Chapter 113.
Zhang Anshi turned back and looked at Deng Jian with a smile.
He liked Deng Jian because Deng Jian was a rare and honest eunuch.
Zhang Anshi said, “Saying it out might scare you to death, anyway …… this is all from selling books and buying newspapers these days, it’s astronomical, His Majesty has to get fifty percent ……”
Deng Jian looked more and more dizzy, he had never seen so much money in his life.
Because the box was more expensive, and in fact it was really expensive, Zhang Anshi directly asked people to use bamboo baskets to contain it.
This a bamboo basket, can only be loaded with three thousand taels of silver, Ming Dynasty, a catty sixteen taels, is close to two hundred pounds of grain silver.
And now …… the bamboo basket sent to the palace alone requires five hundred.
A carriage, can only load five bamboo baskets, that is …… Zhang Anshi needs a hundred carriages.
And unusual carriage, but also can not pull such a heavy thing, the selected carriage, or Zhu Jin personally from the various car dealerships carefully selected to come.
Ken Deng found it unbelievable.
The more he looked, the more fearful he felt, just as his eyes were looking straight.
Zhang Anshi patted his shoulder, smiled and said, “This time, you follow me along with the escort, by the time …… to the front of His Majesty’s face brush, His Majesty’s dragon face, a look at you, hehe, how every time there is a good thing when there are you, not without a few points of the impression of you again great.”
“Ah ……” Deng Jian heard, came to the spirit, this is the truth, do eunuchs, the most clear every now and then to be able to brush up in front of the emperor, especially when there is a happy event in front of the emperor’s benefits.
So he looked at Zhang Anshi gratefully and busily said, “Many thanks to Uncle Cheng En.”
Zhang Anshi said casually, “Don’t be so polite, we are family, ah, family don’t talk about two families.”
Ken Deng was moved again.
He was on duty in the East Palace, always serving the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, from time to time to come to the Zhang family to run errands, to say the least, he and Zhang Anshi can be considered to spend time with each other, but he is ultimately only a eunuch, was Zhang Anshi as a family, it is hard to avoid heart touched.
“Yes, it is ……”
“What, has Eunuch Deng gotten sand in his eyes?”
Deng Jian wiped his eyes and nodded his head in a chicken-pecking manner, “Yes, yes, how could it get into the sand, we …… we ……”
Zhang Anshi smiled and said, “Alright, let’s get ready to go.”
Teng Jian then lifted his spirits, and in his heart, he already began to imagine, in front of the emperor, when he followed Zhang Anshi to report these situations, Zhu Di’s dragon face was greatly pleased with the appearance.
Uncle Seung-un has grown up. He knows how to love people.
Reminiscing about the time when Cheng Enbo was heartless, Teng Jian was overwhelmed with emotion, we did not love him in vain, he is a person with a conscience.
Under the leadership of Zhang Anshi, the vast fleet of vehicles, soon from the Dong’anmen into the city, for a moment, many people in the city to look around.
Zhu Yong and Zhang Yoking and Qusong three, escorted at the back, with the guards of the soldiers who came from the mansion.
Dozens of people hired by Zhang Anshi, on the other hand, each kept an eye on a cart and traveled with the driver.
Zhang Anshi and Deng Jian then drove ahead.
There was a lot of chatter as more people gathered around to watch along the way.
“What’s in that wagon?”
“I heard it was silver ……”
“How can it be! Oh, where is such silver!”
“Don’t you know? This black hearted thief …… he has raided countless treasures.”
“Ah ah ah ah ……” There are spandex Confucian shirt readers wailed, wailed like crazy: “My father repaired the book to say, in order to buy the book, spent the family two thousand and five hundred taels of grain silver … . this damn ……”
The crowd looked at the reader with no sympathy at all.
Because other readers, according to their understanding, their own families spend a lot of money, we are all ingrates, sympathize with you, who will sympathize with me?
As for the other ordinary people, they were too wooden to react, to be honest, not to mention more than two thousand taels of silver, even two hundred taels of silver was already an astronomical figure for them.
Just to buy a book?
