Fu Shanhe

Chapter 404 Confusing
"The Marquis' Mansion has so many properties?"

The more he looked down, the more surprised Li Mu was.

In his memory, the main industries of the Marquisate were concentrated in maritime trade, mining and smelting.

In addition, there are a few small villages, but they are not worth mentioning.

As a result, the current list of industries not only covers food, clothing, housing and transportation, but also involves money houses, porcelain, silk, winemaking and tea gardens.

Almost all profitable businesses are mixed with one hand.

“Some of them were purchased by me, but most of them were given to me by others.

Even though there are many industries behind us, in reality we are just putting our name on them and get some shares.

In fact, I rejected most of the businesses that came to my door.

These people asked old friends to act as middlemen, and they accepted the shares because they couldn't afford to lose face.

Husband, don’t worry, these are the unspoken rules.

The powerful people in Beijing have a lot of properties listed under their names.

There are fewer nobles in the south, so we collected more."

Jing Yaqing waved her hand and said.

The name of Hanshuihou Mansion cannot be used just because you want to.

Many people have money but can't find a way.

In the Dayu Dynasty, real big businessmen would tie up a group of powerful people on board their ships.

The more shares you give out, the safer you will be.

If one wants the Marquis' Mansion to accept shares, not only must one have an acquaintance to act as a go-between, the assets must also be clean.

No matter how many shares are offered by gambling houses, brothels and other industries that damage their reputation, the Marquis' Mansion will not accept them.

"Madam, you really manage the household well."

Li Mu responded with a smile.

In the future, such behavior would be reported in the legal section, but now it is an unwritten rule in officialdom.

Even if the evidence was presented to the emperor, he would pretend not to have seen it.

Military generals don't love money, what do you want to do?
Adding all the income together, the Marquis's mansion's income in the past year was as high as more than two million taels.

Sixty percent of the profits came from maritime trade, 20% came from profits from mining and smelting, and the remaining 20% ​​came from dividends from shares.

Other miscellaneous income totaled only more than 10,000 taels, which could be completely ignored.

"A clean prefect can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years." It is reasonable for him to receive 400,000 taels of silver every year as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and protector of Annan.

His income was high and his expenses were not low either. Apart from the big expense of social connections, he also had to pay the salaries of the clerks and staff in the Governor's Office and the Protectorate's Office.

In order to control information in the court, he also maintained an intelligence team.

On weekdays, summonses are sent every three days, and in special circumstances, expedited routes are required.

Compared with these, the expenses within the Marquis' Mansion are not worth mentioning.

All the miscellaneous expenses added up, the annual expenditure was as high as more than 300,000 taels.

"My dear, although money is good, it will bring disaster if you spend it too much.

Even the Duke's Mansion's annual revenue used to be less than a quarter of our income.

Perhaps my father's income would be higher after he was transferred to another place, but it would not exceed 700,000 taels.

Judging from the current situation, the income of the Marquis' Mansion will continue to increase.

We have a surplus of millions of taels every year. We can afford it for a year or two, but it will be eye-catching after ten or eight years!"

Jing Yaqing said with a little embarrassment.

Worrying about money is a happy worry that will make people laugh if you tell others about it.

But according to the situation of the Hanshui Marquis Mansion, it will not take more than a few years to accumulate tens of millions of assets.

Even in the circle of nobles, he is unique.

"Ma'am, you worry too much.

The income of the Marquis's Mansion is able to widen the gap with other families, mainly due to the huge profits brought by maritime trade.

Putting aside this part of the profit, our income may not necessarily catch up with that of the Duke of Qian’s Mansion.

Apart from anything else, the number of mines under the name of my Hanshui Marquisate is far less than that of the Qianguo Duke's Mansion.

However, as they have developed to the present, many branches of the clan are making money from the industry, diluting the income of the main branch.

Those engaged in overseas trade were mainly southern gentry.

They wouldn't even have time to hide this kind of lucrative business, let alone publicize it.

Even if there were people in the north who were interested, they were in the Sea of ​​Japan and Goguryeo, where the profits were not that great.

What's more, participating in maritime trade also means facing the threats of sea waves and pirates.

On average, for every five trips out to sea, you will lose all your money once.

At least tens of thousands of people die in the sea every year.

We can make huge profits because my husband has the most powerful navy in the Dayu Dynasty, and the pirates dare not touch the fleet of the Marquis' Mansion.

As long as we don't tell anyone, it will be difficult for outsiders to accurately calculate the income of the Marquis' Mansion.

Even if it were leaked, who in Annan would dare to object?

You can run your business with confidence, but His Majesty and the officials in the court are hoping that your husband will be greedy for money and lustful, and sink into depravity."

Li Mu said calmly.

If it was in the early or middle period of the founding of the country, such income would be really hot money.

But now natural disasters and man-made calamities continue, and it is obviously the middle and late stage of the dynasty.

In troubled times, having soldiers is the only way to succeed.

