First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 898 Repaying the Debt with the Country

Li Shanchang is really old, with gray hair, accumulated wrinkles, cloudy eyeballs, and dense senile plaques... Looking at the stooped old Li, Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a while. This is how people are when they are old!

I don't know if I will be like this in another 30 to [-] years?

Zhang Ximeng actually felt so sad about the death of a rabbit, shouldn't he bully Lao Li?

Just as Zhang Ximeng was pondering, he found that Li Shanchang's body was limp and fell down... Zhang Ximeng was quick in his hands and helped Lao Li.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang also walked over quickly, wanting to stretch out his hand, but stopped in the end.Just asked: "Mr. Zhang, is Mr. Li okay?"

Zhang Ximeng was holding Li Shanchang's wrist, his pulse was still steady, so he should be fine.

But this guy kept rolling his eyes upwards, and there was foam on the corner of his mouth, Zhang Ximeng was really scared, if he scared Lao Li to death, it would be very lively.

"Brother Li, brother Li, be more energetic, you can say whatever you want."

Li Shanchang clenched his teeth, trembling all over, and was about to pass.Zhang Ximeng could only say: "Old Li! The common people have said that if you are seventy, you will not be beaten and you will not be scolded at eighty. At your age, let's just make it clear, and it won't hurt your wife and children!"

Hearing this sentence, Li Shanchang's eyelids opened instantly, his body stopped twitching, and he grabbed Zhang Ximeng's wrist with his backhand, gave him a hard look, and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"The surname Zhang? You have Zhang Liangji, and I have a wall ladder. If you play surprise attack, I will pretend to be dead! At worst, I will really die. Let me see if you can bear it?"

Li Shanchang is full of complacency. We have been fighting openly and secretly with Zhang Ximeng for many years. Although we have suffered losses, we have never really lost. This is our ability!

Can Zhang Ximeng not understand!

He could see right away that Li Shanchang was relying on the old to sell the old, and playing a rogue.

Sometimes, you really can't do anything. What can you do with him at his age and with his status?

tomato

But this is a matter of millions of dollars, not a few pumpkins and sweet potatoes, so don't be careless!

Zhang Ximeng could only wink at Lao Zhu, and Lao Zhu paused, then pointed to the side.

"Let's go to Guanhai Pavilion!"

The so-called Guanhai Pavilion was built by the imperial court when Lao Zhu drank Yanshan to his heart's content and made meritorious officials, and there was a stone tablet measuring one foot and eight feet beside it, which recorded the whole process of the banquet.

Over the years, Guanhai Pavilion has become a famous scenic spot in Shanhaiguan.

The only pity is that there are no poems left from that big banquet, otherwise, they must be memorized and written silently, and they will never escape.

Now the three monarchs and ministers sat down one after another. Zhang Ximeng was worried that Li Shan would pass by, so he made him a glass of wolfberry water that he drank.

"Brother Li, you drink first, and I'll buy you two old ginseng later, to help you live longer. If you love to die, just don't die in front of my eyes!"

Li Shanchang took two sips and sighed: "Master Zhang, I am in Korea. The most indispensable thing is ginseng, which is almost the same as radish. You don't need to spend money. I was just suddenly scared. I don't understand. How much courage is given to me? Well, I don't dare to take advantage of Daming. You know that I have killed no less than 200 million Koreans over the years. It is their flesh and blood that nourishes Beiping's industry. There is also Luzon. , In the sugarcane garden, they are all used! I can't figure it out, how can you doubt the old man! Grand Master Zhang, you have to complain to me!"

Li Shan had a long nose and burst into tears, sighed, and wiped away his tears.

Faced with this old man, Zhang Ximeng was really helpless.

At this age, if you really put on your old face and cry with you, what can you do?

Fortunately, there is Zhu Yuanzhang here!

"Mr. Li, you don't need to cry!"

Lao Zhu scolded, interrupting Lao Li's crying.

"Let me ask you, what do you mean when Daming Bank gave you a document asking you to uniformly adopt Daming-style banknotes? Could it be that Mr. Li thinks that our face is not big enough to be used by Korea, and that Mr. Li's face should be used, right? Bar?"

It was still Zhu Yuanzhang, this critical question was really too level, and there was no room for Li Shanchang to dodge at all.

Talking about pulling wool, that is too low-level.

If you want to talk about it, talk about the great crime of deceiving the emperor!

Chinese people have the problem of moderation and harmony. If you say that Li Shanchang is greedy for ink arbitrage, Lao Li will definitely not admit it, but if you say that he deceives the emperor, Lao Li will feel that it is okay to admit that he is greedy for ink.

Zhang Ximeng has been thinking about how to deal with Zhu Yuanzhang all these years, and he is indeed behind in some aspects.It is also reasonable for him to want to retreat to Linquan.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang's level is still there, and he can definitely pinch Lao Li's seven inches.

