Chapter 187 It’s Snowing
“What do you mean it’s private to you?”
The official said sternly: “You are the prince, and the whole world will be yours in the future. Besides, you want What is the use of so much money? Do you know how useful this money can be to the court?”
“Father, you said that the world will belong to your ministers, but you said that this money will be given to you. I don’t agree with how useful the imperial court can be.”
The ancients’ idea of family, country and world has been deeply ingrained.
Zhao Xing did not correct him. If he said that the world belongs to everyone, his father would probably be angry.
In the eyes of the father, the world belongs to the Zhao family.
Not only the father, but also the officials and lords in the court, most of them have the idea that the family is in front and the country is in the back.
There must be some who are truly selfless and dedicated to serving the country, but they cannot be too many.
"Father, as far as I know, the tax revenue of the court the year before last was more than 130 million taels, and the expenditure was almost the same. Last year, the tax revenue of the court was more than 105 million taels, which was more than last year. There is a shortfall of nearly 30 million taels, but the expenditure is still almost the same. Even if the emperor gives the new glass formula to the court, does the father think the situation of the court can be improved? "
"What's more, what I'm worried about is that even if it is handed over to the court, it may still lose money."
Zhao Xing's words are not alarmist. Once it is handed over to the court, a large number of officials will be involved.
These officials are bound to reap benefits.
Not making money is definitely an exaggeration, but the money you make will definitely be greatly reduced.
“Nonsense!” the officials scolded: “Salt, iron, tea and horses are not all government-owned. Most of the annual court taxes come from these.”
"Father, I won't talk about the problems with things like salt, iron, tea and horses. Do you think the court can make money because of good management? That's because these are independent businesses."
"But Liuli is not the case. Once it is handed over to the court and the production method is leaked, will the court still make money?" Zhao Xing asked.
The official frowned, pondered for a while, and said: "I can prohibit the firing of colored glaze among the people."
"Father, you should know better than my son, what is going on with this matter. Difficulty. If you do this, those officials may block the palace gates to protest. Only a few of those officials who want their ministers to hand over the method of making new colored glazes do it for the sake of the imperial court. Most of them are just jealous of the benefits." Zhao Xing shook his head.
How much effort did the Han Dynasty spend in order to include salt, iron and wine in the official camp?
The salt-iron tea-horse official camp has been a concept that has been formed for a long time, and it has been basically done this way in all dynasties.
How could those officials let the court designate Liuli as an official camp.
If this is agreed, what if the court is interested in other businesses in the future?
For these upper classes, business is their lifeblood.
For them, land is more like saving money to earn interest.
How much can be produced per year from hundreds of acres of land?
It is simply not enough to maintain their luxurious life.
The imperial court cleared the land, even if it was divided into acres, it had little impact on officials.
For many people, it may be just a few meals for the family.
Just like the Sheng family, Sheng Wei sends a lot of money to Sheng Hong every year for officialdom.
How much land income does it take to earn this money?
Relying on land alone is simply not realistic.
But business is different. Once the court arbitrarily lists something as an official business, their roots will be cut off.
This is also the reason why Zhao Xing met resistance when clearing land in Kaifeng Mansion, but the resistance was not that big.
Because not many of these officials in Bianjing actually have land in Kaifeng, let alone live off it.
The official was silent for a long time after hearing this, and said, "Then what do you want so much money for?"
What Zhao Xing said does make sense, but the official still couldn't figure out what he wanted so much money for. .
"Strengthen the army, prosper the country, and enrich the country." Zhao Xing said.
"Isn't it the same as handing it over to the imperial court?" The official said: "I can agree to continue to hand it over to your people to manage it, but the money earned must be turned over to the national treasury."
"Father, this is different. The money is handed over to the treasury, but it may not be used for practical purposes." Zhao Xing shook his head.
There are too many shortcomings in the imperial court now, and it is completely a hole that cannot be filled.
If you spend hundreds of millions of taels of silver, there won’t even be any splash.
Zhao Xing will not use the money to fill holes before completing the reform.
"Then if you keep the money, you can't personally implement it, right?" The official frowned.
"Father, don't push me. You will know in a few years." Zhao Xing said.
He has many plans, but he cannot tell his father in detail because he may not support them.
However, it was impossible for him to hand over the money.
The official looked at Zhao Xing deeply and said, "Okay, I won't force you. But how should the officials explain it?"
He only has Zhao Xing. Xing this son, otherwise he would doubt whether Zhao Xing wanted to rebel.
In addition, although the cost of Zhao Xingdong Palace is not small, it is not extravagant and luxurious.
From the official's point of view, there is no difference between leaving the money with Zhao Xing and giving it to the court.
If the court really needs it, he can just ask Zhao Xing for it.
As Zhao Xing said before, the tax revenue difference between the imperial court and the government in the past two years was tens of millions of taels, but the balance of payments was still balanced.
In this case, it is better to leave the money with Zhao Xing first, and then use it for emergencies when it is really needed.
