Minister

131【Seven years of Jiankang】

King Yan's mother and concubine originally came from the family of wealthy merchants, and the first emperor's goodness is nothing more than her beauty.When Chen Xing was young, he never got along with Chen Ang. Chen Ang always showed his sharpness when he spoke and did things.Although Chen Xing knew that he was also standing up for his mother, concubine and younger brother, he still looked down on him very much in his heart, thinking that this was the nature of a profiteer.

Later, after several trials and tribulations, Chen Xing finally ascended to the position of prince, and the other royal brothers became more and more unable to restrain their ambitions.It's just that the former emperor was still there at that time, so it's not easy to attack directly.When the first emperor was very suspicious in his later years, Chen Xing's position was unstable several times. At that time, it was Concubine Geng who suggested that he join forces with King Yan.

If one contributes people and the other contributes money, many things will be easier to handle.

Moreover, at that time, Chen Ang had a scandal about Lord Rabbit, and the fight for the throne seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Chen Xing finally cast aside his childhood prejudices and prepared to join forces with this elusive brother.

Chen Ang's mother and concubine's family is a big family in the tea business with strong assets. At that time, Chen Yan only cared about dealing with those few royal relatives, so he was extremely tolerant to Chen Ang's family.Chen Ang also paid the corresponding rewards. All of a sudden, money can travel thousands of miles, and countless unsolvable things are just a simple silver ticket.

In the last two years of the first emperor, Chen Ang contributed money to allow Chen Zhen to build the Hede Palace for the emperor. The extremely luxurious palace made the first emperor very happy. It was also when this palace was completed that the first emperor finally decided to let the young King Qin Lead troops to the north and garrison Yulong Pass.

Soldiers, money, harmony.

The throne belongs to him.

Two years later, with only a slight commotion, Chen Xing sat on the highest throne in the empire.

After ascending to the throne of God, Chen Xing naturally couldn't forget this elder brother who had contributed a lot.

The infinitely expanding overseas trade of the Chen Ang family was suppressed, and senior officials everywhere were replaced.In the first three years, more than 300 firms of Chen Ang's family across the country went bankrupt, and the remaining dozens were barely alive.

However, just when Chen Yan was proud of his act of closing the net, Chen Ang, who had lost all his money, expressed that he would rebuild the Yanwang Mansion, and asked him to requisition [-] acres of land to build a garden called "Nuanyuan".

Is he bluffing?

Chen Xing was taken aback.

But this is not a bluff. Although Nuan Yuan did not reach an area of ​​[-] mu in the end, every plant and tree he used in his construction has aroused heated discussions among everyone in the capital.

So extravagant!

Guo Taifu made an accurate judgment on this - Chen Ang was not bluffing, he must have found a way out, and this move was a demonstration.

Sure enough, the bankruptcy of the firm did not affect Chen Ang at all. He seemed to have expected that Chen Yan would cross the river and demolish the bridge, and the real assets would have been transferred out long ago. Those bankrupt firms only affected the local tea farmers and tea merchants, as well as the taxation of the empire. .

A year later, Chen Ang invited Chen Po, who was already an emperor, to visit the newly built Qingfangchun Teahouse.

Only then did Chen Hao realize that Chen Ang's financial empire was already huge enough to show off to the lord of a country!

Facing such a behemoth, Chen Xing felt uneasy—their power was invisible and intangible, but only a few decisions were needed to destabilize the empire.But he is the emperor, but he can't shake them by ransacking their homes and troops.

How to do?

Unexpectedly, Chen Ang didn't seem to hold grudges against Chen Yan's crossing the river and demolishing the bridge. He offered a huge kindness - he was willing to lend a sum of money to the emperor, so that the battle in Monan that he had been planning all along could be possible. implemented.

The calculation of interest is also very simple, and it can be extracted from the tax in the future.

Chen Xing, who was eager to fight, couldn't help being tempted, so much so that when he returned to the palace the next day, he asked Taifu Guo to discuss it overnight.

In the end, the money was borrowed, and the person who needed to repay the money was not Chen Ang, but a chamber of commerce.

Jin Yiwei and Dongchang have tracked down Chen Ang for many years, but they couldn't find any property under his name.

Chen Ang didn't make any unreasonable demands on Chen Xing because of those who felt borrowed.

Seems fine.

But that's what's really disturbing.

Chen Xing finally realized that he was wrong, and that Chen Ang was the most difficult one among all the royal family members.He lost his tea business and overseas trade, but his reach expanded to a larger and wider area.

