First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Because of this incident, Ma's plan to build a textile workshop was affected and could not be advanced at all.

Mrs. Ma wanted to investigate further, and asked the yamen in Jinling, what exactly were they going to do?

However, the Ma family has always been restrained. Now that her husband is leading the army to fight outside, and the house is on fire, he can't bother Zhu Yuanzhang with such a trivial matter.Moreover, Mrs. Ma vaguely felt that Han Xiuniang's case was not simple.

Mrs. Wu Guogong took the initiative to do something, and someone made trouble. Even if Han Xiuniang's parents were cunning and unreasonable, why did so many people follow suit?

What's more, when the trouble came to the Jinling Yamen, they were actually suppressed, and they didn't give Ma Shi any face. What do these people want to do?Who is supporting them?

Mrs. Ma really wanted to have a seizure, so he called Li Shanchang and asked him to investigate thoroughly to clarify the matter.

But after thinking about it again and again, Ma Shi still endured it.

After all, Li Shanchang was still in charge of allocating food and grass, military supplies and logistics, so it didn't make sense to bother him with such things.Just as Zhang Ximeng returned from Hongdu, not far from Jinling, Mrs. Ma sent a letter to ask Zhang Ximeng's opinion.

What should I do?

Zhang Ximeng looked and looked again, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Sure enough, some things didn't happen overnight. No, backlash came.

Zhang Ximeng thought it over and over again, and decided to write a letter to Zhu Yuanzhang, explaining the matter clearly, and explaining his own judgment to Lao Zhu... This matter seems simple, but it is just a family dispute, and no one was killed, but what is involved behind it It's too big, including both patriarchal customs and customs, as well as the operation mode of the yamen, and various laws and regulations, it is difficult to explain clearly at once.

He needs to return to Jinling immediately and will report the progress to Zhu Yuanzhang at any time.

Zhang Ximeng sent the letter and thought for a long time before returning to Jinling in a hurry.

Zhang Ximeng, who returned to Jinling, did not go to see Mrs. Ma, but first came to see Li Shanchang.

"Li Xiang, I don't want to say anything else. I just don't understand why there will be setbacks in the affairs assigned by the madam. Can't bear it?"

Seeing that Zhang Ximeng got straight to the point, Li Shanchang stopped talking nonsense, "Mr. Zhang, I said that this matter has nothing to do with me at all, do you believe it?"

"I believe!"

Zhang Ximeng said simply: "Li Xiang, if I didn't believe you, I wouldn't be the first to come to see you! Now you are in charge of logistics and military supplies, you know better than anyone else, let women come out to do things, produce military uniforms, weave Cloth, how good it is, unless you are out of your mind, you will disturb this matter."

Li Shanchang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then got up and bowed deeply.

"Thank you Zhang Xiangming for his insight... I, I am also full of anger now, and I have no place to vent it."

Zhang Ximeng leaned forward and said, "What? It's hard to deal with?"

"Difficult, very difficult! First of all, the first one, what should the Yamen do if the children sue their parents?" Li Shanchang sighed: "No matter how this case is handled, it will not end well. Come on, they just plan to let it go!"

Zhang Ximeng listened silently, and then said, "Li Xiang, can't you think about it?"

Li Shanchang was startled, pondered for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Zhang, I have long wanted to do something, and I must not let these beasts harm me!"

"That's good!" Zhang Ximeng nodded and said, "Li Xiang, it's time for us to work together on this matter!"

Chapter 253 The Frightened Hundred Officials

Facing the olive branch thrown by Zhang Ximeng, Li Shanchang was a little flattered. He never expected that at this moment, Zhang Ximeng did not choose to add insult to injury, but was willing to help him.

This kind of kindness is absolutely no small matter, it can be said that the kindness of re-creation is similar. .

Otherwise, he, Old Li, stood opposite Ma Shi, and the wind from his pillow would blow him to pieces.

"Zhang Xiang, as wise as you are, I dare not be perfunctory. In fact, I am also riding a tiger. I can't get off when I go up."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "I'm also to blame for some things, which caused Brother Li trouble."

"No!"

Li Shanchang shook his head seriously, "To be honest, I agree with Zhang Xiang's proposition from the bottom of my heart... I know what you think, Zhang Xiang won't think I'm lying, right?"

"No!" Zhang Ximeng shook his head, "Brother Li explained clearly and plainly when formulating the land distribution strategy back then. From then on, I knew that Brother Li was quick-witted. No way, he is a rare talent."

