In the Funing Hall, Zhao Xu was holding a pen and making notes on the desk.
The Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Xiang walked in gently from one side of the curtain.
Seeing Zhao Xu who was writing, both palaces smiled happily.
Then, he walked behind Zhao Xu.
Zhao Xu looked back when he heard the noise and immediately laughed: "Mother, why are you here?"
"Come and see Sixth Brother..." Xiang Dowager smiled and looked at the book in front of Zhao Xu.
There seemed to be sentences copied on the thin paper.
Under each sentence there is Brother Six's own interpretation and thoughts.
The Queen Mother looked at her and asked, "Brother Six, are you reading Mr. Mingdao's article?"
Zhao Xu nodded.
I actually feel a little proud in my heart, because in the impression of the world, Cheng Hao seems to be a great theoretician of the old party.
Wang Anshi’s new law should be vigorously criticized!
On the surface, it seems so.
But in fact……
Take a look at what Cheng Hao said to Zhao Xu in the final statement of the annotation of the book Shiren: The master should get rid of the disadvantages of deep imprisonment, and plan for a long-term plan, use business to practice benevolence, understand the laws of nature, and follow Yin and Yang!
Therefore, this great master of Neo-Confucianism actually supported reforms and only opposed drastic reforms and policies that were eager for quick results.
Unfortunately, he has passed away.
No one knows his true attitude towards Wang Anshi's reform.
This is very convenient for Zhao Xu.
Confucianism is like this.
No matter how you explain it, as long as it makes sense logically and can be recognized by others, it can be regarded as the "little words and great meaning" of the saint.
This has been like this since Confucius.
In modern times, Zhao Xu even met the Industrial Party who claimed to be disciples of Confucianism.
I have also seen a lot of water paper guys, papers about Confucianism and Chinese industry, and papers on the application of Confucianism in modern business management...
They announced it openly and openly.
Zhao Xu was confused at first.
However, he later asked his teacher for advice, and was reminded by the teacher's words: "Confucianism, from ancient times to the present, has been a social science!"
"Confucianism must explain social status quo and social problems in order to cater to the rulers and be recognized by mainstream scholars!"
"Otherwise, you will be abandoned by society and the king..."
"So, Confucianism in each period has the characteristics of that period!"
After hearing this, Zhao Xu felt as if he was enlightened and knew that his teacher was right.
As a former king, Zhao Xu certainly knew that that was indeed the main task of Confucianism.
Serve the king's rule and explain the current situation of society for the king (deceive the common people).
Therefore, Confucianism must be believed by others.
If he can't fool the peasants, what use does the king have for him?
However, both palaces looked at what Zhao Xu had written, with brilliant eyes.
Because Zhao Xu was not only copying Cheng Hao's articles, but also explaining and interpreting Cheng Hao's words.
The two palaces only looked at it for a while, and they both felt that although the official (sixth brother)'s idea was a bit immature or naive.
But if you think about it carefully, it actually makes some sense.
Thinking about what happened in the palace today, both palaces have completely accepted Zhao Xu's statement.
He did realize it on his own.
This is also in line with Zhao Xu's performance in front of the two palaces in the past few months - he can often grasp the key points keenly and often make wonderful moves.
However, the two palaces are still a little worried.
The Liao Kingdom, those were the northern captives!
So, the Empress Dowager took Zhao Xu's hand, led him to sit on the royal bed, and sat on the other side toward the Empress Dowager.
"Sixth Brother, the Empress Dowager and I already know that Sixth Brother's Jiaozi issuance can be successful!" Xiang asked the Empress Dowager softly: "That is, the Empress Dowager and I are both worried about the extra money Beilu gets every year.
Silk, will it be hard to satisfy your desires?"
This is the main direction of worry in both houses.
In the past, the Song Dynasty gave the northern captives 200,000 taels of silver and 300,000 bolts of silk every year.
Beilu has become so arrogant as it is now.
Not to mention three million dollars a year?
As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to simplicity.
What if Beilu becomes more greedy?
Zhao Xu looked at Empress Dowager Xiang and smiled: "If I don't hide it from my mother, I just hope that Beilu's desires will be hard to satisfy!"
Both palaces suddenly became serious and looked at Zhao Xu: "Brother Six (official)!"
Zhao Xu knew very well that the two palaces were afraid of the Liao people.
I'm afraid that if a Liao man sneezes, both palaces will be starved of food and drink.
Seeing Zhao Xu's confident look, the two palaces sat down and listened to his explanation.
"Beilu are Yi Di, Yi Di have no faith, the sage has already made it clear!" Zhao Xu explained with a smile: "However, I think that even Yi Di can't escape human nature..."
"Human nature is to like leisure and work, and to covet wine, sex and wealth..."
"But they don't value the teachings of saints, and they don't know how to be frugal..."
This is to bully the two palaces into hiding in the palace and not knowing the sufferings of the people.
If the two palaces are the governors, they must know that the same is true in the Song Dynasty.
Folk extravagance is prevalent!
The scholar-bureaucrats are drunk, lustful and wealthy, and all of them are impeccable.
There are many people who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just for a cup of tea and a tea set.
But how do the two palaces know this?
Even when they leave the palace, they always go to Kaibao Temple and Daxiangguo Temple.
Every time he leaves the palace, there is a huge crowd, with countless guards in front and back, and the streets have to be cleaned.
It is estimated that only the Queen Mother knows a little bit about it.
But all she knew was the old almanac from the Zhiping period.
