Chapter 451: The Heavenly Dao is Unfair to the Virtuous, Worldly Affairs Turn Like a Wheel

No matter how determined the Ministry of Revenue was to implement the paper currency system, the Great Ming currently lacked the necessary soil for it. Regarding the implementation of this system, the Ministry of Revenue displayed a level of enthusiasm inconsistent with its conservative nature.

"Your Majesty, in my view, we should promote silver notes using the post stations scattered along the imperial highways, rather than a paper currency system. Compared to paper currency, silver notes are easier to secure and harder to counterfeit," Tan Sima Ceng Shengwu proposed his viewpoint. Acceptance bills, or silver notes, were more suitable for the Great Ming.

To be honest, Ceng Shengwu was not optimistic about the imperial court's credibility. If the paper currency system were launched in haste, it would surely end in a mess, causing the court to lose all face. It would be better to issue them overseas first to test the waters.

The silver notes Ceng Shengwu spoke of originated during the Northern Song Dynasty.

As early as the beginning of the Northern Song, silver note shops appeared in Chengdu, Sichuan, specifically providing cash custody services for merchants carrying large sums. Merchants depositing silver or copper coins would receive a silver note made of mulberry paper, stamped with interlocking seals and signatures to prevent forgery. When redeeming these notes at the shops, a 3% custody fee was required.

This was not like the Great Ming Treasure Notes; it was more like a mutually recognized contract or a form of ledger-based currency.

During the Jingde era of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhang Yong, the Prefect of Yizhou, reorganized these shops, weeding out the unscrupulous and leaving the business to sixteen wealthy merchant families. From then on, the operation of these shops was brought under the imperial court's supervision.

Ceng Shengwu believed this was the best approach for the present. Bai Yin notes were contract checks; the contract was mutual, unlike Treasure Notes where the court decided the volume and style. If it is only top-down, that is not a contract; it is exploitation.

"The Ministry of War is truly calculating. It's one thing for the Ministry of Works to cast Tongbao coins to press for silver coins, but is the Ministry of War planning to reach into the Ministry of Revenue's pockets?" Zhang Xueyan said with an extremely ugly expression upon hearing this.

The post stations on the imperial highways were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. If the right to issue ledger-based currency in the form of acceptance bills fell into their hands, the Ministry of Revenue—which should be in charge of money and grain—would be undermined by everyone!

Ceng Shengwu smiled and said, "Who told the paper currency system to fail?"

You couldn't defend your own territory in the Ministry of Revenue, so you blame the Ministry of War for grabbing it? The emergence and business model of the private mail bureaus had opened the Ministry of War's eyes. There was a major problem that had always plagued them, and the wise officials of the Ministry of War had finally found a way out.

The problem of losses at the post stations.

All sorts of "mountain men" in the Great Ming could obtain "horse tallies." A horse tally represented official status, allowing one to requisition horses at post stations. This was how various mountain men undermined the imperial court.

In the third year of Wanli, the annual consumption of money and grain for post stations reached as high as 3.13 million taels of silver. Officials not on official business, scholars with titles, and various mountain men sightseeing ignored the limits, arbitrarily requisitioning post station couriers and carriages, while local offices issued permits indiscriminately.

After these expenditures were clarified, it sparked remonstrances from the censors. Public opinion favoring the abolition of post stations emerged, suggesting the closure of heavily loss-making stations to reduce the court's burden.

In the third year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng issued the "Regulations for Post Stations," implementing a strict requisition system and abolishing the permanent official status permits. No private individual could steal public resources; permits could only be used by the holder, with only one attendant allowed. By the fourth year of Wanli, post station consumption dropped to 2 million taels, saving 940,000 taels, while the number of stations increased from 337 to 403.

For example, regarding the permanent official status permits, some people held permits left behind by their grandfathers' grandfathers. Logically, permits should be destroyed after use, but because everyone from top to bottom in the bureaucracy profited from this mess, naturally no one cared.

Zhang Juzheng cared, and he implemented it effectively.

The court's answer was to tighten the issuance of horse tallies, incorporate the enforcement of permit regulations into the performance evaluation system, ensure that everything issued was returned, treat them like official seals, and forbid the theft of public resources for private use. This indeed reduced the bleeding of the post stations.

But the post stations were still losing money, and the 3% custody fee from acceptance bills was the best way for them to become self-sufficient.

