Chapter 215 Mr. Huang is actually me?
Among the ceremonial supervisors, eunuch Bingbi Li Fang was in a good mood.
Eunuch Tao did a good job in Fujian, and new money was indeed flowing freely in Fujian. Even the local officials in Fujian finally admitted that Eunuch Tao did a good job in Fujian, and the people praised him.
But this is not the reason why Li Fang is happy. The reputation of eunuchs is not good to begin with. Eunuchs do not come out of the palace to do things for fame. The most important thing is to get things done.
If things go wrong, no matter how good your reputation is, it will be of no use.
Once the matter is done, it doesn't matter if your reputation is not good. Even if you are impeached by foreign ministers, as long as the emperor is satisfied, you will have the opportunity to prosper in the future.
To Li Fang's satisfaction, Eunuch Tao's affairs were handled very well this time!
For the palace, the most important thing for going out to mint coins this time was to make money for the emperor.
Eunuch Tao swept away old money in Fujian, and the coinage business was in full swing. This clarified the law of money, which naturally satisfied the emperor. But what satisfied the emperor the most was Eunuch Tao's reason for sending money back to the palace.
In the past, eunuchs were sent out of the palace, and the money they collected had to be secretly transported back to the inner treasury, or they had to be "donated" under a clever name. If something was not done properly, they would be stared at by the court ministers.
Although the inner treasury is the emperor's private treasury, it is really ugly to have an upright and dignified emperor and father, a Taoist emperor descended from the world, to send eunuchs to search for the people's wealth and anointing.
Eunuch Tao was anxious about his father's worries and thought of his father in everything.
At Su Ze's suggestion, Eunuch Tao used the fire cost of minting as an excuse to write down the amount of coins he minted, the cost, and the fire cost in an account. All he earned from the Fujian minting was the cost of fire. Now the fire cost of minting will be calculated. If the "loss" was returned to the emperor, it would be hard for foreign ministers to say anything, right?
The account book was polished by Su Ze. Although it was a pure fake account, there were no loopholes in the entire account book.
Eunuch Tao also "kindly" exchanged all the fire expenses for silver, and then transported them to the capital by water.
When Eunuch Cao's silver ship arrived in the capital, the entire capital was boiling.
Li Fang, who served the emperor closely, naturally knew how good Emperor Jiajing was in those days.
The emperor also specially circulated Eunuch Tao's account books to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Education, and the meaning is self-evident.
have a look! This is the ledger! These are my money! I deserve it!
All the officials in the court were silent. Eunuch Tao was minting coins and building water conservancy projects in Fujian. The people were almost building a shrine for him. It is totally untenable for you to attack him.
The account books were impeccable, and the fire consumption of coins was clearly calculated, and then all the fire consumption was "returned" to the emperor in the form of silver. At this time, the ministers could only say "Your Majesty is virtuous."
Everyone knew that this money could not appear out of thin air. Neither the emperor nor the people complained. Someone must have paid for it.
Officials from Fujian, or officials with good relations with Fujian officials, all received letters from Fujian.
They were tricked by Eunuch Tao!
But this time, even the most eloquent speaker was speechless.
How to say?
Many ministers who don't understand finance can't understand Eunuch Tao's method of defeating these big players!
How can you spray if you don’t understand?
The laws of the Ming Dynasty stipulate that private coinage is illegal, and the sharp decline in old money was not imposed by Eunuch Tao. Even Eunuch Tao did not forcefully purchase old money. These old money were "hard" by large households in Fujian who hoarded old money. Stuffed to him.
The most horrifying thing among them was that the Minister of Hubu was blunt. This important minister who had been the Minister of Hubu since the 31st year of Jiajing felt a sense of crisis for the first time.
You're just a eunuch, you're just plundering, and you're using financial tricks? And it’s better than everyone else in the Ministry of Finance. How about I, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, do it for you?
For the Ministry of Revenue, the thing they fear most is that the emperor understands finance.
Now that the emperor has some understanding, he is tormenting the household department to a great extent.
But Eunuch Tao's skills are already at the level of famous financial officials in history.
no! Eunuch Tao must not be allowed to return to Beijing!
If Mr. Tao enters the ceremonial department, then the emperor will have a clear view of the activities of the Ministry of Household Affairs!
That is simply a disaster for the household department!
But this time, Eunuch Tao has made great contributions. When the minting is completed, he will definitely return to Beijing for promotion. What should we do?
Fang Shangshu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. At this moment, he received a notice from the cabinet, summoning him to join the cabinet for discussion.
Discussion? Does the court need money again?
Cabinet discussions these days have only one topic: money.
The resistance against the Japanese in the southeast requires money, the Anda in the north requires money, the rebellion in Liaodong requires money, and the chieftains in the southwest require money to appease them. The Ming Dynasty was so big that all it needed was firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and Fang Rui, the Minister of Household Affairs, had to worry about everything.
There is not a drop of Tobe left!
