noffsinger Chapter 130: Poor people and short ambitions
Chapter 130: Poor people and short ambitions
Zhou Chang's nerves were tense
As expected, Zhong Yu said again: "The nearly 30,000 taels of silver that the prince gave me last time is still not enough. The palace is also short of silver and money now. If it really doesn't work, I have three thousand dan of grain in the palace. I was planning to exchange it for silver at the end of the year. If it doesn't work, I will sell it on the black market in advance."
"Not really." Zhou Chang was shocked. He had to sell grain for money. He couldn't help but ask, "Sir, how much silver can three thousand dan of grain be exchanged for?"
Zhong Yu also knew that his own prince was not unaware of the high cost of firewood and rice, so he roughly answered: "There are still 3,000 dan of rice and flour in the palace. According to the current market price, after deducting the exchange tax, it can be exchanged for 200 taels of silver."
Three thousand dan of grain could only be exchanged for two hundred taels of silver. Zhou Chang almost bit his tongue, not knowing whether the grain was not valuable or the silver was too valuable.
Although he was already so poor, Zhong Yu still had concerns when faced with a bill of exchange of 100,000 taels: "Your Majesty, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you or not."
"Sir, please feel free to say whatever you want to say." Zhou Chang knew that Zhong Yu might object to accepting the bill of exchange.
Zhong Yu pursed his lips and said, "When I came here just now, someone asked to see me outside the palace, but I refused."
The prince is of noble status and not everyone can see him.
Usually when the doorman Uncle Qiu can't make up his mind, he will ask Zhong Yu first.
"Who is that?" Zhou Chang was caught off guard by Zhong Yu's sudden change of subject.
Zhong Yu thought for a moment and said, "He is a businessman who wants to use money to ask the prince to do something."
"Oh?" Zhou Chang was very surprised. Finally, someone took the initiative to give silver to Prince Yi?
"However, I have already sent him away. That man actually wanted to use money to buy an official position. It is enough for the Ministry of Personnel to do this. How dare he come to our palace?" Zhong Yujian brought the topic back.
Zhou Chang understood what he heard. It didn't matter whether there was such a person or not. The key was what Zhong Yu wanted to say. He also knew what he was worried about, so he said calmly, "Just send him away."
Zhong Yu continued, "Because the news of the bet between the prince and His Majesty has spread widely in Jindu City, it is inevitable that some opportunists will have thoughts that they shouldn't have. The prince must be cautious."
Zhou Changwei, to show that he had taken his words to heart, patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, sir. I don't have the guts to do it even if I want to."
"If that's the case, Your Majesty shouldn't have accepted the 100,000 taels of silver," Zhong Yu shook his head and finally said everything he wanted to say, "We've already gotten too close to the Yuan family. Who knows how much trouble this will cause in the future."
Zhou Chang understood this principle, but the Yuan family's situation was different: "Sir, you also know that fortune and misfortune are interdependent. The reason why the palace is in financial difficulties is because of something. Now this silver is in front of me. It was not stolen or robbed. The Yuan family does not want me to pay any price. The war in Yuebei is tense, and the temperature in Jindu has dropped sharply. How many people are waiting? If you ask me to change silver again, I can't do it."
In the memory of Prince Yi Fengming, Zhong Yu was not just a bookworm who only knew how to study, but was also able to adapt.
"As the saying goes, when one is poor, one's ambition is short. Sigh..." Zhong Yu frowned and could not relax. He pondered for a long time and finally sighed, "Since Your Majesty has said so, I have nothing to say. However, merchants always value profit over loyalty. Your Majesty, you should be extremely careful when dealing with them."
He had no choice. From the very beginning, he was not allowed to participate in the affairs between Zhou Chang and the Yuan family, so he knew that this matter could not be stopped at all.
Zhong Yu was indeed not a pedantic person who could not adapt. After agreeing to accept the bill of exchange, he came up with a new idea: "Since the prince has accepted the money, it may be God's will. This morning, news came from the north of Vietnam that a heavy snow fell on the front line. How could the soldiers on the front not say that due to the cold weather, countless people in the north of Vietnam have frozen to death or starved to death, and many people who have contracted cold diseases have migrated to Jindu. I wonder what the prince is going to do?"
Zhou Chang's hand, which was still holding the bill of exchange, trembled and met Zhong Yu's eager gaze.
The meaning of this question is very clear.
One hundred thousand taels of silver is more than enough to buy medicinal materials.
What about the rest?
Before Zhou Chang could even think about it, Zhong Yu had already arranged it.
Zhong Yu did not wait for an answer and continued, "The suffering of the people is one thing, but the more urgent task is the war situation in the front. If we can give Chen Yuan some money and ask him to donate some military funds to His Royal Highness King Xian, it may be of great benefit to the soldiers in the front. In addition, in the south, if the pharmacy and clinic were not opened, it would not be so difficult to purchase medicinal materials..."
"Take it, sir." Zhou Chang was still gritting his teeth. Prince Yi's consciousness emerged and he forcibly handed over the bill. "Just follow your instructions. As long as we can win this war, we will spare no effort."
What kind of people have low aspirations when they are poor? Prince Yi Fengming is clearly a counterexample.
Zhong Yu took it with both hands very naturally: "I will discuss the arrangements with Gao Yuan and Manager Fu later. Your Highness's kindness and righteousness are a blessing to all people."
Zhou Chang waved his hands, not wanting to look at the yellow bill of exchange any more. His heart was bleeding.
Ever since Yi Wang Fengming took over, none of the silver bills given to Zhong Yu have been returned.
Zhong Yu always does things one after another. After the money is settled, he goes on to say, "Your Majesty, regarding the purchase of medicinal materials, Manager Fu's idea is to travel north and south to do a two-pronged approach. Even a small shop is short of manpower."
Yidanxing is said to be an organization founded by Prince Yi personally, but in fact it only consists of a few people who specialize in running errands. They gave it this name for convenience.
It was established earlier than the Four Herbs Shop. At the beginning, Prince Yi had extra money and wanted to help the poor. It was inconvenient for him to go out and find someone to help. Later, two more herbal shops were opened, and those people just helped in the herbal shops.
"It's normal to be short of staff. I would like to ask you and Manager Fu to pay more attention and recruit more people." Zhou Chang gave the order casually.
In her previous life, she had worked as an employee for many years. It was normal for companies to be short of staff. One person did the work of three or four people but got half the salary.
But she is different now. She doesn’t want to become a black-hearted boss, so she has to try her best to take care of everyone.
Zhong Yu put the banknote in his pocket and said, "Your Highness, last time I wanted to recommend someone, but the topic got sidetracked."
"Sir, have you chosen a candidate?" Zhou Chang had no idea at all.
Zhong Yu didn't beat around the bush: "It was my classmate Ma Zhihong who sent me back last time when I fainted. Does Your Majesty still remember him?"
Zhou Chang had never seen that person, but at least he remembered that incident.
When he lowered his head, he suddenly found a stack of documents in the brocade box. He searched further and found a small transparent bottle made of emerald green glass and inlaid with gold at the bottom. "There is no need to be too normal. Going crazy is actually letting yourself go."