jdhmnovel Chapter 249 How to Spend Money
Chapter 249 How to Spend Money
Chapter 249 How to Spend Money
How should we spend thirty million taels of silver?
When people are broke, they always feel distressed: Why am I broke? If only I had money! I want to buy, buy, buy… But once you have a certain amount of money, it's just a number. Just like Wang Wenzhou now, facing thirty million taels of silver, he really doesn't know how to spend it.
Sheng Lan and Gao Guilan knelt on either side of Wang Wenzhou. Zhang Rong, being pregnant, could no longer kneel and could only sit beside Wang Wenzhou.
"Babies, babies, we have so much money, how are we going to spend it?" Wang Wenzhou asked with a smile.
Gao Guilan took a sip, looked up and said, "Uncle, I want to eat all the delicious food in the world!"
Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly, gently pressed Gao Guilan's little head, and said softly, "Little Lanlan, be good. Uncle will treat you to some pure, natural, pollution-free, and high-protein Mengniu milk later."
"Sigh..." Sheng Lan sighed, took a sip, and the adult started acting silly again.
Wang Wenzhou frowned, not only worried about how to spend the money, but also genuinely afraid that Emperor Chongzhen, that poor wretch, would find out that he had so much money.
Despite being an emperor, Emperor Chongzhen was a poor man. He inherited a mess upon assuming the throne, scrimping and saving, and even when he ran out of palace maids, he dared not recruit more. He even pawned the gold and silver utensils in the palace and the bronze pots in the main hall to fund the army. Historical records also indicate that Chongzhen sold off ginseng and other items stored in the palace.
According to Wang Wenzhou, a figure from later generations, Emperor Chongzhen was ultimately ruined by those civil officials. These officials were incredibly corrupt; they not only refused to pay taxes themselves but also prevented the collection of commercial taxes. During Chongzhen's reign, the court's annual revenue was only four to five million taels of silver. In contrast, during Kangxi's reign, the court's annual revenue increased tenfold, reaching approximately forty to fifty million taels of silver.
No matter the era, wars are all about money. If Emperor Chongzhen couldn't even pay his soldiers' salaries, who would fight for him?
"Hmm?" Zhang Rong frowned. She felt that Wang Wenzhou was acting very strangely. She asked, "Husband, you've made so much money, why aren't you happy?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a wry smile, "Babies, I never expected to make so much money this time. We might be in big trouble soon!"
"Ouch..." Wang Wenzhou said irritably, "Little Lanlan, are you trying to bite me to death?"
Gao Guilan was startled by Wang Wenzhou's words and quickly lowered her head to gently lick it.
Sheng Lan frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Wang Wenzhou, what makes you say that?"
Wang Wenzhou said helplessly, "Everyone wants to be rich, but when you have a certain amount of money, such as being richer than a country, there are dangers everywhere. You might end up being slaughtered like a pig and eaten!"
“Husband, don’t worry unnecessarily! You are the heir of the Earl of Xinjian and the son-in-law of the Duke of Ying’s mansion. Who would dare to cause you trouble?” Zhang Rong said confidently.
Wang Wenzhou smiled bitterly: "Baby, you're too naive! Have you heard of Shen Wansan? The richest man in the Ming Dynasty at its founding. He donated money to build one-third of the city wall of Nanjing. And what happened in the end? This guy was still exiled to the army by Zhu Yuanzhang, and later he was implicated in the Lan Yu case, and his entire family was executed!"
Zhang Rong grew up in Nanjing and had heard stories about Shen Wansan, who was also from Nanjing. Her husband meant that he was afraid the emperor would falsely accuse them of a crime and confiscate their property.
Wang Wenzhou muttered to himself, "With so much money, why don't we recruit soldiers and buy horses?"
"Yes!" Gao Guilan nodded repeatedly and said, "Uncle, recruiting soldiers and buying horses can protect us! When my father started out, he didn't have many men. Now he has 20 troops under his command!"
Zhang Rong snapped, "Shut up!"
"Hmph!" Gao Guilan pouted and gave a soft snort.
“Wang Wenzhou, you mustn’t! Wouldn’t that make it easier to prove the crime of treason?” Sheng Lan advised.
Although Wang Wenzhou had no intention of rebelling against the Ming Dynasty, he knew the course of history: a few years later, the unfortunate Chongzhen Emperor would hang himself on Coal Hill. After that, chaos would begin, and the Manchus would enter the Central Plains.
Although Wang Wenzhou grew up watching period dramas featuring Manchu banners, he genuinely hated the Qing dynasty. His initial actions in Hanshan were simply aimed at making money. Later, he increasingly wanted to develop Hanshan into a future anti-Qing base.
"Knock knock knock..." Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Wang Wenzhou asked, "Who is it? What's the matter?"
"This humble servant is Fu Xingping, reporting to Your Excellency, Young Master Zhang Shize requests an audience," Fu Xingping replied.
Sheng Lan smiled wryly. "My nemesis! Whenever we're with our nemesis, and there are no outsiders around, the girls can forget about ever having any clothes on." The girls hurriedly and hastily got dressed.
Wang Wenzhou no longer worried about how to spend so much silver; he planned to make a decision after returning to Hanshan.
Wang Wenzhou took Gao Guilan to see Zhang Shize.
"Brother, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to see me?" Wang Wenzhou asked.
Zhang Shize said with a wry smile, "Boxin, something terrible has happened at the supermarket!"
"Hmm?" Wang Wenzhou frowned and asked doubtfully, "Brother, who was it that boasted that there was nothing he couldn't handle in Nanjing? Isn't your Duke of Ying's mansion very powerful?"
"Sigh..." Zhang Shize sighed and said, "I really can't do anything about this. The day before yesterday, the supermarket lost goods worth more than two thousand taels of silver. The supermarket makes a lot of money. But if this continues, we'll be robbed and go bankrupt sooner or later!"
Wang Wenzhou pondered for a moment. Indeed, even in later generations, with so many high-tech anti-theft measures, there were still many thieves who made a living stealing from supermarkets, and lived quite comfortably. It would be strange if there weren't thieves in a supermarket during the Ming Dynasty!
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and then said, "In that case, add another 200 security guards."
Zhang Shize smiled bitterly, "Boxin, I've already increased manpower. The franchisees have also sent their own servants and guards, plus the guards from the Duke of Ying's mansion that I sent, making a total of over 3000 people. Yet, yesterday alone, goods worth over a thousand taels of silver were still stolen. I'm truly powerless to do anything about it!"
"Brother! Are you stupid? The supermarket is open-air, no matter how many guards you send on duty, it won't make a difference! Remove all the extra guards, and then send 200 security guards to pose as customers and wander around the supermarket. Once they spot a thief, just drag them out and beat them to death! Make an example of them!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
"Hmm!" Zhang Shize nodded, excitedly saying, "Boxin, I admire you more and more! How could you come up with such a brilliant idea?"
Wang Wenzhou curled his lip. It's simple, because I'm a time traveler.
"Go and train the men quickly. Try to get them trained within a day. Send them out tomorrow!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll get right on it." Zhang Shize left in a hurry.
Gao Guilan frowned and said softly, "Uncle, why would anyone become a thief? People with hands and feet can do so many things! These lazy bums who want to reap without sowing!"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Every profession has its value. How can a thief get something for nothing? They steal by their own skill! Many people who have their things stolen from hate the thief. But the one who should hate the most is themselves. If someone is just a little more careful, how could they get their things stolen?"
"Sigh..." Gao Guilan sighed softly. I can't argue with Uncle. His twisted logic and fallacies are endless.