After getting the holy decree stamped with the big seal and the appointment documents signed and approved by the cabinet, the military department, and the official department, Wang Chengen personally went to the post house, handed over the holy decree to Li Chuan, and earnestly advised: "Your Majesty favors you very much, and you must not live up to Your Majesty's trust." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Chuan first expressed his gratitude, and soon said with a bitter face: "Princess, how did you do this, I never thought about leaving Jiangyin, how tired it is to be an official, and I have to intrigue with others, if Your Majesty wants to reward it, then why not reward me with a title, so that I can shine on the lintel, be a rich man with peace of mind, and make money and food for Your Majesty?" ”

Wang Chengen was extremely speechless, and there was a feeling that the silence was greater than the death of the heart.

How many people want to be officials, even if they recognize the thief as their father, they will not hesitate.

But you're good, Your Majesty has given you an official position, you still have a bitter gourd face, you don't want to do it, I've seen something uninteresting, but I've never seen someone so uninteresting, and you don't want to progress to this extent, it's really a wonder.

Wang Chengen's face twitched, and he said, "Your Majesty has never been knighted since he ascended the throne!" ”

This was originally a hint, if you are a smart person, you will naturally not talk nonsense.

Li Chuan is actually not stupid, and he also heard what Wang Chengen meant, but no one is perfect, he always has a little problem, so that Emperor Chongzhen is more sure that he is a person who does not seek progress, so as to avoid some unnecessary suspicions.

If he shows that he knows too much about advance and retreat, and he changes himself to be the emperor, he will not rest assured of such a person.

Therefore, Li Chuan muttered in a low voice: "Your Majesty is too stingy." ”

Wang Chengen's face turned dark, but he couldn't get angry, and said: "Your Majesty has something to explain, let's go to the palace with our family first!" ”

Li Chuan hurriedly agreed, and followed the great eunuch into the palace to see the emperor.

But in his heart, he thought that it was not bad to be the commander of Jin Shanwei.

When Li Yuanqing was tempted on the road before, he said that he did not want to be an official in the DPRK and the Central People's Republic of China, and he was not pretending to be reserved, and after learning more and more about the shamelessness of those bureaucrats and doctors and some gossip about the ministers of the DPRK and China, he really did not want to be an official.

It's a waste of time to talk to those people every day.

If he is in a peaceful and prosperous era, he doesn't mind going to the court to mess around and enrich his life experience.

But the problem is that it is the end of the Ming Dynasty, and it won't be long before the Qing soldiers will enter the capital, and he doesn't have much time to waste, let alone much thought and energy to fight with those bureaucrats, so he doesn't want to be an official.

However, Jin Shanwei is far away in Songjiang, and as a commander, there is no need to intrigue with those courtiers in the capital, and Jin Shanhai is on the seaside, which is just convenient for him to find an opportunity to go to sea, which is a good opportunity.

The words he said on the way to the emperor have reached the ears of the emperor, but he didn't expect Emperor Chongzhen to be so considerate, and this official position was so in line with his heart, the only regret is that he didn't get a title, Emperor Chongzhen is really stingy in the title.

When he arrived in the palace, Emperor Chongzhen was not there.

After waiting for a full hour, Emperor Chongzhen came back with an angry face.

"See Your Majesty."

Li Chuan hurriedly paid homage, wondering in his heart who had provoked the emperor.

Emperor Chongzhen calmed down and said, "Calm down!" ”

Li Chuan got up and stood aside respectfully, waiting for the emperor's orders.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't talk much nonsense, and immediately said: "The world is corrupted, and I don't expect you to make a difference, since you are familiar with the affairs of merchants, you will earn me more silver and collect rice grain, I don't want to let Jiangnan rice and grain be obtained by Shanxi merchants." ”

Li Chuan comprehended and said: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the minister has already spoken before, whoever provokes Shanxi merchants to sell grain, don't want to get the Western goods in the hands of the minister." This time, the ministers will step up the collection of grain, so that the Shanxi merchants have no grain to buy. ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, glanced at him again, and said tepidly: "Am I stingy?" ”

"This ......"

Li Chuan was startled and couldn't help but glance at Wang Chengen.