Hearing Zhang Ximeng's praise and remembering the past, Lao Li sighed very much, and then said: "In terms of dividing the land, women in the early Tang Dynasty could get half of the land acres of men, and this was the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. How could I I don’t know! Zhang Xiang advocates equalizing the land for women, allowing them to go to school, and even allowing women to be officials... Although this step is a bit big, the effect is immediate. This time I can calmly mobilize food and grass and supply military supplies on time. Zhang Xiang's brilliant move."

Li Shanchang did not lie, standing in his position is the one who can most appreciate the benefits.Women walked out of the house, some went to work in the field, and some entered the workshop to work.

The enthusiasm they erupted was simply jaw-dropping and jaw-dropping.

Just because it has been suppressed for too long, the women who have gained room to display are even more enthusiastic than men. When collecting taxes and food, the women will carefully select and dry them carefully, and hand in the best ones, and He will also urge men not to waste time.

Therefore, summer grain can be harvested quickly and well.

More and more women entered the workshops, and the handicraft workshops in Jinling also prospered.

The direct consequence is that the business tax has increased greatly, and the output of silk cloth has increased greatly.

This is all hard currency, and it will eventually fall into the money bag, and Li Shanchang is in charge of managing the money bag.

Can he be indifferent?

But Li Shanchang also has another consideration, how long can this good thing last?He wasn't sure.

"Zhang Xiang, this idea is certainly good, but it was not implemented much in the early Tang Dynasty. If men could not get enough land, how much could they give to women? Since Zhao and Song Dynasties, the world has become increasingly strict, especially since The rise of Neo-Confucianism is even more so. Freezing to death is a minor issue, but injustice is a major issue... No matter what those scholars talk about, in short, among the people, women are subject to more and more restrictions, layer upon layer, and there are too many to enumerate. I don't have much confidence in the traditional confrontation of the past few years. Besides, even if we stick to it now, after more than ten years, 20 years, the new generation will grow up, and the land will definitely not be enough. How can we maintain the average land at that time? How should we distribute the land? At that time, everything we do will be in vain.”

"Besides, when women go out of the house and enter the workshop, they will inevitably have contact with other people. There are more and more indecent incidents. Those who sue for adultery, those who ask for divorce, and those who say that their daughter-in-law is unfilial, these cases will not go down. Hundreds of cases. How many people took the opportunity to fan the flames, saying that the world was upside down and whimsical. They also said that it was the biggest malpractice of the Zhu family army. Here. Give me a hundred guts, and I don't dare to disobey Madam, but once I handle this case according to Madam's wishes, what should I do if there are more than 100? Wan, if we follow this precedent, the next thing will be even more out of hand, and I, Li Shanchang, will become the target of public criticism!"

Lao Li talked so long that he almost poured out all the bitterness in his stomach.

To be honest, Li Shanchang was more envious of Zhang Ximeng.

Because Zhang Ximeng stood in a position where he could advance and retreat freely, and Zhu Yuanzhang trusted him unconditionally. In this way, Zhang Ximeng had too much room to play, and he didn't have any burdens. Wouldn't it be nice!

But when it comes to Li Shanchang, the situation is much more troublesome.

He controls all the officials and is responsible for execution. Unfortunately, he does not have the final decision-making power. To put it bluntly, he is still a housekeeper... Since he is a housekeeper, he has to follow the family rules and can't act on his own.

Li Shanchang must be fair and decent when doing things, at least on the surface he must stand the test, otherwise he will attract a lot of criticism. At that time, if the master said a word, he, the housekeeper, would go out.

Let's take the case of Han Xiuniang as an example... At the Ma family, what she saw was this case, which was the blocked clothing factory plan. She was angry and wanted to find someone to take responsibility.

But Li Shanchang saw hundreds of similar cases here, but too many of them did not attract the attention of the world.

Zhang Ximeng put forward the idea, which became a decree and implemented it. As a result, in the process of implementation, the old and new ideas and fierce conflicts became one case after another, which returned to Li Shanchang's hands and became his troubles.

Or how to put it, once you are in a high position, you are not very willing to change!

They even instinctively reject changes, whatever they change, once a decree is changed, countless things will be affected, countless troubles will be brewed, and even an uncontrollable situation will be created, which will eventually backfire on itself.

For a mature bureaucrat, what he fears most is change!

