Chapter 336: Officials Are Connected, Qiao Xin Has Something to Say
As the Spring Festival approaches, the atmosphere of the New Year in Beijing is getting stronger and stronger.
The streets around the Drum Tower are very crowded, with all kinds of hawking sounds, and many people are happily carrying New Year goods back home.
Now many great scholars call Hongzhi a tyrant, and naturally he will not be crowned with the title of Hongzhi Zhongxing or Hongzhi Shengshi, but many people's grain bags and money bags are slowly bulging a little.
Those profound knowledge, those so-called great ways of governing the country, and those great scholars who are worshipped are indeed too far away for ordinary people.
It's just that the people in the capital clearly feel that life is getting better. For example, some New Year goods that they dared not ask the price of in previous years, or even dared not think about, now their money bags give them the courage to challenge.
"No matter how much pepper is sold, you can sell it loose for just one copper coin!"
"It is said that the emperor likes to add pepper to fish. I want twenty... no, thirty copper coins. Can I sell it?"
"Thirty copper coins are enough for your family to eat for several meals. Add a little powder when grilling fish, and the taste is simply amazing!"
...
After Shuntian Prefecture rectified the business environment, and the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to business, business is now more and more prosperous. As more and more vendors, their service attitude is very enthusiastic, and they broke the previous tradition of not selling loose.
In the past, pepper was the exclusive product of dignitaries, but with a large number of Ming merchants going to Southeast Asia to engage in trade, pepper from Southeast Asia has been sold to the capital.
Since the story of Emperor Hongzhi eating grilled fish has long been spread, pepper now has a very wide civilian market, and has even become the most common seasoning for New Year's Eve dinner.
Although Hongzhi's reputation in the literati is not satisfactory, the simple people living in this land know which king brought them a good life, so they are flocking to pepper.
In terms of the emperor's ability to bring goods, Zhu Youtang is probably the first person in history.
It's just that the sky in Beijing is gloomy, and it seems that a heavy rain will fall at any time, and the goose-feather-like snowflakes are about to drown the entire Beijing city.
Although the national debt issue is a sensation in the officialdom, it is too far away from ordinary people.
Subscribing to a national debt is indeed a joke for the upper class. Which of the six ministers will worry about money? But for the lower-level people, even a mere ten taels of silver is out of reach.
The blizzard in the capital did not come, but the time has come to the evening.
Xiaoshi Yongfang, He Mansion.
The initiator, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, He Qiaoxin, is welcoming and seeing off, whether it is ordinary officials in the capital or frontier officials who come to Beijing for promotion, they all come to pay homage.
Once you reach the level of the six ministers, it is an unattainable existence for lower-level officials, which can be regarded as the ceiling of the official career of Ming officials.
Whether it is a hotshot or an unpopular minister, there is no shortage of officials who come to curry favor with him.
It is impossible to judge whether He Qiaoxin is favored or not. After all, the real answer lies with the emperor. For most people, it is difficult to see the emperor once in their lifetime.
"Tea!"
"Serve tea!"
"Serve good tea!"
...
Although He Qiaoxin considers himself to be honest, he is actually a well-mannered official, so he can properly handle the complicated relationships in the officialdom.
That is why he not only has allied court officials in the officialdom, but also has many followers, and has a strong appeal in the literati.
"Minister He, please stay, there is really no need to see you off!" Cheng Minzheng came to visit today and dissuaded Cheng Minzheng who insisted on seeing him off.
The officialdom relationships in the Ming Dynasty are like a spider web, and some officials who seem to have no intersection may actually have a deep connection.
The two men were quite different in age, neither of them were of the same age nor from the same hometown, but they were both second-generation officials.
He Qiaoxin's father, He Wenyuan, was naturally well-known, while Cheng Minzheng's father was Cheng Xin, the former Minister of War in Nanjing, and his father-in-law was Li Xian, the former Prime Minister.
They were closely connected through their fathers' relationship, and now they were officials in the same dynasty. Both of them had extraordinary status, so their current contacts were very close.
He Qiaoxin insisted on sending Cheng Minzheng to the front yard until he was sent to the official sedan chair, and then he warmly bowed and said goodbye: "Brother Cheng, please take care!"
"Brother He, goodbye!" Facing such courtesy, Cheng Minzheng seemed to be secretly moved and returned the greeting.
The sedan chair was slowly lifted up, and then left through the open middle door.
He Qiaoxin always had a smile on his face, watching Cheng Minzheng's sedan chair leave.
Thinking of what the two had just discussed, facing the good situation ahead, the corners of his mouth could not help but rise slightly.
