my brother-in-law is the prince

Chapter 443 What a big battle

Gao Xiang took a sip of the herbal tea, which immediately refreshed his mind and lifted his spirits.

His slightly pale face due to fatigue showed a flush of excitement.

Immediately, he put down the teacup, and said: "Your Highness, the situation in Taiping Mansion has far exceeded the original expectations, and the lower officials are also dumbfounded."

After a pause, Gao Xiang continued: "Last year alone, the value of the goods transported to Taiping Mansion by foreign feudal clans was worth hundreds of millions. According to the statistics of various counties, in the last year alone, the warehouses built in each counties It covers an area of ​​[-] mu."

"This has also attracted a lot of merchants, such as commercial firms. Last year, the number of newly established commercial firms increased from 370 to more than [-] this year."

Although Zhang Anshi expected the huge benefits brought by this foreign trade.But I didn't expect it to be so scary.

So he said: "These trading houses... are all for selling goods from foreign vassals?"

"Not only...in addition to distributing goods, but also...sell goods from various places to Taiping Prefecture, such as porcelain from Jiangxi, tea from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, jade from Hexi, and brocades from Central Sichuan. Nowadays, Taiping Prefecture is like One... one... distribution center."

Gao Xiang smiled happily, and continued: "The goods in the world must go to Taiping Mansion if they want to go to the foreign domain. And the goods from the foreign domain, if they want to enter Daming, they must first enter Taiping Mansion, and then distribute them to all parts of the world through countless merchants. prefectures and counties. Also... a large amount of cheap wool and cotton from overseas also entered Taiping Prefecture first, and after weaving, they were sold to various prefectures and counties in the world. As a result, merchants increased dramatically..."

"These merchants are established in Taiping Mansion by various feudal towns. For example, His Royal Highness Zhao established Java business houses here, as well as Luzon business houses, Annan business houses, etc., and some big cannibals and Tianzhu people also borrowed this opportunity. Convenience, in cooperation with Han merchants, some commercial banks have been established to meet the needs."

"Besides, there are merchants from various prefectures and counties all over the world... or some scholars, in order to order goods or supply ships to ships, they are also preparing to establish various trading firms in Taiping Prefecture, at least hiring Three or two people are only for external contact, and there are hundreds of people involved in the trade of fur, porcelain, spices, ivory, pepper, cotton cloth, etc."

"So, in addition to the customs duties that the customs can collect from them, these merchants gather, and the commercial firms they are planning to establish also have goods that travel across the world, and there are also a large number of commercial goods that are needed, and then a large number of cotton spinning workshops are expanded. It's unimaginable."

Gao Xiang seemed very excited, his eyes seemed to be gathering light, and then he looked at Zhang Anshi and said, "Your Highness, because of this, in addition to the customs tax, the Taiping Mansion's tax is also driven by this. Call it pumping."

Taiping Mansion is now equivalent to the external window of the whole world. Overseas vassal trade, as well as trade with Dashi and Tianzhu people, all pass through Taiping Mansion and are distributed to the eighteen provinces of the world.

In a sense, the special products of the eighteen provinces are also boarded from here and sent to the world.

Countless exchanges of goods, the huge gathering effect of merchants brought about, coupled with a large amount of market demand, will definitely give birth to more workshops, and there will be a plethora of trading houses.

And this... is just the first step, but even the first step, the huge impact it brings is enough to make people amazed.

Zhang Anshi sighed and said, "I really didn't expect it! In this way, how much has the tax in Taiping Mansion increased compared to last year?"

Asked this question, Gao Xiang's expression became more excited, and said: "There are still some, which have not been counted yet, but the preliminary estimate should have more than doubled."

double?

Zhang Anshi was too shocked to speak at this moment.

You must know that the base number of Taiping Mansion is much higher than that of other places. It is very scary that such a high base number can be doubled.

After a while, Zhang Anshi regained his voice: "Is the customs tax included?"

Gao Xiang shook his head and said with a smile: "The numbers of the Customs and the Taiping Mansion are not the same. Even if I want to add the number of the Customs, I'm afraid there will not be the number of the Customs."

Zhang Anshi thought so too.

That is to say, once the number of customs is added, then this number will be far more than doubled.