After eight or ten years, it will be enough for him to run Annan.

Even if someone is watching, no one dares to take action.

“Husband, it’s good to have a plan.

You don't need to take your majesty and the officials' thoughts too seriously.

Annan is far away from the political center, and the storms from the outside world cannot reach here."

Jing Yaqing smiled slightly.

Originally, she felt a little resentful towards Li Mu for choosing to flee to Annan.

By now, the concept has changed.

Compared with "when the birds are all gone, the bows are put away; when the rabbits are dead, the dogs are cooked", it is obviously the best choice to retreat while the tide is turning.

Except for the fact that Annan is a little far away from relatives and friends in Beijing, everything else is favorable.

In a sense, this is also the three hundred years of reputation of the Duke of Qian and the Marquis of Zhenyuan being used to endorse the Marquis of Hanshui.

In the eyes of the emperor and his officials, Annan was an even more remote and poorer place than Yunnan, and recovering it was more for the sake of face for the great country.

Without decades of operation, the imperial court would not set up a provincial government office in the local area.

After all, Yunnan was the most important currency producing area of ​​the Yu Dynasty, and Annan seemed to have nothing now.

Without the Jinyiwei watching, Li Mu reported all the data on his own.

For agricultural production materials, directly apply Guangxi’s data and then reduce it by a few points.

There is no need to fake mineral resources, and Annan has just begun its development in this area.

Apart from coal and iron mines, the output of gold and copper mines is not high, and the output of silver mines is even pitifully small.

As part of Lingnan, such data coincides with the inherent cognition of the literati.

"My Lord, Madam, urgent news has come from the capital. Something big has happened in the court!"

The housekeeper hurried over and said.

After taking the secret letter and glancing through it, the couple's faces changed drastically.

I thought the sudden resignation of the Prime Minister was a big enough matter, but now bandits have appeared to kill the Prime Minister.

"Husband, this shouldn't be..."

Jing Yaqing suddenly shut up halfway through her words.

Doubting the emperor is a great disrespect.

Although the nobles had often complained about Emperor Yongning in private, this time things were different.

If it was really done by Emperor Yongning, Dayu, which had just stabilized, would be in turmoil again.

"do not know!"

“Okay, that’s all we need to know about this.

Don't tell anyone until the news is made public.

No matter which force did it, it would be fatal."

Li Mu said in a deep voice.

There is too little information at hand, and it is too difficult to infer the real culprit based on just a few words of intelligence.

The only thing that is certain is that the emperor will not have an easy life now.

Given the style of Dayu's civil servants, if something like this happened, they would definitely take the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Even if the real culprit is found, Emperor Yongning will still be scolded. …

The Mansion of the Duke of Qian.

"Sister-in-law, we should make a decision.

If this continues, the power in the hands of the government will be completely usurped by the governor's office!"

The middle-aged man said worriedly.

Having operated in Yunnan for more than two hundred years, the influence of the Duke of Qian's Mansion on the local area has long since penetrated into every corner.

It is not an easy task for local government to seize power from them.

However, the situation has changed in this generation of Duke Qian.

The heir is too young to take charge of the overall situation.

The various departments within the Duke's Mansion often fought among themselves for their own interests, which gave the Governor's Office an opportunity.

It happened that the White Lotus Rebellion broke out, and the governor's office took the opportunity to seize command of the army.

Taking advantage of the war, the governor's office purged many generals from the Duke's Mansion, resulting in a decline in the influence of the Duke of Qian's Mansion in the army.

In recent days, the governor's office has once again extended its tentacles to coinage.

Yunnan is rich in silver and copper. The silver and copper are mined from the mines, smelted locally and cast into currency, which is then distributed to various places.

During the feudal dynasty, the profits from minting coins for the court were not very lucrative.

But in addition to official money, there is also private money.

Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to draft water.

In name, mineral resources are nationalized, but in practice, private mining by individuals continues despite repeated prohibitions.

As a local tyrant, the Duke's Mansion naturally has no shortage of private mines.

The Duke of Qian's Mansion, which controls the right to mint coins, can legally mint private money.

They are all made from the same set of molds, and the quality of private money is exactly the same as official money.

Without numbering and stamping control, no one knows how much currency the Duke's Mansion issues each year.

In addition to the Duke's Mansion making huge profits, the people in charge of managing this matter also made a lot of money.

If the governor's office intervenes, it will be equivalent to cutting off their source of income.

Although the Duke's Mansion can still mint coins privately, it can never do so in such a high-profile manner as it does now.

The profits of these agents will be reduced to zero.

Since it involves their own interests, no one can sit still.

"Second brother, don't be anxious.

The government has been operating in Yunnan for hundreds of years, and it cannot be shaken by a few high-ranking officials.

The Governor's Office is merely testing the waters and has not taken any direct action yet. It is obvious that they are wary of us.

If they really want the right to mint coins, give it to them.

Without our cooperation, it would not be easy for them to complete their annual coin minting task.”

