Sima Hong took out a coin, a fifty-cent silver note from Wuwei Bank, and placed it in front of Huang Qiong. "Because there are less and less coins circulating among the people, transactions between the court and the private sector are becoming more and more complicated." The more we rely on Wuwei Bank’s banknotes. You see, the smallest denomination of Wuwei Bank’s banknotes has already reached 50 cents.”
"Now, more than 60% of all transactions on the market are using Wuwei Bank's silver notes instead of making money. Your Majesty, if things continue like this, in a few decades, all the wealth in the world will be controlled by Wuwei Bank. . Without the banknotes from Wuwei Bank, merchants can’t trade, and people can’t even maintain their daily lives.”
"The root of all this is the lack of copper in the court. If the court could supply enough copper, the price of copper would drop. Those unscrupulous merchants among the people would not melt down the money and cast it into copperware to make huge profits. Since the original prince Private parties can do this to make huge profits, so why can’t the court do the same?”
"What's more, these royal workshops cost a lot of money, but the annual output is not as much as a small private workshop. Not to mention that the output is too low, the cost of government-run workshops for utensils with the same texture and appearance is actually dozens of times that of private ones. . The low output is really intolerable. In this case, why not convert Jun Kiln into a private operation to reduce the burden on the court and give those kiln workers a way to survive?"
After hearing Sima Hong's words, Huang Qiong could not help but nod in his heart, even though there was no expression on his face. These so-called royal and government-run workshops are no different from the state-owned enterprises in my previous life. It's just that his products are only for royal use and are not sold on the market. The shortcomings of these imperial workshops are no different from those of state-owned enterprises in previous generations.
Product costs are high and efficiency is low. Coupled with the fact that high-ranking officials make big profits and small officials make small profits, those who really don’t have the power have to do something to steal others. The upper class is extremely rich, while the workers below are so poor that they can’t even put food on the table. But when it comes to restructuring, it's not that easy. How can those who benefit from it let go so easily?
The procurement and manufacturing of royal items is probably the most important problem in the world. That person doesn't want his head anymore and dares the emperor to tell the cost? Since cost is not a concern, the person in charge can naturally make a huge profit by using his or her own hands. The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are responsible for manufacturing, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications are responsible for allocating funds. This interest group is not one person, but a group of people.
Throughout the dynasties, no matter what the original intentions of these government-run workshops were, they would eventually become fat in the eyes of powerful people. Otherwise, there will be another dynasty where eggs cost five taels of silver each. There will never be a situation in a certain dynasty where bowstrings break as soon as they are pulled, and armors become transparent as soon as they are worn.
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong fell silent. After a long time, he said: "Three feet of ice is not a day's cold, and a single move can affect the whole body. According to Mr. Wang, these problems in the imperial workshops and craftsmen's households have been accumulated for nearly a hundred years, and they cannot be solved overnight." King Chen can submit it on his behalf, but how to solve it still requires a holy judgment, and even I, the King, cannot say more."
"Old sir, I also know that if I tell you the truth, you may not be able to accept it. But I think it is better to tell the truth. Judging from the current situation of the court, this matter may not be resolved in a short time. . But don’t be impatient, old gentleman, you still have to eat your food one bite at a time. Please rest assured, old gentleman, I will definitely not let your hard work go to waste.”
After hearing Huang Qiong's promise to Sima Hong, Su Jin had been quietly listening to the conversation between Huang Qiong and Sima Hong without interrupting. He frowned and wanted to say something, but looked at Sima Hong aside and said nothing in the end. He just cupped his hands to Huang Qiong and said, "Your Majesty, it's almost dark. We should go back, otherwise the family should be worried."
Hearing this, Huang Qiong turned his head and looked at Su Jin. After carefully looking at the situation in the room, he thought for a moment and said, "Old sir, we have disturbed you enough today. Let's say goodbye. However, before leaving, I still have something to say. The old gentleman is in such a difficult situation and is still working on state affairs. He is indeed a rare and good minister in Da Qi."
"Such a humble house with no wind in winter and no shade in summer is really a bit unfair to the old man. Zhuge Lu in Nanyang and Yunting in Xishu are nothing more than this. Why don't you come back to Zhengzhou with us? I will look for him for you." A quiet place with no one to disturb can also allow the elderly gentleman to relax and do these things."
"Thank you for your kindness, His Royal Highness. It is true that this place is a bit rough, but this is Lao Chan's hometown. It is better for people to return to their roots when they are old. Although Lao Chan does not know how to recite poems, he usually grows vegetables, flowers, and chickens. It’s not very interesting to do things like picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing Nanshan, so I don’t want to move around again.”
"If such a large family goes, it will only increase the burden on the prince. Therefore, I can only live up to the prince's love." Regarding Huang Qiong's invitation, Sima Hong shook his head and refused. Obviously, he didn't want to get too involved with Huang Qiong. Even though he was in Mizhou, a hundred miles away, he did not know anything about what the British king did after arriving in Zhengzhou.
The prince in front of him went on a killing spree in Zhengzhou twice, killing Zhengzhou government officials and officials, which made people panic. All the former officials of the Zhengzhou Prefecture were almost killed by this prince regardless of their civil or military skills. Although he also believed that those people were seeking death, he still believed in his heart that it was against the court's regulations to kill without going through the review of the three departments.
