After Guo Yunhou was silent for a while, he said tentatively to Chongzhen: "In the land of Shandong, we must not only bear the maintenance of the canal, the service of grain transportation, but also the transfer of grain for the Liaodong Army. ”

Zhu Youzhen only understood with a slight flurry, Guo Yunhou is a native of Caozhou, Shandong, and he wants to reap benefits for his hometown.

In this era, benefiting Sangzi is not an empty word, and the Chinese in the Ming era are also the era when they pay the most attention to local concepts, no matter how high Guo Yunhou's official position is, he will eventually return to his hometown to retire.

The patriarchal society and the closed nature of the small-scale peasant economy make every state and county a small society with all kinds of organs. Before the Industrial Revolution, the people of this county would never leave their county seat for almost their entire lives, even dozens of miles away from the village where they lived.

For the people at the lowest level of the Ming Dynasty, what they are in awe of is the official and the chief who goes to the countryside on behalf of the county lord; The other is the local gentry who have retired and returned to their hometowns, and the latter's prestige in the township is even stronger than the former.

But the prestige of the local gentry did not fall from the sky, but also shaped in the hearts of the people in their hometown through various behaviors that benefited Sangzi.

On the one hand, the local gentry are acting in order to stabilize the living environment in their hometowns, ensure that there will be no civil unrest in their hometowns, and their own lives will not be affected. On the other hand, it is to compete with the local county magistrate for the right to speak locally, so as to prevent a newly appointed county official from relying on the public power in his hands to touch his own interests.

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhu Youzhen thought about it and said: "As a logistics base in eastern Liaodong, the Denglai area in Shandong can be regarded as a border area, and Liao's salary is completely free.

As for other areas of Shandong, all households that have paid for the transfer of Liaodong grain and salary and forced labor can also be exempted from the levy of Liaodong. And the households that have been levied Liaodong salaries are no longer allowed to be levied and transferred to Liaodong grain and wages.

In addition, from Beijing to Hangzhou, all households that have already served the Cao Yun levy will be exempted from the levy of Liao Tax. As for other places in Shandong that have nothing to do with the transportation and transshipment of grain and salaries in eastern Liaodong, they will still levy Liao's salaries. ”

Although Guo Yunhou regretted that he could not expand the area exempted from Liao salary to the entire Shandong region. But his hometown of Caozhou, as the area through which the canal passed, was already included in the area exempt from Liaoyu, and that was enough for him.

"Then Your Majesty, this year, the Liao salaries in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Shandong Denglai and other regions have almost been collected, are these Liao salaries that have been levied as before?" Guo Yunhou asked Chongzhen for instructions as usual.

"The Liaoyu in Gansu and Ningxia will be used for local water conservancy construction. However, the local government must report the project first, and the household department must send people down to supervise the use of these silver taels, and the same is true for the Liao salary in Denglai, Shandong. As for the salaries in Shaanxi and Shanxi, all of them will be solved in Shaanxi..."Zhu Youzhen said here, suddenly frozen.

Because it suddenly occurred to him now that there are no local treasury in the provinces of Daming, and like the central government, they are all a department and a small treasury. Although he had a good idea, there was no such department in the local government that could receive the money, and if it was put under the governor's name, it was estimated that the money would soon be misappropriated.

Seeing Chongzhen suddenly hesitant and speechless, Guo Yunhou thought for a while and understood Chongzhen's doubts.

He couldn't help but suggest: "Shi Yongan, the governor of the three sides of Shaanxi, originally had the power to control Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and other places. In Yichen's opinion, it is better to temporarily send these four salaries to Shi Yongan, and he will order the governors of the three places to build water conservancy, and the household department will send someone to supervise it. As for this year's salary in Denglai, Shandong, it will be handed over to the governor of Denglai. ”

Zhu Youzhen said with a frown: "This money is handed over, it is difficult to find out where it is, how is this Shi Yongan's style of doing things?" ”

Shi Yongan and Guo Yunhou are both from Shandong, and they are also at odds with the Donglin Party, so Guo Yunhou naturally wants to say a few good words for this fellow.

"During the period when Shi Panshi served as the inspector of the imperial history to inspect Guizhou, it was a change of luxury. He assisted the governor of Guizhou, Li Zong, to defend Guiyang City, repel the rebels of Lu'an, and protect Guizhou from erosion, and still made great contributions. ”

"Although there are very few survivors of the 400,000 people in the battle of Guiyang to defend the city, those who can survive to the end still have some ability after all." Zhu Youzhen thought about it.

He nodded at Guo Yunhou and said, "This will be handled according to what you said, let Shi Yongan manage the money on his behalf and supervise the construction of water conservancy in the three places." This year's autumn tax in the three places, in addition to supporting the military rations of the three sides, the excess part does not have to go to the capital Taicang, and it is also included in this silver. ”

"Your Majesty, I have reduced so much input at once, and I am afraid that the household department will have no money and food to pay the Liaodong sergeants next year." Seeing that Chongzhen was so generous in eliminating the autumn grain collection in the three regions, Guo Yunhou began to worry.

"I plan to reduce the number of Liaodong troops, and in addition, increase the amount of overseas trade, and use the tax revenue of overseas trade to subsidize the reduced amount of land in the household department, does Guo Shangshu think it is feasible?" Zhu Youzhen proposed a solution to the problem.

