84. Chapter 84
"none"
After returning to his temporary residence as a prince, Qi You, apart from paying his respects to Empress Dowager Kangxi and chatting and eating with Dai Jia, stayed in the house to sort out the salaries and wages of the Eight Banners people, as well as population changes, etc.
On the auspicious day for moving, snowflakes fell heavily. Although it was cold, the air was crisp and clear. Qi You was quite happy at the thought of moving out, free from the confines of his own prison.
Qi You's original gift bag was not fully unpacked, so it was very convenient to pack it up. After bidding farewell to Empress Dowager Kangxi Daijia, he left the palace.
The palace held a series of elaborate ceremonies according to the rules. Although Qi You did not believe in them, he still respected the customs and went through the motions.
When the new mansion was opened, the eldest prince, the crown prince, and other brothers sent gifts. Qi You naturally held a banquet, but he didn't invite many people, just a few brothers to come and have a warm drink.
BMW luxury cars, magnificent and golden, welcome and see off guests.
A magnificent mansion, delicious food and wine, and a packed house of distinguished guests. Accustomed to the desolate north, Qi You still hadn't gotten used to it and was a bit dazed for a moment.
The Crown Prince was the ruler, and even when his brothers were together, they had to follow the etiquette between ruler and subject. He sat at the head of the table, with the other brothers sitting on either side according to age.
After drinking more than thirty glasses of wine, the eldest prince was a little drunk. He walked over to Qi You with his cup in hand, squeezed out the fifth prince who was sitting next to him, and said unhappily, "Seventh Prince, you are the host today, and you still don't drink a drop of wine. Isn't this outrageous? It's so cold in the north that people are almost bone-deep. If you don't drink to keep warm, I won't believe anything you say!"
"Fifth Brother, am I right?" He looked at the Fifth Prince standing beside him and asked him to confirm it together.
The Fifth Prince smiled innocently and tried to smooth things over, "Seventh Brother doesn't want to drink, so please stop trying to persuade him."
Qi You really didn't drink at all, so he said helplessly: "Brother, please eat more vegetables and don't drink too much. It's not good for your health."
The eldest prince drank the wine in his cup with great enthusiasm, picked up the pot and filled another cup, saying: "Just a few glasses of wine, how can you say it's too much... Seventh brother, don't interrupt me, come on, have a drink. I will pour it for you myself. If you don't drink it, it would be a disrespect to me!"
The prince sat at the head of the table and watched coldly. At this moment, he said, "Brother, the seventh brother doesn't want to drink. How can you force him to drink? Isn't that forcing him?"
The eldest prince's face changed, and he felt a little embarrassed. The fifth prince's eyes were nervous, and he glanced at the prince and him, and dryly advised: "Brother, drink your wine, eat quickly, eat quickly!"
The Ninth Prince and the Fifth Prince were brothers from the same mother. Seeing that this was none of his business, and now he was caught in the middle, he was in a dilemma. His eyes darkened slightly and he called out, "Fifth Brother, please come here for a moment. I have something to tell you."
The Fifth Prince was stunned. He wanted to stand up, but hesitated and looked at Qi You with worry in his eyes.
Qi You sighed in his heart, smiled and said to the Fifth Prince: "Fifth brother, Ninth Brother is calling you, go and do your thing."
The Fifth Prince then stood up and walked over. Qi You heard the Ninth Prince lower his voice and complain, "Fifth Brother, it's been a while since I saw you pay your respects to your mother. What have you been busy with?"
These days, the Fifth Prince would come to see Qi You whenever he was free, and they mostly talked about things related to reading and studying.
Finally, the Fifth Prince stammered that he wanted to be a teacher at Shunyi School.
Concubine Yi dissuaded him from his plan, and the Ninth Prince also looked down on it. He thought that being a teacher to a group of people of low status was really lowering his status.
The Fifth Prince was quite troubled. He didn't dare to oppose Concubine Yi, nor did he dare to mention it to Emperor Kangxi. He was scratching his head, feeling torn.
Qi You admired the Fifth Prince for his solid academic performance, but at the same time he felt quite regretful.
Among his brothers, apart from the eldest prince, the fifth prince was the closest to him.
Qi You considered that the eldest prince was too impulsive and reckless, and even the king could not persuade him.
To work with him, Qi You would have to distract himself and clean up his mess, which was why he didn't consider him in the first place.