Just follow the existing rules, and even if something goes wrong, you can easily push it out, as long as you say it has existed since ancient times, and it just becomes a habit.

So I know that it is unreasonable and inappropriate, and I put it there, don't touch it, and let it go.

Everyone is a paper-maker, and everyone is a Humphrey.

What if you don't?

In Han Xiuniang's case, it was her parents who were wrong, and everyone could see it.

But no woman is wrong?

Do you want to look through the files of the Ministry of Criminal Justice to see how many cases of this kind have been added recently?

If you dare to sympathize with the woman, it will embarrass you every minute.

Could it be that he, Prime Minister Li, was trapped by this kind of shit?Don't worry about other things?

Obviously, Li Shanchang didn't want to do this, and he didn't dare to do this. He had no choice but to risk his wife's anger and continue to carry...

After listening to Li Shanchang's exclamation, Zhang Ximeng also sighed deeply.

Now he has only respect for those fierce people who dare to reform and promote change. I have to say that it is really too difficult to change something.

This is just a provincial territory with a population of less than [-] million, and it is at the beginning of the establishment of the government. The various rules are far from perfect, the officials are relatively clean and capable, and there are not many acts of forming a party for personal gain... In this case, it is necessary to It is so difficult to promote change. Once the world is unified, if you want to do something again, you may be bloody.

At that time, if Zhang Ximeng is asked to grant land to some women, run schools, and encourage them to do things, he probably won't have the courage anymore.

In the struggle for world hegemony, when the labor force is most lacking, if you don’t break the shackles as soon as possible, once the world is peaceful, the population will multiply, there will be so many idle men, and they are still in urgent need of job opportunities, so how can they allow women to come out?

Don't even think about it!

In order to tap the potential, increase the combat effectiveness of Zhu's army as soon as possible, and for future consideration, there are some things that must be done.

Even though the steps are a bit big, and it hurts to pull my hips, I have to grit my teeth to hold on.

"Brother Li, I know that the key to this matter is not with you, but because I have caused you trouble!" Zhang Ximeng sighed, "It is precisely because of this that I want to join hands with Brother Li, and let's find a way to solve this matter together." Already!"

Li Shanchang took a deep breath, "Zhang Xiang, you don't need to blame yourself. I know in my heart that what you think is right, and the superior supports you. I can't implement it. That's my business. When the superior will dismiss me , That's my own fault. Now you can ignore the past and come to help me, I feel warm in my heart. To be honest, I always wanted to compete with you in the past, but now it seems that my heart is far worse than Zhang Xiang. I'm really overwhelmed."

Zhang Ximeng quickly waved his hand, "Brother Li, don't talk like that, you have your own difficulties, I talked too much about practical things in the past, and the burden fell on you... As far as I think, this matter shouldn't be in our hands inside!"

The two chatted here, and finally began to touch the key points.

Li Shanchang cheered up instantly, and listened attentively, "Master Zhang, what are your plans?"

"Brother Li, you said that there are so many cases that have been pushed to the Ministry of Criminal Justice and to you... In the final analysis, it is the people below who are irresponsible. They dare not do things, and blindly shirk responsibility, making it difficult for you!"

Li Shanchang took a breath and nodded vigorously, "Yes! Xiang Zhang is right!"

"Brother Li, the case of Han Xiuniang is not complicated. The rest of the cases are probably simpler than this one... As long as the people below have a bowl of water, whoever is at fault will bear the blame, and there is no need to worry about it." Men and women. They closed the case. If it is suitable, we will summarize it into a decree and promulgate it. If it is not suitable, we will correct it and retry it. This is the right thing to do! What is it like now? , Then what do you want them to do? Disband the county government office and the magistrate government office. Also, what does the Ministry of Punishment do? They don’t have an attitude? Why do you leave all the problems to us?”

Zhang Ximeng snorted angrily, "Brother Li, let me say something blunt, you are too indulgent to the officials below... Although everyone is carrying the flowery sedan chair and needs the cooperation of the subordinates, you can't be too indulgent to them! Let them know that I am responsible for sitting in that position and holding that salary! I can’t be a good official and do it myself. When encountering problems, let the superiors take responsibility? What we have to do is to supervise , It's a summary, it's to force them to work hard, not to wipe their butts! It's not to end the game personally, to deal with these parents' grievances."

"Status! Brother Li, what we need is a pattern! We want to grant land to women, let women go to school, and pave the way for their development. They need to adjust. Some things that really can’t be solved can be handed over to us, set a tone, and then let them implement it. We can’t be kidnapped by the people below and let them play around. Brother Li, do you think this is the case? Lier?"

