Chapter 318: Follow the undercover agent who went overseas
On the day the overseas recruitment center was decided, the feudal princes had already begun active operations.
Industry? There are plenty of them ready.
Several feudal princes thought about it privately and decided not to wait.
Whichever company's industry is the busiest in the capital will be directly converted into a recruitment hall.
Several feudal lords checked and found that there were quite a few shops that met this requirement, so they directly gave one of them with the largest area as a gift.
Then we worked on the plaque overnight and expected to open the door the next day.
The earlier this recruitment hall starts, the earlier it will attract talents.
For the vassals who wanted to go overseas to establish their kingdoms, it was certainly a dream come true.
After the morning court, Qi Tai also came to Zhu Ying to report on his work.
"It's been more than a month, but I still understand the situation."
In the main hall of Kunning Palace, Zhu Ying was the first to speak.
Qi Tai must be a capable minister, and Zhu Ying can be sure of this. Such a minister is very loyal, very knowledgeable, and even has a photographic memory, which is quite useful.
When Qi Tai heard this, his face felt bitter.
"Reporting to Your Highness, my trip to Henan is really consistent with what Your Highness said. I disguised myself and visited secretly. As expected, many people's private lands have been sold to local squires."
"Some squires are blatant and have no scruples, while others are more shrewd and do not let outsiders know about them. If I hadn't worked deeply in them, I might not have known about them."
Qi Tai's tone was a bit sad. In order to get the real information, Qi Tai was willing to risk everything.
Just disguise yourself as a refugee and go undercover to work as a day laborer among the squire.
Qitai is not from a wealthy family, and is not unfamiliar with these things. After some probing, he found that this situation is almost the same as His Highness Taisun's guess.
These squires, out of fear of taxation or the problem of having large trees attracting wind, did not go to the government to notify them after receiving the land deeds from the people, so they just hid it.
If someone from the government comes to investigate, it will be these ordinary people who come forward.
At that time, Qi Tai was actually a little confused as to why the common people did not expose this matter, but instead tried their best to help the squire conceal the fact.
After some questioning, I found out that in the eyes of the people, the squire's rescue was considered a kindness.
The squires and the common people, who were mostly from the same village, were given relief grains. After surviving the most difficult period, they worked for the squires as long-term workers and did not have to worry too much about the harvest. Even if there was another famine, there would be landlords standing in the way.
, at least not to starve to death.
In this way, it seems logical to help the squire hide it.
From a moral point of view, there seems to be no problem, because these land deeds were not bought and sold by the gentry, but were accepted by the people themselves after begging hard.
Qi Tai has visited many places and found that such things as seizing land are rare, and most of them are done by kind people.
This made Qitai feel very uncomfortable in his heart.
Qi Tai also slowly told His Highness Taisun these thoughts.
"Your Highness, I am a little confused. I was originally investigating as a royal censor, but I found that I had no way to punish those squires. Instead, I felt that what they did under such circumstances was very reasonable."
After hearing what Qi Tai said and the expression on his face, Zhu Ying nodded slightly and said: "You are right. In this matter, if the squire is punished too much, it will lead to complaints from the people."
"And your feeling is correct. These squires are indeed good people, not bad people."
Qitai replied: "But they have violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty by buying and selling property privately."
According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, land deeds can be traded, but they must be registered with the government and must bear corresponding taxes.
The ones with more land will naturally have higher taxes. Although there are privileges for raising people, only a certain amount of land does not need to be taxed.
This does not mean that no tax will be paid on any property in your name.
It's just that the magistrates and county magistrates tend to be more respectful towards the person's status and will not conduct a thorough investigation easily.
A certain candidate may be appointed as a candidate for an official position.
Zhu Ying sighed softly: "It's almost what I thought. In fact, things like this are very common in all dynasties and generations, but no one really cares about it."
"When the accumulation reaches a certain level, any fluctuations will be very uncomfortable for the entire country."
