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

Chapter 645 Han Qianhu's Sense of Participation

Seeing Han Qianhu's anger, Pei Yuan felt a strange sense of smug satisfaction.

No matter how much Han Qianhu denies it, with the imperial decree of marriage before her and the approval of relatives and friends afterward, she has already been socially assigned a certain identity.

Normally, she might be able to ignore these things imposed on her.

However, upon realizing the danger in Pei Yuan's words and facing the potential crisis, Commander Han was forced to abandon his self-deception and inevitably put himself in that persona to think about the problem.

In other words, Han Qianhu had subconsciously assumed that Pei Yuan's adventure might implicate him.

This underlying psychological logic actually reveals her self-identification with this identity.

Pei Yuan quickly concealed his smugness and reassured his tigress, "It was just a joke before. I've made thorough preparations for this."

To enhance persuasiveness.

Pei Yuan then gave another example, "Back then, we were able to sell the Bazhou army to Prince Ning with nothing. Is this matter even more dangerous than that one?"

Perhaps it is because Pei Yuan's battle record is verifiable and indeed very convincing.

Han Qianhu looked at Pei Yuan and warned, "You'd better remember what you said."

Seeing that Commander Han's attitude was softening, Pei Yuan knew that she was no ordinary woman, so he tried to entice her with benefits, saying, "If this matter succeeds, I will control Shandong, and you will control Huguang. We can support each other from afar, and who can touch us?"

As expected, Commander Han inevitably put himself in another role and thought about it for a moment.

Even though it's just a thought, it does seem to give me a strong sense of security.

In the end, this world still comes down to strength.

Commander Han tentatively asked, "What do you plan to do?"

This matter involved Pei Yuan's long-term planning, and even though Han Qianhu was in front of him, Pei Yuan did not want to say it aloud.

So he vaguely replied, "Things are urgent, and it can't be explained in just a few words."

Upon hearing this, Commander Han scoffed and adopted an attitude that indicated he was too lazy to listen anyway.

Pei Yuan was absolutely smitten by Han Da Mei'er's aloof and self-possessed demeanor.

After thinking about it, he decided that he should still give Commander Han a sense of participation.

As long as she doesn't regret it.

Pei Yuan then said, "This time I plan to leave the capital to kill someone. This matter needs to be kept absolutely secret, and I also need to make some cover-ups."

"At that time, I will make some arrangements in the capital. I only ask that you, Commander, do not expose me."

Commander Han said with slight dissatisfaction, "That's it?"

Fortunately, she didn't insist on anything and sent Pei Yuan away with an impatient look on her face.

Pei Yuan left Zhihua Temple, looked back, and revealed a barely perceptible smile.

Little Commander Han, hurry up and come into my bowl.

Just as Pei Yuan was secretly pleased with himself, Xiao Tong and Lu Yong, quite oblivious to the situation, approached and asked, "Commander, are you staying here tonight, or going back to the old residence?"

Pei Yuan wanted to stay and sleep there defiantly, but he probably wouldn't escape the fate of sleeping on the floor anyway.

So he said, "I have something to discuss with someone tonight, let's go back to the old house."

After saying this, he instructed Xiao Tong to go and find the land tax.

Tian Fu is one of the few people Pei Yuan currently has who is good at strategizing.

Although Huo Tao and Tian Fu were equally brilliant and both possessed exceptional quick wit, Huo Tao was younger and had not yet witnessed much of the darker side of society.

Tian Fu was already middle-aged and came from a family of strategists, so his moral standards were even lower.

Even if Pei Yuan asked him to do something outrageous, they could still have a tacit understanding between them.

This means that someone like Tian Fu would be even more at ease in Pei Yuan's hands.

In addition, Tian Fu has been repeatedly honed in Luo's teachings over the past year, which has also enhanced his practical skills.

Yun Buxian stumbled upon the right person by chance when he brought up the matter of the paper money speculation.

Pei Yuan plans to leave the capital briefly in the next few days, and he needs someone who can oversee the overall situation.

Tianfu is a perfect candidate for this position.

After Pei Yuan returned to his old house in Dengshikou, he waited in the front yard.

As evening approached, Tian Fu, who had just finished his shift, came to pay his respects with Xiao Tong.

Pei Yuan had some wine and dishes prepared, and he and Tian Fu drank a few cups of wine alone.

When asked about Tian Fu's current situation, he said he was currently observing politics at the Ministry of Works, and according to rumors, he would be assigned to the Ministry of Personnel as a clerk.

The "pedestrians" in the Pedestrian Affairs Bureau mainly do errand-running work.

In theory, a "traveler" who has reached the highest level of cultivation can even be sent on diplomatic missions to foreign lands.

