Chapter 563: T-Juan Joins Hands (Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket for the big chapter!)
Hearing what his sister said, Mr. Duan felt even more at ease.
She was already very popular with her. She was gentle and graceful, and had a tall and plump figure. After all, she was a girl of 18 or 19 years old, and she was much more practical than those girls of 15 or 16 years old.
"It's a pity that she is the daughter of a concubine. If she were a legitimate daughter, it would be more appropriate for Ziying to marry this girl." The eldest Duan family became more and more pleased with her and sighed, but she didn't have the right child.
She had already found someone to find out. Lin Daiyu was fragile and still young, which made the elder Duan feel even more uncomfortable. Fortunately, seeing this woman today, she felt much more at ease. If Lin Daiyu really No, at least this one is safe.
"Sister, didn't Brother Keng say that? The two sisters got married together. If the sister really likes her, it would be better for Brother Keng to find a favor for the son she gives birth to in the future." Little Duan is very considerate, and this is also This is the greatest care for these concubines giving birth to children.
It was a common practice in the Zhou Dynasty that the children of civil and military officials had the opportunity to receive favors, and the ways of favors were also various.
For example, enrolling in the Imperial College is the most common, and is most popular among the children of civil servants. After graduation, even if they fail the imperial examination, they can still find a position as an assistant or miscellaneous official. If the father's face is big enough, then he may also be able to obtain a noble and idle position.
Another example is the fictitious title of Dragon Guard, which is the most common among military honors and military officers. Of course, there are also many civil servants who are willing to choose this.
Because it is not easy to get into the Imperial College, and if you fail the imperial examination and want to be an official, even if you are a junior official, you have to go somewhere outside the capital. This is something many officials in the capital are not willing to do.
Well-off civil servants and military generals will try every means to seek favor from the emperor in the years before they take office, that is, to find a good background for their sons, even if they have a false title, they will have an identity.
"This is all a thing for later. I wonder why Brother Keng got so confused? He has to marry this daughter of the Lin family. There are so many ladies from the famous family for him to choose from, but he can't look down on any of them."
The Duan family also had no choice but to deal with his son.
Especially looking at the pile of messages in the concierge, even now I can receive ten or twenty messages every day, which is much better than my husband.
Based on this alone, Mrs. Duan no longer has the confidence to be as tough as before when it comes to her son, otherwise she would never have agreed to the marriage.
"Sister, Brother Keng has grown up, and we can no longer be like what we were four or five years ago. Even the master said a lot of things, please listen to Brother Keng more, right?" Little Duan knew that her sister was still a little stuck in her heart. , persuaded: "Besides, which son in the capital city can be as proud as our brother Keng? He values the Lin family girl so much. It is estimated that on the one hand, the Lin family girl is indeed in love, and on the other hand, he also has other considerations. , I heard that he is going to Yangzhou soon for business, and it is probably related to the Lin family."
Mr. Duan glanced at his sister and said, "Wanqin, Brother Keng is the one who was spoiled by you, so just let him go."
Seeing the two figures disappear from the window of the Zen room, Feng Ziying felt much more at ease.
Miaoyu's dress today is very simple and elegant, which is just in line with my mother's preferences. In addition, this dress better shows off her figure. I guess it won't be a big problem if my aunt is there to persuade her.
"Then please stay." Feng Ziying nodded and said with a smile: "In five days, I will arrange a carriage to pick up Miss Miaoyu."
Looking at Feng Ziying's graceful back disappearing outside the gate of Muniyuan, Miaoyu was also a little lost for a moment.
Master Lioyuan standing aside was also moved in his heart.
This Mr. Feng is really a suitable person. He is famous in the capital city. It is said that he is a leading figure among the younger generation of scholars in the North. He has a good family background, but he is a disciple whose worldly ties are not yet settled and his worldly ambitions are undecided. , the only regret is the identity of his mother, which is the biggest obstacle.
If you want her to marry an ordinary person, I'm afraid no one can afford it, but if she is given as a concubine to a child of a wealthy family, it would be a real mistake and a dilemma.
Hey, this girl is already eighteen years old. At this age, it is already time for her to get married. Looking at the red stars in this girl's brows, she should be married. Let's look at her trip. I think I can cope with this fate.
If this were not the case, I would not have agreed to this trip so easily.
After returning home and getting a positive reply from her mother, Feng Ziying finally lifted another stone.
On one side, he urged his mother to prepare the betrothal gift, and on the other side, he hurriedly asked Qi Yongtai to write a letter to Lin Ruhai. These were the minimum rules.
