Daming: Mixed in Dangzhi County, Beiping

Chen Ying case!

In just half a month, this word became a hot word among the people of Ming Dynasty.

In tea shops and restaurants in the capital, you can see many people talking about this matter with excitement.

Although they couldn't understand what specific benefits Chen Ying, a high-ranking official in the court, would have to them after his house was confiscated.

However, they only need to know that the court has captured a large number of corrupt officials, and they will be bullied much less.

Your majesty is wise!

And in the court hall.

Those officials noticed that as Chen Ying and the censors were beheaded by those who confiscated their homes, many of the officials who were replaced were officials from the north!

"Shaozukazai, we have been fooled. His Majesty and Baogong want to promote officials from the north!"

An official from the Ministry of Personnel said to Jian Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, with a worried look on his face.

Jian Yi glanced at the official and said quietly, "Chen Ying has implicated many of our southern officials. This matter is a foregone conclusion."

"But, Shaozhongzai, those northern officials are just a bunch of idiots. How can they be qualified to be officials and officials in the Ming Dynasty's capital!"

"How are you doing?"

"Shaozukazai..."

The official was stunned.

Jian Yi said quietly: "How could Baogong and the other ministries know about this matter?"

"This……"

The official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs opened his mouth wide with a wry smile on his face.

Jian Yi ignored it and took care of the government affairs in front of him.

Starting from Emperor Taigaozu, he began to intentionally support northern officials. Now, Emperor Hong Ding has shown a clear preference for northern officials. No official in the entire court can't see it!

However, Beiping Mansion was the land of Emperor Hong Ding's Longxing, and the southern officials were not up to par, so what could he do?

Ugh!

……

"Why isn't it raining yet?"

"Yeah, it's already March and not a drop of rain has fallen!"

"Isn't this really a drought year?"

"I just went to the field and dug more than a foot deep. The soil was all dry and there was no moisture at all!"

"Hey, what should I do?"

“Let’s water the fields first!”

"You need to inform your father-in-law about this matter!"

"Let's go together!"

"it is good……"

A carriage drove out from the village on the other side of Jiangjun Mountain and headed for the capital.

And at this time.

At the Duke Dingguo's mansion.

Guo An looked at the good doctor in front of him with surprise on his face, "Doctor Han Liang, is my wife really pregnant?"

The good doctor bowed his hands slightly towards Guo An again and saluted, "Back to my father-in-law, I have already diagnosed you twice. It is unmistakable. Both ladies are pregnant!"

"it is good!"

Guo An's face was filled with joy, "Thank you so much, Dr. Han Liang!"

Then, he said to the housekeeper Guo Ang on the side: "Go and take out one hundred taels of banknotes and give them to Dr. Han Liang. It will be regarded as the money for Dr. Han Liang's consultation this time!"

"Thank you sir!"

Doctor Han Liang quickly thanked him.

"Yes, sir!"

Guo Ang responded quickly, and he didn't feel any distress about Guo An so generously giving a hundred taels of consultation fee.

He led Dr. Han Liang and walked out.

Liu Baiwei and Yue Lan were the only two people left in the room.

Seeing Liu Baiwei and Yuelan with happy faces, Guo An also breathed a sigh of relief.

"From now on, sister and Yue Lan, you two can just rest assured and raise the baby, don't worry about anything else!"

Liu Baiwei gently stroked her belly with one hand and responded slowly: "Don't worry, sir. Mother has already sent two experienced old women. Nothing will happen!"

"That's good!"

Guo An nodded slightly, "We are about to have a new baby in our family. We should tell our parents and father-in-law about this great joy!"

"It's all up to the master!"

Having successfully conceived, Liu Baiwei and Yue Lan are now accommodating everything to Guo An.

Guo An didn't worry about the rest.

After arriving at the main hall, Guo Ang had already sent Dr. Han Liang out of the house.

"Is your wife also pregnant?"

Looking at Guo Ang whose face was filled with joy, Guo An asked.

"Exactly, I have to thank you for this, sir!"

Guo Ang replied hurriedly.

Guo An was shocked. What are these words? What does it mean to thank him?

They just gave Guo Ang some medicine.

He waved his hand and lay down, "In the future, after your wife gives birth, let him be raised in the house together with the children in the house!"

Guo Ang was overjoyed again, "Thank you for your love, sir!"

"master!"

At this time, a servant walked in.

"What's the matter?"

Guo An asked.

