Yang Zhi seemed arrogant in front of the emperor, but he was not unobscure. He is indeed unruly and difficult to control, but he does not participate in politics, does not seize power, does not command troops, does not form a party, and never tramples on the bottom line that threatens the dominance of the Zhao clan in Great Xia. At the important juncture of major rights and wrongs, he always stood on the side of the emperor completely and spared no effort.

The emperor may not be broad-minded, but he is definitely a person with a clear mind. The high-ranking official Houlu was unattractive to Yang Zhi, and even the imperial gold medal, which symbolized the supreme imperial power, was still half-coaxed and half-frightened and forced to him. The emperor knew that he had a request from Yang Zhi, far more than Yang Zhi from himself. It was so before, and it is even more so now. What's more, Yang Zhi is not unique to this kind of character, and the emperor naturally thinks of the Duke of Qin more than 20 years ago. So the emperor chose tolerance and tolerance very sensibly, at least for the time being, he had no choice.

The emperor knew very well that in addition to the high-ranking officials Houlu, there were not many things that he could get his hands on and Yang Zhi could see, and he had long been mentally prepared for Yang Zhi to ask for a sky-high price and repay the money on the spot. What Yang Zhi wants, in fact, is not difficult to guess, there is only one word: money. There was no need for the Emperor to take out a large sum of silver from his own pocket.

In the long run, acquiescing to or even conniving at the rise of another emerging chaebol that could compete with the Qin clan was also in the strategic interests of the emperor and his heirs, and was very much in line with the emperor's wishes.

The atmosphere of the conversation between the two was still harmonious, and the emperor smiled as usual: "Are you a profiteer like your old man?" You big! Let's talk about it, how can I make a way to increase the price? ”

Yang Zhixin said not "as if", but me. The old man can't catch up with your picky and rape?

"The emperor and the Duke of Qin have been in the same boat for decades, you. I won't say much about the friendship between the two. For more than a year, in order to cooperate with the emperor to destroy the Tang Dynasty, the Qin clan was ordered to raise money for the country, and even used the strength to eat milk, so that the silver money dispatch was stretched. In order to alleviate the difficult turnover situation, Qin Gong did not hesitate to sell his grain bank at a low price in order to temporarily tide over the difficulties. It just so happened that I also wanted to buy some property to support my family, so I smashed the pot and sold iron, and barely scraped together the money to buy it. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to play the Emperor Ming, and I implore the Emperor to take care of me in the future and treat me like the Qin family. ”

The emperor smiled disdainfully: "Duke Qin's old horse. The husband is also interesting! Do you think I don't know your family's old bottom? Your father and son were originally in Xinyang, but they had a small family business, and the Qin family's grain store was all over the world, employing thousands of workers, don't you understand how much it is worth? It shows that your ability to extort money is really not small! Don't fool me with any about smashing pots and selling iron. Don't be complacent, Gong Qin has been working hard for decades to have the scale it is today, and I don't think you will be able to catch it without three or five years. If you buy it, you buy it! However, it is better for the Qin family's grain line to fall into your hands than in the hands of others, I will allow you to invite you! But there is one verse that I want to make clear to you: The quartermasters in all parts of the country can still hand over the grain according to the old practice, and I will not open my mouth to you, but I must pay me at least one million taels of silver every year in the future. ”

Dare to pick up a Great Xia National Food Bureau and Reserve for nothing! Big. In the summer, the quartermaster purchases a huge amount of grain and grass every year, and even if he is greedy, he has to play this million taels! Yang Zhi was overjoyed, but said with a wry smile: "You open your mouth to be one million taels a year, it's really murderous without blood!" This bamboo pole is much more neat than I can knock! ”

The emperor squinted and said, "If you feel that you are in trouble, you will still return the grain. Just do it with the Qin family. ”

Yang Zhi pretended to be depressed and said, "...... If you say that, I can still say no. Ken? One million taels is one million taels! ”

