After Emperor Mingzheng left, Zhu Xun also stood up with a sullen face and left the table. The liveliness of Chunhui Palace belonged to Xue Rong, and he, the prince, was just a decoration. If he continued to sit there, he would only be able to see how glorious Xue Rong was now.

Emperor Mingzheng summoned Yu Qizhe because of the matter of the fourth prince of Oirat. Cheng Ying sent someone to urge the Ministry of Revenue to release the next payment for the construction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Ministry of Revenue did not dare to delay Cheng Ying's payment, so they could only come to Emperor Mingzheng and cry poor.

During the years when Emperor Mingzheng was in power, the national treasury had been in deficit. Last year, there was a flood in the north and another sum of money was allocated for disaster relief. Although the salt tax in Jiangnan was changed to silver this year, this sum of money was still not enough to build the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Upon learning that Ji Wudao had captured the fourth prince of the Oirat alive, Emperor Mingzheng gave silver to the Oirat.

But the Oirat had previously occupied thirteen border towns in Xuanfu, covering an area of ​​one hundred miles. When the court discussed matters tomorrow, the ministers would give priority to recovering the lost territories, but what Emperor Mingzheng wanted was silver.

"What do you think I should do?" Emperor Mingzheng met Yu Qizhe in Wenhua Palace, intending to ask Yu Qizhe for advice to relieve his worries.

Yu Qizhe pondered for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty only wants Wala to pay silver in exchange for the four princes of his tribe, you may be accused of neglecting the people at the border. In my opinion, this is not appropriate. Not to mention that the civil and military officials will not agree, even if you agree, the people will criticize Your Majesty, and you may lose the support of the people."

Emperor Mingzheng frowned and said impatiently, "Then there is no other way? Taiyan's territory is vast, and it's okay to lose a small town on the border. Compared with my great way to immortality, it's not worth mentioning."

It is really a sorrow to the people that an emperor said such words. If Emperor Taizong and Emperor Taizu knew in heaven that the country they had worked so hard to build was worthless in the eyes of future generations, I wonder if they would be furious.

Yu Qizhe showed no change of expression. If he couldn't come up with a solution, Emperor Mingzheng would definitely not use him again.

"We don't know what the Oirat is doing yet. This fourth prince was not a standout in the past. In comparison, the eldest prince of the Oirat is the one who often leads troops in battle. If this fourth prince is not favored by Oirat Toghto Khan, the Oirat may not agree to recover the lost territory." Yu Qizhe said slowly, "Your Majesty can privately instruct the envoys who are negotiating with the Oirat that if the Oirat really refuses, they should ask the Oirat to redeem the person with money."

Yu Qizhe paused for a moment, "But even if the Oirat tribe is willing to use money to redeem the fourth prince, it will probably take a long time. Your Majesty is in a hurry to repair the Hall of Supreme Harmony. If it is delayed like this, the compensation from the Oirat tribe may not be enough to quench the thirst..."

Emperor Mingzheng's expression eased. "Zhanxing is right. Taoist Taixu predicted that after three months, the right time, right place, and right people are all necessary to refine the Supreme Golden Elixir. Before that, the Hall of Supreme Harmony must be built. However, the national treasury is empty. The salt tax in Jiangnan only brought in two million taels of silver. As soon as it was brought in, it was allocated for military expenses. There are also various expenses for the court, salaries for civil and military officials, and grain taxes from all over the country will not be collected until autumn. If I ask people to collect grain taxes early, I am afraid it will cause criticism again."

After Emperor Mingzheng said this, his expression became even uglier. As the ruler of a country, he was now struggling to make ends meet.

"I have a plan, but I'm afraid it will offend people." Yu Qizhe said at the right time.

Emperor Mingzheng glanced inside the palace, signaled the eunuchs and palace maids serving tea to leave, and said, "There is no one else here, you can speak freely."

Yu Qizhe then said, "Yesterday I went out of the city for some business. I passed by a place called Guanyan Village and heard something."

Emperor Mingzheng became slightly interested. "What's the matter? Is it related to money?"

Yu Qizhe nodded, "Yes, Guanyan Village was established by traveling merchants. These merchants came from all over the country and came to Beijing to trade. Later, they settled in Guanyan Village with their families. After these merchants moved here, they all bought a lot of good land outside the city. The families in Guanyan Village can be said to be wealthy."

"You mean you want me to get money from these people? How can they be willing to give me money?" Emperor Ming Zheng naturally knew that merchants were the richest, but merchants had paid business taxes, and it would be difficult to ask them to take money out of their own pockets.

Emperor Mingzheng raised his eyes and said, "Since Zhanxing mentioned it, he must have a plan."