Chapter 40: Does Zhang Ge Lao dare to make the people suffer?
In Wenquan Pavilion, Zhao Zhenji had been completely framed.

Facing Zhang Juzheng's sudden straight ball.

Zhao Zhenji felt increasingly heavy in his heart.

If I refuse, it means that what I said before about working for the court and sharing the emperor's worries were all lies.

But if I agree to help...

Wouldn't he then be trapped in the same predicament as Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures?

Zhao Zhenji thought hard for a long time before he slowly said, "This time, Lord Zhang went south as an imperial envoy under the order of the Emperor. Lord Zhang knows the national policy best.

Although I am an official in Nanzhili, the local government is deeply rooted in the system, and I have only been able to do my best to support the court and Your Majesty in recent years.

"I dare not boast about what Mr. Zhang has entrusted me with this time, but I will do my best to do what I can."

In the Wenquan Pavilion, Zhao Zhenji racked his brains to make assumptions and lay the groundwork for himself, and then he had to show...

Willing to go through fire and water for Mr. Zhang.

Zhang Juzheng continued to look at Zhao Zhenji with a smile, and then he said, "It's not a difficult task. At present, Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture have changed from cotton to mulberry, which will probably require 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 dan of grain. I wonder if Brother Meng Jing can raise the money?"

Now, the cotton farmers in Suzhou and Songjiang have just planted the cotton seedlings, so there is still time.

According to Zhang Juzheng's estimation, these 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 dan of grain would be enough to compensate the cotton farmers in the two prefectures.

Zhao Zhenji felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

In his eyes at this moment, Zhang Juzheng was like a lion staring at him with greedy eyes.

The lion opened its bloody mouth wide, as if it wanted to eat him alive.

Zhao Zhenji looked embarrassed: "Mr. Zhang probably knows that there were many floods in the south last year, and we have been providing relief to the people last year. It's just the beginning of spring this year, and there are still several months of summer grain. Mr. Zhang wants so much money and grain all at once..."

"Very difficult?"

Zhang Juzheng leaned forward and looked at Zhao Zhenji.

Zhao Zhenji nodded: "If Lord Zhang needs it, I can naturally give him some, but..."

Zhang Juzheng looked at him with scrutiny and asked calmly, "How much can Brother Meng Jing help me take out?"

Outside Wenquan Pavilion, the spring rain in Suzhou Prefecture was getting heavier.

Rain fell from the sky, hitting the rockery and the roof, making a ping-pong sound, and the water in the pool was already in chaos.

Big and small beads, water splashed everywhere.

"Ten thousand taels of silver!"

"Ten thousand shi of rations!"

Zhao Zhenji spoke in a deep voice after a long while, his eyes showing sincerity: "I will risk it all, send a message to Nanjing to ask for it, and then split some with the grain merchants in Suzhou Prefecture, and I will probably be able to give this much to Lord Zhang!"

Zhang Juzheng's face suddenly darkened.

Not only was the amount he wanted not enough, but even what he could get was only 10% of it.

Zhang Juzheng, who had always been in the central government of the capital, felt for the first time the difficulty of doing things at the local level.

Zhao Zhenji's face showed an awkward expression, and he whispered, "When I came here, I also asked about it. The cotton farmers in Suzhou and Songjiang Prefectures planted the cotton seedlings in advance this year. And this time, Zhang Ge Lao came here to express that he would do something for the court to change cotton to mulberry.

Zhang Ge Lao wanted money and grain in order to get these cotton farmers to pull out the cotton seedlings and plant mulberry seedlings instead. And this money and grain was to be used to appease the dissatisfaction of the cotton farmers. "

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhao Zhenji, who was clear-headed, and said, "That's right. No matter why the cotton farmers in the two prefectures have to plant the cotton seedlings in advance this year, the court must follow the rules when doing things."

Zhao Zhenji laughed, and under Zhang Juzheng's puzzled gaze, he said, "Does Lord Zhang really think that giving this money and grain to the cotton farmers will accomplish this?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately bowed his hands towards the north and said in a solemn voice: "This is a national policy, something we do for the court and your majesty. Moreover, switching from cotton to mulberry does not affect the livelihood of the people, so why can't this be done?"

Zhao Zhenji gave a helpless smile.

"Now the cotton farmers are holding the land where cotton seedlings have been planted. If Lord Zhang wants to change cotton to mulberry, he will have to pay money and grain as compensation.

