My life skills in Daming Liver

Time has entered June, and the weather in the capital is getting hotter and hotter.

Gao Gong got out of the sedan and returned to the house given by Emperor Longqing.

The former owner of this house was Yan Maoqing, Yan Song's henchman.

When Yan Maoqing raised troops in the southeast, he was beheaded by Su Zeming.

After the Yan Party collapsed, Yan Maoqing's family naturally knew that they could not hold on to the mansion, so they quickly sold it at a low price, but by that time no one dared to buy it.

Sure enough, after Yan Song's fall, Yan Maoqing was liquidated even though he was dead, and his family property was confiscated.

It is said that the toilet barrels found in the house were all made of silver, and the entire toilet was hung with colorful brocades.

After that, the New Army from the Southeast entered the capital, and Jiajing went to the west. Everyone in the capital knew that Yan Maoqing was a corrupt official. It was said that his family had embezzled one million taels of silver and hid it in his home. However, when the search was conducted, the court only searched Yan’s house. Tens of thousands of taels of silver came out.

When the capital was in chaos, many people from the capital rushed into Yan Maoqing's house and even dug up the back garden and toilet, but no money was found.

When Emperor Longqing returned to the capital, he would first give Gao Gong Yan Shifan's house.

After Gao Gong sternly refused, Long Qing gave him Yan Maoqing's house.

Yan Maoqing's rank is not high. The location of this house is very good, but the area is not large. There are only three courtyards in the front and rear, and there are no side rooms.

And Gao Gong is the deputy minister of the dignified cabinet. He has to go in and out of the cabinet office every day, and he can no longer live in the previous place.

Gao Gong accepted the house, but refused Emperor Longqing's help in rebuilding the house.

Today, the garden behind the entire house is still in tatters, the master bedroom has also been smashed, and the high arch lives in the front room.

In addition to one old servant, Gao Gong's family only had two rough servants and four bearers assigned to him by the cabinet.

Gao Gong's wife and son stayed in Nanjing at that time, and the family did not need too many manpower.

At the beginning, court ministers often came to visit Gao Gong, and some even tried to bribe Gao Gong.

However, Gao Gong recorded their names, and instead asked his censor to impeach these people, and ordered the officials not to reuse these people, so that these people did not dare to visit him anymore.

Gao Gong was sitting in the study. The old servant lit the whale oil lamp with a match. The firelight illuminated the study. An official from the fifth room of the Zhongshu opened the two wooden boxes, and then placed the official documents sent and received by the cabinet in Gao Gong. on the desk.

Looking at the official documents piled up like a mountain, the old servant couldn't help but said: "Mr. Ge, you are recovering from this illness. You should take a rest today?"

After working hard for days and nights, Gao Gong just fell ill a while ago.

I had a high fever for days. People from the Tai Hospital came to see me and prescribed several medicines but nothing improved.

Later, I took the miracle medicine from the Southeast. After taking one pill, my sweating and fever subsided.

Although he recovered from his illness, Gao Gong's body was still weak. He didn't go home from the cabinet until dark again today, and he brought so many official documents with him when he came back.

"It's okay, you can go out."

The old servant and the official looked at each other and had no choice but to exit the study.

Gao Gong opened these official documents. No matter whether they were thick or thin, the last thing he read was two words - "ask for money".

It takes money to prepare a new business. Nowadays, although several new business workshops can make money, the musket workshops are not profitable. The Jingshi New Business Factory only breaks even, and even this balance of payments is only on the books. If it weren't for the funds provided by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War to purchase weapons, the ledger would not even be balanced.

However, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War purchased products from the imperial factories, but the left hand fell to the right hand, and they had no choice but to have no money in their pockets.

Money is needed to raise a new army, money is needed to pay the salaries of officials in the capital, and money is needed to pay for the expenses of the emperor's harem.

But the Ming Dynasty had already lost the wealth-rich areas of Nanzhili and Zhejiang. The only additional input besides new affairs was the tax revenue from Datong's border trade. Now that the imperial government's expenditures were so large, the cabinet could not raise the money.

Gao Gong rubbed his eyes. Has the palace's expenses been too much recently?

Qingyuan Bo Li Wei wants to rebuild his father's grave? The emperor actually approved ten thousand taels of silver?

Gao Gong's head hurt even more. He immediately picked up the pen and wrote on the official document:

"According to the old rules of the Ming Dynasty, when the younger brother of Queen Mother Zhang Sheng passed away, Uncle Yutian's family was poor. Although the emperor was considerate of his mother's family, he only allocated 6,000 taels of silver to build the tomb."

