A Jiangxi chief envoy has sixty-three stations, and the same goes for building cities.
Although this city only builds a skeleton to provide some basic services such as reading, medicine, security, etc., how many medical clinics need to be built, how many office clerks are needed in the pharmacy, and how many inspection departments are needed?
, as well as how many markets and roads should be built and how many bridges are needed.
Rather than building a railway, this is clearly an attempt to completely transform the entire Jiangxi Chief Envoy Department.
But it takes money to build roads and money to build cities. How much manpower and material resources are needed?
The design drawings even indicate the residences of various residents, as well as the locations of warehouses and workshops, and even have standard plans for building ditches and roads.
All these things come down...
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help frowning and said: "Uncle... Counting it all like this, the emperor's 50 million taels of silver every year, I'm afraid..."
Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "That's the problem! Fifty million taels...I did the math, and it was indeed not enough, but...when I reported it to His Majesty, I did make a miscalculation. This is mine.
It's a mistake. But now that the railways have been repaired, the cost is not enough. Can I ask for an additional payment?"
Zhu Zhanji: "..."
Zhu Zhanji did not take it as calmly as Zhang Anshi.
Fifty million or two copies were already painful for the emperor's grandfather. Fifty million for this year was almost equivalent to directly draining Zhu Di's internal savings.
If there is any additional budget, Grandpa Huang will go crazy.
So Zhu Zhanji said: "Uncle, is this... appropriate?"
Zhang Anshi said: "Railway construction has always been like this. If you don't believe me, just ask. When Zhili built the railway, there was also an additional budget. After all, people can't budget carefully in advance. We are not gods. This
The matter... is of course very inappropriate, so my uncle is worried that your majesty will act rashly if he finds out about it. That’s why I came to see you. We, uncle and nephew, just happened to come up with a solution."
Zhu Zhanji: "..."
Zhu Zhanji felt that his uncle had come to set a trap for him again.
Zhang Anshi said: "You don't have to always look at me like this."
Zhu Zhanji said: "I understand. I finally know why my uncle taught me to come to the Jiangxi Railway Department. If it were someone else, please ask for more money. Grandpa Huang would have to kill someone, but if it were me who asked for it, Grandpa Huang would be helpless."
.”
Being exposed, Zhang Anshi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He coughed and said, "That's not entirely true. The main thing is that I want to train you. What bad intentions can uncle have?"
But Zhu Zhanji lowered his head and said: "Besides, as long as I open my mouth, the emperor will obediently take out the money even if Long Yan is angry. Because I, the grandson of Long Yan, am personally in charge of the Jiangxi Railway Department, and everyone in the world
We are all watching. If it becomes unsustainable due to lack of budget, then we must make the world laugh. Not to mention other things, just for the sake of face, the emperor will sell iron and make money."
Zhang Anshi sighed and said: "Zhanji, how can you think like this..."
Zhu Zhanji said: "Uncle...how can you use me as a gun?"
Zhang Anshi immediately put on an aggrieved look and said: "Zhan Ji, when you say such things, my uncle's heart will be broken. You have to touch your own conscience. Over the years, since you were a child, have you ever thought of uncle?"
Are you planning and thinking about everything? This Jiangxi railway is the first in the world.
First of all, as long as you succeed, you must be famous in history. What you create is a foundation for eternity, and what you achieve is immortal. As long as it is successful, many soldiers and civilians must be grateful. The world must be turned upside down. So tell me, my uncle will teach you.
Do you have any personal motives for doing this?"
"As for your Majesty's money... Your Majesty is the king's father. Who can spend his money? You are his grandson, so what if you spend a little of his money? Isn't it right? Zhanji, you want to
Keep in mind your own identity, you are the emperor's grandson, and you are the hope of all the Ming Dynasty.
It is your responsibility to spend this money. The only thing that needs to be considered is how to spend it! Will it bless the world, or will it be wasted in a desperate way? If you can benefit the common people, my uncle will be very happy, and the world will be happy.
The people will also be overjoyed. Isn’t this the best of both worlds?”
