Chengdu.

Baoguo Gong Deng Ming is still in Xuzhou, after entering Xuzhou City, Deng Ming showed the people of Xuzhou the "evidence" of the victory of the Ming army, that is, to greet him Xuzhou people to throw gold and silver coins, after hearing about this incident, the people of Chengdu are also gearing up, ready to welcome Baoguo Gong back to the capital. However, it may be because Deng Ming's evidence in Xuzhou was too sufficient, so he stayed there to inspect a large number of workshops such as shipyards and fire shafts, and did not return to Chengdu for a long time.

At the same time, more than 120 members of the Reich also met to vote on some new proposals. When the House was first established, the senators of the Senate regarded it as their subordinate department and puppet, and the prefect's yamen did not look down on what seemed to be a meeting held solely for the purpose of collecting taxes. However, only two years later, the parliament became important, because Deng Ming valued it and tried to protect its power from being usurped by other departments.

Since the senators in the Senate could not make their own proposals, but could only manipulate the parliamentary proposals, the result was that the senators had to come up with some advantages to buy their supporters in the parliament, and these members gradually formed their own alliances, no longer the pure puppets of the Senate at the beginning. Also because of Deng Ming's insistence that taxation must be approved by the Yuan, and the expenses of the prefect yamen must be reported to the parliament, Liu Jinge has also paid more and more attention to this institution related to money bags, and recently he has actively started a struggle with the Qingcheng faction, trying his best to help people from the military or other factions to erect a mountain and erect a banner in the imperial parliament -- the mutual hostility between the prefect yamen and the Qingcheng faction in the Senate has contributed greatly to the improvement of the independence of the imperial parliament.

From the opening of the parliament to the present, Deng Ming has always approved the proposals passed by the parliament -- of course, the parliament has also carefully figured out the mind of the prince before each vote. It was the last expedition to Jiangnan, although many parliamentarians felt that money was tight, but after hearing that Zheng Chenggong had passed away and Deng Ming made it clear that he was willing to launch an expedition, most of the parliamentarians also chose to support Deng Ming's wish. After the last vote to approve the levy and dispatch of special taxes and the dispatch order, the documents issued by Deng Ming always began with "approved by the Yuan Council, and the Admiral Deng Ming ordered", indicating that he was authorized by the Yuan Council to go on the expedition, and he was also fulfilling the will of the Yuan Council, as if a general had been ordered by the imperial court to go on the expedition before. This, of course, gave the Senate and the Imperial Diet enough face, and the vanity of the members of the Senate was also greatly satisfied. Although some people feel that this is similar to what Deng Ming used to say: "The emperor hunts in the south, and the matter is in a hurry", but now it has been changed to "approved by the Yuan" -- but the Yuanhui can be compared with the emperor and the imperial court, which is also a clear proof of the improvement of status.

The Imperial Parliament, which had been convened on an ad hoc basis for something to do, was now also developing into a permanent body, and each member of the council in Chengdu could get one day off for a meeting in four working days, while the councillors of Xuzhou simply lived in Chengdu, and both Xuzhou and Chengdu were willing to pay their salaries - Liu Jinge wanted to bribe the imperial councillors to deal with the Qingcheng faction, and Yuan Xiang and the council of the prefecture needed these people to stay in Chengdu to protect the interests of Xuzhou.

Gu Ying, an imperial councilor and a fellow showman in Xuzhou Mansion, was quite satisfied with this kind of life, he was originally from Jiangxi, and after immigrating to Sichuan, Gu Ying, who had no business talent, was originally an ordinary farmer. Gu Ying was also one of the first people to work in Xuzhou, but he was still a farmer, and after the development of the shipbuilding industry was significantly higher than that of farming, Gu Ying went to work in the shipyard, planning to save some money and buy more livestock to open up the wasteland. Many of Gu Ying's companions who went to Xuzhou with him were rich in business, but he was also an upper-average wealthy family - he had no worries about food and clothing, had a house and savings, and was married, but it seemed that he had absolutely no chance of becoming rich.

