Chapter 120: Not only do you need to be exempted from corvee, but you also have to make demands (please subscribe!!)
Shan Anren, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and Chen Ning, the imperial censor, opened their mouths, which made people feel a chill! This is to put Ouyang Lun to death!
Lu Chang, the Right Prime Minister of Zhongshu Province, changed his expression and quickly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the matter of corvee service in Yong'an Prefecture is handled by me. According to Yong'an Prefecture, the construction schedule in Yong'an Prefecture is really too tight. This is the second time this year. The recruitment of corvees made the people of Yong'an Prefecture have the idea that they did not want to leave Yong'an Prefecture and serve in other places. They were willing."
The words are not over yet.
He was interrupted by Hu Weiyong, "Huh, Sir Lu Chang, as the Right Prime Minister of Zhongshu Province, do you know what you just said?!"
"Taxation and corvee are the foundation of a country. How can a country function without taxation? Who will repair the walls, roads, and canals in a country that does not obey corvee service?"
"If corvee service depends on the people's willingness, then the country will collapse sooner or later without any execution ability!"
"The hole in Yong'an Mansion has been opened. I dare to say that within a year, other places will follow the same example, and no one will come to serve as corvee again. By then, the country will no longer be a country!"
"This shows the sinister intentions of Ouyang Lun and Yong'an Mansion officials. At the very least, Ouyang Lun and Yong'an Mansion failed to complete the corvee tasks assigned by the court. At the most serious level, they are harboring evil intentions and harming the country and the people!"
Hu Weiyong made an impassioned speech, which left Lu Chang speechless. He could only point at Hu Weiyong tremblingly, "You are stupid."
"What am I, Mr. Lu Chang? If you have anything to say, just say it. Today, in front of His Majesty, this matter must be made clear!" Hu Weiyong now occupies the great righteousness, completely looking like the embodiment of justice, and his aura is as strong as sitting on a dragon Zhu Yuanzhang on the chair.
"You are talking nonsense. Ouyang Lun and the others are just caring about the people. How about they harbor evil intentions and harm the country and the people as you said?!" Lu Chang said in a deep voice.
"Lord Lu Chang, I know that you and Ouyang Lun have a good personal relationship. Last time you seemed to be fair and impartial in the Yong'an corruption case, but in fact you protected Ouyang Lun everywhere. Today you are excusing Ouyang Lun like this. Could it be that you accepted Ouyang Lun?" What are the benefits of Lun?" Hu Weiyong continued: "Oh! By the way, I remember that Ouyang Lun also wrote a confession of guilt. But you read such an important thing and sent it back directly without showing it to His Majesty. If it weren't for me, If we discover it in time, I’m afraid His Majesty is still in the dark!”
"If we want to convict Ouyang Lun today, I will take you, Lu Chang, first!"
"You" Lu Chang was already 70 years old. When Hu Weiyong retorted like this, he became so angry that he rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Lord Lu!" Guo Zi, the Minister of Household Affairs, and several other officials who were close to Lu Chang stepped forward to help him.
Hu Weiyong glanced coldly at Lu Chang, who was lying unconscious on the ground, without any intention of stepping forward to help.
"Your Majesty, regarding the matter of corvee, I sincerely request your Majesty to arrest Ouyang Lun and Yong'an Mansion's general judge Zhao Tianming and other officials, and convict and punish them!"
Hu Weiyong calmly gestured to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression remained calm, but there was an imperceptible sneer in his eyes, and he calmly asked: "Do you have any other opinions on the matter of corvee service?"
After these words were asked, the Tai Chi Hall became extremely quiet.
Mainly because at this time, many ministers could not figure out Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts. They were joking, in this Tai Chi Hall, things were never dealt with in black and white, but depended on the emperor's thoughts.
If His Majesty the Emperor wants to protect Ouyang Lun, no matter how well-prepared Prime Minister Hu Weiyong is, Ouyang Lun will never be killed, and vice versa.
So if you don’t want to make any mistakes, you must follow His Majesty the Emperor’s footsteps! Most courtiers will not express their stance easily before they understand His Majesty the Emperor's attitude.
At this time, Lu Chang was carried out of the Taiji Hall because of fainting. Guo Zi, the Minister of Household Affairs, pointed at Hu Weiyong's nose and said: "Hu Weiyong! You framed Zhongliang!"
"Your Majesty, I have also worked with Ouyang Lun and had many contacts with him. I believe that Ouyang Lun is not the person who harbors evil intentions and harms the country and the people as Prime Minister Hu Weiyong said!"
"Master Lu Chang mentioned this to me. The people of Yong'an Prefecture did not refuse to do corvee on purpose, but most of them are the backbone of the family. Once they leave, the family will be in chaos. There are seniors and juniors. The corvee workers have no salary or food. It’s still a long way to go, and they are willing to pay to be exempted from this second corvee today!”
