Chapter Forty-Five Silver

  "Because the occupied territories' technology is very backward, even the craftsmen's level is low, they can't produce firearms, cannons and other things, and even ironware is scarce. Therefore, when the governor governs those places, he needs support from his original country. If the governor wants to be independent, his country cuts off his military supplies, and just sends a troop over, it can be settled. So no governor dares to be independent."

  Zhong Jinwei also didn't know if it was true that there had never been a governor who declared independence in history, nor did he know if this was the reason. Anyway, he explained it according to his own understanding first.

  The Chongzhen Emperor couldn't sit still and got up to pace back and forth.

  The martial arts of expanding territory is what any emperor with ideals dreams of, let alone the Chongzhen Emperor who is in his youthful and hot-blooded stage.

  But if the territory is too large, governance becomes a problem. The approach that Master Zhong mentioned earlier for handling foreign lands is also a means to an end, and it's worth trying.

  However, now under the advice of those officials, it is still the national policy to ban the sea. Moreover, pirates are rampant, and the Liaodong Jurchen tribes are running amok, and they are all still in the capital region. Even if I have the heart to do so, I am powerless at this time!

  The Chongzhen Emperor thought of this, a boiling heart slowly cooled down, and then told his thoughts to Zhong Xian.

  "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter if it's not possible now, but in the future, as long as we prepare ourselves, the Great Ming will eventually become an empire where the sun never sets under your leadership. Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di, Tang Taizong and Song Taizu will all look up to you, Your Majesty will definitely become a true emperor for the ages!"

  Chongzhen Emperor nodded vigorously, brilliant achievements were waiting for him, but not something he could accomplish himself. He stretched out his right hand to Zhong Wenwei and looked at him.

  Zhong Jinwei understood Emperor Chongzhen's meaning and stretched out his left hand. The two hands clasped together firmly!

  It was on this day that a fundamental national policy direction for the great Ming dynasty was truly established.

  After the excitement, Emperor Chongzhen's mood slowly calmed down, and he thought of a strange question from Zhong Jiawei's previous inquiry. He asked: "Master Zhong, are there really fish as big as my Imperial Palace in the sea?"

  "Haha, I scared him. The longest fish in the sea is about 30 meters long, oh, roughly around 9 zhang (a unit of length). That kind of fish is called a whale. Its whole body is treasure."

  "What's wrong?"

  "This fish is almost all meat, such a big fish can feed many people, and the fat of this fish can be used to make oil like lard, it can be used for lighting and eating." Zhong Jinwei didn't quite remember its specific functions either, he just vaguely knew that whales were very valuable, at that time nobody knew, so he just casually boasted, and there was no one who could expose him.

  "Your Majesty, think about it, if we can catch more of this kind of fish and transport them to the disaster area, won't that also solve part of their food problem?"

  "It makes some sense." The Chongzhen Emperor nodded, and everyone had overlooked such a big fish. Now can it be caught? Even if it is caught, how to transport it to the inland area? In fact, there are many difficulties to overcome.

  "There are still many useful things in the ocean, so Your Majesty, next time there is an opportunity, you must lift the sea ban!"

  This reason is not particularly attractive to Emperor Chongzhen, but Zhong Xingwei has also repeatedly mentioned those previous remarks, which are enough to stimulate Emperor Chongzhen. Later, even if Zhong Xingwei is no longer there, Emperor Chongzhen will inevitably think about how to lift the sea ban.

  The Chongzhen Emperor's mind has now completely calmed down, looking at the map on the table, he asked Zhong Xian: "Master Zhong, can these two maps be left in the palace?"

  "Of course it's no problem now. I don't even have a place to live, and if I lose it, the loss will be great." Zhong Jinwei said with a smile.

  Chongzhen Emperor listened and slapped his own forehead with his left hand, suddenly enlightened: "This is my fault, forgetting that Master Zhong is a man with nothing, no wealth, no property, no relatives. It's good this way."

  Chongzhen Emperor said here, turned around and asked Wang Chengen: "Taibao, is there a vacant house near the palace?"

  The king thought for a moment, then bowed his head and replied: "Your Majesty, there is a three-entry and four-joined courtyard near the imperial palace, located on Dingfu Avenue. It was obtained from the confiscation of Wei's traitor and is currently still sealed."

  "All right, I will grant this house to Master Zhong. It can serve as your baronial mansion in the capital. Dingfu Avenue is not far from the Imperial City and it's convenient for you to come over. When I have more money in the future, I'll grant you a bigger one." The Chongzhen Emperor turned around and said to Zhong Jinwei.

  "No need, no need, there are few people, just live here casually." Zhong Jinwei hastily apologized with the mindset of a later generation, and then secretly rejoiced in his heart: I got a free Beijing courtyard house! If this were in a later generation, it would be unthinkable. I heard from a colleague who was on a business trip to Beijing that this kind of courtyard house costs 20,000 yuan per month in rent, now I'm rich.

  Chongzhen Emperor thought it was too simple and felt embarrassed, so he said to Zhong Xian: "Master Zhong, this year's salary will be counted as the whole year. I'll let the Grand Companion pay you in advance later."

  Roaring, with a house and money, life is joyful beyond measure. It seems to be a line from a play, Zhong Jinwei vaguely remembers that there is such a sentence in his heart, now it's used most aptly.

  A Qi was listening on the side and secretly delighted. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen noticed A Qi and remembered the marriage he had promised earlier, so he asked Wang Chengen: "Grand Companion, how is the preparation for Gong Shifu's marriage going?"

