Chapter 116 Taiji's Debts In the past few years, the prince Taiji of Mobei has entered...
In recent years, the princes and nobles from Mobei have come to Beijing to take up new duties. Without much thought, they can just hand it over to Dashengkui.
The clerk of Dashengkui came over with a gentle smile, saying "auspicious" on the left and "mighty" on the right. He spoke very nicely and did things very efficiently. As long as the taijis put their seal on the contract, everything would go smoothly, from packing for the journey to food, clothing, housing and transportation in the capital, including how much silver to give to the subordinates. It was a one-stop service.
The Taijis didn't have to worry about anything, they just had to put their hands behind their backs and go out. They would have tall horses and carved carriages to ride on, and there would be people serving them in front and behind.
Once we arrived in the capital, all our expenses were charged to our bank account, just like using a credit card in later generations. It was fast and convenient, but it also had a downside - it was easy to lose track of how much money we had spent.
The capital is a prosperous place with so many places to spend money! The brocade and satin shipped from Jiangnan are so beautiful in style and color, and so soft to the touch, why not buy a few? Since you are here, buy some! There are so many delicious restaurants on Qianmen Street, including official restaurants, southern restaurants, and snack shops. The dazzling array of signs is dazzling. Since you are here, eat!
Although the employees of Dashengkui would report their accounts every seven days, the taijis felt that only that much money was spent, so they continued to spend the money as they pleased.
Some ruffians saw the Mongolian princes and nobles spending lavishly and started to think crookedly, probably trying to lure people into whoring and gambling. It was not until the people of Dashengkui solemnly declared that such expenses would not be recorded and the money would be withdrawn, and threatened that if the ruffians dared to make such a fuss, they would report it to the government, that such intentions were suppressed.
Some taijis even complained that Dashengkui was meddling in their affairs. They were all on the account, so what was the difference?
When he came back and heard the total amount, he broke out in a cold sweat. He stood up and shouted, "Did you calculate it wrong? Why did you spend so much?"
He stretched out his long arm, snatched the account book, read it line by line, added up the items one by one, and finally said with dull eyes and pale face, "How could this happen? Why did I spend so much..."
It's not that they can't pay it back, but they will have to sell off many of their cattle and sheep on the ranch, which will definitely affect their livelihood next year.
These taijis were all worried as eggplants hit by frost. If they didn't pay it back, what madness! She was a princess of the Qing court and the wife of the Khan. If they didn't want to die, they shouldn't have the perverted idea of not paying the debt.
There was no other way, so they had to try to intercede. Who should they turn to? They all thought of Dunduobuduoerji.
Because the princess had given birth to a little girl, he stayed in Guihua temporarily to look after his wife and daughter, and ordered the taijis who had matters to deal with to come to Guihua to take care of them.
In order to facilitate Dorji's handling of the affairs of the Mobei Banner, Muxue specially ordered people to clean up a hall on the west road of the Princess's Mansion and use it as a place for him to manage affairs. Some taijis came, and several of them hesitantly mentioned the debt. Not only the taijis of the Tushetu Khanate, but also the Chechen Khanate and the Zasaktu Khanate had people coming.
Dorji mentioned this matter to Muxue.
Mu Xue heard this and said, "I don't think it's a big deal. I'm not in a hurry to pay off all the debts I owe. I'll talk to the people at Dashengkui later and let them handle it."
The next day, she called Yunqi over and asked about the matter in detail.
Yunqi asked someone to bring a large stack of account books and asked Muxue to take a look.
"…The debts from the year before last were all paid off as promised. We raised and sold the sheep and horses, making a good profit. Maybe he was worried about having to pay off a new round of debts this year, so he wanted to discuss this with us."
Yunqi carefully looked at Muxue's face and said, "Prime Minister Wang mentioned this to me before. He has repeatedly warned the guys to be alert and not to indulge in gambling. Otherwise, it's hard to say how much the debt will be."
Mu Xue flipped through the account books without saying a word. The only sound in the East Warm Pavilion was the sound of flipping papers. After a while, she asked, "What do you think?"
"In my humble opinion, we want to do long-term business with these princes and nobles. Why not slow down a bit and give them a discount so they can pay back less or pay back later?"
Mu Xue closed the account book and gently placed it on the large pear wood desk.
"As for money, as long as I can break even and make a profit for my subordinates, that's enough. I don't care that much about the economic benefits."
If you don't care about the economic benefits, then you have to make up for it in other ways?
Yunqi immediately thought about it according to the princess's hint and said, "Master, you have a far-sighted vision. You don't need to worry about the gains and losses of the moment. You should have a long-term vision. For ordinary people, owing money is not just owing money, but also owing a favor. This is exactly what the Taijis owe."
"Yes, that's exactly the truth." Mu Xue nodded and suggested, "Think about this matter carefully and give me a plan before autumn. Reassure people so that they can have a good New Year."
For her now, accumulating profits is no longer the most important thing. She has several businesses, and with the accumulation year after year, she will never be short of money.
The debts of the Taijis could be used to make some articles. For example, through debt bondage, the areas under their jurisdiction could be turned into her vassalages. This approach was more covert and silent than using military force to appoint officials.
Muxue explained a few things to Yunqi, and Yunqi kept them in mind. He realized that the princess wanted to use this matter to expand her influence on the grassland.
