The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 194

Zhang Zhou took Jiang Dezhong to Xishan.

He has already done the mining and prospecting work before, and this time he is here to confirm the mining location with Lao Jiang, and then improve the mining method, and clearly discuss the employment and dividend ratio, etc.

"The virtuous son-in-law is saying that the emperor has already rewarded you to open a coal mine in Xishan? That's a lot of money, but you're not familiar with the place, where can you open it?"

When Jiang Dezhong came with Zhang Zhou, Zhang Zhou said as if he was waiting for him to pick up money.

When he got to the place, he found out that it was barren mountains and wild mountains, which didn't seem to have anything to do with picking up money.

Zhang Zhou pointed to a depression in front of him and said, "Did you see it? There are shallow coal mines here. The quality is very good, but no one has developed them yet."

"How did you know?"

Jiang Dezhong was somewhat speechless about this son-in-law.

If there is such a good place, it's Zhang Zhou's turn?

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, should I tell you that in the next few hundred years, there were hundreds of coal mines in Xishan, large and small, and thousands of them.
"Let's open it. I'll pay the capital, but father-in-law, let's make an agreement. I will share [-]% of the profit. The coal mine is under your name, and you will be responsible for any accidents."

"But don't worry, you don't have to worry about the sale of the coal you offer. Either the court will accept it, or we will digest it yourself and calculate the dividends for you according to the coal price in the market. You have to recruit people. Now there are 100 people available. It's not enough, it's not enough..."

What Zhang Zhou meant is that I will earn the bulk of the money, you will recruit people, you will manage the business in normal times, and you will bear the risks.

I'm the boss behind the scenes, you're the CEO.

Jiang Dezhong felt uncomfortable when he heard it, he said: "Twenty percent, will it be a little less?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "Do you think everyone can open a mine? Policy is the most important thing. I will choose the location for you. In the first year of mine opening, there will be at least 8000 taels of harvest, and there will be more every year in the future. With coal, there will be smelting." Iron, there are other harvests, a lot of money. Have you lost anything?"

"That's the way it is...but since it's such a good deal, why don't you do it yourself?" Jiang Dezhong is not a fool, he knows that the preparation for mining is very troublesome and consumes a lot of energy.

He will be responsible for the business in the future.

He paid for it, but the money was basically earned by Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou shook his head: "I'm a person who wants to take the Jinshi examination. How can I have so much time to be responsible for this kind of thing? If you don't think it's suitable, I'll find someone else to do it. Isn't it just to find an agent? Yuzhi opened the mine, and Dongchang and The Jinyiwei people help to keep an eye on the danger, and Xungui dare not come to snatch it... The emperor's feet are grabbing food, who dares to play if there is no way out?"

Jiang Dezhong took a breath when he heard the words.

Tired to tired.

But the political resources hidden behind it sounded very good to him.

There is a feeling of suddenly changing from a low-level merchant to a master.

"The old man gave up his life to accompany the gentleman, isn't it just mining, do it!"

Zhang Zhou could see that old man Jiang had no intention of refusing, but was just wrangling and wanted to fight for something, but he was awakened by his words, and he was too embarrassed to argue.

[-]% profit.

Lao Jiang was not treated badly.

"My son-in-law, let's find a place to have a good drink?" The matter was settled, and Jiang Dezhong became excited.

Zhang Zhoubai glanced at him: "Business matters, I'm not in the mood to drink, wait until the first batch of coal comes out of the coal mine, and then have a drink and talk."

……

……

Court meeting.

After three days of preliminary review by the inner curtain officer of the general examination, there was a preliminary report, and Xu Qiong, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, made a summary in the early court that day.

Generally speaking, there is only one... There is no evidence.

"...So far, no examination papers involving the doubts about the questions have been found. The chief examiner asked for instructions and opened the seal today, matching the vermilion scrolls with the ink scrolls, and then checking."

