Yang Gongchun came in at this time and said: "Your Majesty, just now Jinyiwei reported that King Fu's father and son had entered Beijing, and as soon as they set off, Jinyiwei sent people to follow them all the way. ”

Tianqi thought for a while and said: "A while ago, Old Concubine Zheng mentioned this matter, saying that King Fu should come again next year after three years, and said that she wanted to come early for the New Year to discuss the matter of retiring the field and establishing a son. ”

Yang Gongchun said: "Congratulations to the emperor! ”

Apocalypse said, "How many people did he bring?" ”

Yang Gongchun said: "There are five hundred guards and two hundred followers, one hundred of whom are cooks, and they are now asking for an audience. ”

Tianqi smiled: "It seems that this Fu Wang is also a person who loves to eat, and he also brings a hundred cooks with him when he goes out." ”

At this moment, a little eunuch came in to report that Old Concubine Zheng asked to see her, Tianqi agreed and ordered someone to come out to greet her, thinking to himself: "This Old Concubine Zheng has been reluctant to come to this sad place since she was kicked out of the Qianqing Palace a few years ago, I heard that she has not been in this direction when she has peed in the past few years, what important things do you have to come in person today?" Is it for the sake of the blessed king? ”

After a while, I saw a group of palace maids dressed in fancy clothes and a graceful old woman coming in, and Tianqi stepped forward and said, "Hey, why did the old concubine come in person?" What is there that makes a word not be heard? What if this cold day freezes your old man's house? ”

Concubine Zheng said with a smile: "The emperor is really good at talking, and this one next to him is the emperor's newly appointed servant, right?" It's really good-looking. ”

Chunying stepped forward and squatted down and said, "Concubine Zhang Chunying pays a visit to Concubine Zheng Guifei. ”

Concubine Zheng Guifei took a wooden box from the maid beside her and said, "There is no preparation for the first meeting, so this pair of jade bracelets should be regarded as a meeting gift." Chunying thanked him and took it. Tianqi asked Zheng Guifei to sit, and when the palace maid served tea Tianqi asked them all to go out, Zheng Guifei also signaled the people around her to wait outside the palace.

Seeing that there was no one left and right, Tianqi said: "Everyone is a happy person, just say anything directly." ”

Zheng Guifei said: "King Fu is here, he is willing to come to live in Beijing, and he can sell the land that the emperor wants." ”

Hearing that Zheng Guifei said that King Fu was willing to sell the land, Tianqi felt relieved, but now that the court has no money, he is worried that Zheng Guifei's mother and son will sit on the ground and raise the price or want to run on the cash, so he decided to press them first. After thinking about it clearly, Tianqi smiled and said: "Two million acres of land, now the good land on the market costs ten taels per mu and six taels of land, even if it is calculated according to six taels, it will cost 12 million taels, you old man will see if it is worth this amount if you and I sell it?" ”

Concubine Zheng squinted her eyes and smiled and said, "Actually, there are not so many, you can let the imperial court give some every year." ”

If you are willing to do it in installments, it seems that there is still room for compression, Tianqi is ready to press it again and said: "A while ago, Li Shangshu of the household department told me that the north will immigrate and the south will resettle immigrants next year, and the tax on the acres of land is only two million at most, and even the palace and officials are not enough, and he will give King Fu twenty taels every year, are you willing?" ”

Seeing that Concubine Zheng Guifei was strained and silent, Tianqi knew that he should continue to exert pressure in a different direction, and asked: "I don't understand, these two million mu of land will collect at least three million stone grains every year, and it is said that King Fu will collect half of the rent ruthlessly, and if he changes it into money, he can collect 1.5 million taels of rent every year, so why sell the land?" Can't get by? ”

Zheng Guifei said: "He was originally very rich, three months ago Jinyi Wei led people to seal the salt shop of the Fuwang Mansion and said that in the future, salt and iron can only be sold by the imperial court, knowing that this is the emperor's will, he has no choice but to rely on the land rent, who knows that a month ago someone implemented a new policy in Henan, saying that the province's acres of land income landlords can only harvest up to three percent, plus the drought and lack of water, so he really can't get by." ”

Apocalypse said: "Yes, if someone else reaps 30%, you will reap 50%, and no one will come to plant your field except for fools." By the way, you don't know yet, do you? Next year, anyone will have to pay a tax of 10% to the imperial court, including my imperial estate. ”

Concubine Zheng suppressed her anger and said: "I know that the emperor has a lot of ideas in his belly, so you can tell me what result you want in the end, it won't be to bless the king's life, right?" ”

