"Master Zheng, don't forget." Xiao Shuo said calmly, "Just now you gave in to the scholars, not to me. I have only one condition. Unfortunately, you have missed the best opportunity. It is impossible to agree to it now."
He smiled and said, "Since you have not agreed to my terms, I cannot return Miss Zheng Er to you for nothing. Once you enter the gate of my Dongchang Prison, it is not easy to get out."
"I'm giving you this for the sake of Mr. Zheng. One million taels each. Do you want it or not?"
Xiao Shuo had a smile on his face, as if he was just chatting casually.
Zheng Zhongming covered his chest with his hands, his heart beating violently.
How could I not want that!
Lin Shoufu felt that Zheng Zhongming was a bit pitiful and had a little sympathy for him. He couldn't help but say, "Master Xiao, do you think that..."
Xiao Shuo: "All the redemption money will go to the national treasury."
Lin Shoufu trembled and asked, "All?"
Xiao Shuo raised his lips and said, "The people sent to Dongchang today are worth one million taels each."
Lin Shoufu's heart was pounding. Not to mention the other things, whether it was redemption or not, Princess Qingping and Miss Zheng Er alone were worth two million taels of silver. This was simply a huge deal with no investment and huge profits.
If Lin Shoufu hadn't still had some common sense, he would have wanted to have those students tie up a few more of them and bring them over.
"What the Governor said is right. She should be forgiven. Miss Zheng is so young, but she has no sense of propriety. She should be taught a lesson so that she won't do it again in the future." Lin Shoufu said seriously, "Master Zheng, a lady should be pampered but also taught."
Zheng Zhongming was so angry that his head was burning with anger.
Xiao Shuo served tea to the guests and said, "Master Zheng, please go back and raise money first. If it's over today, including the food expenses, you will have to raise another 100,000 taels."
Where did the food expenses come from that are so expensive?! Zheng Zhongming's eyes were red, if he had a knife in his hand, he really wanted to stab Xiao Shuo to death.
He had to admit that Xiao Shuo was not only extremely smart, but also that every step he took was like walking on the edge of a knife, firmly stepping on the opponent's bottom line.
No wonder he was able to climb to his current position step by step.
Zheng Zhongming has already paid too much for this matter! Even the Three Thousand Battalions and the Divine Shu Battalion were handed over. In comparison, this one million taels is nothing to him, and there is no way he would not take it.
This, too, is on his bottom line.
Zheng Zhongming nodded: "I'll give it to you."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up, causing the armchair behind him to move back a few inches, and then strode out.
Before he even reached the door, Xiao Shuo called him.
Xiao Shuo said, "Mr. Zheng, remember to hand over the 1.26 million taels of silver you got from selling your official position to the Ministry of Revenue. If you don't hand it over today, I will have to ask Dongchang to go there."
Zheng Zhongming paused and walked away without looking back.
Upon hearing that Xiao Shuo did not return the money he earned from selling official positions but instead gave it to the national treasury, Lin Shoufu was overjoyed.
The treasury of the Great Rong Dynasty has never been so full!
The Governor really never acts for personal gain, and is fair, honest and upright!
Lin Shoufu was full of praise and was about to flatter him... to show his praise and respect, but Xiao Shuo said first: "Lin Shoufu, half of this money should be transferred to the Firearms Bureau."
Lin Shoufu was stunned: "Firearms Bureau?"
Xiao Shuo made a gesture and asked someone to take out a drawing and hand it to Prime Minister Lin.
The drawing was a bit complicated, and Lin Shoufu could only barely make out that it was an object with a strange shape. It looked like a weapon, somewhat like a cannon, but it should be much smaller than a cannon. There was also a hand drawn on the drawing, which was obviously held by hand.
"This is a firearm," Xiao Shuo explained.
This was asked by Zhao Yuanrou, who called it "Mu Cang".
Xiao Shuo was very interested in what Zhao Yuanrou said about gunpowder and firearms. He went there several times later and brought a craftsman from the East Factory with him, asking the craftsman to draw the drawings according to what Zhao Yuanrou said.
As for firearms, the only one Zhao Yuanrou could barely say anything about was the "Mu Cang", but she couldn't explain its specific structure and could only roughly describe its main features and power.
However, Xiao Shuo was so sharp that he could always grasp the key points and ask further questions, forcing Zhao Yuanrou to recall the past. With the help of a craftsman, Zhao Yuanrou managed to draw the drawing.
However, if they simply followed what Zhao Yuanrou said, to make it small enough to be held in one hand, it would not be possible with Darong's existing smelting technology. Xiao Shuo asked the Firearms Battalion to enlarge all the parts, make a prototype first to see the effect, and then make improvements.
