"The salt and wine monopoly rights of Donghai and Yanyun. Apart from these two monopoly rights that can attract the cunning businessmen in the imperial capital, I'm afraid there is nothing that can tempt them." Leng Qian said slowly, but there was something more in his eyes. Some helplessness.
"But Mr. Leng, if we do this, we will really break with the merchants in the East China Sea. The salt and wine monopoly rights in these two places have been monopolized by them for many years." Situ Tai was a little hesitant. He was not ready to openly fall out with the East China Sea merchants. Although the East China Sea merchants were not as wealthy and powerful as the Jiangnan merchants, they had always been very united and quite exclusive. Lao Qi did not win their respect when he was there, and he even It is rare to win their favor.
"Huh, the situation is now like this, we can only take this move. If it weren't for them, how would we have reached this point? Does His Highness really think that we can still rely on them?" Leng Qian asked coldly, regardless of Neither the Seventh Highness nor the First Highness seems to be able to capture the hearts of these businessmen who attach great importance to the interests of their own class. Perhaps in their eyes, only a ruler who fully safeguards their interests is the person they need.
Seeing that his lord was still hesitant, Leng Qian further emphasized his tone and said: "Your Highness, Beiyuan has been eroded. Yan Yun is now the foundation of Your Highness, so we must ensure that our foundation is stable. As for the East China Sea merchants, since they are not willing to do anything to Your Highness, If we are in the same boat, His Highness does not need to be too lenient and benevolent. Not to mention the salt and wine monopoly, depriving them of their rights and wealth when necessary is also one of the methods that can be adopted, as long as the situation has reached that point and it is necessary."
A look of determination finally appeared on his face, and a touch of coldness quietly rose in Situ Tai's eyes. He almost squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, and there was even a hint of chill in the words: "In your opinion, do we have any Do we need to take special measures to deal with those stubborn businessmen? If we can kill the chickens and frighten the monkeys and beat those guys who are holding on to their money and refuse to let go, do you think our current predicament will be improved?"
His suggestion suddenly aroused the lord's long-lurking murderous intention, but Leng Qian was not yet ready for this. He hesitated for a long time before saying: "Well, Your Highness, we shouldn't act too hastily. Although the East China Sea merchants are hateful, we still need to Consider all the follow-up matters after you ascend the throne, so it is best not to leave them alone for the time being. It will be much easier to deal with them after His Highness ascends the throne."
Situ Tai let out a long sigh of relief. Deep down in his heart, Situ Tai wanted to teach those businessmen who knew nothing about the world. But in the long run, he had to endure the humiliation and bear the burden. Everything needed to revolve around the throne. No matter how much he was suffering now You have to endure your cowardice. It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. He will slowly deal with these guys after he has become a great treasure.
"Forget it, Mr. Leng, it's up to you to worry about these things. Well, if you have suitable candidates, you might as well select some more people to help you. Nowadays, Chenghuai can barely help with military affairs. You still need to worry more about government affairs here. , if a few people can help us, we don’t have to work so hard.”
Situ Tai's words also aroused Leng Qian's sympathy. There was a lack of people he could trust and get along with. This was an urgent matter that Leng Qian also felt now. Once the lord sat on the throne of the emperor, there would be too much to worry about. It will be much more than it is now, so we need to be prepared in advance.
"What did you say? Tao Tingzhi? Tao Tingzhi among the two men in the cloud? He wants to see me?" He raised his beautiful eyebrows in surprise, his sea-blue eyes showed a doubtful look, and his long curly hair was On the shoulders, the girl who was leaning on the flannel fabric lounge chair stood up and saw a pair of trembling breasts. The pretty girl who came in to report couldn't help but flash her eyes.
Seemingly aware of the scorching gaze of her personal maid, the girl smiled and cursed indifferently: "Damn girl, where are you looking? Do you think of anyone like this? Don't you?"
"Hehe, my lady's figure is getting better and better. If my uncle comes in now, his eyes will fall to the ground." The maid who was scolded by the master was not afraid of this girl who is also her master and sister at all. He also spoke unscrupulously.
"You! You are becoming more and more unruly in your speech. People say that I have spoiled you. I still don't believe it. It seems that I have to discipline you strictly to prevent outsiders from laughing at me for my lack of family education." Although the words were a bit harsher. , but the tone didn’t change much.
"Hehe, who would laugh at Miss? Sister Li and the others all say that Mi'er is innocent and innocent. Don't act like some girls who age before they grow old. Didn't Miss agree with her last time?" The pretty maid said plausibly. Refute your master.
"Okay, okay, I can't help you, and you will have to suffer it later. By the way, did Tao Tingzhi ever say what he wanted to see me for?" The girl sat upright, and the pretty maid also stood up for her. The host wears an embroidered woolen shawl on the shoulders of a well-fitting cheongsam.