Originally, it was not Gu Ying's turn to do this kind of thing as an imperial councilor, and when everyone thought that this was a puppet institution, the people of Xuzhou would definitely not go all the way to Chengdu for a meeting; Later, after discovering the potential, the local councillors in Xuzhou were also Yuan Xiang's main collaborators, either shipyard owners or business owners, and the imperial councillors were the richest among them. However, after this organization was changed to permanent, those bosses felt inconvenient, and finally Gu Ying was thought of by everyone - this person was one of the first people to come to Xuzhou, and everyone knew that he was a kind person; has a family property in Xuzhou, marries a wife and has children, and has feelings for the local area; And he is a middle-class family, the so-called constant production and perseverance, it is him!

Now Gu Ying has the money of the imperial parliamentarian and an allowance from Xuzhou, and since he came to Chengdu to take office, he has constantly received letters from the Yamen of the Xuzhou prefect and wealthy businessmen, introducing him to the development of Xuzhou and their needs. This made Gu Ying feel a sense of accomplishment, feeling that he was also an important person, and he also shouldered the responsibility of seeking benefits for Xuzhou Sangzi. Sometimes, when he could contribute to the country, such as discussing the purchase of warships for the army or the sale of boats to the southeastern governor, his colleagues in the parliament valued Gu Ying's opinion, because he had been the director of the shipyard before, and he had climbed up from the workers step by step, and he was very familiar with the cost and quality inspection of ships, and he was an expert in this field.

The topic discussed in the council today made Gu Ying a little nervous, because their proposal this time might be contrary to Bao Guogong's opinion.

The cause of the matter is still the literary prison in the southeast, before entering Sichuan to receive education, the scholar is naturally high up to Gu Ying, although it is not like the Son of Heaven is like being on the clouds, but it is also something that people can only look up to. But after Gu Ying is also literate and can read newspapers, there will be nothing left of the admiration for the Great Tomorrow Son of Nan Hunt, and the Qing Emperor, who was originally the same as the Great Tomorrow, is just a descendant of a robber in Gu Ying's eyes. As for the scholars, the more they learned about them through the newspapers, the lower the reverence they had for them.

Jiang Guozhu and Zhao Guozuo's proposals naturally would not be hidden from the Imperial Parliament, and when Gu Ying was a peasant in Jiangxi in the past, he would definitely not have the intention of plotting to seize the property of the scholars, but now it is different, he, like many colleagues, feels that the life and death of these people seem to have little to do with Sichuan. Since the southeast governor is willing to share the spoils with the Sichuanese, why don't they do it? Doesn't it mean that empire is synonymous with robbers? As a member of the Imperial Diet, Gu Ying of course has to make a decision worthy of the name.

Many parliamentarians believe that they should be neutral and completely out of the way in this matter, and that arms should not be sold to the bankers. And Zhao Guozuo's condition was originally given for nothing. Zhejiang's side is also forgotten, and Jiang Guozhu has always been an active collaborator of the empire, and the military strength is much stronger than Zhejiang after not fighting for several years, and the imperial parliament feels that if it interferes in the affairs of Jiangnan, it seems that there is no benefit, and if Jiangnan and Zhejiang fight, it will also have a negative impact on the empire's Yangtze River trade income.

According to the minds of many people, Sichuan should even secretly support this kind of thing and help Jiang Guozhu, who is willing to share the spoils in Sichuan, a favor. It's just that Deng Ming's attitude seems to be a little strange, and it seems that he doesn't support the actions of the Southeast Governor, which makes many imperial councilors beat the drum in their hearts, and they don't know whether they should oppose the persecution of scholars by the Southeast Governor.

During today's discussion in the parliament, many speakers were also confused by Deng Ming's true attitude, and if Deng Ming clearly expressed his opposition, then most of the parliamentarians would not hesitate, even if they couldn't figure it out, they would support Jiangnan Shilin. However, Deng Ming seemed to be vacillating, and some people said that Deng Ming's sale of arms to scholars did not necessarily mean that he was on the side of the scholars, but only based on the principle of making money when he had money -- it did sound very much like the admiral's personality.

If Deng Ming's actions were based solely on the size of the interests and not on any other moral constraint, the Imperial Diet felt that it would be better to support Chiang Guozhu, so that the risks were less and the benefits were equally assured.

After a morning of discussions, someone proposed to send a proposal to Bao Guogong, suggesting that he should maintain strict neutrality in the following actions and not sell arms to the gentry who tried to resist in Jiangnan at all, so as to ensure peace and stability in Jiangnan.

