Chapter 190 I am rich but not stupid and refuse to use my private money for public use (please subscribe!!)
Down in the morning.
The officials left the Tai Chi Hall in groups of two and a half and began to discuss carefully.
"Looking at the situation today, His Majesty and Consort Ouyang are on top of each other!"
"Who says otherwise? As the saying goes, there must be brave men under heavy rewards. I believe that most of the officials in Beizhili will not complain anymore. Instead, they will think about how to raise the money to repair the Great Wall, repair the Great Wall and collect taxes within this year. The three tasks are doubled, and if you can complete at least one official promotion level, if you perform well, you will be awarded a knighthood and a thousand gold coins. Gee, I want to go to Beizhili to give it a try."
"Do you think His Majesty's reward is so easy to get? Each of these three tasks is more difficult than the last. The key is that they are related to each other. If you only complete one of them, it is still possible if you work hard, but you have to complete three tasks at the same time this year. almost impossible!"
"Your Majesty's intention is also very clear. The task has been issued and the reward is rich enough. If he cannot do it, then there is a problem with the ability of Ouyang Prince Consort and Beizhili officials. Since there is a problem with his own ability, how can he have the face to ask for this task? Too heavy?"
"The analysis makes sense!"
"So, Prince Consort Ouyang and Beizhili are in big trouble this time."
"This year is already halfway through, and I only have half a year to complete these things. I don't know how Prince Consort Ouyang should deal with it!"
"The emperor and the prince-in-law secretly competed with each other. Looking at the past dynasties, it is so exciting. Our Ming Dynasty's husband-in-law is probably the first!"
"I hope Prince Consort Ouyang can win. Then we ministers will be able to speak more forcefully."
"You'd better save it. There are so many people fighting with our Majesty. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were Yang Xian and Hu Weiyong. Which one of them can fight? I think Ouyang Prince Consort will probably bow down too. Come."
"Hey"
"Master Guo, what should we do about this matter?" Wu Jingzhi and Guo Zi, who were both officials from Northern Zhili and came to Beijing, came together naturally, so they found Guo Zi immediately after going to court.
Guo Zi looked around and said, "Mr. Wu, there are so many people out there. Come and tell me about it at my house!"
"Okay." Wu Jingzhi nodded.
Then the two of them left the palace together, and finally came to the study room of Guo Zi's house.
"Master Wu, please sit down and have a sip of tea first."
"Mr. Guo, how can I have the time to drink tea in this situation!" Wu Jingzhi picked up the tea cup in his hand and immediately put it down, "I originally thought that we would all write to His Majesty together so that His Majesty could understand Ouyang and Beizhili. The difficulty is that even if we don’t cancel all the tasks, we still have to cancel one or two tasks. At least we have to buy a little more time. Now it’s good. None of the three tasks has been reduced, and the time has not been extended. How can we give Ouyang Sir, please explain?"
Guo Zi shook his head and said helplessly: "Actually, when I saw this plan, I felt that something was wrong, but His Majesty's request was indeed too much, and it would be impossible not to feedback it. I just didn't expect that His Majesty's moral conduct would be compared to We are all smart, so we directly suppressed this matter with a heavy reward."
"If we continue to entangle in this matter and annoy His Majesty, I'm afraid we won't get the good results. A clique for personal gain is enough to take down you, me and Mr. Ouyang."
When Wu Jingzhi heard this, his expression changed, but he still gritted his teeth and said: "If it weren't for Mr. Ouyang, you and I would probably still be in Beizhili. How could we be officials in Beijing? We are Mr. Ouyang and even Beizhili in the capital. His eyes, mouth, and tongue, whether in the eyes of His Majesty or other officials, we have been labeled as Mr. Ouyang, and we have to find a way."
Guo Zi smiled bitterly, "Of course, but we have to ask Mr. Ouyang for his thoughts on this matter so that we can cooperate. Otherwise, no matter what we do, it will be in vain."
Wu Jingzhi nodded, "Mr. Guo, you are right, I am anxious. In fact, we officials from Beizhili submitted a spontaneous letter to this matter. Mr. Ouyang never said a word from the beginning to the end."
"Let's write a letter now to inform Mr. Ouyang of the situation in the capital and ask him to make a decision."
"it is good!"
Chief Secretary Yamen.
Hundreds of officials from Beizhili gathered again.
Ouyang Lun was sitting at the head of the table. On the desk in front of him were an imperial edict and a letter. Although there were hundreds of people in the entire meeting hall, it was extremely quiet at the moment.
