Chapter 1662: Introduction to Ren Zi Juan

 Emperor Yonglong’s words deeply touched Feng Ziying.

Perhaps the other party did feel the pressure of his weakening body and wanted to eliminate all kinds of disasters in one fell swoop. He even got the support of the princes in the court, but he was limited by various moral and practical constraints and could not follow the most direct way. Disposal, this is precisely the biggest problem.

If you really want to deal with Prince Yi Zhong, you can imprison him in Beijing in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the situation to deal with Niu Jizong's Xuanfu army. As for the fact that only Wang Ziteng's Denglai army is still in Huguang, how much trouble can it cause?

The snake has no head. After getting rid of Prince Yi Zhong himself, and then controlling the Xuanfu army, the Nanjing tribes, the Jiangnan gentry, and the Denglai army, under the general situation, can only bow their heads and worship, and then another attack How difficult is it to figure it out and deal with it?

As for the Supreme Emperor, he may still have some influence at the moment, but as long as Emperor Yonglong can save his face, Feng Ziying believes that the Supreme Emperor is at most resentful in his heart, but he will never jump out to oppose it, which will only plunge the entire court into trouble. Chaos allows foreign enemies to benefit.

As an emperor who has been the emperor for decades, he can clearly distinguish between emotional and rational choices, and he will never do such a thing. After all, Emperor Yonglong is also his biological son, and he is the emperor he chose.

At this point, Emperor Yonglong's suspicion and indecisiveness were fully exposed. Maybe he was better when he was young, but as he got older and his health deteriorated, this weakness became more obvious. Maybe Prince Yi Zhong had spotted this weakness of Emperor Yonglong, just like Ming Ming that year. The same as Emperor Jingtai.

Emperor Jingtai also had Yu Qian, and the civil servants around Emperor Yonglong seemed to be more willing to sit on the sidelines. However, Zhang Jingqiu and Gu Bingqian were far inferior to mainstays like Yu Qian in terms of ability and prestige, but the military heroes were more supportive of Yi. Prince Zhong, this cannot but be said to be a kind of sadness.

 But what does this mean for yourself?

Feng Ziying was a little hesitant for a while. How should she respond to Emperor Yonglong's inquiry?

As Emperor Yonglong said, it seems that this summons is not just about selecting and establishing a governor.

Logically speaking, Feng Ziying cannot have such a brilliant opinion on such matters. Even if he talked about it, it would be difficult to gain the approval and trust of Emperor Yonglong.

My current level is still too low. Even people like Master Qi and Qiaoshi avoid me on some special topics. Apparently I feel that I am too young and not suitable to participate in these affairs, but should do my best now. It was his job, but Emperor Yonglong's attitude today made Feng Ziying a little confused. This situation seemed not to be completely consistent with the attitude of Qi Shi Qiao Shi and others.

“If the emperor has any inquiries, I will naturally tell you everything I know. However, since I speak lightly and have little experience, many of my opinions may not be correct. Therefore, I sincerely ask the emperor to consult the opinions of all the ministers in the court.”

Feng Ziying's words made Emperor Yonglong couldn't help laughing. He stroked his beard and smiled: "Feng Qing, don't worry too much. In these few days, I need to ask all the ministers in the cabinet, the ministers of the seven ministries, and the governors of the imperial court one by one. What I want to ask is Feng Qing can just analyze and judge the matter from your own perspective, there is no need to worry about any obstruction, I will make my own judgment."

Feng Ziying then nodded and said: "In that case, I should give my best consideration."

Emperor Yonglong asked about the follow-up handling of the Jingtong Ercang case. Feng Ziying gave a brief introduction and said that it was coming to an end and the relevant recovered silver coins at the end of the year would be handed over in full.

Emperor Yonglong asked again about the Xishan case that Feng Ziying had been eager to try.

Feng Ziying once discussed this issue with Qi Yongtai, Qiao Yingjia, and Huang Ruliang, the Minister of Household Affairs. Qi Yongtai and Qiao Yingjia both clearly opposed it, saying that now is not the time for another war. The Xishan case involves many important officials in the capital, including civil servants and military officials. Many of them are intertwined with the clan, especially among the civil servants, but a large proportion of the northern gentry. Once detonated, it will probably cause a huge backlash.

When Feng Ziying left Beijing for Yongping Prefecture, it was because the scholars in the North believed that Feng Ziying's policy of opening up the sea would hardly benefit the North. Instead, the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River benefited greatly from it, so they started to criticize. Qi Yongtai and Qiao Yingjia took the responsibility for him. After putting a lot of pressure on him, he was finally allowed to escape to Yongping Mansion to avoid the limelight.

Now we have finally taken advantage of the opportunity after the Battle of Santun Camp to get Feng Ziying to return to the capital. If the Xishan case again arouses criticism from the northern gentry, I am afraid that Feng Ziying will leave the capital again.

 On the other hand, when Feng Ziying talked about this matter with Huang Ruliang, the Minister of Household Affairs, Huang Ruliang was quite moved.

