Chapter 1587 Xin Zijuan’s stance
Emperor Yonglong's expression changed slightly, this was a bit unusual.
He is not that mediocre king who doesn't eat meat. During the era of King Zhongxiao, in order to win the favor of his father, he and his brothers, Prince Yi Zhong, worked hard to advise their father on government affairs, and then also cultivated their own connections. If they wanted to make suggestions, they would He needs to understand social conditions, public opinion and local affairs, so he is no stranger to farming.
In his opinion, the central position of the north is increasingly being replaced by the south. This is due to the large-scale development of the south since the Tang and Song Dynasties, and the fact that rice has increasingly become the main ration of the Chinese people. In addition, the climate in the south is milder, the types of crops are richer, and the yield is higher, such as silk, Cotton and linen, in contrast, the north is still dominated by millet and wheat. Without a significant increase in output, it will naturally be difficult to compete with the south.
If one or two kinds of Western crops that are not particular about soil quality and temperature but whose yields increase exponentially can be promoted in the north, it will undoubtedly add another weight to this increasingly tilted balance. I dare not say that it is completely balanced, but at least it can give it a try.
As for whether it cannot be preserved or whether it can be adapted to taste, that is secondary. Emperor Yonglong felt that there was no need to consider it at all.
If it cannot be preserved, then you can eat what cannot be preserved first, and the wheat that can be preserved is used for preservation; if the taste is not good, then adapt to it. When you are faced with the choice of eating human flesh or tree bark, Guanyin soil, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, what is the luxury? Talking about **** taste, you have to think about it with your feet to understand this truth. When the crisis comes, as long as you can fill your belly and survive, it doesn't matter what you eat.
"If this is the case, then we should quickly ask all parts of the north to promote it quickly!" Emperor Yonglong said in a deep voice: "Is there any difficulty here?"
"Reporting to the emperor, there must be difficulties, and there are many." Zhang Jingqiu naturally understood the truth here. Food is always the most important factor that troubles an empire. There is no one factor. Emperor Yonglong attaches such importance to it. It is not an exaggeration.
“Say it, Zhang Qing.” Emperor Yonglong said solemnly.
"The first is the seed problem. The cultivation of sweet potato and potato seedlings is still in an experimental stage. Although it is also planted on a larger scale, this all depends on the painstaking experimental cultivation of Zi Xian (zi Xu Guangqi) in Tianjin Wei in the past few years. We started trying it on a larger scale last year, and achieved good results in Yongping Prefecture this year. However, according to Zixian, this kind of seedling degradation seems inevitable, which means that the yield will be lower every year. Then we need to re-breed. In addition, the planting method is still at an exploratory stage. It may take some time to promote it on a large scale..."
Zhang Jingqiu explained patiently.
Emperor Yonglong leaned back slightly, feeling a little regretful. He also knew that this newly introduced Western crop would not be able to easily replace rice, wheat and millet, which had been cultivated on this land for thousands of years. However, seeing the north facing the south, decline, and his basic base is the Northland. In contrast, the boss’s foundation in Jiangnan is much deeper. He is really anxious. Fortunately, the scholars in Huguang and Jiangnan are not of the same opinion, and It is more inclined to the northern scholars, which makes the whole situation a little more balanced, otherwise it would really make people restless.
"Since this matter can be promoted in Yongping Mansion, then it can naturally be done in Shuntian Mansion. Feng Keng can do such a good job in Yongping Mansion, so he must be imitated in Shuntian Mansion, right?" Although Emperor Yonglong was dissatisfied in his heart, Dare, but still refuse to give up.
"The Emperor does not need to worry about this. As far as I know, Feng Keng did promote these two types of crops in Shuntian Prefecture. However, because Shuntian Prefecture is not as good as Yongping Prefecture, and the conditions in the lower counties are very different, the intensity and scope of the promotion are not as high as that of Yongping Prefecture. Yongping Mansion, but it is estimated that the situation will change next year." A smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Jingqiu's mouth, "Your Majesty, Feng Keng is indeed extraordinary. He used the Jingtong Ercang case to act vigorously and resolutely in Shuntian Mansion. Everyone in Shuntian Mansion It's dangerous, and he also came to report to Chen and Rujun (Qiao Yingjia) that he intends to disturb the Xishan kiln!"
Emperor Yonglong was taken aback and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Does this kid really have no time to spare? Doesn't he know that this Xishan Kiln is no more difficult than the Jingtongcang matter?"
Zhang Jingqiu also laughed, "I also warned him to be cautious. He said that if you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the tiger's cubs. He knew that there were tigers in the mountain, so he went to the tiger mountain."
Emperor Yonglong's eyebrows suddenly raised, then relaxed again, as if he felt something, "This boy is really not afraid of tigers. Zhang Qing, do you think that the big case of Jingtong Ercang has not been completely solved yet, and the Xishan kiln is being used again? Is it appropriate?"
It is conceivable that the formalities for confirming the ownership of charcoal kilns, which should have been cleared by the Ministry of Industry and Shuntian Prefecture, have been delayed for so many years without any movement, and these white-glove people who don't know where they came from have been digging and selling coal as they please for so many years. It almost directly robbed money from the industrial and commercial taxes of the imperial court's Jieshenkuli and Shuntianfu Yamen. However, the Ministry of Industry and Shuntianfu Yamen had gone through many ministers and Fuyin Fucheng, but they all pretended to be deaf and dumb, and ignored them. This shows how deep the water is behind it.
