Shen Yixiu, Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin and Yingchun were all waiting for Feng Ziying in the room without resting.
Seeing Feng Ziying come back, everyone gathered around.
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 still has to wait until the court's disposal strategy comes out before he knows what the final outcome of the Jia family will be.
But facing the expectations of his wives and concubines, Feng Ziying couldn't 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 the troops will come to block the water and the soil will cover it. I will try my best. .”
Seeing that Feng Ziying seemed to be in a bad mood, Baochai didn't say much, but Shen Yixiu didn't say much, just stood aside quietly.
After thinking for a moment, Feng Ziying added: "I'm afraid the Rongning Palace cannot be saved. The imperial court is now in financial difficulty. Jiangnan will definitely cut off water transportation, and taxes will not be paid. And the war is about to start, so a large amount of military expenditures will 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, I guess they will not be able to escape. …”
Both Xue Baochai and Xue Baoqin changed slightly, while Yingchun beside them was already in tears. Shen Yixiu was still calm, but frowned. She also considered the problem from a different angle: "My lord, 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 Works 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 the Puppetry of Nanjing, and directly dismissed his nephew who was serving in Nanjing. , his 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 expenditure." Feng Ziying said casually: "Of course, Haitong Bank still has a large amount of money that cannot be borrowed. The court is willing to borrow it 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 going 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) Being the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment is not so confusing. Zhang Gong (Zhang Jingqiu) and the Metropolitan Procuratorate where Master Qiao is located 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 Silver Village..." 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, and Huzhou, 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 is over, those gentry who are on the wrong team will probably 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 yet risen to the point of rebelling. Now that he is being pushed to the forefront, he must calm down and consider a retreat.
It is a good thing that Prince Yitada wins, but if he loses, a big family cannot be destroyed because of it. 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 this situation, Feng Ziying firmly believed that as long as the imperial court could survive this difficult period of the year and the war made progress, Prince Yi Zhong would not be able to sustain it.
The girls were horrified to hear that the imperial court could use the future liquidation of Jiangnan as collateral, but then they thought about it, what's wrong with this?
Since you want to rebel, you must be aware that your body and head are missing, not to mention your little family property. But suddenly thinking of the Jia family, everyone couldn't help but feel a little frightened.
"Ms. Sir, 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 outside 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 extensive," Feng Ziying explained.
Shen Yixiu also saw 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 take my leave first."
It was time to stay in the second room tonight. Shen Yixiu came to express his attitude that he still cared about the Jia family. After all, the husband and the Jia family had a deep relationship, which was 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 relaxed a little, 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 daughters 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 look around. People's eyes turned red and purple.
But now, I don't have that much thought to think about this.
"Ms. sir, can the Jia family really 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 and the others, it will be difficult. How to deal with them in the future. It depends on the situation." Feng Ziying shook her head, "If you just send him to exile, it would be easy. Just clear up the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment, find a safe place, stay for a few years, and then look for opportunities to be pardoned."
The women all gasped. It was easy to be sent to exile. So what could be serious? They didn'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, while scooping water to clean them. 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, it was worth it.
Baochai sat across the kang table with Feng Ziying, while Baoqin and Yingchun sat in the official hat chairs above and below the kang.
"Well, Mr. Xue, this side of the Xue family..." Baochai finally asked the question he was most worried about.
Aunt Xue is the biological sister of Prince Teng. Prince Teng and Niu Jizong are the two leading figures in the Nanjing Puppet Dynasty. 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.
