A penny is too much for a hero, and besides, it is now nearly 20,000 taels of silver. In fact, Chang Yu's own wealth is as small as 100,000, but he cannot take it with him when he leaves Beijing, so he only brings more than 500 taels with him.
So he turned his attention to Wei Jingyuan. Historical records record: When the rebels besieged Ningwuguan, Wei Jingyuan begged Jiang Quan to send troops to rescue him, but Jiang refused. In grief and anger, Wei Jingyuan moved around and spent all his property to raise funds. He had to attack and distribute 950 taels of gold to the soldiers, and prepared to lead the troops to rescue Ningwu, but was unable to do so because of Jiang Quan's obstruction.
How much is nine hundred and fifty taels of gold worth? In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang once stipulated that one tael of gold was worth the same as 4 taels of silver. However, gold was not a currency in circulation, so the rule stipulated that throughout the five to six hundred years of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, gold and silver were exchanged at the same price of one to ten! One thousand taels of gold is also ten thousand taels of silver.
It is said that when the water is clear, there will be no fish. Wei Jingyuan was an upright official, clean and honest, but not to the extent of no fish. A dignified governor was equivalent to the governor of a province in later generations. He sold iron and other things and borrowed more than ten thousand silver. This is not It's not a lot, after all, the only person who has ever been an official in the Qing Dynasty for thousands of years is Jackie Chan.
Seeing Chang Yu looking at him, Wei Jingyuan was startled at first and didn't understand what he meant. Then he reflected: "Eunuch Chang, I have some savings as a low-ranking official, but it's far from enough!"
Chang Yu couldn't help but shook his head and chuckled. What was he thinking? He hadn't pushed that hard yet. Wei Jingyuan could only spend a few thousand taels at most, which was a drop in the bucket and couldn't solve the problem.
So, there is only one way!
Visit the King!
As we all know, compared with the princes of the Qing Dynasty who were imprisoned in the capital, the princes of the Ming Dynasty were much more at ease. They were kept in various places in the country, and they could do whatever they wanted as the king.
Of course, everything is relative. Although these princes are free in their fiefdoms, they are not allowed to leave the fiefdom easily. Except for visiting the capital once every few years to congratulate them, they can only roam around within their own one-third of an acre of land without the emperor's approval.
The Dai Palace is located in the middle and north of Datong, covering an area of 180,000 square meters. It has more than 20 large and small palaces and 800 houses. It is built strictly in accordance with the specifications of the palaces of the former dynasty and the later market, Zuozu and Youshe. It is known as the best palace in the world.
Why? It's not because Dai Wang is the richest prince or the prince with the largest fiefdom, but because the palace is the largest. Compared with it, other palaces can only be regarded as small gardens. It is said that when the Forbidden City was built, Zhu Di came to Dai Wang's Mansion to visit and learn about it, so Dai Wang The palace is also known as the Little Forbidden City.
Chang Yu and his entourage arrived on horseback. Wei Jingyuan, who was ill, took a carriage and arrived at the south gate of the palace, which was the main gate, in less than two minutes.
Looking at the majestic gate tower and the two huge and ferocious stone lions in front of the mansion, Chang Yu couldn't help but smile and said: "I wonder if this generation of princes is easy to talk to?"
The meaning of his words was naturally to ridicule Zhu Gui, the first generation king, who was the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang and the most arrogant and domineering one. He had a violent personality and was ruthless. After becoming a vassal, he was simply lawless in the fiefdom, oppressing and plundering the people. He anointed him so much that his nephew, Emperor Jianwen, couldn't stand it and reduced him to a commoner as soon as he came to power. It wasn't until Zhu Di came to power that he regained his royal title, but this guy got even worse. He felt that if the emperor was my fourth brother or my brother-in-law, I would be lawless.
In fact, although Zhu Di couldn't stand him, he was his brother after all and couldn't bear to be cruel. He just sent text messages to persuade him, otherwise he would scare him. Anyway, he didn't really cure him, so he let this scourge live until he was seventy-three.
"This generation of kings has a gentler temperament, but the prince is young and energetic and has a bit of a temper." Wei Jingyuan certainly knew what Chang Yu was saying and answered with a smile.
"I dare to ask Mr. Wei, what is the name of this generation of kings?" Chang Yu really doesn't remember the name of this last generation of kings. He only knows that he is the last generation, the eleventh generation.
"Zhu Chuan?" (ji pronunciation, can't type it out, just the same number for convenience) Wei Jingyuan said while writing it in the palm of his hand and Yu Changyu looked at it.
Chang Yu suddenly had a black line, and he didn't know what was going on with the old Zhu family. Except for the emperor's lineage, the names of the descendants all had uncommon characters, which were not only difficult to read but also even harder to write.
After announcing their identities, everyone waited for half a stick of incense before someone opened the door, but it was Chang Shi who was in charge of the palace who came to confirm the identity of the visitor, and then turned around and went into the palace to report.
Seeing that the prince was so troublesome and making such a big show, Chang Yu felt a little contemptuous.
Wei Jingyuan watched his words and knew what he was thinking, and smiled slightly: "The prince lives in seclusion, and it is customary for the chief minister to be the one to deal with general matters."
Chang Yu smiled and said nothing.
After waiting for half a stick of incense, a servant finally welcomed the guests into the house.
But not long after entering the house, the servants asked the servants not to bring weapons into the house.
"Presumptuous! Jin Yiwei..." Wu Mengming was about to show off, but Chang Yu glared at him, "You are not here to show off your prestige, we are here to borrow money!"
The attendants handed over their weapons, and then followed the servants through the corridor to see the king.