Since a large number of upright officials were abandoned by the current emperor, the court is now full of villains who curry favor with the powerful, and these villains have dirty hands and feet.
Fortunately, this national debt provides an opportunity. If he does not come out to make a huge donation this time, if the emperor does not give up raising funds through national debt, then someone will definitely jump out.
As long as the Ministry of Justice under his control holds the subscription amount of national bonds, he will definitely be able to catch a big insect, so that everyone in the world will know what role the current Emperor Hongzhi plays.
"Master, Fei Xiuzhuan has been waiting in the flower hall for a long time. I wonder if he will meet him now?" The housekeeper stepped forward and reported in a low voice.
He Qiaoxin knew that the Fei Xiuzhuan the housekeeper was talking about was Fei Hong, the Hanlin editor, the top scholar in the 23rd year of Chenghua, and was indeed a good seedling worth cultivating.
His father, He Wenyuan, was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he himself was now the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. Now the two ministers were not officials from Jiangxi, so he naturally became the leader of the Jiangxi Township Party.
In today's officialdom, party leaders usually have strong appeal, and He Qiaoxin, who cherishes feathers, is the leading figure among Jiangxi officials.
"Student Fei Hong pays homage to Lord Sikou!" Fei Hong and the housekeeper smelled a faint scent of sandalwood when they entered the study, and they seemed to be paying respects.
Fei Hong was wearing a green sixth-grade official uniform. He was only twenty-two years old. He had an average appearance, a thin figure, a delicate face, thick brows, and a somewhat Confucian air.
Although he has been in the Hanlin Academy for four years, he does not have any official authority. He is more like a candidate who is still working hard to participate in the imperial examination.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing about him was his official uniform, which made everyone look up to him. After all, a 22-year-old Six-Bus Minister was simply rare.
He Qiaoxin specially chose the study to summon him in order to show his importance. He was sitting on the first seat in the front hall of the study, drinking tea. He looked like he was taking a breath of spring breeze and raised his hand: "Zichong, please sit down!"
Jiangxi is a major imperial examination province, and the first two top picks in the early Ming Dynasty were all from Jiangxi. The young man in front of me is the top pick in the 23rd year of Chenghua. It can be said that it is a place where talents are born in large numbers.
Now he wants to recruit all outstanding officials from Jiangxi to stabilize his position as Jiangxi party leader.
"Thank you, Lord Sikou!" Fei Hong did not show any stage fright when facing the lofty Minister of Punishment in front of him, and took his seat politely.
He is from Guangxin Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, and his ancestors can be traced back to Fei Yi, the famous prime minister during the Three Kingdoms period. Although the Fei family declined later, it has always been a scholarly family. His second uncle Fei Xuan is now a member of the Ministry of War.
In the 19th year of Chenghua, when he was only fifteen years old, he and his fifth uncle took the Jiangxi Provincial Examination and went to high school together. However, they both failed in the capital examination the following year.
That year, he was only sixteen years old and had an immeasurable future.
Since the next exam would be in three years, under the operation of his second uncle Fei Hong, he successfully entered the Imperial College to study as a graduate of Jiangxi Province.
Similar to Yang Tinghe's experience, because of his extremely high talent for learning and his decent appearance, he was highly regarded by Pu Weixuan, the then Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy.
Not long after, he married his current wife, Pu Shulan, who was the Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy, Pu Weixuan, and gained a good official resource.
In the 23rd year of Chenghua, after passing the first prize, he entered the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin compiler. Thanks to his status as the number one scholar and his superior official connections, he even participated in the compilation of "Records of Ming Xianzong", so he has become a supernova in Ming Dynasty officialdom.
That's why, even when facing the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he still has the confidence of being a Hanlin official. In time, he may not be able to join the cabinet and worship the prime minister.
In the evening, the courtyard was shrouded in twilight, and a few snowflakes actually fell from the sky.
He Qiaoxin carefully looked at the young Hanlin editor in front of him. Even though he was in a high position, he felt envious. His starting point was really too high.
Although he is not like a second-generation official with upright roots, Fei Hong has a good father-in-law, and more importantly, he entered the Hanlin Academy as the number one scholar, but he is still so young.
He Qiaoxin quickly put aside all the distracting thoughts and asked with concern: "Zichong, I heard that you recently fell ill due to fatigue from reviewing the test papers. Is this related to this?"
"I am sincerely concerned about Sir Sikou. It is indeed true, but now my body has recovered!" Fei Hong was slightly moved in his heart and expressed his gratitude solemnly.
