Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 179 Your Majesty! Coal production has surged! It's skyrocketed!

Three days later.

The news of Zhang Yunxiu's large-scale buyback of shares spread throughout the capital.

More importantly, this kid didn't use Xishan Workshop's money; instead, he said he would use his own money to buy back the shares that had been sold from Xishan Workshop.

This caused a huge stir, with civil and military officials and nobles from the capital flocking to the Zhang family's residence, practically knocking down their doorstep.

Of course, Magistrate Zhang's funds were limited, so he not only bought at half price, but also in limited quantities, first come, first served.

Everyone thought that Xishan Workshop was doomed this time.

Some even tried to exchange their shares in Xishan Workshop for shares in Renmin Medical Clinic, but Zhang Yunxiu kicked them out of the door.

Amidst the revelry of the officials and nobles in the capital, many also sighed inwardly.

Zhang Tongzhi was a spendthrift!
They used the savings they had accumulated at home to fill the hole in the Xishan workshop.

The most pitiful one was probably his elderly father, Zhang Juzheng.
The Zhang family wasn't very wealthy to begin with, and now this was all given to this spendthrift son, who went on to give it away to a bunch of unrelated soldiers.

Poor Zhang Yuanfu!
Qianqing Palace.

After briefly reviewing a few memorials, Emperor Wanli turned to Feng Bao beside him and asked a question.

"How is the Prime Minister's health?"

The emperor still had some affection for the Zhang family, and seeing Zhang Yunxiu so stubborn, he couldn't stand it anymore.

The old man is ill, and this brat Zhang Shiyuan is still so "rebellious," it's really unbecoming.

Feng Bao paused for a moment, then sighed and said...

"The Prime Minister has been ill for a few days recently, presumably he has gone to Renmin Medical Clinic to recuperate."

"Ah—" the Wanli Emperor said, recalling Zhang Juzheng's ailment. "Has the clinic developed a cure for dysentery?"

"There's still no progress," Feng Bao replied, bowing. "However, with Li Dongbi in charge, we should have results soon."

Li Shizhen was very famous.

Emperor Wanli remarked, "The Grand Secretary is a pillar of the nation, and the court certainly cannot fail to provide support to the medical clinics. This is also for the benefit of all the people."

Since the last incident, he felt more and more that the court could not do without Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng absolutely could not give up until he had fully mastered his grandfather’s “art of checks and balances”.

"Your Majesty's concern for the world is a blessing for all people; this servant will certainly do my utmost."

As Feng Bao was in charge of the Eastern Depot and the Directorate of Ceremonial, he naturally had some involvement in the affairs of the medical clinic.

"Ah."

Emperor Wanli nodded, his mind beginning to wander.

"This Renmin Medical Clinic is thriving! It not only benefits the people but also earns me a lot of money."

Compared to the other two, the Xishan Workshop seems somewhat...

Clearly, the emperor was very concerned about the workshops' "losses".

Feng Bao then advised, "Your Majesty, don't take it too seriously. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Even Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Ji, lost more battles than he won throughout his life. If Zhang Shiyuan could make money no matter what he did, all the merchants in the world might as well just kill themselves."

"That makes sense."

Even so, Emperor Wanli was still somewhat melancholy, after all, he had lost money, and couldn't help but ask.

"Recently, has anyone in or around the capital sold shares to Zhang Shiyuan?"

As the head of the Eastern Depot, Feng Bao naturally had the responsibility of investigating all officials. Since the emperor was so concerned about the affairs of the Western Hills, he would inevitably send his agents to investigate as well.

He bowed and reported.

"Judging from the current situation, Xu Guojiang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, has completely withdrawn his shares, and the Huizhou merchants in the capital are also thinking of cutting their losses in time."

Five or six out of ten court officials retired, along with some nobles.

Seeing the emperor's increasingly gloomy expression, Feng Bao couldn't help but add a comment.

"Of course, there were also some who did not take advantage of others' misfortunes. The Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Chengguo did not return the silver. The Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Rong, even told the officials that Zhang Shiyuan's construction of Xishan was not for his own selfish interests, but for the stability of the court and for the refugees in Xishan to live a good life."

