Chapter 260 Gao Gong Zhang Juzheng (end of this volume, new volume tomorrow)
Sea Duck Island is not far from Dong'ao Island. The two of them took a small boat, and Su Ze saw a large number of sea ducks nesting on the cliffs.
This kind of gregarious seabird is not afraid of people at all. When they saw the small boat that Su Ze and Lin Mojun were riding in, they flew over like a swarm of people.
Lin Mojun immediately raised the bamboo hat in her hand to cover her head, only to see bird droppings falling from the sky. Lin Mojun, a female general who never blinked when fighting at sea, was so frightened by bird droppings that she looked like this.
Seeing Su Ze smiling, Lin Mojun felt angry and simply took the bamboo hat and left.
Looking at the "bombing duck" hovering on the mountain above his head, Su Ze quickly hid in Lin Mojun's bamboo hat.
After finally landing on Sea Duck Island, the sea ducks hovering above our heads dispersed.
"There are many sea ducks on this island. When the Japanese pirates were on Dong'ao Island, people often sneaked onto this island to steal the sea ducks' eggs, so the sea ducks were very wary of people." So, Su Ze looked at
this He found an island and saw bird droppings piled up in many places on the island. He picked up a piece of dried bird droppings on the ground. Lin Mojun said with a look of disgust, "Why are
you picking this up?"
Su Ze looked at it . Looking at the layers of bird droppings on the island, he said excitedly: "This island is a treasure!"
Treasure? A treasure that smells like bird poop?
Lin Mojun looked at Su Ze. Could it be that he was stunned by the bird poop bombardment just now?
After the inspection, Su Ze immediately arranged for people to dig bird droppings in Shanghai Yadao. This kind of bird droppings is a natural phosphate fertilizer and is a good thing that can greatly increase agricultural output.
Hearing that this was a fertilizer that could increase grain production, Lin Mojun believed it. Since there were still many idle Japanese pirate prisoners on the island, he might as well let them go to Haiya Island to dig for struvite.
By the time Su Ze returned to Nanping City after finishing his busy work, it was already the end of November, and it was natural that he and Fang Ruolan would have a better time than a wedding.
While being "busy", Fang Ruolan finally managed to arrange the New Year's gifts and arrange them properly for Su Ze's relatives and friends.
While Su Ze was enjoying the "hot" days of being a shopkeeper after his wedding, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was particularly cold this year.
The thirty-fifth year of Jiajing did not seem to be a stable year.
There was a great earthquake in Guanzhong, Japanese pirates invaded, and I reached the border. Not long ago, news came from Guangdong Prefecture that Chen Yimin of Yanhu launched a rebellion and almost captured Guangzhou Prefecture.
The Bai Zhifu of Guangzhou spent money to hire Folang Gunguns to assist the government and army in suppressing the rebellion, which prevented it from becoming a serious problem.
Although Bai Zhifu, who had just taken office this year, was unjustly accused because these salt workers were forced to rebel by the previous Zhifu and the salt field supervisor, he still took the responsibility for the unfavorable control of the people. At best, he was negating his merits.
It was extremely cold in the north in November this year, and there have been several heavy snowfalls in November.
Zhang Juzheng, who returned to his house from the Hanlin Academy, took off his snow-covered cloak and took the hot soup from his wife.
In the first month of the year, the imperial court will close its office. In fact, the Hanlin Academy has started to work flexibly a few years ago, and some senior Hanlin officials have begun to arrive late and leave early.
After all, the Hanlin Academy is an aristocratic yamen. It goes without saying that it is expensive. The Hanlin Academy is a place where talents are reserved for the country.
But talent is a thing that some people appreciate. If no one appreciates it, then they can only stay in poverty in the Hanlin Academy.
For example, didn't Mr. Yan Ge live in poverty for more than ten years in the Hanlin Academy?
If it hadn't been for chance, Xuanhe wouldn't be where he is now.
