After discovering the benefits, the courtiers were very excited.￥f,
As a result, all resolutions were passed extremely quickly.
Everything started to move according to Liu Che's wishes.
After the court was over, everyone went home to prepare to gather food and participate in the feast.
Since the Shaofu has so much salt and iron reserves, everyone feels that a mere 500,000 pounds of rock salt and one million kilograms of iron are not even enough to stuff the gaps between teeth!
It would be best to eat all the young master’s reserves!
Many brains started to work immediately. It was obvious that how much food could be eaten in this feast depended on one's own food reserves.
But the problem is that even if you are a top prince with thousands of households in the city, to be honest, how much reserve can you have in your own granary?
Ten thousand stones of grain, piled up, are already as large as a hill.
If one hundred thousand stones of food were concentrated in one place, it would be a nightmare!
We are just princes, not princes or kings, let alone emperors.
It is impossible to have such a complete and powerful storage base and manpower and material resources to maintain a large-scale grain warehouse.
Not to mention keeping it safe.
The granaries of most princes were only twenty to thirty thousand dan in size.
No matter how much it is, not only will their warehouse be overwhelmed, but the cost and maintenance will also be a headache!
And what does twenty to thirty thousand shi of grain count in this feast?
Not even hair!
Did everyone work hard for a long time just to exchange the food at home for two to three thousand rock salt?
Thinking about it makes me feel uncomfortable!
Many people's eyes twitched and they turned their attention to the Shaofu and Da Nong Ling.
As we all know, the imperial court implemented a food price protection policy in Guanzhong.
The core of this policy is: No matter how the landslides and wars break out outside, the price of grain in Guanzhong will always be constant before the bottom line set by the Shaofu.
As long as the Shaofu's bottom line is exceeded, the imperial government's official warehouse in Guanzhong will begin to intervene.
The large amount of grain reserves is enough to defeat any mother who dares to speculate or hoard profiteers in Guanzhong.
But on the other hand, this policy also has a huge loophole.
That is: the Shaofu and Da Nong orders must ensure that at all times, the price of grain in Guanzhong remains at the level they recognize.
That is to say...
Everyone laughed heartily.
Someone just walked out of the palace gate and said loudly with a righteous look on his face: "Today is the month of Meng Chun. There is no harvest, and the price of food in Guanzhong is as high as fifty-seven yuan a stone. How can the people of Li live? I, as a court official,
Please plead for the people!"
Someone immediately said: "That's right! In my opinion, the price of grain in this pass should be around 40 yuan! I should go and discuss this matter with the Grand Farmer and the Young Master..."
Countless people looked at each other and smiled, their faces full of joy.
Shaofu. That’s a sieve!
In the past sixty years, everyone has been persevering and constantly digging into the Shaofu's walls. All skills and methods have been mastered.
Every year, the Shaofu has a wealth of at least 50 million yuan, which is divided up by various heroes.
Among them, there are ministers, princes, and even the most diligent person wielding the hoe. His surname is Liu. He is the aunt of today's emperor, Princess Guantao!
In such an environment, if everyone digs into the young master's house, it means that he can be confident and upright.
Rumor has it that last year, on the occasion of the birthday of the eldest princess of Guantao, she directly brought beef, sheep, fish, salt sauce, and cloth and silk home from the kitchen and weaving room of the Shaofu, which amounted to more than a dozen cartloads of supplies.
He even didn't even say hello to the young master.
Afterwards, the young master still had to send a document with a shy face, asking Guantao to sign and approve: These things were indeed mixed by Princess Guantao...
This damn thing really makes people feel that if they don’t swing a hoe, they will be sorry for themselves!
Nowadays, when everyone encounters a problem, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, the Shaofu!
The food price protection policy jointly implemented by the Shaofu, Da Nong Ling, and Nei Shi became extremely cute at this moment.
The Shaofu has a lot of food.
In Guanzhong alone, there are at least a dozen grain reserve bases, large and small, storing at least four million stones of grain reserves.
In Luoyang, Suiyang, Xingyang and Aocang in Guandong, there are at least twice this amount of reserves.
No one except the emperor dared to touch the grain in Aocang.
But in other places, it’s just haha.
Most people know immediately what they should do next.
Of course, we must unite and ask the young master to lower the price of food first, and then we can wait for others to buy goods like crazy.
In order to stabilize food prices, the Shaofu will inevitably adjust the food supply.
