Chapter 167 Liu Fei: I Want to Make Money 79
Liu Fei never imagined he could be so unlucky in his life. He was quite happy when he was made the King of Qi.
He had a good relationship with his father and mother, and his fiefdom was located near the former Qi Kingdom, which was the largest fiefdom in the country, with a vast territory and a large population, making it a very good fiefdom.
As a result, for what seems like a year or so, the temperature in his fiefdom, including the entire Kanto region, only rose and never fell from the summer onwards.
The claim of continuously rising temperatures might be an exaggeration, but a severe drought is certain, and he can already foresee the dire situation facing the people within his fiefdom.
He couldn't ignore it; this incident had occurred so soon after he took office, and his throne was already beginning to crumble.
After much thought, he remembered the newly built and still very new national temple. Normally, apart from reporting the situation of the fiefdom on time, he would never dare to disturb his father, who was busy with countless affairs of state. But now the situation was urgent.
So he wrote two letters and sent them to Xianyang through the national temple in the city. One letter was to Liu Bang, and the other was to Empress Lü, who was also in tears.
She asked Liu Bang and Lü Zhi for things in a very fair and impartial manner.
And the two who saw the letter...
Liu Bang: ...
Lü Zhi: ...
The two had already learned about the situation in Guandong and were already sorting out the grain reserves in the national treasury. In fact, Liu Fei's letter would arrive a few days later.
Lü Zhi said meaningfully, "It seems that Fei'er still cares about us, but he writes this letter like a child."
Liu Bang nodded. He was quite pleased that his son had sought his help immediately. He had also read all the letters his son had written and had not kept anything from him.
The current practice of granting fiefdoms to kings of the same surname is to balance the power of kings of different surnames, but it does not mean that he truly agrees to grant fiefdoms.
First, the Han state itself had objections, so he couldn't ignore them. Second, he could think of a different name to replace the state, and the fiefdom could remain unchanged, as long as he avoided the possibility of a new state spirit being created.
He had already thought it all out. After eliminating the kings of different surnames, he would then weaken the kings of the same surname. They would still be granted fiefdoms, but they would not be allowed to call themselves kings or kingdoms.
I just don't know if he's old enough to last until the feudal system is abolished.
If not, then Liu Ying would have to do it, but remembering Liu Ying's personality, he fell silent again.
The edict establishing the heir apparent should have been issued after the northern border was secured, but it seems it can be delayed for another two months.
If Liu Ying were capable, he wouldn't have had to endure two more months of pressure from the court...
Liu Bang: Both of my sons have come to collect debts.
Seeing that Liu Bang was in a bad mood, Lü Zhi opened the account book: "After deducting the portion given to the north, there is still grain in the national treasury..."
…………
After completing the worship ceremony and presenting the letter at the temple, Liu Fei remained inside the temple.
The drought in the fiefdom is only just beginning, and the common people still have some grain stored in their homes, so no one is likely to cause trouble.
But this was only a facade of calm. He had deliberately gone out on foot today and could already sense the tense atmosphere in the city. If his capital was like this, one could only imagine what the scene was like on the parched and cracked land outside.
Thinking of this, he quickened his pace as he paced around the main hall of the temple.
"Your Highness, Prime Minister Cao requests an audience."
Liu Fei stopped pacing aimlessly and said, "Quickly invite the Prime Minister in; I'm having a real problem."
Marquis Pingyang, Cao Shen, was the prime minister appointed by Liu Bang to Liu Fei as the person to be enfeoffed in his fiefdom. Liu Fei trusted him ever since he arrived in his fiefdom, and when he saw someone, he would quickly help them up himself.
The voice was anxious: "Prime Minister, you've come at this time, is there something important?"
He had notified everyone before coming to the National Temple that he was going to use the temple to submit a petition, and no one would bother him unless it was something important.
Cao Shen's expression was grave: "The drought has become increasingly severe recently, and there is no sign of rain. Some people in the city are secretly stockpiling grain."
"How dare you!" Liu Fei was furious; he himself hadn't even considered profiting from the national crisis.
Suddenly, an imperial edict appeared on the incense table in the main hall. He opened it and glanced at it.
Well, on the other hand... it's not like you can't make money from it.
He appeared somewhat foolish, but he wasn't truly stupid. With a shifting expression, he dismissed the servants outside the door. Once only he and Cao Can remained in the main hall, he smiled and asked, "Prime Minister, are you short of money?"
Since the National Temple was built, no large items have been transported there yet. He only writes to his father, the Emperor, every few days to report on the general situation.
He was the only one who had ever used this magical mail delivery channel. Many people knew about it, but few believed it.
People are always suspicious of things they haven't seen before, as evidenced by those in the city who took the opportunity to hoard grain. If they believed that the National Temple was protected by the Han Dynasty and could transport grain and tax revenue to Xianyang in an instant, then no one would have considered this idea.
He's going to teach these people a lesson today.
Prime Minister Cao: ?
"...You give me a generous salary, and besides, I also hold the title of Marquis of Pingyang in the court...?"
"I'm short of money, so I'm going to get rich right now."
Cao Shen: ?
"The problem is that I might not have enough capital. Could the Prime Minister lend me some?"
Cao Shen: So we were waiting for him here.
Cao Can frowned and asked, "What does Your Highness intend to do?"
He couldn't let Liu Fei make a mistake. After all, Liu Fei was Liu Bang's son. If a son makes a mistake, can it really be the son's fault? It must be that he, the prime minister, failed to teach him properly.
He still wants to enjoy his old age in peace, Your Highness, please don't do that.
