Chapter 110 You don’t want it yourself?
"Father, there is a hidden story behind this matter." Crown Prince Zhu Biao stepped into the imperial study and bowed to Old Zhu.
"What does the prince know?" Old Zhu looked confused.
Zhu Biao stood up and signaled Old Zhu to dismiss the eunuchs serving in the imperial study, leaving only him and Mao Xiang, and then he spoke.
"Father, regarding the Changning County Magistrate's self-defense memorial, I understand that the sale of the wasteland where the coal mine is located was not his fault. The Changning County Magistrate acted legally in all land transactions, and he sold the wasteland and hills at a high price."
It would have been fine if Old Zhu hadn't heard Zhu Biao mention this, but when he did, he got so angry that his nose turned crooked.
"What does that prove? Selling the wasteland and barren mountains at a high price may seem innocent, but he's suspected of negligence. As the magistrate of Changning County, he's been in office for so long, and he didn't even know there was a treasure trove sitting under his butt. He deserves death!"
"Father!" Zhu Biao was frightened when he heard that Old Zhu started shouting for war and killing, and hurried to dissuade him.
"There's more to this matter. The Changning County Magistrate's self-defense memorial states this. I don't know if you've carefully read it. The person the Changning County Magistrate sold the land to was from the Treasury and Banknote Administration Department, so..."
"The Treasury and Banknotes Administration?" Old Zhu's eyes flashed with a strange light. "Mao Xiang, what is the connection between the Changning County Magistrate and the Treasury and Banknotes Administration? Don't you have any information?"
Mao Xiang was stunned upon hearing this, and after hesitating for a long time, he replied, "Your Majesty, based on the information currently held by the Imperial Guards, there is no definite suspicion of collusion between the Changning County Magistrate and the Imperial Banknote Administration."
"How is it possible that there is no suspicion?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly thought of something and noticed that there was something else in the look in Zhu Biao's eyes when he looked at him, and his heart suddenly moved.
"Mao Xiang, go to the Baochao Tizhusi and ask Lao Er to come over. We have something to ask him!"
When Zhu Biao heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to summon Zhu Chong, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He rushed there as fast as he could because he was worried that Zhu Yuanzhang would get furious when he heard the news and hurt innocent people.
Zhu Chong only mentioned the matter of Changning County to him briefly, but he didn't expect that Zhu Chong could cause such a big incident.
But before Zhu Biao could figure out the situation, he started to lose his temper, so he had to rush over to stop it.
However, for the specific situation, it is really necessary for Old Zhu to ask Zhu Chong. After all, it was he who made up this matter. Zhu Biao also wanted to know how Zhu Chong concealed it from the Changning County Magistrate. What did he want to do by buying such a large mine?
Suddenly, Zhu Biao thought of what Zhu Chong had said to him before, that he would give him 100,000 strings of cash and return him 10 million strings of cash a month later. He suddenly understood and gradually felt relieved.
By the time Zhu Chong followed Mao Xiang into the palace, more than an hour had passed.
During this period, Zhu Biao did not dare to talk to Lao Zhu, and Lao Zhu did nothing else but sit on the dragon throne with a gloomy face.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Zhu Chong came into the imperial study and greeted Old Zhu and Little Zhu in a proper manner.
"Zhu Chong, we heard that your Baochao Tizhusi has become very popular recently?" Zhu Yuanzhang did not even ask Zhu Chong to stand up, but just said this in a sarcastic tone.
Zhu Chong looked up in surprise and found that Zhu Biao was winking at him. Zhu Chong noticed that Zhu Biao had the self-defense letter of the Changning County Magistrate in his hand, and he immediately reacted.
It turned out that Old Zhu was jealous and came to find him to hold him accountable, but this was already within Zhu Chong's expectations.
"I am deeply troubled. Since I took over the Treasure Banknote Administration, I have been working tirelessly every day, thinking of various ways to restore its operations. I even borrowed money from the Crown Prince for this purpose. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can ask the Crown Prince."
Zhu Chong wanted to clear the prince first. He naturally understood that Zhu was jealous of him for finding the coal mine, but he didn't know that he was the one who bought the coal mine.
Obviously, Zhu Biao did not see the self-defense memorial from the Changning County Magistrate, otherwise the memorial would not have appeared in Zhu Biao's hands.
In this way, things become much simpler. Since Old Zhu is jealous, just give it to him. After all, they are all family. Zhu Chong has never thought about swallowing such a huge profit by himself. He doesn't have such a big appetite and doesn't need so much money.
Otherwise, he would not have made such a big promise to the prince. His purpose was to make Zhu Yuanzhang and the prince feel at ease with him so that he could do what he wanted.
Otherwise, if you only rely on words and people cannot see the benefits, their trust will be eroded sooner or later. By that time, even if Old Zhu and Little Zhu want to speak for themselves again, they may not be able to withstand the verbal battles in the court.
It was also because of this that Zhu Chong deliberately signed the land deed and the fish scale book with Yu Tong using the nickname of Crown Prince Zhu Biao instead of his own name.
But Old Zhu definitely didn't find out about these contents. It was for this reason that Zhu Chong dared to trap Yu Tong to death. Who made that old guy dare to take advantage of him!
"Really? There is such a thing?" Old Zhu was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and subconsciously looked at the prince, but then he heard what Zhu Chong said.
"It is absolutely true. Ever since I received Your Majesty's approval to raise public funds for the Baochao Tizhu Bureau, I have tried every possible means to find money for the Baochao Tizhu Bureau. However, I have no money, so I can only borrow from my brother, the Crown Prince. Fortunately, I am lucky."
"I recently purchased a large coal mine in Changning County. Here is the title deed. Your Majesty, please review it."
"When I purchased this coal mine, I used the Crown Prince's nickname. After all, all the money I used was borrowed from the Crown Prince. However, I did not discuss this matter with the Crown Prince before doing so."
"But after much reflection, I realize that we are all family, so there's no need to discuss such matters. As for the disposal of the coal mines, my initial plan is to allow 90% of the mine to be handled at the will of the Crown Prince, and 10% to go to the Treasury and Banknote Administration Office."
"Your Majesty, the Baochao Tizhusi is truly impoverished. This is the solution I've devised these days. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on me and the craftsmen who work there!"
Without any hesitation, Zhu Chong presented the land deed to Zhu Yuanzhang for review. Then, with a pitiful look on his face, he knelt down in front of the dragon table and waited for Zhu Yuanzhang's reply.
After hearing what Zhu Chong said, Old Zhu looked at the land deed in front of him and was completely stunned.
Zhu Biao's name was clearly written on the deed. Combined with what Zhu Chong had just said, 90% of the property was under the prince's full disposal, and he only wanted 10%, and all of it would be handed over to the Baochao Tizhusi for use. Such behavior shocked Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Second brother, say it again? You give me 90% and give 10% to the Baochao Tijushi Bureau. You don't want it for yourself?"
Crown Prince Zhu Biao was really shocked. He was dumbfounded and looked at Zhu Chong with an expression of disbelief, as if he was looking at a fool.
What just happened was truly unbelievable!
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