Zhang Juzheng's family is a wealthy family in Hubei, and they can survive relying on family subsidies. For example, this house in the east of the capital was bought by his father in the capital as soon as Zhang Juzheng joined the Hanlin Academy.
The houses in the capital, with the Forbidden City as the center, were arranged in a pattern of rich people in the east and rich people in the west, poor people in the south and low people in the north.
Being able to buy a house in the east of the city just after joining the Hanlin Academy shows that the Zhang family's strength is extraordinary.
However, Zhang Juzheng's house is still very small, with only two courtyards at the front and back.
Zhang Juzheng only had his wife and four handymen at home. After all, life in the capital was still very stressful. Zhang Juzheng had already married and was embarrassed to always ask for money from his family.
Zhang Juzheng had a very good relationship with his first wife, Gu. However, Gu fell ill and died soon after their marriage. He and his current wife, Wang, can only say that they respect each other as if they were guests.
Mrs. Wang also came from a family of officials. After Zhang Juzheng finished drinking the soup to warm his body, Mrs. Wang talked about things at home.
"Gao Jiaoxuan's wife brought bacon, saying it was a gift from Prince Yu's Mansion, and she wanted to share some with our family for the Chinese New Year." Gao Jiaoxuan
is Gao Gong. Gao Gong is older than Zhang Juzheng and is also a senior in the examination room. Under Zhang Juzheng When he entered the Hanlin Academy, Gao Gong had been selected as a lecturer in Prince Yu's Mansion, and now he is a lecturer in Prince Yu's Mansion.
This position was actually very embarrassing in the eyes of people at the time.
Among the normal promotion paths for Hanlin officials, giving lectures in the East Palace is also a good path.
Today I will give a lecture to the Prince of the East Palace. When the Prince succeeds to the throne, he will automatically be promoted to the rank of Imperial Master. In the past, this was a position that Hanlin officials would compete for.
But Gao Gong's lecture was not at the East Palace, but at Prince Yu's Mansion.
There are only a few words missing, but the meanings are completely different.
Since the former prince passed away, the emperor refused to appoint the prince again because of the prophecy that "the two dragons do not want to see him", and also refused to meet the prince.
Among the remaining princes of Emperor Jiajing, in addition to King Yu, there is also King Jing.
And compared to King Yu, King Jing was more favored by Emperor Jiajing.
Gao Gong's future as a lecturer in Prince Yu's palace also became unclear with Prince Yu's status.
In recent years, as Qingliu began to support King Yu, Yan Song's son Yan Shifan also began to get close to King Jing.
The ministers didn't know whether this was Yan Song's position, but after Yan Shifan got close to King Jing, it was a huge blow to King Yu's future.
Gao Gong has a straightforward personality, and his current position is sensitive, so he has very few interactions with ministers.
But Gao Gong admired Zhang Juzheng very much. Since Zhang Juzheng returned to the Hanlin Academy, Gao Gong often took Zhang Juzheng to discuss politics together and talked about his own ambitions and future policy plans.
Zhang Juzheng's personality is more reserved than Gao Gong's, so Gao Gong always speaks and Zhang Juzheng listens. The two get along well with each other. They often get together when they are sleeping, and the hostesses of the two families are also familiar with each other.
Zhang Juzheng ordered: "Send a copy of the specialties from my hometown to Gao Suqing."
Before Zhang Juzheng could finish speaking, he heard a hearty voice. Zhang Juzheng quickly opened the courtyard door and saw Gao Gong standing in the snow. .
"Brother Suqing, come in quickly!"
Zhang Juzheng immediately welcomed Gao Gong into the courtyard, and Wang immediately asked the maid to bring hot soup.
Zhang Juzheng pulled Gao Gong into the study. When the charcoal stove started burning, a smile appeared on Gao Gong
's wrinkled face: "The price of charcoal in the capital has increased so many times. Can uncle still afford charcoal?" Zhang Juzheng He also smiled and said: "Coal is poisonous. I am from Jingzhou and I am afraid of the cold. This money should be spent. This year is indeed difficult."