It can be said that the Jingtong Ercang case was the result of corruption by these people, but the coal mined and sold in the Xishan kiln were all mined underground. On the surface, it did not have a deep relationship with the imperial court or even the Shuntian Prefecture. If you say that you are now If we need to delve deeper into this matter, dig out things that go back many years, investigate these "illegal gains" one by one, and return them to the court, you can imagine what a big storm and waves this will stir up, and how many people will be touched. Interests, this is much greater than the interests involved in the Jingtong Ercang case.
Zhang Jingqiu pondered for a long time, then shook his head: "I think now is not appropriate and the timing is not good."
Emperor Yonglong felt a slight relief in his heart, "Zhang Qing's intention is deeply in line with mine. Now is not the time to investigate the Xishan Kiln. Taking action hastily will only cause greater turmoil in the court. This is not as big as the Jingtong Ercang case, which involves too many people." Too deep and too wide.”
As a confidant of Emperor Yonglong, Zhang Jingqiu naturally understood what Emperor Yonglong was worried about, and nodded hesitantly: "The emperor's concerns are certainly reasonable, but there is no need to worry too much. The ministers in the cabinet should discuss it. If anyone has ulterior motives and has evil intentions, we must not It’s hard to accomplish.”
Zhang Jingqiu is still sure of this.
The emperor's concern was nothing more than Prince Yi Zhong and the Jiangnan forces behind him, but including him, they were all from Jiangnan. Ye Xianggao, Li Tingji, Huang Ruliang, Liu Yishui and others were leaders among the scholars in Fujian and Jiangxi. , Fang Congzhe, Gu Bingqian and Gao Panlong were also leaders of the gentry in Zhejiang and Nanzhili, and they also had great charisma and influence on the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.
Although there are currently a large number of elite Jiangnan scholars gathered in Nanjing, their influence is slightly inferior to that of Ye, Fang, Li, Huang, Liu, Gu, Gao and others. The emperor's orthodoxy is intact, and Ye Fang and others It is impossible to go against the spirit of a scholar and do such a rebellious thing and surrender to Prince Yi Zhong. Therefore, if Prince Yi Zhong expects to rely on Tang Binyin, Gu Tianjun, and Zhen Yingjia to win over the hearts of the Jiangnan gentry, it would be too overestimated. He underestimated the influence of Ye Fang and others.
Emperor Yonglong nodded slightly. Although Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe and others disagreed with him on many things, Ye Fang and the others would not support Prince Yi Zhong. Emperor Yonglong was relatively reassured about this, and this was what he was willing to do. The main reason for allowing Ye Fang and others to preside over the cabinet, and even excluding his favorite candidates such as Zhang Jingqiu from the cabinet.
Although the Jiangnan scholars in the DPRK and the Central Government still have close relations with the Jiangnan side, they are different from the Nanjing group. Their support for them is still very firm. Zhang Jingqiu's words are to reassure him that he does not need to worry too much.
"Well, Zhang Qing and Qiao Qing will talk to Feng Keng about the Xishan kiln. We might as well postpone it to a more suitable time in the future. Well, Tiewangshan Qiuyi, if I have time, I will also talk to Feng Keng. Say." Emperor Yonglong thought for a moment before saying.
Finally returning to the topic, Emperor Yonglong raised his head slightly, seemed to think for a while, and then said slowly: "Zhang Qing, Qiu Xiang of Tienwang Mountain, I hope you stay in the capital, so I will talk to Zhang Qing today. Now, my body is getting worse day by day, and my energy is getting weaker and weaker, so I intend to save money after autumn to prepare for unexpected needs in the future..."
"Your Majesty! Your health is still good. Why is it so..." Zhang Jingqiu quickly stood up and knelt down.
"Zhang Qing, it doesn't have to be like this. I know my body well. I have been recuperating quite well in the past few years. However, I was tired and worn out a lot in my early years, so I have to think about it in advance." Emperor Yonglong waved his hand, looking very calm, "Don't do it either. I'm too worried. My body will support me for three to five years without any problem. But now my sons really make me feel unsure. Zhang Chi, Zhang Qi, and Zhang Ji all have weaknesses of one kind or another, which makes it very difficult for me. Don’t worry, Zhang So and Zhang Ji are too young, making it difficult for me to make a decision..."
Zhang Jingqiu did not dare to answer the question. This question was too heavy. Although this was a one-on-one conversation, who could tell whether the conversation would be leaked. There was also the emperor's personal servant outside the east study. Although they were separated by a distance, in case of any accident If you eavesdrop on someone and say only a few words, it could be a disaster.
“Your Majesty, your status as a minister is really inappropriate...”
Before Zhang Jingqiu could evade his words, he was interrupted by Emperor Yonglong: "Isn't Zhang Qing somewhat related to Prince Gong? I can trust you. This little kinship won't make Zhang Qing abandon his position. I You can trust me, so Zhang Qing still can’t trust you?"
(End of this chapter)