I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 321 Your Majesty is so obsessed with five baht coins that no one in the world can rival him! (Please subscribe)

Maybe, after the emperor heard his crazy idea, he would immediately send the guards outside the door to beat him out.

However, Gong Yu had some "technical itch" in his heart. Being able to express his thoughts to the emperor was something that many people dreamed of.

In the past, Sang Hongyang entered the palace at the age of 13 due to his proficiency in mental arithmetic. Later, he received the appreciation and support of Emperor Xiaowu and became the chief minister of agriculture. Eventually, he turned his thoughts into the national policy of the Han Dynasty.

If you miss this opportunity, you may never have a similar opportunity again in this life.

"Your Majesty, forgive me for being crazy. I think money is the root of all evil. Although five baht is good, it should..."

Gong Yu paused and then said: "Coins should be abolished, all taxes, salaries and gifts should be replaced by cloth and silk grain, and the people of the world should also barter."

"Without the temptation of this kind of thing, the folk customs will be simple and honest, and the people will be more diligent in farming."

Abolition of coins was Gong Yu's crazy idea.

So after he finished speaking, he felt relieved, but he was also prepared to be scolded by the emperor.

What he didn't expect was that the emperor was indifferent and instead smiled, which made Gong Yu a little worried.

"Qing Gong's idea is indeed a bit crazy, but I allow you to continue talking about why you think this money is the source of all evil."

Gong Yu was confused at first, but then he was relieved.

Since the emperor asked him to speak, he would just say it freely.

Gong Yu sorted out his thoughts for a moment and then started talking again.

In Yu Gong's mind, the most important thing for the world to prosper was to have a sufficient population.

The growth of population is closely related to land and food.

"But now there are fewer and fewer people willing to cultivate the land, and more and more people are engaged in buying and selling goods in the market."

“The reason why this is so is because there are too few benefits from farming, and there are too many benefits from buying and selling goods.”

"If things continue like this for a long time, there will eventually be a day when there is not enough rice and millet. Without enough rice and millet, how can there be more people in the world?"

"The population does not increase, the vast territory of my Han Dynasty is empty, wild beasts are rampant everywhere, and alien races are turbulent... How can we call it a prosperous age?"

The more Gong Yu continued talking, the angrier and more irrational he became.

But Liu He listened very carefully.

In the eyes of later generations, Gong Yu's remarks were naive and absurd - he could neither see the reason for the decrease in the number of people cultivating land, nor the significance of the commodity economy.

However, this does not mean that Gongyu himself is stupider than later generations.

On the contrary, if you can keenly detect the relationship between the two at this time, you are already a great talent.

With a little guidance, Gong Yu would naturally be able to figure this out.

"Has Gong Qing finished speaking?" Liu He asked.

"Weichen...Weichen has finished speaking." Gong Yu's mouth went dry as he spoke, and he finally stopped without finishing his words.

"Fan Ke, come here, serve tea!" Liu He shouted to the door.

Soon, a pot of hot tea was placed on the table.

Liu He personally poured tea for Gong Yu. Gong Yu was flattered and quickly took it with both hands.

"Gong Qing has been talking for so long, and his mouth must be dry. Come on, take a few sips of hot tea first."

"promise."

When the hot tea entered his mouth, Gong Yu immediately felt comfortable, and the heat he felt just now subsided.

"Gongqing, I understand what you just said, but I have some different opinions. Are you willing to listen?" Liu He said with a smile.

"Why did your Majesty say this? I am listening to the holy teachings." Gong Yu said.

"Qing Gong just said that money is the source of all evil, so I want to ask you, in the ancient times, before there was money, could there be evil deeds?" Liu He said

"This, of course it exists." Gong Yu replied after hesitation.

"Today's big men, some do evil for money, some do evil for prostitution, and even more do evil for power... Gong Qing thinks whether what I said is appropriate."

"Your Majesty, what your Majesty said is very good, and I am convinced." Gong Yu seemed to have guessed what the emperor was going to say.

“When you don’t have money, there is evil. After you have money, evil does not necessarily come from money.”

"In that case, is this money still the source of all evil?"

Gong Yu didn't speak, he was already touched by something in his heart, and he was just waiting for the emperor to continue speaking.

"It can be seen that this money is not the source of all evil. People have endless desires, so it is human desires that are evil."

"Money is just a tool that does not distinguish between good and evil. Without money, cloth can also bring evil, corn can also bring evil, and power can also bring evil."

"It is not impossible to abolish money. Even if it is abolished, it will bring many negative consequences. Bamboo, wood, fish, salt, pottery, jade, each county has its own products..."

