"Hmph, I think the emperor is obviously trying to cut our flesh and put our blood."

Yan Shenggong hummed, and then scolded angrily: "Oh, if we ask, we have time. Is there no time to go back to the capital to get it?"

"Yan Shenggong, it's not about asking for it, it's about raising donations, donating." Zhang Wenchao quickly corrected with a shy face.

"What donation? To put it nicely, it means you have to force it. If it is a donation, you have to voluntarily."

Zhang Wenchao actually felt that it seemed that it would be faster and more convenient to get it from the treasury in the capital.

If you don’t say anything else, it depends on how difficult it is to make him pay. It’s not easy to talk to him or her. It’s hard to say whether they donate in the end.

Like King Lu, King De, and King Heng, most of them are like King Yan Shenggong. After all, they are all princes and nobles, and they all have deep grudges against Emperor Taihe, because their vested interests were damaged to varying degrees after Emperor Taihe ascended the throne.

Now that I have to turn around and ask them for money free of charge, I must have an objection.

Zhang Wenchao didn't dare to say it, but thought to himself that the emperor seemed to be looking for trouble.

Yan Shenggong said angrily again: "One thousand taels is not enough. Do you want it? Don't get over it. If you are angry, I won't donate one tael. I haven't seen such a thing yet. What's the difference between forcing donations and robbery?"

Zhang Wenchao also saw this. Judging from this situation, Yan Shenggong would not donate 50,000 taels even if he was beaten to death.

There was no choice but to convey the last sentence: "Yan Shenggong, it is said that I heard about the humble prose, and I don't know whether it is true or false. If any princes and nobles named by the emperor donated the donation is not in line with the emperor's wishes, the consequences may be serious."

"What? Are you threatening me?" Yan Shenggong glared at him, like a bull's eyes.

"Why dare not threaten Yan Shenggong?" Zhang Wenchao explained with a hurried smile, "I heard about it. The cost of this Liaodong military exercise is expected to be 500,000. The emperor donated 100,000, and General Li donated 50,000. It is expected that Yan Shenggong, King Lu, King De and King Heng, will also be 500,000. The remaining ones will be donated by wealthy merchants from Shandong and officials in the yamen. In any case, 500,000 taels of silver will be collected within a month."

"What can I do if I don't donate 50,000 yuan?" Yan Sheng Gong stretched out his neck and said hard.

"Yan Shenggong is a smart man. I believe he would not doubt the emperor's methods, right?"

Zhang Wenchao said softly, fearing that this trip would not be completed in vain, and even if the money needed to be paid in advance like when taxes could not be raised, he, the county magistrate, would be a little unlucky.

"..." Finally, Yan Shenggong was choked. He knew very well in his heart that Emperor Taihe was not easy to mess with, and even the royal relatives dared to touch him. No matter how high his status as Yan Shenggong was, he was not as high as that of all vassal kings?

However, Yan Shenggong immediately thought that although his status was not higher than that of various vassal kings, his title began in the Han Dynasty and was passed down from generation to generation.

Could it be that Emperor Taihe really dared to abolish his title and demote him to a commoner?

Thinking of this love, Yan Shenggong seemed to have confidence again. Forced donations were moral kidnapping. All moral kidnappings were hooligans.

"Yan Shenggong, the post of the word has been passed on. As for whether to donate or not, it depends on you."

"I will leave first!"

Zhang Wenchao saluted respectfully.

"It's only one thousand taels, don't you think it's too little, right?"

"It's not that I don't want it. The emperor has issued an order. When donating, it needs a notary staff to be with him and cannot be accepted privately. Therefore, I also asked the Duke of Yansheng to send someone to the yamen. At that time, it will be recorded and announced to the world."

After saying that, Zhang Wenchao went.

If Yan Shenggong really refused to donate so much, he had no choice but to rob him, right?

Yan Shenggong didn't care, so he ordered the butler to send only one thousand taels of silver to the county government.

"Master, why don't you wait first and see how much donated by King Lu, King De and King Heng?"

The butler suggested: "If they donated 50,000 taels and the master only donated 1,000, it wouldn't seem very good-looking, right? The Confucius Mansion has been given the emperor's grace for generations."

"What's wrong with this? I live my own lives, and we don't compare with others."

