Chapter 198

200. Chapter 194: Walking on Thin Ice, Like Cooking a Small Fish

The killing spirit of heaven and earth is sinking, the sun is pale, the wind is cold, and the snow is deep.

The inspection team left Daxing County early in the morning and set foot on the official road to Wanping.

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Wanping is only seventy miles away from Daxing, and it can be reached in half a day.

In the past, the Emperor would definitely ride in front to experience the customs along the way, but today's Emperor is hiding in the carriage and sleeping soundly.

From time to time, officials cast their eyes on the Emperor's carriage and discussed secretly.

For example, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, He He Luo Wen, who followed behind, and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Chen Chen Jingbang, who assisted in the military administration of the Beijing Camp.

The two walked behind leading their horses. The two horses behind walked side by side, rubbing their necks, and the two leading the horses walked together, whispering to each other.

"The Emperor left the aftermath to Wei Wei Yunzhen during the day, and I don't know why he suddenly changed his mind in the middle of the night." He He Luo Wen tried to lower his voice as much as possible.

He He Luo Wen is from Henan, and his speech has a slight accent.

Chen Chen Jingbang took his eyes off the Emperor and replied casually: "He was angry. Isn't this kind of thing just full of aftereffects, the more you think about it, the angrier you get? Let alone a young man like the Emperor, after I closed my eyes last night, my head was also full of hideous and cannibalistic faces."

The two were in the same class, both studied in the Hanlin Academy, and both were chosen as lecturers for the Eastern Palace. Now they are also advancing side by side in promotion, so their relationship is naturally not bad.

He He Luo Wen clicked his tongue: "Anger is anger, but in my opinion, it's mostly that the Grand Secretary instigated the Emperor."

"Yesterday evening, I heard that the Grand Secretary sent word to the county Prefectural Yamen, asking Wei Wei Yunzhen to investigate and deal with it strictly, and not to be lenient."

Xu Guo, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, being forcibly taken by the Emperor to try a case can be considered a matter of course.

But Wang Wang Xijue is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. If he hadn't offered himself, how could he have been willful with the Emperor to the county Prefectural Yamen?

Thinking of this, He He Luo Wen glanced at Wang Wang Xijue, who was talking to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Chen Chen Jingbang stroked his beard with a comfortable expression: "If you ask me, Wang Wang Xijue instigated it well. Killing a batch of people to create a deterrent might even persuade some latecomers to rein in their horses at the edge of the cliff."

"Killing life to protect life, Wang Wang Xijue's daughter ascended to heaven, and he himself has now cultivated merit. The whole family is immortal and Buddha."

The first half is serious, and the second half is a joke.

He He Luo Wen shook his head and laughed. Wang Wang Xijue definitely wouldn't like to hear this. Whether his daughter became an immortal or not, he himself knows.

He squeezed beside Chen Chen Jingbang and said helplessly: "We can see it through, but the Grand Minister of Rites can't see it through. He has been muttering along the way."

The Emperor ran to the county Prefectural Yamen to vent his anger last night, and "dealt with" all the nobles, inner court officials, monks, Daoists, and even the Master Zhang and Master Li that Wei Wei Yunzhen had just recorded.

This was so disrespectful to the rites that the Minister of Rites, Wang Wang Zongyi, was furious.

If it weren't for the sake of working for the imperial court, he would have hung up his seal and returned home years ago.

Chen Chen Jingbang laughed: "The Grand Minister of Rites is probably angry now."

"When the Emperor returned last night, he was blocked by the Grand Minister of Rites, who remonstrated face to face, and his tone was extremely impolite."

"It's fine that Vice Minister Xu saw that the situation was not good and ran away, but Minister Wang took advantage and didn't forgive, and had to stand up to defend the Emperor, arguing with the Grand Minister of Rites until his face was red and his ears were red."

Looking at Wang Wang Xijue's appearance, I don't know how he got together with Shen Shen Shixing.

He He Luo Wen shook his head upon hearing this. Wang Wang Zongyi is his immediate superior in the Ministry of Rites after all, so he still has to protect him a little: "It's not the Grand Minister of Rites' fault for holding on to it. After all, the Emperor's move was a bit frivolous."