Anyone else would just not be able to empathize.
This vast caravan of vehicles beckons directly to the city.
That the Brocade Guards and the Five Cities Military Division and the Yingtian Mansion, even if they were a pig, they obviously noticed that the atmosphere wasn’t quite right.
So, every now and then, someone would come and block the way, coming up and saying, “Who’s in front of you and where are you going?”
Zhang Anzi said in a self-effacing manner, “Zhang Anshi of the Eastern Palace, enter the palace!”
The other party was slightly hesitant… this hadn’t happened before!
So he said, “I’m afraid I still need to report …… my humble servant.”
“Report a bird.” Zhang Anshi, now full of energy, nonchalantly said, “Into your mother, blind, do not see what I am going to do? It’s your turn to announce the good news. Get lost.”
That’s the way it is with this kind of thing, but anytime you are in a negotiating tone with them, they may have many reasons to fight you.
But if you just call him a mother, he might just comply and immediately get out of the way without saying a word, and without fail, he would have to make a bow and apologize.
So it was a relatively smooth ride to the Noon Gate.
A horse-drawn carriage congested the entrance to the palace.
Where had the eunuchs at the palace gates ever seen such a scene.
They do not know that at this time Zhang Anshi bottom of the air enough, I am to send silver to His Majesty, so what, can not break some rules, then go ask Zhu old brother, silver is important, or the rules are important?
In fact, this waving through the city, there is another level of thinking, I Zhang Anshi can not be a person to be a bad person ah, and now the outside people scolded me so powerful, I also want to save face ah, anyway, who earned money, everyone out of the door to the left to find who to go.
At this time, a eunuch asked, “Uncle Cheng En, what are you …… doing?”
Zhang Anshi said in a neutral tone, “Go and inform, I, Zhang Anshi, am fortunate enough to earn some silver and send it to His Majesty.”
The eunuch winced and looked oddly at Zhang Anshi, probing to see the ominous caravan outside, his body trembling, then said, “Uncle Chengen, stay a little while, the slave girl will go and report.”
Saying so, he flew off into the depths of the palace.
In the temple.
At this point, Zhu Di’s patience had apparently reached its limit.
Natsubara Yoshi was still chattering away at him, doing the math.
“The great disasters in Songjiang and Suzhou cost the court eleven hundred and thirty thousand taels and two hundred and fifty thousand stones of grain. At the beginning of spring, the Korean state sent nine hundred and thirty-seven showgirls to the court for an audience, and his majesty gave another twenty-nine thousand taels of silver and three thousand five hundred pieces of silk ……”
He has an excellent memory and speaks as if he were a man of the world.
In front of Zhu Di’s face, the expenses of the state treasury, all of them.
Zhu impatiently said, “Okay, that’s enough!”
“Your Majesty, I am saying all this to tell Your Majesty that the affairs of the country are difficult, and if we don’t rest and recuperate now, then the country will have no food to levy and no silver to use. The people’s suffering, is it possible that your majesty also disregards it in vain?”
Natsubara Yoshi is not like the other ministers.
Other ministers are holding up the banner of so-called morality.
In Zhu’s eyes, morality is a bird.
Into the mother of his morals.
But Natsubaruyoshi was justified and based on reality.
Zhu Di is not a confused person, instead, he only sneered, but it is not good to retort.
“I can allocate some of the internal funds.”
“Isn’t the internal silver money the people’s fat?” Natsubara Yoshi said sternly.
Xia Yuanji paused, and then said, “If Your Majesty is relying on internal funds can support the needs of the Western Ocean, I have nothing to say, but the treasury is already empty, and can not withstand further tossing.”
The hundred officials couldn’t help but marvel in their hearts that this Duke Xia was really tough!
Xie Jin, however, secretly frowned, in fact, Xie Jin would like to be like Xia Yuanji, dislike Zhu Di speechless.
This is how great the fame ah, if this kind of thing spreads out, I’m afraid that he will certainly be able to be famous all over the world, shining for ten thousand generations.
Unfortunately …… he did not have the courage after all.