"Thank you, father!" Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
He has made a lot of money over the years, and his father also knows it.
But most of the money earned from wine was used to exchange horses, and the horses in exchange were also given to the court.
Although perfume makes a lot of money, it still has certain limitations due to the flowering period.
But glass is a very profitable business, and he has long been prepared for his father to ask him for money.
Zhao Xing has already thought about it. If his father insists on asking for it, he will not give it to him alive or dead.
My father can't depose him as the crown prince.
Of course, everything is rare and expensive.
Glass can make quick money for a few years, but it doesn't matter. When the time comes, we can just increase production and reduce prices. Make a lot of money as well.
Sell it as a luxury product now, and when the market is saturated, lower the price and use it to make windows.
Anyway, as long as the secret recipe is not leaked, according to Zhao Xing's estimation, it is no problem to earn 10 to 20 million taels a year from this thing.
After chatting with his father for a while, Zhao Xing resigned and left.
Arriving at the outer hall, Sanshui was waiting there and quickly presented him with a cloak.
"Gu Bu Leng." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
It is now mid-November and the weather has turned cold.
He wears something thick when going out.
But there is an earth dragon brazier in the inner hall. He is not cold at all, but still a little hot.
"Your Highness, it's snowing outside, you'd better put it on." Sanshui said.
"Is it snowing?"
Zhao Xing was stunned when he heard this, and took a few steps to the entrance of the palace. He saw heavy snow falling outside, and a light layer had already accumulated on the ground.
"The scenery is quite nice." Zhao Xing admired it for a while and said, "Put it on for me. Let's go back to the East Palace. The rain will be strong soon and the road will be hard to walk."
"Hey." Sanshui responded, stepped forward and put on Zhao Xing's cloak, then came to the front and stood on tiptoe to tie it for him.
"Come on alone."
Zhao Xing tied on his cloak and walked out.
Take a chariot, leave the palace, and change to a carriage.
After walking for a while, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Your Highness, there is an old man pulling carbon in front of you. It seems that the car has broken down. I have sent someone to investigate." Gu Tingye's voice came from outside the carriage.
When Zhao Xing heard this, his first reaction was: Could it be another assassin?
However, this idea only passed through my mind for a moment and was discarded.
This is Bianjing City, and his current location is not far from the imperial palace.
It must have been just an accident.
Although the East Palace is to the east of the Royal Palace, it is very close.
But on the way back to the East Palace, we have to pass through a street intersection where all the princes and nobles live. Now that the weather is cold, it is not surprising that people often send charcoal to those families.
After waiting for a while, without any accident, the carriage started to move.
Zhao Xing opened the window, and the cold wind hit him, making him shiver and tighten his cloak.
On the street, an old man in his sixties, with rough and dark skin, hunched over, stood in front of a cart with a thatched roof, looking helpless.
It is now the twelfth lunar month of winter, with heavy snow falling in the sky, but the old man is only wearing a single piece of clothing that is not very thick and is fully patched.
Inexplicably, Zhao Xing thought of "The Charcoal Seller" written by Bai Juyi.
Poor, I am wearing only a single coat, I am worried about the cheapness of my clothes and I wish it would be cold.
An old man wearing single clothes, hoping that carbon can be sold at a high price, and that the weather will be colder, the better, vividly describes the sadness and helplessness of the people at the bottom.
But is the old man in Bai Juyi's poem really that miserable?
It’s miserable for sure, but they still have cows.
A cow was worth a lot of money to ordinary people in ancient times.
Many families even rely on manpower to pull the plow.
The old man in front of him could only rely on manpower to pull a cart to sell charcoal.
Zhao Xing was not a compassionate Madonna, and she felt bad when she saw this scene.
This is the capital of the Song Dynasty, at the feet of the emperor. He usually sees prosperity, but he never expected that there are people living such a hard life.
"Zhong Huai!"
"Your Highness!"
Gu Tingye, who was guarding on horseback, quickly reined in his horse and slowed down after hearing this.
"Send two people to help him." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Gu Tingye responded and gave the order.
Zhao Xing put down the car curtain and stretched out his hand to cook on the brazier, his expression inexplicable.
It's snowing heavily, and the literati are probably enjoying the snow, warming their wine and reciting poems.
Maybe you will sigh a few words about the auspicious snow heralding a good year.
But for some ordinary people, they don't know whether snow can herald a good year.
They only know that winter days will be very difficult, and clothing and warmth are a big problem for them.
Even some people can’t survive the winter.
As for coal mining, it has been done for a long time, but with the transportation capacity in ancient times, the people still couldn't afford it.
As for why the rich and powerful don’t use coal?
Maybe it’s because they feel it doesn’t fit their identity.
While thinking wildly, the carriage stopped again.
"Your Highness, the East Palace has arrived." Gu Tingye said.
Zhao Xing took a deep breath and got off the carriage.
There are many things he can't change now, and he doesn't know if he can change them in the future.
(End of this chapter)