Finally, let’s talk about Zhu Xie and his son who became enemies in the southeast and directly caused the Fang La uprising.

Zhang Gen, the Huainan Road Transport Author, was a famous honest official and direct official at that time. He was from Raozhou, Jiangdong Road (now Boyang County, Jiangxi Province), a top student in the Imperial Academy, and later became a Jinshi.

In his memorial, he wrote: "Zhu Jie set up a bureau in Suzhou, treating the state and state treasury as private treasurys. Every time he withdraws money, hundreds of thousands or millions of treasurys, even if the banned money is given to His Majesty's inner treasury, he will take away all the money. The flowers and stones he paid for and the imperial goods were all obtained by robbing them, and the people's houses would be sealed with yellow papers as long as they liked them. If they were not protected well, they would be punished for being disrespectful to His Majesty, even if they lost their family.

If you lose your money, you will not be spared from death. For more than ten years, all the strange flowers, trees and strange stones in Jiangnan have been considered ominous and quickly dealt with. Now, most of the ships used by various flowers and stones are occupied by grain transport ships and merchant ships. The side mows are connected with oars, and they are constantly lingering day and night, causing the flocks and dogs in Jiangnan to be uneasy. After the flowers and stones are transported to the capital, most of them belong to the favored families of ministers, and the royal gardens are only one or two."

This incident dates back a few years ago. In order to abdicate power and strengthen favor, Taishi Cai proposed a plan to build a palace and a Taoist palace in order to meet the emperor's greed for enjoyment and the establishment of the Shinto religion. The emperor was satisfied and approved it and ordered it to implement it immediately. The plan included the emperor's new palace Baohe Palace and Yanfu Palace, the new Zhuang Pavilion Yuzhenxuan, the new favorite Liu Anfei, and the huge project to restore the Luoyang Palace in Xijing. In the newly built Taoist palace, there is the Yuqing Shenxiao Palace, which is the birthplace of the emperor; there is Yingzhen Palace, which is the place where the emperor went to Nanxun Gate to see the arrival of the gods in person; there is the Shangqing Baolu Palace, which is preparing to build the most grand and luxurious Taoist palace in the country. This is the most magnificent architectural plan since the Song Dynasty, which will be completed within five years.

The emperor said to Taishi Cai with great enthusiasm: "There are great activities created by palaces and civil engineering in all dynasties, such as Ganquan of Emperor Wu of Han, Jianzhang Palace, Luoyang of Emperor Yang of Sui, Jiangdu Palace, Huaqing of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Lianchang Palace of Yuqing Zhaoying and Huiling Palace of Zhenzong of this dynasty are all famous for their grand scale, luxury and exquisiteness. However, compared with my ambition and courage, it is far from my ambition and courage. Taishi is rich in experience and experience, and should work hard to help me complete this great cause!" Taishi Cai was naturally grateful and expressed his willingness to work hard for his own work, and he would die.

In the grand architectural planning during the Zhenghe period, the most vast project was naturally the newly built Yanfu Palace and the restoration of the old Luoyang palace. Master Cai handed over the Luoyang project to Cai You's brother-in-law Song Bian, and asked him to serve as the transferee of Jingxi Road. Yanfu Palace was built on the north side of the Bianjing Palace City, starting from Jinglongmen in the east and ending at Tianbomen in the west. This was originally the court's material supply site, with many workshops and material warehouses, two Buddhist temples and two military camps. With an order, all of them were demolished.

According to the plan, there are more than ten large palaces and more than 30 pavilions, which are about five miles around. The total area is roughly the same as the old palace city. The difference is that the new building must be poetic, picturesque, occupies, and can be viewed. It is necessary to open rivers and dig pools, build soil into mountains, adapt to local conditions, build pavilions, water pavilions, arrange rare trees and strange stones, and require similar fairylands to avoid ordinary people.