As a result, he was towards Natsubara Ji, and actually developed a slight jealousy, he did not like people who made a splash, especially those who rushed to make a splash in front of him.
So, Xie Jin is in a kind of extremely contradictory psychology.
On the contrary, Zhu Di said at this time: “These two years, the court in Quanzhou, Ningbo and other places, supervised the construction of a large number of sea ships, if not to go down to the Western Ocean, these ships will be wasted.”
“Instead of wasting it away, it is better than a steady stream of depletion of the national strength of my Daming, I would rather destroy the ship than to see the lives and souls in misery, your majesty …… the people are too distressed, your majesty should love the people.”
Zhu Di was furious: “In this way, I have become a dim king who does not cherish the people’s power?”
“Your Majesty is the Holy Lord, only I am just doing my duty as a subject, even Emperor Tang Taizong, there are still times when he accepts admonitions.”
Chu: “……”
Zhu Di then looked sideways at Zhu Gaoqi and said, “You are the Crown Prince, and if a subject contradicts your father like this, are you not going to make a sound as well?”
Being a son is about filial piety. It’s time to go to war.
Zhu Gaoqi had a speechless look on his face, Father, but my son is on their side ah.
Of course, Zhu Gaoqi is no way to stand on the side of Xia Yuanji, although in history, Zhu Di had because Xia Yuanji repeatedly mentioned in front of him can not fight, can not go to the West, triggered Zhu Di’s dissatisfaction, Xia Yuanji prison, and wait until Zhu Gaoqi ascended to the throne, do the first thing is to Xia Yuanji released, and then to give him a promotion, entrusted with a heavy responsibility.
Zhu Gaoqi was stumbling at this point.
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoqi in this state and could not help but be greatly disappointed.
Just at this moment, but a eunuch came in hurriedly and said hurriedly, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty ……”
This eunuch panicked and instantly made Zhu Di, who had nowhere to spread his fire, burst into a rage all of a sudden.
So he asked in a stern voice, “Daring, I discuss state affairs with the hundred officials, and you, a slave girl, dare to be so unruly!”
The eunuch was scared like a sieve, his soul was not attached to his body, but he still struggled to say, “Outside the noon gate …… outside …… something has happened.”
Zhu frowned.
“Say!”
The eunuch said, “Zhang Anshi, Uncle Cheng’en, came with many carts and horses, saying that he came to deliver silver to His Majesty.”
Chu: “……”
The hundred officials looked at me and I looked at you in bewilderment.
Zhu raised his eyebrows, “What silver?”
“This …… did not say.” The eunuch said, “The slave girl felt that the matter was urgent, so she hurried to report.”
Zhu Di took a deep breath and said, “This guy …… what is he fooling around with?”
It’s kind of set in stone.
Immediately afterward, Zhu Di took a deep look at Crown Prince Zhu Gaoqi and added, “Declare him in.”
Zhang Anshi was prepared, leading Deng Jian to come in, under the eyes of all, Zhang Anshi entered the hall and saluted: “I Zhang Anshi, see your majesty.”
Zhu Di was clearly in a bad mood today and wanted to get angry at this point.
This Zhang Anshi is considered to hit the muzzle, but wait to see Zhang Anshi good behavior salute, Zhu Di’s face is again mild down: “You do not give me a good town Qixia ferry, come to the palace nonsense what?”
Zhang Anshi aggrievedly said, “I town it, Qixia ferry now …….”
Zhu Di is in a bad mood, since there is no patience, directly interrupted: “Pick up the important to say.”
Zhang Anshi was very direct: “I have no way ah, I’m in the ferry there, saved too much silver, sleep and can not sleep, tea, meals do not want to be afraid of thieves, the so-called money moves the hearts of the people, this outside the palace, he is all bad.”
“So?”
“So I thought about it, this silver should be sent to the palace, and the silver is not much, your majesty smiles.”
Zhu heard about the silver and still fought.
The internal money is still full these days, of course, is far from the point where Zhu Di is satisfied.
He’s got too big a job to do.