After Li Dongyang was reminded by Xiao Jing, he was more cautious when reviewing the papers.

He didn't make his own claim to open Mifeng directly, or Li Dongyang was also afraid that the emperor had other plans.

Step by step, report to the court immediately after completing a step.

Zhu Youtang looked at the ministers present and said, "What's your opinion, gentlemen?"

Obviously it was Li Dongyang who asked for the order, but Zhu Youtang allowed the ministers present to discuss it, which means that I am willing to listen to your wishes.

But this kind of thing...

Is there anything else worth discussing?

Zhu Juan didn't see the problem, shouldn't he look at Mo Juan?
Liu Jian came out and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know if there is any result in the questioning of the people involved in the case?"

Zhu Youtang gestured to Xiao Jing, and Xiao Jing walked to Zhu Youtang's right hand side and said: "Tang Yin and Xu Jing are both in Beizhen Fusi, and they have not been in court or interrogated, let them make statements on their own There is no conclusion about the crime. As for Hua Chang...he insisted that it is his duty to tell the officials what he said, and it does not involve personal grievances or instigation by others."

Having said so much, to sum it up, there was no torture and no results.

Liu Jian said: "The results of the general examination have not yet been released. If we use this to open the seal, it means that we have to fill in the list and publish the list. If Tang Yin and Xu Jing are involved in it, I don't know whether they should be dismissed."

Even Liu Jian mentioned the word "dismissal".

This also made the emperor realize that there should be precedents for going down after being promoted.

Otherwise, why would Liu Jian directly say what Zhang Zhou reminded Li Dongyang of what he might do?I didn't tell Liu Jian about this matter.

"If there is a problem to investigate the problem, why should they be dismissed? If Tang Yin and Xu Jing are involved in the problem, they have nothing to do with it, and the two have not behaved improperly, so what is the reason for depriving them of the opportunity of the pilot test? "

In fact, Zhu Youtang now wants "a bowl of water to be flat".

If Zhang Zhou has no evidence, he can be exonerated.

Then Tang Yin and Xu Jing have no evidence here, so why should they be convicted, or even deprived of their chance to enter the court?

"Ministry of Rites!" Zhu Youtang asked Xu Qiong who came out to play.

Xu Qiong said: "The old minister's intention is that if there is no real evidence, it should not be widely implicated. If this precedent is set, I am afraid that it will affect the authority and fairness of the Ministry of Rites Examination, and the discussion among scholars will gradually grow after Chunwei."

Xu Qiong will not completely side with the cabinet.

He didn't mean to raise the bar on purpose. In the eyes of the Ministry of Rites and most of the courtiers, this incident was a bit of a "big fuss". Cheng Minzheng got involved in the problem twice in three months. If there is no evidence, there is still public opinion coercing the emperor to investigate. And condemnation, where does sin come from?
If the investigation is done this time, then the next time the scholars are unhappy with something, they will discuss it outside, and the court will investigate again...

This is not a good example, but a bad example.

Zhu Youtang said: "I also think that the imperial court should not convict others for their unprovoked actions. If the candidate involved in the case is indeed selected, he will keep his name first, and then decide whether he will be dismissed after the matter is clarified."

Zuodu Yushi Mingui came out and asked: "Your Majesty, Hua Chang, Tang Yin, and Xu Jing have all been sent to Beizhen Fusi, but Cheng Minzheng has not been brought to justice. Please investigate them together so that the case can be cleared." Obviously."

For traditional civil servants, Cheng Minzheng was not imprisoned, which was always a pity.

Now that everything has happened, I don't want to check Cheng Minzheng, I'm sorry for the trouble.

Zhu Youtang's expression was still displeased, and he immediately said: "The examination list has not yet been published, so the main examination will be held in Beizhen Fusi, it is inevitable that there will be doubts about being held hostage by discussions, and we will discuss it after the list is released."

