Seiwa

Xia Yuanji, Shangshu of Hubu, was urgently called into the palace. Along the way, he met Wang Zhong, the left servant of Hubu, and Li Wenyu, Li Wenyu, who were also called. The three of them had no time to get off their horses. Has been repeatedly urged.

"Xia Situ, you two young Situ, don't delay, Your Majesty is still waiting."

The emperor was in a hurry to call someone, and would rather offend the three in front of him than miss the emperor's business.

The Zhongguan's anxious expression did not seem to be fake, nor did it seem that he deliberately wanted to trouble the three of them.

Xia Yuanji, Wang Zhong and Li Wenyu immediately had a calculation in their hearts, and they didn't dare to delay any longer. At the same time, they raised their whips, and the sound of horseshoes sounded, and the internal officials secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

On the Queen's Thousand Autumn Festival, there is no late dynasty today, and it is very unusual for the emperor to specially summon the officials of the six ministries.

As soon as we arrived at the gate of the palace, it began to rain lightly, and the rain was mixed with flakes of snow.

The three of Xia Yuanji got off their horses, and the Jin Yiwei on duty checked the Zhongguan's badge, and asked if it was the emperor who had summoned him, so he moved out of the way.

Court officials were not allowed to hold umbrellas when they entered the palace, and Xia Shangshu and others had no time to put on their cloaks, so they could only brave the rain and snow and follow the Zhongguan to the West Nuan Pavilion of Fengtian Palace.

When they arrived at Xinuange, the shoulders and hem of the three men's uniforms were already wet from the rain and snow, and their hands and feet were a little stiff.

Hou Xian waited outside the Nuan Pavilion in person, and when he saw the three people rushing over, he immediately went inside to report.

"Your Majesty, Xia Shangshu and Wang Shilang Li Shilang are called to have an audience."

"Xuan."

Zhu Di didn't raise his head, he still read the memorials sent by Guangxi over and over again.

Every time I watch it, I am shocked again.

The land in the southwest, since the Tang and Song Dynasties, has been the place where the imperial court exiled officials and criminals.Although it is not barren, it is overgrown with trees, miasma is pervasive, cultivated land is scarce, and there is no human habitation for several miles.It is an exaggeration to describe it, there are probably more beasts in the forest than people.

Such a state capital is mostly governed by the army and local officials, and there will be some troubles every now and then, and the degree of education is not even as good as that of Liaodong.It wasn't until the imperial court defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Xiping Hou guarded Yunnan, set up guards in the southwestern states, dispatched officials one after another, and established Confucianism, the situation gradually improved.

Zhu Di couldn't understand how Meng Qinghe got so much food in less than four months.In addition to supplying the needs of the army, it can also be transported to northern Xinjiang to supplement the frontier army.Could it be that the treasury of the neighboring Fanbang was emptied by the hands of businessmen?Unlikely.That's really the case, Fanbang has been in trouble for a long time.

Last year, the national grain tax was only over 3000 million shi, and it was still the summer and winter grain tax.

The southwestern land, relying solely on the strength of the merchants, got such an abundance of food, Emperor Yong Le really didn't know what to do.

Don't, don't want to.

I want to, but I really can’t open my mouth.

Meng Qinghe has offered to give a batch of grain, which is on the way to Tianjin Wei, and there is still a large amount of wood, which is used to build the Beijing Palace.

Speak again?Even if it's my own family, I can't be so careless.

Zhu Di found that he seemed to understand the distress of the household department.

No food, he was worried.

When there is more food, he is also worried.

You are not joking, as soon as the front foot gives an order, the back foot retracts, which is not conducive to the image of the emperor, and it is not good to spread it.

If it is really impossible, the copper coins in the treasury of the household department are piled up into mountains, and it is also a way to exchange the money for food and distribute it to the conscript army.

Xia Yuanji and the others walked into Xinuang Pavilion, seeing Emperor Yong Le frowning at Zuo Shu, his heart skipped a beat, thinking that some state capital had suffered another disaster.

There was not much food left in the government treasury, and in the first month, the emperor ordered the exemption of grain tax for the three prefectures and counties under the Yingtian Mansion.

I was anxious in my heart, and there was a little bit of it in my expression.

The three of them bowed down according to the ceremony, saying: "I bow to Your Majesty."

Zhu Di raised his head, "The three Qing families invite you. I really feel sorry for letting Aiqing enter the palace in the rain."

Xia Shangshu and the three of them turned pale.

It's over, things are troublesome.

