Chapter 596 Want to eat shit

"gentlemen."

"Ok?"

"What is wealth?"

“Wealth is what balances the yin and yang of the world.”

"Oh... the students still don't quite understand..."

Wenhua Hall in early spring.

On the two open spaces on the left and right outside the hall, there are regular ridges of ground, and at intervals there is a small green plant sunken in the pit.

The spring breeze blows and the green leaves sway.

Maybe the roots haven't taken root yet.

The half-grown Zhu Yijun sat on the steps nearby, supporting his big head with his hands on his knees, twisting his neck, and staring at the big body beside him with curiosity and confusion on his little face.

Yan Shaoting looked down at the student who had just finished watering the crops on both sides, reached out and gently patted the kid's head, with a doting smile on his face: "Every bite, every drink, every meal, every piece of clothing, all come from money. Every soldier, every pawn, every chariot, every horse, all come from money. If money flows through the world, then goods will flow through the world, and then the world will be prosperous."

Zhu Yijun paused, frowned slightly, and looked thoughtful. He then whispered, "Yesterday, I was in the East Warm Pavilion and saw my father holding my mother. He was smiling happily and said that he had made a fortune this time."

The first half of the sentence.

Yan Shaoting thought that this was his student who had seen the emperor and his concubine having sex. After hearing the whole story, he couldn't help but smile, and then sighed: "Yes, this time, your majesty and the court really made a fortune."

"Is that a lot of shiny gold and silver?"

Zhu Yijun was still like a curious baby, constantly asking questions.

Yan Shaoting nodded and said "hmm".

This time, the gold shops regulated the silver price and suppressed the upright gentry in Jiangnan. The matter was settled with the white silk of thousands of families in Jiangnan.

According to the latest calculations by the gold bank, the bank made a profit of 11.5 million taels by regulating the silver price just this time.

It can be said.

The clear stream is still there, Jiangnan remains the same, but the voice from the southeast will no longer be as noisy as before.

In the days that followed, those people could only shrink their necks and lower their heads, silently licking their wounds and healing themselves secretly.

And I have not been idle recently.

Just last month, as the chief examiner, he completed the Spring Examination of the second year of Longqing's reign and selected 403 candidates for official positions for the emperor and the court.

Naturally, many of them caught the eye and were led into the New Party's orbit.

Nowadays, most of these people have been selected as Shujishi in the imperial court, or have been observing government affairs in the six ministries and five temples, or have been transferred to local areas to serve as officials.

"gentlemen."

"Ok?"

Yan Shaoting looked at his students with increasingly gentle eyes.

In view of the established precedent, his approach to Zhu Yijun from the very beginning was mainly to guide, with companionship as a supplement.

Don't ask about the road ahead.

But now it seems.

This child is good-looking, and he won’t go astray again.

Zhu Yijun pouted, turned his head, and showed the cunning of a child: "The teacher in the Hanlin Academy has already started teaching students the Four Books, so can I go to Changping when I have time..."

"Go and seek advice from the three old masters?"

He didn't dare to say that he was going to Changping to play with his good brothers, so he used the excuse of asking the three old masters for advice.

Yan Shaoting looked up at the sky, then nodded and said, "After March, when the vegetation in the north is lush and the sun is bright, I will ask for your permission to take you to Changping to study."

He had no intention of exposing the child's little thoughts.

Books are meant to be read.

But as the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, reading alone is useless.

Being close to farmers is just the basic skill, which is very popular with Zhu Yijun now. The rest is to make up for the lesson of understanding people's livelihood, so that the child can slowly understand the real people's livelihood and know the sufferings of the people.

Perhaps I have to wait a few more years before I can let this child know about the intrigues in the public office and understand the civil and military officials in the court, who appear to be righteous on the surface but are actually full of selfish desires in secret.

After receiving the affirmative answer, Zhu Yijun's face immediately brightened up, just like the scorching sun in early spring.

Young, but full of hope.

Zhu Yijun asked curiously, "A few days ago, I heard my mother chatting with someone and asked if you were going to have a daughter?"

Yan Shaoting was stunned.

Although Lu Wenyan did not hide the fact that she was pregnant, she did not expect that everyone in the palace was discussing this matter at that time.

And Zhu Yijun even knew that she was a daughter.

Yan Shaoting couldn't help but think deeply about it.

Could it be that Concubine Li wanted her daughter to become the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family?
When he thought of this, the doting expression on Yan Shaoting's face immediately disappeared, and he looked at Zhu Yijun seriously.

But in the end, I didn't know how to explain to this little brat in front of me not to set his sights on my daughter in the future.

Instead, Feng Baozheng was walking over from the direction of Huiji Gate, leading a few young eunuchs around him, talking and laughing.

Seeing Prince Jun and Shaobao Yan sitting by the field, Feng Bao hurried forward.

