"Master, if you run out of money, you can still save it. It doesn't matter."
"The Holy One doesn't keep his word. He clearly said that we only need 10 million dan, so how can he bring in another 20 million dan? How can he break his promise? The Holy One has no faith!"
Qian Qianyi was already immersed in his own emotions and couldn't extricate himself.
Liu Rushi's pretty face changed color: "Sir, what exactly did the Holy One say?"
Qian Qianyi told Liu Rushi about the conversation he had with Chongzhen at Yanziji Pier.
After hearing this, Liu Rushi sighed: "Master, the Holy Father has never given you a clear promise."
"He didn't make a clear promise, but he hinted." Qian Qianyi said, "He hinted that as a husband, as long as we earn 10 million shi at a high price and give 40 million liang to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he will not adjust the food supply.
Come to suppress food prices in Nanzhi."
"But the Holy Father also told you clearly that the price of food can only be maintained at six taels and cannot rise any further." Liu Rushi sighed and said helplessly, "But have you fulfilled your promise?"
"This..." Qian Qianyi was speechless. They also failed to fulfill their promise.
Just after the annual holiday ended, the price of grain in Nanzhi experienced another surge, from six taels to ten taels.
At that time, they just felt that His Majesty's share of 40 million taels was too harsh and they suffered too much loss, so they wanted to find more to make up for it.
After a moment of silence, Qian Qianyi said again: "But the Holy Spirit can't be so ruthless, directly hitting the price of food in Nanzhi from 10 taels to 5 qian, and taking the opportunity to force us to repay the debt, and selling the food in our hands at 5 qian per shi."
The price of the money is all paid off. Isn’t this blatant robbery? Isn’t this blatant robbery?”
"What a holy king, what a wise king, bullshit, it's all bullshit."
Qian Qianyi's mentality was completely broken and he dared to go out without saying anything.
Liu Rushi sighed again: "Master, I still can't understand the Holy Spirit."
"Why can't I understand? Today's Holy One is hypocritical of benevolence and righteousness. He kills people without showing blood and eats people without spitting out their bones."
"It's not what you said. The Holy One has a real thunderbolt method and a Bodhisattva heart. The thunderbolt method is aimed at the clan, gentry and merchants, while the Bodhisattva heart is for all the people."
"By treating such an emperor as a business partner, aren't you seeking the skin of a tiger?"
"Also, you are so exploiting and squeezing the people of Jiangnan in front of His Majesty. How can His Majesty spare you? Master, be content with what you are doing. It is just a waste of money."
However, Qian Qianyi felt sad again when Liu Rushi mentioned the word "wealth".
"My money, my one million taels." Qian Qianyi broke away from Liu Rushi's arms and stumbled down the mountain.
Under the rockery is a pond dug years ago. The deepest point is more than ten feet deep, enough to drown a person.
When Qian Qianyi came down from the mountain, he jumped into the pond without hesitation, and then struggled from the shallow water to the deep water.
"Master, why can't you think about it?" Liu Rushi became anxious when he saw this, "Isn't it just one million taels of silver? I still have more than 200,000 taels of silver left here, and I can also sell some jewelry.
For money, I will go back to the old courtyard to borrow some silver taels from my former sisters, and I can always make up the one million taels."
Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi immediately stopped.
"The water is too cold." Qian Qianyi turned around and walked out of the pond.
After climbing to the shore, Qian Qianyi said to Liu Rushu again: "Madam, how can a man use a woman's money? Your personal money and jewelry will not be touched by a husband."
But Liu Rushi was still worried: "Master, don't commit suicide again."
"Madam, don't worry, my husband will never commit suicide again." Qian Qianyi said with emotion.
"You're right. If you don't have any money, you can make more money. Isn't it just one million taels?"
Watching Qian Qianyi's figure slowly walk away, Liu Rushi shed tears of emotion. This is the husband she chose. How could Qian Muzhai, the leader of Jiangzuo literary circles, be knocked down by a few taels of silver?
…
In Yilun Hall.
During dinner, Zhu Cijiong asked Chongzhen again.
"Father, I still don't understand, how did you do it?"
"How on earth is it done?" Chongzhen chuckled and said, "It's very simple, because your father and I hold far more money than the Huguang grain merchants, and at the same time, my father also holds far more money than Nanzhi.
Grain merchants, so if they want to go against your father, they are looking for death!"
The power of big capital is so terrifying.
That’s why we say big capital is a scourge.
That’s why we say we cannot let capital escape control.
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "There is another reason. When I was in the capital before, my father had no one to use. The princes in the court were either greedy and despicable, or mediocre people who only knew how to talk. I just want to
We need to send someone to the Imperial Manor to collect the rent. It would be a good idea to get back one dou for one stone of rent."
