"Will Chang'an be short of firewood?"
In the private room on the second floor of Xinghua Building, Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look.
Chang'an is so big and the surrounding water system is developed. Is there still no trees? Why can't we cut firewood if there are trees?
How does that poem say, "Looking back at Chang'an, there are piles of embroidery." This means that there are many trees around Chang'an!
Fang Chongyong was a little confused as to why the people of Chang'an still lacked firewood.
"If nothing else, there are lush trees on both sides of the post road. Can't they be cut down?"
"Alas, you see that there are willows and mulberry trees planted on both sides of the Chang'an Post Road. These cannot be cut down.
Moreover, the mulberry trees planted by farmers in Guanzhong cannot be cut down, including those of their own family members.
Apart from all these, there are not many trees that can be cut down near Chang'an. All kinds of trees have been banned by the imperial court. "
Zheng Shuqing said helplessly.
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly in agreement. He just didn't know that Chang'an was short of firewood to such an extent, but he still had a rough idea of the rules and regulations promulgated by the government.
The government has regulations that stipulate that the people of Chang'an are not allowed to cut down trees everywhere. Moreover, this regulation was promulgated very early and in detail. It was made clear during the Zhenguan period.
If ordinary people cut down other people's mulberry trees to use as firewood for convenience, once they are caught, they will be sentenced to death for cutting down a few trees. No one had done this before, because there were quite a lot of trees around Chang'an, so the contradiction was not prominent. There are already many people taking desperate measures to secretly cut down trees, and Jingzhao Mansion can’t even catch them all.
What's more, at that time, many woods in the suburbs were "unowned land." But now, these woods are the private lands of wealthy families and royal families, and ordinary people cannot cut them down. If you really want to go, it's not non-negotiable. You just need to pay, which is similar to tax.
However, this tax is very heavy, and it basically helps the powerful to cut down trees.
So, what do ordinary people in Chang'an use to make fire and keep warm?
The answer is: Those who have a little money can buy firewood in the West Market, and those who have no money can go to the suburbs to find someone to buy "accessories" such as thatch, straw, and branches. The poorer ones bought some leftovers and focused on making fires for cooking, while they had to rely on shaking to keep warm.
"So, you, the charcoal user, can't get any firewood around Chang'an, right?"
Fang Chongyong asked with a sigh.
Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly. In fact, the matter was a bit complicated and not as simple and casual as he said.
The imperial court had a special organization to manage firewood, which was the Goudun Department under Sinong Temple. This was regarded as the counterpart of the central organization.
So where does the charcoal in Gou Shield Department come from?
The answer is, either private acquisition or from charcoal envoys.
As for the source of charcoal for charcoal makers, they either ask people to cut down the charcoal at designated locations and burn the charcoal, or they purchase it from the private sector.
The two actually have a certain competitive relationship.
If you ask people to cut down wood and burn charcoal, you must activate the sex service. It requires the cooperation of the sex service, which is also a troublesome thing.
The current situation is that this year's corvee has been distributed. If the corvee is launched again, it will be a pure apportionment, which is more difficult to implement locally. And if you spend money to buy it, the price of firewood has skyrocketed now, and this thing will not break down if you keep it, so it is quite suitable for hoarding.
It seems that profiteers in Chang'an are constantly buying firewood and pushing up the price of firewood. If charcoal dealers forcefully purchase charcoal regardless of price, it will only make firewood more expensive.
And even after spending a lot of money, I couldn’t buy enough firewood, let alone charcoal made from firewood.
How could the nobles in the palace use wood to make a fire for heating? Even for charcoal heating, they had to find a way to get the highest grade!
So after going around in a circle, the charcoal user's trouble finally turned into a "natural disaster + man-made disaster" pattern.
Because there is already a shortage, so under the guidance of market scarcity, some people hoard, causing the shortage of things to become even more scarce.
When the price of firewood increases, the price of other daily necessities will also increase. The charcoal needed by the palace and officials (they do not use firewood) comes from two different channels: the Charcoal Envoy and the Hook Shield Department.
When two monks are carrying water to eat, quarreling is inevitable.
Not long after Zheng Shuqing took office, he was at a disadvantage in the struggle with the Goudun Department.
After all, the Goudun Department does not have the ability to initiate corvee labor. Outsiders would think that the main responsibility for the shortage of firewood in Chang'an lies with the Charcoal Envoy.
However, regardless of these things, even if Zheng Shuqing and the Goudun Department can unite and cooperate, there is no way to completely solve Chang'an's shortage of firewood.
It's like a family living off the harvest in the field. Even if the parents can divide everyone's share fairly, if there is a bad harvest, everyone will be hungry. It is impossible to fundamentally solve hunger. question.
It's the same thing.
"In winter, there is a huge need for firewood. But the canal is frozen, and firewood cannot come from other places by waterway, so this matter is quite difficult, right?
When summer comes, there is no need to worry about firewood. At that time, Zheng Yushi was probably dismissed from office. "
Fang Chongyong said thoughtfully, taking a sip of the "Winter Drinking Zi" specially provided in Xinghua Tower.
