Chapter 146 Fat Sheep
Although there were many donors in the construction matter, the amount of money and grain donated was not much. Except for the 30,000 taels of money and grain given out in the name of Zhou Hou and others, the rest of the people donated a total of more than 10,000 taels of silver and more than 100 stones of grain.
What Chongzhen values is not how much money he donated in person, but what he values more is the hearts of the people, and of course the result is that he is very satisfied.
Forty thousand taels of silver are enough. Not only can two maid houses that can accommodate thousands of people be built, but it can even provide them with enough money for months of living supplies.
But some people still think that this little money is not enough to help more helpless people.
So, Zheng Zhifeng, who has been in the capital, made a brilliant debut.
The other person took action for 50,000 taels of silver, and one person covered everyone's limelight.
Or because I know too little about the officialdom. If others donate, no matter how rich they have, they will not dare to exceed the amount of the queen's investment, right?
No, Zheng Laosi didn't care about this, and he would shock the audience if he took action.
There is no way, having money means being willful.
As for those accusations openly and secretly, they still said that: I have a innocent heart!
Chongzhen admired the Zheng family's rampant habits quite well.
Whether it is for the purpose of inviting fame or pleasing, or really trying to help the poor and the needy, the people have given out a lot of real money. Those who say things are full of slander, come here, how much have you donated? What? Haven’t donated a single piece of paper? Then hurry up and go as far as you can go! What qualifications do you have to point fingers? You are the kind of verbal who can pick up any problems no matter what others do! Be careful to get you into jail!
The Zheng family donated 100,000 taels last time, and he just sent the eunuch to send a pair of Yu Ruyi to express his praise, which was indeed a bit shabby.
This time, they took action with pride, so I have to make some statement, right?
What to reward?
Add a title.
This thing is worth nothing, and it also shows the court's recognition of the identity of the Zheng family.
Although the Zheng family is both a general and a general, they have not had the title. Those who understand it know that this is fooling a layman. The general without the rank is actually a temporary dispatch, and the one who has the title is a local general certified by the court.
Soon the imperial edict was sent to Zheng Zhifeng's house in the capital. In order to make him understand that this time it was the emperor's reward, the people who announced the imperial edict specially explained the difference between the titles to him.
Zheng Zhilong Jin was a second-rank martial arts general.
Zheng Zhifeng Jin was appointed as the fourth-rank Xuanwu Duwei.
Zheng Zhibao, the fifth-rank Wude Cavalry Officer of Jin.
After explanation from officials of the Ministry of War, Zheng Zhifeng realized that the Zheng family was finally recognized by the emperor and the large sum of money these days was not wasted.
The imperial edict came with the two big words "Loyal and kind" written by Chongzhen in his personal pen. The officials who announced the imperial edict looked at the emperor's handwritten letter enviously, congratulating Zheng Zhifeng on his behalf, and told him meaningfully that being loyal to the court and treating others well is the emperor's eager expectation for the Zheng family! It must be properly framed and hung on the front of the main hall, so that it will not be defiled.
After the officials of the Ministry of War left, Zheng Zhifeng immediately sent a few personal soldiers to find a place to frame them, and then rushed to Tianjin Guards and boarded the Zheng family's boat and sent them back to their hometown to hang.
The content of the emperor's handwritten book is not complicated. What is important is an attitude, which affirms the Zheng family's donation of funds and transportation of grain.
In the past year, as Zheng Zhifeng understood all aspects, he saw the changes that were taking place in the upper and lower parts of the capital. In addition to the several great victory of the government army, Zheng Zhifeng, who was originally not optimistic about the Ming court, had undergone tremendous changes in his thoughts without realizing it.
It turned out that the thieves were not strong enough to be wiped out; it turned out that the Jiannu was not invincible; it turned out that the emperor was not as impatient and stubborn as the legendary ones; it turned out that there were capable ministers among the court officials; it turned out that the government army was so strong; it turned out that the people in the capital did not live much hardship; it turned out that the Ming Dynasty could continue.
These phenomena made Zheng Zhifeng adjust his strategic thinking of coming to Beijing to speculate, and quickly approach the court through his analysis and judgment.
As for the money spent over the past year, it is not a big deal for the Zheng family, which earns tens of millions of taels per year. As long as it can win unanimous praise from the government and the public, the interests of the Zheng family on the coast of Fujian can be maintained for a longer period of time.
Under Chongzhen's instruction, two large stone tablets have been carved by stonemasons first, with a list of personnel who donated grain to build the Yangjiyuan and the amount of donated funds. By the day when the Yangjiyuan is officially completed, a pavilion will be built in the courtyard, and the stone tablets will be placed under the pavilion for future generations to pay tribute.
This move has won praise from almost everyone in Wen Tiren. This is something that has been famous in history. As long as the Ming Dynasty does not fall, the stone tablet will be preserved forever.
The names of Zhou Hou and others would not appear on the stone tablets, and the names of their own masters were burned by each family and mansion. In that era, women were never valued.
On the Tongzhou Wharf of the Grand Canal in the southeast of the capital, several 200-foot boats docked on the shore. Teams of Jinyiwei wearing blue armor and swords hanging around their waists were lined up to get on the boat one by one. Wearing green brocaded suits, a black cloak, and a wide brown hat on the outside, Liang Qi, a Baihu of the North Town Fushi, stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the soldiers waiting to get on the boat.
This time, Liang Qi was ordered to lead 100 Jinyi Tiqi to Huaian Prefecture, preparing to implement the arrest plan of the Huaian Tui Office of the Huaian Salt Transport Authority.
