Jin Million was not in Yangzhou City these days, he went to Yizhen County to do business, this Yizhen County is close to the southwest of Jiangdu County, Yizhen Port and Jiangdu County's Guazhou Port are called the two major river ports of Yangzhou Prefecture, but their functions are different.

If the salt of the two Huaiguan wants to be transported by water to Huguang, Jiangxi, Yingtianfu and other places for sale, it must be re-weighed and packaged in Yizhen and inspected by salt officials before it can be loaded on ships and transported elsewhere.

Therefore, Yizhen County is an important hub in the salt industry, and it is not surprising that Jin Million, a big salt merchant, often goes to Yizhen County.

On this day, Jin Yuanwai returned to his home in Yangzhou City from Yizhen, and only then did he enter the house, and he listened to the report of the housekeeper: "Two days ago, Master Yuanrong, who had lived at home, suddenly came to the door and accepted the 20,000 taels of reward. And the lady saw him, and had a great conspiracy. ”

Jin Million fell to his feet and exclaimed: "Stupid woman is ignorant! I just said that she stopped messing around for a while, and persuaded Li You not to care, who knew it would be like this! How can the Yuanrong monk have good intentions? What a lure of wolves! ”

His dealings with Li You, especially the matter of escorting his daughter Jin Suniang into the palace, are very sensitive matters. In order to avoid incidents caused by rambling matters, he has always kept it very secretive and never disclosed it to a third party, even his wife, Mrs. Xie, did not know.

Last month, Jin Suniang, accompanied by several reliable old people, followed the draft Qincha Wu Gonggong away. Mrs. Xie only said that she was going to the capital to try her luck, and if she didn't succeed, she would come back, and she didn't know what role Li You played in it.

If she knew that not only did her eldest daughter fall into the clutches of Li You, but her younger daughter's future was also in Li You's thoughts, she would probably never dare to make a mistake here with Li You.

Seeing his wife in the inner house, Jin Million couldn't help but complain: "You and that round face..."

Speaking of this, Mrs. Xie was angry, "I heard that Master Yuanrong has been sent back to Xujiang County by Li You with a few servants. ”

It turned out that the son-in-law had dealt with the aftermath cleanly, and Jin Million's face was slightly softened. And solemnly warned: "That's good, if you don't want to bring trouble to my Jin family, don't be disrespectful to Li You in the future!" ”

"I'm afraid that others will laugh at my daughter for being a concubine. Besides, Bao'er is now a young jade, what if she has a little grace, that is the most unreliable, how many beauties are old in color, and the nameless evening scene is bleak? Bao'er has no children to rely on. Mrs. Xie was not convinced, and still missed it.

Jin Million didn't bother to say anything about it, he grabbed the teacup and smashed it on the ground, the porcelain pieces shattered to the ground, and he scolded again: "Stupid woman! Do you want the Kim family to become this teacup? Before that, I'll leave you first! ”

After losing his temper, Jin Million suddenly remembered something: "Li You only sent away the Yuanrong monk, and there was no other action?" This can't be, he's not such a willing person to give up, there must be something else. ”

As soon as the words fell, I heard someone come in and report: "Uncle is here." ”

The uncle referred to by the Jin family is, of course, Mrs. Xie's brother. Mrs. Xie had three younger brothers, and after the development of the golden million, they were encouraged to do business, and now each of them has their own industry, which is mainly engaged in timber, oil, and tea.

The one who came to the door today is the second brother Xie Yanhe, and after entering the house to see the ceremony, he complained to his brother-in-law: "It's been very bad recently, my three brothers have been designated as shops by the county government, specializing in welcoming drivers, and they have lost a lot of money in the past few days, and I don't know when it will be a head." ”

The so-called shopkeepers are like "government designated purchasers", which may be fat in other time and space, but it is definitely a chore in this era. Merchants are designated as shopkeepers, just like ordinary people are conscripted into forced labor, and they must try to escape by all means.

The yamen procures goods from the shopkeepers and calls them and buys. From the system, and buy should be a parity purchase, the government does not take advantage of the merchants, and the merchants do not make money from the government. ..., but in reality, and buy can give half price, the merchant should be thankful, not a penny, that is not surprising. As for giving the full price, it is simply the existence of the ancestral tomb at the level of green smoke. Therefore, the shopkeeper is unlucky, and the merchant would rather bribe the yamen to avoid the shopkeeper's business.

Of course, there are also cases of merchants and yamen procurement personnel joining forces to make profits by inflating prices, but it is rare. There are few merchants with this kind of power, and even fewer officials with this kind of motivation -- they can do things that make a profit at half price and have no risk, so why should they risk being investigated and punished to join hands with merchants to defraud the government treasury?

At this time, the county government of Yangzhou City, or it should be called the Tongzhi Branch, suddenly designated all the three brothers of the Xie family as shop compradors, and the meaning is self-evident. It is clear that he wants to deliberately repair the Xie family, and if it is more cruel, the Xie family will not be able to end until it goes bankrupt.

After hearing Xie Yanhe's complaints, Jin Million sneered at his wife: "Look at it, it's a disaster for the family, don't think that Li You can't help you because he cares about the name of the elders, he has a way." Anyway, just when the wealth is ruined and the disaster is avoided, endure it first. Wait until Li You is angry and then talk about Xiang, the left and right will not really drive you to a dead end, what is it if you lose a few silver. ”

Xie Yanhe came to the door this time, all because he couldn't bear to be exploited by the government, so he asked his eldest sister and brother-in-law for help. Unexpectedly, the brother-in-law left it alone, and the eldest sister didn't dare to speak for some reason, so she had to give up her hand and leave: "Then my brother should think about it again." ”

"Hold back! Don't think about it! Jin Million reminded loudly.

