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

Chapter 180 I don't care! I've made money! Nobody can stop me!

Two million catties?

Upon hearing the news of the soaring production of coal from Xishan, Emperor Wanli was not pleased at all. Instead, his face grew even more gloomy. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily.

"Zhang Ziyu! Are you trying to deceive me too?!"

This is simply a fantasy. Emperor Wanli may not have understood the lives of ordinary people, but he was not stupid.

A simple recollection of the reports from previous years reveals that ordinary mines produce only a few hundred thousand kilograms of coal per month, so where did the surge of two million kilograms come from?

I wonder what reason Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Revenue, would have for helping Zhang Yunxiu to make such a false report?

The emperor felt his intelligence had been insulted.

Zhang Xueyan was startled and quickly knelt down to pay her respects.

"Your Majesty is wise. Your humble servant would never dare to deceive you. After receiving the accounts, your humble servant carefully checked them and confirmed that the monthly production did indeed increase by two million catties, and even some small amounts were undercounted!"

Emperor Wanli laughed in anger.

"Then tell me, how many kilograms of briquettes did the Xishan workshop produce last month?"

Zhang Xueyan had worked in the Ministry of Revenue for many years and was very familiar with mathematics and auditing methods. After repeatedly reviewing the data, he had already memorized the numbers.

"It is approximately 4.31 million jin, which is about 2 million jin more than the 2 million jin last month."

Emperor Wanli shook his head repeatedly and said, "Zhang Shiyuan once boasted that once the Xishan workshop was on track, producing four or five million catties a month would not be difficult."

Last month, the Xishan workshop was initially established, with a monthly output of nearly two million catties, which is already astonishing.

"In just one month, production increased by two million catties, and there's even the problem of water seepage in Xishan. How can I believe this!"

Zhang Xueyan sighed helplessly and said, "It's no wonder Your Majesty has such concerns. When I first received the accounts, I was also quite skeptical."

Therefore, I made a special trip to check Xishan's accounts.

It seems that even if Zhang Yunxiu possessed extraordinary abilities, the deficit of two million could not possibly be faked.

Following the records of Xishan, I checked the amount of clay transported to the capital from various places, and it was found to be almost identical.

Having served as the Minister of Revenue for many years, I pride myself on my proficiency in mathematics. After several investigations, I can confidently assert that the claim of an additional two million catties of grain produced in Xishan is impossible to fabricate!
If Your Majesty has any concerns, you can summon Zhang Shiyuan for a face-to-face confrontation, which will likely provide a clearer picture.

Zhang Xueyan spoke very sincerely, and did not seem like she was just making things up.

This made Emperor Wanli even more puzzled.

Why would production increase? How could production increase? This is completely illogical!
It should be noted that in Emperor Wanli's estimation, the amount of briquettes produced in Xishan was so great that even if it reached one million catties, let alone the original two million catties, it would be considered a great blessing.

If Xishan can maintain a production of two million catties, it will not suffer losses and may even be able to make a profit.

"Let me come and see!"

Emperor Wanli frowned deeply, his fat hands hurriedly flipping through the accounts as he muttered something.

"Production really increased? Production really increased! What miracle has Zhang Shiyuan pulled off this time?"

Want to find out.

"Your Majesty, I dare to offer a brief explanation."

Seeing the emperor's predicament, Zhang Xueyan quickly stepped forward, opened the accounts one by one, and explained in detail the various amounts and contents.

In particular, the emperor was shown a comparison between the two months before and after.

He even prepared supporting figures, including personnel expenses, the number of carriages entering and leaving, and raw material consumption, to verify the authenticity of the figures for the emperor.

It took Zhang Xueyan a full two incense sticks' worth of time to finally explain the details of the Xishan accounts for the past month.

At this moment, Emperor Wanli sat back down at his desk, leaning forward and staring intently at the accounts, unwilling to look away for even a moment.

"Let me take another look!"

The emperor's hands trembled slightly as he snatched the ledger and flipped through the corresponding section again, preparing to verify it.

After comparing it again, he took a deep breath and looked at Zhang Xueyan with a complicated expression.

"Minister Zhang, why don't you use charts and graphs?"

Zhang Xueyan hadn't expected the emperor to ask such a question, and replied with a hint of helplessness.