"The imperial palace is like this, and the capital is still like this."
"There is no need to say more about provinces such as Huguang and Nanzhi."
"The government decree does not leave the Forbidden City. This is what it means."
As he spoke, the aggrieved memory of the original version of Chongzhen came to mind.
I have to say that the original seventeen years after Chongzhen ascended the throne were really frustrating.
In name, he is the Ninth Five-Year Supreme, and he seems to be able to kill ministers at will. The chief minister of the cabinet will kill whenever he says, and the officials of the six departments also kill when they say, but what about in reality?
Actually nothing can be done.
Zhu Cixiang already has a vague memory of these.
At that moment, Zhu Cixiang sighed and said: "But it's completely different now."
"That's natural." Chongzhen smiled and continued, "Now my father has more than 6,000 capable and honest scholars in his hands. Any decree of my father can be conveyed to all provinces in a short time and be received.
Resolute implementation, such as this time's crackdown on Fuguang and Nanzhi grain merchants, would have been wishful thinking two years ago."
"But now, my father's decree can make hundreds of grain merchants in Huguang and Nanzhi who hoard rare fish and meat bankrupt their fortunes and drain their bones of oil within two months."
While he was talking, Gao Qiqian walked in with small steps.
"Long live my Lord, I heard someone said that Mr. Qian Ge hanged himself."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Hang yourself?" Chongzhen asked with a smile, "I guess you are not dead, right?"
"I really can't hide anything from Long Live Lord." Gao Qiqian said with a smile, "Qian Ge found a fist-thick willow tree on the rockery in his backyard to hang himself. As a result, it couldn't bear his weight, and it bent.
I ran to the pond under the rockery and threw myself into the lake. When I was waist deep, I said the water was too cold, so I finally climbed up again."
"The water is too cold?" Chongzhen chuckled.
This is a bit weird, is it happening again?
Gao Qi Qianhu said again: "I feel sorry for Liu Rushi."
"Liu Rushi? You are talking about Liu Rushi, right? What happened to her?" Chongzhen asked.
Gao Qiqian said with disdain: "Mr. Qian Ge is quite good at making women happy. He told Liu Rushi that he would not use women's money to pay off debts, but at the same time he went to the old courtyard to find Li Zhenli."
By the way, Li Zhenli returned to the old hospital half a year ago.
Yangyuan is not a courtyard, but a row of rows of houses on the south bank of the Qinhuai River. It faces Wuding Bridge to the north and Chaoku Street to the south of the old courtyard.
After the reopening, Meixiang Building is even more grand and beautiful than before.
Because of Li Xiangjun’s relationship, not too many girls come forward to offer themselves.
So in less than half a year, half of the courtyard of the old courtyard became the property of Meixiang Tower. Now Li Zhenli has thousands of girls and dozens of prostitutes under her command.
The most famous among them are Kou Baimen and Dong Xiaowan. Kou Baimen was once the concubine of Zhu Guobi, the protector of the country, and Dong Xiaowan was once the concubine of Maoxiang. Kou Baimen was sold back to the old courtyard after Zhu Guobi's family fell into decline.
, and Dong Xiaowan was expelled from Mao's family shortly after Mao Xiang died for the Ming Dynasty.
The two girls are both charming and charming, and they have had such an experience before, so all the young people from Wuling in the south of the Yangtze River flock to them.
It’s just that the two women have very high standards.
They don't accept ordinary guests.
"What do you mean?" Zhu Cijiong asked, "Qian Qianyi wants to sell Liu Rushi?"
"No, the price has been negotiated." Gao Qiqian shook his head and sighed, "The price is two hundred thousand taels of silver."
When Chongzhen heard this, he frowned slightly and turned to ask Xia Yunyi, who happened to be present at the Shibo Branch Office: "Xia Yunyi, did Liu Rushi have a relationship with Chen Zilong before marrying Qian Qianyi as his concubine?"
"Going back to the Holy Spirit, Liu Rushi is indeed getting along well with others and has a very deep relationship." Xia Yunyi replied honestly, "It's just that the Chen family obstructed it in every possible way, and Liu Rushi couldn't bear the humiliation and married Qian Qianyi angrily."
Chongzhen hummed slightly and asked again: "Then you write a letter to Chen Zilong and ask him if he still wants to renew their relationship..."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to ask," Xia Yunyi said flatly, "Ren Zhong has never let go of Liu Rushi, and Ren Zhong's first wife, Zhang, died of illness three years ago and has not yet renewed their relationship."
"So, then you go and ask Liu Rushi what she means. If she is also interested, you can gather a group of colleagues to raise money to redeem Liu Rushi. Let Chen Zilong repay the money slowly with his dividends. The dividends are not enough.
