"Don't be naive, my good uncle, the emperor is the person who needs the most money in our Qing Dynasty."
"Because our Emperor Qianlong wants to stand alongside Kangxi, or even surpass Kangxi..."
He Shen chuckled and told Chang Rong a big story. As expected, Chang Rong was shocked.
The second uncle, Chang Rong, looked horrified and said: "Eldest nephew, this is not something you can say..."
"………………"
"Hey, is there anything you can't say?"
He Shen said so.
"…………"
It is true that the emperor is short of money, especially this Emperor Qianlong, who wants to become the emperor of the ages.
Emperor Qianlong called himself the Shiquan Old Man in his later years!
Emperor Qianlong once summed up himself, that is to say, he boasted that he had "ten perfect martial arts" in his life.
Moreover, he also wrote the "Shiquanji of the Imperial System", which was written in four literary styles: Manchu, Han, Mongolian and Tibetan, and the inscriptions were built on steles.
Qianlong's "Ten Complete Martial Arts" are: pacifying Junggar twice, Dinghui tribe once, sweeping Jinchuan twice, Jingtai Taiwan once, surrendering to Burma and Annan once, and receiving Gurkha's surrender twice, combined. ten.
For this reason, Emperor Qianlong called himself the "Old Man of Perfection"!
Emperor Qianlong's huge ambitions naturally required greater financial support...
Let’s get back to the topic!
The reason why Heshen was so sure was that Emperor Qianlong had no money during his second trip to the south of the Yangtze River. When he was keeping accounts at the Ministry of Household Affairs, he discovered that there was not much money in the imperial treasury.
Emperor Qianlong's southern tour was massive and expensive, and the silver required was entirely supported by the treasury, which was not enough.
It’s not that the money in the treasury is really gone, but that the money in the treasury has a quota and is not that easy to get.
Emperor Qianlong's first trip to the south of the Yangtze River cost a total of about 8 million taels of silver, which was equivalent to a year's taxes in two or three provinces.
Fifty thousand trackers were mobilized to build more than a dozen palaces, hundreds of pavilions, and dozens of dragon boats.
When Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, he brought more than 10,000 soldiers with him, plus more than 20,000 concubines, palace maids, guards, ministers, etc., making the journey majestic and majestic.
This scene fully demonstrated the national power of the Qing Dynasty, but the money was also spent like water.
In terms of food, dishes such as bird's nests stewed with rock sugar and charcoal-roasted camel humps cost dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver.
Of course, even if Emperor Qianlong could eat by himself, it would not cost much after all.
However, in addition to himself, there are also concubines and ministers with high rankings, and they have to eat according to high standards.
When Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, there were group banquets and the like. Banner soldiers, green battalions, palace maids, eunuchs, etc., and food for 20,000 people, that was the real big deal.
It can be seen that Qianlong's southern tour cost thousands of gold and silver in one day, and it was impossible for all the treasury money in the treasury to be used for the southern tour.
Therefore, Emperor Qianlong was short of money, and the degree of money shortage was far greater than that of ordinary emperors.
Under this situation, if someone, for some suitable reason, gave a large sum of money to Emperor Qianlong.
That was really a flattering slap on the horse's front buttocks, which made Emperor Qianlong very happy.
Today's Emperor Qianlong, who is older than the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, is bound to embark on a great undertaking, and all great undertakings require money...
As for Heshen, the reason why he roped in his second uncle Chang Rong was simply because he didn't want all the wealth left by his grandfather and father to be squandered...
"…………"
"So, eldest nephew, what do you mean, the two of us will send money to the current Emperor Qianlong together?"
He Shen's words were so clear, so Chang Rong naturally understood.
He is incompetent, but not a fool. He Shen's words make it so clear. If he doesn't know He Shen's intention, then he will really be a fool.
"Yes, send money!"
He Shen smiled lightly, opened his mouth and spat out four words.
"…………"
"Send money, how much silver..."
Chang Rong was obviously hesitant. After all, he was the second young master of the direct line carefully cultivated by Hefu. Even though he was a little greedy, he was not brainless.
If you want to attract the attention of the current Emperor Qianlong, the amount of money you need to give must not be a small amount.
"…………"
"Second uncle, do you still want to be promoted?"
Looking at Chang Rong who was hesitant, He Shen smiled softly and didn't bother to say anything more to get to the point.
Chang Rong was silent for a moment. After staying at the fifth rank position for so many years, he certainly hoped to be promoted.
After pondering for a moment, Chang Rong said weakly: "I don't know, eldest nephew, how much money do you plan to pay?"
"Five hundred thousand taels!"
He Shen said lightly.
"..."
"Five hundred thousand taels of silver, why do you need so much?"
Chang Rong was frightened. Although he was a scholar, did not eat grain and fireworks, and never took money seriously, he also knew that five hundred thousand taels of silver was an extremely huge number.
At least, the salaries of all officials in the Rites Yamen for several years are less than this amount...