Since the Fifth Prince already has something he wants to do, Qi You shouldn't force him to do anything.
Fourth Prince...
When Qi You met him this time, he was as taciturn as before. He sat there holding a glass of wine and taking a sip from time to time.
He had finished a glass of wine, with more than half of it still untouched, and occasionally answered a few questions from the Third Prince.
When the eldest prince heard that the prince spoke without giving him face, he was so angry that his lips were pressed into a line and the short beard on his lips trembled, as if he was about to get angry at any moment.
Qi You was the host today, so how could he let the guests start a quarrel? He gently snatched the wine glass from the eldest brother's hand, put it down, scooped a bowl of hot soup and handed it to him, gently advising: "Brother, it's cold outside, please try some hot soup. The mushrooms in it were picked from the forest in the north. They are not worth much, so just try them for a rare treat. I didn't bring back much, so if you like it, you can take some back later."
The eldest prince held the soup bowl in his hand and listened to Qi You's gentle persuasion. After all, he remembered that it was his banquet. Besides, if he made a fuss, Kangxi would definitely scold him without any reason.
After enduring a long struggle, the eldest prince swallowed his breath, raised his head, and finished the soup in his bowl. He had been so focused on drinking that he hadn't even tasted the soup. As soon as the soup entered his stomach, his entire body felt warm, with the distinct sweetness of mushrooms.
The eldest prince was comforted and his anger subsided a lot. He said bluntly: "Seventh Brother, this mushroom is really good. You have to pack more for me later."
Qi You said yes. The Third Prince, who had been listening attentively, became excited when he saw the quarrel disappear into thin air. He said, "Seventh Prince, don't just think about your eldest brother. Don't forget me. I want a share, too. Everyone knows that what you sent from the north to the Ministry of Internal Affairs are all good things, not to mention that you kept them for yourself. Right, Ninth Prince?"
When the Ninth Prince saw the Third Prince suddenly turn around and ask him, he was stunned for a moment, then said angrily, "Third Brother, you're right. Seventh Brother has always only sold goods in the north to the Imperial Household Department. I also received some rewards from the Khan Ama, so how can I judge whether they are good or bad?"
The Third Prince sneered inwardly, curled his lips and said nothing more.
Qi You watched the Ninth Prince's anger calmly. The Third Prince's words were pointed and touched his sore spot.
Among all the brothers, the Ninth Prince had the most shops. He had businesses all over the country.
Qi You alone knew that in the north, the Ninth Prince had a share in everything from the silks and satins sold to the nobles of the north to the oil, salt, sauce and vinegar sold to the common people.
The most profitable of these is salt.
Unlike the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty changed the salt monopoly system from government to commercial monopoly system.
Salt merchants registered with the government, and as long as they could collect a portion of the salt tax, they could be included in the salt register and be able to run the salt business for generations to come.
In order to ensure that the Qing Dynasty could collect taxes from the salt tax, this move could not only avoid corruption among salt officials, but also estimate sales in advance and regulate production capacity.
On the surface, the court's measures seemed impeccable. Unfortunately, their implementation often fell short of expectations.
Since ancient times, everyone knows the importance of salt. The salt business is a good business that can bring in steady profits.
The more profitable the business, the deeper the water behind it, and there are many salt merchants who lose everything.
The imperial court had never been polite to the salt merchants. When they were short of silver and could not impose additional taxes on the people, the first thing they considered was asking for money from the salt merchants.
It was not easy for salt merchants to obtain salt sales licenses. The imperial court adopted a new method of "recruiting merchants". The amount of salt sales licenses granted to certain places was determined by the amount of taxes collected by the salt merchants.
The amount involved was quite mysterious. Salt merchants without connections were bound to be taken advantage of.
Furthermore, salt had to pass through customs and pay taxes. When selling salt, local officials had to be bribed. Earning too much money would attract envy, and considering one's own safety, one had to find a powerful figure to back them up.
The way to support is to give shares in profits and let the nobles deal with all kinds of difficulties posed by the government.
As a prince, the Ninth Prince had a stake in the salt sold to the north. With his protection, salt merchants could pass through Zhangjiakou with almost no hindrance.
The imperial court controlled the production of salt, and all the excess salt produced by drying in the salt fields was stored in warehouses according to regulations.
Of course, this is just the court's wishful thinking.
The amount of private salt flowing from the salt fields into the private sector was almost equal to the amount of official salt.
