"I have been fooled by her again."
The Shaofu's steward stood at the gate of the Shaofu Yamen, watching Gu Jiu's carriage leave, and was overwhelmed with sadness for a moment.
"If she doesn't pay back the money, I will be a sinner!"
Back and forth, he had lent five or six million taels of silver to Gu Jiu. How could he dare to lend her such a large sum of money? And how could she dare to ask for a loan of so much money?
"Including principal and interest, the total would be around six or seven million taels. That South City Gate project was solely supported by the Shaofu Bank."
If her project makes money, the Shaofu Bank will earn a little interest. If her project loses money, the bank will lose six or seven million taels. If that happens, I will be blamed for it, and Your Majesty will definitely chop off my head. "Wuwuwu..."
The Shaofu's household official was so sad that he started crying like a three-year-old child.
The subordinates couldn't stand it anymore, it was too embarrassing.
If you want to cry, go back inside and cry. It would be ridiculous to let the people next door laugh at you.
This is not what the master said when he lent money to Madam Zhao before.
That would be how it was said.
"Xiao Jiu, I'm lending you the money, but you must manage the project outside the South City Gate well. The first installment is about to mature, so you should hurry up and pay it back so that I can report to His Majesty. If you pay back what you borrow, it will be more convenient for you to borrow money next time."
When borrowing money, Madam Zhao fooled me into saying anything.
As soon as I lent the money, I started to regret and feel pain.
Is it useful?
When the lady is summoned next time, everything will be the same as before.
Madam Zhao can borrow as much money as she wants, not a penny less.
Only Madam Zhao had the ability to borrow so much money from the Shaofu Bank.
As for other merchants, no matter whether they are royal relatives or wealthy families, they can only lend a maximum of one million.
I want to borrow another one million. Okay, just pay back the previous loan with interest first, and Shaofu Money House will agree to lend me the money.
"Sir, please go back." The subordinates were too embarrassed to watch and could only persuade him.
The Shaofu Housekeeper shed a few drops of cat urine, feeling uneasy. "She will pay the money back on time, right? If she doesn't, I will go to Prince Ning's mansion and hang myself at the gate with a rope, watching her day and night."
The corner of his subordinate's mouth twitched. "When the time comes, the palace will invite a high-ranking monk to help your soul to rest in peace. It would be wishful thinking for you to keep an eye on me day and night."
The Shaofu Housekeeper was furious, "Whose side are you on?"
The subordinate, unafraid of him, boldly said, "I naturally stand on your side, sir. Of course, I cannot watch you commit suicide. If you are gone, who in the government has the ability to recover a single cent of Madam Zhao's money?"
The Shaofu's housekeeper snorted twice, "Isn't that newly appointed Shaofu Tongcheng quite capable? While serving here at the Shaofu, he's also in charge of the internal affairs of Prince Ning's Mansion."
"But Lord Shi can't control Madam Zhao, and there's no way he can get a penny from her."
The Minister of the Imperial Household had a stern face. "I don't know what your Majesty is thinking. He's already the Son of Heaven, but he still keeps the Ning Wang Mansion. Who is the Ning Wang? Who do you think is the Ning Wang now? There is no such king in the whole world. Just because the mansion still hangs the Ning Wang Mansion plaque, the Minister of the Imperial Household has to pay an extra amount of money and grain every month for the Ning Wang Mansion."
The subordinate said, "That little money and grain expenditure is nowhere near what Your Majesty needs to spend to ennoble the princes. I think the current situation is quite good. Although it is a bit against the rules and a bit chaotic, and there is no precedent to follow, it has at least saved the Ministry of Revenue and our Shaofu a large amount of money and grain."
The Minister of the Imperial Household was comforted, "That's not a bad idea. It saves money, but it's a mess. This time, it's rare that Your Majesty has done something so unruly, and no one from the Ministry of Rites or the Nine Ministers has said a word. Normally, they don't keep their mouths shut like this."
