kingnovel Chapter 573 Confrontation in the Palace
Chapter 573 Confrontation in the Palace
Lord Zhao stepped forward and said, "I beg Your Majesty to summon my son Zhao Dehai to the palace. The Marquis's business has been in business for several years, and it has all been handled by my second son. The charcoal storage this time was also handled by him."
"pass!"
Zhao Dehai had always been in charge of the business affairs of the Marquis' Mansion. After the Marquis' Mansion was revived, he continued to hold an idle position.
But Zhao Dehai knew very well that having a prominent family was not a good thing. Having an elder brother was enough, so he always focused on business.
After all, although everyone desires power, it is useless without money.
Soon, Zhao Dehai walked into the main hall in front of everyone: "Your Majesty, I, Zhao Dehai, pay my respects to you!"
Emperor Qianwu raised his hand and exempted him from those empty formalities.
"Zhao Dehai, how much coal is stockpiled in the shops under your name?" Emperor Qianwu asked in a deep voice.
"Reporting to your Majesty, I currently have 3.1 million kilograms of coal in my hands, including 700,000 kilograms of gold-thread charcoal, 1.05 million kilograms of silver-thread charcoal, and the rest is ordinary black charcoal."
When Zhao Dehai said this, the ministers were in an uproar.
"More than three million kilograms of carbon? What is the Qingyuan Marquis' Mansion going to do?"
"No wonder charcoal is in short supply in the capital. I didn't expect that it was all in the hands of the Marquis' Mansion."
"Old Marquis, you have to explain this to me! Your mansion has hoarded so much charcoal, which is obviously an attempt to make dirty money and profit from the national crisis!"
"What are you arguing about? Let's first listen to what Lord Zhao has to say."
"..."
Emperor Qianwu also frowned: "When did the Marquis' Mansion start hoarding charcoal fire, and why did they hoard so much charcoal fire? There is a shortage of charcoal in the capital right now, why haven't you put in the charcoal yet?"
Emperor Qianwu asked questions one after another, and Zhao Dehai responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Your Majesty, I have been buying coal for three months. I was lucky enough to save a talented man when I was traveling. He is good at observing the sky. In return, he told me that the weather will be abnormal after the New Year and there will be a severe cold. If I want to make a fortune, I can buy coal."
Zhao Dehai's words instantly aroused heated discussions among the ministers.
After all, more than three million taels of coal is not a small amount. I think he must have purchased it not only in the vicinity of the capital, but also in other areas.
"This is sheer nonsense! Where did this talented person come from? Lord Zhao believed this statement alone? Aren't you afraid of losing all your wealth?"
After receiving Xiao Heyu's hint, Zuo Jian Doctor said, "This is indeed nonsense! Lord Zhao dared to buy three million gold worth of coal just because of this groundless rumor. Isn't he afraid that the coal will be a waste of money? How ridiculous!"
Zhao Dehai said in a calm and composed voice, "I am indeed half-believing and half-doubting, but I am thinking that if there is a heavy snow, the people will suffer from hunger and cold, so I think it is better to be prepared."
"And as long as the coal is properly stored, it can be sold again next year, but it will indeed cost a lot of money and cause damage to other businesses."
"But I think that if there is a one in ten thousand chance that I can save the people from the disaster, even if I lose some money, it is worth it."
Xiao Tingshan stood at the back, watching the impeachment against the Qingyuan Marquis Mansion, and always felt that things would not be that simple.
Although Zhao Dehai kept the matter of hoarding coal a secret, it was impossible for him to be completely secretive when hoarding such a large amount of coal.
Now that the Third Prince is impeaching the Marquis' Mansion, will it really be useful?
He still felt that this move was a bit impatient, but Xiao Heyu seemed very anxious.
But after his several failures, Xiao Heyu no longer trusted him, so he didn't know why the Third Prince's party was so anxious.
But, could it be related to that woman?
In Xiao Tingshan's mind, Shen Shuyi's face appeared...
"Humph, Lord Zhao's words are very high-sounding. If that's the case, the people are already living in poverty, why is Lord Zhao holding back the charcoal and refusing to sell it?"
"Yes, the price of charcoal in the capital is sky-high now, and even the palace has cut back on spending. Could it be that the Marquis's family is enjoying it alone and is reluctant to spend the money?"
"Or does the Marquis' Mansion feel that the current price is not enough and want to make a huge profit?"
Xiao Heyu never spoke a word from beginning to end, just waiting for his mother to send someone to bring news.
The matter of collecting empty salaries and the battle of Lushan must not be exposed.
Otherwise, if his uncle is implicated, he will inevitably be implicated. Even if he can completely shirk responsibility, if something happens to his uncle, it will be like cutting off one of his arms!
What's more, my father has always been suspicious. Once this matter gets out, my father will definitely lose trust in him, giving others the opportunity to take advantage of it.
Not long after, the little eunuch beside Concubine Rou appeared in a corner of the hall and shook his head in the direction of Xiao Heyu.
Xiao Heyu's heart sank.
Hasn't mother found the account book yet? Can't you convince Shen Shuyi?
Zhao Dehai said calmly, "Coal is indeed sold at sky-high prices in Beijing right now, but it is still in short supply. Although I have a lot of charcoal in stock, it will not last for a few days if it is used to supply the people in the entire capital."
"So I keep asking for it, hoping that those who still have the energy to spare won't have to compete with the poor for coal. If I ask for it for a little longer, by then the rich will have stockpiled a lot of coal and won't have to compete with the poor for it."
As soon as Zhao Dehai's words came out, Emperor Qianwu's eyes became deep. Many court officials discussed in low voices, and many people agreed with what Zhao Dehai said.
"Your Majesty, I think what Lord Zhao said is correct. If you start burning charcoal when the weather gets cold, I'm afraid it will be snapped up by the powerful and wealthy families, and there will be only a handful of charcoal that can be used by the people..."
Zhao Dehai nodded: "Although I did not release the charcoal, I sent people from dozens of medical clinics in the capital and surrounding temples to supply charcoal fire, porridge and grain every day to keep the people warm and well-fed."
"Your Majesty, I have no choice but to do this. After all, I am alone and my family is too weak to save the people in the several cities around the capital."
After saying that, Zhao Dehai let out a long sigh.
"Your Majesty, I also think what Lord Zhao said makes sense. I have indeed seen that not only the medical clinics and dilapidated temples in the capital have charcoal fires, but even half of the shops under Lord Zhao's name have been put out for people to rest and take a rest."
"Yes, I can testify to this. A few days ago, my leg disease flared up on the road and I was freezing. I went to a restaurant owned by Lord Zhao that was doing quite well. That restaurant made a lot of money, but Lord Zhao was kind. Not only did he take in the common people and keep the charcoal fire full, he also opened a free clinic and provided free porridge..."
Xiao Heyu's face darkened slightly. He had indeed found out about Zhao Dehai's relief efforts for the common people, but he thought that these were just Zhao Dehai's efforts to gain reputation for the Qingyuan Marquisate.
"Your Majesty, I have to thank Princess Changning for this. It was the Princess who took the lead and I was inspired by her that saved many people from the suffering of frost." Zhao Dehai responded respectfully.