Xiao Changwu's eyes widened when he saw the emperor's younger brother in front of him counting the banknotes with Shao Xi and haggling from time to time.
My heart says that you two don't act like a king, and you don't act like a minister. You are just like a pair of profiteers studying how to make money. You have completely lost your previous appearance of being a wise and wise minister.
This completely refreshed Xiao Changwu's understanding.
But seeing the thick stack of banknotes on the imperial case, each one easily worth hundreds or thousands of taels, Xiao Changwu couldn't help but get closer and ask what the two of them were doing.
Shao Xi quickly explained to Xiao Changwu how he had done business in partnership with the emperor Xiao Changyi, and how Xiao Changyi used the royal funds to fund him.
Now that it's time for dividends at the end of the year, this is the revenue share that I gave Xiao Changyi.
Xiao Changwu was dumbfounded when he heard Shao Xi talking nonsense.
My heart said, what? This kid actually teamed up with his younger brother, the emperor, to do business? Actually it still bears the royal name? You two are really good at playing, right?
One moment they were talking about the people of the country and the world's major events, and the next moment they were getting together to count the banknotes and study how much they could earn in the coming year. This kind of subversion of three views really made Xiao Changwu unable to react at once.
After so many years, he also knew that Xiao Changyi, the emperor, did not do it easily. In order to govern the Jingyuan Dynasty, he really had to take care of everything and worked hard.
Every year, the part of the tax money paid by the people that is allocated to the royal family is reduced and reduced again and again. The only thing is to take it from the people and use it for the people. The taxes paid by the people must be used back to the people.
Raising the army to prepare for war all year round and building city gates are very expensive. Xiao Changyi also allocates money from the royal internal funds from time to time to reduce the pressure on the treasury.
Although the royal family cannot be said to be frugal in food and clothing, they have indeed vigorously promoted frugality in recent years, and they save as much as possible on daily food expenses.
Even many of the royal palaces are in disrepair and are in urgent need of money for repairs.
But despite this, the Jingyuan Empire has been financially tight all year round. This is not because Xiao Changyi is so happy with his achievements and spends extravagantly, but it is indeed because he has been at war with Dongmu Kingdom all year round and has a huge military expenditure.
Although the surrounding states paid tribute every year, they were actually here to collect wool. The value of every gift given back by the Jingyuan Dynasty far exceeded the tribute, and this part of the annual expenditure alone was also quite large.
In addition, the Jingyuan Empire needs to develop agricultural commerce and handicraft industry, reclaim wasteland, build new cities, and dig canals. How can these things not require a large amount of money?
Even he, the prince, took the initiative to reduce his own estate and salary in order to share the pressure for his younger brother who was the emperor, in order to reduce the economic pressure on the people and thereby reduce the financial burden on the court.
But even so, corruption and bribery are still prevalent in the DPRK, and a large amount of wealth still slips into the pockets of corrupt officials and profiteers.
In the hearts of many people, there is no thought of family and country at all, and they do not hesitate to harm the interests of the country for their own selfishness.
Competing with the royal family for profit is fine. Competing with the people for profit is tantamount to subverting the foundation of the dynasty.
Xiao Changyi and Xiao Changwu were not incompetent monarchs or important ministers, so they were heartbroken to face this repeated trend.
In recent years, although efforts have been made to rectify the corruption, little effect has been achieved. Some ministers are eating the salaries of the Jingyuan Dynasty, but they are liaising with foreign countries and betraying the interests of the dynasty. This is why there is such a thing as "reverence". "Chengsi" exists.
Originally, the Yushitai had the function of supervising all officials in the court. However, due to the collusion of interests in the officialdom, even ministries such as the Yushitai would inevitably be eroded.
In desperation, the "Jingcheng Department" was established as an exclusive department that only belonged to the royal emperor.
As for the inspection history of the "Jingcheng Division", what Shao Xi has done so far has indeed made Xiao Changyi and Xiao Changwu very satisfied.
Rather than being seized by corrupt officials and profiteers, it would be better for Shao Xi to recycle the wealth in this way like now.
When Xiao Changwu understood that Shao Xi and Xiao Changyi were gathering money for the royal family in this way, he couldn't help but sigh. He didn't expect that the two of them had come up with such a way to subsidize funds. It was really not easy!
In the future, people like Shao Xi are indeed needed to rectify the court and boost the imperial outline, and the more the better.
Only those who are principled and flexible in doing things can truly change the status quo, make the government in the court more harmonious, and make the world more peaceful.
Xiao Changwu looked at Xiao Changyi sitting in front of the imperial cabinet like a child and counting the banknotes, and felt a little sorry for the emperor's younger brother.
Everyone in the world thinks that the person sitting on the throne is in charge of the world and is extravagant. However, a few people know that the price to pay for being a wise king is far greater than being a good minister.
He spent his whole life working for the benefit of the people of the world and stabilizing the foundation of the dynasty for his ancestors. In the end, all he got for himself was the reputation of a wise king.
