my brother-in-law is the prince

In Wenyuan Pavilion, a new value room was cleaned up.

When Zhang Anshi came here, Sheren and Shu Zuo came to see him.

Zhang Anshi, the new wenyuange bachelor, has a very special status.

It is really not easy to provoke people.

After all, if you provoke Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu will scold you the most. If you provoke Mr. Jin and Mr. Yang, they will plot against you the most. When you provoke Mr. Xie Jin, at most he is just thinking about how to buy you a ticket to Java.

But it would be difficult to offend Zhang Anshi, His Royal Highness the new King of Song.Leaving aside the identities of the royal relatives, given Jin Yiwei's vicious reputation, he may not even know when he will die.

Zhang Anshi was very enthusiastic, and smiled at them in an easy-going way: "You are welcome, where is the king's house?"

Immediately, someone came out and led Zhang Anshi to his exclusive room!

After entering the value room, Zhang An couldn't help frowning.

The value room of Wenyuan Pavilion has always been small, after all, it is in the palace, unlike in other ministries, as the head of a ministry hall, or the servants, the value room is often spacious and bright.

You know, in this palace, even if you are an extremely talented minister, you are just a secretary in the eyes of the emperor.

In view of the stingy style of the Ming emperors in the past, it is enough to have a place to work, so what else do you want to do?

"Your Highness, this was personally explained by Duke Xie and Duke Yang. Your Highness is going to make room for the largest room..."

It is impossible for Zhang Anshi not to be disappointed in his heart, so he said gloomily: "Then I also want to thank Xie Gong and Yang Gong?"

The servant didn't know how to answer.

I was embarrassed for a while.

Zhang Anshi didn't care about it, he just sat down, and said: "Later, please come to my king for tea, I have something important to discuss."

Sheren just nodded like a chicken pecking rice, and walked out quickly.

Not long after, the Wenyuange University Scholars gathered together.

In view of the fact that the value room is too small, everyone can only sit in the corner with a wry smile.

Yang Rong was the first to smile and said, "Your Highness, congratulations."

Zhang Anshi just smiled.

Hu Guang was different. He thought Zhang Anshi should not be a prince since he was a prince.

Therefore, Hu Guang pursed his lips, looking depressed.

Xie Jin calmed down and said, "What His Highness wants to discuss is the matter of the Xinbutang?"

Since Zhang Anshi said that there was an important matter to discuss, in fact, everyone had already guessed that it must be Zhang Anshi's new mission.

To be honest, this matter is so big that it stunned several Wenyuan Pavilion scholars.

This is tantamount to Zhang Anshi leading the emperor's grandson, just like Meng Tian led the prince Fusu back then, and took tens of thousands of horses to build the Great Wall for Daqin.

It also means that for many years to come, many of Daming's national policies will revolve around this railway.

Not to mention, at the local level, the authority was greatly deprived by the railway department under the new ministry.

It can be said that it directly broke the local three-division system established by Emperor Taizu Gao.

The people sitting here are the smartest people in the world.

They may agree with the New Deal, but they all have their doubts about this new ministry.

Furthermore, even if you have the same political views, you, Zhang Anshi, are not on the same level as everyone else. Naturally, it can't help but make people feel wary.

What is one's own people?
Take ten thousand steps back, just like Xie Jin and Hu Guang, who read the same books and take the same exams, are from the same hometown, and have been colleagues for many years, so they can barely be regarded as their own. They can be tacit to each other.

But Zhang Anshi is different, Zhang Anshi is like a tiger that has entered the den of wolves, although everyone eats meat, but what everyone has in common is only meat.

Yang Rong smiled and said, "Your Highness has a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, and this old man really wants to hear some of His Highness's opinions."

Jin Youzi remained silent as usual, just sitting quietly.

Zhang Anshi looked quite enthusiastic, but he was afraid that all the gentlemen who had concerns in their hearts thought that if Wenyuan Pavilion could get along well, things would be more than half successful.

Zhang Anshi is not worried, the cabinet ministers turned against him, Zhang Anshi is not a vegetarian, but... What he is most worried about is that everyone will not work hard.

