The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Yan Chengjin felt strange. His Majesty has always advocated the reduction of palace officials, so why would he be willing to add new personnel and take the initiative to select them.

"What happened in the palace?"

The civil servant shook his head and said, "I don't know."

He is only a nine ministers now, and he is still far from entering the power center of the Ming Dynasty.

If His Majesty has important matters, he may not consult him.

The only people who can handle important matters on behalf of His Majesty are the cabinet and the six ministries.

Yan Chengjin stood up from the official hat chair, put on his hat and went to Fengtian Hall. If there were important matters in the court, His Majesty would definitely discuss them in Fengtian Hall at this time.

"Your Majesty, Lord Yan wants to see you."

Emperor Hongzhi raised his eyebrows slightly: "I just ordered someone to send the pre-selected censors to the Censorate, and he came. He is smart."

The cabinet and the six ministers looked worried.

His Majesty summoned them to discuss the matter, but until now, there is no solution.

Li Dongyang said: "This matter is also related to the Censorate, so why not let him discuss it together."

Soon, Yan Chengjin walked into the hall.

I saw that the ministers of the cabinet and the six ministries stood on both sides, and there were books piled up like a tomb on the side, thrown on the ground. Obviously, His Majesty had read them all.

Where did so many memorials come back? Yan Chengjin guessed correctly that His Majesty did not pre-select the censors for no reason.

"Why did Your Majesty personally select the censors for the Censorate?"

Emperor Hongzhi said: "Do you remember that four months ago, I asked you to thoroughly investigate more than 1,200 officials in Shu?"

"Your Majesty, could it be that these are the memorials sent back by Fang Xue?"

Yan Chengjin looked puzzled, wondering why Fang Xue did not send them back to the Censorate.

But soon, he guessed something from the faces of Li Dongyang and others.

Fang Xue must have been afraid of implicating him, so he sent all the memorials to the cabinet.

Yan Chengjin secretly gave Fang Xue extra points, making him the second most reliable person besides Wang Shouren.

"Your Majesty, Shu?"

Emperor Hongzhi threw another memorial to the ground without raising his eyelids: "According to the memorial sent back by Fang Xue, there are more than 700 corrupt officials, and only more than 500 clean officials."

Although it was only half, such a number was enough to shock Yan Chengjin. Could it be that Shu...

Opened a training class for corrupt officials?

But since the founding of the dynasty, only Zhu Yuanzhang had slaughtered corrupt officials.

In the 27th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a law in the Great Edict that any official who was corrupt and harmed the people would never be pardoned.

The number of officials who were tortured to death, beheaded, and executed by the public reached 10,000.

Yan Chengjin was puzzled: "Your Majesty, did Fang Xue say in his memorial why there were so many corrupt officials?"

With Fang Xue's work style, he would not fail to report even this.

"It's a landslide. Landslides often happen in Shu. In addition, after the landslides, there were continuous heavy rains, mountain collapses, rolling stones and mudslides blocking the roads.

First, it hindered merchants from doing business. Second, it made it difficult for the people to farm, but the taxes remained unchanged. Corrupt officials who oppressed the people came from this." Li Dongyang's face was full of sorrow.

The wrath of heaven cannot be defied.

Landslides often happen in Shu. The mountains are high and dangerous, and the degree of poverty is far beyond imagination.

Taxes must be paid to the court on time, and officials can only exploit the people.

Emperor Hongzhi took a deep breath, his brows hidden with melancholy. I have worked hard for many years, and encountered such a situation. I don't know how to govern the world.

Although the Ming Dynasty is thriving now, what should I do next? He doesn't know.

The longer I am an emperor, the more I feel that being a wise king requires talent, not diligence.

"Mr. Yan, I see that you are hesitant to speak, but what can I do?"

Your Majesty, I am thinking about how to return to Beijing.

Fang Xue should still be alive after writing so many reports of exposure, right?