The Grand Master Cai summoned the five eunuchs around the emperor - Tong Guan, Yang Jian, Jia Xiang, Lan Congxi and He Xuan to discuss that the five people will be divided into locations and systems. They are allowed to compete for the high, luxurious, and novel buildings, but they are not allowed to follow the old rules and are now named "Yanfu Five". Since the Song Dynasty, the imperial court has generally been promoted by the eunuchs. This is a good opportunity to accumulate wealth and the inherent privilege of the eunuchs. The project funds are often several times higher than those estimated by the bill of lading. They can also collude with the officials of the Zuozang and the inner treasury to try to steal the national treasury. The wood and stones that were ordered to be recruited in various places

The materials were required to be sent to the capital. The project promotion was often given half or even one-tenth of the price of the materials, and then received the treasury at the regular price, making huge profits. As for the occupation of labor and the purchase of food and cashing out grain, it was common and had a long history. Taishi Cai gave these eunuchs the opportunity to make a fortune, so they were naturally willing to make friends and say good things about him in front of the emperor. Other powerful eunuchs also got the mission to build palaces from Taishi Cai and his son. Cai You was the scholar of Xuanhe Palace, and was promoted to the Secretariat and the Left and Streets. He was an important leader of Daxing Taoism and his right-hand assistant to Taishi.

Such many large-scale construction projects require completion in a short period of time, and the difficulties are obvious. However, the entire world is the emperor's property, and it is natural to support the emperor with the wealth of the world. The key to success or failure now depends on how Master Cai is doing. He saw various difficulties in front of him: how to collect wood and stone, how to collect various types of imperial items, how to collect strange flowers, wood and treasures, etc. In these aspects, Master Cai is worthy of being an expert in resolving disputes.

With the consent of the emperor, he ordered the establishment of institutions for logging wood, stone and collecting supplies on more than 20 roads across the country. He set up Yingfeng Bureau and Manufacturing Bureau in Liangzhe, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jinghu, Chengdu and other roads. He extended his long hands to all parts of the country, especially to prosperous areas and areas that produce rare treasures, adapted to local conditions and recruited specialties. He was able to let go, collect, select well, strive for excellence, and be perfect. It was distributed in various departments and various

The clerks of Tai Shi Cai from some regions are well aware of the will of the party leader and are willing to work hard. They are united in order to get promoted and make money. They form cliques to support themselves and collude with each other. They can be invincible in the officialdom and can also make money. Now the clerk has given them the opportunity to get rich and promoted. When will they wait for it if they don’t take it hard? Besides, the red umbrella of Tai Shi is protected by the Grand Master in the capital. They will prosper and lose all the losses. What else can they be afraid of?

The biggest problem facing Grandma Cai Taishi was to transport the mountain-stacked and supply-sourced flowers and stones and supplies to Bianjing City was the biggest problem facing Grandma Cai. He decided to adopt the method of transporting the flower stones and stones of Zhu Xie and Cai You. The name of the flower stones began in the Chongning period. At that time, Zhu Chong and Zhu Xie and his son paid tribute to famous flower stones and boxwood bonsai, which the emperor loved. However, he only contributed one or two times a year, only a few pieces each time. During the Daguan period, Zhu Xie received the support of Tong Guan and was loaded with ships every time. When Cai You saw that the emperor liked such flower stones and other tributes, he instructed officials from all over the southeast and Lingnan to try his best to collect flower stones. By the early years of Zhenghe, the emperor's demand for flower stones was increasing. Zhu Xie and Cai You often transported dozens of flower stones at each time, officially known as the "Flower Stone Gang".

Zhu Jie was in charge of the Suzhou-Hang Yingfeng Bureau and the Liangzhe Manufacturing Bureau. The main thing was to select flowers, bamboo and wood from Erzhe, strange stones from Taihu Lake, Cixi, Wukang, the latest silk, gold and jade, handicrafts, and delicacies from mountains and seas. He built a flower and stone farm in Suzhou and Bianjing, and the scale continued to expand. Cai You was in charge of Yingfeng affairs of various southeastern routes and Guangzhou, Quanzhou and Mingzhou (now Ningbo City, Zhejiang), and ordered his subordinates to pay tribute to flower stones and treasures, mainly lychees, longans, olives, cross flowers, strange flowers and fruits from Guangdong and Guangxi, corals, Hunan bamboo and wood, as well as spices and treasures imported from South China and Western countries. In order to ensure that these precious trees survive, the color and fragrance remain unchanged, Zhu and Cai stipulated that they would excavate the roots and huge soil and carry them by giant ships. Although they were thousands of miles apart, they could only be transported to Bianjing in three or four months.