Li Shanchang could only helplessly say: "Return, if you return to the superior position, how dare I despise your majesty? I just want to make it easier for Daming to plunder wealth from Korea and squeeze gold and silver materials. That's why the old minister thinks that the currency in Korea is better than that in Daming. It's cheap, it's only half the face value, I, I didn't think about anything else!"

Li Shanchang can be regarded as an old fox, and he thought of a countermeasure in such a short time.

Fortunately, Zhang Ximeng was well prepared, no matter what, he would not let Lao Li run away.

"Brother Li, the thing is like this. Zhang Xin is the No. [-] scholar. He voluntarily gave up being an official and started to do business. He doesn't want to be an official. He is still the No. [-] scholar. If he said he would give up, he would give up. Later I found out that this Zhang Xin is a distant relative of Brother Li, it really surprised me!"

Hearing what Zhang Ximeng said, Old Li couldn't bear it anymore.

"Zhang Ximeng, Zhang Xin's admission to the first prize has nothing to do with the old man. I had already left Yingtian at that time. And I might as well tell you, don't look at it, only your Zhang family can study! I am a relative of Li Shanchang, and it is not for nothing. of!"

Zhang Ximeng rolled his eyelids, "Really? It's just that your relative is also surnamed Zhang!"

"You!" Li Shanchang was so angry that he blew his beard and stared!

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands, "Look at you two, you are not too young, and you are important ministers of the Ming Dynasty, our right-hand men, you can quarrel over this matter? Talk about business! What's the matter with this Zhang letter?"

Li Shanchang had no choice but to say: "If you return to the superior position, Zhang Xin is indeed very talented, and it is his own ability to be admitted to the No. [-] Scholar. It's just that he told me that the officialdom is too restrictive now, and he has worked hard all his life." , and may not be able to enshrine his wife and son, and benefit future generations. In contrast, doing business to become rich is also a way. And..."

"What else?" Lao Zhu asked.

Li Shanchang had no choice but to say: "Superior, isn't this Ming's inheritance tax? He wants to make a fortune in business and put his property in Korea. In this way, he can avoid the pain of taxation!"

"Humph!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he slapped the table, he was furious.

This old Li, even if he really has no intention of doing bad things, the people around him are all like this, just thinking about opportunistic and taking advantage.

With this thought alone, he is not worthy of being the number one scholar, and it is good to get out of the court.

"Mr. Li, he has this plan, but you actually cooperate with him and provide him with convenience, let him do business in Yingtian, make a fortune in the market, and even dare to fiddle with currency and make fun of the national law! Mr. Li, if this happened ten years ago , we will definitely chop off the heads of your nine clans!"

Lao Li was bitter and wanted to argue, but couldn't speak.

He heard that Zhang Xin wanted to start a business, so he thought that there were a lot of local products in Korea, and at worst there were so many people. It would be nice to have someone he could trust in Daming.

So Lao Li intends to cultivate Zhang Xin and provide convenience.

It is indeed true!

Without Lao Li's help, Zhang Xin would not be able to make such a big business.

But to say that the arbitrage this time was instigated by Lao Li, that would really wrong him.

But since he raised it, he can't completely get rid of the relationship.

Zhang Ximeng said in a deep voice: "Brother Li, you proposed to mark the banknotes circulating in Korea. But this letter is not marked, but it is used as Ming's banknotes to make money by lending money. Do you understand what the crime is?"

Li Shanchang is suffering, how can he not understand!

This money was supposed to be circulated in Korea, but it ended up being loaned out in Daming. The amount was not small, which would disrupt the financial order.

Moreover, his actions are equivalent to increasing the amount of money, which may cause prices to rise.

In fact, this kind of treasure is a fake!

A full 500 million counterfeit banknotes, what will be the result?

If it is really pursued, it is definitely enough for Lao Li to play Jiuzu Xiaoxiao once.

"Brother Li, I suppressed this matter and only revealed it when His Majesty came over to patrol the border. If this is placed in Yingtian, even if we want to protect you, the courtiers will not agree, do you understand?"

Li Shanchang cried, "Master Zhang, I understand, I understand everything! I thank you for your painstaking efforts... Don't go around in circles, what do you want to do? My old bone is here, how do you want to concoct it? In a word, I, Li Shanchang, have fallen!"

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help sighing, "It's Li Xianggong, I really understand it! You see, the thing is like this, if you insist on making the value of the treasures on both sides different, artificially separating Daming and Goryeo, that's not good, you Say it?"

"Yes! Indeed! I, my old lake is painted, Zhang Taishi, what do you say!"

"This matter is very simple...as long as you give up the previous requirements, the currencies on both sides will be unified. In this way, Zhang Xin holds the precious banknotes and lends money in Daming. ... This crime is definitely not a capital offense. If you are willing to cooperate actively, you will be fined at most, hundreds of thousands of dollars, do you think this is okay?" Zhang Ximeng laughed and said, "In front of the lord, I will openly help you get away with it. , To be honest, I have gambled my whole life's reputation, Brother Li, I am benevolent, so you can think about what to do!"

