The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

The Xu family's actions undoubtedly cut off the path for most of the gentry. A middle-aged gentryman, who was fat but had a dignified appearance, gritted his teeth and crawled from the table to the center of the hall, where he slapped his head three times in front of Liu Mu.

"Your Majesty, the Cheng family of Xuzhou is willing to contribute to the Han Dynasty and the people of the land, and has specially prepared 200,000 taels of silver and 300,000 shi of fine grain!"

Is this not enough? The gentry below, who lacked power, were dumbfounded. Was it worth it?

No sooner had the Cheng family finished speaking than an elderly man nearing fifty ran out, shouting before he could even kowtow.

"Your Majesty, the Chen family of Tongzhou, deeply aware of the hardship our Han people suffer in terms of clothing, has specially prepared 200,000 bolts of fine cloth, 500,000 bolts of coarse cloth, and 50,000 bolts of silk."

The Chen family had just finished their business when three more stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, although the Cheng family of Yangzhou is not powerful enough, we are willing to donate eighty small Fujian ships, twenty medium-sized Fujian ships, five large Fujian ships, and two hundred thousand taels of silver to assist the soldiers in crossing the river!"

Liu Mu's face remained expressionless, but he was overjoyed inside. These four families alone brought in over two million taels of silver. This money came so easily. As for titles and fiefdoms, they were never something Liu Mu worried about.

Siberia is a vast and sparsely populated region. Allowing families to migrate there would not only increase the local population, but also help build cities and do business, which would directly boost local prosperity, much like the migration of people to Northeast China in later generations.

Actually, it's not like they've been treated unfairly. Under the whole sky, all land belongs to the emperor, and Siberia also belongs to the Han Dynasty. What they've been given is a hereditary system. If they develop the local area well, wouldn't it be good for them to become local emperors in the future?

Replace him with a narrow-minded emperor.

I'm not going to use my brain with you.

Thinking about this, Liu Mu realized that this approach was somewhat similar to the Zhou Dynasty's enfeoffment of the land, both aimed at enriching the desolate wilderness.

If we rely solely on the governors of the Han Dynasty...

It will take forever to revitalize this area!

However, with so many local gentry present, he would have to make them bleed more money; after all, even a small amount is still something. Thinking of this, Liu Mu sighed again.

"Gentlemen, since you are all so willing to serve the people, I cannot be stingy. I will grant a marquis with a fiefdom of a first-class county for 500,000 taels, a marquis with a fiefdom of a middle-class county for 300,000 taels, and a marquis with a fiefdom of a lower-class county for 100,000 taels!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he silently recited it again. Once he found that what he said was correct, he looked at the remaining gentry with an extremely sincere expression, as if he were about to open his heart.

According to the Central Plains, the more people a county has, the higher its tax revenue, and the county's ranking is based on this. But we are the Han Dynasty, so we calculate it based on the size of the territory.

Anyway, he's the emperor, so he calls the shots!

The local gentry were now really getting restless. A top-tier county could recoup its investment of 500,000 taels of silver in seven or eight years, with the rest being pure profit. It was as if the emperor was handing out money.

He was indeed a Mongol emperor.

Proud!

A gentryman who didn't seem to be very wealthy, after talking with several rich merchants on either side, scurried to the center of the hall.

"Your Majesty, my Li family is willing to contribute 200,000 taels of silver and 100,000 shi of fine grain to serve the people of the Han Dynasty!"

Following the offer from this Mr. Li, other gentry could no longer resist, and some even began selling assets to raise money from other gentry.

After no one else made a bid, Liu Mu suddenly covered his forehead, looking like he was about to collapse, and then slumped onto the table, snoring loudly.

"His Majesty cannot hold his liquor!"

"Please continue, everyone!"

Liu Mu usually drank wine like tea, and Zhou Peigong could tell at a glance that he was pretending to be drunk. He immediately helped Liu Mu away, and did not forget to give the gentry a look of approval.

Sure enough, after entering the guest room in the back office, Liu Mu instantly sobered up, picked up the wine pot on the table, took a satisfying sip, and revealed a pleased smile.

"Pei Gong!"

"How many counties did you sell to today?"

At this time, Zhou Peigong was unaware of Liu Mu's plans and thought that Liu Mu was selling official positions. So he stood there with a dark face and didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Liu Mu knew exactly what was going on, so he patted the stool next to him, signaling Zhou Peigong to sit down, and then explained the situation on the Siberian Plain.

"Pei Gong, now that you know my thoughts, I will spend the next three days drunk in the government office. You go and get the silver, grain, cloth, and ships for me!"

"As for the conferment of the marquisate, just use my seal to affix it and send the name of the county in advance. If you really find it troublesome, just use the name of a county in the interior, and add the words 'Western Regions' to it. I think Pei County in the Western Regions is quite good!"

Zhou Peigong was dumbfounded. Having read so many books and met so many people, this was the first time he had ever heard that an emperor could be so shameless as to have no bottom line.

However, as a loyal and upright official, Zhou Peigong still chose to offer advice, no matter how eloquently Liu Mu spoke.

"Your Majesty, this silver and supplies represent almost the entire fortune of those gentry and wealthy merchants. I fear they may become dissatisfied and cause trouble!"

Liu Mu smiled upon hearing this and drank another glass of wine.

"Rest assured, as long as we promise that the gentry and wealthy merchants who purchase titles today will be distributed near the trade routes, they will not only be safe, but the slaves defeated by the army will also be sold to them at a low price. At that time, they are all adults and can distinguish between losing money and getting real benefits. Besides, this is a permanent territory of a country within a country, so we will not treat them unfairly!"

"You're a scholar; you don't understand these gentry and wealthy merchants. The more they lose, the more obedient they become!"

"If you get nothing at all, that's a real loss, and you might even have to thank me!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he slapped the table.

"Liu Dingbian, summon all those names—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—into the palace. I want to properly learn about the culture of Jiangnan!"

Zhou Peigong, who was standing to the side, was immediately speechless. He slurped down a glass of wine and hurriedly left. A short while later, Chunxiaqiudong entered the guest room.

With the Qing Dynasty's entry into the Central Plains and the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, the atmosphere in Jiangnan also became conservative. People like Chen Yuanyuan and Li Qingzhao, who used to openly exchange poems with friends, became ordinary.

From then on, these courtesans became the private playthings or gifts for these gentry and wealthy merchants to curry favor with.

This Mr. Xu must be quite particular, as he dressed all four women—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—in their wedding gowns, and the gold and silver hairpins on their heads were worth hundreds of taels of silver.

Seeing Liu Mu sitting upright with a calm expression, they knew he was the emperor, so they all stepped forward to bow and perform the Wanfu ceremony.

"This humble woman greets Your Majesty!" ×4

As expected of a woman from Jiangnan, her voice was gentle and soft, as if it had been soothed by warm water. Liu Mu, who had put down the wine pot, waved to her.

"Lift your head up!"

Upon hearing this, the four women dared not delay and slowly raised their heads. Liu Mu instantly understood what it meant to be tender and affectionate when he saw their large, watery eyes.

Therefore, a woman's true feelings may not be genuine!

This can be faked!