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

Chapter 305 Not having enough to eat? Go to Southeast Asia and rob them!

"Chen Laosan, you keep saying that the court has wronged you, but everyone knows that you are a good-for-nothing who spends his days idly. If your money is not sent to the futures market, it will be sent to the gambling den."

Today you have gathered a group of people to cause trouble and offend officials of the imperial court. Surrender now!

The village elder stood in front of Hai Rui, protecting him and his entourage.

Chen Laosan, however, had the appearance of a rogue, with a pair of murky eyes.

"Pah! Corrupt official!"

As he spoke, he spat on the ground and pointed at Hai Rui in front of him.

"So you're that so-called Hai Qingtian? I'm not afraid of you, nor are I afraid of your grand principles. Everyone knows that the futures market is run by the emperor and Zhang Shiyuan. Now they've raked in all the money. Where can we poor people seek justice?"

Today I'm going to make a big scene and let the whole world see the true face of this corrupt official!

"Dog officer!"

"Dog officer!"

These peddlers and merchants, gathered together, seemed to have gained confidence, waving their fists and shouting loudly.

Hai Rui's face remained calm and composed, but the villagers behind him, who had been resettled in the village, all looked indignant.

Old Wang gritted his teeth and said, "Chen Laosan, you shameless bastard! Everyone knows you used to be a bully in the county town. When did you become one of these poor people?"

Old Chen persisted, saying, "I'm all alone, so I'm naturally a poor peasant. You all look so healthy and well-fed, do you even deserve to be called disaster victims? You've probably all paid bribes to the government!"

"you!"

Wang Xianglao was so angry that he was trembling.

The villagers behind him had long lost their patience, and one of them shouted loudly.

"Elder, don't waste your breath arguing with these people. Just drive these scumbags out of the village and protect Hai Qingtian!"

"Protect the seas and the sky with complete integrity!"

With nearly a hundred people on both sides, it looked like they were about to fight at the village entrance, but Hai Rui stopped the villagers from the resettlement village and said something.

"This matter arose because of me, so naturally I need to understand it clearly before making a conclusion."

Hai Rui turned to look at Chen Laosan and said.

"Chen Laosan?"

Chen Laosan smiled contemptuously and said, "Don't pretend here. I am Chen Laosan, no doubt about it. If you have any problems, come at me."

Hai Rui squinted and said, "As previously stated, your involvement in the futures market is inherently a risky speculative endeavor. The futures market has long made it clear that all investments carry inherent risks."

As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly serious as he looked around at the merchants and peddlers present.

"The imperial court has repeatedly issued orders prohibiting price increases and hoarding for profit. How did you comply with those orders?"
Firstly, they attempt to make huge profits through the futures market; secondly, they arbitrarily raise prices in an attempt to plunder the people's wealth!
Instead of repenting, you gather here to cause trouble?

His words, delivered with an air of official authority, caused the group of merchants and peddlers to retreat in disarray.

The villagers in the resettlement village also applauded the move.

"Hai Qingtian is right!"

"Arrest them all; they are all heartless."

"Why didn't you say anything when you were making money back then?"

Hai Rui quickly rose to prominence.

Chen Laosan sneered and said, "You corrupt official, you usually study these kinds of arguments, but today you can't distort the truth."

As he spoke, he pulled a woman out.

“Feng Erniang, tell everyone about your experiences and see how this corrupt official tries to refute them.”

Wang Xianglao could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward and said, "Chen Laosan, don't be so arrogant. Hai Qingtian is trying to reason with you, but you're being so persistent. Hai Qingtian may tolerate you, but we won't."

"and many more."

Hai Rui stopped the crowd again, his gaze falling on the woman who emerged from the group of peddlers and merchants.

The woman's face was covered in filth, and she had a half-grown child with her. The child was dressed in rags and was very thin. This was the Feng Erniang that Chen Laosan had mentioned.

Hai Rui said, "Tell me the truth about what you are hiding."

"You corrupt official, stop pretending to be righteous!"

Feng Erniang was biting her teeth so hard they were bleeding, looking completely deranged.

“Am I not a poor person? If it weren’t for the futures market in Xishan, why would my husband have invested all his money in it?”

He usually does good deeds and accumulates virtues, always making things convenient for the villagers. He also often helps the village with relief and bridge repairs, hoping to earn more money through the futures market so that he can save more people in the winter.

But what about now?

As she spoke, Feng Erniang broke down in tears.

“My family has never done anything wrong, so why have we ended up like this? My husband lost all his money in the futures market and, in a moment of folly, he threw himself into the river and committed suicide.”

My son and I are constantly being chased by creditors. My poor child is only three years old, and we often don't even have enough to eat.

Feng Erniang's eyes were filled with resentment as she stared venomously at Hai Rui.

"What have we done wrong? The imperial court cares for the poor, so why target us? Now I'm forced to live as a prostitute every day. Is this the benevolent rule of Hai Qingtian?!"

These words struck Hai Rui like a heavy blow to the heart. He staggered as he looked at the emaciated child with dry hair.

