General Constitution of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 Ledger
The imperial court exempted the tenants from corvee, and the gentry added corvee to the tenants.

Anyone who has seen landlords collecting rent can imagine it with their toes.

But these words cannot be spoken in the court.

Even Xu Xuemo was silenced by Hai Rui.

Only then did Hai Rui continue: "Since there is nothing wrong with living in the family, the imperial court can't give up eating because of choking. Since it is a virtuous government, it is better to find out the root cause of the disease and cure it. Why does the government change the order overnight and break the trust of the people?"

Seeing Hai Rui's appearance, Yan Song smiled softly towards Xu Jie who was behind him: "Zi Sheng, we have a lot of talents in the Ming Dynasty."

Xu Jie was stunned.

Before Xu Jie could speak, Yan Song's eyes changed subtly.

An ominous premonition suddenly arose in Xu Jie's heart.

"Zisheng, there are ninjas who can do things in this world, and ninjas who can't."

"What does Mr. Yan Ge mean by this?"

Before Xu Jie finished speaking, Yan Song stood up from the round stool behind him, looked at Wang Shizhen who had fainted on the ground with pity, and then knelt down beside Wang Shizhen.

"Father-jun has the difficulties of father-in-law, but the old minister thinks that the heart of fist and fist cannot be lost. These people, after all, still think about the court and are loyal to His Majesty. Please, Eunuch Gao, please report. Old minister Yan Song, please kneel down and beg the lord."

Yan Song's slight movement suppressed Hai Rui's words just now.

After saying that, Yan Song didn't forget to glance at Xu Jie.

"Zisheng, why are you standing still? As cabinet ministers, you and I should set an example for all officials."

Didn't you follow me to do whatever I did?

If you say Fu Que, I will Fu Que.

you follow.

As soon as Yan Song finished speaking, everyone's eyes focused on Xu Jie.

"Old Yan Ge..."

The most confused one is Gao Zhong, sitting on a nice little stool, so how can you say that he jumped back and then jumped back?
Yan Song had already guessed Jiajing's intentions, all he wanted to do was to let these nobles feel that they had a chance to win, so that they could let go of their hands and feet to trip up the New Deal.

The thing that can make these people get carried away the most is to jump back.

Afterwards, Jiajing's knife fell on their heads, and Yan Song had no loss after thinking about it.

Anyway, there is no room for this group of people to drop their favorability.

But Yan Song can do this, Xu Jie can't.

Because this group of people is Xu Jie's base.

When Yan Song knelt down like this, the scholar-bureaucrats in Fuque almost forgot what happened today, and all of them looked at Xu Jie in unison.

Xu Jie was put on fire by Yan Song.

After struggling for a long time, Xu Jie finally closed his eyes against the eyes of everyone.

There is a clear distinction between being scolded for two days and scolding Xu Jie for a lifetime.

Looking at Xu Jie who was stuck in place like a scarecrow, a trace of disappointment flashed across Yan Song's face.

Then he took all the officials and knelt down to ask for it.

"Master, you!"

Xu Xuemo looked at Xu Jie in disbelief.

In the eyes of these Qingliu, Xu Jie has already betrayed them.

Only Xu Jie himself knew.

I was silenced by Jiajing and Yan Song.

Before this matter comes to fruition, no matter what I say, no one will listen to it.

Upstairs in Wufeng Building, the smile on Jiajing's face became more and more intense when he saw this scene.

"Compared with Yan Song, Xu Ge is younger after all."

After watching the big show outside the Meridian Gate, Jiajing looked at the three people behind him who had already stood in place.

"Okay, those accounts, take them back and take a good look at them."

The three of Zou Wang fell to their knees with a "plop", and said repeatedly: "Your servant takes orders."

After the three brothers Zou Wang left, the smile on Jiajing's face gradually disappeared.

"What do you think of these three people?"

Huang Jin slightly nodded and said: "My lord, I am just wondering, how did such a person become the world's richest man?"

Qingliu under the Meridian Gate was still crying, but Jiajing's attention was no longer on them.

"The cowardly will be greedy."

"The timidity of scholars and officials is greedy for their names."

"The timidity of the small people is greedy for themselves."

"Businessmen are cowardly, and they are greedy for their profits."

"How timid they are when they first enter the court today, how greedy they will be in the future when they are fighting for a momentary advantage."

After finishing speaking, Jiajing took a last glance at the officials outside the Meridian Gate.

"Let Zhang Zuo go on a foreign business trip, take my warrant to Jizhou, ask Gao Gong to bring 25 ingots of copper coins, first go to Gansu, from west to east, first send Gansu, Ningxia, Guyuan, Yansui The military salary of the four towns has been paid, and Zhang Zuo is asked to go to the cabinet to make up the imperial edict after he returns to Beijing."

"Send another letter to each prefecture. From now on, all prefectures will use copper coins to purchase what they need."

Huang Jin leaned forward and sang.

One ingot of five thousand wen was made in the Ming Dynasty.

Jiajing didn't expect to hide Xu Jie from such a big commotion about the distribution of military pay to the four towns in the northwest.

But after Yan Song made such a mess at the Meridian Gate, the attention of this group of people has long been lost on themselves.

For a long time, Yan Song has always shown himself as a civil servant traitor and a sycophant of the emperor.

Right now, Yan Song's rebellion is nothing more than telling Baiguan that there is internal strife in the imperial party.

Yan Song is going to "anyway"!

In this way, Xu Jie's behavior can be easily explained.

