Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5253 The Dao is Ten Feet High
Although the relationship between the emperor and his minister has been tense and fraught with unpleasantness recently, their tacit understanding remains. One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop, manipulating the princes-in-law at will.

Upon hearing His Majesty's inquiry, Fang Jun quickly adopted a humble and respectful demeanor: "Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the nation, and your words are law. What else can I say? If the princes-in-law can repay the loans within one year, no interest will be required. Starting from the second year, interest will be calculated at three percent per year. For those who fail to repay on time, the interest will be added to the principal."

Li Chengqian was very pleased and asked the group of imperial sons-in-law, "What do you all think?"

The princes looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

They thought that by morally blackmailing His Majesty and shamelessly borrowing money from the imperial treasury and refusing to repay it, His Majesty would be helpless against them. However, unexpectedly, after Fang Jun's arrival, in the blink of an eye, they needed to borrow money from Fang Jun...

His Majesty values ​​"benevolence" and "generosity," and will not pressure people excessively even if they do not repay their debts. After all, the imperial treasury is overflowing with gold and silver, and will not be short of their money.

But who would dare not repay Fang Jun's money?
Not to mention that this idiot will definitely turn hostile when he comes to collect the debt, the shares in the business alone are enough to make everyone hesitate to act, so who would dare not pay back the money? Fang Jun really dares to take back the shares for himself...

They thought they could get His Majesty's money for free, but now not only can they not get it, they also have to accept His Majesty's favor by borrowing money from Fang Jun.

Du He hesitated for a long time before stammering, "Well... I still have some land and shops at home. If I pawn them, I can probably raise the money. I won't trouble you, Erlang. After all, so many people need to borrow cash, and I'm afraid your family isn't well-off either."

He is now filled with fear, apprehension, and wariness towards Fang Jun. If he could raise the money himself, why would he borrow from Fang Jun?

What if this guy pulls some tricks along the way that make it impossible for me to repay the money, and in the end I have to use the princess to pay off the debt?

Given this idiot's reputation as a "good princess," she might actually be capable of doing something like this...

Fang Jun looked at Du He with a smile: "If we don't have enough money at home, we naturally can't help it, but it's one thing if it's someone else, but why wouldn't you lend me money?"

The more he said this, the more uneasy Du He felt, and he quickly shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Second Brother, I really can raise the money... Your Majesty, I will go home and raise the money now, and take my leave for now!"

He rose and bowed, and seeing Li Chengqian nod slightly, he quickly turned and ran away without looking back...

Wang Jingzhi also stood up: "I'll go back and sort out the land deeds and house deeds too. If I put them together, it should be about right."

One by one, several more people said they were going home to raise money and hurriedly said goodbye.

Fang Jun looked around: "Is there anything else we can gather?"

The remaining people, including Gao Lixing and Zhou Daowu, sat motionless with gloomy expressions. They either genuinely couldn't raise the money or had other plans.

"In that case, please come to my house to collect the money first thing tomorrow morning."

After finalizing the matter, Fang Jun bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "With the matter resolved, does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Li Chengqian said, "I have something to tell you, so don't leave yet."

"Here."

……

After all the imperial sons-in-law had taken their leave, only the emperor and his minister remained in the imperial study. Li Chengqian said, "How much silk was lent out this time? The imperial treasury will make up for it for you later. Consider it a loan from me."

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty, but there's really no need for that."

Li Chengqian glared: "Does your family have that much money?"

The total amount of money and silk "gifts" from the princes to the princes was around four million strings of cash, and the amount of loans required would certainly not be less than one million strings of cash... Fang Jun could naturally come up with one million strings of cash, but one million strings of cash in assets and one million strings of cash in cash are completely different. At present, apart from the national treasury and the imperial treasury, there is no third place in the Tang Dynasty that can come up with so much cash at once. It is no exaggeration to say that he is richer than a country.

But for anyone to truly reach the point of being "rich enough to rival a nation" is not necessarily a good thing...

Fang Jun quickly replied, "We certainly can't come up with over a million strings of cash, but I have no intention of giving them cash either."

Li Chengqian was speechless: "I can't lie to them, or they'll come after me again."

Fang Jun didn't keep them in suspense and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, rest assured, although we won't give them cash, I will promise to send them equivalent amounts of grain, provisions, money, and supplies when they go to sea. In name, it will still be 300,000 strings of cash that they give to the princes... I imagine the princes prefer grain and provisions to money."

The reason why this era was "impoverished" was not because of a lack of money, but because of a severe shortage of goods caused by low productivity. Many times, it was not that people didn't have money, but that even if they had money, they couldn't buy things.

When princes went to their fiefdoms at sea, they were all in desolate and barren lands, living among savages. What use was giving them too much money? Apart from purchasing supplies from the Tang Dynasty fleet, there was absolutely no possibility of any trade with the local natives.

Even with pockets full of copper coins, one could still starve to death...

Li Chengqian: "..."

I knew you wouldn't just hand over the money obediently!

He instructed, "I don't care what you do, but you absolutely cannot let them come to me causing trouble! So many imperial sons-in-law coming to borrow money at the same time, the royal family's dignity is completely lost, what kind of behavior is this!"

Fang Jun said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, there's no problem!"

