Comeback (Two)

The sudden rain stopped, and the smoke was vast by the shore of Xuanwu Lake. The rivers and the white water flowed.

The business of taxi carriages on the shore suddenly improved, and four-wheeled carriages could be seen running on the streets everywhere. With the jingling rings of the car, mud and water splashed. The pedestrians who had no time to hide were affected. The newly washed clothes seemed to be covered in water, and they were dirty from the beginning to the feet.

"You are looking for death, you"! Before the pedestrian was angry, the master rushed forward and cursed him first. This is called ignorance and you have to stand three points first. It is better to start first. When the pedestrian recovered and cursed back and forth, the car had already run away and could not catch up.

The masters who drove the car in the capital were all famous, from all over the world, from national affairs to market rumors, and knew everything, and pointed out the country and rated the people, and were assuming the spirit of the emperor. When I first came to the capital, I really thought that the master who drove the car was the unpowered Wolong, and Jiang Shang who sorted out the fishing rod.

If you meet someone who rides a car, you are a person who likes to chat, and you will never be lonely along the way. The job of catching a car in Beijing is to look at the six directions and listen to all directions. While avoiding passing vehicles and pedestrians, you are distracted and bragging with the passengers (Nanjing dialect, specifically refers to chatting, without derogatory meaning).

Whenever, the hottest topics are always personnel changes in the court. Which official was promoted? The official was slapped by the emperor because of a concubine blowing the wind beside the pillow. The top girl from Yanyulou went to the bed of the pavilion and exchanged a good job for the nephew of the seventh aunt's nephew's cousin's nephew. Regardless of whether the rumors are reasonable, they can always analyze them in a similar way.

Recently, the dynasty personnel changes have been drastically, and it has indeed provided a lot of topics for the masters who are driving the car. Ten days ago, Wang Ben, Zuoyou, Xi Chen, Du, and the four great ministers retired because they were too old. Fei Zhen, the Minister of Revenue, who was older than them, made up for the lack of Grand Secretary, and no longer served as the Ministry of Revenue, and he was full-time to share the worries of the emperor. Fei Zhen entered the pavilion, but still received the salary of the first-rank minister, and the salary of the Grand Secretary was originally the fourth-rank. The other newly added Grand Secretary Shao Zhi and Wu Bozong also ranged from the third-rank to the second-rank, higher than the fourth-rank. This move invisibly promoted the position of the fourth-rank Grand Secretary of the Palace to several levels, becoming more and more powerful.

Guo Heng, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was promoted to the Minister of Revenue. This new minister is very famous. Tanhua in the early years of Hongwu, was the largest talented man in Liangjiang. He made a good example and made a good plan. He served in the Ministry of Revenue for several years and was ordered to inspect local money and grain many times. Every time he returned, he could submit a memorial that hit the mark, which was very popular with the emperor. Guo Heng was a man and knew how to please him, and he had a very good reputation among the officials in the capital. However, according to the coachman's words, the reputation of this person must be half-dealed. Occasionally, if anyone traveled far away, he brought back many bad rumors. Many jokes among the people were not named to target this talented man.

In addition to the strange stories about these grand scholars and monks, the coachmen liked to analyze the news that the two princes-in-laws went on a tour together. In view of the poor harvest last year, the imperial court issued an order to exempt the taxes and grains of Jinnei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, and Li Qi, the prince-in-law of Ping Liao, and Wu'anguo, were ordered to inspect the disaster areas, provide relief to the people, and punish officials who were unfavorable to work. It is said that he gave Shang Fang's sword, and then took action. Li Qi was easy to speak. The famous gentleman, Wu'anguo, was a devil who killed people without blinking. He raised the eight hundred towns and braved the king and took out ten thousand iron cavalry. He captured the enemy commander Nairman with one hand in his hand, and ten thousand soldiers to support the king and suppressed Hu Weiyong's rebellion. The child did not dare to cry at night when he heard his name.