As far as the corruption case in Jiangnan is concerned, the 500 million taels of silver must have been found in the house raids in the past, but this time, the money disappeared without a name.

King Yan seems to have the power to make a sum of money belong to one person today and another person tomorrow.

His own financial expenditure was also restricted by King Yan.

Chen Xing even felt that because of those huge debts, the money in his treasury might belong to him today and others tomorrow because of King Yan's attitude.

The gold and silver placed in the treasury can't make people feel at ease. King Yan's hand has long been on his purse.

How to deal with his invisible hand?Chen Xing searched hard for many years, but to no avail.I can only send people to look for King Yan's little braid every day, but the little braid can't put him to death, and if I put him to death, is this the end of the matter?

All these knots seem to be too simple for Li Pan.

First of all, apart from taxation, the state cannot monitor the movement of money.Jiangnan has a hyphenated bank and a chamber of commerce, and they have the final say on all of this. In fact, it is the boss Yan Wang who has the final say.

If Chen Mao coordinates the account department to establish an independent bank, and recruits shopkeepers and apprentices from various bank banks to come to Beijing, then every year in the future, the account books must be reviewed by the account department before they can be entered. This will not only monitor the money but also prevent corruption. Official money laundering.

Those who plan to make plans are still willing to become officials in the court, and King Yan has made them flock to them, so the emperor must be able to do more than him.

Secondly, how can King Yan's influence be completely removed from this area?

What he wants to use is the mistake he left - there is no money in his account, and the bank under his leadership has no more money. They are playing a game of changing money from depositors. It's a lucrative plan.

If capital verification is implemented, it is stipulated that only merchants with stable assets can operate ticket numbers. On the one hand, it will increase the stability of ticket number operations, and on the other hand, it will also make these Shanxi ticket numbers, which are mainly under the leadership of King Yan, go bankrupt instantly.

The shopkeepers of these banknotes after the bankruptcy happened to be attached to the emperor, and the two fell in love with each other. Isn't this complementary...

By the time Li Pan left, it was already daylight.

"You don't have to go to court early today..." Chen Xing didn't go to sleep: "Teacher Xuan Guo sees you."

The officials of Daqi were waiting at the gate of the palace, but they suddenly received a notice saying that there was no need to go to court early. Many people guessed that the emperor was ill, and they became worried.

Wei Chi was among the crowd, bowing her head silently. She hadn't recovered from Tan Xun's affairs yet, and she wrote a memorial to Nanjing last night and put it in her sleeve, feeling annoyed even thinking about it.

Xiang Fang came out to appease the officials: "Everyone, put those memorials in front, and the rest go back."

The little eunuchs came to collect them one by one, and when they walked in front of Wei Chi, Wei Chi was stunned: "I...you can take others' for now."

The little eunuch secretly yawned and walked back.

And the fate of King Yan was doomed after the little eunuch yawned lazily.

The sky of Daqi ushered in the autumn rain in the sultry weather, and the blood at Caishikou and Meridian Gate was washed away without a trace.Chen Ang was still high-spirited, planning his new business, but Lu Shengduo was on the fast boat from Jiangnan to Beijing, and he wanted to bring back bad news.

This bad news should have come earlier, but Guo Taifu didn't seem to agree with Chen Xing's idea this time. The imperial examination system has been practiced for hundreds of years, how can such a back door be opened for a few planners?Chen Xing took a firm attitude this time, saying that he could not use gifts for meritorious officials to wear them, but must give genuine official ranks.This was the first stalemate between the two, but in the end it was Chen Xing who persuaded Guo Taifu. Guo Taifu wrote a secret letter to the students in Jiangnan, and sent it to the Zhejiang Governor's Office together with Chen Xing's secret decree. An earth-shaking turmoil did not reveal a trace in the capital, but set off a big wave in the south of the Yangtze River!

From Jiangnan to Beijing, it will take fifteen days at the fastest!What can happen in these fifteen days?

When Chen Ang saw Lu Shengduo, the officers and soldiers of the governor's yamen had already detained Qin Yueru.When Chen Ang urgently sent someone to bring Dai Tongfeng back from the border, the soldiers from Dongchang and Beizhen Fusi had already surrounded Yanwang Mansion.

It was not Li Pan who was sent to Jiangnan by the emperor, but Xu Runeng, who had made a big splash in the Jiangnan imperial examination fraud case.As soon as he arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, he started to do something drastic, and all the officials who had had coins with King Yan were suspended and investigated by him.Wu Qi, the governor of Zhejiang, was transferred to Hunan before Xu Runeng went to Zhejiang to serve as the chief envoy. This was the last thing Taifu Guo could do for his students.Xu Ru Neng became the biggest official in his life, although it was only temporary...But it is absolutely unambiguous, Wu Qi successfully escaped from the south of the Yangtze River, but almost all the good farmland, shops, and soft buildings were left behind.