"If we don't have this little five baht as communication, wouldn't we have to barter?"

"As the governor of Liangzhou, Qing Gong must know how difficult it is. I'm afraid this money cannot be abolished."

The emperor explained patiently, gradually clarifying the messy thoughts in Gongyu's heart, and his heart suddenly became enlightened.

Finally, Gong Yu said with some understanding: "So if you want to make people's customs simple, it does not lie in wasting money, but in using morality and laws to restrain people's desires so that they will not have evil thoughts."

"What Qing Gong said is true."

"This is your majesty's holy words. It's just a humble minister who picks up people's wisdom." Gong Yu praised.

Gong Yu admired the emperor a little more. He could interpret the laws and education from this small five-baht coin. Is the emperor a real saint?
But, is the emperor too "obsessed" with money?
Liu He heard Gong Yu's admiration, but he was not complacent about it.

He told the "money" thing clearly not to show off in front of Gong Yu, but to use it for himself.

"I recruit Gongqing because I want him to do two things for the Han Dynasty."

"I am willing to be driven by Your Majesty." Gong Yu said sincerely.

"The first thing is about the five pearls." Liu He said.

"My minister would like to hear the details."

"Captain Shuiheng should mint a certain amount of money every year. The amount of money should be minted according to the amount of goods produced by the Han Dynasty."

"If you mint too much money, money will be cheap and things will be expensive. The original money among the people will be devalued, and both scholars, farmers, industry and commerce will be harmed."

"If you mint too little money, money will be expensive and things will be cheap. People will not be willing to produce more goods, and farmers and merchants will be lazy in production."

……

As Liu He spoke, he took a piece of paper and explained the principles, harms and countermeasures of inflation and deflation through a few simple examples.

During this half hour, the emperor, who was not yet in his weak years, taught respectfully, and Gongyu, who was close to the age of knowing his destiny, listened respectfully.

If others see it, they will definitely find it a bit funny, but they will definitely be affected by this scene of seeking knowledge and learning.

Finally, after the half pot of tea had completely cooled down, Liu He explained all the joints in it.

Time is short, so it is inevitable that it will be a little superficial, but with Gong Yu's careful research on the matter of goods breeding and selling, he will soon gradually figure out the joints.

The relationship between coinage and goods production is not an isolated matter. In fact, it has far-reaching consequences.

The five-baht coins minted by Captain Shuiheng every year should not just be a tool for making money in the hands of the emperor, but should also be an invisible hand used to regulate the production of goods in the world.

"How about it? Did Gongqing understand what I said?" Liu He asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty... how did you come up with these joints?" Gong Yu held up the pieces of paper filled with writing, as if he had found a treasure, and was unwilling to put them down.

This made Liu He hesitate for a while. He couldn't say that he learned from a person named Ma from the west of the Western Regions.

For a moment, Liu He became playful.

So he said in a serious tone, half truthfully and half falsely: "When I was in Changyi Kingdom, I once met an old Confucian named Ma Kesi. This Confucian scholar said that he was a disciple of Duanmugong and was good at selling goods. , I learned from him for three days before I understood these things."

"Ma Ruzhen is a god!" Gong Yu sighed. He then looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty is also a god. He must have learned all about Ma Ruzhen. It's a pity that the humble minister failed to meet Ma Ru..."

"Gongqing, don't be discouraged. I have recorded all the knowledge taught by Ma Gong in this book..." After Liu He said this, he took out a thread-bound handwritten book from under the case.

This book is not thick, with five characters "numismatics" written on the cover.

It contains only some of the most basic economic principles, which everyone in future generations can quote to criticize Fang Qiu, but it still has groundbreaking value in this era.

Gong Yu looked at the book with a "greedy" light in his eyes.

"I will give this book to Gong Qing," Liu He said.

"Your Majesty really?"

"Of course Jun Wuxiyan!" Liu He said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift of the book, my humble minister..."

"Please don't thank me, Mr. Gong. I haven't finished telling you what I asked you to do."

"Your Majesty only issues orders, and the ministers must sacrifice their lives to do so."

"I want you to go to Shuiheng Duwei and serve as Shuiheng Weicheng. Calculate the number of five baht coins that should be minted every year, and mint within your means."

The Commander-in-Chief of Shuiheng was Zhao Chongguo, but he was the general who led the army and did not care about the affairs of the government. Gongyu could serve as the Commander-in-Chief of Shuiheng first, and then become a full-time official at a later date.