Gao Gong also sighed and said: "Old Yan Ge took the lead in donating half of his salary to support the great work. The officials of the Six Ministries and Jiuqing Yamen also donated, forcing the officials below to follow suit. They may not know that the officials in the capital Life is so difficult, I heard that a doctor from the Ministry of War has used his clothes to buy firewood to keep warm." The
big project is the palace project. After the fire in the three main halls this year, Emperor Jiajing ordered the Ministry of Works to rebuild after the fire.
However, the Ministry of Industry estimated that rebuilding the three main halls would require at least 300,000 taels of silver. Faced with such a huge deficit, the clan members of Lao Zhu's family generously donated a total of 10,000 taels of silver to the emperor.
I heard that on the day he received the order, Emperor Jiajing knocked out all the copper. There were so many royal families, clansmen, and princes in the Ming Dynasty, and they finally scraped together ten thousand taels of silver!
If it hadn't been for the excellent performance of Jin Yiwei and Dongchang during the property raids in Nanjing, as well as the banknote duties paid by Fang Wanghai, they probably wouldn't even have been able to raise the money to start the construction of the three main halls!
Under this circumstance, Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, took the lead and donated half of his salary to fund major projects.
The first assistant took the lead in donating, and the cabinet academicians naturally followed suit. The second assistant Xu Jie and other ministers also naturally followed suit.
The cabinet all donated, and the six ministers and ministers also began to donate. In the end, the salaries of all officials in the capital were halved to fund major projects.
Even Zhang Juzheng, a high-ranking official in the Hanlin Academy, was forced to donate half of his salary.
Gao Gong said dissatisfied: "Of course the cabinet ministers don't care about this salary! But the families of those low-level officials in the capital are counting on their salaries! The price of rice and charcoal in the capital has soared this year, and people will freeze to death if this continues! "
Zhang Juzheng just listened quietly to Gao Gong's dissatisfaction.
Gao Gong's family was also not poor. His father was a Jinshi and once served as Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple.
The house of Gao Gong's family is larger than Zhang Juzheng's house. It was purchased when his father was an official in the capital.
Moreover, he lectured in Prince Yu's Mansion, and Prince Yu's Mansion also gave him rewards every now and then. He was just indignant on behalf of the officials of the entire capital.
We can't talk anymore like this. Zhang Juzheng said quickly: "Brother Suqing, be careful what you say!"
Gao Gong also understood that he had made a mistake. Donating money is really not something to discuss. You said that Jun's father's house was burned down, so why don't you donate money to Jun's father? It is also the duty of a minister to share worries.
Gao Gong was just dissatisfied with the Liubu Jiuqing Yamen's behavior of forcing donations.
Gao Gong is twelve years older than Zhang Juzheng, but his personality is not as stable as Zhang Juzheng's.
After he finished complaining, he said:
"Hu Zongxian wrote to the Ministry of Revenue to use the Zhejiang banknote tariff as collateral to issue anti-Japanese donations. This matter has been debated in the Ministry of Revenue for several days. I heard that Mr. Yan Ge and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue discussed the matter. The report was sent to His Majesty, and then it was approved."
Gao Gong was the lecturer of King Yu, so he was naturally more informed than Zhang Juzheng.
Gao Gong knew that Zhang Juzheng was concerned about the banknote tax law. After he found out the news, he came over to tell Zhang Juzheng the news:
"I heard that the main reason why it was passed so quickly was that Fang Shilang of the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue also approved it. Didn't you say that Fang Shilang was Is the most wealthy minister in the Manchu Dynasty? He would actually agree with Hu Zongxian to do this?"
Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were both Hanlin officials, that is, the future prime minister.
After all, the Prime Minister is not yet the Prime Minister. One of them lectures and reads in Prince Yu's Mansion, and the other edits and edits in the Hanlin Academy. Naturally, they are not qualified to govern.
Talking about politics has become something they often do.
