91. Chapter 91
"none"
When the news that Qi You was assigned to collect the debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue spread, while he was still sorting out the IOUs at the Ministry, various parties began to take action, reacting even faster than he did.
Those who were waiting for salary increases watched Qi You's progress with green eyes. Those who were heavily in debt had a little more red in their green eyes.
Grit your teeth and kill with red eyes.
The harem was dispatched first.
Qi You went to have lunch with Dai Jiashi at noon and saw that she looked unhappy, with a hint of worry lingering on her brow. His face darkened slightly and he asked, "Er Nie, is someone causing you trouble?"
Dai Jia sighed, gave a wry smile, and dismissed the waiting maids. She said, "I know I can't hide this from you, so I'll tell you everything. Concubine Yi came to me and cried, telling me how poor the Ninth Prince's family was, and begging you to spare his life. She also brought her gold and silver jewelry and asked me to give it to you to pay back the Ninth Prince's debt."
She tilted her chin towards the wall. "Here, where is it? She threw it away and ran away. I'm worried about it. I plan to return it to her this afternoon."
Qi You turned his head to look at the tall table. On the spread-out brocade bundle were some jewelry and head ornaments, sparkling brightly.
"They are really valuable. Khan Ama is very generous." Qi You teased, stood up to wrap up the jewelry and held it in his hand, saying, "Concubine Yi's mother is also very kind and is willing to pay off the debt for my ninth brother, so I will accept it. I will ask Khan Ama if the reward of the head ornaments and jewelry can be sold. With Khan Ama's permission, I will take them to the pawnshop in the capital and pawn them. No matter how much money I can get, it will be enough. I will use it all to pay off my ninth brother's debt."
Dai Jia patted Qi You lightly, snatched the bundle from him, and said angrily, "What a mischievous person! She is not a reasonable person. Or is it your Khan Ama who allows her to be unreasonable? Why are you provoking her?"
There are no unreasonable people in the harem. Even if there are, they will quickly learn to be reasonable within the rules and high palace walls.
Except for being unreasonable in accordance with orders.
Qi You had no control over who Kangxi favored or favoured, but when Concubine Yi came to bully Dai Jia, he had lived in vain for so many years because he could not protect his loved ones.
Qi You said calmly, "Enie, I'm sorry for making you feel wronged. Don't worry, I will resolve this matter quickly."
Dai Jia's eyes flickered with anxiety as she spoke, "Seventh Brother, don't worry about me. She wouldn't dare do anything to me, she's just trying to get some advantage. But honestly, I'm really worried about you. This is a very tricky matter, completely different from what you've done before. It's all about real money, it's like going in with a knife and coming out with a red knife, and it's going to cost lives. The Fourth Prince went to ask for it once before, but in the end, not only did he get nothing, he also got into trouble."
Qi You explained the differences between this time and the Fourth Prince's last time, and comforted Dai Jia, saying, "Enie, you see, last time they only targeted Fourth Brother, so he was fighting alone. This time, I have many officials behind me who didn't borrow money. When their financial interests are involved, they will naturally unite. With this force gathered, not even Khan Ama would dare to easily stop it. Concubine Yi's mother should have gone to Khan Ama to cry first, and when that didn't work, she came to you to show off her power."
Dai Jia heaved a sigh of relief, patting her chest and saying, "It's good to have more people. I was afraid that if you were alone again, you would be eaten alive by them."
Qi You laughed and said, "They don't dare. They just jump around like grasshoppers in autumn. Enie, please let me take care of the jewelry that Concubine Yi's mother brought. Don't let her make a wasted trip."
Dai Jia thought for a moment and handed the bundle to Qi You. "Take it. I don't understand what's going on outside, so I won't cause you any trouble." She frowned and asked in confusion, "Seventh Brother, you said that the Ninth Prince and his family don't spend much on food, clothing, and other expenses. What on earth did they do with so much silver?"
Qi You pondered for a moment and said concisely: "Use money to make money, who would complain about having too much money?"