"I heard that the Emperor was almost bumped into by a bald donkey last night."

Calling the Emperor frivolous is not just because he left the group of ministers and raided the county Prefectural Yamen at night.

It's more that the Emperor went to vent his anger, and his habit of liking to reason has committed again, and he had to personally explain the sins to the bald heads, discussing how they deserved to die.

People know they are going to die, so why care about these things?

Spitting on the Emperor is light. At that time, a martial monk with great strength broke free from the Prefectural Yamen runners' restraint and bumped into the imperial carriage.

Although he was kicked to death by Wang Wang Xijue on the spot, the temporary chaos was inevitable, and the Emperor must have been frightened.

It is fortunate that the Emperor is not a sick man and did not "get sick and unable to get up" like some emperors due to "excessive shock."

Being so frivolous, how can he not be gossiped about by the court officials.

Chen Chen Jingbang was also speechless when he heard this: "There is no way. The Emperor lives in the nine heavens and rarely deals with these monks who have no weaknesses, so he doesn't know what a desperate counterattack is."

"Look at those Master Wangs and Master Lis, aren't they obediently waiting to be slaughtered?"

Eunuchs still marry and adopt sons, but those Buddhas who have cleared their six senses don't have these messy weaknesses.

If their lives are to be lost, they will do whatever makes them feel comfortable, which can be called rampant.

There are also those like Marquis Huairou Shi Lu Guangzu who have families, who would still call "Long Live" while dying even after receiving a hundred and twenty heavy sticks on the spot.

At this time, He He Luo Wen suddenly sighed.

He sighed for no reason: "Although that's the case... but, the Emperor only waits to be slaughtered when he is face to face, what about outside Shuntian Prefecture?"

Chen Chen Jingbang's expression moved.

He looked around for a moment and asked hesitantly: "Are you saying..."

He He Luo Wen met Chen Chen Jingbang's gaze with a worried face: "The capital is shrouded in imperial power, and they still dare to resist. They have to wait until the sword and axe are added to their bodies before they are willing to wake up. What about outside the capital? How many of them are there?"

"Retired high-ranking officials, clansmen in various places, powerful local tyrants, nobles who have bought land, colluding officials and merchants, these characters that local prefectures and counties cannot afford to offend are densely packed in the two capitals and thirteen provinces."

"Two months ago, Sima Zhi wrote to me, asking me if I could cover him if he offended Shen Li, and I couldn't even be sure myself."

"Under such a difficult situation, the land survey and household registration are limited to three years, is it..."

"A bit too eager for quick success and instant benefits."

"Eager for quick success and instant benefits? Fan Gong, don't worry."

Wang Wang Xijue was still very energetic even though he hadn't slept all night, and his voice was loud and clear.

He explained to Fan Xue Yingqi: "Land survey and household registration is not something that came out of thin air. Since Gui E, Guo Huahong, Tang Long, and Ju Jian Xiao successively proposed land survey in the ninth year of Emperor Jiajing, knowledgeable local officials have never stopped knowing and acting on this matter."

"In the tenth year of Emperor Jiajing, Zou Shouyi surveyed land in Anfu, Jiangxi, which took three years."

"In the twelfth year of Emperor Jiajing, An Rushan surveyed land and cleared households in Yuzhou, Henan, which took two years and eight months."

"In the fifteenth year of Emperor Jiajing, Wang Yi measured land and equalized grain in Suzhou, Nanzhili, which took three years and four months."

"In the eighteenth year, Ouyang Duo cleared hidden land in Yingtian Prefecture, which took two years."

"In the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Jiajing, the magistrate of Haiyan County in Jiaxing Prefecture surveyed land for less than three years."

"In the first year of Emperor Longqing, Xu Tianzeng, the magistrate of Haining County in Hangzhou Prefecture, cleared and measured for one year and nine months."

"These officials who were willing to survey land and actively surveyed land never took more than four years!"

Wang Wang Xijue looked at Fan Xue Yingqi and said earnestly: "Some things are not better the wider the time is. You should cut the Gordian knot quickly, so that those capable officials can be distinguished from the lazy ones."

"As for the prefectures and counties that don't succeed in three years, there will be other considerations later."

