King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 461
  "Gold mine?"

"It's said that you can get at least five thousand taels of gold a year. Even if you only get it for five years... that's more than two hundred thousand taels of silver!" When he said this, Baochai's eyes were bright.

"That's right..." Zhu Jinghong touched his chin and looked thoughtful.

"This matter... is quite interesting!" Zhu Jinghong changed his words.

"I heard what you mean... are you tempted by this?"

After nodding slightly, Zhu Jinghong replied: "I'll go find out what the old man says tomorrow!"

"Then how can I reply to people?" Baochai asked again.

"Just say... forget it, I'll just send someone to find the North Korean deputy envoy!" Zhu Jinghong said simply.

Although he also loves silver, Baochai still stayed awake at this moment and reminded: "This matter is important...you have to weigh it clearly whether to intervene or not, and don't lose the big for the small!"

"I see!"

The two of them chatted for a while, and then Baochai went back to accompany the guests, while Zhu Jinghong ordered Deng An to find Jia Yun.

When it came to contacting the North Korean deputy envoy, Zhu Jinghong would of course not be able to go in person. In his opinion, it was appropriate for Jia Yun to act safely.

The workshop focuses more on "innovative research". Although Jia Yun's personal work is complicated, it is essentially just supervision.

Therefore, it is not necessarily clear how busy he is, and it is not unexpected for him to be assigned temporary tasks.

At this time, Jia Yun was at home, drinking and chatting with Ni Er.

Although he already has an official status, he himself is not very famous, and he still has not forgotten his friends in the world such as Ni Er.

"Second Master is nineteen this year, right?"

"Twenty soon!" Jia Yun replied.

"Twenty is not too young. I heard that Aunt Bu was proposing marriage to you. Why did you reject her?" Ni Er was extremely puzzled.

"Nowadays, I am busy with errands, so how can I have the time to pay attention to these things!" Jia Yun sighed.

Of course, this is just a face-saving talk. The real reason is that he has a girl he likes. Unfortunately, the status gap between the two is so great that there is no possibility of a union.

This also led to him currently avoiding getting married, but he didn't know how long he could hide. After all, his old mother had been telling him about this matter.

If he hadn't now had an official status and always used errands as a shield, Mrs. Bu would have arranged a wife for him.

"I said, Mr. Yun'er, there's no way I can finish this job. We can't delay the important matter of marriage!"

"Although I have never seen much of the world, I have heard of His Royal Highness Prince Xiang's reputation and know that he is an indomitable figure. If you tell him about the difficulties at home... can the prince deny you leave?"

Ni Er's views on Zhu Jinghong also reflect the impressions of ordinary soldiers and civilians on Zhu Jinghong.

It can be said that Zhu Jinghong's establishment is very stable and has an extremely wide audience.

Holding her fists in hand as a sign of respect, Jia Yun said, "Your Majesty has shown me the kindness of knowing me and made me, a commoner, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The kindness is higher than heaven and earth. How can I not do my best to work for Your Majesty?"

Jia Yun's words were impeccable, and Ni Er couldn't say much more.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside Jia's courtyard. After a while, the boy came to report that it was the prince's father-in-law.

That's right, in addition to a girl, Jia Yun's family now also bought two servants, plus a wife who cooks. It can be said that the living standard has been greatly improved.

Although he was an ordinary eunuch in Prince Xiang's Mansion, Jia Yun did not dare to be negligent at all, and immediately stood up and went out to greet him.

After a while, he turned back and said to Ni Er: "Second brother, let's stop here today. I have to go out for something!"

"Could it be that the prince has given orders?"

Jia Yun smiled and replied: "I just asked you to go to the palace for an interview. I don't know what I'm going to do!"

Ni Er sighed, patted Jia Yun on the shoulder, and then said: "Second Master is still capable. Now that I can see such a noble man, it's not like we are still rolling in the mud!"

"Hey... what are you talking about, second brother? You must know that times make heroes. Your luck may come one day, and I will have to rely on you then!"