Wang Xianglao angrily said from the side, "Hai Qingtian, don't listen to this woman's nonsense. She was originally a courtesan. It's true that her husband does good deeds, but he's not entirely selfless. He clearly harbors greed."

Hai Rui seemed not to hear him. He walked up to the child, bent down, and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He turned to the clerk beside him and said, "Go buy some clothes and food, and register this child. The court truly feels ashamed towards these people."

But the child was ungrateful; his eyes filled with resentment the moment he saw Hai Rui.

"You're the one who killed my father."

He rushed forward, grabbed Hai Rui's hand, and bit down hard.

Feng Erniang roared from the side, "Bite this hypocritical, corrupt official to death! Bite him to death!"

Seeing that Hai Rui's hand was bleeding from being bitten, Wang Xianglao became anxious and grabbed the child, shouting at him.

"You little bastard, let go right now!"

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Feng Erniang also rushed forward.

The scene immediately descended into chaos. The merchants and peddlers and the villagers of the resettlement village were already at odds with each other, and now they were on the verge of exploding.

"Fellow villagers, follow me to protect Hai Qingtian and make these merchants bleed."

Old Wang shouted, directing the villagers to raise their farm tools.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Old Chen spat and swung his kitchen knife.

Wang Erzhu stood protectively beside Hai Rui, and was about to pull Hai Rui away when he discovered that Hai Qingtian had been struck on the head and had already fainted.

"Damn it!"

Wang Erzhu roared.

"I'll fight you to the death."

"This trade should be put on hold for a while."

Zhang Juzheng looked at the pile of reports on his desk, his brows furrowed so deeply they almost touched. "If things continue like this, no one in the world will be willing to till the land anymore."

He acknowledged Zhang Yunxiu's methods; the Jiangnan gentry had indeed suffered a severe blow this time, and even the arrogant Xu Jie had to travel a long way to the capital to plead for their lives.

However, this was a double-edged sword, harming the gentry of Jiangnan while also affecting the grain supply in Jiangnan.

Rice and grain are indeed cheap in the Jiangnan region right now, and everyone can afford to buy them.

But is it true that the cheaper the grain, the better? In agrarian societies, the saying "extremely high prices harm the people, and extremely low prices harm the farmers" is not without reason.

If food prices become increasingly low, then no one will be willing to grow grain. Everyone will instead raise silkworms, plant mulberry trees, and weave cloth. So who will grow grain to feed millions of people?

“Father is worrying too much. The most important thing right now is to handle the opening of the sea.” Zhang Yunxiu sat in the study, munching on a bright green cucumber. “Be patient. Perhaps when the time is right, all the problems will be solved.”

"So it's that invisible hand again?" Zhang Juzheng pounded on the table, his voice suddenly turning deep. "This year, grain prices have dropped, so there won't be any problems for the time being, but what about next year? Merchants and gentry will definitely drive down prices to buy grain, and the common people will be unwilling to grow grain."

According to your economic theory, grain prices will inevitably skyrocket again, and the people can't afford such fluctuations.

In reality, it's not that agricultural societies were unwilling to develop economics; a significant reason was that productivity couldn't keep up.

Without sufficient productivity, there is no way to use economics to coordinate and allocate resources.

Zhang Yunxiu brought this concept to the Ming Dynasty ahead of time, which inevitably caused various growing pains and maladaptations.

“Father’s words are true. The ‘Essential Techniques for the Common People’ says, ‘Grain and silk are the lifeblood of the world.’”

Zhang Yunxiu crunched the cucumber loudly while a slight smile appeared on his face as he spoke.

"But I can't help but ask Father, you only worry about food, why don't you worry about silk and cloth, or about the lack of coal?"

"This silk fabric..." Zhang Juzheng suddenly realized something.

Zhang Yunxiu chuckled: "Father's skills are lacking. If there isn't enough grain, just increase production. As long as there is enough grain, there won't be so many people farming. Everyone can be freed up to do other businesses, and the business will be more profitable."

Zhang Juzheng said irritably, "So it's your magical grain seeds? And the greenhouses in Xishan?"

Zhang Yunxiu spread his hands and said, "Greenhouse vegetables won't solve the problem. The most important thing is to find grain seeds. Father, you have to have some faith in your fourth brother!"

As expected, Zhang Jianxiu is currently still in Fujian and Guangdong, searching for the whereabouts of sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Historical records indicate that sweet potatoes and potatoes were introduced to China during the Wanli era. While the exact date is uncertain, Zhang Yunxiu can be fairly certain that it occurred between the early Wanli period and the forty-seventh year of the Wanli reign.

If they're lucky, Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu might actually be able to find Chen Yi and Lin Huailan from Guangdong, Chen Zhenlong from Fujian, and get cultivated sweet potato and potato seeds from them.

If we could really obtain these two divine artifacts, would the Ming Dynasty still have to worry about food?

However, Zhang Juzheng clearly did not believe this explanation, and he retorted with a question.

