Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 6 Restarting Jin Yi, Lazy Dragon is born!
Nine million taels of silver!

Xu Jie couldn't help but scream out.

Although the Xu family fields in Songjiang Prefecture have a lot of properties, since ancient times, fields have been used to consolidate family inheritance and prevent prodigal sons from ruining the family. One will never get rich by relying on the grain produced from the fields.

The Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture is a family of officials, and they have been officials for generations. Although before Xu Jie, the highest position held by the Xu family's great-grandfather was a prefect, taking the Zhang family of Jiangling as an example, being an official means making money. Even if they did not deliberately accept bribes, the Xu family has accumulated considerable wealth over the past hundred years.

As the current head of the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture, Xu Jie naturally knew very well about the family wealth, which was almost exactly nine million taels of silver.

Therefore, when Yan Song accurately quoted the amount of silver required to atone for all the sins of the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture, Xu Jie's suspicion and vigilance towards Yan Song reached its peak.

Could it be that the Yan Party has always been keeping an eye on the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture?
Xu Jie, feeling a chill in his heart, was pushed to the edge of the cliff by Yan Song and faced the most difficult choice in his life.

Either the person is alive but the money is gone; or the person is dead but the money is not spent.

This was an extortion against the Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture on the charge of occupying the people's land.

Outside the hall, dark clouds appeared again, rolling in darkness, with faint flashes of thunder and lightning.

In the main hall, Zhu Houcong seemed to be in a trance at this time, sitting on the throne motionless.

After Yan Song finished talking about the method of punishing the Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture, he turned around, showing indifference to Xu Jie's answer.

Yan Shifan's eyes were fixed on Xu Jie, the leader of the Qingliu faction, and his hands were secretly clenched in his sleeves, expecting Xu Jie to resist in front of the emperor and anger him.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng looked at Xu Jie with mixed feelings. They had never expected that the person they had always regarded as a close friend (mentor) would be the most corrupt official in the Ming Dynasty, second only to the Yan Party.

After a brief silence, Xu Jie sighed, knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

The Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture accepted this mistake.

Yan Shifan felt extremely disappointed, but the pain in his heart for losing more than 20 million taels of silver was inexplicably reduced a lot.

Nine million taels of silver and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, the extent of Xu Jie's bleeding was no less than his own.

Empathy is indeed the most powerful emotion in the world.

"Good! Good!"

Zhu Houcong came down from the throne, clapped his hands and paced back and forth, "Well said. In one financial meeting, the Ming Dynasty collected 10,000 tons of tax revenue in one year.

Gao Gong, go back and work out a detailed plan for how to record the money of the Zhang family in Jiangling, the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture, and the Yan family in Fenyi. Then send a letter to the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang. The inventory will have to be done by the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang. It will be convenient to do things."

As soon as the word "convenience" was uttered, Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan, and Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng, master and apprentice, immediately felt a chill on their necks, as if a knife was placed on their necks.

In the whole world, only the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang can kill people without going through any procedures.

This is convenient, especially when it comes to killing people.

"Yes." Gao Gong answered loudly.

With the silver from the Yan, Xu and Zhang families, even if the Ming Dynasty is still in deficit like last year, it can still hold on for some time.

"All these things are annoying, and I think the elders have no intention to continue. Last year's fiscal deficit will be settled, and this year's fiscal budget will be forgotten. If the cabinet and the six ministries have important matters, they will be reported to the palace. Then, we can discuss the matter in detail."

Zhu Houcong walked to the palace door and actually reached out to open it himself. A gust of snowy wind blew in, and his wide robe and sleeves immediately fluttered backwards.

The holy sound was carried into everyone's ears by the wind, chilling their hearts even more than the chill in the wind.

After expelling the Imperial Household Department from the Imperial Finance Meeting, the Emperor streamlined the content of the Imperial Finance Meeting.

