Prime Minister

Chapter 1333: Envoy

Chapter 1333 Envoy

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Fujian was governed by the Jiedushi of Weiwu Army.

In the Song Dynasty, Fujian Province had six prefectures: Fuzhou, Jianzhou, Quanzhou, Tingzhou, Zhangzhou, and Jianzhou. Later, Jianzhou was divided into Shaowu Prefecture, and Quanzhou was divided into Xinghua Prefecture.

The four offices of Fujian Road, the Pacification Office and the Judicial Office, were located in Fuzhou, while the Transport Office and the Grain and Oil Office were permanently located in Jianzhou.

After the Yuanfeng reform, the Transportation Department was under the jurisdiction of the Left Department of the Ministry of Revenue of the Shangshu Province, the Grain and Grain Department was under the jurisdiction of the Right Department of the Ministry of Revenue of the Shangshu Province, the Criminal Justice Department was under the jurisdiction of the Censorate, and the Pacification Department was under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council. The four departments were not under the jurisdiction of each other.

Therefore, Fujian Road was a dual "provincial capital" structure. It was not until the Southern Song Dynasty that the status of the Anfu Division was promoted and the status of Fuzhou Prefecture was raised. In addition to the two divisions, there were also Jianzhou Prefecture Office, Fengguo Prison Camp, and Jian'an and Ouning County Offices in the city.

Therefore, Jianzhou was large in scale, with many official offices, and a constant stream of officials and scholars coming and going.

The office of the Transport Commissioner's Office was originally located inside Tongxian Gate, adjacent to the provincial school.

When Zhang Yue arrived at Jianzhou Provincial School from Pucheng, he took a look. He could still vividly remember how he and Guo Lin had obtained the tribute from the Imperial Academy at the Provincial School thirty years ago.

Zhang Yue ordered someone to deliver the invitation, and soon the door of the Transport Office opened wide, and Deputy Transport Envoy Wang Zijing came out in person to greet him.

The Fujian Road Transport Office currently has no chief envoy, only a deputy envoy.

This is also the usual approach of the government. Senior officials are afraid of taking risks, and lower-level officials have ambitions but lack the qualifications, so the above operations occur.

The official was removed and a low-ranking official from a humble family with no connections was appointed as deputy envoy.

Wang Zijing was a man of the Marquisate. His cousin Wang Zudao was the magistrate of Quanzhou. In the fourth year of Zhiping, he was released from prison and appointed as the assistant military officer of Jianzhou. He was appreciated for his handling of the Jianyang tea tax case.

In the third year of Xining, he was appointed as the official of Fujian Road Transportation Bureau, participated in Wang Anshi's market change law, and supervised the child labor of Jiancha.

In the first year of Yuanfeng, he was appointed as the director of the Changping Warehouse of Liangzhe Road.

He is currently the Deputy Transport Commissioner of Fujian Province and concurrently the Director of Jiancha Bureau.

"Meet my husband!"

When Zhang Yue saw Wang Zijing, his resume naturally came to his mind. Unlike the cruel official rumored by the people, this man was slightly plump and looked very amiable.

Of course, whether it is rumor or physiognomy, it is just a preliminary judgment.

"I didn't know Lord Jian was coming to visit. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. I hope you'll forgive me."

Zhang Yue said: "Jianzhou is my hometown, so why should I welcome you or not? I have retired and should not ask any more questions, but I will not come to your temple for no reason."

"Mr. Jiang, are you here for the Jianyang tea event?" Wang Zijing asked cautiously.

Zhang Yue nodded and said, "Go inside and talk slowly."

After entering the hall, Wang Zijing's Adam's apple rolled as he held out a gold-inlaid sandalwood box: "Newly roasted dragon balls from Jianzhou are better than snow, please give them to Lord Jian." Before he finished speaking, Zhang Yue had already opened the lid of the tea, looked at the foam and said: "Jian tea is still fragrant after seven infusions, but can the people's blood and sweat withstand the pressure? You can report the tea monopoly first."

Wang Zijing reported in detail the implementation of the Tea Monopoly Law.

