Chapter 180 Xia Zhibai disappeared? !
June, the nineteenth year of Hongwu.
The season has entered early summer, and on the banks of the Qinhuai River, newly sprouted willow branches are swaying in the wind.
The Guo Huan case has been completely concluded.
The case implicated twelve Chief Secretaries of the Ming Dynasty. The officials involved included Zhao Mao, the Minister of Rites, Wang Huidi, the Minister of Punishment, Wang Zhi, the Minister of War, and Mai Zhide, the Minister of Works. Under Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, The six ministries, including the left and right ministers and below, announced to the outside world that 7 million stones of stolen food had been recovered, and their words were linked to officials from Zhizhi and the province, and tens of thousands of people were killed.
In order to recover the stolen grain, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a large number of rich people to be hunted down. Under the turmoil that lasted for several months, the rich people among the people were all clean.
Guo Huan did not lie.
Under Zhu Yuanzhang's strict laws and regulations to eradicate corruption, even though officials in counties and counties lived in remote mountains and remote areas, they were terrified when they went to the capital more than ten thousand miles away. .
Today, except for the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Industry, the six departments of Shangshu are still vacant.
The remaining four functions and powers are all concentrated in one person, Zhu Yuanzhang.
After the Guo Huan case, in order to put an end to corrupt officials, Zhu Yuanzhang made certain adjustments to the Chinese characters for accounting by tampering with numbers and creating capital numbers such as 'one, two, three', and at the same time announced the use of accounting '1, 2, 3' and other foreign numbers.
Under Zhu Yuanzhang's iron fist and high pressure, the Ming Dynasty, which had been in turmoil for several months, finally slowly returned to peace with the succession of officials.
Hanlin Academy.
Hua Lun and Lian Zining still edited and edited for the Hanlin Academy, but they concurrently served as the Prince's Xima and Prince's Collector respectively.
The official rank has not been improved much, but the status has been significantly improved.
Huang Zicheng was promoted to editor of the Hanlin Academy.
It’s day.
In the past, the three heroes gathered together to rest during their leisure time.
After the baptism of the Guo Huan case, Hua Lun has completely lost his previous youthfulness and impulsiveness, and has become much calmer, but his eyebrows still show a heroic spirit, and Lian Zining has grown a lot of beard. He looks much older, but Huang Zicheng is much thinner than before.
The three of them sat down casually.
He asked several clerks to bring him tea.
Hua Lun looked at the red official robe on his body and said with emotion: "Unknowingly, it has been a year since I entered the court. This year has really been like a dream. It is so high-spirited to pass the exam, but Now I finally know the dangers of the imperial court. If you make a wrong move, there will be no chance of recovery."
Lian Zining picked up the tea cup, took a small sip, and said jokingly: "Is it true that you are so high-spirited when you pass the exam?"< br>
“Why didn’t I see it?”
“Who was so angry that he stamped his feet and wanted to draw his sword and fight Xia Zhibai?”
Hua Lun looked embarrassed, glared at Lian Zining with dissatisfaction, and said coldly: "Don't laugh at me, weren't you the same at that time? Between the three of us, who was not sad and angry at that time? Who was not tickled by Xia Zhibai's anger? , it’s no wonder that we, Xia Zhibai always looks like he has his nose turned upward, as if no one can look down on him.”
“But it would be thanks to him.”
“If it weren’t for him. The top pick in high school, I'm afraid the three of us would have run away in despair."
"Where can we still be as beautiful as we are today?"
Hua Lun sighed with emotion.
Thinking of the imperial examination that year, I couldn't help but reveal a wry smile of embarrassment and helplessness.
Back then, he really wanted to chop Xia Zhibai alive.
At worst, one life is exchanged for another.
A scholar can be killed but not humiliated.
Xia Zhibai trampled on the dignity of the three of them. Who can endure this?
Lian Zining smiled bitterly, thinking of those past events, he could only look helpless, "What happened back then is in the past. Who hasn't done some embarrassing things when they were young, but it was precisely because of Xia Only then can we truly recognize our talents and not be too arrogant."
"One peck and one drink will have its own destiny." br>
Huang Zicheng chuckled and said speechlessly: "You guys are saying it lightly. It's not that you guys were pushed down from the first class. The three of us have similar talents and academic skills. As a result, I was directly reduced to the second class. After all the hard work, After writing articles in the Hanlin Academy, I got the official position of editor. One of you is also the prince's horse washer, and the other is also the prince's school clerk. The difference between you and me is much bigger."
Huang Zicheng was filled with resentment. .
He didn't really complain, but he was a little envious.
The official positions of the prince Xima and the prince's book editor are not high, but the power of the prince is well known to the world today. Hua Lun and Lian Zining are already direct officials of the prince's palace. When the prince ascends the throne in the future, Their future is probably going to be smooth sailing.
The three of them were originally similar, but now they are far apart.
He was a little bit dissatisfied.
Hua Lun and Lian Zining looked at each other, both looking helpless.
They did get promoted, but this official position was not so easy to get. Hualun had been handling the account books for two or three months, and his eyes were dazzled by the account books. After finishing the accounting, he lost a lot of weight, and his eye sockets deep.
Lian Zining also had a hard time.
Because too many officials were involved, he was ordered by the court to handle the interrogation documents.
All the six ministers were involved in the incident, and only a few of the six ministers were spared, as well as the twelve local chief secretaries. Even now, Lian Zining felt a palpitation in his heart when he recalled the shocking evidence of the crime.
Especially because too many local officials were involved, it almost caused a nationwide commotion. In order to quell public dissatisfaction, His Majesty ordered the execution of Wu Yong, the Judge Advocate.
At that time, he was serving under Wu Yong.
Everyone was frightened.
