After returning to the palace, Xiao Qin'er said goodbye to Gu Jiu and took the child back to the West Garden.
First send away the illegitimate sons and daughters.
The two children stayed in the room to play.
She took out the key and ordered the maid to open the box and take out the account book.
This is her private dowry account book.
She had no idea how much money she had available. She had to look through the account book to find out.
The trusted maid was doing the math with an abacus.
An important influence that Gu Jiu had on her sisters-in-law was that they all followed her example and trained their trusted maids to learn to read and do accounting.
There is no need to consult the accountant for everything.
The crackling sound of the abacus is particularly pleasant to the ears.
My daughter Liu Mu was very interested in the abacus. She picked up a small abacus and fiddled with it randomly.
The nanny said, "Young lady will definitely be a good housekeeper and financial manager in the future."
Xiao Qin'er laughed and patted the child's head. "It's time to learn how to manage finances and not let others fool you. Zheng'er, you have to learn how to protect your sister and not let anyone bully her."
Liu Zheng waved his little fist and said, "If anyone dares to bully my sister, I will beat him to a pulp."
Xiao Qin'er smiled with relief.
Liu Zheng is a young boy, but he is already taller than Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er could no longer reach out and touch Zheng Ge'er's head like she did in the past.
She suddenly felt that time makes people grow old.
"Brother Zheng, you should also learn some skills as a housekeeper to avoid being deceived in the future."
Zheng Ge'er's face suddenly turned bitter.
He doesn't like reading or arithmetic.
He loves to wield swords and sticks and play fighting games.
Xiao Qin'er patiently said to him, "Mother knows you don't like it. But in this world, not everyone can do what they like. Although being a housekeeper may seem boring, it can prevent you from being deceived by others."
Liu Zheng had a bitter face.
Liu Mu laughed and said, "Brother is an idiot."
Liu Zheng bared his teeth at his sister, "I'm not stupid."
The two siblings started arguing about who was the fool.
This kind of thing happens all the time. Xiao Qin'er is too lazy to ask about it.
The sound of the abacus suddenly stopped.
The maid finished the accounts.
"Madam, I have eighty thousand taels of silver available at present."
Xiao Qin'er frowned, "Why is it only this little?"
She kept saying in front of Gu Jiu that she could only afford 70,000 or 80,000 taels to buy a house, which was naturally a humble statement.
At that time, she thought in her heart that one hundred thousand taels would definitely be no problem.
Don't show off your wealth. To put it simply, everyone does this.
However, she didn't expect that after counting the accounts, the money she could use was not as much as she thought.
She didn't believe it, so she looked through the account book and did the math herself with an abacus.
"Where did all the money go? Why is it just this little bit?"
After all the calculations, there was no major consumption.
Just some daily expenses.
I spent one hundred taels today to buy some small things.
I'll give my daughter a few hundred taels of silver tomorrow to buy her some jewelry.
I will buy Zheng'er a set of high-quality four treasures of the study the day after tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow, give the child 100 taels of pocket money.
Spend a little today, spend a little tomorrow, and the money is spent little by little.
I have to say, raising children is really expensive.
She didn't even spend that much money herself.
The royal grandson and his granddaughter's salary is small, but that little money is enough to buy a few sets of clothes and shoes for all seasons, support a few servants, and eat some delicious food.
Where real money is spent, parents have to pay for it themselves.
Xiao Qin'er sighed after flipping through the account book.
The maid was not wrong in her calculations. The money she could use was only about 80,000 taels.
The premise is that there is no room for extra money until you buy a house.
In other words, these eighty or twenty thousand dollars must not be used.
Otherwise, when you find a house you like and really need money, you may not be able to take out even 80,000 taels.
She beckoned Liu Zheng over and said, "Mom will buy you a house and we can move out of the palace, okay?"
Liu Zheng instantly became excited. "Let's go to Xinmin County to buy a house? Then my son can play with Yu Ge'er all the time."
Xiao Qin'er poked Liu Zheng's forehead fiercely, "Haven't you heard? After the New Year, Brother Yu will go to the palace to study. If he buys a house, it will definitely be in the capital."
Liu Zheng touched his head and said, "Oh, I didn't expect that Brother Yu couldn't escape the fate of studying in the palace. We are really brothers in distress."
Xiao Qin'er was speechless and waved her hand to send Liu Zheng away.
…
During the first month of the year, Emperor Wende was in a good mood, and the palace was also filled with joy.