A servant reported: "The four masters of the Guo family from the Jiangjun Mountain Experimental Field are here!"

Guo An was stunned, but he quickly said: "Please come in quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

Guo Ang also followed him out.

Soon, Guo Bingyong, Guo Zhi, Guo Changchen, and Guo Shanyuan walked in under the leadership of Guo Ang.

"I've met Duke Dingguo!"

"Brothers, there is no need to be so polite. Please take a seat!"

When the servants served the hot tea, Guo An asked, "Why did the brothers suddenly come to the house?"

Speaking of this, Guo Bingyong and the other four suddenly had serious expressions on their faces.

"Back to Ding Guogong, since the end of the year, not a single snow has fallen. Now, spring has begun, but there is still no drop of rain. The soil one foot deep in the field is dry and has no moisture at all.

There is no way to farm this year’s spring plowing..."

"So serious?"

Guo An was shocked. He was staying at home during this period and was so busy that he had no time to pay attention to things outside.

Unexpectedly, it has reached this level!

“If river water is used for irrigation, can it be farmed?”

"Of course you can!"

Guo Bingyong nodded slightly, "It's just that continuous irrigation is not a long-term solution. If there is no rain, even if the food grows, it will not grow much, let alone a good harvest!"

Guo An frowned slightly, "I wonder if you brothers have any clever ideas?"

Guo Bingyong, Guo Zhi and others couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Please don't blame me, Duke Ding. For now, we can only divert water for irrigation first!"

Guo An nodded, "Then let's irrigate it first. No matter what happens in the future, let's plant it now!"

"it is good!"

With Guo An's words, Guo Bingyong, Guo Zhi and others felt reassured.

After returning, he quickly gathered a group of tenants and laborers to divert water from the Qinhuai River to irrigate the farmland.

"Guo Ang, will there be snow in Shunde Prefecture this year?"

Guo Ang thought for a moment, then his expression changed drastically.

"Sir, I don't seem to have heard that there is snowfall in the north!"

"So, the north of Ming Dynasty is also suffering from drought?"

Guo An's face became serious.

Guo Ang nodded slightly, "Definitely!"

Guo An took a deep breath and said, "Hurry and send someone to investigate!"

"Yes, sir!"

Guo Ang responded and walked out quickly.

……

Fengtian Temple.

Zhu Gaochi also walked quickly into Fengtian Hall with two baskets of memorials.

"Father, in the past few days, every province in the Ming Dynasty has reported that there is a severe drought in the world, which is not conducive to spring plowing!"

"A severe drought?"

Zhu Di quickly opened the memorial and started reading.

The more he looked, the gloomier his face became.

"How come these mediocre officials have only begun to report now?"

Zhu Gaochi said slowly: "Let me tell my father, even if they reported the natural disaster long ago, it would not help.

Moreover, they are also waiting for the spring rain. As long as the spring rain comes, everything will be restored to the original! "

"But it's almost spring plowing, and there hasn't been a spring rain yet!"

Zhu Di said angrily.

The entire Ming Dynasty, and more than half of the provinces, are reporting that a severe drought will affect spring plowing!

But how dare we delay spring plowing?

Originally, the people of the entire Ming Dynasty did not have enough food every year, and famines would occur every one or two years.

Now, even spring plowing is directly affected, so won’t the people of the Ming Dynasty all go hungry?

Zhu Gaochi said: "Father, there are officials reporting, and many gentry and common people are begging for rain!"

"allow!"

Zhu Di responded directly, "However, you are not allowed to collect money and objects from the people for any reason!

If it affects spring plowing, these people will not have a good time this year. We cannot increase the burden on these people! "

"Yes, Father!" Zhu Gaochi responded.

When Zhu Gaochi went down, Zhu Di turned to Yishiha and asked, "What is Duke Dingguo doing?"

Yi Shiha replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I heard that the two wives of Duke Ding are pregnant!"

"Ok?"

Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, and then looked strange.

"We remember that Duke Dingguo's wife has not been pregnant for several years, and Duke Dingguo seems to think that the family has enough heirs!"

Yi Shiha: "Your Majesty, that's exactly what it is!"

Zhu Di couldn't help but asked with some doubts: "Then why are both wives and concubines suddenly pregnant now?"

Yishiha's eyes flashed with strange light, and he said with a strange expression: "Your Majesty, it seems that Duke Ding wants to add another child to the Guo family!"

"Did he suddenly wake up?"

