Lin Ze shook his head and said: "The Prime Minister's words are wrong. Once this policy is implemented, Western Qin will have countless laborers."
Chen Ping had a look of disbelief: "There are only so many young people in the world. If wealthy businessmen and powerful men can avoid corvee service by fines of copper, and others will follow suit, how can there be labor to build roads, bridges, and city walls?"
Lin Ze smiled and said, "What if the imperial court pays salaries to those who serve?"
Chen Ping subconsciously replied: "Where does the salary come from? How can the national treasury afford it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ping immediately reacted and asked: "Your Majesty, do you want to use the fined copper as salary for those who serve?"
Lin Ze asked back: "Otherwise, the Prime Minister thinks that I will use the money to build a palace?"
Chen Ping didn't pay attention to Lin Ze's ridicule, but thought about it seriously and finally came to the conclusion that if labor service was profitable, it would indeed attract many young men.
Turning over this picture, Chen Ping's eyes fell on the next one.
"Cancel the low status of merchants, and treat them equally among scholars, peasants, and merchants. Those who do business must obtain approval from the department. Taxes will be levied in proportion based on the profits from the goods sold. If there is tax evasion, the business qualifications will be revoked, the family property will be confiscated, and they will be fined with hard labor."
Chen Ping no longer knew how many times this was the first time he smiled bitterly: "Since ancient times, scholars, peasants, and merchants have been a good family, while industry and merchants have been a humble family. In the past, the merchant kings reformed and emphasized agriculture and suppressed business. Only then could the Qin State be rejuvenated and the six countries destroyed.
country, unify the world."
"Now that your Majesty has canceled his merchant status, he is going in the opposite direction. I really don't know what the consequences will be."
Lin Ze picked up a green fruit, chewed it up and swallowed it in two or two mouths, and asked indifferently: "Let me ask you, after Qin destroyed the six countries, which one is the richest?"
Chen Ping hesitated and replied: "The Lu family."
Lin Ze asked again: "Let me ask you again, how did the Lu family start a family?"
Chen Ping said with a complex expression: "Although the Lu family started by doing business, a small family is not as good as a big country. Merchants who pursue profits will definitely despise farming and mulberry trees, which are the foundation of the country."
Lin Ze nodded and said: "Nongsang is the foundation of the country. This sentence is correct, but business is also one of the ways to make the country rich and the people strong. The Lu family can't explain anything as a small family. What about the former Qi country?"
"Qi Huangong used Guan Zhong's strategy to promote commerce. Qi became strong and dominated the world for many years. If Guan Zhong's life had not been short-lived, it would not have been Qin's turn to dominate the world."
Chen Ping still insisted on his opinion and persuaded through gritted teeth: "But businessmen don't care about production and buy low and sell high. This is not a blessing to the world."
Lin Ze glanced at Chen Ping in surprise. He didn't expect that Chen Ping would have such a strong opinion against businessmen. It seemed that businessmen in this era were indeed a bit evil.
But no one in this world understands the importance of business better than Lin Ze, who has experienced the prosperity of the prosperous times.
Lin Ze thought for a while and said: "I didn't expect that the Lu family and Qi State could not change your mind. Then I ask you, do you cut the official uniforms yourself? Do you sew the shoes yourself?"
"If there is no business in the world and materials cannot be distributed effectively, what do you think will be the consequences?"
"There are people who have three meals to eat, but no clothes to cover their bodies; there are people who have piles of furs in their homes, but they don't have enough to eat; there are people who have carriages in droves, but they can only use them for themselves."
"Business has its advantages and disadvantages. You can't just see the disadvantages without seeing the benefits. Wouldn't it make people laugh if you waste food because of choking?"
Chen Ping sighed after hearing this: "I can't accept it for the moment. I hope your majesty will forgive me."
Lin Ze waved his hand and said: "It's okay. If you don't accept it, I won't accept it. I said I won't blame you and I won't blame you."
Before Chen Ping could breathe a sigh of relief, Lin Ze continued: "You have to do what you have to do anyway. You can't escape by running away."
Chen Ping was stunned and stood on the spot.
Lin Ze waved his hand and said, "Don't be stunned, continue reading."
Chen Ping continued to read back as he was told: "Promote water conservancy and emphasize education."
The former are some water storage methods written by Lin Ze, such as changing the direction of river tributaries, building reservoirs, etc.
The latter was Lin Ze's requirement for opening schools. The provinces had provincial schools, and students could sign up for the selection examination and select the best to become officials, starting from petty officials.
There is a grand examination every three years, and those who come out on top can be admitted to the Imperial Academy or assigned to serve as officials in various counties and counties.
Those with excellent grades in the Imperial College will have the opportunity to serve as officials in the Six Ministries.
Chen Ping had no objection to these two strategies as strategies to consolidate the country's foundation.
After a while, Lin Ze stretched and said, "Have you finished reading?"
Chen Ping bowed and replied: "I have finished reading."
Lin Ze said calmly: "If you have any questions, let's talk about them. If there are no questions, just sort them out and follow me back to Chang'an. There are still a bunch of memorials waiting for you to draft."
Chen Ping said with a worried face: "Does Your Majesty really want to implement these national policies?"
Lin Ze asked back: "If I don't implement it, I have put so much effort into sorting it out, just for you to take a look at it?"
Chen Ping took a deep breath and said: "I'll be honest, although your Majesty's measures are good, they may not be able to be implemented well, let alone benefit the country."
Lin Ze didn't take it seriously and said: "I know that change should not be rushed, but there are some things that must be done."
"In this way, you should do the equalization of land and land and light corvee and weak labor first, focus on education, and develop water conservancy closely followed. At the same time, you organize and establish a commerce department to manage merchants full-time and promote commerce."
After a conversation, except for road construction, Lin Ze left almost nothing behind.
After thinking about it carefully, road construction is a long-term solution and should not be rushed.
The people cried out loudly when Yang Guang built a canal. It was too risky to connect all counties with roads.
The reason for Lin Ze's reforms was not only to create a peaceful and prosperous era, but also to win over the people's hearts so as to absorb their luck and destiny.
After the reputation is high, the people's hearts are attached to it, and the world is stable, then you can use unexpected tricks to harvest your luck, which will be much better than now.
Chen Ping breathed a sigh of relief. Of these strategies, the two he was least optimistic about were building roads and focusing on business.
Now that Lin Ze suddenly decided to postpone Guangxiu Road, Chen Ping suddenly felt that half of the pressure was gone, and he felt a lot more relaxed.
"I obey."
In order to prevent Lin Ze from repeating himself, Chen Ping quickly responded.
A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Ze's face and he said: "As long as there is no problem, I will give you a quarter of an hour to hand over the matters at hand to your subordinates. After a quarter of an hour, you can follow me back to Chang'an."
Chen Ping bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please wait for a moment. I will go and take over the matters here."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
…
A quarter of an hour later, Chen Ping rushed back to the courtyard as promised. Lin Ze grabbed his arm without saying a word, rode the wind, and headed straight to Chang'an.
At the same time, an almost transparent butterfly danced and followed behind Lin Ze.
The next moment, Lin Ze and Chen Ping appeared in the main hall of Qiming Palace.
Lin Ze pointed to several boxes filled with memorials in the corner of the hall and said: "Prime Minister, remember to finish handling the memorials, and then think carefully about how to make changes. This matter needs to be done quickly, and I will fully support you."