"Court officials, who receive the emperor's salary, should naturally serve the country and the emperor, not concern themselves with the safety of the refugees in the Western Hills for their own selfish gain."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanli's expression softened slightly, and he sighed with emotion.

"The Duke of Ying is truly a pillar of our court!"

To be honest, he originally wanted to back down a bit, but he had the majority stake in the Xishan Workshop.

Even if he wanted to withdraw, where would Zhang Yunxiu find so much money?

Upon hearing these words from Duke Zhang Rong of England, Emperor Wanli was even more ashamed to bring up the matter of returning the money.

Thinking of this, the emperor frowned deeply and said.

"Make a list of all those who returned the money and present it to me for review."

Feng Bao knew in his heart that the emperor was going to take notes.

These people all opened fire on Zhang Yunxiu, unaware that the largest shareholder of the Xishan Workshop was actually the emperor.

The emperor is indeed very respectful to Empress Dowager Li, but dealing with you court officials is a piece of cake.

How can these ministers, who are completely oblivious to the emperor's will, be of any use in the future?

The emperor was in a bad mood. He had lost tens of thousands of taels of silver. He slumped in his chair and couldn't help but sigh to Feng Bao.

"Feng Banban, speaking of Zhang Shiyuan, he is indeed a man who serves the country and its people. Yet, I still harbor some suspicions about him. Is that right?"

Feng Bao raised an eyebrow, noticing the hesitation in the emperor's words, and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary is a veteran official who has served three reigns and has always been loyal to the court. Zhang Shiyuan has also devoted himself to Your Majesty and has been taught by the Grand Secretary since childhood. He has no other intentions.”

Emperor Wanli stared at Feng Bao with a complicated expression, realizing that he couldn't understand what the chief eunuch was thinking.

He recalled everyone's face.

Zhang Juzheng, with a calm expression, was strategizing and planning in the imperial court.

Zhang Shiyuan is a free spirit with a sharp edge, yet he always manages to escape danger.

There was also his younger brother, the Prince of Lu, who covered his face and wept bitterly, pouring out his heart.

Finally, there is the benevolent-looking Empress Dowager Li.

Despite being the supreme ruler, he seemed like a puppet manipulated by countless threads.

They couldn't even see through the thoughts of their closest relatives.

The wind outside the palace swept up a few leaves, which brushed across the palace's blue bricks and finally landed at the feet of the Grand Eunuch Feng Bao.

The Wanli Emperor ran his fingers over the somewhat rough throne, a sense of gloom rising in his heart.

This feeling lingered in his heart, causing him to let out a helpless sigh.

"Being an emperor is really tough!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao was struck dumb. He was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"Your Majesty is the sovereign of all under Heaven, ruling over all lands by the mandate of Heaven. All people rely on your virtuous rule! You must not underestimate yourself."

"Eh--"

The Wanli Emperor sighed, feeling utterly exhausted. He rose, took a few steps, and headed out of the hall, speaking leisurely.

"Feng, come with me to the Imperial Treasury."

"His Majesty--"

Feng Bao quickly got up, still wanting to offer some advice, but ultimately couldn't find the words and hurried after him.

Besides reading novels and stories in his study, the emperor also studied "serious" ink and wash paintings.

Of course, his greatest hobby was counting silver in the imperial treasury.

In the emperor's own words, "I am overseeing the imperial treasury to prevent any unscrupulous individuals from interfering. My imperial treasury is very important, as it is for the court's occasional needs."

But Feng Bao knew all too well that when the emperor saw the silver, his eyes were clearly shining, and he touched the jewels and gold with more affection than he did the concubines in the palace.

Such a miserly behavior would be despised by ordinary people, let alone the emperor himself.

Therefore, whenever Emperor Wanli went to the Imperial Treasury, Feng Bao would dismiss his attendants and wait alone inside.

Internal transport warehouse.

There are ten warehouses in the inner warehouse, and this inner transport warehouse is one of them.

