Chapter 309: The Biggest Creditor of the Tang Dynasty
It's drizzling today, and His Majesty, who has always been diligent in his duties, takes a rare break from the imperial court today.
The entire Qujiang Pool was under martial law. Li Shimin was sitting in Qujiang Pool drinking tea, watching a figure holding an umbrella walk to the edge of the pool, and waited for the figure to come closer.
In front of him is Zhang Yang wearing gray and white clothes.
First, he walked into the waterside pavilion. Zhang Yang put away his umbrella and whispered, "The cover of this new umbrella is still too small. I will have to make it myself in the future."
Li Shimin slowly put down the tea bowl in his hand. Facing the young man in his early twenties, he was speechless for a moment. The words he had said before kept coming to his mind, starting with his words about his wife's father not being a thing.
At first, it seemed as if I had returned to the scene of meeting him for the first time in the autumn of the fourth year of Zhenguan.
"I don't know what's going on lately. I always feel a chill behind my back. Maybe there's always someone saying bad things about me. This person is probably Xu Jingzong." Zhang Yang said as he took out the files one by one.
Li Shimin had a straight face, as if a volcano was about to erupt in his heart, "What are you doing here?"
The sound of rain falling on Qujiangchi Lake was very pleasant. Zhang Yang took a deep breath of the air here and said, "I am the master of Gaochang."
Li Shimin breathed heavily and clenched his fist in one hand, "Then Gaochang's garrison general Adalan was also arranged by you?"
The person who can control Gaochang should be a very deep figure in the city.
I had doubts about this guy Zhang Yang at first.
But seeing his harmless smile and clear eyes, Li Shimin gave up this idea many times.
During this period, I thought about many people, and also thought that such a number one person did not exist at all.
"Do you know what you are talking to me? This is not a child's play! It is related to the entire management of the entire Western Region."
Li Shimin's words were filled with anger.
Zhang Yang frowned and looked at the water below the waterside pavilion, "I don't know if His Majesty arranged people underwater, but the rain is so heavy now, and the rainwater falls on the lake, and the people in the water must not be able to hear my conversation with Your Majesty.
.”
As he finished speaking, another gust of wind blew and some rainwater fell into the water pavilion.
There was an incense burner next to the table. Zhang Yang smelled it and said, "Actually, smelling too much of this kind of incense burner is not good for your health. I still recommend that your Majesty use this kind of incense burner less."
After finishing his words, Zhang Yang picked up the incense burner and threw it into Qujiang Pool.
Seeing Zhang Yang's actions in front of him, Li Shimin whispered: "Are you still afraid that this incense burner is poisonous?"
"Who knows what strange things they would put in the incense burner to make the smell more pleasant."
Zhang Yang put the files on the table in front of Li Shimin, "The seals of the rulers of Gaochang, the silk books of the previous rulers of Gaochang, the map of Gaochang, and the land and population taxes are all here."
After saying these words, Zhang Yang stood up in front of Li Shimin and bowed to salute, "I am the lord of Gaochang, and I am the master of Gaochang. If it is true, as the master of Gaochang, I should salute to the Khan of Heaven.
"
Li Shimin quickly picked up one of the volumes and looked at it carefully, put down one volume and then picked up another, until he saw the names of the past rulers of Gaochang Kingdom, and the word Zhang Yang written on the last line.
"You are so brave!" Li Shimin suddenly slapped his gum and yelled.
The words were so loud that Zhang Yang could even see spittle flying in front of his eyes.
He sat down again and poured himself a bowl of tea. Zhang Yang took a sip calmly, "I knew you would be angry."
Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said, "So it was you who arranged for the Gaochang envoy to come to Chang'an this time? Is that Gaochang envoy one of yours?"
After thinking for a while, Zhang Yang pondered, "How should I explain this?"
After hesitating for a long time, facing Li Shimin's anger, Zhang Yang said melancholy: "Yes, I arranged this matter, and No. 1 is the Gaochang envoy I sent to His Majesty."
Taking another sip of tea, Zhang Yang tried to keep himself calm and calm.
Li Shimin held down his trembling hand, this time he wanted to engrave this boy's face and his current eyes in his mind.
Zhang Yang continued: "I also arranged things in Qiuci, earlier than the Great Court Meeting."
Li Shimin's brows jumped, "Do you know how much I want to kill you now?"
"I wanted to destroy Kucha because I was interested in Kucha's minerals."
Li Shimin shouted again: "The Gaochang incident has caused turmoil in the Western Region, but you can still sit here so calmly!"
Zhang Yang raised his head and looked at Li Shimin's expression, "Your Majesty, can we stop talking about each other? It's so tiring to talk like this."
The rain was still heavy, so Zhang Yang took out a contract and said, "Actually, I bought Gaochang. This was the contract at that time."
Li Shimin took the contract and looked at it carefully, "Adalan led the slaves to rebel, and after taking Gaochang, he sold Gaochang to Zhang Yang, the Minister of Rites, for one penny..."