The salt merchants could not make money, so they naturally did not pay the promised salt tax. To date, the salt tax arrears in Lianghuai have reached 1.15 million yin, while the total amount of yin in Lianghuai is only over 1.4 million yin.
Selling illegal salt is a capital crime, but with strong protection from above, it is no longer a crime.
The officials of the salt field dared to let the salt flow out, but the forces behind them were so complex that no one could stop them.
The ninth prince also made a fortune in the salt field, making money from both sides.
In addition to other monopoly businesses, he also had the status of a prince, not to mention that it was not just his status. The Eighth Prince and the Tenth Prince, who were close to him, were also among them.
The combined identities and backgrounds of the three princes, as Qi You saw in later generations, can blow a bull away without standing on the wind.
Needless to say, Qi You also knew that the Ninth Prince's business had made others jealous.
The Third Prince didn't mention it much, not because he was afraid, but because he had his own business. No one should say anything about anyone else; they all had their own shameful things to hide, so he could only say a few sarcastic remarks in secret.
The Ninth Prince was embarrassed. The Eighth Prince glanced at everyone and immediately stood up, saying with a smile: "Third Brother usually receives a lot of rewards from Khan Ama, so Seventh Brother should ask for less. Don't forget that we have other brothers."
Fourteen joined in the commotion, clapping his hands and shouting, "Right, right, right. Those who listen get a share. Things in the North are hard to come by. Brother Seven, you can't be partial."
Qi You responded to all the requests with good temper, called De Gao over, gave him a few instructions, and asked him to go down and prepare the return gift.
The eldest prince sat next to Qi You and did not compete with the prince anymore. The atmosphere was finally harmonious. Everyone talked and laughed, drank for a while, and then went their separate ways.
The Fourth Prince stayed behind, standing by the door with his hands behind his back, and said to Qi You, who was seeing off the guests, "Seventh Brother, are you free in the next few days? I'd like to invite you to come to my house for tea and plum blossom viewing."
Qi You didn't expect the Fourth Prince to come to him on his own initiative. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Fourth Brother, are you in a hurry? If so, you can stay and have a cup of tea to sober up before leaving. If not, I can come to visit you when you are free."
Seeing Qi You's straightforwardness, the Fourth Prince thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. I'll bother you for a while and have a cup of tea before leaving."
Qi You led the Fourth Prince to the study in the east wing. De Gao served tea and then went out to guard the door.
After drinking half a cup of tea, the Fourth Prince put down his tea bowl, looked around the study, and said with a smile, "Seventh Brother's study is really bright and clear."
The study was fully equipped with desks, tables and chairs, but the treasure cabinet was empty and the bookshelves were also empty, without a single book.
The storeroom was filled with antiques and ornaments, which Kangxi had given him. Qi You didn't plan to stay there long, so he was too lazy to move them out.
Qi You's books from the palace had long been given to the library of Shunyi Academy. Like the books in Shunyi, all the books in the north were gone; they were all given to the academy for students to borrow for free.
Hearing the Fourth Prince's teasing, Qi You laughed, spread his hands, and said, "I really have no books left."
The Fourth Prince subconsciously glanced at the desk, where several books lay. Qi You followed his gaze and said frankly, "These are household registration certificates and tax ledgers borrowed from the Ministry of Revenue."
Seeing Qi You openly confessing everything, the Fourth Prince was visibly taken aback. He frowned slightly and asked, "I know Seventh Brother is busy. You've only been back in Beijing for a few days, and you're asking for household registration cards and tax ledgers... Could it be that Khan Ama has assigned you a new task?"
Qi You pondered for a moment, then briefly explained the matter of the wasteland outside the Great Wall. "So far, only Khan Ama and I know about this matter. It's not a secret. I think we must first come up with a proper solution and wait for the right time to make it public, otherwise there will be chaos."
The Fourth Prince nodded frequently as he listened, and asked curiously, "Seventh Brother, have you come up with any good ideas?"
Qi You didn't answer, but smiled and asked: "I only have some rough ideas, I wonder what Fourth Brother thinks about this matter?"
The Fourth Prince lowered his head to consider, then raised his head to look directly at Qi You and said firmly, "The Ministry of Revenue is poor! I once received an order from Khan Ama to ask the officials who borrowed money from the Ministry of Revenue to pay back the money. What happened before and after, alas, it is better not to mention it."