The woman sitting in the first seat said calmly.

If it were a few years ago, she would really be worried that the court would take the opportunity to regain the power of the Duke's Mansion and reduce them to ordinary nobles.

No need to worry about that now.

With the addition of the Hanshui Marquisate, which has been in Annan for generations, the imperial court has to consider the reaction of the Hanshui Marquis even if it wants to take action.

With someone to share the pressure, the Duke of Qian's Mansion is no longer conspicuous.

Compared with the Hanshui Marquis who is good at fighting, the Qianguo Mansion, whose heir is not even an adult, is not worthy of the emperor's fear.

Gains and losses.

It was precisely because of the lack of fear that the Governor's Office dared to constantly test their bottom line and gradually erode the power of the Duke's Mansion.

"Sister-in-law, it's easy to give up power, but it's hard to take it back.

These are the heritage left by our ancestors and cannot be destroyed in our hands.

Since those civil servants dare to interfere, we should chop off their claws!

The Burmese Kingdom is growing larger and larger and has already annexed many vassal states of our Dayu. It may become the second Annan at any time.

There will be a war sooner or later, so it is better to start it now and catch those civil servants off guard.

Once the war situation on the front line went unfavorable, they could only seek help from the Duke's Mansion in order to keep their official hats.

All the power that was lost before can be taken back!"

The man in blue on the side encouraged vigorously.

War is a dangerous thing, but it also brings great benefits.

After all, the Duke of Qian is a noble family. If they want to sound tough, the easiest way is to win military merits.

The more glorious his military achievements, the louder his voice would be in the court.

The four giants of the nobility are ready-made cases.

With the influence of the Duke of Qian's Mansion among the nobles, as long as they can perform well on the battlefield, they will have the opportunity to become the fifth giant among the nobles.

The current head of the family is young, which is a disadvantage for the family, but a great advantage for these uncles and aunts.

Since the Duke cannot command thousands of troops, the responsibility of leading the army to fight will naturally fall on them.

Once they have accomplished great things, the credit belongs to them.

Even if you don't expect to have two dukes in one family, it would be a huge profit if you can get an earl.

If all else fails, getting a position as a general is also a good option.

In essence, the children of the Duke of Qian were all stimulated by other noble generals.

After a war to quell a rebellion, the sons of noble families were given official positions in large numbers.

The number of lieutenant generals, deputy generals, and generals born in the past one or two years is more than the total number in the past ten years.

"Uncle Wu, it is easy to start a war, but it is difficult to end it.

Yunnan has been at peace for so long that the government troops have long been useless.

In the previous wars to suppress rebellions, the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition forces suffered more defeats than victories.

It is difficult to even deal with the rebels, let alone the Kingdom of Burma.

Although the thousands of private troops of the mansion have good combat effectiveness, their numbers are too small.

If you drag them to the battlefield, they will be easily outnumbered by the enemy."

As soon as the boy opened his mouth, the room instantly became quiet.

No matter how young he is, as long as the contemporary Duke of Qian opens his mouth, everyone must consider it carefully.

"Sir, we are not sure we can take down the Kingdom of Burma with our strength alone.

But it would be different if we had allies to help us.

According to the intelligence collected, the Annan region has stabilized.

Once the war breaks out, we can ask Han Shui Hou to send troops to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Kingdom of Burma.

......"

Before the man in blue could finish his words, he was interrupted by the wife of the Duke's Mansion.

"Don't waste your energy. I've contacted Hanshuihou Mansion through letters. They've just established themselves in Annan and have no interest in starting a war.

Even if we really have to fight, it will take several years.

Let's calm down and wait for the right time!"

She had no objection to starting a war, but it had to wait until her son came of age and took power.

Before this, any branch of the clan that became powerful would be a threat to the main branch.

……

Capital.

After various forces joined the investigation, they quickly identified the murderer - Bian Jun.

To be precise, it was a border army that surrendered to the Northern Tartars.

As for why they attacked Lord Wan's convoy, no one knows.

It is not easy for a joint investigation team composed of multiple government departments to find the murderer, and it is a luxury to expect efficiency.

By the time they locked on to their target, the murderer had already fled back to the grassland.

From the captured prisoners, we learned that they were bandits from nearby mountains and were forced by these vicious people to join the battle.

After the war, the border troops dispersed and evacuated, and they evacuated to the northwest in accordance with the orders from above.

From the very beginning, the Jinyiwei were diverted from the spotlight.

As for how these traitors sneaked in and how they hid from the sight of the local government, it was not something that these small pawns like them could know.

Before the investigation could be further carried out, many officials in Shuntian Prefecture committed suicide at home, including Shuntian Prefecture Yi.

Looking at the summarized investigation results, Xu Wenyue was very worried.

Simply saying that it was done by the Northern Tartars may seem to solve the problem, but no one will be satisfied with such a result.

The enemy cannot fall from the sky, and the officials of Shuntian Prefecture will not commit suicide for no reason.

(End of this chapter)