Rule over Ming Dynasty

Huizhou Prefecture is a very important administrative seat in southern Zhili. It has jurisdiction over six counties: Shexian, Yixian, Xiuning, Qimen, Jixi, and Wuyuan. Shexian is the administrative seat.

Fang Bosong didn't delay at all on the way, and took a carriage back to Huizhou City under the stars and the moon.

I had just entered the government office's signature room and drank half a pot of tea before preparing to implement the imperial court's ban on banking and decided to seal all banks and shops in Huizhou City.

Among the fourteen prefectures in South Zhili and the four Zhili prefectures, Huizhou Prefecture is actually the most difficult to deal with because there is a large group of businessmen here - Huizhou merchants.

Although Huizhou Prefecture is located in the south of the Yangtze River, most of the area is mountainous. The local food is supplemented by rice from outside. As a result, many ordinary people can only venture out to do business to make a living.

The imperial court still insists on opening up the Central Law, so a large part of the salt profit belongs to Shanxi merchants, while Huizhou merchants do not have the support of important ministers such as Hu Zongxian, Hu Song, and Xu Guo, so the scale and influence of Huizhou merchants are not among the top.

However, businessmen value profits, and Huizhou merchants are no exception. Faced with the imperial court's ban on silver, they also joined forces to defy the imperial court's ban on silver. Some shops even only supported silver transactions.

Fang Bosong is well aware that he is facing a hellish level of difficulty, but he has made up his mind to give it a try and must keep his hard-won black hat.

"Sir, our Huizhou Prefecture is different from other areas. Doing this will really offend many people!" Master Hu reminded him very seriously when he learned about Fang Bosong's decision, which he had just returned.

Fang Bosong now felt unexplainably uncomfortable without his black gauze hat on his head, and a flash of hatred flashed in his eyes: "Offend someone? I'm going to lose my black gauze hat, who are I afraid of offending? Immediately list those companies in the city that only support silver trading. , I will start with these families today!”

The list is already in place. After all, the ban on silver was a government decree last year, but there have been various problems in implementing it.

"The first one belongs to your cousin!"

"It doesn't matter if he is my father!"

"The uncle of the second shopkeeper is a doctor from the Ministry of War!"

"His clan uncle is the Minister of War, but he can't stop me!"

"The third store is a store opened by your friend who was the same year as you!"

"How can a friend of the same age want to cause me to lose my official position? It's nothing!"

……

Fang Bosong no longer recognizes his relatives. The official relationship that he valued so much in the past no longer cares about it at all. Now he just wants to run this imperial mission well.

Whoever stops him from keeping his black hat will be the person he hates the most in his life.

There are hundreds of people in the Huizhou Prefecture's government offices, but the composition of these government officials is very complicated.

Fang Bosong is an official who knows how to manage, and he solemnly promised: "If I become the governor, I will not treat you badly, and everyone will be rewarded! It's just that there are ugly words ahead. If anyone dares to ruin my good deeds, Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"I will obey the government's order!" The yamen present had already sensed Fang Bosong's strong will to implement the silver ban, and they responded politely.

At dusk, the sunset glow of Huizhou City just filled the bluestone streets.

Fang Bosong, the prefect of Huizhou, dressed in official uniform and with a stern face, led a team of government officials through the darkening alley and headed straight to the most famous restaurant in the city, Zuixianju.

Li Shen is a wealthy businessman in Huizhou City, and he is also a well-known local squire. Zuixianju is even more famous, with an endless stream of merchants coming and going.

Although the silver ban had been issued long ago, Zui Xianju not only turned a blind eye, but also refused Hongzhi's silver dollar transaction, becoming a die-hard member of the entire Huizhou government who violated the silver ban.

It's no wonder that Li Shen has accumulated a lot of money in business for generations. Once the silver ban is successfully implemented, he will be the person who will suffer the most losses in the entire Huizhou Prefecture.

This is why even in Huizhou City under Huizhou Fuye, they openly defied the imperial court's ban on silver.

"Search this restaurant for me!" Fang Bosong had already decided to take action on Li Shen. When he came to the four-story Zuixian Residence, he waved his hand.

Following the order, the officials rushed into the restaurant like wolves and tigers, and then drove away the guests and waiters who were dining here unreasonably.

Now is the peak time for dining. This move will undoubtedly cause Zuixianju to suffer a lot of losses.

Li Shen hurried over after hearing the news. When he saw the empty restaurant in front of him, his face suddenly turned livid: "Prefect Fang, you are such a big official. I don't know why I want to sing this. I remember that I have never offended you!"

"Except Mr. Li, the imperial court implemented a ban on silver to prevent overseas silver from plundering our Ming Dynasty wealth. However, it has been nearly a year, and you have turned a deaf ear and still go your own way. Today, this building has been sealed off by the government in accordance with the law. What can you say?" Fang Bosong said. Full of energy.