Li Shanchang rolled his old eyes and smiled helplessly. It's hard for your surname Zhang to say it!

"I can hear you clearly, and I know what Zhang Taishi means. You want me to hand over Gaoli to clear the account, right?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "You're still smart, Old Li! No one can compare to you!"

Li Shanchang cried, "If I was smart, I wouldn't lose Goryeo! Such a big piece of fat, Mr. Zhang, you are really dark!"

Zhang Ximeng laughed, "I also act according to my will, let's be considerate to each other, be considerate!"

Chapter 899 Allowed to Join Huaxia

Adhering to the will?

Could it be what Zhu Yuanzhang meant?

Li Shanchang peeked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and the next second, Old Li cried again, "The king ordered the minister to die, and the minister had to die. The old minister owes God's grace to this day. Now Your Majesty wants the old minister to die, and the veteran is willing to die. Just ask the superior to take care!"

This old Li is going to carry the rascal to the end.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help yelling and cursing, but he didn't care about it.You can see that Zhang Ximeng has so much pity for Li Shanchang, but Zhu Yuanzhang, who is furious, will not have it.

"Li Shanchang, if you are really impatient to live, we will send you away now, heroic veteran, we have not killed you before! You have a white head, if you say you cut it off, you will cut it off, don't sell it to us! You are shameless! !"

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Elder Li Shan was defeated, he really didn't dare to refute, his head was bowed, and his heart was beating wildly.He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was not joking.

But Li Shanchang was also hesitant. Logically speaking, Lao Zhu would not be so unfeeling. What is the problem?He couldn't figure it out for a while.

Seeing this, Zhang Ximeng sighed in his heart, after all, Lao Li was getting old and couldn't change his mind.

"Brother Li, a place like Koryo is close to Chichi and defends Beiping. Its position is extremely important. In the final analysis, it is more appropriate to include it in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also convenient to control."

Li Shanchang frowned. Indeed, Goryeo is too close, and it is also the old place of the Han Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang must merge these places in order to surpass the Han and Tang Dynasties.

In a word, there are places in the Tang Dynasty that we, Ming Dynasty, want to win, and those that the Tang Dynasty cannot win, we also want to win.

With this goal, Goryeo is absolutely no exception.

It can only be said that Li Shanchang was greedy for cheap and begged for the land of Koryo, but he never thought that Lao Zhu would definitely take it back if he was familiar with the business.

That's why we have to catch his mistake.

Zhang Ximeng had already seen the loopholes in printing currency, but Jiang Nan took the initiative to cooperate, listened to Lao Li's suggestion, and then Zhang Xin caught the loopholes with the help of a god, and made a fortune... How many stories are there, It's really hard to say.

So Zhang Ximeng didn't really want to arrest Li Shanchang, and even helped him get rid of the crime. Anyway, he only needs to hand over Gao Li.

Let's not talk about some things too much, or the big guy will lose face.

This was Zhang Ximeng's thoughts, and Lao Zhu should understand a little bit, but this time Zhu Yuanzhang had a sudden attack, and it seemed that he had murderous intentions, which was quite surprising.

"Li Shanchang, Goryeo is naturally going to be merged into Ming Dynasty. Let me tell you more, don't try to cooperate with them in evading taxes and transferring property. Our court relies on taxation to support us. Who dares to think about it? As long as we have a breath, I won’t agree!” Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, “Li Shanchang, you should be lucky, this time it’s just a plan and didn’t really do it! If that Zhang Xin did it, and it was indeed transferred to Korea, just look at us and we won’t kill you. The old dog head!"

Li Shanchang was so frightened that he was out of his wits, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. It was really not a joke. Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed different from other emperors.

In fact, most emperors didn't care much about the corruption of their subordinates.

Some officials even specialize in corruption to protect themselves.

If you love money, you will not be greedy for power. A corrupt official may not be able to learn from Wang Mang and replace him.

Therefore, regardless of the Han and Tang Dynasties, some famous officials were greedy for ink, and the emperor laughed it off, and even passed it on as a good talk.

But when it comes to Lao Zhu, this matter will not work.

We firmly control the power, and no one can take away a cent.

We will not be polite to corrupt officials.

You are greedy for money on the surface, but you are actually sucking the bones of the people, and the Ming Dynasty is based on the people, and in the final analysis, it is still corrupting the foundation of the country.

Even because of the existence of this group of people, the foundation of a country has been riddled with holes over time.

Flies don't bite seamless eggs, and Wang Mang didn't practice in a day or two.

It can even be said that if the officials at that time were as clean and honest as Wang Mang, maybe there would be no Wang Mang usurping the Han.

So for Lao Zhu, no matter when, he will never let corrupt officials go.

It is even more impolite to corrupt the finances and taxation and damage the foundation of the country.

Your Li Shanchang's neck is far from that hard!

"Old minister, I understand. Thank you for your kindness. I will hand over Goryeo later and merge it into Daming, and then I will return to my hometown to live in peace... The fallen leaves return to their roots, and I have no regrets."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly, but didn't say anything.