  Zhong Jinwei immediately replied: "Your Majesty, I plan to wait until the construction of the enemy is repelled before getting married, so I asked Wang Gonggong to delay it for the time being."

  Wang Chengen also added, "Your Majesty, I have had someone verify it: Ah Qi's family is at No. 9 Wangcheng Alley, West Dajie Street, Tongzhou, with a moderate household and still has his mother and an older brother."

  The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and said to Ah Qi, "Since Master Zhong is going to marry you, it's not suitable for you to go to the Earl's residence before getting married. Wait until the situation stabilizes a bit, I'll send someone to take you back to Tongzhou to prepare for your wedding."

  He paused slightly, then continued: "You also had the merit of saving my life before, and you took good care of Imperial Tutor Zhong. I said I would reward you but haven't done so yet. How about I confer a title of Seventh Rank Commandery Lady on your mother?"

  A Qi heard that he could still earn a noble title for his mother, and was overjoyed. He didn't dare to be arrogant like Zhong Jinwei, and quickly knelt down to thank him.

  Chongzhen Emperor said to Zhong Jinwei, "Master Zhong, I'll have the Grand Companion send someone to take you over to look at the house later. Prepare whatever needs to be added, and we'll choose a auspicious day to move in."

  Zhong Jingwei's heart was itching, and he really wanted to see his home immediately. But on the surface, he was not in a hurry, and only thanked Emperor Chongzhen.

  The Chongzhen Emperor came to Zhong Jinwei's place, and before he knew it, a long time had passed. Looking at the present, they have also chatted for a while, so he went back to attend to government affairs.

  As soon as Emperor Chongzhen left, Zhong Jinwei made a gesture of raising his hand and shouted "Yes!" in excitement.

  I don't have a special place in the afterlife, just one of many losers, but I was extremely lucky and crossed over. Not only did I cross over, but I also saved Emperor Chongzhen. Not only did I save Emperor Chongzhen, but I also got a luxurious mansion in the capital for free, plus a beautiful and gentle wife, and a high-paying golden rice bowl. Hmm, must cherish it, must overthrow the Qing dynasty first, and revive the great Ming dynasty.

  Aqi watched Zhong Jinwei's strange behavior with a completely normal expression, but she could feel from her heart that Zhong Jinwei was expressing a kind of happiness, and this gain made her very happy too.

  After a while, Wang Chengen brought two eunuchs back, and saw the two eunuchs struggling to carry a box. After entering the hall, they placed the box in front of Zhong Jinwei, then bowed and retreated.

  Zhong Jinwei looked curiously at the box, what's inside?

  Wang Chengen held the Buddhist duster in his left hand and swung it, drawing Zhong Jinwei's attention. He then smiled at him and said, "Master Zhong, no need to guess. Inside is the full year's salary that His Majesty promised you this year. His Majesty specifically instructed that your salary be converted entirely into silver for you."

  Zhong Jinwei looked slightly embarrassed and asked Wang Chengen: "Can I open it now and take a look?"

  Wang Chengen was speechless, of course it's okay!

  Zhong Jinwei opened the box and a row of silver ingots were neatly arranged inside.

  "Ah, good, plenty. Zhong Jinwei casually took out two ingots and handed them to Wang Chengen: 'Here, here, everyone gets a share, don't be stingy!'"

  One ingot of silver is ten taels, and two ingots are twenty taels. For ordinary people, five qian per tael can barely get by for a year. A soldier in Liaodong has an annual salary of only twelve taels after conversion. Now, Zhong Jinwei's first move was to give twenty taels, which is really generous. Wang Chengen had already become numb to his unreasonable behavior and hurriedly declined, bringing up the name of Emperor Chongzhen. Only then did Zhong Jinwei stop giving him money. It wasn't that Wang Chengen didn't dare take the twenty taels of silver, but mainly because Zhong Jinwei was now a big shot in front of Emperor Chongzhen, and his own position was obtained through Zhong's words. One can't be ungrateful, after all.

  Wang Chengen was afraid that Zhong Jinwei would come up with another trick, so he quickly said to him: "I'll let An Guiyi bring two foreigners to accompany you to see the Earl's mansion and see if anything needs to be added, so that we can make preparations before the move."

  Zhong Jinwei listened and hastily said okay, then looked at the box, took out six silver ingots, put them in his bosom, and felt that it was not enough, so he took two more. Only then did he cover the lid and push the box to the corner inside. The silver added to the box weighed almost 80-90 kilograms, which was not easy to push.

  After finishing his work, he said to A Qi: "Let's go and see the house." Then he prepared to follow Wang Chengen out.

  Zhong Jinwei walked a few steps and found that Aqi hadn't followed up, turned his head to look back, Aqi was in a dilemma, wanting to follow but not wanting to follow, couldn't help but feel some surprise: "Why aren't you walking?"

  "Aqi said somewhat embarrassed: "Young master, those silver coins..." Zhong Jinwei suddenly realized, it was because of this: "Don't worry about it, we're in the palace, who dares to steal? Don't be afraid, let's go."

  Zhong Jinwei was also unclear about the value of this box of silver. During the Chongzhen period, one tael of silver was equivalent to about 600 RMB, so that box of silver would be worth around 660,000 RMB. If he knew the value of the silver, it would be placed there without being locked up, and no one would pay attention to it. It's estimated that he wouldn't be so carefree, otherwise he wouldn't be considered a loser.

  A Qi saw Gongzi repeatedly urging him, while Wang Cheng'en on the other side also showed an impatient look, and didn't dare to say that he was worried again, so he followed up and went to see his future home.