Then, everyone took the low-priced grain and went to the Shaofu to exchange it for salt and iron.
Just by changing hands, you can make a lot of money.
In fact, some people who think they have strong connections and strong backgrounds don’t even bother to do this step.
They planned to go directly to the Shaofu to ask for food.
‘Buy’ the Shaofu’s grain at the market price.
It’s just that this ‘buy’ is a bit special, so why do you think you are short of money at the moment?
But the considerate Shaofu and Da Nongling will definitely fully understand their difficulties.
The most I can do is make an IOU.
Will the dignified princes (two thousand stone giants) still owe money and not pay it back?
Next, the show begins.
They even skipped the step of transporting it to Pengcheng.
Give the grain directly to the Shaofu and ask the Shaofu to help them transport the grain.
Anyway, the young master himself must go to Pengcheng to arrange food supplies.
The grain from Aocang and the grain from Shu County must go there.
Then along the way, please help me carry the food there.
I believe that none of the smart colleagues in the Shaofu and the great peasants will refuse the hand of friendship extended by a noble prince (two thousand stones).
So, using his left hand and his right hand, he didn't even take out a single coin, and could easily buy tens of thousands of stones of salt and iron. (It's not that I don't want to buy more, it's just that it looks too ugly. I might get slapped in the face, besides...
If there are too many, it will cause public outrage. If you cause public outrage and meet a fool who exposes the matter, then why bother?)
Many people think this way in their hearts, speak righteous words with their mouths, and act extremely quickly.
Soon, in less than half a day, the entire Shaofu and Da Nong Order fell.
In front of a lobby composed of so many ministers and princes, many bureaucrats in the Shaofu and Daonong orders had their knees involuntarily softened before they even understood what the other party wanted, and they immediately knelt down and licked him.
A few people who wanted to be reserved were immediately intimidated by various threats. They were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat and shut up immediately.
And there are only a few of the remaining ones who are unwilling to go along with the trend.
Moreover, the location is not critical. Their objections and doubts were almost ignored.
No matter how much you object, it will be ineffective!
What's more, the princes and ministers came with great righteousness.
Those who objected, before they even opened their mouths, were labeled as 'thieves who disregard the hardships of the people and harm all people for their own selfish interests'. Then countless spittles were sprayed on them.
These opposing voices were immediately drowned in the sighs of lamenting the hardships of the people and pitying their suffering.
The next day, the Shaofu and the Da Nong Ling Yamen jointly announced: After research, they felt that the price of food in Chang'an was too high in the month of Meng Chun and it was necessary to suppress it.
Grain prices in Guanzhong fell immediately and began to plummet.
In the morning, the price dropped to fifty yuan per stone.
By the time the market closed in the afternoon, the latest quotation for grain prices in Chang'an had become 45 cents.
only……
The strange thing is that although food prices have been falling.
But many excited people, carrying various grain bags and fighting tools, went to various grain stores and even government offices to buy grain, only to find that... there was no grain.
Throughout Chang'an, all grain stores and government offices, large and small, have sold out of grain.
But except for those people who are really anxious to buy food and cook it home, most people don't care about it.
Food prices have been falling and plummeting.
This is a good thing!
If you can’t buy it today, you can’t buy it!
There are even rumors that the Shaofu is determined to lower the price of food to less than 40 yuan, so that the people can eat cheap, reliable and high-quality food!
As a result, more people were watching.
Everyone thinks that they will wait until the price of food reaches 40 yuan or less before buying it.
Even those who are short of food are not in a hurry.
After they returned home, they borrowed food from neighbors and relatives.
Since food prices are bound to fall, everyone is willing to borrow food.
However, no matter the ministers, princes, or people, they have forgotten that there is still a pair of hidden eyes staring at them in Chang'an City.
Reports from the Xiuyi Guards were continuously passed to Weiyang Palace.
Liu Che had already noticed this when food prices began to change.
By night, Liu Che had completely figured out the whole story and the causes and consequences.
"These guys..." Liu Che couldn't help but laugh and cry as he took in the various reports sent back by Xiu Yiwei.
In this matter, the ministers who were gearing up were not careful at all, or in other words, they did not have the awareness to be careful at all.
Everyone knows about Xiuyiwei, but no one knows how powerful this new spy agency is.
They have never been exposed to the power of special agents.
