Our family has been rebelling for generations, and you've become the top scholar in the imperia

The next morning.

The entire Prince Yun's residence was surrounded.

Qin Feng followed behind Eunuch Miao, leading a large number of imperial guards to search the house.

The emperor was furious.

A thorough investigation was demanded, and some officials from the Ministry of Works were arrested by Qin Feng and his men.

Of course, the most important one is the Prince Yun's Mansion.

Confiscating his property is certain, but he won't necessarily be killed. After all, he is a nobleman and the emperor's uncle, so that must be taken into account.

The entire capital was shaken. No one expected that Qin Feng would take action against the Xishan Coal Mine on his very first day in office. Moreover, even the Prince Yun's residence was surrounded. Clearly, the Emperor was on Qin Feng's side.

In a short time.

The other nobles in the capital were filled with anxiety, fearing that they might have offended Qin Feng like Prince Yun.

After all, using their status to earn money from the imperial court is a basic practice for nobles. Everyone does it and nothing has ever gone wrong. So why did the Xishan Coal Mine anger the emperor this time and demand a thorough investigation?

Many nobles gathered together to discuss how to deal with the matter.

Prince Yun has already been sent to the palace, and no one knows what his fate will be.

but……

The merchants and shopkeepers who bought mining rights from the King of Transport were all sent to prison.

Judging from the situation, this matter is unlikely to end so easily.

"Who exactly is this Qin Feng? He suddenly brought down the Prince of Yun. It's really frightening. The Prince of Yun at Xishan Coal Mine earns a lot of money every year. If this is found out, he might have to guard the imperial mausoleum for the rest of his life."

Beijing.

Inside a private room of a restaurant.

Several nobles from the capital gathered together, discussing the matter with sighs and reflections.

"This year's top scholar, huh? But this kid isn't a good person. He was responsible for the deaths of several members of the Nanlin Party, and even the Vice Minister of Rites was punished. I never expected him to suddenly target our Xun Gui. We haven't offended him. What exactly does he want?"

"or……"

Just then.

One of the dukes stroked his chin and suggested in a low voice:

"Let's send someone to make contact with this Qin Feng. We're not involved in the Xishan Coal Mine. The Prince of Yun is arrogant and unwilling to help us make money. Now it seems like a good thing. We might as well give Qin Feng some face and at least get acquainted with the Prince of Yun's other businesses."

Upon hearing this, several of them nodded repeatedly.

That's right!

The Prince of Yun is in danger anyway; he'll spend the rest of his life guarding the imperial tomb and reflecting on his actions, with no chance of ever coming out again.

Since that's the case, why not give Qin Feng some face and proactively inform him about some of the Prince of Yun's business dealings? That way, even if the Emperor finds out, he will reward them and not associate with the Prince of Yun.

It's really...

No one could have imagined that Qin Feng would be able to bring down the Prince Yun's Mansion right from the start.

It really startled everyone. Although he was an official of the Ministry of Works, he had hundreds of guards under his command. This would never have happened before.

They couldn't fathom what the Emperor was thinking.

If they really make a move against Xun Gui.

It is absolutely necessary to befriend Qin Feng in advance.

What Qin Feng didn't expect was...

In order to bring the Xishan Coal Mine into the hands of the Ministry of Works, a group of nobles in the capital actually took the initiative to curry favor with them.

Meanwhile, in the eyes of many scholars in the capital, especially within the Nanlin Party, in addition to colluding with the eunuch faction, there was another charge: associating with powerful and influential figures...

……

"Your Majesty!"

Inside the Imperial Study.

Zhou Zhengde waited for the result from dawn till dusk, and finally Qin Feng and the other person returned.

"Tell me, how much was confiscated from the Prince of Yun's residence?"

Qin Feng and Eunuch Miao exchanged a glance, and Qin Feng immediately cupped his hands and said:

"Including gold and silver jewelry, as well as calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, Your Majesty, all of these items add up to more than four million taels."