With this belief firmed, Fang Blun dragged his heavy steps to the cabinet. But when he saw the note handed over by Mr. Yan Ge, Fang Blun rubbed his eyes.
"Your Majesty wants to reopen the Ryukyu Tribute?"
Fang Shangshu didn't expect that it was for this matter that he hurriedly called him to the cabinet.
Mr. Yan Ge lowered his head and said: "The news from the palace is that Wang Daokun, the governor of Fujian, has revealed that the Ryukyu envoy has ambergris in his hand. I request your majesty to reopen the tribute and allow the Ryukyu envoy to pay tribute to Fuzhou." Yan Songneng was in the cabinet
. Speaking of the news in the palace, it was naturally the news sent out with the emperor's tacit consent. Fang Blunt looked a little ugly. The issue of paying tribute was the most troublesome thing for the Ministry of Finance.
Every time these vassal states paid tribute, they brought some rare treasures that the emperor liked, and then the Ministry of Household Affairs paid money to allow the mission to return.
To put it bluntly, when it comes to paying tribute, the emperor takes the treasure and the Ministry of Household Affairs pays for it. As for why the Ministry of Household Affairs pays for it, doesn’t the Ministry of Household Affairs pay for foreign affairs?
This is why the Ministry of Household Affairs refused to rescue Manchuria when it was invaded by the Portuguese before.
It costs money to send troops for rescue, and it also costs money to pay tribute. Without the Manlajia, the Ministry of Household Affairs will lose an expense.
If Ryukyu wants to pay tribute again, it will inevitably require the Ministry of Revenue to pay. Moreover, Ryukyu has brought ambergris this time. If better things are obtained in the future, won't the Ministry of Revenue have to pay more money?
no! It must be stopped!
But Fang Shangshu was suddenly stunned.
"Mr. Ge, Ryukyu pays tribute from Fuzhou, right?"
Yan Song nodded. He and Fang Dun were not of the same party. Yan Song did not like this Fang Shangshu. We can know that he is a capable financial minister, and he has been able to work for so long. Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance.
Ryukyu pays tribute from Fuzhou. This is something that all the junior officials in the Ministry of Revenue know. Why does Fang Shangshu still need to confirm it?
Fang Shangshu immediately said: "Restarting the Ryukyu tribute trade is a big matter, and it needs capable people to handle it."
Yan Song nodded. The local port department was in charge of the tribute trade, but now that the Japanese pirates have broken out, all the port departments have been abandoned. .
To restart Ryukyu's tribute, it is necessary to re-organize the team of Shibosi.
Fang Shangshu immediately said: "The promotion of the City Shipping Department has always been done by people in the palace. The Ministry of Household Affairs thought that Superintendent Tao of the Fujian Mint was proficient in finance and could preside over the affairs of the Fuzhou City Shipping Department and preside over the reopening of the Ryukyu tribute." Yan Song was stunned,
Xu Jie was also stunned. In fact, this Fang Shangshu is not a Qingliu. At his status, he is considered to be a sect of his own.
Fang Rui was a native of Yueyang, Hunan. After he became an official, he always supported his fellow villagers. After he became the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he even donated money to build the Yueyang Guild Hall and arranged for officials from his hometown to live there.
They also organized fellow villagers to form a "township agreement", which was actually the formation of a political alliance with fellow villagers from Hunan as the main body.
Neither Yan Song nor Qing Liu liked him very much, but he had controlled the household department for many years and had considerable influence in the court.
Yan Song was originally prepared to try his best to persuade Fang Dui to agree to reopen the tribute, but he didn't expect that Fang Dui agreed directly before he said his words of persuasion.
This household department has always been tight-lipped, so why did it agree so happily today?
Yan Song was also a fox for thousands of years, and he immediately understood the key.
Eunuch Tao!
What Eunuch Tao did in Fujian was so wonderful that he was so frightened that the Ministry of Household Affairs did not dare to let him return to Beijing.
Being in charge of the tribute trade is a lucrative position, and Eunuch Tao will not refuse it, and the position of the Shipping Department will definitely last for a few years, and it will be a few years if it can be delayed for a few years.
Yan Song also did not want Eunuch Tao to return to the capital, and he immediately understood what Fang Shangshu meant.
The cunning chief minister of the cabinet quickly agreed with Wan Shangshu's opinion and signed and stamped the cabinet vote to support the proposal of Fujian Governor Wang Daokun to reopen the Ryukyu tribute in Fuzhou.
When Li Fang sent the cabinet vote to the imperial court, Emperor Jiajing raised the ink pen and personally approved the vote, approved Wang Daokun's proposal, reopened the Ryukyu Tribute in Fuzhou, reestablished the Shipping Department, and allowed coins to be minted in Fujian. Tao Gonggong also served as the Municipal Shipping Secretary and was fully responsible for paying tribute to Ryukyu.
Li Fang, who received the imperial edict, also had mixed feelings in her heart.
This time Eunuch Tao immediately took great credit, and Li Fang, as the recommender, naturally also benefited.