In twenty years, with the flick of a finger, the world has been turned upside down!
Even Bianjing City is no longer the Bianjing City that the Empress Dowager remembered.
Therefore, Zhao Xu's statement made both palaces nod slightly.
Zhao Xu continued: "Nowadays, Beilu gets three million guan every year, which can be used to buy things from our dynasty..."
"They will gradually become dissatisfied with this..."
"Then, they will send their gold and silver to our country and ask us to make jiaozi for them so that they can continue shopping and enjoying..."
"In this way, ten or twenty years later, our country will have a rich people and a strong country, while the other country will be deeply involved in drinking, sex and wealth, and the national treasury will be in serious deficit!"
"In this way, you will have a chance..."
"Mother, please don't misunderstand me!" Zhao Xu looked at the serious expressions of the two palaces again, and quickly comforted him: "Soldiers are deadly weapons, and saints have to use them as a last resort. Mother, my son will keep the teachings of the queen in mind and will never speak lightly.
Use troops to invade the north..."
"My son only wants to inherit the aspirations of Emperor Taizong, Zhenmiao, and Renmiao..."
"It's just a matter of spending money to redeem Yanyun Sixteen States!"
"With ten or twenty years of hard work, the northern captives were trapped in the quagmire and had to hand over the sixteen states of Yanyun to repay their debts and use them as loans to continue to indulge in extravagance!"
After hearing this, the two palaces looked at each other and showed happy smiles.
Because what Zhao Xu said was clear and logical.
If you think about it carefully, it is indeed possible!
Because of the defeat at Gaolianghe, successive emperors since Taizong felt that force could not regain Youyan, so they all began to find other ways to redeem it with money.
Zhao Xu is not the first to think this way.
Zhenmiao and Renmiao both had this idea and put it into practice.
Even the late emperor's encapsulation library was prepared for the Sixteen States of Youyan.
And Zhao Xu went one step further than these emperors.
He proposed a feasible plan.
It took ten or twenty years to paralyze the northern captives, making them unable to leave the Song Dynasty, and then they had to return the sixteen states of Youyan.
only……
The Queen Mother looked at Zhao Xu and asked worriedly: "Guan family, if this happens, where will the country get so much money?"
Now it’s 3 million yuan a year, 30 million yuan in ten years!
If the Northern captives asked the Song Dynasty to make Jiaozi, they would add several million more strings every year.
They took the money and bought the goods and went back.
Merchants came to Bianjing to exchange their coins.
Although the official who handed over the money said that most merchants would not exchange it immediately.
But what if?
If the merchants exchanged the money with the money, wouldn't the Song Dynasty suffer a big loss?
This is where the two palaces are worried.
You can't blame them, it's really too risky.
After hearing this, Zhao Xu laughed: "Don't worry, Mother!"
"My grandson has already thought about it..."
"When merchants bring Jiaozi, they can exchange it if necessary, and it can be exchanged at any time regardless of the three-year period!"
"Because this merchant has changed his Jiaozi, the Jiaozi can then sell it to other merchants..."
"This time, it's always a tax of sixty cents!"
"Suppose a Jiaozi with a face value of ten guan is redeemed at the Jiaozi exchange more than ten times in a year..."
"Then this Jiaozi with a nominal value of ten coins is actually already in the packaging library!"
"It's like a merchant who spent another ten dollars to buy it back from Jiaozi Exchange..."
When the two palaces heard this, they looked at each other.
Think about it carefully, this is really the case!
As long as the Song Dynasty reserves enough reserves, it will not be afraid of merchants' exchanges at all, and will even encourage exchanges. The higher the exchange rate, the better!
Zhao Xu continued: "In addition, the Liao people's shopping from our country is only based on the current three million yuan..."
"The merchants all over the world may profit from it, which is probably more than one million yuan!"
"And I heard that merchants have to pay taxes and residence taxes..."
"With goods traveling from south to north, paying taxes along the way can benefit the country!"
"In order to sell goods to the Northern Barbarians, they need to hire common people's craftsmen... and common people's craftsmen can benefit from it..."
"If things go on like this, the gold and silver of Beilu will continue to flow into our dynasty... The goods of our dynasty will continue to flow into Beilu..."
"You have me in you, and you have me in you... At the end of the day, Beilu didn't dare to say anything about going south again..."
Zhao Xu looked at the two palaces and still smiled: "Because, by that time, when the northern captives go south, they will actually fight him!"
The two palaces listened and nodded involuntarily. They had all been convinced by Zhao Xu.
What Zhao Xu said could even be said to have reached their hearts.
Zhao Xu looked at the expressions of the two palaces and said: "So, mother-in-law and queen, please give Gao a warning to the relatives of the two families..."
"Hurry up and go to the border market, open a shop, and specialize in the things that Beilu likes..."
When the two palaces heard this, they both laughed and said to Queen Mother Xiang, "Sixth brother, Gao, is a relative of both Xiang families!"
"They are already extremely wealthy and can no longer compete with the people for profit!"
The Queen Mother also said: "What the Queen Mother said is true!"
Zhao Xu just smiled.
He knew that how could the Gao family and the Xiang family let go of this gluttonous feast?
I originally wrote a lot of personal opinions on Confucianism, but I thought about it and deleted it!
Because this will be criticized by others, if any readers are interested, I will post a free chapter later to explain it.
Of course, this is limited to my personal superficial knowledge.
PS: The same is true for some things in the book.
The author is just a mortal, it is impossible to cover everything, and it is impossible not to make mistakes. Please forgive me.