"Hahaha... then let me borrow the good words from my second master!"

When the two of them parted, Sun Shaozu on the other side also returned home. When he entered the inner house, he found that Xia Jingui was packing his things and planned to go back to his parents' house for two days.

It can be seen that today he exposed his true nature, which really scared Xia Jingui, and even did not dare to stay in this house.

After hearing the news, Sun Shaozu's face turned ugly on the spot, so he went straight into the inner house, where he happened to see Xia Jingui being helped into the sedan chair by a girl.

"Where are you going?" Sun Shaozu asked coldly.

If in the past, Sun Shaozu dared to ask such a question, Xia Jingui would have cursed him loudly.

But today she was reluctant to speak, and she didn't even have the courage to look at her husband.

Walking to Xia Jingui, Sun Shaozu snorted coldly, and then said: "Come in with me!"

After saying that, Sun Shaozu went directly into the room. Although Xia Jingui was a hundred reluctant, she could only follow him in fear at this moment.

Entering the room, I saw Sun Shaozu sitting on the main seat, drinking tea slowly, looking extremely calm.

"I heard you mention it two days ago that Princess Xiang values ​​your sister very much?"

Xia Jingui felt a little more at ease when Sun Shaozu asked him about business. She was afraid that this rude man would do anything casually again.

"Yes...there is such a thing!"

"Now His Royal Highness Prince Xiang is going to the northwest, and I want to find a job with him. I can ask your sister to go to the princess to intercede for this matter!"

Looking at Xia Jingui, Sun Shaozu said coldly: "You are going back to your parents' house today, so you can go back and finish this matter!"

It turned out that he was asking for something from me... Thinking of this, Xia Jingui felt a little more confident.

As long as this guy still needs help from his family, he can still try to control him, preferably by seizing his weak point...

"Did you hear that?" Sun Shaozu scolded.

This loud shout immediately woke up Xia Jingui. The "confidence" that allowed her to turn around disappeared instantly, and her heart was filled with fear again.

"I heard!"

Standing up, Sun Shaozu said in a deep voice: "You will go back later and ask your sister to visit the princess tomorrow!"

Arriving in front of Xia Jingui, Sun Shaozu reached out and pinched her chin, frightening her until her body was like chaff.

"I'm telling you...if this thing doesn't work out, I will take care of you!"

"I...I will find a way!" Xia Jingui replied tremblingly.

When I get home, I'll stay there for a while. What can you do to me?
  This is Xia Jingui's plan. For evil people like Sun Shaozu, she thinks it's better to hide away. It doesn't matter if she agrees to anything now.

"I will come to pick you up at your house the day after tomorrow. Don't make yourself disgraceful then!" Sun Shaozu reminded in a cold tone.

According to his previous thoughts, since he wanted to rely on the Xia family, he would naturally do everything possible to please Xia Jingui.

But since he moved his hands today, he feels that the world is much wider.

He used to eat soft food, but now he plans to eat soft food hard.

"Yes Yes!"

Patting Xia Jingui's pretty face, Sun Shaozu said with a cruel smile: "You have to think carefully about what to do when you go back!"

"I understand!"

So Sun Shaozu said no more, let Xia Jingui out of the room, got on the sedan and was carried back to Xia's house.

He is not worried about Xia Jingui going back on his word. In this era of strict rules and regulations, as a husband, he has many ways to deal with Xia Jingui and prevent the Xia family from intervening.

After sending Xia Jingui away, Sun Shaozu's true nature burst out, so he found a few girls and wives to drink together, and made up for what he had owed before.

…………     April [-], the sun was shining high.

In a certain house in Nancheng, the North Korean mission is temporarily settled here.

In order to rescue Prince Li Hui, Zheng Hong rented the yard for two months and was ready for a protracted war.

The Jin Yiwei only took Li Hui into custody, and he is now under house arrest at Qianhu Station. The other members of the North Korean mission are not in custody.

