The two of them looked at each other and were about to speak when a palace maid outside announced, "Long live the Lord is here!"
Queen Mother Li said happily: "I don't know why Long live Lord has time to come here. It just so happens that you two princes may not have seen Long live Lord for a long time. Let's sit down and chat together, and let Long live Lord get closer to you!"
At this time, the two princes felt something bad in their hearts! Why did it happen that the emperor rushed over at this time? But things had reached this point, and the two of them had to get up quickly to greet him.
As soon as the two of them got up and were about to walk out, Emperor Wanli had already strode in. When he saw the two people, he smiled and said: "Aren't these Duke Liang and Duke Bao? Why are you two so free today? Why are you here to have family time with the queen?"
Duke Baoguo hurriedly said with a smile: "I haven't seen the Queen Mother's face for a long time, so I always come to the palace to say hello!"
Afterwards, a few people sat down and started talking around again. Finally, Emperor Wanli said: "If you have any matters, please tell me directly. I think you are all a little anxious!"
After hearing this, Duke Baoguo knew that Emperor Wanli must have known something, and he had heard before that there was Emperor Wanli's shadow behind the matter of collecting money, and now he was even more sure! But at this time, he could only say helplessly: "Your Majesty, I came to the palace this time to beg the Queen Mother and Your Majesty to restrain the royal guards and not let them disturb my property!"
When Emperor Wanli heard this, his eyes widened and he said angrily: "What? Jin Yiwei actually dared to go to the Duke's Mansion to cause trouble. I think they are impatient, right? I will call Liu Shouyou immediately and see what he says!"
Duke Baoguo is not stupid either. Hearing Emperor Wanli's words, he felt disgusted in his heart! Your hidden intentions are too obvious! This showed that Emperor Wanli knew what was going on, which made them feel a little chilly!
It's just that they don't know where the problem lies, so Duke Bao can only say helplessly: "Your Majesty, they are not going to the Duke's mansion to cause trouble, but they are going to the property under Wei Chen's name to cause trouble and extort money!"
Emperor Wanli relaxed his body after hearing this, blinked and said: "Industry? What kind of industry do you have in the Duke's Mansion? Aren't they all farmland and village property? How dare they go there to extort money? Besides, a What can the farmers and villagers extort?"
At this time, Duke Liang knew that the matter was completely out of control, but for the sake of free money, he still hesitated and said directly: "Your Majesty, Duke Bao is not talking about Zhuangzi outside the city, but about the shops in the city. !”
Emperor Wanli slapped the table and said, "Not even shops! Wait, shops? How do you have shops? The imperial court stipulates that business is prohibited for officials above the fourth rank. Don't you two know?"
Emperor Wanli said yes, there was a clear rule in the Ming Dynasty that officials above the fourth rank were not allowed to do business! This point has never changed from Zhu Yuanzhang to Emperor Wanli! But by the Wanli Dynasty, this rule was already in name only!
In the early years, officials kept their business under wraps, often by investing in shares or using the names of relatives and servants. By the time of the Wanli Dynasty, the officials were already naked and directly opened shops in person!
The prohibition of officials from doing business has actually been stipulated for a long time. This rule was first established during the Han Dynasty.
After Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, came to power, Dong Zhongshu once wrote a letter about the dangers of officials doing business! He told Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that once officials participated in business, they would use their power to collude with profiteers or suppress legitimate businessmen, etc., and listed a long list of disadvantages of officials doing business.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was convinced after seeing this memorial, and after discussing it with Dong Zhongshu, they made a rule that officials were not allowed to do business. And this rule was completely followed by all the imperial courts of the past dynasties. And the regulations are becoming more and more detailed.
It's just that all dynasties have never been able to prevent officials from doing business. Especially in the middle and late periods of the dynasty, officials' business became more and more intense every time! A large number of officials are full of fat, but the businessmen are miserable! So Emperor Wanli seized on this matter and forced the two princes into a corner!
Under Emperor Wanli's questioning, the faces of Bao Guo Gong and Gong Bao turned red! But they still have some adaptability, so Duke Baoguo immediately leaned forward and said: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen did not obey the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Wei Chen is guilty! But Wei Chen can't help it. The population of the family is increasing. There are also many relatives who come to seek refuge, and Zhuangzi’s output is only that much every year. He can’t make ends meet, so he can only run some shops to support his family!”
Liang Guogong also poured out his bitter words, saying that life was not easy! After they finished speaking, Emperor Wanli took out a confession from his arms and threw it on Duke Liang, and said coldly: "Really? The family can't make ends meet, so they open a brothel or a casino?"
These words hit the two people's hearts like a bolt from the blue, and they were so frightened that they were covered in cold sweat! Especially after Liang Guogong glanced at the confession in his hand, he was even more frightened!
Being a state-owned store is already wrong, but they still dare to open a brothel and gambling house, which is even worse! The dignified Duke actually engages in a lowly business, he really has no dignity at all! This is simply a smear on the face of the imperial court!
In fact, everyone in the capital knew that they opened a brothel and gambling house, but no one exposed it. This is the so-called unspoken rule. Everything is fine if the hidden rules are not revealed, but if they are revealed, someone will definitely be unlucky! Looking at the current situation, the unlucky one is definitely not Emperor Wanli!
Just when the two of them were panicking, Emperor Wanli had already roared loudly: "You two are both dignified princes. The court has rewarded you with so much land. Zhuangzi, isn't it enough to cover the expenses of the prince's palace? And the court is celebrating a new year. There are rewards during festivals, why are there not enough to spend? I think it’s just greed! And if you open a shop next to it, I won’t say much. But you actually open a brothel and a gambling house! You are shameless, and the court still If you want face, I still want face!"
Hearing Emperor Wanli start roaring, Baoguo Gong and the other two hurriedly knelt down to accept the scolding. They didn't even dare to raise their heads! Emperor Wanli took this opportunity to scold them for almost a cup of tea, and then he took a sip from the tea cup and glanced at Queen Mother Li.
Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Wanli had a heart-to-heart relationship with their mother and son, so she naturally knew what Emperor Wanli meant, so she said softly: "Long live my lord, drink some water to relieve your anger! But the Ai family wanted to say a few words for them. As their Duke's mansion has a large population, they must defect to I have many relatives, plus I have to maintain the dignity of the Duke’s mansion, so the expenses will naturally be higher, so it’s justifiable to open a shop!”
