Chapter 1080 The way to death!

Listening to Ji Xian's words, Ye Mingsheng frowned even deeper. After thinking for a moment, Ye Mingsheng asked:
"Have you expanded your offline presence in East Island?"

Ji Xian heard this and preached without hesitation:

“In order to keep it secret, all the spies and assassins stationed in East Island are our own people. However, in order to obtain intelligence, we bribed some East Island officials…”

After hearing this answer, Ye Mingsheng thought for a while and said:

"Liu Zhong reported to me some time ago that the students learning Japanese in the training class are not progressing very fast. Many of them are not yet proficient in Japanese. Sending them to Dongdao to carry out missions now is very dangerous and would be a waste of our initial investment in them!"

"So the maximum number of additional staff you can have is 30. Let Liu Zhong work with you to coordinate the rest, and we'll send them to you one by one next year!"

Ji Xian was a little anxious when he heard this and seemed to want to say something, but feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, he finally nodded and said:
"I understand the humble position!"

Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment and then ordered:

"The training class can't give you more people for the time being, but you can consider developing some downlines in Dongdao. In addition, Jiangnan has been taken over now, and many businesses in Jiangnan have trade relations with Dongdao. Ji Xian, you can see if you can use this to create opportunities!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's suggestion, Ji Xian thought for a moment and a light flashed in his eyes, then he asked Ye Mingsheng tentatively:

“Sir, whether you develop downlines from Dongdao or find people from Jiangnan Trading Company, the security of their loyalty is uncontrollable…”

Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"It's up to you, Ji Xian, to identify this. I believe in your ability!"

Ji Xian also felt the pressure when he heard this, but facing Ye Mingsheng's gaze, he could only express his opinion:

"In this humble position, I will obey your teachings!"

After rejecting Ji Xian's request, Ye Mingsheng thought for a moment and made up his mind:

"I'll give you the 150,000 taels of silver you asked for, but you can't pay for it through the Ministry of Revenue!"

"What do you mean, my lord?"

"This money will be paid into the account of Dadongsheng Company!" Ye Mingsheng said with a smile:

Ye Mingsheng's words made Ji Xian a little confused. After all, the Dadongsheng Company had been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue of the Yijing court. So was there any difference between transferring money from the Dadongsheng Company and from the Ministry of Revenue's account?

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng didn't want to say too much to Ji Xian. He just took out a gold ingot from the drawer of the desk and handed it to Ji Xian, saying:
"Give this to Ye Baode, the general manager of Dadongsheng, and tell him that I asked you to come and get 150,000 taels of silver. He will give you the silver!"

Although he was still a little puzzled, Ji Xian didn't care too much as long as the money could be received, and immediately expressed his opinion to Ye Mingsheng:

"Thank you for your trust, Marshal. With this money, No. 1 can quickly advance the plan and intensify the conflict between the feudal lords and the shogunate in the seven states!"

Ji Xian hesitated for a moment when he said this, but under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, he still said firmly:
"In one year at the latest, we can cause a war between the seven states' feudal lords and the shogunate..."

After hearing Ji Xian's promise, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction and said:
"I'm waiting for your good news!"

What Ye Mingsheng wanted was Ji Xian's promise, and Ji Xian had to give Ye Mingsheng this promise. After all, so much manpower and material resources had been invested, and Ji Xian should also produce some results, otherwise it would be a bit unreasonable!
Moreover, the 150,000 taels of silver this time are different from the last time. The last time the silver was paid from the Finance Department’s account, but this time it was paid from Ye Mingsheng’s personal account!
Although Ye Mingsheng can use and spend the accounts of the Finance Department, which is now the Ministry of Revenue of the Yijing Court, at will, but as a leader, Ye Mingsheng still needs to pay attention to the impact!
After all, if the leader is not upright, the subordinates will be crooked too. If Ye Mingsheng cannot set an example himself, it will be difficult for him to order his subordinates to be strict with themselves.

In addition, because there were too many places to spend money, the financial situation of the Fengwu Army was never very good, and sometimes it even had to rob Peter to pay Paul. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng only used the money from the Ministry of Revenue for household affairs and never used it for his own personal consumption or that of his family!

