Chapter 469: The First Heavy Snow in the Forty-fourth Year of Jiajing

“The country’s problems are never the problems of a particular place.”

"It's not the problems of a particular group of people that have corrupted the country."

"But..."

West Garden.

In Yilan Pavilion, the kneeling gentry from Jiangnan had already left, but Yan Shaoting did not show any joy of winning a competition. Instead, his face looked solemn, his tone seemed a little hesitant, and he glanced at Zhang Juzheng.

Xu Pengju was still sitting in the building. He couldn't help but shrink his head when he heard these words.

Only the young Wang Xijue looked at his husband with some confusion and curiosity.

Zhang Juzheng felt something in his heart and met Yan Shaoting's gaze helplessly.

Yan Shaoting smiled faintly, but he clearly wasn't smiling.

Just as he knew clearly that this time he could use Gao Hanwen to temporarily suppress the Jiangnan gentry and wealthy families who came to West Garden to beg for mercy today, it did not mean that he could suppress the huge but invisible interest group that occupied a position between the imperial power and the common people in the entire Jiangnan.

this matter.

In fact, when it comes down to it, he just wanted to promote the reform of the court in order to deprive the Jiangnan gentry headed by Xu Jie of their private interests, expand the national interests of the Ming Dynasty, and ultimately achieve the goal of distributing profits to the lowest level of people.

finally.

This issue will become the most fundamental and fatal problem in all dynasties in the Central Plains from ancient times to the present, but few people mention it.

That is, the contradiction between state-owned and private ownership.

Because from a rational and logical point of view, although the emperor is the largest landlord and beneficiary in the world, he is also the representative of state-owned property. The civil service group formed by the local gentry represents private property.

The emperor was at the top and the common people were at the bottom.

Then the civil servants and wealthy gentry in the middle occupied the middle level. If these people wanted to go further, they had to constantly weaken the emperor's authority, or force the emperor to bow to them.

in this way.

This is why there was a famous saying in the early Song Dynasty that we should share the world with the literati rather than with the people.

If the emperor is unwilling to bow his head, he must severely suppress the second group under him, strip private interests from these people, strengthen himself, win over the lowest level of people, transform private interests into national interests, and finally transfer them to the lowest level of people.

In fact.

When Yan Shaoting was truly in this era, he began to understand many things that he could not understand in the past.

For example, why did Emperor Taizu Hongwu launch bloody massacres inside and outside the court when he was very old?

Why did the voyages to the West, which were so popular during the reign of Emperor Taizong Yongle, come to an abrupt end shortly after his death?

Why was there the Battle of Tumu named after the change rather than a war or campaign based on military factors?

Why was Emperor Chenghua not well-known, while Emperor Xiaozong seemed to be highly sought after by later officials? And why did Emperor Xiaozong suddenly die in his later years because of a few medicines?

When Emperor Wuzong was 14 years old, he chose to live in the northwest corner of the imperial city, which was supposed to be where the eunuchs lived. It was eventually named the Leopard Room. Why did he fall into the water twice? The king who was good at fighting could not resist catching a cold once and died.

finally.

That is to say, in this dynasty, Emperor Jiajing was in power.

at last.

The old Taoist priest also had the foundation laid by his cousin, and he withstood several fire attacks from nowhere. At the peak of power and scheming, he finally stayed in the court for more than 40 years.

From start to finish.

The core issue is the struggle between state-owned and private enterprises.

So let’s return to the present moment.

This time, the victory achieved in Nanjing city, in this West Garden against the group of Jiangnan gentry and wealthy families, means nothing at all.

At most.

That is to say, in the major event of toppling Xu Jie, solid and powerful progress will be made.

However, facing the entire private interest groups in the south, if I want to further reform, I am afraid the resistance I will encounter will be incomparable to the current one.

of course.

Yan Shaoting naturally has a way to resolve this contradiction.

There is no other.

Only the word "kill" can solve it.

But could he really kill all the private interest groups in the south on behalf of the Zhu family?
This is again obviously impossible.

Therefore, this is the reason why Yan Shaoting used overseas interests as a bond to contact more people.

In this regard.

When no one was around, Yan Shaoting would often call himself a paperhanger.

A Ming Dynasty mounter.

And his purpose is also very simple.

We cannot completely solve these problems at the moment, and we cannot achieve destruction and then reconstruction, so we can only avoid the worst happening.

For example, to avoid letting future generations face the question of whether to keep their head or their hair.

