Chapter 271 Who dares to guarantee it?
"Will the forces behind those money shops agree to the Duke of Chu doing this?" Kou Bin whispered.
"What can we do if we disagree? Even the Prince of Yong is silent, so who else will step forward?" Jing Yingyu's voice was tinged with dissatisfaction. His family, the Jing family, had some ties with Chengtai Money Exchange.
However, after the Baoyuan Money Shop incident, his father said that he would not go against the Duke of Chu. The money that Chengtian Money Shop paid to the Jing family every year was not enough for them to stand against the Duke of Chu and the emperor.
"Sigh, I wonder what the Duke of Chu's purpose is in doing this?" Kou Bin said again.
Jing Yingyu glanced at him and said, "My father also said he couldn't see clearly what the Duke was trying to do."
Kou Bin: "Let's do our own jobs well."
"That's all we can do."
........
In fact, not only Kou Bin and Jing Yingyu were speculating about Jiang Yu's purpose in bringing the money shops under the control of the imperial court, but many people in the capital were also speculating.
Since entering the court, Jiang Yu has accomplished two major feats, firmly establishing herself and gaining the emperor's trust and favor. Her current actions will not benefit herself or the Duke of Chu's mansion, and will only offend many people.
Jiang Yu naturally ignored other people's speculations. Now that she had started, she was focused on how to overcome the difficulties and get things done.
The next day, the emperor received more than a dozen memorials, all impeaching Jiang Yu for profiting at the expense of the people. After reading through them one by one, the emperor tossed the last one onto the table and sneered, "Profiting at the expense of the people? I think they're trying to profit at the expense of the court!"
Zhao Fuquan, who was serving to the side, naturally dared not speak. After a while, he heard the emperor say again, "Summon all these people and the Duke of Chu."
"yes."
Zhao Fuquan acknowledged and immediately withdrew, instructing the eunuch guarding outside to deliver the imperial decree. He sensed that the Duke of Chu was playing a grand game, but he didn't know its purpose. Moreover, it seemed that even the Emperor was unaware of the Duke of Chu's objective.
However, the Emperor is now the beneficiary of this matter, and will naturally follow the Duke of Chu's lead.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Jiang Yu went from the government office to the imperial study. Several officials were already there when he arrived. Although the emperor's face remained calm, revealing no emotion, the oppressive atmosphere in the study indicated that he was in a bad mood.
After bowing to the emperor, she went to her seat. About fifteen minutes later, everyone arrived. The emperor instructed Zhao Fuquan to hand over about ten memorials to Jiang Yu. After she finished reading them, he said, "They impeach you for competing with the people for profit. Duke of Chu, what is your response?"
Jiang Yu handed the memorial back to Zhao Fuquan, then looked at the Imperial Censor Cao sitting next to him and said, "Imperial Censor Cao, why are you competing with the people for profit?"
Imperial Censor Cao was dissatisfied with Jiang Yu because his son was caught in the act of adultery with Su Yuezhen and Jiang Lihui. At the time, he was in the wrong and could not express his anger, so he endured it for a long time. When he learned that Jiang Yu was going to consolidate the shares of all the banks in Daqian, he immediately wrote a memorial impeaching her for competing with the people for profits.
Hearing Jiang Yu's question, he snorted heavily and said, "The Duke of Chu wants to seize all the shares of the banks in Daqian. What is this if not competing with the people for profit?"
"May I ask, Imperial Censor Cao, do I own the shares in those money shops?" Jiang Yu asked.
Since Imperial Censor Cao dared to write the impeachment memorial, he had naturally already thought of a response. He said, "Yes, the shares of those money shops did not belong to the Duke of Chu, but to the imperial court. But no matter who it belongs to, it is using power to seize the interests of the people. Moreover, from ancient times to the present, no imperial court has ever taken over the shares of money shops."
After saying this, he felt the emperor's chilling aura emanating from him. Clenching his fist, Censor Cao tried to calm himself; after all, he wasn't the one who wrote the impeachment memorial. He refused to believe that so many people united couldn't change the emperor's decision.
Jiang Yu looked at the other officials present and asked, "Gentlemen, do you all think the same way?"
The room was quiet. After a while, Grand Master of Ceremonies Ke Taining said, "I think Imperial Censor Cao is right."
Jiang Yu hummed in agreement. She knew that the powerful backer behind Hengxin Bank was Grand Master of Ceremonies Ke Taining. Her gaze then shifted to the other officials. Although the remaining officials also felt the emperor's coldness, they couldn't back out now that they had already submitted their impeachment memorials. They all nodded, indicating their agreement with Imperial Censor Cao's viewpoint.
Jiang Yu nodded and then said, "In the 20th year of Ninghui, the people suffered from drought and insect plagues, and society began to be in turmoil. At that time, the owner of Wanbao Money Shop, the largest money shop, embezzled depositors' money and colluded with foreign enemies, and the Xuan Dynasty was destroyed in just five years. In the 5th year of Qinghe, the owner of Ruixin Money Shop colluded with General Li Wang to launch a coup, which began a decade of turmoil in the Wu Kingdom."
Jiang Yu surveyed the assembled officials with a deep gaze, then continued, "You gentlemen are all well-versed in literature and history. You are all aware of how many dynasties throughout history have suffered turmoil due to the instability of money shops. I would like to ask you, who among you can guarantee the rights of those money shops with your entire family? Will they not act like the owners of those money shops in history, disrupting the people's livelihood and causing national ruin and political chaos?"
Silence fell over the room again, a deathly silence. Although none of them harbored rebellious intentions, they could not bring themselves to use their families as guarantors for the money houses that depended on them.
"My lords, who among you can act as guarantor for those banks?" Jiang Yu's voice rang out again. "If any of you act as guarantor for any bank, I will petition the Emperor that the court will not take a stake in that bank."
The room remained quiet. The emperor looked at the officials and snorted heavily, then said, "Since you are unwilling to guarantee those banks, and the court's investment in banks is seen as competing with the people for profits, then say no more."
The emperor had spoken, and they had no reason to object, so the officials could only stand up and say in unison, "Your Majesty, we obey your decree."
The emperor looked at them with a deep gaze, "The most important thing in matters of state is to avoid being too self-serving. Go back and reflect on your actions."
"yes."
The officials quickly agreed, but seeing the emperor impatiently waving his hand at them, they all left the imperial study. Outside, their eyes met, and they both saw the resentment in each other's eyes.
They should have realized this long ago: although their dozen or so families represented a portion of the power, they couldn't put pressure on the emperor. Didn't the prime minister and those long-established powerful figures in the capital remain completely silent?
"This was reckless of him," sighed the Grand Master of Ceremonies. He shouldn't have listened to their urging to step forward. Now that the imperial power was secure, how could these people possibly shake it?
The other officials remained silent, but each of them wore an uneasy expression. They feared that the emperor and the Duke of Chu would make things difficult for them later.
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