Chapter 810: Dispute

The entire hall fell suddenly silent.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Eyes widened.

How much?

Did they not hear clearly?

Three million shi? What is the concept of three million shi? Let's convert it: one shi is one hundred and twenty jin! This three million shi

People were stunned all at once.

They couldn't calculate it.

However.

The Minister of Finance had a number pop into his head on the spot. This year's Longyan Tea harvest only totaled a few million shi. If divided into top, middle, and bottom grades, it would be exactly, solidly, these six million!

Six million shi of tea leaves!

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Does this yellow-haired freak want to buy up all the tea in the entire Longyan Dynasty?

"Presumptuous!"

"A barbarian from a tiny plot of land, spouting nonsense!"

When everyone calculated this number, they were all dumbfounded.

Two billion.

What is this concept? The Longyan Dynasty's annual fiscal revenue is only twenty million taels of silver.

"Do you know how much tea this is?"

"Calculating at an average price of three taels of silver per jin, this three hundred, three million shi, that is—"

Two billion taels of silver!

Silence!

Shock!

At this, everyone felt their scalps go numb.

This guy, he comes in and it's two billion right off the bat?

Xie Tianyao was also caught between laughter and tears: "Davis, are you serious?"

Davis smiled faintly and said confidently: "Emperor, this time, I have even brought the contract! As long as the Emperor agrees, the two billion taels of silver will be delivered to Jinghua on an appointed day!"

Terrifying!

Everyone looked at this yellow-haired freak in disbelief.

This is real, solid silver! A number is a number! Two billion—can a small country with a population of two million really come up with that?

Two billion taels of silver?

He said it so nonchalantly?

Are you sure this is serious?

The annual royal expenditures are considered "frugal"—he barely lives like an emperor—and even with that penny-pinching, he can only bring in twenty million taels a year.

But what about them?

Good heavens.

They did not believe it!

Xie Tianyao was also shocked.

How strapped for cash he has been in recent years is something everyone remembers vividly.

Of course, this two billion is not pure profit.

There are the tea farmers' wages, various costs, and the purchase price. But even so, if this order could truly succeed, the profit would be quite astonishing!

Silence.

He opens his mouth and it's two billion!

Two billion!

Calculated against Longyan's annual fiscal revenue of twenty million taels, this two billion would take one hundred years to accumulate!

They really have it!

However.

The problem arises.

The whole hall was deathly silent.

The Minister of Revenue stepped out and looked coldly at Davis: "This foreign gentleman, one must be responsible for one's words! You cannot just flap your lips; if there is the crime of deceiving the Emperor, the Longyan Army can wipe out your tiny plot of land in an instant!"

Davis, with a serious face: "Sir, what I have said is all true."

Where to find the remaining three million?

Suddenly, the civil and military officials began to clamor and discuss it in confusion.

Someone made a suggestion.

Longyan cannot produce that much tea in a year at this time!

At most, it's three million shi.

But they want six million?

Someone even made a direct suggestion.

Aggression!

Directly occupy those places that can produce tea; Longyan now has the strength to do so.

If the order truly goes through, then these Netherlands people should provide a deposit; once the deposit arrives, they can immediately convert a significant amount of farmland to tea cultivation this year. However, tea trees also require a cycle to mature. Nevertheless, many common households should still have some stock that can be used to meet the urgent need.

Some suggested that, in fact, it is not only the Longyan Dynasty that has tea.

The Longyan Dynasty could also purchase tea from its own vassal states and earn the price difference.

Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, stood out.

While so many people were green with envy over these two billion, he voiced a different opinion.

He was seen stepping forward and making a bow.

Chatter and noise, everyone had their own say.

They could not reach a conclusion after discussing for half a day.

Just at this moment.

"Prince of Qin, are you..."

"Prince of Qin!"

Xie Tianyao also looked over in disbelief.

"Emperor, the tea trade must absolutely not be delegated to others!"

The entire hall was instantly shocked.

"What did you say?"

What are you trying to do?

Xie Tianyao's gaze turned cold in an instant.

Xie Zhao was so unnerved by Xie Tianyao's look that he broke into a cold sweat, but he still gave a bitter smile: "This matter is the will of Vice Minister Liu; this younger brother is merely conveying it on his behalf."

For these years, the fiscal revenue of the Longyan Dynasty has always been the problem that gave him the biggest headache. The appearance of Vice Minister Liu solved quite a bit. But if this two-billion order were secured this time, then one could truly rest easy.

At a time like this.

You say it cannot be done?

This fellow, whose life or death is still unknown, has actually predicted the future and left behind words to refuse the tea trade?

Eerie.

Many people felt this matter was quite eerie.

Vice Minister Liu?

Xie Tianyao narrowed his eyes slightly.

The others also looked at each other in dismay.

Could he truly possess the power of divine calculation?

Xie Tianyao had a gloomy face.

Before the Emperor could speak, Zhu Zhen had already walked out tremblingly: "Prince of Qin, this old subject truly does not understand; this matter is a heaven-sent opportunity for the Longyan Dynasty, a great chance, so how can it not be accepted?"

Because before this, almost everyone in the Longyan Dynasty had not expected that the tea they drank so often would be so popular in the Western Ocean. They had not taken this matter seriously at all, and naturally, they had never thought that a Western Ocean country would bring two billion to purchase tea.