When the Ninth Prince and his companions had money, besides enjoying themselves, they mostly used it for business. As for where they spent their earnings, it all depended on their reputation within the court.
Dai Jia suddenly realized, "Yes, you see, I was really confused. Who would have a problem with money? Oh, you must be hungry. Let's not talk about this nonsense. Eat."
Seeing Dai Jia busy preparing food, Qi You lowered his eyes to hide the coldness in them.
After dinner, Qi You estimated the time when Kangxi would get up and went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
When Kangxi saw Qi You coming, he looked at the clock and asked with concern, "You have been busy in the Ministry of Revenue these days. Didn't you take a break at noon?"
Qi You thanked Kangxi for his concern, "I usually take a nap when I'm not busy, but I don't sleep when I'm busy." He presented Concubine Yi's jewelry with both hands. Kangxi was stunned, his face full of confusion.
Qi You explained, "This was given to my mother by Concubine Yi, saying it was to pay off my ninth brother's debts. Some of it was given by the emperor, so I dare not sell it easily. I have come to ask Khan Ama for permission before I can sell it to pay off my ninth brother's debts and fulfill Concubine Yi's mother's loving heart."
Kangxi stared at the gold, silver, and jewelry in front of him with a complicated expression. After a while, he said, "Seventh Brother, don't push them too hard. If they can't come up with the silver, it's useless to push them any further."
Qi You smiled and pointed at the jewels, saying, "These are worth a lot of silver. Even if the prefect spent a whole year's salary on just one pearl hairpin, even if he didn't eat or drink, he wouldn't be able to buy the gems on it."
Kangxi's lips moved, unsure what to say, then closed again. After a moment's silence, he said helplessly, "I said I wouldn't stop you. Concubine Yi is your elder, after all. Don't sell these. If anyone knew, they'd poke fun at you and accuse you of disrespecting your elders. Don't worry, I'll take care of Concubine Yi. I'll ask her to apologize to your mother-in-law. Don't bother her again."
Of course, Qi You would not insist on selling Concubine Yi's jewelry. He just came to test Kangxi's attitude to see if he would go back on his word and stop him to collect the debt.
After spending these few days in the Ministry of Revenue, Qi You had a deeper understanding of Kangxi and also understood why he was often indecisive.
Especially Kangxi's "benevolence" far exceeded Qi You's expectations.
Generally speaking, there are very few emperors who were posthumously named "Ren" because they were kind to the people, and most of them were kind to their court officials.
Because posthumous titles were drafted by court officials, not by the common people who had no say at all.
There were many officials who borrowed money, including eunuchs.
Both the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue borrowed money, one from a private treasury and the other from the national treasury.
The biggest debtor of the private treasury was the prince, who borrowed nearly 500,000 taels from Kangxi.
The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, and 500,000 taels is used for his food, clothing, and support for his disciples and supporters. Borrowing 500,000 taels is normal and not too much.
Other powerful officials, mainly because their salaries are there, would not dare to wear silk and satin, ride a high horse and walk around outside. If they don't borrow money, they can't hide the fact of corruption.
Kangxi had to borrow the money. No matter who suffered, he couldn't let this group of superiors suffer.
The eunuchs and servants who served the royal family also had to be lent. After all, they were the people closest to them, even closer than the nobles. All their food, clothing, and daily necessities passed through their hands. If they were not lent, they might do something bad.
There is another reason why officials owe a lot of debts, besides the fact that they actually borrowed money from the Ministry of Revenue.
If they caused property losses or corruption while in office, Kangxi would usually scold them first, without any action.
After being scolded, they continue to perform their duties as if nothing had happened, and some of them may even be promoted.
The money embezzled or lost becomes their debt. These people won't pay it back anyway, it's just an IOU.
For example, Galin was the son of Kangxi's wet nurse. Like Cao Yin and others, he was highly regarded by Kangxi.
