When they returned home, Cui Lie and the people around him were all as calm as death.

If the Sima family were watching the fire from the other side of the river, then the Cui family of Boling was the city gate being roasted in the fire.

Although Cui Lie was released from the Supreme Court Office in one piece, everyone in the Cui family felt that it would be better not to release him. Some even thought that if Cui Lie died in prison, it might be a good thing for the Cui family of Boling.

Look at it now. The whole family is embarrassing Cui Lie together. His face has fallen to the ground and been stepped on. How can he have the face to go out and see people in the future?

Cui Lie asked, "Can your family afford 10 million yuan?"

The two brothers Cui Jun and Cui Jun looked at each other, and finally the younger brother Cui Jun said helplessly: "Father, my eldest brother started an army in Bingzhou before, and he has spent most of the family savings..."

What this means is that it is probably impossible to get the money out.

Of course, the assets of the Cui family of Boling are still very strong. The key is that they have no working capital. If they want to raise money, they can only sell their property.

And according to the current situation of Cui family in Boling, other wealthy families will definitely take advantage of their misfortune. In order to raise 10 million yuan, they will probably have to sell assets worth 100 million yuan.

This is the way the world is. They may call you brothers or sisters at ordinary times, but when something goes wrong, even brothers will come to take advantage of the situation and slash you with a knife.

In fact, Cui Lie had known about the family's financial situation for a long time. If Cui Jun had not raised an army in Hexi County to participate in the crusade against Dong Zhuo, the Cui family would not have been so poor that they had to make money by selling counterfeit furniture.

This is all because of poverty. A penny can make a hero fall, not to mention that the Cui family is wealthy and powerful, with so many people to support, and daily social engagements are indispensable.

Why did Emperor Ling Liu Hong sell official positions and titles?

It's because even if he doesn't take the money, the officials under him will still take it. Is the matter of selecting filial and honest officials really a comparison of moral character and talent?

If you want to be an official and make money, it's just like doing business. You need to invest capital first. If you don't give benefits to your superiors, why would they promote you and recommend you, and take you to make money together?
However, after all the hard work, he didn't make any money and ended up losing more than he gained. He was badly dealt with by Wang Jing with his new method.

Cui Jun thought about it, and the more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt. He couldn't help but curse loudly, "How hateful! Wang Jing's actions are clearly a deliberate attempt to harm our Cui family. This patent protection decree was just a rumor before, but it was not promulgated earlier or later, but waited until we were ready before promulgating it."

"Zhou Ping, stop talking. Now that things have come to this, you should accept the loss."

After witnessing Wang Jing's tyranny and unbridled behavior in the Supreme Court, Cui Lie had completely given in. Now, he didn't dare to even think about becoming one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. He only thought about whether he could get an official position with a rank of two thousand stones to keep a little vitality for his family.

Otherwise, if the official career of the Cui family of Boling was completely cut off, and no one in the family would be able to become an official for the next three generations, they would really become a poor family.

Cui Lie was eager to get an official position with a rank of two thousand stones, while Wang Jing was preparing to become emperor in the future. The gap between the two men's vision and ability was so great that it was immeasurable, like the difference between heaven and earth.

Cui Jun, the eldest son, asked, "Father, how are we going to pay back the money? If we refuse to pay, I'm afraid Marquis Qi will use this as an excuse and won't let the Cui family off."

Now the Cui family of Boling is doomed to decline, and Cui Jun does not want his father to get into trouble as well. Life is hard, and he can only pray that his family can be safe.

Cui Lie thought about it, and finally said with a sigh: "Let's sell the properties in Luoyang City. No matter what, we should collect the money and settle the debt. Alas, three generations of hard work have ended up with a complete loss. It's really unacceptable!"

The upright youngest son, Cui Jun, was unwilling to admit defeat. He was even more excited: "Father, think twice. Jizhou has been in constant war. All of our Bo Ling Cui family's assets in Yecheng have been destroyed. If we also give up the family business that we have worked so hard to accumulate in Luoyang, we will really be left with nothing!"

