The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Have the acres of land been calculated?

Li Dongyang and others looked at the yellow book in Yan Chengjin's hand, as if they were facing a great enemy, and their faces changed slightly.

The sharp decline in population means that there is no cultivated land.

The consequence is that the fields are abandoned and degraded into wasteland.

It is conceivable that the result of the land liquidation in the yellow book will not be very good.

Yan Chengjin was full of suspicion. I am holding the yellow book, why don't you react? This is the yellow book you have been thinking about day and night!

"Your Majesty, the acres of land have been counted. This is the yellow book."

He had to remind him again.

The face of Emperor Hongzhi twitched slightly: "I... I know!"

He has been urging the Ministry of Revenue to speed up the calculation.

But at this time, the yellow book was held in front of him, but he hesitated and did not dare to take it.

After decades of hard work, the confidence accumulated has become nothing.

"Xiao Banban, help me present it." Xiao Jing had just taken a step, and Emperor Hongzhi hurriedly changed his words: "Yan Qingjia, you should present it."

Why did Xie Yu calculate it so quickly?

The cultivated land in the Yellow Book has shrunk by nearly half compared with that in the Hongwu period, resulting in a significant reduction in the liquidation work.

According to statistics in the 26th year of Hongwu, there were 8,576,230 hectares of paddy fields in the world.

Now, there are only 4,238,580 hectares left.

It has been reduced by half in just 109 years.

The territory in the Hongwu period was more vast than that in the Hongzhi period, but this is by no means a reason for the reduction of cultivated land.

"Cheng Jin, have you seen it? Is it more or less?" Emperor Hongzhi smiled and held a glimmer of hope.

There is an expectation for miracles in the nature of human nature.

Just like people's natural laziness and greed, it comes naturally.

Whenever you encounter a desperate situation, you always pray for a miracle to happen.

But how can there be so many miracles in the world? You are not Wang Shouren.

Yan Chengjin couldn't bear to hit him, wondering what the Emperor Hongzhi would react to seeing it: "Your Majesty, please read it yourself."

The Emperor Hongzhi's face was stiff, he took a deep breath and returned to his usual demeanor.

Is the world I govern the worst among all the previous emperors?

No, I don't believe it!

Summoning up his courage, like the morale he had held back for a war, he opened the yellow book in one go, his movements were actually a bit rude.

Li Dongyang and others couldn't help but feel their hearts tense, not daring to breathe.

It was a cold day, Chen Qing kept raising his hand to wipe the hot sweat from his forehead, looking at the yellow book in his Majesty's hand nervously.

Sweating like him was the Minister of Revenue Han Wen.

The yellow book was calculated, and it should be handed over to their Ministry of Revenue first.

Yan Chengjin actually handed it directly to his Majesty. They had never seen the yellow book, and they were unsure, but even more nervous.

Emperor Hongzhi opened the first page of the yellow book, and then the second page.

A chill ran down his spine, spreading to his entire body, his limbs, and his bones.

More than 4,238,500 hectares, came into view, but only...

"Your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, are you okay?"

Seeing him motionless, Li Dongyang asked anxiously.

Yan Chengjin wanted to reach out and feel the breath of Emperor Hongzhi, but...

He didn't dare.

Wang Ji stared at Emperor Hongzhi, judging from the slight tremor of his body, that His Majesty was still alive.

He didn't go forward to diagnose.

Emperor Hongzhi stared at the yellow book, calmly and frighteningly, but laughed: "It's been fifteen years, what kind of world have I ruled? Hahahaha"

The eight million hectares in the twenty-third year of Hongwu became four million hectares.

This is not stupidity.

It is incompetence, the inability to govern the world, the inability to let the people of the world live and work in peace and contentment.

After fifteen years of hard work, I have ruled in vain...

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to impeach."

Yan Chengjin took out a memorial from his sleeve.

Your Majesty is like this, you still want to impeach? Xiao Jing rolled his eyes at him.

Li Dongyang and others glared at him angrily. Is it time to impeach now?

This memorial was carefully revised by Yan Chengjin, and it has a great relationship with the disappearance of land.