After reading the contract, Li Shimin was quiet for a long time, like a calm volcano erupting again, "You bought Gaochang for just one penny, what are you doing to me?"
Zhang Yang sat cross-legged and put his hands across his chest in his sleeves, "There are written documents and contracts to prove it. If your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can ask Adalan of Gaochang."
Listening to the sound of rain, Zhang Yang continued, "I bought Gaochang. Whether it is the population of Gaochang or the land conquered by Gaochang, it is my family property, including the six hundred miles west of the Yinli River.
The land and now Kucha are my family property."
"Are you showing off to me?"
Faced with Li Shimin gritting his teeth, Zhang Yang smiled calmly and said: "I don't mean to show off, I'm just stating my family property."
On the edge of Qujiang Pond, there were rows of soldiers standing. Li Junxian and the Jinwu Guards were stationed here. No one was allowed to approach during His Majesty's conversation. His eyes scanned the surroundings sharply. Hundreds of soldiers stood in the rain, soaked in the rain.
Not moving at all.
The rain fell on the ground and formed mist. The Qujiang Pond in the rain was not peaceful. Occasionally, a few fish would jump out of the water and fall back into the lake.
Li Shimin said coldly, "As long as I kill you now, I can also take away these property."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhang Yang sighed: "It seems that I was wrong. It turns out that His Majesty does not have such a long-term vision."
Li Shimin suddenly stood up and took out the sword placed beside the table and unsheathed the long sword.
"I am a businessman, and I need Gaochang, because it can bring me tens of thousands of dollars in income, including business in Lishan. If Your Majesty visits the Western Regions, can you get these benefits?"
"It's not just cotton."
"Does Your Majesty know how to produce? Are you going to stuff cotton into your clothes? What's the use of just having land? Mastering production means mastering wealth. Kill me now. Do you think Gaochang will be obedient without me?
, even if you led the troops to capture Gaochang, not to mention the huge cost, and the Lishan Society burned down the factory and all construction-related things, Your Majesty would not be able to get any of this wealth, and the taxes I provided to Datang would not be available to Your Majesty.
If you can’t get anything, it’s not cost-effective to kill me.”
"Are you threatening me?"
"I am not threatening, I am negotiating the price with His Majesty. My life is not valuable, but the wealth I can create for Your Majesty is more valuable."
"It seems like I just met you today." Li Shimin raised his sword and trembled with his hand, "Do you still have Sheji and me, the Khan of Heaven, in your heart?"
Zhang Yang grinned and said: "You are the respected Tian Khan. You stabilized the Central Plains and allowed troops to be stationed at the borders. That's why we are living today. I am very grateful to Tian Khan for what you have done. If I
If I don’t have these in my heart, I won’t stand in front of His Majesty now.”
Li Shimin nodded and said: "I want Gaochang, and I want the Western Region, can you give it to me?"
Zhang Yang spread his hands and looked at the files and silk books in front of him, "They are all in front of your majesty. Your majesty can take whatever you want."
The atmosphere became quiet again, and Li Shimin did not touch these files.
Zhang Yang continued: "Gaochang was bought by me. Your Majesty, if you want Gaochang, you have to buy it."
Li Shimin took out a jade pendant from his waist and said, "This jade pendant is worth more than your penny."
Zhang Yang took the jade pendant and whispered: "This is not enough."
"You only spent a penny when you bought Gaochang."
Zhang Yang took another sip of tea and said, "The times are like this, and that's not how buying and selling works. When Gaochang was in Adalan's hands, he always felt that Gaochang was only worth a penny, so he sold Gaochang to me. Now His Majesty wants to buy it.
Isn’t it the price?”
"I never like to negotiate terms with businessmen." Li Shimin put his sword back into its scabbard, "Except for you, now you make an offer and I will buy it."
Zhang Yang nodded, "Thirty million yuan, your majesty, please pay for it."
Hearing this, Li Shimin slapped the table again and stood up abruptly.
Seeing that Li Shimin was about to draw his sword again, it was indeed not easy to negotiate business with the emperor. Zhang Yang quickly said: "The matter involves the main stream of the Yinli River, Gaochang, and even the entire Qiuci. I think the price is still very fair."
.”
"Even if I spent the entire Tang Dynasty, I still wouldn't be able to give you so much money."
Zhang Yang sighed again.
This sigh is very harsh, as if this boy is sarcastic about my lack of money?
"Since His Majesty can't come up with this money, there's nothing you can do about it. It's business. Buying and selling cannot be done in a righteous way, so we can make an exchange."
"How to exchange?"
Zhang Yang smiled and tried to make his smile as gentle as possible, "I want the entire Lishan Mountain, including the Lishan Palace, and I want 3,000 acres of land around Lishan Mountain as a mortgage. When will Your Majesty be able to take out this
With just a few cents of money, the deal will be concluded."
The waterside pavilion became quiet again.
