousands of refugees from Liaodong in the capital, but they were driven away and kept secret by the Northern City Military Department.

The key point is that the Minister of Revenue discovered this problem.

You know, there are thousands of refugees from Liaodong in the capital, so there must be tens of thousands in the Liaodong region.

If tens of thousands of people gather to riot and rebel, they will not be able to be dealt with by allocating tens of thousands of taels of disaster relief silver.

Zhang Juzheng hurried to the palace to report to the young Wanli.

……

Near noon.

A group of Jinyiwei and Qian Tai, the imperial censor who was inspecting the North City Inspection Office, rushed to the north of the city with more than ten soldiers.

After Shen Nian knew this, he couldn't help but murmur, "Next, it's time to watch Minister Yin's first show in Beijing!"

(End of this chapter)