Zhu Qizhen said displeased: "You say you are poor, I understand you, but you must also understand the difficulties of the court. The national treasury is not rich now!"
"..." Li Qing didn't want to argue with this. As he said before, under other people's rules, at most he would not lose, but he would never win.
So he found another way - to change the subject!
"Your Majesty, how many copper coins have the Baoyuan Bureau minted now?" Li Qing asked.
"Probably almost 10 million." Speaking of this, Zhu Qizhen became angry, "According to the exchange rate of one hundred thousand guan notes, it can be exchanged for 100,000 guan notes. The accumulation of these several imperial seals, I'm afraid You may not be able to pay it back in your lifetime.”
"It will definitely be repaid." Li Qing said firmly, "As long as the maritime trade route is opened up, it will definitely be repaid within twenty years."
Li Qing said: "Your Majesty, you can't calculate like that. In fact, repaying the debt does not mean earning enough money with the same value of the treasure;
The court only needs to provide copper and manpower. It's not as difficult as you think. "
After a pause, "Besides, this is not a loss-making transaction. If the currency is stabilized, economic circulation will become smoother and smoother. As the people become richer, taxes will rise. This is a virtuous cycle;
It can be said that if this thing is done well, the emperor's achievements will become unique in the Ming Dynasty. "
"Haha." Zhu Qizhen smiled perfunctorily, "Stop flattering me, what about accepting bribes?"
"I have nothing to do."
"That's also taking bribes." Zhu Qizhen said.
Li Qing simply said: "You can do whatever you want. If it doesn't work, you can fire me from my position. I will go back to my hometown to farm."
"Look at you, why do you bring this up so easily? You still have reason." Zhu Qizhen softened instantly when he heard that Li Qing was about to give up his choice, and said angrily: "After all, this is not the work of a wise minister. Let's forget it this time. It won't be the same next time. .”
Li Qing said seriously: "Your Majesty, I am not a wise minister."
"What's the meaning?"
"I am a capable minister," Li Qing said. "I can help the emperor and Ming Dynasty solve problems, but I am not the kind of person with high integrity and high moral character."
After pondering for a moment, Li Qing added, "If the emperor uses the emperor's mind to control his ministers, then we can only break up."
Not only was the little emperor mean and ungrateful, but there were so many things going on that Li Qing couldn't bear it anymore.
If Zhu Qizhen hadn't known what was going on and listened to his advice, he would have given up.
Really, I don’t know the importance of talent at all.
Zhu Qizhen's face was a little ugly, and he was unhappy, but he didn't dare to say anything. He was very clear about Li Qing's abilities, and the current situation in the court was not stable, and there were still many things to do in the future.
He couldn't live without Lee Sin.
It is impossible to admit a mistake. At best, it is like giving in and being obedient... Zhu Qizhen cleared his throat and said, "Sir, won't your conscience hurt when you say this?"
He hummed softly: "Among the officials of the Ming Dynasty, who can think of going to court? If you don't want to go to court, who can't?
Who can take leave every now and then and spend nearly one-third of the year on vacation?
Who can receive frequent rewards? "
Li Qing couldn't help but curl his lips when he heard the reward: Is that thing of yours called a reward?
"Hey? What's your expression?" Zhu Qizhen looked a little confused, "The money I gave you is actually enough for you to spend."
"Ah, yes, yes, I can't spend it all, I can't spend it all."
Zhu Qizhen: "..."
There was silence for a while, and finally Zhu Qizhen compromised.
"Okay, I won't care about this. If you don't encounter trouble in the future, just stay back."
Li Qing asked: "Your Majesty, when did I escape?"
"What I mean is...be more diligent." Zhu Qizhen corrected.
"Okay, but..." Li Qing said seriously: "Your Majesty, can you trust me?"
"This is natural." Zhu Qizhen nodded.
Li Qing added: "If I were very close to the Queen Mother, the civil servants, and the Supervisor of Ceremonies, would you still trust me?"
"Um..." Zhu Qizhen asked in confusion, "Why are you so close to them?"
"Of course it's to solve the problem better." Li Qing simply made it clear, "I will give everything to Shizhong at the first and seventh levels, and my authority is only so much. If you don't give me the power, and don't let me take advantage of the situation, I can what?"
Li Qing teased: "I want the horse to run, but I also want the horse not to eat grass. Your Majesty, do you think this is possible?"
After a pause, "Of course, I'm not asking you for an official position. To be honest, I really don't care. However, in order to deal with the problem more efficiently and conveniently, I definitely can't do things step by step."
Zhu Qizhen fell into silence.
