"Master Zhang, please be patient. Do you think there is anything wrong? Our family is going to do something, do you think our family shouldn't do it?" Liu Jin said in a deep voice.
"Eunuch Liu, of course this matter is inappropriate. This kind of thing is out of the question. How many people will be offended by the rectification of the farmland? Does Eunuch Liu want to make people angry and become the target of public criticism? Even if Eunuch Liu wants to do something, he must not act too hastily. Nowadays, the government and the opposition
The situation is not stable, and the embers of the outer court are not extinguished, and the tigers are watching. Don't you think it's dangerous to offend a large group of people at this time?" Zhang Cai said loudly.
Liu Jin frowned and did not answer.
Zhang Caidao: "I want to know, who gave me this idea to my father-in-law? If your guess is correct, it must be Jiao Fang, right? Eunuch Liu, I want to tell you something you don't like to hear. Jiao Fang is someone who has
He has different intentions and cannot be trusted. How can you listen to what he says? Jiao Fang is pushing my father-in-law into a pit of fire. Why doesn’t my father-in-law discuss it with me? "
Liu Jin finally couldn't bear it anymore.
"Master Zhang, our family knows that you are dissatisfied with me because I failed to let you become the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. You are unhappy in your heart, so you are angry in your heart. Recently, you have stopped joining our family, and Master Jiao is also very upset.
dissatisfaction. We can understand your mood, but
Yes, you have seen the situation. It is not that our family did not try our best, we were just stabbed in the back by those nobles. Even if you are unhappy, you can't vent your anger on us, right? Our family wants to tell you this, but we
I'm afraid that you, Master Zhang, won't show appreciation, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"
Zhang Cai was stunned and shouted: "Father, I am not unhappy. Moreover, these are two different things. They are irrelevant. What I said is that this matter is inappropriate at the moment, but there is absolutely no other emotion."
Inside."
Liu Jin said in a deep voice: "What's wrong? Our family feels that it's quite appropriate. What our family lacks right now is real merit, otherwise why would we be restrained by those people? It's not because the emperor still has doubts about our family's abilities.
?Once our family accomplishes this great thing, the Emperor will be completely loyal to me.
I have complete peace of mind and trust. By then, whatever I say will be what I say, and who can object? Whatever I do, the Emperor will support me. By then, let alone let you be the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, let you join the cabinet.
No one objects. Mr. Zhang, think about it carefully, is this true?"
Zhang Cai frowned and said: "I understand what my father-in-law means. My father-in-law just wants to do something to prove himself so that those young people will not dare to underestimate my father-in-law. But... if you want to make contributions, you have to see what you can do.
This is a thankless job, and my father-in-law is asking for trouble. If he messes up, his reputation will be ruined, and the impact will be huge."
Liu Jin said coldly: "Mr. Zhang, what do you mean? Do you think our family is overestimating its own capabilities? Before anything is done, you say you are going to mess it up. Are you deliberately causing trouble for our family? Are you?
Do you also look down on our family?"
Zhang Cai said in astonishment: "My father-in-law, how could my father-in-law have such intention? My father-in-law and my father-in-law had the earliest relationship. When my father-in-law was still in the East Palace, my father-in-law, my father-in-law, I respected him very much. How could my father-in-law misunderstand my father-in-law?"
Liu Jin sighed and said: "Master Zhang, it has not been easy for our family to get to this point today. You have also seen that the foreign court wants to put our family to death. Those people are slandering our family outside every day, saying that our family is bewitching the emperor.
Tempt the emperor and say that our family is a disaster to the country
He is a person who brings disaster to the people. Our family walks on thin ice every day, as if facing an abyss, fearing that if we are not careful, we will be doomed. In the palace, we must satisfy the emperor. Outside, we have to guard against the criticism of these villains. Think about it, our family has lived
What kind of day is it?"
Zhang Cai said softly: "It's not easy for Eunuch Liu, I am so moved by this official."
Liu Jin shook his head and said: "You can't empathize with me, you don't know this kind of suffering. Think of me, Liu Jin, who worked loyally and never offended anyone before, but suddenly I attracted so much criticism that I wanted to tear me into pieces. That's
Why? It’s not me, Liu Jin, who has hindered their eyes and blocked their
Is there any way? It's not that our family has done anything wrong, but that they think our family is wrong and they want to destroy our family. Our family can see it clearly. There is no right or wrong in doing things. It depends on whether you have enough heart.
Cruelty, whether the means are tough enough, and whether the power in hand is strong enough. These are the standards of right and wrong."
Zhang Cai looked at Liu Jin blankly, looking at Liu Jin's somewhat distorted face, and thought in his heart: "What he said is a bit crazy, but what he said is actually right."
"Now that I, Liu Jin, am in the position I am today, I don't know how many people hate me for being a shareholder. How many pairs of eyes are staring at our family, looking for our family's faults, trying to pull our family down and send them to the eighteenth level of hell. Our family
Is there still a way out? Our family is not ignorant of the risks of this matter. However, if this matter is accomplished, our family has also accomplished something that no one in the entire court can do. Improve the fiscal revenue of the court, and
That is a major event related to the continuity of our Ming Dynasty. If our family succeeds, do you think anyone will dare to covet our family and disrespect our family? I want to prove that I am better than all of them. I want to
The emperor understands that I really care about his throne and his empire. This is why I took this risk. Mr. Zhang, can you understand our family's painstaking efforts?" Liu Jin said in a deep voice.
Zhang Cai sighed and said: "The greater the risk, the greater the reward. My father-in-law is a very human being, very courageous and decisive in his actions. I admire him very much. However, I still want to ask Eunuch Liu to think twice."
The path to wealth is like killing your parents. What my father-in-law is going to do is tantamount to killing your parents. They will hate my father-in-law to the core."