"The Ministry of War's scheme is audible even from the Ministry of Revenue! Isn't it just because you see the private mail bureaus making huge profits every year and are jealous? With the post stations leaking from all sides, who would be willing to use the court's stations for acceptance? Once silver is handed over to a post station, getting it back is as hard as ascending to heaven!" Zhang Xueyan immediately attacked the management of the post stations.

Ceng Shengwu looked slightly helpless. When Tan Lun was here, how would the Ministry of Revenue dare to be so insolent toward the Ministry of War? Now that the Grand Marshal was critically ill, Ceng Shengwu, the newly appointed Junior Marshal, could only bite the bullet and say, "The Ministry of War's post station management is leaking, but the Great Ming Treasure Note Bureau has been rotting since the 26th year of Hongwu! Even children know Treasure Notes are worse than toilet paper!"

Ceng Shengwu's attack was fully loaded. How could the Ministry of Revenue, with its hundred-step rot, have the nerve to mock the Ministry of War's fifty-step rot!

At least the organizational structure of the post stations remained, and dozens of new stations had been added in the last two years. With the implementation of the "Regulations for Post Stations," operations were gradually turning healthy. The Ministry of Revenue's Treasure Note Bureau didn't even have an office anymore, and the Treasure Note Bureau Commissioner was often concurrently held by a Vice Minister. How could they have the nerve to say the Ministry of War managed things poorly?

"Hmph! I'd like to see who would use the post stations' acceptance. Anyone who dares is a madman! You deposit it safely, but can't get it out. When the time comes, with nowhere to seek justice and the post stations besieged, it will be labeled as rebellion. I'd like to see which merchant dares to take that risk!" Zhang Xueyan immediately changed his line of attack; the public simply couldn't accept acceptance bills from post stations.

There was a fundamental problem here: the imperial court was a power that could default without any loss, and merchants would have nowhere to seek justice, making it better to use private mail bureaus.

Ceng Shengwu immediately shouted, "Pilot program, do you understand? What imperial decree can be rolled out all at once! From the Tax Inspection Office to the Tax Inspection Court, the tax inspection work moved from the Southern Yamen to Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Huguang, and Fujian—it didn't happen overnight; it was done step by step! Only after moving the log to establish trust could the Shang Yang reforms be implemented. The establishment of credibility and mutual trust is accumulated bit by bit!"

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue were arguing in the Zhao Wenhua Hall. The three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet—Zhang Juzheng, Wang Chonggu, and Wang Guoguang—watched their noses and hearts, acting like ignorant private secretaries. Wan Shihe watched the Emperor remain silent and did not step out to mediate, allowing the two ministries to clamor in the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

The Censors of the Zhao Wenhua Hall were also just watching the show. As long as no one started fighting, it was just a few shouts. Didn't they see the Emperor on the platform looking on with great interest?

The greatest pleasure of the imperial audience was watching the empire's wise officials argue. Zhu Yijun didn't try to stop them; he even wanted to shout, "Fight! Fight!"

Zhu Yijun was actually reading a memorial submitted by Zhang Juzheng, "General Treatise on Currency," which discussed the evolution of currency.

Zhang Juzheng divided currency into three stages. The first stage was commodity currency, using a specific commodity as a medium of exchange. The oldest in the Central Plains was shell currency.

A series of words related to money—bribery, poverty, debt, value, gambling, gifts, expenses—all have the shell radical. In ancient times, the Central Plains used shell currency as a general equivalent. For example, "Discourses on Salt and Iron: Erroneous Currency" says: "The Xia Dynasty used black shells." "Book of Documents: Pan Geng" says: "Shells are water insects; the ancients took their shells as currency, just as we use money today."

This type of commodity currency was still in use overseas. In the Virginia and Maryland regions of North America, tobacco was used as currency. The Viceroyalty of Peru used shell beads as currency, where 6 small white perforated beads or 3 small black perforated beads equaled one Real silver coin. Interestingly, the Viceroyalty of Mexico used corn as currency.

These were typical commodity currencies.

After commodity currency came the money system, i. e., metal coinage.

The Central Plains began casting various copper coins starting from the pre-Qin period, leading to the later Wuzhu coins, and now the Wanli Tongbao. Gold, silver, and brass were natural currencies, widely accepted and recognized. The lack of metal coinage was not just a Great Ming problem; it was a global one. The coinage of Western countries began with Rome, and the fact that Roman silver coins contained no silver was a widely circulated joke in the West.

