Wenyuan had a very good relationship with his eldest sister Min'er. At this time, because he was worried that his eldest sister would become a victim of marriage, his tone of voice was a little harsh.
Hearing his son's words, Yun was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "You may not believe what my father said about this, so ask your sister to come and talk to you." He then ordered his servants to call Min'er.
Min'er soon came to the back hall of Qianqing Palace. Yun repeated what Wenyuan had just said. Min'er burst out laughing. After a while, he stopped and said to his second brother: "Second brother, what you said is wrong. This husband was chosen by my sister herself, not arranged by my father or mother."
"You picked it yourself?" Seeing that the eldest sister didn't look like she was joking, Wen Yuan asked in surprise: "There are so many talented people in Beijing, why did you choose him?"
Min'er didn't want to say more, but just said: "My mother asked me to choose a husband before February 15th. After thinking about it, I feel that Zhang Xuexi's conditions are barely qualified, and he is better than Xun Gui, who is still unmarried in Beijing. The son of an official is more accomplished, so I chose him."
"This." Wen Yuan still didn't want to accept Zhang Xuexi as his brother-in-law. What to say, but Min'er said again: "Second brother, I know you are doing it for your sister's good. But it is indeed my sister who chose him, and there are some I like him and think that marriage will be better than marrying someone else, so don’t say anything if you object.”
"Okay, brother, let's not talk anymore. But if he treats his sister badly in the future, he must make his whole family look good!" Wenyuan said.
"It's good to have your heart." Min'er smiled.
The siblings talked for a while, and when Yun glanced sideways, he interjected: "Min'er, Wenyuan, we'll talk about family matters later at dinner. Now my father has to talk to your brother about business matters."
"Let's talk about business." Min'er said after hearing this, not wanting to continue talking to Wenyuan about her husband-in-law.
Yun put down the tea cup and was about to speak, but saw that Min'er did not leave the room and said: "Min'er, what are you doing here, why don't you go back? Your mother has already started preparing for your dowry, you go back Choose with your mother to avoid your mother choosing something you don’t like."
"My daughter should listen to my second brother's experience in Suzhou!" Min'er sat next to Yun and said in a coquettish tone.
"Didn't you read all the correspondence and memorials? I took every memorial back to Kunning Palace." Yun said.
"Daughter, don't you want to hear what your brother has to say from his own mouth!" Min'er continued to act coquettishly. "And there are some things that Wen Yuan may not write in letters. For example, if he falls in love with a girl in Suzhou, he may not write in letters."
Min'er's eyes flashed, and she asked again: "Does the father also think that his daughter will become Princess Taiping?" In recent years, because she was not bound by women in the boudoir, she was even able to enter and leave the palace, and she was also on good terms with the wives of many officials. The old-fashioned literati who were very dissatisfied with her privately said that Princess Guangling's behavior was similar to that of Princess Taiping, which was not good for the imperial court and the country. Of course, these old-fashioned literati would not say anything casually, but they could not hide it from the Jin Yiwei and reported to Yun.
"How could father think so?" Yun said with a smile. He and Xiyao are not Tang Gaozong and Queen Zetian, Wenyuan is not Li Hong, and Min'er is not the same as Princess Taiping recorded in history books, so he will not worry. The eldest daughter became a figure like Princess Taiping.
"In that case, what's the point of my daughter staying here to listen," Min'er said.
"Okay, okay, I'll let you listen." Yun said with a smile. Wenyuan felt something was wrong, but since his father agreed, he couldn't say anything more and talked about his experience in Suzhou.
When Wen Yuan arrived in Suzhou, he first dealt with the matter of compensation for the craftsman who killed the man and the guild. After the matter was properly handled, the Suzhou Police Department found out about the illegal activities of the person who opened the factory, and he immediately ordered the police to arrest everyone.
He was very kind to the police who came to arrest someone, and they were all confused. After entering the house for a while, he finally remembered that he was here to arrest someone, and told his purpose. The head of the family who met them agreed repeatedly, without any hesitation.
There was no intention of refusing to hand over the person, so he ordered his subordinates to bring the tribesman that the Yamen wanted to arrest. The police repeatedly checked the portrait and asked the police who had seen it to identify it. They were sure that it was him and not someone pretending to be someone, and they quickly led the person away.
Before leaving, my family gave each of them a bag of good tea.
Wenyuan is not surprised by this. He is personally in charge of Suzhou. If anyone dares to resist the government's orders without opening his eyes, he will probably be remembered by him. Although he is not the emperor yet, it is not easy to rectify the local gentry.
