"Where is Liu Zhao now?"
The emperor suddenly asked about Liu Zhao's whereabouts.
The Shaofu's household official was a little nervous.
Chen Dachang, the Supervisor of the Chen Dynasty, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhao has arrived at the Beirong Royal Court. We will have to wait a few days for detailed information."
The emperor nodded and suddenly laughed. "If Liu Zhao were here, I would really like to ask him how he chose Gu Jiu back then. I'm surprised that a girl who has only been married for a year or two has such insight. Or is she really unique?"
Uncle, you talked with Gu Jiu for such a long time, what kind of person do you think Gu Jiu is?"
The Shaofu Household Director was surprised that Liu Zhao actually went to the Beirong Royal Court, and was immediately questioned by the Emperor.
He quickly gathered his thoughts and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, my impression of Gu Jiu is that she is both intelligent and forthright. She seems to be open and honest about everything she thinks."
"Oh? Then I really want to test her myself. Come, invite Gu Jiu into the palace and tell her that I have something to ask her."
Chen Jianzheng bowed and accepted the order.
The Shaofu's forehead was sweating, and he was worried that he might have harmed Gu Jiu, and he felt a little uneasy.
The emperor waved his hand, signaling him to calm down. "Uncle, please do not tell anyone about Liu Zhao's whereabouts. This matter must be kept secret for now."
The Shaofu Household Manager quickly agreed, "I will keep my mouth shut and won't reveal a single word."
"That's great!"
The emperor and his minister continued to talk about the loan issue of the Shaofu.
Chen Dachang arranged for Shen Changshi to go to the palace to invite Gu Jiu into the palace.
He stood under the eaves and did not rush back to the main hall to wait for orders.
He looked at the sky. It was another sunny day today.
A eunuch quietly came up to him and said, "Godfather, Concubine Li De sent someone to ask Your Majesty if you have turned over the card today? Where will you rest tonight?"
A few days ago, Li Zhaoyi was finally promoted to Li Defei, and the palace was restored to its original three-way balance of power.
Chen Dachang sneered, "How much silver did you receive from Concubine Li De to help her interrogate?"
"Godfather, spare my life."
The eunuch knelt on the ground and slapped himself hard in the face, one slap after another.
Chen Dachang snorted, "Get out of here and take your punishment. This won't happen again."
"Thank you for sparing my life, godfather. I will never do that again. I will go down and accept my punishment now."
"Go! From now on, ignore Concubine Li De's requests for anything."
"Son understands."
The eunuch bowed and retreated.
Chen Dachang sneered, and everyone went crazy.
How old is the little prince? Is Concubine Li De so impatient?
Recently, Prince Ning and Prince Zhao have both sent beauties to the palace. Now it seems that it is time for Prince Ning's beauties to sleep with him and share the favor of Concubine Li De and Jiang Shuyi.
…
Gu Jiu returned to the palace, but before she had time to rest, the doorman reported that someone from the palace had sent to ask her to come in.
Gu Jiu was surprised.
"Nothing will happen, right?" Qingmei was worried.
The doorman continued, "The people from the palace are drinking tea in the Bixi Pavilion right now. The prince is personally greeting them. The prince asked the eldest lady to go there immediately and return early."
Gu Jiu hurriedly asked, "Who is the person from the palace?"
"Reporting to Madam, the person who came is Shen Changshi."
Gu Jiu nodded. She knew that Shen Changshi was so young and had held a high position, and was highly regarded by the emperor.
She also knew that Shen Changshi and Hu's family were from the same hometown, and the two sides had always had private contacts.
Minister Shen came in person, which means the person who summoned her was the emperor?
Why did the emperor summon her?
She was feeling uneasy, but she did not dare to neglect the emperor's favorites. After getting dressed, she hurried to the Bixi Pavilion.
While still outside the door, I heard King Ning and a strange voice laughing loudly. It seemed that the two of them were having a very pleasant conversation.
After reporting, Gu Jiu walked into the flower hall.
"My dear wife, this is Attendant Shen."
