Chengdu.

Duke of Baoguo Deng Ming is still in Xuzhou. After entering the city of Xuzhou, Deng Ming showed the people of Xuzhou the "evidence" of the Ming army's victory, that is, to spread gold and silver coins to the people of Xuzhou who were greeting him. After hearing about this, the people in Chengdu were ready to welcome Duke Baoguo back to the capital. However, it may be that because Deng Ming's evidence in Xuzhou was too sufficient, he stayed in the area to inspect the shipyard, fire well and other large workshops, and had not returned to Chengdu for a long time.

At the same time, more than 120 imperial MPs also held a meeting, intending to vote on some new proposals. When the House of Representatives was first established, the Senate veterans regarded it as their subordinate departments and puppets, and the prefect's office did not look down on this meeting that seemed to be simply for tax collection. However, just two years later, the parliament became important because Deng Ming attached great importance to the parliament and tried his best to protect its power from being embezzled by other departments.

Since the elders in the Senate could not propose their own proposals, they could only manipulate the proposals of the parliament. As a result, the elders had to offer some benefits to buy their supporters in the parliament, and these members gradually formed their own alliances, no longer the pure Senate puppets at the beginning. Also because of Deng Ming's insistence, the taxation must be agreed to by the Council, and the expenses of the prefect's office must be reported to the parliament. Therefore, Liu Jinge also attached more and more importance to this agency related to the money bag. Recently, he has actively fought with the Qingcheng faction, trying his best to help the military or other factions set up a hill in the Imperial Parliament and the Qingcheng faction in the Senate - the mutual hostility between the prefect and the Qingcheng faction in the Senate made an indelible contribution to the independence of the Imperial Parliament.

From the opening of the parliament to the present, Deng Ming has always recognized the proposals passed by the parliament - of course, the parliament carefully pondered the Duke's thoughts before every vote. It was the last expedition to Jiangnan. Although many parliamentarians felt that they were tight, after hearing that Zheng Chenggong passed away and Deng Ming clearly expressed his willingness to launch an expedition, most of the parliamentarians also chose to support Deng Ming's wishes. After the last vote was passed by the special tax collection and military order, Deng Ming's documents issued always began with "the court meeting approved and the order to admiral Deng Ming" to indicate that he

The expedition was authorized by the Council and fulfilled the wishes of the Council, just like a general who had gone to the Confederation under the orders of the court. Of course, this gave enough face to the Senate and the Imperial Parliament. As a member of the Council, the vanity of the congress was also greatly satisfied. Although some people felt that this was somewhat similar to what Deng Ming used to say: "The Emperor was hunting south, and the matter was urgently followed by power", it was only now changed to "the approval of the Council" - but the Council can be compared with the Emperor and the Court, which is also a proof of the improvement of status.

The Imperial Parliament, which was originally convened temporarily, is now developing into a permanent institution. Every member of Chengdu can get a one-day meeting leave in four working days, while the parliamentarians in the state simply live in Chengdu. Both the state and Chengdu are willing to pay their wages - Liu Jinge wants to buy the Imperial Parliamentarians to deal with the Qingcheng faction, and Yuan Xiang and the parliament of the state prefecture need these people to stay in Chengdu to protect the interests of the state.

The Imperial Congressman, Xuzhou Prefecture and scholar Gu Ying were quite satisfied with this kind of life. He was originally from Jiangxi. After immigrating to Sichuan, Gu Ying was originally an ordinary farmer. Gu Ying was also one of the first people to work in Xuzhou, but he was still a farmer. Later, the shipbuilding industry developed significantly higher income than farming. Gu Ying went to the shipyard to work, intending to save some money and buy more livestock to open up land. Many of his companions who went to Xuzhou with Gu Ying were doing business and made a fortune, but he was just a middle-aged and wealthy family - he had no worries about food and clothing, had a house and saved, and got married, but it seemed that he would never have the chance to be rich.