Li Shen's face suddenly darkened. Although he didn't know why the other party was suddenly so strong in enforcing the silver ban, he said with a hint of threat: "Do you have to do this? You should know that there is no one in Huizhou Mansion today. I am willing to carry out this order!”

"The emperor's southern tour, this order is imperative! If you dare to disobey the emperor's order and have no authority over the emperor, I will severely punish you!" Fang Bosong thought of the scene of meeting the emperor, but he did not flinch at all.

The opponent relies on the power of the local officials and gentry group, but now that he is not only the prefect of Huizhou, but also the Emperor of Heaven is standing behind him, is there any reason to give in anymore?

Li Shen saw that Fang Bosong had become determined after taking the thallium scale. He rolled his eyes and suddenly smiled confidently: "Prefect Fang, don't you remember that when you first took office, you took something from me?"

"This mansion will return everything intact. Immediately seal this mansion. Anyone who dares to disobey will be investigated according to law!" Fang Bosong's face suddenly darkened and he waved his hand.

The smile on Li Shen's face froze, and a malicious look flashed in his eyes. He never expected that Fang Bosong would really want to implement the silver ban.

In the next few days, the entire Huizhou City was filled with Fang Bosong's presence.

As long as they find a shop that dares to circulate silver, they will lead the government officials to seal it directly. The sealed shop will not be allowed to reopen until it has been rectified.

At Master Hu's suggestion, the Huizhou government specifically collected the deposit. Once a reopened store dares to settle in silver, it will not only be re-sealed, but the deposit will also be confiscated.

Thanks to Fang Bosong's execution, Huizhou City's ban on silver has achieved good results.

It's just that in addition to She County, Huizhou Prefecture also has five counties: Yixian, Xiuning, Qimen, Jixi, and Wuyuan. These five counties are also the targets of the imperial court's assessment.

"If I am dismissed, it means that the entire Huizhou Prefecture has failed to do anything. Do you six magistrates think that the officials will not be held accountable? The emperor's southern tour this time is dissatisfaction with our entire Jiangnan execution ability. As ministers, we are serious about asking Are you furious, Mr. Lei Lei? Listen to me once, let's do this job for the emperor and win the emperor's admiration for our Huizhou Mansion! If I become the governor of Fengyang, I will never treat you badly!" Fang Bosong is a wise man. Eloquent officials brainwashed six magistrates.

The six magistrates are all smart people and know that things are just as Fang Bosong said.

Once Fang Bosong is removed from office, it will be a political stain on the entire Huizhou Prefecture, and their lives will definitely be difficult. Even if he is not dismissed, his future is ruined.

After weighing the pros and cons, various magistrates and counties also joined the sealing process. It's just that they know that their abilities are limited. If they encounter a thorn that they dare not provoke, they will directly hand it over to Fang Bosong, who has a harder head.

Over a hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, some big families have been born in various places. These families owned a large amount of kiln silver and were destined to be the obstructionists of the silver ban. They relied on their special status to ignore local officials.

In Xiuning City, the magistrate and government officials here were beaten, and the people who beat them were the Cheng family.

Cheng Minzheng was burdened by his son Cheng Si, and now he resigned from office to retire in Xiuning City, but his younger brother Cheng Minde is now a magistrate in Xinzhou. The entire Cheng family is simply the king of Xiuning Mansion. Now the magistrate of Xiuning wanted to close down the Cheng family's silk shop, tea shop and coffin shop under their name, so naturally they were attacked by the Cheng family members and their servants.

This kind of thing might not have happened in other dynasties, but in this period when civility was valued over military affairs, a county magistrate with a humble background was not worth mentioning at all.

After hearing the news, Fang Bosong came over lightly dressed in simple clothes, wearing a crimson official uniform, the corners of his clothes flying with his rapid pace.

He led a small number of government officials and rushed to the silk shop run by the Cheng family. He drove away the customers and waiters in the shop and sealed the shop.

The Cheng family silk shop was located in the busiest market in Xiuning City, and it quickly became the center of the battle.

The current head of the Cheng family, Cheng Minxing, is a burly, middle-aged man with a sinister face. When he heard the news, he rushed over with a sneer of disdain on his face.

Behind him were a group of servants dressed in black, holding sticks, and a guard with knives, all ready to fight.

"You, the Cheng family, are really powerful. You dare to draw a sword against me. If you have the guts, you will swipe it on my neck!" Fang Bosong was short in stature, but his eyes showed a ruthless light.

"Fang Bosong, you bitch!" Cheng Minxing didn't want to go that far, so he shouted insults, "Why do you seal up my shop? Do you really think that my Cheng family has declined?"

