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

"Ahem." The emperor coughed twice.

It immediately became quiet down there.

"Don't you guys want to know what game I'm playing?"

Yuan Yang, the third-rank minister of the Ministry of War, became interested: "The games in the palace must be more fun than those outside. Please let us know clearly from the emperor."

"Let's play the auction game today."

Everyone, look at me, and I look at you.

I have heard of auctions outside. For example, during the reign of the late Emperor, there was a corrupt official. The late Emperor ordered his mansion to be confiscated. He also felt that it would be a waste to leave the house with three entrances unused, so he auctioned it within the Chen Kingdom, and the price was high. Whoever wins. This is the prototype of the auction.

You understand the logic, but what are you auctioning?

Gao Rang opened the box. Inside the box was a paperweight, black, made of ceramic, with blue flowers, birds, insects and fish carved on it.

This paperweight is not expensive, it looks ordinary, the material is not jade, and the flowers and birds carved are ordinary patterns.

"This paperweight belongs to the inner treasury. Does any of you have the money to buy it?" The emperor looked at the crowd and motioned to Gao Rang to raise the paperweight.

These ministers are human beings, not idiots.

Everyone knows how much this paperweight is worth.

It's just a ceramic paperweight. Even if it comes from the inner treasury, it's still a paperweight. Not worth the big bucks.

"Why did the emperor let us buy such worthless things? Our money didn't come from the strong wind. Now my wallet is tight." Yuan Yang, the third-rank minister of the Ministry of War, frowned.

Liu Hexiao, the third-rank official minister, said: "Mr. Yuan's family is rich, his father-in-law's family is powerful, and he only has one wife. The family's money cannot be spent in any way. Why do you say such stingy words?"

"If you ask me, this paperweight is not worth ten taels of silver."

"Oh, it's over. The emperor looked at me. What should I do? If I don't buy it, the emperor might be angry. But if I buy it, no one wants to be taken advantage of."

Since no one was taken advantage of, the atmosphere was a little weird. There was a situation where the emperor couldn't sell the goods he was selling.

Disadvantage of apprenticeship.

The emperor wants to be quiet.

Du Jiyan quickly stabbed her father.

Eucommia also feels that buying this paperweight is quite idiotic. He wanted to see who the idiot was who bought the paperweight.

Du Jiyan gave Du Zhong a pinch.

"Five hundred taels, I bought it." Eucommia patted the banknote on the table.

Everyone looked at the wrongdoer.

He spent five hundred taels of paperweight on Eucommia ulmoides, which was not worth ten taels of silver?

Isn’t this price gouging?

Eucommia ulmoides, a poor fifth-grade official with a small salary, who can give him the confidence to spend 500 taels on a paperweight?

The emperor secretly sighed that he, his father-in-law, was a man of general knowledge. He was afraid that he would be left in the cold, so he paid five hundred taels of silver to support him. What a noble sentiment this is.

Eucommia ulmoides held the paperweight, her heart bleeding.

I thought I was going to a New Year's banquet, but unexpectedly I spent five hundred taels of silver on this useless paperweight. I knew I wouldn't come, it was a waste of money.

Other officials also complained about him: "Master Du, how much is your salary? You have to do what you can to please the emperor."

"What if you raise the price so high and make us wait? Wouldn't it put us in dire straits?"

But the emperor said: "Now there is a shortage of silver in the frontier fortress. As all my dear friends know, the frontier fortress is related to the safety of our Chen country's territory. In order to open up the territory and protect the territory, His Highness the King of Yue cannot rush back to attend the banquet. So Du Aiqing bought the five hundred silver paperweights." , I will write it down, and then allocate it for military expenses. It can be considered that all the beloved ministers have done their best for the country."

The emperor's meaning is obvious. Military spending is not enough. Let's find a way.

"Your Majesty, it is the duty of an minister to do his best for the country. However, I am from a poor background and cannot afford much money. Even the boots on my feet have to be mended again and again." Liu He, the third-grade official minister, began to cry.

The emperor glanced at Yuan Yang. Yuan Yang quickly lowered his head and pretended not to see it. He scolded Liu He again in his heart. Why do I come from a poor family? Do I, who am not from a poor family, get money?

For a while, even the family members looked around.

There are many people who see it, but few people who agree with it.

The emperor snorted secretly, now that you have all been gathered together, no one can escape.

The emperor took out a list and Gao Rang held out a pair of Nanzhu earrings.

Nanzhu earrings are yellow and round, and are usually worn only by queens.

The light shone on the earrings, and the family members were stunned by the dazzling light.

"These earrings are good, they are worth five hundred taels of silver."

"Of course your Liu family is not short of five or two hundred. These Nanzhu earrings are a rare good thing."

The officials were unmoved and remained silent.