But can the cotton farmers agree to it with 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 shi of grain? "

Zhao Zhenji felt that the cabinet minister in front of him was somewhat naive.

He continued, "The cotton farmers planted cotton seedlings in advance this year, probably just to wait for Lord Zhang to come. When the cotton farmers offer a high price, will Lord Zhang dare to agree? Even if he agrees, where will the money and grain come from?
Even if there is enough money and food, if the cotton farmers still delay switching from cotton to mulberry, what will Lord Zhang do?
Besides, does Mr. Zhang really know why these cotton farmers dare to do this? "

Zhao Zhenji's series of questions made Zhang Juzheng silent. However, Zhao Zhenji did not intend to stop.

How could he get Zhang Juzheng to let him go and go to his superiors to resolve the issue without making it difficult for him?
Zhao Zhenji finally said in a deep voice: "And the most important thing is, why do the cotton farmers dare to do this? If Lord Zhang finds out the problem in the two governments, will he dare to expose it to the public?"

The stage is the capital, the cabinet, and in front of the emperor.

Zhang Juzheng fell completely silent.

It’s not that he didn’t notice some problems in the past few days, but he didn’t dare and didn’t think that now was the time to find out about these problems.

Zhao Zhenji looked at Zhang Juzheng's appearance and already knew what was going on, so he couldn't help but sigh.

"Does Mr. Zhang still think that he can accomplish this?"

……

"If Zhang Taiyue doesn't understand the whole story, he won't be able to handle this matter well!"

In Beijing City, in the study next to the main house of the Yan Mansion.

Yan Shaoting said this to Yan Song, who was writing on paper at his desk on his day off.

On the desk, Yan Song, who was already in his eighties, usually trembled wherever he walked, but at this moment, the paper and pen in his hands did not move at all.

He is writing a poem.

It is Su Dongpo's poem about the past at Chibi.

At this moment, Yan Song had already written the sentence "Thinking of Gongjin in the past".

Hearing Yan Shaoting speak, Yan Song paused for a moment, carefully raised the tip of the brush, and placed the hundred-liang-worth Hu brush in his hand on a crystal pen holder in the shape of the Five Mountains.

"You mean, your father will secretly intervene to stop Zhang Taiyue from completing this task?"

If this is true, Yan Song thought to himself that maybe he should talk to his son about the affairs in the southeast and not interfere in this matter.

Yan Shaoting nodded and shook his head: "Father will probably intervene in this matter, but perhaps not in Suzhou and Songjiang. There are many clean officials in the court there, and father cannot intervene."

Even if Yan Shifan wanted to intervene in this matter, he would only choose Zhejiang.

Yan Song also nodded after hearing this.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai were in Zhejiang, and the entire local government in eastern Zhejiang was also full of Yan's party members. Even if Yan Shifan wanted to intervene and ruin Zhang Juzheng's job, he would only choose Zhejiang.

Old Yan smiled and looked up at his eldest grandson who was standing in front of him and had become a reader in the Hanlin Academy.

"Then tell me why you think Zhang Taiyue can't accomplish anything in Suzhou and Songjiang, two cities with countless clean streams."

Yan Shaoting chuckled: "It is precisely because the two governments have implicated too many upright officials in the court that Zhang Juzheng is bound to fail. If my grandson's guess is correct, the cotton farmers in the two governments have now put the problem in front of Zhang Juzheng.

Either they used the excuse that they did not know how to grow mulberry trees, or perhaps there was news in the court that the cotton farmers in the two prefectures planted the wheat seedlings in advance.

But no matter what, Zhang Juzheng had to face the resistance of tens of thousands of cotton farmers. "

Yan Song nodded and said, "The current situation in Suzhou and Songjiang may be as you said. But he, Zhang Taiyue, is an imperial envoy. Can't he suppress the people in the two places?"

"Unless Zhang Juzheng is able to be ruthless."

Yan Shaoting smiled faintly and asked, "Does Lord Zhang really dare to do something that will make the people of the two prefectures suffer?"

Yan Song looked thoughtful, and after a while he said, "If he really can't do it, do you mean that my Yan family will take over this matter?"

"This must never be done!"

Yan Shaoting spoke up immediately and stopped Old Yan from thinking this way.

The task of changing cotton to mulberry in Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures could only be done by Zhang Juzheng.

Only Zhang Juzheng could do it.

Do it yourself?

Wouldn't that hinder Zhang Ge Lao's progress?

He smiled and said, "Not only can we not take over this matter, we also have to help Zhang Juzheng succeed."

(End of this chapter)