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Chapter 710 Strong Woman

"...How about this, I will have the Haihe Shipyard build a three-masted clipper ship. It does not need too much load and armament, but emphasizes cruising speed and comfort. It will be a special ship for the Sun Moon Bank, and you will have full control over it."

Hong Tao took the investigation report and read it quickly, but he also did not forget to give a response. Whether the work problem can be solved or not is not a big deal. Reasonable demands must always be met. You can't just let the horse run without giving it grass, especially since this horse is not slow.

"...But I don't have enough sailors and navigators!" When Oyani heard that she could have her own sailboat, her resentment was obviously reduced a lot, but she was not completely satisfied yet.

"It will be allocated by the Navy and belong to the employees of Sun Moon Bank, but their salaries will also be paid by the bank."

This problem is easy to solve. Every year, a small number of officers and soldiers in the navy retire due to age and health reasons. In the past, they were all arranged to work in factories, but now they are just changed to other units.

"How long will it take to build it?" Oyani didn't know how to thank her for such a favor, and kept asking.
"…within half a year!"

"Then I will go to Manila in half a year... Your Majesty, is it really necessary to open a branch in Manila? I think leaving three or four people as an office is enough. The Ming Dynasty's maritime merchants prefer to carry sufficient silver on board, and the damn Dutch will not deposit a large amount of silver in Manila in a short time."

Oyani was quite satisfied with the waiting time. She leaned back on the sofa and began to pose coquettishly again. She deliberately lifted up the hem of her skirt to show most of her calves and the red high-heeled leather shoes on her feet.

This is the same style as the Empress's. It is a limited edition for the whole Ming Dynasty, no, it should be a limited edition for the whole world. There are no more than ten pairs in total, and she owns two pairs, red and black. Even if the emperor sitting opposite is the inventor of this pair, she can't help but show it off. After all, the Empress doesn't dare to wear a skirt that exposes her legs, and she doesn't have a slender figure like herself.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this pair of shoes still feels better on your feet... but it's out of date. I designed a new style for the queen and concubines to wear in summer."

Although Hong Tao had already reached a state of no desire for women, there was always a woman who was not ugly and good at showing off in front of him, which seriously affected the blood supply to the brain. So the bad idea came up again, thinking of taking the opportunity to trick this woman to the queen so that he could have some peace and quiet.

"Of course I will go to the Queen's place, and I have gifts, but not now. Your Majesty, please answer the questions directly and then give me a solution!"

Unfortunately, this trick didn't work. Oyani didn't intend to seduce the emperor. She had lost the idea long ago. She just wanted to show off in front of men out of instinct, without affecting her work.

"Hiss... well... the Manila branch will be opened sooner or later, and habits need to be cultivated. As for the risk of bank runs, the solution is very simple. Sun Moon Bank can just change the rules and add clauses, such as limiting the daily exchange volume, or..."

Seeing this, Hong Tao could only take a deep breath and gather his strength, suppressing his impatience and fatigue, and continued to talk with this very capable and troublesome bank manager.

"I object! The foundation of a bank is credit. If it changes its policies every day, it will lose its credibility!" He was rudely interrupted and scolded just halfway through his words.

"...Anyway, I don't have any money, and I won't allow the bank to be run. Why don't you go and borrow it, even if the interest rate is higher." Hong Tao couldn't help it. Who is the emperor after all? Even if you are a foreigner who doesn't understand Chinese culture, don't go too far. "Borrow? From whom? Apart from confiscating the house, who can come up with so much money at once?" Oyani was really a bit reckless. She was not scared at all and kept asking.

"What are you laughing at? Turn around!" In addition to the confiscation of Hong Tao's property, this sentence not only deeply hurt Hong Tao's heart, but also made Wang Chengen unable to hold back his laughter, and then he became the emperor's punching bag.

"Oyani, although you are not an officially appointed official of the court, you will be one sooner or later. Don't speak too casually. Always keep in mind that I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty." Of course, the instigator must also be criticized, but the sentences must be carefully weighed, try not to beat around the bush, and make sure that the person can understand everything.

"Will I also become an official? What rank? Will I also have to wear a colorful robe and a black hat to attend court?" The effect didn't seem to be very ideal. Oyani understood most of it, but she didn't get the key points.

"Let's not talk about this for now. I really don't have any spare money. You came back from Luzon just to remind me that I am a poor emperor, right? If you have a way, tell me quickly. If it is feasible, I will also ask the craftsmen in the palace to make you a few pairs of high heels for summer."

Due to lack of sleep for several days, coupled with a lot of mental work, Hong Tao felt his head was heavy and his speed was seriously slowed down. He didn't want to chat with her anymore. If there was something, he would report it. If there was nothing, he would leave the court. There was still time to discuss any problems tomorrow.

"Ten pairs!" Oyani was not vague and stretched out her hands with all her fingers spread out.

"Ten pairs, ten pairs. You can choose the colors and carvings first, until you are satisfied!" Not to mention ten pairs, even a hundred pairs would not matter. Anyway, you don't have to do it yourself. As long as there is a pattern, the Imperial Wardrobe will quickly prepare a large number of patterns, colors and textures for the empress and concubines to choose from.

"You can borrow from the Dutch and only need to pay a portion of the interest. If the Dutch are not enough, you can add the Portuguese or Japanese. Money will not appreciate in value if it is kept in a box. If Your Majesty can provide sufficient and convincing collateral, I think they will agree."

A box of chocolates, a private sailboat, and ten pairs of limited edition high heels. Oyani felt that the gains from this trip were enough to compensate for her efforts, so she told him the plan she had come up with.

"...I think your family is not only from Italy, but also has close ties with Venice. Let's do this, use the Sun Moon Bank as collateral. But don't just look outside, try inside the Ming Dynasty as well. If you can't borrow money, you can go to the Dutch and Portuguese."

The word "borrow" immediately cleared Hong Tao's mind. Yes, banks can not only deposit and withdraw loans, but also issue bonds. And bonds seem to have been invented by the Venetian city-state to raise war funds. It is not surprising that Oyani could come up with this idea, as this is a skill passed down from her ancestors.

“Your Majesty’s people don’t seem to be used to this method…Okay, I will issue interest-bearing bonds in Ming, but I won’t reserve too much, about one-third. The rest will be safer after reaching an agreement with the Dutch.

It's not that I don't believe in your Majesty's method, but time is running out. The best way is to use both methods together. As long as neither of them fails, the crisis can be resolved."

Oyani opened her mouth to object, but she found that the emperor's eyebrows began to rise and fall, and his eyes were fixed on her face, so she immediately gave in. It's not that she can't tell right from wrong, but she is too good at using her gender advantage. When she really finds a threat, she shrinks faster than anyone else.

(End of this chapter)