In addition to trying to gain connections with Prince Xiang's Mansion, Zheng Hong himself was also busy these two days, running to the Ministry of Rites one after another, hoping to rescue Li Hui through "diplomatic" means.

But the Ministry of Etiquette only sent a small official to receive him, and the words he spoke were vague, so that he had gained nothing in the past few days since he returned to Beijing.

When Zheng Hong returned to the house again, he was greeted by Cui Mingyuan as soon as he got off the sedan chair. This man was Cui Xiuqing's father.

"You mean... there is an official from the Ministry of Industry looking for me?" Zheng Hong was deeply surprised.

"Exactly... this person is no ordinary person, but a disciple of His Highness Prince Xiang!" Cui Mingyuan reminded.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hong's contempt disappeared and he immediately said: "Then I'll go over now!"

If Zhu Jinghong is willing to help, then things will be simple in Zheng Hong's opinion. How could he not seize this opportunity?

Before saying goodbye, Zheng Hong looked at Cui Mingyuan and said, "Brother Cui... I can't thank you enough this time!"

"You and I are gentlemen, why bother saying thank you!" Cui Mingyuan said with a smile.

Zheng Hong just bowed his hands and then left in a sedan. Cui Mingyuan also got on the sedan to accompany him.

Inside the sedan, Cui Mingyuan could not help but sigh. It was a good move last year to let his daughter choose a concubine, but now it can be used in such a way.

Let them owe Prince Li Hui a favor before entering North Korea. When they come to North Korea, they will have a more comfortable life with the royal family taking care of them.

It took almost half an hour to get from Nancheng to Ningrong Street, and this was considered a relatively fast journey.

In the past, Zheng Hong would have enjoyed admiring the prosperity of the divine capital. After all, the scene in front of him was rare, but today he had no such thoughts.

Arriving outside Jia Yun's house on the northeast side of Rongguo Mansion, Zheng Hong handed over his name in a very solemn manner, but in the end, instead of waiting for Jia Yun to greet him in person, a servant invited the two of them in.

Jia Yun was drinking tea in the living room and thinking about what to say.

Hearing the noise outside, Jia Yun raised her head and looked out, and saw Zheng Hong and others arriving at the door of the living room.

"Meet Mr. Jia!"

Zheng Hong kept his posture very low. Even though Jia Yun was young and had a low official rank, he bowed first.

Surprised by the standard of the Korean people's Mandarin in front of her, Jia Yun immediately replied: "Deputy Ambassador Zheng, don't be too polite. Please take your seat quickly!"

After the two people sat down, Jia Yun first invited them to drink tea, and then asked them proactively after being polite.

"Master Zheng, I wonder how the scenery of North Korea compares to our Ming Dynasty?" Jia Yun chatted very casually.

"The scenery of the Celestial Empire is all-encompassing. It is really an eye-opener for me. Only after this trip can I know what the weather of the Celestial Dynasty is!"

This is by no means a compliment from Zheng Hong, but his truest thought and the mentality shared by most envoys.

"I have been in Beijing all year round and have never been to North Korea, but I don't know what your country is like. Master Zheng, would you like to tell me about it?" Jia Yunxiao asked.

Although Zheng Hong was not in a hurry now, he also knew that there was no rush now, so he could only tell Jia Yun about the scenery of North Korea.

After going around in circles for almost a long time, Jia Yun finally got to the point and asked, "I went to the palace two days ago and heard from the eunuchs in the palace that you were going to deliver gold mines to His Highness Prince Xiang. Is this true?"

Finally getting to the point, Zheng Hong quickly replied: "As long as His Highness King Xiang is willing to try to rescue him, how can we not return the favor and express our thanks?"

"Can you produce five thousand taels of gold a year?"

Is it too much or too little? Zheng Hong murmured something in his heart, and the next moment he sighed, who would complain about having too much money.

Zheng Hong could only bite the bullet and answer: "If we fully exploit it, six to seven thousand taels is possible!"

It could be six or seven thousand taels, which is an unexpected surprise, Jia Yun said secretly in her heart.

