Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1704 Past Secrets!
Under Ye Cui's gaze, An Miaoyi smiled and said:
"No problem with the Empress Dowager's money, I'll arrange for someone to raise it right away!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Ye Cui looked at Su Junjie and asked:

"How much silver will it cost to repair this Deling Mausoleum?"

Upon hearing this, Su Junjie hesitated for a moment before saying:
"The Deling Mausoleum is magnificent and covers a huge area, so the cost is also very high. It is currently estimated that it will take three to five years to complete the construction by hiring tens of thousands of laborers in Liaoyang! The total cost should be between 350,000 and 500,000 taels of silver!"

"The initial investment will require at least 100,000 taels of silver!"

Upon hearing the numbers Su Junjie uttered, even An Miaoyi, with her deep cunning, couldn't help but let a strange light flash in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Madam Ye Cui remained calm and said:
"Very good! Minister Su, you have done a good job. Your Ministry of Works shall begin preparations for the Deling incident!"

"Yes!"

After Su Junjie finished speaking, he glanced at An Miaoyi, who was standing to the side. Seeing that An Miaoyi didn't say anything, he bowed and retreated.

After Su Junjie left, Ye Cui looked at An Miaoyi, who hadn't spoken, and said directly:
"Miaoyi, how much silver is currently in the imperial treasury's accounts?"

An Miaoyi was somewhat surprised by her mother-in-law's direct question, but after thinking for a moment, she told her the whole story:

"There are still more than 50,000 taels of silver in the imperial treasury!"

After saying that, An Miaoyi continued:
"Mother, don't worry about the money. If I borrow some from other places, I should be able to raise 100,000 taels of silver, which definitely won't delay the construction of the Deling Mausoleum..."

Although An Miaoyi said this, she had already made up her mind that after ending this conversation with Ye Cuishi, she would immediately write a letter to Ye Mingsheng and throw this problem at him!
If it were just a matter of being short 10,000 or 20,000 taels of silver, An Miaoyi could still find a way to make do by robbing Peter to pay Paul. But now it's a full 50,000 taels of silver, which is no small amount!
Most importantly, the more than 50,000 taels of silver in the account are used to cover the daily expenses of thousands of people in the palace. If all this silver is used now, will these thousands of people starve?
An Miaoyi, as the daughter-in-law, would naturally not say these things to Ye Cuishi. In front of Ye Cuishi, she had to be the dutiful and good daughter-in-law!

As for how to solve this problem, that's something Ye Mingsheng should consider. In any case, An Miaoyi shouldn't be the villain!
Just as An Miaoyi was pondering what to do, Madam Ye Cui seemed to have seen through her daughter-in-law's thoughts and spoke directly:
"Miaoyi, don't try to fool me. I've managed a household before and I know it's not easy. The money for building the Deling Mausoleum isn't something you can just borrow so easily!"

An Miaoyi felt a little embarrassed when Ye Cuishi directly exposed her lie. Just as she was about to cover it up, Ye Cuishi continued meaningfully:
"And even if we can borrow them this time, you still need to be prepared for Mingsheng and Miaoyi!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi, who was about to say something, stopped speaking and silently waited for Ye Cui to continue.

After taking a sip of tea, Ye Cuishi said:

“Mingsheng is thirty-five this year, and Miaoyi, you’re not young either. It’s time to start preparing. Didn’t Mingsheng once say something like, ‘You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident’? So it’s still very important to plan ahead…”

After speaking, Ye Cui looked at An Miaoyi, seemingly waiting for her to express her opinion.

Seeing this, An Miaoyi pretended to be troubled and said:

“Mother, I think the same way as you. Throughout history, every emperor started building his mausoleum after ascending to the throne. But Ming Sheng thinks he is in his prime and doesn’t need to consider these things at all!”

"When Minister Chen Fu reported this matter before, he even scolded Minister Chen Fu. When I told him about it, he said to me, 'The green hills are everywhere to bury loyal bones, why bother with a grand funeral!'"

“If I say anything more, he’ll tell me to build my own. Mother, you be the judge. If the emperor doesn’t build his own mausoleum, how can I build one? If word gets out, won’t those censors curse me to death?”

After saying these words, An Miaoyi also let out a long sigh under Ye Cui's gaze.