"Reporting to Lord Jian, the tea tax in Jianzhou has dropped from an average of 150,000 strings of cash per year in the Xining period to 30,000 strings of cash in the early Yuanfeng period, of which 70% is private tea trade."

Tea tax in Jianzhou was of great importance to the imperial court. Due to the sharp drop in tea tax, Wang Zijing implemented the "Tea Monopoly Law".

"How did you deal with it?"

"Three million catties of Jian tea, and two hundred thousand catties of Nanjian Prefecture, all purchased by the government. One hundred thousand strings of coins minted by Fengguojian are used as capital..."

Fengguojian in Jianzhou minted 200,000 copper coins every year, making it one of the four largest mints in the country. This time, Wang Zijing borrowed money from the court to use as capital to implement the tea monopoly law.

At the same time, a pre-purchase tea permit system was set up, whereby merchants could lock in the amount of tea for the following year by paying 30% of the purchase price in advance, with an annual interest rate of 20%.

In addition, nine checkpoints were set up in Wuyi Mountain to control the passage of tea merchants, and wax and lead printing were used to prevent counterfeiting.

In the seventh year of Yuanfeng, Wang Zijing issued 800,000 strings of "tea and salt notes" and allowed tea vouchers to be exchanged for salt vouchers.

Wang Zijing even set up a tea school in Jianyang and trained two hundred tea-monopoly officials.

Wang Zijing said: "Now the tea profit of Jianzhou has reached 450,000 strings of cash, accounting for 25% of the annual income of this prefecture!"

"From 30,000 strings of cash a year to 450,000 strings of cash a year! You are a capable official, Wang Caoshi."

Wang Zijing bowed his head and said, "I don't deserve it."

Zhang Yue asked: "So what about the tea farmers?"

Wang Zijing said: "This..."

"Has Wang Caoshi seen that nine out of ten tea gardens are empty?" Zhang Yue interrupted and pointed to the misty Wuyi Mountains outside the window: "Nine passes are locked, tea permits are strictly checked, and the annual income of tea farmers is less than 30% of that in previous years."

Wang Zijing said: "Mr. Jian, some people in the society are making alarmist remarks."

"Is this an alarmist statement?" Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows. "Nearly 10,000 tea growers in Jianzhou have fled!"

"The Zhou family, a tea merchant in Fuzhou, suffered a loss of 30,000 strings of cash on pre-purchased tea vouchers and was forced to sell their ancestral home!"

Wang Zijing was surprised, but Zhang Yue understood it clearly.

Zhang Yue said: "The Liangzhe Imperial Army has been stationed at Fenshui Pass. Are they really just guarding against 'troublemakers'? Why have more than a thousand civilians been detained in the prisons of the prefecture and county yamen in the past two days?"

Wang Zijing was about to speak, but Zhang Yue stretched out his hand and said, "When Fan Wencheng reformed the tea law, he still knew the principle of 'opening up trade and benefiting workers'. Today, the tea monopoly law is harsh and harsh, and the tea scholars have trained only officials who exploit people. If a civil uprising is provoked, let alone 450,000 strings of cash, I'm afraid we won't be able to collect even 30,000 strings of cash."

Wang Zijing hesitated to speak.

Zhang Yue continued slowly, "Two days ago, tea merchant Zheng Guang led 300 bandits to seize Huanglongbei, and raised the banner of 'Kill Wang Zijing and abolish the tea monopoly law'!"

Wang Zijing stood up and said, "Mr. Jian, please understand. I am the transport envoy. If anything goes wrong, I will bear all the responsibility."

Zhang Yue looked at Wang Zijing and smiled, "Are you worthy of it?"

Wang Zijing said: "Well deserved!"

Zhang Yue said: "That's right. Our dynasty has always been lenient towards scholars and officials. Even if it provokes a civil uprising, it doesn't matter."

"Of course there are people in the court who support you. Let me ask, who is it?"

Wang Zijing said: "I was promoted by Your Majesty, so I am doing this in accordance with Your Majesty's will."

Zhang Yue said: "Not only that, you were appreciated for promoting tea making in the third year of Xining, so Yuandu must have supported you."

