Even though Zhou Ruqian's small talk was all over the world, Zhu Youde was still satisfied after hearing it.
But it was getting late.
He could only make an appointment with the little girl to talk tomorrow and set off back to the palace first.
"This little girl is interesting!"
Zhu Youde once thought that women in ancient times, except those in brothels, were all ladies.
But now that he became the emperor, he discovered that there were wonderful people like Queen Luo Xian and the daughter of the Zhou family.
Zhu Youde didn't know.
As soon as he left the Zhou family, Zhou Kongfang hurriedly took his youngest daughter's marriage certificate and went to the home of his family friend Dai Yushi to cancel the engagement.
do not know either.
He Guangyi had been waiting far away from the back door of Zhou's house and clearly saw the emperor's carriage and horses slowly driving out of the back door of Zhou's house.
"Let's go, I understand."
He Guangyi sighed, hunched over and climbed onto the carriage.
His son He Qingfeng, a doctor in the Ministry of Etiquette, accompanied him and asked puzzledly: "Dad, what did you understand after you stood here for a long time and blew the cold wind?"
But He Guangyi started by talking about something off-topic.
"The imperial merchants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs keep changing, but only Zhou Changqing survives. Do you know why?"
He Qingfeng answered without hesitation: "Everyone knows that the Zhou family's family motto is to be cautious!"
"Yes, be careful!"
"I have dealt with Zhou Kongfang, who is more cautious than previous family heads! I was curious from the beginning, how could he be so bold and dare to openly defy the imperial decree?"
"Until the noon auction, I saw Zhou Kongfang looking up at the second floor from time to time."
"I also witnessed that a mere five kilograms of Tianguang silk was sold for a sky-high price of nearly four million taels of silver!"
"Finally, at this moment, I saw the emperor's carriage coming out of Zhou's house. I was sure that all this was the emperor's plan!"
"I, Daliang...will give birth to the Holy Emperor!"
He Guangyi danced and said excitedly, his eyes actually wet.
"Dad, are you saying that this huge sum of money in Zhou Kongfang's hands actually belongs to His Majesty? His Majesty's previous actions are not really a coward?"
After figuring out the key here, He Qingfeng was equally shocked.
"Dad can't give you a guarantee, but when you go to court in the future, just be careful to listen to His Majesty's words."
"I want to live well!"
"Live to see the day when my beams prosper!" He Guangyi looked toward the imperial city in the distance, tears streaming down his clothes."
About all this.
Zhu Youde doesn't know and doesn't care.
He is currently enjoying the moon and flowers with the beautiful queen.
"Your Majesty, did you have fun this afternoon? But you want to bring the little girl of the Zhou family into the harem?"
"Where does this come from?"
Zhu Youde felt so good that he didn't expect to hear such an inexplicable question suddenly.
The little girl is only sixteen!
Even if he likes it, he is not the kind of person who is worse than a beast!
"Your Majesty, I sent someone to inquire specifically. Zhou Ruqian is engaged to her childhood sweetheart. Is it possible that Your Majesty wants to rape your daughter again?"
"Am I that kind of person?"
"I snatched the queen because she was so beautiful. If I miss her, I will regret it for the rest of my life. I really can't blame you!"
"Your Majesty, you are coaxing me again, but I don't believe you."
Women are accustomed to duplicity.
Empress Luo said she didn't believe it, but she catered to Zhu Youde and probed further.
"But I hear what the queen means. If Zhou Ruqian has no engagement, can the queen take the initiative to help me enrich the harem?"
"It's natural!"
Queen Luo replied matter-of-factly.
"Your Majesty has no heirs so far, and I had already planned a draft. Unfortunately, the two empress dowagers stopped me, especially Empress Dowager Ci'an, who was the most opposed to it, so I had no choice but to give up."
Is the eldest wife trying to find a younger wife for the older princess?
Zhu Youde couldn't help but sigh that this ancient emperor deserved to be the emperor, how cool he was!
"Xian'er, we can talk about the draft in the future. But for the sake of your children, as the queen, do you have to set an example?"
Zhu Youde smiled evilly.
Empress Luo's face was like a peach blossom, she held her arms around the emperor's neck and looked at Zhu Youde affectionately.
