It was already dusk when Chenxi arrived at Huiniang's place. .

Sui'an and Dongxi were playing with Chen Hong in the yard of the back house. Several maids next to them were serving carefully. Hui Niang sat on a rattan chair in the middle of the yard, looking at everything in front of her casually. It was rare that the weather was good today. Recently, the capital was covered by cold waves. The child had not left the door for several days.

"master."

Seeing Chen Xi's figure appearing in front of the moon gate, Hui Niang quickly stood up to greet her.

Chen Xi walked through the porch and walked towards Hui Niang with a smile.

Sui'an and Dongxi were a little scared and hurried into the house.

Chen Hong jogged all the way, arrived beside Chen Xi, gently pulled the hem of his father's clothes, and then ran away as if he was worried about being caught by a bad person.

"How could this child treat his father like this?" Hui Niang said.

Chen Hong turned around and smiled brightly. He knew that this age of children was naturally playing and wanted someone to play with him.

Chen Xi grimaced at Chen Hong who was hiding behind the rockery and looking around, then looked at Hui Niang and asked, "Where is Jin'er?"

"I was settled in the inner room. Taking advantage of the good weather today, my sisters passed the accounts of the Chamber of Commerce these days. I was a little dizzy and came out to relax. I happened to meet the master... I didn't expect that the master actually scared those two girls back to the house." Hui Niang said, with a hint of sorrow in her tone, probably because of her guilt towards Sui'an's mother.

Chen Xi cared for Hui Niang's slender waist.

Huiniang lowered her head shyly in front of the maid, but she couldn't twist her lover, so she could only let Shen Xi hug her into the house.

Li Jin came out after hearing the news and saluted Chen Xi: "Master is here, I haven't been able to meet you yet, please forgive me."

Hui Niang said angrily: "The master is not a rare guest, why are you doing so many polite things? I believe the master has been annoyed by these red tapes, so why don't you come here to accompany the master?"

Perhaps because he was held by Chen Xi and it was inconvenient to walk, Hui Niang pulled away and waved to Li Jin to come and share the burden.

Chen Xi sat down with a smile, and Li Jin immediately got into his arms. This time, Chen Xi did not reach out. Li Jin looked at Hui Niang aggrievedly: "Sister, look... maybe I am not likable, and the master refused to even hug him, he only liked his sister..."

"Stupid girl!"

Hui Niang cursed, but a smile appeared on her face.

Looking at the scene of the deep sisterly love and harmony in front of him, Chen Xi felt warm in his heart. At this time, Hui Niang asked: "Why did the master come so early today? Has the court affairs been handled?"

Chen Xidao: "Your Majesty has not been involved in the government affairs for a long time. Today, I finally held the Wu Dynasty and asked the court officials to discuss state affairs in the Ganqing Palace. After I attended the court meeting, Your Majesty met him privately, so he did not go to the yamen to work again and came directly to your sisters."

Hui Niang nodded slightly.

For her, as an important official in the court, it was not a rare thing to face the saint. Li Jin looked at Chen Xi with admiration. After all, for ordinary people, meeting the saint, especially the emperor, is a very sacred thing.

Chen Xidao: "Hui Niang didn't ask what His Majesty said?"

"The affairs of the court have nothing to do with me, and I don't want to ask about these things." Hui Niang seemed very conscious. "I am just an ordinary woman, just to take care of my husband and children at home."

Chen Xi smiled and said, "What Your Majesty said this time is related to Hui Niang...is about finance, taxation and military expenses..."

Li Jin grabbed the white spot: "Master, will you really fight that battle next year?"

"It seems that's true for the time being."

Chenxi Road, "It's still some time before the beginning of next spring. The situation may change, but your Majesty, like me, wants to calm the grassland and completely solve the problems of the northern border. This will not only bring long-term peace and stability to the Ming Dynasty, but also help the people to avoid worries and make every effort to develop the economy and livelihood."

"But we have to fight!" Hui Niang sighed.

For her, it was not a good thing to do as long as she used her war, especially when this war involved her relatives.

As the main planner, Chen Xi is destined not to leave the matter. If something goes wrong in the end of this battle, Chen Xi will be responsible and harm his family. If Chen Xi has something to do on the battlefield, it will be even more desperate, and the Shen family and Hui Niang will lose their support.

Li Jin seemed very supportive: "It's good to fight a war. Once troops are sent, the food and supplies involved will be astronomical. At that time, our chamber of commerce will have a big deal... Do you want us to take the initiative to go to the Ministry of War to negotiate business?"