Li Shimin was hesitating...the price was very high. If it was used as a mortgage, he would rather not pay the cost. It would be the most cost-effective to hand over Lishan Mountain and 3,000 acres to him. It would just be a larger fiefdom. There was not much money in the imperial treasury, and the land was
I have plenty.
"I know this condition is difficult. Your Majesty can reconsider it. You can't say that I'm embarrassing your Majesty. I'll go back first."
As he spoke, Zhang Yang was about to put the files and contracts back into his package.
Li Shimin suppressed these eucalyptus again with one hand.
Zhang Yang twitched hard but failed to pull the file out from under his palm.
Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Is it just a mortgage?"
Zhang Yang twitched again, looking at the files and silk books being held under the emperor's hand. He wanted to twitch harder but was afraid of tearing them. In this era, there are no backups or copies. These are all originals.
.
"Your Majesty, can you let go first?"
"I haven't given you permission to leave yet."
After sitting down again, the conversation continued, Zhang Yang said again: "I still have this condition. The main reason is that my wife likes Lishan, otherwise my offer will be higher."
Li Shimin's eyes were already bloodshot, and he breathed heavily as he looked at the silk book and the national deed in front of him, "I can give the entire Lishan Mountain as a fiefdom to you and Yue'er. As for the three thousand acres of land, let me think about it carefully."
There was a smile on Zhang Yang's face again, "Then please write an IOU."
"IOU? What IOU?" Li Shimin couldn't hold it in any longer and jumped to his feet and cursed, "Damn, why is it so tiring to talk to someone like you?"
Zhang Yang said: "Datang asked me to borrow 10 million yuan to buy Gaochang and all the territory Gaochang acquired, and to use Lishan and the three thousand acres of land around Lishan as a mortgage until the debt is paid off.
, descendants one after another.”
"Of course, in order to ensure that my assets are not lost, I will do my best to assist Zuotian Khan and jointly manage the Western Regions with Tian Khan. Just getting the land is just an expansion of territory for Your Majesty, but the benefits are
, we at Lishan can bring it into full play.”
The monarch and his ministers talked for a long time, starting from the very beginning of the Gaochang transaction and talking about the trivial matters of life, like a pair of brothers who have known each other for years.
Li Shimin held a bowl of hot tea and said, "You don't know how hard it is for me. There are a lot of trivial matters in the court, the harem, and the clan, and there is also the shameless Li You. Recently, there is news that he is messing around again.
.”
Zhang Yang ate the pastries on the table, "I think we can send someone to teach him."
Li Shimin nodded in agreement, "I think so. I taught Li Ke the chief official Quan Wanji well before, and I plan to send him there."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhang Yang grabbed another handful of pastries and said, "This pastry is good, I will bring some back to my wife."
Li Shimin asked the eunuch outside to bring another plate, "If you like to bring more, don't be polite to me, we are all one family."
"By the way, the last time I met Gao Shilian here was also His Majesty's fault?"
Speaking of this matter, Li Shimin slapped his thigh, "You don't know, I am really exhausted mentally and physically to deal with this uncle. He is an elder and I can't drive him away. I have to support him no matter what. If he wants to resign, I will
As a junior, I still want to keep him, but now that he is old enough, I will send him away."
Zhang Yang nodded while listening.
"This uncle also values you very much. He always feels that you are not a good person. As expected, he is very discerning. You are really not a good person."
"Hehehe..." Zhang Yang said with a dry smile: "I made your Majesty laugh."
"Annoyingly, there is another Wei Zheng in the court. When I fell in love with Zheng Renji's daughter, it would be their honor to marry someone's daughter. Wei Zheng, an old man, said that his daughter was engaged and asked me to give up this idea.
Originally, Zheng Renji intended to give his daughter to me, and I saw that her daughter did have a good body to give birth to a child."
Li Shimin was eating beef jerky in his mouth while saying, "It was Wei Zheng who insisted on stopping us and caused the two families to break up."
Zhang Yang took a breath, "His Majesty's three views are really..."
While the king and his ministers were talking, the eunuch brought pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Li Shimin watched Zhang Yang write this IOU, especially the dazzling words "IOU" on the paper. It seemed to Tian Khan and the emperor a great humiliation.
After writing the IOU, Zhang Yang handed the written copy to Li Shimin, wrote another one himself and continued to preach: "I heard that Your Majesty is already preparing Princess Changle's dowry?"
"really."
"Who are you marrying?" Zhang Yang asked tentatively.
"I haven't thought about Li Zhi's marriage." Li Shimin hesitated again and again, "What do you think of Changsun Chong?"
The monarch and his ministers chatted about family matters again, Li Shimin put away his black face, and the atmosphere became relaxed.
Zhang Yang held the pen in one hand and his sleeve in the other and continued to write, "Let's think about it again. Princess Changle is still too young and she is Yue'er's disciple."
"How about I leave the Department of Etiquette to you? I see you are quite capable."
"Your Majesty, why did Princess Changle talk about the Ministry of Rites again? What's the matter with your reflex arc? Chatting like this is very tiring."