"A grand undertaking of a hundred years should be done while the Emperor is on the throne, and it must be done once and for all!"

This last sentence was left to Wang Wang Xijue by Zhang Zhang Juzheng when he left the capital.

Today, he presented it to this Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue—such a grand undertaking of a hundred years should be done while the Emperor is on the throne, and it must be done once and for all.

Fan Xue Yingqi sighed for a long time after hearing this, and finally bowed: "The Grand Secretary's good words, I have been taught."

The two are seven years apart, so Wang Wang Xijue called him "Gong" because Fan Xue Yingqi is older.

And the former is slightly inferior in official rank, so he called the latter "Grand Secretary."

Wang Wang Xijue mentioned inadvertently: "If you talk about big tyrants, how many in the world can compare to those of us who are ranked among the Ziwei?"

"As long as we don't collude and make it difficult for the Emperor, then even if there are ten or a hundred times more Marquis Huairou, as long as the enemy and I are clearly distinguished, what is there to fear?"

Although Fan Xue Yingqi is a top scholar, his ability is mediocre.

In the Zhejiang provincial examination, his article was rated as inferior, so he had to become a colonial immigrant and settle in Shuntian Prefecture. Even so, he still paid the "school selection fee," which is a donation, to enter the Imperial College.

He was 193rd in the metropolitan examination, and in the palace examination, because he catered to Emperor Shizong, he was personally appointed as the top scholar.

This kind of resume is not very popular in the officialdom. As soon as he graduated from the Hanlin Academy, he was sent to Nanjing to retire.

If it weren't for the fact that there were too many positions vacated this time, it wouldn't have been his turn to be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, out of distrust of Fan Xue Yingqi's ability, Wang Wang Xijue reminded him tactfully that it doesn't matter if his ability is average, but he must manage himself and his family affairs well, so as not to reveal flaws—in the world, don't fear that the enemy and I are clearly distinguished, fear that you have me and I have you.

Fan Xue Yingqi was about to speak.

Two inner court officials walked up to Fan Xue Yingqi: "Vice Minister Fan, the Emperor has summoned you."

Fan Xue Yingqi reacted and looked at the Emperor's carriage, only to see a monk and a Daoist being led to the Emperor's carriage.

He immediately reacted. This was the aftermath of the Emperor venting his anger last night.

Fan Xue Yingqi had some guesses in his heart, bowed to Wang Wang Xijue, and rode his horse toward the Emperor's carriage.

When he got close, he saw that the so-called monk and Daoist were Daoist Yuanshen and Monk Hongfa—these two were at least the leaders of the Buddhist and Daoist sects in the Beizhili area.

The two were still a bit constrained, with sweat on their necks, obviously rushing all the way, exhausted.

It seems they were scared.

Fan Xue Yingqi mocked in his heart, but didn't show it on his face, just nodded to the two to show courtesy.

Just then, the curtain of the Emperor's carriage was suddenly lifted by two palms.

Zhu Zhu Yijun, with sleepy eyes, yawned, stretched, and drilled out of the carriage.

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty."

Fan Xue Yingqi hurriedly dismounted and bowed.

Daoist Yuanshen's waist bent lower, and Monk Hongfa simply knelt and kowtowed.

Zhu Zhu Yijun jumped off the carriage and reached out to dust his robe: "I said that after inspecting Shuntian Prefecture, I would visit you to reason, but I didn't expect you two to come to the door early in the morning. I don't know if it's a meeting of minds or a sign from the Buddha and Daoist."

Monk Hongfa felt bitter in his heart.

The Emperor has started killing people, can they not come?

In case this Emperor suspects that the Buddhist sect has lost its obedience and is resentful, then he, Monk Hongfa, is afraid he will meet his own Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou.

And Daoist Yuanshen on the side, who had dealt with the Emperor several times, was calmer and calmer. Facing the Emperor's ridicule, he flattered and resolved: "The Emperor is the Daoist who descended to the world. Isn't it a sign from the Daoist that he has a meeting of minds with the Emperor?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

It must be said that although structural oppression cannot be alleviated immediately, it is still very comfortable to kill a few people who eat ugly first.

He waved his hand, signaling the three to stand up, and walked while talking.