It was the emperor who was using Xu Jie to liquidate Yan Song.
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The news of Yan Song's "anyway" became a big hit in the mansion newspaper again.

The news that Yan Song, the chief assistant of the cabinet, took the lead in Fu Que spread through many mansions.

Up to this time, the 13 provinces in the two capitals really have such a bit of rain that is about to come.

The gentry are all waiting for Jiajing's final choice.

And at the same time when the mansion reported to the south, after receiving the imperial edict from the capital, Mai Fu also came to Xiaoling with several stacks of ledgers.

"Prince, this is brought by the emperor's order for you to watch. The emperor taught His Highness to think about it."

Zhu Zaiyu took the memorial with a confused look on his face.

"In the 16th year of Zhengde, the price of rice in Jinling was eleven yuan and one stone."

"In the seventh year of Jiajing, the price of wheat in Jinling was nine cents and one stone."

"..."

After the 28th year of Jiajing, even the monthly grain prices were marked out.

Zhu Zaiyu frowned and lowered his head, "Is this the capital's grain price?"

"Mr. Zhang, what's so interesting about this?"

Zhang Juzheng also looked at the accounts for a long time.

"Brother Ning, brother Ning!"

Ning Jue, who was lying in the corner, sat up from the bed with sleepy eyes.

"Are you going to behead?!"

"Brother Ning, don't think about beheading. This is the account book that His Majesty ordered Eunuch Mai to send. Can you see if there is any clue?"

"Didn't I say to call me when the head is beheaded?"

Zhang Juzheng was speechless.

Ning Jue just got up, and boredly glanced at the ledger handed over by Zhang Juzheng, and then pushed it aside.

"Isn't this the price of food? You can't even see it?"

Zhang Juzheng said with a wry smile: "Brother Ning, you've been asleep for so long, you'd better have a look. From Eunuch Mai's tone, this ledger seems to be related to the new law."

"New law? The new law must be related to food prices."

Zhang Juzheng was speechless, the new law was indeed related to food prices, but just that, it wouldn't make Mai Fu a hard trip out of the city, let Zhu Zaiyu feel better.

Despite what he said, Ning Jue got up and stared at the account book for a long time.

Only then did he raise his head solemnly.

"This is the price of food!"

"But why has the price of food in Jinling increased so much since we were imprisoned in Xiaoling?"

Only then did Zhang Juzheng say: "Could it be that the price of food has risen these days? I've heard quite a few captains of Xiaolingwei say that their salaries are getting more and more expensive..."

Ning Jue casually threw out the account book in his hand, but after Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Ning Jue Xuan immediately became vigilant.

"No, this is not the price of food..."

Zhu Zaishun and Zhang Juzheng were startled when they heard the words.

"It's not food price, what is it?"

Ning Jue picked up the ledger again, and said in a trembling voice, "This ledger has to be read upside down."

"Look upside down?"

Zhu Zaiyu subconsciously turned the ledger upside down.

"The other way around is nothing..."

Before Zhu Zaiyu could finish reading it, Ning Jue snatched the account book from Zhu Zaiyu's hand, his eyes were scarlet and excitedly said: "This is not the account book of Jinling food price at all!"

"This is the account of the Jinling silver price!"

"From the very beginning, your father only had money from the southeast nobles in his eyes."

Ning Jue finally raised his head, looked at the two people in front of him in astonishment, and said, "The Son of Heaven is going to use the new law to short the price of silver."

In the end, Ning Jue was watched by Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Zaixun.

Draw a line chart of the silver price in Jinling.

Although Ning Jue didn't want to understand what Jiajing's routine was.

But it is not difficult to see from this direction.

The gentry in the southeast took the bait.

And this hook bites so badly that he almost shivered for the last time.

"Why short?"

"It's about stepping down on the price of silver to make a profit."

"But His Majesty acts like this, how to cash out?"

Zhang Juzheng is not a businessman, and it will be difficult to accept this way of thinking for a while.

"I don't know, but the Son of Heaven must have found a way to arbitrage to make such a big commotion."

Zhu Zaiyu wondered from the side: "But if these gentry don't sell grain, won't the price of silver go down?"

Ning Jue shook his head helplessly.

"Since the gentry have eaten so much food, is it up to them to vomit or not?"

There is no futures contract trading these days, and no amount of grain is just a certificate.

Those grains were actually piled up in the homes of the gentry.

Either spit it out.

Or just watch your property moldy and rot.

Jingshi Huiguo Wengong Ancestral Hall.

In the study, Zou Wang, Hua Linxiang, and Ruan Bi stared at the ledger for hours without knowing it.

Until the legs are numb and the extremities are cold.

In the end, it was Hua Linxiang who was the first to be unable to hold on, and immediately slumped to the ground.

However, Hua Linxiang still looked at the book case in disbelief.

"Donghu, Liangchen, what does your majesty mean?"

"Difficult, is it possible that the whipping method is for tax calculation?"

Ruan Bi racked his brains and could only think of this one solution.

But Zou Wang said in astonishment: "If it's that simple, why is Your Majesty still tossing about the price of silver?"

They saw Jiajing's intentions.

They also don't know what method Jiajing will use to make this sum of money in the end.

But they knew that if the money was really earned by Jiajing.

It means the disillusionment of their half-life experience in business.

The south wind blows at night, and the wheat is covered with yellow.

Jinyiwei scouts from all directions, including southwest, northwest, and southeast, are reporting to the capital as quickly as possible.

Food prices in the 13 provinces of Beijing and Beijing are falling.

Gentlemen, start buying silver!

(End of this chapter)