I'm really not the carpenter emperor

It is a risky move to recommend party members and win over cronies in front of the emperor, but Wen Tiren understands that if he wants to leave his name in history and do something big, it is impossible to just stick to the rules.

Hearing Peng Runan's words, Wen Tiren nodded, thinking that his painstaking efforts were not in vain, he smiled and looked at another person, asking:

"What does Yuanlu think?"

When asked about this person, he is currently the second-in-command of the Jiyan Bureau, and his name is Wang Qingbai.

Wang Qingbai, a Jinshi in the 38th year of Wanli, a member of the Zhejiang Party, and Wen Tiren are childhood friends, but their personalities are completely different.

Let's put it this way, Wang Qingbai's behavior style is a bit like that of a Donglin scholar. He often acts rashly, sprays whenever he wants, and speaks out.

Wei Zhongxian scolded him the most, and he often exposed Donglin Junzi to them.

But in terms of life, Wang Qingbai, like Wen Tiren, doesn't care much about personal reputation. He has the arrogance of Donglin Qingliu celebrities, and he has also done things like accepting bribes, accepting bribes, and impeaching political opponents like eunuchs.

In his view, doing what is beneficial to the court is what a minister should do, and the rest depends on personal pursuit.

Wang Qingbai and Wen Tiren were childhood friends. Because of this, even though he boasted that his talent and learning were higher than the latter, he did not dare to underestimate him and was willing to be inferior.

Let's put it this way, sometimes even Wang Qingbai is not sure what Wen Tiren's true thoughts are.

For example, the emperor's holy will and Wei Zhongxian's mentality this time, most people dare not guess like this at all, even if they guessed it, they would not easily do it.

Wen Tiren was very convinced, and he did what he said, even on the way to Dengzhou Prefecture, he was already thinking about how to make the Zhejiang Party gain momentum.

Upon hearing the question, Wang Qingbai said:

"Since Mr. Peng talked about Hongwu's old rules, the next official will also talk about the law in heaven."

"From the year of Yongle to the beginning of the new year today, the only way to govern the salt government is the law in heaven. This law may be applicable to the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties, but it has not been effective so far."

"The relaxation of the salt law in the Jiajing dynasty is the root cause of today's disaster."

"Take the salt field as an example. At the beginning of the country, the people were exiled and the fields were barren. Taizu was committed to restoring people's livelihood. Therefore, he established a salt field along the coast and ordered those who have made contributions to the court to manage it for generations. It is all right to win people's hearts and govern the salt administration."

"Nowadays, the people have lived in peace for many years, and the family in the salt field has become a local tyrant. The government and businessmen have colluded to control the salt administration, disturbing the people, and the whole country is uneasy."

Speaking of this, Wang Qingbai seemed extremely resentful, saying:

"These local officials only saw that the new salt law cut off their petty profits, but they didn't know the overall situation and the general situation. There are also some people who obviously don't have the ability to serve as officials in frontiers, and they don't know how to govern the people, but they want to occupy Magpie's nest, delaying important matters."

"The imperial court implements the new salt law, and these old troubles must be eradicated!"

When Wen Tiren heard the last word, he didn't say much. He took a sip from the cold teacup on the table. Wang Qingbai naturally knew who it was.

After a long time, Wen Tiren asked slowly: "Then, brother Wang's advice?"

"Salt administration involves officials, so the handling should be light rather than heavy. The local tyrants in each salt field should be heavy and not light!" Wang Qingbai said:

"The imperial court has just experienced a major case in the examination room, and needs to win people's hearts and comfort the officials!"

Wen Tiren nodded secretly, and took another sip of tea. Suddenly, he looked outside the house, and the other two also turned to look around, and sure enough, they found a small official rushing over.

After entering the door, the little official saluted first, gasped and said:

"I would like to report to the three adults that the younger one has returned from Laiyang, and there is something wrong with the notice issued by the magistrate's office earlier."

"what?"

Wen Tiren was not without surprise, but he slapped the table and stood up. Peng Runan and Wang Qingbai also got up one after another, dumbfounded.

"What's the problem, tell me in detail!"

At this time, the little official was breathing evenly, drank his saliva, and said:

"Returning to my lord, although the magistrate's yamen in Laiyang hid the notice long ago, I still asked from the people around me that the previous notice from the government didn't say how the court would arrange the people along the coast, it only said that it is forbidden to sell salt in various salt fields. .”

