A great man of the Northern Song Dynasty

The Third Division collected a total of more than 300,000 yuan in fines this time. After the news came out, even Zhao Shu said good things.

Han Jiang sent three calligraphy and paintings. It is said that he was very reluctant to part with them and only told Shen An to keep them safely and not to damage them.

"You can do whatever you want with certain things."

Shen An is admiring calligraphy and painting.

Through those calligraphy and paintings, he seemed to feel that he was communicating with the ancients after many years. This feeling was really wonderful.

In the palace, Han Jiang was asking for credit for Shen An.

"I know." Zhao Shu became even more angry when he remembered that Shen An drooled over his face and asked him to deposit the palace money into the bank.

He glanced at his son and saw that he was very honest and had no intention of coming out to help Shen An. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Do you have something to say, Dalang?"

Teasing children is one of the joys and joys of being a parent.

"Your Majesty, please abolish the commercial taxes imposed on the people."

Most sons would hate to see their father happy, so Zhao Xu finally revealed his ultimate goal.

"this……"

Zeng Gongliang left work and said: "This matter is difficult to handle. If all of them are lifted, the three divisions will probably lose money next year. Besides, didn't the general just get the exemption money? The people have less service, and their lives are already much better. Besides Business tax was exempted, that day..."

The superiors subconsciously feel that they cannot make the people's lives too easy. This has been their instinct for thousands of years.

With everyone living a life of power, the Song Dynasty must collapse.

"Zeng Xiang's words are wrong!" Zhao Xu said: "The life of the people is not easy. This time I went to the place to check. With the exemption money, the people can only say that they are far away from their homes..."

"There is also the Song Dynasty Bank!" Zeng Gongliang added the bargaining chip with a smile, "With low-interest loans, can't the people's lives be better?"

Low-interest lending can be called a century of good governance. The original opponents were silent in the face of the current situation, and the opponents of the New Deal pretended not to see this situation.

Only Sima Guang, he said privately that low-interest loans would probably become the most benevolent policy of today's officials.

Mentioning this, even Zhao Shu smiled, and then thought of Shen An.

The young man came up with the concept of a bank in a seemingly nonsensical manner, which encompassed the two major functions of storage and lending. The key is that depositing money earns interest, and the bank attracted the money with this.

Where did the loan sharks come from to lend out so much money? In addition to their own money, those who have money but cannot find a direction to invest are the main force.

For the first time, depositing money earned interest, which allowed timid money to be deposited in banks. However, subsequent money heads who could not find a way out of loan sharking either deposited their money in banks or invested their money elsewhere.

Shen An said last time that this is called increased investment, and the increasing balance of the Third Company is the result of increased investment.

Invest!

Zhao Shu squinted and thought about tax exemption. Does this offset the benefits of increased investment?

"I thought people's lives were still miserable. Once there was any disturbance, their families could be ruined at any time." Zhao Xu's voice was very clear, and he seemed particularly full of vitality in a world of old people.

"It's common for families to have no money left, and raising chickens and pigs is one way to increase their income. I dare ask Prime Minister Zeng, ordinary people raise chickens and pigs just to earn some salt money. If they are good, they can also make clothes for their families. That’s it, can’t it?”

Zhao Xu looked at Zeng Gongliang and said with piercing eyes: "Has Prime Minister Zeng ever seen the suffering of the people?"

Zeng Gongliang's old face turned red, and Zhao Xu chased after him and asked: "I stayed in Caishu Village for three days, and those three days... I will never forget it. Does Zeng Xiang want to have a closer look?"

Zeng Gongliang said with a smile: "It is good for your Majesty to understand the sentiments of the people, but once the people are exempted from commercial taxes, everyone will be interested in profit and have no intention of farming, then..."

This is the core reason for his opposition.

"Why did the past dynasties emphasize agriculture and suppress business? Or even suppress businessmen? First, businessmen focused on profits, and the people were stupid and would follow them to do business instead of farming, and food was the foundation of the Song Dynasty."

