Chapter 4614: Feeling resentful
Up to this time, the Hedong family was far from reaching their respective peaks, and they were not prominent among the long-standing sects in the world. However, because of the existence of the Hedong Salt Pond, the Hedong family was known
The principle of "unity is beneficial, division is harmful", they are extremely united in matters concerning the salt pond, and their control over the salt pond is unprecedented.
Even during the chaos of the Northern Dynasty, the unification of the Sui Dynasty, or the Tang Dynasty, the Hedong families always stood on the ruling side through alliances, contributions, or support, and kept the Hedong Salt Pond tight no matter what the cost. Hold it tightly in your hands.
Everyone from top to bottom was from the Hedong family. A needle could not penetrate and water could not penetrate. Even the arrogant and domineering Emperor Sui Yang and the wise and mighty Emperor Li Er and two generations of emperors could not do anything about it.
So Wang Fijiao issued an order and Yancheng, Hedong officially went on strike...
The whole Hedong and Henan were shaken, and when the news reached Chang'an, it set off huge waves.
……
At the first meeting in early February, Zhongshu ordered Liu Jie to impeach Fang Jun in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty for "acting wantonly and forcing the officials of the salt field to stop production." He demanded that Fang Jun be urgently recalled to Beijing, where he would be subject to strict interrogation by Dali Temple, and he was promulgated The imperial edict appeases salt farm officials and promotes the resumption of production.
In the Taiji Hall, those who responded gathered together, and the mood was fierce.
Li Chengqian's ears were filled with the constant voices of impeachment and scolding of Fang Jun, but his face showed no joy or anger. He just waved his hands calmly: "If there is nothing else, then retreat from the court. Regarding the matter of the Hedong Saltworks, go to the imperial study room to discuss."
Many ministers in the palace were a little angry, but they did not dare to say anything more and could only leave one after another.
In the imperial study, Wang De, the chamberlain's chief chamberlain, and several young eunuchs placed several plates of cakes in front of Li Ji, Li Xiaogong, Liu Jie, Ma Zhou, and Xu Jingzong, and made tea before respectfully stepping aside. .
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and said to Liu Jie: "I have fully authorized Fang Jun to rectify the salt affairs of the Hedong salt field. This will inevitably touch the interests of some people and cause slight turmoil. Liu Zhongshu does not need to listen to the wind or rain. This matter is extremely difficult and always It takes some time and patience, so be patient.”
Liu Jie did not agree, and said bluntly: "The Hedong salt field is of great importance. The salt produced by the salt field supplies Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong, Longyou and other places, which is related to the daily consumption of tens of millions of people. Now that the salt field has stopped production, the salt cannot be used as such. If we limit the supply, won't we cause chaos in the world? The purpose of rectifying the salt affairs is to curb corruption and increase production, rather than acting arrogantly and recklessly. Fang Jun needs to be responsible for the current consequences."
Xu Jingzong immediately objected for the sake of opposition: "Liu Zhongshu's words are wrong. The Hedong salt field has been controlled by the Hedong family for hundreds of years. Everyone from top to bottom is the descendant of the Hedong family. If the Duke of Yue wants to open up the situation and rectify the salt affairs, he must use a heavy hammer. , Otherwise, how to break the camp that has been operating for hundreds of years?”
He is now Fang Jun's "horse boy". As long as Fang Jun agrees with him, he will support it, and as long as he is against Fang Jun, he will oppose it.
It doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong, reasonable or not...
Liu Ji retorted: "No matter how heavy the hammer is, it cannot cause the situation to get out of control. Now that the salt production is suspended, public opinion is divided and people are panicked. It has caused huge turmoil. Fang Jun must be held responsible for this."
Then he turned to Li Chengqian and said: "I heard that after arriving at the Hedong Salt Fields, Duke Yue did not attend to his duties and paid no attention to the arrangements of the salt field officials, the salt production process, personnel placement, etc. Instead, he took the salt field officials to a party all day long. I simply don't know what it means. .”
You are not always reasonable. His Majesty has appointed you to rectify the salt affairs. How to proceed is your business. As long as you stabilize the situation and complete the task, it doesn't matter even if you kill people with a knife. Otherwise, things will not be done well and will lead to bad consequences. , no matter how compliant your methods are, you must take responsibility.
In politics, there has never been a saying of "good intentions lead to bad things". We do not pay attention to the process, but only focus on the results.
Li Chengqian was a little impatient. This Liu Jie was talented, but he never did anything serious. In addition to forming cliques, he kept an eye on Fang Jun. Whenever Fang Jun made the slightest mistake, he would exaggerate. Except for the civil and military disputes, it would be difficult to Could it be that these two people have any personal grudges?
He rummaged through a pile of memorials on the desk and asked Wang De to hand it to Liu Ji: "This is a memorial from the Ministry of Household Affairs. It contains a summary of the salt stocks in various places. The local salt stocks in Luoyang and even Henan are sufficient for the jurisdiction. Inside The people in Guanzhong and Longyou can eat less for three months, but they can still survive for more than two months. As long as the Hedong salt field resumes production within two months, there will be no risk of salt shortage in Henan, Guanzhong, and Longyou. "< br>
Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, then took the memorial and read it carefully.
He is Zhongshu Ling, the highest official of Zhongshu Province and one of the prime ministers and assistants. He assists His Majesty in handling government affairs, participates in the formulation of major national policies, and is responsible for compiling the emperor's edicts and memorials. He has great authority, but in the final analysis, because of his status, he is too powerful. High, his power is still more "retreating", and he does not participate in the specific governance of the court.
