Chapter 124: Accept it

Duke of Wei Xu Da was really excited today. He spoke differently than usual, and his tone was full of desolation and helplessness.

Old Zhu was also infected by his old friend, and he certainly understood why Xu Da was so excited.

The failure of the second Northern Expedition dealt a heavy blow to Xu Da. Although Zhu Yuanzhang did not punish him afterwards, Xu Da was always brooding over the defeat.

So Zhu understood that Xu Da always wanted to make amends, and like him, he hoped that the Ming Dynasty could be stable and no longer suffer from invasions by the northern barbarians.

But after listening to Zhu Chong's insights, they thought more in their hearts than before.

After the destruction of the small Northern Yuan Dynasty, will it really be a permanent solution and will it really bring eternal peace to future generations?

Obviously, that is impossible. The most likely scenario is that in a dozen years, a new batch of wolf cubs will grow up on the grassland and will still go south to invade the border.

At that time, in the Ming Dynasty, were there still emperors as wise and decisive as Zhu Yuanzhang, or were there still invincible commanders as skilled in warfare as Xu Da?

The answer is most likely no. It is difficult for such an emperor and commander to exist in a country at peace. So when the wolves on the grassland swarm down, the Ming Dynasty will definitely be in danger!

Therefore, when Old Zhu saw Xu Da kneeling at his feet, his heart was stabbed. He directly helped Xu Da up from the ground with both hands and said, "Brother, please get up quickly. Don't be like this. We know, we know everything, and we will do it!"

When Hu Weiyong and others heard what Old Zhu said, their faces suddenly changed, while Zhu Chong grinned.

Regardless of whether Old Zhu was comforting Xu Da or he really thought so in his heart, the cement issue was finally settled today, and the next step was to repay the money.

It would be fine if he could finally get tens of thousands of the 100,000 strings of cash. Recently, Zhu Chong has almost spent the 100,000 strings of cash he borrowed from Zhu Biao.

Only when you are in charge of the household do you realize how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are. He originally thought that 100,000 strings of cash would be enough for him to live a carefree life for a long time, but he didn't expect that it would be gone so soon. Seeing that the income from coal was still far away, Zhu Chong opened his mouth to ask for a lot of money from Old Zhu.

Old Zhu appeased Xu Da and turned to look at Zhu Chong. "Second Brother, your cement is indeed good, but 100,000 strings of cash is too much!"

Zhu Chong was well prepared and acted as if he was going to argue vigorously. "Your Majesty, you should know how valuable this cement is. I am helpless. The Crown Prince still hasn't returned the 100,000 strings of cash, and we are running out of food. This is why I have resorted to this desperate measure."

"One hundred thousand strings of cash is really not much. If that doesn't work, you can take back the 10% of coal mines owned by the Baochao Tizhusi. I don't want more. Two hundred thousand strings of cash is really all the Baochao Tizhusi has."

"You..." Old Zhu was dumbfounded by Zhu Chong's behavior. In order to ask him for money, this guy gave up the 10% of the coal mines and sold it for only 100,000 strings of cash. Is the Baochao Tizhusi really so short of money?

Old Zhu looked skeptical, but he couldn't help but believe it. After all, the craftsmen in front of him were either ragged or covered in patches. It was obvious that they had been poor for a long time.

As for Zhu Chong, Old Zhu was very clear about his current situation. Even though he restored his title of King of Qin, he did not return the King of Qin's Palace to him, because before that, Old Zhu had awarded his house to other princes.

As a result, Zhu Chong still lives in the small courtyard given to him by Zhu Biao, and Zhu Chong's salary is only enough for him to squander, and it is absolutely impossible for him to use it to subsidize the Baochao Tizhusi.

If that were the case, even if Zhu Chong didn't think it was a big deal, Zhu himself would feel ashamed.

So, regardless of the fact that so many people were watching, Old Zhu grabbed Zhu Chong's sleeve and pulled him into the lime kiln.

At this time, there was no one in the lime kiln except the two of them, father and son. After Old Zhu looked around and confirmed that there was no one, he lowered his voice and said to Zhu Chong, "Boy, that's enough. The court is short of money right now, why don't we owe you some money first."

"No, Your Majesty, this matter cannot be owed!" Zhu Chong didn't believe that Old Zhu couldn't even come up with 200,000 strings of cash.

He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was famous for being stingy, and it was obvious that he was playing the emotional card and trying to evade his 200,000 strings of cash. He would not fall for Zhu Yuanzhang's trick.

"Second brother, I'm not complaining to you about being poor. The imperial court has really been poor these years. Otherwise, how could we have gotten treasure notes?"

Old Zhu patted Zhu Chong's shoulder and said, "You're a good boy. We've seen your recent performance. So, let's make 100,000 strings of cement and write you an IOU. Aren't you in charge of the Baochao Tizhusi now?"

"Once you have sorted things out here and a new batch of treasure notes is printed, we will allow you to use the IOU to withdraw 100,000 strings of treasure notes for your expenses."

After hearing this, Zhu Chong felt sick all of a sudden. How dare Old Zhu say that? What kind of logic is this? He just said that and wanted to use cement without spending a penny. This wishful thinking is too shrewd!

"Second brother!" Old Zhu was a smart man. When he noticed that Zhu Chong's face looked strange, he immediately knew that this kid was up to no good and was preparing to block him again, so he decided to strike first.

"Just now when we entered the Baochao Tijushi Office, we heard someone shouting, 'Long live the Tijushi!' Is this true?"

"Dad, you are too..." Zhu Chong's scalp felt numb and he looked at Old Zhu with helplessness. He didn't expect that Old Zhu would throw such a bomb at him.

"What? Are we wrongly accusing you, Second Brother? Or should I say, you kid, have the idea of replacing your eldest brother? Otherwise, why would those craftsmen shout "Long live you" for no reason?" Old Zhu began to become aggressive.

But it did happen, and the Jinyiwei were all listening to it, so he can't deny it. But Old Zhu is being too unreasonable!

Seeing Zhu Chong's expression of eating shit, Old Zhu was very proud. He put on a leisurely expression and patted Zhu Chong's shoulder lightly.

"Second brother, life is not easy for us Zhu family members. I have already given you an advantage. Don't you think you should also give us an advantage so that we can step down? Also, I will make you another promise. If there is any Chen Ning out there, I will kill him for you!"

"Dad!" Zhu Chong was completely helpless. Old Zhu was a real deadbeat who could do anything. He clearly wanted to kill Chen Ning, but he insisted on involving himself with it. He was also drunk.

"Okay, that's it." Seeing that Zhu Chong was silent, Old Zhu patted Zhu Chong's shoulder vigorously and encouraged him a few more words.

"Work hard, kid. As long as you can keep doing this, we will never treat you unfairly."

I have to say that Lao Zhu's tactics of advancing and retreating, giving a slap and then a sweet date, are played to perfection!

Of course, Zhu Chong did not take Lao Zhu's words seriously. It was just a matter of a word for him to treat someone unfairly or well. Anyway, when Zhu Chong saw Lao Zhu write the IOU to him on the spot, he just accepted it with a pinch of his nose.