"How can these pieces of gold be delivered to the palace?" Jia Yun asked again.

"Agree on a time and place, and deliver the goods once a month or every six months, with hundreds to a thousand taels of gold each time!" Zheng Hong replied slowly.

He had really thought about this question seriously, otherwise he would not have been able to answer it for a while, which proved his sincerity.

Jia Yun then asked: "As far as I know, North Korea is not rich. For your royal family, thousands of taels of gold every year is a huge sum of money. Will your prince let this gold go away?"

Today, North Korea is not as big as the Chief Secretary of Liaodong, let alone those wealthy provinces in the southeast.

North Korea levies taxes every year, which are only in the order of one million taels of silver. After military salaries plus disaster relief and construction and other expenses, the national treasury basically has no balance.

Even if the royal family wants to repair the palace or redecorate the palace, the court officials will criticize it as extravagant and wasteful.

And all this was caused by lack of money.

So if Li Hui wants to donate the gold mine, the North Korean royal family will definitely not be willing.

So Jia Yun's question is essentially asking whether Li Hui can be the owner of a gold mine.

This question made Zheng Hong seem a little embarrassed, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.

After thinking for a while, Zheng Hong turned his head and looked to one side, and said slowly: "Brother Cui, you..."

"Oh... I'll go out and get some fresh air first, and you guys can talk first!" Cui Mingyuan said very politely, and after understanding, he stood up and walked out.

After he left, Zheng Hong whispered to Jia Yun: "About the gold mine... The prince still doesn't know that Lord Mingchuan is secretly mining it!"

The Mingchuan Lord Zheng Hong mentioned was Li Hui, and the prince was his eldest brother Li Xuan.

The two of them chatted for a while, and then Jia Yun saw off the guests on the pretext that she had something to do, leaving Zheng Hong who was leaving the door unsure whether Zhu Jinghong wanted to help.

When he expressed his doubts to Cui Mingyuan, the latter analyzed: "If His Highness King Xiang is unwilling to help, I'm afraid he won't do these useless things!"

When Zheng Hong felt a little relieved, Jia Yun returned to Prince Xiang's Mansion and stated the content of the conversation to Zhu Jinghong.

In the school grounds, Zhu Jinghong was setting his bow and arrow. He was looking at the target and said slowly: "Secret mining? This Li Hui is a bit interesting!"

Tens of thousands of taels of silver are earned every year. After a few years of mining, hundreds of thousands of taels can be saved. It is not impossible to use this money to recruit troops or win people's hearts and push his brother out of power...

When Zhu Jinghong thought of this, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly because this idea was too naive.

Many things require more than just money. It is extremely difficult to obtain a legitimate son in North Korea.

Jia Yun stood behind with an arrow in both hands, slightly arching her waist and said: "Then Zheng Hong also said that if they don't keep their promise, we can report them to secretly mine gold, and they will definitely be in trouble, so please, Your Majesty." rest assured……"

Before he finished speaking, he heard a "whoosh" sound, and the arrow flew out and finally penetrated the target.

"Your Majesty is so powerful!" Jia Yun praised sincerely.

When he was about to hand over the arrow, Zhu Jinghong threw the bow to the eunuch on the side, and two other eunuchs very wisely brought hot water and handed them towels.

After wiping his face and washing his hands, Zhu Jinghong said, "What do you think of this business?"

"I have little knowledge, how dare I speak of such a big thing!" This is not because Jia Yun is humble, but because he is very aware of his own weight.

Without continuing to ask about this matter, Zhu Jinghong asked again: "Is there any breakthrough in the workshop recently?"

"Not yet, especially the one-piece projectile and rifling that the prince emphasized. So far... there is still no progress!" Jia Yun looked ashamed.

"This matter cannot be rushed. It will take thirty to fifty years of work, but you have to pay close attention to it!"

"I understand!"

"Also, you should encourage those Western shipbuilders to encourage them to design good warships as soon as possible!"

"I have been urging you to do this!"

(End of this chapter)