Chapter 52 What is supposed to come finally comes
The heavy rain in Zhejiang began to fall when Hai Rui left Chun'an and set out for Suzhou Prefecture.

The continuous heavy rains kept everyone at home.

The Zhejiang Provincial Government Office is located in Hangzhou Prefecture.

The raindrops from the roof formed strings of beads, like a bead curtain, hanging under the eaves in front of the corridor.

In the patio, the water was flowing rapidly, and a tank of lotus leaves was heaving under the pressure, with countless splashes of water at the edges.

Zheng Michang, the governor of Zhejiang Province, was wearing a red robe of a second-rank official of the dynasty and was looking at the heavy rain outside with a serious look.

Next to him was He Maocai, the Censor of the Zhejiang Province, who was also wearing a red robe with a flying bird on his chest.

Also in the house was the Hangzhou prefect Ma Ningyuan, who looked worried and concerned about the people suffering under the heavy rain.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, I've already called three or four times, why hasn't the person come yet?"

He Maocai shouted angrily to the outside.

Zheng Michang looked back at the angry He Maocai and frowned: "Can the rain stop now? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, bowed beside the two big men of Zhejiang Province and said hesitantly, "With such heavy rains this year, I don't know how the spring farming will go..."

“Spring plowing?”

He Maocai said sarcastically, glancing at Ma Ningyuan: "You should think about the change from rice to mulberry that the court asked us to do. How much has your Hangzhou Prefecture changed now?"

Before Ma Ningyuan could finish his words, he said that the court was implementing the policy of replacing rice with mulberry in Zhejiang with a slow approach.

outside the house.

Two umbrellas had already passed through the hall and into the house.

The umbrella fell, revealing Yang Jinshui, the eunuch in charge of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau and Zhejiang Maritime Customs, and Shen Yishi, the director of the Weaving Bureau and a silk merchant from Zhejiang.

Shen Yishi followed behind Yang Jinshui, his eyes sharp and deep, and bowed to the three people in the room.

Yang Jinshui had that unique smile on his face. He chuckled and bowed slightly, saying, "The rain is too heavy. I'm sorry to have kept Daotai and Neitai waiting for a long time."

He Maocai puffed his beard and glared, and just snorted twice.

Zheng Michang was all smiles: "It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here, the food and drinks are ready, Chief Steward Yang, please take a seat quickly."

Neither side paid any attention to the Hangzhou prefect Ma Ningyuan and the businessman Shen Yishi who were present.

Several people sat down, and Ma Ningyuan and Shen Yishi also sat down with them.

Zheng Michang poured wine for Yang Jinshui with a smile.

He Maocai hummed and said, "General Manager Yang, the palace has now assigned me the task of replacing rice with mulberry in Zhejiang. What does the Weaving Bureau mean by that?"

After saying that, he glanced at Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, who was still worried about what would happen to the people in the heavy rain.

Yang Jinshui raised his wine glass and toasted the two men, then said quietly, "Our weaving bureau works for the palace. We only take the silk and weave it for His Majesty to sell overseas."

While speaking, Yang Jinshui glanced at Shen Yishi.

Zheng Michang and He Maocai then turned their gazes to Shen Yishi.

Shen Yishi did not drink, but took a sip of the teacup. "In reply to your questions, my looms and weavers have been ready since I received the imperial edict. In order to cope with the increase in the amount of silk ordered by the imperial court, new looms will soon be delivered. I dare not say anything else, but as long as there is enough silk, the 500,000 rolls of silk ordered by the imperial court will definitely be delivered in full."

The two of them, one in front and one behind, pushed the matter to Zhejiang Province.

Ma Ningyuan sat at the bottom, silent, with a heavy heart.

He always felt that today's banquet might not be a good one.

At this moment.

Zheng Michang smiled and continued, "According to the imperial decree, this time Nanzhili and Zhejiang will increase silk production and sell it overseas, in order to increase revenue for the imperial court and fill the deficit left over from these years. This is a national policy. Although Zhejiang has set a slowdown, we who serve His Majesty in Zhejiang cannot really slow down."