Originally, it was not Gu Ying's turn to do such things as the Imperial Congressman. When everyone thought that this was a puppet institution, the people of Xuzhou would definitely not go to Chengdu to have a meeting. Later, after discovering the potential, the local congressmen in Xuzhou were also Yuan Xiang's main collaborators, either the bosses of the shipyard or the head of the business. As for the Imperial Congressman, they were the richest among them. However, after the institution was changed to a permanent establishment, the bosses felt it was inconvenient. In the end, Gu Ying was thought to everyone - this person was one of the first people to come to Xuzhou. Everyone knew that he was a kind person; he had a family property in Xuzhou, and he had feelings for the local area with his wife and children; and he was a middle-aged and superior family. The so-called "constant property and perseverance" was him!

Now Gu Ying is receiving the salary of the Imperial Congressman and a allowance given by Xuzhou. Since taking office in Chengdu, he has received letters from the prefect of Xuzhou and the wealthy merchants to introduce him to the development of Xuzhou and their needs. This made Gu Ying feel very accomplished and feels that he is also an important figure, and he also shoulders the responsibility of benefiting the hometown of Xuzhou. Sometimes he can also contribute to the country, such as when discussing buying warships for the army or selling canal ships to the Southeast Governor, his colleagues in the parliament attach great importance to Gu Ying's opinions, because he used to be the supervisor of the shipyard and climbed up step by step from workers. He is very familiar with the cost and quality inspection of the ships and is an expert in this regard.

The topic of discussion in the parliament today made Gu Ying a little nervous because their proposal this time may be contrary to Duke Bao’s opinion.

The cause of the incident was still the literary inquisition in the southeast. Before entering Sichuan for education, scholars were naturally superior to Gu Ying. Although they were not as good as the emperor, they were only looking up to him. But when Gu Ying was able to read and read the newspaper, he would not have much respect for the Ming emperor in the south. The Qing emperor, who was originally a god and a Buddha like the Ming emperor, was just a descendant of a robber in Gu Ying's eyes. The same was true for scholars. The more they learned through the newspaper, the lower the respect they were from western Sichuan and scholars.

Jiang Guozhu and Zhao Guozuo's proposal naturally would not hide it from the Imperial Parliament. When Gu Ying was a farmer in Jiangxi, he would definitely not have the intention to seize the property of a scholar, but now it is different. Like many colleagues, he felt that the life and death of these people seemed to have little to do with Sichuan. Since the Southeast Governor was willing to share the spoils with the people of Sichuan, why didn't they do it? Didn't it mean that the Empire is synonymous with robbers? Then, as a member of the Imperial Parliament, Gu Ying had to make a decision that was true.

Many members of parliament believe that they should be neutral and completely out of this matter. Shouldn’t they even need to sell arms to the dealer? Zhao Guozuo’s conditions were originally given for nothing. It would be fine if they were given to Zhejiang, and Jiang Guozhu has always been an active collaborator of the empire. His military strength was much stronger than Zhejiang without war for several years. The Imperial Parliament felt that if he intervened in Jiangnan, it would seem that there would be no benefit. Moreover, if Jiangnan fought like Zhejiang, it would have a negative impact on the empire’s trade income in the Yangtze River.

If many people think, Sichuan should even secretly support such things and help Jiang Guozhu, who is willing to share the spoils for Sichuan, is a favor. However, Deng Ming's attitude seems a bit strange, and it seems that he does not support the actions of the Southeast Governor, which makes many imperial congressmen feel upset, wondering if they should oppose the persecution of the Southeast Governor's scholars.

During the discussion in the parliament today, many speakers were also confused by Deng Ming's true attitude. If Deng Ming clearly expressed his objection, the members would most likely not hesitate, and even if they couldn't figure it out, they would still support Jiangnan Shilin. But Deng Ming seemed to be shaking. Some people said that Deng Ming sold arms to scholars and did not necessarily mean that he was standing on the side of scholars, but he was based on the principle of making money - it really sounded like an admiral.

If Deng Ming's actions only depend on the size of his interests rather than being subject to other moral constraints, the Imperial Parliament felt that it would be better to support Jiang Guozhu, so that the risks were smaller and the benefits were also guaranteed.

After a morning of discussion, someone suggested to issue a suggestion to Baoguo Duke, suggesting that he strictly adhere to neutrality in his subsequent actions and not to sell arms to the gentry in Jiangnan who attempted to resist, in order to ensure peace and stability in Jiangnan.