Hu Weiyong glanced at Guo Zi with disdain. This guy didn't dare to confront him in the past, but now he dares to argue with him face to face. Who gave you the courage?Could it be that guy Ouyang Lun?
ignorance!
Today I will make you the second Lu Chang!
"As soon as Lu Chang was carried off, Guo Shangshu couldn't wait to jump out to defend Ouyang Lun. It seems that Ouyang Lun has been very filial to you two in the past two years!" Hu Weiyong continued: "You and Lu Chang said the same thing, avoid the important and take the easy, but let it be You are telling the truth that Ouyang Lun did not recruit enough corvees, and this is his crime! According to law, Ouyang Lun should be exempted from political participation in the North Zhili and the post of magistrate of Yong'an Prefecture, and all other officials in Yong'an Prefecture will be dealt with strictly!"
"In addition, Guo Shangshu also said that people spend money to be exempted from corvee. This is naked bribery, and the crime is increased!"
"Your Majesty, give the order!"
"If Ouyang Lun's crime is not dealt with, where is the law of the Ming Dynasty? Where is the majesty of the Ming Dynasty!"
After saying that, Hu Weiyong walked to the middle of the hall and knelt down towards Zhu Yuanzhang.
With Hu Weiyong taking the lead, officials such as Shan Anren, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, Chen Ning, the imperial censor, Tujie, the censor Zhongcheng, and other officials also walked out and knelt in the middle of the hall.
"Your Majesty, please investigate and deal with Ouyang Lun's dismissal from his post and safeguard the dignity of the imperial court!"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the large group of people kneeling in front of him and silently memorized the names of these people, with a hint of gloom in his eyes.
Hu Weiyong is really energetic!There was already a response in the court, and most of the courtiers knelt down after him.
Just when Hu Weiyong felt that he was sure of victory this time, Zhu Yuanzhang burst out laughing.
"Prime Minister, dear ladies, please get up quickly!"
"Ouyang Lun has made it clear to me in the memorial. Although the number of people serving in Yong'an Mansion this time is less than one-tenth of the quota, the remaining nine-tenths have paid money and are not considered to have escaped from corvee. I don’t think this matter needs to be so high-level.”
Hearing this, Hu Weiyong raised his head in disbelief.
Is this really what Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang said?
"Your Majesty, is this an escape from corvee? Will it shake the country's foundation? Besides, how much money can the people hand over? It's just an excuse to hide it from others. In the end, the court will have to put money in."
"Prime Minister, I just said that this is not an escape from corvee." Zhu Yuanzhang said solemnly, and then said with a smile: "The money handed over is not much, this time it is about 100 million taels."
Um! ! ! ?
When Zhu Yuanzhang said those last words, the entire Tai Chi Hall suddenly fell silent.
All the important officials in the imperial court looked at each other with shocked expressions, as if they were wondering if their ears had heard wrongly.
There are about 1 corvées in a mere state capital, and they have to hand over 100 million taels, which means that each person has to hand in almost 100 taels!
100 taels is the minimum five-year income of an average family in the Ming Dynasty.
Are all the people in Yong'an Mansion so rich? If you really hand over 100 million taels, you can easily recruit 1 people, no, no, no problem, recruiting 5 people!
1 taels and [-] corvées. Any official with a right mind would know which one to choose.
"If Yong'an Mansion can really hand over 100 million taels of silver, this matter can indeed be discussed."
"People still have to walk to the construction site little by little, but the money can be quickly received by using Feiqian or banknotes!"
"Recently, construction sites everywhere are short of money. The arrival of this 100 million will definitely solve the urgent need!"
"The consort Ouyang Lun is a good person!"
Forehead. Hu Weiyong was almost angry as he listened to the discussion of the civil and military officials. You bunch of wallflowers, you were calling Ouyang Lun a scourge and a traitor just a second ago, but now you are praising Ouyang Lun again? "Your Majesty, you must not be deceived by Ouyang Lun. How can a million taels of silver be taken out just by the state government? This Ouyang Lun must be delaying time." Hu Weiyong said solemnly.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled slightly and said, "Could it be that, Prime Minister, you didn't read the memorial written by Ouyang Lun?" The memorial written by Ouyang Lun?Didn't it say that Yong'an Mansion couldn't afford to recruit corvees, so it wrote a memorial to plead guilty?
hiss--
Hu Weiyong suddenly took a breath of cold air. He remembered that the memorial was relatively thick. He only read the contents of the first page, and he did not read the rest of the contents.
What did Ouyang Lun write in the memorial? Hu Weiyong suddenly regretted it. He was too excited at the time and did not read the contents of Ouyang Lun's memorial.
