335. Chapter 335: Legging stones to record merit


Chapter 335: Recording Merits with Stones

“Your Majesty, the wealthy businessmen invited by me donated a total of 180,000 taels of silver.”

In Longtu Pavilion, Sheng Changsong reported the results to Zhao Xing.

"Well, you did a good job. Spread the news as soon as possible. Use the money to purchase food in various places." Zhao Xing nodded.

One hundred and eighty thousand taels does not sound like much, but Sheng Changsong only invited some of the wealthy businessmen in Bianjing.

Moreover, there are many merchants in the world. As long as they participate in mutual markets and maritime trade, they will also donate after hearing the news.

It’s only five thousand taels, which is nothing to those wealthy businessmen. If Zhao Xing really hates this little money and prevents them from participating in the mutual market and sea trade, they will lose even more.

Zhao Xing can actually set the standard higher, but then those businessmen may not be willing to give it up.

"Yes!" Sheng Changsong responded.

"Go ahead." Zhao Xing waved his hand.

After sending Sheng Changsong away, Zhao Xing looked at Sanshui and asked, "How are the preparations for the monument going?"

"The preparations are almost complete. It can be erected today." Sanshui said.

"Then it's time for me to take action." Zhao Xing said with a smile.

…………

Inmyungung Palace

A lot of jewelry was piled on a table in the main hall.

A group of palace ladies are tapping.

Zhang Guifen put down the tea cup and said: "Mother Qian, don't I have two hundred thousand taels of silver in my dowry? Take all of this out."

The rights given by the Lord in the Song Dynasty It’s not big, but it’s very generous in terms of rewards.

The British government has been prosperous for generations and has been passed down for hundreds of years. Not to mention the family property accumulated over the years, the rewards given by emperors during the holidays alone are a huge sum of money.

As an only daughter, Zhang Guifen was not as exaggerated as the Bai family, but the dowry money alone was two hundred thousand taels.

This does not include all kinds of messy dowries.

"Madam, that's what the Duke and Madam put in the box for you. You don't need to take it all out, right?" Qian's mother said.

“As a queen, I can’t be compared with those concubines, right? And with my current status, what’s the use of asking for money? The people are suffering from disasters, hungry, homeless, and they can use these dead things to It’s too late for me to be happy to save the lives of the people,” Zhang Guifen said.

“Yes!” Seeing Zhang Guifen say this, Qian’s mother couldn’t persuade her anymore.

At this moment, a palace maid hurriedly walked in and saluted: "Your Majesty, your Majesty is here. You will be outside the palace soon."

"Quickly, put everything away." Zhang Guifen was anxious. road.

The maids in the palace quickly started busy after hearing this.

Seeing this, Zhang Guifen knew that he would not be able to deal with it for a while, so he said: "Don't worry, I will go and hold His Majesty first!"

After saying that, he left the main hall and happened to be outside the hall. Welcoming Zhao Xing.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!" Zhang Guifen saluted.

"No courtesy." Zhao Xing waved his hand.

"Why is Your Majesty free to come here at this time?" Zhang Guifen said with a smile.

“I have something to tell the queen.”

“I’ve been sleeping too hard today and haven’t gone out for a walk in the morning. Your Majesty will accompany me for a walk in the garden. Let’s talk while walking. ”

"Haha."

Zhao Xing smiled and said, "I'm a little thirsty. Let's go and have a sip of tea first before walking with the queen."

"Your Majesty doesn't have a maid who serves tea specifically. "Huh?" Zhang Guifen stopped Zhao Xing and said.

As an emperor, Zhao Xing would be followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs whenever he went out.

These people are not just following the good-looking ones. Some of them are serving tea with snacks. Zhao Xing can drink it anytime he needs it.

Zhao Xing looked at Zhang Guifen and said, "Does the queen still plan to hide it from me? I don't know what is going on in the palace?"

After saying that, he walked past Zhang Guifen and walked into the hall.

Seeing this, Zhang Guifen quickly followed.

“Greetings to Your Majesty!”

In the main hall, the palace maid who was busy saw Zhao Xing coming in and quickly stopped to salute.

"You all stand down!" Zhao Xing waved his hand.

"Yes!" The maids bowed and left.

Zhao Xing stepped forward, came to a box, bent down and picked up a bracelet.

"Your Majesty, my concubine..."

"You don't need to explain, I know you are doing it for me, but I want the silver, not the jewelry. Although you are not short of jewelry, but After all, these were made for you by your family when you got married, so keep them as a thought." Zhao Xing said.

When word spread about the floods in Jiangzhou, Zhang Guifen summoned his concubines and proposed donating some money to the court for disaster relief.

These concubines of Zhao Xing, even Minglan, who was of the lowest origin, had many dowries, and all of them were little rich women. Zhang Guifen originally wanted to donate some silver to the court, but the concubines started competing and gave away all the dowry jewelry.

