The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"You were once the prefect of Suzhou"

Hearing Cai Guoxi's words, Gao Gong suddenly became interested and couldn't help but ask: "Suzhou is not far from Songjiang Mansion. I heard that Suzhou Mansion also has many fields of the Xu family."

Cai Guoxi is currently idle at home waiting for arrangements from the officials, so he doesn't know much about the recent news circulating in the officialdom. He has no idea that Hai Rui and Xu Jie in Yingtian Mansion are already fighting over the land.

One has to plead for the people. No matter what the reasons are for the people to send their fields to the Xu Mansion, in Hai Rui's view, it is actually the official family that has usurped the people's fields, and it should be returned if the people ask for it.

Xu Jie, on the other hand, has regarded these fields as his own property. Even if he is given permanent leasehold rights, it is still his own land, and he will receive income from the fields every year. Of course, he is not willing to let it go easily.

It would be good to admit that the household registrations of those common people should be released and they could be re-entered into the government rolls.

If you are a smart official, you will definitely not want to jump there at this time. Arriving at Yingtian Shifu means you have to choose to side with your immediate boss, Hai Rui, or your chief assistant, Xu Jie.

Taking sides in official circles is risky.

Cai Guoxi didn't know, but he also knew that Mr. Gao Ge and Xu Jie were not willing to deal with each other. He thought that this person wanted to collect evidence of the Xu family's crimes. Cai Guoxi certainly knew about what he said about the Xu family having many fields. After all, he was there at that time. The governor of Suzhou took office, although it didn't last long.

As for the Xu family that Gao Gong cares about, he knows without even thinking that it must be the Xu family from Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture next door. Although there are many people with the surname Xu in Jiangnan, who is qualified for him to care about.

At this time, Cai Guoxi only hesitated slightly and then said: "To be honest with you, teacher, the student only served in Suzhou for one year, and his understanding of the situation in the counties under his jurisdiction was limited.

But if the Xu family's land mentioned by the teacher is the hometown of Xu Jie and Xuge who returned to his hometown after becoming an official, as far as the students know, the Xu family has land in Susong Erfu and surrounding places such as Yangzhou Prefecture, and even in Huzhou, Hangzhou and other places in Zhejiang. There are fields.

But in the end how many there are, this student really doesn’t know.

As for the fields in Suzhou Prefecture, in fact, the gentry families in Jiangnan and other places may not put all the fields in their own names, but they will be scattered in the names of the famous children in the family, and some even have the names of family members who are exempted from military service. It's really hard to count there. "

"You know very well about these little tricks of the Jiangnan gentry family."

Gao Gong asked cheerfully.

"I don't dare to say it clearly, but since I have become the prefect of Suzhou, I still know a little bit about it."

Cai Guoxi hurriedly smiled and said.

"In this case, if you are asked to go back to Suzhou and check these fields, can you find out the owner behind these fields? Can you find out how these fields came into his hands?"

Gao Gong asked with his face still calm.

But when the words fell into Cai Guoxi's ears, his heart moved.

He understood the meaning of Gao Gong's words. Gao Gong planned to send people there to investigate the Xu family's fields.

Of course he had heard a bit about how the Xu family's land came from. In addition to buying it at a low price while others were in danger, it was a donation.

Of course, the land purchased with money is limited after all.

How much money can the so-called rich households spend these days?

Although the Xu family has opened many workshops in Su Song's Second Mansion, even if you can get the money, you still need someone willing to sell the land.

If a large family needs money to transfer their land, they will naturally ask relatives and friends to raise it. Even if it is difficult to mortgage the land, they can still borrow money.

Most of the land that can be bought with money is in the hands of ordinary people, ranging from dozens of acres to a few acres. If you want to accumulate land, buying it is really impossible.

As for the big families who say their families have been ruined, of course there are some, but they are rare.

The Xu family's land must be thoroughly investigated. There are many tricks in it, and it's really easy to punish them.

However, if he agrees, although Gao Gong can help him solve his errands, he will offend the Xu family and the gentry families in Jiangnan for nothing.

Although Cai Guoxi is good at sneaking into the camp, he also knows the good and bad in it.

After all, he is a person who has been admitted to the Jinshi. In addition to his ability to deal with people, he is also very good at running errands.

You must know that he did not rank high in the palace examination and was not selected by the Hanlin Academy. However, by counting his family property and giving gifts, he finally got himself admitted to the Ministry of Household Affairs and served as the director.

However, although the position of head of the household department was rich in benefits, it was not as powerful as those of the Qing prefecture, so he used the money he saved in the household department to get the official position of Suzhou prefect.

I originally planned to have a big fight, but something happened at home, so I had to go home to observe my filial piety.

In the next six months, he came to the capital countless times, but never had a chance to get the official documents. Now he was feeling anxious.

I originally thought that my political performance was good when I worked in Suzhou, and I was ranked first in the country in the evaluation, so I thought it would be easy to arrange for the vacant posts from the Ministry of Personnel to take up the post.