After metal coinage came the paper currency system, i. e., credit paper money, or debt paper money.

Paper money was the court borrowing from the people. This theory originated with Xu Heng in "Mulberry Paper Currency Memorial," which stated: "With a few coins' worth of paper and ink, one can exchange for the goods of the people of the world; printing is easy, and it is inexhaustible. What the world calls the immortal's art of turning tiles into gold is nothing compared to this."

The court used a bit of paper and ink, using inconvertible paper notes, to exchange for the people's goods and commodities. How was this different from the immortal's art of turning stone into gold? The more paper money issued, the more debt incurred, and this debt was something the court could arrogantly refuse to repay forever, or even abolish directly.

During the Retainer era, exchanging one string of new paper money for two strings of old was equivalent to owing the people half their goods. During the Jiaxi era, exchanging one string of new for five strings of old meant owing the people four times their goods. This was exploitation!

Zhang Juzheng delved into history and had someone specifically check the quantity of money issued in the Southern Song. Compared to Kublai Khan's 36.18 million strings, the Southern Song issued 10 million strings during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, 34 million during Emperor Xiaozong, 370 million during Emperor Ningzong, and 1.929 billion during Emperor Lizong.

From Emperor Gaozong to Emperor Lizong, a total of over 2.343 billion strings of Jiaozi were issued!

(Historical source cited from: "Research on the Evolution of Monetary Thought in the Two Song Dynasties")

Since the Northern Song began official Jiaozi, it had become a sharp blade for downward exploitation. This was why the Great Ming did not recognize Treasure Notes. From the Northern Song to the Hongwu era of the Great Ming, the blade of the paper currency system had cut into the people time and time again.

Interestingly, the Spanish Viceroyalty of Mexico also issued paper money. To raise war funds, they over-issued paper money and paid soldiers with it, leading to several major upheavals. Now, the Mexican Viceroyalty would rather use corn as currency than paper money.

Paper money was closely tied to the court's credibility. Once credibility was lost, paper money became a pile of waste paper.

Paper money was debt and credibility. Fluctuations in the value of banknotes endangered the nation's great trust. The Central Plains should not implement Treasure Notes too early.

This was the conclusion Zhang Juzheng reached after reviewing all paper currency systems from the Northern Song to the Hongwu era.

However, Zhang Juzheng strongly supported sending paper money overseas, and he had already chosen the first place for it to go: Japan.

Japan lacked smelting technology. Although they had enough silver, the silver mined flowed to the Great Ming in trade. Because of their backward mining, smelting, and minting technology, Great Ming Treasure Notes could gain recognition in Japan.

As for the biggest problem with paper money—the arrogance of never repaying and even directly abolishing it, leading to credibility issues—the Great Ming didn't care, because it was Japan.

After twenty years of Japanese pirate raids, the Great Ming from top to bottom hated them to the bone. Especially the hatred of the Jiangnan scholars for the pirates was no longer a secret. Successive Governors of Fujian and Zhejiang had frequently issued statements similar to "permanently clearing the Japanese pirate threat."

Commodity exchange requires a general equivalent to participate in measuring value.

Zhang Juzheng had seriously studied the reasons for Japan's backward mining, smelting, and minting technology. He summarized it briefly: they lacked firewood. Whether it was firewood or coal, they were in short supply.

Zhu Yijun finished reading the memorial, and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue finally quieted down. The Ministry of Revenue had lost, losing thoroughly. Mainly in terms of practical implementation, the Ministry of Revenue's Great Ming Treasure Notes were not even recognized by the Ministry of Revenue itself.

"Ministry of War, draft the regulations for review." Zhu Yijun announced the result as the referee. They would first pilot the ledger-based currency using acceptance bills to explore the Great Ming's path for Treasure Notes.

For the first time, Zhu Yijun felt a bit unconfident in himself. In his lifetime, could the Great Ming really move from metal coinage to credit currency?

"I have already drafted the memorial." Ceng Shengwu was skilled at planning before acting. Since he had initiated this, it was naturally not just to bicker with the Ministry of Revenue, but because he had long been prepared. Since the Ministry of Revenue had been secretly promoting the paper currency system and even slandering them to the Emperor, how could the Ministry of War not have any preparations?

Zhang Juzheng handed the memorial to Feng Bao. He opened the copy, pondered for a moment, and wrote the floating slip.

