The first year of Zhenguan was also the first year that Li Shimin ascended the throne.
In the spring, there was a severe drought in Hebei, and in the summer, there was a severe drought in the states of Shandong. In the autumn, the Guanzhong area became flooded due to heavy rain, while Guandong, Henan, and the states along the right edge of Longxi suffered severe frost damage, and autumn crops were seriously damaged.
"The number of people with surnames is so high that there are too many hanging chimes." Some families even have to sell their children and daughters to make ends meet.
The national treasury is empty, the finances are tight, and the people are in dire straits.
Li Shimin had no choice but to borrow grain from the Guanzhong family, but he ran into trouble.
All the major aristocratic families refused to lend a helping hand on the grounds that they were severely affected by the disaster and were unable to do anything. The emperor personally asked for help, but he only borrowed three thousand stones in total!
It's simply humiliating!
Now, only two years later, it has reached this point again.
Li Shimin's expression changed several times, his eyes swept over the faces of several ministers one by one, he hesitated several times, and finally nodded solemnly.
"Since all of you, dear friends, think so, then I will lend it to you!"
You could hear a needle drop in the Imperial Study Room, and no one gasped loudly. You could only hear the emperor's voice echoing in the room.
"I summoned several masters of Guanzhong and told them that I wanted to collect food and grass to tide over the difficult times."
Having said this, Li Shimin paused for a moment, stood up with his hands on the imperial case, and added almost word for word.
"Tell them? I will definitely not lose it!"
After he finished speaking, his eyes swept across the faces of the humerus ministers one by one, and finally fell on Changsun Wuji.
"Brother Auxiliary Machine, you have good relations with several heads of families in Guanzhong, so I will leave this matter to you."
Changsun Wuji smiled bitterly in his heart, but had to stand up and accept the promise.
"Your Majesty, heavy snow has suddenly arrived. The temperature has dropped sharply. As a result, the supply of firewood has been tight and the price has increased three times a day. As of now, it has tripled. Even so? The supply is still in short supply, especially in Chang'an City. Many people cannot buy enough.
of firewood. How many more days will it take? I’m afraid the situation will be even more serious..."
Can a clever woman make a meal without rice? The beard of Tang Jianchou, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is almost turning white.
Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng and others? Hearing this, they couldn't help but nod their heads.
"Can't buy firewood?"
Li Shimin suddenly felt something in his heart. Suddenly he thought of the small red stove in Wang Zi'an's house, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
"My dear friends, don't worry? I have already made a plan in my mind——"
"What's the plan?"
Several ministers couldn't help but look surprised when they heard this. If this problem can be solved, it will definitely benefit the people of the world.
I just love seeing your little shocked expressions.
Li Shimin couldn't help but let out a dry cough. He walked around the imperial study room with his hands behind his back. After everyone looked over, he asked seemingly relaxedly.
"My dear friends? Do you know that charcoal..."
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
Before Li Shimin finished speaking, Wei Zheng stood up and frowned, choking.
"Your Majesty, that charcoal is certainly cheap? But after burning, it will release poisonous smoke, and the victims cannot be saved. You must not take the lives of the people in the world as a trifling matter! I will remonstrate with you, please take back your life!"
"I second the proposal..."
"I second the proposal..."
…
Hearing the objections from the humerus ministers, Li Shimin raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and he had never been in a better mood!
"My dear friends, don't you all think so?"
Li Shimin lifted his robe, sat down leisurely, picked up the tea cup, and asked in a leisurely manner.
"Could it be that your Majesty has found a way to get rid of the poisonous smoke from coal?"
Everyone here, who is not an old fox, has been working with Li Shimin for so many years. When he saw Li Shimin's behavior, his eyes widened in disbelief and he asked tentatively.
"Um--"
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
There was an uproar in the imperial study room.
There have been records of the use of charcoal for a long time, but most of it contains toxins. Therefore, in this era, few people used it for heating.
"Your Majesty, this matter is related to the safety of thousands of people. I dare to speak out. May I ask if your Majesty has any examples?"
"nature!"
Looking at the smelly and hard old guy in front of him, Li Shimin couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
"Not only have I seen the real thing, but I have also used it to keep warm, warm wine, and eat hot pot..."
Looking at Wei Zheng with an expression of disbelief on his face, and then looking at the humerus ministers who were also stunned, Li Shimin felt more and more comfortable.
"Not only is it usable, but it also provides long-lasting warmth and is low-cost, less than 10% of the price of charcoal!"
"Is this true? Is this true?"
Wei Zheng's beard was trembling, and he was almost incoherent with excitement.
"From now on, people all over the world will no longer have to suffer from wind and snow!"
Wei Zheng was so excited that he almost pulled off his beard. He stood up and without any explanation, he bowed deeply to Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty is really far-sighted and thinks of the people. I am very grateful to you!"
"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision and cares about the people. I highly appreciate it!"
…
Looking at the actions of these ministers, Li Shimin felt as satisfied as drinking a cup of herbal tea on a hot summer day.
Ever since I became the emperor, I have never felt so comfortable!
Especially for that old guy Wei Zheng, don't ask him to say something nice. If he doesn't say something unpleasant, he will have to enjoy himself secretly.
"Your Majesty, without further ado, we must take these coal mines back to the imperial court immediately to prevent them from being controlled by others!"
After solving the heating problem, Fang Xuanling immediately realized the problem and suggested with a serious face.
"I second the proposal——"
"I second the proposal——"
Several people looked at each other and stood up one after another.
Li Shimin did not speak, but waved his hands with a smile and pursed his lips behind them. Only then did Fang Xuanling and others look back in surprise.
At this time, Tang Jian was already stunned and had not recovered for a long time.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty - you -"
Tang Jian was so excited that it was hard to say anything.
Li Shimin looked at him and nodded affirmatively.
Tang Jian immediately clasped his fists excitedly.
"Wei Chen is really convinced!"
When everyone asked, they found out that Li Shimin had ordered Tang Jian to take back these remote places two days ago.
It turns out that His Majesty already has the pearl of wisdom in his hands!
Changsun Wuji's narrow eyes flickered for a moment, then lowered again. This Your Majesty became more and more unfathomable.
"I have already made plans for the coal-bearing matter, and it will be put on the agenda soon. Now that refugees from all over the country are gradually beginning to gather in the imperial capital, let's discuss the issue of resettlement of the refugees first. Do you have any good ideas?"
Li Shimin, who had received a wave of admiration, was in a good mood, and even his tone softened a bit.
"Report——Your Majesty, Dr. Guozi told Kong Yingda who was in charge that he had something urgent to see."
Several big guys who were discussing national affairs suddenly stopped and looked over with some confusion. Li Shimin couldn't help but frown slightly, and his expression became solemn.
This Kong Yingda is not from Meng Lang. If there is nothing important, he probably won't bother him rashly at this time.