Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 595 A Heartless Person
Yin Sheng cautiously reminded him, "I'm afraid this will only make the candidates more restless and cause even bigger trouble. Moreover, Commander Pei may also be implicated in this cheating case."

Zhu Houzhao had clearly weighed the pros and cons of this matter carefully.

He calmly said, "It will become more troublesome, but in the end it will turn my troubles into the court's troubles."

"If things continue as they are, my desire to promote the reconstruction of Mingyufang and Jiqingfang will inevitably be met with the scorn of scholars throughout the land. Those court officials will only watch the spectacle, and may even take advantage of my misfortune to demand restrictions on the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial, or the abolition of the Western Depot and the Eastern Depot."

"As long as a dubious case of cheating in the imperial examination is fabricated, the court officials who control the entire process of the examination will be forced to step in and deal with the accusations from the candidates. Meanwhile, I will be able to free up my hands to demolish Mingyu Archway and Jiqing Archway with less obstruction."

"As for Pei Yuan..."

Zhu Houzhao was excited about his clever scheme and didn't realize that while he was using Pei Yuan's ideas, he was also using Pei Yuan as bait.

Once he realized this, Zhu Houzhao fell into a brief silence and contemplation after saying those four words.

Then, for some unknown reason, the thought crossed my mind and I looked elsewhere.

Once they entered the palace, not a single word was uttered.

This is the Da Ci'en Temple area.

Pei Yuan didn't emerge from another teahouse until Zhu Houzhao's sedan chair had gone far away.

From the moment Pei Yuan learned that Zhu Houzhao was secretly investigating Tang Gao, Huang Chu, and Cai Ang, but did not directly question Pei Yuan, the person involved, he knew that this heartless man was still sticking to his blatantly honest approach.

If a case of cheating in the imperial examinations could solve Zhu Houzhao's problems and allow him to comfortably deal with those court officials, then what does it matter if he sacrifices the interests of his subordinates a little?

Last year, the imperial examination fraud case involving Hanlin Academician Jin Gui was exposed in the court, but in the end, nothing happened to him.
Moreover, Zhu Houzhao might think that if he operated more cleverly and secretly, Pei Yuan would never find out.

Pei Yuan sighed, but didn't blame Zhao Zi Ge.

Because he is also such a heartless person.

After Pei Yuan came out of the teahouse, Chen Xinjian, Yun Buxian, Cen Meng, Yan Song, and others also came out and surrounded Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan glanced at Yan Song.

Yan Song was initially surprised, but then quickly explained his intentions: "What I told Your Majesty was all what the commander taught. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary."

Pei Yuan asked, "How is His Majesty's mood? What is his attitude towards you?"

Yan Song smiled upon hearing this. "His Majesty was delighted and greatly admired me. At first, he just listened quietly, but later he became quite talkative."

Yan Song even added awkwardly, "He calls me Yan Qing."

Yan Song had been in the Hanlin Academy for two or three years without ever having the chance to see the emperor. He never expected to receive such an affectionate address upon his first meeting with His Majesty.

Pei Yuan nodded, then said, "Then why aren't you leaving?"

Yan Song was slightly taken aback. "Where to?"

Pei Yuan said calmly, "Go back to Jiangxi."

Yan Song was completely stunned.

indeed.

According to the agreement between the two parties, Pei Yuan would only use Yan Song this once, and then let him return to his hometown to wait for Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing to settle their differences before he could take up an official post.

Yan Song relayed Pei Yuan's thoughts to Zhu Houzhao.

Yan Song was able to leave a deep impression on Zhu Houzhao through this private audience and forge a good relationship with a powerful figure who intended to speculate on currency.

In this way, Yan Song's years in his hometown were not wasted, and when he returned to the court, he was fawned over by various powerful figures.

Now is the time to show off and run away.

but……

Yan Song suddenly felt his steps were incredibly heavy.

Just moments ago, he was chatting and laughing in front of His Majesty, his witty remarks making His Majesty's eyes light up, and he didn't even realize that His Majesty had knocked over a teacup with his sleeve.

The greatest comfort in life is the harmonious relationship between ruler and subject.

Seeing that Yan Song didn't move, Pei Yuan stopped looking at him and turned to the others, saying, "Let's go."

Then the group filed away like a pack of wolves, slowly making their way back to Zhihua Temple.

Yan Song was left there lost in thought.