As for his own expenses, Ye Mingsheng basically uses the Ye Mansion’s account. The Ye Mansion also has some industries under its name, which Ye Mingsheng handed over to An Miaoyi to manage. Under An Miaoyi’s management, these industries can generate good profits and meet the living needs of the entire family in the Ye Mansion··························

However, few people know that in addition to the money of the Ye Mansion, Ye Mingsheng also has a private account in the Dadongsheng Trading Company!
This private account is responsible for some of Ye Mingsheng's more secretive expenses, and this time Ye Mingsheng chose to use his own private account to allocate 150,000 taels of silver to Ji Xian!
The reason for doing this is not because the Ministry of Revenue has no silver. In fact, the Ministry of Revenue does not have much. But according to Zhang Juning's report, there are still 500,000 or 600,000 taels of silver. However, the Ministry of Revenue has too many responsibilities!
The first thing is to give salaries to officials. In order to reduce corruption, Ye Mingsheng implemented high-pressure anti-corruption measures on the one hand, and on the other hand, he gave officials salaries that were twice or even three times higher than before!

This resulted in the Ministry of Revenue paying nearly 100,000 taels of silver in salaries to officials at the central level every month. Including the year-end bonuses, the total amount of silver paid out was more than 1.5 million taels of silver.

In addition to salaries, another big expense is military spending. War is a money-eating beast. Although 500,000 taels of silver have been spent in preparation for the attack on Sichuan, the General Staff still has many requirements!

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng knew very well that the Finance Department was in a difficult situation as well. If he asked them to give 150,000 taels of silver to Ji Xian at this time, firstly, the General Staff would definitely not agree. Secondly, the various departments under the Ministry of Revenue would also have their own ideas, and then there would be quarrels again. In the end, the lawsuit would most likely be brought to Ye Mingsheng...

Ye Mingsheng didn't want to hear these people complaining in front of him, so he simply paid the money from his own personal account. This way it would be good for you, me, and everyone, and it would save some trouble!

The only bad thing is the silver in Ye Mingsheng's personal account. He had saved more than 200,000 taels of silver over the years. Now that 150,000 taels were given to Ji Xian, more than half of it was taken out. From now on, Ye Mingsheng might have to tighten his belt and live a hard life!
However, if Ji Xian and his men could really use this money to cause a civil war to break out in East Island and plunge it into internal consumption, it would undoubtedly be worth it!

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In the evening, accompanied by Cui Zibo, an elegant middle-aged man walked to the carriage at the door and bowed to Cui Zibo and said with a smile:

"Brother Cui, let's say goodbye now. I am really sorry for bothering you today!"

Cui Zibo also smiled and bowed in response:

"Brother Hu, what are you talking about! We should visit each other more often in the future!" After a round of pleasantries, the elegant middle-aged man, Hu Ming, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Yijing court, got on the carriage to go home.

After watching the carriage carrying Hu Ming disappear at the street corner, Cui Zi Bo returned home and came to his father Cui Shao's study.

Looking at his father who was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, Cui Zibo said with a smile:

"Dad, this Hu Ming is quite sensible. He just became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and he knew to come and pay his respects!"

Cui Shao glanced at Cui Zibo with some dissatisfaction after hearing this and said:
"This is the imperial court, not the underworld. Please keep your underworld jargon to yourself!"

Cui Zibo was a little embarrassed when he heard this, but he could only nod obediently. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and asked Cui Shao tentatively:

"Dad, do you want to be the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

Facing Cui Zibo's question, Cui Shao sighed inwardly and said calmly:
“Marshal, since you have been appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, you should work hard in this position and serve the Marshal…”

Hearing his father say this, Cui Zi Bo felt secretly delighted. After all, although he realized that his father sent him out because he wanted him to leave the political vortex of Yijing and avoid becoming a target of attack by the Murong family!

Although Cui Zibo was ready to follow his father's arrangement and be sent out, he himself did not want to be sent out. After all, he was reluctant to leave Yijing's bright lights and feasting.

