Chapter 65
Xu Pingchuan has been slamming his fist on the table and cursing Feng Yinshou every day lately, more punctually than he is with his three meals a day.
This is because it is the time of year-end accounting and auditing. The emperor will seal the seal before New Year's Eve, and officials will be given a seven-day holiday. They will not return to work until the eighth day of the first lunar month. Then the emperor will hold a ceremony to worship his ancestors and open the seal. In February, it will be His Majesty's birthday. In March, there will be the imperial examinations. You can imagine how busy the court will be in the first quarter.
Therefore, in order to operate better, each department would submit its budget for the following year to the Ministry of Revenue at the end of the year. If, unfortunately, the approval process could not be completed before the emperor sealed it, then the process would have to be restarted in April of the following year. You should know that the Ministry of War's reimbursement process was to first submit it to the Ministry of Revenue, and after the Ministry of Revenue approved it, it would be submitted to the Grand Secretariat. After the Grand Secretariat confirmed that there were no problems, it would be submitted to the emperor. After the emperor affixed his seal, the Grand Secretariat would issue it to the Ministry of Revenue. After the Ministry of Revenue reviewed and approved it, the granaries would be opened to release money and grain.
Not to mention how long this process will take, the key issue is that Xu Pingchuan is currently stuck at the first step. The Ministry of Revenue rejected his budget application in its initial review, demanding a further 30% reduction in expenses.
Xu Pingchuan wasn't afraid of Qian Chuan's withholding of grain and fodder. Feng Yinshou, on the other hand, was quite conscientious in this regard, approving grain and military pay readily. Since he took office, the transport of grain and fodder to the border had never been delayed or shortchanged. Of course, this was probably also related to the emperor's emphasis on this matter. Leaving aside the chaos within the Ministry of Revenue, they still valued their lives and wouldn't be so reckless as to challenge the emperor's bottom line and incur the punishment of having their entire family executed.
The Ministry of Revenue is mainly blocking the expenses for military horse training and some equipment, especially the former. Feng Yinshou believes that Xu Pingchuan is fully capable of adjusting the structure of the entire army or coming up with a new, cost-effective training method. He is stubbornly insisting on reducing expenses by 30% and will not budge. This morning at the court session, he even "preemptively accused" the emperor by submitting a memorial to him.
Xue Jin'an knew that Cui Zui planned to meet Xu Pingchuan today to carry out the plan. He heard Fu Lu and Ling Zhi talking about it as soon as he got up. Xue Jin'an was not worried about whether the plan could be completed. As long as Xu Pingchuan was in his right mind, he would not let this opportunity pass.
Hmm... it's possible that Xu Pingchuan's normally normal mind will be driven crazy by Feng Yinshou.
Xue Jin'an still opened the morning court live broadcast room, intending to see how Xu Pingchuan was in a mood, and then he happened to witness the whole process of Feng Yinshou "the wicked accusing the guilty first".
Xu Pingchuan almost smacked Feng Yinshou on the head with the tablet in his hand, stepping forward to retort: "The structure of each army's branches has its own rationale, and their training methods are mostly different, each with its own emphasis depending on the enemy. You can't expect the cavalry and the navy to do the same training, can you?"
Feng Yinshou did not refute, and calmly put his hands in his pockets, saying, "If it can't be changed, we won't force it, but it's always good to learn from the strengths of other armies, such as the Northwest Army."
The amount reported by the Northwest Army for military horse training expenses was always the lowest every year.
Xu Pingchuan was almost laughing in exasperation. "That's because the Rong and Di tribes frequently raid our borders!"
"The Japanese pirates also frequently rob and kill fishing boats, so why is the training cost of the navy higher instead of lower?" Feng Yinshou seized on a point and used it to expand on the importance of this army. Not to mention the border armies such as the Northwest Army and the navy, which are often involved in wars, should the Southwest Army, the Southeast Army, and even the Imperial Guards that protect the capital need to be optimized and adjusted?
