Although the war in Mobei continued and was even anxious to a certain extent, the eyes of the emperor and the cabinet were focused on the entire world.
With the newly established Anxi Province, the imperial court needs to lose at least three million yuan a year to stabilize it.
In March, an earthquake occurred in Wenshui, Shandong Province, affecting several counties and displacing hundreds of thousands of people...
In April, a major earthquake occurred in Longmen Mountain, Sichuan.
It can be said that what appeared in front of Zhu Yixi at this time was like playing a game. From time to time, people were affected by this disaster and that one was in disaster. News for help from various places continued to arrive in the capital.
But the good news is that due to the previous fiscal reform, the provincial treasury's storage, that is, 10% of the revenue divided from local commercial taxes, allows the governors and others to provide relief to the victims in a timely manner without causing trouble.
Governors in various places are responsible for disaster relief, but they dare not slack off.
The entire Great Tomorrow is still developing rapidly, with stability and peace on a large scale, and the scene of a prosperous age is undoubtedly revealed.
For Hou Fangyu, this was extremely obvious.
The long journey, although far away, made him quite happy.
It has been more than ten years since he was exiled to Yunnan.
He and a group of Donglin Party members, honorable old ministers, opened private schools in Yunnan and Guangxi to teach schoolchildren, which was barely atonement.
In March and April, successive earthquakes in Shandong and Sichuan surprised the emperor and the court. As a last resort, the first general amnesty in the Shaowu period was finally spread throughout the world with the publication of the Ming Dynasty Gazette.
You must know that even when the crown prince was appointed, the emperor was stingy and never granted a pardon.
No wonder everyone thinks that the Ming Emperor was ungrateful and stingy. Look at the Song Dynasty. Song Huizong alone granted amnesty 26 times during his 25 years in power.
Because of this amnesty, Hou Fangyu said goodbye to Yunnan and finally returned home to Henan at the age of thirty-eight.
Having said that, he had to go to Jiangnan first.
At night, the ship was buffeted by the surging waves, and the ship could not stop swaying from side to side. Hou Fangyu put the brush on the inkstone, opened the bag again, stretched out his rough palm, and gently stroked the gray-white robe with his index finger.
Gently stroke it from stitch to stitch.
There are as many thoughts as there are needles.
He could imagine that Li Xiangjun, a person who was so unworldly, had almost bloodstains on his hands to embroider this dress.
"Although Piqiang (Mao Piqiang) said that it is difficult to find him and that there are dangers and dangers, I believe that you will be found."
Hou Fangyu's eyes shone with light.
At this moment, I miss Li Xiangjun more than my parents, wife and children in Guide Prefecture, Henan.
"Dong dong dong——"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Hou Fangyu didn't even raise his head: "Who is coming?"
"Young Master, this is the Duke of Wei——" the maid said softly.
Hou Fangyu then put down his clothes and put them away thoughtfully: "Bring him in!"
Soon, Xu Wenjue, dressed in a blue and white robe, entered slowly, with a smile on his face.
Years of living in Yunnan have left him with slightly frosty temples and dark skin. He does not look like a forty-year-old at all, but rather like an old man.
A pair of eyes, full of vicissitudes and maturity, seem to be filled with stories.
Xu Wenjue was the last Duke of Wei in Nanjing. He inherited the title in the first year of Hongguang, also known as the 18th year of Chongzhen.
Unfortunately, in the 19th year of Chongzhen, the Qing army besieged Nanjing and was forced to surrender to the Qing army along with a group of ministers and nobles.
Fortunately, as the Duke of Wei and the garrison of Nanjing, he was naturally in a leadership position. However, as Emperor Shaowu regained Nanjing, a group of nobles and Donglin Party members suffered.
Take the Duke's Mansion of Wei as an example. The mansion, which covers an area of hundreds of acres and is as luxurious as a royal palace, was confiscated by the court. Ninety-nine percent of the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years was confiscated, and the remaining bit can only sustain a wealthy life.
As for the foundation land, nearly 30,000 hectares of civilian land in the south of the Yangtze River were also confiscated as official land.
What's even more outrageous is that the domestic slaves were demobilized, and a family of more than a hundred people was forced to migrate to Yunnan, where they lived a miserable life.
However, after all the hardships, the amnesty finally came.
Xu Wenjue gathered his mood and stepped into the room.
"Brother Hou, you should be able to arrive at Songjiang Mansion tomorrow."
"The Duke——" Hou Fangyu said politely.
"I am just a commoner now and cannot bear the title of Duke." Xu Wenjue smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"Being able to return to Nanjing and be buried in my ancestral home, I have no regrets in my life."
"The Duke of Wei's palace has just experienced a sudden hardship, and the day when all the hardships will be over and the rewards will come is not far away."
Hou Fangyu felt very sorry for Xu Wenjue.