Xiao Shuo asked someone to put away the drawings that Lin Shoufu brought back without further explanation.
Weapons need innovation.
It is not okay to always rely on swords, bows and arrows.
This money was well spent. Chu Yuanchen was going to pay for it originally, but now it’s just a waste.
The Minister of Rites did not see the drawings, and was curious as if something was bothering him.
"Master You." Xiao Shuo's gentle voice interrupted his thoughts, "About those students..."
Xiao Shuo discussed with them the details of how to appease the students before sending them all away.
When only Chu Yuanchen was left, Xiao Shuo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you do it on purpose?"
The tone used was interrogative and particularly affirmative.
Chu Yuanchen laughed, and then said seriously: "Brother, you shouldn't bear the curse."
He was powerless before.
Now you always have to give it a try.
There was a commotion in the capital today, and it was certainly not just Chi Yu who was controlling public opinion. Chu Yuanchen also had other arrangements in secret, so everything went so smoothly.
He didn't want Xiao Shuo to continue to be spit on, cursed, and hated... This was not what Xiao Shuo deserved!
Over the years, he was in the light while Xiao Shuo was in the dark. It seemed that Xiao Shuo was enjoying unlimited glory, but he was surrounded by murderous plots. However, Xiao Shuo had encountered much more than he did.
Xiao Shuo stared at him blankly. After a long while, he sighed softly and uttered one word: "Stupid."
Chu Yuanchen blinked and pointed at himself in disbelief, as if to say: Me?
This looked a bit silly indeed, Xiao Shuo couldn't help but laugh, and emphasized: "It's quite silly."
So stupid.
It's not worth the effort for yourself.
Xiao Shuo's eyelids drooped slightly, and his brows and eyes softened a lot.
It doesn't matter if he's stupid. Chu Yuanchen didn't care at all. He leaned back on the armrest of the armchair and said with a lazy smile, "Brother, it's a good thing you suppressed the letter of Lin Shoufu's retirement."
"This Prime Minister Lin is destined to be a hard worker."
Lin Shoufu was indeed very tired. After leaving Dongchang, he did not even have time to drink a sip of tea before rushing to the imperial city to convey Xiao Shuo's intention again.
The students originally thought that they would sit here quietly for a long time, at least two or three days? Unexpectedly, in just over an hour, everything was settled.
They could hardly believe their ears.
"Master Xiao is really powerful and swift."
This exclamation resounded in the hearts of many people.
"Master Xiao really made the decision for us."
"Lord Governor Xiao is wise!"
They had been blinded by one thing and thought that Xiao Shuo must be a treacherous person because he was in control of the government. But now they think about it again. The emperor is incompetent and the ministers are incompetent. Xiao Shuo is both sensible and fair, so it seems that there is nothing wrong with him being in control of the government.
The Dongchang was somewhat brutal in its actions, but those whose properties were confiscated by the Dongchang were not loyal people, and the Dongchang did not buy or sell official positions or bully them.
As expected, rumors are spread and things that people just repeat cannot be trusted.
Someone must be trying to discredit Governor Xiao on purpose!
It was only one day, but their perception of Dongchang had changed dramatically. Lin Shoufu was also a little emotional when he saw this. He knew that in the past few years, every year there were countless daring and fearless students who wrote articles to denounce the emperor for appointing eunuchs and even said that the Great Rong Dynasty would sooner or later perish at the hands of eunuchs... Lin Shoufu simply didn't dare to even listen to or think about these words!
Governor Xiao is worthy of being Governor Xiao.
When Lin Shoufu conveyed Xiao Shuo's order, saying that a portion of the confiscated money from selling official positions would be used to subsidize poor students to go to Beijing to take the exams, the students were almost filled with excitement and tears of gratitude.
The young students who had not yet entered officialdom were the most enthusiastic; some almost cried on the spot.
How could they have such merit?
It is so touching that Governor Xiao, who is so busy with all kinds of affairs, still cares about their affairs.
They said the most direct way to express their feelings is to write an article!
Some people started grinding ink on the spot.
Chief Minister Lin felt a headache just looking at them, so he persuaded them in a nice and gentle way to go back and write slowly, and finally he managed to coax them all away.
The palace gate was empty again. Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt that he was destined to work hard. Was he the only one working in the Great Rong Dynasty? Why did he have to take care of everything?
The students dispersed and went back to their homes.
Jiuyang and the others also returned to the palace. At this time, it was just dusk. Sheng Yan was about to go back, but Jiuyang asked him to stay and have dinner together.