Such a proposal is very consistent with Gu Ying's thoughts. In the letters he received, most of the merchants in Syria were also uneasy about intervening in the southeast confrontation. Except for arms-related businesses, most of the bosses felt that this war had nothing to do with them, but might affect their business.

Ordinary scholars have a sense of justice than the bosses of the business. After they learned about the ins and outs of some things through newspapers, they all felt that this kind of trick is wrong. However, what these people are most concerned about is how to ensure that they are not subject to similar persecution. For example, the Imperial Parliament quickly passed a high vote to prohibit sinners from speaking in the empire. Before the Emperor Yongli returned to China and the Ming Dynasty law was reinvigorated, it was not allowed to charge people for rebellion and then behead their heads because of speech. This proposal is also very popular with the bosses of the business, and they do not want to end up with the same fate as those gentry in the southeast.

"Start vote on this proposal." Liu Yao, who was listening, felt that the speech had been without any new ideas for a long time, so he shouted loudly in the audience. The Qingcheng faction also believed that the Southeast incident had nothing to do with Sichuan. Anyway, whether the Qing court persecuted scholars or did not persecute them, Sichuan would continue to fight with the Qing court. But the governor of the Southeast is a target worth fighting for. In the future, it may be the party that fights with the Sichuan army, at least there is no need to force them back to the Qing court.

The speech of the Speaker of the Senate was influenced by the host, and soon two ballot boxes were placed on the side of the table, one affirmed and the other negative - the parliament did not allow anonymous votes, and all representatives must clearly express their attitude.

At this time, Gu Ying had already made up his mind and he would vote for this initiative - it was just an initiative that should not bind the Duke of the Confederacy, right? If the Duke of the Confederacy believes that the Parliament's knowledge is shallow and does not conform to his wishes, then he should put aside the proposal of the parliament and do his own thing. Gu Ying would not be disgusted with this. He and other colleagues did not think that the Duke of the Confederacy did not have the power to act arbitrarily.

...

"I have something to say!"

During the voting process, a loud shout full of anger suddenly came from the gate. Gu Ying turned around and saw Chen Jijiu from the academy standing at the gate of the parliament.

Chen Zuocai strode towards the podium, and the host hurriedly ran over to explain: "Old master, the vote has begun and he can no longer speak."

But Chen Zuocai ignored him at all, but walked straight to the podium. When Chen Zuocai came in, it was Geriletu, the physical education teacher at the academy, who had already stuffed most of his ticket into the box that expressed his approval, so he almost let go. Chen Jijiu's roar made Geriletu shudder. When he turned around and saw Chen Jijiu walking over with big strides, Geriletu hurriedly pulled the ticket out of the crack of the box.

"Do you vote for it?"

As soon as he pulled out the ticket, Chen Zuocai had already walked behind Geriletu. Chen Jijiu glanced at the ticket box, and then looked at his sports professor with a fierce look: "Is this proposal meant that the admiral stops supporting the Southeast scholars?"

"Where?" Griletu's round face was filled with a smile: "The old master misunderstood. We just suggest that the Duke Bao remain neutral."

Without saying a word, Chen Zuo raised his cane and went to knock on Geriletu. The host hurriedly hugged him: "Old master, you can't hit people here!"

"I can't speak here yet!" Chen Zuocai retorted loudly. According to Deng Ming's rules, only the Imperial parliamentarians or the consulted officials could speak on this podium.

At this time, Geriletu had already run away with his ticket. Chen Zuo glared at the Mongolian professor, and instead of chasing him, he climbed to the podium.

"You are all cowards!" Chen Zuocai shouted loudly after walking on stage: "Admiral Deng has never looked down on scholars, so he only sells arms but refuses to stand up and speaks for justice. I am not surprised at all; and you--" Chen Zuocai paused his cane on the podium and reiterated his point of view: "All of them are cowards who dare not behave!"

"You remind me of those foolish people and foolish women who are terrible—" Chen Zuocai stopped shouting again.

