Princess Zhaohua sent another message to Chu Qing. It was said that she didn't know how to hem the waistband of woolen trousers, so she asked him to give her a lesson in the palace.

Chu Qing took two pairs of knitting needles and went to the palace.

These knitting needles are very particular, one is made of ivory, and the other is made of Baolu No. 1 steel. The ivory needle is slightly thicker, while the steel needle is thinner. They are used to knit clothes of different densities.

Originally, the ivory sweater needle was kept by Chu Qing for himself, and he wanted to slowly twist it into oil. This thing would be so beautiful if it were twisted out!

But Princess Zhaohua said in public that Chu Qing was her textile teacher, but Chu Qing didn't give her a gift as a greeting gift, so now even if she couldn't bear to part with it, she still had to show it off to show off.

As soon as we entered the palace, we were led to the queen's bedroom, where they said the little princess was.

Chu Qing generally understood that the person who wanted to see her might not be the princess. It turned out that the emperor, the queen and the princess were all there.

The emperor's time was precious, so he directly talked to Chu Qing.

Chu Qing finally understood that teaching the princess to knit woolen trousers was just a pretense. It was not convenient for the emperor to meet a low-level official, especially because he did not want to cause others to speculate, so he summoned her in this "informal" way.

The emperor asked straight to the point: "Where do you think it is suitable to grow cotton?"

Chu Qing: "Xinlun Prefecture and northern Jizhou."

Emperor: "Do you have any seeds?"

Chu Qing: "I have 3.8 million kilograms of seeds!"

The emperor took a breath: He really got half the country's cotton!

Chu Qing glanced at the emperor secretly and said to herself: Do you know that if you don't plant it anymore, the cotton seeds will go bad?

"How many acres of land can be cultivated?" the emperor asked.

"Between 900,000 acres and one million acres." Chu Qing answered.

Chu Qing calculated the number of acres of farmland and came up with an idea.

The emperor lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, and came up with an idea.

"Juntun!"

"Juntun!"

The two said in unison.

This is really a case where one wants to give away money and the other wants to make money, and they meet together.

Xinlun Prefecture currently cannot withdraw its garrison troops, but hundreds of thousands of soldiers sitting idle every day is a waste of rations.

Due to the national conditions of Donglun in the past, although the terrain of the mountains there is not high, its utilization rate is very low, and there is no farmland. The troops currently stationed there still rely on domestic food supplies.

Use the garrisoned troops to cultivate on the spot. Xinlun Prefecture is full of mountainous areas. If it is reclaimed into cotton fields, there will be enough sunlight and water sources. You can use the mountain rivers to divert water. What a great place!

This small amount of seeds may sound like a lot, but in fact it is only enough for farming in the central and northern part of Xinlun Prefecture. Moreover, the land in Xinlun Prefecture has not been touched by aristocratic families, so it is the least controversial place.

If cotton was grown in the military villages and Chu Qing paid for it, the emperor would have sufficient military expenses without spending a single tael of silver!

"How much do you pay for each kilogram of cotton?" The emperor crossed his fingers and circled each other with his two thumbs very fast.

Chu Qing originally planned that if the emperor asked about the purchase price of cotton, she would ask for fourteen cents, which was twice as much as Tu Huerte. This way the emperor would be happy and she would not suffer any loss, but she no longer thinks so.

Seeing the emperor's thumbs moving rapidly, Chu Qing wanted to stop talking to him! Who is this plotting against? How do I look like someone who has been taken advantage of?

"Ten articles." Chu Qing replied.

The emperor knew that Chu Qing had purchased seven cents per catty in Tu Huerte, and now it was ten cents, which showed that he was quite satisfied with his support for the country.

"Your Majesty, I will keep the purchase price unchanged for ten years. We will wait and see whether cotton can be introduced to the mainland in ten years," Chu Qing added.

Emperor Qingde immediately realized that if cotton can really be grown, the scale of planting will be expanded, and the price will naturally drop by then.

Chu Qing guaranteed that the price would remain unchanged for ten years, which satisfied the emperor more than paying ten cents per catty.

Chu Qing made a calculation in her mind: save four cents per catty, collect cotton and squeeze the oil to make soap in the future, and make more money with soap...make a profit from cotton cloth, make a profit from cottonseed oil soap, and make another profit from selling the seeds!

Yes, seeds!

"Your Majesty, what's the price of that kind of stuff?" Chu Qing asked.

"You want to sell the seeds too?" The emperor now felt that Chu Qing didn't seem that patriotic.

"Your Majesty, even if farmers grow grain and save their own seeds, don't they have to buy some good seeds? I also have to cultivate cotton and test cotton seeds that are suitable for various environments. Otherwise, I don't have to interfere with this seed.

