Under the eaves of the prince's mansion, after listening to Xia Jingying's words, the crown prince Liu Yan couldn't help but wonder for a while: "How could he borrow so much?" ”

Xia Jingying bowed, "This subordinate is not clear, in short, he will go to the household department to borrow silver in various names during the New Year's holidays over the years." ”

Liu Yan shouted indignantly: "Someone! ”

After a while, the housekeeper ran to Liu Yan, "Your Highness, command!" ”

"Go and ask my father-in-law to come here and see me right away!"

Xia Jingying saw that the housekeeper had already left, so he continued to ask: "Your Highness, what do you think the lower official should do?" ”

"This old thing, borrowing so much silver at once." Liu Yan said and spread his hands, "How can you pay it back?" Although he is a military secretary and is envied by everyone, you also know that the more he achieves this position, the more famine he will have, and the palace estimates that he can come up with one or two hundred thousand taels of silver. Liu Yan was still angry, "This old thing ......"

Xia Jingying smiled, a strange green light appeared in the corner of his eyes, "Your Highness, you don't have to worry about it, the lower official has one more thing to tell you!" ”

"What?"

"That is King Ning, and he also owes 500,000 taels of silver to the household."

Liu Yan smiled contemptuously, "What is this to Uncle Wang, just 500,000, and he has it in a blink of an eye." ”

"But King Ning still has two protégés, and the old officials owe a total of one million taels of silver."

Liu Yan's eyes lit up, "Who?" ”

The corners of Xia Jingying's mouth showed a sly smile, "Cui Hao, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Yang Youxian, the secretary of the Dali Temple." ”

"The two of them?" Liu Yan smiled and lowered his head in thought, and then asked, "Yang Youxian is not surprised that this person is insatiable and owes some money, but Cui Hao is upright, and even the imperial grandfather and his old man praise him from time to time, how can he be in debt?" ”

"What His Royal Highness said is extremely true, in this million taels, Cui Hao also borrowed more than 300,000 taels of silver. Xia Guan heard that his old mother was seriously ill and hired a famous doctor, who had spent a lot of money over the years, and it was estimated that the money borrowed was used for this. Xia Jingying said, and couldn't help but sigh a little.

Liu Yan smiled coldly, "I didn't expect Cui Hao to be a filial son." Have you calculated how much silver is owed by those people of King Ning? ”

"The lower officials have verified that it is nearly thirteen million taels of silver."

"What about ours?"

Xia Jingying paused slightly, "Almost seventeen million taels of silver." ”

"So much?" Liu Yan was a little surprised, "I really didn't expect that these wine bags and rice bags can't help anything at ordinary times, and they just know that adding blockages to the court is simply a moth to the court." Lord Xia, you just do what the palace said before, urge them to pay the money, and if the Beijing official is below the fifth grade, you can pay it back, and if you can't pay it back, you don't need to look at my face, just take it. If the officials above the fifth grade can't make up the balance, you can come and discuss with me again. As for Uncle Ning's people, you know what to do, right? ”

"The lower official understands ......"

The voice fell, not far away Xu Bingde had come slowly from the gate of the courtyard, he raised his eyes and saw that the prince was enjoying the plum blossoms under the eaves of the corridor, so he quickly quickened his pace, walked through the path of the plum tree, and walked from the eaves. Liu Yan saw this unassuming old man coming from afar, and deliberately turned his back and ignored Xu Bingde.

Xu Bingde hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down to say goodbye, "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince is greeting!" ”

Liu Yan still turned his back to Xu Bingde and snorted, "Where can the little son-in-law stand it." ”

Xu Bingde saw the prince teasing himself like this, he didn't know what to do for a while, he raised his head and glanced at the prince suspiciously, saw him with his back and his head held high, and then saw that there was still Xia Jingying, the head of the household department, standing next to him, the two looked at each other and bowed, Xu Bingde then understood why, thinking that the prince knew what he owed in the household department, but he was embarrassed to take the initiative to mention it, so he had to ask Xia Jingying with a smile: "How is Lord Xia!" Didn't the emperor give you an errand today? Why do you still have this leisure to come here? ”

Xia Jingying was about to speak, Liu Yan turned around with his sleeves and shouted, "There is still a face to say!" ”

Xu Bingde pretended to look at the prince in surprise, "This ......"

"How much money did you say you borrowed from the household?" Liu Yan asked.

Xu Bingde said curtly: "This ......" was speechless for a while, so he had to be stunned, and he couldn't answer for a long time!

Liu Yan pointed at Xu Bingde and said, "Nine hundred thousand taels, nine hundred thousand taels!" That's not a small amount! Then I ask you, what do you do with so much? ”

Xu Bingde suddenly knelt on the ground, "Your Highness!" Then he wept bitterly, "Please save the old man!" ”

"Now I know how to intercede!" Liu Yan snorted, brushed his sleeves and turned his back, "You can figure out how to do it yourself with so much silver!" ”

"Your Highness, the old man really can't think of a way to repay the money!" Xu Bingde also felt helpless, how could he say that such a large number could be returned.

Liu Yan said expressionlessly: "Then wait for the dismissal and dismissal, and then let your child continue to return!" ”

Xu Bingde cried even more, and choked up while wiping his tears with his sleeve: "Your Highness, for the sake of my daughter Xu Fang, you can't sit idly by!" ”

Liu Yan sighed helplessly when he heard this, "What you said is light, 900,000 taels of silver is not a small amount, do you think that the treasury is in our house, can you take it?" What are you taking so much money for? ”

"Old man was ......confused for a while," Xu Bingde cried again and again, "I was forced to do this......"

"I think you've been confused, otherwise how would you go to the treasury to borrow money again and again."

Xu Bingde lowered his head and wiped his tears, "You also know that the expenses in the palace are huge, and if you don't have some money, I'm afraid it will be unsustainable!" Over the years, Fang'er, as the crown princess, has often needed to ......"

"Fang'er? She doesn't ask me for money directly, what do you do? ”

Xu Bingde replied curtly: "You know that there are too many things to do in the palace, Fang'er is the crown princess, and there are naturally more places to spend, and she is also afraid that Your Highness will talk about her, so she ......"

Liu Yan turned around and helped Xu Bingde up, and then said, "You can see this matter yourself, how much money can you come up with to make up for it?" ”

Xu Bingde scratched his head a little embarrassed, "The old man only has 400,000 taels of silver when he empties his family......"

"Hmph......" Liu Yan glanced at him, "Then you just wait for death!" ”

Xu Bingde immediately changed his words and said: "Five hundred and fifty thousand!" At most, 550,000 taels of silver, and if it is more, I am afraid that more than 100 mouthfuls of the whole family will have to drink the northwest wind. ”

"You can do it in the past few days, make up all this silver, as for the remaining hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, I will only be Lord Xia."

Xu Bingde was overjoyed when he heard this, bowed to Xia Jingying, and said respectfully: "There is Lord Lao Xia." ”