"This time, the officials from south to north must be careful. I heard that the prince-consort of Wu said that even the emperor dared to take the sword. He held the Shangfang sword in his hand, and that would have killed one all the way, and he saw a corrupt person destroying the other one." He heard that the master was busy chatting, and the passengers in the car were buzzing. The passengers in the car were buzzing. At first glance, this passenger was a northerner, with one big one being the other two. Under the two sword eyebrows, a pair of big eyes like copper bells, adding a little bit of heroic spirit. But his eyes were a little dispersed, and when he looked at people, he always looked at people in the distance. This kind of look was seen by the coachman occasionally among the merchants of the foreign countries. It is said that there was no one in the Western Regions, and merchants always looked away. Over time, their eyes could not be taken back and became like this. However, merchants with such eyes were easy to make money. Because they saw fewer people, they were chatting with them. They were very happy. If they were not careful, they gave more tips than renting a car.

"That's right, the skinned county magistrate, the bone-knocking prefect, and the seventh-rank officials from Yangzhou to Tianjin were tied into a row, and they used knives to ask about corruption one by one, so they had to deal with someone like Wu Ye to clean up. They were so soft-hearted that they could not do this. What kind of famine? A distant relative of me is from Henan. He said that the disaster was not serious. In order to get money, the officials secretly sold all the disaster prevention food stored in the official warehouse, which led to starvation to death." When it comes to officials, the drivers were full of hatred. The servants and clerks all reached out to the yamen, and even at the feet of the emperor, they could not afford to pay the money in the past two years. But the government has become more and more ruthless. They are busy every day, and there are still not much left.

"It's not as bad as you said. I've walked all the way from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, and the officials of the Ming Dynasty were the most reasonable." The passenger whispered that according to his observation, the administration of the Ming Dynasty was still excellent, and the ethics of the Dashi officials were much better than those of the Mongolian Khanate.

"That's because they didn't care about shaving you. Mr. Chen, you have to be careful not to let people know how much your business is worth. The bigger you do, the more they shaved. The rules in the officialdom cannot shaved you and don't dare to come again next time, but you can't let you snatch a penny and set an example for others." The kind-hearted advice of the train, and from the conversation, he knew that the passenger was a businessman from another country, and he felt that he needed to give some reminder to the honest people.

"Thank you, master, I'll pay attention. I'll ask you something, you have to analyze it for me. I think a lot of things you said are particularly reasonable." The passenger named Chen happily accepted the coachman's kindness, responded to a flattery, and expanded a new topic by the way.

"Tell me, I'll say everything I want to know. Today, my brothers are not meant to be tempted by others."! A long whip was clear and clear, and in an instant, he looked at him with a spirit and his spirit was born.

"Didn't that Master Wu go to the north to help the King of Yan? Why is he still delaying the road? He is not in a hurry to fight in the north?"

"Why are you anxious? I listened to the students and officials of the command academy that when the army is about the same strength, who is fighting a good family? Besides, our army is better than them. Don't look at the Mongolians who attacked fiercely some time ago, except for Feng Sheng who started to seek some advantage along the way, there are no further steps forward. You can read and read, buy a copy of "Jiangnan News" and read it. There are all the situations on the battlefield. I listen to my neighbors' scholars every day. General Lan was in charge on the western front, and they destroyed the Tartars several times. The number of horses seized was in groups.

It was too much to count. The King of Yan and Mr. Tang from the Eastern Front joined forces, but they were afraid that he would be the Kings Mountain tribe, so they asked me to say that they would not need to fight, and that they could just waste the Tartars. It was true that there was a famine in front of me, but a few days ago, Marquis Mu subdued the Southwest three times, knocked a lot of food back, and was transporting back on a large boat. I saw that Marquis Wu was trying to stabilize the rear first, so that the Northern Army would not have any worries. When the Mongols were exhausted, he would pick up the ready-made cheaper ones." The chasing car combined the information he heard and came to a consensus conclusion among his peers.

"Then according to your opinion, the Mongolians still have to lose." The passenger was surprised and thought that the people in the capital were different, and they looked at things more comprehensively than others.

