The emperor summoned Ding Kuichu, the former governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and governor of Guangdong, Zheng Zhilong, the former governor of Fujian, and Shen Youlong, the former governor of Zhejiang Province, in Guazhou.
Facing these three frontier officials, Emperor Zhu Yihai, who had already stationed in the Imperial Camp Zhenjiang Camp, also had a complicated mood. It can be said that these three people gave him great support at the beginning of his uprising. Regardless of other things, they only When you read the imperial edict and express your congratulations, you already have the merit of supporting it.
The support of Zheng Zhilong and Ding Kuichu made the situation in the rear areas of Fujian, Guangxi, Guangxi and three provinces clear, allowing Zhu Yihai to move northward safely in eastern Zhejiang.
Shen Youlong, Wang Yongzuo, Tu Xiangmei, Wu Yi and others contributed even more to the uprising in Su Song.
However, as the situation has developed to this day, Ding Kuichu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and governor of Guangdong, is somewhat out of tune with the current situation. Ding Kuichu was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Wanli. His hometown was Henan and he had a rich official career resume.
In the fourth year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to governor of Baoding, a senior official. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to minister of household affairs, and to governor of Hebei in the ninth year of Chongzhen. This man was good at serving the powerful and liked to attack small hills. In the same year, he was accused of failing to resist the invasion of Qing troops. He was imprisoned, and after two years he cleared up the relationship and paid a large sum of money to the court to help him get out of prison and return to his hometown to live.
While he was in his hometown, Liu Chao, the former commander-in-chief of Guizhou, rebelled in the same city.
Liu Chao's rebellion led to great chaos in Henan. Wang Han, the governor of Henan, was also killed. The imperial court transferred Ma Shiying, the governor of Fengyang, to quell the rebellion. Ding Kuichu hurriedly joined Ma Shiying's army and offered a plan to lure Liu Chao to surrender and kill his fellow countryman Liu Chao. After this was accomplished, Ma Shiying recommended Ding Kuichu. He was reinstated as governor-general of Henan, Huguang and Shangshu of the Ministry of War.
After Hongguang Nanjing proclaimed himself emperor, Ma Shiying had the merit of supporting him, which was extremely valuable. Ding Kuichu became the governor of Henan, Huguang, and also governor of Chengtian, De'an, and Xiangyang because of his friendship with Ma Shiying. Youlong entered the court as a minister, and then he was appointed governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Soon he was given the title of minister of the Ministry of War, and then he also served as governor of Guangdong.
Zhu Yihai had also asked Ma Shiying specifically before, and Ma Shiying was very frank, saying that he had a good relationship with Ding Kuichu. It was precisely because of their good personal relationship that when the situation in Henan deteriorated, Ding Kuichu proposed that he would be transferred to Guangdong and Guangxi, and he immediately agreed.
He summoned Shen Youlong to the court and replaced him with Ding Kuichu. One of them was in court and the other was outside, supporting each other.
Zhu Yihai supervises the country and is very grateful to be supported by Ding Kuichu.
After that, when he ascended the throne in Nanjing, he also gave Ding Kuichu the title of Associate Rongzheng. He was also granted the title of earl for his role in quelling the rebellion of King Guijiang.
However, Zhu Yihai became more and more dissatisfied with Ding Kuichu, mainly because this man led Jia Wuling and did not cooperate with the court's new policies, whether it was to abolish the guard post, to divide the land into acres, or to share the grain with the officials and gentry, or to talk about fire. This guy is very uncooperative about the return of consumption to the public, the introduction of customs taxes, and tax charges.
Zhu Yihai repeatedly mobilized Lingnan troops, but he always excused himself by saying that he had no troops and no pay. The new tax policy was delayed in implementation. As the rear area, Guangdong and Guangxi had not paid much tax, money and food for more than a year.
But on the other hand, Ding Kuichu used his official title to make a big splash in Lingnan, and even took the opportunity to mine mines and engage in trade everywhere.
He is deeply regarded as a local official. Instead of implementing the New Deal and eliminating disadvantages, he only wants to make money.
What Zhu Yihai couldn't tolerate the most was that he repeatedly issued decrees to abolish the three rates and other additional levies and assessments that had been imposed in the late Chongzhen period. As a result, Lingnan still continued to impose three rates.