Zhang Juzheng highly praised Fang Wanghai, believing that his banknote and tax law was "the best law in the world", and also said that Fang Wanghai was the "first financial official" of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Juzheng is also an extremely smart person. He quickly understood Gao Gong's meaning. Before, Fang Wanghai had no factional mark because he was promoted too quickly.
Now that he has given up the interests of the Chaoguan Office to help Hu Zongxian fight against the Japanese in Zhejiang, Gao Gong is worried that Fang Wanghai and Hu Zongxian will join forces, that is, they will join the strict party.
This is what Gao Gong is most worried about. Now Hu Zongxian, who has the imprint of the Strict Party, is fighting against the Japanese in Zhejiang. With the help of Fang Wanghai, a "financial expert", the Strict Party will become even more powerful.
As a Qingliu party member, Gao Gong was naturally worried about this matter.
"Brother Suqing, I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious yet. Can you tell me in detail about the mortgage, tax, and debt issuance?" Gao Gong sat down and told
Zhang Juzheng in detail the entire content of Hu Zongxian's letter. .
After listening, Zhang Juzheng said: "Wonderful!"
Gao Gong was anxious again, Zhang Juzheng said:
"In my opinion, this move is because Fang Wanghai borrowed Hu Zongxian's power, so that the Zhejiang Banknote Tariff Law will be passed!"
Gao Gong was still worried. Puzzled, Zhang Juzheng explained:
"Judging from this experience in Jiangnan, if it hadn't been for the invasion of Japanese pirates and the Customs Department to organize group training, the Customs Customs would have gone bankrupt long ago!" "When it comes to collecting taxes, I don't have a knife in my hand
. No!"
"Now that the banknotes and tariffs are used as collateral to issue bonds, the Zhejiang soldiers in Hu Zongxian's hands will become Fang Wanghai's knife, and they will definitely cut flesh from Zhejiang merchants!" "Brother Suqing, who do you think helped whom
? ?"
Gao Gong still said: "But what if the Zhejiang Governor's Yamen does not pay back the money next year?"
Zhang Juzheng said: "The debt issued is stamped with the seal of the Bank of China. If the Zhejiang Governor's Yamen does not pay the money, then the Bank of China will be completely Can you issue debts for the next year and make up for the tax on banknotes?"
Gao Gong suddenly realized, Zhang Juzheng said again:
"And this debt is also very wonderful. Whoever can issue debts can raise money. In the early days of the Republic of China, The treasure banknotes without any banknotes can still be used for two dynasties. Now that there are banknote tariffs as collateral, whoever has the right to issue bonds is equivalent to mastering the gold mine!" After listening to Zhang Juzheng's explanation, Gao Gong suddenly said
. :
"Brother Uncle, do you mean that Fang Wanghai took advantage?"
"It's not that he took advantage, but he didn't suffer. This Shilang Fang is really a strange person!"
Gao Gong suddenly whispered: "I heard that this banknote tariff law is also It was not Shilang Fang who proposed it."
In fact, Zhang Juzheng had received Wang Daokun's letter before and knew that the banknote tariff law was proposed by Su Ze.
However, he still didn't believe it at the time. Su Ze was not even a civil servant at that time, and his reputation was not great.
Gao Gong said mysteriously: "It was proposed by Su Ze, Su Rulin, the son-in-law of Fang Shilang, Jieyuan of Fujian Province in modern times. When we were in Jiangnan, it was Su Rulin who helped Fang Shilang make plans and finally brought down the Yuezhou people."
Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment, then pretended not to know and said, "Wait a minute, is this Su Rulin the Su Ze who wrote "The Peony Pavilion" and "Nan Ke Meng"?" "It's him!"
Zhang
Juzheng changed his previous flat tone. , said with some expectation: "If you can win the Yuan Dynasty in Fujian, you will definitely be a Jinshi in the future. When you are an official in the same dynasty in the future, you should get closer and closer!" Gao Gong also nodded repeatedly. If such capable
ministers who are proficient in financial management are Being able to be used by King Yu will definitely greatly increase King Yu's strength.
(End of chapter)