Suddenly a familiar taste fills your mouth!
He took another sip, his expression was strange, he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.
Zheng Shuqing thought that he was on his way out, so he quickly lowered his voice, showed an ambiguous smile that all men knew, and said: "The prescription in the palace is for aphrodisiacs. If you don't mend those two little goblins in your family, I will find it difficult to deal with them." ah."
"It turns out to be a recipe from the palace."
Fang Chongyong sighed, this move from export to domestic sales is simply a waste! No wonder my mouth is full of the strange smell of "Shunqi Cynomorium Tea". It turns out the source is here!
"Yes, you are right. In winter, the trees are withered, but they are used more. How can there be no shortage? The more there is a shortage, the more people will act weird."
"It's like talking about this money, right?"
Fang Chongyong took out a few poorly made copper coins from his sleeves, placed them in front of Zheng Shuqing and continued:
"It seems that all the good money in the Chang'an market has been taken away by others. They collect the good money, re-cast it, turn it into bad money, and then put it into circulation on the market.
I guess that a lot of firewood was collected and maybe used for this purpose. "
Fang Chongyong sneered and pushed the copper coin in front of Zheng Shuqing.
"You're talking about this...many of the emperor's relatives are doing it."
Zheng Shuqing shook his head helplessly. His family was rich, so naturally he wouldn't care about this. But many poor families will suffer losses if they receive bad money.
"Folk privately minted weight-reducing money includes goose-eye money, iron-tin money, partial furnace money, hourly money, edge money, etc. You see, this is the most common goose-eye money. It has a big hole in the middle and is much lighter than good money. few.
Although it is roughly made and has many rough edges, it can be recognized at a glance. But there are too many people using it, and there are too few official Kaiyuan Tongbao issued by the government, which naturally allows bad money to run rampant. Rich businessmen collected the good money they received and used it in bad money, so that there was more and more bad money in the market.
These are all due to human nature, which seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages. "
Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong explained what bad money was.
Even though bad money seems to have nothing to do with firewood, in fact, more and more bad money on the market is made by private mints and gradually diluted into the transaction process. If the amount and purpose of firewood can be controlled, private casting can also be suppressed to a certain extent.
Of course, the wealthy businessmen who participated in the private casting were backed by high-ranking officials and powerful people, even relatives of the emperor.
Zheng Shuqing would not care about such things if it was not necessary.
"I understand, let me think of a way. This matter is not easy to handle."
Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said.
Hearing what he said, Zheng Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief. If Fang Chongyong said that he could definitely solve it and it would be done in just three clicks, then Zheng Shuqing wouldn't believe such nonsense.
Precisely because the other party was very conservative in what he said, he had a chance to resolve the matter in reverse.
Zheng Shuqing took out an envelope from his sleeve, pushed it in front of Fang Chongyong and said, "It's a trivial matter, not respectful."
Fang Chongyong took the envelope and took out the paper inside and looked at it. It was a receipt from a bank in Chang'an, which was the so-called "flying money". Zheng from Xingyang had already paid the money. Zheng Shuqing could withdraw money from a serial bank in Chang'an.
Similar "financial institutions" are now very popular in Chang'an. But to truly become the standard model of large-scale transactions in the Tang Dynasty, it would have to wait until the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period when Jiedushi was arrogant and Qiu Ba's behavioral art became popular.
This piece of paper is worth ten thousand silk. The small yard of Fang Chongyong's house may not even be able to accommodate the pile. Of course, he could exchange it for valuable cloth, but the quantity wouldn't be that much.
"what do you mean?"
Fang Chongyong asked with an unhappy expression.
"Hey, I mean that."
"You're not interesting enough."
Fang Chongyong handed the envelope to Zheng Shuqing, sighed and said, "Just think of it as doing something for the people of Chang'an. There is no need to collect money."
"Even a saint has to spend money. Ah, I'm not talking about the saint from Chang'an.
Even if you don’t spend money, wouldn’t your beautiful little lady at home buy rouge and gouache? Don’t want to buy silk satin? Don’t I have to dress up beautifully to show you?
When you have children in the future, won’t they need to study or learn from a teacher? Where is the money not needed?
There’s nothing wrong with keeping it. "
Zheng Shuqing said with a serious face.
"Things outside the body are of no use. Life is like duckweed. Maybe it will be gone one day. Worrying about these will only make the knife in your hand slow down.
Don't worry, I will definitely think of a good way for you to do what I promised you. "
Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, stood up and left.
Of course you can take Zheng Shuqing's money, but instead of taking his money, it's better to take Brother Ji's to avoid false accusations.
Fang Chongyong made a very clear calculation in his mind. Lao Zheng's status was different from that of the past, and he had to be very cautious when dealing with interests.
There will be chaos in the future, and the extravagant wealth at home will be like fireflies in the dark, attracting countless jealous people.
Why add trouble to yourself for no reason?