Zhang Anshi became more and more excited as he spoke: "Now you are blaming my uncle. How embarrassing is my uncle's love? The relationship between you and my uncle and nephew is so deep. I should not say something, but my uncle regards you as more valuable than his own son."
only
Unexpectedly... all the good intentions turned out to be ulterior motives. Alas... I really shouldn't be so stupid. I just want to be my King of Song Dynasty and ignore everything. Isn't it bad? Why do I have to be so hot-tempered and offended by others?
?”
When Zhu Zhanji heard this, he chewed it carefully and found it reasonable.
For a moment, he felt ashamed and said, "Uncle, don't be angry. I was just talking nonsense."
The more Zhang Anshi said it, the more aggrieved he felt, and he said quietly: "This is what you are saying. You feel from the bottom of your heart that my uncle is so heartless. Well, you don't need to explain. The matter has come to this, how can my uncle do it?"
What are you talking about? Simply, I will go back to Beijing right now. From now on, I will ignore everything, think about my mistakes behind closed doors, and live my own life behind closed doors."
"Zhan Ji, when you grow up, you are indeed like a dragon and a tiger. You will definitely be able to succeed in the future. My uncle also knows that the Tian family has always been ruthless, so how can he care about the relationship between uncles and nephews? When you call me
When you are alone and have few people, you don’t have to think about your uncle. He is a person who can distinguish between priorities. Naturally, he also knows that the king and his ministers have other reasons. So when the time comes... I will go to Xinzhou and stay with the kangaroos.
.”
After Zhu Zhanji heard this, he suddenly panicked and said hurriedly: "I was really wrong, I don't dare to do it anymore. Uncle..."
Zhang Anshi waved his hand.
Zhu Zhanji was anxious for a moment, and his eyes became moist. He seemed to have thought of the good things his uncle had done to him in the past. Seeing Zhang Anshi's despair, he felt ashamed and even more frightened.
Seeing that Zhang Anshi was about to leave, he grabbed Zhang Anshi's long sleeve and said, "Uncle, I really don't dare. I was just talking nonsense. My uncle is the best to me, but it's me who is stupid and makes uncle sad."
.”
Zhang Anshi's expression softened slightly, and then he said: "Actually, I can't blame you. Who taught me that my uncle likes to meddle in other people's business?"
Zhu Zhanji said: "My uncle always thinks about me. He is the best to me in the world."
Zhang Anshi then said: "In my opinion, the plan for this new city should be considered in the long term."
Zhu Zhanji shook his head hurriedly and said: "My uncle is right. This is the best time to build a new city and completely break the local barriers. This is a major event and cannot be treated as a trivial matter. If I miss such an opportunity, I will really regret it."
I am ashamed of my ancestors, so I will write to Grandpa Huang to ask for money."
Zhang Anshi then hurriedly said: "Don't mention me in the memorial."
Zhu Zhanji said: "Oh."
…………
A few days later, Zhang Anshi returned to Beijing excitedly.
He was traveling back and forth all this time for railway matters.
This is a big deal. Once it succeeds, the New Deal will be completely settled.
There are countless people who have benefited from it.
The gentry and ministers who opposed the New Deal will also completely lose their soil.
After returning to Beijing, Zhang Anshi hurriedly went to the palace to see him before he could go home.
When Zhu Di heard that Zhang Anshi had returned from Raozhou, he was overjoyed and summoned Zhang Anshi immediately. At this time, Xie Jin and others were discussing matters with Zhu Di.
Zhang Anshi arrived in front of Zhu Di and saluted. Zhu Di said, "Give me a seat."
Zhang Anshi leaned over and sat down.
Zhu Di asked with concern: "How is the emperor's grandson doing in Raozhou?"
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Emperor has worked tirelessly..."
Zhu Di waved his hand: "No need to flatter, just tell the truth."
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, this is a memorial from His Royal Highness, the Imperial Grandson. I will submit it to you on your behalf."
Zhang Anshi took out the memorial.
After hearing this, Zhu Di only smiled: "You can just tell it directly, and I don't have to read it. My eyes are a little blurred now, not as good as before."
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, I don't know what is said in this memorial. This is a memorial. How can I dare to read it?"
Zhu Di nodded and gave Yi Shiha a look.
He also lost his understanding and went to fetch the memorial and presented it to Zhu Di.
