Chapter 2398 The sharp point of Gui Zi Juan, the new four great masters

"Ziying, to tell you the truth, I have been working as the prefect of Jinling for seven years. In addition to dealing with various affairs every day, I also have to face a large number of people from the Six Ministries of Nanjing and the Metropolitan Procuratorate to express my inner thoughts. It's really boring." Jia Yucun sighed: "I don't know what the imperial court's attitude is towards Nanjing. Now most people have gone to Beijing. In my opinion, the imperial court should consider abolishing the six departments in Nanjing. and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.”

Feng Ziying nodded, "Well, it used to be reasonable to retain the Six Ministries of Nanjing and the Metropolitan Procuratorate from the previous Ming Dynasty. But now, the Six Ministries of Nanjing and the Metropolitan Procuratorate have become the source of the Jiangnan gentry's confrontation and threats against the imperial court. This way, It is no longer appropriate, and I agree with Brother Amemura that it is time to consider abolishing it, but this requires a comprehensive judgment by the cabinet."

Seeing that Feng Ziying was flawless, Jia Yucun was also sighing in his heart. This son has matured. It is no luck to be able to sit in the position of right minister of the Ministry of War. In addition to being able to actually fight, he is also able to deal with this aspect with ease. He really cannot be underestimated. other side.

"Zi Ying is right. Now that Tang Mi and Tang Mi have joined the cabinet, the cabinet should enter a period of stability. The emperor has just ascended the throne and needs to rely on the help of the ministers. This matter in Nanjing can actually be taken advantage of. Let's deal with it together when the opportunity comes." Jia Yucun said tentatively.

Feng Ziying smiled softly, "Brother Yucun, don't test it in front of me. Having said that, the court will definitely consider your meritorious service. In my opinion, it is very possible for you to move your position and leave Jinling Mansion before the end of the year." Da, this time there is also a round of adjustments in the court. Duke Liuji has entered the cabinet, and Duke Dongxian has been appointed as the Minister of Rites. It is still undecided who will take over as the Minister of the Ministry of Commerce. In addition, there are also several positions of ministers and deputy imperial envoys that are vacant. Didn't Brother Yucun think about it?"

Jia Yucun's words made Jia Yucun blush and his heart beat. This was exactly what he expected in his heart, but Jia Yucun also knew that his personal connections were still a little thin.

Among the seven cabinet ministers, Tang Mu and Tang Mi probably do not have much say. Among the remaining five, except for Prime Minister Ye, Prime Minister Fang and Mr. Qi Ge have equal say in the matter, followed by Li Sancai, and Gu Bingqian again, but None of these people have any friendship with each other.

Gao Panlong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, has a stern temperament, and Jia Yucun also knows that he is not very good in his impression, so after thinking about it, Jia Yucun becomes pessimistic about his future.

"Brother Yu, you also know Brother Yu's temperament. He only immerses himself in doing things. Brother Yu is really not familiar with other things." Jia Yucun said thoughtfully: "The situation in Jinling Mansion is well known. It all relies on balanced operation to avoid turbulence. As long as Maintaining stability means success, this is the opinion reached by Brother Yu, and in the past few years, there have been basically no major incidents in Aurous Hill, so Brother Yu believes that he still deserves some credit."

This was a show of merit for herself, but it was a pity that she was not the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but Feng Ziying certainly would not pour cold water on the other party, "Brother Yucun, no one can erase your contribution. If I return to Beijing, Mr. Cunzhi and Mr. Zishu There, if there is an opportunity, I will definitely talk about it. Of course, at Master Qi’s place, I will also consider the opportunity and make suggestions at the right time."

Hearing Feng Ziying’s final promise, Jia Yucun’s heart finally fell to the ground. With a smile on his face, he stood up and raised his glass with both hands: “Brother Xian, please give me more. Brother Fool, here’s another toast to you...”

Feng Ziying also stood up to avoid it, returned the toast, and then sat down again, "But Brother Yucun, Nanjing has just been decided, and there are still many signs of instability in the city. In addition, the imperial court also has some arrangements for Nanjing. Although the emperor has ascended the throne, many We no longer care about things, but some things cannot be erased..."

Jia Yucun nodded slightly, "Brother Yu has also heard about this, but is it a matter for the four kings?"

The Four Kings, Eight Dukes and Twelve Marquises, this group of Conglong Wuxun, after the confrontation between the north and the south, there was not much movement among the Eight Dukes and Twelve Marquises, but these four kings seemed to be taking advantage of the situation, waving flags and shouting, Do your best to encourage and support.

Now that the general situation has been decided, these few people seem to have stepped into a void, and the civil servants can accept it. Even the generals such as Niu Wangsun and others will provide a way out as long as they hand over their military power. However, these four kings who jumped too much, the court But there has been no attitude. It is only now that the imperial court has issued an order to take him into custody and wait for disposal.

"Well, of course the four kings can't escape, there are also the so-called new four." Feng Ziying said calmly.

Jia Yucun’s scalp felt numb. If the New Four were to be disturbed, it would really cause huge waves.

Jia Yucun couldn't help but lick his dry lips, and asked in a low voice: "Ziying, is the court really going to touch these four families?"

Feng Ziying sighed, "Brother Yucun, do you think I don't want to wait quietly until the court sends personnel to take over these affairs? I can't help it. The court borrowed two million from Haitong Bank for this battle. Now the court borrows more than Twenty million, the interest alone is astonishing. Now that the war is over, isn't there anyone to take responsibility? The four kings are dead tigers, how much money can they have? All their mansions in Beijing have been raided, and they How many assets do you have in Jiangnan? Are you still keeping an eye on these so-called New Four?"