However, these kinds of tasks that make it easy to gain reputation are usually led by powerful civil officials or recruited from the Hanlin Academy.

Even if "pedestrians" can participate, they are mainly just running errands for people who parachute in to farm reputation.

In short, it is a very demanding position with little chance of advancement.

In the original history, the land tax ranked tenth in the second class, directly entering the sixth department, which was second only to the Hanlin Academy.

However, due to Yang Tinghe's misconduct, a large number of papers were judged haphazardly, causing the land tax to only rank first among the top three.

The future looks rather bleak.

Fortunately, both of them understood that Tian Fu's future did not lie in this, so they briefly mentioned it and then moved on from the topic.

Pei Yuan had nothing to hide from Tian Fu, a core strategist. While slowly sipping his wine, he explained in detail his idea of ​​linking the Great Ming Treasure Note with the Single Whip Law to Tian Fu.

He even told Tian Fu about how he had persuaded the emperor to recognize the importance of the Ming Dynasty's paper money.

At first, Tian Fu listened calmly to Pei Yuan's words, showing only a slight interest in the Single Whip Law. However, when he heard that the Emperor had decided to fully support the Great Ming Treasure Notes and even planned to completely abolish silver and copper coins in currency circulation, he showed obvious interest.

Pei Yuan noticed Tian Fu's change in attitude and asked him with a smile, "What's your opinion on this matter?"

After thinking for a moment, Tian Fu cautiously replied, "The value of the Ming Dynasty banknotes is not something we can decide. It is determined by those who accept them through massive transactions and circulation. Only through repeated verification by a large number of transactions can the people of the world reach a consensus on the value of the banknotes."

"In addition, the most important thing to support the value of the Ming Treasure Note is to control the source. Only by getting His Majesty to curb the impulse to issue excessive amounts of banknotes can the people build confidence in the Ming Treasure Note."

"After all, in the end, paper money is just a piece of paper. And the people's confidence is hard to measure in terms of price."

“The credibility of the Ming Dynasty’s paper money is extremely low right now. I am worried that hastily linking such a fragile currency to the court’s finances and taxes will cause large-scale chaos.”

“The thousand-household commander can imagine that once the Single Whip Law is implemented, the people will pay their taxes with Ming Dynasty paper money, and will no longer need to pay the expensive costs of smelting silver.” “Where will the money saved by the people come from? It will come from the savings of local governments.”

"How could those officials and runners possibly let it go without this money, which is hard-earned by the people?"

"Therefore, this policy that benefits the people naturally arouses hatred among local officials."

"Such a Single Whip Law, which aroused the hostility of local officials, and tied to such a fragile currency, could easily provoke a backlash from the people and paralyze the new policy if someone took the opportunity to incite or deliberately misinterpret it."

"If the policy of binding the Single Whip Law with paper money cannot be implemented, even the slightest delay could lead to the death of officials and the collapse of the policy."

After listening, Pei Yuan couldn't help but sigh, "Minister Tian truly has the talent of a prime minister."

After saying that, he briefly revealed his thoughts to Tian Fu, "The imperial court will probably try this policy in Shandong."

"The Luo sect is spread throughout the countryside and towns of Shandong, and the chief priest travels to the streets and alleys. It is a good opportunity to spread the new policies among the people. Let's get things done first, so that the people can understand the benefits of the new policies and avoid being incited by those with ulterior motives and coerced into chaos."

"As long as the overall situation doesn't fall into chaos, we have room to make arrangements calmly."

Upon hearing this, Tian Fu, fearing that Pei Yuan's expectations were too high, quickly said, "The Luo Cult has developed rapidly, but its organization is rudimentary. Many of its branches in various places are actually only under our nominal control."

"Many of the disciples who went out to preach, just as they were establishing themselves in a certain place, were secretly intervened by local powerful figures who then used their influence to gradually seize control of the local church."

"As for those priests and Taoist priests, many of them are cunning and shrewd, and they probably won't be of much use."

After recounting the chaotic state of the Luo Sect, Tian Fu said with shame, "I had noticed these circumstances long ago and intended to sort them out properly, but I didn't expect the special imperial examination to begin. I was also worried that Chen Tou Tie might act recklessly, so I temporarily put the matter aside."

Pei Yuan didn't seem to care when he heard this.

Luo Jiao was a failed product that lacked any strategy and only sought rapid expansion.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan had successfully listed the Luo Sect before it collapsed.

Pei Yuan couldn't do anything about the chaos caused by the Luo sect, but the newly entered state-owned capital had plenty of resources and methods.

Pei Yuan then recounted how he had helped Luo Jiao understand the right path in front of Zhu Houzhao.

Pei Yuan said to Tian Fu, "If it is ultimately decided to implement the Single Whip Law in Shandong, then I will request troops from the imperial court to help the Luo Sect forcibly organize its affairs in various places. As for the matter of the Priest Daoist, I have recently made a discovery."