During the Hongwu reign, although the Inner Transport Treasury was managed by eunuchs, it was still subordinate to the Ministry of Revenue.

After the Zhengtong era, the Inner Treasury gradually became the emperor's "private treasury." It contained various kinds of silks and satins, gold, silver and precious stones, but the most abundant items were gold-plated silver.

The Inner Transport Warehouse was not one of the "Twenty-Four Offices," yet the powerful eunuch Feng Bao still had control over it.

"Go down."

Feng Bao gave instructions to the eunuch in charge of the Inner Treasury.

After all the eunuchs in charge of the storehouse left, he stood guard at the main gate alone.

Knowing that the emperor was coming, the eunuchs had already sorted out all the accounts and even drawn up diagrams so that the emperor could find specific treasures such as ivory, horn, and jade.

Of course, the emperor didn't even glance at these things and walked straight toward the treasury where the gold and silver were stored.

The chests containing gold and silver had already been opened so that the emperor could inspect them one by one.

Inside the sealed warehouse, only a few rays of light peeked through the cracks in the door, and the brightest light came from the kerosene lamp inside.

Even so, the brilliance emanating from these gold and silver pieces was still exceptionally dazzling.

"Silver! My silver!"

Upon seeing this, Emperor Wanli was in high spirits. If the gold and silver hadn't been so hard, he would have hugged them and rolled around in them.

Stroking the chests of gold and silver, the emperor, though captivated by their treasures, couldn't help but start checking the accounts.

"Last year, the Imperial Treasury received approximately 700,000 taels of silver in gold and silver."

"Since its construction, Renmin Medical Clinic has cost over 100,000 taels of silver, which has relieved the plague in the capital. In the process, my shares have earned 40,000 to 50,000 taels of silver. It's all thanks to Zhang Shiyuan's resourcefulness. These damned nobles actually have so much silver in their hands!"

"The newspaper revenue is quite good, and the costs are negligible. This is another twenty or thirty thousand taels."

"But the Xishan workshop is not so good. I have invested nearly 200,000 taels of silver in total. If we stop the losses in time, even if we sell the briquettes and machinery later and manage the business well, we will still lose tens of thousands of taels of silver."

Zhang Shiyuan, that good-for-nothing!

The more the accounts were calculated, the more depressed Emperor Wanli felt.

The inner carrier warehouse no longer holds the same joy as before.

Looking at the accounts, Emperor Wanli felt a pang of regret, and decided it was better to head home than to be bothered by them.

On the soft couch in the Qianqing Palace, the emperor leaned back listlessly. Feng Bao came up to serve him tea and water and couldn't help but remind him.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Shall we choose a concubine?"

"Flipping the card"

Zhu Yijun thought about it for a moment, and couldn't help but feel a little distracted.

"There's no need to choose a concubine; let Consort Zheng come to serve you in bed."

"As you command!"

Feng Bao had long anticipated this. Recently, the emperor had shown great favor to Zheng Mengjing. She had only been in the palace for a month, yet she had already been granted the title of Consort Shu. It seemed that she would become another rising force in the harem.

Just as Feng Bao was about to go down and make the arrangements, he was stopped by the Wanli Emperor.

"and many more."

The Wanli Emperor sighed and said with a hint of helplessness.

"Feng Banban, remember to remind Zhang Shiyuan again, and say that it is my will, and that the matter of Xishan Workshop should be put aside as soon as possible. I will give him some compensation."

In recent days, through the subtle propaganda of the Gyeonggi Ilbo, almost everyone has come to believe that the Seosan Workshop is definitely on its last legs.

The best solution right now is to shut down the Xishan workshop as soon as possible and disperse the displaced people.

Only by adopting this method of "reducing costs and increasing efficiency" can the predicament of Xishan's inability to make ends meet be resolved, and the emperor and his ministers' money be preserved.

Feng Bao paused for a moment, then quickly bowed and said.

"This servant obeys the decree."

With a complex expression, the Wanli Emperor spoke in a deep voice.

“If necessary, we can discuss it with Mr. Yuanfu. He is a reasonable man and he will certainly not allow the Xishan Workshop to collapse.”