Qi You thought of the previous unpleasantness between the Third Prince and the Ninth Prince, and asked casually: "Fourth Brother, how much silver did Ninth Brother borrow from the Ministry of Revenue?"
The Fourth Prince was stunned, staring at Qi You in disbelief. Then he smiled bitterly and said, "Seventh Brother, since you are a sensible person and straightforward, I will not beat around the bush. Khan Ama..., he can't bear to let go."
The Ninth Prince borrowed a lot of money from the Ministry of Revenue and could be considered a big debtor.
The Fourth Prince's eyes were cold as he said sarcastically, "When it comes to paying back the money, the Ninth Prince starts crying poor. Not only did he cry in front of Khan Ama, but Concubine Yi's mother also went to cry in front of Khan Ama."
Qi You already has a way to make officials pay back the silver they owe. Speaking of the Ninth Prince, not only does he owe too much, Qi You also plans to break the commercial monopoly and clear the salt tax in Lianghuai.
In Qi You's opinion, the Fourth Prince fell into a misunderstanding when he went to collect the silver owed by the Ministry of Revenue.
He didn't need to investigate too many details. He just needed to focus on the few people who owed the most money, concentrate all his efforts, and take down the big deadbeats.
Hit the snake at its most vulnerable part, knock off the big head, and ignore the small shrimps, letting them work together.
Kangxi was faced with a large amount of money owed to the Ministry of Revenue, and the money that would be collected from the Imperial Household Department after the officials' houses were confiscated, which would then become their personal money. This could make Kangxi's soft heart suddenly turn into a heart of stone.
Qi You didn't have time to care about this for the moment, so he put it aside and asked, "Fourth brother, have you encountered any difficulties?"
A look of worry crossed the Fourth Prince's face. He said, "I've been assigned this task, and I'll wait until after the New Year to patrol the Yellow River. The court has spent countless sums on river management, but when the summer rains are heavy, the dikes burst here and there, and there's no sign of improvement. I'm at a loss for ideas, and knowing that Seventh Brother is clever, I've come to you for advice."
When Qi You heard this, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
He was considering how to put He Ye and the others he brought back into the Ministry of Industry, and now they are here!
The author has something to say:
Note: This is the salt tax data of Lianghuai in the 51st year of Kangxi. The arrears in the previous period were roughly the same. The data comes from "Xiaohaichang Xinzhi".
I'd like to advertise again and shout out that I'm planning to start a story called "I became a big boss after becoming the best female supporting character in a book". It's a cool story about leveling up and fighting monsters. The text is as follows. Please collect it.
Yu Zheng transmigrated into Yu Taohua, the top female supporting character in a farming novel.
The original owner's husband, Zheng Sanniu, went to join the army to fight, and she eloped with a peddler.
The heroine in the book, Yu Lihua, is the cousin of the original owner. She was reborn and came back. After her cousin ran away, she took the initiative to come to the Zheng family to apologize and work like a slave for her.
Ten years later, Zheng Sanniu, who had become a guerrilla general, returned home in glory, and Yu Lihua became the general's wife.
The original owner was deceived by the peddler and sold to a brothel, where she lived a life worse than death.
When she heard that Zheng Sanniu had become a general, she shamelessly ran back to the Zheng family, wanting to take back the position of general's wife. Naturally, she was humiliated in every way and ended up dying tragically in the wilderness.
Yu Zheng, who already knew the plot, was flirting with the peddler when he traveled through time.
Logically, she should have changed her ways, worked hard and stayed in the Zheng family, waiting to enjoy the good life in the future.
Looking at the penniless Zheng family and the farm work that was harder than working with an ox, Yu Zheng used the peddler to run away without hesitation.
Many years later, there was an unspoken understanding in the capital.
The security of the capital depends half on Jingzhao Yin and half on Boss Yu.
If Boss Yu hadn't been relied upon, the capital would have been in complete chaos.
The god worshipped by successive Jingzhao Yin was a small statue of Yu Lao Da.
One-sentence summary: A story about a penniless peasant woman who became an underground boss in the capital, a story that even guerrilla generals had to stand aside.
Read the guide:
This is just a fiction, please do not verify it.
The heroine is not a good person, please do not enter if you don't like her.
The career line is the main one, but the love line is still rich.
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-11-23 23:40:50 and 2022-11-24 23:22:50~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: Tiantiantian 10 bottles every day;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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