Although the Prince Dai's palace was grand, Chang Yu had lived in the palace and had seen big scenes, so he had no intention of appreciating the style of the palace. He followed the servants silently all the way to the front of the palace.
The prince is the brother of the emperor. When he comes to see him, he must bow to him with great courtesy and call him a thousand years old. This is a ritual that even if Chang Yu comes through time in the future, he must follow it. He followed Wei Jingyuan's example.
This was not Wei Jingyuan's first visit to the palace. He and King Dai had a very harmonious relationship at this time. They walked around a lot on weekdays, almost always in the palace, and they were as casual as friends.
The reason why we chose to meet in the front hall of the palace this time was because the king heard that there were people from Jinyiwei and Dongchang, so he put on this posture.
Zhu Chuanji was in his forties, short, rich and fair-looking, with a short beard and a slightly majestic look. He was currently looking at the three people in front of him from the throne.
Chang Shi's report made him suspicious. The commander of the Jin Yiwei and the people from Dongchang came hand in hand. It was really unexpected. Although he knew that the royal family kept a close eye on the vassals everywhere, there were fiefdom officials and spies from the Jin Yiwei who were keeping an eye on them, both overtly and covertly. , but it is unique to come to him directly like this. Although he does not keep his peace, he does not intend to rebel. Could it be that he has been falsely accused!
The guests and hosts were seated, tea was served, and Wu Mengming and Chang Yu each paid their respects and announced their homes.
Wu Mengming's Jinyiwei commander was worth real money, but Chang Yu was just playing around. Of course he didn't directly say that he was from Dongchang, but his words always made others mistakenly think that he was, and he didn't deny it anyway.
Although Zhu Chuanji also doubted that he was dressed incorrectly. The waiters in Dongchang who were responsible for going out to investigate cases were all wearing white boots, brown clothes and small ribbons, but he also thought that he might be out of the palace on business and acting in plain clothes.
But he doesn't doubt Chang Yu's identity yet. After all, Wei Jingyuan brought him here, and the people who dare to pretend to be Jin Yiwei and Dongchang are probably not even born yet.
What the hell, borrowing food and salary!
Zhu Chuanji almost fell over. He laid out the plot, thought of various countermeasures, and thought about how to deal with the two famous villain organizations in Ming Dynasty. Unexpectedly, they were not here to investigate the case at all, but to borrow money.
do not have!
As soon as Zhu Chuanji heard about the loan, he stood up and was about to leave, but Wei Jingyuan persuaded him to stop him: "Your Majesty, please wait until I finish what I have to say."
For Wei Jingyuan's sake, Zhu Chuanji sat down again, thinking that no matter what you say, he wouldn't borrow it anyway.
"Your Majesty, I am borrowing it, not asking you to donate it. Moreover, it is only for ten days and will be repaid in half a month at most," Wei Jingyuan said patiently.
"Repay in ten and a half months? You are just teasing me. The imperial treasury is empty, what should I pay back?" Zhu Chuanji snorted with an arrogant look on his face.
Chang Yu secretly sighed in his heart, you also know that the treasury is empty, and you also know that the court cannot provide food and salary, but you, who are also descendants of the Zhu family, just watch the joke, carrying the wealth of the family but not giving up a single grain. You really don’t know how to overthrow the nest. Is there no unfinished egg underneath, or do you just want the emperor’s line to collapse, and you will have a chance later!
Zhu Chuanji's words left Wei Jingyuan speechless and turned to look at Chang Yu.
Chang Yu smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said: "What the prince said happened before. Although the imperial treasury is not full now, it is by no means empty as reported by the outside world. If it is really empty, where will the humble position come from this time?" Five hundred thousand taels of silver for escort!"
"Are you here with pay this time? Five hundred thousand taels in custody?" Zhu Chuanji was startled. This made him very surprised, but also very suspicious. He looked at Wei Jingyuan because he knew this person well. Be honest and sincere, never lie.
"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true, Eunuch Chang, Mr. Wu escorted 500,000 yuan from the capital this time, and distributed more than 100,000 yuan in Xuanfu, and the remaining 300,000 yuan was just distributed in Datong. If you don't believe it, you can stand up right now. Go to the General Military Mansion and ask." Wei Jingyuan said quickly.
Zhu Chuanji believed that Wei Jingyuan would not send anyone to inquire, but looked at Chang Yu with doubts on his face: "Where did the court get the money? It raised so much money in such a short time?"
"The courtiers in the capital donated their salaries." Chang Yu smiled slightly, and Wu Mengming beside him couldn't help but smile. He didn't know what he thought of.
"But I have heard that the donations are very small." Zhu Chuanji raised his eyebrows, obviously not believing it.
"The rumors are not credible. If they are really few, the five hundred thousand taels held by Beizhi are nothing. And as far as Beizi knows, there are at least two hundred taels left in the treasury at this time." Chang Yu looked at Zhu Chuanji intently, with a look on his face. confidence.
"Oh, so many!" Zhu Chuanji was surprised, and then asked: "How much do you want to borrow?"
"Two hundred thousand silver, one hundred thousand stone of grain"
"So many." Zhu Chuanji grinned and bared his teeth: "No!"
Two hundred thousand silver is still negotiable, but one hundred thousand stones of grain is an astronomical figure. According to later calculations, one stone is equivalent to 120 jins, and one hundred thousand is 1.2 million jins, which is equivalent to 600 tons.
"Your Majesty, this is a loan, not a donation!" Wei Jingyuan said quickly.
"It's not that much to borrow!" Zhu Chuanji understood that the value of food these days is not comparable to money at all, because many times you can't buy food even if you have money. So whether he had it or not he didn't want to borrow it.
"My lord, have you heard about King Fu?" Chang Yu said suddenly.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then the atmosphere became a little awkward.
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