Chapter 316

Who exactly is Fan Wencheng?

Zhu Youjian knew this better than anyone!

Back then, he was the very existence Zhu Youjian used to prick with straw dolls every day, hoping for his sudden death!

It was precisely because Fan Wencheng existed.

That is why Huang Taiji was able to establish his own government and offices.

And it was precisely after Fan Wencheng defected to the Later Jin.

That the original border troubles in Liaodong truly rotted into an existence threatening the very life and death of the Great Ming!

Zhu Youjian slowly raised his head.

Looking at Du Du Yinxi in disbelief, he asked,

"Minister Du, did I, did I not hear wrongly?"

Tears filling his eyes, Du Du Yinxi looked at Zhu Youjian and said,

"Your Majesty, you did not hear wrongly. Fan Wencheng has indeed been beheaded!"

"The Jianzhou Jurchens' fortune is exhausted!"

Zhu Youjian immediately could not hold back and burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, quickly, tell Mr. Su this good news!"

"Yes!"

Without any delay, Zhu Youjian and Du Du Yinxi immediately set off to find Su Qiao.

However, when Zhu Youjian and Du Du Yinxi walked up to Su Qiao holding the Memorial to the throne reporting Fan Wencheng's execution,

Su Qiao looked at the two of them and asked,

"Your Majesty is happy, and that is well, but I wish to ask one question."

"Next, how does Your Majesty intend to act?"

Hearing this, Zhu Youjian was stunned.

"How to act next?"

Du Du Yinxi looked at Su Qiao in confusion and said,

"Minister Su, since the traitor Fan is dead, we presumably have no need to continue throwing silver out there, right?"

"After all, this silver cannot be thrown out forever."

Su Qiao shook his head and smiled, saying,

"Not throw? Minister Du, have you considered that if we suddenly stop now and let the barbarians outside the pass realize it, the silver price outside the pass will no longer be the current price."

"Stopping now is no different from funding the enemy."

A trace of ruthlessness inevitably appeared on Su Qiao's face.

Then, gritting his teeth, he spoke in a low voice,

"Minister Du, what the court should do now is to continue taking out silver and smashing it outside the pass!"

"Smash it until the barbarians in all directions dare not accept silver anymore, but only dare to accept our Great Ming banknotes!"

"If there is no silver in the national treasury, then use banknotes to exchange for silver, and then continue to throw it out at low prices!"

"Does Fan Wencheng, just a single old life, deserve ten million taels of silver?!"

"This silver is meant to buy the head of Huang Taiji!"

Hearing Su Qiao's words,

Du Du Yinxi suddenly realized why Su Qiao wanted to deploy such a massive amount of silver outside the pass!

It was never for a mere Fan Wencheng!

"Minister Su, I understand now, I understand now!"

Su Qiao remained silent.

Du Du Yinxi then slowly rose to his feet and bowed to Zhu Youjian, saying,

"Your Majesty, I will now go to the Grand Council to draft the next set of regulations."

Zhu Youjian, looking completely bewildered, nodded at Du Du Yinxi and said,

"Oh, good!"

Before Zhu Youjian could even come to his senses,

Du Du Yinxi had already run out quickly.

Inside the Great Hall of State in Shengjing.

Since Fan Wencheng was beheaded,

the people of Shengjing had only just calmed down slightly.

After all, the man was dead.

What more could be done?

Just as Huang Taiji thought everything was about to come to an end,

a fatal piece of news arrived once again.

The silver price outside the pass not only did not recover,

but instead began a high-altitude dive with an even greater magnitude.

Dorgon, his face deathly pale, ran into the Great Hall of State holding a stack of Memorials to the throne.

"Brother Emperor!"

"This, the silver price in the various grassland tribes, and also the silver price in Gao Li, has dropped by another one-tenth to one-fifth compared to before the execution of Fan Wencheng!"

Before Huang Taiji could even open his mouth.

Immediately, a sound of commotion rose from outside the Forbidden City.

Huang Taiji could even clearly see stones being thrown in from the outside, one after another.

The General guarding the palace gate was doing his utmost to keep the common people outside.

But clearly, these common people had no intention of giving these Eight Banners descendants any face.

"We want to see Your Majesty!"

"Return our blood and sweat money to us!"

"Since the time of Great Ancestor, our family has followed Great Ancestor in raising the army; Your Majesty cannot do this!"

"We don't want silver, Your Majesty, just give us some Treasure Notes; our family's old Master was Great Ancestor's personal bodyguard, and now we urgently need medicinal herbs from inside the Pass!"

"..."

Huang Taiji's face turned iron-green.

Fan Wencheng had first nearly halved the price of the Treasure Notes.

Now, the silver price in Liaodong is less than one-third of what it was before.

In this way.

Almost every household among all the common people has had two-thirds of their family savings drained away.

The entire Shengjing has quite literally become a huge powder keg.

It only lacks a spark so small it cannot be smaller.

To completely detonate it!

238, stinky mouth!

The warm breeze intoxicates the travelers, making them mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou.

From Su Hang to Jin Ling, it is not far at all; a carriage traveling by road would need only a little over a day.

Yet, over such a short distance, Su Qiao and Liu Rushi traveled extremely slowly.

Contrary to the dry and desolate scene of Beijing City, here there is a bit more warmth and poetic feeling.

Green grass, blue waves, warm breeze, and birdsong.

Making one involuntarily fall into this scenery of poetic sentiment and picturesque beauty.

And traveling along the river, one could occasionally see exquisite painted boats.

"The pace here is truly too slow, as if people are enjoying the last afterglow in their twilight years."

Su Qiao said to Liu Rushi with a chuckle.