As for the possible threat from the Murong family, Cui Zibo didn't even take it seriously. He felt that with his father around, those bastards from the Murong family couldn't cause any trouble, and it was not their turn to make the decisions in Yijing!

This time, he was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Cui Zibo was very happy in his heart. After all, although he relied on his father to get to the position, but in any case, the position of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was only one step away from the position of the Minister of Justice!

If Cui Zibo gains a few more years of experience, he will most likely be promoted to the position and be in charge of a department alone in the future. If that happens, he will have lived his life to the fullest!
Although he was very happy that he didn't have to be sent away, Cui Zi Bo was also very curious about why his father didn't do so. After all, during their last conversation, Cui Shao looked like he had made up his mind and it was impossible to tell!

Although Cui Zibo did not ask, as the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Cui Shao knew exactly what his son was thinking. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to slowly speak:

“A month ago, I discussed this matter with the Marshal in advance, and he said he would think about it. Now, the Marshal appoints you as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice…”

Cui Zi Bo was a little surprised when he heard this. After all, his father Cui Shao rarely asked Ye Mingsheng to arrange anything, but as long as Cui Shao opened his mouth, Ye Mingsheng would basically give him face.

But it seemed that an accident happened only this time. Not only did Ye Mingsheng not send Cui Zibo away as Cui Shao hoped, but he appointed him to a high position as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!

After thinking carefully for a while, Cui Zibo still couldn't figure out the key. After hesitating for a while, he asked:

"Dad, what do you think the Marshal's intention is this time?"

Cui Shao hesitated for a moment before saying:
"The Marshal's move seems to be well-intentioned, but in fact he knows my intention but did not arrange for you to be sent out. In my opinion, the Marshal has his own ideas!"

Although Cui Shao's words were very subtle, Cui Zibo still understood and blurted out:
"Dad, are you saying that the Marshal has evil intentions and wants me to attract the firepower of the Murong family?"

Cui Shao took a deep look at Cui Zibo, then said in a deep voice:
"Just do whatever the Marshal arranges. Don't try to guess what the Marshal is up to!"

Hearing his father say this, Cui Zibo was also startled, then nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Dad, I will be careful about everything and not let anyone catch me!"

Cui Shao looked relieved when he heard that. Although his son had various problems, he was Cui Shao's son and not stupid...
After a moment's silence, Cui Shao spoke again:
"After we conquered Jiangnan this time, there was news from the Imperial Guards that the Marshal seemed to be planning to go south to inspect the situation in Jiangnan. Zibo, you can consider going with him. This is a good thing for you. On the one hand, it can help you gain more experience, and on the other hand, it can also help you better understand the intentions of the Marshal!"

Cui Zibo was a little surprised when he heard this, and immediately asked back:

"He's going on a southern tour right after taking Jiangnan? I heard that the First Manufacturing Bureau has been researching warships. The Marshal doesn't really want to attack Dongdao?"

Cui Shao said in a deep voice:

"The Marshal has a far-sighted vision, which is beyond the reach of you and me! When the time comes, you will be by his side, listen more and talk less, and learn well!"

After saying this, Cui Shao seemed to realize it and immediately warned:
"You need to keep a certain distance from Hu Ming and don't get too close to him!"

Hearing his father say this, Cui Zibo was puzzled and said directly:
"Dad, aren't you planning to let me follow the Marshal on his southern tour? This Hu Ming is from Jiangnan, and I heard that their Hu family is quite powerful!"

"This Hu Ming was able to become the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue because the Marshal wanted to use him to go to Jiangnan to get money. Shouldn't we pull him to our side now?"

After saying this, Cui Shao couldn't help but use the Ruyi beside him to knock Cui Zibo on the head, and then said with some regret:

"And you pulled him to our side. Which side are we on?"

"You evil creature chose the path of death and yet you are still gloating over it. I tell you, in the entire Yijing court, only the Marshal is on this side!"

"The Marshal hates forming cliques and pursuing personal interests the most. Are you worried that you are not dying fast enough and want to hurry up and report to the King of Hell?"

“Cui Zibo, let me tell you, if I find out that you and Hu Ming have any private dealings, I will break your legs…”

(End of this chapter)