Synopsis
In the nineteenth year of Hongwu, the Ministry of Revenue reports good news: peace reigns throughout the land.
Zhu Yuanzhang closes the memorial, opens it again, and reads it three times. Then he asks, “Do you believe it?”
No one dares to answer. He does not believe it himself.
Three days later, dressed in a ragged cotton-padded jacket, he leaves the imperial palace and squats beside a field ridge in Huaixi, gnawing on a millet bun mixed with bran. He brings only two men. Lao Nian, his limping, sharp-tongued senior brother from the days they begged for food together at Huangjue Temple, speaks up for him. Shen Qi, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is cold-faced and taciturn, and handles things by force.
One lets things go; the other keeps them in check. One is warm; the other is cold. Zhu Yuanzhang himself holds the reins. He does not act with his own hands; he only speaks. Once he speaks, the matter is settled.
From Qinghe County to the prefectural city, from the provincial administration to the capital, he travels and investigates. Corrupt officials swagger before him, wealthy gentry dismiss him as a beggar, and constables kick over his bowl and tell him to get lost.
They have no idea that this old man in a ragged jacket can take their lives with a single word.
And who could blame them? Who would imagine that the emperor himself is squatting beside a field, gnawing on a millet bun?
This chapter is heavy to write, and an injustice case is before our eyes, which makes people's hearts tense. The jokes between Lao Wei and Shen Qi were a bit less, and more of the bitterness of the lower class. What the emperor saw during this private visit was not the peaceful and prosperous era in the memorial, but the lives of ordinary people hanging on the edge of a knife. Not dealing with the county magistrate for the time being is not conniving. There are still big fish hiding in the dark, so we should not act too hastily.
The author has something to say
The birthday banquet in this chapter officially begins. Lao Wei is looking forward to going to the banquet and having a big meal. Unexpectedly, when he is eating the banquet, he unexpectedly reveals that the chief minister is using his birthday to make money. Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card and shocked the audience. There were piles of silver and account books in the backyard to check one by one. Finally, walking barefoot means not forgetting the suffering of the people. The corruption chain in Shandong has only begun to uncover a corner, and we will continue to dig deeper into the next chapter. If you like this book, remember to save it. Let's check it out next.
The author has something to say
In this chapter, Zhu Yuanzhang entered Qingzhou Mansion.
If you don't go through the main entrance when entering the city, you will end up in a smelly ditch. After entering the city, I saw three things: beggars gathering together, shops with seals, and grain shops blocked. When these three things are strung together, there is one word: rotten.
Boss Wu's grain shop was attracted by Zhou Mian's brother-in-law. Zhou Mian fabricated charges of tax arrears and closed the shop. Boss Wu couldn't get out the coins he saved, and the people couldn't buy food. That's why there were beggars on the street. The roots are all in Zhou Mian.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not go to Zhou Mian directly. He first went to the Salt Transportation Department.
Why go to Yanyunsi? Because the bandit suppression donations collected by Qinghe County were in the name of salt tax. Each household in Qinghe County received two taels, and all the money collected went into the county government's account. From the Salt Transportation Department, not a single copper plate was received. Where did the money go? The manager refused to say anything, but Shen Qi put the knife on his neck and said: The Salt Transportation Department intercepts half of the salt tax every month and sends it to Zhou Mian as a donation for suppressing bandits. It has been six years, and everyone from top to bottom has been involved, not just Zhou Mian.
That night, the steward led people to the inn and was restrained by Shen Qi. Zhu Yuanzhang took out another key sentence from his mouth: The chief envoy also knew about it. Every winter, the Chief Envoy would send someone to visit.
The next day, Zhu Yuanzhang went to the government office. Zhou Mian was waiting at the door. He negotiated terms first and used the chief envoy to pressure him. Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card. There were originally eight swordsmen lying in ambush behind the screen, waiting for Zhou Mian's order to pounce on them. But Zhou Mian froze, and the eight men rushed out. When they saw the jade plaque, they also knelt down.