"Meetings, Attendant Shen."
"Madam Zhao, you are so polite. Now that we have arrived, please follow us into the palace. Your Majesty is impatient to wait for others."
Gu Jiu was startled when he heard this, and pretended to be surprised and asked, "Is it His Majesty who summoned me?"
Attendant Shen looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile, "Of course it's His Majesty's call. Tell Madam to leave."
Gu Jiu looked towards Prince Ning.
Prince Ning waved his hand at her solemnly.
Gu Jiu understood clearly that Prince Ning meant for her to be careful with her words and actions, to speak less and make fewer mistakes. She should never speak carelessly in front of the emperor.
With an uneasy heart, Gu Jiu followed Shen Changshi out of the prince's mansion and into the imperial palace.
We kept on rushing all the way to Xingqing Palace without stopping.
After reporting, she was invited into the hall.
Seeing the Shaofu Household Order sitting at the side, Gu Jiu suddenly understood why he was summoned to the palace for questioning.
"Your Majesty, may your majesty live a long and healthy life."
"No need to be polite!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Gu Jiu lowered his head slightly and stood in the center of the hall, waiting for the emperor to ask questions.
The emperor asked directly: "Tell me what you think about the loan from the Shaofu."
Gu Jiu took a deep breath, suppressed his uneasiness, and tried his best to appear calm. "My grandson believes that money is the most important asset of a country, and the world is crazy about it. It should be controlled by the court, just like salt and iron."
Borrowing money is a matter of life and death for everyone, from the imperial court to the common people. It concerns the well-being of the people and the country, so how can it be arbitrarily controlled by private banks?
Private money houses only lend money and collect money, with a monthly interest rate of three or four percent, and the interest is compounded, which is clearly intended to drive the common people to death.
When ordinary people went bankrupt and became refugees, did private banks ever contribute a single cent to disaster relief and relieve the worries of the imperial court? When ordinary people went bankrupt and became bandits in the mountains, did private banks ever assume responsibility?
They only care about making money and will do anything to make money. They have taken all the money from the people all over the world, but they sit back and watch the people suffer.
They are said to be making money from the people, but in the final analysis, they are stealing money from the court and from His Majesty.
The moment they force the taxpayers into refugees, they are effectively opposing the court and His Majesty. Therefore, Sun's wife believes that the Minister of Finance must step in and eliminate all private banks across the country to benefit the common people. Let the common people know that the court always cares about the people, and His Majesty always cares about their livelihoods.
The Shaofu Household Manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as he knew that Gu Jiu was very good at fooling people.
The emperor smiled. It was obvious that Gu Jiu's words touched the heart of the emperor, making him very satisfied.
The emperor said, "Your words should be heard by all the civil and military officials. If a mere woman like you can surpass those court officials in understanding, they should be ashamed."
"Your Majesty, I am too kind. I am just expressing my own thoughts and would not dare to compare myself with the court officials."
The emperor walked back and forth with his hands behind his back. "It is indeed time to crack down on private banks and reduce their prestige. This matter cannot be allowed to be interfered with by the six ministries. I will hand it over to the Ministry of Finance."
The Shaofu Household Officer bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, please give your instructions."
"Starting from the capital, I will kill one to warn the rest. I want to let all loan sharks know that if they dare to harm my people, I will bury their entire family with them."
The Shaofu's household official shuddered, a mixture of nervousness and excitement. It had been so long since the Shaofu had done such a grand spectacle. It was truly an exciting moment.
The emperor continued, "The specific regulations will be carried out according to the proposals we discussed previously. I hope that my uncle will serve the public wholeheartedly and contribute to the Liu family's rule."
"I will never let your majesty down." The Shaofu Household Order said in a resounding voice.
Killing private banks—what a good thing! He would certainly do it with all his might and ruthlessness. No one could possibly snatch this rare opportunity from him, let alone the power he held.
The Shaofu household official, who was nearly sixty, flushed with excitement. He looked at Gu Jiu with gratitude.