The Ministry of War's preparations were extremely thorough. The pilot program would start with coal-silver convection. Actually, calling it coal, it was mainly coke. The technology for burning coke in earth kilns was already very mature. Similarly, burning coke in earth kilns was also the main source of pollution, and the Ministry of Works had recently been chased and scolded by the censors.

After depositing silver at the Huaitong Post Station in Songjiang Prefecture, one would receive a bill, which could be redeemed for coke at the Xishan Coal Bureau. Then, it would be transported via the imperial highway to Tongzhou, down the Grand Canal, or shipped out from Tianjin Wei to the Southern Yamen. During the winter freeze, it could be transported via the imperial highway to the Mizhou Shipping Bureau and shipped south by sea.

Ceng Shengwu believed that in the next five to ten years, salt-silver convection would be completely replaced by coal-silver convection. It wasn't that southern salt would no longer go north, but its scale would be far smaller than coal-silver convection. Only after the mining at Womagang yielded results would the economic cycle truly establish its foundation.

The Southern Yamen had a lot of resentment. Many people in the Southern Yamen believed that the Northern Yamen was also a negative asset that needed to be liquidated. Specifically, there were discussions in every dynasty about moving the capital back to the Southern Yamen, and the rich mineral deposits in the north would effectively reduce this resentment.

"Your Ministry of War has been plotting this for a long time! Plotting for a long time!" As a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Wang Guoguang finally stopped letting Zhang Xueyan charge into battle after reading the memorial and spoke up directly.

It looked like he was somewhat broken.

"Not long, not long. From the day I entered the capital from Sichuan as a Vice Minister, traveling along the water and horse post stations, I kept thinking: how can these perfectly good post stations be losing money? Since ancient times, golden bridges and silver roads—that post stations could lose money is a strange tale of the world. Post stations are the thoroughfares of the world, connecting all kinds of goods." Ceng Shengwu's "not long" was actually six years. In the third year of Wanli, Ceng Shengwu was promoted to Vice Tan Sima, and since returning to the capital from Sichuan, he had been preparing for this.

Ceng Shengwu said with great certainty, "Since ancient times, merchants cannot travel without strong men. Bandits blocking the road are everywhere. These post station couriers are the best source of soldiers."

Zhu Yijun approved Ceng Shengwu's memorial. The Ministry of War had indeed been plotting for a long time and was very well prepared. The "Regulations for Post Stations" needed to be supplemented, and the regulations regarding silver management and the acceptance of physical goods (coke) had been clearly studied. During the pilot process, problems would be addressed and modified.

Contradictions are resolved one after another. No system is perfect from the design stage; they are all progressive and spiral upward. In ritual and law, this is called "discarding the old and establishing the new."

The Ministry of Revenue's idea to promote the paper currency system fell through again, only obtaining permission to issue paper currency externally at the Nagasaki Viceroyalty.

Minister of Works Wang Daokun reported the construction progress of the *Youlong* and *Feiyun*. If things continued as they were, the expected three-year construction period could be finished half a year early. The *Youlong* and *Feiyun* would definitely be launched on schedule. What gave the Ministry of Works a headache was the Xishan Coal Bureau.

"Your Majesty, this production capacity cannot be lowered, and there cannot be pollution. It would be better to wait until the Suiyuan imperial highway is repaired, and the coal from Datong, Guihua, and Shengzhou can be smoothly delivered to the capital before discussing it." The Ministry of Works' attitude was exceptionally tough. Regarding the production reduction plan, there were only three words: impossible!

When the coal price rose from six wen per jin to two hundred wen per jin, it wasn't the censors who were held accountable, but the Ministry of Works. Even if the Emperor forcibly ordered it, the Ministry of Works would say that the Xishan coal and steel development had a long history, the kiln workers and craftsmen were abundant, and the Ministry of Works had already implemented strategic adjustments for refined steel and coal, improved equipment levels, done a good job in energy conservation and emission reduction, and handled pollution prevention and control to provide power for the Great Ming economic cycle.

If the Emperor asked again, the Minister of Works could only say: "Don't talk about it, don't talk about it."

"The Ministry of Works has its difficulties. I responded because I was at my wit's end, so I can only make do. The Dissection Court made some cotton masks. After the court session ends, everyone take some back. It would be good if the Suiyuan imperial highway were repaired sooner." Zhu Yijun did not force the Ministry of Works to reduce production; the Great Ming needed coal.