"It's not my opinion, it's God's intention. I have never fought the current emperor before. Now I can thorn outside the border. It's better to cut it as soon as possible. In the past two days, the customs has added five times the tax on cotton, and the price will increase as soon as possible. I'll make some wool to sell, and then buy things after making money. I'm not a good idea to make money. I'm not a Mongolian person. If I'm a Tartar, I'll be honest with herding sheep. It's nothing to do if I'm an emperor. It's better to make some money than to make some money." The master who drove the car started a war and always felt that the Mongolians would not settle accounts. They fought and died, and they couldn't get the territory. It's better to do business honestly and be safe.

The passenger surnamed Chen felt thoughtful after hearing this. After a long time of silence, he asked, "Brother, Mr. Wu has been walking for a few days. Now he crosses the river to chase him. Can you catch up?"

"You are so surprised to drive Master Wu, why are you going to the dock early in the morning? Are you having trouble with Master Wu? Are you a relative or a friend of Master Wu? How do you meet..."?

A series of questions made the passengers unable to answer. After finally stopping by the person rushing to the bus, he whispered: "We have business deals with Mr. Wu, and we have business dealings."

"Mr. Chen, I can't tell you that you are still doing the new things of the Academy of Sciences. It's not simple. Anyone who does those things is a rich man, and he has made a lot of money from it. Well, the dock has arrived. You hurry up and go to the fast sail. The one who runs the fastest in Zhouji has been walking for seven days. You have been running to Henan first. Don't forget to take care of my business if you make a fortune. Thank you for rewarding me. I'll drive forward for you. Walk slowly. Be careful on the road..."

I put a piece of silver worth half a tael in my arms with satisfaction. Today's job was worth it. Before I could get a high price, I was given a super high price. If there were such a deal every day, I could drive by myself in less than half a year. Looking at the wide back of the passenger named Chen who was waiting for a boat by the river, in addition to a hint of gratitude, I still had a little doubt in my heart. What is this person doing? Logically speaking, there is a special car for such a big deal. No, why does this person's back look like a Tartar?

It is true that the fleet transporting grain arrived in the capital within a few days. It was rumored that a large number of ships were scattered into the river and rushed directly to Shandong. The grain came from Guangdong and Guangxi, part of which was collected by Xu Huizu, and the other part was seized by Mu Ying by force.

Let’s talk about the Xiping Marquis Mu Ying pacified Yunnan, Meng Yang, Man Mo, and all the land kings in Geli surrendered, accepted the title of the court, and Wu Sizang gave tribute. Taking advantage of the pacification of Yunnan, Mu Ying led his troops south to ask Myanmar, Siam assisted King Liang, and Annan condone the crime of bandits' invasion of Siming. He divided his troops from the Yuanjiang River to Shenglong (Hanoi), and left Mengyin through eight hundred countries (now Chiang Mai, Thailand). He led by Mu Ying to take Mai and Dongwu, and went straight to Baigu (Bogu, Myanmar). How did the three small countries resist Mu Ying's tiger and wolf army, and lost their city and land?

He was not allowed to send an envoy to apologize. At that time, the Pingnan Army was also suffering from miasma. Mu Ying did not do much for himself. He asked for peace and reconciliation. He tributed 400,000 stones of rice in each of the three countries, and delivered it in seven years. The first batch was 100,000 stones and sent to Siming Prefecture within one month. Otherwise, the country would be destroyed and the sacrifices would be cut off. Thinking about the small countries such as Annan and Siam, how much rice would be produced in a year, and so much would be paid at once, and the treasury would be wiped out, and the people would have no spare grain. Some people might advise Mu Ying to raise his hands to accumulate merits. Mu Ying said seriously: "If our Chinese people are not hungry, what if Ying goes to hell?"

After a while, the rice and rice were handed over. When Wu'anguo was on a tour, Mu Ying wanted to achieve his fame and sent his favorite general Gaoleshan to escort the rice straight to Huai'an Prefecture by borrowing the Guangdong Navy ships, and transported it to Shandong, Henan and other places by water. Xu Huizu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also collected more than 100,000 shi of rice to transport it north, causing the grain, and the disaster in Jiangbei was less resolved.