You know, in the past dynasties, those prime ministers have been very polite to each other. If you don’t know, you may think how good everyone’s relationship is on weekdays!
But in fact, it's a discord between the face and the heart. Even if it doesn't trip you up, as long as it's positive and negative, it's enough to make you toss.

For Zhang Anshi, the immediate priority is to stabilize his rear.

After Zhang Anshi made up his mind, he laughed and said, "This big event right now is much bigger than the one in the Xinbu hall. It has only been more than half an hour since I came here, and only now do I know that the scholars of Wenyuan Pavilion, It's really hard work. I'm an extremely personable minister, but this room is dark and narrow, and I can't use it if I want to move my muscles and bones, so that's all right, this place is still so dark and humid."

After a pause, Zhang Anshi said with concern on his face: "My lord has heard people say that when you are old and live in such an environment all the time, you will suffer from bone disease. What's more, the place is small and there are so many people going in and out every day. The bills and memorials are piled up on this desk, which is higher than the mountain. This king has thought about it. For everyone's health, and to serve His Majesty better, this Wenyuan Pavilion... should be repaired. , it is not only necessary to expand, it is best to repair it again, especially the value room of the bachelor, so as to make it spacious and bright. Outside... it is best to set up a courtyard for people to live in, some artificial stones, and a little lake Scenery...it doesn't cost much money...but the benefits to me, Ming, are endless."

Xie Jin: "..."

Yang Rong: "..."

Hu Guang's face twitched, his eyes straightened.

This really hits the heart of everyone here.

Maybe everyone has their own ideas when it comes to talking about the new department hall, but everyone feels the same about the harsh environment of Wenyuan Pavilion.

This place...maybe not even as good as a county government.

Of course, as a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, even if the power of Wenyuan Pavilion is increasing day by day, how can such a matter be mentioned as a scholar?
We are scholars, prime ministers, and servants of His Majesty, so how can we care about personal enjoyment?
Your Majesty is stingy, and the ministers want to save face, so... everyone pretends not to know about it.

But the backaches and backaches on weekdays, as well as the depression accumulated over the years, only I know.

"Oh...it can't be..."

This time, the upright Hu Guang took the lead in saying: "Your Highness, we are cabinet ministers for the court..."

Zhang Anshi interrupted him and said, "What can't be done? The academicians are the pillars of my Ming Dynasty. If the pillars live such a miserable life, is this justified? Here, thousands of things are decided every day. The so-called benefiting the world by plucking a hair, all the people need to rely on it, but if it affects the body and mind of the cabinet ministers, and even... It also makes the princes feel wronged and has no energy to work, is that okay? This matter... After much deliberation, this king must ask His Majesty."

Zhang Anshi expressed everyone's aspirations in a few words.

but……

Xie Jin said: "Your Highness, forget it, now there are so many places in the imperial court, money is needed..."

Zhang Anshi said disapprovingly: "How much money can I use for repairs and expansion? If my Ming Dynasty is short of money in Wenyuan Pavilion, it would be ridiculous. You don't have to worry, you are gentlemen, so naturally you don't care about this, but I don't mind. , This king will report this matter to see who dares to object."

Yang Rong frowned, but felt quite at ease.

They can't take a stand on this kind of thing, but Zhang Anshi is willing to be the bad guy and work for everyone's welfare, which is another matter.

Jin Youzi was still silent, but his expression softened a lot.

Such a bad duty environment can be described as a worry for everyone.Originally, this kind of matter was impossible to solve unless the emperor mentioned it first.But the emperor was pretending to be blind. It was even worse when Emperor Taizu Gao was in college.

Zhang Anshi said solemnly: "In my opinion, it needs to be greatly expanded! In addition to the value of the house, in addition to the courtyard, it is also necessary to have several reception halls, tea rooms, and kitchens. This matter will be announced tomorrow. Play! Turn around, I'll go find Eunuch Yishiha and the Ministry of Industry, and draw up a sketch of the design, and I'll ask you guys to give me some pointers."

