The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 455 Money is Power, Your Majesty Should Be Cautious

For ordinary people in Beijing, there are three most famous things that have happened recently!

First, the imperial court actually mortgaged the tax supervisor of Zhengyang Gate to Yuqing Bank and borrowed 2.4 million taels of silver in one go, saying that it was going to send troops to the snowy region!

The second thing is that the Crown Prince was granted the title of Prince of Qingqiu, became the General of Fubo, and also served as the Governor-General of Overseas Military Affairs!
The title is so long that you have to take a breath just to read it once; it's truly impressive.

As for the third thing, it is still related to the Crown Prince. Yuqing Bank used the tax revenue from Zhengyangmen over the past twenty years as collateral to issue a long-term wealth management deposit.

The young master named him "Wanfu Yin"!
This "Ten Thousand Blessings Silver" is issued in units of one hundred taels of silver. If deposited for one year, it earns two taels of silver in interest; for five years, fifteen taels; for ten years, forty taels...

In short, the longer you deposit, the more interest you earn!

Furthermore, Yuqing Bank also stated that this Wanfu Silver product supports transfer!

Well, now that the news has spread, the entire capital is buzzing with discussion.

In particular, the famous teahouse "Deyiju" in Beijing has practically become a debate venue.

"Master Chen, you run a bank, do you think this Wanfu Silver is reliable?" someone asked a middle-aged man, holding a wine glass.

The man known as Second Master Chen was a middle-aged man in his forties. He stroked his chin, somewhat hesitantly, and said, "I've never seen something like the Wanfu Silver before, so it's hard to say."

"But... but I know what the tax revenue of Zhengyangmen is like."

"Yuqing Bank can take down the tax supervisor, and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver a year is not a problem at all."

"If the imperial court could give me this lucrative position, I would sell everything I own to take it!"

Upon hearing Master Chen's words, someone chuckled and interjected, "Master Chen, wake up! You've got a good idea, but can you even come up with that much silver?"

“Yuqing Bank belongs to the Crown Prince. His Majesty contracted the tax supervision of Zhengyang Gate to Yuqing Bank, which is just a transfer from one hand to the other.”

"If you were in charge, it would be questionable whether the tax could even be collected."

This remark drew a burst of laughter.

Then someone else chimed in: "I heard that the Crown Prince appointed the Ninth Prince to oversee the tax collection at Zhengyang Gate. There shouldn't be any problem collecting the money."

"In that case, Yuqing Bank's Wanfu Silver seems to be reliable."

Master Chen nodded and said, "There's no need to worry about the returns on this Wanfu Silver. The Crown Prince wouldn't risk ruining the bank's reputation for two million taels of silver."

"These twenty years... are far too long!"

But then, a well-informed friend chimed in: "I heard that these certificates of deposit can be resold!"

"Your 100-tael Wanfu silver invoice can be transferred to someone else or to Yuqing Bank if you need the money urgently. However, the interest rate offered by Yuqing Bank will be lower before the due date."

"To transfer it to someone else, you just need to register it at Yuqing Bank."

"very simple!"

Upon hearing this, Master Chen's eyes lit up: "Oh, in that case, I have some spare silver at home, and it's just sitting there anyway, so I might as well buy two hundred taels!"

"Take it when you need it."

"If we don't need it now, we can wait twenty years and use the principal and interest to help my son get married!"

His words resonated with many people, and several nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. I'll get some Wanfu Silver too, just to be on the safe side."

While everyone was chatting enthusiastically, in the private room of Deyiju, Shen Ye was drinking tea and chatting with the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince.

Since the issue of military pay was resolved, Shen Ye now has complete freedom of movement in and out of the Forbidden City.

As long as you inform Emperor Qianxi, you can leave directly.

As for the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, they were in charge of building a fast passage to Tianjin, so it was very convenient for them to enter and leave the Forbidden City every day.

The expressway is now almost complete. Although the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince don't have to work, they still have a lot to worry about.

Over this period of time, both of them have lost weight, but they have more energy than ever!
"Second Brother, you really entrusted me with the tax supervision of Zhengyang Gate?" The Ninth Prince's voice trembled.

His greatest hobby in life is making money!
He had long coveted the tax supervisor position at Zhengyang Gate. He knew exactly how much silver could be earned there in a year, but unfortunately, as a prince, Emperor Qianxi would never allow him to manage such a position.

Shen Ye smiled and nodded at the Ninth Prince: "Of course."

"However, Ninth Brother, we must make this clear in advance: as the tax supervisor, you cannot arbitrarily change the tax collection standards; you must adhere to the standards set by the imperial court."

The Ninth Prince patted his chest and said with a smile, "Second Brother, please rest assured, I understand the rules! I will definitely not change any of the court's regulations."

“I don’t touch those who honestly run small businesses. I wouldn’t stoop to taking money from them.”

At this point, he winked and smiled slyly, saying, "The real big fish... hehe, are still those powerful and wealthy families. They are the ones I'm focusing on."

Shen Ye laughed and said, "Go ahead and do it without worry. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!"

“You pay me 240,000 taels of silver every year, and my father pays 100,000 taels.”

