Zhu Qiyu was overjoyed when he heard this. He pointed at Lin Xiangyu and said with a smile: "Don't you see how beautiful the birth mother of the elder brother is? This is a fertility tool that I dug holes in the mountains and found with great difficulty."
Ruan Zhu had a strong desire to survive, but he did not dare to follow Zhu Qiyu's words, but hurriedly flattered: "Our queen is all over the country, and all the fairies scattered in the world are gathered together.
Such a perfect mistress, there are fifteen of them at once, they are slaves, oh no, they are such a great blessing. "
The flattery slapped her hard, making the concubines smile with joy.
Zhu Qiyu made an exception and had a big drink, and everyone ate in a lively manner before they dispersed in the afternoon.
In the evening, Zhu Qiyu woke up from his sleep and saw several beloved concubines writing and drawing on the couch, so he ordered: "I have to go to the city to do some errands tomorrow. I may not be able to finish them in one day. No accident." I have to stay for three or four days.”
"Oh? Where will my husband live when he enters the city? Who will he take with him? Why does it take so long?"
"The outer walls of our old prince's mansion have been burned down. I'll take Yan'er and Ningxiang back to my parents' house and live in Wudinghou's mansion. Xue'er and Xi'er will look after the house.
This time I went, firstly, to conduct a private visit incognito and explore the public sentiment; secondly, I wanted to personally deal with our old prince’s palace and the Huichanghoufu, where I wanted to erect a very large jade statue of my mother in the Huichanghoufu, so that everyone in the capital could see it. Everyone pays homage to him all the time.
I also want to personally meet our Uncle Wang, the former Prince Xiang and the current Prince Lecheng.
In addition, we should also take a look at the casting and circulation of Jingtai Tongbao, and inspect the construction progress of the outer city. Check the various treasuries again.
Also, go to Fengtian Dusi to summon the generals, announce the establishment of three Xingdu Divisions, and make another major adjustment to the Gyeonggi Guard.
Also, I want to follow the example of Taizu and add Jing Zhaoyin to take charge of the capital.
In short, there are so many things that I can’t even count, and I won’t be able to get back for three or four days.
As civil servants, I will take He Yi, Lian Gang, Xu Zheng, Huang Jian, Wang Yue, Gao Yao, Wang Xian, and Ma Wensheng with me. Military generals Liu Chang and Zhao Xuan.
The internal officials will take Ruan Xi, Shu Liang, Huang Qi, and Chen Lin, so be it. "
Qianxue smiled and said: "Take He Yi again, husband, just wait for Xu Wan to scold you."
Zhu Qiyu retorted: "I am the emperor, she cannot scold me."
Qianxue nodded: "Well, yes, I can't point my nose at you and scold you, but she is Brother Fang's mistress, so she can spank your son."
"Why is this young lady from An Guo Gong's family so cruel? Well, I was wrong. I'm scared. I'll let He Yi come back after I finish the work tomorrow. That's alright."
Qianxue smiled and said: "Those who know the current affairs are handsome. My husband is getting more and more handsome as he grows older. I like him so much."
"Hey, it's not easy to be an emperor. He gets more and more handsome as he grows older. Why do I look more and more like my third grandson?"
Early the next morning, Zhu Qiyu got up early and led everyone to the capital.
…
There was nothing to say or anything to do all the way.
The personal guards escorted the chariot into the Wudinghou Mansion. Zhu Qiyu rested for a while, then left his beloved concubines at home to chat with Mrs. Wudinghou, while he took He Yi and others on a tour incognito.
In the past, Zhu Qiyu had always hidden in a carriage when traveling. He had never taken a good tour of the capital. Now, this was the first time he walked on the street to take a closer look.
After leaving Wudinghou Mansion, we quickly headed south into Mingshifang and wandered all the way to Chongwen Gate.
Chongwen Gate connects the inner city and the outer city and is where Chao Pass is located. Goods entering the inner city through Chongwen Gate are subject to commercial tax.
Zhu Qiyu stood at the city gate and smiled at He Yi and others: "Let's see with our own eyes how they collect taxes.
If you just sit in the temple, sooner or later you will be deceived by the people below and become deaf, blind, or stupid. "
There are some things that cannot be said, and Zhu Qiyu knew in his heart: "Business tax sounds very nice, but in fact it is used to harm the people."
