In the Qianqing Palace where Emperor Hongzhi worked in the Imperial Palace of Beijing, on this day, as usual, Emperor Hongzhi saw three pavilion elders staying to discuss national affairs. Recently, the signs of Tatars and Oaras moving south have become more and more obvious, which made Emperor Hongzhi very I was so worried that I couldn't sleep well or eat well for several days.
"The Tatars and Oaras have always been a thorn in the side of our Ming Dynasty. If we cannot get rid of them, our Ming Dynasty will never have peace. I will rob you today and bite you tomorrow. If there is a chance, I will even wait for an opportunity to try to occupy you again." I have a great country in the Central Plains."
Emperor Hongzhi was very worried. The Ming Dynasty had been very passive towards the nomadic peoples in the north since ancient times. The nomadic peoples had horses and were very mobile.
You can advance to attack, retreat to avoid the sharp edge, or you can cling to your opponent like a gangrene attached to the bones, like a pack of wolves hunting, slowly wearing down the prey's energy, until it finally eats the prey alive.
Facing the nomadic civilization, the farming civilization is naturally at a great disadvantage and can only choose to build high-walled buildings for passive defense. Even if a dynasty was temporarily strong and could subdue the nomadic people in the north, once the Central Plains dynasty weakened, they There will be another invasion soon.
"Your Majesty, don't worry too much. We, the Ming Dynasty, have millions of soldiers in our armor, and the emperor is guarding the gates of the country. The Tatars and Oaras in the north will never want to meddle in China again."
Liu Jian looked at Emperor Hongzhi. The recent border affairs had made Emperor Hongzhi feel very haggard, so he had to offer comfort.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Our great Ming Dynasty is powerful and conquers the world. We have strong soldiers and horses. Your majesty is as wise as the ancestors of the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. There are sages in the court. The monarch and his ministers are united. All the people in the world want to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. The barbarians in the north are not a concern."
Xie Qian also spoke, which not only flattered Emperor Hongzhi, but also praised everyone in every possible way.
"Oh, I hope so~"
Emperor Hongzhi said undeniably that if he had heard such words in the past, he would have been very relieved. He really felt that the world was full of rivers and lakes, and that he had the talent and strategy to revive the Ming Dynasty.
But now, he is still thinking about what Liu Jin said and the story he told, combined with everything he saw and heard in the market.
He knew that what he had done was far from enough. Under the seemingly peaceful surface of the Ming Dynasty, there were countless crises lurking. The external affairs of the Tatars and Oaras in the north were not the most worrying ones. The internal problems were the big problem. .
While several people were chatting, a young eunuch came in to replace the coal stove in the room with briquettes. Emperor Hongzhi had always been diligent and thrifty. After discovering that briquettes were easy to use and save money, he began to use briquettes instead of charcoal. , and ordered the entire palace to use briquettes instead of charcoal, which can be said to be very economical.
Seeing the briquettes and the coal stove, Emperor Hongzhi remembered that he had not asked about the briquettes for several days, so he asked Xiao Jing: "How is the sale of this briquettes?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, the sales of briquettes are very hot. Many people rush to buy briquettes every day. Now the prices of firewood and charcoal in the capital have begun to drop significantly."
Xiao Jing naturally pays attention to this matter every day, and when Emperor Hongzhi asks, he can answer it immediately.
"Nowadays, everyone likes to use briquettes for cooking, boiling water, and heating. It is cheap and very convenient. I haven't heard of anyone freezing to death in the capital recently, and the people's lives are getting better. All this is thanks to
Your Majesty’s great blessing.”
"I finally heard some good news. The credit for this cannot be attributed to me, but mainly to Liu Jin."
Hearing Xiao Jing's answer, Emperor Hongzhi finally showed a long-lost smile on his face. Then he thought for a while and said, "How about we go and have a look together? I haven't been out of the palace for a few days. I haven't walked around."
"I will obey His Majesty's will~"
When Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Li Dongyang saw that Emperor Hongzhi's mood improved, they were naturally very happy and quickly agreed.
Just like last time, Emperor Hongzhi and his entourage came to the coal store of Xishan Coal Co., Ltd. in Chongnanfang, Langdong, in simple clothes. Emperor Hongzhi looked at the long queues on the street, and then at the busy scene of the coal store, with a look on his face.
The smile became even brighter.
For him, Xishan Coal Mining is not thinking about making money at all. What he hopes is to provide cheap heating and fire supplies to the people.
Now that sales are booming and the prices of firewood and charcoal have dropped, his goal has been achieved. He also has a sense of accomplishment, and a smile appears on his face unconsciously.
"Mr. Zhu, please come inside, please come inside~"
When he arrived at the coal store, Qian Youcai, who was busy, saw Emperor Hongzhi and his entourage. Naturally, he did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly welcomed Emperor Hongzhi and his entourage into the reception room at the back.
"Business is pretty good~"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Qian Youcai and said with a smile.
"Thanks to Mr. Zhu, this business is not bad. Bring the account book and show it to Mr. Zhu."
After hearing what Emperor Hongzhi said, Qian Youcai thought that Emperor Hongzhi was here to check the accounts, so he quickly asked someone to bring over the account books. The main persons in charge of Xishan Coal Industry were Liu Jin and Qian Youcai. As Emperor Hongzhi,
The largest shareholder, Xiao Jing, also sent several eunuchs to participate in management.
Emperor Hongzhi originally just came over to take a look and didn't even think about checking the accounts. However, since Qian Youcai brought the account book over, he naturally took a look at it. After all, it was his own property and related to his own internal funds.
"How can I make money here?"
Taking the account book, Emperor Hongzhi looked through it casually, and then quickly asked Qian Youcai in disbelief.
"Mr. Zhu, there is no problem with this number. You also have someone in it. What's more, you will never dare to fake this number. I can only say that this business is indeed okay."
Qian Youcai smiled and nodded.
"In just half a month, I have made almost 50,000 taels of silver in total. This..."
Emperor Hongzhi was a little dumbfounded. He had earned 50,000 yuan in the past half month, which was almost 100,000 yuan a month. Moreover, Emperor Hongzhi also knew that it was just the beginning, and many people had not yet used briquettes because there were not enough coal stoves.
If it were fully rolled out, this would earn even more.
"50,000 taels of silver, this month is 100,000 taels, wouldn't it be possible to earn one million taels of silver in this year?"
When Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Li Dongyang heard this, they were all dumbfounded. They originally thought that these 2 cents per briquette could make a lot of money, and it would be good if they did not lose money. However, they did not expect that this was actually a huge profit industry.