Yan Song got a secret letter the next day, Xu Hai and his party also returned to the capital to resume their duties. Jiajing Emperor took the time to summon Xu Hai, Peng Cheng and his party in the East Warm Pavilion of the Wu Yi Hall, with Yan Song, the first cabinet minister, and Xu Ji, the second minister, accompanying him.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor ……”
Xu Hai, Peng Cheng and the others stepped into the Winter Warmth Pavilion after the eunuchs had summoned them, and respectfully performed a great salute to pay their respects to Emperor Jia Jing.
Jiajing Emperor is still wearing a blue cloth gossip Taoist robe, sitting on the dragon chair, dragon chair with a gossip cushion, body thin, but majestic. To be Xu Hai and other people salute line after ten thousand, Jiajing Emperor a flutter sleeve, hand on the dragon chair, faintly asked: “Free, you and other this verification, how is the situation?”
Xu Hai as the verification team responsible for on, respectfully opened his mouth back: “back to the saint, impeachment is not true. Zhu Pingan in Jingnan and no collusion with grain merchants, accepting bribes, it is not only no fault, but rather merit. Half of Jiangnan, a sad and miserable, only Zhu Pingan under the rule of Jiangnan, grain and rice, like a paradise.”
When Xu Hai reported back, Peng Cheng, Zhang Wenbo and others respectfully stood aside, lowered their heads and looked at their toes. This is the rule, more than one person to participate in the summons, there can only be a leader to answer the saint’s enquiry, the rest of the people can’t interrupt, not to mention not to talk to each other, the only time they can open their mouths is when the saint asks them about someone in particular.
“Oh?”Emperor Jiajing heard, slightly surprised, asked with interest, “How did Kid Zhu do it?”
“Back to Your Majesty, Lord Zhu has taken precautions before the flood came ……”Xu Hai then briefly reported out Zhu Pingan’s practice of preventing in advance in Jingnan, defining the price of food, soliciting public donations, and providing food through labour.
“The world is all about profit, and the world is all about profit. Kid Zhu used profit as bait to lure grain merchants in, deeply understanding the mystery of the word ‘profit’, a ghost talent.”Jiajing Emperor commented on Zhu Pingan’s behaviour in defining grain prices.
“What you said just now, the grain merchants donated one hundred thousand taels? Can the figure be true? Is it true that Zhu Pingan has no corruption?”
Emperor Jiajing asked again.
“Back to Your Majesty, the numbers are true, Zhu Ping An is indeed no corruption. There are donation books and donation announcements to prove it, I have already transcribed them.”Xu Hai respectfully replied, saying that he took out from his arms several donation books and transcribed donation announcements that he brought back from Jingnan.
Huang Jin went down and took the relevant documents from Xu Hai, respectfully handing them over to Emperor Jiajing with both hands for review.
Jiajing Emperor read once, can not help but shake his head and laugh, “Zhu kid even Zhang San donated 5 eggs, Wang Wu donated 2 catties of green vegetables are publicised ……Every donation and expenditure are all recorded in the book, it seems that it is indeed innocent, which reminds me of Zhu kid’s bare bottom auditing of the Taicang.”
“Weizhong, you guys take a look too.”
Jiajing Emperor said to Yan Song and Xu Jie, signalling Huang Jin to pass the relevant documents to the two to browse.
“Open and transparent, ingenious ……A donation publicity form, a donation use form, every donation’s coming and going is clearly recorded, and Zhu Pingan’s innocence can be seen from this.”Yan Song after reading, to Zhu Pingan did not mince words of praise, completely is a pair of appreciation to carry the younger generation of elders posture.
“Zhu Pingan is indeed innocent.”Xu step simply echoed a sentence, there is a smile at the corner of his mouth.
“How could a merchant have such financial power? A grain merchant in the district of Jingnan has donated one hundred thousand taels? Grain merchants are especially rich like this, wouldn’t salt merchants be even more so?!”Jiajing emperor finger gently knocked the dragon chair armrest, face uncertain, sweeping Yan Song and Xu step, “but in, Hua Ting, you turn back with the Ministry of households, the Ministry of war, the salt inspector and other divisions, and then discuss the give the middle Zhu Bochen on the that “discuss the change of the salt law negligence”, the day after tomorrow to come up with a statute again, reported with me to listen.”