Although Feng Yinshou also mentioned other armies, he mainly targeted the Imperial Guard, which was essentially aimed at all the noble families who had put people in there. Naturally, this aroused their dissatisfaction. However, Feng Yinshou deliberately shifted the blame to Xu Pingchuan.
He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said earnestly, "Lord Xu, I am not trying to make things difficult for you, but the Ministry of Revenue does indeed have limited funds and supplies. Military expenses must be reduced by 30%. As for where exactly to reduce them... that is entirely up to you, Lord Xu."
[It's still because the emperor is incompetent and failed to develop the economy, which is why the people below are so stingy.] Xue Jin'an knows how to attribute causes.
What he said wasn't wrong. The economic base determines the superstructure, and there's an old saying that when the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame. This means that only those who are well-fed, clothed, and clothed will understand etiquette and honor and shame. In this context, it also means that only when the national treasury is full can the Minister of Revenue be generous.
If Feng Yinshou could hear Xue Jin'an's words, he wouldn't dare to nod in agreement, but he would definitely say with tears in his eyes, "You understand me!"
However, these words were interpreted by the emperor as encouragement and spurs, and his way of dealing with such encouragement was to put pressure on Feng Yin Shou.
Feng Aiqing's performance as Minister of Revenue is not perfect. Simply cutting expenditures is not enough; we must also increase revenue. — This is what he thought to himself.
Feng Yinshou shivered inexplicably, his scalp tingling slightly, with a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. He looked around and finally assumed that Xu Pingchuan had lost his temper and was planning to beat him up when he got the chance.
Feng Yinshou still cared about his health. As soon as Li Hechun finished singing "Retreat from Court," he couldn't wait to leave, wanting to get into the carriage and go home as soon as possible.
Xu Pingchuan failed to secure military funds and also suffered a loss of morale, a double blow. He couldn't retaliate by hitting or scolding Feng Yin, so he had nowhere to vent his anger. Finally, when he left the palace after court, he saw Feng Yin getting into his carriage and went straight up to him and took off one of the wheels.
Feng Yinshou, who was getting into the carriage: "??"
"My lord!!" Seeing that their master was about to fall, the servants of the Feng family rushed forward in a hurry, some grabbing people, others taking them down with them.
Having just switched to the live stream, Xue Jin'an saw the camera spin rapidly, then his body, which had fallen and completely blocked his view, appeared: "...?"
Xue Jin'an immediately switched the perspective again to see what was happening in the scene. He saw Feng Yinshou being helped up from the ground by several people. Looking at the servants of the Feng family gathered around, he didn't know who the owner of this live broadcast room was or who had bribed him.
Xue Jin'an didn't dwell on the answer. He originally came to see Xu Pingchuan, and at the same time, he was assessing Cui Zui's success rate in completing the mission. He switched between the live streams several times, and finally switched directly to Cui Zui.
Xu Pingchuan returned home in a huff, and was cursing Feng Yinshou when a servant came to report that a strange young man had delivered a letter outside. Xu Pingchuan originally did not want to see him, but was reminded that the person who delivered the letter claimed to be the grandson of Cui Zai, Cui Pengfei.
"That top scholar from Jiangnan Prefecture? What's he doing here?" Xu Pingchuan thought it was Cui Zhuo who had come, and looked puzzled.
It's no wonder Xu Pingchuan misunderstood.
Since ancient times, civil and military officials have been mutually disdainful of each other. Although military officers who can stand in the imperial palace are certainly not uneducated and uncultured, their promotion is indeed based on merit rather than on the civil service examination.
Civil officials typically spend ten years studying for a position before entering officialdom. After serving in the Hanlin Academy for three to five years, they are inevitably transferred to other posts. Then, they are promoted step by step back to the capital, which takes at least ten years. By the time they reach the third rank, they are already over forty years old, and in reality, they are even older, with fifty or sixty years old not being uncommon. The youngest second-rank official in the court is Chu Wenjing. He served as the Prefect of the Capital for a long time and had the merit of saving the daughter of the Princess, which allowed him to take office by sheer luck. Even Chu Wenjing, the youngest Minister of Justice, is not far from forty years old.