But now it seems that these false names are of no use. The people in the official department don't care about your evaluation at all, they only care about what you can give.

It's a pity that in such a good place as Suzhou, I was busy making political achievements and delayed making money.

Yes, officials in the Ming Dynasty were like this. They wanted fame and money.

Fame is for promotion and political performance, while money is for enriching one's family. There is no conflict.

Cai Guoxi was appointed as the magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture in Nanzhili, so he practiced frugality, issued twenty-seven chapters of bans, and did dozens of things based on the guidance of ancient and modern sages in order to govern the two verandas of the government.

Engagements and funerals were held, extravagance and tyranny among the people were banned, and corpses were burned. Graves were set up in six gates of 100 acres each. Jianzhong Wu Academy was designated as a lecturer in the hall, saying: "Seeking benevolence, the gentlemen gathered there tirelessly lectured, and there were many tourists who were busy with studying." Public.

At that time, the people were trapped in taxes and servitude, and the white grain and north-south transportation were particularly heavy. Guoxi decided to compile a law for the chief grain officer to eliminate the disadvantages of paying old taxes; for white grain, he set a fixed tax amount, and for north-south transportation, he discussed a law for assisting labor.

He did not need to be the general secretary of the prefecture and county, and the Jinhua Committee officials took care of the big households, so as not to burden the people. He reduced the number of households, watermen, factory workers, doormen, and leather servants, and carried out many good policies.

After taking so many measures, he had gained a reputation, and just as he was gearing up to do something big, he returned to his hometown.

He knew very well that if he expressed his stance at this time, he would actually be taking a high position, going to Suzhou to deal with Xu Jie, and causing trouble for the Xu family.

But if you don't make a decisive decision at this time, you will probably lose Gao Gong's trust, and your official position will be further away from you.

Now he knew that Yang Bo, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had resigned, and Emperor Longqing had the intention to also manage the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel in his appointment of Gao Gong. It can be said that as long as Gao Gong is willing, he will be able to get a petition from the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow. , became an official again.

Having said so much, Cai Guoxi only had a short time to think about it, and he made a decision in just a moment.

I can only say sorry to Mr. Xu Ge. For his own sake, Cai Guoxi plans to be this evil person.

After going to Nanzhili, it would be better to be nice to other big families and just target the Xu family.

The Xu family is a big business, and as long as it is done properly, the Xu family can gain a lot from it.

By fighting against the Xu family's lawlessness, it seems that he can gain a reputation as someone who is not afraid of the powerful.

Of course, all this depends on how he operates, that is, to maintain his reputation in Suzhou.

Thinking of this, Cai Guoxi glanced at Gao Gong, who was sitting in the seat. At this time, Gao Gong was only over fifty years old. Under normal circumstances, he could still work for more than ten years.

Thinking about Mr. Xu Ge, even if he still has some incestuous feelings in the court, Mr. Xu Ge is getting older and he will definitely not be able to outlive the old man in Gaoge.

As long as Xu Ge Lao kicks his legs, those incense feelings will be cut off. At that time, it will not be Gao Ge Lao who has the final say.

In fact, even now, when he heard from his former colleagues, they all said in unison that Li Chunfang and Li Ge would probably not stay in the position of chief assistant for a long time, and his successor should be the one in front of him.

It has great influence on His Majesty.

Well, since the person in front of me is my big supporter, why should I hesitate and just hug him?

When I arrived in Jiangnan, I verified the evidence of the Xu family's crimes. If the house was ransacked, I would dispose of it myself.

With a tutor in the capital to take care of him, he would be able to achieve great success in a short time.

Thinking of this, Cai Guoxi stood up, cupped his fists, bowed and said in salute: "If the teacher has an order, the student will not hesitate to die."

"Sit down, sit down, I just said it casually, just because I heard people said that Xu Huating had countless acres of land in his hometown, and they said tens of thousands of acres, and even hundreds of thousands of acres, and I was a little curious about how he got so many acres. , so I want people to take a look.

To be honest with Chuntai, my family in Xinzheng only has a few thousand acres of land. I heard that Mr. Xu Ge was so good at managing money, so I naturally wanted to learn from him.

The sage said, "When three of us are together, one of us must be my teacher." I want to learn the art of financial management no matter what. "

When Gao Gong heard that Cai Guoxi was willing to go, he was in a good mood and said with a smile.

He understood that Cai Guoxi should understand what he meant.

He inquired about Cai Guoxi's situation clearly. He was tactful and good at speculation, but he was very capable in getting things done. He received a commendation from the court in his first year in Suzhou. This was a real achievement and he had a good official reputation.

What Gao Gong needs now is a minister who can take charge of his role independently.

Perhaps in the past, if he knew that Cai Guoxi liked to work in the camp, he would dislike him and reject him. However, after being forced out of office the year before last, he has changed a lot in the way he views people and employs people.

