The sun never sets in America

Chapter 247 Royal Assets and Imperial Investigation Bureau

"Your Majesty, this is the income from the first half of this year——"

In the bungalow No. 18, Director Zhang of the Royal Property Bureau stood in front of Liu Peng and handed over the royal family's asset income statement.

After Liu Peng took it, he did not check it immediately. Instead, he asked: "How are the expenses in the palace recently?"

After hearing this, Director Zhang quickly replied: "Your Majesty, the expenses of the public school in the first half of this year have increased by about 15% compared with previous years, which is approximately 4.5 million, after reconciliation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Minister. Hua Yuan——" After Director Zhang finished saying this, he immediately lowered his head.

When Liu Peng heard the figure of four and a half million, his relaxed brows immediately wrinkled, and then he continued to ask Director Zhang who was standing opposite: "Why did you use so much? Do you remember the money spent last year? Mainly?" We built a back garden and a few pavilions, but nothing was built this year, how come there are so many??"

This is what Liu Peng cannot understand the most. After all, according to the palace dietary standards he set, excluding holidays, six dishes are the highest. Most of them are ordinary ingredients. Bird's nest and shark's fin are not available, but they are rationed every month. How could it be possible to overspend so much?

And if we count the Guards directly under the royal family, the cost this year must not exceed 8 million? ?

Director Zhang on the side saw Liu Peng's suspicious eyes and quickly explained: "Your Majesty, these extra expenses are mainly from the new empresses who entered the palace. Your Majesty rewarded Concubine Wen the last time. , that sapphire necklace alone is worth more than 100,000 yuan, not to mention the daily rewards given to the palace people. How can you not spend money on this?" Director Zhang said in a somewhat complaining tone.

After all, Your Majesty, weren't you very happy when you spent the money? Why are you settling the accounts now?

Hearing this, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Liu Peng's face. After all, sometimes when the people below say something nice, he will inevitably make a promise. If others don't care, they will fall out. Anyway, there is no loss. , but he is the king of Han and a monarch. This monarch cannot change his orders every day and every night.

That's what happened. He opened his mouth and the money flowed out, just like running water, which couldn't be stopped.

At this time, Liu Peng consciously picked up the royal family's income statement that he had just put down.

However, from Liu Peng's expression, you can still see a trace of unnaturalness. After all, he has been a king for a long time, and the people below have praised him a lot. Naturally, he has also declined towards perfection. Fortunately, he is still sober and knows If you don’t know how much he weighs, then you don’t know what he can do! !

Liu Peng looked at the asset income statement in his hand. The embarrassment on his face no longer showed, but instead showed the joy of a good harvest.

According to the current asset statistics of the Han royal family, it is divided into three major blocks. One is real estate, that is, real estate and land.

Among them, Monan has the most land, with a total of more than 50 million acres of cultivated land, and annual income of up to 10 million yuan. (The main reason is because these lands are rented out not to make money, but to increase the income of the people. In fact, this part of the land has only been cultivated. It is estimated that there are still tens of millions of acres that have not been cultivated.)

Real estate mainly consists of houses and shops in the core city. Currently, more than one-third of the shops in Xijing City are owned by the royal family, and the annual rental income is as high as one million.

The second largest group is royal enterprises, also known as imperial enterprises by the outside world. Among them, Xijing Shipyard is a typical imperial enterprise. It was held by the Han government in the early days. Later, due to funding problems, it was spotted by the Imperial Assets Bureau and injected funds. After three expansions, it was gradually controlled into a complete imperial enterprise. (The earliest two times were in the early Longwu period)

In addition, there are some Han people's industries, the most typical of which is Shunfeng Textile, which ranks third in the textile industry and has a market value of 24 million yuan. The biggest difference between this textile company and ordinary textile companies is that it is a high-end clothing company. Mainly fabric.

Many materials are made of vicuña hair, grass mud sheep, and fine spring silk.

Not only are they expensive, but they are still in short supply. For example, vicuña hair and Han brocade, the royal fabrics designated by the royal family, often need to be booked three months or even half a year in advance. If it is too late, they are not available yet.

