People are in the heavens, breeding pacesetters

In prison, Lu Wenzhao's hands and feet were tied with iron chains, his whole body was hung up, and a ball was tied around his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.

Zhang Jingyun's lips twitched when he saw this scene. He felt a little familiar. He seemed to have seen it in the study materials on his computer.

But most of them are tied in the woman's mouth.

Zhang Jingyun quickly looked at Ding Baiying.

She, Ding Chong, and Ding Tai were put into another cell, and no strange things were stuffed in their mouths. After all, Lu Wenzhao was the one who planned the murder of Apocalypse.

Naturally, the focus was on interrogating Lu Wenzhao.

But before Wei Zhongxian gave the order, no one dared to attack Lu Wenzhao. After all, if Lu Wenzhao died in his own hands, it would be troublesome.

"Lu Wenzhao, look who's coming!"

Shen Lian suddenly spoke.

Lu Wenzhao's lips turned white and it was difficult to open his eyes. At this moment, Pei Lun poured a basin of cold water over him, waking Lu Wenzhao directly.

He took a closer look, "Ding Xiu? Why did you..."

Zhang Jingyun winked at Shen Lian and Pei Lun, and they exited the prison with understanding. Only Zhang Jingyun and Lu Wenzhao were left in the cell.

"Uncle, you and your master have fallen into such a situation, and even my master is about to be killed by you. Don't you regret it at all?"

"What's the use of regret?"

"Master, tell me exactly what you need to say. Maybe you and Master will still have a way to survive."

Lu Wenzhao stared at him: "Even you said that. It seems that you and the eunuchs are in the same league. How much money did you receive from Wei eunuchs?"

Zhang Jingyun said: "Ten thousand taels."

Lu Wenzhao's eyes were full of sarcasm.

"Master, please don't look at your nephew with this look. I earned these ten thousand taels myself. Do you remember the Treasure Ship Chronicle? I grabbed it."

"Do you know how many people that would kill?"

Zhang Jingyun suddenly felt pity for Lu Wenzhao, "Master, don't you understand yet? You and Master are just pawns in the fight between the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party."

Zhang Jingyun stretched out his hand and showed King Xin's waist card.

"He asked me to tell you, just say whatever Wei Zhongxian asks, and tell me clearly who asked you to conspire with Guo Zhen to assassinate the emperor."

Lu Wenzhao was immediately stunned when he saw King Xin's belt. This was King Xin's personal belt. The holder of the belt was as if King Xin was here in person. What did these words mean?

He is not only a chess piece, but also a discarded piece!

King Xin actually chose to collude with Wei Zhongxian and gave up the Donglin Party members who supported him, even at the expense of causing the tragedy of the Donglin Party's bloodbath.

"The eunuch...is such a good trick!"

Lu Wenzhao thought it was Wei Zhongxian who forced King Xin, and King Xin had to draw a clear line with the Donglin Party, otherwise he would be charged with murdering the emperor's brother.

Zhang Jingyun looked at him and said: "Whether it is the Eunuch Party or the Donglin Party, in the final analysis they are all fighting for power.

You and Master will not end well if you go into this muddy water. I am doing this for your own good. You have said everything you need to say. I ask the King of Letters to write a letter and ask you to go to the frontier army and do your last part. , Chaotang is not suitable for you. "

Lu Wenzhao was quite surprised, "You are so capable that the King of Belief values ​​you so much? Aren't you afraid that you will be the next me?"

Zhang Jingyun couldn't help but rolled his eyes and said: "Uncle, am I as stupid as you? I don't even know that I am being used?"

Lu Wenzhao: "..."

"Which side are you from?"

Lu Wenzhao couldn't help but asked.

He was said to be a member of the Xinwang, but he also got involved with the eunuchs. He was said to be a member of the eunuchs, and he was valued by the king, so much so that he was even willing to show his personal belt.

Zhang Jingyun smiled and said nothing.

He himself was on one side, and even the future emperor was his subordinate. Seeing that he still had to kneel down to see him, there was no need for Lu Wenzhao to know this.

"I won't say it. Instead of harming the Donglin Party, it's better for me to bear all this alone." Lu Wenzhao said slowly.

Zhang Jingyun couldn't bear it anymore and used his trump card.

"Master, you don't miss Master either..."

Lu Wenzhao said with veins popping out on his forehead: "Bastard, you won't even let your master go? How could she accept a bastard like you as her apprentice!"

"You murdered the emperor, and you implicated my master. What does that have to do with me? If it weren't for you, my master would still be opening a martial arts gym in the capital!"

Zhang Jingyun was speechless. He was obviously stupid and couldn't see that he was being taken advantage of. Why did he have to drag a bunch of people to be buried with him for his persistence?