Zhu Yihai abolished military households, craftsmen households, etc., and reorganized them into civilian registrations. However, Ding Kuichu still collected craftsmen's silver from the craftsmen. The craftsmen had already lost their craftsman registrations, and after they were converted to civilian registrations, they also paid taxes per mu. As a result, Now they have to pay additional craftsmen's silver, and many craftsmen in Lingnan have been forced to flee.
As for the mines in various places, Ding Kuichu had to get involved everywhere, collecting mineral taxes in the name of the imperial court, which was actually forcing him to take shares.
As one of the four major industrial and commercial towns in the Ming Dynasty, Foshan Town had a prosperous iron smelting and iron products industry and was famous throughout the world, but Ding Kuichu insisted on making it a mess.
Qu Shichu, the governor of Guangxi, won Zhu Yihai's trust and was very diligent and loyal. He vigorously promoted the New Deal in Guangxi. However, he was jealous of Ding Kuiji and obstructed him secretly, fearing that Qu Shichu would steal his position.
Even after the cabinet scholar He Tengjiao was ordered to supervise the Lingnan governorate of Fujian and Guangdong, he still had many conflicts with him.
This man completely regards Guangdong and Guangxi as his private kingdom.
Faced with such a situation, Zhu Yihai issued several edicts, but he did not take it seriously at all. This prompted Zhu Yihai to send secret envoys of the Jinyi Guards to secretly go to Lingnan. They first secretly met with the governor He Tengjiao, the admiral Zhang Mingyang and Qu Shichun, etc., and then borrowed On the occasion of discussing Taiwan affairs, Ding Kuichu was invited to the Governor's Yamen.
An angel came out to read the imperial edict and directly summoned Ding Kuichu to the court.
Ding Kuichu was conferred the title of Marquis of Guide, promoted to Associate Professor, and ordered to enter the court immediately.
This did not leave any leeway for Ding Kuichu. Although Ding Kuichu had attracted many people in Guangdong and Guangxi, and even had a good relationship with the chieftains of Guangxi, and he also carefully built 5,000 supervision troops, all of them were useless at this time.
The emperor took action and left no room for action.
Of course, the emperor did not want to kill him, even though he deserved to be killed for many of the things he did, but the emperor still focused on influence, and instead used the method of rising up and down secretly.
He was originally an earl and is now a marquis.
He was originally the governor of Guangdong and Guangdong and the governor of Guangdong. He was the co-manager of Rong Zheng Shu and had the title of Shan Shu of the Ministry of War. It can be said that he was already at the top of the feudal ministers.
Zhu Yihai now adds him as an associate bachelor. This position is very special.
The Ming Dynasty's cabinet academicians all added the title of "Dian Pavilion". They were originally three halls and two pavilions, Zhongji Hall, Jianji Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion and Dongge. Zhu Yihai changed the name of the cabinet academician to the first rank and added the Wenzhao Pavilion. It forms three halls and three pavilions.
Originally, there was no such title as the Associate Academician, but now Zhu Yihai has added the extraordinary and unlimited number of Associate Academicians under the Three Halls and Three Pavilions. In fact, it is specially prepared for the feudal officials like Ding Kuichu who are recalled to the dynasty. Yes, these people were promoted abnormally, this is just a false title.
Gu Zhi
After being awarded the associate degree, you must have a special purpose before you can join the cabinet to help with affairs. Without a special purpose, in fact, you are just treated as a first-class person and enjoy the treatment.
Under normal circumstances, Ding Kuiwu would not be willing to go to Beijing obediently, but when the incident happened suddenly, he was directly controlled by Jin Yiwei and He Tengjiao, Zhang Mingyang's Jingbiao and Tibiao soldiers, leaving him no room for resistance at all.
After reading out the decree, he immediately took away his official seal.
Then they secretly escorted him northward to the DPRK that same day and sent him all the way to Nanjing.
Ding Kuichu also tried to protest on the way and went on a hunger strike to resist. He believed that the emperor wanted to kill him, and he might even die suddenly on the way. However, fortunately, the royal guards and others were very polite to him on the way and repeatedly stated that the emperor just wanted to call him into the imperial court.
"Ding Aiqing, I have sent your wives, concubines, children and grandchildren to Nanjing and given them a royal title. In addition, your money and property have also been taken care of."
