Capital

Noon Gate

A team of fifty people, driving ten ox carts and carrying a large number of goods that I don't know what they were, suddenly appeared at the gate of the noon gate.

The brocade guards and eunuchs guarding the palace gate immediately stopped everyone, as well as the ox carts and goods, and inquired about them.

The man at the head of the house smiled and said, "This is all the silver and cloth that the regent has given to His Majesty. There were 200,000 taels of silver and 20,000 horses of cloth. ”

200,000 taels, 20,000 pieces of cloth?

When the brocade guards and eunuchs heard the silver, the cloth's eyes all glowed.

Because Chongzhen's silver was already stretched thin, the few silver that was exchanged for buying and selling minerals from Gyeonggi and Shanxi were also given priority to be sent to the military camp as a monthly salary. The palace ran out of silver to maintain normal operation, and these brocade guards and eunuchs did not receive their monthly salary for two or three months. Not to mention, the cloth that changes the clothes every quarter. Many powerless little eunuchs have torn clothes and no cloth to change them into, so they can only hang around in the palace in patched eunuch palace clothes.

The regent Fang Yuan suddenly sent a large amount of silver and cloth, which could at least make up for the previous arrears and last for another half a year.

In the eyes of the Jinyi Guard and the little eunuch who guarded the door, the regent Fang Yuan was no different from the God of Wealth, and hurriedly invited the people who sent silver and cloth to rest in the Jinyi Guard, and sent someone to the Qianqing Palace to report to Chongzhen, and the regent sent 200,000 taels of silver and 20,000 pieces of cloth.

Chongzhen and Empress Zhou in the Dongnuan Pavilion got the news.

Empress Zhou couldn't figure out for a moment what Fang Yuan was using to suddenly send silver to the palace, and asked in amazement, "Your Majesty, what is Fang Yuan doing?" ”

Chongzhen thought about it, his expression became more and more solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Fang Yuan is really pressing me step by step, this, this is buying the hearts of the people in the palace!" ”

Empress Zhou nodded and agreed with Chongzhen's statement. It is estimated that the news of the palace's arrears has already reached Fang Yuan's ears through Princess Kunxing, Fang Yuan sent silver at this time, and also reported the number of 200,000 taels of silver with great fanfare in front of the brocade guards and eunuchs at the door, where is there any kindness? is clearly buying the hearts of the palace brocade guards and eunuchs.

Surrender to Fang Yuanyin, continue to follow Chongzhen, what future can he have?!

Chongzhen shouted at Fang Zhenghua, "Go, go and call the princess immediately, I want her to see how his good concubine, Fang Yuan, forced me step by step!" ”

Fang Zhenghua hurriedly called the princess, and had already told the princess the truth along the way.

Chongzhen saw that the princess had entered the Dongnuan Pavilion, slapped the dragon case heavily, and said sharply, "Jiao'er, your good concubine, you have come to the palace to buy people's hearts!" ”

The princess said unhurriedly, "Father, this 200,000 taels of silver is what I went to ask for when I saw that the palace had been in arrears for three months. There is no silver, and the brocade guards and eunuchs in the palace have begun to steal the glazed tiles of the palace wall of the harem and go out of the palace to exchange money. If the silver is not distributed in a few months, I think the palace will be demolished by them, and it is time to abduct and sell the palace maids out of the palace to exchange for silver. ”

Chongzhen was stunned on the spot when he heard this, the palace was already in chaos, or the first time he heard it, he hurriedly said to Fang Zhenghua, "This, this is true?" ”

In the past month, there have indeed been several palaces in the palace that have been damaged to the point of insignificance, and Fang Zhenghua has also tracked down, but it has not been done. He didn't dare to report to Chongzhen before, but seeing that the princess opened this mouth, he hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, the East Sixth Palace and the West Sixth Palace each have destroyed a palace." ”

Chongzhen said angrily, "Why don't you arrest people?!" How many kills to set an example? ”

Fang Zhenghua sighed and said, "Your Majesty, who has the heart to kill people if you owe money first?!" ”

Without silver, the brocade guards and eunuchs in the palace will neglect their duties one by one, and they will look for silver one by one, who will do things for Chongzhen?

The question of silver is really a problem, Chongzhen asked, "How much is the imperial silver insider?" ”

Fang Zhenghua cried and said, "No, there are still eight hundred taels of silver." ”

Eight hundred taels, the palace brocade guards, and the eunuchs together, there are at least eight thousand people, and each person shares one penny of silver, which is a drop in the bucket.