Once abandonment occurs, the Song Dynasty may collapse.

"Secondly, businessmen are greedy for profit. Once they become powerful, the government may find it difficult to control them."

Han Qi interjected: "Businessmen only have money in their eyes, and loyalty is just a joke to them. This generation is cunning and can only be suppressed. Once let go, they will stare at the court and more... ...Shen An said that wealthy businessmen have no country, and I deeply believe this."

Zhao Xu was also aware of this. The Song Dynasty had an excellent attitude towards business, but he was still wary of businessmen infiltrating into the court.

"Thirdly, when people are doing business, their hearts are not as old as before."

This one is the most obscure, but Zhao Xu understands it.

The so-called people's hearts are not ancient, what I mean here is that people's hearts are active.

For the court, the more stupid the people are, the better it is to manage. Farm the land where it should be cultivated, do business where it should be done, and the four peoples will be able to live their lives in peace, and the world will be stable.

This explains the origin of the emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business from the perspective of social management. Together with the previous ones, it can be said to be impeccable.

The emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce for thousands of years is not all stupidity, but there are specific historical factors in it.

Zhao Shu smiled, feeling that Zeng Gongliang had taught his son a lesson, letting him know that the world cannot be governed by impulse, which was excellent.

Zhao Xu thought for a moment and said, "May I ask Prime Minister Zeng, what is a prosperous age?"

Zeng Gongliang smiled and said: "If the king is wise and the ministers are wise, prosperous times will naturally come."

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Can Kaiyuan be called a prosperous age?"

Zeng Gongliang nodded, "Of course, during the prosperous Kaiyuan era, the world attracted attention."

Zhao Xu said: "In the prosperous age of Kaiyuan, millions of people lived in hiding. If it was really a prosperous age, how could it be like this? Where is the root cause? Taxation!"

He carefully checked the relevant knowledge, and when he spoke at this moment, he gave Zeng Gongliang no room to refute, "In the former Tang Dynasty, taxes were heavy, and the people were just suffering. By the time of Kaiyuan, local officials took advantage of them, and the gentry took advantage of them, and the people were miserable. , saying it’s a prosperous age is just adding fuel to the fire by decorating it with flowers.”

Everyone laughed awkwardly.

These prime ministers and assistants are all old foxes, and they naturally have their own standards for judging the so-called prosperous times.

The so-called prosperous age of Kaiyuan just added fuel to the fire. The people below have been miserable for a long time. Even if An Lushan doesn't take action, the good days of the former Tang Dynasty will not last long.

"In the so-called Wenjing rule, the people still suffered from taxes, and their suffering was rewarded with a full treasury. Only then did the subsequent revenge of Emperor Wu come about."

When the former Han Dynasty was founded, there was a siege on Baishan Mountain. Later, there was a great shame and humiliation when the Huns molested Empress Lu. Revenge was inevitable. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's revenge was based on the accumulation of the previous two emperors, but the root cause still lay in the people's tolerance for high taxes.

"These so-called prosperous times are all suffering for the people. Will the Song Dynasty do the same?"

Zhao Xu was a little angry, "The people are trapped in the fields and miserable. If we can't find a way to relieve the people's plight, aren't there many examples from the Han and Tang Dynasties?"

"enough!"

Zhao Shu stopped what he was saying and said with a straight face: "Let's let this matter go."

"Your Majesty, I have a form."

Zhao Xu took out another form.

"If each household raises ten chickens, even if they get three chickens a day, it only costs two cents. If they hoard dozens of chickens and sell them in the city, it only costs tens of cents... But raising chickens costs more. Spending money on rice bran and wheat bran also requires manpower to go out to find chicken food. After all, raising ten chickens is just an extra penny a day. Your Majesty, the people all over the world are working hard to earn an extra penny every day. Do I have to pay tax?”