Even if I die one day.

But the piece of meat in the Central Plains.

After all, it's better to let the food rot in your own pot.

Zhang Juzheng, who had always been facing Yan Shaoting's gaze, finally smiled helplessly and whispered, "Is this the reason why you opposed the One Whip Law I proposed when Hai Rui was with you?"

Yan Shaoting nodded honestly: "The court can give in on some aspects, but it can never give in on some things. Especially if the Single Whip Law is really to be implemented, the power of our dynasty's currency will inevitably flow into the hands of local wealthy families, which must be banned."

Just as he said.

The Single Whip System promoted by Zhang Juzheng in history certainly had its advantages, but its disadvantages were greater.

A reform.

The entire country's monetary power was transferred from state-owned to private hands.

From now on.

The Jiangnan region, which should have been the most tax-conscious place in the country, has become the place that pays the least taxes.

Without the power over currency, the imperial court could no longer effectively collect taxes, and everyone knew the final result.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, various taxes and levies were levied endlessly.

Zhang Juzheng nodded: "So what are you going to do now?"

Zhang Juzheng, who had experienced ups and downs in the past few years, had some expectations in his heart, as if he hoped to get a prescription from Yan Shaoting that could truly make the country strong.

However, Yan Shaoting spoke calmly: "Overthrow Xu Jie, suppress officials from Jiangnan in the court, and suppress the local gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan."

Zhang Juzheng, who had been expecting something, couldn't help but look away, feeling a little disappointed.

He even said directly: "Isn't this something that was originally decided?"

Yan Shaoting sneered: "How about I transfer the Loyal and Brave Battalion to you, and let Xu Wenbi's tax and military office also belong to you. Or, I can write a letter to Qi Jiguang and others on the front line, asking them to transfer troops to Nanjing. Then you can take these people and kill people all over Jiangnan from beginning to end?"

puff.

There was a loud noise in Yilan Pavilion. Xu Pengju, who had been sitting in the building, was now pale, staring blankly at the broken teacup he had accidentally dropped on the ground. He shook his head repeatedly, his eyes were fixed on the ground, and he kept muttering in a low voice.

"I didn't hear anything..."

"I heard nothing..."

"I didn't hear anything!"

This stupid duke is really in a dilemma now. He wants to get away but he knows that from now on he and the Xu family of Nanjing will be completely tied to Yan Shaoting's boat.

Wang Xijue was also dumbfounded, looking at his teacher with a dull gaze.

He really didn't dare to think about it, but he was very sure that what his teacher was talking about was tantamount to rebellion.

Instead, Zhang Juzheng went from being disappointed to bursting into laughter.

He stood up and kicked over the empty bird cage hanging behind the railing: "If you really dare to do this, I will lead these soldiers to kill Jiangnan back and forth."

then.

Yan Shaoting also burst into laughter.

The two people laughed like crazy.

Only Xu Pengju and Wang Xijue had cold sweats on their backs.

When they thought that the two people in front of them were probably crazy, Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng's laughter stopped abruptly.

Yan Shaoting spoke first: "Now that Hai Rui has taken the lead in impeaching in the capital, the momentum in Jiangnan will also be stirred up, and they will probably be sent to the capital before the end of the year. In this way, we can wait for Xu Jie and the Xu family to make mistakes themselves, and that will be the time to truly overthrow them."

In fact, Yan Shaoting had already planned the basic plan and route.

Zhang Juzheng immediately raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is there a foreshadowing?"

"It depends on whether those people have the courage."

Yan Shaoting did not clearly state where the foreshadowing lay, but it was considered a response.

Seeing that Yan Shaoting was unwilling to say more, Zhang Juzheng did not force him to do so. He just said, "It seems that I, as the Governor-General of the Maritime Affairs Office, should not neglect my duties. Otherwise, I am afraid that our Duke will spread everything we say here."

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng turned around with a smile and looked at Xu Pengju who was sitting in the building.

Xu Pengju immediately stood up and walked outside, wiping the sweat from his forehead as if begging for mercy, and said, "You two! You two are the masters! I am a poor man, older than you, but I am also a duke. In the final analysis, what do you want to do with the court? My Xu family is with the country, so naturally we are willing to follow. Now that Xiao Yan and Governor Zhang are willing to take care of the Xu family in the matter of opening the sea, it is impossible for the Xu family to betray their friends."

