Just when Zhou Shun and Li Hua left the capital, someone in the palace hall could no longer hold back and pointed the finger at King Yan again.
After Zhou Shun and Li Hua sent the letter to the palace, the emperor stayed at Qingxin Palace that night. The news that night spread to the Prince's Palace and Prince Qi's Palace. Although I don't know the specific content of the letter, I can generally guess that it must be related to the details. Salt is related.
Naturally, the Xue family, Zhang family, and Dai family, who control the salt mine business, will not let it continue to develop.
Above the court, a person slowly walked out of the train, bowed to Zhao Wuji on the throne and saluted: "Your Majesty, Xue Kui, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, has something to report."
Zhao Wuji frowned, but did not look at Xue Kui. Instead, he raised his eyes and glanced at Xue Qing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, and Meng Xiangli, the Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel. The two supported Qi Wang Zhao Tong and Prince Zhao Chong respectively. The two old foxes lowered their eyebrows.
Many times, the minister would not directly report the matter, but would let the left and right ministers do it on his behalf. When the emperor was unsure, they would stand up and give him reasonable suggestions.
Zhao Wuji looked back at Xue Kui and said, "What did Xue Aiqing say?"
"Your Majesty, I am impeaching King Zhao Bin of Yan. King Zhao Bin of Yan secretly made salt in Yancheng and sold large quantities to the nomads in the north. Since the founding of our country in Daxia, the law has long stipulated that salt and iron cannot be sold privately to the nomads in the north. , King Yan’s actions are contrary to national laws and despise the imperial power. It is really treasonous and unethical. Please investigate strictly."
Just as Xue Kui finished speaking, several more people walked out of the train.
"The right minister of the Ministry of Officials, Zhang Ju, seconded the proposal."
"Pan Ling, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, seconded the proposal"
"Second by Dai Jinde, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce"
"minister......"
After a while, seven or eight officials stood in the center of the court. These people were either the children of the three big families serving as officials in the court, or the people who were vassals of the three big families.
Zhao Wuji was not angry. He had long expected that someone would make a fuss about this matter.
He did not speak, but glanced at the other officials, his eyes lingering on the faces of Fang Shutong, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Liu Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
How could these veteran officials not know what the emperor meant? Naturally, they had known for a long time that King Yan used seawater to make salt and then exchanged the salt for a large number of cattle, sheep, and horses.
The three big families didn't say anything because they thought it was not time yet. Now that the matter has been put on the table, and the emperor has not expressed his position, it means he acquiesced.
The emperor was naturally displeased to see the three wealthy families making huge profits from the salt business every year, and the other families were naturally jealous.
Fang Shutong, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, coughed slightly and walked out of the train and said: "Let me tell you, Your Majesty, I have heard about this matter, but I heard that His Highness King Yan is not selling salt to make gold and silver.
Instead, the salt was exchanged for a large number of cattle, sheep, and horses. His Highness the King of Yan did not take these cattle, sheep, and horses as his own, but distributed them to the people of Yan City for working and raising, reclaiming wasteland, and restoring people's livelihood.
The veteran feels that although this move has disadvantages, it also has advantages. In addition, I heard that some of those war horses were handed over to the defenders of Yancheng, and some of them have rushed to the imperial city. "
Dai Yan walked out of the train at this time and said: "I would like to report to the emperor that what Mr. Fang said is inappropriate. Mr. Fang said that King Yan was not selling salt. It is simply ridiculous.
Nomads are known to barter. Is bartering not a transaction? This move not only violates national law, but is also an act of seeking small profits at the expense of greater justice.
If the country's laws are arbitrarily changed just because there are tens of thousands of livestock, wouldn't it disrupt the country's foundation? What if everyone follows suit in the future? "
"I second my opinion, it is a matter of national law and must be severely punished to set an example." As soon as Dai Yan finished speaking, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue immediately stood up and said.
Regarding salt, it concerns the Zhang family, the Xue family, and the Dai family. Although the three families have their own plans in competing for the throne, in this matter, the three families absolutely do not want one more person to compete with them for the market.
Zhao Wuji sat on the dragon chair with an expressionless face, but he was secretly feeling sad in his heart, "Xue Qing, that old bastard is still so sinister. He raised the matter to a higher level as soon as he opened his mouth, just like before."
Xue Qing, the Zhang family, and the Fang family were all his supporters back then. Xue Qing was still his father-in-law, but the cooperation between the two parties was limited. Now they are no longer teammates, but opponents.
Xue Qing wants to cultivate new agents for the future of the Xue family. He wants to support the next prince to ensure that the power of the Xue family continues to grow. Zhao Wuji naturally did not want to see any aristocratic family become too powerful, because that would threaten the imperial power or even replace it.
While Zhao Wuji was deep in thought, Liu Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, walked out of the queue and said: "Your Majesty, I think what Master Fang, Master Dai and Master Xue said are reasonable.
First, His Highness King Yan has researched a method of producing salt from seawater, which can greatly increase the production of salt and alleviate the current situation of salt shortage in our country. This is a great achievement;
Secondly, King Yan secretly sold salt to foreigners, which was a serious crime;
Thirdly, His Highness the King of Yan distributed the exchanged cattle and sheep to the people and did not keep them for himself, which shows that he had no selfish motives. Now that the farming labor force in Yancheng has been solved, the cattle and sheep can breed on their own in the future, so there is no need to talk to the Xianbei people. Then exchange for cattle and sheep.