King Yan understood that the emperor even managed his own officials...he must have made up his mind to manage himself.

"How is Qin Yueru now?" Dai Tongfeng hurriedly asked Lu Shengduo.

"He is on the stage, so he really can't leave. But his family is in my hands, so he shouldn't talk nonsense."

"That's right... You can't just kill him directly. You can count on our people. I'll write a letter to King Qin right now, telling him not to act rashly."

"The emperor really closed the net this time!" Chen Ang suddenly felt desperate.

"Hmph! But he is just a small shopkeeper of Jiangnan Bank, so he can't think too badly of us." Dai Tongfeng took a breath: "After today, Mr. Lu will not come here again. On the one hand, he will send a letter to the King of Qin, and on the other hand, he will help us." I'll explain the matter of Deyizhuang clearly, and take care of Qin Yueru on the one hand. You also tell Wei Chi not to come to Prince Yan's mansion. Don't say a word about this matter. From now on, no one but you will No matter what banner you use to find him, he will not respond."

"I'm leaving tonight." Lu Shengduo saluted: "Take care!"

"My lord, we will survive this time."

"...Does it still make sense?"

"Of course there is."

According to Li Pan's plan, a large number of Shanxi ticket offices closed down, and the demand for money integration just catered to the construction of the household bank. Because of Guo Taifu's support, the officialdom recognized the official positions of these shopkeepers.

All are happy.

The thing to do now is to convict King Yan. This is indeed not what Li Pan is good at, but it doesn't matter. There is also King Yan's younger brother, Chen Yan.

Many of Chen Ang's accounts were done extremely skillfully, and there was no reason to find a reason. To convict him, the existing Da Qi Law may have to be changed once.But this was not a problem for Chen Yan—after Jin Yiwei's careful search, he finally found a vacancy, a vacancy that Dai Tongfeng hadn't thought of.

There used to be 3 taels in Chen Ang's account, but it disappeared suddenly... In the end, it should have flowed into the wallet of Eunuch Huang of Dongchang.

Zhen Fusi can't ask Eunuch Huang directly, because everyone is a brother in the palace, but can he ask Mr. Wei who took the silver ticket... It's not difficult.

Lu Shengduo had already left the capital, and Dai Tongfeng could not notify Wei Chi of this matter in advance - Yan Wang's mansion had been raided by order, and Chen Ang and him had been detained separately.

On September [-]th, after the thunderstorm, Chen Xing came back from the confiscated Nuanyuan and took a sip of hot tea: "Has Wei Chi arrived yet?"

Xiang Fang stepped aside respectfully: "Just wait outside."

"Let him in, you all get out."

Wei Chi and Xiang Fang met Li and walked towards the palace cabinet. She didn't know what Chen Xing would ask, she only knew that she couldn't escape.

It was already night, and the icy autumn rain was beating on the eaves, and the eunuchs hurried past Wei Chi, busy closing the windows.

Is this the last time you saw the sky?It's still dark...

Wei Chi took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and knelt on the cold white marble floor: "Minister! Wei Chi kowtowed to the emperor."

"Don't look up..." Chen Yan was wearing casual clothes, leaning on the chair.

Wei Chi had no choice but to continue kneeling on the ground.

"I've talked to Huang Gui before, and he said that he took 3 taels of silver from King Yan. Do you know about this?"

"I... really don't know."

"Huang Gui told me that this bank note was handed over by you, Master Wei will not forget it?"

"Wei Chi, I didn't expect you to be quite loyal, so do you know Qin Yueru?"

"Go back to the emperor, I know."

"He also just arrived in the capital yesterday. Poor, he has served that person all his life, and he has suffered so much for him without saying a single word that he shouldn't have said. In the end, that person pushed all the facts of the case on him in his confession. ... Master Wei has read so many books, Qi Lu should also be proficient, right? Do you know Ling Chi?"

"..."

Wei Chi heard the sound of fine wood hitting the ground, but he still didn't dare to raise his head.

Chen Xing picked up a painting scroll from the ground: "Master Wei's paintings are collected so much, and they are still kept in the house as treasures. Master Wei should be loyal to him, which is very good."

"Back to the emperor, the king of Yan did give the minister 3 taels of silver bills, and the minister was indeed planning to give it to Eunuch Huang, but in the end he didn't send it. The minister returned the silver bills to the king of Yan. Please check carefully."