In the minds of most people, this matter was firstly not a rebellion, secondly it was not against the emperor, and thirdly it was not illegal.
The emperor has nothing to do with it!
Even if you know it, what can you do?
Punishing someone without teaching them is a taboo!
If the law does not prohibit it, it is legal. Moreover, everyone is in the name of righteousness.
Under the guise of praying for the people, benefiting the elders, and caring for the people.
They don't worry at all about what problems may arise.
"I can only say that you are too young..." Liu Che threw the various files on the ground that recorded the discussions between the princes and the division of grain.
Liu Cheming said that he must not interfere with this matter.
You can't even object.
If he opposes it, the public resentment will be directed against him as the emperor.
Ordinary people don't care whether there is a conspiracy, whether there are any problems, or whether there are any drawbacks.
They only know that during the Mengchun month, there is no harvest, and everyone has to buy grain to survive.
Naturally, the lower the food price, the better.
Before traveling through time, Liu Che was a common man, and he understood the people's way of thinking very well.
Before the problem is exposed, they will only cheer and applaud low food prices.
Only when they discover that this low food price is just a short-lived trend and that most of them have been deceived will their indignation and anger be ignited.
When the time comes, it will also be Liu Che who is injured...
There is no way, who calls him the emperor?
Since the emperor is the supreme ruler, he enjoys unlimited power and supreme authority.
Correspondingly, he has to bear all the good and bad, his blame and other people's blame.
If the matter really drags on until the people find out that they have been deceived, the best outcome for Liu Che is that his popularity will plummet and he will have to throw out a few scapegoats.
But that's no use!
From now on, people's trust in the government will be greatly reduced.
As long as the country deceives the people once, the next time it promulgates any policy, everyone will look at it with suspicion and confusion.
Once credibility is lost, it will be difficult to get it back!
Therefore, it seems that Liu Che's only option is to admit his loss, swallow the blood with his teeth, and continue to bleed profusely to maintain low food prices after these guys have eaten and drank enough.
Otherwise, he can only choose between angering the people now and attracting people's hatred towards himself or being doubted and mistrusted in the future.
"I'm afraid, these guys are sure of me and will choose the latter..." Liu Che sneered twice.
The moral integrity of the ruling class has always been appallingly low.
Words said, like farts said, are not accidental, but the norm.
When it is unfavorable, it deceives the people to take over the blame; when it is advantageous, it devours everything and leaves nothing behind.
For bureaucrats and aristocrats, deceiving the people is considered a gross crime, isn't it?
Confucius once said that people can make people do it, but they can't let it go. This is the essence of it.
only……
"I am a person who wants to do big things. An Kenru and others have lost their moral integrity just for a small profit?" Liu Che knew deeply what he wanted to do.
Whether it is fighting for hegemony with the Huns or colonizing India in the future.
He needs his people to know clearly that as an emperor, he means what he says.
Just like Shang Yang's logs, he gave the Qin Empire glory and prosperity for seven generations.
But it only takes one year to destroy it all.
When the Qin Empire fell, even the main base in Guanzhong and the elders of the Three Qin Dynasties abandoned it.
Those descendants of the Three Qin Dynasties who were the cornerstone of the empire and supported the Qin Empire in its pursuit of death and its pursuit of the north and the unification of the world, stood aside and watched Xianyang destroyed, and watched the Ying family fall into dust and fall into hell.
During the reign of Duke Xiao, the Qin State even lost Hangu Pass, and all the land west of Hexi was in the hands of the enemy, but Qin was not destroyed.
During the reign of King Wu of Qin, the state of Qin was besieged by the whole world, but Qin was not destroyed.
During the Battle of Changping, in the face of Zhao's war of attrition and stalemate, the Qin people even 80-year-old men began to transport grain to the front line, but Qin still did not fall.
The six countries attacked Qin, and their troops came to Hangu Pass. The whole world began to besiege Qin, but Qin still did not fall.
Why did he die after he was yelled at by a few peasants when he unified the world, merged with Sanyue in the south, and drove out the Huns in the north?
Throughout the ages, countless people have given countless answers.
But in Liu Che's view, Qin's demise was because it personally destroyed the foundation on which it relied for its strength.
This foundation comes from Shang Yang’s Log Lixin.
When the Qin Empire lost its credibility, its aristocracy, its ruling class, and its bureaucratic class abandoned its roots.
Therefore, its demise is no longer surprising. (To be continued...)