The reason why I did not send those as gifts from the palace was because those jewelry were specially made by the palace craftsmen, and the decorations on them were not something ordinary people could wear.

No one outside the palace will accept it.

However, these jewelry were specially made for them by the family when they entered the palace. Although they were not as good as those in the palace, they were just a thought, and Zhao Xing did not intend to have them.

With such a huge commotion in the harem, it was naturally impossible to hide it from Zhao Xing.

"Yes, I will arrange for someone to send them back soon." Zhang Guifen said.

Zhao Xing pulled Zhang Guifen to sit down in front of the soft couch and said: "Although the treasury is short of money, I am not short of money. There are many solutions, but I don't want to use them now. You can call them for these jewelry later. Come here and let them take it back by themselves, and then you are like this... Do you understand?"

Zhang Guifen thought about it carefully and nodded: "I understand."

" You tell them, this is what I mean." Zhao Xing said.

"Yeah." Zhang Guifen nodded.

…………

In the evening, after the officials came out of the imperial city, they saw a huge stone tablet erected on the left and right near the road outside the palace city.

Although this place is far away from the main entrance of the imperial city, it is already on the street.

But these two stone tablets are facing both sides of the imperial city gate, very abrupt.

The ministers arranged for their entourage to inquire about it, and they only learned that the Forbidden Army arranged for it to be erected. As for what it was used for, no one knew.

They thought about it for a long time, but none of them thought of its specific use.

It was not until the morning of the next day that I understood the purpose of these two stone tablets.

…………

Daqing Hall, morning court

After all the officials paid their respects, the eunuchs from the palace hall sang and shouted, "If you have something to do, report it early!", and the morning court officially began.

"Your Majesty!"

The Minister of Industry, Sheng Hong, came out and said: "There were floods in Jiangzhou and other places, and the people were displaced and homeless. After hearing this, I couldn't sleep all night. I am willing to donate 10,000 taels of silver for disaster relief!"

Hearing this, Zhao Xing said happily: "Sheng Aiqing is really a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty. On behalf of the people of Jiangzhou and other places, I thank Sheng Aiqing for your generous donation."< br>
"Your Majesty is right. I am just doing my best and contributing a small amount of effort." Sheng Hong bowed.

In fact, Sheng Hong's heart was already bleeding. She had four daughters, and the dowry alone was a huge expense.

With the two sons getting married, all the savings over the years have been spent.

Although he does not need to take care of his current official position, it is indispensable to have wedding and wedding gifts at the homes of officials in the court.

Not long ago, Sheng Changfeng had just gotten married, and he was planning to save some money to buy a house for Sheng Changfeng so that he could separate the family for his two sons when he gets old.

To donate ten thousand taels at once is very painful for an official like him who dare not be greedy.

However, this was what Ru Lan sent people back to say, and it was Zhao Xing's intention. How dare he not donate.

"Your Majesty, I..."

Sheng Hong took the lead. Seeing that Sheng Hong was finished, the other concubines in the harem stood up one after another.

This family donated 10,000, and that family donated 20,000.

For a time, the court hall became a donation site.

The other officials were a little displeased. Those of you who have women in your family serving as concubines in the palace, if you want to please His Majesty, can't you donate privately?

What should we do if we have to do this in the court?

"I am very gratified by your generous donation."

Zhao Xing said with excitement: "Yesterday, many merchants in Bianjing heard about the situation in Jiangzhou and other places and were very generous. I donated a total of 180,000 taels of silver. I originally wanted to reward them, but I felt that this would undermine their sincerity. Later, someone suggested that I should commemorate their merits and praise their achievements. It was very reasonable, so I ordered two stone tablets to be erected outside the palace gate, and I was going to have the donor's name engraved on it for the world to see."

"My dear friends have this intention, I am sure. He will also order people to carve the names of Aiqing and others on them.”

When the ministers heard this, they still didn't understand what Zhao Xing meant.

Zhao Xing is forcing them to donate money.

If the names of merchants were carved on the stone tablet outside the palace gate, wouldn't they officials be inferior to merchants?

Aren’t you going to be despised by everyone in the world?

The most annoying thing is that Zhao Xing also asked those officials and lords whose families had women in the palace to take the lead in donating, setting a benchmark for them.

Sheng Hong donated 10,000 taels from the third rank, and the rest of the third-rank officials had a minimum of this amount, and those who were third-rank and second-rank officials could only have a higher amount.

Otherwise, once the names are engraved and the people see them, they will still be cast aside.

And those lords also had a headache. The Jiang family were marquises and donated thirty thousand taels.

The Chen family is an earl and donated twenty thousand taels.

They must also follow this standard.

You must know that some of your Lord's family are rich and poor.

For a family like Yongchang Earl's Mansion, twenty thousand taels is nothing at all.

But for families like Earl Zhongqin’s Mansion, it is simply cutting their flesh.

(End of this chapter)

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