Zhu Di then lowered his head and looked down for a while. His face was kind at first, but in an instant, his face turned ugly.
"That's unreasonable!" Zhu Di said angrily: "What kind of words does this sound like?"
All the ministers could not help but be frightened, and Hu Guang even more anxiously said: "Your Majesty, has something happened to the emperor's grandson?"
Zhu Di ignored it and looked at the memorial in his hand for a while, then looked up at Zhang Anshidao: "What did my grandson say?"
"Ah..." Zhang Anshi said innocently: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness didn't say anything. He just mentioned some old things to me, and said that for the sake of the people of the world and the foundation of our ancestors, he will definitely build this railway.
When things are done well, I will share your worries with His Majesty.
The minister was very pleased, and Haosheng encouraged him and told him that in life, the only thing is loyalty and filial piety. He was born in an emperor's family, but now he has important responsibilities, but loyalty and filial piety can have both. As long as he does things well, he will be a king and father.
Sharing worries can also comfort Your Majesty..."
Zhu Di's face flickered between bright and dark.
Jie Jinren and others clearly felt that Zhu Di's face was extremely ugly, but it seemed that he was trying hard to restrain something.
After a long time, Zhu Di exhaled and said: "Please excuse yourself, Zhang Qing will stay."
Xie Jin and others didn't know what was going on, but they had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.
At this time, only Zhu Di was left in the palace, and Ha and Zhang Anshi were also missing.
Zhu Di could no longer suppress his anger and cursed: "Why do you need more silver? Fifty million taels of silver, isn't it enough? My internal funds are going to be empty. This is knocking my bones and sucking my marrow!"
"
Zhang Anshi said with a surprised look on his face: "What, what money do you want?"
Zhu Di looked at him sideways: "You don't know?"
Zhang Anshi said: "I... I don't know much. Your Majesty, you also know that His Royal Highness, the Emperor's Sun, has grown up and has his own opinions. Although I am called his uncle, in fact, after all, he is the Emperor's Grandson.
, I am just a minister, there is a difference between a monarch and a minister, so I don’t dare to ask in detail about some things.”
"Yes, he has grown up and his wings have become stronger." Zhu Di said: "I almost wanted to be angry, but in front of Jie Qing and others, I finally held back. After all, the family scandal must not be made public. I taught him to build the railway. He
How could this railway be built like this?
Expensive? Nowadays, the development of railways is a national policy. He, the Jiangxi Railway Department, has set a precedent. Countless people in the world are watching his every move. If he makes any mistakes, he is afraid that he will be laughed at. Alas.
…”
Zhu Di sighed, with a gloomy look on his face, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, how much food does this memorial cost?"
Mentioning this, Zhu Di felt his anger suddenly rising again, and said angrily: "I have to add another 20 million taels, not 20 million at a time, but 20 million every year... I have worked so hard to save these internal funds.
If I give him all the money, I'm afraid it won't be enough, so why don't I have to ask for a loan?"
After hearing this, Zhang Anshi said: "It's not impossible to borrow money. At worst, I will let the United Bank give you a preferential interest rate."
"Huh?" Zhu Di's eyes fell on Zhang Anshi like a sword.
Zhang Anshi coughed quickly: "Your Majesty, I think this case cannot be made. This is just to build a railway. Zhanji is usually very obedient, but today he has really become like this. Otherwise, I will go to Raozhou again to ask for help."
Your Majesty gave him a stern warning."
Zhu Di: "..."
Zhu Di, however, lowered his head, as if thinking carefully about something. He kept pacing back and forth. His face showed pain and embarrassment, as if someone had cut his flesh.
After thinking hard for a long time, Zhu Di finally took a deep breath and said, "It's a shame."
Yishiha knew that His Majesty was in a bad mood, so he had been standing aside silently. At this time, he lowered his eyebrows and said calmly: "My servant is here."
Zhu Di said: "Take a good inventory of the internal funds and think of a way...to raise 20 million, no...189 million taels of silver, and transfer it to the Jiangxi Railway Department. This matter...don't make a big deal about it."
"Your Majesty, you can't do that..." Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, how can you indulge in this..."