Galin had been dismissed from office numerous times for corruption and bribery. Now serving as the governor of Shanxi, he had seized a significant portion of the land there. The total amount of money he had embezzled was estimated to be over 600,000 taels.
It’s more than what the prince borrowed from the Imperial Household Department.
As a close confidant of Kangxi, Galin continued to serve as an official without any worries, while the officials who beat him were either demoted or punished by the Ministry of Justice.
Kangxi handled the matter in this way not because he was incompetent, nor because of his benevolence.
The Imperial Household Department was Kangxi's private treasury, used for the enjoyment of the royal family, as well as his rewards to the concubines of the previous dynasty, foreign vassal states, and Mongolian tribes.
The sources of the Imperial Household Department's money were divided into several aspects: first, the harvest from the imperial farms; second, the income from the weaving factories and other government offices; third, the tribute from the vassal states; and fourth, the filial piety from the servants under its command.
Kangxi was the emperor, and the Eight Banners were his servants. When the servants were appointed to official positions in various places, they had to pay him tribute.
Officials’ salaries are so little, what can they use to show filial piety?
Of course it was corruption.
They gave most of the money they embezzled to Kangxi as a gift.
How could Kangxi have the nerve to punish them again?
This is true for the Cao and Li families, and also for Galin.
It was like a cycle. Kangxi took commissions from corrupt officials and used them to buy people's hearts so that more people would work for the Qing Dynasty and ensure the stability of his regime.
Kangxi may have overlooked it, or perhaps he deliberately turned a blind eye.
Where does the money of these corrupt officials come from?
It's no wonder Qianlong admired Kangxi so much; he inherited his legacy and was reckless in his pursuit of wealth. Besides using the money for his own extravagance, he also used it to appease the Mongol tribes. Aside from small-scale peasant uprisings, the situation was generally peaceful.
But I couldn’t bear it anymore later.
What hurt Qi You the most was that when the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, many people spontaneously went to help the invaders build ladders and lead the way.
There were profiteers and traitors among them, but there were also poor people who were desperate and hated the Qing government.
Qi You left the Palace of Heavenly Purity and went straight to the Ministry of Revenue.
Ma Qi, the Manchu Minister of Revenue, and Li Zhenyu, the Han Minister of Revenue, entered the duty room. They stepped forward to pay their respects. Qi You raised his head and nodded in return, then asked them to sit down.
Ma Qi looked at Qi You's expression and saw that he seemed to be smiling. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Did the prince see anything good?"
Qi You smiled without saying anything and just shook his head.
It was really too absurd. Everyone in the Qing Dynasty, especially Kangxi, was amused by the absurdity of it all.
The previous Han Shangshu, Chen Tingjing, still had some say, but now that Li Zhenyu had taken over, he basically kept silent and stayed out of everything. He just followed Ma Qi and sat there without saying a word.
Qi You's eyes swept over the two of them, and the sense of absurdity became even stronger.
The two Manchu and Han ministers were only superficially intended to maintain the relationship between the Manchus and the Han people. In the end, it was a pure waste of money and caused bureaucratic redundancy.
Ma Qi pondered for a moment, then smiled widely, saying, "Your Highness, I see you've been busy sorting things out these past few days. Are you really planning on getting all the money you're owed back?"
The person who smoothed things over arrived, and it was the Minister of Revenue. Qi You raised his eyebrows, slowly put down his pen, pulled out a piece of IOU, pushed it in front of Ma Qi, and said, "This is yours, get ready."
Ma Qi glanced at the IOU, reached out to pick it up and took a look. His face changed slightly and he looked very embarrassed.
The IOU belonged to him, and the amount of silver he owed was not much, only 1,800 taels.
Qi You said, "Please inform Ma Wu, Li Rongbao and the others to pay the outstanding silver. As the Minister of Revenue, you must lead by example. I believe you will not deny your debt after receiving the IOU. I will give it to you first. Once you pay the silver, the payment will be made. Minister Li, this matter is now your responsibility. When the time comes, remember to record the silver handed over by Minister Ma clearly in the account."