The vassal king's plan, it was reported that a group of old ministers had dealings with King Ning.

Usually, if you want to remove more than a dozen ministers, the sky will collapse and the court will be shaken.

But now your majesty is furious, if you find that the ministers are related to the sharp decline in land, you can uphold justice.

"I don't want to see the memorial, Ministry of Revenue! In just a hundred years, the paddy fields have been reduced to such a level, and none of you reported to me!"

Han Wen felt aggrieved.

The Minister of Revenue in the fourth year of Hongzhi was Zhou Jing and Wang Zuo.

If it weren't for the investigation of the whole court, it would not be found.

And he had only been the Minister of Revenue for two years, where could he report it?

Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue had separate management of land, taxes and official salaries, and the official in charge of the fish scale map was Chen Qing, the left assistant minister.

Chen Qing said tremblingly: "I am not able to supervise and manage well, and I am old and weak. I beg... I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire."

The court is too complicated, so it is better to go back to my hometown to farm.

At this moment, he actually envied Liu Daxia.

"I want to know where the paddy fields have gone. They can't run away like refugees, right?"

Emperor Hongzhi suppressed his anger.

There were often censors impeaching officials for encroaching on land and offering people's land. He could vaguely guess the reason after reviewing so many memorials.

Yan Chengjin didn't dare to say whether there were one million hectares of paddy fields hidden by gentry and ministers.

If there were really one million hectares, what would Your Majesty do?

"Your Majesty, this time cannot be compared with the early Ming Dynasty. There were not many princes in the early Ming Dynasty, but now, the number of princes who are actually granted titles has increased from 25 in the early Ming Dynasty to 56! They all have their own towns and lands!"

"Not counting the prince of Pan and the imperial farms occupied by the royal family."

Chen Qing said in embarrassment: "Maybe...maybe there are still many paddy fields hidden in the hands of gentry, who have not reported them to avoid taxes."

As early as the thorough investigation, he had thought about this day and made preparations.

The hall returned to silence, Yan Chengjin was hesitant to speak, Your Majesty, you might as well read my impeachment directly.

He was waiting for an opportunity to act, and Emperor Hongzhi was angry and could not submit the impeachment.

"If Your Majesty wants to conduct a thorough investigation, you might as well start with the capital." Li Dongyang said.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Yan Chengjin: "How about the thirteen imperial censors in the two capitals investigate this matter?"

"I think so too."

Wu Kuan bowed slightly to receive the order.

Finally, the topic was brought back. Yan Chengjin bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I have an impeachment to present to you."

Emperor Hongzhi finally remembered Yan Chengjin.

His eyes fell on Yan Chengjin's hand, and he saw a memorial in his hand.

"You want to impeach the head of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Yunfeng." Emperor Hongzhi was surprised.

Wang Yunfeng was a Jinshi in the 20th year of Chenghua. He was the son of Wang Zuo, the Minister of Revenue of the previous dynasty, and a famous gentry in Shanxi.

From Wang Zuo on, I don't know how much land he has.

However, even if Yan Chengjin didn't impeach him, he wouldn't live for a few years, so it's better to retire in advance.

After reading the impeachment memorial, Emperor Hongzhi was furious: "Wang Yunfeng dared to hide the farm in Shanxi?!"

"I have a second impeachment memorial."

"The second impeachment memorial impeaches Wei Zhang of the Dali Temple."

"The third memorial impeaches Bai Siming of the Imperial Household."

"The fourth memorial impeaches Han Ding, the official of the Ministry of Personnel."

"The fifth memorial impeaches Han Shaozong, the chief of the Ministry of Justice."

"The sixth memorial impeaches Wei Shen, the doctor of the Ministry of Works."

...

"The tenth memorial impeaches Sun Sui, the official of the Ministry of War."

When seeing Yan Chengjin take out five impeachment memorials, Emperor Hongzhi and Li Dongyang and others were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths.

When they saw him take out the tenth impeachment memorial in one breath.

Emperor Hongzhi's chin had already dropped to the ground in shock.

You actually hid ten impeachment memorials in your sleeves. How long have you been hiding them? How did you do it?