New Minister of Revenue Xu Mingda
Chapter 44: New Minister of Revenue Xu Mingda
Xu Mingda walked calmly on the road leading to the Ministry of Revenue amid the seemingly casual sighs and gazes of the crowd. His teacher had already sent him a secret letter last night to inform him, so today in the Hongwu Hall, he calmly accepted this mission.
He personally posted notices at the yamen gate, accompanied by newly appointed officials from the Ministry of Revenue, encouraging cotton harvests and inviting seamstresses to come to the Ministry to receive work. His subordinates' faces were filled with grief, and even promotions couldn't soothe their current state of mind. He couldn't say anything more, only reassuring them that things would improve.
On the third day, even after leaving the yamen, the Ministry of Revenue was still deserted. No one came to buy or sell cotton, and no one came forward to collect work. But he waited for the person his teacher had mentioned.
Sitting in the private room of Jiangyue Tower, Xu Mingda still had the mind to carefully study the double-sided screen embroidered with the four seasons. The embroidery of this screen was excellent and it was probably worth no less than a thousand taels of silver.
Today, halfway home from the government office, he heard a knock on his carriage door, inviting him to Jiangyue Tower. The man led him into a private room and then disappeared. There was a pot of brewed tea on the table, and he slowly sipped it, halfway through.
It was not until the last ray of sunset fell outside the window that footsteps were heard on the stairs. Xu Mingda reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his sleeves and waited quietly.
The carved and jewel-inlaid door of the private room was gently pushed open, and the person who came in took the lead.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Master Xu. It's my fault. I beg your forgiveness."
"Your humble servant, Xu Mingda, has met the Third Prince. The Third Prince is so polite, I dare not."
"How can you do this? Why don't you refill Master Xu's tea?"
"Yes, I will go right away. Lord Xu, please forgive me for my poor care."
Xu Mingda felt uneasy when he saw the master and servant acting like this as soon as they entered the room.
"Nothing, I don't blame you, it's my fault that I didn't call anyone in to serve."
"Master Xu has forgiven you, why don't you go and do your work."
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
After the servants left the room and gently closed the door, the Third Prince, who was sitting in the main seat, seemed to be very interested in the jade ring on his hand. He turned it and admired it for the time it took to drink two cups of tea before speaking.
"How is Miss Wang these days? I heard she asked the servants to call a doctor. Is she feeling unwell?"
boom!
It was like a thunder exploding in his head!
How did the Third Prince know about Qianniang's affairs, so much so that he even knew that she was pregnant with his child!
Sun Zehao looked at Xu Mingda's face, which had instantly lost its color, with satisfaction, and picked up the Yuqian Longjing tea on the table and sipped it slowly.
Leisurely, he watched his face change from pale to a palette of colors, and finally to his initial calmness. It seemed that he had already figured it out. When dealing with smart people, he could save some words.
"What does the Third Prince need from me?"
"This prince will provide you with enough cotton and needlewomen to help you complete this mission. You only need to secure your position as Minister of Revenue. This prince is not interested in finding out about the Second Prince from you, and will not let you pass on information to embarrass you."
"good······"
"Okay, you go back first."
"Yes, I will take my leave."
Xu Mingda opened the door and saw the servant who was guarding the door. He smiled at him when he saw him come out. This smile was obviously very respectful, but in his eyes it was no less than an evil ghost demanding his life.
Once he boarded his carriage, the slight swaying of the carriage brought him back to his senses. He quickly devised a reasonable excuse to appease his wife at home. Besides, his teacher was also awaiting his reply, so he couldn't afford to lose his composure. Since the Third Prince had no other instructions, he would proceed according to his teacher's previous plan.
The next day when Xu Mingda went to the yamen, he had just sat down on the chair when a clerk came running to report that a wealthy businessman wanted to see him outside the yamen!
The Third Prince is indeed very efficient in his work...
Xu Mingda ordered the clerk to welcome the person into the side hall, and he stood up and walked towards the side hall.
"I, Zhang Mao, greet Lord Xu."
"Please stand up quickly." Xu Mingda couldn't stand his kneeling, so he stepped forward and supported Zhang Mao to hold him back from kneeling.
"Thank you, sir. I have some cotton in stock and would like to trade with you." Zhang Mao went straight to the point.
"Okay, okay, the Ministry of Revenue will take whatever you have, according to the current winter market price."
Zhang Mao, satisfied that Lord Xu was so understanding, nodded in agreement. They signed the contract that day, and he sent someone to deliver all the cotton the next day.
Just after the afternoon break, the clerk rushed to report that five owners of clothing shops came to see him.
Xu Mingda was still wondering how the Third Prince would send so many seamstresses to the Ministry of Revenue, but the answer was immediately revealed. It turned out that the five clothing shops had already found seamstresses from various places, signed contracts with them, paid them deposits in advance, and were just waiting to start making clothes.
It must be said that the Third Prince's move was indeed a safe one.
Xu Mingda immediately directed the Ministry of Revenue to take action. Many officials without connections or knowledge of the situation praised him for his ability to find a solution so quickly. This large-scale dismissal of officials from the Ministry of Revenue left behind those who had no connections and were not easily bribed. The vacancies filled later were the pawns of each faction.
This did have its advantages. The officials who were appointed later did not hold the same official positions as the previous group of people, so his decrees were executed very efficiently. This was the first time he felt that he could handle official affairs so easily.
At the last minute, 200,000 cotton-padded clothes were delivered. The emperor looked at the newly appointed Minister of Revenue and nodded with satisfaction. He ordered Wei Zeng to travel to the northern border to deliver the cotton-padded clothes to the Prince of Zhenbei. Well, the official who had previously been responsible for escorting the cotton-padded clothes was also dismissed by the emperor.