Zhao Shu's face turned red and he felt his heart beating suddenly.

"So few?"

Han Qi frowned and said: "I eat chicken every day, and the shopping at home..."

Old Han raised his head, "Is it really two cents and three cents?"

Everyone wanted to cover their mouths and snicker, thinking that Old Han had been tricked by the servants purchased by his family, right?

Zhao Xu felt funny in his heart and said: "In the past few years, it was two coins for one penny, but now it is three coins for two cents. It has increased a bit."

Han Qi's face turned cold, "You are a troublemaker!"

Fu Bi couldn't help but feel happy when he saw that he was deflated, and asked: "How much did Han Xiang's family buy?"

This was a scandal, a scandal of lax governance, but Han Qi said calmly: "Two cents a piece."

He cupped his hands to Zhao Xu and said, "Fortunately, the king reminded me that I only now know about the scandal in my family."

Zhao Xu smiled and remembered Shen An's joke, "I heard a joke that someone was sitting at home and ignorant of the world, and the servants did whatever they wanted, and a chicken actually cost a hundred coins..."

"I'm afraid this is impossible, right?" Zeng Gongliang said with a smile: "How can there be such a stupid person?"

Zhao Shu suddenly said: "How much does the chicken cost in the palace?"

Well!

Zeng Gongliang wanted to slap himself, but he quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

Zhao Xu shook his head, and Chen Zhongheng went to ask as if he was flying, with a dark look on his face, "The official family, the chickens purchased from the palace, one...each costs five cents."

Zhao Shu flexed his fingers and said calmly: "Let Zhang Bian and the others check it out. It will be easy to find out."

Leng Su's breath circulated, and everyone knew that someone in the palace was going to be in trouble.

Zhao Xu continued: "Whether it is free money or low-interest loans, it only relaxes the people who are bound. Their lives are still very fragile. I use the word fragile because their lives are still not optimistic, and I give them I think the time is right to further loosen the ties."

He raised his head and said seriously: "People raise some chickens and ducks after working every day, and they also have to pay taxes. They plant a few fruit trees and sell a few baskets of fruits, and they also have to pay taxes... Your Majesty, UU Reading www.uukａnshu.net Can such a Song Dynasty be called a prosperous age?"

He suddenly knelt down and said, "If the Song Dynasty wants to prosper, the people must loosen their bonds. Otherwise, it only takes a few natural disasters to reveal the so-called prosperous age!"

Zhao Shu stood up expressionlessly, "Everyone, please go back."

The ministers respectfully sent Zhao Shu back. When they turned around and saw Zhao Xu still kneeling there, they couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh.

Zhao Xu left the palace and went to Shen's house. He asked for a drink as soon as he came in.

"Failed?"

"Um."

Zhao Xu said melancholy: "I feel...the monarchs and ministers in the court are all wary of the people and afraid of the people."

"Of course they will be afraid." Shen An smiled: "But the fear comes from the unknown. They don't know what the people are thinking, so they will naturally be afraid."

"Fear comes from the unknown?" Zhao Xu's eyes lit up, he stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Brother Anbei, for your guidance. I'll take my leave."

"I haven't drank the wine yet!"

"No more drinking!"

Zhao Xufei ran away as well, while Shen An smiled from behind.

"Mr. Lang, your Majesty looks very happy!" Zhuang Laoshi had never seen Zhao Xu so excited before.

"Someone pointed out a path to him, a path that is different from those before him, and he will naturally be happy."

Shen An thought of later generations, "For thousands of years, meat-eaters have been afraid of the common people, wishing they could pin them down in the fields and not be able to move for the rest of their lives. They provide taxes and labor when there is no need to cultivate the land, and they are recruited to fight when there is something...the common people are in their eyes What? It’s just a doll!”

But Zhao Xu was led in another direction by him, and he would give these people a heavy blow.

"Refreshing!" Shen An couldn't help laughing.

…

Second update.