My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 306 It's not that we don't want to buy Ming Dynasty bonds, we want to buy more!

Zhu Cilang continued:
"There are two million taels of silver in Ming Dynasty bonds here. If you can sell them all, your current official rank can be promoted!"

As soon as he said this, Xia Dewu's facial muscles trembled with excitement.

Although his official position doesn't really have much power, how could he not be excited if we could get promoted?
Thinking of this, Xia Dewu quickly assured him:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly handle this matter properly!"

After saying this, Xia Dewu hurriedly left.

Thus, including the Ming Dynasty bonds previously purchased by the Duke of England and Xue Guoguan, the total value of Ming Dynasty bonds sold should now be 4.6 million taels.

Only 3.4 million taels remain to reach the previously set target of 8 million taels.

But Zhu Cilang knew in his heart that the remaining 3.4 million taels of Ming Dynasty bonds would soon be sold off.
Just as the sun was setting and its afterglow bathed the streets and alleys of the capital, news about the Ming Dynasty's national debt spread rapidly among the nobles, civil officials, and wealthy merchants in the capital.

It should be noted that these people all have their own intricate network of connections and extensive information channels in the bustling capital city.

Therefore, it is not difficult for them to spread something.

Moreover, the matter of the Ming Dynasty's national debt was specifically approved by the Emperor and the Crown Prince. With this "imperial sword," the news spread at an astonishing speed, like an arrow released from a bow.

Before long, the Duke of England's mansion became bustling with activity as a large number of nobles and dignitaries flocked to it.

They all looked hurried, yet couldn't hide their curiosity and anticipation, eager to find out as soon as possible what exactly these Ming Dynasty bonds were all about and whether they were worth spending real money to buy them.

At the same time, a group of civil officials also visited the homes of Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan and officials from the Six Ministries.

These officials, who usually speak eloquently and strategize in the imperial court, have now set aside their airs and come to inquire about what exactly this Ming Dynasty national debt is.

In the past, these nobles and civil officials would certainly not have dared to openly and frequently enter other people's residences to avoid suspicion.

After all, forming cliques and engaging in favoritism is a major taboo in the imperial court. Once someone catches you doing something wrong, you'll be in deep trouble.

But this time the situation was completely different, because the matter of the Ming Dynasty's national debt was a national policy specifically permitted by Emperor Chongzhen.

With the emperor's endorsement, these nobles and officials naturally had no more worries and generously invited all those who came to inquire into their residences, even preparing to host a grand banquet to entertain them.

For a time, wine cups were clinked and laughter filled the various mansions as everyone engaged in a heated discussion about the Ming Dynasty's national debt.

The situation on Xia Dewu's side was not much different from that on the side of the nobles and civil officials.

In fact, the merchants were far more eager for the Ming Dynasty's national bonds than the nobles and civil officials.

After all, businessmen are always driven by profit; they only have their eyes on deals that bring in revenue.

Even if the profits from these Ming Dynasty bonds are not large, merchants are naturally unwilling to let go of a deal that is guaranteed to make a profit.

Like sharks that have smelled blood, they sprang into action, inquiring from Xia Dewu about the purchase channels and specific details of the Ming Dynasty bonds.

As a result, things progressed exceptionally smoothly, and news of the Ming Dynasty's national bonds spread rapidly among businessmen, with a buying frenzy quietly emerging.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Shize, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ying, had just finished his shift at the Beijing Garrison and was planning to return home.

Since returning to the capital, he has secured a job in the Beijing Garrison, and therefore has to go there every day to report for duty.

However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him.

After all, as the future Duke of England of the Ming Dynasty, he knew that he would definitely have to go into battle again in the future.

Continuing his training in the Beijing garrison will not only familiarize him with military affairs, but also allow him to get to know many generals and soldiers, which will be of great help to his future military career.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the gate of the Beijing Garrison, he keenly noticed that there were several people standing not far away, staring intently at him.

Upon seeing him emerge, the group hurried over, their steps quick and their faces bearing a mysterious smile.

Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on Zhang Shize's face.

He knew all of these people; they were all scions of noble families with whom he had gotten along well in the past, and they were considered good friends.