Such a proposal was very much in line with Gu Ying's thoughts, and in the letters he received, most of the merchants in Syria were also uneasy about intervening in the confrontation in the southeast - except for the arms-related trading houses, most of the bosses felt that this war had nothing to do with them, but might affect their business.

Ordinary Tongxiucai had a greater sense of justice than the bosses of the trading houses, and after learning the ins and outs of some things through the newspapers, they all felt that this kind of cunning and robbery was wrong. However, these people's main concern is how to ensure that they are not subjected to similar persecution, for example, the Imperial Diet quickly passed a large vote to prohibit people from sinners in the empire for their words, and before the return of the Emperor of Heaven and the re-entry into force of the Ming Law, it is not allowed to convict people of treason and then kill their heads because of their speech - this proposal is also very popular with the bosses of the trading houses, and they do not want to end up in the same fate as those southeastern gentry.

"Let's start voting on this proposal." Liu Yao, who was observing, felt that there had been no new idea in his speech for a long time, so he shouted loudly from the auditorium, and the Qingcheng faction also believed that the affairs in the southeast had nothing to do with Sichuan, and that anyway, whether the Qing court persecuted scholars or not, Sichuan would continue to fight with the Qing court. But the governor of the southeast is worth fighting for, and in the future, he may still be the side fighting with the Sichuan army, at least there is no need to force them back to the Qing court.

The President of the Senate was influenced by the moderator, and soon two ballot boxes were placed on the table, one positive and one negative - anonymous voting was not allowed in the Parliament, and all the delegates had to make their attitude clear and unambiguous.

At this time, Gu Ying had already made up his mind that he would vote in favor of this initiative - it was just an initiative, and it should not be binding on Bao Guogong, right? If the Baoguo Gong thinks that the Parliament's shallow knowledge is not in line with his wishes, then he can put aside the Council's proposal and go his own way, Gu Ying will not have any objection to this, and he and other colleagues do not think that the Baoguo Guild does not have the power to act arbitrarily.

……

"The old man has something to say!"

During the voting process, there was a sudden angry shout at the gate, and Gu Ying turned around and saw the academy's Chen Xijiu standing at the gate of the council.

Chen Zuocai strode towards the podium, and the host hurriedly ran over to explain: "Old Grandmaster, this voting has begun, and I can't speak anymore." ”

But Chen Zuocai didn't pay attention to him at all, but walked straight to the podium, and when Chen Zuocai came in, it was the turn of the physical education teacher of the academy, Geriletu, to vote, and he had already stuffed most of his vote into the ballot box that expressed his approval, and he almost let go. The roar of the wine made Geriletu shudder, and when he turned around and saw the wine striding over, Geriletu hurriedly pulled the ticket out of the crack in the box.

"You're in favor?"

Before he pulled out the ticket, Chen Zuocai had already walked behind Geriletu, Chen Xijiu glanced at the ticket box, and then looked at his physical education professor with fierce eyes: "Does this proposal want the Admiral to stop supporting the Southeast Shiren?" ”

"Where?" Geriletu's round face was filled with smiles: "The old sect master misunderstood, we just suggested that the Duke of Baoguo remain neutral. ”

Chen Zuocai didn't say a word, he raised his cane and went to knock on Geriletu, and the host hurriedly hugged him: "Old Sect Master, you can't beat people here!" ”

"The old man can't talk here yet!" Chen Zuocai retorted loudly that according to Deng Ming's rules, only imperial parliamentarians or officials who were consulted could speak from this podium.

At this time, Geriletu had already fled with his ticket, and Chen Zuocai glared at the Mongolian professor, and instead of chasing, he stepped onto the podium.

"You're all cowards!" After Chen Zuocai came to the stage, he shouted: "Admiral Deng has always looked down on scholars, so he only sells arms but refuses to stand up and speak up, and the old man is not surprised at all; And you-" Chen Zuocai paused his cane on the podium and reiterated his point again: "They are all cowards who dare not dare to be!" ”

"You remind me of those foolish people and foolish women who eat desperate households-" Chen Zuocai broke off again.