After finishing the discussion about Taiji's debt, Muxue looked at Yunqi and smiled, "I received news that your old friend who was exiled to Ningguta will soon arrive and naturalize. It took a lot of effort to go back and forth, and it is said that there is still one person who is still alive and will arrive in a few days."
Yunqi was surprised that the princess would mention this. His face was moved and he bowed to Muxue: "Thank you, Princess, for taking my concerns to heart."
"Of course I remember it, but it took some time to get this done, so it has been delayed until now."
Mu Xue said with some emotion: "It's a pity that I only found one woman."
The rest withered like flowers.
Yunqi said: "It's already good to have one. I thought..."
She was silent for a moment, then changed the topic and said, "Master, have you remembered the fifth princess?"
Mu Xue lowered her eyes and nodded.
The news of the Fifth Princess' death was not known until she was out of confinement. Considering that Mu Xue was pregnant and should not be provoked, the capital had kept the news a secret.
When Mu Xue looked at the gift list, she was surprised that there was no gift from the Fifth Princess. After asking, she found out that the Fifth Princess had passed away.
It was said that she died of an acute illness on her way to the Rehe Palace with the Empress Dowager to escape the summer heat. How could such a good girl be gone just like that after only two years of marriage?
Mu Xue was stunned for a long time, then found the green jade hairpin she had given him. When her fingertips touched the warm and cool jade, she felt an indescribable bitterness in her heart. The hairpin remained, but the woman was no longer there.
Thinking of the envy she and the third princess had felt over the fifth princess's marriage, she felt extremely sad and burst into tears.
Who would have known that the fifth princess's flowery wedding would also be the two sisters' final farewell.
She had never had a good chat with her all night.
They were clearly sisters, but their fate ended there.
After crying for a long time, Dorji held the little princess in his arms to comfort her, and she slowly stopped crying.
Mu Xue sent people to the capital to pay tribute, and she also went to the Buddhist temple to burn a stick of incense for the fifth princess.
The Buddha statue was swaying, with her hands clasped together and her brows knitted. She knelt there for a long time, and finally sighed softly, lamenting the impermanence of life.
Human affairs are unpredictable, only the sound of waves remains the same.
A few days later, the donkey cart carrying Yunqi's old friend Xiaoluan was moving forward along the Qingshui River. The donkey cart rumbled and the Qingshui River sparkled.
In the princess's mansion, Yun Qiqing knew that the time would come in the next two days, so he simply pulled Qiuhua to wait in the main room.
"Xiao Luan is still alive!" Yunqi sat down, then stood up and walked around, thinking about the scene of his close friends gathering together to recite poems, and his heart was filled with emotion.
Qiuhua held her chin with her hand and said, "Don't walk around. You're making me dizzy."
"I'm a little excited." Yunqi sat down, picked up the teacup and gulped it down his throat, trying to suppress his anxiety. "This girl, she suffered a lot. She was the most delicate and crybaby at that time, but she managed to survive."
Qiu Hua also sighed: "Yeah, it's hard to say."
She glanced at Yunqi: "I wonder if she has as many white hairs as you."
"Of course not. Xiaoluan loves to be beautiful."
As they were talking, a doorman came running over to report that someone had arrived.
Yunqi and Qiuhua immediately looked at themselves in the mirror and went out together to greet them.
Before I saw him, I heard a burst of curses: "You son of a bitch! The fare was clearly agreed upon at the time, and now your son has the guts to raise the price after seeing the red lacquered gate? Bah! Are you looking for money for the coffin after your father's funeral? You want to raise the price? I'll give you a knife, do you want it? Get out of here!"
A fat woman, with her back to the gate and her hands on her hips, kicked the wheel of the cart in anger. The driver was so frightened that he saw a man who looked like a manager coming out of the mansion, so he immediately dragged his donkey away in shame.
Yunqi stood there in a daze. This woman who was so good at scolding people, was Xiaoluan?
The woman turned around, saw her, looked at her for a moment, frowned and said in a rough voice: "Why, Zou Yunqi, do you dislike me? Then I will ask that thief to kill Cai and go back as usual."
"What are you talking about?" Yunqi stepped forward and held her hand, which was rough and calloused.
Qiuhua also came over and said, "It's been a long time since we last met. You must have worked hard on the journey. Come, the room has been cleaned up for you, and the wine and food are ready. Let's have a good chat as sisters."
Good wine and delicious food, it seems like the youth, but everyone's face has become more worn.
Xiao Luan raised her head and drank a glass of wine, then put it on the table: "I know you are surprised. Sometimes I am surprised myself, how can I be like this and still be alive."
She said with a hint of sarcasm: "In the beginning, I actually thought about jumping into the water and getting away with it. You know, I was implicated by my husband's family, but my mother's family was fine, nothing happened to them and they were able to save their reputation. But they were also worried that a married woman like me would encounter many dirty things and they couldn't save me, which would bring shame to my sisters and nieces. So when I was being escorted north and passed through the river, they did something on the boat. There were several loose planks on the boat, so I could easily fall into the water and get away with it."
"This is the honor my family gave me. I should have stepped on it," she wiped her eyes, "but I didn't. I lowered my head, crouched like a dog, and clung to the solid side of the boat, and slowly passed by."
"Otherwise, the one who comes to drink with you now is just a fragrant soul."
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