"Uncle Qingyuan's father is not newly deceased, and Uncle Qingyuan's family is rich. The emperor should not pay for this ancestral tomb. He should be allowed to raise his own money."

Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng was Jiajing's mother, and Uncle Yutian was Jiajing's uncle. Jiajing had been close to this uncle before he ascended the throne.

Moreover, Uncle Yutian was an upright man. After his death, his family had no money left, so the emperor paid for his tomb.

The implication of Gao Gong's words is very obvious. Even if you, Qingyuan Bo Li Wei, die now, the court can only give you six thousand taels of silver at most according to the usual practice!

Not to mention that Li Wei's father has died a long time ago. Now everyone knows that Qingyuan Bo Li Wei's family is very rich. The emperor still wants to give him 10,000 taels of silver to rebuild his ancestral tomb?

Gao Gong replied to the officials of the Ministry of Industry again, asking them to resolutely not give money to Uncle Qingyuan. If Uncle Qingyuan makes trouble, let him come to the cabinet to find him!

Rubbing his head, Gao Gong looked at another official document.

This is an official document from Guanglu Temple. The content is that Guanglu Temple did not have enough money for the incense and candle tribute to the ancestral temple last month, and it requested the cabinet to allocate more this month.

Gao Gong sneered, reporting false accounts for incense and candle tribute, this operation was too familiar.

Because the incense and candle tributes are all consumables, it is unclear how much they are used and how they are used.

Your department in charge of royal sacrifices at Guanglu Temple has a budget increase of this much in one month?

Could it be that the emperor's ancestors came out to steal the tribute?

No approval!

Gao Gong opened the next official document again, and now he had a headache.

This is an official document from the Ministry of Household Affairs. The content is that the money for incense candles in the palace has exceeded this month.

Gao Gong really had a headache. When Emperor Longqing first came to the throne, he did show some signs of the new dynasty. He significantly reduced the expenses in the palace and changed the situation. Jiajing Dynasty had huge expenses in the palace. Jiajing often misappropriated money from the Ministry of Revenue for his own use. question.

But since the Aoshan Lantern Festival this year, Emperor Longqing has gradually become more lavish.

First, a large number of maids were recruited into the palace, and then the expenses in the palace began to skyrocket.

If it continues to rise like this, it will soon be almost the same as when Jiajing was in power.

However, Gao Gong could not directly reject the expenditures in the palace. He could only give instructions to the Ministry of Revenue and let the Ministry of Revenue divert some of the various expenses to make up for it.

Then Gao Gong spread out another blank memorial and began to write a memorial to the emperor, persuading the emperor to be frugal and not to give random rewards to relatives.

After finishing all these things, the pendulum clock in Gao Gong's room made a ringing sound. Gao Gong raised his head and saw that it was already ten o'clock in the evening.

Pendulum clocks are also a popular thing in the capital recently.

This kind of pendulum clock is more accurate in keeping time than the water leakage clock.

The brass clock case looks high-end and noble, and dignitaries in the capital will buy one to show their status.

As for where this clock was produced, the dignitaries in the capital unanimously said that it was sold to the Ming Dynasty by Western merchants.

However, everyone knew in their hearts that this clock must be produced by Southeast. Someone took apart the clock and found that the internal parts had the name engraved by Southeast craftsmen.

The reason why it was said that it was sold by Western merchants was because of the ban issued by the imperial court on the sale of southern goods.

However, southern products are still banned in the market, and even the palace has to purchase a large number of matches every month.

An exquisite clock costs hundreds of taels of silver, and a high-arched one is naturally unaffordable.

This clock was suddenly delivered to Gao Gong's house one day. There was also a letter from home in the clock. Gao Gong knew that this should be sent by his son in the southeast, so he placed the clock in his study instead of sharing it with other dignitaries. Also put it in the living room to prop up the facade.

Gao Gong found that the clock was really convenient for keeping time. He also asked the capital's craftsmen to study it. However, the craftsmen in the capital said that the clock was too complicated and the parts required were too precise, and the Ming court could not imitate it.

The technological gap with Southeast is really too big.

Gao Gong was even more anxious. After finishing the six official documents sent to him, he looked at the mountain of official memorials, and his head started to hurt again.

These are memorials to impeach Zhang Juzheng.

The news of the loss of Wuchang reached the capital, and the Ming court was naturally shocked again.

Xu Xuemo, governor of Jingzhou, also sent a memorial to impeach Zhang Juzheng to the capital.

Xu Xuemo impeached Zhang Juzheng, delayed the opportunity to attack Wuchang City, and did not immediately attack Wuchang City when he had the upper hand. This caused King Jing to surrender to the southeast, and Wuchang, an important town in Huguang, was lost.

