I studied in modern times

Chapter 631 I Dig My Own Corner

How did the two palaces know Zhao Xu's thoughts?
So, after hearing Zhao Xu say, "This kind of villain has truly failed the expectations of my Imperial Father and me."

The Empress Dowager began to guide them: "Since this is the case, the emperor should order the officials to remove all the officials in the Silk and Brocade Court to serve as a warning, wouldn't it be better?"

The Empress Dowager has always been like this when encountering things.

Major issues to minor ones out.

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "Grandmother's method is good...but Confucius said: punishing without teaching is cruelty..."

"Xunzi also said: If you punish without teaching, the punishment will be numerous and evil will not be defeated!"

"Besides, all the officials are now actively returning the stolen goods and making compensations... I think we should give them a chance and allow them to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences!"

Zhao Xu did these things and stirred up such a strong public opinion.

Naturally, it is impossible to pursue justice or uphold so-called fairness.

These are ministers, or to be more precise, the Censorate, the Dali Temple, and the Kaifeng Prefecture.

Rather than the emperor's business.

What is the emperor's business?
Strategy, overall situation, direction!
Therefore, Zhao Xu did not hesitate at all and directly rejected the Empress Dowager's plan to settle the matter peacefully.

However, what he said also made the two palaces look happy.

"Your Majesty...is truly kind-hearted!" the Empress Dowager praised.

The Empress Dowager Xiang said, "Your Majesty, Sixth Brother is kind and benevolent, and everyone in the court and the country knows it..."

The two palaces have been quite annoyed these past two days.

Mainly the concubines dowagers in the Ren Temple in the imperial city and the concubines of the previous emperor were looking for them to talk.

Everything he said was full of complaints and grumbling.

There are even some shrews who directly say in a sarcastic tone, "The current emperor is wise and enlightened, and he claims to be righteous and benevolent. People like me, who are cold-hearted and have done no service to the country, should have been sent to the Yongyu Mausoleum (Yongzhao Mausoleum) long ago."

The two palaces found it extremely irritating, but they could only patiently try to appease them.

There is no way, these people are childless, without any worries or ties.

It really got out of hand and someone died.

For the country, it is a complete loss of face.

In addition, the two palaces actually don't want to see any problems with Zhusi, the royal family's purse.

The reason is very simple.

They really have a cow in Zhusi!
Now, I heard that Zhao Xu was willing to give Lian Lingjinyuan a chance and a way out.

The two palaces finally let go of their worries.

"Sixth brother, how do you plan to let them redeem themselves from their crimes and make meritorious contributions?" asked the Empress Dowager.

"This is what I think..." Zhao Xu replied, "Except for the officials in charge of the Silk and Brocade Courtyard, as long as the rest of the officials return all the stolen goods and pay compensation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will sign a contract with them..."

"Let them organize weavers, set up workshops, purchase various spinning wheels and looms, hire craftsmen and women workers, and be responsible for their own profits and losses. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will only make contracts with the Imperial Palace and the officials according to their needs and purchase their cloth... Of course, the officials can also provide the raw materials, let them process them, and then pay the wages!"

"In this way, the problems of Lingjinyuan may be solved."

This is the solution of the famous Hayek in modern times.

Privatize the royal monopoly institution Lingjinyuan.

To a certain extent, it was like Zhao Xu was digging into his own corner.

The two palaces listened and were stunned.

Because, in their opinion, Zhao Xu's plan was simply destroying his own strength!
“Your Majesty…” The Empress Dowager sighed and said, “Since our ancestors, the Silk and Brocade Court only needs to spend 30,000 to 50,000 strings of cash and the silk collected from the Ministry of Revenue every year to obtain tens of thousands of rolls of silk and satin, and more than 100,000 rolls of other fabrics and silk…”

"If we follow the government's rules, I'm afraid that from now on, the cost will reach millions of strings of cash every year!"

Empress Dowager Xiang quickly said to the Grand Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, please be patient. Perhaps Sixth Brother has his own plans!"

As she said that, she looked at Zhao Xu with a little nervousness.

Because if the child hadn't thought it through before coming up with such a naive plan.

Once it gets out, it will inevitably damage its prestige!
It will also make all officials and even the whole world look down on you!

Just imagine if all officials and people all over the world knew that the current emperor is a naive and childish king.

