Chapter 1092: Conferring a title!

Although Ye Hao had expected Cui Shao's answer, his heart sank when he heard Cui Shao's straightforward answer...

But Ye Hao was still unwilling to fail, and continued to speak to Cui Shao:

"Third uncle, I heard that the Ministry of Finance has saved more than 700,000 taels of silver. I don't want more, just 100,000 taels of silver will do!"

"I plan to build a levee, otherwise when there is a lot of rain in the spring and summer next year, the water level of the Yun River will surge and the people will suffer again!"

"As long as the central government gives us 100,000 taels of silver, we, the Yunbing Provincial Government, can tighten our belts to raise the rest of the money. This 100,000 taels of silver can be considered a loan, and we, Yunbing, can pay it back to the central government later. Uncle San, do you think this is okay?"

Under Ye Hao's earnest gaze, Cui Shao smiled bitterly, shook his head and said:

"Ye Hao, the Finance Department does have a sum of money, but it's the military expenses of the General Staff's war against Sichuan and Shu. The people in the General Staff have been keeping an eye on it. If you want to use this money, I can't make the decision. You need to talk to the Marshal!"

"Apart from this money, the rest of the money in the Finance Department is the salaries of the officials. If I give it to you, all the officials in Yijing will be left with nothing next month!"

Hearing what Cui Shao said, Ye Hao couldn't help but feel very disappointed. After thinking for a moment, Cui Shao suggested to Ye Hao:
"Ye Hao, the finance department really can't squeeze out any money, but I think you can consider some commercial loans..."

"Commercial loan? Uncle San, what do you mean by this?" Ye Hao asked with some confusion:

Cui Shao explained patiently:

"Banks like Rishengchang and Daxinchang should have some money in their hands. In addition, some businesses in Jiangnan seem to be looking for some business opportunities in the north!"

"But they are doing business as an individual. If they lend you money, they must be looking for a profit, so the interest rate should be a bit higher!"

Ye Hao hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and then asked Cui Shao tentatively:

"Uncle San, how much higher is the interest rate?"

Cui Shao shook his head and said:

"I don't know about this, but I heard that the Ministry of Justice is preparing to revise the law and intends to define usury as illegal if it exceeds twice the interest rate of the same period!"

"The current interest rate for five-year time deposits has dropped a bit compared to before and is now 7.5%. This means that your loan interest rate cannot exceed 15%!"

Ye Hao frowned and said:
"The annual interest rate of 15% is too high. If you borrow 100,000 taels of silver, you have to pay back 15,000 taels of silver in one year. We can't afford that! And five years is too short. We need a longer repayment period!"

Cui Shao smiled and said:

"Fifteen percent is the highest interest rate per year. You can have a good talk with them. As for the repayment period, you can also extend it a little bit. You guys need to discuss this!"

“If you are willing, Ye Hao, I can introduce you to several banks and businesses…”

Upon hearing this, Ye Hao also cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you so much, Uncle San!"

Cui Shao waved his hand and said:
"It's just a small favor, no need to thank me!"

"Ye Hao, you can use your brain a little more. The finances are very tight right now, so I can't give you money. But you can ask the Marshal for some preferential policies. The Marshal will not be stingy in this regard!"

Ye Hao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he respectfully asked Cui Shao again:
"Appreciate further details!"

Cui organized her words and gave Ye Hao some advice:
"The simplest thing is that the Marshal has already exempted the agricultural tax for the entire Yunbing area for three years. You can apply to the Marshal for a five-year exemption! The Marshal still pays great attention to people's livelihood. If you tell the Marshal more about how difficult the situation in Yunbing is, this matter will most likely be successful!"

"Secondly, as the old saying goes, live by the mountain and eat by the mountain; live by the sea and eat by the sea. Yunbin is close to the grassland, so if you want to develop your economy, you should strengthen your ties with the grassland, such as expanding the scale of trade!"

"First of all, shabu-shabu mutton is very popular in the north now. Many places have opened hotpot restaurants like this. The demand for mutton is huge!"

"For example, agriculture is booming in various places now, and construction is being actively carried out, so there is a great demand for oxen!"