The Six Ministries are the highest governing body of the imperial court.
Therefore, we don’t know the details of how much salt is stored in various places. Now looking at the figures in the memorial, we know that there is a lot of salt stored in various places. Even if the Hedong Salt Farm stops production, it will be enough to sustain it for a long time.
But naturally he would not give up such an opportunity to criticize Fang Jun...
Putting down the memorial, Liu Jie said in a deep voice: "This memorial is extremely detailed. I was worried about it in vain before... But such a memorial can only be seen in our eyes. How do ordinary people know about it? They don't know that salt is stored in various places. How much? We only know that the Hedong Salt Farm has stopped production, which will inevitably create a feeling of urgency and anxiety. If public opinion surges again, it may lead to a bad incident sweeping Guanzhong. Your Majesty, please think twice.”
Even if such a memorial was posted outside Chengtian Gate, how many people would see it? How many of the people I met were literate? How many of the literate people believe it?
Li Chengqian frowned, realizing that things would not be as simple as he imagined.
As long as the news of the suspension of production in the Hedong salt field spreads, everyone will inevitably believe that there is a shortage of salt, and public opinion will be difficult to suppress no matter what.
Even if there is no public opinion, someone will definitely create it...
Ma Zhou put down the tea cup and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. In the final analysis, this matter still depends on when the Hedong Salt Farm resumes production. As long as production can be resumed before the salt reserves are exhausted, all rumors will be self-defeating. ”
Liu Jie shook his head and said: "Ma Fuyin's thinking is too simplistic. I have never doubted the ability of Duke Yue. However, the Hedong Salt Farm has been in the hands of the Hedong family for hundreds of years, and everyone from top to bottom belongs to them. Now the Yue State It is no longer possible for the public to take a tough stance and want to nationalize the salt farm. It is just an issue that affects the interests of the Hedong family, but it will cut off their financial resources for hundreds of years. How can the Hedong family just let it go? Yancheng resumes production ”
That's the Hedong Saltworks!
Salt production has continued for thousands of years, and now the scale is extremely large. There are thousands of salt collectors, peasants, and hired workers in one place. These are all skilled workers who have been working in the salt field all year round. The collective strike now is definitely not from the beginning. Just transfer the same amount of manpower elsewhere.
Even though Fang Jun still controls the Huating Town Salt Farm, he is now increasingly dependent on sea salt. Rushing to recruit sea salt workers to fill the Hedong Salt Farm will inevitably lead to a sharp decrease in sea salt production, resulting in insufficient salt supply in Jiangnan and Shandong areas. What’s the point of using the east wall to make up for the west wall?
Li Chengqian was silent for a moment. Perhaps Fang Jun was really eager for success and acted recklessly?
Li Xiaogong was not familiar with general affairs, but he believed that Fang Jun was by no means a reckless person, so he said: "The Duke of Yue has always been rigorous in his work. Since he does this, he has enough reasons."
Liu Jie said solemnly: "If it is about other matters, I have the same opinion as the prince, but salt is related to people's livelihood. This is a big matter. If there is any omission, it will cause unpredictable serious consequences... The prince is He is the pillar of the clan and should know that what I say is true.”
Li Xiaogong could only shut up.
There was a lot of commotion in the clan, and there were turbulent undercurrents and strange clouds. How could he not know about it?
Those people have nothing to do but find something to cause trouble. If something is brought to them, how can they let it go?
There is no small matter in the clan, and once a quarrel breaks out, it will not be easy to end it.
It is even very likely to cause an earth-shaking change...
Liu Jie admonished: "Since your majesty has appointed Duke Yue to rectify the salt affairs, he should naturally give him trust. However, after all, the matter is huge and the consequences are serious. We cannot let it go. We can write an edict and send it to Hedong, ordering it to be completed within two months." Rectify and restore production. If it can be completed, it will be a great achievement and be rewarded. If it cannot be completed and results in bad consequences, it must be held accountable."
Xu Jingzong immediately retorted: "How can we be so strict about national affairs? If this were the case, all officials in the civil and military dynasties and the world would have to shirk their respective duties and no one would dare to take responsibility. After all, if you do too much, you will make too many mistakes. It would be nice not to do it.”
Ma Zhou also nodded and agreed: "Xu Shangshu's words are reasonable."
Li Chengqian hesitated and looked at Li Ji.
Li Ji thought for a moment and then said: "The general is outside, and the emperor's orders are not accepted. We are sitting here and have no idea of the situation in Hedong, let alone the affairs of the salt field. We should not rush to point fingers at the Duke of Yue. All we need is to inform him in writing." If the consequences are serious, just order them to act with caution. When necessary, they should give up all pursuit of the sovereignty of the salt farm and put stability first.”
As the head of the Prime Minister, he naturally knew that the current turmoil in Chang'an City was turbulent and the undercurrents within the clan were surging. For the time being, those people were trying to avoid the situation and lacked courage. However, if there were external factors, everything might break out.
At this time, it is indeed better to be still than to move.
Li Chengqian breathed out, nodded and said: "Then let's do it like this. Liu Zhongshu drafted the edict and used tactful words to advise, not to warn."
In my heart, I complained about Fang Jun. He should have acted more calmly, but he insisted on being so aggressive and violent. Don't you know how urgent the situation in Chang'an is? (End of chapter)