Read Novel Full Chapter 790 - 387: Asking for Money
Chapter 790: Chapter 387: Asking for Money
It was already April, and in a few days, it would be the Grain Rain. Zhao Yao made new tea each year before the Grain Rain.
Tea merchants, tea farmers, and scholars were all eagerly awaiting this year’s new tea. The so-called new tea wasn’t actually this year’s new tea, but rather a type of tea that had never been seen before.
Each year, the new teas created by Zhao Yao were loved by scholars, officials, tea merchants, and tea farmers alike.
A few years ago, Zhao Yao encountered an incident while traveling to Jinling, preventing him from making new tea before the rain, which greatly worried the tea merchants, tea farmers, and scholars.
The new tea Zhao Yao made annually was extremely important to the tea merchants, tea farmers, scholars, and officials. It could be said to be the most important event for them each year.
In addition to those eagerly waiting for Zhao Yao to release new tea, several ministers in the court were also anxiously awaiting, with the most anxious being the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Every year, the new tea Zhao Yao created brought a considerable amount of money to the court, and that sum increased with each passing year. Zhao Yao’s previously made Longjing, Biluochun, and black tea were still bringing significant revenue to the court to this day.
In the Imperial Study, Prime Minister He, Grandmaster Liu, and the Grand Minister of Agriculture, after reporting official matters to the emperor, began discussing new tea.
"Your Majesty, may I ask where the Tenth Prince is?" The Grand Minister of Agriculture had been looking for Zhao Yao for several days but had yet to see any sign of the Tenth Prince. "The Qingming Festival has just passed, and the Grain Rain is soon upon us, so why hasn’t the Tenth Prince made new tea yet?"
Prime Minister He stroked his beard and said, "I am also waiting for the Tenth Prince’s new tea this year."
"What new tea will the Tenth Prince make this year?" Grandmaster Liu was also full of anticipation for Zhao Yao’s new tea.
"The young prince has gone to Changsha Prefecture to find new tea."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s eyes gleamed with excitement, as he said, "That’s wonderful, truly wonderful." Ha ha ha ha, soon a large sum of money will come pouring in.
Prime Minister He was very curious and asked, "I wonder what kind of new tea the Tenth Prince aims to find?"
Grandmaster Liu asked with a puzzled expression, "What tea could there be in Changsha Prefecture?"
"He didn’t say, only mentioned that he was going to Changsha Prefecture to find new tea." The emperor wasn’t a tea connoisseur and didn’t enjoy tasting tea. To him, whether it was tribute tea or ordinary tea, they were the same. However, the new tea Zhao Yao made was better than the old tea. The emperor really disliked the old tea, feeling that it was better to drink soup than to drink that.
Even though the emperor wasn’t a tea connoisseur, he still enjoyed drinking tea, for it could refresh him, making it a necessity when reviewing memorials.
The Grand Minister of Agriculture, full of excitement, said, "The new tea made by the Tenth Prince will certainly be excellent and surely profitable. I eagerly anticipate it." The day when the Tenth Prince made new tea was the day he most looked forward to each year.
The emperor saw through the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s thoughts and teased him, saying, "You’re looking forward to the money that the young prince’s new tea will bring, aren’t you?"
The Grand Minister of Agriculture, embarrassed by being seen through, laughed awkwardly, "Each year, the new tea made by the Tenth Prince brings in significant revenue to the court. I eagerly await it every year." The Tenth Prince was his God of Wealth. "Once this year’s new tea is out, we can sell it abroad and make a handsome profit."
Seeing the Grand Minister of Agriculture completely enthralled by money, the emperor pointed at him, laughing and chiding, "Currently, the national treasury is not short of money, and yet you still look like a money-grubber!"
"Your Majesty, who in this world would ever complain about having too much money? I don’t, and I hope for more and more." Although the money in the national treasury wasn’t the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s, seeing it full put his mind at ease and brought him happiness.
When the Great Zhou was first established, the national treasury was empty, not a copper coin was in it, which greatly worried the Grand Minister of Agriculture. For those years, he couldn’t sleep well at night, always thinking about how to fill the treasury with money, thoughts that even led his hair to fall out by the handful. His partial baldness was due to his worries over an empty treasury.
It was only in recent years, with the introduction of new tea, that the national treasury’s funds grew more and more, allowing the Grand Minister of Agriculture to sleep well. Yet, the court’s spending also steadily increased, so each year he looked forward to the Tenth Prince’s new tea with utmost anticipation.
"Your Majesty, repairing the Grand Canal cost quite a bit, and the money earned from the annual new tea only just covered these expenses," the Grand Minister of Agriculture said with a pained expression, beginning to sound pitiful. "Aside from repairing the canal, other matters also cost a lot; don’t think that the treasury has plenty." A few years ago, the emperor issued an edict to repair the canal, starting from Quanting County in the south to Youzhou in the north.