"I only took a brief look at it and felt that the matter was important, so I specially selected it for His Majesty's review."
Hu Weiyong said helplessly.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "I see, I happened to have brought the memorial written by Ouyang Lun today. All my dear friends, please take a look."
After the words fell, Wang Zhong picked up the memorial on the Long Case and sent it to Hu Weiyong.
"I accept the decree!" Hu Weiyong took Ouyang Lun's memorial.
He turned to the first page, which was indeed the one he had seen in Zhongshu Province, and then turned to the second, third, and fourth pages. boom! Hu Weiyong was dumbfounded after reading the entire memorial.
"Prime Minister, if you finish reading it, show it to others."
Zhu Yuanzhang said lightly.
After hearing this, Hu Weiyong handed the memorial in his hand to other ministers.
"It turns out that Mr. Ouyang has already stated this matter in the memorial."
"Sure enough, it costs 100 taels of silver to be exempted from the corvee. This price is so good. If other state capitals are like this, then why worry about the lack of sufficient treasury!"
"There are more than 100 state capitals in the Ming Dynasty, and there is no need for each state capital to be like Yong'an Mansion. Half of it. That is 5000 million taels of silver."
"Good deeds are great!"
"Master Ouyang, this method can be said to have served multiple purposes. It not only met the needs of the people, but also eased the financial pressure on the court!"
"More than that, the imperial court can use this money to recruit civilian husbands from poorer places, and it can also balance the wealth and wealth of various places."
After reading Ouyang Lun's memorial, the eyes of the officials in the Taiji Hall became brighter and brighter.
"If you want other state capitals to be like Yong'an Prefecture, it's easier said than done!"
"Now almost every household in Yong'an Mansion can spend 100 taels of silver, which shows how wealthy the people of Yong'an are!"
"In my opinion, the people of Yong'an Prefecture may be about the same as the people of the capital, or even richer."
"Master Ouyang is really a capable minister in governing the world!"
Seeing that the atmosphere in the court was one-sided, Hu Weiyong's expression was extremely ugly at the moment. He did not dare to get angry openly and could only lower his head.
He knew very well that he had been defeated, defeated by 100 million taels of silver!
Damn!
The censor Chen Ning and the censor Zhongcheng Tujie were still quarreling with the Minister of Household Affairs Guo Zi and others.
"So what if I hand over the money? Ouyang Lun has despised the court and violated Ming law. He should be dismissed and investigated!"
"Fuck you! I thought Ouyang Lun not only had no faults, but actually made merits! If you have the ability, give 100 million taels to the treasury!"
"Is money as important as Ming law?"
"Then take out 100 million taels first!"
"Damn it, can you not mention this 100 million?"
"No! One million is enough to build two dams, which will benefit hundreds of thousands of people."
"Forehead"
"enough!"
"Shut up for me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand the curses shouted by the ministers, so he immediately scolded him.
After the words fell, Tai Chi Hall became quiet again.
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Hu Weiyong, then at other officials, and said calmly: "Ouyang Lun said in the memorial,"
"Since the use of silver to meet the corvee service is in line with the national conditions and the people's hearts, Yong'an Mansion has done the right thing!"
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little dissatisfied with Ouyang Lun's approach of killing first and then showing off, but there was nothing he could do about it. This guy offered 100 million taels as soon as he made a move, which was really too much! "From today onwards, people are allowed to pay for corvee service with silver, and the price will match that of Yong'an Mansion. If you can come up with the money, then you will be exempted from the corvee service. If you can't come up with the money, just do the corvee service honestly!"
"Your Majesty Shengming!"
Guo Zi, the Minister of Revenue, was the first to kneel down, followed by other officials.
The scene suddenly changed 180 degrees. Previously, it was Hu Weiyong's party kneeling, but now it is officials who support Ouyang Lun.
Originally, Hu Weiyong wanted to hold on for a while to express his dissatisfaction, but when Zhu Yuanzhang's cold eyes fell on Hu Weiyong, the latter knelt down instantly! Even the Prime Minister Hu Weiyong knelt down, and the officials who followed Hu Weiyong also knelt down one after another.
Soon, all the officials in the Taiji Hall knelt down.
"Okay, since all my dear friends think this is feasible, then it's settled." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chang, who had fainted before, walked into the Tai Chi Hall alone again.
"Lu Aiqing, if you feel uncomfortable, go back to your house and stay there. Don't make fun of your body!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said quickly.
After all, Lu Chang is already old. If he experiences a few more frights, he will probably be gone.
At that time, the people of the world will not be able to curse him to death and say that he is a tyrant and a foolish king.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern!"
"But I remember that Lord Ouyang also made a request in the memorial. I wonder if your majesty can agree to it?"
(End of this chapter)