But then again, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. He should find out what Liu Fei wants to do and then try to persuade him based on the facts.
Cao Shen: Sigh, raising children is really difficult.
"There's still plenty of grain in the city, isn't there? Take the money from my private treasury, and the money from you, Prime Minister, and buy grain at the current price. Also, keep an eye on the grain stored in the palace, and buy as much as you can. Add three, no, five percent to the price and sell it to those who hoard grain."
In years of famine, grain prices can easily double, so he's not worried about people refusing them.
"How about I give half of the money we earn to the Prime Minister?"
Cao Shen was shocked: "You mustn't do that, Your Majesty! His Majesty will definitely be angry if you do that."
Liu Fei waved the imperial edict in his hand: "It's alright, Father has already agreed to allocate grain for disaster relief."
"These grains will be used for disaster relief. Although the portion allocated to the capital may not be enough to feed everyone, it will be enough to fill the gaps."
"It's more than enough to deal with these shameless people in the capital. Then all that grain will be ours," Liu Fei added with a cough. "And we'll use it for disaster relief afterwards."
He had previously lost to Meng Tian, which led to Meng Tian taking the Grand Minister of Agriculture to the north. This time, he was determined to take back what he had lost (crossed out).
When will the Grand Minister of Agriculture be able to come to their Qi Kingdom to see if there's any possibility of cultivating grain varieties suitable for the Qi region? He can then share half of the money he earned this time with the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Liu Fei sneered. He knew the yield per mu in his hometown of Pei County and the nearby cities. It was easy for the Grand Minister of Agriculture to increase the yield per mu wherever he went.
Even if we exclude the funds allocated to the military in recent years, the national treasury still has plenty of grain reserves, so it is reasonable to provide relief to the son.
Cao Shen thought about it and realized that His Highness the Prince of Qi was cunning and treacherous.
"That's it! That's it!" he said. "I always thought something was off before, but this is just like the Liu family!"
Cao Shen perked up, feeling as if he had rediscovered the joy of working for Liu Bang back in the day: "No problem, I'll get right on it."
Liu Fei was satisfied. In this way, he and the prime minister made money, the common people received disaster relief grain, and the court demonstrated its love and benevolence for the people. It was a win-win-win situation!
…………
Cao Shen's arrangement to buy grain went smoothly; because he used the name of the King of Qi, no one dared to compete with him.
The wealthy gentry in the city who were buying up grain on a large scale cursed inwardly but dared not say anything. They were only a little confused when Cao Can sent someone to their door.
Cao Shen's messenger bluntly asked them if they wanted a large quantity of grain, but the price was half as much again as the market price.
They bought it reluctantly. Don't ask why. In the Guandong region, not a drop of rain had fallen, and grain prices were already rising. Based on experience, even with government relief, grain prices in the region would at least double during a drought of this severity. So, although the price the Prince of Qi sold it to them was high, they still made a profit.
In fact, they made a fortune.
After Cao Can's men left, the wealthy gentry who had bought a large amount of grain were overjoyed. They said, "Who doesn't love money? Even His Highness Prince Qi couldn't resist getting involved. It's just that he wanted to save face, so he sold to them instead of waiting to double the price later."
They don't know yet that in a few days they will be able to fast-track onto the rooftop to queue up.
…………
After listening to his subordinates' report and carefully checking the account books, Cao Shen divided the money from selling grain into two portions. Of course, he dared not take the lion's share. After giving 70% to the King of Qi, he took the remaining 30%.
He was in a good mood, but when he saw his trusted aide rushing in, he smiled and asked, "Uncle Zhang, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The old man, addressed as Uncle Zhang, was covered in sweat and his face was a little pale: "It's terrible, sir! Your nephew was also buying grain before, this... this..."
Uncle Zhang spoke hurriedly and somewhat incoherently, but he still managed to explain the matter clearly.
Cao Shen's face turned ashen. After a moment of recollection, he remembered which of his nephews was the man, a distant relative he hadn't originally intended to concern himself with.
Not wanting to be implicated, he angrily ordered Uncle Zhang to bring the person over.
Soon Cao Shen's nephew was brought over by kidnappers, and the people who had been shouting on the way fell silent as chickens.
Cao Shen had no intention of explaining to this unfamiliar nephew. He simply kept a cold face and calmly ordered, "Arrange for him to stay for the next few days. No one is allowed to let him out without my permission."
Cao Shen's nephew was led away in a daze. Only after being thrown into the woodshed did he bang on the door and shout, "My uncle is Prime Minister Cao! You can't treat me like this! He must have wanted me to stay in the side room, how could this be..."
"Shut up," Uncle Zhang shouted gruffly from outside the door. "You idiot, you've caused trouble for the Prime Minister and you still have the nerve to bark here. Stay here and reflect on your actions."
"Wh...what? How could I dare? I didn't."
Uncle Zhang didn't listen to anyone's excuses. He found two guards to watch over the place and told them to just bring food and water once a day, and not to let anyone starve to death inside. He told them not to worry about anything else.
Finally, he didn't forget to warn them both: "You should know what you should listen to and what you shouldn't listen to."
"I understand!"
Uncle Zhang nodded in satisfaction, and then, as Cao Can had requested, he took the people from his household out again, this time to clean up the mess.
…………
Meanwhile, Cao Shen went to see Liu Fei. If it were before, he might have thought the matter was not serious, but after seeing Liu Fei's true nature, he decided to play it safe.
Therefore, when Cao Shen saw Liu Fei in the palace, he immediately bowed deeply and said, "Your subject is guilty!"
Liu Fei: ?
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Author's Note: Liu Fei: A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. (jpg)
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