Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 40 Business Cycle
Pei Yan and Lou Shide looked at the proud Chen Qingsi. They didn't know that it was because they were waiting for him, they just thought that he had married a sweet wife.

Pei Yan came here not to reminisce, but to directly reveal his identity.

"Brother Chen, don't blame me for the deception. The emperor's orders are on my side, so I have to do it as a last resort."

Chen Qingsi's face was full of astonishment, and it took him a moment to react, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it turned out to be Pei Yushi, and Lou County Lieutenant, who had been neglectful in the past. I had received congratulatory gifts from the Yushi and County Lieutenant before, so I was wondering when I would be lucky enough to enter. I caught the eye of the censor and the county captain, it turns out they are the two of you, come in quickly."

He looked surprised, as if he had no idea of ​​their identities.

Pei Yan and Lou Shide smiled knowingly. On the way, they were still discussing how Chen Qingsi, who was in the limelight, would react when he heard their true identities.Although there was no panic as expected, the surprise made the two of them quite satisfied, especially Pei Yan.

Chen Qingsi invited Pei Yan and Lou Shide into the house and introduced his new wife to them.

When Xiao Miaochen heard that one of the people who came was the imperial censor and the other was the Yangzhou County Lieutenant, his eyes flashed, and he was not afraid of the stage at all. He said: "There are distinguished guests coming to the door, and the husband did not inform him in advance. It is not good to neglect the distinguished guests. I am not beautiful." Now go down and arrange wine, food and tea..."

As Xiao Miaochen spoke, Yingying made a blessing and left slowly.

Pei Yan and Lou Shide couldn't help showing a hint of surprise and envy in their eyes when they saw Xiao Miaochen's generosity and decency.

Pei Yan's wife was from the Liu family in Pengcheng, which was considered a prominent family, but she was far from the Xiao family in Lanling.

As for Lou Shide's wife, she is only a local wealthy family, let alone her.

"Brother Chen, you are so lucky!"

"What the hell! Pei Yushi is so polite..."

If Chen Qingsi had a tail, it would be as high as the sky.

Pei Yan said with regret: "If I had known Brother Chen's identity, I shouldn't have told him about it. Wouldn't it be nice for you and me to get along as brothers and talk about state affairs as we always are?"

Chen Qingsi's deeds on her way to welcoming her bride have long been spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River. With Pei Yan's intelligence, he was able to tell that the so-called jealousy of the five surnames was exaggerated. No adulteration.

Such people are not allowed to interact with each other in a temporary official capacity.

Chen Qingsi said: "As for Pei Yushi, it is a blessing for me to be able to discuss state affairs with the two of them. I should know that I can talk about everything."

If someone is willing to condescend to have friendship, that is their business.

When we don't really know each other well enough to ignore the superiority and inferiority, it is a taboo in official circles to overly ignore each other's status gap.

Pei Yan sighed: "This time I went south and went deep into the people's livelihood conditions in Jiangnan. I further felt how insightful the poem by Brother Chen, 'There is no idle land in the world, and farmers are still starving to death.' But they didn’t realize it at all, and they still stick to the old rules. If they don’t change, chaos will happen again. It seems that Brother Chen is the only one who has unique insights into Jiangnan. I came here because I want to hear Brother Chen’s insights again. "

Of course he knows that it is not the fault of the southern officials to stick to the old rules. Those who are unwilling to stick to the old rules have been transferred or dismissed. The current situation is the result of the previous acquiescence of the court.

Because of this, Chen Qingsi's idea to break this rule is even more valuable. Whether he was stunned or keenly discerned the change in the court's policy, it was his ability and opportunity.

"I'm still saying the same thing. Grain is cheap and hurts farmers. If we want the people in Jiangnan to recover as soon as possible, the price of grain must be moderated by the state. Even if it is raised by one dollar, it will be a big deal for the people in Jiangnan. Good thing."

Pei Yan said: "Brother Chen should know that the adjustment of grain prices is a big deal for the people of the entire Tang Dynasty. If it is too little, it will be a drop in the bucket. If it is too much, it will cause greater turmoil." Chen Qing nodded and said: "Therefore, price adjustment is only the first step, and Jiangnan needs to change itself. Officials in various places need to adjust policies and cannot blindly cultivate food. They must promote local specialties to form a reasonable and healthy business cycle."

"A healthy business cycle?" Pei Yan became interested when he heard this new vocabulary and said, "Brother Chen, please elaborate."

Chen Qingsi said: "To put it simply, the so-called merchants are buying and selling things. They sell things from the north to the south, and then sell things from the south to the north. A reasonable and healthy business cycle should be mutually beneficial. But now the south attaches great importance to agriculture, resulting in handicrafts All industries are in decline. The necessities that people usually need need to be purchased from other places. And the south itself lacks corresponding goods for export. Many merchants go south with full loads and go north with empty trucks. Some merchants stopped coming because of business losses. Some merchants did not want to go back. Losing money increases the selling price of goods.”

"Censor Pei must have discovered that despite the poverty here in the south of the Yangtze River, the prices of many daily necessities are actually higher than in the prosperous and wealthy places in the north. This is the bad result of an unhealthy business cycle."

Pei Yan's expression remained unchanged, but he glanced at Lou Shide with a guilty conscience.

Lou Shide, who rarely talked, suddenly said: "Brother Chen's words coincide with those of Pei Yushi. This is what a wise man sees in common."

Pei Yan nodded and said with a smile: "Brother Chen has more unique insights."

He did not forget what happened when he first learned about the prices in Jiangnan. At that time, he became furious and cursed the profiteers for taking advantage of others' danger. He also said that after returning home, he would report to the Holy Spirit and severely punish the profiteers.Now after listening to Chen Qingsi's analysis, I discovered that if prices were really controlled, businessmen wouldn't even come.

It is true that Pei Yan is talented, but as an academic figure, he listens particularly seriously to the business group that he despises, and is far inferior to Chen Qingsi, who is a practical person.

In front of Pei Yan, the censor of the imperial court, Chen Qingsi did not hide anything and explained his many opinions in detail one by one.

Pei Yan discussed with him while thinking.

Lou Shide would only intervene at key points. He spent most of his time tasting tea and had a special liking for the tea soup in his hands.

The three of them first talked in depth about Jiangnan affairs, and then about court policies. They talked from morning to dusk, even during lunch time.

Chen Qingsi was listening to Pei Yan express his views on the Guanlong forces where Changsun Wuji belonged, when he suddenly saw Xiao Miaochen giving him a wink outside the house.

After Pei Yan finished speaking, Chen Qingsi took advantage of the situation and left the table temporarily.

"Madam?" Chen Qingsi called out when she saw Xiao Miaochen outside the house.

Xiao Miaochen said: "I have prepared two gifts for Pei Yushi and Lou County Lieutenant. When the time comes, my husband will give them as a return gift."

Chen Qingsi whispered: "What gift?"

Xiao Miaochen also suppressed his voice and said: "The calligraphy given to Pei Yushi is Mr. Yu Wenyi's. I read the congratulatory note. Pei Yushi's calligraphy has the style of Mr. Yu Wenyi. I think he practiced it against Mr. Yu Wenyi's original calligraphy. As for Lou The county captain, I don’t know his preferences, so I chose a gift of considerable value.”

Yu Wenyi is Yu Shinan.

Chen Qingsi said: "Let's prepare some Yangxian snow buds and give them to the two of us. Lou County Lieutenant is a good tea drinker, he must like it."

　Brothers who are able to pursue the decision, try their best to insist on the decision, and those who have votes also support it, thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)