“Oh?” The more this time, Zhu Di is more and more lighthearted, a look that I am not interested in money: “The outside of the palace is indeed not safe, my palace has forbidden guards garrison, but not afraid of the curfew of the people, you have such a mind, I can sympathize with you, I forgive you this time, don’t be so absurd in the future, a person is not a saint who is not a fault.”
Zhang Anshi drooped his head and said, “Thank you for your majesty s understanding, I …… am so damn …… no, I am grateful.”
The hundred officials all continued to look at Zhang Anshi with strange eyes in unison.
To tell the truth …… Zhang Anshi s tone of playing right, at first glance, it is very frivolous, simply carved out of a mold with Zhu Di, not like a good bird.
Zhu Di coughed, “This …… this …… how much silver do you have to send into the palace?”
“Your Majesty.” Zhang Anshi paused before saying a figure, “One and a half million taels.”
Chu: “……”
The hundred officials were directly in an uproar.
A million and a half taels, what kind of concept is that?
It was almost equivalent to half a year of the court’s tax and silver revenues.
It’s absolutely astronomical.
Daming’s tax, there are two kinds of silver tax and tax in kind, and the tax silver has always been difficult to collect, which is why, to the beginning of the Hongwu years, began to indiscriminately print treasure banknotes.
Of course, Hongwu printed it very well, after all, a piece of paper is money, where in heaven is such a good thing?
Waiting for Jianwen to be the emperor, it is more black hearted, after all, to cut the clan to fight the war, it is desperate to print.
As a result, in the hands of Zhu Di, this time is played out.
They were cool with it, and all the consequences were carried by Zhu.
At this time, when he heard Zhang Anshi read out the number, Zhu Di’s eyes immediately brightened, “One and a half million taels?”
“Yes, it is indeed one and a half million taels!” Zhang Anshi replied honestly without a hint of weakness.
As soon as the words fell, someone suddenly said, “Uncle Cheng En, I have a word.”
Zhang Anshi looked towards that person, who was none other than Xia Yuanji, who had just spoken so eloquently in this hall.
Xia Yuanji was a rare economic talent in the dynasty, so when he was about to question it, the hundred officials ate it like a tranquilizer.
This is going to be a hoot.
Of course, Zhang Anshi did not recognize Natsubara Ji, but said, “I’ll listen.”
Xia Yuanji then frowned and said, “A million and a half taels is an astronomical figure, such a huge sum of money, where does this silver come from?”
Zhang Anshi said smilingly, “In fact, not only a million and a half taels, my merchant bank, there are more than a million taels.”
Yoshi Natsubara: “……”
Doing business well, partnership understand, can not I Zhang Anshi will be their own family background also sent to the Palace in the day, and today sent this one and a half million taels, is the Palace should be entitled to.
Xia Yuanji body trembled, to be honest, he dealt with numbers all day long, as the left minister of the Ministry of the household, in order to thousands and thousands of silver receipts and expenditures are worried about, at this time, listening to this, but instead, his face grew more and more grave, so he asked again with a sullen face, “Where do these silvers come from?”
It’s certainly not clean money.
“Mainly from book sales.” Zhang Anshi replied.
Zhu Di heard, his heart even more surprised ……
Motherfucker, he made that much selling books?
You know, when the first edition of the first edition …… was only two or three hundred thousand taels of income! Of course, this is a great amount of money, Zhu Di counting money counting very happy it!
So when Zhang Anshi proposed a plan to sell the second edition of the book, Zhu Di of course did his best to support it.
But Zhu Di is absolutely not expected …… to sell books can actually sell such a price.
It’s crazy. It’s just crazy!
Just as Zhu Di’s jaw dropped, shocked beyond belief, the hundred officials choked one by one.
Xia Yuanji and frowned: “The original Cheng Enbo …… actually also to business as a business? Daming relatives, not to mention the people to compete for profit, the scholar, farmer, industrial and commercial hall of the state, how to manipulate this for the industry?”
There was a natural contempt for businessmen among the scholars!
This kind of condescending attitude, even Xia Yuanji so has been considered to put down the stature, in the Ministry of households every day and the money and grain dealing with the minister, but also can not help but reveal the bone of contempt.