"But isn't this a shame for the emperor? It will be announced by the world at that time, and it will look stingy." The butler then advised unwillingly.

"The emperor does a good job and gives him face; if you donate something inexplicably, why should you give him face?" Yan Shenggong tried his best to say.

"Are you not afraid of the emperor staring at the Confucius Mansion?"

"What are you afraid of? Could he still dare to take the blame for the world and abolish my title of Yan Shenggong?"

"I guess I don't dare, otherwise the world will be boiling." said the housekeeper, "But if the emperor is staring at me, it will be better to justify us. For example, when Zhang Juzheng was in charge of the cabinet, he changed the annual visit to Beijing for three years. How much loss is the master. The 50,000 taels of silver is said to be much less, but it is not much more. We can take it out, so why bother the emperor unhappy?"

"How much does it cost to the Emperor ascend the throne? Is it still trying to snatch us from us and I have to squeeze us dry before giving up?" Yan Sheng Gong was so angry.

"Master, the plan to clear the fields has indeed caused us heavy losses, but our mansion still has a lot of land and has not all been nationalized, so we can still live a life."

"Fifty thousand is too much. If you don't give it, you won't give it. I can't stand it. I'll use my power to force donations. I'll discuss it with me with kindness, maybe I'll give it."

"Is this a determined intent to give it to you?"

"Yes, donating one thousand taels is enough. If everyone in the world donates one thousand tael, why worry about 500,000?"

"Master, isn't it limited to Shandong this time? Military exercises are in Liaodong and have not affected the whole country." The butler advised him, "Only when Liaodong is safe, we can be safe."

"You don't have to persuade me anymore. We're not afraid of this matter." Yan Shenggong waved his hand and ordered, "Just listen to me and send a thousand taels to the county government."

"Then, okay." The butler tried to persuade him but failed. He had no choice but to get the money.

...

In the Liaoyang General's Mansion.

Zhu Yiliu is settled the accounts. The preliminary budget for military exercises is 300,000 taels, but he claims to be 500,000.

The goal was deliberately set higher, for fear that someone would not be able to donate as much as he had ideals.

More is better than less.

If it is really wealthy and there are too many places in Liaodong that need money, it will be used as reform funds.

Anyway, he asked Chen Ju to send someone to the capital to collect it, and he was preparing to take out 100,000 taels of silver.

Li Chengliang was also very sensible and donated 50,000 taels.

This is half of the 300,000 yuan, and it should not be a big problem to raise another 150,000 yuan.

The four major families of Shandong Yanshenggong, King Lu, King De and King Heng have already spread anyway. The emperor donated 100,000 yuan, and the general Li Chengliang donated 50,000 yuan, it depends on theirs.

If each person donated 50,000 yuan with tactful donation, it would be very rich, but Zhu Yiliu could not guarantee that after all, since he ascended the throne, he did not bring any visible benefits to those people.

But Zhu Yiliu only admitted that it is temporarily invisible, which does not mean that it will not bring them any benefits in the future. For example, many restrictions have been lifted, production has been allowed, participation in the imperial examination, and entry into the official career, etc. - but the benefits are not yet seen for the time being.

It’s not that Zhu Yiliu did not give them a chance, but that the princes and nobles were still alive and did not react for a while.

Just like boiling a frog in warm water, the frogs are already numb and don’t know how to jump.

Anyway, he had already thought about whether those big names donated the amount he expected, and when he returned from Liaodong, he would pass by Shandong, go to those big names to sit and drink tea.

First, let’s examine the local customs and second, let’s see the implementation of local policies.

He could personally feel the reforms in the capital, but other places could only learn from the memorials, and it was inevitable that there would be differences from the real situation.

After all, under normal circumstances, people and things in this world are not as good as they imagined.

Besides, fundraising is just an advocacy, and you cannot give it as much as you name it.

Li Chengliang is tactful, and Zhu Yili is by his side now, so what should I do if I don’t pay?

Shandong is different, like Yan Shenggong, Zhu Yiliu has long heard that it is not a good thing. When he has money to make money, he is confused; but when he asks him to pay money, it is like pulling his teeth from a tiger's mouth.

The development of more than a thousand years and dozens of generations has long lost all the style of Confucius's family.

Especially the Ming Dynasty, they had long since pushed Yan Shenggong to such a high position.

...
Chapter completed!