Wu'anguo didn't know that someone was chasing him behind him. He followed Zhu Yuanzhang's orders and the prince-in-law Li Qi's northern tour. The disaster situation in Henan and other places was shocking. It was almost late summer, and the cotton on the roadside had begun to be put on peaches. In another one, two months could be spitting out feathers. On the small roads in the fields, some thugs hired by wealthy families patrolled their fields day and night. According to local officials, since the summer, armed fights have occurred from time to time. Cotton fields destroyed by angry hungry people can be seen everywhere along the way, revealing pieces of burnt wasteland.

In the face of disaster, the reaction of local officials reflected the advantages and disadvantages of their governance capabilities. A few places were basically not affected by the poor harvest. The government and local gentry joined hands to buy food from Huguang and other places to stabilize the price of grain. Poor families could also go to the porridge factory to get a bowl of porridge every morning, so that they would not starve to death. Most officials took into account the face of their jurisdiction and tried their best to ensure the supply of food in the city. As for remote villages, they could only let the people flee to famine and beg for food. Some smart officials came up with a "good recipe" that would not affect their career. With a big stroke, they erected several plaques on the main traffic road, saying, "Those who fled to famine and beg for food are scoundrels and unruly people, and the whole family would be punished." A few wooden cages were placed under the plaque, and a few disobedient people were shackles, and the place where they were governed seemed the most peaceful.

Wu Anguo didn't like sitting in a sedan chair, so Li Qi had to accompany him to ride a horse. The two of them ran together on the road. The imperial envoy's ceremonial guards were often thrown away a hundred miles, and the officials who came to greet him often lost their fortunes after hearing the news. In just a few days, rumors that the imperial envoy liked to visit privately was spread in the local officialdom, which made the officials who had done bad things scared. The two princesses were one who was tough on their backs and the other was bold and reckless. I don't know who was more ruthless. I dealt with several particularly extraordinary officials along the way. Before Nanyang, their reputation had been spread to Kaifeng. The official family was used to Zhu Dan's door to show his wealth. When they heard that the two were about to come, they quietly painted the door black.

"Brother, you have a good overall view, but you are too kind-hearted and don't know how to abandon your son." Li Qi gently put down a black piece and ate all the small piece of white chess that Wu Anguo had struggled for a long time, and said earnestly.

Seeing that this game was a big loss, Wu Anguo shook his head and smiled bitterly. Along the way, the two brothers finished their business and lost every game. Originally, the two of them had not been so far apart in chess skills, but Wu Anguo had already been thinking about it to Beiping and was simply absent-minded. After more than half a month, he has been to Luoyang. He has been slow to inspect and it will be winter to arrive in Beijing. He is determined to leave Li Qi alone to provide relief to the victims. Before leaving Beijing, Zhu Yuanzhang told him in person not to go to Beijing too quickly and leave some time for Guo Pu to handle the crisis by himself. "Guo Pu is a rare capable official. I think he can't help him in this small matter. You are a civil servant this time, so you can walk slowly. By the way, you can understand the people's sentiments for me. When you arrive in Peking, the chaos at the beginning will probably pass, and the people behind you should also show your head. Then you can deal with them for me."

The face-to-face teaching of advice before leaving is a necessary procedure for the imperial envoy. The emperor always clarifies the purpose of the inspection on behalf of the emperor, so as not to miss the ministers' affairs. However, the face-to-face teaching of advice in Wu'anguo was particularly long, and it lasted from the afternoon until midnight.

"This trip is of great importance. I always feel that according to the principle, the famine will not be so serious. I encountered many famines among the people back then, but I have never been so strange. This matter is very strange. You go down and check it out for me."

"Xu Huizu has collected a batch of grain, and the merchants in Huguang will transport some of the grain by themselves. This year, the people can almost survive. Unfortunately, it is too late to replant anything at this time. I have offered a reward to let your doctors in the Academy of Sciences see if they can make some seeds that can be planted late, so as to prevent another famine from happening next time."