"Your Majesty, I am dull-witted and used to the old counting methods. I am not quite used to using that chart method anymore."

Emperor Wanli shook his head and said, "Wouldn't the trend be much clearer if we used charts? You shouldn't stick to old ways. Find an opportunity to learn from Zhang Shiyuan."

Zhang Xueyan hesitated for a moment before replying helplessly.

"The minister obeys the order."

The emperor appeared calm and composed, seemingly unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, but Zhang Xueyan could notice that his fingers were trembling.

Clearly, this change in numbers had caused a great deal of turmoil within him.

Zhang Xueyan was very sensible and remained silent, waiting for the emperor's instructions.

A moment later, the emperor asked in a trembling voice.

"Minister Zhang, I shall test you. If the capital had a monthly output of four million catties of briquettes, what benefit would it bring to the court, the state, and the people?"

If this question were posed by an ordinary minister, he would surely have given a brilliant and eloquent answer.

Zhang Xueyan, however, was completely different. His book, Wanli Accounting Records, can be considered the most complete work on the state finances of ancient China.

If there is anyone in the imperial court who has a profound understanding of the ways of commerce, it is none other than him.

Zhang Xueyan bowed and carefully considered his words before speaking.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. In the past, coal mines in various places produced only a few hundred thousand catties each time, and this was already considered a rich mine."

If the wonderful methods of Xishan Workshop could be promoted to all corners of the world, the world's coal production would increase by more than ten or a hundred times!

From then on, the needs of Beizhili during the cold winter were certainly met, and even Nanzhili and the nine border provinces and thirteen provinces could benefit from this.

Furthermore, Xishan's unique briquettes greatly improve the efficiency of coal combustion, and after processing, they even eliminate the problem of toxic fumes.

Historically, when the market is well-stocked, prices naturally stabilize, benefiting even the most ordinary people.

At this point, Zhang Xueyan became somewhat excited.

"If the method of coal production in Xishan is indeed this stable, then it is no exaggeration to call this lotus root coal a gift from heaven!"
This winter, when the north wind blows, the number of people freezing to death due to lack of firewood for heating will be greatly reduced, and countless people will be saved!
Furthermore, with thousands of state-run coal mines across the country, and a surge in coal production, the national treasury's annual revenue should increase several times over.

Upon hearing this, the Wanli Emperor could no longer contain his excitement. He grabbed Zhang Xueyan's wrist and said, "According to Minister Zhang, not only did I not lose money, but I actually made a huge profit?"

Zhang Xueyan felt that the emperor was somewhat crude. As the ruler of the world, how could he speak of profit so readily?

He thought for a moment and explained, “In recent years, the Duke of Jiangling has implemented the Single Whip Law in order to clean up official corruption and increase the court’s annual revenue. If the law of Xishan is effective, it will surely be able to increase revenue by relying on the coal mine.”

However, this matter was not without its flaws. The court and the people both benefited, but naturally some people suffered losses.

Merchants and gentry who operate coal mines across the land, as well as those who used to sell coal, are likely to lose everything.

The Wanli Emperor ignored these questions and continued to inquire.

"Then tell me, have I made any money? Have I made any money in Xishan?"

Zhang Xueyan was still unwilling to speak directly, and he said with some concern.

"Your Majesty, I believe that many gentry and merchants in the country make profits from coal mines, and recently some people in the capital have been hoarding briquettes in an attempt to make huge profits."

With these accounts revealed, these people have lost everything, and they're bound to cause trouble.

The Wanli Emperor grew impatient and slammed his hand on the table.

"Don't say such useless things."

Feng Bao, who had been standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and also offered a reminder.

"Your Majesty, the Cining Palace has stated that the stability of the lives of the people in the capital is of utmost importance."

Both of them were subtly telling the emperor that this matter involved the Cining Palace and the Shanxi merchants. "Your Majesty, don't you really want to think this over carefully?"

"Stop making noise!"

The emperor, however, seemed completely unconcerned. His eyes were somewhat bloodshot as he glared at Zhang Xueyan and spoke.

"Tell me how much silver I can earn, how much I can earn this month, and how much I can earn in the future?"

Zhang Xueyan had no choice but to consider the emperor's words and answer truthfully.