And this reputation can only be remembered by two or three generations.
But if you don't do it well, you will not only be infamy for the rest of your life, but you will also be spread word of mouth and be infamy for thousands of years.
People are like this, they forget their kindness quickly and remember their grudges very hard.
Therefore, building an imperial family is not as easy as ordinary people imagine. If there are one or two unscrupulous sons, it will completely defeat the achievements created by the ancestors.
Therefore, emperors like Xiao Changyi and princes like Xiao Changwu are actually really thirsty for talents. They hope that they can have one or two more magnanimous, honest, and outstanding ministers to help their Xiao family govern the world. Solid foundation.
This is why Xiao Changyi has always been very tolerant of Shao Xi. As long as Shao Xi can do practical things, Xiao Changyi doesn't care what methods and means Shao Xi uses.
After understanding this, Xiao Changwu's favorable impression of Shao Xi further improved. The facts before him had proved to him that Xiao Changyi's praise for Shao Xi was not exaggerated.
That thick stack of silver notes, at least for now, is the most intuitive proof to Xiao Changwu of Shao Xi's ability to make money.
Ministers who can make money for the monarch are often the most favored by the emperor. Historically, Heshen can be said to be an unprecedented and unprecedented greedy person in history. But why did Emperor Qianlong always be so tolerant of him?
It was because of Heshen's strong ability to collect money that he solved many financial problems for Emperor Qianlong.
A person will go hungry if he has no money, and the same is true for a dynasty. Whether legitimate or improper means are used, at least Heshen can share the pressure and solve the problem for Qianlong.
In contrast, the money he personally embezzled was not worth mentioning in Qianlong's eyes. This proves from a certain perspective how important a minister who can make money is to the monarch.
Of course, Shao Xi is not someone like He Shen. Shao Xi makes money not by greed, but by his business acumen.
Although he has the power granted by the royal family, his power only allows him to do things conveniently, rather than using his power for personal gain and relying on the power in his hands to make money.
Moreover, while Shao Xi is making money by operating industries, he is also making every effort to develop private education and talent training.
Whether you are opening a bookstore or establishing a school, while making money, you are also doing things that benefit the country and the people.
The lessons of history often remind Shao Xi that he must not let himself become like He Shen. It is okay to make money and he is not afraid of being greedy, but he must never be insatiable.
Xiao Changwu was deeply impressed when he learned that Shao Xi had improved the techniques of papermaking and printing, and had opened a bookstore and founded a school.
It can be seen that Shao Xi's means of making money are legitimate and his purpose is legitimate. While he is self-interested, he is always doing things that are beneficial to the people and the country.
Xiao Changwu praised Shao Xi unabashedly, and Shao Xi accepted it without hesitation.
Originally, I did not do these things for the sake of fame and reputation. Maybe the pattern was not opened up at the beginning. I just wanted to help my mentors Bai Dinggong and Liu Xingzhai expand the influence of "The Theory of World Governance".
It was only on a whim that I started to think more deeply about opening a school.
But regardless of the initial motivation, the final result was good, and Shao Xi naturally followed the trend.
To be fair, at first Shao Xi just wanted to gain a foothold in the court, out of personal standpoint, but now that what he is doing can benefit the people and the court, Shao Xi is naturally happy to see it happen.
However, in the eyes of Xiao Changyi and Xiao Changwu, this was a sign of Shao Xi's long-term vision and the world's ambition, which instead brought greater convenience to Shao Xi.
Not to mention it was a coincidence, but it was indeed the right time.
At this time, Xiao Changwu also seemed to be interested in the deal that Shao Xi and Xiao Changyi were doing together.
So he asked Shao Xi: "Before, the Holy Lord was full of praises for Lord Shao, and I still had doubts. Now it seems that Lord Shao is really full of fantastic ideas. Since the business cooperation between the Holy Lord and Lord Shao has so many benefits, I don't know if I can Is there any chance that Wang will get involved?"
Xiao Changwu's words made Shao Xi and Xiao Changyi look up at him at the same time, as if they were both surprised by this.
Xiao Changyi even stopped counting the banknotes with a curious expression on his face.
Seeing the two of them staring at him like this, Xiao Changwu looked embarrassed for a moment, and felt that he seemed a little abrupt.
"King Xin is also interested in participating?"
Seeing Shao Xi asking himself, Xiao Changwu smiled and nodded. Of course he wanted to participate in such a business that benefits others and himself.
After all, his Prince's Palace has been advocating frugality over the years. As a prince, he does not have much money, so of course he does not want to miss this opportunity to make some extra money.
But who would have expected that Xiao Changyi's words at this time almost made Shao Xi and Xiao Changwu fall to the ground, almost completely overturning the image of the emperor in their hearts.
"Fifth brother, do you want to buy a share? First tell me how much capital you will contribute! Brothers, please settle the accounts clearly. If the capital contribution is small, don't compete with me for dividends."