The subordinate covered his mouth and chuckled twice, "It's probably because the Ministry of Revenue has communicated with all the government offices. If anyone speaks out now, they will say that it is against the rules for the princes to live in the palace together.
This statement was a serious matter. It not only offended the Ministry of Revenue, but also offended everyone in his own government office.
The Ministry of Revenue is not easy to deal with. If you offend them and want money, fine, they will delay it for half a year or a year, and at the end they will give you a 10% or 20% discount. It can drive you to death.
Such a huge government office, without money, can't even pay salaries. Anyone who offends the Ministry of Revenue would be offending all his colleagues, and his career would be over.
The Shaofu household official agreed with this.
Since ancient times, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue have been two huge mountains weighing down on all government offices, and they must not be offended at all.
One is in charge of his own future, the other is in charge of his own food. They are both ancestors.
Only the Shaofu could stay out of it, because the Shaofu had money and did not need to look at the face of the Ministry of Revenue.
However, at this moment, the Shaofu would not risk the world's taboo by saying that it was against the rules for the prince to live in the palace with the prince.
The Shaofu has always been His Majesty's personal steward. They obey His Majesty's orders and will do whatever he wants. They will never cause trouble or be the first to do something wrong.
Making a fortune quietly is the character of the Shaofu people.
As soon as the people from the Shaofu came out, they gave people a restrained feeling.
Um!
It's about being restrained.
It can also be called stuffy and reserved.
After a few words of idle chatter, the Shaofu Household Order turned the topic back to Gu Jiu.
"You said she would pay it back."
"Madam Zhao has already said that if she doesn't pay back the money, she will sell the prince to pay off the debt. Madam Zhao dares to sell, so why doesn't the prince dare to buy? He is so cowardly."
"Tsk! This old man is being steady."
"Even a prudent person wouldn't lend Madam Zhao five or six million in one go. Her project outside the South City Gate is now a bottomless pit."
The Shaofu Housekeeper frowned, "I know this, but if I don't lend her the money, what will happen if she really stops working? If she doesn't repair the house or sell it, how can she pay back the debt?"
The subordinates shook their heads repeatedly, unable to bear the sight. "I'm afraid the lord has drunk Madam Zhao's magic potion and has lost his mind. He's letting her lead him around. No wonder Madam Zhao is the only one who can borrow money when no one else can."
"Get lost! I'm not that foolish. She said she'd do me a favor tomorrow."
"I'm afraid that good thing has already been passed on to the Ministry of Revenue."
"How come?"
The subordinate stood at the gate of the yamen and pointed at the Ministry of Revenue next door. "Sir, come out and take a look. Is that the carriage of that stingy old Minister of Revenue? Look where he's going? I bet you a tael of silver that the stingy old man is going to ask Madam Zhao for some advice on how to increase the revenue of the Ministry of Revenue."
The Shaofu's steward was so anxious when he saw and heard this that he jumped up and down, "How can that be possible? Absolutely not. Madam Zhao can help to increase the income, so this good thing should be given to the Shaofu. Quickly prepare the carriage for me. I will chase after him and stop that stingy old man. I absolutely cannot let him succeed."
The subordinates are very interested in the crowd and they love to see their boss fighting with the boss of the neighboring yamen. They tremble with excitement all over.
The subordinates ran faster than mad dogs, rushed out of the stable, took the carriage, and hurriedly chased after him.
The chase took them all the way to the south of the city.
The Shaofu Housekeeper took a look and said, "Great! That old man is really after Gu Jiu. Gu Jiu is going to inspect the construction site outside the South City Gate. If the old man follows him, it must be bad news."
Everyone in the Shaofu Yamen privately addressed the Minister of Revenue as "Old Stingy". They mocked the Minister of Revenue for being such a high-ranking official, but being so stingy that he was worse than even that shrew in the market.
Of course, this nickname is only used in private.
You still have to call him "Sir" in person.
Only the Shaofu Household Director, relying on his seniority and high generation, dared to call the Minister of Revenue "old stingy" to his face and was never polite.
