Many people heaved a sigh of relief after the incident in Shandong came to an end. The governor of Shandong, Wang Zongmu, was the same.
Everything went smoothly in the Tax Bureau. The aristocrats in Shandong didn't dare to make trouble anymore, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Although they didn't do anything to the aristocrats in Shandong, they were still scared.
Whether it was the incident with the Chai family or the incident with the White Lotus Society, they were all scared out of Jinan Prefecture.
If it wasn't for the incident with the White Lotus Society, they might have wanted to cause some trouble.
However, with the White Lotus Society in front of them, they really didn't dare to do anything. The Imperial Bodyguard was still there. If they were accused of being from the White Lotus Society, the consequences would be obvious.
Compared to that, paying some taxes was nothing.
As the governor, Wang Zongmu had been keeping an eye on Xu De and Xing Shangzhi these days.
After the incident with the White Lotus Society, Wang Zongmu had a good impression of Xu De. He wasn't picky about his hospitality and was easy to get along with.
Wang Zongmu was also relieved that his subordinates didn't do anything illegal.
Of course, even so, Wang Zongmu didn't dare to relax. Who knew when he would have a stroke.
"Governor Wang, you're so free today that you came to visit me?"
Xu De was in the pavilion in the garden, basking in the sun and drinking tea. When he saw Wang Zongmu, he said lazily, "It's rare to have such good weather. Sorry to make you laugh, Governor Wang."
Wang Zongmu naturally didn't mind. He sat next to Xu De and said with a smile, "You're in such a good mood. You're in a good mood."
Waving his hand, Xu De said with a smile, "What's there to be in a good mood? Eunuchs like us don't have much yang energy in our bodies. When autumn and winter come, we feel uncomfortable.
We just bask in the sun and feel better. "
"This is what Doctor Li from the capital said. Before we leave the capital, the Royal Hospital in Daming is going to open. All the doctors are trained by Doctor Li. They're very skilled. I wonder if it's opened yet."
Wang Zongmu also heard about this. However, it was a good thing, so no one objected.
Wang Zongmu smiled and said, "When I have the chance to go to the capital, I will also go to see Imperial Physician Li."
"It might not be possible for Imperial Physician Li to take a look, but it's possible for the Royal Hospital," Xu De said with a smile, "Maybe one day the Royal Hospital will come to Jinan!"
After saying this, Xu De waved his hand and said, "Lord Wang, you didn't come here today just to chat with me, right?"
Wang Zongmu smiled as well. "I'm here to ask about the White Lotus Society."
"Case closed!"
Xu De said with a smile, "I've already sent a memorial to the Imperial Majesty. There should be an edict coming in a few days.
We can either escort him to the capital or execute him on the spot. It's no big deal. "
"So you're saying that Eunuch Xu is returning to the capital?" Wang Zongmu was stunned, then immediately said, "Then I'm going to prepare the farewell wine!"
Xu De hurriedly said with a smile, "Don't. If the Imperial Majesty finds out that I'm drinking the farewell wine, I'll probably be punished.
However, I'm not returning to the capital. I'm going south with Lord Wang to Nanjing. "
Wang Zongmu really liked Xu De's way of doing things that didn't cause trouble.
"How about this? I'll prepare a table of only eight dishes for the farewell wine with Eunuch Xu."
After saying this, Wang Zongmu smiled and said, "If all the eunuchs in the world were like Eunuch Xu, then no one in the world would scold the eunuchs."
"I've benefited a lot from working with Eunuch Xu in Shandong!"
Xu De looked at Wang Zongmu with a smile and said, "There aren't many honest people like Lord Wang. Many people show respect to eunuchs like us on the surface, but they may not necessarily scold us behind our backs!
Scholars starve to death, but they don't steal. They pay attention to integrity, so it's normal that they don't like us. "
"But Lord Wang has made me look at you in a different light. You're the true gentleman that the Imperial Majesty mentioned, not a hypocrite."
Wang Zongmu said with a smile, "Your Majesty is brilliant!"
The two chatted happily. As for what happened in Qufu, neither of them mentioned it, nor did they mention the trip south to Nanjing.
On a sunny afternoon, a eunuch and an inspector were talking to each other, and their laughter spread far from time to time.
Outside Qufu.
After staying in Qufu for seven days, Wang Yongji took care of things here. In the end, the Kong family couldn't redeem all the fields.
Each branch had pooled together more than one million taels of silver to buy about 20,000 mu of upper fields and more than 10,000 mu of middle fields.
Naturally, no one cared about the donated fields at this time, and some people had already started to make a fuss.
"County Magistrate Li, I'll leave Qufu to you!"
Wang Yongji looked at Li Yi, the new County Magistrate of Qufu, who had come to see him off, and said with a smile, "I think County Magistrate Li knows what to do, so I won't say more."
Li Yi was a young man in his twenties. He was a little thin, but his eyes were bright and full of expression.