"Ling Kun is watching the affairs of the Academy of Sciences first. The ministers are still proficient in calculations now. Only you can bear this responsibility. If you continue to see local officials who are corrupt and abused by the law, you will kill them directly. No matter how big or small the official position, I will give you the power to take action first and then report."

"..." Since I have used it, Lao Zhu must exert his abilities to the extreme.

Therefore, although Wu Anguo was so anxious that he had to really enjoy the feeling of being a clean official on the surface. During the day, he arrived in Luoyang and summoned local officials, took down the corrupt Yanshi County official Li Xuanliu on the spot, and took the local officials to the capital to question. Seeing the local officials' faces all look like earth, Wu Anguo felt very reluctant. The salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were extremely low. In that era, he advocated high salaries to maintain integrity and paid a lot of basic salary from Ming Dynasty officials. There is a saying that the corruption of the Ming Dynasty's administration was entirely caused by the unbalanced efforts and harvests of officials. Today, looking at the trembling appearance of these local officials, Wu Anguo couldn't help but feel a little compassion. However, the prince-in-law Li Qi refused to give in and spoke harshly with Shangfang's sword. Either the officials gathered the money for reselling grain, or they pursued it to the end.

"It's not that I'm reluctant to leave, I think it's not easy for these officials. The salary is really hard every year, and not everyone can do business like me. Anyway, the food is gone, so we use the food given by Mu Ying to make up for it. If we really want to kill it, I'm afraid that there are not many more than 100 officials in Henan who will not lose their heads." Although Wu Anguo hated these corrupt officials to ruin the country, he believed that they would not die. According to the criminal law of the Ming Dynasty, those sent to the capital may be the result of skinning. Moreover, when he left home, Liu Ling told himself to make as few enemies as possible and not to use murder for the Zhu family.

"Show mercy to them, brother, why don't you scold Wang Ben in the dynasty? Today you heard the trembling sounds of these dog officials, and didn't hear the groans of the people they ruled. Henan is a fertile land, a granary in the world. What kind of greed law is needed to make the people here unable to eat? I'll be cruel today and I can hand over the money tomorrow. We'll give back the money to the people of Henan than to waste it for these officials. It's easy to say that I can't lose my head, and honestly block the holes for me. In recent years, I have inspected more places. In any places where the people live in poverty, the officials must be a bastard. They are black and evil, and I can only be darker and more unreasonable than them!" Li Qi bit his back teeth and cleaned up another piece of white pieces in Wu'anguo.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Li, who had been in a state of confusion for half his life, had such a selfless son. Wu Anguo couldn't believe whether he was in a dream. What Li Qi did on the road surprised him more than once. Thinking of Zhu Yuanzhang's words of his son-in-law Li Qi's steady attitude and that he had to study hard, he was silent. After thinking about it for a while, he slowly said: "It's just that there are so many officials in Henan, so we have to find out when, Shandong and Hebei are not yet at home, and we can't go too late to Beiping."

Li Qi looked up at Wu Anguo, and saw that his former heroic face had already climbed onto a faint wrinkle at some point. He sighed and said, "Brother, the way to be an official is not too good. You must pay attention to both kindness and power. Only with thunder means can you show your heart. Today I scare them, so that they will honestly make up for their mistakes. Then we comfort them, announce the past things to the end, and stop pursuing them, let them learn from their lessons. Only then will they be grateful to you.

, obey your orders. My father said that you are a talented person, but you lack experience in governance, so I want me to assist you well. In terms of age, I am older than you, and you should act according to my suggestions. You don’t have to worry about the affairs of Peking. Guo Pu has been an official for so many years and has a profound knowledge of Taoism. If you don’t take action, you will have no choice but to play with him. Governing by doing nothing does not mean the incompetence of being an official. Besides, your brothers, Jinghai Hou, have not been moved. The 50,000 navy masters have been dormant for two years and can still fall asleep."
Chapter completed!