My uncle is Zhu Di

Chapter 56: Borrowing money to become the crown prince?
Zhu Di wanted Xu Qin to take charge of the Weaving Bureau, and he needed the Queen to persuade him. Since persuading Xu Qin was useless, he decided to persuade Xu Huizu.

It was still useful for Empress Xu to persuade Xu Huizu. Except for asking him to surrender to her at the beginning, Xu Huizu would not refuse to agree to anything else.

"What if Huizu doesn't agree? Or what if Huizu agrees but Baoer doesn't? This is possible. I have also discovered that Baoer is very smart. Your brother can't ignore his thoughts. If he doesn't want to go, what should we do?" Empress Xu frowned and asked Zhu Di.

"Well, this is very possible. That's why I asked you to go. You have to find a way. Miaoyun, I'll leave this matter to you. I also have to find a way to get money from the second and third brothers. The weaving bureau cannot make any money without new machines." Zhu Di said with a smile looking at Xu Miaoyun.

"Will the second and third brothers take it out? But the second and third brothers are going too far. The New Year is coming soon. Let the second brother return to Beijing to celebrate the New Year." Empress Xu said lightly while sitting there.

Zhu Di nodded and said, "That's exactly what I meant. However, I also want to ask the eldest brother to take out 500,000 taels. I'll ask him first. It doesn't matter whether he takes it or not. The eldest brother has no money. I know that he is only focused on the court. He has no intention of making money."

"It's good that you know, just don't scare the boss for no reason." Empress Xu glared at Zhu Di, and Zhu Di smiled. How could he not say anything and not scare him? This kid is more capable than himself. If I don't rely on my status to suppress him, what if I can't suppress him? Of course, these words will not be said to Empress Xu.

In the evening, Zhu Di invited the eldest and third sons to dinner in the Qianqing Palace. The eldest son felt that something bad must have happened because Xu Qin had entered the palace today. The third son was also afraid, but when he thought that it was his father who invited him to dinner, he thought it was not a bad thing.

After three rounds of drinking, Zhu Di put down his glass and said, "Today your mother and Shakya Bao have reached an agreement that 30% of the machines will be paid first. I plan to buy 5 million machines, and 30% is 1.5 million taels. The national treasury has no money, and the inner treasury has no money. What should I do? It happens that you three brothers can each raise 500,000 taels for me within ten days."

"Ah?" Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui looked at Zhu Di in shock. This, this was indeed the Hongmen Banquet.

"What? Can't you share some of the burden with me? I was counting on you to solve the weavers' problem before, but you didn't move. Now your mother asked Shakyabao, and she solved it, but it requires money. Now I want you three to share some of the burden. What's the problem?" Zhu Di asked with a dark face, staring at the two of them.

"Dad, I don't have it. Even the Eastern Palace doesn't have 50,000 taels." Zhu Gaochi immediately knelt down and kowtowed. He had lost 500,000 taels in just a few glasses of wine. The Crown Princess would scold him to death when he returned. Even the Eastern Palace doesn't have 500,000 taels now. Who would be a crown prince like himself and still be in debt?
"Dad, I don't have it either." Zhu Gaosui immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"Third brother, what did you say? You don't have it? Otherwise, you go to your fiefdom overnight and I will search your Prince Zhao's Mansion. No matter how much we find, it will all be mine. No, I will give you 200,000 taels, and the rest will all be mine. Is that okay? I have built the palace in your fiefdom for you, and you can just live in it." Zhu Di ignored the prince and asked Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui.

"No, Dad, I, I, I really didn't." When Zhu Gaosui heard this, he knew that was not okay, but he still had to hold on for a while.

Zhu Di picked up a glass of wine, drank it, then picked up some peanuts with chopsticks and said to Zhu Gaosui, "People in the capital say that it's best to go through the Zhao Wang's door. The price is clearly marked, starting from 5,000 taels. You collect this kind of money in Nanjing City every year, at least 1 million taels. You tell me you don't have it? Are you sure you don't have it? If you really don't have it? Then go back to your fiefdom."

"Dad." Zhu Gaosui looked at Zhu Di in horror at this moment. He did not expect that Zhu Di knew this news.

"Stop talking nonsense, is there anything?" Zhu Di asked Zhu Gaosui.

Zhu Gaosui looked at Zhu Gaochi, who immediately shouted, "Why are you looking at me? I don't have anything. Your Majesty can search the East Palace. Otherwise, you can ask Your Majesty to search your Prince Zhao's Mansion as well?"

"Brother, I..." Zhu Gaosui was very depressed when he heard it. There was indeed no such thing in the Eastern Palace, but there was indeed one in the Prince Zhao's Mansion.

Zhu Gaosui thought for a moment and said, "Dad, my eldest brother has no money, what should I do?"

"Mind your own business. Can you raise the funds within ten days?" Zhu Di asked Zhu Gaosui while staring at him.

"Yes, if your elder brother has it, I have it too." Zhu Gaosui nodded immediately.

Zhu Gaochi was so angry that he was dragged into this trouble, so he said to Zhu Gaosui: "Old Third, why are you staring at me?"

"You are the eldest brother, you should take the lead." Zhu Gaosui looked up and said as a matter of course.

"The third brother is right." Zhu Di nodded.

"Yeah, look, dad agrees with what I said." Zhu Gaosui said happily while looking at Zhu Gaochi.

