Thief Emperor

Chapter 1129 Internship!

Upon hearing Du Qian's words, Li Yun looked at him and said speechlessly, "How come Brother Shouyi has also heard that my third son is rich?"

Du Qian said with a smile, "It's just hearsay."

"Rumors are circulating that His Majesty gave 30% of Liulichang's revenue to Prince Zheng."

Emperor Li stroked his chin.

The royal properties are now mostly managed by Prince Zheng, Li Cang, with Lord Xue of the Xue family also helping to look after them. This is a huge cash flow. Although the vast majority of the annual income is used to stabilize grain prices and to replenish the imperial treasury, Li Yun implicitly gives about 10% of the income to Prince Zheng's residence.

This 10% income is not 10% of the total income, but rather 10% that is incorporated into the imperial treasury. For example, last year, King Zheng sent a total of 2.7 million strings of cash into the imperial treasury, but a large sum of money was used to buy grain.

If you calculate it carefully, the amount that Prince Zheng's mansion received last year should be around 300,000 strings of cash.

This is still the income that is publicly known.

In fact, King Zheng's management of such a large industry, especially Liulichang, is practically a money-making machine in this day and age.

With King Zheng in this position, all those who benefit from his position, both upstream and downstream, would try every means to curry favor with him, easily reaping benefits that didn't even need to be recorded in their accounts.

If these factors are taken into account, the annual income of Prince Zheng's residence might even exceed the annual expenses of the Crown Prince's residence.

The difference is that the Eastern Palace is a small court, and the Crown Prince has many interactions and spends more money. However, the Zheng Prince's Mansion does not interact much with others. Over the years, anyone who pays attention to Liulichang will notice the Zheng Prince's Mansion.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yun looked at Du Qian and shook his head slightly, saying, "Only one-tenth."

Emperor Li sat in his seat and remained silent for a moment before continuing, "Brother Shouyi, as you know, merchants have never had a high social status throughout history. Sending Sanlang into this line of work is tantamount to excluding him from the court, leaving him with no real power."

"He was not sent to Zhengzhou to assume his fiefdom, nor was the Zheng Prince's Mansion built."

The emperor lowered his head and sipped his tea: "Therefore, I gave him some shares."

“Sanlang is meticulous, and he has managed the royal properties quite well these past few years.”

Du Qian nodded and smiled, "Your Majesty, I understand your meaning, however..."

"If it were an ordinary person, being a little richer wouldn't be a big deal. Not to mention others, even a minor official in the Jingzhao Prefecture could probably outdo him. But the Third Prince is a prince and the Prince of Zheng, so even the three judicial departments can't trace him."

"For the Third Prince, he holds the wealth."

Du Qian glanced at Li Yun and continued, "Wealth is a natural form of power, sometimes even more useful than a real position."

Li Yun was not angry when he heard this.

His initial decision to distribute the spoils to his third son stemmed from a combination of paternal love, compensation for his inability to pursue political careers and establish fiefdoms, and, more importantly, the consideration that if he didn't share the spoils with him, his son would also become greedy.

In addition, in a world where officialdom is paramount, no amount of wealth can compare to power, which explains why the Zheng Prince's Mansion has become increasingly wealthy in recent years.

After Du Qian's reminder, Li Yun thought about it for a moment, then looked at Du Qian and said with a smile, "My family's businesses won't always be this profitable. Nowadays, there are glass workshops in the private sector. Before long, the glass factory won't be as profitable as it is now."

Liulichang, of course, does not only produce glass.

Back then, Li Yun had the workshop produce glass so that they could make telescopes for use in warfare. However, after twenty years of development, the industry now sells mirrors, cups, and all sorts of glass products, as well as non-military telescopes, all from Liulichang.

Currently, it's still in the stage of generating huge profits.

Mr. Du said with a smile, "Liulichang has been around for almost twenty years. It is a government-run enterprise with a prince in charge. I'm afraid it's not certain that a private company can take over."

Emperor Li was taken aback, then laughed and said, "That is indeed a problem."

"I'll have someone keep an eye on things from now on. As for whether or not to hold the Fengshan ceremony this time, we'll discuss that later."

His Majesty the Emperor stretched and said with a smile, "Actually, whether or not we perform the Fengshan ceremony is not that important. What is important is that I really want to go out and travel."

Li Yun didn't really care much about whether or not he could perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

After all, if there really is a supreme deity in the heavens above, then logically speaking, even without climbing Mount Tai, the things Li Yun has done over the years should be visible to this deity.

There's no need to force Li Yun, this "son," to make encrypted calls in Mount Tai.

If it weren't for God.

The Fengshan ceremony was even less meaningful.

However, Li Yun has a free-spirited personality and was never one to stay put when he was young. Now that he has become emperor, he has suppressed his nature to the greatest extent possible.

Back then, probably none of the old folks in Cangshan Dazhai would have believed that Li Er could stay in one place for seven, eight, or even ten years.