Tianqi smiled: "Your old man is too careful, no matter what King Fu says, he is also my uncle, if he was not born in the royal family, the relationship between this uncle and his nephew would be very good." ”

Concubine Zheng said angrily: "Which nephew in the world will persecute his uncle again and again? ”

Tianqi said: "I have long said that as long as King Fu withdraws two million acres of land, I will find him a livelihood that can make more money. ”

Zheng Guifei said: "What kind of business? ”

Apocalypse said: "This is still up to me to talk to King Fu, don't worry about it when you are old." King Fu doesn't need to ask for a meeting, I heard that he brought a hundred cooks with him, and we will go to eat him together in three days, and your old man can also hug his grandson by the way. But I heard that your grandson is also very fat now, so you should practice your strength in the past two days, otherwise you won't be able to hold it. ”

Hearing that she could see her grandson in three days, Concubine Zheng couldn't help but show a leisurely look.

After Zheng Guifei left, Tianqi continued to read the report written by the internal guard after investigating the merchants, according to the report, although the merchants only paid a small amount of taxes, but life was not easy.

First of all, the government wants to draw real goods, that is, if you like something, you will not give a penny, which is equivalent to a licensed robber; Then you have to pay the membership fee of the Chamber of Commerce, and those who pay the money can temporarily live and store goods in the local guild halls, and the merchants can also be organized by the Chamber of Commerce to ask the dart bureau for protection. There are many robbers in this world, there are robbers on land who specialize in beating sticks or cutting paths at dangerous places, and there are also water bandits who specialize in scuttling boats on the water. This is equivalent to buying insurance for the Chamber of Commerce.

As for the extortion of the usual ruffians, hooligans, servants, and lawyers, it is even more commonplace, although the imperial court said that it was thirty taxes and one on the surface, in fact, each merchant had to spend 30 to 50 percent to settle these matters. Tianqi thought: "This business needs to spend an extra three to fifty percent to be done, which shows that the profit of doing business is indeed very large, and there are not 10,000 eunuchs in my palace who are idle, but also 8,000, and these people are idle and waste food." Tens of thousands of Jinyi guards are also idle all day long, and everyone can have some extra money when they are used, is it possible that there are still people who dare to collect protection money on the head of Jinyiwei? "I was calculating in my heart that Wang Tiqian was coming, and when Tianqi saw his hesitant appearance, he asked him what was wrong, Wang Tiqian said: "Your Majesty, the servants informed the people of Guanglu Temple that the emperor only eats six dishes per meal, and the rest of the palace also reduces the level according to the standard, let them follow the preparation and pay 100,000 taels a year, who knows that they can't pay it." ”

Apocalypse said, "Why is that? ”

Wang Tiqian said: "They said that the things in Guanglu Temple were not bought, they were paid tribute by Shanglin Yuan and the surrounding prefectures and counties, and they could send things in but there was no way to turn them into silver, and if they wanted to sell them, they had to increase the number of people, and even if they increased the number of people, there was a loss and there were not many people who handed them over." ”

Apocalypse said: "I understand, they are also famous here, so let's not change it for the time being." They reported that they would eat more than 200,000 taels a year in the palace, saying that I would have to eat more than 30 taels for a meal, and that I would not be able to eat 30 taels even if I was a cow. ”

Wang Tiqian said: "There are indeed some famous halls here, and there are too many people who live in the palace. ”

Apocalypse said, "It's okay, I'll clean it up slowly." However, in the past two days, Yang Gongchun asked Jinyiwei to monitor King Haofu, talk about the number of people in the palace, and Wang Tiqian counted how many eunuchs and female officials bought houses and land outside the palace, I won't do anything to you, I just want to have a number in my heart. ”

Seeing Wang Tiqian's embarrassed appearance one by one, Tianqi said: "If you don't have any interest, you can't give up that little thing?" I just want to know the specific situation, in the future, we will do business together, and if we get bigger, we will lose you? Yang Gongchun, you said, have you lost or earned after being with me for so long? ”

Yang Gongchun said: "The slaves have nothing, and the emperor will reward them for saving some belongings, even if the emperor wants all the slaves, he will not frown, but there are many old concubines who use their own money to buy shops and properties, and the emperor is afraid that they will have ideas." ”

Tianqi said: "You don't understand, what I mean is that everyone who is willing to get rich will take some out and set up a general trading house, and make money and dividends according to shares. Of course, it has to be voluntary, and with the head office, there is no more private investment in the palace to buy property, otherwise it will be all confiscated. You go and ask the eunuchs and the female officials, and the concubines let the queen ask. ”