In the back office of the Tongzhi Bureau, Li Taishou learned a lesson and was ready to pay attention to the collective wisdom and exert the wisdom of his subordinates. He summoned the four masters and Guo Xiancheng to discuss the matter of the palace again.

The city wall, the market, and the garden can be repaired without moving, but the palace must always be there, and it is nothing more than a new construction or requisition.

Master Li took a sip of tea and said leisurely: "When the Holy Driver arrives next year, it will be about April and May. At a time of prosperity, this is the time of day. And I Yangzhou has another advantage, the terroir is similar to the south of the Yangtze River, but it is located in the north of the Yangtze River, which is also advantageous. The right time and place are available. ”

The five listeners had in their minds the scene of "Yangchun Budeze, all things are bright", but what does this have to do with the palace?

I only heard Master Li continue: "This official has an idea, strange flowers and plants, rare birds and beasts, strange rockeries, giant trees and beams should not be collected, and the imperial garden will not be built. In addition, the number of temples was reduced, and only the main temple was left. ”

Li You glanced at it a few times, and after a while, he was worried about the country and the people: "Agriculture is the foundation of the country, and the foundation of billions of lives. And the Son of Heaven grew up in a deep palace, and he was young and shallow, and he didn't know agriculture, which was not a blessing for the country. ”

"The proprietor (Fuzun) is wise!" Everyone said in unison, although they didn't know what Master Li wanted to say.

"How's that? The original Imperial Garden and the open space of the palace were all converted into farmland. April and May are the time of luxury, rice, wheat, rape, cotton, sweet potatoes, etc., as long as there are seedlings on the ground at that time, all of them are planted in the farmland of the palace! Is it time to harvest winter wheat, oilseed rape and sow rice? If you meet the Son of Heaven, it is better to stay. ”

Everyone was shocked by Master Li's whimsy, and they still subconsciously said: "The proprietor (Fuzun) is wise!" ”

Li You said that the rise of the idea of soliciting opinions has long been left behind, "transplant a few mulberry trees, raise silkworms and silk, and dig ponds to store waterfowl!" As for the palace houses, except for the main hall, the style is the appearance of a thatched hut and a mud-walled farmhouse, which is an idyllic scenery. However, each exterior must be frugal, but the interior must be gorgeous and comfortable. ”

"The proprietor (Fuzun) is wise!"

"The magnificence of the palace is easy to be criticized by the world, and it is inevitable that the people will be ridiculed for the loss of money, but no matter how it is built, there will always be someone to pick on it. Then imitate the farmer's arrangement, repair the house, plough the field, and teach the Son of Heaven to experience farming, who dares to say that it is not? Who dares to say that I Yangzhou blindly pat the horse to welcome the saint? Besides, I have a lot of landscape gardens in Yangzhou, so why bother to spend more time on the palace. Other places are confined to the climate and season, and they can't learn from me Yangzhou! ”…,

"The proprietor (Fuzun) is wise!" Everyone praised from the bottom of their hearts. They really think that this idea is really good, the Son of Heaven wants to see the scenery, Yangzhou has a place, there is no need to pay attention to these in the palace, it is better to cultivate the characteristics.

If you cultivate the appearance of a farmhouse and let the young son of heaven learn about agriculture, the most demanding officials will not be able to find fault with this, but will have to sing praises. The most important thing is that the cost of planting a few acres of land is also more expensive than building a large palace and garden.

Seeing that his subordinates blindly praised, Lord Li was suspicious again, don't be like last time? "Is that really good? You should know everything, and you should say everything. ”

"It's really good!"

Li You muttered a few words in his heart, and said his last thoughts, "I have to find a famous calligrapher who lives in Yangzhou to inscribe all kinds of plaques and couplets, and the words and sentences must be collected by famous artists." Mr. Hu bothered a lot about this. ”

Hearing the inscription, Master Cui suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said: "There is a good word at the bottom, which can be used on the main plaque, which is sure to be eye-catching and extraordinary." ”

Seeing that Cui Zhenfei was full of confidence, Li You asked with interest: "What good words does Mr. Cui have?" ”

"Farm stay!" Cui Zhenfei held his head high and said confidently.

"Poof!" This is Lord Li can't help but squirt out the tea.

"Wonderful!" This is the other people shouting loudly.

Master Li looked left and right with a complicated mind, and once again doubted the authenticity of everything in front of him, this was not just a collaboration between his subordinates. He couldn't help but ask again, "Really?" ”

Guo Xiancheng was born in this house, and he had the highest education in this house, so he shook his head and replied: "Farmhouse is indeed a good word!" There are farmers who can be the foundation of the country, there are families who are families, and there are joys of peace. The three words together, not only elegant and vulgar, but also have a deep connotation, which not only highlights the national peace and security, but also reflects the social system! It is suitable for the residence of the Son of Heaven! ”

Master Li was suspicious, but he was still not sure whether these subordinates really agreed, or did they pretend to praise him with their original intentions?

In the end, I could only sigh secretly: "I really realized what it means to be cold in a high place!" There is still no need to dwell on this, if you rely on routine in everything, you will not be able to get to where you are today. People are not saints and sages, and trying to find the most perfect and error-free way of making decisions is a wrong idea in itself, and compared to others, you are still the most worthy of trust! ”

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