Military officers are different. Most of them joined the army at a young age, and a thirty-year-old general can have fifteen years of experience in killing enemies. There is no problem with insufficient qualifications. As long as they have enough merit and there are quotas available, it is not difficult for them to return to the capital.
Therefore, judging from their age and appearance, the military officials in the court were all energetic and vigorous, while the civil officials were all old and frail.
It's not hard to understand why civil and military officials couldn't stand each other and couldn't get along.
As the retired top scholar, Cui Pengfei brought Cui Zui to visit an old friend's banquet, which was naturally attended by scholars. He had no interaction with Xu Pingchuan. Even though he knew that Cui Zai had two grandsons in the capital, when he mentioned this name, he would first think of the more famous Cui Zhuo, the top scholar of Jiangnan Prefecture.
The candidates who will participate in the imperial examination next March have been in the capital for quite some time now, and there is a constant stream of visitors to the gates of various civil officials. Even if someone is just a minor editor in the Hanlin Academy, there are plenty of people trying to get close to him. This is truly the first person to come to the residence of the Minister of War.
Xu Pingchuan still didn't want to see him, but he was somewhat interested in the visiting card from Cui Zai's grandson. When he opened it, he didn't notice that the name of the person who visited was Cui Zui, but he immediately saw the reason for the visit written on it: it was to resolve the issue of military expenses!
Xu Pingchuan was desperate and grasped at straws. He didn't care whether it was true or false and immediately told the steward to bring the person in.
The steward was taken aback by his master's attitude, thinking that some important guest had arrived. He immediately ran over and respectfully invited the person inside.
Things progressed as smoothly as Xue Jin'an's plan had described. Xu Pingchuan was naturally very interested when he heard Cui Zui talk about playing PUBG with real people. He could see that it was a way to train soldiers, and he could also see that it could make money.
Xu Pingchuan immediately realized that this was a good time to curry favor with Feng Yinshou. Without Cui Zui even having to bring it up, he directly sent his steward to Feng's residence to invite people.
【Hmm, not bad, 6 points.】 Xue Jin'an gave Cui Zui a score of 6 out of 10 mainly because it wasn't too difficult to persuade Xu Pingchuan.
Cui Zui recalled the image of his master praising him with an expressionless face. He touched his slightly burning ears and inwardly cursed himself for imagining his master's praise. However, despite his cursing, he also felt genuinely overjoyed.
*
When the steward arrived at the Feng residence, Feng Yinshou was rolling an egg on his forehead. His wife and several children, having heard about his injury, stood around him anxiously, saying they wanted to call a doctor.
"Why call a doctor? It's just a minor injury, there's no wound at all. Just rub the bruises away and it'll be fine." Feng Yinshou had some bruises on his forehead and arms, which he had bumped into while getting on the carriage as Xu Pingchuan was unloading the carriage wheels.
Upon hearing that the Xu family had sent someone over, everyone except Feng Yinshou assumed that it was Xu Pingchuan who had come to apologize.
Before Feng Yinshou could react, his youngest son, Feng Shi, jumped up from his chair and sneered indignantly, "I want to see what this Lord Xu has to say about injuring someone in broad daylight!"
"Sit down!" Feng Yinshou slowly straightened his sleeves, his tone flat and revealing no emotion. "What right do you, a commoner, have to question an official of the court? Are you the Crown Prince's study companion?"
Feng Shi, who didn't even have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), blushed, but stubbornly refused to back down: "So what if that's the case? Don't I have the right to inquire about this matter?"
“That’s right! As for what happened today, not only you, but even the Crown Prince wouldn’t have the right to interfere.” Feng Yinshou straightened his clothes and stood up. Then he turned to look at his young son. His clear eyes reflected the boy’s still immature face, as if he could see through the boy’s burgeoning ambitions. “You are no different from before. Even if Qian Dezhong beats you up again, you will still not be punished.”
