Beijing, October 28, early morning.

He went up to the Emperor's Gate and issued the Datong Calendar for the first year of Wanli.

When they had already visited the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Emperor Zhuang and the Divine Master were still having a few feasts, and they offered sacrifices in regular robes, asking only the Holy Spirit to come to the temple to enjoy the sacrifices.

…

After Zhu Yijun finished offering sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple, he did not return to the palace immediately.

Instead, he came to the Zhenwu Temple next to the Taimiao Temple.

Zhu Yijun, accompanied by Taichang Temple, performed sacrifices to Emperor Zhenwu.

Then he cordially received the three Taoist temple masters.

Not all of the three temple masters are from Zhenwu Temple.

They are Taoist leaders selected from Taoist temples such as Dongyue Emperor Temple, Capital City God Temple, and Sanqing Temple to accompany the emperor.

Although they all have extraordinary practices, they all have sad faces at the moment.

When Zhu Yijun saw that the three of them were not very cooperative, he couldn't help but frown: "Three masters, please don't try to trick me. I've been through it all before."

"You are more than just that little incense money."

"You all make a living by borrowing money from the eight prefectures and two prefectures of Beizhili. You even borrowed some Taoist temples to Hebei!"

"Why can't I borrow some money but refuse? I can't do my business?"

Seeing the emperor's downcast expression, the three Taoist leaders were a little embarrassed.

One of the Yuanshen Taoists smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, although the three of us were promoted to be leaders, we are not as obedient as your Majesty."

"We are not the ones who can decide all the hundreds of buildings in the capital, large and small."

"Your Majesty...it's not a small amount after all."

It's so evasive, but everyone knows the reason.

People borrowed money at usurious rates and were not afraid of paying it back. No matter how bad it was, they could still take it in and become tenants.

What if your emperor comes to borrow money and doesn't pay it back? You can't have the White Lotus Sect or the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to violently collect debts, right?

It’s okay to ask for a small amount. Once it comes, the lion will open its mouth. Who can agree?

Zhu Yijun is not an ignorant person.

He said with affection: "That's not what you said. For these three outstanding meritorious officials, the royal family will give you fertile land free of tax, but you are in contact with the three of them."

"How come you can speak up when it's beneficial, but can't be the master when it comes to solving your father's problems?"

Daomen has always been an extension of imperial power.

It can be said that the most obedient among these religions is Taoism.

The share of money that should be paid is usually in full.

Even when lending to foreign countries, they are much more restrained than the bald ones.

But there will naturally be no shortage of people who put it into their own pockets.

Now that Zhu Yijun was short of money, he was counting on Feng Bao to raid his house and get some goods.

In my previous life, I could exceed one million taels, but in this life I will die early. With a discount, two hundred thousand taels is not too much, right?

As a result, Shuntian Mansion was so embarrassed that they only offered 20,000 taels to deal with the problem.

It was because he got angry and prepared to dispatch the Jin Yiwei that he forced the cabinet to suppress Shuntian Mansion again and vomited forty thousand taels.

Of course only cash.

As for the antiques, calligraphy and paintings? They look like those from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but they are actually from the last week.

There is nothing we can do about this.

Historically, Qianlong asked Chen Huizu to ransack his home. As a result, Chen Huizu took three million for himself and only gave one million to the court.

Even more outrageous is Wei Zhongxian. With his status and position, thousands of taels were confiscated from his home, and people who didn't know it thought he was an upright official.

Everyone knows what's going on, but it's difficult to put it into practice.

As a result, His Majesty the Emperor can only keep it in mind and prepare to settle accounts in the future.

If you don’t have enough money, you will naturally have no choice but to play in the autumn wind.

No, today is the time to offer sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple, so I plan to grab some from the hands of the Taoist priests.

After hearing the emperor's words, Taoist Yuan Shen looked even more embarrassed: "Your Majesty, I and others can add up the sum, but your Majesty's number is really too difficult."

It's only one million taels. Do you think there is a silver mine growing under the Taoist temple?

Zhu Yijun understood very well and followed the good advice: "How about the high skills?"

It's all about borrowing money in name, so it doesn't hurt to be a bit thick-skinned.

Taoist Yuan Shen apologized, led the other two Taoist leaders, and hid aside to discuss.

Zhu Yijun waited patiently.

It didn't take long for the three Taoist leaders to finish their discussion.

Taoist Yuan Shen said: "Your Majesty, after we calculated it, we should be able to raise ninety-seven thousand, two hundred taels for the internal funds. Although it is a bit less, to show our sincerity, the interest will be halved."

"Your Majesty, although my sect..."

Zhu Yijun interrupted him directly.

Taking advantage of the victory, he pursued the attack and said, "High-gong, this is bullying me..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Keqian came in from outside and whispered something beside the emperor.

Zhu Yijun immediately changed his words: "Okay, that's it! I will definitely bear in mind the three loyal monarchs' desire to serve the country!"

Let’s start with how much we can afford. I have something to do now, so I’ll discuss it in detail next time.

Anyway, domestic debt is not a debt, and interest rates are nothing to discuss.

After saying this, he hurriedly left several Taoist leaders behind and left the Zhenwu Hall directly.

Only then did he have time to ask Jiang Keqian: "Hai Rui came to Beijing? Why did it happen faster than expected?"

Jiang Keqian said quickly: "Originally, it was said to be the day after tomorrow, but when the censor of Haiqiandu arrived at Tianjin Weihou, he happened to meet Shilang Wen who had entered the capital."

"Then I entrusted my mother to Minister Wen, and I quickly went to Beijing."

Zhu Yijun secretly sighed that he was really determined to serve the country with all his strength.

In the eyes of outsiders, Hai Rui is a very complicated person.

But in fact, he is a simpler person than Grohe.

He believed from the bottom of his heart in the Three Cardinal Principles and Five Constant Principles, including loving the people and, of course, being loyal to the emperor.

It can be said that Hai Rui is one of the few people in the world who truly regards the emperor as his father.

When Sejong had him imprisoned, he once claimed that he wanted to kill Hai Rui.

Even so, after Sejong died, Hai Rui burst into tears when he heard the news in prison. He cried until he vomited and even fainted on the ground.

This kind of pure person is a sharp sword of imperial power.

Of course, it depends on how you use it.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a while, and then said to Zhang Hong beside him: "My dear, go and welcome Hai Rui personally for me."

Zhang Hong responded and was about to go.

Zhu Yijun suddenly stopped him again: "Wait."

He turned around and returned to Zhenwu Hall.

The monk asked for a piece of pen and ink and started writing in the palace.

Several big characters in one go.

When the pen and ink were dry, he took it out and handed it to Zhang Hong: "Just tell him that I am eagerly waiting for him to come into the palace and share a meal with me."

Zhang Hong took it carefully.

He didn't dare to take a closer look and bowed away.

Zhu Yijun watched Zhang Hong leave, seeming to think of something.

Then he ordered Li Jin beside him: "Let Superintendent Shang Shan look over what kind of lunch Emperor Shizong had on his last day. Let's make a meal like that today."

Li Jin immediately guessed the emperor's intention, and a trace of surprise and awe flashed in his eyes.

He backed out carefully.

…

I don’t know who released the news.

At this time, the streets inside the city gate were already lined with people.
To be continued...