After a pause, Master Wei continued, "As for returning the granted land to the officials, His Majesty is also concerned about the princes. He is worried that some disputes will arise due to the land and someone will file a complaint in the capital. For example, His Highness the Prince of Qin, the Emperor sent me to question him about his illegal activities such as encroaching on the land and disturbing the people."
Who would dare to file a complaint? They clearly just want to take back my land, and they even say it in such a nice way.
Prince Fu knew how cruel the sinister man in front of him was.
Before arriving at Prince Fu's mansion to pay a visit, he arrested two eunuchs in the mansion on charges of extortion and directly escorted them to the capital, without giving Prince Fu any face at all.
There were also two major families in Luoyang, the Shi and Huang families, who were officials who had defected to Prince Fu's palace and were also arrested on charges of harming the people and encroaching on their land.
As for the King of Qin, what good end could he have? Could he still count on the Emperor's nephew to take good care of him and reward him with money and silver?
Alas, it’s not that this guy is bold enough to threaten me, but that no one can afford to offend the backers behind him!
As for leaving the city, where else can you go? Is it really that simple?
Seeing Prince Fu pondering in silence, Master Wei put down his tea bowl, took out the letter, and presented it to Zhu Changxun, saying, "Your Highness, please do not doubt it. This is the Emperor's handwritten letter. Please take a look at it."
Prince Fu quickly stood up and took it respectfully. When he unfolded it and read it, Zhu Dapang burst into tears.
He recalled the day when he left Beijing to become a vassal. There were sporadic snowflakes floating in the gloomy sky, and his mother held his hand with tears streaming down her face.
At the moment of turning to leave, through tearful eyes, he saw a bright yellow figure at the palace gate not far away wiping his face with his sleeve. It was his loving father, Emperor Wanli, who must have been shedding tears!
His beloved father has passed away, and his mother is regarded as the source of chaos in the government and is despised and scolded by the officials in the court. She lives alone in a cold and deserted palace in the capital.
Separated by the heavens, mother and son, they might never see each other again in this life. Perhaps only when his mother died would he have a chance to go to the capital to attend the funeral, but that would also depend on whether the emperor was so generous.
And now, his nephew who is the emperor has clearly told him that he should follow the practice of the Tang Dynasty and that concubines with children can be taken in and taken care of by their children after they get married and leave the palace.
What does this mean? Zhu Changxun can finally see his mother and bring her to live with him in Luoyang. This is a surprise he couldn't even dream of. He'll be able to enjoy the joy of a family...
Zhu Changxun was so tearful that he couldn't even read the rest of the letter. If he had read it carefully, he would have grinned bitterly. This emperor's nephew was simply obsessed with money.
Looking at the fat man crying like a tearful man, Uncle Wei couldn't help but admire the emperor's foresight.
"The Emperor also said that if the Prince does not wish to live in Luoyang permanently, he can move back to the capital." Uncle Wei smiled harmlessly. "The position of Zongling in the Zongrenfu is only qualified for you and His Royal Highness the Prince of Gui."
Prince Fu Zhu Changxun wiped his tears and looked at Uncle Wei in a daze, not figuring out whether he should move.
Uncle Wei did not elaborate on the matter. He bowed to the north and said, "The Emperor said that as long as the prince agrees, whether he personally welcomes the Concubine Dowager or sends someone from the royal family to escort her, it can be done immediately."
"I agree, I agree. How could I object?" Zhu Changxun agreed hurriedly, as if he was afraid that if he responded too late, this good thing would be ruined.
Then, Prince Fu cupped his big fat hands and said, "The emperor's grace is so great, the emperor's grace is so great! This prince, this prince will go to the capital to personally welcome my mother."
Uncle Wei smiled and nodded, saying, "Since the prince has agreed, then we should prepare the 480,000 taels of silver as soon as possible. The IOU written by the emperor is with me. If we hand it over as soon as possible, I will have completed my mission."
Four hundred and eighty thousand taels? Zhu Changxun's eyes widened. When did he agree to this? When did he even mention borrowing money?
Seeing Uncle Wei's eyes cast on the letter, Zhu Changxun finally understood a little and hurriedly picked it up to take a closer look.
It turned out that the matter of borrowing money was written at the back, just a few simple sentences, as if it was not important at all.
It wasn't a free loan; they would pay 20,000 taels of interest in the first year, and once the Imperial Bank started operating and started making money, they would distribute dividends based on the profits each year. To put it bluntly, these 500,000 taels were a share of the company's capital.
Look, I've given you the interest first. The IOU is for 500,000, but I only take 480,000. Isn't that generous?
What was the Imperial Bank? Zhu Changxun had no idea, but since this matter was mentioned together with the story of picking up his mother, it seemed like a bundled sale, something he had to buy.
Five hundred thousand, um, it’s four hundred and eighty thousand, pay it!
Zhu Changxun gritted his teeth and decided that even if it cost one million, let alone five hundred thousand, he would do it to get his mother out.
Hehe, Zhu Changxun's smile was quite ugly, but he spoke very nicely, "Your Majesty is too polite. Why are you still talking about lending it or not? State affairs are more important. State affairs are more important. This money, I will donate to the court."
Uncle Wei shook his head like a rattle and said, "If the prince wants to donate, it will be calculated separately. The emperor said that this is a loan, and there can be no ambiguity."
Zhu Changxun blinked his eyes, not understanding why he refused the free gift and insisted on borrowing it. What was going on?
Well, as long as you are happy, the most important thing is that we can bring our mother back to share family happiness with us.
Wait, I was so excited just now. Were you talking about welcoming the bride? What if we get detained in the capital?
Prince Fu Zhu Changxun's brain returned to normal and he felt that this decision was a bit hasty.
"Eunuch Wei..." Zhu Changxun stood up with some difficulty, pounded his waist, and said helplessly: "My body is in such a state. I'm afraid it can't bear the fatigue after being inactive for a long time. It's really unfilial. If the prince can do it for me, is it okay?"
Uncle Wei waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter who goes. Your Highness will make the arrangements. This money..."
"Tomorrow." Zhu Changxun immediately perked up. He waved his fat hand and said, "Eunuch Wei will come tomorrow to collect the money, the imperial edict or the document for entering the capital..."
Uncle Wei was also straightforward. He took out the imperial edict and handed it to Prince Fu.
Not afraid of defaulting on the debt, but also because of 500,000, that is 480,000 taels of silver, he would abandon his own mother? With Prince Fu's family background, he could also afford one million.
Zhu Changxun was overjoyed and immediately ordered a banquet to entertain Mr. Wei well.
Uncle Wei, however, declined the invitation and went to the inn with a dozen or so Dongchang guards. "Is it because I got kicked in the head by a donkey that I'm getting close to a vassal king like you?"
If Zhu Changxun knew that Master Wei had brought a hundred Dongchang thugs to Luoyang, he would have patted his chest in delight. He was planning to resort to violence if negotiations failed. Fortunately, I was quick-witted.
Prince Fu of Luoyang surrendered and accepted the method of returning the land to the officials and providing annual salary by the state. Before the news reached the capital, the court bulletin had already been sent to the whole country.
Zhu Youxiao is 100% sure that he can subdue the princes. If soft tactics don't work, he will use hard tactics. But don't force me to lose my temper. If I go crazy, even I will be afraid of myself!
Those princes had no power and no soldiers. They were guarding their mansions and could not even leave the city. It was impossible for them to rebel, and they could only allow themselves to be manipulated by the imperial court.
If the emperor is shameless and doesn't care about being branded as disrespectful to family ties and harming members of the royal family, it will be useless even if you are his uncle.
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