"Your Majesty..." Gong Yu choked up for a moment. Taking up the post of Shuiheng Duweicheng not only improved his character, but also gave him the opportunity to display his talents.

"Is Gongqing willing to take up this position?" Liu He asked.

"Your Majesty has an edict, and I dare not disobey it. I will do my best to do it."

"Okay, then I will immediately appoint you as the permanent attendant of Shuiheng Duwei Chengjia."

"promise!"

This is just the first thing Liu He wants to talk about. There is another thing that Gong Yu also needs to do.

"Gongqing, besides making money, I have one more thing for you to do."

"We are waiting for your Majesty's edict." "Gong Qing also said just now that if the Han Dynasty wants to prosper, it must make the world's population prosperous. I hope you will think about another issue at the same time after Captain Shuiheng takes office."

"How to make the world's population grow faster."

Save people and lose land, all people and land will survive; save land and lose people, and all people and land will be lost.

If you want to control a larger territory, you must have a sufficient population, and there are many things that need to be done to increase the fertility rate.

This was another question that Gong Yu had thought about most for more than twenty years. He didn't expect that the emperor would ask the question again.

This time, Gong Yu couldn't bear it anymore. He asked directly: "Why does your majesty know that the minister is also very concerned about this population issue?"

This stumped Liu He again. This time it can't be said that he learned it from "The Biography of Gong Yu".

But soon, Liu He thought of someone - Gong Yu's classmate Wang Ji.

"Wang Ji told me that he is a classmate of yours and he has some opinions of his own on this matter."

Gong Yu nodded, not suspicious, but continued along.

"Wang Ji did discuss this matter with Wei Chen when we were studying together in the past. His views were more straightforward than Wei Chen's," Gong Yu said.

Wang Ji was probably the first person to propose late marriage and late childbearing.

He believed that neither men nor women should get married too early.

If you marry too early, you will often have children first without knowing how to be a parent, and your children will die early because of unclear upbringing.

Instead of doing this, it is better to wait until the man and woman are sensible before getting married.

From Liu He's point of view, Wang Ji's statement is very reasonable. Slightly delaying the age of marriage is not only good for the children, but also good for the parents.

If Huo Guang had heard Wang Ji's statement about "late birth and late childbearing" earlier, he would not have been so anxious to let the Queen Mother Shangguan enter the palace.

With a little patience, Emperor Xiaozhao might not have died young, let alone left no heirs.

What a great irony.

"I heard that Wang Ji didn't get married until he was crowned, and he didn't have children until he was twenty-five." Liu He said with a smile.

"Exactly, this matter has become a joke among classmates, but Wei Chen actually agrees with his view." Gong Yu said with a smile, no longer as embarrassed as before.

"How to make the Han people prosperous is not a simple matter. Gongqing doesn't have to rush. You can go to Chang'an City for a walk first..."

"Ask the people in the northern city wall why they don't have more children and how they can have more children."

"Only when the facts are clear can the court come up with reasonable ways to guide people to have more children."

Liu He spoke very gently, which was completely different from his tough attitude when he "immigrated people to Ling County" just now.

He knows very well that having children is human nature and cannot be promoted or obstructed by force. Only by taking advantage of the situation can we achieve better results.

The monarch and his ministers talked in the warm greenhouse hall for another half an hour before ending the conversation.

Naturally, the emperor got a loyal minister, and Gongyu also returned with a full load.

Gong Yu not only got the appointment edict of the Duweicheng of Shuiheng, but also got the strange book "The Science of Numismatics", and gained a lot of insights while talking with the emperor.

These three things can bring about earth-shaking changes in Gongyu's life.

……

When Gong Yu walked out of the Greenhouse Hall, he found that the sky had actually turned overcast.

There was no sunshine in the sky, the temperature became even colder, and the skin exposed outside the robe hurt as if it were being pricked by needles.

If it were in the past, Gong Yu would definitely curse this damn thief.

But today is different. Because I am in a happy mood, even the biting cold wind has become much fresher.

Gong Yu pressed the edict and the strange book in his arms, feeling very at ease in his heart.

I'll go back tonight and stay up late to read.

How to calculate the number of five baht coins that Captain Shuiheng should make in a year, and when to go to Beichengguo to ask the people if they were willing to have more children - these two things excited Gongyu.

If it were previous years, when the New Year is approaching, this cold weather would definitely make people lazy about political affairs, and they would only think about having a good rest by the fire at home.

But today was different. Gong Yu felt energetic and seemed to have endless energy.

The feeling of hard work of trekking for more than a month was gone.

I hope the first snow this year comes later so that we can still do a lot of things.

