Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 991

However, compared with the past, Suzhou is no longer the most important location. This matter is actually related to Zhu Yuanzhang's policies.

When the world was still unstable, Suzhou openly supported Zhang Shicheng, so that after the world was pacified, Zhu Yuanzhang imposed punitive taxes.

Although there was also a reason to rely on Suzhou's wealth to replenish the national treasury as quickly as possible, Suzhou's taxes were indeed much higher than other places.

This directly led to the Jiangnan area reducing grain planting in order to cope with high taxes and instead planting high-yield crops such as mulberry trees.

Even though it is still a major grain producer now, it is no longer as prominent as it was during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and is gradually being caught up by other regions.

This also led to the fact that many grain merchants in the south of the Yangtze River would collect grain from other regions through the developed water transportation system.

It was precisely because of this that Wei Wu raised his second finger.

"Secondly, the ones who can really influence the grain supply should be the grain merchants in Jiangnan who control a large amount of grain."

"But what does my land reform have to do with them? They don't farm the land, they just take the money to buy the grain and then transport it to other places to resell it."

"If the food crisis is caused by my land reform, then there is only one possibility: someone is deliberately using food to cause trouble."

"For people like this who bring disaster to the country and the people, the best way is to confiscate their property and exterminate their clan. Otherwise, the harm in the future will be even greater."

Having said that, Wei Wu turned and looked at the official who was facing him.

"To sum up, there is no harm in reforming the land in Jiangnan earlier, and it will not affect the national strength due to any unexpected events."

"This is clearly a good thing that benefits the country and the people, but you are obstructing it in every possible way. I really can't understand why. Did you accept bribes from others?"

When the official heard Wei Wu's words, he became anxious on the spot.

"You, your remarks are pure slander. I have always been dedicated to my country and have always been honest. When have I ever accepted bribes from others?!"

It is well known that what Zhu Yuanzhang hated most was corrupt officials. He would never show mercy as long as he found out that someone was committing corruption or taking bribes.

Now Wei Wu has poured a basin of dirty water of corruption on his head, how could he not be afraid!

However, Wei Wu did not let him off the hook for his rebuttal and continued:

"Isn't it even more bizarre that they haven't accepted any benefits from anyone, yet they are deliberately obstructing the land reform in Jiangnan?"

"Could it be that you are an official from there and don't want the land reform to infringe on the interests of those in Jiangnan?"

"That's why I stood up and opposed it. Otherwise, why did I have to reform somewhere else first? Why couldn't I start here in Jiangnan?"

In fact, everyone present knew that people were clustered together based on their place of origin, but the officials would not bring it up openly.

But Wei Wu is different. He is not bound by any regional group, and he is not even from this era.

Naturally, he doesn't care about the so-called interest groups. The only interests he cares about are the interests at the national and ethnic levels.

The biggest reason why Zhu Yuanzhang valued Wei Wu so much, apart from his own uniqueness, was because of this.

Unless he is born a tyrant, the person who values ​​these interests the most in the world is the emperor.

Because emperors have no selfish desire for promotion or wealth, their selfish desire is that the stronger the country is, the more famous they will be in history.

And this just needs to be proven by a rich country and a strong people. It can be said that the emperor's desire for a strong country is purer than anyone else's.

So Wei Wu was different from other ministers. His interests were naturally tied to the emperor's interests.

Others have to think twice before saying anything, but Wei Wu has the emperor's support, so there is nothing he dare not say.

On the other side, the official who was beaten by Wei Wu had an extremely ugly face, turning blue and purple.

After Wei Wu finished speaking, he immediately began to defend himself:

"This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I'm not the only official from the Jiangnan region in this court."

"Could it be that people like us who come from Jiangnan can't..."

The official was about to continue speaking, but Wei Wu did not give him a chance and interrupted him directly.

"But no one has spoken out against the Jiangnan land remediation! You're the only one who has spoken out so far."

“Of course, if they also stand up, then they are the same, all obstructing land rectification for their own interests!”

After Wei Wu launched this undisguised attack, the official no longer knew how to continue confronting Wei Wu.

In desperation, he had to give up Wei Wu and turn to Zhu Yuanzhang to loudly prove his innocence.

"Your Majesty, heaven and earth are witnesses. I have never accepted favors from anyone, nor will I seek personal gain due to my background."

"But the Duke of Zhenguo has insulted my reputation with this. Your Majesty, please help me!"

Hearing this, Wei Wu sneered and said:

"You know clearly in your heart, but you are making such high-sounding statements. If you have the guts, even swear on your ancestors for eighteen generations that you have no selfish motives."

"If you had even the slightest selfish intention just now, nine generations of your ancestors' graves will be infested with maggots, and nine generations of your descendants will have sons without anus."

(The eighteen generations of ancestors refer to the nine generations above and the nine generations below, not the eighteen generations above.)

Wei Wu's words made the official so angry that he was almost furious and his face turned black.

He had never seen a man like Wei Wu, who was so foul-mouthed and aggressive in the court.

But he couldn't be like Wei Wu. For a moment, he didn't even know how to refute Wei Wu's words.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke up and gave him a way out, so that he did not die of anger on the spot.

"Wei Wu, how can you speak so obscenely in the court? You must not slander others without evidence."

After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang speak, the official finally felt a little relieved, but then Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again.

"However, since you rarely attend court and are unfamiliar with court rules, we will not hold you accountable for this first offense."

This simple sentence made the official feel even more aggrieved.

Is it really necessary to be so biased that he even used foul language in the court, and yet he only received a verbal warning?

Is there still justice in this world? Is there still law in this world?

They are all officials in the court, so why is there such a huge difference in the treatment they receive?