Wen Tiren looked unbelievable and flew into a rage.

"That is to say, Zhang Daqi did not inform the people of the court's new salt law, which caused the people along the coast to oppose the salt law?"

Wang Qingbai said with a sneer: "From this point of view, it is not surprising that the people in Qingzhou rebelled because the officials protected each other and persecuted them severely!"

"Send someone to Laiyang and take a big weapon!" Wen Tiren slammed the table and shouted angrily.

Chapter 486 No fault is merit

Yuan Keli, governor of Denglai, ruled in Penglai, while Zhang Daqi, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture, set up the magistrate's yamen in Laiyang City.

If Penglai is one of the few big cities in Dengzhou Prefecture, a poor place in the eyes of the world, that can be compared with a prosperous place like Jining, then Laiyang is definitely the second.

It can be said that Dengzhou spent the entire government's materials and manpower to support these two prosperous towns in impoverished places.

Eighty percent of the big shots in Terengganu are gathered in Penglai, and ninety-nine percent of the remaining [-]% ​​are in Laiyang.

Prefect Yamen.

It's been a while since the notice was withdrawn, but Zhang Daqi was still fidgeting all day long.

It's no wonder that this is the first time that "creating the world" has changed the government's decrees to fool the people without permission. Anyone who does it will not be very indifferent.

"The matter is over, why should the Master be worried?" The civil servant looked at Lu Daqi who was anxious, and said with a frown:

"This is already the third cup of tea you've drunk in the past half an hour..."

Hearing this, Lu Daqi was taken aback, looked at the third cup of tea he picked up unconsciously, and put it down with a sigh. In fact, he didn't want to be thirsty, but... his eyelids kept twitching...

For some reason, he always felt that something big would happen today.

After hearing this, Lu Daqi regained his composure and asked:

"Have all the notices been burned? Did the person who issued the notice dispose of it properly?"

The official nodded and said:

"The Grand Master of the Fufu can put his heart in his stomach. Two of the three government servants who distributed the notice that day are no longer in the yamen. In the end, that person died of a sudden cold in the past few days."

"Even if people from Dongchang came to investigate, it would be dead without evidence."

"Well, that's great..."

Lu Daqi nodded, feeling dry mouth for a while, picked up the teacup and took a few sips, suddenly remembered something, put it down again, his hands seemed to have no place to rest.

"Although I said that, Wei Zhongxian's situation this time does not look like a joke. The last time Dongchang arrested people on such a large scale was when Tianqi dealt with Donglin in the first year of Tianqi."

When Lu Daqi said these words, he felt a burst of regret in his heart.

All the prefectural and county notices were issued in the same way. The upper and lower classes in Shandong were all counting on selling salt to make a profit. Wei chased after him.

If it weren't for Dongchang, this matter wouldn't have become such a big deal.

At that time, perhaps the imperial court heard the news of the civil uprising, and really thought that the new salt law had made mistakes, so it would not implement the salt law again.

After all, the dogs in Dongchang are really annoying.

Thinking of this, there was a sudden rush of footsteps outside the door, Lu Daqi stood up abruptly, saw the person coming, and asked nervously:

"Is the person from Dongchang here?"

The clerk who came shook his head again and again, and said, "My lord, the official document from the Ningjin Salt Company has arrived. Ambassador Zhao asked you what to do."

"What to do, I am also an ant on a hot pot now, I know what to do?!"

As soon as Lu Daqi heard this, he couldn't get angry. Thinking about getting angry for no reason is not the solution, the main thing now is to calm people's hearts, and there are quite a few powerful people from above who wade into this muddy water, and they should have a way.

"Go to Ningjin Office quickly and tell Ambassador Zhao—"

"boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, there was a loud knock at the door.

Without even thinking about it, Lu Daqi raised his head and roared, "Who is this? This is the yamen of the prefect of Dengzhou. Do you have any courtesy?"

No one answered, but the sound of chaotic footsteps approached, and not long after, three or five people in official uniforms stepped into the main hall.