What's more, killing so many people at once would really harm Tianhe. Subconsciously, he regarded the British king as someone who wanted to kill. Deep down, he believed that the King of England was also a ruthless and unscrupulous person. Although he gave all his efforts to Huang Qiong, it was just that he wanted to take advantage of the conflict between the British king and the current prince.
As for the others, they were shackled on their shoulders and escorted to Beijing five years ago. After that, they were inexplicably sent to Longyou without even being given a chance to defend themselves, where they gnawed away at the sand for several years. His experiences in the past few years have taught him not to get too involved with these princes. It is better to keep a respectful distance from these young but scheming princes.
Seeing Sima Hong rejecting his kindness, Huang Qiong smiled and did not force it. He just pointed at Su Jin behind him and said: "In this case, I will not force Mr. Sima. If Mr. Sima wants to understand it in the future, or needs help and cannot find me, he can go to Zhengzhou Mansion. It’s the same thing with Magistrate Su.”
After declining Sima Hong's offer of a ride, Huang Qiong bowed her hand and walked out of the house first. But when he first came out, Liu Hu, who had been on guard in the yard, quickly stepped forward and said: "Master, I just received a report from several brothers who were arranged in the village. Some of them are unidentified, but they are well-dressed. The guy entered the village followed by several government officials."
"We don't know yet whether these people are coming for you. Master, should we avoid it? If those people are really coming for you, if there are masters among them, you can't take action easily. The rest of us may not be their opponents."
After hearing Liu Hu's report, Huang Qiong, who had always looked unhappy after coming out of Sima Hong's house, frowned slightly and said solemnly: "Why are you panicking? If they are really the remnants of the assassins, they will let you be honest. See them? If you can't keep calm over such a trivial matter, how can I, the king, entrust you with big things in the future? Have you found out who these people are?"
As if confirming Huang Qiong's words, Liu Hu didn't wait for him to answer. The village was already abuzz with cries and curses. The noise coming from the village made Huang Qiong's brows frown deeper and deeper. The hands hidden in the sleeves were clenched and released, as if they were barely suppressing the anger in their hearts.
Seeing Huang Qiong's downcast expression, Liu Hu did not dare to say anything and hurriedly sent someone to see what happened. But before the people he sent could get out of the yard, the simple door of Sima Hong's yard had already been kicked open. A few men in bright clothes and angry horses, accompanied by a few low-browed and obedient government servants, walked into the courtyard in a swaggering manner.
Seeing Huang Qiong and others standing in the yard, a middle-aged man who was obviously the leader was slightly startled. But after squinting at Huang Qiong and his group, he turned his attention back to Sima Hong, who came out after hearing something was wrong in the village, and said arrogantly: "Old man Sima, I have found you today. . Our great respecter said that he doesn’t care what official position you held in the past.”
"Now that you have been dismissed and become a white servant, you still have to pay taxes. But because he and you were officials in the same court, the tax arrears in the past can be exempted. Just transfer you from last year Just move here and make up for the current taxes. As for your inciting the people to fight against the government and refuse to pay taxes. Our Lord has a lot of money, so we will not pursue it anymore."
"Old Sima, I'm here to tell you today, you old guy, don't be too disrespectful. If you want to fight our Supreme Master to the end, I know who you are, but this Mizhou The yamen's whip doesn't recognize you. Think carefully about your old bones, and don't worry about your life coming in or your life going out. If you can't afford it, hand over your daughter-in-law to pay the debt."
"Your daughter-in-law, who can be regarded as the most beautiful woman in the country, has been famous for a long time. We will take her away today. If you don't pay her ransom within three days, don't blame us, Tai Zun." I won’t give you face. When Tai Zun has had enough fun, he will reward our brother with a few to try before selling them. Maybe by then, your son and we will also be brothers-in-law."
Huang Qiong, who was standing next to Sima Hong, motioned to Su Jin to stop Sima Hong, who was trembling with anger at what the guy said. Pushing aside Liu Hu's obstruction, he walked up to the guy and said with a smile, "I don't know if this official is from that yamen? Although I have little knowledge, I also know that it is official business to urge silk to pay taxes. Logically speaking, The officers should be wearing official uniforms."
"Why, a few of them came out in plainclothes today? Are these police officers not from the Zhizhou Yamen in Mizhou? Or are they not official officers? They are still poor in Mizhou, and they are not even given to their subordinates. Can’t afford to buy the officials’ soap clothes anymore? Or are some of them just pretending to be officials and cheating here?”
"I just came from Zhengzhou. I heard that the imperial court has exempted Zhengzhou Prefecture from three years of money and food. I don't know that your magistrate collected the money and food for that year. Are you relying on the emperor's imperial edict or Zhongshu Province? , Documents from the Ministry of Revenue?”
"According to the regulations of the imperial court, the land is owned by the clan, so no money and grain are paid to the imperial court. The people here used to be tenants of Prince Jing's Mansion. The land is also the land of Prince Jing's Mansion. Logically speaking, all the money and grain are You shouldn’t pay anymore. Even if you want to pay, you should go to King Jing. This poor man is here to collect money and food. I’m afraid he’s looking for the wrong person.”