It's downright stupid.

In fact, Lu Wenzhao made a big mistake when he used Ling Yunkai to kill Beizhai, forced Shen Lian to burn the case library, and stabbed Pei Lun in the back.

When Lu Wenzhao's hands were stained with the blood of innocent people, what he did was not enough to be called justice, but was just an excuse to make excuses.

What's wrong with Pei Lun?

Getting stabbed in the back after investigating a case?

Finally, Lu Wenzhao relented.

"I said…"

He looked at the wall, only one wall separated him.

The person he feels most sorry for in this life is Ding Baiying. The Donglin Party is gone, and even King Xin has bowed his head in front of the eunuch. What can he do?

As Lu Wenzhao spoke and the treasure ship minutes were added, Shen Lian, Pei Lun and other Jinyiwei all dispatched to uproot the Donglin Party members involved in the case.

The government and the public were shocked for a while.

………

Han Kuang, the chief minister of the cabinet, felt as if the sky was falling, and Wei Zhongxian had reached unprecedented heights. In the eyes of outsiders, even 9,999 years old could not stop him.

Because now King Xin is like a little boy, standing respectfully behind Wei Zhongxian, not even daring to say a word.

In the seventh year of the Apocalypse, in the Qianqing Palace.

The emperor is coming to the end of his life.

The chief ministers of the cabinet, Han Kuang, Wei Zhongxian and King Xin, stood respectfully in front of the emperor's bed. At this time, Emperor Tianqi fell ill from falling into the water and his whole body was swollen.

The whole person is bigger than before.

Like a fat and white pig.

"My brother..."

Tianqi was too weak to lift his hand.

As soon as his hand, which had always been as fat as a pig's paw, was lifted up, it dropped down. Fortunately, King Xin had quick eyesight and quick hands. He slid half-kneeling beside the bed and held his hand tightly.

"Brother Imperial...my brother is here!"

Emperor Tianqi opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything he wanted to say. Suddenly, he became more energetic, "My brother, consider me Yao and Shun! The Ming Dynasty is yours!"

Emperor Tianqi closed his eyes after finishing speaking.

King Xin Zhu Youjian held his hand for a long time. His only brother was gone, and he was left to fight with these wolves!

"Fortunately, I still have adults to help me..."

A figure flashed in Zhu Youjian's mind, and it was Zhang Jingyun. Ever since Zhang Jingyun brought him back from the edge of death, Zhu Youjian could no longer break free of the mark engraved deep in his soul.

With the new emperor ascending the throne.

The Donglin Party, which had not yet become completely powerful, was strangled in the cradle, and all officials of the Ming Dynasty were shrouded in the shadow of the factory boss Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian, on the other hand, was under the shadow of the emperor. When the Donglin Party was still in power, Wei Zhongxian was absolutely safe.

And when the Donglin Party was completely suppressed.

The whole country of the Ming Dynasty, including the new emperor, all pointed their fingers at Wei Zhongxian. Even if his hand covered the sky, the emperor had to bend down to worship... to praise and kill him!

There seems to be a fire burning in Ming Dynasty.

And he, Wei Zhongxian, was the one at the center of the flames, being roasted day and night. He even hoped that the Donglin Party could create another opponent to maintain balance.

The consequences of breaking the balance are such suffering. Days pass by, and King Xin changed his reign name to Chongzhen in the past few months after he ascended the throne.

There is no sign of suppression against the eunuchs.

Until this day, Wei Zhongxian was summoned by Chongzhen. Chongzhen handed him a piece of paper, which contained a piece of advice about fire consumption.

What is fire consumption?

This is a term that began to appear in Wanli, that is, when local governments collect taxes and melt broken silver and recast it into silver ingots.

Smelting broken silver into official silver will always cause some loss, and the national tax and silver total is a large amount of money, so naturally it cannot be borne by the court.

In the words of officials, it is no longer easy for both the imperial court and the government, and it is normal to owe officials salary year after year.

We can only suffer the common people one more time.

Therefore, when local governments collect taxes, they will levy more taxes to make up for the losses caused by fire consumption. However, most governments often levy more taxes than the actual difference.

What to do with the extra part?

This is naturally the income of officials.

In fact, the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were so pitiful that the top official in a county might only have a salary of a few dozen taels of silver throughout the year.

With this amount of money alone, one person can still make ends meet, but if a large family is determined to be unable to survive, the difference in expenditure is the official's default income.

After three years of clearing the magistrate's office, he received one hundred thousand snowflakes and silver.

Most of the money that corrupt officials embezzle is lost because they will collect more money than the entire tax bill.