As for running to Xu Jie's house to hand over greeting cards, haha, asking Xu Jie's disciples to deal with him, is there anything more interesting than this?

How Xu Jie's own disciples dealt with him had nothing to do with him. He really thought that spreading rumors in the capital would make him a threat to him. He didn't dare to take revenge on him. Xu Jie was too underestimated.

As long as you find someone who doesn't deal with Xu Jie or is like Cai Guoxi, you can't be linked to yourself.

Although Cai Guoxi was the tribute student he selected, this student was closer to Xu Jie, so this matter was naturally easy to verify. It was Xu Jie who arranged for him to go to Suzhou.

Xu Jie was tactful, so it was not easy to find his enemies, but with many disciples, there were always some who were willing to betray him for the sake of career.

Cai Guoxi said later that he would write a letter to report to the teacher after finding out the situation. Gao Gong smiled and said nothing. He knew that Cai Guoxi knew what to do.

"Chuntai, you go back and rest for two days. I'll ask someone to ask you about it later.

According to what you said, when you were appointed as the prefect of Suzhou, since you were ranked first among the prefectures in the world, you should arrange errands as soon as possible after Ding You is over. I don’t know how Yang Weiyue managed the staff, leaving such a good person alone. Officials are not delegated. "

Gao Gong planned to see the guests off, and as he spoke, he picked up the tea cup next to him and took a sip.

Of course, Cai Guoxi understood what Gao Gong meant. He immediately stood up and thanked the teacher for taking care of his affairs before leaving.

After the others went out, Gao Gongcai looked at the south with a sneer on his face and said in his heart: "Xu Huating, just wait for me to take action.

When the time comes to see the manpower sent by me, I think your expression will be very wonderful, haha."

"Someone is coming."

Gao Gong called softly, and soon the entourage came in and bowed to obey his orders.

"Let me tell you, I will be in the cabinet on errands tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

After hearing Gao Gong's instructions, the attendant immediately agreed, turned around and went down to let others prepare.

Gao Gong turned around and returned to his seat. As soon as he sat down and picked up the tea, Gao Gong's housekeeper came in from outside. He saluted Gao Gong first and then reported to him in a low voice: "Master, I just received a piece of news, which is quite interesting." of."

"Interesting? What news would be interesting to you?"

Gao Gong was in a good mood at the moment. He found the person who took action against Xu Jie and felt that he could vent his anger, so he asked curiously.

"The news from the Ministry of Rites is that the Nanjing Ministry of Rites reported that the Nanjing Imperial College secretly exchanged sacrificial wine and teaching instructions, and actually accepted a bribe from the second son of Nanjing Wei Guogong in order to prevent his eldest brother from entering the Imperial College to study."

"The two brothers in the Duke of Wei are quarreling? Over the heir? Is Xu Pengju unable to do it?"

Although it seemed like two brothers were fighting, Gao Gong instantly saw many things from this message.

"The Ministry of Rites is already checking the information. It is said that the inside story of this matter is not simple, and it also involves the beheaded Mr. Xiao Ge."

The housekeeper seemed to have inquired about the matter quite clearly. In fact, these so-called "inside information" were deliberately spread by Wei Guangde.

Although it may damage the reputation of the Xu family, after all, this matter is not a secret in Nanjing. Most people with a certain status in the officialdom know it.

It's just that it's a family matter in the Duke of Wei's palace, so as long as it doesn't go to the yamen, everyone can just talk about it privately and complain about Xu Bangrui.

If you quickly find out the inside story, you can get the results of the case faster, complete the case as soon as possible, and get your life back.

At that time, even if the father-in-law Xu Pengju sent the suicide note to the capital, the emperor could refuse his request on the grounds of incompatible etiquette.

Yes, generally speaking, even if the last wishes of important ministers like Wei Guogong were a little unreasonable, the emperor would usually recognize them with a pinch of his nose.

After all, the identities are different, as long as it's not too outrageous.

By this time, because of Gao Gong's return, he had already felt that Gao Gong's attitude towards him was somewhat unclear, so in order to prevent problems before they happened, he took the initiative to release some "scandals" and finalize the case as soon as possible.

"Xu Pengju is brave enough to ask for a royal decree for my concubine."

After hearing the cause and effect, Gao Gong immediately became angry.

In his eyes, finding Yan Shifan to handle this matter was not the main problem, but that the request itself was inconsistent with etiquette. He really didn't know how the Ministry of Rites passed such verification in the first place.

When the Duke of Wei's office is asked to submit a memorial, the Ministry of Rites must verify it clearly before submitting the report.

Obviously, this matter was stamped with the seal of the ministry without verification, so everything went smoothly between the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

However, thinking of the power of the Yan family in the court back then, Gao Gong remained silent.

"What does the Ministry of Rites mean now?"

Gao Gong asked. He calmed down at this time and noticed that this matter was a bit strange, but it involved a cabinet minister.