Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 201 A Clean and Honest Pen Holder! Does the Auction Fuel Extravagance?
"Oh my! Hai Gangfeng! Hai Bijia! Hai Ruxian! I've finally been waiting for you, my savior!"

Yin Zhengmao put aside his worries and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Hai Rui was nearly seventy years old, but his posture was still very straight. He cupped his hands and said...

"This humble official, Hai Rui, the newly appointed Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, greets Governor Yin."

Despite the other party's formal and rigid demeanor, Yin Zhengmao was very familiar with him and led him to sit down in the hall.

Seeing Hai Rui's aged face, he couldn't help but sigh.

"The last time we met was in the fourth year of the Longqing reign, wasn't it? Time has passed, ten years have gone by, and we are both covered in gray hair."

"Governor Yin," Hai Rui said bluntly, showing no courtesy whatsoever. "No need for formalities. I know why His Majesty summoned me to Southern Zhili."

His thick, graying eyebrows stood up slightly.

"I urge the Governor to speak frankly about the 'Bow Measurement Case'."
And then there's the torrential rain in Southern Zhili. Along my journey here, I've seen fields flooded everywhere, and people turned into refugees who had no choice but to settle in Nanjing.

The imperial court has already issued a document allocating funds for disaster relief, so why is the disaster still so severe?
Aren't all these things more important than the governor's reunion with old friends?

Yin Zhengmao's smile immediately froze; he had almost forgotten that Hai Rui was an "unapproachable" person.

Faced with this barrage of questions, he sighed helplessly.

“You may not know this, but it is not that I am unwilling to investigate or provide disaster relief; it is simply that it is difficult to carry out the task.”

"Difficult to carry out?" Hai Rui frowned, looking puzzled.

“Alas—” Yin Zhengmao sighed heavily. “It just so happens that I am going to take a look along the Qinhuai River. You may come with me, Ruxian.”

Hai Rui nodded and said with his lips tightly closed.

"it is good."

"Recent torrential rains have caused the water level of the Qinhuai River to rise continuously. Although there is no immediate threat of the riverbanks breaching, the Qinhuai River has been prone to flooding since ancient times. If the water level continues to drop, it is hard to guarantee that Nanjing city will also be flooded."

On the banks of the Qinhuai River, Yin Zhengmao and Hai Rui walked together. Both of them had changed into casual clothes, but even so, they were still half-soaked by the rain.

After listening to the clerk's explanation, Hai Rui looked at the submerged fields not far away and frowned deeply.

"Why wasn't a dike built in advance? The Qinhuai River has always been prone to siltation, so why wasn't it dredged in advance?"

These words were clearly directed at Yin Zhengmao.

Yin Zhengmao was somewhat angry, but he still sighed heavily and said.

"Your wisdom is limited to the fact that the river embankment has not been repaired, the waterway is not open, and the case has not been thoroughly investigated, but you do not know my suffering!"

Seeing that the two gentlemen were discussing matters, the clerk tactfully withdrew.

Seeing the clerk leave, and watching from a distance, the two high-ranking officials from Southern Zhili walked together on the riverbank, accompanied by the torrential rain along the Qinhuai River.

"Hai Bijia has been in office for half a month, and there is still no progress in the case. However, he has not been without achievements. He is an expert in disaster relief, and Yin Yangshi has helped him. I think his responsibilities will be heavier."

After reviewing several reports, Shen Shixing offered his evaluation in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Zhang Juzheng, sitting to the side, also had a somewhat complicated expression.

He sighed and said, "The current official is not as powerful as the one in charge. Local officials are a monolithic group, so it is natural that Yin Yangxing will find it very difficult to get things done."

Even a county magistrate needs his subordinates to assist him in handling affairs, let alone a governor like Yin Zhengmao.

His desire to investigate the "Bow Measurement Case" undoubtedly threatened the interests of these people. Furthermore, the implementation of the "Single Whip Law" had further fueled the resentment among the Jiangnan gentry, making their cooperation highly unlikely.

Shen Shixing thought for a moment and said, "When Hai Bijia first arrived in Nanjing, he punished many officials for dereliction of duty, which enabled many disaster relief policies to be implemented."

Zhang Juzheng nodded: "Hai Bijia has a reputation for integrity, and many officials will give him face. When he takes drastic measures, naturally few people will criticize him."