…
Late at night, on Fang Chongyong's bedroom bed, three people were huddled back and forth in a big quilt, like three insects.
"Go to sleep, what's going on with you guys?"
Fang Chongyong sighed, and the two girls beside him hugged him tightly, and the cold, smooth and soft touch continued to come, making him unable to move.
"It's really cold. Don't move. Alang is my body just for keeping warm."
Anaye whispered.
"Haha, doesn't Alang know the former King Qi? In the past, King Qi was unwilling to use charcoal to heat himself in winter and felt suffocated. He first asked the maids in the palace to warm his body, and then took off all his clothes. Hug each other for warmth.
After the palace maid's body is cold, she will change to another one.
Now I am holding Alang to keep warm. I am just imitating King Qi. "
Wang Yunxiu said while teasing. She knows a lot of secrets about the palace, but she can only say that there are too many ugly things in the royal family. Under the glamorous appearance, there are all dirty and dirty things.
"I have to say, this King Qi is really good at playing, and you are also good at playing."
Fang Chongyong said helplessly.
The three of them had played obscene sex games all over in the middle of the night. Now that everyone was tired and didn't want to move, the two girls used themselves as heaters.
Haha, it is really difficult to raise a villain and a woman!
Fang Zhongyong secretly complained in his heart, but his arms hugged the two girls tighter.
"Alang, charcoal in Chang'an is getting more and more expensive now. In your salary last month, you no longer received charcoal, but received firewood instead. Although the quantity is large, it has not been burned at all, and the smoke is still huge.
Nowadays, businessmen want to deliver charcoal to our home every day, is it really not possible? What a pity! When he was in Shazhou, Alang accepted whatever was given as a gift, except for women who didn't want it. "
Anaye asked softly.
These two women hugged Fang Chongyong to keep warm without wearing any clothes. That's not because they couldn't afford floor heating at home!
If they could afford to heat the floor, the three of them would have been sweating profusely and sticky next to each other. If they meet each other, they will dislike each other, so how can they hold each other tightly?
"As an official in Chang'an, if you are not corrupt, you really can't afford charcoal for floor heating. The floor heating under our house has not been turned on since the beginning of winter. The iron door is covered with dust. Similar to There’s no need to say it, it’s meaningless.”
Fang Chongyong shook his head helplessly and said. Under Brother Ji's eyes, this willful and ruthless emperor would laugh if he didn't come to his house to snatch women away. How dare he spend money randomly!
The source of the huge income is unknown. If Brother Ji really asked, Fang Chongyong would not be able to answer.
Just now, Fang Chongyong just mentioned the miserable treatment of an eighth-grade official in Chang'an.
Since the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the imperial salary has been divided into two parts: monthly salary and lumi, and there are some messes.
It's not easy to measure how much it is, but people generally like to convert it into stone meters.
Basically, if charcoal is not paid as a salary, then the eighth-rank official will definitely not take the initiative to buy charcoal, because with his own salary, he cannot afford it or use it.
Even Fang Chongyong can't afford to heat the floor without spending "grey income". So how can ordinary officials survive the winter if they are not corrupt?
Only God knows.
"It would be nice if we could mine coal."
Fang Chongyong murmured to himself.
"Yes, there is a lot of charcoal on the east side of the river, and it is used in the military camp.
Two days ago, my father wrote back and asked how our life was after marriage, and also talked about the Hedong military camp.
Heating in Hedong is so convenient. "
Wang Yunxiu couldn't help but complain. She actually doesn't like Chang'an at all. Everything here is expensive, there are too many rules, and there is a lustful emperor who messes around every day.
"The east of the river? It's a bit far, and the water far away won't quench the thirst of those near you."
Fang Chongyong put his hands on the heads of the two girls as if petting a cat, and ruffled their hair, but he was thinking about other things.
People in Zhumen froze to death because of the smell of wine and meat. In fact, a big reason why this happened was that the price of firewood in Chang'an skyrocketed, and the poor could not cut firewood, so they had to freeze to death.
If coal from a certain place could be brought to Chang'an for use, fewer people would freeze to death.
…
The next day, Fang Chongyong came to the Calyx Xianghui Building in Xingqing Palace and reported to Ji Ge about the recruitment of Guanzhong Yongzhuang. The results of the assessment disappointed Ji Ge.
There is not a single qualified candidate in Chang'an!
"Sage, the weather is getting colder, and I have a low salary and cannot afford charcoal. Please ask the saint to give me charcoal to survive the winter."
Seeing Li Longji deep in thought, Fang Chongyong crossed his hands and saluted and asked.
"I think there are a lot of people sending money and charcoal to your house now, so Aiqing must be a little bit greedy. I just pretend I don't know."
Li Longji laughed and shook his head, and continued: "I don't have much inventory in my inner treasury."
"Is Charcoal already so nervous now?"
Fang Chongyong asked pretending to be "surprised".
"Yes, Zheng Shuqing is not doing things well. I really misjudged the wrong person."
Li Longji said very disappointed.
(End of chapter)