Perhaps, I not only have to go to Beichengguo like His Majesty said, but also to several Lingxian counties in Guanzhong, even to various counties in Guandong, and even to Guangling, a sparsely populated southern country.

The more places you travel, the more public opinions you can collect, and the more accurate you will be when making decisions.

Thinking of this, the smile on Gong Yu's face became even brighter, and the great rivers and mountains of the Han Dynasty seemed to be gradually laid out in front of Gong Yu's eyes.

Fan Ke on the side saw Gong Yu in a daze in the courtyard with a smile but not a smile, but he kept muttering in his heart, could this Jun have received any heavy reward from the emperor to look like this.

After half a stick of incense, Fan Ke could no longer bear it. He walked to Gong Yu's side and gently reminded him: "Your Majesty, it's getting late. The Office of the Secretary is about to disperse. Your Majesty, please hurry up." Just go."

"Oh, thank you very much for reminding me, little envoy."

Gong Yu saluted Fan Ke, then hurriedly walked out of the front yard of the Greenhouse Hall and rushed towards the Shaofu.

When Gong Yu's figure disappeared from the courtyard, Liu He also walked out of the greenhouse hall.

Regardless of the majesty of his emperor, he stretched himself out and greedily took a few breaths of the cold air.

After sitting in the Greenhouse Hall for several hours, he needed some air more than anyone else.

As soon as Liu He showed up under the eaves, the twenty guards in the courtyard all knelt down. Most of them were newcomers from Changyi.

The remaining twenty Changyi Langs have now been promoted to the rank of Shichang.

In the past, there were often only one ten thousand Changyi Lang garrison outside the greenhouse hall or Xuanshi hall, but now the number has increased to two ten thousand.

"No need to be too polite, just stay on your back, I'll just look around and won't leave here."

"only!"

Liu He was walking around in circles in the courtyard, which was about ten feet long and wide, with his hands behind his back, thinking about today's events.

And Fan Ke followed closely, which looked a little funny.

Everything seemed to be going well today.

The immediate things have been dealt with, and the things to be done in the future have been arranged.

Nothing seems to be wrong.

When we turned to the fifth circle, we stopped in front of the greenhouse hall again - Changyilang, who was guarding the right side of the greenhouse gate, was a senior official.

A few months ago, he was a slave in the Changyi Palace. A few years ago, he was an evil slave in the Changyi Palace.

The chief's name was Badger Cong. A few days ago, he and another Changyi Lang named Disrespecting led people to the Prime Minister's Mansion for "suppression".

The whole thing was done beautifully, without any mistakes.

"Badger Cong, how old are you this year?"

"Just turned 17 years old." This was the first time Badger had answered more than three words to the emperor after being released from the labor service.

"Are there any relatives at home?"

"No more. When I was seven, my whole family died due to the Yellow River bursting, so I was sold to Changyi Palace."

"Then you have been with me for ten years?" Liu He asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty is right."

What's so disgusting about a seven-year-old child?

Later, he became an evil slave who was feared by the people of Changyi. I am afraid the reason is still because of himself, the king of Changyi.

"Are you still used to living in Chang'an City?"

"Get used to it, life in this palace is better than that of a work officer..."

Badger never finished his sentence, he smiled shyly, and his days as a work officer seemed to have become a thing of the past.

"Is there a daughter I like in Chang'an?"

A shy smile flashed across Badger's face, and then he shook his head.

"The general Zhonglang said that Changyi Lang has very heavy responsibilities and cannot leave Weiyang Palace." If you can't leave Weiyang Palace, you will naturally not be able to meet a good daughter's family.

"Don't worry, I will marry all of you next year."

"promise!"

Liu He patted Badger on the shoulder, sorted out the armor on his body, and finally punched him hard twice.

The two smiled at each other.

Liu He walked back to the eaves of the Greenhouse Hall, raised his head and looked into the distance.

Different from the scenery seen by Wei Xiang, Xiao Wangzhi, and Gong Yu, Liu He also saw the dark clouds that had been looming before. This cloud hung on the horizon, sometimes far and sometimes near.

It's time to blow away some of this cloud.

Liu He calculated in his mind that the day he had been waiting for for a long time was finally coming.

After arrangements were made for Prime Minister Wei, Xiao Wangzhi and Gong Yu, they had less to worry about and even laid some ambushes.

"Fan Ke, go in, grind the ink for me, and ask the young master to prepare some gifts for me."

"promise!"

It's time to raise the issue of pro-government to Zhong's father.

　Sister Chengjun is finally going to be officially launched!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)