Renshou Palace,

Wang Ji put his two fingers on the queen mother's wrist, his eyes were closed, and as time passed, his face became more and more ugly.

Emperor Hongzhi was a little worried, and he had never seen Wang Ji take the pulse for so long.

On the collapse of the phoenix, Empress Dowager Zhou opened her eyes slightly and clenched her fists tightly: "I heard that the mourning family heard that the charcoal in the market has risen to 100 yuan?" ”

She was born as a folk girl, and she knows more about firewood, rice, oil and salt than the eunuchs in the palace.

Charcoal sells for 30 yuan, who dares to be so bold, 100 yuan!

Emperor Hongzhi was a little angry: "Who told the Queen Mother?" ”

The eunuch in charge, Zhao Jie, pouted and knelt on the ground in a panic.

Empress Dowager Zhou waved her hand, and then said: "The mourning family has nothing to inquire about, the mourning family asks you, the mourning family has been a palace maid, and knows that the people have no clothes to wear, they can only rely on firewood, who dares to sell it for a hundred yuan?" ”

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Zhou Yu next to him, only to see Zhou Yu lowering his head to his chest, and his bowed body trembled.

When the Queen Mother is angry, she is even more terrible than Queen Zhang, which is also the reason why Zhou Yu is more restrained than the Zhang brothers.

Zhou Yu didn't dare to make a sound, but His Majesty already knew that it was him who did it.

"Grandmother doesn't have to pay attention to it, I can lower the price of charcoal in these two days."

Emperor Hongzhi didn't want to stimulate the Empress Dowager Zhou anymore, and looked at Wang Ji: "Doctor Wang, how is the Empress Dowager's health?" ”

"The pulse is like a drum, the blood and qi are stable, there is no major problem, the student prescribes a pair of medicine to regulate for a few days, the cold passes, and the queen mother can go out of the palace for a walk." Wang Ji said.

The Queen Mother smiled and nodded, and her tense heart relaxed.

The crown princess is pregnant, and she wants to live a few more years, at least through October this year, when the prince's child is born.

Emperor Hongzhi saw the abnormality, and after asking the empress dowager to resign, he and Wang Ji came to Guangting.

"To be honest with me, is the Queen Mother really fine?"

"The Queen Mother is old, and in the days to come, she can't be controlled by medical skills, and she just does her best." Wang Ji bowed in shame.

Emperor Hongzhi exhaled a long breath of white air, turned around and went to the East Warm Pavilion to summon the cabinet and the six ministries.

"Li Gong and Yan Chengjin?"

"Back to Your Majesty, an hour ago, I went to Liangxiang." Xiao Jing said cautiously.

Liu Jian and Xie Qian glanced at each other, the weather was cold and biting, His Majesty asked them to take a day off, what did Li Dongyang do in Liangxiang?

Before he opened his mouth, the six departments also knew what to discuss.

Liaodong's sparse performance has not been solved, and the people in the capital have no charcoal to heat and cook.

The minister sighed a few times, what could they do when it was cold?

Emperor Hongzhi glared at Zhou Yu angrily and said loudly: "I asked you to sell the charcoal in your hand at a price of twenty wen, did you sell it?" ”

Zhou Yu knelt on the ground, supported the ground with both hands, and raised his head slightly: "The minister is sold!" But those profiteers raised another 100 yuan......"

He sold it for fifty pennies, but the people who bought it were all merchants.

I fried it for another 100 yuan, and without this 100 yuan, you don't want to spend the winter!

Emperor Hongzhi's face was stunned and a little ugly, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

The corners of Liu Jian's mouth moved slightly, revealing a thoughtful look.

As long as charcoal is still worth 100 Wen, even if there is no Zhou Yu, there are Liu Yu and Yang Yu.

"Your Majesty, I can only let the Shuntian Mansion issue an announcement to lower the price of charcoal." Zhao Jiucheng said in the matter of the household department.

Han Wen shook his head: "No, if the merchants hoard and don't sell, you have to make another decree to force the gentry to sell?" Such a forced sale will inevitably arouse public indignation. ”

Liu Jian and Xie Qian nodded in agreement.

Emperor Hongzhi and the hundred officials glared at Zhou Yu angrily, saying that it was useless to say anything.

Zhou Yu lowered his head, and when he saw His Majesty and the hundred officials blaming him, he couldn't help but stiffen his neck, and his temper came up: "The ministers listen to Your Majesty's will, sell fifty wen to the gentry, look at the meaning of Your Majesty and the princes, and blame the old man?!"