As he spoke, Pei Yuan told Tian Fu about the monks who copied scriptures.

These monks who copied scriptures were adopted by various Buddhist temples from a young age.

Although he was literate, he was merely used as a tool for profit by the temple.

After being taught to read and write, these monks spent year after year copying scriptures in their meditation rooms. Their thoughts were extremely simple, and their beliefs were very pure.

The Luo Sect that Pei Yuan crowdfunded already has many things related to Buddhism.

The Sun Wukong of the Luo religion even has a main storyline related to the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

Pei Yuan told Tian Fu his plan: "I intend to requisition or redeem a large number of monks who copy scriptures from various temples, and then re-explain the Luo sect's doctrines to them."

"Once these sutra-copying monks convert to Luo religion, we will use them as the backbone to set up itinerant priests. This will serve two purposes: first, to spread the doctrines, and second, to ensure that the new policies of the court reach the ears of those ignorant men and women directly."

"The old tacit understanding that imperial power did not extend to the county level created a barrier between the court and the people among local powerful clans. A few people who leeched off the people were the ones who represented the voice of the people."

"They seized the voice of the people and thus seized the righteous cause. Then, wielding this righteous cause, they incited and echoed each other, resisting the imperial court and continuing to bleed the people dry."

“I, Pei Yuan, rose from humble beginnings, and I have no reason to let anyone take away my voice. I came from the streets and I will return to the streets. The Luo Sect that you hold in your hands is my most solid foundation.”

Tian Fu was deeply shaken, feeling that he was one step closer to the fate of being "fed in five tripods" or "cooked in five tripods".

He immediately knelt down and said to Pei Yuan, "This subordinate would not dare not die for you."

Pei Yuan smiled and personally helped Tian Fu up.

He then said to him, "The problem of officials that you are worried about has already been planned by me. My purpose in coming south this time is to resolve all the troubles in one fell swoop."

"When order is in complete chaos, that's when order will be rebuilt."

"When the time comes, you should put in a lot of effort and make a contribution to me that will be enough for you to live off for the rest of your life."

Upon hearing this, Tian Fu thanked him again, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Commander."

Pei Yuan gave a slight hint, "As for your concern about the demise of policies due to the death of the people, I, the commander, am already considering it."

Pei Yuan is making good progress in winning over Empress Xia, and he has gradually gained control of the key figures among the palace officials.

Although Zhang Rui, the eunuch of the Eastern Depot, had some conflicts with Pei Yuan, he was recently very grateful to Song Qianhu, who was loyal to him, because of the printing plates for the precious paper money.

What remained were the remnants of the Seven Tigers and some of the old Hongzhi loyalists who still clung to Empress Zhang.

It's not difficult to handle.

Pei Yuan was full of confidence when he heard Tian Fu sigh, "It's common for young people in a thousand households to not be in a hurry."

"But I don't have that ambition. I'd rather see the commander have an heir as soon as possible before I feel at ease. If the commander doesn't mind, there are many beautiful and virtuous women in my clan who can help the commander have children."

Upon hearing Tian Fu's words, Pei Yuan unconsciously dropped his chopsticks to the ground.

His lips parted slightly.

Damn it, I thought you were talking about Zhu Houzhao.

It turns out it was targeting himself.

Tian Fu was also somewhat stunned when he saw Pei Yuan drop his chopsticks.

Then, as he reminisced about the past, he broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that the commander might become suspicious.

Pei Yuan lost interest in conversation, and he became cautious about the land tax as well.

After finishing their meal in silence, Pei Yuancai spoke to Tian Fu about the Ming Dynasty's precious paper money before parting.

"I may be heading south in a few days. Although I have entrusted the affairs of the precious paper money to Yun Buxian, his talent and vision are far inferior to yours. I will need your assistance then."

Tian Fu quickly and cautiously agreed.

Having just heard Pei Yuan talk about the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes and the Single Whip Law, Tian Fu now fully understood why Pei Yuan was so determined to defend the value of the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes.

Speaking of this, Tian Fu still felt a bit emotional.

Countless cabinet ministers, high-ranking officials, and upright gentlemen spoke of the people, but in the end, the one who truly worked hard to make the Ming Dynasty better was this ambitious commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Although Tian Fu was shrewd, he also possessed a simple sense of justice.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have disregarded personal gain and loss after entering the promising Six Ministries, and angrily rebuked the hypocritical Grand Secretary Liang Chu, saying, "Without reserves, the nation's wealth can be reduced by half."

Tian Fu, the strategist, was initially fascinated by Pei Yuan's ambition, but now he increasingly feels that such ambition has grown in the right place.

(End of this chapter)