Li Qing continued: "Let's take advantage of this opportunity to talk things over. If you can trust me, Your Majesty, I will act in my own way;
If your Majesty thinks this is not good, then I will return to my duty and make sure that I go to court every day;
You choose one! "
The little emperor does not delegate power, but still wants him to do things, and at the same time requires him to have high moral standards. This is not something a normal person would do.
Zhu Yuanzhang is not so classless!
A seventh-grade official from the capital can do ridiculous things if he does his duty properly!
Li Qing didn't want to be so tired and just showed his cards.
The pressure is on Zhu Qizhen's side.
Zhu Qizhen admires Li Qing and is grateful to Li Qing, but he is also a little afraid of Li Qing, but he can't live without Li Qing.
"Am I as ruthless as you say?" Zhu Qizhen softened his tone and added, "Didn't I delegate power when you went to Jinling before?
Even the factory guards listen to you alone. Isn’t that enough to prove my trust in you? "
"You are trying to change your concept." Li Qing exposed it without mercy, "The imperial envoy already has that kind of power. Furthermore, delegating power requires everyone to recognize it, rather than just giving a temporary identity."
Zhu Qizhen was silent again. In fact, he had three choices.
The first was to let Li Qing return to a normal military department, but this was something he couldn't accept, so he gave up immediately.
The second is to promote Li Qing and delegate power to Li Qing. This is the most direct and effective, but it also has hidden dangers.
The third is to let Li Qing play freely. This also has hidden dangers, but it will be much better than the previous one.
After all, no matter how much Li Qing performs, he is only a seventh-level player on the surface.
After weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Qizhen made a decision: "No matter what you said, sir, I have always trusted you, um...
What you said makes sense, so be it, I will act according to your style from now on, I will not interfere, and I will not ask you to do anything, as long as you can handle the big things. "
Li Qing smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
From now on, he can play freely.
At this point, the relationship between the two is no longer subordinate, but a cooperative relationship.
This change undoubtedly provides Li Qing with considerable room for operation.
He can legitimately form a party.
After this commotion, the atmosphere became a little awkward. Zhu Qizhen smiled and said: "There is not much official business today. Sir, please have a drink with me."
Li Qing achieved his goal and was in a great mood. He smiled and nodded: "Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."
~
After the food and wine were served, the two of them toasted and drank together, and the unhappiness just now gradually disappeared.
Neither of them wants to have a quarrel. They have different ideas, but they reach the same goal by different paths. They both want a better Ming Dynasty.
After eating, drinking, talking and laughing, the two of them became closer and closer over the wine, looking like a wise and virtuous minister.
Just when they were enjoying themselves, Mrs. Sun walked in.
Mrs. Sun was surprised to see the two of them drinking together at the same table, especially since Zhu Qizhen still had a gentle smile on his face, which really made her incredible.
She hadn't seen such a son for a long time.
This Li Qing is really not simple... Sun immediately became interested.
Seeing Li Qing about to stand up and salute, he hurriedly said: "Li Qing's family doesn't need to be polite, just sit down."
Li Qing was just showing off, but seeing her like this, he sat down without any courtesy at all.
Sun did not regard herself as an outsider. She walked to Zhu Qizhen and sat down next to her. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the selection of the concubine is already in progress. It is expected that we will have an idea by the Mid-Autumn Festival at the latest."
Zhu Qizhen frowned slightly: "Why didn't the Queen Mother say hello to me in advance?"
"Didn't the emperor agree?" Sun was surprised, and then smiled, "Since ancient times, parents have made the final decision on marriage matters. How can an emperor choose his own concubine? But don't worry, you will definitely be the one to decide on the candidate in the end. .”
It is difficult for Zhu Qizhen to refute, this is indeed the truth.
"Mr. Li, the queen's illness... still has a chance to recover, right?" Zhu Qizhen thought of this incident.
He was born as a concubine, but he wanted to have a legitimate son.
In fact, emperors have always given priority to their legitimate sons. If there are no legitimate sons, they will consider bastard sons.
What's more, Zhu Qizhen loves Qian so much.
You are really good at saying this in front of your mother. Are you afraid that your wife has suffered enough? Li Qing looked embarrassed:
"With all due respect, this... possibility is not high."
Mrs. Sun was secretly happy. These words were almost a verdict that Qian could never get pregnant again. After all, no one in the officialdom would keep his word to death.
This provided her with the opportunity to recruit new daughters-in-law and cultivate royal grandchildren.
Her face was full of regret: "Sir, since you know medical skills, you must put more thought into it. This is a major matter for the ancestral temple and the country!"
Seeing her like this, Zhu Qizhen suddenly realized that he had made a mistake, so he stopped asking whether it was possible and looked sad.
Li Qing couldn't help but sigh to himself: Life is not easy, it all depends on acting!