The Ministry of Revenue reported the issuance of the Yanxing Tower bills, and the Censorate discovered a batch of corrupt officials, mainly in places like Zhejiang and the Southern Yamen. This place was decadent and prone to corruption. There were 64 people in total, and the specific person in charge was Li Le, the Prefect of Yingtian. Yingtian Prefecture was the Southern Yamen, one of the two capitals, and Li Le was almost certain to be the next Governor of Yingtian.

Because the current Governor of Yingtian, Pan Jixun, strongly requested to go to Suiyuan to serve as Governor. This was a lateral transfer, more like an exile. Pan Jixun wanted to control the Yellow River.

Pan Jixun, who invented the "bundling water to flush sand" method, knew very well that bundling water to flush sand treated the symptoms but not the root cause. To make the Yellow River clear, one had to control soil erosion in Suiyuan.

In terms of Pan Jixun's qualifications, entering the capital from Yingtian would at least make him a Junior Minister of Works. But Pan Jixun gave up his advancement, choosing to transfer laterally from the richest Southern Yamen to the desolate borderland of Suiyuan, just to control the Yellow River.

"Governor Pan is for the country and the people. It would be appropriate for the Governor of Suiyuan to be promoted to Minister of Works." As the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Juzheng requested a higher capital official position for Pan Jixun. In the future, when they met, they would have to call him Pan Butang.

Returning to the capital, Pan Jixun would at least be a Junior Minister of Works, and waiting for a vacancy as a Minister was possible. But Pan Jixun chose Suiyuan. Pan Jixun was also the Great Ming's firmest supporter of recovering the Ordos Loop. He had once discussed the possibility of recovering the Loop with Tan Lun in depth. The Yellow River had a hundred harms; only by capturing this muddy dragon in the Ordos Loop could it be controlled!

The first Governor of Suiyuan was San Niangzi. It was the court fulfilling its promise, and also a helpless move—there was no one else to use. Before there were mines in Womagang and Shengzhou, the Great Ming couldn't even find a few officials willing to go to Suiyuan. Pan Jixun voluntarily requested to go, just to control the Yellow River, setting a model and leading role.

Great Ming scholars were not all full of schemes and tricks, rotten people who would do anything to get promoted.

"What does the Second Grand Secretary think?" Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu.

Wang Chonggu immediately bowed his head and said, "Pan Butang's righteousness is for the world."

Wang Chonggu agreed with the major personnel appointment proposed by Zhang Juzheng and also highly praised Pan Jixun's character. A sentence of "righteousness for the world" was the right path in the human world.

The existence of people like Hai Rui and Pan Jixun raised the average moral level of the Great Ming bureaucracy.

Seeing that the major discussions were finished, Wang Chonggu said, "A strange thing happened recently."

"In Shicheng County, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi, there was an oil seller named Jin Xiao. His name suited him; he was quite filial and made a living selling oil. One day, the oil seller left his house and felt an urgent need. He entered a latrine and picked up a white cloth bundle containing thirty taels of silver. He was overjoyed. Jin Xiao took the silver and returned home happily, telling his mother that he had received good fortune and picked up a lot of silver."

"When his mother heard this, she was immediately shocked and said, 'How could you do such a wicked thing? Could it be theft?' Jin Xiao explained the origin of the thirty taels of silver in detail. When his mother heard the reason, she urged Jin Xiao to find the owner and return it, saying: 'Poverty and wealth are all determined by fate. If you were meant to enjoy it, you wouldn't have been born into a family of oil sellers. If you earn it through hard work, it's fine, but if you receive it without merit, you will suffer disaster instead.'"

Hearing this, Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "His mother is a reasonable person. The person who lost the silver must have been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Thirty taels of silver is not a small amount."

Thirty taels of silver was enough to buy several young maidens.

Wang Chonggu continued, "Indeed. Jin Xiao was a filial person. He listened to his mother and went to find the owner, and that's where things went wrong."

"How did it go wrong? He returned the lost property, Jin Xiao gained peace of mind, and the owner recovered what was lost. How did it go wrong?" Zhu Yijun asked in confusion. How could this be anything but a good thing?

Wang Chonggu shook his head helplessly and said, "This owner was not a kind person. He took back the silver bundle and, fearing that Jin Xiao would demand a reward, conceived a plan. He said there were fifty taels of silver in the bundle, and Jin Xiao had secretly kept twenty taels. This owner was truly furious, shouting to heaven and earth! It attracted neighbors to watch."