However, before this, the Huashi Gang could only supply construction of Longde Palace and small-scale gardens, and it was far from enough to meet the needs of many huge projects. Cai Taishi immediately ordered the addition of flower stones to go directly to the Jiashi Gang, and ordered the transferors from all walks of life to raise funds to supervise large ships, and used this as the content of performance evaluation. At that time, Jia Weijie, deputy envoy of Jianghuai Shipping, heard the news, cleaned up the "debts" from various subordinates, and supervised the construction of 2,400 large ships, so that a large number of flower stones and offerings were quickly transported to Kyoto, and was commended.

Taishi Cai also used more than 2,000 large ships from the emperor to Mount Tai to Fengshan, and appointed the great eunuch Deng Wengao to promote the fleet. Transportation envoys from the Yellow River, the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and other regions also followed Jia Weijie and were busy building ships and transporting giant trees and flowers and stones. Officials from all over the country were also busy building ships, snatching civilian ships, and occupying grain ships. For a moment, the major rivers and rivers in China and even the coastal areas were thousands of miles away, and colorful flags covered the sky, and were busy transporting flower stones and materials in front of the imperial court. This was truly unprecedented, unprecedented, and no one came later!

Taihu Lake is vast and has more than 500 miles around it. There are 72 islands and mountains of all sizes in the lake. The lake water connects Suzhou, Huzhou and Changzhou into one. On sunny days, the lake water is clear and deep, with the shadow of the waves. The sun shines on the water surface, and the light leaps gold everywhere, and purple snakes dance wildly. On wind and rainy days, the waves surging, hitting the mountains and beaches, like thousands of drums singing, swallowing and spitting the universe.

The land here is fertile, with abundant rainfall and pleasant climate. The people have lived and reproduced here for generations and worked hard. They sent the best rice and aquatic products to the capital and government, and presented unparalleled silk and various handicrafts to the emperor. Fishermen's boats are in the mist and waves, and have been through the wind and waves. The wealthy businessmen's sails lead with the wind through this lake, from Songjiang to the sea, and from the South Canal to the north and south. Through ancient times, I don't know how many literati and poets have written immortal chapters here: they describe the dragons and tigers fighting in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Fan Li and Xishi traveled with Xishi; they describe the rich products, beautiful water cities and gardens, and simple customs and customs; even water shield, sea bass, and white reeds make people infinitely fascinated. People say: There is a paradise above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. This paradise on earth should include the entire Taihu area.

However, after Zhu Xie built the royal garden and offered Taihu stones, this paradise on earth suffered endless disasters and gradually turned into a hell on earth. The officials and clerks were busy collecting taxes, collecting husbands and collecting flower stones every year. The treasury has been looted, merchant ships and civilian ships have been requisitioned for free, and the people were in panic all day long and were tortured by the Flower Stone Gang. Among the Flower Stone Gang, Taihu stone is the most precious. This stone is limestone, which has been long-term.

After the wind and waves, vortexes, holes and wrinkles are formed, forming a ever-changing and unique style of the stone shape. The vortexes are large and small, and are generally shallow. There are holes in the vortex, and the shapes of the holes are very varied. Large holes and small holes are arranged in a row, and there are holes connected between the small holes. There are wrinkles on the stones, with varying depths and slants, horizontal and oblique, or thick or thin, and intertwined with each other. Due to the impact of water, the edges of the holes are almost rounded, and the surface of the wrinkles is mostly smooth.