There are more than 100,000 households in the capital, and they will burn 600,000 catties of coal in one day, and sooner or later they will sell it for 100 yuan. ”

The sound outside the strings, charcoal is scarce, and there are many people in the capital, and sooner or later it will be sold at this price.

He sold it to profiteers for fifty pennies, and he lost it!

Liu Jian sighed and sighed: "Chang Ningbo is right, the cutting down of the mountains and trees in Xiangshan, Fangshan, and Wanping is not enough to maintain 100,000 households in the capital. ”

Charcoal can only be burned by large households, and the colder the day, people can only freeze to death.

Zhou Yu's throat squirmed, and he looked around: "The minister has an idea, the court will buy the charcoal first, and then sell it to the people."

The minister also returned more than one million catties! ”

This profiteer!

Qingliu almost had fire in his eyes.

"What are you doing so much!"

"The old man burns it himself!"

In a moment, Emperor Hongzhi sighed three times, the capital is not guaranteed, and Liaodong cannot be relieved.

At this moment, Li Dongyang walked through the noon gate with a copper basin, smiling at the corners of his mouth, revealing his teeth that were still white.

Yan Chengjin, a stinky boy, can do anything except not be a son-in-law.

He carried the copper basin and came to the door of the Warm Pavilion Palace, the door supervisor wanted to report, but Li Dongyang stepped into the hall first.

"Your Majesty! The minister has something to play. ”

Emperor Hongzhi looked up in amazement.

I saw that Li Dongyang was holding a golden copper basin, although he was covering the lid, it was steaming white.

It's like holding a hot pot of food.

Liu Jian took the lead and asked, "Binzhi, what is this?" ”

"It's coal!"

The faces of the hundred officials changed greatly, and they raised their sleeves to cover their nostrils, this thing is poisonous!

They burn charcoal at home, and coal will never be burned, even if it is a common people, only when there is no firewood, they will choose to burn coal.

Xiao Jing hurriedly covered Emperor Hongzhi's nose: "Lord Li, there is a ground dragon in the Warm Pavilion, you better go back to the duty room." ”

To the surprise of Emperor Hongzhi and hundreds of officials, Li Dongyang actually lifted the lid: "Your Majesty and the princes, there is no smoke!" Anthracite! ”

How can it be smokeless, it's just not lit, Li Gong, take it away, I'm going to curse if you come over again!

The hundred officials didn't dare to take a breath, and they couldn't wait to run outside the hall to breathe.

"Gong Li, take it away, the lower officials can't hold it back."

Zhou Yu found that this coal was different.

In the past, coal kept emitting white smoke after burning, which could stun people, and people did not dare to approach.

The coal burned, red as iron, and warmed up, like standing in the summer sun.

"This, this coal, it's really smokeless!" Zhou Yu's eyes widened.

Baiguan suddenly woke up, staring at the copper basin in Li Dongyang's hand, unable to believe it.

"Is this really coal?"

"How can it be smoke-free? The charcoal burned, and there was smoke. ”

Several people's eyes widened in disbelief.

Emperor Hongzhi anxiously stepped down from the throne, if this coal can be burned, it can solve the urgent need of the capital!

"Li Gong, where did you get the coal? Why is it smoke-free? ”

Baiguan also looked at Li Dongyang anxiously.

Li Dongyang said: "The minister is ashamed, and I don't know how to get it, I only know that Yan Chengjin ordered Song Jing and Xie Pi to make it." ”

Emperor Hongji fell into deep thought.

At this moment, the factory guard cautiously ran in: "Your Majesty, the price of charcoal has dropped to eighty wen!" ”

Emperor Hongzhi looked up in amazement, and before he could ask, another factory guard ran in: "Your Majesty, the charcoal has dropped to fifty wen!" ”

Baiguan took a deep breath, but he was confused.

After only a while, another factory guard hurriedly ran in: "Your Majesty, the charcoal has dropped to thirty Wen!" ”

Xiao Jing's face was like a spring breeze, these were all spies he sent to report to His Majesty at any time.

I saw that as soon as the words fell, another factory guard rushed to the court, and in a moment, he arrived in the hall.

Emperor Hongzhi was in a worried mood and asked cautiously: "The price of charcoal has been reduced again?" ”

"Your Majesty, the charcoal has dropped to ten cents!"

Hiss!

Zhu Gong's head buzzed, and he almost fainted.

Emperor Hongzhi opened his mouth slightly, as if suffering from stuttering, and it took a long time to spit out two words: "Why?" ”

"The Liangxiang Guild declares the world, anthracite, no silver! Until this summer, I don't want any silver! ”