"This, no need, no need..." Hu Guang stared, and waved his hands quickly, as if hiding from the plague god: "This old man is not good at building, and I don't understand even after reading it."

You, Zhang Anshi, just go and get it done, but don't show it to me, I, Hu, still need to save a little bit of face.

Zhang Anshi smiled, and said again: "Since the performance is going to be played tomorrow, it is a bit unreasonable to play it just for this matter. This king has thought about it. The cabinet ministers are on duty, but the official salary of the court has been low. To be honest, It is not easy to live in the capital, when Emperor Taizu Gao was here, the world was full of waste and the people were poor and weak, Emperor Gao of Taizu cared about the common people, so he wronged all the officials."

Speaking of this, Zhang Anshi sighed, and then continued: "But it's different now. To be honest, now... the imperial court still has some money. This official's salary should be figured out. This point, Zhili The Dudu’s Mansion is doing very well, and the salaries of the officials... can also allow everyone to live and work in peace. In my opinion... the official salaries of the imperial court should be compared with the Dudu’s Mansion, gentlemen...you are Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Scholars, these This matter is related to the well-being of many officials, so we must investigate it."

This sentence really stunned the four great scholars.

Speaking of the salary of the Governor's Mansion, it is notoriously high.

As for the official salary of the imperial court, to be honest, it was set by Emperor Taizu Gao. Not only was it ridiculously low, but it was indeed not easy to live in the capital.

What's more... the emperor returned chicken thieves, gave them precious notes, and even discounted their salaries and defaulted on them.

If it is on par with the Governor's Mansion now, it will be terrible.

You know, the salaries of the third-class civil servants in the Dudu Mansion are roughly equivalent to the official salaries of the eighth and ninth ranks, and they are not discounted.

And the ninth-rank officials who came to Dudu's Mansion are enough to compare with the ordinary seventh-rank county magistrates.

What's even more frightening is that, for example, at the third rank, it can almost be equivalent to the salary of a Marquis.

The problem is that all the princes present here are appointed as the prince's tutor or the prince's junior teacher. As usual, they are treated as first-rank.

This means that almost everyone, like Zhang Anshi, receives the highest official salary in the Dudu Mansion, how much is it?

Anyway, to feed a family of dozens of people, and not have to bother with expenses in the capital, if you are on duty for ten or twenty years, you don't even need the usual ice and charcoal respect, which is enough to make you respectable.

"This...this...isn't right." Hu Guang's face was very unnatural, um, a little guilty.

He is the poorest among all the great scholars, he refuses to accept ice and charcoal tributes, and his life in the capital has always been tight.

Zhang Anshi said proudly: "What's wrong? From now on, we will implement the New Deal in an all-round way. All provinces in the world, regardless of each other, so... this official salary should be on par with the Dudu Mansion, why shouldn't it be? My king's wish, It is to push the affairs of the Dudu Mansion to the world! Mr. Hu... we just need to jointly play together..."

"This... no, no..." Hu Guang sullenly shook his head.

Zhang Anshi said: "Why?"

Hu Guang said embarrassingly: "Those who don't know, think... think... the old man is greedy for money."

Zhang Anshi sighed and said: "Hey, if you don't play, I will go to play. This kind of thing has to be done by someone. You are too honest and too gentleman, but I, Zhang Anshi, don't care. Anyway... I don't have a good reputation."

The four bachelors fell silent, and it was a bit embarrassing to say so much, and everyone didn't know what to say.

So, they all bowed their heads silently and drank tea.

At this time, Zhang Anshi said again: "There is still retirement..."

Hu Guang swallowed water and almost spit it out.

Zhang Anshi said: "In the future, when everyone is old and has served the court all his life, when he can no longer do it, once he becomes a scholar, he must have a place to settle... Forget it, this king will not discuss this matter with the princes. I will think about it myself. One or two."

All four of them smiled and drank tea with their own thoughts.

Zhang Anshi continued on his own: "The body is also very important. If you ask the medical school to check everyone's body every year..."

"..."

A discussion came and went quickly, and the meeting was a success, although it didn't seem to mention any important things.