Under the circumstances at that time, Nanjing was already under siege, and King Fu fled out of the city. With no leader, surrender was inevitable.
However, Emperor Shaowu didn't care about this. He ignored the obstruction and sent all the civil and military ministers who were above the surrender list to the southwest region, including the civil servants who had surrendered in Beijing.
Of course, members of the Donglin Party like Hou Fangyu were no exception. They were all packed up and relocated, including hundreds of families.
Even Qian Qianyi, a literary giant and a high-ranking official in the imperial court, could only die of old age in Guangxi.
"After all the hardships come happiness? Now that I'm back in Nanjing, I have to worry about how to provide for my family's life!"
Xu Wenjue sighed, and then chatted with Hou Fangyu from time to time, obviously trying to ease his fear of being close to home.
Of course, the intention of fawning over Hou Fangyu is also obvious.
Hou Fangyu was the former leader of Fushe. He was a member of Fushe when he was young. He was highly regarded by celebrities in several societies. He was named the Fourth Young Master with Fang Yizhi, Maoxiang and Chen Zhenhui, and he was very famous in the south of the Yangtze River.
Although the top brass of the Donglin Party were blamed, the middle and lower levels were still there, but they were in disarray and disorganized.
And Hou Fangyu's reputation is here, although it will not be able to unite him again, but he has immeasurable political power.
After Xu Wenjue left, Hou Fangyu sighed and prepared to sleep.
At this time, I remembered the sound of soft footsteps, and the charming concubine came over to warm the bed with a candle, her white and delicate face as delicate as a freshly peeled egg.
Holding the woman in his arms, Hou Fangyu thought of Li Xiangjun again. She was also so lovely at that time...
The next day, the ship docked at the dock of Songjiang Prefecture at noon.
Hou Fangyu and others were shocked.
The small port has a lot of ships parked densely, a rough estimate of no less than thirty ships, and its bustling atmosphere seems to make the sea water boil in summer.
Tax collectors in soap uniforms swaggered onto the ship.
Those captains who were arrogant on the ship bowed their heads and flattered them, and their bags of tax money were taken away, but they smiled with their faces.
The long trestle is filled with workers in short brown clothes.
Their limbs are thick, their long hair is tightly tied up, and their dark faces are full of desire.
As soon as they saw the ship approaching, they swarmed in and surrounded the crowd, shouting constantly.
"Sir, you have so much luggage, do you need help carrying it? You see, my arms are so strong, I promise to run fast, I only need ten cents -"
A lean man squeezed over. Looking at Hou Fangyu's dazed look, he thought it was another fat sheep:
"Do you need a car? I see you have a wife. I know someone who rents a carriage. It's cheap and convenient -"
With two strong servants, two maids, and one concubine, Hou Fangyu was not afraid of being bullied. He was just about to agree, otherwise a shout came from the distance.
"Brother Hou, Brother Hou——"
Hou Fangyu looked up and saw two middle-aged men in their forties, surrounded by a group of servants, greeting him.
"Sorry, someone is here to pick me up."
The little man could only return disappointed.
On the side, Xu Wenjue saw this and said with a smile: "Brother Hou, see you in Nanjing."
"See you in Nanjing."
Hou Fangyu witnessed Xu Wenjue's family walking away in a swaggering manner, and then being greeted by a group of carriages, they left with great dignity.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel emotional. It was indeed the Duke of Wei's mansion for three hundred years, and it had a rich heritage!
But at this time, when he saw Maoxiang and Fang Yizhi, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion, and then smiled bitterly.
Maoxiang, whose courtesy name is Pijiang and who calls himself Chao Min. After gaining weight in middle age, his cheeks became fatter. His originally well-proportioned body looked particularly bloated, but he smiled and showed no signs of sadness.
After becoming a Gongsheng student, he was not promoted to a recommendation officer and kept traveling around, reciting poems and having fun, but he escaped the migration that year.
The lean one with shining eyes was Fang Yizhi, a native of Tongcheng, Anhui, with the courtesy name Mi Zhi and the nickname Luqi. He was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Chongzhen. When King Fu was in charge of the country, he offended Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng, so he traveled to the South China Sea.
Who knew that it was a blessing in disguise that Shao Wu was an official during the dynasty and had already reached the Songjiang prefecture, where he happened to come to greet him.
"Although the Xu family is in decline, the Dingguofu in Beijing is still a family. It is not known whether Duke Xu (Xu Yunzhen) surrendered or was killed in the war. However, the court always appeases the old ministers, so he is still a duke.
.”
Seeing that several people's eyes were on the Xu family, Fang Yizhi explained: "Now, in the court, there are only two Dukes of the former dynasty, the Duke of Guizhou and the Duke of Ding."