(The imperial title of the Han Dynasty is actually just a title. As long as you don’t do things that violate etiquette like dragons and phoenixes, no one will trouble you)

Because of this, although Shunfeng Textile's annual income is not high, its profits are extremely high. Some products can even achieve profits of more than 500%. This is why Shunfeng Textile's market value is so high.

In addition to the textile industry, it also involves the food industry. Among them, Fortress Beverage Group is currently the largest beverage and alcohol manufacturer in Han Dynasty and even the entire world.

In various shops in Han Dynasty, even in rural canteens, you can see soda drinks with the fortress logo, as well as relatively cheap one- and two-star wines and rice wine. (The wine content of Fortress is six stars. One to two stars are low-end products priced at one or two Chinese yuan. Three to four are medium products priced at more than two yuan. There is a big difference between five and six. The highest price of five stars is only one yuan. Thousand yuan, while six-stars start at 3,000 yuan, and some people speculate and collect them. This kind of wine is not wine in essence, but a financial product)

(Liquor is a product of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, when rice wine was popular)

In addition to drinks, the most popular cola and orange soda sold in the world are all masterpieces of the Fortress Group. According to unknown sources, they were developed under the leadership of a mysterious figure.

As for this mysterious man, let’s call him H.

In addition to the food industry, there are also some industries involving the core of Han Dynasty, such as coal, steel, and machinery, with a total value of more than 100 million yuan.

The so-called rich list is just a passing thing in front of the Han royal family, because the truly rich never appear on the list.

The third chunk is the royal family's overseas assets. This part of the assets is the most mysterious. Sometimes even Liu Peng can't figure it out for a while.

The most typical case is the Ezochi Coal Mine in Japan, where the coal mining rights were sold by the shogunate to the Nandao Company for three million yuan. (The royal family is the largest company in the Far East. The company first started doing import and export trade, and later involved investment and lending. Recently, it is said that it will open a South Island bank. The first bank is in Edo)

(Ezo land is Hokkaido in later generations. It does not legally belong to Japan at present. However, considering the existence of the generals who conquered barbarians, Japan still needs to be taken into account. However, Han has already planned to immigrate to the area and has proposed to Japan. Negotiations on the transfer of sovereignty over the Ezo Territory have not yet been reached due to some anti-Han forces in Japan and the high price demanded by the shogunate, and are still in the negotiation process)

In addition, the company also controls a quarter of Japan's raw silk industry, which is the main reason why it was able to obtain the entire Ezo Island coal mining rights so easily. The relationship background is too thick.

In addition to Japan, the royal family has invested in North Korea, Vietnam, and even Siam. There are losses and gains, but basically, the assets are in a state of profit.

Outside the Far East, they are mainly concentrated in a few countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom and France. Among them, London has the most assets, followed by France, Prussia again, and Austria last. As for Tsarist Russia, sorry, there are none.

It’s not that they haven’t tried it, it’s that Tsarist Russia’s credibility is too low, so low that Liu Peng can’t even say anything.

The total assets of the Han royal family are estimated to exceed 600 million Chinese yuan, equivalent to 100 million pounds.

In this era when there was no currency devaluation and prices were based on the gold and silver standard, this amount of money could buy almost the entire Africa, and maybe even more. (At this time, most of Africa was not a colony. They were small tribal countries. Only the coast, North Africa, and part of South Africa were truly colonized by the West.)

It is no exaggeration to describe the Han royal family by saying that they are as rich as the country.

When Liu Peng put down the asset data sheet, he looked at Director Zhang opposite him, thought for a moment, and said to him: "It's too unfair to keep you in the imperial bureau. I will hand over the work this year and take up a post at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce next year." Bar!!"

thump……

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang immediately knelt down to Liu Peng and shouted:

"It is my blessing to be in the Royal Property Bureau to protect His Majesty's money. If I go to the Ministry of Finance, I don't know who else will be dedicated to Your Majesty..."

After saying that, he kept kowtowing to Liu Peng.

Liu Peng looked at Director Zhang kneeling on the ground, and for a moment he didn't know whether he was loyal or traitorous.

Most people are happy to hear that they are going to the Ministry of Finance, but this person is very reluctant.

Although he had doubts in his heart, Liu Peng still ordered him on the surface:

"If you don't reward you for your merits, wouldn't it be a violation of the rules? In this way, if Gu gives you a title, it can be regarded as repaying your filial piety and hard work in the imperial bureau."