The most important message in this chapter is not Zhou Mian's confession, but his confession. What happened in Qingzhou Prefecture does not have anything to do with Qingzhou Prefecture. The salt tax was withheld for six years, and the chief envoy knew about it. There is a larger net above Zhou Mian.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill Zhou Mian on the spot. He asked him to write a confession and clearly explain all the officials involved and the flow of every money. He was escorted to the provincial capital and handed over to the Chief Envoy and the Ministry of Punishment for review.
Pay attention here. Zhu Yuanzhang handed Zhou Mian over to the Chief Envoy for trial. But Zhou Mian said that the chief envoy also knew about it. Did Zhu Yuanzhang not know, or did he arrange it like this on purpose? See you in the next chapter.
Next chapter, provincial capital. The level of the chief envoy is deeper than that of the prefect. What Zhu Yuanzhang wants to touch is harder than this chapter.
See you in the next chapter.
The author has something to say
In this chapter, Zhu Yuanzhang left the palace.
He read a report from the Ministry of Household Affairs in the Qianqing Palace, saying that this year's autumn grain was 20% more than last year, and the world was at peace. He read it three times and asked, do you believe it? No one dared to answer. He didn't believe it himself. So he put on his shabby coat, walked out of the palace gate, squatted on the field ridge in Qinghe County, Huaixi Province, and gnawed on a steamed bun made of sorghum mixed with chaff.
He had two people with him. Lao Wei, a fellow apprentice who had begged for food at Huangjue Temple, was lame and had a bad mouth. He tried to reason for him. Shen Qi, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, cold-faced and talkative, took action for him. One releases and the other receives.
In this chapter, the policemen in Qinghe County are collecting donations for the suppression of bandits. Two taels per household. If you can't pay them, you can use your daughter to pay them off. An old man in his sixties couldn't pay, so the guard kicked over his basket, stepped on his hand, and crushed him.
Zhu Yuanzhang squatted on the ridge of the field and watched. He didn't move. He was counting how long he could endure it.
Shen Qi took action. Three servants, three strikes. The old man helped the old man up and began to ask questions. This question brought out Master Zhang, the donations for bandit suppression, and the rotten roots of Qinghe County.
Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card. The prefect slipped from his horse and knelt in the mud. Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill him, but escorted him back to the capital and handed him over to the Three Laws Division for trial.
There is a clue buried in this chapter: Qinghe County's anti-bandit donation, 2 taels per household, is in the name of salt tax. Where did the money go? A county magistrate cannot be greedy for so much. Above Master Zhang is the county magistrate, above the county magistrate is the prefect, and above the prefect is the chief envoy. This line will be pulled upward layer by layer.
Next chapter, Fucheng. Zhu Yuanzhang was going to meet the prefect Zhou Mian for a while.
See you in the next chapter.
This chapter is heavy to write, and an injustice case is before our eyes, which makes people's hearts tense. The jokes between Lao Wei and Shen Qi were a bit less, and more of the bitterness of the lower class. What the emperor saw during this private visit was not the peaceful and prosperous era in the memorial, but the lives of ordinary people hanging on the edge of a knife. Not dealing with the county magistrate for the time being is not conniving. There are still big fish hiding in the dark, so we should not act too hastily.
The author has something to say The birthday banquet in this chapter officially begins. Lao Wei is looking forward to going to the banquet and having a big meal. Unexpectedly, when he is eating the banquet, he unexpectedly reveals that the chief minister is using his birthday to make money. Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card and shocked the audience. There were piles of silver and account books in the backyard to check one by one. Finally, walking barefoot means not forgetting the suffering of the people. The corruption chain in Shandong has only begun to uncover a corner, and we will continue to dig deeper into the next chapter. If you like this book, remember to save it. Let's check it out next.
