After several days of running-in, the yamen of the new imperial court finally found a sense of the chaos. The officials of each yamen finally began to get into shape, and the situation in the capital gradually became orderly from the chaos.
In the market, there are shops tentatively opening one after another. Although Lu Zhongtian has conducted a continuous search of the capital, in fact, the people have their own methods, especially the merchants, who are extremely shrewd and have a keen nose. As early as the Jurchens
When going south, many people took precautions and hid a large amount of food, materials, goods and money. Each family had its own methods and hiding strategies. Therefore, even though Lu Zhongtian searched Bianliang City several times, many people still had money.
The property and materials of the people's homes were preserved.
At the beginning, the imperial court issued an imperial edict to open the market and start sailing. These merchants were a little worried that this was the imperial government's strategy to lure snakes out of the cave. They cautiously watched the situation and did not dare to open businesses easily. But as the situation developed, they finally let go
Xin Lai. Several time-honored brands such as Zhangjiazheng Store and Yang Ersao Zhengdian on Bianhe Street tentatively opened stores. It actually attracted the then Prime Minister Lin Jue to come to dinner with his entourage. Not only did he pay double the price, but he also gave them separately.
The two restaurants put up plaques praising them as pioneers and role models in the business world.
As soon as the news spread, markets and workshops opened one after another. Regardless of whether there were many goods to sell, the storefronts had to be open. And in order to solve the problem of insufficient goods, the imperial court specially organized a fleet to go to the nearest market without passing through the bright war.
They purchased goods for them free of charge from the land of Lianghuai and Huaihe Rivers. In order to solve the problems of merchants and common people who were short of money, difficult to promote commercial prosperity and lack of raw materials for handicrafts, the Third Secretary Yang Xiu posted a notice for interest-free official loans.
The notice announced an incredible piece of good news: all merchants, workshops, and even ordinary people can apply for interest-free loans at the Sansi Yamen, for a period of one year, in accordance with the standards announced by the Yamen and the number of official loans approved based on the business scale.
. Large commercial banks can lend up to a thousand taels of silver, and small shops and workshops can lend at least fifty taels of silver. Ordinary people's homes can borrow from ten taels to fifty taels of silver. This official loan is not only interest-free, but can also be deferred.
It will be returned to the government in three years. In other words, within three years, no interest will be charged on the money, and it can be used and circulated by the people and merchants. This move is precisely a measure to enable merchants, workshops and people to overcome the current difficulties.
In turn, it can promote the normal business and life of merchants and ordinary people as soon as possible. And because it is interest-free, there is not much pressure to repay 10 to 50 taels of silver in three years.
This measure is almost too good to be true, but there are always brave people who are eager to get back on the road to take the lead. When they go home with white money, this thing has become a reality again. Numbers
Within a few days, Sansi Yamen issued official loans of nearly three million taels of silver, and these taels of silver quickly became a promoter of commercial circulation in the capital and revitalized the entire capital market.
This method was of course Lin Jue's idea. Due to the poor market circulation, most of Yang Xiu's people had become extremely poor and were unable to purchase and consume. Many small merchant workshops were distressed because they did not have the capital to carry out commercial and manufacturing activities. Come here
When asking Lin Jue what to do, Lin Jue thought of the measures taken by Chang Ping's new law during the reform, which was to issue official loans to the poor.
Therefore, this method of interest-free official loans was proposed. Unlike Changping's new law, this measure does not increase the burden on the people. The interest-free is to benefit the people, and the upper limit of official loans is set.
The three-year repayment strategy is to avoid the possibility of ordinary people being unable to repay official loans. This is a more relaxed and preferential policy based on Changping's new law.
Of course, a difficult problem is where this large amount of silver comes from. In fact, the imperial court now holds a large amount of silver in its hands, amounting to more than six million taels. These silvers are still given by Lu Zhongtian. After Lu Zhongtian died,
Later, his house was ransacked and a huge amount of two million taels of property was confiscated, all of which he had gained from years of corruption. Also, when the properties of his party officials were confiscated, seven to eight hundred thousand taels of dirty silver were confiscated. As for
The source of the remaining three million taels of silver is somewhat disgraceful. It was the money confiscated by Lu Zhongtian from ordinary people's homes in the capital. There were millions of people in the capital and nearly 200,000 households. Every household was seized.
Lu Zhongtian plundered a lot. Many wealthy and wealthy families were plundered and their houses were completely plundered. The original amount of money was as high as more than five million taels, but part of it had been divided up and consumed. When Yang Xiu seized the capital treasury, in addition to food, there were also
The silver was seized.
Regarding what to do with this silver, some officials believed that it should be returned to the people. They said that this was people's money and should be returned to the people. Lin Jue scoffed. The silver did belong to the people, but the silver that Lu Zhongtian looted was as high as five million.