"Your Majesty is wise!!"

Director Zhang didn't say anything this time and knelt on the ground to thank him.

After Director Zhang left, Liu Peng came to the telegraph room instead.

"Get up and continue your work."

Seeing that these telegraph operators were about to kneel down when they saw him, Liu Peng stretched out his hand to stop them.

"Call Fox to come see me."

"Yes, Your Majesty!!"

The telegraph operator skillfully sent out a series of telegrams that even he himself did not know where to link.

Such telegrams come every once in a while. Sometimes the code name is Rabbit, sometimes it's Gray Wolf. Although the telegraph lines are similar, it always feels like the person wiring them is different every time. When he wanted to ask something, the old telegraph operator who came earlier said to him: "Here, you can sit, but you can't ask, let alone inquire, otherwise you will not be far from death. Got it!!”

Then there was a look full of warning. From then on, he never asked a word again.

Even if he wanted to know.

After the telegram was sent, Liu Peng left the telegraph room, which was tightly guarded and looked like a prison, and returned to his bungalow No. 18.

…………

"Your Majesty, you called me!!"

In the study, a young man was kneeling, dressed in a splendid official uniform. He looked no different from any other minister, but from the murderous look on his brows, it could be seen that this man had blood on his body, and there was a lot of it.

Liu Peng looked at the preface to the Han Dynasty Collection in his hand and did not speak, but continued to immerse himself in the book. The young officials kneeling on the ground also knelt silently, waiting for Liu Peng's order. (The preface to the Han Dynasty is a novel describing the customs and customs of various places in the Han Dynasty. The author is from Jiuyuan. He studied at university in Xijing. Later, he passed the imperial examination and became the mayor of the local government. Later, he lost his official position due to a fire and simply While traveling to relax, I wrote this preface to the Han Dynasty Collection, which is currently ranked fifth among the bestsellers in Han China)

The cigarettes were billowing and scattered in the study, and finally disappeared.

This is the Ning Shen Incense, a tribute prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the palace. The one in Liu Peng's study is the best among the best.

The cigarettes surrounded the young official on the ground and penetrated his nostrils. After a while, his mind became much calmer.

tick... tick...

This is the sound of the clock turning. When the hour hand turns to the five o'clock position, a burst of music is emitted. This is the time music box built into the clock.

At this time, Liu Peng put down the preface to a third of the Han Dynasty Collection in his hand, looked down at the young official who was still kneeling, and said:

"Mo Yu, get up and talk!!"

"Thank you!!"

After hearing Liu Peng's order, Mo Yu, the director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, stood up with his numb legs and looked at Liu Peng across from him without any fear, unlike those officials who couldn't help but kowtow when they saw Liu Peng. , there is a huge difference.

And this is the fundamental reason why Liu Peng is willing to use him.

"Do you have information on Zhang Yunqing from the Imperial Property Bureau?"

As soon as Liu Peng opened his mouth, he was Director Zhang today, which showed that he was still suspicious.

After hearing this, Mo Yu thought for a long time and replied directly to Liu Peng:

"Zhang Yunqing has three concubines at home and an Indian wife. It is said that she is a young lady from a large tribe." (Director Zhang's era happened to be the time when Sino-Indian marriages were most frequent)

"His family has a house with two courtyards in Xijing, which is nothing." (The courtyards in the Han Dynasty are not the same as the courtyards in the Qing Dynasty, but are similar to the villas of later generations. The so-called two courtyards are just (an extra backyard)

"This person likes to drink tea, and often likes to drink good tea. He does not drink good tea produced in the Jiangnan and Lingnan regions of China. For this reason, he spends at least more than 500 Chinese yuan at Crescent Tea House every month. This amount is basically equal to his daily consumption. Half of the monthly income.” (One thousand Chinese dollars per month)

Hearing this, Liu Peng nodded secretly and sighed in his heart that he had indeed chosen the wrong person. Not only was Mo Yu efficient at doing things, he also had a very good memory. He could remember this one.

But at the same time, Liu Peng's suspicion of being a king for many years came up again. After all, Mo Yu knew so much. If he was detrimental to the Han country or used this information to make profits, who could stop him? ?