After hearing Wang Yongji's words, Li Yi bowed and said, "What Lord Wang has done in Shandong is worthy of the evaluation of 'great service to the country.' This lowly official admires you very much, and naturally, I won't let you down."
"This lowly official was also born in a poor family, so I will naturally take care of the poor people. You can rest assured, Lord Wang."
Of course, Wang Yongji knew what Li Yi meant. Compared to the people who donated, those who sold and had their land robbed were undoubtedly poor people.
When it came to the distribution of land, it was a great thing for the people if the slightest bias was shown.
"It's good that you have the heart to love the people and sympathize with their suffering!" Wang Yongji nodded and said with a smile.
"Rest assured, Lord Wang. This lowly official knows what to do. When this lowly official takes office, I will clean up the backlog of cases over the years and return a clear sky to the people of Qufu.
Under the Daming, no one can cover this piece of sky. This lowly official is willing to protect this clear sky for His Majesty and the Daming. "
Although Li Yi's tone was very light, his words were powerful and resonant.
Of course, Wang Yongji knew what Li Yi meant. It was obvious that he wanted to clean up the Kong Family.
The Kong Family was powerful, and over the years, there were many people who had used the Kong Family's influence to commit crimes. If he really wanted to investigate, there would be many cases.
However, Wang Yongji believed in the Emperor's foresight. He smiled and patted Li Yi's shoulder.
"You are young, and you are the future of the Daming. Do a good job. If you have any problems, you can write to this official. If I can help, this official will definitely help!" Wang Yongji said with a smile. "We have a long road ahead of us. For the sake of the Daming, do a good job!"
"This lowly official will!" Li Yi bowed to Wang Yongji.
Wang Yongji didn't say anything else. Although it was just a few words, he liked this Li Yi.
Young, energetic, hopeful, and full of fighting spirit. He was very much like himself when he was young.
He was high-spirited and courageous.
After boarding the carriage, Wang Yongji looked at the bowing Li Yi and smiled faintly. He put down the curtain of the carriage and ordered, "Let's go!"
The sunlight shone on the road. Half of it shone on Wang Yongji's carriage, and the other half on the bowing young official.
The thin figure, the cyan Daming official's robe, and the slightly bowed body formed an alternating picture.
Jinan Prefecture, Imperial Envoy Residence.
Wang Zongmu looked at Wang Yongji and said with a smile, "Is everything done in Qufu?"
The two of them could be said to appreciate each other. Although Wang Zongmu had a good impression of Xu De, there was still a gap between them. This was not the case with Wang Yongji. The two of them didn't have the slightest estrangement, so they didn't have to worry about anything when they spoke.
"It's done!" Wang Yongji said with a smile. "I won't be needed for the rest of the matters."
Wang Zongmu smiled and said, "To Nanjing?"
"To Nanjing!"
Wang Yongji nodded. "You don't have to look at me like that. I've submitted a memorial to His Majesty, hoping that His Majesty will assign people from the Inner Factory to me. I've had enough of the Imperial Bodyguard. The people from the Inner Factory are very good."
"Alright, I got it!"
Wang Zongmu said with a smile. "His Majesty really thinks highly of you. He's letting Eunuch Xu travel with you."
Wang Yongji laughed. "His Majesty is very benevolent, but I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll have to eat with you tonight. Prepare good wine and dishes. Let's have a good drink!"
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Wang Zongmu also said with a smile, "Let's have a good drink!"
Capital, Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.
Zhu Yijun put down the soup in his hand and continued to flip through the information with a blank expression. He then turned to look at Zhang Jing and asked, "Are these all true?"
"Imperial Majesty, they were all checked by the people of Dongchang. There's no mistake!" Zhang Jing quickly replied.
Zhu Yijun nodded and continued to read. In fact, this was not a piece of information, but a piece of information. It was information about the background of the Daming officials.
Although he had a clear understanding of the Daming gentry, Zhu Yijun did not have a clear understanding of what it was like.
He only knew that the most direct way for the collusion between officials and businessmen was through the integration of officials and businessmen.
The book "The Silver Empire" said that during the reign of Wanli, there was almost no official who did not do business.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun asked Dongchang to check, mainly on the last two imperial examinations.
The previous data was meaningless. The most recent data was accurate. Moreover, Zhu Yijun had always believed that the data would not lie.
In the last imperial examination, 70% of the Jinshi were businessmen. This proportion was frighteningly high.
According to the data of the East Faction Guards, they were basically all merchants, and their families all had big businesses.
For example, opening a grain store was not counted. According to Dongchang's calculation, these families had at least three shops.
More than 30% of those who had a business were doing business.
Of the remaining 30%, 20% were landlords, which was the traditional sense of farming and studying.
Those who were born in poor families accounted for less than 10%. The proportion was very low.
It was the same in the previous imperial examinations. It was slightly better, but not by much. Looking at the data, Zhu Yijun was in a bad mood.
This data meant that the upper and lower levels of society were being blocked. The rich and powerful businessmen were becoming the masters of the country.
By becoming officials, they controlled the right to speak and began to invade the country's power.