You have to send a letter from Qi Yongtai first, and if the woman agrees, then the betrothal gift can be sent here. If the woman agrees and writes a marriage letter recognized by the government, the marriage is basically finalized.
As for the time of getting married, this can be discussed by yourself.
******
“You kid, you really want to drag me into trouble?” Guan Yingzhen looked at the heroic young man in front of him with a smile.
"Master, don't you want to do something good?" Feng Ziying enthusiastically took the initiative to pour tea for Guan Yingzhen. Although it was in Guan Yingzhen's temporary residence, as a disciple, he naturally had to do these things and did not need a servant. Come.
"Although I don't know the situation in the Ministry of Household Affairs, I also know that it is all set by rules and regulations. There are only so many fields and commercial taxes every year, and it is difficult to meet the expenses of the nine sides. What significance do you, the right minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, have? And the left minister of Hubu must be a scholar from Fujian, Zhejiang or Nanzhi, right? Have you decided?"
Feng Ziying's sophistication made Guan Yingzhen even more impressed, "Hey, are you so sure?"
"Does Mr. Zheng want to become an official?" Feng Ziying smiled slightly when she saw Guan Yingzhen.
In his opinion, Zheng Jizhi is also from Huguang. If Guan Yingzhen serves as the right minister of the Hubu, then the power of the Huguang faction in the Hubu will be too strong. The left minister will definitely be a Jiangnan scholar, but the northern scholars will be in the Hubu. There is nothing to be found here, which may not be justified.
"You have calculated these clearly." Guan Yingzhen said calmly: "I will serve as the left minister of the household department in Nanjing for the teacher association."
Feng Ziying was stunned for a moment, and then she was overjoyed, "It turns out that the official was trying to scare the disciples before. Congratulations to the official, the disciple is now at ease."
Feng Ziying had been thinking before that if Guan Yingzhen really became the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zheng Jizhi, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, might be in danger, because in such important departments, Huguang people occupy two positions, and Jiangnan people Or perhaps one of the northern scholars has none, which is unjustifiable.
It can be said that each of the three major departments of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Husbandry and the Ministry of War, and the five departments of the Duchayuan and Dali Temple, must have one scholar from the north and one from the south of the Yangtze River. In other words, The ministers, left and right ministers, or the censor of the capital, the deputy censors of the capital, the censors of the capital, or the ministers of the Dali temple and the left and right young ministers are basically composed of northern scholars and Jiangnan scholars, and they must be relatively balanced. Not sure about the others.
Therefore, if there are two Huguang people in the Ministry of Household Affairs but no Jiangnan scholars or northern scholars occupy a place in them, it is an exception. Well, if it is the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishments, or the Ministry of Works, it may be possible, but it is definitely not the case in the Ministry of Household Affairs. That's why Feng Ziying thought that Zheng Jizhi was going to become an official, and the Minister of Household Affairs and Zuo Shilang were going to be occupied by Jiangnan scholars and Northern scholars respectively.
Guan Yingzhen was also surprised by Feng Ziying's keenness and understanding of such matters. At such a young age, he knew the balancing act of officialdom very well, which is really touching.
Feng Ziying did not expect that Guan Yingzhen would be so deeply touched. His decades of official career in his previous life had made him accustomed to automatically thinking from various angles.
In the current situation where the northern scholars are vaguely supported by Emperor Yonglong, while the Jiangnan scholars are still powerful, and the relationship between the Supreme Emperor and the Jiangnan gentry is complicated and intertwined, let the northern scholars and Jiangnan scholars form a relative balance in the court, and then let Huguang It is undoubtedly the safest move to send scholars from this small faction, or from insignificant places such as Southwest China and Guangdong and Guangxi, as buffers.
Now that Guan Yingzhen has been appointed as the Zuo Shilang of Nanjing Hubu, the situation has suddenly become clear, indicating that the cabinet and the emperor have reached an agreement. Guan Yingzhen will definitely take charge of the strategy of opening up the sea with Zuo Shilang of Nanjing Hubu.
This is also what it should be. In the situation where no one in the north or the south is trusting the other, it is undoubtedly acceptable for everyone to take responsibility for a Huguang scholar.
Although Guan Yingzhen has a good relationship with Qi Yongtai, he also has a good relationship with Ye Xianggao, so it is most appropriate to choose him to be responsible for the strategy of opening up the sea.