Seeing this, Madam Ye Cui also comforted her, saying:

"Mingsheng has unique ideas, and Miaoyi, you've suffered these past few days!"

"Mother, I don't mind suffering a little, but I will do everything I can to rebuild the Deling Mausoleum. Don't worry, Mother, no matter what, I will raise the money and rebuild the Deling Mausoleum for you!"

Hearing An Miaoyi's confident assurance, Madam Ye Cui spoke up:
"In my opinion, it's not that Ming Sheng didn't want to build the mausoleum, but rather that the Great Qian Dynasty had only recently been established, and everything was in need of rebuilding. Ming Sheng also loved his people dearly and didn't want to waste their resources on this matter, so he delayed the construction of the mausoleum..."

Hearing what Ye Cui said, An Miaoyi nodded and said:

“Mother, you are right! After Ming Sheng became emperor, he increasingly advocated governing the country with benevolence and always wanted to cherish the people’s strength and was unwilling to disturb them too much!”

"So if there were enough silver, Ming Sheng would probably agree!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi's heart skipped a beat. She realized that her mother-in-law was about to reveal her true intentions, and she immediately followed up by asking:

"Mother, do you have any good ideas?"

"I've heard that running a money exchange is a very profitable business, with tens of thousands of taels of silver coming and going every day, and hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver flowing in every year. The profits are considerable. Miaoyi, how much do you know about money exchanges?"

Hearing Ye Cui mention the bank, An Miaoyi felt somewhat disappointed. She wondered what Ye Cui was up to, but it turned out she was after the bank. This was probably instigated by one of Ye's people.

Those people from the Ye family have been eyeing the money exchange for a long time, but because opening a money exchange requires a license, and the license needs to be issued by Ye Mingsheng himself, these people can only vent their frustration from behind, without any way to do anything about it!

Now it seems that these people have also encouraged Ye Cui's family, wanting to take advantage of Ye Cui's family's influence to make a fortune in the bank!
Thinking of this, An Miaoyi also spoke up:

“Your Majesty, I do know a bit about the banks. They do have a lot of transactions, but this money doesn't belong to the banks; it belongs to the depositors. Under Ming Sheng's requirements, the banks themselves don't make much profit…”

"At Mingsheng's request, the owners of the local banks did not operate them to make money, but to use them to grease palms. The banks were to be strictly supervised by the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate!"

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, Madam Ye frowned slightly and then said:

"I heard from that kid that after this bank is established, it can make a lot of money by lending money?"

Upon hearing the name Ye Zaiyuan, An Miaoyi couldn't help but think to herself, "Just as I suspected." She knew it must have been those people from the Ye family who instigated it, especially Ye Zaiyuan, who had long coveted the bank. If Ye Mingsheng hadn't set a red line, he probably would have already taken action!
Thinking of this, An Miaoyi also spoke up:
“Mother, His Majesty has repeatedly forbidden this. If Ye Zaiyuan tries to do this, his life will be in danger. You know Ming Sheng’s temper. If he finds out that Ye Zaiyuan wants to do this, he probably won’t let Ye Zaiyuan off the hook!”

Upon hearing this, Ye Cui frowned even more deeply. This Ye Zaiyuan was one of the younger generation of the Ye family. He was usually very popular with Ye Cui because he was good at sweet-talking and getting things done. During his visit to Ye Cui a few days ago, Ye Zaiyuan also learned about Ye Cui's idea of ​​building the Deling Mausoleum as her final resting place.

Therefore, Ye Zaiyuan also volunteered to contribute his efforts and show filial piety to Ye Cuishi! His plan was to persuade Ye Cuishi to help him obtain a license for a money exchange, which he would then operate, using the profits to fund the construction of Ye Cuishi's mausoleum…
Seeing that Ye Cui was frowning and not speaking, An Miaoyi continued:

"Mother, the banking industry is the most valued by Mingsheng. In addition to the local provincial administration's assessment, His Majesty also orders the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate to investigate each banking license. Only if there are no problems will His Majesty issue the license!"

"So in this matter, I don't have the final say; in the end, it's up to Ming Sheng to make the decision!"

Upon hearing An Miaoyi's words, Madam Ye Cui slowly spoke:
"I understand!"

Seeing that Ye Cuishi understood the extent of the difficulty, An Miaoyi didn't say anything more. After chatting with Ye Cuishi for a few more minutes, she took her leave.