"Zhou Ping, money is just a thing outside of our body. Even if we lose it, it's fine. Besides, do you think Wang Yuanxu is really easy to get along with? Who in the world would dare to owe him money and not pay it back? If our Cui family doesn't pay this money, who knows what troubles are waiting for the three of us, father and son."

After this incident, Cui Lie became a little depressed and completely like a forgotten man.

Although Wang Jing had betrayed him and the entire Cui family badly, at least he still kept the position of City Gate Captain for him. It was still an official position after all. Although the title was not high, it was better than that of a commoner.

If they continue to make trouble, the Cui family of Boling will have no place to bury their bodies.

Therefore, Cui Lie gave up the idea of ​​continuing to cause trouble, and he became a little discouraged, no longer as high-spirited and enthusiastic as before.

At the same time, in a dim secret room in Luoyang City, the candlelight flickered gently.

"Cui Wei has finished the exam."

"Since the verdict was handed down, the Cui family has remained silent. It seems that they really intend to stop and no longer dare to be an enemy of Wang Jing."

"Without the Cui family openly carrying the banner of resistance, how are we, the people behind the scenes, supposed to cope?"

"Should we lie dormant again, or continue to lay out plans to keep Wang Jing from having peace?"

The faces and figures of Taichang Zhong Fu, Taifu Lu Xu, Dahonglu Zhou Huan and Yueqi Xiaowei Wang Qi flickered in the firelight.

The aristocratic families were unwilling to lose their power and status, and even more unwilling to be like the common people and have their wealth taken away by the imperial court at will.

After all, why should we pay taxes on the money we earn through our own ability?

Wang Jing implemented many new policies, even developing large-scale military farms in Hongnong, Hedong and other places, stabilizing grain prices, recruiting refugees, and helping people resume production. All of these things touched upon the fundamental interests of the powerful and wealthy class, making it impossible for them to exploit the lower-class people as wantonly as in the past.

Especially the re-measurement of the land was painful for them.

After all, once they really pay taxes according to the law and cannot pass the taxes on to ordinary people through trickery and other means, their income will be reduced by several percent, which is something no one can tolerate.

As for the Zhong family and the Wang family, they had previously produced people like Zhong Ji and Wang Fu who took the lead in rebellion. It was said that they acted recklessly and had no family support behind them.

But this kind of words can only fool people outside, as they themselves know what is going on in their hearts.

The money and food for starting an army could not come out of thin air. Moreover, why would a group of military marquises and generals such as Sima who led the soldiers be willing to obey the orders of Zhong Ji and Wang Fu and dare to attack Luoyang?

The Zhong and Wang families have been rooted in Luoyang for generations. How many people have they planted in the army? How many hidden chess pieces have they laid?

The truth has disappeared into the shadow of history with the deaths of Zhong Ji and Wang Fu, and no one knows what the real story is anymore.

Zhong Fu, Wang Qi and others had also learned their lesson. Starting a rebellion had been proven to be useless, at least not for the time being, so they did not seek their own death.

But it doesn't mean they have given up resistance and will just lie down and let it happen.

The noble families and wealthy clans still control a large amount of land, grain, copper coins, and countless tenants who depend on them for survival.

They still hold the capital to resist and are temporarily dormant, just watching and waiting.

Among the four, Zhong Fu was the oldest and held the position of Taichang. As one of the Nine Ministers, his official position was also the highest, so he was the first to speak.

"Let's wait and see what happens. What we need is not reckless attack, but to wait for the right time. Wang Jing has done such evil things. Who among the noble families in the world doesn't hate him to the core? Flowers don't stay in bloom forever, and people don't stay good forever. I don't believe he can continue to be so rampant."

Lu Xu nodded in agreement, obviously agreeing with Zhong Fu's opinion: "Ying Bo's words make sense. It is indeed not appropriate to act rashly at the moment. We need to be patient and wait for the right time."

Wang Qi, who had served in the army for a long time, had a sharp look in his eyes. "Although we cannot do it openly, it is not our style to just let it go. Since Wang Jing wants to get military funds by selling furniture, we might as well go all out and cut off his source of income."

"Any good ideas?"

