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

Chapter 470 They are all the masterminds behind the scenes
After seeing Li Shishi off, Pei Yuan went to visit Eunuch Lu Ting, who was about to ascend to the throne of the inner court.

Caring about Eunuch Lu’s life is secondary. The main thing is to let Lu Ting know that it was Captain Pei who gave him the throne of the future head of the Imperial Household Department!

When they arrived at Lu Ting's house, the doorman heard that it was Pei Yuan who came to visit, so he quickly welcomed the person in, invited him into the main hall, and then asked someone to quickly notify the steward.

Eunuch Lu was yawning when he came out, and he had just changed his clothes.

When he saw Pei Yuan and Chen Xinjian waiting in the hall, he quickly scolded the steward who came with him, "Why don't you serve tea quickly? When Captain Pei comes over next time, you must serve him well regardless of whether I am at home or not."

Pei Yuan was very touched by Eunuch Lu's generosity.

It is indeed a friendship of mutual respect, and it is worthy of the daring things they have done together.

Then Eunuch Lu gave another instruction, "I don't need any tea. I have to go back to sleep later. I won't sleep well after drinking tea."

Pei Yuan: “…”

He looked at Lu Ting in surprise and asked, "How can you still sleep at this time?"

Lu Ting was a little confused by Pei Yuan's question, "Why can't I sleep?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "It seems that Eunuch Lu is unaware of this. Zhang Rui is now dealing with Zhang Yong. This should be the emperor's intention. In other words, the vacancy of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department will be filled soon."

Lu Ting answered in surprise, "I know. The eunuchs Zhang Zhong and Yin Sheng who followed me to fight the thieves last time sent someone to deliver a letter to me in the afternoon."

"It is said that Zhang Yong has been called in for questioning by the governor of the East Factory. Now there are rumors in the palace that the eunuch who holds the seal will choose one between me and Xiao Jingzhong."

"Zhang Zhong and Yin Sheng are close to me, and Xiao Jing will not let them have an easy time if he goes up, so they are very enthusiastic about this matter."

Pei Yuan was relieved to find out that Lu Ting did have his own followers in the palace.

That's right, military merit is a very important attribute of the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty. Many eunuchs in the palace took advantage of this rebellion to gain military merit. Among them, some of them must be close to Dayong and Lu Ting.

These big officials have the experience of having worked for Lu Ting, so it would be very difficult for them to make progress under Xiao Jing. It would be better for them to go all the way and take a chance with Lu Ting.

But Pei Yuan asked in confusion, "Since Eunuch Lu knows that this is a critical moment, why does he still want to sleep so early?"

Lu Ting said as a matter of course, "I have already told Zhang Zhong and Yin Sheng, we just stay inside, and let Captain Pei handle the external affairs. What do I have to worry about?"

Pei Yuan almost suffocated when he heard this.

Others are the masterminds behind the scenes, but when it comes to me, they become the slaves behind the scenes? !
Seeing that Pei Yuan didn't respond for a long time, Lu Ting asked curiously, "Didn't you arrange the Zhang Yong incident?"

Pei Yuan raised his head and sighed, but could only say, "Yes!"

Seeing that Pei Yuan was not in high spirits, Lu Ting pondered Pei Yuan's purpose and said, "Could it be that you didn't handle Xiao Jing's situation well? With your ability, this shouldn't happen."

What could Pei Yuan say? He said indifferently, "Xiao Jing will soon be marginalized and will not pose a threat to Eunuch Lu."

Lu Ting was puzzled, "So you are here?"

Pei Yuan held it in for a long time before he said, "Remind the father-in-law not to sleep too deeply and forget to pee himself."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he left sadly with Chen Xinjian while Lu Ting was still confused.

After walking out of Lu Ting's house, Pei Yuan looked around and couldn't help but sigh, "I have worked so hard for so long, but I don't know who got the advantage."

Chen Xinjian, who was always considerate in the past, lowered his head guiltily and did not dare to respond.

After a while, seeing that Pei Yuan didn't know what he was thinking, Chen Xinjian was afraid that his boss would think too much, so he quickly interrupted and asked, "Will Qianhu go back to the old house in Dengshikou tonight, or stay at Zhihua Temple?"

Pei Yuan came back to his senses, thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back to Zhihua Temple."

There's a lot going on these days.

Tomorrow Wang Hua will go to Beijing to take the court, while Wang Qiong will leave Beijing to fight in the wild. This is the most crucial step in introducing the Whip Method.

Wang Hua can choose not to welcome it, and Pei Yuan can also refuse this favor, but Wang Qiong must give it up.

Moreover, Xia Zhu will go to the gate of Shouning Marquis's mansion to complain tomorrow, and Pei Yuan also wants to see how effective this farce he is leading will be.

Pei Yuan also had to keep an eye on the affairs of Zhang Yong, the eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department. If the final punishment was not exile to Nanjing, but to make him keep vigil for the late emperor in Beijing, then Pei Yuan would have to find a way to send him to Nanjing.

