"Let him in." Zhu Youxiao nodded and said.
Not long after, Xu Xianchun walked in from outside.
His expression was very serious. When he saw Zhu Youxiao, he quickly bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty."
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Tell me about the situation."
"Your Majesty, the Dezhou prefect, Liu Mao, did organize people to donate money and supplies, and he did provide relief to the people. He can be considered to have done some practical things."
"However, many people in Dezhou City also took advantage of this to make a fortune. They took the opportunity to stockpile supplies, drive up prices, and then ship food to the disaster area to sell at a high price."
"However, I have discovered one thing: they did not sell all the grain they transported themselves, but instead transferred it to a company called Hongsheng."
"Right now, almost all of Shandong's grain is controlled by this company. Especially in the disaster-stricken areas, this company is hoarding grain and driving up prices."
"Food prices are extremely high throughout the disaster-stricken Jeju Prefecture. Meanwhile, some people are aggressively buying up the land of disaster victims and lending them large sums of money, forcing them to sell their children."
After hearing this, there was no surprise on Zhu Youxiao's face.
At a time like this, if I don’t make money, how can I live with the conscience of those people?
It is normal for such things to happen, otherwise the Ming Dynasty would not be the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Youxiao's focus was not on this, and he then asked, "Why would these merchants be willing to sell their grain to this company called Hongsheng?"
You know, this is an opportunity to make a fortune, and no one will give away the money they have earned. If they are willing to give away the money they have earned when faced with such an opportunity to make a fortune, it can only mean one thing: they have no choice but to give it away.
This money must be earned by others. Others eat the meat, and they can only drink the soup.
"Your Majesty, it's actually very simple, because Qufu is behind this Hongsheng Trading Company." Xu Xianchun said without any hesitation.
To Xu Xianchun, no one is more important than the Majesty in front of him.
Your Majesty has promoted me, and I am also a member of the Imperial Guard. I cannot see anything else.
His predecessor, Luo Sigong, lost his position because he had other things in his eyes. It was not easy for him to get to where he is today, and he could not make such a mistake.
Zhu Youxiao was not surprised. He nodded slightly and said, "It's not surprising."
Shandong is the hometown of Confucius, but it is also a place where there have been many rebellions in history. There was Huang Chao in the Three Kingdoms period, and in the Ming Dynasty, Shandong also had many rebellions.
During the Yongle reign, Tang Sai'er rebelled in Shandong, and now Xu Hongru is preparing to rebel. The people of Shandong live in misery. Why is this?
Zhu Youxiao looked up at Xu Xianchun and said, "Go and help me find out how much farmland Qufu actually owns in Shandong. Don't alert the local officials in Shandong. Once you find out, come back and tell me."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will check it right away." Xu Xianchun quickly bowed and agreed.
"Okay, go ahead." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said.
After Xu Xianchun left, Zhu Youxiao sighed.
Qufu is a place name that cannot be avoided in the Ming Dynasty.
In the sixth year of Zhengde, the peasant uprising army led by Liu Liu and Liu Qi from Hebei "destroyed Qufu, burned down hundreds of government temples and houses, and reduced the county seat to ruins."
Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao, ordered the governor of Shandong to rebuild a new city in the southwest corner of the old city of Lu with the Confucius Temple as its center, which is the existing old city of Ming.
There is a Confucius Mansion in Qufu!
During the Hongzhi period, the Confucius Temple suffered a fire.
In the 16th year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty ordered a major renovation of the Quli Confucius Temple and the Yanshenggong Mansion, supervised by Li Dongyang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Prince Taibao, and the Confucius Mansion was rebuilt.
Before the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, the Confucius Mansion was not located in Qufu City, but outside the county seat, ten miles away from the city.
During the Jiajing reign, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the relocation of Qufu County to protect the Confucius Mansion and Temple. Ten years later, the new city of Qufu was built, featuring towering walls and a deep moat. The Confucius Mansion and Temple were located within Qufu City, establishing the foundation of the Confucius Mansion's status.
When I came to Shandong, I couldn't avoid Qufu, and at the same time, I couldn't avoid the Confucius Mansion. In Shandong, the words of the Confucius Mansion were probably more effective than my own imperial edict.
Most of the areas affected by the disaster this time were around Qufu, and Xu Hongru's rebellion also revolved around Qufu. I have to say, this is an interesting thing.
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