Zhang Anshi also became excited all of a sudden, and said: "Hurry up and count it out, and I will give it to Yu Qian to clarify the accounts immediately. In addition, send someone to check the treasury. The accounts and the actual amount of the treasury must be clear and detailed."

Gao Xiang said: "Yes."

Zhang Anshi continued to warn: "These days, you have to work harder. Every amount must be clear and clear! It is said that the first bird is shot first. This amount is too big, and it will inevitably make people jealous. We must guard against it. Lest someone single out something to make a fuss about.”

"Yes."

Zhang Anshi thought for a while, and then said: "Let the people from the residence newspaper come, I want to personally write an article, and teach the residence newspaper to publish it."

"Article?" Gao Xiang was surprised for a moment, then looked at Zhang Anshi speechlessly.

Writing articles is not the specialty of His Royal Highness, let alone... or a pro-book...

Gao Xiang hesitated for a moment, and felt that he could still struggle a bit, so he said, "How about I get an official to polish it...or invite the assistants of the Changshi Mansion..."

Zhang Anshi waved his hand: "I need to write it myself, you don't understand such articles!"

Gao Xiang's face was a little stiff, but he was helpless.

Zhang Anshi watched Gao Xiang go away, and immediately began to bite the pen holder, concentrating on thinking hard until midnight, and then wrote an article, which was sent out in a hurry.

……

Early the next morning, Zhang Anshi, who had only slept for more than two hours, cheered up and hurried to the East Palace.

Without Zhu Zhanji, the East Palace became much colder, and every eunuch tiptoed around, terribly calm.

Zhang Anshi first went to see his older sister. Mrs. Zhang was very happy to see her younger brother whom she hadn't seen for a while, and said with a smile, "You, it's been a long time since you've grown up, and your wings have grown hard."

Zhang Anshi said: "Sister, am I sharing the worries for His Majesty and brother-in-law? Why did I not please you in the end?"

Zhang said: "Anyway, what you say is justified by you, no matter what, it's up to you."

Zhang Anshi nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, thought for a while and said, "Brother-in-law's body seems to be a little bad."

Mrs. Zhang's smile suddenly subsided, and she said worriedly: "He has to go on a diet these days, and he really looks bad. His Majesty saw that he was obese, and repeated orders..."

As she spoke, Mrs. Zhang shook her head, expressing concern.

Zhang Anshidao: "Brother-in-law said that he doesn't eat anything on weekdays, but no matter what, his body can't lose weight. Being obese is indeed easy to cause many diseases..."

"Really?" Zhang's face became even more serious.

In fact, in this era, obesity is a blessing, so people have a welcoming attitude towards obesity.

However, the prince's problem is that he is too obese, which has caused physical inconvenience.

As for the dangers of obesity, in fact, in this era, no one seems to be really willing to understand.

Zhang Anshi rambled on about the obesity problem one by one.

Mrs. Zhang nodded her head frequently and said, "From this point of view, Emperor Father is right, those imperial cooks who were given to the East Palace..."

After that, her eyes sank: "I really have to rely on these cooks."

Zhang Anshi said: "I don't know what brother-in-law eats on weekdays?"

Mrs. Zhang said: "Tomorrow I will ask someone to show you the recipe."

Zhang Anshi agreed.

After leaving Mrs. Zhang, Zhang Anshi quietly went to see Zhu Gaochi.

At this time, Zhu Gaochi was reviewing the proposals in Zhan Shifu.

The emperor was getting old, and some trivial matters would naturally be handed over to the prince.

Seeing Zhang Anshi coming, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help showing joy, and said, "Here you are?"

After all, he winked at the eunuchs.

The eunuchs withdrew.

Zhu Gaochi raised his eyes and looked around, and finally saw no other figures, and said anxiously: "Did you bring the things I asked you to bring?"

Zhang Anshi said directly and simply: "I didn't bring it."

Zhu Gaochi: "..."

Zhu Gaochi was full of expectations and disappeared without a trace.

This is as disappointing as it gets!

Zhang Anshi spoke earnestly and earnestly: "Just now I went to see Elder Sister, and Elder Sister is also very worried about my brother-in-law."