Ma Qi could no longer laugh. He was furious but dared not speak out.
Qi You's eyes were cold as he swept over the two of them.
When Li Zhenyu and Qi You's eyes met, he quickly lowered his head and responded instinctively.
Ma Qi's anger quickly subsided under Qi You's pressure, and he couldn't help but shudder all over.
He swallowed all the words he had intended to persuade her. After a pause, Ma Qifang said awkwardly, "My family is not well-off, and I really can't afford to pay so much cash. Your Highness, please let me collect some money, and I'll pay it back once I have it."
"Oh, you want to collect it?" Qi You laughed and said indifferently: "I have a suggestion. This way you can collect it quickly. Why not sell your Yufengxiang silk shop in Zhengyangmen? This shop is valuable and easy to sell."
Yufengxiang Silk Shop wasn't exactly a lucrative business, but it was the largest and most profitable shop in Ma Qi's mansion. Unexpectedly, Qi You had only been back in Beijing for a short time when he already had a thorough understanding of his assets.
Qi You had no time to explore Ma Qi's property. After the engagement, Dai Jiashi helped him prepare the annual gift for his wife's family and mentioned Yufengxiang Silk Shop. The fabrics sold there were the most fashionable, comparable to those woven in Jiangning.
Ma Qi certainly didn't need two thousand taels of silver, but he didn't dare to ask for it. Looking at the situation, he could only accept it and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I promise to pay it back in the next two days."
Qi You said "Okay" crisply, "I believe you." He pointed his finger at the paper on the table and said, "The IOU I took away has the specific records on it. I have signed it."
Ma Qi picked up the paper and saw the name of the official who owed money, his background, position, date of debt, and amount clearly written in the grid.
The last box is the note. It corresponds to the IOU that Qi You took away, with his name written on the back and the words "the silver has not yet been deposited".
Before, it was just a pile of IOUs, and it wasn't easy to tell what they were. But now, looking at the statistical data, Ma Qi didn't notice it at first, but after a while, he figured out some of the meaning.
The amount of the loan was related to the closeness of the official to Kangxi. For example, the closer the official was to the imperial guards, the more he could borrow.
Ma Qi's mind was in turmoil as he watched, and he couldn't tell what was going on. He just felt the paper was burning, so he quickly put it away and locked it in a drawer.
Qi You left the Ministry of Revenue and looked up at the spring sunset that had dyed the sky red. A tender new bud was struggling to squeeze out from a crack on the roadside.
Spring has truly arrived!
The plan for the year lies in spring. Spring comes day after day, and there is spring every year.
If nothing changes, spring is not the beginning of hope.
Qi You stood for a while, took out his pocket watch to check the time, thought for a while, then turned and walked towards the Qianqing Palace.
Sure enough, not long after, the Ninth and Tenth Princes came out together. They lowered their heads and were discussing something, and their expressions could not be seen clearly.
As if they noticed someone in front of them, the two of them stopped talking alertly and looked up together.
Qi You saw the two men's expressions change constantly in an instant, but soon returned to normal, and stepped forward to greet them.
Qi You smiled and nodded in return, saying, "I was just about to go to my ninth brother's house. It's a good thing that I met you here, so I can save you the trouble."
Ninth Prince's eyes flickered, and he pretended not to know, saying, "I wonder what Seventh Prince wants to talk to me about?"
Qi You took out the Ninth Prince's IOU and waved it, saying, "Now Khan Ama has given me the task of recovering the silver owed to the Ministry of Revenue. Here, this is your IOU. Ninth brother, I'm really sorry. Please prepare the silver and pay off the debt as soon as possible."
The Ninth Prince did not expect Qi You to be so direct. He could no longer hold back his temper. He frowned and twisted his neck, saying arrogantly, "I have no money. Not to mention Seventh Brother, even if Khan Ama comes, I still have no money!"
