Water transportation in the Northern Song Dynasty was generally divided into four routes.
The grain on Huainan West Road flows from the south of the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River, and then to Beijing via the Bianhe River. This can greatly save transportation time and significantly reduce costs.
After the imperial court opened the warehouse, the people in Beijing were indeed much more stable.
Inside Cheng'an Hall.
Cao An stood in the corner, still acting as a transparent person.
The prime ministers and the queen mother were discussing national policies. The little emperor was listening with great interest. No one paid attention to him. Cao An was also happy and relaxed, leaning against the pillar and dozing off now and then.
"Cao An."
After Liu E finished talking about the business, she looked back, anger suddenly rising on her wrinkled face.
Shuzi!
The Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty, who had always been gentle and dignified, suddenly lost her manners, grabbed the memorial in front of her, threw it in Cao An's face, and said angrily.
"Here comes someone..."
"Mom!"
Cao An was so frightened that he jumped on the spot and said with a confused look on his face: "What happened? But the bandit army came in? Hurry, protect the Queen Mother!"
"..."
The prime ministers and ministers were stupid, and the little emperor was also dull.
Liu E's face was green and red, and she gritted her teeth and said angrily: "You bastard, what nonsense are you talking about! Are you sleeping stupid? Someone, drag him down! Let him wake up and wake up!"
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
Cao An suddenly came to his senses, bowed and said: "I have violated the rules in front of the palace, I am guilty!"
Are you afraid now?
late!
"Someone, drag me out!"
Liu E's anger couldn't go away, hum! This kid is a very bold man. If he is not severely punished, he may not be what he will become in the future.
"Your Majesty, I forgive you. I didn't mean it. I'm really trapped!"
Cao An hurriedly cried and begged for mercy: "I haven't slept for two days since I took the errand to sell grain... I have eaten and lived in the granary, and I am almost turning into a rat."
Pfft.
Zhao Zhen couldn't help laughing.
The prime ministers and assistants could not help but shake their heads.
Lu Yijian smiled, handed over his hands and left, saying: "Your Majesty, this boy must be really tired. For the sake of his devoted efforts for the imperial court... I beg Your Majesty, please forgive me this time."
After all, Cao An was recommended by him, so he should protect him.
Moreover, the reason why people behave inappropriately in front of the palace is because they are tired from working for the court. If this is also punished, then who will do their best in the future?
There were many people in the court eating and waiting to die, which made Cao An's move even more valuable.
Zhao Zhen glanced at Cao An with some approval, and also begged: "Yes, Queen Mother! Cao An also worked hard for the country, and he accidentally lost his manners, so please forgive him this time."
Liu E had long since calmed down, but she could not help but laugh as well.
Although he knew that this boy was lying, Cao An did contribute a lot to the grain sale. The scene just now was just to scare him.
"Next time, just go to the Criminal Punishment Department yourself!"
"Yes! I thank the Queen Mother for your kindness!"
Cao An breathed a sigh of relief and stood up straight in the blink of an eye.
After the little farce ended, Zhang Zhibai stood up.
"Report to the Queen Mother."
Lao Zhang smiled and glanced at Cao An before continuing: "This time the imperial court opened a warehouse to sell grain, which not only stabilized the market price, but also invisibly added a large amount of income to the imperial court."
As he said this, he took out a memorial from his pocket and handed it to the chamberlain. He smiled and said: "Zhang Zhao from the Third Division handed over the memorial this morning, and he almost praised Cao An. It is said that with this income, the imperial court will be able to do this this year." It will be a lot more comfortable."
The Song Dynasty had money, but there were more places to spend it.
The national finances are all fixed, so how difficult is it to open up the funds?
Zhang Zhao, a money bag, spends every day besides eating and sleeping, thinking about how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. He wants to fart and want to break out two copper coins.
"It's good..."
Liu E flipped through the memorial and couldn't help but nod. She pretended to be cold and said: "It's just that his temper is too bad and he needs to be disciplined! Didn't Fan Zhongyan take good care of this kid? Tell him to be harsh and treat him well." Control it!”
"yes."
Zhang Zhibai suppressed his laughter, nodded and said, "I will pass this message to Kaifeng Mansion later."
All the kings and ministers in the palace were laughing, but Cao An's eyes were dull.
He stared blankly at Liu E's side face, cursing countless times in his heart... It's a pity that he was under the eaves, so he really couldn't control this matter.
Damn it, I can't bear it!
Liu E ignored Cao An's strange look and said cheerfully: "Zhang Zhao said that he suggested that the court use this method to deal with the old grain that cannot be hoarded in the future. Do you think it is feasible?"
"What's wrong with this?"
Lu Yijian still looked domineering as before: "If anyone dares to slander, they feel that they are being touched! Don't worry, Queen Mother, I will be the first to whip them!"
If wholesale is changed to retail, there will naturally be no profit.
However, Lao Lu had spoken, and the group below could only endure it. What, you still dare to break up with Lao Lu? Come! It depends on whether the old man smokes or not, and you are finished.
Outside the hall, the waiter came in softly.
"Report to the Queen Mother, Yindu knows to see you."
"..."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly solidified.
Everyone turned their heads and stared at him...
The little chamberlain shivered with fright. He could even clearly see the changes on the faces of the monarchs and ministers, from smiles to indifference, in just one breath!
Later, Yin Wuyun came in with his head lowered.
"My lord, Yin Wuyun, pays homage to Your Majesty, the Queen Mother!"
He knew that he was not welcome, so he went straight to the point: "News came from Huainan East Road that the grain ship accidentally ran aground when passing through the junction of the Huai and Bian rivers. Two of the grain ships were sunk because of their excessive speed."
really!
He never comes with good news...
Liu E sighed: "Is it serious? Will it delay the time to enter Beijing? How much will be lost?"
"The loss is not big, about two thousand stones. The local government has begun to cooperate with the dredging of the channel. It will take up to two days to set off."
Yin Wuyun answered everything in detail.
"That's okay, it's not a big deal."
Zhang Zhibai breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Now that the market price has stabilized, the people are not as panicked as before. Even if it is a few days late, we can catch up."
Before, everyone rushed to stock up on food because they were panicked.
Now that the court has opened a warehouse, people can buy food at any time, and the price is stable, so there is no need to rob. If the food on Huainan West Road is one day early or one day late, it doesn't matter.
Yin Wuyun continued: "The major grain stores in the city have also opened their warehouses."
"What's the price?"
"It's currently seventeen cents!"
"Haha, can't you bear it anymore?"
Lu Yijian sneered: "These businessmen are really only interested in profit! They have such hard bones! If we wait a few more days, all the food will rot in the warehouse!"
"only……"
Yin Wuyun tilted his head and glanced at him, then continued: "The news of the shipwreck has spread, and there are even rumors that the shipwreck caused heavy losses and the imperial court may not have enough food to survive the winter."
The king and his ministers were silent again.
really……
As soon as he shows up, something bad will happen!
Liu E's face suddenly turned cold: "Who is spreading rumors? Has anyone been caught?"
Yin Wuyun said helplessly: "He is already dead. When I led people to find him, only the body was left."
"conspiracy!"
Zhang Zhibai suddenly raised his head and said coldly: "Go and investigate! Find the perpetrators. They must have back-up plans... People who deceive the public with their monstrous words will not regret their death!"
