In the imperial study room, Gongsun Yue stared blankly at the empress and princess opposite, with a turmoil in her heart.
She had long heard that these sisters were stunningly beautiful, and when she saw them today, even she couldn't help but be shocked.
Their appearance is not inferior to mine...
Especially the empress on the throne, who is graceful and regal, but also has a bit of royal majesty without anger or self-restraint. This is a temperament that only those who have sat on the dragon throne can develop.
But what really made her feel uncomfortable was that Liang Xiao was also in the imperial study.
He came in with Empress Da Zhou.
"According to the intelligence, today should be the day when the Empress of Zhou went to the Ancestral Temple to pay her routine sacrifices. This animal followed her into the imperial study. Could it be..."
In an instant, the sense of crisis in Gongsun Yue's heart broke out.
Except for the children of the royal family, ordinary people are not eligible to enter the Ancestral Temple to worship. Even veterans like Zhuge Hui need the empress to choose important dates to arrange.
She seemed to understand why Liang Xiao was lukewarm towards her.
With such a pair of charming sisters right in front of him, he still needs to worry about the women from Bashu Gongsun's family?
"What should I do? It's not okay to use force on my little sister... huh? Use force?"
Gongsun Yue's eyes suddenly moved to Liang Xiao, who was silent.
Just when Gongsun Yue was thinking wildly, Duan Yunyi spoke to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Previously, General Gongsun and Mr. Zhuo paid tribute and stated the intention of Bashu's surrender. You are here to meet the emperor today, but do you have other important matters?"
Gongsun Yue came to her senses, took out a gold seal and handed it to Lin Duan.
After inspecting it, Lin Duan said, "Your Majesty, this is a genuine product from the Gongsun family."
Gongsun Yue then explained: "As your Majesty sees it, as a direct descendant of the Gongsun family, I am qualified to act on behalf of the Gongsun family. Your Majesty reformed the salt policy and made the people of the Zhou Dynasty able to afford high-quality and low-priced salt. He is truly a holy king." This is a move. However, the transportation in Bashu is inconvenient, and it is quite difficult for the people of Bashu to enjoy such benefits."
Duan Yunyi did not criticize, and asked: "You are right, Gongsun's family has received the emperor's favor, and it is not easy to govern Bashu. So what are your family's plans?"
Gongsun Yue said: "I hope that Bashu can send special personnel to purchase this salt in batches at a price lower than the official price of 20 cents, and then use cargo ships to go up the river and transport it to Bashu for sale, so that the people of Bashu can also After eating high-quality and cheap salt, the imperial court no longer has to transport salt to the Bashu area."
Liang Xiao frowned, looked at Duan Yunyi, and found that she was also thinking.
The amount of salt produced in the East China Sea is astonishing, which has a great impact on Bashu's salt policy. The Gongsun family cannot just sit idly by.
Gongsun Yue's intention was very obvious. He first showed goodwill to the Zhou Dynasty, and simply gave part of the profit to the Zhou Dynasty at the price of 30 li, and sent this salt to Bashu. In addition to selling it to the people of Bashu, it could also be sold to the southwest. They are even sold to foreign lands to make huge profits.
Originally, the salt production in Bashu was limited. After a large amount of East China Sea salt entered Bashu, as long as the Gongsun family operated properly, they could still maintain huge profits and even increase their income a little more than in previous years.
If the Gongsun family did not propose this, the Great Zhou court would be qualified to send people to Bashu to sell salt. After all, Bashu is still the nominal territory of the Great Zhou.
At that time, the Gongsun family will face two choices, suffer the loss of silence, or break up with the Zhou court.
The purchase price of thirty cents was equivalent to half of what Duan Yunyi could earn from Bashu.
Duan Yunyi thought for a while and said: "This matter is related to finances. I need to discuss it with the Prime Minister and others. Gongsun Yue, do you have any other requests?"
Gongsun Yue glanced at Liang Xiao meaningfully and said, "I hope that Your Majesty will be merciful and allow Marquis Lanling to increase sugar production and at the same time open a newspaper in Bashu..."
