Outside Taiji Palace.
Li Zexuan was waiting for Li Er to summon him.
Since he had nothing to do, he looked around. Of course, he looked at the row of palace maids leaning against the wall outside the main hall the most.
These palace maids were mostly young and beautiful, and they were all wearing pink low-cut dresses. Li Zexuan had divine skills, so his eyesight was very good. From far away, he could see the white and tender buns in the air, as well as the deep ravine in the middle. This feeling was as if he was using a telescope to look at beautiful women.
Uh, this was not Li Zexuan being shameless. It was just that he was bored standing here, and he could not go to the pavilion to rest.
Li Zexuan looked at this beautiful spring scenery, but in his heart, he cursed: This Li Er really knows how to enjoy life, letting so many young and beautiful women wear such low-cut dresses to serve him.
Li Zexuan was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard a sharp voice coming from the main hall: "Summon Li Zexuan for an audience ~"
Li Zexuan quickly and quietly entered the main hall.
It was the first time he met Li Er, so it would be a lie to say that he was not nervous. This was a feudal society, and the imperial power was supreme. If he made Li Er unhappy, it would be so easy to kill him! Therefore, Li Zexuan was a bit cautious.
"This humble citizen Li Zexuan greets Your Majesty."
Li Zexuan bowed. Yes, it was only a bow, and not a kneeling. The Tang Dynasty did not kneel, so it was a bow. Before the Song Dynasty, it was impossible for a county magistrate to kneel. In the Tang Dynasty, the emperor usually sat and the officials stood.
Li Zexuan also didn't say anything like 'long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor'. On the way here, General Dugu told him in detail about the etiquette of meeting the emperor, so Li Zexuan did not make a fool of himself.
"No need for formalities, rise." A dignified voice came from the main hall.
Only then did Li Zexuan straighten his back and raise his head.
Li Er saw that the young man before him had delicate and pretty features that were sharp and angular. His brows revealed a resolute look, and there was a unique kind of ethereal handsomeness. What surprised Li Er the most was that this was the first time this young man had met him, but he was neither servile nor overbearing, and there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.
Li Er secretly nodded. This young man could be considered a talent.
One must know that during the Tang Dynasty, one's appearance was the standard for selecting officials. Those who were too ugly would not be able to become officials. However, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Niu Jinda, and the other founding generals were exceptions.
While Li Er was sizing up Li Zexuan, Li Zexuan was also secretly sizing up Li Er. He was very curious about this legendary Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and wanted to see what he looked like.
He saw Li Er wearing a Heavenly Crown and a python dragon robe. The pearls hanging down were at the same level as his eyes. Under the illumination of the ninety-nine candles, they shone in all directions. He looked like a singer from the later generations who threw flirtatious glances at him, making people dizzy. It was impossible to see what he looked like. This was probably the greatest effect of the Heavenly Crown.
Li Zexuan was quite depressed. He secretly thought that Li Er was too petty, not letting others see what he looked like. Could it be that he was too ugly?
If Li Er knew what Li Zexuan was thinking, he would definitely cut this little brat into eight pieces. When Li Er was young, he was also a famous wanderer in the Taiyuan area. He was handsome and his martial arts were not bad. How could he be as unsightly as Li Zexuan thought?
Li Er said in a deep voice, "Li Zexuan, do you know why I asked you to come here today?"
"I don't know."
Li Zexuan's mouth twitched. He secretly thought, how would I know? That cold-faced General Dugu Mou didn't tell me. How would I know?
Li Er pretended to be strict and said,
"Hmph, since you don't know, I will tell you personally. Just now, Minister Yuan of the Taifu Temple accused you of wantonly buying chicken seedlings, causing the price of chicken seedlings and eggs to skyrocket in Chang 'an. You are driving up prices, disrupting the market, and affecting the people's livelihood. This is the first crime. In addition, Minister Wei accused you of showing off your skills and selling scooters. This scooter disrupts the order of Chang' an and affects the safety of children. This is the second crime. Li Zexuan, do you have anything to say? "
Li Zexuan was shocked. He really didn't expect that the minister would make an issue out of these two matters. He thought quickly. After a moment, he stepped forward and bowed to Li Er, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Li Er nodded and said, "Say it."
