Yangtze River port.
When Li Qing arrived, Shen Xin was already waiting.
Seeing his group coming, Shen Xin immediately stepped forward and said with a smile: "Sir, one million taels of silver are ready, please click on them."
"No need, Boss Shen's credit is trustworthy." Li Qing waved his hand and said: "I hope Boss Shen will settle the taxes owed and the remaining debt before the end of the year."
"That's natural." Shen Xin quickly promised, "I guarantee it will be delivered to the capital by the twelfth lunar month of this year at the latest."
Only by pleasing the court can he gain the support of the court. With the support of the court, he can further grow. Shen Xin, who has already tasted the benefits, understands this truth deeply.
Li Qing waved his hand, "Move the silver to the boat and set off!"
"yes."
The accompanying Jin Yiwei immediately threw off his arms and moved the silver to the boat.
~
Traveling by water is not only fast, but also very comfortable.
Along the way, the little guy was curious about everything he saw. He was so lively that he caught Li Qing asking questions.
Seeing that the little guy didn't get seasick at all, Li Qing felt relaxed and answered the little guy's questions one by one.
What is flying in the sky, what is swimming in the water... there is so much joy along the way.
More than ten days later, we arrived in the capital.
It's almost March, the season when spring flowers are blooming, and it's not cold at all in the capital, perfectly avoiding the severe cold.
"Daddy, where is home?"
"Not far, almost there." Li Qing touched the little guy's head, "My godfather is going to the palace soon. Can you play with this little father-in-law for a while?"
"Okay!" The little guy nodded sadly, "Then godfather, you have to come back soon."
"Well, okay." Li Qing nodded and said to the young eunuch on the side: "Excuse me, father-in-law."
The little eunuch waved his hand quickly, "Master Li, you're welcome, it's just a little effort."
Wang Zhenfa once said that he should treat Li Qing politely and only make good friends, not enemies.
The main reason was that the last incident of Li Qing's counterattack made Wang Zhen really angry. In addition, Li Qing, like him, was not popular with the officials, so he naturally got close to Li Qing.
~
Qianqing Palace.
Li Qing brought the silver directly in.
Let Zhu Qizhen decide whether it should be deposited into the account of the household department or internal funds.
Looking at the sparkling silver snowflakes, Zhu Qizhen couldn't open his mouth from ear to ear with joy, but soon he stopped raising the corners of his mouth and frowned:
"Why just a little bit?"
"Shen Xin can't afford that much money at the moment, but he has made a guarantee that all taxes and balances will be settled before the twelfth lunar month of this year." Li Qing explained.
Zhu Qizhen said dissatisfied: "I don't believe that he can't even pay back the debt for such a huge property; I don't believe it;
Even if he really couldn't afford it, wouldn't he sell some assets? "
"In that case, his previous efforts will be in vain." Li Qing said, "Now Jinling's maritime trade is monopolized in his hands, and the initial expenses are indeed huge."
Zhu Qizhen frowned, but thinking about the large amount of silver that would follow, his brows gradually relaxed.
"It's best to keep business in your own hands." Zhu Qizhen said, "Next spring at the latest, the number of merchant ships will exceed 100, and it's time to put the voyage to the West on the agenda."
After a pause, "The ministers have already anticipated this. How do you think they will respond?"
"I can't say for sure." Li Qing said, "However, no matter what tricks they use, they can't stop the imperial court from going to the West."
"Haha... heroes see the same thing." Zhu Qizhen said proudly, "At most, it's just another chaos. What kind of trouble can they make?"
Li Qing nodded: "The biggest problem at the moment is not the voyages to the Western Sea itself, but the commodities. It is no different now than in the Yongle Dynasty. At that time, Western trade was all monopolized by the imperial court, but that is not the case now;
Due to the decentralization of maritime trade to the private sector and the stagnation of trade in previous years, existing productivity cannot keep up. We must focus on cultivating the production chain to achieve self-sufficiency. "
"We have to spend money again!" Zhu Qizhen sighed, his face full of distress.
Li Qing was speechless: "How can you do business without investing?"
