Half of the shops in the commercial street are owned by Li Mingyue, so Li Mingyue holds a large proportion of the shares.
It is precisely because of this part of shares that the princess's family has been living a very comfortable life during this period.
Not to mention Li Mingyue herself, even the servants in the princess's mansion could clearly feel that their quality of life had improved by several levels.
In the past, we could only eat two meals a day and meat once a month. Now we eat three meals a day and meat once every seven days, and it is real meat, not meat soup.
It is a great thing to be able to work in the Princess's Mansion now. Even the eunuchs and maids in the palace are very nice to Li Mingyue.
Whenever the eldest princess came to the palace to do business, these eunuchs and palace maids would rush over.
Today, Li Mingyue came to the palace again, followed by a large carriage. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she was here to give money to the emperor.
Zhang Guizhi, who was sitting in the carriage with him, looked at the lifeless palace and said with some disdain, "Your Highness, there's no need to come so often. The Imperial Master also said that the accounts should be settled once every three months."
Li Mingyue lazily lay on the couch, holding a book in her hand. "Do you think I want to run here so often? It's because the people down there are worrying me. Lu Lang has worked so hard for this country, risking his life outside. Look at what those bastards in the court have done."
"Isn't it just beating up a blind bastard? Let me say it's a good killing! How dare a mere petty official ruin Lu Lang's good deeds?"
Every girl has her own personality and values. Li Mingyue is the type who will help dig a hole for the person she loves, even if it means killing someone.
Zhang Guizhi hurriedly reminded: "Your Highness, you can't say this in front of His Majesty."
"Okay, how could I not know about this? I didn't want to come originally, but I heard that my sister-in-law has some connections with people in Yangzhou, so I have to be careful about what she says."
"Guizhi, when you see Little Li later, remember to give him some gifts. It's very beneficial to have such a clever person in the palace."
While Li Mingyue and Zhang Guizhi were plotting against Queen Qiao, Queen Qiao was indeed whispering in Li Zhuo's ear.
"Your Majesty, this is the silk sent by my mother's family. I have no use for it here, so please give it to other concubines."
Queen Qiao was able to rise to the position of queen without the support of a big family. She is indeed capable. At least she did a good job because she was favored by her superiors.
Li Zhuo nodded with a smile and said, "The Queen can handle these small matters herself. Speaking of which, my father-in-law has been in that position for a long time, and it's time for him to make some moves."
Empress Qiao said with a look of panic, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of seeking credit for this. Besides, my father has told me many times recently that he is very satisfied with his current position. He knows his abilities, and any further promotion would only harm him. So please, Your Majesty, rescind your order."
"That's quite unusual. Other officials would desperately try to climb the ladder, but my father-in-law seems content with the status quo. Well, if he likes it this way, then let him be."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. My father is old now, and he won't be able to work for many more years. He brought me a letter a while ago saying that in three to five years, he plans to return to his hometown in Yangzhou to retire."
"Yangzhou? Oh, right, your hometown is Yangzhou. Yangzhou is a great place."
"Yes, Yangzhou has been rich and prosperous since ancient times, and it is also full of cultural atmosphere. Many officials of our Great Qi come from Yangzhou. I heard that Your Majesty plans to re-determine the salt tax? This is a good thing, it can increase the revenue of the national treasury. We need money in all aspects of our Great Qi."
Speaking of money, Li Zhuo became a little worried. He also sighed, "Yes, it wasn't until I reached this position that I realized the importance of money. It's true that a penny can make a hero fall."
Empress Qiao poured Li Zhuo another cup of tea and said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. As long as the salt tax revenue comes in, everything will be fine. By the way, I heard that things are not going smoothly in Yangzhou right now. Will this affect the collection of commercial taxes?"
Queen Qiao knew very well that Lu Chen was now carrying out the emperor's orders, and when it came to fighting the epidemic, any government orders would have to be postponed.
Therefore, it is impossible to take down Lu Chen in a short time. We can only find something equally important to balance the power in Lu Chen's hands.
The only thing Queen Qiao could think of was the salt tax. Starting from this, she hinted to Li Zhuo that if he continued to let Lu Chen mess around in Yangzhou, it would likely affect the stability of Yangzhou, thus leading to a lack of salt tax collection. Li Zhuo would have to consider whether to continue supporting Lu Chen.
Sure enough, Li Zhuo frowned at that time. Salt tax revenue was indeed the bulk of the national treasury's tax revenue, otherwise he would not have asked for a redefinition of the salt tax.
If there really is a problem with the salt tax, the follow-up will indeed be very troublesome.
Seeing Li Zhuo's thoughtful look, Queen Qiao knew that her goal had been achieved.
She peeled a piece of fruit for Li Zhuo and said, "Alas, what I said is just a woman's opinion. I heard that the Imperial Master is in Yangzhou now. I believe that with him in charge, everything will be fine."
This statement was also very clever. On the surface, it was praising Lu Chen, but in fact it was secretly telling the emperor that the uncertainty of the salt tax in Yangzhou was precisely because Lu Chen was in Yangzhou.
When it comes to the level of Queen Qiao and Li Zhuo, many things can only be said briefly. If you go too deep, others will naturally see that you have other intentions.
Queen Qiao knew very well what kind of personality her husband had. She felt that even if she couldn't directly recall Lu Chen to the capital, her words would definitely limit the power in his hands.
Just as she was thinking about whether to take the opportunity to fight for some rights for her son, Hua Bule hurried in from outside and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest princess requests an audience."
"Hmm? It's a rare occasion. Let her in quickly. It's dinner time now. It's been a while since our family has had a meal together. Go and make the arrangements."
Hua Bule nodded, turned around to arrange dinner, and at the same time instructed Xiao Lizi to go out and welcome the eldest princess.
Ever since Leo recognized Lu Chen as his godfather, his status in the palace has naturally risen.
He once again proved the correctness of the saying that choice is more important than effort.
After seeing Li Mingyue, Little Li came up to her in a very servile manner and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty invites you in. His Majesty is now in the Queen's bedroom."
As he spoke, he looked around again and lowered his voice, "The Queen just tripped up Godfather."
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