The officials of the imperial court are not fools, at least they will deliberately lower the value of the tribute at this time. Generally, for goods worth one hundred thousand guan, the value given by the court is usually only about 20,000 guan.
Going back and forth like this is equivalent to the imperial court making half of the money from envoys from various countries.
And the envoys from various countries did not suffer, although Ming Dynasty plundered half of the wealth from them. But when Daming's goods are shipped back, they can be sold at ten times the price. In total, they make even more than Daming. This is also the reason why many surrounding countries are keen to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
Without him, although it is hard to travel, you can make money!
"There are two reasons," Han Du stretched out three fingers and explained: "First, most of the money here was taken away by the envoys, and the Ming Dynasty gained very little. Second, these envoys came to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. The scale is too small, with only a few dozen people coming each time. Even if they come to pay tribute every year, how much goods can they bring? In the Southern Song Dynasty, there were three seaports: Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Hangzhou. These seaports Every day, thousands of sails pass by, blocking out the sky and transporting tens of millions of goods."
As he spoke, Han Du concluded: "The court is just trying to earn some hard-earned money by waiting for the foreign countries to pay tribute, and collecting taxes is the court's real source of huge wealth."
Since ancient times, no one has ever seen a person with his face turned to the earth and his back to the sky, and he can become rich after working hard to earn some hard-earned money. If you want to get rich, it's faster to rob someone on the road.
Lao Zhu nodded and said: "What you said is indeed a problem. It makes no sense that what a small country like the Southern Song Dynasty can do, my Ming Dynasty cannot do."
However, it is not an easy task to have three major trading ports like the Southern Song Dynasty, with thousands of sails crossing the border making a fortune every day, at least it is impossible to do it now. You have to eat food one bite at a time, and no one can become fat in one bite.
After pondering for a while, Lao Zhu said with an ugly face: "I didn't expect the profits from this sea trade to be so huge. In this case, those envoys dared to deceive me!"
Lao Zhu slapped the imperial case with hatred, his face was distorted and he gritted his teeth.
"What should we do now?" he asked, glaring at Han Du.
Han Du was frightened by Lao Zhu's actions and his heart tightened. Looking at Lao Zhu's attitude, he didn't want to regret it, right? After swallowing, he said cautiously: "Your Majesty, since you have already promised them, this is what we have to do."
"But in this case, wouldn't it be too cheap for them?" Lao Zhu's eyes were glowing green. Originally, he thought that by selling the sand for gold, he would make a lot of money. But now Lao Zhu feels that compared to those envoys, he earns too little.
This deal is unfair! Lao Zhu wants to regret it.
But is it so easy to regret it? Most people will be criticized by others if they regret it, not to mention that Lao Zhu is still the emperor. If he goes back on his word, wouldn't it mean that he has destroyed Jun Wuxiyan's brand? Naturally, Lao Zhu couldn't go back on his word, so he kept a close eye on Han Du.
Why are you staring at me?
Han Du couldn't help but want to shrink back when Lao Zhu looked at him. Even if you put a smile on my face, I don't know what to do?
You were the one who agreed with great pleasure, and now you are the one who wants to regret it. What should I do?
I don’t know what to do, Han Du also has to do it, and he has to do it beautifully. Who makes Lao Zhu the emperor?
He is the biggest in the entire Ming Dynasty, so naturally he has the final say.
After thinking about it for a while, Han Du couldn't think of any good solution, so he had to say with a flattering smile: "Actually, even if this is the case, Daming's income is not that small..."
When Lao Zhu heard this, his eyes suddenly widened and he said sternly: "Why is it not a small amount? You yourself thought that Daming made less money, and you had to double the price before selling to them, but now you say it is not a small amount."
Having said this, Lao Zhu glanced at Han Du suspiciously and asked, "Did you collect money from them?"
I really want to collect money, the key is that someone has to give it to me.
"Your Majesty, even if Wei Chen accepts the money, he will not betray the interests of Ming Dynasty." Han Du said calmly.
Lao Zhu naturally knew clearly whether Han Du had received money or not. I just said that just to scare Han Du.
But he didn't expect that Han Du's reaction was beyond his expectation. I originally thought that Han Du would try his best to defend himself like other officials to prove his innocence, but I didn't expect that Han Du would say such a thing.
According to Han Du, as long as he doesn't betray Daming's interests, then he dares to collect money? But even if Daming's interests were not betrayed, Lao Zhu was still a little dissatisfied with Han Du's attitude. You know clearly that what I hate most is corrupt officials, but you dare to talk harshly about collecting money in front of me?
"Han Du, you are so courageous. You dare to talk about collecting money to do things in front of me. Don't you want this head of yours? I have already had an imperial order, greedy sixty-two ink, peeling off skin and filling it with grass. If you If you want to experience the taste of peeling skin and filling it with grass, you can try it.”
Lao Zhu looked at Han Du with a ferocious sneer, his teeth exposed as if he wanted to choose someone to devour.
Han Du didn't have any fear in his heart at this time. He looked at Lao Zhu calmly and did not continue to struggle with him on this issue. Suddenly asked: "I have a question, I hope the emperor can clarify it."
Lao Zhu was surprised when he heard that Han Du had something to say for him.
You must know that since the first time Lao Zhu met Han Du, he had a deep sense of confidence and pride in him.
Moreover, Han Du always solved problems by himself and never asked Lao Zhu for advice.
Now that Han Du suddenly appeared like this, Lao Zhu was surprised and at the same time couldn't help but feel complacent.
This is like flattering someone. Don't think that anyone can flatter you.
What kind of effect flattering will have depends mainly on the identity of the person flattering.
Just imagine, if there is a person who has the same status as you, or even higher than you, flattering you. Do you think that's flattering you? You will only think that you are really outstanding and receive praise from others.
The same is true for Han Du and Lao Zhu, although Han Du's status is not as good as that of Lao Zhu.
But even Lao Zhu had to admire Han Du's intelligence. Now that Han Du still had questions and wanted to ask him for advice, Lao Zhu naturally felt relieved and proud.
"Oh, ask. If you have any questions, ask them. I'll see if there's anything I can point you to." Although Lao Zhu was a little complacent, he also understood that Han Du's question would not be simple. While patting my chest, I didn’t forget to leave some room for myself.
