I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 146 Zhu Houxuan's Offensive
"My dear nephew Prince Jing has such elegant taste and has chosen a good place. You can have a panoramic view of the snow scenery of Qizhou!" Prince Xing Zhu Youlu also walked to the window and said.

"Greetings, Uncle Prince Xing!" Zhu Houxuan said with a smile. He had been waiting here for a long time.

"It's snowing, and I want to have a drink, but I don't want to drink alone. After thinking about it, I thought of Uncle Prince Xing," Zhu Houxun said, pointing to the wine and food on the side.

"That's what I meant, but we have to let Cong'er sleep for a while first. He has the habit of taking a nap." Prince Xing Zhu Youlang said, pointing at Zhu Houcong who looked sleepy.

"Okay, just sleep on the warm couch next to us," Zhu Houxuan said quickly.

Zhu Houcong was placed on the warm couch and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"My dear nephew Prince Jing, I'm sorry for bothering you in Qizhou this month!" said Prince Xing Zhu Youlang and Zhu Houxuan.

"Uncle Prince Xing, you are too polite. We are all family. It is too polite to say this." Zhu Houxuan picked up the warmed wine and filled the cup for Prince Xing Zhu Youluo.

Although the two were nearly 20 years apart in age, the atmosphere quickly became lively as they drank and chatted.

After three rounds of drinking, Prince Xing Zhu Youlu was a little tipsy. He was in high spirits and said, "My dear nephew, among the Hou generation, apart from His Majesty, I think you are the most capable."

"Uncle Xing Wang, you are too kind. My cousin Hou Cong is not grown up yet. When he grows up, he will definitely be better than me."

Zhu Houxuan's words made Xing Wang Zhu Youju blush. He suddenly said, "My dear nephew, you didn't invite me here today to say these polite words. Please tell me what you want to say."

Zhu Houxuan paused for a moment, then calmly filled the wine glass of Prince Xing Zhu Youluo, "Uncle Xing has seen through it. I do have something to ask Uncle Xing."

Prince Xing Zhu Youlang did not speak. The drunkenness on his face had disappeared and he looked straight at Zhu Houxuan.

"My nephew came to see me today because he wants to borrow some money from me." Zhu Houxuan went straight to the point.

"Borrow some silver?" This request was beyond the expectations of Prince Xing Zhu Youju. "I wonder how much silver my nephew wants to borrow."

"The more the better, there is no upper limit," said Zhu Houxun, sitting up straight.

"My dear nephew, are you still short of silver?" Prince Xing Zhu Youqiu said in surprise.

"Yes, very much so," Zhu Houxuan replied seriously.

Prince Xing Zhu Youju looked at Zhu Houxuan who was serious, and suddenly laughed, "My dear nephew, you have such a big business in Qizhou, it is not an exaggeration to say that you make a fortune every day. Anyone in the world may be short of money, but my dear nephew will never be short of money."

"I am not short of money. I don't like extravagance. If I spend all the money I earn, I won't be able to spend it all in my lifetime. But it's not me who is short of money, it's Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty? Could that rumor be true?" Prince Xing Zhu Youjuan suddenly sat up straight and asked.

"Yes, it's all true. Your Majesty will receive a formal decree after he returns to Beijing," Zhu Houxuan said calmly. Prince Xing Zhu Youxuan leaned on the back of his chair with a solemn expression. Although he had long believed that the rumors were true, he was still shocked to hear Zhu Houxuan admit it in person. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
"There is no one else in this room today except my cousin Houcong. Please keep my words confidential." Zhu Houcong deliberately lowered his voice.

Prince Xing Zhu Youju nodded quickly.

"In fact, what your majesty lacks is the capital to do business," Zhu Houxuan said slowly, "Your majesty asked me to manage the royal industry because he values ​​my ability in business, but doing business requires capital. Your majesty has been very short of money in recent years, so naturally he can't come up with the capital, and the little money my nephew earns is not enough, so I thought of borrowing from my uncle."

"Of course, it's not a free loan. The money is only loaned for three years. After three years, the principal will be returned in full, plus 60% interest on the principal."