The Emperor scoffed: "This matter. I follow the usual practice according to the number of previous years, you and Qin Gong are not at a loss, you don't pick up cheap here and sell well! You treacherous like a ghost, you want to come to the price code more than that, what else? Let's talk about it! ”

"Huang Shengming." Yang Zhi said with a smile: "Strictly speaking, the following can't be regarded as the price offered to you at all. Today, the Dharma will not be preached to the six ears, so I will say it directly! The reason why you gave me a gold medal that day and sent me to Shandong was because of the huge cost of the expedition to the east and the west for many years, and the Great Xia was overwhelmed and the country was in difficulty. Shandong has been peaceful for a long time since it was incorporated into the territory of Great Xia, and the terrain has been quite beneficial to overseas trade, and the rich businessmen and tycoons who operate this road have all made a lot of money. The emperor has always had no time to be distracted, seeing that the fat meat is not available to others to eat. Less than three months after I was ordered to rush to Penglai, I was urgently recalled to Beijing by Lao Xu, and I only had a slight eyebrow on the matter of cleaning up the sea route, and the 6 officialdom and businessmen had not yet had time to be alarmed. ”

"Don't hide it from the emperor, I have studied many joints overseas in foreign trade, and I have long planned how to set up a government office to collect taxes. Now that the Southern Tang Dynasty is newly destroyed, if the geographical location is favorable, the land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is undoubtedly more convenient than Shandong. If the Emperor wishes to order me to continue in office, I will continue to ask you for no one or ask for a penny from you. All you need is your next decree to make me the Governor of Customs. However, the customs office shall be subject to the collection of taxes, and I shall be left to my own discretion for five years, and no one, including you, shall interfere lightly. Of course, if you're going to choose another merit after this event, then I didn't say it. I don't care, really. ”

Yang Zhi is telling the truth. If there is no major accident, the waterways of the sea area from Beiyan to Nantang off the coast of Shandong, as well as the many islands of the Long Island Islands, should have all been surnamed Yang. If the emperor continued to use him to build customs, it would be best. If the emperor abandons him, won't he still be a big windfall?

The emperor sighed worriedly: "According to your ability and temperament, no matter where you go, you will not lack anything and silver." I know that you really don't care, but I do! Because what I am most afraid of is that the time is not with me, and what I lack the most is silver! Even if you don't mention it, I will find you to talk to you deeply. What you just mentioned, I know in my heart. As you said, I have so much to think about, so much to do. I beat you to Shandong that day, and I was based on three considerations. ”

"First, before I destroyed the Tang Dynasty and occupied the rich land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Shandong had been peaceful for a long time, and the Minfeng Wubu was a rich land, and it was not an exaggeration to say that it was the capital of Daxia. Although Li Zikuan, the prefect of Jinan, is a member of the Empress Li clan, he is not incompetent. And Li Zikuan has been in office for many years, and everyone knows that he is probably not so clean. If we order this public government to set up a local government to collect taxes, it will not be easy to break the existing pattern of official and business interests in Shandong, and it will certainly achieve little results. ”

"Although the current national strength is not as good as that, and I can't spare that energy, I still have some long-term vision. The establishment of customs is an important task of the country, and it is related to the foundation of Daxia. You are erudite and talented, long-sleeved and good at dancing, well-versed in the way of economics, ruthless and resolute, and able to accurately handle the fire, and you are both good and evil, and you have nothing to do with the forces in Shandong in the DPRK and China, and you are really the best candidate for this great task. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't allocate a penny to you alone, and I gave you a gold medal and beat you to go to Shandong to toss alone, not because I was stingy, but because I couldn't give you anything else! ”

"Second, I once told the crown prince that you have the talent of a traitor, the ability to govern the world, and the courage of a fierce general, but you are not afraid of the power of the emperor, and you don't care about high-ranking officials at all. A character like you who is so sleepy is the only one in the world that I can use! I want to use you, but I can't destroy you, so I intend to support you to become a force of my own. To be precise, it's the forces on my side! I beat you to leave Chang'an far away during the imperial expedition, just because I don't want those whimsical people to take advantage of this gap to hook up with you! ”