"The current market price of briquettes is about sixty wen, but after selling several million jin of briquettes, the price has decreased. However, they can still be sold to various places in Beizhili and even Nanzhili, so there is a market for them."

"I estimate we have around 200,000 taels of silver. After deducting costs and profits, Your Majesty should have 100,000 taels of silver, which is one month's income."

After thinking it over, Zhang Xueyan cautiously analyzed the situation.

"As for the future income of Xishan Workshop, that will have to be calculated by Zhang Tongzhi. I think that since the production of Xishan briquettes has increased, Zhang Tongzhi must have already found a way to solve the problem of water seepage."

Based on his description, it seems the Xishan workshop's output has not yet reached its limit.

"hiss--"

Emperor Wanli took a deep breath, his eyes widened, and he asked the other party again in disbelief.

"Are you saying that not only did I not lose money, but I actually made nearly 100,000 taels in a month! And there's even the possibility of further growth in the future?"

Zhang Xueyan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I would never dare to deceive you."

He even underestimated some of the revenue, because according to the Ministry of Revenue's calculations, at least two million catties of briquettes appeared out of thin air on the market in those ten days.

These two million catties of briquettes could not possibly have been released by the Shanxi merchants. Even if they were foolish, they wouldn't dump two million catties of briquettes at once to crash the market; that would be tantamount to digging their own grave.

Basically, it was Zhang Shiyuan who was causing trouble!

It should be noted that two million catties of briquettes were not sold at the basic price of twenty coins, but at a full eighty coins.

Even with some fluctuations, Zhang Yunxiu still earned at least 100,000 taels of silver in profit from the back-and-forth transactions.

Where did this silver come from?
Wasn't it all coming from the pockets of the Shanxi merchants?

It can be said that if the production of briquettes continues unabated, the one who will truly panic and fear a sudden drop in briquette prices will not be Zhang Yunxiu.

Instead, it was those merchants who attempted to wage war by hoarding and speculating on goods!

After all, the briquettes they stockpiled in the warehouses were all purchased from ordinary people at a higher price.

This time, not only did we not make any money, we also lost everything!
For some reason, Zhang Xueyan felt a sense of exhilaration.

However, as the Minister of Revenue, he had to consider the stability of the court, so he reminded the emperor.

"Your Majesty, are the merchants in the capital going to..."

"Who cares about them!"

Emperor Wanli's eyes turned red. He no longer cared whether the Shanxi merchants were on Empress Dowager Li's side.
Even if it is, so what?
I've made some money!

I'm rich!

The Wanli Emperor even gritted his teeth and said, "These merchants usually hoard goods and speculate on prices, trying to make huge profits. This time they've even tried to scheme against me!"

A bet is a bet! I didn't say anything when I lost money, so why should I care about their losses?

"I earned the silver, I didn't rob them!"

That's over ten thousand taels of silver!
In just one month, the Imperial Treasury's gold and silver reserves amounted to only over 700,000 taels last year. In other words, if this continues, the income generated by a single Xishan workshop in a year could equal the Imperial Treasury's gold and silver reserves for a year!

You want the emperor to vomit it out? That's wishful thinking!

Even if the late Emperor or the Jiajing Emperor were to come, there would be absolutely no possibility of compromise!
"This"

Zhang Xueyan's face couldn't help but look a little stiff.

The emperor doesn't seem like a ruler at all!
Why do they keep using vulgar language like "made money", "lost money", and "didn't rob them"?

It's simply disgraceful!

Are you really going to abandon the emperor for a mere ten thousand taels of silver?
But the emperor didn't care about any of that. He immediately turned his head to look at the head eunuch Feng Bao, who was keeping his eyes down and focused on his work, and gave him instructions.

"Feng, summon Zhang Yunxiu to the palace tomorrow. I want to question him thoroughly!"

Clearly, the information he received from Zhang Xueyan was not enough to put his mind at ease; he needed to hear it from Zhang Yunxiu himself before he could feel at ease.

Feng Bao immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This servant obeys the decree!"

After thinking about it, Emperor Wanli felt it was inappropriate and waved his hand, saying...

"There's no need for such trouble. I'll personally go to Xishan and take a good look at the Xishan coal mine!"

The emperor himself came to visit?

For a moment, Zhang Xueyan and Feng Bao couldn't help but frown, extremely surprised!
(End of this chapter)