Wang Zijing's expression changed when he heard this.

Wang Zijing's career throughout his life was related to the court's handling of tea affairs, and he was firmly bound to the New Party.

However, during the Xining period, when Wang Zijing was promoted, Cai Que had not yet taken office. Now, apart from Cai Que, the only person in the court who could use such drastic measures was Cai Bian.

"Do you know that Yuandu is my disciple?" Zhang Yue said.

Wang Zijing suddenly raised his head and said, "Lord Jian, the tea monopoly is the policy of Lord Jing!"

Zhang Yue nodded and said, "What a great general."

Zhang Yue walked to the side of the hall and looked at the towering buildings of the government office outside and the misty Wuyi Mountains in the distance.

Zhang Yue said: "In this case, I won't make things difficult for you."

"The interest on tea permits will be halved, and the tea roasting quota will be allowed to be sold by the people. The price of tea will be raised to 350 wen. You must write these three points tonight."

"You can't stay in Jianzhou. The Quanzhou Maritime Customs needs someone who can use an abacus."

Wang Zijing's expression changed. In this way, the court's profit would be thin. Every year, it could only make a profit of more than 100,000 strings of cash from the 450,000 strings of cash. Even though it was higher than the previous 30,000 strings of cash, it did not show his means at all.

The most important thing is that his contribution to the tea law reform was gone, and he had to serve as an official elsewhere after spending so much effort.

"Mr. Jian, this is absolutely not allowed. I think it's no big deal if a few unruly people cause trouble. Just suppress them. The tea soldiers and the soldiers from Liangzhe Road will be able to quell the rebellion. And the court will gain a steady stream of tea profits from this, which will be convenient for officials and people in the long run."

"I, Prince Jing, have served the country and the people, and I am worthy of Your Majesty and Lord Jing."

Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "You only saw that the revenue increased from 30,000 strings of cash to 450,000 strings of cash. This is the amount of money collected for the court."

But you don't think that the people also lost 420,000 strings of cash because of this. Who can bear such a huge resentment? And if this continues for a long time, the officials and the people will be content.

Zhang Yue said, "Yesterday when I passed by Huanglongba, I saw a tea farmer painting his eyes with tung oil, pretending to be a blind old man to avoid conscription. How can you say you are serving the country and the people? You are only serving the country and not the people."

"Without the people, the country will not exist."

"Let me say one last thing to you. There is no such thing as draining the pond to catch all the fish when governing a country. Do not seek temporary fame and ruin the achievements of hundreds of generations."

Good fighters have no illustrious feats.

Wang Zijing thought of the implication of Zhang Yue's advice. He closed his eyes, pondered for a moment and said, "Jian Gong has come a long way, I believe you must have had a hard journey. I have prepared tea, please enjoy it."

"please!"

Wang Zijing immediately made a gesture to send him away, as if he didn't take your position as a retired prime minister seriously.

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "No need for now. I will wait with you in this government office and we will have news soon."

Wang Zijing's face changed, but he saw Zhang Yue holding his hand and said, "Marshal Cao, you and I will wait here."

Wang Zijing recalled the last time he went to Beijing to report on his work.

Zhang Yue held the high position of Prime Minister and was treated like the center of attention in the government hall. After saying three sentences to him, he was already sweating profusely.

Under the accumulated power, even though Zhang Yue had retired, he dared not say a word and had to sit down again.

……

The two of them sat in the hall for an hour. Zhang Yue closed his eyes and sat in front of the desk, tapping the table with his fingertips. Sweat oozed from Wang Zijing's temples and soaked his hat.

Suddenly, a hurried imperial bell sounded outside the hall.

Eight imperial officials pointed their swords and cleared the way. An official in charge of the gate, Deng Xunwu, quickly climbed the stairs under the protection of the imperial guards. Deng Xunwu held the imperial edict in his hand and said loudly: "Grand Secretary of the Guanwen Hall, the seal of the Duke of Jianguo is accepted!"

Wang Zijing was shocked when he heard this. He had never expected that the emperor would re-appoint Zhang Yue at this time. Zhang Yue straightened his clothes and bowed to the north. The official who delivered the imperial edict opened the scroll and read aloud:

"My disciples."