Chen Xi shook his head: "This time it's not about doing business, but about paying donations... At today's court meeting, the civil ministers led by Mr. Xie did not agree to Your Majesty's opinion on increasing military expenditures, and even the reform of industrial and commercial tax was put on hold. His Majesty had no choice but to make a private agreement with me to give convenience to the capital merchants on the grounds of raising military funds, so as to set a precedent for the reform of commercial tax."

"oh."

Li Jin nodded, but she still frowned, obviously not understanding it.

Hui Niang said: "Does the master want to mess with the merchants in the capital? The situation is changing too fast now. Liu Jin was so powerful that he fell down at the beginning. The merchants in the capital can no longer afford to mess with. Now many local chambers of commerce have voluntarily withdrawn from the capital market because the water here is too muddy!"

In her words, Hui Niang did not support Chen Xi to raise money and food from the merchants. In her opinion, as a member of the merchant, she must speak for the interests of the merchants.

Chen Xi's face darkened. Li Jin saw that the atmosphere was not right and immediately kept silent.

Chen Xi sighed: "I do these things just to make some changes... I know that it is too early to openly implement reforms with my current identity. The ministers will not convince them, especially Mr. Xie. I have to respect and accommodate his opinions when I promoted me first... The result is that nothing can be done and I can only go with the flow."

Hui Niang and Li Jin didn't say anything, and it was really hard to evaluate all this for them.

Chen Xi said again: "This time I will respect the opinions of the merchants in the capital, listen carefully to their demands, and give policy benefits. As long as they can help raise military expenditures, everything will be easy to negotiate..."

"Maybe in your opinion, this war is too crazy, but it is the best opportunity to completely resolve border troubles... In recent years, the Tatars' continuous failures against the Ming Dynasty have led to their unification being postponed. In the middle of this year, the Dayan tribe defeated the tribes in the north and south of the Mo period several times, and annexed small tribes. If the troops are not sent in the next year, the Tatars will likely be unified again. At that time, the Ming Dynasty will face a powerful enemy who share the same hatred of the enemy."

"At that time, the initiative will not be in the hands of my Ming Dynasty. The Tatars can choose the direction of attack as they please, and ask for directions to my Ming Dynasty. Then there will be wars everywhere. Besides, Your Majesty still trusts me now, who knows what will happen in the future? You can only solve the troubles on the grassland in the shortest time..."

Li Jin said: "It turns out that the master wants to flatten the grassland, so he has already planned it?"

"What else? Just to show off a temporary hero? Who has the time to do it? The time is the best. Although Your Majesty doesn't understand these, I can only support him with all his strength."

Chenxidao, "I have experienced too many ups and downs in recent years, and Liu Jin's execution made me realize that the court is dangerous. Could it be that I have to avoid things when I am today and wait until the seventh and eighty-year-olds can realize their ambitions?"

Hui Niang and Li Jin were not talking.

The room was quiet.

After a long time, Hui Niang broke the silence and asked, "How much money and food is being distributed to merchants this time?"

"I don't know the specific numbers. The key is to see how convenient I can give to merchants."

Chenxi Road, "When I was in the southeast and southwest, I implemented reforms in the local area, including the franchise rights of the imperial court, but unfortunately I have not been able to promote it to all provinces of the Ming Dynasty... This time I will propose to Your Majesty that I will make changes to many old customs and habits. I believe that it will not take long to achieve good results."

Li Jin's eyes lit up: "Master, this is a good deal to make money. Whoever gets the franchise will make a fortune... The benefits in the past were taken away by the stolen officials."

Chen Xidao: "Next, I will be met with a lot of boycotts. A group of vested interests will attack me from all aspects. I won't mind this, just because I'm afraid that the merchants' confidence will shake."

Hui Niang shook her head: "Master, why bother you?"

Chen Xi smiled and said, "I am also fighting for my own interests, so that your sisters' business can grow bigger and bigger... This time I hope to get more support from merchants. The generation of merchants in Jiangnan knows my character. In the past few years, the southeast and southwest merchants had traveled all over the country. If they could support me, things would go much smoother."

Hui Niang looked at Li Jin, and both women nodded together.

Because Chen Xi implemented reforms in the southeast and southwest, his subsequent successors were unwilling to offend Chen Xi, a famous figure in front of Emperor Shen Xi. Even when Liu Jin was the most arrogant, he did not change Chen Xi's policy without authorization. As a result, local industry and commerce have made rapid progress, and southern merchants have become the most vibrant and vibrant economic group in the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Xidao: "When I have time, I want to meet with the merchants in Jiangnan. They know me well. Jin'er, please arrange someone to contact me."