Last month, the governor Zhu Bochen proposal to change the salt law, to the positive salt with a residual salt, to solve the problem of insufficient pay in recent years caused by the northern invasion of the southern Japan, Zhu Bochen suggested that where the businessman reported in the positive salt of one citation, allowed to bring its residual salt two citation, each for a packet, and even the packet of the rope a total of two hundred eighty-five catties. Positive salt open side, the Ministry of households in Nanjing to the citation, the remaining salt price, the Department of Transportation to give a small ticket. The price of the remaining salt was set at 5.5 cents in Huainan and 5 cents in Huaibei. Each year, salt, salt, salt silver about one million and ten thousand taels, to make up for the soldiers’ pay.
Jiajing Emperor at the time read, the one million and ten thousand taels of salt silver is also very satisfied, intends to approve the implementation, but now from the Jingnan grain merchants donated the number of view, this one million and ten thousand taels of salt silver is still less.
In terms of profitability, salt trading can be much more profiteering than grain trading, with the contrast, how would Emperor Jiajing be satisfied.
“I obey the decree.”Yan Song and Xu Shi both bowed to receive the decree, for Jiajing Emperor’s thoughts they understand.
“By the way, Zhu kid in Jingnan engaged in work for food, you again with me in detail.”Jiajing Emperor once again said to Xu Hai.
“Obey the decree. Lord Zhu organised the disaster victims in Jingnan to carry out engineering construction, including the construction of water conservancy, building city walls, reclaiming wasteland, building anti-Japanese sentry forts, etc., in the form of paying wages as an alternative to direct relief. Lord Zhu said that this would not only enable the people to earn their own living and live with more dignity, but also form a group of projects that would be beneficial to the long term stability of Jingnan ……”Xu Hai reported in detail what he had seen and heard in Jingnan.
Jiajing Emperor nodded at the words, and asked how the flood situation in Jiangnan, Xu Hai replied truthfully one by one.
“What else do you have to report on this trip?”Emperor Jiajing asked again after understanding the situation.
Xu Hai deliberated for a while, and reported the secret folds raised by Zhu Pingan to Emperor Jiajing truthfully.
“Back to Your Holiness. After this incident, Lord Zhu had a feeling and mentioned an idea.”Xu Hai reported.
“What idea?”Emperor Jiajing asked with interest.
“Back to Your Holiness, it’s a secret fold! Lord Zhu conceived the idea that the courtier who was granted the right to secret fold by the Holy Spirit, the courtier wrote a secret fold, sealed in a specific box, sent a special person to send send to the capital, not through the post, and not through the General Secretary, will be extremely door and other have the Department, straight to the Imperial Court, sent to the Holy Spirit Royal approval. The contents of the secret folders were only known to the Emperor and the two subjects who submitted them. Secret fold is not limited to the content, including impeachment, suggestions, political reports, etc., all hearings can be reported, so as to open up a wide range of speech, expanding the channels of information …….”
Xu Hai respectfully back, will Zhu Pingan on the idea of secret fold, etc., truthfully reported to the will Jiajing Emperor.
Intelligent as Jiajing Emperor, instantly penetrated the utility of the secret fold, immediately eyes bright, motionless nodded.
After Xu Hai reported, Jiajing Emperor did not comment, will look to Peng Cheng, Zhang Gu Yi and others asked: “You can have to add?”
“Back to Your Majesty, what Lord Xu has said is exhaustive, claiming that we have nothing to add.”Peng Cheng and the others returned.
“In that case, you and others retire, but Zhong you stay.”
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand at Xu Hai and the others, signalling them to retire, causing Yan Song, Xu Shi and the others to stay.
“I and the others will retire.”Xu Hai and the others excused themselves.
“Weizhong, Huating, regarding the secret fold proposed by Kid Zhu, what do you think?”
As Xu Hai and the others were walking out of the Winter Warmth Pavilion, they heard Emperor Jiajing’s voice behind them asking Yan Song and Xu Shi.