When the Third Prince first entered the Imperial Study, he had a conflict with the First Prince and was beaten by the First Prince. The next day, the Third Prince's uncle, Qian Dezhong, entered the palace and beat up the First Prince and his study companion. Afterwards, he was naturally impeached by the Censorate, but he was only fined half a year's salary and suspended from his post for ten days. Afterwards, he was still the commander of the Weihu Battalion of the Southwest Army and did not suffer any substantial damage.
This incident had a significant impact on Feng Shi, and it was only after that that Feng Shi accepted his role as a study companion and truly became close to the eldest prince.
Feng Yinshou had three sons, and he knew their thoughts and ideas very well.
The eldest son is dull and slow to understand things, but he is honest and obedient; the second son is mild-mannered and simple-minded, but he is kind-hearted and has a good appearance; while the youngest son is smart and has an outstanding talent for math, but his shortcomings are that he is young and impetuous and his temperament is unstable.
Although Feng Yinshou did not think highly of the eldest prince, he knew that ever since his youngest son, Feng Shi, was assigned to be the eldest prince's study companion, the Feng family had become the eldest prince's natural supporters. When the eldest prince was ready to enter the Six Ministries for formal training next year or the year after, his first choice would inevitably be the Ministry of Revenue.
It's true that Feng Yinshou wants to step down, but it would be a lie to say that he has no desire for power. You can tell from the fact that he allows Feng Shi to get close to the eldest prince.
It was precisely because he had his own ideas that Feng Yinshou reprimanded Feng Shi in this way.
Feng Yinshou said clearly, "Feng Shi, don't forget your place."
Feng Yinshou personally went to see the steward of the Xu family. He had been a corrupt official for so many years, and he had managed to embezzle the funds of all the officials in the court. Even now, people only made things difficult for him and reported him to the authorities. They did not remove him from his position as Minister of Revenue. This was not only because he was indeed very capable, but also because of his official and impartial temperament.
Affairs in the court do not affect private relationships. When Feng Yin was acting as a shrew, he was completely unyielding, but in private, he was a very calm and gentle person who would not be bossy towards his servants.
Feng Yinshou and Xu Pingchuan had served in the same court for ten years, and Feng Yinshou knew Xu Pingchuan's character well. He knew that Xu Pingchuan would never come to apologize to him, and that Xu Pingchuan was more likely to have some important business to discuss with him at his residence.
When he first heard that Cui Zai's grandson had gone to the Xu residence, he also thought it was Cui Zhuo. But when he saw the person, he immediately recognized him: "You are Cui Zui."
Xu Pingchuan, who had been chatting with the man hand-in-hand for almost half an hour before learning his real name, exclaimed, "Huh?"
"This humble subject, Cui Zui, pays his respects to Lord Xu and Lord Feng." Cui Zui rose and bowed respectfully to the two men.
"Ahem, don't be so polite." Xu Pingchuan coughed, keeping a straight face so that Feng Yinshou wouldn't notice anything amiss and make fun of him. He quickly said, "Sit down, sit down, let's continue talking about what happened earlier."
Feng Yinshou kept his hands in his pockets and didn't expose him, just watched with a half-smile as he tried to cover it up.
Although Feng Yinshou seemed more gentle and approachable, Cui Zui was on high alert. Sure enough, after listening to the entire store opening plan, Feng Yinshou lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. His first words were to accurately pinpoint the amount of capital required to open the store, and then he reduced the cost by 30% in just a few words.
Then, offering a carrot and a stick, he gave the addresses of two estates in the suburbs of Beijing: “These were originally estates of Ningguo Prefecture. The land is not very fertile, but it is large and has a natural lake with flowing water inside, and is backed by mountains… The Ministry of Works just happened to be opening a new workshop, and the Minister of Works took a fancy to these two places and wanted to go there. However, I think they are also suitable for opening this shop.”
As Feng Yinshou spoke, he also gave the area of those two estates, which were indeed as large as three or four other people's estates. Most importantly, they had mountains and water, which would make it much easier to modify the terrain for combat.