"I'll get straight to the point." Zhu Zhu Yijun rubbed his neck, which was sore from sleeping, and opened his mouth: "You don't have to be too panicked. I have always seen the monks and Daoists building bridges and paving roads and helping the common people."

"It's just that I see the black sheep among them violating the precepts, so I have to deal with them according to the law."

"It's not that I have any prejudice against you."

The reassurance still has to be given.

This kind of grassroots organization rooted in the people is not a small matter if it wants to rebel.

Monk Hongfa expressed his position upon hearing this: "The Emperor is a living Buddha and Daoist. It is natural to clean up the sect for us!"

It's not the people of their temple who died, so clapping and cheering is no burden at all.

As long as the Emperor doesn't expand the situation, everything is easy to talk about.

Since Zhu Zhu Yijun said to get straight to the point, he naturally didn't intend to go around in circles.

"Let's talk about lending. You can't do this anymore."

How can you say that the hero is dashing? If Zhu Zhu Yijun knew martial arts, he would be finished after shooting these people, and the aftermath would naturally be handled by the government.

But being an Emperor won't work. After venting his anger, he has to exert another point of strength.

Monk Hongfa and Daoist Yuanshen looked at each other, only feeling that they had bitterness that they couldn't speak.

They are not like the masters in the storybooks who have the final say. At most, they are representatives who are pushed out to kneel and admit their mistakes to the Emperor.

This opening is to move their financial resources. Even if they agree, the temples behind them may not recognize it.

Monk Hongfa hesitated for a moment and asked: "Is the Emperor going to prohibit us from lending?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I haven't been so mediocre yet."

Cutting it all at once is impossible. The root of the problem is that the ability of small-scale peasant economy to resist risks is not good, and there is a natural demand for loans.

Things in the world are like this. The government cannot bear the financial function, and someone will always bear it.

The demand is there, and the invisible hand will always give birth to a carrier that carries usury.

Without temples, there are local tyrants.

Without local tyrants, merchants can also lend.

As for bringing it under the government and unified supervision?

That is even more unrealistic.

Wang Wang Anshi has already tried it. The productivity of feudal society cannot go this way.

If the interest is low, the government will collude with temples and local tyrants. The former will lend to the latter, and the latter will lend to the common people at high interest.

If the interest is not low, it will become a policy of harming the people. The government pulling cattle and tearing down houses is much more ruthless than temples.

To put it bluntly, it is limited by information transmission and cannot achieve too detailed rule.

Daoist Yuanshen asked carefully: "What does the Emperor mean?"

The Emperor must have an idea.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have called the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue over.

Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said: "I'll say a few points, you two listen to it first, Vice Minister Fan, you also write it down."

The three of them were solemn.

Zhu Zhu Yijun deliberated: "I don't care about other things in your temples, but the lending business cannot be unscrupulous anymore. In the future, it must be supervised by the Ministry of Revenue."

"The size of the money, the upper limit of interest, the scope of collateral... etc., must all be within the regulations of the Ministry of Revenue."

"Not only your temples, but also other pawnshops and firms will be treated equally. Those who are unwilling to be supervised when lending will be dealt with according to the law."

To standardize the industry that is growing wildly, having laws to follow is the first step. You can't find other reasons to deal with it every time.

It's about how much skill you have to eat how much food.

Today's government doesn't have the ability to take care of everything, but it is more than enough to do a little supervision—to what extent it is supervised depends on how strong the country is.

Fan Xue Yingqi was shocked upon hearing this, and then he understood why the Emperor called him over.

And then he was overjoyed.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who is in charge of the granary, is just a warehouse keeper. Whether the position is high or not, it is really difficult to produce political achievements.

Now that the Emperor wants to add a new burden to him, it is an obvious good thing for him and the Ministry of Revenue!

Monk Hongfa hesitated: "Your Majesty, all the land under heaven belongs to the King. We should naturally be supervised by the imperial court, but I don't know what specific items are restricted?"

Since Fomen was introduced to the Han land, it has been transformed several times.

The destruction of Fomen by the Three Wus and One Zong has completely completed the localization. The sects that don't listen have either perished or are regarded as obscene sacrifices, shouting and killing.