Although Guo Yunhou does not know much about the overseas trade tax of the so-called Son of Heaven Nanku, he also understands that the annual tax revenue of overseas trade is about 200,000 gold.

Although this amount cannot completely fill the vacancy of the three places in terms of taxation and relief of the capital, it can also make up for most of it.

Guo Yunhou nodded and said, "If Your Majesty can really subsidize the tax of this overseas trade to the household department, then the minister naturally has no objection." ”

The two talked continuously for a morning, and Zhu Youzhen also felt that the conversation was almost the same. And Guo Yunhou waited for a while, and saw that Zhu Youzhen had no other instructions, so he asked him to retire.

After letting Wang Chengen send Guo Yunhou away, Zhu Youzhen looked at the time, and it was about time for lunch, and he was instructing the eunuchs around him to order the meal, when suddenly Wang Chengen hurriedly ran in and reported: "The master of Chengqian Palace is outside the palace and wants to ask to see Your Majesty." ”

Zhu Youzhen couldn't help but stop when he was arranging the music on the table, he knew that because Tian Xiuying and Yuan Zhaorong were not sealed, the palace attendants all referred to the two of them with their residences.

The owner of this Chengqian Palace is Tian Xiuying, "Is there something wrong with her coming at this time?" Zhu Youzhen unconsciously said what was in his heart.

Wang Chengen raised his head slightly to observe Chongzhen's expression, and said tentatively: "If Your Majesty feels too tired, you can't help but ask Weichen to inform His Highness outside, why don't you wait for Your Majesty to rest at noon before coming over?" ”

"No, no, just pass - invite her in." Zhu Youzhen suddenly said to Wang Chengen with a little weakness.

After spending the night with Zhou Yufeng, Zhu Youzhen found that he seemed to be a little afraid to look at it, and now he was sitting opposite him with an unkind face.

Zhu Youzhen lowered his eyes and looked at a plate of pastries placed in the shape of flowers on the table in front of him, the white dough was decorated with fruit shreds, melon seeds, sesame seeds and other preserved fruits, very much like a blooming begonia flower.

"What kind of pastry is this, it looks very tempting, it's really beautiful, is it made by Concubine Ai herself?" Zhu Youzhen found the topic and said.

Tian Xiuying didn't look at the pastries on the plate at all, but looked at Zhu Youzhen, who didn't dare to look at her, with some anger and said, "Your Majesty, don't you taste it?" No matter how beautiful the pastry is, if it is not to His Majesty's taste, what is the point? ”

Zhu Youzhen pretended not to understand Tian Xiuying's words, picked up a piece of pastry and tasted it. "It turned out to be a bean paste filling, which suits my taste very well. Concubine Ai's craftsmanship is really wonderful..."

Zhu Youzhen praised Tian Xiuying's craftsmanship, which finally made Tian Xiuying lose a little stuffiness in her heart.

Yesterday afternoon, she heard about the queen's stay in the Qianqing Palace the night before yesterday, and she was immediately full of resentment, and she didn't fall asleep all night last night.

If Zhu Youzhen took the initiative to find Zhou Yufeng, maybe she was just a little unhappy. But Zhou Yufeng actually took the initiative to show favor to the emperor in the name of sending supper, and Chongzhen accepted it.

This made Tian Xiuying feel that Zhou Yufeng, as a queen, was too ignorant of inspection, and Chongzhen really couldn't resist the little temptation.

However, she was full of resentment, and after watching Zhu Youzhen gobble up the pastries she made, she was finally in a better mood.

Tian Xiuying poured a cup of tea for Zhu Youzhen, and then said sourly: "Is the begonia cake delicious?" Or is Poria porridge sweet? ”

Zhu Youzhen swallowed the last piece of pastry, picked up the tea that Tian Xiuying poured for him and rinsed his mouth, and then said in surprise: "It turns out that the name of this pastry is so good, begonia cake, good, good name, better taste." ”

"Really? When the concubine was in Suzhou, she also heard such a poem, the begonia cake is wrapped in a good nong, and it is sent to Lang Zhinong to break the intestines. ”

Looking at Tian Xiuying's jealous appearance, Zhu Youzhen suddenly felt that the girl in front of him was really cute. He looked at the girl across from him and couldn't help laughing.

Tian Xiuying was full of resentment, and was a little overwhelmed by Zhu Youzhen's sudden laughter. She looked at Zhu Youzhen with some concern, and felt that Chongzhen would not laugh because of her actions.

Seeing Tian Xiuying's worried and somewhat frightened eyes, Zhu Youzhen suppressed his smile and asked solemnly: "Concubine Ai must not have eaten yet, is it okay to eat with me?" ”

Wang Chengen, who was secretly paying attention to Chongzhen and Tian Xiuying's situation in the corner of the room, finally let go of his heart.

Tian Xiuying's overtures to him, Wang Chengen naturally accepted it happily. Compared with Queen Zhou, who is simple and attaches importance to rules, Tian Xiuying, who is kind and generous, naturally makes these close servants more willing to get close.

But Tian Chengen only now realized that the master of Chengqian Palace did not seem to be completely accustomed to life in the palace, and the girlish nature shown in front of Chongzhen far exceeded the consciousness of being the emperor's concubine.

If this continues, Tian Chengen feels that the master of Chengqian Palace may not be able to win Chongzhen's favor, and he bet on Tian Xiuying, which seems to be wrong.