"Oh my God, I saw a play rehearsed by Nanfu some time ago. It was said that there was a man in the Xihai Kingdom. His official career was mediocre, but he married a powerful wife, and relied on his wife's family background to rise to great heights. When he reached the first rank of official residence, in the eyes of outsiders, he was loyal to his wife and obeyed her advice. He was also like Liu Xiahui, who sat quietly in his arms, but in fact he slept in flowers and willows. He secretly raised two outhouses in the south lane, including his children. They all gave birth. The fire cannot be contained in the paper. When his wife finds out..."

"Your Majesty—" Yuan Yang knelt down and said, "Those people with such wolf-hearted hearts are really despised."

"Well, I love your kindness."

"Your Majesty, those pair of Nanzhu earrings are very beautiful. I think they match perfectly with my wife, Mrs. Wei. I would like to take a photo of them and give them to her."

"Aiqing is so kind to my wife. But these Nanzhu earrings are very expensive..."

"I'm not afraid of the price. I think the Wei family is worth it."

"Ten thousand taels." The emperor said cruelly.

"I bought it." Yuan Yang took the Nanzhu earrings with trembling hands and held them in Wei's face respectfully.

Everyone praised the Wei family for being lucky. Such a young and promising husband who really cared for her was really enviable.

Ms. Wei was wearing Nanzhu earrings, and the brilliance of the earrings reflected her delicate skin: "Yuan Lang, although you are a third-grade person, you still need to work harder. You must not be like in the play, and you don't know how to behave. Do you understand? "

"Understood, when my wife married me, I established a rule that Yuan will never take a concubine in his life." Mrs. Wei sat down with satisfaction. Yuan Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat back quietly.

Liu He poked his arm and whispered: "Brother Yuan, you are really rich when you say you have a rich family. You can take ten thousand taels of silver as soon as you want. Just now we said that Mr. Du is a prodigal, but you are especially bad. You But you know that although these Nanzhu earrings are beautiful, they are not unavailable on the black market. With such quality, six hundred taels of silver are already over, and you actually offered ten thousand taels."

Yuan Yang's face turned red, and he secretly glanced in Wei's direction, but did not dare to say anything.

Another box was opened, revealing a silver knife for peeling apples.

"Oh, I remember that in the old years, I heard someone tell such a bizarre story. It said that there was a man named Guan Yi who was very powerful in martial arts. He started practicing martial arts since he was a child. At the age of ten, he could lift a cauldron with one hand. Everyone around him felt that this was a talent that could be developed. However, during the competition, because he had no money to supervise the examiners, the weapons distributed to him were folded on the spot, causing him to become confused and return depressed. Mr. Liu, let us Chen Such a thing won’t happen in the country’s weapons arsenal, right?”

Liu He felt a string of sparks and lightning above his head, which made his mind go blank. When the emperor called his name, he trembled and said: "Of course it won't happen. The emperor is wise. Under the emperor's rule, how could it be possible? Something like this happened.”

"What do you think of this silver sword, Mr. Liu?"

"Very good, very good. The silver is shining and the workmanship is excellent. What comes from the inner treasury must be good stuff."

"How much do you think this silver knife is worth?"

"I think it's worth fifteen thousand taels to say less."

Yuan Yang almost spit out his tea.

Well, Mr. Liu, just now you were so arrogant that I didn’t know what I was buying when I bought a pair of Nanzhu earrings for ten thousand taels. Such a small silver knife is not even worth ten taels of silver at most. You actually offered me a pair of Nanzhu earrings. Fifteen thousand taels? Who said that I was born in poverty and my boots were patched again and again? Mr. Liu, you have changed very quickly.

"So which beloved lady is willing to buy this silver knife? Of course, you don't have to force it, you have to be satisfied."

"I - I am willing to buy this silver knife." Liu He knelt down.

"I know that you come from a bad background. You have been ups and downs in the officialdom for many years before reaching your current position. Your money is hard-earned, so don't force it." The emperor also pretended to persuade.

"Your Majesty, I really like this silver sword."

"Okay then." The emperor sighed. Since Mr. Liu insisted so much, he had no choice but to sell it to him.

Gao Rang happily gave the silver knife to Liu He.

"Master Liu is really secretive." Yuan Yang teased him: "I remember that Master Liu was born in a commoner family. These fifteen thousand taels must have come from all the money accumulated by his ancestors."

Liu He put the silver knife into his sleeve, but he didn't even dare to raise his head.

Yuan Yang paid 10,000 taels, and Liu He paid 15,000 taels. In just one cup of tea, the emperor received more than 20,000 taels.

The ministers felt that something was wrong.

But even though he was here, he couldn't leave. He could only watch Gao Rang helplessly as he brought out something again.

At first, everyone was very curious about what Gao Rang presented, and wanted to take a look at the excitement.

As I looked at it, I felt like a turtle in a urn, something bad was going on.

He was usually as powerful as Yuan Yang and as stingy as Liu He, but he obediently took out the money and the others probably didn't run away either.