Zhu Di took a deep breath and said: "I can endure some poverty, but I can't suffer the children. In any case, I can't make any jokes about the Pope and his grandson. If the money is gone, we can think of another way... Zhanji
I'm usually well-behaved, but it's probably just because I didn't live within my means and budget carefully for a while. Okay, I'll let this matter go and don't mention it again."
Zhang Anshi could only say: "Yes."
Zhu Di then said distressedly: "Now I am considered clean. I will throw away 70 million taels this year. From now on, prepare to live a hard life."
Zhang Anshi smiled bitterly and said: "If it weren't for the fact that I have taken all my family's money to Xinzhou in the past two years to develop this Xinzhou, I really hope to come up with some money immediately to relieve your majesty..."
Zhu Di: "..."
Zhu Di was no longer in the mood to talk at this time, so he asked Zhang Anshi to leave first.
Zhang Anshi had no choice but to walk away.
After Zhang Anshi and Yishiha both left, Zhu Di sat alone and depressed, looking worried for a long time.
Finally, Yi Shiha came back out of breath and said: "Your Majesty, the internal money has probably been calculated. If we take out 18 million taels, there will still be some left, but in the next year..."
Before he could continue, Zhu Di pressed his hands and sighed: "My mausoleum... I will try to find a way to see if I can save much. In addition, there is no need to continue to practice in Peking. Keep everything simple...
…”
Looking at Zhu Di's appearance, Yi Shiha couldn't help but feel distressed and said: "Your Majesty, this...this..."
Zhu Di sighed and said: "The money... I'd better leave it to my children and grandchildren to spend, it's hard for me!"
Yishiha opened his mouth, but didn't say a single word of his final words of persuasion, so he could only say: "Yes."
After thinking about it, Yishuha said: "The slaves here are also trying to find ways to save some expenses in the palace. The slaves in the palace, as well as the Dongchang outside the palace, have lived a good life with His Majesty for so many years.
It’s time to share your worries with His Majesty.”
Zhu Di only nodded and hummed.
After a long time, Zhu Di suddenly said: "Tell me, does Zhang Qing not know about this? Or is this simply Professor Zhang Qing's? I know Zhan Ji's temperament, and he will not hide anything from his uncle."
Yi Shiha was momentarily stunned by the question.
Zhu Di suddenly smiled and said: "Let's not think about this for the moment. I also know about Zhang Qing. This boy... he would not dare to harm anyone, let alone me, and he would not harm Zhan Ji. He is his mother.
Yes, this guy is very smart, and the money was sent to Xinzhou early."
Yi Shiha couldn't answer the conversation, so he could only smile awkwardly.
…………
Zhang Anshi now occasionally comes to Wenyuan Pavilion on duty.
Because his whereabouts are erratic, every time he appears, it always feels a little surprising.
Zhang Anshi was quite out of place in Wenyuan Pavilion.
However, the people were very polite to Zhang Anshi.
The official positions of Sheren are not high, and most of them have shady positions, and their status is extremely disproportionate. To put it bluntly, they are actually equivalent to the clerks in other yamen, doing errands and miscellaneous tasks.
But this time, their salaries have also been increased a lot. Zhang Anshi even understood their hard work and believed that they had to give up their jobs in the cabinet and travel to and from the palace. Their hard work and merit are high, but their official positions are low, and they should be given a third-level salary increase as a way of taking care of them.
As a result, almost everyone in the cabinet was ecstatic in private.
In addition, the cabinet has also begun to prepare for construction. The building to be built is right next door to the current Wenyuan Pavilion. The emperor decreed that more than ten acres of land were allocated for the construction of various building facilities.
In fact, it doesn't cost much money for the palace, but for the bachelors and lay people who work here, it is a great blessing.
Therefore, as soon as Zhang Anshi arrived, people immediately rushed to pay homage.
While Zhang Anshi was still greeting people, someone puffed out a cigarette and brought a bowl of hot tea to Zhang Anshi's check-in room.
As for Jie Jin and others, although they did not have a good personal relationship with Zhang Anshi, they were still considerate on the surface. There were some matters that they would discuss with Zhang Anshi whenever he came to Wenyuan Pavilion, and they all respected him.
Hu Guang, in particular, now has a very good impression of Zhang Anshi. This good impression reached its peak after he was invited to Qixia Medical College for a physical examination.