Gu Ying has a personal experience of the word "eating out of households", his grandfather had eight sons who grew up to adulthood, and when the old man died, the eight sons and more than a dozen grandchildren surrounded his grandfather's hospital bed, which made the whole village envious.

Chen Zuocai spoke vigorously on the podium, and Gu Ying was also reminded of his childhood memories by the other party's words, his seventh uncle's health was not very good, and he only had one son. When Gu Ying's cousin was only six years old, the seventh uncle passed away, leaving the seventh aunt alone with the child with hard work - many people whispered behind their backs, saying that the seventh uncle's child was not in good health like his father, and he was probably not able to support him when he was sick.

I don't know if Aunt Seven heard these discussions, I don't know if I noticed the complicated eyes that surrounded their mother and son, anyway, since then, Gu Ying didn't remember that Aunt Seven had ever smiled, and she always protected her only son like a hen......

But in the end, everyone said that the son of the seventh aunt did not live past the age of eight. Gu Ying was eleven years old that year, and he remembered that his family was jubilant, and his parents did not feel any sadness, but felt that the hope of two years had finally come true...... The elated uncle called a trafficker early, and after burying the little cousin, the uncle handed over the crying seventh aunt to the traffickers and took him away, and then took the brothers to the seventh uncle's house to divide things - Gu Ying and their family seemed to have been given an iron pot, a few axes and the like. And the neighbors in the village also ran out to see the excitement, and many children were still shouting on the side: "Eat the house, eat the house!" When the seventh aunt was taken away by the strangers, the children cried out loudly; When the Gu brothers divided things, the children were still shouting like this, and their parents looked at the Gu brothers with envy in their eyes; When the things were finished and the pigs of the old seven families were slaughtered and stewed, most of the neighbors in the village also shared a bowl, "Eat the household, eat the household!" At that time, the children were even happier, as if it was an early New Year.

"The foolish people do not grieve over the loss of their brothers' families, but rejoice, but they rejoice not without reason." Chen Zuocai shouted loudly on the stage: "They can't eat enough all year round, because their brother's orphans are dead, and they can let their children have one more bite to eat if they eat the family, and their children may live; No one cares about this, because there is nothing more important to a family that has no food, no children, or even a newborn daughter who is drowning. If any gentleman dares to control the peasants who eat the desperate households, and which officials dare to convict the crime of eating the desperate households, the old man will poke his backbone -- you are full and you don't know that the hungry are hungry! But despite this, the old man still wants to say that these are all fools! Fool! ”

"And you guys!" Chen Zuocai raised his cane and swept across the audience with a flat end: "It's not that you can't eat, the old man even taught you to read; And you don't take it yourself, but let others go on it, and wait in the back to divide the things - left in the village, you are the bears who don't even have the guts to kick the widow's door, and you will watch with envy as others kick the door open, take the widow away and sell it, and then be satisfied with a cake - cowards, all cowards! The old man looks down on you! ”

Chen Zuocai was so angry that he jumped like thunder, and pointed at Geriletu, who was not far from him, with his cane: "Isn't it your turn to vote, come here!" Cast your vote! ”

The burly Geriletu, a former Praetorian Guard, cowered in front of Chen Xianjiu and carefully stuffed the ticket in his hand into the "opposed" box.

"Coward! Wasn't you going to vote for it? If you continue to vote in favor in front of the old man, the old man will still look down on you! Chen Zuocai slammed Griletu with his cane: "You are worthy of teaching physical education in your life, and it is useless if you can write!" ”

"The old grandmaster is angry, angry!" Even Liu Yao and Yang Youcai in the spectator came over to pick up Chen Zuocai.

"You guys did this, didn't you?" Chen Zuocai asked sharply.

"That's what the Senate directed!" I don't know what happened after the meeting, Liu Jinge stood behind Chen Zuocai, and was staring at the head and deputy head of the Qingcheng faction.

"Wronged, old grandmaster, if they pass, our Senate will definitely veto it!" Liu Yao didn't have time to fight back and said that Liu Jinge was also involved, so he could only clear his name first.

Chen Zuocai left angrily, even more furious than when he came.

And the voting continued, and it was Gu Ying's turn, he walked to the ballot box, pondered for a while, and finally threw which of his votes into the opposing ballot box: "I'm full of food now." ”