Hearing the contempt in his words, Zhang Anshi was instantly enraged and immediately argued, “What kind of words are these, is selling books a business? Is selling books a business? I write books and do the same thing as the sages, if Sage Kong knows that there are still people in the world who write books and promote Confucianism, he must be greatly gratified.”
Natsubara Yoshi’s face suddenly went taut.
Zhang Anshi, however, continued, “Can knowledge and culture, the classics of Confucianism, be trivialized? Hey, talking to you is like talking to a cow. I thought the ministers in the court were all elegant people, but it turns out that they are also so secular! It’s really said that it’s hard to find a soulmate in life, and it’s hardest to find a soulmate in the ancient times.”
Natsubara Yoshi’s face sank to a hard look.
He didn’t like how Zhang Anshi was being so frivolous.
In fact …… people don’t like it.
On the contrary, Zhu Gaoqi was afraid of Zhang Anshi’s nonsense and kept making eyes at Zhang Anshi.
Zhang Anshi, however, felt justified, he many times, can not rationalize the thinking of these readers, obviously these people have land, silver, slaves, and good conditions to study, and in the future there is merit, there is an official!
It is clear that they have seized countless benefits from the world, but these people, on the contrary, are extremely disdainful of talking about money. What is the difference between this and the saying of some tycoons that I don’t like money and I would rather not have it?
Xia Yuanji since it is not possible to not say anything like this, he took a deep breath, then said, “Then dare to ask Cheng Enbo, even if you say, selling books is not a business, old me for the moment to believe it, but you this book …… why can earn so much silver?”
Zhang Anshi grinned, being asked about this, he can be energized, immediately said, “This cultural thing, maybe you don’t know much, my book three taels of silver a …… book.”
“Three taels of silver ……” Xia Yuanji’s face went straight to black.
In fact, he has long heard the rumors of the outside world, the reason why deliberately asked this, is to draw out Zhang Anshi words just, is to this time ……
He finally charted the dagger: “Outside the book, most of the two or three hundred money a, which has been considered expensive and scary, but Cheng Enbo s book, the price is actually a hundred times the unusual book, Cheng Enbo …… you this business, do is very fine.”
There is no shortage of wrongdoers among the hundred officials.
Or, in fact, everyone is an ingrate.
Once you talk about it, it’s a lot of blood and tears.
Many are empathetic, and some are even bowing their heads, ashamed that they have been the wrongdoers.
Only Zhang Anshi said calmly, “What’s wrong with that?”
Xia Yuanji tensed his face and said, “Mouli has reached such a point, doesn’t Uncle Cheng En himself feel that there is a problem?”
Zhang Anshi said, “But …… I feel that I am doing a good deed.”
“……”
This word even Zhu Di has begun to feel shameless, you Zhang Anshi earn money to earn money, don’t set up a house of cards, this house of cards have a bird use.
And Zhu Di is vaguely worried, because Zhang Anshi seems to have begun to step into the trap of Xia Yuanji discourse, these readers from the guy, each is a good debater, you Zhang Anshi a few pounds, but also to go to the door to show off the axe.
It would be better to be like me, directly into his mother, and then show their hands, dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water pull down.
Zhang Anshi, however, said at this time, “I wonder if Mr. Xia knows what price a book like this is sold for in many places?”
Yoshi Natsubara: “……”
Zhang Anshi smiled and said, “Maybe Lord Xia doesn’t know it yet, but I believe that the hundred officials in this hall, there must be someone who knows it, and if everyone pretends not to know it, it doesn’t matter, you can let people go out and ask around.”
Xia Yuanji said, “What does Uncle Cheng En mean by this?”
Zhang Anshi said, “Nothing meaningful, just want to tell Mr. Xia, this book in the capital is three taels of silver a book, to the provincial capital has become a hundred taels of silver, if to the lower counties, there are even five hundred taels, one thousand taels, or even two thousand, three thousand taels. These are all well-documented things, if Mr. Xia does not believe, you can immediately let people go to investigate, I said a word wrong, today in front of His Majesty, you can immediately cut off my head.”