It means, not to say that process Minzheng should be released completely, but now is not the time to arrest him and interrogate him.

At least wait until the test results are available.

Min Gui saw that it was not easy to ask Cheng Minzheng to ask in person, so he withdrew. There were also many ministers holding their breaths. .

……

……

The meeting ended.

Zhu Youtang was walking back to Qianqing Palace, walking very fast, Xiao Jing and Dai Yi needed to hurry up to keep up.

"...Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang went to Xishan and said he would be back in the next two days. As for Cheng Xueshi, although he was given some reminders, he did not list any words on the confession, and he seemed to be determined to protest. in the end."

"As for whether he talked with Xu Jing and Tang Yin about the possible questions in the examination, it doesn't matter. Cheng Minzheng, Tang Yin and Xu Jing didn't make any explanations about it."

"However, it has now been confirmed that Mr. Zhang did not have any private communication with Cheng Minzheng, and was not involved in any matters related to the issue..."

Xiao Jing has not been idle these days.

Walking around the Gongyuan, Beizhen Fusi, and the imperial palace, my legs were almost broken, but there was still no conclusion at all, and what I played with the emperor were all trivial matters.

Dai Yi asked: "Your Majesty, do you want Beizhen Fusi to torture Tang Yin and Xu Jing?"

Zhu Youtang said: "How do you torture something that has no basis? Is there any evidence that someone mentioned?"

Apparently the emperor also came up with a stubborn temper.

The result of the general examination has not come out, and now Cheng Minzheng is not involved in marking the papers. Even if Tang Yin and Xu Jing are involved in the examination questions, they can only rely on the item of "discussing with Cheng Minzheng in advance about the possible questions in the general examination", but It should be said that Tang Yin and Xu Jing talked about the examination questions of this meeting in advance, but there is still no evidence at all.

In this way, Tang Yin and Xu Jing were to be interrogated, and the emperor felt that it was unfair to them.

It is still a matter of leveling the bowl of water.

Dai Yi said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang has not had any public meeting with Bachelor Cheng, so everything is easy to explain, but if Xu Jing and Tang Yin have visited Bachelor Cheng, the outside discussion will not stop easily. "

Dai Yi wanted to remind the emperor that Zhang Zhou was different from the other two.

Zhang Zhouna was purely created out of nothing.

But Tang Yin and Xu Jing's visit to Cheng Minzheng is known to everyone, and they often use this as a capital to show off, and they have never denied that they have visited Cheng Minzheng.

Zhu Youtang continued to walk forward with a sullen head, and after a while he ordered: "Go to someone, bring Bingkuan back from Xishan earlier, and ask him what he means."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang is an examinee, will he..." Dai Yi hurriedly reminded him that it was wrong.

Wouldn't this provoke Zhang Zhou's criticism out of thin air?
Zhu Youtang said: "I haven't asked you to consult publicly, you can ask privately! Just ask the people in the government, who else foresees this matter earlier than him, and who can take care of the overall situation better than him?"

Dai Yi retracted his head.

He understood that the reason why the emperor did not shy away from Zhang Zhou's identity as a candidate and wanted to ask for Zhang Zhou's opinion was because Zhang Zhou had the ability to pinch and pinch him. suitable.

When the emperor was in a state of desperation, who could he ask if he didn't ask Zhang Zhou?
"Go to the Gongyuan again, and supervise Kai Mifeng throughout the whole process. If there are any results, we will report first. Before releasing the list, we will make a report, and those who fill in the list will be released in advance."

In front of the ministers, the emperor said that he did not shy away from letting Tang Yin and Xu Jing be elected, but that was just an official rhetoric, which showed that the emperor was fair and just.

But if Xu Jing and Tang Yinzhen are among them, whether to let them get their wish is another matter.

Who said that Li Dongyang must have deposed Tang Yin in history?Or the emperor ordered Li Dongyang to do this in order to quell the discussion.

(End of this chapter)