"We are a family after all." Maoxiang picked up his fan, unfolded a landscape painting, and said with a smile: "If Ding Guogong doesn't take care of Wei Guogong's family, I'm afraid he will be impeached by the civil servants above the court."
"Even the emperor may be unhappy."
Hou Fangyu nodded: "No one likes mean and unkind people."
"Come on, I've prepared a carriage. You and I, my friend, are welcome."
Maoxiang took his hand and boarded the carriage together.
Fang Yizhi smiled and said nothing.
The so-called four young masters are mostly based on literature. Maoxiang has a cheerful personality and is easy to make friends, while Fang Yizhi is mostly silent and a bit withdrawn.
Soon, a banquet to wash away the dust started.
Hou Fangyu talked about Yunnan affairs and the death of Qian Qianyi, but when asked about his dilemma, he instead said openly: "Although there is embarrassment, it is not as painful as Lao Du. Only the homesickness is the most difficult.
Inhibit."
After saying that, he asked about the two of them.
Maoxiang said calmly: "You know that I don't like to be an official by nature. I talk, laugh, banquet and have fun all day long. I have lived a happy life, and it is not a loss."
As he spoke, he pointed at Fang Yizhi and said: "This Fang Mizhi fled from Beijing to Nanjing, and then to Fujian. After a long period of turmoil, he finally entered the officialdom again, rose to prominence, and is now the prefect of Songjiang."
Fang Yizhi smiled: "Every step of the officialdom is frightening, but it's not as happy as you."
"By the way, Songjiang is so prosperous. It seems that Brother Fang has made a great contribution." Hou Fangyu praised: "When I just got off the boat, I almost thought I had arrived at Quanzhou or Nanjing Wharf!"
"Songjiang Prefecture has a customs house."
Fang Yizhi shook his head with a smile and said: "Because of this customs, cotton from Songjiang Prefecture is continuously transported to the northern provinces, as well as North Korea and Japan."
"Customs?" Hou Fangyu was stunned. This is a new word, but it is also an old word.
For him, after staying in Yunnan for more than ten years, the customs only heard the name, but did not see the reality. He had no idea at all.
"Customs means the gateway to the sea." Fang Yizhi said solemnly: "The Ming Dynasty has eight major customs, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Songjiang, Tianjin, Nanjing, and Yuegang."
"The imperial court has a customs office, which is responsible for collecting taxes. Goods traveling from south to north can be exported through the customs and can also be imported from overseas."
"For example, grains from Guangdong and Annan can come up from south to north and appear on the market in Songjiang Prefecture. The prices are low and they are loved by the people."
At this time, Hou Fangyu felt a little different. The words "door open wide" came to his mind, and he was in a trance for a while.
"If you say so, he doesn't have the intuition to talk about taxes." Maoxiang urged.
Seeing his appearance, Fang Yizhi chuckled lightly and said: "In the tenth year of Shaowu, that is, last year, Songjiang Prefecture taxed three million silver yuan a year."
"The Spring and Autumn Taxes are over one million, and the commercial tax is two million. Compared with the previous dynasty, it has doubled, and is even higher than that of Suzhou Prefecture."
"And among them, the salt tax and customs duties were all taken away by the court..."
Hou Fangyu was speechless.
In the pre-Ming Dynasty, Suzhou Prefecture's tax revenue was 2.8 million shi, and Songjiang Prefecture's tax revenue was 1.2 million shi. Now it is more than Suzhou, which is really surprising and inexplicable.
The power of customs is terrifying.
Returned drunk at night.
During the day, accompanied by Maoxiang, Hou Fangyu wandered around Shanghai County.
What impressed him deeply was not the businessmen with southern and northern accents, but the sound of the machines on the street, which almost floated over the entire county.
Every household has looms, but passers-by turn a blind eye to them.
"This is a ZTE machine. Its output is several times that of the previous one. It is very popular." Maoxiang chuckled and said: "We were worried about not having enough cotton cloth before, but now we are all worried about how to sell the cotton cloth."
Hou Fangyu remained silent.
In the next few days, he headed north. People from almost every county hosted banquets for him. It took him more than half a month to arrive in Nanjing.
When he arrived at Baozhen Temple in Qixia Mountain, he asked about news about Li Xiangjun and Bian Yujing, and received a negative reply:
"The two female donors often went to Nanjing back then, seemingly to visit the Qian Mansion, but then they left for more than a year without a trace."
"But he is dressed gorgeously, so he must have found a better home."
The last sentence was full of innuendo, but Hou Fangyu couldn't care less.
When he came to Qian's house, he saw Mrs. Qian and Liu Rushi.
Faced with his purpose, Liu Rushi seemed unwilling to mention it further, and just said: "Jun Hou, you should go home! It will not be good for you to know too much."
Hou Fangyu immediately collapsed on the ground and murmured: "Xiangjun, Xiangjun, how can I live without you -"