When Li Yuheng heard that the Minister of Revenue, You Zhicheng, said that the meeting place was Yunxi Restaurant, he frowned with dissatisfaction, "Can't we change the place?"
You Zhicheng was struggling in his heart, "The shopkeepers of the eight royal merchants all said that the food in that restaurant was delicious." He just hoped that nothing bad would happen during tomorrow's discussion.
If they don't agree and King Heng insists on getting involved and competing with the people for profit, it will always be unpleasant to hear the news.
Li Yuheng was extremely upset. The Ministry of Revenue was in his own hands, but the treasury couldn't do anything about it.
The profits of the shops under his name were getting lower and lower, and he didn't want to focus on the dowry of Princess Heng and her two concubines.
The palace's income was low, so he had no money to go out to do business and could not recruit many people.
They are all profit-seeking and unjust people. King Che's prestige in the court has become increasingly high in recent days. Everyone is watching the fire from the other side and dare not take sides easily. If there is no bloodshed, they will not be able to instruct the officials.
So Li Yuheng set his sights on these imperial merchants.
According to the investigation results, these people are all new businessmen who were selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs because of their good stuff. They have no background.
Since ancient times, people have not fought with officials, so Li Yuheng wanted to get involved and share some benefits.
On the second day, Wen Jinhe stayed in another private room early. The dishes on the table were served in advance and the door was closed.
You Zhicheng arrived first and talked with the eight shopkeepers for a long time. His words were partly polite, partly flattering, and partly threatening.
When the conversation reached its peak, Li Yuheng walked in with his guards.
When the eight of them saw Li Yuheng arriving in person, they felt a little nervous.
Li Yuheng sat on the main seat, holding a wine glass in his hand, with a high posture, "I heard that the business of the eight shopkeepers is very big, and the trees are big and attract the wind, so they can easily fall into the spotlight. If no one is behind them, someone will inevitably covet them. , by cooperating with me, everyone will enjoy the benefits, and share the money together, and all the money from all over the world will be collected by us, what do you think? "
Li Yuheng actually looked down on these businessmen from the bottom of his heart. They had no talent and no background. They only knew how to deal with businessmen, and they smelled like copper.
It's a pity that when he ascends to the throne, he needs money.
Sun Fugui silently picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The princess was next door. How should he answer this more appropriately?
"Prince Heng, we are all small businesses. We can only make money by relying on the reputation of the imperial merchants. We just had a few brothers who worked together when we started. This matter is a small matter for the prince, but for ordinary people, It is indeed a major matter that affects the life of the whole family. Can you allow me to wait until we go back to discuss it before making a decision? "
Li Yuheng and You Zhicheng left first.
After returning to the palace, Li Yuheng had some questions: "What do you think they mean?"
You Zhicheng: "Would you like to go to the Yamen to check? All the shops and land are registered in the Yamen."
Li Yuheng sat down, rubbing the thumb and index finger of his right hand constantly, "When the Ministry of Internal Affairs promulgated the Imperial Merchant Plaque, these eight people came to receive it. For such a matter of honoring the ancestors, if there are other partners, they will not be absent."
You Zhicheng pondered, "Your Majesty, you mean that this is their excuse?"
Li Yuheng took a deep breath and said, "Give them a few days, and I will send someone to keep an eye on them. Instead of conducting an open and honest investigation at the government office, send someone pretending to be a commoner to bribe the government officials who registered and make inquiries secretly."
After the two left, eight shopkeepers came to the next box to see Wen Jinhe.
"You did a good job. You can delay it as long as you can. When you can't delay it anymore, you will refuse one after another." Now even if Wen Jinhe's identity is exposed, Li Yuheng can't do anything to her.
Li Junche's power in the court has gradually become stable.
With the support of Su Qingli's civilian officials and the military power he has created, if the two of them really fight, it's really not certain who will win.
After all, the current emperor is still on the throne, and who will eventually take that position cannot always be judged by strength alone.
At least Li Yuheng was more favored than Li Junche, and he had the support of the queen in the palace.
If Beidi Kingdom and Linyue Kingdom were not different and did not care about the distinction between legitimate concubines and concubines, Li Junche might not even be qualified to compete for the throne.
After Wen Jinhe returned to the palace, she began to calculate the money she currently had.
Seeing that Wen Jinhe had been calculating in the study for several hours, Li Junche couldn't help but said: "King Heng's decision to target Huang Shang is just because he feels that there is no one behind them. If the matter gets serious, it will not be good for them. You don't have to worry. I'm here for everything."
Wen Jinhe nodded emphatically with his brush, stood up and picked up the white paper filled with numbers.
Li Junche couldn't understand any of the series of symbols for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division above.
"I heard that drought has begun to occur in the north. The Ministry of Industry believes that this year's disaster will be more serious than before. Is the court already planning disaster relief?"
Li Junche was a little surprised, "The Ministry of Works only received the memorial from the Nancheng prefect today about the news of drought in the north. How did you know about it?"
Wen Jinhe opened the account book, sat on Li Junche's lap and took him to read with him, "This world is not an airtight wall. The people are even more worried about the harvest than the court. The news of the drought came three days ago." It has already spread among the farmers in the capital, so only officials who are aloof and unwilling to bow will ignore it, and they must wait until they see the so-called memorial before they start to worry. "
Li Junche's eyes accidentally glanced at the numbers on the account book, and he was shocked. His princess was actually so rich. This was the tax revenue of the Beidi Kingdom for two years.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Junche saw Wen Jinhe rubbing his thumb on the numbers.
Wen Jinhe pursed her lips, with some sadness in her brows. She relaxed her back and leaned into Li Junche's arms, "I feel a little heartbroken."
Li Junche saw Wen Jinhe's eyes closed tightly and her face was full of reluctance, thinking that she was not feeling well, "I'll call Doctor Zhou."
Wen Jinhe shook his head, his black hair sliding on his neck, "It's not that heartache, it's heartache."
Wen Jinhe raised his hand and pointed at the numbers on the ledger, "My assets will be reduced by half soon. I feel uncomfortable."
Li Junche put his right hand around Wen Jinhe's waist, "You have to use half of what you buy. This is more than one million taels."
Wen Jinhe sighed, "I'm going to donate one million taels to the drought relief areas in the north."
Li Junche reacted immediately, "Is it because of Li Yuheng?"
Wen Jinhe curled his lips, "That's not entirely true. I'm not short of money, but people's hearts are rare. One million taels is not a small sum. The icing on the cake is not as good as giving help in the snow. This time, I want to win the hearts of the people of Beidi Kingdom at once. I am grateful and have the support of all the officials in the DPRK. This will be of great benefit to my future business layout and your bid for the throne.”
Wen Jinhe lowered his eyes and continued: "If the drought continues to be serious, it will definitely affect Beidi Kingdom's war against Linyue Kingdom a year later."
Wen Jinhe didn't want to delay the matter of revenge for too long.
She is not a dodder who is attached to Li Junche. She wants Li Junche's help in everything. She can do it herself and will not rely on others.
Li Junche looked at Wen Jinhe's thoughtful look. The matter of the throne must be resolved before the two countries went to war, so he had to move faster.
