"Your Majesty!" Chen Zilong raised his head and said loudly, "Please also ask Your Majesty to take a break from the wrath of the thunder and let the ministers play." ”

"Okay, you speak." Zhu Cihong held back his anger and shouted.

Chen Zilong said: "The minister has always hated officials for being corrupt and perverting the law, and since taking office, every time they discuss matters, they have taught their subordinate officials to pay attention to the community. As soon as this incident happened, the minister had already gone through a rough investigation, but after finding out, it may really have nothing to do with official corruption. ”

"Mouthful." Zhu Cihong was so angry that he didn't even give Chen Zilong's face, and in front of the ministers in the palace, he scolded Chen Zilong, the first assistant, "You say, if it's not official corruption, what about the court's money?" What about the silver that the two princes of Zhen and Xing successively solved in the capital? What about Xia Fu in the land of the four prefectures of the capital? ”

Chen Zilong didn't answer Zhu Cihong, turned around and rushed behind him and said in a deep voice: "Qian Xiang, don't show it to Your Majesty one by one." ”

Qian Yiqian, the current secretary of the household department, took a book of accounts and went out of the list, and then read: "On July 15, more than 1,176,000 taels of Xia Fu from the three prefectures of Hangzhou Prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Zhenguo Gong entered Beijing. On July 26, more than 983,000 taels of Xia Fu, the three prefectures of Changzhou under the jurisdiction of the Xingguo Gong, entered Beijing. The imperial court directly governed the land of the four prefectures, and the Xia Fu collected a total of more than 1,649,000 taels. In the summer of this year, the imperial court collected a total of more than 3.81 million taels ....... ”

Zhu Cihong interrupted: "Listen, Shoufu listen, three million eight hundred and one thousand taels, it's only been a few days, it's only been a few days?" ”

Chen Zilong said calmly: "Your Majesty, let the money be read." ”

"Okay, read it...... I want to see, what flowers can be read in an account book? ”

Qian Yiqian continued: "As of the 10th, a total of 1,867 officials were registered in our court, and they were paid seven months in arrears, totaling more than 1,734,000 taels. By 10 days ago, there were more than 93,000 registered troops in our dynasty, and because most of the capital of Jingwei was newly recruited Ding Zhuang, the arrears of military salaries ranged from one to four months, and a total of more than 841,000 taels were paid. As of yesterday, the various divisions and yamen in the capital have routinely distributed a total of 630,000 taels. Your Majesty, the total cost of these three items alone has been more than 3,250,000 taels. By the will of His Majesty, the sacrifice of 500,000 taels was distributed as much as possible, and only 100,000 taels were left in the treasury in case of emergency. ”

Reading this, Zhu Cihong's face gradually froze, he knew that the more than 20,000 fallen soldiers needed more than one million taels of silver, but only 500,000 taels could be distributed. If it is really official corruption, then it can kill corrupt officials to calm down public anger, and it can also steal the property of corrupt officials to make up for the deficit in the national treasury.

But now that the imperial court has no money, there is no surplus in the past, and the collection of the post-autumn fu has not yet arrived, he was stunned for a long time, and then sat on the dragon chair in despair, "Shoufu, why is this?" ”

Chen Zilong bowed down and said, "Dare to ask what Your Majesty is asking?" ”

"He raised tens of thousands of soldiers, why was he safe? I heard that the salary of the army under his command was almost twice as high as that of the Jingwei silver, how did he do it? ”

Chen Zilong thought for a while, bowed down and said, "Actually, Your Majesty also knows the reason. ”

"I know?" Zhu Cihong looked at Chen Zilong in surprise and asked.

"Actually, it's just four words." Chen Zilong said calmly, word by word, "Robbing the rich and helping the poor." ”

"Robbing the rich and helping the poor?!" Zhu Cihong muttered to himself, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "Shoufu, Zhugong, I think it...... Might as well follow suit. ”

Suddenly, the whole hall was in an uproar!