Gu Jiu was sweating profusely. She only brought up the topic of the Shaofu's participation in the lending market, which involved people's livelihood and the country, in order to trick the Shaofu's steward into lending her money.
She thought that the Shaofu Household Order would just listen to it and let it go. Even if he really did it, it would probably be a small matter.
Unexpectedly, the Shaofu Housekeeper was very efficient. As soon as she left, the Shaofu Housekeeper rushed to the palace to make this happen.
Moreover, the emperor agreed to this proposal without any discussion in the court.
This efficiency scared Gu Jiu, who had traveled through time, to death.
The efficiency is so fast, faster than that of later generations.
The emperor made the decision without any court discussion and directly used commercial means to deal with private banks.
Since it is a commercial measure, it certainly does not need to be discussed in court.
In fact, the emperor himself knew that this matter could not be discussed in court. A court discussion would be 100% opposed.
Just as Gu Jiu guessed, the backers behind the major money houses were the civil and military officials in the court and the royal family.
Depriving someone of their money is like killing their parents.
Let me ask you, if the emperor clearly wants to take food from everyone's mouths, can the civil and military officials and royal family members agree to it?
I definitely won’t agree!
In this case, the court discussion is meaningless. It would be more practical to directly let the Minister of Finance use commercial means to suppress private banks.
As for why the Shaofu Household Manager was so active in promoting this matter, it was of course for money, but more importantly for power.
To put it bluntly, the Shaofu Household Director is the emperor's chief steward. In addition to being the emperor's steward, he also has to increase revenue and reduce expenditure for the emperor.
He is not stupid to pass up such a good opportunity to make money.
Could he give up such a good opportunity to show his face in front of the emperor? Of course not!
He can also take this opportunity to seize power. Once the Shaofu Loan Department is established, the power in his hands will increase exponentially.
How can he not be proactive in getting both fame and power?
So he was grateful to Gu Jiu for opening a window for him, allowing him to reach a new peak in his career when he was nearly sixty years old.
As long as this goes well, he can still work as the Shaofu Household Manager for at least another ten years.
Even if a new emperor ascends the throne, he will not be easily replaced.
Gu Jiu thought that she had nothing to do and she would be able to leave the palace and return to the palace soon.
But she didn't expect that the emperor would change the subject and ask her a crucial question.
"Based on your knowledge, which prince do you think is worthy of being king?"
When Gu Jiu heard this, he was immediately shocked.
Oh, Your Majesty, there is no grudge between you and me in the past or present, why are you giving me this death sentence?
If she doesn't answer this question correctly, she might really lose her life.
To be qualified to be the king is to ask who is qualified to be the next emperor.
She said Liu Zhao is qualified to be emperor. Is that possible?
Of course not!
Not only will it not work, it will also be fatal.
Not only did Gu Jiu feel like a thousand alpaca horses were galloping through his heart, but even the Shaofu's housekeeper was sweating profusely.
This is a fatal problem.
Gu Jiu calmed down and said with a look of panic: "My grandson's wife is just a woman in the inner house. She worries about firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea every day, and has never thought about the affairs of the family and the country."
"Then think about it carefully now. No matter what you say, I forgive you."
Gu Jiu broke out in a cold sweat, "But my granddaughter-in-law can't think of it. My granddaughter-in-law doesn't understand military and national affairs, nor is she familiar with the princes, so I really can't say it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
She bowed and apologized, being particularly honest at this moment.
So, this was the most honest moment in her life.
But the emperor was unwilling to let her go easily.
The emperor pointed at her and said, "You are dishonest. The Minister of the Imperial Household said you were honest, but in my eyes, I don't see honesty, I only see perfunctory."
Gu Jiu smiled bitterly, I’m going to die!
The Shaofu Housekeeper secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He never expected that his words of praise for Gu Jiu would bring such a tragic disaster to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu took a deep breath and said boldly, "Please forgive me for not being able to be frank in front of His Majesty."
The emperor was silent.
The air in the hall seemed to be stagnant, and it was so quiet that one could hear one's own breathing.
