Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The subscription of national bonds is linked to their official positions. This matter has forced many officials to re-evaluate the situation.

Although everyone wants to show off that they are an upright official, showing off as an upright official is never the ultimate goal. Promotion and wealth are the goals they pursue throughout their lives.

If one's own black hat is lost, even a little bit of good reputation will be of no use. It would be better to be like Wan An, who has a bad reputation but is the chief assistant of Feng's wife.

Now the imperial court is redundant in the name of financial distress. Judging from the latest feedback on redundant staff, those officials who did not actively participate in the subscription of national debt have all been reduced.

Although no one can prove that there is an inevitable connection between the two things, no one is willing to take this risk. Losing one's hat for the so-called name clearing is not worth the gain.

What's more, national debt is a good solution to the current problem of the imperial court, and it is also the most important thing for the emperor at the moment. Anyone who dares to block it like He Qiaoxin will only die.

Because of this, officials in the capital have secretly made up their minds - in the next national debt subscription, although they cannot steal the limelight, they must not fall behind.

Rites Yamen, subscription site.

"I subscribe for ten!"

"I subscribe for ten!"

"I subscribe for thirty tickets!"

"No, I want to add thirty more!"

…

The Rites Yamen is the first Yamen to start the treasury bond subscription in this round. Facing the new round of treasury bond subscription, the Rites Department has changed from the previous lackadaisical attitude of the Punishment Department. The Rites Department seems to be very enthusiastic about subscribing, and there is even a wave of comparison.

The reason for the secret rivalry was not because they had any old grudges, but because they were both afraid of falling in last place and becoming redundant candidates in the next round.

Although everyone claims to be an upright official, this is just an image of self-deception. The local warnings, charcoal warnings and other warnings alone are enough to satisfy any Beijing official.

Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, could not add as much trouble as He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishments. Not to mention that he could not bear the emperor's thunderous wrath. This subscription was his last test before joining the cabinet.

Finally, with the strong cooperation of Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, the subscription of the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites was completed.

Officials throughout the yamen subscribed for 2,000 treasury bonds, and the lowest subscription amount reached 60 bonds. The highest subscription amount was 300 bonds issued by Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites.

This time, He Qiaoxin, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, no longer took the lead in subscribing for one hundred treasury bonds. Thanks to the good example of the Ministry of Rites, other yamen followed suit.

The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War subscribed for 2,300 and 2,400 tickets, the Ministry of Personnel subscribed for 3,000 tickets, and the Ministry of Household subscribed for a full 8,000 tickets.

The main reason why the Ministry of Revenue subscribes to so many treasury bonds is that there are many officials in the Thirteenth Department of the Ministry of Revenue, so their total subscription amount far exceeds that of other yamen.

Just like this, before the start of the Lantern Festival holiday, Liubu Yamen successfully completed the subscription of national bonds.

Except for the Ministry of Justice, which only subscribed for 100 bonds, the subsequent five yamen subscribed for high amounts, and the total number of subscriptions by the six yamen reached 12,800 treasury bonds.

Although the total number of treasury bonds issued by the Ministry of Revenue this time is 300,000, it is undoubtedly a major achievement to achieve this result for the issuance of six yamen.

“All the officials from the Sixth Department have really subscribed!”

"My dear, the Ministry of Finance has subscribed for 8,000 tickets!"

"Since these adults have subscribed, the court won't breach the contract, right?"

…

In fact, the most important role of the six yamen is not how many national bonds they subscribe to, but that they have endorsed the national bonds with real money, which will definitely induce more people to subscribe.

Facts have proved that this method is very effective.

The dignitaries who originally waited and watched entered the market one after another. Although they did not dare to subscribe for a huge amount, many people were willing to give out a few hundred taels to try.

In fact, they may not have such needs!

They put the silver in the kiln for a year. Although the silver would not decrease, it would not increase either. If they use it to purchase government bonds, they have a great chance of getting 10% interest.

Especially when finance is being rectified by the court, buying government bonds has become a good investment direction.

Seventeen thousand sheets!

Eighteen thousand!

Nineteen thousand!

…

The Ministry of Revenue issues treasury bonds to the public through the Royal Bank, but it is different from the registered treasury bonds issued to officials of the six ministries. Now the Royal Bank issues both registered treasury bonds and bearer treasury bonds.

Registered treasury bonds are actually a kind of certificate, which is similar to a depository note. It not only states the amount of the treasury bond, but also contains the information of the debt holder.

As for bearer treasury bonds, these treasury bonds have fixed styles and anti-counterfeiting marks. Each one has a fixed denomination of 10 taels or 2 rice tickets and 3 cloth tickets.

It is worth mentioning that with Zhu Youtang’s silent efforts, Baiyin’s dominance has been broken.

Although cloth tickets and rice tickets have not yet replaced silver, they have become the second or third largest currency, and rice tickets have become the first currency in Jianzhou.