Because Chi Yu was there, Jingle specially asked someone to prepare a meal in the outer courtyard. When she heard that they had returned, she went over with Sheng Xiyan.
Jiaoyang happily told Jingle about what she had seen and heard today, with a faint blush on her little face due to excitement.
Although Jiaoyang was not as reserved as he was when he just returned home, he didn't talk much on weekdays. But today he was having a great time and with Jingle and Shengxi supporting him, he talked more and more, and after talking he drank a large glass of warm water out of thirst.
"This little girl might be in trouble today." Chu Yuanchen just came back and overheard what happened outside. He came in and said with a smile, "She plays with the whip well."
Jiaoyang raised his chin, feeling very proud of the compliment.
"Achen." Sheng Xiyan stood up and walked over with a smile. Chu Yuanchen's eyes were immediately fixed on her, unable to move away, and he held her hand as if no one was around.
When everyone was present, Jingle asked someone to serve the meal. Chu Yuanchen also gave a brief account of what had happened today, in order to let Wei Xiu and the others know what their efforts had paid off.
A hint of excitement flashed across Wei Xiu's face, which usually had no unnecessary expression. His eyebrows and eyes, which were particularly similar to Sheng Xiyan's, revealed a sense of accomplishment.
Sheng Xiyan asked, "Ah Chen, how many people are there in the imperial guards now?"
"I and..." Chu Yuanchen paused, swallowed the word "brother", and said, "I roughly calculated it."
Zheng Zhongming kept the Imperial Guards under extremely tight control, and it was impossible for them to check the roster one by one. However, over the years, Xiao Shuo had secretly placed some people in the Imperial Guards. From the information these people passed on, plus some clues, they could roughly determine most of the situation.
"About three hundred thousand."
In other words, only 60% of the registered military personnel.
But even if the imperial guards only had 300,000 soldiers and had been slack for years, they were still 300,000 soldiers after all.
The Zhenbei Army in Beijing has only about 30,000 soldiers. If a fight really breaks out, they may not lose with some tactical use, but they will definitely suffer heavy losses.
Neither Chu Yuanchen nor Xiao Shuo was willing to let the Zhenbei Army waste its energy in vain.
"This time, the Imperial Guards transferred 100,000 soldiers, and they also took over the 3,000-man Battalion and the Divine Shu Battalion. The only ones Zheng Zhongming can use are the remaining 200,000 soldiers from the Five Army Battalion."
Having come this far, they will never lose.
Sheng Xiyan covered her mouth and laughed: "Zheng Zhongming suffered a heavy loss this time."
"All the money is lost." Jiuyang followed up with another sentence.
It was indeed a complete loss.
No matter what Zheng Zhongming's original purpose was, now not only has his military pay for this year been cut, but he can't even keep the more than one million silver coins he earned from selling official positions.
Sheng Xiyan asked with a smile: "Does that mean Zheng Zhongming still needs to raise funds for the imperial army?"
Chu Yuanchen nodded and said, "He won't give in."
Unless he bows his head, Xiao Shuo can just ignore the fact that he will not be paid this year. But getting him to bow his head is probably more difficult than asking him to stab himself with a knife.
This meant that in addition to the ransom money, he also had to raise at least one million taels of silver in military pay for the imperial army.
Even Zheng Zhongming would feel a little hurt after taking out more than two million taels of silver.
When he was unlucky, Sheng Xiyan was happy, and the smile between her eyebrows could not be stopped.
It's not that the Zheng family couldn't come up with several million taels of silver, but no family would keep several million taels of silver in their house.
It took Zheng Zhongming a lot of effort to raise the one million taels of redemption silver. Finally, before the curfew, he went to Dongchang in person, paid the silver, and took Zheng Xintong out.
"Daddy."
The makeup on Zheng Xintong's face had already faded, and she turned towards Zheng Zhongming with a pale face.
Zheng Zhongming originally wanted to scold her.
What happened today was caused by Zheng Xintong's impulsiveness. However, after seeing his daughter's rage and grievance, there were some words he couldn't say. He could only pat her shoulder gently and said softly, "Let's talk about it when we get back."
Zheng Zhongming only accepted Zheng Xintong. Given Xiao Shuo's attitude, one person would cost one million taels. If he added the four guards, he would have to pay another four million taels, which was more than he could afford.
Zheng Xintong sobbed twice and followed him silently, with a myriad of grievances lingering in her heart.
"How did you end up in that teahouse?" Zheng Zhongming asked immediately after leaving Dongchang and getting on the carriage.
