Chapter 1097 Financial Subsidy!

After giving the order, Ye Mingsheng dismissed the meeting. The four important officials of the Fengwu Army bowed and withdrew one by one and returned to their respective jobs.

Half an incense stick later, when Cui Shao walked to the gate of Ye Mansion, just when he was about to ask his coachman to take him back to the Ministry of Revenue to work, a voice came from behind him.

"Minister Cui, please stay!"

Cui Shao was a little surprised to hear this voice. He turned around and saw Ye Cheng walking towards him quickly. Seeing this, Cui Shao asked with some doubt:

"Ye Cheng, what can I do for you?"

Facing Cui Shao's question, Ye Cheng replied respectfully:

"The Marshal asks you, Master Cui, to go to the study!"

Cui Shao was even more surprised after hearing this. You know, he had just said goodbye to Ye Mingsheng, so why was Ye Mingsheng looking for him again?
Although he was a little confused about what Ye Mingsheng wanted him to do, Cui Shao still followed Ye Cheng and walked towards Ye Mingsheng's study.

A moment later, Cui Shao walked into Ye Mingsheng's study. Cui Shao wanted to bow as usual, but Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"Uncle, please don't be so polite! We are alone now, there is no need to be so restrained!"

"Ye Cheng, go get a chair for Uncle San!"

Cui Shao was somewhat flattered after hearing this, and immediately wanted to refuse, but Ye Mingsheng insisted. Cui Shao had no choice but to sit on the chair that Ye Cheng brought. However, even so, he only sat on half of his buttocks. He did not act like Ye Mingsheng’s elder just because Ye Mingsheng called him the third uncle·······························

Looking at Cui Shao's respectful look, Ye Mingsheng secretly sighed in his heart. This old fox was still as cautious as ever and didn't give him any handle, making him love and hate him. He had to use him but also be on guard against him!

After a moment of hesitation, Ye Mingsheng asked:
"I heard that you, Third Uncle, gave Ye Hao some advice?"

Cui Shao couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he heard this. When he met Ye Hao at that time, he specifically hinted to Ye Hao not to mention his name when reporting to the Marshal about preferential policies!
Ye Hao agreed very happily at that time, but he didn't expect to sell himself out so soon. Although he felt a little helpless, under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Cui Shao nodded and said:
"Your Excellency, I did tell Governor Ye some of my ideas!"

Seeing Cui Shao admit it, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and continued to ask:
"How is the negotiation between Ye Hao and the two banks, Rishengchang and Daxinchang?"

Cui Shao, the Minister of Revenue, had actually been following up on Ye Hao's work on building the dam in Yunbing. However, out of consideration for avoiding suspicion, he did not want Ye Mingsheng to know his role in it. But now that he could no longer conceal it, Cui Shao spoke openly:
“At present, the two sides have basically reached an agreement. Only some details need to be finalized. We can then submit it to you, sir, for your approval…”

"The general plan is that the two banks, Rishengchang and Daxinchang, will each lend 50,000 taels to Yunbing, and the Yunbing governor will use the mining rights of two mines near Jinzhong as collateral. The loan term is ten years, and the annual interest rate is ten percent!"

After hearing this, Ye Mingsheng thought for a moment and said:
"This interest rate is a little high!"

Cui Shao explained:

"Marshal, in order to attract more deposits to build local areas and ease fiscal pressure, the Ministry of Revenue has set the five-year time deposit interest rate at 7.5%!"

"The money we are lending to the Governor of Yunping is a ten-year loan, and the annual interest rate of 10% is already the bottom line of the two banks, Daxinchang and Rishengchang!"

Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything else after hearing this, but just nodded slightly to show that he accepted Cui Shao's statement.

Previously, provincial governors in various places had been clamoring for money from the imperial court and asking the Dadongsheng Company for loans in order to seek local development. However, the financial pressure on the Yijing imperial court itself was very great, and the war was not over yet. Fighting a war would cost money, so the silver in the treasury could not be used easily.

However, the needs of the local governors were real, so Cui Shao suggested that Ye Mingsheng allow the bank to raise interest rates appropriately in order to attract more deposits from the public and then lend them to the local governors.