Wang Chengen didn't look at him, his eyes looked at his nose, his nose looked at his heart, as if he was settled.

"This, that......"

Li Chuan squeaked, scolding the dead eunuch in his heart, in fact, he had long expected that Wang Chengen would tell the emperor, and he was not surprised.

Emperor Chongzhen said coldly: "If you think that you are unintentional, I will not pursue it." ”

Li Chuan pouted secretly, and he used both grace and power, this is the emperor's means.

However, Emperor Chongzhen asked himself to enter the palace, definitely not to say these words, most of them have other things.

Sure enough, Emperor Chongzhen said: "I heard that the production capacity of potatoes per mu planted by your family is 3,500 catties, is it true?" ”

Li hurriedly said: "It's true, the minister planted a vegetable field at home, and the potatoes were planted for six points, and after all the digging was completed, he got 2,100 catties, and if he combined one acre, it would be 3,500 catties. ”

Emperor Chongzhen finally showed his joy and said with relief: "Okay, it's not edible, you need to keep it all as seeds." ”

Li Chuan said: "The minister has asked the Westerners to bring a batch of potatoes, which can be used by His Majesty to promote planting and farming." ”

Emperor Chongzhen was greatly pleased, nodded and said: "Good job, go back and let someone take you to see the potatoes planted by the people of our life, see if there have been mistakes in farming, and then go back to Jiangyin, as soon as possible, the money and grain will be released to Beijing." ”

"Obey the order!"

Li Chuan received the decree, and when he saw that the emperor had no other instructions, he retired.

When he arrived outside the palace, he asked Wang Chengen, the chief eunuch who personally sent him out: "Princess, why didn't the emperor directly order that those Shanxi businessmen be exterminated, such a group of traitors, the emperor can still tolerate them." ”

Wang Chengen's cheeks twitched, and he didn't hold his tone tightly, and explained rarely: "The Jin merchants have many friends, not only the ministers in the court support them, but the local government is even more intertwined, and it is easy to move, otherwise the Xuanfu will be in chaos." ”

Li Chuan thought for a moment and said with emotion: "This is the problem of raising tigers, although merchants can communicate with each other and promote local prosperity and the circulation of goods, but merchants have no country, if they are not strictly controlled, they will become a cancer of the country, just like the Jin merchants." With the development of commerce and trade in the Ming Dynasty, if the commercial tax can be collected, it is enough to support a million army, so why worry about the Tartar captives. ”

Wang Chengen smiled and said: "A businessman like you who is loyal to the monarch and the country, and can share the worries of His Majesty, there is no second person in the Ming Dynasty." You are so self-conscious, Your Majesty can be regarded as a different view of you, and you must not live up to Your Majesty's wishes. ”

Li Chuan said: "Father-in-law, don't worry, I know what's wrong." It can be seen that the emperor does not expect me to make a difference, but our Ming Dynasty has a wrong understanding of the sea, if there is a strong navy, you can approach the rear of the Manchu Qing Dynasty from the sea, Jinshanwei is a good place, and please tell your father-in-law that I want to train a navy for the Ming Dynasty, but I am afraid that someone will complain, and I hope that my father-in-law can say a few good words in front of His Majesty. To put it mildly, I don't want to wait for Jiannu to enter the Central Plains as a slave to the country, so I want to train a navy to stab Jiannu. My father-in-law should also see it, I'm not an official, and I don't have any ambitions, I want to be a rich man in peace and stability in this life, if I can have a title, I will be very content to be called a marquis or something by others. ”

Wang Chengen nodded and said, "Don't worry, our family will tell Your Majesty what you say." ”

"Thank you, father-in-law!"

Li Chuan arched his hand and said solemnly: "I will go to Songjiang here, and I don't know when I will be able to come to Beijing again." For the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and the extinguishment of the Tartars, I will do everything I can, as long as I can destroy the Jiannu, even if I bear the infamy, I will not hesitate to do it. I also ask my father-in-law to tell Your Majesty that I will do my best to do everything in the matter of money and food, and I will not let Your Majesty worry about money and food. ”

Wang Chengen also said solemnly: "Lord Li take care, our family is waiting for good news." ”