It was not that Zhu Qiugui was not prepared to be slaughtered, but he did not expect that the emperor would be so open-minded. He would not give up until he emptied the assets of the Jin Palace.
For the sake of Zhu Shenxuan, although he was willing to suffer the loss of being dumb and pay a small price, he did not want to just swallow his hundreds of years of savings in the Jin Palace and give it away.
"Your Majesty, the great disaster in Shaanxi caused countless people to starve to death and leave their homes. Naturally, I should do my best. However, I don't have much money and food in my treasury!"
"But I am worried about state affairs, and I want to share your worries for Your Majesty in my dreams. I have decided to issue the king's order from today on. All the royal family members and servants in the palace must save money. Even if I sell iron, I will definitely make enough money for twenty
Ten thousand stones of grain and three hundred thousand grain and silver support Shaanxi!"
The corner of Zhu Youxiao's mouth twitched a few times. He didn't expect that Zhu Qiugui was really a miser. With this little money and food, Zhu Youxiao really looked down on him. It seemed that if he wanted to make this miser bleed, he would have to have a verbal war.
"What King Jin said is too serious. Let's not talk about the silver issue. With these two hundred thousand stone grains, I believe that King Jin is far from being frugal in spending!"
"Just two months ago, I ransacked the entire Li family in Liaodong. I believe King Jin has heard of it. Does King Jin know how much food and supplies I confiscated from the Li family?"
Of course, Zhu Qiugui had heard of such an influential event, but he would not follow the emperor's wishes and continued to pretend to be dumbfounded and pretended not to understand:
"Your Majesty, I forgive you. I haven't set foot outside the palace for a long time. I really didn't know about the matter of copying the Li family's entire family!"
"Since King Jin doesn't know about it, I won't explain too much, but I can reveal the results of this house raid to King Jin!"
Zhu Qiugui secretly thought that it was not good, the emperor must use this matter as a comparison, but before he could speak, the emperor's powerful voice sounded in his ears again.
"Rice, wheat and other staple foods add up to a total of more than 235,000 dan, 98,000 taels of gold, and more than 1,450,000 taels of silver. The rest of the calligraphy, paintings, jewelry, properties, shops and houses have not been counted.
!”
"Isn't it possible that the palace of the Prince of Jin is so large and has less assets than a single minister and general?"
"Not to mention that it has been more than two hundred years since the Jin Dynasty was enthroned by Taizu. The annual salary set by Emperor Taizu is enough to ensure food and clothing, and the court has never defaulted on it."
"Prince Jin just said that he could get the hundreds of thousands of money and food by selling pots and iron. If this were spread, I'm afraid not even a three-year-old child would believe it!"
Zhu Qiugui replied:
"What your Majesty said is not completely correct, but I have my own reasons!"
"The land, properties, and manors belonging to the Jin vassal are recorded in detail at the Ministry of Household Affairs. In addition to the annual salary of the minister and the Jin vassal, as well as the annual and monthly expenses, I also have account books here. Your Majesty can check them!"
Who are you trying to fool with words like this? If I really intend to investigate to the end, how many of the dirty things your Jin Palace has done can withstand investigation?
In particular, the land and other resources under the royal family's name were at least dozens of times greater than those granted during the Hongwu period.
Although some of these lands that were stolen from the common people legally belong to the royal family, some of them are black accounts. However, under the current situation, Zhu Youxiao cannot completely break his reputation.
"I care about my blood ties, but King Jin seems to treat me as an outsider. Does King Jin think that he is no longer a descendant of Taizu? Or does he think that his surname is no longer Zhu?"
"I'm scared. Even if I die immediately, I don't dare to forget that I am a descendant of Taizu. However, the Jin Palace is really not rich. Please forgive me!"
Zhu Youxiao was already a little impatient. He knew what he meant, but he was still playing riddles in an attempt to get through.
"Since King Jin is in trouble himself, I don't want to force others to do it. If King Jin is going to bankrupt his family, how can I bear it?"
"The King of Jin should keep this money and food for himself and use it for his family. If I, the prince of the Ming Dynasty, have no money left in my family, if word spreads about it, wouldn't it mean that I am mean and unkind and ill-treat my relatives?"
Zhu Qiugui was extremely happy when he heard this. With these few words, he had settled the matter with the emperor, and he felt proud in his heart.
But after all, he lived for decades. In order to avoid the emperor becoming suspicious and betraying his promise, he hid his inner thoughts.
Zhu Qiugui said coyly:
"Since Your Majesty has a will, I should obey it. But since I have made a promise, how can I not fulfill it? Isn't this a loss of face for Your Majesty and my royal family?"
"I have decided to donate half of my family wealth to help hundreds of thousands of victims in Shaanxi Province. This can be considered as a way for me to earn some face for Your Majesty, make some contribution to the Ming Dynasty, and let everyone in the world see that our Royal Family is always paying attention to the people!
"
Zhu Youxiao really didn't realize that Zhu Qiugui was extremely happy now, but based on his understanding of these vassal kings, he could guess it even if he guessed it.
"Of course I support King Jin's idea of saving the common people. It just so happens that I can set an example for the princes of the world and let them all take a good look at King Jin's heart for the people!"
Zhu Qiugui received the emperor's face-to-face praise, and he could no longer hold back his inner joy. His eyes were already narrowed, and not even a single line could be seen because of his smile.
But Zhu Youxiao didn't give him much time to be happy. The next decree was like a sharp arrow, piercing his heart.
"As the heir apparent, Zhu Shenxuan did not want to govern the vassal state. Instead, he raped prostitutes and oppressed the people in the vassal state. He only cared about promiscuity all day long and showed no signs of being a crown prince. He also lost the face of Taizu and Prince Jin Gong.
Got it!"
"Today, I deceived you in person and fabricated and distorted the facts. Even if I could bear it, Huang Mingzu Xun and Taizu couldn't bear it. They were immediately imprisoned and sent to Xiaoling tomorrow. After they apologized and repented in front of Taizu, they were sent to
Fengyang Guards the Tomb!"
"It is the fault of the son for not teaching his father, and the son has become what he is today. You, the father, are also guilty of an unforgivable crime. It must be caused by your excessive indulgence and pampering!"
"I drafted an order to return to the capital and ordered the six ministries of the cabinet to immediately start a thorough investigation of the lineage of the Jin vassal kings. I want to see what kind of evil things these blood relatives of mine have done behind my back over the years!
"
"Pass on my oral instructions to the British Duke, and be ready to assemble the army at any time. The Yulin Army should be prepared for war and be prepared for all emergencies!"
"Send a message to Man Gui, the chief military officer of the Xuanfu, and ask him to set up the defense line of the border towns to prevent the grassland tribes from going south to invade. Then he will assemble the main cavalry to the Xuanfu and be on standby at any time!"
Zhu Youxiao knew that he could no longer threaten Zhu Qiugui to the maximum extent with just one prince, so he simply gave you a hard blow because he didn't believe you wouldn't give in.