Wei Zhongxian looked at the folded piece of paper in his hand and his hands and feet were cold, "Huo Hao returns to the public? What traitor made this suggestion? This person should be killed!"

The so-called repaying the tax to the public means clarifying the share of the overtaxed tax and clearly telling the taxpayer that you only need to pay the extra money.

As for what to do with the extra money spent on fire, the brochure also clearly stated that it should be used as money to support officials and subsidize their families.

Chongzhen asked Wei Zhongxian: "What does the factory owner mean?"

Wei Zhongxian said: "After the fire is returned to the public, the officials who are in office can indeed increase their income, so that the honest officials who are really short of money can have money, so that the really corrupt officials dare not blatantly be greedy for more money, killing two birds with one stone, but it just can't be implemented. I hope Your Majesty knows."

"Why can't it be implemented?"

Wei Zhongxian's eyes flashed with coldness and he said: "Once this method is implemented, those corrupt officials will attack in groups.

They will say that Your Majesty, you are imposing excessive taxes, squeezing the people, and even inciting the people. After all, they only know that if they have more fire expenses, they will pay more money. "

Chongzhen nodded: "There is one more tax, although it actually reduces the burden on the people, but it will bring a bad reputation.

Emperors of all dynasties have used tax reduction as their merit, but I have put the secret rules on the surface, giving corrupt officials an opportunity to take advantage of me? "

Wei Zhongxian said quickly: "Your Majesty is wise."

Chongzhen nodded, "Since that's the case, then this decision will be implemented by the factory owner. Those people still dare to attack you, the factory owner?"

The fold in Wei Zhongxian's hand fell with a snap.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Chongzhen, who was harmless to humans and animals. What he feared most appeared in his heart. The groveling King Xin showed his fangs.

He was more ruthless than he thought.

Wei Zhongxian originally thought that if King Xin was a stupid person, he would eradicate him and purge the court as soon as he came to power. This was a bad idea. If King Xin was capable, he would stabilize the country and then eradicate him to win the hearts of the people.

He had already seen through Wei Zhongxian's fate.

But he never expected that the emperor would not only eradicate him, but also squeeze out the last of his value, and wanted Wei Zhongxian to bear all the infamy alone!

"Your Majesty, this slave is not capable enough and may fail the Holy Grace..."

Wei Zhongxian immediately refused.

The ending he designed for himself was to guard the mausoleum in Fengyang and end his life in front of the tomb of Lao Zhu's family, instead of being shattered to pieces in the crusade of the gentry and landlords.

Chongzhen did not press for it: "There is no rush on this matter. The factory owner will think about it carefully when he gets back. In addition, we must seize the time to promote corn and sweet potatoes in Shaanxi. The Qintian Supervisor reported that there may be natural disasters and rebellions in Shaanxi."

Wei Zhongxian suddenly looked pained and said, "Your Majesty, if the Qintian Prison had this ability, there wouldn't be so many bandits across the country."

"Anyway, the large yield of sweet potatoes is always a good thing. Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst." Chongzhen waved his hand to signal Wei Zhongxian to step back.

That night, Wei Zhongxian couldn't sleep.

He was not sure whether Chongzhen was really hiding his clumsiness. Did Chongzhen just casually mention the suggestion of returning Huo Xiao to the public?

Wei Zhongxian fell asleep with doubts.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils shrank, and he was dripping with cold sweat. He didn't dare to move. All he saw was a sharp sword hanging above his head.

The tip of the sword was only an inch from the tip of his nose.

"Someone! Bring me someone!"

Wei Zhongxian's closest confidants, Zhao Jingzhong, Zheng Zhangban, and Wei Ting, couldn't help but be dumbfounded when they saw the scene before them.

"Father, who can sneak into your room quietly except a few of us? There must be someone inside!" Wei Ting said in a deep voice.

She is the adopted daughter of Wei Zhongxian and is highly regarded.

Zhao Jingzhong also found it incredible, "Godfather, I was on duty yesterday. How could someone sneak into your room under my nose?"

"What if it was you who did it?"

Wei Ting looked directly at Zhao Jingzhong and said without concealment, Who doesn't know that Zhao Jingzhong is like a dog these days and wants to stick to the back of Chongzhen's butt.

"Dad, my son is wronged!"

Zhao Jingzhong knelt on the ground with a plop.

Wei Zhongxian remained silent, looking at the sword in the air, and then at the note on the bedside, which was still the same note suggesting that the deceased should be returned to his father's house.

"Is this a warning to me? It means that there is your hidden child beside me. Before making any decision, think about whose sword is above your head?"

Wei Zhongxian understood that there was only one sword that could kill him, and that was the sword of the emperor. He was deceived. Chongzhen's previous weakness and incompetence were all fake. The new king of Ming Dynasty might really be a hero of his generation.