Everyone's eyes couldn't help but look at Ouyang Lun who was sitting in the front seat.
"Everyone, everyone already knows the imperial edict and the contents of the letters from Guo Zi and Wu Jing, so now let's talk about your opinions."
Ouyang Lun seemed relatively calm.
quiet--
There was still silence in the hall.
At this time, Northern Zhili Inspector Li Fuyuan, who was sitting in the first row on the left, stood up, apologized a little, and said with cupped hands: "Sir Ouyang, this matter was organized by the lower official, and the joint letter was also the lower official's idea. The original intention was to give His Majesty explained our difficulties and hoped that His Majesty could consider reducing the tasks set for Beizhili at his discretion. I did not expect such a result."
Ouyang waved his hand, "Old Li, I want to tell you to do this well. As the saying goes, only children who can scream will have milk. Although our joint letter did not achieve our goal this time, my emperor's father-in-law, your Majesty, is not a new one. The imperial edict was issued, and it was stated above that as long as we can complete three tasks this year, we will be promoted to a higher rank and rewarded with thousands of gold coins."
"Without this joint petition, there wouldn't be these rewards. Besides, don't you want these rewards?"
Hearing this, Li Fuyuan smiled bitterly and said: "Master Ouyang, please don't comfort us. I have not stayed in Beizhili for a short time. In previous years, even if there was funding from the imperial court and the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War worked together, it would be repaired at least once." It will take a year, but this is to ensure that there are millions of corvees."
"Now the imperial court does not give money, and the Ministry of War and Industry does not take action, but it requires us to complete it within half a year. To put it bluntly, this is a fantasy."
"In addition, Beizhili's taxes will have to be doubled this year. The key is to double the amount last year!"
He Fang, who was already the commander of the Northern Zhili City, said carelessly: "Master Li, aren't there just three tasks? With Master Ouyang leading us, we will definitely be able to complete them. We will all be promoted to one level by then!"
Xu Liang, the prefect of Peiping, stood up and said helplessly: "Master He, you said it lightly. Who wouldn't want to be promoted to a higher position and rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold? But these three tasks are too difficult. If they cannot be completed, the officials from Beizhili will sit down together. I would like to submit a letter to His Majesty and try to be gentler."
Other officials also expressed their thoughts.
Some feel that even with rich rewards, these three tasks cannot be completed at all, and advocate continuing to submit letters until the tasks become reasonable. Of course, some people want a tougher attitude, and some want to humble themselves and beg Zhu Yuanzhang. After all, he is the emperor.
Some people feel that wealth and honor can only be found in danger. Even if His Majesty has promised a big reward, they can definitely give it a try. If they can succeed, they will not only be proud and proud, but also be promoted to a noble title, etc. Such an opportunity is completely rare. ! Both sides have their own ideas, and no one can convince the other.
Just as Ouyang Lun was listening carefully to the officials' opinions, Tang He broke in.
"Second uncle, why are you here?" Ouyang Lun was a little surprised by Tang He's sudden appearance.
"You guys have the nerve to say that if you leave Yong'an Mansion and come to Peiping, forget it without telling me. You also kidnapped my daughter. If I don't come to Peiping to find you, where will I go to find you?"
Tang He was out of breath.
"Ahem, second uncle, I didn't abduct sister Miaomiao, but she had to follow me. She and An Qing are good sisters, and she is your daughter. I can't drive her away."
Ouyang Lun explained quickly.
"I don't care about that. My daughter is in your room. That's a fact!" Tang He waved his hand.
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of hundreds of officials in the hall lit up. Just now they had serious and dull faces, but now they all have "gossip faces".
Big melon! Ouyang's consort actually had an affair with the daughter of Xin Guogong Tang He? Are the daughters of Duke Xin Tang He and Princess Anqing sisters? Wow, there’s a lot of information here! This was the first time in history for a concubine to be taken in by a concubine!
Lord Ouyang, a role model for our generation! Ouyang Lun's face was full of black lines at this moment, "Second uncle, what do you mean your daughter is in my room? She is in the same bed as An Qing, not in the same bed as me. Uh, forget it, let's discuss this issue in private. Bar."
"Second uncle, why don't you go wait for me in the backyard first, and I'll come to you after I finish handling the matter."
Tang He waved his hand, "I'm not here just for my daughter."
After saying that, Tang He came to He Fang's seat and said, "I want this seat, please move to the back."