The Minister of Revenue, with a mixture of public and personal grudges, was extremely displeased with the entire Ministry of Finance. Whenever he passed by the Ministry of Finance's gate, he would spit at it.
These two men were both the chief officials of a government office. They were riding in a carriage, one in front and one behind following the carriage that Gu Jiu was riding.
In the carriage that Gu Jiu was riding, the sound of abacus could be heard.
Qingmei was counting the money with an abacus, and the more she counted, the more anxious she became.
"Madam, you've borrowed another two million taels from the Minister of the Treasury today. Last year you borrowed three million taels, so a total of five million taels. This year you have to pay back the three loans you borrowed last year, and the interest is nearly one million taels each. How can you possibly have that much money in your account now? You're practically broke, so how could you dare borrow so much?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "The bold will die of overeating, while the timid will die of starvation. Such a large project will require an investment of at least 10 to 20 million taels. How can this lady come up with such a large amount of money? Naturally, we have to borrow money from the Shaofu Bank and use their money to work for us."
Qingmei was terribly worried. "Borrowing money is easy, but repaying it is hard. Madam lends money readily, but next month the loan is due. Where will we get the money to repay it? Do we have to use the money we just borrowed to repay last year's loan? This is like borrowing new money to repay old debts. Sooner or later, something bad will happen."
Gu Jiu looked at Qingmei's worried expression and found it amusing. "Who told you that I have to borrow new money to pay off old debts? I haven't gotten to that point yet, okay?"
"Then Madam, tell me where to get the money to pay back the Shaofu Bank?"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled. "We've been operating in the south for two years, so we should be able to make some progress. We've been operating in the south for a short time, and now we've had a falling out with Zhou Jin and severed our cooperation. It's been a bit difficult to move goods recently, and I can't spare the money for the time being."
"Madam, do you mean to rely entirely on the income from the southern villa? That little money is not even enough to pay the interest on the Shaofu."
Gu Jiu shook his head, "You are wrong. The income from the Nanbian Villa is not only enough to pay back the interest to the Shaofu, but also the principal."
"I don't believe it."
Qingmei managed the accounts, so she was well aware of the situation at Nanbian Villa. For the past few years, they'd only seen inputs, not outputs. The money was being burned at a rapid pace.
The people bought from the northwest were all taken to the southern mountains to work as miners and farm slaves. It was a huge expense to support these people.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I asked the Nanbian Villa to organize a convoy to the capital. According to the time, it should be arriving soon. Last month, Rong Xin wrote to say that he had established contact with those Persian and Arab merchants. If all goes well, Jiangnan will also be able to export a large amount of goods this year."
"Those goods won't sell for two million taels."
Gu Jiu smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry, wait until they report the account book, and then you'll know how much it can be sold for."
Xu Yousi knocked on the carriage door and told Gu Jiu that there were two carriages following behind him, and they had been following him all the way. Looking at the emblems, one was the Minister of Revenue and the other was the Minister of the Imperial Household.
Gu Jiu said: "Don't worry about them, just keep driving."
After passing through the south city gate, you will reach the newly established Xinmin County.
The county government seat is located in Xinmin Town, which was the original slum area and is quite close to the market.
Over in the shantytown area, there has been a lot of forced demolition recently, and it has been a mess all day long.
Most of the refugees were very cooperative. They gritted their teeth, paid a sum of money, bought a new house, got the key, and moved in with their whole family.
After experiencing the benefits of living in a new house, who would still want to live in that shack?
I'm afraid I never want to go back to the shantytown again, because it's an eyesore even at the first glance.
These refugees were not all from poor families. Among them were gentry, scholars, wealthy farmers with some property, skilled craftsmen, and even wealthy families.
Just because his hometown suffered a disaster, the landlord had no surplus food, and he encountered man-made disasters, so he had to leave his hometown and become a refugee.
I wanted to return to my hometown one day.
However, after experiencing the benefits of the capital, some people decided to settle down in Xinmin County, the capital.
There were also those small landlords, the so-called wealthy families, who missed their hometowns and refused to settle down, hoping that they could return to their hometowns one day.