"Stop pretending to be stupid here! Today's ban on silver is a decree of the imperial court. Anyone who dares to stop it is going against the Ming Dynasty. Even if your Cheng family is in power, you can't be so ignorant of the decree!" Fang Bosong also pointed at the other party's nose and cursed. .

Cheng Minxing had a fiery temper, so he waved his hand: "If you want to toast me, I'll drink a fine wine! Since someone disrespects my Cheng family, I have to let him know that my Cheng family is not someone to be trifled with either. I'll do it!"

A fierce fight broke out in front of the silk store. The government servants and the servants fought together, fighting with sticks and fists.

Originally, Fang Bosong's yamen were at a disadvantage, but everyone who could follow Fang Bosong was an elite figure. Not only was the situation not suppressed by the evil slaves of the Cheng family, but it actually forced the opponent to retreat step by step.

Many pedestrians on the street stopped to watch this thrilling battle.

They stood around talking and pointing. Some sympathized with the Cheng family's experience, while others supported the prefect Fang Bosong's move to ban the bank.

"Are you rebelling? If you dare to attack me, let me see if your Cheng family can cover the sky with one hand!"

In this fight, Fang Bosong not only did not escape, but personally rushed into the battle group wielding an iron ruler to fight with the Cheng family's servants.

His eyes were red and his face was ferocious, as if he wanted to pour all his anger and madness into this fight.

This time, he had no way out. For the sake of his black hat, even if he, the prefect, died here, he would drag the entire Cheng family to be buried with him.

"Is Fang Bosong crazy?"

"Master, we can't really hurt Fang Bosong!"

"Crazy, crazy, this stone statue is really desperate!"

……

Although Cheng's side has always been very arrogant, even the magistrate of Xiuning County is willing to fight whenever he wants, but when he encountered this desperate Fang Bosong, he began to feel scared.

Although they are a powerful local clan, the Emperor is now in Nanzhili. Once Fang Bosong is killed, the entire Cheng clan will be wiped out.

"Stop, we are unlucky this time!" Cheng Minxing saw Fang Bosong who was desperate for his life, and finally chose to bow to Fang Bosong.

Fang Songnian touched his forehead, but he didn't know when he received a sap. When he saw the blood on his palm, he didn't take it seriously at all: "Seal down all the shops under Cheng's name. If they refuse to rectify it, they will not be allowed to operate!"

In the end, the entire property under Cheng's name was sealed, rectification was carried out within a time limit, and ten times the deposit was required.

"That's crazy. Is this still the ashlar statue we know?"

"Didn't you see that the black gauze hat on his head is gone? He is risking his life just for his official position!"

"No matter what his purpose is, the fact that he can do this is worthy of our admiration!"

……

After experiencing this incident, many people began to know the prefect again, who had always been secretly called the "square stone statue". This prefect was once recognized by everyone as a decoration prefect.

But just as Fang Songnian took control of the situation in Huizhou Prefecture, something happened to him personally.

When he first took office, faced with the generous filial piety money sent by the squire, he finally couldn't resist the naked temptation, but accepted it all.

The reason why Fang Bosong passively implemented the silver ban earlier was largely because he felt guilty for accepting the filial silver from these squires. After all, it was a full ten thousand taels.

Although he was very powerful this time, he was destined to suffer a crazy counterattack if he targeted the local government and gentry groups.

As early as when Fang Bosong was running around in various counties, he had already been sued to the emperor by the Kedao Yanguan for collecting huge amounts of filial piety silver at the beginning of his taking office.

The emperor soon sent someone over, and it was Ma Feng, one of the thirteen commanders of the Beijing camp.

Ma Feng is a tall eunuch with slightly raised eyebrows and slightly swollen eyes with single eyelids. He looks a bit like a character from an anime.

"I respectfully welcome the envoy!" Fang Bosong said bitterly as he already knew that someone had reported to the emperor that he had received a large amount of filial piety silver.

He knew it was a dilemma this time. After all, neither party could afford to offend him.

But even though things had reached this point, he still had no regrets. Even if he is dismissed from his official position this time, it is better than being eliminated from the lowest position and being dismissed. At least he can repay the kindness of the king.

If there was anything he regretted the most, it was his failure to deal with these evil gentry more severely, but he did not know that after he left office, the new prefect would be able to implement the silver ban.

Ma Feng was condescending, but said with an evil look: "Your Majesty asked me to ask you, and you must answer truthfully!"

"I will never deceive you!" Fang Bosong expressed his stance.

Ma Feng's voice was slightly high-pitched, but he tried to maintain his masculine tone when he asked: "Li Shen and other squires from Huizhou Prefecture gave you a total of 2,500 taels of silver when you took office. Is this true?"

There is no airtight wall in the world. When they learned that the emperor had sent eunuchs to Huizhou Mansion to question him, the local gentry such as Li Shen and Cheng Dexing who had gathered together had already begun to hold a banquet to celebrate. (End of chapter)