?No one dares to turn his eyes away.
Wenyuan immediately ordered the officials of the police department to sentence the people in accordance with the Ming Dynasty Laws. Most of them were sentenced to exile, and a few were executed. All the gentry were convinced of the punishment and had no dissatisfaction.
The next step was to persuade the craftsmen to become machinists and form a trade union. When they first heard that women from craftsmen's families were being asked to become machinists, they all shook their heads and refused to do it. Wenyuan personally summoned the leading craftsmen to state the pros and cons and persuaded them to agree;
He immediately formed a trade union among the machinists. The managers of the union were elected by the workers. The factory was not allowed to interfere, and the government was not allowed to exert influence. Of course, the factory was reluctant, but it did not dare to object.
Later, he persuaded some craftsmen who still had some capital at home to open small workshops. In fact, these craftsmen had long been envious of the factories, but they didn't have that much capital. When they learned that the prince encouraged them to open workshops, they immediately agreed. Wenyuan came to Suzhou and brought a bank head office.
The steward of the meeting asked him to handle the loan. The bank in Suzhou was unwilling to lend the money, but it couldn't afford to offend the prince, so it could only agree to borrow money with an annual interest of three cents.
"...Dad, my son has inquired that the annual interest rate of three cents is already very low. Even a good-looking bank that is under the control of the bank's head office will charge eighty-three cents per month and ten cents per year. As for private loan sharking,
The monthly interest rate is three cents, no, the overnight interest rate is three cents. It is not easy to give the craftsmen three cents annual interest. If this matter was not handled by my son, another official would never be able to get such a low interest rate." Wenyuan said.
After a pause, his expression changed slightly, and he added: "When he was on business in Suzhou, the Dongshan man's Li family helped his son a lot. The Li family is a native of Suzhou, and they are very aware of local affairs. If it weren't for the assistance of the Li family,
, things won’t go smoothly like this.”
"The Li family." Yun whispered. It's not a good thing to have a noble family in the local area. 'It would be better to find an excuse to move the Li family to the capital.' He thought in his heart. But he said: "Since Li
If your family helps you, you should be rewarded. However, this time the Li clan members also committed illegal acts, so the merits and demerits are equal to each other."
"Father, my son thinks it is not appropriate to balance merits and demerits." Wen Yuan said solemnly: "The Li clan has committed illegal acts and has already punished their clan members. If the merits and demerits balance the merits, should we pardon these people who have been sentenced to exile?
People want to bring them back from exile? The son thinks that his father would never do this. Therefore, Li Taiyuan and his son have made great contributions and should be rewarded."
"That's what you said." Yun smiled and said, "As a father, think about how to reward Li Taiyuan and his son."
"Dad, my daughter has a good way to reward Li Taiyuan and his son." At this moment, Min'er suddenly said with a smile, and while talking, she looked at Wen Yuan. Wen Yuan looked very unnatural by her and turned his head away.
"Oh, do you have any good ideas?" Yun asked doubtfully. He was not only confused about Min'er's idea, but also confused about her sudden words. Just now when Wenyuan was telling her experience in Suzhou, Min'er didn't say a word.
explain.
"Just reward the Li family with a crown prince." Min'er said again.
"Nonsense!" Yun shouted sternly. The Crown Princess is so important and the matter is so important, how can it be used as a reward to the Li family? But he also thought: 'Min'er has never made such a big joke, could it be...'
"Dad, look at the words the second brother just spoke about the Li family. He clearly wanted to make his father have a good impression of the Li family and reward the Li family. But why is the second brother so biased towards the Li family? What benefits can the Li family give him? Let's look at what he said again.
My daughter understood the look on her face. Wen Yuan clearly fell in love with the daughter of the Li family." Min'er said with a smile.
"Is this what your sister said?" Yun calmed down and turned to look at Wenyuan.
Wenyuan gritted his teeth and said, "It is indeed what my sister said. My son has fallen in love with a young lady from the Li family."
He was about to introduce the person he liked when he was interrupted by Yun. "How did you meet the Miss Li family? Could it be that Li Taiyuan entertained you at home and asked them to come out to see you?"
"Father, that's not the case." Wen Yuan said hurriedly: "My son has only been to Li's house once, and he sat in the front hall for a while and then left. It was very accidental for my son to see her." He then said that he was there.
While walking on the streets of Suzhou, I came across Miss Li’s family.