Prince Xing Zhu Youjun was silent. He was thinking about this matter in his mind. 20% interest per year was not low. The gold and silver in the mansion would just sit there and would not produce any children. If he could get 60% interest after lending it out for three years, it would be a good thing.
But he still had doubts in his heart. He was a little worried that he would not even be able to get his principal back in the end.
"My nephew will use this capital to build a series of factories like Qizhou near the capital. With my management ability, I will be able to make back the money with interest in less than three years, so uncle doesn't have to worry too much." Zhu Houxuan said confidently.

But it still failed to dispel the concerns of Prince Xing Zhu Youjun. He was quite confident in Zhu Houxuan's management ability, but there were still too many variables in this matter.
"Since my dear nephew has said this, then your uncle will lend you 20,000 taels of silver. Anlu Prefecture is remote, the royal palace has high expenses, and we don't have much savings." Prince Xing Zhu Youlu made the decision. He originally wanted to ask for 10,000 taels, but changed it to 20,000 taels for Zhu Houxuan's sake.

Zhu Houxuan did not comment on this number, but said to himself: "To be honest, your majesty's boldness in employing me has greatly exceeded my expectations. After all, as a vassal king, I cannot interfere in this matter according to the clan law."

Zhu Houxuan used the emphasis on the word "Fan Wang"
"But since your majesty trusts me so much, I must do my best. At the very least, I cannot let the civil officials, nobles, eunuchs, and relatives laugh at our royal family."

Prince Xing Zhu Youlang nodded slightly after listening.

"Nephew, I think this matter is not just about me, but it is actually a matter concerning all of our clan members," Zhu Houxuan suddenly moved closer and spoke in a low voice.

"The court has been discussing the issue of clan salaries recently, and many court officials have suggested revising the policy on clan members. At this critical juncture, Your Majesty made this decision, which has a profound meaning." Zhu Houxuan tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

These blows were like knocks on the chest of Prince Xing Zhu Youluo, causing him to think more and listen more carefully.
It is true that the court was discussing the revision of the feudal policy, and it had been discussed for several years, because the problem of clan salaries in the Ming Dynasty had begun to emerge. The clan population had expanded, and the finances of some places could no longer pay for the expenses of clan salaries.

Take the issue of Shanxi vassalage as an example: "In the early years of Hongwu, Shanxi had only one king named Jinfu, who received an annual salary of 10,000 dan of rice. Now, there are 2,851 more kings, governors, generals, lieutenants, etc., with an annual salary of 870,000 dan. The increase from 10,000 dan to 870,000 dan is 87 times. When checking the amount of land in Shanxi, it was 410,000 hectares in the early years of Hongwu, and 380,000 hectares in the 15th year of Hongzhi, a decrease of 30,000 hectares. The salary of rice increased from 10,000 dan to 870,000, and the amount of land decreased from 410,000 to 380,000 hectares. This is the amount of land in Shanxi. You can apply this to the rest of the country."

Moreover, the problem with the royal family is not only about clan salaries, but also that the royal family's privileges undermine the tax base and the economy, leaving the government with even less taxes.

Therefore, the clan salaries in many places have been discounted or even in arrears, and the imperial court has begun to rob Peter to patch up Paul to fill the holes in the clan salaries.

It's only been over a hundred years since the founding of the country, and the issue of clan salaries has become so acute. Many knowledgeable people have also seen the drawbacks therein, and so they demand reform of the clan system, at least not to prohibit the lower-level clan members from engaging in the four industries!
"So my nephew is under a lot of pressure! I am the first member of the royal family to do something in the past hundred years. If I don't do a good job and this first shot fails, it doesn't matter if I get punished or bear some infamy, but it will be bad if it affects the reform of the royal family policy by Your Majesty and the court officials," Zhu Houxuan said slowly.

"We, the royal family, must unite. I am a member of the royal family and have a good relationship with His Majesty. I am someone who can influence His Majesty's decision-making. If my shot fails, then our royal family will have no one in the court who can influence the reform of royal family policies. So I have to ask all uncles to support me more."

Prince Xing Zhu Youlu couldn't help but nodded, and after a little hesitation, he said: "Then I will borrow an extra 3 taels, a total of taels."

Zhu Houxuan was not satisfied with this number, but he was not in a hurry. He looked at Zhu Houcong who was sleeping soundly on the warm couch, and suddenly said, "Uncle, do you know when I was the freest and most willful since I was a child?"

(End of this chapter)