activa-t Chapter 257 Give it a shot, no matter what.
Chapter 257 Give it a shot, no matter what.
Yinzhu slept well. When he woke up, it was getting dark outside. The room was dim because there were no lamps lit. Fortunately, Yinzhu's eyesight was good. He sat up and looked around. Seeing that there was no one to serve him, he reached out and pulled the bell on the bed frame.
"Sixth Master, you're awake. Please sit still and don't move. This servant will have someone light the lamps right away. Would you like to get up now? Do you need to wash up?"
After Yinzhu fell asleep, Wanquan and his men kept watch outside the bedroom. As soon as they heard the bell ring, they pushed open the door and brought the men in. The palace servants who could serve at Qingxi Study were all carefully selected. They were all quick and efficient and had good eyesight. In no time, they had prepared everything that Yinzhu needed.
"What time is it? Khan is still busy. Have my eldest and second brothers already left?"
After changing out of his wrinkled clothes from sleeping and freshening up, Yinzhuo walked out of the bedroom, with Wanquan following closely behind, answering all his questions.
"Replying to Sixth Master, it is already past 5 PM. His Majesty is not busy at the moment. He is playing chess and chatting with the Crown Prince in the flower hall. Prince Zhi and the others have gone back, but Fourth Master and Eighth Master are still here."
The distance from Kangxi's bedroom to the flower hall was only a few steps, and they arrived in the time it took to talk. When Kangxi saw Yinzuo coming over, he threw the chess piece he was holding into the chess box, raised his hand to beckon Yinzhen to come over and take his place to play chess with Yinreng, and then got up and walked towards Yinzuo.
"Are you awake? Are you hungry? If so, I'll have Liang Jiugong prepare a meal right away!"
As soon as Kangxi said this, the three princes, Yinreng, Yinzhen, and Yinsi, turned their gazes toward him. "Father, are you so lazy you can't even pretend anymore? We're sitting right here! We've spent the whole day chatting with you, playing chess with you, and running errands for you. Even if we haven't done anything meritorious, we should at least have put in the effort! And what's the result? We're treated worse than someone who slept all day! Don't you even ask if we're hungry? We haven't eaten yet either!"
Despite being stared at intently by Yinreng, Yinzhen, and Yinsi, Yinzuo didn't feel embarrassed. After nodding to Kangxi, he walked towards the bed where Yinzhen and Yinreng were sitting. When he got to them, he made a move on the chessboard and then pulled Yinzhen and Yinreng up from the bed with one hand each.
"I just don't understand, is playing chess really that fun? Father likes it, Second Brother likes it, Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother seem to like it too. Aren't you hungry at this hour? Come on, let's hurry to the dining hall, I'm starving."
Who isn't? Yinreng and the others had been busy since early morning until mid-afternoon, without even having lunch. Although they had eaten a few pastries at noon to fill their stomachs, those were long gone by now. After all, they weren't Yinzuo, so they didn't dare to be so presumptuous. Kangxi wasn't hungry, so naturally they didn't dare to be hungry either. As soon as Yinzuo mentioned eating, not only Yinreng and Yinzhen, but even Yinsi, who always wore a fake smile, had a much more genuine smile on his face.
After a hearty meal and drinks, Kangxi returned to the flower hall and took his seat. It seemed that he had finally remembered the boastful words Yinzhu had uttered when he came that morning. Sure enough, Yinzhu was asking him for the so-called surprise. If Kangxi hadn't mentioned it, Yinzhu would have almost forgotten his brilliant idea while he was sleeping. Thanks to his father's reminder, he finally remembered why he had come today.
"Oh dear, look at my memory! If Father hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten why I came to Qingxi Bookstore today. Fourth Brother, haven't you been worrying about the Ministry of Revenue's collection of arrears these past few days? After racking my brains these past few days, I've finally come up with a practical and effective solution for you."
Not to mention Yinzhen, even Kangxi, Yinreng, and Yinsi were worried about collecting the debts every day. Although they didn't think Yinzu could really come up with any good ideas, as the saying goes, when you're desperate, you'll try anything. They had to give it a shot, no matter what. This kid usually had the most clever ideas, so what if he really had a solution?
Yinzhu knew that his words would have an extraordinary effect, and the result was exactly as he expected, which shocked everyone present. Seeing that Kangxi and the others were obviously interested, Yinzhu stopped being mysterious and directly told them his idea.
"Father, I've been thinking these past few days about what all the officials were thinking when they asked the national treasury for money. I've come to think of three main categories. First, there are those who genuinely have no money. Their salaries are limited, and they don't have any other income, but they have families to support and social obligations to fulfill. So, they have to borrow money to survive. Second, there are those who follow the crowd. They feel that if others borrow, they'll seem out of place if they don't, and others will ostracize them. So, they have to go with the flow and conform to the crowd. The third category is the greedy ones. They think that it's a fool not to take advantage of a good deal."
Yinzhu first shared some thoughts that had been swirling in his mind for the past few days. Seeing that Kangxi and the others nodded in agreement, he then proceeded to present his proposed solution.
"Resolving this debt issue is both simple and difficult. The current situation involves three types of people mixed together, giving those with ulterior motives an opportunity to stir up trouble. What we need to do now is to categorize these three types of people and then resolve their issues one by one. For those who have to borrow money to make ends meet due to financial difficulties, we can grant them some grace period or offer them installment repayment plans. As long as they repay the debt within a certain period, everything will be forgiven. As for those who borrow money simply because others are doing it, that's the easiest to deal with. They don't lack money themselves; they just borrow because they see others doing it." "If they pay it back, they'll automatically return the money. What we need to crack down on is this third type of person. Although they don't lack money, they don't intend to pay it back. They always think about making a scene, relying on their age to curry favor, and complaining. Maybe then the matter will be over. We don't need to be polite to these parasites of the country. Second Brother will be responsible for investigating them one by one. After finding solid evidence, he'll hand it over to Fourth Brother to lead the raid and arrest. Once the people are arrested, they'll be handed over to Eighth Brother. He's always been eloquent and good at communicating with people, so he's perfect for the interrogation. As for Father, he just needs to find a few typical examples among them to make an example of them..."
Upon hearing Yinzhuo's words, the eyes of Kangxi, Yinreng, Yinzhen, and Yinsi all lit up. You know what, you really have to admit, this method actually works. Kangxi looked at Yinzhuo, who was looking at him smugly and clearly trying to take credit, and got up to pat him on the forehead.
"Indeed, Yinzhuo has never disappointed me. Your father has received your surprise. I will remember your merit. After this matter is over, I will reward you according to your merits."