"Dad, I don't have it." Zhu Gaochi had no choice but to bow to Zhu Di. "You can borrow it. Ask Sakya to lend it to you. This guy has money. Besides, you still have 20% of the share in his workshop. There are still two or three months until the Chinese New Year. In addition, the Xu family workshop has been expanding. It is estimated that by the time of the Chinese New Year, there will be more than 100,000 taels. It should be almost paid back next year." Zhu Di said to Zhu Gaochi with a dark face.

"Ah, this." Zhu Gaochi was so depressed. He hadn't even recovered the money he invested, but now his father was thinking about him.

Zhu Gaosui heard this and said happily, "That's right, brother, you have the Xu family workshop, the goose that lays golden eggs, what are you afraid of?"

"I, I, eh." Zhu Gaochi was speechless and could only sigh.

"It's settled, third brother. Get the money here quickly. Also write a letter to your second brother and ask him to send the money here quickly. If he has delayed my work, I will hold him accountable. Don't think I don't know that he is drawing a salary without doing any work." Zhu Di said calmly as he sat on the chair.

"Yes, Dad." Zhu Gaosui immediately bowed and said, still very surprised in his heart. Dad actually knew that his second brother was drawing a salary without doing any work?
Soon, the two brothers returned, and Zhu Gaochi sighed after returning.

After hearing this, Zhang frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Did your father scare you again?"

"Well, I was thinking that I would be able to have more space during the New Year this year, but I didn't expect that my father would be thinking about the money before I got it. My father needs the three of us brothers to raise 500,000 taels each for him. I guess it's for the Xu family's machine. He asked me to go and borrow some from Sakya Bao, what do you think?" Zhu Gaochi said as he sat there and sighed.

Zhang was not happy when she heard this. She immediately lost her temper and said to Zhu Gaochi, "How can this be possible? The second son is drawing a salary without doing anything, the third son is doing things with money, and you are borrowing money to become the crown prince? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if you tell others about it? Your father is being too unfair. I have already told you that you should just give up your position. Your father doesn't like you anyway, so you should stop being the crown prince. Let's go to Fengyang. With the money from Sakyamuni, we can live a good life too."

Whoever wants to be the crown prince can be the crown prince. Doesn't the second son want to be the crown prince? Let the second son come back. Really, no, I don't agree, you figure it out yourself."

When Zhu Gaochi heard what Zhang said, he was not angry. It was normal to be angry. He was angry too, but his father was indeed not taking care of him by doing this. He had no money.

"I don't care. Do you need money anyway? Zhanji and the others have grown up. When they have no money, what will you do? Look at you. Is there any prince who would borrow money from you? There has never been such a prince from ancient times to the present. It's better not to be one." Zhang continued to shout while sitting there.

"Okay, okay, I'll think of a way, is that okay?" Zhu Gaochi said helplessly to Zhang.

"You are just honest. You say you are wholeheartedly working for the Ming Dynasty. Look how tired you are after a day? You still have to spend money. No wonder your father doesn't like you. Don't you know how to refuse? Don't you know how to argue with your father?" Zhang continued to complain about Zhu Gaochi.

"Okay, okay, isn't there no other way? If I don't come up with the money, will the second or third brothers come up with the money? I guess this matter is for the Weaving Bureau. Dad also wants me to have an easier time. After all, the court has no money, but there are still so many things to do. If the Weaving Bureau can make some money, I will also be more relaxed, right?" Zhu Gaochi persuaded Zhang.

"Just think about your father. No. If I don't agree, I will go and talk to my father. If I don't have the money for the New Year, I will go to the street to sell those things in the Eastern Palace. I will also tell my mother that my father only knows how to bully our Eastern Palace." Zhang was very angry, thinking that Zhu Gaochi always suffered losses. Good things never happened to Zhu Gaochi, and he would never be able to escape from bad things.

"Well, you should go to bed early. I will go to Sakyabao's mansion in the next few days. I will use 10% to repay the debt and 10% to our East Palace. Okay, I will pay you back slowly. What else can I do?" Zhu Gaochi patted his thigh and said helplessly.

The next morning after court, Zhu Gaochi wanted to go to the East Palace to handle state affairs, but Zhu Di called him over and dismissed his attendants.

"Boss, the Crown Princess complained again last night, right?" Zhu Di sat down and said to Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi thought someone was telling tales about him, so he immediately knelt down and said to Zhu Di, "Dad, don't bother with Zhang. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. I will find a way to get the money."

"You, Daddy hasn't heard any rumors, I just thought it must be like this. Besides, Zhang is the daughter-in-law chosen by Daddy and your mother. Doesn't Daddy know what kind of person she is?

"Big brother, Dad knows that you don't have money in the East Palace, but there is nothing we can do. We need money now. If you don't give it to us, the second and third brothers will definitely not give it to us." Zhu Di said to Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi nodded, and continued to bow and said, "Dad, I will go to see Sakyabao in the next few days."

"Go find Sakya Bao. Dad still has some money. You and Sakya Bao go borrow it and hand it over to let the third brother see it. Of course, you can also discuss with Sakya Bao and pay it back in two years. You can keep the money Dad gives you for yourself. The Eastern Palace cannot be without money. You talk to the Crown Princess. Dad does know everything." Zhu Di sat there, looking at Zhu Gaochi and said with a smile, his eyes revealing the heartache for his son.

(End of this chapter)