"What if we can't find seeds?"

“That child also has a way.”

Zhang Yunxiu said very seriously.

"Then let Qi Shaobao lead a naval force south. The land of Jiaozhi is fertile and produces abundant grain. They are extremely hungry, so let the naval forces from various places go out and plunder them!"

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but chuckle and then put his hand to his forehead.

he said helplessly.

"You should think about how to deal with Xu Jie after he arrives in the capital."

Compared to his young son's unreliable ideas, he might as well handle it himself.

The Nanjing Yingtian Governor's Office.

Yin Zhengmao hurriedly entered the back room and looked at Hai Rui lying on the bed. The latter's pale face was terrifying.

Yin Zhengmao sighed helplessly and said, "Ruxian, why are you doing this? Rural brawls are common and not a big deal. If something goes wrong, how can I explain it to the Grand Secretary?"

That day, Hai Rui went to Jiangpu County and happened to encounter a riot of merchants and peddlers. In the chaos of the crowd, he was hit on the head with a stick and had multiple wounds on his body.

Fortunately, Zhao Rui arrived in time with the Jiangpu County yamen runners, which quelled the chaos and rescued Hai Rui from the crowd.

"Jiangpu. Mother and Child"

Hai Rui was somewhat delirious, and he stammered as he repeated his words.

Yin Zhengmao had long anticipated the other party's meaning, and sighed, saying, "I know you care about the people. The ringleaders of the rioters in Jiangpu County have been detained. However, this mother and son have a tragic situation. I have sent people to detain and take care of them separately, and let Feng Erniang learn weaving skills, so that she can find a way to make a living."

"Um"

Hai Rui nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and did not continue speaking.

"What are you doing?"

Yin Zhengmao sighed again, instructed people to take good care of Hai Rui, and then turned and left helplessly.

For seven consecutive days, Yin Zhengmao dealt with the unrest caused by merchants, gentry, and peddlers in various places.

Fortunately, the cooperation among the Jiangnan gentry had already collapsed, and these people were only engaging in minor skirmishes. The court had been prepared, so it wasn't too difficult to deal with.

After all, dealing with popular rebellions had been a practice since the Hongwu era, and popular uprisings became increasingly frequent during the Jiajing era, so Yin Zhengmao was already used to it.

However, there is a personal problem that is really difficult to solve.

Zhao Rui said with a bitter face, "Your Excellency, Magistrate Hai has not eaten for days and is becoming increasingly thin. What should we do?"

Yin Zhengmao glared and puffed out his beard: "This pedantic scholar has gone down a dead end. He feels guilty towards the people all day long. How can anything in this world be perfect? ​​If one side has less, the other side will naturally have more. Even soldiers are sacrificed on the battlefield. If we keep looking back and forth, it will only cause greater losses!"

Zhao Rui said, "Lord Hai ultimately cares about the people of the world; we cannot ignore him."

Yin Zhengmao sighed and said, "The one who tied the knot must untie it. We will write a letter to Zhang Shiyuan to inform him of the situation. This chaos in Jiangnan started because of him, so naturally it is up to him to clean it up."

"This..." Zhao Rui said helplessly, "I will have someone take care of it immediately."

It's not just Hai Rui's problem. Futures prices have already hit rock bottom, especially in the Jiangnan region. All kinds of goods are flooding the market, to the point that grain, cloth, and other commodities are going unsold. In addition, the cold winter makes it difficult for canals and carts to pass.

If a solution isn't found soon, things are bound to get out of hand.

Starting from Taicang Prefecture, Xu Jie and his party traveled along the coast to the border of Huai'an, Haizhou, and Jiaozhou, and finally entered the area of ​​the border river.

After arriving in Tianjin, Xu Jie was finally able to disembark from the turbulent sea voyage and step steadily onto the land.

With the help of Wang Xijue and Wang Shizhen, Xu Jie finally managed to walk unsteadily onto the dock.

Wang Shizhen said, "Lord Xu, there are post stations along the way to Tianjin. We have already prepared post carriages, and it will take no more than two days to reach the capital. It will be much more comfortable than by sea."

With the canal transport disrupted in winter, the only way to reach the capital as quickly as possible was by sea.

Xu Jie nodded and said, "It's good that we don't take a boat. If we do, I'm afraid I'll die here."

Wang Xijue gritted his teeth and said, "Why is Master Xu doing this?"

In his view, this trip to the capital was tantamount to bowing down to the Zhang family father and son. Once in the capital, it would be easy for Zhang Juzheng to punish them.

Xu Jie seemed a little tired, his body becoming increasingly hunched, and he spoke slowly.

"It would have been worse if we hadn't come."

"The students don't understand."

Xu Jie did not answer, but instead walked slowly with Wang Shizhen's support. As they walked, he suddenly spoke again.

"We will immediately send out the letters we prepared earlier with a large sum of money. We cannot afford to lose face on this trip to the capital."

Wang Shizhen paused for a moment, then nodded slightly and said.

“Students understand.”

(End of this chapter)