Chen Xing ignored Wei Chi: "3 taels for bribing eunuchs, does this change the sentence to death?"

"Back to the emperor, as it should be."

"That's why you say you are loyal!" Chen Yan threw the scroll on the ground, clapped his hands, and stood up.

"The emperor clearly observed that if Eunuch Huang had really accepted 3 taels from his minister, then Tan Xun would not have been beheaded at Caishikou."

"Master Wei, are you worth it? Even if you risk your life, you can only let that person be demoted to a commoner and live on."

"Your Majesty, I'm not a greedy person, but I still asked King Yan for 3 taels of silver notes for Tan Xun, but in the end I didn't send them out. Does your majesty think it's worth it?" Wei Chi gritted his teeth: "Because Tan Xun was not wronged. In fact, the minister should have died in Monan long ago. It was thanks to the officer Du Yun who was able to save the minister from danger many times. Later, when he retreated to Fengyi, it was General Du who gave up his name to let him go. The minister and others escaped from the encirclement of the enemy. Before leaving, the last thing he gave to the minister was his fiancée's token of love. Would the minister not value their family? Tan Xun is the only biography of the Tan family. If the minister's life can be exchanged for him I will not hesitate to take my life, but...he was not wronged after all! So the 3 taels, I did not give away!"

"The emperor talks about loyalty, and the ministers are the emperor's ministers. Except for the emperor, the ministers will not be more important than anyone else."

"If you are really loyal to me, then admit that you gave away the 3 taels." Chen Yan watched Wei Chi's every move.

"If a minister is truly loyal to the emperor, he can't just lie. The majesty of the emperor depends on the virtue of his ministers. If the minister can't keep the truth, how can justice be maintained, and what is the code of conduct for the world?"

Chen Xing was tired of such rhetoric, he stepped down from the throne, and squatted halfway in front of Wei Chi: "Master Wei has said so much, can you tell me why you don't grow a beard?"

"Say!" Chen Yan lifted Wei Chi's chin with his fingers contemptuously, and said viciously.

"Return to the emperor," Wei Chi said in a calm voice, "If you say that I have nothing to do with King Yan, no one in the world will believe it..." Wei Chi looked at the ground indifferently: "It will be doomed for me to meet King Yan, so I will never grow a beard in my whole life, in this world, Qin Yueru is one, and this minister is one."

"Master Wei, don't you think it's cheap to compare yourself to an actor?!" Chen Yan stared at Wei Chi.

"In order to be loyal to the emperor, I owe Du Yun a debt, and I will pay it off for the rest of my life. I am still loyal to the emperor. I am willing to owe King Yan, and I will pay it back in my next life. I don't need my reputation, I don't need everything, I can pay back what I owe. I will pay off my debts, but there are certain things that I will never do. Wei Chi does have feelings for King Yan, but the minister is not only Wei Chi, but also an official of Daqi."

Wei Chi felt that Chen Jiao's gaze was as sharp as a dagger.

In the end, Chen Yan pinched Wei Chi's chin jokingly: "Go grow your beard, Mr. Wei."

"Excuse me, I can't follow the emperor's wishes." Wei Chi knelt down on the ground again.

"Do you want to be beheaded?! Master Wei?"

"Wei Chi will spend his whole life repaying Lord Yan's kindness, and I will spend my whole life being a good official of the emperor. If I know about King Yan's crimes, I will definitely not conceal them. I won’t make an excuse. Look! Your Majesty’s enlightenment!”

"Minister! Willing to accept the crime!"

"What kind of crime are you responsible for?" Chen Yan sat back on the throne: "According to what you said, it is Wei Chi who is responsible for the crime... Who gave you the courage to do this?"

Chen Xing regained his composure: "Let's go to Beizhen Fusi to see him..."

"Yes!"

When Wei Chi walked out of the Dachen Palace, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and he could not see a single star. Wei Chi was blown by the cold wind and realized that his clothes were soaked with sweat.Chen Hu and Yiqing were waiting in the distance in Langfang, Wei Chi stood where he was, trying to suppress his trembling in the darkness until his palm was pinched and blood came out.

Your majesty...do you believe it?

The author has something to say: the technical chapter... I won't say more about what everyone doesn't care about.

This is closer to real politics, right? Wei Chi is...in fact, he is really talented, and he is willing to say some things. If it were me, I would definitely not be able to say it.

Which ones are true and which ones are false, maybe the emperor believes it, so everyone should weigh it more.

And the few words in the copywriting are not empty words.