Mr. Old Tang looked at him as if he were looking at an unreasonable, corrupt official with a dark heart and a dark face.
Liu Shangshu ignored him and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, if this method is really as Bai Shan said, then our salt policy in Jin Dynasty will have to be changed, from salt price to salt tax.
It cannot be completed in one day, so this method must not be spread to outsiders at this time. A complete strategy must be in place before it can be made public, so that there will be no chaos."
It is said to be public, but it is not released directly to let the people of the whole country know, but it is made public in government offices where the salt can be exposed.
The only ones who know are insiders, just like the current method of boiling salt. Apart from the government officials and skilled workers who boil salt, who else knows this method?
Didn't you see that if the county magistrate wants to open a new salt farm, he must first put people in the old salt farm to learn how to cook salt, and then take the people out after they have learned it?
But this kind of scope of disclosure is enough for Dajin.
At this time, Wei Zhi's heart was filled with excitement, and he said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, perhaps Jiangnan's bad governance can be wiped out by taking this opportunity."
Lord Tang immediately stepped into the role after hearing this. There have always been many problems in Jiangnan, because for nearly two hundred years, the north has been in chaos. It was difficult for the aristocratic families and political power to move to the south. When they came back, the Jin Dynasty controlled Jiangnan.
It's somewhat weakened.
At present, the most serious Tibetan phenomenon is in the Jiangnan area, and the other issue is the salt tax.
The emperor was still holding his breath.
The emperor also wanted to take advantage of this, and his eyes were bright: "Salt policy is related to people's livelihood. I used to rely on them to produce salt, but now..."
The prince thought of his old grudges and was eager to give it a try, "Father, I would like to go to the south of the Yangtze River."
The emperor glanced at him and said: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Why are you going to Jiangnan?"
Wei Zhi asked, "Who does your Majesty think is appropriate to go?"
The emperor began to think deeply.
He thought for a long time, hesitated again and again, and finally couldn't help but ask, "What do you think of Yang Changbo?"
Mr. Old Tang and Wei Zhi Liu Shangshu looked at each other, both of them were silent and silent.
Liu Shangshu waited for a long time, but couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, Yang's power in Jiangnan is not weak, and he has been involved in salt affairs in the past. Although he was suppressed a few years ago, he has many old relatives in law, so he sent Yang Changbo
I’m afraid it’s inappropriate to go, right?”
Because his son had a very good relationship with Yang Changbo, Lord Tang knew Yang Changbo better than Liu Shangshu, so he suggested: "Your Majesty, why don't you ask Yang Changbo what he means and whether he is willing to go."
Wei knew: "If he is willing to go, then there will be another 30% chance of winning."
Not only because of his identity, but also because of his talents.
The emperor looked at the prince, "What does the prince think?"
Although the prince didn't like Yang very much, he had to admit that Yang Changbo was a gentleman. If he agreed, he wouldn't betray him unless they, father and son, betrayed him first.
However, the prince felt that as long as he and his father were not stupid, they would not bear such an important minister for no reason, so he nodded, "When the time comes, let him leave his family in the capital, and I will ask the prince to take more care of his family."
It is not only a hostage, but also a protection, so that he has no worries.
The emperor nodded slightly.
The emperor decided to call Yang Changbo to the capital for a discussion, but before that, he pushed the salt shaker in front of them to them and said: "You guys should try it, I think this salt is not bad."
The three of them stepped forward to twist a little and taste it. It tasted really good, no worse than the medium salt outside.
Can this thing be dried out by exposing it to sea water?
Is it too simple?
The emperor was also very curious, "I have seen the sea and drank sea water. The taste..."
The emperor paused for a moment and then ignored the smell and said: "Just soak it in the sea water, dry it in the sun and rub it. It seems that there is salt on your body, but you have to harvest so much salt and lead the sea water to the ground.
Is it really okay to show off for a while?”
The prince had never seen the sea. Hearing this, his heart moved, "Father, why don't I go to Qingzhou and have a look."
The emperor frowned.
Wei Zhi looked at the Crown Prince's increasingly resolute face and said: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness has become much more stable in the past two years and has experience in supervising the country. Why don't you let Your Highness go to Qingzhou and experience it too?"
People’s livelihood is difficult.”
Master Old Tang said: "If Your Majesty is worried, just send more imperial troops to protect you. Now that the world is stable, are you still afraid of bandits and robbers?"
The emperor thought about it. The eldest son is not the third son. He will manage the entire country in the future. He cannot stay in the capital and watch the sky. Although he has taken him out to inspect people's livelihood in recent years, he has never had the chance to go out by himself.
.
It's a good idea to go out this time, just to take a look at his character.
The prince did a good job in supervising the country twice, especially during the Eastern Expedition last year. He and Wei Zhi cooperated very well and managed the government affairs in an orderly manner. There is no doubt about his ability. In this case, the only thing left is to care for the people.
of virtue.
The emperor then said to the prince: "Since you want to observe the people's livelihood, you can't just go to Qingzhou. You can go along the way and then go to Haizhou. But you can only go to Haizhou to see the situation on the seaside there. You are not allowed to cross the sea.
The state continues to move south."
Further down from Haizhou is the boundary of Jiangnan.
Although the emperor wanted the prince to experience the difficulties of people's livelihood, he did not want him to take too much risk.
So it's best to stop in moderation.
The prince was a little excited and asked: "Father, when is the best time for me to set off?"
The emperor glanced at him and said: "Why are you so anxious? I will discuss this matter with Yin Li before we discuss it. Even if I am aware of the people's sentiments, I should find a better reason. I will arrange some more people for you, and your Zhan Shifu will also
Choose some people to bring with you."
The prince could only patiently say "yes".
The emperor turned around and said to Mr. Old Tang: "I think it is better to let the prince inspect local government affairs and official administration. You, the Yushitai, send a censor to follow, and go to the Ministry of Punishments... I think they are not suitable, but Zhihe is good.
"
Mr. Old Tang thought for a while and then said: "I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your cultivation."
The emperor smiled and said: "You are a tiger father without a dog son. I have heard Yin Li praise him often. Since he became Yin Li's deputy and took office as Shaoyin, the crime detection rate in the Gyeonggi area has increased steadily, but the crime rate has dropped significantly.
few."
Although Mr. Old Tang was proud in his heart, he still spoke modestly.
The monarch and his ministers temporarily ignored the secret matters and talked about their own family affairs.
It wasn't until Wei Zhi became impatient that the emperor gave him a small bottle on the side and said, "Zhou Man asked someone to bring this back to Aiqing. Aiqing, please take a look."
When Wei Zhi saw that the bottle had been opened, he didn't mind. He directly reached out and took it. After opening it, he took a look, stretched out his fingers and poured out the small note inside.
The emperor called out: "Gu Zhong——"
Gu Zhong came in, took one look and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Xiao Yuanzheng is already waiting outside."