But their actions at this moment puzzled him, and he couldn't help but wonder to himself:
What are these guys doing here if they have nothing better to do? Are they here to ambush me?

Thinking of this, Zhang Shize couldn't help but shout:
"What are you guys doing here if you have nothing better to do?"

As they spoke, the sons of noble families arrived before him. Upon hearing this, they immediately smiled obsequiously and said:
"Of course we've been waiting for you. How about we treat you to drinks today?"

Hearing this, Zhang Shize was puzzled. Looking at these guys who usually loved to have fun but were acting unusually extravagantly today, he asked:
"What's wrong with you all today? You've never been this generous before!"

Upon hearing this, the son of a nobleman simply smiled and said:
"Look at what you're saying! We're not stingy people. What's wrong with treating you to drinks? Come on, come on!"

After saying this, he pulled Zhang Shize into a carriage that had been prepared beforehand without further ado.

Zhang Shize couldn't refuse, since they were all friends and often drank and chatted together. At this moment, he could only let the other party pull him away.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of one of the best restaurants in the capital.

Surrounded by several sons of noble families, Zhang Shize was led into a luxurious private room.

Inside the private room, several alluring singers stood to the side. Upon seeing them enter, they swayed their hips and greeted them in coquettish voices, clearly having made reservations in advance.

Then several sons of noble families sat around a table and began to drink. In no time, the private room was filled with the aroma of wine and laughter.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Shize put down his wine glass and looked at the somewhat drunken men in front of him, saying:
"What do you guys want? Just say it! Do you want me to help you find a job? Or do you want to do something else? Don't think I don't know you. If there was nothing wrong, would you guys treat me like this? I've never seen you guys be this attentive before."

Several sons of noble families were embarrassed upon hearing this. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

But one of them quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly dismissed the surrounding songstresses.

After all the courtesans had left, the nobleman's son cleared his throat and said:
"Brother Shize, to be honest, we've called you here today to ask about the Ming Dynasty's national debt."

Ming Dynasty Treasury Bonds?
What is this?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shize was instantly dumbfounded, his face full of confusion, because he really didn't know what the Ming Dynasty's national debt was all about.

In the end, all he could ask was:

"What is this 'Ming Dynasty National Debt'? What is that?"

Those sons of noble families looked surprised upon hearing this:
"What, you didn't know? Now all the nobles in the capital are talking about it. They're saying that His Majesty and the Crown Prince are going to issue a new type of Ming Dynasty bond." "It's said that this bond will bring a lot of benefits, and everyone is scrambling to buy it."

Hearing this, Zhang Shize was even more dumbfounded, his eyes revealing an expression of disbelief.

Because he genuinely knew nothing about the Ming Dynasty's national debt, and during the day he was quite busy working in the Beijing garrison, he had no time to pay attention to these kinds of news in the capital.

Seeing this, someone nearby suddenly seemed to remember something, then slapped their forehead and said:
"Look at my memory, I've forgotten! Brother Shize, you've been working in the Beijing Garrison and haven't been home yet, so naturally you don't know about the Ming Dynasty's national debt."

"But it's okay, this matter is actually very simple."

Then, the man gave a brief account of the Ming Dynasty's national debt.

"Simply put, His Majesty and the Crown Prince decided to issue a type of Ming Dynasty national bond in order to alleviate the financial pressure on the court."

"These national bonds are issued nationwide, and everyone, whether noble, civil servant or ordinary citizen, can purchase them."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shize instantly realized what was going on.

He never expected that such a thing would happen during the day he was away.

But he quickly realized what was happening and looked at the sons of noble families, asking:
"Since this is a decision made by His Majesty and the Crown Prince, what's the use of you coming to me? I can't make that decision."

"You don't necessarily want to buy these Ming Dynasty bonds, do you?"

Zhang Shize knew perfectly well that although the Ming Dynasty bonds were said to be issued jointly by the emperor and the crown prince, it was obvious that the crown prince was the only one who came up with the idea.

After all, he knew Emperor Chongzhen well; he couldn't possibly have come up with such a solution.

Since it was the Crown Prince's decision, the Zhang family would fully support it!