"Sometimes the choices made were not made at the beginning. Like this land annexation, the current squire is kind, but as more and more annexations occur, the situation will slowly happen.
Variety."
"Besides, even if he doesn't do it now, what about the future? What about his descendants?"
"When hundreds of miles of surrounding land are in the hands of one person, what would happen if he had any bad thoughts at this time?"
"At least, even if you are the county magistrate, you should give me some face."
"Have you ever heard of a saying that before the Yuan Dynasty, there was a strong family and a smooth emperor?"
"What you see now is the rumored thousand-year-old family. They didn't look bad at first, but as time goes by, they become completely different."
"Our Ming Dynasty is different. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, almost all the aristocratic families in the Central Plains were wiped out by the Mongols. That's really clean."
"So, do you think that such aristocratic families, like those that existed hundreds of years ago or even thousands of years ago, should continue to exist."
Zhu Ying briefly introduced the formation of the family, and then asked Qitai.
Hearing this, Qi Tai said firmly: "The family must be resolute and clear. This is harmful to the country but not beneficial. It seems to be a small gain for the people, but it is trapping everyone in their own hands."
.”
"It's just that I don't understand how to punish them under the current situation."
Qi Tai finally said with some distress that as a censor, he had a lot of power to investigate Henan, but even after he came back, he did not submit the memorial in the end, but chose to report his work to His Highness Taisun.
"Why do they need to be punished? Not only are they not guilty now, but they have countless people alive. They can be considered meritorious."
Zhu Ying asked rhetorically.
"This..." Qitai was a little confused.
Zhu Ying replied: "This is not a fundamental problem. What you are seeing now is just that it is only in Henan, and it happened after the plague, so it is like this."
"Do you think the entire Ming Dynasty can manage such a large territory? Even if dozens or hundreds of people are killed, it will not solve the problem at all. Instead, it will cause resentment among the people."
"The most fundamental reasons for this are private land transactions and the problem of people's food and clothing."
"It's just the right time for you to come back. I will tell Grandpa recently that you will be responsible for the promotion of sweet potatoes."
"These high-yield crops are very important to the Ming Dynasty. I need someone who can actually do things and put the seeds of these sweet potato crops into the hands of the people."
"Only in this way can they quickly break away from the relationship with the squires. If the people all over the world depend on the squires for their livelihood, do you think our Ming Dynasty is still the Ming Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Tai immediately realized that His Highness Taisun wanted to reuse him.
Regarding the sweet potato, it is no secret in the court now, but it is still in the expansion stage.
He did not expect that His Highness Taisun would be responsible for such an important matter.
This also makes it clear why His Highness Taisun asked him to secretly investigate the situation of land annexation in Henan and other places.
Only by understanding these situations can we better understand how these sweet potato crops can be truly put into the hands of the people.
And as His Highness Taisun said, if the people are controlled by the gentry, the court's orders will not reach the people at all.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will do my best and go all out, and I will not disappoint Your Highness."
Qitai said in a deep voice.
To Qi Tai, being able to win the favor of His Highness Taisun is a rare opportunity.
It is also the first step to realize your ambition.
Zhu Ying nodded slightly in approval.
Zhu Ying still highly recognized scholars like Qi Tai.
Being able to make no mistakes in my nine years as an official is something more than rigorous.
This represents the principle of a high degree of self-discipline.
According to Qitai himself, in order to find out the truth, he was able to put aside his appearance and disguise himself to work in a squire's home.
Such behavior, even in the previous life, was rare.
For such officials, it is natural that they should be used more frequently and reused.
Not long after Qi Tai left, Ye Yueqing came over.
Ye Yueqing is not permanently stationed in the palace. Because of the information provided by the Chamber of Commerce, he often needs to travel back and forth.
"Your Highness." Ye Yueqing bowed.
It's just that this time, the look in Zhu Ying's eyes was slightly evasive.
Just now on the way to Kunning Palace, I happened to meet Concubine Ning today.