"How many?"

Zhou Zhengde had thought about it a lot.

I was still taken aback by this number.

The total tax revenue collected by the Ministry of Revenue for the entire Zhou Dynasty was only four million taels.

So much was found in just one Prince Yun's residence.

What does this mean?

This proves that Qin Feng was right; the Xishan Coal Mine was very profitable. Otherwise, where would the Prince of Yun's mansion have gotten so much silver?

"Two million taels will be deposited into the Ministry of Revenue's national treasury, and the remaining two million taels will be deposited into the Imperial Treasury. Prince Yun has committed a heinous crime and is hereby punished to guard the Imperial Mausoleum for the rest of his life in repentance. Without my decree, he shall not leave the Imperial Mausoleum even for a moment."

"but……"

As he spoke, Zhou Zhengde looked at Qin Feng.

"What are your plans for the Xishan Coal Mine in the future?"

coming!

Here comes the point!

The Ministry of Works was naturally responsible for operating the Xishan Coal Mine, including all aspects. However, there was a prerequisite: in addition to paying taxes and providing funds to the imperial treasury, the Ministry of Works had to retain some of the silver.

"Your Majesty, in the future, I would like the Ministry of Works to mine the Xishan Coal Mine itself, without selling mining rights. The Ministry of Works will also be responsible for transportation and hiring workers. A business will be established in the name of the Ministry of Works, mainly responsible for the operation of the Xishan Coal Mine."

"To establish a trading company in the name of the Ministry of Industry?"

Zhou Zhengde frowned, his expression one of astonishment.

He had always assumed that Qin Feng would continue to sell mining rights according to the previous standards and strengthen supervision of the Xishan Coal Mine.

did not expect……

They actually want the Ministry of Works to do it themselves.

"With so many mines, the number of workers needed is far more than a few thousand, not to mention transportation, sales, and the overall workload. Can the factory really handle it all?"

"emperor!"

Qin Feng cupped his hands in greeting and explained in a deep voice:

"There's nothing we can do about it. If I don't personally oversee it, no matter who the mining rights are sold to, there will always be ways to make money. Only if the Ministry of Works is personally in charge of the mining and reports the detailed operating situation to His Majesty every month can we prevent nobles from getting their hands on the Xishan coal mine."

Zhou Zhengde was well aware of this.

That's how the "King of Fortune" operates.

With the power of the Prince's Mansion, he forced all merchants not to purchase mining rights from the Ministry of Works.

The King of Transport can do this.

Other nobles can do the same.

"but……"

"But what?"

"On behalf of the Ministry of Works, since we are going to hire workers to mine, things can't be the same as before. Wages should be transparent, and appropriate compensation arrangements should be made. Your Majesty, mining is very dangerous. Once it collapses, the people inside will hardly survive. Therefore..."

Qin Feng said in a very serious tone:

"Besides the taxes paid to the Ministry of Revenue, I will send a proportion of the surplus silver to the Imperial Palace. As for the remainder, I hope Your Majesty will allow me to retain it in the Ministry of Works for the purpose of paying wages and compensation!"

"With more money, I can repair the capital and pave roads without having to worry about the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhou Zhengde didn't speak directly, but lowered his head to think about the problem.

Listen to what Qin Feng means.

The future mining of Xishan Coal Mine will become a business for the palace, although it will be nominally operated by the Ministry of Works.

Tax revenue going to the Ministry of Revenue can shut up all the ministers.

"The idea is good, but the tax revenue is not a small amount. In the past, it was sent directly to the imperial treasury. If I were to receive a cut behind the scenes..."

"Your Majesty can guarantee that the silver you receive will not be less than twice the amount of tax revenue."

Qin Feng patted his chest and assured him.

That's only a little bit.

Mining is indeed highly profitable, but...

There's another big money-making opportunity here.

transportation!!!