Yun picked up the tea cup and started thinking about it. Whether the 'accidental encounter' was a real chance encounter or a chance encounter deliberately created by the Li family was not important. What was important was whether the Li family was suitable to be the natal family of the crown princess. In terms of official position and title, the Li family
There is only a fourth-grade official title, a baronet, neither high nor low, which is appropriate; but the other status of the Li family makes him a little worried.
Jiangnan is the financial and taxation powerhouse of the Ming Dynasty, and no place can compare with Jiangnan. As a giant businessman in Jiangnan, the Li family has contacts with many giant businessmen. If they let the daughter of the Li family become a princess, the giant businessmen in Jiangnan miscalculated the situation, and with other
It would be bad if the gentry clashed and shook the south of the Yangtze River. Although he wanted to promote the development of industry and commerce, it was better to play it safe.
However, promoting industry and commerce is a must-do. The Li family's daughter becoming a princess will be of great use in improving the status of those engaged in industry and commerce, and can also promote the development of industry and commerce.
Yun pondered whether the daughter of the Li family was suitable to become a crown princess, while Miner asked about Wenyuan's experience of wandering on the streets of Suzhou. Miner had been to Suzhou when he was very young. At that time, he accompanied his father on a tour and went there successively.
Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places. But after that, Miner never went to places other than Yingtian Mansion and Fengyang Mansion. She was very curious about the situation in Suzhou and kept asking.
Of course Wen Yuan answered seriously. After listening to Wen Yuan's words, Min'er said: "Suzhou is still so beautiful. I don't know when I can go there again."
Wen Yuan was about to say a few words when he heard Yun say: "Wen Yuan."
"My son is here."
"Do you really like that girl from the Li family? Are you willing to let her become the crown princess?"
"Father, my son really likes her and is willing to let her become the crown princess. In the son's opinion, she is also suitable to be the crown princess. The son feels that she is very similar to his mother. It's not that she looks similar, but she behaves very much." Wen Wen
Yuan's face turned red, but he spoke firmly.
"It doesn't matter whether he looks like your mother. What matters is whether you are willing to let her become the crown princess. Since you are willing, my father agrees to let her become the crown prince. If your mother objects, it is up to my father to say so."
road.
"Thank you, father!" Wen Yuan said excitedly. But Ting Yun added: "However, she cannot become the crown princess as the granddaughter of Li Taiyuan and the daughter of Li Xiaoxing. My father will send Jin Yiwei to investigate carefully. Among the Li clan members
Find an honest and responsible family, adopt her to this family, and then marry you as the daughter of this family."
"The son has nothing to say." He just wants to marry her, and it doesn't matter in what capacity she becomes his head wife.
Yun put down the teacup. He thought to himself: 'The daughter of the Li family is not Li Taiyuan's granddaughter, and she was specially adopted. This is enough for the giant businessmen in Jiangnan to understand my intentions.'
"Dad, please quickly send the Jinyi Guards from Suzhou to investigate the Li clan. Make a decision quickly and don't keep your second brother waiting," Min'er said with a smile.
She added: "The palace will be very busy from the end of this year to next year. The end of this year is my daughter's wedding. Next year Wen Lin, Wen Yuan, and Wen Qi will all get married, and maybe Wen Kun will also get married. This is five consecutive weddings."
.You must also prepare enough betrothal gifts and dowry, so that your internal treasury must not be emptied."
"That's not possible." Yun said with a smile: "From the tenth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China to the present when Yunxi got married, there has only been one wedding, and that was Wen's wedding. The inner treasury is very full. Even Wen Yin will get married next year.
The treasury will not be empty."
"That's good." Min'er said with a smile, and then asked: "Which one will get married first, Wen Yuan or Wen Lin?" Wen Lin also made a decision last month.
"Of course it's Wen Yuan. As the elder brother, Wen Yuan must of course put his elder brother first. Not only Wen Yuan, but also Wen Qi and Wen Kun must get married before Wen Lin." Yin said.
"Then Sister Wen Lin will probably have to wait a few more months with a long sigh." Min'er said with a smile. Wen Lin's consort also carefully selected the person she wanted. She had already thought about it after living in the palace for seventeen years.
She got married, so Miner said this.
"Wen Lin is much better behaved than you. If it were you, I would probably pester your father all day long." Yun said.
"Yes, yes, my daughter is the most naughty." Min'er said again.
The three of them chatted for a while, and it was already noon. Min'er hugged Wenyuan's arm and led him outside and said, "Let's go back to Kunning Palace quickly and tell our mother the good news."
." Yun also stood up with a smile and went with them.