Chongzhen sighed deeply and asked again, "How many are there in Gyeonggi's Imperial Field?" ”

Fang Zhenghua cried, "There are still 200,000 acres of imperial land!" ”

Chongzhen said happily, "Quick, go find a rich man to sell, and you can make up enough for one or two million taels of silver!" ”

Fang Zhenghua shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, now that the Manchu Qing Dynasty is about to enter the customs, the soldiers and horses of the horses have also arrived in Gyeonggi. There may be a war in Gyeonggi at any time, and the rich families will not have time to escape, who will spend money to buy land?! ”

Chongzhen was stunned on the spot, Fangzhenghua is reasonable, land, real estate, these fixed assets, must be in the peaceful and prosperous era to have the value of trading. Once the troubled times come, whoever has a knife in their hands will be able to rob these lands and real estate.

Today's land is still surnamed Zhu, maybe tomorrow it will be surnamed Fang, surnamed Aixin Jueluo, and the fool will spend silver to buy it.

"Hahaha!"

Chongzhen laughed angrily, and pointed the finger at the princess, "Okay, my good daughter, the good princess of Daming!" The brocade guards and eunuchs in the palace all appreciate your love, and they are all your people, right! The next step is to find the two palace Jinyi guards and little eunuchs, send me and the queen back to the west, and then announce to the public that they have died of a serious illness, right! Then, you can be the queen of the new dynasty with peace of mind, right? ”

The princess said solemnly, "Father, you are clearly a concubine and a prejudice against your sons!" No matter what the colt does, in the eyes of his father, he has a conspiracy, ambition, or even a desire to kill his father, right? No matter what the sons and daughters do, my father thinks that my trip to the capital is to turn my elbow outward and pave the way for the horses, right? ”

Chongzhen said sharply, "Jiao'er, this is your self-defeat!" ”

The princess looked at his tired, vicissitudes of life, although he was only forty years old, he had early white hair, as if he was over fifty years old, and couldn't help but say with tears in her eyes, "Father, you are a cup bow and snake shadow, the wind is loud, and before the horse people arrived in the capital, the father decided that the horse was carrying a bloody knife, and even the sons and daughters were suspicious, and they scared themselves!" ”

Chongzhen shouted, "I'm wrong? I let the concubine be the auxiliary king, let him reorganize the cabinet, and make Zhu Cihuan, whom he is satisfied with, the crown prince, but I still haven't backed down enough? If you go further back, you will be in the abyss! The concubine didn't even agree to these conditions, didn't he want to assassinate me and usurp the Ming Dynasty, what did he want to do? You say, what does he want to do?! ”

The princess knelt on the ground and whimpered, "Father, you have worked hard for twenty years, you are so tired, it is time to rest!" Erchen suggested that his father should stop worrying about state affairs before the Manchu Tartars withdrew from the army, and the responsibility for dealing with the Manchu Tartars should be handed over to the horses! ”

There was a commotion between the father and daughter again, and Queen Zhou hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, no matter what Fang Yuan's intention is to send the silver, Your Majesty should immediately decide, whether we accept the 200,000 taels of silver or not?!" ”

"Smack!"

Chongzhen slapped the dragon case heavily and scolded angrily, "Fang Yuan is slapping me in the face!" I'm a dignified tomorrow, are I begging for food from him?! Return it all immediately, and you won't receive a penny! ”

Fang Zhenghua was taken aback when he saw that Chongzhen wanted to return this life-saving silver, and hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, by all means!" ”

The princess spoke, "Fang Aweng, these silver are the silver of the concubine's filial piety to his father, why don't you accept it?!" Go, collect all the silver, and then distribute it to the brocade guards and little eunuchs in the palace, and settle the previous arrears. ”

This is exactly what Fang Zhenghua said, in these years, silver is the most important, the poor want to save face and don't want silver, there is no such saying in the world!

However, Chongzhen didn't nod, where did Fang Zhenghua dare to call the shots without authorization, and looked at Queen Zhou as if asking for help.

Empress Zhou also knew that if she refused the money from the concubine, the eunuchs would intensify their efforts to loot the carved jade pavilion of the palace in exchange for silver.

The palace is no longer even basic decency, where is there still face?!

Empress Zhou said, "Your Majesty, if we don't accept it, Fang Yuan will also send this silver to buy people's hearts, and when the time comes, won't Your Majesty be more passive?" It's better to receive it for the time being and send it in the name of His Majesty! ”

Chongzhen sat back on the dragon chair dejectedly, supported his head with both hands, and was silent, which was regarded as acquiescing to Queen Zhou's statement.

The princess even added, "Fang Aweng, you go and inform those brocade guards and little eunuchs." The father and the horse are a family, and the palace is also the home of the horse. After getting the silver, who would dare to destroy the palace again. The horses entered Gyeonggi and were all arrested and put in the edict prison for strict interrogation, and all the profits were spit out! ”

"Yes, yes!"

Fang Zhenghua got the decree of the queen and the princess, and seeing that Chongzhen did not open his mouth to object, he was overjoyed in his heart, and hurriedly bowed down to do something.