Furthermore, the imperial court announced that the stolen grain was 7 million shi, but he knew that it was much more than that. The real stolen grain actually amounted to more than 24 million shi, which was almost as much as the whole year of the Ming Dynasty. The money and food collected were collected.
Although he did not know the specific situation of the people, from the collection figures, he knew that the people must be suffering greatly. He and Hua Lun didn't dare to mention this at all in the past few months.
Because I can’t bear to think about it.
Hua Lun picked up the tea cup and drank the tea quietly.
After drinking most of the tea in the cup, he opened his mouth and changed the subject, saying: "Where is Xia Zhibai? I haven't heard anything from him for more than half a year. If his salt shop If you don't come back, I'm afraid it will be divided up."
Lian Zining also frowned and said in a serious voice, "Oh, where is Xia Zhibai?"
"In the past six months, under the pressure of the salt transport envoys from all over the country, so many changes have taken place in the salt policy. Why hasn't he made any movement? He has even disappeared. Could it be that he is really focused on iron smelting in Peiping? ?”
The three of them looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes.
For more than half a year.
Li Sheng was transferred away by people from the Ministry of Industry.
Because of the Guo Huan case, local riots were turbulent and difficult to quell. Too many wealthy businessmen had troubles, and local people's livelihood security was in a serious situation.
Local salt transport envoys jointly signed a petition to reform the salt policy and set up salt enterprises all over the country. Firstly, they imitated Kyoto salt shops and lowered the price of salt to benefit the people. Secondly, they used the court to correct chaos and fill the gap of local salt stores. After the Shang Dynasty, the vacancy was left to the imperial court to manage the business. When order was restored, it was handed over to the salt merchants.
The local salt companies almost copied the Xia Zhibai Salt Company.
Especially the steam engine.
In order to quell public dissatisfaction, the imperial court provided a large amount of pig iron support. In the end, within just a few months, salt factories in Lianghuai, Liangzhe and other places were established one after another, and the local salt price also increased significantly. reduce.
Now the Huaihe and Zhejiang provinces have restored the salt introduction system.
Let the salt factory produce according to demand, and then distribute the salt according to the amount of salt imported.
Many salt officials have gone to court many times to ban Xia Zhibai's Kyoto Salt Industry and place it under the unified management of the Ministry of Household Affairs. They also made clear regulations that in Zhili Province, except for electricians north of Yingtianfu, they are strictly prohibited from purchasing Kyoto salt. Salt from the Kyoto Salt Industry will never be allowed to flow to the south.
Beyond that.
The Huaihe and Zhejiang provinces are also constantly poaching the ‘stove households’ of the Kyoto Salt Industry.
And it’s not just kitchen households that are being poached, there are also other coal workers, porters, etc. People are being poached not only from Yingtianfu, but also from Shouzhou, Chuzhou and other places.
Under the joint offensive of the court and local governments, the Kyoto Salt Industry is now in danger, and there is even a shortage of manpower.
If this continues, I'm afraid the Kyoto Salt Industry will be empty.
The current Kyoto Salt Industry is entirely supported by a few people such as Zhou Ning and Fan Xin. However, this situation is obviously unsustainable. The current Kyoto Salt Industry lacks engineers and skilled technicians. There is also a shortage of transport workers, and they are constantly targeted by other salt companies and intimidated by court officials.
Xia Zhibai's reputation was so loud that the people of Kyoto always trusted him.
This made the DPRK and Chinese officials dare not act too rashly.
Otherwise something would have happened a long time ago.
even so.
They don’t feel optimistic either.
It’s just that they are confused. The Kyoto Salt Industry is like this, how can Xia Zhibai remain indifferent? No reaction at all? You must know that the confidential drawings of the steam engine were leaked by Li Sheng and other engineers, and even Li Sheng and other engineers escaped directly.
The rapid establishment of salt companies in various places also benefited from Xia Zhibai's record books.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see this.
It was impossible for Xia Zhibai not to know about it. He only had to come forward and confront these matters in court. How could the two Zhejiang and Lianghuai areas be accomplished so quickly?
But Xia Zhibai didn’t.
His whole figure seemed to have disappeared. He did not appear at all, and no news was spread. He just allowed the situation to develop. Until now, everything is certain, and even the survival of the Kyoto Salt Industry has been squeezed. , he still has no news.
They know Xia Zhibai.
Xia Zhibai is not a person who gives in.
Something is obviously wrong with the current situation.
Huang Zicheng muttered: "Is Xia Zhibai making any noise in private again?"
"But in Peiping, operating an iron factory, what kind of noise can be made? Although more than half a year ago, There are indeed many things going on in Peiping, but it has been so long and no other news has been released."
Hua Lun also frowned.
He also felt that something was not quite right.
In a moment of thought.
He thought of Xia Zhibai during the imperial examination, who suddenly disappeared and tortured them to death. When he reappeared, he immediately became a blockbuster and was selected as the number one scholar. Could it be that he would still follow suit this time? Same as last time?
But is it possible?
Is Xia Zhibai really so capable?
And the deal is already done. Even if Xia Zhibai wants to change, can he really change it?
If the court officials still have room, will they really allow him to change it?
He didn’t believe it.
The only thing he was sure of was that Xia Zhibai must be holding back something big, otherwise it would not have been possible to be silent for so long, but what could it be? In that bitter cold land in the north, that devastated place, could you really do something that would force all the officials to give in?
Lian Zining drank all the tea in the cup and said calmly: "This is Xia Zhibai's matter. His ideas are so wild and unconstrained, how can we think of them? When Xia Zhibai appears, everything will be clear. I just hope he won’t drag us into trouble again this time.”
“We can’t afford what he does.”
Lian Zining looked bitter.
(End of this chapter)