But obviously, everyone is still relaxed and happy, and very harmonious.

At noon, someone brought Zhang Anshi a meal.

In Wenyuan Pavilion, the emperor Lao Tzu does not provide meals, so all the prefectures send people to bring food boxes early in the morning, and eat some pastries.

On Zhang Anshi's side, there were dozens of food boxes. Zhang Anshi taught others to warm them up, and sent a portion to the other Wenyuange Grand Scholars, and he just dealt with it himself.

After eating, Zhang Anshi paced around Wenyuan Pavilion to digest.

Unpredictably, I saw Hu Guang with his hands behind his back, coming towards him as if walking in a courtyard.

Zhang Anshi smiled and said, "Mr. Hu also takes a walk?"

"Well, well, stretch your muscles."

Zhang Anshi nodded, just as he and Hu Guang were about to pass by.

Suddenly, Hu Guang seemed to think of something casually, and said: "That's right, Your Highness, I have something to ask."

Zhang Anshi said: "How dare you."

Hu Guang still said nonchalantly: "The old man is planning to give a performance in the past few days and ask the Metropolitan Procuratorate to check Taicang. The official salary will be issued soon, and it is always better to plan ahead. How the salary of the Dudu Mansion is distributed depends on the teacher. The old man is a little curious."

Zhang Anshi said: "This...there is a special financial secretary in charge..."

"Oh." Hu Guang suddenly realized, and he said teasingly: "This is not good, wouldn't there be more redundant officials and redundant staff? This is how much official salary, how can someone specialize in this position? Yes, the Governor's Mansion How much is Yipin's salary?"

Zhang Anshi pinched his fingers and said, "It should be around 900 taels. I can't figure out the exact king."

"So much." Hu Guang was dumbfounded, the shock that couldn't be concealed on his face.

Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "In the whole world, there are not many first-rank officials. How many people are there? I, Daming, can get first-rank officials, and I can count them with two hands..."

Hu Guang asked again: "Is the official salary calculated according to the actual position, or even the false position?"

"Forget it, it's all counted. In terms of real positions, I don't have a first-rank official at all in Ming Dynasty." Zhang Anshi thought for a while and said: "Furthermore, even those who are ranked first-rank in vain positions have experienced decades of official career. It will take a few more years to become a scholar. These are the treasures of the court, and they are the humerus of my Ming Dynasty. I can't teach them to eat wind and drink dew? This is too cruel."

Hu Guang coughed, and then said, "Well, this statement is not unreasonable."

Zhang Anshi continued: "Let's just talk about Mr. Hu..."

A look of embarrassment flashed across Hu Guang's face, and he quickly waved his hands: "Don't use the old man as an example, the old man is just asking casually. Or, you can use Yang Gong as an example."

Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "Okay, okay, let's take Yang Gong as an example. Yang Gong was a Jinshi in the second year of Jianwen, and he was ranked first in the top two. He was directly awarded the editor of the Imperial Academy. Look, how many people have studied hard For many years, he couldn't get it. In the past 20 years since then, he has dedicated himself to his career, and he has worked hard in the court, right? Now, he is considered a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, and His Majesty bestowed upon him the crown prince Shaofu, Minister of the Ministry of Industry. In terms of qualifications, how many people in the world can compare with him, and in terms of talent and learning, how many people can compare with him? And in terms of merit, he can be regarded as indispensable. Now, he, the prince, is a young man. From Yipin, this is not easy, there are not many people like this in the world, and such a person is given three or four thousand taels of silver a year... Is this too much?"

Hu Guang nodded his head with a serious face and said: "You are right, Mr. Yang has worked hard and made great achievements, so he deserves this."

Zhang Anshi went on to say: "But according to the current salary, Yang Gong now gets 72 taels of money and food every year. How much is the silver? It is a hundred taels of silver. ...Is it true?"

Hu Guang sighed and said, "I feel sorry for Yang Gong."

"That's right." Zhang Anshi said: "So, we should not disappoint Duke Yang, right?"

Hu Guang's face was serious, and he said with a straight face: "You are right!"