At this time, Li Zexuan cupped his hands and asked the minister next to him.
"May I ask which one is Minister Yuan?"
At this time, Cheng Yaojin pointed to Yuan Wendao, whose face was covered with blood, and said with a smile, "This is Minister Yuan."
Li Zexuan glanced at Cheng Yaojin. Cheng Yaojin nodded at him meaningfully, making him feel at ease.
Yuan Wendao stood up and said, "I am the Minister of the Taifu Temple. What do you want?"
Li Zexuan smiled and said, "Minister Yuan accused me of driving up prices. I have something to say. I need chicken seedlings, but the quantity is a bit large. I use my own money to buy what I need in the East Market. Minister Yuan, which law of the Tang Empire did I violate? Is there a law in the Tang Empire that the people can't buy chicken seedlings wantonly? "
Yuan Wendao quibbled, "You are hoarding, driving up prices, and disrupting the market. You have raised the price of chicken seedlings and eggs so high. How can ordinary people afford it?"
Li Zexuan walked to Yuan Wendao, looked into his eyes and said,
"Minister Yuan, chicken seedlings are not like grain and fodder. They are strategic materials. How can you say that they are hoarding? The so-called market is just supply and demand. The supply is less than the demand, so the price will naturally rise. Do you think that when I need something, I have to consider whether it will cause the price to rise after I buy it? If so, what is the benefit of this market to the people?
What's more, Minister Yuan, you only see the price of chicken seedlings and eggs rising. The people can't afford eggs. But why don't you see that because of the rising price of chicken seedlings and eggs, there are tens of thousands of farmers near Chang 'an who make extra profits by selling their own eggs?
The world is full of profit. Where the supply is less than the demand, the market will naturally balance the supply and demand through the mutual circulation of goods in different areas. The market has its own regulation ability. If people forcibly intervene, it will only produce the opposite effect and make the market lose its vitality. "
"Good, well said!"
Although Cheng Yaojin didn't understand these market theories, he felt that Li Zexuan was very good at what he said.
After hearing Li Zexuan's words, Fang Xuanling was quite surprised. At this time, he stood up and bowed to Li Zexuan.
"Your Majesty, Li Zexuan's words are rather reasonable, and this old subject also feels that it is time to reflect on the market management system of my Great Tang."
Li Zexuan looked at Fang Xuanling gratefully. Although he didn't know the official in front of him, he was able to see the limitations of the current market system. Li Zexuan was grateful and admired him.
The market in the Tang Dynasty, as a commodity trading place, could not spontaneously form because of the certain development of the commodity economy in a certain place. It was also not a natural product or inevitable result of economic development.
In the Tang Dynasty, the right to set up and abolish the market was clearly owned by the government. This market system, which was completely dominated by the government, was certainly not conducive to the development of the market. It would only make the market gradually lose its vitality.
Li Er didn't expect Li Zexuan to be so reasonable. What was even more unexpected was that Fang Xuanling would stand up for him.
This old subordinate of his was well-read in the classics and history. He was farsighted and had extremely high standards. He didn't expect him to agree with Li Zexuan's words.
Today, Li Er just called Li Zexuan over to see him. He didn't mean to punish him, but he didn't expect to be surprised. He nodded to Fang Xuanling thoughtfully and said, "Fang Xuanling, let's talk about this later."
Then he looked at Li Zexuan and said, "In this case, I won't pursue the crime of driving up prices and disturbing the market. But I have to ask, why did you buy so many chicken seedlings?"
Hearing Li Zexuan's question, Cheng Yaojin also pricked up his ears to listen to what Li Zexuan would say. He was also very curious.
Li Zexuan's heart skipped a beat. The question he didn't want to answer the most had come.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
