After sending Zhou Kui away, Chongzhen went directly to Wenyuan Pavilion.
Lord Li is in poor health, and as the emperor, he cannot always order Li Banghua around.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. The capital has finally been defended! The bandits suffered heavy casualties and retreated to Juyongguan!" Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion, the ministers came forward to express their congratulations upon seeing the emperor arrive.
"It was you who worked together with the soldiers and civilians in the city to repel the bandits. You are all meritorious people!"
"It's all thanks to your majesty! We just did our part, it's not worth mentioning."
After a period of mutual commercial praise, Wenyuan Pavilion finally quieted down.
Everyone had a happy smile on their face.
Half a month ago, the bandits broke through Xuanfu and headed straight for the capital. Everyone was terrified at the time, thinking that the capital was in danger and had to move south.
Unexpectedly, with the joint efforts of the military and civilians, the capital city was as solid as a rock. It not only resisted the attack of the bandits, but even organized a counterattack to repel the bandits.
The psychological gap between the two made everyone feel inexplicably excited.
"You guys leave for now. I have something to say to Lord Li." Following Chongzhen's order, the rest of the people left tactfully.
In the blink of an eye, only the king and his minister were left in Wenyuan Pavilion.
"Lord Li, do you know why I want to see you?"
Li Banghua thought about it and shook his head slowly: "I know, but Your Majesty should not be anxious. Solving these problems will not be a matter of one day or one night."
What could the emperor want from him?
It is nothing more than solving the existing problems of the Ming Dynasty.
But these problems are more difficult than each other. Each one is important, but nothing can be rushed.
Chongzhen shook his head, "The problem I mentioned must be solved immediately."
Li Banghua was stunned and looked at Chongzhen in confusion: "Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
"Businessman's question!"
Li Banghua was even more puzzled: "Didn't your majesty kill all those merchants who betrayed the country? What else is wrong with merchants?"
"No! Merchants are just a symptom! The problem lies in the collusion between officials and businessmen. Officials have power, and businessmen have money. Officials use their power to make money, and businessmen use money to gain power, and finally turn power into money. With a 50% profit, they will take risks; with a 100% profit, they will dare to trample on the laws of the Ming Dynasty; with a profit of more than 100% or even more, they will dare to do anything at the risk of being beheaded."
"I want you to solve this problem."
When Li Banghua listened to Chongzhen's remarks, he was skeptical at first, then frowned, and finally his face was filled with shock.
He stared at Chongzhen with wide eyes: "May I ask where your Majesty's remarks came from?"
"Ahem...from a book called Das Kapital."
"Das Kapital?" Li Banghua was very knowledgeable and thought he had read as many books as the emperor. However, he searched his entire brain and could not find the book called Das Kapital.
"Your Majesty, could you please lend me the copy of Capital for me to read?"
"No hurry... No hurry, let me finish reading it first. The most urgent task is to solve the problem of collusion between officials and businessmen." Chongzhen quickly skipped the topic.
The entire book of Capital has 230,000 words, and he only remembered some fragments of it. Even if he wanted to write it down from memory, he didn't have the ability to do so.
Li Banghua squinted his eyes and thought for a long time, then shook his head helplessly.
Collusion between officials and businessmen...
Officials are not just officials, more often they are nobles and members of the royal family.
Even if Li Banghua could control the court and prevent officials from colluding with businessmen (impossible), he would not be able to control the nobles and royal family members.
There is no solution to this problem...
Chongzhen smiled faintly and said, "I do have a way, but I need your cooperation."
Li Banghua immediately became serious and bowed: "I am willing to sacrifice my life for you."
Chongzhen's smile deepened. "The method is actually very simple. Walk in other people's paths and leave them with no paths to walk."
ah?
Li Banghua was a smart man. He blinked uncontrollably and quickly understood the emperor's thoughts.
"Your Majesty, do you want me to do something that involves collusion between officials and businessmen?"
"Yes and no."
"I want you to use your power to organize some caravans and businesses, and then use these businesses to trade with bandits, Tatars, and Jian Nu. You dare to sell things that the court does not allow you to sell; and you sell things that the court allows you to sell at the lowest price."
"Of course, the purpose of doing this is ostensibly to seize the business of other companies; in fact, it is to allow the Jinyiwei to take the opportunity to infiltrate the enemy and conduct reconnaissance and subversion."
Li Banghua hesitated for a long time and asked doubtfully: "Does this have to be done by me?"
"certainly!"
"The bandits, Tatars, and Jian Nu will investigate the background of the companies when doing business. Once they find out that I and the nobles are the ones behind these companies, although the business can continue, the people in the companies will not be able to gain their trust."
"You are the chief minister of the cabinet, the head of the civil officials. You have the ability and qualifications to collude with merchants. When doing business with bandits, Tatars, and Jian Nu, it will not arouse suspicion. Only in this way can my Jinyiwei have a chance to gain the trust of the enemy and engage in rebellion and sabotage behind enemy lines."
So that's it...Li Banghua suddenly realized.
"I will do it right away."
"Well, the business of those traitorous merchants has been taken over by Jiading Earl Zhou Kui. If he asks you to do something, be flexible if you can. He is in the open, and you are in the dark. With him in the front, one, you can attract the attention of the Jiannu and the bandits; two, some things that are inconvenient for you can be handed over to him to do. Understand?"
"I understand." Li Banghua bowed.
As a veteran of three dynasties, Li Banghua, who is nearly 70 years old, understands this truth.
Why did Your Majesty let Zhou Kui do business?
On the surface, it was to promote his father-in-law, but in reality it was to let Zhou Kui suppress other businesses and pave the way for the debut of his own business.
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