Not to mention the benefits of dividing profits from Fujian, Eunuch Tao, as Li Fang's party member, further strengthened his voice in the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
But Eunuch Tao's performance was so impressive that Li Fang hesitated a little. If he returned to the Forbidden City, wouldn't he also have to compete with him for favor?
Eunuch Tao promoted the Fuzhou Shipping Company, which was a good job and could compensate for Eunuch Tao's contribution. At the same time, Eunuch Tao could continue to stay in Fuzhou to make money without having to return to the Forbidden City to threaten his status.
Best of both worlds!
The emperor, cabinet, inner court, and Ministry of Revenue all supported it, and this order was sent to Fujian with extremely high efficiency.
If Su Ze knew the decision-making process of this appointment, he would only feel that the Ming Dynasty would only win a small victory, and he would always win a big win. Anyway, he would win!
Su Ze, who returned to Nanping from Fuzhou Prefecture, was invited to the county government by the new Nanping magistrate before he could rest.
The new magistrate of Nanping County, whose surname is Sun, is far inferior to the previous magistrate of Baixian County. He was born in Juren County and worked hard for many years before becoming a county magistrate.
Magistrate Sun is over fifty years old, has a goatee, and looks more like a master than a magistrate.
Su Ze had met Sun Magistrate during the handover in Baizhi County, but Su Ze had been running around since that meeting. He really couldn't figure out why Sun Magistrate was anxious to see him.
Sun Zhixian's attitude was very low, and he said almost flatteringly:
"Jie Yuangong is young and promising, and he will definitely be able to get a high rank in the imperial examination in the future!"
Su Ze was so praised by Sun Zhixian that he didn't know how to talk to him, so he just exchanged pleasantries. After a few words, Sun Zhixian pulled him to sit down.
After sitting down, Magistrate Sun sighed and said, "Mr. Xie Yuan, there is still a shortfall in this year's autumn grain collection."
Su Ze knew that the main event was coming. Could it be that the magistrate came to beg for alms?
Su Ze looked strange. He never thought that one day he would become Mr. Huang.
But looking at Nanping County, Changningwei is already the richest area in Nanping. Su Ze also has many properties in the city and a huge tea garden in the mountains.
In addition, the former magistrate was his future father-in-law, his chamberlain was the governor of Fujian, and he had a close relationship with the two great eunuchs in the palace, Eunuch Tao and Eunuch Hu.
Well, I am indeed Mr. Huang.
No wonder Sun Zhixian spoke to him in such a consultative tone.
Mr. Huang is not taken advantage of. The county’s grain collection quota cannot meet the requirements. You can’t fill this hole by yourself. I, Su Ze, am a law-abiding and tax-paying squire!
Su Ze said: "I, the Changning Guards, are military guards and do not pay for food. The tea gardens in Wuyi Mountain also pay tribute."
Sun Zhixian said with a bitter face: "I know, I know. Changning Guards are military guards and do not pay for food." , It’s just that the land tax difference is too big this year, so I want to ask the big households in the city to donate generously. Now I’m asking big households in the city to donate, and everyone is looking at Mr. Jie Yuangong!” Su Ze didn’t expect that he would encounter the legendary apportionment
. , he looked at Sun Zhixian and said:
"Although there was some rain in Fujian this year, there were no disasters in the end. Generally speaking, the weather was smooth. Why was there not enough autumn grain collected?"
Sun Zhixian said with a grimace: "Hey, Mr. Xie Yuangong will definitely do it in the future. You are going to become an official. When you reach my position, you will naturally understand my difficulties."
Sun Zhixian stroked his goatee and said: "Now my Ming Dynasty is such a strange thing. The more favorable the weather, the more difficult it is. No food comes."
"Why?"
"Because the grain is cheap."
"The grain is cheap?"
Sun Zhixian said: "If Eunuch Tao hadn't minted coins in Fujian this year, this phenomenon would have been even more serious. To put it bluntly, it was on the market.
There is insufficient silver, and although there is a bumper harvest, the grain still cannot be sold at a high price." "This is already the case during the summer grain harvest. This year's summer grain harvest is bumper, but the price of grain is 10% lower than last year, so farming is losing money."
"Since farming is not profitable If they are still losing money, many large households will simply abandon their wasteland and stop planting grain to support the soil, or they will plant cash crops such as cotton and mulberry trees." "
Eunuch Tao smoothed the money system, and the price of autumn grain went up a bit, but if there was no grain grown at that time, it would naturally be paid. Without food, the whole of Fujian is now severely short of food."
Sun Zhixian said with a bitter face: "The Chief Envoy also came up with a solution for everyone, asking all prefectures and counties to pay taxes with silver, but the county government also has no money. Ah."
Sun Zhixian stretched out his hand and said to Su Ze: "Mr. Jie Yuangong, please donate one hundred taels of silver to lead the way! I will return 80% of it to you, how about it?" Good guy, it is really a squire's 28% account
. Ah, as expected, I can't be fooled.
(End of chapter)