The blessing of the Qing Dynasty is difficult to pass

Chapter 481 Asking for Money ([-])

Zhang Dezheng, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, in Mr. Zhang’s home, Yinxiang and Yinzhen sat in the study of Zhang’s mansion and drank tea slowly. There was an IOU on the tea table, which was written by Mr. Zhang himself when he borrowed money, and he also pressed his fingerprints. The amount is not much, 2 taels.

Mr. Zhang has a gray beard and wrinkles on his face. He is explaining to Yinxiang Yinzhen that there are many chores in the mansion, money is spent everywhere, and life is difficult.

"My lords, it's not that the slaves didn't pay back on purpose. It's just that the house doesn't have much money, so it's not enough." Mr. Zhang has a sad face, and his tone is sincere. People who don't know it, I'm afraid they were really fooled by him.

But Yinxiang came prepared, since he dared to recommend himself to collect debts, he naturally has a way to deal with it.

After hearing this, Yinxiang smiled slightly, put the tea bowl in his hand on the tea table, picked up the IOU and looked at it, then took out a neatly folded paper from his arms, spread the paper out, and read softly what was written on it The content of "the first month of this year, Mr. Zhang celebrated his 6000th birthday, held a big banquet in the mansion, invited the guests, and invited the most prestigious theater troupe in Beijing. It was lively for three days and three nights. Roughly estimated, the cost of these three days There are five to six thousand taels."

"In late February, Mr. Zhang bought a Yangzhou skinny horse from a salt merchant named Shi at a cost of 2000 taels."

"In March, Mr. Zhang saw a vase in the Jubao building and spent 500 taels of silver to buy it."

"The day before yesterday, the ninth aunt in the house celebrated her birthday. Mr. Zhang asked a craftsman to make a pure gold birdcage for her. It cost 3000 taels of gold to convert it into silver."

"Master Zhang, let's not talk about the past, counting from this year, from the Chinese New Year to now, your family's expenditures are more than 1 taels, not counting daily expenses. You said that your family's life is difficult." Yin Xiang smiled, Laughing Mr. Zhang had cold sweat on his forehead, "It's difficult to live like this. I don't know how extravagant the life of the family would be if it were not difficult. I'm afraid even the family of the master can't compare with it."

"I don't dare, I don't dare, I don't dare, Master Thirteen is serious, I don't dare." Lord Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his arms trembling.

"Don't dare? You say it's difficult, but in fact you spend a lot of money, and you spend a lot of money at every turn. Now the master and the fourth brother are here at the emperor's order. Mr. Zhang, it doesn't matter if you lie to me and the fourth brother, but you lie to Huang Ama... "Yinxiang paused, and let Mr. Zhang understand the rest.

"I know I'm wrong, I know I'm wrong, I hope the thirteenth master and fourth master don't mind the past, this slave will order people to go to the warehouse to move the money, and wait for the two masters to wait for a while, wait for a while." Master Zhang couldn't sit still. , stood up quickly, but because of the fear in his heart, his legs became weak, and he couldn't stand still for a while, and almost fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Yin Xiang snorted coldly in his heart, picked up the tea bowl again and continued to drink tea, pretending he didn't see Master Zhang's embarrassment.

Mr. Zhang walked towards the door unsteadily, and repeatedly ordered people to open the warehouse to move the money, and kept apologizing to Yinxiang Yinzhen, saying that he was old and foolish, and hoped that the two of them would forgive him.

The silver was in hand, Yinxiang and Yinzhen were too lazy to fuss about it, they casually said a few words, carried the silver and left, when the silver was put into the treasury and registered in the register, Yinzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, he ran for four or five days, This is the first sum of money recovered.

"You still have a way." Yin Zhen patted Yin Xiang's shoulder approvingly.

Yinxiang smiled. He has been collecting these things since Kangxi allowed the officials of the court to borrow money. This is not a confidential matter, and it is not private. Years, just wait for today.

"Zhang Dezheng is timid and timid. As soon as the evidence is presented, he obediently repays the money. I hope everyone else is like him and obediently repays the money." Yinxiang flipped through dozens of IOUs in his hand and sighed. .

"You have already collected the evidence, is it possible that those people still dare to deny it?" Yinzhen asked.

"Don't underestimate those old foxes. Without a fuel-efficient lamp, Zhang De is going well. It's because he is timid and flamboyant. It's hard to deal with those low-key ones." To Yinzhen, said, "This old fox, we have to work hard."

"Korkun?" Yinzhen frowned, he was indeed an old fox.

Ke Erkun is the elder brother's old father-in-law. He once served as Minister of the Ministry of War and Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"Let's chew on this difficult bone first. I don't believe that even Kerkun has paid it back. Others dare to owe it."

"Okay, let's go to Kerkun first." Yinzhen nodded.

Kerkun is not as ostentatious as Zhang Dezheng. He only collects money and does not spend it. Except for the occasional purchase of land, he has never seen him have other large expenditures. He stuffs whole boxes of silver and gold into the warehouse for storage. Even if he doesn't spend money, Yinxiang has no choice but to collect evidence of his profligacy.

Like Zhang Dezheng, Kerkun cried poorly, listing the expenses of the family one by one. He is stingy, and the whole family saves together. Yinxiang really didn't catch his little pigtails before.

But Yinxiang also has a way. He asked Keer Kun for a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and then wrote down all the daily expenses that Keer Kun said one by one, and finally added them together to get a number: 8000 taels.

8000 taels, compared to Rongguo Mansion, is really not that much. Daily expenses, gifts and so on during New Years and festivals are all added up. It is really frugal in a family of first-rank officials like Kerkun.

Seeing that Yinxiang was like this, Kerkun couldn't understand what he meant, but this did not prevent him from making use of the topic, "Master Thirteen, the slave's salary is only 180 taels a year. Tell me, this 180 taels can be done by a family like the slave." What? Although there are some extra ice respects and carbon respects, they can only maintain a balance of income and expenditure, the thirteenth master, the fourth master, it's not that the slaves don't pay back the money, it's the slaves who really can't get it out."

Yinxiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will tell you carefully."

Kerkun didn't know what kind of medicine Yinxiang sold in the gourd. He glanced at Yinzhen suspiciously. Yinzhen's face was expressionless, and Yinxiang's face couldn't see anything. Sitting next to Xiang Xiang, he was sitting upright, with an appearance of listening attentively.

"You have a farm of [-] mu in the western suburbs, right?" Yinxiang asked.

"Exactly." A bad premonition welled up in Ker Kun's heart.

"There are three farms of two hundred and three acres in the eastern suburbs, which add up to nearly a thousand acres, right?"

"Yes."

"There is a big farm in the Fangshan area, covering more than 2000 mu, right?"

"Master Thirteen, that farm was purchased by the officials below as a tribute to the slaves, not by the slaves' money." Kerkun explained.

(End of this chapter)