Take Wang Anshi's reform for example, every decree seems to be for the sake of the people. In actual implementation, the people were in a miserable state, and they were worse off than before the reform.
There are also the seven checkpoints along the Grand Canal established by Xuanzong. Among them, the Linqing Pass was the site of the famous "Matang Incident" during the Wanli Period.
In his later years, Wanli went crazy thinking about money. He sent eunuchs all over the country to collect commercial taxes, mining taxes, and negotiate taxes.
One of the eunuchs named Ma Tang levied exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in Linqing. How excessive was it? "They even taxed the scattered rice and beans, causing many people to lose their homes."
In the end, Linqing people rioted, burned the tax superintendent's office, and killed more than 30 people including Ma Tang and his followers.
As expected, the level of Chongwenmen can be somewhat stronger, but its strength is limited. '
Zhu Qiyu and a dozen people stood at the city gate to observe. The tax collectors and government servants guarding the city gate were naturally quite unhappy when they were stared at like this.
A somewhat ferocious-looking official came towards Zhu Qiyu, and a conflict was about to occur. At this time, the guard of Chongwen Gate suddenly ran over and grabbed the official.
The official asked curiously: "Zhao Qianhu, what are you asking me to do?"
Zhao Qianhu quickly advised: "Brother, leave this to me. It's important that you go over and collect taxes."
Zhao Qianhu persuaded the official to leave, and then walked up to Ruan Xi and bowed his hands: "Mr. Ruan, what kind of wind has brought you here? Those people below have never seen the world, please don't blame Mr. Ruan."
It turns out that during the battle to defend the capital, Ruan Xi was ordered to guard Chongwenmen. This military commander named Zhao Xin was promoted from a hundred households to a thousand households because of his meritorious service.
Ruan Xi's recommendation also contributed to this, so Zhao Xin was particularly affectionate when he met Ruan Xi.
Ruan Xi smiled and said: "Zhao Qianhu, don't make any noise. We are just here to take a look around. We won't cause you any trouble. Just pretend you haven't seen us. Just do whatever you do now."
Xin Zhao asked again: "Then who are these young masters behind you?"
Ruan Xi waved his hand: "Brother, don't ask. It's not good for you to know so much. You don't need to greet us, just continue to defend the city."
Zhao Xin nodded with understanding: "Brother, I will continue to defend the city. Please forgive Mr. Ruan and all the nobles for any neglect."
Ruan Xi nodded and made a gesture of invitation.
Without the interference of others, Zhu Qiyu took He Yi, Wang Yue and others more than ten steps forward, getting closer to the tax collector.
As the common people and merchants passed by, Zhu Qiyu could clearly observe their behavior and conversations.
People who did not bring much goods entered the inner city from the south, usually through Xuanwumen and Zhengyangmen. Most of the people who go to Chongwen Gate are business travelers.
After five or six groups of businessmen passed by, Zhu Qiyu waited for the merchants selling silk.
Not only Zhu Qiyu was curious, but He Yi, Wang Yue and others were staring intently.
Sure enough, the tax collector stopped the carriage and inspected it carefully.
In the end, the merchant shipped a total of thirty pieces of high-quality silk, and was charged twenty-one taels of silver.
Zhu Qiyu saw the businessman gnashing his teeth blindly, and he almost had tears in his eyes before he took out twenty-one large silver coins.
After paying the tax, the businessman wanted to drive a carriage and leave this sad place quickly.
Seeing this, Ruan Xi hurriedly stepped forward and bowed his hands in greeting: "Brother, my master would like to chat with you for a few words. I wonder if you can do me a favor?"
The businessman looked surprised and didn't understand why someone suddenly came over to talk to him.
And I heard that the voice that spoke was that of a eunuch?
Ruan Xi explained with a smile: "My little brother once served as a minister in the Nanjing Internal Affairs Bureau. Isn't that high-quality silk sold from Suzhou? How is the market this year?
My master also wanted to do some small business in the south, so he wanted to ask Xiongtai about the market situation. "
The businessman felt relieved when he heard what Ruan Xi said: "It turns out that my brother was on business in Nanjing, and I am from Nanjing. I heard that the north has been hit by disasters in the past two years and supplies are in short supply. I wanted to sell some silk to earn some money to supplement my income." Household expenses, hey, I didn’t expect that I’m about to lose everything.”
(End of chapter)