After thinking about it, Ye Mingsheng agreed with Cui Shao's suggestion, but he also asked the provincial governors to ensure that the money was used for its intended purpose and bring tangible benefits to the people.
At the same time, the four departments of the Censorate, the local Censors, the Dali Temple, and the General Coordination Office should strengthen cooperation to ensure the safety and transparency of the movement of silver. This hard-earned silver must not be embezzled and flow into the pockets of some individuals.
The provincial governors of all regions must ensure that the principal and interest can be repaid to the ticket office on time and there must be no shirking of responsibility. If a default occurs, the local governor will be held accountable.

So now that the deposit interest rate of the ticket exchange is high, the loan interest rate must be increased, otherwise the ticket exchange will soon go bankrupt due to its inability to make ends meet!
Thinking about the dilemma of Yunbing that Ye Hao had told him, Ye Mingsheng thought for a while and asked Cui Shao:
"Uncle, what's the status of the money that the Ministry of Revenue prepared for the attack on Sichuan and Shu?"

When he heard Ye Mingsheng asking about the money, Cui Shao spoke without hesitation:
"There are currently 780,000 taels of silver in this amount, all of which are currently in the warehouse of the Yijing Ministry of Revenue and can be used at any time!"

After saying this, Cui Shao seemed to have thought of something, and said to Ye Mingsheng with a wry smile:

"Many local officials are eyeing this money, and I, the Minister of Finance, can't stand it any longer!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and shook his head and said:

"If they have any problems, just let them report to me directly! Third uncle, don't bother with them!"

“I feel relieved with the Marshal’s words…”

After comforting Cui Shao, Ye Mingsheng turned to Cui Shao and asked, "I have briefly learned about Yunbing's situation. The situation is indeed not optimistic. Ye Hao is under great pressure. This time, they have a lot of pressure to pay the interest in the early stage of the loan, so I plan to subsidize Yunbing!"

"According to the agreement signed between Yunbing Governor and Daxinchang Rishengchang, Yunbing Governor has to pay 10,000 taels of silver in interest every year. I plan to have the Ministry of Revenue pay half of the interest for them in the first five years of the repayment period. What do you think of this situation, Third Uncle?"

Hearing this, Cui Shao quickly calculated in his mind. Half of ten thousand taels of silver is five thousand taels, and in five years the total would be twenty-five thousand taels!

This amount of money is not much, and it has to be paid in five years. Although the financial pressure on the Ministry of Revenue is very high, it still has enough money!

Although the amount of silver is not much, the impact is far-reaching. After all, Guanzhong, Anqing, Huainan and other places are all clamoring for silver. You subsidized Yunbing's loan interest, so will you subsidize these places?

If there is no subsidy, it will inevitably be criticized for favoritism. If subsidies are provided and all these places are subsidized, then the total amount will be no small amount························

Realizing this, Cui Shao hesitated under Ye Mingsheng's gaze. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng continued:

"Uncle San, if you have any ideas, just say it!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Cui Shao also said solemnly:

"This subsidy is not much, but the problem is not the lack of money but the inequality of distribution!"

Ye Mingsheng was not surprised at all when he heard Cui Shao pointing out this problem. In fact, when he heard Ye Hao's report, he had the idea of ​​subsidizing Yunbing.

But Ye Mingsheng did not express this idea at that time, because he knew very well that once Yunbing was subsidized, other provinces would definitely have the same idea!
At that time, the attack on Sichuan was imminent. It was already very difficult to subsidize Yunbing alone, and it was impossible to subsidize all these difficult areas!
So Ye Mingsheng did not reveal his idea at that time, but now things have changed. Now that Song Weijie is dead, the Sichuan Army is leaderless. This gives the Fengwu Army hope of conquering Sichuan peacefully or at low cost!
Therefore, if this is the case, the money that the Ministry of Revenue has accumulated for the attack on Sichuan and Shu would naturally make it very wealthy. In this way, it would be able to provide a certain degree of subsidies to all areas in need, helping these local government offices to reduce their burdens...
Facing Cui Shao's gaze, Ye Mingsheng asked with a smile:

"Uncle, you are the Minister of Revenue. How much silver do you think it would cost if we subsidized all these areas that are really in need?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Cui Shao seemed to be aware of Ye Mingsheng's thoughts. He lowered his head and thought for a while before saying:
"If Yun Bing's annual subsidy of 5,000 taels of silver lasts for five years, then the total subsidy should be around 50,000 taels of silver per year. In five years, the total subsidy would be around 200,000 to 300,000 taels of silver!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly when he heard this. This was an acceptable number, so he also said to Cui Shao:
"Third uncle, don't let the news out yet. The Ministry of Revenue can do some selection in secret to see which local projects are really needed by the people. We can wait until Sichuan and Shu have confirmed the situation before making any decisions!"

Cui Shao heard this and said with certainty:
"Marshal, I know what to do. I will take good care of it!"

Hearing Cui Shao's answer, Ye Mingsheng also nodded with a smile, and then he seemed to suddenly think of something and continued to ask with a smile:

"Third uncle, I intend to transfer Murong Yuliang to the post of Governor of Huainan. I wonder what you think..."

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Just as Ye Mingsheng and Cui Shao were discussing government affairs, Murong Qingwu, accompanied by her maid Ying'er, walked into Pei Zhixiu's courtyard in the backyard of the Ye Mansion.

After inviting Murong Qingwu into the main hall and taking a seat, Pei Zhixiu said with a smile:

"Sister Qingwu, how come you have time to come to my humble abode today?"

Listening to Pei Zhixiu's modesty, Murong Qingwu said with a smile:

"Sister Pei, if this is your humble home, then I, your younger sister, will have no place to stay!"

After saying that, Murong Qingwu's eyes intentionally or unintentionally swept across the furnishings in Pei Zhixiu's room. As Ye Mingsheng's most beloved woman, although Pei Zhixiu lived a very simple life on weekdays and did not pursue luxury, the people below still tried to curry favor with Pei Zhixiu in various ways.

Although the things in Pei Zhixiu's house are very simple and there is nothing overly luxurious, the housekeepers of the Ye Mansion somehow found out that Pei Zhixiu likes rosewood furniture, so Pei Zhixiu's house is full of rosewood furniture. Not only is the material good, but the workmanship is also very exquisite with master carvings and full of details!

In addition to the furniture, the ornaments and bowls and plates placed in Pei Zhixiu's yard are also porcelains carefully fired by the craftsmen of the Second Manufacturing General Administration. In addition, the landscape painting hanging on the wall is an authentic work of Li Sixun!

So even though the things in Pei Zhixiu's house look simple and not luxurious, in fact, the value of the things in the house is second only to Ye Cui and An Miaoyi in the Ye Mansion···························

Feeling Murong Qingwu's gaze, Pei Zhixiu was a little embarrassed. Although these things were in line with her preferences, Pei Zhixiu also knew that they were very valuable, so when the housekeepers of the Ye Mansion sent them to her, she refused, but Ye Mingsheng asked her to accept them!
Because of this incident, some people in the Ye Mansion said that she was scheming. She obviously wanted it but she was trying to resist and put on a show in front of the Marshal, acting noble!

Pei Zhixiu had naturally heard such voices before, and she felt helpless in her heart, but what made her even more speechless was that the rumors did not stop at the wise men, but instead intensified in the Ye Mansion, and even formed a kind of consensus in the backyard of the Ye Mansion. Pei Zhixiu felt very tired about this!
Murong Qingwu seemed to have seen that Pei Zhixiu was unwilling to talk about this matter, so she did not continue the topic. As soon as she finished speaking, the maid Ying'er took out a box of tea and said with a smile:

"My brother sent some tea from Anqing a few days ago. It's Anqing's specialty Maofeng tea, so I brought some to you, Sister Pei, so that you can try it and see if this Anqing specialty suits your taste!"

After letting the maid take the tea, Pei Zhixiu also said with a smile:

“Thank you for the gift, sister. I’ve heard that Anqing Maofeng has a rich and long-lasting aroma, a mellow taste, and an orchid-like fragrance. I’ve always longed for it. Today, thanks to my sister, I can finally get what I wished for…”

(End of this chapter)