The disappointed expression on Zhu Gaochi's face disappeared again, and he said anxiously: "You didn't say anything to your sister, did you?"

Zhang Anshi shook his head: "No."

Zhu Gaochi heaved a sigh of relief before saying, "Hey, I'm very hungry."

Zhang Anshi said: "Brother-in-law, I thought about it carefully, if brother-in-law continues like this, there is no way, I'm afraid... I will lose my life."

Only Zhang Anshi dared to say this, otherwise who would dare to say this in front of Prince Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi said with a straight face: "How can you say such depressing words."

Zhang Anshi knew that his brother-in-law was acting serious, so he was not afraid, so he said, "Brother-in-law is on a diet these days, is he thin?"

Zhu Gaochi said truthfully, "I've gained two catties."

Zhang Anshi became more and more worried.

He knew very well that if there were no accidents, his brother-in-law might only live for a few years.

The biggest reason for short life at present is very likely to be obesity, and other diseases caused by obesity may be the culprit.

Zhang Anshi then sighed and said, "Why doesn't dieting work? Could it be..."

"Okay, okay..." Zhu Gaochi said angrily, "Don't always mention food..."

Zhang Anshi had no choice but to say: "I'll think of a way."

Zhu Gaochi said again: "In these days, my palace has also learned some business ways from Bachelor Yang Pu, using business to enrich the blood and bones of the world, just like human blood, filling human flesh and blood. Now I know that we must encourage business , it is really not easy, you need a wharf to speed up the circulation of commerce, you need roads, and even better railways, so that you can greatly reduce the cost of transportation. You also need cheap land to prevent the land from being occupied by gentry , the lion opened his mouth. It also needs a large number of hired workers, ordinary labor, that’s all right, but industry and commerce can’t rely on completely illiterate labor, they need a large number of people who can read and write, and have a lot of knowledge... ..."

Zhu Gaochi continued: "Not to mention, it is necessary to ensure that the officials are relatively clean, to ensure that they can clear the roads, clear the bandits... all these things are needed. If any one is done, it will be worth emphasizing in all dynasties. It's about Shu Te Shu."

Zhang Anshi said: "In the beginning, everything is difficult at the beginning, but in the end, it complements each other."

Zhu Gaochi became interested: "Complement each other?"

Zhang Anshi nodded, and then said: "Let's just talk about bandits and bandits. This is all over the world. Throughout the dynasties, even in the heyday, bandits and bandits have never been eradicated everywhere in the world. It's just that when the world is stable, the mountains There are fewer bandits, at most they only dare to loot some villages, and in less peaceful times, there are more bandits, and they often gather tens of thousands of people to attack cities and seize land."

"But in the final analysis, these people really can't survive. People who don't have land have to go to the mountains to become bandits in order to survive. They are a huge harm to the world, and the harm to industry and commerce is not small. , Once encountering bandits, not only the goods will be lost, but also the life will be lost. In this way, the cost of circulation will be greatly increased. But once the industry and commerce can rise, it means that the industry and commerce can absorb a large number of lost land. Refugees, let them work and support their families, after a long time, who would like to live in the mountains and live in the open, and be a thief at a precarious time?"

Zhang Anshi saw that Zhu Gaochi was listening to him very seriously, and continued with a smile: "It's the same with studying. In the past, you could only get fame when you studied, but it's so difficult for ordinary people to get fame. If you can't pass the exam...it's everything. It was all in vain. But now, reading has more uses, and the people are more motivated. Besides, the workshops are no better than the countryside. The people who farm in the countryside can't move out of the radius of ten miles all year round. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are muddled .”

"However, there are tens of thousands of people who work in the workshop. They come from all over the world and gather in one place for production. They exchange information from all over the world with each other. The knowledge in this world is far beyond that of ordinary people. The so-called knowledge, the so-called learning, is essentially just information. The common people stay in their original places, and the transmission of information is blocked. However, with the rise of business, the communication between each other If the brother-in-law is interested, he can go to the workshop and talk to the craftsmen, and the brother-in-law will find that they are well-informed and not like tenant farmers or ordinary farmers. "

After Zhu Gaochi heard this, he happily said: "Hearing what you said, I have a deeper understanding of this."