"OK."

Li Jin agreed without any hesitation. This was a breeze for her.

Hui Niang was a little worried: "All the master did was against the court officials and local gentry. The public opinion of the Ming Dynasty was in the hands of the gentry. Isn't the master afraid of being stabbed by others?"

Chen Xi laughed: "I care about what others think about me? What I can do is to be responsible to the people and to you. The reform of industrial and commercial tax is only one of my many reform plans. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will implement more reforms. It won't take long to get people's lives up to several levels!"

"I hope so."

Hui Niang sighed lightly, not optimistic about what Chen Xi said.

But due to emotional bondage, she could only support her unconditionally.

...

...

At night, the capital city of Shouning Hou Mansion.

Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, was drunk and staggered into the main hall step by step. At this time, Zhang Heling, the Marquis of Shouning, was discussing matters with several confidant generals. When he saw his younger brother come in, Zhang Heling's face became very ugly.

"Brother, don't worry about me, you guys continue."

Zhang Yanling sat down on a chair next to him casually. Who would have thought that with a "click", the legs of the chair were folded in response to the sound, and could not bear the weight and collapsed directly, causing Zhang Yanling to fall backwards.

Zhang Yanling got up from the ground in a mess and kicked the wreckage of the wooden chair with annoyance. Unexpectedly, his thumb hit the beam made of sandalwood, which made him jump up with his legs in pain.

Zhang Heling didn't want his subordinates to see his younger brother's embarrassment, so he waved his hand: "That's all about the matter, you guys go back!"

The people present were basically soldiers from the Beijing camp, and they bowed and retreated after hearing this.

After the people were exposed, Zhang Heling scolded in an annoyed tone: "Everyone said that we would discuss the major matters of the capital garrison today. You actually went to drink. You sent so many people to find you. Are you treating my orders like a breeze?"

"hey-hey."

Zhang Yanling found a stool that looked strong and sat down, then picked up Xiangming, who had just been given to the coffee table in front of him, took a sip, and said flatteringly, "Why do you have to get angry? I'm just going out to drink a few glasses of water and wine, it's not a big deal. With the elder brother here, all kinds of troubles can be solved. When will I need to come forward?"

Zhang Heling said angrily: "From the previous emperor to the present Majesty, I have high hopes for both you and my brother!"

"So what if I have high hopes? I originally asked my sister to help me and let me move my position up appropriately, at least not to look at other people's faces. What's the result? Shen Zhihou's power is getting bigger and bigger day by day, and even Zhang Mao's old man shits and pees on my brothers' heads all day long. Why don't my brother vent his anger at them, but come to make things difficult for me?"

When Zhang Heling faced such a rogue brother, he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Finally, Zhang Heling sat down dejectedly and said, "Then, where have you been there in the past two days? Why can't you look for you everywhere?"

Zhang Yanling's face was flushed, and the smell of alcohol was so sensational, and his expression was quite proud: "Isn't that the matter? I'm just drunk, lustful, wealthy, I'm all involved in everything. My elder brother doesn't understand the fun, so I naturally dislike him."

Zhang Heling said angrily: "Don't you know? A few days ago, when you went out of the city to buy land, you saw a woman washing clothes by the river. She was so lustful that she didn't tell her. She even took the woman's husband and father-in-law down and sent her to the Beijing camp prison. The excuse was that this family colluded with Di Yi... I heard that in order to avoid future troubles, you are going to deal with the person quietly?"

Zhang Yanling widened his eyes, "Brother, you can't wrongly accuse a good man. You slander your brother with hearsay... It was clearly the scout below who found that the Song family had a relationship with the thief. After I learned about it, I asked about the case. In fear, they took the initiative to send the woman to my mansion and asked to open the Internet... I was thinking about it, and I was going to convict exile, which was a bargain for them!"

"Do you think these nonsense can deceive me? I forgot how the late emperor taught you a lesson? You just remember to eat but not beat me!" Zhang Heling hated his younger brother for not fighting.

Zhang Yanling twisted his head: "I don't know what my elder brother is talking about to maintain public order around the capital and investigate spies from other vassals. It is originally a responsibility, so there is no need to discuss with my elder brother."

Zhang Heling walked to the table, took out a letter from a thick pile of official documents, threw it directly into Zhang Yanling's arms, and said, "Look at what you have done recently!"
To be continued...