Gu Ying has a personal experience of the word "suffering from the family". His grandfather had eight sons who grew up to adulthood. When the old man died, his eight sons surrounded his grandfather's hospital bed with more than a dozen grandsons. The situation made the whole village envious.

Chen Zuocai spoke harshly on the podium, and Gu Ying was also awakened by the other party's words. Uncle Qi was in poor health and had only one son. When Gu Ying's cousin was only six years old, Uncle Qi passed away, and Aunt Qi left with her child alone with her hard work. Many people whispered behind her back, saying that Uncle Qi's child's health was as bad as his father, and she might not be able to raise her sickness.

I don’t know if Aunt Qi heard these comments, I don’t know if I noticed the complex gazes surrounding them, mother and son. Anyway, since then, Gu Ying doesn’t remember Aunt Qi’s smile, and she always protects her only son tightly like a hen…

But in the end, everyone was told that Aunt Qi's son could not live beyond eight years old. Gu Ying was eleven years old that year. He remembered that the family was full of joy. His parents did not feel any sadness, but felt that the hope of two years finally came true... The happy uncle called a human trafficker early. After burying his cousin, he handed Aunt Qi, who was crying and shouting, to the human trafficker, and then took his brothers into Uncle Qi's house to share things. Gu Ying's family seemed to have a pot, a few axes and so on. The neighbors in the village also ran away.

When they came out to watch the fun, many children were still shouting loudly: "Eat no households, eat no households!" When Aunt Qi was taken away by a foreigner, these children shouted loudly; when the Gu brothers were dividing things, the children were still shouting like this, and their parents looked at the Gu brothers with envy. When they finished the things and slaughtered the pigs from Lao Qi's family to stew meat, most of the neighbors in the village also distributed a bowl, "Eat no households, eat no households!" At that time, the children shouted even happier, as if they had celebrated the New Year in advance.

"The foolish people are not sad about their brothers' families being lost, but they are happy, but their happiness is not without reason." Chen Zuocai shouted loudly on the stage: "They cannot eat enough food all year round, because their brother's orphans die, and they can give their children more food after eating, and their children may survive; no one will care about this, because for families who cannot eat, cannot support their children, and even drown their newborn daughter, there is nothing more important than this bite of food. Which gentry dares to control the peasant who eats the peasant who eats the peasant or the official who dares to commit the crime of eating the peasant, I will poke his backbone - you are full and don't know that the hungry man is hungry! But despite this, I still want to say that these are all fools! Fool women!"

"And you guys!" Chen Zuo raised his crutch and swept across the audience with his hands flat: "It's not that you can't eat, I even taught you to read. And you didn't rob it yourself, but let others go and share things behind you. Put it in the village, you are the bear bags that don't even have the courage to kick the widow's door. You will watch others kick the door open, take the widow away and sell it, and then be satisfied if you can ask for a cake - cowards, they are all cowards! I look down on you!"

Chen Zuo was so angry that he was furious that he pointed hard at Geriletu not far from him with a crutch: "Is it time for your turn to vote? Come here! vote for your vote!"

The former Imperial Guard, the burly Griletu, walked timidly to Chen Jijiu and carefully stuffed the ticket in his hand into the box of "opposition".

"Coward! Didn't you mean to vote for it? If you continued to vote for it in front of me, I would look up to you!" Chen Zuo knocked Geriletu with his cane and said, "You will be worthy of teaching sports in your life, and it's useless to know how to write!"

"Don't calm down, calm down!" Even Liu Yao and Yang Youcai, who were watching the seat, ran over to help Chen Zuocai.

"You did this, right?" Chen Zuocai shouted sternly.

"It was the instructions of the Senate!" After some time, Liu Jinge stood behind Chen Zuocai, and was aiming at the head of the Qingcheng Sect, with the deputy head standing upright.

"It's unfair, old master, if they pass, our Senate must reject it!" Liu Yao had no time to fight back and said that Liu Jinge was also involved, so he could only whitewash himself first.

Chen Zuo left angrily, even more angry than when he came.

The voting continued. It was Gu Ying's turn. He walked to the ballot box, pondered for a while, and finally threw one of his pieces into the opposing ballot box: "I'm full now."
Chapter completed!