On the way, a Jinyiwei scout came to report.

Chen Xinjian gestured to Yun Buxian, who, without waiting for Chen Xinjian to say anything more, cleverly stepped forward and reported to Pei Yuanhui, "Commander, people have entered Longhua Temple."

Pei Yuan had already heard about this from Chu Jie, a self-proclaimed hater.

Now that he has received confirmation, he simply nods indifferently.

He then glanced at Yun Buxian, who had come to report, and then at Chen Xinjian, "Are you ready?"

Chen Xinjian hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have already entrusted many things to Yun Buxian, Xiao Tong, and Lu Yong."

"The matter of the Yongxing Garrison Command should not be delayed indefinitely, lest it delay the commander's work."

Pei Yuan felt a pang of sadness.

Chen Xinjian was young, so Pei Yuan always treated him like a younger brother.

I never imagined that the day would come for me to be transferred to a foreign institution.

However, if it weren't for Chen Xinjian, Pei Yuan really wouldn't feel comfortable letting anyone else take control of the military power in the north.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's stay a few more days and wait for news from Shandong."

The Zhang Yong case is far-reaching, and we will have to wait until it is completely resolved.

Not long after Pei Yuan returned to Zhihua Temple, Yun Weilin, perhaps having heard that Yun Buxian had started working today, hurriedly ran to Pei Yuan to boast of his achievements.

According to Yun Weilin, his influence played a significant role, with many temples investing heavily in the fund.

The largest sum, 20,000 taels, actually came from the Tibetan monk Chanjiao Wang.

Yun Weilin explained, “The Western monk Chanjiao Wang wanted to profit from the salt trade. His envoy requested the court to grant salt permits for 300 ships, but unfortunately, this matter was stuck at the Ministry of Revenue.”

“Those Tibetan monks dared not go back to report, nor did they dare to touch the silver they brought. When they heard me mention such a reliable way, they invested some of it to give it a try.”

Pei Yuan was speechless.

How dare they? Immediately, Pei Yuan realized the implication behind Yun Weilin's attempt to curry favor.

The reason why these temples and monks dared to invest money without seeing anything is inseparable from Yun Weilin's management over the past ten years.

Pei Yuan then asked Yun Weilin, "Why would the King of the Chan Sect think of coming to Han territory to resell salt?"

Yun Weilin replied, "When the King of Chan Sect was young, he lived in the capital for a period of time with a Tibetan monk, so he is very familiar with the Han lands."

"Over the years, the imperial court has given the snowy region a lot of money through rewards and trade, but the commander should also know that trade in Tibet is very difficult, and there is nowhere to spend money. So the Chan Sect King plans to use the silver in his hands to make a profit by selling salt."

Pei Yuan, still pondering the matter, continued to inquire, "How much funding have you raised so far?"

Yun Weilin already had a rough idea of ​​the amount before he came, and said directly, "I've already made up my mind, it's 160,000 taels."

"As for the rest who are still hesitant, there are three or four times that number."

Pei Yuan was taken aback. "How can there be so much money?"

Yun Weilin said, "Temples are inherently wealthy. Otherwise, how could we support thousands of temples of all sizes in and around the capital?"

"This was only possible because I was able to contact some other temples urgently. I'm not very familiar with the connections there, but I can ask the monk Zhenji there to help me arrange a meeting with the abbots so we can all get together."

Good guy.

Pei Yuan suddenly had a completely new understanding of Yun Weilin.

Is this the network and credibility that a monk built up over a decade in religious affairs in Beijing?
Pei Yuan hadn't expected Yun Weilin to swindle so much money. He had originally hoped to use this fund to buy up his Ming Dynasty banknotes at a high price and lock up this portion of his holdings at a high price.

Then, through the principles of value investing, we can use time to achieve a win-win situation with them.

Looking at it now, if this money had been properly nurtured and used effectively, it might have played a significant role.

And these Buddhist monks are indeed wealthy.

The Buddhist world sells the metaverse; how much it's worth in the next life is difficult to determine.

If you have money, just pay up.

It would be a real shame if such a vibrant industry could not be thoroughly controlled.

Yun Weilin, who has a reputation in the temple, and the Daoist Zhenji, who is found in various temples, are good channels for intervention.

Pei Yuansu always rewarded those who had made contributions, so he said to Yun Weilin, "You did a great job. It just so happens that our commander Kong Xu has been busy with official business in Huai'an and can't spare the time. You will take over his position as commander from now on. I have other arrangements for Kong Xu."