……

The following morning, Zhou Daowu, Gao Lixing, Shi Renbiao, Dou Kui, Wei Shuyu, and others who came to the Fang family to borrow money entered the study. Upon seeing the "contract" placed on the tea table, they looked at each other in disbelief and were filled with rage.

Zhou Daowu carefully read through the "contract" and was so angry that he laughed: "We agreed to borrow money, how can you renege on it like this? After we signed the contract, we not only didn't see a single copper coin, but we also had to honestly repay the money on time, while you only sent the princes an equivalent amount of grain and supplies when they went to sea to take up their fiefs... Your heart is black, isn't it?"

He's not stupid; of course, he saw the problem at a glance.

It was said that the princes would receive "equal" amounts of grain and supplies, but the price of such things fluctuated greatly. For example, the price of rice purchased from Jiangnan was almost double that of rice transported from Linyi. Didn't this mean that after Fang Jun received their contracts, he not only didn't have to give them a single penny, but could also make a huge profit from the grain and supplies given to the princes?
They curry favor with His Majesty, lent them money interest-free, and ultimately made a profit from it...

How come you're so clever?
Mother!

Fang Jun, dressed in a richly decorated round-necked casual robe with cloud patterns and wearing a turban, sat in the main seat with a smile, sipping tea. Hearing the angry complaints from the princes, he nonchalantly put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Why be so serious? You want to give each of you princes 50,000 strings of cash? I will not only personally visit you to inform you, but I will also send people to spread the word in the market. The princes will feel deeply grateful for the gifts from their brothers-in-law, and outsiders will praise your generosity and righteousness. It's a win-win situation for everyone. As for whether I give the princes money or provisions, I will discuss that with them privately and reach an agreement. What does it have to do with you?"

He pointed at Zhou Daowu, his smile fading, and said calmly, "The contract is right here. Whether you sign it or not is up to you. I'm not holding a knife to your neck and forcing you to sign. Why use such foul language? If you're so capable, you can exchange the money and silk given to the princes for grain, supplies, and other materials. Do you think I'd beg you to come and borrow money from me?"

"Somebody come!"

He suddenly shouted, startling all the princes present.

Four guards outside the door entered upon hearing the noise.

Fang Jun pointed at Zhou Daowu: "The Prince Consort of Princess Linchuan has spoken rudely and maliciously slandered us. You all should see him out."

Zhou Daowu, his face flushed with rage, stood up abruptly, pointed his spear at Fang Er, and roared, "Fang Er, don't push your luck!"

Fang Jun was also furious, slamming his hand on the coffee table: "This is my home, the Liang State Duke's Mansion! You're being sarcastic and rude here. Can't I just ask you to leave if I don't welcome you? You don't like being polite to me, so I have to kick you out? If you dare point your finger at me again, believe me, I'll break your legs first and then throw you out on the street?"

"Erlang, calm down!"

"Grand Commandant, you mustn't!"

The other princes were startled and quickly stood up. Most of them gathered around Fang Jun to offer advice. If someone else said something like "break his leg," it would probably just be a scare tactic, but Fang Jun, that blockhead, was definitely capable of doing it!

The dignified prince consort of the Tang Dynasty had his leg broken and was left in the street; Zhou Daowu might as well not live either...

Gao Lixing and the others quickly came to Zhou Daowu's side. Seeing that Zhou Daowu's face was both red and white and he was embarrassed, they followed and pulled him out, quietly trying to dissuade him.

"Shut up! This guy is incredibly volatile and aggressive. If he really humiliates you without any regard for your feelings, what will become of you?"

"You're being foolish too. Can't you think before you speak? You just blurt things out without thinking."

"I……"

Zhou Daowu was filled with shame and anger, yet he had nothing to say.

He really didn't dare to say anything, fearing that Fang Jun's temper would flare up and he would actually beat him up and throw him out...

Gao Lixing pulled him out, saying, "We can discuss the loan later. We can all work together to find a way to help you. You go back first!"

……

Zhou Daowu stood outside the gate, with no one around. The Fang family's personal guards were watching him intently from behind. As his attendants drove up from afar, the air was chilly and snow was falling heavily. A surge of pent-up anger welled up in his chest, making him feel suffocated and his vision blurred.

When the carriage arrived, he seemed to feel that it would be a loss of face to just get on and leave like this, so he stomped his foot hard, yelled "Hey!", climbed into the carriage, and turned to go home.

Upon arriving at the mansion, the furious Zhou Daowu ignored Princess Linchuan, who was waiting in the hall. He first kicked a stool away, then sat down in a chair, panting, and slammed his fist on the tea table.

Today, I have lost face and prestige in the Fang family. It is truly infuriating!
Princess Linchuan was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Daowu's face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth: "Fang Jun, you brat, you've gone too far!"

Princess Linchuan pressed for details, and Zhou Daowu, suppressing his anger, gave a detailed account.

After hearing this, Princess Linchuan touched her forehead and sighed softly. Although she was annoyed that Fang Jun was like a dog, turning on her so quickly and without any mercy, she also felt some resentment towards Zhou Daowu. Who didn't know Fang Jun's stubborn temper? Why did you have to call him a black-hearted person in front of him? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?