Don't help me, I can sit up by myself

After this round of marketing, Du Jiyan's reputation has reached a new level.

Customers with good reputation can settle monthly.

Occasionally, there are also door-to-door delivery activities, which saves customers time and promotes sales performance.

Du Jiyan was in a prosperous situation, but the emperor was worried.

The emperor flipped through the newly delivered internal treasury list from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. As expected, it was not as good as last month's, with even less silver in the internal treasury.

"I still have to give you the fifty thousand taels from the King of Yue." The emperor tied his hands and paced in the room: "Where can I get these five taels of silver now?"

Gao Rang was still confused: "Didn't Du Changzai say that these fifty thousand taels still need to be considered?"

"My governance of the country is related to the life and death of millions of people, and the soldiers at the frontier are particularly important. Although I know some things well, one move can affect the whole body, so I must not be reckless."

It sounds like there is some truth to it.

But what it meant, Gao Rang didn't understand.

"Call Du Changzai over to me."

Du Jiyan concentrated on studying her dishes in the small kitchen, and the emperor asked Gao Rang to call her. Du Jiyan was a little reluctant.

But doing business is important, and serving the emperor is also important. After all, her first identity is the emperor's wife.

Let's make it quick.

Walking around the screen, Du Jiyan lay straight on the brocade bed.

The curtains are swaying, and the fine gauze curtains are mixed with gold and silver threads and embroidered with flowers. Whenever light shines on the brocade bed through the curtains, the light seems to be filtered, becoming soft and gentle, because of the gold and silver in the curtains. The threads are bright and dense, the sunlight is faint on the brocade quilt, and the gold and silver threads are dancing. Although it is dark inside the tent, the light of the gold and silver threads is luxurious and bright.

Du Jiyan lay in this luxurious and bright place, reached out and unbuttoned his neck, revealing the white skin on his shoulders, then closed his eyes and kicked off his legs.

The way of dying at the mercy of others is enough.

There is no emotion at all, just perfunctory and routine.

The emperor waited for a while after the long case and saw Du Jiyan entering the palace. He walked around the screen and disappeared.

When I got up and took a look, my dear, she was lying in the brocade tent. She looked like the emperor was in a hurry and I was in a hurry to go back to Yongfu Hall to sell food. It was almost written on her face.

Which woman in Chen Guo's harem would dare to deal with the emperor like this. Usually when called to the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the concubines are very happy and want to beat the gongs and drums.

Du Jiyan said that people are here, but there is something wrong with this death.

The emperor felt extremely insulted. No one had ever treated him so obviously, so he reached out and pinched Du Jiyan's chin, then moved it down her neck and touched her collarbone. Her collarbone was really It was so thin that it seemed like it could be broken with a light touch. Her skin was so white. The gold and silver threads on the curtain were projected on her collarbone. Bright and dark lights swam in her chest. Her whole face was also covered by this. It was shrouded in criss-crossing lights.

"Du Jiyan, do you want to accuse me?"

"What crime?"

"Promoting obscenity in daylight."

Du Jiyan sat up from the brocade bed, buttoned up the buttons with lightning speed, took out the handkerchief from his sleeve and flicked it on his shoulder, and easily changed his innocent expression: "Your Majesty——Your Majesty How dare I do that? I have no intention of doing that at all. I am unjustly accused, Your Majesty."

"Speak politely and don't hold your voice high."

"Your Majesty, I dare not do this."

"If you don't want to serve me, why are you lying on the bed and taking off your clothes?"

"Concubine, don't you have to do this when you enter the Palace of Supreme Harmony?"

"Do you think I am a foolish king? I am addicted to beauty, and this is why I called you here." The emperor was a little angry.

His feelings towards Du Jiyan were a bit complicated.

If we talk about beauty, Du Jiyan is not the best in the harem.

When it comes to charm, Du Jiyan has to step aside.

But she has a kind of charm, she is probably the kind of woman who, although she has entered the palace, treats the emperor as nothing, does not pursue her, and instead concentrates on running her career. This kind of woman is difficult for the emperor to handle. Besides, this woman has some brains when it comes to making money. This is something that the concubines in other palaces do not have.

"Du Changzai, how much money have you earned running the small kitchen?" The emperor sat behind the case, holding a cup of tea in his hand, grinding the tea bowl with the tea lid, some leisurely, some scrutinizing.

Du Jiyan had a series of sparks in her mind. She was wondering why the emperor asked this. Could it be that the emperor wanted to collect taxes from her?

Unable to figure out the emperor's thoughts, Du Jiyan could only say conservatively: "I must have earned a dozen taels in total."

"Do you know that the crime of deceiving the emperor is a capital crime?"

As soon as Du Jiyan's legs fell to the ground, he lay at the emperor's feet and rubbed the emperor's thighs: "Your Majesty, I was forced by the emperor's power just now."

"Ok?"

"Because of the emperor's power, I didn't react at once. I made a careful calculation and earned a total of three hundred and ten taels of silver by running the small kitchen."