Everyone was curious about what Emperor Wende and Huyang talked about on New Year's Eve.
Emperor Wende, who was clearly furious, suddenly became cheerful again.
Even Hu Yang, who had not been seen for a long time, had several banquets in a row during the first month of the year.
I can't guess what's going on.
We can only be thankful that Your Majesty is in a good mood and this year has been peaceful.
Xiao Qin'er found a sunny day and proposed to Liu Yi to buy a house.
"The palace is becoming increasingly crowded and chaotic. The children don't even have a place to play. I plan to follow my eldest sister-in-law's example and buy a house outside for the whole family to move in."
"Move out of the palace?" Liu Yi was surprised.
Xiao Qin'er glanced at him, "Do you really want to continue living in the palace? So many people squeezed under one roof, don't you mind?"
Liu Yi asked, "House prices in the capital aren't cheap right now. Do we have enough money to buy a house?"
"Haven't you saved any money in all these years?" Xiao Qin'er was suspicious.
Liu Yi spread his hands and said, "I have a large family to support, and you have squeezed out all the money I have. How can I afford to buy a house?"
When Xiao Qin'er heard this, she was furious.
"What do you mean by 'I've drained your money?' It's clearly those women you kept in your backyard, as well as your illegitimate sons and daughters, who have drained your money. On the contrary, Zheng Ge'er and his daughter have never used your money."
"They didn't use my money? Then who pays for their food, clothing, and other necessities?"
Liu Yi was dissatisfied with Xiao Qin'er saying that he was biased.
He is absolutely not partial.
Legitimate sons and daughters are obviously treated better than illegitimate sons and daughters.
Xiao Qin'er was dissatisfied with Liu Yi's attitude, so her attitude suddenly became tough.
"House prices in Beijing are getting higher and higher. I want to buy a house while I can still afford it. Just tell me how much you can offer."
Liu Yi frowned, "Do you really have to buy a house?"
"You can buy it and not live in it." Xiao Qin'er sneered.
Liu Yi bared his teeth, you bitch, you just know how to argue with him.
He thought for a moment and said, "Five thousand taels."
Go to hell!
He wanted to send her away for five thousand taels.
Xiao Qin'er said, "Do you know how much the apartment my sister-in-law bought in the city cost?"
"How much money can it possibly be worth? A house in that area would cost at most a hundred thousand."
Xiao Qin'er laughed sarcastically, "I spent 180,000 taels and almost didn't buy it."
"What?"
Liu Yi was terrified.
"Sister-in-law bought a new house two months ago. How much did you spend on it?"
Xiao Qin'er laughed. She was happy to see Liu Yi frightened.
She raised her voice and said loudly, "One hundred and eighty thousand taels. The subsequent reconstruction and decoration will cost another hundred thousand taels."
"Are you robbing me?" Liu Yi was furious. "When did the housing prices in the capital become so high? Do you want to let people live? I, a dignified prince, can't even afford the imperial city and the next house. How can others afford it?"
Xiao Qin'er scoffed, "There are so many wealthy people in the world, naturally someone can afford it. You're a prince, but you don't even have your own independent residence. Don't you think of a way? My sister-in-law and her family moved out long ago and live behind closed doors. How happy they are! Unlike us, we're squeezed under the same roof with so many brothers and sisters-in-law. This isn't a royal palace, it's clearly a large mansion."
Xiao Qin'er's words were full of disdain for the palace and Liu Yi.
When Liu Yi heard that Gu Jiu spent 180,000 taels to buy a house, he was overwhelmed.
Without his knowledge, the housing prices in Beijing have risen so rapidly. Isn't this pushing people to death?
He asked, "How much money do you plan to spend on the house?"
"I'm not as rich as my sister-in-law, so I don't expect to spend 180,000 taels to buy a house. But I still have to spend 100,000 or 80,000."
Liu Yi frowned, "I can only give you five thousand taels."
Xiao Qin'er sneered, "Give me at least 20,000 taels. Otherwise, you and your concubines and illegitimate children will continue to live in the palace, and I will live in the new house with the children."
"absurd!"
Xiao Qin'er refused to give in.
If you don’t have money, get out of here.
You want to live in my house without paying a penny? You’re dreaming.
Liu Yi gritted his teeth and said, "I'll think of a way."
After saying that, he ran away.
…
The more Liu Yi thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. As a prince, he lived such a miserable life.
