"That's right, Wei Chen's parents often taught him when Wei Chen was young. Everything is inferior, only reading is good. Study hard, and if you become an official in the future, you will be able to see the real dragon emperor."
"Oh? Your parents asked you to study hard just to meet me?"
The emperor was successfully pleased by Gu Chengyu, and he couldn't help but feel high-spirited.
In fact, Gu Chengyu also felt that he had gone too far in flattery, but who made the emperor really do this?
"Wei Chen's family is just a farmer, and his parents have little knowledge. However, even if they have little knowledge, they often nag at home, saying that this dynasty is under your governance, and the people's families are not rich, but there is no shortage of food and drink. This dynasty
The taxes are not heavy, and the people are very grateful to you, Your Majesty."
Gu Chengyu felt that it was really shameless for him to compete with the great treacherous officials in his previous life.
"Your parents are quite capable of carrying things."
The emperor felt very happy at this moment and no longer cared about Gu Chengyu's previous mistakes.
Gu Chengyu was laying the groundwork for what he would ask for later. This matter was not a big deal and it satisfied the emperor. Should he be able to agree to this, right?
"However, don't think that you can escape punishment by talking about him."
Although the emperor was in a better mood at the moment, it was not something Gu Chengyu could deceive with a few words.
"Wei Chen knows that he has made a mistake, but he dare not ask the emperor for forgiveness. Please punish him!" Gu Chengyu said with a bitter face.
In any case, the emperor's face was indeed damaged during the morning court.
Although those ministers often refuted the emperor's words, who said Gu Chengyu was still a petty official? And the situation today is indeed different, especially since the emperor had other plans in mind.
The emperor snorted coldly, "It depends on your performance. I asked you to explain the matter of salt and the regulations. If you satisfy me, then I will remember it for you first. If you make a mistake next time, you will
Several crimes will be punished simultaneously. If you dissatisfy me, don't blame me for being merciless."
When Gu Chengyu heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He was planning to let him go. Regarding Yan Yin, he already had an idea in his mind, which would definitely satisfy the emperor.
"You have to remember, I can give you a promotion, or I can make you lose your hat."
The emperor knew that Gu Chengyu was ambitious, but that did not prevent him from using Gu Chengyu. If he was unambitious, he would still look down on him. Most of these people were mediocre and incompetent.
If someone like Gu Chengyu uses it well, he can certainly save himself a lot of effort. But Gu Chengyu's talent is also a double-edged sword. He is afraid that he will be too ambitious in the future and cannot take it back.
Therefore, he had to beat him every once in a while, and Xia Qingna couldn't be too weak. He often asked Gu Chengyu to suffer some hardships and stumble, so that he could sit back and relax.
Of course, it's not now. After all, Gu Chengyu is still young and has no support on his own, so he can't beat Xia Qing.
Gu Chengyu understood that this was the emperor's warning to him. It seemed that the emperor knew his little thoughts. However, he was not afraid. Anyway, he was not close to any prince, so he was still a pure minister.
But he has been too high-profile recently, and it seems that he will have to stop for a while. Anyway, he will start compiling the meeting soon, so he should keep to himself.
Besides, he will be visiting relatives in a few days, and it will take about two months to come and go. By the time he returns to the capital, the limelight he made before will have been almost forgotten.
"I would like to express my gratitude to the Emperor for your kindness. I will do my best in the future to share the Emperor's worries!"
The emperor nodded, believing that after this time, Gu Chengyu would think twice about doing anything in the future.
"What do you think about the salt tax?" The salt tax is the most important tax in this dynasty, and the emperor cannot tolerate it.
Seeing this, De'an hesitated to speak. It was almost time for lunch. If we continued talking, he was afraid that the emperor's body would not be able to bear it. The emperor had a poor appetite for breakfast and did not eat much.
However, he also knew the importance of the salt tax. Therefore, he did not dare to interrupt and could only worry on the sidelines.
"Your Majesty! Yan Yin is almost the same as tea Yin. The process is roughly the same. However, Wei Chen has some suggestions on how salt merchants can obtain salt Yin."
When the emperor heard this, he immediately sat upright.
"Oh? Say it!"
"Your Majesty, are the grain and grass we send to the border gate all sent by the imperial court?" Gu Chengyu thought for a moment and suddenly asked about the grain and grass at the border gate.
The emperor was a little confused. He didn't know why Gu Chengyu asked this. However, this question touched on the emperor's heart problem.
"Of course it was sent by the imperial court! The state capitals close to the border are not rich in food and grass, and the annual taxes and grains are not enough for the 40% of the soldiers' needs. Then we must rely on the imperial court to collect taxes and grain subsidies from other state capitals."
This was also a major headache for the emperor. Not to mention the manpower consumed every year, the porters and officials escorting the grain and grass also had to consume more than half of the grain and grass on the road.
Gu Chengyu nodded. This was still not a war. Otherwise, the soldiers at the border would need more food and grass. Jiangnan is a major grain-producing area. If there is not enough food and grass, you have to go to Jiangnan to purchase or collect it.
However, Jiangnan is far away from the border, and a lot of people need to be sent to escort the grain and grass to the border. The journey will take at least two or three months, and those escorting people also need to eat and drink, so the losses are certainly not small.
"Your Majesty, what if we leave the task of escorting grain and fodder to those salt merchants? Wouldn't our court be able to worry a lot less? There is no need for the court to bear the losses involved."
The emperor suddenly realized, yes! If salt is introduced, then the salt merchants will naturally be willing to escort grain and grass to the border in order to purchase salt.
"Please tell me in detail!" This matter is not that simple. Will the salt merchants agree? He has to see what good ideas Gu Chengyu has.
"Your Majesty! Regarding the matter of escorting grain and grass, Wei Chen thinks that the salt merchants can do it entirely on their own initiative and only provide some subsidies to those salt merchants who choose to escort."
This was what Gu Chengyu thought of last night, and he originally planned to save it for later.
After all, he has been promoted to an official position now, and if he talks about it anymore, he will not get any real benefit.
However, if he does not satisfy the emperor today, his life will not be easy. Besides, he has other plans in mind.
The emperor frowned when he heard this and asked his own question, "Then how do you know whether those salt merchants are willing to escort? If they refuse, what will the court do?"
Gu Chengyu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is actually a saying. Salt imports can be divided into long imports and short imports. The long imports are sold externally, and the short imports are sold in the main route. The long imports can last for a year, and the short imports are only for one season. Purchase
A salt merchant with a good reputation can escort grain and grass to the border, and his salt can also be sold to the border."
"These salt merchants will not suffer losses. If they are interested, they can be appropriately relaxed in terms of weight and money. There is a shortage of living materials at the border, but there are a lot of furs and medicinal materials. Even if the mutual market is not opened, just the amount of goods in our Dayan territory
Materials are also extremely abundant. Those salt merchants can also exchange or purchase such goods and resell them to other state capitals."