Xu Pingchuan was getting a little envious, but he still remembered that the shop could be considered a training ground, so he held back from saying anything arrogant to Feng Yinshou.
Even without the 30% profit margin, it would still go to these two estates. Xue Jin'an hit the nail on the head.
Since Feng Yinshou wants to invest, he will naturally do his best. It's not that he pursues perfection, but that he wants to make money.
When Cui Zui heard the voice that sounded exactly like his master's suddenly in his mind, his initial excitement immediately subsided. He didn't think there was anything wrong with the voice; he just subconsciously thought about how his teacher would speak and act in such a situation.
Cui Zui's hand touched the stack of manuscripts written by his master in his sleeve. Recalling the numbers his master had written on them, he became even more determined: "The funds can only be more, not less."
"Ha!" This was the first time Xu Pingchuan had seen such a tough kid, and his eyes immediately lit up with the excitement of watching a show.
Feng Yinshou sat up straight, and the two began to bargain.
Cui Zui's palms, gripping the paper, grew increasingly sweaty, but his mind became calmer and his expression lessened. He nodded in agreement with what Feng Yinshou said, and then said, "The money can't be less."
After this happened twice, Feng Yinshou fell silent.
[How strange] Feng Yinshou shouldn't be someone who gives up so easily.
Xue Jin'an glanced at Feng Yinshou as he thought about it.
Cui Zui was also struck by a thought, but couldn't quite figure out what was strange about it.
Just when Xu Pingchuan thought the cooperation was going to fall through, Feng Yinshou actually nodded, "Alright, I will not only give you the full amount of money, but also raise it by 10%."
Xu Pingchuan gasped, his gaze toward Feng Yinshou seeming to say: Have you finally gone mad after all these years?
Then Feng Yinshou said the next thing: "We split the profits 60/40, I get 60% and you get 40%."
When he said "we" he was referring to, he meant the Ministry of War. As for how they would distribute the spoils internally, that was something Feng Yinshou and Xu Pingchuan would discuss privately later.
Cui Zui frowned. His bottom line was 60% of the profits. This shop was an asset he had acquired for his master, and he couldn't allow anyone to surpass his master. But Feng Yinshou had already conceded to this extent, so insisting any further would be somewhat ungrateful.
Cui Zui gripped the paper in his sleeve, feeling conflicted and wavering. He thought, "If my master can find a new path out of a predicament, I certainly can too."
He looked at Feng Yinshou, who was so calm and composed, and whose attitude towards him was almost too kind. It made him realize how petty and suspicious he had been of Feng Yinshou before, who had thought that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had colluded to kick him out. Wait a minute, he seemed to know what was wrong with Feng Yinshou!
A sudden inspiration struck Cui Zui.
As a high-ranking official, no matter how good-tempered Feng Yinshou was, he shouldn't have compromised and made so many concessions to him. After thinking it over, there was only one reason: Feng Yinshou guessed that there was someone behind him, and he definitely didn't guess that it was his grandfather Cui Pengfei.
After all, no matter how respected Cui Pengfei was, he was no longer in the center of power, so Feng Yinshou didn't need to give him so much face.
It's intriguing to wonder who Feng Yinshou is guessing, but no matter who it is, Cui Zui won't let this opportunity slip by.
He's a disciple personally taught by his master; he'll definitely succeed.
Xue Jin'an, the mentor, stated that he had derived the answer from the data and also predicted the reactions of the three individuals.
Cui Zui licked his lips, composed himself, and subconsciously adopted his master's usual expressionless face. He held up his palm and said in an unquestionable tone, "541."
“You take four, I take one, and I’ll take full control of the shop’s operations. You can supervise and audit the accounts at any time, and I welcome that.” Cui Zui suppressed all his mixed emotions and stared calmly at Feng Yinshou. “What do you two think?”
Xu Pingchuan and Feng Yinshou exchanged a glance. Neither of them could have misunderstood, nor did they believe that the separate, unexplained five percent of the profit was reserved for them. It was precisely this unexplained five percent that made the two of them fall silent for a moment.