." Chu Qing said innocently.

That's right, the emperor thought. Farmers mainly buy seeds every year, and there are not many self-saved seeds. One reason is that there is not enough food to eat, and the other most important reason is that farmers need good grain seeds to ensure their own production.

"Then how much do you think the seeds cost per catty?" The emperor was not good at this either.

"Fourteen articles." Chu Qing said: "This year, the minister will provide the seeds first, and then use the cotton to deduct the money after the autumn harvest. This will save the Ministry of Household Affairs from trouble."

It's "just fine"! He's very good at calculating the abacus! The emperor stopped moving his thumb and looked at Chu Qing with one eye raised and the other lowered.

Chu Qing looked calm and composed, as if that was the way it should be. Is there anything wrong?

The emperor couldn't think of anything wrong, but he always felt that Chu Qing was too noble. We will discuss it again in the court tomorrow and see what the Ministry of Revenue has to say.

The next day, there will be a court meeting.

The emperor did not expect that this matter was not that simple.

"Your Majesty, military villages also need to clear up wasteland. Where do the farm tools come from? Where does this money come from?"

"Not only farm tools, cattle, and seeds are also a huge expense."

"It is not yet known whether cotton can be grown, but so much investment has to be made, and the food, wages and armaments alone are already a huge burden on the national treasury."

Si Yazhi, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, wanted to curse: Who should bear the burden? You are living in peace, right?

Problems are solved one by one.

The emperor glanced at the ministers: "You only ask questions?"

The implication is: You can only raise questions but not solve them? So what do you do?

The emperor was angry at this time: I discussed with you before letting the people clear up wasteland, and you all supported it; now that we want to allow the army to colonize, you are naturally opposed to it, one after another!

What's the matter? If the people clear up wasteland, you will be happy if the land finally comes into your hands; if the army clears up wasteland, and it finally comes into my hands, you won't be happy, right? Humph!

The ministers lowered their heads and said nothing, pretending to be dead, but looked at the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance from the corners of their eyes, hoping that this "old stingy" would stand up and resist the fire.

Those who are in charge of the money bag must keep the money bag tightly tied.

Mr. Liu, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, stood up, but he disappointed them.

"Your Majesty, in the fifth year of Qingde's reign, the annual total was 35,590,000 guan, and more than 80% of the military expenditure was 29,180,000 guan;

In the sixth year of Qingde's reign, the annual total was 5,500 and 670,000 guan, and military expenditure accounted for 75%, which was 31,750,000 guan;

The year before last was due to the national war, and more than 80% of military expenditures were spent on food, wages and armaments. Last year, most of the military expenditures were spent on armament replacement;

This year, what should be replaced has been completed, and there is no external war for the time being. It should be a year of self-cultivation and recuperation. Military expenditures should mainly focus on food and salary.

At the grand meeting at the beginning of the new year, His Majesty has basically set the tone for this year's major events. Therefore, no matter what, the investment in the army this year cannot exceed the 30 million yuan of the previous year.

Therefore, the cost of cattle and farm tools is not a problem.

Cotton is so rare, but I believe all of you have worn cotton linings, right? You are even wearing cotton robes now, right?

We declare that we cannot produce such important clothing materials by ourselves. How much loss is this? How much do you spend on cotton every year?

As I know, "Bao Qingxiang" in Kyoto has just been open for three days, and everyone seems to have rushed to buy a lot of cotton fabrics and placed a lot of orders.

Whatever must be done, even if there are all kinds of difficulties, we should actively overcome it and get it done. What's more, it seems that farming cattle, farm tools and seeds do not cost much money!

Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the most basic living conditions for the people, and as an important clothing material, if it can be popularized all over the world, how much will Daxuan's national power be improved?

How can we abolish the joint efforts of kings of all ages for a mere tens of thousands of silver coins?"

The lines at the corners of the emperor's eyes deepened slightly. It seemed that Mr. Liu was speaking to his heart. He was a good minister who dedicated himself to serving the country!

"Master Liu has finally made a big move!" Si Yazhi, Minister of the Ministry of War, has dealt with Master Liu a lot in his life, and now he "appreciated" him very sincerely.

"...Hmph!" He was about to burst out of his mouth with a "dead duck". Mr. Liu glanced at the aloof emperor, held it back, and snorted softly.

Every day, the "dead duck" saw him with nothing but asking for money. After so many years, it seemed as if the Ministry of Revenue was the nanny of their Ministry of War.

The emperor looked at the ministers and workers below, and suddenly realized that Chu Qing was really "noble" than these people. If he could do it, he would say it, and if he couldn't, he would say he couldn't do it. It didn't matter how much effort he could put in, or how much money he had.

On the bright side, look at these people, they don’t know what they are planning every day!

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Chapter completed!