"Humph, you feel at ease, but I don't feel at ease as a teacher." Guan Yingzhen snorted coldly, "The Chief Assistant is very dissatisfied with your inclusion of the Dongfan incident, and thinks that you are ignoring the overall situation. Ignoring priorities and bringing in private goods, Brother Chengfeng also means the same thing. If you can't give me a satisfactory explanation, I will definitely not let this matter interfere with the overall situation."
"Haha, Master, why are you so nervous about this matter?" Feng Ziying said lightly: "Master Qi and I have also told you that it is just a casual move. I can guarantee that the court will not spend more money and food. In five years, everything will be over." I can hand over to the imperial court a fertile field with an annual output of 300,000 shi."
Guan Yingzhen was shocked, and subconsciously looked Feng Ziying up and down. It took him a long time to regain his calm expression, "Ziying, it's okay to say such big words in front of me, but if it spreads out and someone takes advantage of it, it will cause trouble." Right and wrong come."
“The officials and teachers don’t believe it?” Feng Ziying was confident.
After comprehensively collecting information on the reclamation status of Longyou merchants and Jiangyou Anfu merchants in Yunnan and Yunyang, Feng Ziying finally found the key to the biggest obstacle to solving the Dongfan problem.
Feng Ziying has long heard this saying that dragons roam all over the cave, but she didn’t expect that Longyou merchants and Jiangyou Anfu merchants still had a tradition of cultivating land.
Yunnan Yao'an and Huguang Yunyang reclamation both left a deep mark on Longyou and Anfu merchants, but Feng Ziying could not understand why these local officials were so afraid of these merchants' reclamation.
Kaizhongfa has taken great pains to attract merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi to border trading villages. Now the Longyou and Anfu merchants are paying their own money to hire people to develop remote and backward areas. These local officials are actually worried that they will gather crowds and cause trouble and it will be difficult to control them. It is conceivable that It shows how poor the quality and ability of this group of officials is, and it also shows how bad the psychological precautions and fear of the former Ming court were.
Once the sea opens, Dongfan will become an important link between the Zhou Dynasty and Japan. It will also be the choke point for Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian to go north to the capital. Moreover, Feng Ziying also knows how rich Dongfan is, with gold sand and fertile soil. Of course, the difficulty is not small. , the local indigenous people who are still in a primitive state, and the epidemics brought about by the hot and humid climate, these all need to be solved.
But as long as these businessmen can be persuaded and they can gain a foothold in Yunnan, they can of course start a business in Dongfan, especially with the support of the imperial court. There is no reason why they cannot produce satisfactory results.
Seeing Feng Ziying's confidence, Guan Yingzhen really became interested.
"Ziying, don't be too arrogant. What's more, you and I are responsible for the strategy of opening up the sea. That mainly involves coming up with strategies. How to operate below depends on the people below. Could it be that you are planning to go to Dongpan to expand the sea in person? Can it be cultivated? Dongfan land is not something that can be cultivated at will. Going from Fujian, the winds are high, the waves are dangerous, the currents are unstable, and it is extremely dangerous. The situation on the island is not as fertile and fertile as you think, with golden sand everywhere, and there are many problems in the mountains. I am afraid that the people outside Wang Hua may not obey Wang Hua easily. If you say that such a dangerous place can be transformed in three to five years, it is hard for me to believe it."
"Haha, officials, teachers, and disciples naturally understand the difficulty. We all know that Dongfan is only a sea away from our Fujian. Fujian has many mountains and little land, and the people are struggling to make a living. Why would they rather go to Nanyang than go to Nanyang? Dongfan?" Feng Ziying nodded.
"The key is that our maritime ban has made our shipbuilding technology lag behind this era. Many times our ships can only rely on favorable winds to cross the strait to Dongfan. Without sufficient support, both merchants and ordinary people will It is difficult to take this risk, especially when they don’t know what is in the East Fan Land. This fear of taking risks will be even more serious. But now everything is ready and all they need is the east wind and the strategy to open the sea. It’s a foregone conclusion, and there’s such an opportunity, why don’t you dare to give it a try?”
Seeing that Feng Ziying was so determined, Guan Yingzhen also understood the disciple's ability and character, and knew that the other party had probably been planning this matter for a long time. However, this was not the focus of his discussion with the other party. What he wanted to discuss with Feng Ziying today was to start. The matter of the sea and even Yinzhuang.
Now that it is imminent for him to take office, the most important thing is how to support the series of expenses for opening up the sea. Yinzhuang is the top priority here, especially since the cabinet has made it clear that the charter fee will mainly be used to make up for Liaodong and Ningxia. The cost of counterinsurgency in Gansu has made the pressure even greater.
(End of this chapter)