Without a financial budget, how can the six ministries spend the required amount of money within the specified time without any guilt?

In the past, no matter how much work the six ministries did in a year, through mutual adjustments, the budgeted money could always be spent cleanly, not a penny less.

Now, without the fiscal budget at the beginning of the year, the amount of money that should be spent on the reported matters can only be spent in the amount of money that should be spent. If there is a deficit, it will be clear who should be held accountable. Punishing and dismissing officials will become the norm.

This would be an unparalleled blow to officials throughout the court.

Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Yan Shifan, and Zhang Juzheng answered almost simultaneously: "Yes."

The dark clouds outside the palace gate dissipated, and heavy snow began to fall. The lanterns hung all over the palace were dotted with red lights in the snow, creating an auspicious scene.

Suddenly, Zhu Houcong discovered several eunuchs kneeling in the snow just in front of the steps of Yuxi Palace.

Heavy snow fell on their heads and bodies. The eunuch in the front was holding a tray high in his hand. Even though it was snowing, one could still see a big jade halberd placed on the golden satin on the tray!

The Book of Songs, Xiaoya, says: "A boy is born, he is carried to sleep on the bed, he is dressed in clothes, he is played with a jade pendant. He cries loudly, he is like a royal prince, he is the king of the family."

What it means is that if a boy is born, he should sleep in a beautiful bed and wear beautiful clothes. His cry is so loud that he will definitely become a king in the future.

Therefore, when a son is born, it is called the joy of having a son.

For the Ming Dynasty royal family, the jade scepter has a more special meaning. The original name of the Ming Dynasty's Taizu Emperor was Zhu Chongba, which was later changed to Zhu Yuanzhang, implying that he wanted to be the scepter that would destroy the Yuan Dynasty.

"The Emperor is overjoyed!"

"God has blessed my Ming Dynasty with a grandson!"

The eunuch holding the tray congratulated loudly.

Yan Song and all the cabinet members knelt down one after another: "Your Majesty, we congratulate you!"

Regardless of whether Xu, Gao, and Zhang were truly happy, or Yan Song and Yan Shifan were pretending to be happy, this was after all the first grandson of Zhu Houcong, the greatest joy in the Ming Dynasty. All eyes that usually did not dare to look directly into Zhu Houcong's eyes now looked towards him, which was called "welcoming joy."

But Zhu Houcong's expression was very complicated, not surprise, but more like depression?
Zhu Yijun, the lazyest dragon of the Ming Dynasty, was born!
Zhu Houcong looked at those pairs of suspicious eyes, shook his head and said, "Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng."

"I'm here." Xu, Gao and Zhang said in a serious tone.

"You are all Prince Yu's teachers and tutors. With this happy event, you should all go to Prince Yu to congratulate him with my Lantern Festival gifts."

"Yes." Xu, Gao and Zhang responded loudly.

The current emperor has only two princes, one is Prince Yu and the other is Prince Jing.

Prince Yu was in the capital, and Prince Jing was in the vassal state, and neither prince had any children.

The emperor delayed appointing a crown prince in order to avoid the royal tragedy of Emperor Zhengde dying without an heir.

Now that Prince Yu was born, the three of them thought that the position of crown prince had been decided.

Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng bowed their heads, stood up and ran out.

Zhu Houcong looked at the figure gradually disappearing in the heavy snow and said indifferently: "The Yan Mansion has been built for many days, so you should go back and live there."

Since moving to Xiyuan, the cabinet office was moved from the cabinet duty room to Wuyi Hall next to Renshou Palace, so that it could be easily summoned for questioning at any time.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Song was blessed by heaven and moved from his private residence to the Western Garden, and the Yan Mansion was then managed by Yan Shifan.

"Yes."

Yan Shifan supported his old father Yan Song and walked slowly out, but the holy sound behind them made the father and son pause.

"I summon Jinyiwei Commander Lu Bing to an audience!"

(End of this chapter)