All the yamen of the six ministries of the imperial court knew very well that there were only two possibilities for being treated so kindly by Emperor Yongle, either they would get promoted and get rich, or they would be roasted on the fire.

The former refers to Xingning Bo, and the latter can be regarded as Xie Jin.

It's good to be close to Uncle Xingning, but it's bad luck to be close to Xie Jin.

Zhu Di became more and more cordial, "Hou Xian."

"The servant is here."

"Give seats to the three lovers and serve hot tea."

"Yes."

After Hou Xian took the order, Xia Yuanji's face became paler and their hearts became more and more uncertain.They winked at each other, the Ministry of Finance has not had any problems during this time, right?The fire consumption and filial piety have all stopped, and those who don't do anything have been picked up and sent to the border. Are there any problems that have not been noticed?

The only possibility is food!

This is really not a problem of the household department. Natural disasters occur frequently in various places, grain harvests fail, and the emperor wants to be tax-free, let alone reaching out to the warehouse.

If the Son of Heaven draws his knife because of this incident, they will be truly wronged.

Seeing that the three of them were uncomfortable, Zhu Di coughed, trying to ease the atmosphere.Unexpectedly, it had the opposite effect. The three of Xia Yuanji became more nervous, and their foreheads began to sweat.

Emperor Yong Le touched his chin, is he that scary?

Xia Yuanji and the others held up the teacups tremblingly, Your Majesty, it really is!

After drinking half a cup of hot tea, the complexions of the three people turned slightly better, and Emperor Yong Le signaled Hou Xian to pass the memorial from Guangxi to Xia Yuanji.

"This is a performance jointly signed by Cheng Guogong and Xing Ningbo. Let the three lovers take a look."

"Yes."

Xia Yuanji put down the teacup and took it respectfully.

The content at the beginning of the memorandum is not surprising. When Xungui civil and military are playing, they are basically in a fixed format.Write a few good words first, praise the emperor's martial arts and martial arts, show his benevolence, and show his loyalty, before entering the formal topic.

Xia Shangshu glanced at ten lines, scanned these clichés, and continued to look down. His expression changed instantly, his face turned from white to red, and his hands trembled slightly.

Wang Zhong and Li Wenyu felt strange, thought that there was something wrong with the conquering army, they apologized to Emperor Yong Le, and went over to have a look together.

Then, he trembled even more than Xia Yuanji.

With so much food, timber, gold and silver, will the army conquering Annan get a cornucopia?

The memorandum was written by Cheng Guogong himself, and there was a seal on the bottom, Xia Yuanji and the others did not doubt the authenticity of the content at all.After being shocked like Emperor Yong Le, a burst of excitement surged in his chest. With these grains, the relief grains sent to the states, and the military grains in the northern borders were all available at once!

Emperor Yong Le could guess what Xia Yuanji and the others were thinking, so he had no choice but to shatter their beautiful illusions.

"I have decreed that the imperial court will not pay for Annan's army's food, and the army's income can be cheap."

In other words, these grains are not for the court.

Hearing these words, Xia Shangshu and the three who were excited immediately cooled down.

From hope to disappointment, but a few seconds.

Originally, the mountain flowers were blooming, and the most difficult problems could be solved, but the emperor was beaten back to the original with a word.

Why don't you show them the part of the household department?To tease them?

Xia Yuanji and the others were very disappointed, and Zhu Di felt a little uncomfortable.The imperial court did not have a share, but the internal treasury did.But I can't say it clearly. If I say it, I always feel that it is not kind.

"I called you here for this purpose."

"What does your majesty mean?"

The eyes of Xia Yuanji and the others lit up instantly. Could it be that there is still room for change?

The two commanders-in-chief before and after the conquest of the Annan army were not the ones to discuss matters. The emperor issued a decree again, refusing to give them to death, and replacing them with other people. Bar.

When the army conquers Annan, the military rations are the top priority.

The Ministry of Households can't raise enough food, which is quite embarrassing, and left a very bad impression on the soldiers. Dare to reach out to the army to raise their own food?Obviously looking for a beating.

There is a lot of food, share it?

According to Xing Ningbo's personality, [-]% would say that the officers and soldiers trekked hard, fought continuously, and consumed a lot of energy, which led to a surge in appetite. A meal of five bowls is half full, eight bowls is not uncommon, and ten bowls is a real hero.

Xia Yuanji covered his face.

He felt a little regretful, why did he become friends with Bo Xingning?

If you don't become friends with the other party, won't you have such a practical association?

