Chapter 265 Erchen also wants to mine

Author: Silent

Chapter 265 Erchen also wants to mine

Qin Hong, Wang Shouren and Tang Yin immediately left the capital and headed for Piantou Pass.

Each has different tasks.

Zhang Zhou couldn't help but think of the worries of the ministers before. Looking at the shadow of the carriage retreating, he was thinking, is there a "gathering of heroes" coming to the Piantou Pass soon? Why worry about the stability of the Piantou Pass?

"Sir, Your Majesty wishes to cast a few more heavy cannons. The Ming Dynasty needs them on its frontier."

Xiao Jing went out of the city to bid farewell to Qin Hong and others, and also gave instructions about the emperor's expectations.

Zhang Zhou sighed: "It's a pity that I only have coal mines now and no iron mines. If the two mines are dug together and smelted in one place..."

"this……"

Xiao Jing understood it as soon as he heard it.

Zhang Zhou's saying here is "don't let go of the eagle if you don't see the rabbit". When asked about casting more cannons to Zhang Zhou, Zhang Zhou immediately expressed his difficulty and said that the ore and pig iron were not enough. Does that mean that the emperor would just give him a few more mines?

However, the mineral resources of the Ming Dynasty have always been strictly controlled by the imperial court.

"Eunuch Xiao, don't embarrass yourself, and don't embarrass me. Ming Dynasty has always emphasized on mining with caution and less mining. Whoever mines mines is competing for profits with the people... Of course, you have privileges, and I am not a minister.

How could I knowingly commit a crime?"

Zhang Zhou expressed emotion on his face.

Xiao Jing was startled. This was clearly an allusion to the emperor not giving you a title? It was obviously you who refused to accept it, but now you blame others?

Zhang Zhou asked: "Is there any result from the previous inventory of redundancy in the inner government treasury? How much can the salary notes be reduced?"

"Probably... 20 to 30%. This is just for the capital officials. The local generals cannot take care of it. You also know that the Ming Dynasty's treasury is tight now. The Ming Dynasty's expenses in the past two years have been too great..." Xiao Jing looked embarrassed.

When it comes to discounting salaries for Beijing officials, these internal officials were considered polite as long as they did not line their own pockets. This was also because Zhang Zhou was in charge of this matter.

If it were anyone else, let’s try whether we are greedy or not.

Zhang Zhou said: "I have some extra money here recently, why not borrow it first?"

"ah?"

Xiao Jing was really surprised.

That look clearly said, don't be joking. With your stinginess, it's not bad if you don't get any benefits from it, but you actually said that you want to use your own pocket to pay salaries to the ministers of the DPRK?

Who believes it?

Zhang Zhoudao: "Speaking of which, I have been doing business in partnership with the prince. For a period of time now, we have been engaged in mining and other activities, and the profits have been quite good. They say that this business must last for a long time. If the court needs it, I will keep the money privately."

If you hide it, how can you make money with money?"

Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and said: "Our family understands the principle of putting the end of the world before the end, but it's not like this, right?"

If you give money to those ministers, can those ministers make you money?

Are you kidding me?

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Eunuch Xiao, if I take some more silver to give to those ministers, will they agree to let me open more iron mines and let me cast more cannons?

?”

"..."

When Xiao Jing heard this, his face was horrified.

Zhang Zhoudao: "I heard that the Ming Dynasty has always had official land and imperial estates, and they have never been well managed. If they can be managed well in the future, it may be able to solve the urgent needs of the court. What do you think?"

Xiao Jing remained silent.

From the Ming Dynasty to the Hongzhi period, Huangzhuang mainly managed land and properties for the royal family, and the revenue was always owned by the inner government, which was also the main source of income for the inner government.

Of course, this is also the private land of the imperial palace system. They rely on this to line their own pockets. How can they be willing to hand over the authority to manage the imperial palace to Zhang Zhou?

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Eunuch Xiao, please don't take it personally. I can't save money for the imperial court. The only way I can think of is to increase revenue. Please also ask Eunuch Xiao to tell your majesty that I have thirteen thousand taels of spare money here. They are all earned after arriving in Beijing, and among them, four thousand liang are the dividends I should give to the prince. If your majesty needs it, feel free to use it."

…

…

Zhang Zhou was very generous.

When Xiao Jing returned to the palace and brought Zhang Zhou's words to Zhu Youtang, Zhu Youtang was reading and drinking tea in Kunning Palace.

With Zhang Zhou here, it seems that many troubles in the court can be solved. He is in a good mood recently, and his relationship with Queen Zhang is also quite good. The main reason is that Queen Zhang has stopped making troubles recently, and is as quiet as a cute little wife. The couple likes to make little people whenever they have nothing to do. Although there is no result, they still enjoy it.

"He...really said he wanted to get thirteen thousand taels?" Zhu Youtang was surprised.

The money a minister gives to the court may not sound like much, but it is full of sincerity.

Xiao Jing glanced at Zhu Houzhao, who was looking this way not far away, and said, "Mr. Zhang also said that four thousand taels of them should be distributed to the prince."