"What do you think of Liang Aiqing?" Duan Yunyi looked at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao said: "The output of sugar depends on sugar cane, which is not something I can decide. As for the newspaper, it can only be opened in the capital at present. If the Gongsun family must sell the newspaper to Bashu, it can be customized in batches, but the customized content must be strictly reviewed by the court. Only then can you pass.”
Duan Yunyi glanced at Liang Xiao with relief and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
What she was most worried about was not the salt policy, but that Liang Xiao really went to Bashu to open a newspaper.
As an emperor, she has deeply realized the benefits brought by newspapers.
If the Gongsun family is allowed to take control of the newspaper, Bashu will really become the Gongsun family's back garden in the future and cannot be shaken.
There was a bit of disappointment in Gongsun Yue's eyes, and she said: "Then, can your Majesty allow me to fully cooperate with Lanling Marquis? I hope to visit Lanling Marquis' Mansion from time to time..."
Hearing this, the two sisters were stunned, and Duan Yunxiu looked at Gongsun Yue with vigilance.
Is this woman actually plotting against her sweetheart?
It’s unforgivable! !
This Gongsun Yue was indeed stunningly beautiful, enough to overwhelm all sentient beings, but it made her feel that the crisis was coming.
"As expected, we still have to work harder to abduct Brother Xiao!"
Duan Yunxiu looked at Liang Xiao with a well-behaved expression, feeling pitiful.
Duan Yunyi said: "Liang Aiqing is an imperial merchant, but it's not for me to interfere in my ministers' business. You can just talk to him yourself."
Liang Xiao met Duan Yunxiu's gaze, and his bones almost went numb again.
This little look is enough to kill countless men in the world!
Liang Xiao was quickly defeated and said with a serious face: "Lanlinghou Mansion is a holy place for making money. We welcome any sincere guests who come to discuss business."
Gongsun Yue glanced at Liang Xiao resentfully: "Okay, I will..."
Duan Yunxiu saw this with a look of regret on the surface, but he was already happy in his heart.
The implication of his words is that he only talks about business and does not go to the Three Treasures Palace for anything.
She and Mu Qinxue are different. They can go at any time. This is treated differently!
Duan Yunyi comforted him: "You don't have to be sad. This request for salt should not be difficult to pass. However, the court must know the whereabouts of this batch of salt entering Bashu to prevent it from becoming private salt."
Gongsun Yue finally felt better. After thanking him, he went to Honglu Temple to wait.
Duan Yunyi then explained to Liang Xiao: "In fact, the Prime Minister had already expected that Bashu would make such a proposal. He also estimated that the Gongsun family would probably ask for the purchase price at this price. As long as the Gongsun family allows the court to supervise the whereabouts of the salt, the court will never It's better to make a lot of money from them for nothing than to be at odds with them. All of this is thanks to you, and the salt production has been greatly increased."
Liang Xiao suddenly realized.
The Gongsun family paid part of the tax revenue to the Zhou treasury every year. At most, it was only three to four hundred thousand taels, and at least it was less than one hundred thousand taels.
Even so, the Gongsun family was much more kind than the other warlords.
Those warlords only paid tribute in name, but in fact they did not pay tribute at all. Duan Yunyi could only turn a blind eye at the moment.
Gongsun Yue can realize the impact that these official salts are about to bring, and it requires a certain amount of courage to make a decision on behalf of the Gongsun family in advance.
After Zhuge Hui was summoned to the palace, he also suggested supporting Gongsun Yue's proposal, but the Gongsun family must strictly accept the court's supervision of this batch of official salt.
As for the transaction, the Gongsun family had to pay the money privately, and they were still selling on behalf of the imperial court.
As for the price increase based on the official salt price of 50 cents, the Gongsun family must also find a reason that can be reconciled and not involve the court.
Gongsun Yue thought about it for a long time, and finally agreed to the matter. Both parties took what they needed, which was considered as satisfying each other's requirements.
After Gongsun Yue left, Zhuge Hui was in a good mood and asked: "Your Majesty, I hope to take Liang Xiao to the Prime Minister's Mansion to discuss the latest military research together and talk about the future."
"What's next?"
Duan Yunyi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of Zhuge Hui's words, his face flushed a little, and he felt inexplicably uneasy.
