Chapter 273

Thin beads of sweat instantly beaded on Qi Tai's forehead.

Those were just two lines spoken in jest.

Why did you, Old Zhu, take it seriously! Three.

155, Zhu Yuanzhang: When did our Great Ming become so prosperous?

The corner of Huang Zicheng's mouth twitched slightly.

"Thump!" He knelt before Zhu Yuanzhang and shouted loudly,

"Your Majesty, the Four Sentences of Hengqu, I dare not forget even in death."

"But my family is poor; I truly cannot afford this sum!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze slowly fell upon Huang Zicheng.

"You have no money?"

"Yes..."

"No money to borrow? Didn't Su Qiao just say you can borrow silver? That way, you will have a residence and help the common people of the world study. What is not to like?"

Before Huang Zicheng could even open his mouth,

Zhu Yuanzhang rose on his own, walked to Su Qiao's side, and asked,

"Su Qiao, do you have any fine residences on hand? Find one for my lord Huang!"

Su Qiao instantly perked up.

He pulled a small booklet from his sleeve and said eagerly,

"My lord Huang, do not panic. Wait while I find one for you now."

"You previously lived in Lion Alley; that area is now called Lord Xin's Mansion. It is the same location as before, a large two-courtyard residence that absolutely fits your status."

"The distance to court is the same as before, and the roads will be much smoother from now on."

"We have already planned it; from Lord Xin's Mansion to the Forbidden City, the roads will absolutely all be paved with blue bricks, making the walk absolutely comfortable!"

Huang Zicheng looked at Su Qiao with a gloomy expression and asked,

"Then, then how much is this residence?"

Su Qiao "clapped" the booklet shut and smiled,

"My lord Huang, we are old colleagues. Here, I will take the initiative and give you a five percent discount."

"A total of eight thousand nine hundred guan. What do you think?"

Twelve thousand nine hundred guan!

Hearing this number, Huang Zicheng nearly fainted.

"Twelve thousand nine hundred guan! Su Qiao! How dare you open your mouth to ask for this?"

"My previous residence was sold to you for two thousand eight hundred guan, and that was a five-courtyard compound!"

Su Qiao hurriedly said,

"My lord Huang, do not be anxious. Anything larger would be at Qianmen Street; I do not think you need that."

"This Lord Xin's Mansion is very good!"

"It suits your status best."

"Use your previous compensation as a down payment, and then borrow ten thousand guan. The first year, you pay over four hundred guan per month; it is a bit difficult."

"But after the second year, it decreases. In the second year, you only pay three hundred guan, and in the third year, you only repay two hundred guan per month."

"The Crown Prince will give you a reward during festivals and holidays; those amounts are around a thousand guan."

Huang Zicheng's face turned iron-green.

He stared fixedly at Su Qiao.

Then he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in near despair.

"Your Majesty! I cannot starve my own mother to death for the sake of the people of the world, can I?"

"Among all virtues, filial piety comes first, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Huang Zicheng and asked with some confusion,

"Huang Zicheng, you are a Fourth Rank, Senior Grade official, are you not?"

Huang Zicheng was stunned by these words.

Then he nodded and said,

"Thanks to His Majesty valuing highly, I am Fourth Rank, Senior Grade..."

"Fourth Rank, Senior Grade; your mother should also hold a title of Fourth Rank, Senior Grade. Your mother receives over seventy shi of salary per month; how does it become starving to death in your case?"

The Ming followed the Song system.

Ranks one through five all received titles.

Bestowing titles on wives and shielding sons was never a joke.

An official's own salary seemed not high, but in truth, that was truly just one person's food ration.

And once one held a rank of fifth or above, the birth mother and the principal wife would both receive corresponding titles.

Their salaries were issued separately.

Outside the main hall, a deathly silence fell.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze stared fixedly at Huang Zicheng.

Meanwhile, Su Qiao had already pulled out the loan contract and casually filled in Huang Zicheng's name on it.

"My lord Huang, sign it. Once signed, when the house is delivered, you can move in directly."

"Decoration is included."

Su Qiao's words echoed in Huang Zicheng's mind like a nightmare.

At this moment, Huang Zicheng was already in a predicament akin to riding a tiger.

He comforted himself over and over in his heart.

If it really comes to it, just sign.

At worst, we can default on the debt later.

Su Qiao seemed to have seen through Huang Zicheng's thought.

Then he whispered a reminder:

"My Lord Huang, there is one last hint: please ensure your account has sufficient surplus on the ninth day of every month."

Huang Zicheng's old face darkened; he gritted his teeth, looked at Su Qiao, and asked:

"What if I don't repay? Do you not even let a person catch their breath?"

Su Qiao hurriedly said:

"My Lord Huang, I know you are very anxious."

"But I advise you not to be anxious."

"It is certainly possible; we will only charge a certain percentage of penalty interest at that time, which is just a few dozen copper coins—no big deal."

"As long as you eventually make up the full amount, we can discuss everything else."

Hearing this, Huang Zicheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What does a penalty interest matter?

I borrowed it with no intention of repaying.

Accumulate as much as you like!

Seeing Huang Zicheng's hesitant expression,

Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but snort coldly and say:

"Just sign it! Whether you repay or not, you still get a residence; it is not a free seizure!"

"Your subject... Your subject signs, Your subject signs!"

With tears in his eyes, Huang Zicheng took the brush from Su Qiao's hand and then signed his name on the contract.

The first mortgage contract in Great Ming was born.

Looking at Huang Zicheng's appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but ask:

"By the way, Su Qiao, what if he is determined not to repay? Then no matter how much the penalty interest accumulates, isn't it all in vain?"

Su Qiao raised his head, looked at Old Zhu with confusion, and said:

"Ah? Your Majesty, isn't it all stated on the contract? If it is not repaid within six months, the Treasure Note Bureau will come to seize the residence."

In an instant.