Pei Yuan must eradicate the two brothers, Zhang Yong and Zhang Rong.

Pei Yuan returned to Zhihua Temple and fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion. It seemed that he had just closed his eyes for a short while when he heard the crowing of roosters outside.

Thinking about how many things there were to do today, Niuma behind the scenes climbed out of bed crying, ready to give final work instructions to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was about to leave Beijing.

When Pei Yuan and his personal soldiers hurried to the city gate, the gate had just opened.

He and Wang Qiong met inside the city gate.

This time Wang Qiong left in a rather embarrassed manner, and no one seemed to see her off.

The main reason was that he secretly had an affair with the emperor, which was too much like Jiao Fang back then.

The ministers were very disgusted with his behavior and did not give Wang Qiong any face.

As for the younger brothers in the Ministry of Revenue, they had already realized that Wang Qiong would probably have no chance to return to Beijing in the future. Perhaps in a year or two, he would be sent south with an imperial edict.

In addition, the person Wang Qiong stabbed in the back this time was Sun Jiao, the top boss of the Ministry of Households, so no one was willing to get involved in this mess.

Seeing Brother Pei waiting at the city gate to see him off early in the morning, Wang Qiong was deeply moved and quickly said, "Brother Pei, please get in the car and talk."

Pei Yuan didn't hesitate, he jumped off his horse, lifted the curtain and went in.

As the light changed, Pei Yuan realized halfway up the carriage that there were actually two people in it.

After another analysis, Pei Yuan was suddenly startled.

Damn it! Wang Qiong, the sixth brother, actually brought Wang Shouren to wait for me!

Dangerous!
Seeing Pei Yuan standing there in a daze, Wang Qiong asked curiously, "Young friend?"

Following Pei Yuan's gaze, he looked at Wang Shouren beside him, and suddenly remembered that the last time Pei Yuan left Beijing, he had mentioned that there was some small misunderstanding between him and Wang Shouren.

Wang Qiong was now at her wit's end and could finally see who her true friend was. Of course, she didn't want the two friends to have any irreconcilable conflicts.

He quickly half stood up, took Pei Yuan's sleeve, and said with a smile, "Why don't you come up."

Pei Yuan had no choice but to get in the car.

When Wang Shouren saw Pei Yuan coming up, he remembered who this person was and nodded with a polite smile.

Before Pei Yuan could say hello, Wang Qiong grabbed Pei Yuan's hand with one hand and Wang Shouren's hand with the other, put them together, and said with great emotion, "I have been in the political world for so many years, and I have only made two of you true friends."

"I see that you are all people who care about the country and the people. I hope you can work together and do your best for the people of this world."

Pei Yuan was so embarrassed that his toes almost scratched the bottom of the car.

Wang Shouren also felt a little uncomfortable.

It’s just that Wang Shouren is already middle-aged, and he is also a living saint today. His character and mind are much stronger than Pei Yuan’s.

He immediately smiled and wanted to hold Pei Yuan's hand to express his goodwill.

But old man Wang Qiong pressed hard, and Pei Yuan had big hands. So Pei Yuan felt that Saint Wang was scratching his palm and smiling at him.

Pei Yuan only felt a chill running up from his tailbone, and goose bumps all over his body were like a thousand scales of armor were blooming.

Fortunately, Saint Wang said in time, "I often hear Lord Wang mention Pei Xiaoyou. I know that Pei Xiaoyou has outstanding character and extraordinary knowledge. If there is a chance in the future, I will make friends with him."

When Pei Yuan heard what Saint Wang said, he subconsciously glanced at Wang Qiong.

Wang Qiong whispered, "In order to be completely thorough, I have discussed the matter of the Single Whip Method with him."

Pei Yuan wasn't too surprised.

Wang Qiong admired Wang Shouren very much and liked to discuss many things with him. In the last memorial Wang Qiong submitted to the emperor, many of the military strategies in it were edited by Wang Shouren.

It is not surprising that the news of the Single Whip Law reached Wang Shouren.

This matter was of great importance, so Pei Yuan could only swallow his pride and continue communicating with Wang Qiong, holding Saint Wang's skinny little hand under Wang Qiong's enthusiastic arrangement.

Pei Yuan thought that Wang Shouren was acting like a nephew to Wang Qiong, so he couldn't lose face, so he asked shamelessly, "Brother Wang, what do you think of my idea?"

Saint Wang said sincerely, "What you are thinking of is truly a good way to save the country and the people."

Pei Yuan was secretly delighted, very good, if you dare to call me brother, I will be the second sage in the future!

Pei Yasheng was secretly happy when he heard Saint Wang say, "There is just one thing that I am still hesitant about."

Pei Yuan quickly said, "Brother, please speak."

Wang Shouren said, "If taxes are tied to land, and the taxes to be paid are calculated uniformly, is there any gold, silver or copper coin reserve in the world that can support such a large scale?"

Pei Yuan was shocked. He was indeed a saint. He thought of the key point immediately.