Natsubara Yoshi moved.
Hundred officials some people are slightly heard of, there are also people who are not well informed, unheard of, but at this time only feel jaw-dropping.
Zhu also scared, so expensive, why would it be so expensive, a few thousand taels of silver to buy a book, this is not a joke?
Zhang Anshi then smiled and said, “Look, I sold three silver, but others take this book, go out to sell hundreds of thousands of two, but also said I’m not doing good deeds? I obviously can earn this silver, but my heart is good, I can not see the readers do not have books to read, I sell at such a low price, but let the small people to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Zhang Anshi is getting more and more energized: “Now, Xia Gong but also scolded me profit-making, my heavenly injustice, I am more than sinus e, I am too difficult …… ”
“……”
To be honest …… you say Zhang Anshi has no reason, he really said the vibrant words, and there is really no place to refute.
You have to say that he has a point, and always feel as if there is something wrong, but where exactly is the problem? This involves another level of knowledge, obviously, not the people of this era can be penetrated in a short period of time.
Zhang Anshi said: “I sell three silver, has been treacherous, has been profit-making, then I recognize, I have nothing to say, but those who sell 100 two, sell thousands of two people …… and what, then they are not all deserved death? Since Xia Gong is so disgusted with profit-making, then sex, they will be arrested, extermination of the three clans or, cut off the head also, I Zhang Anshi absolutely support, I Zhang Anshi at least is also a scholar, writing books, a heart for the vast number of students for the benefit of the most disliked these treacherous businessmen, all killed clean.”
“And those who spend a hundred taels of silver, a thousand taels of silver to buy books, in my opinion, these people must also have ulterior motives, must be in partnership with the treacherous merchants, in my opinion, also together with the punishment of crime, in this way, no one in this world to make profit, the world is peaceful.”
The hundred officials are in an uproar.
Fools know, this high price to buy books and high price to sell books, all and their relatives have relations, really want to argue the crime, everyone one do not want to run, there is a count one, the hundred officials all wiped out is not wrong.
Yoshi Natsubara: “……”
Zhang Anshi said: “Xia Gong why do not speak ah, is it Xia Gong and the merchants are a gang, Xia Gong, the scholar, agriculture, industry and commerce, Emperor Taizu is the most disgusted by the merchants, through the ages, the merchants to profit from things, but also countless, Xia Gong is a minister of the imperial court, a clean and upright, is it still on these merchants to condone the indulgence of it? Xia Gong, we and they are not the same, we are all readers, clean, innocent ah.”
Xia Yuanji only felt that Zhang Anshi was full of crooked reasoning, but this guy pressed step by step, actually taught him some difficult to fight.
His face sank slightly, of course he knew that he must not go along with this guy’s words and continue, if he continued, all the world’s readers would be killed.
Thus, Xia Yuanji took a deep breath, “The imperial examinations were originally to examine the learning of the scholars and to whip up talents for the court, but now they have become a means of speculation and seizing the wealth of the people.”
He stopped paying attention to Zhang Anshi and then turned toward Zhu Di, “Your Majesty, I think that this is greatly inappropriate.”
Zhang Anshi said at this time, “Your Majesty, I am a little strange, I have seen the people, one by one, they can not even eat enough food, clothes are not warm, how do they still have hundreds and thousands of taels of silver to buy a book, which seizes the people s wealth and goods …… I am even more difficult to hear.”
“……”
Zhang Anshi sighed: “The people of my Ming, has been affluent to such a point, actually a hundred taels of silver, a thousand taels of silver to take out, also can not blink, then I can not help but have a question, since the people have been rich to such a point, why the treasury’s income, but it is a meager to this point, and I Zhang Anshi, selling books only earned a few million taels of silver, Xia Gong is to me hold Have such hostility? As a matter of fact, the people all have ten thousand dollars in their pockets, and this amount of money that I, Zhang Anshi, earned should be nothing.”
…………
P.S. The next chapter will be updated on August 15th at 0:00 a.m. This book was first published on the Starting Point, so please come to the Starting Point App to read it.
A squeak a day strengthens the body!