Zhu Qizhen held a piece of silver ingot, turning his left hand into his right hand. "Sir, what do you mean, do you want to build another weaving bureau?"
"Yes, let's build it in... Tianjin Port." Li Qing said, "Tianjin Port is very close to the capital. From there, the emperor can have an intuitive understanding of maritime trade."
Zhu Qizhen nodded slightly and said thoughtfully: "We may have to quell the chaos later, so we can't spend too much money. First, keep the silk tight, and let the rest go for now."
"Your Majesty is wise." Li Qing said, "My suggestion is to issue a mulberry planting policy in the Liaodong region. The land is vast and sparsely populated, so there is no need to worry about food problems. Mulberry planting can increase income, and it can be easily implemented there."
Zhu Qizhen nodded, "Sure, I'll take care of this, and you'll take care of the Weaving Bureau's affairs."
Li Qing rolled his eyes, "Your Majesty, you are not so bossy, are you?"
"Sir, I told you, aren't you comfortable enough?" Zhu Qizhen looked as if he was heartbroken, "Look, who can be like you and spend less than two months in court in a year?
Who can be like you, asking for leave for two months?
I didn’t deduct your salary this time! "
Then I still have to thank you? Li Qing complained, "Yes, I don't go to court often, but do I do less work?"
Zhu Qizhen's face heated up and he said sarcastically: "It's all for the Ming Dynasty. Don't talk about who did more and who did less."
You know how to be shameless... Li Qing said: "As the saying goes, the more you work, the more you get. Your Majesty, do you have to...?"
Why do you still need money? Zhu Qizhen felt unhappy: I value you so much, how come you know how to ask for money?
Stop talking nonsense, do you want to give it to me? Li Qing was even more upset than him: I've already argued with Taizu Ming, what are you talking about here?
The monarch and his ministers had been confronting each other for a long time. Zhu Qizhen suddenly smiled:
"Sir, you have worked hard and achieved great results. How can I be a person who has nothing to lose?"
As he spoke, he opened a box.
Li Qing's eyes lit up: This stingy Zhu Qizhen was finally generous for once.
He stepped forward cautiously, and was about to say a few words, but unexpectedly Zhu Qizhen grabbed two silver ingots and stuffed them into his hands, "Sir, spend them first."
Li Qing: (￢_￢)
Zhu Qizhen blushed and realized that it was indeed a little short, so he added two more coins, "Is it enough, sir?"
"..."
"Is this enough, sir?" Zhu Qizhen added another tablet.
Li Qing was too lazy to break the little silver with him, and said calmly: "I have been tired all the way, and I am very tired. If your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will allow you to leave."
"Then rest for two days." Zhu Qizhen said, "But after resting, we have to work!"
You will lose me if you do this... Li Qing nodded expressionlessly.
As soon as he turned around, he heard Zhu Qizhen say: "Sir, please stay."
"What's wrong?!" Li Qing's voice was a little loud, which startled Zhu Qizhen.
"No, it's nothing." Zhu Qizhen said weakly. Then he thought that he was the emperor, and his waist stiffened again. He cleared his throat and said, "I heard someone said that you recognized a godson in Jinling. It seems like...a doll from Duke Cao’s mansion.”
"Ang." Li Qing asked, "I brought him back, does the emperor want to see him?"
"That's not necessary." Zhu Qizhen shook his head.
"...What's the point of calling me?"
"I'm just curious, why do you want to recognize your godson?" Zhu Qizhen dragged his chin and looked Li Qing up and down, "Sir...do you have something to hide?"
"If that's the case, I... Hey, hey, sir, why are you rolling up your sleeves?" Zhu Qizhen could tell that Li Qing wanted to beat him.
The strange thing is that he is only afraid, but not angry.
Zhu Qizhen backed away repeatedly, but in the end he did not shout out: "Guard me~!"
Li Qing forced him to stand in front of the imperial case, reached for the tea cup, drank it all in one gulp, gave Zhu Qizhen a look of "you kid, pay attention", and turned around to leave.