"Your Majesty, the county town is full of neighbors. If Jin Xiao were confirmed to have kept those twenty taels, he would never be able to face anyone again. He would be pointed at and scolded whenever he went out. And since Jin Xiao is an oil seller, if his reputation is ruined, he would have to take his old mother and leave his hometown to make a living elsewhere."

"However, Jin Xiao argued loudly, but the owner wouldn't let go. The commotion attracted the watchmen from the drum tower, and the watchmen brought them to the Shicheng County Yamen. The County Magistrate, Chen Zhen, was the 45th in the second rank of the eighth year of Wanli, having just taken office. This was also his first time presiding over a court."

"The neighbors all wanted to see how the new magistrate would judge this."

Zhu Yijun leaned forward and asked, "How did Magistrate Chen judge it?"

Wang Chonggu said calmly, "Magistrate Chen asked the owner, 'How many taels of silver were in your cloth bundle?' The owner said fifty taels. Magistrate Chen immediately understood and said, 'The silver you lost was fifty taels, but what he picked up was thirty taels. This is not yours.'"

"The owner was shocked and hurriedly said, 'This humble person is willing to just take these thirty taels.'"

"Magistrate Chen sternly said, 'If Jin Xiao wanted to steal your silver, why wouldn't he take the whole bundle? Instead, he only hid less than half and confessed it himself, causing all this trouble? This silver shall be awarded to Jin Xiao to support his mother; as for your fifty taels, go find them yourself!'"

"A good judgment." Zhu Yijun highly approved of Magistrate Chen's judgment.

Jin Xiao returned the lost property, the owner tried to frame him, and the magistrate clearly distinguished right from wrong. Since the numbers didn't match, naturally, he couldn't claim it. Since you lost fifty taels, go find them yourself.

Wang Chonggu's expression became serious, and he said, "Your Majesty, Chen Zhen's handling didn't stop there. After Jin Xiao left with the silver and supporting his mother, the County Magistrate had the owner tied up."

"According to the Great Ming Code, false accusations are punished with the same penalty. The owner falsely accused Jin Xiao, and according to the 'Great Ming Code' and 'Great Ming Collected Statutes,' anyone who robs someone of property in broad daylight shall be punished with 100 strokes of the heavy staff and three years of penal servitude. If the stolen goods are heavy, the penalty is increased by two degrees from the theft crime. If someone is injured, the penalty is beheading. Accomplices are each reduced by one degree."

"Therefore, the owner should be punished with 100 strokes and three years of penal servitude."

"Broad daylight is not to distinguish between day and night, but to emphasize that it was in the open and blatant, hence such a heavy penalty."

Zhu Yijun frowned slightly, then relaxed and said, "The punishment is not excessive."

Wan Shihe explained, "To seize something unexpectedly is called robbery; to use force to obtain it is called plunder. This owner incited the crowd, which is plunder. It seems like a small matter, and Chen Zhen seems to have punished too severely, lacking benevolence and forgiveness, but false accusations are punished with the same penalty, so it is justified."

"Wise officials, if the watchman hadn't noticed and called the bailiffs, what would have been Jin Xiao's fate if he were timid and admitted to it? Is his oil stall worth twenty taels of silver? He couldn't afford to pay. Even if he could, would anyone buy his oil in the future? Could Jin Xiao stay in Shicheng County? In this day and age, for commoners to migrate elsewhere is to become refugees."

It seems the punishment is a bit heavy, but if you think about it carefully, if Jin Xiao had admitted it, he would likely have seen his family destroyed.

"If our Great Ming had more honest officials like Chen Zhen, it would be better. Most just want to save trouble and smooth things over. It's convenient for the local area, but smoothing things over is indulgence. Who would dare to return lost property in the future? If other places encounter such things, they will follow old precedents, which will cause even bigger trouble." Zhang Juzheng said with great feeling.

Chen Zhen's severe punishment reached the ears of the Minister of Justice and was even discussed in the Zhao Wenhua Hall. For officials like the County Magistrate, this was a troublesome matter.

To save trouble, local areas will definitely encourage this kind of arrogance. Coupled with the large influx of silver into the Great Ming, people's hearts are not what they used to be, and rituals and music are collapsing—it's all collapsing bit by bit.

The Heavenly Dao is unfair to the virtuous, so naturally, public order and good customs are destroyed. Worldly affairs turn like a wheel.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 452 =====