“It’s not just about buying cattle and sheep. The cloth, clothes, ceramics, farm tools, pots and pans produced in Youyan and Liaoyang all need a market to sell them. There is also such demand on the grassland. The current scale of the mutual trade can no longer meet the current demand. It is inevitable to expand the scale of the mutual trade…”

"So Ye Hao, you can ask the Marshal to open a few more large markets on the border between Yunbing and the grassland, connect sellers and buyers and collect commissions from them. You can also provide various services such as food, clothing, housing and transportation in the market. This is the right way to make money!"

Cui Shao's words made Ye Hao's eyes brighter and brighter. The flame of hope in his heart also burned again. He said to Cui Shao sincerely:
"Third uncle, you are the one who has the most ideas. How come I can't think of such a good idea as you said?" Cui Shao stroked his slightly purple beard and said:

"I have been following the Marshal for these years, and I have learned some new things from him!"

After saying this, Cui Shao then instructed Ye Hao:
"Ye Hao, Third Uncle knows that you want to make progress. Although the Marshal requires political achievements, the standards for political achievements are also different. For example, Youyan is thriving now, and it is indeed easier to make political achievements here, so the Marshal will definitely have higher standards for political achievements!"

"Besides, everyone knows that the situation in Yunbing is not good, so the Marshal will definitely lower his expectations of you! He will not ask you to achieve the same political achievements in Youyan in Yunbing!"

"So if you stay in Yunbing, the situation is not that bad. Everything will turn around when it reaches its extreme, and everything will decline when it reaches its peak. The same is true in reverse. Now the situation in Yunbing has reached the bottom. As long as you work hard, you will definitely be able to achieve great things!"

"The Marshal always says that when you are in office, you should benefit the people. In my opinion, you should just stay in Yun and work hard. That's better than anything else!"

Cui Shao's words also touched Ye Hao deeply, and he immediately promised solemnly:
"Third uncle, I understand what you mean. With your guidance, I have the idea to work hard. I will definitely follow your teachings and take root in Yunbing. I will not leave Yunbing until I have made some achievements..."

･･････････
･･････････
Ye Mansion, Pei Zhixiu's courtyard
Ye Mingsheng looked at Pei Zhixiu and the baby in her arms and asked with a smile:

"Jisu, have you decided?"

Pei Zhixiu looked at the sleeping baby in the cradle, then raised her head and nodded to Ye Mingsheng:

"Well, let's call her Ye Yiren. What do you think of this name, my husband?"

Ye Mingsheng thought for a moment and said:
"Reeds are lush and white dew turns to frost. The so-called beauty is on the other side of the water. Beauty is a good name!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's praise, a smile appeared on Pei Zhixiu's pretty face. In order to give her daughter a name that was both nice and meaningful, she flipped through the Book of Songs for more than ten days in a row, and repeatedly considered and weighed more than a dozen names before finally deciding on the name Ye Yiren!
Seeing that Ye Mingsheng also thought this name was very good, Pei Zhixiu also felt that her efforts were not in vain. However, she seemed to have thought of something and hesitated for a moment before asking Ye Mingsheng:
"My husband, what do you think of the name Yiren? Otherwise, let her decide on the name!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng took Pei Zhixiu's hand and said with a smile:

"Yiren is a very nice name. I believe mother will like it too. Jixiu, don't worry about it!"

When Pei Zhixiu heard what Ye Mingsheng said, her expression calmed down. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng stroked her long hair with pity...

Once upon a time, Pei Zhixiu always did her own thing in the Ye Mansion and didn't care much about other people's opinions. However, as time passed, Pei Zhixiu gradually changed a lot for herself. She began to care more and more about the opinions of those around her.
For various reasons, Ye Cui didn't like Pei Zhixiu from the beginning, but because Ye Mingsheng protected Pei Zhixiu, she didn't target Pei Zhixiu for Ye Mingsheng's sake.

Under Ye Mingsheng's arrangement, Pei Zhixiu would take her children to visit her grandmother except during festivals and Ye Cui's birthday, but she would never go anywhere with Ye Cui, which made both of them unhappy!
Under such an arrangement, everything was peaceful for a while, at least the superficial peace was maintained. However, this time, the fuse was ignited because Ye Mingsheng allowed Pei Zhixiu to name the child.

