Chapter seven hundred and fifty third brotherly love
"Yes, the prince is very courageous!"
Zhu Yuanzhang had a smile on his face and was very satisfied. He couldn't help but praise, "Originally, we thought about going back to wipe his butt, but I didn't expect that whether it was state affairs or family affairs, he did a remarkable job. It's very good!"
Lao Zhu did not hesitate to praise, and suddenly turned to Queen Ma and said: "Sister, look at this, we can stay in Peiping for a few more days, and take a look around. The scenery in the north is so special!"
Empress Ma was startled, "I'm quite worried that my grandson is sick. The child is young and is going through hell every step of the way... But with Jiang Nan taking care of me, I can rest assured. She is much more attentive than me."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. He couldn't agree more with this. Otherwise, why would Empress Ma bother to let the emperor's grandson worship under Xia Zhifeng's family...
It happened that the old in-laws caused such a thing, which made Empress Ma very embarrassed. It would be bad if there was a gap between Xia Zhifeng and the royal family because of this.
"Chongba, do you think we should do something?"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Sister, it's okay for others to say it, but you are wrong to say it... This kind of thing seems to be unreasonable if you say it."
Empress Ma was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is still wise. Indeed, neither we nor Mr. Zhang need to talk about this kind of thing. It is true that one family does not speak the same language."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Sister, let me tell you, family matters don't matter, what really kills you is the deficit... Now the warehouses in Fujian Province are almost empty. If we can't get enough food in time to fill it up and stabilize the price, I'm afraid Biao'er will
It’s a difficult test!”
Instead, Empress Ma smiled and said: "You have taught him for so many years, Mr. Zhang has also given him some advice, and there are so many courtiers assisting him. If he still can't solve the problem, he will not be able to sit on the throne of the Crown Prince. Let's just watch and let him
Find a way!"
Queen Ma was decisive, and Zhu Yuanzhang could only nod.
Now the problem lies with Zhu Biao... Just when the Fujian warehouse was being inspected, news of a huge deficit came out. The first thing that surprised people was the sharp rise in grain prices.
Originally, the two prefectures of Fujian were hit by the disaster and there was not enough food. Now it has been discovered that the warehouses are in deficit, and the food gap is even greater.
You guys have to live!
You always need to eat food!
Now that there is a shortage of food, it is almost inevitable that food prices will skyrocket.
The livelihood of millions of people has become a headache for everyone.
All kinds of news were compiled in Zhongshu Province. Faced with such a result, Li Shanchang glanced at Xu Da and smiled meaningfully. As expected, his worries came true.
Even though Xu Da was a famous general in many battles, he still lacked experience in handling government affairs.
"I'm telling you, Mr. Wei Guogong, I've searched and searched, and it's ended up like this. What do you think we should do?"
Xu Da had a sullen face and said angrily: "Xiang Li, the warehouse is in deficit. This is a matter that cannot be contained in paper. I would like to ask, if there is no thorough investigation in time, is there any other way to cover it up?"
Li Shanchang looked at Xu Da. There was no one else in Zhongshu Province at the moment, and finally let out a long sigh.
"You are not a member of the officialdom after all... It's just that, based on our friendship for so many years, I will risk my life to give you my life, so I will tell you everything. I hope you can tell His Highness the truth in the future.
Sometimes, if I can, I won’t investigate. It’s not that I’m a treacherous and shameless person, there are really some things that are difficult to handle!”
Xu Da felt that there was something wrong with this and asked: "Li Xiang, I would like to ask for advice. If we don't check, there will still be no food. What can you do?"
Li Shanchang said: "This is not easy. In the name of disaster relief, we will first exempt Fujian's taxes, and then use part of this year's tax revenue to fill the vacancies. Or we can borrow some grain from neighboring provinces. As long as there is more on the market
There is also food. Even if the price of food still fluctuates, it will not be like this... How much more expensive is the price of food in Quanzhou?"
"It's at least three times more expensive, and many people can no longer afford food." Xu Da said helplessly.
Li Shanchang nodded, "That's it, let me tell you the reason." Li Shanchang pulled up his chair and got closer to Xu Da, and then Lao Li told him what he thought... Grain prices,
Most of the time, we follow people's will. When everyone is worried and feels that food will be scarce.
They will work hard to stock up on food, even borrowing money to buy up every last grain of food on the market.
In this way, those who are really poor cannot afford to buy food. If the court does not take action, they will just watch these people become refugees, or simply starve to death and withdraw from the market. Wait until there are fewer people and people's hearts are at peace.
, food prices will fall.
"Wei Guogong, sometimes, it is more important than anything else to let the people feel that the court has enough food and believes that food prices will not rise. If you have to expose this matter and expose the problem to broad daylight, it may not be the best way.
.”
Xu Da frowned and was shocked. He was shocked by Li Shanchang's strange talk.
"Xiangong Li, isn't this still deceiving yourself and others? Can't we really make the treasury rich and the people have no worries about food and clothing?"
Li Shanchang was stunned. It wasn't that he didn't know how to answer, but that it was really difficult for Xu Da, a warrior, to understand the truth behind this.
What a pity, Zhang Ximeng is not in the capital, the master is lonely!
"Wei Guogong, let's talk about how to get food and help fill the holes!"