Zhu Di chuckled lightly, "No wonder, the prince reported a few days ago that Duke Dingguo looked very tired. That's why."

Yi Shiha quickly laughed with him, but remained silent.

He is no longer qualified to comment on this kind of matter.

Zhu Di didn't pay much attention, but said directly: "Go and summon Duke Dingguo quickly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Yi Shiha secretly breathed a sigh of relief, saluted Zhu Di respectfully, and walked out quickly.

When he heard Zhu Di summoning him at Duke Ding's mansion, Guo An also followed the officials and hurried to Fengtian Hall.

"I am here to see you, Your Majesty!"

"no!"

Zhu Di waved his hand directly and asked: "Guo Qing, have you heard that this year there is a drought near the capital, as well as in Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and even Peking, which has already affected spring plowing!"

Guo An sighed slightly, "Report to your majesty, I have also heard about it!"

Zhu Di stared at Guo An closely, "Does Guo Qing have any good ideas?"

"Ugh!"

Guo An sighed helplessly, "Your Majesty, the drought is a natural disaster, and the humble ministers are powerless, so we can only let the people of Jiangjun Mountain divert water to irrigate their fields.

No matter what, let’s cultivate it first. If the food doesn’t grow, we’ll have to find other ways! "

"Other ways?"

Zhu Di's eyes lit up, "Is there any other way?"

Guo An said: "Go back to Your Majesty and buy grain from the two countries of Jiaozhi and Yan!"

The light in Zhu Di's eyes dimmed again instantly.

"The Yan State doesn't have much food. As for Jiaozhi, it's not even as big as the Ming Dynasty. How can it satisfy the tens of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty?"

"Your Majesty, don't be so pessimistic. It's just the beginning of spring. Although the land is dry, some moisture can still appear if it melts. If you add some water, you should be able to plant seeds.

As for the rest, it can only depend on God’s will..."

"However, in the past two years, I should have accumulated a lot of food in the granaries of various state capitals in the Ming Dynasty!"

"It's natural!"

Zhu Di looked confident, "Except for the conquest of Annan, our Ming Dynasty never sent troops again, and there were good harvests everywhere.

The granaries in various state capitals are already full of food! "

Guo An smiled slightly, "In this case, what do I, Daming, have to worry about?"

Zhu Di was stunned for a moment, and then he calmed down, "Yes, it's just a drought. My warehouses are full in the Ming Dynasty, so why be afraid?"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Guo An flattered him and said, "However, in order to prevent corrupt officials from secretly stealing and selling the grain in the granary, I would also like to ask your Majesty to send a few imperial envoys to inspect the granaries in various states."

"At the same time, I would like to inform the people of the world that our Ming Dynasty's granaries are full, and even if there is a drought, there will be no famine.

In this way, it can not only appease the people, but also deter major grain merchants, so that they dare not raise prices arbitrarily and make it difficult for the country to make money! "

"It's hard to make money for the country?"

Hearing this, Zhu Di's eyes lit up, "Guo Qing always makes shocking remarks. If those merchants dare to raise the price of food during a catastrophic disaster, they will be making a fortune for the country!"

"As for sending imperial envoys to inspect the granaries, it is also very necessary! There will always be thieves who take chances and seek death!"

Guo An nodded slightly.

……

As the weather gets warmer, the rumors of a drought year become more and more fierce.

People all over the Ming Dynasty were very panicked.

And this time.

An appendix of the imperial edict was published in Di Bao and spread throughout the world.

"His Majesty sent thirteen imperial envoys to inspect the world's granaries..."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

All the people were immediately overjoyed.

"Your Majesty encourages everyone to irrigate the fields and cultivate them first. If there is still no rain in summer, then we will buy grain from Jiaozhi and Yan and transport it to Ming Dynasty to prevent famine in Ming Dynasty...

In the past two years, high-quality seeds have been planted in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, and there have been bumper harvests every year. The granaries of the Ming Dynasty are full. There is no shortage of food in the Ming Dynasty! "

"Hahaha, all my fellow villagers, old and young, please rest assured, our Ming Dynasty is not short of food now!"

"Don't worry, everyone, just water the fields and plant the seeds first!"

“But how can we water all of these fields?”

"Yes, there is very little water in the river right now. How can we provide water?"

"Water first, then talk about it. If the land is not filled with water, it will be enough if it can grow living food!"

"Damn it, water it! The sky is big and the earth is big, but it's not as big as our farming..."

