Xue Biao and Xue Baoqin were equally happy. Three thousand taels of silver was not the most important thing.

With this incident, it means that my team has a backer.

Moreover, the two siblings have traveled extensively with their father since they were young. It can be said that they are very good at doing business, but because they are young and have no elders, it is not an exaggeration to say that they have been cautious in the past few years.

Now that the pressure is relieved, not to mention Xue Biao, even 11-year-old Xue Baoqin can't help but have random thoughts.

"Brother, is it possible for my brother-in-law to promote you and make you an official?"

Xue Biao was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "I would like to, but my brother-in-law insists on giving me these three thousand taels, and I don't even have a chance to speak."

But Xue Baoqin shook his head, "Brother, you are stupid. How can you promise to ask for an official for you once you do something? If that is the case, my brother-in-law cannot be trusted."

This is just right now, not only to show that I value you, but also to take the opportunity to test you again."

Only then did Xue Biao react, nodding with an expression of surprise on his face and saying, "I heard that after my brother-in-law took over the imperial mission, he has been busy arguing with officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Household Affairs these days.

No, I will go to my brother-in-law's place to wait early tomorrow morning."

While Xue Baoqin nodded, he also reminded, "Brother, it's better to go to my aunt and cousin to inform you first."

"Yes, yes, yes", Xue Biao slapped his forehead, "I am still thoughtful."

He raised his feet and wanted to look for Xue Pan, but stopped after taking a few steps.

"No, I'd better help my brother-in-law tomorrow after I talk to my eldest brother about his difficulties."

Xue Baoqin thought about it and agreed.

------

Shi Zhongkui went to see the emperor that day, apparently to warn Xia Shouzhong.

But it’s true.

After getting the information on all the registered rice fields in Gyeonggi Province recorded by the Ministry of Household Affairs, I checked them carefully for a day, and then called for the land in Daxing after returning home.

With land, there are local snakes who know everything about Daxing's land, let alone the officials and gentry who want to hide the land.

No matter how much donated land a family has received, don't even try to hide it from him.

"Shangxian, the information from the Ministry of Revenue was recorded during the inventory fifteen years ago. The little god did the math and found that there should be more than 20,000 acres of rice fields in Daxing that have not been registered.

As for the wheat fields, although I haven’t seen the information, Xiao Shen guesses that the number concealed should be more than five times.”

When Tu Di said this, Shi Zhongkui understood.

100,000 acres of land is equal to 66.67 square kilometers, and the capital area of ​​modern society is 16,410 square kilometers.

Although I don’t know the exact size of Shuntian Mansion in Dazhou, it should not be much different.

After 15 years of continuous land reclamation, 100,000 acres, or 1,000 hectares of wheat fields have been developed, which seems to be nothing.

But even if Shi Zhongkui knew about it, he had no intention of reporting it.

Ordinary farmers are unable to open up wasteland and preserve these farmlands. Once this matter is revealed, all the nobles, officials, and squires in the capital will definitely hate themselves to death.

From now on, let alone work, he was forced to go back to the Hanlin Academy and work in the National History Museum to compile history.

So he came to the emperor for two things.

One is to ask for money, and the other is to ask for power.

The emperor understood that it was inevitable to give Shi Zhongkui some rights.

Whether it is promoting fish farming in rice fields or dredging rivers, it is impossible to accomplish it without some actual rights.

Even the Hedao Governor's Yamen stationed in Jining could not enter.

Fortunately, Shi Zhongkui did not need to dredge the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The Emperor's decree clearly stated that he would be the agent for dredging the Gyeonggi River.

However, when the Gyeonggi Water Transport and the Yongding River flooded every year, the imperial court would basically send a minister, or a minister, to take charge of the affairs.

When the flood season is over, the errands are over, and the positions are removed.

There is no credit, but you still have to take responsibility if something goes wrong. The Ministry of Industry is eager to let Shi Zhongkui take care of it this year, even next year, every year.

After the emperor heard that Shi Zhongkui was arguing with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs every day in the past few days, he felt sympathy for him.

After thinking about it, he gave Shi Zhongkui a piece of money that could mobilize the wealth of hundreds of Xiuyiwei households.

As for arguing with civil servants, that depends on Shi Zhongkui's own abilities.

What Shi Zhongkui wants is also very simple and justifiable.

With this name and power, it doesn't matter whether those officials shirk the responsibility or dare not refuse.

But to give money, the emperor was reluctant to pay from his own treasury.

But when I thought about the deficit of the Ministry of Revenue, I also knew that I wanted to ask for money from the Ministry of Revenue. Not to mention Shi Zhongkui, even he, the emperor, might not be able to get it.