Xu Dadao: "What else is there to say? Didn't Prime Minister Li just say that taxes can be reduced or reduced, and can also be allocated from surrounding provinces?"
Li Shanchang smiled helplessly, "That was before, but it can't be done now!"
"Why? Isn't this an order from Zhongshu Province?" Xu Da asked confused.
Li Shanchang looked up to the sky and laughed, "O Duke Wei, you are invincible in the world, but in this kind of thing, you still have too little experience. The problem now is that officials are greedy and have caused shortfalls. If the royal court's taxes are allocated to fill this hole, households will
How can the ministry agree to this? How can the imperial tax budget be easily misappropriated?"
"So, what about the surrounding provinces?" Xu Da asked, "They are also afraid of the Ministry of Household Affairs and are unwilling to allocate grain?"
"That's not...the main reason is that they also have a deficit! What if they are found guilty? These people must be saving more food now to cope with the crisis, and it is difficult to use it to help Fujian! After all, when the Clay Bodhisattva crosses the river, he himself
There’s no guarantee!”
Xu Da was stunned. He knew very well that Li Shanchang was talking nonsense, but he couldn't refute him for the moment.
"In that case, let's pursue the stolen goods and find all the food that Tan Mo has!" Xu Da came up with another idea.
"It can't be that easy!" Li Shanchang looked up to the sky and sighed, "Those grains may indeed have been corrupted, but no one would put hundreds of thousands of stones of grain at home. They must have sold it and exchanged it for money. Now
Even if we pursue the stolen goods immediately, find the money, and then buy food, it will still take several months... Let me ask you, can the people of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou wait for such a long time?"
Li Shanchang's logic closed here. He clasped his hands behind his back and sighed helplessly: "Wei Guogong, I know that many people say that I shield corrupt officials and play tricks on power. They think that I am far less far-sighted than Prime Minister Zhang. I admit that there are some things about me.
, it’s really not as good as him. But the world doesn’t understand that it’s not that easy to be a paper framer. Then you have to be careful and hold the eggs across the river!”
"Take this grain storage as an example. It lasted for twenty years. It was impossible to figure it out all at once. In the end, the prince insisted on a thorough investigation, which is what you all meant. We have found half of it now, and we haven't waited for a while.
When we punish corrupt officials, the price of food in the market has skyrocketed, and many poor people cannot afford it. They will not blame those corrupt officials, they will only blame us for being troublesome. If the court does not investigate, everyone is eating well, but if the court investigates, they will be hungry.
Already."
Xu Da frowned. Hearing this, he couldn't bear it anymore.
"Li Xianggong, what are you talking about? You can't confuse right and wrong, right and wrong! If someone is greedy, causing losses and making people's livelihood uneasy, they must be held accountable. If there is a shortage of food, we must find a way. Like you, what can you do?
They are all lumped together, and because of fear and jealousy, we do not conduct a thorough investigation. How can we deserve the trust of our superiors?" Xu Dayi said sternly.
Li Shanchang chuckled, "Wei Guogong, if you don't understand, I won't say anything else... But let me tell you, if Zhang Ximeng was handling this case, he would have made all the preparations in advance. He would not even have done anything during the storm.
What kind of deficit are you looking for?"
Xu Da immediately refuted: "No, if we don't investigate now, later, all the losses will be attributed to the wind disaster, and there will be no clear investigation at all, and dozens of corrupt officials will be left unpunished!"
"That's better than letting thousands of people starve!" Elder Li Shan said angrily: "If the water is clear, there will be no fish! I'm really afraid that if I continue to investigate, the land will be depleted and I won't be able to clean it up. Instead, because of us,
It has disrupted the situation in the DPRK."
Faced with Li Shanchang's words, Xu Da did not agree with a single word. However, there is a shortage of food at the moment. It is difficult to allocate food from various places or think of other ways to achieve it. This is also a fact.
What should we do?
Xu Da couldn't hold back his anger. At this moment, Zhu Biao sent someone to invite them over. Xu Da and Li Shanchang both arrived at the East Palace and met Zhu Biao.
Over the past few days, Zhu Biao has lost some weight and his face has become smaller, but he looks more mature and dignified.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Wei Guogong, I already know about the food shortage in Fujian. Now it is very difficult to allocate it to the provinces. The victims are starving and there is no need to wait. I have purchased a hundred ships of food, which should be sent to Quanzhou now. It will be available soon.
Keep food prices down. You need to arrange people to make arrangements for the victims and ensure that food is delivered to them. Also, those profiteers who take the opportunity to drive up prices and disrupt the market, don't be polite, find them all!"
Li Shanchang and Xu Da didn't pay much attention to the second half of the story. The previous mention of a hundred ships of food frightened them, but one was frightened and the other was surprised!
"Your Highness, where did this food come from?" Xu Da asked in surprise.
"It was sent by King Zhu Di of Yan." Zhu Biao did not hide it.
But when they heard it was Zhu Di, both of them were dumbfounded, "Your Highness, King Yan often complains about poverty, saying that Peking is short of food and clothing. How could he get so much food? Isn't it because he misappropriated other food?"
Zhu Biao nodded, "He did misappropriate it, but he misappropriated the military rations that Korea gave us in advance."