"I have inherited the noble mandate and am in charge of the world. I would like to ask you, the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall, Zhang Yue, who has great talent and knowledge and has made great contributions. In the past, he was in charge of the frontier and pacified the border. Now he has returned to his hometown and is benefiting the people. I have heard that the tea monopoly policy in Jian was inappropriate and the people are in dire straits..."

"I hereby appoint you as the judge of Jianzhou Army and the governor of Jianning Army, grant you the seal and ribbon, and allow you to promote or demote at your convenience. You should work hard to implement benevolent policies, quell rebellions and alleviate difficulties, and serve my wishes. Therefore, I have issued this edict, and I hope you will understand..."

The decree was sealed with the seal of the Ministry of Shangshu and the horse seal of the Privy Council, and Zhang Yue was specially appointed as the judge of Jianzhou Army, the governor of Jianning Army,

After he finished speaking, Wang Zijing fell to his knees with a pale face, and the officials of the Transportation Department were whispering like bees.

Zhang Yue bowed solemnly and said, "I accept your order!"

Zhang Yue looked at the hall. He knew that Cai Que would not let him go.

The Jianzhou uprising was imminent, and the troops from Liangzhe Road had already entered Fujian to prepare for the suppression. Once the uprising was aroused, he would lose a lot of points politically, but if he handled it properly, it would be his job.

If you really want to be a retired prime minister who lives a carefree life, it's not that easy.

The Song Dynasty's approach to officials was to let them work until they died.

When the gilded tiger talisman was handed to Zhang Yue, he said slowly: "Mobilize the soldiers from Yanping and Shaowu armies to station at Fenshui Pass. Anyone who dares to cross the border with weapons will be killed on the spot according to the Xining Order to Capture Fugitives."

"Tell the head of the Sino-Agricultural Temple to open the Changping Warehouse today. For every old fir tree destroyed by a tea farmer, we will replace it with ten purple bamboo shoots!"

The judge of the Transportation Department reminded in a trembling voice: "The money and grain in the Changping Warehouse need the approval of the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhang Yue raised the tiger seal of the Privy Council and said, "I am also the supervisor of Fujian's tea and salt reserves. Is that enough?"

All the officials from the Transportation Department said yes.

The imperial edict allowed Zhang Yue to dismiss officials at his own will, but Zhang Yue unexpectedly imposed the charges on himself.

Wang Zijing shuddered when he heard this, then slowly took off his black hat and said, "Prime Minister, please resign from my post!"

Zhang Yue said, "Please give me your official hat. Wang Caosi has moved to Yongle Zen Temple in Tianxin. I have ordered the monks to prepare twelve volumes of The Classic of Tea for you to copy! Please be considerate of the hardships of tea farmers in growing tea!"

But when he heard the sound of the jade plaque on Zhang Yue's waist, he turned around and said, "From today on, Jianzhou City is under martial law!"

That night, twelve bronze plaques were issued from the Jianzhou government office.

Zhang Yue used the military governor's red lacquer pen to circle out thirty-seven officials from poor families. At the same time, he posted a notice that the court was favoring tea farmers and had revoked the qualifications of several children from aristocratic families for subsidies.

The next day, when Jingyi was leaving the city with the imperial seal, there was also an ebony box with the head of Zhu Chi in it. The head was from the gangster who had robbed and killed Peng Jingyi on the Huai River. Zhang Yue used the head to show it to the people in the village.

Meanwhile, thirty-seven commoner officials were marching quickly through the tea fields, informing the common people of Zhang Yue's new tea policy.

As soon as the news came out, the people of Jianzhou were overjoyed.

The tea growers who had fled to Jianzhou returned one after another from all directions.

Historically, Wang Zijing was responsible for the tea riot, which was suppressed by the imperial court, resulting in numerous casualties among officials and civilians. The production of Jianzhou tea also dropped from 3 million catties per year to 600,000 catties.

After the Yuanyou Reform, Sima Guang abolished the tea monopoly law in Fujian.

And now, an imminent civil uprising has been eliminated by Zhang Yue.