"No?" Li Shimin frowned and said, "I once said that you could embezzle according to the decree, but it was the money of nobles and nobles, not the money of the common people. I thought you were not a person who is greedy for money.
how so?"
"Your Majesty, I am thinking about your Majesty."
"Think about me?" Li Shimin frowned more tightly and said, "Do you think that I will covet these 100,000 yuan? I am short of money, but I will not reach out to the people!"
"Your Majesty, please listen to what I have to say."
Li Mu said seriously: "Your Majesty, when I talked about road construction with Your Majesty that day, I mentioned that building roads requires the nobles and nobles of the clan. One of the reasons is that the clans have food in their hands. Only with food can they be fed.
Labor. Therefore, I support the Shandong nobles to build roads."
"But their idea is to expand their influence. His Majesty also said that the influence of clans in the local area has always been a thorn in the side of the imperial court."
Li Shimin hummed: "Since you know this, why do you still want to facilitate this? Shandong has always refused to obey the constraints of the imperial court. If the road is built again, the imperial court will be unable to govern it in the future."
"I tried my best to resolve this matter." Li Mu said seriously: "His Majesty just said that these 100,000 yuan will eventually be distributed to the people. But I thought it was more than that."
"What's the meaning?"
"Shandong has been disobedient to the imperial government for a long time. They have often made their own decisions in many local affairs without the imperial court's permission. This road construction matter is of great concern. The Shandong nobles must have felt that this matter has touched His Majesty's bottom line.
So they didn't dare to go against it. But once the imperial court agreed, they still wouldn't obey the imperial court's instructions on many details."
"I tested Wei Zheng and asked him if the imperial court agreed to build roads in Shandong, whether it could send an inspection department to supervise it. Wei Zheng was vague and obviously couldn't make the decision. This confirmed my suspicion. Not only will the one hundred thousand yuan be allocated to
The people of Shandong will definitely not follow the imperial regulations when collecting tolls in the future."
"Your Majesty, just imagine, when the road is bad, it costs nothing to cross. But after the road is repaired, it costs money to travel, and it is expensive. If your Majesty were a merchant, would you be dissatisfied with this?"
Li Shimin thought for a while and said: "When the roads are not good, everyone takes bad roads. The money earned from selling goods is about the same. But after the road is repaired, although the road is easy to walk, you still have to pay a lot of money."
Money, there is not much money left from selling goods, if I were a merchant, I would probably choose the former, after all, there is some money left."
"That's it. Therefore, in the regulations for road construction, I specifically stated the standards for collecting tolls. I strictly ordered that tolls must be collected according to this standard. For this reason, I even extended the time for the road to be returned to the court, in order not to add burden to the people. Articles
The charging standard is calculated by the minister. It is probably smaller than before the road was built, and the impact of the time delay is smaller. In this way, it is cost-effective for the people even if they pay after the road is built."
"The Shandong gentry do not abide by the court's regulations. They take this opportunity to make money wantonly, and the people of Shandong will inevitably complain. And your Majesty, don't forget that Shandong will not implement the New Deal. The people cannot get Zhenguan plows and can only be tenants of the powerful gentry.
.Corresponding to this is that in places other than Shandong, the New Deal is implemented and the pressure of life is less. If your Majesty were a commoner, what would your Majesty do?"
"This..." Li Shimin thought for a while and said, "I probably think that leaving Shandong and pursuing a future is just because it is not easy for people to move. I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
"Your Majesty, migration matters come second. Your Majesty, have you ever thought about who the people's hearts turn to when it comes to this?"
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly understood what Li Mu meant.
Li Mu continued: "The best thing to win over in this world is the hearts of ordinary people. As long as you give them a little favor, they will be grateful. To say the least, even if there is no favor or a little tyranny, they will not say anything.
Throughout the ages, had it not been for the unruly kings and tyranny, things like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang would not have happened. Wouldn’t it have made people anxious?”
"If the nobles of Shandong take the opportunity to make money, it will be in line with the wishes of the minister. The people of Shandong, who have suffered from the brutal tyranny, will definitely yearn for your majesty's new policy. In this way, the people's hearts will change."
Li Shimin frowned and said, "That's the truth. It's just that by acting like this, the people suffer."
"Your Majesty, I think that the people of Shandong and the gentry of Shandong are currently regarded as a whole. Without the support and acquiescence of the people, the gentry of Shandong may not dare to be so arrogant. Your Majesty is considerate of them, have they ever been considerate of your Majesty?
?If we don’t take this opportunity to divide them, over time, they may become even more monolithic and have no place to attack.”
Li Shimin nodded and said: "You are right, but this is all your guess. What if the direction they are taking is the opposite of what you think? If they are really just building roads and not committing tyranny,
Wouldn't it make the people more grateful and make the imperial court less influential?"
Li Mu smiled and said: "If this is true, it can be regarded as a blessing for the people. But I think that this possibility your Majesty thought will not happen. There are two reasons. One hundred thousand guan is not a small amount, and the money is definitely not from one family.