Impulsively, Liu Yi ran to the palace to complain to Emperor Wende.
He cried and talked about how miserable he was.
Xiao Qin'er wanted to buy a house, but he, a prince, couldn't afford the money, so Xiao Qin'er kicked him out of the house and didn't allow him to live in the new house.
He wiped his tears and said, "Father, I am suffering! I don't ask for anything else, I just want a place to live, a place that can accommodate my family. Please grant me this."
Emperor Wende looked at his own son crying and felt very disgusted.
However, Liu Yi looked really pitiful with his sad expression.
Emperor Wende said sternly, "How can a prince like you go to the palace to cry and complain? You go back first. I have my own ideas."
Liu Yi was completely bewildered. He cried so miserably but didn't even get a tael of silver.
I felt more and more sad inside.
After sending Liu Yi away, Emperor Wende summoned the Shaofu Household Manager and the Shaoqing of the Zongzheng Temple.
"How many people are there in the palace now? Is it really too crowded to accommodate them? What's the situation with housing prices in the capital? I heard that housing prices have skyrocketed, and even the prince can't afford to buy a house."
Oh, it’s not easy.
After all these years, Your Majesty, you finally remembered that you have a group of sons living a miserable life in the palace.
Chen Chongwei, Shaoqing of the Zongzheng Temple, secretly complained about Emperor Wende.
After complaining, I still have to tell Emperor Wende honestly, how many people are there in the palace now?
Each prince has so many sons, daughters, and women...
A series of numbers were thrown out, making Emperor Wende dizzy.
He had moved from the prince's mansion to the imperial palace only about ten years ago, and he never expected that so many people would live in the prince's mansion. His son actually had so many women and had so many illegitimate sons and daughters.
No wonder the eldest brother and his wife refused to return to the palace.
No wonder the fourth son’s wife insisted on buying a house and moving out.
No wonder the second son’s wife and his wife appear to be in love but are not as close as before.
Emperor Wende rubbed his brows and asked, "Housekeeper, does the Shaofu have any vacant houses?"
The Minister of the Imperial Household bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there are some. However, they have not been inhabited for many years and are somewhat dilapidated. If we are to award the mansions to the princes, we must send people to repair them and redecorate them."
Emperor Wende asked directly, "How much will it cost?"
"According to the prince's regulations, to repair the houses and redecorate the decorations, each house will require at least 100,000 taels. In addition, the prince will establish a government office, and the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel must follow up. They must arrange officials for the princes, arrange..."
The Minister of the Imperial Household kept talking so much that Emperor Wende felt overwhelmed.
He waved his hand, interrupting the Shaofu Household Officer's words, "Let's not consider the issue of establishing a government for now. I have no intention of granting them titles."
"ah?"
The Shaofu Household Manager was obviously stunned.
"Your Majesty doesn't intend to grant a title, so, then, then he's just going to simply award a mansion? That's against the rules."
The Junior Secretary of the Zongzheng Temple also echoed: "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
Formal awarding the prince a mansion is of great significance and cannot be treated lightly.
Without a corresponding title, what standards should the Shaofu use to renovate his mansion?
Prince? Duke? Idle royal family?
The structure and size of houses are completely different for people of different identities and status.
As the saying goes, there is no order without rules. This kind of thing should never be taken lightly.
Your Majesty is simply messing around.
Emperor Wende was a little annoyed. "According to what you two ministers are saying, if I want to reward you with a mansion, I must also grant you a title?"
"That's just as it should be."
Emperor Wende thought for a moment and then asked bluntly, "Uncle, calculate for me how much it would cost to grant each of the eldest to the sixth son the title of Prince and a mansion? And how much more would be required annually thereafter?"
The Shaofu household official took out the small abacus he carried with him and started fiddling with it.
"From the eldest prince to the sixth prince, the titles of Duke, the Duke's wife, plus the renovation of the mansion, and the various expenses for establishing the palace, a total of two million taels will be needed. From now on, the court will have to pay nearly seven hundred thousand taels for the palace's expenses every year. As the next few princes grow up and are granted titles and mansions, the expenses will increase even more, and it will soon exceed one million taels."
Just raising a few sons and grandchildren costs this much money in a year.
Emperor Wende suddenly felt a pang of pain.
He waved his hand. "I'm thinking about this. My two beloved ministers, please do not reveal the content of today's conversation."
"Your humble servant obeys your order!"
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