Shipin Dalizheng

Five horses rushed to the outside of the palace gate, where they saw hundreds of people squatting on the ground with their heads drooped, surrounded by hundreds of imperial guards with their guns pointed at them.

Rong Tang felt jealous. This was the trouble caused by Eleven's group. Several parties were instigating a fight.

When he entered the inner palace, he found that everyone was kneeling outside the imperial study. Li Dequan welcomed him in.

Emperor Xuanning was attacking Prince Yong, while Concubine Hui was crying beside him, "Your Majesty, Yong'er is the victim. He is your own son, the Prince of Dai Viet, and he has been beaten like this, and Your Majesty has no sympathy for him."

Emperor Xuanning picked up the memorial and threw it at him. "How dare you say that just because he's a prince, he dares to ignore the law and lead an attack on the Imperial Guards? Don't you know that attacking the Imperial Guards is tantamount to rebellion?"

Huipin simply kowtowed, "Your Majesty, even if Yong'er had the courage, he wouldn't dare to rebel. But this was the Seventh Princess who provoked it. Why can she mobilize the imperial guards to surround the Chu family? If it was my family that broke the law, I would have asked them to come and apologize. It wouldn't be the Seventh Princess' turn to surround them."

Emperor Xuanning sneered, "Are you pretending to be stupid or what? Zhao Ling was able to use the Imperial Guards, of course I allowed it. After the new year, I want to build the Imperial Academy, and the concubines have donated money. Concubine Xian also wanted to donate, but she didn't have any cash, so she donated the debt owed to her. Zhao Ling told me that this debtor was a stubborn defaulter and would not pay unless he was dealt with seriously, so I lent her a hundred Imperial Guards to show her strength. So, this debt collection has been carried out on the Chu family?"

Huipin's face turned pale and blue, and she cried out in injustice, "Your Majesty, it's not true."

Xian Fei, who was kneeling beside her, asked Nanny You to bring the shop lease deed and the annual rent account book to Emperor Xuan Ning. Emperor Xuan Ning was furious when he saw it and threw it to Hui Fei, "How can this be justified? 1,200 taels per year, why can't I only give Xian Fei less than 200 taels?"

Huipin's eyes darkened, and a surge of resentment surged. How dare Concubine Xian...

"Your Majesty, the Chu family's business has been bad in recent years. Sometimes we can't make up for the rent, but this is not the case every year. In previous years, I have given a lot of money to the virtuous concubine to cover her expenses, which is enough to make up for the shortfall."

"is it?"

Xian Fei replied, "Your Majesty, that's not the case. The allowances given to me by the palace are more than enough for my daily needs. I don't need Huipin to supplement my expenses. Besides, I am a concubine and Huipin is a concubine. With the Chu family's business not doing well, she can't even take care of herself, so how can she have the energy to supplement me?"

"you……"

There was fire in Huipin's eyes, almost burning through Concubine Xian.

Zhao Ling groaned twice, clutching her stomach and crying miserably, "Father, I went to collect the debt, but the Chu family refused to pay, and my fifth brother even beat me. They bullied my mother for not having a prince. But I'm collecting the debt to help you, Father, share your worries."

Prince Yong quickly covered his head and shrank back, "Father, no, I don't know what happened, but we started fighting. Since the Virtuous Mother has the deed and the account book, I will pay whatever I owe. The Chu family doesn't have it, so I will pay."

Emperor Xuanning glared at him. "If you had done this earlier, things wouldn't be so awkward. Since the Chu family's business has been bleak for years and they've resorted to defaulting on their rent payments, why not stop paying them? Daban, starting next year, the court will re-select the imperial merchants."

He Daban bowed and responded. Huipin was shocked, "No, Your Majesty, it's not that far..."

"What are you arguing about? You're a worthless bunch. You can't even pay the rent all year round. How can you be a royal merchant? Are you bringing shame to the court? I've made up my mind. Now, in front of me, the Chu family must pay back the debt. If it's not enough, sell your house or land to make up for it."

Emperor Xuanning just did a rough calculation and considered it as one thousand taels less per year, that would be fifteen thousand taels in fifteen years, twenty thousand taels at most. He was very suspicious in his heart. Was the Chu family really so poor that they couldn't even come up with twenty thousand taels?

When Li Dequan went out and spread the word, the head of the Chu family cried out in despair, saying that it was unfair and that he did not owe that much and asked the emperor to recalculate the amount.