, road construction is not done by one family, nor does one family have the final say. Some people are willing to suffer losses, and there must be people who are not willing to suffer losses. In this way, there will be disagreements. People who are unwilling to suffer losses will definitely not compromise. Therefore,
At least these 100,000 yuan, they will definitely find a way to take it back."
"Furthermore, the temptation of tolls is too great. It is like a cornucopia, containing countless amounts of money. As long as you are willing to bend down to get it, there will be an endless supply. Gentlemen like your Majesty and ministers who are detached from the world, after all,
They are a minority. Based on the virtues of those Shandong nobles, I think they do not have the determination."
Li Shimin thought for a moment and nodded.
From the perspective of human nature, Li Shimin believed that Li Mu was right. But this was not enough to determine his thoughts. He was able to acquiesce because he had another plan in mind.
Road construction is not something that can be completed in one year. Such a large project will take at least two or three years. After two or three years, it will be almost time to recuperate and recuperate. In order to fight foreign affairs, we must first settle down at home. By that time, if the Shandong nobles still do not submit to the imperial control
Li Shimin was about to fall out. There were countless nobles in Shandong, and they had the upper hand with their verbal and written criticism. But if they really took action, in Li Shimin's eyes, they were just a bunch of local chickens and dogs.
Moreover, once the road is repaired, the marching speed will inevitably speed up. In the past, it took one month to mobilize troops. After the road is repaired, it will take 15 days. It will not take long to pacify Shandong.
Li Shimin didn't say anything about this. For an emperor, some secrets were destined not to be shared. Especially when he was facing Li Mu, a half-year-old boy. He could come up with some weird ideas, but Li Shimin still couldn't trust him for military and state affairs.
After thinking about this, Li Shimin nodded and said: "Since you have collected the money, then this matter is up to you. I remember I made an agreement with you that we will divide the bribe you collected into eighty-two accounts. A total of one hundred thousand yuan, of which
Eighty thousand guan will be recorded in the internal money account. Don't be clever, I will check the account."
Li Mu had no choice but to pinch his nose and admit it, and that was indeed what he said at that time.
Suddenly, Li Mu remembered something and said, "Your Majesty, there is something that I think should be informed to Your Majesty."
"explain."
"The money sent by Wei Zheng is half gold and silver and half copper coins. Now that the Shandong gentry's influence in Chang'an City is approaching zero, they can still collect so much money in just a few days. I think it's incredible.
Unexpectedly. There are also many utensils among the gold and silver that were transported. Some of the patterns on them have been smoothed, but after careful inspection, it seems that... they came from the palace. I am not sure about it, but I just want to give it to Your Majesty.
Wake up, have you seen any gold or silver utensils lost in the palace recently? If so, you can check it out."
"Utensils in the palace?" Li Shimin read a sentence, seeming to be a little distracted. He was stunned for a moment, and then returned to normal and said: "I know this matter, there is no need to investigate, it was not lost in the palace, you can just deal with it yourself."
"Oh." Although Li Mu had doubts in his heart, he did not ask any more questions and said, "Then I will tell you to go down and melt them into gold bars and ingots."
Li Shimin nodded and said: "Okay, after talking for so long, I am tired. You can step back. I am keeping a close eye on Ju Zhisheng. Let me know who he comes into contact with as soon as possible. If he bribes you,
It’s still the old rule, split the account into eighty-two, go ahead.”
"I excuse myself."
Li Mu stood up, saluted, and left. When he met Eunuch Gao at the door, he returned his "Sunflower Collection", chatted for a few more words, and left the palace.
But Eunuch Gao, after answering Li Mu correctly, gently opened the palace door and quietly came to Li Shimin.
He has been with Li Shimin for nearly twenty years, and you can roughly guess Li Shimin's mood by looking at his expression.
"His Majesty……"
"Gao Gan, the one from Changlemen, is there any news recently?"
Eunuch Gao felt a sudden change in his heart and replied cautiously: "To answer your Majesty's question, I haven't heard any news."
Li Shimin stopped asking, paused for a moment, and then asked: "Where is Yuan Tiangang?"
"Go back to Your Majesty, I think it will be around tomorrow."
Li Shimin sighed and said: "Go ahead and tell me that whenever Yuan Tiangang comes back, he will come to see me. I have many things for him to do, so there will be no delay."
"promise."
Eunuch Gao responded.
Li Shimin was silent for a while, and then said: "Gao Gan, you go to Changlemen. Eat food, etc., pick up what is in the palace, pick some and take some. Also, go to Li Mu's shop to buy a few of his luxurious sets."
I will also send you the gift bag. Then ask me if there is anything else missing. Remember it carefully and tell me when you come back."
"promise."
Li Shimin waved his hand tiredly, and Eunuch Gao bowed and took a few steps back, turned around and left to do his business.