What will they think?
Grateful? Overjoyed?
maybe!
But the greater possibility is that people will lose their respect for imperial power.

Just like the story of the donkey in Guizhou!
Empress Dowager Xiang was very clear about the thoughts of the civil officials and literati of the Song Dynasty.

Especially what those New Party ministers are thinking!

"Those who do nothing are on the best path, those who do something are on the worst path..."

"The root lies in the upper part, the end lies in the lower part; the key lies in the master, the details lie in the ministers..."

Therefore, it was publicly proclaimed: There are the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man. Those who do nothing and are respected are following the Way of Heaven; those who act and are burdened are following the Way of Man!
And they said these words to the royal family.

Therefore, the Way of Heaven refers to the emperor, and the Way of Man refers to the ministers.

In the past, Wen Yanbo simply said: Your Majesty should rule the world with the scholar-officials, not with the people of the world!
The New Party, starting from Wang Anshi, advocated that the Emperor should follow the Way of Heaven, that Heaven should not interfere in human affairs.

The affairs of the world can be handled by us wise scholars and officials under the leadership of the new sage of our time (Wang Anshi).

Mr. Zhao, please take a break! Stop micromanaging, okay?
This is the truth behind Wang Anshi’s second dismissal from office!
It was also the background for the resurgence of the old party forces starting in the first year of Yuanfeng.

It was also because the late emperor entrusted his son to others, which was why he chose Lu Gongzhu and Sima Guang instead of Wang Anshi.

It's not just about being concerned about the empress dowager, but also about fearing that the royal heir will be in danger.

He was even more afraid of Wang Anshi!
Others say they want to be Zhou Gong, just for fun!
If Wang Anshi really wanted to return to the court, he would definitely become the Duke of Zhou!
Empress Dowager Xiang knew these things as clearly as a mirror.

Because her husband had confessed everything to her when he was seriously ill and bedridden.

Apart from the second king Zhao Hao, it was Wang Anshi who made her husband most fearful!

Thinking of this, she looked at Zhao Xu, gently stroked Zhao Xu's head, and encouraged him: "We are all family, Sixth Brother and Grandmother should make your thoughts clear."

At the same time, Zhang, the palace lady who had always been by Empress Dowager Xiang's side, had quietly retreated behind the curtain at Empress Dowager Xiang's suggestion.

Prepare for possible sealing.

no way!
Once the literati of the Song Dynasty saw the weakness and vulnerability of the imperial power, they would definitely push their limits!

This sign already existed during the Ren Temple period.

If it were now, they would definitely be furious!
As the daughter of a scholar-official family, Empress Dowager Xiang understood this very clearly.

Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, saying, "Mother, Grandmother, do you still remember that last year I asked Xiang and Gao, two royal relatives, to go to Xihe to build a temple and pray for the dead souls of Xihe?"

Ryonomiya nodded.

"In addition to building the temple, I also invited two relatives to plant some kapok trees in Xihe..."

Of course the two palaces knew this.

When they found out about this, they were delighted in their hearts - the official (Sixth Brother) was really kind, and he was finding ways to reward them!
But how did the matter of Lingjinyuan end up involving Mumian?
"After the two emperors took office, they mobilized the people in Xihe and other places, and persuaded the prefectures and counties to be kind, reclaimed wasteland and turned it into farmland, and planted kapok trees in the Weihe and Taohe rivers."

"A few days ago, the two relatives brought back the first batch of picked cotton bolls..."

"The total is over 115,000 kilograms!"

When Ryougong heard this number, he couldn't help swallowing.

How much? More than 115,000 kilograms!
"Now, all these cotton bolls are in the military equipment manufacturing bureau, and Shen Kuo is directing the craftsmen to use the cotton ginning machine he invented to produce them!"

"One piece of Jibei cloth is two feet and two inches wide and forty feet long, and uses about four pounds of cotton. The cotton bolls that Xiang and Gao brought back this time can be used to weave more than 30,000 pieces of Jibei cloth after removing the seeds. At the market price of 20 strings of cash, it is worth more than 600,000 strings of cash, nearly 700,000 strings of cash!"

"And this is only the first batch of cotton bolls shipped back to Bianjing!"