Sure enough, the one on the left of the emperor "I listened to a play the day before yesterday. It was said in the play that there was a seventh-grade official who dared to act arrogantly in the city. He allowed his dog to bite others and blamed others for bumping into his dog. He even arrested her and beat her up..." The one on the right "I had a dream. I dreamed that an official kidnapped a civilian girl. I didn't dare to take her home, so I hid in a brothel secretly and waited for the limelight to pass. The brothel is causing trouble."

After a while, the gold necklace was sold for five thousand taels, the silver bracelet was sold for three thousand taels, and the white jade hairpin was sold for two thousand taels.

At first, the emperor was gesticulating with these things on his body, and gave some explanations by the way, such as "This gold necklace was given by the late emperor. It is inlaid with twelve rubies. It looks like a thing of great wealth. It is used for it." There is nothing better than a family heirloom. My dear friends, would you like to take a closer look?"

Later, I didn’t explain it at all because it was so popular. As soon as Gao Rang opened the box, these officials started grabbing it.

"Your Majesty, this white jade hairpin is very suitable for my mother to wear. Please sell it to me, your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, this silver bracelet is of excellent craftsmanship and sparkling. For three thousand taels, please sell it to me."

The emperor gave Gao Rang a wink, and Gao Rang quickly brought a few more things over. After all, everyone must have a share, so that everyone can return home with a full load.

By the time every official had bought something, it was getting dark.

The officials either rode horses or sat in sedan chairs and said goodbye at the palace gate.

Wei fiddled with a pair of Nanzhu earrings on her ears, and said proudly while sitting in the carriage: "My Lord Yuan, aren't you happy? Is it false to buy these earrings for me?"

"Of course not. I bought it for you sincerely. Ten thousand taels of silver is nothing."

Liu He was in a daze while sitting in the sedan, as if a knife had been stabbed in his heart. He couldn't cry out in pain, he could only sigh all the way. His wife Zhao whispered: "You were born in a poor family, and you value money most. In the warehouse, Silver guy, you say this dozens of times a month, why are you so generous in spending these ten thousand taels? It's just a silver knife, how much is it worth? How come you were taken advantage of? Is it because you were in trouble? Are you showing off in front of everyone?"

"What do you, a woman, know?" Liu He was furious.

Others who bought hairpins or collars were also depressed, as if they were mourning their heirs.

However, the abacus in the Taihe Palace was crackling, the charcoal stove was emitting sparks, and the emperor was sitting behind the case with a writing brush.

What is recorded on the rice paper is the harvest at the annual banquet.

Altogether, thirteen items were sold, and ninety-one thousand five hundred taels of silver were recovered.

Du Jiyan was grinding it for the emperor beside her. When he saw the five hundred taels of silver she earned from doing business, his eyes went straight.

The emperor returned the five hundred taels of silver notes to her: "No wonder you insisted on letting your father attend the annual banquet. It turned out that you asked him to be the bait. With his support, everything will be easier to handle."

"The emperor was wise and caught the shortcomings of those people, so he asked them to take out the money." Du Jiyan just didn't understand why the emperor was able to catch the shortcomings of so many ministers in a short period of time, even if he was asked to collect them , not so fast.

Of course the emperor has a way. In the secret room of the Palace of Supreme Harmony, there is a box all year round. The box records the memorials in which some ministers were participated.

For example, Yuan Yang, behind the back of his fierce wife, took another little wife in Huaihua Street outside. The little wife gave birth to him a son who is now two or three years old.

For example, Liu He used his position to cause Guan Yi and others to lose the election because Guan Yi and others did not bribe him.

For example, Mr. Xu, who is over sixty years old and has gray hair. The emperor had already promised him to retire and return to his hometown, but he still came to the morning court tremblingly, saying that he was a loyal minister of the late emperor's dynasty. I was really worried that the emperor had to take charge of the government alone at such a young age. He must do it. Like a candle, I burnt my last ray of light to serve Chen Guo. Behind his back, he secretly had people steal a common girl. Afraid of getting a bad reputation if she stayed in the palace, she secretly kept her in a brothel, dreaming of finding a time to fall under a pear tree. Begonia.

The emperor suppressed these secrets after receiving them.

As the saying goes, when the water is clear, there are no fish.

The court is like water, and the ministers are like fish. As long as there is a court, there must be ministers. When the emperor controls his ministers, he uses loyal ministers and far away from treacherous sycophants. However, no one is perfect and jade has flaws. Perfection does not exist. As long as it is not a big mistake and can be spurred, mistakes can be made. If they change, they can be considered useful. If there are those who don't change, they can be handed over to their official positions when the time is right. Those who are greedy can just have their property confiscated.

Now that the imperial court was short of money, the emperor only used some tricks, and some ministers did not bother themselves. In order to avoid the emperor's anger, they voluntarily spent money to eliminate the disaster.