"Yes, go water the ground quickly. Don't let those rich people water all the water in the river. Then it won't be my turn to wait..."

soon.

The entire Ming Dynasty fell into a state of busyness.

Countless people, densely packed like ants, carried water from various rivers or dug canals to divert water...

After a few days, even the water levels of the rivers and the Yellow River have dropped significantly.

This caused the chief officials of the surrounding states to intervene quickly.

……

"Father, don't worry. Although the people are still a little worried now, spring plowing in various places has returned to normal!"

In Fengtian Hall, Zhu Gaochi walked in with a lot of memorials.

Seeing Zhu Di frowning, he quickly comforted him.

"We are not worried about this..."

Zhu Di blew out a long breath from his nostrils and said angrily: "We are so angry that there are actually rogue officials who dare to collude with those gentry and merchants to steal and sell the grain in the granary!"

"what?"

Zhu Gaochi was immediately shocked. You must know that stealing and selling food from the granaries of various states is a crime of confiscating the family and exterminating the clan.

"Huh, still three!"

Zhu Di said again.

"Three?"

Zhu Gaochi's expression changed again.

Zhu Di's tone was cold, "Yes, two counties and one government. If we didn't investigate, we wouldn't have thought that there would be so many rogue officials in the Ming Dynasty now..."

"Father?"

Zhu Gaochi suddenly felt cold all over and looked at Zhu Di quickly.

Zhu Di smiled coldly, "Prince, we also know that it is impossible to kill all the corrupt officials in the world.

We are not prepared to kill some petty corrupt officials, but these thieves dare to touch the granaries of various state capitals...

These granaries are the lives of the people!

They dare to sell the lives of thousands of people, how can we tolerate them! "

Zhu Gaochi sighed slightly.

Zhu Di continued: "We have ordered Wang Zhen to take the Jin Yiwei to investigate in person. All the officials, gentry and merchants who are related to this matter will not be left alive. It happens that the food in their homes can fill the granary, and their families, You can fill the gap in Guozhou..."

Zhu Gaochi opened his mouth slightly, but still no sound came out.

……

"So many officials dare to touch the food in the granary?"

After hearing Shen Zhuang's report, Guo An looked surprised.

Shen Zhuang looked much calmer, "Master, stealing and selling grain from granaries is nothing new.

In the past few years, there have been good harvests in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, and there have been no natural disasters. There is no need for the food in those granaries.

The food was left there, and no one checked it.

However, those officials, gentry and merchants never expected that there would be a drought this year, and His Majesty even sent so many imperial envoys to investigate!

They didn't react, and the imperial envoys didn't dare to fool them. They investigated in a hurry, and then those corrupt officials were exposed..."

Guo An looked at Shen Zhuang thoughtfully, "You mean there are other incidents of theft and selling of granaries that have not been found out?"

Shen Zhuang hurriedly smiled and said, "Reporting to the Lord, this villain is just talking nonsense. He can't take it seriously, he can't take it seriously..."

"Don't worry, I don't have enough time to care about these nonsense!"

Guo An slowly shook his head and did not ask about the matter again.

However, Shen Zhuang did not dare to take it seriously.

As long as the Ming Dynasty has some eyes and ears, who doesn't know that His Majesty now deliberately leaves many criminals in exile just to fill the population of your Guozhou?

I don’t know how Duke Ding could take such a fancy to such a remote island with no native barbarians!

"During this period, the grain shops affiliated to the Maritime Trade Chamber of Commerce purchased more grain. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce shipped more grain from Jiaozhi to Daming.

As for the granary, it can be built directly on Jiangjun Mountain.

Also, send more farming experts to Jiaozhi, and bring two ships of fine seeds to teach the people in Jiaozhi how to reclaim farmland and grow grain... Don't be afraid of spending money. If the drought continues like this this year, the Maritime Trade Chamber of Commerce will If more food can be produced, the greater the credit will be, and His Majesty will value the Maritime Trade Chamber of Commerce more..."

"Yes, sir!"

Although Shen Zhuang has practiced a lot over the years, after hearing Guo An's words, he was still trembling with excitement.

Although he is also a businessman, he once tried to be a ruthless businessman.

However, he is now clinging to the thighs of Duke Dingguo and His Majesty. He naturally knows that the better he does in the Maritime Trade Chamber of Commerce, how much benefit will he get?

Even if his contribution is great, it is not impossible for the Shen family to break away from the merchant family!

...(End of chapter)