At present, the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue is depleted and there is an urgent need for money. After the Jingtong Ercang case has been used to support the military needs in the northwest, there are still many outstanding debts that need to be settled one by one, so it is estimated that it will be stretched again by the end of the year. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Huang Ruliang is now For example, a firefighter would spend his days thinking about where to get the money, but the Jieshen Treasury contained the emperor's private money that could not be touched unless absolutely necessary. Huang Ruliang did not want the emperor to think that he was thinking about his private money as soon as he took office. of incompetent people.

Once the cover of the Xishan case is uncovered, it will involve many high-ranking officials, nobles, royal families and clans in Beijing, but most of them are more related to the gentry and martial arts in the north. In comparison, they are not too closely related to the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River. Therefore, Huang Ruliang naturally intends to start a "development model" from Shuntian Prefecture like the Jingtong Ercang case. If he can seize one or two million taels of silver from the Xishan case, it will at least alleviate the current extremely tight financial situation. Relieve it and wait until next year.

But Huang Ruliang also knew that the Xishan case was too deep and wide-ranging in its involvement. Far more than the Jingtong Ercang case, it was more about the collaboration of middle- and lower-level officials to enrich their own pockets. Although the benefits were huge, the actual background was seriously lacking.

But there are some truly prominent figures behind these Xishan coal mines, whether they are members of the royal family or civil servants and generals, they are all involved. If we really want to hold people accountable for this, or even pursue various illegal gains in the early stage, then there will undoubtedly be The interests of countless people have been harmed, and the power of counterattack cannot be underestimated. Even I, the Minister of Household Affairs, may not be able to bear it.

Therefore, Huang Ruliang is more inclined to let Feng Ziying, a stupid young man, test the water first to see how the fire is. If the rebound force is too strong, then he might as well slow down. If it is not as powerful as imagined, or Feng Ziying's methods are better, there is a chance. If you take advantage of it, you can also make a fortune for the court and relieve your own pressure.

"I have also considered the Xishan case, because the Jingtong Ercang case caused quite a stir in the DPRK and China. Now that it has just calmed down, it is not the best time to take action. In addition, the Xishan case involves dozens of coal mining kilns and lasts for many years. In the past twenty years, many of the mines and kilns have changed hands several times. It takes energy and time to trace them one by one. The preparations for the preliminary investigation were extremely complicated. I also had some early contacts with Long Jinwei and the Ministry of Punishment. , began to make preparations, but this still needs a process, and just like the Jingtong Ercang case, it is necessary to choose a breakthrough point, which cannot be achieved overnight, so I am considering whether we can wait until the beginning of next year to take action..."

 Feng Ziying also thought carefully.

 From the bottom of his heart, he certainly hoped to take action on the Xishan Kiln case earlier.

The Miyun Iron Mine has now entered the development stage, and the coal from the Xishan Kiln is also needed for coking to support the iron-making complex in Miyun. However, the Xishan Kiln is all controlled by Beijing dignitaries, and their coal Basically sold to Beijing, it is difficult to get it from Miyun Iron Mine, so to break this situation, we have to start with Xishan Kiln.

But now is indeed not a good time to start. If the situation can transition smoothly after the Autumn Festival of Tiewangshan, the election of the governor and the appointment of the governor go smoothly, and Prince Yi Zhong continues to lie dormant, then the investigation of the Xishan Kiln case can be started in advance. However, Feng Ziying does not believe that there will be such a result.

The selection of Qiu Xiang will not be that simple, or even smooth. The result is still unknown, but Prince Yi Zhong is even more unlikely to give up the opportunity he has been waiting for for many years. It can be said that Prince Yi Zhong has an arrow on the string and has to take action. , so it would undoubtedly be unwise to initiate the Xishan Kiln case at this time. It would only cause chaos and turmoil within the imperial court.

"The investigation and handling of the Jingtong Ercang case has won the support of the people in the capital. There is no shock. Even if there is, it is good. Why are you, Ziying, so timid at this time? I can understand this preparation, but I don’t think that’s entirely the case, it doesn’t feel like your style, or is it because you have other concerns?”

Emperor Yonglong was not that easy to fool, and Huang Ruliang also reported to him. Now the imperial treasury is almost at its bottom, and it is in urgent need of replenishment. If the Xishan Kiln can be touched, it will undoubtedly be the second Jingtong Ercang case, and Emperor Yonglong also wants to Taking advantage of this opportunity, he cleaned up Wu Xun and some officials in order to free up some positions and start making arrangements for the people he liked.

 He needs to make some talent reserve preparations for his next generation in advance.

Feng Ziying couldn't answer this question for a while. How could he say that he was not optimistic about the selection of reserves for autumn? Or do you think that there will definitely be a big turmoil inside and outside the court after Qiu Xi, and even directly say that Prince Yizhong is unwilling to stay dormant and will cause trouble? There is also the severe drought in the Northland and the White Lotus Sect's robbery, all of which may lead to violent instability in the situation. This is really not a good time to investigate the Xishan case anymore, or even if it is to be investigated, it will not be possible?

Of course, these are all speculations and assumptions. Maybe the emperor has already been well-informed and even deliberately created this situation to force some forces to jump out. But is this really under control?

"Your Majesty, I do feel that this is not a good time." Feng Ziying said slowly: "I do have some concerns, and I also want to take this opportunity to report to the Emperor that the current situation is indeed dangerous. This is not unfounded worry, nor is it alarmist. My opinion is well-founded."

 (End of this chapter)