Immediately, more people gathered around.
At this moment, a group of Imperial Guards in black brocade robes filed in from outside, rushed in quickly, and cut through the crowd.
They surrounded Zhao Huan's group completely, their expressions cold and stern, exuding a chilling murderous aura.
The scene became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Wang Qi was covered in sweat, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Zhao Huan's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes seemed to be filled with thunder, and his voice was as cold as ice: "Xu Churen, Tang Ke, Shao Chengzhang."
"Your subject is here!"
"Explain to me properly what the 'Jiaozi preservation fee' is!"
Zhao Huan was simply sitting there, doing nothing, his tone even calm and his voice low, yet it sounded as if the might of the heavens had descended upon him.
The three of them were inwardly groaning; this emperor was just too damn difficult to serve.
When emperors encountered such a situation, they would obediently return to the palace, then summon their ministers to the palace to discuss the matter.
But this official was different. All three of them knew that the emperor was furious and that several people here were already dead.
But the emperor didn't show it, which was a great honor for the three of them.
The emperor also knew that it was fine to scold ministers in the imperial study or in the court, but it was absolutely forbidden to do so in public.
Otherwise, where would the prime minister's authority be?
If the prime minister loses his authority, how can he assist the emperor in governing the country?
Since the emperor had tolerated it, but then summoned them directly, it was as if he was telling them, "I'm sitting right here today, give me an answer."
I will not give up until this matter is resolved!
The ministers complained inwardly that the emperor was too much of a troublemaker. They thought that such a small matter could have been handled by the lower-level officials, so why did the emperor have to come personally and make such a fuss?
Only Han Chenchen knew very well that Zhao Huan felt he had been deceived. The ministers had spoken well to the emperor, and the merchants of Dongjing City were fully cooperating with the court to promote the paper money.
But now they say one thing in public and another in private.
This made the emperor wonder if this was the case for most things? Or if he was being kept in the dark about other matters as well?
She sensed that Zhao Huan lacked a sense of security, and only those who lack security would be so suspicious.
Like Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, they were emperors with a lot of suspicion because they were doing things that the whole world was against.
They stand at the highest point in the world, and almost no one in the world can understand their thoughts.
She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her husband. Although he was already the ruler of the world, the supreme emperor, and although he acted very tough in everything he did, striving to be a great ruler comparable to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.
But deep down, he must be exhausted and panicked.
No one noticed that Han Chenchen was looking at the emperor, whom everyone feared, with a very gentle gaze, and thought to herself, "Husband, don't worry, no matter what happens, I will stand by your side."
If before, Han Chenchen admired Zhao Huan's handsome appearance and his tough yet tender nature, now, Han Chenchen is trying to stand beside Zhao Huan from a different perspective and face different things with him.
Zhao Huan frowned slightly, naturally unaware of the subtle change in Han Chenchen's gaze.
He stared at everyone in the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce; beneath his calm exterior lay a volcano.
Once this volcano erupts, corpses will pile up like mountains, and blood will flow for miles!
Xu Churen said, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."
After speaking, Xu Churen turned around and looked at Shangguan Hongru and the others who were crawling on the ground, trembling.
You guys are really the cause of my death!
When you made your promise to me, you didn't mention any bullshit money preservation fee!
Who exactly gave you the power to charge a deposit for the exchange of goods?
Jiaozi (paper money) belongs to the imperial court; how can you collect a deposit to preserve its value?
Xu Churen knew very well that the emperor was in a bad mood today and wanted an explanation, and that explanation had to be ruthless.
It would be best if it appeared in the Song Dynasty Gazette and the Tokyo Express tomorrow.
This explanation serves two purposes: first, to appease the emperor's anger; and second, to demonstrate to everyone that the affairs of the court are not to be taken lightly without prior notice.
Xu Churen now understood the emperor's temperament all too well; the emperor would never hide or handle such matters privately.
He desperately wanted to handle this matter in front of everyone in the entire Song Dynasty, to show the whole world the emperor's attitude towards this matter!
Xu Churen said, "Shangguan Hongru! You are incredibly audacious! Jiaozi (paper money) is related to people's livelihood. How dare you take it upon yourself to collect a Jiaozi preservation fee? Do you know your crime?"
"This humble citizen deserves to die!"
A cold glint flashed in Xu Churen's eyes. He then turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the paper money is related to the fate of the nation. Those who obstruct the paper money are guilty of treason. I request Your Majesty to execute all those involved, confiscate their property, and exile them to the frontier!"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Hongru and the others were greatly alarmed and began to kowtow repeatedly.
Tang Ke hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is a serious matter. First, imprison him in the Imperial Prison and hand him over to the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice for trial."
Shao Chengzhang said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that we should first open a case and investigate."
Tang Ke knew the emperor was furious, but this matter was definitely not that simple. He managed the Ministry of Commerce of the Song Dynasty, and the issuance of paper money was tied to the commerce of the capital city of Kaifeng.
At least, he had never heard of the Jiaozi (paper money) value preservation fee before its issuance.
This sudden emergence of a silver coin preservation fee is something that people from the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce would never dare to decide on their own!
There's probably another long chain of vested interests behind this.
Just imagine how enormous the 10% cut from every single transaction at restaurants, rice shops, and other establishments in Tokyo must have been!
Tang Ke tried to remain calm, but his palms and back were sweating profusely. Didn't the emperor suspect that someone was trying to make money by taking advantage of the issuance of paper money?
Of course I thought so. On the surface, the most suspicious person was him, the Minister of Commerce!
P.S.: I heard you guys thought it was too short, so come on, I've added over 3,000 words to this chapter. There's another chapter tonight, so let's add more words! Let's hurt each other's word count! Give me all your recommendation votes!
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