Liu Jin laughed and said: "It's as if if our family doesn't do this, they don't hate our family. They just hate me. Our family likes to see them hate me to the core, but they can't do anything about it. Our family just wants to
Cut off their money and watch them jump around. Mr. Zhang, don’t look at them as fierce and evil, but in fact they are all very timid. Have you heard? Let’s invite
The emperor had some conversations with the two princes, and the two princes agreed wholeheartedly. What does this mean? It means that they are hopeless. They will only feel resentment in their hearts, but can't do anything. Our family really hopes that they will
They can be tough, but it's a pity that they look like tigers, but in fact they are just kittens hiding in the corner and trembling. I can see through them."
Zhang Cai said in a deep voice: "Eunuch Liu, don't take it lightly. A dog will jump over the wall in a hurry, and a cat will scratch people when it is fierce."
Liu Jin said: "Master Zhang, don't worry. Our family will not offend everyone. This time we will kill the mice first and save the princes and princes for later. Our family will send people to rectify the military camp first.
, clean up these farmlands occupied by officials and military officers in border towns. After this matter is completed, we will go back to deal with the manor acres occupied by the relatives and ministers of the DPRK. Our family must step by step
Come on, deal with them step by step. The mouse is dead, and the cat will not live long. This time our family must let everyone see that I, Liu Jin, am not Liu Jin in their eyes. I can also do earth-shattering things.
, is no worse than their group of civil servants and princes. He is also a person worthy of the emperor's trust and can make great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. This time, he will definitely succeed."
Zhang Cai pondered for a long time and said softly: "Well, it seems that Eunuch Liu has made up his mind. If you try to persuade me to go down, I will make you unhappy. In this case, there is no need to say anything. Eunuch Liu, please go down and take the tassel for your father-in-law."
Go clean up the military camp. I will make sure nothing goes wrong."
Liu Jin said with a smile: "That's not necessary. There's no need to kill a chicken with a bull's knife. Mr. Zhang has to keep an eye on those people in the outer court for me to prevent them from doing tricks. As for the matter of rectifying the military camp, we can let others do it.
"
Zhang Cai frowned and said, "My father-in-law, can you tell me who you want to send to handle this matter?"
Liu Jin said: "Zhou Dong, the Young Minister of Dali Temple, is good. Although this guy has scolded me, we think he is capable. He is very courageous if he dares to scold us. We just send him to handle this matter."
"
"Zhou Dong?" Zhang Cai said in astonishment: "This person has no knowledge, no skills, great ambitions and little talent, is greedy for money and lust, and has a very bad reputation. How can my father-in-law send him to do such a big thing? Doesn't it have to be bad?"
Liu Jin raised his voice and said: "Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about? I don't know how to learn, I don't have the skills, I have the ambition, I don't have the talent? I am a scholar in the imperial examination high school just like you. I am greedy for money and lust? Is that considered a shortcoming? Who in the world is not greedy for money? You Zhang Cai
Aren’t you greedy for money? Are you lustful? Which of you is not lustful? You, Mr. Zhang
You like fishing the most. The concubine of Liu Jie, the prefect of Fuzhou, your hometown, was beautiful. You recommended Liu Jie to the post of Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, and then asked for reward. You directly took his beautiful concubine into the car and went home, treating it as
Revenge. Don’t think that our family doesn’t know about this. Hahaha, our family didn’t say a word to you.”
Zhang Cai's face turned red and she couldn't say a word.
…
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, when every household was killing the New Year pig to welcome the new year, Liu Jin summoned the ministers of the foreign court and the princes and princes to read out an imperial edict.
"By God's blessing, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict: Recently, all ministers have reported to discuss the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty's finances and taxes. Our Ming Dynasty's finances and taxes have been decreasing day by day, and we have reached a difficult situation. The national treasury is empty and we cannot make ends meet. I can't sleep at night after hearing this. Finances and taxes are the foundation of national security, money and food.
If there is not enough money, why raise troops? If there is not enough finance and taxation, why should we raise troops?
Salary? If the funds are not sufficient, how can the policy of providing relief and peace to the people through dams and roads be implemented? Therefore, if these long-standing disadvantages are not eliminated, the morale of the military will be unstable, the officials will be powerless, and hundreds of millions of people will find it difficult to live in peace. In view of this, I have issued this edict for
Eliminate accumulated fiscal and tax abuses and increase the court's money and grain income to stabilize the Ming Dynasty."
"...Firstly, starting from the second year of Zhengde, it is strictly prohibited to merge and buy land. It is strictly forbidden to encircle people's fields and seize the people's fields. Violators, regardless of whether they are princes, relatives or common people, will be punished severely. Secondly, starting from the second year of Zhengde,
rise, strict
It is forbidden for people to privately mortgage acres of land, or to abandon farming and become homeless. Each major state government should ask the number of displaced people to return to their hometowns and return to their fields. It is strictly forbidden to evade the responsibility of farming. State governments should order people to reclaim wasteland and increase the number of acres of land cultivated to increase agricultural taxes.
receive."
"Third, from now on, we will start the cleanup of military settlements in border towns. The imperial court will send commissioners to various border towns to clear out the acres of military settlements illegally occupied by local officials. From now on, within one month, all the acres of military settlements that have been encroached upon will be cleared.
, causing the displacement of military households
, those whose military morale is unstable should voluntarily surrender and return, and may be given a lighter punishment. If they do not return within the time limit and turn a deaf ear, they will be severely punished after an investigation. All the above matters are fully supervised by the eunuch Liu Jin, the eunuch of the ceremony, and the relevant yamen must not neglect the dispatch.
.Appreciate this!”
This imperial edict was like a thunder blast in the midwinter sky.
The ruling and opposition parties were in an uproar.