, just wait for him to repay it with the royalties after he becomes an official in the future, and the interest will also be calculated."
"I accept the order." Xia Yunyi accepted the order and left.
Watching Xia Yunyi leave, Chongzhen turned around and said to Gao Qiqian with a smile: "Gao Banban, don't be so careful in the future. I have no prejudice against prostitutes. After all, this is not what they want."
, but Li Xiangjun is enough for me, and I have no intention of getting to know more prostitutes."
Again, Chongzhen was not good at promiscuous women.
The good thing about Chongzhen is Cao Mengde's habit.
Li Xiangjun was an accident.
…
On the other side, Liu Rushi returned home with a lonely face.
Liu Rushi originally thought that the jewelry she had saved would be worth four to five hundred thousand taels of silver, so that she would be able to collect eight hundred thousand, and then she would be able to get it together with the sisters from the old courtyard.
But I never thought that the price of jewelry in Nanjing has plummeted recently.
The pearl-green head noodle originally worth 50,000 taels is now worth only 5,000 taels.
In the end, all the treasures were emptied out and only sold for a mere 100,000 taels. Including the personal money accumulated over the years, the total was only 400,000 taels. The money has been returned to the bank account of the Ministry of Accounts.
But there is still 600,000 taels of silver owed.
It seems that I can only go back to the old hospital and resume my humble career.
Liu Rushi thought sadly, not knowing when he would be able to repay it.
But before returning to the old hospital, he had to ask Qian Qianyi to divorce her. Otherwise, how could he have any dignity as a court minister?
Just when Liu Rushi was thinking about how to talk to Qian Qianyi about this, the little maid came in and reported that Li Zhenli, the nanny of Meixianglou, had come to visit.
"Mother Li?" Liu Rushi was a little surprised when she saw Li Zhenli.
Li Zhenli sighed softly and said sadly: "It's true that flowers never last forever, and people never last forever. I hope our Xiang girl will never return to Meixiang Tower."
"Mother Li, what are you talking about?" Liu Rushi suddenly felt inexplicably flustered.
"Sister, don't blame grandma." Li Zhenli sighed, "It's better for you to arrive at Meixiang House, because grandma won't force you to do something you don't want to do. If you want to sell yourself, then sell yourself. If you don't want to, then just sell yourself.
Mammy respects your wishes when it comes to singing and selling, but if you fall into the hands of another madam, you can't help it."
Liu Rushi's pretty face suddenly turned pale.
"Mama Li, my master sold me to Meixiang House?"
"Well, together with this house, the total price is two hundred thousand taels."
After saying that, she got up and Li Zhenli looked around the yard and said, "It's just like you, sister. If it were someone else, if you add another person to such an old house, my mother would only have to pay 150,000 taels of silver at most."
However, Liu Rushi only felt her eyes go dark for a while, and she didn't even hear clearly what Li Zhenli was saying.
Liu Rushi's love life was quite bumpy. When she was fourteen years old, she was taken in by Zhou Daodeng as a concubine. Not long after Zhou Daodeng died of illness, she was expelled from the house by the Zhou family, but she didn't feel very sad.
But Songjiang talented man Chen Zilong really hurt her.
Because of her sadness, Liu Rushi married Qian Qianyi, who was over fifty years old.
Although she didn't love Qian Qianyi in her heart, because Qian Qianyi loved her very much, Liu Rushi also planned to wash her hands and make soup from now on and devote herself to Qian's wife.
But he never expected that Qian Qianyi would actually sell her.
It turns out that all the sweet words Qian Qianyi said were false. In Qian Qianyi's eyes, she, Liu Rushi, was still just a concubine who could be given away or traded at will.
Just when he was feeling sad, a figure walked in.
"Master Xia?" Li Zhenli said in surprise, "Oh yes, now it's time to call me Master Xia."
"You can call me whatever you want, mama." Xia Yunyi was also a frequent visitor to the old hospital and was very familiar with Li Zhenli.
After saying hello, Xia Yunyi took out another poem and handed it to Liu Rushi: "Liu Rushi, look at this poem."
"It turns out to be Mr. Xia." Liu Rushi finally came back to his senses, bowed to Xia Yunyi, and then reached out to take the manuscript.
"Looking at the south of the Yangtze River in two tones. Feeling old."
"Thinking about the past, the flowers and the moon are dim."
"The jade swallow wind slants on the clouds on the temples, the golden incense embroidered screen is half drunk, leaning against the light red."
"Why hate? The news is more long-term."
"The weak willows are sleeping in spring dreams for three days. In the corner of the distant mountains, the eyebrows are sad, and there is no way to ask the east flow."
After repeating two sentences in a low voice, a familiar feeling came to my heart, and an extremely familiar face appeared in front of my eyes, and then I felt a sharp pain.