As he spoke, Zheng Michang looked at everyone present with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Of course!" He Maocai slammed the table and shouted, "Who dares to neglect the order of His Majesty and the mission of the court?"

Ma Ningyuan hesitated for a long time, then whispered, "It's just that... the spring ploughing is urgent now. When the national policy was implemented last time, many local people were resistant. Didn't they arrest the man named Qi Dazhu not long ago?"

"Does Ma Ningyuan intend to disobey the order?"

He Maocai did not give Ma Ningyuan a chance to explain. He glared at him and started questioning.

Ma Ningyuan's eyebrows jumped, and he quickly bowed and stood up.

He raised his eyes and looked at He Maocai: "Your Excellency, I did not say that I would disobey your order. I am the prefect of Hangzhou appointed by your Majesty, an official of the court, and I am doing the work assigned by the court."

He Maocai snorted coldly and asked, "When will Hangzhou Prefecture be able to complete the task of replacing rice with mulberry trees?"

Ma Ningyuan was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

At this time, Shen Yishi said calmly: "I'm afraid this rain will continue for quite a while. Can our Xin'an River withstand it?"

Ma Ningyuan immediately said, "Last year, the imperial court allocated funds and ordered the river administration to repair and reinforce the embankments of Xin'an River, which cost a lot of money..."

Just as Ma Ningyuan was about to continue, Zheng Michang suddenly spoke up, "This is a matter for the River Administration. Can you, Hangzhou Prefecture, complete the transformation from rice to mulberry?"

Without waiting for Ma Ningyuan to speak, He Maocai once again urged: "If Hangzhou Prefecture could complete the transformation of rice to mulberry, there wouldn't be a traitor like Qi Dazhu who colluded with the Japanese!"

Yang Jinshui looked at Ma Ningyuan with a smile at the right time and said, "Prefect Ma, is it still a national policy to replace rice with mulberry trees?"

Ma Ningyuan replied subconsciously: "Of course it is a national policy!"

Yang Jinshui laughed twice and turned to look at Zheng Michang and He Maocai.

He Maocai slammed his hands on the table and said, "Since you, Ma Ningyuan, have been unable to make good national policies for so long, then take your men to blow up the Xin'an River levee and let the flood wash away the fields on both sides. Then you, Ma Ningyuan, can take your men to turn these fields into mulberry fields!"

When he heard that the dike was going to be destroyed and the fields were going to be flooded, Ma Ningyuan trembled violently all over.

His eyes widened: "Nietai! That's Xin'an River..."

"Then can you, Ma Ningyuan, do a good job in national policy?" He Maocai scolded in a buzzing voice, and said in a cold voice: "Either you, Ma Ningyuan, disobey the order and join those mud-legged people in resisting national policy. Or, you, Ma Ningyuan, take people to blow up the Xin'an River embankment!"

Ma Ningyuan was so frightened that his mind went blank. He could only ask anxiously in a low voice: "If the dikes are destroyed and the fields are flooded, what will happen to the people on both sides of the strait..."

A laugh rang out at the table.

Shen Yishi smiled and said calmly, "If the dike is blown up, the fields on both sides will naturally be lost, and the people will not be able to farm this year. But don't worry, Magistrate Ma, we will naturally provide enough money and food to buy the destroyed fields from the people and use them to plant mulberry trees."

On one side is the national policy that must be implemented, and on the other side are hundreds of thousands of people living on both sides of the Xin'an River.

Ma Ningyuan has completely lost the ability to think at this moment.

He could only weakly say: "Really?"

Shen Yishi looked calm and said, "Of course I won't let those people lose even a grain of rice!"

boom!
Boom boom!

Two thunders sounded.

In Songhe Garden of Yan Mansion in Beijing, Yan Shaoting seemed to hear the sound of an explosion on the Xin'an River dike in Zhejiang Province.

His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

There was anger at the people in Zhejiang Province who dared to do such a thing as destroying the dikes and flooding the fields, but there was also emotion that he had seized an opportunity.

Accompanied by thunder.

Yan Shaoting slowly closed his eyes.

"What is supposed to come has finally come..."

(End of this chapter)