And looking at Mo Yu who was still talking, Liu Peng had already made up his mind unknowingly and wanted to find someone to control him.

"In addition to drinking tea, this person also likes to listen to music, especially He Kun Opera. Every time he listens to music, he will give a reward, often hundreds of dollars."

"And if you add in the expenses of his family, even if he relies on the support of his father-in-law from that tribe, he can't afford it..." (The Indian tribes that originally submitted to the Han Dynasty, especially the leaders and other high-ranking figures, such as the chief priest, have all obtained Land, and even shares of some industries, were later listed on the Xijing Exchange and turned into tradable stocks. As the stock market became more prosperous, this group of people became richer and richer. There were many high-rollers in Xijing City who spent a lot of money. Indians)

"And this person has another problem!!"

"What's wrong??" Liu Peng asked.

"This person often interacts with a maritime trader named Li. Every time he meets, the businessman named Li will give him a jar or two jars of sweet-scented osmanthus wine. Zhang Yunqing claims to be a friend for many years. The wine brewed at home is sold every month. Give yourself some..."

At this point, Mo Yu stopped talking and just lowered his head, waiting for Liu Peng's instructions.

Liu Peng did not speak, but stood up from his chair, walked to the bookshelf, took out a book on Qianlong, threw it on the table, and asked Mo Yu: "Who is this person??"

Mo Yu glanced at the cover of the book on the table and immediately replied: "Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty!!"

(On Qianlong was compiled by Chen Yujun, the most famous historian in Han Dynasty. It mainly writes about the events of the Qianlong period and those mistakes)

"Do you know who Qianlong's favorite minister is?" Liu Peng stood opposite and glanced at Mo Yu and asked.

"It's He Shen..." Mo Yu didn't hesitate at all.

"He Shen is the biggest corrupt official in the Qing Dynasty and even in the history of China. His wealth is huge and he can be called the richest man!!"

"But for such a greedy guy who is known to everyone, why didn't Qianlong kill him to rectify people's hearts??"

Liu Peng's melodious voice came from the opposite side, making Mo Yu's heart tremble.

"Because Heshen is useful to Qianlong!!"

Mo Yu replied immediately.

"Yes, it is useful, it is of great use!!"

"With He Shen, an emperor like Qianlong, who was extravagant and pursued the so-called perfect martial arts, could live and play into his eighties..."

"But do you know why Qianlong's son Jiaqing killed Heshen after his death?"

Liu Peng picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the Longjing tea that he had received last year.

Mo Yu thought for a while, then leaned over and replied: "Heshen is old, and Jiaqing did not promote him personally. It is inconvenient to use him for many times. It is like a farmer killing an old chicken. Since it cannot lay eggs, it is natural to kill it for meat!!"

After hearing this, Liu Peng put down his tea cup, sat back in his chair, picked up the book on Qianlong on the table, and then continued to ask: "Should Zhang Yunqing be killed?"

After hearing this, Mo Yu was silent for a long time before replying: "If we don't kill now, we will get evidence of the crime..."

"Stay in the future..."

"wrong!!"

Just when Mo Yu thought he had guessed Liu Peng's thoughts, a cold and familiar voice interrupted him. The person who interrupted him was none other than the supreme King of Han.

“Qianlong’s stay with Heshen is completely different from that of Gu’s stay with Zhang Yunqing!!”

"Qianlong is a powerful monarch, and Gu is an aspiring monarch who wants to conquer the world. In order to pursue the eternal foundation, how can he let a sage like Zhang Yunqing be allowed to do so? If he is allowed to do so, the people of Han will know Gu's preferences and will follow Gu. So what if..."

"If the stamp is retained, the Inspectorate will become a laughing stock within three years. Who will be responsible for cleaning up the pests and rats then..."

"Killing Zhang will alert the world!!"

"Tell them that Gu is a monarch who cannot be bullied and a sharp sword hanging over their heads!!"

Hearing Liu Peng's words, Mo Yu trembled and knelt on the ground again. This time he knelt more religiously than last time. He even felt a sense of fear from the bottom of his heart, which he had never felt before.

A trembling reply:

"I obey the decree!!"

　Please give me a reward, please give me a monthly ticket

　　

　

(End of this chapter)