Cui Zui immediately knew he had made the right bet. He lowered his eyes to suppress the joy surging within them, and with a forced smile, he took out the prepared notebook and the new accounting method.
"Lord Feng, you might as well take a look at this first before making a decision." Cui Zui handed over the item.
This prop, which originally carried a threatening and intimidating connotation, now served the purpose of proving identity. Cui Zui had already vaguely guessed who Feng Yinshou was referring to as the person behind it all.
He observed Feng Yinshou's expression discreetly. Sure enough, when he flipped through the book of questions, his face showed more admiration for the genius, but when he saw the new accounting method at the end, his expression became much more obscure.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Cui Zui picked up his teacup and gently scraped the surface of the water with the lid, saying casually, "Your Highness will probably be joining the Ministry of Revenue next year, right?"
Feng Yinshou's previously hesitant mind was completely settled after these words. He knew that regardless of whether Cui Zui was actually backed by the emperor, from this moment on, he had to firmly establish that he was.
Of course, Feng Yinshou was already inclined to believe this possibility. He even went so far as to think that the Ten-Complete Prince was someone the emperor had placed in the Ministry of Revenue. The emperor intended to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue and implement a new accounting method, which would probably be next year or the year after, which would coincide with the time when the eldest prince entered the Six Ministries.
This is an opportunity for the Crown Prince. If he can seize it, the Ministry of Revenue will become his stronghold, and it might even become a stepping stone for him, Feng Yinshou, to enter the cabinet.
[9 points] Xue Jin'an once again gave his cheap apprentice a score. Cui Zui's mention of the eldest prince was a stroke of genius, forcing Feng Yinshou to make a choice.
Xue Jin'an didn't mind being mistaken for the emperor. Anyway, he was going to sit on the dragon throne sooner or later, so he just considered it a loan.
It seemed Cui Zui's brain was working even better after the fever. Xue Jin'an seemed thoughtful, and also somewhat eager to try.
The fourth prince, who was doing his homework in the study, suddenly shuddered. He touched his forehead, still feeling quite shaken.
Feng Yinshou closed the book in his hand and sincerely praised, "Young Master Shiquan is truly intelligent." This person is very well hidden in the Ministry of Revenue and knows all kinds of account books in detail. The fact that he was not tricked out of him that day shows that he is also very good-natured... Young Master Shiquan, Shiquan, is indeed a fitting name.
Feng Yinshou sighed, "I am not as good as him."
Afterwards, they carefully discussed the details of the contract and finally decided that Cui Zui would take 10%, the Ministry of Revenue, which contributed both land and labor, would take 25%, and the Ministry of War would take 0.5%. Speaking of this 0.5%, Xu Pingchuan was not very happy and even tried to use Cui Zui's unwavering determination to intimidate Feng Yin Shou.
However, Feng Yinshou tucked his hand into his pocket, and his true nature as a mythical creature was revealed: "Perfect, we don't need to give him the half-cent."
"Hey, hey, hey, are you going to discard me after I've served my purpose?" Xu Pingchuan started slamming his fist on the table.
“This has nothing to do with you anyway.” Feng Yinshou took a sip of tea and delivered the blow slowly, “Your military budget still needs to be cut by 30%.”
Xu Pingchuan could no longer sit still. He felt like he had worked for nothing all day and angrily said, "Why? You, surnamed Feng, really think I wouldn't dare to beat you to death?"
Feng Yinshou, however, had his own explanation: "Does this real-life PUBG training serve as a training tool? A soldier's energy is limited. If they train here, they'll naturally train less in the barracks, right? And the barracks... right? In that case, is there a problem with me cutting military spending by 30%?"
"..." Xu Pingchuan was unconsciously drawn into his trap, but after fighting with Feng Yinshou for so many years, he knew that no matter whether what he said made sense or not, he could not agree with his point of view. "Don't talk to me about this nonsense. I only have one thing to say: military spending cannot be cut!"