Concubine Ning saw Ye Yueqing and started chatting with her.
Obviously, Ye Yueqing was still a little shy about the content of the conversation.
So much so that when I see Zhu Ying now, her face is still a little rosy.
Zhu Ying didn't think much about it. It was still a bit hot now. Ye Yueqing was already fair, so it was normal for her cheeks to be red.
"Guo Zhong, bring the frozen watermelon from the ice cellar."
"I obey the decree."
After receiving the order, Guo Zhong quickly went down. Only Ye Yueqing and Zhu Ying were in the room.
There was a homemade ice cellar in the palace, and the use of saltpeter to make ice has long been popular. Nowadays, even those with better conditions at home will make an ice cellar.
Just to cool down in this hot summer.
If the weather is too cold at night, eunuchs will drag large pieces of ice from the ice cellar and put them in the room to eliminate the heat.
There is also artificial fanning.
The feeling is similar to that of air conditioning, but most people can't afford it.
Zhu Ying, who was the first to come into contact with him, was also a little surprised.
However, this kind of enjoyment was already very popular at least during the Song Dynasty.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ye Yueqing quickly replied after hearing this.
Zhu Ying waved her hand and said, "There's no need to be so polite."
Ye Yueqing lowered her head slightly to cover up the shyness in her eyes, and at the same time softly said 'hmm'.
Zhu Ying didn't pay much attention and asked directly: "I heard that my uncles are very concerned about the overseas recruiting centers."
"What happened in the morning seems to be almost ready now that it's not even time for dinner."
Hearing the discussion of business, Ye Yueqing's mind turned back and replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, the relatively large shop currently on the bank of the Qinhuai River, diagonally opposite our teahouse, has now put up the sign of Recruitment Hall.
."
"That is the property in the name of His Highness King Qin, but it is said that someone has sent someone to deliver the property deed to the internal funds."
Zhu Ying nodded.
He knew that shop. It was originally a pawn shop and the quality was pretty good.
The most important thing is that the backyard is very large.
It was the property of his second uncle. When he first arrived in the capital and didn't know his identity, Zhu Ying had thought about buying this shop.
After I found out about it later, I didn't pay too much attention to the development of Qunying Chamber of Commerce in the capital.
Of course, this does not mean that it does not matter to the Chamber of Commerce, but because of my own status, I can definitely provide too many conveniences to the Chamber of Commerce.
If the Chamber of Commerce still cannot make money despite having such a huge advantage, then it will consider replacing a group of people.
"How many of our people have been prepared so far and can be transferred to the capital within the next month."
Zhu Ying suddenly asked, seemingly a little inexplicable.
Ye Yueqing understood the meaning and replied: "Currently, we have decided on thirty-two people. There are still some who are not sure about their loyalty. After all, we are overseas. If there is any accident, it will also be a problem for other people."
Zhu Ying heard this, nodded slightly, and then said: "Thirty-two people are too few. Let's lower the requirements a little. After leaving the Ming Dynasty and going overseas, some things are very certain, but in terms of interests, we have a lot of confidence.
Great control.”
"Furthermore, even if you seem loyal now, you may still make mistakes over time. No one can guarantee these things."
"What we have to do is to arrange for our people to go in as much as possible, and that's it."
Hearing Zhu Ying's words, Ye Yueqing nodded slightly.
"Your Highness means roughly how many people need to be arranged to go in."
Zhu Ying thought for a while and said: "At least about a thousand people, both civil and military. As for the military attachés, I will make other arrangements when the time comes, so don't worry."
Ye Yueqing replied: "Yes, Your Highness."
Regarding overseas recruiting agencies, given Zhu Ying's temperament, she naturally had to arrange more people of her own.
As early as when preparing this plan, Zhu Ying had already told Ye Yueqing to prepare everything that could be used and willing to go.
Anyway, Zhu Ying must be responsible for the recruitment hall. Of course, it must be waterproof for his own people.
This is not something that the feudal king can decide on his own.