Wei Zeng felt miserable and had no choice but to obey the order and run to the northern border in the first month of the year when it was still snowing from time to time. He hoped that the King of Zhenbei would give him a good face when he saw him this time.
On the other hand, ever since the eldest prince was punished by the emperor to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors, the palace has been in chaos.
First, Zhao Yan'er took advantage of her grandfather's power and sold off several restless concubines in the inner courtyard. She also drove out and sold Cui Liu, the eldest prince's bed-warming maid. After venting her anger for a long time, she felt much better when she saw the empty backyard.
When the eldest prince returned home, he saw that so many beauties he had redeemed at great prices were missing. He had a big quarrel with the eldest prince's wife, but he didn't do anything too extreme, so he could only hold his anger.
This is the best result that my grandfather can get. If my grandfather had not told him not to hide in front of the emperor no matter what he did and if he had not abused himself, the emperor would not have let him go so easily.
The emperor said that no one was allowed to enter or leave the eldest prince's mansion, but he did not say that letters were not allowed to be delivered. If he quarreled too much with the eldest prince's wife and she sent a letter home, his grandfather would probably scold him.
The eldest prince was walking aimlessly in the inner courtyard. He looked up and saw Yicui Courtyard. He thought of the beauty he had favored in his second brother's house before, and stepped into the courtyard.
The gatekeeper saw the eldest prince whom he had not seen for a long time and happily announced loudly: "The eldest prince is well!"
"Greetings to the master." Upon hearing the voice, the maids in the yard quickly put down their work and paid their respects to the eldest prince.
Qianqian stood at the door and greeted the eldest prince with a gentle gesture. Before she could squat down, she was hugged by the eldest prince.
In the prince's backyard, it is no exaggeration to say that there is a world of difference between those who are favored and those who are not. She doesn't care what happens in the future, but at least she wants to make life better for these servants who truly follow her.
Afterwards, Qianqian chatted quietly with the eldest prince. When she heard the eldest prince complaining that the eldest prince's wife was domineering and intolerant, she put her arms around his neck and shook her head gently.
"What? You want to speak for her?" The eldest prince glanced at Qianqian, but did not forcefully pull down her arm.
"I just think that the eldest prince's wife is not that scary. She treats everyone equally. Everyone has the same monthly allowance, and she never asks the concubines in the inner courtyard to come to her morning and evening visits or serve tea and water. As long as they stay in the courtyard quietly, the eldest prince's wife will never make things difficult for them." Qianqian spoke frankly. The eldest prince's mansion was much more comfortable than the second prince's.
"Hmph, you're a kindhearted person." The eldest prince had never heard a single word of praise from his favored concubines, but hearing these words today, he felt a sense of pride. He said his cousin, whom he had worked so hard to marry, wasn't that bad. Back then, she was a famous lady from a noble family in Fengjing, and the families seeking her hand in marriage lined up from the west gate to the east gate!
The next day, the eldest prince appeared in the main courtyard, and the eldest prince's wife was so excited that she ran out to look up at the sun to see if it was rising from the west. This action made the eldest prince furious. Why was he so unwelcome by his cousin now?
The eldest prince, who had spent the whole day in the main courtyard, saw that the eldest prince's wife started to deal with various matters in the mansion with the nanny after breakfast. It was already noon when all the matters were reported back from various places and handled. After lunch, she started to work non-stop, first checking the accounts in the recent month, and then continued to check the previous accounts in the mansion. She was never idle throughout the day.
He didn't know when he developed some prejudice against her. When they first got married, they were a young couple and had a good time. The eldest prince lay on the couch and reflected on himself.
The next day, the eldest prince's wife sent several pieces of new cloth to Yicuiyuan and replaced the charcoal fire in the yard with silver charcoal.
The servants of Yicui Courtyard were delighted to see their master accept the reward from the eldest prince's wife. Qianqian asked the servants in the courtyard to light the newly delivered good charcoal in the ear room so that they could come into the house to warm up when they felt cold while working outside. The servants no longer had to cry because of the smoke.
People from other courtyards heard the news and rushed out. Within a few days, they had the eldest prince confused again, and his previous reflections were in vain.
Fortunately, the eldest princess was already used to this, and didn't make a big fuss. She just thought that day was a once-in-a-millennium moment of conscience. The rest of the people in the backyard were just making small noises, so she let them be. She didn't even bother to care.
However, even the eldest prince's wife hadn't expected that in just one night, she would become pregnant with the child she had always longed for. She had always been in good health, but her period was three days late, and only then, at the reminder of her nanny, did she call the court physician to take her pulse.
"Congratulations, Princess Consort. You are pregnant. Your pulse is strong and powerful. Everything is fine." The court physician was specially sent by the emperor. He stayed in the palace for many years and finally waited for the birth of the eldest prince's legitimate son.
"Thank you very much. I'll need your help in the future. Mammy, get a magic bag for Doctor Miao."
"Yes, master." Nanny Zhang happily took out a brocade bag with the finest embroidery from a box that had been prepared long ago and stuffed it into Doctor Miao's hand.
Doctor Miao, gripping the light, fluttering brocade pouch, knew it contained a considerable amount. "Your Highness, your wife is too polite. This is my responsibility, so please rest assured."
"I have written down all the other things you need to pay attention to on this piece of paper. Please read it carefully and ask the maids and servants around you to memorize it. This way you will have a smooth delivery." Doctor Miao dried the whole page of notes and handed it to Nanny Zhang.
"Okay, I'll listen to Doctor Miao."
"Then you take a rest. I will take my leave first."
"Thank you, Madam. Please take Doctor Miao with you."
"Yes, master." Nanny Zhang led Doctor Miao out of the courtyard. During the process, she asked some additional questions and returned to the main courtyard with a smile on her face.
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