Yan Chengjin raised his head slightly, and he had some insights, but he didn't know if speaking them out would steal the limelight from the other officials?

"Yan Chengjin, His Majesty is asking you a question!" Li Dongyang lowered his head and reminded him in a low voice.

The ministers collectively looked at him. This was a natural disaster that could not be resisted by human power.

There were millions of people in Shu. If they were all moved out, where could they be resettled?

Anyway, they had no other choice.

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly: "I think it would be better to exempt Shu from taxes for 20 years and allocate another 50,000 taels of silver."

Emperor Hongzhi looked stunned.

Liu Jian and the others froze in place. Isn't this the court feeding a group of people for nothing?

There were still tens of thousands of people, and exempting taxes for 20 years would be at least 8 million taels of silver.

Han Wen was anxious: "How much silver is exempted from tax for twenty years? Do you know? Eight million taels! It is eight million taels of silver!"

"Exempting taxes for twenty years will allow the people of Shu to dig mountain roads and official roads.

I think that if we want peace, we must first build roads.

Shu is a prosperous place in the southwest. With trade, the taxes of the people will be reduced."

Emperor Hongzhi looked thoughtful.

Liu Jian asked: "If Yunguihe also begs for help, how will you deal with it?"

"Exempt taxes for twenty years as well." Yan Chengjin said calmly.

"Where does so much silver come from?!"

If the taxation of many places is cancelled for twenty years, the treasury will be emptied by half. Silver is the foundation for maintaining various departments. Ministers naturally do not want this to happen.

Yan Chengjin thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty forgot that there is a silver mine in the island country, with plenty of silver."

Emperor Hongzhi was like a lost person who suddenly saw the light and showed some relief on his face.

Yes, I don't have silver, I can get it from the island country.

"Why haven't Wang Shouren and Gao Feng returned to Beijing yet?"

"It's just Satsuma. I guess it will be soon." Yan Chengjin said.

No matter how strong Satsuma is, it is just a small island country, slightly stronger than the bandits of the Ming Dynasty.

The next thing to wait for is whether His Majesty can make up his mind to exempt taxes for 20 years.

It will not be done overnight to build the mountain roads in Shu.

It requires many people to participate in it. Building roads is a cruel policy. It is extremely difficult to keep them from running away.

Only by making them want to build from the bottom of their hearts can they be retained.

Many people must be happy to be exempted from taxes by building roads.

Emperor Hongzhi pondered for a long time: "The cabinet will stay, and the rest of the people, all retreat."

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly and walked out of the hall.

Outside the hall door, Han Wen came up and looked at him angrily: "It's a good idea, it would be better if it doesn't cost money."

"This move will make your majesty and Lord Han famous for generations."

Han Wen didn't believe it, and hurried back to the duty room to settle the accounts. Eight million taels of silver might not be able to come down.

...

Kunning Palace,

Zhu Houzhao squatted on the ground, and Zhu Xiuyun wanted to crawl forward, but was grabbed by the calf and dragged back.

Empress Zhang showed a look of anger on her brow: "Don't make trouble."

"Sister, Yanling is pitiful in the island country. He has to wash clothes and cook every day. I don't know what it feels like to have enough food and clothing..." Zhang Heling knelt on the ground and cried.

Empress Zhang had tears in her eyes. Although she was not a good person, she was still her brother.

Zhu Houzhao said with a smile: "Does Shouning Hou want my father to send troops to the island country as soon as possible to dig silver?"

"Don't... don't talk nonsense, uncle is worried about my brother."

...

Beijing.

A carriage with a black and brown sedan chair drove into Qipan Street. There were seven or eight people in the carriage. They were long-term workers who came to Beijing from all over to make a living.

Gao Feng was squeezed so hard that he peed: "Master Wang, should we go to the palace first, or see Lord Yan first?"

Wang Shouren looked out the window calmly and saw a tattered sedan chair heading west of the city.

"I saw Brother Gao's sedan chair."