Chapter 189 It’s Snowing
"What do you mean it's your personal property?"
The official said sternly, "You are the prince, and the whole world will be yours in the future. Besides, what is the use of so much money? Do you know how much use this money can bring to the court?"
"Father, I agree with you when you say that the world will belong to me in the future. But I disagree with you when you say that giving this money to the court will not bring much use to me."
The ancients' idea of family, country and the world is deeply rooted.
Zhao Xing did not try to correct him. If he had said that the world belongs to everyone, his father would probably have been angry.
In my father's eyes, the world belongs to the Zhao family.
Not only my father, but most of the officials and lords in the court also believe that family comes first and country comes second.
There are definitely people who are truly selfless and dedicated to the country, but they cannot be too many.
"Father, as far as I know, the court's tax revenue the year before last was more than 130 million taels, and the expenditure was almost the same. Last year, the court's tax revenue was more than 105 million taels, nearly 30 million taels less than last year, but the expenditure was still almost the same. Even if I give the court the formula for the new colored glaze and let the court run it, do you think the court's situation can be improved?"
"What's more, I am worried that even if I hand it over to the court, I might still lose money."
What Zhao Xing said was not alarmist. Once it was handed over to the court, a large number of officials would be involved.
These officials will inevitably reap the benefits.
It would certainly be an exaggeration to say that we didn’t make any money, but the money we did make would inevitably be greatly reduced.
"Nonsense!" the official scolded, "Aren't salt, iron, tea and horse all state-run? Most of the imperial taxes every year come from these."
"Father, I won't talk about the problems with salt, iron, tea and horses. Do you think the court can make money because of good management? It's because these are unique businesses."
"But it's not the same with colored glaze. Once it's handed over to the court and the production method is leaked, can the court still make money?" Zhao Xing asked in return.
The emperor frowned, pondered for a while, and said, "I can prohibit the people from firing colored glaze."
"Father, you should know better than me how difficult this matter is. If you do this, those censors might block the palace gates and protest to the death. Those officials wrote to the emperor, asking him to hand over the method of making new colored glaze to the court. Only a few of them did so for the sake of the court, while most of them were just jealous of the benefits involved." Zhao Xing shook his head.
How much effort did the Han Dynasty put into making salt, iron, and wine state-owned?
The concept of state-run salt, iron, tea and horse industries has been established for a long time, and has basically been practiced throughout the dynasties.
How could those officials possibly let the court designate Liuli as a state-owned enterprise?
If this is agreed to, what if the court takes a fancy to other businesses in the future?
For these upper classes, business is their lifeblood.
For them, land is more like saving money and earning interest.
How much can hundreds or thousands of acres of land produce in a year?
It is not enough to support their extravagant life.
When the imperial court measured the land, even if it was to distribute the tax based on the acreage, it had little impact on the officials.
For many people, it may just be the money for a few meals for the family.
Just like the Sheng family, Sheng Wei gave Sheng Hong a lot of money every year to be used for official affairs.
How much land income is needed to earn this money?
Relying solely on land is simply not realistic.
But business is different. Once the imperial court arbitrarily lists some things as state-run, their roots will be cut off.
This is also the reason why Zhao Xing encountered resistance when he was clearing the land in Kaifeng Prefecture, but the resistance was not that great.
Because among the officials who arrived in Bianliang, not many actually had land in Kaifeng Prefecture, let alone relied on it to make a living.
The official was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then said, "Then what do you need so much money for?"
What Zhao Xing said did make sense, but the emperor still couldn't understand why he wanted so much money.
"Strengthen the army, develop the nation, and enrich the country," said Zhao Xing.
"Wouldn't it be the same if we handed it over to the court?" The emperor said, "I can agree to let your people run it, but the money earned must be handed over to the national treasury."
"Father, this is different. The money paid into the national treasury may not be put to good use." Zhao Xing shook his head.
The court now has too many shortcomings, and it is a hole that cannot be filled.
Hundreds and millions of taels of silver were spent, but not even a splash was made.
Zhao Xing would not use the money to fill the hole before completing the reform.
"You keep the money, but you can't go and implement it yourself, right?" the official frowned.
"Father, please don't force me. You will know in a few years." Zhao Xing said.
He had many plans, but he couldn't tell his father in detail because his father might not support him.
However, there was no way he could hand over the money.
The emperor looked at Zhao Xing deeply and said, "Okay, I won't force you. But how do you explain this to the officials?"
He only had Zhao Xing as his son, otherwise he would have suspected that Zhao Xing was planning to rebel.
In addition, although Zhao Xing's expenses in the Eastern Palace were not small, he did not spend money or indulge in luxury.
In the eyes of the government, there was no difference between keeping the money with Zhao Xing and handing it over to the court.
If the court really needs it, he can just ask Zhao Xing for it.
Just as Zhao Xing had said before, the court's tax revenue was short by tens of millions of taels in the past two years, but the revenue and expenditure were balanced.
In this case, it would be better to leave the money with Zhao Xing first, and use it for emergency when it is really needed.