Ye Cui comes from a large family like the Cui family, where traditional ideas are deeply rooted. She believes that a child’s name should be given by the child’s father or elders.

Therefore, Ye Cui believed that Pei Zhixiu's initiative to name the child was an act of overstepping the boundaries, and Ye Mingsheng's allowing Pei Zhixiu to do so was an act of excessive pampering!
For this matter, she even called Ye Mingsheng over to give him a lecture, telling him that there must be rules in the family, and no matter how much Ye Mingsheng doted on Pei Zhixiu, he could not break these rules!
In short, in her opinion, this matter is a very serious matter. She even told Ye Mingsheng that a thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant hole. The family rules must be adhered to, and Pei Zhixiu must not be allowed to make this mistake...
Although Ye Mingsheng felt that his mother's sudden exaggeration was a bit strange, he once again used Tai Chi to coax and deceive his mother, saying that he had chosen the name himself. This barely calmed his mother down and prevented her from continuing to lose her temper!
However, what Ye Mingsheng did not expect was that some members of the Ye family's relatives jumped out again and advised Ye Mingsheng to listen to Ye Cui. Although they did not have the courage to directly say like Ye Cui that Ye Mingsheng doted on Pei Zhixiu too much, they also said some bad things about Pei Zhixiu openly and secretly. Some people even tried to form public opinion to try to make Ye Mingsheng make concessions!

Ye Mingsheng naturally didn't care about their problem. The Internal Security Coordination Office coordinated efforts inside and outside, and immediately made these bastards pay the price for their stupid behavior!
After comforting Pei Zhixiu, Ye Mingsheng returned to the study to start today's work. The first important task he had to deal with was to reward people based on their merits!

After seizing power by force, all Ye Mingsheng needed to do was to fulfill the promise he made to his supporters!

In order to win the loyalty and support of his subordinates, Ye Mingsheng promised them a beautiful blueprint, telling them that as long as they followed him and obeyed his command, they would be on the road to victory and become the new rulers of the Great Zhou!
Now is the time for Ye Mingsheng to fulfill his promise. Actually, this should have been done when Ye Mingsheng returned to Yijing from Luoan!

However, things like rewarding people based on merit and distributing titles involved interests from all sides. Ye Mingsheng was confused and at a loss for a moment, and couldn't think it through!

In addition, the war in the south broke out suddenly at that time, and the energy of the entire center was concentrated on the war in the south, so this matter was delayed for a while...

Now that the Yijing court has been established and the rewards for civil officials have basically been completed, the distribution of titles for military officials can no longer be delayed. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng is now ready to resolve this matter once and for all!

The first are He Jingyun and Yuan Song. Both of them were the ones who followed me from Luoan to Liaoyang, and they have worked hard and made great contributions in the Fengwu Army over the years. To be honest, with their merits, it is not excessive to confer the title of Duke!

However, since he is now a duke, and if he is directly conferred the title of duke now, then when he accepts Jiang Cong's abdication and establishes a new dynasty in the future, these people will have no more titles to be conferred. After all, he cannot allow them to be crowned kings!

Therefore, they can only be inconvenienced temporarily and be granted the title of Earl first. Although Yuan Song and He Jingyun both have outstanding military achievements, it is obvious that Yuan Song's military achievements are higher. Therefore, Yuan Song is granted the title of Marquis Dingyuan, and He Jingyun is granted the title of Marquis Changning!
After confirming the titles of these two people, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but think of someone in his mind for some reason, and his expression became complicated.

If he had fought better in Yunbing back then, or if he had been more restrained, I might not have punished him so severely!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but sigh. He had followed him around for so many years, so he treated him like a dog and had feelings for him.

However, the corruption in the entire Fengwu Army was on the rise at that time. In order to seize the world, he had to stamp out this trend. It happened that he ran into the muzzle of the gun, and the battle between Yun Bing and the whole army was full of complaints. At that time, everyone was looking at him, watching how he would punish him!

Without severe punishment, it would not be enough to convince the public, so Ye Mingsheng had no choice but to do this. Saving his life was already Ye Mingsheng's greatest kindness...

(End of this chapter)