Number of People

Chapter 1751: Renzijuan turmoil

Chapter 1751 The Disturbance in the Renzi Volume

 Shen Yixiu, Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin and Yingchun were all waiting for Feng Ziying in the house without rest.

 Seeing Feng Ziying return, a group of people gathered around him.

Seeing their expressions, Feng Ziying knew what they wanted to ask, but he didn't want to say more.

There is really nothing to say. There is nothing he can do now, except to comfort him. After all, he will have to wait until the court's disposal strategy comes out before he knows what the final outcome of the Jia family will be.

Facing the expectations of his wives and concubines, Feng Ziying could not bear to ignore them.

"Okay, don't ask any more questions. I went and saw everything I needed to see. But there is really nothing to say now. I don't know how the court will deal with it. We can only wait until the court's decree comes down before we can figure out what to do. Come and deal with it." Feng Ziying waved her hands tiredly and upset, "Now I have no choice but to sit and wait."

“My husband, Tan Yatou, Yun Yatou and the others...” Baochai was still very concerned about these best friends who were always close to each other in the garden.

"They are okay, but maybe they are just holding on." Feng Ziying sighed, "Sister, don't ask me what to do. I don't know. I can only say that I will do my best when the soldiers come to block the water and the soil. "

Seeing that Feng Ziying seemed to be in a bad mood, Baochai couldn't say much, but Shen Yixiu didn't say much, just stood aside quietly.

After thinking for a while, Feng Ziying then said: "I'm afraid the Rongning Second Mansion cannot be saved. The imperial court is now in financial difficulty. Water transportation to the south of the Yangtze River will definitely be cut off, and taxes will not be paid. And as the war is about to begin, a large amount of military expenditures will need to be raised. Sooner or later, we will have to take action against these families who are inextricably linked to the Nanjing Puppet Dynasty. The Niu family, the Wang family, the Jia family, the Shi family, and other families of the four princes, eight princes, twelve princes, etc. I estimate that they will not be able to escape. …”

Xue Baochai and Xue Baoqin both changed their faces slightly, while Yingchun on the side was already full of tears. Shen Yixiu was still calm, but frowned. She considered the problem from a different angle: "Mr. Sir, if the court only relies on this to raise funds, I’m afraid the military expenditure is a little inappropriate, right?”

"Of course we won't just do this, we will definitely adopt multiple strategies. In the past two days, Xu Dahua, the left minister of the Ministry of War, has proposed to sell the Zunhua Iron Factory to Shanshan businessmen, and also sell several gunpowder factories and ordnance workshops under the Ministry of War. They all conduct sales to raise military expenses..."

Feng Ziying did not expect that Xu Dahua's temperament would suddenly become so radical. Later he heard that Gu Tianjuan, who had always been at odds with him, had now become the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Nanjing and directly dismissed his nephew who was serving in Nanjing. , the nephew's family returned home in despair and wrote a letter crying, which aroused Xu Dahua's great anger. Now he is bent on bringing peace to Nanjing as soon as possible.

Xu Dahua believes that the current workshops under the Ministry of War are inefficient and corrupt, and the Ministry of War cannot control them at all. Moreover, the key is that the armor, weapons and firearms produced are of low quality and high price, which has caused fierce dissatisfaction among the soldiers of Jiubian.

Now that the Southern Expedition is imminent, there is an urgent need to raise military expenditures. In addition, Jiubian's weapons and firearms are also in urgent need of replenishment and replacement. In order to meet the needs of both aspects, it is better to directly sell the gunpowder factory and military workshop under the Ministry of War to qualified businessmen. Firstly, it can raise military expenditures, and secondly, it can also improve the efficiency and quality of purchasing weapons and firearms.

"In addition, I also suggested to the cabinet that selling Xishan kiln can raise a large amount of military expenses." Feng Ziying said casually: "Of course, Haitong Yinzhuang still has a large amount of money that cannot be borrowed. The court is willing to borrow, as long as there is collateral , then Haitong Yinzhuang is naturally willing."

Shen Yixiu was originally a little worried about whether the imperial court could support such a large-scale war, but seeing her husband say it so easily, she felt relieved: "The situation in Xishan Kiln is too complicated and has been delayed for more than ten years. If it is to happen, If you want to sell it, I'm afraid you still need to clarify the various original ownership relationships..."

"Doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times is related to the survival of the imperial court. Whoever wants to look forward and backward can only mean that this person is not suitable to sit in that position." Feng Ziying said with a smile: "Mr. Ji Hui (Liu Yishui) As the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, he is not so confused. Zhang Gong (Zhang Jingqiu) and the Metropolitan Procuratorate where Master Qiao is also shoulder heavy responsibilities. How can women be kind at this time? Not to mention Long Jinwei, they are all A bunch of bosses who want to be skinned and cramped, but now they have the support of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, how can they not be gearing up to do something big?"

“What about Haitong Yinzhuang...” Shen Yixiu asked again.

“King Zhongshun and the others may have to do some work here, mainly to strengthen their confidence.” Feng Ziying mused: “But the problem is not big. If the court is willing to provide enough collateral, King Zhongshun and the others will definitely be tempted.”

 “What collateral?” Not only Shen Yixiu was interested in this question, but the Xue sisters and Yingchun were also a little curious.