Being controlled by the imperial court is a matter of course—just like the Monk Recording Division.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was not slow, and said slowly: "First, the interest cap must be set, and you cannot be allowed to do whatever you want. I won't deceive you. You discuss with the Ministry of Revenue and come up with a number that is profitable and can save me a thin face."

Lending sounds like it is profitable regardless of the interest.

But in fact, we have to consider the problem of the extremely high bad debt rate in this era.

Once the interest cap is set low, under the operation of the big market, the law will become a decoration.

So the specific number is really not something I can set casually.

"Second, the way of lending must also be set. There is still room for discussion about the interest rate, even if you set it higher, but it is absolutely not allowed to roll interest, just calculate interest based on the principal."

Daoist Yuanshen's expression moved, and he asked: "Does the Emperor mean that our lending method in the future can only be lent in the style approved by the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Can we add it temporarily?"

He is an eighth-rank praise teacher, so he naturally has to call himself a subject.

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded with a kind expression: "Yes, but if you secretly engage in obscene lending outside the style, don't blame me for being sharp."

This threshold has been set very low, and no too strict restrictions have been added.

The main purpose is to let the central government have a count of these situations, so that there are laws to follow when things happen.

"Third, for common people who are overdue for repayment but have the willingness to continue repaying, they must be allowed to repay the principal first, and delay the repayment period for a certain time."

As soon as the words fell, Monk Hongfa gave a wry smile.

"Amitabha."

He bowed to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, the silver of lending is like a circulating living water. If it only goes out and doesn't come back for a long time, we will also find it difficult to sustain."

Once the gap of extension is opened, it looks like there are fewer bad debts, but the silver stored in the temple is not returned for a long time, which will actually affect the turnover.

If the turnover is slow, won't you earn less?

How can it be as convenient as confiscating land directly.

The first two things the Emperor said were fine, nothing more than changing the way and being flexible, but the third one was a bit inhumane. Do you really treat them as charity?

Zhu Zhu Yijun suddenly turned his head and stared at Monk Hongfa: "Great monk, don't think I'm easy to bully because I'm kind. I just beat more than a dozen bald heads to death last night."

"I am discussing sincerely now. If the great monk is still so grinning, I will beat you to death now."

Monk Hongfa was stagnant upon hearing this.

He suddenly started to sweat coldly on his forehead and knelt down in a panic: "Your Majesty, forgive me."

It is really like accompanying the monarch like accompanying a tiger!

Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "I don't mind you lending money to make money, but I absolutely cannot tolerate you using it as a means to rape people's wives and daughters and annex land. This is my bottom line."

"For specific matters, you can discuss with the Ministry of Revenue and come up with a statement that both sides can accept."

"Anyway, my line is drawn here today. If anyone crosses the line in the future... if you treat the common people as grass, don't blame me for treating you the same way."

This is almost like handling a financial license.

But unlike the shipping license, the financial license is not for profit, but really intends to regulate these vampires.

Regardless of the effect, doing it is better than not doing it.

The two monks and Daoists heard the murderous words of the Emperor and were sweating coldly.

Daoist Yuanshen stammered: "The Emperor is kind, how can I not follow."

Monk Hongfa didn't dare to have extra thoughts: "We will go back and discuss it."

Zhu Zhu Yijun said "um": "I won't see you off."

This is to drive people away.

The two bowed in a panic and left.

After the monks and Daoists left, Fan Xue Yingqi also opened his mouth at the right time: "The Emperor handles things calmly without losing benevolence, truly a holy monarch."

Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Don't flatter me, this is just because the thunder in Daxing County is not loud."

Monks and Daoists are soft persimmons, and they will leak water when pinched.

The rest of the nobles, inner court officials, are also not worth mentioning.

The term "thunder is not loud" is still easy to understand. Fan Xue Yingqi was stunned upon hearing this, and then reacted: "Is there a big event in Wanping?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun sighed: "It's hard to say big or small."

"The statement sent by Wanping Magistrate Zhang Zhang Mengtong just now says that the grass field of the Beijing Camp in the county has now been checked, and half of it has been turned into farmland."

"I don't know how many people in the Ministry of War and the Beijing Camp are involved."