LRAB Chapter 283 Military Order
Chapter 283 Military Order
Linhua Palace
Emperor Shun'an put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Wen Zongji with a half-smile: "You are the first person to dare to covet that piece of land in the West Garden."
Wen Zongji respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it was my oversight."
Emperor Shun'an said, "The Crown Prince is right. If you really use that land to amass wealth, it will indeed damage the royal family's reputation... So how much silver do you plan to use to compensate for it?"
Wen Zongji: "...What?"
He almost thought he had misheard.
Emperor Shun'an said bluntly, "Two hundred thousand taels! If you can make two hundred thousand taels from that land, I will give it to you to dispose of."
Emperor Shun'an, who was able to make good use of so many officials who did practical work, was clearly a pragmatist.
More than the ephemeral concept of face, he cared about whether the national treasury was full and whether the court could provide relief funds should there be natural disasters or man-made calamities.
Wen Zongji looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince said, "Speak freely."
Wen Zongji firmly replied, "This humble subject can do it!"
"it is good."
Emperor Shun'an said, "You are to deal with that piece of land. If you ultimately fail to do so, even if Anhe pleads for you, I will still punish you severely."
Although face is an intangible thing, if it is sold too cheaply, Emperor Shun'an will definitely hold Wen Zongji accountable.
"Yes."
After finishing his official business, Emperor Shun'an asked about Rui'er, "How is Rui'er?"
"Very good, my wife stays with him every day."
"Go back and tell Anhe to bring Rui Ge'er to the palace. The Empress and I haven't had a proper look at Rui Ge'er yet."
"Yes."
Emperor Shun'an still had memorials to attend to, so he waved for the two men to leave.
The Crown Prince said, "Father always keeps his word. If you ultimately fail to produce 200,000 taels, he will truly punish you severely."
Wen Zongji said, "Your Highness, rest assured. Back then, the auction of a registration quota in the capital city could fetch 200,000 taels of silver, so a house will definitely be more expensive than that quota."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince suddenly realized: "I was wondering why Father Emperor asked for 200,000 taels of silver. He must have been thinking about the auction of the registration quota for the capital city back then."
His expression then turned somewhat strange: "Father wouldn't have his eye on the Crown Prince's private treasury, would he?"
Because the Capital Gazette Office is subordinate to the Eastern Palace, the branches of the office in various parts of the Great Chu receive a steady stream of silver every month, making the Eastern Palace extremely wealthy.
Wen Zongji said, "A tall tree catches the wind! Even if the emperor doesn't mention it, some officials will definitely suggest that the Capital Gazette Office be placed under the jurisdiction of the imperial court."
The Crown Prince was aware of this: "I am already looking for a suitable opportunity to bring the Capital Gazette Bureau back under the control of the court."
However, he couldn't just give up this money-making machine for nothing; there had to be some exchange.
Wen Zongji did not offer much opinion on this matter, as the Crown Prince would know what to do.
With Emperor Shun'an's permission, Wen Zongji went directly to the Ministry of Works the next day to discuss the blueprints for the small courtyard with the officials.
He planned to build ten small courtyards on that vacant lot, and because space was limited, each courtyard would be a single-entrance structure.
The area may be small, but the interior decoration must be magnificent and exquisite.
Only in this way can he justify selling at a high price and ensure that buyers are satisfied with their purchase.
To this end, he also put forward some ideas for future generations, integrating the characteristics of this era to create a unique courtyard.
For this reason, Wen Zongji spent several days visiting the Ministry of Works before finalizing the drawings.
Then, construction will begin.
The blueprints for the residential building haven't been finished yet, but construction is about to begin on Wen Zongji's small courtyard.
Zhou Shiyue couldn't help but admire Wen Zongji's speed: "Zongji, you've worked hard."
During this period, Wen Zongji kept going to the Ministry of Works, and Zhou Shiyue saw this and became more and more satisfied with Wen Zongji.
Not only is he intelligent and capable, but more importantly, he doesn't flaunt his status; instead, he does everything himself.
No wonder the Crown Prince values him so highly.
With the construction of the courtyard underway, Wen Zongji was no longer so busy. He only needed to wait until the final completion to inspect and approve it.
Therefore, it is rare for Wen Zongji to leave work on time today.
Pei Rujing was carrying Rui Ge'er and pacing back and forth in the room when she saw Wen Zongji return. She pouted and said, "It's rare to see you finish work so early today?"
Wen Zongji walked over and kissed Rui Ge'er's little face.
Rui turned to look at him and grinned.
Wen Zongji was in an even better mood: "Once I'm done with my work for now, I'll naturally be off duty."
Pei Rujing said, "There are so many people in the Ministry of Revenue, how come you've become so busy after only a few months?"
"Naturally, it's because I'm more capable."
Pei Rujing chuckled: "You certainly know how to pat yourself on the back."
Wen Zongji raised an eyebrow: "Does my wife not believe me?"
"believe!"
Wen Zongji: "..."
He was planning to wait for Pei Rujing to deny it, then take the opportunity to teach her a lesson.
Pei Rujing smiled and said, "I brought Rui-ge'er to the palace to see my uncle today, and he praised you to me."
"Praising me?" Wen Zongji said, "His Majesty has set a goal for me, and I will be severely punished if I fail to achieve it."
"This shows that your uncle believes you can do it; your uncle doesn't praise people easily."
Wen Zongji didn't think too much about it; he was certain he could do it.
"Was Rui-ge'er nervous about going to the palace?"
Pei Rujing laughed upon hearing this: "Don't you know your son? He has an incredibly good temper. He smiles at everyone he sees, and he won't get angry no matter who teases him."
Rui-ge'er's good temper made Pei Ru-jing wonder if she herself had been quite well-behaved for a period of time when she was young.
She even asked the eldest princess, who denied it without hesitation.
Wen Zongji took Rui Ge'er from Pei Rujing's arms, bounced him a couple of times to make him laugh: "You're too good-natured, so you're easily bullied."
Pei Rujing raised her head proudly and said, "Who dares to bully my son?"
Wen Zongji couldn't help but laugh: "The county princess is mighty! However, it's not good for a man to be too mild-mannered. When Rui-ge'er is a little older, I plan to hire a martial arts instructor for him to teach him martial arts in his spare time."
Practicing martial arts can temper one's will, and naturally, it can also temper one's temperament.
Pei Rujing hadn't expected Wen Zongji to think so far ahead: "Just don't push him too hard."
Rui Ge'er is Wen Zongji's eldest son, so Wen Zongji has the final say on how to educate him.
Pei Rujing's only requirement was that she not push him too hard and not exhaust Rui Ge'er's health.
Wen Zongji nodded: "Don't worry, my wife. He can play happily until he's six. I won't force him to study too early."
He believes that children should have a complete and happy childhood.
What he couldn't have in his own time, he naturally wants his child to have too.
"Changning will be coming to stay for a few days. I've already asked the nanny to prepare the courtyard next door for her to stay in."
Wen Zongji asked, "Have the Emperor and Empress agreed?"
"nature."
"Then my wife can make the arrangements."
He didn't care about it.