Yun Weilin came here this time hoping to demonstrate his value and give his son, Yun Buxian, a better chance of making a mistake at the crucial moment of his rise to power.

Unexpectedly, instead of giving the points to his son, he got a promotion.

However, Yun Weilin could only be happy about this.

From being feared and sidelined in a small temple, the father and son now have Yun Buxian as their close attendant and Yun Weilin replacing Kong Xu as Pei Yuan's deputy. Their future looks very bright.

Pei Yuan offered further encouragement before letting Yun Weilin leave.

After Yun Weilin left, Pei Yuan thought that Yun Buxian would be his personal attendant from now on, so he called him over and gave him a few pointers.

Just as they were discussing how his close attendants should be ready to fill any gaps in his position as commander, Yun Buxian boldly said, "Commander, I do have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it."

Pei Yuan casually added, "Chen Xinjian wouldn't ask that. As long as it helps this commander, just say it."

As a substitute for Chen Xinjian, Yun Buxian was deeply marked as a substitute.

He quickly replied, "I heard Commander Chen briefly mention the matter of paper money before. I have an idea: if the commander wants to flexibly exchange paper money for silver, why not open his own money exchange?"

Pei Yuan was taken aback and asked, "What did you say?"

Yun Buxian quickly said, "If the commander wants to operate the exchange of silver and paper money, he will inevitably need to make use of the large and small banks and money shops in the city."

"In this way, not only do we lose money every time we exchange, but the entire exchange process is also controlled by others."

"If the exchange between silver and paper money fluctuates, and the banks and money shops directly suspend the exchange between the two, then even if the commander has a lot of paper money and silver, he will probably be helpless."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan gasped.

Yun Buxian was referring to the usual situation.

When the exchange rate between silver and Ming Dynasty paper money fluctuates significantly, banks and money shops often suspend operations and wait for the market to stabilize in order to avoid losses.

Because they earn the discount from the exchange rate, they can steadily profit from it and have no need to participate in risky speculation.

Furthermore, if a money exchange or bank suspends its exchange services, it can trigger a chain reaction, causing a rapid freeze in transactions across the entire market.

In this situation, weaker currencies will inevitably experience panic selling during the period when trading is suspended.

Just think about it, how can the paper-printed Ming Dynasty banknotes compare to the heavy silver?

The Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes are sure to trigger panic selling.

Moreover, Pei Yuan was well aware that he had a powerful adversary.

Did the other party consider this?
Does the other party control a certain number of banks and money shops?
If the other party can arbitrarily open or close this exchange switch, then what's the point of any planning on the trading board?

Pei Yuan stared intently at Yun Buxian and said, "Continue."

Yun Buxian glanced at Pei Yuan's expression and cautiously asked, "What does the commander think of my suggestion? Do you want me to talk about establishing a bank or money shop, or would you like to hear other suggestions?"

Pei Yuan instinctively wanted to try his hand at CPU again, but Yun Buxian had at least proven his competence, and all that was needed was for them to work together more effectively.

Pei Yuan clarified, "Let's continue talking about establishing banks and money shops. We need to do it quickly. What are your plans?"

Yun Buxian was overjoyed to see that his first suggestion had been a great success.

He quickly replied, "Nowadays, those who run money shops and banks in the capital are nothing more than the following types of people."

"One type is the noble eunuchs. They rise quickly but lack any real foundation. They gain a lot of benefits through military achievements or royal rewards, but they have no opportunity to convert them into land. Even if they acquire some land piecemeal, they inevitably get into trouble with forced sales."

"Therefore, many people opened banks and money shops in the capital. The main business of these banks and money shops was not the exchange between silver and copper coins, but the lending of money."

"Another option was the guild halls in various regions. When traveling merchants traded in different places, in order to avoid being cheated or extorted by local bullies, they would often seek out the local guild halls when they needed money. The banks and money shops in these guild halls could not only exchange silver, but also pledge large quantities of goods or land as collateral."

"Another one is these temples, big and small. Although temples are explicitly prohibited from lending money, they have another excuse, which they call 'convenience items,' meaning to provide convenience to people."

"To avoid trouble, these temples typically lend money using 'convenience money' only to believers they know well. Therefore, although there are many of these clandestine money lenders, they are all relatively small in scale."

(End of this chapter)