Qi You said in a good-tempered manner: "It's okay, no rush. Ninth brother owes a total of 320,000 taels of silver. With so much cash, I must find some somewhere else to make some money. I'll give it to Ninth brother..."
He raised his hand, counted on his fingers, and smiled at the gloomy Ninth Prince, who looked as if tears were about to drip from his eyes. He said, "Let's pay it all back in two months. However, within five days, Ninth Brother must first pay back 100,000 taels. The rest, I allow you to pay within two months."
The Ninth Prince was so angry that he almost jumped up, waving his arms vigorously and roaring: "No money! If I say I have no money, then I have no money. No matter how much you force me, I still have no money!"
The tenth prince also owed money, but not as much as the ninth prince. He rolled his eyes and stepped forward to help, saying, "Seventh brother, you can't just take care of the ninth brother. There are also the third brother and the others. Why don't you go and ask for it?"
Qi You ignored the Ninth Prince's anger and explained in a good-tempered manner, "Third brother and his friends owe the Ministry of Internal Affairs money. Khan Ama doesn't want the money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so no one can interfere. Look, I didn't mention what Ninth Brother owes the Ministry of Internal Affairs either, otherwise the total amount would be even higher. Ninth Brother, don't be angry. Go back and write a letter and ask someone to send you the money."
The Ninth Prince shouted, "Who should I write to for so much silver? Seventh Brother, I'd rather write to you. Since you're here, I can save myself the trouble of writing. Seventh Brother, you've been doing business outside for so many years. Not only in Shunyi, but also in the north, you've done such a big business. Carts and carts of goods are sent to the Imperial Household Department every day. Seventh Brother, you're definitely not short of money. Why don't you lend me 100,000 taels of silver and I'll pay you back right away?"
Qi You couldn't help but laugh and said, "Ninth brother, I really don't have any money. I haven't made a fortune in business in the north. But I'm afraid you'll find it hard to understand what I'm saying. You might think I'm talking nonsense, which is ridiculous."
"Yes, Seventh Brother, you're telling me nonsense." Ninth Prince said sarcastically, as if he had just heard a huge joke. "Not making money, just doing good deeds, wholeheartedly serving the people, this is what the Crown Prince and Khan Ama usually do. Seventh Brother actually does this too, I really admire you."
When the Tenth Prince heard the Ninth Prince directly point out that Qi You had ulterior motives, he turned around nervously and looked around, quietly pulling his sleeve.
The Ninth Prince did not appreciate it. He pushed the Tenth Prince's hand away and gave him an unpleasant look.
Qi You sighed and asked seriously, "Khan Ama and the Crown Prince usually do good deeds and serve the people wholeheartedly. But in order to avoid suspicion and not be like them, Ninth Brother does the opposite. He does evil things, steals profits from the people, and lines his own pockets, right?"
The Ninth Prince was choked, his face flushed red, and he said angrily: "Seventh Brother, please don't slander me, I didn't do anything."
Qi You didn't want to argue with the Ninth Prince, it was pointless. He walked forward and slapped the IOU on the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince was slapped and took a step back. He was so angry that he raised his head and was about to quarrel with Qi You. He was nearly a head shorter than Qi You, and when he looked up, he was met with Qi You's eyes that seemed as calm as a lake, but were actually rolling with turbulent waves.
Qi You's voice remained calm, neither too high nor too low, as he whispered in the Ninth Prince's ear, "I'll give you two months, enough time for you to write a letter to Jiangnan and have the salt merchants in Lianghuai send money to the capital. First five days, then two months. Remember the dates. If you exceed one day, I'll cause rivers of blood to flow in Lianghuai!"
Lianghuai! Salt merchants!
Like a sharp blade, it pierced the Ninth Prince's heart.
He stumbled back a step, his face pale and covered in sweat. His shoulders slumped, his previous arrogance gone.
Qi You didn't look at him again and turned away.
He will get back every penny of the money he owes to the Ministry of Revenue.
The hands of the Ninth Prince and his men who are reaching out for the salt tax will also be cut off!
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