If it really was 200,000 taels of silver that went down the drain, then Emperor Wanli would go mad.

Feng Bao nodded solemnly and said.

"Your Majesty, don't worry."

Having said that, he planned to go out first to arrange for Consort Zheng to serve him in bed, and then visit Zhang Yunxiu the next day.

But as soon as he stepped out of the Qianqing Palace, a young eunuch rushed up to report that a minister was coming to pay his respects outside the imperial city.

Feng Bao said sternly, "You ill-mannered fellow! The imperial city gates are closed, and they can only be opened for major military and political matters. Why are you coming to report this?"

The young eunuch fell silent, trembling with fear, and quickly relayed the message.

"My lord, it's not that I'm ignorant, but Zhang Xueyan from the Ministry of Revenue insists on seeing the Emperor. He says the accounts from Xishan are ready and he must report them to the Emperor tonight. If he doesn't see him, he'll kill himself outside the Imperial City!"

"Rebellion! Rebellion! These civil officials have all rebelled, showing no regard for the laws and regulations of the court!"

Feng Bao was furious; in recent years, the civil officials had become increasingly arrogant.

Upon hearing about the accounts at Xishan, he was stunned and grabbed the young eunuch by the collar.

"Are you sure you heard me right? It really is about the accounts at Xishan?"

"Absolutely true, I swear on my life!"

After a series of life-or-death threats, Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Revenue, finally got to see the emperor.

However, the emperor, leaning against the soft couch in the study of the Qianqing Palace, appeared quite impatient.

Even the emperor has his temper when he has to work overtime, especially when he needs to meet his mistress right away.

Through the gauze curtain, the emperor saw Zhang Xueyan's figure and said with some anger.

"Minister Zhang? I recall you've been on sick leave at home lately?"

Zhang Xueyan's face was slightly pale, and she said with a helpless expression.

“Your Majesty, I have indeed caught a cold recently, but this matter is extremely urgent. As soon as I received the accounts, I dared not delay in the slightest and came to report to Your Majesty immediately.”

"The Western Hills accounts?" Emperor Wanli asked with some suspicion. "When did this come about?"

Zhang Xueyan explained, “Your Majesty is unaware that this was something Zhang Tongzhi came up with. In the past, the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts were audited once a year, but Zhang Tongzhi insisted on being different and said he wanted to see results every month.”

Therefore, Zhang Tongzhi established Renmin Medical Hall, Xishan Workshop, Wanli Xinbao and other accounts related to the imperial court, all of which were settled monthly.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue had many complaints about this.

This was a subtle way of complaining.

But Emperor Wanli only cared about the income of silver, and he didn't care whether it was a month or a year. He wanted to check it every day!
So he didn't take the bait, but instead asked a question.

How are the accounts?

"It's absolutely terrifying!" Zhang Xueyan said without exaggeration.

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately became restless. He got up from the soft couch, walked over with somewhat unsteady steps, and hurriedly said...

"Where are the accounts? Show them to me now!"

Upon seeing this, Feng Bao quickly helped the emperor up.

"Your Majesty, slow down, slow down, don't fall."

He turned and glared at Zhang Xueyan, saying, "Minister Zhang, why don't you bring up the accounts?"

Zhang Xueyan, in a flustered manner, hurriedly took out the account book from his bosom and respectfully presented it to the emperor.

"Let me see!"

Emperor Wanli's hands trembled slightly, and he even began to pray in his heart.

My money! My money must not be compromised!

After looking at it for a long time, the emperor realized that he didn't understand accounts at all and couldn't figure it out no matter how he looked at it.

He turned to look at Zhang Xueyan and said.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me what's going on with these accounts."

"I believe this matter is of great importance."

Zhang Xueyan was thinking of laying the groundwork, which was the proper way for a civil official to present a memorial, but seeing how anxious the emperor was, he could only speak concisely and clearly.

"Your Majesty, the output of briquettes from the Xishan workshop has not only increased, but has skyrocketed by two million catties!"

(End of this chapter)