"Okay, General."
He Fang nodded quickly, and then moved to the next position. Others also moved back to ask questions.
Tang He sat in the first seat on the right and spoke again: "Nephew, I have heard about the problems you have encountered."
"His Majesty the Emperor is indeed asking too much for this matter. Let me take you to the capital and have a good communication between you and your son-in-law in front of His Majesty."
"how?!"
Hearing Tang He's words, the eyes of the officials in the hall also lit up. Tang Hena, Duke of Xin, was the first marquis of the founding of the country and his majesty's second sworn brother. His prestige in the Ming Dynasty was at least among the top five. If he came forward, , perhaps His Majesty will not embarrass Beizhili.
The Beizhili officials in the hall did not doubt Tang He's words. After returning from the Eastern Expedition, Tang He lived and worked in Yong'an Mansion. It was rumored that Tang He did various businesses with Ouyang Lun, and they had such a good relationship that they could wear a pair of trousers. Although He was not an official in Beizhili, he was a member of the big ship Beizhili, so he must have been serious when he said he wanted to bring Ouyang Lun to Beijing to meet the saint.
"Sir Ouyang, I think Duke Xin's suggestion is acceptable. If you go to the capital and report to His Majesty in person, maybe things will turn around a lot," Li Fuyuan said.
"Master Ouyang, as long as you give the order, all the officials we are working in Beizhili will follow you to the capital!" Zhao Tianming said angrily.
This remark also aroused the echo of many officials.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Ouyang Lun, just when everyone thought that Ouyang Lun would lead them to the capital for an audience.
"Stop!"
"You don't really think that we can change anything by going to the capital, do you?"
"It takes at least six or seven days to go from Peking to Beijing via cement roads and expressways. It takes half a month to go back and forth. We took the initiative to send the old emperor to his door to scold and humiliate him, and then kicked him. Are you happy when you come back?"
"You still need to win in blacksmithing. You have to be strong at all times. If you want to rely on others' kindness, that's what a fool would do!"
"If you ask me, let's do these three things well, and then throw the medal of success in other people's faces. That would be great!"
Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Li Fuyuan quickly said: "Master Ouyang, could it be that you already have a perfect solution?"
Naturally, everyone present knew Ouyang Lun's ability. If Ouyang Lun said he could do it, then there would be no problem. After all, the examples of Kaiping County and Yong'an Prefecture are there.
"Master Ouyang, you can't agree easily! It will cost at least several million taels to repair the city wall, and it will cost another few million taels to double the taxes. So much money comes out at once. So much money comes from Beizhili. In order to build roads before, All the mortgages that should be mortgaged are almost the same. If we sell the bonds again, what will we get to repay them?" Zhao Tianming's idea was different from that of other officials. He was more concerned about Ouyang Lun's safety.
"Master Ouyang, you don't want to use your own money to do these things, do you?"
"Private money for official business? Although I am rich, I am not stupid!" Ouyang Lun shook his head and said: "Since we want money but don't have money, and we want people but no one, then let's not do it ourselves."
what! !
I originally thought that Ouyang Lun would come up with some amazing solution, but after hearing Ouyang Lun's words, everyone present, including Tang He, were dumbfounded.
"Master Ouyang, don't make fun of us! This is His Majesty's imperial edict. If we don't comply with it, the nature of the matter will be different. If we resist the edict and disobey it, we will be dismissed from office and exiled, or our families will be confiscated and exterminated!" "
"If that's the case, then we might as well give it a try. At least we still have a glimmer of hope. According to your approach, it's really a dead end!"
Tang He recovered from the shock and hurriedly said: "My dear nephew, you must think twice about this matter! Even if you follow me to the capital to beg His Majesty the Emperor, don't try to force me!"
"If something happens to you, what will happen to my daughter Miaomiao and I?!"
Ouyang Lun looked helpless, "Second uncle, even if the emperor wants to punish me, he will do it to me. I will never involve you."
"Besides, I just said I won't do it myself, I didn't say I won't repair the city wall!"
Forehead. "My dear nephew, why can't I understand what you are saying? If you don't do it yourself, doesn't that mean you don't repair the city wall?"
Tang He was very puzzled.
Officials headed by Li Fuyuan and Zhao Tianming also looked at Ouyang Lun with confused expressions, waiting for the explanation.
Ouyang Lun smiled slightly, "Everyone, what I mean is that we have no money and no one now, so let's find someone with money and people to repair it!"
(End of this chapter)