This time, the Xu family returned the land they had occupied in recent years to the people during the land survey in Jiangnan. Of course, the benefits his family gained were also obvious. With their business and trade abroad, the Xu family had now become the largest family among the nobles in Nanjing, not to mention that several islands in the south with fertile land had been transferred to the Xu family by Yan Shaoting.

At least.

As long as the Ming Dynasty opens its seas for maritime trade and Yan Shaoting still has a say, these benefits will not change and will not be replaced by others.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and looked at Wang Xijue who was sitting next to him.

The young man immediately said, "I came back to celebrate my father's birthday this time, and all the land I have donated to my family over the years has been returned."

Zhang Juzheng nodded. If the people around him who were involved in these matters did not support them, then there would be no need to do anything.

Yan Shaoting suppressed some things in his heart that he didn't want to say, restrained his emotions, smiled, stood up and looked at everyone: "Today is another step forward. I heard that the Duke likes delicious food on weekdays. I wonder if we can have this opportunity today to taste the Jiangnan food with the Duke?"

Seeing that these young men finally stopped using troops to kill everyone in Jiangnan, Xu Pengju was obviously relieved.

He quickly said, "Yes! Yes!"

"When it comes to delicious food, Guest Yan has found the right person!"

"Let's go now."

"Going right now!"

……

Time flies.

Under Gao Hanwen's covetous pressure and desire to survive, the gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan finally wrote a letter of accusation against the Xu family of Huating in Songjiang Prefecture in detail and with 120 degrees of concentration, describing the matter from every angle.

What happened in the West Garden was gradually spreading.

Many wealthy families in the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor also heard the news and joined the team to sue the Xu family in Huating.

after all.

The news from the capital has also been passed on. Xu Jie indeed only has the title of Junior Tutor in the court now, and is no longer the Second Assistant of the Cabinet.

Then.

Faced with the issue of life and death, this group of wealthy gentry in the south of the Yangtze River quickly made their choice.

Die for the Xu family and save your own family.

So in the end, Gao Hanwen didn't even need to lead a group of people to walk around the Jiangnan area to intimidate these people, as they had already rushed to file complaints.

The Xu family's side.

After receiving the news from the capital, they stepped up the process of nominally dividing the land deeds in the local area, using the names of various people who were suppressed by the Xu family or no longer existed to take over the land that was originally under the name of the Xu family.

When winter comes.

The city of Beijing has received written complaints against the Xu family from the gentry and wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River.

Immediately.

In just one night, a large number of censors suddenly emerged in the court to impeach the Xu family and Xu Jie.

The wind and the direction changed instantly.

Originally, in the entire imperial court of the capital, Hai Rui was the only one who took the initiative to impeach Xu Jie. It was also only Hai Rui, in his position as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Northern Zhili, who took action against officials related to Xu Jie and the Xu family one by one.

But it happened that night.

All the people in the court started impeachment.

For a moment, Xu Jie and the Xu family really felt that a storm was about to come.

It was at this time.

Far away in Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, in the south of the Yangtze River, there was a man named Gu Shao. Seeing that all the wealthy gentry in the south of the Yangtze River were suing the Xu family, and countless officials in the court were impeaching Xu Jie himself, he finally came up with the idea of ​​suing the Xu family as well, and then rushed to the capital with evidence.

at the same time.

The Xu family, who had already sensed the changing situation in the Jiangnan area, immediately learned of the news.

When the Xu family in Huating County learned that Gu Shao was actually going to impeach the Xu family for defrauding and delaying the transportation of pigments and silver last year, they immediately sent people to stop it.

He even contacted the Sun family, who were also in Huating and whose head was now an official in Lianghuai, hoping that the Sun family could stop Gu Shao in the Lianghuai area.

When the entire Jiangnan region became a mess because of the Xu family, memorials impeaching Xu Jie and the Xu family were constantly sent to the Cabinet and the Western Garden in the imperial court.

Capital.

Not long after winter began, it suddenly snowed heavily.

In just one day and one night, the entire Shuntian Prefecture was completely blocked by heavy snow.

And this snow, just like the snow at the beginning of the 40th year of Jiajing, seemed to be falling non-stop.

Hai Rui, who was originally planning to continue arresting criminal officials related to the Xu family and Xu Jie in northern Zhili, had to temporarily stop what he was doing and instead went straight into the Shuntian prefectural government office and focused on the current heavy snow.

…………

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(End of this chapter)