Shi Zhongkui would not foolishly use his own money to do things for the court like when Jia Zheng was sent abroad.

"Your Majesty, please raise your own funds, but please give me 50,000 taels of silver first to build the Yamen and recruit Yamen servants, soldiers and petty officials."

"50,000 taels?"

The emperor was so angry that his heart and liver ached.

In previous years, even when the minister presided over the floods, he never gave him 50,000 taels.

Moreover, the annual tax revenue of the Dazhou Household Department is only 6 million taels, and it is showing a downward trend day by day.

Let alone 50,000 taels, even 20,000 taels or 30,000 taels will not be given by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Shi Zhongkui smiled and said, "I will borrow 50,000 taels today and pay back 40,000 taels in one year."

"really?"

The emperor stood up in surprise and said, "My dear, do you know that there is no joke before you? If you can't do it, it's not just as simple as dismissal from office."

If this was accomplished, it would mean that the imperial court had only spent 10,000 taels of silver to raise fish in rice fields and dredge the rivers in Gyeonggi Province.

This is not a capable minister. Who dares to say that he is a capable minister?

Shi Zhongkui cupped his hands and said, "In addition to just getting started in learning, I am actually more proficient in business management."

The emperor's face darkened, and the leader of the Sixth Yuan Dynasty only said that he had just started learning?

Then isn't he, the emperor, on the same level as a toddler learning to talk?

But the emperor could only keep these words in his heart, and he would be laughed at if he said it.

Also, as a scholar, how can you dare to say that you are better at business?

After much deliberation, the emperor finally could only think that Shi Zhongkui had this idea to attack the Xue family.

But in this way, it seems that there is no need to worry about Shi Zhongkui not paying back the money, nor that he can't find a way to make money.

He picked up a pen, wrote a decree and threw it to Shi Zhongkui, "I don't want to see you again until I get my results."

Shi Zhongkui took the paper, smiled, bowed and left the study room.

After waiting for a while, he saw Xia Shouzhong coming out, and then he cupped his hands and said, "I still need to trouble my father-in-law to send someone to take the officials to the embroidered clothes and guard Yamen."

"It should, it should."

Xia Shouzhong nodded with a smile, "It happens that our family has nothing to do, why not take the Number One Scholar there personally?"

This was meant with good intentions, after all, the stall owner of Xiuyiwei was originally a confidant of the emperor and Xia Shouzhong's subordinate.

With him taking him there, everyone in the Xiuyi Guards, including the commander, would not dare to be perfunctory in the future.

But Shi Zhongkui said with a smile, "I thank my father-in-law first, but what I have to do may offend many people. It is better to ask my father-in-law for help when I cause trouble."

Xia Shouzhong understood as soon as he heard that what Shi Zhongkui meant was that this had nothing to do with him as an internal official at the beginning. If he helped in the future, no one would say that the two were colluding inside and outside.

Thinking of this, Xia Shouzhong immediately gave up all thoughts of leading the way, and even did not want to have anything to do with Shi Zhongkui.

So as not to be implicated by him in the future.

When Shi Zhongkui followed a young eunuch out of the palace, he was thinking that if civil servants could avoid being related to eunuchs in their work, they should try to avoid it.

Otherwise, even the chief assistant cannot bear the accusation of internal and external collusion.

But you can't say this to Xia Shouzhong directly, otherwise the eunuch will definitely think that he looks down on him.

With the badge given by the emperor, the process of going to the embroidery guard went smoothly.

One hundred embroidered guards, one hundred households and five general banners. From now on, as long as Shi Zhongkui still has the errand of dredging the river, he will obey Shi Zhongkui's orders.

He got on the official sedan carried by four people and asked Shun'er to lead the way to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for money.

Generally, only officials of third grade or above are eligible to sit in an official sedan carried by four people, and if you leave the capital, it can be carried by eight people.

Shi Zhongkui, a junior official of the sixth rank, even if he is the number one scholar, can only serve as an official sedan carried by two people, but he is also an imperial envoy. Not only can he sit in a sedan with four people, but the Ministry of Rites has also equipped him with an honor guard of 16 people.

.

Four guards with swords, four followers holding imperial envoy plaques, eight bearers can be replaced in turn, and they can also bring different numbers of domestic servants.

However, because he had been staying in the capital, Shi Zhongkui was not so public.

In addition to the eight people in the official sedan because it was a reflection of his status, he also sent the imperial envoy plaque and bodyguards to the Ministry of Etiquette.
To be continued...