Wang Qi proudly raised the wine bottle and drank it all in one gulp. His expression was very confident: "I dare not say it is a brilliant plan, but it is more than enough to deal with Wang Jing."

Zhong Fu and the others were all curious. They stared at Wang Qi and asked, "Do you really have a solution?"

"Of course, everyone just wait for good news."

General Wei’s Mansion, with a lotus pond in the backyard.

In the hot summer, Wang Jing brought his wives and concubines here to escape the heat. Today, it was Diao Chan who accompanied him. With her delicate hands, she picked up a piece of cut apple from the fruit plate and carefully handed it to Wang Jing's mouth: "My husband, this is the top-grade Zhuyun aurantium presented from Liangzhou. It tastes very sweet. Come and try it."

"Sweet? How sweet is it? Can it be sweeter than you, the cicada?"

Wang Jing ate it in one bite, and sucked Diao Chan's fingers, which were as soft and tender as green onion roots. This made her hands and heart itch, and she couldn't help laughing out loud: "Hehe, husband, is it delicious?"

Diao Chan looked at Wang Jing happily. As long as she could be with him, she felt very happy, and her face was filled with a happy smile from the bottom of her heart.

"The taste of this purple nai is really good. We can cultivate high-quality varieties on a large scale and promote their cultivation."

Wang Jing rested his head on Diao Chan's long legs, but his thoughts began to drift into the depths of his memory, and he couldn't help but recall his past life.

The purple pear we eat today is actually an early form of apple. It has not yet been fully domesticated by humans, so the size of the fruit is much smaller than that of later apples.

Apples were not introduced to China on a large scale from the Western Regions until after the Jin Dynasty, when they were named nai.

However, nai apple breeding was not good, so later apples actually originated from Europe. They were scientifically cultivated and improved varieties with thin skin and more flesh. They are not only large in size but also taste better.

Once this thing is done, it can be very profitable. Even if the fresh fruit cannot be sold, the dried fruit can be sold. The key is that there is no technical difficulty and it is beneficial to people's livelihood. That's why Wang Jing is willing to promote it.

Diao Chan was sold to the Wang family and became Wang Jing's maid because her family was poor and could not afford to raise her. Therefore, she knew the suffering of the people from a young age. When she heard what Wang Jing said, she was immediately surprised: "My husband, is it really so profitable to grow natto?"

"Why, are you short of money?"

Seeing that Diao Chan was so concerned about this matter, Wang Jing thought that she wanted to make money to buy something.

Unexpectedly, Diao Chan pursed her lips, covered her chest, and her eyes revealed a bit of weakness: "The expenses in the mansion are not lacking. I don't want to buy anything. I just feel that people's lives are difficult and the people are living in misery. I feel a little sad."

"It is really not easy for the people to survive, so I want to find more ways for them to survive."

Wang Jing also lamented that no matter what era, the class at the bottom of society will never have an easy life and will always be exploited.

Whether it is the government and the aristocratic families, or the county gentry who run rampant in the local areas, they are the three mountains pressing down on the people.

The imperial court had to levy taxes, grain, and corvée labor. Ordinary people who participated in government projects had to bring their own food, and even if they died, their deaths would be in vain as there would be no compensation.

Therefore, in ancient times, when ordinary people heard about corvée labor, they would be terrified of it, because many people would never return after being conscripted, and no one would even know where their bodies were rotting outside.

From this we can see that the lower one is in society, the more one can feel the cruelty of this world.

In his previous life, Wang Jing himself was a small town test-taker who climbed up from the bottom of society, so he was often beaten by society and suffered a lot.

It was because he had been through the rain that he could empathize with the people at the bottom of society. He also felt that with his current power and status, he should do his part and do something for the people, at least hold an umbrella for them.

He has the ability to govern his country while he is in the position he is in. Naturally, he cannot just sit there and do nothing.

"Since Chan'er has such thoughts, I will naturally not let you down. Relax your mind. I will issue an order to promote the planting of purple nai so that more people in the world can benefit from it."

Wang Jing held Diao Chan in his arms and whispered to the beauty, feeling very happy.

But at this moment, a servant from the mansion suddenly came to report: "Master, Engineer Lu wants to see you."

