The master didn't expect that the adults in his family would be so pessimistic, so he couldn't help but said, "Sir, it's not like this, is it?"

"Isn't that so?" Liu Qi sneered and said: "My current position is a hot potato. The salt merchants will not be willing to accept it. They will make me and Shouning Hou fight to death. But who is Shouning Hou? Of course,

Your Majesty is the younger brother of Queen Chao, but this is the only queen you have, so what if you win?"

"What can I get if I win? Will they give me more money? Even if they give me more money, how many years can I get it? Can I still hold this official position as a transport envoy for the rest of my life?"

"Even if we win, can Shouning Hou and those nobles let me go? Do you expect those salt merchants?" After saying this, Liu Qi sneered and said with disdain in his tone: "Don't say they can't do it.

So what if they do it? Can they really use all their wealth for me?"

"What if we lose? What will happen to me after we lose? The troops are sent out lightly, and I might lose my head."

"You risk your wealth and life for some money. My wealth and life can only be measured by money. You can earn money at any time. If you are on the line of Shouning Hou, are you afraid that you will not have the chance to make money? Besides, you can make money at any time.

, I am starting from the third rank now, maybe I can go to the sixth rank, it is not important to have money."

After hearing what his master said, the master hesitated and said, "But sir, what if Shouning Hou doesn't agree?"

"Why don't you agree?" Liu Qi asked with a smile: "After all, I am a third-rank official, and now I am still the transit envoy to Yangzhou. I am willing to send money and give up my seat. Why is Hou Ning not willing? Hou Ning wants to

The Lianghuai Salt Farm, and I have no grudges against you in the past and today, why bother to take my life?"

The master nodded, but still asked with some worry: "But sir, we have taken a lot of money from those salt merchants over the years, are they afraid they won't let it go? Besides, there are many of their people in the court!

"

"Why don't you give up?" Liu Qi sneered: "We'll wait until they can get through this. What do you think Hou Ninghou and those nobles can do to persuade His Majesty? Isn't it the money of these smuggled salt merchants? There is so much shortage in the imperial court now.

Who in the world doesn’t know about money? Your Majesty doesn’t even wear the silk from Jiangnan anymore.”

"If your Majesty knew how much money these salt merchants and salt field officials had made from selling illegal salt over the years, what do you think your Majesty would do?"

"Everyone is not guilty of carrying a jade. There is no place in this world for people who are rich enough to rival the country. What's more, these are His Majesty's money? Do you think His Majesty's money is so easy to get? Once Shouning Hou and others reveal the matter,

No one can suppress it, this is a big whirlpool, get out early and be safe, otherwise you will die without knowing how."

"This is a matter of life and death. Your visit to the capital is a matter of life and death. You must not take it lightly. In this case, you should take Liao Yuan with you."

Liao Yuan is Liu Qi's brother-in-law and a well-known salt merchant in Yangzhou. Most of Liu Qi's private salt business in recent years has been through Liao Yuan.

"Since Shouning Hou has set his sights on the salt fields in Lianghuai, he must have salt merchants to work for him. Otherwise, if those salt merchants go on strike, the entire world's salt transportation will be in trouble, so Shouning Hou must also be short of manpower. You

Take Liao Yuan with you, don't be afraid of spending money, it doesn't matter if you spend all your money on it, you know?"

Seeing Liu Qi's slightly ferocious expression, the master quickly said: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely get things done."

"Go!" Liu Qi sighed, and then said: "Tomorrow I will go to see that Eunuch Wang, and by the way, I will meet the people from the Hou Ning Mansion. Then I will try to get him to speak for us. You can I have prepared two generous gifts for you, and I will bring them with you tomorrow. Qi Huan thinks it is very beautiful, but he is afraid that this time he will be in vain."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll get ready right now!" Master said, turning around and walking out.

Beijing, Forbidden City.

The moonlight shines in the Forbidden City, making the palace look a little deserted. Zhu Houzhao is walking on the way to the Qianqing Palace wearing a big cloak. After entering August, the weather is getting colder, especially at night, and some people are moving. Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but miss his down jackets in later generations, and it seemed that he was going to do some woolen spinning.

Apart from anything else, it would be good to knit some sweaters to keep out the cold. As for cotton spinning, Zhu Houzhao had never thought about it.

This era is unlike later generations. Without Grandpa Yuan Longping, the top priority in the world is food, and land must ensure the supply of food. Speaking of this, Zhu Houzhao thought of the plot of the TV series "Da Ming 1566" that later generations watched, that is, the main production of food In Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, rice was converted into mulberry.

Why change rice to mulberry? Because mulberry can raise cicadas, and cicadas can weave silk. These silks were not sold to the people of the Ming Dynasty. These silks were very important goods for coastal smuggling.

Although the plot in the TV series is fictional, it is true that major grain-producing areas such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang changed rice to mulberry. Capital is geared towards profit. When the mulberry trees planted on the land can make a lot of money for them, what else can they do? You will have to work hard to grow food, but food is the most indispensable thing in this country.

Once there is no food, everything will stop. Even in later generations, with Grandpa Yuan, the country must purchase a large amount of grain reserves every year.

The south is converting rice into mulberry, and once cotton textiles are introduced in the north, it will be converted into cotton. When the profits start rolling in, no one can stop it. By then, the food crisis in the Ming Dynasty will be more serious, and there may even be disasters. There is a very, very big food shortage, and if there is a slight natural disaster, refugees will appear everywhere, causing disasters everywhere.

Woolen textiles became the most suitable existence for the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Houzhao's eyes naturally turned to the grassland, but it was too early to think about this now. With the strength of the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible to look north to the grassland.

Salt merchants no longer transported grain to the border in exchange for salt, and the trading villages on the border were destroyed. A large number of people in the border areas moved south, leaving the border areas empty of people and the frontier troops suffering from bitter cold. This was not a long-term one. Mutual trade and woolen spinning were all shaped by this. Zhu Houzhao had long planned the commercial settlement system and the major policy of replenishing the population in the frontier areas.

The moment he walked into the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houzhao slowly put his thoughts back and glanced at his father who was busy reviewing the question book. Zhu Houzhao bowed and said, "I have met my father!"

Zhu Youtang raised his head and looked at Zhu Houzhao, then said with a smile: "Okay, come here, it's cold, right? Remember to wear more clothes, don't freeze!"

Zhu Houzhao smiled and nodded: "My son is in good health, but my father should pay more attention to it."
Chapter completed!