If it were Yin Yangshi, impeachment memorials would come flying in like snowflakes.

He said with immense relief, "This move was the right one."

He had previously followed his youngest son's advice and transferred Hai Rui to Southern Zhili.

Regardless of whether the problem can be completely solved, at least with the honor of being called "Hai Qingtian" (a high-ranking official), the assistance would naturally be much less. With this in mind, Zhang Juzheng continued to inquire, "Has Hai Bijia caused any trouble?"

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency."

Shen Shixing smiled and said.

“Of course, Governor Yin Yangshi is holding us back. A few days ago, Hai Bijia wanted to investigate the Yangzhou prefect, but he temporarily suppressed it. In these extraordinary times, it is really not easy to deal with officials. It is not too late to make a decision after the flood.”

"Ah."

Zhang Juzheng nodded, clearly agreeing with the arrangement and feeling much more at ease.

"The bow-measuring case can be postponed, but this flood is of great importance and must be dealt with first. I was worried that the officials in Southern Zhili would embezzle funds, but with Hai Bijia here, I can feel more at ease."

Shen Shixing said, "Hai Bijia is like a cat; with his prestige, he can still deter many big rats."

After some thought, Zhang Juzheng said, "The floods in Southern Zhili are severe. I'll have the Ministry of Revenue contact the Xishan workshops and send some briquettes there. With the floods raging, the price of firewood will naturally rise sharply, and these briquettes will also help to calm the people's hearts."

Firewood is generally indispensable in the Jiangnan region, but there are also special periods.

During the devastating floods, firewood was soaked by the rain, and with many displaced people needing firewood for cooking, prices naturally soared.

The imperial court used to worry about this matter all the time, but now that there is the Xishan Workshop, it has become much easier.

Speaking of Xishan Workshop, Shen Shixing thought of Zhang Yunxiu, and said with a strange expression.

"Your Excellency, has Magistrate Zhang been organizing some kind of West Mountain Auction lately?"

Mentioning this matter made Zhang Juzheng angry, and he slammed his hand on the desk and said.

"This unfilial son hasn't changed his ways." He was so angry that his beard trembled. "I thought he was really going to share the burden of the country, but who would have thought he would do such absurd things again! He organized that auction, which caused extravagance and chaos throughout the capital."

If it weren't for the fact that it belonged to Xishan, I would definitely eradicate such wicked and malicious methods!

Previously, after a long period of mental preparation, Zhang Juzheng finally accepted the principles of economics.

Little did they expect that before they could even settle in, Zhang Yunxiu would organize another "auction".

This "auction" was comparable to a gambling game, attracting high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital to a frenzy.

The collections, often worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, kept many people at auctions all day long, and they even ate and slept with the Wanli Xinbao newspaper to check the latest developments.

This trend grew increasingly prevalent, which was simply unacceptable to traditional Confucian scholars like Zhang Juzheng.

Even more critically, the Wanli Emperor was also deeply embroiled in it.

Seeing that the other party's face was flushed again, Shen Shixing quickly comforted him, "Please don't be angry, Your Excellency. This auction wasn't entirely without merit. At least, it proved the principle of supply and demand."

Zhang Juzheng glared and said, "I asked him to promote economic principles, not to encourage extravagance."

For many years, he painstakingly taught the emperor to be frugal and to allow the people to rest.

But after Zhang Yunxiu's meddling, it seemed that all their efforts were about to be in vain.

Shen Shixing looked slightly embarrassed: "At least it earned some silver for the imperial court."

When this was mentioned, Zhang Juzheng's eyes widened even more.

"The money all went into the imperial treasury, and not a single penny was touched by the national treasury."

"No," Shen Shixing quickly reminded him. "Prefect Zhang previously submitted a memorial proposing that the Ministry of Revenue also invest some funds. Initially, the Ministry of Revenue was reluctant to pay attention, but they still invested some money, so there's bound to be some profit."

"Enough, enough!" Zhang Juzheng waved his hand impatiently. "Let him make a scene if he wants. I can't control him anymore. Right now, let's deal with the affairs in Southern Zhili first."

“What you say is absolutely right.”

Shen Shixing nodded, but then tentatively said...

"I heard there's another auction in Xishan tomorrow, the grand finale of the month. It's quite a spectacle. Would you like to go and see what's going on at this auction, so you can figure out what's going on?"

(End of this chapter)