It wasn't until Li Qing left his sight that Zhu Qizhen came to his senses and said angrily: "What are you doing?
Could you please clarify who is the king and who is the minister? "
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt embarrassed by his performance just now, and cursed in his mouth: "It's unreasonable, it's really unreasonable. You deserve not to be promoted.
If I give you a rank in the seventh grade, that's the end of it! "
~
"Godfather, you are finally back." The little guy ran over like a joy and threw himself into his arms.
Li Qing picked him up, scraped the tip of his nose affectionately, and took out a piece of silver, "I'm sorry to bother you, father-in-law."
"Master Li, you are so polite. This is so embarrassing." The young eunuch stuffed the money into his pocket without leaving any trace, "Then our family will return to the palace first."
"Father-in-law, walk slowly."
Li Qing smiled, then carried the little guy into the house.
"Are you hungry?" Li Qing asked.
The little guy rubbed his belly and nodded: "I'm hungry."
"My godfather will prepare delicious food for you."
There are more people in the family, including a toddler, which brings a lot of trouble to the family, but it also adds a little more sparkle and warmth.
Li Qing couldn't take the little guy with him wherever he went, so he found two maids.
Yu Qian also brought the donkey back.
After the last time, the fear of Li Qing among the officials was deeply rooted in their bones, and no one thought about him anymore.
The donkey was very intelligent and even recognized Li Qing. He held his hand and acted very cheerfully.
A few more people were added to the family, and the donkey came back, and things became lively.
The thick smoke of fireworks greatly reduced his sense of loneliness.
…
Five days later, Zhu Qizhen visited and asked him to go to Tianjin Port to supervise the construction of the Weaving Bureau.
Li Qing didn't want to go, "Your Majesty, several weaving bureaus have been built, and the Ministry of Industry has detailed drawings. If you are worried, just let Dongchang and Jinyiwei look at it. There is no need for me to go!"
"Sir, you can't be idle at home all the time, right?" Zhu Qizhen said to himself: My money can't be wasted!
Are you so uncomfortable when I'm idle? Li Qing was really convinced, "Your Majesty, have you started preparing for what I told you before?"
"What's going on?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
"Save the Ming Dynasty's treasure!" Li Qing said, "We have been trading with Japan for such a long time. Isn't there a lot of copper shipped back?"
"That's true." Zhu Qizhen nodded, then hesitantly said: "According to Mr., making money is completely a loss-making business, and it can't be spent directly. It's too much of a loss to let people exchange it for treasure coins."
Li Qing asked: "Your Majesty, do you think it would be a loss to exchange copper for paper?"
"Isn't it?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Li Qing held his forehead and lamented: "You are the emperor, if you also have such thoughts, then the Ming Dynasty treasure banknote will really be hopeless.
Yes, from the surface, this is indeed a loss-making business, which is equivalent to throwing money away in vain;
But this is saving the Ming Dynasty treasure! "
"But……"
"But what?" Li Qing teased, "Why wasn't it the same when you printed the treasure banknotes?
As the saying goes: If you go out to hang out, you will have to pay it back sooner or later; it is time to pay back the debt you owed before. Take advantage of the resources you have now and save money while you still have it.
Now is the best time to save your treasure. If you miss it, you will regret it later. "
"Let me just say a few words. I'm not stingy, I'm just worried..."
You just buckle... Li Qing asked: "What are you worried about?"
"The turmoil is coming again!" Zhu Qizhen said, "War is the most expensive thing. Now that we finally have some money, we have to build a weaving bureau and make copper coins at a loss. Just in case..."
"Don't be afraid." Li Qing said, "Shen Xin still owes the court more than two million taels of silver. Adding in the business taxes accumulated from last year, the money he alone will give to the court at the end of the year will not be less than five million taels. The money is definitely enough.”
Zhu Qizhen hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and agreed:
"Sure! Then mint a large amount of copper coins to save the credit of the Ming Dynasty's banknotes. You will be responsible for this."
Li Qing smiled slightly: "I obey your order."
The strategy to save the Ming Dynasty Baochao was finally put on the agenda.
…
ps: There are two chapters today.