"How many days in total?"

"Thirty-five days."

The emperor made a calculation and found that he earned 310 taels of silver in thirty-five days, which means that the total is 89 taels per day. After excluding the capital expenditure, there is still more than 50 taels left. Calculating at 5 taels per day, it works out to 30 days in a month. , that is one hundred and fifty taels, twelve months a year, at least two thousand taels.

As his concubine, she could only save a few dozen taels a year if she lived frugally, and the annual salary of those princes and ministers was only more than a hundred taels.

In comparison, it is no wonder that Du Jiyan is focused on his career.

It has been said since ancient times that your kindness is like running water, you will never look back when you go eastward. No one can guarantee that he will always be favored. Once the women in the harem lose their favor, they will end up miserable.

It's different if she can earn money. For someone like Du Jiyan who is pursuing a career in the palace, with money around her, even if she is forgotten in a corner, even if she is left out and becomes ashes, she can still bloom in the corner. Come.

Other concubines could only live by relying on the emperor, but Du Jiyan was different. She was not a vine, but a tree, a tree side by side with the emperor. Although she relied on the emperor, she was not completely dependent on him.

This made the emperor unable to resist calling her to study.

The emperor even showed her the list from the inner treasury.

Du Jiyan read it from beginning to end, but it was just a few pages without much content.

Du Jiyan returned the list to the emperor: "Chen Guo's palace regulations state that concubines in the harem are not allowed to interfere in politics."

"You've seen it all."

"Concubine, no."

"I didn't see how you knew you were interfering in politics."

This.

"Now that you've read it, let me express my opinion." The emperor put down his tea cup and waited with interest to hear Du Jiyan's speech.

You must know that at the end of each year, the Ministry of Revenue conducts an inspection of the palace's internal treasury, and the three departments and six courts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs must cooperate with the inspection.

The inventory alone takes half a month.

Look at the poor people in the palace now. It will probably take less than two days for the trial to be completed.

When the people from the Ministry of Revenue destroy the emperor's family, the civil and military ministers will not be able to rebel. After all, the late emperor's treasury was said to have millions of taels of silver. The emperor only collapsed a few years ago, and the inner treasury is so poor. Then The supervisory censor has another job to do.

So I have to get Du Jiyan here and give me some advice. Du Jiyan looked at the list carefully and looked confused.

The Emperor: "Tell me what you think."

"I didn't expect that the emperor is so wise and has raised such a corrupt official. Corrupt officials are the worms of the country and must be eliminated. Look at this corrupt official. Not only is he greedy for silver, but he is also greedy for gold bars, even women's hairpins and forbidden necklaces. Even some of the furnishings and porcelain are greedy, which really makes people and gods angry."

emperor

Seeing that the emperor was silent, Du Jiyan thought that the emperor was hesitating, and helped him to make a move: "The emperor can also leave him alone for the time being, which will not scare the snake. When he greeds a certain amount, the emperor can confiscate his property, and then the property will be confiscated." It’s not too late, it’s just a corrupt official’s financial bill, your Majesty, don’t worry, there have been corrupt officials in all dynasties, not to mention judging from the bill, this corrupt official is just a small corrupt official with a very limited family.”

The Emperor: "This is not the property list of a corrupt official."

"That is?"

"This is a list from my inner treasury."

Du Jiyan

"Your Majesty, you are so poor."

"What did you say?"

"My concubine is saying that Your Majesty, you are so incorruptible."

Du Jiyan never expected that the palace would be so poor.

No wonder the emperor is jealous of her little money. He doesn't want to confiscate it to her, right?

The Chen State was a system of three provinces and six ministries. We don’t say how many officials there were in the six ministries, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs was in charge of palace affairs. Under it were the imperial teahouse, the imperial pharmacy, the imperial library, etc., with more than 20 affiliated institutions and 300 officials. There are many people, and these people, regardless of their official position, have a salary, which is a lot of money in a month.

Not to mention the civil and military officials, the harem and concubines, everything is an expense.

It is really difficult for the emperor to support such a big Chen State with such a meager bill.

The emperor stroked Du Jiyan's hand and said in a very gentle tone: "Du Changzai——"

"Your Majesty, the rice is still being cooked on the pot in Yongfu Palace. If Your Majesty wants to order something to eat, I will go back and cook it right now."

"You think of a way for me, and I will let you go back."

Think of a way, this is not easy.

Du Jiyan had his own system and couldn't think of any solution.

Just think of something.

The Emperor: "You can think of a way for me to collect fifty thousand taels in a short time."

Du Jiyan felt a glare in front of his eyes.

Fifty thousand taels?

Isn't that a joke?

For the inner treasury bill, where can I get fifty thousand taels?

With this requirement, the input system will crash.

Du Jiyan clicked on the system, and sure enough, Xiaodian hesitated for a while before refreshing the page: "The ways to make up fifty thousand taels in a short time are all written in the laws of the Chen Kingdom."

