The Golden Age Chapter 519: Change rice to mulberry

In April, the weather around Gyeonggi has become warmer. Although it has darkened, the room in the Imperial Study is still warm.

Qin Xiao shouted long live, the saint seemed to have not heard him, picked up the Zhu Pian, and circled the memorials. The grandson Meier was already standing by the imperial desk, the light was shining on her charming face, the white was red. The delicate skin can be broken with a bomb.

She is very skillful in grinding ink for the saint, and her movements are elegant. The saint has already reviewed several memorials in a moment, but she never paid attention to Qin Xiao who was kneeling below.

"Meier, take a look at this memorial." The saint looked at the memorial for a long time, and finally handed it to the grandson Meier.

The eldest grandson Meier took it cautiously, took a closer look, and quickly frowned Liu's eyebrows and said: "Yangzhou governor wants to try to change rice to mulberry in Linjiang and Kuaiji?"

"The Zhezi said that changing the rice to mulberry and raising silk and weaving silk will increase the taxation of Yangzhou by 30% each year." The saint looked calm: "He is going to take the lead in Linjiang and Kuaiji counties. If If the effect is good, if it is fully implemented, otherwise it will only be a land of two counties, and it will not hurt the vitality of Yangzhou."

"Changing rice to mulberry, if it can really increase the output of silk and weave into silk, that would be a good thing." The grandson Meier's voice was soft: "It's just that Meier still remembers that there were folds coming up before, and the hair was too big over there. Water, especially in Linjiang County, many people were hit by floods. At that time, many people didn’t even have rations to survive, so the imperial court dispatched food urgently."

The sage nodded slightly: "I remember that in the six counties of Linjiang, five counties were flooded, and half of the nine counties in Kuaiji were also affected. Because of this, Yangzhou was worried about this year’s taxation problems, so If the rice can be changed to mulberry, once silk is woven, the price of silk will be much higher than that of rice, and the profit at that time can make up for the loss caused by the flood."

"Zhe Zishang said that I understand that Nanyang has a great admiration for my Datang silk, and silk can be sold at a very high price in Nanyang." Long Sun Meier said slowly: "Southern merchants are willing The cost of buying Yangzhou silk is less than two taels of silver in our Datang, but it can be sold to Nanyang merchants to get eight or nine taels. Now Yangzhou can produce 200,000 horses per year. If the two counties are changed to mulberry , Are planted with mulberry fields, Yangzhou can produce at least two hundred thousand more horses each year, which is nearly two million taels of silver."

The saint nodded and smiled: "In this way, not only the people of the two counties will benefit, but the court will also benefit."

"If all benefits can be obtained, why didn't Yangzhou do this before and waited until after the flood?" Qin Xiao heard the saint and grandson Meier discuss the matter, and did not dare to speak, but found the strangeness in the matter. Can not help blurting out.

As soon as I said this, I knew something was wrong.

The eldest grandson Mei'er looked at Qin Xiao abruptly, the face of the flower changed slightly, and the saint was also a cold eye, his eyes shooting at Qin Xiao like two sharp arrows.

"Minister...Damn it!" Qin Xiao was never shocked when facing other people, but at this moment, he was facing the emperor of Tang, and he was really a little guilty in his heart.

"The saint...!" The grandson Meier looked at the saint, with a trace of trepidation between her brows.

The saint stared at Qin Xiao, without the anger of thunder, he was silent for a while

Quickly, finally said: "Qin Xiao, what do you want to say?"

"The minister dare not.....!" Qin Xiao wondered who would be a puppy if he wanted to talk again.

"If I let you say, you have to say it." The saint said coldly.

Qin Xiao said helplessly: "The minister...The minister is just strange. Nanyang and I have not traded silk in the Tang Dynasty for three or five years. Long ago, merchants from the Western Regions and Nanyang were all favoring silk from our Tang Dynasty. If Treasures have been trading with me in Datang. Since Yangzhou can increase the production of silk, and the price is much higher than that of grain, why have the people and government of Yangzhou never changed rice to mulberry?” After a pause, he looked up slightly. Seeing that both the saint and the grandson Sheguan looked at him, they lowered their heads.

"You are young, what do you know?" The saint is like reprimanding the younger generation: "The people take food as the sky, and the people are home. There is a saying that there is surplus grain in the family. You can harvest grain and change rice. For mulberry, you can only get silk. Although silk is expensive, you can’t eat it. Ordinary people naturally use grain as their roots and will not easily change rice to mulberry. The government naturally cannot force it. Now the two counties are flooded with large tracts of land and no food. Now, it’s a good time for the local government to persuade the people to change rice to mulberry."

"The people don’t have food. Where can the remaining money buy mulberry seedlings?" Qin Xiao raised his head and said: "Even if the government distributes mulberry seedlings for free, it will take at least two or three years for the mulberry seedlings to grow. Longer, where does the intermediate ration come from?"

Although Qin Xiao did not grow mulberry and raise silkworms, the doorway is naturally heard before, and he is not unfamiliar.