That way, hope might be bigger.

However, as soon as Cheng Guogong's memorial was delivered, the emperor hurriedly called them into the palace. It should not be boring enough to amuse them. Maybe there is a way to allocate some food for the household department?

It is clearly written in the memorandum that most of what the army raised was rice, a large part of which was Champa rice, and there were many other grains.It can be divided into one-fifth, which is not a small amount.

The three of them looked at Emperor Yong Le hopefully, Zhu Di coughed again, "It's not acceptable to transfer directly, what do you think, using the money and silk in stock as military pay in exchange for food?"

The imperial court exchanged money for food?

Xia Yuanji and the others were stunned for a moment, and soon understood why the emperor was in such a hurry to summon them.

Obviously, this matter cannot be said in court, and too many people know about it, otherwise, the censor's saliva can be sprayed on the face directly.

"Your Majesty, there may be something wrong with this matter."

Li Shilang frowned, thought for a while, and then said something wrong.But what was wrong in the end, but couldn't give a suitable reason for a while.

Is it wrong for the court to exchange money for food, or is it wrong for the emperor and his ministers to do business?

If you don't give money and directly transfer grain to Beijing, the court will not take it for granted.Uncle Xingning didn't make a sound, even the conscripting army would complain.

Is this really not treating soldiers as human beings or what?Is there any reason for not paying food and salaries during wars, and still thinking about exploiting and looting?Even if part of the property exchanged for food was seized by the army, it still cannot be justified.

Li Shilang stopped talking.

In the end, it was Xia Yuanji who plucked up his courage, took a step forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the food is the heaviest right now. The exchange of money for food is for the court's sake."

"Your opinion is feasible?"

"I think it's possible!"

Xia Yuanji gritted his teeth and admitted it, and planned to write a memorial when he returned home, taking the matter on his shoulders.Even if Yushi wants to impeach him, he will bear it all!

After the two dynasties of Jianwen and Yongle, Xia Yuanji fully understood that today's Ming Dynasty needs a resolute emperor.This does not mean that he abandoned Emperor Jianwen like a shoestring, on the contrary, as a scholar, Xia Yuanji had a certain fondness for Zhu Yunqi.But for the people of the country, the dynasty and the country, a son of heaven like Emperor Yongle can truly stabilize the country.

Xia Yuanji spoke up, and Wang Zhong and Li Wenyu quickly understood his thoughts.The two looked at each other and gritted their teeth at the same time, at worst, they would be exiled to the border!As long as the emperor remembers their loyalty, they will recover sooner or later!

As for being scolded by the speaker, let him go.

In the sixth department, anyone who has reached the fourth rank or above and has not been sprayed by the speech officer can be counted in one slap.

"Your Majesty, I have attached Xia Shangshu's proposal."

"The minister also agrees."

The first, second and third leaders of the household department reached a united front, and for the sake of food, they joined hands to support the emperor's vat.

Zhu Di was very moved, and said: "The three lovers are the pillars of the country, and I am very relieved."

Being praised by the emperor, Xia Yuanji and the others were so moved that they wept bitterly, and being called "Ai Qing" by the emperor really paid a lot.

On the next day, Xia Yuanji and the others went to the court in front of the ministers to ask for the grain raised by the Annan army to be paid to the household department, and said that the household department's banknotes should be used for payment.

The ministers roared, and the pot exploded in an instant.

"I object to this!"

The Criminal Division was the first to jump out to object, and then more courtiers raised objections, both civil and military.

Ever since Emperor Yongle rectified the court program and Jin Yiwei had arrested a large number of people, the general secretary did not dare to easily disclose the content of the memorandum to the outside world.None of the courtiers knew about Cheng Guogong's memorabilia except Xia Yuanji and the three officials who handled it.

The military general was worried about the food and pay of the army, thinking that the Ministry of Households was going to stumbling the army that was conquering Annan.Not to mention the self-financing of the army going on a crusade, some of them had to be mobilized, what else could it be if it was not a stumbling block?

The civil servants were quite critical of Xia Yuanji's proposal of exchanging copper coins for food.How does this differ from a merchant transaction?It's a disgrace to the gentlemen, and it's a big joke in the world!

Disputes arose everywhere in the court, except for the Hubu left and right ministers who met with Xia Yuanji, most of the courtiers believed that this request should not be passed.

Emperor Yong Le didn't make a sound, and waited until most of the civil and military officials in the court expressed their opinions before throwing out Zhu Neng's memorial, and then compared it with the amount of food stored in the household department.