This group of people are the most troublesome nail households.
Their thinking was simple: once they bought a house, they had to register as a hukou (household registration), and once they did, they were no longer natives of their hometown. It was as if the fields, the houses, the connections in their hometown had all lost their connection to them.
How could they accept it?
This group of people caused several troubles. They were arrested and beaten, but it was of no use.
This group of people refused to buy a house or move away.
My hometown has suffered disasters for years, and I have fled to a deserted place thousands of miles away. I will go back one day, but not now.
If I go back now, there's no one there. What's the point of guarding such a large, abandoned piece of land without anyone? With the few people I have, I can't cultivate two hundred acres even if I work myself to death.
Not to mention there is no place to buy seeds and oxen.
At that time, people first fled the countryside to escape famine, and later I heard that there were rebellions and bandits. Everyone in my hometown county fled, and the government office was also empty.
My hometown has become a deserted county, a state without any residents. I absolutely cannot go back now.
If they don't go back, they will defend the capital to the death, and will never settle in Xinmin County of the capital and become the citizens of Xinmin County.
These people have been educated and have more obsessions than ordinary people.
In the end, Deng Cunli got angry and wanted to arrest all these people and throw them into the mine to be slaves.
Fortunately, Gu Jiu arrived.
Gu Jiu brought everyone a piece of news.
She said: "Buying a house and settling in is entirely voluntary and there is no need to force it. If you want to settle in, you must buy a house. But if you buy a house, you don't have to settle in.
However, if they don't settle down, they don't have to perform corvée labor or pay head taxes, but they do have to pay a registration tax. After all, they occupy the resources of Xinmin County, so they can't take all the benefits without paying any price.
Deng Cunli asked, "Did the Ministry of Revenue come up with this tax on borrowed household registration?"
Gu Jiu nodded. "The taxation official at the Ministry of Revenue has already completed the paperwork and is now waiting to collect the taxes. Regardless of the harvest, the tax on borrowed income will be three times the head tax of Xinmin County that year."
Print a few copies of these regulations, post them outside, and send someone to explain them so that everyone understands them. Give them three days, and after three days, regardless of whether they move or not, the construction site must start as scheduled.
Anyone who dares to hinder the construction schedule will be arrested and sent to the mine for renovation. Men will go down to the mine, while women will do laundry and cook inside, and children will carry the ore. Even the elderly won't be spared. There's so much work in the mine, there's no fear of being left idle.
Deng Cunli accepted the order and arranged for people to print and post publicity for the new system of the Ministry of Revenue.
Gu Jiu added, "Don't worry about the money. I've already borrowed some money from the Shaofu, and it's all in my account. If you need money, just withdraw it from the account."
Deng Cunli was overjoyed. "Madam, this money is a timely relief. We had originally planned to start construction on both the second and third phases this year. However, the money in the account is dwindling, and I'm worried that it might delay the project."
If the third phase cannot start construction on time, where can I make money this year? Just when I was thinking about the money, my wife solved the problem.
In Gu Jiu's plan, the first and second phases would both make small profits but quick turnover, passing on the profits to the refugees.
That little profit is not enough to fill the gaps in our teeth, and is only enough to build infrastructure projects.
In the huge Xinmin County, infrastructure projects, underground pipelines, bridge and road construction are all extremely expensive.
The real money-making part is the third, fourth, and fifth phases of the project...
The further back in time the house is built, the more luxurious it will be and the more expensive it will be.
In order to sell a house for ten, twenty, or even a hundred times the profit, it is essential to create a supporting environment.
All the surrounding mountains and forests were bought by Gu Jiu.
She must make good use of those mountains and forests.
There are also lakes.
If there is no lake nearby, then we can dig ponds and build lakes artificially. We can bring fresh water from the mountains and upstream.
We guarantee to create a high-end residential area with a quiet environment, peace and tranquility in the bustling city, convenient transportation and shopping, and low-key luxury.
Exclusively for wealthy people.
If she doesn't sell the house for tens of thousands of taels, she won't be called Gu.
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