Since Chongzhen drew a big cake for the officials, although it would not bring him great financial pressure, it was all about spending money, not income. He had to find a sucker to pay for it, right? The fat sheep from Huai'an Yantijus are the best kids.
Because the land distance is too long and takes more time, these 100 cavalry and their war horses will take a boat to Huaihuai. After all, the capital is nearly two thousand miles away from Huai'an, and the water route is more convenient and labor-saving.
Because ships can sail day and night, and if you take land, you need to set up camp at night. In addition to the food and grass carried with the ship during this long journey, you can usually replenish your drinking water when you stop and rest.
Taking the land route from the capital, even if these 100 cavalry keep rushing during the day, considering the ability of war horses to withstand war horses, it is good to travel a hundred miles a day. This way, it will take at least more than ten days to reach it, and the horses will have to rest for several days before they can recover after they arrive.
On the boat, boatmen take turns to drive the boat, sailing continuously for twelve hours. With a downwind, it can reach forty miles per hour, and it can reach twenty miles against the wind, which saves nearly twice the time than taking the land route, and the people can get enough rest, and it only takes a few hours to recover after arrival.
Chen Qiyu spent more than a month on a boat and inspected the Huaian section of the canal to Linqing section of Shandong Province, and checked this section at Huaian and Linqing Cash Pass. Finally, he came to a conclusion: According to the situation where the sail walls are like forests and the goods are like mountains, these two large Cash Passes have so many checkpoints that they get less than 100,000 taels of silver each year, which is really unreasonable.
Chen Qiyu, who has lived in the officialdom for a long time, naturally knew that there would be no less tax on the banknotes, but a considerable number of them had been packed into their own pockets by the superiors and subordinates in the tax bureau.
This can be seen from his achievements along the way.
The section from Yangzhou to Linqing is the busiest section of the canal. There are various official ships, large and small canal ships, salt patrol ships, and merchant ships on the river. The fleets waiting for tax payment and release at various cash gates and wharves are congested for several miles.
The two major ambassadors were only from the eighth rank, but each gave Chen Qiyu a ritual of 500 taels.
If Wen Tiren knew that a low-level official from the eighth rank would have cost 500 taels of silver, which would be more than the annual salary of the chief minister of the dynasty who had just increased his salary, I wonder what he would think.
Chen Qiyu accepted the gift from the two of them with a smile. After being imprisoned in the imperial prison for nearly a year, his family spent a lot of money to ask for help from him to get out of prison as soon as possible. The family's family was already in a great decline, and this huge sum of money could be used to supplement the family's income.
The person is under the Ministry of Revenue and is not under his jurisdiction. It is just that he has the potential to rise further, so he burns a cold stove in advance and buys a familiar one.
After returning to the Huai'an Governor's Office, Chen Qiyu began to write a book and gave a detailed description of his preliminary understanding of the matter of canal transportation and the pros and cons. Then he also made a concise note of the matter of the money, hoping that the emperor could remove the power of the money from the Ministry of Revenue and place his rights to the Governor's Office of the Grain Transport so that the Governor's Office of the Governor's Office of the entire canal management.
Chen Qiyu was naturally not satisfied with being an official in the local area all his life. Even if he was a high-powered position like the governor, returning to the capital to be the rank of the court was his ultimate goal.
He knew what the emperor and the court needed the most at present: suppressing thieves and pacifying slaves and making money.
His governor of the canal transportation is the best position to make money at present, and he can serve both the court and himself.
Although he looked down on Hong Chengchou, who took over the position of governor of five provinces, and firmly believed that if he returned to his original position, he would do better than Hong Hengjiu, now that the emperor sent him to Jiangnan, it seems that he would use him to suppress the thief for a while. He knew the reason in his heart, mainly because of the unexpected mistake in the carriage and the emperor was in a grudge against him.
If you want to get a seat as an important official, only by doing something far beyond the predecessors in the position of the Governor of the Valley Transport can you win the trust and favor of the emperor again, and have the opportunity to achieve the goal of becoming a general and a minister.
The capital was the center of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor was the real important minister. No matter how powerful the local governors were, they were just on their own two acres and three cents of the land. After leaving their own territory, they would not be able to speak well.
The cabinet and the six ministries are the most eye-catching places in the world. Local officials will visit each other after they arrive in the capital, regardless of whether they have any grudges. Otherwise, they will take a chance to say a few hints in front of the saint, and they will lose the position of governor as soon as they say, which is a good example.
If you want to make some political achievements, you must have absolute rights.
The six cash gates on the canal must be in the hands of the Governor's Office.
As long as you master these six dozen checkpoints and supplement with iron-fisted rectification, the results will be immediate. The commercial tax paid to the court will definitely be twice or even several times that of now. Who can stop you from returning to Beijing to work?
Every day, thousands of ships travel on the canal. There are many ways to seek personal gain from it. As long as the big one is given to the court, who will care about it? Obviously, the good thing of gaining fame and fortune makes these low-level officials so ugly. Just read the book of sages?
We cannot take the big head and only give small profits to the court like the people who are dying in Chaoguan. This is really a way to die.
I just need to make a little metaphor in the memorial, and I believe the emperor will understand that when the court urgently needs money, the outcome of these people can be imagined.
While he was pondering, Chen Qizhi hurried into the study and reported: "Brother, please see the hundreds of households in the North Fushi District of Jinyiwei!"
Chapter completed!