"Of course it's Jiangnan." Feng Ziying smiled, "This time the puppet dynasty is established in Nanjing, the Jiangnan gentry will definitely have many followers. Once the southern expedition is successful, the court will definitely liquidate. Think about it, Jinling, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou , Ningbo, Songjiang, Huzhou and other places, which place cannot bring out ten or eight large households, and if they are liquidated, it is hard to describe how many billions there are, right?"

Think about it, from the Ming Dynasty to the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty for a hundred years, the Jiangnan side has been nourished for more than two hundred years. The Great Zhou Dynasty replaced the former Ming Dynasty and the main battlefield was in the north. Jiangnan was actually not affected by the war, so most of the Jiangnan gentry were inherited for hundreds of years. , once the war ends, those gentry who are on the wrong team may face a tragic ending.

This is also a major reason why Feng Ziying believes that the court will eventually win. Because these gentry and merchants in Jiangnan have never been desperate, especially Prince Yi Zhong's grassroots team is more of a hunting ground for frustrated politicians and careerists. Although he is dissatisfied with the imperial court's Jiangnan tax policy, it has not risen to the point of rebelling. Now that he is being pushed to the forefront, he will definitely consider a retreat when he calms down.

It is a good thing that Prince Yitada wins, but a defeat cannot allow a big family to be destroyed. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain necessary communication channels with the northern court and even lose faith. This is also the way for a big family to survive. .

Under such circumstances, Feng Ziying firmly believed that as long as the imperial court could persist through this difficult period of the year and the war made progress, Prince Yi Zhong would not be able to sustain it.

 Hearing that the imperial court could use the future liquidation of Jiangnan as collateral, all the women were shocked, but then they thought about it, what's wrong with this?

Since you want to rebel, you must be aware that your body is missing, let alone your little family property. But suddenly thinking of the Jia family, everyone couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

"Mr. Gong, there are still one or two thousand people in Rongning's second mansion..." Baochai couldn't help but ask.

"It's hard to say how to deal with people now. Those who are not in the fifth server, as well as the children born in the family and the maids and servants bought in, theoretically should not have much to do with them, but they are members of the Jia family. Specifically, they are members of the Jia family. How to deal with it depends on the court's attitude, but I don't think it will be so broad," Feng Ziying explained.

Shen Yixiu also noticed that Feng Ziying was in a bad mood, so he took the initiative to end the topic: "Okay, my husband, you are tired too. Please rest early. I will leave first."

He should stay in the second room tonight. Shen Yixiu also expressed his attitude that he still cares about the Jia family. After all, the husband and the Jia family have a deep relationship, which is what a lady should mean.

Feng Ziying also nodded, "You should rest earlier. It's too late, so I won't go see the good girl."

Shen Yixiu smiled and said, "Well, tomorrow morning Qiwu will say that dad is missing again."

 The atmosphere became a little more relaxed, and Shen Yixiu left gracefully, leaving only Baochai Baoqin and the three Yingchun girls.

Feng Ziying raised her feet and walked towards Baochai's main room, and the three girls followed silently.

Wife, concubine, concubine, Feng Ziying looked at the three women beside her who were either graceful and noble, or elfin, or charming and gentle. If it weren't for the Jia family, just the presence of these three women would be enough to make countless People's eyes turned red and purple.

 But now, I don’t have that much thought to think about this.

“Mr. Gong, is it true that the Jia family cannot be saved?”

As soon as he entered the room, Baoqin couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I'm afraid we can't save it. We will inevitably search Rong Ning's second house. As for the old lady, his wife, Sister-in-law Zhu, Tan Yatou, Yun Yatou, Fourth Sister, Baoyu, Jia Huan, etc., it will be very difficult. How to deal with it in the future. It depends on the situation." Feng Ziying shook her head, "If it is just to be sent into exile, it would be easy. Clear up the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishments, find a safe place, stay for a few years, and then slowly look for opportunities to pardon."

Several women took a breath of cold air. It was easy to be sent to exile. So what could be serious? Don't dare to think about it.

After sitting down on the kang, Xiangling and Ying'er came in to change Feng Ziying's clothes and take off her shoes. A basin of steaming hot water was also brought over, and the two women squatted down to soak Feng Ziying's feet.

"You guys should sit down too." Feng Ziying leaned on the kang and put her feet into the water. Ying'er had already carefully massaged Feng Ziying's soles, scooping water to clean them, while Xiangling knelt on the edge of the kang to massage Feng Ziying's shoulders.

 The decadent life in the feudal era was so luxurious and happy, and Feng Ziying enjoyed it, so even if she put in a lot of effort for it, it was worth it.

 Baochai sat across the Kang table from Feng Ziying, while Baoqin and Yingchun sat in the official hat chairs with upper and lower hands beside the Kang table.

"Mr. Xue, this side of the Xue family..." Baochai finally asked the most worrying question.

Aunt Xue is the biological sister of Prince Teng. Prince Teng and Niu Jizong are the two leading figures in the puppet dynasty in Nanjing. The Niu family and the Wang family must be investigated for their involvement. What about Aunt Xue?

Baochai is naturally concerned about her mother and brother, including herself, but she also knows that it is unlikely that she will be affected. After all, her surname is Xue and she is married.

 But on the mother's side, the Xue Wang family can't get rid of the Wang surname, and the elder brother is also a nephew of the Wang family.

 (End of this chapter)