How did that Vice Minister Liu find out?

Could he really have predicted the future?

"A person whose life or death is unknown."

Facing two billion, everyone was green with envy.

Someone once made a joke that in a society where officialdom is paramount, a piece of fat meat—this person grabs a handful, that person grabs a handful—naturally, their hands would be covered in grease. If this order were to go through, wouldn't there be a layer of grease to be gained from all the places where they could produce tea?

"Exactly! Prince of Qin, what do you mean?"

"What is your intention?"

"Hmph, Vice Minister Liu, even if Vice Minister Liu were here, we would have to ask him for an explanation!"

Before he could finish, the whole hall burst into laughter.

Those cursing it as absurd and preposterous were everywhere.

Is a mere bit of tea worth such a great fuss?

The Prince of Qin actually refused such a good thing.

Who could let it go?

The Prince of Qin said indifferently: "Emperor, this is the intention of Vice Minister Liu. He said that tea is the foundation of the Longyan Dynasty; not only must the tea not be sold, but the seeds must also be protected well. The imperial court should establish a specialized department, such as a Tea Transport Bureau, to regulate tea cultivation, processing, and trade matters."

The audacity was too great!

Zhu Zhen continued to sneer: "He must have said that the tea trade should be operated by his Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce, is that not so?"

The Prince of Qin was left speechless by the question.

Zhu Zhen sneered even more: "Let this old subject guess: since this Vice Minister Liu became Transcendent, his business affairs have truly been admirable. Therefore, it must be that this Vice Minister Liu saw the profit in tea long ago, which is why he had the Prince of Qin block the Emperor? Is that not so?"

Once these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.

This Vice Minister Liu wants to cut off the Emperor's path?

The entire hall fell silent as if struck dumb.

Especially the Prince of Qin, who was now kneeling on the ground, cold sweat pouring down.

Thinking to himself, you Vice Minister Liu...

Because Liu Zheng really had given instructions exactly like this.

"Hmph!"

Seeing the Prince of Qin's reaction, Xie Tianyao also let out a cold huff.

The two billion that even he was incredibly envious of!

You actually had me block it?

Now look at this.

I don't know what you are thinking, leaving me with such a task that is so easy to get my head chopped off.

Two billion!

Two billion!

"This matter."

"Must absolutely not listen to the one-sided words of Vice Minister Liu!"

"Emperor! Vice Minister Liu has the heart of a wolf, finally—"

Xie Tianyao was clearly angry.

Moreover, he must have felt that his own position was becoming somewhat off.

"Emperor."

"Yes."

After Xie Tianyao finished saying this, he had already turned and left.

Leaving behind a group of people dumbfounded.

"Enough!"

Xie Tianyao shouted coldly, and the whole hall fell silent again.

He looked around the circle and said indifferently: "Minister of Revenue, arrange a place for the Western Ocean man Davis to stay. This matter shall be discussed another day!"

All of a sudden, many people felt a sense of apprehension in their hearts.

The Emperor still favors Vice Minister Liu.

The Emperor left.

Discuss it another day?

Does a matter like this still need to be discussed?

This is a good thing where someone is delivering money to the door! And they want to discuss it further?

This matter was truly too big for their Scholar-Official Group. Some time ago, the country opened up maritime trade, which caused their smuggling profits to hit rock bottom. Who would have thought that today another good thing would come, because they, the scholar-officials, already controlled the Jiangnan region of Longyan, almost the entire south.

Most of the places that produce the most tea are controlled by scholar-officials.

Just as they were about to make a fortune, they were blocked by the Prince of Qin.

The civil and military officials could only leave in groups.

"My lord, this..."

This group of scholar-officials gathered around Zhu Zhen again, and the group walked along like this.

Although Vice Minister Liu had always been an adversary of the Scholar-Official Group.

But as the saying goes, they were all people on the same big ship of Longyan; only if Longyan is well can they be well, and if Longyan is not well, they will suffer along with it.

Therefore, Zhu Zhen had always held a view of Liu Zheng that was adversarial, yet respectful.

"My lord, could it really be that Vice Minister Liu is afraid that we will take the lead in the tea trade, and that is why he stepped in to stop it?"

Zhu Zhen rubbed his wrinkled face and shook his head: "His vision is not so narrow."

This was a relatively sincere statement.

However, this time, he still couldn't quite understand.

He shouldn't be such a greedy person.

Could it be—

He is a guy who gets more cunning as he gets older.

He could tell.

Vice Minister Liu is truly developing Longyan.

"My lord, how should we handle this?"

The group was getting a bit anxious.

Zhu Zhen laughed loudly: "What is there to fear? Even if Vice Minister Liu can use the Emperor's favor to secure the tea trade, doesn't he still have to get the goods from us? Hahaha, if it were the imperial court's business, we wouldn't dare to go too far, but for Vice Minister Liu's business, it is just the right time to ruthlessly extort him!"

Does he really want to hold the tea trade tightly in his hands?

It is just some tea leaves.

"Then we..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was overjoyed.

"However—"

Zhu Zhen followed with a bitter smile: "What should be contested must still be contested, and the posture must be set right. Pass down the order: start hoarding tea in all regions and wait quietly for news."

"Yes."