Chapter 115: The Way to Accumulate Wealth, Restricted Free Activities
Li Shimin deeply agreed, sighed, and said: "The powerful family has been in power for thousands of years. Even I can't do anything about it. But after hearing what you said, I feel much better. Although I have no fate with Mrs. Peony, it's good.
Mrs. Peony also doesn’t have a sweetheart, which is a good thing among bad things.”
Li Mu frowned when he heard this, thinking that this kind of thinking is really chauvinistic. What are these three views? If someone has no fate with you, you can't fall in love? Thinking of this, Li Mu asked carefully: "Your Majesty
, this is the common feeling between a man and a woman loving each other, if Mrs. Peony has someone she likes in the future..."
"Hmph!" Li Shimin snorted coldly: "Who dares to steal my woman?"
"Uh..." Li Mu quickly shut his mouth. It seems that this underground situation will never come to the surface.
Although he felt that Li Mu's expression was strange, Li Shimin could never suspect Li Mu and said: "In short, Mrs. Peony, please help me more. If there is any good way to make money, think about her. You treat him
, you must treat her with the same respect as you would a queen, after all, I am here, and you know my feelings for her."
Li Mu agreed hesitantly, and Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder, leaned closer and whispered: "Keep an eye out for me. If anyone who doesn't follow the rules appears around her, let me know immediately. If anyone bullies her, I promise
You kill it first and then report it. Also, remember to hide it from the Queen and let the news leak out. I am the only one who asks questions."
"promise."
Li Mu sighed in his heart, Boss, if I really follow your will, I will have to wipe my neck when I get home. Last night, I couldn't stand you anymore!
At this time, Eunuch Gao quietly entered the palace, saluted Li Shimin and said: "Your Majesty, Duke Chen has been waiting for a long time to express his gratitude."
Hearing this, Li Mu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I am leaving."
"Wait a moment!" Li Shimin said: "I have one more thing to ask Li Mu. I asked Hou Junji to wait a moment. He is not an outsider."
"Ah... Nuo." Eunuch Gao was slightly stunned, but he still responded, turned around and went out.
Arriving outside the palace gate, Hou Junji hurried over and asked: "Eunuch Gao, does your Majesty want to see me?"
"Mr. Chen Guo, we went to ask for you, but His Majesty said there was one more thing he wanted to ask Marquis Zhulu, so he asked you to wait a little longer."
An angry look appeared on Hou Junji's square face, and he said: "Eunuch Gao, who is this Li Mu? I have been neglecting my military training these days. I still don't know that such a young talent has appeared in the court. Why does your Majesty treat him so differently?"
?”
"Oh, this is a long story." Eunuch Gao knew a lot about Li Mu's deeds. When Hou Junji asked about it, he happened to be fine, so he picked up what he knew and started from the beginning.
Hou Junji listened quietly, his expression changing.
In the hall, Li Shimin asked Li Mu a very practical question.
"Have you thought of a way to replenish your internal funds?"
"Uh..." Li Mu pondered for a moment. He really hadn't had time to think about it. Things were happening one after another in the past few days and he didn't have time. But when Li Shimin asked, he had to answer. Not answering would make him appear incompetent. Incompetence means that
crime.
"I have already made up my mind."
"The tone is not small, let's listen to it."
"Your Majesty, I plan to make a fuss about salt."
"Salt?" Li Shimin frowned and said, "How can you make a fuss about salt? Salt and iron are the lifeblood of the country. Didn't you tell me that internal money is internal money and you don't compete with the national treasury for profits? Why, what do you do?
Is that all?"
"No, Your Majesty has misunderstood what I meant." Li Mu said seriously: "Your Majesty, I have been studying salt for more than a day or two. I started studying salt after I arrived in Chang'an."
"Study 'salt'?" Li Shimin asked in confusion: "What's the point of studying salt? Isn't it just salt?"
"Your Majesty, let me listen to your analysis first." Li Mu said, got up and walked to the side of the case. Li Shimin also followed. Li Mu found a suitable langhao pen, polished the ink himself, dipped it in ink, and drew three lines on the rice paper.
A circle.
"Your Majesty, I have consulted the Yu Ministry's information and learned that the salt in our Tang Dynasty is not abundant now. Many ordinary people's homes still use 'salt cloth' for seasoning. This was also the case when I lived in Mayi.
"
"I know everything you said. But the production of salt is limited, so what can I do? Not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also in previous generations, the production of salt has been insufficient. Why, do you have a way?"
"Yes!" Li Mu said loudly.
"Huh?" Li Shimin became serious and said, "You can't say this nonsense. Do you really have a solution?"
"I do have a way." Li Mu confirmed again. He pointed at the three circles on the rice paper with a brush, first wrote the word 'Sea Salt' in the first circle, and then wrote '' in the second circle.
The word "pool salt" is written in the third circle, and then the word "rock salt" is written in the third circle.
"Your Majesty, please see, these three circles are the three ways that our Tang Dynasty obtains salt now."