"I can exempt them from paying taxes for the past two years, and let the government borrow grain for them to maintain." The saint seemed to be serious: "When the harvest is available, then the grain will be repaid at a discount. Yangzhou is backed by the Jianghuai area, Jianghuai is The land of the granary will naturally not starve them to death."

Qin Xiaodao: "The saint's countermeasures are naturally extremely wise, but... can the local government really do it according to the saint's will?"

"What do you mean?"

"If the government distributes mulberry seedlings for free, and they keep borrowing grain before the people harvest raw silk, there will be no problem." Qin Xiao said: "The minister is just worried. Once the will to change rice to mulberry is issued, the people will not be able to grow grain. The government can’t provide borrowed grain in time. At that time, the people can only sell their fields to tide over the difficulties. They sell their fields in desperation, and the price of the fields will not be left to them. People who don’t have intentions can take the opportunity to drive down the fields. The price is much lower than the market price. By that time, a large number of people lost their fields, and they became refugees who are farming without land...!"

The saint's face became cold and severe: "Do they have that guts?"

"People die for money and birds die for food." Qin Xiao bowed his head and said: "Once the power of borrowing grain falls into the hands of corrupt officials, they will get the people's necks stuck, and they are lending grain to the people at a high price. Still deliberately looking for various reasons not to receive food to force the people to sell their fields, it is up to them to decide, and the people can only be reduced to lambs to be slaughtered."

The saint was silent. After a while, he glanced at the grandson Meier and asked: "Meier, what do you think?"

"Sages, if local officials are upright and honest, the change from rice to mulberry can naturally be implemented

. "The eldest grandson Mei'er said carefully: "But Master Qin's words are not unreasonable. If crops are planted in time now, and the imperial court will allocate crops to cope with the current crop shortage, by the end of the year, there will be a harvest, and one year will be able to ensure that the people have crops to harvest and will not be starved to death. As long as the people eat food, they will guard the land and guard themselves. "Slanting a glance at Qin Xiao, he continued: "But if the situation is really as Master Qin said, once there is not enough food to ensure that the people of the two counties can survive the past few years, some people even take the opportunity to buy the people’s land at a low price. The people in the fields will become refugees, dissatisfied with the government, and then blame the court. In this way, it is inevitable that they will be used by other people with intentions, and the refugees will become anti-people. "

The saint was thoughtful and said after a long time: "Qin Xiao, according to you, is it impossible to change rice to sang?"

"It can be done." Qin Xiao said: "But not now. If the court can exempt the people in the two counties from paying taxes for three years, and allow them to store the surplus grain for these three years, then three years later, the implementation of the change of rice to mulberry , And promised to the people that the government would buy raw silk from them at a price far higher than the price of grain. In this way, the people have surplus grain at home and can increase the harvest, so they are naturally willing to follow the court’s policy to change the rice to mulberry. This is important. Yes, in addition to exempting them from paying taxes for three years, the government must not impose any taxes on them in any name, and the Jianghuai area must ensure that grain can enter Yangzhou. Otherwise, even if they have silver in their hands, they have no grain to buy, and the consequences are the same. It will be serious."

The sage hummed softly and said: "What you said is the Dao. If you really do what you say, it may not be troublesome." After taking the memorial of the Yangzhou Governor and reviewing it, he said: "Change the rice. Taking a long-term plan for the mulberry matter is temporarily unavailable. In addition, let the Zhongshu Province send people to Yangzhou to find out what the officials are eager to change the rice to mulberry this year. Also, send someone to check the grain in the official warehouse of Yangzhou. Ensure that the people affected by the disaster cannot starve to death before this year’s food harvest."

The eldest grandson Meier respectfully said: "Holy wise!"

Qin Xiao was a little surprised when he heard that the saint actually denied the Yangzhou governor’s confession. At least in this matter, the saint was still accepting advice and was not confused. He could not help but follow the grandson Mei'er and said loudly: "The saint is wise!"

The saint picked up a memorial from the table and threw it straight to the ground in front of Qin Xiao. Then he opened the memorial continuously. After looking at each memorial once or twice, he threw it in front of Qin Xiao, for a moment. There were more than ten memorials lost in front of Qin Xiao. Qin Xiao was stunned for a while, wondering if I was wrong to shout that the saint was wise, why was the saint suddenly angry?

"Look at what is written on the zigzag for yourself." The saint said coldly: "These are all the zigzags handed over by officials of Rank 4 and above in the Korean Central Committee today. Look at your own good deeds. They are all attending you, a fifth-rank Guanglu Temple Cheng, did not pass through the Fasi Yamen, and you said to kill it. In front of Dali Temple, bravely, killed seven guards of the Guogong Mansion, and even sat in Dali Temple afterwards. Drinking in front of the door? Isn’t it a prestige? Do you think you are a hero of the quagmire, or a bandit and gangster who kills you?"

Qin Xiao watched several zhezi, and indeed he participated in his own memorial. Not surprisingly, the zhezi of Lu Junzhong, Shangshu of the Criminal Ministry, was also among them. Qin Xiao was unable to kill innocent people lawlessly, and asked the saint to commit the case. Thorough investigation by the Criminal Ministry.