Now there are only three million taels left. Is it possible to pay back two million taels? If only part of the money is returned, it will become a reputation for the court to withhold silver. Moreover, even if it is returned to the people, it will not be easy to operate. Lu Zhongtian did not make a record at the beginning.
Is it possible that the amount of money, food and materials taken from which family cannot be distributed equally? Some officials are too pedantic and have good intentions, but things cannot be done this way.
This time, through this method, the silver taels were distributed without interest in the form of official loans, which not only solved the current plight of the people, but also gained a good reputation. And after three years, the three million taels will be returned intact.
In the hands of the imperial court. This is a disguised way of taking something from the people, using it for the people, and benefiting the imperial court. Although it seems a bit shameless to say that in the end the people's money became the imperial court's money. But the blame fell on Lu Zhongtian.
Memorize it, that has nothing to do with the imperial court.
There is another measure, which is also closely related to restoring people's livelihood. Bianliang City has been baptized by war, and the towers and walls of the North City and South City were seriously damaged. The North City was better, after all, only the facilities on the city walls were damaged, and the city gates were damaged.
The city wall is basically intact. However, the Nanxun Gate has been completely scrapped, and the area 70 or 80 steps wide is in ruins. Of course, it needs to be repaired and rebuilt quickly. Originally, this matter was not urgent, but Lin Jue still gave instructions to repair it quickly.
.This is not to worry about enemies attacking Bianliang, but to create employment opportunities for the city as soon as possible.
During this initial period, commerce and shipping and handicrafts would not be able to recover quickly, and a large number of unemployed people could not find a livelihood for the time being. The imperial court's large-scale project of repairing the city wall could create a large number of job opportunities. Even if the wages are less,
But it can give the unemployed people something to do and get paid. This is the great significance of this matter. At least thousands of laborers can be employed, which is a big deal.
It has greatly alleviated the pressure on employment in the capital during this period. In just a short period of time, after the shops and workshops in the city, the docks and boat shops in the Bianhe River are opened, and the commercial routes between other places and the capital are opened, employment will no longer be a problem.
Shops and workshops require a lot of manpower, a lot of coolies are needed on the docks, and craftsmen are needed in the workshops. Everything is no longer a problem.
The whole city was in a state of restlessness after rebirth, with all kinds of new measures and news emerging one after another. No one expected that this capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty not only did not die after experiencing a long period of suffering, but also quickly aroused
There is new vitality. People's hearts are recovering, and every day seems to be a day full of hope for ordinary people. In fact, what people fear most is that there is no hope. If there is hope, people's hearts will not die, and they will burst into amazing things.
The power of despair can kill all vitality and make everything dim.
The third day of May is an exciting day for the scholars in the capital. The temporary imperial examination announced by the imperial court will be held today. After Guo Xu ascended the throne, the imperial examination was neglected for several years. It is not that the imperial examination was not held, but that for scholars
Many scholars and scholars refused to join in the same trend, so that a large number of scholars could only waste their time. The yamen in the new court were in short supply of personnel, and some of the manpower selected from the Luoyan Army could not meet the needs at all, not to mention that what was needed to govern the country was real people.
Talent, it's not something that can be done just by pulling in just one person.
Not to mention anything else, many people selected from the Luoyan Army made countless jokes in a short period of time. A large number of middle and low-level official positions needed to be supplemented, otherwise the operation of the entire imperial court would be greatly restricted. Therefore,
This temporary imperial examination has become an extraordinary means in extraordinary times. Before this time, Lin Jue personally took on the role of examiner before the selection was completely different in both form and content.
The imperial examination began in a public and novel form. Lin Jue and Ma Qingshan and Yang Xiu served as chief and deputy examiners respectively. They set questions on the spot, answered the questions on the spot, and made public comments on the spot. Even the examination room was not in Nancheng Gongyuan, but in the Zhuquemen Square.
Thousands of tables were set up above, and the exams were held in full view of everyone.
As for the examination questions, they were given on the spot. The chief and deputy examiners set the questions on the spot and distributed them to the examinees on the spot for them to answer on the spot. The examination questions were not limited to poetry and articles, but focused more on national policy, military affairs, and the ability to manage politics. Articles and poetry were only
Occupying a small share, the rest are all measured abilities. For example, a question asked by Lin Jue is about how to see the status and role of merchants in the country. It is to find those who have a strong understanding of the role of business in the national economy.
Those who see the importance clearly and think clearly. Those who think that the way of merchants is a pedantic view of being low-class and inferior will lose a lot of points on this question. Ma Qingshan even combined his own experience
, an essay question was asked about which civil servants or military generals are more useful to the country. The question Yang Xiu gave was about finance. What his Sansi Yamen currently lacks is this type of officials.
In short, this informal imperial examination is the most special imperial examination. Although it caused controversy among many scholars, it also made them aware of a change in the direction of the trend. The Great Zhou Dynasty seems to be no longer the Great Zhou Dynasty before.