“This may seem like a reduction, but it’s actually an increase. The increase is in this half-percent profit margin.” Feng Yinshou explained to him how much profit the shop could generate. Then he added, “Your Ministry of War is also considered the shop owner with this half-percent profit. How about this, we’ll take a loss. From now on, any soldier who shows their identification will only be charged 90%... 80% of their purchases at the shop. How about that?”
Xu Pingchuan was persuaded.
[I've learned something new; this skill has been added to the deluxe package of human language art.] Indeed, the art of human language is profound and extensive; there's no way to learn it all.
Xue Jin'an entered the skills into the memo.
As for the remaining 10% of the profits, Cui Zui might not understand it yet, but Xue Jin'an had already guessed it: Feng Yinshou was planning to share the risks with the workers.
Firstly, the Ministry of Works was in charge of construction. If they were involved, a lot of costs could be saved. Moreover, the Ministry of Works had its own foundries and various shops. For example, all the shops in the country that could openly forge iron belonged to the Ministry of Works. Therefore, although this department seemed insignificant at first glance, it was actually very wealthy.
Secondly, Feng Yinshou was still somewhat uneasy, and he also had the same thought that Cui Zui had before: what if the emperor used the Ministry of Revenue and then threw it away? As for the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War was originally a customer of the shop, and unless Xu Pingchuan committed a crime and was dismissed and investigated, it was really not easy for the interests of the Ministry of War to be monopolized.
Thus, Feng Yinshou decided to drag the Ministry of Works into the matter as well. He was not afraid that the Minister of Works would disagree. He could control Xu Pingchuan, so he naturally had a way to control the Minister of Works as well.
However, although Cui Zui did not understand, he had no intention of investigating. In his view, he was cooperating with the imperial court. In any case, the contract would stipulate that he would receive 60% of the profits and have the right to operate the business, while the imperial court would receive 40%. As for how the imperial court would distribute the profits, that was not within his consideration.
All three parties are decisive individuals. Since they had decided to cooperate, they wanted to discuss and sign a contract directly. Xu Pingchuan personally provided the pen and ink, and Feng Yinshou wrote the contract word by word.
There were four copies of the contract. After confirming that everything was correct, the three parties stamped and signed each other's seals. The extra copy was personally sent by Cui Zui to the Prefect of the Capital for filing. In addition to this contract, Cui Zui also wrote a new contract on the spot to explain the transfer of benefits. He clearly stated in black and white that 50% of the benefits would be unconditionally transferred to His Highness the Seventh Prince.
Upon seeing the official seals of the two second-rank officials, the clerk of the Prefect of the Capital dared not slack off and completed all the formalities in less than a quarter of an hour.
He naturally also noticed that the newly drafted contract by Cui Zui listed the transferee of the benefits as: "The seventh son of the Xue family in the capital, with eyes like peach blossoms and a beautiful appearance, his mother is Zhou from Dianzhou, and he is seven years old..."
The clerk, seeing that the boy was only seven years old, assumed he was a junior member of Cui Zui's family and inwardly marveled at how fortunate this Seventh Young Master Xue had been born into such a privileged family.
Many years later, a new emperor changed dynasties and ascended the throne. The once-famous "Nine Plus One" business suddenly became a royal merchant and a royal property. The business owner, Mr. Cui, was also promoted to a high-ranking official and became a general. Only then did the clerk who was writing contracts in the capital realize that this Mr. Xue was actually the new emperor, Xue Jin'an!
As for the two ministers who were also tricked, they were shameless enough to say with pride: "A seven-year-old can trick people, no wonder it is His Majesty."
Cui Zui was busy again, rushing in and out of the palace for several days. However, Lingzhi and Fulu could see that he always had a smile on his face, and the faint melancholy between his brows and eyes was completely gone.
They were genuinely happy for Cui Zui and looked at their master/prince with eager anticipation, impatient to become the next person he would appoint to a high position.
Meanwhile, Xue Jin'an, the leader they were watching, was currently engrossed in a fitness app, directing the Northwest Army to pursue and intercept Helian Cheng and Doctor Chang.
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