"I am a queen. As long as Your Majesty is good to you, I am willing to do anything."
"Your Majesty, can you please turn off the lights?"
"Why turn out the lamp? It's such a good time and beautiful scenery. I don't have enough eyes to see it. How can I turn out the lamp and live up to it?"
It's another night.
…
Early morning.
As soon as Zhu Youde sat on the dragon chair, Dai Zhen, the censor of Zuoqiandu, walked out of the crowd and knelt down in front of the emperor.
"Your Majesty Dai Zhen joined Emperor Shang Zhou Kongfang in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and committed a major crime of disobedience!"
"Zhou Kongfang disobeyed the imperial edict and secretly hid Tianguang silk, and used it to make huge profits of four million taels of silver! I request your majesty to confiscate the Zhou family of the imperial merchant and exterminate them to fill the national treasury!"
Anyone among the ministers who had heard about the grand auction yesterday was extremely shocked at this moment.
"Four million taels? There is such a thing!"
"By the way, aren't the Dai and Zhou families family friends? Is this a righteous act of killing relatives?"
"Whatever! If four million taels of silver are put into the national treasury, the urgent need for disaster relief in Fuzhou will be solved!"
"Not only that, your Majesty also has the money to build the Tongque Palace!"
And they will have another opportunity to embezzle!
No matter what you think, there are only benefits.
Most of the courtiers beamed with joy and couldn't wait to come out to express their approval.
"I second the proposal!"
"Zhou Kongfang was such a rebellious person and should have been killed. If he can use this to fill the national treasury, it will be considered a merit of his!"
All of a sudden, shouts of killing broke out!
But there are also ministers who disagree, such as He Qingfeng, the doctor in the Ministry of Rites. "Your Majesty, I object!"
"The imperial court has its own rules for how things should be done. How can one commit a crime without asking? I propose that Zhou and Confucius go to court and let him defend himself."
"I second the proposal!"
Likewise, a few ministers came out in support.
"What kind of argument is there? Yesterday's silk auction was held in the streets and alleys of Jinling City. Everyone knew about it! The evidence is so conclusive, why bother? We can just confiscate the house and ask for execution!"
"This statement is ridiculous! God has the virtue of a good life..."
The two parties, led by Dai Zhen and He Qingfeng, were arguing endlessly.
A chamberlain ran into Fengtian Hall.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Kongfang, the Imperial Merchant Director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, would like to see you."
"Xuan!"
When the emperor spoke, the ministers could only stop quarreling.
Zhou Kongfang entered Fengtian Hall.
Everyone was surprised to find that Zhou Kongfang seemed to have been prepared, holding a thick memorial in his hand.
Kneel down directly in front of and behind the emperor.
"The guilty minister Zhou Kongfang, please see your majesty! I know that I have disobeyed the imperial edict, and I will be punished by death!"
"Good guy!"
You confessed your crime before you asked anyone?
The ministers who had called for death before were overjoyed after hearing what he said.
Among them, Dai Yushi danced the most happily.
"Your Majesty, you see, Zhou Kongfang himself has confessed his crime! Your Majesty, please immediately order the imperial merchant Zhou family to be confiscated and exterminated! And put the four million taels of silver into the national treasury!"
"Your Majesty, I volunteer to go to the Zhou family to search the house, and I absolutely guarantee that four million taels of silver will be enough!"
Dai Zhen knelt down excitedly, eager to grab this huge job.
He can indeed guarantee that four million taels of silver will be worth one cent.
But the total wealth of the entire Zhou family will definitely not be less than four million taels. Of course, he cannot hand it over and must change his surname to Dai!
Zhou Kongfang heard this and looked at him angrily.
Isn’t it just to cancel the marriage?
Why do you want to kill them all like this?
Zhu Youde ignored Dai Zhen who was dancing happily and continued to ask slowly.
"Zhou Kongfang, I'm curious about something. Since you know the death penalty, why do you dare to openly defy the order and disrespect it?"
The officials also looked at Zhou Kongfang curiously.
It's rare for Hunjun's words to be witty. Zhou Kongfang doesn't look like a fool, so how can he do stupid things?