This shows how huge the amount of money is.
"…………"
It's not that Hefu has no money, but that Chang Rong is reluctant to part with it.
Chang Rong's heart ached very much.
He already regarded the He Mansion as his own, so naturally he was reluctant to spend so much money in the Mansion and hand it over to the treasury in vain.
…
"If you don't give me money, forget it. I'll find a way to do it myself."
One look at his second uncle's distressed look, and He Shen knew what his second uncle was thinking.
Nima, you bastard, you need to understand that I am the serious head of Hefu!
"..."
If he didn't want to cause too much embarrassment and make this little thing about his family a joke in the entire capital, he wouldn't bother talking to his second uncle, a prude and wordy person...
"..."
"Slowly, slowly..."
"I'll pay for this money..."
"Wealth is sought in danger..."
"However, no official in the civil and military dynasties took the initiative to give money. Isn't it a little too conspicuous for us to give money like this?"
Chang Rong is not really a fool. At least he knows about this matter, which involves the entire civil and military affairs of the court...
If one is not good, the benefits will not be obtained, but a big trap will be created.
His idea is very simple. Isn't it the act of a fool to send money in such a hurry?
…………
"If it's not conspicuous, why don't you give me shitty money?"
He Shen said angrily with a look of hatred on his face.
"Don't take advantage of the empty treasury at this time. When the current Emperor Qianlong is most in need of money, he should behave..."
"If you want to win the favor of the current emperor, Jane is in the emperor's heart. How can it be so easy?"
"If you are not envied by others, you are a mediocre person; if you are envied by others, you are talented..."
"…………"
Chang Rong was shocked when he heard this, and secretly pondered that this was indeed the truth.
"That... that... eldest nephew, in what name and how should we give this money away?"
Although half a million taels of silver is a huge sum of money, for Chang Rong, who regards the entire He Mansion as his private property, it is still within his affordability.
On He Shen's side, Heshen smiled and said slowly: "Let's just say congratulations to the current Emperor Qianlong on his 48th birthday. Anyway, this matter is true!"
Second uncle Chang Rong, after hearing He Shen's words, although he thought it was okay, he still asked with a questioning attitude.
"Is this reason too forced?"
Chang Rong was quite positive about such a once-in-a-lifetime event as sending money to please the current emperor.
However, he is not stupid. He knows that such an excuse is a bit far-fetched and cannot withstand the attacks of those who are interested.
If he really meant it, Emperor Qianlong had been on the throne for so many years. If Hefu really valued it, he would have sent money to celebrate his birthday long ago. Why is it postponed until now...
"..."
"Second uncle, don't be smart in small things and stupid in big things."
When He Shen heard this, he rolled his eyes at his second uncle Chang Rong and said angrily.
"Don't worry, if someone dares to chirp or be verbose, neither the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue nor our Emperor Qianlong will be happy without us taking action."
He Shen's words hit the nail on the head. If someone takes the initiative to give money, who doesn't want it? Isn't that stupid?
Especially the gang from the Ministry of Finance. In order to raise the huge amount of silver needed for Qianlong's expedition to the south of the Yangtze River, the officials were so anxious that their hair almost turned gray and the beads in their abacus were almost smashed...
If, in this special period of time, there is any invisible pressure that hinders other people's enthusiasm to send money to the treasury, and the people in the Ministry of Finance are the first to refuse to agree, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance and a civil servant will also draw their swords and kill people...
It is estimated that even the current Emperor Qianlong will not be happy.
Today's Emperor Qianlong may seem generous on the surface, but in fact he is an extremely stingy person.
Once the Emperor Qianlong remembers it in his heart, he will have enough shoes to wear in the future.
"..."
To be honest, with the real situation of the treasury empty, he must also hope that someone will come to send money to relieve the recent embarrassment.
In this case, being the first to eat crabs will definitely bring benefits.
When he thought of this, Chang Rong suddenly felt so hot that he wished he could immediately take out the money in the He Mansion and send it to the treasury, so that the current Emperor Qianlong would remember his benefits.
"..."
"Second uncle, don't be anxious. You, the only person in charge of the Fifth Grade Rites Department, can take charge of this matter?"
He Shen is really speechless. This guy doesn't really think that he is the real owner of He Mansion...
"…………"
"What do you mean, nephew?"
Not to mention, Chang Rong really had the idea of taking all the credit just now.
However, after what He Shen said, Chang Rong was awakened directly by a basin of cold water, and then he realized that he had taken it for granted.
"…………"
"Hmph, if I don't show up as the third-class light carriage captain, why don't you try sending the money yourself?"
He Shen's face was full of joking and he said disdainfully: "If you don't have a noble status as a stepping stone, let's see if those court officials will eat you alive!"
Hearing this and thinking of this, his second uncle Chang Rong shivered and suddenly lost his energy like an eggplant beaten by frost.
"Also, I warn you not to tell other people about the matter, and you must keep it secret, otherwise, this good opportunity may be used by others!"