"no!"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to be an innocent person at first, wondering how much silver thirteen thousand taels was and how many fun things he could buy.

But when he heard that there was some money of his own in it, he rushed over and protested loudly.

Zhu Youtang glared at his son and said, "Prince, do you understand the rules?"

"Father, those are all the hard work of my son, you can't take it as your own." Zhu Houzhao was afraid that his old father would confiscate the money that should belong to him, and even thought that his old father would almost certainly confiscate it.

In his mind, he was blaming Zhang Zhou and Xiao Jing for telling him about his dividends, and at the same time he wanted to recover the losses for himself.

Zhu Youtang frowned and said, "You earned it through hard work? What did you work hard for?"

"This... when Erchen opened his business, he went over to give him a good reputation and shouted at him. Mr. Zhang said that it was precisely because of the wide publicity effect that Erchen had at that time that subsequent sales were very good... Father, you have so much money, you can give tens of thousands of taels to your eldest uncle and second uncle, and leave four thousand taels for your sons and ministers... Isn't it excessive?"

Zhu Houzhao's words made Zhu Youtang blush.

Fortunately, the wife went in with her daughter to take a nap. If Queen Zhang heard this and asked a few more questions... she would probably know that the old Zhang brothers used the money from the inner palace to fool the Zhang family's ancestors.

Then Zhu Youtang thought again, that was a good thing done by the two brothers-in-law, what does it have to do with me?

Does this brat still want to use this to threaten me? It seems like you don’t know how powerful my methods are, right?

"Bingkuan is very considerate. If I don't accept it, it will be bad." Zhu Youtang really didn't look down on the more than 10,000 taels of silver.

But the inner government counted the groceries in the warehouse, and found that there were only four to five thousand taels in total. To use this to pay the salary to the officials in the capital, each official in the capital could exchange it for 20 to 30 percent, but if Zhang Zhou's thirteen thousand taels were added, Two, the salary banknotes in the past few years can be reduced to about 80%, and the life of Beijing officials will be much better.

It also shows that he is a very wise emperor.

"In this way, I will only make up for a few thousand taels, and I will also come from the inner government and give it to those officials, including those whose salary bills have not been exchanged this year, and they will be discounted!" Zhu Youtang ordered Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing heard this.

Is the emperor showing mercy?

The Ming Dynasty never said that the full amount of salary banknotes could be redeemed. The last time it could be redeemed for 40 to 50% was during the Chenghua period, and it could only be redeemed for half a year to a year at a time. This time it will be redeemed for four to five years at a time. Salary banknotes, full discount...

Even Xiao Jing felt sorry for the emperor.

Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, actually you don't need all of them..."

Zhu Youtang put down the book in his hand and sighed: "I also told the minister that this is not only my intention, but also Bingkuan's intention, and the prince's intention is also in it..."

"Father, you can't use your son's money to sell favors." Zhu Houzhao didn't want the minister to accept the favor.

Use my pocket money to pay salaries to ministers?

If this pocket money was given by your father, forget it. Now it is the income from the business partnership between my son and Zhang Zhou. It must be confiscated. Isn’t that reasonable?

Zhu Youtang said coldly: "I have given you face by agreeing to let you do business with Bingkuan. Prince, you must not know how to advance or retreat."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Zhu Houzhao looked aggrieved, and he really cried.

The naughty child has never suffered such a big loss. The father didn't say anything and just took what his son got as his own. Is there any justice?

That Zhang Bingkuan is also a bastard. Even if he gave money to his father, why did he include mine?

They are all evil people!

"But I also have to comply with Bingkuan's request. Are there any iron ore mines around the capital?" Zhu Youtang was very generous.

He took Zhang Zhou's money to pay the ministers salaries, but of course he would not let Zhang Zhou suffer. Giving the mine to Zhang Zhou not only met Zhang Zhou's needs, but also conformed to the reality of the court's cannon casting. For the emperor , it seems that there is no better proposal than this.

Xiao Jing said: "There are iron mines around Yongping Mansion, but...most of them were opened by Xunchen."

Zhu Youtang sighed: "When he opened the coal kiln before, Bingkuan went there by himself, right? If he can open up a new mine by himself, I'm talking about the iron mine, then give him the mine he discovered. ...I just don’t know if he has this ability.”

Xiao Jing smiled and said: "Your Majesty, with Mr. Zhang's ability to understand Feng Shui, he should know very well where there are mineral deposits underground, right? Otherwise, how could he make this request to Your Majesty?"

"This... haha, that's true."

Zhu Youtang's eyes were also full of expectation, "Speaking of which, Bingkuan is really capable. No wonder he said that even if Di Yi learned how to cast cannons, they would not be able to cast such a good cannon. The grassland is not satisfied with the mineral resources alone. Now that I think about it, he is reminding me to listen to him more and let him open more mines."

"Father...my son also wants to open a mine..."

Zhu Houzhao was wiping tears while thinking about how to make up for his losses.

Zhu Youtang said angrily: "I just want to give you four thousand taels, and I will give it to you later. I haven't touched the silver you secretly hid in the East Palace yet, don't you know?"
To be continued...