Can it even really revive the Ming Dynasty?

The next day, Wei Zhongxian went to the court with the excerpt and announced the decision to return Huo Huo to the public, which immediately attracted a wave of confident counterattacks.

Wei Zhongxian was angry. He was already risking his life. A corrupt official just wanted to keep his money? Wei Zhongxian then suggested to Chongzhen that corrupt officials should be investigated and punished to make up for the shortfall.

After Chongzhen ascended the throne.

The annual fiscal revenue of the Ministry of Household Affairs is less than 4 million taels of silver. However, due to the continuous war with Hou Jin, that is, the Qing Dynasty, the annual expenditure is about 6 million taels of silver.

There is a loss of two million taels every year.

Where does the money come from, and can the Donglin Party come up with it? Their slogan is to reduce taxes and even eliminate salt, iron and mine taxes.

The people's support was restored, but the Ming Dynasty also died.

It's just that there were too many corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty, to the point where officials protected each other, and there were various reasons for protecting corrupt officials.

In the Qianqing Palace.

Chongzhen explained the reasons of the major officials. The person sitting on the dragon chair was Zhang Jingyun, and the two of them seemed to have become accustomed to it.

Chongzhen said: "Some people say that although corrupt officials are a little greedy, they are capable. It is not easy for the court to train an official. It might as well be dismissed and kept in office."

To be dismissed and retained in office is to allow the official to perform meritorious service and continue to work in the yamen to make up for the shortfall. This practice has been common in all dynasties.

Zhang Jingyun waved his hand and said, "No, he is already a corrupt official. If we allow him to stay in office, wouldn't we be allowing him to extort money from the people?"

Chongzhen suddenly realized, and he added: "Some people say that some officials who are greedy for money are quite popular in the local area.

The local people voluntarily collectively contributed money to make up for the shortfall, as well as the Ten Thousand People Umbrella and the petition. Can this official be reinstated? "

Zhang Jingyun said: "It's nonsense. This shows that this official's influence is deeply entangled in the local area. Jin Yiwei should be sent immediately to find out whether there are evil forces oppressing the people."

"Then if even the local superiors are protecting their subordinates, how should we solve it? For example, Jiangnan has accumulated money and food arrears, and officials protect each other. It is difficult for foreign officials to find out."

Zhang Jingyun thought for a while: "It's not that difficult. Send the Minister of Hubu and the Minister of Punishment to investigate. One of them is in charge of the accounting books, and the other is in charge of arresting people."

"This has been done in the past, but the effect was not good." Chongzhen nodded and said, this is a method commonly used by the imperial court, but there are positive strategies from above and countermeasures from below, and those people have long figured out the tactics of the imperial court.

"Hmph, let's do something they didn't expect. Let the Minister of Household Affairs and the Minister of Justice go to investigate, and bring forty candidate officials to participate. If a corrupt official is found, candidates will be sent to fill the position immediately."

Chongzhen knelt on the ground.

"Your Excellency is truly a god! I admire you greatly!" Wei Zhongxian sorted out these troubles for him to decide. Compared with Zhang Jingyun, Chongzhen's ideas are simply not worth mentioning and cannot be put on the table.

The next day, Wei Zhongxian sighed sadly after seeing Chongzhen's decision. He knew that he would never be able to defeat the emperor in front of him with any means.

A few days later, the policy of returning Huo Huo to the public was implemented. Wei Zhongxian insisted on implementing it despite all opinions, which was regarded as his last contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

However, it was not even half a year.

Chongzhen summoned Wei Zhongxian to see him and brought out a memorial. Wei Zhongxian looked at it, his blood surged, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

"Dividing people into acres and acres of land... Your Majesty doesn't want your slaves to do it, right? Your Majesty... I can't do it. Please send your Majesty to send slaves to Fengyang to guard Taizu's mausoleum!"

"Hey, the factory boss is in serious trouble. Those who can do it should work harder. Such changes cannot be completed overnight. The factory boss can take his time. I accidentally got a sword, so I gave it to the factory boss. I hope the factory boss will become a great benefit. sword!"

Chongzhen handed him a sword.

It was just like the one hanging above his head last time.

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian wished that half a year ago, it was their eunuch party that fell. If the eunuch party collapsed, they would also collapse, and die happily.

Now the situation is worse than life.

That night, Chongzhen ran to Zhang Jingyun and was about to report Wei Zhongxian's expression to him, when he saw Zhang Jingyun holding a baby in his arms with a smile on his face.

"Is this your lord's son?" Chongzhen asked.

He had only been on the throne for a year and had no heirs yet.

Zhang Jingyun shook his head.

"No, this is your son!"

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