With that said, Zhu Yihai handed over an order.
Ding Kuichu was summoned for the first time since he entered the capital, and he had been feeling uneasy.
But when he took the list and glanced at it, his face turned pale with shock, his hands shook, and the list fell to the ground.
There are numbers listed on the list.
The first item at the top of the list was 240,000 taels of gold, followed by the second item, 860,000 taels of silver. The rest of the various properties were loaded onto more than 40 ships and brought to Beijing.
Ding Kuichu was sweating profusely and knelt down to kowtow.
"Death penalty!"
Facing the emperor's list, Ding Kuichu didn't dare to quibble with a single word.
Especially when he just saw that there were many signatures at the end of the list, the first two of which were the names of Cenxi County Magistrate Zhong Mingyuan and Supervisor Deputy General Su Pin.
Those two people, one is his father-in-law and the other is his concubine and brother, are his confidants who collect money for him and keep the money.
"You have been the governor of Lingnan for only two years, but you are able to save so much gold and silver. It really surprises me. It's a pity that Ding Aiqing's ability has not been put to good use.
Zhu Yihai shook his head and sighed, "Since I raised the flag in eastern Zhejiang, although you claim to support me, you have no soldiers to go north, no pay supplies, and you can't even pay the old taxes. I really thought that disasters in Lingnan continued, but...
Unexpectedly, it all went into your pocket."
"Previously, Qu Shichun had given five thousand silver to help pay for the Northern Expedition. Many officials and generals in Guangdong and Guangxi had donated, but you, the governor, were the only one who didn't donate even one tael of silver."
Ding Kuichu kept kowtowing. He was used to being a show of authority in Lingnan. The emperor was really far away and the Central Plains was in chaos, so he couldn't control him. Now that he was being questioned by the emperor in person, he was already frightened.
"I am willing to donate all my family wealth."
Zhu Yihai snorted coldly, "Humph, family wealth, are these your family wealth?"
Ding Kuichu could only lie down lower, "I am willing to return the stolen goods!"
"I also know that the original salaries of officials in our Ming Dynasty were too low. On the surface, the salary was indeed too small. But I also know all kinds of bad customs and etiquette. A governor can earn one or two hundred thousand taels of silver a year. Even if
We need to manage everything from top to bottom, including business trips, hiring staff, etc., and we can still have tens of thousands of taels left."
This kind of thing is all unspoken rules.
Zhu Yihai did not immediately deal with this problem, but first raised the official salary, especially for the governors, prefectures, and county magistrates. He also increased the corresponding amount of silver to support integrity. The silver that was returned to the public was used to allocate officials at all levels to support integrity.
Minister.
The money was given first, and then the ban on corruption and bribery was introduced.
But Ding Kuichu not only complied with all kinds of bad rules, but even accepted the emperor's salary and the money for supporting integrity, while still accepting bribes and corruption in a big way, and even embezzled money in different ways, levying three salaries in the name of the court, and even
He sent the money for the Northern Expedition to Lingnan and persuaded the officials and gentry to donate. As a result, he got the money and split it 30-70 with the officials.
Then he withheld taxes to support the Biao camp, etc. As a result, the Biao camp was nourished and unable to fight, so he was sent to smuggle, mine, and even set up cards to collect taxes.
"I heard that Ding Aiqing was also a good official in his early years. He paid great attention to honor and integrity. From being the head of the Household Department to a doctor, and then a deputy envoy of the Da Ming Dao, you also promoted advantages and eliminated disadvantages, worked diligently, loved the people, and were considerate of the people's hardships, and you also won a good reputation from the people.
You were praised by the people. At that time, the custom of the Daimyos advocated raising dogs and horses. You also educated the people to cultivate mulberry trees and changed the customs.
Unexpectedly, I went to Lingnan and fell into such a bad state in just two years!"
"I am guilty of a capital crime, a capital crime, and I am willing to return all the stolen money..."
Zhu Yihai had no expression on his face, but out of the corner of his eye he glanced at Ding Kuichu's previous governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Shen Youlong, and Fujian's Zheng Zhilong, both of whom also looked concerned.
Under the system in the late Ming Dynasty, no official was truly honest. This was due to the system.
Although Ding Kuichu was too greedy, they were not clean either. If the emperor wanted to liquidate Ding Kuichu, they would not be safe either.