"I pay my respects to Prince Jun and Young Master Yan."

Zhu Yijun looked up and nodded politely: "Feng Daban."

Yan Shaoting looked at Feng Bao curiously and asked, "What good thing has happened to Feng Dayong?"

Feng Bao waved to the eunuchs around him and asked them to go to Wenhua Palace to work. He walked up to Yan Shaoting with a smile on his face and said, "To answer Shao Bao's question, it's not a good thing. I just heard that people outside were talking about an interesting thing today, an interesting thing from the south."

he added one final sentence.

Yan Shaoting became more and more curious: "Oh? What interesting things are happening in the south recently?"

Nowadays, every wealthy family in Jiangnan is either hanging white silk or mourning in their deep courtyards. There is no fun at all.

Feng Bao took another step forward and saw that Zhu Yijun and Yan Shaoting were both sitting on the steps, so he also sat down while holding up his official robe.

"Does Shao Bao know about the Nanjing Governor's Grain Storage Office?"

Yan Shaoting nodded.

Speaking of the Nanjing Governor's Grain Storage Office, he couldn't help but think of the time when he followed the old Taoist priest's order to go south to the south of the Yangtze River and dealt with Yang Zongqi, the then Nanjing Governor and Minister of Grain Storage.

Feng Bao said in a low voice with a smile: "Years ago, Leizhou Prefecture's Tongzhi Kong Zeyang got some connections, maybe Xu Jie and his people's clean path, and was promoted to the position of Nanjing Governor-General and Minister of Grain Storage. Not long ago, he entered Nanjing and took up the post of Governor-General of the Grain Storage Office, but something went wrong."

When Yan Shaoting heard the name Xu Jie, which he had not heard for a long time, his eyes narrowed.

"What happened to Kong Zeyang?"

Feng Bao leaned closer and said, "I heard that he had just taken office when the price of silver plummeted. After hearing the news, he immediately wrote a letter of resignation and fled before he had time to check the accounts in the government office."

When Yan Shaoting heard that Kong Zeyang resigned from his post on the first day after taking office, he couldn't help laughing.

But combined with what Feng Bao said before.

It is very likely that Kong Zeyang followed the path of Xu Jie, who was exiled to Leizhou Prefecture, and was able to obtain the position of Nanjing Governor-General and Minister of Grain Reserves.

Then Xu Jie must have used him in order to have him stay in Nanjing and oppose the imperial court's land measurement in Southern Zhili and Zhejiang.

In this case, it is reasonable that Kong Zeyang resigned from his official position upon hearing the news of the plummeting silver price.

This guy must have been scared, so he ran away in a panic.

The smile on Feng Bao's face never stopped.

He felt that these officials who came from scholarly backgrounds were truly spineless.

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "He is a smart man and very clever." Upon hearing him say that, Feng Bao immediately showed surprise on his face.

However, he did not ask much about such matters of the previous dynasty.

"catch him!"

"Spank him!"

Just when Yan Shaoting and Feng Bao were speechless.

Zhu Yijun clenched his fists, his face flushed slightly, and he shouted through gritted teeth.

Yan Shaoting immediately looked down.

Feng Bao stretched his head and looked around, then whispered: "Your Highness, you must not speak carelessly about things from the past."

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "He ran away because he didn't want to do the job that the emperor gave him. Why can't he be spanked?"

Feng Bao was speechless for a moment.

Yan Shaoting looked at the child with some surprise.

Although the child’s words are immature, this is the truth.

It’s just that when faced with officials who resigned from their posts, the imperial court generally did not take too harsh punishment measures.

It is also at this time.

Suddenly, a quarrel was heard in the Wenhua Hall behind the three people.

The sound was not loud and was somewhat restrained, but it came out after all.

Feng Bao immediately turned his head and looked over, with a look of confusion on his face.

"Isn't your majesty meeting with the cabinet today? What's going on?"

Yan Shaoting patted his butt and stood up, stretched out his hand to pick up the little brat, and said: "The farm work in recent days has basically been completed, and the lessons assigned by the masters cannot be delayed. You must finish reading the books you need to read and write the words you need to copy."

Although Zhu Yijun was somewhat reluctant.

He felt that reading and writing were far less enjoyable than doing farm work with Master Yan.

But he still bowed politely.

"Students know, sir, don't worry."

Yan Shaoting nodded and said, "I still have to go out of the palace to the Ministry of Rites to handle some work. Your Highness will be sent back to the Empress by Feng Dayong."

Feng Bao also stood up at this time, and said with a cupped hand: "Don't worry, Young Master."

Seeing that everything had been explained, Yan Shaoting did not linger and left the palace directly.

And in the Wenhua Hall.

The earlier quarrel had died down.

But almost half of the people had angry looks on their faces.