Even though it is the Lantern Festival holiday, the issuance of national bonds is still advancing steadily, and in the blink of an eye it is heading towards the 30,000 mark.

Riding in spring with red makeup. Walking on the shadow of the moon, pole flags pass through the city. The view is endless, singing and dancing on the balcony, and walking under the fragrant dust lotus. When the sound of the flute stopped, I asked Cai Luan to go back. I was not afraid that King Wu would get drunk. The chariot road was very noisy and stopped. I heard Niannu singing.

…

The Lantern Festival is coming as scheduled, and the whole capital seems very lively.

The Ming Dynasty ushered in a truly wise king, and now Shuntian Prefecture Yin is a rare upright official, which has brought prosperity to the capital that has not been seen for a long time.

Especially the Gulou area, which has become truly the number one commercial street in the world, is packed with people.

Jintaifang, Shuntian government office.

Although it is during the Lantern Festival holiday, there are still many busy people in this yamen, and the signing room opened the door early.

Song Cheng, who was wearing a crimson official uniform, still had a dark face, but his eyes were bright and lively. He sat upright in front of his desk and was handling official duties in an orderly manner.

Ever since he became the governor of Shuntian, he has been working diligently on official duties and would not give himself a holiday even during the Spring Festival.

Because he is extremely good at investigating cases, the number of rape cases in the capital has significantly decreased in recent years, and he has even earned the reputation of "Little Bao Gong".

"Is this deserted house haunted?"

Song Cheng had never believed in ghosts and gods, but when he was looking through a civil case that was actually insignificant, he vaguely realized that there was something strange about it.

This is actually a case of rental dispute! A man named Niu Budao rented a remote house outside Xi'an. However, because the abandoned house next door was haunted, he was so frightened that he asked to cancel the rent.

However, Yazi refused to refund the rent on the grounds that he had informed Niu DaDa and that the rental price was so low precisely because the house was so unlucky.

"This should be Song's house, right?"

Song Cheng's focus was not on this, but on the fire the year before last, which claimed dozens of lives.

Fortunately, the Imperial Guards at Xi'an Gate discovered the fire and quickly sent people to put out the fire. After breaking down the door, someone in the Song House escaped death.

As far as he knew, the adopted son of the family named Song did not die in the fire, but there is still no news about him.

The fire started strangely that night. It was unreasonable for the Song Dynasty to purchase so much lamp oil at once, so he always suspected that there was another hidden reason for the fire.

"Although both parties have written documents, the tenant can no longer move in safely, so he no longer abides by the contract! Today, I decree that all the rent will be returned to the tenant. The tenant must compensate the landlord with a hundred cents, and he must be equal!"

Song Cheng gave instructions on this civil dispute, but he couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart.

Although many people respect him as a divine judge, this fire case has become a knot in his mind. He has never been able to find the real culprit of the arson, or even the motive of the arson.

Fortune plays tricks on people, and now this Song residence is actually haunted.

"Master, Madam has already prepared the meal!" Xiao Tao, the maid, walked in from outside, looking cheerful.

Song Cheng was about to call the head catcher Zhao Dayan, but then he realized that the sun was setting.

Although he didn't mind being busy all the time, thinking about how much suffering his wife and he had suffered, he always felt that he owed Yun Niang, so he would accompany Yun Niang to enjoy every meal.

Yun Niang is now several months pregnant, but she still insists on spinning cloth in the back house every day, and she also cooks by herself.

Today's meal is sumptuous, including pork belly, which is rarely seen on weekdays.

Song Cheng sat down at the fixed north seat, picked up the fish bone soup next to him and took a sip: "This sea fish bone is really a taste every day, it is enough to satisfy my husband's craving. You are pregnant now, so I leave this plate of pork belly to you. eat!"

"Song idiot, how can I eat so much?" Although Yun Nianggan felt Song Cheng's concern, she glanced at him with resentment.

Song Cheng knew that Yun Niang had suffered a lot during the years of repaying debts. Although he didn't know how to coax women, he still sincerely picked up a piece of fat and thin pork belly and put it into Yun Niang's bowl and said, "Then you eat it slowly. If there’s any leftover, I’ll keep it for you as a midnight snack!”

Although he was actually greedy for this five-starred board that was full of color, fragrance and flavor, he always thought that even if he was wronged, he could not let Yun Niang suffer.

When Xiao Tao saw this loving couple, although Song Cheng still spoke like a fool, she still couldn't stand it and walked away.

"Recently, more and more people in the capital are subscribing to national bonds. Do you think the emperor will default?" Yun Niang asked curiously as she liked to pester Song Cheng to talk about things while eating.

She is now Mrs. Gaoming and has her own small circle.