The salt will be gone after eating it, and it will not shake the country's foundation. The emperor can issue an order to His Highness King Yan not to sell salt to foreigners privately. In addition, the method of salt training must be handed over to the court to make up for the past. "
Of course Liu Wenda was not trying to protect King Yan. His purpose was to transfer the salt-making method. As long as the salt-making method reached the court, it would naturally be handed over to the Ministry of Household Affairs.
And Liu Shangjin, the left minister of the Ministry of Hubu, is a descendant of his Liu family, which means that it is in the hands of his Liu family. Although Xue Qing is the minister of the Ministry of Hubu, the Xue family does not have a seaside, and the Liu family, which is close to the coast, is naturally the final beneficiary.
After listening to Liu Wenda's memorial, Zhao Wuji also understood his little thoughts, but that was not important.
An imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth, and he immediately said: "Well, what you all said is reasonable. The laws of the country cannot be abolished. King Yan secretly trades with foreigners without the permission of the court, and must be severely punished...
Hearing this, the official children of the Xue, Zhang, and Dai families in the hall all showed a hint of joy, but before they could laugh, Zhao Wuji changed the topic and continued.
"However, the method of producing salt from seawater invented by King Yan is indeed of great significance in the past and can greatly alleviate the problem of insufficient salt mines in Daxia.
Moreover, the cattle, horses and sheep that King Yan obtained in exchange were not kept privately, but distributed to the people, which shows his love for the people.
Liu Zhi sent an order to King Yan to hand over the method of salt training to the court, and ordered him to think about his mistakes behind closed doors and read the laws of Daxia thoroughly. "
"Old slave obeys the order."
As soon as Zhao Wuji finished speaking, he saw Zhang Ju, the right servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs above the main hall, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing: "No, Your Majesty, how can this sea salt be edible? The people of Daxia have always only eaten mineral salt and well salt. How have they ever eaten it?" Sea salt, besides, this sea salt can easily kill people, Your Majesty."
The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Xue Kui, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel, also immediately agreed.
Zhao Ren, the Minister of Rites, spoke softly: "Presumably King Yan has thought of a solution to this matter, otherwise the Xianbei people will exchange for sea salt again and again.
Moreover, you can also choose a place to try this on the people. If no one dies, it proves that the sea salt is indeed edible. "
"But..." Zhang Ju wanted to say something else.
A cold light flashed in Zhao Ren's eyes, and he asked unceremoniously: "Isn't Mr. Zhang afraid that this sea salt will steal your Zhang family's mineral salt business? That's why I'm trying to stop him here."
Although this Minister of Rites does not have much real power in the court, he is the emperor's uncle and the younger brother of the former emperor.
Although he rarely talks, there is nothing he dares to say as long as he wants to say it.
Just like now, everyone knows the purpose of the three families, but no one says it clearly. This is also the rule of being an official in the same dynasty. Everyone fights openly and secretly, but they will not pierce the window paper.
But who is the emperor's uncle? The old man holds the post of Minister of Rites, but you can't do anything unreasonable. Zhang Ju was thrown into a panic by Zhao Ren's ungrateful tactics.
Fortunately, the prince came out in time to smooth things over and said: "Master Zhang must also be thinking about the safety of the people. Grandpa Huang, please don't misunderstand. Since my father has made a final decision on this matter, it will naturally be done according to his will."
The matter has been made clear, and it has already been talked about. It is better to be a favor. If he wants to inherit the throne, he must not only rely on the support of the noble family, but also the approval of the royal family.
The emperor made a decision, and the prince expressed his support. Seeing that the other two families had no choice but to return to the original train, the matter was concluded. King Yan's merits and demerits were balanced, and he was ordered to think about his mistakes.
Now that the matter has been decided, the next step is who will take over the salt production. It is said that there is nothing to discuss in this matter, and it must be the Ministry of Revenue.
Xue Qing spoke again: "Your Majesty, since the matter has been decided, the Ministry of Revenue will arrange personnel to take over the matter as soon as possible."
However, Zhao Wuji grinned and said: "The Ministry of Revenue will not be involved in this matter for the time being. I plan to establish a new organization called the Salt Industry Department. Uncle Emperor, please let your fourth brother Zhao Wuzheng manage this matter.
When my fourth brother went to war with me and lost his arm, he did not want to be an official after he came back. I have always felt guilty, so this organization should not be included in the government agencies, but should be set up as a royal organization for the time being. "
Zhao Wuzheng was Zhao Ren's son. He had his arm broken when he went to war with Zhao Wuji.
The laws of the Xia Dynasty stipulated that those with incomplete appearance could not serve as officials, so it was not that Zhao Wuzheng did not want to be an official anymore, it was just that he was missing half an arm and did not want to be an official anymore.
"Old minister, thank you, Your Majesty."
By now, everyone was dumbfounded. It turned out that everyone was just setting up a show for the emperor. The Liu family did not get the benefits they imagined, and the Zhang, Xue, and Dai families had no choice but to accept it. Fortunately, the Fang and Liu families in Linhai did not Can enter, otherwise it will have the greatest impact on them.