When he talked about this, all kinds of grievances surged in Zheng Xintong's heart.
"Dad, it was Wei Xiu who plotted against me..."
In prison, after she calmed down, in addition to being afraid, she also began to think back on everything that had happened to her today. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had been tricked.
She pursed her lips tightly. "Qingping and I were walking around the street when we saw Wei Xiu and his friends walking by. They were talking, and I thought Wei Xiu didn't notice me, so I hid a little. I heard them saying that some students were gathering in a teahouse, and they were going to incite the students to criticize Dad for selling official positions."
"The daughter thought she couldn't just ignore it, so she went to take a look."
In the end, she felt as if her head was on fire and was a little bit aroused.
When she was sitting in jail and thinking back on what had happened, she realized that Wei Xiu's remarks on several occasions were not just to provoke the students, but to incite her as well.
She finally couldn't help it.
"Wei Xiu showed weakness and provoked his daughter to attack."
"Every move of my daughter is calculated by Wei Xiu."
Zheng Xintong told him the whole story of what happened at that time, and Zheng Zhongming frowned slightly after listening to him.
indeed.
It was calculated.
Whether it was Zheng Xintong, the students, or Wu Qi, they were all like chess pieces on a chessboard, and Wei Xiu was the chess player.
Zheng Xintong felt extremely aggrieved.
She thought she had done her best for Wei Xiu, but not only did Wei Xiu not appreciate her kindness, he also made things difficult for her at every turn.
"This kid named Wei is really not a simple guy."
Zheng Zhongming couldn't help but sigh.
Even if Chu Yuanchen was behind the scenes, the situation was so chaotic that it was not easy to do it just right. He needed to control the overall situation accurately and remain calm without any emotion.
And Wei Xiu was only twelve years old.
It is conceivable what a monster he will be when he grows up.
Zheng Zhongming pondered and said, "Why would Wei Xiu be willing to be used by Chu Yuanchen?"
People like him should know the benefits of hiding their shortcomings, just like he has been hiding his shortcomings in the past four years.
Zheng Xintong said angrily: "Dad, I once heard Wei Xiu call Sheng Xiyan 'sister'..."
Zheng Zhongming raised his eyebrows and looked at her, and Zheng Xintong told her what happened.
"I specifically asked someone to check. A legitimate son of the Sheng family went missing eight years ago. He is Sheng Xiyan's younger brother from the same mother."
"Last time, my daughter said she wanted to marry her half-sister, but Wei Xiu was not moved. If they were really from ordinary backgrounds, how could he not be moved?" Zheng Xintong bit his lower lip and added, "My daughter also mentioned herself, but Wei Xiu still did not react."
There was some shame and embarrassment on Zheng Xintong's face.
"My daughter knew at that time that relying on interests was useless."
Whether it was Chi Yu or Wei Xiu, their only way to become an official in the future was to rely on the imperial examination. As long as they had connections in the court, this path would be much smoother. Their Zheng family was one of the best in the court, so even if he just married a concubine's daughter, it would be enough to ensure his promotion. As a result, Wei Xiu refused without even thinking about it.
The fact that he was not tempted by such huge benefits only shows that he actually has someone else to rely on.
Zheng Xintong always believed that there is nothing that cannot be driven by interests, unless the interests are not enough.
If Wei Xiuzhen is Sheng Xiyan's biological brother, then what she mentioned is indeed not enough to find out about him.
Although he said this, Zheng Xintong still felt embarrassed when he thought of Wei Xiu's rejection without hesitation.
"Wei Xiu..."
A hint of viciousness flashed across Zheng Zhongming's eyes: "You are really troublesome."
He groaned in silence. Zheng Xintong felt aggrieved, but no one spoke to him, so he could only look out of the carriage window. He saw a luxurious carriage parked in front of the East Factory, and the person who got off the carriage was Princess Yong'an.
Yongan also came to redeem his daughter.
Yong'an was the most knowledgeable about current affairs. Her greatest hobby was to raise some young and good-looking students. Now, seeing that her own mother, the Empress Dowager, was sent to the Imperial Temple, and her two younger brothers, one was imprisoned and the other had a stroke, she dared not put on any airs as the eldest princess in front of Xiao Shuo. She said that she would have to spend money to redeem the person, so she honestly took out one million taels of silver.
After paying the money, the Dongchang released the person readily.
However, apart from the two noble ladies who were redeemed, no one cared about Wu Qi and her guards, and they were left to the Dongchang to deal with. The Wu family was able to raise money to buy an official position for Wu Qi, and the family was wealthy. Wu Qi's parents originally wanted to sell some of their belongings to raise the redemption money, but were stopped by his uncle. Wu Qi's uncle was an official in the court, and he was afraid of the Dongchang like a tiger. He would rather give up his nephew than do anything that would offend the Dongchang.