Since ancient times, the big lake stones are the best material for rockery, and people have mined them from generation to generation. After more than ten years of repeated searches by Zhu Jie, the beautiful Taihu stones have been confiscated by the lake in the mountains and the gardens of residents and transported to Bianjing City one after another. If you want to get new gains, you must make great efforts to search in deep water and deep soil. So the farmers in the fields were forced to search for stones, while the fishermen in the boat were driven to Taihu Lake to dig lake stones. The number of officials and eunuchs from the capital increased, some wore official uniforms, while others wore eunuchs soap shirts. They held the emperor's edict, colluded with local officials, extorted, and swallowed them, making the Taihu area boil like a cauldron and no peaceful place. They showed their magical powers and fought for lake stones with Zhu Jie, which was incompatible with water and fire.

This battle is not only within Taihu Lake, which is more than 500 miles away, but also covers nearby prefectures and counties, such as Wujiabu, Bianshan, Ma'anshan in Kunshan County, Huangshan in Changzhou, Zhanggongdong, Shoujiudong in Yixing County, etc. Because of the discovery of many outstanding products, the officials from the capital were extremely excited! In addition to Taihu stones, Yaofeng Mountain, Qionglong Mountain, Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou, and Yangshan in Wuxi County, have also been dug up a variety of flower stones, with yellow colors,

Black, white, red, purple, etc., bright colors and unique shapes, can add icing to the Yanfu Palace in Bianjing and the gardens of the nobles. Officials and clerks forced their husbands to pick the bones of the mountain and pull the roots of the clouds, regardless of cold or heat, day and night, causing many casualties. All heroes have their own backgrounds, and often fight with the lakes for mining areas, and no one can control each other. Sometimes they refuse to give in to each other to fight for strange stones, resulting in the destruction of jade and no one gets any benefits.

Zhu Xie went to Beijing to sue the imperial court, telling the scene of the destruction of the strange flower stones due to the struggle. He burst into tears and could not rise up. The emperor was furious for the damage to the god-given gems and scolded Tai Shi Cai. Yu Taizai was incompetent in dispatching, and the eunuchs were lawless. After apologizing, Tai Shi Cai reported that Zhu Xie had exclusively mined the flower stones on the Liangzhe Road. The emperor immediately approved it and issued an edict for this. In view of the fact that the flower stone war was caused by the transfer officers and local officials' exchanges with the eunuchs, Zhu Xie took the opportunity to clean up the officials who did not obey his orders.

He had the support of Taishi Cai and Taiwei Tong, and had gold, silver and jewelry from the inner treasury, various flower stones and handicrafts from Suzhou and Hangzhou. He could widely bribe powerful ministers, eunuchs and officials of the Ministry of Personnel, and planted his confidants on the Southeast Sixth Road, especially Liangzhe Road. From then on, he firmly controlled these areas, and was appointed as the defensive envoy and the governor of the Southeast. His father Zhu Chong, his son Ru Gong, Ru Xian, nephew Ru Zhou, Ru Ji, and Ru Yi were also given the glory of Hua Shi Gang and successively granted official positions.

After obtaining the exclusive privilege of mining the flower stones on Liangzhe Road, Zhu Jie made every effort to march into Taihu Lake. There are 72 island mountains of all sizes in Taihu Lake, the largest of which is Baoshan. Baoshan is the west mountain of Dongting, southwest of Suzhou Prefecture City. The main peak is called Piaomiao Peak, which stands in the middle of the island. Climbing to the top of the peak, overlooking the mountains in the lake, sometimes appearing in the blue waves, sometimes like duck birds flying freely, like wild geese flying in line, or like turtles and snakes stretching. At this time, people were on the top of the peak, as if they were on the three mountains of Pengying, floating in an ecstasy. Among them, the strange stones produced in Baoshan are the most famous. The forest cave in the mountain is the ninth Taoist cave heaven, also known as the Dragon God Youxu Cave, there are famous places such as Jinting, Jade Pillar, and Stone Room. The number of strange flowers and stones can be imagined.
Chapter completed!