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Chapter 709 Financial Warning
The main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was the hall for imperial meetings, with a long table and a throne. The rear hall was where the emperor rested before and after meetings, and it was small, with only two benches made of whale whiskers and sheepskin.

This kind of equipment, which was unheard of in the entire Ming Dynasty, was made by the Imperial Household Department according to the emperor's instructions and was called a sofa. Sitting on it was swaying and it was impossible to straighten your chest and back, so it was more suitable for lying down.

"Ah, it's been over a year since we last met. My wallet seems to have gotten a lot darker. Thank you for your hard work. Please take a seat."

At this time, the emperor was lying on one of the beds, and asked Oyani, who had just been introduced by Wang An, to sit opposite him. There was no reluctance on his face, and he just asked about her well-being and chatted about family matters.

"Can you see Silva this time when you come back? How is he? He is already a senior official of the fourth rank in the Ming Dynasty. However, I have never waited for him to come to the palace to thank me, and I have not received any thank-you gifts. You should go back and teach him about the culture of the Ming Dynasty. You should at least show some appreciation. You can't just keep silent about your promotion."

"The court is rectifying the bureaucracy and strictly prohibiting officials from accepting bribes. As an appointed official, Silva must not cause trouble for His Majesty at this time."

Oyani was very rude. She didn't even bother to bow when asked to sit down. She even fell heavily into the sofa. She answered the emperor's criticism fluently, and seemed to be well versed in this. However, she was still a little straightforward and didn't learn to beat around the bush. In addition, her expression was not cooperative enough and didn't look sincere.

"Hehe, if Silva had half your language talent, I could save a lot of money on translation fees every year. Come, try my new good stuff. Don't be afraid, if I want to kill someone, I don't have to go far away. Here, I'll eat first!"

But Hong Tao could sense a hint of danger from Oyani's expression and tone. This woman would not come to the palace without a reason. She had just returned from a tour of inspection in Luzon. Not to mention going home to be affectionate with her husband, it was definitely not a good thing for her to rush into the palace. In order to prevent her from getting too excited, it was necessary to persuade her with food first.

"...Hey, what is this...it tastes so weird!" Oyani did have something important to ask for instructions in person, but it was difficult to refuse the food handed to her by the emperor himself, so she had to pinch a small piece and put it in her mouth.

Then his expression began to change rapidly, from impatient to puzzled. He took another bite and tasted it carefully, but still couldn't tell what it was, but it tasted very good, sweet, bitter, smooth, and astringent.

"This is bitter candy, made with cocoa powder, milk, and sugar. If you like it, here's a big box. Take it home and enjoy it slowly. If you can't finish it, it's best to refrigerate it with ice. It will soften at a high temperature."

Hong Tao had anticipated the change in Oyani's expression, which was the main reason why he asked Wang Chengen to get a box of bitter candies. Women, regardless of ancient or modern times, are always addicted to certain things, such as shiny jewelry, beautiful clothes, and chocolate.

Yes, bitter candy is chocolate, or relatively pure dark chocolate. Its production process is not difficult, even easier than making cocoa powder.

After the cocoa beans are picked, they must first be cleaned, dried, shelled, and fried, and then put into a press like rapeseed oil to squeeze out some of the oil.

Then the oil cake after oil extraction is crushed, and a certain amount of edible alkali is added to alkalize it, which reduces its own sour taste and increases the aroma. After drying, it becomes a very good cocoa powder.

If you do not go through the pressing and degreasing process, you can directly grind the roasted cocoa beans, add a certain amount of sugar and milk to boil, and then it will become chocolate after cooling. Or you can boil the squeezed cocoa butter with sugar and milk, and then it will become white chocolate after cooling.

However, the chocolate production process is currently only mastered by the inner court, the output is very low, and it is not circulated on the market. There is no reason, Hong Tao just wants to keep something that others don't have, and show it off from time to time to get some psychological satisfaction, that's all.

"If Your Majesty opens a factory specializing in the production of bitter candy, you should be able to make good profits. At least I think it will be very popular if sold to Europe." It is said that sweetness can relieve anxiety. It may also be the caffeine in the chocolate that has taken effect. Oyani, who had a bad face since she came in, actually smiled after eating three pieces in a row. She also took the initiative to offer suggestions to make money for the emperor.

"The raw materials and process of this product are relatively complicated, and there are temperature requirements for long-distance transportation. I don't lack money from selling sugar at the moment, so let's not use it for the time being." But Hong Tao was not interested in this suggestion. In addition to the unpleasant taste of cherishing one's own shortcomings, the output of cocoa beans did not allow the full development of cocoa powder and chocolate.

"No, that's not the case. Your Majesty is very short of money, and so is Sun Moon Bank! I came back this time to ask Your Majesty for money, a lot of money!"

When he heard that his suggestion was ruthlessly rejected, the emotions that had just been touched by the chocolate could no longer be suppressed. He put the box on the sofa, his eyes widened, and his voice instantly rose octaves.

"How do you know that I'm so short of money?" Looking at Wang Chengen, who was angry and ready to make a move, Hong Tao gently waved his hand, indicating that it was okay.

It's normal for women to lose their temper, and it's even more normal for women whose will is violated to lose their temper. As long as she doesn't curse like a shrew and doesn't embarrass herself in front of outsiders, it can be ignored.

"Oh... I understand. Silva told you. Oyani, this is not good. Silva is my tax minister and an important official in the court. It is best not to ask about some work matters. It will not do any good for either of you!"

But there was one thing he couldn't tolerate: leaking secrets. Silva worked in the tax department and was working with the Ministry of Revenue on budgeting. He could definitely deduce the Ming Dynasty's income and expenditure from a bunch of economic figures. But these figures should never be shared with anyone, including his wife and children, without his explicit permission.

“…Although Silva was forced to provide some data, most of it was calculated by me. Your Majesty, Sun Moon Bank needs a lot of money. If we cannot obtain sufficient capital within three months, something big might happen!”

Although Oyani had a strong personality, she was also very smart and knew how to read people's expressions and judge the situation. Seeing the emperor's unfriendly face and serious tone, she immediately put away her domineering attitude, defended herself and her husband, and tried to change the subject.

"Tell me carefully."

"Since last year, some people have been depositing large amounts of silver in several branches, but they have not exchanged them for silver coins. During my inspection this time, I found many similar accounts. After comparing them with each other, I determined that there was a problem, so I took the navy clipper back.

If we continue to save like this, once a certain branch withdraws the money, do you know what will happen? Very, very serious consequences, Sun Moon Bank will lose its reputation and will never be able to recover. These are the statistics of each branch. To resolve the crisis, at least 400 million taels of silver are needed.

By the way, the navy's communication ship is terrible. The cabin is small and airtight, and it is so bumpy that you can't fall asleep. If you come here a few more times, your Majesty's first Sun Moon Bank manager may die on the way!"

Oyani may not know that she is most attractive when she is working seriously, which is much better than posing coquettishly or wearing a European-style dress that exposes most of her chest. She exudes an aura of determination and wisdom.

(End of this chapter)