Since her husband was recognized by everyone as one of the famous people around the emperor, Mrs. Gaoming kept coming over these days to inquire about whether the national debt was reliable.

Although it is a man's world now, women's savings should not be underestimated, so the minds of some of the wives became active.

Song Cheng thought of the several times he met the emperor and said without hesitation: "No!"

"Why are you so sure?" Yun Niang asked with interest, holding her chopsticks.

Song Cheng's eyes looked very clear, and he said seriously: "This is obviously a win-win matter, why did the emperor break the contract?"

"It will be a full 3.3 million taels when it expires next year. What a huge sum of money!" Yun Niang knew that wealth was so attractive that she told this astonishing figure.

Song Cheng shook his head gently and turned to look in the direction of the Forbidden City: "The emperor has always been seeking benefits for the people of the world. If he really wants money this time, the court only needs to increase taxes! It's just that the emperor has not only never raised taxes since he ascended the throne. He did not follow the people's will, but instead worked for the benefit of the people at every turn, and even spent more than three million taels to resettle the millions of refugees in Henan? How could such a king break the trust of the people of the world for a mere three million taels?"

Although he did not have much contact with the emperor, judging from the emperor's administrative methods, he was an emperor who was determined to create a prosperous age.

He had reason to believe that the current emperor would not ruin a good situation for a mere bit of money, nor was he a short-sighted emperor.

The most important thing is that the funds raised this time are not a waste, but are used to mine the gold mines in Luzon. There will be a steady stream of gold to feed back the Ming Dynasty's finances.

"As soon as I trust you, I will go to the Royal Bank with Mrs. Liu!" Yun Niang took a bite of the food and said vaguely.

Song Cheng took today's particularly delicious fish bone soup and put it into his mouth. He looked very confused and asked: "What are you and Mrs. Liu doing at the Royal Bank?"

"I want to subscribe for three hundred treasury bonds!" Yun Niang's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning, and she said with her little tiger teeth.

puff!

Song Cheng spit out the soup he had just put into his mouth, and then looked at his wife in disbelief. Didn't his family just pay off their debts?

Due to his ordinary family background, although he successfully obtained the title of Jinshi, his family owed a large amount of debt for medical treatment and study, so he has been paying off the debt since he became an official.

Fortunately, his salary was much higher after he was promoted to the third rank of Shuntian Prefecture. In addition, Yun Niang was also successful in weaving as the royal wife. She solved several cases and received rewards from the emperor, so she could pay off her debts.

In the past, there was no smell of oil at all. Thanks to the imperial government's opening of the sea, you could often buy cheap fish bones shipped from Tianjin Port.

It's just that things happened so unexpectedly that my wife actually wanted to subscribe for 500 treasury bonds, which was a full 5,000 taels.

If the Kedao Yanguan were here, he would definitely label Song Cheng as a corrupt official and step on the world-famous Song Qingtian to ascend to the throne.

"Sir, someone came to Madam's house last year, and she also sent Madam a large sum of money! In fact, the debts of our Song family have been paid off long ago, and Madam even let the Madam build a new house at home!" Xiao Tao received from Yun Niang. With a look in his eyes, he revealed the secret he had always held.

Song Cheng would not suspect that Yun Niang had accepted bribes behind his back. If this woman was greedy for money, she would not have talked to him, a poor scholar, and said calmly: "I see, but... why should I hide it from my husband?"

"I didn't hide it, it's just that you never asked, and you're stupid!" Yun Niang handed over the handkerchief and blamed the ground.

Song Cheng took the handkerchief and wiped the fish soup around his mouth, and asked in confusion: "Why am I stupid?"

"Don't think about it, you are already the governor of Shuntian. My father can disown me as his daughter, but can he really disown you as a son-in-law who rides a dragon?" Yun Niang found that her husband-in-law was cute sometimes. It goes straight to the core.

In her early years, she did not hesitate to regret her marriage, and she was determined to marry the poor scholar Song Cheng, which led to a direct breakup with her family. As a result, her father was so angry that he threatened to sever the relationship between father and daughter.

It's just that Song Cheng obtained the title of Jinshi, and became the governor of Shuntian at a young age. He was also favored by the emperor and could be said to be the star of hope in the Ming Dynasty officialdom.

She believed that her father could not change his stance because of family ties, but thanks to her good husband and the emperor's favor, her fate also quietly changed.

Song Cheng found out that this was really the case, and he was happy for his wife and said: "That's good. When I have the opportunity to return to my hometown in the future, I will accompany you to meet Lord Taishan!"

"Okay, let me get down to business first!" Yun Niang saw that the matter had been explained clearly and left with a smile on her face.

Song Cheng watched Yun Niang leave, and then realized that his wife had become a little rich woman. He just put the fish bone soup into his mouth and tasted it carefully, and found that it had a sweet and fishy smell. No wonder...he had been so so recently. fierce. (End of chapter)