This impeachment memorial was the original title. After it was sent to the cabinet, it was copied to the Sixth Section and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The officials also saw Xu Xuemo's memorial.

Suddenly, the capital was in an uproar, and officials began to write letters to impeach Zhang Juzheng.

Even Gao Gong couldn't control his subordinates, because the responsibility for losing Wuchang was too great!

If Wuchang is lost, there will be problems with this year's summer and autumn grain collection. If the Ming Dynasty loses the granary of Huguang, how can it compete with Southeast China?

Gao Gong was also helpless, but he had to protect Zhang Juzheng.

Gao Gong now suddenly understood how he felt when Mr. Yan Ge was in power.

Zhang Juzheng is Gao Gong's most important political ally. If he cannot keep Zhang Juzheng, it will be a huge blow to Gao Gong's own prestige.

The support of Zhang Juzheng in Huguang was also the key to Gao Gong's vigorous promotion of the New Service Movement.

In the cabinet, Yang Bo is old, but Zhang Siwei, the fourth assistant in the cabinet, is eyeing him.

Among the six ministries, Gao Gong also offended many officials because of his implementation of new affairs.

If it weren't for the fact that he had the capital and the police under his control and Zhang Juzheng's support from outside, the new affairs would not have been implemented at all.

More importantly, for a political group, if Gao Gong does not take action to protect Zhang Juzheng, the officials who rely on him will become disloyal.

You, the big brother who takes the lead, can't even protect your own people, how can others safely sacrifice their lives for you?

No matter what you do, you need to have your own people. Although Gao Gong is an honest official, he also understands this truth.

Gao Gong picked up his pen and ink again and wrote a secret report to the emperor again. The content was naturally to persuade Emperor Longqing not to punish Zhang Juzheng and let him continue to make meritorious deeds in recapturing Wuchang in Huguang.

After finishing these things, the clock rang again. It was already eleven o'clock at night.

Gao Gong looked at the finished memorial, but felt as if he had done nothing at all all night.

Rubbing his eyes again, Gao Gong opened a memorial again, his eyelids twitching.

"Please open a mining tax review".

This is a letter from Han Ji, the governor of Shandong. Han Ji is Gao Gong's disciple, that is, Gao Gong's "one of his own".

The content of Han Ji's memorial is also about solving the financial problems of the imperial court, and his method is also very simple: open mines.

Han Ji said that silver mines had been discovered in Shandong and asked the court to send mine supervisors to open mines in Shandong and collect taxes.

Gao Gong was not a fool. He often studied the court regulations when he was in the Hanlin Academy. Of course he knew what the silver mines were like.

China is originally a silver-poor country, and silver has always been a precious metal currency and has been mined for thousands of years.

Where is Shandong? If there is a mine, would it be your turn to mine it now?

The easy-to-exploit silver mines were already mined in the Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties. Why is it now?

At that time, Jiajing was opening up mines all over the country. It cost 6,000 taels of silver to mine in Zhejiang, but the total amount of silver dug out was only 5,000 taels.

But Gao Gong hesitated about this memorial. What if there really was a mine?

If it is true, as Han Ji said, that a large silver mine was discovered in Shandong, wouldn't it be able to solve the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty?

Gao Gong was also ill and sought medical treatment in a hurry. Instead of writing any instructions, he sent the memorial directly to the palace and asked Emperor Longqing to give it in person.

The next memorial gave Gao Gong another headache.

"Please cut off the inn sparse".

This is a memorial written by Li Xing, a censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate in the Gao Gong camp.

Strictly speaking, this memorial does not mean to abolish all the post stations, because the post stations are the blood of the Ming Dynasty in delivering official documents. Without the post stations, the official documents of the imperial court would not be issued at all.

This memorial is to reduce the funds allocated by the court to the post station and completely turn the post station into a corvee borne by the people.

Gao Gong also hesitated about this memorial. The inn system also consumes a lot of money from the court every year, which can indeed save a lot of expenses.

But Gao Gong also knows very well that the current inn system can barely maintain itself because of the government's funding, so that those who work in the inn can still have a bite to eat.

In a disaster-stricken area like Shaanxi, there is even a good job in the post station, and you need to spend money to find connections to get in.

If it is completely turned into a private responsibility, the inn will become a burden for exploiting the people.

It even became a bad law that harmed the local area under the increasing pressure of local officials.

Gao Gong raised his pen and suggested that the emperor should not take action against the post system for the time being.

After dealing with these things, the clock made a melodious sound, and it was already twelve o'clock at midnight.

At the same time, in Liangshan Bozhong, the Juyi Hall was brightly lit, with Yi Sun-shin in the top spot, and dozens of people had gathered in the entire Juyi Hall.