"According to the reports of the two royal relatives, this year, there are more than 100,000 mu of cotton fields in Xihe Prefecture, and the yield of cotton bolls per mu is about 11 or 12 kilograms. After removing the seeds, there are at least 1.1 million kilograms of cotton, which can be woven into nearly 300,000 pieces of cotton cloth, with a value of about 6 million guan!"

"And the price of cotton bolls agreed between me and the two royal relatives is two guan per piece, so I need to pay the two royal relatives 600,000 guan!"

The two palaces were stunned when they heard this.

They could never have imagined that Xiang Zonghui and Gao Gongji, these two guys, would quietly make such a big fuss in Xihe without their knowledge.

This is an estate worth more than six million strings of cash!
Even if the purchase money was paid by the government (Sixth Brother), it would be more than 600,000 strings of cash!

How did they do that?

The two palaces don’t know at all!

But Zhao Xu continued, "This is just for this year!"

"Next year, the cotton planting area in Xihe Prefecture may reach 300,000 mu, or even 400,000 or 500,000 mu!"

"The year after next, we estimate that we will be able to reach one million acres!"

"Even if the price of jibe cloth drops to 10 guan per piece, this is still an industry worth 10 or 20 million guan per year!"

"In just three years, the Xihe River route will produce cotton bolls worth 10 to 20 million strings of cash per year!"

Ryougong's heart started pounding.

In the past, Xihe Road was a pure loss-making place.

The imperial court spent millions of strings of cash each year to maintain its rule in the local area.

That is why there are voices in the government and the public calling for Xihe to be abandoned.

But now, Xihe has the ability to create wealth of more than 10 million taels.

If this comes true, Xihe Road will become an important financial and taxation center of the Song Dynasty!

What’s even more interesting is that for the royal family, it is equivalent to using the country’s money to do their own business!

only……

"What does this have to do with Lingjinyuan?" asked the Empress Dowager.

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Does the Grandmother still remember the chariot that Sun Chen presented to her during this year's Kuncheng Festival?"

The Empress Dowager nodded.

"You know, Mother Tai, after Shen Kuo tried out the wheel in the Military Equipment Manufacturing Bureau, he found that it could be used to spin cotton yarn, and its spinning efficiency was several times higher than other spinning wheels!"

"And Shen Kuo followed my orders to make the Holy Mother Shuttle as a birthday gift for my mother!"

“This Holy Mother shuttle, used for weaving cloth, is several or even ten times more effective than any other loom!”

"In other words, the mercy of the two saints, the Mother Wheel and the Mother Shuttle, can greatly reduce the work of spinning and weaving. A weaver can weave several bolts of cloth in a day!"

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, cloth has been money!

No matter what kind of cloth it is, it can be used directly as money.

The government recognizes it, and the people recognize it too!

So, where are the cotton bolls produced in Xihe Road?

It's clearly copper coins!

As the two palaces listened to Zhao Xu's description, their faces flushed.

Mother Car, Mother Shuttle!

If what the official (Sixth Brother) said is true, then the historical status of the two of them is comparable to that of Leizu!

Leizu taught the people how to raise silkworms and spin silk, and her name will go down in history and be worshipped by generations to come!

They can also be immortalized because of the Mother Chariot and the Holy Mother Shuttle!
But the problem is...

They still haven't figured out why the official (Sixth Brother) would leave such a useful institution like Lingjinyuan unused.

If you have to distribute it, isn't a million strings of cash a lot of money?
Zhao Xu saw the two palaces' doubts and said, "Mr. Deng mentioned the words of Mr. Xu Jiang in the lecture on classics. He said: Is the law of the ancient kings the reason why the people are not rich even though they have the whole world? Confucius said: Once the people are numerous, make them rich; once they are rich, educate them!"

"Guan Zi once said: 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace. But if the people are not rich, their granaries are not full, and they have insufficient food and clothing, and you want to teach them etiquette, so that they can pursue honor and avoid disgrace, all scholars know how difficult it is!"

"Therefore, as a ruler, you need to make your people rich. Only when your people are rich can your country be strong!"

"The ancient sage kings all hid their wealth among the people!"

"Mr. Sima once said: If the government gets more of the wealth in the world, the people will get less. If the people get less, the world will be in turmoil!"

Zhao Xu once again brought out the memorial archways of Li Gou and Sima Guang.

.

(End of this chapter)