But nature is nature.

Innate nature will only be suppressed, and it is difficult for it to undergo fundamental change.

Du Qian stood up and asked Li Yun, "Does Your Majesty wish to go to Jiangdong to see the effectiveness of the new policies implemented in recent years?"

"Let's do it while we're at it."

Emperor Li said with a smile, "The main reason is that I've been cooped up in the cage for too long."

………………

Time flies, and the summer of the fifteenth year of Zhangwu quickly came to an end, followed by the crisp and clear autumn.

On this day, Liu Bo, the Duke of Ying, who had been away from Luoyang for several months, finally returned to Luoyang. After resting at home for half a day, he went to the palace to see His Majesty the Emperor the next day.

Upon meeting the Emperor, Liu Bo first bowed and greeted him, then smiled at Li Yun and said, "The imperial envoys first went to the Wugu tribe, and then to the Yelü tribe. I heard that Yelü Yi's face turned black when he saw his son being conferred an official title." "This was some time ago, before I rushed back."

Liu Bo smiled at Li Yun and said, "I also heard that old bastard Yelü Yi is sick and probably won't live much longer."

Emperor Li was not surprised by the news. He said calmly, "The fact that this fellow dared to come to Luoyang means that he doesn't have long to live. He probably fell ill a long time ago and just forced himself to come to Luoyang."

After saying that, he looked at Liu Bo and said with a smile, "Old Jiu, I've already made all the preparations while you were away for the past few months. You can rest at home for ten or fifteen days, and then we'll take Skinny Monkey and go back to Qingyang together."

Liu Bo was taken aback: "It's already autumn."

"Second brother, why are you in such a hurry?"

He scratched his head: "How about we go back to our hometown together next spring?"

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "It's almost time."

"To this day, I have been emperor for fifteen years in name only, but in reality, it has been almost sixteen years."

His gaze drifted outside the hall, and he said calmly, "Let's go back to our hometown first, then travel around and see what the differences are between this world and the old Zhou dynasty."

"If there is indeed a difference, it means that your second brother's hard work over the years has not been in vain."

At this point, Li Yun said with a smile, "If that's the case, then let my eldest son gradually take over this job. After a while, I will hand over political affairs to him, and I will only be in charge of military affairs."

"Once he's more mature, we'll hand the country over to him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bo's expression changed slightly, and he looked up at Li Yun, while Emperor Li remained calm.

"If it is not much different from the old Zhou Dynasty."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "That means that all these years I've been sitting in the Luoyang Palace, I've become deaf and blind, too soft-hearted."

"In that case, I'll try to work for another ten or twenty years."

Liu Bo said with a wry smile, "A few months ago, I just casually mentioned going back to my hometown for a visit, and you, second brother..."

"I've thought so for a long time."

Li Yun patted him on the shoulder: "It has nothing to do with you."

"Alright, go home and rest. I'll have someone inform you when it's time to go out."

The Duke of England had no choice but to lower his head and leave the Hall of Dew, returning home along the way.

After he left, Eunuch Gu was ordered to invite His Highness the Crown Prince to the Ganlu Hall. The Crown Prince, who was on duty in the Secretariat, went to the Ganlu Hall and bowed to His Majesty the Emperor.

"Father."

"Sit down and talk."

The Crown Prince responded and sat down next to his father, asking, "What business does Father have with me?"

"At the end of this month or the beginning of next month, your father is preparing to take your mother, Prime Minister Du, and a few old brothers on an inspection tour outside the capital."

"By the time."

Looking at the Crown Prince's expression, Li Yun smiled and said, "At that time, you will be in the court, overseeing the country and governing the state."

"To temporarily assume the role of Father Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was first taken aback, then somewhat surprised: "Father, you..."

Li Yun interrupted him, smiling as he said, "I've been preparing for this for a while now; you should have heard some rumors."

"Yes, I have heard some things, but I thought it would be next year..."

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "This year, I plan to go back to Qingyang for the New Year."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This year, the imperial court has exempted the government from taxes and grain levies. By next spring, before the summer harvest, the court will have no money or grain reserves left."

"I'm leaving this period to you. Let's see if you can handle it."

The crown prince rose, knelt on the ground, and said with red eyes, "Father, I have said many times that I only want to assist you. As long as you are alive, even if you want to abdicate, I would rather die than accept it!"

"I'm not abdicating in favor of you."

The emperor smiled and said, "I'm just asking you to oversee the country. Throughout history, how many crown princes have overseen the country?"

"That's it."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "This time, your mother, Uncle Prince Jin, Duke of Ying, Prime Minister Du, and I will all be leaving Luoyang."

"If it's something important that can't be sent to me in time, you'll have to handle it yourself."

“You’ve been in charge of administration for four or five years now. Let your father see if you can shoulder this responsibility now.”

The crown prince bowed his head, filled with trepidation.

"Your son... obeys."

(End of this chapter)