 The new four great masters are Zhen, Zhou, Hu and Tao.

The Zhen family ranks first, and its power and strength are self-evident, far stronger than the other three. Although the Taihe Bank it operates cannot compare with Haitong Bank, it is still considered the best among Jiangnan Banks. It is also involved in the salt industry. , smuggling illegal salt has become an open secret.

The Zhou family has a monopoly on shipping on the Yangtze River. From Wuchang to Songjiang Prefecture where it enters the sea, the Zhou family's fleet monopolizes 30% of the grain and oil transportation and 40% of the general cargo transportation. The bulk cargo transportation business from the South Canal to Suzhou and Hangzhou, The Zhou fleet also accounted for more than 30%.

The Hu family is engaged in cloth business. The three largest cloth shops in Nanjing, Zhenjiang and Changzhou are all owned by the Hu family, and the cloth used by Nanjing government offices and guards is basically monopolized by them.

The Tao family is the largest landowner in Southern Zhili, owning nearly 10,000 acres of land in Jinling Prefecture and Changzhou Prefecture.

Jia Yucun pondered for a long time and then said: "Ziying, tell the truth to Brother Yu. Is the imperial court really going to take action against the Jiangnan gentry?"

Jia Yucun had to think so.

Such a sharp sword cut down three towns in Jiangnan. There was no longer a pillar in Jiangnan that could support it. Emperor Wan Tong had just ascended the throne and wanted to stabilize his throne. In addition, he was not willing to break up with the cabinet immediately.

Emperor Wan Tong also had to consider the issue of his son's succession in the future. He knew how many years he would live, so if the cabinet wanted to target the Jiangnan gentry, Emperor Wan Tong might not be able to stop it.

Moreover, the financial difficulties of the imperial court are also faced by everyone. Even Tang and Muo will have to face this problem when they join the cabinet.

Even if Jiangnan Tianfu was handed over immediately, it would still be difficult to solve the court's problems.

What’s more, the Jiangnan land tax that should have been handed over in the past two years has long been used up by Nanjing. Now it is definitely impossible to ask Jiangnan to pay it over again. It will inevitably intensify conflicts and cause disputes.

 In this case, rather than igniting widespread conflicts, it is better to take action in a targeted manner.

"Brother Yucun, if you don't believe me about the situation of the Zhen family, don't you know that the Zhen family can't throw away the name of the largest private salt dealer in the south of the Yangtze River, right? Even though his Taihe Silver Village is not as good as Shanghai Tong, this Taihe Silver Village is The Zhen family holds the majority of the shares, while Haitong Bank has hundreds of shareholders, and the largest shareholder holds less than 10% of the shares. As for the Zhou family, who doesn’t know that the Yangtze River water bandits are raised by the Zhou family? From the North-South Canal to Jinling How many merchants and shipowners fell into the hands of these water bandits in this period, and their ships were destroyed, people lost their money and money. I have the impression that the Nanjing Criminal Department has never cracked a decent case. Jiang Waterproof Engineer also repeatedly missed the case. What's so fishy here? , Brother Yucun doesn’t know, right?”

Feng Ziying's understatement made Jia Yucun feel chilled. It seemed that the imperial court knew the details of Nanjing and had its eyes on the New Four.

This group of guys still hope to escape by relying on the protection of Emperor Wan Tong. It is simply a dream. If the four of you don't come up with millions of taels of silver, I'm afraid your bones will have to be boiled out for you.

"There is also the Tao family. In the 33rd year of Yuanxi, the Tao family's land was less than 3,000 acres. In twenty years, it increased to 12,000 acres. With 9,000 acres of land, they earned almost 500 acres of land every year. , how many landowners with 500 acres of land are there in the whole of Jiangnan? It just flowed into the Tao family's pocket. There is no plundering here? I remember that the Ministry of Justice of the imperial court filed no less than ten complaints against the Tao family, involving... No less than twenty people died, and the Ministry of Punishment has repeatedly transferred them to the Nanjing Punishment Bureau, but over the years, it seems that none of them have been investigated and implemented. Is this how the Nanjing Punishment Bureau told the court?"

Feng Ziying smiled coldly and said: "As for the Hu family, look at the clothes of the guards and even the Jiang Waterproof Division soldiers in the southern prefectures, and you will know how much huge profits they have made from it. As far as I know, the Six Ministries of Nanjing The official uniforms of the officials in the Imperial Procuratorate and the various prefectures in Southern Zhili were also covered by Hu's Silk and Satin Shop, right?"

These words made Jia Yucun feel cold sweat running down his spine.

Feng Ziying is well aware of these situations. Where are the sources of these information? Metropolitan Procuratorate? Long Lieutenant? Ministry of Punishment?

You can figure it out with your feet. This time, the court had already planned it. Any improvised ideas by the Ministry of War are just fooling around.

This is not only to solve the problems of the three towns in the south of the Yangtze River, but also to solve the problems among the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. Everyone will be held accountable, and if no one understands the truth, they must become one of them, whether you are a gentry, a civil servant, or a martial artist.

And this solution was obviously something the imperial court was happy to see. On the one hand, it would get rid of those who were against the imperial court, and on the other hand, it would also increase the income of the imperial court, making up for the shortfall caused by the previous wars. It seems that in the capital city before The same scene has already been played out.

 (End of this chapter)