The system popped up a book of Chen Guo's laws. As soon as he turned the page, Du Jiyan couldn't turn anymore.

There is a way to make up fifty thousand taels on the home page.

But behind these methods are all executions.

Du Jiyan looked at the more than 500 points in the system and suddenly had an idea.

"Xiaodian, can you exchange points for silver?" If points can be quickly exchanged for silver, then fifty thousand taels is not impossible. Wouldn't that solve the emperor's urgent need? When the emperor is happy, he still doesn't make himself a royal wife or a general who protects the country.

The screen flashed: "Host, there is no gold or silver exchange in the system."

It seems that it cannot be obtained through the system.

Time passed by, and the avocado became fragrant twice.

The emperor also knew that this matter was difficult for others to do. But he couldn't directly ask the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs.

The Minister of Civil and Military Affairs may be able to come up with one or two ideas, but whether it will work or not is still unknown. Once the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs knows about this matter, the frontier fortress will definitely know about it, which will disrupt the morale of the army.

The emperor was melancholy. According to his gossip, among these civil and military ministers, there were some who were corrupt and some who spoiled their concubines and killed their wives. When the critical moment came, these people would hang up.

Before Du Jiyan came to Taihe Palace, he didn't know that the emperor was so poor.

Seeing that the emperor was so poor, Du Jiyan couldn't bear it. As the saying goes, a couple's kindness lasts a hundred days, and it was their duty to give advice to the emperor.

Du Jiyan put the bill on the table: "I have a plan, but I don't know if it can work."

"Speak it out and I'll listen."

"I asked your Majesty, are there any corrupt officials among the civil and military officials?"

"Have."

"Does your Majesty know who it is?"

"Of course I know. As the saying goes, three years to clear the magistrate's office is worth one hundred thousand snowflakes. I know this group of ministers very well. Some of them are veterans of the late emperor's dynasty. They have many followers. In order to stabilize the situation in the court, as long as it is not too much, I also turned a blind eye."

This is easy to do.

Du Jiyan pointed to the details on the bill:

Twenty pieces of azure peach style washers, two pieces of Guan Kiln pear pots with hundreds of birds returning to their nests, six pieces of sun and moon jars with fish swimming in the rivers and seas, and two pieces of Guanyin statues with white background in the Nine Nights of Dragon Teng

This is a list of ceramics.

"River Boat Pavilion Picture", "Tang Palace Maid", "Character Dragon and Phoenix Silk Painting", "Office Tribute Picture", "Deer King Jataka Picture".

This is a calligraphy and painting list.

Four gold hairpins inlaid with rubies and butterflies, one hairpin with South Pearl flying phoenixes, six hairpins for auspiciousness for ten thousand years, and four hairpins for longevity and the sun and the moon.

This is a jewelry list.

Both ceramics and jewelry are made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with exquisite materials and delicate techniques. Some of the ceramics are from one or two hundred years ago, which are rare and precious. And the jewelry, whether it is hairpins or bracelets, or The gold and silver necklaces are all made by the best craftsmen in Chen State. According to the official seal, any one of them is worth a lot of money.

"what do you mean?"

"Has your Majesty ever heard of the Hongmen Banquet and a glass of wine releasing military power?"

The emperor nodded: "The Hongmen Banquet comes from "Historical Records of Xiang Yu". It tells about a banquet held by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, the leaders of the two anti-Qin armies, at Hongmen on the outskirts of Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty. The poet once wrote The poem goes: The world is boiling and the battles are bitter, and the wind and clouds are sad and the dragons and tigers are meeting. Four hundred years ago, the Han Dynasty was about to establish its foundation, so why did Xiangzhuang's sword dance in vain? Little did he know that when people's hearts went to violent Qin, God's will returned to the Ming Lord. King Xiang stepped on Han with his feet. They looked at each other at the banquet without realizing it. To release the military power over a glass of wine, it was Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin who was dressed in yellow robe by his subordinates during the Chenqiao mutiny and usurped the throne. On the ninth day of July in the second year of Jianlong, Zhao Kuangyin adopted Zhao Pu's suggestion in order to prevent history from repeating itself. At a banquet, he coerced and lured Shi Shouxin and other generals into surrendering their military power and returning home to retire, thereby taking back the general's military power."

Du Jiyan said: "So, please invite the emperor to hold a new year banquet."

"New Year's Eve banquet? What should I say?"

Du Jiyan whispered a few words to the emperor.

After hearing this, the emperor could not help but raise the corner of his mouth: "I think what you said makes sense, but do I want to go on stage in person? I am the proud son of the emperor——"

"Ahem. Poor."

"Stop talking, I promise, I will do as you say. Three days from now it will be the 29th of the new year, the day before New Year's Eve. I will hold a New Year's banquet and call all those corrupt people and their wives. There are several ministers who have performed well, and I will entertain them well. At that time, your Yongfu Palace will be responsible for providing five banquets. The food should be more refined, not rough, and the ingredients should be more expensive. "

"Then I have a condition."

"You said."