He thought about it, and suddenly raised his brows. He reached out and touched his forehead, showing an uncomfortable expression: "Hey... I feel a little dizzy again. Come, come..."

Evidently, he was frail.

Zhang Anshi hurriedly called an eunuch and asked him a couple of times before he realized that such a situation had already happened.

Zhang Anshi had no choice but to let Zhu Gaochi go to rest, and then left worriedly.

On the next day, Donggong sent someone to deliver the recipes for the meal.

When Zhang Anshi saw it, he was taken aback, hurriedly put away the recipe, and did not mention it when he entered the palace.

…………

The new Dibao can be said to stir up a thousand waves with one stone.

Zhang Anshi personally wrote an essay, which sarcastically satirized the so-called political achievements of the chief envoy of Zhejiang Province.

The general meaning is that relying on the consciousness of the so-called gentry to turn in more money and food, it is a bit like the so-called handing in gold and silver for exempting crimes in the Han Dynasty to get rid of crimes.

Not only can this not last for a long time, but over time, the gentry and scholars who have paid more taxes must sooner or later set up a clever name and add their own losses to the poor people.

The end result is that the tax has increased by a mere few percent.The parents and officials took this opportunity to gain political achievements, and the gentry and scholars did not suffer losses.The real victims are ordinary people.

This article can be said to be extremely strict, and it doesn't even give a little sympathy.

The direct target is the chief envoy of Zhejiang.

That is to say, Jiang Xiu, who has just joined the prince's junior teacher and is now in the limelight.

Di Bao, everyone has read it.

Zhang Anshi's jealous face can be said to be rampant.

But it seemed that Zhang Anshi had hit the weakness of many people all of a sudden.

Ever since, many people jumped.

Zhu Di looked at the residence newspaper and remained silent.

He pondered, his eyes uncertain.

Wenyuan Pavilion and other ministers looked at Zhu Di, who was in a high position, but said nothing.

Then he watched Zhu Di slowly... put down the mansion newspaper in his hand.

Only then did Zhu Di say: "It makes a lot of sense. Zhang Qing begs me to order someone to go to the Zhejiang Chief Envoy to check the accounts. You can see... is there any problem?"

Yang Rongdao: "Your Majesty, it is not impossible for me to see the article written by His Royal Highness Prince of Wuhu County. In this case, it is always good to check it out. This is also a precautionary measure. If it is true..."

Hu Guang immediately said: "But in the market, everyone is saying that His Royal Highness, Prince of Wuhu County, hates Jiang Xiu and replaced him as a capable official, so this article is written... Please be aware of the details, Your Majesty."

The so-called words of the market are probably the same as those of later generations according to netizens' comments.

Anyway, everything is undecided, move out the netizen, if the netizen says something wrong, then the netizen is despicable and shameless.

Zhu Di looked at Yang Rong, then at Hu Guang, and said with a slight smile, "The words of the market? Are there already rumors in the market?"

"Your Majesty, after the sale of the mansion newspaper, the world was shaken, and everyone was talking about it. It is rare for the king of the dynasty to directly attack the prince, junior teacher, and chief envoy of the dynasty. What's more, the article said The responsibility for the crime is already serious and extraordinary." Xia Yuanji stood up and said, "This matter involves a lot, if the imperial court does not respond, it will inevitably become more and more out of hand."

Zhu Di smiled and said, "According to Xia Qing, what do you think?"

Xia Yuanji said decisively: "Check the accounts, check clearly, the chief envoy of Zhejiang will check, and the Taiping Mansion will also check carefully. In this way, right and wrong will naturally be clear."

Zhu Di looked at him with a half-smile: "All checks?"

Xia Yuanji said categorically: "Check it out!"

Zhu Di said, "Who will investigate?"

Xia Yuanji said without hesitation: "The minister is the Minister of the Household Department, and he should be responsible for this matter."

Hu Guang also immediately said: "This matter is very involved, and I can conduct a thorough investigation on behalf of His Majesty."

Yang Rong then said: "Your Majesty, I can do it too."

Zhu Di looked at the ministers who were eager to try, and there was no joy or anger on his face. He only heard him say: "What a big battle!"