"Thank you, father!" Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that.
He has made a lot of money over the years, and his father knows it.
However, most of the money earned from wine was used to buy horses, and the horses obtained were also given to the court.
Although perfume makes a lot of money, it still has certain limitations due to the flowering period.
Glass is a lucrative business, and he had already prepared himself for the time being when his father would ask him for money.
Zhao Xing had made up his mind that if his father insisted on having it, he would refuse to give it to him no matter what.
The emperor can't possibly depose him as the crown prince.
Of course, everything is valuable if it is rare.
Glass can only make quick money for a few years, but it doesn't matter, when the time comes, we can increase production and lower the price. We can still make a lot of money.
Sell it as a luxury product now, and when the market is saturated, reduce the price and use it to make windows.
Anyway, as long as the secret recipe is not leaked, according to Zhao Xing's estimation, it will be no problem to make 10 or 20 million taels a year from this thing.
After chatting with his father for a while, Zhao Xing took his leave.
When he arrived at the outer hall, Sanshui, who was waiting there, hurriedly handed him a cloak.
"I'm not cold." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
It is now mid-November and the weather has turned cold.
He wore something thick when he went out.
However, there was a dragon brazier in the inner hall, so he didn't feel cold at all, but even a little warm.
"Your Highness, it's snowing outside, you should put it on," said Sanshui.
"Snowing?"
Zhao Xing was stunned when he heard this. He walked a few steps to the door of the palace and saw heavy snow falling outside. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground.
"The scenery is quite nice." Zhao Xing admired it for a while and said, "Please put it on for me. Let's go back to the East Palace. It will rain heavily soon and the road will be difficult to walk on."
"Hey." Sanshui responded, walked forward and put the cloak on Zhao Xing, then stood on tiptoe to tie it for him.
"I'll do it myself."
Zhao Xing tied his cloak on himself and walked out.
He took a sedan chair, left the palace, and then changed to a horse-drawn carriage.
After traveling for a while, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Your Highness, there is an old man pulling coal in front. It seems that his carriage is broken down. I have sent people to investigate." Gu Tingye's voice came from outside the carriage.
Zhao Xing's first reaction when he heard this was, could it be another assassin?
However, this thought only flashed through my mind and was dismissed.
This is Bianjing City, and his current location is not far from the imperial palace.
It should just be an accident.
Although the East Palace is to the east of the Imperial Palace, it is very close.
However, the way back to the East Palace passes through a street corner where princes and nobles live. It is not surprising that people often deliver charcoal to those families in the cold weather.
After waiting for a while, the carriage started moving without any accidents.
Zhao Xing opened the window and the cold wind blew in, causing him to shiver and tighten his cloak.
On the street, an old man in his sixties with rough and dark skin was standing hunched in front of a thatched cart with a helpless look on his face.
It is now the coldest time of the year with heavy snow falling from the sky, but the old man is only wearing a thin coat that is not very thick and is covered with patches.
For some reason, Zhao Xing thought of "The Charcoal Seller" written by Bai Juyi.
It’s a pity that I’m wearing only a few clothes. I’m worried about the cheap carbon and wish the weather would be colder.
An old man in thin clothes hopes that the coal can be sold at a high price and hopes that the weather will be as cold as possible, which vividly describes the sadness and helplessness of the people at the bottom of society.
However, is the old man in Bai Juyi’s poem really so miserable?
It’s miserable for sure, but they still have cows.
A cow was worth a lot of money to ordinary people in ancient times.
Many families even rely on human power to pull the plow.
The old man in front of him could only sell charcoal by pulling a cart with manpower.
Zhao Xing is not a compassionate saint, and he felt bad when he saw this scene.
This is the capital of the Song Dynasty, at the feet of the emperor. He usually sees only prosperity, but he never expected that there are people living such a hard life.
"Zhong Huai!"
"Your Highness!"
Gu Tingye, who was riding a horse and guarding beside him, quickly reined in his horse and slowed down when he heard this.
"Send two people to help him." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Gu Tingye responded and gave the order.
Zhao Xing lowered the carriage curtain and warmed his hands over the brazier with a puzzled look on his face.
It was snowing heavily, and the scholars were probably enjoying the snow, reciting poems and composing couplets while drinking warm wine.
Perhaps people will sigh that auspicious snow means a good harvest.
But for some ordinary people, they don’t know whether snow can indicate a good harvest.
They only know that winter days will be very difficult to endure, and clothing and warmth will be big problems for them.
Some people can't even survive the winter.
As for coal mining, it has been done for a long time, but with the transportation capabilities in ancient times, the people still could not afford it.
As for why the wealthy and powerful don’t use coal?
Maybe they feel it doesn't suit their identity.
While I was daydreaming, the carriage stopped again.
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the Eastern Palace." Gu Tingye said.
Zhao Xing took a deep breath and got off the carriage.
There are many things he cannot change now, and he doesn't know whether he can change them in the future.
(End of this chapter)