After leaving Furen Palace, An Miaoyi seemed to have thought of something. She turned back and glanced thoughtfully at Furen Palace before returning to her own courtyard.

Upon returning, An Miaoyi immediately sought out Qiqige and asked:

"How's the investigation into Chu Zhiyi's assassination going?"

"The Ministry of Justice has determined that it was Prefect Zhao Jian of Yuyang who instructed his clerk to do it. The Ministry of Justice has already sent people to arrest Zhao Jian!"

An Miaoyi nodded slightly upon hearing this and said:
What is the relationship between Ye Zaiyuan and Zhao Jian?

"I haven't heard of any relationship between Ye Zaiyuan and Zhao Jian, but it's said that Ye Zaiyuan and Zhao Jian's son, Zhao Runjiang, have a good relationship!"

"Send someone to keep an eye on Ye Zaiyuan! Investigate thoroughly what he's been up to lately!"

"Yes!"

Although somewhat puzzled as to why An Miaoyi suddenly valued Ye Zaiyuan so much, Qiqige still dutifully accepted the order and went to fetch him...
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On the road from Lüqiao Town, Youyan County to Raoan
Several thousand Imperial Guards escorted several carriages and sped toward Rao'an. Inside one of the carriages, Ye Mingsheng was resting with his eyes closed, while Jing Ren, whose right ankle was bandaged, was propping his head up with his hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Mingsheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, seemed to sense his son's unease. He then opened his eyes, glanced at Jingren, and said:

"Jingren, what are you thinking about?"

Jingren, who was lost in thought, was interrupted by his father's words and said somewhat flusteredly:
"I didn't think anything of it."

Seeing his expression, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but smile and say:
"So you're thinking about that little girl? I think her name is Lin Meng'er, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jingren's face immediately turned red, and he immediately said:
"Father! I'm not thinking about her!"

"Really? I noticed you seemed a little reluctant to leave!"

"No! It's just that I finally met someone I could hang out with, and it's a little sad that we have to leave after only a few days!"

Looking at his serious-looking son, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said:
"If that's the case, what were you thinking about just now? You seemed so lost in thought?"

"Last night, the storyteller told the story of how Cao Cao won over Guan Yu. He not only gave Guan Yu generous treatment, but also appointed him as a lieutenant general and rewarded him with a lot of gold, silver, treasures, beautiful women, and brocade robes. Furthermore, after Guan Yu killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, he petitioned the emperor to enfeoff Guan Yu as the Marquis of Hanshou. So I was wondering if anyone had tried to win over the Duke of Qi and the Marquis of Changning back then?"

Ye Mingsheng was somewhat surprised to hear this, not expecting Jingren to be thinking about this. Seeing his son's curious expression, Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"Jingren, do you think anyone has tried to win them over?"

Although Jingren was already used to his father's rhetorical questions, he was still somewhat speechless. He had asked precisely because he didn't know, and now his father was throwing the question back at him...

After a moment of contemplation, Jingren tentatively said:

"No?"

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Mingsheng also asked with great interest:

"Why do you think so?"

Jingren scratched his head and said:

"I haven't heard anyone mention it in all these years!"

Ye Mingsheng shook his head and replied:

"Just because no one has said it doesn't mean it hasn't happened. In fact, there have been many instances of such attempts to win people over!"

"Huh? Then why didn't the Duke of Qi and the Marquis of Changning rebel?"

Ye Mingsheng continued to ask in return:

"Jingren, why do you think they didn't have it?"

Seeing his father ask him the same question again, Jingren finally said somewhat reluctantly:
"Dad, I'm asking you a question. Why do you always turn the question back on me? If I knew the answer, I wouldn't be asking you!"

Hearing his son say this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but chuckle and then said:
"I'm asking you this so you'll use your brain! So you'll learn to think for yourself! You just don't want to use your brain when you think about things!"

"I can give you a hint: try to think from the perspective of the Duke of Qi and the Marquis of Changning. What kind of people would try to win them over, and what could you gain or lose from it?"

Although Ye Mingsheng felt his hints were quite obvious, Jingren was still somewhat confused. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Father, I think it was Shangguan Hongyuan and Shangguan Changgong who sent people to win them over. The Duke of Qi and the Marquis of Changning didn't rebel because they are loyal to you..."