The leader almost produced an arrest document, looked around, identified the government, and said coldly:

"After verification, the announcement of the prefect of Dengzhou this month is contrary to the new salt law of the imperial court. It is suspected of deliberately guiding the direction of the wind. The Salt Bureau has been ordered to arrest the prefect of Dengzhou, Lu Daqi!"

After hearing this, Lu Daqi was dumbfounded, even the rest of the scribes and officials were dumbfounded.

The officer stood up, frowned and said:

"Whose orders are you following? At any rate, this is also the magistrate's yamen in Dengzhou, where the government is located. How can you allow us to arrest the court officials randomly!"

He almost glanced at the official rank on the opponent, knowing that he couldn't offend him, but he didn't give him any good looks, his face was expressionless, and there was not even any emotional fluctuation in his words.

"I am following the order of Wen Tiren, the Minister of the Household Department and the Minister of Salt Administration, to arrest Lu Daqi, the prefect of Dengzhou who is an illegal official!"

"If you have anything to say, go to the Jiyan Bureau and talk to the minister in charge of the imperial envoy!"

"take away--"

With an order, two officials from the Jiyan Bureau, one on the left and one on the right, went up and escorted Lu Daqi out, which aroused the prefect's yamen's attention.

Many people crowded on both sides, pointing to this side.

When he reached the door, he was blocked by a subordinate official, who looked reasonable, and said in a low voice:

"Masters from the Salt Inspection Bureau, you must not have any evidence in hand, right?"

"Such a forceful arrest, it's not good to say it, it's better to let the Fuzun go, after returning, I will give you a big gift..."

After he finished speaking, Lu Daqi also shouted.

"I am not guilty!"

"I, Lu Daqi, have been an official for many years, and I have never done anything illegal! You, you are colluding with Dongchang and falsely accusing me!"

Lu Daqi struggled crazily, but he had been sitting still for years, hadn't exercised much at all, and was still pinched tightly by two guards from the Salt Bureau.

He almost weighed the silver in his hand, these days, ten taels of silver is really a lot for a meeting gift, more than what he can get in a year.

After thinking for a while, he threw back the silver and said with a sneer:

"We don't care what sounds good or not. A word of advice, it's the superiors who want to arrest people, not us. You have to understand the difference."

"Our Salt Bureau, even if we were ordered to do something, if we let him go, I would have no way out."

"take away!"

Money and life, these people who do the job of licking blood, have always been very clear.

Seeing Lu Daqi being taken away, the officer's face darkened. He never expected that the people in the Jiyan Bureau were so ignorant of current affairs and unreasonable.

If there is no evidence, what can they do even if they are arrested.

The people on the street quickly discovered what was going on here, and there were many discussions.

"What is this for?"

"It seems that the prefect was arrested, what's going on!"

"You haven't heard that the magistrate's yamen issued a false notice a while ago, and did not tell us the truth about the new salt law of the imperial court. I heard that there was a civil uprising in Qingzhou because of this!"

"Hey! This world is getting more and more chaotic..."

"It seems that the civil uprising in Qingzhou Prefecture has attracted the attention of the court, and now it has been traced, and the prefect of Dengzhou has been found out."

"Have you seen the skin that the captors are wearing? You need to recognize it in the future. This is the newly established Salt Inspection Bureau of the imperial court, which is in charge of salt administration!"

The people around spread the word to ten, ten to hundreds, and it spread quickly.

……

Lu Daqi, the prefect of Dengzhou, was the first magistrate to be arrested.

But if you think about it in another direction, this guy is destined to go down in history...

The local civil and military personnel who had previously thought that the imperial court could enforce the law and not blame the public, heard the news that Lu Daqi was arrested by Wen Tiren, and none of them panicked.

But it's all up to this time, no matter how panicky it is, it won't help.

People who have done the same thing as Lu Daqi, begged grandpa, sued grandma, and used all the contacts they could get in touch with, just to stay out of the matter and save their lives.

As for those who haven't done it, some are fanning the flames, hoping that the trouble will become bigger.

The rest of them just sit and watch the show in the mansion. For them, as long as they stay calm during this period of time, promotion is basically a certainty.

Once the imperial court conducts a large-scale salt administration, there will be one death and one injury at the local level.

Either the new salt law will be terminated, or the entire Shandong officialdom will be screened and reshuffled, and these people have done nothing wrong.

Chapter 487 Seven Battles and Seven Victories