He Qiaoxin intended to cultivate and win over this young man with unlimited potential, and immediately said gently and honestly: "A few days ago, my old colleagues sent me a pair of ginseng that is nearly a thousand years old. It has miraculous nourishing effects. However, it is not suitable for me to take strong ginseng today, so I will give it to you today. ! I hope you can take good care of your health as soon as possible and work together to clear up the current mess in the court!"
"How dare a student give such a generous gift? There is absolutely no way he can use it!" Fei Hong knew that the value of these centuries-old ginseng was too much, so he immediately excused himself from the court.
He Qiaoxin's face straightened, and he looked unhappy and said: "I cherish talents for Jiangxi. This ginseng is no longer beneficial to me. Now ginseng can help you recover! If you don't give me this ginseng, you are looking down on me!"
"In this case, students have no choice but to be respectful rather than obey orders!" Fei Hong saw that He Qiaoxin had already said this, so he had no choice but to accept it.
The butler next to him saw this scene in his eyes, but he didn't understand why He Qiaoxin would force such a treasure on others. It was a treasure that could only be encountered but not sought.
It's just a good thing now that the pair of ginseng worth tens of thousands of gold was abandoned like a piece of shit, and the treasure was given to a young man.
When the housekeeper saw He Qiaoxin's glance, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in his heart, but he didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately sent someone to the warehouse to get the ginseng.
He Qiaoxin was very satisfied with Fei Hong's acceptance of his heavy gift. He knew that it would be much easier for him or his descendants to deal with Fei Hong in the future. He seemed to be in a good mood and asked: "Zichong, have you heard about the issuance of national bonds by the imperial court?"
Fei Hong had always paid attention to government affairs and immediately smiled bitterly.
How could he not know about this matter? It had already spread throughout the official circles, but this novel financial product aroused his interest.
Fei Hong thought of the recent strange things and replied honestly: "I dare not deceive the Lord Shangshu. This matter was originally intended to require all officials of the Hanlin Academy to also participate in the subscription, but I don't know why it was suddenly stopped today!"
Originally, he had planned to get some money to participate in the subscription, but he chose to believe in the character of the current saint, but things suddenly changed.
"The court arranged for the Ministry of Justice to start subscribing first, but I am as honest as water, so I will naturally do what I can. I will subscribe for one this time!" He Qiaoxin took a sip of tea and said with disdain.
Fei Hong's mouth twitched slightly, and he asked humbly: "It is well known that Lord Sikou is not greedy for a penny. It is reasonable for him to subscribe for one today. But I still don't understand why the court stopped it?"
"Wan'an is just a clay sculpture cabinet elder who only knows how to whitewash the emperor. This time he wants to cheat. In order to issue national bonds smoothly, he came to me privately earlier and wanted me to take out tens of thousands of taels to subscribe for national bonds. Although I agreed openly, how could I go along with him? Today, I only subscribe for one to show that all officials in the world are honest. Wan'an's plan has failed, and that's why he suddenly stopped subscribing!" He Qiaoxin took a sip of tea while holding the teacup and explained proudly.
This...
Fei Hong looked up at He Qiaoxin in front of him in surprise after learning the whole story.
Although they, the Hanlin officials, could not participate in state affairs, they had already made plans for the national debt, and they knew that the emperor went to Luzon to look for gold mines because of Taizu's dream.
Now the envoys to Luzon have returned successfully, confirming that the gold mine has been confirmed to be true.
It's just that this year is a year of disasters, and now the treasury is empty, so the court is trying to solve the funding gap in the early stage of gold mining.
Who would have thought that this Minister of Justice would not only not make suggestions, but also make a move to drag his feet, and now he dares to be complacent here.
Fei Hong swallowed his saliva secretly, and reminded carefully: "Lord Sikou, I'm afraid it's the emperor's intention to ask you to subscribe to a large amount of national bonds. I'm afraid it's not easy for you to do this?"
The housekeeper had already ordered the servants to go to the treasury to get references, and he looked at his master worriedly when he heard this.
Although there is no lack of struggle in the officialdom, and Wan'an is already an old man with his life on his hands, his master's behavior not only does not give Wan'an face, but also stands in opposition to Zhu Youtang.
From all the signs, the real person behind the national debt is the emperor, not Wan'an, who is said to be unable to get out of bed recently.
"What does the emperor mean? If the emperor really wants me to do this, then the emperor should issue a secret decree or an imperial edict, instead of finding an old man to pass on the message!" He Qiaoxin pinched the lid of the teapot and lightly splashed the tea, appearing to be fearless and mocking.