Li Shanchang suddenly became enlightened when he heard it!

He immediately understood what was wrong... After all, Li Shanchang was born as a petty official. He was very capable of doing things, but he didn't notice the change in status.

He still likes to do things by himself, whenever he encounters difficulties, he finds a way to solve them by himself... This habit is good, for example, supplying military supplies, he can do it better than anyone else.

But sometimes, this habit also dragged him down.

Zhang Ximeng was right. With so many cases, let the people below decide first, let them clarify the points of conflict and where the contradictions lie, and then the prime minister can set the tone and decide whether to alarm Zhu Yuanzhang.

Now that all the messy things have been pushed into his hands, how can he solve them?

Isn't this going to exhaust our old Li?

"Zhang Xiang, you have been of great help... I know what to do now!" Li Shanchang immediately had an idea.

Zhang Ximeng has cooperated with many people, but when it comes to who to join forces with, the most powerful, it is estimated that Li Shanchang will be ranked ahead of Zhu Yuanzhang.

After some conversation, old Li Mao suddenly understood, and he hastily issued reprimand orders to Ying Tianfu, as well as Shangyuan and Jiangning counties.

Li Shanchang directly scolded them for shifting the blame and shirking responsibility, which led to the chaos of the world under the rule, treacherous people, rampant lawlessness, and good people, who were bullied.As a parent and officer, he was helpless and sat in a city of sorrow.Faint and incompetent, the sky is angry and the people complain!

He should have been severely punished according to the law and dismissed from all official positions. For the first offender, three months of salary should be cut off first, and he should be ordered to perform crimes and make meritorious service.

After Li Shanchang reprimanded the magistrate, he even called the Sixth Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and scolded him again. What does the Ministry of Punishment do?What does the Metropolitan Procuratorate do?

Your shoulders, besides being able to carry a head to eat, can't you carry things?

What's the use of raising you?

With so many things, you don’t put your heart and soul into doing them, but just watch the fun, why don’t you peel your skins and hang them in the Town God’s Temple, so that you can watch the excitement for 100 years?

Good guy, Li Shanchang has completely changed his face. He no longer protects the big guys. Suddenly, everyone feels like a concubine. , Be a melon-eating crowd.

Who would have expected that the two of them are holding hands, don't say anything, just deal with it quickly, or your life will be lost!

Chapter 254 Zhang Li is in the same heart, its profit breaks gold

After chatting with Li Shanchang, Zhang Ximeng went back to his bare mansion to sleep. It was not until the next morning that he staggered up, ate something, and went to Wu Guogong's mansion.

Zhu Biao is already one and a half years old, the little thing is running around staggeringly, with a string of crystal saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth, he is not afraid when he sees someone coming, he just rushes over and stretches out his hands to grab Zhang Ximeng's robe . .

Zhang Ximeng stretched out his hand, put his armpit, and hugged the little guy. Zhu Biao chuckled, his little eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and his long eyelashes flickered, very cute.Zhang Ximeng carried him around twice before handing it over to others.

Then he stepped into the hall, where Ma Shi was waiting.

"I'm sorry to trouble Mr. Zhang to come back."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Ma'am, you are too polite. This kind of thing is my duty. At this time, it is most appropriate to prevent it from happening. Speaking of it, I have to thank Madam for discovering it early."

Joy appeared on Mrs. Ma's face, and then he sighed: "I didn't think about it that much, but this matter is too bullying. It's so difficult to do something!"

Mrs. Ma said again: "Mr. Zhang, have you negotiated with Mr. Li? Is he willing to make a move?"

Zhang Ximeng hurriedly said: "Ma'am, I really don't blame Li Xiang for this matter, he is also in a dilemma, but luckily he has already made up his mind, Madam can just watch!"

Then Ma nodded, "I don't care about that anymore, as long as my weaving workshop opens as scheduled, I won't say anything, otherwise, I won't agree!"

Zhang Ximeng promised again and again that the deal was finally settled, and the rest was up to Li Shanchang.

After reprimanding the six Metropolitan Procuratorates, Li Shanchang called Li Xi, who was solely in charge of the Criminal Department, to have an in-depth exchange.

"Li Shangshu is a Confucian scholar in the south of the Yangtze River. He is quite prestigious. He is a disciple of his disciples. There are many places... I can't compare with this."