Liu Fan had just returned home, and before he had time to complain to the two daughters, the eunuch who delivered the decree came to Liu Fan's house. Liu Fan wanted to delay a little, but this time it was Wang Chengen who came in person, and Liu Fan didn't want to give face, so he followed Wang Chengen into the palace before he had time to change his clothes.

"Chen Liu Fan! I've seen Your Majesty! In the Dongnuan Pavilion, Liu Fan saw Zhu Youzhen with a happy face.

"Don't be polite! Hurry up! Zhu Youzhen held Liu Fan, who was about to salute, and said

Then he looked Liu Fan up and down, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect time to pass so quickly, in a blink of an eye, you and I haven't seen each other for nearly a year!" ”

"Jimin has suffered a lot in the past year! Well! It's darker and stronger than before! Chongzhen patted Liu Fan's shoulder with emotion and said

Liu Fan was a little moved when he saw Zhu Youzhen's cordial appearance, looked at the even more thin emperor carefully, and replied: "The ministers are trusted by His Majesty, and their responsibilities are not bad!" But His Majesty has reduced a little bit more and more! Although there are many things in the DPRK and China, Your Majesty should also pay attention to your body! I still have to rely on Your Majesty to prosper! ”

Chongzhen smiled a little bitterly when he heard this: "Why don't I know! But no matter how hard I tried, the situation in the DPRK still showed no signs of improvement, and even those rogues grew stronger! But I couldn't do anything. Alas! Don't talk about that! Rain on someone's parade! I heard that you brought me a large amount of silver? Is there such a thing? ”

"Hmmm! This time, the minister returned to Beijing and brought 1.1 million taels of silver, in addition to more than 500,000 taels of refined salt, and the minister had ordered people to send them to the inner treasury in batches! Liu Fan replied

Chongzhen was overjoyed when he heard this: "Okay, good!" I knew I was right! Jimin is really brave and strategic, I know everything about you, this time Jimin went to Shandong not only made outstanding achievements, defeated Kong Youde's rebels, but I didn't expect to have a set of governance places, and only half a year brought me so much silver, more than one million taels! It's almost time to catch up with the tax revenue of Daming for half a year! ”

"Your Majesty has overdone it! The minister is entrusted by His Majesty, this is what the minister should do! Liu Fan said humbly

"Hmmm! No arrogance, no impatience! Some generals are in the wind! If there were a few more talented people like Xiang Jimin in the court, it would be much easier! Chongzhen praised, and then remembered something and said angrily, "I hate those mediocre and incompetent people in the court, and they know that they ask me for money every day!" Hum! Just one Jiaolai Salt Transportation Division can hand over more than one million taels of silver in half a year! How many will there be in a year? The entire Ming Dynasty only has a salt tax of one million taels a year! These moths! Damn it! ”

Liu Fan saw Chongzhen angry, and he couldn't smile bitterly, so he had to smile bitterly, "Your Majesty!" In fact, even after the reform of the minister, Jiaolai is not as rich as you think. The minister completely took advantage of the high price of refined salt. The market for refined salt is too small, and most of the people in the Ming Dynasty can't afford to eat such a high price of refined salt! Once the market is saturated, the price of refined salt will naturally decrease! In that case, it would only be a few million taels a year! This is also the reason why the new method has greatly increased the output! ”

Hearing Liu Fan's explanation, Chongzhen thought thoughtfully, thought for a while, and said, "Jimin went out this time to see a lot!" I don't know much about the situation of the people in the palace for a long time! Tell me about what you've seen and heard in the past year! I'm interested! ”

When Liu Fan heard this, he had no choice but to patiently narrate his experience with Chongzhen in the past year! From the beginning of his arrival in Shandong, when Chongzhen heard that Liu Fan had defeated Chen's 1,000 cavalry with 500 infantry, he applauded loudly and was full of praise for the Broken Army. After hearing the tragic deeds of Zhang Keda, Zhu Danian and others, he was also full of emotion, and bluntly said that there was still hope for the Ming Dynasty. With Liu Fan's step-by-step narration, Chongzhen also followed sometimes excited and sometimes emotional, the two chatted in Dongnuan Pavilion for an afternoon, knowing that Wang Chengen entered the hall to take charge of the lamp, the two suddenly knew that it was already dark!

Chongzhen said with emotion: "Jimin's experience has opened my eyes! I didn't expect my Ming people to live so hard! In the past, I only knew that the situation in Daming was difficult, but I never thought that it would come to such a point! It's hateful that these civil servants only know ********, and they don't care about the lives of the people! Even the minions of the factory guards have been blinded! Damn it! ”

Liu Fan saw Chongzhen's angry look, and he felt a little pitiful in his heart, most of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty grew up in the hands of women in the palace, and they really had too little knowledge! Even Xiang Chongzhen, a person who became an emperor halfway through, did not go deep into the bottom to contact the people, and he was surrounded by some Confucian moral bachelors, who talked about empty truths, where did he know how to govern the country? Understand the suffering of the people? Unlike the Emperor of the Han Family, every prince will go out of the palace to play before becoming the emperor, although it is a little absurd and dangerous, but it is indeed more knowledgeable than the Son of Heaven of the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Fan was afraid that Chongzhen would drill the tip of the horns and even lose the only remaining factory guard in his hand, so he had to persuade, "Your Majesty! The factory guard is a slave of the Son of Heaven, and he naturally thinks about how to please his master, and it is reasonable to report good news and not bad news. Your Majesty doesn't need to be overly annoyed, just remind them to pay attention to collecting information from the people, and they can naturally learn a little more! ”

"Hmmm! Jimin said it makes sense! I'll pay attention! Seeing that it was getting late, Chongzhen said to Liu Fan, "Jimin has just come back, I miss it very much, today Jimin will stay in the palace and dine with me!" ”

Chongzhen said so, and Liu had no choice but to stay. said that it was a meal, but it was actually a few side dishes and a bowl of rice porridge, seeing this, Liu Fan pouted, it was not as good as the big pot of rice he ate in the barracks.

After a simple meal, the two continued to chat, and Chongzhen said to Liu Fan, "Jimin doesn't know yet!" My third son was full moon last month! Ha ha! You're a year older than me! It's time for Jimin to get married! Why do you want me to call the shots and tell you about your family? ”

Liu Fan was a little embarrassed when he heard this, and he didn't know why Chongzhen suddenly talked about it, so he had to say, "That minister wants to congratulate Your Majesty!" In fact, Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about the ministers, and with Xiaozhu Xiaohe, the ministers will be content! ”

Chongzhen smiled when he heard this: "Jimin's words are wrong! It is common for a manly man to have three wives and four concubines, how can two maids be worthy of you? I want to choose a daughter of my clan to marry you! What do you think? ”

"Huh! Actually, this... The minister is already interested in someone! And the era in which the minister lived was popular in free love, which rashly asked the minister to marry a woman he had never met, and this minister couldn't accept it! Liu Fan said with some embarrassment

"What free love!? Since ancient times, the words of the matchmaker of the parents' life are the norm! Do you think I will wronged you if I give you a guarantee? Chongzhen said a little angrily

"Your Majesty! In fact, the minister has already made a private agreement with that girl for life," said Liu Fan already knew what Chongzhen meant, and after thinking about it, he still refused.