"Is Zhengliang here? Take him to the side hall first, I'll be there in a while."

Wang Jing patted Diao Chan's hand and said, "I'm sorry. I promised to accompany you today, but now trouble has come again."

Diao Chan was very understanding of Wang Jing's difficulties: "My husband, please go and do your work. There are important things to do. Don't delay because of me."

"Haha, business is important, but Chan'er, you are also important to me. After I'm done with my work, I'll come and treat you well."

After saying this, without paying any attention to Diao Chan's pouting, Wang Jing gave her fair and rosy face a big kiss, then left with a big laugh.

In the side hall, Lu Fang was extremely anxious. When he saw Wang Jing, he quickly stood up and saluted.

"Zhengliang, no need to be polite. Sit down and talk."

In the side hall, the decoration style has changed significantly. The desk has been replaced with a coffee table, and the floor is covered with carpets. Wang Jing also changed his original habit of kneeling to sitting on the sofa when talking.

Although it was not in line with current etiquette, etiquette was originally formulated to serve people. Wang Jing naturally did whatever he wanted. Not many people strongly opposed it. Even old stubborn people like the three ministers in the court now followed Wang Jing's example and enjoyed this new etiquette of hospitality.

After all, we are all human beings with similar body structures. How can kneeling on the ground be more comfortable than sitting on the sofa?

But Lu Fang was in no mood to enjoy the softness of the sofa. He reported to Wang Jing, "My lord, something bad has happened."

"What happened?"

"For some reason, there have been many new furniture drawings on the market recently. Because of the previous lawsuit, many people now know that making furniture is very profitable, so people are eager to make money."

The main reason why Lu Fang sighed was that he was worried that Qiqiao Pavilion's orders would plummet, reducing income and affecting Wang Jing's military and political affairs.

After all, wars are fought with money. How can you fight a war without money?

Are we going to follow the example of Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao in history and rob the imperial tombs to make money from the dead?

Or should we learn from Cao Cao and use dried human flesh as military rations?
Wang Jing thought it was a big deal, but after hearing it, he smiled calmly: "That's it?"

"Ah? Isn't this a big deal?"

Lu Fang was stunned, then he clasped his fists helplessly and said, "My lord, please explain clearly. This matter is of great importance. I really don't know how to deal with it."

It was obvious that the drawings were deliberately spread by someone, and the other party was very smart. If they didn't copy it themselves, they would just give it to folk carpenters to copy. In any case, they wanted to prevent Qiqiao Pavilion from making all the money.

To put it bluntly, replicating furniture itself does not have any technical difficulty. What Wang Jing provided to Lu Fang were just some creative ideas and thoughts. Any skilled carpenter could easily replicate it with wood.

At present, the blueprints are flying all over the place, and ordinary people in the society will inevitably compete to imitate them for the sake of profit. With such large-scale counterfeiting, will Wang Jing prohibit it or not?
The ban makes sense from a legal perspective, after all, it is still within the patent protection period.

But this is somewhat inhumane, and it is even easy to be accused of competing with the people for profit, and people would think that he disregards the livelihood and life of the people in order to make money.

This is certainly far-fetched talk, but the key point is that there must be many people among the people who think so.

Wang Jing had been on the Internet a lot in his previous life, so he was well aware of human species diversity. He also understood that one must not think too badly of human nature, but also must not think too well of human nature.

Ordinary people dare to rebel in order to survive, let alone a small group of people?

As long as they can make money, many people are willing to do it even if it means risking their lives.

And if Wang Jing chooses not to ban it, and lets it go for a while, maybe there will be a second, or even a third or fourth copycat king like the Cui family appearing. At that time, can Qiqiao Pavilion still make money quietly?

It has to be said that the opponent's move was very clever. It hit Wang Jing directly on the weak spot, leaving him helpless.

At least that's what the other party thinks.

However, Wang Jing had anticipated this and was not surprised at all: "Zhengliang, don't worry too much. Fengxiao and I had foreseen this and even made a plan for it. So Zhengliang, just relax. Qiqiao Pavilion's profitability will be no problem." (End of this chapter)