The Shaofu Housekeeper was even more nervous than Gu Jiu. Drops of cold sweat fell on the floor, wetting it.
Chen Dachang lowered his head and looked submissive, and no one could see what was in his mind.
Gu Jiu calmed down instead.
Anyway, it has come to this, there is no point in being afraid, so there is no need to be afraid.
"Ha ha……"
Just when the Shaofu Household Officer was about to suffocate and pass out, the emperor suddenly laughed out loud.
This burst of laughter was like a switch, and the air in the hall began to flow normally again. Everyone could breathe normally without fear of suffocation.
The emperor pointed at Gu Jiu and said, "You are very bold. In recent years, few people have dared to speak like this in front of me. But I will not let you go today. I must hear the truth from you."
Gu Jiu looked hopeless.
What a psycho!
It turns out that people who have been emperors for a long time become very perverted.
You must never guess based on common sense.
Because they don't have the normal thinking of ordinary people. Their ideas and thoughts are all abnormal.
Gu Jiu took his last breath and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to hear the truth, your grandson's wife can only tell the truth. The truth is, I can't choose any grandson's wife."
"Why?"
"Because my granddaughter-in-law doesn't know who is good and who is bad, and there are no test scores for her to refer to."
"Haha... you're so smart! You actually mentioned something like test scores."
Gu Jiu smiled awkwardly.
"Let me ask you again, if we were to organize an examination for the princes, which aspects should we focus on?"
Gu Jiu was sweating profusely!
I have a MMP in my mind but I don’t know whether I should say it or not.
She could only bite the bullet and say, "If there really is such an exam, my grandson thinks it should focus on military strategy, military objectives, military budget calculations, how to improve soldiers' sense of honor, taxation of the population, criminal law, talent selection, economic and people's livelihood, how to develop the economy, increase commercial taxes, reduce agricultural taxes, and alleviate the burden on farmers."
The whole audience was silent.
No one spoke.
There was an ambiguous light flashing in the emperor's eyes as he stared at Gu Jiu.
The Shaofu Housekeeper broke out in a cold sweat again, feeling ten times more nervous than Gu Jiu.
For the first time, Chen Dachang looked at Gu Jiu straight in the eye, thinking that Madam Zhao was really bold. His Majesty had just asked her casually, but had she taken it seriously?
The emperor laughed again, easing the tense atmosphere in the hall.
"Your questions are too broad. In my opinion, no prince can answer them all."
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is right. My grandson is stupid and speaks nonsense. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The emperor then changed the subject, "But these are questions that the princes should know. However, I suspect that none of my foolish sons have ever seriously considered these questions. Gu Jiu, do you have any answers to the questions you raised?"
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, determined not to take the blame. It was too fucking torturous.
"My granddaughter-in-law just said it casually. She is stupid and can't answer any of these questions."
"You are perfunctory again, I can see it."
Gu Jiu was covered in cold sweat, "I dare not be perfunctory to Your Majesty, every word I say is the truth."
The emperor shook his head. "Just because you proposed that the Shaofu be in charge of money, suppress private lending, and give the common people a way to survive; and you said that money is the most important asset of the country, I know you have some knowledge."
Gu Jiu became nervous.
The emperor stared at her and said, "It's a pity that Liu Zhao is not here. If Liu Zhao were here, I would definitely whip him severely."
Gu Jiu was stunned. The topic changed so quickly that he couldn't keep up. What did this have to do with Liu Zhao?
"You have such an idea that benefits the country and the people. I don't believe Liu Zhao didn't know about it. Even though he knew about it, he never mentioned a word. It shows that he has hidden ulterior motives and is not pure."
Gu Jiu took a deep breath, "Young Master doesn't know what his grandson's wife is thinking."
"Ridiculous! Do you really think I can be fooled so easily? You are husband and wife, sleeping in the same bed, how could he not know what you are thinking?"
Gu Jiu: MMP, you are the emperor and the boss, whatever you say is right, that’s fine, right?
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