The author has something to say In this chapter, Zhu Yuanzhang entered Qingzhou Mansion. If you don't go through the main entrance when entering the city, you will end up in a smelly ditch. After entering the city, I saw three things: beggars gathering together, shops with seals, and grain shops blocked. When these three things are strung together, there is one word: rotten. Boss Wu's grain shop was attracted by Zhou Mian's brother-in-law. Zhou Mian fabricated charges of tax arrears and closed the shop. Boss Wu couldn't get out the coins he saved, and the people couldn't buy food. That's why there were beggars on the street. The roots are all in Zhou Mian. Zhu Yuanzhang did not go to Zhou Mian directly. He first went to the Salt Transportation Department. Why go to Yanyunsi? Because the bandit suppression donations collected by Qinghe County were in the name of salt tax. Each household in Qinghe County received two taels, and all the money collected went into the county government's account. From the Salt Transportation Department, not a single copper plate was received. Where did the money go? The manager refused to say anything, but Shen Qi put the knife on his neck and said: The Salt Transportation Department intercepts half of the salt tax every month and sends it to Zhou Mian as a donation for suppressing bandits. It has been six years, and everyone from top to bottom has been involved, not just Zhou Mian. That night, the steward led people to the inn and was restrained by Shen Qi. Zhu Yuanzhang took out another key sentence from his mouth: The chief envoy also knew about it. Every winter, the Chief Envoy would send someone to visit. The next day, Zhu Yuanzhang went to the government office. Zhou Mian was waiting at the door. He negotiated terms first and used the chief envoy to pressure him. Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card. There were originally eight swordsmen lying in ambush behind the screen, waiting for Zhou Mian's order to pounce on them. But Zhou Mian froze, and the eight men rushed out. When they saw the jade plaque, they also knelt down. The most important message in this chapter is not Zhou Mian's confession, but his confession. What happened in Qingzhou Prefecture does not have anything to do with Qingzhou Prefecture. The salt tax was withheld for six years, and the chief envoy knew about it. There is a larger net above Zhou Mian. Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill Zhou Mian on the spot. He asked him to write a confession and clearly explain all the officials involved and the flow of every money. He was escorted to the provincial capital and handed over to the Chief Envoy and the Ministry of Punishment for review. Pay attention here. Zhu Yuanzhang handed Zhou Mian over to the Chief Envoy for trial. But Zhou Mian said that the chief envoy also knew about it. Did Zhu Yuanzhang not know, or did he arrange it like this on purpose? See you in the next chapter. Next chapter, provincial capital. The level of the chief envoy is deeper than that of the prefect. What Zhu Yuanzhang wants to touch is harder than this chapter. See you in the next chapter.
The author has something to say In this chapter, Zhu Yuanzhang left the palace. He read a report from the Ministry of Household Affairs in the Qianqing Palace, saying that this year's autumn grain was 20% more than last year, and the world was at peace. He read it three times and asked, do you believe it? No one dared to answer. He didn't believe it himself. So he put on his shabby coat, walked out of the palace gate, squatted on the field ridge in Qinghe County, Huaixi Province, and gnawed on a steamed bun made of sorghum mixed with chaff. He had two people with him. Lao Wei, a fellow apprentice who had begged for food at Huangjue Temple, was lame and had a bad mouth. He tried to reason for him. Shen Qi, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, cold-faced and talkative, took action for him. One releases and the other receives. In this chapter, the policemen in Qinghe County are collecting donations for the suppression of bandits. Two taels per household. If you can't pay them, you can use your daughter to pay them off. An old man in his sixties couldn't pay, so the guard kicked over his basket, stepped on his hand, and crushed him. Zhu Yuanzhang squatted on the ridge of the field and watched. He didn't move. He was counting how long he could endure it. Shen Qi took action. Three servants, three strikes. The old man helped the old man up and began to ask questions. This question brought out Master Zhang, the donations for bandit suppression, and the rotten roots of Qinghe County. Zhu Yuanzhang showed his jade card. The prefect slipped from his horse and knelt in the mud. Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill him, but escorted him back to the capital and handed him over to the Three Laws Division for trial. There is a clue buried in this chapter: Qinghe County's anti-bandit donation, 2 taels per household, is in the name of salt tax. Where did the money go? A county magistrate cannot be greedy for so much. Above Master Zhang is the county magistrate, above the county magistrate is the prefect, and above the prefect is the chief envoy. This line will be pulled upward layer by layer. Next chapter, Fucheng. Zhu Yuanzhang was going to meet the prefect Zhou Mian for a while. See you in the next chapter.