"I didn't listen to what the concierge said. The concierge only said that he had been waiting at the door and asked to see the lady. Could it be that at his age, he also admired the beauty of the lady?" , the maid couldn't help covering her mouth and laughed.
"Damn girl, stop talking nonsense and ruining people's reputations. This Tao Tingzhi is not a simple person. He is also a well-known scholar in Yanyun. The reputation of his private school is far greater than that of any official school in Yanyun County. There are even more peaches and plums all over the world, and he is a highly respected elder in the Yunzhong area. But I don’t know if he wants to see me for anything. Logically speaking, even if he has something to do, he should go to Situ Tai or the current emperor. ." Her fluffy golden hair was pulled into a neat and elegant bun, and she wore a black silk hairnet. She wore a well-fitting lotus color cheongsam that outlined her body in an exquisite and convex shape. Her sexy and elegant demeanor was enough. Melting all the ice and snow, her bright eyes are good at gazing, and her blue gaze is like a bottomless ocean. The golden hair secretly scattered from the hairnet is dancing in the sun. At that moment, she is elegant, delicate and charming.
"Then why did he come to see the young lady? Could it be that my uncle asked him to come to see the young lady. Is there anything he needs to convey to the young lady?" The maid also echoed the question with some confusion.
"No, I have never heard him mention this person, and he didn't mention it in the letter a few days ago. There must be other reasons." The blonde shook his head and stood up, "Let's go, don't let anyone It’s been a long time waiting, maybe there is something important.”
Tao Tingzhi, who was waiting at the concierge of the Huey Family Mansion, was really desperate, so he was so sick that he rushed to the doctor and tried his luck to find the rumored candidate for the concubine of His Highness King Qin. His Highness did not care, and His Majesty the Emperor did not care. He saw that a human tragedy was about to happen in Yunzhong Mansion. Hundreds of thousands of refugees were short of food and clothing. Those who could escape had already fled to neighboring prefectures. Most of the rest were They couldn't go out with their children, or they were some old, weak, women and children. As the severe winter approached, the Puer people looted the entire Yunzhong Mansion and fled, leaving only hundreds of thousands of impoverished refugees with no food and no clothing. How could the refugees survive? How many months of cold winter can we survive
However, during this period of time, he and several of the gentry and elders in Yunzhong had been running away. From Jinling, where His Highness was stationed, to the imperial capital, they encountered obstacles one after another everywhere they went. No one cared about the remote Yunzhong in the north. His Highness seemed to have forgotten that Yunzhong was still his territory, and later even avoided seeing him under the pretext of going out for inspection. From Jinling to the Imperial Capital, His Majesty the Emperor's attitude was even more ambiguous. Apart from complaining about poverty, he would blame His Highness for nothing. In short, it was rumored that His Majesty the Emperor was even more interested in transferring the throne to His Highness. I am afraid that he did not want to get involved in these matters. .
In desperation, a few people gathered together and searched around the imperial capital for important ministers and nobles to see if they could find some kind-hearted people to show mercy. Finally, someone gave these headless flies a wake-up call. His Highness King Qin just asked The imperial capital provides a large amount of food at low prices to meet the daily needs of the people in the imperial capital. If the support of His Highness the King of Qin can be obtained, the problem of refugees in Yunzhong can be easily solved.
Miss An Qier of the Huey family is not only a confidante of His Highness King Qin, but also one of the strong candidates for Princess Qin. This news is no longer a secret in the imperial capital, so Tao Tingzhi made a rash visit.
Although he was anxious, Tao Tingzhi was still shocked by the peerless grace of the elegant and noble young woman sitting opposite. Fortunately, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were far more important to this scholar who always had a compassionate heart than anything else. , he quickly woke up from the shock, and after a simple greeting, he told the whole story of his visit, and solemnly requested the other party to provide assistance to the people in Yunzhong.
To be honest, Angel was so moved by the other person's enthusiasm and benevolence that she traveled thousands of miles. This heart alone was enough to prove the noble moral sentiments of the person in front of her. Angel wanted to help the other person from the bottom of her heart. But as her fiancé's spokesperson in the capital, she also knows the weight of her words and deeds, but she also needs to consider the interests of the entire Xijiang represented by her fiancé. It is easy to give an answer, but she needs to consider the interests of the entire Xijiang. This view is obviously a charitable act of aid, especially after Wu Feng agreed to provide 10 million dans of grain to the Imperial Central Committee at a low price. Many officials in Western Xinjiang believed that the concessions to the Imperial Central Committee were too much and not worth the expense for the Empire. Big price.
Seeing the expectant look in the other person's eyes, Angel couldn't help but take back the words that were already on her lips. She really couldn't bear to let the other person come with high expectations but come back disappointed and frustrated.