"No!" Chen Zilong said loudly, "Your Majesty, this is a national policy, and we must not subvert our dynasty because of today's small incidents." You must know that once this policy is implemented, all the soldiers and rich people in the world will regard His Majesty as a revenge. I hope Your Majesty thinks twice! ”

In the Fengtian Palace, seven or eighty percent of the officials knelt down and bowed down with Chen Zilong's words: "This move is to subvert the foundation of our dynasty, please think twice about your majesty!" ”

Qian Sule looked numb, looked at Zhu Cihong on the dragon chair, then looked at Chen Zilong, and then his eyes swept over those colleagues who knelt down, and he played, "Although it is a matter of national policy, but the imperial court's finances are tight, and Shoufu has also raised as much as 200,000 or 300,000 taels of food from the wealthy families in the capital. The minister thought that why not raise money from the wealthy families in the capital, raise money, calm the people's anger, and solve the urgent need. ”

I didn't want Chen Zilong to shout: "Ridiculous." The wealthy families in the capital used to pay money and grain, which was to resist the invasion of the Qing army, and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, but today it is for the livelihood of these ordinary people. Besides, it can be one thing, and it can't be repeated, if it becomes the norm, who will be willing to pay for the rich and wealthy again? ”

He turned to Zhu Cihong and said: "The minister has learned that most of the people who have been looking for short-sightedness in the past few days are because their families are poor and they can't repay the money they owe to other families, and they are persecuted by creditors. ”

Zhu Cihong asked calmly: "Then in the opinion of the first assistant, how should this matter be concluded?" ”

Chen Zilong said: "Unscrupulous rich people, forcing good people to death, should be severely punished." At the same time, these unscrupulous rich people's land and family property were confiscated to make up for the soldiers' family pensions, and if there was still a shortage, the 100,000 taels saved by the household department could be subsidized. In addition, the Yin of Jingzhao Mansion was ineffective and did not explain the plight of the court to the people, which caused civil unrest, and he should be dismissed from office to set an example. ”

Zhu Cihong nodded numbly and stiffly as if he had been struck by lightning: "Then deal with it as Shoufu said, I'm tired, so let's retreat." ”

After speaking, Gu Zizhi pointed his sleeves and left.

Qian Sule turned around slowly and left the hall silently.

……。

The temple of the body.

Zhu Cihong opened his arms and stood straight like a hanger, and several chamberlains were taking off his crown to change into his regular clothes.

Qian Yiqian knelt on the east side of the temple gate.

"Qian Xiang knows, I summoned Qing in private, what is the matter?"

"Please also ask Your Majesty for advice."

"I want to hear the truth, the truth." Zhu Cihong said lightly.

Qian Yiqian was like being struck by lightning, his whole body trembled, and he shouted: "What the minister said in the palace is indeed the truth, I hope Your Majesty will see it." ”

Zhu Cihong waved his hand to order the waiter to retreat, and said leisurely: "Three million and eight hundred thousand taels of silver, in less than a month, it will disappear cleanly." Qian Xiang, what a skill. ”

Qian Yiqian was sweating profusely, he moved his knees forward alternately, came to Zhu Cihong's feet, raised his head and said: "Your Majesty, the minister is indeed telling the truth, on the account book of the household department, every pen, the minister has checked it three times. ”

Zhu Cihong shook his hand, sat back on the dragon chair and said, "What is the 630,000 taels of routine support?" ”

Qian Yiqian had an expression of grievance and waited for snow, and cried: "Your Majesty, this is a common practice, and it has been a common practice since the time of Taizu. The daily expenses of the various divisions and yamen in the capital are supplemented by the monthly rations, firewood, oil, clothing, carriages and horses of the Beijing officials, ....... ”

Qian Yiqian carefully read the entire half of the incense stick.

Zhu Cihong listened to the whole half of the incense for a long time.