"Third, of course, it's for my most beloved daughter. I am not an unreasonable person, although I have known that Yan'er has a secret love for you, but I have never had the idea of using imperial power to suppress you. You got drunk because I asked you to drink, and you were designed by Qi'er to do such a ridiculous thing because you were drunk. At that time, if you continued to stay in Chang'an, I was afraid that the royal face would be lost, and Yan'er would not know where to go, afraid that the queen's family would make it difficult for you on this ground, and that the rotten Confucians in the court would attack and defend you. According to your unafraid temperament that day, I am afraid that you will disturb the whole Chang'an chickens and dogs, so that I don't even know how to end up after my class teacher returns to Beijing! To be honest, I still have a lot of headaches when I think about it. ”

The emperor's words were sincere, and it didn't seem like he was pretending. Yang Zhi said with a little shame: "The emperor is far-reaching and well-intentioned, but I am tired and the emperor is troubled." ”

"It's good that you know. I'm so upset about you that there's more to it than that. The emperor sneered and said, "I listen to your intentions, you are going to set up customs yamen in Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang." I can agree to what you say, but it's not without conditions. ”

What more can you want? Isn't it just a coffin that reaches out and asks for money?

"I beg the Emperor to make it clear."

"First, at your request, I have made a clear decree to the world to appoint you as the governor of the customs of Great Xia, and to set up customs yamen in Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. I will be with you for a period of five years, and I will not be another governor for five years, nor will I interfere in any other matter. However, there is one section where you must assure me that you can cut the customs matters first, but you must not interfere in the military and civil affairs of Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang for no reason. I have told you thoroughly, I need a stable rear to dominate the world. I am fighting endlessly, and the people's hearts cannot be lost, just like a bird that cannot pull out its feathers, and a new tree cannot shake its roots. You can toss as much as you want, but Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang must not be messed up because of you! ”

"Not only that, my target is Wu Yue after Nantang, and after Wu Yue is Nanchu. Looking at your ability, you should not be inferior to Qin Gong. Be sure to keep an eye out for my pioneers and choose the opportunity to infiltrate the two countries. ”

It is also Yang Zhi's dream to make good use of these three to five years to devote himself to building a Yang family that can compete with the Qin family. Yang Zhi said solemnly: "Weichen should always keep it in mind. ”

"Second, you must guarantee that the customs of the two places will pay me 30 million taels of silver during the five-year period! Five years later, regardless of whether I appoint you or not, the customs of both places will be taken over by the Great Xia court. - You don't bother to argue and refuse, I have a point in saying that. In order to plan the war to destroy the Tang Dynasty, I opened my mouth to the Duke of Qin twice within a year, and asked for a total of 13 million taels of silver, of which at least seventy percent came from the huge profits obtained by the old horseman from trading overseas. I remember that you started from scratch, 30 million in five years seems to be a huge amount, and the average annual spread is only 6 million taels, which is less than half of the Qin family, you should be content. ”

"Great Xia is mine, and the whole world will be mine in the future, and so will the customs of the two places! What was wrong with taking over the Great Xia court? What's your fart? After five years, I estimate that your strength may not be as good as that of the Qin Clan, but you should be almost there! Oh, by the way, lest you scold me for asking for money too hard behind your back, I will give you half a year to prepare after I finish the prince's rebellion, and the five-year contract will be counted from the date when the customs offices of the two places are set up! ”

Although the emperor's words were domineering, they were also well-founded, and Yang Zhi was indeed speechless. He smiled bitterly and said, "Emperor, you have already calculated that there are no two ends left, can I still say no?" Do you have anything else to explain? ”

The emperor said coldly: "Of course there is." This third one is the most important, so keep your ears up and listen! ”