"I don't care how you divide the rest! You figure it out yourself!"

“Ninth Brother, if you can’t raise this much silver, either I’ll find someone else, or you can make up the difference yourself.”

"My Yuqing Bank is responsible for 2.4 million taels of military pay!"

The Ninth Prince understood perfectly, and with a smile, he raised his wine cup and said, "Your Highness is very insightful! I know what to do."

"If the tax supervisor outside Zhengyang Gate can't earn the figure you mentioned, I, Lao Jiu, will give you my head to kick around like a football."

"Besides what Yuqing Bank is entitled to, I also want to give you a gift for the New Year, Brother Crown Prince." "I absolutely cannot let you work for nothing."

Seeing his eager expression, Shen Ye smiled and reminded him, "Old Ninth, you'd better train someone trustworthy to manage the tax supervisor of Zhengyang Gate."

"If we're talking about the really big business, we have to look at ocean trade."

"Once my fleet is up and running, you'll see how profitable this business is. You'll be able to count money while lying down."

The Tenth Prince, who had been silent, couldn't help but speak up when Shen Ye mentioned the fleet: "Brother Crown Prince, when Ninth Brother and I were building the fast passage, we heard people say that it's not easy to train a navy."

"The imperial navy is only good for swimming in major rivers; they're completely ineffective at sea!"

"It would be difficult for you to train an elite navy capable of dominating the seas in a short period of time."

Shen Ye smiled mysteriously: "Training is not easy, but I never intended to train at all."

The tenth prince was taken aback!
If the Crown Prince isn't going to train any troops, is there some kind of navy that's going to fall from the sky?

"Your Highness, what are you planning to do?"

"Just you wait and see. After the imperial army sets out, I will gather my own navy. I should be able to put it into shape very quickly."

Shen Ye patted the tenth prince on the shoulder and said, "Tenth brother, this world is not just the land beneath our feet."

The tenth prince was completely confused. Although he didn't quite understand, his curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

Unlike Shen Ye, who was leisurely drinking, Emperor Qianxi was extremely busy.

At this time, he was finalizing various matters regarding the deployment of troops with Ma Qi and others.

"Your Majesty, the four million taels of silver have been allocated, and the army is ready to set off at any time." Having finally dealt with the matter that had troubled him for many days, Ma Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

A smile appeared on Emperor Qianxi's face.

Although he had returned from the hot spring palace, the anxiety he felt about being unable to send his army out to war due to lack of funds had finally vanished.

He glanced at Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, and Nuomin, the Minister of War, and said, "You two have worked hard these past few days."

"However, now that the army is on its way, it is not the time for you to rest."

"Once the army wins and drives the Dzungars out of the snowy region, I will reward them handsomely."

When it comes to bestowing rewards, once Emperor Qianxi has made a promise, he generally won't go back on it.

Therefore, his reputation in this regard is quite good.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Ma Qi and Nuomin quickly expressed their gratitude.

After exchanging a few words with Emperor Qianxi, Nuomin left to carry out his duties, while Ma Qi stayed behind.

"Ma Qi, is there something else?" Emperor Qianxi and Ma Qi had a special relationship. When he saw that Ma Qi deliberately stayed behind, he realized that he had something to do.

Ma Qi hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I feel that there are some things that are inappropriate to say, but if I don't say them, I feel uncomfortable."

When Emperor Qianxi heard Ma Qi say this, he understood somewhat.

He said calmly, "We are both ruler and subject, and friends."

"Speak your mind, and I will forgive you."

What Ma Qi wanted was exactly what Emperor Qianxi had to say.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, he lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, when I came here today, I heard that the Crown Prince's Yuqing Bank has issued a type of deposit called 'Wanfu Silver'."

"The interest is substantial, and it's secured by the Zhengyangmen Tax Supervisor of the Imperial Court."

He paused, then continued, "When I came here today, this Wanfu Silver had just gone on sale, but I have a feeling that it will be a huge hit once it goes on sale."

"Yuqing Bank will absorb a large sum of money again."

Emperor Qianxi listened silently without saying a word.

Ma Qi knew that remaining silent was a form of attitude.

He then said, "Yuqing Bank has issued silver dollars and paid salaries to civil and military officials. Not to mention anything else, even I have gradually become accustomed to using Yuqing Bank's silver dollars."

"Now Yuqing Bank is growing bigger and bigger. I heard that the Crown Prince is planning to open a Yuqing Bank in Yingtian Prefecture as well."

"If Yuqing Bank opens more and more branches, all the wealth in the world will gather in Yuqing Bank."

"This kind of existence, comparable to Taicang, should not be controlled outside the court, in my opinion."

After Ma Qi finished speaking, he lowered his head and remained silent.

Emperor Qianxi remained silent for a full two minutes, and the atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace became somewhat oppressive.

Although Ma Qi had already been pardoned by Emperor Qianxi, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He believed that Emperor Qianxi, who had experienced extreme anxiety due to lack of money, would definitely be tempted by his proposal.

After all, having money gives you the confidence to speak.

In many cases, money equals power!

Emperor Qianxi probably already kept this lesson in mind about the Crown Prince.

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(End of this chapter)