Emperor Longqing Zhu Zaigui sat on the throne with a calm expression, holding a teacup in his hand. He did not drink tea, but just lowered his head slightly and looked at the people in front of him.

However, Yuan Wei, the deputy minister of the cabinet, shook his sleeves indignantly and said, "Your Majesty, the gold bank's regulation of silver prices this time is in accordance with the law. The Money Law clearly stipulates that the gold bank can temporarily regulate the price due to the level of gold, silver and copper reserves, and can also regulate due to market fluctuations. The purpose is to prevent the country from suffering losses and the people from being implicated, to protect the interests of the country and to reassure the people. I think that the gold bank has done nothing wrong and should be rewarded and encouraged by imperial decree!"

The matter of the gold bank is over.

The gold shop made tens of millions in profit, while the upright gentry in Jiangnan were almost ruined.

The subsequent impact is fermenting.

Today, a group of Jiangnan-born censors in the court submitted a memorial to the emperor, impeaching the gold shop for controlling the silver price, which led to suicides all over Jiangnan.

Li Chunfang looked at Yuan Wei, still unwilling to give in.

He immediately spoke in a deep voice: "News just came from Nanzhili. This time, because of the so-called silver price control by the gold bank, there was a lot of uproar. Hundreds of people committed suicide because their families were broken up. How can this be said to be for the people's peace of mind? The gold bank did not report to the court in advance and ignored the people afterwards. It is really willful and reckless. Holding the power of the emperor, it treats the people with disregard. It should be punished!"

"Master Li! Please be careful with your words!"

Willing not to give in even a little, he turned around and looked at Li Chunfang with a stern look.

Li Chunfang stiffened his neck and said, "Why should I be careful with my words? In front of Your Majesty, I am just speaking my mind!"

Yuan Wei smiled grimly, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Mr. Li always attaches great importance to one's family background and speaks highly of family background. How come today he has forgotten the principle of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans?"

"Haven't you heard that those who died were all rich and heartless merchants?"

"May I ask Lord Li, when did this merchant become a commoner?"

Li Chunfang's face was anxious again: "You!"

cough cough.

Zhao Zhenji, who was not prepared to continue the fight, coughed twice and stood up: "Merchants have always been profit-driven and have no moral principles. Rather than discussing why hundreds of merchants died in Jiangnan this time, it would be better to discuss why they died. If it is said that they died because of the gold industry, it is not wrong."

Let me stop here.

Zhao Zhenji cast a dim gaze towards Li Chunfang.

"But years ago, these people seemed to be in collusion with each other and rushed to the gold bank to withdraw silver coins, leaving the gold bank with almost no silver in it!"

"What was this profit-seeking businessman thinking at the time? Couldn't Lord Li see it?"

"The gold shop is just regulating the price of silver according to the law. If there is more silver, the price is low, and if there is less silver, the price is high. From the court, the government issued an order, and the southern Zhili and Zhejiang provinces levied taxes in copper. The common people all know that copper coins have increased profits, which will inevitably cause the price of silver to fall again. This is the law of the cycle of yin and yang in nature. What does it have to do with the gold shop?"

To the end.

Zhao Zhenji almost wanted to point at Li Chunfang's nose and curse him. If he hadn't contacted Jiangnan behind the scenes and instigated these people to run a run on the gold bank in order to make it collapse, there wouldn't be the situation today.

Li Chunfang was almost scolded to the point of vomiting blood.

But what he miscalculated most was.

Since the beginning of the year, probably because the gold shops adjusted the silver prices around the end of the year, it had no impact on ordinary people at all.

By now, many of the upright gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan had lost their lives.

It was still before the spring plowing, and although the people already knew about these things, they were not affected too much.

Now, after making tens of millions of profits, gold shops have begun to slowly regulate and raise silver prices.

According to calculations, it may only take a month or so to adjust the silver price back to its original level.

This incidates that.

His loss this time was real!

Nowadays, every day when I go home from office, I feel a chill on the back of my neck as I walk on the road, for fear that I will walk into a remote place with few people, and an arrow will shoot from behind and take my life.

For his own life.

Li Chunfang has to fight for it!
"Your Majesty, let's not talk about who is right or wrong in what the Jinxing did this time."

"If the gold industry does not produce anything, but it makes countless profits for nothing, if this kind of thing is not stopped, I am afraid that people in the government and the public will resort to such means in the future, which will disturb people's hearts and bring disaster to the world."

"I think that the profits made by the gold bank this time came from nowhere, but they caused lives to be lost. There is no way this matter will happen again in the future. The gold bank should clarify the profits and compensate those who lost money, so as to preserve the benevolence of your majesty."

Since we cannot judge the crime.

Now we have to talk about the money issue.

Li Chunfang bowed his head and bent his waist deeply.

However, the next second, a loud shout rang in his ears.

"I want to eat shit!"

…………

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(End of this chapter)