Pei Yuan knew that such things required a reasonable explanation, otherwise the foundation of the entire "One Whip Method" would not exist.

In history, after the "One Whip Law" was proposed by Gui E, it failed to be successfully implemented. There is a high possibility that the silver transported by the Japanese and Arabs could not support such a large volume.

It was not until a large amount of Spanish silver entered the Ming Dynasty that the conditions for implementing the "Single Whip Law" were met.

Wang Qiong, who is beside him, is the key person in Pei Yuan's implementation of the plan.

Given the close relationship between Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren, such a thing could not be concealed.

Pei Yuan decided to tell part of the truth, "I have some ideas, but they are not mature enough. I have something on me, and I am willing to show it to you, brother."

Wang Shouren was surprised when he heard this, and then he smiled, "What a coincidence, I am also thinking about this matter, and I also brought something with me, I can show it to you."

Wang Qiong laughed and separated their hands. "In that case, hand them both to me and let me be the judge."

Both of them found it interesting and quietly handed the things they were carrying to Wang Qiong.

As soon as Wang Qiong grasped it in his hand, he understood what was going on and couldn't help laughing.

Then he spread out his hands and showed them in front of the two of them.

It turned out to be a folded Ming Dynasty treasure note.

Wang Qiong unfolded the two Ming Dynasty treasure notes in his hand, looked around, and exclaimed, "This is what they call great minds think alike."

Pei Yuan was not surprised that Saint Wang would think of this.

after all.

He is a saint, and I am only a sub-saint.

Wang Shouren was somewhat surprised that Pei Yuan, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had such foresight.

He took the initiative to ask, "Brother, why did you think of the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes? This thing is not far from being abandoned now."

Pei Yuan said frankly, "With the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, it is obviously unrealistic to invest a lot of resources in a trading tool. Whether it is mining or robbing everywhere, it will involve a lot of costs."

"When the currency itself carries a higher cost, do you know what this means? This means that these costs must also be added to such transactions."

"For example, copper coins. Copper itself is very valuable. Copperware of the same weight can be several times more expensive than copper coins of the same weight."

"So the state will not take copper coins for nothing and give them to the people as a means of transaction. It must realize the cost of the coins in terms of value."

"What does this mean? It means that when ordinary people get a copper coin, they have already paid for the cost attached to it."

"In other words, the cost of the court's mining and plundering of gold, silver and copper was all shared by the people in the form of coins."

"In essence, the state has sold the process of 'mining and plundering' to the people to obtain currency."

“People need to bear a lot of extra burden for this.”

Pei Yuan said, asking the two elders, "Can the people of the Ming Dynasty still bear such an extra burden?"

Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren did not expect Pei Yuan's thinking to be so unconventional, but they both shook their heads.

Pei Yuan picked up a Ming Dynasty treasure note and said firmly, "Gold, silver, and copper won't fall from the sky, nor will they appear in the Ming Dynasty treasury out of thin air, but Ming Dynasty treasure notes can!"

"The Great Ming Treasure Note can fill the transaction functions required by the Single Whip Law at the fastest speed. And the additional cost it imposes on the people is minimal!"

Before Wang Shouren could say anything, Wang Qiong became impatient.

He was an old bureaucrat in the Ministry of Revenue, and pointed out the key point incisively, "But the excessive printing of Ming Baochao has caused the government and the public to change their minds. The credibility of Ming Baochao has completely fallen to the bottom. It is impossible to revive Baochao."

After hearing what Wang Qiong said, Wang Shouren also fell silent.

Pei Yuan looked at the two and asked, "Do you two agree that the Single Whip Law has great benefits for the national economy and people's livelihood?"

Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren both said, "Of course."

Pei Yuan asked again, "Do you two agree with what I just said? Reviving the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes is the most necessary way to implement the One Whip Law."

The two looked at each other and said, "Of course."

Pei Yuan then looked at the two of them and said seriously, "If a correct thing has a correct answer, then what we need to do is to push this correct answer to become a fact."

"To promote this correct answer, there are only two points. First, we must find a way to solve the problem of excessive issuance of Ming Dynasty treasure notes; second, restore the world's confidence in Ming Dynasty treasure notes! Achieving these two points can make Ming Dynasty great again!"

Listening to Pei Yuan's passionate words, the two men couldn't help but look excited and feel heroic in their hearts.

Pei Yuan said solemnly, "You two are outstanding people of the time. If anyone can join us in promoting this event, I will not think of anyone else in this world."

"Why don't the three of us make an alliance and do our part together?"

"You two can brainstorm on how to improve the One Whip Law and solve the problem of excessive issuance of Ming Dynasty treasure notes. As for restoring people's confidence in Ming Dynasty treasure notes, although I am not talented, I am willing to give it a try to save Ming Dynasty!"

Pei Yuan looked around with high spirits, "How is it?!"

Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren were both secretly impressed and full of praise.

The three men then high-fived in the car and swore an oath that they must save the Ming Dynasty and restore its glory!
(End of this chapter)