This matter also reached Chi Yu's ears, and Chi Yu felt happy.
That fraud case was a tragic experience for Chi Yu. Now, seeing that each person involved in the case can finally pay the price, he feels indescribably happy.
"It feels like a dream," Chi Yu couldn't help but sigh, "I thought I might not be able to see this day even if I was extremely poor my whole life."
Wei Zheng said calmly: "It's not a dream."
Chi Yu chuckled: "Of course, this is not a dream."
Sitting on the waterfront promenade, Han Qianzhi asked while leisurely eating sunflower seeds: "Chi Yu, are you still going to play this year?"
Chi Yu replied, "Go."
Chi Yu smiled and said, "These past two days, I heard that many people are worried about what will happen if their achievements are no longer counted in the future."
Even if no one dared to say it openly, from last year to now, the scandals of the emperor and the previous emperor have been made public one after another. Coupled with the various turmoil in the court in recent days, many people have some expectations for a change of dynasty.
Chi Yu originally wanted to find out something when he saw Chu Yuanchen here.
He knew that the prince did not like to beat around the bush, and was about to ask directly when someone came over and reported, "Prince, the Marquis of Jingwei wants to see you. He wants to see Master Han.
Han Qianzhi was a little surprised, "What is he here for? Isn't he here to divide the family?"
Chu Yuanchen smiled and said, "He is short of money."
The steward took advantage of the opportunity when Marquis Jingwei was selling his property and spent less than 100,000 taels to buy back most of the Marquis Jingwei's property for Han Qianzhi.
Han Qianzhi was overjoyed and said he would treat everyone to a meal. He also asked Chu Yuanchen and Sheng Xiyan to help him figure out a better place to build his new home.
As soon as Chu Yuanchen mentioned that he was short of money, Han Qianzhi understood.
The sale of the official position by the imperial guards this time was not counted, and the money collected was not returned. The people who bought the official position actually had some opinions about the non-refund of the money, and they also went to ask about it.
But to Prime Minister Lin, the money that fell into the national treasury was like his lifeblood, and no one could take it out of his hands. There was no need for Xiao Shuo to say anything, as he had already stepped forward to drive everyone away, and even said righteously: If you have money, you can buy an official position, but if you don’t have money, you can support the national treasury?
Anyway, no one could get the silver back.
In order to obtain this official position, the Marquis of Jingwei raised two hundred thousand taels in a short period of time and sold almost everything they could. They thought that at least they could get their son a fourth-rank official position, which would make it look better for him to inherit the Marquisate in the future. However, in the end, they lost both their money and their lives, and they cried their hearts out.
Chu Yuanchen said: "Maybe he regretted it and didn't want to separate the family."
Han Qianzhi was even more shocked: "No way. Can you regret splitting up the family?"
Sheng Xiyan understood what he meant and chuckled, "Now that I regret this, can I get the money I gave you back?"
Han Qianzhi looked unconvinced, so Chu Yuanchen made a bet with him. Then, Han Qianzhi excitedly asked someone to take them to the side room.
Han Qianzhi thought that at most they came to borrow money.
As a result, not only Marquis Jingwei and his wife came, but also the lady-in-waiting of the mansion.
When the old lady saw Han Qianzhi, she burst into tears: "They say that as long as parents are alive, the family should not be divided. How can you divide the family while I am still alive?"
"Qian'er, it's all Grandmother's fault. Grandmother was ill a while ago and couldn't take care of her, so your second uncle came here randomly."
The lady hit the back of Marquis Jingwei and cried, "Qian'er hasn't even married or had children yet, how could you drive him away? How are you going to explain to your elder brother and his wife when you go to the underworld?"
Marquis Jingwei quickly admitted his fault, looking guilty: "It's all my fault, mother, don't be angry, take care of yourself."
Zhang was also wiping away tears.
Han Qianzhi's heart skipped a beat and he suddenly realized something was wrong.
He calmed down and said, "Grandma, it was my grandson who proposed the division of the family property..."
"Qianzhi, you are still young and don't know much. This is not your fault, it's all your uncle's fault!"
"This family is in chaos when divided, but prosperous when united." The old lady sighed, "This time it was your second uncle who acted blindly without consulting me. Grandmother cannot let you down."
"I came here to tell you that we should just pretend that there was no separation."
Han Qianzhi could almost hear the muffled laughter coming from inside and felt like crying but had no tears.