After all, the Zhang family's current status is entirely due to the protection of Crown Prince Zhu Cilang.

Moreover, it's obvious that his father, the Duke of Yingguo, must have already purchased a large amount of Ming Dynasty bonds.

Getting back to the point, in Zhang Shize's view, the group of noble sons in front of him probably didn't want to buy the Ming Dynasty bonds, but were afraid of being blamed by His Majesty and the Crown Prince, so they wanted him to intercede for them so that they wouldn't buy the Ming Dynasty bonds.

But clearly, he guessed wrong this time.

Sure enough, the next second, someone slapped their thigh and said:
"It's a misunderstanding! Brother Shize, it's not that we don't want to buy, we just want you to take the lead and find a way to get us to buy more!"

what?
Zhang Shize was genuinely surprised to hear this. A look of astonishment flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected that these noble sons didn't not want to buy, but rather wanted to buy more.

This was completely unexpected.

Just then, another son of a noble family explained:

"Brother Shize, we can't tell you much about this. When you get back, ask the Duke of Yingguo, and you'll know what happened."

"In short, the brothers have some money on hand, about 500,000 taels of silver. I would like to ask you to take the lead and find a way to exchange all 500,000 taels of silver into Ming Dynasty bonds."

"By the way, it would be best to replace them all with large denominations, because large denominations have His Majesty and the Crown Prince's signatures, which can be seen as our contribution to the Ming Dynasty."

"Just think about it, these national bonds have His Majesty's and the Crown Prince's signatures, that's an unparalleled honor! You can show them off to others later."

Looking at this group of cronies in front of him, Zhang Shize was at a loss for words.

His lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything directly, since they were all friends and had a good relationship.

So he could only nod helplessly and say:
"Alright, I'll go back and ask my father what to do about this. But don't get your hopes up too high. After all, there are definitely rules for issuing government bonds. It's not like I can make you buy more just because I want you to."

Upon hearing this, everyone readily agreed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Shize!"

After saying goodbye to his group of cronies and returning to the Duke of Ying's mansion, Zhang Shize sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere.

The servants in the mansion were all in a hurry, walking as if they were running, and each of them had a look of tension and excitement on their face.

Zhang Shize was puzzled, so he grabbed a servant and asked:
"What's going on at the manor? What happened?"

The servant hurriedly said:
"Your Highness, you're finally back! The Duke is entertaining some nobles, and they've been drinking for several hours!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shize immediately released the servant and headed straight for the banquet hall.

However, he did not rashly disturb the gathering, but instead listened attentively outside the door.

Immediately, a lively discussion broke out inside, suggesting that the nobles wanted to buy more Ming Dynasty bonds.

Some nobles said:

"Your Excellency, you see that these Ming Dynasty bonds are so profitable that we might as well buy more, which would be our contribution to the Ming Dynasty!"

Another nobleman echoed:
"Yes, yes, I have quite a bit of spare cash at home, and I'm just worried about where to put it. It's definitely worth buying more of these Ming Dynasty bonds!"

Zhang Shize frowned slightly, feeling that the Ming Dynasty bonds seemed to have some kind of magic, which made these nobles so enthusiastic about them.

But he couldn't ask about such things rashly; he could only patiently wait for the banquet to end.

More than half an hour later, the dozens of nobles finally took their leave.

Zhang Shize then went inside and saw the British Duke, whose face was flushed from drinking.

There was no way to avoid drinking in such an occasion. Even though the Duke of England had repeatedly declined, saying that he couldn't hold his liquor, he was still forced to drink quite a bit.

At this moment, the British judge sat in a chair, his eyes somewhat glazed over, and his face still showed a hint of drunkenness.

Seeing this, Zhang Shize could no longer suppress his doubts and quickly asked:
"Father, what is going on?"

Upon seeing Zhang Shize's appearance, the Duke of England immediately understood that Zhang Shize had probably heard about the Ming Dynasty's national debt from others.

Immediately afterwards, he tried to stand up by supporting himself on the handrails, but as soon as he stood up, his body swayed slightly, as if he couldn't stand steadily.

(End of this chapter)