Emperor Xuanning asked Princess Zhaoling to tell him the amount she wanted. When he heard that it was more than 200,000 taels, he spit out a mouthful of hot tea, which turned into white mist.

"How many?"

Zhao Ling said confidently, "Father, don't you have to pay interest on your debts? Three percent interest a year isn't much. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to calculate it."

The Imperial Household Department also had a eunuch in charge of purchasing. He held an abacus and, following Princess Zhaoling's repeated instructions, he calculated the amount and finally came up with the same number as Princess Zhaoling.

Zhao Ling tearfully said, "Father, I have not wronged them. This is what they deserve."

Emperor Xuanning was shocked himself and asked the purchasing manager, "Is there really so much?"

The purchasing manager often went out of the palace and knew the severity of usury among the people. This number looked huge, but in fact, according to the interest rate, it was only normal interest. If calculated according to the method of usury, it was possible to owe millions of taels.

"Well, Your Majesty, I can only say that the interest the princess is asking for is reasonable and not excessive. If you don't pay it back within a year, it's reasonable to compound the interest. This is the amount. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can ask someone else to recalculate it."

Emperor Xuanning didn't disbelieve it; he just couldn't believe it. If making money was so easy, why would he be an emperor? Wouldn't it be better to lend money at high interest rates?

"Cough! Cough!"

He faked a cough twice to cover up his sudden surge of career ambition.

"Ah Zhao Ling..."

Rong Tang leaned over at the right moment and whispered in Emperor Xuan Ning's ear, "Imperial Academy requires a lot of money."

Emperor Xuanning sat up straight and threw several more memorials at him. "Kill someone and pay them with their life. Debts must be paid with money. The Chu family doesn't have any. Nangong Yong, you must fill the gap."

Huipin couldn't believe it, "Your Majesty..."

"How dare you call me emperor? Who gave you the guts to withhold the rent from Consort Xian? I hereby issue an order. Consort Hui is guilty of deceiving her superiors. She is confined to her residence for three months and is not allowed to leave the palace even at any banquet."

"His Majesty……"

"Don't back down yet."

Concubine Hui got up dejectedly, her eyes full of resentment, and she retreated with her head lowered. Prince Yong also retreated with his hands covering his bleeding head. Seeing the figures of the mother and son retreating, Emperor Xuanning felt inexplicably annoyed. After all, she was a merchant's daughter, her eyes were full of profit, and she didn't care about hierarchy at all.

How could he believe that the Chu family couldn't pay the rent? After all, they were the richest man in Beijing. Why would they be short of a few thousand taels of silver a year?

He could even guess that the Chu family had paid the full rent, but it was intercepted by Huipin for their own use. They only took advantage of the fact that Concubine Xian had no family and no prince, so she didn't dare to speak out.

He personally went over to help Concubine Xian up, "My beloved, I've wronged you over the years."

Xian Fei said, "I hope Your Majesty doesn't blame Zhao Ling for causing trouble."

Speaking of this, Emperor Xuanning glared again, "Zhao Ling, do you admit your guilt?"

Princess Zhao Ling's mouth drooped. "Father, my stomach hurts. Fifth brother hit me."

"Okay, stop pretending. I don't know who you took after."

Then I saw the obedient Rong Tang, who seemed to be in the same mood...

"Otomo, anyone who participated in the fight outside will receive twenty lashes of the cane, executed immediately."

When He Daban went to announce the order, Emperor Xuanning pinched his forehead and said, "You troublemaker, what are you doing here again?"

Rong Tang blinked, how well behaved he was!

"Your Majesty, I have something to report. I am not the biological child of the Rong family."

Emperor Xuanning exhaled a breath that had just been released. Concubine Xian hurried over to pat his back, and looked at Rong Tang with a look of surprise and doubt. "Kid, why are you saying this at this time?"

Emperor Xuanning regained his breath and turned to look at Li Dequan, "It seems you just reported to me not long ago that the Earl of Jian'an is not Jin Shizhao's biological son, but Madam Rong's biological son."

Li Dequan knelt down and kowtowed. "This... I heard so much when I came to answer. Perhaps there are more witnesses later?"

Rong Tang said, "That's right. Jin Shizhao did not consummate his marriage with Madam Rong. I am actually Madam Rong's adopted son."