Li Shimin frowned and looked at it carefully for a long time, then raised his head and glanced at Li Mu, and said: "What you wrote is called a 'character'? With such a character, you still want to take the top prize?"
Li Mu's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and he said bravely: "I can practice it... Oh, in short, there are three parts, sea salt, pool salt, and rock salt. But these three ways of obtaining salt have their own shortcomings. For example, sea salt
It requires repeated cooking, and the cost is very high and the yield is low. Although pool salt is naturally formed, it is relatively rare in the Tang Dynasty. Instead, it is abundant in the plateau areas, such as Chaerhan Salt Lake and Chaka Salt Lake in Tuyuhun. It has been produced in all dynasties.
The wars with the barbarians were more or less related to this 'salt', which was accompanied by risks. Although rock salt can be mined and the stock is not small, most of it is highly poisonous and cannot be eaten. Your Majesty, I say
Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Yes, it is indeed so."
"I have a secret method that can completely solve the problem of lack of salt in the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shimin was also impatient and said: "I don't want to listen to you beating around the bush, just tell me what you can do!"
"Your Majesty, you know that all the food used in my home is fine salt."
Li Shimin said angrily: "Who knows if you are rich, you can certainly afford fine salt."
"No, the fine salt in my home is the cheapest rock salt I bought and made myself."
"Make it?" Li Shimin frowned and said, "You just said that most rock salt is poisonous. Besides, how to make salt? Do you mean that it will be non-toxic if it is ground finely? You invented a grinding plate?"
Rolling the pan? Li Mu was defeated by Li Shimin's imagination and said: "Your Majesty, what I invented is a refining method. It can extract the impurities, that is, poisons, from the rock salt. Through several complicated processes, the rock salt can be turned into
Fine salt, any quality of rock salt can be refined. I have calculated that the ratio of raw materials to output is roughly ten to six. In other words, one pound of rock salt can produce six taels of fine salt. And the price of fine salt is rock salt
Twenty times. Your Majesty now understands the profit involved?"
"One pound of low-quality rock salt can produce six taels of high-quality fine salt..." Li Shimin made an estimate in his head, and suddenly his eyes widened. He seemed to see gold cakes, and the room was full of gold cakes. You know
, rock salt is no less important than coal. In the Western Region, where the original Turks were located, near the desert, there are dry lakes everywhere. The bottom of the lakes are all filled with rock salt, and because most of them are poisonous, almost all of them are
It is not mined and the quantity cannot be estimated.
Li Shimin's breathing quickened, and he grabbed Li Mu's shoulders and asked, "Seriously? You kid can't lie. The crime of deceiving the emperor is to be beheaded!"
Li Mu said helplessly: "Your Majesty, do I dare to lie to you? I can make it at any time. If you don't believe it, you can go to my studio another day when you are free, and I will demonstrate it for you."
Li Shimin let go of Li Mu's shoulders and said suspiciously: "Since you have such means, why don't you use it to make money. The profit from salt is greater than that from wine."
Li Mu said seriously: "Your Majesty, I have said many times that I regard money as dirt. Money cannot make me happy. Only by being loyal to your Majesty and doing things for the people can I..."
"Okay, shut up, I don't want to hear it." Li Shimin's head hurt when he heard Li Mu's rhetoric. Although it looked and sounded like this kid was talking nonsense, what he did was really
That's what happened.
Seeing that Li Mu was so sure, Li Shimin also believed it and said with emotion: "Aiqing is really my lucky general. He can even make salt, which makes me very happy. Just imagine from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the present, which dynasties and generations can make the people better?"
Are they all eaten with fine salt? None! If I can do this when I am the emperor, I can also use this name to leave a lasting legacy."
As he said that, he looked at Li Mu and said, "The same goes for you, join me and leave your name in history."
"I thank your Majesty for your kindness." Li Mu complimented him first, and then said: "But I think your Majesty has made things simpler."
"Huh? Didn't you say that rock salt is inexhaustible? Why can't everyone eat fine salt?"
"Your Majesty, salt is the foundation of the country. If this salt-making method is leaked and the surrounding countries learn from it, it will be extremely detrimental to our Tang Dynasty. Therefore, I think it is better to proceed step by step. From top to bottom, first
If officials, nobles, aristocratic families, landlords, etc. are allowed to eat fine salt, then the prices of pool salt and sea salt must be reduced, so that rich peasants can also eat pool salt and sea salt, and ordinary people can at least eat non-toxic rock salt, and no longer
No need to use salt cloth. This is the right way to implement it slowly from top to bottom. And your majesty can also make profits from this fine salt, fill your internal funds, and get the best of both worlds. In time, I can rest and recuperate in the Tang Dynasty and recover.
If we continue to promote fine salt when we are afraid of invasion by foreign barbarians, one day, everyone in the Tang Dynasty will be able to eat fine salt.
Li Shimin thought for a while and said: "That's true. I'm a little eager for quick success. I'm really not as thoughtful as you about this business method. Anyway, I won't care about it and leave it to you to handle it."
"promise."
Li Mu responded, then raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have another idea."