"Last year, Shuntian eight prefectures, Yingtian eighteen prefectures suffered disasters in many counties and counties, or floods, or earthquakes and droughts, and the fields were not harvested. I have decreed that the summer grains of the counties and counties will be spared from disasters. All the taxes, taxes, punishments and other things previously borne will be lost.”

After the words fell, Zhu Di sat on the dragon chair, overlooking the officials in the palace.

When the people are in disaster, the food tax will naturally be reduced or exempted.

Now the household department is short of food, and the frontier army is waiting to be paid. If they are not seconded from places with food, who will make up for the shortage?

Censor?To work?Or Dali Siqing?The Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies?

"Every time I think of the soldiers going deep into the land of Annan, they are exposed to miasma and poison, and the road is obstructed and the land is sparse. I feel deeply. The road is too far to work, and the lack of food makes them raise their own wages. They are so worried that they can't sleep at night. Today, Xingning, the Duke of Cheng Bo raises a huge amount of food, and the military pay is not worrying, and some of it is donated to the north, which has the merits of a national scholar. I can't show compassion, but take away the merits, can I?"

The ministers were silent.

That's right, the army is going on a campaign abroad, and it is already unreasonable for the court not to provide support, so what's the matter if you still have to extend your hand?

Some people even noticed that the emperor not only mentioned Uncle Xingning, but also listed Cheng Guogong before him. Obviously, he was reminding the military commander to weigh whether he was worthy enough before objecting.

Among the civil servants of the Zuo class, the Minister of the Household Department and the Minister of the Left and Right should have been ordered by the emperor to be willing to take the risk of being attacked by the officials.Even if he is defeated this time and sent to the ends of the earth, as long as Emperor Yong Le is still there, he will wake up sooner or later.

There is no food in the household department, many states and counties are waiting for disaster relief, and the food and pay of the frontier army cannot be delayed. There is really no other way except to transfer food from Uncle Xingning.

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment came out successively to support Xia Yuanji's petition.

Xu Zengshou, Marquis of Wuyang, and Mu Xin, Prince Consort, also appeared in agreement.

The direction of the wind in the court suddenly changed, and it quickly changed from one-sided to a dispute between the pros and cons, and then the pros gradually gained the upper hand.

The three of Xia Yuanji wiped off their sweat and did not mention anyone else. Marquis of Wuyang supported this proposal, and the consort Du Wei Mu Xin seconded it, so the matter could be successful.They probably don't need to go to the north to blow the wind, and go to the south to be savages.

The debate in the court was very intense, but no one doubted the authenticity of the memorial from the beginning to the end.

It can be seen from this that the image of Xingning Bo who can make money is quite popular.

Meng Qinghe, who was far away in Guangxi, didn't know that the court exploded because of him.

At this moment, he was looking at the hundreds of households who came to deliver letters from Fengyiwei in Xunzhou, his brows were so frown that he could kill flies.

"What Liu Baihu said is true? Are there really bandits making trouble?"

"I don't dare to talk nonsense, not only in Xunzhou, but also in Liuzhou. The bandits mainly hijacked caravans. Recently, more than [-] people were gathered to boldly commit crimes against the grain transport officials. It was nearly a hundred before we repelled the bandits."

"Can you report to the guard in Guangxi?"

"Returning to Uncle, it was Dudu Han who sent the humble man to report to Uncle. There were thieves who confessed. The bandit leader Wang Qiqi and others conspired to commit Pingxiang. Nearly 2000 people have been gathered."

"Criminal Pingxiang?"

Meng Qinghe's first feeling was not nervous, but absurd.

Looking at Zhu Neng who was resting with his eyes closed, a thought popped into his head, if he wants to seek death, there is no need to do this, right?

With this man sitting in town, the army conquering Annan may send people to transport wounded soldiers and capture them back at any time, and even dare to go to Pingxiang to rob.

"My lord, do you see this?"

Zhu Neng opened his eyes and said: "Brother, I came here to Annan. I didn't win a battle. The bandits came and invaded, which is exactly what I want. Brother, don't you want to send road workers? 2000 people, plus the soldiers sent back by the army , From Pingxiang to Lang Son, it should be enough."

Meng Qinghe: "..."

Should he sympathize with the bandits who dared to come to Pingxiang to beat him up, or should he be thankful that it was Zhu Neng who stayed in Pingxiang instead of Shen Xuan?

Change it to Shen Xuan, servant?Don't even think about it, it's basically clicked.